In Secret (Sequel to Behind the Scenes)

Just A Glance

"Miss Juvia? Do ya want I should carry her? She does this a lot, actually an' I'm used to it." Juvia smiled down at the little Firestarter at her hip. "Juvia is grateful for the offer, Kasai, but Saki does not weigh much. Juvia can manage. Did Kasai still want to play games?" The woman shifted a little, readjusting her arms underneath the small girl who was sleeping on Juvia's back. Saki had flagged after their meal, the energy draining out of her visible and somewhat comedic. The other children had helped get her settled on their chaperone's back, and then they all proceeded to the section of the carnival that was lined with games. Juvia was honestly a little surprised the girl could sleep with all of the lights and sounds around them, but with a "family" of twelve little ones, she supposed they were all used to a little bit of chaos.

"Miss Juvia?" She paused, turning to look at the twins behind her. They had spoken in tandem so often that she really didn't quite know which voice belonged to which child, so she looked between them curiously. Kel was staring into a tent set up at the edge of the fairway, her hand clenched onto her brother's sleeve. She was twisting at the waist, the puffy skirt of her dress swaying around her legs. She'd found the thing in a costume shop, and Juvia couldn't resist buying it for her when she saw the little girl's eyes light up. The fabric was a soft pink, and the dress flared out from her hips, layers and layers of material in the skirt turning her into a little princess. Her brother had lingered while everyone else headed out, and when Kel had turned to find him, the boy had run up to her, pulling a large matching bow from the bag in his hands and gesturing for her to move herself so he could fix it in her hair. Juvia had laughed, clapping her hands at the excited squeal that came from the child, and her bright smile had yet to fade.

"What's that?" Kyle looked from the tent up at Juvia and then back, the Rain Woman turning further to see what had caught their attention so fully. "That is a fortune telling booth, Kyle. There will be a man or woman inside who can look at cards and predict an event that is going to come soon, or a love possibility." She stared of dreamily at that point, the thoughts of a certain ice mage catching her focus. The children giggled, this not being the first time she'd done this since they arrived at the carnival.

"Can we go?" Kel finally asked, looking up at the woman with shining eyes.

Juvia appeared to think for a second. She was going to say yes, of course. She loved fortune tellers, and her friendship with Cana had taught her that they could be more accurate than she could ever have dreamed. Sure you still had the conmen who pretended to tell the future to get a few quick jewels but she could feel the magic emanating off the tent in waves and she knew that these were the real deal.

"Of course! You will have to be well behaved though, this kind of magic takes a lot of concentration."

The children all nodded, trying to keep quiet despite the fact she could see the twins were bouncing on the balls of their feet in anticipation. Readjusting Saki on her back she held her spare hand out and Kel grabbed onto it, the girl's other hand still clasping hold of her brother's sleeve.

The inside of the tent was bigger than it looked on the outside, and the children all stared in wonder. Juvia had seen the magic many times before, but the rest of the decorations still fascinated her.

Two women sat at either extreme of the tent, facing each other while a young couple sat in the middle, back to back. One woman had a cup in her hand and was busy swirling the liquid inside while the other stared into a large glass orb that looked like a lacrima but had a storm crashing inside of it. Juvia could even see lightning spark from the inside of the glass, hitting the sides and making Kel jump as the tent flashed with the light. The women spoke in low murmurs, and Juvia knew it would be impolite to eavesdrop. The young man in front of her looked enraptured, eyes so dark red they were almost black glistening as the light flickered across his skin and brought the tattoos on his arms to life. The entire effect was purely magical, and Juvia didn't know if it was a part of the fortune telling or just to add to the atmosphere the deep velvet and gold trim furniture already provided so well.