The clock had yet to strike noon and it had already been a busy day at the guild. There'd been at least four fights and Natsu and Gray had been at it since before they'd even gotten there, the Master had intervened twice and Erza didn't seem to be getting a break. Then, just to make matters worse, a few minutes ago Gajeel had arrived.

Laxus grimaced and turned up his music. He could've easily gone over and beaten everyone who was annoying him to a pulp, but after that they'd still be whining. He'd already tried yelling at the idiots, and some warning zaps just to let off steam, but Natsu just wouldn't get the message. The noise wouldn't be so annoying normally, but it had been less than a day since Laxus and his team had returned from a ridiculously loud mission and he had a splitting headache.

Across the table, Evergreen clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on a fashion magazine. One hour, she'd been there. One hour and she already wanted to start pulling her hair and go crazy. There had to be some sort of mute button. She'd talked Elfman into trying to calm things down but it had backfired when he joined in the ruckus.

"Aw, cheer up," Bickslow said warmly. Neither Laxus nor Evergreen took his advice.

"What the hell's taking Freed so long," Laxus groaned.

"Can't he just catch up to us later?" Evergreen asked exasperatedly.

Bickslow's babies took this as a cue to surround them and repeat after their master. "Cheer up," they all chanted, but it didn't seem to be helping.

From behind the bar, Mirajane looked quizzically at the Raijinshuu. They seemed so miserable. She would've liked to know what happened while they were away, but none of them would tell her. The only information she'd received was from Freed, and it seemed to be quite accidental.

"Are you sure you have time?" he'd asked, his cheeks turning pink.

"Of course," she'd told him. "You should see some of Elfman and Lissana's clothes after a fight!" She hadn't fully known what she was agreeing to.

He'd reached into his travel bag and pulled out one scrap of red fabric, then another, and what looked like two or three more, coming apart at the seams and all stained with something. "It's probably best if you don't know what happened to it…"

And the next day, having thoroughly studied the tears and ugly splotches of what looked like blood and ink, she didn't have a clue how she was ever going to fix it. It was going to be almost impossible, and that was why she was comfortable asking for such a big favor in return for repairing the mangled coat.

Laxus stood up. "I've had enough! Long as one of you knows where he lives we can go get him there!" It was a loud statement, so loud that even Mira could hear it in another part of the guild hall. Better catch them before they're gone, she thought, searching for a notepad.

Finding one in a drawer, she took a pen from a cup near the unfiled job requests and hurried over to catch the group before they left. "Wait a minute," she called after them.

They turned around in surprise. "Mira? What could you want," Laxus asked.

She smiled sweetly. "Nothing much, just a message passed on!" She tried to look really cute, to ensure that she couldn't be denied.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Long as it doesn't get in our way," he offered exasperatedly.

Mira leaned over the table and started scribbling. "I heard you were going to Freed's place, so I thought you could give him a note in case he doesn't stop by here today," she explained, hoping none of the Raijinshuu would be nosy enough to read the message- it would really be embarrassing.

Laxus groaned, and Evergreen gave her a skeptical look. "Fine, we'll give it to him."

Mira breathed a sigh of relief and finished writing. "Good. Just make sure you don't lose it, it's very important." She folded it and held it out for someone to take.

Bickslow snatched the note and almost immediately started unfolding it. "No peeking," she reminded him. "It's not for you." He subsequently gave the paper an extra crease and tried to find a pocket to shove it in.

But before Bickslow could finish, Laxus ripped it out of his hand and started to leave. "Mind your own business," he said authoritatively. "Like you don't know enough about us all already," Evergreen chimed in, following him to the door.

"Are you sure I can't read it?" They were one block away from the guild, and it was already wearing thin on Laxus's nerves.

"Shut up!" he yelled, the futility dawning on him. Bickslow knew everyone's business, but he seemed to be almost like a specialist in Freed's. It was weird, in Laxus's opinion, that someone so well-meaning would be so relentlessly nosy.

"But it might be something important! And come on, it's not a secret unless-" Bickslow had been making up excuses since the minute Mira had looked away, but this was going to be the end of it.

"What? You're not dating him, are you?" he shouted. From other parts of the street, a few heads turned.

"Bu- No… But-"

"But nothing! It doesn't concern you!" He looked down at Bickslow's confused face. Case point. It was over.

Next to them Evergreen rubbed her ears a little. She'd been keeping quiet for most of the walk. Knowing everything she did about both Freed and Mira, she didn't think it was a matter for her to be concerned about. Her teammate was, well… not attracted to women, and although she may have resented it a little, she knew better than to be suspicious of his relationship with Mira. Neither one found the other appealing, and both were too nice to be menacing each other. Bickslow, on the other hand, seemed abnormally worried.

He sulked over, in disappointment, to Evergreen's side. "I just thought it would be something good, with the face she was making," he mumbled.

Ugh. No! She thought. That was his favorite way of stirring stuff up and she did not want to be in the middle of it. "I don't think it's anything we should be concerned about," she told him.

"Oh- No, I'm not worried," he started, the curiosity already worming its way into her brain. "I just noticed the aura while Mira was writing it and-"