Sting and Rogue are at Sabertooth to bring their old team to Draconem Heart, will they be able to convince them?
"Why should we trust you!? After all you've done?" Minerva questioned.
Sting sighed, "We left because we needed help, Minerva! We needed to find a way to control our powers before we hurt someone!"
"You already did." Orga growled as Rufus focused pointedly on his book, blocking out the entire conversation.
"Please, just hear us out." Sting begged.
"Go." Minerva ordered.
They went, they spoke of the dragon attack and the impended disaster if the Sabertooth wizards didn't come with them.
Minerva sniggered, "You expect us to believe that?" She asked.
"Seriously? Are you gonna wait until Shadowlogia is pounding the city into the ground? Innocents are at risk here!" Sting yelled.
Yukino looked on, her eyes expressing her emotions for her.
"Minerva, what can it hurt? If this is a false alarm we just come home, if this is the truth than we save the city from disaster." Yukino whispered to the territory mage, despite everything the two of them had become rather close friends and it was well known that Minerva was now fiercely protective of her.
Minerva scowled and crossed her arms, glaring at the ground before throwing an arm out to her side.
Swirling territory surrounded her hand and Sting and Rogue didn't even back down.
She glared at them, and they didn't even raised their arms to attempt to cast a spell in defense.
They aren't defending themselves, if Minerva were to attack all out right now she'd kill them!
Rufus thought in shock, of course, none could see this, he still peered out cooly from behind his theatrical mask.
Minerva narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh before reaching into her portal and drawing out her duffel bag, it was blue and navy to match her dress.
She slung it over her shoulder and gripped the strap while saying in a dangerous tone.
"Well? Let's get on with it. Sooner I see proof of this dragon sooner I stop wanting to kill you."
Sting raised his hands up to shoulder height and backed up slightly as Minerva stalked out of the hall, spun on her heel, put a hand on her hip, and raised her eyebrows at them.
"Let's get on with it."
Yukino stood and hurried out the door behind her, she had baggage stored in the celestial world and didn't need to pack.
Rufus stood and walked out behind them, Rogue felt the urge to say or do something, say hello, give a nod or tilt of the head in greeting.
When Rufus gave him a wide berth as he passed, performing a sudden quick step when he realized how close to Rogue he was coming and choosing to exit by moving around Sting, putting the white dragonslayer between himself and the shadow mage.
Rogue knew Rufus had every right to be afraid, twice now he'd nearly killed the blonde mage, he'd caused him unimaginable pain and he knew Rufus now had many scars on him bearing none but Rogue's name.
Rufus didn't show his fear, he didn't show anything, kept his head down into his book and didn't say a word, didn't give a single movement or sound of acknowledgement. If someone had been looking at Rufus and no other, they would have assumed Rufus was leaving alone, on his terms, with no companions whatsoever.
Orga followed crossing his arms.
"Where's Dobengali?" Sting asked.
"On a quest, no way we could catch up to him."
Sting considered it and Rogue spoke up for the first time since their arrival, hating the way he caught Rufus tensing ever so slightly when his deep, quite voice filled the air.
"It should work. He was the weakest member of the team and Shadowlogia wouldn't pursue him half way across the continent, it would come after you all, it wouldn't go so far out of it's way just for one." Rogue stated, sounding confident.
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
Sting glanced at Rogue, who reached into his cloak and produced the transport sphere's of Master Dracoya's creation, handing them out.
"Let's move."
In the clearing outside Draconem Heart's protective spell barrier
"Here we are!" Sting declared as Yukino wobbled around dizzily, she'd been disoriented by the flight.
Sting let out a (rather manly) yelp when she staggered into his chest.
"You ok?" He asked when she'd settled herself, leaning against him as he held her shoulders.
"Ahem, lovebirds? As much as we'd love to watch to two stutter and mumble until you end up making out, I kinda want to go!"
Orga said loudly, uncrossing his arms to brandish them to his sides.
Both of them blushed a brilliant scarlet.
"H-Hey!" They both shouted together.
Rogue had been smart and taken advantage of everyone looking the other way to bow and whisper the words necessary to allow them to cross the barrier, thankful no one had noticed it.
"We can go." Rogue said, again noticing how Rufus wouldn't meet his gaze or turn his back on him.
Accepting this, Rogue went first, leading the way up the cobbled path toward the castle.
"Welcome to Draconem Heart!" Sting exclaimed, flinging his arms out as the Sabertooth wizards stared up at the imposing castle.
"This is..." Yukino began in awe.
"...a castle, yes." Sting finished for her.
"Is..."
"The whole guild is the castle, all of the castle is the guild, not half, all, so no need to finish." Sting cut her off, seriously, what was so hard to believe about the guild being the whole castle?
Rufus was committing the beautiful place to memory, eyes wide behind his mask as he touched his fingers to the brim of his hat.
"Impressive." Was all Minerva would admit.
"Pretty nice digs, can see why you ditched an apartment in our sea side spot for this."
"Not for those reasons, Orga, we needed help with our magic, and this was the best place to come." Sting grumbled.
Orga laughed and slapped Sting on the shoulder hard enough to make the smaller man stumble.
"But our guild's still number one! Not your messed up fairy tale hide out in the woods!"
Sting ground his teeth in annoyance as he led the way up the cobbled walk and across the drawbridge, they stopped about halfway across the wooden entryway before Orga spoke yet again.
"This place had better had some good grub, I'm starved!"
Sting grinned slyly.
"Say, can you eat lightning?"
Orga scowled, "Idiot, you know I can't!"
"Oh, really? Why not give it another try?"
Sting moved suddenly, giving the irritating godslayer a shove on the shoulder and sending him tumbling into the electric moat.
"GEEEEEYYYAAA!"
The green haired man came hurtling back out, hair looking as though he'd gotten a quick trim from Cancer, bursting into a frizzy afro.
"Even though I'm not as badly effected by lightning mage, that was still harsh, man."
The dripping wet godslayer groaned as Sting cackled madly, pointing his finger at Orga.
"That was hilarious! Your hair is like two feet tall! Ha!"
Sting chuckled as his laughter subsided.
Rogue, not looking at all amused or even really concerned with any of what had just transpired, continued into the castle.
Rufus allowed his eyes and mind to absorb every last detail, memorizing the passages, the portraits on the wall, knowing very well this was the stronghold from which they would be, supposedly, but fighting a dragon.
"So, where's your...umm..." Yukino faltered with her question.
"Main area?" Sting tried.
"Yeah, that."
"We call it the Dragon's hangout. It's down this way."
Rogue was already ahead of the group, hoping the slip away within his guild mates, exit the hangout from the upstairs area, and make it to one of the tower sitting rooms, the perfect place to both watch for the dragon, wait on the mental prompt from another Draconem mage, and, most importantly, keep distance from the other Sabertooth mages.
They arrived and Rogue was grateful for the flood of members that instantly enveloped them, surrounded by them all, Rogue's dark side all but vanished, like smoke after the fire had been doused.
To his great surprise, Sting reached out and grabbed his wrist, tugging for the tiniest instant before releasing him again and sliding between his guild mates, away from the Sabers that were currently being welcomed, introduced, and pulled into the center of the hall.
Rogue, raising his eyebrows slightly in curiosity, but still eager to leave his former team and guild mates behind, chased after the white slayer as he led the way up the stairs and out the door located to the side of the bar.
"What's wrong?" Rogue asked as he took a few faster steps to catch up too his best friend.
Sting sighed and brushed a hand through his blonde locks.
"God, I don't really know. I thought it would be good to see them all, but...the way they were looking at me, at us, those offhanded comments from Orga about how 'he could see us leaving Sabertooth for a castle' it's like their trying to guilt us into coming home. Do they not understand we miss Sabertooth too? But even now we don't have our magic under control. We couldn't leave even if we did, it's just, safer for people like us to be in a place like this. I just wish they would support us more, we're supposed to be friends, right?"
Rogue listened to his what was leaving his happy-go-lucky partner so disturbed and sighed.
"I understand, Sting. You understand me. I guess we're gonna have to settle for that."
Sting let out a soft chuckle at the thought.
"Guess so, Rogue."
Sting crossed his arms and leaned back to stair up at the ceiling, allowing his eyes to wander along the mortar lines.
"I guess so."
Well, I gave you a bit of a bestie's moment between Sting and Rogue, there, hope you liked it! Please favorite, please follow, please review! Thanks!