Chapter 30: Mutual Understanding

"I still don't understand why you felt the necessity to bring me along on this excursion," Midnight drawled across the train booth at Piper. "If it's true that you're too weak to stand up to this man yourself, then why not call on the services of the mighty Titania," bitter sarcasm coated his words. "Or perhaps Natsu or Mirajane. Actual members of your guild?"

The wizard across from him stroked his blue goatee and kept his emerald eyes narrowed and averted—face in an ever-present scowl.

"It's like this, a'right?" He folded his bare arms over his chest. "Pops's been lookin' into this King of Diamonds stuff for a while. He's got some connections wit' an illegal smugglin' guild called Lindren—operates out of Hargeon. Anyways, the old man asked the guild master to keep an ear out for anything suspicious and sure 'nough, he got some info."

Midnight listened intently, legs crossed and arms at his sides, head cocked just slightly.

"'Parently, there's been a request goin' around to all the pirates and smugglers for transportation particular goods. The livin', breathin,' manual labor sort of goods."

"Slaves." Midnight's lip twitched in the hint of a scowl. Piper gave a slow nod and looked at him.

"Dat alone ain't an indicator of any'ting relating to Res… But it ain't the only transport request runnin' around the ocean right now. Turns out Lindren got a strange, anonymous request for the transportation of diamonds. Loads and loads of diamonds. Pops did some hunting and found out that both the request for slaves and diamonds came from the same source, though it was made to look like they's didn't.

"It still don't mean anything, necessarily, but it's suspicious as hell."

"As fascinating as that is," Midnight yawned, "it still doesn't answer my question."

"I'm getting' there, bastard!" Piper glared at him, the hatred obvious. "Thing is, when Pops traced the origin of the requests, turned out they came from a real unexpected place. Ever heard of the marketing guild Love and Lucky?"

"Of course." Midnight narrowed his eyes. "You don't mean to tell me that they made the requests for slaves and diamonds?"

"That's what I'm tellin' you's." Piper leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "The problem is, Love and Lucky is a legal and official guild. Furthermore, Fairy Tail ain't allowed anywheres near it. Master made an agreement wit' both the Magic Council and the Fioran guard not to take any jobs regardin' the guild because it brings in good income, good economy for Fiore and they don't want Fairy Tail destroyin' it—you's followin?'"

He began to put the pieces together and a devious smile crept across his face. "You're breaking the rules," he stated. "We're going to Love and Lucky behind Fairy Tail's back, correct? Which is why you couldn't go to a Fairy Tail member for help."

"You got it," Piper nodded. "I don't give a damn whether we have a treaty with Love and Lucky or not, if Res is hidin' out there, I'm burnin' the whole damn guild to the ground. Anything to keep Dreamy and Syllest safe." His green eyes burned with passion, fist clenched.

The smirk lingered on Midnight's face. "Finally, some entertainment."

"You're a sick bastard, you know?" Piper scoffed. "But at least I knows you's won't have any qualms with makin' the King of Diamonds suffer a torturous death, which is less than he deserves."

Midnight watched the fury color the lines of Piper's face. "This King of Diamonds," he said slowly. "Who is he? And what does he want with Dreamer?"

"That's all I'm tellin' you, bub." Piper looked back out the window. "Worthless fleabag like you ain't gots no business knowin' about Dreamy's life."

Midnight scoffed but said nothing more. He closed his eyes, allowing the conversation to end. For now…

They got off the train before the sun had set in the sky. It was too early for Love and Lucky to be closed for the day, and the two wizards had already decided to investigate at night. So, in the meantime…

"I'm starving.'" Piper rubbed his stomach. "Might as well get some grub before we do this thing. Never did like to risk my luck on an empty stomach."

Midnight followed lazily. Piper led the way to a burger joint a few blocks away from the guild. They'd have to kill time until it was safe to break in.

"Never t'ought in my life I'd be havin' a meal with you, of all people…" Piper grumbled under his breath as they looked for a table. Midnight smirked lightly, amused by the other wizard's almost tangible dislike for him.

The only table available was a corner booth in the small restaurant. They took their seats and waited in tense silence for someone to take their order. A young waitress came after a few minutes.

"Hello! What can I get for you two?" She grinned cheerily.

Piper ordered some giant greasy cheeseburger. "And what's the best beer you's got on tap here?"

"Well, we have—"

"Tsk, tsk," Midnight chided from across the table. "You know you're not allowed to drink, Piper." His tone was mocking.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll just have some water," he scowled and passed his menu to the waitress, who was giggling at them with a big grin.

"And for you, sir?"

Midnight pointed at a salad on the menu and said nothing, trusting the woman was smart enough to be able to read. She took down his order and collected his menu. "I love that shade of lipstick, by the way! Is it Darling-Plum from Mayberry Makeups?"

Midnight gave a brief nod in response.

"Okay! I'll be back with your drinks!" She giggled again and skipped off, leaving the two men in just as tense a position as before.

Once the men got their drinks, they sat in silence waiting for the food.

Piper, sky-blue hair styled into something of an uneven mohawk, pierced ears, leather jacket and tank top, oversized combat boots, and a permanent scowl. He was pointedly sitting with his arms folded over his chest, green eyes narrowed at Midnight across the table. Occasionally, he'd scratch his goatee, as if he were thinking about saying something, but then he'd scoff and look away, growing tenser with each passing moment.

After a few minutes of listening to the dull roar of voices in the restaurant, Midnight suddenly spoke up.

"What's the matter Piper? Are you too afraid to say what's on your mind?" His voice was taunting. His posture was similar to Piper's. Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, boring into the other man. Green vs. Red.

"You's ain't special!" Piper finally burst. "You knows that?"

Midnight raised an eyebrow. Piper's eyebrow was twitching with fury, fist clenched as if he had half the mind to leap across the table and strangle the assassin. However, his expression suddenly changed. He turned his gaze downward and stared at the tabletop, and he picked at the corner. His emerald eyes were downcast, bitterness painted on his lips.

"I bet she makes you feel that way, don't she?" His voice lowered. "Dreamy." The way he said her name was a sad sigh. "But you's ain't special. She makes everyone feel that way. It don't mean nothing.'"

Midnight folded his arms and continued to stare, silently. He observed the other man with mute curiosity. His temperament often reminded Midnight of Racer. Short-tempered and stupid. But Racer was his friend. Piper was not.

"What I'm sayin' is, the same way she looks at you and goes out of her way for you and all the other shit she's doin' right now… It ain't special! Same garbage she's spewin' at you is the same she gave to me three years ago and the same she gave to Pops before that." He clenched his teeth. "What you's gotsta know about Dreamy is that she's got a savior complex. She takes losers like you's and me and Pops and she makes us feel important or some shit… She gets us up on our feet, t'en she moves onto the next sorry case. This ain't the first time she done it and it sure as hell won't be the last."

The gambling wizard pulled his signature dice from the pocket of his holey jeans and rolled them on the table. A three and a two. He sighed heavily.

"Almost four years ago now, I was a mess…" He stared into a memory, as though it were etched on the tabletop. "Spent all my time and all my jule at the casino. I drank too much. Wouldn't say I was an alcoholic. Well, not yet anyways…" He leaned back and stared at the light above their table. "I had a fiancé."

Midnight cocked his head but his expression was unreadable. Neither bored, nor interested. Red eyes boring into Piper.

"My girl told me I needed to stop gambling and drinking, but I didn't listen." He laughed, sourly. "I just couldn't understand why she's was gettin' on my case about it so much all the sudden. Kept naggin' me, tellins me I had to sober up. Had to save money. I just t'ought she was being a typical naggy woman, you's know? I was so damn stupid…"

Midnight didn't blink.

"Turned out she was pregnant." He scratched his cheek and smiled bitterly. "'Course, I didn't know til she was gone. Never even guessed it cuz I didn't pays enough attention to her to sees it. And after that, I really lost it. Drank all day and all night. Gambled til I didn't have a dime to my name and no luck. I even turned to helpin' out on small jobs in the underground. Any'ting to get a buck for the next drink or the slots."

"Pathetic," Midnight commented without compassion. Piper laughed.

"Hells yeah, I was. Til Dreamy came along."

His expression changed. The smile lost its bitterness and turned soft. He stopped picking at the table and rested his chin on his knuckles.

"Met her on the street while I was beggin' for change. The damn girl felt so bad for me she put me up in a hotel for the night. Fed me. Talked to me. Made me feel like a person again." He smiled warmly at the memories. "Figured she'd move on after that, but the doll kept showin' up! Kept visitin' the casino to see me. Kept tellin' me I was better than I knew I was. And after a couple months, I guess I started to believe her. Before I knew it I was in Fairy Tail, soberin' up, eating three squares a day and sleeping in a real bed. She saved my life, bub."

He paused for a long moment and his expression hardened again. "I love her. You's know that, don't you?"

Midnight's expression was unchanging. "It's safe to say that everyone knows that."

"Yeah, and everyone knows she don't feel the same way about me." He sighed and looked longingly at his water cup, like he wished it were something else. "I used to thinks she did. I t'ought I was special. But like I told you's, ain't no one special to Dreamy. She loves every damn broken soul on this planet. She's tryin' to make up for things she can't change and it ain't personal. It's just the way it is."

Midnight finally looked away, though his face remained guarded.

"Here's your food!" The waitress put the plates in front of them. "I'm sorry, it looks like I interrupted an important conversation! If you need me, just call!" She waved and ran off.

The men ate in silence. Midnight merely picked at his salad before setting it aside and meeting Piper's eyes again.

"Tell me about her." The command was serious.

"Ain't happenin.'" Piper said through a mouthful of cheese and meat.

Midnight's eyes flashed in warning. "I'm getting bored with not knowing the whole story."

"I ain't here to satisfy your sadistic kicks," Piper snapped.

"No, you're here to protect Dreamer." Midnight leaned slightly across the table, his voice dark. "If you want my help, then tell me why I should care about any of this."

Piper glared right back at him, a look of disgust contorting his feature. "I really hate you's."

"The feeling is mutual."

"I'll tell you about her, but only so's you get a better grasp of the fact she ain't lookin' to be with you's."

Midnight smirked at this comment but said nothing.

"You's already know Syllest's her neice, not her daughter," Piper said. Midnight nodded. "Well, Dreamy's sister was a girl named Rosy. All this happened before I was in the picture, mind you's, so not even I knows all the details." He wiped his lips with a napkin and cleaned his goatee.

"Rosy and Dreamy were pretty close, I guess. Til Rosy married a real jerk. I guess she looked happy from the outside, but it was a mess at home. Round the same time Rosy had Syllest, the hubby got scary mean. Dreamy don't talk about the details, but I'm guessing her sis wasn't leavin' the house without bruises, if you's knows what I mean."

Midnight knew. He'd seen plenty of abuse in his life.

"When Syllest was six months old, her daddy killed her ma."

This, Midnight was not expecting. His eyes widened in surprise. Piper nodded to confirm that he heard him right.

"Psychopath did it with a smile on his face too. I guess he tried to take Syllest and hit the road after that, but the law intervened. The bastard got away, but Syllest was safe and Dreamer took her in.

"Thing is… I think Dreamy beats herself up about it. Her magic feels emotion, don't it? Motives… My guess is she knew all along the hubby wasn't a nice guy, but she never stood up for her sis or something… She probably feels like she coulda' done something more—anything to protect Rosy. But she couldn't. And now she's overly protective of Syllest and she's got this savior complex where she tries to turn assholes like you's and me into nice guys, as if it will make up for what she thinks she failed to do all those years ago." He shook his head and sighed.

"And if you ain't pieced it together already… Resmond, the King of Diamonds… He's Syllest's pops. The one who killed Rosy."

It all made sense. Dreamer's over protectiveness of Syllest. The way she seemed to despise Syllestra's magic, which was most likely inherited from her father—the one who killed Dreamer's sister. Her paranoia… The way she was always looking over her shoulder, always uncertain and fearful.

"What does he want with them?" Midnight asked. "What does Resmond want with Dreamer and Syllest?"

Piper shrugged and shook his head. "It beats me, but this guy… He's evil. Makes you's look like a cupcake in comparison. Maybe he just thinks it's time he stopped being a deadbeat and took Syllest under his wing, hell if I knows. All's I know is that he's dangerous and he ain't comin' within a thousand miles of my girls!"

Midnight closed his eyes and processed all of this. Resmond, King of Diamonds, was hunting for Syllest, his daughter. And if he was also the one responsible for the slave and diamond transport, he was planning something. And as for Dreamer… His mind wandered.

"Well… There you's have it. That's the big secret. If Dreamy asks, you's figured it out on your own, though. I ain't getting' slapped for this."

Midnight rubbed his own cheek where she'd slapped him once before. "Thank you for telling me."

Piper gaped at him, eyes bugging out of his head. "What?"

Midnight wasn't even looking at him anymore. He burrowed in his seat with his eyes closed. Snoring.

"I knows you's ain't sleeping! Did I really hear you's say 'thank you' just now?!"

"Excuse me," the waitress appeared again. "I've got your bill when you're ready!"

Midnight opened one eye and looked at Piper. "I don't have my wallet."

Piper's temple pulsed. "You what?!"

Midnight shrugged. "I only got a salad. It shouldn't be a problem for you to pay," he said, smirking at the irritation on Piper's face.

"You're pushing your luck, bubs…" He grumbled and paid the bill. The woman giggled giddily. "What's up with you, doll? You been laughing your head off since we walked in."

"Oh, I'm sorry! It's just… My coworkers and I agree…" She looked over at a group of giggling waitresses. "You're the cutest couple we've gotten in here for months!"

Piper jerked back so hard that he spilled water all over the table and himself. "W-We, WHAT?!"

Midnight laughed out loud.

"Doll, you's got the wrong idea! It ain't like that!" Piper jumped up, totally soaked in water.

"Really?" The waitress looked so surprised. "But I thought… I mean picking a secluded booth, and the way he wouldn't let you get a drink, and how he got a salad because he was embarrassed of looking like a fatty in front of you, and the way you were staring into each other's eyes and talking all quietly when I brought you the food, and how you paid the bill… Are you sure you're not a couple?"

"Damn sure!" Piper's voice cracked in the panic. "I ain't gay!"

"Really?" She blinked again. "But you've got that look."

"ME?! He's the one with lipstick and eyeshadow and I'm the one with the look?! The hell?!"

"Don't be shy, Piper," Midnight teased, the sadistic smirk wide on his face.

"Shut the hell up, bub, unless you's want me to knock you out with my dice!"

"Bring it on."

"Please, no lover's spats in the restaurant."

"WE AIN'T LOVERS!"

"But we do share a bedroom."

"WHO THE HELL'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!"

Luckily, by the time they left the restaurant, the sun had set, the moon had risen, and the lights to Love and Lucky had been shut off. And when Piper and Midnight walked out into the dimly lit streets, the dynamic between them had changed, if ever so slightly. They shared one common goal.

Find Resmond. Make him suffer.

A/N: Well, there you have it. Piper's backstory, or the gist of it anyway. Along with new info about Dreamer and Syllestra's backstory as well, and the villainous Resmond...

Ori, you mentioned wondering about what the rest of Fairy Tail would be doing during all of this. Well, if you'll notice, I took great care making sure the events in my fic line up with events that happened in the anime. For example, in the Rose Garden arc, Fairy Tail was busy having its annual race, and the action with Dreamer, Syllest, Jezran, and Midnight occurred in a town a few hours away from Magnolia. This way, there's a distinct impossibility of the rest of the Fairy Tail guild helping when stuff goes down. Or, as you can see from this chapter, Piper is keeping this duo mission a secret from the rest of Fairy Tail because of a pact made with Love and Lucky between the guilds. I did this on purpose because, if it all happened conveniently when the other Fairy Tail members were available to help, there really wouldn't be a plot line. Natsu or Erza or whoever else would come busting into the scene to save the day and make it look easy. You'll see throughout this fic that I frequently set up barriers like this. Though there are instances where the rest of Fairy Tail does help, because, after all, they are all a family. The idea here, is that there are many, many Fairy Tail guild members, each with their own set of problems, jobs, and chaos to deal with. I really wanted to limit how often the guild front-runners came to the rescue, because I don't think that's realistically what would happen in a guild with so many people.

Next: The Development of Piper

Oh, Piper. He has taken me by surprise more than any of the other OC's I've created.

To start, my number one aim with this fic was to make it as close to the real anime as possible. That's why I mostly stick to the original timeline, I do include snippets with all the other members of the guild, I employ fillers to break up the heavy stuff... I wanted to create such a suspension of disbelief, that when you readers are watching Fairy Tail and see a bunch of faceless, nameless extra characters in the background of guild activities, you can actually imagine Team Derelict Heart among them. This is why I didn't make Dreamer super connected to any of the original characters. She's not Natsu's sister or, Lucy's long lost cousin who's actually a doll... (Though she is Mira's best friend. I figured that was a loose enough connection which would still make Dreamer seem like part of the group). For this reason, I took great effort to give Dreamer her own place in the guild, her own friends and teammates and family. It's why I created Team Derelict Heart.

I used Team Shadow Gear as a reference for Team Derelict Heart. A sweet girl (Levy/Dreamer), with two loyal, over-protective weirdo dudes who follow her around like dogs (Jet and Droy/Piper and Jezran), who falls for an ex-asshole with black hair and red eyes (Gajeel/Midnight) xD. I also took the gag of Jet and Droy being obviously obsessed with Levy, and began to create Piper. He was originally meant to be just a gag character. That obnoxious guy who's in love with "Dreamy."

In creating his personality and looks, I chose the archetype "bad boy." Think Grease: Motorcycles, accents, cigarettes. I literally compiled a list of things stereo-typically applied to the "bad boy" persona, and created Piper. Tattoos, piercings, leather vests, gambling, drinking, goatees, mohawks... BAM PIPER WAS BORN.

Like I said, he was seriously supposed to be a stereotype. A flat, archetype bad boy, obsessed-with-Dreamer gag. But as I continued to write for him, he developed on his own. A little more with each sentence, each paragraph... He's a character who has had a mind of his own, and has grown into a complex, lovable dork of a character more than just "some punk who likes Dreamer."

And, of course, I have a theme of reformation in this story. So, in developing his backstory, I had to come up with a "before" Piper, and an "after" Piper. That's how I came up with his being an alcoholic and gambling addict. There's also a "before" Jezran, and an "after" Jezran, which I'll explain another day.

Piper is still a funny gag character though, even with the added complexity. It's a gag that he's an ex-alcoholic, always craving a drink. It's a gag that he loves Dreamer. But my favorite gag, is his rivalry with Midnight. Specifically, their roommate situation. I think it's freaking hilarious how angry Midnight makes Piper, and how Midnight just thinks it's amusing. xD I have an entire filler chapter written entirely from Piper's point of view, which is all about a "day in the life of Piper," and it's potentially the funniest thing I've ever written.

Anyway! That's Piper in a nutshell! Let me know what character you guys want me to write about next!