Firefall || Fairy Tail

43 : o l d . m e m o r i e s

||~x~||

Blue Pegasus was never quiet, but it wasn't anything like the noise that would bounce around the walls of Fairy Tail. Laxus sipped his drink as he hunched over the bar. Master Bob had finally given up on trying to get him to work the floor that evening since the Thunder Legion won't be back from their mission until the morning, he needed someone to fill in for Freed. The Lightning Dragon Slayer wasn't in the mood to have girls hanging off him while someone served them pricey drinks and he was supposed to make small talk with each of them in order to make them feel special.

"Here you go."

Laxus peeked up as another glass was placed beside his freshly empty one. Master Bob flashed him a smile before turning to retrieve the latest orders that were arriving from the tables. He gave a nod in thanks before swirling the liquid around in the glass. Clicking on his headphones, Laxus let his mind wander.

Verani was still acting odd at the guild hall, it was easy for Amber and Kia to see even if she wouldn't admit it. To the others in Fairy Tail, they just assumed she was down because of the sudden absence of her father, but the girls knew better than that.

V had never been the biggest fan of Ivan, having little to no respect for the man. Her opinions didn't change when he just up and left Magnolia without a word after his excommunication. She always knew he was a deadbeat.

And though Ivan's disappearance from her life was not the direct cause for her mood, it definitely had something to do with it.

As a few weeks passed, Kia began putting the little clues together. Verani was always wanting to go out on the town or on jobs, which wouldn't be odd except that the blonde hated shopping. The only exception to that being when she needed to replace her sneakers when she wore them thin from running with her magic, but then it was just out of necessity. The second hint was when her moods changed: when she went home and when she got to the guild. Seeing as Verani thought the world of her grandfather, that left Kia with only one other suspect.

The Phoenix Slayer mounted the stairs inside the guildhall, knowing that was where she would find him. And she was right.

Laxus was lounging on the couch, eyes closed with his head tilted back, his headphones resting on his ears.

Kia moved, stopping to stand in front of him. She debated kicking his shoe, but could tell he wasn't completely relaxed.

"Stop acting like you don't know I'm here."

He didn't move. "No shadows today?"

Kia was not a fan of the tone he was using, but she held her tongue. She wasn't going to let him bait her into an argument or a fight.

"How long are you going to be an ass?"

The Dreyar finally opened his eyes to meet the pair of onyx ones that were staring down at him.

"What's it matter to you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Because you're affecting your sister."

He quirked a brow at this.

This frustrated Kia even more. "Have you really been so wrapped up in being a punk that you haven't even noticed how she's been acting?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." and though Laxus tilted his head back like he didn't care and was done with the conversation, he was really sifting through his memory. He didn't know what Kia was talking about and that bothered him, the pinkette wouldn't confront him over nothing. They had never butted heads before, but they weren't really beyond casual greetings in passing either.