An unfolding future

Rose Garden was not on Arcadia's list of places to be when she woke up this morning. When her faerie green eyes first opened, she did not even plan on going any farther than the Fairy Hills spa downstairs from her room. As soon as she stuck the crystal moon rose behind her left ear for the day, things began to unfold in just such a way to make Rose Garden her inevitable destination.

The crystal moon rose still held its scent and glow after all this time. She often would smell it to remind her of that day at the festival in Tolgalen with Ruvel. Another day the hand of Fate had guided her to unplanned happiness. Wearing the rose gave Arcadia the sense of having Rui and in spirit. Not the same happiness just being with him had brought her, but it made her smile and think of him through even her worst day.

This morning was no different, except soon as she thought of Rui she felt an urge to go check the job board. A strange urge since there was no listing on there she was not aware off already. She headed on over to the Fairy Tail guild hall as soon as she was dressed and ready. Looking offer the postings, she saw exactly what she thought she would. There were not any unexpectedly new job. She had helped put up all ones currently on the board last night.

Her eye did catch a posting she had barely read in her rush to get to bed though. Arcadia took a closer look, reading more than just the heading.  It seemed a big chocolate company headquartered in Rose Garden was in need of help on their deliveries for Valentine's.  That was all straight forward enough. The part about Valentine's stick putt though. She had managed to gloss over that little nugget the night before. Glancing at as l her iLac, she saw said holiday was already upon her.

The young slayer's mind immediately wondered if Rui would want to take on a job like that with her for Valentine's, but if being CEO kept him even half as busy as she saw Fairy Tail kept Master Sorano, there would be no way he would be available on such short notice. That whole arrival of plague ridden men at the WFTC's masquerade ball reduced any hope she had to near zero. She imagined managing all the work from that just about guaranteed Rui would not have time for a simple delivery job.

Arcadia read on, the posting did promise some unique payment. It might be worth going on the job anyway, and surprising Rui with some of the chocolates. She could when leave them with the receptionist, if Rui was not available when she got to Tolgalen. The posting did have something about a requirement of the delivery being made by couples and something about marriage. She was too excited to read the posting more carefully once she got the idea of sharing some of her payment with Rui for Valentine's. She did figure the company would make an exception for their need for a delivery couple once she demonstrated the portals she could open with her dimensional scissors. A portal straight to the store would surely save the company time and jewel.

It was settled. Arcadia slipped her scissors from her pocket, and cut open a portal to Rose Garden. She arrived just outside the Silver Moon Inn. First thing she needed to do was find the store mentioned in the job posting. It was necessary if she planned on having dependable accuracy with her portals for delivery.

Arcadia was easily caught up in the atmosphere of all the decor and other trappings of the Valentine's holiday on display around Rose Garden. It was good to see some familiar things had survived the unknown centuries or millennia since she had been in magical hibernation. More than a few things about Valentine's had changed since Dragnof's time, but the spirit of the holiday felt much the same to Arcadia.

By the time she had wound her way through the streets of Rose Garden to the chocolate store, she was really wishing Rui were here to share all this with her. With a deep breath, Arcadia focused more on selling the chocolate company on the idea of delivery by portal. She gave the store windows a quick once over, and slipped in the door to scout around.

Inside, she browsed a little, and kept an eye out for an ideal place to bring deliveries through by portal. There was no good out of the way place out front, so she went up to the counter to ask one of the workers.  "Hey, I'm gonna be helping with deliveries later today. Where is the best place to bring them in? In the back somewhere, maybe?"

The dark haired girl behind the counter, who stepped forward to help her, was a little bit older than Arcadia. The young slayer thought maybe she was around Nessa's age. The dark haired girl smiled politely, "Yeah, would be best if you and your partner brought your delivery around back. Here let me show you."

Arcadia smiled and bowed, "Thanks!" She followed the dark haired girl to the back of the store where the back entrance was set up too receive shipments from wagons and magic vehicles. Arcadia bowed and thanked the girl one more time for her help, and departed for the chocolate warehouse.

The barefoot slayer made it across town to the warehouse, the only time she planned to physically traverse Rose Garden for the day. Arcadia found her way inside, navigating the maze of imported chocolate in crates to the office upstairs. She bowed and smiled in greeting to the warehouse supervisor, a red haired woman in her mid thirties. "Hello. I'm Arcadia Fairchilde! Of Fairy Tail. I'm here to help with your chocolate deliveries for today. I can open a portal directly to the store, and save you all that time by making a delivery just a stroll across the room instead of cross town. "

The supervisor looked up from her desk, frowning slightly to see Arcadia all by herself. "I'm sorry, Miss. I'm afraid that unless your partner is waiting outside, we will not be able to use your help. You see, there's a reason we specifically asked for couples to perform the deliveries. We use a matrimonial spell on our dory pairs that acts like a temporary bond of marriage. This magical bond adds the last ingredient to our very special seasonal chocolate. It gives the chocolate an intangible kind of sweetness. The marriage only lasts the duration of the delivery job. But what's that about portals?"

Arcadia sighed, it seemed she came all this way for nothing. The supervisor's interest in portals at the end was her one slim hope. She withdrew her scissors from her pocket again and snipped, for demonstration, open a portal back to the store's loading bay clear across town. The red haired woman looked quite impressed when she recognized the back of the store through the open portal. "I can open a portal just like this one anywhere downstairs to make the delivery only a few steps long. And..."

The barefoot slayer reflexively touched the crystal moon rose in her hair. "And I kinda felt drawn to this job ever since I read the posting for it this morning. I was really going to earn the special payments the posting offered to take to my boyfriend..." She paused a moment, realizing that was maybe first time she had said it out loud. Arcadia smiled softly, taking on an even softer blush before continuing. "He really busy these days, but I wanted to leave a little present for him even if he was off saving the world somewhere."

The supervisor smiled knowingly with glance of recognition to the glowing crystal rose.  "Drawn, you say? Part of the reason the company hired me, is because I'm a shrine maiden. I make sure these chocolates get an extra touch especially for Valentine's. I also know divinely blessed love when I see it. I don't know if my spell will flavor the chocolates without your special someone physically here for the matrimony ritual spell. Hmm but if I'm right, it's worth a try. Follow me.”

Arcadia followed the supervisor out of her office, and into another room on the warehouse second floor that had been set up as a shrine.  Upon entering the shrine, the supervisor demonstrated her knowledge of re-quip magic by re-quipping into her shrine maiden clothing. In the shrine room, Arcadia got a bridal make-over, hair, flowers and even a wedding dress to borrow until the deliveries were complete.


Seeing herself in the mirror when all was done, Arcadia felt a few tars of joy well up in her faerie green eyes. The supervisor-turned-shrine-madien was not down yet either, she would partially perform the matrimonial ritual spell on Arcadia, and instruct the young slayer on how to complete it. Arcadia listened carefully to the instruction, carefully holding the flask of ceremonial sake. The flask's own cap would act as the cup she needed to pour the sake into, and three sips each  would complete the ceremony. When she asked why she was being taught to complete the ritual,the shrine maiden only smiled and sent Arcadia on her way.

Arcadia found warehouse worker, she was asked where her partner was, the barefoot slayer handed over a note from the shrine maiden supervisor. The worker did not question her further, and simply lead  Arcadia the pallet of chocolate she would be responsible for delivering.  It sure was a lot of chocolate. Even with her portals it might take more than one trip, because she could not move the whole pallet on her own without transforming into  her full ice dragon form. A fifteen meter ice dragon would not fit in the back of the store, and might knock over a few other pallets in the warehouse. She was going to have to remain human for this.

Taking out her scissors again, Arcadia snipped open a new portal to the store's loading bay, only to watch the image  n ht portal shift location to just outside the store's front door. Closing the portal, Arcadia snipped open another portal to the loading bay, and watched the image in the portal shift straight back to the store's front door.  After repeating the process one more time, Arcadia went ahead and loaded up on as much chocolate as she could carry, and headed through the portal. Upon arriving outside the store's front door, the portal closed behind her. A small group children almost immediately swamped the barefoot slayer, each demanding some of the chocolate she was trying to deliver.

Unable to get past them to the door, Arcadia was forced to retreat and flee from the children around the corner. She ducked inside the first store she came to lose the small horde of children chasing her for the chocolate. It just so happened this was the store Rui was shopping for a present in. She felt her heart flutter when her faerie green eyes landed on him.

Arcadia was so happy, she set her delivery of chocolate on a counter, and rushed over to greet Rui with a giant hug. ”Rui! Oh my gods, I missed you! And I'm so glad to to see you!This sis SO amazing! I need your help. I'm supposed to be delivering this chocolate to store just around the corner, but my portals stated acting up, and small group of children chased me in here. And there's so much more chocolate left back at the warehouse, that I sure would appreciate the extra hand.”

Arcadia still wore the glowing crystal moon rose behind her left ear, even with all wreath of flowers she had been given to wear like a crown to go with her borrowed bridal dress. She blushed lightly as she got to the part about the temporary marriage. ”Maybe this is all going weird because... part of the requirement for delivery the chocolate company has, is to have a partner you are given a temporary magical bond of marriage to. It adds love or friendship as a last intangible magic ingredient to the chocolate or something. Anyway, it's like the company's shrine maiden knew I'd run into you.”

Arcadia smiled again, and pulled the flask from her pack. She poured the ceremonial sake  into the cap, and knelt down on one knee before Rui. Holding the cap toward him, ”Rui, would you marry me? Temporarily.  I'm told the matrimonial spell wears off once the delivery is complete.  And if you help me, we can share the payment. It's pretty sweet reward. More than the usual jewel, and I was gonna share it without anyway.”

WC: 2155

The promise Rui wanted her to make, mildly perplexed the barefoot slayer. She smiled and nodded her acceptance off his request. Arcadia did not make a habit of taking a knee or kneeling before anyone, so it felt like an easy enough promise to keep. "I don't really understand why or how taking a knee would hurt me. You'll havta explain some of these things more to me later. Worry not though, I promise not to do that again with you. I was only taking a knee because I don't wanna mess up the completion of the marriage spell."

Arcadia was still blushing lightly from his earlier complement on the look of her borrowed bridal gown. Her cheeks held a deeper rouge briefly, pleasantly surprised by Rui vowing to take her looking for a promise ring. She smiled warmly, "I can't wait, Rui. Hadn't really thought that far ahead before, but now... I'm sure we'll find the most beautiful ring."

The young blonde slayer took up the sake flask and refilled the cap. Gently squeezing Rui in turn, she drank her share of the ritual shake to complete the marriage spell. As the ritual's magic fully activated, Arcadia was suddenly aware of more than the strength of Rui's magical might. She felt a taste of it, almost like she could discern one of his spells and cast it herself if she concentrated hard enough.

Arcadia smiled to the man behind the counter, the barefoot slayer moving to put the cap back on the flask, and tuck it away. She bowed and her voice almost too soft to be audible as she addressed the store owner, "Thankyou, Sir." Taking the two bags from the counter, and followed Ruvel to the door, heading out first. When the children surrounded her again, she held the two bags as high as she could. Arcadia was relieved when they listened to Rui, and lined up single file. Keeping the bags away from them was not a sure thing, her height would have not worked by itself.

She gave one chocolate heart to each child, smiling to each one and wishing them a 'Happy Valentine's' as she handed the chocolates out. Few of them had had such extravagant chocolate before. It's rich taste keeping most of them for asking for more. Arcadia smiled and waved after the children as they slowly dispersed.

Folding up the bags, Arcadia tucked those away with the sake flask. She smiled to Ruvel, "Thankfully, the store we're delivering to is just around the corner." Arcadia lead the way around the corner back to the shrine maiden's store. She opened the door for Ruvel, and followed him in.

The shrine maiden greeted them upon entry, "Welcome back, welcome back! I hope your delivery was not too difficult. Glad to see you found your partner."

Arcadia bowed to the shrine maiden, "Yes, thank you. This is my groom and groom-to-be, Rui. I had a little trouble with my portal But I wouldn't have found Rui if I hadn't. Something tells me you knew that would happen."

The shrine maiden supervisor only smiled mysteriously at that, and gestured to a male employee. He looked bored, standing back behind the counter. He finished up some call on an iLac, before he answered the shrine maiden's call. The shrine maiden bowed, "Jaiden will be helping you, just follow him back to the loading bay. I'll be upstairs if you need me." With that, she headed up her office.

Jaiden lead the way the loading bay in back, showing Ruvel where he could stack the boxes. That would complete the first load of chocolate. He also showed the temporary newly weds where their next shipment should go. Arcadia drew her dimensional scissors out once she knew where the next and hopefully last load should go. With Rui's help,it should be possible fort the two carry the remaining boxes in one trip. She snipped open a portal back to the warehouse.

The male employee waited until the portal back to the warehouse closed behind the new married couple. He took iLac back out, and made a little call, "Be ready in five minutes. I'll leave the back door open for you." Jaiden hung up and snickered, muttering his thoughts to himself, "What a rube. I don't know how anyone could hate a day for love. He shouldn't be a match for two wizards as strong as those two, but he should give me more than enough of a distraction to nick some of that premium stuff for my pookie. She deserves the best, but geeez it's expensive even with the employee discount."

Arcadia opened a portal back to the store's loading bay once she and Rui were ready with the remaining boxes of chocolate. Waiting for them on the other side of the portal was Darryl, Jaiden's accomplice and unwitting pawn. Darryl's love life had never been all that great, and a holiday like Valentine's only served to rub it in his face. He was armed with a set of throwing knives shaped like two halves of a broken heart.

The young slayer didn't know what Darryl had in mind, but it didn't look good. Her nose and ears picked up sneak though. Following her senses she spotted Jaiden loading an earlier delivery onto a waiting wagon. He was looking more than suspicious in the way he kept looking around while doing it too. Arcadia even remembered the shrine maiden specifically pointing out some of those boxes as being designated to be brought out to the store front next.

Arcadia glanced back to her groom, ”You can figure out what this broken heart knife guy wants.. I'll go see why Jaiden seems to be packing chocolate deliveries onto a wagon, when their shine maiden said they're all supposed to go out front.”

She called out to Jaiden as she set her boxes down, and jogged toward the cheapskate employee. ”Hey, Jaiden. You know what's up with that guy with the heart knives? And what exactly are you doing. Your boss told me those were for the store front.”

Jaiden answered Arcadia by throwing razor-sharp playing cards. It was a deck with only one suit, Hearts and a heart-print theme on the back. Arcadia barely dodged the first volley, cards whizzing past to stick in the wall behind her. Unfortunately for Jaiden, that was the last clear shot at Arcadia that the barefoot slayer would allow. It looked like Arcadia was going to have to stop this would-be chocolate thief the hard way. She willed herself into Dragon Force, blonde hair turning pure white and faerie green eyes turning pinkish-crimson.

Arcadia in Dragon Force:

A second volley of Hearts cards were quickly flung from Jaiden's fingertips. The cards struck true, only it was only a displaced image of Arcadia that he hit. The displaced image of Arcadia split into five different images of Arcadia when struck. The real Arcadia, meanwhile, was already frozen to the wall and climbing toward the ceiling. It was on the ceiling that she Rui's magic come into crisp focus, as if it actually her own. It was one spell in particular that came into sudden clarity, Corrupting Light. Sprawled and frozen to the ceiling in a gecko-like manner, she channeled the temporarily familiar light magic into her left hand. She tapped the ceiling leaving behind an invisible seal.

From the ceiling, Arcadia used her false images to draw Jaiden into range of the trapped seal. Light spores sailed out, and struck both Darryl and Jaiden, slowing them down and lessening the damage they were capable of delivering. The barefoot slayer pressed her advantage in speed and strength dropping down from the ceiling to tackle Jaiden. Jaiden then took an arctic blast of icy breath at point blank range, and flurry of punches until he was out cold.

Arcadia made sure to tie Jaiden up to make sure he wasn't going anywhere when he woke up, and worked to bring the few boxes he had gotten loaded into the wagon back inside, as well as putting her own boxes in place.

WC: 1352
Arcadia WC: 3507