"Gag..." Makarov had opened his mouth to ask a question, but instead nearly retched.
Rhodes' face twitched. He had to fight the urge to throw the Guild Master straight out the window. If this were Natsu instead of Makarov, he would've done it without hesitation.
"That was careless. The Hextech Gate really shouldn't be placed in the bedroom," Rhodes muttered.
He had long since gotten used to the sensation, but he'd forgotten how bad the first time felt, being squeezed like dough through a funnel, just like when he'd been dragged into Edolas' Anima years ago, combined with the dizziness of hurtling across the continent at impossible speeds.
Prepared for the worst, Rhodes patted the Master's back and even conjured a sphere of water to help him rinse his mouth. Thankfully, Makarov was tough enough to compose himself before anything hit the floor.
When he finally straightened up, the first words out of his mouth were: "I will never use that Magic again."
Rhodes tried to reassure him. "It just feels rough the first time. If you try it a few more times, you'll get used to it."
"Oh? And how many times did it take you to get used to it?" Makarov asked suspiciously.
"..."
Rhodes' eyes drifted away. "Not… many."
The Master sighed. "These old bones can't take that kind of tossing around. If you like it so much, take Natsu and the others for a spin."
'Ruthless.'
Rhodes could only nod helplessly. "Alright."
He did know a trick to lessen the discomfort, closing your eyes before the jump and only opening them once you'd landed. But he had forgotten. He'd better remember next time, especially if he was taking Mira through it.
After being rattled like that, Makarov forgot the question he originally wanted to ask. He glanced around the room instead. His gaze lingered on the sheets decorated with hearts and the word LOVE, and then shifted toward the balcony, where a skirt was drying. A very familiar red skirt. Mira's skirt.
The realization dawned, and a sly smile spread across the Master's face.
Rhodes forced a laugh. "Well… the place I used to rent isn't livable anymore, and it's hard to find housing right now, so I had no choice but to move in here."
Makarov gave him a long, knowing look. He didn't say anything, but his eyes conveyed plenty.
"I'd be crazy to believe you! Even Gajeel could find a place to stay on the same day, and you can't?"
Rhodes shrugged as if it didn't matter whether they believed him or not. Even if Acnologia himself came down and asked, he would still insist, finding a house in Magnolia wasn't easy.
Makarov chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, let's get back to the Guild before Mira starts worrying."
When they returned, Rhodes immediately spotted Mira inside, happily playing and drawing with little Asuka.
"We're back!" he called out.
Mira looked up with a smile. "Welcome home."
"Welcome back~" Asuka echoed in her sweet, childish voice. Only after repeating the words did she seem to realize what she'd said, her big eyes blinking curiously at the two figures standing at the door.
The moment she recognized them, Asuka cheered, "It's the bearded old grandpa and the long-haired big brother!"
Beaming with pride at having guessed correctly, she tilted her face up toward Mira, clearly expecting praise.
Mira stroked her head gently. "That's right, Asuka's so clever, she recognized them right away."
Makarov laughed with delight, strolling over to scoop her up into his arms. The Guild Master and the little girl, roughly the same height, played happily together. Then, holding her close, Makarov stretched out a hand toward Rhodes and teased, "Grandpa brought you a gift, Asuka. Close your eyes, and I'll make it appear with Magic."
Rhodes, who had actually bought the gift himself, nearly pulled out something ridiculous to prank the Master. But he held back, Asuka was too innocent.
When she opened her eyes, her little face lit up. "Wow! Thank you, bearded grandpa!" She was holding a toy gun and target set. As expected of Alzack and Bisca's daughter, she was immediately thrilled and already aiming with impressive accuracy.
Mira came over to smooth the wrinkles on Rhodes' coat. "So, how was it? Did the gathering go well? Were the other Wizard Saints easy to get along with?"
"It was alright," Rhodes answered, sitting down. "A few strange characters, but half were acquaintances. Oh, and something small happened in the middle. Let me tell you..."
He began recounting the day's events. Mira poured him a glass of water, resting her chin in her hand with a soft smile as she listened intently.
After taking a sip, Rhodes glanced around. "Why does the Guild feel so quiet today? Where is everyone?"
"They all went out on jobs," Mira explained. "Thanks to the newspaper coverage a few days ago, plus yesterday's exclusive interview, the requests piled up. There are more than usual today. Laki even told me I should get back to work soon."
Rhodes glanced at Laki working at the front desk and grinned mischievously. "Ignore her. Let's just treat this as our honeymoon."
Mira chuckled, playing along. "Okay."
"Oh, by the way, look at this!" she said suddenly, her eyes sparkling as she proudly showed him a sheet of paper.
"Ah, not bad," Rhodes said casually, assuming it was Asuka's drawing. "For a four-year-old's standard, that's already great. You can tell it's supposed to be a person. Hmm, are those chair legs and feathers on the body? Oh, I see, Elfman and Lisanna in their Take Over forms, right?"
The air instantly turned chilly. The paper in his hand was snatched away and crumpled into a ball.
"Huh?" Rhodes blinked. Mira's smile seemed frozen in place, no, it was more like she was trying very hard to keep smiling.
A horrible realization dawned on him. Don't tell me… that wasn't Asuka's drawing. His wife's drawing skills might actually be on the same level as Erza's…
After a long pause, he asked cautiously, "Uh… did you draw that?"
Mira covered her face with both hands. "Waaah..."
"..."
Rhodes quickly pulled her into a hug, unsure what to say. What kind of adult compares their own drawings to a four-year-old's?
His gaze slid to the paper left on the table, now that one really was Asuka's drawing. And, to be honest, what he'd said earlier could actually be considered praise… if it were Mira's.
Wife… how do you manage to draw something more abstract than a child's doodle?
Swallowing all his sarcastic thoughts, Rhodes focused on comforting her instead. Mira was strong in battle, but in some things she was surprisingly easy to discourage.
After a while, Mira sniffled, wiping her tears. "I… I was designing outfits for us."
Rhodes' guilt hit him hard. "Ah, I'm sorry. That was my fault. How about we design them together later?"
"Mhm." Mira nodded, then gave him a pitiful look with her big eyes. "But for now, maybe I should punish you. How about you sleep on the floor tonight?"
Rhodes: "..."
Not good. Not good at all!