[FBD]

Chapter Five

[FBD]

Diabolos Fiore Branch Building, Hargeon Town

Several days had passed after Lucy's first job as a Guild Wizard was completed, and while there had been no major job requests since, things at the Branch Building remained lively as far as Diabolos went, especially after Natsu and Lucy reintroduced Wraith to Fairy Tail's Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar, who gladly requested that Skullion be allowed to represent their guild at the Guild Master's meeting in Clover Town, which was then coincidentally saved from a Dark Guild attack by the combined efforts of Legal Wizards from both Diabolos and Fairy Tail.

At the Branch Building in Hargeon, while all six members available were starting to play a card game in the afternoon, a curious looking man in his middle ages burst through the front doors with an excitable tone of voice saying. "Greetings, Wizards of Diabolos!"

Looking at the stranger with unimpressed eyes like all his friends were, Madmorl stated flatly. "Any particular reason there's a circus clown in our building?"

The newcomer could not help but fall to the ground in dismay, but he quickly got up and eagerly said. "What a marvelous joke, my good Dragon Slayers, but I am no clown." Then posing flamboyantly, he added. "I am Jose Porla, Master of the Phantom Lord Guild and one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"

Grabbing the attention of the Diabolos members that time, Jose smirked as they looked at him with eyes that were more genuinely curious than they were before.

'Great, another weird excuse for a big shot.' Skullion internally said to himself in sarcasm with his eyes rolled before responding to Jose's introduction. "Okay, Master Jose, I'll bite. What brings you here?"

Jose laughed in a mix between lightheartedness and fiendishness, and then said. "I've come here for Miss Heartfilia, Mister Raider."

Lucy could not help but give a light scream while the other members looked at each other, Jose, and Lucy herself in confusion.

Jose laughed again, even as he used his hands in a placating gesture and said to Lucy. "Oh, don't worry, Ms. Heartfilia. As a proud Wizard Saint, I have no intention of abducting you, but I am here to tell you that your father, Jude Heartfilia, is not of good health presently and wishes to see you before the unspeakable occurs. There's no sense that you two should separate completely on bad terms, after all."

Lucy appeared shocked at the news for a moment, but then turned away with a visible frown as she replied. "I don't know what to think about that, Master Jose. My father and I have never really been close, and I'm not sure he's actually sick at all."

Jose, however, ignored her sour expression. "Well, no point dawdling here, Ms. Heartfilia." Stretching out his arms, he added. "Now, if you'll please follow me."

"Hold it." Kyria interjected the moment with a blade at Jose's throat, who stepped back sweating. "In case you weren't listening, our guild member hasn't decided yet."

"Yeah, and what's all this about, anyway?" Natsu asked right after.

Sighing at the question, though grateful for Kyria's intervention, Lucy said. "I was born to a very rich and powerful man in this country, but I felt he didn't love me, so I ran away about a year ago to join a Magic Guild and go on adventures."

Turning to Jose, Happy then summarized. "And your dad hired Phantom Lord to find you."

Placating once more, but with a strained smile, Jose said. "Now, now, children, no need for violence. I'm sure Mr. Heartfilia would be happy to reward you lot for taking care of Lucy until I could properly reunite her with her true family."

Skullion smirked as he said in response. "Then it's settled." Having grabbed the eager attention of Jose and the horrified opposite from Lucy, their looks quickly reversed when Skullion added. "We'll set up a reunion between Lucy and her old man, and regardless of how it goes, she'll stay a member of Diabolos and we'll be paid for taking care of her thus far, so thank you for giving us this news, Master Jose."

"But this job was given to my guild." Jose stuttered in apprehension. "What am I supposed to get if you collect the reward yourself?!"

"Um, I'm guessing, approximately, nothing." Kyria said in an innocent way that harbored no regrets.

"Come on, people, let's go." Skullion ordered his comrades while Madmorl directed a sputtering Jose out of the building.

As Skullion led the other Dragon Slayers, plus Happy, to the train station, with Lucy thanking profusely for them giving her a chance still, Jose was left on the street slowly but surely fuming in anger.

'If it's a Guild War you foreign curs want, it's a Guild War you'll get!' Jose declared in his furious mind.

[FBD]

Not quite as epic as some people, including me, may have expected, but at least I expanded a one-shot with four extra "chapters" for a total of five.