Chapter 34 - No Record

Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul

The rest of the day passed by without another event, and after dinner and a quick stop to check over everyone's injuries, the Blazing Soul team turned in for the night. The next day was dedicated to dealings between representatives, so it was less a party and more a business meeting. This meant that the mages where allowed to sleep in a bit, which everyone took full advantage of. Another boon was that with a majority of the guests having departed, security was greatly reduced, so it was decided that only one or two mages would stick around and take turns switching out throughout the day. No more dress up either, but nobody seemed to mind that much seeing as only two of them had picked out new clothes the previous day.

Late into the morning, Shelly slowly rolled out of bed and got changed. Their little campaign around the property yesterday had done a pretty good job of wiping her out, so she was looking forward to just taking it slow today before her shift rolled around. With the others doing their own thing, and Lir still in lessens for the time being, Shelly figured it would be a good chance to phone home as she wandered the halls.

Her father answered the phone quick enough, almost like he was expecting her to call, and began to laugh when he heard the whole story. "So you had fun then?" Davin asked.

"Yeah, it was fine." Shelly mumbled, beginning to wonder if he'd begin pressing her for details. "Axel, Amber, and Geno did most of the fighting though."

"I see." He couldn't help but sound concerned, and sure enough the questions began to come. "You're not hurt are you?" There was a slight pause, before he quickly added. "Or anyone else?"

"I'm fine dad." Shelly said with a heavy sigh. He'd always done this, even if she had no part in the fighting he'd always assume she'd get herself hurt. Realising she'd let her annoyance show in her voice, Shelly quickly decided to change the subject. "So are you and Leo going to visit? Ms. Omnison said we could stay for another night if we wanted."

"Oh, um..." He stuttered. "Sorry sweetie, I've got a bunch of new job request forms to finish. And Jaina asked Leo for help with something in town today."

"Oh..." She didn't mean to sound disappointed, but it had been a while since they had done anything as a family. And on the way here she hadn't been able to stop thinking of all the thing's she wanted to do together. "You're sure you can't come?"

"I'm sorry." He said again. "I've got Isa helping me, but this is still taking forever. You know how the council can get of we don't have our paperwork."

"That's ok." She said with a sad smile.

"Hey girl!" Shelly looked down the hallway to see Kat and Fiona greeting a sleepy eyed Amber as she left the bedroom.

Kat waved for her to join then just as Davin spoke again. "So how's your friend Lir doing?"

"She's fine." Her mood immediately improved, even if the memory of what had still embarrassed her. "Hey dad, the others are getting up too, so I'm going to go. We'll probably be back some time tomorrow."

"Alright sweetie, I'll see you then." He said, sounding a little disappointed. "Be safe, love you."

"'Kay, I will. Love you too." Shelly pushed off the wall and placed her Lacrima phone in her skirt pocket, then made her way to the others.

Kat began to giggle at something one of them had said, but she then turned to Shelly just as she arrived. "So who was that?"

"Dad." She sighed. "He's really busy, so he probably won't be coming by."

"That's a shame." Kat seemed sympathetic, but only for a moment. "I bet he would've loved to see his little girl all dolled up in that dress you picked out yesterday. Maybe one of us should've taken a picture?"

"I'm not a little girl." Shelly huffed.

"You know what we mean." Fiona tried not laugh, but in noticing Shelly's reaction decided to change the subject. "Well, I'm going to hang out at the pool; wanna' come? Kat and Rift have the first shift, but the guys are all coming too."

Despite looking tempted, Amber shook her head. "No thanks... I don't have a swimsuit."

"You're wearing underwear, aren't you?" Kat asked with a simple shrug. "What's wrong with that?"

Amber, Shelly, even Fiona all did a double take. "Are you serious?" Amber asked, drawing an arm across her chest.

"What? Most guys can't tell the difference between a bra and a bikini anyways." Kat sounded confident in her reasoning, but the looks they where all giving her apparently gave her second thoughts. "Can they?"

"I-." Shelly interrupted, not wanting to really think on the subject. "Wanted to go out shopping. We're in the capital after all." Amber took a bit of a step towards her, seemingly in agreement. Either that, or Kat's pestering had begun to get on her nerves. "How about that?"

"Sorry, can't. My shift is right after hers." Fiona shook her head, gesturing her thumb at her sister. "You two go have fun."

Just as they began to part ways, Kat shouted over her shoulder. "Get something cute for your brother!"

Not half an hour later, the girls had a plan in mind. Shelly and Amber's shift wasn't until around dinner time, but everyone was so sceptical that it'd even take that long that Shelly had begun counting on them having the day off. There was one small hiccup however. Lir was waiting for them at the door, wearing a plain set of overalls and a yellow t-shirt, rather than the elegant dress ensemble she'd sported for most of their visit.

Kat had apparently made it a point to tell her about their plans, and she looked so exited to come with them that they didn't have the heart to turn her down. After dipping into their reward for a bit of spending money and getting a carnage to drop them off farther into the downtown area, the three of them set off into the city.

"So..." Amber began, taking a quick look around the busy street. "What'd you want to do?"

"A bunch of things." Shelly said excitedly, beginning to wish she'd made a list. It'd been a while since the last time she'd had some time to herself in the Capital of Lowindell, with family or otherwise, so there where quite a few places she wanted to visit. "The shopping district here is way bigger than back home, so I wanted to stalk up on a few things." Amber nodded, but she still didn't look too interested. Hoping to change that, Shelly asked. "Is there anything you wanted to do?"

"Uh..." Amber took a moment to think, looking around at some of the shops again. "Not really."

Amber's belt fell away, and Armeria landed on the road just ahead of them. Her abruptness startled them all, but she spoke her usual monotone voice like nothing was wrong. "She liked the book you gave her."

"Armeria..." Amber muttered in annoyance.

"There's a big bookstore just a few blocks away." Lir suggested, pulling out a small tourist map and pointing to one of the streets. "Ramosa goes there a bunch to buy me books."

"I think I know that one." Shelly added. "It's close to a bunch of other places I wanted to visit, so it might be a good start." Though it seemed to bug her that Armeria had spoken for her, Amber picked her familiar up against her stomach and nodded in agreement.

Making their way through the streets, Shelly was already enjoying herself. With her dad and brother staying home, the only other person who might be even remotely interested in going with her was Fiona, and she had the bad luck of getting a shift right in the middle of the timetable. So even if Amber just seemed to be killing time, she appreciated the company. And even Lir was being less tuggy than usual, through she still remained latched to her arm the whole trip.

The three of them soon arrived at the bookstore Lir had mentioned; and she was right, it was definitely bigger than any of the bookstores back home. It looked more like a library, with a second story balcony similar to the one at Blazing Soul. After only a few minutes, Amber had begun glancing through a few books to see if anything caught her interest.

The novelty quickly ran out for Lir however, and she soon began begging to go to a crafts store down the street. Shelly wanted to go there too, but with Amber still picking through the shelves, they decided to split up and meet at a sandwich shop the next street over.

Lir didn't actually buy any art supplies, but picked up small science magazine geared for kids instead. While she read it at the front of the store, Shelly picked up a pack of pencils and a new sketchbook she saw with a cute looking cat face on the cover.

After that, the two retraced their steps to find the meeting place. Shelly turned down an ally that she was sure would be a shortcut, and stretched her arms over her head with a long sigh.

"Are you sore from yesterday?" Lir asked, sounding like she blamed herself for what happened.

Shelly shook her head. "Nope, I'm fine." Despite trying to avoid her for the last day and a half, Shelly had to admit Lir was behaving a lot better now then when she'd first arrived. Maybe Kat was right, maybe Lir really did look up to her. "My friends did most of the fighting, not me."

Lir smiled as they passed an empty dirt lot hidden in a cluster of buildings, where they saw Amber standing with her back to them.

They both stopped short, not expecting to run into her so soon, but froze just short of calling to her when she heard a gruff voice ask. "So, I thought you could help us clear out a few things."

Shelly thought she recognised the voice instantly, but there was just no way it was who she thought it was. Sure enough, she peaked around the corner to see the Magic Council's head Chairmen, Zephyr Odinshire standing at the far end of the lot.

"With what?" Amber said suspiciously, no doubt remembering the last time one of the Council Chairmen caught her alone.

"Well you see Miss... We've been looking into our records ever since you joined the mage guild of Blazing Soul." Zephyr had his hands clasped behind his back, and was apparently making a conscious effort to keep his distance, but there was a sort of intensity in his words that made him somewhat intimidating.

"So?" Amber huffed.

Shelly grumbled too. First Payla, now Zephyr, why couldn't they just leave her alone? Sure the way they had met was a little unusual. But she'd done nothing wrong and the Council seemed to have it out for her. Just as she was about to step out, Zephyr said. "Well, we can't find anything." Shelly froze; what did that mean? "No prier work relations, no contacts, no place of residence." Amber tensed up, and her fingers curled into fists. "Not even an immigration paper or record of birth. Care to explain why that is?"

Amber took a deep breath, obviously rattled. "I don't know... Maybe someone just lost it."

"That's one possibility, yes." Zephyr nodded, his old eyes fixed on her with an icy stare. "Though I find it a little far-fetched that we could misplace absolutely every record pertaining to you. I have a little more faith in our clerks than that." Amber remained silent, and after a moment, Zephyr sighed, "Are you sure there's nothing you wish to tell me?"

Armeria jumped from Amber's arms, anger building in her usually monotone voice. "Amber's done nothing wrong."

Zephyr snorted, realising that this was a fruitless effort. "Very well. I shall leave you alone then." He took a step back and half turned to leave, but glanced over his shoulder at the last moment. "However, you may consider illuminating your fellow guild mates on the mater." He unclasped his hands and pointed to something just behind her.

Shelly froze as Amber turned around. She hadn't realised that she and Lir had stopped right in the middle of the ally; Zephyr probably noticed her the moment she arrived. "Uh..." She stuttered as Zephyr departed, not knowing what to think. "What was that about?"

Despite the look on her face, a mix of anger and sadness, Amber shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Oh... I see." Shelly sighed. Amber was lying, she didn't know how she knew, but she could just tell. "W-well, did you want to keep shopping?" She asked hopefully.

Without dwelling on it, Amber nodded and picked Armeria up again, who had remained glairing down the ally Zephyr had left from. The four continued on, but there was an awkward silence now that Shelly didn't know how to break. What really stung her was that Amber hadn't lied to her in a while, so she had just kind of assumed she'd earned her trust. To learn otherwise kind of tugged on her heart a little.

They emerged back on the street again, but Shelly was so caught up in her thoughts that she'd lost all sense of where they where. She glanced back and forth in either direction, but that didn't help her much. "I think it's..."

"It's the next street over." Amber said, pointing to the left. "The sandwich place I mean."

Lir turned her head to the side. "How do you know?"

Amber froze, having already takin half a step away. "I... Used to live here." She admitted slowly, glancing down to Armeria hanging in her arms. "A few months before meeting Axel and the rest of you, this is where I lived."

Something clicked in Shelly's mind, and she was too curios now to let it go any more. "You know you can tell me anything right?" She encouraged. "I know that Zephyr guy can be kind of intimidating, but he's... Well..." She stopped short. In truth, she'd never actually met him. Anything she heard about the Council's head chairmen either came from her Dad or Jaina.

"Amber..." Armeria cut in, which Shelly was thankful for because she didn't know what to say. "Just tell her."

Amber huffed, but even she realised there was no point in trying to play it off now. "I lived here before meeting you guys. And I honestly don't know why that council guy can't find my birth record."

Shelly nodded. No more lies, which was good, but something else still didn't make sense. "The old guy said they couldn't find your address either." She added. Amber stayed quiet, which was enough for Shelly to figure it out herself. "Oh no, where you homeless?"

"No!" Amber quickly shook her head, but still looked kind of sad. "I mean, yes... But I was with this other group of mages when I lived here. Kind of like the guild, but we sort of lived out of a hotel."

This was a surprise. Other than a father, Shelly couldn't remember Amber ever mentioning anyone else in her life. "Oh, did you want to go see them?"

Amber bit her lip, and Shelly instantly realised she'd stepped on a landmine. "No, they're... Gone."

Shelly's mouth hung open, not knowing how to follow up. "I..." She stuttered. She didn't want to ask for more details, because she could probably guess at what Amber meant. "I'm sorry..."

Amber huffed again, but was smiling this time when she looked at the two of them. "See? This is why I never brought it up. We're trying to have a good time, right?"

Amber chuckled, much to Shelly's surprise. Last time they'd talked about Amber's background; she was mopey for almost the rest of the day. Now she was laughing about it. "Right." A big smile grew on Shelly's face, and she stepped out of the ally and back onto the street. "C'mon, let's go."

Amber followed her, with Armeria transforming into her belt after a few odd glances from some of the other shoppers. They grabbed lunch first, a half sub and a bottle of water each, before continuing on their spree. Shelly brought them to a sweets shop next, where she got a small bag of cookies for her dad and brother. Lir got a parfait and Amber bought a pack of gummies that she had already eaten half of by the time they got to their next destination.

The girls continued to hop back and forth between shops for a few more hours, but bought little else. Amber picked out a pair of fuzzy blue slippers to go with her pajamas, but that was the end of it. All the while, Shelly couldn't get her mind off of the old councilman's words. Emboldened by the fact that Amber wasn't trying to lie anymore, Shelly decided to ask again now that the shock of the first time had warn off.

"So... Who else have you told?" She asked, hoping Amber would still be opened to talking about it. "About before you met us?"

Amber didn't look bothered. At least, not much. "Jaina knows. She kind of interrogated me about it." Shelly giggled, that definitely sounded like Jaina. "I think that's it."

"Why'd you leave?" Shelly added

"We got dragged into a fight." She sighed. "A dark mage attacked us, and he was way too strong to fight against." They turned another corner and found the carriage they had used to get here, and they decided to call it a day already. "When I realised we couldn't fight, I ran away." She brushed her bangs out of her face as they boarded the carriage, absentmindedly glancing out the window. "I'm a survivor."

Her tone had become rather cryptic, which especially caught Shelly's attention. "What's that mean?"

Amber quickly shook her head. "Forget it. It doesn't mater." Shelly sunk back in her seat, but decided she'd done enough prying for one day. Any more questions and she feared Amber would get mopey again. "Thanks for listening."

"Everyone's got a past Amber." Shelly tried to sound reassuring, but in truth she was just repeating something she'd heard Jaina say once before.

"Did Jaina say that to you?" Amber caught on fairly quickly.

"Uh..." Shelly didn't know what to say, but found a half embarrassed smile growing on her face. "Yeah." There was a moment if silence before Amber began to snicker, causing all three of them to burst out laughing.

It was dusk by the time they got back, just in time to be informed that they're shift had been cancelled after all. Attendants delivered their purchases to the guest houses for them, and without that errand to run, Lir stepped up and glanced expectedly at Shelly. "Hey, want to play a game?"

"In a little bit." She assured. "I'm kind of hungry."

"Then you guys better hurry up!" Kat called from the balcony overlooking the foyer. "Axel's making jambalaya, and everybody's already waiting for him!"

Shelly glanced at Amber, who shrugged her shoulders. "What's that?"

"I don't know, but it smells awesome!" Kat shouted again. "C'mon, or there won't be any left for you guys!"

Lir took Shellys hand and began leading her away, with Amber following not too far behind. Together, the three of them made their way to the kitchen, where the aroma of cooked meats and spices filled their noses. Dinner was served.

Next Chapter – Key to the Hearth