➵

Following their girls' day, Dealana found herself spending the remainder of solo season with Lisanna, Wendy and Carla. With everyone rushing in and out of the guild for jobs, the storm dragon slayer also found herself helping MiraJane with making and serving food or drinks.

Taking in all the job requests and marking who took what job was stressful, no matter how great Mira was a hiding it. Dealana couldn't begin imagine how much was swirling around the S-Class mage's mind with everything going on, including the fact that Lisanna's return wasn't a dream.

At the moment, Dealana was sitting cross-legged atop a cloud next to Wendy and Lisanna as Carla told them about her Clairvoyance. Ever since returning from Edolas and gaining the knowledge that her visions weren't a mission, but rather glimpses into the future, the white Exceed was able to begin interpreting them and gaining more understanding.

"Wow! That's totally amazing!" Wendy told Carla after she'd explained her newfound small degree of control.

"So can you tell me which guy's gonna be my future husband?" Lisanna wondered, enthusiastic about the Exceed's abilities.

Carla put her paws on her hips as she replied, saying, "I'm afraid I'm not able to see that far ahead," she glanced around the room before her eyes landed on Macao reading a newspaper at the nearby table. "but maybe, something sooner? Okay, keep an eye on Macao over there. I predict that any moment now, Wakaba will walk up to him and start discussing the younger folks of the guild."

Lisanna and Wendy were both really into the idea of Carla seeing the future, leaning their heads closer to whisper so as to not get caught. "Let's see."

Dealana raised an eyebrow in question. Her eyes darted between the girls and Macao. "You guys do realize that Wakaba is almost always talking to Macao about the younger generation, right? They do that almost every day." She told them, only to be ignored as their focus was glued to the interaction about to happen.

Carla's prediction proved correct, not that Dealana was surprised by any of it, but the mens' conversation took a more ... perverted turn. Even so, Lisanna and Wendy were still excited about Carla's ability being true.

"That is so cool!" Wendy gushed about Carla.

"Yeah," Lisanna agreed. "You hit it on the nose. You didn't tell us it'd be so creepy though."

Dealana rolled her eyes as an amused smile found its way onto her lips, "No one needs Clairvoyance when it comes to those two talking about women." She looked to Carla, "I think it's pretty awesome that you're getting the hang of putting the pieces together though."

"Yeah, I'm super impressed," Wendy added on and Lisanna nodded encouragingly.

"Thank you," Carla said with a small sigh. "but I still have much more to learn about how to properly control it." She insisted modestly.

"There may be some books about it in the town's library," Dealana suggested, before another idea came to mind, "or there might be something in the guild's archives too." She was about to continue when Pantherlily and Erza's duel caught her attention. Not because it was getting out of hand, but rather Kinana was rather close when they started. "I'll be right back." Dealana told them as she hopped off her cloud and made her way over.

Kinana was another new development since returning from Edolas. She was the newest employee to Fairy Tail and Dealana helped MiraJane with teaching her the ropes. Surprisingly, she was around Dealana's age, being about a year older than the sky-blunette. Her purple hair and green eyes were familiar to Dealana, but she didn't realize why until she listened in on Master Makarov's conversation with Macao, Wakaba and Macao.

After realizing that Dealana had shamelessly eavesdropped, she was sworn to secrecy about the matter and was told to keep an eye on Cobra's former best friend. Dealana was already planning to watch out for Kinana, but not just for Gramps, but for Cobra as well. As evil as his actions were, he truly cared for Cubellios, and Dealana found it admirable.

"Um, guys? You shouldn't be doing that indoors," She insisted, her knuckles turning white from how tightly she was gripping the wooden tray in her hands. Dealana had just arrived to gently pull Kinana away as the redhead and panther Exceed continued to fight.

The two continued to swipe blows at each other until finally, Pantherlily could no longer keep up his larger form. He reverted back to a more cuddly size, prompting Dealana to sigh in relief as she turned to make sure Kinana was all right.

➵

"Thanks for earlier, Dealana," Kinana said to the sky-blunette as they were washing and drying the last of the dishes before they left for the night. Dealana glanced over from where she was setting the last plate on the rack and shot the purple-haired girl a small grin.

"It's no problem, things can get hectic around the guild hall," She explained, drying her hands with a towel before stacking the dry dishes on a cloud. She levitated the cloud up into a shelf before letting it slowly dissipate, leaving the dishes stacked and orderly before she jumped up and nudged the cabinet shut. "It takes a while to get used to it all, but you'll find that they tend to avoid hurting people carrying food or good drinks. You'll have to be careful during all-out brawls though, everyone's fair game in those."

Kinana smiled and nodded, eager to learn as much as she could about the guild willing to take her in. "I'll just have to hide behind the bar when that happens."

"That'd probably be the smart move," Dealana agreed, hesitating before she added, "though, if you ever want to learn magic, I wouldn't be opposed to helping."

Kinana hummed in thought as she took in the offer. When Dealana had learned that Kinana hadn't learned any form of magic, she was even more concerned for the girl's well-being, especially since she'd be working at Fairy Tail. It made the dragon slayer nervous, knowing Kinana would have a hard time defending herself against being collateral damage in one of Natsu and Gray's stupid fights.

"I think that'd be a good idea," Kinana finally said, "Would you want to look into it after I get settled into working here a bit more? I want to get the hang of serving before I add more to my plate."

Dealana wasn't going to argue with the conditions, as long as Kinana considered the notion of learning some form of magic. She quickly nodded, saying, "Yeah, I think that's a great idea."

They continued to work in silence and heading out to leave the guild hall. A few stragglers were left behind and Laki was waiting by the door to accompany Kinana back to Fairy Hills whereas Dealana planned to cloud surf to her cave. They had just reached Laki's side when Kinana spoke up.

"Hey, Dealana, Laki? Why has everyone been so eager to go on jobs this past week? I know it's solo season, but some people weren't going on jobs at all really." She pointed out, causing Dealana and Laki to smile knowingly.

"Don't stress too much, Kinana, everything'll be explained tomorrow." Dealana told her before waving them both goodbye and conjuring a cloud. As she made her way through the darkening sky, Dealana couldn't help but let her mind wander.

Her thoughts mostly pertained to Kinana and her situation. She hadn't remembered anything about being a snake, and Makarov had said that in the case that she remembered, something bad may happen. It worried Dealana and no matter how many times she told herself that she was just looking out for Kinana, she'd already grown fond of her new friend. She also knew that she wanted to see if visiting Cobra was a possibility.

He was taken into custody along with the rest of the Oración Seis, but Dealana wanted to at least let him know that Cubellios, or she supposed it was Kinana now, was just fine. According to Natsu, Cobra was back-stabbed by Brain, which lead Dealana to assume he'd really only care about what happened to Cubellios whilst he was rotting in a cell. She wanted to give him closure, but she wasn't sure if she should considering he was easily ready to kill her.

Feelings were confusing, Dealana decided as her bare feet padded against the cool stone floor of her cave. She crawled up onto the small ledge and burrowed inside her nest of blankets, her mind still swimming with thoughts. Ever since she started to use her magic again, she felt more strongly about things. With everything that happened with Laxus, the Oración Seis, and Edolas with Lisanna, she hadn't really had time to sort through everything.

She supposed she'd figure something out after the S-Class promotion trials. Maybe she'd take some time with the Thunder Legion in order to avoid the normal chaos with Team Natsu. It sounded like a good idea to Dealana she let her exhaustion wash over her petite form, lulling her to sleep as the crystals glowed faintly along the walls.

➵

The following day, almost every member of Fairy Tail had gathered in the guild hall. Dealana sighed, knowing very well what was coming. She knew that she wouldn't be selected as one of those eligible for S-Class, but the excited chattering and happy atmosphere was contagious. The young sky-blunette couldn't help the wave of anticipation that washed coursed through her veins as she kicked her legs back and forth in the air from where she sat comfortably above everyone's heads on a cloud.

The main stage was covered by a curtain that slowly began to rise bringing the tension along with it. There was a brief flash of light before everyone could see Makarov standing before them with Erza, MiraJane, and Gildarts behind him. The sight of the four most powerful members in the guild sent shivers down Dealana's spine.

Makarov cleared his throat and the guild fell silent, anxiously awaiting his announcement. "In accordance with the Fairy Tail guild's time-honored tradition, I will now announce this year's entrance for the S-Class wizard promotion trial." He revealed. Loud cheers immediately followed, prompting Dealana to want to stuff bits of cloud in her ears, but she knew that by doing that she'd miss the most important details.

"Please be quiet everyone," Erza called to the mass of guild members. Her expression was stern but Dealana noticed that even the redhead showed a hint of excitement in her eyes. Perhaps she knew who was chosen, or at least, who's dreams she'd crush if they had to face off against her in the trials.

"Shut up and let the master finish talking," Gildarts added on, his voice silencing the voices of those who didn't listen to Erza.

"The trial this year will take place on Tenrou Island," Makarov announced once he had everyone's attention again. "our guild's sacred ground." Awe-filled murmurs and whispers spread across the crowd of people, including Lucy.

"Do you guys know what he's gonna make them do?" She asked Warren and Max, who were standing nearby. Dealana focused her attention back on the others whilst the two mages answered Lucy's question.

"The strength that you possess inside," Makarov continued. "your character, and your hearts. These are what I considered while making my selection, and I have chosen eight participants."

Dealana leaned forward to listen closely for their names. She had her fingers crossed for a few in particular, but Makarov was a hard person to read.

"Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Elfman, Cana Alberona, Freed Justine, Levy McGarden, and Mest Grider."

Dealana couldn't help the excited grin that spread across her face. She was more focused on Freed and Elfman being chosen, not that she was really surprised. Her heterochromatic eyes met Freed's prompting Dealana to give him a thumbs up before Makarov continued talking.

"Although eight wizards have been selected, only one will emerge victorious. The trial will begin in one week's time, so you better step up your preparations." There was more cheering and a few downcast expressions, but overall, Dealana was looking forward to finding out just who would be promoted this year. "For the benefit of our newcomers, let's go over the rules of the challenge, shall we?"

Dealana's attention shifted to MiraJane as she began to explain, saying, "The eight participants will each choose a partner. This person will also be allowed to train with them during the week leading up to the events."

"Observe these two rules when choosing your partner," Erza then advised scanning the guild to meet each participants gaze. "Number one, they must be a member of Fairy Tail. And number two, your choice cannot be an S-Class wizard."

"We'll reveal all the particular details of the trial once we've arrived on Tenrou Island, but know that you'll have to get passed Erza to claim victory." Makarov warned. As everyone gasped in horror and surprise, Dealana promptly burst out laughing. She caught a glimpse of Erza's amused smirk as she fell back onto her cloud.

"And I'll be doing my very best to help weed out the rest of you right beside her," MiraJane smiled, raising her hand slightly. Dealana felt like she couldn't breathe, maybe no one would be joining the S-Class ranks this year.

"Quit your belly-aching and Dealana quit laughing at them," Gildarts told them. Dealana stuck her tongue out but quieted down nonetheless as he continued. "The three of us had to go through this trial," he spoke in reference to the other S-Class mages beside him, "it's only fair you do too."

"The eight participants I named earlier and their chosen partners are asked to meet at the port of Hargeon one week from today." He narrowed his eyes at the crowd of guild members. "So get to work." Immediately following his announcement everyone began to scatter and talk amongst themselves about the upcoming trial. Dealana happened to find herself approaching MiraJane and Makarov, who had yet to leave the stage.

"Hey, Gramps? I had a question about something MiraJane mentioned." She spoke up as she floated at eye level. "She said that the participant's partner was allowed to train with them during the week leading up to the trials, but I was curious, can other guild members, who aren't their partner, train with them?"

"I suppose that would be fine," Makarov hummed, pondering her question before raising an eyebrow at the sky-blunette. "Why?"

Dealana smiled and shrugged, saying, "No reason really, just wanted to check." Makarov nodded, knowing there was more to her inquiry than she was letting on.

➵

"Man, they set the bar crazy high this year," Gray said as he, Dealana, and quite a few others sat around a table with empty dishes.

"I'm kind of surprised none of you have ever been chosen for this thing before," Lucy admitted. Dealana hummed in a small agreement from where she rested on her cloud at the corner of the table between Wendy and Elfman.

"I'm ready for the big time! S-Class here I come!" Natsu shouted tilting his head towards the ceiling as he roared flames into the air. Clearly he was excited about the trials.

Elfman covered his ears saying, "I know I'm the manliest guy in the guild, but I'm scared as a little girl right now."

"It sure sounds tough to me," Wendy added her own two cents.

"Good luck, everybody," Lisanna told the participants sitting at the table. Lucy's gaze was drawn else where, and Dealana followed her line of sight until it landed on Freed talking to Bickslow. The sky-blunette smiled, having guessed Freed would choose either Bickslow or Evergreen as his partner.

"Freed's partnering with Bickslow, no surprise there," Dealana mused. "They'll be one of the top teams depending on who everyone else chooses."

"Speaking of partners," Lucy spoke up as she turned to everyone else, "do you guys know who you're going to choose yet?"

Natsu shifted in his seat to face Happy, "I'm going with my little buddy of course."

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"Hey, not so fast there, pinky," Elfman interjected. "If this thing turns out to be some kind of race, having a partner that can fly is an unfair advantage."

"Well, it seems fair to me," Lisanna pointed out. Dealana nodded. If it was a race, Natsu would have the advantage but if it was a fight, and Dealana was sure that fights would take place, Natsu would have the aerial advantage but have the disadvantage when it came down to combat. It would essentially be a two on one fight, but Natsu was still powerful even on his own.

"I'm cool with it too. If this ends up being a battle, it'll be a disadvantage." Gray said.

"I'm sitting right here, ya know?" Happy shot back, raising his clenched paw in the air, "You're just jealous 'cause you know I'm gonna make Natsu an S-Class wizard." He declared.

"Well, you better get over it, 'cause there ain't no way you're breaking up our team," Natsu agreed. Not even seconds later, the newly formed team sped out of the guild hall shouting about training to do.

"I know I've been gone for two years, but still, I believe Natsu's gotten strong enough to be in the runnings for an S-Class rank." Lisanna mused, gazing to where Natsu and Happy had taken off. She turned to look at Lucy saying, "He's always believed that if he could become a more powerful wizard, he'll be able to see Igneel again. He probably has twice the motivation for moving ahead than anyone else."

Dealana didn't quite agree with that. She was well aware of Natsu's fierce determination when it came to seeing Igneel again, but some of the other participants had motivation too. Gray would most likely want to be S-Class before Natsu, which gave him plenty of reason to work hard. If one of them became S-Class, they probably would consider it part of their rivalry settled.

Freed was another one with good motivation. He wanted to follow in Laxus' footsteps, something the loyal letter mage would have his mind and heart set on. With Bickslow supporting him too, Freed would have plenty of motivation and determination to claim victory in the trials.

"I think I might prefer to withdraw from the trials this year," Juvia admitted, her voice drawing Dealana's focus away from her thoughts.

Wendy, too, was curious as she asked, "Huh? But why?"

Juvia's cheeks flushed darker as she shifted in her seat, saying, "It's just ... I'd much rather be somebody's partner than rival."

"Say what?" Gray questioned, leaning over slightly. Juvia stiffened slightly and Dealana rolled her eyes, smiling knowingly.

"Well, I mean, if I ... if it were my choice ..." She trailed off, unable to be outright and speak her thoughts.

Lucy, meanwhile, leaned over to Gray. "It's obvious she'd rather be your partner."

"Yah think?" Gray replied before a dark aura seemed to surround the water mage.