*August's POV*

Leaving Violet behind might have been a trick to make her talk to Natsu, but now I was glad I had. As soon as we walked through the door to the guild hall, I knew that something was wrong. The way the other members turned to look at us...the way Lucy seemed to tense beside me. I knew if she, who always seemed so comfortable within the walls of the guild hall, was noticing that something was off, I wasn't just over exaggerating. I scanned the room carefully, trying to figure out what the source of all the strange reactions could be.

Then I saw him.

Standing near the bar, talking in low voices with the master was a looming mass of what appeared to be entirely mussel. A long coat trailed from lightning blond hair and broad shoulders. Happy and Lucy both glanced back at me before walking farther into the hall. After a moment's hesitation, I followed. Where else was I meant to go? I had left to give Natsu and Violet privacy. I couldn't just go running back to them now. Even if I wanted nothing less than to go hide under a rock.

I followed Lucy and Happy deeper into the guild hall. As if noticing the sudden tension, Laxus broke off his conversation mid sentence, turning to look at us. To look at me. And still Lucy and Happy marched on, heading all the way up to the master.

"Welcome back." he called. But his eyes didn't quite match his tone. "Did you lose Natsu and Violet along the way?"

"They stayed back to talk." Happy announced.

"Ah," the master nodded, his eyes sliding over to me. "I see."

Lucy went on to explain how the job had gone, warning him of the letter the woman from the school had promised. The entire time, Laxus was looking down at me, as though trying to draw out my soul via sheer force of will. It took all I had not to shrink under his gaze. I stared straight ahead, pretending to be engaged in the master;s words. Pretending not to notice.

How much had Laxus been told? Did he know who I was? What I had come to do? I highly doubted that he stared at all the guild's new recruits like this. He hadn't introduced himself yet. Was it because he knew I had already researched him? I knew it only made sense for the master to tell him about us, he had been on the kill list after all. I knew that in theory he deserved to know...but the way he was looking down at me…

"Well I suppose there's nothing we can do about it now," the master said once Lucy finished explaining what had occurred on the job. "Who knows maybe some of those kids will pursue magic despite their teacher."

Just as Lucy and Natsu had said...he wasn't mad at all. But that was the least of my problems now.

The master's eyes flicked back to me, and then up to Laxus. I looked away, wanting plausible deniability of their silent communication.

"I suppose an introduction is in order." the master said. "Laxus, this is one of our new members, August."

I glanced between the two of them. surely this wasn't his first time hearing about me. The lack of response confirmed my suspicions. I'd have to ask Violet to do a reading later to make sure.

Realizing that neither man was going to respond, I took it upon myself. "It's good to meet you, my sister and I joined a few weeks ago...thought I guess you already knew that." dared a glance at him, trying to figure out exactly how much he knew, but his face gave nothing away, I looked away under the pretense of a bow. "I'll be in your care."

"Likewise." the older man said coldly, then after a glance at his grandfather, "The Raijinshuu and I've been out of a long hall job. Thought I guess you already knew that too."

Was that supposed to be a hint?

"Shame I couldn't have met you earlier, things might have been different."

I shiver ran down my spine. Laxus and the master were definitely working together on this.

Before I could think of anything else to say, I heard the door to the guild hall open behind me. I felt my heart sink. Violet was about to walk right into this mess. I looked over to Lucy, pleading for her to help me. She nodded and then disappeared into the crowd, walking in the direction of the door. At least she could break the news to Violet before she too was face to face with what would have been our job's greatest challenge. What might still be our greatest challenge now.

Laxus and the master both watched Lucy go, a moment later Happy gave a hasty farewell and and fluttered out of sight. So much for power in numbers.

Laxus was still looking down at me in a way that made my skin crawl. I turned my eyes to the master. His gaze was no less piercing, but at least it was familiar. It felt paranoid to say that they were ganging up on me, but whatever way I looked at it, that was what I saw.

"I should be going," Laxus said. "I've been on the road for a while now. I want a shower."

I struggled not to show my relief.

"But I'll be at the Moon Glow restaurant tonight at eight," he added. "I want you to join me."

I only had enough time to feel my heart sink before he turned with a flick of his cloak and waded through the crowd and out of the guild hall. A glance at the master gave me no reassurance, and I turned back to the bulk of the hall, trying to accept that I had a dinner date with the one man who was of the most danger to me.