Fairy x Adventure

by Magnafeana

In a new era after the Alvarez War, Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of Fairy Tail not only face new challenges but watch as their kids go on new journeys, learn new powers, and battle new enemies and old! Join Luna, Nashi, and the upcoming generation of Mages on Fairy Tail and more on their never-ending adventure!

139. Adventure 139

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail, any work professionally associated with it, nor any pop culture or classical references. All original plots and characters are mine.

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In a land far, far away lies the kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with Magic found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most, Magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, Magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore. But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name...is Fairy Tail.

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PREVIOUSLY, on Fairy Adventure: Fairy Tail members Julia, Gale, Thirteen, and Vinyl are making their way to Shamballa, each with their own agenda and potentially having hidden enemies with agenda of their own. While Shamballa is a rich and progressive paradise, under the surface is much more than this oasis appears. When new players enter the game, from people from Vinyl's past to a couple not even Julia's tech and Gale's senses can identify, it comes down to the question: What is the true Black Auction?

'All of them… They're being sold like animals.'

Looks like Julia and Gale are realizing how foul the underbelly of Shamballa stinks. And Vinyl, maybe try easing up on the flirting…

---

Chibi-Nashi appears with a grin and a wave. "Hi, everyone! Ready for more Fairy Adventure? To keep your eyes safe, make sure you read with at least one light on in a low setting! And here is the updated time zone table!"

Abbreviations – Time Zone Name • — • — •— • — Location • — Offset

MCDT • — • — Melandian Central Daylight Time – Melandia • — • UTC +7

CST • — • — • – Cipangu Standard Time • — • — • — Cipangu • — • – UTC +5

SST • — • — • – Sīchóu Standard Time • — • — • — Zhōnguá • — • – UTC +3

CIT • — • — • – Central Ishgaran Time • — • — • — Bellum • — • – UTC +2

CMT • — • — • – Charring Mean Time • — • — • — Minstrel • — • – UTC +1

FST • — • – Fiore Standard Time • — • — • — • Fiore • — • — • – UTC - 0:00

WST • — • – Western Ishgaran Time • — • — • — • Caelum • — • – UTC - 0:00

ACT • — • — Arcticados Central Time • — • — • – Arcticados • — • — UTC – 1

CAST • — • — • — • — Caracole-Alicanto Standard Time – Fiore • — • UTC – 1

ADT • — • — • – Alvarez Daylight Time • — • — • – Alvarez • — • — UTC – 2

EAT • — • — • – East Andüsa Time • — • — • – Andüsa • — • — • — UTC – 2

SST • — • — Shamballa Standard Time • — • — Shamballa • — • — UTC – 2

AT • — • — • – Amazone Time • — • — • — • — • — Valchestria • — UTC - 4

EST • — • — • – Eastern Standard Time • — • — • – Meidiland • — • UTC - 6

Chibi-Nashi winks with a thumbs up. "See you at the end of the episode!"

---

Security at Burj Al'umi Hotel demanded to be top of the line and prided being one of the number one luxury hotels to offer a bodyguard, driver, and secret service personnel to its high-profile and high-paying guests. That meant no one got in or out of the hotel without a security member noticing it. Surveillance Lacrima covered ground and where it lacked, piles of enchantments and patrolling guards made up for it. That did not mean paramours and affairs were tattled on. Discretion was an assurance in this hotel, especially when nighttime hit.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Burj Al'umi Hotel

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

1:58 AM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Thirteen finished his black suit and fixed his cuff links. Checking the mirror, his mask fitted him well, even if he hated it. No guns or weapons would be needed for tonight and his trench coat would stay behind since it did not fit thematically. A glass of liquid courage tempted him, but he held off.

As much as I don't want to go and especially unarmed, I have to, he thought. The mask is enchanted with Nullification Magic and the security is so airtight, even gangsters and mobs don't dare bring ammunition. Auction houses like this are too unknown and otherworldly with precious merch for them to piss off the Auctioneer.

Done with his wardrobe check, he left his room. For a moment, he was bent on waiting, but with some deliberation, he quietly went to Vinyl's master bedroom. The moon fed some of her light through the sheer curtains and misted Vinyl's sleeping face. Her hair spread out everywhere as she curled on her side, fast asleep.

Thirteen kept to the entryway as he watched her for the moment. I checked her room. She didn't have an invite hidden somewhere. His hand tightened on the door handle. So… It's truly me they are after. It doesn't make sense any other way. But how could they be for certain I'd come with her? Why exactly did her great aunt send her here? Was it even her great aunt who wrote the letter?

His shoulders slouched a little. I shouldn't ask her that. A kid like her might be strong in Magic and smarts, but things like forgery, baiting and trapping, murder… She doesn't need to get her hands dirty with this with a night like she had tonight. She needs her rest. I'm sure this week will be stressful enough.

He closed the door behind him as he left the room. But still… I need to figure out who sent me the mask and invitation and why. Vicious is the only one who knew my true face, but he wouldn't waste time with something like this. And his successor is too young. Gajeel said rumor has it he legally adopted a kid and he's only sixteen-seventeen. Doubt the kid would know anything about me. Even the others Vicious handpicked didn't know each other's faces. That wasn't our job. So then who…?

KNOCK.

Thirteen ricocheted his stare to the door. It's time.

This part was new to him, being the invitee rather than one of the men in black. A masked escort came for him and guided him down to the staff elevator. Others with masks had piled on with the escort and when they made it to ground level, everyone stuck with their guide. Thirteen's escort took him to a tinted SUV.

From there, it was a game of following the leader.

The SUVs trailed one after the other, leaving hotel property and burying themselves deep into the city. A parking garage appeared to be the destination, but the train of cars spiraled into a secret downward tunnel instead of heading up. From there, the secrecy continued. A claustrophobic tunnel, de-boarding from cars and straight to a downwards escalator. Masked guards were positioned everywhere as they welcomed guests and checked them.

Following the herd, Thirteen got paraded down the hallway and security beckoned him and allowed him to bypass. He had meant to follow the others, but the Shadower usher he had given his black card to ended up pulling him aside and into a jarringly dark hallway. A door must have opened with ambient lighting poured in. A regal coordinator was just outside the hallway, but to his surprise, a Shadower dressed as a harlequin jester with a volto comedy mask awaited for him. It bowed and gestured for Thirteen to comply.

And so he did.

The harlequin Shadower moved in a silly fashion like it truly was a harlequin. Thirteen took stock of the hallway with its old architecture, grandiose moving stairs, and candelabrums. Other guards dressed in black either had a post or patrolled with eyes hidden behind masks. The staircase moved as the harlequin Shadower guided Thirteen upwards and onwards.

We must be in the Masque of Pantomime, Thirteen concluded. When the Auctioneer has a good haul for the auction, they use Pantomime. Murky oranges fell onto the silly harlequin Shadower. He's the master Harlequin with his little jesters, Shadowers stranded in the living world. Rumors state the Auctioneer is also a Living Shadow—the only Shadower capable of human speech. But no one has ever seen him without his mask and gloves on. And anyone who has tried is rumored to have died and their shadows stripped from them.

He tightened his jaw. No one comes here without the Auctioneer knowing. But he wouldn't sell me out to Vicious, not when I know what he would want in exchange. So who the Hell did he make a deal with to get me here?

The harlequin Shadower guided him to a mid-level floor and down the hall. All box seats had their doors guarded, but it should not have surprised Thirteen his door had no guard. The harlequin Shadower opened one of the dual doors and bowed low, gesturing for Thirteen to enter. He obliged and a curtain waited for him to pull back.

CLICK!

Thirteen turned his head to see the doors had sealed off. His hands flexed and clenched. No turning back now. He faced the curtains before his hand went to the thick velveteen material. He hesitated pulling it back—

"No need to be shy."

Thirteen stiffened. That voice… He peeled back the curtain to go further into the box—

Black lips curled into a smile. "I was so afraid you wouldn't come, considering how we left things. Lucky me."

Thirteen suppressed a sigh as his face hardened. He came down a step and took hold of the only empty seat. Champagne with two flutes and an iced bottle seductively stood on a small table between him and the other chair. He refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing his face. "Why am I here?"

"What? You didn't miss me?"

Thirteen withheld the urge to snap. "Why am I here?"

"Once upon a time, this place used to be your hunting grounds, Vulture."

The name lashed Thirteen more harshly than he cared to admit. He rumbled, pitched low, "Once upon a time, you didn't use such cheap tactics to catch your prey…"

A graceful woman sat beside Thirteen with her black strapless feathered trim gown hugging her perfectly, not to mention their silk evening gloves. Their mask came crested with feathers and the void black matched their lipstick. But their midnight blues could be seen, sparking mischief.

"…Swan."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

"Ame no youna kaze no youna

Dareka no koto jama suru youna

Hito ni nante naritaku wanai kara?

Hare no youna hikari no youna

Dareka no koto teraseru youna

Hito ni naritai!"

nante itai tte dareka no koe ga?

Kikoetara nanda

Nagutte kowashite sayonara DILEMMA!

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Nighttime had not gone away simply because the next day had started. The moon still had some borrowed time left over until the sun would do his job. The capital of Shamballa was still going strong. Spring holiday had only just begun and the tip-off parties would be legendary on a Saturday night. They had Sunday to regret their decisions and sleep off their hangover. The Burj Al'umi Hotel might have shut down its adjunct parks and restaurants, but irresponsibility continued within the rooms rather than outside.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Burj Al'umi Hotel

Shamballa City,

Shamballa, Alakitasia

3:37 AM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale opened the door to the suite and allowed Julia in before him. All was calm as Gale stepped in and closed the doors—

GA!

Julia ripped off her mask and threw it across the room, breathing hard. "They were fucking selling shares to a woman's uterus like it's the stock market!" she snarled, pained and enraged all at the same time. "What the fuck? What the fuck?" She stormed to her bedroom and angrily took off her heels to throttle them in her warpath. "How could they? How could they do that? And this is what they would have done with Gary?"

Gale was slow to trail after her, too far into his mind.

But Julia was not done with her wrath as she paced the length of her bedroom. "This is sick! This is so fucking sick! How could they—?" But the words of anger would not come out for her. She shook her head with her fingers twitching. "Julia feels like Julia needs to shoot something." When silence reciprocated her anger, she turned her glower onto a frowning Gale. "Julia demands to know why Gale is not as pissed off as Julia?"

"Third-person," Gale said, absent.

Julia realized her bad habit had come to light and actively tried to speak in first person. "Why the Hell aren't you pissed off?"

Gale started taking off his wristwatch, deep in thought. "I'm…thinking."

Julia started with her earrings, huffy. "About what? About how fucked up this all is?"

"Yeah…" Gale set the watch on the bed. "But I'm focusing on the fact about God Slayers."

He took off his black suit jacket, still reeling. God Slayers… True God Slayers exist… It can't be as far-fetched as Dragons and Demons and a Devil returning, but… How were they able to confirm they're true God Slayers? This 'doctor'—who the Hell is he?

He broke up Julia's ranting by asking, "What do you know about this 'doctor' who confirmed the unborn twins were God Slayers?"

Julia's anger subsided for temporary confusion then dark understanding. "I'm almost certain he's referring to a person called 'The Doctor'."

"'The Doctor'?"

"Yes." Julia sat on the bed to massage her feet. "I discovered his nickname back during Heart's Day. They only refer to him as 'The Doctor' and it seems like he's of the international variety. But I know for a fact he had a hand in Gary's torment. As for the identity of this 'Doctor', I don't know. I couldn't even ID his assistant who showed up to take The Doctor's place during some underground gang meeting."

Gale took in this information. So this 'doctor' has the uncanny ability to recognize Lost Arts. From how Gary is talked about, he was supposed to be bred for more Devils. And now this woman… She was somehow recognized for being able to give birth to multiple Slayers and even pregnant with them. An ability like that… He clenched his hand. That's terrifying to think he exists and he's actively working on the dark side.

Rubies narrowed. A person called 'The Doctor'… Why…—he touched his temple—does that seem so famili—?

• — • — • — •

The scent of ozone and clinical wipes. Panic all around. Adrenaline pumping, but his body was restricted from cutting chains from fleeing. Silhouettes fleeted all around him with their gas masks and reflective goggles, but everything remained a blur as he gave a hatchling whine for his mother.

A smile with a diamond tooth. "Well, now, doctor… You've brought in quite the patient to me. He's exactly what I needed. Well done."

Cold pale reds. "Thank you, Doctor."

• — • — • — •

Julia rushed to help Gale when he staggered, all her flushed rage exchanged for worry. "Hey, are you okay?" She helped him sit on the bed as he clutched his temple. "What just happened? What do you need me to do?"

Gale shuddered an exhale. "No, it's… It's nothing, I think." The throbbing in his head receded. "I'm not sure." He shook off the fading-fast memory to address Julia. "But this 'Doctor' is giving me big bad vibes. Normally, anyone predicting Magic types on a fetus can go fuck themselves since Magic isn't necessarily hereditary, but considering this is a Black Auction, I'm sure this 'Doctor' is a verified source with a rare skill."

"Right." Julia sat on the bed as well. "A person with that ability would be valuable. And, as we can say, he's using his powers for evil instead of good."

"Is he really though?"

Julia scowled, but she did not immediately retort. Instead, she asked him, "How do you mean?"

Gale explained, "Don't get me wrong. This has mad scientist-evil genius written all over it. You don't just create shares for a woman's uterus or a guy's sperm. That's not how it works unless, y'know, you're doing a donor-eugenics thing. And I'm ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure his 'patients' never consented to be surrogates."

"But…?" Julia prompted.

"But," Gale continued, "from a mad scientist's perspective… We aren't sure he's doing this out of malice, especially when it seems like he's only giving information. Any scientist will tell you what they want is to experiment and prove shit's true. That's their goal. They drum up a hypothesis, experiment, and want to see various results from all angles."

Julia took in this information. "So you think this 'Doctor' is malicious to us…but to him, all he did was cross boundaries with experimentation? It's not like it's a far-fetched idea, but still, what are we supposed to do with that?"

"Nothing. For now," Gale tacked on. "If this guy knows about God Slayers and Devils and basically wants more subjects to experiment on, if we run into him in a dark alley, we need to speak his language."

Now it dawned what Gale meant to Julia. "If we bargain with him a huge experiment, we might get behind-the-scenes access to what the Hell this psycho is doing."

"Not saying all scientists are egotistical, but they're in their own little world when it comes to their specialties," Gale enlightened. "They speak on a whole different plane. Hell, I know Luke and Misty speak in tongues about certain shit. And a psycho scientist will certainly want to speak to us if we have something he wants."

"But what?" Julia wanted to know. "What could we even offer someone like him?" She clenched her jaw. Is this why Maxim sent me the invite? Does he know about my plans for 'The Doctor'? No, that can't be right. He knows my plans for Tesla's sperm donor and his brother, so why…?

"We have me."

Julia snapped her stare to Gale's resolved one. "No."

"If it comes down to it, yes," Gale asserted. Before Julia could grapple his point, he urged, "This isn't something I'm just going to do for kicks. But think about it. Dragon Slayers like my dad ain't exactly a dime a dozen. But I'm not a Slayer. I'm a Dragon—or, at least, a different breed of Dragon for some reason. I'm not saying others aren't out there, but if there are, I'm assuming they're pretty fucking rare. A mad scientist wouldn't miss the opportunity to experiment on me, especially when I'm consenting."

Rubies hardened. That's why it worries me Silver smells like a Dragon. Had those Cowboys managed to unlike his potential right then and there…

Sycaña butted in. I do not like this plan. Do not do this, Little Gem. Do not seek out this 'Doctor'.

I'm not going to go look for trouble, Mama S, but you see what I'm saying, right? Gale asked her. I'm not so sure about who this 'Doctor' is, but he's someone we need to look out for and possibly understand. He felt uneasy feeling Sycaña's uneasiness. What are you not saying?

It was strange how he could feel Sycaña stiffen. I hide nothing from you.

Gale tensed. Mom.

That made Sycaña huff. It would aggrieve your human mother to hear you say that.

Then what are you—? He growled when he felt Sycaña stonewall him. Why won't she tell me anything? What is she hiding from me? He rubbed his temple. And that memory…

"Let's…not be too hasty with your idea."

Gale turned back to Julia. "You know this is the only way to—"

"And I'm not saying it isn't," Julia cut in. "But we need to be careful. The Doctor has friends in low, low places we don't want to mess around with. We can't actively pursue him and baiting him into a trap wouldn't be a cakewalk without severe planning. Especially, even if we offered you, considering what happened to Gary, you'll be used like something lower than an animal."

She met his eyes, firm blues clashing with stern reds. "Right now, our primary objective should be returning to that auction house. My support told me there are three levels to Black Auctions. This might have been an opener, but we need to see more behind-the-scenes. Maxim gave me this in. We can't waste any opportunities."

Gale had to agree with that. "Only problem is, you didn't feel the insane wards on that place and I doubt the opening will be in the same area as tonight. If we had Luke, it'd be different. This sort of stuff is up his alley." He looked at his hands, contemplative. "I might be able to use my power, but it'll be taking a chance and rolling the dice. This is a city. Earth-based powers are pretty fucking shitty in a place where nature is sparse. But I'll do my best."

"That's all I need from you," Julia assured, touching his arm. "We can start our search tomorrow, but we need to figure out who is inviting to what levels of the Black Auctions. It would be better to sneak in being arm candy than to break in—"

Gale shook his head. "No, it's better to break in. Considering the level of security just at the opening ceremony alone, we don't want to leave any sort of impression. It's better for us to figure out where shit's at and sneak in undetected."

Julia had no reason to disagree. "All right. Let's do that." She got up to take down her hair.

Gale sighed. "We just need to figure out how we're going to do that."

"I've got an idea."

"Yeah." Gale raised an eyebrow. "And that would be…?"

"Well…you did say I'm supposed to be a bratty whore you're babysitting thanks to my uncle, right? I'd say I did a pretty good job of it when I went to those creepy rich kids' party."

Gale slowly did not like where this was doing when he saw Julia's Cheshire grin. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes." Julia's grin broadened. "And won't Tesla be so proud of me."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure 139

•

The Enemy of My Enemy is…

•

敵の敵は味方

•

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

He really hated her in his garden.

The garden, today, looked perfect with little need for him to fuss over-pruning, outside his prized bonsai trees that would not need repotting for a long while. The magical beasts had come back, some lonesome, others with one or two of their young. An Alicanto and his mate cleaned themselves in a fountain-turned-birdbath while a Shadow Bird and Light bird hunkered down for a nap. A Lux—Light Cat—with a brutal gash that permanently shut its right eye brought along her blind kit, who was learning all the joys of no more weaning and whining. An unusual kindship between a juvenile Umbrumiho and an elderly Orthrus came about with the Umbrumiho much livelier than his brethren and more inclined to groom his hellish mentor. Even a dignified Fire Horse had come.

All because he let her into his garden.

It was not that the animals did not greet him and feel fondness towards him, but his unwanted visitor was quite the curiosity.

And she played soulful songs on his harmonica.

He might not have looked like he was listening as he tended to the plants with a grumpy look, but he did. He heard her give a heavy lullaby that made the critters content while she sat on the damn swing he tied to one of the tree branches. He listened, but he would not watch.

BYU…

A breeze picked up.

His hand reached out on instinct to pull it out of thin air. A feather was between his fingertips, a glossy plumage of iridescent green, violet, and blue.

A raven's feather.

• — • — • — •

Thirteen woke up, groggy and mouth cotton-dry. It felt unnatural that his kitten was not nestled into his neck and waking him as she knead his skin out of instinct and comfort (while he died a little her little claws were impaling his skin) nor Georgette prodding him as a reminder for his medication. But at least he woke up today and did not put a bullet through his head.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Burj Al'umi Hotel

Shamballa City,

Shamballa, Alakitasia

9:43 AM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

He sniffed and rubbed his face. No nightmares. That's a first. He sighed.

A warm beam. A golden harmonica.

Murky oranges remained half-mast. No… Maybe that was a nightmare. Though that hardly compares to last night. The auction rushed back to his head and hardened his face. So, it's already starting. The Auctioneer and his Harlequins—they haven't changed one bit.

He got up in his morning glory to stumble into his adjourning bathroom, piss, and stagger into the shower for a desperate wash. As the heated spray matted down his hair, the auction felt more and more clear. The opening ceremony items were a little lackluster until the last bid. Unborn God Slayers and shared rights to the mother's uterus. And as disgusted as I should feel—murky oranges darkened—I now know the auction is even worse than I thought.

He started cleaning himself. The Doctor… What a name I wish I hadn't heard. If he's already discovered the identity of the mother, then she's as good as his patient now. It'll be almost impossible for her to hide. His influence is too far and wide, even if no one knows his real identity. That fairy assistant of his did most of the frontmanning.

His jaw ticked. That poor fucking woman. I hope to Hell she has protection on her at bare minimum. God Slayers… Fuck… I'll need to ask Coeus to investigate. Maybe see if Chrome, Opera, Constantine, and Genius would help. Even call in Master. I can't bank on us giving her undivided protection, but if we could tip her off to the danger she's in…that would be enough for me.

Reaching for the shampoo he brought along, he squirted a coin-sized dollop and got to work. Still, even after all that, I should've known they would've invited me. Murky oranges glinted. Swan. Just as I remember them. They never saw my true face whenever we were together, but they knew about my garden. Them—hatred fueled him—and Raven.

• — • — • — •

"I'm not returning."

Swan simpered into their sip before swallowing. "Well, that's a given," they told Thirteen. "I certainly didn't pull all these strings for me to waste it on Deathhawk propaganda with you." They sighed, crossing their legs, and vaguely watched the Auctioneer give his opening speech. "You don't know what I had to do to get you here."

Thirteen dryly remarked, "I'm sure opening your legs is such a hard job for a nymphomaniac."

Swan gave him a stern pout. "It is hard." They flicked their hair. "Having beauty like mine is a full-time job in itself. Not to mention all the work Vicious has us doing." Their hand cupped their cheek. "It's going to give me a serious breakout. And Vicious won't let me skip work if that happens. How cruel."

"Still as vain as ever. Vicious named you perfectly," Thirteen muttered. His stare fell onto the Auctioneer, but he murmured, "You better stop circling your prey and swoop in for the kill shot, Swan."

Swan set down their champagne glass in exchange for their opera-length cigarette holder. As they got out their cigarette and attached it to the holder, it felt like old times when Thirteen fished out his lighter for Swan to bum a light. They took a puff and smoke wove around them like a snake. Crossing an arm under their bosom, but Swan's mocking tone dipped for solemnity. "I came to warn you."

"At the risk of Vicious?"

Swan took another puff. "You were his prized vulture, Vulture. No one has replaced you since you defected. He could've used his Voice to command your loyalty, but he didn't."

Thirteen did not want to think about that. "Warn me about what?"

Swan tapped their cigarette into the ashtray for a moment. "You shouldn't have come here."

"Because of Vicious?" Thirteen questioned.

"No." Swan side-puffed and looked Thirteen square in the face. "Because of Raven."

Such a name made Thirteen's blood go cold.

Swan could see the expression Thirteen pulled and looked back to the stage. "The Vulture and the Cassowary—the most powerful out of all of Deathhawk. You weren't machines. You were both trained pets. Cassowary had their deafness, so Vicious' Voice would never work on them, but you… You were different. You were untouchable. You never needed the Voice. There were no weaknesses for you to have. And then…" They took another puff. "You had one."

A blossoming smile. Little fingers wrapped around his hand.

Thirteen blocked out the memories before they could consume him.

Swan side-puffed again. "Vicious has no interest in his birds fighting. Only the strong remain. But when you left the nest, Vicious was furious at Raven. The only reason Raven was permitted to stay was that, well, you know Vicious. We were all chosen for our skillset. A dead bird is useless. A bird with clipped wings is useful. Raven knocked you out of the nest to take your place. And it never happened."

"Why not go after Vicious' successor?"

Swan was unsurprised Thirteen knew. "Vicious is shockingly protective of the kid. You'd think that it would be a weakness, but the kid is no joke. Cassowary even likes him which says a lot."

Now that made Thirteen stunned. "Cassowary likes him?"

Swan nodded. "I know." Another puff. "That psychopath only lives to kill. From the rumors, the kid has a lot of growing to do, but he's as much of a killer as they come. Raven might have a death sentence, but he's suicidal with a cause. Killing the next Vicious would have the entire flock taking turns to just rip off a squared centimeter of his skin." Another long drag. "So the fact that Raven is still flying after you…" Swan sent Thirteen a meaningful look. "It means there is something you're not telling me."

Thirteen maintained his silence.

Swan shrugged. "Of course, you don't have to tell me. We might've fucked, but that doesn't grant either of us permission with each other's personal lives."

"Then why warn me at all?"

"You brought a parrot with you, didn't you?"

Thirteen clenched his jaw. "She's not a part of this."

Swan lifted an eyebrow. "She's pretty young to be your lover."

"She's not." Thirteen put that to bed. "She never has been and never will be."

Swan tapped out the ash into the ashtray. "But Raven will see she can be used as a weakness against you." Another puff. "Look, I don't know what happened between you and Raven, but I just came to warn you. None of us have cared for Raven; you know that. So if you happened to shoot him, you won't see any of us complaining about his death."

Thirteen snorted. "The enemy of my enemy, huh?"

The Auctioneer called, "And our last big-ticket item is…!"

Thirteen's eyes narrowed as the Auctioneer presented an enlarged sonogram of twin fetuses. 'Here we go.'

The Auctioneer continued: "We received word from our favorite doctor that he discovered not only one but two powerful God Slayers yet to be born! We are offering you the right to bid on one twin! And…!" He held up a finger. "We'll be offering exclusive rights to the mother's uterus! Why, you may ask? We have confirmation this little new mother can give birth to more little Slayers! Bid on her and you can have your own God Slayer in nine months!"

Swan side-puffed again, shaking their head. "That poor woman and her kids. Once The Doctor has his sights on you, you're officially a patient, no matter what you ask for. I'm not even surprised he found God Slayers this time. He has a knack for collecting rarities."

'God Slayers, huh?' Thirteen questioned, "Is Vicious—?"

"No." Swan puffed again. "He might've adopted a kid, but babies aren't his style. That doesn't mean he won't be going to the auctions. But not even I can tell what he's looking for this time around. But that's Vicious for you. Not even the birds he keeps close are privy to his plans." Midnight blues went to Thirteen. "You need to watch your back this week, you and the little parrot, Vulture. You're fortunate Vicious allowed you to defect and won't seek repercussions. But Raven is becoming more and more unstable lately."

"Since when?"

"I don't know." Swan took another drag. "He's obsessed with his latest little gadget. Some sort of pocket watch, I think. Red Hawk got annoyed about Raven's insanity slips and took the pocket watch hostage. I don't think we've ever seen Raven look so rabid." They noticed Thirteen's tension. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Thirteen wrote off. 'A pocket watch and temporary losses of sanity… Could he have become…?' He noticed the ceremony coming to a close and got up. "I'll remain vigilant. Don't worry about me. And let's pretend we don't know each other either."

Swan snickered. "Wouldn't want your little songbird to feel jealous of an old flame, huh?" Their grin broadened at Thirteen's dark look. "You still have no humor. Such a shame considering how good in bed you were. But don't worry. I don't want to associate with you either and give Raven an advantage. I have my own work to do here." Their expression turned serious. "The Emir of this country… He's agreed to help Alvarez in the search for the missing heirs. Vicious was part of that meeting."

Thirteen raised an eyebrow. "Since when did Deathhawk care about missing persons?"

"Never." Swan side-dragged again. "But it seems like Vicious is looking into something. I've been tracking his eye movement. And his eyes always kept moving to the Emira Inayah."

Thirteen frowned. "He's never been interested in women."

Swan shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I saw. It could mean nothing. But I think it means something. Whatever Vicious is planning, I don't know. It's not my job to know. But even I thought it strange Vicious would keep looking at her, especially considering how great of an insult it would be if the Emir found out about it. But he's not the only one. A lot of people want to meet the beautiful Emira and peek beneath her veil, especially since this is the first auction the Emir will be parading her about. It's a prime opportunity for star-crossed meetings."

Thirteen understood as he read between the lines. "I understand." He straightened his suit jacket. "You take care of yourself, Swan."

Swan's smirk was mocking. "With my beauty? A piece of cake."

Thirteen shook his head and walked away—

"By the way… Have you seen Red Eye?"

Thirteen paused.

Swan further questioned, "He disappeared around the same time you did. We could never find him again to hire him for work. Isn't that so curious?"

Thirteen forced his shoulders to relax. "I haven't seen him since."

"Oh? Pity." Swan finished her cigarette and tapped out the ash. "I always loved those red eyes of his—the color of blood. Even as a child, he had such a knack for killing. For him to suddenly disappear… Hmph. It makes me curious about where he went." Their voice dipped. "Maybe he started a family or something. Wouldn't that be funny?"

Thirteen did not need to hear anymore. "Yeah. Funny." And he left.

• — • — • — •

SRK!

Thirteen finished his shower, steam stockpiling everywhere. He got out to pat himself dry before wiping down the mirror to look at himself. A haggard man reflected, but at least he had a decent dream to not have bloodshot eyes.

Gajeel… I warned him he didn't need to follow me out. It always shocked me he even had morals back then. He still joined Phantom Lord, from what I recall. That life might be behind him, but for Swan to imply something… That makes me worry. I'll have to let him know.

Murky oranges darkened. But Swan's other information was just as useful. Raven is still out for me, even after what happened. Not only that, but he might have contracted a Demon to help him hunt and kill me. And Vicious' interest towards the Emira—no, everyone's interest towards the Emira. Something tells me it connects to the Bellum case I'm working on, about the defected nurse who came to this auction. But how? And why?

He pulled away to towel-dry his hair. If Raven was always out for me and has been watching me this whole time… I can't wrap my head around it. As much as I want to believe this was a trap, I think this was an unfortunate coincidence. I just need to figure out the connection.

He went to open the sliding door only to suppress a groan. That means talking to the kid about this. If she's in danger because of Raven, there's no point in me hiding it from her. She'd be a hindrance being ignorant. She has a strong skillset in her Magic. She might not be able to help much, but she's all the backup I have.

He ruffled his hair as he opened the door. Maybe if I just take it slow—

THUD!

"O-Oh, my…"

Thirteen blinked before going wide-eyed. What the—?

Vinyl had stumbled onto her knees in her pajamas and gawked as she looked up at Thirteen (admittedly, her stare zoned to what was between his legs) before an enamored blush and a bit of drool crossed her. "Oh, a very big good morning to you, Thirteen," she breathed, dazed. "A very good morning—"

"GET OUT!"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

And so…

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

A dreary aura consumed a dressed Thirteen as he sat on the couch while Vinyl looked appropriately chastised as she sat on the other end.

Why me? Thirteen lamented. What the hell is this kid trying to do, send me into an early grave?

Holy shit! Internally, Vinyl was fangirling as she blissfully reminisced about this morning's blunder. Why would anyone want to cover that up? He looks like a certified god! She pinched her nose before she could nosebleed and touched her face to ensure she was no longer drooling. I finally get what they mean in erotica. I'm so lucky to be sharing a room with him this entire week!

Thirteen saw how Vinyl poorly suppressed her comical excitement. She can't even look like she did anything wrong, can she? He sighed. "Next time, knock before you enter, okay?"

"I did!" Vinyl said in her defense. She tapped her fingers together and mumbled in admittance, "I just did it quietly so I could still come in and see you…"

At least try to look ashamed of yourself! Thirteen felt a headache coming on. "New rule. If I'm showering, don't come in at all."

"You showered me last night."

An agitated blush worked Thirteen's face as he growled, "Because you were piss drunk and smelled like a damn bar." He added in a grumble, "And it's not like I saw much anyway."

SNIFFLE!

Vinyl had watery eyes as she looked at Thirteen. "Y-You can be so cruel sometimes, Thirteen." She hugged herself, sniffling. "How mean. I know I'm not a supermodel, b-but…" She covered her mouth, trembling. "I work so hard to look good for you and then you say that…"

Thirteen gaped at the sudden mood switch. How the Hell am I the bad guy now? Flustered and irked, he grunted, "I never said you aren't beautiful, kid. But you were in a pretty nasty spot last night after you drank yourself into a stupor. I don't pick up women when they're drunk and down." He eyed in her suspicion. "Is that what your romance books say guys should do?"

Vinyl blinked. "Um…"

Thirteen rubbed down his face. "Ha…" I should've known a girl like her would believe in that sort of shit. He set her straight. "Listen. Any decent person isn't going to take advantage of you when you're shitfaced and emotional. And that includes me. No one deserves that sort of treatment. And with some of the stuff you were saying—" He stopped himself.

Vinyl's blues slid to the side. "I…" She drew up her knees. "I remember. Sorry for saying all that to you. Guess my emotions got the best of me." Aquamarines glinted in sadness. "I didn't mean to drink that much."

Thirteen offered her a sidelong glance. "Then why did you?"

"I just…wanted to forget, for a little while anyway," Vinyl murmured. "Seeing Vespers… It just brought a lot of memories back."

"About your ex-fiancé," Thirteen recalled.

Vinyl's lids fell halfway. "Yeah," she murmured. "About him."

Thirteen wanted to question, but he held himself back. If the bastard assaulted her… But I can't ask that right now. That's not my right to know. Still, it's strange seeing her so withdrawn. She doesn't deserve to relive those kinds of memories. Murky orange sparked. No one does.

Vinyl tucked in her chin. I probably look pathetic to him. Getting myself drunk and whining about how hard being an heiress was. Maybe…coming here on behalf of Aunt Cadenza was a mistake. I should at least tell him he can go back home. He doesn't deserve this.

She piped up, "Thirteen—" But she stopped when a gentle hand rubbed her head. Her gaze lifted—

Thirteen was the culprit. "Don't beat yourself up about your reaction," he murmured. "People react to traumatic shit in different ways. Some people are the lucky fucks who can be healthy about it. But others drink or do drugs or get heavy into this, that, and the other thing to process or numb themselves to that pain. The pain never goes away, either. You either distract yourself from it or you accept it."

"Do you think I'm distracting myself?" Vinyl asked, tone small.

"I don't know." Thirteen was honest in that. "You're the one with your pain and memories. You decide what you want to do. I'm not going to stop you unless it's something irresponsible and stupid. But you're not alone here, kid. You have Fairy Tail right behind you." He glanced down at her. "Even if you crash and burn ten times a day… We're still going to support you, Viñella. Don't forget that."

Vinyl blinked. Thirteen… Her lips trembled as her eyes glossed over. But rather than cry, she rubbed her eyes with an arm and smiled. "Thank you."

Thirteen shrugged and let her go. "Sure."

"Oh! And about why I wanted to see you…"

Thirteen flatly asked, "So it wasn't to catch me naked?"

"Yes." Vinyl quickly flailed and tried to rectify her mistake under Thirteen's glower, "I-I-I mean, no! No, that wasn't it!" She reached for something on the coffee table and shoved it towards him. "It was because we had this delivered to us."

Thirteen took the thick card and saw it was a formal invitation. What the…?

THE MORNING AFTER

Please join us for a post-party brunch celebrating our vacation in Shamballa

Sunday, April XX

Café de Brasserie | 12 PM

XXX XX St

"I'm pretty sure Vespers is behind this," Vinyl inserted.

"My guess too," Thirteen slowly murmured. "He seemed like a two-faced snake when I met him. Is he trying to keep popping up with what happened between you and your…ex? Or is he trying to suck you back into the life you left?"

Vinyl tensed at the delicately put label on her ex-fiancé. "Maybe. Possibly. Vespers wasn't someone I got along with, but my status was always higher than his. To normal people, he might've seemed like a prodigy, but the truth is, he was pretty average by his family's standards and my family's own too. Even if he wanted to drag me back, he doesn't have the authority to. Neither do my parents since neither one has my powers. But that doesn't mean Vespers isn't trying to pull something."

Her frown deepened. He might've been a snake, but he never bit me in a metaphorical sense. I'm sure he contact my parents I was here or he'll use contacting them as some sort of bargaining chip. But what does he gain from it? A question that needed an answer. "I should go."

Thirteen lifted an eyebrow. "You sure? You got tanked the last time. And he might bring up unpleasant memories again."

That made Vinyl swallow, but her resolution would not be shaken. "I won't be irresponsible like last night. Last night…he caught me off-guard. Not my—" Her voice caught. "Not even his older brother would come to events like this nor his parents. As bad as it sounds, his parents never had the wealth and acclaim. Vespers' brother did, but he wasn't interested in stuff like this. So him being here… I just didn't expect it." Her hands clenched. "But now I can prepare for battle."

That amused Thirteen. "For battle, huh?"

"Well, yeah! This is totally a battle!" Vinyl insisted with a raised finger. "Vespers basically got the upper hand and dropped the gauntlet. Maybe because I would've caved and let him win. But he has no idea what I've been doing all these years. And I plan to give him everything I've got to show him I'm not that scared, obedient girl anymore. This is a fight. And I'm going to win."

She gritted her teeth, gaze blazing with revenge. Miss Lucy and Master have given me so much. They showed me how to stand on my two feet. And I'm going to prove I can. It surprised her hearing Thirteen's deep chuckle. "Uh…" A blush overcame her. "Ah, well, maybe that sounded a little too forward?" she supposed, scratching a cheek with a finger. "I mean, I know this is basically me rehashing drama and getting even and it sure is laughable—"

"No. It's not." A warmth touched Thirteen's eyes. "Sounds pretty Fairy Tail to me. We don't get even. We take revenge, remember? But we don't go it alone. So if you're going into battle, I guess I have no choice but to back you, Viñella."

Aquamarines sparkled. Thirteen…

All of Thirteen's warmth traded for embarrassed ire when Vinyl launched herself to hug his midsection and squealed, "I'm so lucky to have a big, strong man like you to fight with me, sir! First, I get to see you naked and now you're basically proposing! This is the best day ever!"

Thirteen growled, his ears red, "I'm not—!"

"All right!" Vinyl sprung off him to stand before him, hands on her hips. "If Vespers wants a fight, we're going to give him Hell, you and me. So you need to follow my lead since I'm the one taking charge, got it?"

Thirteen was stunned for a moment before his shoulders shook in mirth. "Sure, kid." He raised a hand in surrender. "I'll follow your lead."

"Good. Because…"

Thirteen reeled back when Vinyl bent over and pinned him against the couch. "H-Hey—!"

"You said you were going to follow my lead, sir," Vinyl purred, pure delight dancing across her eyes. "You can't take it back now."

Thirteen's eyebrow twitched as he sweatdropped at how kittenishly satisfied Vinyl looked (he could have sworn she had a happy tail and flicking cat ears). I don't like where this is going…

---

Forget sleeping in on Sunday—everyone was out in about in Shamballa.

Early Sunday mornings were made for the walk of shame, but by the time mid-morning rolled around, it was business as usual. Music echoed down the streets as businesses handled with grace the influx of tourists. Natives and wealthier tourists knew where to go for the good deals and good food, but other first-timers had done extensive research. A week in this city was not enough to see all its sights, from the towering mall to the glorious marina, to the seedier districts. The restaurants had fired up the grills with the breakfast, brunch, and early lunch clientele bustling in, most with reservations and some naïve to not plan ahead.

This full-service restaurant in particular already had a wait loitering in its chic, ultra-modern lobby. And why would it not? The restaurant smelled divine with plentiful spices and rubs and the design of calm whites and washed of grays contrasting with stark orange and blues of the chairs and the floating chandeliers made anyone intrigued about the establishment. A server came over to a couple with a skewer of fraldinha (bottom sirloin) to slice it for their impressed guests. A middle-aged couple carefully helped their young children at the exotic bar. With perfect weather like today, it was worth sitting out in the courtyard of the restaurant where the roof had been opened up. The inground water fixture and surrounding little palm trees brought it all together.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is Fogo do Gaúcho, a full-service traditional Pindorama Steakhouse, or Churrascaria, served rodizio-style. Guests pay a fixed price for servers to come to their table with knives and samples of the meat to cut off skewers and do so repeatedly until the guest signals their meal is over with a colored token as well as an extensive buffet, or à la carte, service for side dishes. This restaurant is quite popular in Shamballa to the point where people normally get on the waiting list three months in advance for a table. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Julia had taken to sitting with the uppercrusts of society—or, well, the children of those uppercrusts. Minstrish seemed to be the language the group settled on since they all came from various countries, but they took to Julia like a gem once she showed she was just as spoiled and in-the-know as any of them. Her nasally laugh matched the girls, but she could swing it with the guys and talk about sports and lacrimagames with the best of them. Maybe that was what made the group accept her so quickly, how quickly she could adapt and how effortlessly she made it look.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Cova do Jaguar

Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

12:05 PM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale sat at the bar with one EarPod in and the volume turned down. Julia's group laughed over some sort of drama featuring the misfortunate of some "ugly duckling" and one of their richer friends in the group. As he sipped his drink and surfed his PAL, he thought, I should apologize to Blondie. Mean Girls and Heathers are actually found in the wild.

He forked in a helping of his alcatra (top sirloin) and mashed potatoes before taking a deep bite of his pão de queijo (cheesy roll) and wanted to groan. Daaamn, I need to learn how to make this at home. Blondie might die happy eating this. His fingers itched for his Compact, but he stopped. Right. Prepaid Compacts. No personal items while we're out. It'd still be nice to call her and not listen to Veronica and the Heathers.

Sycaña rumbled, amused, For someone so against watching what your little moon likes, you keep much knowledge from her favorite entertainment.

Oh, so now you talk to me, Gale groused, sardonic, albeit bitter.

Sycaña sighed. Now is not the time, Little Gem.

What do you mean it's not—? Gale growled when he felt her shield from him again. You know what? Fine. I don't fucking care if you won't talk. I'll figure it out myself. He left her with stinging anger before shielding himself from her in return. Moms seem to be the same no matter what species. Fantastic.

He drew himself back into the PAL and kept surfing the LacriNet for popular tourist attractions. This PAL Lady J brought is nice. I thought it was overkill, but she said her support wanted it. We could bring our own shit and keep it in the room tucked away, but out in public, we had to use the prepaid stuff. I guess it helps cements false identities.

He took another sip of his drink and perused the live 360° map of Shamballa City. I've double-checked that parking garage. Nothing indicates lower levels. He switched to his next tab. But I've been researching more and more famous places where auctions could potentially happen. Since Lady J doesn't have a chaperone, all we can rely on is whenever we receive invitations. So far, the most likely places for an auction would be within…

He looked at a picture of a restored old fortress. The Nasnas Museum was made from the Al-Nasnas Fort that stood against some monster centuries ago in a creek. I guess it has a lot of history and tells about human innovation and how Magic influenced a lot of this land.

The next photo showed a beautiful mosque with a generous fountain before it. The al-Yamma Art Centre, a pretty famous art museum converted from an abandoned mosque, especially with the lore behind it. Apparently, rumor has it the great prophet Zarqā' has her tomb on the property, but it's never been discovered.

He went to the next picture of an asymmetrical ultra-modern structure. And lastly, Shadhaver Museum, the Museum of Illusions. It would be the perfect place for a Black Auction with all the mind-fuckery.

As he helped himself to more food, he studied the photo before tapping to go through the photo gallery. We might not be able to get back into the opera house used for the opening ceremony, but these places… Maybe we should go on a nice little tour to get a lay of the land. It looks like the legal auction proceedings would be here during the day or dinnertime, but I have a feeling these places have more than meets the eye. And if I can touch the ground, I might be able to get some impressions again.

He looked at his gloved hand. Syra… Is this what you meant to give me? Psychometry? Damn fluffy rabbit. You traumatized me enough with all your fur and now this?

He sensed her before she was at his side. "Getting tired of the mean girls, miss?"

"Don't give me that," Julia muttered. It was jarring that her blue eyes had exchanged for a vibrant orange and her clothing had matched the more liberal style of the other girls in the clique, but she did what she had to do to belong. "I came over here to tell you they invited me out and I'm going."

Gale kept his face neutral, but his lips twitched as though wanting to grin. "Then I'm coming with you."

Julia scowled. "Can't you not for once? I could get you fired if you keep stalking me."

"I was hired by your uncle to escort you anywhere you went, miss," Gale put bluntly. "He's my employer, not you. And he won't fire me for doing my job."

Julia bristled. "Fuck you." And she left him with her fingers gliding his arm to double tap him.

Gale suppressed his chuckle. She knows how to play uptight bratty bitch well. I'm pretty sure she's seething on the inside. His mirth faded. Two taps. It means she feels eyes. And since I haven't felt anything, someone is specifically watching for her. He casually glanced around, but no one's line of vision focused on Julia. Is it a Hunter? An associate of Maxim? Or an unknown player?

He grunted. "This is fucking frustrating."

A warm titter. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Gale looked up to see— "Ah, it's you."

"Yes." Key glanced at him with a smile. "It's me." She looked like a model with her colorful mid-godet skirt, white top, and chunky heels. And, per usual, her thick red-orange hair curled to seductively cover her right eye. "It's nice to meet you again." She turned her attention to the bartender, who offered a suggestive smile, but she was quick to put in her drink order.

Gale snorted when the bartender visibly looked defeated his charm had not worked. "Smooth rejection."

Key laughed. "Yes, well, I know a thing or two about roundabout rejections." She glanced over her shoulder to catch Julia and her new friends. "Your charge has taken with spring break culture already. What a great age to be in." Her heather gray eye twinkled. "Though I suppose for a bodyguard, spring break is your worst nightmare."

"No… I just love dealing with drunk idiots, people who buy bad weed for a cheap high, and ear-bleeding rave music," Gale drawled.

Key chuckled behind a fist. "I'm sure you do." She sighed, wistful. "I wish I could've done all that partying at your age. It looked quite fun." Her smile withered a little. "But my work was more important at the time, so I missed out on a lot of regular teenage fun. So please, make sure you don't take this time in your life for granted."

Gale frowned. "I won't, but partying isn't everything." His gut was hit remembering his least favorite party. "You can make a lot of mistakes at parties. They're fun when you're drunk or high, but when you're sober, the entire thing looks so superficial and pointless. I'd take anything else over partying."

"You sound like you have something in mind," Key acknowledged.

"Well…" Gale thought about it. We did say to tell half-truths to keep shit in check. "There's this…girl…" He rubbed his neck. "She's not exactly at the same speed as a few of my friends with parties. She feels like she should be, but I like what we do already. Watching movies or reading… It's a helluva lot better than loud music and smelling sweat. It's really"—pink tinged his cheeks—"nice. Y'know?"

Key softened. "I do," she murmured. Her gaze found Fusajiro. Unlike how childish he acted before, he looked dead-serious speaking to a few others who hung onto his every word like he was writing a holy text. "Jiro and I pretty much hung back from drinking and things like that." The memories made her hum with laughter. "Actually, we played lacrimagames all the time."

"Well, considering your man built up one of the biggest steeples in gaming, I'd be shocked if he hated lacrimagames," Gale said dryly.

Key smiled. "Believe it or not, I was the one to introduce him to lacrimagames."

"You're right. I don't believe it," Gale deadpanned.

Key simpered. "It's true, I promise." Heather gray glinted in delicate remembrance. "We went to school together, me and him. But our school was very strict. Studying was encouraged and entertainment and such were rewards for the top percent. I'd happened on an old console for my reward. It only had the one game. I still remember it. Invasion."

"Far out," Gale remarked. "That's a really old lacrimagame." He could not help but give her an onceover. How old is this woman?

"I'm actually quite young."

Gale paled. Shit, she's a telepath!

"You're probably thinking I'm a mind-reader or a telepath." Key laughed over Gale's wide-eyed expression. "I'm not. It's easy to see what you were thinking. But you're right. Invasion is a very old lacrimagame. But the school wasn't caught up on anything modern. Still, it was a fun game to play. And it got me interested in lacrimagames. And then, I got Jiro into them too. And now? Look at him."

Key and Gale glanced back to watch Fusajiro listen to the offer one of his guests was making.

"He can be childish, but he's passionate about what he loves," Key promised. "And doing what he loves… It's not a job for him anymore." She smiled when Fusajiro looked over at her and his dapper solemnity quickly exchanged for a devil-may-care smile (and his poor guest looked anxious she was losing his attention). "I know it upsets him I didn't really experience all the recklessness people go through growing up, but it took me a while to convince him I'd prefer us gaming than anything too fancy."

She looked at Gale. "Just keep reassuring her you enjoy your quiet time together and find a way to adventure together where you're both comfortable." The bartender returned with her drinks, and she fed him an easy smile as she turned around. "Thank you so much."

"Let me know if you need anything else," the bartender told her before moving on to the next customer.

Gale muttered, "I guess he wanted a chance to shoot his shot." He sighed. Find ways to adventure together where we're both comfortable, huh? I doubt uncle Natsu would be happy about it, but… Maybe this summer, I can…

"Madame?"

A man in black joined Gale and Key, tan-skinned and lean-bodied. He kept his eyes focused on Key, professional, but he had an envelope with beautiful calligraphy and a wax seal. He told her in accented Minstrish, "His Highness Enmerkar, the eighth prince of Dilmun, extends his invitation in the hopes you will join him as a lunch guest tomorrow."

Gale squinted. Eighth prince? Wait a second… He remembered the tan-skinned stoic child always bothered by the little Enchanter girl. That little kid is inviting a grown woman to lunch?! He wanted to gag. Oh my gods, I hope she turns him down—

"I accept the invitation."

Gale gawked. She said 'yes'!

Key went on: "But my acceptance to His Highness' invitation does not mean my confirmation. Please let him know that."

The man in black briefly looked like he wanted to say more, but he simply bowed. "Yes, Madame. There is a Com number on the invitation. Please let us know of your acceptance by this evening. His Highness eagerly awaits your answer." And he walked away.

Gale waited until the man was a good distance away to look at Key as she turned back to the bar. "You can't be—"

"I knew I shouldn't have left my honey alone!"

Gale's entire face wilted when Fusajiro hugged from behind and smothered her. He pouted (even when Key smiled) and complained, "Evil mortals keep wanting to snatch you away from me. I told you you should've stayed with me."

"I know." Key patted his hand. "And you were such a good boy for lasting a whole ten minutes alone with them too."

"I was good, wasn't I?" Fusajiro mumbled into her skin. "I deserve a reward for being stuck with those boring old people without you, right?"

"Of course you do, Jiro, you were such a good boy."

"Your good boy."

Gale sweatdropped as he watched them. Is this love I'm seeing or an unsolicited kink?

Fusajiro grabbed the invitation and looked at it from behind his yellow shades. "Can I trash this one too?"

"It's from a prince, Jiro," Key patiently reminded. "I told you. You are not allowed to trash formal invitations from royalty."

"But it's, like, the fifteenth invite you've gotten!" Fusajiro whined. "You're my lady, not theirs. Can't you just turn him down like all the others?"

How often does this happen to her! Gale cried.

Key laughed. "I will. But I need to give a formal rejection. You know that. And I didn't want to make a scene with that courier."

"He looks like a guy who works out for fun." Fusajiro made a face. "Ew. Who works out for fun?"

Key looked at him, lips twitching. "Don't you?"

Fusajiro gaped. "I do not!" He snuggled her and cooed, "I work out so I can be a dedicated servant to my sweet, sweet honey!"

Gale felt a dreary aura combat Fusajiro's simping aura. What…? What on Earth Land am I witnessing right now?

Key tapped Fusajiro's arm. "You still have those people to speak with. This is why I offered to go to the hotel pool for a bit while you met with those people. Your attention span still needs work."

"I have an attention span—"

"On something other than me or games."

Fusajiro pouted. "But everything else is so boring."

Key shook her head in amused frustration and told Gale, "I'm sorry for him." She whispered conspiratorially, "He's in a weird mood because I outlasted him in morning yoga."

"You distracted me," Fusajiro sniffed. "It's not fair." He wrapped his arms around her mid-section and rocked with her. "How am I supposed to focus when you're smiling and being all cute and beautiful? You knew what you were doing."

Key's heather gray twinkled. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"My honey is so beautifully evil," Fusajiro mumbled. "And it's so hot."

Gale's eye twitched. I think…I'm in an alternate dimension right now.

Key tittered. "We should get back." She put an end to Fusajiro's complaining. "If you go back and at least listen to two more pitches, then we can go to the beach and I'll let you take pictures of me."

Fusajiro looked like a kid in a candy store. "You promise?"

Key touched his cheek. "I promise."

"Deal. No backsies or refunds." Fusajiro smooched her cheek, much to her mirth, but he pouted when she placed fingers on his lips before he could peck her own. "Three pitches and I get a true love's kiss?"

Key smiled. "Fine."

"Fuck yes!" Fusajiro pumped a fist.

Gale internally spiraled. Someone, tell me what the fuck am I watching?

"Oh, and you there, feral child."

Gale grew disturbed at Fusajiro's moniker for him. 'Feral child'?

"You might be on duty, but a friendly conversation goes a long way," Fusajiro advised. "If you want to get anywhere this week, don't just leave it up to the young miss you're watching out for. Multitask. You never know." His unusual golds glinted behind his shades. "Maybe you already have a friend in high places if you give them a chance."

Gale frowned, brow furrowed. "What do you—?"

"I gave good advice. Can I have a kiss pretty please?"

TICK!

Gale wanted to strangle Fusajiro as he enthusiastically receive a chaste kiss from Key. What the Hell is this man-child's problem!

Fusajiro took his drink from Key while Key gave Gale a warm smile. "It was nice talking to you. Have a good one." She walked with Fusajiro step-for-step, but she scolded him, "No touching until you sit through three pitches and you have to actively listen or no more kisses."

"What! But they're all so boring—!"

"Well then, I guess no bikini time—"

"I'll listen, I'll listen!"

Gale felt a headache coming on and had to take a large gulp of his drink. She either was blessed with enormous saint-like patience, something is wrong with her, or he blackmailed her. He looked over his shoulder to see Fusajiro had made sure Key was settled and looked all boyish and in love. But the switch between his playful side and cold-hearted businessman was quite unnerving to witness, even to the point his guests looked all jittery to present their pitches to him.

Gale sipped his drink. I don't understand why I can't smell them. Everyone has a smell. If anything, I would've smelled an insane amount of pheromones coming off him around her. Sure, he's a man-child and she's some sort of otherworldly saint, but they don't feel anything less than human. So why…? He turned back, but he looked at his gloved hand. Maybe… I mean I probably shouldn't, but… Maybe if I touch one of them…

He dismissed the thought. I don't have the time to think about this. He closed his PAL. I'll head to the bathroom and do a scope of the area to see what kind of eyes are on Lady J. After making sure his food and spot would not be taken, he left the bar. He pretended he was looking for the bathroom and murmured his pardon as he bypassed someone in a feathered dress to keep up his perimeter check.

A black-lipped smile. Well, well, well… Slender fingers wrapped around the flute in their hand. What delicious red eyes underneath those blues.

---

Live music, live stations, modern design, and wine—could it get any better than this?

A beach resort had the café attached to it with a glamorous view of a luxury pool and, beyond that, a beautiful view of the ocean. The three-man band had staged themselves outside and near the impressive outdoor bar and grill as they played a cover of a popular song. Sommeliers helped pair wine with cheese or other dishes for those indecisive, unknowledgeable, or curious about what went with what. Not to mention the live stations with chefs at the ready. The buffet helped with desserts and foods that needed no culinary hand, but the ten live stations each dedicated to a region or country had an experienced chef that helped guests pick out their main protein or dish and cooked it right before their eyes, from salad to sushi.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is Café de Brassiere, a Perench restaurant with impressive selections from around the world and currently one of the best brunch restaurants in the world. It's an all-you-can-eat with a gourmet eggs-to-order station and its specialty drinks are made from Magic mixologists! »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Socialites had a way about them in their manner of speaking and depending on their interests. Politics were a hot topic for this particular group, but no one caved to one stance or another. Debating was more common than blind agreement and it made for wonderful conversation. The leaders of such a party had made sure they had gotten a bigger table outside to enjoy the weather, the music, and the ambiance.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Café de Brassiere

Shamballa City,

Shamballa, Alakitasia

1:09 PM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"The economic impact of the true heir of Alvarez could provide a prime opportunity for the countries on the fence about joining the Empire to finally join." A feminine man had said this with a strong Bellish accent hindering his Minstrish and a feathered can collapsed in his hands. "But the difference between Alvarez committing continental monopoly versus Melandia is that Alakitasia still has shaky borders with Andüsa and Giltena."

⌜LEAGUE OF ACTORS GUILD

Name: Theodoric "Theo" Hefeweizen

Age: 25

Occupation: Model, Actor, Activist

Likes: cinematography Dislikes: fur clothes

Special Note: Theo is a top genderfluid performer in Bellum and uses his platform to raise awareness about genderfluidity! ⌟

"Those border wars are nothing more than northwestern propaganda," a woman had written off with her Gordost accept husky in her Minstrish. "And even with the true heirs returning to Alvarez, AE wouldn't have a chance in taking over the entire continent, unlike like Giltena. Did you not see the alliance meeting? Dilmun, Shamballa, Aratta, Uruk, Ustan—those are just a few countries that won't join the AE and will continue their independence for the foreseeable future. All they implied was that if the true heir returned, they'd revisit political allegiances." She crossed her arms. "Get your facts straight."

⌜LADA PERFUMERY SALON

Name: Stolichnaya "Stoli" Beluga

Age: 24

Occupation: Perfumer

Likes: pleasant smells Dislikes: bad breath

Special Note: Stoli makes a living creating authentic scents that Giltenan royalty uses, even if her father considers it a baseless hobby! ⌟

A young gentleman with phoenix eyes snorted. "Get your facts straight. Mother Giltena still will never conquer all of Giltena."

⌜TENANT HOLDINGS LTD

Name: Wu Liang

Age: 26

Occupation: Director of Social Media and Digital Marketing

Likes: his boyfriend's cooking Dislikes: his cooking

Special Note: Wu's family founded and owns the Tenant, which owns MyChat, a popular and international multi-purpose IM, social media, and mobile payment app, and is also the largest lacrimagame company, even with investments in Molecule, gLitch, and Wintendo! ⌟

Wu sat back with his arm around his date, a freckle-faced man with a lip-piercing, and he smirked when Stoli scowled at him. "You get so high and mighty about the shit happening here. Take a look at your own country. Never mind, actually, because the Holy Eye will fix everything, right?"

Stoli muttered in Gordost before digging into her croissant.

Thirteen was more kept to himself as he watched the table interact with one another. Not bad. These kids know about the world. He ate his smoked salmon, cream cheese, onion, and dill in peace, but his thoughts churned. The true heir to Alvarez… The current king giving that speech wasn't as big of a shock as others thought it was. The propaganda of this continent is outstanding. But the difference between the governments here and the ones in Valchestria is that Emperor Zeref was an actual hero to these people who preferred talking than war. Apparently, the war on Fiore was a last resort option. Valchestria is just full of corrupt, psychopathic officials.

He forked in another morsel. If the true heir of Alvarez was to return… I can't imagine the power Alvarez will have. He glanced over to see Vinyl more withdrawn from conversation than ever as she kept to her lonesome. Hmm…

Vinyl sipped her cocktail. I know I said we were preparing for battle, but… She had a menacing aura about her as she pretended not to notice Vespers blatant staring and unsettling smile. He's really asking for me to just punch him. She listened closely and she could hear an ominous symphony around Vespers. The music around him… It's so dark, like before. I remember how the music around him always sounded plucky and fake with dark undertones. It's…alluring in a way, but… Something about it isn't right. Her body tensed. And his brother's music…

"Kid?"

Vinyl blinked over to Thirteen. "Hmm?"

"You okay?" Thirteen glanced at Vespers and narrowed his eyes. "We can take him out now if he's bothering you."

Vinyl broke into a laugh and patted Thirteen's arm. "That'd be ideal, but we can't use the Fairy Tail way in a foreign country." Aquamarines softened. "Thanks for coming here." She ribbed, "Even if you're hanging out with a bunch of kids."

Thirteen snorted as he lifted his drink. "Glad you're starting to see reason."

Vinyl puffed a cheek. "You know I am a grown adult."

"Uh-huh."

Vinyl kept up her agitation for a moment before studying Thirteen. Smooth piano notes, melancholic and fueled with the soul of jazz touched her ears. And his music… It's always been so subtle and lengthy, but… It's always sad. Shedding the thought, she leaned into him and purred, "Does any part of me even look like a little girl?"

"I'm not going to answer that," Thirteen said flatly, unmoved. "Fishing for compliments now? And you say you're not a kid."

Vinyl pouted. "Well how else am I supposed to get you to compliment me?"

Thirteen's eyebrow twitched. Is her shamelessness annoying or admirable? An aggravated blush work his ears when Vinyl snuggled his arm. "Hey, kid—!"

"Come on, sir, just one teensy weensy compliment." Vinyl coyly requested. "Tell me you see me as a woman!"

Thirteen felt like a right bastard when his eyes dropped to Vinyl's cleavage. Oh, I see it. He hard-gulped. I definitely see it.

Vespers watched Vinyl's cooing while Thirteen looked torn between abashment and agitation. So, little Viñella has herself an older man to replace my brother. But he certainly doesn't look like any normal man. He concentrated on Thirteen. I can feel he's a Wizard. But there's a strange energy to him. His smile broadened. I wonder just what sort of man he is to you."

"Viñella, you never introduced me to your date."

Vinyl and Thirteen's attention turned to the smiling Vespers as he rested his chin on clasped hands. "It's only nature an old acquaintance would like an introduction to your date, isn't it? We were, after all, supposed to be family. I'd like to know who you thought was better than my brother."

Vinyl went rigid.

Thirteen stared down Vespers. What's this kid's problem?

Vinyl cleared her throat. "H-He's—"

"I'm Thirteen." He extended his hand for Vespers to shake.

Vespers tittered and shook Thirteen's hand. "What an interesting name for you to have. Is there a story behind it?"

"There is." Thirteen gripped Vespers' hand. "That's all you need to show."

If Thirteen's crushing hold caused pain, Vespers did not show it as both men mutually released each other. "Now, now, there's no need for such hostility. We're all friends here. That's why I persuaded my friends to extend Viñella an invite. It's been so long since we've been able to talk. In fact, our last conversation was at the wedding rehearsal dinner." He tilted his head with his eyes glinting. "Such wonderful memories. Don't you agree?"

Vinyl tried and failed keeping her head up. "R-Right. Good…memories…" Her vision felt hazy as she gripped her pants. That rehearsal dinner…

• — • — • — •

"Viñella."

The focus looked up at the looming silhouette with blank dark blue eyes. The seductive lights of the back of the restaurant did nothing to soothe her trembling, her tears, and the urge to run to the bathroom and throw up.

Her fiancé leaned down to her height, but all she could remember were those stormy blues. "You need to smile." A hand reached for her. "It's for your own good."

• — • — • — •

GYUU.

Vinyl snapped out of her memories when she felt a large hand blanket her own. Looking up, she saw Thirteen giving her a small nod. That was all she needed to buck up, clear her mind, and face Vespers head-on with poison in her smile. "You know what? They were some great memories, weren't they?" She picked up her cocktail. "But I have better memories from that time."

Blues thundered. "The memories of your parents finding out about your first boyfriend are much nicer."

Vespers' smile diminished some, but he did not let it go all the way. "Ah, yes. You were there for that." His smile was back at full force. "I'm glad it's a memory we can both bond over." His gaze flicked to Thirteen. "I guess we both have our sights set on men twice our age."

To her credit, Vinyl kept her cool. "Maybe so. But at least he's with me voluntarily." She cocked her head. "And I'm an adult and not a child."

Vespers' eyes narrowed. "You listen to a lot of rumors. That's bad for your health."

Vinyl sipped her cocktail before putting it down and swirling a finger around the ring. "Rumors. Right. And what rumors they were. Everyone was guessing why such a valuable concertmaster suddenly disappeared. He was set to audition for the Royal Philharmonic and was a shoo-in. And all of a sudden, he just vanished. And last anyone heard, he had been your piano teacher."

Vespers tipped his chin down. "And if these rumors were true, as you said, I was a child when I had him as my lessons teacher."

"Right, of course." Vinyl pretended to play with a lock of hair. "But the weird thing is, everyone said he started acting strange. He stopped practicing at his university, he stopped hanging out with friends… In fact, his own parents were worried about how quiet and frightened their son looked. And he did spend a lot of time at your estate." Her eyes flicked back to him. "But you were just a teenager at the time. I'm sure you couldn't have known he was being isolated from all his loved ones—or the reason someone would do that to him."

"No." Vespers did not flinch. "Of course not."

Vinyl did not break her stare from him. This is the Vespers I remember. The same manipulative snake. That concertmaster incident solidified how much of a spoiled brat he is in my mind. He might be my ex-fiancé's brother, but at the end of it all, he knows he's always been second best. Aquamarines glinted. And he hated it.

"What's going on here?"

Vespers' date returned. Even without his tailored-made suit, he still looked like someone of importance with his sharp jawline and loud green eyes, not to mention his thick lashes and olive skin. He had dressed down a little with his button-down undone to show his chest and tucked into his rolled-up capris, and his sleeves rolled up to show his expensive watch. He looked Stellian through and through.

⌜BANCARIO LEATLÀ S.P.A.

Name: Salentino Negroamaro

Age: 38

Occupation: CEO of Bancario Leatlà

Likes: spoiling his mother Dislikes: clinginess

Special Note: Salentino might be the CEO of Stella's number one international banking group, but he is also part of the family who discovered the negroamaro grape variety! ⌟

Vespers smiled up at Salentino as he reclaimed his seat. "Just chatting with old friends. You certainly took long for your call."

"Yes, well, while my work might be handled, it's different with family," Salentino explained, shaking his head. "I swear my little cousin Chace enjoys giving the family a run for their money." He nodded to Vinyl and Thirteen. "My apologies for the late entries." He went for his wine. "Family can be…tough to deal with."

"You said you had a little cousin?" Vinyl asked.

"Mmm." Salentino finished his sip. "He's an adult, but he's quite the little troublemaker. He hasn't visited his home in Stella in quite some time and it breaks out grandparents' hearts he stays away at his research lab in Melandia. At least he still orders from our vineyard." He shrugged, no bitterness in his tone. You could tell he had such fondness for his cousin. "Last time I saw him, I was on a business trip near his home and he seemed"—his full pink lips twitched in a sexy grin—"preoccupied with someone who could rival our nonna's ferocity."

Vinyl smiled. "I take it you approve?"

Salentino chuckled. "I wouldn't know. I was deprived the pleasure of an introduction. While everyone else sees him as calm and collected, he's still mio cuginetto that liked to talk shit to me in Perench because I couldn't understand the language at the time." His eyes twinkled. "He certainly wasn't happy once I started learning to piss him off."

Vinyl simpered. "You both sound close."

A flicker of sadness passed through Salentino. "I wish we were closer, but life changes." He adjusted himself and nodded towards Vinyl. "So you're Vespers' old friend. He told me he hadn't heard from you in quite some time. What do you do now?"

"Ah…" Vinyl internally froze, worried. Should I tell them I'm in Fairy Tail? If my great aunt already knows… Her heartbeat picked up. No, my parents wouldn't care. But still, that risk… And if Vespers tells his brother, would that mean…? The wedding… She could barely get out a word—

"She's a musician." Thirteen answered on Vinyl's behalf with a quiet, approving glance at her. "And she's a pretty amazing one. She's certainly impressed me."

Awed and touched, a pretty blush hit Vinyl's cheeks. Thirteen…

"Well, that's no surprise," Vespers commented. "She was always talented. I just find it a shame she gave up that talent. She had such a future in Minstrel. By the way…" He aimed his gaze at Vinyl. "Where are you living now? If you're such a brilliant musician, I'd love to know the orchestra you're a part of. And I'm sure your parents would love to support you."

Vinyl tensed.

Thirteen's stare hardened. What the Hell is his problem? He meant to tell him—

"That's enough, Vespers."

It surprised Vinyl, Thirteen, and Vespers at Salentino's hard command. His friendly air had spiraled into something chilling as he looked at Vespers. "You're being childish to someone who doesn't deserve it," Salentino said.

Something in Vespers' expression shifted. "I was just speaking to a friend, Salentino." He covered his hand over Salentino's. "I didn't mean to—"

"Don't touch me." Salentino retracted his hand and his irritation gradually increased. "I told you before that I don't—! Nnngh!" He clutched his temple as a throbbing pain underwent his entire head. His vision blurred as his anger mixed in confusion. What the Hell is happening to me?

"Oh, dear." Vespers stroked Salentino's arm. "You're getting another headache, aren't you? We should get you back to the room." He got up and helped a pained Salentino to his feet, offering a placating smile to the concerned group. "Apologies, everyone. Salentino's not feeling that well, are you, baby? We'll see you all tonight at the club." He nodded to Vinyl and Thirteen. "You two should come if you're available. I'm sure someone here will give you the info. It's one of the hottest clubs in Shamballa."

His smile sharpened. "And it's a great place for us to be reacquainted." He rustled out money for his and Salentino's bill before helping Salentino move away from the table.

Vinyl frowned through the entire ordeal. I don't know what it is, but something about that entire situation… It felt off. Even my Magic felt something bad and bitter. She leaned into Thirteen and whispered, "Am I the only one sensing something wrong?"

Thirteen nodded and kept a sharp eye on Vespers and Salentino. "I've seen Salentino in business magazines. He's the youngest CEO to date for some Stellian banking group."

Vinyl did not understand. "Vespers hated traveling, at least when we were younger." She glanced over to see the couple leave. "So I wonder what's the story between them? How did he even meet someone like Salentino, especially when I know his family only wants talented musicians?" Her frown deepened. It's weird, though… Salentino's sudden headache when Vespers did something. Why does it…?

It came to her. "His ex."

Thirteen frowned. "What?"

Vinyl shook her head. "No, I'm just thinking aloud is all. When I was younger and had to spend time with the Vivaldi's during my engagement, Vespers' exes all had headaches. I always thought it was weird. At least, weird enough that my Magic reacted." She shrugged. "Seeing Salentino and Vespers… I guess a weird memory came back up."

But that memory got the ball rolling in Thirteen's head. Salentino experienced pain disapproving of Vespers' actions. And if the same was happening around previous exes… Counting in that Warlock pocket watch… He clenched his hand. I need more information. Viñella's old acquaintance might be a Warlock, but if he's using his powers for manipulation… Murky oranges chilled. He wouldn't even hold a candle to Vicious' Voice.

Theo called out to them, "So you two want to come with us to Bunny Mansion tonight? It's a pretty exclusive nightclub, but it's totally worth going to whenever you visit Shamballa."

Vinyl hesitated. "Um… Well, I don't—"

"We'll go."

It stunned Vinyl hearing Thirteen's agreement. "Really? But I thought you hated clubs?"

Thirteen forced a shrug. "We're only in Shamballa for the week. We wouldn't want to miss out on anything like this." Murky oranges darkened. I want to figure out why that Warlock wants us there. Another auction site? Normally, the prime Black Auctions are in the art museum and two history museums. So this might be a small auction. But still…

"Yay! A date with my big, strong man!"

Thirteen was blindsided when Vinyl nuzzled his arm. "H-Hey—!" He growled, ears red. "Dammit, kid, I told you before—!"

"Just play along," Vinyl whispered. "We might know that, but they don't know that."

Thirteen begrudgingly conceded. She has a point. He sighed. "Yes, it's a…"—he grimaced—"date."

"Now put your arm around me."

Thirteen wanted to choke. "Why—?"

Vinyl smoothly got under his arm and stroked his chest like an obsessed girlfriend. "I'm so glad we're going to the club! It'll be such a fun date for us!" Her blues glowed in obvious debauchery. "I'll make sure to wear those heels you like, sir."

Thirteen's eyebrow twitched. I know she's taking advantage I can't argue. He kept his arm around her light and polite, and his thoughts rolled back to Vespers. Vespers Vivaldi, a possible Warlock… And I still haven't made the connection for why an old nurse for the king of Bellum would come to Shamballa. And then Swan warning me about Raven hunting me down, and Vicious here. Not to mention Swan's mention of Red Eye. I need a fucking cigarette.

He looked up at the sky and saw a passing blimp. What the Hell will you do when you find out they still remember you…Gajeel?

---

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Fairy Adventure

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

---

I take it all back. Shopping with Blondie is an absolute delight.

The movie Clueless was right—rich kids really do love the mall.

But this mall was nothing like other malls. The diverse brands, entertainment, and cuisine were enough to pull anyone in, but the rare works of art and even the skeleton of a long-deceased magical creature made it even more enticing. A GSF-sized ice rink was a hot commodity this time of the day with an ice dancer on vacation taking up the rink to lazily practice their routine and observers whipping out their Compacts to record. Nine service desks had wheelchairs, strollers, and all service desk personnel could speak the native Shamballan dialect, Minstrish, and some had other languages under their belt.

Fashion Street could people's eyes, however, with famous brands from all over at consumers' disposal. And with fashion week starting up in two months, perusing the stores in the hopes to order your custom look for Minstrel, Stella, and Pergrande was a given. From A-line skirts to waistcoats, there was nothing you could not find in the mall.

And Gale was 100% certain he had seen every single store in this mall.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Shamballa Mall, a four-floor mall that is the second-largest and safe mall in the world with over 1,200 shops, an underwater zoo and aquarium, a cinema, and even an in-house metro station. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The cosmetic store might have looked as modern as the others, but it shockingly had Magic incorporated into the interior design and that lured in more clientele. A retired enchanted witch's broom had been hired to help keep things neat and tidy. The ceiling had been enchanted to make it look like it was endless as it showed natural light and daytime sky for the perfect pictures. The mirrors gave reflections, but upon request, even the mirror vocalized feedback and recommendations. Machina had been employed at the shop, some as makeup artists and others to help match people with their skin tone or outfit. People of all genders were more than welcome to come in and bring out their inner beauty.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is Uzzayan Beauty, a famous cosmetic store founded in Shamballa and known for its organic, vegan products, all thanks to a Potioneer who specialized in cosmetics. And thanks to a popular Enchanted and graduated student of the Forge, "Magic Mirrors" were popularized at Uzzayan Beauty, enchanted with their own personalities. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The group Julia paired up with scattered about the store and mixed in with the normal crowd. Already, they had grabbed baskets to fill up on, but they all knew the guards ("babysitters") some of their parents mandated would be the ones to carry all their new cosmetics. The matter of money was a secondary thought considering almost all of them traveled with their parents' credit cards or were fortunate enough to secure their own independent funds.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Uzzayan Beauty, The Shamballa Mall

Shamballa City,

Shamballa, Alakitasia

4:01 PM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"Ah, this is, like, so fresh!" A spunky girl clacking her gum and wearing a yellow plaid blazer, skirt, front sweater, and iconic white heels could not help but gush as she saw the promotion of Miss Fortune's new vegan make-up. "This is, like, the best thing ever! I already preordered my palette, but, like I'm so hyped!"

⌜QUAIL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL (U.S.M.)

Name: Cher Woods

Age: 16

Occupation: Year 12 Student

Likes: planning parties Dislikes: her ex

Special Note: Cher is a valley girl from the US and daughter to a famous public defender and a supreme court judge—but she still racks up speeding and parking tickets! ⌟

Cher clapped her hands and squealed her glee. "Eee! Dion will be jellin' when I'm the one who gets the palette first!"

"Is that anything to brag about?" Another young lady had asked this with attitude clear on her face and her Perench accent stiff. Unlike the bright and sparkling Cher, this young lady decided darker tones were her color as she filed her black-painted nails. "I mean, it's not like you were one of the lucky few who got to volunteer for testing and had lunch with him." She blew on her nails to smirk. "Unlike me."

⌜THE HOUSE OF DIOR

Name: Lorraine Dior

Age: 16

Occupation: Year 12 Student

Likes: gloating Dislikes: being second best

Special Note: Don't be fooled! Lorraine's smugness might be off-putting, but she's quite the softy with her boyfriend! ⌟

Cher puffed her cheeks and glared at Lorraine. "You don't have to, like, brag about it or whatever!" She upturned her nose. "And who cares? My daddy said I get to fashion week in Lincoln and, like, totes meet the Ena Fernandes."

Lorraine's smirk broadened as she flicked her hair. "And I'll be meeting her first. Papa told me the rumors of her putting a boutique in Pergrande are true, so I'll have access to her works, unlike you westerners." She lifted her hand to her mouth as a mocking attempt to cover her smugness. "C'est tragique, non?"

Cher fumed while Lorraine haughtily laughed at her.

A calm smile. "That's enough now." A taller young lady came along with strong Zhōnguánese traits and her figure dainty. She looked like a maiden with her lace gloves, perfect posture, and her slim dress. "Lorraine, there's no need for you to antagonize Cher like this, is there? You certainly didn't like it when Cher teased you about your relationship with Elías, right?"

⌜THE BEI FAMILY

Name: Chunhua Běi (北 春花)

Age: 17

Ability: Unknown

Occupation: Year 13 Student

Likes: tea ceremonies Dislikes: sour candy

Special Note: Chunhua is the youngest daughter of the Bei family, the political family of the North! But she carries with her a secret! ⌟

Lorraine, chastised, muttered, "No." She hmphed and turned on a heel. "Look, Cher, I'm pretty sure they have those tacky bath bombs you love that do nothing for your skin."

"Ooo!" Cher excitedly clung to Lorraine. "Like, where are they?"

Chunhua tittered behind a hand as both girls went off to the bath bomb section, but Julia approached her in admiration. "You certainly know how to handle your friends."

"I wouldn't say that," Chunhua negated, pulling Julia with her as she slowly trailed after both girls. "I've just known them for a little. Out of all our friends, we were the only three who met outside the traditional political ways. So you could say I've gotten used to their personalities."

Julia murmured, "I see." Her contact lessons took stock of more information about Chunhua. I hit the jackpot with this group. Some of them are shallow, but these three seem legit, especially Chunhua. Daughter of a Zhōnguánese political family and very well-read. She blinked away the information by deliberately lowering her eyes. It's a gamble to see how much she's privy to, but she's a good start.

Before Julia could ask a question, Chunhua questioned her. "How do you like all of us so far? Sorry for all the craziness of shopping. It's a usual thing we like to do." She chuckled. "Since our parents are normally going to diplomatic meetings or doing handshaking, you could say we're given some hush money to keep out of trouble."

Julia grinned. "And what's so wrong with being a troublemaker?"

"Nothing, I suppose," Chunhua simpered. She tucked a lock behind her ear. "Though my older brother allowed me to accompany him on this trip, so staying out of trouble is my main objective to make sure he can handle the business side of things."

"'Business side'?" Julia echoed, her curiosity genuine.

Chunhua nodded. "Oh, yes. Our parents couldn't attend since they have to attend a delegation meeting. I have a few older siblings, actually. My brother who came here is the second oldest. He handles much more when it comes to luxury imports, but he also handles our Lacrima imports. So he'll be busy during the entire week, too busy for a chaperone." She tilted her head in the direction of her black-suited guards waiting for her outside. "But I'm not without security."

Julia heard something in Chunhua's tone. "That must be quite…restricting."

"It's fine," Chunhua dismissed, her smile quietly sad. "I understand the risks of being here. My parents didn't approve of me coming along this year, but I negotiated on the count I would have at last two guards with me at all times." She clasped her hands before her. "But I'm happy to have come. And I saw you have your own guard. Though he looks quite young for a bodyguard."

"He's a Wizard," Julia supplied.

Chunhua gave an understanding nod. "That makes sense." She glanced at Gale, who stood outside the store as well with his eyes hidden beneath his shades. Bending to Julia, she whispered, "What's it like, being so close to a Wizard?"

Julia gave Chunhua a puzzled smile. "What do you mean? You've never been around a Wizard?"

Chunhua shook her head. "No. Zhōnguá is very…different when it comes to Magic." Her eyes darkened. "A thousand years or so ago, Zhōnguá didn't have Magic. Instead, we had people call Cultivators. You probably see them glorified on Z-dramas and novels, but they were quite real and powerful in their Qi, or Spiritual Power. Ever since they died out and our Guardians turned their backs on us, witchcraft and wizardry is a bit of a taboo subject in my home."

Julia blinked, surprised. "Oh. I… I didn't know that." She frowned. Jax is from Zhōnguá, but… He's a Mage. Did he learn Magic illegally or something?

Chunhua smiled. "It's not like it's common knowledge, so there's no need to worry about it. And it's not as if Wizards can't exist in Zhōnguá, but it depends which region you hail from if it's permitted and the restrictions on it. For the northern region, we're very restrictive about Magic and applying to even learn about it. It's still considered 'bad luck' to be a Wizard or to be near one, so I've never had the pleasure to talk to one of them."

"Ah." Julia tried to wrap her head around that. "Well, they're not so different than others…"

"Is it true about Wizards letting their children fight in battles?"

"Ah, well…" Julia and Chunhua stopped a little bit away as Lorraine and Cher sifted through the bath bombs. "I mean, you're technically an adult Wizard at ten years old. I know that might seem young, but Wizards are honestly built different than Spiritless, at least when it comes to trained Wizards. You're mature intellectually a lot earlier."

Chunhua frowned. "I thought that was just a myth? I mean a ten-year-old is still a child regardless. To be a little kid through such harsh training and forcing them to mature so early…" Concern showed on her face, sincere. "That could be traumatizing, couldn't it?"

"Yes and no?" Julia was unsure herself if she was questioning or answering. "I've personally never encountered a traumatized Wizard that young—"

Blank ceruleans.

Watery mayan blues.

Bloodshot rubies.

Julia faltered. No. Her lips pressed in a thin line. I have. Multiple times.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Chunhua assured. "It's just… Well, with all I hear about Wizards, it just seems like such a dangerous job for children, you know? I know they have Magic, but it's still a little horrifying to think about. Especially with some of the conflicts going on in Valchestria, those Wizards might be adults, but it's just, well, at the end of it, they still have a child's mind. Who knows? They could be kidnapped or manipulated or worse."

Julia's stomach churned. "Yeah." She turned her head to the side as she balled her hands. I know Spiritless have views on Wizards being unnecessarily cruel for making ten-year-olds adult Wizards. I've never really thought about it. And it's not wrong, as long as they're trained. But…

A bloodied and battered Silver laying on a cot with barely a breath left to him.

A lifeless young Gary unresponsive to their mother's embrace.

I know better than anyone that monstrous adults in this world prey upon younger Wizards. Julia hid her taut jaw. And I won't make those naïve mistakes again.

"I'm sorry," murmured Chunhua. "I didn't mean to…"

Julia shook her head at Chunhua's apology and forced a smile. "No, you're fine! I was just…thinking." She quickly came up with an excuse. "My uncle hired my bodyguard over there since he comes highly recommended. He was a Guild Wizard before he contracted privately with my uncle to 'babysit me'," she said in air quotes and an eye roll that had Chunhua quietly laugh. "Yeah, Wizards can be pretty young, but there's a lot more to it than that. Some of them get put on jobs like this, security jobs, bodyguard jobs… Others get put on non-Magic jobs like being a server or babysitting."

Navies glinted. "And some…get put on the most randomest and smallest things that you can't believe they're jobs."

• — • — • — •

"My very first job!"

To be honest, Julia had not wanted to come to the guild and she dragged her feet the entire time ten-year-old Silver urged her. Sleeping in had been such a nice thing until you had a hyperactive brother who was too afraid to walk by himself.

"Look, Juju, look!"

"I told you not to call me that name anymore," Julia muttered. "It's too embarrassing." She yawned. "I don't even get why we had to come to the guildhall. You could've just used your L-Pad, logged in, and picked a job. You didn't have to drag me with you."

"Oh." Silver's dejected tone bled through. "I'm s-s-sorry."

Now Julia felt bad as she caught Silver's pitiful look with his stare to the ground and his contract in his hands. Awkwardly, she scratched her cheek. "Just pick out jobs from home next time, all right?"

GUSUGUSU…

Silver's eyes had comically watered as he sniffled. "O-Okay." HIC!

'Oh great now he's gonna cry and Mom's gonna blame me!' Quickly, Julia cut in before Silver cried a (literal) river, "Anyway, what's the job you're so excited about?"

Silver instantly brightened. "Master said it's perfect for me!" He got up on the bench and slid the contract to Julia, kicking his legs. "Doesn't it look cool? And I could get a good reward for Lulu!"

Julia frowned as she read over the paper. "It says…you're watering grass?" She sweatdropped. 'What the Hell sort of job is this?'

Silver nodded. "Mmm-mmm! But it's not just any grass! It's this really cool, magical grass an Eco-Alchemist discovered and they're trying to see if they can replant it. But the grass somehow doesn't work with normal water, so they need a Water Mage to keep it watered and fresh!" He puffed his chest. "And I'm a real Wizard now, so I get to water it. And check out the reward1"

Julia flipped to the next page and skimmed the jargon to find it. "It says your reward is…" Her eyebrows shot up. "Holy shit! You get that much money just for watering stupid plants?"

Silver narrowed his eyes. "You said a dirty word."

"Go cry about it," Julia muttered. 'He gets six mill jewel just for being a water canister? And…' She blinked. "You get tickets to the botanical garden?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah! I can bring up to four guests too." He messed with his fingers. "So I wanted to take Lulu since I promised her I'd use my first reward to get her something. And she can take pictures of all the flowers." He clasped his hands and dreamily sighed. "And then I wanted to invite my beloved Paige for a date!"

Julia's eyebrow twitched and she snorted. "Yeah, right. She thinks you're a creep."

GUSUGUSU…

"R-Really?"

Julia panicked seeing Silver work himself up again. 'Dammit, not again!' She hurried to rectify her mistake and get them off-topic. "Well, congrats on your first job and all. But you should know that's a lot of money, so you should talk to Mom and Dad about saving it and not spending it in one go."

"I know that," Silver said, indignant. "Just because you're older doesn't mean you're smarter than me—! Ow!" He covered his forehead once Julia's flicked it. "What was that for?"

"You should listen to me because I'm older, stupid," Julia scolded.

Silver sassed back, "You never listen to Gary."

Julia made a face. "Why should I? All he does is praise Nashi. He's a pushover and you're a crybaby."

GUSUGUSU…

Watery-eyed again, Silver sniffled, "Am not!"

Julia sweatdropped. 'I think you're proving my point.'

Silver cleared his tears and looked mightily determined. "Well, I don't care what you think. This is my first job as a Fairy Tail Mage and I'm gonna do great!" He winced when Julia flicked his nose. "H-Hey—!" He paused when her hand was on his head.

"I never said you weren't going to do fine, stupid." Though Julia had considerably softened. "Since it's your first job and I'm your big sister, I'll walk with you to the train station. And then you're going to go water grass like your life depends on it and be the best Fairy Tail Mage ever, 'kay? Gary and I are counting on you."

That made Silver's heart soar as he beamed. "'Kay!"

• — • — • — •

The memory made Julia's blues glisten. I still can't believe he was so excited to water 'magic grass'. Gary and I even had to come with him because Silver kept crying about being all alone. That crybaby. She looked up at the ceiling. I wonder how his trip in Caelum is going and if Ena's seen that side of him that cries a lot. Navies tendered. I just hope…she accepts that side of him.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Julia's gaze went back to Chunhua and snapped her out of it. What am I doing? I should be focusing on my mission. "No, just… Thinking about family, I guess." She smiled as Cher and Lorraine seemed to have caught up with a few of the boys, but Lorraine acted like a shy little maiden against her Valchestrian boyfriend who animated talked about the makeup he gathered. "I didn't realize Lorraine taught Elías how to shop for her makeup. That's pretty nice."

"Oh, that's for him, not for Lorraine."

Julia was surprised. "Seriously?"

Chunhua nodded. "Mmm-hmm. Lorraine got Elías into makeup, so they normally shop together." She told Julia behind a hand conspiratorially, "But Lorraine can put on makeup to save her life, but Elías won't say a word about it and quietly redoes it when she's not looking." Her dark eyes danced in amusement as she looked at the pair with Elías holding up different creams he wanted them to try. "He's become a bit of a guru. I think outside of Cher and Lorraine, he likes Miss Fortune's makeup video and he preordered his own palette."

"And no one…says anything about that?" Julia asked in a strange voice.

Chunhua shook her head, not seeing the problem. "Not really. From what Lorraine said, Elías' parents are grateful. He's the son of a famous footballer and a former Miss Valchestria. He only has brothers, but Lorraine said his mother always wanted a daughter to teach makeup, so she's happy Elías likes makeup. And his father, I guess, always asks him for advice before any major conferences. It's quite charming, don't you think?" She blinked when she saw Julia's distant look. "Nightingale? Is everything all right?"

"Ah…" Julia blinked twice before focusing her stare back to Lorraine and Elías as he roped in his mate's opinion, who also ardently agreed and offered his own opinions about toner brands. "Yeah, yeah, I'm…" She gave a weird short note of laughter. "It's just weird, I guess."

"What is?"

"I mean… This?" Julia gestured to the scene before them. "I mean, your guy friends are just…doing this, buying makeup and knowing about it, and no one cares. It's weird."

"Not really, Chunhua countered. "Honestly, in Sela, it's fairly standard for everyone to wear makeup and know about skincare routines. Same thing in Pergrande and Stella." She tipped her head and tapped a finger to her chin. "Although, I guess Alakitasia, Giltena, the US, and Valchestria are different. Shamballa's a lot more progressive, so no one considers it a big deal. Lorrain said Elías lost a few friends when he was public about liking makeup and even helped with his mother's YouView channel and came to her shoots, and maybe one of his brothers hasn't come around, but…"

She watched Lorraine and Elías with such affection. "As long as Elías is happy and comfortable, who cares what others think?"

"I mean, shouldn't he?" Julia questioned. "I mean, in theory, yeah, I get it, but the world doesn't always work like that. It can be really, really cruel to people like him. It'd be nice if everyone was so understanding, but some people are just so callous that they could make fun of him or bully him or even beat him—" Her words hitched as venoms saturated her tone and she dug her nails into her skirt to keep her temper in check. In a tight voice, she got out, "It's just…hard to believe people can be that warm to it."

Chunhua's raven eyes softened. Hmmm…

"Are you guys, like, ready to check out?" Cher bounded over with a few others and her tote was crammed with bath bombs and beauty products. "We, like, totes need to get all our stuff and start prepping for the yacht party."

Julia frowned. "'Yacht party'?"

"Yeah, you should come," Elías offered. He looked leaned and defined with his modern-day swagger of a backwards cap with his Bucci casual outfit of a tight-shirt, joggers, and trainers. "It's how we kick the week off with some of the others we know around here. Yacht's down by the marina and we basically buy the good shit, get shitfaced, and do it again tomorrow." And he high-fived his friend.

⌜COLEGIO NACIONAL DE BUENOS MALBEC (PLATEADO)

Name: Elías Ramos

Age: 17

Occupation: Year 12 Student, Footballer (Midfielder)

Likes: skipping Perench class Dislikes: family reunions

Special Note: Elías dreams to be a famous footballer like his father and compete in the GSF—as long as Lorraine will be his number one cheerleader! ⌟

Julia slowly smiled. "I think I like that plan. I'm in."

"Yas!" Cher quickly hugged her. "You're, like, gonna love everyone there. They are, like, literally the best people in the world to party with." She loudly whispered, "Even the second prince, like, sneaks out with his security to come."

Julia schooled her expression. "Really?" The creepy prince comes to a yacht party? I found the right people. "Then I am so there."

"Like, perfect!" Cher cheered. "M'kay, so let's, like, check-out and leave." And she chattered to Lorraine about her plans of dress of the yacht party.

Julia followed with the herd, but she did mental calculations. I'd be a fool to think these people are involved with the black auction. But that doesn't mean I can't gather intel from them. If anything, being around them gives me a cover to snoop around. I'll have to leave some of the investigative work to Gale. Her thoughts got knocked back when she accidentally bumped into Elías. "Oh, sorry."

"No pasa nada. No worries," Elías eased, adjusting his basket. "You're pretty cool. Glad to see someone cool hanging with us for the week. Our parents might like all the auctions and shit, but this is basically an unhinged spring break for the rest of us."

Julia chuckled. "I'm sure." She eyed his basket of cosmetics. The words slipped before she could take them back. "You're very brave."

Elías smiled, not understanding. "For what?"

"Sorry." Julia shook her head. "No, I just… The makeup and everything. I think it's cool. Brave."

Elías shrugged it off. "Thanks. Not really brave though. Just sort of doing whatever I want. And it's hard as Hell buying some quality organic, vegan stuff. Miss Fortune's brand is constantly sold out where I live and ordering it online is a nightmare, so, you know."

"Yeah…"

Elías peered closer at her. "What do you mean by 'brave'?"

Julia fed him an awkward smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything." She sighed. "It's just… I know the world isn't all that kind for people who break the status quo in some places. So it's brave you don't care."

"I learned how to not give a fuck by my dad, honestly, Elías told her. "He got a bunch of shit since he took paternity leave for my brothers and me while my mom wanted to get back into shape and go back to working." He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "He'd just say, 'que se jodan'. Fuck 'em," he translated with a shared grin between him and Julia. "Like, who actually cares? It's not like any of the people judging him are living his life, y'know? And he said the same thing to my brothers and me. People are replaceable. Your life and what you do with it? Not so replaceable. So just do whatever and be happy about it."

"He makes it sound so easy," Julia murmured.

Elías snickered. "Yeah. It's pretty much easier to say it than do it. My abuela was pretty damn proud of him for doing paternity leave, though. My abuelo is one of those 'provider-only' types, so my abuela was backing up my dad for wanting to do the quote-unquote 'mom shit'." He raised his basket, thoughtful. "I guess she was a little shocked about this, though. She kept saying 'ay dios mio, Elito es gay'." He added wryly, "My grandpa said 'èl es mariposa' which is basically faggot."

Julia cringed. "I'm so sorry."

"Eh." Elías did not seem too bothered. "My brothers have called me worse on a good day. I still think my mom is pretty fucking crazy to have seven of us." He nodded when Julia looked properly bewildered. "Right? How my dad convinced her to marry him and then have seven boys? I'll never know, don't wanna know, don't need to know."

"And your brothers are okay with…?"

"I mean, most of them," Elías said. "Do they still call me 'gay'? Sure. I know they don't mean it though. And I sure as fuck dish it back to them. One of my brothers is still iffy, but Tonio wrestled in secondary, so he can suck a dick about getting all uppity about it when he was sweaty and wrestling guys and jocks."

Julia snickered. "You sound like you get along with your brothers well."

"I mean, if there was a fire, I'd still debate if I want to save them or save my lacrimagames, but we're all still alive, so I guess we get along?" Elías supposed in good humor. "Honestly, they can't talk shit about my makeup when I'm the one getting scouted for our dad's former team."

"Oh! Congratulations then."

"Thanks, but nothing's set in stone." Elías heavily rolled his eyes and jerked a thumb at his girlfriend. "Lorraine, my mom, and my abuela are on my ass to offset going straight into football and go to university first. My dad is keeping his mouth shut. So all the conversation about my future is going great, thanks for asking."

Julia hummed her amusement. "I see." Blues drew half-mast. "It sounds like you have great support and a pretty accepting community. That's nice."

"I guess, but I wouldn't be like this if my own family and friends didn't give me the confidence," Elías said. "I mean, yeah, I lost some friends and my abuelo is still part of the whole 'I'm a man and I probably thinking wiping is gay' side of the fence, but who cares, right? Might've sucked I lost some friends, but if they're just going to act like assholes, they weren't my friends. And I found a pretty solid group who didn't care. And my family, for the most part, was fine with it." He was next at the counter.

"Still," Julia murmured, "I'm sure it was hard."

"I guess it would've been hard had my family not been supportive," Elías mused aloud. "If the people I loved didn't support me or didn't even try to give me confidence in liking what I like, that wouldn't necessarily mean I'd stop doing what I like. I'd just hide that side from everyone, probably, I don't know."

"Isn't that safer?" Julia probed.

Elías squinted in thought. "I guess? If I for sure knew I'd get, like, one-hundred percent bullied about it or cast out of my family or some shit, sure, it'd be safer." He looked her in the eyes. "But is that fair for me to hide myself for other people's comfort?"

Navies widened before flashing down, glinting.

"Next!"

Elías went to the counter and got dogpiled by one of his friends, hopeful he would cave and buy them some lipstick, but Julia drifted away to go with the others with their stuff already bagged and parties on their mind. Yet Elías' nonchalant parting words replayed in her head.

"But is that fair for me to hide myself for other people's comfort?"

Her eyes glistened. Is it…fair…?

Teary mayan blues and heavy cries.

Julia swallowed. Silver… I just thought…

"Nightingale?"

Chunhua's soft call was enough for Julia to quickly slap on her cheery smile, even if her eyes were burning. "Yeah, sorry. What's going on? Are we leaving?"

"Yes." Chunhua guided her with the others. "After this, we'll go back to the hotel to get ready for tonight, then we have a dinner reservation, and then we'll head to the marina for the party."

"Got it." Julia nodded. "Sounds good to me."

As the group exited out of the cosmetics store, Julia caught Gale's eye, but she subtly shook her head and looked away, Elías' words detracting her from all else.

"But is that fair for me to hide myself for other people's comfort?"

So then what? Julia chewed on the inside of her cheek. Choosing between being safe and being fair… It might not be fair, but…

Teary blues. A bloody nose and constant tears.

Her stare despaired. I'd just…rather he be safe.

---

If you were scared of heights before, best not to visit the Burj Shamballa.

The cloud-touching skyscraper with a twisty yet reflective figure was not for the faint-hearted. BASE jumpers enjoyed the little authorized zones from their paragliding and those on both observation decks felt honored when they saw a jumper land give them a little wave. Residents were used to their home being a big-ticket item tourists had to visit before their trip was over, but then again, to buy a condo or rent on took some serious dhons to afford. Even visitors who wanted to go to the lounges, the bars, and the restaurant had to either make reservations months in advance or be rolling in cash.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Burj Shamballa, the second tallest tower in the world and only beaten out by the World Tree located in Andüsa. It contains a hotel, corporal suites, prayer rooms, two sky lounges, three bars, two observatories, residential areas, a garden, and five restaurants. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The restaurant had stolen a bit of its design for The Needle in the USM, but to be fair, the restaurant was the very same one that The Needle hosted. From the alluring warm lightning to the snazzily-dressed servers, everything about the restaurant foretold luxury, comfort, and the price of the food well worth the taste and the experience. On a night like tonight, many had come here with their show-stopping ensembles, some to impress clients and others to impress their dates with not a child in sight or allowed in such a refined establishment. A Zhōnguánese young gentleman shook hands with Josean and Giltenan executives who had come in blatant interest for what he could offer them. An older couple based in Shamballa decided to rekindle their romance. A few single ladies fawned over a buff female bartender who was used to the female gaze.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« Heaven's Salon is an upscale Perench-Stellian restaurant that hosts fun events such as Tuesday night "social butterfly" drinks and casino games, Wednesday night cocktail masterclasses, Thursday night gentleman's club, and more! This restaurant also gives guests the utmost privacy and is great for date night and work dinners! »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vinyl could barely sit still as she and Thirteen had a private room to themselves. She tried to look nonchalant about it as she and Thirteen ate their shared appetizer platter, but internally she was quietly fangirling. It's finally happening! Ambient atmosphere, expensive wine, sharing meals—this is totally a date!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Heaven's Salon

Shamballa Marina, Shamballa City

Shamballa, Alakitasia

5:27 PM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

She heartily got another bite in and suppressed her dreamy sigh. And then afterward, we'll go back to the hotel, he'll kiss me, and all the money I spent on this lingerie will finally pay off. Her nose steamed. I'm sure he'll be gentle at me at first, but if I tease him enough, he'll show me that aggressive beast inside and we'll go at it like we can't get enough of each other. Probably three rounds. No, four, definitely four. Maybe five if I conserve my strength…

Thirteen was unimpressed as he saw the drooly-lustful aura around Vinyl. Can't she show any sort of restraint? He swiped his drink and took careful sips as he overlooked the sunset sky, murky oranges reflecting the burning sun. Coeus should have everything ready by now. I can't see any sort of connection between that escaped nurse and the auction, but Vespers seems a little too dangerous for me to standby. And if he's going to be constantly in the kid's space, she can't be ignorant of things that are going on.

Murky oranges hardened. No going back now.

Thirteen set down his drink. "Hey, ki—er, Viñella."

Vinyl quickly turned to him. "Yes?" Internally, Chibi-Vinyl was hyping herself. Come on, big guy, tell me how you really feel!

Thirteen leaned his elbows on the table. "There's something you need to understand about the Shamballa auction and fundraiser week." His clasped hands pressed together even firmer. "What you see on the surface is a genuine legal auction and fundraiser. There is no mistaking that. But under the surface, there is much more going on than you realize."

Vinyl slowly frowned, her appetite waning. "What do you mean?"

For the moment, Thirteen kept his eyes down. "I debated about telling you. I know you're here to bid on something for your great aunt and I respect that. But considering certain events and my…history, I don't want you walking around in ignorance, not when it could harm you more than help you. And I'm sorry for this."

"Thirteen, you're scaring me," Vinyl told him. "What's going on? Are you in danger? Are we in danger?"

Thirteen clenched his jaw before looking up, oranges clashing with blues. "Yes," he confirmed. "We're in danger. At first, I thought you'd be in danger by association. But seeing Vespers confirmed you're not just collateral in my mess. You're also a walking target. And you deserve to know the truth so you know how to prepare."

Vinyl's expression darkened and she murmured, "Are we safe to talk here?"

Thirteen nodded. "I specifically chose this restaurant because they imbue the private rooms with Sound Calling Charms. The charms are conditioned to lift with any sort of threat of violence or abuse, so we don't have to worry." He looked at her closely. "But you have a choice in hearing this."

"I've done my fair share of hard jobs at Fairy Tail, Thirteen," Vinyl told him. All her playfulness and flirtation deceased for a firm tone. "I was right there fighting during the Harvest Festival and the Festival of Gratitude. I mean what I say when I tell you I'm not a child. So tell me what's going on and what I can do."

Thirteen sagely nodded. "Before I came to Fairy Tail, I was involved with another organization. I defected, but my defection was very different than normal defection. Mine was authorized defection. I left under the radar, but it was still permissible by the head of that organization, as odd as it sounds. During my time there, those high up in the organization had their entire identity hidden around associates. It wasn't against the rules for coworker fraternization, but no one did it without a serious security risk. That being said, there's someone from that old organization who has it out for me and they also never showed their identity."

Vinyl took that into consideration. "So the enemy doesn't know you and you don't know the enemy. They could be anyone. They're anonymous."

"In a way. In theory," Thirteen conceded. "I'm sure we could sense each other, but I've been actively hiding my Magic and I'm sure they're doing the same. But you're right. We don't know the face of the enemy. That said, the enemy doesn't know my face either. Which means we have to exercise caution around people." He nodded to their appetizer platter. "Ever since I was tipped off an old enemy was on my ass, I've been checking our food and drinks. We can still act normal, but we need to be hyper-vigilant. I know their tactics well. There's no such thing as honor among thieves, and they damn well will fight the dirtiest their ever was to get back at me."

Vinyl nodded. "I understand." She started planning. "If that's the case, then we should make a meeting spot or a codeword if we're separate or we recognize we're in trouble."

"I was thinking the same," Thirteen told her as h brought out his Compact and showed her « Maps ». "We're currently at the Shamballa Marina, which is a good place to find a designated meet-up spot. So…" He scrolled and tapped a district. "This is a warehouse district. It's not abandoned, but what regular people don't know is that the Guards stationed are Machinas and are deceptively strong. The actual security is the enchantment security system, even though it looks unguarded. But there's on a blind spot."

He zoomed in to show an alleyway. "This is where the wards are weaker. If you're calm and composed enough, you'll trip the system, but it registers you as some type of stray animal. That'll be our meeting zone. Not many know about it and it's harder to access, but it's a good hidey-hole."

Vinyl studded the map. "Should we have a few others, just in case?"

"The hotel will be a good safe zone, but if we get separated, the best place for you to go is a smart café," Thirteen told her. "The café and bars here have an internal network that discreetly helps those in abusive situations. They'll be able to get you clothes and hide you until I come get you. Which reminds me, make sure your Compact is silenced. You have your MilchiaWatch, so use that for notifications. But if your Compact goes off while you're hiding…"

Vinyl did not need to know the rest of that sentence. "I can do that." She took a deep breath. I was naïve enough to think because we're away from home, we wouldn't have to deal with enemies. But home or away, there's always someone out there.

"Viñella," Thirteen rumbled, "I need you to be honest with me."

Vinyl nodded. "Of course."

"Your great aunt reserved the room with two bedrooms and had two tickets for you to come to Shamballa, correct?"

Vinyl nodded again. "Yes."

"And our tickets weren't Magi-PreCheck tickets either," Thirteen wanted to confirm. "We don't have a Working Wizard Visa, correct?"

Vinyl slowly nodded again. "Right."

"Then this is my last question." Thirteen made his intentions clear. "Is there any chance that the letter wasn't sent from your great aunt?"

That threw Vinyl off as her brow furrowed. "No, it had to have been here," she affirmed. "It was her handwriting and the family's official seal. Even the item she wants was too specific for someone to impersonate her."

Thirteen asked, "I know you said it was private…but is there any way you could tell me what your great aunt was hoping you'd bid on for her?"

Vinyl hesitated, but she slowly explained, "Well… In her letter, it was about her partner. When he was younger, he was lucky enough to own a pretty rare piano."

"Why was it rare?"

"It's a double piano," Vinyl explained. "Only fifty of them were made across the world and worth a lot of blooms in Minstrel, maybe like a million blooms give or take? Some famous lady pianist invented them to play concertos with her husband, but she died short after the fiftieth commission and the family snapped up the rights about blueprints. My great aunt's lover was lucky enough to have one passed down to him, but he sold it to buy aunt Cadenza a ring." Her blues saddened. "But, as you know, it didn't go that far."

Thirteen mulled over this new information. A double piano? That's plausible enough, but… "I know you have every reason to believe your great aunt wrote to you, but it's still odd about the timing of the letter and she allegedly gave you a double-room suite and two tickets. Are double pianos not in auctions?"

"Closed auctions, maybe," Vinyl told him. "At this point, I'm not sure how many are out there. There was one at my old university, but only senior recitalists had the opportunity to use it." Her frown depended. "I guess it is a little weird she booked me a double room and two tickets. But in her letter, she—" She stopped.

Thirteen prompted her, "What? What happened?"

Vinyl swallowed as it all came flooding back. "I need to find that letter again. Because I think in the letter, she told me to bring someone with me. I thought it was a nice gesture at the time and she was just trying to be accommodating." She looked up at Thirteen. "You don't think my great aunt sent me that letter, do you?"

"No, I don't." Thirteen saw no use in sugarcoating. "The events of last night ramped up my suspicions your aunt was either coerced into writing you or someone is very good at forgery."

"Last night?"

Thirteen nodded. "I told you Shamballa's surface is legal, but underneath, a lot more goes on. But this week's auction isn't just about raising money for the privileged. That's not how a majority of the money is made." Murky oranges darkened. "No. Underneath this country is another type of auction called a Black Auction."

Vinyl echoed, "'A black auction'?"

"Right." Thirteen took a beat. "They're auctions for illegal activity, but it's still aimed for those wealthy and with blood on their hands. Anything goes at a Black Auction—anything. There are levels of the auction as well. At the bare minimum, they sell items used for slaughter. At its worse…" His face shuddered. "Creatures like the Devil are forced to give their sperm so it can be sold for artificial insemination. And even a women's uterus is sold like stocks to force her as an unwillingly mate for a rare creature or an unwillingly surrogate for someone else."

Sickness filled Vinyl's stomach and gagged her throat as her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Thirteen met Vinyl's horrified gaze. "I've seen it myself."

"But that's…! That's…!" Vinyl could not find the words. This is…insane. The music around her thrummed, not harsh or aggressive, but it was warning her with the brass suffering minor keys and the strings foreboding. She hoarsely got out, "Who…? Who would do that to someone?"

Thirteen might as well keep it blunt and detached. "Cold bastards who are interested in money. And the people who buy this shit are bastards who want more power. The trial with that Devil was big for a reason. It's a wanted creature with unfathomable power. Now that it's internationally protected, it makes it almost impossible to capture it to breed more unless it actively consents to children with a lot of notarized documentation needed. But that can't be said the same for people who aren't protected."

His jaw tightened. I keep thinking about that sonogram. That woman—they will do unspeakable things to her to make sure she brings more God Slayers into the world and once she can't, they'll kill her as a 'mercy'. Rage filled him with such a despicable situation. What a terrible, terrible curse to have in this life.

He went on: "But unfortunately, those are unique cases."

Vinyl, still wretched from hearing such things, still in a tizzy as the music started to crescendo in a mess of chaotic notes, croaked, "Wh-What do you mean?"

"As horrible as these Black Auctions are, there is a level of consent offered, even if it's gaslighting and manipulation," Thirteen explained. "Almost every person and most intelligent creatures trafficked had no better lives to live and I mean that. They come from circumstances and they are forced to choose the lesser of two evils: be trafficked, be in poverty, or"—his stomach churned—"be something worse. They're given a pseudo-choice in what life they want to live. Trafficking can be seen as a lesser evil, as hard as that is to swallow. They're contractually obligated to be in the ring for X-amount of years. Women might be told they have to give birth to X-amount of children as a negotiation tactic for years in the ring—"

"Stop."

DRIP…

DROP…

Vinyl could not take it as tears crowded her eyes, horror gutted her, and the off-key notes filled her head with the piccolo screaming and the random trumpet blats that followed no tempo. "Just…stop. Please, Thirteen, don't—" But an abortive cry saved her from more words.

Thirteen briefly closed his eyes. "I'm not telling you this to make you fear for your life or to disgust you," he said delicately. "And I'm sorry this is a shock, I really am. But having you be ignorant to this, given our circumstances… I couldn't allow that."

"How…?" Vinyl flubbed around for words until she found them. "H-How…do you know about this? Any of this?"

"I didn't participate in this if you're asking that question," Thirteen said tightly. "But I know this because of my history. I've seen a lot of the horrors of Black Auctions and I haven't even stated some of the worst things I've seen. And last night…" He heaved a breath. "I was invited to the opening ceremony of this week's Black Auction."

Vinyl nearly stopped breathing, and the music went silent. "What?

"The opening ceremony presents a teaser of what's to come for the Black Auction," Thirteen described. "And I was invited."

Vinyl put two and two together, the orchestra in her head shuffling around in minor low registers. "That's why you asked about my great aunt, isn't it? You don't think it was her who wrote that letter because you think your enemy wrote it…and knows your face?"

Thirteen nodded. "Yes. It's possible. And if that's true, it means he knows your face too." He did not want to soften seeing Vinyl struggle to keep it together, but it happened anyway. "I'm sorry. I know…" He looked away. "I know…this isn't something you wanted to hear. But I don't want you to be blind. You're in danger with me. And I'm sorry to pull you into the mess I thought I left behind."

I shouldn't have agreed to come with her here. But even if I didn't, if Raven truly was the one to write that letter and she came alone, he would have nabbed her off the street and forced my hand into coming after her. We were played, short and simple. But… His knuckles turned white. I won't let anyone else die by that son of a bitch. Not again.

"This… I-I…" Vinyl got up and rasped, "I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me." And she hurried out of the private room.

Thirteen sank back in his hair and rubbed his face with both hands, taking a deep breath through his nose. Did I do the right thing here? She's probably scared out of her mind now. I told myself telling her would be better than keeping quiet to protect her. I still haven't gotten about Vespers, but… Murky oranges glinted. Maybe…I should back off for now and let her breathe. I don't want to overwhelm her. But I don't want her getting hurt either. Dammit.

The door swung open. "Break up with the parrot already?"

Thirteen could not even bristle. He felt too damn drained. "I told you to not know who I am."

"Oh, but how can I resist such one of my favorite ex-lovers who actually knows foreplay?"

Thirteen dragged his hands down to see Swan had stolen Vinyl's seat with their feathered fan, cocktail dress, and feathered shawl. "We're not fucking again if you were hoping for a quick one."

Swan tittered. "We were never fans of quickies, last time I checked. Please. I have class, Vulture—"

"I'm not fucking Vulture." He did not mean to snarl, but between Vespers, the auction, and that woman, and seeing vinyl's tears, he just about had it. "Not anymore. Not ever."

Swan's midnight blues quietly softened. "I see." They crossed their legs. "Well then. No, I didn't come in the hopes of luring you back into my bed. My date thinks I'm in the bathroom just like I saw your date rushing there."

"Then you know she'll be back and I can't explain you, so get – out."

Swan did not move. "We need to talk."

Thirteen growled. "And we didn't do that enough?"

"I mean, we need to talk." Swan leaned forward. "About Vicious' successor."

°•°•°•°

Vinyl would thank Justin for going to a professional Cosmetologist Enchanter for a water-proofing spell on his makeup because the moment she power-walked into the bathroom, she went to one sink to splash cold water on her face in hope to the gods she did not throw up. It took a few splashed and some deep breathing until she was not as dizzy, but her stomach felt sensitive and her heart pounded.

How…? How could this…? She steadied herself on the counter as the piano had taken over in an unhinged chromatic motif. An auction like that… Trafficking people… Forcing out kids— If she was not careful, she would make herself sick. She claimed a few paper towels to blot her face and saw how flushed she looked. Before, she would be prideful Thirteen put pink on her cheeks.

But now, she…

Vinyl calmed herself down a little more and blotted her neck as well. How could he know about such awful things? How can he just be…okay with that? Her hands slowly fell, clutching the damp towels. How…? Aquamarines glistened. How could he…withstand that sort of trauma? How could he witness all of that and still be so strong like this?

Murky oranges tinged with grief.

Vinyl might have looked in the mirror, but her gaze felt so far away. His eyes… They looked so sad. The music around him was in such minor disharmony. If I feel sick just hearing about auctions like this, but he had to live through them… Her stare clouded. Thirteen… Just what sort of history do you have…that gives you such sorrow?

FWOOSH!

Vinyl sniffled and quickly composed herself as a woman walked out of the stall and immediately started watching her hands. Silence permeated the air outside of the rushing faucet and Vinyl's occasional sniffling as she fixed her face and her hair. The lady dried off her hands, and Vinyl was content to wade it out, but her expression broke and a tear slipped—

The dryer stopped. "Are you okay, hun?"

"I'm fine," Vinyl assured in a wobble tone, still sniffling. "I-I just…" She waved her hand, unable to say much.

Heels clicked until a manicured hand offered a tissue pack. "Here. Moisturizing and great for a quick bathroom cry."

Vinyl warbled, "Th-Thank you." She plucked some tissues to dab under her eyes. The thunderous music that pounded at her traded for something dolcissimo and grazioso The melody was soothing and lilting, almost a lullaby but not quite. It carried the occasional dissonance that would find a resolution, but it struggled to reach it. Her music… It sounds so…beautiful. It's one of the sweetest pieces I've heard. It's like she's personally making me a lullaby.

She finished cleaning her face and trashed her tissues and towels. "Thank you again."

"It's no problem, honey." A gentle hand rubbed her back. "Take your time."

Vinyl finally caught a look at the woman and felt underdressed. Her music makes sense… The woman consoling her had dressed in a backless mermaid dress, the same heather gray as her eyes, and with silver-white lace across her shoulders, sleeves, and the wise of her hips. Red-orange hair coiled over her right eye. Some might have thought it messy, but she looked more alluring for it.

Vinyl accidentally breathed, "Your music is beautiful."

That woman froze. "E-E-Excuse me?"

"Oh!" Vinyl awkwardly laughed. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it in a weird way, I swear. I just meant your inner music sounds beautiful. Ah, well, I-I mean…" She breathed. "What I meant was my Magic lets me hear music around me. Everyone, everything, every place—they all have their own sound, their own melody. At least, to me. And I hear them. The melody you're making is very sweet and elegant, as weird as it sounds."

It clicked for the woman. "Ah, so you must be Vinyl."

Vinyl blinked in surprise. "You know who I am? I didn't think I was a famous enough Fairy Tail Wizard to be recognized."

"A-Ah, well…" The woman tampered with her clutch. "I have a friend in Fiore. He's told me about you." Her visible heather gray eye softened. "He says you're a very passionate musician and an amazing music teacher."

Vinyl preened a bit. "Well tell him 'thank you' for me," she teased. "I'm not really all that. When I came to Fiore, I was pretty unsure how I could fit in. All my life, all I knew was music. I mean, my Requip Magic is all about music. I didn't know any sort of defensive or offensive spells or potions or, really, anything about Guild Wizardry." A wistfulness touched her face. "But Miss Lucy was amazing. She helped me figure out how to transition my novelty Magic into something that could protect people. I wouldn't be as far as I am today without her. I owe her so, so much."

The woman smiled. "Lucy Heartfilia-Dragneel. She's a phenomenal woman and one of my idols. She's never been afraid to speak out when it came to injustices. And she's still fighting hard for the rights of all types of Spirits, her and her great-grandmother Anna. And her daughter Nashi is taking up after her in fighting injustices around us Aberrants and intelligent magical creatures," she marveled. "They're so charmingly brave."

Vinyl hummed. "They really are." Miss Lucy gave me the second chance I always needed, but I hadn't wanted it enough at the time. So in turn, I'll do my best to uphold all she taught me. And that includes making sure Thirteen and I make it out of the week alive.

"Can I ask what made you a little emotional? Are you okay to go back out there?"

"I'm fine, but thank you," Vinyl appreciated. "I just needed a quick moment. I came here with a pretty special person and they dropped a bomb on me."

The woman frowned, concerned. "But it's all right? Do you need me to beat them up? I might not look it, but I have a pretty good right hook."

Vinyl snort-laughed, shaking her head. "No, no, it's nothing like that. No cheating or anything heartbreaking, but I appreciate the offer." Her offer dimmed. "No, he… He's gone through something tragic, I'm pretty sure. Hearing about the tragedies was one big blow I thought I could withstand, but… Realizing he had to go through these tragedies firsthand…" She shifted. "Do you ever just meaningless cry because someone else was hurt and all you want to do is hug them and say, 'it'll be okay'?"

The woman simpered. "All the time, actually."

"That's what I want to do, but he's very prickly." Vinyl puffed a cheek. "I'm twenty-four—twenty-four!—and he still calls me a 'kid'. I pay my dues. I have my own place. I'm employed. And he still treats me like a kid."

The woman laughed behind a fist. "Well, I feel a bit in your person's shoes. I have someone I care about very much, but at times, even though he's an adult with his own business, I still treat him like a little kid since he acts like it from time to time."

"But I don't act like it!" Vinyl realized her outburst and tapped her pointer fingers together. "I-I-I mean… Not always." She blushed at the woman's chortles. "To be honest, I know I was pretty naïve when I came to Fiore. Miss Lucy had to handhold me through everything. I'd been so used to maids and chefs that doing anything on my own was embarrassingly hard for me to do. Even just cooking scrambled eggs was a whole event."

• — • — • — •

BO-BO-BO-BO!

A younger Vinyl looked panicked and near tears as she and Lucy looked at the burnt mess sitting in the pan. "O-Oh no!" she bemoaned. "This was my sixth time!" She glanced at the empty carton and messy kitchen. "I-I-I-I'm so sorry—!"

"Hey, don't worry about me," Lucy eased, rubbing Vinyl's shoulder and giving her a tissue to clean her nose. "It takes time. You got farther than me. When I was younger, it took me a lot of grocery trips to learn about all the simplest things a self-sufficient chef needs."

"Y-Yeah, but—!" Vinyl blew her nose. "I wasted all those eggs… And I burned everything."

BOOM!

Lucy did not want to look outside to see the explosion. "Well, you certainly don't have to worry about fire in a house with two Fire Wizards. Honestly, had I not been smart enough to ask Wendy and Freed to put enchantments and runes down, we would have had no house three months after Igneel was born."

She saw Vinyl's downcast expression and rubbed her head. "No need to worry, Vinyl. It's okay. Let's just try again next time. That's the beauty about failing. You get to try and make something new and beautiful. And I'll help you through it. So no more tears. We're in this together."

Vinyl sniffled. "O-Okay."

• — • — • — •

She laughed, abashed, at all the memories of her trying and failing to cook even the simplest dishes while Lucy supported her (and doled out punishment when Natsu and Igneel would make loud comments about the stench). "It was such a mess! I was such a mess."

"I'm sure you weren't that bad," the woman assured.

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. "I forgot to do dishes for two weeks before I forgot I had no maids to do them. And things ended up growing."

The woman slowly nodded. "Maybe a tiny bit bad."

They shared a laugh.

"But we're all learning, right?" the woman reminded. "It's never too late to learn. My special someone tells me that all the time. You are never too late to turn things around as long as you put in the effort. And I'd say you've become a beautiful and knowledgeable lady."

"Aw, stop it," Vinyl jested. "You're gorgeous yourself."

"Don't let my boyfriend hear that," the woman whispered. "He gets pouty when anyone gives me compliments."

Vinyl mimed zipping her lips. "I'll take it to my grave."

"And speaking of him, I'd better get back before he thinks I ran off with the prince of Dilmun." The woman sighed at Vinyl's puzzled look. "It's a very long story and he's being a silly little kid."

Vinyl nodded, not understanding yet feeling kindship all the same. "Noted." She and the woman exited, and she parted, "Thanks for the tissues and the pep talk. A friend of mine always told me bathrooms are the place to make friends." She shrugged. "Who knew?"

The woman chuckled. "Yes, well—"

"Key."

The woman and Vinyl paused as a young man came into the hall with yellow aviators shielding his eyes and a worrisome expression on his face. Vinyl felt a little defensive when he saw him coming for Key, but Key assured her, "He's my boyfriend." She turned her attention to him and touched his cheek when he was close. "What is it, Fusajiro?"

Fusajiro told her quietly, "I need to go to work."

Key's face fell slightly. "I understand." Her hand pulled back and her head lowered. "We can go."

"I'm so sorry, honey," Fusajiro whispered, kissing her forehead. "I know I promised us a vacation. I'm so sorry. I'll try to be quick about this, okay?" He pulled away and it looked like he was crushed Key would not look at him. "Honey—"

"We should go," Key said, tone hushed. "It's all right."

Fusajiro looked like he wanted to say more when he realized the company they had. "Okay." He mouthed a kiss and inaudible words on her skin before gathering her under his arm. He gave a nod to Vinyl. "Have a good night, Vinyl."

Vinyl could not hide her surprise. "You know who I am too?" She wanted to properly geek out. I'm actually famous!

Fusajiro gave something of a smile. "Yeah. Something like that." And he escorted Key away.

Vinyl felt like she was on cloud nine as she walked back to the private room. I'm really making waves now. I'm not just living as an heiress. I'm living as a Fairy Tail Mage. She grabbed the sliding door grip. And I want to give back as much as I've gotten. She opened the door and trilled, "Thirteen! Hey, sorry about my…"

There were several things wrong with this room.

But what stood out the most was the person in a beautiful dress leaning across the table with their silk gloves on Thirteen's shirt collar as they prepared to kiss him.

Never mind that Thirteen was poised to stab the person with a butter knife.

Vinyl kept smiling.

Thirteen and person froze.

Silence.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Wow ~

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vinyl pardoned, tone light, "I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong room. Excuse me." And she shut the door.

Silence—

SLAM!

A burning Vinyl was back again. "No, this is the right room!" She pointed accusingly at the unknown person. "And who the Hell are you and what are you doing to my Thirteen!"

Thirteen and the person had question marks around them. Her Thirteen? / 'Thirteen'?

The person smirked and leaned back from Thirteen with their hands raised as though surrendering to the Guard. "Take it easy, screech, he and I are long since over, even if he is still the best I've ever had." They slid Thirteen a wink.

Lightning struck Vinyl while Thirteen looked ready to be drunk for a fortnight. What?! / What.

Vinyl felt like foreign calculations were all around her and she was not computing. They… They… They were lovers? Scenarios fed her mind of Thirteen being the typical Sinnish lover with a rose in his mouth as he dipped such a gorgeous person during that romantic time of sunset and doves somehow flow overhead as a sign of matrimonial approval—

No! She scrapped the image and looked at the person with fire in her eyes. I worked too hard and paid way too much money on all this lingerie for the classic ex-returns-from-the past scenario to trash my hard work!

"Hey, old lady!"

Swan's smirk twitched. 'Old'?

Thirteen spluttered when Vinyl came behind him to lean down and embrace him. "H-Hey!" He dropped his knife as red hit his ears and neck. "Viñella, don't—!"

"This one is mine, got it?" Vinyl declared with a firm look at Swan. "You might've had him first, but I have him now. And I'll even prove it to you." She cupped Thirteen's cheek. "Give me a kiss, bab—Nnngh!"

Thirteen put a hand on Vinyl's face, nearly having a stroke, while she futilely tried to reach for him. "Dammit, kid, I told you to knock that shit out!" he barked. "Are you trying to drive me into an early grave!"

Vinyl answered with her face smooshed, "Just into my arms—!"

"I SAID 'NO'!"

Swan watched Thirteen and Vinyl with critical eyes. I see. Her name is Viñella. I thought I've seen her face before. She's the little de la Muse heiress that's 'studying abroad' according to the official statement. And she's also the ex-fiancé of a very interesting man. Their smirk widened. Oh, my delicious Vulture. You have no idea what sort of birdie you let into your garden again, do you?

As Thirteen growled, stern and scolding, and Vinyl whined—

"Hey, little screech."

Vinyl grew offended because she knew Swan meant her. 'Little screech'?

Swan fanned out their feathered fan. "You should keep that one on a tight leash. He has a knack for getting into trouble. And I won't be there to bail him out and collect rewards from him anymore. It's normally all – night – long."

Lightning struck between a smiling Swan and fired up Vinyl.

Thirteen gruffly broke it up. "Goodbye, Swan."

"Oh, don't be so cold, Thirteen." Swan lifted a well-maintained eyebrow. "Nice little nickname. Is it so you never forget?"

Thirteen could not answer that.

Swan's midnight blues dropped a hair. "I see." So… He really hasn't forgotten. Their hand tightened on their fan. How sentimental. You wouldn't have lasted with such attachments as one of Vicious' prized birds, Vulture. They gathered their skirt and scanned vinyl's confused face. And the little screech has no idea. This is so much more entertaining than I thought. They dropped their fan to give Vinyl a wink.

Vinyl bristled. Is she looking for a fight?

"I'll be here and there for this week," Swan told them like they had not tried to kiss Thirteen (and instigated a world war on Vinyl). "You shouldn't ignore me when you see me, Thirteen. We could have some fun together again, you and I, just like the old days."

"Yeah," Thirteen muttered. "We had 'fun'."

Swan hummed their amusement. "Well, then. I'll leave you to, ah…"—their grin grew as they settled on—"babysit." Their midnight blues twinkled when Vinyl looked ready to blow a fuse and they added fuel to the fire by blowing Thirteen a kiss and a flirty wave before leaving.

Thirteen dropped his head in his hands. "Why can't I just have one goddamn peaceful day in my life?" he lamented. When all he got was silence, he looked up to see Vinyl staring at the door. "Hey, kid. Don't mind whatever Swan said. They're crazy on a good day—"

"Were you guys…really lovers?"

Thirteen sighed. "It was a long time ago when I was young and it wasn't anything exclusive. Don't mind them. They like to screw around with people and get off to pissing people off, including me."

Vinyl did not answer for a moment before she gave Thirteen a light smile. "That's fine. I'm not all that worried. If you say I shouldn't be, then I'm not." Though as she went back to her seat, she was raging on the inside. Who the heck does she think she is, calling me a 'screech' and trying to kiss my Thirteen? Oh, she'll be around to try and seduce him again, huh? Next time, I'll be ready.

Once Vinyl sat down, Thirteen asked, "How are you feeling? Still overwhelmed?" He did not give her a chance to answer. "Listen, the thing is—"

"I'm okay."

Thirteen blinked. "What?"

"'I'm okay," Vinyl repeated. "I mean… Well, yeah, hearing all that was painful to hear." Aquamarines went to the table. "It's terrifying to think such a system is right below our feet. And from how you make it sound, exposing such a system… It's probably already covered by the police here."

Thirteen could not deny that. "That Emir and many world leaders are much more involved with this underground auction."

"I thought so." Vinyl lifted her head, resolute. "So what do I need to do this weekend? What's your plan for the auction? I want to help." She flexed an arm and patted her bicep. "I might not look like much, but I'm still plenty strong. So as long as I'm here, I'll be your backup."

Thirteen was taken aback. This kid… Murky oranges glinted. No… This woman. He closed his eyes for a moment, but when they opened, he was set with his terms. "By process of elimination, it looks like my enemy was the one to invite me here. I need to understand their motive for coming after me. And on top of that, I have a secondary mission."

Vinyl blinked. A secondary one…

"Coeus and I have been doing some international investigating," Thirteen filled her in. "It's something that I need to fix from a long time ago, something I did in the past." His shoulders went stiff. "A mess I got involved in. And I need to clean it up." If I can just get this done, then maybe…maybe I could finally rest.

"I'm in."

Thirteen blinked when Vinyl lifted her glass and gestured to him.

"I'll take this as you making a formal request of the Fairy Tail Guild. And I'm in. I accept the job," Vinyl told him. "Offensive attacks aren't my forte, but I'm good as support, defense, and some healing. So if you'll have me, I'll help you out. Promise." She smiled. "It's what Fairy Tail Wizards do, yeah? Helping our friends?"

Thirteen was taken aback for a moment. Friends… He sighed, his lips twitching into something of a smile. "Just don't complain about it later." He raised his glass.

"Here's to kicking ass and taking names," Vinyl toasted. "We might not know the enemy, but we're going to do what Fairy Tail does best—fight like our lives are on the line."

"If you don't know what to live for, then live for me and for the future I'll take you to!" Flaming scarlet hair and strong brown eyes. "And in turn, I'll put my life on the line for you. That's how we live in Fairy Tail."

Murky oranges sparked. "Yeah," he murmured. "We'll fight with our lives on the line." He moved his glass—

CLINK!

---

This late at night was the place to be in Downtown Shamballa and the marina. The bars, the clubs, the restaurants, the cafés—everything was open for business and full of guests. The marina had lit up the sides as yachts big and small cruised on down or parked themselves on the docks for the guests to fulfill a night of wickedness and freedom. Residents in the area were used to their marina being the hub for nightlife activity, but most were in the prime years where drinks gained them not an ounce and they could throw it back until three in the morning with no regrets.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Shamballa Marina, an affluent neighborhood with cafes, alfresco dining, craft markers, and luxury bars and clubs line the waterside promenade, high-rise apartment buildings with grandeur views, a mall packed with luxury and chain brands, and upscale yachts cruise the man-made marina for parties, jet-skiing, and even sky-diving. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luxury mega yachts were something you only saw in movies, but in Shamballa, they were the norm on the marina. With a discrete crew on a waitstaff, the children and younger attendees of Shamballa's spring auction had all piled onto the yacht for some risky fun and cheap thrills. 16 and up was the rule with private security and NDAs signed on before anyone could step foot on the yacht, but the planner of such a massive party had done their homework. The in-yacht pool was the perfect excuse for tiny bikinis or no-shirts. 12 stately bedrooms stayed below deck, but those trying to get lucky had to be mighty creative since the staff locked all 12 rooms for the evening. A couple of dudebros from Minstrel had decided to do goofy cannonballs to impress the ladies. A giggling pair of girls kissed and smiled before rushing off to find a private place for their affair.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

The Marina

Shamballa City,

Shamballa, Alakitasia

10:13 PM SST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Julia had put on her swimsuit, but she kept on a sheer swim cover with her drink in hand as she and Chunhua sat at from the friend group's antics. Elías and Cher were much more social butterflies than anyone else would say, talking to anyone and everyone without a hint of hesitation. Lorraine found her clique as they snootily bragged about the things their fathers gave them.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

What's my favorite word? (Bitch)

Why they gotta say it like $hort? (Bitch)

You know they can't play on my court

Can't hang with the big dogs, stay on the porch

•

Blow the whistle

Blow the whistle

Blow the whistle

Blow the whistle

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Julia bobbed her head along as she mumble-rapped, "Your mind is gone, your brain is blazed… You've been wide awake for the last three days… Poppin' pills, it goes down for real… Don't stop, just keep rollin' downhill…"

Chunhua seemed amused. "If you know the words, you don't want to go and dance?"

Julia snorted. "No way. I'm not drunk enough for that." She took some sips of her drink as Chunhua laughed. "And what about you? We've been sitting together all night while everyone else acts stupid. You don't want to join in."

"I'll all right," Chunhua assured. "I'm not exactly a partier both at home and when I'm away. I'm much more content to watch from the sidelines."

Julia swallowed her gulp. "What about your brothers? Are they into this too?"

Chunhua shook his head. "Oh, no. My brothers would never—or at least, they wouldn't party like this. Party culture in Zhōnguá is very different than other places, though I think Cipangu is similar to us in ways. Unless you're in a red-light district or a westerner district, the parties are much more…toned down. There's not dancing like this, that's for sure."

Julia snickered. "I get it." She tilted her cup this way and that. "Where I'm from, I don't go to stuff like this. It feels too superficial to me with all the yachts. I'd go to house parties instead."

"And your uncle approved of that?"

Julia forced a laugh as she envisioned Noko scolding her like a disappointed father. "Ha! He couldn't stop me if he wanted to!" She crossed her legs. "It annoyed me when he said I couldn't come here on my own. He was fine with my independence at home. I mean, I've done so much, y'know? And then suddenly, I got myself babygated." She lifted her smartwatch. "This is the compromise to an ankle monitor."

Chunhua simpered. "Well, it shows he cares." Her eyes went to the past. "In the north, we're not as progressive as regions like the west or south or even Wu Xing. Sons are a lot more important than daughters. Even if the daughter is firstborn, as long as there is a son in the picture, she might as well not exist. Since I'm part of the Bei family, my security is a given, but…" She fiddled with her lace gloves. "My family is much more man-oriented, so it's best for me to keep my head down and out of trouble to help my family maintain a good image."

Her smile looked strained. "I'm sorry. You probably find me a terrible party companion."

"No," Julia said as a delayed reaction, absorbing Chunhua's word. "No, no, no, it's… It's fine. Sorry, I was just a little shocked, I guess."

Chunhua quietly sighed. "Sela really isn't as perfect as people think. People look at all the J-Pop and J and Z-dramas and think our countries are so very perfect. And I'm grateful to my home country. But it's certainly not the paradise westerners think it is."

Julia looked ahead of her, weighing her thoughts. "I have a friend from Zhōnguá. I've never really asked him about his life from there. He was from the western region, but he never really spoke much about his home."

"I don't blame him," Chunhua said softly, her fingers knotting together. "Ever since Zhōnguá lost all our Guardians… I don't know. It feels like all we're doing is biding our time. Our Guardians created our home. For a thousand years we've lived without them, but… How much longer can we go on living like this?"

Dirty browns shone. Because without the Guardians…it's only a matter of time.

Julia, unsure what to say or react, stayed quiet.

Chunhua broke in a tentative smile. "I'm sorry. I'm being incredibly rude and talking only of myself." She tucked back her hair and turned to Julia. "What about you? It feels like we've hardly gotten to speak about you."

Here we go. Julia geared up her responses. "Well, I have two brothers, one older and one younger. But they're completely useless, let me tell you. My older brother is smitten-as-kitten with his fiancée to the point where it feels illegal to watch them PDA." She smiled when Chunhua softly laughed. "And my younger brother…" Her smile faded. "He's…different, I guess."

"How so?"

"So my parents are in and out, that's why my uncle is much more uptight about my security," Julia laid down in baseline explanation. "But you have to be independent—y'know, tough. The world is really cruel to people. It helps no one if you can't see the world doesn't care about your morals or your ethics. It'll beat you down before you can even blink."

"That's…incredibly morbid," Chunhua commented.

"The world's morbid," Julia replied. "It's not made for you to be soft-hearted. My older brother might look soft, but he's a bad bitch underneath. He knows how to flip the switch. But my little brother just…couldn't do that when we were younger. It was so annoying. Like, he'd just cry if someone hit him or bullied him and say he was sorry. Who says their sorry to their bully?" She felt like she was on a roll now. "And my parents just babied him about. They said he was just 'sensitive' so I had to be careful. Even my older brother babied him. But all that's doing is making him weak. He's not going to survive being catered to and crying when he gets bullied, y'know?"

She took a frustrated gulp of her drink. "I just don't understand it. I had to grow up. I had to be independent. So did my older brother. We both saw the world is shitty to anyone and everyone whether you're the hero of your story or the villain. But our little brother gets to cry and hide when he's upset and doesn't even fight back. He wouldn't even stand up for himself, and I should feel bad?"

Chunhua weighed her opinion. "Not everyone is secure or confident enough in themselves to fight back. Some people severely underestimate themselves."

"Okay, but…!" Julia huffed. "Like, I don't know. He has all this power and instead of using it, he just cries? And then he cries even more when I'm defending him from his bullies too. 'Don't hurt them. Please don't hurt them. They didn't mean it'. What the fuck do you mean they didn't mean it? They poured pink paint that took eight hours for me to get out of your hair because they said you're a girl because you liked playing with dolls and makeup and you're telling me not to hurt them? That's not—!" She bit down her lip and growled. "I'm sorry. I'm just…so frustrated I'm supposed to tiptoe around him when I know he can stand up for himself, but he chooses not to."

Chunhua assessed this. "So in turn, you fight his battles for him."

"Because he's not going to fight for himself," Julia defended. "They'd force him to wear a wig and he'd just say 'it's fine. They're just playing'. The girls always told him he liked boys and thought trying to force him to kiss a boy was funny and he says 'it's fine. They're just joking'. Wouldn't you get pretty pissed off and do something about it?"

"I'm not saying I wouldn't get involved," Chunhua inserted. "You're right. You shouldn't let him suffer like that. Honestly, kids can be a lot crueler than people think. And I think it's very nice of you to do that for him."

"Yeah, maybe you do, but here comes my parents saying I need to be gentler around him because he's 'sensitive'. 'He's sensitive, Lady J, you know that'," Julia mocked. "Yeah, I do know that. He's a literal crybaby who doesn't do a damn thing to help himself. And then when I help him, I'm the fucking bad guy? I'm the villain? What, because I can actually tell people are assholes and you shouldn't conform to their twisted mind games? Then I'm the motherfucking villain." She downed her cup and crushed it, dropped it, and stomped on it.

Chunhua observed her. "Did that make you feel better?"

Julia felt foolish with her little tantrum. "No." She held her head in her hands.

A hush fell between them.

"He's still my little brother," Julia murmured through her hands. Pulling away her fingers, she looked at her lap. "Crybaby or not, I'd ride or die for him. Both of my brothers, I would. I would…give anything to make the world a safer place for them because they deserve it. So then why—?" She shook her head and tried to collect her thoughts. Calmly, she laid it out. "I don't understand my little brother's need to cover things up and pretend things are fine. My older brother does it, but it's different."

"How?"

"So, like, my older brother Greige—that's his name—still has a lot going on, but he still, like…understands there's a time and place," Julia tried to explain. "He gets that the world isn't fair. It does not like you. Therefore I have to know when to push back at the world if I want to protect myself. I have to know how to defend myself. Right?"

Chunhua nodded, following along. "Mmm."

"So then Ur—my little brother"—Julia caught her breath—"just lives in some sort of bubble or something. I can't even begin to tell you how aggravating it is to see it firsthand. I don't know if he was stupid or plain naïve to not see all his so-called friends kept him around to bully him because he was an easy target."

"How was he an easy target?"

"The whole playing with doll things and being a mama's boy, the make-up, the dresses because he liked dresses—it made him an easy target because those stupid kids thought he was basically a lowlife clown." Julia pressed a hand to her chest. "Now, I don't give a fuck what anyone does. Greige has done drag before, and I love him for it. He's all artsy and shit and artists are just, y'know"—she gestured in vague—"a different type of person. And Ur is a beyond talented painter. I don't care that he liked to wear dresses at home and he and his best friends would do fashion shoots—I didn't care. But it made him a target outside of home and he did nothing about it."

"I see." Chunhua contemplated her words. "So… Before you started fighting for him, did you ever tell him about possibly standing up for himself?"

"Yeah, a lot," Julia asserted. "I literally did it over and over, but it's always, 'Oh, it's fine, they were just joking'. Okay, then one day—and this was"—she swallowed and waved a hand—"years ago—Greige calls me and he's like 'Hey, Lady J, come to my house, I need help'. Okay, so I do, right? So Ur ended up getting ambushed. No, I can't even say ambush." Hatred burned in her eyes. "He got assaulted."

• — • — • — •

GUSUGUSU…

It was strange 15-year-old Gary already had a condo with great interior design, but considering Mira was a Com-call away to help with moving woes, it made more sense than some would think.

GUSUGUSU…

11-year-old Julia could not sit still, too furious to stay still, and even 11-year-old Gale looked like he was barely keeping it in. Gary was the only calm person with the first-aid kid out. After Silver's bath, all that was left for Gary to do was treat the bruises and wounds on nine-year-old Silver's body while he sniffled and silent tears fell. He flinched every time Gary dabbed his wounds with antiseptic.

"It'll be over soon," Gary promised in hushed tones. "We have to clean the wounds before I can put on the healing salve, okay? Just hold on a little longer."

Silver sniffled and nodded, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

As Gary continued, he said, "You're going to make Silver more nervous pacing like that, Julia."

Julia struggled to hold still, but she seethed, "I don't know how you can be so calm! He got attacked! We have to tell Mom and Dad and Master—!"

"No!" Silver blurted, turning his teary blues onto her. "P-Please don't. I-I-It was just a joke, I promise."

Before Julia could snap, Gary delicately told Silver, "It's not a joke when it makes you bleed like this." He was careful about blotting the antiseptic on Silver's face, but it prove a point when Silver flinched from the sting. "This is very serious, Silver. They tried to touch you—"

Gale's red sharpened. "They touched him there?"

"N-N-No!" Silver denied, panicked. "They didn't, they didn't! It was just a game, I promise!" He hiccupped and sniffled. "It was just a game, I promise. I promise. They didn't mean it."

Julia had a lot to say on that. "Like Hell they didn't—!"

Gary raised a hand for quiet while he focused on his shaking little brother. "Silver," he said softly, "let's say this was a game. Wouldn't you say they played too rough? That they broke the rules of the game?" When Silver held his silence, Gary played a bigger hand. "If they played with Looney like that—"

"No!" Silver and Gale thundered, murder in their eyes.

But the point was made. Gary looked knowingly at Silver. "So why would you say it's fine for them to play with you like this, but it's not fine if they did this to Looney?"

Silver opened his mouth to drum up an argument, but all his lips could do was tremble. He sniffled and rubbed his cheek with a grubby hand. "I'm sorry," he choked out. "Please don't tell Mom and Dad." He beseeched his brother. "Please."

Gary rubbed Silver's head. "Okay."

"What!" Julia could not believe this. "You're letting them get away with this?"

"I never said that," Gary said coolly and he showed Julia one eye of icy-blue—the Devil's eye. "But I won't be the one to tell Mom and Dad." His Devil's eye traded for despaired cerulean. "Because I know what it's like, to hide things from them so no one worries about you. I know that. How can I tell anyone to do something I can't?" He turned back to Silver. "I can't tell Mom and Dad. It'd make me a hypocrite. But it's just like how you're okay letting them hurt you but not Looney. You shouldn't allow or not allow someone to do or do something when you would or wouldn't do it. It's not fair, is it?"

Silver played with his fingers and shook his head.

"And if Looney was hurt like this, you'd tell her Mom and Dad right away, wouldn't you?"

Silver sniffed and nodded.

Footsteps stopped at the door. "Who wants to hurt Lu?"

Eyes turned to 11-year-old Igneel, who had seen better days. Not an ounce of emotion went by his eyes, not even any pity or sympathy seeing a bruised Silver. He focused on Gary. "Who are they?" Flames danced in his hair and the Wild glowed in his eyes, ready to hunt for its prey by all means necessary. "Tell me now."

Gale and Silver averted their eyes, heads down.

Gary patiently explained, "It was a hypothetical scenario. No one will hurt Luna."

That calmed down Igneel's murderous flames and his emeralds darkened into onyx. "Okay." His eyes finally went to Silver and cocked his head. "Lu would be said to see him hurt. She would cry and would want to find out who hurt him." Flames danced in his right hand. "I don't want her to cry. So I'll burn them."

A snarl. "Don't even think about it."

Silver and Gale might not have been able to look Igneel in the eye and Gary did not look all that concerned dangerous flames were in his condo, but Julia went toe-to-toe with Igneel and could not hold back her own anger. "He's my brother, not yours," she scathingly reminded. "I'll deal with it."

Igneel was unmoved. He quietly took her scent before staring up at her.

A tense silence.

Igneel dismantled his flames. "Okay." He half-turned away. "But I don't like seeing Lu cry. Don't let this happen again." Feral greens lurked in his unnerving stare. "Because I won't just stop at them." His eyes shifted to Gary. "I'll come back later." And he left.

Gary sighed and got up. "Julia, can you take over? I need to talk to Igneel real quick."

"Sure. Go."

Gary offloaded the tweezer with a cotton ball damp with antiseptic on it before hustling out of the bathroom to go after Igneel.

Julia took up Gary's seat and gruffly told Silver, "Stay still. And stop flinching so this goes faster."

Silver sniffed. "O-Okay."

It was quiet in the bathroom as Julia helped dab Silver's wounds while Gary and Igneel's conversation could not be heard. Gary had been gone long enough for Julia to finish the cleaning before opening the healing balm Wendy had gifted Gary. She warned Silver, "I'm applying the cream now. So don't move and don't cry."

Silver sniffled and nodded.

Julia was more delicate with the salve. Applying slight pressure and rubbing it in must have been hell for Silver, but he was a trooper through it all as he sucked it up and did not shed a tear. The beauty of magical healing salve was how quickly it worked once it was rubbed in and absorbed, though the downside was it took longer to portion out the dollops and fully rub it in, and then scrape off excess.

"There." Julia finished to see Silver's bruises and wounds starting the slow healing processes. "You're finished."

Silver nodded. "Th-Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Julia grunted, irked. "It shouldn't have happened in the first place." The anger from before boiled to the surface. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you even fight back?"

Silver rubbed his cheek to knuckle away a tear. "Th-They were Spiritless and"—HIC!—"w-w-we're not supposed to use our Magic—"

"You're not supposed to use your Magic on innocents," Julia hissed, making him flinch back. "You know we can use our powers on people attacking on. I know you know that. So why didn't you? Why didn't you fight back?"

Silver made himself smaller. "I-It was just a game—"

"It's always a game!" Julia burst, slamming down the jar of healing balm. "It's always a stupid game with you and your 'friends'! That's not a game! Why can't you get that? why are you being so freaking stupid about this? They aren't your friends! Friends don't do this to you! Does Luna do this to you, huh? Is that it? Luna's the one who made you think your friends do this to you?" She got up, not seeking an answer. "Then I'm talking to her—"

"N-No!" Silver grabbed Julia's wrist, imploring. "Lulu didn't do anything! She—!" His bottom lip wobbled. "She…" His hand slipped from Julia's wrist. "Sh-She doesn't like my friends, b-b-but she doesn't get it—"

"And what's not to get!" Julia snapped at him. "You're so freaking pathetic. You still call them 'friends' even after they keep hurting you. What is wrong with you? Are you seriously this stupid?"

Silver tried to clear away more tears. "I'm n-not stupid—"

"You act like it," Julia retorted. "You act so stupid all the time. All you do is cry about it when those assholes are horrible to you. Don't you get it yet? No one cares about how friendly you are, Silver. Literally, no one cares. You're being stupid if you think that. You think the world cared how kind and nice Gary is when Hunters stole him from home, huh?"

"Julia," Gale warned.

Silver's trembled. "N-N-No—"

"Exactly! They didn't!" Julia gnashed. "They didn't care about him, and they don't care about you. But you just go and cry about it when someone's mean to you instead of doing what I do and actually fighting back. You always cry and do nothing. You're so stupid! You just keep making yourself an easy target like this! Why are you such a freak about this?"

Silver froze.

But Julia was not done. "Why can't you just be normal like Gary and me? Why do you just have to cry about everything when no one cares how much you cry? They're just going to keep being mean to you until you finally be normal and do something about it!

"Hey, Julia," Gale growled.

But her fight still left in her. "Just be normal, stupid. That's all you have to do and you can't even do that right. All you can do is cry like you're doing now. And that just makes you even more pathetic. You're pathetic if you think those friends of yours will ever accept you. You're just…!" She shook her head. "Why can't you just be like Gary and me and actually be normal for once?"

"I-I…" But Silver shut his mouth as more tears dribbled down his cheeks.

"Gary might not want to tell Mom and Dad"—Julia stepped out of the bathroom—"but I will."

Silver fell apart as he watched her leave. "W-W-Wait!" He could not calm down and clear away the tears fast enough as he hiccupped and tried not to cry. He saw Gale lingered and begged, "P-Please don't tell them—"

"She's right, you know."

Clouded blues connected with uncomfortable reds.

"They're never gonna accept you as you." Gale's reds glinted. "You should change it so they have no choice but to accept you." And he followed Julia out of the bathroom with his parting wards looming over Silver.

• — • — • — •

Chunhua absorbed Julia's tale.

Julia took a few beats to breathe.

"So…" Chunhua arranged her words with care. "How did Ur take it after that?"

Julia thought about it. "I don't know. I didn't really talk to him much after that for a little while. And then he was back to being annoying. His dresses were done and stuff, so I just thought he grew out of it. I mean, sure, he'd knit and liked spa days, but he did that stuff at home. He changed. He just sort of grew out of some stuff, I guess."

"Hmm."

Julia frowned at that tone. "What?"

"Well…" Chunhua paused. "Do you think he changed for the better?"

"I don't know. I mean, yeah, I guess?" Julia assumed. "I mean, considering he ended up making a lot of friends and he wasn't coming home traumatized, I'd say him growing out of it was the best thing for him. He's safe from all that harassment." He's safe. She tried not to remember how broken Silver looked at the Festival of Gratitude. For now.

"Hmm."

Now Julia was right annoyed. "Okay, what?"

Chunhua commented, "I'm just thinking. I'm not so sure he changed for the better."

"He didn't 'change'; he grew out of some of that," Julia corrected, a tad defensive.

"Are you sure he grew out of it?"

Julia scoffed. "I think I know a lot more about my own brother. No offense."

"None taken. You're right. You know him a lot better than me," Chunhua gave to her. "Maybe he really did grow out of it as you said he did."

"He did." The edge would not leave Julia's tone.

Chunhua conceded. "All right. He did."

Julia bristled at Chunhua's tone, but she kept herself calm from snapping. He grew out of it. That's it. He didn't change. He grew up and he's safe now. When a server came by with drinks, she took one to nursed it heavily and her earrings glinted. He's safe for now.

°•°•°•°

Gale was stationed on the overhang with visuals on Julia with a drink in hand. He had dressed down for the occasion, but since he was introduced as personal security for Julia, he still had access to part of the yacht the normal spring breakers did not. He listened to Julia and Chunhua's conversation through both his normal senses and through his Earpiece Communications Lacrima (ECL) synched with her earrings.

Silver…

Teary mayan blues.

Gale sipped his water. Even I thought it was weird Silver up and changed. His friends are all right, I guess. They're not the same punks who were bullying him, that's for damn sure. Everything seemed to calm down. He seems fine, outside him smelling like a Dragon. He lowered his water. But still…

"But how do you know that?" Luna's irate question lashed back at him. "Maybe you think you're getting along with him, but maybe he thinks differently!"

Gale's stare lowered. She…genuinely meant that, didn't she? It's not like he ever said anything. He seemed fine enough. He laughs when we joke around and shit. A jaded thought reminded him. But then… I always noticed when Blondie's smiles looked fake and she brushed off everything. Silver did the same thing when we were younger.

Disappointed browns. "Why can't you be nice to Silver?"

Gale leaned against the railing and blew out a breath. Dammit, Blondie. He looked up at the stars. Did we just fuck up?

"Oh my gods, it's him!"

Gale heard all the commotion and looked down at the deck below. Well, well… He put his arms on the railing. Look who showed up to the party.

Prince Zayed had made his appearance and everyone could not help but gush. His secret service had spread out to allow the prince breathing room, but it was easy to see Zayed meld into the fold as he exchanged bro-hugs with fellow friends while others inched closer, hoping to shake hands with royalty. To Zayed's credit, while his outfit still represented his royal status, he did not have the arrogance some of the others had.

So. That's the little prince who might have a stepmom fetish. Gale swept his attention to the other woman who had come with him, dressed all prim and proper. That must be Fatimah. She looks like she's become quite the social pariah. From what Lady J gave me to read on her, she's the 'ungrateful princess', a runaway. The first princess Haya has been getting some major PR by pretending to care about her sister and helping her back to social groups, but Fatimah can't shake off her newfound reputation.

He cocked his head when Fatimah did not look all that miserable being ignored save for those who had to be polite to her. And from the looks of it, she doesn't give a fuck she's been isolated from the action. Is it because this was what she wanted in the first place?

He sipped his water and kept watching. He focused harder when a lady server came over to offer Fatimah a drink, the only one she had on her tray. Huh… Not too strange. If security didn't stop the server, the drink's been taste-tested and approved. But he could not look away as Fatimah accepted the drink and her gaze lingered on the retreating server for far too long. All right, she could just be interested in the server. That's not a crime.

Fatimah sipped on her drink before wandering to her security.

Gale listened as she said in the Shamballan dialect, "I'm going to head downstairs. Please tell Father I fulfilled having my public appearance known." Her eyes flashed down. "And that Zayed did a great service to me for allowing me this appearance."

Gale's brow furrowed. All right, so maybe she's not as okay with this as I thought. Or she could hate her family. He pushed off the railing and watched Fatimah move away. Where are you going, Princess Fatimah? He slowly followed after her, but his peripherals minded security and he made his walk as casual as possible. All right, Big Red. He touched his chest. Let's see if your stealth suit is up for the task.

°•°•°•°

The staff was polite enough, but Fatimah knew judgment when she saw it. It did not matter she was wearing the jewelry to signify her royal status, that her hairstyle and outfit were all Haya's idea, that Zayed had been "kind" enough to invite her here. She knew once her back was turned and out of sight, the staff and crew would gossip.

They always did.

The stateroom she went to had two guards already situated for her. She bucked up her courage and calmed her fast-paced heart to address them. "'I'd like to enter my room for the evening. A staffer should be by with my meal."

⌜THE EMIRATE OF SHAMBALLA

Name: Fatimah bint Kamir Al Marwan

Age: 25

Occupation: Second Princess of Shamballa

Likes: choki choki chocolate paste Dislikes: fluffy slippers

Special Note: Fatimah has a bachelor's in political science, a master's in international relations, and wants to return for a psychology degree! ⌟

Security nodded and opened the door to the stateroom. The entire room had been modernized with a contemporary touch that exuded enough riches to make a lesser man feel poor. The room had been swept from top to bottom and security had made sure to secure the room—everything was fine. She was safe in here.

Fatimah set down her drink and took up to slow pacing near the seating area, her fingers fidgeting. It's fine. Everything will be fine, she told herself. This is the right thing to do. Everything is okay. I have to do this. I have to do this. Her heart ached. For Inayah, I have to do this.

KNOCK-KNOCK!

That made her jump, but she kept her voice controlled and called, "Yes?"

"Your food has arrived, Your Highness, and has been approved through the taste-testing. May the server enter your quarters?"

"Ah, yes, thank you."

Security opened the door for a server to come inside. They kept it open and watched as the server set down the tray, but as they readied Fatimah's table, Fatimah told security, "You may close the door. I would like the server to stay. If my food isn't satisfactory, then I will have them personally take my food back to the chef and have it redone."

Security paused. "Yes, Your Highness." And they closed the door.

Fatimah sighed. "I'm sure they'll report to Father about my demands again. And he'll scold me for giving others around me a hard time." She cupped her elbows. "Like always."

The server placed the margoogat and camel sliders down before offloading the cocktail and water. "For what it's worth, Your Highness, you are very brave for risking your reputation. As I understand it, especially women in Alakitasia must maintain a much more submissive reputation."

"It's much more progressive," Fatimah said as she smoothed down her skirt to sit. "After Alvarez rose and promoted freedom and equality for all, Shamballa was one of the first countries to tear down the misogynistic laws and restrictions." Deep browns softened. "My father led the charge before he was named crown prince with my mother with him. It's just a misconception from others about how things are in Alakitasia. Then again, it's no bed of roses to live here."

"I agree." The server finished arranging the table and curled the tray in their arms. "Those who have sight sometimes have no vision. Just because one lives in this world doesn't mean they've truly seen what this world holds."

Fatimah swallowed. So this is it. This is really them. Shakily, her finger dipped into her dress pocket. "I-I-I brought something." She pulled out a queen chess piece and displayed it to the server. The material looked so alien and unique.

A quiet gasp. "So it's true."

Fatimah watched as the server had to take a seat opposite to her. "You know this?"

"Yes." The server put down the tray on the floor and reached across for gloved fingers to carefully take the piece. "I recognize this. It's one of His Majesty's chess pieces. He poured so much love and care to make this. And when the queen is reunited with the king, something wonderful happens." The server curled the chess piece to their chess and took a shaky breath. "For the past fifteen years, I've been looking for this chess piece for His Majesty. And when I learned where it was…" They had to take a moment as they covered their mouth.

Fatimah watched the server. They were a strong and mature woman dressed in the normal black and white waitstaff attire, but what was unique about her was, while she had a tinted tan, in a splotch on the right side of her face was porcelain skin. They tied their white hair into a high ponytail that swept to her waist, and her dark blue eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Fatimah gripped her skirt. "So you're really…"

"Ah!" The woman brought out a handkerchief to dab beneath their eyes. "I'm sorry. I just didn't think I'd be successful." She straightened up and looked Fatimah in the eye. "I am Yara Sandström. It's a pleasure to meet someone else who cares about—" Her words caught. "Who cares…about Inayah."

⌜UNKNOWN

Name: Yara Sandström

Age: 67

Ability: Wiccan

Occupation: Former Registered Healer

Likes: crocheting Dislikes: flowers

Special Note: Yara is Hendrika's mother! Yara's disappearance may be why Hendrika is constantly targeted! ⌟

Yara questioned, hesitant, "Has…? Is she okay?"

Fatimah looked away. "She's safe," she said. "She's… Father is giving her the utmost protection—"

"Your Highness." Yara stopped her, all hesitation gone and the look of a firm woman left behind. "Is she okay?"

Fatimah felt chastised and compelled to tell the truth, even if it made her ashamed. "No," she breathed. "She's not." She swallowed. "Father won't allow her to remove her veil. I… I can't speak about Inayah's relationship with my father. He's never beaten her and I've never seen him verbally do much. Rather, he's very gentle and considerate towards her. But…" A thick wad of saliva lodged in her throat. "He… The servants tell me he calls her to their marital room more frequently. He annoyed…that they'll be trying for a baby not that long ago."

Yara's face hardened. "Has he—?"

"I-I don't know. I don't think so, no," Fatimah said and looked dolefully at Yara. "I want to say he wouldn't, but I just see how terrified she is." She could not believe her own words. "He's a good man. I want to say he wouldn't. But Zayed—" Her breath hitched and she switched topics. "But she's heavily protected and never really alone. She's only alone in her chambers and after she's been washed and dressed. No one is permitted to see beneath her veil. And Father has stationed security even for her balcony."

"I'll worry about that," Yara assured. "All I need is to get inside the castle and with her. I can get her out once I'm in." She looked down, planning. The emir's castle is one of the safest places in the world. From what my source told me, the Emir was privately invested in additional magical security measures once he married Inayah. But if I can just get inside, I can get her out and bring her home.

"I-If I may," Fatimah started, "who…are you to Inayah?"

Yara's face fell into dejection. "I'm someone who failed her," she murmured. "I knew her when she was just a teenager, which wasn't that long ago. A very bright girl. She always saw the positives of everything. And she was an excellent chess player." She looked fondly at the chess piece. "They'd spend hours playing chess together."

Fatima caught on. "'They'?"

"Yes." Yara's blues saddened. "Does she still have her music box?"

"Ah…" Fatimah nodded. "Y-Yes, she does. Father said that was the only gift she liked from all her wedding gifts." She peered closer. "How did you know about it? Her gift unwrapping wasn't made public."

Yara sighed. "That music box was supposed to be a gift a long time ago," she supplied. "When she was young, a very serious situation fell into her lap. She was overwhelmed and terrified. But…she had someone special to her to help her. He was young too, but he was passionate and wanted to do the right thing. He commissioned the music box for he with a secret compartment for their memories. He wanted to give it to her in person, but…" Her blues glinted. "He was very sick. And I couldn't leave him. So I asked someone to deliver it to her."

She briefly closed her eyes. "But I was very foolish. And they both suffered because of me." She looked at Fatimah. "I don't know why you're helping us. The person who helped me so far… All he said was that you were the only one who understood she was suffering here."

"She is." Fatimah swallowed, her stomach in knots. "She's only a few years older than me. I remember when she came here and Father introduced us after that entire shame of seducing her. I couldn't stand it. Haya started calling her 'mother' and basically introduced her to high society, but I know she only did that to make herself look better. And Zayed…" Now she felt sickened. "Inayah would tell me Zayed would stare at her. At first, I didn't believe her. But I started noticing. Haya told me I was disgusting for implying anything. I couldn't bring it up to our father. But I saw how he'd stare at her."

Yara had to know. "Did he do anything more than stare?"

Fatimah was in near tears. "He visited her whenever he came home from boarding school. Outside of Father, he's the only man allowed"—she choked—"in her chambers." She sniffed and used the side of her hand to wipe her cheeks. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't be, Your Highness. Thank you for telling me." Yara gripped the chess piece. I promised His Majesty I would protect her. But I failed. I've failed them all. I can't fail anymore. I'm running out of time. His Majesty won't survive for much longer. And when he wakes to find the one he loves has been suffering like this, he'll never forgive himself for trusting the Prime Minister.

Yara lifted her chin. "Your Highness, we need to work together to get her out of here."

"How?" Fatimah wanted to know, helpless. "She's the Emira of Shamballa. My father has already moved mountains for her security. If she's found gone, you don't know the type of military power and allies he has to find her again. She'll never be safe. She'll never be able to live freely again."

"Yes, she will."

"How?"

"Because your father illegally married a married woman."

That took the wind from Fatimah's sails. "What?" Her eyes darted around, trying to comprehend. "But how…?" She licked her lips. "Father married her when she was twenty. Haya told me she didn't have any other suitors and it was confirmed she wasn't married—"

"She's married, "Yara affirmed. "I was a witness to her marriage. And while polygamy is legal in her home country and Shamballa, it's illegal in her husband's home country to enter a polygamous marriage without documented consent from both countries. And I assure you, action will be taken for her unconsented marriage."

Fatimah sat forward, but she was still skeptical. "Are you sure? My father's the emir. Who would even have the authority to try and drag him through court? Who is she married to?"

Yara dug into her pocket and produced a matching king chess piece for the queen. "She's married to the king of Bellum."

---

— • — • — • —

Starry Sky nemurenai yoru nee aitai yo aitai yo

Kirameita ittousei osaekirenai kimi e no omoi wo

•

Gyutto dakishimete mou hanasanaide

"aishiteru" dake ga zutto kagayaki tsuzukeru

— • — • — • —

---

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

The royal private room was felt haunting this time of night. The patient sitter was bored out of her mind as the medical equipment beeped along to indicate the primary patient's steady heartbeat. The lights had been cut, but the curtains were open to show the magnificent moon and all the land below of the castle's property. But the patient stayed in his queen-sized four-posted bed with his wires and support vital to his every breath.

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

KNOCK-KNOCK!

The patient sitter looked up as the other sitter popped their head in. "Hé, zin in een snack?" She wrapped her nails on the door. "Je favoriete verpleegster komt zo binnen en hij zit in de pauzeruimte."

The patient sitter perked, but she bit her lip as she looked over her shoulder. "Ik… Ik kan het niet," she resigned to say. "Ik moet zitten tot Amanda's dienst—"

The other sitter rolled her eyes as she opened the door all the way, crossing her arms. "Oh, kom op. Hij ligt in coma. Dit is je moment om je verliefdheid te flocken, want hij moonlights nooit." She beckoned the patient sitter. "Let's go! Come on!"

The patient sitter glanced back at her comatose patient before getting up. "Okay." With a nervous smile, she let her friend guide her out and gently closed the door behind her.

And all was quiet.

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

The patient kept breathing.

For a moment, it looked like a trick of the light was a little flicker. But another flicker showed it was not a flick of the light. A shadow appeared at first and then hands came out of nowhere. They came up to pull down a hood, but the figure stepped into the shadows and kept their face hidden.

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

And the patient kept breathing.

The figure slipped closer. In the moonlight, the patient looked frail and meek just as all the rumors said. His red hair had been washed, dried, and well care for, even fanned out for easier access. But seeing how gaunt he had gotten, how gray he looked, the bruises on his skin from the medicine—it would make his people weep he suffered through so much.

The patient was none the wiser as the hand pulled back his blanket. His hospital gown showed how his muscles had atrophied and the urinary and anal catheters along with soft padding as a precaution. Their gloved hand pulled his gown to the side to expose his side. A quick reach into the cloak provided them a medical wipe to wipe down the middle of his inner thigh before they vanished it into nowhere. They reached back inside…

…and pulled out a filled syringe.

The patient kept sleeping as the figure leaned closer with the syringe and—

THUCK!

Slowly, they injected the substance into the middle of the patient's outer thigh. Once it was over, they were quick to banish the syringe and get out another wipe to press down and stop any bleeding. A sigh of relief left them—

Hard footsteps.

"En weet je zeker dat hij niet zal sterven?"

Hurried, the figure took away their hand and the wipe. As the harsh footsteps came closer, they resettled the patient's hospital gown, tucked him in, and pulled back on the cloak to vanish just in time as the door opened up.

Footsteps and heel clicks came across the way as a silky woman replied in Bellish: "He won't die. I guarantee it." Those footsteps came to the bedside of the patient and the moon showed the silhouettes of a broad-shouldered man and a woman in a lab coat. "My Virus only kills me I say it does, like I told you before. H's alive but just barely. And even if I took away my Virus, it would take him months for any sort of cognitive function." She chuckled. "He'd be brainless instead of brain-dead."

Her ill-intended pun went ignored as the broad-shouldered man looked down at the sleeping patient. "I will still need to awaken once the parliament and all houses are under my control. The people are getting more agitated and confused. After we failed in getting the Devil to get a stake in its offspring, Laputa's Fall only increased the public's hope for him to show his face. I had control of the press before, but foreign agents are becoming more and more insistent."

Hands reached up to take off glasses and procure his silk handkerchief to wash them off. If he had died with his family, I wouldn't need him alive. But the moment the media leaked about his sole survival, I had no choice in this. If only you could have been useful and died—cleaning done, his glasses were put back on and Prime Minister Göran looked down in contempt—Your Majesty.

"Are you sure you don't want to up and kill him?" Mary looked at the prime minister with a happy gleam flirting in her eyes at the prospect of a painful death. "It'd be so easy for me to do it."

"No." Göran looked stepped away to go to the portrait of the royal family from long ago, the roguish king, his kind queen, their bountiful daughters, and the shy son. "His Majesty must stay alive, even if it's in a comatose state like that. As I said, I still need more time to gain control of the nobility and the parliament. Only once I do that, I can make the strike on that disgusting Magic Council. Why, isn't that what you told me…"

He looked at the silent third party in the room, strapping with his inner cassock preceded by his outer cassock, and his rosary proudly warn to show the clasped hands. But what was unusual was that this man did not have a head. Well, he did. Unsettling black energy flamed from his neck, but his head was cradled in his hands. His face showed his youth with his miter on correctly.

"…Father."

The head smiled. "I only made the suggestion, Prime Minister. You did the rest."

⌜THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY EYE

Name: John Chrysostom

Age: Unknown

Magic: Enchant

Occupation: Archbishop

Likes: Gold Dislikes: N/A

Special Note: Father John is a Dullahan, which is a very rare and very Cursed happenstance! ⌟

John's body moved forward to the foot of the bed and he peered at the comatose king. "The church, however, will not help you with your war against the Magic Council. It's not our place to interfere with your politics. So I'm afraid suggesting to keep the king alive is the only thing I can do without breaking the boundary Father Adam set." He looked up at Göran, curious. "And you're sure no one else can claim the throne and be crowned the next in line?"

"We matched the corpses with the royal family. I oversaw the autopsy myself and enlisted several specialists, Magic and non-Magic," Göran affirmed. "None of the daughters had kids. And unless the king's distant relatives could display the inherited Chess, they would not be accepted on the throne." He took out his pocket watch to check the time. "I believe it's time for our meeting."

He turned to look down at the comatose king. "His Majesty was such a naïve child," he quietly commented. "He had no ambition to elicit change in our kingdom. All he did was hide in his books and his chess. He would have rolled over for any form of opposition."

"Yet you still call someone you despise so much 'Your Majesty' with such respect," John commented. "How curious."

Göran's only sign John's words bothered him was the twitch of his nose. "We need to find the patient sitter. They should be doing their job." Without wasting more time, he led the party out of the room and shut the door.

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

The king continued to sleep.

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but…

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

That finger over there. Yes, that ring finger on his left hand.

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

It…twitched.

---

Voices of Characters in Order of Appearance

— • — • — • —

Thirteen – Mathew Mercer

Swan – Kayleigh McKee

Julia Fullbuster – Michelle Ruff

Gale Redfox – Greg Cipes

The Doctor -

Sycaña – Christen Auten

Vinyl de la Muse – Alison Viktorin

Key – Raye Boyce

Fusajiro – Derrik Snow

Theodoric "Theo" Hefeweizen -

Stolichnaya "Stoli" Beluga -

Wu Liang -

Vespers Vivaldi -

Salentino Negroamaro – Antonio Cupo

Cher Woods – Hayden Daviau

Lorraine Dior -

Chunhua Bei – Kesley Asbille

Silver Fullbuster – Yuri Lowenthal

Lucy Heartfilia-Dragneel – Cherami Leigh

Gary Fullbuster (teen) -

Igneel Dragneel – Bryce Papenbrook

Luna Dragneel – Brynn Apprill

Fatimah bint Kamer Al Marwan – Summer Bishil

Yara Sandström –

Göran Bildt –

Mary –

John Chrysostom –

• — • — •

Additional Voices

Opening Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Description Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Closing Narrator – Melissa Fahn

— • — • — • —

⌜OPENING SONG

⟪ SAYONARA DILEMMA ⟫

Vivid undress

Lyrics by

yu-ya⌟

•

⌜INSERT SONG

⟪ Blow the Whistle ⟫

Too Short

Lyrics by

Lamarquis Jefferson / Todd Anthony Shaw / Jonathan Smith / Craig Love / James E. Phillips⌟

•

⌜ENDING SONG

⟪ Starry ⟫

ClariS

Lyrics by

丸山真由子⌟

---

•

•

•

•

— • — • — • —

Next time, on Fairy Adventure

•

Episode 140

•

BEHIND THE SCENES

— • — • — • —

•

•

•

•

LONG LIVE THE KING

---

Chibi-Luna raises her hand. "Good day, class! Eh?" She flinches back when she sees her students staring intently at her. "Wh-What's with all the staring today?"

"You've been gone for a long time, Teacher," one student accuses.

Chibi-Luna gives a nervous laugh as she scratches her cheek with a finger. "Oh, come on! It hasn't been that long—Eeep!" She cowered as her students loom over her with intense auras all about them. "Wh-What's with this atmosphere?"

"You abandoned us for over two weeks, Teacher," her students remind her.

Chibi-Luna gulps. "W-Well, I-I…! I w-w-was busy—!"

"Oh, okay."

Chibi-Luna gapes when her class is back to content students in their seats. They didn't even argue! She clears her throat and scrambles for her focus. "Yes, well, we have a Fairy Lesson for today. And that is…!" She pulls down her map of Alakitasia and points to a country. "The kingdom of Dilmun!"

"Hooray for geographical history!" her students cheer.

Chibi-Luna skitters to pull over her dry erase board and starts drawing a figure with a turban and an aigrette of feathers. "Dilmun is one of the few remaining countries in Alakitasia that has a sultan. Dilmun is actually one of the most important water trading centers and is a major source of copper in Alakitasia. But beyond that, Dilmun has some interesting history!"

She draws a few more figures and points the tip of her marker to a mature woman. "In Dilmun lore, the Earth Goddess Ki gifted her daughter Ninlil Dilmun as her territory. Dilmun turned into a paradise under Ninlil's watch, for she cared deeply for the mortals she watched over and her only godly children with her husbands. However, one, day…" She draws an evil-like figure. "A conqueror tried to overtake Dilmun. But the conqueror know Ninlil would defend her children and mortals. So he stole her newborn baby and threatened to kill her if he was not allowed to take Dilmun without bloodshed.

"Ninlil was devastated and her mortals were frightened. But one man by the name of Ziusudra braved against it all to kill the conqueror and save the baby. As such, Ninlil gave her blessing to Ziusudra that he would become the sultan of Dilmun and he and his children and his children's children would always receive good fortune and blessings from the god."

Chibi-Luna makes a family tree. "As of now, there is the current Sultana Tiamat is third Sultana of Dilmun. But she has changed rights of succession from the automatic inheritance of the next blood-relation in line to allow her subjects to show favor for their next Sultan among her eight children. People think this is a strategic move to ease in turning Dilmun into a republic since many Dills are against the idea in fear of upsetting their gods and no longer receiving the gods' blessings and good fortune."

"So Enmerkar is the eighth prince?" a student questions.

Chibi-Luna nods. "Correct! Enmerkar's siblings are: Ziusudra, Gilgamesh, Sargon, Zana, Utu, Madala, and Ikhur. All eight royals are fighting for the throne through diplomatic measures as the sultana has banned any form of death or injury in order to attain being crowned. While Enmerkar is very young, some Dills are confident about him due to his connections. To be honest, a lot of young generation and progressive Dills are worried much more about Gilgamesh taking the throne since conservative Dills support Gilgamesh and have been extremely outspoken."

Chibi-Luna erases her board. "And now a quick update from Miss Author!"

「 Because of my health, updates between The Disappearance of Igneel Dragneel and Fairy Adventure may alternate weeks until I hit stability again. Both new episodes have been posted.

Thank you for your support.

私のメンタルヘルス関係で、「The Disappearance of Igneel Dragneel」 と 「Fairy Adventure」 のポースチグスケジェールが変更になります。2話とも掲載しました。

よろしくお願いします。」

Chibi-Luna finishes cleaning the board. "That's our lesson for today! See you next week on Fairy Adventure!"