A Shadow Heart's Secret

[Fayte Scarlett]

Magnolia seemed like a very vibrant town. People of all ages walked the streets, talking and laughing happily. Yet Fayte knew appearances could be very deceiving. Beneath the layer of a perfect town, festered resentment and hatred against the Magic Council. Magnolia itself was home of Fairy Tail, giving guildless wizards a prime location to register with a prestigious guild. But not everyone accepted the Council's whims so willingly. Shadow Heart had heard rumors of budding dark guilds within the area. Fayte was sent as a scout, to scope out potential allies or enemies. Just because they might be fellow dark guilds, didn't mean they would be friends. More than likely they would turn up as enemies, since they competed for a very specific market in Fiore.

Fayte had arrived in Magnolia in the afternoon. She had a few vague ideas of where she might find the dark guild members, but nothing too concrete. She wasn't very concerned; her job was just to scout, and not become very involved. If she found little it wouldn't mean too much. While walking down the street, a certain store caught her eye. Inside the large sheet of glass, a variety of plushies ranging from teddy bears to a large wolf were on display. Fayte paused before the window. The wolf in particular, it was very cute with an almost dog-like face. She wondered if a small child would be able to sit on its back comfortably.

Abruptly she turned away, back to the display. She couldn't be caught staring at something like that! Already she could feel strangers' eyes upon her. Everyone expected to like mature things - her appearance and serious expression seemed to lend to that. Plus, she was in Shadow Heart, and cute things were generally not smiled upon in a dark guild. She had to keep it hidden, hidden from everyone...

Already her head was turning back to the display, catching a glance at the cute plush wolf again. No! She snapped back, torn. It was pretty cute. She'd never seen a such a large wolf plushie before either. How much did it cost? ...Wait, what was she thinking, she couldn't buy that. There was no way she could conceal it all the way to Crocus. Hm... it was quite the dilemma.

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma rounded a corner in Magnolia, he wasn't really much on simply walking around sight seeing. The place had been interesting enough to hold his attention and he even decided to cage himself by purchasing an apartment, not that he planned on being there super often. The nature of his upbringing, the same nature that caused him to have something of a wanderlust, led him to be away far too often, but now he was more or less settling into the "civilized" world and he had decided it was time. Unfortunately now that he had the place he had the pleasure of buying a bed, furniture, decorations, and all of the things people considered important. He had taken the time to do some research, getting bookshelves and trying to learn more about concepts that had escaped him so far. One of these concepts was "comfort". The only thing he could think of that would make him comfortable here was the pack of wolves that he spent time with in the forest. Naturally they couldn't just come and move into his apartment; there were no deer, no rabbits, no trees, no brush, no dens, and he had learned that the majority of the population generally feared wolves, though that fear was mostly bred from either ignorance or the fact that the people who were afraid often were guilty of prey-like behavior.


It was as he was reminiscing/thinking of what to decorate within his apartment that he passed a shop with a plush wolf thing in the window, and a girl looking at it, then not looking at it, then looking at it again. Both seemed like something that would be comforting for his apartment, but he decided the plush doll wolf would probably have less objection and he would have to worry about it rejecting him. Bearing that in mind he simply walked into the shop, talking to the shop keep and trying something he had read about called "haggling" but after decided that it was too complicated to get too much of a deal for it, he simply paid sticker price for the thing and left with it. Upon walking out into the group of people outside he found himself blushing slightly. He only now realized that he looked even more childish than normal just carrying around a plush toy while wearing his Hakama, Kimono, and Hayori and his straw sandals that, outside of Hosenka, appeared strange to others. It was then that his attention returned to the girl he had seen earlier.

"Um...want to help me get this to my apartment. I mean, people don't seem to judge girls as much for having things like this on them... Plus I'm kind of new to buying these things and I noticed you were looking at it." Tatsu said with a smile as he reached back and scratched the back of his head innocently. It was something he had noticed, guys giving girls stuffed animals and girls walking around with some sort of bear or other stuffed animal on their arm or in their purse or something. There were even photos in sorcerer weekly where women had pictures with stuffed bears... Which of course led Tatsu to think about this girl having her picture taken with the stuffed wolf plush in a bikini or something, though he kept these thoughts off of his face and stuck to his innocent look.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte made particularly sure to stare straight ahead as someone entered the very store next to her. She dare not look at him directly, as she was very intent on making herself appear uninterested in the store. But she heard the chime of when he first opened the door, a few seconds of silence which passed, and then the chime again as he left. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the gigantic plushie in his arms. Now it was impossible to avoid staring. Had he just bought it? Really? What for? He seemed a little bit old for it. Did he like those kind of things too? Or maybe it was just for someone else...

It took Fayte a moment to even realize he was talking to her; she was so focused on the wolf in his hands. "R-really?" The faintest stutter escaped in her surprise. The faintest of blush crept to her cheeks. Well, it was rather large. "If you can't handle it yourself, I guess I could help you... Although I'm afraid such cute things don't suit me," She said, looking away quickly. She hadn't quite meant that she disliked cute things - although it was implied. Rather, she simply thought that cute things didn't match her. Someone with her height, her physical build, dark hair - she appeared all the more frightening when placed in comparison to something so cute. Certainly he must've been trying to ask for help, as she doubted she looked any better carrying such a thing.

Yet despite that, Fayte took the offered plushie. It wasn't until the wolf was safely in her hands that she registered anything about the person she was talking to. At first glance, he seemed like a typical teenage guy... the makings of a man, yet his face still lookedyoung. Again she wondered why someone like him would bother with a stuffed animal. Then there was the matter of his clothing. “.....” It was too hard to avoid staring. She recognized his attire as traditional Hosenka clothing. The style was fading and even in Hosenka, the clothes were becoming rarer. In other parts of Fiore, such clothes were practically nonexistant. Fayte's original dark guild had a certain member who refused to wear anything except the traditionally styled clothes. Her guildmates, and Fayte included, had at least an outfit or two for the occasional festival and other activities. But she had put that behind her two years ago, and the clothes collected dust in her closet now. She only wore modern and practical clothes; an effort to blend in more, since she already stuck out a bit.

“Are you... from Hosenka?” Fayte asked. She was a bit in disbelief of what had just happened. First he came and bought the stuffed animal, then asked if she wanted to carry it (of course she did, and it gave her a good excuse), and now he was apparently from the town of her past. For the first time in a long time, she was curious about someone in front of her. “And... do you have many things like this in your appartment?” She lifted the wolf a little higher to hide her face. Her voice was carefully controlled, but the blush was harder to hide. She had an image of her mind – an entire apartment filled to the brim with plushies. The thought was enough to steal some of her breath. Could such a place really exist in the world? Somewhere beyond the realms of a store?

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu looked at the girl he had asked to carry his stuffed wolf, but he only shrugged when she asked if he was from Hosenka. As far as having stuff like this in his apartment, he couldn't figure out a shy gesture to answer wordlessly with.
"I just get my clothes from Hosenka. I lived in the mountains and out of civilization for a while so my clothing style was either completely non-existent, or consisted of pretty much rags. When I started learning about living in towns and stuff I found pictures of people dressed like this and decided I liked the way it looked and so I started steal- I mean buying my clothes from Hosenka. Eventually I learned taking things without paying for them so I starting actually buying them. As far as my apartment goes I just got it and was trying to decorate it with things that made me feel comfortable. I love wolves so I when I saw this in the store window I decided I should get it since I thought it would make me feel more comfortable." He answered. And like that he had gone from the silent type, to the rambling talkative type.

As they walked toward his apartment he started to think about obvious details that had escaped him earlier. With the rising incidence of dark guilds in the town, and young mages wanting to step up and join them he had no guarantee of whether this girl was one of them. She was helping him carry the wolf though, surely dark guild members would go so far as to do that right? Whatever the case was, he was actually having a decent conversation with someone who wasn't trying to be combative with him or that he wasn't being combative with. She was slightly taller than him, and he liked her clothing too.
"So where are you from? You seemed to be pretty interested in the store, though if cute things aren't for you, it might please you to know that actual wolves are even cuter than the plushy you're carrying. They have a fierce side too and you have to earn their love and respect, but that makes things like this all the better because they aren't being vilified simply for following the rules that have been established out of necessity outside of civilization." He added happily. He loved talking about wolves, they were so amazing, and they earned every bit of their mysticism.
"Also thank you for helping me with this."

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte had not been expecting the torrent of words to stream from his mouth. She blinked, having a little trouble keeping up with his train of thought. At least she caught the beginning part. He wasn't from Hosenka. She didn't understand why, but... she had wanted him to be from Hosenka. Seeing the clothes reminded her of that place. It was a strange thing, for when she was in the town, she felt no particular attachment to the citizens. Yet being outside of Hosenka, and then seeing someone from there - it was like suddenly discovering a common bond. Only to have it dashed away by his response.

She didn't understand. Why wear clothes from there when he hadn't lived there? But then his next words made even less sense to her, living with rags or little clothes. And then stealing clothes, and then buying clothes, and then - and then? Loving wolves, so he'd bought the wolf plushie. At least that answered one of Fayte's unsaid questions. She remained very quiet all throughout his rambling, the wolf plushie still hiding her face. Even when he had finished, she said nothing in response, silently following him to where she presumed his apartment was located.

Again he started talking all by himself. She heard the question first, but the rest was lost to her. It was hard to know if she should be paying close attention, as he was talking about animals, and she liked animals. Yet at the same time, his rapid talking was easy to tune out; to become background noise with feeling rather than meaning. He was talking about wolves. Fayte had seen a pack of timber wolves once, a long time ago. It had been during one of her return trips on a mission, years ago. They were amazing. Completely different than any representation of them, especially those of the plush kind. She enjoyed both the real ones and the plushie ones, but for two completely different reasons. They had little in common together.

"I'm... from Hosenka," Fayte answered, only after she was sure he had finished speaking. She wasn't sure if he had meant where she currently lived, or where she'd been born. She figured he meant her background. Although little Angelique might have been born in Shirotsume, as far as Fayte was concerned, that girl had died and been reborn in Hosenka. In that essence, Hosenka was her hometown... although her current residence had moved to Crocus, for Shadow Heart purposes.

"And... it's no trouble," she added. She was glad to have this opportunity with the wolf. There were things she needed to get done in Magnolia. There was still the matter of finding the budding dark guilds. However, she was not overly concerned about rushing to see it done. As long as she found something to work with in the next few days, it would be fine. "I..." She hesitated. He had just shared so much of himself, and she felt like she should reciprocate somehow. She glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, before admitting... "I like animals too." Not just wolves, but all kinds of animals. Unlike human beings, they had nothing which cluttered their minds. Beautiful images of only feelings and instincts, the pulse of life in a raw and untainted form.

[Tatsuma]

As they reached his apartment's address, he climbed the stairs to the fifth floor, the highest spot of the floor of the building, and slid the key into the lock and opened the place up, practically flinging the door open excited to finally be there and even better with a girl in his apartment. One of the things he hated most about human housing was that people seemed to cramp themselves into these cozy little areas as if the world was best seen through the windows of a cell. It had been one of the deciding factors about this place. It was build around a giant tree and was more or less on the outskirts of town. He went over the things she had said to him, which wasn't hard because she hadn't really said a lot to him at all. She seemed to be the tall silent type which, while possibly endearing, also made it harder to get close to someone. "Endearing" he though to himself. That would be his word of the day. His lessons had picked up since he had managed to finally find this place.

The place was set up with only minimal furniture, but a few branches extended from the tree at this level  which curved down and had branches growing from them for back support. Official furniture did exist in the place but it was limited to one bed, which was located in the corner; a loveseat that he had found during a job; a desk which was set up at the foot of his bed; a bookshelf that was littered with various books about equally varied subjects from electro physics ( of which he was still working on understanding more than the first page), a dictionary, medicinal herbs of different areas of fiore, world geography, cloud formations, and a book about the art of mastering language, the list just went on; and a leather chair that was something of a work in progress as he read books about upholstering. Beside that there only room with walls was the bathroom, and an additional door on the trunk of the tree opened up into a stairway inside the tree, which led to the roof where some of the other tenants of the complex would sometimes gather. All in all it was as close to a woods habitat as he could find and since the design was obviously done by magic and it hadn't gone over as well as the architect thought it would, it was a steal at 65,000J.

After looking around for where he would want to put the wolf. At last he decided to put it at the edge of his desk on the floor and he turned to her to say something about it when it occurred to him that he hadn't even asked this girl's name.
"I just realized I never asked your name!" He exclaimed in realization. "Mine is Tatsuma Shinju, and what is yours?" He asked with his usual innocent smile.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Up and up Fayte followed. They were soon on the fifth floor of the apartment, which provided a nice view of Magnolia. She liked being up so high; it gave her quite the view. Crocus had a few tall buildings, but they were ones Fayte had never visited. It was unusual to think that people actually lived so much taller than the trees now. Well maybe not all trees... the largest one in Magnolia practically touched the heavens. She followed dutifully after Tatsuma when he entered the house. Her time with the stuffed wolf would soon be coming to an end.

Fayte looked around as she stepped inside the apartment. It was very sparse; it shared many similarities with her own dorm at Shadow Heart... Minus the tree growing from the wall. Fayte had no need for useless trinkets, so there were none at her home, save a few keepsakes from Master Xian Fei. And even those served practical purposes. She preferred rooms designed for practicality, and yet... somehow it was a little disappointed that he didn't possess a plethora of plushies. But of course he wouldn't. That would just be silly.

She took a few steps inside while Tatsuma was lost in thought, presumably to tell her where to place the wolf. Her eyes scanned the titles; they were surprisingly intellectual books rather than about entertainment or fiction. She turned away from the books when he spoke again. "Tatsuma Shinju..." Fayte repeated. Even his name sounded like it was from Hosenka. Curiously she watched him. It had been a while since she gave her name out to a non-coworker. "I am Fayte..." She nodded. Rarely did she give out her last name. She knew that 'Fayte' was an unusual 'name', but that was what she was called. There was no need to give an alias or try to hide her name. The only ones who knew her as a Shadow Heart guild member where other guildmates. She had always been careful when she made contact with the Magic Council or other citizens. To everyone else, she was just a normal person. "...Where would you like this?" She reminded him, still holding the wolf.

[Tatsuma]

That was right he had completely forgotten about the stuffed wolf in light of the fact he had a girl in his apartment and the phrase "out of town strange" came to mind which caused him to smile, though as per usual the smile was innocent and he used it to reinforce his sincerity, a tactic given him by one of his books about internalizing non sociable thoughts.
"Oh that's right, sorry just by the desk there." He said pointing at the spot he wanted it. He was kind of sad that the little journey had come to an end, but he couldn't figure out a way of getting her to stay unless she absolutely wanted to. Briefly his mind wandered to asking her if she wanted to help him rearrange the place but that would involve him getting more furniture. He also wanted to do it in a way that would come across as concise even though it might be slightly more than he necessarily needed to say.
"So Fayte is an interesting name, especially for Hosenka. I like it though. And thank you for carrying that here, I think I would have been embarrassed to have done it myself an-" He cut himself off when he realized he was starting to get too drawn out. He had already done that once and judging from how short and to the point her answers had been thus far he didn't want to engage in conversation that was primarily idle chit chat, though he did wish she would be a little more drawn out.

"and I was wondering if there was anything you were planning for the day that I might be able to help you with... Or if you'd like to go get something to eat with me... I'm buying." He said, pausing intermittently both because he was a bit shy about the subject matter and because he was trying to keep himself as straight forward and to the point as humanly possible. He hadn't gotten particularly close with anyone that he had met, sure he had several friends in the sense that he got along with them, but his only childhood companion had been his mother and she was no where to be found. His guild mates were all technically family, but he still felt outcast from the group even when he was in an entire crowd. This wasn't anyone's fault, but he found himself feeling lonely more often than not since it wasn't likely that he was going to get any visitors here. Briefly he wondered if that was the reason he had been somewhat seedy especially considering his age. It gave him much to think about, but there was an honest chance to try to develop an actual friend and he wanted to take the opportunity while he had the chance.
"Of course you're not obligated to.. I mean if you're busy or anything." He said, the area around his nose and face blushing slightly and leaving him looking like one of the Chibi Fairy Tail plushy versions of some of the more noteworthy Fairy Tail guild members.

[Fayte Scarlett]

In turn, Fayte's face remained perfectly stoic, seeming to react to nothing Tatsuma said in terms of smiling or dialogue. At first appearance, he seemed a little different than others around him, but some of the signs she thought she'd read were actually red herrings. He was not from Hosenka, he did not have a stash of plushies, but he did seem to like animals. At least they had one part in common. Silently she obeyed his directions, placing the wolf on the desk. She made certain it was sitting upright with its paws properly aligned, before standing back and examining it one last time. The little wolf would likely be right at home in an apartment that looked like it was half in the wilderness... or at least with that tree coming out of it.

She turned her attention back to him when he started talking. Fayte had no plans to answer more about her name unless he directly asked. And even then, it would likely be too fragmented for him to make proper sense out of. Contrary to most first impressions, Fayte didn't mind talking about her past or details about herself... but for her own safety and for Shadow Heart's, anything related to the dark guilds had to be kept a secret. Carrying the toy wolf had really been no trouble for her... she had already said as much... Curiously she watched him as he cut himself off mid-sentence; she didn't understand why he'd abruptly switched.

Until he asked her if he could help her in return, or repay her with a meal. Fayte wondered what was going on in his head... Surely the simple act of carrying the wolf was not that hard. It certainly didn't entail for him to repay her with a favor. “But... we have only just met... And I haven't done enough for you to repay me...” Or... was it that he just wanted to spend more time with her? She wondered why he would want that. Well... she had vowed to herself that she wanted to increase her social skills. Her time with Sharaku had gone well. Fayte felt tired after interacting with others, but she thought Sharaku had been worth it. But then... with the other man Aiden... that had not gone quite as well. Plus... unlike Tatsuma here... the other two men were Shadow Heart operatives. Work gave them plenty of reason to talk. Forming bonds with them could help her own motives in the future.

With Tatsuma... that wasn't the case. He could even be an enemy, for all she knew. There wasn't much benefit in having him as an ally. She could do anything she needed to get done by herself... and she could not do her Shadow Heart mission around Tatsuma. “I'm... not busy. Where should we go...?” So why did she say yes? ...She wanted to prove to herself that she could. She could handle normal interactions the same as anyone else. If she seemed distant, it was because she didn't involve herself. So she just needed to involve herself more. This... could be practice for her future encounters. “I have only visited Magnolia once before, and did not stay long. Perhaps you would know the areas of interest better than me?” She suggested. Food or otherwise... she supposed she needed to scout the town anyway, and doing it with another person would make her look slightly less suspicious. It would give her a more tourist-like alibi. But really... the place they went to meant little to her. She was more concerned in surviving in a forced social setting. Even interaction with a single person outside of work... would be difficult for her to find common ground with... but she wanted to try.

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu's face lit up, he hadn't actually expected her to take him up on it. Still, he was interested in learning more about her, though he thought he would start with the kinds of things she liked to eat.
"Well, there's a lot of options here. We can go to a restaurant and get food if you would like, i'm pretty good at hunting if you want something really fresh, although that might take longer. I'm a fan of yellow-fin ceviche or most ocean fish curries." He said, sticking away from the electric eel that was definitely on his favorites list. There were actually a lot of foods that he liked, but he wasn't about to list them all off. He had read that it was socially frowned upon for one to talk about every single detail about themselves all at once since people didn't usually like to listen for extremely long periods of time.

She had been correct for the most part about him knowing about magnolia, though his favorite places to eat were mostly in Hosenka. A man there even let Tatsu stay in the inn that he owned and that even had pretty good food.
"Really it's just a matter of taste, but they even have good food and drinks at the Fairy Tail guild hall." He shared, only now wondering what guild the girl was from. He didn't see any guild marks on her that were visible, that could mean she was guildless. As he began to analyze the situation more, he started to realize he knew almost nothing about her. She said she was from Hosenka, but the way she talked, and from what he could tell, her clothes even didn't really match what he had seen from there, though that was a trifle. Many people would dress in clothes from there when they were there and then dress differently when they weren't. It wasn't anything suspicious, but it did cause him to wonder more about her than her taste in food.


"So are you a mage? I only ask because you're here in magnolia and you don't seem like a business woman." He asked. In truth he wanted to deduce whether she was guildless and simply coming out and asking wasn't really his style these days. He had learned the hard way that some people didn't like to admit to being guildless when asked specifically. Plus he kind of hoped she was, that would give them more in common.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Hunting... Fayte did not expect much of anything from he people she interacted with. But hunting... was honestly something Fayte was surprised to hear him say. She supposed that with the background that he'd given... he was hardly the typical Magnolian resident. Fayte also knew certain techniques of hunting; basic survival techniques passed down by Master Xian Fei. But even Fayte knew it was likely not an activity that others would enjoy. Perhaps Tatsuma found the activity fascinating enough to offer to do it together.

It was surprisingly... interesting... but it might take up quite a bit of time. This worried Fayte, not because she was hungry, but because it might limit her other activities. "I... would prefer to stay in Magnolia..." She told him. The Fairy Tail Guild Hall... ... She didn't think that people could walk freely in there. At least, not without either being a member or client. She started to wonder if he was part of that guild... yes he looked to be fairly young and in good health. If he was a wizard, that would make plenty of sense. Which meant... technically they were enemies. Or rather, he would consider her an enemy.

There were some in Shadow Heart who resented the 'official' guilds. Felt like they were trying to suck up to the Council, especially those that had joined after the guild-less laws. Plus, the three official guilds were 'shackled' by morals, only taking on jobs that were approved by the Magic Council. ...But Fayte did not care about any of this. The people in other guilds were simply other people trying to live out their life. She had neither particular like nor dislike against such people... even though some of the official guilds had begun hunting out dark guild members. They were enemies, but they were enemies of coincidence. The official guilds were not the true power which Shadow Heart fought against.

She knew that Tatsuma's question was a loaded one. He had said it simply, but it meant so much more. 'Are you a mage.' In this day and age, guild-less were persecuted. The general population didn't seem to mind much, but the Magic Council certainly did. It was almost like asking if she was an outlaw. "I am," she answered without hesitation. "I am a wizard, but I am not part of one of the three wizard guilds." A purposely misleading truth. She wasn't in the three guilds. She was part of the dark guild, Shadow Heart. But any normal person would assume for her to be guildless. That was fine with Fayte. She might be inviting trouble by admitting that she wasn't in the three guilds... but it was a more believable truth than claiming to be without a guild at all. "Please keep this quiet from others...." Fayte added. It probably went without saying the subtlety of what they were talking about. Yet at the same time, she was trusting Tatsuma to a certain degree; trusting that he wouldn't run off and tell someone in the Magic Council. That would really invite trouble. "Are you part of Fairy Tail, then?" Fayte asked, deciding this was a good time to follow up her previous curiosity. She was playing with fire... something terrible could happen if she kept talking with Tatsuma... but she wanted to see where fate would go in its current direction...

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu answered her question honestly, deciding that would be the easiest way to go.
"I'm a fairy Tail mage, though it's kind of a recent thing. Maybe six months now in total." He said as he started for the door, motioning for Fayte to come with him. They were exchanging information which was fair enough. Still he realized that he still wasn't learning anything solid about her.
"Is there a reason why you're guildless? It's not really any of my business I guess. Though I'm curious as to what else defines you." He said, stopping with his hand on the door. He hadn't purposefully phrased it differently than her, and it didn't occur to him that she had meant anything different.

As he waited for her to answer he briefly flipped through the places they could go eat. She still hadn't really gone into any amount of detail as to what exactly it was she wanted to eat which pretty much left him holding the bag. There were a myriad decisions to make and nothing to do but kind of take a shot in the dark. Still once his question was answered they could wander until they found something that she would like.

[Fayte Scarlett]

So, he was a Fairy Tail mage. Fayte had little experience in dealing with the official guilds' members. Theoretically she knew what they were about, but it was all from hearsay and nothing from personal experience. She supposed they were both similar in that they both took jobs to be paid, just one cared about either the law and morals more than the other. Considering Tatsuma's earlier tale about himself... perhaps it was surprising he had joined a guild at all. Six months was still a good chunk of time.

"I am where I am because it's where I need to be," Fayte answered, still not really talking about guildless. But quickly her mind began to re-evaluate her normal answer. Tatsuma was trying to learn more about her from a friendly standpoint, so her cryptic answers weren't going to give him the edge he wanted. "I..." She hesitated, thinking how to both give him more knowledge without important details. "I have never thought much on where I'm going or where I'll end up, and I normally take things as they come. But..." Her eyes narrowed a little, as she continued to follow Tatsuma. "I do have one goal. I am... pursuing a certain man," she said very seriously. It was completely not her intention, but she made it sound like a romantic interest. In truth, her pursuit of Mordekai was far from romantic. Maybe romantic in a poetic way, but certainly not in the loving kind of way. "If I joined one of the three guilds, that option would be closed to me." If she had chosen another life... she would never have the chance to chase after revenge. It was the chase which still drove her in this life, more than the actual revenge... it was a long path, one she could follow for some time. She still had much to do to prepare for her meeting with Mordekai.

"But what about you?" She wondered, more out of curtesy, and also to keep the conversation on him. "You lived with nature, yet joined Fairy Tail..." It was quite the jump... going from wilderness to the thriving town of Magnolia.

[Tatsuma]

At first, when she spoke about pursuing a certain man, Tatsuma's eyes shifted away. She was already taken? Story of his life right? But then when she said that if she joined a guild the option would be closed to her and that changed his mind. Even though most people seemed to be under the misconception that if they joined a guild they would hindered by something, he thought it odd that she added it in to her statement, and decided to drop it at that. He wanted more information, but he didn't want to push her to the point she just left, and he didn't want to find out if was already seeing someone. That way he could keep pressing forward carelessly.
"I lived there with my mother who left me. I didn't have a choice but to leave but didn't want to venture too far at first in case she came back. I stole food from Vulcans and Frostvyrns. When I finally came into cities I kept doing the same thing, but cities have laws so I got caught. It wasn't until I found Fairy Tail that managed to stumble across a family, and a place that I could continue searching for my mother, and a place I could continue to grow stronger. So here I am!" He finally finished with a smile. Naturally he had left out the part about his mother being a dragon, and he left out the part about the pack of wolves he had learned so much from and that had taught him so much, but the gist of his history was there. It was odd, he hadn't exactly given anyone even the amount of the story he had given her, but it wasn't exactly enough to have completely opened himself up.

As he finished the explanation he thought about the amount of information he had given and the amount of information she had given. Still he skipped it as he opened the door to leave, there would be more time over the course of their meal, plus he had given her that amount of information because he felt comfortable and assumed that she had done the same.
"I know where to go." He said, a little more serious now. The topic he had just finished talking about always sobered him up and he always thought about it right before he went out to do a mission when he needed to get it out of the way and sharpen his senses. Subconsciously he had placed himself in an alert mode and was still there at this point.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Stealing from monsters was quite the feat, albeit maybe not the most efficient way of living. The faintest of smiles appeared ever so briefly on Fayte's face. So Tatsuma was trying his hardest to get stronger too... there were many people in this world, each seeking to fulfill their own goals, most of them desiring more strength. Apparently Tatsuma had also decided on where they were going. "I'll look forward to it..." She said truthfully. She wondered what kind of place they would go to; she had never quite done this with a stranger before. Even with her guildmates, it was sort of an adventure to see what kind of place they would pick out for food.

The sun was still out and it would likely be a few hours before dark. Magnolia was busy as always; Fayte had never been to even a deserted section of town. Overall it seemed like a relatively peaceful place... and yet... As they walked, Fayte became aware of a certain man following them. Whenever she and Tatsuma took a corner, she saw him a little ways behind them. At first she thought it was just coincidence, but they'd already taken two turns and were walking a few blocks... and still she sensed him. Was he really following them? Or just coincidence? Fayte had many potential enemies... but few knew her face. She wondered if the man was after her... or maybe... She cast a side glance at Tatsuma. Perhaps this had nothing to do with her at all. Short of splitting up and seeing who he would follow, there was no way to know for certain. And Fayte wasn't about to do that to Tatsuma; he seemed unnaturally excited just to share her company. Plus... she was trying her best to be social, so paranoia wasn't a reason to call off their little adventure.

"Is being in Fairy Tail... dangerous?" She wondered. It was a general question that he could really interpret any way... Like about the guild's rambunctious attitude, the missions he undoubtedly had to complete, and enemies he would make. But mainly she was wondering if the question might answer the reason for their pursuer...

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma continued walking with Fayte toward the restaurant and rounded a corner, normally he was extremely on point and was very difficult to sneak up on, but in this case he was pretty thoroughly distracted by his companion so he never noticed the person that was following them, and simply spoke to Fayte.
"No it's pretty safe. The only people we typically have to worry about attacking are dark guilds and they don't seem to go after whole guilds themselves, nor have I really heard about them attacking guild mages a lot." He explained. It wasn't usually unsafe but with the rise of dark guilds and dark mages, magnolia was becoming a slightly worse neighborhood.

"There have been a lot of dark guilds rising up, kidnapping people, killing others... but not all of them have been on the same level. There was a boy who wanted power that was fighting in the underground tournaments to try to build himself up. I never found out who was teaching him, but I convinced him to use the power he had gained so far to help other instead of just hurting people. The only thing bonding him though is his word so either he is doing it or he isn't a man of his word, but I like to think that he found a way." Tatsuma explained. It was a long winded story of an exploit of his, but it was troublesome nonetheless to think that people like Daniel were being coerced, convinced, or corrupted into becoming dark mages. Even though he had resolved not to use long winded speeches anymore, he found himself moved to the cause.

"Is it dangerous being guildle-" He cut himself off. She hadn't said she was guildless, only that she wasn't in one of the official guilds. That meant that she could be in a guild, just maybe not an established one. "Is it dangerous to be a mage outside of the three official guilds?" He asked.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte did take interest when Tatsuma began explaining the dangers of his own work. Interesting that he spoke of the dangers of dark guilds and other people, when he was likely dealing with dangerous missions against monsters and other threats. For a dark guild to go on the offensive against a guild wizard would be tantamount to all-out war. Although Shadow Heart boasted a large selection of members, and power within all major cities of Fiore, no other dark guild could really compare to their prestige and power. An all-out war was something a smaller dark guild could ill afford. So most likely... Tatsuma's experience with other dark guilds had been through Fairy Tail's offensive initiation.

She wondered what he meant... "Not all dark guilds are on the same level... what do you mean?" She was used to outsiders lumping all dark guilds into one category; some androgynous being with more similarities than differences. Yet to Fayte, there was a clear difference between Mayonaka, Shadow Heart, and all the other dark guilds. To Fayte, her current guild was her home. No longer a rising star, it sought only to expand even further, into the depths of Fiore's roots. "What if the boy you 'convinced' had yet another change of heart... if he changed once, surely he can do so again... It is a gamble, as he might one day fight against you and your Fairy Tail..." She said. Tatsuma's idealistic view on what had transpired... Fayte could never hold the same. Barring dark guilds, just the thought of trusting someone's change of heart... without sufficient proof, it seemed reckless. It would be a potential problem in the future, one that might not give such favorable results the second time around.

Fayte cast Tatsuma a brief glance when he cut himself off. So, he had noticed... he even rephrased his question to incorporate Fayte's own roundabout way of explaining her situation. Did that mean he suspected something? All this talk of dark guilds... it was certainly possible. Yet Tatsuma still seemed fairly amiable, instead of turning hostile. Of course there were other guilds outside the three wizard guilds... smaller, crafting guilds and the like... but she had already told him that she was a wizard. "It is dangerous..." Fayte confirmed. Her line of work constantly forced her to put her life on the line, to be caught by other wizards, or by the Magic Council. But whatever didn't kill her would only make her stronger. She needed to be stronger to face her goal. "The Magic Council... is unforgiving. Eager... to deal with the slightest of suspicions, and to stop problems before they arise..." She figured he could at least relate to that. Especially if he had only been in civilization for a short amount of time, the Magic Council must have seemed quite extreme at points. "I doubt they would take kindly to your earlier method, of trusting your former dark guild acquaintance..." Clearly Tatsuma harbored different opinions than the hot-blooded Magic Council, though in a different direction than Fayte's own line of thinking. Fayte could still sense their shadow following, but he was likely too far to hear their conversation. Fayte's own voice was always quiet, and she supposed there was no harm in his eavesdropping between her and Tatsuma's conversation.

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma listened as Fayte spoke. He chalked it up to her perception based on her experiences, and while it was logical, it was somewhat pessimistic.
"It's a gamble, I'll admit that. Still, if we just went around killing everyone because they started hurting or killing others it would be a never ending cycle. Sometimes it's necessary to kill, and sometimes it's necessary to send a message written with the hands you've covered in blood, but in the end the only real way to know whether or not someone is really lost is to give them a chance to find themselves, and the best way to do that is to throw them a rope and a torch." He said with a smile. He had started out killing because that was what he was taught, but it wasn't the only way to go and it wasn't the best way either. If he didn't have role models that had given him a second chance and showed him there was another way he might have been as lost as Daniel was.
"Besides that, if he comes after Fairy Tail I'll be waiting for him there. I'll gain more power to show him that his way is the only way to gain what he seeks. Maybe then, even if he attacks he might have a chance to be a better person." He added.

Even to him the words that he spoke felt overly naive, but that was just another reason for him to get stronger. When your way, no matter how naive it happens to be, leads to your betterment and, arguably, the betterment of those around you, there's no real way to argue with results. Still she had a point about the magic council not approving of his methods, and that was a fact that he was particularly proud of.
"There are some in the magic council that are more understanding, not many, but some. That being said, and pardon my language here, but **** the magic council. I don't care if they are scared, they don't see the damage they are causing or the types of people they allow into their ranks. Besides, I still dealt with their suspicions, I just didn't do it their way." He said simply. He was honest, and he was being realistic about his feelings toward the magic council. If they wanted to come after him for everything he had done to stand in their way he was more than willing to deal with those consequences too.
"Like you said, not all dark guilds are on the same level, so why should everyone treat them as such?" He finished.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Tatsuma's outlook was certainly an unusual one. If he had gone completely one way or the other, believing in killing all the time or never killing at all, she might have understood. Yet he spoke of it sometimes being necessary to spill blood, and other times giving them a chance. "Then... how do you judge when it's necessary to kill?" It was not meant as an accusation... it was an honest question. Tatsuma spoke not of accidental force, of accidentally killing someone in combat, but rather of a conscious choice. To know whether a human was worthy of life or death, and judging humanity individually instead of collectively on a higher principle, was something Fayte would perhaps never understood. Even the naive belief of trying to never kill was more logical than separating some to be killed and others to be saved.

As expected, Tatsuma shared little love for the Magic Council either. The sentiment was quite strong in all of Fiore. The law was a dominating one, one that altered lives, a change which the people here had never seen before. On top of that, the Magic Council had the reputation of making things get worse before they got better. It was undoubtedly a strong reason for why the world favored the guilds. Tatsuma's strong words, which he halfway tried to soften, would have made Fayte smile if she smiled more easily. As it was, no expression graced her face, but perhaps a smile was the right sentiment. He certainly sounded like a Fairy Tail wizard now.

The way Tatsuma placed his last two sentences together, about how he dealt with the Magic Council's suspicions and then about the dark guilds, made her think the two are connected. "Perhaps you have given them reason to mistrust you," she noted. "You make it sound as if you have dark guild dealings of your own... although perhaps only to further your goal of redemption." That would be quite the thought... Fairy Tail wizard, fraternizing with dark guild members. Then again, wasn't that what he was doing now? She still couldn't gauge just how much Tatsuma had figured out about her, or at least suspected.

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma smiled at her question, he noticed he was doing that a lot more lately... smiling. He hadn't done it for several years after Rhidran left him, but he was now doing it like he had never lost his smile in the first place, and he marked that as a level of progress. Still there was the matter of her question to deal with. Truly he didn't know exactly how to answer, he hadn't needed to kill in so long that the thought didn't appeal to him at all anymore. The darkness, the emptiness he had felt in trying to adhere to what he had been taught was starting to subside and was little more than a dull ache.
"The decision to kill in any situation should be based on your feelings. If you feel that the person you're fighting is actively trying to kill you out of hate, as if that's all they have left, it can be best to take them out. If they are a repeated threat to everything you love then the decision to protect what you love should be what prevails... No matter what though, if you get a chance to end it without killing some times that action in and of itself can make a difference." He said somberly. It was a serious matter and it was difficult to put into words, but he felt he had to simplify it somehow.
"If I have to snap someone's neck to keep them from stabbing a friend in the chest I will, but I won't enjoy it, and the disgusts me, but I'm not naive enough to think the world can be a place of joy if you're not willing to hold onto someone you love with both arms." He elaborated. He hoped that would be enough to detract from his murderous statements.

To her comment about his dealings with dark guilds... this was true. He had been fighting them lately, and they had been springing up more and more but these were things that had to be done and they were assigned and approved by the magic council anyway.
"I have had dealings with dark guilds, it's how I know they aren't all the same. Most dark mages are misguided, believing you have to go to one extreme or another and they choose the one that makes them feel the least powerless. If I can I try to show them that there is a middle ground where you can gain strength in a way they seem to dismiss. Still, I don't think they are all that way. I'm sure the leaders of these dark guilds are convinced that what they are doing is the right way to do things, maybe they're old and they don't want to change from the days where assassination missions were allowed or commonplace, maybe they have seen horrendous things during the war or even before it, but that doesn't mean all their underlings are of the same mind." He stated, wondering now where she was going with this.

As he thought back over what she had said, she wasn't just a pretty face indiscriminately asking questions. She seemed to be wondering about specific points, points that he, himself contemplated in quiet moments. She was extracting information, after all it was what he would do... but then why wasn't he? She had answered his questions pretty willingly so far and had been direct, maybe that was a little disarming but there was something about her manner of speaking that made him wonder. Or maybe he was being paranoid. Just because she seemed to be doing something he would be doing didn't mean that she was up to no good.
"What about you? Do you have an outlook on these things? Maybe enemies or something? I'm wondering if perhaps you have dealings with dark guilds as well, based on the questions your asking." He said directly. Mostly he was just returning the questions she had asked, but he wanted to assuage his paranoia anyway and this seemed like he might hear what he needed to do just that.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Slowly Fayte was beginning to understand Tatsuma's perspective. She saw it like a means of defending one's own property. If something incredibly important was threatened, Tatsuma felt he had the right to defend it, no matter the cost. It was a bit risky, however, as it meant there was no guarantee of the outcome. Something truly terrible was more likely to happen before he could stop it.

Suddenly his explanation and outlook on dark guilds also made a whole lot more sense. Tatsuma's logic was following his above logic. Although those in dark guilds might be doing 'bad' things, Tatsuma thought that the dark guild members sought a means to an end. Like if power could only be achieved on the dark side, so to speak. In essence, it was similar to how he saw whether killing was justified or not. A path to claim what belonged to one's self. ...It was interesting, but surprisingly narrow. As for Fayte, she knew she didn't quite fit into his world of perfectly figured out dark guild. She did what was necessary. She had goals, of a vague sort, but the kind that were more beautiful to say they were being pursued than the actual pursuit itself. Really, she was more like fate, important parts coming and going, defining critical moments of life by simply being at the right place at the right time. It was more of an ebb than a straight line. Shadow Heart was so much more than a means to an end. It was family, as much as the other 'legitimate' guilds were family. Except with Shadow Heart, it was more of a life commitment and style.

The questions were inevitable. She had basically asked Tatsuma to pour his life out, yet had said little to add from her own experiences. Fayte was silent a moment, contemplating on how best to answer. She couldn't exactly tell him, 'I kill all my enemies.' She couldn't really say, 'I'm in a dark guild.' But neither was outright lying something she liked, either. Lying was compromising herself. She was who she was, and that would not be compromised. But then, maybe this was a transition. A way for her to obtain more information from Tatsuma, to aid her own search.

"I have had dealings with dark guilds, yes," Fayte said quietly, so that the other man behind them would not hear. "I... am actually here, to hunt down a particular group," she said truthfully. Her objective was to find the smaller dark guild, and eliminate them if they posed a threat to Shadow Heart. "But I do not know their name, nor how many members they have, or... really anything about them." She fell silent again, contemplating. "Actually, I... think one of them might be following us now," she finally said. Mainly because she was curious to see what Tatsuma would do in response. Perhaps she'd get to see his theory first-hand. ...Although in truth, she had no idea yet if the man was with the dark guild yet.

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma's attention, not his head, snapped to their surroundings. He cursed himself for being so distracted. It was the reason he didn't like to team up with female members. He would get distracted by them if he liked them until he got used to them, or until something became what he would consider obvious. Now that his senses were back in line he was thinking about what the person following them could want. Based on what Fayte had told him, the guy could have been following either one of them. Still there was something to be worried about when it came to being chased.
"I really don't like being tailed. Thanks for pointing it out." He said, slightly embarrassed by the fact that she had picked up on it an he hadn't. Still it caused him to now also wonder if she had gone through training similar to what he had gone through.

The matter of the person following them was somewhat serious. He wanted to know what the guy wanted but he had to figure out how to approach the guy without alerting him to their presence. Thoughts occurred to him and if he had been by himself he would have simply gone with his ideas but he had to communicate them to Fayte too. There was the risk that if he spoke the other guy would hear it, there was no telling what kind of magic he used, after all. Given that, he grabbed her hand, pulling her toward him as he stepped closer to her to make it look like they were dating or something that would look natural. With that he went to round a corner with her and leaned in to whisper.
"I'm moving to the rooftop for a good ambush spot so that I can surprise him. Do you think you can distract him when he comes around the corner?" He asked, his voice hushed as he tried to quickly plan an ambush.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte's body noticeably tensed when Tatsuma grabbed her hand. She knew it must be part of some ploy, a trick to display in front of their enemy. Even so, she couldn't stop her reaction. Physical touch, especially by a man, would never be natural to her. Even if it was as simple as holding hands. Still, she managed to fend off her initial reaction of pulling away. Silently she listened to his whisper. So it seemed Tatsuma thought of a plan of action, as Fayte suspected. If they were being followed, it was only natural to find out more about their pursuer. A Fairy Tail wizard would likely refuse to walk away.

She pulled her hand away, perhaps a bit too eagerly, when Tatsuma finished explaining. "I'll do my best," Fayte promised, equally as quiet. Fayte waited for Tatsuma to leave her, the faintest of frowns appearing on her face. She rubbed her hand absent-mindedly, thinking of other strategies open to them. Despite what she'd just agreed to... Fayte really wanted to know if their stalker was after her, or Tatsuma. Although Fayte had tried to keep a low-key presence in Shadow Heart, she might have a small amount of fame. If someone recognized her, it could be bad. Mainly because then she might end up in a fight against Tatsuma, if things really took a turn for the worse. Then again... she wasn't completely sure a fight would be a bad thing. True, it would bring unwanted attention to her. But she did wonder where she fit into his 'justice scale', although she had every intention of winning if it came to a fight.

Unfortunately there was little time to plan anything else. Their stalker would certainly follow the other if he lost one of them, so the only real option would have been to force their stalker to follow Fayte or Tatsuma. But that would probably be suspicious, not to mention Fayte had spent some time thinking, so... Fayte waited behind the corner. As soon as the man passed, Fayte grabbed his shirt, pulling him back and roughly slamming him against the wall. This was probably not what Tatsuma had meant when he asked for a 'distraction'. But Fayte was using it as an opportunity to move first, a moment without a Fairy Tail wizard's interference.

The man gasped in shock, clearly alarmed by the violent reaction. As soon as his head hit the wall, the man's arms moved to his belt. Fayte spied a weapon of some kind; she released him and danced away just in time, an electric-charged blade slashing where she had just been standing. Fayte had gotten a vague outline of him earlier, but now the two were face to face. He was considerably shorter than her, with black hair tied back into a thin ponytail, the man clearly of Hosenka descent. "...Can I help you?" Fayte asked flatly. The man seemed to hesitate, not quite pushing his last attack, at least not yet. "Or... where you looking for the man that was with me..." Fayte's eyes narrowed, wondering if that was why the other had stopped. Tatsuma was likely in position, if not now, then would be very soon.

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma hit the top of the roof just in time to turn around and see Fayte pull the guy into the alley. He simply watched as she dodged an attack. She was quick, he would give her that most assuredly. Still he could stand there all day, and he jumped off of the other side of the building above the spot where he had previously been following the two of them. As he fell he grabbed window sills and use them to break his fall until his hit the bottom, window and then simply fell to the ground, pressing up against the wall so he could hear the conversation. Any expert tracker would know he was there, he didn't conceal his breath or his aura, but he wanted to test both of them. In addition to that if he looked like he didn't know what he was doing the guy she had grabbed might underestimate him. Still, he couldn't wait forever and when she asked if he had been looking for Tatsu, the dragon slayer simply stepped out to the side of him, cutting him off so he couldn't run.
"Speaking of, which." He added at the end of her inquisition about the guy's goals. He wanted to know what the man was planning as well. After all, there was some sort of business if he was carrying around a magic knife.

[Fayte Scarlett]

Fayte kept her attention firmly on their opponent. She could feel watching eyes from nearby, and figured that it must be from Tatsuma. Before she could wonder about his plan, he revealed himself. Briefly if she wondered if that action was wise... If the man was after Tatsuma, their foe would be less willing to talk.

"No wait! I don't mean you any harm!" The man seemed more alarmed than before. He backed away a bit, the dagger falling to his side, trying to take a less threatening posture. Still Fayte never blinked... if the man wasn't dangerous, he would have reacted in a different way. "You're... you're Fayte, right?" Fayte did pause when the man mentioned her name. How was it possible? It was something she rarely gave out. And assuming that this was one of the dark guild members she was searching for... they wouldn't know who she was. Not without Shadow Heart being seriously compromised. "I'm Bao Shi. I met you in the past, back with Xian Fei," he answered her questions before she could even ask them. "And I'm a student of Master Jing Fei."

Fayte's hands dropped to her side. Her eyes were unusually wide, even her mouth partially open. This man knew Master Xian Fei? She supposed it was possible, that she had met him years ago when she was part of Mayonaka, but they were memories that couldn't come to her. "Anyway," Bao continued. "I heard about what happened with Xian. So when I saw you walking around here - I was a bit surprised, to say the least..."

"Who is... Jing Fei?" Fayte found her voice, asking her most primary concern. The man shared Xian's last name. But Master Xian Fei had never spoken about family before...

"Xian's son," Bao replied as if it were obvious.

Fayte's mouth had closed, managing to collect herself. But inside, she was reeling. Never had she considered that her master had family, still alive, somewhere out there. Furthermore... considering her master's own dark guild history, there was a good chance that this Jing Fei was part of the rival guild Fayte was sent to find. Or... maybe even their leader, since Bao had called him a 'teacher'. That could mean... her goal was to destroy her master's own kin...

"Is this guy a friend of yours?" Bao looked to Tatsuma.

Fayte realized what he was implying. "We've only just met...." She turned to Tatsuma. "It was... nice... meeting you," she struggled for the right words. "But... I'll have to pass on our earlier plans... I must speak with Bao..." She hadn't said it directly, but it was implied clearly enough... this was something she had to do alone. If Tatsuma went any further with her, he would certainly find out that she was a dark mage.

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