"Levy! Lucy!" levy and i where just relaxing on the patio of the house when Axon comes bounding down the path way waving a sheet of paper in his hand. the boys where off with Auma doing their dragon slaying training, so it was just the two of us.
"Axon?"
"is everything all right?" steeping down from the decking we walk up to meet him, he nearly runs past us in his excitement.
"Look" shoving the paper in out faces he looks excitedly between us. Taking the paper away from my face i hold it out for both levy and i to read.
THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES! reads the title and instantly i know exactly what i'm holding. a quick scan of the rest of the paper confirms my suspicions. it's the poster inviting all guild to submit a team to participate.
"Can we?' he asked looking like a child whose parent had just brought them to the biggest amusement park ever.
"hold up, first off what do you mean we? your not even part of the guild"
"yeah but." he shuffles awkwardly. "i was hoping that maybe you would let me join?" i look at Levy and she looks at me.
"you want to join Dreamtime?" he nods.
"yeah, and not just so that you will have enough people to enter the games but because i really want to. i know that you said that your guild is strictly only for people who have been neglected but i fit that category." then he add. "don't it?"
"do you?"
"yeah well my dad's dead and my mum's left, so i have been living on the streets since i was seven. i don't really have any connections and since a couple of months ago i was just living life day by day." this is the first that we have ever heard of this. "but then you guys showed up and suddenly i had something to look forwards to, i had friends that where loyal unlike the other people that i have met who only wanted me for my skills."
up until now i hadn't realized how hard of a life Axon has had. and with the look that he's giving us now it's quite hard to say no.
are you thinking what i'm thinking? Levy's voice echos in my head.
i say we let him into the guild but ask the other and think about the games for now. i reply.
we should probably ask them about letting Axon into the guild anyways she points out.
good point
"hey are you two doing that telepathic thing again?" Axon doesn't look mad just worried. "i know that this is really sudden so if you need time." he takes a step back and before i know what i'm doing i reach other and grab him arm, almost to stop him from running away.
"Axon wait."
"we would love to have you in the guild, but first we have to ask the others. and you have to ask Auma." he smiles gratefully but also a little worriedly.
"but what if she says no? Auma doesn't really like me"
"it's not that Auma doesn't like you, she just doesn't trust you. but i'm sure that you can grow on her like you already have."
"yeah but-"
"she's not going too say no Axon, plus. how do you know she's going to deny you if you can't ask?" Levy reasons with him.
"okay so where is she?"
"you want to ask her now?" i ask a little taken back.
"yeah, before i loose my nerve. that woman scares me." ever since Auma flipped him when he first came here he's been scared of her. even though he comes nearly every day and even though she's started teaching him how to fight. he's still scared of her.
"come on then" Levy laughs and leads him in the direction of where they guys where training. sometimes when we're bored we'll go and watch them train and they'll watch us.
"don't worry, you've got this" patting his shoulder i walk next to the two of them.
"you sure?"
"yep" i pop the p.
"what is she dose say yes?" he dose the thing where when he's nervouse he'll fiddle his fingers. "what then?"
"well i suppose you will get the guild mark" we figured out that you only get the mark if the elder of the dimension grants it to you, the mark allows you to find the door to the dimension. but if you enter without the elder granting you the mark you can not find the door after it's moved again.
"and then maybe you will move in to the house and I've with us" i add on.
"and train."
"and go on missions with us" since we're a guild now Auma has put up a request board int he town where whenever a request is put on it it will automatically portal to a similar on inside the house. we only get small missions, nothing too big and always inside the town.
"so i will really be one of you then"
"yep." we walk out of the trees into the clearing were we can see the two guys firing blast after blast at a target. "but first you have to get her permission" nodding over to where Auma is watching from a safe distance i nudge him over.
"maybe i should wait. until she's finished teaching." sighing Levy points back over to the boys where Auma was making hand signals to them. they both relax and starts walking over to us.
"she's finished."
"now go" pushing him along i lock eyes with Auma to let her know that he wants to talk. giving him one last push i let him walk the rest of the way over. watching him walk over i step back over to the other three.
"it's about time he asked" i pick up on the end of the conversation and Rouges sentence.
"wait you knew that he wanted to be in the guild?" Levy looks up at her boyfriend from where his arm is over her shoulders.
"it was more of a guess, i could see the way that he looked at us and this place." we all look over to the pair. Axon looks like he wants to run away and hide and Auma just looks confused.
"sounds like he's started to ramble" Sting announces.
"don't listen in" telling him off i elbow his side.
"but i want to know what she says" he whines.
"what do you have in your hand Luce?" Rouge changes the subject in an attempt to keep our minds off whats going on over there.
"oh, it's just a poster that Axon gave us" holding it up i show it off to them. i watch their faces as they read. Sting looks excited, Rouge looks amused. honestly i don't know how i feel about it. i want to go but in a way i'm scared. i don't want what happened last time to happen again.
"but first we need to see if Auma says yes." Levy warns. "we need five people to make a team so he'll be out fifth."
"if he joins"
"when he joins" i glare at Sting and he shrugs.
"has he stopped rambling?" i ask anxiously.
"i thought you said to stop listening?" he teases and i pull a face.
"i think we both know that you are still listening." i know that he's still listening because that's what i would do and lately I've learnt that we both think the same.
"he's stopped talking, he's waiting to hear her answer" deciding that they need some privacy i tap into our focus link and dim down his super hearing. Auma taught us how to access the link between focus' and how to enhance and dim down the other ability's. "What? hey!" he glares at me.
"they deserve their privacy" i give him a pointed look.
"shh, their coming over" spinning around i instantly look at Axons face. he's smiling, grinning even.
"she said yes!" he yells excitedly as soon as they are in ear shot.
"that's great" jumping forwards i pull him into a hug.
"welcome to the family" Levy congratulates and pulls him into a hug after I've let go.
"about time you asked" Rouge and Axon fist bump followed by Sting ruffling his hair.
"it's going to be fun having another guy around here"
"thanks guys, now when do i get my guild mark?"
"your mark will appear the next time you enter the pocket dimension." Auma informs. "you will also officially move in tomorrow. that is if you want to"
"yeah, i just don't know if i can wait that long." he jokes.
"it's not even that long, it's mid day already and my guess is that you'll be here at the crack of dawn tomorrow." I reply and he nods in response.
"yep so you guy had better be awake then or i'll wake you up." he warns.
"oh don't you worry. our training consists of waking up at the crack of dawn."
"one of us might even be awake before then." Rouge turns his stare to me.
"hey, i haven't left in the middle of the night for a while now." for some reason i feel like i have to defend myself.
"yes because you can't." Auma gives me a pointed look, referring to her guard bird.
"i will find a way to get past that bird sooner or later" i warn crossing my arms over my chest.
"what bird?" poor Axon looks between us confused.
"you'll find out later" Sting warns.
"i don't know if i want to" we all chuckle at his sense of humor. "well anyways i had better get back, i need to tell Max the good news and he needs me to finish off some errands." waving us good bye he backtracks out of here, with the smile still plastered on his face.
"what do you think of this Auma?" Sting takes the sheet of paper out of my hands and gives it to her. she takes a while to read over it. then read over it again.
"i think it's a pointless competition to show off." she concludes and Sting's face falls. "but" she gives it one last look over. "i love a good competition and i love to win. so if you do enter you had better win" an image of Auma standing in the stands yelling at us and scream pops into my head and i can't help but smile.
"cool, so what do you guys think? do you want to or no?" Rouge and Sting want to and from the look on Levy's face i can see that she is a little unsure.
"give us a little to think over it, i don't want to make any rushed decisions." i caution.
"sure, take all the time you need." Auma hands the paper back to me. "but you boys need to get back to training." the two guys groan. "along you go" Rouge lets go of Levy and makes his way over to the targets. sting takes a moment longer catching my attention.
"you don't have to say yes if you don't want to" he erasures softly before walking past me. but that only makes me want to say yes even more.
sitting on the roof that night i weight both sides of the choice, so far saying yes has more points then my single no point. sighing in annoyance i run my hand through my hair.
"well that doesn't sound good" Sting's voice causes me to jump in fright, although i shouldn't surprised. "whats up?" walking down to the platform he sits down like normal and throws the blanket over me.
"it's nothing" even though i normally feel like i can tell Sting anything i don't tell him about this. i don't want him to know that i'm scared. but the grands magic games topic has brought back bad times, bad memories.
"it's not nothing." then like he's reading my mind he talks again. "it's the grand magic games isn't it?" not replying i nod silently.
i hear his deep intake of air. "i need to get this off of my chest." turning he sits sot hat he's facing me. " i wanted to say that i am sorry. sorry for the way Minerva treated you, the way i laughed at you, mocked you, and i'm sorry for not standing up for you."
"thankyou, but just know that that is all in the past now. i can see that you've changed and i am willing to look over any past problems."
"no." he says forcefully. "i mean, don't over look what happened. i will take full responsibility for what i did back then and you should to. it makes us who we are, its make our relationship what it is."
"wow, that was deep," i comment. "but i can see what you mean. if i didn't hate you then we would never had forgiven each other, then we would never had became each others focus." i talk my thoughts aloud.
"yeah, but that's not all." turning to him i wait patiently. "i want you to know that you don't have to be scared." i inhale a sharp in take of breath. "i think the reason you're so hesitant is because your afraid, you don't want to be hurt like you where last time." his voice is soft and calming.
he waits a moment to let his words set in. "i want you to know that you are strong now, so strong. and you don't have to be scared because we are here for you, i am here for you. and you are here for yourself, you have so much power and talent that Minerva wouldn't even begin to challenge you."
"do you really think so?"
"yes, i know so" smiling gladly i silently thank him.
"i think the grand magic games might be a good idea." i say finally. "not only can we scale ourselves up tot he other guild but we can also beat Fairytail and Sabertooth." i grin at the idea, revenge is best served in front of a crowd.
"that's good to hear, i can literally feel the anticipation coming off of you now" now that the worry of the games is gone sleep sags down on me.
"yeah, but we should save the anticipation and emotions for tomorrow, i am exhausted now and i can hear my bed calling for me." standing up i hand him back the blanket.
"night Luce"
"Night Sting" climbing back down the house i slip back in through the window and right into my waiting bed.
maybe the grand magic games isn't all that bad of an idea.