It all started when they were children, and it would become an almost secret friendship that was hidden in plain sight. To Sylvie, Liddan was just one of the rowdy kids from the other families that came to visit. Sometimes she'd be dragged out to the Dragneel's house for a barbeque but by the time her abilities as a rain woman came along, she was delighted to have an excuse to get out of going out.

Of course, that didn't mean she got out of all the social events her parents arranged for her. All the arranged playdates, lunches, brunches, in desperate attempts to keep Sylvie social to some extent. They'd haul children over by the dozen, flooding the Fullbuster house some weekends, trying to excuse the behavior as a party for the holidays, but Sylvie caught on. Who throws a party for Arbor Day, anyway?

It was one of those parties, Sylvie couldn't remember which, but she remembered she'd started to feel a bit down, and the rain was just beginning to trickle down from the sky, clicking against the windows. Her house being so crowded with children, she decided to take a short walk, not far off the property, but far away enough to perhaps hear herself think.

That's when she found him, under a tree, doing (of all things) an embroidery.

She didn't say anything at first, as he hadn't realized she was behind him, looking over his shoulder at his work. Of course, feeling impolite, she spoke up, "What are you doing?"

Instantly, he let out a quick shout, jerking his head around, then crawling away from the embroidering hoop like it was a venomous snake. "Gah--where'd you come from?"

Sylvie didn't answer his question, rather, went right to the point. "Were you sewing, just now?"

"What--no--you're sewing--shut up!"

She knelt down, looking at the hoop. It was rather lovely, that's for sure. It was what seemed to be the beginnings of an elephant, with many different colors in use. "It looks really cool, how long have you been working on it?"

Meekly, Liddan moved back towards the hoop, picking it back up and checking the thread to see if the needle had fallen off during his mad dash. "Just last night, it takes less time than you'd think."

For a moment, he showed Sylvie how he did it, some of the different stitches he used, and how he switched colors. Sylvie found it all quite enjoyable to watch, and she liked how excited Liddan got about it.

"It seems fun," she smiled, "all I can do is knit, I'm not much of a sewer--seamstress--or whatever you call them."

"I only learned because my mom was," Liddan confessed, "before Jude was born, she was determined to learn to sew baby clothes for him. I learned with her so it'd be more fun, but she sorta gave up on it, but I kept going with it."

"Do you think you could teach me?"

And from then on, every third Tuesday of the month, Liddan and Sylvie met for the Secret Sewing Society.

They were only around ten when they started and would meet up at Sylvie's house for an hour (or longer) to work on any sewing related projects (knitting and crotcheting included). No one really knew about it, as Liddan was rather embarrassed by his secret hobbies, except their mom's, who enjoyed the nature of the secrecy themselves.

Lucy would often bring Liddan over, and they'd prepare little finger foods for the kids while the two chat in the kitchen.

Sometimes it would be Liddan teaching Sylvie basic sewing and embroidery tips. Sometimes it was Sylvie teaching Liddan to knit, cast off, and what the heck a pearl was supposed to be. Other times it was both of them trying to decipher the book explaining crocheting, which neither of them really got, but kind of did, but not really.

The society never grew beyond its two members, but it stayed strong for years and years.

They hardly ever missed a meeting, and if they did, they rescheduled so they'd ensure a meeting happened that month. It was quite impressive, and as the other members of their families found out, they were more impressed than amused by the comical nature of the club itself. Two ten-year-olds starting a knitting circle (and one of them a boy no less) sounds like a set up for a joke, but the punchline was that they kept it up for years and developed a nice friendship out of it.

Of course, their friendship was kept secret almost by accident, because no one would ever know they were friends outside of their little society. Lucy used to joke that the two couldn't hold a conversation without a pair of needles in their hands.

One of their main concerns was perhaps a disinterest in one another outside the context of needlework, but Sylvie did possess some greater concerns outside said context.

It seemed that whenever Sylvie talked about her problems, particularly the rain, Liddan just didn't seem to understand her concerns. He'd say something like, "Well I always thought your powers were really cool, that sucks."

To which Sylvie would maintain a tightlipped smile, nodding once as she replied, "Mhmm."

He just didn't understand, and it was sad for Sylvie. However, she never resented him for such, simply realized he wasn't the type of friend one should talk to about such painful things.

When Marigold joined the guild, it wasn't that long until Sylvie joined herself, showing up all the sudden in the guild. Despite having this monthly tradition, the two didn't really interact much together in the guild, even in a group setting. Neither of them minded, they just weren't those kinds of friends, so it seemed.

Still, even though Sylvie had a social life for the first time, they still kept up the secret sewing society. Of course, Sylvie finally convinced him to not keep it such a secret after Liddan moved in with Marigold.

Sylvie arrived at their door on the third Tuesday of the month, and Marigold answered the door, delighted by the surprise visit.

"Oh, hey!" Marigold smiled, but her face was a bit twisted, as she was trying to remember whether the two made plans and she'd forgotten.

"I'm here for Liddan," she said quickly, a bright smile as Marigold invited her inside, in spite of her confusion. "Is he--"

Sylvie's question was promptly answered as Liddan opened his bedroom door to let out a rather sharp and quick scream, diving back inside and shutting the door within the same moment.

The two girls stood in the parlor, each blinking quietly as they attempted to process what had just happened. Marigold, with no context to the situation, was still trying to figure out what Sylvie was doing here with a basket of yarn. With a sigh, Sylvie walked quietly the door, knocking quietly as she pressed her face against the door. "Liddan, are you in there?"

Quickly, Sylvie heard him unlock and crack the door open. Just barely sticking his head out, he whispered, "What are you doing here?!"

"It's the third month," Sylvie reminded him, as every third month they'd agreed to have Sylvie go to Liddan's house, which was now Marigold's. "Don't tell me you're going to pull out, oh come on, I really need this time right now. I think we both do." It had only been a bit over a month since Gideon's passing, so both were admittedly not in a great place.

"Fine--fine," he hissed, looking past Sylvie at Marigold attempting to listen from the kitchen. "But we're doing it at your house. I don't want Marigold...to know--"

"Are you embarrassed? Oh please, Marigold doesn't care," she spoke much louder, stepping away from the door and towards Marigold, "do you, Marigold?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said plainly, "but I probably won't, what's up?"

Sitting Marigold down on the couch, Sylvie pulled Liddan out of his room, sitting him in the loveseat. "Now Liddan, would you like to tell Marigold what you and I do every month?"

"Oh dear," Marigold took a sharp breath, her eyes widening.

"We've only been doing it since we were ten," Sylvie continued.

"So young?"

"Believe it or not, but Liddan taught me quite a few things back then--"

"Sylvie," Liddan interjected, smacking his hand over her face, "look at her, she's clearly thinking of a different thing." The two look at the disturbed expression on Marigold's face.

Quickly, Sylvie realized what Marigold thought she was referring to, "Oh you pervert," she said with a shake of her head, fixing her skirt, she sat down on the armrest of Liddan's seat, "Go on, Liddan, just tell her already before she thinks we run some sort of underground sex dungeon."

Liddan furrowed his brows, bringing his hands together, he looked across at Marigold, and asked her, "You think of me as a man, right?"

"Not this again," Marigold sighed, "you know I don't care how masculine you are, you're you and that's all that matters, if you've got testosterone for days, good for you--I mean, I think it's great you have nonmasculine traits or hobbies, like sewing--"

"How'd you know about my sewing!"

"You've literally sewn me a dress before," she squinted her eyes, unsure of how he couldn't remember this, "and you show me your projects whenever you finish them!"

"Oh right," Liddan pursed his lips, "well this is embarrassing because I thought this was a secret."

"Liddan and I have a sewing circle," Sylvie blurted it out, frustrated by how resistant he was to such a dumb detail about his life. "He's embarrassed though, and didn't want you to know for whatever reason."

"Now that you know..." Liddan sat up out of his chair, going onto one knee as he took Marigold's hand, "I hope you won't see me any less of a man--"

"I don't care," Marigold said plainly, but then her expression shifted. She looked up at Sylvie, "Oh, do you think you could teach me to knit! I've always wanted to learn in preparation for the ten cats I'll probably own."

Sylvie and Liddan exchange a look, alerting Marigold that her point wasn't quite clear. "The more I adopt, the higher the chances one of them will actually love me."

"Ahh," they each sighed in agreement.

Thus, Marigold became the unofficial guest member of the not really a Secret Sewing Society. She'd usually only go to the meetings at her house, and if she wasn't participating she was making tea.

Months later, Gideon returned and Marigold disappeared. It seemed like a trade, and there was no one as conflicted about the whole thing than Sylvie and Liddan.

They didn't see each much after Marigold disappeared, each a bit too busy around the first month of Gideon's return. Of course, they only interacted once, just the two of them. When Sylvie found Liddan face first in the snow on the path to Fairy Tail.

"Liddan?"

At the sound of his name, he pulled his head up, finding Sylvie peering down at him. "Oh, hey Sylvie."

To his surprise, there was judgment in her eyes, no pity either. Just a quiet and silent exchange of glances, that could only really say one thing. "I see you."

"Well," she took a breath, "it's good to see you out and about, Nashi said you hadn't left your home for some time...Gideon really wanted to see you..."

"Good, cuz I wanted to see him." Liddan brushed the snow off his pants and shook his hair free of frost.

"Oh...you look like a drunk..." Sylvie said with concern.

"Yeah...thanks..." Liddan groaned.

Liddan stepped further down the path only for Sylvie to stop him. In one swift motion, she unraveled the scarf, freeing her hair to blow gently in the wind. Stepping forward, so she was right in front of Liddan, she tied the scarf around his bare neck.

"So you don't catch a cold," she said with a smile. "Marigold will be happy to know someone took care of you while she was away."

"You think...you think she's coming back."

"No," her smile was faint, and her navy hair bobbed with her head as she shook it, "I know. Fairy Tail is her home, I have faith she'll return to us. But I know that coming back on her own will take time. So I'll wait patiently, just like the rest of Fairy Tail."

She gave a nod to Liddan, bidding him goodbye and continued down her own path. Liddan tightened the scarf, since he was cold, to begin with.

They wouldn't see each other for a while, as they'd both go their separate ways in an attempt to find Marigold, they both succeeded in a strange way, only to lose her again along the same path.

The War of Pride was especially hard for the two of them, but only one came out the better.

After the war settled, and all the prisoners were slowly being shipped back home by train, Laurie and Sylvie slipped onto another. They traveled to the shore and paid a sailor to marry them on the water.

It was a beautiful ceremony, but everyone was about ready to kill them when they got back.

Disappearing like that right after a war, that did cause quite a stir in the guild.

By the time the two had returned home from their honeymoon, which was only one night at an inn by the shore. They wanted a quick roll around in the hay before they went home to all the hell they knew their parents' had in store for them. Nonetheless, Sylvie had missed the third Tuesday. She figured it was for the best, after all, dear Liddan had just lost an arm thanks to the war. Reminding him of such a thing seemed wrong, like a dreadful reminder that it was yet another activity that'd become more difficult thanks to the absent arm.

Still, she should have dropped by, just to say hi, but she didn't. She was busy doing married things like finding an apartment to live in with her new husband, moving into said apartment with said husband, supporting same husband as he tried to work on his own, independent of the guild.

She figured she'd go talk to him face to face to see if they were still on for the next month, she'd have to run into him eventually. Then she could just casually mention their next scheduled meeting.

Despite visiting the guildhall pretty regularly (a couple times a week, every day when she had that splurge to work), Sylvie was surprised to find she never ran into Liddan. She found plenty of Nashi and Gideon, who were just glad to have a moment to themselves, without all the chaos, but none of Liddan.

"He's probably at his house," Nashi said with a shrug, "he hasn't been out a lot, really. I actually don't think even I've seen him this week."

"Me neither," Gideon shook his head, "he might have gone on a job, actually."

"Well then," she shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I'll see him when I see him."

A month ran by, and even Sylvie didn't realize their scheduled day had passed until three days after. She shrugged it off, telling herself if she'd forgotten, then Liddan likely had as well.

Time passed, then there was a sudden glimpse of Liddan. Laurie was the one to tell her when he got back, coming back from Fairy Hills after several repairs to say he'd heard from Erza that Liddan was back at the guildhall, and would probably be there all night.

"What'd she mean by that?" Sylvie asked, finishing up the laundry as Laurie unpacked his things from work.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "to be honest, didn't sound good."

"Do you think he's in trouble?" Sylvie made a face, and Laurie quickly shook his head.

"If it was real trouble, like legal or medical, I'm sure we'd all know right away."

It was neither legal nor medical, but it was serious. Apparently, Liddan had gone out on a job, and then killed a lot of people.

"They were all members of a dark guild, so you know," Laxus explained, "but, well, that doesn't change much in the end. At least we know he's not in any legal trouble because of it, though they've given him a nasty nickname for it."

"What is it?" Gideon asked, standing alongside Nashi by the counter Laxus sat.

"Red Curse," he whipped his hand out, as if trying to sweep away the problem in the light gesture. "I've heard worse, but, it still ain't great."

"What's it mean?" Nashi asked, "the red, is that supposed to be fire or--"

"You decide," Laxus turned away, returning to his meal, "you ought to take it up with your brother if you want any more details. To be honest, I barely know anything myself, could hardly get a word out of him."

Sylvie was trying not to listen, but seated only a yard away at a table with Laurie, she just couldn't help herself.

"You know," Laurie said, picking at his food while they ate dinner, "you should really just go visit him. I'm sure he'd be home awhile after all this."

"What do you mean?" she said, shaking her head, "Wait, are you really encouraging your wife to go visit another man."

"This other man is Liddan," he smiled, scoffing, "like, the guy's never even had a girlfriend, I'm not really worried."

Sylvie pursed her lips, looking back behind her for a moment, just so she didn't have to look at Laurie, "Maybe you're right."

The next morning, despite it being a Thursday, Sylvie gathered her sewing kit and headed out to Liddan's house. It was still summer, so the heat was rather aggravating, and just walking up the hill was like sharing a sleeping bag with Nashi, something Sylvie had the displeasure of experiencing.

Sylvie could remember the joy she experienced whenever walking up that hill. It was an annoyingly long walk, the way to Liddan's house, but whenever she could spot a clearing the trees, it just left her with a certain excitement.

So when the branches hanging over grew more and more sparse, she quickened her step, eager to meet the house face to face. However, when she finally arrived, she realized it might not have been as lovely as she remembered.

Maybe the paint had lost its pop, or the plants were wilted from the drought, well, more than that. Most of the plants were either dead or gone, only a few sparks of color surviving the dying greenery.

It was a good sign though, seeing Lugi. She was there with a watering can, humming to herself as watered a small row of flowers, poppies it seemed.

"Lugi," Sylvie greeted the small exceed, who turned her head and smiled at the sight of her, waving her arms up and down. "Lugi, is Liddan around? I was hoping to see him."

"Lugi!" she responded, making Sylvie wonder if the little cat would ever learn another word.

She led Sylvie to the backyard, through a small fence that had recently been broken. The yard that was once full of life, was just grasping onto life. The plants looked all dried up, as though Lugi's little watering can just wouldn't cover it. As they came to the back of the yard, the fence closed off to the gazebo, which Sylvie remembered Laurie built for a wedding last Christmas. It was still together, as her husband was quite the craftsman, but several branches sat idle on the roof.

He was there at the steps of the gazebo, drinking a beer as she stared at his shoes. Sylvie approached, and after passing through the back fence, Lugi flew back to her post, where she would continue to water the flowers.

Though Liddan heard her arrive, he didn't even look up to greet her.

Perhaps hoping to jog his spirits a bit, she said, "You look like a drunk."

She smiled faintly as he lifted his head, but his expression showed more of confusion than nostalgia. Perhaps he didn't remember.

She moved forward, holding the handle of her basket with both hands. "We really haven't seen each other in a while, I mean, how long has it been?" Looking at his right arm, she realized it was the first time she'd actually seen it up close. That must have been hard.

"Did my mother send you?" he asked briskly, getting right to the point.

Sylvie furrowed her brows, shaking her head, "No, why would she send me--"

"Because she thinks we're friends."

Sylvie choked a bit, looking down as she tried to catch her breath. "We aren't?"

Liddan looked at her as though she were stupid, then stood up. Carrying his bottle in his left hand as he left. He walked around the gazebo, not saying anything as he walked into the woods.

She knew that he didn't want her to follow him, but she also knew he didn't exactly know what he wanted at that moment. So she followed anyway.

Her steps were quick, and it didn't take long for her to catch up with Liddan as he wasn't walking too fast himself. It was hardly a stroll, it was as though he were lost in his own territory.

She stayed behind him for a moment, clearing her throat in hopes to not frighten him. In truth, she was just hoping he'd acknowledge her. After clearing her throat a second time, he still didn't.

Sylvie sped up, arriving beside him this time, she looked him up and down and realized he had quite a few more bruises than usual, and a few new scars. He looked unfamiliar.

"I've been trying to make Laurie something," she spoke up, "for our anniversary--well, the anniversary of our first kiss is coming up, and I thought I'd do something to commemorate it. Can you believe it? A year ago we hadn't even kissed yet, now he's my husband--and I didn't even have to use any of my secret plans to convince him to propose. He did it all on his own. I'm glad, the surprise was much nicer."

Liddan said nothing, but he didn't seem to react negatively, as in, he didn't react at all. So Sylvie just kept going.

"I hope you aren't mad at me like the rest were, for eloping. It was all very sudden, the proposal, I mean, so it just felt appropriate to go ahead and marry. My mother was very upset that she wasn't there for the ceremony, she keeps going on about how she'll try to convince us to divorce just so she could be there for the next wedding. I worry...maybe my mother is trying to sabotage my marriage, I wouldn't past her, would you?"

He took a swig from his bottle, Sylvie wondered if he was drunk or not. He didn't look it, maybe it was not a twenty-third beer since last night deal, and more just a beer on the patio on a hot summer day. She hoped for the latter to be true.

"You never answered my question."

He sighed, "Which one, would I put it past your mother to ruin your marriage just to attend your wedding?"

"No," Sylvie stopped walking, however, Liddan didn't stop until she spoke again. "We're friends, aren't we?"

And thus, he stopped. He didn't turn around right away, heck, he took a drink first. Maybe it was because he was nervous, he didn't know how he'd react. It seemed he already knew the answer.

"Sylvie," he took a breath, turning only his head towards Sylvie, leaving the rest of himself away, "we're just each other's way of killing time, nothing more. I like you well enough Sylvie, really, I do, but I think you know we don't really go beyond that."

After a long and silent moment, Sylvie had still said nothing, so Liddan turned his head, and returned to his march up the hill. However, he was surprised when he felt something soft smack against the back of his head.

"What--" he jerked his head around, finding the projectile there by his feet. It was a ball of yarn. "Did you just thrown yarn--"

"GYAH!!" Sylvie lost it. She threw everything she had at him. All the spools of yarn, her partially embroidered handkerchief, and eventually a few knitting needles.

It was then when Liddan interjected, saying, "Enough! Wait! STOP!"

"Look!" Sylvie shouted, thunder erupting above them as she took in deep breaths. "I understand that we aren't the closest of friends. Maybe we aren't all existential with one another--or whatever, and our time spent together is just a way to kill time, but it still--no, you, you still matter to me! You can't just turn your back on me after almost a decade and expect me not to care."

His face folded in frustration, "Guh--you know you can just be so crazy sometimes--"

"So can you!" she whipped her hand up, "At least my crazy doesn't get people killed!"

"Hey--" he marched towards her, "you don't get to say that--you don't know the whole story!" At least he was finally acknowledging her.

"No, I don't, but you just won't tell me--or anyone for that matter--" clicking her teeth, she crossed her arms, "These past few months you've just been like this sort of--phantom or something! You just disappeared, and we were all worried, but when you showed back up, you're a different person. I don't like it--"

"Oh," he scoffed, "you don't like it? Wonder what that's like."

"Could you drop the sarcasm and cynicism? And just talk to me like an actual person!" Sylvie let out a guttural groan, from simple, absolute annoyance. "You're acting like some angst-filled teenager? What, Liddan, did old man Nichols run over your skateboard again? Did Stacey not want to go to the dance with you?"

"Don't patronize me," he spoke seriously again, it was strange that the only way for Sylvie to get him to talk to her was by making fun of him because it made him really mad. "You don't get to patronize me, because you don't know what's wrong--you don't understand!"

Suddenly, it started to pour down on them. Sylvie was, for a moment, just too shocked to say anything at all, and by the time she did, they were both already soaked.

"I was bound to my own home for the better half of my life," she stepped towards him, slowly, "I was condemned by my own shame, I couldn't look my parents in the eye--some weeks I just wouldn't sleep--or eat--and it would rain until the water came to our heels! And even though I'm out, even though I tell myself it's over, some days that pain comes back, and it's like a flood--a hurricane. I know what it's like to mourn, I know what it's like to feel alone, I know what it's like to hurt so bad that you'd be willing to die if it just gave you relief. So don't--don't you ever tell me I don't understand."

After a deep breath, the rain died down just a bit, and Sylvie pulled her head forward, looking down at her shoes. They were now covered in mud.

They didn't say more than ten words after that, but they both silently agreed they weren't going to do anymore shouting after all Sylvie had said. So after a moment, Liddan said, "Let's go inside," and they did just that.

In silence, they walked back to the house, each taking off their shoes at the door, and dried off. They sat silently, a discomforting tension in the air.

While Liddan went to change, finding that even his pants were dragging mud into the room, and Sylvie made tea with Lugi while he was away, without his permission.

He didn't seem annoyed but paused before he took a drink, Sylvie couldn't help but read it as mistrust.

So again, the two sat in silence, looking at their feet or the corner or a small chip in the wall neither of them was sure of the origins. Sylvie bit her lip, looking down at her basket for a moment. She saw the two knitting needs poking out of a skein of yarn. Taking a breath, she reached down, snatching them from the basket before shoving them into Liddan's hands.

"There you go," she said, settling back into the couch as she pulled her own project out of the basket, "you mother always said we couldn't talk without a pair of needles in our hands, so go on now talk."

She brought out her own embroidery hoop, beginning to make stitches herself as the silence continued. Liddan just looked at her, dumbfounded and somewhat alarmed. Sylvie tried not to look at him, not right away at least. However, she eventually turned her head for a moment.

They locked eyes, and even though it was for a short while, it felt terribly long and even more depressing because they both knew that this conversation would not be the end of it if it ever even began.

Each wanting to ignore the possibility that their problems didn't have a quick fix, they each turned their heads, once again looking forward. A bit fidgety, Liddan clicked the two metallic needles together, looking down as he adjusted his hands to the correct position for knitting. There was no yarn wrapped around them, so they were left as this useless and futile tool.

Still, he held them like they were worth something.

"Sylvie," he said, in a softer voice. She didn't give a response, but he continued anyway, "I'm not happy."

It seemed so pointless to say such a thing, it seemed so obvious. However, there was something about admitting it that relieved Liddan in some way, so he continued.

"I've been in ruts before," he started, shaking his head as the memories tracked in his mind, "like when Layla left, or we thought Gideon was gone--and, it kinda feels like that." He clenched his chest, "It feels like I'm mourning something, but I don't know who--and that just makes it frustrating and I get mad--and reckless--I just feel like I'm losing control--" he dropped the needles from his hands, and the tumbled down onto the floor. Sylvie didn't react to it, but watched as he covered his hand over his mouth.

"I feel like there's something missing in me," he said, his voice soft yet worn, "like it's in my chest, and something should be there but isn't, but I don't know how to find it. And it's gone forever, and I'm just so mad about it but I can't just say that to people." He brought his hands together, looking intently ahead of him.

He was focusing his eyes on a spot in the hardwood, so he could avoid having to look at Sylvie, or even remember that she was sitting beside him. "My dad keeps asking me, 'Why are you so angry? What's wrong with you?'" he couldn't help but laugh in this painful kind of way, "and I can't say all that to him. 'Oh, there's this emptiness in my chest, it feels like someone physically yanked something out of me and I don't know what it is, or why it's gone but I'm so mad about it I could just--just murder-suicide everyone in this room!'"

She didn't know what was missing from Liddan, but she could understand the pain in ambiguity.

He sighed, rolling his head back into the couch, and looking up at the ceiling. He brought a hand over his eyes, rubbing in between them as he took a breath. "I'm so tired. Nothing's working anymore. Nothing fixes it--not friends, family, alcohol--" he looked at Sylvie, "haven't tried sewing, but forgive me if my expectations are low."

Sylvie gave a nod and a knowing look. Needlework didn't stop the crying, she already knew that.

He turned away, looking back up at the ceiling, "I just don't know what to do anymore, because nothing works, and I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

Sylvie, who was watching intently, could see he was tearing up. There, at the corners of his eyes, water was pooling and threatening to spill over. She couldn't remember if she'd ever seen Liddan really cry. Gideon probably had, tons perhaps, but she had never seen that side of Liddan.

Perhaps they weren't as good as friends as she pretended they were.

"When I was 14, I only left the house three times in the whole year," Sylvie brought her hands into her lap, crossing her legs as she sank into the sofa. Liddan didn't turn his head as she started to speak, but she knew he was listening.

"I don't know why, exactly, but it was just really bad that year. When I went out with my family, to the guild, or dinner, or whatever, it would never end well. I remember, the second time I'd left the house was still early into the year, and we went to the guild, and just standing there...I felt like everyone was just watching me, waiting for a moment to pounce. I just wanted to rip off my skin and throw it into a lake--I don't know why a lake--but when I started feeling like that, it would start to rain, really bad. Then my dad found my sobbing hysterically in a closet, and he had to carry me out of the guildhall, everyone was just...watching me with these sad, pitiful eyes. After that day, I didn't even leave my room for three days. A few days after that, it happened to be Tuesday, and you came over just the same.

"I remember, you were only 13, and somehow that made all the difference to me because you came over and acted like you hadn't just seen me get carried off in my father's arm, sobbing like a toddler. You just told me about what your mom was cooking for dinner or what Erza made you do in lessons, or how you made 2000 jewels on a job by yourself. I'll admit, apart of me was angry with you, pretending what just happened never happened, but I think that's what I needed. Maybe it's what you meant to do, I don't know. "

Sylvie shook her head, bringing her hand to her face as she realized how much she'd been talking, but as she looked up for a moment, she noticed that Liddan was looking at her, rather intently too. Like he was hanging on her every word. So she continued.

"Liddan," she started, then she couldn't think of what to say. She paused, and then she started again. "Liddan, maybe to you our whole thing was never a big deal, and I tried to act as though it wasn't too, but in truth, it got me through the month sometimes. And for that, whether you meant it or not, I'll always be grateful. Because to me, these little meetings were small pieces of happiness, and they helped me get through those years, those months..."

She looked down, finding herself a bit too embarrassed to look Liddan in the eye. "I think, right now at least, that's the best thing you can do. Find those little pieces of happiness. Maybe it isn't," she laughed a bit as she said it, "knitting and needlework, or maybe it isn't even my company. But there will always be the little things, the little things that bring you a pleasant feeling, and those are the things you hold onto." For a moment, she looked at Liddan and saw his body leaning forward, towards her, hanging on her every word. It was as if she had some kind of cure.

She found herself nervous, turning away again as she quickly stuttered out, "But you have to remember, always, that it can never be just one thing. You know what they say, don't put all your eggs in one basket...you stumble and you break everything." Sylvie frowned, and said in a bitter, honest voice, "Happiness is so fragile."

In silence, they sat and pondered the idea of the fragility of happiness. Then, they wondered why the two of them had never discussed something like this before. Sylvie realized that maybe the answer was simply that exposing yourself so much to someone was scary.

"I think that's enough," she bent down, grabbing the needles Liddan had dropped. She shoved her things all into her bag with haste, then began to make her way out the door. "Thank you for having me, and sorry for forcing my way in."

"No," Liddan said suddenly, "thanks for bothering to visit me," he walked her to the door, and before she opened it said, "you're a good friend."

Sylvie smiled thinly, then left before the moment was ruined. Shutting the front door behind her, she looked to find Lugi sitting on a stack of flowerpots by the door. She looked up at her, and with bright eyes smiled, saying "Lugi." It was the only thing she ever said, and Sylvie had no clue what it meant, but she liked to believe it meant "Thank you", or something along those lines.

Carrying her bag, she walked home, and she laid in bed until Laurie got home. He didn't ask about Liddan because she never told him, but she wouldn't feel guilty about going.

A few days passed, and Sylvie eventually stopped thinking so much about Liddan. It seemed apparent that their days in the society were over. So one morning, when she wanted to be alone to work on her gift to Laurie, she sat in the corner at a table alone, embroidering away.

She got to a french knot, a type of stitch that can most certainly be done the wrong way if you were Sylvie. She could never remember which way to wrap it, and when she did it wrong the knots were loose and awkward. Her brows knotted as she bit her lip, trying to figure out which way. She didn't want to mess it up, as this was a gift to her husband. What if the messy stitching became a metaphor for the messing stitching that holds together their marriage.

"Face the needle away from the thread," Sylvie looked up, suddenly finding Liddan hanging over her, looking intently at her work, "but keep it above it, then wrap it over forward."

"Oh," Sylvie couldn't help but be struck by his sudden appearance, but she realized he'd actually just given him some good advice, "Oh!" she repeated, then turned her head back to her work, "Okay, so which way?"

"I literally just told you."

"I know, I know, but I always forget!"

"You forget after five seconds?" he chuckled, "What are you a goldfish?"

"What are you, a huge jerk?"

"I know, I know," he watched as Sylvie attempted her french knot, and he chimed in again, "be sure to hold onto your thread, but not too tight or the knot will be too tight."

"Alright," she nodded, carefully making the stitch. With Liddan watching, it felt a bit more difficult, she felt the urge to tell him to look away, but he continued to hang over her, waiting for her to finish. With clunky movements, she finally did and was left with a surprisingly nice french knot framing one of the leaves of her embroidery. It was rather nice looking, and she was, in the end, glad for the help. "Thank you," she said appropriately.

He began to move away, nodding his head to Sylvie, "No problem."

Sylvie watched Liddan's back as he walked away, moving onwards to other people. He met up with Gideon and smiled as he put his hand on the back of the chair, receiving an excited greeting from her brother and the others.

There, Sylvie found herself separated from everyone else. From Liddan, from her brother, from all her peers as they gathered around each other. She sat alone in the corner of the guildhall, just working on her embroidery, realizing how she didn't feel lonely at all.

Months passed by and Liddan and Sylvie only talked so much here and there, hardly about their little sewing society. Things went back to how they were before, where no one could really tell they were friends from a first glance, and both seemed fine with that.

It had been a while since they'd talked, as both Sylvie and Liddan each made a habit of making themselves busy with work, but Sylvie was surprised when Liddan suddenly turned up at her doorstep.

It wasn't so much of a step, though the hallway in the apartment was slanted making it seem like one, but he was there nonetheless. Sylvie and Laurie had been eating dinner, a new preheated type meal because they found themselves too worn out to cook. Neither of them liked it, and Sylvie was giddy when they heard a knock on the door so she could stop eating.

"Liddan?" she tried not to sound offended by his arrival, but she definitely sounded confused. "Hi, come on in," she spat out, opening the door a little wider to invite him inside.

"Thanks," his face scrunched up as he stepped inside and realized it was much smaller than he'd expected, "it's uh, cozy."

"Yeah, yeah," Sylvie nodded, "would you like to sit down?" The only available seat was either the bed or Sylvie's chair at the table, which she was very willing to give away if it meant not having to eat.

"No, I was just dropping in to ask a favor," he glanced over at Laurie, and gave him a nod, "hey Laurie."

"Mhhmash," Laurie muttered out, his dinner falling from his mouth.

It wasn't the response Liddan expected, and he gave Sylvie a look wondering just what she did to him, but decided to move on with his request anyway.

"Anyway," he began, "I have a favor to ask."

"Yeah, sure," Sylvie nodded, "what do you need?"

"I'm leaving town, and it's gonna be a while before I come back, so...I was hoping you could housesit."

"Housesit?"

"Yeah, water the plants, make sure I don't return to a thick layer of dust over everything I own." He looked at Sylvie's face, and could tell she seemed a bit surprised, "You're the only one I thought could handle it."

Sylvie nodded, seeming to agree. "Yeah, Gideon would've brought--"

"Nashi, yeah," Liddan made a face, then shook his head to move on, "I can pay you back for it, of course. Maybe get you dinner, or just give you money--"

"Money! Money is good!" Laurie butt in, spitting his food into his napkin to speak. "We're not above it, money is fine."

"Okay, sure," Liddan nodded quickly, "I leave tonight, so," he held up a ring of keys, "you can use the bed if you want...Laurie too, of course, just make sure it doesn't burn down."

Sylvie took the keys, and after a short discussion, Laurie and Sylvie decided it would be their "weekend home", and they'd spend the night there on weekends. Laurie said it would be a nice practice for homeownership, and Sylvie agreed.

So they each packed a bag for the weekend and took the walk to Liddan's house, which was only a good twenty minutes away from home. She unlocked the door of that small little cottage Laurie had built and found it feeling dreadfully familiar.

Laurie set his bag down, taking Sylvie's along with it. He said with a smile, looking around as he said, "Not too shabby, maybe while we're here we can do some home improvement as a gift for Liddan, eh?"

"Mhmm," Sylvie looked up at the ceiling, watching it arch over to the wall.

"But first," he clapped his hands together, "sex on Liddan's bed, what dya say?" Sylvie had no reaction, which made Laurie rather nervous. "That was a joke--"

"What?" Sylvie pulled her head down, and back into the conversation, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"It was nothing," Laurie said quickly, opening the bedroom door to Liddan's room.

They each went to the archway of the door, looking into the room, letting out a sigh. It was an absolute mess.

"Are we really going to spend the entire day cleaning up our adult friend's bedroom?" Laurie asked.

"You're right, maybe when Liddan asked us to housesit he didn't want us to completely clean up and clean out his house, possibly renovating it in a few areas--"

"Like touch up those walls there--"

"Or replace this hardwood." Sylvie brought her hand to her chin, "Maybe that wasn't his intention when he asked us to housesit."

"Granted, he did ask us to housesit," Laurie added, Sylvie nodding along, "and him knowing us, he must have known that we're the type who would love to clean up and clean out his house, and would likely really really want to do it when they saw the sorry state of his house."

"That's a good point," Sylvie nodded, "he must have picked us expecting us to clean and renovate his house."

"That's a great point, yes," Laurie sighed, crossing his arms, "then again, I have to ask, are we really going to be the people who spend our entire day cleaning up our adult friend's bedroom?"

"Well," Sylvie pondered, turning to her husband, "we could make a game out of it, 2000 jewels to the first person to find where he keeps his porn."

They spent the day cleaning up the house and violating Liddan's privacy. They picked up his clothes, did some laundry, swept then mopped the floor, watered the plants in and out.

Sylvie won the bet, finding a rolled up magazine titled "Flower Girls" hidden in a telescope on Liddan's shelf.

"Who keeps porn in a telescope?"

"Well, I guess he was trying to be creative," Sylvie shrugged, "he does have a lot of younger siblings, I get it. I have to hide my porn in weird places."

"Wait, have to, like, in present tense?" Laurie watched as Sylvie continued to clean, "Sylvie, is there porn in our apartment?"

Sylvie didn't say anything, but did let out a quiet hum as she went on to continue cleaning up.

In the evening, they laid on the bed together, squeezing tight together. They only had a full sized bed at home, so the twin wasn't such a downgrade, but it was certainly tight. They were left in a cuddling position, flipping through Liddan's magazine to find it much more softcore than what they'd expected.

"Not a nipple in this mag, huh," Sylvie sighed.

"You seem disappointed," Laurie chuckled.

"Well, you're the man, do any of these girls excited you? Say, Daisy here?"

"No, no," Laurie laughed, "these girls concern me because I couldn't imagine Liddan with any of them romantically speaking."

"Yeah, me neither," she shook her head, "those happy, fun, doting lady-types, Liddan would eat them up."

"Yup," Laurie rolled up the mag and tossed it on the ground, "those women are just myths, anyway."

"Right."

Laurie made a face, and he looked at his wife, then back at the ceiling as he suddenly found himself asking, "Why didn't you and Liddan ever date?"

"I'm sorry?" Sylvie laughed, finding the question so ridiculous that the very suggestion had to be the setup for some kind of joke.

"I mean," Laurie sighed, "I was away a long time, and you two were keeping up your weird secret club that whole time. I'm surprised none of those meetings ended with a quick make-out session on the couch or something."

"You mean while you were horny teenagers?"

"You're still a horny teenager," Laurie chuckled, as did Sylvie. "No, I think it's more, like, how could he not fall in love with you, just a little bit."

"Just a little bit?" Sylvie peaked over at Laurie, and he couldn't help but blush. "I guess you're not much of the jealous type?"

"Not really," he smiled, "I almost feel bad for him, actually, he missing out. I know I feel bad."

Sylvie smiled, watching her husband stretch out on the tiny bed, which really just meant he got closer to her. She wondered if he ever fantasized about their relationship, had he stayed in Magnolia. "Laurie," she said softly, he turned his head just enough to see her, "what are you doing tonight?"

The morning was nice in Liddan's little cottage, and Sylvie could imagine herself waking up in a house like this every day. She and Laurie cooked themselves some french toast, eating at a dining room table where one of them didn't have to have their backs to the wall. Plus, it was a different room from the bed, and they could sit on the couch if they wanted to relax in their own home.

"This makes a great weekend home," Laurie said, stretching out on the couch as Sylvie sat in a separate seat knitting. "I like the fact that we have more than just the room and the bathroom, so when you get sick of me and start sobbing uncontrollably, you can go wherever you want and I can still take a leak."

"Mmm," Sylvie smiled, nodding her head, "I like how you can joke about these things, but I can't, so please stop."

"Will do," he nodded quickly, "but what do you think, about owning a house?"

"Well," Sylvie smiled, "I really like the idea, like a lot, but I don't know if we're ready financially. Plus, weren't we focusing on you getting an office first, and some other workers."

"I know, I know," Laurie nodded his head from side to side, "but that was a 'me thing', this could be an 'us thing'."

Sylvie made a face, then smiled, "It would be nice to have an 'us thing', to financially invest in, that is."

"I guess I'll start looking for property," Laurie stood up, "we'll want to live close to the city, and on livable land. Nothing too rocky, but close to a water supply..."

He began to go on and on about their future house and all the intricate details that went into it. It was nice to just dream about it, and it made them hate their tiny apartment anymore when they returned to it that Monday, but it was like dipping back into reality.

Laurie would head off to do his regular visits at Fairy Hills, Sylvie would look for work at the guildhall, preferably in Magnolia.

They'd come home to have a crappy cheap meal, then go to bed worn out and exhausted.

Then the weekend rolled around, and they would flock to Liddan's cottage as though it were some kind of getaway.

On Saturday morning, Laurie had made it his goal to clean up the outside of the house, and the gazebo. Both could use a new coat of paint, which Laurie was excited to provide.

Sitting inside with a cup of tea, Sylvie tried to enjoy her morning a moment longer before changing to join Laurie outside with the hard work. Admittedly, she was stalling, as she just loved the idea of being able to do nothing in the cozy, little cottage.

Feeling a bit skittish, she began wandering around the room, touching the walls where the paint had begun to chip. She found it funny how little time had passed since Laurie had built this house. She never quite understood what had compelled him to build the house for Liddan. Maybe Liddan threatened him or had some kind of dirt on him. Either seemed possible. Or, Liddan just asked very nicely.

That seemed unlikely, but she would rule it out.

On the same wall of the kitchen, there were two doors. One she knew belonged to the bathroom, the other she'd yet to venture into.

Out of curiosity, still holding her tea, she turned the knob to poke inside. But of course, the door was stuck, so out of curiosity, Sylvie forced the door open with the right side of her body.

She stumbled into the room, thanks to the burst of force. Her feet caught her as she happened upon what was only an empty room. Wall to wall, there was only a dusty floor. There was a window on the adjacent wall, but even that was left hazy from the dust.

The walls were a lovely, yet girlish floral wallpaper, but nothing so extreme it could make you nauseous through its feminity. It really just seemed like a room belonging to an older woman. Perhaps, at some point, Liddan had planned to use the room for someone in his family, though Sylvie couldn't imagine Liddan liking any of his sisters enough to let them live with him. Maybe his mother, for when the Dragneel's marriage finally collapsed.

She stepped inside, leaving the door open. Her hands crept towards the wallpaper, finding it smooth to touch. She traced the flowers for a moment, before abandoning the wall and looking out the window.

Her fingers drew a small circle, clearing the dust on the glass to bring in the light. She could see outside, the grassy front lawn of the cottage. It had been getting overgrown, cutting it would have to be added to the list.

She moved away from the window, she did a spin around the room, finding herself almost suffocated by how empty it was. She looked at the floor, which was definitely dirty, but took a moment to kneel down. Then she sat down. Then she laid back.

Laying on her back, she stared at the ceiling. She looked around at the ceiling as it sloped up to the wall. Sylvie wasn't sure why, but something stuck inside of her. She found it difficult to breathe, difficult to see with her eyes blurred with tears. Sylvie knew it was sudden, to be feeling this way, but it was just so much pain to bear.

When Sylvie first learned Liddan could sew, it was primarily because of her bear, Blue.

She snuck Liddan upstairs into her room, repeatedly shushing him as they went up the stairs, creeping past the rest of the guests.

"Now don't tell anyone about this, okay?" Sylvie said in a low voice, "I don't want my dad to find out."

"Why?" Liddan sat down on the rug, resting his back against the frame of Sylvie's bed. She went into her wardrobe, opening the doors to pull out a large peach colored teddy bear. He was missing an eye.

"My dad gave this to me when I was five, but I tore the eye out accidentally, and I don't know how to sew it back in. I tried taping it, but it doesn't stay." She sat down beside Liddan, clutching the giant bear in her arms, "I don't want him to find out I broke it, so I've been sleeping on top of Blue's face for the past week so he wouldn't notice. So, do you think you can fix him?"

Liddan took a moment to process all that Sylvie had just said. Primarily, he was fixated on the fact that, "You named him Blue? He's peach--"

"This is not the time for colors, Liddan!" she hissed, "this is the time for answers!"

"Fine, fine," he shook his head, "I think I can fix it, do you have the old button?"

"Of course," she reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out the button then depositing it into his outstretched hand.

Liddan looked at the button, then at Sylvie, "Have you just been carrying this around with you?"

Sylvie made a face, "I like to keep it close, Blue's my best friend."

Liddan rolled his eyes, "Okay." He took out his own thread he was preparing for his embroidery and started to fix the button.

"Wait--wait," Sylvie waved her hand, "explain it, so I know how to fix it myself next time."

Liddan glanced up, then shrugged his shoulders, "Okay, well, first, you want to double up the thread and knot it, that way you won't lose your needle in the thread....then, you make a small stitch where the eye'll be--are you listening?"

"Yes--should I be taking notes?"

"No, just listen, you don't need to take--" he laughed, "if you forget, I'll just show ya again, okay?"

"Really? You don't have to go that far."

"Well," he scratched his cheek, "maybe you could teach me to knit, as an exchange--or something. But...just," he lowered his voice, "it'll be our secret, okay?"

Sylvie pursed her lips, making a serious expression. She nodded, bringing her hand up and sticking her pinky out. "Got it."

Liddan didn't want to pinky swear, he thought it was childish, but Sylvie refused to leave without their exchange being met. So reluctantly, Liddan stuck out his pinky and twisted it around Sylvie's, and it was the first ever meeting of the Secret Sewing Society.

Sylvie was still lying on the floor when Laurie entered, coming in say, "Hey, it's starting to rain outside, are you--" he looked down, finding her there, sobbing. His question answered, he brought himself to the ground carefully, asking, "Whoa, what's wrong?"

Unsure of what to say, and a somewhat muted by her heaving breath, she managed to say, "It's just too much."

Author's Note

This special was originally published in the Specials story, but I thought I'd include it here for the sake of the story. I hope you enjoyed learning about Sylvie and Liddan's friendship, it was a pleasure to write.

-Katie the Terrible