Chapter Four

Roxanne enjoyed a night without nightmares and groaned when the alarm lacrima sounded at six o'clock the next morning. Lucy groaned as well and reached over to silence the noise while Roxanne sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Morning, Lucy."

"Morning, Roxanne." Lucy replied as she yawned. "Mind if I shower first?"

"S'fine," Rox mumbled, rubbing her eyes and stumbling out of bed. "I'm gonna get dressed. Meet you downstairs?"

"Yeah." Lucy sighed as she got up and made her way to the bathroom, while Roxanne stretched leisurely as she made her way to the wardrobe.

"My wardrobe, huh?" she whispered. "That's right. This is my wardrobe. In my Fairy Tail apartment. Above the Fairy Tail guild hall." She bit back a grin, reminding herself again that all of this was real. She reached for the blue training shorts and white tank top, changing quickly and making her way over to the bathroom.

She knocked, asking Lucy if she could come in so she could wash up. Lucy agreed and Rox heard a door slide closed soon after. She opened the main door and found the screen that separated the bath area from the toilet and sink areas closed, a screen that she hadn't realized was there. "That's cool," she murmured as she walked to the sink.

It didn't take long for Rox to brush her hair, but it took longer to plait it into a braid. Even though her hair was rather long, it was also thick, which made it hard for her to grip the sections between her fingers. And since she couldn't see the back of her head, she had no idea if the braid was straight or crooked. After several minutes of struggling by herself, she finally caved and asked Lucy for help. Luckily, Lucy seemed delighted to help with such a task, exclaiming that she'd never had the chance to play with someone else's hair before. Roxanne supposed it must be because Lucy was an only child and she'd never really had friends, so she had never gotten to do anyone else's hair before.

Roxanne smiled as she remembered all of that. She was actually surprised she remembered details like this. After watching the whole anime twice, she was sure that her memory would focus on the late-anime stuff, but it seemed that she remembered the early-anime details as well. Maybe that's because the early-anime details helped to develop the characters, while the details later in the anime were focused more on the plotline?

Once they were done, Roxanne left the bathroom. Her face was washed, her hair was brushed and braided into one massive braid and then the braid had been curled up so it wrapped around itself, and then secured with a hair tie. Her teeth were brushed and she had on clean training clothes so there was nothing left to do, and Roxanne went downstairs to face the day.

"Good morning, Mirajane," she greeted the older woman as she sat down on one of the barstools, swinging her legs idly.

"Good morning, Roxanne. Did you sleep well?" she replied brightly, matching Roxanne's cheery tone of voice easily. In this, the two were exactly matched. Both had a sunny disposition and greeted everyone with smiles.

"I did, thanks. Um, I won't have any money for a while, so could I start a tab and pay it off once I can take on jobs?"

"I've already started it for you. Makarov told me a bit of your situation. I hope you don't mind."

"No, that's fine. Thank you very much."

"Sure. Oh, and Master has already ordered your breakfast for you, so that will be ready in just a few minutes."

"Great!" Roxanne forced a smile, worried about what she'd be forced to put up with today. "Thanks!"

Mirajane smiled and disappeared into the kitchen. With nothing else to do, Roxanne watched the stairs and the door, hoping someone would enter the room. Her wish was granted five minutes later as Lucy came downstairs, dressed in a very familiar outfit.

"Morning, Lucy." Roxanne called as Mira produced Roxanne's breakfast. "Oh! Thanks, Mira." To her surprise and vast relief, it was normal. Eggs on toast, cottage cheese with pineapple slices, and a cup of orange juice. Maybe it was just that one restaurant that had weird food? Come to think of it, she hadn't really noticed the food much when watching the anime. Maybe the food here wasn't so strange after all.

"You're welcome. Now, eat up. Master wants all of this gone by seven o'clock. Good morning, Lucy. Can I get you anything?"

"Morning, Mirajane. Just some water, please?"

"Sure!" She replied before she disappeared again. Roxanne started eating, tearing into the eggs on toast first since that was her least favorite item.

"So, you excited for today, Roxanne?" Lucy asked.

Roxanne just nodded in response, holding her hand up flat, and then wobbling it back and forth in a teeter-totter motion. She was very excited, but also nervous.

"You're nervous?" Lucy guessed, and then smiled when Roxanne nodded again. "That's understandable, since it's a pretty big step. You're training with the Master of Fairy Tail, and you might discover your magic today. That's plenty of reason to be nervous. But I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. Makarov seems like a fair guy. I'm sure he won't give you more than you can handle."

Roxanne nodded again in agreement, smiling in thanks, then she pointed at Lucy, palm upward, and she raised her eyebrows questioningly. She learned this from one of her classes at school, an American Sign Language basics class. In ASL, asking a question was accompanied with raising of the eyebrows, not lowering as most people do when they verbally ask a question. And it was more polite to turn your hand palm-up if you’re pointing to someone in a non-offensive manner. Realizing this wasn't home so Lucy might not understand the eyebrows thing, she almost panicked until she heard Lucy's response.

"Me? What do you mean?"

Sighing in silent relief, Roxanne teetered her hand again.

"Oh! Am I nervous? I dunno; I guess so." Lucy prupped her chin on her hands. "I don't know what I'm going to do today, but I'll probably stay here and socialize. So, yeah, I guess I am. It's my first day in the greatest guild in the country and I'm meeting new people. What could possibly go wrong?"

Roxanne tried to reassure Lucy by patting her shoulder�"after she had wiped that hand on a napkin of course. Crumbs were gross, and it'd be rude to get any on Lucy's clothes.

"Thanks, Roxanne. You're right!" Lucy agreed emphatically, a determined look settling on her face. "Everything will be alright, and I'm not going to worry until there's something to worry about."

Roxanne agreed with her friend, throwing her fist into the air as well. She also quite enjoyed the fact that Lucy did most of the pep-talking herself.

So they talked like that, Roxanne gesturing while she ate while Lucy did most of the actual talking, until Roxanne finished eating. After that, they carried on a more diverse and verbal conversation for another ten minutes or so, until the clock chimed seven times and Makarov entered the guild hall. Roxanne turned to face him and showed him her cleared plate. She'd made a point to finish quickly, so there would be no delay. He nodded.

"Good morning, Roxanne, and good job. Let's get started on that training, hm?" He offered her a broad grin.

"Yes, sir!" she chirped and bolted towards him, waving goodbye to Lucy. She left the guild hall with Makarov, and the two made their way deeper into the city, to a park that Roxanne remembered from the anime. She could almost see Natsu, Lisanna and Happy there, Lisanna telling the boys to stop fighting because they were family. Roxanne smiled at that; she loved the idea of Natsu, Lisanna and Happy being a family. That was primarily why Rox shipped NaLi just as much as she shipped NaLu.

No, don't do that! She reprimanded herself. I'm here to train, not to reminisce about the anime. Focus!

She followed Makarov as he made his way down the steps and to the tree at the center of the park, sitting down in its shade.

"There are two ways that a person can become a mage," Makarov began, patting the ground for her to join him. "For most, the magic reveals itself to a person when that person is in a state of high emotion and desperation. This is what happened to many of your guildmates."

That's what happened to Erza. She felt powerless in the Tower of Heaven, a child-leader of the rebels who wanted only their freedom, and her mentor and defender had just been killed. She wanted to defend those she was fighting for, and just like that she became a wizard. Roxanne remembered the scene from the anime well. She'd never forget young Erza holding her dead friend close, facing the enemy, glowing with a light as if she were lit from within.

"The second way is for the person to search for the energies resting within themselves," Makarov continued solemnly, holding her eyes with his to make sure she was paying attention. "This method takes longer to accomplish, but the person will come away from the experience not only with magic, but also being more sure of themselves. This is the method you will use, discovering the magic for yourself."

Roxanne nodded. She didn't think things would be so convenient as to make learning magic easy or instantaneous. No, she'd have to work for it, just like everyone else. If she didn't work for it, then she wouldn't treasure her magic because she hadn't earned it.

Makarov nodded, seeing that she understood. "Every morning, we will begin the day by meditating. It's very crucial to becoming a mage and unlocking your magic, Roxanne. Do you know why?"

"Um…" Roxanne thought about it, brows furrowing as she searched for a plausible explanation. "Because meditation regulates your heartbeat and helps you clear your mind," she began slowly, recalling the information from a project she had done in class "…which is beneficial when matching your inner energies to the natural ones?" she guessed the second part, unsure if it was the right answer. It made sense, right?

"Very good," Makarov said, obviously pleased. "That's precisely right." Roxanne heaved a sigh of relief. Jeez, had she gotten lucky!"Now, sit down beside me and I'll teach you how to meditate. First, pick a stance. Something that's comfortable for you and that you can maintain for a long period of time."

She did as she was told, sitting down beside him. She even copied his pose, cross-legged with her hands on her knees. When that turned out to not be as comfortable as she'd been hoping, she shifted, leaning back against the tree's trunk and stretching one leg out in front of her, leaving the other bent. Then her arms felt awkward, so she rested one on her bent knee and cradled the other in her lap. At last she was comfortable, so she glanced at Makarov one more time, and then closed her eyes the way he had. "I'm ready, Master," she said.

"Good," he murmured. "Now, clear your mind and focus on your heart. Feel it beating in your chest, feel the rhythm, hear the blood pulsing in your ears."

He paused, and Roxanne did her best to do as he instructed. She focused on her heartbeat, on the rhythm of it, using that to block out other thoughts until her conscious mind quieted. Her heart beat quickly at first, a result of the recent movement, but it soon slowed to a much more relaxed tempo.

"Now pace your breathing," Makarov continued a few moments later, once Roxanne had gotten the hang of the first part. "Breathe slowly and deeply, but effortlessly. In, hold, out."

Roxanne did so, breathing in on an upbeat, holding the breath for a moment and ending the exhale on a downbeat a few seconds later. She didn't pant or hyperventilate, and she didn't try to beat her personal breath-holding record. Her breathing was smooth, clean, and languid. She endeavored to perfectly copy the process with the next cycle, all while keeping her conscious mind quiet.

"Good." Makarov praised her quietly, and Roxanne could hear from his voice that he had also achieved the state that she was in. "This is the basis for meditation. Breathing at a slow but sustainable rhythm, getting so used to it that you don't have to concentrate on it, all while keeping your mind quiet. If your thoughts are too loud, you cannot hear the whisper of magic within you. This is what we will do for this next hour, breathing and practicing."

After that, all was quiet for the next hour. Roxanne practiced her breathing, getting used to the rhythm she had set, while she learned how to keep her mind quiet. She was a fast learner, so she had figured out how to quiet her mind quickly, but keeping it quiet was another matter. Throwing aside or shutting down active thoughts was nearly impossible. An ant crawled over her ankle, making it itch. Birds chirped and twittered in the trees, distracting her. Her mouth dried out a little, making her thirsty. She battled boredom, and bittersweet memories of the park tried to intrude on her thoughts, as did anticipation for the magic she would hopefully discover soon, and some silent fangirl squealing over the situation and the fact that Makarov�"Master Makarov himself!�"was teaching her.

She'd finally managed to keep her mind quiet for three whole minutes when Makarov interrupted the silence with a simple command: "Wake up."

Immediately, Roxanne stirred and straightened, heart rate picking up speed again as she slowly drained the… the zen from her body. That's all she could think to call it, the zen. It was difficult for her to explain the phenomenon, even to herself, but zen was the word that first came to mind and it seemed the most appropriate. She did all of this slowly, feeling as though waking up too quickly would hurt her somehow. She couldn't explain it any more than she could explain the zen, but it was a warning she felt in her soul, so she listened to it.

"All right, up we get," Makarov instructed as he rose to his feet. "Now it's time to train our bodies. After all, your magic isn't at its full potential if your body isn't. Besides, if you only depend on magic, you won't have anything else to rely on."

Nodding, Roxanne stood and faced her mentor. Fairy Tail mages were full-contact mages, most of them supplementing their magic with some kind of fighting ability. It made them much more versatile than enemies thought. That underestimation is often what tipped the scales so they favored the Fairy Tail mage.

For twenty minutes, Makarov gave her simple stretches to do, which served to 'wake up' her muscles after all that sitting still, and prepare them for the real training. Roxanne touched her toes, twisted her waist, did back-bends and overhead bends until she was limbered up, and then started on the actual warm-ups. First came a light jog around the park, followed by a short break to regain her breath. Makarov used that to gauge her basic endurance. Then came three sets of stair runs, which started at the bottom of the stairs, extended to the top, and then ran back to the bottom to complete one set. There were twenty stairs, so Roxanne's breathing was labored after one set, but her leg muscles burned once all three sets were done.

Once she'd caught her breath again, she had to do ten sit ups, followed by ten push-ups, followed by three more laps around the park. All of this, from the stairs to the running, was one pattern. She got a three-minute break once she finished, but she had to complete the pattern three times. That was one-hundred-eighty steps, thirty sit ups, thirty push-ups and nine laps. By the time Makarov called a halt, she wanted to flop on the ground and give up, but she refused to let herself do that. It would only make it harder for her to get back up and do the next task, and she didn't want to waste that energy. She was going to do everything Makarov asked her to, and she was sure there was a lot of that left so she would need every ounce of energy she could muster.

Besides, Makarov had done all of that with her, and he was an old man, a grandpa! She couldn't even tell herself that he had longer legs than her, because he was actually shorter than she was, and he wasn't using his magic to cheat. So if Makarov could do it, then she could too!

"Alright," Makarov said, once she'd regained her breath. "That might have been a bit much for your first day's warm-up, but you're doing pretty well. Have you ever taken self-defense before?"

Roxanne shook her head, drinking from the water-bottle he'd given her with quick sips.

"Mm, I thought not. Though you did surprisingly well at the meditation for a beginner." Makarov rubbed his chin. "We'll start with the basics, then. Now, I know you saw those rascals at the guild hall tussling, but that isn't what self-defense is for. It's to help you protect yourself, not pick fights with others. Save that for when you're old enough to know better!" He chuckled at his own joke, while Roxanne smiled.

'The basics', it turned out, consisted of two things: how to stand in a balanced, ready fashion, and how to fall without hurting herself. It sounded easy, but Roxanne quickly learned that it was a lot harder than she'd thought. Makarov demonstrated first, and then had her imitate him. The hardest part was relaxing while falling, because all of her instincts told her to brace herself instead. Makarov's training method wasn't what she'd expected, either. Instead of telling her to practice falling, he told her to practice her balanced stance, and then�"very gently�"knocked her feet out from under her. She learned how to fall both backwards and forwards, and each time she fell, he helped her up and corrected her stance, telling her what to do to fall better next time. The one time she fell at a particularly bad angle, almost hitting her head, he caught her easily and prevented the injury.

After that, it was a little easier to make herself relax into the fall.

"Once I'm sure you've got this down to a reflex," Makarov told her, "you'll start on how to make and dodge blows." A bright, encouraging grin, surprisingly youthful on his lined face. "At the rate you're going, that should be by the end of the week!"

"Thank you, sir!" Roxanne smiled at him, wiping her sweaty face.

She felt relieved down to her soul when Makarov stopped the training and brought back them back to the guild for lunch. She sat at the bar and looked around while Mira cooked her food. Lucy sat at one of the benches across the guild hall with Natsu, Happy and Gray. Roxanne grinned at Lucy's visible happiness and stayed where she was, content to mull over her meditation lesson by herself, ignoring her growling stomach.

"Hey, Roxanne!" She heard a voice call her, and turned back around to see Natsu waving at her. "Come join us!"

"Really?" she asked, not really expecting to be called over to join that group. "But I'm just a boring kid."

"You're not boring!" Lucy replied before Natsu could. "You are young, but you're certainly not boring."

"Exactly. So come over here!"

"Come on, kid," Gray said casually, using the term as an endearment instead of an insult. "Come talk with us."

Reassured, Roxanne smiled again and raced over to the table, sitting down beside Lucy.

The group talked for a few minutes, which mostly consisted of Natsu asking Roxanne questions about herself, which she answered truthfully. After all, all she needed to lie about what where she had come from. She had no reason to lie about what she liked to do or what foods were her favorites, so she answered as honestly as she could.

Pretty soon, Mira brought Roxanne her lunch and the conversation shifted away from Rox, which she appreciated. Now the subject circled around Lucy, with Natsu asking many of the same questions. Gray didn't speak much, preferring to listen instead, but he was paying attention to the questions Natsu asked. Roxanne knew that he was interested in getting to know his newest guildmates, and that he trusted Natsu's instincts, so he must think they were worth getting to know since Natsu had taken such a shine to them.

Roxanne looked down at her plate, smiling at the thought and trying not to bounce with excitement. Her legs swung from the bench's edge, kicking idly as she munched her way through the chicken salad sandwich and sweet rolls Mirajane had brought her. Once her plate was completely clean, Roxanne looked around for Makarov, expecting him to tell her it was time to continue her training, but he just smiled and shook his head at her, gesturing for her to continue talking as he went over some paperwork up at the bar. Relieved, Roxanne turned back to her new friends and continued chatting.

After another fifteen minutes, Makarov called Roxanne away. She pouted for a second, enjoying spending time with the group and not wanting to leave, but then took a breath and followed him anyway. As much as she loved talking with her new friends, which was a lot, she wanted to be a mage twice as much. Besides, she knew that being a guild master wasn't just about being the strongest mage in the guild. There were a lot of responsibilities that Master Makarov had, and he was taking time away from them to help her. She wouldn't let one second of that time be wasted.

Makarov led her back to the park, where they meditated again, and then did another set of warm-ups, somewhat gentler this time and focused more on endurance-building exercises like jogging. That was followed by foot training�"ladder-runs and hopscotch and side-dashes�"and reflex-training such as wall ball and coin catch. Her favorite was the coin catch. Makarov had her hold one arm out in front of her, slightly bent, palm down. Then he balanced a coin on the back of her hand, and bounced her hand up, making her try to catch the coin on its way down. It was a lot harder than it looked, but once Makarov told her that the motion was incredibly similar to parrying a punch, she found it a lot easier to concentrate. He told her that once she got better at it, she could try to catch two or even three coins at a time. He also told her that once he was sure her endurance was up to snuff and she was competent with falls, he'd move on to more self-defense.

"Now, I won't always be here to train with you," he reminded her, letting her take a brief break. "So on days when I have duties with the Council or other such things, I want you to focus on meditation and endurance training unless you've got an older mage to supervise you. It's much too easy for a growing girl like you to hurt yourself."

"Yes, sir," Roxanne agreed meekly. Weakly, even. This time, training had lasted nearly two hours, and she wanted to do nothing more than crawl into bed and sleep forever. She doubted she'd be able to sleep, though�"every muscle ached, and even her head hurt from concentrating so much.

"I'm glad you understand. Now, let's do our cool-down stretches, alright?" Makarov worked her slowly through the stretches, making sure she hadn't strained herself too badly and that she didn't cramp up in the process. Once he was satisfied, he led her back to the guild, urging her to clean up and change into something besides training clothes. "And you'll want to soak in the bath for a bit, instead of just showering. No point in making you stiff as an old man just yet!"

Roxanne almost wanted to resent his cheerfulness, but found she was too tired even for that. "Yes sir," she agreed meekly, and did as he said. While soaking in the bath, she scolded herself for her weakness. She hadn't even started serious training yet, but she was ready to crawl under a rock and die from today's exertions. How much worse would serious training be? She just might actually die!

But it's something I have to do, so I’m going to ignore my exhaustion and give my training everything I’ve got!

This stuff would be critical later. If she expected to be a good fighter and help the guild, she had to learn the essentials of hand-to-hand combat until she discovered her magic. If she didn't train, she'd be only a burden and a liability. Someone could get hurt or even killed trying to protect her! So she needed to toughen up and train now, while it was still relatively easy.

Once she was done bathing, she emerged feeling better, though her legs were still weak as jelly. She had changed into black jeans and the 'Cute but Fierce' shirt, but she still didn't know why Makarov had brought her back. She was sure that it wasn't just to shower and change into clothes that she couldn't train in.

As they made their way back into town, Makarov explained. "Starting tomorrow, part of your training will be swimming. For that, you'll need a swimsuit. I don't suppose Lucy bought one for you?"

"No, sir." The possibility hadn't even crossed their minds.

"Then I'll buy the swimsuit. Tomorrow, you'll start swimming every day. There won't be time to go back to the apartment to change so wear it under the clothes you had on today."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Roxanne groaned inwardly at the thought of adding more exercise to her regimen. "What else should I be prepared for?"

"That's it, actually," Makarov said. "Every day will go similar to today. We'll start the day with a good breakfast, then an hour of meditation. Then we'll do the stretches and warm-ups, followed by the first segment of self-defense training, then lunch. After lunch, we'll do another round of exercise and self-defense, and then move on to swimming for a half an hour. After that, we do another hour of meditation and then you're done for the day. But there won't be any swimming today, so instead we're going to end the day with the third round of meditation. However, I do want you to do another hour of meditation before you go to sleep every night."

"Yes, sir!" Honestly, Roxanne wasn't sure if she'd be able to stay awake long enough to meditate, but she could at least try. "Um, when will I get to learn magic?" she ventured after a moment's hesitation.

"Why, when the magic is ready for you to learn it!" Makarov said cheerfully. At Roxanne's nonplussed look, he chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. "Sorry my dear, that was just a joke. It will come to you in time, with meditation and patience. Hm, come to think of it, we should probably include time for magical theory in your training. And you're so young�"have you had schooling?"

His question made her heart race. Uh oh. She hadn't counted on school in Fiore, which meant the subjects were almost guaranteed to be different! How should she answer? She couldn't tell him the truth, not yet. He'd think she was nuts! But she couldn't say she hadn't had schooling either. Her mom was supposed to be a college professor!

"Mostly self-study," she replied, doing her best to drain the panic from her voice. She prayed that this was a good middle-ground. "My parents were away all the time and they didn't want me going to school, worried I'd get hurt or something, so I had to figure things out for myself. I can't read or write Fiore's runes, and I don't know anything about Fiore's history, but I can do basic math and I know some science from looking at the pictures in my mom's books."

Makarov frowned, and for a moment Roxanne felt panic clutch her heart. But rather than question her further, he just shook his head. "Hm, I suppose that gives us something to work with. You've met Macao�"his son Romeo is a few years younger than you, but he might have some beginner's books we can use to start your rune studies."

Roxanne breathed an internal sigh of relief. She felt bad about the deception, but she was relieved he'd bought her excuse. She was also intrigued by the idea of using Romeo's old books to learn how to read�"she hadn't even considered the possibility!

An hour later, the pair made their way to the park, Roxanne's new swimsuit in the bag in her hand. They reclaimed their place under the tree, and Makarov walked Roxanne through the meditation process once again.

The hour was spent in silence. Once again, Roxanne focused on her breathing and keeping the conscious half of her brain quiet. Once they were done, the pair stood and stretched out their muscles, then Makarov reminded her to wear her new bathing suit tomorrow and to meditate for one more hour before bed. After she promised, she was allowed to leave. She raced back to the guild, wanting to spend the rest of the day with her friends.

For the next several hours, she talked with Natsu, Lucy and Gray, until Romeo dropped by. Having not met him last night, she excused herself and went up to him.

"Hi!" she greeted him, her voice very excited. After all, since he was the only other child associated with the guild, who else should she play with? "I'm Roxanne. Your dad is Macao, right?"

"Uh-huh," he nodded, nervously but excitedly. "I'm Romeo. Are you a new Fairy Tail mage? Dad talked about you last night, and he said that you joined the guild yesterday."

"I did join yesterday, but I'm not a mage yet. I'm training with Makarov, though, so hopefully I'll become a mage soon. Until then, I can't get my stamp but Makarov's letting me live here for a while."

"That's cool! Makarov's a nice guy."

"He really is! Hey, do you wanna play, Romeo?"

"Yeah!"

She smiled and reached out to tap his shoulder, gently because he was six years old. "Tag!" She yelled and took off running, Romeo chasing at her heels.

Their laughs and Roxanne's shrieks drew the whole guild's attention, and the older members started to comment. They hadn't seen guild children play in a long time, since Natsu, Gray, Cana and Erza were kids themselves. The sight was probably one to enjoy, at least for the more sentimental adults. Lucy seemed to enjoy watching Roxanne play, but Gray and Natsu didn't pay much attention.

The sight was one to see. Two carefree children, one of them having just spent many hours enduring hard training, racing around the guild hall laughing and enjoying being children as if they didn't have a care in the world.

When the two became too tired, they ate dinner together. Well, Roxanne sat with Romeo and his father's friend Wakaba, and they ate their dinners while Wakaba talked with another adult.

After dinner, they played a bit more until Wakaba noticed the time and took Romeo home. This seemed a little bit weird to Rox, Wakaba taking Macao's child home, but she figured that Macao must be on a mission since she hadn't seen him all day, and Wakaba was Macao's best friend. Who else would Macao entrust his son to while he was gone? Not to mention, by this point, Macao and Romeo's mother would be divorced, and she'd probably moved away, so she wasn't around to care for Romeo. This left Wakaba pretty much Macao's choice for secondary caregiving for Romeo.

After Romeo and Wakaba left, Rox did her best to talk with Lucy and the boys, but she just couldn't stay awake so she went upstairs, took a shower and then a bath, and then she went to bed. She probably would have stayed in the tub all night, since she had found a comfortable position in the warm water that shifted her weight so that if she had fallen asleep she wouldn't slip down beneath the waterline and drown, but she figured Lucy would worry if she came into the apartment and found Roxanne not in her bed but in the tub. So she willed herself enough energy to get out, dress in pajamas, and crawl into her bed.

Sleep came quickly.