Chapter Eight:
To say that lightning travelling unnerved people was to claim that some people were slightly uncomfortable sharing a room with a lion. However, Laxus reflected as he landed in the mayor's office, the messenger was taking it worse than most people. The man was pale, shaking, and looked as if he was about to vomit. As soon as he could, Laxus released his hold on the man's collar and focused his attention on the mayor.
If the man was unnerved by the lightning mage's appearance in his office, he did a good job of not showing it. Laxus watched as he smiled broadly, discreetly checking the clock on his desk and placing his arms over the name on the folder before him. "Mr. Dreyar, I wasn't expecting to see you today. How pleasant to see you. Unfortunately, I'm waiting for an appointment at the moment, but I'm sure that I have an opening later today. Why don't you go speak with my secretary? She'll fit you in at the earliest possible convenience."
A growl rumbled in Laxus's chest. The man had to know why he was there. If the timing didn't suggest it, the messenger shivering on the floor had to. But he still had the nerve to pretend that this was unexpected? It pissed him off, and his control of his temper was fraying badly.
"Did you need something right away?" the mayor asked, voice dripping with concern. "Has there been an incident with the guild? How can I help you?"
"You can cut the bullshit." Laxus was sick of the pandering, pompous…taking a deep breath, he tried to compose himself. "We both know why I'm here, so let's skip to the important bits. As you know, there isn't much time, so I'd prefer to not waste it."
"I'm terribly afraid I don't know what you're talking about," the mayor said, looking injured. "Perhaps you could explain your grievances? Did the man who came with you cause a disturbance?"
"What did I say about the bullshit?" Laxus snapped, reining in his lightning just in time. "I'm here about a blonde Fairy Tail mage who is currently fighting for her life because she nearly bled to death in the middle of my guild. Ring any bells?"
"Did something happen to Miss Heartfilia?" the mayor's eyes were wide with sympathy, but Laxus could smell the excitement on him. "Please know, whatever it is you need, just ask. I have grown quite…attached to her in the year and a half that she's worked with me."
"Attached to her, or her keys?" Laxus muttered under his breath.
The mayor's eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid I don't like the sound of your suggestion, Mr. Dreyar. Lucy has become invaluable to us here, and I am deeply concerned with her health and safety."
"If I hear one more lie come out of your mouth, I'm going to forget that I'm a guild master who has to set an example," Laxus growled, feeling his magic sparking around him. "And you can tell me all about your concern at another time. Right now though, you can just tell me how much is left on the guild's debt so I can settle her contract."
Back to his charming façade, the mayor beamed at Laxus. "I was under the impression that Fairy Tail doesn't have the money to pay off its debt. Isn't that why the lovely Lucy was contracted to perform jobs for us?"
"Fairy Tail may not have the money," Laxus said lowly. "But its members have their own savings, and feel quite indebted to Lucy for what she's done for us. The Raijinshu and our Iron Dragon Slayer in particular have offered to pay the remaining debt."
Smiling, the mayor checked his clock. If anything, his smile got even wider. "I'm afraid I cannot accept your payment, seeing as the contract is already broken. Our Lucy has failed to fulfill the terms of her contract by appearing in the time specified."
"Lucy Heartfilia nearly bled to death in the middle of Fairy Tail on her way to answer your summons," Laxus snapped. "I would think that would merit consideration for extenuating circumstances."
"She tried to kill herself," the messenger croaked, pulling himself upright. "Those aren't extenuating circumstances, but a deliberate attempt to evade the contract."
"There," the mayor said, with a shrug. "Even if I were able to grant pardon for extenuating circumstances, the girl broke the contract through her own actions. She must be held responsible."
"It wasn't a suicide attempt," Laxus growled. "None of her injuries were self-inflicted. I don't know how she managed to stand, seeing the number of injuries on her person. If we had been a moment later getting her to the infirmary and beginning emergency treatment, she would have died. There's still a chance of it."
"What a pity." The mayor shook his head. "However, since she has lived past the hour, her contract was broken and I have no choice but to pursue her for the guild's debt. Where are her keys, if I may ask?"
"Her damn spirit has them," the messenger rasped, color returning to his face. "He wouldn't let go of them until she died."
"You're not going to get them," Laxus said irritably. "What part of settling her contract was unclear?"
"The part where you believed the contract could be extended at your whim," the mayor said, opening the folder on his desk. "As you can see, this has been clearly written and signed by both Lucy and I. It is legally binding, and there are no loopholes to be exploited. Lucy has broken her contract, and I must follow through."
Ignoring the contract in front of the mayor, Laxus focused on not frying more of the mayor's office. After the last comments, he had lost enough control of his magic to singe several spots on the carpet and walls. When he was contained, he glared at the mayor. "I have no doubt that the contract is legally binding, but you misused it to force Lucy into a situation where she would break it. The debt payment will be accepted and she will retain her keys or there will be consequences."
Sneering, the mayor asked: "What consequences could I face upon pursuing someone who broke a binding contract with me?"
Grinning darkly, Laxus leaned against the mayor's desk. "For starters, I think the princess of Fiore might look into the near death of a person who saved the kingdom if someone mentioned it to her. Also, I'm pretty sure the new Magic Council has kept the old protection for mages forced into unfair situations by otherwise legal contracts. Lucy's spirits would be able to testify for her, and I think their testimony would be quite interesting. Admissible in court too, because they can't be controlled by their master. Not these particular spirits anyway. Of course, this all assumes that you'll still be in your office after Fairy Tail finds out what Lucy's been suffering all this time for them. We don't take very kindly to people who hurt our nakama. You saw the Grand Magic Games, right?" Laxus didn't know what the details of this contract were so much of his statement was conjecture and a massive bluff. However, when he saw the mayor nearly choke, he knew that some of it was spot on.
The mayor's face had paled, but summoned his composure quicker than Laxus expected. "I don't respond to threats, Mr. Dreyar."
Laxus raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't a threat, sir," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That was a promise." Lightning slipped from his finger to char an edge of the contract. "I would think very carefully about letting me pay the debt putting this contract to rest."
"Fine," the mayor spat. "Who will be paying the guild's debt? It's ten million jewels in total."
"Freed Justine, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Gajeel Redfox have authorized me to allow withdrawals from their accounts for this matter. They will be one time payments, and you will not be allowed to harass them in the future because of their involvement in this matter. The guild's debt will be divided equally among them."
"Done," the mayor said grouchily, scribbling the information on a form. "You need to sign here."
Taking the pen, Laxus scrawled his name on the line and looked at the mayor. "Is that all?"
"Not yet," the mayor said, taking out a new form. "Who will be responsible for her personal debt?"
Staring at the man, Laxus fought for control of his magic as he growled: "She had two debts that she was paying?"
"Why of course," the mayor said, shuffling through the folder with the contract. "Ever since the contract was signed, all of her purchases have been billed to the town. As soon as the guild's debt was paid off, she was to begin on her personal debt. I assume you will want to pay that off as well? Or shall we let the contract stand?"
"No," Laxus snapped. "I'll pay it. How much?"
"Three million jewels over the last year and a half," the mayor said smoothly, filling out the form. "It's quite generous of you to spend so much of your personal money for her. I'm sure you'll think of an appropriate way for her to pay you back?"
The slight suggestion was all it took to snap the last bit of control Laxus had over his temper. Seizing the pen, he scribbled his name on the form and snatched the contract off his desk. "I'm going to take this with me, and you're going to stay away from Fairy Tail. If I ever hear of Lucy being bothered by you, you're going to hope that the Magic Council gets to you quickly. Oh, and I'm sure that Lucy was keeping her own records as to the debt, so you better not try anything there, or I'll come back for the excess money with the rest of Fairy Tail tagging along."
Letting the lightning crackle around him, he said: "And I'm going to forget that you made that last comment about Lucy. It's better for you if I did." Turning into his element, he made sure to leave several prominent lightning scorch marks in the mayor's office as well as crisping several small items that were lying about.
***So, I know many of you are probably happy that this confrontation happened. If you think that this isn't enough, just bear with me for a while. We've got one more chapter set in this scene, and then we move on to see some of the aftermath. Thanks for sticking around this long; it takes a while to set up. Look for another chapter sometime this week!***
