Gajeel asked at just the right moment, "Where's our stuff?"
Like Rhodes, his situation was automatically treated as a check-out during the six years, though for him it was because his landlord had moved away.
Macao explained, "Before your landlord sold the house, they packed up your belongings and sent them to the Guild. They're still sealed in the warehouse. I'll take you to get them."
The two followed him to the Guild's storage.
In Rhodes's memory, the warehouse had once been packed with valuable things, magic books, explosive lacrima, all sorts of strange tools. Now, it was mostly filled with odds and ends: heaters, extra tables and chairs, stacks of dishes.
Saying mice would come in and leave disappointed might have been an exaggeration, but compared to the past, it was painfully empty.
Gajeel's things amounted to only two boxes, stacked together not even half as tall as a person.
Rhodes's, on the other hand, had piled up into a small mountain. He might have arrived in Magnolia with nothing, but as his situation improved over the years, he'd added more and more, clothes, bedding, boxes stuffed with newspapers, magazines, and notebooks, even framed photos, wall hangings, and exercise equipment.
He picked up one large frame, wiped away the dust, and saw an old picture of himself and Mira walking side by side. Even though it was framed, the colors had faded with time.
Setting it down, Rhodes noticed Gajeel staring at a pair of rusty iron dumbbells lying in the corner.
"They're yours," Rhodes said, casually tossing them over.
For anyone else, that could've been considered attempted murder. But Gajeel caught one with his right hand easily, then bit into the other with his teeth.
Crunch. Half the dumbbell disappeared in a single bite. He caught the rest in his left hand and chewed contentedly, the sound echoing like someone grinding gravel.
Rhodes grimaced. "You eat rust too? You don't even wipe it off?"
Macao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I always thought rusty iron would taste like spoiled food to you."
"Don't say disgusting things while I'm eating," Gajeel replied flatly.
When times had been their hardest, he'd scavenged scrap metal from junk heaps to survive. Rust was nothing. These dumbbells were solid, rich iron, like a feast of roasted meat to him.
After swallowing, Macao asked, "So what are you planning to do now? It's winter. You can't exactly sleep on the streets."
"I'll find a place. I've still got money," Gajeel answered.
He finished chewing, hooked the other dumbbell with a chain of iron from his belt, then hefted both boxes onto his shoulder. After taking a few steps, he paused. His eyes flicked toward Rhodes's mountain of luggage.
He looked like he wanted to help, but couldn't bring himself to say it.
Rhodes smiled knowingly. "Don't worry. I can manage."
As he spoke, two massive purple crabs appeared with a shimmer of magic, making Macao nearly jump out of his skin.
"They… they look different than before?"
"They've gotten a little stronger," Rhodes said as he began loading his luggage onto the Crabs' backs. He secured everything with ropes from the warehouse before leading them outside.
The other Guild members were curious about the two crabs, but no one questioned it. After all, maybe they'd just grown larger over the past six years.
At the Guild's entrance, Rhodes made his decision after exactly 0.01 seconds of thought.
Rent a place? Rent my ass.
So, under the stares of passersby, some nostalgic, some simply curious, Rhodes and his two Crabs swaggered through the streets and stopped directly in front of Mira's house.
The neighborhood had changed a lot. Mira's wooden home was now the oldest structure around, weathered by six years of rain, wind, and snow. The roof and walls showed signs of wear, some even ready to leak air.
The yard was overgrown with withered weeds, and snow still clung to the shaded patches. It was clear no one had properly lived there for a long time.
Earlier, Mira had mentioned she would bring her siblings home to clean. Sure enough, all the windows were open, and the smell of dust drifted from inside.
Rhodes guided the two crabs up to the front door, unloaded his things, and knocked.
The hinge squeaked in protest, a puff of dust falling from the frame as the door opened. Mira stood there with a headscarf tied back, apron on, duster in hand, her expression startled.
'Didn't you say you were going to find a place to live?'
Her eyes flicked to the pile of luggage and widened. "You came to store your things?"
Rhodes grinned shamelessly. "I came to ask for adoption."
"Adop..." Mira's cheeks turned crimson.
Adoption? That sounded an awful lot like… moving in together. She had already stayed at his place before, but still;
Rhodes didn't give her time to refuse. He slipped an arm around her waist and ushered her back inside. "Just starting to clean? Perfect timing. I'll help."
Mira flustered, "Let go, I'm covered in dust!"
She wasn't against the idea, but how could she tell Elfman and Lisanna?
Right then, Lisanna leaned out from upstairs, also in an apron and headscarf, her expression lighting up. "Onii sama?"
Rhodes waved at her cheerfully. "Lisanna, tired yet? Come down and rest a bit. I brought snacks."
Lisanna's eyes darted between her blushing sister, Rhodes's luggage at the door, and the easy grin on his face. With a mischievous smile, she winked at Mira. "Okay~"
Rhodes then asked, "Where's Elfman?"
"In the kitchen," Mira replied.
Elfman appeared just then, wearing an oversized mask and carrying a bulging trash bag. "Sis, the kitchen might be, Rho..., brother in law?"
Rhodes eyed the bag, which looked thick enough to be triple-layered. Six-year-old expired food?
"Need help?" he asked.
"No need, I'll be right back." Elfman hurried outside, clearly realizing what was happening. Better to dispose of things quickly.
The three pinched their noses as he passed. Rhodes thanked the gods his Wolf sense of smell wasn't active.
Lisanna sighed fondly. "Elfman really worked hard."
Her brother wasn't just a manly man, he was thoughtful, too.
Rhodes smiled at the sight, then turned back to Mira. "Do you mind if I use a little wind magic?"
...
STones, Stones and Stones 💎💎
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