Chapter 54 - An Odd Request

Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul

The sound if chirping birds through the window stirred Amber from her sleep. A dull pain shot through her body, and she recalled the events since their rescue. She'd slept though most of they day after arriving home, waking only for a quick trip to the bathroom and to let Isa change her bandages. She was pretty dazed throughout, and only remember the events as a dull blur.

She'd moved up to her spare room that evening, stopping just long enough to change into her pajamas, but couldn't seem to fall asleep until the early morning again. Not that she minded this at all, the less she had to move the better. She'd fallen asleep eventually, but now that she was awake she became of a quickly growing hunger in the pit of her stomach.

It only took a little bit of effort to stand up, careful not to agitate her wounds, and she headed for the stairs. "Isa!" She called, only to be greeted with silence. With a huff, she descended the stares and had a look around.

She hadn't noticed before, but Isa's house looked rather old. Not as in it looked decrepit, but the decor was somewhat old-fashioned. A wooden pillar sat in each corner, and the darkened wooden floors seemed to be polished to a mirror's finish. A large bookshelf lined the wall opposite her, filled to the ceiling with books. To her right sat a small TV, sitting atop a shelf with a few pictures of Isa and a few other guild members.

To her right was the kitchen, and another doorway that Amber guessed led to the basement. Just as she was about to investigate, Armeria poked her head out of the kitchen door and beckoned her inside. "Amber, come here." Doing as she was told, Amber followed her inside, where Armeria pointed to a note stuck to the fridge.

"Amber." "I've gone to the store to buy you some new clothes. I'm sorry, I tried washing your old shirt, but it fell apart in my hands. You can take my hoody again if you want to go outside, and there should be some spare shoes in the closet. But remember that you're suppose to be resting, so try and take it easy. Feel free to eat anything in the fridge. I'm going to Jaina's to get you some of her medicine too, it should help with the pain and make sure there are no scars. I’ll be back later to help you change your bandages." "Isa" "PS. I heard that everyone is OK. Geno's still in the hospital, but that's just a precaution. Rift came by to say he was sorry for what happened too. You guys did a really good job, you should be very proud. "

Amber dropped the note on the counter and began rummaging through the fridge. Having Isa praise her like that felt good, even if she hurt everywhere at the moment. "She left a few minutes ago." Armeria mumbled, hopping up on the table. "She said she'd be gone for a while."

Though she heard her, Amber wasn't really listening. Having barely eaten in the last twenty-four hours, to say she was starving would be an understatement. She pulled half a leftover chicken breast and an apple from the fridge; nothing like the meals Axel had made, but right now she wasn't going to pick and choose.

She'd devoured the items in a little under a minute, and right after made for the door. "C'mon, Armeria!" She called over her shoulder, slipping her bandaged hand through the sleeve of Isa's hoody. "I want to go see Shelly."

Watching from the kitchen table, Armeria narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "You're suppose to be resting." She transformed into an amorphous blob and flew across the house, reforming at Amber's feet to pull at a leg of her shorts. "Isa's note said they're fine."

"I know, but... C'mon..." She didn't have a reason not to trust Isa's letter, but felt like she wouldn't be able to forget about it until she saw it with her own eyes. Armeria just stared up at her, it was obvious she felt very differently on the matter. Eventually though, she nodded, jumping up and transforming into a belt around Amber's waist. Amber gasped, feeling the wounds on her back sting the second she had to bear Armeria's added weight. "Ok... Maybe just a little rest first..."

Though it took her another hour to finally get out the door, Amber was on her way. To her surprise, Isa lived just across the road from the path they took going to the guild every day. She must've walked past her house almost to dozen times by now and never knew.

Walking through town felt odd. People occasionally gave her strange glances, some stared as she walked past. She was still wearing her pajamas, and the bandages on her face and hand where probably what was attracting all the attention. It also didn't help that Armeria had decided to walk right along beside her, and stared back at anyone who's gaze lingered on them for too long. It felt weird being the center of attention, and Amber quickened her pace.

Much to her surprise however, upon turning the corner to Shelly's street, she noticed a small crowd gathered around her house. Her first thought was that something bad had happened, but those thoughts disappeared when she heard a low, animalistic, yet familiar growling coming from her yard.

She wormed her way through the crowd, only to find a massive, muscular humanoid creature covered in scales laying on the lawn. Its interlocking jaws parted slowly, and it's deep snoring seemed to shake the windows of nearby buildings.

"No way..." Amber didn't know what to do. She wanted to laugh, but that probably wouldn't help dispel the crowd. "Jak?" She approached him slowly, drawing many murmurs from onlookers. All of which trying to discourage her from disturbing the beast. "Jak, get up."

She nudged his head with her foot, and saw the crowd back up a step out of the corner of her eye. The beast rolled its head and slowly it's eyes opened. The crowd backed away again as he sat upright, but luckily the monster shrunk down to his human form before anyone got a look at his full height. Yawning, Jak lazily scratched the back of his head and looked up at Amber from a cross-legged position on the ground. "Sup?"

"You..." Amber began, unable to fathom why this was something she had to explain. "What're you doing outside? You'll-."

"Hello?" A voice called form the front door, where Davin had just emerged. "Someone here?" He looked in surprise at the crowd of strangers surrounding his house, but his eyes quickly fell to Jak. "I knew it... Jak, come back inside, I told you not to transform in town." Jak jumped up like a shot and ran toward the house. Instead of going to the door however, he hopped up onto the roof, scrambling out of sight before anyone could tell him not to. Amber stood stunned, wondering if bringing Jak back with them was a good idea or not. "Alright, the show's over. Break it up." Davin commanded, shewing the crowd away.

They where slow to disperse, each one mumbling to the person next to them about what'd just happened. Many of them sounded confused, some where even afraid, but from the sounds of it, Jak's own lazy attitude stopped a full-blown inquiry from breaking out. One by one, as the novelty of the strange, transforming child wore off, they all took their leave.

Amber was left standing in the street alone. Davin noticed her out of the corner of his eye, stopping just shy of stepping back inside. "Amber? Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah." She mumbled. Despite everything, she still somehow found it hard to talk with the guild master. "I... Wanted to come check on Shelly."

Davin began to chuckle, and Amber knew exactly why. Covered on bandages like she was, she must've looked terrible. "She's doing just fine, thank you for asking." He nodded appreciatively, then gestured down the street in the direction Amber had just come from. "But I'm afraid you've just missed her. She said she wanted to talk to Jaina about something."

"Oh..." Amber felt a little disappointed. Shelly was up and about, same as her, which was an improvement considering the gash on her leg she'd come home with. But she at least wanted to see her friend. That was the whole point of her heading out this morning. "Well, OK. I'll be-."

She'd barely turned to leave before Davin waved to stopped her. "Actually, now that I've got you; why don't you come inside for a little while?" He stepped aside and beckoned for her to enter. "If... You don't mind, that is."

It only took a second for Amber to reach a decision, she'd welcome a bit of time to rest out of the sun before moving on. Walking still hurt and Isa's sweater was hot; how she wore it all the time without ever sweating was a mystery to her. She nodded and limped inside, feeling the refreshing breath of the air-conditioned the moment she passed through the door-frame.

Davin led her inside, helping her to the couch while he moved on to the kitchen. "Sorry about that." He said, rummaging around the fridge. "Shelly insisted he stay here with us. Jak's a nice boy, but... That magic of his can be quite a handful. I don't think he's quite got a full grasp of the concept yet. He keeps transforming every time he falls asleep."

"Dad?" Leo's voice shot through the house, followed by the sound of someone rapidly descended down the stairs. He soon skidded through the hallway to the family room, a mix of panic and irritation on his face. "Dad, that guy is in the backyard again." He paused a moment when he saw Amber. He looked at her differently now, but only slightly. His eyes where a little brighter now. Maybe she'd finally won his approval? He quickly shook his head and returned his attention to his father, and the thought disappeared from Amber's mind. "He's turned into some big bat thing now."

Davin groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I take it he fell asleep again?"

Leo glanced back down the hallway. "Yeah... I think so." Amber leaned over on the couch, catching a large patch of light grey fur through the back door. She recognized that Take-Over form too, but the last time she saw it, it was tearing through the bandits of Bloody Smile.

"Alright well, just leave him be then. He won't bother anyone back there." Davin shrugged, pulling a large bottle of juice out of the fridge. "There's a lot going on right now, and I'd rather not have to explain the alligator kid to the press." It didn't look like Leo agreed with the idea at all, but he nodded his head regardless. "Alright then, could you give us a sec, bud? I want to have a private talk with Amber."

Amber went ridged. Was that bad? It sounded kind of bad. Leo glanced in her direction, but nodded again and left though the front door. "Yeah... OK."

"And if you see Carra outside again, tell her Amber's ok too." Davin shouted after him. Leo nodded and took his leave, and Davin joined her in the living room after a moment, carrying two large glasses of juice "Poor girl was crying her eyes out the first time she came by. Her face turned so pale when she saw Shelly's leg..." He mumbled absentmindedly. With a small huff, Davin sat down in a chair across from Amber and offered her a glass. "Anyways... I'm sorry, I don't know what you like." She accepted it timidly, and Davin leaned back to relax. "I don't keep any booze in the house..."

Taking a big sip, Amber shook her head. "I-I don't like alcohol..." Davin chuckled slightly, taking a sip of his own. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, Davin looking like he'd lost himself in his thoughts. "So..." Amber began. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I'm sure you could guess. You did save my daughter after all." He chuckled again. "From what Shelly tells me, you're the reason why she was able to escape." He paused a moment to take another long drink, then gestured to the back of the house. "Well, you and Jak, that is. Ho-boy, the stories she's told me about that kid..."

Amber felt herself growing embarrassed. She'd been acting on instinct at best, running and fighting whenever she needed too. "I don't know..." She mumbled, huddling down over her drink. "You asked me to go with her..."

Letting out a slow sigh, Davin seemed to lament on this fact. "Yes, I did." He took another drink, finishing his glass in one big gulp. "But my intention was that you'd just keep her company. Help her feel a little more comfortable, or at the very least, keep her out of trouble..." He trailed off, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "I didn't think you'd actually end up having to protect her. Or... That you'd nearly get sliced to ribbons while doing it."

Hearing that made Amber's wounds ache. She gripped her arm, massaging the cut on her shoulder through the bandage. "I... I just thought-."

"Just keep fighting?" Davin suggested. "That's what you told her, to keep her going when she was frightened. To just keep fighting, Right?"

Blushing slightly, Amber nodded. It sounded really corny hearing it from someone else. "Yeah..."

Davin began to laugh, resting one elbow on the arm of his chair and massaging his temple. An awkward silence filled the room, Amber didn't know what to say, while Davin seemed to be collecting his thoughts. "You know, Jaina's told me I'm not the best at handling serious stuff like this... She thinks I'm too soft for my own good." He chuckled slightly. "And... Listening to myself now, I think she's probably right. She's very good at pointing out people's character flaws."

"She is." Amber giggled. "And... You are."

"Well..." He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees. "I just want to say thank you for what you've done. You went above and beyond what anyone would've expected you to do. At great personal harm, I might add." Amber smiled, feeling a warm sensation growing in her chest. "If there's anything you ever need, don't be afraid to ask."

That last part caught Amber by surprise, enough so that she didn't have a response. "Oh, uh..." She thought for a moment, racking her brain for a suitable reply, but nothing came to mind. "Thank you, but I-."

"Jaina mentioned you'd been on your own for a while before you came to us." Davin interrupted, looking like he'd had an idea. "We're not really a guild that deals in information, but I could make some phone calls for you if you like. See if we could track down some old friends or family members for you. Or... Anyone you'd like to see, for that matter."

"No, no... That's ok." Amber urged, waving her hand to try and get him to slow down. Davin looked puzzled, but Amber couldn't really blame him. He was just trying to help, after all. "I... Don't really care where I came from. I'm just glad I've got somewhere to go home too."

It looked like Davin was about to make a counterpoint. His mouth hung open like he was debating what to say, but he just smirked and leaned back in his chair again. "Well, alright. But, if anything comes to mind, we'll do what we can to help." Amber nodded, and Davin abruptly stood up. "Well, I think I've made this about as awkward as it could have been, so I'll let you get on with your day." Amber nodded again, slowly rising out of her chair. "You're suppose to be recovering, after all. Not wondering around town."

Amber nodded slightly. It wasn't just Leo and Shelly; Davin seemed to have a fatherly attitude towards everyone in the guild. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Just as she reached the front door and slipped her feet into the shoes she'd borrowed, Davin called. "Oh, one more thing." He glanced up the stairs with a smirk on his face, and leaned in closer with a hushed tone. "Leo appreciates what you've done as well. I know he can be a little abrasive sometimes, but he's just a little protective of his sister." Amber chuckled, as did Davin. "He'll never say so himself. But that's still got to be worth something, right?"

On the outskirts of town, Jaina burst out of the door to her hut with an armful of bottles tucked against her stomach. She set them down on a fence post next to the small gate that surrounded her garden and began handing them off to Isa "Remember, when you change her bandages, just use a little bit at a time. Get too much on her and she'll break out in a rash." Isa nodded, and Jaina moved onto the next bottle. "And... This stuff. Boil it with-."

"Jaina, you know I've done all this before." Isa interrupted with a huff. "I'm sure she'll be fine, you've given me more than enough." She took the bottle and added it to her bag, already filled to the brim with bandages, painkillers, a multitude of lists and instructions, and several concoctions of Jaina's making. It was so full that it'd grown uncomfortably heavy on Isa's shoulder. "I took care of you, didn't I?"

Begrudgingly, Jaina nodded, massaging the back of her neck. "Yeah... You did. I just got that itch, you know?" Isa was just about to say something to comfort her, but Jaina perked up and blurted. "Oh yeah, itch... There's one more thing..."

"Jaina..." Isa moaned, gripping at the strap of her shoulder bag.

"Isa, she'll be covered in scabs. Three days from now she'll be itching everywhere!" She yelled back, disappearing through the door to her hut. "Just watch, she'll be like a dog with god damn flees without this!"

"Fine..." Isa mumbled, slipping her bag off her shoulder, where it landed on the ground with a thud. She roiled her shoulder a few times, trying to relive the ache before Jaina arive with more for her to carry. She could hear her rummaging around inside her hut, mumbling expletives the longer her search became. Absentmindedly, she glanced down the road, where she saw someone approaching. Isa smiled, knocking on the shutter to Jaina's bedroom window. "Hey Jaina, come on outside."

"I told you, just gimme a... Ah, here we go." The shutters burst open, and Jaina hung out the window holding another tiny, plastic bottle in her hand. She was surprised however, when she saw Shelly standing just outside the fence that encircled the property. "Hey there baby girl." She blurted, half ecstatic and half confused "How's that leg healing up?"

"It's fine." She glanced down at a bandage that enveloped most of her shin, tapping her foot on the ground to validate her point. "I'm worried it'll scar though."

"Don't worry about that. That ointment I gave ya will clear that up no problem." Dropping the bottle into Isa's bag, Jaina disappeared from the window, only to reappear through the front door a moment later to join them in the yard. In her hand was a bottle of rum, which she bit the cork off of before taking a long drink. "So, what brings you up my way? You're not getting sick, are ya?"

Shelly shook her head. "N-no, I wanted to ask you something."

A devilish grin shot across Jaina's face. Isa shook her head to discourage her, but it looked like she couldn't help herself. She sloshed the rum around in it's bottle, holding it up like she was trying to keep it out of reach. "I promised your dad I wouldn't let you drink until you where eighteen."

"Not that..." Shelly shook her head again, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. "I wanted... Uh, want you to... I need you to..." Isa and Jaina stared in confusion as Shelly shuffled from one foot to the other. She ran her hand through her hair, becoming frustrated that she couldn't articulate herself. "Ugh, this seemed like it'd be so much easier before..."

Isa giggled, but quickly noticed that Shelly held something in her hand, strategically hidden behind her book bag. She could tell what they where instantly, but the thought of Shelly having them made her doubt herself. Shelly apparently noticed this and turned away, but Isa was sure of what she saw now. "Shelly, are those...?"

"You're mom's swords?" Jaina said, looking just as surprised. "The hell are you-?"

Shelly glanced over her shoulder. Turning away from Isa had revealed her hand to Jaina; and seeing as how they had both seen it she figured it pointless to try and hide them anymore. She clutched a pair of short swords in her hands, each concealed within a short pink scabbard. She looked embarrassed at first, like a child who just got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. But soon a sense of resolve emanated from her every fiber, and she held the weapons out in front of herself. "I want you to teach me how to fight."

Next Chapter – Class is in Session