Late in the morning, August 7th
"How can Fairy Tai-"
"MIRA!" The more experienced mages had already taken note of the nearly panicked tones of the cry so there was no way for Mira to keep the conversation private. "They took Erza!" The urgent whisper was loud enough to carry to those closest to the bar. Wakaba dropped his beer and Juvia shot out of her seat.
"Take a breath for me, Lucy. Who was it?"
"I don't know! Loke and I were…busy and when I got back… Well I had to take an emergency nap, but when I woke up she hadn't been seen all day. Gramps said to pretend nothing was wrong till this evening. He says I will be back at the guild before midnight. I told him that wasn't how trains work, but he just waved that off, so I'm not sure what he's planning. He and Wakaba will stay here and handle the talking heads, but I'm going to say he could use a replacement team for…the…" Lucy looked conflicted for a moment before she continued. "I don't know what we did wrong, but it looks like the Frenemy Arc is happening way before it should. I know we had a team planned, but we may need to go with whoever we can pull together tonight."
"Who the hell is crazy enough to tangle with Erza?!" The words mumbled around Wakaba's pipe seemed to trigger the guild to panic. Mira ignored the shouting and gave Lucy the calmest smile she could.
"I'll see who we can have ready before morning." Lucy said a quick goodbye and the barmaid turned to address the guild. "Juvia will be leading an S-class combat and rescue mission. I'll contact Cana and attempt to gather additional combat mages, since we believe mages from an assassin guild are involved."
The guild seemed to get even louder as Mira moved upstairs to the Chess Room. Her most pressing concern was that the three dragon slayers who were supposed to go on this mission were out of contact. Mira had no doubt that Cana, while contactable, was also very drunk right now. She could only hope that Gray had his head on straight and the about to be cut short visit to Quatro Cerberus had helped Elfman grow. Mira was choosing not to dwell on the fact that while Lucy had mentioned Loke he didn't seem to have returned to Era with her. That was Loke and Lucy's business and she couldn't do anything about it anyway.
"Please tell me you have something exciting to tell me." The thin, amber haired woman who appeared on the lacrima was not on the short list of people Mira had been hoping to talk to. She could, however, comply with her request.
"Erza Scarlet has been taken captive in an attempt to resurrect Zeref." The bored expression she had been greeted with had rapidly changed to one Mira likened to that of a cat watching a bird through glass. "Fairy Tail's mages are being recalled for the retrieval mission. If Master Goldmine has received Master Makarov's letter and would like to send a wizard to represent Quatro Cerberus along for this mission he should be advised that Death's Head Caucus has sent a team that will be opposing us."
"When? How long does Master have?" The woman was vibrating with excitement.
"The first team will be leaving before dawn. We will try to gather a second team to follow just in case there are loose ends to tie up." In other words anyone too slow would miss the fun.
"Right!" The woman ran off, but before the connection was severed Mira could hear her shouting at the top of her lungs, "Fairy Tail is so Wild!"
Mira took a slow, deep breath. One team home. The most important one in her opinion. She hated having her brother so far from home. He would be on his way to the guild soon and safe under her watch. She steeled herself before activating the lacrima again.
"Blue Pegasus thanks you for your patronage…Oh it's you."
"Jenny. How lovely to see your adorable face." She had to be nice. The little shrew was her messenger for something very important. "Is Master Bob available?"
"It's his day off. Since his guild behaves our Master is able to relax at home instead of babysitting us." Why that little…toddler.
"He left Ichiya to supervise you then?"
"Our darling Ichiya is away on an important mission. He was called west quite suddenly."
"I see. May I speak to Hibiki then. It's quite urgent."
"I can take a message to him. He's in the library with the little doll you sent to visit us. One doesn't disturb an archive mage during research." That…was true. It wasn't like she wanted Blue Pegasus involved anyway. Their mages were mostly show with very little true substance in a fight. Levy and Alanza were probably best kept away from the fight and the boys could stay there to guard them from…feathered pony attention.
"Thank you. Would you let our team and Hibiki know that the Frenemy Arc has begun and that they are to continue their research there? They can call me with any questions they have. If they complete their work they need to contact me before heading back."
"Of course. Wouldn't want your little friends getting lost on the way home after all. Bye-bye now!" Oh how she despised that upstart. Little twit. Ever since her boobs started growing in she had decided Mira was her inferior instead of her mentor.
"Deep breaths." Mira set the darkened lacrima down. "She's a child. You have actual problems to handle." She began quickly sketching a diagram of the mages who were out of the guild. "Slayers. No lacrima. Too far for Warren even if he were home. I should call him. He might want to help here. Mystogan. No Lacrima. Why do we not have more of those? We'll fix that." It would be expensive, but worth it. "Era team on their way. Loke apparently MIA. Research team in holding. Party Crew recalled. "The Thunder Legion…"
She could call them. They would come, she was sure of it. They would be here as quickly as the Era team would, possibly sooner and with reinforcements. The thing was Bickslow wouldn't get another chance to see his family for a long time and his brother likely needed all the support he could get from the seith's special skills. Not to mention the lessons Laxus might be learning about his own magic. No. She would wait. They would only be told if she thought they were absolutely needed.
Evening of August 7th
"Why the hell do you think we have time for a picnic!" Gray slammed a fist against a pillar as he shouted. "We shouldn't be standing around right now! Erza needs us!"
"Real men wear pants!" Elfman paused in filling a basket with sandwiches to point a bread knife at Gray's crotch.
"Only if they feel like it." Bacchus slurred from his barstool. Cana's team and their additional combat mage hadn't been off their train for a full half hour and Mira was about to slaughter all three males, brother included.
"Please don't point that thing at him like that." Max looked a little green and slowly reached out to kludge the knife back towards the cutting board.
"J-J-Juvia thinks…a picnic is good planning ahead." The water mage was quite literally steaming as she tried to avoid looking at Gray, or more specifically at Gray's crotch. She was failing, but Mira could tell she was trying.
"GOT EM!" Cana was looking more than a little wrung out, but almost completely sober as she clattered down the stairs waving a map over her head. "It's not exact, but it's a start. We'll have to pick one team though since they're so far ap- OH Shit!" The card mage reeled back as Lucy and a tired looking dark haired man suddenly appeared between her and the bar.
"Lucy. I see Master solved your timely transportation issue just as he said he would."
"Yep! That'll teach me to doubt Gramps. This is Doran…Mest. This is Mest." The man gave Mira a small wave. He looked…guilty. Mira wasn't sure why, but she smiled at him as if she knew anyway. That made him look even more nervous.
"You have plenty of time to rest before the train to Akane Beach leaves. We split into two teams.
Cana and Mickey will take Bacchus and Elfman, while you and Juvia will have Gray and Max." She wasn't happy about Elfman choosing to go, but her brother seemed confident in his ability to handle the mission.
"Juvia was thinking we should use the buddy system. Since Death's Head Caucus will be there. If the teams have to split up we should stay with our buddy. Juvia…" The girl gave Gray a look that had Mira's inner demons bickering over shades of dark blue baby hair before scowling and saying something that had her blinking in surprise. "Juvia will stay with Max. We have been working well together."
"Good thinking. I'll Stick with Gray till we round up the rest of my team." Lucy nodded, fingers slowly moving over her keys.
"Bout that." Cana slapped her map onto the table where they could all see it. "I've got a location for our slayers and for Mystogan. Warren can probably get close enough to contact one of the teams, but…We want the slayers to blow all planning to shit or an experienced S-class mage who may…complicate certain things?" Most of the team looked confused, but Mira knew that Mystogan sharing a face with Jellal could indeed make things complicated.
"No reason not to contact both." Meat reached out and tapped the map. "I can get him to both teams tonight. We'll just see who manages to get there in time."
"Wait, who are you again, and why the hell are you helping us?" Gray glared at Mest and pointed at his Rune Knight uniform.
"Oh." Mest shed the jacket and turned his shoulder towards the group. His Fairy Tail stamped shoulder. "Long story. I'll remind you later." Cana shrugged and handed the man her map.
"Go for it. Elfman? You good to be my human shield while I'm casting?" Surprising. Mira would have expected the card mage to go with the half naked man toting copious amounts of alcohol instead of her brother, but okay.
"We'll show them what Fairy Tail is made of!" The two shared an enthusiastic high five that made Mira smile. It was nice to see her brother feeling so confident.
"I'll stick with Sexy then." Mickey grinned and propped an elbow on Bachuss's shoulder.
"We'll be fine." Max took a slow breath and nodded. "At least… we'll stay alive and keep the enemy busy till the big guns get there."
"To hell with that." Gray smirked as he tugged his shirt back on. "I plan to have Erza rescued and back home before Flame-Brain even lights his fuse."
"YEAH!" The whole team fist pumped together and the guild cheered around them.
Mira sighed and turned to polish glasses, resigned to sleepless waiting till they had all returned to the nest. She truly hated waiting. She did. If only she wasn't a risk to her own teammates. Not aware enough in her emotionally volatile magical state to protect those who needed protecting. Maybe…wars and dragons and Zeref…Once she had seen the first team off she would do some meditating while she waited some more.
August 7th, well after sunset
Her shoulders hurt. Really bad. When she tried to open her eyes and look at them it was all she could do not to vomit. Her body's natural reaction to that much nausea sent more pain shooting up her arms and she passed out.
Laughter. She picked her head up before opening her eyes this time in an attempt to avoid the overwhelming nausea. It might have helped. A little. The pain in her arms wasn't gone, but it felt more…distant. Or maybe it was just drowned out by the screaming of every other muscle in her body. How long had she been in this position?
Her eyes cracked open and she tried to make sense of the swimming faces in front of her. Not her Guild, not the people who she had set out to find…without telling her team. Wow she was stupid. There were familiar faces though. She couldn't remember who any of them were…except maybe… That one. It didn't belong. Something slammed into the wall next to her head and she instinctively tried to jerk away. The pain in her arms spiked, her stomach rolled, and she passed back out, the sound of shouting and cursing ringing in her ears.