A/N: And here we are with a new chapter!

I don't own Fairy Tail!

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 15: The Contact

July 28th, X784

Nika let out a long yawn as she finally woke up for the day, having passed out after JV had begun breathing again early in the morning, the woman scowling as she turned to look over at the clock on the nightstand to see it was an hour past noon already. With a long sigh, she dragged herself out of bed, still dressed in the clothes she was wearing last night before she made her way over to the bag she was keeping her clothes in while Katashi's crew was still repairing the upper floors where her room was. Nika quickly picked up a bundle of clothing and made her way into the dorm room's bathroom where she quickly showered and prepared herself for what was left of the day, stepping out of her temporary dorm room fully dressed and with freshly dried hair as she walked down to the next room that held her temporary office, the woman stopping her tracks as soon as she opened the door to see a woman dressed in black with a messy mop of silver hair atop her head sitting at her desk, feet propped up on top of it while reading through one of the mage's profiles.

"Yo!" the woman called out, briefly looking up from the folder in her hands before going back to her reading, "I tried to wake you up earlier, but you were out like a light, Nika."

"So you decided to let yourself into my office and start reading my classified files?" Nika sighed as she stepped inside, shutting the door to room behind her.

"I was bored. What else was I gonna do? Hang out with Raoul?" the woman shrugged as she closed the file before standing up to stretch.

"You used to run in the same gang as him before you two joined Phantom Lord. Last I checked you two even dated for a while," Nika retorted as she stepped around the desk, shooing the woman away from it and back around to the other side.

"I wouldn't of really called it dating… more like casually… Well, you know," the woman said as a sly smile crossed her face as Nika covered her eyes with her hand and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Was there something you needed, Sable?" Nika finally asked before looking back up at the silver-haired woman, her amber eyes flickering with a hint of mischief.

"Well… There is this one thing I'd like. Y'know, since I've been doing all this legwork for you. Finding out where Jose's musty old book went, hunting down that Magic Council courier for you, etcetera etcetera," Sable mused as she sat on top of Nika's desk, the Guild Master shooting her a dirty look as Sable sat down.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Nika repeated, her patience quickly growing thin with the woman atop her desk.

"Weeeeell. I figured you could let me into this little operation of yours. Kind of, sort of out of regular work since Phantom Lord got axed," Sable stated, her smile growing wider as she looked over her shoulder to see an unamused look on Nika's face, "Oh come now, Veronika! I thought we were friends!" Sable gasped in mock horror, the woman struggling to hold in her laughter as she saw an angry look appear on Nika's face at hearing her full name, "Besides, it'd be a shame if anything were to… happen to this envelope containing those mission details I took from that courier," Sable chuckled as a white envelope bearing the Magic Council's seal appeared in her hand, the woman casually waving it the air in front of Nika.

"Ugh… Fine. Who am I to turn down a mage that wants to join," Nika groaned before swiping the envelope from Sable's hand.

"Wonderful!" Sable cheered, "Now let's see, I think I'd like my guild mark on my-," Sable began to say before Nika stamped Sable's right cheek, leaving behind a bright, yellow Phantom Hearts guild mark on it, "Eh?" the woman gawked, lost for words as Nika wore a smug look on her face.

"Welcome to the guild," Nika stated as she sat the stamp down on her desk before clasping her hands together as she took in the sight of her work on Sable's shocked face, her mouth agape while her eyes stared blankly ahead before her head drooped down slightly as a gloomy look appeared on her face.

"I didn't think you'd have something like that in you…" Sable muttered, "What a cruel and unjust life you must have led since leaving the Main Branch, to become such a horrible person," the woman continued to mumble as Nika continued to sit at her desk, looking quite pleased with herself.

"I think you're the one who constantly told me I needed to lighten up," Nika pointed out as Sable slowly stood up from the desk before a knock was heard at the door before it was opened up to reveal Raoul.

"Ah! You're awake!" the man said as he stepped into the room.

"Raoul?" Nika replied as the man gave her a questioning look as Sable slowly trudged over to the corner of the office before stopping to stand in it, "You didn't happen to let this into my office, did you?" Nika asked as she pointed over at Sable, who was quietly muttering about the color yellow in the corner, trembling ever so slightly.

"Sable? Nah. I think she let herself in to be honest. You know how she is," Raoul answered, "She's like Vincent if Vincent didn't know what personal space and privacy was."

"Hmm… I see," Nika hummed before turning her attention to the envelope on her desk and opening it, pulling out a mission flyer with a man's face on it that had a notable scar on it while three smaller portraits were below it, "Wanted… for association with the Cult of Zeref," Nika read aloud.

"Cultists? An odd thing for the Magic Council to want us to hunt down," Raoul muttered while bringing his hand up to his chin in thought.

"Maybe they're on edge after the whole Lullaby incident in Clover Town earlier this month?" Nika reasoned as she sat the mission flyer on the desk, sliding it towards Raoul, "Either way, can I count on you to handle this?" she asked as Raoul picked up the flyer, eyeing the portraits.

"Of course you can," Raoul said as a confident smirk appeared on his face, "I'll grab Lulu and a couple more mages and we'll take off."

"Good. The sooner this is taken care of the better. I get the feeling the Magic Council is eager to shut us down since I had to ask Sable to hunt down the courier in the first place."

"Right. Can't wait to see the looks on their faces when we show up with all four of these asshats in tow," Raoul chuckled before turning back towards the door.

"Raoul!" Nika called out, the black haired man looking over his shoulder before walking out of the room, "Be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry about it! I'll be back before you know it!" the man declared before stepping out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

"Now what to do with you?" Nika wondered aloud before looking over at Sable, "Right. What about that third thing I asked you about?" she asked as Sable slowly looked over her shoulder, turning slightly so that Nika could see a mirror that the woman had been staring into.

"It's… sooooo yellow," Sable cried as Nika let out another sigh.

"Did you find Wulf or not?" Nika questioned, growing impatient with the woman.

"He's not interested," Sable replied before turning back to face the corner.

"Did he say why at least?" Nika asked, standing up to walk over towards Sable as she picked up the magic stamp off her desk, grabbing Sable by the shoulder and turning her around before stamping her face again, changing the bright yellow guild mark black.

"It's fixed!" Sable exclaimed as she looked into the mirror, "A beautiful black guild mark!"

"Answer the question already," Nika requested as she stared down the woman.

"Right right. So basically, he just wants to retire from mage work. You remember how he was, just wanted to make swords really. Apparently he saved up enough money working at the Clover Town Branch that he was able to open his own smithy the other day after Phantom Lord got shut down," Sable explained as she happily examined her recolored guild mark in the mirror.

"Well, so long as he's happy, I guess," Nika sighed, resolving not to bother the man anymore than Sable no doubt already had, "Well, I have work I need to do, so why don't you go introduce yourself to the guild since you'll be working here now."

"I think I shall," Sable agreed as she examined her new guild mark once more, "I did miss Lillian quite a bit, so it'll be good to catch up with her as well as see all the cute little mages you've recruited," Sable said happily before the mirror in her hands disappeared before the woman walked out of the room, Nika letting out a sigh before walking over to collapse in her desk chair, though she'd quickly shoot up straight again when she felt someone grab her chair from behind and pull it back, forcing Nika to lean back with the chair, the woman letting out a yelp as she felt like she was falling.

"Not funny, Sable," Nika pouted as she looked up to see Sable standing over her, the woman having reappeared behind her.

"Just a harmless prank," the woman laughed as Nika shot her a harsh glare, "Just remembered one last thing I wanted to tell you is all."

"And that is?"

"You should really hurry up and make a move on Raoul," Sable stated as she stared down at Nika, a smile growing on her face as she watched a blush appear on Nika's, "Take it from me, he's a great catch. Especially when it comes to…"

"S-Sable!" Nika interrupted, her face now thoroughly red as she shot up out of her chair, turning around to face the woman behind her.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Sable shrugged before walking back around the desk and back towards the door, "Just remember, I'm rooting for you," she added before stepping out of the door again, shutting it behind her as Nika waited with baited breath for Sable to once again appear behind her, letting out a sigh of relief when she realized she was gone for good this time.

. : + : .

"Okay… Four cultists, all mages. No real clue about what they're like though," Raoul muttered to himself as he stepped out into the main room as he read the mission flyer, briefly looking up to see if he could spot Lulu, though a quick glance showed the giant of a woman wasn't in the room as she tended to stick out, "Maybe in the courtyard," he mumbled before turning around and walking back in the direction he came from taking a left towards the courtyard, Raoul quickly spotting Lulu helping Izzy fix her garden after Seigrain damaged it.

"I can't believe a Magic Councilman would do this of all people! And a Wizard Saint no less!" he could hear Izzy shout as she pulled dead plants out of the garden, "Aren't they supposed to be one of the pinnacles of magedom!? How can they expect the guilds to stay in line when one of their members runs around trashing peoples gardens!?"

"My my. It'll be alright, Izzy. We'll have your garden fixed up in no time at all!" Lulu said as she gently patted Izzy on the shoulder, doing her best to calm the older woman down, "I'm sure it'll look better than ever even!"

Izzy turned her head to look up at Lulu before dropping it back down and sighing as she pulled her gloves off, "I know we will, Lulu. It's just frustrating. I had signs up and everything asking people to not disturb my garden and then he goes and rips up my plants."

"Sounds like you need to punch something then," Raoul called out as he stepped up to the two women.

"Do I ever," Izzy sighed, "You got a job for me?"

"One that involves plenty of punching even. It is technically our guild's first S-Rank Mission though," Raoul explained as he held the flyer out for the two women to read, "Naturally I want you with me on this one, Lulu. So does Nika."

"Of course. I'm happy to assist however I can," Lulu replied, smiling softly as Izzy read over the flyer.

"It has been a while since I've been on a mission and I do need to work on all this pent up frustration I've got going on," Izzy muttered as she finished reading.

"Cool. We just need one more mage and we're set to go then," Raoul said as he rolled up the flyer, "I'll let you two know when it's time to get ready," he added before stepping away from the women and walking out of the courtyard and back into the hallway that connected the dorm rooms with the courtyard and the main room just as Sable was stepping out of Nika's temporary office.

"Any luck with that mission yet?" Sable asked as she spotted Raoul.

"Got two mages, just looking for one more combat focused mage to join us," Raoul answered as he walked past her, the woman quickly following behind.

"Yeah. That's definitely not my shtick," Sable sighed as she waved her hand dismissively in front of her.

"You didn't give Nika too hard of a time, did you?" Raoul asked as they stepped into the main room.

"Eh… No more than usual. And besides, I deserve a little fun when she was working me so hard when I wasn't even a member of the guild yet," Sable replied, "Woman had me run from one end of the country to the other in like five days. My feet are killing me."

"You were always good at running."

"I did leave you to fend for yourself a good few times back when we were in the gang, didn't I?" Sable laughed nervously.

"And you still owe me for that last one and that big scar on my back it gave me," Raoul pointed out.

"At least you're not mad at me for the whole eyebrow thing anymore," Sable mumbled as she looked up at the piercings that had long replaced Raoul's eyebrows.

"That was guild business, so nah. Not as fussed about that one. Even if the metalhead stole my look," Raoul stated as he stepped up to the bar where the tall, green-haired man known as Kord was sat.

"Need something?" Kord asked as he briefly looked to the side before going back to his drink.

"I need a fourth mage for an S-Rank Quest," Raoul answered.

"You think that's me?" Kord replied as he now turned in his seat, his eyes briefly landing on Sable and the Phantom Hearts guild mark on her face before turning back to Raoul.

"I think there are worse choices," Raoul quipped as Kord let a small grin appear on his face before it quickly disappeared.

"Sure. Needed to take a job soon anyways. What's the pay?" the large man asked before downing what was left of his drink.

"That's the hitch… Councilman Seigrain unfortunately didn't see fit to pay us for this one. Something about how we were doing this job for the privilege of keeping our guild open," Raoul hesitantly answered as Kord turned back towards the bar and grabbed another bottle of whiskey.

"Well that does put a damper on things doesn't it. I need to get paid if I'm going on a job. Especially if it's S-Rank," Kord retorted as he poured himself another glass.

"I like this guy's style," Sable commented as Raoul shot her a dirty look.

"If it's that important to you, I'll pay you out of my own pocket. Just don't tell Nika or she'll try and pay me back," Raoul bargained, catching Kord's interest again.

"Two million Jewels," Kord stated as he named his price.

"That's a bit steep, don't you think?" Raoul gawked.

"I think it's a bit cheap," Sable quipped.

"Not helping."

"I know."

"Last I checked, a low paying S-Rank Quest was seven million," Kord explained, "This is standard pay for a subjugation mission."

"Fine, fine. I'll pay you two million Jewels since it is a subjugation mission at the end of the day," Raoul relented as he scratched the back of his head, "Just be ready in an hour, we're leaving as soon as we can since this is time sensitive."

"Fair enough," Kord replied as he downed his second glass before standing up and walking off.

"Didn't even try to negotiate," Sable said as she shook her head in disappointment, "I think you could of gotten him down to one and half million at least."

"Still not helping, Sable," Raoul sighed as the woman next to him let out a laugh.

"I know."

. : + : .

Sasha stood over the unmoving JV as the man's words rang out in her mind over and over again. What did it mean to be strong? How did one go about getting strength and power? Could it be attained by working with others? Or did you have to forge the path alone?

"I just don't know what to do," Sasha muttered to herself as Martin stood on the ground next to her, looking up at her with eyes full of curiosity, "JV risked everything to become stronger and what have I done? Nothing."

"Pun puuun," Martin cooed as he grabbed onto Sasha's leg, the young mage looking down at him to see a face full of concern before she bent down and picked him up.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to get rid of any of you," she said as she petted Martin on the head, "You're all still my friends," she added before looking down at JV again, the man still fast asleep. She stared at him for a while longer before a determined look appeared on her face, "Okay! I'm gonna go on a mission and I'm gonna do it all on my own! Just me and my spirits!"

"Pun puun!" Martin cheered happily, wiggling about in Sasha's arms.

"Yeah! We're gonna do great!"

"Puuun!"

"Yeah!" Sasha cheered as she turned to leave the infirmary, Martin happily chanting as she stepped out of the room, marching into the main room and straight up to the mission board where she was met with immediate disappointment, "It's… basically empty," she mumbled as all the wind flew out of her sails as her eyes examined the desolate board, completely empty save for a few simple, low paying quests.

"Puun pun?"

"This one… I guess?" Sasha muttered as she reached for one of the few flyers and pulled it off of the board, "Goblin extermination is hardly a tough mission… But it's not like I have any choice and I want a mission with at least some fighting," she sighed as she looked down at the pay for the mission, "Just twenty thousand? Can't be helped I guess."

"Puuun…"

"That just means we get all the more chances to grow stronger though!" Sasha suddenly exclaimed as she struck a determined pose, holding a clasped fist in front of her chest, "Low pay means we've gotta take more missions! And more missions means we get to fight more! And fighting more means we grow stronger faster!"

"Puuun! Pun pun!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Sasha said happily as she ran off towards the exit and left the guildhall, leaving a couple of confused looks on the mages still in the room.

"Wonder what's gotten into her?" Lillian asked aloud from her seat at a table, Sable sitting next to her.

"Who can say for certain, but the fire of her youth is quite inspiring!" Asher declared as he stood up from his seat, striking a dramatic pose as he lifted his top hat from his head to pose with it, "I believe I too, shall take a mission today! I can hardly let myself be outdone after all!"

"Pretty sure you just want to be the center of attention," Alek muttered as he sipped on his drink.

"I hardly think that's a ill quality," Asher countered as he walked over to the mission board, "Desperate for attention I may be, but the fire lit in my heart by that poor girl's drive has inspired me into action. We cannot simply sit around and wait for missions of the same quality we are used to receiving to appear, we must act and prove ourselves once again to be worthy of such daring quests!"

"For once… I'm having a hard time disagreeing with you, Ash," Alek sighed as he stood up from his chair.

"Take me too," they heard a quiet voice call out, Asher swooshing about dramatically to find the source of the voice before his eyes landed on a rather short woman.

"Ah! Yuri Boom! Have your hands regenerated already?" Asher asked as he quickly moved to Yuri's side as she lifted her hands up, showing that they had indeed regrown, but bore quite a few scars.

"They're better now," she answered.

"If you're sure. Though I don't think this mission will really call for explosions since there's not much to choose from," Alek explained.

"That's fine with me. I won't lose anything then," Yuri replied quietly.

"Simply marvelous then! Myself, my good friend Alek and Yuri Boom herself shall depart on a mission!" Asher declared as he swiped a flyer from the board.

"Do you even know what mission you grabbed?" Alek asked as Asher froze in place, realizing he had not even looked at the flyer.

"Why… Yes! Yes I do! It's…" he began to say before looking at the flyer, "Pet sitting? For ten thousand?"

"That's too little pay for three mages," Yuri sighed before walking over to the board and reaching up as high as she could to snatch a different flyer from the board before showing it to the two men, "Treasure hunting, for one hundred and fifty thousand."

"Works for me," Alek stated as he snatched the pet sitting flyer from Asher's hands before pinning it back to the board, "Let's go then," he said, patting Asher on the shoulder, who was still frozen in place, before he and Yuri walked past the magician who eventually pulled himself back together, shaking the embarrassment off.

"Yes! Indeed! We are off and we shall return victorious!" Asher declared before following Alek and Yuri out of the guildhall, leaving Lillian sighing in embarrassment for the man.

"What a fun person," Sable chimed.

"He's really not," Lillian groaned before going back to her drink.

Credits:

Sable Devereux – Dreadburner94

A/N: Chapter complete! I hope you enjoyed!

This was a pretty enjoyable chapter to write since I got to delve a smidge into Raoul's past with the introduction of Sable, but hey! Guild's got a new mage since I figured someone of note was figuring out where all this stuff was for Nika, so Sable was created to be that person. But it's also exciting that we're gonna get to see a lot of the mages that didn't go on a mission last arc go on one this story arc.

Anyways, I'd like to thank bulk Locke the the grim head, Grimnack, Benthino, Elements08 and MyDearWatson for the reviews! They mean a lot!

That's all from me for now.

Your host,

Dreadburner94.