A/N: CHA! Second chapter!

I don't own Fairy Tail!

Please enjoy!


Chapter 2: Have a Drink On Me

February 5, X803

Maddox rubbed the bridge of his nose from inside the main meeting room of the townhall. He knew it was going to be rough to have this conversation with the council, but they hadn't stopped to give him a word in edge wise since he had introduced the topic of discussion – the nine murders that happened within the last week, all ranging from large noble families to the couple in Magnolia to an old official of the Crocus Library.

"Father," a gentle hand landed on his shoulder, "Maybe it's time to interrupt them?"

Maddox looked over at the middle-aged woman next to him, her silky black hair looking so much like her mother's in that moment. His eyes softened briefly while the noise around him diminished. Milada had that effect on him, especially when her green eyes gave him that knowing, understanding look. Often, he felt like his daughter knew more about what was going on and how to handle things better than he did.

Another loud shout echoing through the room broke his small moment of peace and he nodded at her, "Yes, I suppose so."

He turned back to the large, round white oak table they all sat at. He let off a loud whistle, knowing that there would be no use trying to talk over them.

The debating group went silent upon hearing the sharp sound, all of them turning to look at the guild master and his gently smiling daughter.

"Debating like this isn't going to get anything done," Maddox began, "We didn't even get a plan in place during the Summit."

"Then what was the Summit for?" a middle-aged man asked, a deep frown etched into his face.

"It was to ensure that we all knew what was going on and if anyone had any information about any of the murders. And to advise our towns and guilds that we were looking into the situation and that nightly watches would go up upon our return."

"And that's all you have? Night guards and passing around information that the whole country already knows?" the same man snapped, an angry vein pulsing along his forehead, "How am I supposed to make sure that my family stays safe? How are we supposed to make sure that something similar won't happen to our town?"

"Calm down, Silvio," an older gentleman said, running a hand through his black beard that had a few graying patches through it. While the older man seemed calm and polite in appearance and by the tone of his voice, his sharp black eyes were fierce and demanding, easily silencing the other man, "I am sure Maddox is doing his best with the information he has. It is not as if he can become a detective overnight and solve the mystery behind nine murders. I would like to see you try that."

Silvio only huffed in response as he crossed him arms and turned away from the black-haired man.

"While I do agree with Nestor, knowing it's impossible to solve the murders overnight, was there any new information given to you at the Summit?"

Maddox turned to the woman who had spoken to him. He knew her as Prisca Roman and she was one of the blacksmiths in town, specializing in interior décor, "There wasn't much that anyone knew," he said with a sigh, "We do believe that the murders were all done by different people though."

"Why do you think that?" Prisca asked, her thickly muscled arms tensing in fear. While she, and the rest of the room, knew that there had to be multiple people committing the murders, she never imagined that there were nine people out there doing these things.

"It's in the way that each murder was conducted. From reviewing the crime scene photos, it's apparent that each one was committed in a different way."

"Do you have those photos with you? Can we see them for ourselves?" Silvio asked.

"No, and I wouldn't show them to you even if I did have them. Just trust me in knowing what we saw and how horrible they all were."

"Why go after an official of the library though?" Prisca asked.

"He must have had information or knew where to look in the Crocus Library for information on something these people did not want us knowing about," Nestor answered this time, settling his chin on top of his hands with a worrisome look across his face, "But more questions come from that theory, most importantly being what that information could have been."

"Correct," Maddox said, "We're certain that was why the library official was killed and we talked a long time about what it could have been that he knew, but we came up empty handed."

"Do you believe it had anything to do with Zeref? Maybe a radical group is trying to reignite what he wanted to accomplish?"

Maddox sighed again, looking at Milada next to him, who had asked the question, "We thought about that too, but there have been no rumors or whispers about a group like that. We were certain that if Zeref radicals were out there causing trouble, we would have gotten word of it by now."

"And what of the other guild masters?" Silvio asked, "What did they want to do about this problem?"

"Well, Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail, Bacchus Groh of Quatro Cerberus and myself wanted to take a more direct approach in order to avoid any further murders and putting a stop to whoever did this. We wanted to become directly involved in the investigation and use the mages at our disposal to do some tracking and clue hunting, but we were outvoted on what the guilds would be doing when it comes to the murders."

"And what was voted on?" Nestor asked.

"We would hold off on becoming directly involved in order to keep our towns and mages protected from whoever is doing this. We are to leave it to the proper authorities for now. If something else happens or we are asked by the Rune Knights or the Queen herself, then we will look towards more direct involvement. Until then, we will keep our eyes and ears open for any information and keep a watch over our towns."

"So basically, we're just supposed to wait around until another murder happens," Silvio said, practically growling out his response.

Maddox simply stayed quiet, not having a good retort for the man; especially when he felt the same way himself.

"Tch, what use is it having guilds and mages if you aren't going to do anything?"

"Silvio!" Prisca hissed.

"No! They sit in their guilds feeling safe and happy because they know they can defend themselves. And they go on these happy little missions, having happy little adventures while we're out here scared, wondering if someone is going to attack us!"

Nestor rose up at this remark, his tall and massive size towering over the table and his eyes so sharp they should have been shooting daggers at Silvio, "May I remind you that my family has been part of Thunder Stone for generations and my son is currently a member of Thunder Stone. We were there in the war against Alvarez and we lost many good people. They died protecting Fiore so you could go on living your happy little life in your happy little tavern. And if I am remembering correctly, mages of Thunder Stone saved your daughter a few years ago. And Thunder Stone has given back to this community for many, many years, so I hope you are not accusing these mages of being selfish, uncaring people who do not look out for this town."

A thick and tense silence filled the room, everyone looking anywhere but at Silvio and Nestor.

"That was a little overdramatic," Milada said with a small chuckle, finally breaking the tension in the room.

Nestor cleared his throat as he sat back down, "I apologize if I seemed out of line, but do know that most of us here do not feel that you are not looking out for us."

"Thank you," Maddox said, happy that Milada had been part of the meeting today, "If I receive any more news about the murders or how we will be handling things, I will let you all know; but if there are no other questions, I feel it is time to call an end to this meeting."

Many people nodded in agreement, bringing the meeting to an end. As people began filing out of the room, Silvio at the head of the exiting crowd, Prisca and Nestor stayed behind to speak with Maddox and Milada.

"I have your shelving unit finished if you would like to come pick it up," Prisca said, sweeping her blonde hair up into a messy bun and rolling her sleeves up, preparing herself for when she returned to work.

"Lovely," Milada smiled at her, "Mind if I walk with you back to your shop?"

Prisca nodded in response, the two walking out of the meeting room.

"Your daughter has quite the calming effect," Nestor said, standing before Maddox.

"Yes, that's why she's here with me often."

"I hope Silvio did not upset you."

"I'm used to that grump," Maddox said as the pair began the trek out of the building, "He's always been like that. I think it's mostly because he suspects that Angelo has gotten to his daughter."

"Your bartender? You think he has?"

"Oh, I know he has…on three separate occasions, just don't tell Silvio that. He'll run Angelo out of town and I'll never, ever find a bartender to replace him!"

"On three occasions?" Nestor asked, a slight smile appearing on his lips, "How do you know? Did he…well, for a lack of a better expression, did he do the walk of shame?"

"Angelo? Walk of shame? Never," Maddox said with a heavy laugh, "It was more like he walked into the guild in the morning with a triumphant look on his face and what appeared to be her "handkerchief" in hand."

"Appeared to be?"

Maddox gave the man a knowing look until it finally clicked in Nestor's head and the gentleman gave a slight blush, "Ah, I see."

"Yes, and that girl loves the attention, so I suppose it all works out fine."

The two placed on their winter coats before stepping out into the cold afternoon. The sun was shining, causing any building covered in snow to glitter.

"Why don't you actually come to The Thunderdome and have a drink with me? I definitely need one after today," Maddox said, looking over at the other man.

"I suppose it has been a while since I made a visit to the guild. And Angelo is a delight to speak with."

"So that's a yes then?"

"Yes. And you can catch me up on how Gilbert has been doing in the guild as well."

Maddox went from a wide smile to letting out the heaviest sigh of the day, "Your son is…well…are you sure he's your son? I mean, I know he looks like you and all, but seriously, what happened?"

Nestor's face fell slightly for the briefest of moments before donning his gentlemanly face again, "I know not of which you speak."

"Sure, sure, that's only because you don't have to deal with him on a daily basis anymore," Maddox grumbled as the pair made their way up to the guild.

. : + : .

"I hope you don't take Silvio's words to heart," Prisca said as she walked through the lowest plateau of Wintergreen that held the shopping district.

Many people were out and about in the afternoon sun despite the coldness the air held. The people of Wintergreen had grown accustomed to the cold and snow-filled winters. The snow had become packed down in the streets with people walking over it so many times and the shopping district seemed to hold a slight heat to it from people moving around so much, the cooking going on at restaurants, and the blacksmiths having their workstations in full swing. To both Prisca and Milada, it was a comforting heat to walk through as they had both grown up in Wintergreen. There was also a lovely scent of mint mixed in with the air, one that easily brought back all sorts of memories.

"You don't need to worry," Milada answered, pulling on her black gloves to straighten them out, "I understand why he is upset and worried. Nine murders in a week is a lot to take in."

Prisca nodded, "True, but he still shouldn't have said those things. We love having you all and the guild here. It's a comforting feeling that we have people watching over our town. And we're not such bad fighters ourselves," she said with a smile, flexing one of her muscled arms.

Milada smiled in return, "Woe to the person who tries to pick a fight with the blacksmiths of Wintergreen."

The two ladies laughed together as they continued towards Prisca's shop. Along the way, they passed kids running around, laughing while their mother's shouted after them. Smells of Wintergreen ram filled the air while the echoes of other blacksmiths at work reverberated around the bottom district.

They were a few buildings down from Prisca's workshop when they heard a loud and boisterous voice call out to them.

"Friends!"

Prisca let out a sigh while Milada laughed and smiled. They stopped to see a rather large man outside a food stand selling Wintergreen lamb sticks. The heavy and thick plated black armor he wore clunked as he walked towards them, the armor being marred with battle damage. And on his back was a large, double-sided warhammer. It really was a wonder how the man could move so easily with everything his body was carrying.

"Hello, Samuel," Milada said, her green eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Look how beautiful you ladies are today! It's such a pleasure having women like you as friends!"

"Thanks, Samuel," Prisca said with a flat look while Milada continued laughing.

He reached out and grabbed Milada's hand, bending down on a knee, "You could rival any battle goddess!"

Milada laughed out loud, "You goof!"

"Where are we off to on this fine, winter afternoon?" he asked as he stood back up, the sun shining off of his bald head.

"I am picking up a shelving unit that Prisca has made for me. Would you like to accompany us?"

As Milada said this, Prisca was waving her hands and quickly shaking her head no, but either Milada did not see her or had simply ignored her reaction…most likely the latter. Prisca had a thing about letting Samuel into her workshop after he had crashed through it once before on accident. And while Milada could understand her want of the man staying away from her workshop, she also found their interactions rather humorous.

Samuel's blue eyes lit up at the offer, "Of course I will accompany you! It will give me time to tell you about the time I fought off mountain bandits on the back of the biggest Wintergreen ram! They called him Ox! What a fitting name, no?!"

"Why do you do this to me?" Prisca said in a low hiss.

"It's not so bad if you imagine the story in your head. They're kind of funny actually," Milada said, "Besides, he can help me carry back the shelving unit. Right, Samuel?"

"Ha! Child's play! I could carry back ten of them for you!"

"See?" Milada said with a smile, which only had Prisca groaning in return.

"And then we can buy a drink for the amazing blacksmith that made it upon returning!"

"No, no, no, I have other work to do."

"Nonsense! Everyone has time to have a drink at The Thunderdome!" Samuel said, striking a dramatic pose.

"You might as well let him buy you that drink so you can get back to the shop sooner," Milada said.

Prisca narrowed her eyes at Milada, "Is it too late to take back saying that we love having you all here?"

Milada only laughed in reply as they finished their walk to Prisca's workshop.

. : + : .

From the outside, the Thunder Stone guild was a massive structure. Being carved directly out of the mountainside of Wintergreen, it popped out like a 3-D picture. It was tall and wide, taking up most of the plateau that it was stationed on. Windows littered the top half of the guild, which was where the dorms were located, allowing natural light to enter. The dorm windows were large and circular and filled with thick glass that would not break easily. And a few chimneys dotted the very top of the guild.

The bottom half of the guild had less windows, but enough of them that those passing by could peek into the guild. These windows were much longer and skinnier than those of the dorms. The grand, double oak doors were front and center with 'Thunder Stone' carved into the stone above the door. A sign bolted to one of the doors read, 'Welcome! The Thunderdome is open!'.

Samuel easily pushed open the doors while carrying the shelving unit with one hand over his shoulder. Milada followed closely behind him, practically dragging Prisca along with her.

"We're home!" Samuel announced, causing a few heads lounging around in the front room to look over at him. Many of those same heads shook and rolled their eyes upon seeing who it was, quickly going back to what they had previously been doing.

The front room of the guild was a simple lounge and waiting area with a few couches and large chairs and coffee tables dotted around it. There were a few large cubicles along the right wall where people needing missions completed could consult with a mage, usually an S-Class mage or Maddox himself, to work out what they needed done, the level of difficulty, and how much the mission would cost. There were several different doors around the front room that led to several different places, but the door that Samuel and Milada were aiming for was to the left of the entrance.

Above solid red double doors with black doorknobs was a sign lit up that read, 'The Thunderdome'. Samuel pushed open those doors as well to walk into the guild's bar.

It was a stylish, yet comfortable bar in colors of red, black, and silver. To the right of the doors was a massive bar that took up the entire right wall. Stools with cushy black tops lined the bar, while the bar itself was made out of smoothed mahogany wood stained ebony. Glasses, ice, and fruit filled areas behind the bar while there was also one large fridge full of bottled beer and cider that was off to the far-left side. The rest of the of the bar was filled with beer taps, twenty different taps to be precise. Most of these taps were a constant throughout the year, such as Wintergreen Ale always being something customers could ask for; but there were a few taps that were changed out depending on the season. Behind the taps was a wall of liquor. Anything from Wintergreen Vodka to Midi Red Wine to Bosco Black Bourbon was there. It was a wall full of colorful ambers, browns, whites, and reds all shimmering and ready to be consumed.

To the left of the doors along the walls were large and comfy booths, all rounded out to be able to face the large stage that took up the wall directly in front of the entrance doors. The booths were made up of sleek black tables and plush red seating. They were also raised up to be able to see the stage over the tall and skinny black round tables that filled the open area of the bar. Every table was completed with mint scented candles and the whole bar was filled with warm hanging lamps that could easily have their brightness changed from behind the bar.

Everything in the bar was handled by one single man – Angelo Rothalio.

There he stood behind the bar in all his bowtie and suspender glory. Playfulness filled his onyx eyes as he smiled at a steaming man in front of the bar.

"You stay away from my daughter!" Silvio said with a shaking fist.

"Of course! I would never dream of becoming involved with your daughter. She is too much of a lady for a lowly bartender like me!"

Silvio sized the man up, but he knew he could not take on the fit and muscled man if he pushed him too far; not that he knew Angelo was more of a lover than a fighter. But Angelo looked like a man's man regardless of his personality and the bowtie he wore, even his square jaw and sculpted chin looked manly.

"I still feel suspicious," Silvio said, but lightened up when a drink was slid towards him by Angelo, "But it's good to know that you know that you're not good enough for my daughter," he said as he picked up the drink, "A Vodka Cran?"

"Yes, sir!"

"That's my favorite. How did you know?"

"Let's just call it bartender's intuition," Angelo said, unable to hide a sly smile, "I had a hunch you might like a little sour in your drink."

Silvio simply nodded, not picking up on the fact that Angelo was making fun of the man's sour attitude. He took a drink of the cocktail, his eyes lighting up in surprise, "Wintergreen Vodka and Iceberg cranberry juice? Those are the best two to use!"

"Well, I only serve the best here."

"Maybe you aren't so bad after all," Silvio said as he slid some jewels towards Angelo before walking towards an empty table.

"Thank you, sir! And please do tell that lovely daughter of yours that she has some beautiful handkerchiefs!"

Just a few seats down the bar from where Angelo stood, Nestor coughed on his drink while Maddox had Fire Dragon Whiskey shooting out his nose, burning it in the process.

Milada had simply started laughing as she, Prisca, and Samuel sat down in front of the bartender.

"Drinks for my friends, my friend!" Samuel announced, setting the shelving unit down next to him.

"My pleasure," Angelo answered, chuckling along with Milada in the process, "And welcome back to The Thunderdome!"


A/N: And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed!

Credits

Nestor Melville – Mary Allen

Silvio Basso – MyDearWatson

Prisca Roman – MyDearWatson

Milada Huxley – MyDearWatson

Samuel Steele – Benthino

Angelo Rothalio – Origm2012

All right! Not much to say this time around, mostly because it's so late and I want to get this posted. But I made it on time for Thunder Stone Thursdays! CHA!

Thank you to everyone who messaged me, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! The response to this reboot was just amazing and I just loved how much everyone was excited about it! So thank you, thank you, thank you!

And the characters I received were just as amazing! So thank you for working so hard on them!

At this time, I'm full up on characters, so I will not be accepting anymore for Thunder Stone. I will however need some characters eventually for other guilds and some possible villains. I will ask for them in my A/N when that happens.

I tried to get through all the PMs as quickly as I could, but I know I missed some of you. I will get to you if I haven't answered you!

Song Inspiration: Have a Drink On Me by AC/DC

Also, I know that The Thunderdome is used in the Mad Max movies, but it just worked so well for the bar name! As usual, I do not own The Thunderdome name!

Random Note: I know that a vodka cranberry cocktail is called a Cape Cod, but I could not call it that in the story as a Cape Cod is named after Cape Cod, Massachusetts where they are famous for cranberries. And since that is not a real place in the FT world, I did not want to go with that name. I did more research on alcohol for this chapter than I was expecting to…

I think those were the main things I wanted to get through.

Thanks again for the wonderful reviews!

I'll have another chapter up in a week!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson