Fairy Tail

“God damned just stay still!” Farrah shouted at the thing she couldn’t see and could barely hear. She turned around quickly, slashing out with a knife she had carried before. It seemed odd that she COULD use the things she carried on her body but that she couldn’t move her body at all. There was just the slightest sound, Farrah slashed out again rapidly and she could hear a grunt of pain.
A thin smile appeared upon her face when she heard that, at least the creature could make a sound.
Then something happened that she hadn’t expect to happen. A burning pain surged through her body when something hit her at her collarbone. Somehow she knew this didn’t just happen in her mind but also happened to her real body.
“I thought,” a voice started, the same as earlier, “Let’s make this a little more interesting. Let’s give my little pet something to really play with.” He said, after which came a moment of silence. “Like a weapon that would be able to also kill your real body for example.”

“YOU WOULDN’T!” Farrah tried to shout, but she couldn’t speak and could feel the panic rise in her body. The weird pain still lingered, it was a burning pain but she couldn’t see the wound because she was still blind and speechless.
“I thought that would make you work a little harder. Come on, I know you can do better than this.” She heard the stranger say.
Again she was cut, in her leg this time and again came the pain with it. However this time she could hear something... someone trying to catch his breath. Of course! She thought. She had slashed him just before, probably on a spot that was a little more painful than the creature would admit. It was almost like it was trying to make this thing go faster, like it was trying to kill her faster in order to get away and heal himself. A grin appeared on Farrah’s face as she again hit her target, which caused another grunt of pain.
Finally, in its desire to kill her quickly it was making mistakes, mistakes that could be most fatal in the end. Again Farrah heard the sound of a someone taking a deep breath and again she slashed out with her knife, this time she felt something hot on her skin and she knew she had hit her target fatally. Out of the blue her vision and sound returned and she looked at the creature in front of her. Her knife was in its neck, piercing it so that the blood came pouring out in a stream. There was the sound of someone clapping his hand and she turned, noticing that by the sound the creature behind her had vanished.
“Well done. I’ll see you next time, Farrah.” The stranger said.
The masked man disappeared, another hole came out of nowhere underneath her and again she fell down.

When she opened her eyes again she looked at Felix. Was he carrying her again? How long had this taken? Why was there still this pain in her leg and collarbone?
“Like a weapon that would be able to also kill your real body for example.” she remembered.
Farrah tried to speak but pain followed her soon after she woke and she took a sharp intake of breath. “I hadn’t expected it to really work.” She mumbled weakly. “What happened to you guys? You look awful.” She said, looking at Kali and her other two companions.

x
Felix & Noah
The running was tiring, but despite that it made him feel much better. The tension that had been knotting the muscles in his shoulders slowly dripped out of his body as his feet pounded on the ground. His eyes were adapted to the high speed - probably affected by the same magic - and he could easily dissect his surroundings. The path was empty, and stayed like that for a long time. When he thought he had went far enough, he made a sharp turn and ran back. He double-checked their surroundings, but nothing had changed. When he could see Kali and Felix in the distance, he slowed down, until he was jogging the last bit back. When he saw the sharp edges carved in Felix' face and Kali's pale visage, his eyes shifted to Farrah. "What's wrong?" He asked, feeling the tension immediately returning.
"We're not sure," Felix said. "She just- I kind of felt this shock, as if she got punched, and then-," he didn't finish his sentence, but Noah's eyes had already dropped towards Farrah's chest. A dark bruise was already blooming there, and Noah could feel the same edges carving into his own face. "Shit," he muttered, and the same curse slipped out of Felix' mouth, a little more harsh. "She's bleeding- since when is she bleeding?" He asked, sounding a little panicked. He stopped walking, and Noah's eyes went to the blood tainting Farrah's trousers. "Has she been cut? Did you walk past something sharp?" He asked, while he was already shrugging off his bag to search for bandages. "Let me," Kali said suddenly as Noah reached out to Farrah's leg. He looked up, a little surprised, but then handed the bandages to Kali. "We'll- we can figure this out, but we need you to make sure the road is safe. It's even more important now Farrah is hurt," she said. Noah's gaze shifted towards Felix, reluctant to leave now Farrah was getting new injuries without any explanation. "She's right. There's nothing we can do anyway," he said, pulling a face. Noah threw Farrah a last, hesitant look, before he nodded and went off again.
The tension and worry made his feet move faster than they normally did, and before he knew it he could see the village appearing in the distance. He suddenly noticed the wind through his hair wasn't just because he was running - the wind was actually blowing now, more than just a breeze like it had been before. A gust of wind coming from the village made him almost topple over, gasping for breath. He came to a stop, still breathing harsh, as his eyes sought out the village again. He couldn't see anything more than blurry spots that were houses, but the scent was unmistakenly that of old magic. It hung thick in the air, and though it wasn't exactly unpleasant, the memories that came with it made Noah's stomach churn. It wasn't just old magic, he realised.
It was Freyburn's magic. Something was very, very wrong.

Felix & Noah
Kali had bandaged the cut on Farrah's leg, and even though there hadn't been any more sudden injuries, they both were tense with worry. The only reassurance they had was that at least the path ahead of them seemed safe for now. Kali seemed to want to say something, because on numerous occasions she opened her mouth, but every time she stayed silent after all. It took her a few more attempts, but eventually two almost unintelligible words made it past her lips. "Thank you," she muttered, and Felix gave her an odd look. She didn't need to explain what she was talking about; there was only thing she could be thanking him for. "We're from the same guild now," he simply responded. 
He looked up as a quick blur made it their way, and he gave Kali's shoulder a soft bump when he could sense her tensing up again. "It's Noah," he said, easily recognising his friend as he came their way. This time he ran a little more recklessly it seemed, and he came to a stop right before he could crash into Noah. His eyes seemed frantic, and his face looked a little paler than before, but before Felix could ask him what was wrong, Farrah stirred in his arms. All six eyes immediately went her way as she stared at Felix, confused.
She opened her mouth and immediately winced. Felix gave her an apologetic look, as if the dark bruise on her chest was his fault. "I hadn't expected it to really work," she mumbled, just loud enough for Felix to make out her words. "What happened to you guys? You look awful," she said, looking at Kali and Noah as well now.
"We got attacked by a wizard, but we dealt with him. Sort of. He escaped, but we're fine," Kali responded, pressing two fingers against her carotid to check her pulse again. "What happened to you?" She asked, after which her gaze shifted to Noah. "No, wait- what happened to you?" She asked, now noticing his pale face as well. "Maybe we should walk to the village first, we're almost their I think," Felix offered hesitantly. "No," Noah almost snarled. "No, we definitely cannot go to that village. It's the least safe as can be," he added. "Just- there's a small cave-like structure a few metres away, let's go their first," he decided. Felix gave him a long, odd look, trying to discern what he had seen at the village, but nodded when he couldn't discover any answers in Noah's face. 
They walked in mostly silence, until they reached the smalle cove in the wall of mountain next to them, just like Noah had described. Felix hadn't put Farrah down yet, not trusting her to be able to walk, until he came to a stop and gently put her down on the ground. "Okay. You first. Tell us what happened," he said.

"We got attacked by a wizard, but we dealt with him. Sort of. He escaped, but we're fine," Kali responded to her question. Then her friend pressed two fingers against her carotid to check her pulse again. “I am sure I’m pretty much alive Kali, but thank you.” Farrah said weakly but with a slim smile on her face.
"What happened to you?" Kali asked her first, but then she took a look and Noah and asked him the question. Now that Farrah looked at him better he did look pale and a little nervous.
"Maybe we should walk to the village first, we're almost there I think," she could hear Felic say, who still held her in his arms. In a weird way, Farrah found that a calming thing at the moment so she didn’t make a fuss about wanting so walk. Her leg didn’t really feel like it anyway and she was tired, so very tired.
"No," Noah almost snarled, which startled her a bit. Why would he react that way? She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to catch the slightest sound that hung in the air. But there was nothing out of the ordinary, just wind.
"No, we definitely cannot go to that village. It's the least safe as can be," he added. "Just- there's a small cave-like structure a few metres away, let's go their first," he decided and apparently that was where they were going to. Not that Farrah had any abjections. She was tired enough as it was and she didn’t feel like arguing about anything right now. She found, miraculously, that she started to trust Felix and Noah, maybe even like them a little... but that was something she hadn’t really decided yet.

They walked in silence, well actually Felix, Kali and Noah were walking. Farrah herself was almost asleep when they got to the small cove in the wall of the mountain. She awoke again when she felt that Felix put her down again. To her surprise it was more gently than she had expected it to be and so she smilled her thanks. "Okay. You first. Tell us what happened," he said.
Farrah looked at him, then at Noah and Kali after which she shivered and closed her eyes for a moment. “Remember when I told you that I could hear this sound and you guys thought that there was nothing there? Well apparently there was another wizard who was bothering you guys but another found me out and we had a bit of an argument in my mind. However I didn’t act like he thought I would and so he wanted to make it more interesting. That was the point when he made me fight this thing ‘to test my abilities’ he said. I was fully depended on sound because for some reason a spell blocked my sight. However the thing I had to fight was inhuman, I couldn’t hear it at first but after I slashed him a couple of times it started to betray its location and make mistakes. That was when I killed it and that was, apparently, the end of the test for that was when I woke.” She explained curt and simply, though her voice betrayed her panic and fear at the encounter with the unknown creature. “What was even more strange was that he knew my name and face, he knew my power better than I knew them myself. Also he was wearing this cloak and a mask to cover his face.” She muttered, staring at nothing in particular. “It felt like I was suppose to know him but i can’t think of a time or place where I possibly could have.” She said, sounding a bit frustrated with it all.
She turned her head to Noah and had a worried glance in her eyes. “Now, tell us what you saw at the village. And just tell me about everything I missed while I was out cold.”

x
Kali
Even though she hadn't said anything the past few minutes, she couldn't stop herself to throw worried looks at Farrah, as if she expected her to pass out out of nowhere. Of course, she couldn't really been blamed; it had happened not more than a few minutes ago, after all. 
She had missed the slight strain and thrill of an interesting job, but this was way more than she had asked for. She watched as Felix put Farrah down, who - surprising enough - hadn't objected even once to being carried. Kali was glad; she worried enough about her friend already. "Okay. You first. Tell us what happened," Felix said. Kali watched as she closed her eyes for a moment. "Remember when I told you that I could hear this sound and you guys thought that there was nothing there?" She started. "Well, apparently there was another wizard who was bothering you guys, but another ound me out and we had a bit of an argument in my mind," she said, and she could hear both Felix and Noah snort at the light way she put it. "However, I didn't act like he thought I would and so he wanted to make it more interesting. That was the point where he made me fight this thing 'to test my abilities', he said. I was fully depended on sound because for some reason a spell blocked my sight. However, the thing I had to fight was inhuman, I couldn't hear it at first but after I slashed him a couple of times it started to betray it's location and make mistakes. That was when I killed it and that was, apparently, the end of the test for that was when I woke," she explained. Kali could hear the slight fear in her voice, but she didn't mention it. "What was even more strange was that he knew my name and face, he knew my power better than I knew them myself. Also he was wearing this cloak and a mask to cover his face. It felt like I was supposed to know him but I can't think of a time or place where I possibly could have."
"So, the fight was when you got wounded?" Felix asked, gesturing towards her bandaged leg. 
Farrah turned to Noah, who had stayed silent for most of the time, staring at the ground in between the small circle they had formed. "Now, tell us what you saw at the village. And just tell me about everything I missed while I was out cold," she said.

x
Felix & Noah
Noah shook himself free from his thoughts as Farrah asked him to tell her what had happened. He gave Felix a quick, questioning look - though he wasn't sure exactly what he was asking. Normally they agreed on keeping as much as possible hidden from the rest of the world. Now, however, there wasn't much point in it. Besides, Kali had seen how the wizard had recognised him. She had witnessed his response to hearing the old dialect from his hometown. It was already clear as day to her that there had happened more than just a fire in Freyburn.
"When you passed out, Kali was immediately checking on you. I saw someone approaching her scythe, and me and Felix were just in time to keep him from grabbing it. I worked him to the ground and Kali threatened him with her scythe, but I- he- he recognised me and then he- Gor ari thachi." He ran a hand through his hair, rolling his eyes towards the sky. He couldn't find the right words and it frustrated him. He was still tense from all that had happened, and suddenly the foreign language from Fiore felt thick and uncomfortable on his tongue. He looked at Felix for help, who gave him an odd look. "I schi ti. Chachik," he said in a hoarse voice. I smelled it. The Magic. 
Felix' face froze for a few seconds, before he sat down on the ground without warning. 

Felix & Noah
"Okay," he breathed, staring at his hands. "Okay, maybe we should start with Freyburn." He looked at Kali and Farrah, before throwing Noah a quick look to make sure it was alright with him. A quick nod from his friend made him start talking, at first searching for the right words, but soon the story was flowing from his lips. "I'm not sure how much you have heard about Coldice. It's- the country is known for the many wizards using old magic. It's very different from here. Freyburn was even more unique. Here, and in most of Coldice, magic exists in humans. In Freyburn it flowed through the earth. It was enough reason for all the people from Freyburn to practice old magic, and the town- well, it couldn't speak of course, but it... sort of explained to it's inhabitants a lot of forgotten spells and rituals. A lot of them are forbidden now. Part of them are innocent things, like how to make the vegetables in your garden grow faster, but others could do more harm than good. That's why Freyburn's people decided long ago to keep the spells and rituals hidden from outsiders."
Felix quickly checked with Noah again, and he let out a huff of breath.
"Magic can corrupt anyone, though. It only took a few generations until the people started competing each other, causing families to even keep their spells hidden from the others. Freyburn turned into a village made out of secrets. My family kept a lot of spells that had to do with war and fighting. 
Noah's family kept a lot of spells and rituals as well, but they weren't as wealthy as most people from Freyburn. His father-," his eyes flashed to Noah again, but he gave him a reassuring nod again, so Felix continued, "-started selling his knowledge to outsiders. It went on like that for a while, but eventually he found a buyer who wasn't as easily contented as most. He got hold of rumours about my family, and he grew obsessed with our knowledge. Eventually, he came to our town. With the spells he had bought from Noah's father he was already very powerful, and he wanted me to give him mine as well. I refused, and he-
well, it got out of hand. The local priest saw what happened, and when he heard of what Noah's father had done he decided Freyburn had existed for long enough. He used the old magic running through the ground to destroy it. Me and Noah got away, because- well, we can both be very fast when we want to."
He threw in a weak smile in an attempt to lighten up his story a little, but it felt too forced. Noah opened up his bag, silently handing him some dried meat. "I smelled the same magic in the village we're heading to. It can't be natural, not here in Fiore. Someone must have gotten a hold on the magic as well. If a wizard was able to get in your head, maybe it means there are more of them. The other wizard we fought, he called me a shame, probably because my family is tainted. It means he at least knew someone from my family to be able to recognise me. Though I doubt he was the one who bought from my father. He wouldn't have talked to me like that if he had," he said, shoving the plastic bag with dried meat towards Kali and Farrah before he focused his eyes back on his hands again.

So what she put the story a little bit more lightly than it actually was, who cares. She just didn’t want Kali to worry about her in that way. Actually she didn’t want anyone to worry about her, she couldn’t stand those sorry faces people pulled when there was something to worry about. "So, the fight was when you got wounded?" Felix asked her, she nodded at that. “Yes, there was this weapon the thing used. I couldn’t identify it but I think it was something of a short sword.” She said doubtingly.

Anyhow Noah started to talk but for some reason he couldn’t get the words out right and suddenly he spoke in a different tongue. "I schi ti. Chachik," he said, speaking in a hoarse voice.
After that Felix took over and he told her and Kali about the rest of the story. About their home town, the magic the inhabitants used and that was apparently also in the soil, the father of Noah selling his secret spells and the final destruction.
Somehow Noa found his voice again, got a grip on himself and Farrah turned her head to him again. She felt drained of energy because of all of this and by what Noah told her now she at least knew what it was that caused that wind to roar. Noah opened his bag and gave them all a dried piece of meat. Farrah took one thankfully and took a big bite out of it. She just needed rest and food, after that she would be fine.
“Noah,” she started between one bite and another, “Do you think it would be possible for us to still go to that village, find out whatever is going on around there and then go back to the guild?” she asked him. “We simply can’t let this happen without any opposition. Besides, Makarov needs to know about the attacks. It can be a danger to other guild members who might travel this way.” She said, after which she took another bite. Sadly she ran out of meat to quickly for her taste but she would survive this.
“Anyway I would propose that we stay her for at least this day and night. Tomorrow we can see how things go.” She said, looking strangely at her collarbone. It still felt unreal to her but somehow she couldn’t shake that strange feeling of off her, like there was something she had missed. A frown appeared on her face as she over thought everything again for the third time since she had been awake. All this had something to do with Noah and Felix, that was for sure, but why attack her and Kali in the process? And why go through those lengths to figure out her own abilities?
“Kali, I think you’re going to be really careful the next couple of days, at least until we are back at the guild. I have this feeling that they’re willing to go through any lengths to figure out everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.” She said.

x
Felix & Noah
Everyone took bites from their dried meat, the only sound being their chewing for a while. Noah looked up as Farrah broke the silence by speaking his name. "Do you think it would be possible for us to still go to that village, find out whatever is going on around there and then go back to the guild?" She asked him. He could feel his chest tightening at the idea of going back - he had seen too much of what the old magic could do to ever want to go back to it - , but he couldn't really be surprised. Farrah seemed the type that stayed true to her guild whatever the situation was. Of course she would want to check it out so they could warn others. "We simply can't let this happen without any opposition. Besides, Makarov needs to know about the attacks. It can be a danger to other guild members who might travel this way," she explained, grounding Noah's suspicions. 
He took his time to think over his words before he answered. He wasn't sure if Farrah and Kali understood what it meant if someone had taken the magic towards Fiore, but he wasn't sure if they even could understand it without having seen the damage it could do themselves. 
"Maybe," he finally answered. "I just think we need to figure out more first. I could smell the magic there, but I don't have any idea how many people it came from, or if those people are even able to control it. We can't even know for sure if the wizard that attacked us really came from Freyburn. Maybe he just heard rumours about my father. If we simply walk towards the village now, it would be like walking into a maze in the dark," he said.
"I would propose that we stay here for at least this day and night. Tomorrow we can see how things go," Farrah said, staring down. Noah nodded slowly, and Felix and Kali did the same.
"Kali, I think you're going to be really careful the next couple of days, at least until we are back at the guild. I have this feeling that they're willing to go through any lengths to figure out everyone's strenghts and weaknesses," Farrah warned her friend. 
"We should stand guard," Noah said suddenly. "When night falls, I mean." Before Felix could offer up to take the first shift, he stopped him by placing a hand on his knee. "You need your rest tonight. You've barely slept last night and today you carried Farrah most of the way. Me and Kali will take the first shift, we can keep eachother awake," he said, his eyes shifting to Kali. "I mean, if you don't mind. I think it's most important Farrah and Felix get enough sleep tonight," he explained. Kali shrugged, not seeming to mind the idea of staying awake part of the night.

x

Kali
Since Noah had a point, she agreed on taking the first shift. She even felt a little glad Noah would stay up as well; it would be less difficult to stay awake that way. Feeling restless, she rose back to her feet, grabbing her scythe. "It's not night yet. We might as well use the last daylight to brainstorm," she decided out loud. She used her scythe to draw two squares in the sand. "We've had two attackers until now. The one that recognised Noah, and the one that got inside Farrah's mind. I think it's easy to conclude they didn't work apart." As she spoke, she wrote the points into the two squares - one for their attacker, one for Farrah's. "Our attacker knew the dialect from Freyburn. He used some kind of shadow magic to disappear as well. Could it be he lived in Freyburn and escaped when it was destroyed?" She asked Felix and Noah. "You said yourself that you and Noah got away in time because you were quick. This guy was as well," she added, speaking to Felix. "Your attacker-," she started, now pointing at Farrah, "- you said he tried to find out what your weak and strong points were. So let's say his goal is to get to know all of our powers," she spoke, writing it down again. She handled the scythe with practiced ease - this wasn't the first time she felt the need to write down everything she had learned during a job. It helped clear her mind, making theories about her enemies that often proved to be right.
"We should at least try to hide what we can about our magic. Though, if he works together with the wizard that attacked us, it could be they already know about Felix and Noah. They must at least know that you guys can be quick, otherwise you couldn't have survived Freyburn, right?" She looked up, and Felix gave her a weak nod, looking a little stunned at the sudden shift in her behaviour. She had been silent a lot, after all. "And, well, my scythe is a big tell, but even Noah, who had read about it, didn't know all I can do with it. So that's something," she said, writing it down as well.
"The only thing I don't get is what those two wizards might have to do with the village, and why it smells so strong of old magic. I mean, seeing as our attacker seemed to hate Noah quite a lot - no offense - I don't think he's the type to sell the magic to a whole town." 
"

Noah seemed to doubt. Not that Farrah could say anything about it. After all, both of them had been through allot and they knew their magic the best, at least so she thought. Farrah yawned and closed her eyes for a bit, as if she didn’t think he would answer.
“Maybe” he then said suddenly and she looked up again. Even though it was a maybe it was not a no and so there could be some hope for them to succeed in this.
"I just think we need to figure out more first. I could smell the magic there, but I don't have any idea how many people it came from, or if those people are even able to control it. We can't even know for sure if the wizard that attacked us really came from Freyburn. Maybe he just heard rumours about my father. If we simply walk towards the village now, it would be like walking into a maze in the dark," he said. Farrah nodded at that. she knew that was true, they needed more information before they would go there, it was the most stupidest idea to simply barge in there.

Then Noah came with a great idea, Farrah fully agreed with that for obvious reasons, to stand guard during the night. The choice fell on himself and Kali, since Felix and Farrah were both out of the running for now. So Kali took the first watch and proposed to do some brainstorming. A faint smile appeared on Farrah lips, she already knew what Kali was going to do, she always did that sooner or later.
So came the time that Kali took the lead now, which was in fact a good thing. And so came the lines and words on the ground. After some time thought Farrah kind of dozed off, she was exhausted. She didn’t even hear the end of it and simply fell asleep, she just hoped that tonight nothing would happen.

Nothing did happen that night, except for some nightmares everything was fine for Farrah. Though in the morning her muscles felt like pudding and she wasn’t in even a slightly better shape. She even looked a little sick and she coughed a little. Damned wizard, she thought. Yes, she felt a grudge coming up, she was going to kill that son of a whore. “Did anything happen?” Farrah asked Noah, who was in charge of the last watch.

x
Felix & Noah
Felix noticed Farrah drifting off halfway Kali's brainstorm session, but he did his best to stay awake until the end. Soon, however, his eyelids grew heavy, and his eyes closed without him noticing it on numerous times. Noah nudged him in the side with his foot. "Go to sleep," he whispered as Kali kept on writing unintelligible stuff in the dirt. "I'll be fine during the night. You need sleep the most." 
Felix wanted to object, but felt too tired to start an argument, so instead he laid down with a defeated grunt. "Wake me up when something happens," he muttered before closing his eyes. He vaguely felt Noah draping something over his body - had he taken a blanket with him? Felix couldn't remember - before he drifted off to sleep.

x
Kali
She stopped thinking out loud when she noticed that both Farrah and Felix had fallen asleep, but she kept up her scribbling until it was pitch black outside. With a frustrated noice she dropped to the ground, placing her scythe next to her on the ground. "I keep reasoning in circles," she sighed when Noah gave her a questioning look. He had been sitting right next to Felix for most of the time, but now he scooted a little closer to Kali to give her writings a closer look.
"I think me or Felix need to go back there to take a second look next morning," he whispered in a defeated tone. Kali erased some of her words by rubbing her foot over the letters. "Yeah, maybe," she muttered. "The only thing that doesn't make any sense is Farrah saying she recognised her attacker. I mean, she travelled a lot, but as far as I know she never left Fiore. I think."
She looked up in surprise as Noah let out a soft chuckle. "What?" She asked, straightening her back a little. "Nothing, sorry. I just think a little rest wouldn't do you any wrong," he answered. Somehow they were talking in hushed tones now, as not to wake their friends, though Kali hadn't noticed the change of volume earlier. 
She let out a huff of breath, grabbing her scythe and wiping the dirt from the wooden end. "You remind me of my brother a little," she admitted. "You're both so- sensible," she added, speaking the last part as if it was a four letter word. Noah laughed again as he leaned back against the rocks behind them. "Well, me and Feli have been on our own for most of the past few years, so someone had to be the reasonable one. And I don't think Felix will ever learn to be that way," he said. Kali looked towards Felix, who seemed a lot smaller and a lot less like a dick now he was asleep. "Hmm, no, I think you're right," she muttered. She tried to surpress a yawn, but somehow Noah noticed her growing tired anyway. "You can go to sleep if you want. I'll stay awake anyway, I can stand guard on my own as well." 
Kali threw him a dubious look, but he didn't seem very tired. "Well," she started slowly. "I mean, maybe a few hours sleep won't be so bad. You can wake me up when you're feeling tired." Noah gave her a small nod. "I'll do that. You go lie with Farrah and Felix. I'll manage on my own," he promised. A little relieved that she wouldn't have to stay up all night, she rose to her feet and walked back to where her other two comrades were already asleep.

x
Felix & Noah
The next morning, Farrah was the first to wake up. Noah had stayed up through the rest of the night on his own. He had considered waking up someone else to take over his shift, but eventually had decided against it. He was used to going on without sleep; he doubted Kali our Farrah could say the same, and Felix had already stayed up for most of the night before. He had only moved a little deeper into the cave when the temperature had dropped and he had heard Felix' sleep growing a little restless. Now his friend was curled around him, ridiculously similar to a cat curling up around it's favourite human. 
He squinted his eyes a little when Farrah coughed. "Did anything happen?" She asked. He ran a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes. "No," he answered in a hushed voice. He would let Felix and Kali sleep as long as possible, since they both still looked as if they needed it. 
He frowned a little as he took a closer look at Farrah. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked. "You don't look very well." He grabbed one of the straps of his bag to pull it closer. "Maybe some sugar will help, wait a sec," he muttered as he tried to look through his bag without making too much noise. It seemed he didn't succeed, because after a few seconds of searching he could feel Felix stirring awake around him. He let out a low, lazy grunt as he stretched out. "What better way to start your day by having a close look of a nice butt," he said, adding a long stretched yawn to his sentence. Noah rolled his eyes and pushed Felix' head away. "Thanks for the compliment, but please shut up," he responded. He found a bag of cheap candy and threw it towards Farrah. "Here, take some off that," he told her. 
"Is it time for breakfast?"
He turned around, almost having forgotten about Kali. She rolled on her back, letting out a dissapointed sigh when she saw it was only a bag of candy that was handed to Farrah. "Damn it, I was hoping someone would have prepared some food already."

“GARRAN! YOU STUPID IDIOT! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING COMING AFTER US LIKE THAT? YOU’RE SUCH A FAILURE THAT...” another man started to yell at him, until that same man got struck in the face by another. “That’s enough Jacan.” The older man in the black robe said, crossing his arms while he looked at Garran.
Garran was a young man of about twenty years old. He had this short black hair, he used Lightning magic and he was, to be quite honest, not really good at keeping clam. “JACAN! YOU CAN’T SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU’RE THE FUCKING IDIOT THAT ALMOST GOT HIMSELF KILLED WHILE HE WANTED TO ATTACK THREE FUCKING PEOPLE! HOW STUPID ARE YOU TO THINK OF THAT YOU STUPID P...” that’s how far he got before he also got struck by the old man in the black robe. “Enough, the both of you.” He said, his voice sounding tired as it was because he used quite a big deal of magic on the mindgame with the soundwoman. “If you two cannot act normal I shall have to punish you accordingly, understood?” the man said. For a moment there was a silence and then the two young men nodded and turned from each other. “yes master, I am sorry master.” Jacan started, sounding a little panicked. With one movement of his arm the man silent him as he turned to Garran.
“I have a special task for you Garran.” He said, suddenly his eyes were shining through the mask he wore.

In the mean time Farrah was sitting up straight, Felix was also awake and so was Kali. Not everybody looked that good. “I am fine, just exhausted I think. I don’t think that I am able to continue on today.” Farrah said with some doubt in her voice. again she coughed and she lay back, closing her eyes. Even speaking seemed like a too big an effort for her now and so she decided that someone else should take control, at least for now since she wasn’t able to do anything at the moment. “two of you should go to the village. I am afraid that I am not of much use.” She added.

“What kind of task, master?” Garran said, a flash of red appeared in his eyes. This could prove to be a little exiting in the least. A grin spread on his face as he looked at Jacan from the corner of his eyes. The little shit wasn’t powerful or intelligent enough to do anything BUT follow orders, stupid prick.
“You’re going to try and infiltrate the enemy, Garran. You have to prove to them that you’re willing to help them but in the mean time you’ll just find out everything there is to know about each and every one of them. that information you will give to me during the night. I will contact you when I see fit. Now go.” His master said and without hesitation Garran disappeared and ran off, out of that village they had simply annihilated, on his way to the cave where he guessed the four companions would be.

x
Kali
Farrah was sitting up straight, but she didn't look as if the night of sleep had done her that much good. To be honest, she still looked as bad as she had the day before. "I am fine, just exhausted I think," she said after Noah had asked her how she was feeling. "I don't think that I am able to continue on today," she added, sounding a little doubtful. Kali scoffed at that. "I think you're right about that. I'm sorry to say it, but you look like shit, Farrah," she said with the slightest edge of pity in her voice. She trusted Farrah to know her words were more harsh than she meant them, she knew Kali long enough after all. She watched as her friend lay back again, closoing her eyes. "Two of you should go to the village. I am afraid that I am not of much use," she said. Kali immediately straightened up. "I'll go," she said. "I'll only grow restless if I stay here. I want to see the village for myself," she explained. She saw Felix and Noah sharing one of their weird, wordless conversations from the corner of her eye as she searched her bag for something to prepare as breakfast.
She heard a muffled, irritated sigh right before Felix spoke. "Fine. Noah goes," he muttered. "I'll go look for some fucking berries or something, then," he added, standing up and walking out of the cave without another word.
"Hmm," Kali mused, stealing the bag of candies away from Farrah to take one herself. "Someone is having a bad morning."
She gave up on looking for breakfast worthy food, and instead pulled out a pair of clean clothes. "Noah, even though I must admit your far less worse than I expected you to be, I still need some privacy," she said, throwing a meaningful look at her clothes. Noah stared at her with a blank face for a few moments, before realisation dawned on his face. "Oh, right," he muttered, scraping his throat and standing up to leave the cave as well. 
Kali waited until he was out of sight before she quickly changed her clothes. She was still wearing a dress, despite everyone always saying dresses weren't practical. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked Farrah, deciding to use the small amount of time alone they had. "I mean, with being left behind with Felix as well," she added.

x
Felix & Noah
Not sure what he was supposed to do, Noah sat outside the cave for a while. He didn't even know how much time Kali would need to get dressed- it had been a very long time since he had spent his days with anyone else outside of Felix. Now they were supposed to complete this job with two girls, he began to realise how isolated his last few years had been. He wasn't sure if he was glad or not for the change, though. It certainly seemed to bring Felix on edge a little. Noah suspected it had to do with the fact that he couldn't say everything he had wanted to, because of the presence of Kali and Farrah, but his sudden angry departure had surprised him nonetheless.
He was just worried what the old magic would do to Felix. God knew his memories of that time were way worse than Noah's.
After having stared at the sky for quite a while, he decided that surely Kali had had enough time by now. He rose to his feet, walking back towards the cave. "I'm coming back in!" He yelled, right before turning the corner. Luckily, Kali and Farrah were both dressed properly. He walked towards his bag, pulling out a clean shirt. Just as he had changed his old shirt for the clean one, Felix came walking in again.
"Found some meat," he said, dumping two dead rabbits in the middle of the cave. He had sliced both their necks, Noah noticed. "It's a bit undercooked if you ask me," he muttered, and to his relief Felix let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, well, I've never been much of a cook."
Before he could say anything else, Kali was already building the beginning of a fire with the wood Felix had carried with him as well. "Thank god, I was already beginning to fear I had to live off of dried meat for the rest of my life," she said.

After two short hours, they all had breakfast after Kali had roasted the rabbits, proving to be a better cook than either Felix or Noah had ever been. They had decided it was best to get the visit to the village over with as fast as possible, and with a quick goodbye to Felix and Farrah, he and Kali were back on track. They walked most of the way in silence, until Kali suddenly asked him a question. "How does it smell? The old magic, I mean. Will I recognise it as well?"
Noah looked to his side, trying to come up with a proper description. "It's hard to explain the smell, but you'll notice it soon enough. It's not something you can easily overlook. It's kind of like- I think it's comparable to the smoke from a fireplace. It smells of warmth. Home. It's only people that turn the magic into something bad."

First he had gathered as much stuff as possible to put in a bag, that included food and something to drink. He would take the role as just another traveller coming this way, showing them a helpful hand and if they would not accept that immediately he had other plans already. There was a broad grin on his face that could not even be rubbed off by the comments that Jacan made.
“I don’t know why he chose you.” The man muttered, looking a bit boyish in Garran’s eyes.
“I mean we are with allot more than just you and me and you’re not the smartest, strongest or anything good to be exact.” The man continued.
Garran simply ignored him, put the bag over his shoulder and sighed. “Goodbye Jacan. See you in a few days. And be sure to attack me like it’s real... and try to stand your ground for once. If you please.” Garran said. With that and a blow on the shoulder of Jacan, Garren left the village.

He walked around it a little deliberately, so that it would appear that he didn’t emerge from the village at all. If he was a traveller he had to appear to come from a faraway place. Not that it mattered much, his appearances had nothing of the typical Fiore inhabitants, but it was the direction that counted.
It didn’t take him a very long time to find a path that would lead him to the cave. The path came from the south and had, seemingly, no contact route to the village. From further away he could hear voices. He couldn’t really understand them but the only people around here were those four and so it had to be at least two of them.
Garran chuckled when he saw that one of them was Noah. Luckily for Garran he had changed so much over the years that Noah wouldn’t recognise him one bit. That was one of the things why he had been chosen by Him.

“Hello there.” Garran greeted the two politely when he stopped in front of them. “I don’t know where you’re going but I don’t recommend going that way. There is something strange happening over there. I wanted to get some supplies for on the way but when I got to the villages there were no people at all.” He said, shrugging a little. “Luckily for me I can at least travel until the next town.” He said, smiling a little now.
There was a little surprise in his eyes when he noticed how they looked, totally horrible. “You guys don’t look very well. Is there something you need? Perhaps I can be a help of some sort.” He proposed.



While all that was happening a little bit further down the road, Farrah was lying again. She felt like shit. Kali had already informed her about how she looked like shit and of course Farrah had appreciated that by making another insult at her friend, saying something about that she looked as if she would fall apart sooner rather than later.
Now however it was just her and Felix. The meal had done her good so she was about sure that her power and energy would return in no time. Perhaps she could find some more things out from Felix. “So why did YOU out of all people decide to care for me when I was out cold?” she asked him curiously. She hadn’t really expected that from anyone actually and definitely not from Felix.
“Not like I am ungrateful but just curious. You don’t really look like the type to care.” She said, trying to make it sound like a joke, which a part of that sentence actually was. “Thank you anyway.” Farrah said, smiling a little faint.
For some bloody reason she thought it was good for the Felix and Noah to know why she wore the headphone all the time, since this situation wasn’t that normal it would be better to know that she could rely on not only Kali.
“You’ve probably been wondering about what’s up with me wearing that headphone all the time.” She mentioned, taking a deep breath before she continued. “Sound can be an overwhelming thing and because it is I can be very touchy most of the time. However the headphone protects me, sort of speak, for most of the unusual sounds that could harm me. When I don’t wear them everything will come at me at once and that will probably result in me going crazy or me dying.” She explained. “Also, the reason why I got to fairy tail was because at a certain point, when I didn’t had the headphone yet, my powers took hold of me. I remember me and my parents being in a village and for some reason it seemed like everything and everyone was trying to harm me. The noises, the voices, everything... it made me crazy. So to get rid of it all inside my head I screamed. I couldn’t stop, “ her voice got hoarser while she spoke on and she didn’t look at Felix anymore. Tears were forming in her eyes but she ignored that, “so I kept on screaming until my father shook me and got me out of that nightmare. When I looked around me the village was destroyed. That was when my parents took me to master Makarov, so he could teach me how to control not only my powers but my emotions. I’ve never seen my parents again.” She said, that last sentence was not more than a whisper.

x
Kali
"Hello there."
Both her and Noah almost jumped at the sudden voice. As Kali gripped a slightly better hold of her scythe, she could see Noah's hand drifting off to the gun at his hip before correcting himself. She was glad she wasn't the only one feeling a bit paranoid. Turning her face away from Noah, she looked at the man who'd just stopped in front of them. There was a heavy looking bag slung over his back, looking just as worn as she both felt and looked. A traveller, then, she guessed. "I don't know where you're going, but I don't recommend going that way," he told them, obviously talking about the village. Kali could feel the nerves in her chest, that had already been there since the beginning of this morning, grow a little more. "There is something strange happening over there. I wanted to get some supplies for on the way, but when I got to the village there were no people at all," he told them, shrugging a little.
Kali frowned. "At all?" She repeated. "You're sure they weren't just not very welcoming and hid in their homes?" Noah surpressed a snort, but it was still loud enough for her to here. She threw him a quick glare before focusing back on the stranger. "Luckily for me I can at least travel until the next town," he said, smiling a little. Kali squinted a little at his face - probably looking a little paranoid still - as she thought about what she would have said if Farrah had been here. Definitely something about his beard. Probably something positive, though only Farrah would recognise it as such. Her compliments had a way of turning out a little scathing.
"You guys don't look very well," the man started, looking a little surprised - as if he only just noticed. Kali threw him the same glare she had used at Noah not less than a few seconds ago. "Rude," she told him. 
"Is there something you need? Perhaps I can be a help of some sort," the man proposed. Okay, maybe not so very rude after all. Before she could respond, however, already thinking of what might help Farrah, Noah was first.
"No, thanks. We'll be fine on our own," he said in a clipped tone of voice. Kali pursed her lips, not liking the way he didn't even ask her first.
"Well, you might be of some help," she said, ignoring Noah as he tried to bore a hole in her head with his eyes. At least, that was what he seemed to be doing. Kali wasn't sure. It could've been a seizure as well, who knew.
"No, I'm very sorry, but you really can't," Noah stepped in. Kali clenched her jaw. "He's just being polite, don't mind him. Do you happen to have any news of the other villages nearby? If you came that way, surely you've passed some of the other towns as well."
"Also," she started, determinedly still ignoring Noah's death glares, "- do you happen to have anything of use to my friend? We've left her behind a little way back. She's mostly burned out, I think, but I'm still worried," she explained, giving the stranger one of her most innocent smiles, hoping it did it's work. Though, if she should base her expectations on the experience she had had with her smiling, she should probably expect him to turn around and flee. Kali just wasn't made for naive flirting, despite her girly dresses. "No," Noah said with clenched teeth. "He is not coming with us," he hissed towards her, though he didn't exactly try to muffle his words. Kali frowned. "Not everyone is a rage on a killing spree, Noah," she hissed back. "If he has anything of use to Farrah, he is fucking coming with us and you are not going to try anything to. stop. him." She stared him straight in the eyes, daring him to object, and when after a short moment Noah's shoulders deflated a little and he broke eye contact, Kali threw the stranger another smile. "He's kidding, of course."

x
Felix
Noah hadn't even left more than an hour ago, and he was already growing restless. God, he was hopeless. He was glad Farrah started a conversation, because otherwise he would probably have cleansed the cave from every spider web and dry leave that he could've found. "So, why did you out of all people decide to care for me when I was out cold?" She asked.
He turned around on the back of his heels - he had been standing, staring at the path outside - at her tone. "Do I need to feel insulted?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow."Not like I am ungrateful, but just curious. You don't really look like the type to care," she said. "Thank you anyway."
Felix let out a huff of breath before sitting down, forcing him to keep from nervous fiddling. "Firstly, it was the most logical thing for me to carry you. Noah was still tired, and Kali carries a huge scythe with her," he told her. "Secondly, why does everyone always think that?" He tried to bring it with the same lightness as Farrah's question, but it fell a little flat. "I'm just not used to take care of anyone else but Noah," he muttered. 
After a few beats of silence, Farrah brought up the question that had been bugging him for a while. "You've probably been wondering about what's up with me wearing those headphones all the time," she said, and Felix gave her a weak smile as confirmation.
"Sound can be an overwhelming thing, and because it is I can be very touchy most of the time. However, the headphones protect me, so to speak, for most of the unusual sounds that could harm me. When I don't wear thm everything will come at me at once and that will probably result in me going crazy or dying," she told him. "Also, the reason why I got to Fairy Tail was because at a certain point, when I didn't have the headphones yet, my powers took hold of me. I remember me and my parents being in a village and for some reason it seemed like everything and everyone was trying to harm me. The noises, the voices, everything.. it made me crazy. So to get rid of it all inside my head, I screamed. I couldn't stop," she said, and Felix pretended he didn't hear the hoarsness of her voice. "So I kept on screaming until my father shook me and got me out of that nightmare. When I looked around me, the village was destroyed. That was when my parents took me to master Makarov, so he could teach me how to control not only my powers, but my emotions. I've never seen my parents again," she said, the story ending in a hoarse whisper. Felix stared at her face for a moment, before he laid down as well, folding his arms under the back of his head, staring at the rocky ceiling above them.
"Well," he said after a while. "We're quite the pair then," he said with a grin that turned more into a grimace then anything else. "There's you destroying an entire village, and me having tried to save one. Instead, I took the only chance my family had at getting out of it alive, and I ended up with no home nor any parents, but a bunch of nightmares instead."
He wasn't sure why he told her, or why he tried to make it sound as if it didn't matter at all anymore. He blamed the fact that they had nothing else to do, and that he still felt tired. "You can sleep if you want. If you're still tired, I mean," he said after a while. He rose one of his legs to take a look at his boots without having to lift his head, and scrubbed the toe of his shoe against his jeans, trying to get rid of the mud that clung to his soles. "D'you have any uplifting stories, maybe?" He asked her, already forgetting he had just told her she could go to sleep if she wanted. "I mean, I have that one story about when I tried to use my magic so I could change my clothes without doing any effort, but- well, it doesn't end pretty. For me, at least," he told her. "I think that must've been Noah's first emotional trauma as well, now I think of it," he added with a grin that was little more genuine this time.

She could hear the movement that Felix made. His seemed to lay down too, not that she spent any real attention to it, she just noticed.
"Well," he said after a while. "We're quite the pair then," he said with a grin that turned more into a grimace then anything else. "There's you destroying an entire village, and me having tried to save one. Instead, I took the only chance my family had at getting out of it alive, and I ended up with no home nor any parents, but a bunch of nightmares instead." He said.
That made her look at him again, perhaps a little shocked but it was worth it. This was the first thing she had heard about that. not that that was something to make a fuss about, she barely knew the guy. Farrah wanted to say something but she simply couldn’t and so she gaped at him a bit.
“You shouldn’t talk about that like it doesn’t even matter to you.” She said to him after a while, ignoring the while sleeping if you’re tired thing. Then she was quiet for a while, unable to speak because for now she could only think about what had happened back then, it was like she could relive that moment over and over again.

"D'you have any uplifting stories, maybe?" He asked her. "I mean, I have that one story about when I tried to use my magic so I could change my clothes without doing any effort, but- well, it doesn't end pretty. For me, at least," he told her. "I think that must've been Noah's first emotional trauma as well, now I think of it," he added with a grin.
She again looked at him, a flicker of joy in her eyes. “I have to many stories, that you should know before you ask again about ME having uplifting stories.” She said, turning to lie on her side so she could look at him while she spoke. And so she told him a story about something with a living island and some wicked guy who wanted to do something and all the blabla and overdramatic stuff that fit with it. The ending was something with her kicking someone’s butt real hard and that was the end. “So how’s that of an uplifting story.” She grinned.



“Rude” the girl in front of him said when they looked awful, not that he cared about that. But when he had offered his help and the girl wanted to speak, Noah answered for her. There was a pang inside Garren’s chest. Could he possibly know that it was him? Or was he just acting like his paranoia self? Garren wondered.
"No, thanks. We'll be fine on our own," he said in a clipped tone of voice.
"Well, you might be of some help," she said.
"No, I'm very sorry, but you really can't," Noah stepped in.
"He's just being polite, don't mind him. Do you happen to have any news of the other villages nearby? If you came that way, surely you've passed some of the other towns as well." The girl said. A small grin came upon his face. There was something going on between those two, they were not something you could call a unity.
“The people of the other villages don’t know much either. They just told me that some time ago things started to happen. Some villagers seemed to be moving somewhere else but except for that I don’t know anything. I am sorry.” He said apologising.

"Also," she started"- do you happen to have anything of use to my friend? We've left her behind a little way back. She's mostly burned out, I think, but I'm still worried," she explained, smiling allot and doing things. Garran decided to grant her a smile of his own. “No problem. I think I’ve got something in my backpack that can help your friend. If you can take me to her she’ll be fine in to time.” He said to her and he winked.
"No," Noah said with clenched teeth. "He isnot coming with us," he hissed towards the girl. Garran could hear him but he didn’t care. It seemed like the girl had everything in order. He let them chat a little together, even though it was more like a small fight. “Just take me to your friend and she’ll be fine. I promise.” He repeated. He didn’t really look at Noah, as if he didn’t feel good around the guy, which was true in a way.
“Tell me, why is your friend acting that way? I only want to help.” Garran asked the girl curiously. “I am Garran by the way. Nice to meet you, both of you.” He said.

x
Kali
To his credit, the stranger kept a straight face for the most part as she and Noah bickered about his question if he could help. As she asked him if he knew anything about the other villages, she only saw a small grin on his face. "The people of the other villages don't know much either," he said, and Kali's shoulders deflated a little. Secretly, she had hoped it would be as simple as asking the other villages. Apparently, though, it was not. 
"They just told me that some time ago things started to happen. Some villagers seemed to be moving somewhere else, but except for that I don't know anything. I'm sorry," he said. Kali squinted her eyes a little as she quickly thought about his answer. "How long ago? Did you ask them?" She asked him, as she made a note in her mind of checking one of the nearby villages out herself. Her head was already filling itself up with numerous questions.
When she asked him if he would have anything that would be of use to Farrah, he returned her smile. Kali tried to hide her surprise as he answered her. "No problem. I think I've got something in my backpack that can help your friend. If you can take me to her she'll be fine in no time," he told her, and even added a wink.
Well, he certainly didn't react to Kali like most people did.
When Noah refused to show him the way back to the cave, she hissed back her own words. "Just take me to your friend and she'll be fine. I promise," Kali vaguely recognised his words. She noticed how he avoided looking at Noah, but couldn't really blame him. He wasn't the most hospitable after all. 
When she waved the stranger to follow them, pushing Noah in front of her, the man came walking next to her. "Tell me, why is your friend acting that way? I only want to help," he asked her, and she couldn't help a snort escaping her mouth as he called Noah her friend. "Colleague would be more correct," she muttered. "And, I mean, you are a stranger. You can't really blame him for acting a little paranoid. It's just that he doesn't know my friend as well as I do. Of course he'd rather play it safe," she said.
"I am Garran by the way. Nice to meet you, both of you," he said. Kali gave him a quick, scrutinizing look before she answered. "Kali," she told him. "Nice to meet you as well. I think. We'll see what you can do to help Farrah," she told him, though her face had lost some of it's harshness.

x
Felix
He could feel Farrah's eyes burning in the side of his face, and he held his own gaze fixed on the rocks above them to avoid looking back at her. "You shouldn't talk about that like it doesn't even matter to you," she said, just when he started believing she wouldn't say anything. He pulled up one of his legs, letting out a soft sigh. "I know," he muttered. "It's just- easier, I guess."
When he asked her about any stories with a slightly happier tone, she turned on her side to look at him. He rolled his head to the side as well when she started talking. "I have too many stories, that you should know before you ask again about me having uplifting stories," she said, and Felix laughed. He wriggled his arm from under his head and tapped his temple. "I'll keep it in mind, thanks," he grinned.
She started telling him something about a guy somewhere on an island, and how she had basically kicked his butt. Felix found himself relaxing, some of the tension of being separated from Noah seeping out of his muscles, and he even laughed without it feeling forced. "So, how's that of an uplifting story?" Farrah ended, and Felix grinned at her again. "Well," he started with a suddenly very serious face. "You certainly lifted his butt."
He ran a hand over his face, wiping a lose strand of hair out of his eyesight. "Hm, I'm not sure if I can up you on that one. All I have are stories that are very embarrassing for either me, Noah, or both of us."
He folded his arms back under the back of his head, just as he could hear three pairs of footsteps coming closer. Felix slowly pushed himself upwards, frowning at the entrance of the cave. "Why are there-," he started, but he stopped midsentence when Noah came walking in with a face like thunder. "What-," he started, but stopped when Noah's gaze fixed on Felix. Okay, he clearly wasn't in a very talkative mood. Behind him Kali came walking in, together with an unknown man. Something in Felix' stomach shifted as he stared at his face, but he wasn't sure what the cause of it was. "Who are you?" He asked. "Why are you back already?"

So that girl’s name was Kali and Noah was more like her colleague than her friend. Good, Garran thought. If he could he would have smirked but he had to keep up appearances for as long as he possibly could.
While they walked Noah seemed to stay behind them, like Kali said he really was paranoid. Was he ever like that before all that happened at the village so many years ago? Could he recognise me? Garren wondered, not looking that distracted on the outside because he told Kali about what he had heard in the village. He had most certainly heard it all, because he had told the people what to say if other travellers came by and asked what had happened.
They were nearing a cave and there he noticed someone’s energy. Felix, it had to be him, Garran already figured before he got in. Felix seemed to be surprised to see a stranger and by the looks of it he and Noah still had that connection between them.
"Who are you?" He was asked by Felix. "Why are you back already?" He asked Noah.
“Hi, I am Garren. Nice to meet you.” Garren said heartily as he kept out his hand to shake Felix’s. “I saw your friends here on the road to that village and I told them what I’ve seen and heard about it. Also Kali told me about someone of your company being sick.” He said, looking around, seeing Farrah almost immediately. Of course he had already known that she had been there, there was no mistake that it was that woman.
“So what is it that you’re burdened with?” Garran asked Farrah, who tried to sit up straight but felt so dizzy that she lay down again. “I am fine.” She growled, putting allot of effort in almost spelling the word fine. “It’s seems like you’re not.” Garren said, ignoring her grumpy behaviour and walking towards her while getting something out of his backpack. “here, eat this. You’ll feel better. After you’ve eaten it you might fall asleep but when you wake up you’ll be as good as new.” He said with a smile when he offered it to her.
He seemed genuine enough, Farrah thought, and after a minute of observing him she took the offered piece of something and took a bite of it. “It’s not like it will harm you or anything.” Garran said, really wanting them to trust him, and so he too took a bite of the weird looking food that had something of a piece of dried meat. “Tastes like shit but it will do.” He added.

After some minutes Farrah fell asleep and Garren turned around. “She’ll be fine in a few hours. I gave her something my grandmother used to give me when he was sick. I still thank her whenever I get sick, because now I have a remedy.” He said.

x
Kali
As soon as they entered the cave, Felix rose to his feet. "Who are you?" He asked, starring at Garren, before his eyes went to Noah. "Why are you back already?" Noah pursed his lips before answering. "We walked into him. He came from the village, said there was no one there," he answered, not looking at Kali. She rolled her eyes, turning towards Farrah. Fine. If he wanted to play it that way, she was not one to complain.  
"Hi, I am Garren. Nice to meet you," Garren said, and Kali tried not to laugh at his stubborn politeness. "I saw your friends here on the road to that village and I told them what I've seen and heard about it. Also, Kali told me about someone of your company being sick." She watched as he held out his hand to Felix, who stared at it in confusement for a few seconds before taking it. "Er- hi, Felix," he said.
Kali turned to her friend, who still looked a little pale. "How are you feeling?" She asked her, throwing in an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the company," she muttered in a slightly lower tone, so Garren wouldn't hear her. "I just- he said he had something to make you feel better," she explained. She hoped Farrah would understand that under normal circumstances she would've never invited a stranger to their rest place. 
"So, what is it that you're burdened with?" Garren asked, and Farrah tried to sit up right. "I am fine," she growled, even though she was obviously not. "It seems like you're not," Garren said, voicing Kali's thoughts out loud. "Here, eat this. You'll feel better.
Kali opened her mouth, but Felix got in first. "What is it?" He asked, sounding only slightly distrusting. 
Garren told them something about how she might fall asleep, but that Farrah would feel better after she would wake up again.
Kali frowned a little at the odd bit of food Garren held out to her, but Farrah seemed to decided he seemed honest enough, as she took a bite of it. Garren took a bite himself to show them it wouldn't harm her, and Kali relaxed a little.

x
Felix & Noah
Felix watched as Farrah fell asleep before he sat back down on the ground next to Noah. "She'll be fine in a few hours. I gave her something my grandmother used to give me when he was sick. I still thank her whenever I get sick, because now I have a remedy," he said. Felix stared at him for a few moments before answering. "Well, I hope you're right," he muttered, not adding the part where he wouldn't be very safe in this cave anymore if he wasn't. He looked like a smart enough guy; he would've probably already figured out that part.
Instead, he turned towards Noah, who was still looking tense, unhealthily so. He was following Garren's every move, only pausing his observating when he threw Kali a threatening glare. Felix noticed they were almost on the same level when it came to those; whenever Kali stared back it caused an unwilling shiver up his spine. 
It seemed it was up to him to let them all survive the next two hours.
"We should play a game. Twister or something, to help with our bonding," he said, and just as he had hoped both Noah and Kali reacted at the same time. "I am not playing twister" "I'm wearing a fucking dress, you dick"
Felix threw them both one of his not-very-innocent grins, glad some of the tension had disappeared. "Hmm, too bad. Story time, then. Garren, where are you from?"