A/N: Gah! It's been so long! Well, we're back with some more ElfLu things! Here we go!


With a bright smile on her face, Lucy walked into the guild and made her way over to Elfman's table. It had been a week since her failed attempt at dating, and the blonde was more than thankful that she'd had Elfman to talk to that night.

It gave the blonde something to look forward to, and reminded her that there were guys out there that weren't only looking for a hole to bang. Some guys really wanted to be in a relationship, to have some sort of connection with a woman.

And talking with Mira the next morning, after having thanked the barmaid for preparing Lisanna's room to sleep in, had given Lucy a little bit more confidence. Mira definitely hadn't been happy about the turn of events concerning Lucy's night, but there had been one big piece of advice that the blonde took to heart.

Not everyone could handle being in a relationship with a guild mage, and most mages before her had set a horrible standard. Apparently, it was more common than Lucy had realized for even women to take a man to bed for a night, then act as though it never happened afterwards, because they were always on jobs and travelling.

But that wasn't what the Celestial mage wanted. Every time she looked at Alzack and Bisca, she could see that a relationship could work while being a mage. They were married and had a daughter together. It could happen.

So, as Lucy sat down beside the enormous Takeover mage with a smile on her face, she decided then and there that she wouldn't just give up on it altogether. One bad date shouldn't ruin her opinion of men entirely, after all.

"Good morning, Elfman," she grinned.

"... Morning."

Her smile faltered and she turned to look up at him. Only to find the man at her side staring down at the table, toying with the eggs and bacon that were sitting in front of him. "What's wrong?"

"She's back." His gaze drifted across the guild hall, landing on the brunette Fairy mage who was sitting with her team, fanning her too-beautiful face and slender throat. He'd gone so long without seeing Evergreen that she just seemed more breathtaking than normal. Maybe it would have been better if he'd at least seen her after getting back from his mission with Lucy. Then he could have dealt with that fresh wave of pain over the past week, and maybe it wouldn't have been as though Natsu lit his hands on fire and punched him right in the heart.

"I see," Lucy whispered with a frown. She didn't look at Evergreen though. There was no point in doing it, and Lucy already knew that if she tried right then, it wouldn't be the nicest look in the world.

And when she thought about it, that wasn't something that needed to happen in the guild. The Raijinshuu, for all their oddities, were still members of Fairy Tail, still nakama. And the last thing Lucy wanted was for there to be a divide of any kind in the guild. Everyone knew what Evergreen had said to Elfman to rip his heart out, and Lucy was sure that some people thought she would never change.

With a shake of her head, the blonde smiled again. "Wanna do something with me today?"

"I don't know," Elfman sighed, looking back down at his plate.

"Oh, come on," she laughed, playfully pushing his muscular arm. He didn't budge an inch. "The weather's great out. We should do something."

"Like what?"

"Like…" Lucy bit her lip in thought and sent her gaze darting around the guild. There had to be something they could do. She paused at the mission board for a second, then instantly threw that idea out the window. Elfman needed to stick around, not keep running away every time he saw Evergreen. Getting him out of his seat might help though.

"Oh," she laughed. "Well, we could go swimming again. The pool's open, and-"

"I don't know, Lucy," Elfman muttered. "I think I just want to be alone right now."

"O-Oh…" Her smile deflated again, and her brow furrowed in concern. She knew for a fact that the hulking mage loved being around people. But, was this really a hint that she needed to back off? To stop being pushy? Or was it just that he was trying to push her away because he was upset? "Well, I just figured…"

"You figured that I needed you to get me out of this funk," he nodded bitterly. "I can depend on myself too, you know."

"Elfman, I never said you couldn't," she frowned. "I don't have anything going on today, and wanted to hang out."

"Well, I don't feel like it."

"Fine," she whispered, slowly standing from the table. "If you change your mind, I'll be around, okay?"

"Yeah…"

Lucy's confused frown stayed in place while she made her way over to the bar, but she paused and looked over at Evergreen, then changed course and stopped at the Raijinshuu's table.

Evergreen looked from Bickslow over to the blonde that was standing next to him, but she didn't say a word. The look on the Celestial mage's face wasn't really one that boded well for her, she figured.

"Evergreen," Lucy said softly.

"Lucy," the brunette nodded.

"I just, um… I wanted to say that I don't hold anything that happened a couple weeks back against you," Lucy said more clearly. "That's your business, and even though it upset me that my friend was hurt in the process, that's between the two of you."

Evergreen blinked in confusion.

"And…" Lucy sighed and glanced back toward Elfman for a moment. "And no matter what happens, you're still nakama."

"Why does it sound like this is an apology?" Evergreen frowned.

"It isn't," Lucy replied. "I'm not sorry for slapping the everloving shit out of you."

Bickslow snorted into his drink.

"I just don't want you to think that I hate you for all that drama," the blonde continued. "So, that's all." Without another word, and not giving the Fairy mage a chance to respond, Lucy walked past the bar and gave Mira a strained smile. She really wasn't sure what to do with herself, since she'd kind of been hoping that Elfman would want to spend time together that day.

Maybe if she waited for Natsu and her team to get there, they would have an idea of something to do. But, until then, it was probably for the best if she went out to the training grounds.

A rather lengthy conversation with Capricorn the night before had her agreeing to summon him soon to work out a training schedule. One that she would actually stick to. When he'd figured out how to open his gate, she wasn't sure, but it had terrified her to find the Goat spirit standing outside of her shower with a towel, waiting to dry her off.

"Well, there's Erza," she said, wincing at the sight of her redheaded friend cutting training dummies to ribbons with only one sword. It wouldn't take the whole place for her to just talk with her spirit, so Lucy plopped down in a seat on the bleachers, near the top row, and quietly summoned him.

"Miss Lucy," Capricorn said, bowing before taking a seat.

"So, you wanted to talk about training?"

"Yes," he nodded. "And a diet. As I have said, you would fare better if you took off just a few pounds. It would increase your stamina, and…"

Lucy sighed while pulling out her notebook and pen, starting to take notes on what the Goat spirit was telling her. Apparently, he'd been able to help her mother get back in shape quickly after giving birth, and when she listened to what he was saying, it wasn't actually all that ridiculous. Cutting portions, increasing protein intake, and actually exercising. That wouldn't be too hard.

"Now, about this business with you over-exerting yourself…"

Lucy grimaced as he started in on a lecture, ducking her head in shame. And the day had started out so well…


"Elfman, is everything alright?"

The hulking Take Over mage let out a heavy sigh as his younger sister's voice came drifting through the air. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to just force himself to stay at the guild. It was the same question, over and over, with everyone just wanting to be helpful. He could see that they were all worried, since he wasn't smiling or getting into brawls, but once Lucy had opened the can of worms, that was all there was to it.

"Yeah, Lisanna," he muttered while staring down at his plate. "Just a crummy day, I guess."

"Well, Lucy seemed like she wanted to spend time with you earlier, and-"

"And I don't need to have Lucy treating me like a baby," he frowned. "I'm a man, okay? I can take care of myself."

She blinked in surprise, then turned toward the bar to try and catch Mira's attention. Sadly, their older sister was too busy at the moment. "Elfman, no one ever said you couldn't."

"But you all think it," he huffed. "I ran out of here, crying like a little girl, and now everyone just-"

"Elfman, you were hurt," she said in earnest, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "It's okay to express yourself."

"I'm starting to think it isn't." He scowled while pulling his arm from her grasp more sharply than he'd intended. Why couldn't anyone see that he didn't want their pity? He just wanted to try and get through the day without running with his tail between his legs. And even though it was already dinner time and Evergreen had left for the day, all he could think about was how much he wanted to go and be with her.

And how stupid it was for him to be pining for the woman that didn't want anything to do with him, and had made it perfectly clear that she never would.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm 'expressing' myself right now," he replied. "I'm in a bad mood, so just let me be in one. You don't need to make me feel better, Lis. Leave me alone."

"Elfman-"

"Shut up!" he roared, standing from his seat and knocking the bench back. In an instant, everyone nearby turned sharply to stare at him. "Just leave me alone, okay?!"

Lisanna scrambled to her feet and took a slow step backwards when she saw the flash of unseeing anger in his eyes. "Elfman, it's alright," she whispered carefully. "Just calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down," he sneered. "I don't need to calm down!"

"Whoa, man," Jet said, coming to stand next to Lisanna. "Relax, okay?"

"I am relaxed!"

Lisanna gasped and took another quick step back when Elfman's fist slammed down onto the table. The wood splintered and cracked under the weight, and her eyes widened in horror when she saw that it was no longer Elfman's arm, but one of his Beast's.

The tan skin rippled as it continued shifting until everything from his shoulder downward was covered in sea green scales. Webbing stretched between his fingers that grew wicked, sharp talons. It wasn't his Lizardman soul though. She'd never seen this one before.

"Mira!" Lisanna refused to take her eyes from her older brother, even while calling for the barmaid.

Elfman stalked forward, his eyes shifting to an unnatural yellow and the pupils elongating into diagonal slits. "I'm fine," he growled while towering over his younger sister and the guild's High Speed mage.

"Elfman!" Mira shouted. She darted from behind the bar just as his other arm started to shift, shoving guild members back as she moved closer. "Elfman, stop!"

"Stop telling me what to do!" he roared. Blinding rage swept over him, burning him from the inside as the deep hiss in his head grew louder. Just as Mira appeared, pushing Lisanna and Jet behind her, his magic swelled and burst so violently that the ground shook and the windows of the guild rattled in warning.

"Elfman, you have to calm down," Mira said as his voice shifted into an ominous, bone-chilling hiss. "It's okay! Just breathe!"

"Everyone, get back!" Lisanna grabbed Jet and started pulling him further away from her brother as she felt Mira's magic in the air.

Elfman's clawed hands clenched into fists, and his feet moved without a thought as movement behind Mira caught his eye. Faster than the elder Strauss sister could blink, he was past her and barreling through a wooden pillar on a direct path toward Lucy as she came in from the training grounds.

"Lucy, watch out!" Lisanna screamed.

The blonde's eyes went wide when a shadow fell over her. She barely recognized Elfman when she looked up into his eyes, seeing only the green and gold scales stretching up from his chest and his snakelike snout. Fangs that threatened to tear her in half as he snarled. "Elfm-"

Searing pain burst across her cheek and her head snapped to one side as the blonde was knocked from her feet and through the air.

"Lucy!"

She crashed into the far wall and slid down to the floor in a limp heap as Elfman ran through the door and out into the training grounds. Lisanna pushed past Mira just before the older mage ran out of the guild to chase down their brother. She didn't pay attention to the wooden floor scraping her knees as she skidded to a stop next to the blonde. "Lucy?"

Lisanna's blood ran cold at the scent of poison in the air that she could just barely pick up. She brushed Lucy's hair back from her face, and the sight of two pale yellow quills protruding from her cheek had a shuddering gasp barely filling her lungs. "Where's Wendy?"

"A mission, I think," Jet said as he came to kneel at her side. "Is she-"

"We need Porlyusica," Lisanna whispered in horror. "It's poisoned."

"What the hell was he thinking?"

Lisanna shook her head, then drew back in surprise as the blonde was lifted. Her eyes drifted up to see Bickslow's visor as he turned away and started toward the infirmary. "Bickslow?"

"Cosplayer needs to get into a bed," he said. "Jet, you wanna go and get Porlyusica? Probably be faster that way."

Lisanna stood and followed the Seith mage as he took Lucy up to the second floor and down the hall.

"Why are you lookin' at me like that?" he chuckled.

"Like what?"

"Like you're watching a bird hatching from an egg."

She bit her lips to stop herself from laughing, then shook her head. "Sorry, I just didn't expect you to come help her."

Bickslow shrugged while she opened the door for him, taking the blonde inside. Once she was lying down on a bed, he turned to the youngest Strauss. "I was the closest," he finally said. "Besides, Cosplayer's cool."

Lisanna smiled warmly when his tongue lolled from his mouth in a silly grin. "Thank you, Bickslow."

"No problem, baby," he smirked. When she blushed and started laughing, he gave her a wide grin. It was far too much fun to tease Lisanna, but he had things to do. "Well, I'm not needed now."

"Oh, you don't have to go."

"Nah, I'm heading home anyway. Hope your brother's okay."

Lisanna sighed as the Seith mage made his way out of the infirmary without another word. She took a seat on the edge of the bed while waiting for Jet to bring Porlyusica back, wincing when she saw Lucy's cheek had turned red and started to swell. "I hope Elfman's okay, too," she whispered. "And you, Lucy… You really do have the worst luck sometimes."


Mira's feet flew over the grass in the training field faster than ever before while not in one of her Satan Souls. She could see her brother's retreating form as he darted into the treeline, and forced her legs to pump harder.

"Elfman!"

Cracking wood and leaves rustling wildly against one another accompanied a series of long, venomous hisses. No matter how stealthy any beast might be that he'd collected, Elfman was a big guy. And with how fast he was moving, there was no way for him to really stay hidden.

"Elfman, just stop!" she shouted. The woods went eerily silent with only the sound of a gentle breeze humming in the air. Still, she could tell he was nearby.

"Come out and talk to me, okay?"

Mira scanned the forest around her, searching for any slight movement that would give away where her brother was at. Then again, the coloring of his scales and eyes were the perfect camouflage. The only thing that would stick out would be his white hair. No matter what form he took, Elfman's hair was always there.

"Elfman, I need to know what happened," Mira said while taking slow steps forward. Every snapping twig beneath her feet had her pausing, just to make sure that it was from her and not something else. "You haven't lost control like this in a long time."

She was silent for several minutes, just trying to listen to her surroundings. And when she heard the soft babbling of a brook a few meters off to her right, then a quiet sniffle, the white-haired barmaid sighed and started walking toward it.

And there, on the other side of the bushes, was her younger brother. Kneeling in the brook with his hands beneath the water and only coming up to his wrists. The shirt he'd been wearing was ripped along the spine and floating in the water around his hands, obscuring whether or not they were shifting back to normal like his back was.

"Elfman?"

"Go… away… M-Mira," he hissed. "Ssstop coming… clossser."

She took a small step away, then fanned out her dress and sat down on the bank. "Can you talk to me, Elfman?"

"N-No."

"Can I talk to you, then?"

"..."

Mira let out a patient breath while looking around, then turned a gentle smile toward her brother's hunched form in the water. "I guess this is a new beast," she whispered. "I've never seen it."

"Ssserpent…"

"You didn't tell us though," Mira mused. "You always tell us when you get a new one."

Elfman's eyes opened and his head turned toward her only slightly, just enough for Mira to see that his eyes were flickering back to blue and scales were still replacing the skin on most of his face.

"It's calming down," Mira whispered. "That's good." Elfman's head dropped until his face was beneath the water. "You're doing just fine, Elfman."

They sat in silence for a long while after that, with Mira simply watching him go through the motions of trying to calm the beast soul he'd taken over. She never could understand why it was so difficult for him to control some of the beasts, because they usually seemed fine with what he was doing during the takeover process in the first place. They accepted that he defeated them more often than not, and were added to his collection.

Maybe it was something more primal that came out because of the nature of his Takeovers, but she wasn't sure.

Eventually, her brother was back to normal, just a little while after the sun had set beyond the horizon. His head stayed lowered as he sat back on his heels, his forearms resting in the water.

"Are you ready to talk?"

"I'm sorry, Mira…"

"Elfman, I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

He shook his head in resignation, slowly sitting up and turning to look at her. "I got this one last night," he winced. "I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk."

He hadn't wanted to bother her or Lisanna with his problems again, so it had been an easy choice. His beasts were restless, and all Elfman had thought he would do was go out and do a little training. He hadn't been expecting an enormous snake to pop out and try to attack him. Thankfully, he'd been working with his Lizardman soul, so the bite that would have ripped his arm off had been nothing more than a glancing blow.

After he'd taken the Serpent's soul, Elfman had gone home and forced himself to sleep once he'd showered. And ever since waking up that morning, he'd felt off. His mood had soured the longer he had to be around people. Every time he turned around, the hissing in his head grew louder and more feral.

"I was going to show you and Lis," he winced. "I just wanted to make sure it was tamed."

"Is that why you've been so… mean today?"

He nodded and looked at his reflection in the water. "It got worse when Evergreen came in…"

Mira frowned, but stayed silent on the matter. He was already fully aware of her feelings concerning the Fairy mage, and she knew that repeating herself right then was probably a horrible idea.

"I still don't really trust this one," he sighed. His hands rubbed over his face and up through his hair. "It's different than the others. I can't explain it though."

"It's a snake," Mira said softly. "They aren't usually the nicest animals in general."

"I think it's just because I've never had one with poison," he sighed.

Mira's eyes widened in horror. "Did you say… poison?"

"Yeah," Elfman nodded while looking at his hands. "I grow poison quills on my arms. Pretty potent stuff. Just taking the thing over made me feel kinda sick."

"E-Elfman."

He frowned while turning to look at Mira, his eyes rounding when he saw just how pale she'd grown. "Mira, what-"

"You hit Lucy," she whispered. "When you ran out, you…"

"No…"

"She hit the wall," Mira said while standing up and brushing her dress off. "Lisanna was taking care of her when I left, but…" The barmaid trailed off when he vaulted from the ground and wrapped an arm around her waist while shifting into his Weretiger soul. They weren't too far from the guild as it was, but the increased speed from his beast soul had them rushing through the training grounds mere minutes after he'd started running.

His heart was racing as he dropped Mira off just next to the bar and raced up the stairs, ignoring the stares from the people that were still in the guild. 'Lucy… I'm so sorry! Please be okay!'

He'd never wanted to hurt anyone he cared about with his magic again, but he'd lost control. And just like the last time, when he'd hurt Lisanna, he was getting flashes of what Mira told him. Lucy flying through the air. How she'd looked up at him in fear. Hitting her.

Poisoning her.

He burst into the infirmary, then froze at the sight of the blonde lying in the bed with her eyelids fluttering open, then slamming shut against the bright light from a lamp off to her side. Porlyusica was closing her bag and leaving a vial on the table at Lucy's side.

Lisanna's head snapped up when the door opened, and she watched in silence as Elfman in his Weretiger soul stood in the doorway, simply staring at Lucy. Watching her and panting.

"Mm," Lucy groaned, pressing the heel of one hand to her forehead. "Wh-Where am I?"

Porlyusica turned with a sharp reply sitting on the tip of her tongue, then stopped when Elfman ran into the infirmary and pulled Lucy into his arms.

"Ow," she whined. "Why…"

"Lucy," he whimpered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry…"

"Elf… man?" She sighed into his chest when his arms curled around her just a little more. After spending two weeks with him, and having used the mage as a flotation device, as well as a mattress, Lucy was definitely familiar with what his arms and chest felt like. And then she felt his fur.

A delirious smile turned up the blonde's lips and she mindlessly nuzzled the fur on his chest. "Kitty... Elfman?"

Lisanna bit her lips to stifle her laughter just as Porlyusica rolled her eyes in the background. "Young man."

Elfman's head turned slightly toward the healer's voice, but he didn't move otherwise.

"Do us all a favor and submit a sample of any poisons those beasts of yours have," she scowled. "She was lucky I recognized it when I got here."

"I taste pineapples," Lucy muttered sleepily.

"She may be a little… off for a bit. It should wear off in twenty-four hours." Porlyusica looked toward Lisanna then. "If he can't make an antivenom himself, then make sure she takes the rest of that in the morning."

Lisanna nodded, watching as the pink-haired healer left the infirmary, already grumbling about idiot humans and the 'stench of youth' making her sick.

"Meow meow," Lucy yawned. Her eyes opened slightly to look up at Elfman's feline face. "Gimme a meow meow, Kitty."

"Oh my god," Lisanna giggled. "I think Natsu told me about Lucy doing the same thing when she was drunk."

Elfman shook his head with a strained smile and looked down at the blonde. "Lucy, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"S'okay," she sighed with a lazy grin. "I'll scratch your chin and make you purr."

The fact that she reached up to do it had Lisanna nearly in tears. And just when she was about to lose the battle to hide her laughter, it all died in an instant when she heard Elfman actually purring as Lucy's fingers wriggled in his fur. "Uh, Elfman?"

"I know, Lis," he sighed. Elfman was more than embarrassed by what Lucy was doing, but the stupid Weretiger soul… It loved that she was giving it special attention.

"Mm, you're warm… Kinda moist… But warm." Lucy let out a sleepy giggle. "Moist…"

Elfman looked down and sighed when he realized that his pants were soaked from the knees down. They were mostly dried, but a good bit of water had been on his arms and splashed onto his chest while he'd started running. "Sorry about that, too."

"Say 'meow meow'..."

He rolled his eyes and started to pull away, then felt a growl starting to rumble in his chest when Lucy's hands gripped his fur.

"Say it…"

"Lucy," he sighed. "You need to rest." The fact that she started pouting, even with her eyes closed, shouldn't have made him want to take it back. But he already knew the blonde was stubborn when she was hurt. "If I say it, you have to lay down and rest, okay?"

The blonde nodded, her eyes peeking open to look up at him.

Elfman gave Lisanna a small, embarrassed smile while getting Lucy to lie down again. Once she was settled he ignored the flush on his furry cheeks and whispered, "Meow meow." Not a moment later, Lucy's fingers were under his chin again, lightly scratching the same spot from before and pulling a contented purr from the beast in him.

"Alright, Lucy," Lisanna giggled. "Time to sleep now."

Lucy nodded again, turning her head slightly to look at her friend. "Thanks, Lis."

"No problem."

"Elfman?" The blonde's eyes closed in a long blink, then opened again to look back at him. "Will you stay?"

"I can sit with you for a bit," he whispered.

"Sleep, too?"

The last thing Lisanna had thought would happen was her older brother standing and kicking off his shoes, then lifting Lucy into his arms and taking a seat on the bed. "Elfman, what are you doing?"

He shrugged while situating the blonde so she was lying on his chest, just as she'd been their last night out in Jinju. And as soon as Lucy was settled once again, he turned to look at his younger sister. "It's the least I can do, Lis. I hurt her."

Lucy was out in a matter of moments, and Lisanna found herself staring at the strangest, oddly adorable picture. Her older brother still in his Weretiger soul, and Lucy smiling in her sleep and nuzzling the fur on his overly large chest. "You know she isn't mad at you though. No one is."

"Still…"

She bit her lip while looking toward the infirmary door, then back to Elfman. "Well, I told Master what I saw. He said that he's glad no one was seriously hurt, and that you took yourself out of the situation even though your magic was acting up."

"I wasn't doing anything though," he frowned. "That was my Serpent soul… I'm… Lis, I'm sorry for talking to you that way."

She shook her head while standing from her seat, then leaned down and gave him a short kiss on one furry cheek. "It's alright, big brother. You were right though. I should have backed off and let you work through it yourself."

"I liked that you wanted to make me feel better," he admitted. "I just…"

"Maybe that Serpent was just feeding off of what you were already feeling?" she asked softly.

Elfman's hand came to rest on Lucy's back, just beneath her shoulders, when she shifted slightly. "Maybe… But I didn't mean to yell. That wasn't very manly, taking it out on you."

"Well, I forgive you," she smiled. "And I can't wait to see your new Beast when you're ready to show us." Her hand lifted and brushed through his hair and over one pointed ear, before she stepped back. "I'll tell Mira you're staying up here tonight. We'll bring you some fresh clothes in the morning."

Elfman nodded and wished his younger sister a good night, watching as she walked out of the infirmary. As soon as he was alone with Lucy, his other hand lifted from the bed and he held her just a little closer. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Lucy," he whispered while closing his eyes.

He'd known earlier that the blonde in his arms was just trying to be a good friend, but he'd been so absorbed in his own foul mood - and his Serpent soul really hadn't been helping matters - that he hadn't been able to appreciate it at the time. Everyone in the guild that had talked to him had only been trying to see if there was something they could do to make him feel better.

Even though he'd learned Takeover magic as a way of helping Mira come to terms with her own magic, Elfman hated it sometimes. Times like this, when he was struggling to control a new soul and get it to mesh with the others that were present, he wished that he had something simpler.

But then the blonde in his arms shifted and snuggled closer, and her soft sigh brushed through his fur. Lucy didn't have a problem with his magic. She really liked meeting the different beasts, from what he could tell, and he loved being able to show them to her. And even if he'd been the one to hurt her earlier, Lucy still trusted him enough to be able to sleep with him so close to her. Maybe it was because she was still pretty out of it.

That didn't matter to him though, because just being able to sit with his friend - or lie down, in this case - and comfort her was enough. If Lucy trusted him, then he could trust himself. Lisanna and Mira still trusted him, too. They understood a whole lot better than Lucy just what had happened, and he was more than thankful that his sisters had been there to diffuse the situation and keep the rest of the guild away from him.

Elfman really wasn't all that tired, even after lying in the bed for an hour, but it didn't bother him. Lucy was safe, and she didn't hate him. So instead of trying to force himself to sleep, he took the time to do some meditation and try to sort out what the Serpent's issue was. It wasn't going to be easy, but that day had been quite the wakeup call for Elfman.

Someone could have gotten seriously hurt, and he needed to pay better attention to the signs that something was slightly off. He could do that, though. It just meant that he needed to train more, to get better in tune with his different souls.

And based on the sudden streak of fear that washed through the Serpent soul, and how his other beasts were growling and clicking and hissing in anger with flashes of the guild's Celestial mage filtering in their collective memories, Elfman felt like it would be just a little easier to deal with the issue at hand.

'Alright, Serpent… It's time to have a chat…'


So… that happened. I know it's something quite a few of you were waiting for, in one way or another, so I hope it lived up to your expectations! And yes, those Beast souls are going to play a big part in the story. It's inevitable!

I love you, guys!

~~GemNika