Where's My Grimoire? || Black Clover

8 - A New Home

Swatting the blade around like a madman, the teen hit the dummy found in the room Magna liked to call 'The Fun Place'. He borrowed a sword from Yami, which to be specific it wasn't his. It was a friends. One wrong move and the blade would probably snap, and there goes his head, ripped off by Captain Yami. He was careful to make the promise he had made to not break it stay in tact. For once in his life he cursed his trained arms.
Days turned into weeks where he did this daily, stopping enough to properly learn everybody's name and what they liked and where they liked to be. Out of all of them Finral seemed to be the most normal, which is why he was the only one Asta talked and asked questions to. Next to that was Gordon. He thought he just had anxiety and needed someone to talk to.

With Yami's boldness and harshness, Gauche's obsession with his younger sister, Grey's height off the charts and blowing out smoke awkwardly, Charmy's gluttonous belly and short, childish stature, Magna's delinquency, Luck's eagerness to pick a fight, Gordon's quiet personality, Vanessa's drunk funk and Finral's flirtatious charm... Even when they're all so weird, weirder than he was, did he really fit in?

He swung once, twice, then finally a third time.

A chip of the dummy must have been sent flying against the back of his shoulder somehow. He swore he had just felt someone or something touch him.
He felt the breath and the voice of a woman saying 'aloha' to him. The teen turned around and pulled his head back out of her face when he noticed it was the woman named Vanessa.
" Hey, kid. You having fun? " She asked and gave him a smile. He looked at her and seemed to lightly smile back. " Hey, Miss Vanessa... Just training as usual. " He answered and swung the sword one last time before he dropped it onto the ground.
" I see. I came in here to tell you dinner's ready. I dunno what time you'd like to eat, but now's the prime time, " The woman told him. The familiar slur in her accent was enough to tell him she drank something earlier, and whatever it was, he could smell it too.
It was then he realized he'd spent more than a couple hours training. Asta nodded to her. " Okay. Thanks for telling me. "
He pulled his tunic over his head and then against his arms, tugging to pull it down. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead just before he swiped them off. " No problem! " He heard Vanessa say and then footsteps echo out of the room.
The smell of the food in the room they'd gathered in was enough to convince him to walk faster through the halls. Each step felt slower than the next until he found himself in front of all of the prepared dishes.
He wanted so bad to take a plate for himself, yet his mind hesitated even thinking about it.
" Oh, yeah, remember that new recruit Yami was talking about? That girl? " Finral asked Vanessa before he shoved a fork into his mouth. Vanessa looked over at him. " No. I haven't seen Yami since last night. What's him and telling us about new recruits? " She asked with food in her mouth. Asta looked over at them. New recruit?
" Don't take it lightly. He says the oddest things when he first wakes up in the morning. This was a week ago. I'm sure the others remember, right guys? "
Finral blinked when Grey, Gordon and Charmy seemed to answer in their own ways. Gordon was mumbling something unnerving most likely, Charmy was stuffing her face and Grey blew out a puff of smoke like they'd been smoking a fat blunt. " You guys are useless sometimes, " Finral mentioned as he facepalmed.
" Oh, yeah, I met her. She was rude, but something tells me she's had it a little rough... " Magna said. Luck smiled at him. " She's got a lot of magic power! " Luck said and through his plate in the trash. " I wonder if she'll fight with me. "
With full stomachs and content smiles, everyone got up and continued doing their chores, everyone except for Charmy.
Asta watched the others as he stood there watching.
" You're not gonna eat, la? "
Nervousness welled up inside him.
" U-Uh- No, it's alright. I feel too tired to eat anything. "
Charmy hummed and continued to devour everything across the table.
With the workout he did, he was sweating already - not to mention, he was hot - the cold would feel good against his skin, he thought.
Walking towards the door and opening it, he saw that the light from this morning had left. The deep blue evening sky had cast a blue light over his surroundings. The grass reached out for seemingly miles as he watched the wind make the blades of grass sway. He took a moment to take in every little shadow of each fleck of grass.
The heat from his cheeks left him and burned even redder as if the cold bit him - which to say, he wasn't surprised - it had been really cold lately.
The flowers he viewed around the tall building were of ones he never payed attention to prior to this day. His eyes squinted as he saw a speck of light glimmering which was reflected from a river.
He walked forward and continued slowly for a minute, climbing down a small hill and into a dip in the earth where the river would flow in between the other hill in front of him. Asta could feel droplets of water splashing on him from a few feet away.
Before he walked any further, he heard a sound - some sort of noise that alarmed him. It sounded like someone had noticed his presence, and in fact, they did. A girl held her hands out in front of her as if she were about to attack.
" Oh, it's just you... "
It wasn't abnormal to refuse looking anyone straight in the eyes.
In fact, everyone did that to him at home, albeit in a way he didn't appreciate. Asta knew the girl was royalty from the start. He observed the symbol on the clips holding her clothes together.
" H-Hey there, " He greeted as he offered an awkward smile and waved. The woman lowered her hands and avoided looking him in the eyes as he did her. " Uhm, hi... "
" What're you doing out here? "

" I-I was just- It's nothing, really. "

Asta noticed how hesitant she was. He looked around and saw a tree that looked like it'd been doused a couple of times with water. He didn't know if it had been magic or not, but from the way she seemed out of breath, he had an idea of what she was doing.
" ...So, you were training, huh? It's getting a little late though... "
The girl seemed to be embarrassed that he figured it out. " How'd you pick that up so quick? And... Yeah, I realize. It's just... "
Asta watched her twirl a lock of her silver hair with her fingers. " Even though I'm a magic knight now, I'm too scared to even walk into the hideout. Isn't that pathetic? "
" I don't think that's pathetic at all. Walking into a whole new place with a bunch of people you don't know sounds like a good reason to be scared, yeah? "
The girl looked at him sadly and then to the side. " Yeah, I guess so. "

" The people inside aren't as scary as you think. They can be wild, but they aren't bad people. "

" Huh... I'll take your word for it. What's your name again? "

He pointed to himself with his thumb. " I-I'm Asta. You're Noelle Silva, right? "

" Yep, that's me. "



While they talked along the way back to the hideout, Asta opened the door as Noelle watched the mess unravel before her.
Magna screeched at Luck. " Give it back, you lanky bastard! "
" If you keep giving me your pudding, then I won't be lanky anymore, Magna!! "
She watched as shots of lightning and fire shot across the room. They both backed away.
" Yeeaah, uhm, sorry about that. I can show you where our captain is if you'd feel safer around him. "
Noelle recalled how big and bulky the scary captain was. 'Mmhm, fat chance,' She thought.
" Sure. "
" Great! "

After making his way to the bathroom, he prayed to whatever holy entity out there that his captain wouldn't lecture him about ruining his 'prime time'. Knocking on the door, he felt the door vibrate. " Yami Danchou, we have a visitor. "

" Tell them I already payed my damn debt! "

" No, it's the 'new recruit' you were talking about! "

" For fuck's sake, I'm taking a big one right now! Can't you wait, pipsqueak? "

" Uhmm, right, sorry sir... " Well, it's not exactly like he planned to have a conversation from outside the bathroom. The smell was already starting to get to him...

Walking back to the common room, Noelle sighed as she turned away from Asta.
" Well, that clearly didn't work out, " Noelle sighed
Asta smiled sheepishly at her. " Aww, come on, it wouldn't hurt for you to stay a while. "
Noelle pointed a finger at the life or death fight Magna and Luck were having over pudding. " In this train wreck? Good luck getting me to have a good night's rest! Why are they fighting like cavemen over pudding of all things? "
" I promise they're welcoming in their own ways! "

Magna shot a fire ball at the wall as it exploded into tiny bits.

" If you say so... "