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

[tsubasa]

Zelia followed Trex up to the front door and wait for the woman to open it. She smiled at her as Trex handed her the package. Normally, they might have turned and walked away at this point, the package having been delivered but the three of them were so curious about what it was, none of them moved. She rose a hand to her mouth and giggled a little when the woman opened it revealing a box of chocolates. She wondered how much easier and less expensive it would have been for the man to contact a servant and ask him to retrieve a box from within the city. Although, it was thoughtful of him for wanting them to travel from him to her. The price was a little absurd and their own approach to it seemed pointless now. They turned and left the building, Trex scowling at her smile, causing her to laugh even more. They got back to the cart and Trex confessed to her the feeling that they had cheated the couple for delivering the chocolates for such a high price. She shrugged, "Look at their house, Trex. They're rich people and sometimes people with money are in a position to show their love in different ways than us. What is sweeter? I sent a servant out to buy you a box of chocolate or I hand picked these chocolates for you and paid a large sum of money to have four wizards protect them and love to make sure they both arrived at your front door."

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug, "I'd say we cheated him if we set the price... but we didn't and we could say pay us less because we thought we were protecting more. Who knows, maybe something secret was hidden beneath the chocolates to protect it if we looked to see what it was," she released him and climbed onto the front of the cart and looked down at him, "Speaking of gifts though.... I've been paying Old Man Chen extra every time we go and see him. I quote you the original price, so it isn't coming out of anyone's pockets but my own... With my share of the reward...." she glanced at the two horses in front of her, "I can pay off the last of cost for our friends here..." She looked back and smiled at him, "I know how much you hate the old man.. So, I figured he'd never sell them to you... Think of it as an early birthday gift... Or a really late one. And don't even think about refusing it," she said with a smirk, "Or else you'd be refusing these two a lovely home with your family. And I don't want you paying me back... All I want is that you let me tag along when you bring them to your family. I want to meet this brother that scared you off sleeping," she laughed a little, "Are you okay with that?"
~~~~~
When Zelia spoke to Trex Flynn walked with Skye back into the cart. However, when they were inside, he cracked open the slider to hear what they were saying. When Zelia finished asking if it was okay if she joined him on his trip to his home, Flynn closed the slider completely. He turned to Skye and faked a cough, "Man, I think we are coming down with something and won't be able to go with them to Trex's," He grinned, "We could take up a job while they are being lovey dovey and slacking together," He sat down on the bench, "Maybe we'll get a lead on a new key...."

[Black Ninja]

Trex shrugged. "I guess if you put it that way." He stated on Zelia's comment about it being ore romantic and that they really didn't cheat him. Returning her hug he waited for her to get into the wagon before he pulled himself up. He frowned when she mentioned Chen. He really hated that guy. His frown turned to puzzlement as he waited for her to continue. Realizing what she was saying he stared at Zelia speechless. They had always talked about buying the horses from the man and each month Trex had been putting some money aside to do so. He wasn't sure how much the man was going to charge - he was an annoying individual after all - so Trex wanted to make sure he had a large amount when he made his offer to cover in case the man upped the price.

Noticing he still hadn't replied, Trex shook his head to clear his surprise. "Zelia...You didn't have to..." He glanced away to get his emotions in gear. "Thanks." Glancing back over he smiled and shook his head. "You... You rascal." He declared. "Fine. Though I won't promise I won't find various ways to make it up to you." He declared. Glancing at the horses, a smile on his face he nudged them forward. "And sure, I'll bring you along to drop them off." It would be a bit awkward. His brothers would undoubtedly tease him about Zelia, saying he was bringing his girlfriend to visit. Not that Trex couldn't handle it. He had dealt with them for a good portion of his life and would be able to take any teasing. He just hoped Zelia would be fine. "Though I do warn you." He said looking back at her. "My brothers are extremely annoying and will undoubtedly come up with various ways to embarrass me and possibly you." He looked toward the road again to navigate the wagon through the gate. It would be a bit awkward but he was glad that he could show Zelia his home. For some reason he wanted her to see where he grew up and see what she thought.
~~~~~
As soon as she got into the back of the wagon, Skye frowned a bit puzzled as she watched Flynn listening through the slate at the front. "What are you doing?" She asked getting a sign from him to be quiet. Sitting down, Skye waited while the wagon started off. Finally, Flynn turned a big silly grin on his face. Coughing, he declared that they were coming down with something and wouldn't be able to go with them to "Trex's". She frowned at him. She wasn't feeling sick. However, realization hit her as he came over and continued. That made sense.

She shook her head. She would have to remember his excuse now if he tried to set her up with someone in the future. However, going on a job would be more beneficial for her then to go to 'Trex's', whatever that was. Maybe his apartment? "Sure." She said shrugging. "We can do a job. Better then just sticking around Magnolia doing nothing." She stated. Or getting pulled in as a third wheel to Trex and Zelia's trips. She wondered how Flynn handled that before she came along. But then again, he did have Lucy. "Do you know where any key might be?" She inquired curious keeping any emotion, especially the fear off her face and out of her posture. If they went after another key, would Tye and the others be there? If so, there was only two of them. Would they be safe?

A bit relieved when Flynn stated he wasn't sure, Skye immediately felt guilt. She should be grateful to help him. The more keys he had the more powerful he would become. Glancing down at her lap she played with a fingernail. "I'm sure we will find out soon where another one is." She told him. She looked up. "We'll find them." She said pushing away her fear. She would do it for Flynn. The stronger he was the stronger the team. The stronger the team, the better chance she would have against Tye and the others. Not to mention they would be better prepared in case she ever betrayed them. Something she hoped would never happen.

[tsubasa]

Zelia laughed when he called her a rascal. She shook her head, "Rascal... Really, Trex?" She nudged him slightly with her shoulder, still laughing a little at him. When he said that he wouldn't promise to make it up to her in small ways, she shook her head, "As long as it doesn't include you hiding cash in my kitchen drawers... Or cupboards... or bag... or my apartment in general... As long as it doesn't include money in general...." She leaned against him and smiled, "But honestly, seeing where on earth you come from will be payment enough."

She pulled her legs up onto their seat as he warned her about his brothers. She grinned and looked at him, "Well, I'm an only child... Maybe it will be a nice change to get picked on. And embarrassment is not a colour I have seen on you... I'm curious what it is."

She winked at him before she looked out of the road, "Two eagles," she chuckled a little, "two nothing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flynn smiled and nodded, "Sounds good. We won't do anything too crazy... With it just being the two of us," he stretched out on his seat when she asked if he knew where or had an idea where the next key was. He shook his head, "No... But it might be best to wait until Zelia and Trex are back... Extra precaution with the others... I mean I want to get as many of those keys as possible, to make sure that that woman doesn't... But I'm not going to put us in danger because of it. I mean we don't even know what Ryzo and Tye's magic is..."

He looked at her when she said that they would find the keys soon. He nodded, "We will... But with Trex and Zelia...." He shrugged, "I wouldn't want to make you face Tye and them with just me... Trex and Zelia seem to be able to keep their cool easier in those situations.... Although... Trex did seem like he wanted to rip Ryzo head off when we spoke with them last...."

He leaned over the makeshift board on the ground and fixed up a few of the lines that had been brushed away. He looked up at Skye and smiled, "Shall we go another round?"

[Black Ninja]

Trex smiled at Zelia's comment on seeing where he came from. It might not be much but it was home. And not counting the short phase that he went through on hating the place, he had loved it. Despite that, however, he wasn't going to move back. At least not for a long time if ever. He was a wizard, not a farmer. His brothers would take care of the farm and the animals and he would travel around the world keeping people safe. Still...He was glad to be able to go back and visit. He hadn't been home in several years now. They would have to stop in Magnolia before heading to his parents as he had a few gifts he wanted to get them. He glanced over at Zelia when she started up the game again. Shaking his head, he couldn't displace the smile on his face. "And you say I cheat." He declared, eyes twinkling.

He nodded to the slate. "Do you think Skye and Flynn will want to head to the country?" He inquired. He didn't know much about their finances but considering they hadn't been making a lot on the latest quests due to looking more for keys then taking jobs, he wondered if they would rather get another job and earn a bit more in case they hear about the next key. Either that, or Flynn and Skye might go looking for another key. Suddenly frowning, Trex held up a finger cutting Zelia off mid-stream. "Did you hear that?" He asked listening. There it was again. It was almost like a pitiful cry. Hearing some children laugh, Trex tossed the reins to Zelia and jumped down from the still rolling wagon. Heading toward the sound, his fist tightened. If it was what he thought it was he wasn't going to be very happy. Heading into the first ally he spotted the trouble. Two adolescent boys were tormenting a little cat/frog creature by a barrel of water. Holding the creature by its foot, one boy would dunk it under water while the other boy poked it with a stick. From where he stood, Trex saw that the cat/frog creature's front paws were bound tightly by a string and it didn't look good. It struggled and tried to escape but couldn't. Taking a stance Trex sent a wood root up splitting the barrel in half draining the water. Both boys glanced his way. Before either could speak, both found themselves knocked backwards by wooden branches.

Dropping the creature they took off not daring to look back. Ignoring them, Trex went over and broke the string. Upon closer examination he noticed it was a cat in a frog like outfit. Kids. His jaw clenched. Sure, someone might think that being a male, his brothers and him would have done something like this when they were younger but that was not the case. They had always treated animals right. It was breed in them. Not sure how to get the custom or whatever it was off, Trex set the cat down. "There you are." He told it. "I would be a bit careful around young kids." He noted, though he knew it probably wasn't its fault and that it would undoubtedly be a lot more careful now. Turning, he nearly jumped when the creature spoke. Turning around, he looked back at it. It was an exceed. He was an idiot. He didn't even spot it, not thinking that one of those noble creatures would be ensnared. "My apologies, little one." He said. "I mistook you for a cat. Are you alright?" He inquired.
~~~~~~~
Keeping her expression the same, Skye was glad when Flynn turned to fix the lines on the Pai Sho game. Did he not realize that she knew what powers Ryzo and Tye had? After so many years with them she better know them. However, she was glad he either didn't know or forgot. Ryzo's magic would be easy. She could explain it. But Tye... She contained a shudder. Quickly turning her expression back to neutral right before Flynn glanced up, she nodded at his suggestion to play another game. "Sure." She said getting off the bench and sitting cross legged on the floor. Unstrapping the sword, she set it aside so it wouldn't be in her way when she played. Shuffling the tiles she pulled dealt them. Spotting the white lotus in her pile she set it aside and drew again. She wondered how long it would take before running across it. "We don't need to play with it." She explained catching Flynn's look. "It's a bit complicated to use and only a handful of individuals, mainly masters." Masters and a few others. Eldar had told her once about an organization that used it. They aided each other and any who knew the secret. Which, he taught her. However, after he had died and even after she came to Fiore she had yet to find anyone who knew how to play with the white lotus, let alone know the secret method. Maybe when Flynn got better she would teach it to him. Then at least she wouldn't be the only one who knew if it worked. Still, whenever she found someone to play, which wasn't often, she would try it only to get surprised looks at her "antiquated" way.

She placed her piece down. Thinking about it got her wondering. She looked up at Flynn. "You know, as we are in the Capitol we could go to the Great Wizard Library and see if it has anything on the keys." She informed him, referring to the enormous library accessible only by light guild members. Next to the Council, it was probably the most guarded building in the land. Now that she was a member of Fairy Tail she could actually go in. All that knowledge. Perhaps there would be something on those few items she wanted to look up. The white lotus was one but compared to what she really wanted to know, it was minor. "Think we could see if Trex and Zelia could give us our part and excuse ourselves?" She paused. "Of course we would have to word it in a way where we don't expect them to stay with us so they can continue to Trex's place." She frowned. That might be better left up to Flynn.

The wagon came to a stop and she looked up. Trouble? They hadn't gone far. Peaking out the end she looked around. There wasn't really anyone around. Jumping down, she headed around pausing when she saw Zelia get down. "What's wrong?" She asked not seeing Trex.

[tsubasa]

"Ahhhh-"

"Maggg--"

"cough cough. Stooo-"

Zelia looked at Trex when he pointed out the weird noises that she had only just now noticed. She opened her mouth to answer but Trex had already leapt off the cart and tossed her the reins. She yelled, "Trex!" as she pulled the horses to a stop, watching her friend run off. She quickly made her way off the cart and looked at Skye when she showed up next to her asking why they had stopped. Flynn popped up a moment later and Zelia shook her head slightly, "I don't know... Trex and I heard laughing and some kind of crying... Then he just jumped off."

She ran a hand through her hair, she was debating running after him. She figured that if it was just a couple of kids that Trex could easily handle himself with whatever was happening. However, she didn't know that it was just kids. The crying seemed to have stopped by Trex still hadn't emerged from the alley. She stepped forward, "I'm going to go make sure everything is okay. You two stay here with the horses. Then we'll head back to Magnolia."

"Actually," Flynn said quickly, "Skye and I figured that we would stay here and see if we could find anything on the colour keys in the library. The two of us will be just fine to do some researching and I know we didn't pay for too many days with the old man... So, once you grab Trex we'll part ways and you guys can deal with the horses."

Zelia blinked a few times before glancing at the alley. Still no Trex. She nodded, "Okay... Um ya... We'll give you guys your portion when we get back," She then ran off after Trex.

Flynn beamed as he looked at Skye, "And that, my dear, is how it is done."

He climbed onto the cart and grabbed the reins, "Come on let's get this thing off the road."
~~~~~~~~~~
Bodo coughed as the barrel below him was invaded by a root that caused it to lose all of the water inside. He struggled against the ties that bound him as the two attackers were thrown backwards by a man who then walked up to him and released him from his enchainment. Bodo looked up at him with his big eyes, more than thankful for this man's help. He was placed on the ground a moment later and the man started to leave. Bodo reached out, "Wait! Please don't go."

The man turned around, clearly surprised by him speaking. He apologized to him for thinking he was a cat and asked if he was okay. Bodo was amazed, without his Dragon Slayer this was the kindest human he had met. He nodded his head before running to him and hugging his leg. He looked up at the man, tears at the corners of his eyes, "Please... I've lost my Gyatsu... Can I come with you... I want to find my Dragon Slayer."

He looked up at him when a blonde woman rounded the corner. She stopped abruptly and seemed to laugh a little, "Of all the things I imagined were keeping you, Trex... This... Was not one of them."

She looked at the little Exceed and walked closer to Trex before crouching down and smiling at him, "Hello there.... I'm sure Trex is being his usual hardened self... I'm Zelia."

Bodo looked around the man, Trex's, leg at Zelia, "Are you friends with Trex? Will you help me find my Gyatsu?"

Zelia smiled at the cat and glanced up at Trex, "Trex and I are great friends.... And I'm sure he would love to help you find your Gyatsu... just like he is helping me find my father.... But we still have to work and go on job... but you could search while we do that, like I do. What do you think, Trex? Can your new friend join us?"

Bodo nodded, looking up at him, "Please... Pretty, pretty please."

[Black Ninja]

Trex blinked a bit surprised as the exceed launched forward attaching itself to his leg. "Uh..." He looked down at the exceed and then up again. This was a bit awkward. Then of all times to show up, Zelia came around the corner. Giving a polite forced smile, he just listened to her laugh at him. Right. He rolled his eyes when she talked to the exceed. It wasn't that he was hard it was more like...focused. He didn't have a lot of time to get sidetracked with pleasantries - though when the job called for it he could. Shrugging at Zelia's question, he looked down at the little exceed. "Where did you last see your friend?" He asked not completely agreeing but willing to help. Maybe he just lost him. It was a large city, maybe they would find him quickly. "What guild is he from?" He asked. There was a few major guilds here in the capitol. All they would have to do is take him to his guild and he'll find his friend. When the exceed said they weren't part of any guild and went into the story of how he woke up several months ago with the dragon slayer gone. Trex frowned slightly. That seemed strange. Why would the dragon slayer leave? It just seemed...strange. "Did you two get into a fight?" He inquired curious. When the exceed shook his head, tears starting to show Trex cleared his throat awkward. "Don't worry, we'll help." He promised. He never did like seeing someone small crying. Or anyone for that matter. Not if he could do something about it.

He looked at Zelia. "We can take him back to Fairy Tail. Maybe Natsu, Gajeel, or Wendy will know where this Gyatsu is." He replied. It would take them a bit longer before heading to the farm but maybe they could help the little guy out. He looked back at the exceed. "What's your name?" He inquired not knowing what to call it. When it gave its name he nodded. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Trex and you've already meet Zelia." He looked back at her. "We should probably head back to the wagon. Skye and Trex will be wondering where we are at." He looked at Bodo. "We have a bit of a ways to go." He told the exceed. "But I'm sure you'll like Flynn and Skye. They have a pretty fun game they can teach you." He stated walking back toward the wagon.

Seeing it parked on the side, he glanced over at Zelia as she mentioned that they weren't heading back. "What?" He inquired. "Why?" As she explained he nodded. That actually sounded like a good idea. Though, he had been hoping Bodo would hang out with the youngest member, maybe getting her to open up a bit. Females always seemed to like little animals thinking they're cute so it might. But it worked. This way after Zelia and him talked to Natsu and Gajeel about this Gyatsu, they could head to his parents farm. It wasn't that he didn't want Skye and Flynn along it was more of a matter of saving face as he knew his brothers would undoubtedly do something crazy. Besides, Skye was a bit fragile at the moment and he wasn't sure if his brothers would not overdue their teasing. Something they were really good at doing.

Skye had been impressed at the way Flynn had just smoothly tossed it in when Zelia have much time to argue let alone discuss it. "Smooth." She said jumping in the back and packing everything up. Sure they were in the middle of a game but they hadn't gone far. Quickly remembering where the pieces to set it up later, she put them all away. As soon as the wagon came to a stop, she grabbed Flynn's bag along with hers and jumped out. Handing Flynn his bag, she waited for Trex and Zelia returned. She would actually prefer to leave now and avoid the goodbyes but it would be rude. So she waited until they came out of the alley. She frowned at the little cat seeming to cling close to Trex. What was that? Why did they have a cat?

Trex paused in front of Flynn and Skye seeing that they were ready to go. "Eager to get started?" He smirked pulling out the reward. Diving it up, he handed each one their share. "Oh, and before you go, this is Bodo. Bodo this is Flynn and Skye." He said remembering his manners.

Eager to go, Skye thanked Trex and put the money in her bag. Then he introduced the cat. That was a bit weird but she wasn't going to say anything. Supposedly the dragon slayers at Fairy Tail had their own cats, flying ones at that, but what they could do she really hadn't paid much attention. The articles she read up on the guild were mainly focused on the wizards not their pets. She ignored the few articles on the cats not sure why they wasted time on a creature that could only fly and meow. Then, Bodo spoke startling her. Quickly composing herself she stared at it amazed. Glancing back at it as she headed after Flynn she waited until they were a bit before whispering to him. "It can talk." She stated. "How is that possible?"

[tsubasa]

Bodo looked up at Trex as he asked him where he and Gyatsu had last been together and their guild, he pouted slightly, "We weren't part of a guild, Gyatsu couldn't decide on one... And and... We were on a quest three months ago.... and we went to bed... then... then.... Gyatsu was gone!!!" Trex continued to ask question, however, asking about them fighting clearly struck a nerve. Bodo shook his head madly, "No... Never!" Small tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as he sniffled. Although, a small smile appeared on his face with the promise of hope.

Zelia stood when Trex turned his attention to her. She nodded at him, "Hopefully they'll know something... If not... He can always tag along with us... We travel enough and cover a lot of ground. I'm sure we could ask around a little for Gyatsu."

Trex returned his attention the exceed, who was wiping his eyes when Trex asked his name, "B-Bodo..." He gave the two of them a nod when Trex introduced himself and reintroduced Zelia. They turned and started to walk to the wagon when Trex mentioned Skye and Flynn, "Oh," she said remembering what Flynn had said before she ran off, "They won't be coming back with us. They said while they were here they were going to check out the library, see if they can find and information on the colour keys, figure out where to head next. Soon the three of them walked out of the alley and over to Flynn and Sky. Flynn grinned at Trex, "Always," he looked down at Bodo and smiled, "Pleasure."

Bodo smiled up at the both of them, "It's nice to meet you... Trex and Zelia are going to help me find my Gyastu."

Flynn nodded, "Well isn't that nice of them. We should get on our way, hope to see you again, Bodo... See you guys."

He walked away from the trio and started to head toward the library when, in utter amazement, Skye asked how it was possible that the cat spoke. He chuckled slightly, "He's an exceed. They come from a place called Edolas, which is apparently a pretty confusing place. They tend to ally themselves with true Dragon Slayers... So, Natsu has Happy, Wendy has Carla, and Gajeel had Pantherlily. They're pretty cool."
~
Zelia climbed up onto the cart and looked down at Bodo and Trex, "Well, come on, we've got ground to cover and we have to get these two home soon.... Unless you want them in your apartment," She said, teasing Trex. Bodo spread his wings and flew onto the seat next to her. He smiled, "Onward!"

[Black Ninja]

Trex gave a two finger salute to Flynn and Skye before getting into the wagon. He shook his head at Zelia's comment. "No. Not a chance." He stated. "Despite the fact I have a great neighbor, well one. I doubt she will enjoy two horses in the little yard. Not to mention that Regus will go crazy if I dared do something like that." He stated referring to his other neighbor. An older gentleman who used to be a wizard, Regus was now a really annoying individual who prided himself in finding any little thing to criticize. He had already caused a lot of trouble for Trex but thankfully they rarely saw each other so it worked. "Yeah, I can see him going to my landlord and making a complaint." He picked up the reins. "No. After we check with Natsu and the others at the guild we will drop them off. Do we own the cart as well or do we have to return it?" He inquired.

Despite the fact that he disliked the old man who sold Zelia the horses, he couldn't help but actually look forward to seeing him again. Having the horses instead of that man was something that pleased Trex immensely. And if it annoyed the old man that the horses would actually go to his family's farm then that would be a bonus. No... He mentally scolded himself. He should not take pleasure in annoying others or being rubbing something in. Despite the fact that he wanted to, he had been trained better. Still... It was a hard thing to deal with.

He looked over at the little exceed beside them. He wondered how the little guy had been getting along all this time without his dragon slayer. He probably could take care of himself to a point but Trex knew that if it had been Happy, the exceed wouldn't have known what to do. Well, in his younger days.The one disadvantage of having a dragon slayer friend was that they usually took care of you. You didn't have a lot of things to worry about thus making it harder to survive on your own. Carla and Pantherlily where able to but they both had been more mature then Happy. Carla had to take care of Wendy while Panther Lily had risen on his own to become a powerful leader before leaving Edelas. Now, Happy could take care of himself but it had taken him some time before getting there. Trex wondered if Bodo ever had to worry about the needs before his dragon slayer left him.

Once Zelia had replied, Trex glanced over at them. "Anyone hungry?" He inquired, thinking more of the exceed then of himself. He really wasn't hungry but if Bodo was, he didn't want to embarrass him by offering food only to him. "There's some food in the bag." He told Bodo pointing to the bag behind him. "Can you get some out for us?" He inquired. When the exceed turned to do so, Trex caught Zelia's look. Shrugging innocently he turned his attention back to the road. Alright, so he was getting a bit soft. He'll have to put in some training to counter it before everyone started to think he was nothing but a big teddy bear.

~~~~
Skye frowned. Exceed. Edolas. Both terms were foreign to her but then again she didn't know much about the continent outside of the major nations. She tried to remember the map she had seen but couldn't place Edolas. She would have to look at a map when next time she saw one to see. "So, Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy's pets are actually talking cats as well? I had always thought they were just flying cats. That makes more sense as to why everyone thinks highly of them." She glanced at the ground slightly embarrassed. "I guess I should have paid more attention." She stated, though it was more with humor then belittling. Seeing the Great Wizard Library, Skye felt a bit light-footed. This was actually it. She was going to get to go inside the largest library that existed. At least to her knowledge. Ever since she had heard about it she had wanted to go in.

The entrance to the library was heavily guarded. Members or the royal army checked bags and slapped bracelets on those entering the library to keep all wizard power null while they were inside. In addition to the guards, the library itself had a powerful defense spell making it difficult to attack without a lot of firepower. Of course, anyone who was stupid enough to try to force their way in would have to face off with Li Te, one of the ten wizard saints who had made his home in one of the library's many towers. A bit excited, Skye handed over her bag without to much of a fuss to the guard who did a spell to make sure the bag couldn't be opened until after they left. Pulling her raven hair aside, she showed her guild mark to another guard who scrutinized it heavily before clasping a bracelet on her hand. The mechanism locked cutting off her off from all her magical power. The only way to get the device off was for the guards to remove it.

Finally, they were let past. Stepping through the doors, Skye stopped taking in the site. The room was enormous with shelves towering over three stories tall. Ladders where everywhere and she could make out even more doorways that led to even more rooms full of books, study rooms, and even sleeping chambers. "This is amazing." She whispered, excitement evident in her eyes. However, nerves kicked in. How was she going to find anything with all these books and people? She glanced at Flynn, glad he had come along. He probably knew what to do. "Where do we go?" She whispered, still in awe at the place.

[tsubasa]

Zelia laughed a little and Trex spoke about the possible reactions to leaving the horses and his apartment. All she could imagine were these two horses sitting in his living room waiting to be taken to his childhood home. She shook her head when he asked about the cart, "Sadly, no. He was asking too much for it, going with the lower price got the horses away from him sooner... I wanted to get it to prevent him from just buying more horses but I think he is known well enough that no one will sell them to him... Hopefully."

She sighed slightly and looked back at the cart, "Maybe we have break it 'accidentally' in some way.... It isn't like we'd have to continue to work with him anymore. Not now that we own these two."

Zelia was a bit surprised by Trex's sudden change in topic, asking whether they were hungry. She looked at him and noticed that he was looking down at the little Exceed. She smirked, well wasn't that sweet. When asked to retrieve the food Bodo hopped to his feet and scurried to the man's bag. Trex's looked up at Zelia, their eyes connecting. She just kept smiling at him. She knew he worried from time to time about her but it was nice to see him care a little about something else as well. She reached out and patted his shoulder before she dropped her arm as Bodo returned. He handed them each a piece of jerky, "Oops... I grabbed three," Zelia smiled, "Well, that one can be for you. Feel free to eat with us while you are travelling with us."

Bodo smiled and bit into the jerky, "Thank you, I was hungry."

Zelia nibbled at her own piece of jerky. She wasn't too hungry herself but she didn't want that Exceed feeling as if it were doing anything wrong. Zelia looked at Trex, "So.... What if Natsu and them don't know anything?"
~~~~~~~~~~~
Flynn nodded, "Ya, the people of Edolas apparently worshiped them because they have magic within them rather than them having holder magic like all the people. Natsu and them told some crazy stories about that place," He laughed a little, "I kind of would like to meet my Edolas counter part..."

When they arrived at the library, Flynn showed them his bag and allowed them to check it over. He threw his keys in there as well before they applied the charm to ensure his keys would be safe. When he was asked to see his tattoo, he sighed slightly and looked at Skye, "If there is ever a time I regret the positioning of my tattoo it is when they need to inspect it," with that he lifted his shirt up enough to allow the guard to look at the tattoo on his rib cage. Once he was done, he slapped a bracelet on Flynn and the two of them walked into the library. Flynn took a moment to take everything in before Skye asked him where they should go. He thought about it then shrugged, "They probably have this place organized well, so... Magic... celestial... rare.... That would probably give us the most information. I'm sure they have something here... Amber had some information on it all after all. She has a colour key but none of them are really allowed to blab too much about each other..." He ran a hand through his hair, "Let's see if we can find old information or rare information on celestial keys... heck even supposedly fake information..."

[Black Ninja]

Nodding his thanks to Bodo, Trex looked back at Zelia. "No. That wouldn't be right." He stated. "As much as the man annoys me, we shouldn't break his cart. Besides, then we'll have to pay for damages." He shook his head. "No, we'll return it. However, I doubt he'll be able to get new horses to replace these ones unless of course he is willing to shell out a lot of money for healthy ones." Not everyone treated animals the way the old man did.

When she inquired as to what they were going to do if Natsu or the others didn't know Gyatsu or where to find him, Trex shook his head. "We'll just have to ask around wherever we go." He looked at the exceed. "You might want to stay with Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily." He stated. "They're exceed like you and would make great company while we look around for your friend." He suggested.

Apparently that wasn't what the little guy had in mind. Trex glanced down a bit awkward as Bodo moved close and leaned against him stating that he would rather stick with them. Glancing at Zelia, Trex's eyes narrowed at her amused expression. She was really enjoying this. If he didn't know better he might have thought she was behind the whole thing. "Well, let's cross that road when we get there." He stated looking ahead again. Hopefully Natsu and the others knew something. If not, maybe seeing the other exceed would change his mind. It wasn't that he didn't want Bodo along. But no, exceed went with dragon slayers. They didn't travel with ordinary wizards. And besides, Trex glanced at Bodo, the exceed was a bit attached. And it was awkward. Natsu and Gajeel could get away with it as they were dragon slayers. It was part of their MO. But he wasn't. It was just strange.

Looking at the road ahead he kept the horses on the path as they exited the city. They had a long way to go. He looked over at Zelia. "Did Flynn and Skye say how they were going to get back?" He inquired not sure if leaving them alone in the Capitol was such a good idea. When Zelia shook her head. He frowned. It was a long way back, especially on foot. And as the train track did not run out this way, it would take them some time to get home. He wondered if they should stick around for them. If they hadn't promised to help Bodo, he might have just stuck around. They really hadn't been separated that much since Flynn joined them. It was bit weird. Then again. It would do the wizard good being on his own - or in this case, with Skye. He wouldn't have to worry about Trex or Zelia looking over his back. Trex nodded. No. This would be good for him. Now all he had to do was figure out how to kill the next day and a half of boredom. It wouldn't be the same playing a game with Zelia. Not with a third person, or in this case exceed, hanging out with them.

~~~~
Skye nodded. Sticking close to Flynn she followed him down the steps and into the large atrium. Spotting an information booth, they headed over there. "What are you looking for?" The attendant asked smiling at them. She listened as Flynn made his request. Using a magic map, she showed them where they were. "You want to go this way, down this hallway and up the stairs taking the first door on your right. From there, follow the signs." She said handing them the map. "It will fade in twelve hours." She warned as they took it.

Skye hesitated as second as Flynn turned to go. Originally she had planned to look up what she needed thinking that it wouldn't be that difficult to find. However, she had greatly underestimated this place and wasn't sure she wanted to wonder off by herself. Her bet was she would get lost. If she was outdoors she would be fine. But indoors? In a place this large she would undoubtedly get lost. "Need anything else?" The attendant asked noticing the hesitation.

Aware that Flynn was right there listening, Skye thought about how to phrase what she needed without giving anything away. "Is there a list of magic types?" She inquired, feeling that was a safe vague answer but giving her what she needed.

The attendant nodded. "Several. For just a plain list, you can head over to the board over there and see. Click on one to see what type it is. However, if you are looking for a specific type you would need to know the name unless you want to go through the whole thing." She shook her head. "Which frankly I wouldn't suggest."

"What's the other option?" Skye inquired.

Motioning for Flynn to hand back the map, the attendant pointed to where they are at. "You would want to head this way, go through the double arches and go downstairs. I programmed it here so you can follow." She stated looking up. "Once you reach the fountain turn right and go down the hallway. From there you can follow the signs or the map. That will take you into "Classification" Category where you can read up on the various types of magic, including some of the lost magics that we know about. Which isn't much, I'm afraid. Only a description of what they were and there are so many that we don't even know about anymore." She smiled. "Though I doubt your looking for something like that." She smiled.

Skye nodded grateful. "Thank you." She said turning and following Flynn. It actually was what she needed to know. However, she was going to stick with Flynn for now. She could always head that way latter. And if she got lost...well, Flynn had the map. He would come looking for her eventually. Or...she hoped he would. She looked over at him. "I wonder what they have on colour keys." She stated as they headed that direction.

[tsubasa]

Bodo looked up at Trex when he suggested that he stay at the guild and hang around with the other three Exceeds there. He shook his head and leaned against Trex, "No, I want to go around with you. If you get a clue to where Gyastu is, I want to be there."

Zelia looekd at Trex, who once Bodo finished talking looked at her. She smiled at him, trying not to laugh. How sweet it was seeing such an adorable little creature interact with the not so sweet Trex. She leaned back against the cart, as Bodo had stolen her spot leaning against Trex. He looked ahead saying they'd figure out what to do when they had to. She stifled a giggle, he was so awkward. It was kind of cute. She quickly pushed the thought out of her head and nodded, "Sound good."

When he asked her about Flynn and Skye, she shook her head, "No. But I would assume that they'll just grab a car. They aren't too expensive and it will be pretty good with the two of them splitting the cost."
She looked ahead of them as well, as they travelled along. She pursed her lips, "How far do you think we'll get before we have to stop... We're starting out earlier than we did last time and we did stop really early that night... We should be able to cover some good ground today."

She glanced at Trex and Bodo, "Not to mention we don't have to worry about protecting a box of chocolates."
~~~~
Flynn smiled at the woman and thanked her as she handed him the map. He was about to turn and leave when Skye asked about a list of types of magic. He looked at her slightly confused, he wondered what she was wanting that for. He handed the map back and the woman added route to this list. He thanked her and turned away. He walked a little ways away from the information booth then looked at her. He smiled, "Are you going to go off to that area? You can take the map if you want.... It sounded like it was harder to get to... I'll probably be there a while anyways..." He shrugged when she asked how much he thought they would have on the keys, "I don't know... Depends on how good they are at gathering information... I mean they only have a few things on Lost Magic... so I think they probably won't have a lot... but I'll find what they have."

[Black Ninja]

Trex inclined his head slightly. That was true. Flynn and Skye would probably just take a vehicle. They usually took a wagon because when they had started originally, cars had been a lot more expensive and a massive drain on a wizard's power but the past few years cars had improved not only on cost but on the amount of power required to run them, if they even ran on wizard's power anymore. Some of them now ran on their own internal lacramas eliminating the hassle of using up personal power to run them. The only reason they still took wagons was because they already used the old man's wagon and they tried to get the horses away from him whenever they had a chance. Otherwise, the poor beasts would have probably starved to death by now.

He glanced at Zelia. "If we stop at sundown, with a short break for lunch..." He looked at the sky calculating. "Probably most of the way. Technically we could arrive there about one or two in the morning if we pushed on but I don't think we should do that to the horses. Besides, if we leave at dawn we could get there about mid-morning." He smirked. "Especially as we don't have to worry about waiting for two other wizards to wake up." Not that that had really stopped them before. They technically could travel, leaving the other two in the back sleeping but that might make them grumpy as they skipped the delicious cooked breakfast and would have to eat cold leftovers. Well... Trex frowned. Technically they hadn't done that with Skye yet. He wondered how she would react.

Pushing down the temptation to try that sometime, Trex shook his head. All those years of being pranked or pulled into others still had him occisionally wanting to do something ornery to some of his team members. He wouldn't do it to Zelia. Not only was she decent enough to give him a hard payback but he didn't want to prank her. She was different. Now Flynn on the other hand... Trex smiled. He was fun to prank especially as he sometimes seemed clueless. He wasn't sure about Skye. Probably not. Pranking girls was not always the best idea. Not only did some of it not take it well, but his mother would skin the daylights out of him if she ever found out.

He looked over at Zelia. "Think the Caelum wizards will try anything not that we are split up?" He inquired. He didn't really think they would. But then again, they did do a few subtle attacks. The problem though was that it would be even harder now for them if they wanted to stay subtle. Any attack on one would immediately result in retaliation. And Trex wasn't going to let another small attack slide. The attack on Zelia, putting her to sleep had been the last straw. If they wanted to stir up a response or cause trouble he would give them trouble. However, it was a good time for an attack. Assuming of course that the Caelum wizards were watching their every move. What better timing to hit then when the team was split up. Maybe he should head back. He had a strong feeling that it wasn't over with the Caelum wizards. Not for a long shot.
~~~~
Skye glanced at Flynn. "No, I'll stick with you." She stated. "At least for now. We don't have a lot of celestial magic on Caelum." She informed him as they headed down the hallway. "In fact, before seeing Maria I hadn't heard of anyone with that ability on our little islands." Whether it was because there was no reason to keep up the rouse or just because she was talking about her homeland, the distinct Caelum accent found its way back in her voice. Not seeming to notice, she looked ahead again. "I think it will be interesting to learn more about. Besides," She stated as they came to their destination. "You are going to need a lot of help."

It wasn't as large as some of the other rooms they passed but the celestial library was a fairly large in of itself. Almost to the scale of the Fairy Tail library, the room stretched back a good distance with shelves running up to the arched ceiling. Tables and chairs dotted the area and though there was a few people around it seemed eerily empty. Skye looked at all the shelves. She had not been kidding when she stated he would need the help. There was so many subcategories to celestial magic. There were tomes on the history of celestial magic, tomes on various celestial wizards, every category you could think of that was tied to celestial magic or the spirits, and then some, was there. Looking at small directory next to the door, Skye frowned as she read silently. There was no category labeled colour keys, which was surprising. However, there was a section based just on the keys and the spirits. "Here you go." She said pointing toward it. "CSK312-A." She read looking around. "That's where we should head." She informed him.

[tsubasa]

Zelia looked at Trex, "If you sleep in the back, between the time that I'll most likely wake up and you will, I could have us back home before dawn."

Bodo looked between the two of them slightly confused. Zelia smiled down at the little critter, "I'm an early riser. I like being early for everything... Trex, on the other hand, like to be right on time. I think he does it sometimes just to grind my nerves," She chuckled a little.

Bodo nodded, "I like sleeping. Sleeping is nice. Gyastu always like being right on time."

Zelia gasped, "Oh no, they are multiplying."

When Trex brought up the Caelum wizards, she thought about it. After a moment, she shook her head, "They'd have to be watching us to know that we split up and if they know that we've split up... Then they also know we have no hints or clues to where the next key may be... I think that is their main goal. They've only been toying with us because we've been getting in the way.... I think we'll be fine. For now."

Despite what she said, she couldn't help but feel worry boiling at the bottom of her gut. She didn't want to rush the trip to Trex's home. She wanted to meet his family and talk to them and make sure the horses were settled with them before they left. However, sehe couldn't help but also want to pull the group together, just to be safe. What if they were being watched and Flynn found a clue. Would the act him and Skye with Trex and her having no knowledge of it?

~~~~

When they reached the room for Celestial Magic, Flynn whistled. How much he wanted to just sit there for hours and just read. He wasn't much of a reader but when it came to Celestial magic, he could read for hours. He looked at Skye, "I do think I'm going to need your help."

He didn't have a clue where to start till Skye spouted out a code of some sort where the books that were most likely to contain what they were looking for were held. He nodded, "Alright let's go."

Flynn guided her to the section and looked at the books. He started with the reading the spines, pulling out ones that sounded like they'd contain information. From time to time he'd read the back and return it or venture up the ladder in search of books higher up. Once he had a rather large pile accumulated on the table, he looked at Skye, "Well... I'm going to start thumbing through these," he took a seat and sighed, "Too bad I can't use magic... I could get out Pisces and then there would be four of use looking..."

[Black Ninja]

Trex frowned thoughtfully at the suggestion. It actually made some sense. However, he was a light sleeper and she probably would wake him getting the horses ready. "We'll figure it out." He stated. He chuckled at Zelia's response to Bodo liking to sleep and the fact his dragon slayer was like Trex. "Well, you know it's hard to get rid of something good." He stated.

Then they talked about the Caelum wizards. He was still didn't like the idea that they could be hit but Zelia was right. They should be fine for now. Since they left Hargeon they hadn't seen the Caelum wizards. Sure there was that issue with the magistrate in Magnolia and Trex had no doubt that they were behind it. However, it had worked out and like most of the times before, the Caelum wizards did not try anything. He wondered if Ryzo and Tye really had any magic. However, that quickly disappeared. Of course they did. Ryzo had to if he was leading the others. From what Trex had gathered from Skye he doubted that the others would simply just obey, especially Tye, if Ryzo did not have something to back him up. Which brought up a big concern. What magic did he have that had the other four wizards follow him as their leader? And then Tye, she had to have some magic or something. Why else was Skye so afraid of her? It couldn't be just the older sibling thing could it? That was a bit more difficult. Sure Skye had magic and the ability to use her sword but maybe her fear of Tye came before she grew strong and now she didn't realize she had the ability to break that fear? To stand up? But no... Tye still had to have some magic or something. Though Ryzo seemed to be the leader, Tye did have some rank. There was no way she could have become second in command without something to back her up.

Realizing that thinking about it would only make him more worried, Trex turned his thoughts away from that. Besides, they would deal with Caelum wizards when the issue arose. He had already threatened two of them that if they tried anything he would take them out. If they tried anything not only would the other team members come down on them but the guild itself might come down on them. He smirked as he thought about what Lucy, Natsu and the others would do if Flynn was hurt. Despite being an airhead at times, the celestial wizard was fairly powerful and in love with Flynn. He would hate to see what would happen to anyone who hurt her boyfriend. Realizing Zelia was giving him a strange look he cleared his thoughts and stared at the road. When she inquired what he had been thinking about he shrugged. "I was just thinking what Lucy would do if Flynn got hurt. Not to mention if Lucy got involved Natsu, Gray and the rest of the team would as well. The Caelum wizards wouldn't know what hit them."

---

Skye stared at the large pile of books. This was going to take awhile. Picking up one, she leafed through it. The problem is they could spend days in here and never find anything. However, they would never find anything if they did not look. Starting the book she started to skim it. It was an interesting tale, something she might want to read later but nothing related to the color keys. Regrettably it had taken her an hour or so to find that out. Setting the book aside she stared at the pile before rummaging through it looking at the back. Her guess was that they would probably have a better chance finding a reference to one of the keys in a book discussing a celestial wizard then in a regular book on the magic.

The next several hours passed quickly as the books she skimmed were fascinatingly interesting yet void of any reference. She shouldn't have been to surprised. The keys had been secret for a long time, otherwise more people would have known about them. Sighing she set another book aside. Most of the day had passed and they were no closer to finding what they needed. She looked at Flynn. His head buried behind a book he did not seem to ready to give up. It wasn't that she was giving up, more like getting a bit overwhelmed. There still about five books left from the ones Flynn had gathered not to mention hundreds more they hadn't yet pulled out. Steeling herself, Skye reached out and grabbed another book. She should just relax. She loved reading and learning new information. It was fascinating what she was reading but she felt bad that nothing she found would help Flynn. Needing to stretch her legs she rose. "I'll be right back." She said as Flynn looked her way. Walking away from the table she headed over to the bookshelves. Running her finger on the spines of the books as she walked she didn't bother to read the titles. She needed a break anyway. Reaching the edge of the row she looked around. The library was empty, all the other wizards finding what they needed and leaving.

Heading down the next row she started to scan the titles of the books. Book after book about this adventure or that were displayed but nothing useful. Or nothing obviously useful. And it would take them weeks to read all the books, especially considering the bookshelf ran to the ceiling. Pausing halfway she sighed. She probably should go back. There were still books to read. Then a cover caught her eye. Unlike the usual brown jacket, this book had a dark blue binding causing it to catch her eye. Climbing up the ladder to have an easier time getting it, Skye pulled it out. The cover had a blue lizard on it and some random name. She frowned. What did this have to do with celestial spirits. Opening it up she skimmed the forward. Nearly falling from the ladder she quickly snapped the book shut. Jumping down she ran back to the table. Though her expression was a bit neutral, her eyes sparkled with excitement. "The blue color key." She stated as he looked from the book to her. "This book is all about it."

[tsubasa]

Zelia sat there trying not to worry any about the two back in the capital. They'd be safe in the library, they did take a lot of precautions. The Caelum wizards wouldn't even be able to use their magic against them. Not to mention, Flynn was a great fighter. He was before he joined, she figured that was why Trex took to him and wanted him in the group. The boy didn't rely on his magic to get him out of a tough situation. And the same could be said for Skye. Sure they hadn't really seen her fight with her sword before but the girl held onto it like a lifeline whenever she got startled. So, she must have had some skill with it to be prepared to pull it out at anytime. Zelia would try and talk it out first...

She glanced at Trex and noticed that he had zoned out slightly. She cocked an eyebrow at him as she smirked. After a moment, he noticed she was watching him. She laughed slightly, "What are you thinking about?"

She laughed again when he mentioned that he was thinking about what might happen if Flynn got hurt and his girlfriend found out. She nodded and tried to imagine how the quickly the Caelum wizards would lose that fight, "Lucy... Would be quite angry and Natsu would be angry that they made Lucy angry and Gray would be trying to show Natsu up and Erza would just go on a war path I think..." She shook her head, "They wouldn't stand a chance and I would almost feel bad for them.... Almost.:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flynn was absorbed entirely in the books. Every once in a while, he'd catch himself still reading a book that he knew was unrelated to their search for colour keys. But there was just so much information. Things and tatics that he didn't know he could pull off with the spirits that he had. There was then talk about maximizing your power while minimizing the usage of magic. When Skye excused herself, Flynn gave distracted nod and continued reading. It wasn't until she returned that he removed his nose from his book. He looked at the blue book and grinned, "Good job! Awesome!" He took it for her and opened it up, grabbing the little note pad he had been using to write down things he found interesting, he set himself up to read. After a moment, he grabbed the map and handed it to Skye, "You were wanting to look up something... I'm good here and I'll be sure to give you a detailed description of anything and everything I manage to find."

He then returned to the book and began scribbling basically copying the book onto the notepad.

[Black Ninja]

Trex frowned. "I'm not sure. I guess I should feel bad for them but they really ticked me off. I don't like this hiding behind the scenes picking fights. If you want a fight come on out and let's do it. No dancing around the subject." He shook his head. And that was why he was never going into politics. He glanced at the exceed beside them. They probably should change the subject. He didn't want the poor fellow to think they were excluding him. "So, Bodo how did you join up with your dragon slayer originally? Did he find you as an egg or after you were born?"

It seemed a bit strange if Gyastu had found an egg. Originally, exceed eggs had been sent here long time ago by the Exceed Queen in the hopes to save her race from future annihilation. However, after all magic was pulled out of Edolas and the Exceed moved her, most of the exceed hatched here were found and taken back into their families. Though some exceed chose to stick with their humans, many of the exceed lived in a few cities dotting Fiore; the largest of which was located near Magnolia. Looking at this exceed, Trex couldn't tell his age but he guessed he had been born after the Edolas exodus or around there. Either way, it would be interesting to learn a little more about this exceed. Maybe in the tale, Trex could pick up some clues as to why the dragon slayer left in the first place.
~~~~
Nervously waiting while Flynn took the book and quickly examined it, Skye started to glance away when he spoke. Frowning, she looked at him. "Are you certain?" She inquired not really sure if she should leave. There was a lot they needed to find and these rings were more important then what she wanted to know. Especially as she doubted she would find what she was looking for if the section was anything like the celestial library. However, when Flynn seemed certain, Skye picked up the map. "I won't take long." She promised. At least she hoped she wouldn't.

Leaving, she exited the celestial library and headed back to the main lobby. From there she would follow the map to Classification category. After many twists and turns Skye found herself in the room. Located in the basement of the building, Skye saw that the library was much smaller then the Celestial library. A lone table sat in the middle of the room with two chairs. Apparently not many people came down this far. Either that or she was incredibly lost. Glancing at the nameplate on the door, she sighed. So she wasn't lost. That was good news. Putting the map on the table she went over and looked at the bookshelves. Grabbing a book she started to peruse it. There were many types of magic broken off into different categories. However, she did not find the one she was looking for.

Going through book after book, Skye frustration built. Nothing. The greatest library in the country, possibly in the world and she couldn't find what she needed. She discovered several types of magic she didn't know about but not the one she really wanted to know. So much for trying to get around it. Cursing she slammed the latest book back in its place. Would she ever be free? Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. Trying not to cry she sat there until she regained her composure. Glancing at the map she wondered how long she had been gone. two hours? three?

Quickly jumping up she grabbed the map and headed back. Even with the map she got turned around a few times before she finally made it back to the lobby. Spotting Flynn, she headed toward him. "I'm so sorry." She stated. "I lost track of time." Spotting the large clock she winced as she realized she had been down there about six hours. She bit her lip. "Find anything interesting?" She inquired tentatively.

[tsubasa]

Zelia placed her hand on Trex's shoulder when he complained about the Caelum Wizards' back door trickery. She smiled softly at him and dropped her hand as he changed the subject to the small Exceed between them. Bodo smiled and launched into the story of how Gyastu saved him from people picking on him in a similar way to how Trex had. Zelia smirked, that must have been part of the reasoning that he had taken so kindly to Trex. It seemed though that Bodo would be somewhat self sufficient. It wasn't sure how much he would be able to do but he said he had lived a few years without his dragon slayer, so he had got by. Even if it was just barely. The conversation was mainly carried by Bodo after that, him spouting stories about his Gyastu. It seemed he was a rather talkative fellow and they had just released the beast. Zelia didn't mind though, it allowed her to sit and think, only piping in from time to time.
~
Zelia hopped off the cart back in Magnolia, a little before dawn. She wasn't sure if Trex was awake in the back but she had gone through with her plan of driving whether he was awake or not. She assumed the cart jolting about was sure to wake him... She was curious what kept him. She released the two horses and the Old Man ran over to her, "Hey, I do that."

Zelia looked at him and nodded, "Well you did," She pulled out a part of her portion of the reward and handed it to him, "That is the last installment of the amount I owe you for the horses. And no raising the price, I got your price in writing after you did that the first time, remember."

The man groaned a little, he hadn't actually expected her to make enough to buy them off of him. She smiled and led the two horses away slightly, "We'll clear out our things and leave it to you."

She walked over to the cart and opened the flap. She looked at Trex and the sleeping Bodo, "Rise and shine. We'd best be quick if we want to ask around the guild about Gyastu, we've got to get on the road to take these horses home."
~~~~~
Flynn looked at Skye when she ran up to him and smiled, "Don't worry about it. I was copying it all down and reading and re-reading. You didn't miss much," He looked at his scribbling of the book and then his notes from it. Grinning, he nodded, "I found quite a lot. If you can read my writing, feel free to read the book."

He smiled, "In the meantime, let's find a place to stay for the night."
~
Flynn had slept on the floor in a shared room with Skye. He didn't see a reason to get two rooms and he wasn't going to take the bed when she had worked so hard, using her magic the entire trip. When he woke, fully rested, his hair was a bit of a mess but he completely ignored it. He stood up and stretched before slipping into the bathroom and getting changed. Once he finished, he walked back into the room and tapped on the bed lightly, "Wakey wakey, let's go get some eggs and bakey."

He shook his head at the awful rhyme before he pulled out his copied various of the blue bound book. He pursed his lips, he'd probably read through it again. He had found a few things that he thought maybe clues to a location, but he was a little stumped. With Skye being from another country, she wasn't much help on that front but he didn't mind. If he just kept looking it over, the place would come to him... Maybe if he got his hands on a map.

[Black Ninja]

The slight jolt of the wagon immediately brought Trex fully awake. He had been dozing the past half hour not fully awake when the wagon started to move. Quickly sitting up he thought about joining Zelia up front when he felt the dead weight on his legs. Glancing down he frowned. Apparently, Bodo slept with Gyastu or it was just an exceed thing. However, that meant Trex couldn't get up and join Zelia. He moved his leg slightly to see if he could shift the little guy off without waking him but to no avail. Well that didn't work. He could lift the fellow up but he had no idea if that would wake him. Deciding it wasn't worth it, Trex reached over to his bag and pulled out a book. It was a good time to get in some reading. Though he did not often get a chance to read with his busy schedule he did like to read a bit here and there to learn new things. A trained warrior did not just train physically, but he trained mentally as well. Besides, he had nothing better to do. When the wagon finally stopped, Trex closed the book and put it in his pack. Thanking the Creator for another day, he stared down at the little Exceed. Really? Still sleeping?

Looking up when Zelia peaked in he nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." He said nudging the exceed off his leg, slightly embarrassed that the little creature seemed so attached. Having an exceed was not bad if you were a dragon slayer but for someone like him... It was strange. He wasn't used to it. With the little guy off his leg and slowly rubbing his eyes, Trex grabbed his pack. "Come on Bodo, he said gently picking the exceed up and handing him to Zelia so they could clear the wagon. Jumping down he spotted the older man who used to rent the horses. Forcing himself not to smirk, Trex gave a slight nod and then headed over to the horses. Finally. It had taken them a long time to get these animals. He couldn't wait to see what a little flesh on them would do. They looked to be good stock, just poorly treated. Grabbing the halters he looked at Zelia. He still couldn't believe she did this for him. If he wasn't so formal and he knew it wouldn't stir up something inside him, he would have hugged her. And not the little side hug either. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, not wanting them to go any farther he grinned. "Alright, let's head to the guild, find some answers and then take these guys home."

He looked over at Bodo who seemed still a bit out of it. Apparently, mornings were not his thing. He wondered briefly how Gyastu did it. Did he just carry the exceed until it fully woke up or what? Bodo did mention he liked to be on time. Shrugging he headed toward the guild, glancing up at the sunrise. "It looks like it will be a nice day today." He told the two. It would be a good day to walk to his family's farm. Calculating the distance in his head, he figured that if they left around ten, they would make it to his family's farm by evening. Technically, they could go faster if they rode but Trex didn't want to rent another horse and he was not going to ride these ones for some time. Though they were strong, they shared the load. Besides, he didn't have the gear and his parents would kill him.

As they reached the guild, he noted that the little exceed was now a bit more awake and talkative. As soon as he had been able, Bodo had flown over to Trex and had stuck around him the entire time. It was a bit nerve wracking with the horses right there and one false step possibly crippling the creature but it didn't happen. As they reached the guild, Trex tied the horses to the hitching post. "We'll be right back." He told them making sure that they were able to reach the water. "Alright. Let's go find out what we can about Gyatsu." He declared.

~~~~~
Skye hadn't been able to stay up much later after finding an inn. Though she tried to read through Flynn's writing, her eyes kept wanting to shut. It had been a long day and the combination of using her powers straight through for the past day and a half had wearied her out. She had crashed fairly quickly not bothering to take off the decorative skirt and jacket. Though technically the bodysuit underneath was modest enough, she had been to tired to even bother. When Flynn's voice cut into her sleep, Skye groaned and rolled over, grabbing a pillow and pressing it to her ear. She did not want to get up. She started to doze again. When Flynn mentioned something about getting breakfast she groaned again but sat up. Rubbing her eyes she slowly came to grips to where she was. Realizing where she was, she quickly glanced down at herself and then at the bed. Had they...? Did they share the bed? Seeing his stuff on the ground rolled up, Skye left a mixture of relief and guilt. Relief that they hadn't been that close and guilt because she made him sleep on the floor. Not to mention a bit the fact that she momentarily questioned his integrity. It wasn't often that she shared a room alone with some male. If she had been thinking more clearly last night she might have gotten embarrassed and flustered. But it was good. They saved money.

Quickly turning to cover her expression she got of the bed and quickly made it. By time she was finished she was composed and able to face him. Going over to her bag, she reached in to grab her brush before realizing she still hadn't replaced it. Letting it drop back into the bag she looked at Flynn. "You shouldn't have slept on the floor." She told him. "I'm used to the ground, I wouldn't have minded." Not that she had made much of a protest last night. Mentally, she made a note to be more aware of things, even when exhausted. Had she realized there was only one bed and that he probably would not have shared, what with a girlfriend and all, she would have taken the floor. But she had been so tired and all. Turning, she zipped up her bag again and slung it over her shoulder. Excusing herself, she went into the restroom and quickly got ready. Behind the solitude of a closed door, she brushed her hair and made sure everything looked presentable. Sure, her clothes were a bit wrinkled but that was normal, at least for the bodysuit. Sleeping in them did have that effect. Frowning at the jacket and skirt she realized she had slept in them. Oh well. She would have to try and iron them some other time. Maybe Zelia had an iron back at the apartment. It wasn't like she cared.

Well, in reality she did care. She didn't want people thinking bad of her. However, it did not matter. She was used to burying those feelings and pretending it didn't matter. Besides, she was a warrior. She could always blame it to a few nights out on the road. Coming back out, she glanced around the room, she noted that Flynn already had breakfast. As the inn didn't really serve full course, he must have gone down and picked up some of the breakfast rolls they made and brought them back. Sitting down at the wooden table, she set her bag down. Nodding her thanks, she took one of the rolls. Noting his intense look at the book, she glanced at the it, attempting to read it upside down. Apparently it was talking about some place where a waterfall crashed into two rivers. And where a blue barked tree grew at the base of the falls, right at the split of the two rivers. She frowned and reread the description of the valley. She heard of that place. She hadn't been there but she heard about it during her travel through Fiore. "Is that where the next key is?" She inquired. Apparently it was. At least the location to a secret cave where the key was hidden. What was with the color keys all being hidden?

She didn't mention that she had an idea where the blue barked tree was. When she had been traveling far north along the border, she had heard rumor about a secret valley with a blue barked tree that supposedly could heal all ailments. she tried to look for it, not only curious about a hidden valley but thinking it would be a good spot to hide from the world. If it was hard to find, Tye and the others would never know where to find her. But after spending four days lost in the woods, which was saying something considering Caelum was wild and she knew how to survive in the wild and in the forest. But the area she had been in had been so bad that when she finally found a way out, she had been to scared of getting lost forever to try again. Besides, that part of the forest had felt worse then any place she had ever been. The story did say that a great evil dwelled in the woods, purposely confusing travelers so they could not find the secret valley. And those four terrifying days had made Skye really wonder if that was the case.

[tsubasa]

Zelia grabbed her bag from the back of the cart and pulled it over her shoulder before Trex handed her Bodo. She looked at him and rose an eyebrow. She knew full well why he was making her carry him. There was no doubt that he was adorable and it seemed that Trex didn't want that ruining his manly image. She shook her head and cradled the little guy against her chest as he still seemed rather sleepy. She nodded to Trex when he had the rest of the items from the back and gathered his horses. She smiled, "Sounds good."
At the mention of the day, Zelia looked at him and laughed a little, "Small talk? Really, Trex," She looked to the sunrise and nodded, "Good time to head your farm... It would be a shame to make the long trek on a rainy day," She grimaced at the thought of having to trudge through the rain to his house for most the day. At least with the cart they could figure out a way to keep themselves dry... Walking, not to so much.

They walked a little ways before Bodo flew out of his arms and over to Trex, chatting away. She smiled softly at the two off them. It seemed that Bodo had taken a liking to his savior... She wasn't so sure about Trex. She stood by the door while Trex tied up the horses then walked inside when he finished. Lucy was on them in minutes, "Where's Flynn?" She asked. Zelia felt bad having to explain the circumstances and that Flynn spent the night in the city, most likely returning in the evening. Lucy sighed and nodded before leaving the two of them. Zelia pursed her lips, "Well... At least that means Natsu and Wendy are here... How about you two go talk to them and I'll go see if I can find Gajeel."

She stepped away from the two to began to walk through the guild in search of the third dragon slayer and his exceed.
~~~~~~
Flynn laughed when she informed him that he should not have slept on the floor. He shook his head, "You used your magic yesterday along with it being an awfully long day, you deserved the bed. Not to mention, I don't know who would kill me first, Trex for not letting you sleep on the bed after you worked so hard, or Lucy, for not being a gentleman and letting you sleep on the bed," He chuckled and patted her shoulder, "Don't worry about it. The floor was good to me."

When the younger girl retreated to the bathroom to prepare for the day, Flynn decided to grab some food. He ran down stairs and snatched some bread and spread, along with a map, before returning to the room. He placed it all down on the wooden table that sat against the wall before he started to eat. He looked up, when Skye came out and smiled at her, gesturing for her to take a bun. They didn't share any words as she sat down and he looked over his writing of the book and notes. He didn't look up from the map and notes until Skye spoke. He looked at her, his bun half in his mouth. After a moment of nodding a chew, he replied, "I think so... I've trying to find this river all morning," He turned the map around to show her. He had scribbled on it, the rivers were all marked in blue, diverging rivers where circled in a red, along with small notes in black. He shook his head, "But I can't find anything about water fall and I don't even know if the rivers are two separate entities and the waterfall splits or if the rives split from the pool at the waterfall. He sighed, "Basically, I have a description and no locations."

[Black Ninja]

Heading into the guild Trex nodded as Mirajane waved at them. He looked around the room. Several guild members were hanging around. He spotted Cana in the corner drinking, as usual. Wakaba and Macao sat talking about the latest whatever. Trex turned away and spotted Lucy heading toward them. Excitement shun on her face as she looked around for Flynn. Her smile dimmed as she did not spot him. When she inquired where he was, Zelia beat him in replying. He felt a bit bad when Lucy turned away dejected. He turned and nodded at Zelia when she suggested he go find Natsu and Wendy. "Be careful." He stated. It wasn't that Trex doubted Zelia could take care of herself, he just knew that Gajeel had a bit of a temper. Though the dragon slayer had changed a bit over the years he still could be a bit dangerous.

Turning, he headed off to find Natsu and Wendy. It didn't take him long to find the two dragon slayers. Natsu was at the moment in an argument with Gray over their latest adventure. Annoyed Gray through his hands in the air. "Fine. I've had enough." He said storming off. He nodded at Trex but didn't stop. If he had time, Trex would have caught up with him and gone over some maker magic but now wasn't a good time. Especially as Gray just needed some time off.

Heading over to Natsu, Trex interjected. "Sorry to bother you Natsu, but I have a question."

The pink haired man looked over. His face lit up when he saw Bodo. "Hey look Happy, it's another exceed." Trex calmly waited as the next few minutes turned chaotic as everyone around started throwing out questions and greeting the new exceed. "What brings you to Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked the little creature. "Are you with some dragon slayer that will be joining us?" He grinned at Wendy. "Just think. Four dragon slayers in our guild. Who will want to touch us?"
~~~~
Skye listened as Flynn talked. He had no idea where to look. She looked down at the map even though she knew she didn't need to re-see it to confirm it was the place she had been looking for. She took inhaled quietly and then looked up at Flynn. "Before I joined the guild, I was in the far north, by the border." She said tracing a grain on the table. "There is a little town called Peatri." She told them. "That's where I first heard of the mythical blue barked tree that would heal all ailments." She nodded toward the map. "It was said to be located at the base of a waterfall in a secret valley. That waterfall crashed into two rivers." She looked up at Flynn. "It is said to be located deep in the Waas Forest. In an area that is guarded by an evil creature." Her eyes dropped and she shrugged. Though she pretended that it was just a myth she couldn't help the shudder that ran down her back. Some might have believed it was a myth but she wasn't so sure. There a presence that she could not explain and the fact that even with her survival skills, honed from years trying to survive on Caelum, she got hopelessly lost had her wonder if something was really out there.

She looked back up at Flynn. "I can take you to the village and we can see if Orian can find the location." She stated forcing the enthusiasm she did not feel. The terrifying fear she had felt lost had been worse than anything she had ever felt before, except for perhaps Tye. It was a different fear. One that had terrified her then but had no brought any harm. Other than the worse nightmares ever and the feeling of hopelessness and dread. She set the remaining breakfast aside, no longer hungry. "It is a good few days travel from here." She stated. "And that's with a wagon." She glanced back at the map. "Do you think we should stop back in Magnolia and get Trex and Zelia? With the train there, we can ride up Oshibana and then make the trek up. Besides, there was safety in numbers.