Just Passing Through

[Gildarts]

Cana was lead through the Nexus by Cassandra, who seemed to squint at the fresh gloss of light over her eyes, however, her pale skin seemed to dim at the light, rather than glow as naturally as Cana’s did. “What is this place?” she heard her voice fade the second her familiar tone left her lips, “It looks...” the wizard’s voice trailed, she looked almost worried as her eyes swept the white room with no walls, with a floor that seemed to extend on into the horizon. They left the portal from the Ashen Steppes, and immediately the heat of the air was washed away by the stagnant wind of the great pearly room.

Cassandra smirked, as though her answer had weight, she spoke, “We are at a crossroads. This in itself is a verse, meant, initially, as the sole place where Primes are summoned, and second, where they can pass through. A bridge, if you will. When we near the fountain, directly in front of it, is where the man you’re searching for was brought when he arrived. Primes get a little introduction, from Omni himself, though, I’ve heard it’s all the same. Not us though, secondaries are usually treated as secondary citizens.”

Cana frowned as she took in the information. “I see, well, you said we were going to...?”

“Camelot,” Cassandra completed her sentence. “That’s where his bounty was, and though we won’t find him there, we will find information, perhaps, on to where his trail leads.”

“Do you think we’ll find someone who will have seen him?” Cana asked innocently.

“I’m hoping for more than that.” Cassandra said mysteriously.

And their feet carried them forward, into the portal that looked like the one they came from.

[Gildarts]

The thrill of pure magic brimmed in the air and hummed with vibration to her very bones, more so than even the portal, she was at the source, the core, she was at Minas Tirith. It was a large stone city where Cana giggled, given the crash-magic user’s history, Gildarts would have a field day in there. They weren’t in Magnolia anymore, where the city split in half just to let him pass through. Those were the good ol’ days.

The guild had been through a lot since then. Cana too, now she was in this strange world? Perhaps it was somehow like Edolas, a parallel universe, all these separate stories, there were so many people in so many worlds all living in little bubbles of time. It was phenomenal, but also a never ending curse.

Cassandra, in her vampiress state, had slits for eyes, the bright, unwavering sun obviously had some influence on her and to an extent Cana was sure the vampire wouldn’t admit. Side by side, they walked. Cassandra wearing all black down to her ankles and with a long sleeve shirt extending past her wrists, it looked like she was bundled up for winter, and it was only about fifty degrees out. Cana made a stark contrast, the two had found a shop and made an exchange for what was in the Fairy Tail mage’s satchel for some fresh clothes. A beautiful bra held in her endowed cleavage, it was a pretty blue that brought out the warm hued tan of her skin and made her brunette bell features pop. Around her hips, just below her guild’s tattoo was a nice pair of shorts, they were slightly loose, they way she liked them, many other girls wore restraining, conservative clothing that ended up tearing the second it hit battle. Cana, she was always prepared. Everything together, her long hair waving in the wind, the satchel tossed over her shoulder, it was natural and was so similar to her usual Fairy Tail wear, but the best part was that it wasn’t completely covered in the stink of volcanic ash. That had been one heck of a battle.

On yet another mission, it felt like she was almost doing a job for the guild, but this world was so distant from home and had so many hostile faces, it was hard to feel like anything other than lost in disarray. They walked along the mid-tier cobblestone streets, clicking the heels of their shoes with a subtle Clap! that was mixed with hundreds of others. Oh, the bustle of the city.

“Cassandra, how long have you been here?” Cana asked in a smooth tone, putting little emphasis on the important question by allowing her eyes to fall along the people swept away by the farmer’s market. Cana still hadn’t regarded the fact that Cassandra was a vampire and wasn’t planning on it, the mage wasn’t prejudice, and it felt like something that shouldn’t be pressed with time. Given the nature of the lore, vampires weren’t born, they were made.

In response, the vampire’s brow furrowed as the thought of ways to get out of this question. She’d been so easily backed into a corner, the truth seemed like the only option, but even though she’d fought side by side by the mage, Cassandra wasn’t sure how to measure the amount of trust that had been gained.

Tch. the pale woman tsked, and drew in an unneeded breath, “About a year now, I have spent most of this time searching.”

Cana nodded, Cassandra wasn’t the type she’d talk girl to, not in this situation. Both had other family members on their minds, the focus of their determination was clear.

“Hey baby, what’s tha matta, feeling a little bit chilly t’day?” a rough-looking male bystander cooed from a few yards away, “I wouldn’t mind warming up a pretty girl like you, any day ov tha week.”

Cana tilted her head, it wasn’t uncommon, it seemed, in any world to be cat-called, “Back off,” the mage warned, but given the lust in his expression, he didn’t seem the type. This side of men was always more animalistic than human. She waited for the man to take a step closer, then, when she saw which eye he’d chosen to wink with, the mage threw in a demanding punch that sent him rocketing across the city. Same side as the wink.

The Fairy Tail mage looked down at her tiny fist and her even tinier wrist, then back at the castle wall where the guy had slammed into. Cracks in the rock around his figure had formed and the some of the stone had collapsed into the ground. She’d made more than a dent and was surprised. Cana was powerful, she was Gildarts’ daughter, but she’d never done something quite like this before. She was lucky no bystanders got hurt. To her left, a little girl went on licking her ice cream cone, looking up at Cana like she was a superhero.

“That’s no way to treat a lady,” Cana stated proudly, flicked her hair over her shoulder and the pair walked on, Cassandra’s expression remained reserved, but there was a warm glow to her now, one a cold vampire almost never emitted. She was grateful, and it had felt good to have someone else punch those types of men for once.

“Hm,” Cassandra beamed with a smile, the superiority caused her chin to turn up proudly as the two passed by the wreckage of the man. That would certainly hurt in the morning. But didn’t men know? That when you called women from behind, for their asses or their bust, or their hair, or their dress, even two powerful secondaries like these, were degraded into mere objects? Didn’t they know it was wrong? Or, perhaps they were too ignorant to care that their abusive calls weren’t flattering, but rather viewed as vicious and wrong on every level? Well, it was taken care of anyway, their strut continued.

[Gildarts]

“Ugh, it feels like the trail has gone dry, do you see any wanted posters of him?” Cana asked her companion.

It was nearly nightfall and if this was like any city, things were about to get very different. Danger and magic weaved together in the air, Cana’s senses buzzed in and out with the new threats as though they were tangible. Cassandra didn’t speak, however she did mutter, when the sun was no longer above them, but hitting them powerfully from the side. The sunset was bright and orange and quite evidently uncomfortable, “Can we go inside for a drink or something?”

The mage smiled at the idea of beer in her stomach, “I thought you’d never ask.”

There was a tavern just one level of Minas Tirith’s structure down called “Tenny’s Best Booze,” (Cana desperately hoped it would live up to the name) it was built into the structurally sound brick walls of the tall, grand city and the door was a welcoming few slabs of wood, held together by a horizontal slab. Rather falling apart, but places like these always had the best liquor, plus, maybe the rough crowd inside had some answers about who they were looking for. Maybe they were in the right place after all.

The door entered with Cana’s two fingers, narrowly, she’d avoided the porcupining splinters shooting up from the shattered wood, while Cassandra passed her doorwoman, delighted to be inside away from the acid-like sunlight that seared her skin, the Fairy Tail mage followed with confidence in every step of her boot.

The interior was cozy, fit with wooden tables and chairs, smoke from cigars, cigarettes, and a small fire warming the place for the evening chill created a hazy, rather mysterious environment and reminded Cana just how thirsty she was. A refreshing drink should do the trick. The bar other than that, had a somewhat rough crowd of twenty shady looking men, the bartender was just as gruff, but he was shaking up drinks, had a coffin nail perched between his lips, and looked like he knew the lay of the land backwards and with his eyes closed. It wasn’t so bad. Rather cozy with a rough around the edges sort of charm.

Another step inside the extended bar and she was immediate pinned against the wall. A great, burly, hairy forearm met her throat and pinned her against the wall. Her eyes bulged while Cana choked, face becoming cherry-red and brimming with the terrorized sweat of suffocation. Her throat was being squished between stone-hard muscle and a brick wall, and the brick wall had started to give way.

“Hey, take it outside,” one guy at the bar said.

Another added, “Leave the lady alone, it’s no wonder we don’t get any women company in here. Tch.”

But no one stood up, no one interfered. No one had died, yet. What a friendly place they had here.

Cassandra had swooned with relief of the sunless room before she turned her head to see Cana was not right beside her, but pinned. She got a good view of the enemy, he was over six and a half feet tall, muscular and beefy and his clothes were like a lumberjack’s and his muscles threatened to burst out of them. Atop his head was some disheveled, greasy flame-colored hair, he had an unkempt beard. Grasped in his hand which was the size of Cana’s face, was a large, jagged knife, aimed at her stomach, pin-pricking the flame tattoo on her stomach.

“Let go of me, or I’ll make you.” Cana’s threat held in her eyes, there was a fire of blazen anger, magic was thrilling the waves of her hair, ferocity coiling on her lip. Again she felt the prick of the blade.

“The tattoo. Tell me where you got it, missy, NOW!” the unnamed man yelled in her face.

That was enough.

Cards flew out of Cana’s satchel and covered the man, pulling back his knife and pinning him in place like a mummy with immense force, her infuriated eyes narrowed while the man hoovered in place, even his face had been covered in cards, leaving a narrow slit. Cana’s arm extended while she cast a spell, “Divinity of the Cards: Bind!”

The cards returned to her while the man fell to the ground, wobbled on his stone-frozen feet, and fell face first into the hard stone. Nothing was hurt, as she’d frozen his body in the perpetuation of the moment prior, but his huge knife had fallen out of his grasp. Dealing with him had been a relief, and now he was out of the way, Cana left him on the ground and approached the bar next to her friend, catching some air in her still burning throat, “Now,” she smiled to the bartender, pride that she’d held her own in a bar with a crowd like this, “How about a drink?”

Roars of laughter and cheers erupted, flasks of ale and booze held up to the sky, as people laid down money for the bartender to serve her whatever she wanted. Which was perfect because Cana could pack it away. And did.

Glass after glass, she chugged, the boys and men in the bar had started to keep count, there was a record kept by Johnny knife-o over there, and she was getting close. Her face was flushed with red, it felt like forever ago since she’d had a good drink fill her up like this. Warm liquor flowed down her throat, and bartender Tenny Schmit got so tired of refilling her glass, he left the bottle of booze she was drinking and a keg full of beer for her to use as a chaser.

Cassandra seemed to be having fun too, laughing along with Cana as the mage told her some ridiculous story of a pink haired wizard named “Natsu” who’d tried to take on Gildarts and was flung into their grand hall’s fifty foot ceiling. “The place needed some repairs after that, let me tell you.”

A magnificent burp erupted from her fine looking lips, a slanted smile hung off of her mouth and finally she relaxed enough to take a little bit longer between each sip. The bartender smiled and apologized for the rude welcome, “Yeah, what was that all about?” Cana asked.

“Hard to tell, to be honest,” the man offered, “Never know what instigates a drunk man, ha! I just take their money and give em’ a safe place to slurp em’ down. So what brings you gals in here anyway?”

“Lookin’ for someone, wasn’t that guy though,” Cana smirked and looked down at him on the ground, she wasn’t really sure how long her spell would last, but she assumed it would last until she’d had her fill. Already her mind was brimming, she was relaxed, her body warm from the chilly breeze of the day, and her cheeks flushed. Still, she wasn’t drunk she always seemed to get the perfect buzz if she drank enough. Her hand picked up another glass and down the froth of beer went.

“Wow, you can really put em’ away, say, can I help you find who yer lookin’ for? Maybe I’ve seen him around if your search lead you this far,” the man was friendly enough, Cana looked him in the eye as though serious business was about to be conducted, like he’d crossed a line, then she giggled and laughed, sobriety was far from her.

“Sure thing, we’re kinda at a dead end anyway,” out of her pocket, she unraveled the wanted poster of the Fairy Tail wizard, Gildarts Clive. A hefty reward was marked below it, and well, it was a pretty good picture of her dad all and all. She let it sit there, let his eyes and mind absorb the features like a sponge and then asked, “So ya seen him?”

“I’m sorry to say I ain’t seen him…” He was buffing a newly cleaned glass with a clean rag and stopped mid-squeak, “Say, ain’t that the same tattoo you got? Lady, you know what they say about couple tattoos, jinxes the relationship, ya know?”

“Haha it isn’t like that old man,” she took another gulp, and a wave of realization hit her, “The Fairy Tail emblem! He’s seen it before!”

Cana had jumped out of the toppled wooden stool and onto her feet, Cassandra questioned, “Huh? Who has?”

But Cana was already standing over him, he was still facing the ground in his petrified state, she’d smirked with satisfaction, a fresh clue.

“Him.”

[Gildarts]

“Him?” Cassandra’s face crippled with immense disgust, “That guy who tried to kill you the second he walked in?”

“Yeah, over my tatoo!”

The diviner leaned down and picked him up by his stoney shoulder, propping him up so he could face her. “Hi,” She smiled in triumphant greeting, she would’ve left him there all night, but now he was a person of interest, and she couldn’t resist a clue on their dried up trail. “So I think you have some information for me, I’m going to release the spell I put on your mouth, but your body will remain immovable, is that okay?”

The man’s eyes bulged, vessels and eyelids tense with anger, the vein in his temple nearly popped from the pressure, “Oh come now, if you keep squirming how’m I supposed to take the spell off without you accidentally losing an eye?”

That stilled his stirring attempt at movement right then. A base layer of fear lit in his unblinking eyes and suddenly there was relief. His expression wilted from the one frozen in anger and he drank in a breath of comforting air, his body was still stiff, he knew because he’d tried to flex his hand, maybe even thoughts of attacking her again crossed his mind, but as far as Cana could tell, he had cooled off enough, and was unarmed, “So,” she continued, the confidence spewed off of her like a radiant aura, “You’ve seen this man?”

The guy looked at the wanted poster, his expression sparked interest and immediate recognition, then, he looked away, wanting no part of an interrogation. “Well, isn’t that funny, now you’re silent, well, let’s see, I was thinking about forgiving you for what you did earlier to me and that wall over there,” she motioned over her shoulder, a dent from her head was quite evident, “Because of the free drinks your friends bought me, but now, I’m angry, because this isn’t how an interrogation works, you got me? How about I start with this, if you don’t tell me, I’m going to kick you below the legs. An’ I warn you, I hit a lot harder when I’m buzzed.”

The man remained silent, his eyes evaded her gaze, but he knew he’d feel the slam of pain, just as his nose had felt when he’d hit the rocky ground beneath them. “Maybe I’ll even tell you where I got the tattoo, how’s about a trade?”

This struck interest. His dark eyes moved back to hers as a slug’s pace. He’d agreed. Cana was glad, because she had no interest in hitting someone who was defenseless, deserving or not, hitting someone helpless wasn’t delivering justice.

“You first, seeming how I’m the one with all the cards,” a clever use of wordplay as a few of Cana’s magical cards slipped out of the bag and hovered in the air, reminding him who’d put him in his current statue esque state.

“Alright, alright, I’m talkin,” lumberjack man began, his eyes flicking from Cana’s stone-cold determined gaze and the cards that seemed to wield all the power without her even having to move, “The man in the picture, I came at you because in an instant I recognized his tattoo and wanted to know who he was to you, it ain’t every day I see a tattoo so distinguished that matches another person’s. So, yeah, I seen him. He’s the guy who blew up my house with his crazy magic.”

Cana smiled, not because this guy’s house was blown to bits, but because, “That sounds like something he would do, hmm, do you know where his is?”

“If I did, he’d be dead,” he said in his southern drawl, “He blew up my livelihood, every secondary who’s house was destroyed has been searchin’ for him but it’s like he vanished without a trace, so it’s been a few months and next thang I know you’re walking in with the same exact tattoo, so I had to know where ya got it from. Guy goes around explodin’ people’s homes and don’t even apologize, that’s why there’s that bounty on his head.”

Cana showed her teeth, the man had struck a nerve, and it really wasn’t this guy’s fault, still this was her father and her guild’s good name, she grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and pulled his stone figure close, passion tingling in her fingers as the anger spewed in the words from her lips, “Listen, he’s a very powerful mage who wields the most destructive magic in my world, he was born with it, do you think his life’s been easy? Do you think he can keep that much magic in his body all the time? Could you? That takes an immense amount of self control, something a man like you doesn’t have if he’s pounding some woman up against a wall based on a tattoo she has! It was an accident and he’s spent his entire life trying to master his curse and he’s become one hell of a mage because of this, most of his life has been dealing with people like you who could never possible understand the hardships of never having a family to return to, let alone a building that you can rebuild and learn to call home once more.”

“My wife was inside,” suddenly Cana’s heart sank, the spell she’d cast on him released his body. They’d all lost people. Her mom, this guy’s wife. She’d let the anger get the best of her.

“The tattoo is the mark of our guild,” Cana bore it proudly, standing tall as she explained, “Which is a place where people with unusual skills get jobs and get to call home, we fight for what’s right and we do good things for people because we are good people. The guild’s name is Fairy Tail, and if I catch you harassing any of our members again, I’ll know, and I’ll come back for you. Now, we’re leaving Cassandra. I’m sorry about what happened to your wife.”

The two ladies left as the door clapped behind them, leaving the solemn mood behind in that room. The fresh air was cold and crisp in Cana’s lungs, she drank it up, sobering as her mind ran through what Gildarts had done. Of course it had to be an accident. Didn’t it? Gildarts, her father, would never do something like that intentionally. He’d never killed in cold blood, that she knew of, anyway.

“So, the man you’re chasing is a badass, who knew?” Cassandra chuckled, she was a little bit tipsy, “Is he really one of the most powerful mages in your world?”

“Yeah, he really is,” Cana spoke, her eyes distant as he moon was setting over the horizon, and they had a great view from their perch on this level of Minas Tirith. A great view of the darkness, which without the stars, would’ve left the moon lonely in the sky. Cana turned to her companion and offered a smile, “So you want to find an inn or something?”

The vampire nodded, “Maybe on one of the safer upper levels,” she hiccupped, all that free liquor had gotten the best of her and she didn’t usually drink.

…

When she awoke, the diviner served the oversleeping Cassandra some water and set it down on the end-table, then, Cana left, leaving a note, “Rest for today, I’ll be back this afternoon.” She assumed vampires preferred daytime slumber anyway and Cana wasn’t about to wake one up.

Cana was on her feet, curious as to what the day would bring, if that poster had happened any time soon (for Johnny knife-o, the wound of his wife’s death still seemed pretty raw), it wasn’t likely Gildarts would come back to the crime scene, especially when thanks to this poster, he was seen as a criminal. Unwanted confrontation, Gildarts had no interest in.

Today was a day on the town! She’d gone and looked at the new styles of the clothes in Camelot that were all the rage, styles were witchy and mysterious, dresses were dark colors and complimented a woman’s curves nicely. If Cana wore dresses, she’d have splurged, but they weren’t her style. Then she’d done some reconnaissance, talking about the catastrophe the infamous Gildarts had caused, speaking curiously about Camelot’s lore and uncovering details about their leader, Aragorn. The land was homey, mystical, and curious. There weren’t a lot of answers to some her questions, or maybe people just preferred not knowing.

Cana did however find out that there was a royal guard that patrolled around, trying to stop trouble makers when commonfolk couldn’t defend themselves, it was good to know some things never changed. This land wasn’t a free for all, there was order. In fact, it was mostly like home.

Cana had been walking down the street when she’d stopped at a billboard with Gildarts’ face pinned to it, but around his face, were jobs, like the classifieds part of a newspaper, it was kind of wonderful. Some were as simple as walking dogs, another held a rumor about a nearby dragon, another spoke about a fallen star and an astronomy guild. It was all so reminiscent of home, which reminded the wizard just how much she missed it.

To her left, another… Creature, had stopped. He looked a lot like Elfman when he was in his orc-demon form. He was tall, powerful and orcish. He had two horn-like striped tusks, a pale, dull colored skin, and a great big smile on his face as he looked at Gildarts’ poster.


“Hah-hah-hah-ha! It is good to know that the signs ‘re still up, means they haven’t caught ya yet.” His brutish voice boiled over her ears loudly, she couldn’t quite tell what his exact origin was, but she knew he wasn’t human, “Can’ believe you blew up a lil’ town, what a guy.”

“Did you, uh, know him?” Cana asked innocently as she turned around, her gaze was serious, and she accidentally directed the seriousness at him.

“Huh?” Whompt tilted his head, looking down as he towered high above the little human woman who’d dared to talk to him, “Did you say somethin’ miss?”

He’d given her a pass, a chance to take back what she’d said, though they both knew his big pointed ears were sharp enough to know she was speaking to him. She stated again, more confidently, “Can I buy you a drink?”

“Hmm, a lady buying me a drink,” his dark, stout hands met his chin as he contemplated her offer, “It has been a while, and while the sun’s up, I guess I’m here in Minas Tirith on pleasure, lookin’ for a job. Well miss, since this board is clean and ain’ got what I’m lookin’ for, I’ll take you up on that. Th’ name is Whompt.”

They went back to Tenny’s and it seemed drinks were still on the house, as the bartender confirmed with a wink. Cana went about her conversation politely, “So, I’m Cana, and I won’t lie, I invited you here because it seemed like you knew about the man on the poster we were both looking at.’

Whompt’s dark, ogre eyes flicked to her belly, matching the two tattoos together in his mind, just as the bartender and the man who had been dressed like a lumberjack had. Cana would not cover it up for her journey, it was a proud symbol of Fairy Tail and she wasn’t ashamed.

“Guess it depends who’s askin,” Whompt continued, narrowed eyes and drinking his golden-colored beverage with ease, he’d kept his cool, suspecting something like this to happen as it had happened before. “Who were you to him?”

“A friend, a fellow guild member,” Cana gestured to her belly which he’d already noticed, proof.

Whompt rolled it around in his mind, “You can say yer friends all ye’ want but you could really be chasin’ him down for his bounty, not that a powerful prime like him couldn’t handle a secondary like you. If I were you, I’d ferget about ‘im, friend, guild-buddy or bounty on ‘is head, he’s trouble, and he’s especially dangerous with that thing talkin’ in his head. You best steer clear if you know what’s best for ya. I don’t want no trouble, and you shouldn’t go lookin’ fer it either, even if he happens to be from your world.” Whompt slurped another drink down and Tenny filled him up, “Thanks.”

“My pleasure,” the man went to refill another man’s near empty glass, leaving them alone.

“That’s not going to happen,” Cana said with sudden determination. The passion and focus in her eyes was almost reminiscent, and they were almost the same color as the fire-haired mage’s. Whompt narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air. The results of his animalistic nose were more than curious.

Interesting. It seems they share the same blood, He thought, “Oh, and why not? A real friend would heed my warning.”

“I… Have a promise to keep,” of course, the promise was to herself, but there was a promise on the line.

“Do tell?” Whompt challenged.

They drew to a stalemate. Whompt waited in the silence triumphantly, sipping the warming liquor and munching on peanuts that he cracked on the side of the bar, or peeled back the shell with his sharpened claw fingernails.

Cana’s eye twitched. Here goes nothing. “We’re related.”

Whompt already knew, based on scent and slightly on mannerisms. Though humans all looked the same to him, “So what, ye got a death wish on yer brother, cousin, son?”

“Sounds like you’re awfully protective over someone you don’t know,” Cana reposted.

They were at a standstill, but to her favor now. Whompt sighed, “Kay, I don’ really care how yer related, but I do care what you want with ‘im, like I said, he’s a dangerous Prime, secondary Cana, don’ you know that means ‘e is immortal?” Cassandra had said something about that, sure, but Cana hadn’t really believed it, assuming it was some sort of vampire thing. “Someone ‘o is immortal and dangerous, you gotta rethink yer chase after ‘im, y’know?”

Another guzzle of ale quenched past his gillet. “I know, and I know the risks, he would never hurt me.”

“Maybe not now, but…” Whompt considered it and weighed against telling her of the Malefactor and just what it does to people, “The Omniverse can change people, maybe them strong’r an’ weak’r based on their skills. If yer lookin’ fer him you ought to know what he did in this land, the strong are feared and not always welcome. It seems that is often the case in all worlds…”

Whompt thought in retrospect to some of his experiences. “If you’ve seen him and can point me in the right direction, I’d be forever grateful,” Cana took a big slug of ale, “Beats running around here in circles hoping for him to show up.”

Maybe not, Whompt had thought, his head still sore and rattled from…

“Alright, I’ll tell ya, but he’s not been looking fer you, or I guess, ‘e didn’t mention it. I last saw ‘im in the forest verse called the Tangled Green. We did a job together, he seemed like a swell guy, but honey, ‘e has got probl’ms of his own and you best remember that. Don’ go gettin’ him mad aroun’ other people.” Whompt’s glass was refilled kindly by Tenny.

To Cana, it didn’t seem like he was lying, though it was hard to tell with those dark, beady little eyes pinched up in his large skull, still, the brute seemed content, though he didn’t smile giving up that information.

“Thanks, I really appreciate this, and don’t worry, I don’t plan on getting him mad, he’s usually happy to see fellow members of the guild, in return for your kind favor, I’ll tell your fortune if you like.” Cana pulled out her tarot cards and began to shuffle them.

“How’s a gal not know where to look fer a prime when she c’n see the future?” he grunted.

“Still not used to the verse system here, it jumbles them, as I’ve only ever been to the one with the volcanoes, I’d have to know more or visit more to interpret them correctly, but people’s futures don’t change based on the verse they are in, so it should still work fine. It is a special skill of mine,” she added hoping to return his helpful favor.

“Where I’m from we got a tradition, didn’ often do things with knowin’ our futures, as people always tried to evade em’ so I’m afraid I’ll have to pass. Livin’ in the presen’ has worked out quite nicely for me.” Whompt informed her, winking as he raised his glass, free booze. She smiled too, agreeing it was one of life’s small pleasures. Plus, the company of two new acquaintances.

Their glasses clinked together once more.

[Gildarts]

Cana made her way back, sending Whompt off with a bubbly smile, they went their separate ways. She was off to find her father, and Whompt was off to get a new job. If he’d come here looking, it must have meant that their partnership in the Tangled Green had been recent, which sparked excitement in the young diviner and she went up to their room in the inn clicking her heels with glee.

She could hardly contain her joy and unlocked the door after a swift knock. The window was open looking to the sunset which the Fairy Tail wizard had a tough time believing Cassandra would’ve gone out into the brash sun given her skin, but other than the window, she noticed a large pool of sticky, blood oozing toward her feet with a slow sap-like consistency.

“Guhhh…” a man groaned, picking himself up from the pool, Cana screamed as she saw him. He had pale skin, dark circles underneath his eyes, and was splattered, covered head to toe in deep crimson blood, also, two fresh pinpricks on his neck.

“Oh my,” she spoke, “Are you al..alright?”

“She said if I paid her, she’d make me immortal, so I … Whoa… Is that all my blood?” the kid said, “Damn…”

He stood in the shadows before taking a step in front of the window, wincing and reaching to draw the curtains, “Listen, I don’t know who you are but you just made a terrible mistake! Being a vampire is a lifetime curse and you’ve just… Ugh! This was my hotel room, go take a shower and be ready to mop up this mess!”

“Glad to know you think my life is a curse,” Cassandra came from behind, sweeping past her with a chill.

“Do you see what you’ve done to this poor boy?! You’ve damned him!” Cana said, shocked, “Plus, look at this mess!”

“He was going to die anyway, he had cancer and there’s no cure unless you’re a Prime, he’s been to some of the best doctors. He was supposed to die an hour ago, but here he is, still existing. It may be hard to believe but he asked me to.” Cassandra spoke again, her eyes fierce and defensive.

“There could have been another way…” Cana struggled with the thought, and heard the shower start running.

“There wasn’t.” She said matter-of-factly, “At least I have freed him from death. Even if the sun itches him a bit on his way out.”

“It’s a complete, gross, mess in here.” Cana said, still distracted, still disturbed.

“Yeah, it is all part of the process. I was grabbing him a snack, and don’t worry, I didn’t kill it. Listen though, you need to know the entire Omniverse doesn’t revolve around you and your little mission, there are things bigger than you, forces more powerful, and it is a place that doesn’t have morals, people don’t live by them, but they do die because of them. It is a melting pot of good and bad, monsters and demons kept at bay by monsters, cyborgs, and humans, got it?” Cassandra’s eyes narrowed.

Cana sighed. She’d deceived herself when she had allowed herself to believe this was anything like home, “What’s a cyborg?”

“A machine human, or.. Machine human, not really sure the specific terminology, anyway, did you find out any clues for that man?” Despite it all, Cassandra was still on the mission, just because Cana was new and her morals weren’t quite aligned, didn’t make them enemies. Asking to be a vampire was not something she would do if she were dying, but in some abstract, obscure way, the mage understood the desire to survive and keep living.

“Okay, so… What happens to him, anyway?” Cana asked, the shower was still going.

“Well, he’s a vampire now, y’know? So he goes on living, but in an undead state like I am. I warned him about it, told him it was no small task, and he offered to pay me, it isn’t what you think, nor is it what it sounds like,” she affirmed to the mage. “When he’s all cleaned up in there, we part ways and don’t worry I’ll clean up the mess.”

Cana wasn’t sure how, blood always left a stain, however this was a vampire she was talking to. Cassandra pricked her fingers with her nail and then placed her hand in the puddle. As though sucking it in and absorbing it through her body, the blood became less and less. It seemed like she was even eating if this could be called that. After a quick minute, the blood was gone, no trace, still, Cana didn’t exactly like stepping on the clean floor, for the traces of spattered blood still remained present in her mind.

“All better?” Cassy asked. Cana smiled politely and nodded, but it was only just that.

It would take a lot getting used to this new world, and why exactly was she here?

“So did you end up finding any new information?” Cassy asked Cana.

“I did, our new lead takes us to the Tangled Green, I’d say a very reliable source, they partnered up for a job,” she hand-picked the words she’d chosen, picking particularly to not include the very serious and solemn warning that was enclosed in the knowledge.

“That’s good news,” she agreed with the diviner, “When did you plan to leave?”

“Well, I thought you might be more comfortable if we traveled at night, at least, until we get to a more cloudy climate,” Cana offered and Cassandra reciprocated with a nod, appreciating the consideration.

“Thank you, we should leave at dusk, I was able to get you some food as well, while I was out, the forest is a big place and we’ll likely be there for days. Are you ready for this?”

“I am more than ready.” She’d promised herself this day would come for so long. Soon, it would be too late.