feral | sting eucliffe

XVII | AANF

Episode 17: Adjustments and New Faces!

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"IT'S JUST A LOT TO ADJUST TO," Chase smiled awkwardly, running a hand through Y/n's h/c fur. It had only been a day since they arrived in Magnolia and temporarily called Fairy Tail home, but it seemed that he was quite the unintentional catch with ladies. Behind Chase's stone-cold exterior, he was just an awkward and concerned person.

So, it was undoubtedly so when ladies started falling for his looks and began huddling around the table far more than team Natsu was used to. In fact, they had to move away from team Natsu's table just so everyone would be comfortable and not squished in their own seats. Akane looked up, a hint of fury in her magenta eyes. "Utter pests," Her fingertips buzzed.

She looked towards Chase, "Can I put up my barrier yet?" Being too kindhearted for his own good, he shook his head. Plus, he'd rather be nice since Fairy Tail was already doing so much for them, even though they didn't have to. Y/n hopped onto the table, still in her cat form as she hissed loudly at the group of females.

The females scattered, getting the message. Chase frowned slightly as Akane glanced towards him, "They just want you for your dick." He turned red, glancing over at her and smacking her arm lightly. Nikos arrived with a soda in the last moment to hear the statement, sliding in to sit across from both of them. "She isn't wrong," He chuckled.

The white-haired male sighed, looking away with a strange pout lacing his lips. Y/n rolled her eyes, curling up on the table and purring slightly. Although Fairy Tail didn't have any windows, the wood wasn't bound strongly enough to prevent sunlight from seeping through, so occasionally, pools of sunlight would gather in the guild hall.

Curling up under one, it felt nice to sunbathe, but not at the same time. Chase rolled her eyes at his catty behavior, chuckling softly. Suddenly, the door opened in the same mannerism that Natsu opened doors. However, it wasn't Natsu. It couldn't be, after all. Natsu was still in the guild hall and he was busy fighting with Gray.

Looking towards the entrance, they saw a group of six with two exceeds of their own. The blond of the group with similarly spiky hair like Natsu waved cheerily. "Hey, Natsu!" He greeted with a grin as the rest of the group remained modest with their wave. One even tipped his hat, which the Kyuuseishu found odd.

Lucy was the first to speak up, a bright smile on her lips. "No way! Yukino?" The white-haired girl of the group seemed to grow into a chipper mood, her stance changing into a bubbly one. "Lucy!" The two ran at each other, giving hugs. As Yukino's keys glinted in the light, Y/n could see that she was a celestial wizard as well.

Eventually, the entirety of the newly arriving group made their way in. "Are they Fairy Tail wizards?" Akane asked carelessly, not even bothering to look up as Nikos shook his head, looking closely at their guild marks. "No, Sabertooth." Everyone looked at one another, but they didn't say anything, still watching them from afar.

"What brings you here?" Lucy pulled back from her hug with Yukino. Yukino smiled shyly, her boot digging into the wood. "Well, we heard that you invited the Kyuuseishu in and we grew interested. That, and it's been a while since we've seen you guys!" A clinking of armor resounded behind Lucy, resembling Erza. "I figured. We've caused quite the buzz with their additions."

Nikos and Y/n were the only two who could overhear the conversations from afar compared to their teammates. Nikos's muscles grew tense as Y/n's tail flicked, ears perking in their direction. As the group continued to chatter on, the conversation eventually averted to the Kyuuseishu once more. 

Erza turned to her right, pointing at a table. "Actually, they're right there." Chase was calmly reading what seemed to be another book that Levy had given him. After arriving, he'd reignited his love for reading that he'd had as a child. It seemed to be a spell or history book as he murmured enchantments under his breath.

Akane was still on her phone, her usual black hair styled in pigtails as she occasionally used her free right hand to mess with the hairbands of it. Nikos was moving a poker chip back and forth, messing with Y/n in her cat form as the two played along. Occasionally, Y/n's furry tail would smack Chase in the face, causing him to playfully threaten to burn her tail.

Sting quirked a brow. Even if they were villains before, they really did look like a group of normal people. Yukino's brown eyes widened, "Their magic power is insane." She could feel the waves of power that the entire table gave off at once, staring wide-eyed at the occupiers of the table. Y/n's tail flicked again, hitting Chase.

This time, a small flame flickered on his fingertips as he playfully scolded her. Sabertooth watched their dynamic, the cat batting at the flame and hissing back at Chase. As Chase kept attempting to burn her tail, the cat easily dodged all of his attacks before skidding back on the table, claws sinking into the wood beneath her.

"They're. . . " Sting trailed off as Natsu picked up his sentence, but in the wrong way. "Cool? Yeah, I know!" He cheered, giving Sting a noogie. Slipping out from under the fire dragon slayer's grip, he shook his head. Lucy smiled awkwardly, clasping her hands behind her back. "I think what he meant to say was 'odd', Natsu." She tilted her head as Sting nodded.

Erza beamed, "I think it'd be a good idea to get them acquainted with you all. Especially since they plan on staying here only till their charges are clear. After that, they'll be joining their own guilds." Nodding, Sting led the group over to them. He grinned, tilting his head. "My name's Sting and I'm the master of Sabertooth!" He offered a hand.

Chase took it, reaching past Akane who refused to look up from her phone. "Chase, that's Akane and Nikos. The cat's Y/n." Sting looked at him as if he was insane, nose scrunching at the h/c haired feline. The cat stayed silent, tail swaying as she stared at Sting, almost like she was staring into the depths of his soul.

He'd be lying if he said that it didn't freak him out in the slightest. Blinking wildly, he pointed. "What's with the cat?"