They all felt gross, the teens did, as they trudged along through the forest. The maps did little to guide them, but rather seemed to be more of a fail-safe for if they were horribly lost, how to get back out. Honestly though, even Navi seemed to have no idea how to even get back to the man's cabin and they were lost. In the sticky, gross swampy dense forest, they were at a complete loss.

"I mean," Locke grumbled as his good-natured attitude was weaning in the more bug bites he got, "it's not like we're looking for something that may or may not exist and even if it does, may or may not even be around here and, on top of everything else, could just decide not to present itself to us. Who would ever think that we'd end up all turned around? When we have such a clear objective."

"Would you shut up?" This wasn't the first time that the other guy had made a similar complaint and Ravan was sick of it. "This is the job that we signed up for, idiot. One that you weren't even invited on. So-"

"Knock it off. Both of you." Haven was in the lead once more, hardly even glancing over her shoulder at the guys and Navi. Ever. She was at just as much of a loss as to what they should do as they were. But she couldn't let it show, so she had to walk ahead, lead the way, into the unknown. She hoped that some idea would come to her eventually, but until then, she refused to admit that there was a problem. "You're wasting extra energy by bickering. Next thing you know, you'll wanna take another break. Because you're tired. Are you ready to be S-Class or not?"

Or not.

Navi only sighed, taking care to keep Natsu's long scarf from getting snagged on the many tree branches and shrubs that they trekked through. Though her arms were cut up by sharp thorns and other sharp things the surroundings hid, she was more concerned with making sure the cloth had no rips or tears. It seemed rather durable, given all it had survived in the past, but still. The last thing she wanted was to return it to her father torn.

Haven's direction and determination did little to improve morale. Ravan was equally as annoyed by the entire thing, honestly. He'd snagged them a cool S-Class job and, instead of fighting some humongous monster, they were lost in the woods. And with his moral enemy at that. What a shit request. They'd probably have even had a better time, or at least a more thrilling one, on a normal job. If this was the cosmic punishment he was getting for tricking poor Marin, fine. It was harsh enough that he certainly wasn't going to be doing it again.

The only thing worse in that moment than the animosity jumping between Ravan and Locke though was the one the latter had for his girlfriend. He was known for just going along with her and all her stupid ideas, but it would be dark soon and the deeper they found themselves in the forest, the more concerned about how they would be getting out. He tried, more than once, to broach this, but he'd been shut down each time with the same retort she'd given earlier. If he didn't like what was going on, then he was welcome to leave.

"You can even," Haven said once as she tossed the compass at his head, "take this. And the map."

This was the last straw for Locke who picked it up and threw it was equal force back at her. Haven dodged it, but it didn't matter. They were going to fight now, stranded in a muddy forest or not.

"What," Haven growled at him as she came to glare up at him, "is your problem, Locke?"

"My problem is that we're lost, Haven. In a forest that I've yet to even a leftover campsite at. There's no people here. Just that kooky old man who, admit it, is just crazy. He said it himself. He dedicated his entire life to a lie and now, before he dies, wants us to prove the lie." Locke shook his head. "I'm sorry to the guy, but that's just not going to happen. You can't prove the existence of something that doesn't exist. Obviously."

"Obviously," Ravan interjected from where he stood because he knew if he just gave a few more shoves, Locke would hightail it home, hopefully with Navi, and then he could have the trip he'd planned, "it does. You heard him. All those stories and maps and what? Huh? You think that was just some big ruse?"

"I think it was someone who was a little too obsessed with a myth," Locke retorted with a shake of his head. "It happens. Like I said before, we can just go back with some bullshit, he'll buy it, and then we can-"

"Well, we can't even do that." Navi usually didn't intervene in the others arguments, but as she stood there, waiting for them to get through with it so they could continue on. Or not. She was good with packing it in too. Her rebellion was, as it typically was, very short lived. "We're lost, remember?"

"We're not lost!" Haven couldn't hold her tongue for long. Especially when Navi found hers. It was so annoying, even all those years later, for the other girl to think she had a say in anything. She didn't. Not even things that she was directly involved in.

"Are you fucking serious?" Locke asked and she went back to glaring at him instead.

"Yeah, Locke, I am." Her arms were crossed then and, huffing, she said, "The point is to be lost, right?"

"Which," Navi whispered softly, "we are."

"No."

"Haven-"

"The city is lost," she kept up. "Which means we have to be lost too to find it. Because we don't know where it is. If we did, it wouldn't be a job. So yeah, you big brats, fine, you're tired and sweaty and it's gross out here. Okay? And? If we're going to finish this job, which I am, then we're going to have to just suck it up and be all of those things. We might be out here for days. A week. Months. Who knows?"

Navi did. If it was more than week, she was definitely tapping out. Perhaps even the day part…

"Don't you guys feel it?" Haven insisted. "I just don't get it, I guess, Locke. My dad hates you. Like, really fucking hates you. This may be your only chance at ever doing something cool like this. All of us. Together. On a real S-Class job. I thought you always wanted to do that together?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "When one of us was fucking actually S-Class."

"Locke-"

"I just," he insisted, "want to know that it's there, Haven. That there's really something there. That we're not just looking for nothing. That we're not going to get in trouble for nothing."

"I can feel it."

"But I can't."

"Then maybe it won't appear to you."

"Haven-"

"That's what he said. That it appears to who it wants to." And she shrugged, taking a few steps back then, the tension gone. "Maybe it just won't choose you."

"Oh, but you're the chosen one, right, Haven?"

Always.

Still, Navi could feel their fight winding down (thankfully without any true tussling) and only went to retrieve the compass from where it set.

"Hey, guys?" she called over to them as she lifted it up with a frown. "I think you broke our compass."

"What good is a fucking compass?" Ravan was grumbling from behind his bandanna then as, somehow, Haven and Locke seemed to find a resolve in one another. Fucking gross. "If we don't even know what direction we need to go in?"

"What do you mean, Navi?" Locke was coming over to her then. "It- Oh, yeah, great, Haven, you broke it."

"You broke it!" Still, she came over as well. Frowning, she asked, "Why's the needle jumping all around like that? How do compasses work, anyways? Magic?"

"Are you serious?" Locke couldn't help it. He really grinned then. "You don't know how a compass-"

"How does it work then?"

"Magnets," Navi whispered as Locke only continued to sneer at Haven. "It's like… You know how opposites attract? The world is kinda like that. A magnet. There's different poles and-"

"What would make it do this?" Haven interrupted because she really wasn't into a science lesson. Magic just being magic summed up most things she didn't understand and she liked it that way for the most part. "Look at it. It's going crazy."

"I guess," Locke offered up as even Ravan came to glance at it though he gave nothing away behind his cloth, "maybe there's something else magnetic. Close. That's causing it to mess up."

"No," Navi said with a shake of her head. "Wouldn't the needle just follow it? That would mean that the magnet is spinning."

"The world spins," Haven offered up. "And you guys said it's a magnet, so-"

"Do you only half listen?" Locke questioned. "Or-"

As she glared at him, Ravan only snorted.

"You guys threw it," he said with a shake of his head. "Fucked it up. Broke it. Like Navi said. You-"

"Or," Haven began as, snatching the magnet from the others, she held it victoriously, "it means we're close."

"Why does it mean that?" Locke asked, but she was only pulling her water bottle out of her knapsack.

"Take your break," she informed the others. "Because we're gonna get back to it soon."

A rallying of the troops was had on her father's end as well. They all still seemed to be debating whether they were all on the same team or not. Gajeel just knew that, regardless of the outcome, his son was going to eat the biggest shit over the whole thing, which didn't sit right with him at all, while Natsu still wasn't so sure his daughter had done anything, really.

Other than stolen his scarf.

Plus, if she had gone out on an S-Class job that they'd stolen, he was mostly just pissed she'd neglected to tell him. The other teens were of little interest to him, truthfully, and whatever happened to them didn't matter. He lived by the easy to follow code of, as long as you weren't actively trying to hurt one of your friends, then you were pretty much free to do whatever. So while the scarf thing had to be worked out, she'd not done much bad at all in his eyes.

Lucy didn't feel nearly the same way. She had a sinking feeling that the Master was going to be punishing the kids pretty severely, which she did find well deserved and wouldn't make any complaints about, but everyone else seemed to be ignore the blatantly obvious; they'd all run off on a job they were grossly under-prepared for. Locke was, at best, a strong young man, but also most proficient in healing magic. Ravan was a swordsman, not a real mage. Not where it counted. And Navi...she loved Navi, but… Her daughter just wasn't cut out to be a mage. Natsu didn't say it, didn't think it, but Lucy could tell. She'd always been able to. Then there was Haven. The one Lucy was sure got them in the whole mess. She didn't dislike Haven (she was kind of her best friend's oldest daughter; that made it a tad difficult), but the girl had spent the majority of her life tormenting and bullying the others. She'd grown out of it, sort of, in recent years, but this was replaced by needlessly goading them out on jobs. Forcing things. She overestimated and refused to accept the folly in this. It had lead to more than a few serious injuries.

Knowing that they were out there, one some job she knew nothing about, Lucy couldn't help the overwhelming foreboding she got from the thought. Punishment when they got them all back home, sure, no matter how severe, but she just wanted to get them there first. Home. All of them. But especially her daughter.

Erza and Laxus were perhaps the most aligned. In a way. The woman was defending her guilds honor, he was the Master of said guild, and that meant that she would act on his discretion. The slayer was finding his abundant anger had ebbed, however, over the course of the train ride and, well, he was on edge as he thought of everything that could possibly be happening at that moment. To Haven. Not the others. It was wrong, he knew. He'd been raised to believe a guild was all for one, one for all, but he'd just never bought into that. Not fully. His daughter was the one he cared was safe. He cared was alright.

He would agree with Lucy's assessment, had he heard it; Haven was needlessly reckless. It had led the others into numerous accidents over the years. She had drive, just like him, and immense power, just like he had, but she seemed to lack the nuance in how to wield it. Laxus had grown up seeing the despair and damage that could happen if you didn't reign in your power, but Haven wasn't the same. The guild hadn't been threatened, hadn't fallen into disarray, because of some sort of magical occurrence. Her father hadn't fallen to a darkness from within, due to the greed that magical ability bread. None of that.

Magic was an extent of one's self. Haven had never had a restriction put on her, not in her entire life, in any way at all. Not truly. So her magic felt limitless. Her power. Her strength. If she could envision it, Haven felt as if she could attain it. Which was fine, in theory, but in practice…

It just wasn't feasible. It was too close, honestly, for Laxus' taste, to the way Ivan thought and felt about things. The greed. To think that she could risk the lives of her friends, knowing what happened, all those years ago, to her Aunt Lisanna, it just…

It didn't sit right with Laxus.

None of the things his daughter had done as of late had. Not really. He and Haven hadn't seen eye to eye in a long time, but the past two years, he couldn't think of a time when eh even liked the kid. Just in a general way. She'd picked a war with him at some point, or maybe he had with her, and it seemed to have no ending in sight. Short of one of them keeling over for the other, which neither had the intention of doing, there was no making nice. She would always be his daughter, but…

"You alright? Laxus?"

Freed came to sit beside him that night as they camped out, nearly to Incidio, but knowing that arriving in the dead of night would be useless. The kids where off in the forest. They needed to find the client. But staying at a nearby town was out because no one trusted another not to ditch out on a hotel room and head off to find the teens on their own. Mostly Gajeel, honestly, felt like that was a possibility.

And it was. Natsu was hoping to get close enough to track Navi's scent and go find out just what she was up to. And to get his scarf back. He felt more than a bit nude without it.

They made an awkward camp, honestly, there being so many of them, and no one seemed to find any real rest. Bickslow, who had the least stake int eh group, eventually produced a deck of cards and that calmed things down some, as everyone save the slayer and Erza easily fell into a game of some sorts. The swords would only cautioned the others of staying up too late before laying away from the fire, not facing them.

They all tried their hardest not to bother her, but the game did get a bit rowdy at one point.

Laxus just sat alone though, back to the fire, as he glared off into the forest. Eventually though, his most faithful follower noted his discomfort and came to join him.

"This is the fucking reason," he found himself grumbling to Freed, "that your fucking kids shouldn't be allowed to join your damn guild. Kids in general."

"Haven's hardly a kid."

"Might as well be." He snorted, the slayer did, before remarking, "She fucking did this on purpose, you know."

"Did what?"

"This." But he didn't even move to gesture about. Only continued to glare. "Haven makes every fucking thing in the world about her. And now, instead of prepping for S-Class trials, I'm out here trying to track her down. Why? Huh? Because she's run off again, when she knew she wasn't supposed to. My entire time as guild master has been miserable. Always because of Haven."

Freed felt like he should caution the man on getting so down on himself and his daughter as, of course, his frequent bouts of discontentment were no more the girl's fault than his own. Being a guild master was just never going to be what Laxus always hoped and dreamed. Whether Haven was there fucking it up or not. Still, it was his moment there, to vent, and Freed wouldn't take it from him.

"She's always going to do this. This kind of shit." Laxus tilted his head up, to stare into the sky. "No matter what I do or what I say, she's always going to undermine me. Always. It's a game. But I'm fucking tired of playing it. When I see her…"

But he didn't say. And Freed didn't press. Eventually, they all found something close to rest, though it was tentative. The distrust was palpable. The sky was just lightening when, though Lucy and Happy both begrudged it, they all rose to finish the trek to Incidio.

As the others ate upon arrival at a little cafe, Freed and Erza went to find someone who might know the whereabouts of someone who requested the assistance of a wizard guild.

"Some kids," the tiny town's only shopkeeper remarked to the two, "were asking about the same thing. It's the Professor, down in the forest you want, right? Yeah, I'll get ya some directions."

"Of course," Lucy griped softly to Natsu once they finally all set out, "they had to choose a job in the grossest forest around."

"Iggy and Lucky would like it," Happy offered as he flew about. "All the mud and bugs and-"

"Yeah, well, they can keep it," their mother decided. He was right though. "I swear, if another thing crawls on me-"

"Don't crawl on Lucy," came five voices as, actually, it was her skin crawling hem as Bicsklow's dolls began to circle about her. "Papa. Don't crawl on Lucy."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he remarked though he was actually pretty busy trying not to get his pants too muddy.

"Did you hear that? Natsu?" Lucy was calling over to her husband. "What Bickslow just said? And his dolls said? Because, uh-"

"I'm just wondering," the slayer was growling instead as he stomped through the forest, "how come Navi's in so much trouble, huh? When you think about it, the job wasn't even posted yet. So it couldn't have been S-Class."

"Aye, sir!" Happy flew right over to his friend. "When you think about it, at worst, they took a request that wasn't even completely filed yet, with Fairy Tail. And is there even a law against it? Taking a n unlisted job?"

"None I know of, Hap," Natsu agreed.

"It even sounds kinda manly," Elfman agreed with a nod of his head. "When you put it like that."

"If you are working unaffiliated with Fairy Tail," Erza retorted from where she walked with Laxus and Freed, towards the front of the pack, "then the rules are the same as they might be were you no longer a member. You are not allowed to use your connections with the guild to benefit yourself. They did that the second they used Marin to obtain the job. And when we find this...professor, I am sure he too will mention that they made it clear they were from Fairy Tail. So, following your line of thinking, they are in more trouble than just taking a job under the guise of being a rank they are not."

This hung over the others for a moment or two before Happy remarked, "Then Navi definitely didn't do that."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed. "She didn't do that at all."

"A man wouldn't do it," Elfman agreed. "I don't guess."

Freed glanced back at the horde of them before remarking, "Things would go much faster if you sped up and kept the chatter to a minimum."

Gajeel, who was the one trailing behind the most with his cat, only snorted though. The others could do whatever they wanted. He was gonna get Locke, knock some sense into him, and then take him back home while the Master was still all pissy at his own daughter. Locke could deal with his standing in the guild back in Magnolia when flared tensions faded.

The door to the little cabin was open when they approached and, Freed leading the way now, the man rushed to go and call out.

"Hello?" He peeked inside. "Is someone-

"Are you from the city?"

It wasn't the little old man though that popped out at the man. No. Rather, it was a slight woman in a nurses uniform, looking in shock when she found the brutes standing out there.

"No," Freed replied as, coming up behind him, Laxus took over.

"We're from Fairy Tail," the Master grumbled. "And-"

"Oh, no." She sighed some, coming further out of the cabin then. "I… I forgot that he did that. Wrote to you. I'd invite you in, but the place isn't exactly...and body is..."

"We're not here for the job," Laxus kept up. "We-"

"I thought you said you were Fairy Tail?"

"We are," he agreed. "But-"

"It's our kids, yeah? That took the job?" Natsu was growing impatient. "They shouldda rolled through here a few days ago. Do you know where they are? They were supposed to meet a professor or-"

"He's passed."

"Passed what?" Natsu asked as his wife only elbowed him heavily.

"His body is...inside then," Freed whispered. "That is what you-"

"Overnight, he took a turn for the worst," she agreed as she glanced about them. "I usually do not stay the night, but he was so unwell… It was only a few hours ago that he finally went. I got on the lacrima to inform the town and thought that you all were who they sent to...to...collect..."

Her eyes were misty then and the men all looked off as the woman reached up to rub at her eyes though Lucy came forwards to rest a hand on her shoulder with sympathetic eyes.

"I'm sorry," the nurse whispered softly. "He… The job meant a lot to him. He didn't mention to me, when I arrived the other day, anything about wizards coming by to help him, but his mind was gone. The heat, no doubt, exasperated his ailments. I do not know if your children have been through here or not."

"Can you tell us, at least?" Erza asked. "About the job? I understand that this is a trying time for you, but-"

"It's a bit ridiculous." Blinking away her tears, she said, "But there is nothing that he would rather me do, I imagine, than tell you about it right now. Maybe you can help find it."

But as their elders listened to the story, the teens only continued to argue over it. After a horrible night spent in the woods, Ravan and Locke both seemed intent with making everyone else as miserable as possible if only because included in that everyone was the other and there was no one either hated more than the other. Ravan was still very intent on, if he just made the other guy upset enough, he'd pack it in and head home, while Locke thought if he could sabotage the whole thing, then Haven would easily come to the realization they were better off going home together.

Though neither seemed to be winning at the moment, they both kept right at one another's necks. If anything, they were closer to making Navi just leave which, fine, Ravan was down with, but Locke really wouldn't have wanted the girl trying to find her way back out of the forest alone.

Haven's resolve had only grown though overnight and the broken compass meant something to her. She was mostly able to block out the bickering and would only continue on walking, ignoring any complaints sent her way from the others. She was getting so close, she could feel it, to breaking. To yelling at them. Ditching them, honestly. All of them. Except maybe Ravan. And that was a strong maybe. He'd given her the gift of the job, but his attitude during it was really getting on her nerves.

She didn't deal with it well, honestly, when others had emotions. Any kind of emotions. It conflicted with the high amount of attention she required from herself and the other person. Unacceptable.

Ignoring them was made no longer an option though when they didn't just follow along. Not just straggling either. Ravan and Locke, it seemed, had finally had enough of one another and, when she glanced back at them, it was to see them standing apart still, but clearly debating whether or not to throw down right then.

"Guys," Navi tried, but it hardly mattered what anyone said. This had been a long time coming. Still, she went to press a hand against Locke's chest and shove him back some. Or at least try to. He didn't budge. "Knock it off. Haven, could you-"

"If you're gonna fight, fight." She still stood where she'd stopped, up ahead of them, but did turn then to watch. As Navi gave her a dirty look, the blonde said simply, "I'm tired of the two of you. Both of you. If you wanna fight, have at it. Then whoever's coming with me can catch up."

Having her permission to eliminate her boyfriend from the job (not to mention Navi, who would no doubt stay around to tend to the guy), was all the confirmation Ravan needed. Reequipping the his favorite sword into his right hand, he held it in front of his face. Locke, mostly, didn't care about Haven's blessing. Not then.

He just really wanted to kick the other guy's ass already.

Before Ravan could make a move, Locke's arms turned to steel and he was slammed a fist aimed right for the other guy's face into...into a helmet, which Ravan had reequipped into in the nick of time. This shocked Locke who'd never seen the guy do it before, reequip into armor. Rather, he usually just showed up wearing it, if he was going to do that.

Improvement. But Locke didn't have time to congratulate the other teen. Nor would he, if he did. Because just as quickly, after jumping back at first, Ravan was rushing forward with his blade and the best that Locke to do, to block it, was hold up his steel arm to deflect it.

It was almost like his own armor. Just on one arm though. As they broke apart, both with dark eyes, a single beat passed before they were at one another again, rushing with absolute ferocity. Navi could only stand by and watch, concerned, and glancing after Haven frequently, expecting her to return and put an end to things.

But she didn't.

Not that she was far though. Rather, just out of sight, she waited, back pressed against a tree, to see who it would be. She had no preference between the two of them, really, just that it was only one. So she could actually get back to the hunt.

The tense minutes ticked away though and, when no one came, she grew at least a little bit concerned. She'd been able to hear them before, the natural echos of a fight, but everything felt eerily silent then. Eventually, she gave in and went back to find them. Only...they weren't there. Where she left them. It would have been hard to tell, honestly, where exactly they'd stopped for their fight, given how dense and monotonous the forest was, but she could see the indents in the ground from where one of the guys had dug his shoes in, deeply, only to be forced back by the other. It was definitely where they'd fought, but neither of them, nor Navi, was there any longer.

It had been the other girl that caused this. As Locke and Ravan fought for...well...maybe Haven, maybe just because they hated one another, but certainly for something, she started to notice it. In the distance, shaded in the thick foliage.

"Are we close," she whispered, more to herself, "to a town?"

That was what appeared to be the case as it was a soft glow, almost like that you'd get when traveling to a job, through a woods. One minute, nothing, the next, the gentle lights that shone through the previously dark surroundings. But it felt...different then because it wasn't as strong. Even the tiniest of village had to have some sort of light source. Maybe a big fire pit in the center of it with others all about. Torches. Lanterns. Something. But the glows she saw weren't numerous. Or a lot. Just enough that maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, but-

"Navi!" Locke was able to jump out of the way of a blow from Ravan while still witnessing his friend rushing away from them, in a different direction than Haven, into the thick woods that surrounded them. "Where are you going?"

"Coward," Ravan called after Locke as he completely turned his back then, on the other guy, as he moved to rush after the girl. "Locke. Navi. You're gonna get lost."

But wasn't that the point?

And Ravan wanted to go after Haven. He did. It was what he really wanted all along, after all. He could just tell Haven that Locke and Navi had taken off back for home and then they could go off on their adventure together. Alone. But…

When he looked after where the older guy was racing after the younger girl, he could see it too.

"Locke!" Haven was yelling at the moment when she couldn't find any of them, anywhere. "Locke, where are you? Ravan? Navi? Locke!"

Panic didn't suit Haven well and it might have gotten bad, had she rushed off to find them, but, of course, at her call, he was always right back there.

"Haven, come on!" Locke was coming back to her, for her, and she hated relief. With a passion. Because it meant she'd felt something. Yuck. But as he appeared there, behind some thick trees, she couldn't help it as the feeling washed over her. Grinning, Locke beckoned her regardless. "You have to see it."

"See what?" she complained, but he was turning and she was rushing after him because she knew then. It wasn't as easy for her to see as it had been for them, but as she chased after the other teen, she saw the glow of the fire and usually, she'd take time out to berate the others for doubting her, but her glee was just too real in that moment.

"A town," she whispered as she and Locke made it then, to where the other two stood in equal shock, before the large wooden gates of a city, a long pole on each side holding it's own, bright burning torch, as a banner above looked as if, maybe, at some point, there'd been something chiseled there, but it was so worn and faded with time that it was far closer to being blank, "with no name."