Just Passing Through

[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.