OSPREY...SWOOSH
UO: Before I begin. I would like to say that I finally have a Discord ready to go. Hit me up for an invite it's called Osprey News. NSG also has a channel called NorthSouth Smut Gathering. Both of us are on each other's servers and we can be chilled about our stories and find out what we got going on.
Shameless plugs out of the way, Alright, one more original chapter before Edolas. Instead of explosive power, we're gonna do a little…James Bond.
Natsu: Huh?
Drew: We're doing undercover work.
Lucy: Really back in that world.
Drew: Unfortunately, sometimes saving the world involves subterfuge. Anyway *Checks list* Oh that's a lot of disclaiming. UnitedOsprey1991 and NorthSouthGorem do not own Pokemon Fairy Tail, or any of the music played this chapter. They belong to *clears throat* Hiro Mashima, Nintendo, Rush (RIP Neil Peart)Santana, Eagles a
Friedrich: That's a lot of music.
Drew: I feel it adds character.
"Speech"
Text and Time change
Thought and Lyrics
Super Mode/Belt/Monster
Attacks/Spells/Techniques
Chapter 32: Under the Light of Intrigue
Three days after the previous chapter. September 13th X784, mid-morning
Friedrich watched as the jointed, crab leg-like limb flexed and stretched, plucking and sliding along the metal string that he'd held out in front of it. Chuckling, he began attaching the rest of the strings properly. Before him, painstaking carved and shaved (and polished) from a block of wood for several hours, was what looked like the unholy offspring of an octopus and a guitar, countless brassy, insectoid legs playing a tune on them.
"So that's what you've been doing?" May's voice asked. Friedrich looked behind him and had to quickly hide his face because of the blush. The brunette's outfit was certainly very bold for a girl of her age, with a grey sports bra that held back her still growing breasts while showing off her taut tummy and skintight blue yoga pants. She giggled. "Fried, I've told you this before, you can look."
"Sorry, taught to respect women and well, you're taken. And a lot younger than me."
May hummed and sat on the table laying her head on her knees. "Don't mind me, keep it up."
He shrugged. "Not much to keep up at this point. I've already carved it and used Archive to imbue musical patterns into it. Now I just need to finish stringing it. I call it the Acoustic Chamber."
"So, what's the inspiration?" she asked, delicately touching it.
"Oh, just some videos that I watched back in high school. CGI music videos that had all these musical contraptions set up. This was one of them."
May hummed as she observed the machine. Friedrich however had something else on his mind. When the team that'd left for Erza's temple came back, he was bombarded with questions about their new abilities. With six new ones, including four from his favorite type, he was eager to know more about them, as well as to tell them in return. When he'd heard about May's though, he became worried, but in the chaotic aftermath, he hadn't had time to properly talk to her. Now this may have been his only chance to do so.
"So, I heard you got a Tinker bud, plants, right?" Friedrich asked.
"Yeah. You should have seen me in that flower shop. The colors, the plants, the energy that came from them. I made this really cool sap that electrified my opponent."
He nodded slowly. "Pretty cool indeed. I'm actually familiar with that specialization. There used to be a villain in Boston, Blasto, who could Tinker with plants."
"Why...does that not sound good?"
"Hm…well, as far as villains go, he wasn't all that bad," admitted Friedrich, shrugging, "Just made various drugs and stuff, got a bit into cloning, splicing animals and plants together. However, there was a precedent set before him. Little town in New York State, called Ellisburg. Some everyday place, kind of like Pallet in a way."
"What happened, and why do I feel like I walked into a Twilight Zone episode?" May asked, her body beginning to shiver subconsciously
Friedrich snorted. "Sorry, just trying to set up the context here. Anyway, there was this guy named Jeremy Rinke. Average guy, lots of imagination, worked at a bank. One day, he gets fired. Another day, he Triggers, gains Master powers. He had the power to take any biomass and...recycle it, to create all sorts of monsters to serve as his minions. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that his creatures had the ability to reproduce. Within days, he was the only human left in Ellisburg, which he claimed for himself, as its king. Called himself Nilbog."
May gulped. "Is...Is that what...my abilities can do? If I screw up?"
"I ain't gonna lie," he said gravely, "It's not very unlikely. But that leads me to Blasto. After Nilbog, the PRT was VERY leery of any powers that could create life. Blasto, however, managed to stay on their relatively good side; he ALWAYS made sure that whatever he made would be capable of self-replicating. So yeah, as a Bio-Tinker, things can get awfully messy if you're careless. If you're gonna go for something big, make sure you have a way to control it BEFORE you start actually making it. Better yet, have a way to destroy it."
"I guess that also means protecting myself against spores and such," May sighed, now wrapping her arms around her legs.
Friedrich patted her shoulder. "The fact you're already thinking of the consequences is a good thing. Of course, you won't be doing this alone. You Tinkers need a lab, and I'm gonna make sure you're all set before I let you go."
May's smiled return before glancing over Friedrich's shoulder. The inventor had no time to react before he was pulled down, as a body was flung by them.
*CRASH*
All activities in the guild stopped as they saw the carnage. Natsu, in one of the many guild brawls, had been flung away from the main area and, in a stroke of bad luck, smashed headlong through Friedrich's invention, shattering the wood into a thousand pieces.
Drew hearing the crash from Makarov's office rushed out. Seeing the carnage and see May and Friedrich knocked down, he rushed over to them. "Holy cow! You two alright?"
May sat up and rolled off Friedrich. "Yeah, who the hell threw him?"
"That's what I want to know!" Friedrich growled, his eyes glowing menacingly. It temporarily dissipated when he turned to May. "Thanks for the save."
Drew looked at the dragon slayer. "What the heck happened?"
The dragon slayer groaned. "Stupid stripper was bragging about his new ability and then one thing led to another…"
Drew rubbed his eyes. During training the previous day Grey had somehow awakened his bud. After consulting with Friedrich, they'd determined his ability was related to weapons. Specifically, the acquisition or proficiency with weapons. They tested it out on the various weapons they had and for the most part he was able to use them to combat effectiveness. However, the skill he had for them went away when he let go of them, so the first thing both Drew and Friedrich beat into his head is to find time to train with all of the weapons, even the smaller ones.
What ended up happening was Grey was lording his newfound skill over the dragon slayer's head as he compared to Erza's magic. Considering their rivalry, this led to at least three fights that Drew had to break up. Unfortunately, he wasn't there to stop them this time.
The Fire Guardian looked at the wreckage and grimaced. "Oh man, this looked like it could have been awesome. Natsu dude why did you start that fight?"
The dragon slayer frowned and looked down. "This was Friedrich's?
"It was." Friedrich growled cracking his knuckles. "Now get up while I assess the damage. What I find will determine how much punishment you're gonna get! That goes for you too Grey!" As he said this, May fired off a whip to catch the ice mage trying to sneak away.
Natsu looked down and picked up a couple of pieces. Almost instantly, his vision went from seeing the guild to seeing a large workshop appeared in front of him. The place seemingly began to deconstruct, from the shelves turning into plywood to the floor disintegrating into nothing, everything seemed to vanish in a blink of an eye. Then the space began to reconstruct. Each individual piece had detailed blueprints that he never realized he could read before. Blinking back to reality, he picked up the pieces and called out to Max. "Hey Max, you got your toolbox?"
"Uh, yeah?" Max said bringing it over. Natsu grabbed it and opened it up.
"Natsu, get away from my machine!" Friedrich growled, only for Drew to grab his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Just watch," he told him. Friedrich watched as with amazing dexterity and speed; the dragon slayer quickly repaired the damage he could see. The whole guild watched as well, stunned at his untapped skill. Within moments, the music machine was back to its original shape.
"There, I think I got everything. Friedrich, you might want to check."
The traveler shoved him aside and quickly started to inspect it. "...It's whole again," he said blankly, running a finger along the wood, "Not even a break. What the hell."
"Friedrich, I think Natsu got his bud," Drew theorized. "No way he could have known had to do this without experience, or outside help. Is there a Shard for construction?"
"Well, there was Big Rig, but he specialized in construction Drones. This is something totally different from Tinkering."
"So...Master Builder I suppose?" Drew asked. "You do realize the irony in that?"
"Yes, I do." Friedrich deadpanned which got snickers from the guild.
"Enough talk, fire this bad boy up!" Drew encouraged.
Friedrich snorted, tapping the side with a knuckle. "Well? You heard him. Give us a tune."
(For reference this video is the Animusic Acoustic Chamber video)
The spindly legs stirred for a moment, before moving into action, strumming strings and drumming against them. The guild began to quiet down as the machine began its sonata. They sat down, enraptured as the mechanical fingers plucked the strings, moving with organic grace despite its mechanical appearance. Dawn and Tori who were more into the classical instruments than their partners closed their eyes and began to absent-mindedly mimic the notes played with their hands. Tori having played the viola since she before she met Drew had played alongside his band since it formed. After some experimenting, they discovered that classical music harmonized with the metal music played by them and invited Tori into some of their sessions. Being able to play alongside her partners was a plus.
Meanwhile, Dawn was brought back to a simpler time, when her and her mother played the violin together as a bonding experience, something she didn't pick up again until she left the Pokemon world, due to her travels. When she came to Earth, she was pleasantly surprised at the amount of music that she could perform and added to the symphony their house produced daily.
Lucy was swaying to the music, memories of a happier time when her parents had parties that she'd had fun at. She remembered the times she always stayed close to her parents because of her shyness and encouraged by her mother Layla to dance to the music and play with the other kids A gentle hand on her shoulder made her look up and see her father, a tear falling down his cheek. She leaned into him as the two reminisced about their late matriarch.
After what seemed like an hour, the song faded out, the notes hanging in the air. The spell seemingly broken; the guild erupted into applause. Friedrich rubbed his head in embarrassment and bowed in gratitude.
As the crowd broke up, Makarov and Jude walked up. "That was impressive, young man. I didn't realize that music could be made by such a machine."
"Oh uh, thanks? Mr.…"
"Heartfilia," Jude replied. "Lucy's father."
"Oh," Friedrich straightened up. "Thank you."
"My Apologies, Mr. Heartfilia, the chaos out here stopped our discussion. Natsu, Lucy, Ash, Misty, come back with us. Gabby this concerns you too. Friedrich, go punish Grey."
"With pleasure!" The scientist grinned maniacally, stomping towards the ice mage, who started to shake in fear.
In the backroom, the group gathered around Makarov's table. "So, explain what you told me before we were rudely interrupted," Drew prompted.
"Right." Jude nodded. "As you are aware, your music, despite some people not liking the style, have attracted some fanfare. One of these people happens to be a certain family that we are acquainted with, Sawarr Junelle."
Lucy shivered. "That creep, really?"
"Unfortunately, fans come in all sizes," Misty sighed. "As long as they are cordial, we can't really do anything about it."
"Right, anyway, apparently, his birthday is coming up. And he wants us to perform at his party in 5 days," Drew told them.
"There's more you're not telling us," Ash asked Jude.
"Yes. I believe that Junelle might have something that connects him to Yuzan at his manor. We need to find that evidence and take it to the Fiore government."
"You want us to James Bond this? Alright then. Let's go brief everyone and then get packed to go," Gabby told them. "We also need to get formal clothes."
As everyone stood up to leave, Jude called out to his daughter. "Lucy," the busty blonde looked at her father. "I know you never wanted to return to this world. But please, for the sake of this mission, bear with it."
Lucy nodded. "I will, father," she answered, walking out.
Two Days later
After briefing all the Riders and shopping for formal outfits, they took the long train to town where the Duke's manor was located before taking a carriage train up to the manor itself. The manor was huge, an indication of the wealth one of Fiore's transportation moguls had. It was huge, at least three stories tall and about two football fields wide with a wide entrance courtyard. As the carriage pulled up, they were greeted by several servants and two older gentleman in pressed suits. One was an elderly man with grey hair, a small mustache, a wry smile and a cane dressed in a white suit and black pants. The middle-aged man had greying blonde hair, a small crown on his head and a dark blue suit with white shirt greeted them.
"Welcome Casa de la Junelle," the older of the two began. "I am Durelle Junelle, Duke of the area and this is my son and heir Sawarr."
"Greetings, oh I am so excited for the Guardians!" Sawarr gushed. Then he spotted Lucy climbing down with the assistance of Natsu. "Lucy Heartfilia! My bride!" he screamed, rushing towards her. Only to scream as two swords crossed in front of him.
Jude saw this and frowned. "Please back away from my daughter. Erza, Mira, let him go."
The two S class mages continued to glare, until a look from Drew who was walking up told them to back off. He turned to the Duke. "We're your musical act, pleasure to meet you. All of these people here are our guards and tech people. Do you mind if we go to our rooms, some of us don't travel well?"
"Of course, we have plenty of rooms for you all. Please come this way."
They were all led through a massive entrance hall. It consisted of white marble floors, high vaulted ceilings and two glass chandeliers. In front of them was a large red carpeted stairwell.
"This is where the hor d'oeuvres will be served while you set up on stage. Come, your rooms are on the third floor."
The group followed after them, with the servants taking their suitcases. As they walked down the halls, they were shown 8 different rooms, each with two queen size beds, red carpeting, gold walls and matching drapes.
"Each of you will be paired up together. Um...two of you might need to be paired up, though if Lucy doesn't mind," Sawarr began.
"She stays with me!" Natsu growled pulling her closer.
"Sawarr please," Durelle scolded. "Now then, servants will bring you meals later tonight. We have a special guest tomorrow night, so I hope you brought some nice clothes!"
The Duke and his son soon left and they could all breathe. "What a creep!" Dawn muttered once they were out of earshot.
"Welcome to my world," Lucy muttered wincing as she rubbed her arm. "Damn my arm is still sore!"
Drew snorted as he remembered why that was the case.
Two Days Prior
As the guild made themselves busy, and Friedrich was preparing for a mission, Drew was just casually shooting the breeze when a thought came up. "You know, Flu season is coming up, I wonder where we can get the shot?"
Friedrich shivered. "Don't know but don't give me any needles."
Drew snorted. "So, the big bad Friedrich who can stare down a blood sucking vampire is scared of needles. Can't imagine how you took the MMR and Polio vaccines."
"With a lot of stress."
"The what?" Makarov asked.
"Nasty viruses. Measles is a very contagious bug that can spread through the air. Mumps attacks the lymph nodes and Rubella is like a constant cough. They put all three in one shot. Polio is a very devastating virus that can paralyze you. All of these are required shots back home among others in order to go to school. There are also Chicken Pox which cases rashes, diphtheria and all sorts of nasty bugs."
"Hm...and how young do you typically get these?"
"Most of these does are given before the age of 5. And judging by the question you probably have never heard of some of these bugs, much less vaccinated against them?"
"Nope," Makarov said.
"Right, okay, master, can you call that doctor who helped you? Friedrich, I know I'm asking a lot, but can you help with this?"
"Yeah, sure, let me create them. Should be easy enough. One Charge: Medicine."
After gathering the guild around and explaining the situation, Polyrusica supervised the injections. With Friedrich's charged up medicine the vaccines were combined into one needle each. Some people, notably Wendy and Romeo were naturally scared of the giant needles. Dawn helped them by holding their hands as they took their shots. Poor Wendy was a sobbing wreck afterwards, but the comfort of Dawn and Romeo helped her through it. The giant lollipop didn't hurt.
Others took it more sedately with notable exception of the two male dragon slayers. When the first needles failed to penetrate their skin, they immediately tried to escape leading to a merry chase around the guild that eventually caused another brawl that ended up with both Gajeel and Natsu being stabbed in the butt and thigh respectively. Happy was giggling at how silly Natsu was being until he felt a pinprick in his buttocks. He was sent screaming into the ceiling, no one paying any attention to him. May who had the needle laughed madly. "That's for calling be chubby scaredy cat!"
After two hours of shots and examinations, everyone was feeling sore and looking at Drew with weary looks. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. But I assure you, that these shots will protect you from some of the nastier bugs my world has to offer. Thank you for your cooperation go ahead and return to your drinks."
End of Flashback
"Jude told me you got some of the vaccines, but that was to make sure," Drew admitted. "Now then, let's relax a bit and then see if we can't scout this place out."
Everyone separated and went to their respective rooms. The room pairings wound up being Ash and Drew, Brock and Max, Grey and Gajeel, Erza and Mira, Gabby and Tori, Anabel and May, Misty and Dawn and Natsu and Luc were in their own room.
As Lucy sat down on one of the beds after unpacking her dresses she groaned. "Now I remember one of the reasons why I hate these things. The men are all entitled pigs."
"That bad huh?" Natsu asked sitting down on the soft bed.
"All this luxury, all of this excess, this isn't me or my father. I might enjoy being ladylike, but if I had to be this way 24/7, I would rather die," Lucy growled, plopping down onto the bed. "Though I will give them this, their beds are comfy."
Natsu chuckled and leaned down to nuzzle into her chest. "You're my princess not some chubby pretty boy's."
Lucy giggled as laid on her huge breasts. "Behave, we're in a different bed. Count yourself lucky my monthly isn't wrecking me today."
Natsu grinned and captured Lucy's lips in a kiss before they relaxed, the long journey taking their toll on them.
In Misty and Dawn's room, the redhead watched her partner picked up her violin and check it for scratches. "Been a while since I heard you play."
"Friedrich's machine kind of inspired me, and I figured we could add something to the music if we needed to," she said, taking her stance after checking her strings. Closing her eyes and placing the bow on the strings, the first two notes captured Misty's attention as she closed her eyes to take it in. As the bluenette played the song, something related to Mozart according to her, Misty walked over to the bathroom and turned on the sink. Taking a little bit of water, she carefully brought it over to the musician. Dawn briefly opened her eyes to see what Misty was doing as the water danced around her. Smiling she closed her eyes again and finished her melody.
As the last notes wavered through the air, Misty hugged her closer. "I could spend all day watching you and Anabel perform. My sweet bunny."
Dawn giggled in the embrace. Meanwhile, down the hall, Max and May had decided to do a little bit of exploring because they still had energy.
"Gotta be a kitchen somewhere," May muttered looking down the halls.
"You know in hindsight I get why Happy called you fat, cause your appetite matches. But I will admit he's gone too far," Max replied getting a depressed look from his sister. Happy had, two days prior, made fun of May's weight after she'd enjoyed a large meal with Ash and Misty. Unfortunately, it came during a particularly bad cycle for the brunette and as a result she ran out of the guild crying. Immediately, Drew, Misty and Ash grabbed the flying cat and laid into him because of his continued mockery to the other girls, especially May and Lucy. Natsu to Happy's horror, agreed he went too far and demanded the cat apologize to her. It was telling that the next day May didn't want to eat anything that really hammered home Happy screwed up. One tearful apology and a cuddle session by her partners soothed it over but it was still a sore spot.
"Both Drew and I eat a lot and we both know we need to work on it. But calling a girl fat because her genetics gifted her," she said waving her arms over her body. "Not cool."
"Only I get to make fun of you as your brother," Max grinned. May giggled at the teasing and ruffled his hair. Taking a sniff of the air, she licked her lips. "Found it, come on!"
The siblings quickly rushed down the hallway and quietly entered the kitchen. It was massive, with many chefs and assistants bustling. Some were busy creating multiple meals for them and the others that were visiting, while others were busy preparing for what they presumed was the party.
One of the head chefs saw the two and marched over. "Can I help you kids? Otherwise, can you please leave we're very busy."
"Sorry, we smelled the food down here and thought we could take a look. This seems like a lot of food for the party," May pointed out.
The chef groaned. "Tell me about it, we've got about 500 guests coming, which I assume you're two of them. On top of that, we have very important guests coming tomorrow and we're scrambling to make sure everything is perfect!"
"Whose coming that's got you so frantic?" Max said ducking out of the way of a server carrying finger foods.
The chef looked at the younger boy. "I guess you wouldn't know. The King and his family are expected; the Duke personally invited them. They actually accepted it this year!"
"So, you're making sure there's no poison in it, right? And making sure it's up to their tastes."
"Absolutely, so unless you want to help, please leave so we can do so!" The chef asked with a small edge
"Alright then where do you want us," May asked running over to grab an apron for both her and Max.
He blinked, taken aback for a moment. "...Good then, I'm chef Gordon. For the next few hours, you will refer to me as sir or chef! Is that understood?"
"Yes chef!"
"Good!" A plate shattering caught his attention. "Oh my god!"
"C-chef Gordon, um…" the hapless chef shook, the rest of the chefs backing off.
"How many dishes have you broken today? Three!? I cannot believe you haven't been fired yet! Why are you still here?"
The chef said nothing, cowering as Gordon's face turned red. "You stupid fucking donkey! You have cocked up so many times during my tenure here I don't even want to look at you! Get out!" the chef was frozen. "TAKE YOUR APRON! GET OUT! YOU'RE FIRED!"
The chef began to tear up and rushed out of the kitchen. He glared at everyone else in the kitchen. "What the hell are you staring at! GET TO WORK!" He turned to May and Max. "I hope you're good on apps! Get your asses moving!"
The siblings quickly got to work, hoping his wraith didn't come down on them.
Meanwhile, over in the venue hall, most of the group was now busy scoping out the hall with Sawarr bragging about the features.
"This place shall be magnificent for my birthday party. Look at all these chandeliers. Only the best crystal!"
Durelle snorted. "A bit excessive to my tastes. But this should serve your needs. I've heard your music can be a little...noisy."
"Don't worry, we got some softer music for a party like this," Drew assured them. "So where are the tables and food gonna go?"
"The food will be brought out from the kitchen to the right here," Durelle pointed out. "You will be performing over on the far wall here."
Drew and Misty walked over to where the older man pointed and looked out over the hall. The walls and ceilings went up at least a story. "I would be more concerned if we were playing some of our harder songs. Perhaps have a space for the dancers here. The tables can go between them and the space for socializing. I assume the guests are coming from the door we came in?"
Before the older man could reply, Sawarr stepped in. "Yes! That's where everyone and their partners will be coming in. Of course, I as the main guest will be right in front."
Drew rolled his eyes. "Alright, we'll set it up tomorrow. Thank you."
The two gentlemen left to check on other decorations. The Fire Guardian groaned. "What a bastard. If dad saw me act like this, he would cancel the damn party."
"Unfortunately, we're being paid for the gig, so we have to put up with it," Gabby pointed out.
Drew grimaced. "I doubt it. These seem like the type to stiff us."
Ash walked around the hall. "So, this might be one of the bigger venues we've played at. The music might not reach all the way to the back."
"If its dance focused then the music shouldn't reach the food area," Drew noted. "I think the best idea is to have the tables closer to the food. Allow more room especially with the crowd."
"Or," Misty chimed in waving her arms out. "Move the tables closer to the wall and allow everyone the most room."
"Good call," Drew conceded. "Gabby can you go talk with the planner about this?
As they planned out their event, Grey and Gajeel had gone wandering around the place, laughing at the number of portraits the two men had of themselves hanging in the manor.
"Geez, they do like looking at themselves," snorted Grey, "What, not enough mirrors?"
Gajeel laughed. "More like the mirrors didn't want to reflect that."
They gave each other a nudge...which then turned into shoving. Within moments, their laughter and grins had become manically strained as they butted heads. Their back and forth resulted in Gajeel shoving Grey into a large bust of one of the men. Said bust, instead of crashing to the floor and breaking into several pieces, folded back, revealing a button.
The Iron Dragon Slayer noticed this and stopped. "Huh, what do we have here?"
"What?"
"What would a guy like him want to hide?" Gajeel wondered pressing the button. The wall next to Grey opened up. "Hello there. Keep watch, wolf boy."
The ice mage grumbled as he went in. Inside the temperature had dropped considerably, the dragon slayer grumbling. At first glance, it looked like Friedrich's lab, only it had more liquids and glass in them.
"What is all of this?" Gajeel wondered. He noticed a journal on the desk. "Wonder what secrets he's got hiding here?"
Grey noticed a pair of maids talking down the hall. "Gajeel let's go!"
The dragon slayer stuck the journal in his jacket and both boys bailed after closing the door before going to their room.
A few hours later, the group had met up after finishing their meals. May and Max groaned as they collapsed onto one of the spare beds. "That was brutal!" The brunette whined.
"How can a kitchen provide that much chaos. And the chef despite being nice was yelling at us all day!" Max moaned.
"Did you find anything out?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, the head chef told us the King and his family are coming."
Mira widened her eyes. "Really? This party will be so exciting!"
"And security is gonna be airtight as a result," Drew agreed. "Grey, Gajeel what did you find?"
"We found this journal; I can't make heads or tails of it."
"That's because you can't read metal head!" Natsu taunted.
"What was that Tabasco breath?"
Drew ignored them and read the journal thoroughly. "This is Sawarr's journal, looks like."
June 28th, X784.
I heard my bride ran away. And my father-in-law refuses to tell me where she is. Damn that man, she's my bride.
July 17th, X784
My sources tell me that my bride is in Fairy Tail. Those degenerates shouldn't be touching my precious Lucy.
July 28th, X784,
I heard the Heartfilia manor was blown up. Poor Lucy, she must be so heartbroken.
"Ugh. This guy was a total creep," commented Drew, shuddering. After a few more obsessive Lucy entries he came across one that had him concerned.
August 8th
Father met with this woman who claims she can destroy Fiore and needed our support. Father declined, but I stopped her and said I was interested in what she had to say. When she mentioned she could get my Lucy, I told her I was in. Father hasn't a clue
September 3rd
Yuzan sent me the virus today, Father has no clue that he might be playing a part in bringing down the country.
"A virus...Gajeel, Grey, take me to where you found this!" Drew demanded. "Gabby, Natsu, Erza, Ash, Lucy, Misty come with us."
A few minutes of ducking and hiding from the night guards, they approached the wall and Gajeel opened it. Entering the cold lab, they began looking around.
"What are we looking for?" Lucy asked looking at some of the books.
"Vials. Viruses need to be kept isolated and frozen before use. We're also looking for ways for it to spread," Drew explained looking along the back wall.
Natsu scanned the walls and then noticed a set of vials behind a glass wall. "I think I found them." Walking over to them, he stared at what was written. "S...m...a...l-l...p...o...x?"
At each letter Natsu read off, Gabby and Drew's blood ran colder and colder until their skin paled. "Everyone! FREEZE!" Drew ordered with everyone stopping in their tracks. "Cover your mouths! Now!"
The group quickly did so, Gajeel creating an iron mask, Grey freezing his mouth, Erza pulling out a cloth, Natsu and Lucy sharing his scarf, Misty using water to cover theirs and Drew and Gabby using their shirts. Carefully, the two Earth Riders walked their way over and nudged Natsu and Lucy back. "You think you can pop this open?" He asked Gabby.
The huntress nodded and carefully brought her knife up. With a steady hand she popped it up and held the door open. Drew reached in and took one of the vials and held it in his hands. "Grey...come here and freeze this." The ice mage did so, making sure that the glass was iced up.
"Erza, I want you to take this, and carefully store this in your Requip space." Drew said walking over to the knight.
The redhead took and opened up the magic circle. "What is going on?"
"I will tell you, when we get back. Now let's go," he ordered.
The group followed him, worried at the serious expression on his face. Moments later, they were back in Drew's room and the atmosphere was decidedly darker than before.
"Now that we're all here, what is going on?" Erza demanded.
"We found the virus that Sawarr is using. It's a virus from our world. And perhaps one of the oldest known. Smallpox."
Tori's gasps and the Aura Rider's looks of horror was enough to tell the Mages that this was not an ordinary thing. Mira asked the question. "What is this Smallpox? And why is everyone so scared?"
"Smallpox was a virus that plagued our world for thousands of years," Drew lectured. "After a two-week period, the virus started by causing Flu like symptoms. Then it ramps up to the point pus filled lesions start appearing on your skin. Those blisters wreck your skin and leave intense scarring. It's the luck of the draw if you contract one of the deadlier versions."
Lucy shuddered. I can't imagine living through it. Having all of those scars and even losing your sight?
"The virus itself had a 30 percent mortality rate, killing close to 300 million people in its last century of existence," Gabby told them.
"Wait, you're using the past tense," Grey realized. "What happened?"
Tori smiled. "Thanks to a great vaccination program, the world declared the virus gone from the world in 1980. Considering the time, it happened, it was a miracle."
"So why are you scared? Shouldn't you have this vaccine?" Mira asked.
"That's just it," Drew rubbed his face in frustration. "With no virus in circulation, there's no need to vaccinate people."
"There's another problem I just realized," Brock realized. "There's only two places that the Smallpox virus is kept in for research purposes. The VECTOR labs in Russia…"
"And the CDC in Atlanta," Drew finished. "That can only mean one of two things. They created the virus, which is pretty likely to be fair, or they're already on Earth." He pounded his fists into the bed, gritting his teeth. "Damn it, I thought we had more time."
"We still do," Ash told him. "They haven't made a move back home; we still have time to get resources and power."
Drew nodded. "Right. We need to talk to Friedrich to create a vaccine for this."
Dawn, who had been listening patiently stepped forward. "No, we don't." She told them. "Give me the sample, May and I can create the medicine. Give us a chance."
The Fire Guardian stared at Dawn and May who stepped up to take the Lolita's hand. "...Alright. Erza, I want you to supervise them. Let me know when we have the vaccine." He checked his watch. "First thing in the morning. Get some sleep, we got a long couple of days ahead.
The group nodded and walked back to their rooms with heavy minds.
Next Day, mid-morning
Drew tapped the microphone in front of him. The sound reverberated around the hall. "Can you hear this?"
Tori who was in the back nodded and held up her thumb. Drew nodded back and motioned to Ash and Misty to warm up their instruments. "How's it sound?"
Ash plucked the strings. "Sounds okay, not a lot deflection here."
Misty on the keyboard pressed the keys in order. "Same here, but I think I should move over a bit."
"You know Drew likes to move around, especially with the set list we got," Gabby pointed out.
As they argued over positions, at the entrance to the hall, a small figure watched them play. Wanting to take a closer look she carefully made their way to the stage.
As Drew finished his argument, he turned around and sighed. "Okay, gotta calm down guys, it's just one venue." He looked up and saw a small green haired girl who couldn't have been more than 8. "Hello there, what's your name?" He asked kindly. The little girl stared at him and then quickly hid her face. "Oh, don't be shy we don't bite."
"Hisui, dear? Where are you?" An older man called out. They looked up to see a middle-aged man in regal clothing looking around frantically with two guards. The man saw the girl and visibly relaxed. "Hisui there you are."
"Daddy, these people play music!" The now named Hisui told her father.
"Oh?" The man looked up. "How delightful. May we listen to a song of yours?"
"Well, we were about to test a song out here. I'm sorry, you have us at a disadvantage, Mr.?"
One of the guards stepped forward. "Please use proper respect. You are standing in front of the King, Toma F. Fiore and the crown Princess Hisui!"
The band quickly bowed or curtseyed in respect. "Our apologies your majesty. Anyway, we would be happy to play. Why don't you find a seat and we'll figure out a song to play?
As the king and princess took their seats, Drew looked back at his band mates. "So, what do you think?"
"Journey could work if Tori was here," Ash offered.
"Don't think some of their songs could fit the audience," Misty countered.
"What about Rush?" Gabby pointed out. "Have Misty on keyboard, Ash can roll with his guitar, Drew can focus on vocals.
Drew smirked. "Alright, how about Subdivisions?" Getting nods from all three he stepped up to the mic. "You all set?"
The king and princess both nodded, with the princess fidgeting in her seat. Drew sighed and counted down from 5. On one he pointed to Misty.
(Rush: Subdivisions: Don't own, don't sue!)
Misty played the first bars on the keyboard, sounding like it was a horn as she repeated the notes twice. On the second bar, Gabby joined in with the drums as the redhead added more notes with her right hand as her left hand danced across the board. On the third bar, Ash joined in with a steady rhythm, Drew tapping his legs in time with the beat. As the song built up, it began to sound like a choir with no vocals as all three instruments played in harmony. Then a sudden change into an almost angry stomp. Then after a few drumbeats, the original tempo returned with Drew stepping up to the mic
Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown!
As he sang the first verse, he closed his eyes remembering his home was pretty much described in the song. Rush, of course used Toronto as their inspiration but just about every major metropolis would be like this. As the beat continued, he watched Hisui enjoy the song
Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone
Ash closed his eyes as Drew sang and knew this one was more about him. Even though he was popular with his friends, at school he was not exactly the most popular. They were unknown to the real destiny they had, believing Drew had no future. He scoffed in his head. If anyone has no future, it's them. His thoughts were stalled as Drew ended the last line, prompting him to step up.
[Chorus:]
(Subdivisions)
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions)
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth
Ash and Misty played off their solos as Gabby kept up the wild timing that was Rush's library. Looking out at the audience, it seemed like there were more than just the royal entourage listening as some of the chefs and maids came out to listen. Drew paid them no mind as the sang went back to its original timing.
Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night
He scowled internally as he realized how many people would sell out their own people for money, just as the Junelles had for what would amount to nothing in the end.
Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory of lighted streets on quiet nights…
As Gabby went into a different rhythm to finish the verse, gazed onto the crowd as he pounded his feet in time. The crowd was grooving along as well, with Hisui running clapping happily and laughing.
(Subdivisions)
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of YOUTH!"
At the last word, all three instruments went into a crescendo as they all seemed to be cranked to 11. Drew stood and waved his arms as if he was a conductor keeping pace with all of the instruments. As the song wound down, he started he pointed at Misty and Gabby as if they were puppets as they finished the last notes. With one more keyboard note, and symbol smash the song ended and the crowd applauded loudly. Drew smirked and the band bowed. "Thank you! We'll see ya tomorrow!"
He hopped off the stage and approached the king. "Was that to your satisfaction your majesty?"
"It was wonderful, but I must say, it was a little...energized for me," Toma chuckled. "Hisui was having fun, isn't that right dear?"
"YAY!' The little girl cheered. "Is there more?"
"Not today, little lady," Drew told her. "But we have more songs like that planned for tomorrow."
The princess nodded and they headed off to wherever their rooms were. Before Drew could relax, May and Max rushed up Chef Gordon. "May, what's going on?"
"That's what I want to know young lady! I'm very busy!"
"This is important. You might be in danger."
"Danger how?" Gordon asked.
"Not here, let's go up to our room," Drew told him.
Moments later Gordon had his head in his hands. "This...is complete madness. To use my food to poison the King and the princess…!"
"And then blame you for it," May finished.
"I would never do a thing to the royal family!" Gordon snapped. "I gave 7 years to King Toma's father before he passed and three years of serving under him before I left to form my own cooking company! I may not agree with the King but to consider treason…!"
"And they think they can get away with it because it's going to be in the food that won't be detected for two weeks," Max growled.
"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THIS!?" Gordon snapped. He took a deep breath. "Sorry."
Drew sighed. "What we need to do now is that vaccine. And if it works getting it to everyone."
On cue, there was a knock on the door. Dawn and May opened the door, wearing medical masks, the brunette holding a case with white medical gloves. Opening it and turning it around, she revealed several vials with needles that Friedrich had made for the bluenette.
"We worked all night for this," Dawn explained. "But we have enough for three samples to test it on. But we don't know if it will work as well as advertised."
"Can you supercharge immune cells?" Drew asked.
"...I guess I can," Dawn said slowly, considering. "Why?"
Drew took off his shirt and held up his arm. "Test it on me."
"What? No!" Dawn denied. "This is a live viral vaccine."
"Live?" Erza asked. "I thought these vaccines wouldn't expose us to the viruses?"
"Vaccines work by exposing either a weakened form or a dead virus to our bodies. Once our bodies see it, they can adapt to fight it," Drew explained. This is why I'm asking if she can supercharge it. Because this virus can still spread to other people. Dawn you need to make sure that once this virus is in, my body adapts to it quick."
Dawn hesitated knowing how dangerous this could be untested., but seeing Drew's face, her resolve hardened and took the needle, loaded up one needle. Misty cleaned his arm with a little alcohol, then Dawn approached his left arm. With a confident smile from the guardian, she jabbed it into his arm. The needle's impact felt like a small pinch, the medicine taking a few moments before it flowed into his arm. Once in, she removed it and gave it to Natsu to destroy. She then closed her eyes concentrating on the new power she had obtained. Opening them, her eyes glowed pink, her body giving off a pale light. She placed her hands-on Drew and poured her power into him. The observers watched with bated breath as the vaccine did its work. He began to feel a little woozy, but was assured this was a side effect, as was the rash that appeared on his arm. After a few tense minutes, Dawn powered down and smiled. "Vaccine's in, side effects are normal and passed. We're good."
"That's all and good and all, but how are we going to make sure 500 people get the bloody vaccine?" Gordon asked impatiently.
Misty hummed. "Well, Dawn you think you can make this vaccine digestible?"
"Now you're insane!" Gordon snapped.
"Maybe, with May's help. The issue is Hisui. This vaccine is only for older people."
Gordon growled. "All of you shut up!" The man got their attention. "Now I understand why you want it to be edible but if they don't eat it it's a moot point. I can work with you to put the vaccine in our food to disguise it. But we need a fall back if that doesn't work."
Ash looked at Drew. "What if we use one of the songs as a dance tune. Something like Santana?
"That song? That'll work but the timing needs to be worked out. Ana this is gonna fall on you and Dawn. Dawn start injecting.
"Right," the empath agreed.
"The dad might not know completely, but I don't think he's out of the woods. Grey, Gajeel, Max your gonna use the party to find their vaults and clean them out. We got one try to do this people," Drew told them. "Da
"YES SIR!" They chorused and went to do their tasks.
Next Day Late afternoon
Drew finished putting on his dress shirt, black tux and tried wrapping his blue tie. "God damn it, why is this so difficult to put on.
Jude, who was watching him, chuckled as he helped Max into his own suit and walked over and adjusted it. "Guess not everything comes naturally to you." This got chuckles out of everyone else there.
"Shut up, dexterity skills aren't my forte. Anyway, let's go meet up with the girls."
The gentlemen all walked out of Jude's room where some of the girls were already standing around. Gabby, who was going to be drumming went with a white button up shirt, black vest and matching skirt with short black heels. Misty was in a similar get up but had a blue vest. Their partners approached them and smiled. "You look nice. Wish you could be in a dress like the others," Ash told the redhead.
"Yeah, well I don't think a dress would work with our music," Misty giggled.
"Gotta say, you rock that suit, Gabby," Drew praised.
"Yeah, it feels good, but it's definitely not my comfort zone." She nudged her head behind her. "Now Tori and Dawn? They look awesome."
The two heard their names being called and walked over. Tori was wearing a dark blue and white lace bell shaped dress with black lace stockings, long gloves and matching shoes. Her hair was combed out braided to about shoulder length. Her face had dark mascara and lipstick, with a touch of blush. Dawn's meanwhile was designed for dancing, with a red ruffled skirt, pink corset and red heels. She had a rose in her hair and her lips were a bright pink with matching mascara.
"Tori?" Drew whispered approaching his more withdrawn partner. "You look...beautiful."
The brunette smiled the blush accentuating her pale features. "Thank you. I...saw this dress, and I couldn't help it. It looked so natural to me."
Drew chuckled and kissed her forehead. "It does...the entire look does."
Tori beamed. "Then I guess I can be your gothic princess."
"A perfect combo with the tomboy here," Gabby giggled kissing Tori's cheek.
Ash meanwhile approached Dawn who curtseyed. "My prince, your date awaits." The guardian laughed and kissed her. "Sounds lovely, shame I can't dance with ya."
"That's why I'm her date," Anabel said. To everyone's surprise, the empath was in a purple dress shirt, jacket and pants as if she was crossdressing as a boy.
"Ana? You didn't have to do this," Ash told her.
"I know. But I feel some people might look down on more than one or two lesbian couples. Besides...you do it to."
"I do it because I like spending time with you," Ash assured her. "But it does remind me when I thought you were a guy."
Anabel laughed at the memory. Erza and Mira walked up as they did so. Erza was in a golden flared out dress which had a form fitting bodice, long matching gloves and heels. Her hair was done up in a bun and with a strand covering her right eye and a bronze necklace. Mira meanwhile was in an ivory dress with black laces, white gloves and blue lipstick, looking every bit the model she was.
Natsu saw the two ladies and gulped. "Wow...I knew Mira was pretty, but Erza...you look really beautiful."
Erza laughed, which made Natsu's heart flutter. "Why thank you my prince. To think such a dashing man could marvel at such beauty." She took Mira's hand, who was serving as her date. "You have fun with Lucy, okay honey?"
"Speaking of, where is my daughter?"
"Still in our room, she seemed a little nervous."
"You all head down, May's already in the kitchens. Tori, Natsu, come on," Drew told them as they split off. Upon entering the room, they saw the blonde staring out the window, watching the guests, in a form fitting pink and white ballgown. Her hair was done up in a bun with a lacy headband while her arms were covered in long matching gloves.
Jude watched her daughter then moved forward. Natsu looked to join him, but a gentle touch on his shoulder from Drew kept him back. He approached her and watched the crowd below in silence. After a few moments, he chuckled. "Your mother would be gushing over your dress tonight."
Lucy giggled. "She would. She'd also be making sure your ties fixed, your suit's clean and then making me barf from your kissing." This made the older man laugh.
He turned to Lucy and push a strand back. "I know this is not the best circumstances, but I'm glad we're back on speaking terms. It hurt that I didn't get to be a better father."
"Daddy," Lucy began making the older man's heart swell. "You can stop beating yourself up. I forgave you."
Jude smiled. "Thank you. Now I just wish I was the only man in your life."
Lucy couldn't help it, she full out belly laughed. "Daddy! Come on, Natsu's not that bad! Better than Sawarr, at least."
Natsu took this as his cue to approach them. He bowed respectfully holding out his hand. "Mr. Heartfilia, may I escort your lovely daughter?"
Drew had to laugh as Jude took Lucy's hand kissed it before offering it to the dragon slayer. Lucy put on a posh act. "Why thank you good sir, may we enjoy the night." Both of them shared chuckles at the joke and they walked arm in arm out.
Jude sighed. "She's grown up so much in so little time. Where did my baby go?"
Drew smirked as he took Tori's arm, the brunette laying on her arm. "No idea, but you should be proud." He said, walking out with Jude right behind them.
Heading down to the dance hall, they saw that it was already packed with many rich nobles conversing with each other loudly. Many of the men were ogling Erza and Mira, due to the fact their dresses didn't leave much to the imagination. Meanwhile, some were chatting up Anabel and Dawn, the dancer's outfit fooling a lot of people and get laughs out of Ash and Misty.
The two couples finally sat at the table they were provided as performers and VIPs of Sawarr, with the boys helping the two girls into their seats.
"Would you like anything to drink sir?" A female voice asked.
"I would like some water…?" Drew looked up to see May smiling in a white chef's outfit that clung to her body like a second skin. "Well hello May, didn't think you'd be serving our table.
"I think Gordon assigned me to yours and the birthday table." She said grabbing the water pitcher. "Birthday boy hasn't exactly been keeping his comments or words to himself. What a creep."
"Bear with it," Drew told her. "Get through the night and Ash will make it up to ya."
The brunette looked to Ash and Misty who both smiled and nodded. "Thanks." Getting back to her professional attire. "We have hors d'vers in the back, and
The brunette walked back to the kitchen where the chefs were busy finishing the appetizers and starting the main course.
"Alright folks five minutes to apps. Birthday boy is coming down soon."
May watched the servers finish up multiple pots of red tomato soup and pour into several bowls. Gordon walked over to her and pulled out a large vial. Thanks to work with Dawn and Gordon, they were able to create a vaccine that could be put into the food. "We only got enough for about 200. Not counting the serving staff. I hope Dawn knows what she's doing."
"She will, we just need to make sure the night goes as planned. I got the batch that's gonna go the King." She told the chef walking over to the chef.
"Hey," Gordon called, out of the bustle.
"Yeah?"
"You got the heart of a chef. Don't let people get you down for your habits. Use your love of food to make the best there is."
May smiled, the clouds that had been in her mind clearing. "Thanks."
"Right. Get that soup out!" He said returning to his chef persona.
"Aye chef!" May saluted picking up a tray.
As the party began to heat up and the main courses served, Sawarr taped his glass. "Attention everyone!" His high-pitched voice echoed through the hall. "I wish to thank you for coming to our home. I hope this night will be one to remember." Internally, he thought with a grin. A night to remember indeed.
Natsu watched the steak placed in front of him and desperately wanted to dig in. But a small glance at Lucy, made him calm down and dig in. Taking a bite, he hummed. "Steak isn't as done as I like."
"With red meat, you want a bit of pink. Especially steaks. Too well done, it turns to rubber." Drew explained taking a bite. "Well Chef Gordon did some good work or at least the crew did.
Lucy was about to take a bite of her chicken, when Sawarr tapped her on the shoulder. "My dear Lucy, I hope you are enjoying this little soiree. I hope you don't mind a dance soon?"
The blonde at least finished what was in her mouth. "If you must know Sawarr, I have a date. My boyfriend here."
"Him? The plebeian? I heard you joined a guild, but surely you can do better than some rapscallions!"
"I rather be with some people who are truly friends than those bought by their money," Lucy countered.
Drew could see the tension and placed his silverware down, grateful he actually he ate fast for once. "Alright let's calm down. You don't want any bad blood before the music right sir?"
Sawarr turned to the musician with disdain. "You're correct. I believe you're on in about 20 minutes. I suggest you get ready," he said storming off.
Drew scoffed and stood up. "Yes sir," he said sarcastically. May walked up to him with a tray and a note. It was from Max, 'Vault found. Two hours to crack fully. Will have already started once you received this note.' He looked to the brunette. "Tell him to proceed as planned. We're about to take the stage."
May nodded and walked back to the kitchen. Chef Gordon saw her approach and smiled. "Good job, young lady. You could make it as a chef."
"Thank you, chef." May said as she glanced behind her and sighed in sadness. Gordon saw this and patted her shoulder. "I know you wanted to be out there tonight. And I bet your boyfriend will make it up to you in the future. But what you did tonight saved lives. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made."
May nodded. "So, what will happen to you once he's caught?"
"Well, that's a bloody good question now ain't it? But I've done alright for myself, maybe I can finally open my own company." He turned away. "We only got desserts left, I think your boyfriend won't mind if you dance with one of your partners if you hurry up." He said smirking as he felt the young woman's breasts against his chest and heard the rapid fire thank you.
Up on the stage, Drew tapped the microphone. "Thank you all for coming to this party for Mr. Sawarr Junelle. Happy Birthday!" He said throwing up in his mouth as the crowd applauded. "Now to open up the dancing a bit. Hope you enjoy.
(Start Hotel California by the Eagles)
As Ash began to strum very slowly, sounds of a desert air began to fill the air. Anabel and Dawn came out onto the dance floor first, followed shortly by Natsu and Lucy who looked very hesitant to be out there with him. But as the notes carried through the hall, the two seemed to settle into their own world. One final strum played before Gabby and Drew timed in with their parts.
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air!
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night!
Drew knew this song by heart. It was one of his dad's favorites. And it was also one of the first hard songs he'd learned how to play. He didn't even need to stare down at his guitar and instead focused on the crowd. The music swayed them into the beat and the waltz.
There she stood in the doorway
I heard the mission bell.
And I was thinking to myself
'This could be heaven, or this could be Hell!
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I heard them say!
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here
Ash smirked as he strummed along the beat. He watched Anabel and Dawn slowly dance closer to him while Mira and Erza quickly enraptured the audience.
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends.
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget!
As the appropriate lyrics passed through the halls, Sawarr glared at Lucy as she danced happily with Natsu, who looked extremely comfortable swaying with the music. He then glanced at the King, who watched with a bright smile as he and his daughter swayed to the music.
So I called up the Captain
'Please bring me my wine
He said, "we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say~!
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your alibis
The beat changed, but the dance never slowed as Drew's voice took on a darker tone."
Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said, 'we are all just prisoners here, of our own device
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast!
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before!
'Relax' said the night man
'We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave!
With the last lyric, Ash went into one rock's most famous solos as the rest took a back seat. When they had calmed down from their adventures in the Pokemon world, Drew suggested he take up the guitar as another way to channel his endless energy. At first, his lack of patience made it difficult, but Drew in a show of restraint helped him tremendously. Misty, who had dabbled with her bass guitar on some nights when she was alone at the gym helped as well. It then became a bonding experience between the Guardians, with several nights spent next to the pool or in the garage when the boys weren't gaming, or Misty wasn't training. When Gabby started learning the drums about four months into this, they realized they had something and began to cover a lot of songs progressively getting into the more metal songs but still doing songs like this. As the song faded out and ended, the dancers stopped, and the watchers clapped at the performance.
Drew bowed slightly. "Thank you. That was Hotel California. Now we're gonna go a little harder so I hope you got the energy.
As the next song began to play and the patrons began to get into the groove, up in Junelle's office, Gajeel and Max were busy drilling underneath the lock dressed in blackout robber gear. "Two tumblers left," Brock called out watching a video screen. "Grey, keep icing the drill."
"God damn rich people, they have banks! Stupid Vault!" The Iron dragon slayer kicking the lock.
"Easy!" Max yelled. "These things are delicate! We don't destroy them carefully the door's gonna get jammed."
"Fourth tumbler broken. One more come on guys!"
"Fuck this!" Gajeel shouted tearing into the lock. The force was enough to snap the last tumbler and pop the door open. "Jackpot!"
The boys shined their flashlights into the vault. There were at least full shelves of stacks of Fiorean currency and another wall with pallets of gold bars and at least three boxes of jewelry, money from railways and other goods that would more than likely be confiscated.
"Haha! If I knew you guys would be getting money like this, I'd join you sooner!" Gajeel laughed as they split the cash and gold into various circles to be distributed to the group afterwards. After cleaning the vault out, they quickly raced back down to the party, stripping out of their robbers outfit and into their suits and slipping into the party.
As the band ended their song, Drew glanced and saw the boys sneak in. Time for the last part of the plan. He nodded to Misty, who placed her guitar down and walked off the stage. The redhead watched as the couples took a break from their dancing as the musicians reset and sighed.
"Sounds like you're looking for a partner?" May asked teasingly. The water mage turned around to see the brunette in a Pink and black flamenco dress and matching heels and a pink rose in her hair. "May I have this dance senorita?"
"Of course," she said taking them out onto the floor. Dawn and Anabel moved next to them and the couple smirked at each other.
Drew saw this and grinned before counting off and pointing to Ash.
(Into the Night by Santana and Chad Kroger)
The first two notes echoed through the air as Drew and Gabby clapped their hands and drumsticks in the air. The two couples began to spin, Dawn and May twirled around in their partners hands before clapping in time with the beat. Stomping a couple of times, they spun back into their embrace. On stage, Drew grinned as the first lyrics filtered through
Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell
It was love from above, that could save me from hell
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me
As the lyrics flowed, he started to match the tempo, with May and Dawn showing why they were among the best dancers as they leaned on their partners
There were drums in the air as she started to dance
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands
And we sang
As the chorus kicked up, Dawn clapped twice on her wrist. Underneath her sleeves were two vials of dusted vaccine that once airborne would be easily sucked into the body. She then began to twirl like a ballerina as May wrapped an arm around her, leaving Misty and Anabel to dance for a spell, the empath holding the redhead close in a show of boldness from her.
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay!
And the voices rang like the angels sing!
We're singing:
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay!
And we danced on into the night!
Ay oh ay oh
Ay oh ay oh
And we danced on into the night!
By this point, the whole hall was mesmerized by the song to notice the dust surrounding them. Hisui saw the dust though and reached up to it take it in.
Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place,
You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces.
She was spinning in circles with the moon in her eyes,
No room left to move in between you and I!
We forgot where we were and we lost track of time,
And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night.
And we sang:
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay!
And the voices rang like the angels sing!
We're singing,
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay!
And we danced on into the night!
(Ay oh ay oh)
(Ay oh ay oh)
And we danced on into the night
(Ay oh ay oh)
(Ay oh ay oh)
And we danced on into the night
At the last lyric, Ash hopped off the stage and started his solo, with all four of his girls dancing around him. Dawn and May draped over their boyfriend as he rocked out, oblivious to the world around them. Meanwhile, Anabel and May put on a show as they salsa danced, with Dawn's dress fluttering in the created breeze. As the solo wound down, Drew's clapping rang out as the blue haired dancer began to twirl faster and faster building up for a finale.
Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,
It was love from above, that could save me from hell!
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me!
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands!
And we sang:
As the chorus kicked in the final time, Dawn unleashed her magic into the air, making sure the vaccine spread to everyone in the room. Once satisfied, she finished her dancing with May as they did what the song did.
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay!
And the voices rang like the angels sing.
We're singing:
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
And we danced on into the night!
(Ay oh ay oh)
(Ay oh ay oh)
And we danced on into the night!
(And the voices rang like the angels sing)
Ay oh ay oh
Ay oh ay oh
And we danced on into the night
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
(Ay oh ay oh)
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
(Ay oh ay oh)
Singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
(Ay oh ay oh)
And we danced on into the night
As the music faded out, the crowd cheered for the band and the dancers who all bowed or curtseyed in respect. Sawarr though clapped louder and continued after everyone finished. "My that was such an impressive performance. But now, as the Birthday boy tonight, I have one more event planned that will serve as a grand finale."
Drew put his guitar down. "And would that be?" He asked jokingly said. "A donation drive? A new train line?" His demeanor hardened. "Or perhaps, treason?"
At that word, whispers began to breakout among the guests as Sawarr scowled. "Me, treason? Absurd, our family has been loyal to this country for 10 generations."
"Ah, but here's the thing, greed can do quite a number of things. Especially when you covet someone's girlfriend so much, you team up with a known terrorist!" Drew accused, holding up Sawarr's journal,
"How did you…!" Sawarr paled at the sight of the book, but quickly regained his composure. "It doesn't matter," he declared as the crowd's whisperings grew louder. "You're too late. Tonight's dinner will be the beginning of the end of Fiore! Unbeknownst to you all, I put a special little present in the food we ate tonight." He swaggered over to the king. "And if you want to survive, I suggest you start being a little nicer."
As if to emphasize this, he grabbed the princess's arm. The little girl screamed. "DADDY!"
"What did you do?" Toma ordered, his expression darkening.
"Son, what are you doing?!" Durelle asked, going white.
"Father, what I did was merely secure our future. A future ruler of Fiore!" Sawarr laughed. "As for what I did, some of this went over my head, but the way Yuzan explained it, this little virus called Smallpox is really contagious, highly scarring and very deadly." He laughed. "I just made everyone carriers, and now if you want the cure, I suggest you cooperate."
With the crowd panicking and whispering to themselves, Drew smiled and chuckled, making the man confused. "You're right, a virus such as Smallpox, is deadly. Deadly enough to be written in the history books. But it's because of its deadly nature, that eventually, some brave man found the cure, through complete accident as most discoveries tend to be." He explained. As a historian, he knew this story very well. Edward Jenner, a late 18th century scientist had found that some of his farmhands had been exposed to a milder form of the virus and became immune to the deadlier version. He eventually coined the term vaccine, from the Latin word vacca, meaning cow, because the virus cowpox was the origin of this immunity. "In the hundred years since, immunization efforts crossed borders, crossed oceans and finally, something happened that never seemed to be possible before. Eradication of the virus."
"What's this story have to do with it?" Sawarr demanded.
"Simple. Vaccines typically need a copy of the virus to allow our bodies the knowledge to fight them. Thanks to our efforts, everyone here is protected and the virus is destroyed."
As the crowd cheered for their efforts, Sawarr snarled. "HOW? Wait? You found my lab? THAT'S BREAKING AND ENTERING!"
Toma stood up and ordered his guards into position. "Sawarr Junelle, you are under arrest for high treason. Let my daughter go! NOW!"
Sawarr snarled and then snapped his fingers. Several troopers appeared making the crowd start to panic. "I think not! She's my ticket out of here!" He laughed as he crashed through the window.
Drew cursed. "Take care of these guys! Natsu, let's go!" He called out to the dragon slayer.
"I'm coming with you! I have a score with him!" Lucy told them as they approached the window he went out of. Looking up, they saw him climbing up the wall. The blonde took out Mutsuraboshi and held it up to Natsu. "Pull me up. We need to cut him off."
"Good idea!" Drew told them. "You go up, I'll see if I can't flank him!"
The dragon slayer propelled himself and Lucy up, the blonde using her chains as a makeshift ladder. Landing on the roof, Lucy shouted. "SAWARR!"
The middle-aged man stopped, his arm adjusting his grip on the princess. He turned around and held up a familiar shape. "Stay back!" He demanded. "I know you know what these do. Any closer and I jam this into her neck! What would people say if you attack her royal highness?"
"What is wrong with you?" Lucy asked. "You throw away everything for what? Money? Power?"
"You really don't know, do you?" The man glared at Lucy. "It's all because you spurned my advances! We were this close to being a husband and wife, and then you run away to join a guild and now you're with that dirty mage?"
"Hey! I cleaned up pretty good!" Natsu shouted.
Ignoring the dragon slayer, Sawarr continued moving closer to the edge of the roof. "You were raised a lady; you shouldn't be fighting like this. Give up these illusions of magic."
Lucy was about to speak, but she noticed on her left that Drew finally climbed up onto the roof. He motioned for her to keep stalling as he took off his shoes and crept on him. "You're jealous of Natsu? Good. He's ten times the man you are. The women wouldn't even give you the time of day.
"I wouldn't touch any of those barbarians, even if some of them look great on my arm. "That's very old school of you," Lucy frowned. Then she gazed at Hisui, smiling softly. "Don't worry sweetie, we're gonna get you out."
"O-okay, nice lady!" The little girl quivered only to be held tighter.
"You be quiet, brat!" He looked at Lucy. "Throw down your weapons and come with me, or this little girl's is gonna be gaining a few extra muscles!"
Before he could taunt her further Drew got in range and put him in a nelson hold, knocking the memory out of his hand. "Got ya! Hisui run!"
The princess instantly rushed to Lucy's side, while Natsu immediately charged at the man. Sawarr screamed as all three were tackled off the roof. The metal Guardian screamed as she rushed over to the edge. "NATSU!" Gazing over the edge in fear, she then sighed in relief. Someone, probably either May or Gordon, had moved the giant cake outside and conveniently all three had landed on it.
Drew coughed and groaned. "No, I'm alright, Lucy, thanks for asking!" He reached down and took a piece of cake. "You know for being a bastard, this is good cake," he said to the now unconscious Duke.
An Hour later, the Junelles were being led away in handcuffs and crowd was being escorted back to their hotels.
"Ow ow, easy!" Drew groaned as Tori healed his back. "I got speared off the roof. I feel like Goldberg's most recent victim."
Tori finished her healing and carefully sat down next to him. "Well at least the party was fun while it lasted."
"Yeah, but I owe both of ya a dance," Drew said easing his way onto his feet. He watched Lucy approach holding the memory Sawarr had. It was a brown and gold-colored Gaea Memory, with a bee angled in such a way that it formed an H. "Hornet, huh? Wonder how this would have worked. Well Friedrich's gonna like this."
Toma and Hisui walked up to the three, the princess hugging Lucy's legs. "On behalf of the Fiore royal family, I humbly thank you for saving not only my daughter but all of Fiore from a potential catastrophe."
Drew hummed. "You're welcome, but catastrophe hasn't been completely been averted. This one might be done, but his benefactor is just looking for a way to ruin your country.
"I see," Toma hummed. "Perhaps we can talk more at your guild or when this calms down."
"Ask for Makarov, he can set up a meeting for us your majesty. I'm just glad everyone's okay."
"Indeed," the king said watching his daughter gush over Lucy and Natsu. "Hisui darling, say good night to your friends, it's getting late."
But I'm not…*Bwaaa* tired," the little girl yawned as she was scooped up by a guard.
"Thank you again, we'll be in touch," the king told them before turning to his carriage.
Drew sighed. "Hey Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
"Good job today," he told them. Looking around he smiled at his friends. "All of you. This could have been a disaster and we pulled off an operation like this stealthily. Maybe there's hope for more of these in the future despite your reputation."
Gajeel and Grey smirked and pounded their fists, Anabel gave Dawn a kiss on the cheek while May squeezed her little brother. "Also, Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
Drew responded by kicking him in the stomach, lifting him up by the waist and then slamming him through a table to everyone's shock. "Next time, LET ME GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He adjusted his tie. "I'm good, let's go home."
Lucy watched the group depart before kneeling down to Natsu to help him up. "For all your faults Natsu, I'd still choose you anytime."
"Thanks Luce," he said sneaking a kiss in on her. Not satisfied with the quick peck, she started making out with him.
After a few minutes, May called out to them. "HEY! LOVEBIRDS! LET"S GO!
The two broke up and giggled before Natsu scooped her up and rushed after them.
END OF CHAPTER
UO: Well that was something. So, we got two new buds to reveal. Natsu showed one, and we will show Grey's down the road.
NS: Right you are!
Natsu: Now this one is fairly unique, even among buds. One could argue that it originates from the Mystic, or the Inspired Inventor. However, rather than gaining knowledge for creating new things, Natsu has become supernaturally skilled at construction. As long as all the parts or materials are on hand, he can rapidly assemble them into the final product, whatever that may be.
UO: So ironically, he can now fix what he broke. Anyone say Lego Master?
Grey: An extremely simple, yet effective bud from the Supernatural Combat power, Grey has been granted mastery (or at least a large amount of skill) over all types of weapons.
UO: So that means he's now Erza's student. Or teacher whatever. Point is, he's got new weapons skills
Preview: As life goes on in Magnolia, a portal to another world sucks the guild away and now a new threat emerges on the other side of the mirror
Next time: A world beyond! Edolas awaits.