After the last few months, and more particularly during the Grand Magic Games, Ariel really felt the need to talk face to face with her parents. A lot had happened since she last saw them. When she set out she could use only two different kinds of magic. While she was sure to write them updates the amount and scale of magic she was getting seemed to snowball. What was happening to her? Why was it happening? Learning about her mother coming from a different world entirely didn't sit well with her either. What weren't they telling her and why?

And then there was her relationship with Nolan. She'd written them about Nolan before but it was mostly about her crush, his fear of women, and the mess she'd created thanks to her Charm magic. So as far as the last update she'd sent was concerned there was no way anything would have changed.

All that in mind Ariel felt it was better for her and Nolan to go sooner rather than later. To everyone else it had only been a short time since their relationship had started but they had spent almost an entire month together. You never get to really know someone until you're forced to spend time alone with them. And there at the end they both experienced the intense memories of Nolan's past. They came out changed and reliant on one another.

Having packed some things for the trip to Oak Town she'd rented one of those magic powered cars so they wouldn't have to walk. She'd had enough walking for a little while. "Almost ready Nolan?"

"Yeah, just let me finish with this call." Nolan held a mini communication lacrima and from it Ariel probably would've heard loud barks in the background of his call. "Yeah, uh, Mrs. Pots I'm gonna need you to watch the pooches for a little bit longer. I have some business and...What? I don't think that's any of your business. By the way if you see a talking cat with a pompadour, consider him to be my roommate. Okay, bye." Nolan placed the lacrima in his pocket and turned to his girlfriend.

"Just had to call the landlady. She's looking out for my dogs...I really should've warned Dalton about them when I gave him the spare house key." Nolan rubbed his chin at his lack of hindsight for not giving his Exceed partner a fair warning that his two massive dogs were going to be there.

Getting in the car she put the strap on her arm that was used to power the device. These things were odd in her opinion. How they worked was a mystery to her. Either way she started up the vehicle and turned to Nolan as he got in. "Thanks for agreeing to meet my parents on such short notice. After getting kidnapped for my ability I just don't think I can put off talking to them about it any longer." The car started up and they began to move. Thankfully from Crocus the trip wouldn't be terribly long.

"How could I not meet my girlfriend's parents?" He smirked playfully as he watched her start the car. The car was fast and the distance between Crocus and Oak Town was much less than compared to Magnolia and Oak Town. It wasn't a long trip and they soon arrived in Oak Town, an old castle town where Frenzy Plant resided in though Nolan wasn't going to go and visit Enma since he was here for Ariel. It was a bustling town, a very nice place though Nolan preferred Magnolia. "How much longer untill we're there?"

Wow, it didn't seem like she'd been gone that long but coming back to her home town felt really good. Occasionally she pointed out a few things when they passed. It was clear she missed the place because she was glowing. Eventually Nolan asked how long until they arrived. Rolling her eyes slightly she smiled. "Well it depends on if they're at home or the cabin by the mountains. But it should just be around the corner."

They were on the outskirts of Oak Town and after making a few more turns Ariel stopped the car next to a small home made of brick. Taking off the strap she jumped out and stepped around to the front. She took Nolan's hand when he joined her and took a breath. "Alright, here we go."

Knocking on the door they waited for a minute before she knocked again. It looked like no one was going to come to the door until a woman's voice could be heard calling from the back. "Sorry sorry, I'm comng!" Foot steps could be heard and the door swung open. The woman was in her late thirties, light skin, sandy brown hair that came just below her shoulders and matching brown eyes. There was a brief pause as the woman stared at the two. "Hi mom.

After the initial moment of surprise was shaken off Ariel and her mom stepped forward and hugged. "Ariel, it's so good to see you. Why didn't you tell us you were coming to visit?" She let her go and glanced at Nolan briefly. "And who did you bring with you? One of your new guildmates?"

"I would have let you know but this trip was not really planned. I'll explain later but let me introduce you." Stepping back over to Nolan she changed to her Charm magic and hooked an arm around his. She couldn't help herself. "Mom, this is Nolan. I wrote you about him before. It'll take some time to explain but we're boyfriend and girlfriend now. Nolan, this is my mom, Estella." She flushed but held onto him tightly.

Estella looked a little suspicious but seemed hesitant to jump to any conclusios just yet. She knew that the pink meant that Ariel was loving based on Ariel's description of the personality. Having not really seen how Ariel acted with each magic she wasn't sure if this was Ariel or the magic talking. Something did cross her mind though as Nolan didn't seem to be freaking out with Ariel so close. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be afraid of women or something?"

Clearing his throat, he tried to hide his nervousness in front of Estella. "Ma'am, right now I'm screaming inside just by being around you. It's nothing personal." Nolan stated rather bluntly and glanced down at Ariel, who was holding his arm tightly. He smiled at Ariel and sighed happily before glancing back at her mother. "Your daughter is one of the few women I'm not afraid of. It's a long story, not the happiest of ones, but it brought us together."

His face blushed pink slightly and he averted his eyes away from Estella. She was probably still full of doubt about Nolan though she would probably question them later. "Um, I'll get the bags Ariel. How about you go inside and see your dad?"

"Thane is actually at work right now. He should be coming home soon. But yes, come on in and make yourselves comfortable. I would really like to hear this story of yours once he gets home." She let them in and they gathered in the living room. Estella offered them something to eat. Ariel had some but it wasn't hard to tell she was slightly nervous.

Deciding to change the subject Ariel changed to her Earth magic. She would tell her mother was studying her, a trait that she often displayed. "Stop doing that mom. I'm not one of your projects." Not having realized what she was doing Estella sat back and relaxed a bit whil2e Ariel continued. "So, besides Nolan and I, some things have been happening with ability to use different magic. It's been getting stronger and making deeper changes. It's been drawing attention too. Someone from Edolas kidnapped me and brought me to the Grand Magic Games to expose me to more magic and understand how I was able to do it. I know you know more than you're telling me."

It seemed that Ariel had turned the tables on her mother. However hearing that her daughter had been kidnapped was cause for concern and Estella took a more serious tone. "Kidnapped? When? Where? By who? They didn't hurt you did they?" Her response was pretty swift and almost lacked surprise, like she expected it.

Slightly taken aback by her mother's manner of response, Ariel shook her head a bit. "During the first day of the games. A package arrived for me and a teleportation lacrama was inside. I got teleported to Crocus and passed out from all the magic. The man who took me was named Tidius. I don't really know more about him other than his name, he was from Edolas, and had a fascination with how I could copy magic. He didn't do anything to harm me in fact he didn't want me hurt at all. But he wouldn't let me leave. Nolan had to come and rescue me." She looked at Nolan briefly, grateful that he had come for her. But she turned her attention back to Estella.

Getting up from her seat Ariel's mom pondered for a while. She seemed to be debating what to say next. After a few tense minutes she sighed and shook her head slowly. "I knew it was only a matter of time. When your father gets back then we'll talk some more. Nolan, thank you for saving Ariel. You can tell me more about your relationship afterward. I need to grab a few things so I'll be right back." Stepping out of the room she didn't wait for much of a response.

Left alone with Nolan, Ariel sat there dazed. What just happened? Her mom was acting really weird and cryptic. Turning to her boyfriend she rubbed her forehead. "What can of worms did I just open? I feel like my mom is part of some secret plot or something. Now I'm really confused." She leaned against him feeling rather uncertian.

While Ariel was talking to her mother about her magic, Nolan was simply sitting there stiffly as he nibbled on a piece of bread with brie on it. There wasn't exactly much he could offer in the conversation and really, he was completely lost save for the bit about Tidius. He held his tongue about wanting to beat the living hell out him though he assumed that this was the a bad time to say something like that.

"Um, you don't need to thank me for that. I just did what I had to do. Nolan watched Estella leave the room and wrapped his arm over his girl's shoulder. He kissed the side of her head and said, "I'm sure it'll all be fine. She's just concerned about you."

"Yeah, you're right. It's just weird knowing my parents may have known something and they didn't tell me." She sat quietly as they waited. Eventually her father came home and Estella stopped him to tell him what was going on. He seemed to take the news fairly well and kept a pretty cool head, although he seemed just as cautious as Estella.

Stepping into the room afterward Ariel's father addressed Nolan, holding out a hand for him to shake. "Hello Nolan. You can call me Thane if you'd like. I understand you're dating my daughter." It was clear where Ariel got her dark skin from because her mother was nothing close. Thane also had brown hair and eyes, although quite a bit darker. He was a couple inches taller than Nolan though so it seemed that Ariel had not inherited his height.

If there was one question he wanted to ask it would've been 'why do they look so young?' Seriously, Estella and Thane looked no older than Nolan and Ariel! Figuring that would've been an innapropriate question to ask at the moment, he figured he would save it for later. Her parents were already apprehensive about him and he didn't need to make it worse.

Firmly grasping Thane's hand, he shook his hand and said, "Yes sir, that would be correct." He said stiffly, trying too hard to leave a good impression and too nervous to actually calm down. He was beginning to question if meeting her parents straight away was actually a good idea. Dating was an expertise that he had no experience in his life before so he's never had to deal with situations like this.

"I-I'm sure that you and your wife are both a bit...well, uneasy about this given what your daughter has told you about me in the past, but something happened that lead us to this. It's a long story so you may want to sit down." Nolan motioned his hand towards one of the other seats within the room and sat down next to Ariel, giving her a nervous glance. "Um, where do you think we should begin?"

Estella had come back in and she and Thane sat down. It seemed that the new couple wanted to tell their story first. Put on the spot Ariel froze for a second. "Oh umm... I guess I should start." Since they knew most of their early encounters, Ariel started with her wandering off in Crocus and how she was lead to the apartment with the paintings. It was a little hard explaining getting pulled into a magic painting but she did her best. She then let Nolan explain him finding her and falling into the same painting.

And then begn the long telling of their entire adventure in the painting. How they went from acting alone, to caring for one another, and eventually a loving relationship.Probably the most awkward part was explaining sharing the one bed. Sure they avoided it at first but they eventually came to like it. But in front of Ariel's parents it was like walking on pins and needles.

For the most part Thane sat quietly with a dry, slightly judgemental expression. He was hard to read even for Ariel who would know that this was somewhat normal for him. Estella was more expressive but also hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. A couple times they exchanged expressions, seemingly speaking at a glance. After finishing their long explaination Ariel broke the silence after a while. "So.... T-that is what happened with us. It may be hard to believe but it's true."

Letting her breath escape Estella sat up from leaning forward while listening. She looked over at Thane. "She's definitely your daughter." She chuckled a bit as Thane seemed at a slight loss as to how to respond. "What does... Okay, maybe you have a point. But it's not the same thing."

"Sir, I love your daughter dearly. Even if you're not sure about it, then dammit to hell because I don't care. If you disapprove I'm still going to be with her. She's the only one that shines in my eyes." He spoke ever bluntly to her father with a strong passion that was unusual for him to show to anyone. His face was red from embarrassment from his own words and his eyes glanced back towards Ariel, his fingers entwining with hers.

"I've never thought I would be capable of letting myself be this vulnerable. I never believed that there were would be a chance for me to feel...like a person." Nolan sighed and leaned back on the sofa. "But Ariel was the only one to get past my defenses...She's the only one that truly understands me and why am I the way that I am, but I want to move forward. I want to make good memories to outweigh the bad with her. I want it to be with the woman that I love."

Leaning forward slightly Thane resisted rolling his eyes. Nolan was brash to say the least but knew what he wanted and presented it with conviction. "I'm not sure what you're trying to prove to me. Ariel is old enough to make her own decisions about who she wants to date. Unless you're here asking for her hand in marriage. At which point I would say you should wait." Somehow he doubted that Nolan meant to take it that far right now but one never knew.

By this point Ariel was concentrating on not letting her Charm magic run away with her. It felt like it was feeding off the love Nolan was giving. She half looked like she would die of embarrassment from her father's response. Somehow she thought it better to hold her tongue until she had better control of her emotions.

His face lit red and his eyes averted away from her father's stare. Okay, he really didn't think that one through. He let his emotions run away from himself and he made a fool of himself in front of her parents. Great, not the best first impression he could've left. "Marriage? I, uh, no no we're both definitely not ready for that! Um, eh, um..." Nolan was stumbling with his words as his own embarrassmet had taken him over.

"I don't know what exactly I was trying to prove. I guess I'm just nervous and letting my mouth run away with itself. I mean no disrespect...I've never been with anyone before and this kind of thing is making my brain run a mile a second." He pushed the hair out of his eyes and forced himself to smile though it came out sheepish. "I've fought many mages and monsters, some incredibly fierce, but talking to you two is the scariest thing that I've ever done." Nolan laughed lightly though it was mostly out of nervousness.

Smirking a bit as Nolan corrected himself Thane laughed for a moment. "Don't worry, I can understand. It was mean of me to push your buttons like that. But I did want to make sure you guys weren't taking things too fast. Love can make you do some crazy and stupid things sometimes." Sitting back again both he and Estella seemed to relax a bit, hopefully releaving some of the tension in the room. Ariel must have picked up on it because she seemed to loosen up a bit as well.

"So it sounds like you've really gotten to know each other. Although more importantly to me is that you actually care for Ariel. It may have been a bit premature but it took guts to talk to me that way. If she really means that much to you then don't worry about me. I just want her to be safe and cared for." Ariel's mom nodded in agreement. "We really weren't sure if Ariel would be able to develop a relationship like this, honestly. We didn't really want to, but the only thing that we thought could help would be to let her join a guild and hope that she would break out of the two emotions she could manage at the time." She smiled softly and looked at the stack of folders in her hand. It was about time some things were explained about Ariel. However she didn't want to change the subject too soon.

Ecstatic that her parents didn't disapprove Ariel wrapped her arms around Nolan and gave him a kiss. She probably would have held it longer but her emotions couldn't seem to decide
whether to be happy, excited, or loving. Eventually she ended on excited and shocked Nolan slightly with a small charge of electricity. "Oh, sorry Nolan. But see, I told you it wouldn't be that bad." She squirmed a bit, finding sitting tad more difficult at the moment.

Nolan seemed to had relaxed as the tension had as her parents had finally eased up. They were just worried about her as her mother stated. She had only had a few personalities when he met her and it was only recently that she had developed more personalities. To his surprise and surely to the surprise of her parents, she gave him a surprise kiss and Nolan returned the kiss until she had pulled away from him.

"Heh, don't worrk about it. Indigo blasted a hurricane in my face and I made it out fine. A little bolt isn't going to do me in." He noticed that Ariel was much more fidgety to her lightning magic's personality. Nolan smirked and picked her up by the waist and sat her down on his lap. "Better?" He asked with a chuckle.

Ariel wasn't quite sure what Nolan was doing when he picked her up, which as she'd learned she might as well have weighed nothing with his strength. Being set in his lap she smiled a bit "Yeah. Though I'll probably have to get on my feet before long." Realizing that her parents were watching she blushed brightly.

Clearing her throat after a moment Estella tried to get their attention. There were some things to explain, mostly to Ariel. But if Nolan was going to care for her it would probably good for him to know as well. "Alright you two. Ariel, you talked about someone coming from Edolas and kidnapping you. I think your father and I have some things that we need to explain. You've probably already figured out that Edolas is a different world from this one so I'll not explain that." She seemed to have their attention so she continued.

"This might be a little hard to explain but I was married to the Thane of my world of Edolas before your father. And your father was married to the Estella of this world. We were actually a couple years younger than you are now. After a year though I lost my husband. I still don't know what happened to him but he disappeared and never came back." She placed the papers she was holding on the table. "I was a scientist back in Edolas, I worked on a project to try and bring magic back, or make something like it. After becoming a widow I poured everything I had into my work. It was probably a mistake but I came close to making it happen before our project was ordered to shut down.

However those above me didn't want to quit and neither did I. I volunteered for the experiments that I devised but several others were done to me as well. Thankfully the operation was stopped before they made any real progress. Our efforts didn't seem to produce anything and I was let free to live on my own again." She sighed after that, this part of her life was not a very hapy one. "That's my half of the story before I met your father. I'll let him tell his part because it explains how we met."

Even though they'd discussed how to tell all this to Ariel this story numerous times it still sounded disorganized in his mind. Multple worlds, two couples, and experiments. How was anyone supposed to make sense of it? "Well like she said, I was here in Earthland with my wife. I chose a dangerous occupation as a mage when magic was still considered evil. I know you heard rumors that I was once a mage, Ariel. Because of what I did my wife became a target and she was killed to get to me."

Thane looked at Estella as he continued. I did not take that well and I fell apart for a while. I began to look for any way to get Estella back. I learned from the Exceeds that there was an alternate reality where there were often counterparts of people here. So I spent all my time breaking through the barrier of the two worlds." Holding up a hand a small vortex formed above it and a folder from the table fell through another into his hand. "The magic I have was forbidden even before magic became illegal. It functions a lot like teleportation magic except I can create gateways between two points so that people and objects can pass through."

Setting the folder down the vortex closed. "I avoid using my magic now but that's how I made traveled to Edolas. I doubt I could do it again without doing serious harm to my body. It's already slowed my aging but taken several years off my life." Looking back to Ariel he smiled a bit. "So we're a little familiar with world hopping as well. Anyway, once in Edolas my 'friends' there thought I was their Thane and brought me to your mother. Even though she looked the same she wasn't the wife I had before. Quite a bit more independant and head strong." Estella punched him in the arm. "Quit that. Not like you were what I expected either."

"We basically had to start over with our relationship. Learn to deal with the fact that the one we loved before was gone and all we had was a look alike. But as they say, love finds a way. Thane couldn't use his magic in Edolas so he had to take up a regular job to help pay the bills. Things were good but still rough around the edges, and then we had you." She smiled warmly at Ariel. "You were really what made us a family again. You weren't even a year old when we discovered through the doctor that you exhibited magical potential. Seemed someone had continued my work and kept an eye out for those that could use magic." She wrung her hands a bit before Thane reached over and took one of hers.

Having that little comfort she held her other hand out, creating a similar vortex to Thane's. "Because of what was found with you I learned that I could channel magic. Until that point I thought all the things we'd tried failed. But since Edolas was devoid of magic there just wasn't any way to test it properly. You were different though. I can only surmise that because your father had the capability to use magic that it interacted with the changes that had been made to me when you were conceived. However it happened you were born with a unique potential for magic that made you a target in Edolas. So with your father's help he instructed me on how to use the remaining magic he had to transport us here to Earthland. I suffer the same side effects as your father." Most of the story done she curled her hands together and put them up to her chin. She was done for the moment.

Seeing that Estella needed a moment he took over the story. There wasn't a whole lot left to tell really, other than to clarify a few things. "I found out that things had changed some in my absence. Mages weren't being hunted anymore but I didn't see any reason to take up my old job. We avoided magic as much as possible in order to protect you. It worked for a while but as you know you eventually gained water magic and then later fire magic. As your mother said we're pretty sure that the ability is some varient of you mothers ability. But since it wasn't perfected the side effect was your personality splitting up. We're not really sure if there's a way to change that or not but we've been trying to find a way without making too much noise. It sounds like the cat may be out of the bag though if someone else has found a way to travel here from Edolas." He sat qiuetly for a while, trying to read his daughter's reaction. "I'm sorry we kept this from you so long. We thought it might be better if you didn't know. We didn't want you worrying about it all. That maybe it would all stay in the past and you could grow up normally." He was done and he put an arm atound his wife while they waited patiently for something from Ariel.

Speaking of whom, Ariel had sat their quietly, listening as her and her parents history was unfolded for her to finally see. How does one even react to this revelation? That her parents had been silently lying to her this entire time. It hadn't been to harm her though. It was more to shield her than anything. But if she'd known then maybe.... No she couldn't have really planned for how she'd been kidnapped. No one could have foreseen anyone else coming over from Edolas. Tidius and Edo-Karn had come over though, and there was no telling if there were any others. "I..." She felt overwhelmed. Rather than turn to Nolan though she seemed to want to turn off her emotions for a while.

Changing to her Darkness magic Ariel's expression blanked out as apathy set in. She looked at her parents with almost dead eyes and spoke in a monotone voice. This wasn't a magic that even Nolan had seen more than once. It was a particularly concerning one because it was sometimes hard to get her back out of it. "You did what you thought was best." She sat up straight and didn't move much beyond the occasional glance at the three others in the room.

Nolan sat there silently with no idea how to respond to such a story though he was more concerned with how Ariel was reacting. She had turned into her Darkness Magic form, a form he really had seen only once when she was really depressed when they were in the painting. This was a clear sign that she was struggling with a lot at the moment and who could blame her?

"Ariel? How about we go for a walk to clear your head?" God he hated feeling this useless. How could he help her? Just by being supporting and lending all of himself to her? He held her hand softly and stared at her worriedly.

Estella sighed aloud and ran a hand over her face. Ariel had told her about this particular magic in one of her more dry letters. There was no really telling how she was going to react and apparently this was her way of coping. "That's probably a good idea. Take your time." Estella and Thane watched as Ariel simply stood up and walked through the front door, barely paying mind to Nolan holding her hand.

They soon found themselves walking around in the more country esque area of Oak Town. Nolan was holding her hand though Ariel wasn't her loving self. She was just so quiet and even more cold to him. It hurt, it really did. "Ariel, you know how back in the painting you told me to let it all out when I was...well, you know." He cleared his throat and tried to remain composed. "I don't want us to hide anything from each other. I want us to be open about how we feel so we can work it out. Silence is only going to put a wall in between us."

Nolan seemed to want to talk so she turned her head slightly. Her voice was as monotone as ever though. "I don't really feel anything right now. But I can talk if you really want." She seemed to take a moment to think about what to say before continuing. "I'm not sure what to think about how my parents hid all that from me. They could have told me but I am not really sure if it would have changed much." She would probably need a moment to piece together more to say so she went quiet again.

"I'm sure they wanted to tell you, but maybe they weren't ready. Look at it this way, you finally know the truth and even if it makes no signifigant impact on your life, it's not like it should. You're still you and your parents love you. You have a life in the guild and we're in a relationship. It would be worse if life did take a drastic turn." He rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of what else he could say to her.

Nodding Ariel tried to get herself out of her malaise. Nolan being there was helpful but she just couldn't change yet. "I'm going to need some time. I can't always change on a whim." She did reach over and take Nolan's hand though. She may not be feeling much but she still knew that Nolan was trying to help.

Nolan smiled when she took his hand and sighed contently. "I understand. It's a lot to take in." Leaves were falling in the late autumn noon, piling up high. A chilly breeze blew against them and while Nolan was fine, Ariel wasn't exactly the most covered up person in the world. Taking his hoodie off, he draped it over her shoulders. "You need it more than I do."

Despite not having much of a personality at the moment she still understood common courtesy. "Thank you." Looking around everything was so familiar. The sights, the sounds, the smells. She'd loved autumn and while they walked she seemed to slowly relax. Sighing softly she finally changed to her Water magic and hung her head a bit. "Not sure if this is any better really." Even though she hadn't been very expressive she looked exhausted.

Rubbing her eyes she walked over to a bench and took a seat. Right now she wasn't really sure what to do. Going home didn't sound particularly enticing at the moment. She found herself wishing that it was just her and Nolan again in that cabin. It was peaceful and inviting when Nolan was there. "I miss the cabin..." She said softly.

"I sure as hell don't." Nolan said with a grimace, remembering the hell that he had went through in that painting. All of the painful things that he had experienced in his life were dredged up and thrown at him all at once. Never had he felt more broken than then.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gently brought her closer to him. "We have our whole lives ahead of us Ariel. If we stayed in the painting we would never be really happy. Sure, the world is a cold unforgiving place and life indiscriminately sucker punches us, but look at me. I could've given up a long time ago, but look were I am now. I have a beautiful girlfriend, my own team, and a place I can call home." He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "That's something the cabin can never give me and it could never give you much more."

Lifting a hand up and wrapping her fingers around Nolan's arm she held on tight. She looked at him and tried to keep calm. After he finished she just shook her head. "I know, you're right. I just... I don't know. It's hard not to be emotional. It's always stronger than it should be and I can't control it. Sometimes I don't know how you put up with me." She wiped a tear from her eye and smiled briefly.

As she took time to think over what Nolan said she realized how right he was. Sure she was a train wreck half the time, but she had Nolan, her family, friends, the guild... Odd how he was now the one comforting her when she had done the same just before getting out of the painting. Letting the air hiss from her lungs her Dust magic came back. "You're right. Things aren't that bad or different. I just hope things start to settle down a bit." Chuckling a bit she looked up at Nolan. "That's probably not happening, knowing our luck."

"Heh, if that's the case then we should enjoy the peace that we have." He smirked at her and ruffled her hair playfully. Just being around her made him act different than his usual gruff self. It must've been love and he expressed it by pressing his lips against her's. He would've held it longer, but people walking by were staring or whispering about them. Nolan pulled back and chuckled cheerfully. "Sorry, but I couldn't resist."

Standing up, he stretched his arms up to the sky and let out a slight groan. During the games the day before he had taken one hell of a beating and while his wounds were treated, but he was sore all over. He didn't want to say anything about it since Ariel would've worried needlessly over it.

"I think it's time we head back to your parents. They must be worried about you." He offered his hand for her to grab and get up.

"Yeah, probably so. I probably worry them a lot." She stood and they started to head back. "My mother might want to run some tests to see if she can learn anything new now that I have a bunch more magic and personalities. I'm thinking I should probably show her the Green and Phoenix ones since they are quite a bit different." Ariel seemed fairly calm about the prospect of having tests done. Perhaps it was something her mother had tried in the past.

"They're your parents. They'll never stop worrying about you." He sighed with a hint of longing. Sure he had his siblings, but his situation with them was much too awkward and difficult. Oh man, he just realized that he hadn't told her that his siblings were still alive and who they exactly are. Nolan scratched the back of his head, looking slightly worried how Ariel might react.

His brow arched at the idea of Ariel being experimented on again. It was clear as day that he really hated that idea, perhaps after the incident with Tidius. "Is it okay for your mother to use you for experiments?" Nolan asked, his worried gaze averted her eyes.

Looking at Nolan for a moment she put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "Testing, not experiments. She is a scientist after all, don't think I didn't know that. Now that there is more data maybe she can work out something to help me. She tried before but wasn't able to conclude much." She smiled and directed them back to her parents place. By now she'd changed to her Light magic again which was a great improvement from several minutes ago.

You're right, you're right. I don't know, I was just nervous. I know your mother wouldn't do anything to hurt you...I guess I just worry a lot. He rubbed the back of his head, looking away from her embarrassedly for worrying needlessly. Still, at least she was feeling much better and it put him at ease.

They soon found themselves back at her parents' home and they had entered it since they left it unlocked for them. "We're back." Nolan called out and held the door for Ariel.

Estella was nowhere to be seen but Thane was in the kitchen grilling some chicken. "Welcome back. Estella went out to get a few more things." Stepping into the hall he gave Ariel a hug as she came up. "Feeling better?"

Hugging her father tightly Ariel smiled. It had been a while since she'd been able to hug her father. "Yeah, I just needed some time to process everything. Nolan really helped me though." She looked back at Nolan before letting go and moving back over to his side.

Nolan had a pleased smile on his face when Ariel had hugged her father. It looked like Ariel was going to be okay. Seeing as things were now okay, had become much more relaxed than he first met her parents."Hey, do you need any help with the cooking?" Nolan asked looking over at the grilling chicken.

The portable communication lacrima in his pocket had begun to ring out and Nolan pulled it out and held it to his ear. "Dalton?" Barking and a loud scream could be heard through the lacrima.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD DOGS?! AND WHY ARE THEY SO BIG?!" The Exceed had cried out through the lacrima, which caused Nolan to pull the crystal away from his ear.

Nolan glanced up at Ariel and Thane with beads of sweat running down his head. "Er, my partner. He's an Exceed...Uh..." A loud crash could be heard over the phone and his face went pale. "Dalton?"

"Stop licking my face you damn muts!!" Dalton yelled loudly before Nolan cut the call.

"He'll be fine." Nolan placed his lacrima back in his pocket.

Glancing back at the things that needed doing Thane shrugged a bit. "There is some vegetables to cut up and saute. You could do that I suppose." He set the seasonings off to the side for Nolan to use.

"Simple enough." Nolan walked to the counter and grabbed a knife from the knife dock, flipping the sharp blade around with nimble fingers before resting the handle in his palm. After washing and peeling the vegetables, he set them down on the board and with superhuman speed and precision he sliced the vegetables until they were thick diced bite sized bits.

He grabbed a pan and poured olive oil on it, the oil began to bubble in reaction to the heat. The diced vegetables were placed in the pan and he gave him a gentle stirring before lowering the heat to let them simmer.

Now this was an odd sight to see; Nolan was wearing an apron to avoid any oil splashing on his clothes. Not to mention it said 'kiss the chef on it' and strangely enough, Nolan was humming a bright tune. It was like someone replaced the usual bitter, grump Nolan with his evil twin.

Now Nolan had helped with some food preperation while they lived in the painting, but there really wasn't a whole lot to make other than the occasional special meal that Ariel's Green magic allowed. In fact after they'd gotten back Ariel had enjoyed having different things to eat again. Anyway, while she was going to enjoy having a good home cooked meal the sight before her was somewhat stunning.

Probably the most shocking was how naturally Nolan was doing things. A cook was not something Ariel had taken him for. He had been on his own for a while, so him being able to was now that big a deal. But he looked at home in the kitchen. Surprise on her face Ariel finally spoke. "I didn't know you cooked."

"A guy has to have some hobbies." Nolan smirked at her playfully, as if he was holding more out on her. It wasn't exactly false either though his other hobby was certainly one that made him too embarrassed to admit. "I'll cook you a meal myself when we're back home. I guess that would be our first real date then?" He chuckled though he turned around to hide his blush.

Huh, well that was interesting. She took a seat and watched the two take care of making dinner. This was certainly a pleasant surprise. Guess she was getting an even better deal than she thought. "You're full of surprises Nolan. Anything else you're hiding from me?" She said jokingly as she leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands.

Nolan swallowed hard and turned back to her, his eyes averted away from her's. For some reason he looked nervous, very nervous in fact. Sure she wouldn't laugh at him would she? She wouldn't find the imagine of him performing ballet while in a skin tight leotard to be hilarious right...? Right?

"Er, can you keep a secret? I, uh, well...Would you believe me if I told you that I know ballet?" Nolan asked, looking ever more uncomfortable by the second. She was bound to find out at some point and he may as well had told her now.

She leaned her head to the side slightly. Hadn't she seen that before they tried getting out of the painting? She didn't really want to bring that up again so she decided to avoid that detail for now. "Oh?" For a moment she seemed to think it over. "I think I can see that. You are pretty light on your feet."

Nolan blinked a few times, a little taken aback that she reacted so well. The last person that found out he danced was Enma and that oni bastard laughed at him until the sun had set. He was more embarrassed now than then because he had expected Ariel to be laughing at him too. "Well, I guess I don't have that many other secrets then." Nolan glanced back at the pan and turned the heat off. "Vegetables are done."

Ever since Ariel returned with Nolan from some supposed magic painting the tension between her and Marlene only got worse. The woman had stolen Nolan as far as Marlene was concerned. However having suffered punishment for the last altercation she was not about to go all out like last time. And so began a silent war between the two women. Marlene eventually pushed enough of Ariel's buttons that she'd started to react back. Interestingly enough they both tried to keep the thing quiet. Everyone knew about it, they just tried to keep any squabble out of the public eye, or at the very least out of nolan's sight.

But something seemed to have changed recently. As if turning over a new leaf she stopped pestering Ariel so much and pretty much left her and Nolan alone. At first it was a little suspicious but people did change. Maybe she'd come to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to be with Nolan. Releaved that things were finally winding down on that front Ariel relaxed around Marlene. After a while the Crystal mage came up to Ariel holding a job page.

"Hey Ariel," Marlene asks her rival for the first time in awhile, "I have a job requirement to take out some creatures harrasing a town and it requires two people to participate. I figured that uh, since I believe we've been calming down to each other lately, that maybe we can go on a job together, you know? Be partners instead of rivals? Waddya say about that?"

Curious as to what Marlene was planning, Ariel listened with some surprise as she suggested they go on a job together. That was not something she'd expected for sure. Blinking she stood silent for a moment as her brain processed what was being proposed. After the initial shock she smiled slightly. "Really? I mean... Sorry. I just wasn't expecting that. Uhm, sure I guess. Does it say what we're up against?"

Marlene takes another look at the offer. "I'm not sure... one picture looks like an ant crossed with a fox? The other some hairy goat-dragon? I'm not even kidding you, here take a look." She then shows Ariel the two sketches of those creatures.

Leaning over she studied the sketches. These things were weird looking. Then again, there were a lot of things in the world that looked odd so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise really. "Wow. Where do you think these things came from?" It wasn't really a question she expected to be answered. It was more her speaking what she was thinking. It looked like this would be an interesting job at least. "When are you planning on leaving?"

"In like 15 minutes," the Crystal Maiden replies casually, "And as for where these creatures came from, I honestly don't know. I have a suspicion that they may be summoned? Don't quote me on that. So be ready in 15 minutes and we'll be off." With that said, she turns and walks to the bar section of the guild building for a drink.

Fifteen minutes? That's a tad soon but it looked like the people having this issue were looking to get this one fixed sooner than later. That amount of time didn't leave her a whole lot of time to prepare though. Heading to Nolan's room she left a note letting him know that she and Marlene were going on a job. Going to her room she snatched a couple things including her chain whip. Going back to the bar where Marlene was she nodded slightly. "Alright, I'm ready. Just had to leave a note before we left. So long as Jamie knows about the job though they can just ask her."

"Yeah yeah, she knows," Marlene replies as she packs her own stuff, "I suggest we get going immediately. Let's go." And with a hand signal to come on, she walks towards the exit and begins looking for some transportation to get to the village outlined on the job posting.

---

Several hours later, the duo finally reach their destination. Or at least, the location of where the village is located. Apparantly it was located in a dark and rather spooky forest, where a misty haze covered a good chunk of their surroundings. Owls hooted in the treetops, along with the noise and rustling of whatever is lurking in this forest. Marlene didn't exactly like the place, nor was she not exactly expecting this place, but regardless it'll be like Halloween night, except she's not going trick-or-treating of course. She glances towards Ariel.

"C'mon." she says to her urgently, "If we follow this path way we should be able to reach the village."

This place was creepy, but that should be expected when you're in a place magic schield she can create known as the Spooky Forest. Not the most inventive name but accurate. Ariel stuck close to Marlene as they made their way down the path. Before long they came up on the village. It was small, probably a dozen buildings. No wonder they put out a job request because those creatures probably caused a lot of trouble for such a small place. Since Marlene had the page she let her take the lead as they entered.

So this was the village huh? Marlene expected for the village to be a little bigger in size, but regardless couldn't really complain about it. Already even the hairs on her back began to stiffen as she takes a look around in this creepy place. Where's all the monsters? Surely they should still be attacking and wrecking the whole place right? "Just where is everyone?" Marlene mentally says aloud dto herself, "I just want to get this over with and go home..."

It seemed that Ariel had the same sense because Ariel had changed to her Barrier magic. A tell tale sign that she was scared. On the plus side though the barriers she could create made for a good defense. "Maybe they evacuated? I hope that's what happened." Looking around there didn't seem that it had been that long before everyone vanished. There was some stuff that was left out that made it look like they left in a hurry.

Shivering Ariel made had way around the village and found what looked like another path leading back into the forest. "Marlene, look here." There was a large bug antenna lying on the ground. Cringing slightly this looked to be the way to go. "This seems like a bit much. Are you sure this was a level we could handle?"

Marlene wasn't sure if the inhabitants evacuated in time or not. It surely looks like it did, but there was not a single soul to be found. Just then, Ariel called for her to come and take a look at something. It appears as they found a large bug antenna on the floor. Just the proof that they needed. Marlene makes a face of disgust as she looks at the giant antenna. "Egh..." she remarks in disgust, "That must be from that one bug creature I showed you from the job offer. The question is... where is it?" She then attempts to look around for any clues, only for Ariel to remark again. "Don't be such a wuss." Marlene responds in slight annoyance at her questions, "We'll be fine as long as we stick together. Heh, I mean, how hard can it be right?"

Well, the peace was nice while it lasted. Although Ariel was peing kind of a worry wart. The most logical thing to do for the job was to follow the path. It was worn by feet traffic meaning that it wasn't one used a whole lot. Not wanting Marlene to best her she started down the path. After a while there was rustling in the brush around them. Raising a hand Ariel readied to put up a barrier around them. After a few tense seconds five ant-cat looking things jumped out of the mist at the two. As fast as she could a barrier went around them like a bubble and the creatures slammed into it.

Unphased they slammed their huge pincers into the barrier and pierced it. At this rate it wouldn't be long before they were through. "Oh man, these things are pretty strong." With a push the barrier expanded before breaking, giving them a little more room. Perhaps now would be a good time to switch magic.

"Shit!" cursed Marlene as five ant-cat creatures pounced on them, only to be stopped by Ariel's barrier magic. Despite her barely holding them off, they would soon prove to be too strong as they began to break it. The Crystal Maiden acts fast as she issues a sword made out of off her pink quartz. As the barrier expanded and broke, Marlene wields her sword as she attempts to cut the creatures one by one. She was able to pierce one in the heart as it struggled to get up, followed by another attempting to pounce on her. Marlene quickly dodged out of the way before slashing at it's legs, causing it to squeal in pain before it's untimely demise via a clean slice down the abdomen.

While Marlene dispatched two of the ant-cats, Ariel had changed to her fire magic. The creatures seemed somewhat averse to the flames. Although apparently not enough as when she roasted one, another dove for her from the side. Ducking the creature grabbed her with its legs and pulled her down. "Damn. These things are fast." Forming a fist full of fire she punched the thing off her. Even just from that she could tell that they were really strong. The last thing one would want to do is get nabbed by the mandibles because those things could probably snap you in two.

While she didn't have a sword she did have her chain whip handy. Taking it she gave it a quick twirl to get it going and whipped it around, slashing across one of the other things eyes. While the whip lacked sure blunt force it made up for in speed and range. The last two that had yet to be scathed made a horrible screeching sound and backed up.

Marlene glances at the two retreating ant-cats as she prepares to attack them as well. She then forms a Bow from her crystal magic, this one being made of Ruby instead of her regular pink quartz. She can now fire fire-arrows from her bow and set them aflame. Taking no more time, she quickly loads an arrow as she launches it towards the closest creature. It gets hit and gets ignited into flames as it will slowly burn to death. Marlene fires then another arrow, this one missing the creature at first, but then fires one last arrow that hits it and also burns it to death.

The two had finally killed the five creatures within the facility. As Marlene's weapons fade back into crystaline dust to be reused later, she tries to look around for where others may be.

"Ok," Marlene sighs, "There's that... now where are the others?"

Putting the chain whip away she sighed slightly. This was not much fun so far. While they couldn't be seen other ant-cats could be heard scurrying around. Non of them seemed to want to move into view though. "How many do you think you can handle?" She grinned slightly out of habit. This wasn't something that they had had the chance to do. It was kind of nice to have something else to compete on rather than fighting over Nolan.

"All of em'" Marlene responds with a grin as she prepares her Ruby bow once again. Indeed this actually felt better then simply fighting over Nolan, like a breath of fresh air really. She glances back at Ariel and asks the same question back. "You?"

Smirking the Fire mage turned back toward the mist. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll do alright." The creatures could be heard moving around but refused to move any closer it seemed. Would they have to go aftr them? Advancing a bit something felt off. Marlene probably picked up on it as well. Suddenly the ground under their feet shifted. Ariel's first reaction was to jump but the dirt gave way and the two fell into a sinkhole.

---

The sinkhole turned out to be tunnels that no doubt the ant-cats had dug. After the initial fall they landed on a steep incline. The walls were smooth and hard. They didn't leave much to cling to. Almost like a slide they tumbled and slid down turns and bends until the sunlight couldn't reach them. Finally reaching the bottom Ariel landed on top of Marlene. Lighting her hand up she realized who she'd landed on and got up. "Did you plan for this?" The light from the fire lit up a small portion of the tunnel. Sounds of moving things could be heard but it was hard to tell from where.

Marlene gasps in horror as the ground beneath her gave way as she and Ariel dropped down the sinkhole. Landing first, the Crystal Maiden tries to get her footing, only to be squished by Ariel as she landed right ontop of her. "Jeezus!" she yelps as the other girl gets up from ontop of her, "Watch where your falling! You could've probably killed me!"

She growls as Ariel lights her hand like a torch, lighting part of the tunnel. "Of course I didn't plan for this!" she answers while raising her voice, "Just to plan for a random sinkhole swallowing the entire town, of couuuuuurse I would've planned for that! Like it's the number one threat to this mission!" She was beginning to almost regret having her tag along, but now was not the time to philosophize. The narrow tunnel was quite small, being a max of barely six feet in height, a claustrophobic's nightmare. Marlene had no choice put to follow Ariel as she can hear the sound of moving creatures rustling about from within the darkness.

Of course Ariel didn't expect there to have been a plan for this. She just enjoyed listening to Marlene lose it slightly. Maybe the rivalry wasn't so dead as she thought. Whatever their plans had been before were done for now. Having fallen as far as they did they would be hard pressed to navigate their way back up. "Good thing you brought me along then. Otherwise you'd be sitting down here in the dark." Despite the light it wasn't a whole lot of help for the most part. The ant-cats either didn't know they were there or didn't care because the few they came across just ran past them like it was no big deal. It was curious but a welcome reprieve. Perhaps they hadn't been alerted to the threat?

Whatever the reason they continued to wander until they came to the mouth of a cavern. The light from Ariel's fire didn't reach out far enough to see the other side even after she increased the intensity. However the center of the space seemed to slope down further and the floor was dotted with luminecent fungus. It didn't provide much light but it did let them know where the floor was. Here there was the sound of clacking as shadowy figured wandered around. "You ready for this?" She glanced back at Marlene.

She groans as Ariel makes a wisecrack remark at her own response. Then again, perhaps it was a good thing she brought her anyways. Always be prepared right? Even for the most unexpected occurances? Yeah, that sounded about right. As the two approached the mouth of the cavern, they were able to catch a glimpse of a shadowy character wandering around. Was this thing part of the whole attack that came from above? Probably yeah? Regardless, Marlene looks back at Ariel with a smug grin, "Oh you damn right I am." she responds as she forms another Ruby sword. She then remembered that sword could also light up in the darkness. Why didn't she use that then? She makes a mental facepalm to herself as she faces the creature. "Hey you! Shadow fiend!" she calls out insultingly to the shadow as she prepares for battle.

Dozens of small yellow eyes suddenly turn toward them. Seemed that the shadow had friends. One of them roared and charged toward them. "Great job Marlene, now they're all know we're here." Not keen on fighting in the dark Ariel switched to her Light magic. Holding her hands out in front of her she formed a bright ball of light. Tossing it in the air it floated near the center and lit up most of the space. The cavern was huge. Unlike the rest of what they'd seen so far underground this place had signs of a human presence.

Down below there was a room that appeared to have been carved in the rocks. It looked old, perhaps from even before magic was made illegal. Hard to say though, Ariel was not very knowledgable of such things. But that wasn't the pressing matter at hand. Now that there was light they could see that there were probably three dozen ashen goat-dragon looking things. No sooner did the place light up did the other goat-dragons join the charge. A small stampede was headed their way.

The light ball should last for a while so at least she wouldn't have to maintain it. Could they take all these on at onec? Probably, but less at a time would be easier. Having some range Ariel fired beams of light at the approaching creatures and knocked several down.

Marlene didn't care to reply to Ariel's statement. With that she wields her sword and prepares to do battle with the creatures... only to find three dozen goat-dragon creatures coming their way! "Ah crap..." she muttered to herself. However, this can be an easy fix. She then issues another Crystal magic trick, in which she uses pink quartz to make the ground below the stampede a shiny, but slippery, crystaline surface. At this rate, the creatures would begin to slip as they bayed in utter surprise.

As Ariel faced the creatures, Marlene looks back at her from several feet away. Already this girl is going to be a set back! Perhaps she can bail out of her sight and finish this on her own. Two mage requirement... ha! She can take it all on by herself. Seeing another tunnel off on the otherside, she leaves Ariel alone and bails towards the tunnel. Surely she should find the culprit of this attack without having to carry her along.

The slick crystal caused most of them to slide back down. Those that reached the bottom started back up goin around the sheet of crystal. A few however managed to stay standing and were still making their way up. "Well, that makes things easier. Marl..." Turning her head slightly Marlene had vanished. Looking around she saw her making a break for the opposing tunnel, figures. Before Ariel could make the same move she was cut off by the goat-dragons.

Her light magic wasn't all that great for offense like this. And sadly while she had many others a majority were still rather weak either by nature or lack of use. Back to fire it is then. Blasting fire at them she learned the hard way that they didn't mind the heat. Jumping through the flames Ariel flew back from a headbutt. It hurt like hell and others were on their way. Coming at her again Ariel took her chain whip and slung it around the creatures horns.

Moving off to the side as it came close she came around and jumped on its back. The thing bucked and spun around while she clung to it. From outside it probably looked rediculous but Ariel had a plan. Changing to her Siphon magic she began to drain the creatures' strength. The goat-dragon tired and eventually fell over, unable to continue. The next one was on her heels but now she had a strength boost and rather than fold to the charge Ariel grabbed the thing by its horns. Lifting it up she threw it on the next nearest to her.

Back with Marlene most of her dash was unhindered. But as she approached the tunnel opening ant-cats began to pour in. They weren't quite as durable as the goat-dragons but there were more of them. They seemed intent on not letting her through to the tunnel she was headed toward.

"Ah cmon..." Marlene sighs as she wields her sword, "You buggers again? I'll slice you all up!" Suddenly one ant-cat lunged at her face, only for the Crystal Maiden to dodge with a side-step and slice its abdomen open, ushing out yellowing-red blood. Another one comes crawling towards her as Marlene slices its head open, while also setting it on fire. Then one surprises her from behind and tries to pin her down. With a groan Marlene tries to hold the creature's pincers from slicing herself open, while also having her fists turn into pink quartz. With a boost of strength, she breaks the creatures pincers as she slams her fists down on it.

Looking ahead, she sees yet more ant-cats coming straight towards her. Doing the exact same thing she did with the goat-dragons, Marlene makes the surrounding floor turn into crystal as they all slip and slide around, loosing their balance. She then issues several Ruby javelins as she throws them one by one onto each of the creatures at hand. As she lights the first row on fire, the ant-cats squeal in terror as their path was blocked by a raging wall of fire, forcing them to retreat back into the little holes where they came from. As they rushed back, Marlene sighs as she looks at the various tunnels around her. Still no sign of the culprit... or a queen creature for all she knew. Seeing an empty tunnel to her left, she runs towards it as she goes ever deeper into the caves,

Ariel either beat or drained the strength of the goat-dragons that had continued to attack her. Huffing she looked up and saw that Marlene was eliminating a good number of ant-cats. Cracking her neck slightly she took off running after the Crystal Maiden. She still couldn't believe that she left her behind. So much for getting along.

Naturally Marlene made it to the tunnel first. Inside was a open room. It looked as though it was made to perform some kind of ritual. Exactly what kind originally was hard to say. However she she moved in closer she would see a large ant and a cat in the senter of the room, both knocked out. A man in a dark cloak walked up and began to perform a spell. A dark cloud began to swirl around the two animals and in a short order the cloud disspelled and a brand new ant-cat had been created.

He was using magic to create these abominations! Missing this, Ariel caught up and punched Marlene in the side. She was of course mad and using her Fire magic again. "What the hell was that? You left me behind!" Glancing up the man was now looking at them. Any suprise they may have had was gone now.

"Ow!", she yelped as she locks daggers with Ariel, "I thought you had everything under control!" She was lying of course, but she didn't show it to her. Regardless, now was not the time to bicker and fight amongst themselves. There lied the culprit of the whole invasion, a dark mage. The only way to successfully finish the mission was to defeat that person and save the village... or what's left of it anyways.

"Alright you asshole!" she yells as she points her Ruby sword at the cloaked figure, "What's the big idea on ruining a helpless village with these creatures of yours?!"

"These creatures need to survive like everything else. The village just happened to be in the way as they expanded their territory." He's expression showed that he really didn't care. "Why do you care? You aren't part of the village. Did they send out a job to the guilds?" It seemed unlikely to him. The village was not wealthy by any means. Why two mages would come here to disrupt his work was beyond him. He began to move across the room, keeping an eye on the two women. He would have to deal with them quickly. While he moved he discreetly prepared a spell by drawing in the dust on the floor.

Watching him move, Ariel glanced at the space behind him. It was hard to tell but there may have been an exit in that direction. Probably at the fist chance he was going to run. A quick change the wall in that direction closed as Ariel collapsed it with her Earth magic. "You're not going to get away that easilly. Now do the smart thing and give up before we have to hurt you."

It didn't look like he would cooperate and didn't look that phased to see his escape route was closed. "No thank you. There is still work to do. Creating new creatures takes a long time to perfect and what I've made here is just the beginning." The trap was set, he would just have to get them into it and then stroll on out. Hopefully before having to reveal one last creation of his.

"Bullshit!" Marlene yells at the dark figure after he said his first two lines, "You're creating this creatures for your own mischievous deeds! They don't deserve to live and cause chaos! Of course, the figure didn't care, causing Marlene to simply grumble as Ariel takes her stance in the matter.

Of course, the figure didn't care to budge, making Marlene even more pissed off. Having enough of this, she takes out her bow and aims a Ruby arrow at him. In a blink of an eye, she fires, surely having a clear shot right in front of her. Now they can finally go home... or so she thinks anyways.

The arrow few straight and true and probably would have met its mark had it not been swatted out of the air by a large tail whipping down from the ceiling. Now the man quickly stepped back and behind a pillar as a large draconic creature dropped down into the room. This thing must have been the fusion of many different kinds of animals because it was hard to tell what it started as. It looked like it was on fire in the inside with its eyes, mouth, and several ventrals glowing a bright orange. However as a drop of the glowing liquid demonstrated it was probably more like an acid. Even the stone floor smoldered from the stuff.

A gurgling growl came from the thing as it had cut off their access to the dark mage. Despite its size it was quick and with little effort it bounded across the room and swatted at the two. Ariel raised a stone wall and ducked. Good thing too because the things claws crushed the stone like it was nothing. "This wasn't on the job page!" She dropped a stone pillar on the thing and it fell back only to slip out and jump up on the wall above them.

"Oh you gotta be KIDDING ME!" Marlene yells in utter annoyance as this new monster came into view. As the creature swipes at the two, Ariel raised a stone wall and both ducked under, with the wall getting utterly demolished by it. "Of course it wasn't on the job page!" Marlene yells again as she issues another crystaline floor to hopefully have it slip again.

At the same time, she knows that she needs to bring more firepower into the match. For now though, she needs to use everything in her current arsenal, for she's not ready to unleash say a Diamond attack. She issues several more spears as she throws them at the creature, while also dodging his attacks. "How the hell do you kill this thing?!" she yells out at Ariel, expecting her to do something wonderful or something.

Diving to the side to avoid some acid drool Ariel whirled around to look at the monster. This thing was tough. The spears stuck into the things skin but didn't go deep enough to really do it harm. They were swatted away and it glared down at Marlene. It took a breath and spat out a stream of acid. Before it could reach her though a rush of water went through it an over Marlene as Ariel used her water magic. It wouldn't neutralize the acid but it would dilute it enough to make it less caustic. "Sorry!" Seemingly onto something she directed the water up at the creature. It roared at her and got a mouth full of water. Though it didn't really hurt the thing it did succeed in annoying it.

It jumped down between the two and tried to bite Ariel with its huge jaws while the tail whipped around to try and grab Marlene. Stumbling she managed to avoid losing an arm but fell back and scrambled to get some distance. This wasn't working. They needed a plan.

Marlene yelped as she thought she'd get gushed with this acid, only for Ariel to step in and douse it with water. While the acid still got to her clothes, the damage it did was not nearly as bad compared to non-diluted acid. She simply growed at Ariel as she tries to dodge the beast as fast as possible. Suddenly, she realized that the acid could be weakened by water, judging by how Ariel also casted the water onto it. Looks like it was time to change plans, for maybe they could FREEZE the acid and possibly the creature instead.

"I have a plan!" she announces to Ariel, "Follow my lead!"

So from firey ruby, Marlene began to use Aquamarine, which has the power of water, she creates an Aquamarine bow as she begins to douse the creature with water. It was already getting quite peeved as it tries to swipe away at the water with a groan. Just as they douched it with enough water, Marlene then screams one word.

"FREEZE!"

Marlene seemed to have come up with a plan and started ousing the thing in water. Following suit she pourde on more water. The creature seemed confused being attacked from both sides. The water washed out the acid and the thing was drenched inside and out. Then Marlene yelled out freeze and it clicked what they were doing. Switching to her Ice magic Ariel reached out and touched the water. It froze on contact and rapidly spread to the monster. Quicly being encased in ice it frantically tried to move, knocking Marlene across the room.

The thing was trapped in a thick coating of ice. Huffing she looked over to where Marlene had been thrown. "Finally. Any more abominations?" Everything was quiet finally. The dark mage seemed to have slipped away in the chaos. Grumbling Ariel made her way over to Marlene. As she did she entered the magic circle that Marlene had landed in. The circle began to glow and the dark mage reappeared from whatever corner he'd been hiding in. "Sorry girls, But I can't have you following me. Hope you enjoy each others company. Interfusion!"

As he called out the spell the magic circle they were in activated and the dark clouds began to form around them. Was he going to do to them what he did with the animals before? Their vision was soon completely blocked by the cloud and a feeling of numbness set in. What was happening was impossible to tell with all their senses being jumbled. As the cloud dissapated their senses came back and things seemed somewhat normal. They didn't really feel any different per se. However the dark mage was still standing there admiring his work. Not the best he'd ever done, but he was under pressure and was short on prep time. Turning he walked away without much urgency.

"Hey come back..." She attempted to step forward but her other leg didn't listen and she fell. Oddly Marlene had the same experience and they fell on their face in unison. Pushing off the ground there was a pause as there was a revelation. One arm was Marlene's and the other was Ariel's. Bewildered Ariel panicked but couldn't get the left side to work. "M-Marlene?"

Marlene grunts as she was pushed across the room as the monster swiped at her just before he was frozen to death. "Gah... That hurt!" she whimpers as she gets onto her feet and glares at the mage. "Your running out of monsters to summon!" she insults him as she clenches her fists, "Come quietly or we will~"

It was just then when the mage interrupted in the middle of her sentence, saying something about not wanting them to follow him. Suddenly, he issues another spell, with dark clouds forming above the two. Marlene just wasn't sure on what to expect. Where they going to become creatures themselves? However, the next thing she knows, she began to feel very numb as her vision blacked out. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew that it wasn't good at all. By the time she felt like she was back to normal, the Crystal Maiden simply issues a death glare at her opponent as her eyes began to glow green.

"Get back here~!" she yells as she attempts to move her left leg to run, only to see the opposite leg come up. Suddenly she happened to fall on the ground, with Ariel surprisingly doing the same thing. "What the hell...?" cursed Marlene as she looks at her left arm, her left leg, her right~ what? Hold on, her right side wasn't exactly the same as her left. In fact it looked much like...

Wait a minute... oh shit.

She hears the whimpering of Ariel on her right side calling her name. "A-Ariel? she quivers, "What did he~ WHAT THE FUCK?!"

To Marlene's absolute horror, as well as Ariel's, both would find themselves to be conjoined together via Marlene's left side and Ariel's right. The dark mage combined the two mages to make some sort of hybrid between the two! They're minds were rather in tact, but could only control their one side of their body, and not their opposite. They were basically two seperate minds together in one! Marlene was now more pissed then ever...

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO US YOU BITCH?!" roars Marlene as she locks daggers into his eyes.

The dark mage didn't bother responding. He needed to leave should anyone else arrive as backup. Unlikely but his day had already been disrupted enough. Knowing it would take them a while to get their bearings he would be long gone before they were able to follow. Sadly the spell was incomplete so it would wear off after a while, but he wasn't going to tell them that.

Ariel was glaring as well. Apparently they had to share a voice though, it was odd hearing both of them each time they spoke, so while Marlene was yelling she had to wait for her to finish. "GET BACK HERE!" She attempted to freeze the mage but without any coordination with her other half they just ended up falling again. They were useless like this. "Dammit. Alright, we need to try and work together. I can only control my half. You go first." Despite only having control of their arms and legs independantly their core and senses seemed to be in sync somehow. Not that there was any kind of explaination to fit this situation. That dark mage they encountered was more dangerous than he apppeared. He didn't even lift a finger, letting his creatures and magic do all the work.

With the dark mage not saying a word, in fact taking his leave deeper into the cave, Marlene's anger begins to rapidly rise. As Ariel tries to freeze the mage, their coordination stiffened as the two simply fall back on their back. However, while Ariel tried to calmly take a gander at their situation, Marlene's reaction... well just say that it was the opposite of calm. She attempts to issue a violent punch to Ariel's stomach with a roar of anger, only to also feel the same pain as she dealt, causing the two to almost curl in a ball.

"God damn you Ariel!" Marlene lashes in fury while trying to smother Ariel by pinning her side to the ground, "This is all your fault! I could've already gotten him by now if it wasn't for you lagging behind!" At this point, Marlene was just trying to make an excuse to get herself angry. In fact, she simply wanted to leave her behind during the mission and take all the credit for herself. Now, not only is that impossible, but also physically impossible to even get away from her! Now they were literally stuck together, with their movement hindered by a long shot. They might as well call themselves Arlene, or Mariel or something.

Recovering from the punch along with Marlene, Ariel was surprised by the other half trying to pin her down. They probably looked rediculious on top of the already bizarre fact that they were fused seamlessly down the middle. "Lagging behind! You left me back there to fend for myself!" She struggled to get her off and the conjoined girls rolled around the room. She couldn't even look her accuser in the eye because it was on the other side of thier body. "If you hadn't left me then maybe we could have gotten the jump on the guy and we wouldn't be in this mess."

Getting a hold of Marlene's arm she tried to stop her flailing. "What's the big idea of inviting me along anyway? Was leaving me behind the plan or something!?" What were they doing? This kind of nonsense would get them nowhere, not that Ariel was really thinking about that. She was in her angry Fire mode and Marlene was being a bigger pain in the butt than usual.

Perhaps it was the fact that they were now completely alone and entirely unable to avoid each other. Generally when things got bad one or the other would leave. But now they were forced to confront one another in the most awkward situation imaginable. Not to mention they were completely inept. They hadn't even managed to get anywhere aside from rolling across the floor.

Yet at this point, Marlene didn't care. This silent war may have benefitted as long as they have stayed away from each other, but now being at close range, she just couldn't help but to push out the anger she had tried to hold in for the longest time. "Bitch please!" yells Marlene in response as they began to roll over one another, "I was alllll ready to act nice and alllll that stuff, but NO! You just had to screw things up have you?! Shit, I knew I should've added more magic in that potion to fuck your stomach over instead of giving you a bad stomach ache!"

Well, ho ho, looks like Marlene has mentioned a past incident. Even then she tried to find something to screw her up or so. Again... she didn't care or know what she is saying. She's just genuinely pissed. She tries to get her arm free as she also tries to kick Ariel using her leg. The whole mission just went completely south in an instant.

The kicking hurt, which meant that Marlene was so mad that she didn't care if she felt it. "Dammit Marlene, that was you! I was sick for days. What was that payback for? When I shoved you off that balcony or when I trashed your place?" These were all things they knew about, but it had been in retaliation to others things that Marlene had done. Suddenly being in this situation made it all come out.

"OH REALLY?!" Marlene responds with a sarcastic yell, "I knew it was you who pushed me from the balcony, but also TRASHED MY HOUSE OF RESIDENCE?! How dare you trash my private residence you twat!"

It had been avoided long enough. It was obvious where this had all started. "Face it, you're just going to have to deal with the fact that you can't have Nolan." A good topic to bring up? Probably not. But rational thought was not high on the list of importat things right now.

Nolan... THE Nolan. The very name Marlene has a crush for. The Ash-God Slayer who happens to be afraid of every single girl on the planet... all except for this bitch right here. That's it. Marlene's eye began to glow a furious radioactive-green as she began to loose her complete shit. With a roar that would echo throughout the entire cavern, she began to choke Ariel's neck as she pushes her hard against a wall. Of course, this also mean't she was choking herself as well, but she didn't give a single fuck in all. She was going to kill that bitch, even if she goes to hell with her.

"HE'S MY NOLAN YOU WHORE!" she screams at the top of her lungs as her eye glows with the fury of a thousand green suns, "I COULD'VE BEEN HIS LOYAL AND LOVING GIRLFRIEND! I COULD'VE NATURALLY REDUSED HIS IMMUNITY FOR WOMEN! FOR ME EVEN! NOW THANKS TO YOUR STUPID LOVE MAGIC, YOU'VE TAKEN HIM AWAY FROM ME! YOU FUCKING CHEATED YOU LITTLE BITCH! JUST WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

Yes that was indeed a bad thing to bring up. Marlene flew off the handle and attempted to kill Ariel, again. Reacting in kind Ariel went into her rage inducing Blood magic. Getting slammed into a wall didn't bother her much in this state and she used her limbs to throw them back against the wall with Marlene this time. In total blind fury they beat and choked themselves senseless. Marlene's crystals began to burst up from the ground as her magic started to swell from her rage. However they eventually succumb to the lack of air and passed out.

After a while they were awoken by a cold puddle of water pooling around them. There was a soft crackling sound as well. Everything hurt and as they came to it was apparent that they'd beat the crap out of the one body they shared. Following the sound in a daze it looked like the creature they froze earlier was starting to thaw. "Marlene..." She weazed slightly as they sat up. "I call a truce. We need to get out of here before that or something else gets to us."

At the same time Ariel's side slowly got up from passing out, Marlene's vision also returned. Like her, she felt pain all over her body, especially in her neck, as she coughs twice in a row. What the hell happened? Was the fight really that intense that they both passed out? Regardless, she feels a cold puddle of water around them, and glances at where they froze that dragon creature. It was already thawing, with some of the edges of the ice aleady being melted off. At the same time, Marlene can also hear Ariel wheezing as well, calling for a truce and for they need to get out of here before that creature gets them.

"Y-Yeah..." the Crystal Maiden responds as she gets back to being level headed, "I... I agree."

"Alright then." She kind of wanted to apologize but figured that maybe now wouldn't be the time. She put her leg down and leaned them forward so they could try and get up. Marlene following suit together they managed to stand up. "Okay, this is good. Now let's try a step." Ariel lead with a step and they did just that, wobbling quite a bit. Walking seemed so much easier when it was just one person in charge. Didn't help that they were sore.

Marlene also got up to a wobbly start at first, almost falling back on their butt a few times, but still she was also able to keep her side balanced out. As Ariel took a step, Marlene took another step as well. It was very awkward and quite wobbly indeed to be walking like this, but regardless, it shouldn't be horrendously bad. This would take a few more times before they would begin properly walking in fair coordination.

The trickiest thing to walking was having to watch their feet. It took half an hour before they got used to how it felt with each one stepping so they no longer had to watch and could move more naturally. Sudden movements were harder to deal with though and would often throw them off or cause them to fall. The next thing to do would be to figure their way out. They'd fallen a pretty good ways and now they needed to make their way back up. Ariel tried to use her Earth magic but before they got too far it had run out.

Since she was only half as well she couldn't use Phoenix magic to fly them out with only one wing. They argued back and forth on how exactly to go about doing this. One couldn't really do it without the other so until they came so some kind of agreement progress was slow.

While they bickered, the creature they'd frozen before began to stir. The acid already having melted any ice on the inside it flexed the ice outside cracked and fell away. Shaking off the remaining flecks it began to prowl around, looking for the two women. Their scent was in the air which meant they couldn't be that far. As it searched their talking drew its attention and lead it right to them. In a tunnel that Ariel had dug the thing roared when they were spotted. The conjoined women whirled around to see they they were pretty well cornered. As it charged Ariel tried to dive one way on instinct. While it worked it was not graceful and rather than rolling they tumbled.

Scrambling up they tried to coordinate some kind of defense but were swept across by the things tail and slammed into a wall. This was hopeless. "Ahh oof! No no no, I don't want to die like this." A barrier formed around them, her fear creating a much stronger one than the last time. It wouldn't hold forever but it was large enough that the monster couldn't get its jaws around the thing. They had a momentary reprieve but the thing was raging just on the other side of the barrier trying to get to them.

Now they've dove themselves into another match. It's like you first learn how to walk and now you're forced to run away from a big giant dragon creature. Oh what bloody fun. They have to synchronize and shift their movement and attacks to overdrive, trying not to get hit and also trying to at least bug the dragon off. As Ariel screams hopelessly, Marlene wasn't in that mood yet. "Stop whining!" she yells as a barrier forms around them,
"We'll get out of this, don't worry!"

As the giant dragon rages on the otherside of the barrier, they need to figure out some sort of counterattack. Then Marlene realizes the giant crystals that have spiked up from the ground, like towers almost piercing the ceiling of the cave. It was hers! She must've made them come up during the fight with Ariel. No wonder the ground shook during the fight! And of course, it only means one thing. It's time to charge up and transform into Phase 2!

"Hey," Marlene then says to Ariel, "I got an idea. Charge up all of the magic power you have in your body. See those crystal towers? I want you to absorb their energy as well. We should then have enough power to wipe out that monster!"

Glancing at the crystals mentioned, Ariel tried to concentrate on drawing their magic. Thankfully she'd already aquired Crystal magic, even if she'd never used it. Changing to that magic she was almost like a fifth source for the two to draw from. Between Marlene unleashing her magic to try and kill Ariel and the Grand Magic Games match with Zander she'd built up quite a decent reserve. Something felt different than the first time she'd had Crystal magic though. Maybe it was being fused to Marlene but the personality seemed to be shifting slightly.

Either way between the two and drawing magic from the crystals their power jumped rapidly. Their magic flowed easilly between them. Marlene being more familiar with it though meant that she would likely be better at weilding it though. "Alright, I'm ready to do this." Her confidence was up from just a moment ago. As they both focused on the task at hand they finally began to sync up as their magic began to merge together.

"Engage to Phase 2!" Marlene calls as the energy reaches its peak. Both Marlene and Ariel's eyes turn a bright neon-green, filled with both energy, determination, and passion for the battle at hand. The aura they produce turns into a very light-blue, seemingly much like the color of diamond. In fact, out of all the crystals Marlene can absorb, its diamond that really produces the most magical power and energy.

The body's color shines bright like the shinest diamond in all of Fiore as the monstrous dragon roars through the cave, shaking the entire cavern in the process. When Ariel confirms that she is ready, it was finally time to unleash this holy and majestic power. Their hands will glow as they prepare their ultimate move. And once it completed it's charge, they together roar:

"ULTIMATE MOVE: UNISON RAID BEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!"

And with a badass noise of confirmation, the beam fires upon the dragon creature, hitting him with an extreme force in his chest. He roars in pure pain and agony as it tries to fight it, but no matter how much it struggles, there is simply no hope for him. As the beam burns right through him, it then makes a giant hole right through it's chest. The creature was done for. With a gurgled roar of utter defeat, it reaches up as if it's taking its final breath, and crashes on his back with an utter thump. At long last, the creature was dead.

As the power surge depletes, they finally revert back into their regular colors. Unfortunately, they were still fused with each other. However, they were finally in complete sync of one another. They can now act as if they were a regular being of sorts. Marlene simply chuckles as she breathes a sigh of relief.

"Whew... W-We... We did it!" Marlene says excitingly as she raises her arm in a fist, "Yeah!"

Ariel did the same, just as relieved and excited as her other half. They finally managed to cooperate. Ariel wasn't entirely sure what they'd accomplished, having never heard of a Unison Raid before, but it was amazing. "That was awesome! I didn't even know we could do that." With the monster dispatched and they two able to move freely they began to make their way up.

The display of power seemed to have scared off any other creatures nearby because they moved unimpeded. Before they made it out though they began to feel a force pushing them apart. The surge in power had dispelled the fusion magic and only now as their magical synchronization began to fade did they finally separate.

Shoved apart Ariel landed on her butt and rubbed her head a bit. Looking up she saw Marlene across from her. A quick look confirmed they they were two whole people again. "Hey, we're us again." For a moment she wasn't sure how to react. Being in sync with another person was kind of comforting in an odd way. But now they could live their lives like normal.

Marlene agrees with Ariel's statement, feeling quite proud and surprised on what they could achieve.

"Now... lets go home shall we?" Marlene asks as the two then try to make it out of the cave.

No one dared to stand against this new being that had been created from within the cave. Not even the strongest of creatures would dare stand against them. Despite feeling like a freak, they feel like they've become the strongest mage in the world. For now, the world will call them Mariel! Or Arielene... they don't know.

But all things must come to an end. Eventually, as they try to make it out of the tunnel, the fusion magic had finally seemed to wear off and eventually the two were finally back to their regular selves again. Like Ariel, Marlene almost felt out of place, even though she could move her body regularly. Again though, they can now live their lives like normal and of course, not be like freaks of nature.

"Well... would you look at that." she murmures as she gets back up on her two feet, "I thought we'd have to be connected forever... looks like we're finally back to normal."

"Yeah." She got up, her tone hinting that there was a slight twinge of sadness to have seen it end. The two got back to walking side by side almost as if they were still joined. After a moment Ariel noticed how they were walking is step and laughed a bit. "I guess we're still in sync mode. That was a weird experience. I know that things haven't really been that good between the two of us, but I really don't want to go back to fueding after this." She rubber the back of her own head awkwardly. It felt like she was talking with herself.

Marlene also laughed with Ariel when they both figured out that they were walking as if they were still joined. But then, Ariel began to speak and in the end, Marlene simply smiled at her, for the first time.

"Nah, don't worry about that," Marlene responds simply, "I actually don't feel like my old self really. In fact, I think I'm over having Nolan. You seem to have better relations with him than I have really. I'll never earn his heart. Feel free to have him." And with that, she simply grins at Ariel.

Listening intently apparently they'd both been significantly impacted by this job. She didn't even care about the whole ordeal of getting left behind and pretty much thrown into a place they weren't ready for. Her personality ran away on her and she suddently hugged Marlene tightly. "You're the best! Don't worry Marlene, we'll find you someone amazing that will treat you right!"

Clinging for a while she let go and they continued. Pondering a bit Ariel was sure that this magic wasn't so passionate before. Speaking of Nolan she really couldn't wait to see him again. Lost in a daydream for a minute she came back to the present with a possible revelation. Maybe she'd come away with Marlene's passion for Nolan. Nah, that sounded... Then again the whole adventure was pretty crazy to begin with. If she'd come away with a piece of Marlene then could Marlene have some peice of her? She stared at Marlene trying to identify if that was the case.

When Ariel hugged her suddenly, at first Marlene was almost unsure on what to do. She didn't expect her to hug her after all, but regardless even she wrapped an arm around her anyways. It felt good to actually be hugging someone instead of constantly fighting them. Yet even as Ariel replies with her own compliments, Marlene's eyes also began to water a tiny bit. Finally there was peace at last. They were now good friends.

As she pats her on the back, Marlene looks down to see Ariel staring at her. She wasn't sure why she was doing so, but it didn't look hostile. She looks down back at her innocently in wonder.

"Oh?" she wonders, "What is it Ariel?"

Hm, no apparent change that Ariel could make out at this point. She was asked what was up and she shrugged a little. "Maybe it's nothing, but I think the personality trait of my Crystal magic changed. Before it was kind of... flirty? I guess that's the word for it. But now it feels more like the love that Charm has, only stronger." It was somewhat hard to think when her mind kept drawing itself to people and things she loved.

Yes it was a lot like the love with more focus. The Charm magic made her loving to pretty much everyone but this felt more like passion. She was motivated to be around these things and to do more to achieve such.

"I-I see..." Marlene responds slowly as even she feels something, "B-But why am I beginning to feel slightly hot? I'm not sure what it is, l-like... my heart is beating faster... ohhhh..."

It appears that the magic bond had also affected Marlene a bit as well. As she embraces Ariel, it appears that some heat has been flowing inside her. A feeling she would probably go for Nolan, but in this case it was more... flirty. Even her eyes look like so as well. It appears that the magical exchange had been issued between the two during their synchronization. While Ariel got Marlene's passion, it appears the latter has gotten the former's flirty nature.

"I-I think..." Marlene begins as she begins to pant a little, "I think something happened while we were synchronized. I think what your feeling... i-is my passion. Yet... this feeling... I think I've exchanged that for your... hooooot flirtatious nature..."

Was Marlene getting homosexually horny at this stage? One can argue so... but perhaps it was simply due to her needing to get used to the magic switch-up. She should be fine between the next day to a week. But one thing was certain... for the synchronization has indeed changed the two of them.

Apparently getting up close for the hug triggered the feelings that Ariel had suspected may have been exchanged. Although it looked like Marlene may be getting overwhelmed by the change. That was something Ariel could relate to, she often found herself at the mercy of whatever parsonality came with each magic until she adjusted. Even then it was hard to overcome at times.

However Ariel wasn't interested, not that she thought that Marlene really was either she was just getting swept up in the moment with the unfamiliar nature. "Now you know how I feel every time I get a new magic. Hard to ignore isn't it?" She took a step back since being so close probably wasn't making things any easier on Marlene. "We should probably keep moving. It's getting late and I don't want to spend a night in this spooky forest."

After hearing what Ariel had got to say, Marlene realized what she was doing and snaps out of it, fanning herself in the process. "O-Oh. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course, heh heh, niether do I."

She was a little embarassed about what happened there, but regardless she just figured she just needed a little getting used to this new exchange. But the results are clear. An old chapter has finally closed, but in return, it paves the way for a brand new one instead. Perhaps this won't be so bad after all.