"Eir, what's that? Can I have one?"

"Eir, Eir! That shop over there is selling something really cool-looking!"

It's sort of nostalgic.

Eir found himself dragged around by all of the kids. He hadn't gotten a chance to see Crocus by the streets aside from his morning runs, so this was a great chance to make up for all the lost time.

"It's already this messy... Karen and Ren aren't even here yet, and I'm exhausted."

(They would be here tomorrow in time for the finals, caught up in an urgent mission in regard to a magazine shooting they had to do.)

Cana and Gray excitedly wandered around town, eager to show Levy and Sherry around the places they've discovered just yesterday. Bickslow kept an eye on them, deploying one doll to accompany each of them.

Laxus followed a little behind them, and Eir didn't miss the way his glare sharpened each time the older stepped away from their path.

Seriously overprotective, the lot of them.

It reminded him of the days where Eir would be grounded for something, and Cana and Laxus would be sent on distract-Eir duty. It usually consisted of them wandering around town, hand-in-hand, making Eir buy them anything that caught their eye.

He loves this.

"Eir Eir Eir please please please can we have one please?!"

He takes that back immediately.

Levy and Sherry have somehow managed to gather up a whole armful of bunnies in their arms, from white to gray to black, all those furry little critters crawling around them as their eyes sparkled in adoration.

Eir had to look away from their eyes. "No," he said, making sure to sound as firm as he can manage, "you cannot have them."

And here came the despaired wails. "But whyyyyy!!!"

"They're so cute, Eir! Just look at them!"

"Just one! No, two!" Sherry tried to bargain, before faltering and adding it up to "I mean, six! Please? Promise we'll take care of them!"

"Seven, seven!" Levy corrected quickly, "pleeeeease?!"

Eir had to put his foot down, "all of you get exactly one thing today, no more!"

"Then I want a colony!"

"That is not what I meant by one thing!"

Seriously, this was starting to become a headache. Eir's wallet is not at the risk of running dry, but it would be if they suddenly took in a hundred rabbits into the guild. Plus, he wasn't ready to teach the kids about responsibility yet.

(Yes, he knows that's his job. God knows Macao sucks at that.)

"Of course, that includes you as well, Laxus," Eir remembered to tell him. "If you want anything, I'll get it for you."

Laxus scowled, "I can buy my own things, Eir."

"I know, Laxus, I'm proud of you for that," Eir said without missing a beat, "but I feel like spending some money today, and well, no one would notice if you slipped a really nice coat into the pile while I was distracted."

Laxus scoffed at that. "I said I don't need anything."

Eir hummed. "Bickslow," he called out, and the boy in the distance turned around eagerly like a beckoned puppy, "pick something out of the clothing store for our resident thunder god, will you? He's been wearing the same shirt for years and I'm getting sick of it."

"Aye, sir!"

Laxus sputtered, going after the teen immediately, "I said I don't need anything!"

Levy and Sherry were still quarreling over which bunny or hamster they wanted to use their wishes for, so Eir watched them to make sure they didn't stress the animals out too much with their shouting.

His match was in two hours, so he'd need to go soon.

"Take your time deciding now," he chided as the girls began to growl at each other. "We'll still be here for a few days, after all." And if they didn't decide by then, he'll cave and get them a bunch anyways.

(He didn't mind if he was spoiling them. He couldn't do the same in his last life, so having money to spend was a dream come true, in that sense.)

(He's always been a secret lover of his children's happiness, after all.)

He looked around, realizing he hadn't spotted Cana or Gray for a while now. He hoped they weren't lost, at least-- this was a big city, after all. Sure, they would be fine with the Domus Flau Arena as a landmark, but Cana and Gray would be grouchy if they didn't get to wish Eir good luck before his match.

He kept a hand on his sword, prodding lazily at the musical note hanging from the hilt as he turned around.

Maybe he should get Laxus a new sword. What did Jura call this... a musica blade? It's a nice sword, so maybe Eir could find a way to acquire one...

"Ah, there they are," he finally spotted Cana's ponytail in the distance, marked by the sun-yellow ribbon Eir had tactically tied the hour before.

(He needed something to spot his kids from a distance, after all. Sherry and Levy stood out because of their uniforms, and Gray would probably be half naked at some point, but Cana looked like a normal girl. So the bright yellow ribbon it was.)

"Well, they'll be fine," he decided. Bickslow' dolls are still with them after all.

-

Gray came to a stop.

Cana turned around, annoyed. "What're you stopping for, we're almost there."

There was a really nice magic store down the street that they both had an eye on, and they weren't going to make it if there was a holdup.

Gray was staring right into an alley, and Cana joined his gaze to find a small figure crouched in the corner of the street, huddled against the boxes by the trash.

An oversized brown shawl, a thick winter jacket, and the cruddy dress underneath. They could make out the deep red hair spilling over her shoulders, and the painfully thin arms that they weren't sure could even support the weight of her own body.

She was asleep, breathing shallow against her chest. Her bangs hid it well, but there was a white medical eyepatch strapped over her eye.

She looked terrible, even by stray child standards.

"I saw her yesterday," he said.

Cana hummed. "And that's your jacket."

She spent half a moment wondering if she should make a joke about Gray being a gentleman, but she bit it back. Now wasn't the time.

"Hey, are you okay?" Gray ran up first, crouching down warily. She didn't rouse at all. "Think she's from the orphanage?"

"If she was she wouldn't be out here two days in a row," Cana told him. "Even then, orphanages are in the outskirts, away from shopping streets. You won't find one in the heart of Crocus. She must be a traveller."

"Like a lost child?" Gray raised a brow at that. That didn't make sense.

"No," Cana had to roll her eyes. "like someone that's trying to find home."

Gray took a moment. Then, "oh, so like us?"

Cana was silent at that. And that was a clear answer. She reached for the redhead, shaking her by the shoulder as gently as she could, "hey. Hey, could you wake up?"

It didn't look too great. She was thin, she looked weak, and her skin was cold.

She was breathing, but it was shallow. Maybe if they were in Magnolia, they could bring her to Porlyusica...

"What're you kids doin' here?"

They flinched. Gray immediately stood up in alarm, and Cana reached for her cards. The voice was slurred and low, and both children knew this tone well.

(It's the voice of a drunk man, and they both knew the horrors of that.)

(In daylight, too, what the hell?)

They straightened to see a man-- no, a teenager? further in the alley. He looked to be around Bickslow's age-- and he was drinking?

He stank of alcohol, and Gray winced at it. Cana was a little more used to it, so she drew a water card and pointed it before her.

"You're intoxicated," she warned. "Please leave."

The teen hiccuped, brushing his loose bangs toward the back of his head. He held a gourd of sake, clumsily strung to his wrist by a thick red thread. He didn't wear a shirt, but his shoulders were draped in light leather guards.

His hair, long to the middle of his back, was left down.

"No, no, don't worry bout it," he said, utterly unaware of how wary of kids were of him. "It's daytime, but alleys are still dangerous, so stay away from these shady places, kay?"

Cana wanted to clock him over the head with a bat.

"Hm? What's that girl, injured?"

Cana squeaked as the teen stepped and swung, then with movements of a curved snake, made his way all around the kids so he could have a better view of the sleeping redhead.

"S-Stay away!" she yelled, raising her card further up. Gray quickly echoed, conjuring an icicle into his hand as a weapon. 

And with the close distance, Gray finally realized. 

"Wait! This guy is from the tournament!" he said, reminding Cana quickly before the girl blasted him to kingdom come. "From that, wild four thing!"

"Wild Four guild... ah, you mean Quatro Cerberus?" Cana said, her shoulders easing.

The teen grinned drunkenly at that. Upon closer inspection, he was tipsy, but wasn't acting out like adults would. "So you have heard of us. Yep, that's me."

Cana still didn't trust him, though. "You're Bacchus," she addressed, careful to stand confidently as she spoke. "You're the one that's fighting Eir today, right?"

Bacchus nodded, "and now that I see it, you kids must be from that 'bassador project thing," he acknowledged. "Sorry to freak you out, but being drunk will help me with the match, so I'm just trying to get a headstart."

That sounded ridiculous, but who was Cana to judge.

"Anyways, that girl's not looking so great." Bacchus' eyes narrowed, look past Cana to the sleeping girl again. "We should get her back to the infirmary in the arena."

"Huh?" Gray reacted, "we can do that? I thought it was a guild-exclusive facility."

"You can just call her one of Eir's kids and they'll let you use them."

"Ah... wait, isn't that abuse of power?"

"That ambassador title was literally made to be abused, so it's fine."

Cana hissed. "Anyways, who are you to be helping a random girl on the street, huh?" she taunted snarkily, "tryin' ta be a perv, mister?"

Bacchus raises his hands in a sort of 'hey, easy there girl' manner. "Fiesty one, aren't ya? But unfortunately, my creed is to always be wild and gentlemanly. Wouldn't be much of either if I saw this and let it lie, y'know? Master Goldmine would be disappointed in me."

Cana still looked wary, but she puffed up her cheeks and turned away.

"Enough, enough" Gray said, tired of her natural hostility and opting for a civil conversation. "Let's get her to the infirmary, c'mon."

They needed an adult to help carry the girl back, after all.

"Three or four, could you go back to Eir and tell him we're going back to the Arena first?" Cana said, calling up toward the sky.

On cue, (and to Bacchus' surprise,) the two totem dolls emerged from their hiding spots near the balcony of the building, swirling happily around the kids.

"Back! Back! Arena! Arena!" they chanted.

Cana waved a short goodbye, and one of them flew away in the direction of the market. The other settled on Cana's shoulder to remain as their escort.

"Woah, doll magic," Bacchus whistles, impressed. "That yours, girl?"

Cana hums, snarking, "maybe, who knows?"

"Awh, do you hate me?"

"Hell yeah I do."

Gray groaned. 

"Cana, stop antagonizing him," he said, slightly in disbelief at the fact that he is the one trying to calm her down from trouble. "And uh, Bacchus-san, right? Your match is starting soon as well, so we should all hurry either way."

Cana turned around with an annoyed huff.

Bacchus laughed boisterously at that. "Y'know what, I think I like you kids."

Cana seethed. "Well, I don't like you at all!" She declared vehemently, because she needed to make that point very clear or this guy would probably pretend to forget it immediately. 

"Cana, stop antagonizing him!"