But that had only lasted the briefest instant, and he couldn't promise anything more than that, not wanting to get Ultear's hopes up too high either.
In the midst of the silence, Ultear was the first to recover, wiping at her tears.
"Ha, none of you need to worry about me so much. Just having a small glimmer of hope that Ur could come back already makes me happy. Whether it works out or not, at least trying is better than nothing. Bringing someone back from the dead was always going to be a long shot to begin with."
Seeing the genuine gratitude on her face, and confirming she wasn't just putting on a brave front, the others finally relaxed. Kabe scooted over with a grin, scooped Ultear up onto his lap, and nuzzled against her soft cheek to comfort her.
"Don't worry. This guild's practically got a permanent luck buff attached to it. Things like this, where you're leaving it up to chance, tend to work out in our favor more often than not. Tell you what, tomorrow I'll take you to Tenrou Island, our guild's sacred ground, and we'll burn some little cakes for the First Master. The old lady's always been kind hearted, so she'll definitely bless us once she gets a gift like that."
Ultear couldn't help laughing at his ridiculous suggestion, lightly punching his chest a few times before wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder. Still holding her that way, Kabe cupped her hip with one hand to keep her lifted, and extended his other hand toward Irene, making sure not to play favorites.
"Since you're both leaving tomorrow, I suppose I'll do you both the favor of helping you relax properly tonight."
Irene, of course, knew exactly what he meant by "relax." She rolled her eyes at him, unimpressed, but didn't refuse either, taking the offered hand and accepting the invitation all the same.
And so, with a woman on each arm, Kabe happily made his way up to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, he paused at the corner, tilting his head to shoot a meaningful look at Erza, Mirajane, and the others still sitting on the couch, watching him expectantly.
"Leave your door unlocked tonight. Once I'm done helping these two relax, I'll swing by your rooms."
Mirajane immediately grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it at him.
"Go to hell, get out of here already. I'm sleeping with Laki tonight!"
"Laki's room, huh? Sounds good, I could use a few of her little toys."
Tossing that back with a smirk, he hurried the two women away and vanished around the corner before the second pillow could reach him.
Back in the living room, Mirajane huffed indignantly, her face still flushed red.
"That bastard, he never takes anything seriously."
Selene watched her with an amused smile, teasing her further.
"If you've got the nerve, then don't leave your door unlocked tonight. Saying one thing while wanting another isn't exactly a good habit, you know."
With that, she rose from the couch and headed straight for the stairs. Mirajane grabbed her arm, indignant.
"What do you think you're doing? Go home already."
Selene shook off her hand and tilted her chin toward the stairs without a hint of embarrassment.
"Joining them, obviously. I'm leaving tomorrow too, so naturally they'll want to include me in tonight's relaxation as well."
With that, she ignored the flustered looks from everyone else and headed upstairs on her own. Not long after, the faint, melodic sounds of a rather lively "orchestra" began drifting down from the second floor, leaving the women downstairs blushing and more than a little flustered. Shifting restlessly in her seat, Mirajane swallowed hard, then reached out and grabbed both Laki and Erza by the hand, one on each side.
"So, um, how about the three of us sleep together tonight."
Neither of the other two said a word, only exchanged a glance, then quietly murmured their agreement with a soft nod.
Early the next morning, Irene and Selene slipped out without disturbing anyone, quietly getting ready at home before setting off. Kabe kept his word too, taking Ultear around to a string of dessert shops, buying up an armful of sweets, before flying her out to Tenrou Island.
Once they'd landed on Tenrou Island, Ultear stood there completely dumbfounded. She'd assumed Kabe had just been joking earlier, never imagining he'd actually gone through with it for real.
"What's wrong? Come on, let's go pay our respects at the First Master's grave."
Watching Ultear stand frozen after touching down, staring blankly around at her surroundings without a word, Kabe, leading the way ahead of her, couldn't help urging her along.
"Oh, right, coming."
She hurried to catch up, and the two of them walked side by side through the lush, deeply forested paths of Tenrou Island. They hadn't gone far before Ultear finally couldn't hold back her hesitation any longer.
"You're, you're really planning to burn all this stuff for the First Master? We could still turn back and pick up some incense instead, there's time."
"You don't get it. The First Master was never one for stuffy old traditions. Burning incense for her would honestly do a lot less good than burning her some sweets."
As Kabe spoke, his eyes kept drifting, scanning the surrounding trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mavis's ghost hiding somewhere nearby.