Control

Ⅸ

Rin woke up in the hotel bed whose scent suffocated her nose and made it feel raw. She peeled her lids open and stared at the white stucco ceiling with blurry vision. She could feel a yawn coming on, so she lifted her arms above her head and pushed her legs outward in a stretch; muscles pulling and joints popping. The yawn had now come and forced her senses awake but also made her eyes water.

Rin rested her sore body from its stretch and rubbed the tiredness from her eyes with her left hand while her right hand went to pet her partner who laid cuddled into her side. Rin turned onto her side and just held the Exceed's warm body close to hers, still petting her so she would wake up.

    "Is it time?" She yawned and made an adorable squeaking sound. The brunette nodded lazily and threw the covers off of her bare legs. She ran to the bathroom and ripped her hair out of the constraining bun, unveiling all of the wild waves. She ran a quick shower to cleanse herself from last night's activities.

Last night, she had begun to regret her decision, but now she was on cloud nine. Rin smiled giddily as she recalled showing off her power against one of their strongest mages. They now knew who they were dealing with and she hoped that they were afraid. Damn, she hoped Sting was afraid. Maybe he would humble from it.

Rin slipped on a black, strapless crop top and tight, black shorts with a brown, sleeveless button up that she left open. She had fingerless, combat gloves and combat boots that matched the brown top. She had already grabbed her brunette mop of hair into a slick ponytail, albeit leaving out her side bangs.

The brunette grabbed Leese and jumped out of the hotel window and into the cool, dawn breeze. The sun was still coming up, but they got up early every morning to prepare for the day. It was routine.

    The two grabbed a bite to eat at a small cafe that had just opened for the day. It served as a time to chat; Leese hyped the female Dragon Slayer up for today.

    "I'm participating in the challenge today!" Leese looked at Rin questionably.

    "Don't the others have to agree to that?"

    "Why wouldn't they let me? I can handle just about anything."

    "Except vehicles! And the other Dragon Slayers were stuck with it the other day!" The brunette rolled her eyes at the Exceed.

    "I doubt they'd have two of that type. I have a feeling I'll be battling something or someone today. I'm so excited!"

    "Aren't you nervous?" She shook her head at Leese who sighed. "Whatever it is, I'll cheer you on." Rin smiled lovingly and they set out to Domus Flau.

    Upon arrival, Rin walked to Fairy Tail B's booth while Leese flew off in search of the other Exceeds. People began flooding into the arena almost immediately, including the numerous guilds that were participating. Team B all walked up together, Jellal giving the brunette a nod and disappearing while the others looked at her questioningly.

    "What are you doing down here?"

    "The Council is here for the Games so I'll probably be your teammate for the rest of the festival." They all gave understanding nods; the two girls gave her kind smiles.

    "We're glad to have you," Mira commented. Rin smiled at her and turned around to face the arena.

    "I'm participating in the challenge round today," she informed.

    "Juvia is fine with it."

    "Hopefully you won't have to deal with anything like Chariot..." Rin laughed at Gajeel's horror-struck face as the memories of the previous day washed over him. Trumpets began to sound as a signal of the start of the Games.