#||closed starter||

" Look what I found~"

A hint of smugness with a faint trace of audacity coats his words as he leans against the windowsill, arm outstretched in front of him. Held precariously in the air by his hands was a small paper brown bag, a fast food logo clearly printed across the front. After a second or two he suddenly flings it forward, a single red feather darting from his back to help guide it to the nearest table.

With little hesitation, Aries reached out and took the bowl and ladle from Mirajane. From the multiple stories that Leo had shared about his friends from the guild, she had learned that Mirajane had taken on much work in order to keep things orderly. Even if it’s something small like making cookies, Aries would like to help relieve some of that work.

“I would love to help out with cookies, Miss Mirajane,” Aries said with a smile, “I-if I do say so myself, I’m r-rather good at baking.” Not to brag, but her cakes are the fluffiest. “Just l-let me know what you would like me to do.”

Aries crept quietly behind Shade and covered both his eyes with her hands.

“Guess who,” she asked in a sing-song voice.

Aries re-entered the spirit world from her gate, returning from her most recent summoning. Then she noticed Ophiuchus in area. It was hard to tell if Ophiuchus was heading towards their gate or was returning. Now that she thought about it, Aries could not remember what was even the last time that the two of them worked together. The closest she could think of was an indirect connection through Libra and Pisces, when Lucy and Yukino closed the Eclipse Gate, as the three of them shared a key holder, but that did not really count.

Perhaps she was lost in her thoughts for a little too long as Aries realized that Ophiuchus was right in her path. While she did not have a conversation starter in mind, it would be rude to walk right past Ophiuchus without acknowledging them.

As Aries got closer, she greeted,”Oh, hello Ophiuchus. Lovely weather w-we’ve been having.” She wished that she had a better starter, but at the same time, she did not know if Ophiuchus was in a rush or not.

It had been a long time since Aries has last seen her friends in the human world and checked with Lucy to make sure it was okay and not draining to her magic if she could visit them.

“Deiru,” Aries called out and ran up to hug them. “It’s been so long, s-sorry for not visiting in a while. A-are you well?”

“I w-would love to get s-some ice cream, Arashi!”

@shadehyde​

“Hey doll face!” “Come on, don’t be like that!” “We can show you a great time!”

That, among other things, is what the men catcalling Ariel were saying. They were persistent and did not take a hint that her walking away was an indication that she was not interested.

Ariel was constantly looking for an out, there just had to be a place for her to escape to as she picked up the pace. There! There was a shop that was open. Without looking back, Ariel turned and entered the shop. 

She regained her bearings as she looked to the shelves to get a feeling of the layout and saw various CD and record covers, and the occasional instrument. So she had walked into a music shop. Through her glances here and there, she saw the cashier, asleep, at the counter. Better than no one in sight she supposed.