feral | sting eucliffe

XXXIII | CAA

Episode 33: Comfort and Anxiety!

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"I DON'T GET IT," Gray yelled, growing frustrated. "Did we hand the key to the wrong person then?" He questioned, the other members crowding around the table in an attempt to crack the code and understand all of this. Natsu stood up, a fire starting in his belly as he pumped his fiery fist into the air, "I say we just go to Joya and kick some—"

He was cut off by Erza's clear order. "—no." He looked at her in bewilderment. Yes, Erza was always up to planning, but he thought she'd be utterly furious at the idea of the entire team being tricked like that. Her metal knuckles hit the table harshly as her head dropped before lifting, "We'll get the bastard when the time comes. I say we gather what we can now."

Nobody bothered to argue, Natsu's flaming fist dropping to his side as it extinguished. Tapping away on her phone, Akane pulled up an article. "Got it," She suddenly chimed, everyone looking towards her and not understanding what she was getting at. "The man that we gave the key to. I got him. Don't worry about how, but the point is that I've identified him."

She looked down at her phone, "His name is Mimicry. I'm unsure of his real name, but that's his alias. Anyway, he specializes in transformation magic." Akane looked back towards Mirajane. "His transformation level is to be labelled as advanced." She showed the group an actual picture of him. Mirajane's eyes widened at that; she was merely a medium in that standard.

He didn't look like the old man he was posing as at all. In fact, he looked totally different. He had a crazed look in his silver eyes, tan skin, and hair similar to Gildarts, but a bright white. She continued, "He's been on the most wanted list ever since he escaped the prison they'd withheld him in two years ago. He has four other idiots along with him." She mumbled.

"Apparently, they broke out around the same time as him or they were already out. Either way, they're all on the wanted list as well. It doesn't really list their magical abilities, but more of their looks and who they're affiliated with. They have more pictures of one than the others though. She has green hair, golden eyes, and looks about fourteen. . . " Her voice trailed off.

Her mind fell back to Galena briefly, head falling as she thought about her friend. Y/n's spirits fell, "Great. We gave the key to the wrong person and now that entire stone army could be out soon. Not to mention that we have to deal with those shitty people if we even try and stop—" She began to pace back and forth, a bad habit of hers.

Chase and Nikos shared a look, knowing that if they tried to stop her, they'd probably receive a slap in the face or a bunch of hysterical screaming from the girl. Sting glanced over at her, catching her midway through another pace as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Instantly, she started talking about how he should let her go.

He only huffed, picking her up and putting her over his shoulders whilst carrying her upstairs. The whole guild watched in a tense silence, Chase being the first one to speak up. "Are you going to go after them?" He glanced over at Nikos. The snake boy shrugged, spinning a pen in between his fingers as he chewed the inside of his cheek. "I'm not concerned unless I hear moaning."

However, in the infirmary, the two were standing parallel to each other. She tried to move towards the door, but a flash passed her and he was standing in front of the door, stopping her from leaving. "No, you're not getting out until you talk all about it. It's obvious you've been stressing about this behind their backs." A sigh left her lips.

Y/n continued her bad habit, pacing back and forth while making dramatic hand gestures and emphasizing on certain phrases and words. After about fifteen minutes of that, Y/n was able to finally tell that Sting had been stifling his laughter. His hand was covering his mouth and he was trying his best to block out his own chuckling.

She huffed, cheeks puffing as she frowned and crossed her arms. "Why're you laughing? How can you be amused in a situation like this? Our lives and so many others are at risk!" The girl exclaimed as Sting burst out laughing, still leaning against the door as he set his hands on his knees in an attempt to steady himself. The blond continued chuckling, sensing her glare at him.

"Y/n," He approached her smoothly, his strides closing the space between them as he put his hands on her shoulders again. He tilted his head, earring dangling as it sparkled in the light. The white dragon slayer offered a boyish grin that made her cheeks turn pink. "Trust me when I say that Fairy Tail will be okay. They'll pull through; we'll pull through."

Sting averted his deep blue eyes briefly before bringing them back to her. "If there's anything I've learned after they kicked our ass in the Grand Magic Games, it's that Fairy Tail will be there through thick and thin; they always have and they always will. They're strong, we're strong. Those 'practically immortal' statues or whatever don't stand a damn chance. You got me?"

Her cheeks flushed with heat again as she nodded slowly. It took her a bit, but her brain processed it. At first, she thought he had just brought her up to make fun of her habits, but he'd read her like an open book. He could tell that this especially stressed her out and that her mind had been eating at this for a while. Nonetheless, he tried to encourage her.

For once in her life, she felt. . . considered; by someone other than her brothers and sisters, for that matter. A bright grin shaped her lips as she pulled him into a hug. Due to the height difference, her arms rung around his neck and pulled him down slightly. His hands found their place on the small of her back as he pulled her closer.

She breathed in his scent, humming softly. "Thank you."