Lessons Written in the Stars (Zachary's B-Exam)

Arcadia read over the request on her desk again. This had to be one of the more aggravating requests to come across her Executive Manager's desk. Sadly it was from one of Magnolia's corporate big wigs who had done her and Fairy Tail couple favors in the past. There was no way to turn this request down without making Fairy Tail look bad, and cost potential future business.

Luckily, she knew one of the Fairy Tail family who might be able to pull this through, and make some good come of it. Maybe even make Fairy Tail a little extra jewel.  She took out pen and enchanted paper, and began to draft a letter to Zachary on her official personal stationary.  Usually she used her iLac for sending communication, but this needed to be made official.


Dear Zachary,


I hope you and Ruby are settling in alright around Fairy Tail. I have a big favor to ask of you. I need you to act on Fairy Tail's behalf. One of our contacts among Magnolia's corporate elite has  sent me a particular job request that I believe you are uniquely suited for. This big wig is not the most personable, but he has provided invaluable help to us in the past. To maintain good relations, we need to impress.


He wishes me to find a tutor for his daughter who fancies herself a celestial wizard. Trouble is, to say she is spoiled is understatement.  That is where you come in. I need you to tutor her in celestial magic to keep our contact happy. I'm sending this task your way, not just because you are one of the few celestial wizards I know, but because I know you have what it takes to put this girl on the right track, teach her to respect her spirits, and put her on track to becoming a celestial wizard even Leo could be proud of.  From my understanding she barely qualifies as a novice in celestial wizard with maybe a handful of silver keys. You have your work cut out for you my friend, but I know you can do it.


Love, Luck, and Lollipops,
Executive Manager of Fairy Tail
Arcadia Mavis Elaine Fairchilde

She folded up her letter and sealed it in an envelope that she addressed to Zachary. Using her dimensional scissors, Arcadia thought of him and cut open a portal to drop and deliver the letter straight to him. The portal closing behind the letter as its enchantment kicked in to fly itself straight to the celestial mage it was addressed to.

((In at least 1,000 words, please detail how Zachary would teach and set the rich and spoiled would-be celestial wizard to respect her spirits the way he respects his. ^.^))

Zachary had crawled out of bed, knowing he had a busy day today as he left fairy hills-- the small rentals that newly made Fairy Tail wizards came to. He was still seeking an apartment of his own, but he had not made enough money to afford the rent to cover it. Even though his mother offered to help him with it, he wanted to make a way on his own.

He got the letter the other day and was both excited by it and dreading the experience. This girl he was suppose to teach was spoiled rotten? It made him cringe and he knew he would need help to teach her how to do things the right way. Professor Nyx could help, but he an example himself as a Celestial Wizard. It was going to be up to him to make the prime example.

He stood before the gates of a large estate located west of Magnolia, just on the edge of the city. When he buzzed himself in-- he answered he was from Fairy Tail and that he was here regarding the job to the tutoring job. He was soon let in-- where he was greeted by a neutral looking maid and butler. "Good Morning, sir. Please follow us," they said, almost in unison and Zachary followed. On his shoulder was Ruby, the little spirit of a carbuncle-- rested there and quietly observed.

Zachary soon entered a large library-like room, that seemed to stretch up two stories with with balconies and bridges that crossed the area-- before a stained glass window. At the desk on the far side was a large man with crimson red hair and a goatee. He didn't seem like a rich man, but his suit and tie made him stand out as one. He stood up and walked to greet them.

"Good morning. SO you are the Celestial Wizard from Fairy Tail-- I didn't expect them to send a fledgling member, but I was told you were one of the very few among them. I hope you can do as promised to teach my daughter, Erika." the man said, his voice calm but judgmental.

Zachary hesitated, his hands digging into his pockets for his own security. "Hello, Mr. Gigan. I understand your concern regarding my present rank, but I am capable of doing what is necessary to teach your daughter how to be a proper Celestial Wizard." Zachary explained, reaching up to scratch Ruby below her chin. "If you like, you can sit in and watch. That being said, despite my lack of experience, i was taught by my mother, who is now a member of the Rune Knights as a Celestial Wizard too. "

The man paused as he gave it some thought. "Very well. I do not have time to attend every lesson. I am a busy man with my buisness, but I should see first hand how you do things. I do hope my faith in your guild is not misplaced."

Zachary took the comment as neutrally as possible, but understood a lot was on his shoulders with this to be a positive example for the guild. However... "Sir, i also was made aware of your daughter's... personality? You want me to tutor her how to be a proper Celestial Wizard, so I hope you understand the gravity of that request. " he asked, trying to still be proper. The red haired man blinked in surprise by it, especially since it was coming from someone significantly younger than he was. "If need be, I will not hesitate to be stern in tone to make a point across if she is disobedient during the lesson or is rude in general. Can you accept that?"

The man paused again, a sound like a humm escaped him. "Hmm... well it depends what occurs. Perhaps it is a good thing I observe you... but you will treat her with respect. Understood? " he asked firmly.

"I will, sir. I just wouldn't be doing my job right if I didn't explain things thourally to you." Zachary added.

With that, the man and the servants led him out of the library to proceed to another room. After a few doors down, they met two double doors and they opened.

Zachary was greeted by a small cry of a dog, or something close. Before her he saw a small girl in a dress, her hair a long fiery color as she pulled on a leash with a small dog-like spirit. It whimpered as she tried to pull him along. "Come on. We are going to get you dressed up for the show! " she shouted, trying to ge tthe spirit to listen.

The sheer yelling and howls caused Ruby to retreat and crawl into Zachary's breast pocket. He sighed, realizing the spoiled details were not an exaggeration.

She seemed ignorant of the rest of them for the moment. The servants soon left and Mr. Gigan gave a clearing cough of his voice. The girl stopped and looked to them. "Oh, daddy!"

Erika, this is Zachary. He is your new tutor to teach you about Celestial Wizardry." her father said as he sat himself in one of the large cushon chairs at the end of her playroom.

The girl looked no older than 7 or 8-- no more older than Zachary was when he first learned how to be a Celestial Wizard. He gave a kind smile-- but was hard to show as she gave another pull on the dog's leash. "H-hi, nice to meet you. Erika."

"That's princess to you!" she demanded, letting go of the leash to point at him.

Zachary paused and felt Ruby grumble in his pocket. "Eh... i can't call you that. sorry." Zachary said flatly. She responded with a grumpy stubborn look at him and folded her arms. "So I hear that you are trying to become a Celestial Wizard , right? That is a nice thing to hear. "

"I AM a Celestial Wizard. My daddy won't let me go join any guilds or travel till I get better. And get better keys. ALl i have is these dumb silver keys, " she said, shaking a key-chain with what looked like 8 or so keys on it as if it was a baby's rattle.

A sigh escaped Zachary as he knelt down and looked at her. "Well before we talk about the keys-- why don't we go over the spirits first okay? I have one who is even MY teacher." he said, his tone more lighter like one talking to a child to be more easy going. Reaching into his pocket of his jacket, he took out a key with an owl-like crest on it with its key in the shape of a wing.

"Open, gate of the wise owl! Noctura!" Zachary called and swiped the key before him. Another flash of light and magic flooded the room-- and out from the portal appeared a white and blue colored owl with adornments along her wings and crown. She let out a soft 'whoo' as she fluttered in the air.

The girl's eyes widened with awe, not having seen a spirit like her. "Ooooh! Pretty owl! I wanna pet her!" she demanded, and lunged to try and grab her.

Knowing how badly that could get for the girl, he held up a hand. "N-no. Not now. You have to ask Nyx first. Nyx, this is Erika. I am here teaching her how to be a Celestial Wizard, so I hoped you would maybe give us a little presentation regarding Celestial Wizards. "

The owl, known as Prof. Nyx, flapped down and perched herself on Zachary's outstretched arm. The owl gave a small sharp cry and flapped her wings out. "Oh. of course. Happy to help, especially teach someone so young. " she said and flew off to a nearby globe placed along the side of the room. Erika followed the bird-- and the father sat there and watched.

WC: 1410

Nyx soon perched herself on the globe and with one talon-- opened up the scroll she carried. Her wings easily helped open it and as she revealed it and talked-- the scroll drew words and pictures to add to her little lecture. "A Celestial Wizard, is a mage who has chosen to work with the Celestial Spirits, bound by the creation and contract of the keys made. Just as there are many spirits and entities in the celestial realm, there are just as many keys. " Nyx explained.

"I know that already!" Erika said rudely.

Nyx's feathers puffed out a bit. "Do not be rude during my class, Erika. If you do, I will not let you pet me." she said firmly.

Erika gave another grumpy look-- but kept quiet. If Zachary couldn't be as stern, Nyx certainly was. She even did the same to Zachary when he was younger. Now, they got along as friends. "Where was I? Oh yes. For a Celestial Wizard to enter a bond, the contract must be honored. This contract, not only is agreement to how a Wizard will be able to summon the spirit, but the conditions in which their relationships work. This requires mutual understanding between both parties. Once that is understood, the spirit and summoner will be able to work together. Just as bond magic works, the contract must be followed for--"

Erika had been listening, but was quickly growing aggitated as she was looking around. It was the fatal mistake, however-- that she spotted Ruby peek out of Zachary's cloak.

She squealed with childish excitement. "Kitty! I want it!"

Ruby let out a cat like cry of distaste and fled-- jumping off Zachary's shoulder to scamper around the room. Zachary looked in shock and Nyx wrinkled her brow in annoyance. "See? This is why I don't teach kindergarden anymore..." she commented. Regarding her words, Zachary persued the little girl and Ruby.

The small spirit had climbed atop a shelf-- just out of reach of Erika as she tried to get it to come down. "I command you to come down. Let me pet you!" she said, waving a key about-- even though it was not Ruby's key.

Zachary sighed as he approached. "He is not gonna come down for you. First of all, he is MY celestial spirit. He will obey only my orders. Second, no spirit will do anything i you do not ask them politely. They aren't just animals or pets-- they are living creatures same as you and me. So the best thing to do is treat them how you want to be treated." he explained as carefully as possible.

"Bu why? " she asked in a snoobish voice. "YOur a Celestial Wizard, aren't you? You can make them obey you with your magic and have them do what you want. "

Zachary glanced at the father, who at times would glance at his watch-- being he was probably busy with other things than to simply look over how things went. Still, Zachary knew he had to do a good job, not for the impression sake but to get this little red-headed child to stop being so rude and cruel to her spirits. THing was, she probably didn't know. "Yes, I could command them-- but I wouldn't do it. The reason why, is because these spirits are more than just my magic. They are family. My friends, and loved ones. I learned to treat them with respect and care about them. Just as I would hope others would treat me. I mean, do you think You would like it if someone put a collar on you and pulled your neck, or yell at you to do something? "

The girl's eyes seemed to soften as she thought about that. She clearly was getting it, if still self-centered.

At this time, Nyx flew forward and percherd herself beside Zachary on a nearby table. The owl observed this time, her general explanation about Celestial Wizardry well over. The girl was quiet as she tried to think of a way to get the little spirit to come down. "Would she come down for a snack? " she asked.

Zachary tried not to grin too much. "Just offer a hand out to it. Keep your palm open and stay quiet. She may come on her own-- just be gentle with her."

It took a few minutes, she tried to keep quiet and polite... Soon Ruby sniffed the air near her up from her perch. Slowly she began to come down, like a squirl in a tree-- till she sniffed a few inches away, and jumped into her palm. Though guided by Zachary's will, Ruby was able to follow, feeling safe enough.

Erika soon held Ruby in her arms, hugging the transparent spirit. Even though transparent, the girl could feel its soft fur and body in her arms. After sure she wouldn't squeeze Ruby till she poofed, Zachary continued and showed her his keys.

"All my spirits mean a lot to me. A true Celestial Wizard only can grow once they acknowedge their spirits are in fact living creatures, and deserve to be treated just like you and me. That means you cannot just demand that they serve you. That is the whole point of the contract. "

Zachary took the time now to take off his jacket, feeling paticularly warm-- it revealed the necklace he had around his neck-- and the golden key that hung around his neck. Erika's eyes widened as she saw the gold key. "Oh my gosh! You have one! you have one! " she shouted, almost squeezing Ruby uncomfortably that made her squeal a bit.

WC: 1002

Approved. ^.^ Welcome to B Rank!