Makarov stood before Gajeel, Juvia, and Flare. He slowly paced back and forth in his office, while Mirajane stood off to the side, watching. Gajeel's team waited for the master to say something, as they had been standing there for a few minutes now. They stood silently, not saying anything. They occasionally exchanged glances, and wondered what Makarov was going to say. During Makarov's pacing, Flare coughed. He stopped and turned his attention to her. Flare blinked, and then smiled.
"Something funny?" Makarov said.
"Uh, no." she said, and stopped smiling. He continued looking at her, and then to the others as well, and back to Flare.
"Yesterday, when you were with Wally, what exactly were you going to do?" he asked. "And don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about." Flare exchanged another glance with Gajeel, and then looked back to Makarov.
"We… I was going to burn him." she said.
"Why?" Makarov said.
"We were trying to get information out of him." She confirmed. Mirajane frowned.
"Did you try talking to him first?" Mirajane said.
"Yeah, but he didn't want to answer." Flare said. "I was just gonna burn him a little, scare him. People talk more when they're scared." Mirajane just frowned more deeply.
"Maybe you should have tried harder to talk with him." she said. "The master and I almost had him talking before the rune knights showed up. You guys can be kind of scary with the way you talk to people. Maybe you should have let us handle it to start with instead."
"This is a load of crap." Gajeel interjected. Juvia eyed him nervously.
"Gajeel…" she said.
"No, listen." He said. "We were just trying to get information to help this guild and stop our enemies. That's the important thing, right? He was a prisoner of war, we were getting information out of him."
Makarov looked at Gajeel seriously, contemplating his next words. "It is true that we need more information. And its good you were able to bring him back alive, even if we ended up losing him. I'm not disagreeing with that." He paused, and rubbed his head. "But the methods that you used were a little extreme. Granted, desperate times call for desperate measures, but I don't think we're that desperate just yet. More to the point, you should have asked permission before doing something like that. I don't like you bringing a prisoner back to this guild and interrogating them like that without even telling me."
"Alright, so next time we won't bring them back here when we interrogate them." Gajeel said. Makarov scowled. "Hey, it was a joke." Gajeel said.
"A joke. Hmph. Despite your issues, I will say that you three do seem to work well as a team. Since you work together so well, I'm giving you an assignment. I want you to go to a town several miles from here, and help them."
"Are they being attacked by the Shadow Kings' forces?" Juvia said.
"Good guess. Actually, the town is already occupied just like Oshibana, and there is a resistance there. You're going to help them."
"Because things turned out so well at Oshibana." Gajeel said sarcastically.
"This time will be different. You're not going there to talk. And this isn't a job you're being hired for either. You're going there to capture someone from the enemies' forces. Just like you did before."
"To be honest, that was an accident." Juvia said. "We didn't plan on it."
"Regardless, I want you to do it again." Makarov continued. "Except this time, make sure the magic council doesn't find out."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Gajeel said. All three of them wanted to ask, Gajeel just said it first.
"I'm sure you'll think of something. There are plenty of other mages you can ask for help, provided they're not too busy. I'll give you further details on this mission later. You don't have to leave for a few days, so you'll have some time to prepare."
Flare raised her hand at this point. "Question: this is one of those things where I have to help the guild, right? I can't just say no."
"You're damn right." Makarov said. "If Fairy Tail goes on the attack, you join in. That was the deal. Unless you can find someone else to take you in."
"No, I'll join." Flare said, less than enthusiastically. She then tilted her head a little. "Not even going to wish us luck?"
"Oh yeah! Good luck you guys!" Mirajane said cheerfully.
Juvia, Flare, and Gajeel all filed out of Makarov's office. They shut the door behind them and walked down the hallway until they got some distance from the room. Juvia then spoke up.
"I thought that went better than expected."
"Sure, we get to go on another dangerous mission." Flare said. "Except this time we don't get paid, Blueberry." Flare's words sounded like a complaint, but she didn't sound annoyed when she said it. She appeared to be staring off into space, half paying attention.
"I told you not to call me that." Juvia said, sounding more annoyed than Flare did.
Gajeel just stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. "Its fine by me." He said. "I already got paid, and we get to kick those bastards' asses. I just hope we can get one of the big guys in charge."
"Or big woman." Flare said, smirking. Juvia sighed.
"What's your problem?" Gajeel said to Juvia. "You know, I'd expect the master to chew us out over what happened, but you could've backed us up. If we're going to be a team, we need to be on the same page."
Juvia looked down, considering this. "I do want us to be on the same page. Its just…" Juvia walked over to the edge of the corridor, looking out at the main hall. There were a bunch of mages sitting out there, including one in particular she was looking at. "Gray wouldn't have gone along with it." She looked at the man in question, who was sitting at a table, not noticing her. Gajeel rolled his eyes.
"Here we go again." He said. "It had been a few days since you brought him up. I thought maybe you'd finally gotten over him. Guess not."
"Of course I haven't 'gotten over him'. I've just been giving him space. That's what he wants, right? Maybe then he'll start to miss me."
"Uh-huh." Gajeel said. "So, you're basing all your decisions on what he would think?"
"No." Juvia said defensively. "I mean, that is part of it, but I have my own opinions too. Its complicated." Juvia sighed again, and looked back at Gray. "I just wonder… sometimes its like he doesn't even notice me." At this point Flare walked up beside Juvia, and looked at Gray. Flare tilted her head.
"Maybe he's gay." Flare said in Juvia's ear. Juvia turned to Flare, looking both annoyed and incredulous.
"Gray is not gay! I mean, he can't be, because we're meant to be together. And stop looking at him!" Juvia, flustered, walked off away from them. Flare and Gajeel now stood alone at the edge of the hall.
"I think you made her mad." Gajeel said, grinning.
"Look who's talking." Flare said.
Gajeel folded his arms, watching Juvia leave. "You know, I wasn't expecting that you'd be easier to get along with than Juvia. No offense."
"None taken." Flare said.
"Maybe teaming with her isn't working out." He said, thinking aloud.
Flare tilted her head back towards him. "She's powerful, Gajeel. I've seen her magic."
"I know what she can do."
"Smart too. When she's not thinking about Mr. Frosty."
"Look, I know she can be useful. It's just…"
"You didn't want to work with me either, right?" Flare said, smiling at him. "Just wait and see."
Gajeel closed his eyes, and chuckled a little. "Okay, yeah. Let's just hope this works out."
Flare nodded, and then went back to staring into space. Gajeel watched her a moment. He felt that she was one of the strangest people he ever met. To his surprise though, he realized that he didn't dislike her.
"Flare?" he said. She turned her eyes sideways to look at him, without moving her head. She said nothing, waiting for him to speak. Gajeel opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. He chuckled and just said, "Never mind. See you later." She again didn't say anything, but just gave a small wave as he walked off.
Lisanna was again flying through the air, this time in her harpy form instead of her bat form. She decided that she didn't want to advertise her newer forms too much, in case she needed the element of surprise later. She suspected that she would. It was an overcast day in the valley, with a light rain. If it were heavier, she wouldn't be able to fly.
After flying for several minutes, she found who she was looking for. It was Alrace, who was sitting in what appeared to be ruined grey walls. It had probably been a small structure in the past, although she couldn't guess what its former purpose was. It no longer was usable as any sort of building, but could still offer some privacy. As she looked down at him, Lisanna almost got the impression that Alrace was hiding. She gently landed on top of one of the ruined walls.
"Hi Alrace, its me." She said. He suddenly looked up at her. She didn't mean to startle him, but he looked a little alarmed. "Sorry." She said.
"L-Lisanna." He said. "You shouldn't… I'm not supposed to see you. Please, someone will see."
Lisanna felt confused. She jumped off the wall landing on the ground inside the walls, and shifted back to her normal form. "Okay, no one will see me now. What's going on? Did something happen?"
Alrace still looked worried, and looked around the opening in the walls to see if anyone was around.
"I think we're alone." She said. He turned back to her.
"Lisanna, Boudica said I can't talk to you, or Natsu. She was mad."
"Oh? Mad at you? Or me?"
"Mad at me, yes. She hurt me."
Lisanna frowned. "Hurt you? Why?"
"Ser-Seray-iiss" he started saying.
"Seraiisa?" Lisanna offered. Alrace nodded.
"Yes. And her brother. They saw me. Leaving the other night. They told, told Boudica. She came for me. Warned me." He appeared pained as he said this.
"Oh." Lisanna responded. She stood there for a minute, unsure what to say. She hadn't expected this. I guess I should have though, she thought. "Alrace, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I guess I'll avoid you from now on, if that's what you want."
"I… don't want. Boudica does." He said.
Lisanna was silent for another moment. "There's something I need to tell you. Can you keep it a secret?" She felt she owed it to him to tell him. He nodded slowly.
"Natsu and I are planning to escape." She said this in a low voice, although she didn't think anyone was listening. "Real soon. But don't worry, I won't ask you to help. I wouldn't want you risking anything. You'll be safe here. Once we're gone, things will go back to normal here, and she should leave you alone."
Alrace looked at her for a second, and then slowly shook his head. "Please, don't." he said.
"I'm sorry, but we have to go. I know this is sudden, but-"
"Please don't leave me." He said. "Take me with you."
Lisanna hadn't expected this. "Uh… take you with us? Isn't this place your home?"
"No. My home, my home is gone. This isn't home. Want to leave."
Lisanna tried to think of a response. "Alrace, this will be very dangerous. To be honest, I can't even guarantee that me and Natsu will make it out. We have to try though. You don't."
Alrace got up, and walked towards her. He shivered a little. "Please. Take me with you. Can't stay." She looked at him, and he looked so unhappy. She felt taking him would be a bad idea, and would make things harder and more dangerous. But…
"Alright. I'll take you. We will." She said. He looked up.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Promise?" he asked. Lisanna hesitated.
"I… I promise. We'll take you. But remember, this is very risky. We could all die."
He stood up a little straighter. "You, Natsu, are nicer to me than anyone else, anyone here. I live or die with you."
Really? She thought. We're nicer to him than anyone else? Lisanna thought this was sad. She had always tried to be nice to him, had enjoyed his company, and even came to consider him a friend, but she still wasn't especially close to him. Maybe he felt differently though. He must be more lonely than she thought.
"Okay." She said. "I'm still working on the plan, but I'll let you know what's happening as soon as I've figured it all out. So, I'll see you then."
"Thank you." He said sincerely.
Several hours had passed, and it was late into the afternoon. The Fairy Tail guild hall was lively again, despite diminished numbers. Despite (or perhaps because of) the gloomy weather, mages in the guild were talking and drinking. Juvia was sitting at a table with Lucy, Levy, and Evergreen. Initially Juvia had walked in and saw Lucy and Levy sitting together, and asked to join them. Then, as Evergreen was happening by, Juvia invited her to sit down too. Juvia was somewhat insistent on it. She said that she wanted someone to talk to that night, and her team was not an option, so she decided to find some other girls to talk to instead. Juvia started with small talk, but quickly moved on to complaints.
"So, are you complaining about Gray, or your team?" Evergreen asked.
"Both, I guess." Juvia said glumly. "Gray acts like I don't exist. And my team… It can be frustrating working with them. They always seem like they're on the same page about how to do things, and I feel like I'm on a different chapter. It wouldn't be so bad if they would at least ask my opinion."
"Well, Gajeel isn't the friendliest guy around." Lucy said. "And I don't really know Flare, but she seems…"
"Weird?" Levy said.
"Yeah. They're not the easiest people to get along with."
"Neither is Juvia." Evergreen murmured.
"What?" Juvia said to Evergreen.
"Nothing."
Juvia just sat there and folded her arms, looking sad and frustrated. She moaned a little, and started muttering about Gray. Fortunately, he wasn't there to hear.
"If it helps, Lucy and I were actually doing some research for the mission your team is going on." Levy said. "You'll be going to a town not too far off from here, that's a popular trading port. Apparently, its currently being occupied by Lord Yoshimoto's samurai."
"I'm sure Flare will be thrilled to hear that." Evergreen said.
"Yeah, she seemed pretty shaken up after the last time." Lucy said. "Can't blame her."
"Hmm. Will Yoshimoto himself be there?" Juvia asked.
"That we don't know." Levy said. "I'll let you know if we find out anything else." Juvia nodded.
"Okay. Thanks, that does help." She said. She still looked distracted though.
"You know, if you want, I could ask the master if I could go with you." Lucy said. "I don't really have any jobs to do right now, except for researching."
"Hmm, there's an idea." Juvia said. "I could ask Gray if he wants to come with us. Make it a four-person team."
"Never mind." Lucy said.
Just then, Elfman walked up to the table, looking straight at Evergreen.
"Hey, Ever. You ready?" he said.
"Are you two going on another date?" Levy asked.
"Of course we are." Evergreen said. At first, she was apprehensive about dating someone like Elfman, but she decided she didn't care what other people thought. She looked at him lovingly. "We're going to have a wonderful evening, right Elfman?"
"Damn right." He said, as Evergreen got up to join him.
"Gee, how nice." Someone else said. Everyone at the table turned to look. It was Bickslow, watching them. "You know, we were supposed to go visit Freed at the hospital tonight. And last week. Are you really going to bail again?"
Evergreen stood there, taken aback. "Bickslow, I… I'm not bailing, I'm just going on a date."
"Oh, so does that mean you're going to go tomorrow? Or the day after?" he asked. Everyone was just watching the scene. Elfman was confused, and the other girls sat at the table awkwardly, unsure what to say or do, or if they should do anything. Nobody had expected Bickslow to show up and confront Evergreen like this.
"Well… I don't know." She said.
Bickslow snorted. "I knew it. Looks like I'm the only one who gives a damn."
Evergreen's face changed to an expression somewhere between hurt and anger. "That's, that's not fair. I just think at some point we need to accept that he isn't waking up. I need to move on with my life."
"Oh, that's nice. So, what if he wakes up, and you've 'moved on'?"
"Can we talk about this some other time, in private?" Evergreen said.
"No, I think right now's good." Bickslow said, arms folded.
"If he wakes up, I'll be there immediately. Until then…"
"Until then, you'll just forget him and go on dates with your dumb boyfriend, and gossip with the girls. You're selfish."
Before Bickslow stopped speaking Elfman quickly walked toward him and got in his face. "Hey, that's enough." Elfman said. "A real man wouldn't talk to a lady like that. Especially when he's supposed to be her friend."
Bickslow snorted again. "Back off, cave man. I'm not someone you want to mess with."
"Want to bet?" Elfman said. He began preparing a transformation, and Bickslow likewise began summoning his dolls.
"Please, stop!" Lucy said. By this point everyone had gotten up from the table and backed away.
"Maybe I can use my water magic to separate them." Juvia said. Nobody seemed to hear her though. Bickslow smiled, and Elfman roared. Elfman threw a punch, smashing a table. Bickslow's dolls flew around him, preparing a charge. Something suddenly landed in between them, scattering the dolls. It was Mirajane, in her demonic form.
"That's enough!" she said, more loudly than she usually talks. That, combined with her distorted voice, caused everyone to momentarily stop what they were doing. Mirajane stood between Elfman and Bicklsow after they had already prepared for a fight.
"Believe me Mira, he deserves a pounding." Elfman said.
"I heard what you two were saying." She said. "Everyone did."
"I'm not the one who's wrong here, damnit." Bickslow said. He fired a shot past Mirajane hitting Elfman. Elfman roared and charged. Mirajane stopped Elfman with one hand, and with the other grabbed Bickslow by his collar and lifted him off the ground.
"I said that's enough!" Mirajane said, yelling this time. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will if I have to."
"You're not the master, you can't tell me what to do." Biscklow said, still in her grasp. Mirajane threw him several feet. He landed on the floor, sliding a couple more feet from the momentum.
"I'm not the master." She said. "He's not here though, so I'm in charge until he gets back."
Bicklow stumbled back to his feet, gritting his teeth. He looked as though he would attack again. "Try it." Mirajane said, powering up. After a moment, Bickslow backed down. "Bickslow, get out of here for a while, and go cool off somewhere."
"Tch. Figures you'd take their side." He said. He quickly walked out of the guild. Mirajane resumed her normal form. She turned back to Elfman and Evergreen.
"He was being a jerk, but someone should be the bigger person." She said.
"I wasn't going to let him talk to Evergreen that way." Elfman said.
"I know." Mirajane sighed. "Look, I know fights break out here sometimes, but this seemed more personal than usual. I felt like this was going to get pretty ugly if I didn't step in."
"It already got ugly." Evergreen said sadly. "Sorry Elfman, we can have the date some other night. I'm not in the mood."
"Sure. If that's what you want." He said quietly. They both departed, as Mirajane watched them go. She didn't say anything further, just looked a little sad. Then, she too left, leaving behind Lucy, Levy and Juvia.
"Wow." Lucy said.
"You said it." Levy said. "That really went from zero to a hundred, didn't it?
Juvia, in a low voice, leaned over to them and said, "I know this isn't the best time to say this, but suddenly I don't feel as bad about my own team anymore."
"Here I am." Lisanna said to herself. She stood outside Sael's tower. It was well into the evening, but not so late she would expect him to be asleep. She came to this tower for a specific reason. She wanted to ask for Sael's help. She didn't know if this was a good idea. She didn't know how he would react. She did know that he seemed fond of her. He had been kind to her, and had even created the harpy machines in her image. However… He was also one of the Shadow Kings. She didn't plan to ask him to leave with her and Natsu (and Alrace) or anything. But even just asking for his help in escaping…
Lisanna took a deep breath. "And here I go." She walked up to the front door, and knocked on it. "Hello?" She had considered flying up to the window again, but decided against it. She wanted to start this talk off right. Assuming there would be a talk. She looked up at the imposing structure. It didn't seem bad in the daylight, but at night there was something a little ominous about it. The rain had passed over the valley by that point, but it was still very cloudy. The lack of moonlight made everything very dark. She could barely see more than a few feet in front of her, and it made being outside a little tense. Looking up, she wondered if Sael was up there, at the top. She knocked again. She heard a mechanical sound, and almost jumped. The door in front of her opened on its own, making a racket as it did so. Looking in, Lisanna didn't see anyone inside.
Lisanna cautiously entered the tower. She had expected someone to answer the door. If not Sael himself, then one of his… servants? Employees? She wasn't sure how to think of them. "Hello? Is anyone here?"
"Hello, Lisanna." A voice said. Lisanna looked around. It sounded like Sael, but she didn't see anyone.
"I am speaking to you through a speaker system." He said. "I'm on the top floor. You can come up. I think that would be easier than me coming down to you."
"O-okay." She said. Lisanna moved towards the stairs, and started ascending. As she climbed, she reflected that she was taking a risk being there. But she didn't really have any better ideas, given the limited time frame. There were only a few days. As Lisanna climbed, she briefly stopped and looked at the floors, and the people working. They noticed her, but didn't stop their tasks. As she climbed, she came to one floor that featured some kind of medical device. There was a woman, hooked up to a machine that seemed to be breathing for her. She appeared conscious, but unable to move. If she was aware of Lisanna, she didn't show it. Lisanna decided not to stay and stare, and proceeded climbing.
Lisanna reached the top of the stairs, finding the room with the machines against the walls, and various oddments and experiments. She also saw Sael, his chair facing the partially repaired window. She took a few steps closer, but said nothing.
"Welcome." Sael said. He turned his chair around to face her, and moved a little closer.
"Hi." She said. "Is this a bad time?"
"I can spare a few minutes." He adjusted his spectacles. He motioned her closer. She took a few more steps. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "You look apprehensive. Is something in particular bothering you?"
"Well…" she said. She hesitated, concerned about how he would react to her request. "Who's that woman downstairs?" she said, changing the subject.
"Woman?" he said.
"Yeah, the one in the medical machine. Is it some kind of experiment?"
Sael paused for a minute, and then said, "No. What happened to Selene was a result of Fairy Tail's attack here. One mage in particular broke into this tower and nearly killed her."
"Oh." That was all Lisanna could think to say. She didn't know the woman downstairs, or the mage who hurt her, so she didn't know how to react to all this.
"Yes. I am… resentful about that. Selene has always been invaluable, and I've known her for so long. I hope to help her in the future."
"I see." Lisanna rubbed her hands together awkwardly.
"Is that what you wanted to ask about?" he said.
"Well… no. There was something else. I wanted to ask you something important. That is, I wanted to ask for your help."
"My help? I'm certainly willing to help you, within reason." He said. The "within reason" part made Lisanna feel a little more nervous. Would he consider her request unreasonable?
"Yeah, um. The thing is… Sael, I like you, and respect you. How do you feel about me?"
Sael side eyed her a little, but said, "I like you, and respect you as well. You're also interesting. You are a unique young woman. Why do you ask?"
Lisanna felt a little more confident after those compliments. "Do you want me to be happy?" she said.
Sael considered this a minute. "Lisanna, not to be rude, but if there is a point to this then I'd appreciate it if you just said it outright."
Lisanna closed her eyes for a moment. "Okay. I'll tell you. I want to leave the valley. I want to go home, with my family. And I want to take Natsu with me. I, we, want to escape. And I'd like your help. I know Boudica is going away in a few days, so I want to do this while she's gone. Please, if you can help me in any way, I'd really appreciate it."
Sael sat there listening to Lisanna's speech. He didn't immediately answer her. He sat there for over a minute, not saying anything. His expression was hard to read. As time passed, Lisanna felt increasingly nervous. Did I make a mistake? She thought.
"Lisanna." He finally said. "I'll remind you that I am part of the leadership of this endeavor. Arnok, Yoshimoto, Boudica, and myself are leading this war on both Bosco and Fiore. This is what we have been doing from the start. It is true that I have my disagreements with the others. They sometimes say or do things that I don't like. However, we have all sworn loyalty to each other until this is over. I wouldn't be alive now if it wasn't for Boudica. And now, you come into my tower and ask me to betray my allies, those that I have made promises to."
Lisanna felt her heart pounding in her chest. She tried not to show it, but her palms were sweating, and she was starting to suspect that she shouldn't have come here. She glanced back at the stairway, but noticed that a few people were watching, just barely visible. They were standing on the stairs, looking, but could come up in a matter of seconds. There were also the machines gathered about the room, lifeless at the moment, but could awaken all too quickly.
"Sael, I…" Lisanna started to say. She couldn't think of anymore words though. What could she say? Natsu, Mirajane…
"Hmm. Most people call me King Sael, or Master Sael." He said, as he moved his chair closer to one of the larger machines. "You don't though. You've always been more casual."
Lisanna said nothing. She tried to think of something to say or do, but found she was less prepared for this situation than she had thought.
"That's actually something I've always liked about you." He continued. "You're always so friendly, and easygoing. I've never felt the need to be wary around you, or suspicious of you. Boudica on the other hand, has been suspicious of you. And it seems for good reason. On the other hand… you were never really given a choice, were you? You were thrust into all of this without warning. I suppose I can't blame you for wanting to leave."
Lisana relaxed a little, and was able to formulate a response now. "Sael, I just want to go home. With my brother, and sister, and my friends."
Sael turned back to face Lisanna. "And if you were to escape, and go back to Fairy Tail, what then? They are currently our enemies. You would become our enemy too. You would fight with them, against us. You and Natsu Dragneel. Am I wrong?"
Lisanna looked down to the floor. "Fairy Tail didn't start this war." She said softly.
"No." Sael said, his voice and expression cold. "Nor will they be the ones to finish it."
"Please." Lisanna said. Sael looked at her for a moment. He then turned to his subordinates on the stairs, and motioned for them to leave. Sael and Lisanna were alone again.
"Listen to me, Lisanna." He said. "I can't do anything directly to help you escape. It would be a betrayal. That being said… I do, as I said, like you, and even respect you. Furthermore, I owe you my life. Back at the battle of Catena, you saved me. I haven't forgotten that. I owe you."
Lisanna hadn't done that expecting a favor. But she wasn't going to argue at a time like this. "I cannot directly help you escape." He continued. "But I can help you to help yourself."
"Meaning…" Lisanna said.
"I will tell you how to temporarily deactivate the shield surrounding the valley."
"Really?" she said.
"Well, you technically wouldn't be deactivating it, more like resetting it. It is occasionally done for maintenance purposes. The shield will be inactive for a few minutes, and you can use that time to escape. Normally, they would take precautions to prevent that sort of thing. In this case, the best time to do it would be just as Boudica is leaving. Many people will be distracted, and focused on her. Wait until just after she leaves to reset it."
"Okay. How do I do it?" she asked.
"Before I tell you, I want you to promise me something." He said.
Another promise, Lisanna thought. "What is it?"
Sael adjusted his spectacles. "You and Natsu will not hurt anyone on your way out of here. Escaping is one thing, but I can't help you if you're going to do actual harm here."
Lisanna hesitated. "What if we have to defend ourselves?"
"I'm sure the two of you can find a way to evade any attackers, at least for the time it would take to escape. If you are captured, I'd expect you to fight back. And once outside, I'm sure that clashes will be inevitable. Barring that, harm no one until you leave the valley, and are away from here. That's all I ask. If you really respect me, then you can at least do that."
Lisanna nodded. "Alright. I promise, I won't hurt anyone while escaping. And neither will Natsu." She quickly added that last part.
"Thank you." He said. "Now, here is what you need to do."
Lisanna listened as Sael explained it to her. It didn't sound too complicated. The hard part would be timing it right, and getting out without getting killed or captured. "Thank you." She said. "You really are a good friend."
Sael adjusted his spectacles again, his expression maudlin. "Thank you for saying so. However, if you succeed in escaping back to Fairy Tail, then from that moment forward you and I will be enemies. You do realize that?"
She actually hadn't considered that. But she knew it made sense. "I wish it didn't have to be that way." They were both silent for a long moment.
"Good night, Lisanna Strauss. And goodbye." Sael said. Lisanna took the cue to leave, and turned. "If you succeed, then for both our sakes, I hope that we never meet again." He said.
Lisanna took a deep breath. "Thank you again. And goodbye, Sael." She descended back down the stairs, and headed out into the night.