[IC] Tsubasa and Black Ninja: Fairy Tail: Next Generation

[tsubasa]

Zelia looked at Skye and smiled softly, "I don't... I believe everything that I said," she swallowed, "Me waking up was the problem... Not the girl putting me to sleep."

She glanced at Trex when he offered to force answers out of them. She shook her head but Chris beat her to the reasoning. She nodded, "Besides, you promised. No fighting."

She nodded her head when Trex quickly steered the conversation to getting something for Flynn to eat when he got back. She snickered and started to walk down the street, "Yes, I'm sure he'll be famished sitting in that car the whole way."

She looked over her shoulder at them, "Amber, on the other hand. Let's go grab them something."

Zelia continued down the street, looking at the buildings and inspecting the restaurants trying to figure out want to get them. She sighed internally thinking about what had happened while she looked around. She couldn't believe it in a way, that he'd blatantly lie to her, even if it was just to save face. She wondered what would have happened if she had confronted him, just the two of them. Would she have gotten a proper explanation then or would he still have lied to her. She just could understand how that man was the same who gave her the drawing by the water, "This one looks good. I think Flynn will like it."
~~~~
Narsica looked at Tye while she laughed, acting as if she weren't being ordered around by Ryzo. As much as Tye was tough, it was easy to see who wore the pants and in the end co-leaders tended to fall apart. Why would the blonde think that it was Ryzo who had done it all and not Tye. Because as much as she pretended she was in charge, she wasn't. Narsica looked up at the tall man, "My... She's gotten awfully cold toward you. Quarreling lovers... It is always a shame to see."
~~~~~
Flynn nearly laughed when he reached the beach. He jumped out of the car and dipped his rock into the water as was asked. He stuck it back into his pocket and ran back to the car. He looked down the road to see people coming in the distance. It seemed very few had brought money with them to rent a car and had to end up doing it on foot. After all, they wouldn't be able to ask their friends or teammates for help. Good news for him, he supposed. However, he still felt bad that they had to run all that way. He climbed back into the car and turned around. He had a big grin on his face as he headed back toward the town.

[Black Ninja]

Chris nodded. "Yeah. I don't think she would have headed back and got a car." He stated. "It would probably take to much of her time. Especially, as none-magic cars are fairly expensive." Entering the restaurant he looked around. "I guess we can order to go and head back to the curator's house." He stated.

Trex nodded. "You go ahead and get something for Amber. I'll get something for Flynn in a second." Catching the hint, Chris nodded and walked off. Trex turned to Zelia. "We probably should fill you in on what happened yesterday." He told her. "And then maybe you can tell us what went on in your dream s we can have an idea what they were doing." He frowned. "They wouldn't have done that without reason. Unless they are just toying with us." He looked at Skye. "Could that be possible?"

Skye bit her lip. "Tye, definitely." She stated after a moments pause. "Ryzo..." She shrugged. "A lot of what I thought I knew of him was destroyed when..." She paused. It wasn't something pleasant to discuss. However, it had to be said. "When they betrayed me." She looked at Trex. "I'm not sure. If it was some part of a grand scheme of things, maybe trying to instigate a fight where we are blamed, yes... I guess." She shrugged. "I don't know." Maybe if she could talk to Zen they could get some answers. But then again, he too stood by and did nothing. And she doubted he would be of any help.

Trex rubbed his chin, thoughtful. "Well, we have a few minutes, let's recap." He said motioning to a table. He quickly filled the two on what happened. Though, he downplayed the whole "I'll kill you" part. There was no need to talk about that. Not that it meant anything, no. But still... why bother bringing it up?
~~~~
Ryzo grunted. "Lovers. Right." He paused. "Tye has always been like that." He stated. True, he probably should be careful how much he said to Tye's underling. But that was something he didn't mind her finding out. Sure there were times they had to work together but he never liked Tye. The fiasco with Diego and Skye only caused him to dislike her even more. If she wasn't part of the Phoenix guild and the rules were clearly enforced on no-inner-fighting, he would like to see the outcome between the two of them.
When he was younger survival and getting stronger was his only goals. He needed Tye just as she needed him. But now... It would be an interesting fight.

He looked at Narsica. "If you haven't already, some day you'll see. Tye's a loose viper. It doesn't matter who you are, she'll strike out at you. Doesn't matter if it's me, you, or someone else. The day will come when she'll strike out at all of us. Not at the same time, most likely. But one at time, nonetheless." He gave a cold smile. "Just hope you are able to survive." He nodded toward her book. "You can tell Tye I said that. I don't give a care."
Turning, he crossed his arms and stared back at the house. They had a long wait.
~~~~
Near the end of the pack, Amber moved along at a fairly crisp pace. She had been going like this for an hour. Most of the other wizards took off at a crisp pace. About ten minutes in the run she had seen Flynn whiz by in a car. Smart guy. To bad she hadn't thought of it. She glanced at the sun. At this pace she would be at the beach and back probably around eleven. Technically, she could try to run faster but why overdo it? If she ran the entire way to the beach she would not have the energy to run all the way back. No, a brisk pace, partial running, partially walking at times would get the job done. She just hoped that it wasn't a race of who would be first. Though she had a good bet, that she would probably beat some of the runners on foot because of her pacing. But there was no way she was going to beat Flynn.

The roar of the engine surprised her. Glancing down the road she saw Flynn flying toward her. That was quick. Maybe she should have taken the ten minutes to go back, get a car and go. Well, it was too late now. Smiling, she waved. "Great job." She called. "See you around noon." She told him.

[tsubasa]

Zelia looked at him, she didn't want to tell him about the dreams. Most of them weren't anything special but what if she let something slip about the last. She nodded and moved to the table he motioned to. When he finished, she nodded her head, "Here I was worried about you fighting them and you've already threatened to kill them."

She smiled slightly and him then sighed, "My turn then," she spoke slowly through the dreams. Most of them were crisp in her mind, maybe because she had been lucid but parts were fuzzy. She walked them through it, when she first started to notice the spirit. The spirit trying to distract her with her father, then with making her think she was awake and with the clouds. She stopped there and shrugged, "Then I woke up."

She wasn't going anywhere near that last dream. If she started to talk about it, he might as question and she might be backed up against a wall that she didn't want to be against. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "It seemed to me that the spirits job was entirely to keep me asleep. She didn't torment me with nightmares... She tried to make it all as comfortable as possible... but I got nosy instead of letting her continue the dreams."

She looked at Trex, "How could that do them any good at all?"
~~~~~
Narsica looked at him then smiled softly, "I wasn't talking about Tye."

She listened to him as he spoke but kept her book closed and resting in her hands against her lap, "She knows, I'm sure. You don't exactly show her much kindness to make her think otherwise. Tye is a stepping stool for me. Whether she is wobbly or not, she gets me where I need to be and I'm going to do just that. I don't plan on never joining a guild."

She looked up at Ryzo. Normally, she wouldn't talk this much to him. She had no interest in him or his goings on but something did spark her curiosity, "Why did you lie to them? Surely you didn't think they'd believe it. The girl... She called it without much thought. I would think you would have wanted to preserve that relationship. But you may have just stepped on it... all because the viper was near?"
~~~~~
Flynn looked out his window as he drove passed Amber. He called to her, "I'll meet you there!"

He rode into the city at a leisurely pace. He still had plenty of time before twelve and plenty of space between him and anyone behind him. Calmly, he parked the car and walked up to the door of the curator's. He knocked on it politely. When it opened he smiled and held out the damp rock, "Just returning this."

[Black Ninja]

Trex leaned back and frowned. That didn't make a lot of sense. Why would they want to keep Zelia under? Was it a test? A method to obtain certain information. Or were they just itching for a fight and were hoping that keeping Zelia asleep would provoke a fight? Though the celestial and the other wizard gave up without much of a fight, it could have been because it was two against so many. But then again, wouldn't Ryzo and his lackeys attacked them today then? He narrowed his eyes at the thought of the guy. "Maybe he was just trying to get Trex and the others to strike first. That way they could easily blame it back on them if trouble arises. He wished they knew more. Looking back at the two, he shook his head. "We'll just have to vigilant. I don't see any rhyme or reason to their attack other than to throw Zelia and possibly us off our game.

Standing, he glanced toward the counter. "They better not mess with Flynn during the contest." He declared. "Otherwise, there will be some issues." He nodded toward the counter. "As Flynn took a car, he probably will be back soon. We should head back."

But why had the Caelum spirits did what they did? Why keep Zelia asleep? Why keep apologizing for it? His fist clenched. "You know, if I get one of them by themselves, it might be worth dragging the information from them." Of course, that would probably result in retaliation, not to mention that if they were as tough as they claimed, getting information, especially from Ryzo or Tye would be extremely difficult. He looked at Zelia. He wondered how she was doing. When they first met Ryzo, the two had seemed to hit it off. Now... He was a bit cold and behind the attacks on her. How must she feel? He didn't like the guy and he didn't like the fact that he had been friendly with Zelia earlier - gut instinct. Nothing to do with jealousy. But now, pretending one thing and then revealing himself as another was just wrong.

Going over, he ordered some food. Nothing that needed to be hot, mind you, but some food that the four of them could eat at noon. Putting the jewels on the counter, he noticed that Chris had already taken off. Either because he felt excluded or what, Trex wasn't sure. He didn't mean to make him feel like an outsider but technically he was a bit. Pegasus and Fairy Tail, though not enemies were opposite guilds, competing for the same requests and jobs. The fact that Chris was here to help Amber win the key meant that he was technically competing against them now. But even then, the two were very helpful on confronting the Caelum wizards. He headed back to the group and held up the back. "Let's go." He stated, holding the door for them all to pass through. "I bet you Flynn is already back wondering where we are."
~~~~
Ryzo looked over at her. He thought she had meant Tye. He shrugged that Tye was a stepping stool. That was true. She needed to get strong enough to get an offer into Caelum's only guild. Having a Phoenix wizard mentor and train you gave one a better shot into getting into the guild. Fiore guilds were strange. On Caelum, only S-Class equivalents were accepted into the mysterious guild halls. And only if they were deemed worthy. Here, any wizard, no matter the strength was allowed into a guild. It must make their guilds incredibly weak. Why bring in someone who might never reach S-Class potential or might bring more trouble to the guild then he or she was worth. But then again, it really didn't matter to him. If they wanted to be wet nurses to a bunch of children, then that was there problem.

He listened as Narsica inquired about his lie. He looked at her. "It wouldn't have mattered what I said. They knew the spirit came from Maria. There was no point in telling them that we did it on purpose. That would possibly lead to a full confrontation which is not our goal. Despite what others might believe." He stated firmly, thinking of Tye. Ever since she saw Skye again, she had been distracted from their real goal. Couldn't she just leave her personal vendettas aside just once? Their goal was to get the colour keys. Not stir up all trouble. He looked away, seeing Flynn come back in the car. "As for the girl," He shrugged. "A means to an end." He smiled with a gleam in his eye. "An indulgence that helped mix them up for a bit." He told her. "You know the drill. She is a Fairy Tail wizard and her team has one of the keys. Sow a bit of 'kindness' and get her hopes up and then exploit it to get the key." He smirked. "It would have worked to if things turned out differently." He shrugged and watched as Flynn make his way toward the door. "But it didn't so we'll just use the other plan." He shrugged. "The good news is, her annoyance with me could work in our benefit." He smiled a bit wickedly. "Work out a bit better than her 'liking'."
~~~~
The servant at the door, frowned at Flynn. "That was quick." He stated distastefully. "You will have to wait. The master will come out when all have returned." With that he closed the door.

Almost back to the curator's house, Trex spotted the car. "What do you know? Flynn's back." He spotted their friend talking to the servant. The servant said something and then closed the door. "That didn't look good." Trex said pausing by the car. "I wonder what the man said. Hopefully, he didn't think that Flynn cheated because he used a car. It was a non-magical car after all."

[tsubasa]

Zelia shook her head, "Well, I'm not off my game," she thought about it, "Still a little tired, but I'm probably better off than you," she teased.

She placed her hand on his arm when he brought up Flynn, "They aren't going to do anything to Flynn."

She nodded her head and started to walk when Trex suggested they head back to the house. Sure enough, there Flynn was standing at the door. The door closed, which concerned her slightly but when Flynn walked down the stairs, he still had a smile on his face. She nodded, "Let's go find out."

She ran over to Flynn and smiled at him, "That didn't look good, is everything okay?"

Flynn nodded, "Sure is, the man is going to address everyone at noon," He shrugged, "Would have been nice if they explained that but oh well."

He put his hand into empty pocket and looked at the others, "Surely," he began, "This isn't it. There has to be other challenge of some sort... A race for a key that I can just grab a car for...That isn't very... It isn't going to ensure that it goes to a good wizard."

Zelia placed her hand on his shoulder, "I don't think this is it. I think it is just step one. Don't worry, you are going to win and the spirit will then be with a great wizard."

[Black Ninja]

"That's interesting. I guess that makes since." Trex commented. Why talk to each one, when you could wait until they all returned? However, Flynn was right. The race didn't make sense. Especially after his speech about "being worthy" and all. He clasped Flynn on the back. "Don't worry. Whatever is planned I can't think of any celestial wizard who is more worthy then you. If you had my vote, you would get the key."

"But it he doesn't." Another celestial wizard walked up wearing a smirk. "What's the matter boy? He turn you down?" He asked nodding toward the house. His guild tattoo, evident on his neck showed he was from one of the smaller, less known guilds. He frowned as Flynn told him they had to wait. Grunting, he waved him off. "Right. Like I'm going to believe you." Going over he knocked on the door. After a brief discussion, he too had the door shut in his face.

Trex raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, he just found out you were not lying." He noted. The wizard didn't look their way but made his way to another spot and sat down. The front door opened again and the servant put a sign on the door. A smile toyed on Trex's lips as he looked it over. "Looks like the servant doesn't want to be disturbed either. The sign stated that they need to wait until everyone returns, or noon. Whichever comes first." He shook his head. "That's one way to avoid constant knocking."

Skye frowned. Glancing at the others, she nodded toward the wizard. "How far is this beach?" She inquired. "He came back pretty quick after Flynn. Or, where you waiting long?" She asked glancing at the older boy.

Trex narrowed his eyes. "No. There's no way he could have physically made it there and back in this time. Not unless he had super speed or used magic." He scowled. "That little cheater. I should give him a thrashing."

[tsubasa]

Flynn watched as the wizard walked up to the door and was turned away in a similar fashion that he was. He laughed a little and nodded, when Trex commented, saying that he found out Flynn had told the truth. He shook his head a little, "Man, it would have been a lot easier if they just said it at the start or put the sign up after we left. What did they expect us to do?"

He looked at Trex as he came to the conclusion that he had cheated. Zelia looked at him, "Okay, now you are just trying to pick a fight. First with Ryzo, now with this poor sucker. What has gotten into you?"

"Peacocking," Flynn suggested. Zelia looked at him and hit him lightly. Flynn smirked, "Come on, Z. He is just trying to look tough for someone. He should let him."

Zelia shook her head, "No fighting. I am now canopying the promise over all wizards. No fighting, period."

"Well now how is he going to show of his pretty feathers?" Flynn snickered. Zelia smacked him in the gut. He let out an oof like sound. Rubbing his stomach, he sighed, "Fine, I'll stop bugging."

[Black Ninja]

Trex turned and glared at his friend. "It's a good thing she hit you. Otherwise I would have." He declared though there really wasn't malice in his tone. Just annoyance. There was no way he was peacocking. He had nothing to prove. It was just that he was a bit irritated, that's all. Chalk it up to lack of sleep or maybe his annoyance at the Caelum wizards and their increasing number of covert, snide attacks. First on him and then Zelia. Not to mention the verbal assault on Skye. He just wished he could give them a lesson. However, it was wiser to leave them be. Unless they hit again. If it came to a fight, he doubted Skye would be able to do much as put her ten feet near them and she'd freeze.

Skye frowned, as if his irritated behavior brought back something to memory. She never did talk to him about why he didn't wake her. Did he not think her capable? Doubts and questions raced through her mind but she kept her peace. She would not confront him in front of the others and she would definitely wait until he got into a better mood. She hadn't seen him this angry before. True the slight tussle with Trever and his gang did bring out some annoyance, but he didn't act like he was about to jump into something. Was he just tired or was this is actual nature. A shimmer of fear raced down her spine. It was silly really. He had done nothing to threaten her but his behavior reminded her of others.

Taking a deep breath, Trex realized his was getting frustrated. It wasn't Skye's fault. Whatever had transpired between them had left some major wounds. He glanced at Zelia. "Sorry." He told her. "I despise cheating." Whether it was that wizard of the Caelum wizards when they put Zelia asleep and played little verbal games. Give him a face to face, physical battle and he could handle it. This covert, around the bush verbal warfare was annoying. "I won't do anything to jeopardize Flynn's chance at the key." He informed. His composure loosened a bit and he didn't look so on edge.

[tsubasa]

Zelia smiled when he seemed to calm down a bit. She nodded when he promised not to jeopardize Flynn's chances, "Good."

She took hold of his hand arm and pulled him away from the others. She looked him in the eye when they were a little distance away. She sighed, "You need sleep... You are getting snappish, Flynn deserved it but still.... You are going to end up snapping at the wrong person and things are just going to go downhill," she smiled softly at him, "We'll all go sit somewhere and I want you to try and get some sleep. It is still a bit of time before noon and we can wake you. You need sleep."

She looked back over at Flynn and Skye and waved them over. She looked at them both, "I was just saying to Trex that we should find somewhere to sit. Maybe let him take a nap before noon, get some energy back."

Flynn nodded, "Sounds good to me."

Zelia looked around slightly, "Maybe just a patch of grass would be nice to sit on while we wait," She spotted one and pointed at it, "Over there. Close enough that we'll easily be able to hear the curator when he comes out and talks."

She guided them all over to the grass and sat down. She looked at Trex with stern eyes, "Sleep."

[Black Ninja]

Trex was a bit puzzled as to why Zelia pulled him away. He quickly found out why. Frowning, he opened his mouth to object. However, he could see her reasoning. If she had come at him a bit more angry he might have actually argued and stated he was fine. But the fact that she was more quiet about it, not accusing or demanding made it more difficult to do so. "Fine." He stated, though only because there was nothing better to do. "If anything happens though, let me know." He ordered.

Going over to the grass he sat down, back against the tree. Thankfully Skye and Flynn said nothing as they came over. Trex waved Zelia off. "Only for a twenty minutes or so." He ordered. "I don't need that much sleep and I want to be awake if anything happens." Putting his hands behind his head, he leaned back and closed his eyes. To think that he was actually going to take a nap with others around. He must be tired. "A word to anyone in Fairy Tail and I'll bust your rears." He declared seriously. Just what he needed Trever and the others to hear. However, he it didn't take him long to drift off. Being up all night and having a stressful day yesterday had made him fairly tired.

Sitting on the grass, Skye glanced around the area. Apparently Ryzo and Narsica had taken the same idea and had gone to sit in the shade over by the house across from the curator. Though she didn't look directly at them, she watched them from the corner of her eye. Where had Zen and Tye gone off to? What where they planning? Deciding that worrying about it will not help she looked over at the others. Trex had quickly fallen asleep. From what she knew, she had been surprised he had even listened. But then again, Zelia seemed to have that effect on him.

Glancing down, Skye toyed with the end of her skirt. Glancing up, she noticed the sun was getting higher in the sky. Give another hour or so and it would be noon. She wondered how many of the competing wizards would make it back in time. The problem with having some time on one's hands meant that sometimes you started thinking. Thinking of your life and what had happened before. From the corner of her eye, she could still make out Ryzo. Why had he betrayed her? They had been good friends. The brief snatch of pain she had seen when she admitted to killing Diego had quickly flashed to stone. He did not ask why she did it or any of the details. He just turned away and let Tye have her way. Her hand closed into a fist. He should have asked. He should have waited for an explanation. But then again, he probably had already been poisoned by Tye and nothing she said would have changed. Frowning she pushed the thoughts away. The did not want to drag up the past again.

Turning slightly to avoid seeing Ryzo at the corner of her eye, she looked at Flynn and Zelia. "So how did you guys join Fairy Tail?" She inquired. Before, she had been afraid to ask personal questions as they were normally recipitated and she had not wanted to discuss her past. Now, they knew some stuff about her, where she was from anyway but she didn't know anything from them. Besides, this will help keep her mind focused and off the past.

[tsubasa]

Zelia looked at Trex and he lay down on the grass. She nodded, "Yes, we promise not to let you miss anything relatively exciting."

She turned back to Skye and Flynn. Flynn was inspecting the rock that he had dipped into the water, while Skye seemed to have zoned out. After a moment or two of silence, Skye broke it asking why they had joined Fairy Tail. Flynn shrugged, "I got my first key when I really young. I opened the gate and got scared... I didn't do it again until I met man named, Marius, who was a celestial wizard. He started to explain the magic and that he was shocked that an inexperienced person could manage opening a gate at all. He gave me my second key.... I was really interested in it all but I knew I had to be stronger and smarter with my magic if I was going to do anything about it. Fairy Tail is a popular guild, as you know. So, I couldn't find a better place to go.... honestly, I choose Fairy Tail because it was big and it was close. I stayed because of how nice and supportive everyone was. I really started my education there... It was great," he looked at Zelia, "Your turn."

Zelia ran a hand through her hair, "Well... After my dad left my mom and me, I was kind of lost. I turned to magic... because it was something that just... made sense to me. When my mom got sick... I started to get curious about my dad again. I could remember his face but that was about it. She didn't tell me much, she didn't want to and I guess that's fine. But she did tell that he was a wizard. I decided my interest in magic had something to do with him... I assumed he had joined a guild somewhere... So, after my mom passed away, I joined Fairy Tail. I had met a couple of the wizards, Levy... Jet... Gajeel... Elfman... and Mirajane, before since I've lived in Magnolia my entire life. When I started to express the want to find my father, joining a guild seemed like the best option. The fact that I already knew people at Fairy Tail, well it made the choice a little easier for me."

She smiled, "Trex had already joined and I was introduced to him soon after. We were kind of forced into a team at the start and it was bit rough but I don't think either of us have regretted the choice," she looked between the two of them, "And adding to our group and doing things like this has only made it all the better."

She looked back at Trex for a moment, the smile still lingering on her lips. Flynn looked at her, slightly confused. A moment later she turned back around and looked at the others, "I'm still looking for my dad... but it isn't the only reason I'm here anymore."

[Black Ninja]

Skye listened intently as they spoke. She was a bit surprised by Zelia's past. She thought most people in the civilized worlds had good backgrounds and loving childhoods. But no, even though it was a bit different from hers, it was still not the perfect childhood she imagined. She wanted to ask more, like what were their parents like? What had it been like to grow up? Did they have friends? What had they lived in? But she didn't. Some of the memories might be a bit painful for Zelia and she wasn't going to drag that up for her. Instead, she studied a rock trying to think of what to say next. In the past, normally everyone else held the conversation and she would listen. She usually didn't mind the quiet but with Tye back, unwanted memories seemed to come back. "Well, find him." She stated looking over at Zelia. She would do that for her friend. Especially, considering that they were backing her up.

The other wizards started to show up. They look exhausted from the run, clothes were worn and dusty. Each one went to the door, only to read the sign and come back down. Checking the position of the sun, Skye looked back over those who had returned. Amber had yet to arrive. And by her count, at least two other wizards had not returned either. The celestial from Caelum was back. Skye looked her over. She seemed a bit weak to have survived the harsh environment. And then to become a celestial? Where had she found the keys? Caelum wasn't exactly the hub of magic. Face forward, she followed the wizard with her eyes as she returned to her group. Zen was back but Tye had yet to return. Had Zen helped Maria cheat? No. She wouldn't have taken that long. Besides, she looked to tired from the trip. Not as tired as some of the other wizards, but a bit worn out.

Amber showed up a few minutes before the town clock rang out. Going over she read the sign. Heading back down, she gave a wave to Flynn but headed toward Chris. Skye glanced from her to Flynn and then back. Was she just really friendly or did she like him? Raising her hand up, she covered the small smile that started to form. Undoubtedly, Flynn did not notice. Most guys were clueless when it came to things like that. Not that it would matter, he was in with Lucy back at the guild. And she doubted he would leave such a powerful individual for some girl at a different guild.

The clock rang out startling Trex. He sat up. "I thought I only said a few minutes." He stated, though there was no malice or annoyance in his tone. Stretching, he looked around, noticing that almost everyone had returned. The last two celestial wizards came into sight, dashing at a run. "Looks like some people are a bit late." He stated. He looked at Zelia. "Anything eventful?" He really didn't have to ask. If there had been they would have made it known. But hey, habit.

[tsubasa]

Flynn watched as more and more wizards started to run into the town, back from the beach. He saw Amber and smiled, waving at her when she did to him. He grinned and looked at Zelia and Skye, "I was starting to worry that she wouldn't make it back before twelve."

The clock chimed loudly, announcing the time to be twelve. Zelia giggled a little when Trex sat up with a start. She looked at him and shook her head, "No, you said twenty minutes... All the same, there wasn't a reason to wake you up yet, so I figure we'd let you sleep some," she shrugged when he asked about the goings on, "Nothing really. It looks like a couple of the wizards are late, which is a good thing for us, I suppose."

She moved slightly to allow Trex to join the semi circle they were sitting in, "Skye asked why we joined Fairy Tail. So we chatted about that a little."

Zelia looked from the house to Flynn, "You should probably head over there. He should be coming out soon. It is twelve after all."

Flynn nodded and stood, "Will do," he ran over to Amber and Chris, who were far closer to the building than their group was. He smiled at her, "Hey, congrats on making it back in time," he looked toward the door and its sign, "You'd think that they would have just told us to wait... This seems a bit counter productive..."

He chuckled a little stuffed his hands to his pocket, "How was the run?"

[Black Ninja]

Amber smiled, a bit fatigued. "A lot farther then I realized." She replied. "But I made it. Nearly had to run a portion of the way back but it worked." She looked at him. "You seem rested and ready for the next step." She observed. "That was a brilliant idea getting the non-magic car." She informed him. "Wish I thought of it." She glanced toward the house. "I wonder what's next." She paused. "And your right. It would have made more sense to tell us before hand to just wait until noon." She shrugged. "Oh well."

The front door opened and the curator and his servant exited. Looking them over he spoke. "Alright, rocks out and in a line." He ordered. The wizards quickly obeyed. Coming up, he paused, would take a wizard's rock and look at it. Then when he seemed satisfied of something he would give the rock to his servant. Coming upon the second wizard who had arrived right after Flynn. He took the rock. It changed into a bright green. Frowning, the man looked at the wizard. "You have clearly broken one of the rules. You are excused." He ignored the man's protesting and held up the rock. "These are stones cast with a spell from a friend of mine. You break a rule it turns bright green. You run late and it turns dark red. Otherwise, it remains the same." Amber glanced at her rock and then at the others. She had nothing to hide. She hadn't broken a rule. However, from the sweating face of at least one or two wizards, she could tell that they had. Turning her attention to the curator, she watched as he went down the line. When he came to Flynn, the curator frowned as he noted the rock stayed normal. He looked at the wizard. Then he gave a slow nod. "Non-magical car. Highly creative." He stated though there was a note of approval in his eye.

Finishing up with the rocks he looked at the remaining six wizards. Four wizards had cheated, including the two had ran late. Seeing they had no chance to get back in time they attempted to use their magic to get back quicker in order to avoid seeming to be late. Sadly for Flynn and Amber, Maria was not one of them. When it had come to her turn, she smirked at them as it was realized that the rock was normal like theirs. She was still in the competition and was going to beat them.

Putting on his glasses, the curator pulled out the scroll. "Congratulations. You have made it past the first test. You have proven that you understand that there is more to life than just magic. That there are times when magic is a hindrance rather than an aid." He scowled at the four wizards who cheated. Though they were not in the line, they still stood a distance away, sulking. Turning back to his scroll, the man continued reading. "You will each be given a scroll. Write why you believe you should have this key." He stated as the servant came around, handing them the tools they needed. The curator lowered his scroll. "I am going to eat lunch. At one I will return to collect your scrolls and read them. When I am finished, those who pass will go to our last test." He turned and headed back inside.

Holding her scroll, Amber smiled at Flynn. "Best of luck." She told him. She took the sandwich that Chris had procured for her. "Thanks." Nodding to Flynn, she followed Chris into the shade to eat and work.

Trex watched as Flynn came back. "The curator took a bit longer with you." He noted. "Did he think you cheated? What did he say?" As Flynn responded, he nodded. "Seems like you earned a point in his favor." He handed Flynn some food. "Eat first then write. I'm sure it won't take you that long to write why you want the spirit." He said with a smile.

[tsubasa]

Flynn shrugged when Trex spoke of the curator after Amber left wishing him luck, "Must have.... I was back awfully fast and the guy after me cheated. Why not assume that?" he grinned when Trex praised him and handed him his food. He nodded, "I can only hope so."

He walked back over to Zelia and Skye, who remained sitting where they were while Trex ran to get Flynn. Zelia smiled at Trex, "Told you there was no reason to fight the cheater. They wouldn't have made such a rule if they didn't have some way to make sure it didn't happen."

Flynn sat down and started to eat. He was staring at his paper as he did so. There were so many thoughts in his head as he sat there. He didn't know how he was going to manage to get them all out onto the paper. He wanted to keep it short and simple, the last thing he wanted to hand in was a long winded rant about why he thought he should have the key. Why he thought he deserved it. Something popped up into his mind and he put down his food. Grabbing the pen and paper the man had provided, Flynn started to scribble. Zelia, who had just started to eat, looked at him and smiled. It was great to see him so adamant about getting this key. Sure, it could strengthen himself and his time but he wasn't willing to allow himself to get kicked out because of it. After a little bit of time, with Flynn completely out of the conversation, he stopped writing. He placed his paper face down and picked his food back up. He ate in silence, not talking about his little passage that he had wrote. When the clock chimed one, he jumped to his feet, grabbing his paper. He ran over to where they had been lining up and prepared to present his paper.

Why I want this key is simple, I want it to become stronger. Not just for myself, or my team, but also for my spirits. The stronger I am, the stronger they are. If they are strong, they can protect themselves against other wizards and me, if I were ever to take that turn. I want to protect them and shelter them from wizards with warped minds, who think that spirits are less than humans are. My goal isn’t, and never will be, to become the best celestial wizard. That isn’t the point of being a celestial wizard. My goal is to have the best team supporting me. I’m not going to preach how I deserve this spirit because of the way I treat my spirits or how I show them respect. That shouldn’t be a stand out quality in a wizard dealing with others’ lives. In fact, I don’t believe I deserve them. They aren’t pets or slaves that people deserve; they are friends who will have my back as I have theirs. I don’t think I deserve them but I do believe they deserve a good wizard and there is only one way I can assure that. That is to take them in myself.

[Black Ninja]

Trex just shook his head. They did have a point. The cheater had been ousted and justice had been served. "Just finish you food." He replied, though there was a tent of humor in his voice. So he had been a bit cranky earlier. Maybe, too much. Though he would never admit it, the rest had done him some good. Even the little time would help him get through the rest of the day. Finishing, he rose to stretch his legs.

The lunch hour flew by quickly. Shortly before one all the celestial wizards still left in the competition lined up, waiting for the curator. Amber held her rolled scroll and glanced at Flynn. "This was surprisingly easy." She told him. "Though, I'm sure he'll be looking for some keywords or something." She shrugged. "I just stated my reason and left it at that."

The front door opened and the servant exited. "I will collect your writing samples for the curator." He informed them. Coming by, he took each one and then headed back inside.

"So I guess we can go wait now." Amber stated glancing at Flynn.

"Let me guess, you two probably put something like 'I love spirits' or 'I can help people'." Maria stated coming over. She smirked. "So wishy washy. Putting down what you know they want you to hear." She stated.

"What did you say?" Amber inquired, curious. Technically, there was no reason they couldn't tell each other. Especially as they couldn't really change it anyway."

Maria smiled. "Power. I want the key for power." She shrugged. "Honestly, that's what most people want. Even if you use up flowery words, you still want power."

A couple other wizards looked at her. "She's probably not going to get it." One snickered to another.

Maria shrugged. "At least I was honest. Undoubtedly the paper has some sort of magic to it that will tell if you are honest or not. He did it with the rocks, why wouldn't he do it with the paper?" Turning, she walked off.

Amber shrugged. "She's got a point. But good news was, I was honest." She looked at Flynn. "And I know you were." She said nudging him.

[tsubasa]

Flynn chuckled and crossed his arms as he waited, "Of course, I didn't. I haven't a need to."

He looked at the door, tapping his foot, already getting impatient. He looked at Amber, "I just told him that I wanted to make sure that the spirit was treated well and I could only assure that by having the spirit myself."

He shrugged, "I guess it was the best I could do on short notice... I'm not the best at writing..." he scratched the back of his head and laughed a little. He shifted on his feet, he didn't want to walk away and go back to his group, worried that the man might come back in shorter time than he expected.

Zelia looked at Flynn and Amber as they spoke. She watched the girl as she nudged Flynn, a smile on her face. Something in her stomach dropped, the girl didn't like Flynn did she? If she did, the poor girl was going to get her heart broken. She glanced at Trex, boys were oblivious to that kind of thing. She quickly looked away and back at Flynn and Amber. She adjusted herself in her seat, "What do you think Amber and the Caelum girl wrote about?"

[Black Ninja]

Trex frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I bet that the Caelum wizard wrote whatever she thought would get her to win the competition." He paused, thinking of Skye. He didn't want her to think he was jumping to the conclusion that because she was from Caelum, and the others were, that the wizard would have lied. Though he didn't think Skye was like that, she might take it wrong.

However, she nodded. "That would make sense. State what you think others want." She paused thoughtfully. "Unless of course they believe the paper has a truth spell on it as well." She looked thoughtful. "As the rocks had a spell on it, no doubt Ryzo would suspect the same and force her to be honest. Which, would probably be difficult." She stated matter-of-fact. "Caelum isn't the place to learn honesty." She declared. She shrugged. "Not sure what the other girl wrote."

"She seems a lot more friendlier." Trex noted. "She probably put something more agreeable on her paper. Though, I doubt any celestial wizard, other than Lucy, has Flynn's attitude about spirits." He declared. "Looks like, we'll see how well they did." He nodded toward the house. The front door was opening and the curator came out.

Shaking his head, he looked at the wizards lined up. "I'm disappointed in so many of you." He declared. He pointed to Flynn, Amber, and Maria. "You three, step forward. The rest of you leave. Honesty is the best policy." He declared pulling out the scroll and putting his glasses on. "On top of learning to work without magic, one must live with honesty and integrity. Some of you wrote based on what you thought should be said." He glared at the wizards he had dismissed. "Others though wrote based on what they really believed. Even though, it might not be completely right." He looked at the remaining three. "For your final test, I want you to call one of your spirits. Whichever one you desire. You will not be able to call another one for this test, so chose wisely."

With the competition about over, a crowd had gathered. The celestials who lost were still there, everyone was curious to see who would be the final winner. Trex glanced at Zelia and Skye. "Surprisingly Maria made it." He stated. "No matter. I have no doubt Flynn will win. We might want to move closer though. This way we can see the final outcome."

[tsubasa]

When the man told them to choose a spirit to summon. Flynn looked at his keys. He didn't know who to call upon, Pea would have loved to help and he knew that but if it came down to a fight, he didn't want to put her in any danger. He knew Orian wouldn't be too interested in the amount of people around watching and Libra, along with Pisces, would be itching for a fight. Lepus was always running off and Vulpecula and Florin, well he didn't know enough about them to ensure that they'd be safe if it did come to a fight or if they'd be comfortable to be in front of this many people. That left Ophiuchus, who was most definitely out of the question. He rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to figure it out. He felt like he was holding them all up, as the other two had already summoned their spirits and they were indeed waiting on him.

Zelia moved closer to the three wizards, along with Trex and Skye. She looked at Flynn as he flipped through his keys and seemed unable to make a choice. As she watched, he seemed to become more panicky. She whispered to the others, "He's nervous..."

Flynn felt a hand pull on his sleeve and he looked down to see Pea standing in front of him. He looked at her then muttered, "Not again...." He crouched in front of the little spirit and smiled, "Pea... I don't know what this test is... I don't want to put you in danger... I didn't even mean to summon you," he looked at the key in his hand that belonged to Libra. He shook his head, he hadn't used his key again, "Pea... You need to go back."

Pea smiled and shook her head, "I'll be fine.... Let it to Pea."

She turned and faced the curator and Flynn sighed and stood. He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Ready...."

[Black Ninja]

Maria looked at her two keys looking to choose a spirit. She would chose her most powerful spirit: Twila. She was a color key spirit and therefore, if it came to a fight would be the most powerful. "Open Gate of the Indigo." She ordered bringing the timid spirit back out. "Stand there and wait for my orders." Maria demanded before the spirit could even say anything. She nodded to the curator. "I have a key to win and you'll help me do so, understand?" Trying to ignore the crowd around them, the Snow Leopard spirit nodded. Clasping her hands together, she glanced at her boots, hoping that she would do something quickly. Anything was better than standing there.

Scowling at Maria's choice, Amber glanced at her keys. "The nerve of her. Once again bringing that poor spirit in front of everyone." She grumbled. She shook her head at Hegdrick. Though he was small and would probably work well in some cases, he would be no match against the color spirit. At least Aerok would put up a good fight. She frowned, looking between her silver key and the pink key. She could call Zoe but if it came to a fight, the other spirits might know her weakness. Zoe was an excellent charmer but she worked better against guys and those who were unaware of her charms. That left Aerok. Opening his gate, she informed him of what was going on. "So, we'll wait until he tells us what we need to know." She told him. The boar nodded and popped his knuckles while he waited.

When she saw Flynn's spirit, Maria practically started laughing. That little girl? "You must really hate her." She told Flynn chuckling. Both our spirits will take her out faster then a dragon shooting flame."

The curator cleared his throat and glared at her. "Alright. Now the final test." He said coming up to them. He smiled at their anticipation. "This next part, I want no speaking between the wizard and his or her spirit." He ordered. "If either my servant or I hear you while this part goes, you'll be disqualified. Understood?" Confused, Amber and Maria nodded. "Good." He looked at Twila, a bit of compassion in his eyes. "Tell me, spirit, why should your mistress receive this key?" He asked holding up the yellow gate key.
Twila bit her lip and looked at Maria. "No. Don't look at her. Just tell me." The curator stated, though there was no harshness in his voice.

"Uh...because..." Twila tried to think of a good response. If she answered incorrectly she would be punished. However, honestly she would not wish any other spirit to be with Maria. Thus the reason she had so willingly helped Floren by giving that Fairy Tail wizard his key location. "I...It will help her..." Her eyes darted around not meeting anyone's. She wished that she hadn't been called. This was worse then standing still. Everyone's focus was on her. Finally, she came up with something. "It will help her in her homeland." She stated. She glanced tentatively at the curator. Would that suffice?

Satisfied, the curator looked at Pea. He smiled down at the young looking spirit. "What about you, young lady? Why should your master get the key?"