Returning to the guild, Laxus went over to the request board and scanned it for a job that wouldn't take too long.
Jellal sat down on a vacant bench and looked at all the requests. It was interesting; he had never seen legit guild job requests before. In fact, the only jobs he took as a member of a guild were just on his own will.
As he was doing so, a vaguely familiar blonde approached him. "Hey, Jellal! Remember me?" she asked.
Jellal briefly studied her face before a name came to him. "You're...Lucy, right?"
He didn't remember ever having a full conservation with her before, but he did encounter her enough times to catch her name.
She grinned. "Yep! It's nice to see you again! How've you and your guild been?" she said, sitting across from him.
"Good. It's a lot of work, chasing down obscure organizations, but it's rewarding."
Lucy nodded. "I'll bet! Master's always telling us about all the Dark Guilds you guys have taken down. Is that why you're here? Taking a load off?"
Jellal's hands clamped down on his knees under the table.
How many times would he have to answer this question today? Oh, well. Might as well give at least one straightforward answer.
"I wanted to see Erza...been a while," he said quietly.
Lucy's face took on a giddy expression, like an excited teenager, causing Jellal to raise an eyebrow.
"Oh my gosh! It's finally happening, isn't it?"
The Guild Master blinked. "Excuse me?"
Lucy clapped her hands loudly. "What else, silly? You and Erza are finally gonna be together! This is so great!"
Jellal's eyes widened. "No, no. That's not what's happening. Does everyone here think that we're an item?"
Elfman chimed in loudly. "Only a man can tame Erza! Consider yourself worthy to live with me for five days maximum!"
"I'm fine, thank you," said Jellal, massaging his forehead and trying to dial down his gradually increasing irritation level.
The exasperated man sighed and leaned in. "Listen to me, please. Erza's a very important aspect of my life; out of all the people in the world, she's the one that means the most to me. However, I made a promise to myself that I would not ruin her. I've done too much wrong and she's much too pure for me."
He was legitimately trying to be serious, but Lucy apparently didn't hear a word he said because she was still stuck in her little adolescent fantasy of being a matchmaker.
"You two are so adorable together. I'll bet your kids will be even more adorable! Yeah, when can we expect little Jellals and Erzas running around?"
Jellal covered his mouth and closed his eyes. "Um...not anytime soon. We're not even close."
Thankfully, before Lucy could ask about how he wanted to spend their honeymoon or how he would propose, Laxus came over with a piece of paper. "Found one. This should be a piece of cake."
Without saying bye to Lucy, Jellal shot up, eager to get away from the prying Celestial mage.
Mira stared at the job request, then at the two men. "Really? Two S-Class level men for stopping a few Vulcans?" she asked skeptically.
Laxus put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. We need to kill time before his girlfriend gets back and this was the perfect balance of time and money."
The eldest Strauss looked at Jellal, who shrugged. Accepting the bizarre event unfolding before her, Mira signed the paper and handed it back.
"Alright, but this'll probably take no time all. I wouldn't be surprised if you came back today."
Laxus smiled and took the request. "It's alright. Anything to occupy the dullness of a Monday."
Right after the two men left, Mira began giggling to herself. A nearby Lucy stopped to see what was so funny. "What on earth are you laughing about?" she asked.
Mira wiped a tear from her eye. "The job they just left for is around Southern Village."
Lucy didn't get it. "So? Why, are you pranking them or something by sending them there?"
A mischievous glint appeared in the bartender's eyes. "Nope. It's about a minute away from where Erza's mission is."
The two got off of the train and made their way to the village.
Almost right away, an old man ran up to them. He looked stressed, and dark circles were under his eyes. "Oh, thank goodness! You're finally here!" he said, hugging them both.
Laxus pushed him away and fixed the crinkles on his shirt. "Whoa, whoa. First things first, old geezer. Calm down and tell us exactly where we can find the freaks responsible for all this."
The man nodded furiously. "Right! Sorry! You see, a few days ago, a group of Vulcans invaded our beloved village, taking hostages in return for our valuable strawberries."
Laxus rolled his eyes. "Strawberries? You've gotta be kidding. How valuable can your damn fruit be to cause this much trouble?"
Jellal intervened; the man seemed like he was suffering enough even without his partner's attitude. "Of course we'll help. Just tell us where we can find these Vulcans."
The man pointed behind himself. "You'll see a large red building once you go further into the village. The hostages are being kept in there. It's being guarded by the more dominant Vulcans, so please beware."
Laxus waved a hand. "Don't worry, old man. We can handle it."
Making their way to said building, Laxus and Jellal were greeted by a large creature landing in front of them. It was at least ten feet tall, and it was very hulking in appearance; just by jumping, it was able to create a crater in the ground.
Laxus' fists crackled. "Hey, ugly! We're the ones tasked with taking you nuisances outta this village. Lemme guess. You're the gang leader, aren't you?"
The Vulcan scratched its head. Without wasting any more time, Laxus flew forward and drove his fist into the Vulcan's chest, sending it flying.
Jellal was surprised. For someone so large, Laxus moved deceptively fast. "Nice hit," he complimented.
Laxus smirked. "I've had better. Want a go?"
The Vulcan was already recovering and was about to charge, and Jellal didn't want to back down, so he summoned energy to his hands and fired a shining beam, totally overwhelming the creature.
Even the lightning mage was impressed. "Whoa. What'cha call that attack?"
Jellal analyzed the downed Vulcan. "Hm. It's not a spell that requires a verbal incantation. I suppose I could name it...Heavenly Beam or something."
Laxus scrunched up his face. "Pretty wimpy sounding for a man's spell. How about-"
A loud crashing sound behind them interrupted the two, causing them to whip around.
"That doesn't sound good. Let's go check it out," said Jellal.
Before Laxus could even agree, the Vulcan that they thought was defeated suddenly lunged and pinned the blonde to the floor.
Laxus gritted his teeth. Despite being one of the strongest men in the continent, even a fully grown alpha male Vulcan proved to be a fair match in terms of physical strength.
Jellal prepared to aid his comrade, but Laxus threw the Vulcan into the air and engulfed his body in his element.
"I'm alright! You go and check out the explosion over there. I'll handle this ass wipe."
Jellal carefully eyed the Vulcan, who was already coming back down posed for another attack. "If you're sure."
Laxus rolled his eyes. "Seriously, just go! Someone probably needs help!" With that, Makarov's grandson shot into the air.
Nodding, Jellal activated his Meteor technique and went to the site marked by smoke coming from it.