Jade Force

Chapter Thirteen: Jose is a Manipulative Dick

I've decided that Fight Back, the sixteenth Fairy Tail opening theme song, is my favourite, and so have been listening to it almost non-stop as I wrote this XD

"Aubrey, what are you doing?" Beckman asked, exasperated.

"Reading," She whimpered, one hand over her mouth.

"That's not what it looks like from here." He sweatdropped. Sitting on the peer beside their ship, a sickly-looking Aubrey was attempting to read that strange book of hers.

"Then I'm making a new friend," the sixteen-year-old managed to say, somewhat sharply.

"You're sitting on the peer next to our ship, just to get over your motion sickness?"

"It's worth a shot!" Aubrey snapped. "I've had Shanks in my head telling me to go to sea with him for nearly three years now, but I can't safely do that until I'm friends with this ship's Klabautermann, and can be supported by my nakama without… without…" Shoving her book into her satchel hastily, Aubrey turned and hung over the edge of the peer, feeding the fishes.

Even though her hair barely touched her shoulders, Beckman still came and pulled it out of her face for her.

"Why don't you come back to shore," He told her softly. "Yasopp wants to test you in a fight,"

Aubrey shook her head stubbornly. "I need to overcome this!" She gasped. "Every day, until the log sets, I am going to sit here, and I'm going to become friends with this ship!"

"I thought you didn't want to be a pirate?"

Aubrey shrugged her shoulders and looked away awkwardly. "It doesn't sit right, that's true – I dislike the idea of needless killing –"

"We don't do that."

"Or unnecessary thefts –"

"Or that."

"Or excessive drinking –"

"Oi,"

"But I do like the idea of adventures, and growing stronger. I also can't stand slavery, and the fact that I had a fight over that with an admiral, the second-highest force in the militia, over that very thing means that I shouldn't be too trusting of this government. And pirates are the ones who oppose this, aren't they?"

Beckman watched her for a minute, before telling her softly, "There are still some pirates who support slavery – it isn't uncommon for them to go the auction houses on Saboady to find new crewmates, and there are those who sell their fallen enemies for extra belli."

Aubrey pulled a disgusted face, and spat into the ocean. "I had no plans of glorying piracy, but you've made your point. I was just saying that this crew is a better option than the law."

Beckman wrinkled his nose, and reached for his pipe. "That's a low blow."

She shrugged, and pulled out that strange journal of hers, beginning to read slowly again.

Lying back against the mooring post and pretending so snooze around his pipe, Beckman watched her with half-lidded eyes. This girl was something of a mystery, all right! But one he was determined to figure out – as first mate, he was the one who had to watch the Captain's back, after all.

_ * . * . * _

Gajeel had to say, out of all of the guilds he'd joined over the last two years, Phantom Lord seemed to agree with him the most. Master Jose was a bit of a dick, sure, but he didn't scoff when Gajeel said he used Dragon Slayer Magic. Instead he just asked for a demonstration, and said that he was good for a kid, but as a member of Fiore's strongest guild, he'd have to improve. He also didn't mind too much that Gajeel would occasionally disappear for a while, after a rumour about a Dragon or Dragonet popped up. Or at least, he hadn't.

"Gajeel-kun," Jose called across the guildhall, just as the boy was depositing the flier and guild's half of his earnings. Taking down a bunch of bandits? Childs play. "I want a word."

Hackles half-raised, Gajeel followed the Master back up to his office.

"Gajeel, you finish your jobs in record time, despite your age," Jose began, having sat himself in his throne-like chair. "And yet, you take so long to get back to the guild! Don't you think that, the sooner you return, the sooner you can go on another job, hmm? You can only get stronger if you train."

Gajeel turned his head away with a tch! "I'm lookin' fer someone."

"Oh?" Jose asked, with polite interest. "Who?"

How did he even begin to describe this person that he barely remembers?

"… My big sister. She was Mermaid Heel's top S class wizard, but something happened on a job, and now she's missing."

Jose's eyes widened, if just for a moment, with shock. "Don't tell me – not Aubrey Nephrite? The Dragonet?"

Gajeel shrugged his shoulders, still not looking at the master. "That's her name. So what?"

Oh, this was just too good! The number of times Jose had attempted to recruit that girl – she had been there at the meeting last year, accompanying her Master for whatever reason, and had broken up the fight between him and Fairy Tail's Master, Makarov Dreyer, without any damage done to herself. Obviously, as such a strong wizard at such an age, she surely had to join the strongest guild! His guild!

And if he had her precious little brother, then it was just a matter of keeping Gajeel loyal, and just like that, Aubrey would be his.

"D'you know why she disappeared, Gajeel-kun?" The boy's eyes betrayed that no, he didn't. Good, good. "It was because she was with trash."

"What?"

"Only the strong can join Phantom Lord – every other guild is filled with the trash leftovers. I had asked Aubrey-chan to join this guild because she was too strong for Mermaid Heel, that all-woman's guild, but she felt like she owed them, which is why she never joined our ranks. And did you know, Gajeel-kun, it was because of those trash in her guild that she disappeared?"

The boy was shaking, red eyes wide. "No way," he finally managed to grunt out.

"Of course, they probably told you all sorts of stories, but the fact of the matter was that they were too weak to defend themselves, so Aubrey-chan had to pull all the weight. That is the real reason she's gone!" Jose watched as the boy in front of him shook, struggling with this information.

"I'll make them pay!" He finally gasped out, knuckles white on the edges of his tunic.

Oh yes, this is what Jose wanted!

"Now, now, Gajeel-kun! Aubrey-chan won't like that! For your own health, I don't want you to go near any more Mermaid mages, ok? We'll keep your understanding of this to ourselves, and concentrate on getting stronger and stronger, so that you can fight with Aubrey-chan on equal ground. Now doesn't that sound better…?"

Red eyes looked up with a positively vile look in their depths. "Yeah, Master. I'm gonna go train now." And with that the boy was gone, and the sounds of his fury drifted back through the walls. Music to Jose's ears!

_ * . * . * _

The Red Haired Pirates were all enjoying their latest stop, amusing themselves with drink, fine company, and occasional exploration.

Except for Shanks.

He was moping at the bar he'd decided to favour, both arms resting on the counter with a pout set on his face, and determinedly ignoring Yasopp and Roux's drunken singing.

"Binkusu no sake o, todoke ni yuku yo

Warera kaizoku umi *hic* watteku

Nami wo makura ni, negura wa fune yo

Ho ni hata ni netateru wa –!"

"Dammit, I want Aubrey-chan to like us!" He finally shouted, knocking his crewmates over with the sudden outburst.

"Chief, we were just getting to the good bit!" Yasopp whined/slurred.

"That doesn't matter right now!" Shanks argued. "Where even is Aubrey-chan? She's not here, is she?" Comical tears started to fall. "She hates us, I know it, *boo hoo*!"

"That's what you arrived at?" Beckman sweatdropped just inside the door, with an unconscious and rather green-gilled Aubrey over one shoulder. Shaking his head with a fond smile, he said, "She's been sitting by the ship all day, trying to overcome her motion sickness. Oi, Roux! What's for dinner?"

Ok, I really didn't know how to go about this chapter – I'm sorry it's taken me so long! Please feel free to share your thoughts – was Gajeel and Jose a bit much, is there anything you'd like to see before the Redhairs get to Dawn Island, etc etc?