For the rest of the journey, Kaia let the golden dusk soak her bones, her new confidence bubbling and fizzing inside her like uncorked champagne. They followed the rutted road past fields now purple with night, their merchant charge humming the entire time mostly about onions, profit margins, and the price of clean socks in Onibus.
Kaia, not for the first time, wondered if she'd just fought bandits so she could one day afford laundry service.
The town itself blinked into view by moonrise a scattering of lamplight and late-night voices, cheerful and soft, promising warmth and beds softer than the cold ground. Erza strode ahead, face as unreadable as ever, her sword slung casually over her shoulder as if daring any further trouble to try its luck.
They delivered the merchant to his home a tiny cottage half-swallowed by barrels, onions, and gratitude. He pressed a handful of jewels into Kaia's palm with a watery smile, promised eternal loyalty, and promptly forgot their names in favor of tallying his goods.
The girls were left standing in the cool evening air, alone and Kaia realized suddenly, wonderfully free.
Erza turned to her. "We won't make it back to Magnolia tonight. Too dangerous to travel after dark."
Kaia, buoyed by a sense of accomplishment, shrugged. "Sure. I could use a bath that doesn't involve angry river geese."
Erza didn't blink. "Then we need an inn."
They found one quickly a cheery old building with painted shutters and a sign featuring a cartoon sheep. Inside, the innkeeper, a grandmotherly woman with hair piled high and a magical wand tucked behind her ear, sized them up with a glance and a grin.
"Two young adventurers!" she chirped. "And Fairy Tail, no less. Room for the night?"
Kaia stepped forward, feeling uncharacteristically mature. "Do you have a double room? With two beds?"
Erza, however, simply said, "One room is fine."
The innkeeper's eyes sparkled with the kind of mischief only the elderly can muster. "One room, then! Cozier that way. You two look like you need some sleep." She handed over a heavy iron key, her grin never faltering.
Kaia opened her mouth to protest, but Erza was already marching up the stairs, key in hand. Kaia followed, bracing herself for whatever strange inn smell or questionable beds awaited. She wasn't sure if she wanted to blame Fairy Tail or fate for her lack of privacy.
The room was thankfully clean, bright, and blessedly free of wild animals. But there was only one bed, big and inviting, and nothing remotely resembling a second one.
Kaia stopped in the doorway, half-expecting Erza to notice the issue. Instead, Erza dropped her bag at the foot of the bed and began unlacing her boots.
Kaia stood frozen, awkwardness blooming in her chest.
"Erza?" she tried, voice higher than she liked. "There's only one bed."
"Yes." Erza was already removing her armor with practiced ease. "It's large."
"That's… true." Kaia hovered by the window, clutching her own bag. "But what if you snore? Or kick?"
Erza glanced over, eyebrow arched. "I won't. But you may."
"I do not kick."
"You nearly decapitated me last time you dreamed about pancakes."
"That was wait, when did that happen?"
Erza, mercifully, let the topic drop, and Kaia found herself looking anywhere but the bed. The slow-burn heat in her cheeks was mortifying.
It's not a big deal, she told herself. People share beds all the time. I'm a wizard, not a child. I can handle this.
But she still watched Erza's every movement with wary curiosity as the redhead set about tidying their things, rolling her armor in a perfectly neat bundle, setting her sword beside the bed, then checking the lock with a practiced flick.
Kaia, in contrast, dumped her bag on the floor and considered setting fire to her own embarrassment.
A knock on the door startled them both. The innkeeper's voice called, "Bath's drawn for you girls! Down the hall don't let it get cold!"
Kaia perked up. "Bath. Yes. Best idea of the day."
Erza nodded. "Go ahead. I'll keep watch."
Kaia grabbed her things and darted out, leaving Erza behind. The bathing room was blessedly empty. Steam rose from a large copper tub, scented with something floral and faintly magical. Kaia sighed, shedding her clothes and sliding into the water with all the joy of a weary adventurer.
Maybe things are finally calming down, she thought, sinking until only her nose broke the surface.
The door creaked. Kaia tensed.
Erza entered, towel in hand, utterly unfazed by the idea of shared space. "You'll use all the hot water if you stay in there."
Kaia almost slid under the water like a startled eel. "I thought you were keeping watch!"
"I did. Now it's my turn. Move over."
"I'm not a pancake! The tub isn't that big—"
But Erza had already hung her towel and was settling into the other end of the bath with the calm assurance of someone who'd never been flustered by anything, ever. Kaia squeezed her knees to her chest, trying to take up as little space as possible, her mind scrambling for something to do, say, or think that didn't involve the fact that she was currently sharing a bath with Erza Scarlet.
The silence stretched, filled only by the drip of water and Kaia's frantic internal monologue.
She's your teammate. This is normal. Wizards don't care about this stuff. Maybe I should try meditation. Or sudden unconsciousness.
"So," Erza said at last, breaking the silence with the subtlety of a dropped sword, "are you going to sulk all night or just until your fingers prune?"
Kaia sputtered. "I am not sulking. I'm... contemplating my life choices."
"You contemplate a lot."
"I have a lot to contemplate. Like what happens if I drown right now? Would you fish me out or use me as a warning for future apprentices?"
Erza considered this, her eyes closing in serene thought. "Depends. Would it be a dignified drowning?"
"No. There'd be flailing."
"I'd rescue you, then. Undignified deaths are inconvenient for paperwork."
Kaia laughed despite herself. "You're very practical."
Erza's lips quirked in a rare smile. "I have to be."
They soaked in silence a little longer. The heat loosened Kaia's muscles, melted the day's tension, and brought a strange, soft clarity to her thoughts. She stole a glance at Erza, who, for all her steel and sharpness, looked almost peaceful with her hair fanned around her shoulders and her eyes closed.
The room felt smaller, not from discomfort, but from something unspoken an intimacy both foreign and oddly safe.
"I've never really shared a bed before," Kaia blurted, surprising herself as much as Erza.
Erza opened her eyes, one brow arching.
"With anyone?"
Kaia shrugged, sinking lower. "Not since I was a kid. Not since... well, before I came here. It feels weird, that's all."
Erza nodded. "I understand. We can set pillows between us if you want."
Kaia's heart did a tiny, traitorous leap. "No, it's... fine. I'm not made of glass."
"Good. Because I snore sometimes. Apparently."
Kaia grinned, braver now. "If you start sword-fighting in your sleep, I'm moving to the floor."
"Fair."
They finished bathing and returned to their room, both smelling faintly of rosewater and clean linen. Kaia towel-dried her wild blue hair, watching Erza claim her side of the bed with military precision, lining her boots just so, checking the window's latch, making a pillow barrier that looked suspiciously like a rampart.
Kaia climbed in on the other side, stiff at first, every nerve alert to the nearness of someone else. Erza settled back, arms behind her head, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
For a while, neither spoke. The sounds of the inn laughter, clinking mugs, a cat's yowl somewhere in the distance filtered through the window, soft and safe.
"You're thinking again," Erza said.
Kaia hesitated, then smiled into the dark. "I do that. Sorry."
"It's all right." Erza's voice was quiet, thoughtful. "Weird is fine. It means you care about things."