Fairy Lights | jerza

Children of the Night

The orthopedic brace and boot are eons better than that wretched chunk of motile metal. The limp doesn't receive half as much attention and I get to become independent once more. With my almost repaired legs, I decide to take a stroll since Ringmaster- no, Jellal- continues to be stubborn about my participation in the upcoming competition.

My first stop is at the local bakery where I make it a daily tradition to pick up a slice of strawberry cake (Fantasia, I believe it's called.) Jellal says eating an entire cake is too unhealthy so normally I suppress my cravings, but today's the day where I'll disobey.

By purposely choosing a seat closest to the ringmaster chair, I fold my legs beneath me and make myself comfortable on the soft ground of the big top tent.

"Training's going well, Master?" I ask whilst stuffing my face with cake.

He covers his face with his hands.

"You're not crying, are you? If anyone should be crying, it's me," I continue, plucking the strawberry from the center of the pastry and eating it.

His shoulders begin to shake and that's when I realize he's laughing.

"What am I to do with you?" asks Jellal, peeking sideways at me.

"Let me be in the performance?" I reply hopefully.

"Speaking of you not being able to perform, I still haven't found your replacement. Partly because the two ladies I thought knew how to tightrope walk seem to have forgotten." Ultear and Meredy appear to have been listening because they smile simultaneously. My heart leaps gratefully.

"Fate works in odd ways," I inform him solemnly.

Natsu and Gray have gotten into another scuffle with Laxus, and Jellal grumpily gets up from his seat to put a stop to it. I wait quietly for him to come back.

"How bad could Laxus have been?" Jellal grumbles.

"He was much like Natsu," I say after a moment. "Stubborn, always picking a fight. His words were powerful. Except, unlike Natsu, he always lurked in the shadows."

"Mysterious?"

"Yeah. I had a crush on him as a kid."

"Erza and Laxus...I can't picture it."

I don't think anyone can picture me with anyone, let alone Laxus, but I remain silent.

"Lunch break in one hour!" Jellal announces after briefly glancing at his wristwatch. To me, he adds, "I have thought of the appropriate punishment."

"For what?" I ask innocently.

"Don't make me explain," he groans. "I want you to walk around Magnolia and observe anyone who might make a good tightrope walker."

I frown. "Posters would be much easier."

"Yes, but then I'd have to hold try-outs, and I'm much too busy for that," Jellal replies promptly. "I've got to make sure everyone's functioning at their peak; plus, I need to start putting together the routine."

"Fun."

"Well?"

"I'm going," I mutter, abandoning my half-eaten cake and trudging to the exit.

~ ~ ~

My attempts to scout people from the park fail drastically so I treat myself to some coffee from one of the local cafes. Why would I treat myself when I did absolutely nothing useful whatsoever? No clue. That's just how I roll.

I sit at the counter next to the display window; watching people go about their busy lives has always fascinated me. Children in school uniforms, coming home from school, and adults rushing about in their business suits. What's it like to live without the circus, I wonder.

"Boring," I whisper into my cup of coffee, "It must be." I turn away before the jealousy grows.

The bells on the door of the cafe jingle as yet another customer enters. This customer, however, is different from the rest.

A child, no older than six, dressed in leggings and a baggy shirt announces he wants a black coffee. The cashier asks him to repeat the order, then goes on to ask if he knows what black coffee is.

Black coffee. There's something about the drink that gives me the chills; something about it that made me associate it to the feeling of horror when I was a child. I can't remember...

The young boy hands the cashier a few Jewels before carefully taking the to-go cup of coffee and leaving.

Black coffee, black eyes.

Before I know it, I'm out the door.

~ ~ ~

"Hello, is this the Fairy Tail troupe?"

"Yeah. Who the hell are you?"

"Natsu!"

"Sorry, Jellal."

"Yes, this is Fairy Tail. How may we help you?"

"I heard that there's an opening for a tightrope walker?"

~ ~ ~

In Fiore, stalking a child is enough to land you in prison for a minimum of two years. With this in mind, I stay far enough back that it looks reputable.

Perhaps there was nothing wrong. Maybe the boy was simply bringing home coffee for her tired mother.

Or maybe...

The child makes a sharp turn into an alleyway.

Black coffee is his master's preferred drink...

The boy staggers down a few stairs and makes another turn, this one leading to a rickety door with a scarlet red doorknob 

My heart tightens at the sight of the child entering his lair. He's still doing it. Zeref. His troupe is still up and coming.

"They said they did it," I say hoarsely. "The police said they saved the children and jailed him."

Slowly, almost instinctively, my hand creeps up to my right eye.