Speech "This is an example"
Thoughts "This is an example"
Word Emphasis "The word in italics has emphasis"
Sounds *Sound*
Spells "This is an example"
Dawn broke the skies over Fiore and over in the beautiful capital of Crocus, it was full steam ahead. A sudden call to all major and minor press in Fiore, including any Wizard Saints, surviving council members and people of influence, of a very important announcement to be made regarding the mysterious branch of Fiore's magic world known as The Bureau of Magical Development.
It was the first time in the countries history that the Bureau had been directly mentioned as 100% existing, for up until now anyone outside the council and royal family were simply told rumours, whispers of the unknown branch that may or may not exist, so to hear that a large announcement was to be made was truly important news.
The Bureau already have everything planned out. The venue would be the royal auditorium, with a primary interviewer already selected along with questions from the audience. Selecting the interviewer wasn't a difficult decision because it could be anyone other than the imbecile Jason from Sorcerer Weekly. Instead there was a senior publisher from Fiore Times that would handle the interview alongside Doctor Mori.
With Mori chosen to represent the Bureau and present them to the world it allowed the Director to remain in the shadows and work from a position of relative secrecy as per the norm.
Natsu was well aware of what this would mean for him, becoming the public face of the Bureau like this. He will come out of it branded in one of two ways, a respected Wizard Saint, or a heartless war fiend. Not a great 50/50 given he had been totally unknown to the world thus far but he had to play the hand he was dealt. It was simply another duty of his now.
Natsu was heading for one of the dressing rooms in the Auditorium, where Mori, Ultear and Erza were waiting. 'It's strange that Mori is spending so much time around Erza. I don't trust her.' It was natural of him to have suspicions, he had been trained to be suspicious of everything after all.
He opened the door, interrupting the groups conversation "Greetings Natsu, lovely to see you up and fully recovered! Tell me, how do the repairs feel? Is there any pain, numbness, signs of swelling or –" The mad doctor immediately became obsessed with her work yet again.
"He's fine now get lost hag!" Ultear yelled, kicking the woman in the back and opening up the way for Natsu again. "Good to see you finally, you look good…" Ultear traced his form, his stance, she could feel his magic surrounding her once again "…strong." She said in a daze
Natsu put a hand on her shoulder "I feel great, now let's get this started I'm told that's about half of the guests inside and they're starting to get everyone ready. Did you decide if you want me in my armour or not? I kinda thought the Wizard Saint cloak would give a better image." He said, lifting his arms and letting his elbows prop up the cloak hanging around him.
"No, you'll be in your armour, but don't worry about the cloak. That's the final piece to complete the look." Mori was standing next to one of the mobile cases Natsu had for his suits, once ready she opened it and revealed the brand-new suit, freshly prepared and pristine from any battle damage.
Natsu took his cloak off slowly and hung it on a nearby coat stand before undressing the rest of his clothes into a heap on the floor, once down to his underwear Natsu was handed the underlayer of the suit, an unusual bouncy material that was durable enough to support the stress Natsu subjected it to during combat and yet still able to mould itself to Natsu's body once on.
Unlike his usual underlayers it wasn't black, instead it was an almost shiny gold. Far from tactical so it was clear the look they were using for Natsu by this point. Once ready Natsu stepped into the frame of the large case and held his hands out to the side, at which point Mori summoned two helpers to begin attaching the various panels and layers of Natsu's suit. The process of donning it was a complex one and it once again gave Erza a higher appreciation for the garments.
By the time his suit was completely bolted to his body it was hard to ignore the majesty of it. The whole thing had the colour scheme of his Wizard Saint cloak, the immaculate golds and whites had been done to perfection and the final piece was simply to take the cloak and hook it to Natsu's shoulders.
Ultear had always thought Natsu looked insanely cool in his armour, but none of them seem to have the presence of this. Even the ones that had been scratched and cracked from combat didn't like up to his new Wizard Saint armour. "Well you look the part now." She said, brushing the fur lining of the cloak before resting her palm on the chest piece, just above his heart.
Painted on the spot was the famous emblem of the 10 Wizard Saints, it wasn't exactly a subtle approach to improving Natsu's popularity but it was definitely going to be an effective one "Well then, final preparations and we're on. Ultear, Erza, I believe Makarov has just arrived with a few other members of Fairy Tail, I suggest you join them promptly." Mori advised to the two girls.
Ultear stepped away from Natsu just as he was released from the frame that was holding his suit. As he slipped the helmet on and it clipped into place he gave a small nod to Ultear "It's going to be fine, this is the right thing to do for everyone."
'For everyone?' She wanted to hate how selfless he was at times. 'Yes it's better for everyone, but it's worse for you, Natsu.' There was simply no way she could bring herself to hate that side of Natsu and so the final essence of doubt that was plaguing her was pushed away and she left the room to go and join the crowd.
Once in their seats Erza was quick to greet the other members that had come with Master Makarov. "Gray, Lucy, it's good to see you again. How did things turn out with Magnolia?" Despite being stuck with the Bureau for a while, Erza was still thinking about the massive swell of Ice dangling over the town.
"Don't worry, we got it cleaned up in no time at all." Gray waved it off, instead wanting to ask about what was happening here "Anyways, what's going on? I've never seen so many reporters show up to one of these things. Not to mention that 8 of the Wizard Saints are here too." The magic in the area was tough to handle, despite all of them supressing most of their magic power.
"It's a long story but I think most people have already guessed what is happening, hence the turnout." Erza was eager to get things going, every second that people were left hanging in the dark was another second they were building all sorts of theories as to any other reasons the conference was called.
Makarov was quick to add his piece "There's been word floating around for quite some time amongst the nations Saints. Speculation of a shadow organisation working in the backlines was always a concern of ours, so naturally we would gather in numbers to see if our information was, indeed, accurate."
Before any further conversation could take place, the stage became increasingly busy and any unnecessary items or people were vacated before Marcus, the senior publisher for Fiore Times, made his way out and took a seat. The whole layout looked less like a press conference and more like a celebrity interview of some sorts, a bizarre layout but nonetheless it was transpiring according to plan.
Marcus turned to face the crowd in the Auditorium "Good evening all, I'm happy to see many esteemed Wizards in attendance today, alongside a substantial number of Fiore's best publisher teams. I would like to introduce Doctor Mori." His voice filled the room easily, with a professional introduction and excellent pronunciation as the event got under way.
Mori joined Marcus on stage, sitting opposite him and taking a small sip of water before proceeding "Thank you for that. I would like to start this off by clearing the air a bit. You have all been invited here to learn the truth of this country and its government, however it is still in the best interests of this Nation's security that aspects still remain unknown to the general public. Therefore, we will not be able to answer every question to an acceptable degree." It was painfully obvious Mori was reading that word for word, as if from a script.
She cleared her throat and adjusted her lab coat, visually uncomfortable with the scenario she had found herself in. "My name is Doctor Mori Gregarsov, Chief Medical Officer for the Bureau of Magical Development. I am speaking on behalf of our director who must remain anonymous for the foreseeable future." There, she had said it. No turning back now. Secrets out and the jig is up, the Bureau exists. No more whispers on the wind, no more secrets passing from ear to ear, it was an indisputable fact as of now.
Marcus picked up before the audience below could start bombarding questions at them "So, Doctor Mori, I would like to start our questions around the topic of the Bureau's goals. What is it the Bureau is trying to do for Fiore and her people?"
Mori almost twitched as he said that 'This bastard… He's not going off of the plan we made for him!' Mori was now having to deal with a rogue figure leading the questions, not something that would go unpunished, no chance.
"Well, the Bureau's first and foremost concern is the prosperity of Fiore, and it is because of the recent developments with the Council that we believe now is the correct time to come forwards and aid in managing the health and wellbeing of our Nation, alongside the remaining council members who are working hard to maintain order." Not a bad answer given she was caught off guard by the change in plan, but not good enough.
Marcus shot her a smug grin "Yes, but you see, what is it that you actually do to maintain security?" He knew what he was pushing for, he wanted to cut this conference short by several hours by skipping over any build-up and going straight to Natsu.
Mori could feel it to, even though he was just asking questions he was like a shark, the way he could manipulate a sentence was impressive. It was probably time that Mori stopped the goody façade she had been using up until now and gave him the blunt answers of a Scientist. "To put it simply so even you can understand, we conduct covert missions all over the world to ensure you can still sit pretty in your 5-bedroom apartment, 3316 Jotranest Road."
Marcus would have bet anything he was comfortably leading this conversation, and his competitor was never going to be able to turn the tide in her favour without throwing herself under the bus. His only mistake was not realising that Mori was one of the few people crazy enough to make it painfully clear how twisted she can be. This conversation was as close to a fight as Marcus had ever gotten, still he had to keep his composure and try and brush off the fact she had his exact address.
"My my, so the rumours are true then. Fiore does indeed have its own spy network." He tapped his chin, waiting for the inevitable cheeky retort to come.
Mori scoffed at the comment "Calling us a spy network is as far from the truth as you can get I'm afraid." She would play into Marcus's hand a bit and bring out her own trump card for the time being. "To aid me in talking a bit more about what it is we do, I would like to introduce one of our Agents." Mori extended her hand to the stage side, where Natsu was standing waiting.
He knew Mori would get him out earlier than planned because of how poorly Marcus had handled the opening segment, so it was now crunch time for him too. He let a strong breath out and began a powerful stride on stage, a distinguished thud followed every step he took, a clever ploy devised by the pair while fitting his armour to disable the magic that softened his footsteps. The trick was remarkably effective as he presented himself on stage, his stance; strong, his aura; proud and his presence; felt.
Natsu didn't take a seat next to Mori, instead he stood off centre between the two of them, his shadow looming over Marcus as he stopped next to him, his gleaming white suit was immediately being focused with camera flashes and questions. A few keen eyes in the audience had spotted the Wizard Saint cloak and emblem featured on it.
Before Marcus had a chance to think up a witty comment to make in an attempt to pull the conversation back into his playing field, Wolfheim spoke up. The distinguished Wizard Saint ranked third amongst the Four Gods of Ishgar had stood from his seat and let out a small increase in his magic, pulling the attention towards him.
"This display is shameful to what our country stands for, this thing dares wear the brand of a Wizard Saint, in the presence of almost all the remaining members no less? If he refuses to remove that mark before he tarnishes the good name of us, then I shall remove it for him." As the 3rd most powerful mage in the country, any threat made by him was one to be taken seriously. Aside from maybe God Serena, Wolfheim was the most temperamental among the Four Gods, and he was known for putting action behind his words.
Natsu shook his head in response, slowly raising his hands to his head as he undid the clips around his neck "If you want to go a few rounds I'd be more than happy to entertain you-" Natsu finished removing the locks on the helmet before pulling it off, a small jet of steam escaping as he did so "-but I'm afraid that taking out Wizard Saints has become a bit of a hobby of mine recently." He rested the helmet gently at his hip and shook his head, letting his pink hair retake it's familiar shape.
Wolfheim was at a loss, he had unintentionally pulled his hands from behind his back as he tried analysing the man on stage "But- compared to the rest of us there is remarkably little magic surrounding you! What kind of trickery is this?!" Once again his temper was flaring up but it was actually giving Natsu a reason to go on the offensive for a moment.
Natsu used his free hand to tap the chest piece of his armour "This suit is the product of years of research and development, specially designed to allow me to carry our missions of intense complexity and massively varying scenarios. Stealth is often a key aspect of that and so it does well to mask my magic signature so long as I am manually concealing it too." None of what Natsu said was false, but it was so far from the whole truth that it may as well have been a lie.
Wolfheim leaned forward, ready to ask more before Natsu raised his palm to the short man "Any further information regarding the equipment will breach confidentiality." A short and to the point method of cutting the pointed questions short.
Seeing that Wolfheim was stuck between admitting he was wrong to disrespect Natsu and calling him out as a fraud, Natsu decided to turn his attention back to Marcus who was furiously scribbling down notes on a nearby pad. Natsu sat down next to Mori, resting his helmet on the table which made a significant clanging sound as he did, pulling Marcus out of his note taking.
As Natsu and Marcus began their talks about some of the rough duties he would perform, Erza was trying her hardest to watch closely but every now and then Ultear would make a small sound or a subtle motion. Erza double checked she wasn't using the communication device in her and Natsu's arm before deciding that there may be something to learn here.
Erza leaned over closer to Ultear "Ultear, what are you doing?" She whispered, in doing so it pulled her nearby guildmates attention to the two girls' conversation.
Ultear didn't take her eyes off of the stage "I'm just watching what Natsu's doing. He's pulling that idiot Marcus over to his side every time they finish a sentence. Look watch this-" down below the conversation was still on what duties Natsu was expected to do "- in a second Natsu's going to make a joke about publishing stories, that being Marcus's job obviously. Regardless of how Marcus responds to it Natsu will nod his head at the guy, wink quickly and say 'I'll leave that to the experts'."
And as if on cue "Well I'll tell you one thing I wouldn't do, I'd never have to publish a story about someone I was on a mission for." Natsu's mouth curled into a small grin as he gave a single nod of his head and a sharp wink "I'll just leave that sort of thing to the experts, wouldn't you agree?"
Ultear had a small chuckle to herself "Textbook."
Erza was beginning to understand how good the pair had become at manipulating social situations, having the skill to read their target and getting on their good side as quickly as possible. Hearing Ultear predict Natsu's actions during a conversation that had gone wrong quite some time ago was astounding and a true testament to a skill she never expect someone to possess.
Ultear lightly waved her hand towards Natsu "See his posture? He's leaned back in the chair, almost looking relaxed but as soon as Marcus starts speaking he shifts a bit. It makes Marcus feel like Natsu considers his input important."
"Sometimes I wonder what you can't do…" Erza said as she tried to pick out the same signs Ultear was seeing in Natsu, to no real avail aside from very obvious signs but still, the importance of the information being said was still paramount.
A hand shot up from the sea of heads in the audience belonging to a young journalist from the Oshibana Bulletin "A question for Mr. Dragneel if I may?" He was a young man and sounded quite nervous when he spoke.
Natsu turned his head to face the young man "Certainly, and please just call me Natsu." He said with a dismissive hand in the air to help the mans nerves.
"I've got it here that you're actually among the ranks of Fiore's military too. Does the Bureau work for the Military? What is your relationship with the Military and the Royal Family?" The question was out of place when compared to what Natsu and Marcus were discussing about some of his early years at the Bureau but it was something he was still able to answer "Well your sources are correct, I'm one of the Colonels in our Military, although for most of the time I was kept off of the registry so someone from your team must have checked the ranked officials data today, since it only became available mere hours ago." Natsu raised a curious eyebrow pondering why they had someone from such a small paper keeping such close tabs on Military figures.
'This guy knows something… or rather someone's told him something. He's too timid to have found any real dirt on the me or the Bureau.' Natsu suspected that there was an outside source who sent this kid in to try and expose some secret about the Bureau. It just wouldn't seem right to let this go on according to whoever sent in such a nervous journalist.
"So, Mr Dra- eh, Natsu. Can we expect an accurate and detailed explanation of why you've destroyed several of the noble houses in Fiore?" His voice incredibly jittery as he threw the damaging question into the air.
Well shit. Exactly the sort of thing Natsu was hoping to avoid "I think under normal circumstances a question like that would fall under classified intelligence, but I'll come clean and tell you what happened and why I have indeed ruined many of the long-standing noble families in this Nation. It is because in the small number of years I have been an active member for the Bureau, there have been 24 different attempts to overthrow the Crown. Did you know that?"
Short answer: No. No one knew it outside of a few heads at the Bureau and the royal family. "Now for obvious reasons Fiore can't march the royal knights off to challenge a revolution in the making, so they send me. A purpose build one-man tactical force designed to dismantle the rebellion before it takes any real form and causes lasting damage to the Country. The information networks in the Bureau keep tabs on this sort of thing so that the public is kept calm over matters that would only cause unrest and divisions among the masses."
The whole room was silent, even Makarov was speechless and he had a small snippet of information already relating to such events because one of their Guilds payments was cancelled as a result of the family that hired them vanishing from the face of the Planet.
Natsu knew what he had just said would have sounded like absolute tyranny to some of the people listening to him, and felt it necessary to bring a bit of calm to the room again but he was too slow in speaking up before another journalist cut in "Are you telling me you take out the crowns political opposition? That's nonsense!"
"Never has a diplomatic party of the Crown been targeted, these families that go to extreme lengths to dodge taxes and manipulate their financial state, the one's that use their wealth only to acquire more wealth. Do you really think that's the kind of person you want storming the city streets of Crocus? People that would kidnap a young girl and hold her hostage to gain power?" There was emotion behind his words as he slowly began to peel back 'Colonel Dragneel, Agent of the Bureau.' And a much more honest 'Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail Wizard' was making his way to the surface.
"Also it's worth pointing out that 70% of the funds taken from the family after they've been stripped of lands and entitlements have gone to the public. Recent tax cuts are a direct result of that, for your information. Some of these houses have been converted into Orphanages and emergency shelter for the homeless, none of which cost the public a penny!" His voice was beginning to grow louder as he rose to a tall stance
"We're not just some network of undercover monsters, we don't creep about at night and watch over you in your sleep! We do what is necessary to keep this Nation and her people safe. Why don't you put that in your sources and see what they think about these greedy nobles being imprisoned, eh?!"
Game set and match. Natsu had practically cemented the Bureau's future with the common taxpayer after that story. Just how much money had the Bureau been able to pump back into the economy from the 1%. It almost sounded like a certain children's story about a bird wearing head gear.
The journalist that had called Natsu tyrannical was left standing still, his mouth planted firmly next to a large slice of humble pie as he was left totally speechless. And can he really be blamed? No-one dared try and make Natsu look like the bad guy in that scenario, not without solid proof of any wrongdoings ahead of time that went against his accusations.
Ultear was one of the few people present aware of just how intense Natsu's hearing was, and in the faintest of whispers she uttered "Show them the Natsu I've come to know."
Natsu caught the tiny noise clear as day, as if she had said it in his ear amidst an empty room, he once again had Ultears support and he knew what she meant "I know I'm not perfect, nor the Bureau. I won't pretend we are." He directed his hand to Mori who was still sitting idle, letting Natsu do all of the talking from here on out "This woman has done unspeakable things, as have I and many others!" His eyes turned to Ultear briefly as he said it
"But we did all of it to give the people of this Nation a good life, free of fear and foreign threats. We let the authorities and Wizard Guilds handle internal issues while we at the Bureau have managed to put Fiore in a bubble of security and prosperity when compared to our neighbouring counties, I hope you all can understand why I had to do, the things that I've done." The compassion present in his speech was astounding, every word had a weight behind it, every mention of action had momentum and power from just how strongly he believed in it.
A small smile graced Ultears face, hearing the man she had come to know- no. The man she had come to love, against all odds, he had come out on top of this horrible scenario and it was through semi-legitimate means and whole truths.
"If there are any further questions I will answer them now." It was clear he wanted this over with now, it hadn't been too long since the conference started, but certainly long enough. Wrapping everything up and disappearing back into the shadows for a bit would do Natsu a world of good.
Following his closing statement there was plenty of questions in the air;
"Where have you operated?"
"Who are our enemies?"
"What magic do you use?"
"When did you start working for the Bureau?"
Etc. Most of them he couldn't answer and explained so in as polite a way as possible, but for those he could answer it would make headlines in one way or another, and he continued to answer the various enquiries as honestly as he could until finally, enough was enough.
The whole ordeal was exhausting beyond comprehension 'They're like vultues!' He thought to himself, picturing the ravenous Journalists picking away at every scrap of info they could get from him.
His exit from the auditorium was deliberately flashy and he didn't leave any room for them to catch him at the exit, instead opting to fly straight out with a large burst of flame and a pretty expensive crack in the pristine marble floor of the main stage. A fairly decent OUCH for the ol' bank.
"He'll just have gone to his manor again. We should join him before this lot turn on Fairy Tail members to squeeze out any extra information you lot might have on Natsu, so let's vamoose!" Ultear was quick to begin shoving the enthralled members of the guild towards the nearby fire exit. Much more conspicuous than taking the main exit in her experience.
Mori was left alone on the stage facing the horde of hungry reporters, thankfully given how Marcus had thrown the schedule out the window right from the get go, she was yet to play the recording of Natsu's mission and decided that she could use that to make her timely escape also.
"As expected there is a lot that remains unanswered, but we wanted to show you all this to hopefully display some of the skills and abilities our Agents are capable of. We will be sure to continue providing information where possible but for now, we need to consolidate what has been discussed already." She motioned her hand off stage to signal the crew to pull up the Lacrima that would show the recording.
Before any more notepads were pointed at her, she quickly left once it started playing 'Animals…' She rolled her eyes and made for the main exit, throwing her lab coat back on once she was at the doors.
Back at Natsu's manor he had arrived a great deal earlier than everyone else and was already out of his armour, leaving it neatly on the racks in his basement. Meanwhile the workers were busy preparing the various guest rooms and several meals in preparation for Team Erza and co.'s arrival.
A young maid approached him quickly "Master Dragneel, a messenger from the Royal Palace has arrived. They wish to speak with you. They're currently waiting in the main reception hall."
"C'mon Sheila, I've told everyone 100 times, just call me Natsu." He looked down at the young girl who was still beaming at him "I'll be down in a moment. Fetch them some tea, if you wouldn't mind?" He still didn't like the feeling of having so many people tend to him when at the Manor, but it always made them feel a bit better when they get the rare chance to look after Natsu or his guests. So for the small number of nights that he spends here, letting them do their bit was fine with Natsu.
"Certainly." And she soon vanished back into the maze of corridors.
Natsu was stuck deep in thought about the days events and what it really meant for him. There was so much that was meant to happen and yet it didn't. So many things there weren't supposed to take place and yet he was reeling from the effects of it. 'The Bureau won't like how poorly their plan went down. They'll have some cleaning up to do in the backlines, starting with that Marcus guy.'
He stood to attention in front of a massive mirror, his arms like steel beams at his side, feet planted like a tent spike and the focused gaze he had been trained to hold. For the first time in a long time, he struggled to look at himself without feeling dregs of confusion creep up on him. Confusion about what lay ahead of him and what he can do to make it better.
"I thought once I got back to Fairy Tail my work for the Bureau would slow down, but this incident with the tower of heaven has only escalated it." His tense posture faded slowly and relaxed away toward a more civilian style.
This wasn't something he could think on forever, especially not when there's someone to see him downstairs so for the moment he pushed the confused notions to the back of his head and continued as professionally as he could as he headed off to meet the Messenger.
As Natsu arrived in the hall, the rest of Fairy Tail's members converged at almost the same time, but Natsu and the messenger were already discussing matters when the doors opened.
The two men from the Palace turned to see who had interrupted them, but instead were quick to acknowledge someone else among the group "Master Makarov, a pleasure to meet you. We are from the Royal Palace, here to discuss matters regarding some recent dark guild activity on behalf of the remaining council members. We would appreciate it if you join us for a moment."
'Can't an old man rest for 5 minutes?' The matter sounded urgent, otherwise they wouldn't come bother Natsu immediately after the conference was finished. "Very well." He grumbled out as he took a seat with the small group formed around a table.
The messenger continued from where he and Natsu had left off "The actions by the Balam Alliance can be tolerated no further. With the recent attack on the council, it leaves us too vulnerable to not take action. We are forming an Allied Coalition of guilds to take action against Oracion Seis. Fairy Tail, Cait Shelter, Blue Pegasus, and Lamia Scale will send a force of powerful mages, under the instruction of Wizard Saint Jura Neekis. If Natsu accepts then it shall be two Wizard Saints taking part in the attack-" The messenger was cut off abruptly as a hand passed in front of him
"I'm in!" Natsu said with a confident grin. Exactly what he had been waiting for. Wizard business away from the Bureau. No foreign politics, no high-level espionage, none of the usual bullshit that would drag him down.
By no means was Natsu underestimating his opponent, they had built a strong force and had become a serious threat to Fiore's Wizarding Infrastructure, but it was a welcome change from his usual work.
The messenger, failing to show how excited he was that Natsu had accepted, resumed his speech with a bit more glee than before "Wonderful news! The other 3 guilds in your group have already accepted so should Master Makarov agree so dispatch a team of Fairy Tail wizards, then all preparations shall be sent to the Guild Masters within a few days." He quickly turned to the wise old Master to hear his response.
Makarov tapped his chin slowly "Fairy Tail wouldn't be the guild it is today if we denied a request for help. We would be more than happy to assist in the operation." Fairy Tail was a fantastic guild, even without Makarov's input. The youngsters he had worked so hard on keeping safe were soon going to surpass him. He had somewhat anticipated Erza, Mira and Laxus as near future candidates but after recent developments, the powerful Master found 2 new candidates to join his single remaining one.
Erza, Natsu and Ultear. 2 of which were possibly stronger than him, one of which wasn't but soon would be. Natsu's full strength was well known by this point, he had almost killed himself twice fighting two Wizard Saints. And yes, while Makarov knew he could have ended the fight with Jose faster than Natsu, it was unclear as to whether or not he would have been able to hand Jellal before the speed and power presented by the young bluenette overpowered Fairy Tails elderly Master.
Ultear was a partial mystery. Her impressive use of Arc of Time in combination with superb Re-Quip skills made her a formidable foe, but information on her actual 1v1 abilities were mostly unknown. Further studies would be required.
After the tremendous dinner at Natsu's manor, he found some time to himself out on one of the many balconies of the spectacular building. He rested with his elbows pressed against the marble, cooled by the night breeze that wisped through the surrounding forest. A deep breath through his nose let him take in some of the pine, some of the floor, some of the animals, as much of nature as he could get.
The open balcony door was knocked across the frame "Yo, got a minute?" The familiar voice of Gray crossed Natsu as he pulled himself away from the great outdoors.
" 'course, what's happening?" His casual reply was far less confrontational than usual, thankfully, because it was a rare occasion that Gray wanted the pair to get serious.
Gray struggled with the words, it was never his area of expertise but after hearing Natsu at the conference it only seemed right for him to offer such words "Y'know Natsu, we all missed you. Ever since we realised you weren't coming back the guild was never the same."
Ah yes, this topic. One Natsu had been waiting to hear yet wanting to avoid. His conflicted feelings weren't conveyed however and Gray continued. "I- eh, I got stronger in case we ever found you. There were times where I almost sacrificed myself, out on Galuna Island and as I prepared to give my life to take our enemies… I could hear you -I think, I dunno- but it sounded like you stopped me. It made me tackle my challenges the right way."
Gray's story was odd. It served very little meaning other than to get some oddities into the air and see if Natsu could explain any of it, if he had any answers that supported what Gray had felt for so many years.
Sadly however, Natsu wasn't in conscious control of any of that "I appreciate the concern mate, but I've never even heard of Galuna Island, let alone helped you fight on it." A lie. Of course he knew about Galula Island. An entire land mass where people thought they were demons, obviously the Bureau investigated it, but they had left almost a year before Gray arrived.
"Gray, you've done well defending the guild up until now, and I know you'll only get stronger!" Natsu's confidence resonated through Gray "But for now, we should focus on the guild, and nothing but. You get me?"
Gray smiled at the army-esque response from Natsu and replied with a mocking "We get you, Sir!" in a forcibly deepened voice.
The following morning Mori burst through the doors to Natsu's manor "LOOK AT THIS!" She bellowed "Popularity up 83%, charity donations are through the roof, almost 760% above our previous disguised input!" She looked around the empty hall to see no-one present to listen to her "NATSU!" The scientist shrieked, her call echoing through the halls and directly into Natsu's hyper-sensitive ears.
After the conversation with Gray he had apparently had quite a bit to drink because he never once recalled getting to bed, much less with Ultear stuck to him like a stamp on a letter. 'I can't wake her…' The woman clinging to him was still firmly asleep, and so he decided to flick his finger and summon a thin stream of fire he could direct through the house.
The small flaming tendril weaved it's way through corridors and down the stairs to where Mori was standing bellowing before flicking her in the forehead
"What the?!" The woman exclaimed, turning to see the fiery appendage before realising what he was doing "Oh…" she let out just before Natsu chucked the crazy person through the front door and re-called his stream of fire to him. All without disturbing Ultear who was still curled up to him.
'I know what you want, Ul. I just hope someday I can give you what it is you're after…'
Whether or not that day would eventually come was a mystery to Natsu, but maybe the Journalists of Fiore had different ideas about Natsu's love life.
A/N: Whoo that one sucked to write but I hope this chapter will serve its purpose! I'm going to take a short while before I start my next chapter so I can enjoy the Holidays a bit. I hope everyone is safe and with loved ones over the festive period.
Thanks so much for the support and feedback, I'm always looking for more so if you have anything to say don't hesitate.
Sincerely,
ShesTheBoss19