FTA HQ, Magnolia, 10:23 am

"So what do you think of the plan?"

Natsu looked across from one of the screens in front of him, depicting a 3D building layout, to another that had his older brother's face on it. "A three-story complex that simulated the top three floors of a high-rise, correct?"

"Yes, we'll have the team rappel down onto the roof and work their way down by any means possible." Zeref created an arrow on the building plan, it flew down from the air and split into multiple smaller arrows when it hit the roof.

"Will they be facing varying levels of resistance?"

"Yes, and since this is meant to be done as quietly as possible, once they have been detected I will send in a special counter-offensive squad to hunt them."

"Once?" Natsu raised an eyebrow at Zeref as he sat back in his chair. "You think her team will be detected?"

"I have no doubt. This is the first time she'll be in this kind of situation, and anyway, bad calls happen way too often than we all like to admit."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Natsu looked up as the door to the office opened up. "It'll be interesting to see what happens."

Mira smiled and winked at the pinkette as she walked into the room, she was carrying two mugs of coffee. The woman hair was damp as if she just had a shower. She was in a pair of short black punk rocker style shorts and a fitted black singlet. "Lucy said she is heading to the gym."

The pinkette gave her an understanding nod and turned back to his older brother. "What will they know going into this simulation?"

"Only that the VIP is on the third floor from the roof, the building layout, and that they'll be coming in through the roof. The actual location of the VIP, the number of hostiles in the building, the density of these hostiles, and their patrol patterns all have to be found out during the operation."

"Hmm, interesting." Natsu spun a pen around his thumb as he analysed the building and what Zeref had told him. "Interesting…"

"Something on your mind?" Mira placed a mug of coffee down beside his hand and sat on the edge of the desk as she nursed her own brew. She eyed the man's clothes, he was in black sleek-looking attire.

Black pants with his Glocks strapped to both of his thighs, black combat boots, and topped off with a form-fitting black long sleeve shirt that accented his physique.

The pinkette flicked his thumb, sending the pen flying into his other hand where he continued to spin it around his thumb. "Zeref."

"Yes, Natsu?"

Natsu's green eyes slowly came to rest on the screen with his brother's face. The man had a serious look set on his face like concrete. "Put in a second team, on top of the counter-offensive squad. This team will come up the stairs once Lucy's team hits the middle floor. They will simulate another agency swooping in to try and steal our target."

"Are you sure, Natsu? This would be throwing her into the deep end."

The pinkette powered on, ignoring Zeref's question as his steely eyes bored through the computer screen. "The other agents will be an aggressive task force that will quickly sweep up through the stairwell. They will have better Intel than Lucy's team, it would be a benefit to her if she manages to capture and interrogate even just one of them."

Zeref watched his younger brother very carefully. He was curious as to what his motives were. "Why?"

"Simple." Natsu took a sip of his coffee, not once tearing his eyes away from the black-haired Dragneel. "As much as I have taken a shine to her, I am still her mentor and as such, I want to see what her limits are. How well she is in combat when facing hostiles of various skill levels as well as her mental flexibility when faced with an evolving battlefield."

A smirk slowly spread across Zeref's lips, the man slowly breaking out into laughter. "Yes, very interesting indeed. Alright, but again, I'll be choosing the teams."

"Alright, you have full control over it. If you need anything at all, just give me a quick buzz."

Zeref reached forward to shut the call, his smirk flashing to a devious grin as mischief shone in his eyes, causing Natsu to blink but the call had ended before he got a good look in. Had he imagined this strange change in demeanour…? "What the fuck…?"

Mira's head turned from the building plan to the pinkette. "What's wrong, Natsu?"

"Zeref… He is up to something." He sighed and placed the mug down on a coaster, his eye twitching in annoyance. "I think he plans on putting me into this test somehow."

"Will you turn him down?"

A few moments passed as Natsu contemplated his answer, he was slowly running his finger around the rim of the mug full of coffee as if it was a wine glass that he was trying to make sing. "No… No, I don't think I will. I did give him full freedom, and in truth, I want to see how she sorts things out from on the field with my own eyes. Since chances are that she'll become my partner out in the field."

Natsu's screen flashed as his credentials were overridden. It shocked him at first but a video feed from a series of Traffic Cameras, it was titled 'This may interest you. Love, your favourite hacker.' "Heh, damn it, Levy. Why can't you show me things normally?"

The man's fit of soft laughter caused Mira to walk over to his computer. "What's she up to this time?"

"This." He pointed at an ocean blue Mercedes SLS that was coming into Magnolia from the Northern Freeway.

There was an information box tagged onto the car, it showed that the car belonged to one Juvia Lockser. "Looks like we have a pair of visitors. Took them long enough."

Mira looked at the man then back at the screen, she blinked in slight confusion before remembering the offer that Natsu had made with the two mercenaries. "Ah, I wonder what they have to offer us."

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Garland Freeway, Northern Magnolia

"Why the fuck did we have to take your car…?" Gajeel grumbled as he shifted lower in the passenger seat. "It's so fucking tiny."

"Because. If we took your car then we would be suspicious." Juvia glanced at the man as she switched lanes. "Juvia thinks that a Humvee would draw too much attention compared to her beautiful Tsunami."

Gajeel glared at the blunette as she caressed the steering wheel. "Well, it's fucking uncomfortable."

"Stop being a bitch and lay down your seat. Sir." Juvia shoved the man's shoulder gently with a small smile on her face. "Anyway, do you know where their HQ is?"

The studded man pointed out of the driver's side window, out across the city to the waterfront. "It's out there."

"That is very helpful." The woman sighed and glanced out her window. "That's a lot of City to cover to find one building."

"Look, all I know is they're in the Waterfront District of Magnolia."

"I guess that narrows it down a fair bit." Juvia glanced up at the overhead freeway signs and shifted to another lane that was directing them to where they wanted to go.

The display in the centre of the dash lit up, showing an incoming call as the blunette's epic saxophone solo ringtone.

"You're kidding me… Right? That's your ringtone?"

"What's wrong with a little bit of sax?" Juvia looked at the screen and narrowed her eyes. "Juvia doesn't recognise that number…"

"Probably a miss-dial."

She went to hit the button on her steering wheel to deny the call but it didn't go away, the numbers just started to scramble themselves. "What the hell… Juvia doesn't understand."

"You know, it's not nice to ignore people." A voice came through the speakers, it sounded like the person was grinning. The scrambling numbles stopped, revealing the name Salamander on the display.

"Agent Salamander?" Juvia blinked quickly. "How did you get Juvia's number?"

"I know a girl, I'm actually watching you two coming down the Garland Freeway as we speak."

Gajeel shifted in his seat and tapped on the display to bring up the GPS. "Well, since you are here. Give us the address of your Headquarters."

"You don't know it?" Natsu sounded confused. "Ok then… the address is public knowledge but give me a quick second."

The display flickered as the man took control of it once more, he inputted the address and set the fastest route to the garage of the HQ.

"How are you messing with Juvia's car?" The bemused blunette asked as she glared at the display.

"Piggybacking your phone's Bluetooth connection to the car. It gives me access to that multifunction display in your dash which allows me to do as I wish to it. I can even play whatever music I want."

"Please don't" She muttered as she took the advised exit. "Juvia has enough to deal with right now, what with Gajeel's complaining about being cramped."

"If we had taken my Humvee, we wouldn't have that problem, would we?"

"To be fair, taking a Humvee into Magnolia would cause a lot of attention to be drawn to you, plus navigating the streets in it would have been a nightmare." Natsu replied, thoughtfully. "Taking that SLS is the better idea. You'll get looks, but they'd be appreciative, and as you get further into the CBD you won't be out of place at all."

"Juvia understands, but Gajeel is just being stubborn. He wanted to make a statement."

"Where are we heading, Salamander?"

"Our garage, don't worry though as you've already been cleared to enter it."

"Thank you, Agent Salamander. Juvia will make sure she arrives soon." The call ended abruptly, causing the two mercenaries to glance at the display. "At least someone was able to answer Juvia's question..."

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Natsu hit a button on his keyboard and leant back in his chair. "They'd be here to talk to Makarov, I bet." He glanced up at Mira, who was sitting on the edge of his desk. "Hopefully we can work this internal conflict to suit us in the long run."

"Hmm." Mira turned his keyboard to face her and brought up the files for Gajeel "Black Steel" Redfox and Juvia "Storm" Lockser. "These two would make good allies for us. Maybe we could put Gajeel at the head of Phantom and have him as a puppet leader?"

"If I know Makarov, he'd probably be looking to bring Phantom into the fold. Weeding out the undesirables and retaining those he sees as good soldiers." Natsu frowned at the screen as he rubbed his chin in thought. "It's an opportunity for us to bolster our portfolio and move into larger-scale Private Security work."

"Do you think he'll put these two into training?" Her silvery-white hair shimmered in the light as it cascaded down her shoulders, she looked between the screens and the pinkette. "They could be an asset."

"They could be, but they'll have to be given a thorough evaluation, just like the rest of them. Actually, probably more so than the rest if they're to become agents."

The woman spun around and planted herself on Natsu's lap. Purposefully wiggling her ass against him as she got comfortable and started reading the files. "They have the skills, by the looks of our files. Might need a little polish though."

Her scent drifted into Natsu's nose, drawing his attention to something out of the ordinary. "Are you trying out a new soap or something?"

"Hmm?" She turned her head to look at him. "Yeah, I am. I just bought some new soap on my way to work today. It has made my skin super soft!"

The man trailed his fingers up the inside of her thigh, causing goosebumps to erupt all over it. "It really is very soft."

Mira pouted at him as she squeezed his hand between her thighs. "If you're going to tease me there then the least you could do is stick those fingers inside me."

"Consider it payback, counting towards all those years of teasing you gave me, and still give me."

"You mean bastard." She giggled at the man and hopped off of his lap. "You better go and greet the guests."

"Are you coming with?" Natsu asked as he rose from the chair and moved around to the door.

"No, I'm probably going to meet up with Lucy and run her through some stealth training exercises in preparation for the test she'll be doing."

"Mira, the test is more about teamwork than it is about stealth…"

"Still doesn't hurt, Natsu. You know, she'll be working alongside you most of the time after all. She'll need to be able to keep up with you." Mira walked over to the man and gave him a quick hug. "Treat her well, she's still a bit of a klutz sometimes."

"Ah fuck… that'll make things harder. Hopefully, that'll go away with more training."

"I've sent a report to your email about her hand-to-hand skills. She passes in my books but I know you prefer adaptability, so you'll probably have to do another round of personal training soon."

Natsu placed his hand on the doorknob but kept his attention on the white-haired woman. "What do you recommend?"

"How about Naked Yoga?"

The man flicked her nose as he shook his head. "I wanted to know what you'd recommend to train her, not what you wanted to do in your free time."

"Would you like to come and watch?" Mira smirked up at Natsu as she put her hands on her hips and cocked them to the side. "What if I told you there is nothing under these clothes of mine?"

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me in the least." Natsu chuckled and opened the door. "I'll come up with something for Lucy later as I need to head to the garage."

"You'll come in me later as well if I have my way." The white-haired woman poked her tongue out playfully and pushed her chest forward to emphasise her breasts. "And on me, over and over."

"Cheeky woman. Don't tempt me" He snaked one hand around her and grabbed her ass as his other came to her breast. He gave both a quick kneed which earned him a long moan from the woman. He chuckled softly and put a little distance between them. "I'll see you later."

"Bye Natsu." Mira gave him a bright smile and a wave as he left, she turned and headed to her desk to read up on their visitors, and maybe get a little adventurous with her fingers since the man worked her up.

The pink-haired man took out his phone as he walked down the halls, scrolling through his contacts until he found the right one. He called the number and waited for it to become live. "Director, I'm not sure if Levy has informed you, but we have visitors."

"Yes, I was informed." Makarov replied, he paused for a moment in thought as typing was heard over the phone. "They have been cleared. See that they don't run into any issues and are brought to my office."

"Yes Sir."

"I hear Zeref has prepared one of the training rooms for Lucy's test?"

"We were talking about it not long ago, I wasn't aware that he had already set up the room?" Natsu blinked and narrowed his eyes at the space in front of him. "When does he plan on running the test?"

"This afternoon, make sure you have Lucy ready for it."

The pinkette sighed as he ran his hand down his face. "I hope she is ready for this…"

"She better be ready for it, considering I plan on sending both of you after that Key that's in Duke Everlue's possession, and I plan on doing it soon."

"Yes Sir, I'll make sure things go smoothly."

"See that you do, I'll see you in my office soon."

"Of course, Sir." Natsu took the phone away from his ear and hung up, he quickly scrolled through the contacts once more.

As he was about to call his blonde protégé he bumped into someone, tearing his eyes from his phone and to the person on the floor. "Sorry… Oh! Hey there, Lucy. I was just about to call you."

"Ow." The woman looked up at Natsu and took his outstretched hand, rising to her feet as she brushed dust off her ass. "You were about to call me, Sir?"

"Yeah. Walk with me, I need to tell you something." Natsu walked around her and continued on his way, leaving the woman to stare at him a little puzzled for a moment before jogging after him. "Lucy, I know it is short notice, but we have a test planned for you later today."

"A test? What for?"

Natsu glanced at Lucy, taking her in. She had a pink and black sports bra on under her loose white singlet which had the FTA logo on it. Lucy also had a pair of matching sports shorts, and white running shoes. Yet she smelled very strongly of her natural vanilla scent, it was pleasing. "Did you head to the gym yet?"

"Not yet, I was having brunch with Levy and Lis. Levy couldn't help but bring her work with her though."

"That does sound a lot like Levy, she is always working on something." They reached an elevator and Natsu hit the call button as he turned to face the woman. "Anyway, we have a test planned for you, it's basically a Kill House."

"Basically, Sir?"

"Lucy. Stop calling me Sir…" Natsu pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "The Kill House will have real people and you will all be issued with paint rounds instead of live ammo."

Lucy smirked and decided to relent, for now. "Ok, Natsu. So what will the objective be?"

"You'll have to extract a VIP from a simulated high-rise. Coming in from the roof. That is all I can tell you."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal an empty space. The two Agents filtered into the room and Natsu hit the button to get them to the floor that had the garage.

Natsu leant against the mirrored elevator wall and crossed his arms as he runs his eyes over his protégé. "Mira tells me that you are doing well in her classes. You are also looking pretty toned."

"Thanks, Mira has been helping me with both of those. I'm glad it hasn't completely ruined my looks." Lucy smiled and did a quick cute pose for the man, emphasising her assets.

"She also tells me that you are a little bit of a klutz?"

The blonde fell forwards slightly as her head dropped in embarrassment. "Yeah… But I'm getting better."

Natsu placed his hands on her shoulders and straightened the woman up. "Relax, it's all about muscle memory and reflexes. You perceive an incoming threat and react accordingly. It gets easier with time, trust me."

Lucy looked up at the man then smiled. A thought popped in her head and she decided to try and get a quick hit off on him.

Natsu caught her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back as he spun around her and pressed her between himself and the mirrored wall. "Nice try, but better luck next time."

The woman gasped as the cold metal wall collided with her body, her thin singlet doing nothing to stop the cold. It sent a shiver up her spine as she found herself stuck between the extremely warm, cosy body of her mentor and the wall of the elevator. The worst part wasn't all the delicious hardened muscle and the power she could feel inside them, it was the size of his 'weapon'… she could feel it easily. She couldn't help but wiggle her ass slightly against the shaft just to be sure she wasn't mistaken and it made her wonder just how it could possibly fit inside her and what it would feel like. She gulped quietly as her mind drifted off to filthy fantasies.

"Attacking from the front is the worst thing you can do when facing me, Lucy." He backed away from the woman and released her wrist, noting that when she turned around that there was a blush on her cheeks and her heart was racing, yet she didn't look uncomfortable at all. Her scent had also changed slightly. "You have to come at me from a blind spot, and make sure that I can't hear you coming."

"Ok, Natsu." The blushing blonde looked up at the man but couldn't quite look him in the eye just yet, as what her mind was doing to her body made her feel more than a little self-conscious. "Where are we heading?"

"I'm heading to the garage." Natsu took his place against the wall once more as he glanced up at the floor counter. "I've got to escort a pair of guests to the Director."

"Who are the guests?"

"The head of the splinter faction within the Phantom Lord PMC, the Phantoms I mentioned not long ago. It's the leader and his direct subordinate."

The elevator dinged as it came to a stop and the doors opened. Natsu left the elevator and turned back to Lucy. "You don't have to join me, I just needed to inform you about your test this afternoon. I don't know who Zeref has chosen to take part in the exercise but he wouldn't purposefully disadvantage anyone."

"What should I bring?" Lucy placed a hand on the open door of the elevator, making sure the sensor stayed tripped so the doors remained open.

"A pair of full-length pants and a long-sleeve shirt. You'll be given a helmet to stop anything from hitting your head, and a vest to dampen any impact to your chest. Trust me, that last one is particularly useful when it comes to women. I've heard that being shot in the tits really, really hurts during these exercises. And since you have big tits, it would probably be worse." Natsu scratched behind his head and glanced at the pale mounds barely hidden by the fabric, finding it hard to tear his eyes from them. "My ears are still ringing from the last time I accidentally shot Mira in the tits."

Lucy cringed as she grabbed one of her boobs out of reflex, yet the action made her gasp slightly due to her earlier thoughts making her body sensitive. She had heard from some of the other agents about how hard the military-grade paint rounds hit. "Ouch… I might put some extra padding on… Just in case."

"If that's your prerogative then so be it, but if I were you then I would wrap them and try to make them as small of a target as possible. As hard as that may be." Natsu started to move away from the elevator. "Oh, and expect bruising."

"Noted. When is the test?"

"Honestly, I don't know, I guess just wait in my office after lunch and we'll go from there. Mira should still be there so you won't be stuck there alone and bored."

"Alright, I'll see you later…" Lucy stepped back and let the doors close, a smirk flashed to her face as the doors almost sealed shut. She bent down at little – deciding to tease him in more ways than one this time – and hooked a finger into her singlet and sports bra, dragging them down slowly and revealing more and more of her delectable breasts. Her voice turning into a low purr as she batted her eyelashes at the man. "Sir~."

"Gods fucking damn it…" Natsu slapped a hand to his face as he let out a sigh. He turned down the hall and headed to the garage. "Women… they'll be the death of me one day."

Thankfully, the elevator that he had chosen dropped him off pretty close to one of the entrances to the garage so he didn't have that far to walk.

The pinkette entered the garage and check the time as he mentally checked how long it would take to get from the Garland Freeway to their HQ. He walked along the line of cars as he headed for the ramp that led to the surface access for ground vehicles.

Natsu looked around at the various cars currently present in the garage but not one matched the one he had seen on the Traffic Cameras. A commotion caught his ears from up the ramp, he started to jog up it to see what it was all about.

As he reached the top, he found Juvia and Gajeel stood in front of the SLS with their hands behind their head, surrounded by security that had their guns trained on the two mercenaries. "What the fuck is going on here?!"

"Sir!" The squad leader spun around on the spot, facing the agent. "These two were trying to come into the garage but they weren't on the whitelist!"

"Salamander, what the hell is going on?!"

"Can it, Black Steel." Natsu threw a sharp look at the pierced man before turning back to the squad leader. "They have clearance. Stand Down."

"With all due respect, Sir." The squad leader took a step forward and got in the agent's face. "It's our duty to guard the perimeter! And these two didn't show up when we checked the list!"

Natsu snarled at the older man, his eyes narrowing at the futile attempt to intimidate him. "You better back the fuck off. Right. Fucking. Now."

"Or what? You'll run off and play super-secret spy? Prance around the halls like you own the place? I should report you to the Director."

"Firstly, I invited these two to come to our HQ. Secondly, the order came from Makarov himself." The snarling agent leant in a little closer. "So I'll give you three seconds to back the fuck up, and stand the fuck down."

The squad leader's hand went down to the FTA standard-issue Ruger LC9 and wrapped around the grip as it sat at his hip. "Or What?"

"Go to draw that gun and you'll be dead before it leaves the holster. Oh, and smile for the camera." The agent pointed to the security camera over his shoulder, recording all that unfolds before it. "Now, as I said. It was on Director Makarov's orders that I was to invite these two down to Magnolia to discuss things well above your paygrade."

Natsu watched the man for a few seconds then turned to the rest of the guards, they still had their weapons half raised but their attention was on the encounter between their squad leader and the agent who outranks them all. "Stand down, before you poke someone's eye out."

"Belay That Order! Fucking Shoot Them!" The man shouted as he drew his pistol but it was instantly sent flying out of his hand and skidding down the ramp as the point of a large, black Bowie Knife sat less than half an inch from the bridge of his nose.

"I outrank you, you fucking moron. You have no authority to overrule my order. And shooting them would be going against orders directly from the Director himself. On top of that, YOU Would Have Started A Fucking War!" The agent adjusted his grip on the knife as he looked down it at the older man, his demonic red eyes boring into the man. "Hand in your weapons and badge to the head of your department. You're relieved of service. Now get the fuck out of my sight."

Natsu didn't even give the man time to reply as his knife vanished and he strode between the guards. He looked around the group. "Decide among you which you would prefer to have as the new squad leader. You have two minutes." The man came to a stop in front of the two mercenaries as they lowered their arms. "Sorry about that, seems we need to do a few psych evals, and check our communication channels as you should have been cleared to come through without any issue. Makarov said so himself."

"Agent Salamander, Juvia thinks it's fine. We weren't really expecting a red carpet entrance."

"Just call me Natsu, I'm not on a job right now so there is no need to call me by my moniker." Natsu turned to the guards and crossed his arms. "So who have you chosen to be the new squad leader?"

The man's rock ringtone sounded, announcing an incoming call and drawing his attention away from the group. He pulled out the device and blinked at the caller ID as he quickly answered it. "Director?"

"I've received a report about an incident by the ramps leading into the garage. Care to tell me what happened."

"Yes, Sir." The agent looked at the group in front of him and the squad leader standing further away. "I'm assuming you have reviewed the security footage?"

"I have."

"On your orders, the two mercenaries were invited to our facility to meet you. They were meant to be given access yet the squad leader here decided, for whatever reason, to detain them. He went against my orders to stand down. Seemingly insisting that they're a threat and gave his squad the order to open fire. He then challenged me directly, I gave him a chance to back down but as I walked away he drew his pistol, so I pulled one of my knives. I ordered him to head to the head of security and hand in his weapons and badge. And I asked the rest of the squad to decide who among them will be the new squad leader."

"Hmm." There was a short pause before the Director replied. "Put me on speaker."

"Yes, Sir." Natsu took his phone away from his ear and pressed on the screen. "All set."

"As Agent Salamander has said, you will pick a new squad leader from among you, choose wisely. As for the former squad leader, I am sending a message to the head of security, you'll be relieved of duty for a month at full pay while you will have free appointments with one of the psychiatrists, you can pick who. Once we have determined if you are still fit for service then you'll be reposted to another division."

"Thank you, Director." The man responded as he headed into the building.

"Now, have the rest of you chosen who will be the new squad leader?"

"Yes Sir." They chorused before one of them took the lead. "We have decided that Rudy will take the place of our leader."

"Good. Go about your usual business, for now. But in an hour's time, Rudy, report to the head of security."

"Yes Director."

The line went dead as Makarov ended the call from his end, causing Natsu to sigh as he put the phone away. "Alright, let them through. I still have my own job to do."

The man looked over his shoulder at the Phantoms. "Head down into the garage and find a spot, any will do. I'll be waiting down there for you." He headed back down the ramp as he heard the car start up behind him. Natsu put his hands behind his head and yawned quietly as the car cruised past him. He came to a stop at the door he had come through earlier and waited for the two mercenaries.

"You know, I thought that the great FTA HQ would have been larger than this." Gajeel said as he and Juvia approached the salmon-haired man. "It looks small for something of its reputation."

"Don't let the outside fool you. It's larger on the inside." Natsu smirked as he turned and headed down the hall to the elevator.

"Juvia is wondering, what do you mean?"

"I can't answer that, Juvia. It's confidential." The man quickly reached the elevator and hit the call button then turned to the guests. "But put simply, don't let the look of the building fool you as it is much larger than it looks."

"Ok, but Juvia also is wondering… how are you not cold?" The rain woman wrapped her arms around her blue winter coat. "It's snowing outside and you can walk around without any jumpers or coats."

"It's in my nature to be warm all the time, but we have really good heating inside the facility itself, so you won't have to worry about turning to ice."

The elevator dinged to announce its arrival as the doors opened to an empty space, Natsu slipped into it and took the spot next to the buttons as the mercenaries piled in behind him.

"Let's hope he is in the upper office…" The pinkette mumbled as he hit one of the buttons then turned to his company. "Is there anything either of you wants to know?"

"Yeah, I got something." Gajeel's gravelly-toned voice rumbled around the small space. "Where's the nearest place to get food?"

"There are a few spots, but the main Café is near the offices and conference rooms. So it's on our way to Makarov's office."

"Natsu?" Juvia looked past the man and read the floors on the button panel. "Juvia knows that the FTA utilises modified Ospreys, where do you store them? We drove around the area when looking for the entrance for the garage and we couldn't see any landing pads."

The man thought over his answer as he looked into the woman's deep blue eyes. "There is a courtyard in the centre of the building that acts as a Helipad, and that is why you couldn't see it."

"But that doesn't explain where they go, surely you don't keep them all out in the open on this courtyard?"

"You're pushing your luck, Juvia. I'll just say this, and nothing more. They go underground to a hanger." The doors opened and Natsu slipped his hands into his pockets as he left the elevator. "Let's stop by the Café and get some food."

"Sounds good to me, Salamander." Gajeel and Juvia followed the man down the hall. Watching as he was saluted by security guards and greeted by various normal looking people. "Who are all these people?"

"The guards are Operators that have chosen to remain here to guard instead of heading out into the field. The others are just standard staff members, they are regular people."

"Huh." The black-haired man murmured as he watched various groups interact with each other. It was vastly different to their own organisation.

A flash of light surrounded Juvia as she removed her coat, leaving her in jeans and a blue blouse that matched her azure hair. She blinked and looked at the man in front of her. "You don't have a Magic Suppression Field active?"

"No, it interferes with our training." Natsu glanced back at the woman. "Well, it does for some of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Simply put, Agents don't rely on magic. We are trained to use it as a supplement to our skills and abilities." The pinkette greeted various staff members and guards on his way down the hall without skipping a beat. "That being said, all of us Agents are mages, but not all mages are Agents. We are carefully chosen based on background checks, psychological evaluations, skills and a bunch of other things."

The two mercenaries shared a glance as they followed the man into a bustling room filled with tables and patrons. The smell of various foods ranging from curries to burgers and even soups flooded their noses and caused their stomachs to stir.

"Gods damn I'm hungry…" Gajeel looked up at the menu as his jaw dropped. The variety was stunning, and it smelt a whole lot better than anything he got his hands on in Phantom.

"Yo Lis!" Natsu smiled as he walked over to the woman behind the counter. "These two are with me, just put their stuff on my tab."

"Afternoon Natsu! Sure, I'd be happy to." Lisanna smiled as she turned to the busty blunette who approached her. "Hi! What's your name?"

"Juvia." She replied as she turned her gaze up to the menu. "Juvia was wondering… what is the hottest thing you have?"

"Are you looking for spice or heat?" The white-haired woman tilted her head in thought as her finger went to her chin.

"Wait… I know that voice…" Gajeel growled out in his gravelly voice, his eyes set on the woman as he clicked his fingers. "You're… one of the Strauss Sisters I think, aren't you?"

"Yes." Natsu held his hand out toward the woman in question. "This is the musician, Lisanna Strauss. Her older sister is the model, Mirajane Strauss."

Juvia's eyes immediately dropped to the woman as recognition flashed into her eyes. "Wait." She turned to Natsu. "The Strauss Sisters work for the FTA?"

"Yup!" Lisanna smiled brightly. "My big sister is Natsu's boss!"

"She's not my boss."

"Yes she is." She playfully smirked at the pinkette. "She told me so herself."

"She is my Handler, not my boss."

"But she gives you orders, so that makes her your boss!" Lisanna giggled at the man's irritation.

"You're both insufferable sometimes…"

"Anyway!" The cheerful young woman turned to Juvia once more. "So, are you looking for something spicy or something hot?"

"Maybe a bit of both? Juvia enjoys eating hot and spicy foods, it warms her body."

"How hot are you willing to go?"

Juvia blinked as her eyes stared off into the distance in thought for a moment. "Juvia would like to try the hottest thing you have."

"Are you sure?" Lisanna asked slowly, her eyes watching the pale woman carefully. When the blunette gave her a nod, Lisanna smiled happily. "One Salamander Special coming up."

The white-haired woman wrote down the order on a piece of paper before looking back up, still with her bright smile.

Juvia moved aside and let Gajeel take her place. "I'll have a burger with the lot, and a large hot chips with gravy."

"Alright." She wrote the man's order down on the paper before turning to the pinkette. "Would you like the usual, Natsu?"

"Not today, I'll just have a medium Meatlovers pizza." Natsu waved to the woman as he made his way to an empty table. "We'll be over here."

The group took a seat around the table, forming a triangle. Natsu glanced at both of the mercs and leaned in. "Anything else either of you would like to know?"

"Juvia would like to know… about the boy…" The woman spoke quietly, mumbling the sentence as her eyes sat focused upon the salt and pepper shakers in the centre of the table. "What is he up to?"

"Ah, I was wondering when this subject would come up." Natsu sighed softly and took a look around the room. "Word of warning, don't mention who you work for, even if you are asked directly." He leant back again as he mentally prepared himself for the subject. "In truth, Romeo doesn't talk to me much anymore. I do catch the occasional glances though, nothing malicious but I think that seeing me reminds him of the night I told him that his dad died. It wasn't a pretty sight."

Gajeel remained quiet, this wasn't a topic that he wanted to cover, though he felt bad about it too. He tried justifying it as just another job but that didn't do anything to stop the guilt, which grew worse when they found out about the kid.

"Could we see him? Juvia would like to try to apologise."

"No. And it isn't because I don't want you to see him. It's because I don't believe he would react very well to seeing people who had a hand in it." Natsu's eyes roamed the Café, examining each person currently in the room to see if they recognised the two people he was sat with. "He may not be an agent, but he was trained by them, by myself. So while he isn't really a threat, I can't risk the chance that he does something stupid."

"But…"

The pinkette's eyes snapped to the woman, his features and voice becoming as hard as steel. "Don't. Don't even think about trying. I want to avoid a conflict while you two are here. I may believe that you two never intended for him to die, but there are people here who aren't so forgiving."

"And you aren't very forgiving, to begin with." Gajeel finally broke his silence, but he did so quietly. "You are known for being very ruthless and highly dangerous, and if you decide that someone would be less of a danger if they were dead then you wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them."

"I have my moments when I'm like that, I admit. We all do."

"We have you listed as 'Do not engage, avoid at all costs' when we aren't working with the FTA, Salamander."

"That's not surprising." A woman said, causing their attention to snap to her. It was Lisanna with Juvia's and Gajeel's food. "Considering our own records have Natsu marked as Hyper-lethal, your records would have something along those lines too. You'd probably have some notes on what he is too, which would also lead to the 'Do not engage, avoid at all costs' label."

Juvia blinked at the woman, she wasn't hostile but there was still an edge to her voice that made the rain woman realise that she knew about them. "Thank you for the food, but what do you mean?"

"No point hiding it, Juvia." Gajeel sighed as he eyed the white-haired woman. "I could tell that she had us pegged from the moment she saw us."

"My sister is Natsu's handler. So, of course I know who you two are, I've seen his live feeds from his fieldwork." Lisanna placed the dishes down on the table and turned to Natsu. "I'm guessing this is about how their group has splintered in two?"

"Hit the nail on the head, Lis." Natsu shook his head slightly as he let out a small sigh. "Don't let it spread around. While they are with me, they'll be fine, but we have already had an incident that I believe is linked to Macao. Plus, I believe Makarov wants to keep this quiet until it is time."

"Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut on the subject. But be careful as people still hold resentment towards your faction." The woman crossed her arms under her bust as she frowned at the two Phantoms. "Try not to draw attention to yourselves, and don't go wandering to places you shouldn't be going without an escort. Natsu, your pizza will be a little bit longer."

As Lisanna turned and walked back to the counter, Juvia's eyes dropped to the bowl of curry, it smelt delicious but she could tell that it would be hot by the way it tickled her nose. "Why is it named the Salamander Special?"

"Because I was dared to make the hottest, spiciest curry I could, all without sacrificing flavour. And now it has become a challenge around here, people see how long they can last before having to wash it down with milk. It's become quite the challenge, to the point that we've began placing bets on people who want to eat it." The pinkette grinned as he leant back in his seat. "It doesn't hit you in the first spoonful, but as you eat more and more the heat accumulates and it starts packing a real punch."

"Juvia thinks it smells great. Could you please get her an iced coffee?"

"Sure." Natsu rose from his chair and headed to the counter.

"How is your burger, Gajeel?" Juvia asked curiously as she gazed up at the taller man.

"Big, juicy, and delicious." He mumbled back as he took another bite out of the burger. "Mmm"

Juvia glanced at the man then looked back down to her bowl of curry, she dipped her spoon into it and ferried half a spoonful to her mouth. It wasn't as bad as she was expecting, she found it very rich in flavour and it made her want more.

Natsu returned with a bottle of iced coffee, smiling at the two mercs that were digging into their food with great gusto. He noticed that a pink colour was starting to flood Juvia's usually pale skin. "Found the heat have you?"

Juvia's eyes were watering as she looked up at the man, nodding and watching as he placed the drink down next to the bowl and sat down.

"Salut, Monsieur Salamander."

The pinkette looked up at the familiar voice. "Oh, hey there Genevieve." He smiled at the maid, noticing her dirty blonde hair was tied up in her usual elaborate bun.

Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds as she held the plate with Natsu's pizza. "I see zat someone 'as decided to try your atrocity… I feel sorry for zem."

Steam had started to rise off of the rain woman as the heat had started to affect her water body. Yet, she didn't reach for the drink at all, preferring to chow down on the curry and take the heat instead of taking the easy way out.

"Come on, Genevieve, it isn't that bad." Natsu chuckled as the maid placed the plate with his pizza down in front of him. "It's just a tad hot."

"Zat monstrosity nearly made my tongue fall off!" She pointed at the bowl of curry with indignation. "My poor stomach felt like eet was doing ze cartwheels, over and over. Just look at zis poor woman, she looks like she is barely holding eet together, and she is steaming!"

The pinkette was trying very hard not to laugh at the woman's exasperation, he placed a hand over his mouth to hold it in as he watched the blonde. "Come on, you don't find it funny when people try and do that challenge?"

"I feel so sorry for zem, Monsieur Salamander… Zey go all red in ze face and chug all ze milk. Especially when you decide to make an event for eet…" The woman kissed Natsu's cheek. "I've got to get back to work before Mademoiselle Lisanna breaks out 'er sister's whip."

"Kinky." Natsu smirked at the woman and nudged her side gently. "Don't you at least find it funny watching them practically turn into walking volcanoes?"

"Secretly?" Genevieve leaned down and gave the man a playful wink. "Yes. Eet's an especially good punishment for ze ones who get too 'andsy. Though, eef eet was you being 'andsy, maybe I wouldn't mind as much~."

The pinkette broke out in laughter as the maid blew him a kiss and twirled away as she walked back to the counter.

Juvia swallowed her mouthful of curry and fanned her face as she watched the woman walk away. "That maid reminds Juvia of Sol, except much better company. Juvia actually liked having her around, unlike that arsehole."

"Yeah, Genevieve is a very fun person, very quirky. Plus she is very caring and will always have an ear to lend, and will drink with you if you are alone." Natsu smiled and picked up a slice of pizza and bit into it. "The lot of us are really, quirky I mean. In our own ways." The pink-haired man kept an eye on Juvia, wondering if she'll be able to eat it all without opening the drink that was sat next to her plate.

Once Gajeel had finished, he turned in his seat to watch his subordinate. Very curious as to just how hot the food was but judging by the amount of steam coming off the woman… It was probably very hot.

"You ok there, Juvia?" Natsu asked as the woman resembled a radioactive tomato, he watched as the woman tugged at her top to try and cool her chest down.

Juvia looked at the man with watery eyes, her voice was strained as she tried to speak. "J-Juvia is fine, but she might need to spend an hour in a freezer to cool off."

"Or maybe we go to the courtyard or the rooftops and you can roll around in the snow for a bit." Natsu chuckled as he watched the woman with a smile. He had to give her credit, she had almost completely finished the meal and hadn't yet cracked open the seal on the bottle.

"Don't get Juvia wrong, she loves the heat, but she just needs to cool off after it."

The salmon-haired man kept his eyes on the woman, watching her finish the entire bowl of Salamander Special as he ate his pizza. He was surprised at her tolerance and dedication to finish the food.

Once the bowl was empty, Juvia grabbed the bottle and gulped down the contents as quickly as she could to wash away the heat. "Oh, Gods… Juvia has never had anything that intense before. She might have to come back and eat more whenever she has the chance."

"I don't mind giving you the recipe for it, Juvia, since you seemed to have enjoyed it so much." Natsu held out his hand to her. "Could I borrow your phone so I can make a note for you?"

"Here, this is Juvia's private phone." The woman reached into her pocket and took the device out, she navigated to the Notes app and handed it to the man. "Juvia hopes that the one she makes will be on par with this one."

"Juvia, I'm sure it will be fine as long as you follow my recipe. You can use it as a base for a milder one too if you wish, but from what I saw just know I don't think that'll be the case." The pinkette hummed softly as he jotted down the full recipe. Once he finished, he quickly went to her Contacts and added one for him under his name and put his number in it. He closed it all down and handed it back to the woman. "There you go, one very hot and spicy curry."

"Thank you, Juvia will do her best to replicate it."

Natsu polished off the last of his lunch and took their dishes to the counter, he kept an eye on the surrounding FTA personal just in case things started to turn sour. "Thanks for the lunch, Lis." He smiled at the woman as he placed the crockery on the counter. "Juvia seemed to take to the Salamander Special fairly well."

"She is looking a little hot under the collar though, Natsu." The woman glanced over to the Phantoms who were chatting to each other quietly. "So what's Makarov's idea, bringing them in?"

"Gajeel is the leader of a splinter cell within their PMC, I think he wants to formally strike a deal with Gajeel and offer to lend our support when shit hits the fan."

"As long as their boss gets what's coming, I don't really care. That bastard needs to suffer for what he did to Macao." Lisanna gritted her teeth in anger as she wrung a dishcloth in her hands. "And to poor little Romeo."

"Don't worry, Lis." Natsu placed a calming hand on the woman's shoulder and rubbed it gently. "If I have any say in it, then it won't be a quick death. He deserves to feel our pain, and the pain he inflicted on our brother-in-arms."

"You should get going, I got a message from my big sister just a moment ago, asking about where you were. Apparently, you need to take Lucy down to the Sim Rooms."

"Yeah, she'll be tested to see how well she works within a team."

"Oh, she should be good at that. Well, at least I think so…" Lisanna leaned forward on the bench and looked into the man's eyes as she rested her head in her hands. "I haven't been the ones training her."

"I've made sure she knows everything she needs to know to do the job, and Mira has joined in for some small group activities. But I think this will be the first time she will be a part of a fireteam."

"Well, as long as she was trained correctly, you should all be able to move as one, right?"

"Well, I'd put her in a group where the members all work seamlessly, I can think of one like that."

"Hey, Lis, could I get a white chocolate mocha, to go?"

"Sure!" The woman smiled as she straightened up, smiling as she stretched her limbs – Natsu's eyes on her lithe frame not going unnoticed by her – and got to work on his coffee with a smile. "It'll just be a moment, want to round up your guests while you wait?"

"Sounds good to me." Natsu turned and walked back to the table. "Just waiting for a coffee then we can head over to the Director's office."

"Juvia is fine with that." The blunette rose to her feet and stretched, her skin was slowly going back to its usual pale white tone. "Gajeel and Juvia were just discussing the meeting."

"Speaking of which, I think we have kept your Director waiting long enough." Gajeel said as he stood next to his subordinate. "Once your coffee is here then we should probably head there right away."

"We'll be heading past my office, so I might stick my head in and pick up a few strays on our way there. We'll see what happens."

"Here you go, Natsu." Lisanna cheered as she appeared next to the man with a takeaway coffee cup, complete with lid. "Be careful, it's still hot."

"Thanks Lis." He took the cup and had a sip of it. "It's good. We better head out, you two." Natsu turned on the spot and headed for the exit with the two Phantoms in tow.

"How much farther is it to the office?" Gajeel asked as he looked around at the surrounding offices. The man covered his mouth as he yawned. "We have travelled a fair way to get here and I could use some rest."

"Makarov will probably see you to your temporary lodging. I won't be sticking around for your meeting as I have my own things I need to do." The man informed them. He remained silent for the rest of the walk as he led the group up the stairs and down some more corridors until he reached the woman sat at a desk in front of Director Makarov's office.

"Agent Salamander, how may I help you?" She asked as her eyes rose from the computer screen in front of her. "These are the guests that are scheduled to see Director Makarov?"

"Yes, Charlotte, we are a tad late as there was a few hold-ups and I treated them to lunch as an apology."

"Go right in." The woman gestured to the door off to her right. "Agent Raiden is in there too."

"Alright." Natsu walked to the double doors and pushed them open, revealing Makarov who was sitting behind his desk, his eyes on the screen to the left.

The pinkette strode into the room as his eyes scanned around, he spotted Laxus sitting on a couch near an ignited fireplace. The man was reading a book, the title partially hidden by his hand as it cradled the spine.

"Ah, there you are. Take a seat, please." He gestured to the seats in front of his desk. "Natsu, I'm sure you're needed down in the simulation halls."

"I am, Sir. I'll see you later." Natsu turned on the ball of his foot and walked between the Phantoms as he left the office and headed back down the hall. The salmon-haired man placed his hands into his pockets as he made his way back to his office. Whistling a tune as he walked.

When he opened the door, he came face to face with his white-haired handler, her hands firmly set on her hips as she looked at him, clearly displeased. "How long have you been standing at the door like that?"

"She has been there for a good fifteen minutes." Lucy called out from the couch where she was lying down with a fashion magazine. "Exactly like that."

She took Natsu's earlier suggestion to heart and had changed into tight black pants, held up by a thick belt that held her Ruger-57 on her right hip, and her Key Pouch just a bit further back. Tucked into her pants was a form-fitting black long-sleeve shirt, she had also donned a pair of black military boots which hung off the edge of the arm of the couch. She had also put her hair up into a ponytail but her usual bangs still frame her face.

Mira pouted at the man and quickly sat on his desk as she rubbed her heels. "Oww, I didn't realise standing like that would hurt so much."

"Why the hell did you do it then?" Natsu closed the door behind him and walked over to the blonde, bending down to check out what she was looking at. "Oh, that's a hot piece of lingerie. You thinking about getting some?"

"Not this one. I found a nice white lace set that I liked." She flicked back a few pages and showed it to the man. "I think it would look good on me."

"That looks like it would suit you nicely, but you should also get a darker set. Maybe a maroon colour? So it contrasts with your skin better."

"I see what you mean. I'll check later to see what colours they come in. I might have to get the bra custom made too, otherwise I doubt it would fit my boobs comfortably." Lucy closed the magazine and sat up. "Is it time?"

"Yeah, we should start heading down soon. Good to see that you have followed my suggestion and have gotten into more suitable gear."

"Yeah, that Ruger that you ordered for me turned up yesterday, it handles really well." The blonde got to her feet with a smile as she pulled the gun free and flipped it in her hand as she held the pistol out, grip-first.

"Nice." Natsu took the pistol and turned away from the two women as he checked it over. "I chose it for you because it is chambered for the FN 5.7x28mm, so it had good penetration. It also is fairly ergonomic, plus it's also designed ambidextrously so if you want to learn how to dual-wield like I do then it would be easy to just grab another."

He handed it back to her with a smile. "I'm guessing you have already tested it out?"

"Yeah, I felt no kick at all… even when firing it from a single hand."

"That is due to our enhancements, we can make even the most brutal guns have no kick whatsoever." Natsu gave her a pat on the shoulder as he turned back to the door. "Alright, we've killed enough time already so let's go do your test."

The man led the two women out of the room and back down the hall towards the cluster of elevators. "Mira, I'm guessing that you'll be acting as Control for the test?"

"Yes, I've already been briefed on what I need to know to act as the Handler for the evaluation. I'll explain more when we get there." She glanced at Lucy, the last part being directed at her. "Don't worry Lucy, it should go smoothly."

"I know, I have both of you as my teachers, and you are both considered two of the best Agents. So I know I've been in the best hands." The blonde fiddled with her hands as she was still slightly nervous nonetheless.

"Just follow your training, the rest of the team would be trained Agents, so you just have to go with the flow really. I've taught you in such a way that you'll work well both alone and in a small team." Natsu glanced back with a smile. "You'll pass, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks, both of you." Lucy took a few deep breaths as Natsu hit the button for the elevator. She worked on calming her nerves while she waited patiently.

"So, who do you think is paired with her?" The pinkette turned to his handler as he crossed his arms. "I haven't heard a thing about it so I'm curious."

"I think you'll either be surprised, or you won't be. Either way, I don't think there will be any problems."

"Okay then…" Natsu turned as the doors opened, a group of Operatives left the elevator and gave the three Agents a quick salute as they headed for their lunch break. Once it was empty, Natsu led the group into it and hit the button to one of the sublevels. "Hopefully my brother won't be too much of a pain in the ass."

"It'll be fine, Natsu. You are worrying too much." Mira smiled at the man as she stood next to Lucy. The blonde trying to keep her mind off of the situation. "Would you like to know how I take my mind off things, Lucy?"

The woman glanced up curiously and saw the narrowed eyes of Natsu boring into the giggling Strauss. "How do you do it?"

"I think dirty thoughts, like getting reamed by Natsu's big cock and filled with his cream~."

"Damn it, Woman…" Natsu growled quietly as he slapped a hand to his face. He glanced at the red-faced blonde and smiled slightly. "Ignore her, she's always like this."

"Hey, at least she's no longer nervous." Mira giggled louder as she winked at Lucy. "Aren't you?"

Lucy remained silent and the other two followed suit for the rest of the trip, leaving only the elevator music to fill the void. The doors opened and Lucy took a deep breath, trying to calm her red face as she followed Natsu and Mira out of the elevator.

The air was thick with the gravity of the upcoming test. If she passes, no, when she passes she'll be able to take on missions. She knew that at first she'll still be paired with Natsu to make sure things go smooth enough, but once she has enough experience in fieldwork, then she can go out on her own.

Natsu pushed open the door as he led the way in, spotting his brother and Mavis standing across the room. They were in front of a glass panel that looked out upon the simulation, upon the glass itself were the security feeds from the cameras within the sim. "So I take it this will be command and control for all sides?"

"Oh Natsu, I didn't hear you arrive." Zeref spun around to face his younger brother. He quickly reached over and turned off the camera feeds. "Yeah, Mira could you please stay here. Natsu, could you take Lucy into the room over there." The black-haired man pointed his right, through a door that presumably led to the Ready Room.

"Gotcha. Come on, Lucy." The pinkette turned and headed to the room with Lucy in tow. He grabbed the handle and opened the door for her.

"You go in too, Natsu." Zeref called out as he handed Mira a headset. "You'll be on her team."

"How'd I know you'd do that?"

"Because it makes sense to have you on it, you trained her so you work best with her. So get your ass in there already, oh and don't tell her anything about the test, as that is Mira's job."

"Alright, alright. I'll make sure not to influence it, just be aware that all of us will be functioning as a unit."

Natsu walked into the room and closed the door behind him, he went to walk further into the room but bumped into the back of Lucy. "Huh?"

The man looked over the head of the stunned agent and found himself looking at something that shouldn't have surprised him at all…

"Good afternoon, Natsu." Erza said with a smile as she leant against the other side of the table from them.

Over by a weapons bench stood Gray, he was midway working on his gear as he turned to the newcomers. "Sup man, hey Lucy."

"Of fucking course." Natsu started to chuckle as he walked around the woman. "Giving us a fighting chance against the hell that I have put us up against."

He spun around at the centre of the room and sat against the edge of the table. "Well, Lucy, welcome to your team. You've already met Agent Knight and Frosty the Snowman."

"Hey, chill. We've got an assessment to conduct." Gray held out an appeasing hand. "Let's keep the banter to a minimum."

First off, sorry for the wait, I've been working on my other story but I decided this one needed some TLC and came back to this chapter to smash it out. I hope you have enjoyed it, the next one will be up as soon as I get it done. I'll be going back to Continued Life to do two or so more chapters before coming back to this one as I want to smash out that GMG arc and get from the good stuff to the really good stuff.

I don't want to rush things as I'm still setting up future chapters but I seriously can't wait for the Phantom arc, I've got so many ideas for it ranging from the Osprey carrying Agent Salamander and some Operatives to the battlefield being shot down, to Agent Beast waltzing into the battlefield with a M2 .50cal machine gun and clad in heavy ballistic armour with a massive ammo pack on his back that feeds the machine gun. I'm So Hyped For It but I've got to get to it first and I need to do it properly.

Anyway, again, I hope you have enjoyed and I'll see you all next time, bye for now!