Despite her state of dress, Mira's intrigue had her up and kneeling on the bed. Laxus caught himself staring too long and found something to busy himself with—stepping into the room that smelled like perfume and booze, a scent he found he quite liked when he wasn't grossly hungover. He closed the door. As soon as they had some privacy, Mira started grilling him.

"A secret?" Her gaze was sharp like the tip of a dagger. "What is it?"

"Hang on," Cana cut in. "What is Lily Fields?"

"A town," Laxus explained in a low voice, still concerned with being overheard.

"A town that's been cordoned off," Mira said, also pitching her voice low.

"Why?"

"Yeah," Mira echoed, "Why, Laxus? What do you know?"

"Nothing for sure." He glanced at Cana. "Can you keep your mouth shut?"

"You know what they say, three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead." She smirked at her own joke. When Laxus didn't laugh or smile, she sobered. "Yeah, Laxus, I can keep a secret."

He studied her for another beat as if that would reveal the truth of her integrity. She didn't look any shiftier than usual.

"You can trust her," Mira said, "Right, Cana?"

"Yes," Cana replied.

"Alright," Laxus said, "The other day, I was in Gramps' office getting Porlyusica to change my bandages. The old man called Gildarts in and told him the Council had Lily Fields closed down. Told him no one was getting in or out." He paused for dramatic effect.

"Is that all you know? I could have told you that," Mira said in the silence.

"Yeah? Could you tell me the Council thinks it's demons?" Laxus spilled.

Her expression got tight. "What?"

"That's what Gramps said, anyway," Laxus affirmed. "The Council's got their own mages out there dealing with it."

Mira's fingers balled together in fists. "And Gildarts knew about this?"

"Yeah. Gramps told him just in case they wanted help, but said not to say anything until we knew what was going on," Laxus explained.

"Why would Master keep something like this from me?" Mira didn't seem to hear or care about Laxus' explanation. "He knows I've been looking for demons—he knows how important it is."

"Maybe he just wanted you to be safe," Cana said. "Sounds pretty serious if the council is involved."

Mira didn't seem to hear her. She got her feet on the floor and went looking for last night's dress. It was thrown in a heap by the bed.

"What are you doing?" Cana asked.

"Getting back to the guild, changing and then hitting the road," Mira said.

"Hitting the road?" Cana repeated. "You're going to Lily Fields."

It was a statement, Mira answered anyway. "Yeah."

"And what are you going to do once you're there?"

"Figure out if it is demons or not, and then if it is, I'm going to get in there and bust some heads, find out if they're connected to Tani and figure out where I can find him, or, if Tani's in there, I'm going to kill him."

There wasn't an ounce of trepidation in her voice. She'd thought about this for many years, imagining the day she found the demon that killed her family.

"Well, are you going to take Gildarts at least?" Cana asked.

"You know what he's going to say if I tell him," Mira said. "He'll tell me that's 'not the Master's wishes' and 'If he wanted you going off, he would have told you about this himself. Cool your shoes.'"

Her impression was spot-on, neither Laxus nor Cana could deny.

Cana wasn't so willing to give up. "Mira, please, you can't go on your own."

"She won't be, I'm going with her," Laxus said at last.

His offer earned him judgemental looks from both Mira and Cana. Mira was the one abrasive enough to point out the obvious. "You're almost useless right now."

"Because I have a few broken ribs?" Laxus asked, thinking of Zan and his threats and his father and his training, and, of course, a red-faced and scowling Porlyusica. She'd have something to say about his involvement. Then again, she always had something to say. "They're fine."

"You couldn't even keep up with me last night when we were coming back from the Kraken," Mira said. "No, thanks, I'm not taking you."

"I didn't ask, Mira, I'm going."

"You'll be too slow—"

"Worry about yourself," Laxus said briskly.

Cana ignored Laxus. "Mira, Master Makarov will be pissed."

"Sure," Mira replied. "If he knows."

"He's going to know. How could he not?"

"Because I'm not going to say anything until this whole thing is done," Mira said, "And neither are you. If I come back and he's still mad… well, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?" She stripped off Cana's shirt right there, less mindful of Laxus' presence than Laxus was. He tried not to look at her, finding Cana instead. That wasn't much help; she was just as scantily clad and unabashed looking at Mira. What he wouldn't give for some insight into their relationship. Did Mira's pretty-boy know she spent the night in someone else's bed? Was it innocent or was there something more? Given the way Cana was hanging off her the other night, Laxus thought he knew how the brunette felt about it.

"Mira…" Cana hedged, bringing Laxus back to reality.

"You promised, Cana," Mira said. "You said you wouldn't say anything."

"Okay, but what if he asks?"

"Tell him you don't know," Mira replied.

"And if Lisanna and Elfman want to know where you've gone?"

Mira's face blanked. "Fuck. I told Elfman that we'd train today."

Cana's face dissolved into a relieved expression. "Guess that means you can't go."

Mira pulled her dress over her body, thankfully covering all that skin. "No, that means when I get back, I apologize and he'll understand because if this is related to the demon that killed our family, he'll be happy that they're gone."

Cana huffed her annoyance. "Be reasonable, Mira."

Mira pulled on her boots and grabbed her still damp coat. "Thanks for letting me stay here last night."

Cana looked to Laxus for help. She got none. Not only did Laxus agree with Mira, he was curious as to what lay in Lily Fields himself.

Cana grabbed the hem of her tank top and squeezed as a form of stress relief. "You can't be serious, guys."

"Deadly."

"Master Makarov—"

"Goodbye, Cana." Mira squeezed the girl's hand before she left, then set a brutal pace in an attempt to determine if Laxus could keep up or not. Laxus shoved aside his gripes and used his height to his advantage, stretching his legs long to keep pace with Mira. Cana didn't try to stop them. Her door closed in their wake.

"You think she'll tell Master?" Mira asked over the sound of her feet on the stairs.

Laxus couldn't answer. "You know her better than I do."

Mira sighed. "She might. Which means I need to move quick, which means, Gimpy, you should stay here."

"I told you I'd keep up," Laxus said. He was making a good play at it, too, only a foot behind Mira.

Her harrumph was drowned out by the sound of the dorm's door sliding over the snowy ground. Outside was bitterly cold and buried in snow. Laxus found his tracks almost covered, the wind obscuring his trail.

"What a shitty day," Mira complained and burrowed deeper into the collar of her coat.

"If you're dressed proper, it's not so bad."

Mira eyed his new coat. "Up until this morning, you weren't one to talk."

Laxus shoved his hands deep into the coat's pockets and changed the subject, uncomfortable for reasons he couldn't quite put name to. Maybe it was Makarov's shameless act of kindness and Laxus' complete inability to accept it for what it was. "How was Cana's?"

Mira looked at him from beneath her lashes. There was a wary expression on her face as she prepared for his next words. "Fine."

"Stay over there often?"

"Why?"

She was all kinds of suspicious. Laxus even thought he knew why, remembering finding her and that guy by the canals so long ago. He couldn't stop his big, stupid mouth from moving. "Just doesn't make a guy feel special, is all. Run out of my room for Cana's after ditching your boyfriend in the bar—"

"He's not my boyfriend," Mira said.

He didn't know why he prodded. "That's not what you were saying last night."

"That was last night."

"So it's Cana then?" Mira stopped in front of the guild, her boots in the snow-filled gardens. She met his eyes squarely, fury evident on her face. Laxus, thankful for the second to catch his breath, held up his hands in surrender. "Just curious."

"Mind your own business, Laxus."

Laxus held back his retort, afraid that she'd ditch him there in Fairy Tail while she went out and had all the fun. "Sure. Let's just get our stuff and get out before we're noticed, right?"

"I don't think you can climb over the balcony as you are," Mira jabbed.

"Lucky for me, I don't have to," Laxus responded. "You're the only one assigned a babysitter." So much for not jabbing.

"I don't want you to come with me," Mira said suddenly. "Stay here, Laxus."

He caught her hand before she could slip away. "Come on, Mira."

She tugged her hand away. "You're an asshole."

"Hey, Pot, I'm Kettle," he said, trying to be humorous. She wasn't biting. "You owe me," Laxus said instead. "If I didn't tell you about this, you'd still be cozy in Cana's bed, pretending you didn't like it."

Mira's expression darkened. Laxus prepared himself for the strike that never came. A slew of emotions flitted over her face, some he expected, anger, frustration, some, like uncertainty and despondence that made her eyes glassier than usual, caught him off guard enough that he almost apologized.

Mira drew herself up and pushed everything down beneath a blank expression. She turned from him and slipped into the guild hall without another word. Laxus looked after her, wondering if that meant she was leaving without him, wondering if he should call her back. He forwent that and worked on getting up stairs and preparing for a short-duration trip. Lily Fields was half a day away by train. He also worked on his best contrite smile, thinking he was going to need it if he was going to ask Mira to pay for his ticket.

It was still early enough that when Mira slipped into her room, the drapes were drawn. Lisanna's bed was occupied; Mira could see the fan of Lisanna's snowy hair. Elfman's, on the other hand, was empty. Mira's heart sank. She searched the dark and saw a sliver of light seeping out from beneath the washroom door. He was already up and getting ready.

You're a horrible sister, Mira thought for not the first time. He's going to be waiting on you.

She validated her decision by thinking of the good that would come out of this. By going to Lily Fields, she could be getting the answers she'd been looking for. Demon hunting was more important than training her little brother; there'd be time for that kind of thing after, when everyone was safe.

Working quickly, she changed her dress for a pair of tights, a woolly sweater, some boots that would keep her feet warm even in the deepest, coldest snow, and a red down-filled jacket that made her sweat as soon as she donned it.

There was no letter left behind this time. The only thing she bothered to do was look around the room once. Last minute, she grabbed her wallet from her nightstand. Shuffling from the washroom made her hurry. She didn't know what to say to Elfman if he caught her before she could slip away.

Closing the door quietly, (she had plenty experience in that,) she tiptoed to the balcony, slipped over its snowy ledge and shimmied down the icy lattice, hoping to get out and get gone before Laxus could meet up with her and slow her down.

She was almost on the ground when she saw that wasn't going to be possible. He was already leaning against Fairy Tail's façade, another stolen cigarette in the corner of his mouth, hands stuffed into the pocket of his fox fur trimmed coat. He'd managed to grab his headphones, too. Mira could hear something heavy pouring out of the earpieces. She offered him her best scowl in lieu of hey, and set off, walking just as fast as her large boots would allow for.

"Got enough for two train tickets?" Laxus broke the silence.

"You have to be kidding me," Mira muttered.

"Nope."

She didn't reply either way, thinking of all the tricks she knew to get rid of him.

Though he was injured, Laxus did as he promised and kept up. Their trek left a trail of footprints in the snow that couldn't be hidden, but that was okay, it was windy enough that by the time the sun had fully risen and someone thought to ask where they were, Mother Nature would have done all the hiding for them.

They barely talked, and when they did, it was to jab at one another. Mira enjoyed it as much as she hated it. Occasionally, she checked over her shoulder to make sure they weren't followed. The feeling of being watched hadn't let up since last night, though every time she looked, she couldn't find the culprit.

At the red brick train station, Mira paid for Laxus' ticket, calling herself stupid all the while, and sat next to him, though, so early, the train was near empty, the commuters yet to start their work day. She waited until the train started to move to ask, "Why did you tell me about Lily Fields? Master asked you not to, didn't he?"

"Maybe I just wanted to get out," Laxus said. "I've been trapped in the guild for days."

Mira studied him in that 'no bullshit' way she had. "Yeah? That's all?"

A look in her dark blue eyes and he felt his hard exterior dissolving. "Maybe I felt a little bad after last night." It was easier to keep his eyes on the outside world as he said it. They passed by hectares of forest, huge hunks of granite shield, a canal that held several large boats waiting for the locks to open, a university, more rocks, more forest.

"Yeah?" Mira asked eventually. "Which part?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Maybe," Mira said.

"Maybe not," Laxus replied.

She cut right to the heart of things. "Maybe you're lying and you're actually jealous I spent the night with Cana instead of you."

Laxus finally looked at her and saw the girl he remembered, the one that, below the shitty attitude and 'keep-you-at-a-distance' bullshit, was uncertain. "No." Yes, actually, but he'd never admit it, not in so many words.

She scoffed, seeing through him anyway. "Okay."

"If Cana's good with being rebound then good for her."

"God, you're so fucking conceited. What the hell makes you think you were rebound, huh?" Mira exploded.

"You came into my room last night," Laxus said.

"Are you saying you've never had a girl in your room before? Sorry about your luck."

Laxus gave her his best withering look. "There are a lot of girls that will say differently."

Mira propped her feet up on the seat opposite her and crossed her arms over her chest, deciding that the passing towns were more interesting than continuing this conversation.

Twenty minutes before their stop, Mira noticed that Lily Fields' destination was crossed out on the map. A chat with one of the stewards on the matter revealed a 'no stopping zone.' Which was, as far as Mira was concerned, unacceptable. There was the option of getting off at Thompson station, an hour away by foot, but that would take away precious daylight and she very much wanted all the time she could to assess the situation.

It took a trip to the cabin, a lot of convincing and even some threats to make the train conductor stop at Lily Fields, and then, he didn't announce their destination for the other passengers and only stopped long enough for Mira and Laxus to step out with their small duffle bag each. Then the train was off again, chugging along the track, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

In the weak light of the morning sun, Mira looked away from the retreating locomotive and studied their 'quarry'. As far as towns went, Lily Fields was relatively small. There was a library, a general store, a tack shop belonging to a woman who made harnesses, a hardware, and a lacrima shop. And, of course, there was houses. Lots and lots of houses. Some small shacks, quaint in their own right, (most, actually) some large ostentatious mansions belonging to rich people who bought up gross amounts of land, monopolizing on the cost of owning in these underpopulated areas.

From the higher ground located at the desolate train station, Mira looked upon the town highlighted by the bright blue winter sky, thinking it didn't look the same as it had the year before, when she was there with Gildarts taking care of a banshee that had become lost and full of rage (one of her harder kills, and at the end of it, the Lily Fields' mayor, Mr. Rannoch, had given both she and Gildarts a free stay at their most famous resort, Arbour Inn. That was a night she wouldn't soon forget, Gildarts had told her 'good job' and climbed in the hot tub with her. Nothing happened, of course, but looking at all his bare skin, she'd drawn up all kinds of scenarios in which something could have) and not because now the town looked next to empty, but because the town's unique beauty, defined by its lily pad-choked ponds and river stone walks, was now obscured by the myriad of guards that, amongst standing sentry at every conceivable entrance to Lily Fields, all toted swords and a significant amount of magical power. Beyond the barricade, she couldn't see anything—nothing worth seeing, anyway. The town looked… empty. She'd be lying if she said she didn't sense a sick power coming from its innards, though, something that made her skin crawl and her throat close and think unconditionally of Tani. She searched for smoke, an automatic response whenever she thought of the family-stealing demon. There was nothing.

Standing back amongst the trees, Mira looked upon the spread of the Council's ranks and imagined how she'd get in. Not easily with Laxus at her side, sweaty and pale despite his constant claims that he was fine whenever she cared to ask.

"What do you think? Where should we try to get in?"

"I think I've never been here before," Laxus admitted.

Mira thought hard. "The last time I was here, there was a banshee haunting the town…"

"Yeah?" Laxus asked, expecting more.

Mira shrugged. "I didn't spend a ton of time here, but there were a few farmer's fields that backed out onto the surrounding forest that we might be able to sneak in to."

Laxus waved her on. "Lead the way."

Mira, still experiencing the sense of being watched, pulled up her hood and started away from the train station. The snow was deeper than it had been in Magnolia, reaching almost to the tops of her boots. It was colder, too, the wind's whipping song the only noise in the artificially quiet town. There was no sound of cart wheels, no horses whinnying, no bulls snorting, no people going about their day, shopping for that night's dinner or bartering or arguing.

It was strange.

"I don't see any chimney smoke," Laxus said into the hush as he, following Mira, stepped over the train track and into the coniferous forest. The smell of pine was on the air, and snow. It was going to storm again, if he was any judge. Despite the clear skies, there was grey on the horizon that didn't look like it would be easily scared off.

Mira followed his gaze out to the many houses and searched to verify his statement. Nothing. No chimney smoke, no smell of burning wood, though the weather was cold enough that anyone that went without for any amount of time would freeze. "Do you think they evacuated everyone?"

"Maybe."

"Well, that doesn't sound confident. You don't think they're dead, do you?" Mira voiced what Laxus was thinking.

He searched for signs of natural disaster, earth quake, fire, other weather phenomenon. There was nothing. "There's nothing to say the town's dead."

"There's nothing to say that it's not. If it was evacuated, that girl Lena Silas was talking to doesn't know about it," Mira said. "At least, she didn't yesterday."

Laxus mused, "If everyone is gone, what would kill a whole town?"

Mira popped her thumb in her mouth and gnawed the nail.

"Not scared, are you?" Laxus teased.

"You are, aren't you?" Mira asked, not at all laughing.

Laxus quieted.

"Come on." Mira ducked below a low-hanging white pine branch. Laxus followed her trail, on high alert. His nervousness only grew as they stepped out of the forest toward a cedar fence that blocked off what seemed to be a cattle pen. There were lumps beneath the snow at odd intervals, lumps that, though he couldn't tell what they were, made his heart race.

"Boulders?" Laxus asked, nodding to the strange landscape.

"What else would they be?" Mira's voice was graveyard-quiet.

Laxus could think of several terrible things. While entertaining those morbid fantasies seconds before crossing the fence line, a chirp and a small flurry of movement exploding from a juniper bush had Laxus reacting. Lightning jumped out of his fingers and electrocuted to death a small mammal before he could think twice about it. Mira yelped and leaped out of the way, a field mouse succumbing to the charge. It was over quick, the thing's heart stopping before it felt any real pain. In its wake, Laxus breathed unsteadily of the gross smelling air, feeling guilty and trying to calm himself.

"Damnit, Laxus," Mira hushed. "What the hell?"

"Surprised me," Laxus managed.

Mira rolled her eyes. "Keep your magic to yourself."

He couldn't agree more. That could have been anything—a dog, a child—and he'd just gone in swinging.

Mira drew away from him and ducked with ease beneath the cedar fence. Laxus followed much more slowly. Bending over hurt like fuck. So did standing straight. When you added in the magical barrier he pushed through, one that pricked badly enough that anyone sane would stop, he was batting a thousand. By the time he was on the other side, he felt like he could drop to all fours and either hurl or just sit there, soaking in the misery.

He didn't give himself that luxury and moved, catching up with a retreating Mira. Her coat was bright against the white snow, a red as pure as rubies. Her silver hair lay against the fabric, making her more of a sight.

"Wait up."

Mira looked over her shoulder, a superior—and forced—smile on her mouth. "What's wrong?"

"My ribs are killing me," Laxus admitted at last.

"I told you."

"Shut up. Did you feel that barrier we came through?"

Some of her sauce fell away. "Yeah. It hurt coming in, but I don't think keeping people out is its primary function."

"What do you mean?"

Mira pulled a coin from her pocket. "Gildarts told me about these barriers—the council uses them sometimes to contain really bad guys. Watch this." She took the coin and threw it back the way they entered. It hit an invisible shield and vaporized. She dusted her hands. "Looks like don't touch it."

She was so glib it was unbelievable. "Has anyone ever told you you're kinda fucked?"

Mira waved him off instead of getting annoyed. "Relax. You can feel the field if you concentrate."

"Sure, but how do we get out?" Laxus asked.

"Guess the Council's going to have to let us out," Mira said. "Their barriers don't effect anyone that's got the seal written on their skin."

This was shaping up to be a whole lot of 'I didn't sign up for this.' Mira read it in his face. "Look, I'm in this to win it. You should have known that. I wasn't messing around when I said I wanted to find demons and kill them."

Her resolve was something to behold. "It's fine, I just didn't expect the council to lock us in," Laxus said.

Some of Mira's jagged edge rounded. "Yeah. Neither did I. Let's just hurry up and start looking. The sooner we find out if it's demons or not, the sooner we can take care of things and get the Council to let us—"

She trailed off, focusing on something over Laxus' shoulder. Her brows came together. Then her lips disappeared, pressed together tightly. Laxus whirled and followed her sightline. There, emerging from the woods, was a small white figure in a dark brown coat, a pair of short boots, and sheepskin mitts. Mira's indignant, 'Elfman,' really put things into perspective.

"Mira." Elfman's voice dissolved any residual reservations Laxus might have had. The kid was scared and cold, it was in the way his words wobbled, in the way his shoulders hunched and he looked at his sister both angry and scared.

"What are you doing here?" Mira spat, accepting his presence and acting like Laxus hadn't yet.

Elfman drew himself up. "I—I saw you leave this morning. Without Gildarts."

"That wasn't an invitation for you to tag along!" Mira hissed.

Elfman ducked through the fence without being invited. "You're not allowed—Master said."

"Elfman, stay there," Mira commanded. "If you come any closer you'll pass through the barrier and—"

And too late. Elfman came anyway, ignoring her words. His face squished up in pain, going white then red as the barrier pricked his skin. He burst through, if possible looking even more scared than before. Mira didn't help, cussing the way she was.

"What was that?" Elfman looked, trying to find the source of the resistance. Laxus felt Mira's stress elevate.

"Don't back up!"

Elfman froze.

Mira let out a tense breath. "Good. Just… just come here."

He started forward, moving cautiously. "What's happening? What is this place and what was that thing?"

"It was a magical barrier. This… it's a town called Lily Fields," Mira explained. "It's been cordoned off by the Magic Council because something not good is happening here."

Elfman's eyes got as wide as planets. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I'm doing a job," Mira said.

"It's not a Fairy Tail sanctioned job," Elfman argued.

"Of course it is," Mira lied.

Elfman shook his head, not nearly as stupid as his sister hoped. "I checked the sign-out board before I followed you."

Mira grunted. "Seriously, Elfman? You have to not spy on me."

"You have to not do stuff like this anymore," Elfman argued.

Laxus' attention was divided between Mira and her brother and the landscape, so he saw when the ground—a small lump both he and Mira had given a wide berth but Elfman was oblivious to—shifted. Every hair on his body stood on end, every instinct screaming. "Come here, Elfman."

"I am," Elfman complained. He was struggling in the deep snow, trying not to get his feet soaked in his short boots.

Laxus barely looked at him, all of his attention focused now on the pale lump that slowly, so slowly wriggled, loosening its entrapment of snow. His heart was in his throat, his magic in his hands. "Elfman, hurry the fuck up."

The note of panic in his voice encouraged Elfman to move, getting that one step closer—close enough that, when the snow erupted, giving face to that odd lump—a man with bloodshot eyes, wearing a T-shirt tattered enough to reveal a chest and a neck shot through with bulging black veins—Laxus had a little bit of space and a little bit of time to try to stop his aggressive approach using magic. Lightning bounced from his hands and slammed into the man's chest. He didn't drop like other men would have, he still fell on Elfman and dragged him into the deep snow mound.

Caught off guard, Elfman screamed as he was forced down and into the snow. Then the sound turned choked. Mira's voice took its place. A puff of snow shot up into the air, blocking for a moment the purity of the sun's light. In that second, red sprayed across the ground's snowy blanket. Then the thrashing began, Elfman fighting with everything he had.

Laxus moved seconds before Mira did. She still beat him there, her body less inhibited by injuries. She didn't draw her magic, though, she was too shocked for that. She dove in with zeal and grabbed her brother's attacker, pulling him off with the kind of brute strength only adrenaline could loan. When the man came up, Elfman did, too, his throat firmly pinched between the man's greying teeth. Elfman yelled and still thrashed; his coat was soaked, his boots and hair was full of snow, his hands looked red and angry, whether from the abuse he was giving them or from the forced fall into the elements.

Laxus watched the struggle unfold, feeling, not for the first time, absolutely useless as, using her fist, Mira hit Elfman's attacker in the face twice. Blood, thick and dark like it was never meant to be, exploded from his lip. It came out sluggishly unlike Elfman's, and smelled putrid enough that Laxus fought not to gag. In the shock that came after the attack, the man loosened his hold on Elfman's neck. Mira, sensing she was getting somewhere, clenched her hands together and brought them down on the man's shoulder. He dropped Elfman to focus on Mira. Elfman clutched his neck and scurried away, getting closer to Laxus. Mira finally seemed to remember herself and slipped into her Satan Soul. Just in time for a lump ten feet behind her to stir.

"Mira!"

Laxus' warning came too late as another person, this one a woman with hair soaked through and covered with snow, emerged, looking just as veiny and rotten as the last. She moved as only the long-out-in-the-cold could, drunkenly, staggering and swaying toward Mira. Laxus summoned another bolt of lightning and fried her, for all the good it did. She jumped and twitched, even fell, but as soon as the spell faded, she was up again, burned beneath her pastel pink sweater and soft wool skirt.

Laxus tossed a glance Mira's way and saw she wasn't having much luck, either. She hit the man ahead of her with attack after attack. His skin opened and dropped that gross blood, his chest a cavity, but he never stopped approaching her, reaching, reaching with fingers that were white like waxworms. The look on his face was pure rage, it's what kept him going when he should have fallen.

The ground rumbled and the air became statically charged. Laxus' skin crawled. The woman ahead of him stopped in her tracks, her head tilted to the side. Thick black blood started to ooze from her eyes. She twitched weirdly, once, twice, and then, with a pop reminiscent of a balloon exploding, she burst. Laxus closed his eyes and turned his head to the left, making it so he was covered head-to-foot but it wasn't in his mouth or in his eyes. Elfman wasn't so fortunate. The sound of his retching came after three short silent seconds. Once he started, Laxus wanted to follow. The smell. There was no escaping it. Another pop came, and Mira's disgusted yell. Laxus swiped his face clean, needing to see.

Voices came to him, human, coherent. "In the name of the Magic Council, you're under arrest for trespassing and interfering with a crime scene."

Elfman retched again.

"Any attempt to resist will result in a harsher sentence. You have the right to remain silent—"

"Wait." Laxus couldn't see Mira, not yet, but he heard her well enough. "There's been a mistake—we were trying to help—"

"This is a closed investigation. You're violating safety protocols—"

"If you just call my guild, you'll see—"

"No guilds were contacted."

"You don't know that. I want to speak to your superior—"

"I am the superior. Lieutenant Randen of the Magic Council's enforcement unit."

Laxus got his eyes clear just in time to watch a pair of magic-binding cuffs settle over his wrists, deposited there by a tall, thick man with a darker than night beard, wearing an annoyed expression on his face. By the time Laxus thought to fight, his magic was already sealed away and it was too late. He found Mira, she was getting similar treatment by a man holding a staff that emanated that weird power that filled the air seconds before.

Laxus searched out Elfman last. The kid was being helped to his feet by a woman. The man tightening Mira's cuffs ordered, "Get that kid stitched up, then get him in for observation."

"Observation?" Mira's voice was high-pitched like it'd never been before. "What does that mean?"

Randen turned a gold-grey eye on her. "That means, you fucked up."

Covered in putrid stink, trapped in handcuffs, Laxus couldn't help but agree. They fucked up pretty good.