I wasn't planning on opening this chapter this way, but we are jumping right back into the conversation between Bix, Erza, Cobra, and Laxus. You might want to reread the end of last chapter to remember where we are. Also, while Meredy has a costume for the party the rest of Crime Sorciere and Erza do not. I'm open to suggestions.
Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. Still. For real.
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"I see." Erza sat, while never taking her eyes off of him. "If this is the truth, then I am content to accept this relationship. You do make Lucy happy after all." She was pointedly ignoring Cobra's comment, though her cheeks were quite pink.
"Erza, don't take this the wrong way, but isn't that Cosplayer's decision? If she says she wants to date me do you really think you have the right to try to break us up?" *Cosplayer's choice, back off, listen to Cosplayer. Everyone who heard that question either lit up, expecting a fight, or scrambled for cover for the same reason. The only exceptions being Laxus and Cobra for their own separate, yet obvious reasons. Bickslow did his best not to look as terrified as he really was, starring into the eyes of death herself. He might die for his impertinence, but this shit needed to be said, and his girlfriend was just to damn nice to say it. The whole team's overprotective habits were literally damaging Lucy at this point.
"It is my duty to protect my sister if-"
"If Cosplayer really is your sister then it's your duty to support the decisions she makes on her own as a grown ass woman." *Grown woman, her choice, to much protecting. Erza blinked at him a moment before Cobra spoke up.
"He's right. You know what happens when you favor a weak foot to much. The whole leg atrophies."
"Why are we talking about Blondie like she is broken?"
"Luce is broken?" Natsu. Great. Let's just make this a family thing. Now all they needed was-
"Lucy isn't broken." Gray.
"No thanks to you three shit heads." Bickslow was glad Cobra had volunteered to die for pointing that out.
"Hey! We do a great job of keeping Luce safe!" Laxus snorted.
"Yeah? Is that why she's always coming back to the guild damn near naked and burnt to a crisp?" At this point Bickslow was feeling superfluous in this conversation. And he might be spending to much time with the people currently doing paperwork upstairs if he was thinking in words like 'superfluous'.
"Keeping her alive isn't the same as taking care of her. Tits isn't a goldfish you scoop up at a festival. You can't just drop her in a bowl to look pretty and feed her every couple days. She had to much of that shit before she came to you guys."
"Luce isn't a fish!"
"They didn't say she was idiot. They said we treated her like one!"
"Well we can't treat her like a fish if she isn't one!"
"You're so stupid!"
"Wanna go ice prick!"
"Like you could take me on smoke for brains!" Natsu launched himself at Gray effectively removing both of them from the conversation almost as soon as they entered it. Bickslow couldn't help rolling his eyes. How those two morons ever completed any missions was beyond him. He looked back at the table to find Erza staring at him.
"Is what they are saying true, Bickslow?" Laxus and Cobra both growled. It was subtle, but it was there.
"Hear that? You're upsetting the dragons. Since when are either of them given to making up stories?" Ezra's eyes flicked between the three of them.
"True." She gazed up toward where Lucy was for a moment before looking back at him. "Is this something she told you?"
"Not in so many words. But I've seen it, Erza." *Seen it, Cosplayer cry, all alone, can't see herself. Erza grew pale.
"Lucy cried?" Bix glared at Pipi. 'Pretty sure she did not want that spread around.' 'Sorry?' 'Little late for that.' Ezra's words brought Natsu and Gray back to the table so fast there could have been teleportation magic involved. Bickslow was pretty sure that if he looked he would find the iron dragon slayers red eyes glued to their table too. He looked up to the glowing rune barrier before he spoke.
"This really isn't the place for this conversation guys. Lucy wouldn't like the whole guild to be part of this."
"Pick another place then." Gajeel's growl came from behind him. "If it's hurting Bunny it needs delt with." Bickslow wanted to kick something. It needed delt with, but did they need to have a meeting about it?
"Looks like we need to work off some energy." The group all turned to Laxus. "How about we take a run. Straight south from here? First person out of town gets to ask the first question." Natsu left a smoke trail out of the guild.
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"I would like to take a moment to point out that the Thunder Legion, despite their strength, have had surprisingly few damage reports and complaints." Lucy felt like she should be standing on a stage for this speach. "Does anyone, aside from Freed and Evergreen obviously, like to take a guess as to why that is?"
"Magic type?"
"No, Lis. Freed is the only one who's magic does not blow things up directly."
"Temperment?"
"Because you and Shadowgear are just so aggressive. No. Laxus is a temperamental dragon same as Natsu and Gajeel. Next guess."
"But, I'm a dragon slayer too..."
"Yes, Wendy, you are. When you are teamed up with Natsu for a mission what do you do?"
"I use my support spells on him and adjust my attacks to match the pattern of his attacks."
"Why?"
"Because he is a really strong wizard with better hand to hand combat skills and more experience than me. It just makes sense to follow his lead."
"Sound reasoning. And when you team up with Cana?"
"When we fight I keep her safe so she can use her cards."
"Why?"
"Because my magic works for close combat and long distance fighting both and she needs time and space to cast her spells since she is a holder mage."
"Shadowgear?"
"I stay close to Levy because she isn't very strong physically and help make openings for the team to attack the enemy."
"And when you work with Erza?"
"I stay out of her way because she is scary!" There were chuckles from around the room.
"OK, bad example. How about..." Lucy cast about for a better wizard to make her point with. Wendy seemed to get her idea though.
"And when I work with you I follow your plan because you always have one and you are really good at that! I change how I fight depending on who I'm teamed up with!"
"Exactly. You are flexible and you work with everybody. You are a good teammate because you know how we all fight! You respect that and do your best to compliment the fighting style of your teammates."
"Miss Wendy also respects rules. The goal of a mission and the chain of command." Lucy nodded.
"Wendy, who's name I've only seen on one damage report so far, is a prime example of why the Thunder Legion works so much more efficiently then Team Natsu."
"Juvia doesn't understand."
"Planning and teamwork geared toward the support of your teammates." There was silence. Lucy felt like immitating Erza and bashing heads together. Evergreen made a loud scoffing noise before she spoke.
"The Thunder Legion works because we work together. We train together and support each of her. When Laxus or Freed come up with a plan that uses each of our strengths to benefit the mission the whole team sticks to it. Bix knows how long my wing spell lasts and when it times out one of his babies is always there to make sure I don't fall. If Bix is backed into a corner Freed makes sure to give him the space he needs to get himself back onto high ground. If Freed needs time to lay a trap I delay the enemy." She glared at the group through her glasses. "And when Laxus gives an order we follow it."
"Laxus has suggested the guild begin cross training." Freed and Evergreen blinked at Lucy in surprise. "I for one plan to ask Gramps to support his idea. Even if the jackass does partner me with Nab." Meredy giggled at her grumble. "Most of us don't really know what our guildmates are capable of. Actually Nab is a perfect example. What does the man's magic actually do? I don't know. If fate, or some Zeref worshiping wizard bent on world domination," Jellal and Meredy both blushed. "Backs the two of us into a corner I have no idea how to work with him in a fight."
"Nab Lazaro is a seith mage." Lucy gaped at Jellal.
"Say what now?"
"According to the Counsel's records he uses animal possession seith magic. As rare as the magic is it is truly remarkable that the only two known seith wizards in Fiore are in Fairy Tail."
"Why is it so rare?" Leave it to Levy to ask a why question when Lucy was trying to make a practical point.
"Seith magic is hereditary. You can't learn it if you aren't born with the ability. Really it's a wonder Bickslow even exists considering." Lucy waited, but apparently Jellal consider the considering to be obvious.
"Considering what?" Evergreen was pale when she asked the question. She met Lucy's eyes before looking at a grim faced Freed. "Freed?" Freed did not get a chance to answer because Jellal already was.
"Sin has long had a ban on magic of any kind. Their witch hunts were legendary. Dark, bloody things. Whole families were wiped out. Bickslow's ancestors would have had to hide their magic for generations. Seith magic is something you are born with. If he revealed himself as a wizard he would have been executed, even as a child."
"S-sin? Freed, you knew this?" Evergreen sounded as sick as Lucy felt.
"Yes. He never said anything, but those marks on his eyes. They are an old tradition in Sin. I've never heard of the mother's tears being worn anywhere else."
"Mon Dieu..." If Lucy could have spoken she would have echoed Reedus. She looked toward the rest of the guild for her boyfriend only to find him missing. Erza, Gray, and all the male slayers were also conspicuously absent. Nothing good could come of that group heading off on their own.
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To be continued.