Temperance

Juvia huffed in aggravation at the papers she, Mira, and Max were looking over. It didn't make sense to her. Everyone Juvia had ever known had seen money as one of the most important parts of life…till she became a Fairy. Fairy Tail mages gave money the same kind of attention that they gave socks. Something they needed to keep their feet safe, but unimportant unless they couldn't find any. And this week they apparently couldn't find any. Money that was, not socks.

Come to think of it, a lot of Juvia's fellow Fairies wore sandals and so they didn't need socks at all. Alanza, Bickslow, and Erza wore socks, but Evergreen, Gray, and Nab didn't. She leaned to the side and peered down. Max wore socks. Mira did not. She was sure Freed and Laxus wore socks. Natsu did not and Cana did not. Was Lucy a sock person? Juvia couldn't remember…

"If we want to sell anything to the public it has to be outside of the actual guildhall. It's too dangerous in here for non-mages."

"Oh I agree!" Mira idly raised an empty tray to deflect a thrown…was that a shoe? "Not inside the hall, but maybe a little shop front outside the front door?"

"Juvia can sew an awning! If…that would help." She felt suddenly shy at the focus directed at her.

"It would. Actually It would be a good idea if we could get mages to dedicate a day now and then to help produce fundraising supplies." Max scowled at his own idea. If he was imagining Natsu trying to sew like Juvia was, she understood the frown.

"With a little creative thinking and teamwork I think that is an excellent idea!" Juvia blinked at Mira. Maybe she had been hit in the head too many times in guild brawls. This level of optimism was unrealistic even to Juvia.

Eight of Swords

Ultear was livid. Behind the serene smile she showed the Magic Council she was screaming, raging at the heavens. All their carefully laid pans. Years of blood and pain and waiting had been given for the sake of her dreams. She and Master Hades had nudged all their little pieces carefully to get the end game they desired. Things had changed.

First had been the message from Titania on Galuna Island. The boldfaced reminder of her mother's betrayal with both of those boys within her reach had almost made her forget her true end goal. Certainly she had lost sleep over the empty offer Fairy Tail's new Seer had sent her. It had troubled her enough that she had even resorted to speaking to Meredy about it in order to ease her own mind. She had recovered her focus soon enough though.

Then came Jose Porla's epic failure. Useless clown. He had everything he needed. Fairy Tail should be clinging to the good graces of the Council only by Yajima's memory and their pitiful tears. Instead the Council owed them *gratitude* for the exposure of Phantom Lord's seedier side. Even Lahar had expressed some small wonder at the efficiency and brutality of the legal slaughter of the now disbanded guild. Convincing the Council to use the etherion Cannon would still be possible, but if the Fairy Tail Mages managed to make it into the Tower that victory would be much harder to claim.

And now...Meredy. The girl had gone on one of her little research missions and had come back with strange ideas. Ultear hadn't told Master Hades yet. If she could settle the child on her own there would be no need for the more drastic measures the Master tended to resort to, or allow others the freedom to employ, when he was displeased. Ultear would discipline her own child and Zancrow would stay far away.

At least the boy was still well in hand. Ultear's lips twitched into a smirk as she trailed fingertips along Seigrain's jaw. His dark hazel eyes unfocused for a split second as she tightened the threads of red magic in his mind. Men as a rule were so easy to manipulate. A soft touch, a hint of seduction, a glimpse of power dangled in front of them and they fell to their knees at her feet. Jellal had been ripe for the picking, a wounded, desperate creature, heart wide open and begging for the power to save his sad little friends. Now, with her careful guidance he was one of the most powerful mages in the country, and not just in terms of magical power. A beautiful instrument all hers to play to any tune she chose.

Justice-Reversed

Cobra bared his teeth and hissed into the wind, tendrils of toxic gas slipping from between his teeth. Was it pointless? Yes. Was it immature? Yes. Did it reinforce his soulless, bloodthirsty psychopath image? Absolutely not. Nobody but Cubelios was around to see him though and he was peeved. Particularly put out, pissed off, and passionately displeased with the peculiar person that seemed to be pointedly provoking him by persistently pronouncing both his primary public epithet and his particularly private appellation for days. Weeks? He wasn't sure.

It wasn't like he normally paid attention to strange souls and their mutterings. He'd be even more crazy than he was if he listened to every Ho and Dick within range. Every chick and dog had something to say about something. He normally blocked it out. It was once the sound of concussive blasts and dragon wings and the cackling of demons were joined by the sound of fucking *Erik* that it really drew his attention.

Erik. Purple-eyed, maroon-haired, sharp-fanged, poison-breathing Cobra, but Erik. ERIK! Erik was weak and soft and cuddled with snakes and apparently baked Zeref damned cupcakes and had pointed fucking ears! It was total bullshit! He heard Erik with tiny purple scales rubbing against his fingers, then Cobra was eating flowers and purring.

He heard it. Cobra and Erik were one and the same to the nutjob who somehow thought they knew him. The bitch was nuts and had half a dozen timelines and realities crossed inside her fucked up warren of a soul. He didn't recognize her. There was some sort of jarring wrongness in her soul's music. It was almost like there were two of her. Sounds of machines and this ugly honking noise were bright inside her, but the sounds he could identify, recognize, were mostly muted like a dream.

He wanted to hunt her down, peel off her layers and drag out her insides and find out what she was made of, both body and soul. The nuthouse had secrets and he wanted to tear them out of her. Pick through her soul and taste her blood and finally fit her back together like a broken, useless puzzle. He really did like puzzles. This one sounded so interesting. Maybe once he was done with this job he could take a couple days. Brain would make him pay more than he was willing to give if he and Cubelios didn't finish up and hand him the results he expected when he expected them.

Five of Pentacles

Ruined. He was ruined. Everything was gone. His good reputation, his rebellious daughter, his fortune, even the cozern was lost now. Layla. What would she say? She would be so disappointed in him. What had he done to deserve this? He'd worked so hard for so long. How had he missed such vital points in his contracts? Why hadn't he noticed it sooner? Where had he gone wrong with Lucy? He just... didn't understand...and he didn't know what to do with himself now.

King of Wands

Laxus groaned as strong fingers dug into his shoulders. Cool mint magic sank deeper than the fingers could reach, soothing bone deep aches from his 'sparring' session earlier. Zen still didn't really get the idea that you weren't supposed to actually skewer your friends. If that's what they were. Adopted brother of my pseudo brother and all that. Or…kin. He really needed to start letting the thoughts his soul was having just happen. Fuck this was complicated.

"You're thinking too hard. If you zap me again I may have to stop." Cristoff dug his thumbs into a knot and Laxus would fry anyone who claimed that the sound he made was a moan.

"You stop and I'll fucking zap you." He would. Absolutely. Those hands needed to stay on him. In a totally platonic kind of way because he really wasn't like that no matter what Boscan 'what is gender' ideas Bix and Cris kept trying to influence him with. The point was that he wouldn't get treatment like this once they got back to Fiore.

"You should really relax more." Cool magic flowed up and down his spine and he fought the almost overwhelming urge to melt. If he still has muscles once Cris was done with him maybe he'd find something pretty to take back to his cabin for the night. A girl. Woman. Female. That's what he meant.

Death-Reversed

This was just perfect. The overpowered children likely hadn't even thought of them since they destroyed Lullaby. Fools. Eisenwald wasn't like Phantom Lord. They didn't cripple themselves by pretending to be something they weren't. Sure they lost a few valuable members to the Rune Knights. Byard and Rayule would definitely be missed. A single defeat didn't mean they were destroyed though.

It had been a good call to keep the traitors instead of releasing them either into the hands of the Rune Knights or to the sweet silence of death. Not that the twins would survive long if they kept being so difficult. Not everyone was as repentant as Snarl or as useful as Pridect after all. The most recent tidbit the fortune teller had seen in his little crystal ball was the perfect chance for revenge.

Not only would this new plan cripple the Fairies, but it would be an ideal tool to regain the status that Eisenwald had lost in the eyes of the Alliance. The only question was whether they wanted to try wielding it themselves or use it as a gift to curry favor. If it were as useful as it sounded and was used properly Eisenwald could grow to become a fourth pillar of the Balam Alliance.

The Tower

A deep inhale of the magic still hanging in the air had his blood singing. As much as he hated this place it had always generously fed his magic. Now though, now it was as if the sky itself had rained wrath down on the earth. It tasted glorious. Rage and blood and chaos curled around him as a visible feast.

Swarms of little bipedal snacks poured down into the crater he had landed in. He bared his teeth in a dark grin. Foolish little worms. If they couldn't even defend themselves against the imitation hatchlings whose anger he could smell here, what made them think they could touch him? He was the Dragon King, the Chaos Dragon, The Destroyer, the apocalypse incarnate. He would devour them and claim this blood soaked earth as his holy ground.