Lucy slumped forward on her bar stool, groaning in exasperation as Nastu, Gray and the rest of Fairy Tail were once again caught up in the latest brawl. "Why does this always happen when I want to go out on a job? I have to pay this month's rent, ya know!"
After her mini-tirade, she sighed, resting her chin on her arms. Erza chuckled from next to her, enjoying her strawberry cake. "Honestly, they should at least try to be more mature."
Lucy straightened, looking back on the dust cloud that was most of her guild mates. She sweatdropped. "I really don't wanna go through that, but I need a good job." She frowned, looking at the distant request board before standing and waving her blue exceed friend over.
"Aye!" Happy chirped, flying over. "Hey, Happy, can you fly me over to the request board?" She asked sweetly.
"But Lucy," He protested. "You're too heavy!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, CAT?!" She snapped at him angrily, before deflating and slumping back down onto the countertop and sighing.
"Actually, I have some new jobs with me." Offered Mira from behind the counter. Lucy perked up. "Really? Can I see them?" Mira nodded "Of course! Just let me get those for you." She walked over to a small file cabinet beneath the drink taps a few meters away.
"Thanks Mirajane!" Called Lucy, smiling gratefully as Mira came back over with a stack of job requests.
"You're welcome, Lucy. Just let me know if you want any of them, ok?" Mira said, setting the stack down on the counter in front of Lucy. "Hey Mira!" Another guild member called. "Coming!" She sang, going over to serve them.
"Let me see," Erza said, armor clanking as she leaned over. "It would be a good idea for our team to go out on another mission together soon. We haven't been on one with all of us in a while."
"Huh?" Lucy thought for a minute. "Yeah I guess you're right…. We haven't really done something as a team since we got back after the whole Nirvana fiasco….. Uhh, speaking of which, where's Wendy?" They both sweat-dropped and turned to look into the fighting mass of Fairy Tail.
"Don't panic." Mira said, coming back over with one more job in her hands. "She went out with Levy and the rest of team Shadow Gear. They're doing an easy high pay job over in the Western part of Fiore. Something about a border dispute with a small tribe." She explained while slipping the last job into the already thick stack.
"Alright. Thank you Mira." Erza said. "Back to the matter at hand, then Lucy."
The celestial wizard sighed. "Well, yeah, it'd be good to have the whole team back together on another job, but I really need all the money I can get for my rent, and I don't want to split the money with you guys." She looked back at the dwindling fight. "And besides, if those guys destroy another city, we'll have to pay damages out of pocket and the reward… Not to mention get the Magic counsel on our case again and get the master angry at us…. Again."
"Hmmm..." Erza narrowed her eyes, examining the request on the top of the stack. "I'm sure I can convince the boys to not be to reckless. I also can take only a small dividend of the reward and I can convince Natsu, Gray, and Happy to do the same." Offered Erza with a slight smile before picking up about half of the stack and sliding the other over to her. "Lets' try to find a suitable job." Lucy nodded and joined her in flipping through the stack of requests.
The next few minutes consisted of them looking at and rejecting requests. "Find runaway cat… 1,000 Jewel, no too cheap." . . . . . "30,000 Jewel for removing mild curse…" . . . . . . . "Help Judge a Miss Magical contest….. 15,000 jewel, still no good." . . . . . . "20,000 jewel for repairing ancient family heirloom..." And several other job requests with too-low rewards
After several more minutes with no luck, Erza thought aloud, "Hmmm, I just can't seem to find anything with a high enough reward." Discouraged, Lucy let the few remaining un-read jobs slip from her fingers and let her head fall onto the smooth wooden counter with a soft thud.
"Bye, bye, rent~ Bye, bye nice apartment~" Lucy sing-songed, sighing into the counter in disappointment with anime tears flowing down her face.
"Wait!" Erza cried, slamming an armored fist down onto the counter top (causing everyone else's drinks to topple over onto their owners and rattling poor Lucy's brain) and raising a slightly crinkled request paper into the air. "I found the perfect one!"
"Great!" Cheered Lucy, sitting up with a excited grin. "What is it?"
Erza's eyes seemed to sparkle as she answered. "Taking down the leader of a Dark Guild, and bringing a hostage back safely! It's perfect!"
Lucy blanched, sweat-dropping. She raised her hand shakily. "U-uhmm… I-isn't that a bit difficult, not to mention, extremely dangerous, for us though?!" She said quickly in one breath.
"Not for Fairy Tail's strongest team!" Erza proclaimed, striking a pose while still holding up the job. "Aye, sir!" Happy cheered in agreement as he flew overhead, avoiding the objects thrown up by the fight."Besides," Erza continued. "I think you'll find it's reward to be quite sufficient for the job."
"Alright then," Lucy reluctantly agreed. "So what is the reward?" She asked uncertainly. Erza smirked, handing over the request with a gleam in her eyes.
Lucy gave her a look before taking it in her hand and scanning it. Her jaw dropped to the countertop and kept on going. She threw a look of disbelief to Erza, who's smirked widened. "F-f-five m-million Jewel-l!? PER PERSON?!" She held the request away from her and stared at it in shock. "Who Even Has This Kind of Money?!" She shrieked.
Erza raised an eyebrow, leaning back onto the countertop with the smirk still on her face. "Why don't you read it and find out?" She said as a chair slammed into the wall next to them with a loud SMASH, accompanied by shouts of "Ha! Missed me, Flame-brain!" and "Oh, yeah? Well how 'bout now, Ice-queen?!" and "Watch it, Salamander! Iron Dragon Wing Attack!" and "BE A MAN!" and another loud CRASH.
Lucy complied and began to read the requests details as Titania went to go settle down the last few brawlers, you guessed it, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, and Elfman.
Lucy's Jaw only continued to drop as she read the request.
Wanted: Cassiopeia Merröna; Master of the Dark Guild Blood Lotus.
Cassiopeia Merröna is wanted for the Kidnapping of Coutessa Eisenwald's son, Titus, using him as an accomplice and hostage in the robbery of 8 gold freight trains, and the burglary of 3 Fiore National banks. She is also wanted for the assault and injury of 17 Magic Counsel Rune Knights, and the founding and leading of a Dark Guild. Please note: Merröna uses light-maker magic, and can requip at least 3 different exceptionally deadly weapons. Use extreme caution when confronting. Do not be fooled by her appearance.
Underneath were two pictures. The larger was of the Dark Guild's Master, Cassiopeia. She was a smirking young woman, 17-19 years of age, with tan skin, long black hair done up in two elaborate knots, Dark violet eyes, and a matching diamond shaped tattoo on her forehead. The second picture was of the boy—well, more of a young man—that had been teen-napped. The teen boy looked to be either 13 or 14, with dark blue-green hair, piercing red eyes with a scar underneath his left one and a bored expression on his pale face. There was a note underneath his picture.
This is Titus Eisenwald, he and his magic (Sharpened blade magic) are being used by Merröna in her crimes. Do not harm him at any cost. Doing so will result in reduction of reward.
Lucy pulled her eyes away from the paper, looking back to where her team lay defeated at Erza's feet with determination in her eyes. "We'll take this one." She told Mira, fiercely resolute on completing this job.
Not only for the huge reward, thought that was a great plus too, but to reunite a mother and her son. 'After all,' thought Lucy. 'Separating a child from their parent by force is unforgivable! I don't know what I'd have done or my parent would feel like if I had been kidnapped!'
With new found resolve in her eyes, Lucy walked over to her team, ready to share it with them and to face whatever this job would throw at them.