"See that?" Evergreen Mariposa adjusted her glasses and shared a knowing look with her sister, the newest edition to the Thunder God Tribe and the newest member of Fairy Tail after Lucy. "This is what I warned you about. A lot of people around her, but mainly Natsu and Gray, can be real idiots."
Caitlin Mariposa fixed her own glasses, which were thin and round, looking rather nervously at them all. Still anxious, she reached back to touch her pink guild mark on her left shoulder blade, which was mirrored by a tattoo of a beautiful rooted tree on her right shoulder blade. In her hair was a pale pink pillbox hat with a net that lingered over the top of her glasses to the left. Several pink, ornamental butterflies were also adorning her blonde hair. Like her twin sister, she had piercing green eyes. She was wearing strappy heels, soft, striped, high waisted pants that made her seem taller (she was only 5'3'') and a long sleeved, gold lace top with a high collar. She was only just twenty, and, unlike her sister, used air magic. It was an art she was still honing, but she was glad to have finally joined up with her sister. Seeing Gray and Natsu start to argue again, however, made her question her surroundings a little. She knew nothing in Fairy Tail was normal, but this was over the top to say the least.
"Is he...stripping?" She exclaimed. "Why would be —"
"He's a weirdo," Laxus told her, his legs up against the table. "What else do you want to know? I thought you would have figured it out, given that Gramps told me you were involved in causing mass destruction with them in defeating that damn flute."
She turned pink. "Erza and I are going to have to face the Magic Council for that. Don't remind me."
"Really don't," Evergreen said, sending him an almost pleading look. "She's worried enough about what they'll do to her. She's been upset since their rep interrupted Natsu and Erza's fight."
"Come to think of it, I've been annoyed too since then," Laxus smirked. "I can't believe so much has happened in the last few hours."
"You don't need to worry," Erza said, coming up from behind them. "I'm sure we'll be lectured and nothing more. The Magic Council usually leaves Fairy Tail alone. They're only doing this as a show."
"I hope…" She mumbled helplessly. "I hope so…"
"We have to go," Erza pulled her up. "They're only being this courteous out of respect for Master Makarov."
The representative cleared their throat in annoyance, waiting for them to follow.
"Fair warning," Evergreen put in, scowling at the representative for the sake of her sister. "I can petrify the mouths of this's who insult Fairy Tail so that they can never open them again, you know."
The representative made an indignant noise but, even with the situation, Caitlin smiled at her sister and Erza tried to smirk. Laxus and the others, however, burst into laughter. They were never as subtle.
The doors burst open, startling both women on trial and the Magic Council. Siegrain crossed his arms and tried not to laugh, then shifting forward slightly and resting his face against the palm of his hand. He was amused, yes, but also transfixed by Mariposa, the accomplice charged alongside Scarlet. Of course, the others, in general, were far less amused. In fact, most of them were positively angry, feeling they were being taken lightly. It was rude, insane, and utterly disruptive. In absolute disapproval, Michello frowned at the sight. He had never seen anyone act quite so boldly before, not anyone with a sense of reason that was. Yajima, much calmer than some of his colleagues gaped in shock, unsure what to make of the scene. Belno, her face dark, stood up in indignation. Leji merely stared, too surprised to react to the situation. Crawford pursed his lips, having been about to sentence the two women and very much disliking the interruption. It was entirely uncalled for and he valued order quite highly. This was the opposite; this was nothing short of chaos. Org, a little tired, shook his head in nothing short of exasperation. Ultrear, however, smirked, leaning back a little. Whoever it was seemed drunk at best and was wearing a barrel and makeshift armor that didn't suit him in the slightest. If they looked like anything, they looked completely ridiculous.
"I'm the crazy lady in armor you old timers have been looking for!" He (yes, sadly, he being another member of Fairy Tail, Natsu Dragneel) yelled, flipping a table. "If you've got a problem with the way me and my guild do things then you can fight me!"
He ran forward and continued to break things, causing Caitlin Mariposa to bury her face in her hands and the actual Erza Scarlet to sigh in embarrassment.
"I am the all powerful Erza!" Natsu kept yelling, breaking the stand and moving closer to the council members. "If you think I was destructive before, you haven't seen nothing yet! Do you really think the stuff I destroyed is more important than the guild masters' lives?"
Crawford began to speak, something about taking the three of them out of his sight, but Belno was quicker.
"Fairy Tail must be held to account at one time or another," She said tersely. "The Eisenwald guild may have been the cause of all this destruction through Zeref's weapon, but you all did not need to make more of a mess for this Council to deal with! Have I made myself clear?"
Natsu paused, shrinking under the harrowing look Erza was giving him. He quickly nodded; there was nothing that scared him the way Erza did when she was angry. Both Erza and Caitlin apologised profusely (not only because of the Eisenwald incident but because of Natsu too) and, soon enough, feeling they had made their point, the Council members left with the exception of Siegrain. He slowly walked down from where they had been, and approached Caitlin. Erza narrowed her eyes; he was a Wizard Saint, but she had grown up with his brother. She knew it had been luck that Siegrain had been separated from his family. Jellal had always talked about his brother. He had been worried about him, wondering where he had ended up because he had never been in the tower. Erza snorted at the memory. She knew now that Siegrain had washed up on shore in Fiore, had been taken in by a wealthy family, and learned magic. He had even saved her on multiple occasions. Still, she had seen the darkness in his twin and didn't want to know if it lurked in him. She doubted it; he was too thoughtful and intellectually bound to become like his brother. Nevertheless, her bitterness towards her past remained and he, in the worst way, reminded her of it.
"I may not actually be here right now, considering that my colleagues and I don't need to be present in person for these things," Siegrain paused for a few seconds in thought and Caitlin glanced around. She had always struggled with eye contact, especially while reading people's energy the way she was now. Warmth spread through her, and she smiled. "You speak well for yourself."
"So everyone says," She replied, eyeing him for a brief moment. "Meet me in Second Cup Coffee shop in downtown Magnolia on Saturday."
He quirked a half smile. "Are you asking me on a date?"
She blushed. "Yes."
"I'll be there at eleven in the morning," He promised her, loosely embracing her. "Don't forget."
She winked. "I won't."
Natsu cast a wary look to Erza. "What the heck just happened?"
"I'm not sure," She said slowly, starting out of the courtroom with them. "But I honestly can't believe it."
The Fairy Tail Guild Hall was nothing like she had envisioned it, not in her wildest dreams. It was messy, smelled distinctly like booze, and people were fighting. For the most renowned magic guild in Fiore, it sure was laid back. Regardless, as the heiress to the throne of Fiore, Princess Hisui had to become better acquainted with the guilds. Her father was wise, wiser than anyone, and she knew full well that his advice was in good faith. Still, this was nothing like she had expected. She brushed it off, deciding she had spent too much of her life not being in the rest of the world the way normal people would be. She knew she would never be normal; she was the princess of Fiore and had the inherited responsibility that accompanied it. It was not that she was unhappy, though. She knew her position would give her the ability to do things for people she wouldn't be able to do otherwise. She knew there were people in her kingdom and in the rest of the world, for that matter, who would do anything to have her life. She was not free, however, and there was a part of her that yearned for the chance to wear whatever she wanted or to enjoy a concert or to simply have time truly for herself. Shaking her head (and relieved everyone was too preoccupied to have noticed her just yet), she stepped all the way into the guild hall and towards the upstairs. No one questioned her, likely because they didn't notice.
"Hello," Hisui said, smiling at the blonde who was relaxing in a chair near the jobs board. "I came to see Makarov Dreyar. Is he around?"
"Gramps is out," He told her, then thinking better of it when he turned to her. "I'm Laxus. The master's grandson. He should be back soon, but he wanted a break from Gray and Natsu's arguments, not to mention the salamander's insistence that he —"
"May I wait here until he returns?" She asked, her breath catching in her throat. It was strange, but the air suddenly felt rather magnetic. "Or should I come back later?"
Laxus grinned. "Feel free to stay."
"Alright," She said, sitting down next to him and extending her hand. "I'm Hisui."
He stared, absolutely shocked for a moment, and then shook her hand. Their hands lingered in the intertwined state far longer than need be, however, an electric buzz neither of them had felt before began to course through their veins. Laxus tried to tell himself it was his magic, but he knew better. This sensation was something knew, something he quivered at the thought of. By the time he let go of her hand, he realised his feelings were stronger in this moment than they ever had been for anyone, even Mirajane. It was then he understood what Evergreen had meant when she spoke of bonding. She had a special tie with Elfman, one he and she barely spoke of and yet still knew was there. Laxus could barely believe his own thoughts and, little did he know, she was feeling the same way.
"This is my first time in Magnolia," She offered with a smile. "If you can believe it. I'll be staying here for a while, to get to know the city and, of course, the guild."
Laxus nodded. "I can show you around."
She delicately twisted her hair in her hands.
"I would like that," She said. "Very much, actually."
"Tomorrow's Saturday. How about we get some coffee around eleven then?" He suggested. He knew he had a lot of nerve, but he couldn't believe he was being so bold with the princess of Fiore herself. "I'll take you to the best shop in town: Second Cup Coffee."
Hisui nodded. "Anything there in particular you recommend?"
"More than just the coffee," Laxus replied with a chuckle. "If anything, they make good doughnuts."
She sighed wistfully. "It has been too long since I last had one…"
Laxus smiled himself, but, just before he could respond, Makarov walked back into the guild hall.
"That's Gramps," Laxus told her. She stood up and started for the stairs but briefly took his hand again. "I'll see you at eleven tomorrow morning?"
Hisui laughed musically. "Don't worry," She promised, letting go of his hand. "I'll be there."