A/N: Mondays suck, so have a chapter. Maybe two.
Guest: Did somebody mention God Slayers? :) You know that one of these days I'm just gonna snap and throw my email into one of these notes until I actually get to snag you in semi-real life. I have some ideas for separate stories or random little mythos snippets that I think would be fun to bounce around. BUT ANYWAY.
Little bit of filler, little bit of laughter; next one packs a punch. As always, please review/send messenger pony/smoke signal/etc. You da best just for bein' here.
The packed arena lent an excited buzz to the air as eight teams waited in tunnels to be announced. Talia tugged at the waistline of her pants and brushed off imaginary dust from her thigh. Mira came over to her and pulled a stray red hair off the black fabric of her top.
"You look great. Stop worrying," she said with a smile. Talia blushed in response and kept her eyes lowered. Spotlight was something she was unaccustomed to, and the knowledge that cameras would be on her every moment was unnerving. She fidgeted with the fabric of her bell sleeves. Mira took her hand and pulled her toward the rest of the group. The crowd was cheering now—the announcers had begun the placements.
"Now—the time has come to meet our competitors!" the loudspeakers boomed uncomfortably in her ears, the echoes ricocheting off the walls of the stone tunnel. Talia winced. "First up, in eighth place, and old school bunch of wild wizards from Magnolia. They had luck in the prelims and now they're raring to take back first place by force—it's Fairy Tail!"
The whole team—Talia, Mirajane, Gajeel, Juvia, and Laxus—turned toward the tunnel opening. The bright sunlight made it impossible to see their guild mates' triumphant entrance. But the boos from the crowed carried well enough.
"A-are they booing them?" Gajeel stuttered awkwardly.
Juvia seemed peeved, face flushed and steam practically coming out of her ears: "How dare they boo my love! Gray, my darling, I'll rebuild our guild's standing!"
Mira and Talia shared a nervous giggle. They both kind of wished they could see their friends' faces walking out to that reaction. Talia could barely make out Natsu's squeaking "What the hell?" through the noise of the crowd. Her giggle turned into a full laugh and her anxiety dissipated a bit. Laxus was the only one to stay silent, but his raised brow and the slightly upturned corner of his mouth at the crowd's jeers belied his tough exterior—he found this entertaining as well.
"Next up, the team that came in seventh place in this year's prelims—the rowdy party of hellhounds, Quatro Cerberus!" The team looked about each other, everyone shrugging or making another sign of confusion. There was little, if any information between them on that guild.
"And coming in sixth is a guild filled to the brim with the fairer sex—the damsels of the great blue sea, Mermaid Heel!" They all shrugged again. Apparently, this tournament would be introducing them to plenty of new guilds from across Fiore.
"In fifth place: with agile wings that glimmer in the darkness—it's Blue Pegasus!" Mira and Talia went pale.
"Oh god. Not him again," They said in tandem, faces drained of color. Gajeel cackled at their panicked faces and Laxus gave a huff of laughter as well.
"In fourth place—the goddess of love and strife, the sacred destroyer: Lamia Scale!" The group sobered—Lamia Scale had Jura, the Wizard Saint. They were not to be trifled with. If they had even one other wizard worth their weight, that guild could easily skate to the finals.
"Now, to introduce our third-place contestant. What a shocker! Swooping in from a midnight dreary, this dark and gloomy bunch are making their debut in this year's games. Give it up for: Raven Tail!" Mira, Talia, and Laxus all stiffened. The women looked up at the towering blonde, his arms crossed over his chest. To anyone else, he hadn't changed, but they knew him better. That was his father's guild, and they did not get along. But there was no point discussing it. They were next. They all walked toward the front of the tunnel, at the edge of the blinding light.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to whip up some sort of flashy opening for us, would you, Laxus?" Mira asked sweetly. Laxus just hummed and gave a slight nod, eyes still forward. They were ready now: Talia on the far left, Gajeel flanked by Juvia and Mira, and Laxus on the far right.
"Our first-place runner up is—oh, wow! What a surprise! This year's competition just got a whole lot more interesting, folks!" They walked out together, into the sunlight. The coliseum and other combatants came into view as their eyes adjusted. The crowd was vast and noisy, they undulated like great, colorful waves in the stands. Laxus shaped his lightning into a massive Fairy Tail emblem before them. It crackled energetically and tickled Talia's skin; the sound waves from the lightning pulsing through her with a comforting, warm hum. "It's Fairy Tail Team B!"
Talia knew everyone else was putting on their best game face—looking tough and assertive and cool. She did none of those things. The excitement in the air was intoxicating, and a wide smile spread across her face. She glanced over at the other teams; her guildmates were gawking, but the other guilds they knew seemed pensive—like they had just encountered a problem they weren't anticipating. It only made Talia's smile broaden even more. This, she thought, is going to be fun. Three S-Class mages and two halfway through their trial, their team was definitely intimidating.
"How the hell is that fair?!" squawked Lucy.
Murmurs bounced all around the arena—the idea of a guild with two teams past the preliminary round seemed to subvert everyone's expectations.
"How come they have two teams?!" barked a blonde-haired, leather-clad mage from Quattro Cerberus, "Are they givin' Fairy Tail a handicap because they suck so hard? That's way past wild, man." The quip caught Talia's attention. One eyebrow raised and hands on cocked hips, she fixed him with a playful glare.
"We'll see how quickly you tuck that tail of yours, mutt."
Master Makarov cackled from above: "HAH. Ya like that? This is how the Fairy Tail guild takes care of business, baby!"
Talia looked up at the Fairy Tail box with a proud smile. Seeing all her guildmates happily cheering them on warmed her heart.
"THIS IS A BIG LOAD OF CRAP!" bellowed Natsu to Team B. Talia watched his outburst as if he was a particularly rambunctious puppy. "Being in the same guild won't mean jack—if I fight against any of you, I'm not pulling any punches!" He pointed a finger defiantly in their direction. "As long as we're in this tournament, you're my enemies, and I ain't gonna lose to ANY of you!"
Gajeel stepped forward to meet the boisterous fire mage.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he grinned, "I'm looking forward to making you eat dirt, Salamander."
Mira found her brother to taunt sweetly: "What's the matter? You look terrified," she said with a smile.
Elfman looked like he was going to be sick. "It's 'cause I am."
Talia tilted her head slightly in confusion as she looked over the team.
"Elfman, why are you here at all? I thought Wendy was on Team A?"
Team A's gazes went cold and some glanced menacingly toward Raven Tail.
"Someone from Raven Tail sent her to the infirmary with Magic Deficiency Syndrome." Erza replied, malice thick in her voice, "She didn't return to the hotel by midnight, and Elfman happened to be there to sub in."
"They what?" Talia hissed. Her fists clenched and she felt the heat of anger under her skin. She turned her now-livid gaze toward the Raven Tail guild; their cocky smiles only angering her more.
"I know. We'll have to find a way to return the favor, but we can't risk the Games right now."
Talia's glare didn't falter from the other guild. "Fine," she said, a little too evenly, "Then we get payback in the arena."
"My thoughts exactly," Erza's anger had tucked just below her voice. Talia could hear it grate, but the requip mage had a tight control over her externalities.
"Are we done here yet?" Laxus growled. Talia and Erza broke their eye-line with Raven Tail to turn back toward the lightning mage. His arms were crossed across his chest, and his coat hung down off his broad shoulders. He was irritated. Not anxious about being thrown face-to-face with his father's guild, just pissed that he had to deal with this shit.
"And last, but certainly not least, is the team that came in first place in the preliminaries!" the crowd erupted into the loudest cheering yet. "That's right! You know them, you love them! Now, get on your feet and scream for the most powerful guild in all of Fiore—the one and only Sabertooth!"
"Oh c'mon," Talia whined, "they get their own intro music? I feel like that's cheating." But behind her childish remark, she was already analyzing them. They're confident, that's for sure. The blonde one and Natsu seemed to have immediately singled each other out, while Gajeel snapped at the dark-haired mage.
Talia felt part of herself recoil at the sight of the large, shirtless, teal-haired mage. She was sure she'd never seen him before, but something about him was off-putting. He caught her eye and gave a wink on top of his already cocky grin. She had to hold back the growl that bubbled up her throat.
God-Slayer, hissed Morrigan, Two of them.
What?
God Slayers. The pompous one and the klutz of a girl, she snapped.
There was no klutz of a girl in Sabertooth. . . Talia scanned the other guilds—Nothing. Nothing. Nothing—you. Her eyes stopped as she came upon the small, energetic girl in Lamia Scale. Her?
Of course her, can't you feel it?
Talia closed her eyes and focused on the girl. Her magic power was surprisingly high. She experimentally sent a small sound wave toward the girl-not strong enough for anyone to notice more than a light breeze. She felt the sound wave hit and ricochet back to her, but it came back. . . wrong. Cracked and splintered and decaying.
What in the hell is that?
That, stated Morrigan-Talia could feel irritated black eyes staring at her through the back of her own mind-Is God Slayer magic.
"All in all, I'd say we have an impressive group of wizards here!"
Talia felt, more than saw, the eyes of the God Slayer from Sabertooth as they raked her up and down. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood even taller, bristling at his violating gaze.
"Do you need something?" she snapped. It just made that horribly cocky grin turn into a fully predatory smile.
"Hmmm, I'll take a piece of you, if you're offering," his voice was honeyed and it made bile burn high in her throat.
"She's a good bit more than you can handle," interjected Laxus. His voice was sharp, but still in the realm of teasing. He had no doubt Talia could hold her own against whatever magic this guy could throw at her, but that didn't mean he liked to watch someone look at her like that. Like a piece of meat. Tch. The thought irked him more than he wanted to admit.
"I'd like to see that," the teal-haired mage retorted, eyes still hungrily ogling Talia's hips.
Talia felt the air crackle around her as her anger bubbled up to the surface. To everyone else, the crisp pops melded into the arena noise and pyrotechnics, but she knew better. Tiny sonic booms cracked and snapped around her; a small, silver wisp of her power catching the light with each. It made the air around her shimmer ethereally.
"I highly doubt you'll be seeing anything," snipped Mira, who had rejoined them after taunting her brother more. She put a slender arm up on Talia's shoulder and leaned into her. Her face darkened as she glared at the man from Sabertooth, "You wouldn't last a minute, anyway."
He barked a laugh, "I can last all night if you want me to, sweet thing."
"You wouldn't see the dawn," Talia's voice was flat and serious. That was a threat—and everyone felt it. But the God Slayer either wasn't all that bright or drastically miscalculated his own game. He just smiled and took it as a playful challenge.
"We've kept everyone waiting long enough! It's about time we unveil the official schedule for this year's tournament!" The lacrima speakers boomed again, and regained every participant's attention.
A massive stone erupted from the ground, carved with cryptic event placeholders for the days to come.
"Each one of the rounds will begin with a contest, participants will then be ranked from first to eighth place. The Teams will be awarded points depending on how they rank in the contest. Additionally, each team is allowed to select which of their team members they wish to compete."
"After that, we have battles. These bouts should come as quite a treat to all you loyal fans, since it was your suggestions that created these match-ups! The battle rules are simple: each team will square off as shown here. The winning teams will be awarded ten points, while the losing teams get jack squat. In the case of a draw, both teams will be awarded five points."
Gajeel cracked his knuckles. With as good as a team as they had, there's no way this wouldn't be a clean sweep. And he was itching for a chance to ground down Torch Breath into the dirt.
"Ready for action? Let's get things started with the first contest of the Grand Magic Games—one that we call Hidden! At this time, we'd like each team to select one member to compete. Once your selections are made, the rules will be explained in their entirety."
Each team turned inward to discuss who to send.
"If we don't know the game, then how are we supposed to pick the best player?" grumbled Gajeel.
"The first challenger has stepped forward—representing Quattro Cerberus, it's Yeager!"
Talia just shrugged.
"From Mermaid Heel-it's Beth Vanderwood!"
"It's probably some obnoxious version of hide and seek," said Laxus, "Not really my thing. I'll sit this one out."
"From Raven Tail—Nalpudding!"
"I'd really rather not have too much of a magic power output until after whatever battle I'm matched up for," chimed Mira. Her Satan Soul was more stable, but she didn't want to push it.
"Blue Pegasus sends out Eve Tilm! Gotta love those lively cheers."
"If there's no Salamander, I don't care about some stupid game," Gajeel pouted.
"Keep your eyes on this one, folks—from Sabertooth, the minstrel who sings to the Red Moon, Rufus Lore!"
Talia sighed. "Guess that's just between us then, Juvia. Rock, Paper, Scissors?"
"From Lamia Scale—Lyon Vastia!" and almost immediately followed by, "From Fairy Tail Team A—the icy Gray Fullbuster!"
Talia let out a squawk of a laugh as Juvia's eyes went into her love tunnel-vision for her darling Gray.
"Ahh! If my darling's competing, then so will I!" she said, dreamily.
"Hey!" snapped Gajeel, "Don't go throwin' the fight for your boyfriend, ya hear?"
"From Fairy Tail Team B—Juvia Lockser!"
"Well, guess that's settled, then," chuckled Talia.
"The competitors have been chosen, and the long wait is finally over! Grab a refreshment and get glued to your seat, 'cause you're not gonna want to miss a single nail-biting moment of Hidden!"
"Go get 'em, Juvia," Talia said with a smile.
"You'll be amazing! Just do your best to stay focused," chimed Mira, and the rest of the team turned to leave the arena floor.
They made their way to their team viewing platform set into the wall of the arena.
"Juvia's incredibly powerful, I just hope she doesn't get sidetracked by Gray," Mira's voice was surprisingly serious, "Of everything this tournament could throw at us, he's probably her biggest weakness."
Gajeel huffed: "It's just stupid. Letting a crush get in the way of a fight. She better not screw this up for us."
"Have a little bit of faith," replied Laxus, to everyone's surprise, "She's not exactly a shrinking violet in a fight. And I feel bad for anyone who tries to use Gray to get to her." The group nodded in agreement. Threatening Gray through Juvia would be an exceptionally poor decision.
As they entered their viewing platform, a city shimmered into existence on the floor of the arena. Talia ran over to the railing and looked on in wonder.
"Have you ever seen such a massive manifestation?" she squeaked. It really was intricate—houses and shops of all sizes and colors now dotted the arena landscape. If not for the lacrima-trons floating in the air before them, they would have lost sight of the combatants altogether. Everyone was scattered throughout the mirage of a city.
"Here are the rules of the game: all the players are hiding and seeking—at the same time! The main objective in hidden is to locate other players. Once you've done that, you'll have to land an attack on them. The Player who successfully connects their attack, whether or not it does any damage, will then be awarded one point."
More manifestations popped up all over the town—but these weren't buildings.
"What the hell? There's thousands of them." grumbled Gajeel.
"I know they're pretty, but those copies aren't just for show, folks. Attack one of your fake competitors by mistake and it'll cost you one point. It's time to disappear like a black cat in a dark alleyway. Fade into your surroundings and hide in plain sight—let's play Hidden!"
A gong sounded and the game began.
And Juvia. . . promptly hugged a Gray clone. A buzzer sounded and she was disbursed to a random part of the arena.
"Oh come on!" groaned Mira, Talia, and Gajeel in unison. Laxus looked shocked and a bit ill.
"We're behind already?" Talia leaned onto the railing and rested her forehead defeatedly on her hands.
"What an idiot," jabbed Gajeel.
"This could prove to be a little bit of an issue for poor Juvia," Mira tried to keep morale up.
"Maybe I should've played the game instead," grumbled Laxus.
Gray was knocked out of a point due to a bait by the participant from Raven Tail.
"What's the purple dude's name again? No Pudding?"
Mira chuckled at Talia's question: "Nalpudding. He is a bit of a character, isn't he? I wonder what his magic is."
"Other than being a freakin' pansy hiding behind a clone?" Gajeel was not enjoying this game. He wanted to watch fights. And be in fights. And win fights. Not play ridiculously convoluted games.
Nalpudding kept finding Gray. And kept knocking points out of him.
"What's this guy's deal?" Talia's jaw was tight. First they hurt Wendy, and now the fixation on Gray. This is going to be a long tournament if we have our own personal thorn in our side.
But the sight of Juvia swooping in on Lyon pepped their spirits back up.
"Look, I don't need any help from you, ya got it?" snapped Gray over the lacrima-tron.
"I'm aware of that," replied Juvia coolly, "As a matter of fact, I'm determined to beat you. Because of the promise Master made."
"I'll bet that promise has something to do with me."
"Yes."
"Oh that's riiiiiiight. I almost forgot about Master's little wager," Talia looked back at her team, "Do you all already have your maniacal plans laid out?"
Mira, Laxus, and Gajeel sported dark and dangerous smiles. "Oh, yes," they said in unison.
"HEY GRAMPS," Grey yelled into the lacrima-tron, "If you're gonna make crazy rules like that, then they've gotta be fair! That means they've gotta work if our team wins this thing, too!"
Talia let out a bark of a laugh and sent a mischievous glint of a gaze toward her two Dragon Slayers, "You two better hope we win," she said, "because I can't wait to see what Natsu does to you if we don't."
The two blanched.
"Memory-Make"
Talia's eyes went wide and she jerked her eyes back to the arena. Did he really . . . ?
The arena went dark, but the players lit up like fireflies.
"Crap, this is bad," she ground out.
"Night of Shooting Stars!"
Each player on the field was hit by the Sabertooth attack.
"He is going to be a problem," Mira was back to strategizing. Having such a powerful wizard make themselves known this early in the tournament was a double-edged sword. Now they knew someone to watch out for and what type of magic they used, but beating him was going to be tricky.
"I've only read about this kind of Maker-Magic," said Talia, her voice wavering between grave and astonished, "It's incredibly difficult to master, but if he has photographic memory, he could even be able to use a spell he's only ever read about."
"So he can use any element, any magic?" prodded Laxus.
"Theoretically, yes," Talia's brows knit together, "Though ephemeral magics are easier for them to master because the mage isn't inherently rooted into one element. But the technique allows the wielder to copy and splice any magics they choose."
"Sabertooth isn't messing around. No wonder they've won the past few years," said Gajeel.
A bell chimed and the city dissolved back into the sand of the arena.
"And with that, the game is over! So—let's take a look over at the old scoreboard."
"Do we have to?" groaned Talia. She couldn't see it, but a hint of a warm smile crossed Laxus's face.
"Both Fairy Tail teams gave it their all, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to get them out of last place. Better luck next time."
They all heard the crowd's jeers and taunts. Losers. Weaklings. Has-Beens. Talia's fist clenched.
"The fixation on Fairy Tail members by that guy from Raven Tail gives me a bad feeling," Laxus was assertive and taking on his captain role, "If any of you are in the arena with them, be sure to watch your six." The team nodded through stoic glares.
"Coming up next is the battle part of the contest! One member of each team will participate in a match, but this isn't a tournament set-up. These combatants are chosen by the Games's organizers and we're looking forward to some spectacular displays of magical skills."
"I've just received the lineup, so we'll see just how spectacular those will be! Our very first match of this year's Grand Magic Games will test the abilities of Fairy Tail A's Zodiac-wielder, Lucy Heartfilia, against the Crimson Intensity: Flare Corona!"
"God damn it, another Raven Tail? What are the odds of that?" yelled Gajeel.
"Gettum, Lucy!" cheered Talia. She was looking forward to seeing the Celestial mage in action. The only time she'd seen her fight was on Tenrou against Achnologia, and that wasn't really a fair setting. Besides, the girl had grown on her in the short time they'd spent together—she was sweet and supportive and die-hard devoted.
Lucy and the redhead from Raven Tail took the field. Talia watched the latter closely.
"She looks almost. . . fae-ish," she wondered quietly.
"She does look kinda creepy," Mira responded, "But don't worry, your form is much more unsettling and unhinged!" She gave a dazzling smile.
Talia blanched and stuttered while Laxus and Gajeel laughed at her expense.
"Tha-that's not—" Talia started, but gave up and huffed her indignation.
Juvia rejoined the team in their viewing booth.
"Sorry about that," she said quietly.
"Nah, don't worry about it," helped Gajeel, "It's just the first game. We'll get 'em back."
Juvia gave a small smile and came to stand near Talia and Mira by the railing. The gong chimed, and the first one-on-one battle of the Grand Magic Games began.
Lucy immediately summoned Taurus and Scorpio for a heavy-hitting opening. Their combined attack was stunning.
"Did you all know she can hold two gates open at once?" Talia said incredulously. Everyone shook their heads.
But things went downhill quickly. The scarlet mage from Raven Tail grasped Lucy by the ankles with her anthropomorphic and combustible hair and slung her around, roasting through the girl's white boots.
"Ouch. Those blisters are gonna suck," Talia winced and flexed her newly-healed hands. Lucy took off her ruined boots and tossed them aside.
Flare menacingly threw her hair underground and stayed still, Lucy searching frantically to judge where the tendrils would pop up. The sound of their conversation barely caught the breeze.
Talia bolted upright. No. . . she wouldn't. . . She turned on her heel and sprinted out the door. The rest of her team blabbered their confusion, but let her go.
She tore down the stairs and onto the concourse below, dodging the crowd as best she could. But she was practically on the other side of the arena from the main Fairy Tail viewing space. . . she had to hurry.
Asca, look out!
Talia gripped her fists so tightly that her nails cut into her palms. How dare they. Using a child as hostage. She growled under her breath as she dodged more people. But the crowd was making her pace slow and choppy—she needed to find a faster way.
She looked up to the ceiling, judging the height. I might get a couple bumps on the head, but oh well. She threw a sound pulse under her left foot and pounced up above the crowd. She ran on her pulses, ignoring the stares and clamor of the people now below her feet. She had to get there.
She threw open the door to the stairwell closest to the main Fairy Tail platform, and just barely caught a glimpse of a white scarf flailing behind someone as they ran onto the platform. Talia sprinted up the stairs to follow. She ran onto the platform just in time to see Natsu scorch the tendril of red hair that had been hiding behind the child.
"She was trying to protect Asca! YOU'RE IN THE CLEAR, LUCY!"
Talia leaned back against the cold concrete wall of the viewing box, catching her breath. Thank goodness. After a moment of relief, she pushed herself off the wall and headed back out the door—back to her team.
The tide of the fight seemed to have turned by the sound of the cheering crowd. Talia smiled to herself and she quietly wove her way back through the throngs of people. Now that she was uninhibited, Lucy should have no problem trouncing that girl from Raven Tail.
But the real question was why. Between Nalpudding's actions in Hidden and the underhanded tactics of this fight, Raven Tail was officially malfeasant. If Ivan's guild has a fight to pick, then it's a fight they'll get. Talia's brows furrowed and her eyes were steely. She hoped one of them would be dumb enough to get in the arena with her now.
She climbed back up the stairs to her own viewing platform, and saw her teammates glance back to her as she walked in.
"Good catch. My ears didn't register what Lucy had said until you were long gone," Laxus's voice was all business.
"Natsu heard first because he was closest. But I'm glad he got there when he did."
Laxus nodded. "We all need to be incredibly careful in the arena against anyone from Raven Tail. I don't know what my old man is planning, but they're clearly not intending fair fights."
"Oh stars far and wide that embody the heavens—"
"Aw yeah!" cheered Gajeel, "Trash her, Blondie!"
Talia walked back over to the railing, but this time stood near Laxus.
"She's mastered Urano Metria already? Good for her," he said, a hint of surprise in his voice. The arena began to glow gold and an immense magical pressure filled the coliseum.
"With all 88 heavenly bodies—shining! Urano Metria!"
The field became a cosmic plane: planets and stars danced in their machinations as they aligned and re-aligned around the Celestial mage. Talia watched, star-struck. This spell was as beautiful as it was powerful.
And then there was—nothing. The galaxies vanished, and Lucy wobbled haphazardly as Flare watched from her place in the dirt.
"What?" screeched Talia, "But she had her! There's no way she could've countered that spell!"
She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Laxus glaring daggers toward the Raven Tail platform.
"Of course there wasn't. They cheated," Gajeel ground out. In the arena, Lucy toppled over into the sand.
"And she's down! Looks like that's it for Lucy Heartfilia. You know what that means, folks: the winner is Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"
The crowd cheered, but there was an icy silence from the Fairy Tail teams. Talia's anger was growing to be palpable, and the small, shining pops around her were physical evidence of that. Juvia glanced at her warily.
Lucy was battered. And humiliated. How could I have lost the spell? Everywhere hurt—the blisters on her ankles, the whip-marks on her arms and legs and under her clothing all stung from Flare's attacks. She felt hot tears roll down her cheeks, but she was too exhausted to do anything about it. She buried her head in her hands on the floor of the arena and sobbed to the sound of the cheering crowd.
Talia watched as Natsu went to fetch Lucy from the arena. Though their interaction was far away, she could just make out their brief conversation. Her expression softened and her hands unclenched.
"Natsu's really grown up hasn't he, Mira?" Mira nodded, a small smile on her face now as well.
"Lucy is incredibly precious to him, probably more than he really understands yet."
"Leave it to a Dragon Slayer to cherish something gold and shiny," Talia teased, but there was warmth behind it.
Though she was turned away from him, Laxus watched her. In the mid-day light, her hair shone as the colors of a flame—reds and golds and shining blondes in the light breeze. He smiled lightly to himself. A dragon and his treasure, huh?