It finally was time: She was about to continue her trip to the city of Hargeon. However, the reason behind her excitement was due to the fact she had gathered enough jewels to hire a bodyguard on the way. Of course, it was mostly just an excuse to spend more time with Mia, but it still sounded like a nice idea to her! It was for that reason the elven maiden stepped into the famed guild hall of Fairy Tail.

As the rumors went: it had been quite a lively and rowdy place, in a good way mind you. Nyancelot seemed to even be enjoying it, calling it a homely and familial feeling, but Lily felt slightly intimidated at the excitement.

Instead she turned toward the receptionist at the entrance and inquired in her soft and gentle tone. "Umm... Is Mia Kearney here by any chance? I would like to hire her for a request if she isn't occupied currently."

That seemed as good a start as any~

WC: 150/1200 40% WC reduction

Mia had been on cloud nine since her recent rise in the ranks. Now sure, this wasn’t instant glory and success. She wasn’t exactly expecting she’d go from grabbing cats out of trees to facing the horrors of the world overnight, but even a small upgrade in what they felt she was capable of made her mood soar and she was putting that adrenaline rush to use with the rest of her guild. A flagon in one hand with the other locked in tandem with one of her similarly ranked Fairy tail sorcerers. Muscles weren’t a necessity for a lot of mages, but the rowdy nature of Fairy tail meant they weren’t exactly rare. As such, it filled her with pride to know she was holding her fellow C ranks to a standstill in these arm wrestling matches, her teeth grit but locked in a wide grin as she stared down her competitor.

“You suuuuure you don’t wanna use some of that magic?~ You might beat me.~”

“Yeah yeah… and let you use that fiery shit you’ve been learning? Not a chance….!”

“Suit yourself…~” She chimed with a chuckle behind her teeth, flexing her fingers around the palm she was locked into, and downing the rest of her flagon before tossing it aside, hearing it’s metallic rim clang into a nearby table as she focused on the match, her other hand sinking it’s nails into the wood as she got into it now, sloooowly feeling the flow of the match weighing in her favor, the nervous look of the male mage opposite her as his palm seemed to be hurting, until finally, with a resounding slam of bone against wood, Mia leapt up from her seat in the next instance, arms thrown into the air. “WOOOO!~ SUCK IT! WHO DA MAN!?”

There were cheers and some well natured ribbing as jewels exchanged hands from those who had been taking bets, but as her chest heaved with deep breaths, Mia’s eyes caught a more shy figure approaching her as they’d been guided by other guild members, greeting them with a smile as she hopped off her table.

“Lillyyyy!~ To what do I owe the pleasure?~” She asked, giving Esperia a chance to say if this was a pre-arranged gig Mia had forgotten about in her good mood, or the chance for Lily to hire her on the spot.

WC 409

The duo had been led to one of the tables in the guild hall where Mia had been excitedly celebrating her rise to the C-rank, and at the aftermath of the arm-wrestling match the Exceed at the elven maiden's side chimed in amusement. "These pillows of yours make it impossible of you to be 'Dah Man'" Nyancelot's words earned a soft chuckle from Lily who greet the Fairy Tail's mage with a smile of her own. "Hey Mia~" Lily answered in greeting as she continued her explanation shortly afterwards.

"Got a job for you~ You likely heard about how the roads are quite dangerous nowadays, right? With the dark rifts appearing in an unpredictable manner, escort caravans seem to be requiring guards for the trip. And since I need to travel to Hargeon..."

She paused for a moment, although she wanted to admit the real reason for the job. "Well~ Considering we be accompanied by several other guards it seems like a job well-suited for your new rank and... I would like to spend more time with you as well."

Whispering the last bit shyly the girl fidgeted lightly on the spot as her Exceed chimed in addition: "Getting paid to accompany your friend on a trip? Aren't you a lucky gal Mia?"

WC: 200
Total WC: 350/1200

Mia couldn’t help but return a bit of a chuckle at Nyancelot’s tease. At least, she assumed that was what it was meant to be, it was hard to tell when he spoke with that knightly pride and all that by Lily’s side. “Fine, I’m dah ‘WOH-Man.’” Her prideful grin didn’t at all fade with the clarification and if anything just got her chuckling further, sighing contently as the adrenaline rush started to fade as they addressed Lily, who at least seemed a smidge more pleasantly confident since their last meeting. Sure, she was still a little dainty thing in the eyes of an amazon like Mia, but she at least chimed a greeting without stuttering.

“Soooo bodyguard duty eh?~ I suppose I fancy that a lot more than saving Nyancelot from a high branch.~” She teased with a wink down at the feline, crossing her arms as Lily finished explaining their situation, Mia’s brow rising with some surprise at the last comment, but not at all against it, though she did feel it was worth some clarification.

“Ehhh… I mean, I don’t at all mean this to offend but we did one job together. As fun as it was I wouldn’t quite call us friends yet, but I’d certainly not complain about getting’ t’ know ya better over a bit of a road trip.~” She finished with a wink, hoping her natural charm would get her past the fact she just claimed they weren’t friends. She didn’t like jumping into connections like that too quickly. She was on good terms with everyone unless stated otherwise, sure, but that didn’t exactly mean she was ready to call them a friend. Though, with her nature, she doubted it’d take long with Lily. “So, dangerous roads are one thing, but what has you needing a full blown mage by your back?~ Something tells me this is more than just a trip from one place to anutha.”

WC 339

To some it might had been an amusing sight how the response from Mia made the elf's ears initially droop slightly, and despite the fact she tried her best to hide it, her expression clearly hinted at how sad she might had felt. What a silly presumption of her, to think that just because they gotten along well during their first mission together, that she could do something outrageous like being considered a friend. Then again, maybe she should have expected as much from the events back in her hometown.

However, the sadness disappeared like snow to the first rays of spring as Mia didn't decline the job offer, instead making it sound like there was an opportunity to befriend each other during the trip. This by itself was more than enough for Lily, who nodded her head firmly. "Mhmm, the dark rifts that open are extremely dangerous Mia. That's why it's important to have people who can handle themselves in a fight with us during the trip. Especially since we'll pass by Dahlia, and that place is already dangerous on its own..."

The girl muttered the last part worriedly while Nyancelot waved a paw lightly in the air. "Who cares about reasons! The lass wants you to join her on a trip and get to know each other better. No gentleman, or gentlewoman would decline such an offer--- and it couldn't be that you're scared of facing the undead in Dahlia? Then again, even the fiercest of mages might have a thing or two they are scared of, like zombies..."

Wow, Nyancelot certainly was being convincing right there. While Lily tried to gently grasp both of Mia's hands and looked up at her with a pleading look that would make a doe feel jealous. "Will you please join us on the trip?"

WC: 300
Total WC: 650/1200

“Ah-wah-hey-!” She caught the ear droops well enough and clearly despite them perking back up in a moment Mia was quick to backpedal, or rather, clarify, just a smidge- “I’m not saying you don’t seem like you’d make a good friend or nutthin’ I just don’t throw that word around too lightly is all. Gotta make sure it means something ya know?” She hoped that would make things a little better, but she wouldn’t push the issue to an awkward extreme or anything of the like if the elf still seemed a little bothered by it.

Damn elves with those expressive ears. She could already tell this friendship, if it proceeded, would be likely to keep her on her toes if she kept watching those ear-daggers.

She emphasized the dangers of the dark rifts, Mia crossing her arms again as she considered it. As a low ranker she hadn’t really kept up with much outside of what she could do, so the knowledge of these things was a little beyond her. From name alone however, they definitely sounded like they were a nasty batch of work, whatever they were. “I see. Well, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out. Whether it’d a buddy road trip or not, you can trust me to be by your side like I’m on the job. Cause, well, I will be, ehehe!~”

As Nyancelot tried to hit on her pride to get her to accept, she let out a little scoff, hands on her hips as she leaned forward, still not able to get down to his level even at a 90 degree drop from her hips. “Oh please, like a few undead scare me!~ I’m sure as you get to know me though, bein’ called a gentle-woman is hardly a way to get on my good side. Just promise me if there ain’t any undead to bash, I get to go a few rounds with you Kitty.~” She brought up a fist between them, an ember in her palm that exploded between her fingers as she clenched her hand into a tight fist, baring her prominent canines down at the little kitty.

Despite the fierceness there, her hands were still grabbed and that pleading look was produced by Lilly, Mia parting her lips, a little stunned by the contrast between their approaches... a little breath escaping her as she averted her eyes off to the side in mock defeat. "Fiiiiine... I guess I could use the coin.~"

WC 429

Nyancelot chuckled in response to Mia's reaction. "Sure~ We can spar a few rounds during the trip~" Yet Mia's answer that she agreed to come with Lily on the job was soon followed by a slight stagger of the elf as she collapsed forwards against Mia, earning a startled reaction from the Exceed.

"Master?! Mia, please check if she has a fever!" If Mia would follow the instructions she would likely notice that the elf's forehead did feel quite warm to the touch, it didn't take much time before the girl was carried off to one of the guest rooms of the guild hall, and Nyancelot paced worriedly around the bed. "She been working without rest on all sorts of requests, told me she wanted to get a suitable reward for you for the job, but I didn't think she would be hiding her fever from me."

The Exceed lowered his ears in defeat. "You see, master's illness is not exactly a normal one, it's a spiritual problem. From what Hermes told me before, Lily actually isn't an ordinary elf, she is the reincarnation of a powerful sorceress. Of course, coming back from the dead is not exactly a trivial matter, impossible for most even. Even for her that reincarnation process was flawed and she lost her memories and her psyche was fractured. Her current condition essentially is born from these scattered memories trying to return. It's something like very vivid dreams and nightmares? Only way for the fever to disappear is either hoping Hermes can resolve it, or we lend Lily a hand ourselves."

The Exceed ruffled in his pockets, revealing what appeared to be a pair of shaded glasses. "If it's the latter, I hope you won't shy away from punching some creeps, put these on and we'll be able to travel into her dreams. Gotta track down where she is trapped and punch whatever abominations are keeping her trapped there. Some good old Nightmare Busting I call it!"

Meanwhile the Exceed had already put on his own pair, looking quite amusing with how he had put them on top of his helmet.

WC: 350
Total WC: 1000/1200

Mia had a little chuckle with Nyancelot, wondering if he even had a chance of facing off against her. He’d handled one of those mooks back on the shopping guard duty but that was a lot different than going toe to toe. Afterall, that bandit of a criminal seemed to just be a bit cowardly given how they reacted to him, so Mia would have to get a proper sense of him herself.

“Yeah well- Woah-!” Mia took a half step back to catch the weight of Lily as she staggered forward, looking at her with surprise and mild concern, especially as Nyancelot shared it. Yeah, this definitely wasn’t normal, and far from any sort of healer she didn’t quite know how to handle it beyond calling out- “HEY! Someone get some supplies! Lass has passed out here!!!”

Hoisting Lily into a Princess carry Mia was easily able to carry her to her point of rest in one of the guest rooms provided, sitting cross legged beside the low-framed bed and narrowing her gaze as she looked over the woman. She had been honest, they weren’t friends, but they were on their way to potentially being that, so seeing her suddenly unwell cause more than a little concern. Tutting softly at Nyancelot’s explanation. “Jesus… gal coulda just tried asking before she tried to hire me…”

She lifted her brow to one side with a curious look at the cat explained further. Lily apparently being some sort of reincanrnation… pheh. She couldn’t help but laugh. She felt like she’d heard these stories here and there, people who have some grand history that meant they were destined for great things. She’d grown a little tired of them if she was honest. She didn’t think they were untrue, but they always filled her with a twinge of animosity. Like, she had a good life, a good family, was it written in fate that she wasn’t gonna have some grand tale ahead of her because she hadn’t faced some great tragedy or been born under some special star? She was sure there were examples of people who got by fine without some mark in their history, but Mia’s reaction to it was a gut one she couldn’t fully suppress.

Mia took the shaded lenses, looking at them with skepticism before taking a deep breath, and a long sigh. “Well, I’m hardly going to leave her on her own am I? Dream world or real world, I’ll happily take down whatever’s doin’ this to her… even if it sounds like her own fault for not passing on properly.~” She flashed a grin, always trying to keep things light even when things were dire, putting on the shades. “Okay… what now…?”


WC 455

Nyancelot shook his head lightly in response "I wouldn't call it her fault. She was betrayed and murdered, and even then Gaia wouldn't let her pass on in peace." Nonetheless, it was a topic for another time for they had to focus on the matter at hand. The feline put on his own shades as he explained in a more energetic voice. "Now we wait for a moment, the glasses need to attune to her dreamscape and then- ah there we go!"

As he spoke these last worlds the world seemed to start to distort around them and the duo no longer found themselves in the small guest chamber. No, instead they were in what appeared to be a spacious plaza surrounded by several towering warehouses. Further up ahead one could spot Lily in a fetal position, her arms above her head as she sobbed softly while surrounding here were several humanoids, judging from their armor knights but any sign of identity was gone from them, instead the shadowy mass around their being made them look more like nightmarish fiends rather than humans!

"I leave the two big ones to you Mia! I'll deal with the remaining ones!"

The Exceed told his companion, drawing his sword and lunging toward his enemies. It seemed their presence had drawn the attention of the nightmare phantoms, for they slowly started to turn toward the pair to intercept them!

WC: 200
Total WC: 1200/1200

“Ooooh so some god or something refused to let her die peacefully. God that’s so much better.” She chuckled to herself and rolled her eyes. She shouldn’t be so morbid about it really but she couldn’t help her small bit of animosity to such tales. She wasn’t about to let that taint her view of Lily directly, but the tale itself could still earn a bit of a sharper tongue in response.

When the scene around them shifted and distorted, Mia no longer feeling she was on her knees, but instead standing in this odd plaza, the warehouses caught her attention first somehow, immediately wondering, with this odd memory business, what might be inside of them, but trying to keep her head in the zone as she soon spotted the tearful lily surrounded by some humanoid figures. With sharp tilts of her neck towards either shoulder and sharp but brief cracks resounding from each motion, she pulled a leg back, her arms out to her side, burning with fire as her magic circles appeared behind her forearms. A hint of something in her eye that hadn’t quite developed just right quite yet as she prepared herself.

“Didn’t even have to tell me. They’re all mine.”

This still felt a bit odd, but Mia couldn’t find herself passing up a challenge, bursting off the ground and keeping her stance low as she came in like an animal. As one of them made a swipe for her, she rolled forward onto her hands, pushing off them so her heel met the underside of one of the hazy figures jaws, their other foot landing on their chest to kick off and over the other, just in time for him to deliver a swipe to his friend in an effort to chase her, Mia landing in a brief skid with a roaring grin on her maw.

“What?!~ That all ya got for me!? No wonder. Figments of her imagination barely got the substance to handle me.~”

As one of the knightly figures draw their blade from the other, they each rushed Mia, the blonde dipping and swerving around their swipes. Her eyes growing wide behind those magical shades as a near hit cut through the front of her clothes, just barely scraping the flesh below, Mia reaching to the stinging wound with a hand, checking if she was actually bleeding, and shaking it off her hand. “Hopefully this isn’t one of those die in the dream situations… but hey if it ain’t, I don’t gotta worry about the risk!~”

Not that she ever cared too much about gathering scars, Mia felt a new bit of freedom at that thought, even if it may not be true, rushing him, she still dodged a sword thrust as it came at her, but made no effort to slow down out of self preservation, pounding a fiery fist through the knight’s torso, watching it careen across the plaza and through a decorative structure of some sort. She quickly turned, dodging two blade strikes, catching the third in her hand with a grin even as blood seeped down from her palm, throwing her other fist through the underside of their helmet, watching it rocket off and fade into cinders, the blonde dusting off her hands, and looking to Nyancelot, and Lily, checking which of the two needed more attention.

It was fortunate that Mia was so eager for combat, for the way she dispatched the Nightmare Phantoms so quickly was clearly of importance as Nyancelot finished dealing with his own foes and darted off to his master. The girl was still sobbing softly, but the ominous aura that surrounded her had faded. "I tried to be a good girl... Then why... why did I have to die like this?" The painful question caused the scenery to distort once more, finding them back in the guild hall of Fairy Tail. Meanwhile the Exceed bounced over to Lily's side, a paw gently resting on her forehead. "Good, her fever is gone now. I guess with a bit of rest she'll be fine."

The feline muttered as he turned toward Mia and smiled weakly "For now we just need to wait a bit, thanks to Hermes she should recover faster than most, so if you want to enjoy another drink or arm-wrestle match, now is the chance~"

WC: 150
Total WC: 1200/1200

finished~