| Writer's POV |
Tsukiko and Rusalka had decided to visit the nearby town today instead of train, it allowed them to both rest and take time to try and become better friends with the only grain of civilization left near them. Some people just couldn't stand us for some reason, we always thought it was because we looked different, but we tried not to believe that people were that shallow. Of course, we also couldn't disprove this theory, so it was the one that we stuck with as it seemed to make the most sense, seeing as the townsfolk knew nothing about us apart from the fact that we were not from around here and had magic, but that much was an obvious fact.
On the journey towards the small town, Rusalka asked Zeref to join the pair, Rusalka and he had met before so it wasn't awkward. They just spoke about useless things, Rusalka told him stories from when the kitsune was younger back home and he told her stories about her life there on Earthland. It was somewhat comical to see the feared black wizard get along with a childish water spirit, but she supposed he got along with her just well so why couldn't he get along with her friends? Tsukiko was just happy that her friends from both worlds were getting along, she didn't need any havoc caused by the possibility that they couldn't stand each other. He told Tsukiko how her brother was doing in their realm, and that he was missing her dearly. He also mentioned that Fairy Tail was doing good, he said Mavis had told him to tell her as she had been pretty busy recently with whatever she had to do.
Rusalka had yet to meet Tsukiko's brother, she could always summon her when she went to the realm again, but she hadn't been since her last time going. She thought about the idea of going again soon, planning on catching up and spend time together like a somewhat functional family. Tsukiko laughed at the idea and Zeref asked her what she was laughing at. She told her idea to her two friends and they laughed along with her.
The closer they got to the treeline surrounding the forest, the quicker conversations ceased, they didn't want Zeref to be spotted and quickly said goodbyes and that they should all meet up properly soon.
When the two girls exited the treeline and were in sight of the townsfolk, the children of the town came running towards them. All the children in the village adored them, probably because they were mages and there were not many of them around here if any at all. Tsukiko and Rusalka welcomed them with warm smiles and a lot of hugs. Even some of the teenagers of the town thought they were cool to hang around with. As they got closer to the entrance of the town, some of the older folk waved them hello or greeted them with smiles, only the ones that liked them though. Most of the townsfolk just ignored them, some just pretended that they didn't even exist. The girls tried to not look affected by the display of dislike that the townsfolk were showing and instead they just interested themselves with the children of the town.
"Tsukiko, show us your magic again!" one little girl with brown hair tied into a plait shouted at the marked women before her. She smiled at the child and outstretched her hand.
"As you wish dear" she made a circle motion with her hand and a silver glitter rained onto the stone path. From that silver glitter, a small cat formed. It ran up the little girl and nudged into her leg, she bent down and stroked it before exclaiming in excitement.
"She's so soft, she almost feels real!" the kids all around her huddle around the small cat and started to stroke and play with her. Rusalka giggled at the children's expressions, as Tsukiko made another two animals using her magic; a golden puppy and a purple bird. The bird went and sat on a young boys shoulder, it tweeted a melody into the boy's ear causing him to giggle a bit. Some of the children crowded around the dog and started to play with him now instead.
Although most people in the town didn't like Tsukiko and Rusalka, they couldn't deny the fact that the pair were strong, and that their magic was certainly something to behold. You could see it glittering from miles away it was that strong and the way that the colours all blended together, it was like someone was painting the magic. As no one was a mage in the town they couldn't feel the power from the two as they released their magic, but sometimes it was strong enough for the animals nearby to even wander into the town to see what was going on, this slight informed the people to see how strong they were, but that was the only indication that they could get.
Some of the adults stayed to look at the little show that Tsukiko was putting on, they praised her on her magic and asked for how long she had to practice to learn it. She simply answered all her life. She had hidden the fact that she and Rusalka were not from this planet, she had made her tails invisible to all humans after she met up with Rusalka again. She had no reason for them right now, plus if Fairy Tail did come back it could rekindle some memories, so it was easier to just hide them for now. It also helped it helped with getting the town to like them if they thought they were just humans with really strong magic, then maybe they would be accepted quicker. Obviously, the girls knew that they were not going to be accepted straight away, it was a small community either way and they would be wary of people that could use magic. The townsfolk would be powerless to the two if they decided to attack them, and by the time a guild got here, the two girls could have already done the damage and left to go destroy another town for all they knew. There was something about the girls though that made people want to trust them. No one knew what it was, it could have been because of the fact that they seemed to have no evil intentions, or maybe it was for the fact that the children had warmed up to them so quickly. The parents knew how sensible their children were around strangers, they had told them all the basic stories about strangers and the dangers that they possess, but there seemed to be no problems with the girls. In a way, if the children thought the girls were safe, it made the adults feel like they would be. It was probably because as a child you can sort of feel if someone is bad or not, and the children had no problems with being friends with these girls.
Rusalka and Tsukiko spend the whole day with the children of the town, even some of the adults who didn't really like them started to see the joy of them being around. Event he mayor of the town come out to see what was going on, he didn't really know the girls either so he tended not to like them that much, but when he saw what they were doing to keep the younger ones amused and that they were helping out around the town, he couldn't help but start to like them a bit.
People were asking questions about the girls and why they were not in a wizard guild if they were so strong, the girls just said that they liked the free life from a guild and didn't need the hassle of joining one. Some of the adults laughed at this, thinking of guilds like Fairy Tail that got the job done but causes destruction after almost every job, they shortly agreed with the girls that it seemed so much easier to just be a free-roaming wizard then one with ties to a guild. One middle-aged man asked if the girls ever got lonely just roaming the wilds. Rusalka said that they never really had a chance to get lonely, they were always busy with fighting, training or setting up camp for the night, that wasn't exactly far from the truth either. The man nodded in reply and asked about any family members. Tsukiko replied that she had a brother, but no other family, and unlike her, he wasn't a mage and instead lived in a small town much like this one as a teacher of sorts, Rusalka just said that she didn't have any family and that it was easier this way. The man nodded his head again and let the girls work.
Even the mayor started to help out in the town and he asked the girls some questions to get to know them. He asked them why they had seemed to stay here for so long, this time Tsukiko replied. She said that this was one of the nicest and calmest places that the girls had been to for a long time and that they both enjoyed living their lives like this. It was so much calmer than what they used to know, living closer to the main cities. She also said that she and Rusalka had been travelling for a long time now and that it was just nice to finally have a small break and talk to people again.
As the night drew closer and the townsfolk stop working for the day, every family gathered in the small park in the middle of town. By now, most of the people in the town had started to grow fond of the two girls. Even some of the town elders started to respect the two as they helped them to their seats and brung around food for everyone. Tonight was a special night for the town, it was the founder of the towns birthday, so all members of the town were called down to the park for a special dinner and party afterwards. Rusalka and Tsukiko were invited to the celebration as a way of thanking them for their hard work today. The girls of course accepted and rejoiced at the fact that the townsfolk seemed to start liking them instead of being suspicious of them. The children were overjoyed when Tsukiko and Rusalka agreed to stay for the celebration. Many of the women of the town gushed over how pretty the two girls were. They asked how Tsukiko kept her hair so clean although she lived in the forest and they asked Rusalka how she could keep her skin so clear. The two girls said that they just cared a lot for their hygiene and they didn't want to be getting sick anytime soon. The women in reply joked about how some of their husbands couldn't do that simple task and in return, a couple of men shouted a comment in reply.
For the whole night, neither Tsukiko of Rusalka worried about the trials, or the past, of the possibility of being found by the Fairy Tail guild. They were at the celebration for a reason and they would party with the rest of the townsfolk for the creation of their small town. They both dropped their fears of being too weak and not fearless enough to face the trials in the future. They both acted like children that night, playing games of hide and seek with the younger children, and drinking and talking with the adults. They even put on a little display of their magic, creating something like a play, they told the story of a fisherman who wandered too far out at sea, and how he came across magical types of sea creatures and how they helped guide him home into the loving arms of his family and friends. By the end of the night, Rusalka and Tsukiko had the respect of the entire town and pass worries and doubts were resolved.