Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
December, x777.
Around two hours have passed since Alfonzo and Elicia left to go grocery shopping. During their trip, they stopped at a few places. First was the butcher shop. And they found out that their luck was quite good today. On display, they found several ribeye steaks that came from a magical bull variant that was aligned to the element of fire. With its fire alignment, it had a naturally smokey flavor that isn't considered too overpowering.
The next stop was the vegetable market where Alfonzo picked out the best specimens for a salad and some potatoes. Then, the duo picked up some fruit and the ingredients to make a cake, specifically a red velvet cake. After that, they bought a few necessities they would need to live in their new home comfortably.
And now, Alfonzo and Elicia were back in the house. While Alfonzo was cooking, Elicia went to her workstation and started sketching out the ideas she had for some new clothing.
Like that, time passed peacefully, until a chime rang throughout the mansion.
"Hey, Lici!" Alfonzo shouted from the kitchen, putting a bit of magic power into his shout to make sure that it would reach the bedroom. "My hands are full right now; can you see who's at the gate?"
"Okay!" Elicia shouted back in return before putting down her pencil and standing up.
After a quick stretch, Elicia walked away from her workstation and headed outside toward the front gate.
"Aunt Ur, Ultear, Gray, is that you?" Elicia asked with a smile.
"Who are you calling an aunt, little girl." Ur asked angrily.
"Yup, it's you." Elicia said with a cheeky smile.
Then, Elicia placed her palm on a hemispherical bump, a lot like the one in the master bedroom and pushed some of her magic power into it. A moment later, the front gate swung open, revealing the three people she expected to see. To her surprise, however, they were accompanied by an unexpected, yet very welcomed, fourth visitor.
"Cana!" Elicia shouted with equal parts surprise and happiness. "You're here too? But how? Didn't you take a quest?"
As she asked her questions, Elicia ran forward and hugged Cana tightly with a smile on her face. Naturally, Cana returned the hug, smiling as well.
"I did." Cana replied with a nod. "But you told me that you would be moving in today. So, I rushed through the quest and hurried back."
Hearing that, Elicia raised an eyebrow.
"How much stuff did you break?" Elicia asked.
In response, Cana looked away with a bashful smile on her face.
"A lot, huh?" Elicia asked with a giggle.
"It wasn't that much…" Cana said quietly. "I only destroyed a single block in the town."
Not only Elicia opened her eyes wide in shock, but Ur, Gray, and Ultear were wearing similar expressions. However, Elicia soon regained her smile and she continued to chatter with Cana like nothing else mattered.
"Um… Do you think they forgot we were here?" Ultear asked, feeling a bit awkward.
"Looks like it." Gray replied.
"*Sigh* Can you two continue this conversation later?" Ur asked, irritation at being ignored clear in her tone. "Or do you plan to have us just stand at the gate for the rest of the day?"
Hearing that, Elicia and Cana both wore expressions that made it clear that they had forgotten about the other three.
Putting on an apologetic smile, Elicia turned toward all four visitors. Then, she gestured to the mansion behind her.
"Please come in." Elicia said with a smile. "Welcome to me and Fonzie's house. Please, make yourselves at home."
Cana, Ur, Gray, and Ultear then finally took the time to look at the mansion behind Elicia. When they did, they all opened their eyes wide. None of them had seen the blueprints to the house. So, they were not expecting it to be so massive.
"Its so big." Ultear said, containing amazement in her tone.
Though she knew it was just her imagination, Elicia swore she could hear Alfonzo saying "that's' what she said" in the distance. Shaking her head to get rid of such a stupid thought, she stopped the group who had started walking toward the house.
"Hold on a second." Elicia said, drawing the visitor's attention. Then, she pointed at the metal bump that was sticking out of the stone wall that surrounds the property. "Before we go inside, you should register with the security system."
Naturally, everyone was confused when they heard what Elicia said. However, they still followed her instructions, pushing a little of their magic power into the bump that Elicia pointed at. After everyone had done so, the group began walking toward the mansion's front door.
"What was that about?" Ur asked curiously.
"Oh, that was something Fonzie came up with." Elicia explained, her eyes lighting up when she mentioned that Alfonzo made it. "he said that the security system can remember people's magic signatures, allowing them to come in the gates without us having to go out to open them."
"Does that mean, we can just come through the gates whenever we want?" Cana asked, curiosity glinting in her eyes.
"That's right." Elicia replied with a nod.
"So, it only let's people enter the gate?" Ur asked. Then, she shook her head. "No, if I know that kid as well as I think I do, there's definitely a lot more to it than that."
"Yup." Elicia replied happily. "Fonzie said there is a barrier that covers the whole property. So, if anyone who isn't registered tries to force the gates open or jump over the wall, the barrier will repel them. I think he said it could throw someone Gildarts' size back a hundred feet." (30 m)
At first, everyone was stunned by the security measures Alfonzo put into the walls. A moment later, however, Ur began laughing hysterically.
"Damn, I know he's gonna try and just walk right in whenever he tries to visit." Ur said through her laughter. "I wish I could be here to see him get thrown away!"
"But won't Dad's [Crash Magic] just break through the barrier and the walls?" Cana asked, knowing exactly what her father was capable of.
"If he tried, yeah." Elicia replied. "But Fonzie's barrier can disrupt magic. He said it should be strong enough to disrupt even the magic Gildarts passively releases."
"Damn, that boy is a genius." Ur said with a praising smile on her face.
"He is!" Elicia said cheerfully. A moment later, however, Elicia's expression darkened. "But you shouldn't tell him that."
"Why not?" Gray asked. "Praising people when they do something amazing is normal, isn't it?"
"Yes, but…" Elicia said, trailing off before she could finish.
"He's getting a bit too big for his britches, huh?" Ur asked, frowning slightly.
"Uh huh." Elicia nodded meekly.
"Don't worry, Lici." Cana said, pulling Elicia into a hug while they walked. "Fonzie wouldn't do anything bad to us."
"I know." Elicia said, forcing a smile.
Seeing the ever-cheerful Elicia starting to get downhearted, Ur decided to change the subject.
"Anyway, this place is huge." Ur said with a smile. "How many bedrooms and bathrooms does it have."
With that, the rest of the visitors began asking questions about the mansion they were about to enter. And as she answered their questions, Elicia's mood began to improve. Eventually, they reached the front door and wasted no time heading inside.
"Fonzie!" Elicia shouted as soon as they entered. "It's a good thing we bought some extra. We have an unexpected visitor!"
"Who is it?" Alfonzo asked from the kitchen. "I bet it's Gramps! I knew he would try to get a free meal!"
Immediately, the whole group began to giggle. Then, Elicia led the group into the kitchen. When they arrived, they saw Alfonzo seasoning six steaks.
"You need to open your eyes, Fonzie." Cana said with her hands resting on her hips. "Do I look like a short, bald, old man to you?"
Hearing Cana's voice, Alfonzo's hands stopped. Then, with a surprised expression on his face, he turned back, looking over his shoulder, at Cana.
"Cana?" Alfonzo asked in a confused tone. "What are you doing here?"
Feeling mischievous after seeing the expression on Alfonzo's face, Cana did not let it show as she began to pout.
"What do you mean, Fonzie?" Cana asked, sounding as if she was going to cry. "Am I not welcome here?"
Hearing Cana's tone and seeing the expression on her face, Alfonzo began to get flustered. Rationally, he knew she was just messing with him. But his body was acting on its own without his brain's input.
'Damn these hormones.' Alfonzo cursed internally. 'I can't even control my facial expression. Right now I feel like deadpanning, but my face is making, what I expect to be, a really stupid, dumbfounded expression.'
Meanwhile, Elicia, Cana, Ur, Gray, and Ultear watched Alfonzo's expression growing more and more flustered as time passed. On top of that, for the first time ever, he was speechless. And this made all of them regret that they did not have a photo lacrima on hand.
Eventually, Elicia came to Alfonzo's rescue.
"Okay, Cana, that's enough." Elicia said while giggling. "You know what he meant. You were supposed to be on a quest."
"Hahahaha! I know but look at his face." Cana said between her laughter. "It was priceless."
"Oh yea, that was so~~~~~ funny." Alfonzo said in a low tone, causing all the laughter to stop. "It was so funny, in fact, that my hands won't stop shaking. I don't think I'll be able to cook dinner tonight because of that."
Immediately, the group froze with their faces growing pale.
"Come on, Alfonzo, you don't mean that, right?" Ur asked, wearing a smile that made it look as if she would cry at any moment. "It was clearly just a joke."
"I know it was a joke." Alfonzo said with a nod. "Like I said, it was so funny that my hands just won't stop shaking. Unfortunately, cooking in this condition is not a good idea. I mean, I could cut myself, right?"
Hearing that, the entire group glared at Cana. Then, Gray and Ultear grabbed her by one shoulder each and forced her to bow at the waist. A moment later, Elicia whispered into her ear.
"Hurry up and apologize." Elicia said quietly. "Fonzie is definitely not above withholding food out of spite."
With that, Cana quickly looked around at the rest of the people with her. When she saw the serious expressions on their faces, her eyes began to tear up.
'I know I made the joke, but why are they treating me like I was the only one in the wrong?' Cana thought to herself. 'They all laughed, too. This isn't fair!'
"Fonzie, *Sniff* I'm sorry." Cana said in an aggrieved tone with upturned eyes. "Please, can you forgive me."
Nodding in response to Cana's apology, Alfonzo turned back toward the kitchen counter and continued to season the steaks, causing Gray and Ultear to release Cana while Elicia, Ur, Gray, and Ultear sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Cana pouted as she stared at the other four.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Cana." Alfonzo said without turning back. "The joke was really funny. But I think the shaking has gone down enough that I can make a steak for me and you, at least."
While Cana's expression morphed from a pout to a wide smile, Elicia, Ur, Gray, and Ultear's expressions froze once again. At first, they could not understand why Alfonzo was withholding food from them. However, Elicia, knowing Alfonzo the best, was the first to figure it out.
"Fonzie, I'm sorry for laughing at you like that." Elicia said in a cutesy tone.
Alfonzo then nodded and began seasoning a third steak.
Understanding what they had to do, the other three also apologized in the most sincere tone they could. Eventually, Alfonzo began preparing all the food again as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Elicia led their visitors on a tour of the house after they wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.
"And that's why Momma said that you never piss off the people who deliver your mail, do your hair, and prepare your food. Hmph!" Alfonzo said to himself after the others left the kitchen.