Author's Notes: Not much...I don't own Fairy Tail characters...but the story is mine.
The blue haired woman, shifted uncomfortably and whimpered as her hurt right hand rubbed against something, it's raw state aggravated by the slightest touch. She didn't recall how it happened when she has strayed into the woods to wait for her beloved. He had promised to be there on time and she was running late. She remembered running towards their meeting place and decided to take a short cut through some woods. She had come upon a fairy circle and in her excitement and moment of whimsy she had jumped into it much like she did as a child. After that she only remembered soul searing pain that now echoed and throbbed in time with her hand. She didn't know where she was, how she got there or how she had gotten hurt. Only that she felt weak and...confined. Rolling over she meets the soft but sad eyes of someone she hadn't seen in years.
"LE~!" She coughed and gasped.
Small gentle hands touch her. "Don't...your magic is still recovering. Please don't push against the bindings yet. They'll only tighten and never loosen. We need that wiggle room if we are ever to survive and possibly escape."
"I don't understand..."
"Ju~" there's a cough before a sigh. How could she tell Juvia that now she was trapped in the same hell as herself? But how could she not? Looking down at the woman's still wrapped hand. At least she was unconscious for the binding...
"You're captive to the Lilica estate. Like me. Like the others here." she nods about the small one room shack and the quiet faces of the three others present.
"But...how?"
"You stepped into a trap somewhere. A old one the father had set up. One that is much harder to fight against."
"S...so what now?"
"You do what we say, and work with us until we can all find a way out of this."
"What if we can't?"
'There's always a way. Even if it means we have to move on to another life." The brunette says softly but with a cold certainty that made the woman shivver. Looking around she saw the same looks on all their faces and wondered if she too would get to the point where death was better than captivity.
Natsu had just finished giving his report and was irritated that they had made him stay away all of yesterday as a precaution. They had confirmed the initial suspicions why where they waiting? He never wanted to be in command...it was too much hassle, too much paperwork, and too much B.S. Just when he thought he'd be able to get back to his investigations more B.S. arrived.
"There he is. NATSU! Natsu~!" Groaning he turned to face a very flustered Gray.
"What do you want 'cicle-dick?"
"I don't have time for your games jerk-off! Juvia's missing!"
"Who?"
"Juvia!"
"Don't think I ever met her..." Natsu pauses. "Or is she the mysterious girl you've been ditching meetings to meet?" The dark haired man winces a bit at that. "Maybe. But I need your nose!" Natsu lifts a brow at that, he had more pressing matters to get back to...
"All I can figure out about the area is that it was a Soul Snare used."
Stopping his initial turn he stared at the Ice mage. "A...what?"
"Soul Snare. You know. Illegal as shit and yet starting to pop up all over the place? Yeah one of those." Natsu frowns but nods coming to a decision. "Take me to where you found the residue." If this gave him better clues on how to free the girls...and immediate proof to move in, all the better...
Natsu wrinkled his nose at the reminats of the fairy circle. It reeked of soul magic but smelled old. It didn't have the 'freshness' that the reminats from Wendy of two days ago. "I think it was a old trap she stumbled on. This doesn't smell like the other one. No bait either..." but it did smell very similar to what he saw before. "I think I know where she is. But you're not going to like it."
"Look, she's never missed a meeting, and even at that she's strong, something like this shouldn't have captured her."
"Maybe, but it's a strong one, could've shocked her system." A new gruff voice grumps from the nearby tree line.
"I don't remember inviting you along." The fire Draco glares at the Metal one lounging against a nearby tree. "And you didn't let us know about this possible information, why?" Ruby colored eyes peer at the two men standing in the clearing.
"Uh, 'cause he didn't ask for your help?" Natsu waves him off casually be for focusing back on the subject at hand.
"She's there isn't she?"
"It smells really close."
"Damn. We still haven't gotten permission to go in yet."
"What are you two talking about~!?" Gray snarls at them. Both Dragons look at each other but refuse to answer which only caused Gray's ire to rise. "If it has anything to do with Juvia I want to know. I deserve to know~!"
"You her mate or something?" Gajeel looks closely at the irritated Battle mage. Juvia had been a child hood friend of his. He had known she'd recently become obsessed with Gray but was very irritated that he was unaware of the depth of their relationship until now. Nor did it help that he is now aware that she is captive in a spell they weren't even sure how to break yet.
"N-No..."The ice mage's usually pale skin blushes slightly at that.
"Then you don't deserve to know anything except we might know where she is." Natsu continues. For once the typically hotheaded mage was stoic in his response. His usually, easily summoned, ire missing.
"What!? That's BULLSHIT~!" He grabs the front of Natsu's coat only to stare into dark green pools of stillness. "It's Bull-shit you don't need to worry about right now." A firm hand shoves him away at the chest forcing him to let go or loose balance. He doesn't feel any sort of restraint in that move. a little warning starts to whisper through his thoughts.
"Orders are orders."
"Orders?" he spins on Gajeel, who had given him that pat answer. "I just found out she was missing how do you have orders about...no you have orders regarding where she ended up. Fine, don't tell me anything. I'll just follow you." Both Dragons just look at each other a silently before looking back at the problem at hand. Before either one can do anything Gray is struck by a bolt of lightning. The Make mage falls over twitching faintly as the electrical signals confuse his nervous system. Laxus nods to them as he strides out of the woods. "Hey, your old man wants to see us, Natsu. Dunno why but we'd better get a move on. I already wasted a hour looking for you goofs." They nod and, with one last glance down at the still spasming mage, sigh and walk off.
"That was kinda harsh." Gajeel rumbles.
"He was wasting time. He'll be fine." The blonde shrugs.
"He'll just attempt to pick another fight, later." Natsu assures them. "AFTER he hunts us down. He's going to come after us."
"Maybe. But this buys us time."
All three men stop as they stare, not at Igneel but at Domina Grandeeny. She smiles serenely from her seat by the window where she was having tea. It was a medium sized table that Igneel never sat at unless Wendy or Grandeeny, herself requested it. He had decorated the room in shades of red and black. Grandeeny had inserted her influence in the gold accents and this very table. So she could come and eat lunch with him at work on occasion. Though the Lord was no where to be seen. Long Azure hair so very much like her daughter's was bound tightly in a modest, yet elegant chignon. All the Draco stiffened and bowed deeply. Female Draco's, usually called: Domina-Draco's (or Domina for short) battle or otherwise, where rare. Especially born ones. At the moment she and her sister Polyusca, Laxus's grandmother where the only ones working for the agency at the moment. Natsu was not expecting his mother and was a bit flustered. "M-mom! I didn't expect to see you here."
"Oh, I'm sorry to surprise you at work, but it was all so last minute... please won't you gentlemen sit down?" she gestures to the three seats sitting in front of and around the round table she presently enjoyed her after noon tea on. Immedately they all sit. Holding up the pot she offers them each tea.
They all accepted.
None of them particularly loved the drink except, surprisingly, Gajeel. He liked dark heavy bodied, ones such as Darjeeling and Irish Breakfast and regularly drank them in the mornings or late evenings when alone. Natsu, having grew up with all this had quickly developed a taste for the smokier flavors and had a particular soft spot for cloves and vanilla... all of which his mother knew well. It was no surprise that it was a full bodied chai with vanilla overtones in it. Laxus didn't particularly care for the drink at all. He had turned it down once and experienced the repercussions. Even as he looked thoughtfully at the cup he could feel eyes stare at him just a little longer than was polite and the tension in the room rise. Quickly ducking his head he proceeded to lightly sweeten it. Immediately the tension eased.
When Domina Grandeeny offers tea, you take that shit.
"Now I know this is sudden but I need to get into the house. The best way to get rid of the bindings holding these girls are from within. With what Natsu's told me we will have a lot of work on our hands freeing the four captives."
"Uh..Mom, it's five...now." Natsu offers carefully before drinking. She wouldn't dare smack him when he was holding fine china filled with tea...it would be sacrilegious to waste such a good blend...
"Excuse me?"
Gajeel was placing his tea cup down and nods. "Just found out before coming here. Juvia Lockser as of last night I believe." The Regina pauses in thought as she meditatively fixes herself another cup. "Then I will go in today."
"What!?" Natsu coughs. "Mom! You can't be~!"
"I'm quite serious. I'm not sure what you and Iggy are so worried about. I will be fine."
"She practices Soul Magic Domina, it would be unwise to go in alone."
"I won't be alone." They all breath a sigh of relief at least Igneel would...
"Wendy's coming with me."
This time Natsu did choke. Laxus is staring at her with a blank expression and Gajeel looks sick. A Domina-Draco was going into enemy territory with a hatchling Draco!?
"Uh...Regina.." Gajeel starts.
"You boys will be outside in shifts. But the point is we don't need to raise alarms and she'll be less likely to respond aggressively to either of us as we aren't obviously government officials. Wendy is more than capable of fighting and we know the Lilica's are not known for their fighting prowess. Do you have any other suggestions?" The silence that greeted her was more than enough. "Further more, how would it look if you boys walked up with fliers and pamphlets about joining the local neighborhood ladies club? While I'm *sure* she'd let you in I don't think it would be for the right reasons." she smiles. "We are planning a party and have heard that she is simply, *the* lady to talk with about arranging parties. It will be appropriately big and detailed to keep her busy and leave things open for exploration and multiple visits." Firm eyes look at all three men. "I expect you to have information for me as well. I want to extraction done by the end of a fortnight at the longest. If we can have it sooner, even better. Befriend the girls, something, learn what you can. Wendy and I will keep Karen occupied." The men looked still a bit uncomfortable with this set up. Smiling up at them she lifts a brow. "Just think of it this way, the longer it takes to figure things out the longer Wendy and I are forced to return."
Lucy stumbled in her walk down the hall, the vision hitting her with a particular brand of viciousness. Rubbing her head she frowns as she realizes more stray hairs had fallen from under her white cap. Steadying herself against the hall wall she looks up to see Cana standing there watching her knowingly as she props the laundry basket on her right hip. "We'll have visitors. They are for us."
"Even if they do not appear to be. It will be a woman with hair the color of twilight. What do we do? What can we do?" Cana shrugs.
"Nothing. We don't know what they'll want to know. Best we can do is make it easier for them." Both girls looked down, declining to state the obvious that they could do nothing to really help at the moment except act oblivious of anything. Should Karen discover anything their lives would be forfeit.
*Draco- Latin for: Dragon and/or snake
*Domina- Latin for: 1)lady, lady-love; 2)mistress of a family, wife; 3)owner
*Regina- Latin for Queen
