Work Text:
"I did WHAT?!" Mimosa's shout rang in Noelle's eardrums. The Vermillion girl had just woken up as soon as Noelle sat down on the chair beside the hospital bed. Memories of the events in a haze, Mimosa asked for details regarding what happened to her with the elf leader, whose face plagued her mind while she was asleep. Noelle skeptically filled her in with the details.
"Hush, Mimosa! You'll wake up the rest of the people here!" Noelle silenced her cousin, who was now a stuttering ball of red mess. Mimosa looked at her with wide, terrified green eyes glistening with tears.
"B-But I-- my f-first k-k-ki--" Mimosa touched her quivering lip and hastily buried her face in a pillow, muffling her embarrassed shriek. Noelle sighed in disbelief and slapped the back of the frantic girl's head. "Will you stop that!" She whispered, looking around the room and at the curious eyes of the other patients.
Mimosa hid under the covers and squirmed in a futile attempt to forget the embarrassment. Forget it, Noelle said. Okay.
Forget it.
Forget it.
Forget it.
Forget-
Mimosa's brow twitched. Noelle makes it sound so easy.
"N-Noelle..." she called out from under the covers, showing her eyes only. Noelle raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"It's not e-easy, you know." She pressed her fingers nervously under the blanket. "I mean... I just k-kissed the most powerful elf in history... it's not s-something I can forget easily... uh..." she bashfully covered her face with her hands. The Silva girl sighed and held her hand.
"We're worried, Mimosa. You've been asleep for a few days. Everyone was plenty shocked, I know. It's not like everyday I see a powerful being kiss my cousin, but that's happened already, no turning back." She stated, making Mimosa look back at her sternly. Noelle pouted for a moment, and her face reddened. "S-Stupidsta visited you earlier. Not that I'm jealous or anything!"
Mimosa gaped slightly at the change in the girl's demeanor and giggled. She sat up. "By the way, who took me here?"
Noelle looked at her blankly. "You won't believe it."
Mimosa gulped. "Believe what...?"
Noelle leaned against the chair and crossed her arms. "Langris carried you here."
"What?" Mimosa gaped. "Wow."
"Yes wow, you heard me right." Noelle's lips quirked into a grin. "Unexpected. It was the first time any of us saw him pay attention and care to someone."
"That's..." Mimosa blushed profusely. "Wait, what about Yuno? What happened to Yuno?"
"Oh, you mean your son?" Noelle teased and she pouted at her. "Kidding. He's back on missions now. Helping with the cleanup. We were at Hage yesterday."
"Really? Why?"
"I gave Stupidsta a ride. A-And I wanted to sightsee! Yeah!" She said almost frantically, smiling nervously wide. Mimosa smiled awkwardly, "Thanks for visiting me, Noelle. You're so kind, I really appreciate it."
The Silva girl smiled and stood up. "You're my cousin, of course I'll visit. And of course I'm kind! I'm royalty!" She huffed and flipped her hair. "By the way, Owen told me earlier that Kirsch is coming."
Mimosa groaned and rolled her eyes. "Can you wish me luck like the kind cousin you are?"
Noelle scoffed out a laugh as a familiar voice saying "Your beautiful brother is here!" echoed through the walls. "Whatever, Mimosa. Get some rest."
_
"Hey hey, did you notice that something's off with Rill?" Dorothy poked the shoulder of William beside her, who stopped reading. He cleared his throat and looked at the Aqua Deer Captain, who was still gazing at nothing, looking awestruck. It was making William concerned as well, knowing that Rill was not the type of person to just stay quiet and stare at the air. "I don't know either, Dorothy. Usually, he would be talkative. Maybe he's sick?"
"No, fools." Jack the Ripper spat out, licking his blade. He pointed at the still motionless captain, "some say the kid's in love."
"Seriously?" Dorothy squealed, tapping the table. All the attention of the captains turned to her. She peace signed. "Hehe, sorry!"
"You're plenty lively when you're awake, huh." Nozel said, expression blank.
Dorothy smiled at him, "Cut me some slack, I'm just gonna sleep again later. Anyways, this is about our little Rill! He's in love! How cute!"
"You make it sound like he's a child, even though he's a squad captain already."
"Hmm. It seems so. His facial expression gives the impression." Charlotte said, crossing her arms.
Yami, snapping out from deep thought, nudged her, "How'd ya know that, Prickly Queen? You a love expert or something?"
Charlotte's face reddened. "I-I just know!" So close...!
"Are you okay, Charlotte?" Fuegoleon asked, noticing the woman's flushed face. She nodded vigorously and Fuegoleon smiled faintly.
"I'm hungry." Yami's stomach grumbled. "When's the old brat gonna come here, anyway? I wish I brought at least one of Charmy's muffins with me. Ugh." Groaning, he leaned on the chair.
*BLAG!*
The captains, surprised, turned to the source of the noise to see Rill's face flat on the table.
_
"Miz Charmy! Do you remember when you turned tall during the battle?" Asta said, munching on a piece of meat. The other Bulls eating turned to him.
Magna chimed in, "Whaddya mean, big? Charmy's always small, Shrimpsta."
"Oh, Charmy are you powerful?" Luck stood up, smiling widely at her. "Let's fight!"
Charmy looked at them with narrowed eyes and a slight frown. "I don't remember anything, la."
"Stupidsta, why do you always insist that Miz Charmy did that? Is that even possible?" Noelle said, flipping her hair. Asta loomed over her, frantic. "It is! There was even a big wolf there!"
"Your stories become more and more unbelievable!"
"You just won't let me come out."
"Eh?!" All jolted up when they heard a deep, monstrous voice resound. Charmy looked up. "Huh? What was that, la?"
"That voice..." Asta said in recognition, "that's the voice of your sheep when it transformed!"
"La!" Charmy gasped and looked at her cooking sheeps, "my cooks can talk?!"
"Maybe that was Henry?" Vanessa slurred, feeling sober now.
"I... was... what?" Henry entered the room and all went blank.
"So," Magna spoke, "that wasn't Henry."
"Seriously..." the voice rumbled again, and Charmy held on to the table, feeling dizzy.
"Miz Charmy!" Asta scrambled beside her, "are you okay?"
"Eh? I'm--" white light enveloped her. The biggest sheep's eyes glowed red and its skin started to crack. Charmy's eyes glowed white while all just stood there in bewilderment.
When the light faded, they saw a big wolf and a tall, slender human.
"Holy smokes," Magna spoke, pointing at her, "who the heck are you?!"
"Huh? What are you talking about, la?" The girl stretched her arms, "I'm Charmy, Magna. Are you still hungry, la?"
"B-But why is there a wolf behind you?" Vanessa stuttered, now completely sober. Luck cheered. "Wow! Let's fight!"
"Y-You l-look different! And your grimoire, look!" Grey said.
"Oh, this?" Charmy held up a completely transformed grimoire. "I have two attributes, the elf said."
"WHAT?!"
"I was right!" Asta exclaimed, "and Miz Charmy is a... what do you call that?"
"Hybrid." The wolf grumbled.
"Yeah, something like that."
"A hybrid...?" Vanessa said, exasperated, "between a human and a...?"
"Dwarf." Asta said nonchalantly. The Bulls shrieked. "WHAAAAT?!"
"What's with the crazy origin?! No wonder your magic's super insane!" Magna snickered loudly.
"But dwarves lived a long, long time ago!" Noelle gasped, "I've only known them in stories!"
"Oi, Domehead!" Gauche called, looking up from Marie's picture, "how old exactly are you?!"
"I'm the same age as you, la!"
"Come to think of it, Mimosa told me that he heard the elf say that Yuno from the Golden Dawn was half elf..." Noelle muttered a bit loudly, causing everyone to freeze. Asta's jaw dropped.
"What the hell is it with these powerful half and half scallywags?!"
"What's the commotion about, dumbasses?" Yami spoke, causing the huddle to look at him shocked. Standing behind him was Charlotte Roselei and Rill Boismortier, the latter still in a daze.
"Captain, welcome back! Let's drink!" Vanessa shrieked, hugging his brawny frame. Charlotte's blood went cold but she didn't show it. Vanessa caught her eyes and the two engaged in a short glaring competition. "Why are they here, Captain?" Why is she here, Vanessa wanted to say.
"Prickly Queen's here to help with the curse and devil shit, while Picture dude's here because I think he's cursed. He's been like that for days. Gordon, can you help?"
"Of course, Captain. Captain Rill will be my friend too. I'll make a Rill doll immediately." He muttered quietly.
Puffing out smoke from his mouth, his eyes stopped to the tall girl and a wolf in the middle of the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes and pointed at them, "Who the heck are they?"
"Oh Captain," Finral managed to say, "That's Char-"
"I found you..." Rill's voice cut through the air. His gleaming eyes stared straight ahead to the beautiful lady he's been remembering for days.
Charlotte was surprised to see Rill out of his stupor after many days with just seeing the lady. Was she the one he was in love with?
The lady pointed at herself. "Who, me?" A snap of the fingers made her realization light.
"Oh, it's you! Here to waste my food again, la?" Putting up a fighting stance, the wolf growled behind her and she looked dead serious into Rill's eyes.
"Why does the way she speak sound so familiar..." Yami muttered to himself.
"N-No! I'm not here to fight!" Rill shockingly protested, putting his hands up. The Bulls and captains looked at him with surprise and disbelief, and Charlotte's eyes narrowed.
"I'm sorry about your food. The elf inside me was angry back then, hehe." He scratched his bluish white hair. Tall Charmy tilted her head curiously.
"Can you... cook it for me again?" Rill asked nervously. Tall Charmy's eyes largened and she smiled widely. "Of course, la!"
The wolf groaned as his fur started to transform, "Here I thought that we were gonna fight. Been itchin' for one." With a poof, the wolf transformed back into a sheep and Tall Charmy shrank. Dwarf Charmy set down a plate of food in front of an astounded Rill. "You eat these noms now, la!" She exclaimed, and more plates of food appeared, beside her, "You all eat too!"
"Thank you!" Everyone, even Charlotte, digged in on an unexpected food party. Yami sighed when he heard about what happened, "No wonder her ki feels messed up."
Rill flashed a smile at Charmy and looked for an angle to measure her with his thumb. The girl looked at him, "What are you doing, la?"
"I'm gonna draw you!"
"Oh! Amazing!"
"Charmy!" Luck held her shoulders and shook her excitedly, "Let's fight! Let's fight!"
"Eat first, la!" Charmy laughed, tapping his hands on her shoulders while shoving a piece of toast into Luck's mouth.
Yami sensed a sinister ki and jolted, preparing for a battle only to snicker and sit back down when he saw who was emitting it.
A vein popped in Rill's forehead as he concealed his annoyance with a forced smile. Don't touch her don't touch her don't touch her- "How about you fight me first?"
Luck's mouth formed into an 'o' at the sudden challenge, then a wide grin stretched on his lips. "A captain, wow! I'm on! Let's go!"