I had woken up long ago, my mouth filling up with blood was the first thing I registered. This condition was getting serious, dangerously so. The fact that blood is coming out is already something I should have taken more seriously. I'm probably already at the stage of internal damage, what happens next?
I sure hope I don't find out but at this point, anything can happen. I have no direction and no leads on how to deal with this. Though that can be put on hold for a small while, even if I just said that I should take this seriously.
My first instinct was to go after Erza. I debated with myself for the longest time before dropping that idea, I'd only be a hindrance and Erza's got this. Getting anywhere near might just set her off even more.
Instead, I opted to take a look around the store, well the safe parts anyway. There was a room behind the main store. From what I could see, this was most likely where the actual blacksmithing would happen. There was this large unlit forge at the back, a quick touch had revealed that it hadn't been lit for some time from the lack of heat. Not weird considering the circumstance we're in, but it was still somewhat unusual to me. Many other weapons were back here, though they were in the same state as the other weapons so they were a no go. It's not like I could carry them anymore- Wait, let me rephrase that, I don't want to carry any more. Erza's the pack mule now, whether she likes it or not. With that in mind, I left the room feeling as if there was nothing left for me there so I headed down the only door left.
It was a bedroom, a very scarce one at that. A simple bedroll with a few bits of eaten food and with the sorry state my body was in, some of which looked delicious to me, even with the rats scurrying around. Hunger was definitely prevalent but I was able to knock it down a few notches. Even if it hissed back with stomach pains.
There was a bag in the corner, something out of place with how it looked much more kept than anything else. My RPG experience practically demanded that I was to open it so who was I to deny it?
Opening the bag had only shown that there were a few pieces of clothing, basic stuff like shirts and pants, too big for me to even remotely try on; Some essentials, weirdly he had stuff like bars of soap; and a large stack of money, I knew it was money when I noticed that wads bills inside, the largest ones being around 1000's. This all looked like stuff that one would pack away, I wouldn't be surprised if that blacksmith would use this to run away.
This question to that would be why though?
Seems like we found the money we need, not the way I wanted but beggars can't be choosers. But all it cost was a murderhobo chasing a blacksmith that had broken his stereotypes. Never thought I would ever be in this situation…
I feel like I'll be saying that a lot.
There was something else I noticed underneath all of the stuff in the bag, it was faint. Unnoticeable until I had moved away from the bedroll. I didn't know how to describe it but something was there. Something...very similar to what I felt around Erza.
Magic.
There was something inside the bedroll, I reached into it and pulled out a decently sized box. As long as my forearm and as thick my fist. As I held it, I felt something, like a tingling in my hands, a sort of pins and needles kind of thing. It was right on the edge of my...magic sensors...Yes, I am now calling it that.
It was faint, like a quiet drizzle of rain, however as my hands glided over the side of the box, it seemed to get stronger and weaker, depending on where they were located. It seemed like I was getting the hang of this...or whatever it was is weak enough to not to hurt me.
Seeing an opportunity, at least something, I immediately fit it into the bag and closed it up. Can't really do much about the clothes but everything else is a plus. I might just give away the clothing or something, I'm not sure as of the moment but, as of right now, I need to really find Erza. As much as I'm finding excuses to put it off, I can't wait any longer.
-=Grey Rights=-
"Erza…" I cried out. "Where are you?" Still, no response, not that I was expecting anything. I had followed the trail of swords to here, towards the more desolate area of the town. With the way this whole area has been rubbing me, I did not want to be here, I really don't. Apart of me wanted to run far away from where Erza wouldn't be able to find me, maybe start adventuring to the other countries early. But still, the guilt would kill me if I left a little girl here all alone.
A mentally unstable girl with an arsenal of weapons…
That sounds worse.
Funnily enough, the fact that the inhabitants of this village weren't here already is a sign of concern. A large fucking concern because this is really creepy. It doesn't help that the sun was setting soon so all the long shadows looked like large looming people. Had it not been for my inner pride, I would have let out the many screams befitting a child by now, damn to hell for all those who see.
Luckily for me, there were weapons sticking out of the ground, acting as if they were guiding me to her. This whole thing is making me rethink my whole plan over and over again, giving me something to think about than the dark road my thoughts were heading. Though any serious planning will be for some other time when I've finally got some food in me. That would probably be the best time to look over everything that's going on in my life.
My eyes caught something, a small glimmer of light reflecting the dipping sun. There was a sword that was stabbed in the ground, unlike the others around me, yet this was special, not in its design or anything like that but with the way that it was stained. Not only did it have rust that had caught that blue-haired woman's eye but by blood. Blood that was still dripping down its side. From the way it was still travelling down the side length of the blade, it must have been very recent.
I could easily see how this could have escalated, especially with the blood that had made a barely visible trail. Erza could have gotten angrier, maybe by his words or her own thoughts but she could have-
"Nobody's dead…" I muttered to myself, there was not nearly enough blood to suggest that someone could be dead but my dark mind had immediately snapped to that conclusion."She must have just nicked him…"
My head snapped to the side, I felt a small amount of numbness come from towards where I was running, it was pushing my body away like a magnet with the way my legs just refused to move for a second. There was a large clap, the sound of crackling and a large amount of smoke did wonders for my current state of anxiety. There was enough lightning that it wouldn't look out of place in a thunderstorm, enough to light up the area and to be seen around the village, bright enough to blind me for a second.
I pushed past this feeling and ran towards it, feeling not that much better as I tried to ignore it. That was practically a beacon, showing me where Erza is and unless Erza suddenly learned lightning magic…
"Someone else is using magic." I finished aloud, coming to that realisation.
"Erza?! There you-" I cried out, heading around the corner where the lightning erupted. There large destroyed pieces of wood that had scorch marks on them. Even across the walls, large cracks and a few swords here and there. The sound of dripping was the only thing my ears would pick up as I steered at the frozen girl. Here eye staring me up and down in disbelief.
"You're alive!" Erza cried out, standing up to show the blood-soaked jumper she was wearing. There were a few scorch marks around the arm of the jumper, the other had been ripped off.
"Of course, I'm alive." I replied, feeling a little scared and confused. "I'm right here, aren't I?"
"You fell over..." Erza muttered, unable to stare at my eyes. "...you were bleeding, I thought I killed you."
"Yeah...I couldn't really help it." I chuckled, feeling pretty awkward. From her perspective, I could see how she came to that realisation. Not sure the best way is to demand holy vengeance against someone but we'll work on that.
"I-I'm sorry." Erza whimpered out. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just angry and that man-"
"Speaking of him, where is he?" I asked, noticing how Erza's body immediately stiffened. "Erza, just tell me."
With the blood that was on the sword, Erza's expression and the hesitation, that dark thought was rearing its ugly head again.
"No-it's just I-" Her breath was getting faster, faster than normal and it was much heavier than usual. Her eye darting around, unable to look me in the eye as she stuttered. The hem of the jumper was assaulted by her hands as she fidgeted, her feet shifting from one to the other under my glare.
"Where is he?" I spat out, I don't have the energy for this and neither does she. "Just tell me, I'm not going to be mad."
"He's...dead." Erza whispered, her body shaking. "I-I killed him."
I'm...actually I don't know what to think. Many different words sped through my mind and many more were just on the tip of my tongue, ready to be spoken. 'Why?' 'Are you okay?' Holy Shit!' 'Am I next'. Many different emotions were laced in the words I held within, each one is different yet none of them the one I wanted to say.
I bit down my response. I knew whatever I was going to say was going to just make her feel even worse. My mind's already creating the mental image of the man's skewered torso with weapons sticking out of them. His face stuck, showing only fear and pain as the tears dried upon his cheeks. His voice dying down as he tried to beg for mercy. The image of Erza standing over him with an expression full of fury as blades rotated around her.
She broke me out of my own dark imagination as I felt her wrap her arms around me with the tears of her broken emotions dripping down on her face and onto my chest. I wrapped my own arms around her as my heart was beating and body shivering.
I started to imagine myself looking up at Erza, my body flaring up in pain as the magic assaulted me. Her blades pointed towards me, shooting down to cut through my limbs with nothing but the feeling of numbness as my mind blanked from all the stimuli, everything had shown me that she was nothing but out of control, that I should leave her and run away as fast as I could.
"Erza-" she stopped whatever words I was going to say by stepping for a hug.
"I-I-I didn't want to kill him-Rob always told me that all lives are special and everyone deserves a chance...b-but then I saw you on the floor and… I-I-I couldn't help myself." Erza Interrupted, her voice quiet on my chest. "H-He was scared and begged me to not kill him, but all I could see was you, lying on the floor."
"I'm sorry, Erza." I replied, feeling bile rise up in my throat. "I wish I could have helped somehow, I didn't want to put you in this situation."
"I know, I know, I know." Erza muttered back, her voice quiet. "But I couldn't stop myself, I saw his magic and thought about how it hurts you and… and…"
"I'll find a solution Erza, there's a big world out there and I'm sure we can find something." I replied, even if I was trying to convince Erza, I felt as if I was talking to myself as well. "You just focus on being the best Fairy Tail wizard you can be, just like Rob said you would and I take care of the rest."
"But I-I don't want to be a wizard anymore. I don't want to go to Fairy Tail. I wish I never knew Rob. I wish that the Tower never existed." Her tears were freely dropping down her face. "I want to go home, I want to go back to the Orphanage. I want to finish sewing that dress. I want to bake a massive cake for everyone in the village. I want my friends again-" She trailed off, tucking her head in.
"Erza..." I said, concerned at her tone. "I know how it feels but there's nothing we can't do anything about it-"
"I-I don't wanna do anything." Erza exclaimed, her words pouring out faster and faster. "I-I-I'll even go back to the tower, I-ll do anything...just don't-"
"Don't even joke about that, Erza!" I snarled, grabbing her by the arms. Her eye looking up to my own in teary surprise. "You're free, you have magic, you have the power to do something with your life and you want to fucking throw it away?! People would kill for this kind of thing, don't you dare ever think like that, you fucking piece of shit."
Erza's eye had gotten even bigger, her mouth trembling at my words as she flinched at the volume. "B-B-Back then, I used to ask Rob all the time when we would get out, when would he finally free us and he always told us that we'd be free one day. I'm finally out now and all-all I want to do is go back, back to have everything was. It was so much easier back there."
"It's too late for that now!" I exclaimed, interrupting her. "All you can do is look the fucking future, don't you dare even think about going back. So what if it was easier? Life will find some fucking way to fit its oversized shaft of 'fuck you' up your ass somehow, just be lucky you have someone to help you deal with it."
"I-I don't want to deal with it." Erza snapped back, her eye inches away from my own. "I don't want my magic, if all it does is hurt people. I-I don't want to do anything."
"Well tough luck.." I replied, my voice taking its own edge. "I'm not letting you do nothing, not when you have the power to do anything. I'm going to make you the best fucking wizard in your guild, whether you like it or not."
There was something going on in the background, I could tell with how close we were. Her eye never left my own, as if we locked in this battle of dominance. There were freshly made tears dripping down her face she finally blinked. "...Okay…"
"Sorry, I couldn't hear that," I stated, my arms crossed over my chest as I stared down at her.
"Okay," Erza repeated, louder this time.
"I'm not sure you even believe that yourself!" I said, my voice getting louder. "I want to hear it."
"Okay!" Erza repeated for the third time, her eye taking on a slight steel.
"'Okay' what?" I asked.
"Okay, I'll be a wizard." Erza continued, her whole body language becoming much more confident than she was before.
"You want to be a wizard?" I asked, getting a nod from her.
"Yes, I want to be a wizard." Her voice back to what it was before- No, even more, powerful than anything I've seen with her.
"Then let me see your war face." I replied, getting a look of confusion from her. I admit I may be having a little fun with this. "You got a war face, 'AHHHH' that's a war face. Not let me see your war face."
"...ahhh?" Her tone only showed her struggle to comprehend what I was saying.
"Bullshit, now let me see your war face!" I repeated, louder this time.
"AHHHH" She shouted louder this time, putting her whole body into it.
"You need to work on that if you're going to be a wizard, Erza!" I replied, seeing her downcast expression. "But much better than I expected you could do."
"Thank you!" The honest smile that she sent somehow washed away any worries about her. It's not the best thing right now but it's enough.
"No problem." I replied, my eye darting from her and the draining body behind her. I don't think he noticed but I'd rather not have any dark thoughts re-emerge from Erza, especially how gory it looked. "Let's head out, I'd rather not be here any longer."
"Okay…" She muttered, her voice quiet. I guess she knew what I was thinking about. Got to give her credit, smarter than I thought she would be. But then again, being less than 150 centimetres would do that to you.
"Right, let's just focus on getting some clothes and some proper food…" Her eye immediately snapped up to meet mine, determined as ever, even as her tongue darted out her lips. "I am freezing, hungry, tired and many more that I can't be asked to explain."
Erza's sympathy was funny, especially when she was feeling the same, maybe even worse. Chuckling to myself, I simply left the alleyway, not sparing a glance at the bloodstain that was the blacksmith. There was a bounce to Erza's step, almost to the point of skipping. You wouldn't know that she just killed a man if you watched.
Well, except for the blood, the scorch marks, the dirt- You see where I'm going with this?
"Can we get food first?" Erza asked, her eye practically begging me as she walked by my side. "Please~?"
"Don't try that on me." I replied, huff in annoyance. "I had three baby cousins, I've seen that shit so many times that whatever you do won't affect me."
"...You did?" Erza asked, she was hesitant I think. Not sure why but I could tell she was. She opened and closed her mouth yet opted to not say anything. Weird but I'm sure her emotions are at a whole time high.
"Yep." I replied, not really wanting to go into that situation again. Don't want to think about home, it'll just make me sad, pissed off and a whole lot more emotions that I prefer not to feel. I'm just going to leave it as it is and think about it another time.
I felt Erza tug on my hand, her other hand stretching to the distance as she pointed to a soft orange glow. "Do you see that?" She asked, her voice quiet as she stared at it.
"Kind of…" I muttered, something was there. I could see something in the glow, it kind of flickered in the distance as I tried to focus on it. Not only that but I could faint rumble as if an earthquake was happening.
"They're people!" Erza exclaimed, her eye already making out what it was. I had a hard time seeing what they were but was able to see it soon after. I was going to chalk it up to magic bullshit and leave it at that.
"So they are but why are they here?" I questioned aloud. Why are they arriving- Was it the lightning? It's got to be, no way anyone in the area wouldn't be able to see or hear that. But if they are coming now, why weren't they already in this area? Do they only come to this abandoned part in engines? And why? Too many questions and not enough answers.
I didn't have the energy to run, both physically and mentally. The lack of substance really hitting me harder now than ever as I stared down those approaching people. Erza's head snapped from me and that light, her mind indecisive and clearly looking for a solution.
I merely waited there, they would eventually find us, especially when we needed their services. They came in close, each one holding some sort of weapon. Not ones that Erza had but those you could find commonly find in a household. Things like knives, rakes, brooms. To be honest, not sure what many of them are going to do if that lightning was serious but props to them for going out of their way to protect themselves.
They immediately stod before the two of us, I could tell that there was some sort of coordination to this. They planned this or at least done this before. It was definitely disturbing. If I played this right, I could make this work in our favour. Hopefully, the benefit of being a kid will finally rear its tiny head.
Erza's eyes darted around those that stood before us, dilating as her breathing became more erratic. She was muttering something to herself but it was so fast and quiet that I couldn't hear what she was saying. Her whole body was trembling slightly, enough so that I started to feel kind of scared.
I pinched her side, luckily enough, she snapped out of it. Her eye looked up at me in confusion. I shrugged before turning to the crowd before us, someone from the crowd appeared-
"You bitch!" I screamed, her smooth stride faltered at the volume of my words. "You set us up!"
Her blue hair flowed in the wind as she crouched down to meet us, eye to eye. "I apologize for anything that may have happened to you." She started, drinking in our unkempt forms. "The thought that you two would get hurt had never crossed my mind, I came here as soon as I heard the lightning."
"Bullshit!" I replied. Her expression didn't falter but I could tell that some of the men and women were staring at me in confusion, lowering their weapons ever so slightly. "That man was crazy."
"He was, wasn't he?" The woman replied, her agreement didn't exactly help my uneasiness, in fact it only just made me even more uncomfortable. "Please understand that he was not cut from the same cloth as we were. May I have your names, little ones?"
"Nope." I stated, standing my ground. "Not on your life."
"That's...fair, I guess." She replied, her mouth twitching ever so slightly. "May I ask why you are here at least? It would mean the world to me."
Why would she care? Like she cares. And how did these people come here so quickly? There's no way that they weren't prepared. But what were they prepared for?
"Yeah…" I muttered to myself. From the outside perspective, I looked to be hesitant but, internally, I was just thinking of a backstory. Luckily enough, I didn't need to think about much. "There was this huge, like really big huge, demon nine-tailed fox that was released into the village by this man in an orange mask, pretty cool by the way, might get one myself. It was scary so I grabbed my sister and ran away as it was burning."
Short and precise, nothing for them to call me out on nor for them to find any discrepancies with anything I may say later on.
As I gestured to Erza, I saw her downcast expression. Something was definitely eating her up inside, just add it to the list of problems I already have to deal with.
"There's no reason to explain anymore." She replied, sending a small smile as she stared down at me, her hand ever so slightly touching my hair. I allowed it, even if it was sending shivers down my spine. "We understand."
"Excuse me?" I questioned, getting a few looks from those around me. Their own eyes looking down at the two of us in some sort of pity. I would say I understand but I am confused as hell. "Is there some sort of inside joke I don't understand?"
"No joke. I'm merely saying that those around you understand your anger, your frustration, your hopelessness." The woman replied, her voice is getting louder and louder, addressing the people around her.
"And...it's only growing…" I muttered, finding this whole situation confusing. Erza's hand found itself wrapped around my own, her strength shown as she clenched hard, almost hiding how it twitched every so often.
"I would love to find out what happened but I fear that you are not up to the task." She said, gesturing to our bloody clothes and dirty bodies. "Could you tell me where you last saw the blacksmith? It would mean a lot if we were able to...help him."
"That's going to be a problem." I chuckled slightly at her frown. "I killed him a while back."
If they weren't before, everyone's eyes snapped towards me. Even Erza, who's eyes widened in shock, turned to me. Their weapons raised again, out of fear or something else I'm not sure but I could tell they were anxious.
I'd rather get it out in the open on my terms than allow them to come to their own conclusions. The fact that the man was dead was plain to see and I would be severely disappointed if they couldn't guess it was us.
"I'm sorry…" she replied, her voice quiet as she spoke to us. "...I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"That's fine..." I pointed down the road, one that we came from. "...The blacksmith's body is that way, it won't be that hard to find."
"We thank you." The woman stated, standing up. "Please, get yourself cleaned up and some food and we may talk soon, if that's fine with you?"
"Yeah...Yeah..." I replied. I doubt we'll get a choice anyway.
I watched as she walked off, those around us following her sending us encouraging words and looks of pity. I don't care what they do. It isn't my problem. The only thing going through my mind is why they haven't done anything yet and only reacting now.
"Why?" Erza asked, her voice quieter than I would usually like it to be. "Why did you-"
"Not now, Red. Let me handle it, just don't leave my side." I replied, looking down at her attentive eye. "These people are an enigma and I'd prefer to deal with it when I'm not running on fumes."
-=Grey Rights=-
"Hello, welcome. How can I help you-" The store clerk stopped in the middle of her sentence as she laid her eyes upon our soaked clothing. "My god."
"Yeah. Yeah. Just get all your questions out of the way. I'm tired as fuck." I muttered, my eyes trailing up and down the rows and rows of clothing, my body finally registering the cold as if it just noticed what I was wearing. You don't know how happy I am to finally get some clothes.
"Well…" The clerk stumbled over her words as I walked past, Erza looking at various clothing of her own beside me with a wide beady eye. "Just ask and I'll be happy to help."
"Cool, I've found something anyway." I muttered, grabbing an already full set of clothing. It wasn't hard as there wasn't much detail about them anyway. I just chose a full set of black clothing since I did not have the energy to deal with trying to find the little fashion sense that I had.
I had to stifle a slight laugh as Erza struggled to carry everything she picked out, bumping into other sets without even noticing. Still, she kept grabbing more and more as she walked by something she liked.
I simply moved into a changing room within the store as she did whatever she wanted, hoping to obtain clothes quickly and leave. Not wanting to deal with anything else. Erza had all but dragged me along to the store that she had pointed out. I merely allowed her to do whatever she wanted as my feet were forced to keep up with her.
Checking myself over, I noticed how unnaturally...different I was. Again I stared at the unnatural face I now had. The previously brown eyes that now glowed blue. The rounded face that didn't show anything else than the childlike features I had. The dark black hair, not sure what shade it is but I know it's darker than I've ever seen. My lighter skin, still darker than what most people I've seen so far have. Instead of black, I look more mixed race.
It's unnerving to look at. Every time I look at it, it just makes me...uncomfortable. Kind of like how you notice if your room has been re-arranged. There's something that screams at you that it isn't right.
And it's not going away.
The fact that I'm much shorter makes it even worse, I never really care how tall I was but now it's very annoying to look up at people.
"Are you presentable in there?" She called out, her voice bubbly and anxious all at the same time. "I have a few things that you could try on."
"Didn't I say I already had something?" I muttered to myself, I could see her feet underneath still waiting for me. "Let me try this on first-"
The door was opened to reveal the worker, a beautiful brunette that came in holding many different clothes in her hand. Her smooth skin reminds me of my own, only making me unable to forget about my own circumstance.
"I was thinking that you could try something like this or maybe in another colour. Ohhh, maybe even something that is a little short but still protects you as much." So much energy wasted on you. Please give me some, I need it.
I looked at the clothing in her hand, the bright colours staring at me as I was unable to turn away. There was one problem...
"These are dresses." I deadpanned, hand meeting my face. "Every single one of them."
"I know that dresses aren't really that practical, especially when you're going to be travelling like your sister said you are, beautiful girl, by the way, that's why I got these smaller ones so they won't be in the way and you could always wear something underneath." Erza's my sister now. Whatever.
"Ahh yes but you see, I'm not particularly fond of dresses. I'm not a cross-dresser."
"What do you mean you're 'not a cross-dresser'?" The woman was clearly offended. "A girl as cute as you would look beautiful in this dress."
"Ah yes...that's the problem." I resisted the urge to facepalm when she didn't catch on. "I'm not a girl."
"Blasphemy." She exclaimed, almost dropping the clothing in shock. "But you look-"
"That's-Wait let me check. No, I'm a guy, through and through. Though should I stay like this over the coming years, I could just call myself a trap and just wear dresses to fuck with people but until then I'm going to go for the clothing you have for boys." I replied, re-doing the pants.
"Are...you sure? You'd-"
"Yes. Just give me something practical and that would keep me warm." I interrupted, my voice laced with bitterness.
"Awww... that's not fair." The woman frowned, acting like a child. I guess that's where she gets the energy from. "What am I supposed to do with these dresses now?"
"Maybe, and I know this is a stretch, give to the girl who came with me." I said, imitating her tone of voice.
"You're..right." A fire had lit up in her eye at my words. "I'll be back."
"Okay…"I replied as she ran out of the room, only to come back and throw some clothes at me. "The customer service here is amazing, truely."
I opted to wear what I had gotten in the first place, just a pair of black pants and a shirt. Need to get some shoes and I'm good to go, maybe a jumper for the cold weather. Who knows what else, I'm not here to go full on Lady Gaga.
"How are the clothes fitting in there?" The woman called out again. Her voice almost startled me.
"I'm not really sure." I replied, checking how the clothes look in the mirror. "You'd probably find something wrong if I'm not in a dress."
"I said I was sorry." She replied, whining similarly to a child. "Now, can I come in?
"No. You did not." I stated, a heavy sigh coming out of my mouth as I continued to talk with her.
"Well, I'm sorry. Can I come in now?" She asked
"Hey, This is your store." I replied, putting on the last piece of clothing and setting my own aside. Not sure what I'm going to do with my own but I guess I'll figure something out. "Do whatever you want..."
She walked into the small room, sighing slightly at my edgy choice of clothing. Her body visible slumped as she saw the clothing she gave me on the side. "At least one of you likes what I gave them."
"I bet you just didn't let her say no." I muttered, taking my clothes and putting them back on. Should really wash these, they kinda smell.
"Well, your sister is ready." She moved out of the way to introduce the now fully clothed Erza. Draped in a white dress that reached her knees and slippers that were placed upon her leggings' cased feet.
"Nice. A girl after my own heart." I praised my words, setting off a whirlpool of embarrassment. "Now take them off."
"Huh-Excuse me but-" Erza so eloquently questioned.
"Do you understand how dirty we are? We'd just ruin the clothing you had given us." I replied, Erza nodding to herself. "We'll wear them after we clean ourselves up but until then, I'm going to continue wearing my own clothing."
"What's the point of buying clothing if you don't wear them?" The brunette exclaimed, her voice reaching a higher pitch than I would like.
"Didn't I just explain- Nevermind." I facepalmed, closing the door as she tried to reply. "Goodbye, Let me get changed. You just worry about the money."
"But you'll-"
"Out!" I exclaimed, interrupting whatever she was going to say. I turned to Erza, who just looked confused as usual. "We'll put these on tomorrow, after we get ourselves clean. We don't want to worry them, do we?"
"Oh, No No No. I like this dress, it...reminds me of one from home." Erza said, cracking a smile.
I honestly wonder what I'm going to do about her, about everything. The mirror is reminding me I've lost everything and Erza reminding me that I've got nothing but pain if I stay with her. The only thing keeping me going is the guilt of leaving her and my pride not wanting to take it lying down.
Every time I look at that damn mirror, it makes me just want to punch it in annoyance so I don't have to look at it again. I know I've said this before but I don't get how people would be okay with losing who they were, it pisses me off when thinking about it. I've lived my old face for almost 19 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything else, it's mine and mine alone. The only thing I see is the innocent child, everything I wasn't and I don't want to be.
"Here." Erza called out to me, breaking me out of my slightly depressing thoughts. "Wear this," She held out a red scarf, a long one that would reach down my body. Her eyes staring at me with absolute conviction.
"I don't need a scarf." I replied, taking another look at it. "Plus it's Red, It's really helping the edgy look."
She didn't say a word, instead, taking a step behind me and wrapping the scarf around the lower half of my face. "You look nice but you don't know how you look?" She phrased it as a question more than a statement.
"Yeah, I'm a little weird." I muttered, readjusting the scarf. It's not that hard to breathe in and it works with an outfit. "You're smarter than you look, Erza."
"You're not weird." She stated the slight anger on her face ruined by the blush of embarrassment she had.
"Being weird is not a bad thing," I replied, chuckling a little. "Let's get cleaned and get some food in us."
"Okay." Her bright gigawatt smile bringing out my own, albeit smaller.
-=Grey Rights=-
I had pushed a plate away from me as I dug into my own food. Erza had ordered as much as she could and somehow stuffing it down at insane speeds. I'm surprised that none of the food had gotten onto her new clothes.
It had taken a while to clean ourselves, mainly because I was slightly uncomfortable with how comfortable Erza was. I get that she was a child but I still felt that she should have some shame, maybe I'm just weird. Who knows? Though, whatever you may hear, I did not jump out of the water when she came to clean my back.
I did not.
I used the money I stole to get some more clothing for the two of us, mainly some stuff for the rain and cold and one large bedroll should we need to sleep outside. We came across a general store that I quickly popped into, much to the annoyance of the hungry Erza, to buy a few essentials we may need.
Soon after that, I was practically dragged, for the second time today, to an Inn that Erza saw. We were served quite quickly, I guess some perks come with being underestimated.
So in the end, we are clean, food filling our stomachs and a bag full of stuff we may need. Life is heading up for us.
It was then when the door slammed open, I almost choked on the small bit of food I had in my mouth in surprise. A large silhouette stood at the door, the almost set sun covering their facial features and anything that could determine who they were. The bar was silent, the various townsmen and women had broken from their conversations. Their eyes locked onto the door with heated stares, never blinking as the silhouette finally took a step forward.
As the light of the bar hit, I could see why these people are cautious. He was a large man, not really sure how tall with the change in height and all. A long clock that reached down to his knees, a coat full of cuts. A mop of dirty white hair framed his handsome face as it swayed slightly. The most noticeable thing was not the hair but the large sword that was sheathed on his back.
He stepped in as all eyes were on him, his feet gliding past the still bodies of silent aggressors. An eyebrow raised, as if just noticing the atmosphere, whilst a small smirk joined it. His hand reached out and grabbed a cup from one of those sitting down, taking a small sip of the drink before continuing to the counter.
"How may I help you, sir?" The barmaid asked, her face stuck on the patented 'customer smile'. "We have a few rooms ready-"
"Don't worry about that, Sweetheart." He interrupted, his voice as nonchalant as his actions. "I'm here because I've felt some magic appear in this area and my curiosity got the better of me. I was wondering if you knew where it came from"
Those words had sparked something in these people, their eyes narrowing at his form. If they weren't already, those already here had their hands slowly drifting towards their weapons and tools. Even if they didn't move from their seat, they were ready to attack. A large man stood up, his bulky form towering this sword wielder as he stepped into arms reach. "There was no magic here, please take your curiosity and leave."
"You're going to make a paying customer leave?" He asked, taking another sip of the stolen drink. "What kind of establishment are you running here?"
"You and your kind are not welcome here." The hulk-like man said, eyes glaring down at the smaller man. "Take your leave now."
"Yeah, yeah. I can see where I'm not wanted." The man stated, placing his drink on the table and turning to the barmaid. "Can I get one night, please? Single room, though I can make it a double if you'd like to join me."
"Here's a single room, it's the third door on the right when you take the stairs. Please leave in the morning." The barmaid stated, shooting down his offer. Her eye drifted towards the large bulking man, who moved his glare onto her." Look at me all you want but I'm not having a fight in my Inn." The hulk huffed, moving back into his seat as he stared at the retreating man.
Erza's eyes were glued to the sword on his back, the food she longed for forgotten in her fascination. Fortunately for her, he was walking towards us as the stairs were so conveniently placed beside us. His eyes glazed over the two of us, my own staring back and Erza's fascinated ones. He took a long second looking at her, his eyebrow raised as he took in her full form.
"You look so out of place to be all the way in the sticks." He stated, stopping right at the end of the table. His eyes are unable to remove themselves from her hair. "What's your name?"
"M-My name is Erza." He replied, her eyes looking anywhere but at him.
"What a pretty name." He stated, before turning his body towards me. "And what about you?"
Erza already messed this up, luckily enough we were far enough away that nobody heard our names. "My name is Merlin."
"You're name's Merlin?" He snorted, chuckling a little to himself. "Of course it is."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked, cutting off his laughter. "I don't see how that's a problem."
"No problem, really it's not. Just something I remembered." He stated, calming down a bit. "It's just that we have both Merlin and Saber here. Weird how life works you know"
"I don't get it," Erza stated, her face portraying her confusion. "Why am I, Saber?"
"Don't worry about it, I'm going to head up now. See ya."
He called her 'Saber'. He called Erza 'Saber'. There's no way this is a coincidence. It can't be. Is he just tricking us? He must be playing with us, there's no way he carries around that sword without knowing how to use it.
He called her Saber...I'm not the only one who's been transported. There's more...and one of them's already here.
"Erza...We're leaving tomorrow." I left no sake of argument in my tone. Erza understood, nodding before going back to her food.
By this time tomorrow, we're going to be out of here.
-=Grey Rights=-
Yeah, I just couldn't find the motivation to write so this is like 2 months late. Also did not like how this chapter became, thought it could be better. The next chapter is something I'm looking forward to.