Day…

I think it might be time to stop recording how many
days it has been since I lost everything. So, let's try
this again…

16th Dec

I think it's safe to say that I've gotten used to
living in this world. Well, I say that but I'm still not
used to the constant ticking going on in the
background of the city. I still dwell on things that
I should leave behind in that world. I don't think
that'll ever stop though, it's normal for people to
dwell on the events of their past.

Makarov came to the estate the other day while
I was busy building a place to make propellants.
The old man means well, but how he tried to handle
me kind of pissed me off, I've never liked being pitied.

I also met the rest of their guild later that night when
I had to help defend the city from a horde of undead.
Thankfully, it wasn't like the movies where those who
were bitten would turn into zombies themselves. It
was just the work of a small group of human
necromancers who had used magic to cause the
dead to rise from their graves.

I also have started to get to know Lucy, and she's
just as feisty as my one was. She brings back
memories both good and bad. But it's good to
be able to touch her again, to feel the warmth
and softness of her skin. I just need to be careful
not to overstep the bounds of our current
relationship.

I talked with Ceres once again before turning in
for the night and while I feel bad for constantly
sending her on errands, but she agreed to get these
beds for the succubus sisters and deliver them
by the morning. She seems to approve of my idea
to spoil these women a little and coax them into
working diligently at the business.

I think that's all for now, it's pretty early… my watch is
saying it's about 06:30, so I'm going to wrap this up
and do some callisthenics, maybe go for a run too.
Actually, I think Henrietta said something about
Ceres setting up a training room in my basement…
I might have to check that out first.

Natsu closed the book and rose from his bedroom desk, his gaze lingered on the book but he decided to leave it on the desk and got dressed with a pair of light shorts and a pair of running shoes. As he stepped out of his room, he came across a bleary-eyed Lelyanna wearing a thin silver chemise which stopped just above the middle of her thighs. "Morning, Anna."

"Hm? Oh, good morning." Lelyanna yawned as she looked up at the man and rubbed her eyes. "You're going to do some training…? But it's still dark outside."

"I'll be alright. Were you thirsty?"

"Yeah. I woke up with a dry mouth." The priestess moved away from her door and approached the man. She rested up against his chest and soaked up some of his warmth. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel up to training today, and I might not be able to do it for the next few days."

"That's okay." Natsu gently ran his hand through the woman's messy hair, softly combing it into her usual neat hairstyle. "But once it has passed, I want you to push yourself a little to make up for it. Not much, just about ten or twenty percent more."

"Alright. I can do that." Lelyanna gave the man a grateful smile and retreated into her room.

Natsu headed across to the other side of the third floor and lightly knocked on Natsumi's door. But it wasn't the salmon-haired dragon princess who answered the door, instead it was a blonde woman with only a pair of pale-yellow lacy garments covering her breasts and womanhood. They both looked at each other's body then met the other's gaze, coming to a silent agreement to not mention their state of dress. "I'm guessing Natsumi is still asleep?"

"Yeah." Lucy replied quietly. She stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her. "I just happened to be heading back to bed after using the restroom. The other girls are sleeping too." Lucy crossed her arms under her bust and rested against the wall beside the door. "I'm guessing you're doing an early morning workout?"

"Yeah, while my muscles won't atrophy as quickly as a normal person's, I still need to keep them in prime condition otherwise I could inadvertently damage my body."

"Wait for me." Lucy held up her index finger and quickly disappeared back into the bedroom. She returned a few moments later, having hastily gotten dressed into a pair of considerably short shorts and a pink singlet, while carrying a pair of comfortable looking ankle boots. "I'll join you. Natsumi's dealing with the tail end of her monthlies, and she suffers from bad cramps. So, I don't want to wake her since she's sleeping peacefully."

"Yeah, normally I train with Anna, but she just started her cycle." Natsu pointed over his shoulder and back down the way he had come. "She asked to be excused from training for the next few days."

"What about Henrietta?" Lucy asked. She began to hop on the spot as she tried to put her boots on while standing but she ended up resting her shoulder against Natsu's chest and using him for support. "Wait, does she even have periods?"

"I don't know. Her body is designed to replicate a human woman's but with some things that, let's say you, don't have. I don't think she's capable of reproduction but that doesn't mean that she can't have periods though…, I honestly don't have a clue. I only created the intelligence that pilots that body, not the body itself."

"So, where are we going?" Lucy asked while moving away from the man's bare chest and looking up at him with curious eyes. "I'm going to need warmer clothes if it's outside."

"Henrietta was telling me while I was getting ready to get into bed that Ceres had made a training room for me in one of my basement rooms. She must have done that while I was away on the last job since, before I left, I had completely rewired my basement with materials from my world." Natsu replied. Now that he wasn't being used as a crutch, he started heading down the central stairwell. "She probably got the idea while she was redoing my kitchen too."

"Oh, so that's why everything looks a little odd." Lucy looked around as she followed the man, seeing the manor in a new light. "I was wondering why the lights were strange, and a bunch of appliances too."

"Yeah, I replaced a lot of things in this manor with things from my world. Not everything, but a fair bit."

Lucy glanced at the crystal chandelier which hung down the centre of the stairwell and illuminated the second and third floor landings as well as the main hall below them on the first floor. Each crystal was emitting a pleasant glow which caused each faucet to sparkle in a what that was physically impossible, but she guessed there was some kind of futuristic science behind it since she couldn't see any power cabling. "It sounds a little odd saying this, but it's kind of like magic."

"Science that you can't comprehend can seem like magic. What if I told you I know of a way to wirelessly transmit power from one thing to another?"

"Wait, really?" Lucy exclaimed. Her gaze snapped back to the man; eyes wide with shock.

"Yep." Natsu chuckled lightly. "Say, I don't normally eat before a morning workout since it helps me work up an appetite, but would you like something light to eat?"

"Yes please!" At the mention of food, Lucy's stomach grumbled lightly. She became slightly flustered because she knew for certain that he would've heard it. "Please ignore that."

"This might not sound overly comforting, but I tend to tune out all the natural sounds that people's bodies make. I hear a lot of things that people usually don't want to be heard."

"Ok, I think I'm going to ignore that and not think about it."

"That's probably for the best."

As they reached the reached the first floor, Natsu headed off to the kitchen and pointed at the stools on the dining room side of the bench. "Is there anything in particular you'd like me to make?"

"Hm…" Lucy glanced around the man's amazing kitchen as she sat down where he had directed her to sit. After nearly a minute of humming and hawing she focused on the man himself and gave him a slightly apologetic smile. "Could you surprise me, please?"

"Oh? Alright…" Natsu stared at the ceiling with a thoughtful look on his face for a few moments before heading to his fridge. "I'll make you something that my Lucy loved, I'm not sure if you'll be the same, or if you've had this before… But I hope it'll be good."

"Ooo~ What is it?" Lucy leaned in, resting her head on her arms which laid flat on the cool bench.

"A mixed berry yoghurt parfait." Natsu threw a small smile over his shoulder as he gathered the ingredients from the fridge. "Just to be a bit of a tease, I'm going to make it in front of you."

"I've had a normal parfait before, but not a yoghurt one…"

"These don't need to be frozen, so they're quick and easy to make. Which makes it great for breakfast." Natsu placed three small containers down in front of the woman, a jar of strained yoghurt, and a cluster of various berries which included strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and more. He grinned at the curious woman and headed for his pantry, returning moments later with a knife, chopping board, a mason jar, and some bottles of natural flavour extract. He portioned out some of the yoghurt into the three containers then put the jar away.

"Is this how you used to make it?"

"Yeah." Natsu chuckled softly and mixed a different fruit-based flavour into each tub of yoghurt then began to cut up the berries. Once he was done, he began to carefully layer the yoghurt and berries in the mason jar to make three distinctive layers with berry barriers between them, and he topped it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg before sliding the jar across the bench to Lucy and handing her a parfait spoon. "Let me know what you think of it."

Lucy tentatively scooped up some of the berries and yoghurt topped with the spices and slipped the loaded spoon into her mouth. She instantly let out a muted delighted squeal and rested her hand on her cheek.

"Sounds like you like it?" Natsu rested his arms on the bench and leaned in with a gentle grin. But he cocked an eyebrow when the blonde shook her head vigorously. He waited patiently for her answer as she swallowed audibly and gave him a brilliant smile.

"I don't like it, I love it!" Lucy cried out happily. She brought another spoonful of yoghurt parfait to her lips but stopped before it passed them. "Could I have the recipe, please?"

The corners of Natsu's lips tugged up into a gentle, relieved smile and he brought out a notepad and pen from his Requip dimension. He quickly wrote down the recipe and handed it to the woman. "You might want to memorise that just in case the paper gets damaged somehow. Oh, and for the extracts, I'll have to show you how to make them. But until then, I can provide them for you. In essence, it's like brewing tea."

"Can you give me a quick rundown for it?" Lucy asked while her eyes darted from left to right as she read the list that he had given her and did her best to commit it to her memory, all the while spooning her tasty breakfast into her mouth.

"You need some forty-percent alcohol, vodka works the best but you can also use whiskey for an added twist. You put that into glass jars, either clear or amber work, and you put what you want to extract the flavour from into that then seal them shut. After six-ish weeks, the flavour is extracted from the ingredients and you can strain out the ingredients by pouring the flavour-infused alcohol into a clean jar through a mesh strainer."

"Wait, is this alcoholic?" Lucy asked curiously, pointing to the jar with the tip of her spoon. "It's still okay if it is."

"Very slightly. You don't need to add much of the extract to the yoghurt to impart the flavour. And if you are using it in baking or something, you'll cook the alcohol out of it anyway. It won't take long for your body to process it." Natsu grabbed a shaker bottle and started to mix up a protein shake to give his body the necessary materials to recover from his imminent workout. By the time he had finished the shake and taken a few other supplements, Lucy had finished her breakfast and was taking everything over to the sink. "You don't have to clean up, I can do that."

"You treated me to some breakfast that you made yourself, it's only natural that I help out with cleaning up." Lucy smiled warmly over her shoulder. "You don't mind?"

"Alright, go ahead." Natsu conceded with a gentle chuckle. He leaned back against the edge of the bench and watched the beautiful woman work, the soft melody that she hummed caused goosebumps to rise on his skin. He had been in this situation many times before, but no matter how much his heart yearned for this woman, he couldn't pursue her just yet. They'd need to spend more time together before he could deepen their relationship.

"I wonder what's going on in your mind…?" Lucy asked in a gentle, melodic voice. She glanced over her shoulder and tilted her head slightly, watching the man watch her. "I remind you of her, right?"

"Yeah…" Admitted Natsu, murmuring softly while he raised his eyes to meet the woman's gaze. "It's impossible for you to not remind me of her. Don't worry about it though, it's both painful and blissful; bittersweet. Just keep being you, don't ever change."

Lucy closed her eyes and gave the man a large smile before turning her attention back to the dishes. "I've been through a lot already and I haven't changed yet."

"It's true, that it took you a lot to finally begin to change. Losing your friends… her friends, caused my wife to slowly change. Cherish those around you, Lucy, and pray your heart out that nothing takes them away."

"I do that normally." Lucy replied softly. She placed the last of the dishes on the drying rack and dried her hands on a nearby tea towel. Once she was satisfied, she turned to the man with a gentle smile and approached him, cupping her cheeks with both her hands and making sure he was looking into her eyes. "You don't have to worry about me, Natsu. I have a strong team watching over me, and Fairy Tail itself is strong too. It may be a dangerous job, hunting monsters and rogue beings, but I'm sure that what you had to deal with was at least a thousand times more dangerous than anything in this world can throw at us."

"Yes, but the difference is that I've lived through all that and have been tempered by the flames of war. I can walk through hell itself without batting an eye."

"Yes true," Lucy giggled gently. She flicked the tip of the man's nose and stepped back with a small but warm smile. "I saw that during the raid."

"I've been meaning to ask; are those things common here?" Natsu habitually followed the woman, keeping the distance between them short until he stopped himself and moved aside, heading for the main hall once again.

"Hm~? What's on your mind, Natsu~?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't try teasing someone who was married to another version of yourself. Someone who knows your weaknesses, Lucy." Natsu smirked over his shoulder, which turned into a grin when the blonde's face became red.

"You win, this time…" Lucy gave a defeated sigh and hurried after the man. "Yeah. I wouldn't call them frequent, but they do commonly occur."

"How bad was the one we had to deal with?"

"On a scale of one to ten; I'd give it about a seven. But that's due to it being a horde of undead."

"Hostiles that don't fear death or feel any pain at all can be quite fear inducing." Natsu agreed, nodding lightly. He led the way down into the basement and checked the rooms he knew weren't currently being used by him.

"So, what is down here, exactly?" Lucy asked curiously. She was tempted to check the room he wasn't looking into but since it wasn't good manners, she decided against it.

"The one closest to the stairs we came down is the Automaton Hub, where Henrietta's mind and that of the guards resides. Henrietta's partition is the same as the mind in the infiltration unit, but the standard droids you see around us can't leave the estate."

"Unlike the unit specifically assigned to be your personal maid?"

"She asked for that position as it best serves her purpose, but yes." Natsu came to a stop and turned to face Lucy. He brought up his hand and knocked on the door to his right. "In here, is my ammunition and parts storage, basically a little workshop where I can fully service my weapons. On my immediate left are the machines needed to create ammo for my weapons."

"You can't use ammo that exists here?"

"No. The materials used to create the bullets themselves isn't the same, it's not normal lead but an alloy of lead that was artificially created. It's even denser than lead, which of course makes the bullets themselves heavier, so I need a specific type of propellant to push that weight through the barrels and bring them up to either just below or above the speed of sound."

"Wait, what's the difference in speed do?" Lucy tilted her head curiously.

"So, you know the tell-tale crack of a bullet racing by?" Natsu asked slowly, getting a nod from the woman. "That's due to the bullet passing through the sound barrier, which sits at roughly 1,235 kilometres per hour, or 343 metres per second, depending on the ambient temperature. Those figures are at a twenty-degree Celsius level. So knowing that, the MG80 I had out during the raid, that machine gun that was very loud? That fired bullets that breached that sound barrier. Henrietta's rifle does the same as it fires the same ammo."

"Alright. What about the ones that go below it?"

"Did you notice the weapon that Lelyanna was using?" Natsu waited for the woman's response, which came in the form of another nod. "That fires subsonic ammunition, like the pistols we all carry. So, when fired with those cans attached to the ends of the guns, the sound signature is significantly reduced."

"Oh, like when you executed those necromancers. The loudest sound was the gun itself clicking when it was doing whatever it was doing."

"Unloading the spent casing and loading a fresh round into the chamber. All my weapons are self-loading, well, firearms-wise. All I need to do is make sure there is ammo in the magazines or belts that I put into them."

"Oh! That reminds me, Alzack and Bisca Connell want you talk to you about guns."

"Unfortunately, I don't have any I can spare. And I honestly don't want to give anyone who isn't directly affiliated with me access to my weaponry." Natsu replied firmly, narrowing his eyes and the bubbly blonde. "If you could tell them to wait a little bit, I'm working on a middle ground. Weapons more advanced than what is currently on the market, but still not like my own."

"Ok, I'll tell them that." Lucy nodded quickly, her smile not fading. "So, what else is down here?"

"The maintenance bay for Henrietta's biosynthetic body; a space for machining parts for said weapons, that's still a work in progress though; and apparently now I have a personal gym down here." Natsu checked a few more doors before coming to a stop, "Ah, here it is," and heading inside. The room was filled with very familiar equipment, from a weight rack, benches, different strength training machines, but most notably…

"Why is there a man-sized hamster wheel?!" Lucy shouted in shock. Pointing to the comically large wheel sat in the corner of the room.

"It's a Mag-Lev Treadwheel designed for aerobic exercise. The central hub provided resistance to the user so it feels like they're running on a normal surface." Natsu explained as he approached the support pillar and ran his hand down it. "This is all equipment from the All Under Heaven, the ship I had deployed from at the end of the war. I'm surprised that it's all in good condition; she had a rough landing."

"So, these things are designed for use by someone like you?" Lucy asked as she slowly walked around the room, looking at the various exercise machines and equipment. She noticed that some of the weights didn't have a specific kilogram on them, but instead had some runic writing engraved into them.

"A mixture." Natsu came over to the woman and lifted the dumbbell she was looking at with ease. He tapped the side of the weight and a magical hologram was projected around his fist, displaying the current weight, 1kg, along with a plus and minus and a small number pad. "You can set the weight of these special weights and the magic runes will draw on your magic to adjust the weight to your desired amount. If, for whatever reason, this dumbbell was to leave my hand, it would instantly revert to a one-kilo weight." To prove the fact, he set the weight to 1000kg and extended out his arm fully then released the weight; the hologram vanished and the weight collided with the padded concrete with a soft thud. "Try and pick it up."

Lucy bent down and grabbed the discarded weight. Without any doubtful hesitation, she lifted it with ease and placed it back on the rack. "Wow, that's pretty cool."

"The 'Hamster Wheel' as you so elegantly put it, is another piece of equipment like that." Natsu led the woman over to the large wheel and directed her to hop onto the neighbouring treadmill. "Similar to this treadmill, you walk or run on it. But where you set you speed on this treadmill and match it by walking or running, that wheel adapts to you. And because of the Magnetic Levitation mechanism, I can run at my top speed on it, which would break this treadmill you are standing on."

With the presses of a few buttons, Lucy was set off on the treadmill at a gentle jog. She was conscious of the man's gaze on her body but she didn't pick up any lust, he was observing her form. "So?"

"I think you need proper running shoes to train in. Even if your boots have shock absorbing soles in them, the angle those heels put your feet at could cause you to twist your ankle if you're not careful. And if that happens during battle, you not only put yourself in danger, but your squad too as they have to cover you while your medic takes care of your injuries."

Lucy blinked at the Natsu's stiff tone; it wasn't condescending but it still felt like he was talking from a position of power above her. "Is that your military background talking?"

"I wasn't just a Commander, who led a team of special operations soldiers. I was also a trainer when I wasn't on a mission. I taught people how to use Requip while also overseeing the Physical Training of other Shock Troopers. So, assessing their physical capabilities is something I do automatically." Natsu turned away from the blonde beauty and stepped into the wheel. It automatically came online and holographic windows lit up in front of him; projected from the two support pillars to his sides. They displayed his speed and distance in kilometres, and energy output. "If you want to use this room for exercise, and want me to be a personal trainer for you, then both are okay with me. And that offer is extended to your team too."

"I'll give it some thought. Though, it would definitely be useful having a place like this at our disposal." Lucy slowed her machine down to a brisk walk and watched the man as he fiddled with the holographic panels. Soon, the wheel's axle began to levitate off the two support pillars and the man tested it by walking forwards and then backwards. "Wow, it's very responsive."

"Heh, watch this." Natsu flashed a cheeky grin at the woman then came to a stop. He took a deep breath of fresh air and leaned forward. In an instant, the speedometer on the hologram went from zero into the tens. In a few heartbeats, it hit 45 km/h which was the upper limit of what a human male could naturally hit, but it didn't stop climbing. In just a fraction under a second, it cracked 100 km/h. The wheel was letting out a gentle whir that somehow stayed fairly quiet even though the wheel was spinning incredibly fast.

"Woah…" Lucy's eyes widened at the speed the man was running at. The only person she could remember who could match this feat was Jet, but he needed magic whereas this man seemed to be using just raw physical power. And the man continued to push faster, far outstripping Jet's top speed. He was sustaining a sprint of roughly 200 km/h with room to push faster judging by the grin he was wearing. His arms and legs had become a blur and she wondered how the hell was his body holding it together at those speeds.

"This is my highest sustainable speed." Natsu grunted between rapid breaths, he kept a mental eye on the imaginary stamina gauge in his mind; it was slowly depleting, but he'd be covering great distances if he wasn't stuck spinning an oversized hamster wheel. "I can crack two-fifty but that's unsustainable. I can go even further when I prime my body with magic, and that includes accelerating faster. Maintaining these speeds chews threw my energy though, so I only go above a hundred in short bursts." He slowed down his speed to 100 hm/h and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh oxygen. "Speeds like that aren't really great in combat unless you're closing distances between you and a hostile. But, Force equals Mass times Acceleration, so the faster I move, the harder I can hit. And if I use a modified Fire Dragon's Iron Fist spell, I can dump all that force into a target instead of over-penetrating them."

"I don't want to know what happens when you use that…"

"Pink mist."

"I said I didn't need to know that!" Lucy shot back at the man and pouted, but by the gentle grin the man was giving her, she knew he just found her expression cute. "You're impossible to deal with sometimes…"

"You're not the first person called Lucy to tell me that." Natsu laughed heartily and slowed down to a stop. He stepped off the machine and headed for the weights. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually, probably."

Natsu leaned against the railing of a tram as it moved through the city. He was watching the streets pass by from the very back of the vehicle, accompanied by Lelyanna, who was in her priestess outfit, and Henrietta, who was openly carrying her battle rifle on her back and had a brand-new black ushanka hat on her head that was lined with snow-white fur and had the flaps tied together at the top.

The three succubus sisters he brought to Magnolia from Edelweiss had finally been rehomed and were settling into their new life. It will still take a little time to get the business up and running, but they were out of his hair now. And with the free time on his hands, he decided it was time to follow Lucy's advice and make his way to her guild. He was still uncertain on just how welcoming they'll be, and if all he would see was a pity-fest. But he trusted his wife's judgement, and saw no reason why he couldn't trust this Lucy's judgement too.

"You know, not many people are looking at Henrietta's rifle, and at most, it's just a glance." Lelyanna mused while shooting a glance past the man and to the android woman standing on the other side of him.

"More people seem to be interested in my appearance instead of my weapons…" Henrietta replied, turning her head to meet the woman's gaze with a quizzical look.

"You a really beautiful woman. And even though you're normally pretty bubbly, you have a coldness to your expression when you're outside the manor. I'm guessing you get that from Natsu. For someone who specialises in fire, your cold calculating gaze could freeze anyone in their tracks." The priestess giggled playfully. Her eyes flicked down to the man himself but she quickly returned them to the android. "I'm sure a lot of people would find that specific quality very attractive."

"At home, I can have my guard down completely. But out here, I don't know what to expect."

"She was bubbly and curious when I first took her out with me, but once she got used to things, she became like this." Natsu informed the priestess with a small wry smile. "I can see why you say she's like me in that regard. I find this place too peaceful, so I make sure to stay alert and completely aware of my surroundings outside the manor. I guess she's decided to do the same, considering she's built for combat."

"See, Master understands." Henrietta hid her quiet giggle behind a fist and gave the woman a casual smile. Her icy, silver-grey eyes drifted across snowy city, watching the world go by with a very faint curiosity still present in them. "If the maps I studied are correct, we should be nearing the guild."

"How many have you committed to memory?" Natsu asked, lifting his head curiously at the news. Though, it wasn't completely unexpected that she would do something like this.

"All of the most current maps of Fiore as well as detailed city maps. I should be able to assist with navigation with ease, Master." The android turned to the man and slipped her cold hands into her coat pockets. "If we had access to maps created from satellite imagery, then I'd have greater accuracy, but sadly…"

"Wow, it's almost like she came here with you, Natsu." Lelyanna smirked playfully at the man. "Though, I guess she kind of did. Considering the origin of her body and mind."

"Don't worry about that Henrietta. When times are tough, we work with what's available. We may now lack certain tools that we had back there, but we didn't always have access to those things either. We just have to get by without it, like those who had come before us."

The tram came to a stop out the front of a large, historical-looking building with a large sign at the front saying FAIRY TAIL. Natsu led the way off the tram and stood at the beginning of the wide ornate brick path that led up to the large wooden front doors that sat opened just enough to fit two people through side-by-side, or one exceptionally broad man.

"I'M FUCKING MANLY! MANLY PUNCH!"

"And there's Elfman… the manliest man of Fairy Tail." Natsu murmured with a faint grin. "Good to know we've found the right place."

"I don't think anyone could miss that sign… Well, maybe if they're blind, but they'd understand from the raw atmosphere this place has." Lelyanna's eyes were glued to the large sign set above the doors but they dropped to the doors when a loud crash and more shouts echoed out through them. "I think they're fighting again."

"Natsumi and Lucy have both said it is fairly common. Just try not to get caught in the crossfire." Natsu took a breath and collected himself then pushed forward, approaching the doors at a steady pace.

The instant they slipped through the partially open doors, they were hit with deluge of heat and noise which caused Natsu's ears to ring. A circle had formed around the sunken floor in the centre of the hall where the tables had been pushed out of the way by staff members so they wouldn't be destroyed by the cluster of fighters duking it out right in the middle of the building. The occasional body was launched out of the circle and came skidding along the polished oak floor or went careening straight through a pillar or wall, but before any lasting damage could occur, the wood was repaired by the resident bespectacled wood-make mage.

"I don't know what I was expecting, but they are a rowdy bunch…" Henrietta murmured, her narrowed eyes sweeping across the whole floor. "I hope they pay that woman well for her services."

"They probably do, considering she doesn't seem to mind too much." Natsu replied softly. He skirted around the edge of the hall and over to the bar where he saw Makarov sitting with a tankard of beer in his hand. Even though he was a small old man, he seemed to have no issue lifting the drink to his mouth with just a single hand. Even though Natsu's heels clicked against the hardwood floor and the buckles on his coat and harness jingled softly, the old man didn't notice their approached until they were right at the bar.

"Oh, Natsu, my boy." Makarov's attention snapped to the man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "You almost gave me a heart attack." He sat his tankard down on the bar beside him and held out his hand for a shake. "Welcome to our Guild Hall."

Natsu took the man's hand in a firm yet careful handshake. He let out a gentle sigh and gave the man a faint smile, he opened his mouth to speak but the sudden flash of blonde beside him drew his attention.

"Took you long enough to turn up." Lucy flashed the man a beautiful smile, standing beside him with her fingers intertwined behind her back. "You've sorted out that stuff?"

"Those women have settled into their new home, and I'm just waiting on a few things before I can progress to the next stage for my other venture. So, I have some time free."

"Ah, I see what happened." Makarov gave the man a broad smile. "So, you're here to join?"

"Yes." Natsu gave the man a quick nod and waved Lelyanna and Henrietta forwards so they could take a seat at the bar first.

"We'll be joining too." Lelyanna added while lowering her hood. "But… while I'm registered as a supporter and part of Natsu's group. We haven't gotten that far for Henrietta."

"That's okay, we can sort that out on our end." Makarov turned to the archbishop and the maid before glancing over to a white-haired woman stood nearby who was tending to the bar. "Mira, could you fetch the stamp from my office?"

"Just let me finish serving Levy, Master." Mira called out to the man. She quickly glanced down along the bar as she poured Levy's cider into a glass and handed it to her.

The woman was in a quirky outfit that accented her beautifully endowed figure. It was a red double-breasted tailcoat fashioned into a strapless dress which cupped her breasts snuggly, and a black skirt that was hemmed higher on the left side to show off her white Fairy Tail stamp that sat high on her left thigh. She wore black knee-high heeled boots with white shin guards and plenty of buckles, along with a mesh stocking on her right leg and a black-and-white-striped stocking on the left, which were matched on opposing sides by her sleeves. On her hands were a pair of black leather fingerless gloves, and she wore a large and ornate black lace choker around her neck.

Natsu found it hard to take his eyes off the seductive sway of the woman's hips as she moved out from behind the bar and hurried up to the second floor. "I guess the civies were right about Jaegers having a strange taste in fashion…"

"I mean, I did tell you that Mira loves to dress up in outlandish costumes." Lucy giggled at the man's slack jaw and she playfully placed the tip of her index finger to his chin and pushed it back up. "Don't stare too much, she's a bigger tease than Natsumi."

"Ah, so that's where she got that from…"

"Have you three decided where you'd like your stamps and what colour they'll be?" Makarov asked calmly, but he too had to tear his eyes away from the barmaid's attractive body.

Natsu pondered the question for a few moments before replying, "I'll probably go for a dark red, like a dark rosewood, at the top of my right arm."

"I'll have an ivory white one, but I don't think it's a good idea for it to be somewhere visible." Lelyanna tapped her chin softly, carefully considering her options. "I'll have mine just under my left breast and a little to the side. I'll have to borrow Miss Strauss and take her to a private room though."

"I understand." Makarov nodded kindly, restraining his wandering mind out of respect for the woman's position. "And what about you, young lady?" He asked, addressing the maid dressed in black and white.

"Ash grey, same as my hair. And I'd like for it to be in the same position as that woman's; Miss Strauss?"

"I'll let her handle things then." Makarov offered the trio a smile and downed the last of his beer. "I know you're an android, Henrietta, but do you happen to have a surname?"

"No, Mister Dreyar. Master only gave me the name Henrietta." The woman replied with a small but carefree smile. "I don't require anything more than that."

"I think it would be a good idea giving her one." Lelyanna chimed in, looking up at the pinkette then turning to the beautiful ashen-haired android. "Since she's developed this cold persona, how about we use Frost as her last name?"

"Depends on if this is going to be her default persona outside of the manor." Natsu looked at the woman with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, it will be my default when dealing with things outside the Henrietta Network." The android nodded quickly and placed a hand to her chest. "I think a surname is suitable for this specific unit due to my specialisation, so please, call me Henrietta Frost."

"Alright, Miss Frost." Makarov gave the android a warm smile and waved for her to stand. He turned to look down the bar once more, watching Mirajane approach them with a small wooden box in her hands. "Mira, I'll let you handle this. I'll sort out the paperwork and bring it down."

As Mira placed the box down onto the bar, Makarov hopped down and headed over to the stairs. Mira took the stamp from the box and held it casually aloft in her right hand with a warm smile on her face, though, it had a strangely sensual undertone thanks to her playful sapphire eyes. "So, who am I doing first?"

"Henrietta can go first, since she wants hers on her thigh. I've got to take my shirt off for mine, and Anna wants a little privacy for hers."

"The same colour as my hair, please; ash grey." Henrietta relayed her choice to the barmaid while lifting the hem of her dress up her left thigh. "Same position as yours."

Mira gave the woman a bright smile and brought the stamp down to her leg. With a little bit of her magic, the colour was changed to the android's preference and Mira stamped the guild's marker on the exposed thigh. "Welcome to the guild, Henrietta."

"Thank you."

"Guess I'm up." Natsu murmured. He was surprised at how quick the process had been, it was unexpected. He slipped off the harness for his swords and rested them against the front of the bar, then slipped off his coat and hung it from the hilt of his Kriegs Messer 'Freki'. With deft fingers, he quickly unbuttoned his waistcoat and dress shirt and deposited both neatly on top of the bar, leaving the man's scarred torso bared to the guild.

"Oh my…" Mira murmured, eying the man with a mixture of playful leering with a smattering sadness. "How do you want me… to do it?"

"Top of the right arm, in a dark red. Something like a deep rosewood red." Natsu replied, turning his right side to the woman.

Mira cocked her hips and placed her left forefinger to the corner of her lips while sticking her tongue out the other corner, taking a surprisingly cute pose as she thought about the colour. She grabbed a nearby paper napkin and stamped it. "Something like this?"

"Go a tad bit darker and that'll be good."

"Okay." Mira smiled and adjusted the stamp's colour once more before stamping another napkin. Once she got a nod from the man, she gently grasped his arm by the elbow and pressed the stamp to his skin. "Oh my, you're warmer than she is." Once she was done, she stepped back with a warm, gentle smile. "Welcome home, Natsu."

"Ah…, thanks." Natsu murmured. He shifted his gaze away from the woman and began to put his clothes back on. "You're up, Anna."

"Let's go somewhere a little more private." Lelyanna suggested gently as she rose from the barstool and faced Mira.

"The infirmary should be empty right now." Mira replied with a brief glance over to the ongoing fight. She was doing a quick headcount to see if anyone had been injured badly enough to warrant time in the sickbay. "Yeah, let's head there, Your Grace."

"Lelyanna is fine." The priestess automatically replied. She followed the barmaid out through a nearby door without a glance back.

Natsu slipped his arms through his harness and hoisted the swords onto his back with a quick flick of his shoulders. He glanced at the blonde who hadn't left his side then turned to the mock pit-fight. "I'm surprised they haven't noticed me yet."

"When we first met you, you had a very imposing presence. But right now, you aren't giving off that kind of feeling, so you're probably passing by right under people's noses." Lucy smiled and turned to face the fight; she quickly spotted her best friend among the tangled mess of bodies by the flashes of her salmon-pink hair. "How did it feel… to be welcomed home so warmly?"

"Odd…" Natsu sighed softly, his shoulders slumping as he slid his hands into his coat pockets. But a small smile spread across his lips. "Odd but good, surprisingly."

"Welcome home, Natsu." Lucy whispered gently, smiling out towards the pit.

"Stop Trying To Stick Your Rusty Rod In Me You Damn Metal Head!"

Natsumi was spat out from the fight, pushed through the air by a thick iron rod driving into her stomach. She wrapped her hands around the rod and pulled her body up and over, her back arching and showing off her impressive flexibility as her boots landed atop the rod before she had even let it go. Her upper body whipped around and she began to sprint along the pole towards its origin. But when the surface she was running along came to a sudden, lurching stop, she stumbled and looked over her shoulder as Gajeel shouted.

"What The Hell?"

"Oh, hey Natsu! Wanna make this a threesome?" Natsumi called out playfully to the man who had caught the iron rod in his left hand without budging a millimetre from his spot. She felt the rod begin to shrink underneath her but Natsu still hadn't moved from his spot, so she turned to look towards the fight and saw Gajeel skidding along the wooden floor while yanking on his arm to free it from the other man's grip. "Aw come on, Gajeel. Don't you like having your rod squeezed a little?"

Since he was in a good mood, Natsu decided to play along with the woman's antics. "Don't tell me you enjoy getting pinned between two guys, Natsumi?"

"I'm usually a one-on-one kinda gal, but I do make exceptions for powerful men." Natsumi giggled, her naturally sensual husky voice sounding as delectable as honey to ears of every man around her, and she knew it. "I know~, how about you two fight; winner gets to tussle with little ol' me."

"Well, good to know she's feeling better." Natsu muttered to Lucy who was holding a hand over her face. He let go of Gajeel's iron pole which caused the man to tumble backwards and the pole coming from his arm to shoot upwards.

Natsumi stumbled once more then took off sprinting up the pole, reaching the tip as it hit vertical and leaping gracefully from it. She summoned her fiery wings and soared across the hall to land in front of the salmon-haired man. "So, did I hear correctly; you've joined our rowdy family?"

"Yeah, the three of us are part of Fairy Tail now." Natsu glanced over his shoulder at Henrietta who had been watching from the stool at the bar. "Anna's gone to…" He tilted his head slightly as he sensed the woman coming back their way. "She's just finished and is coming back. She wanted to have her mark in a place that's not visible to those who she doesn't trust."

"Don't tell me she got it on her crotch." Natsumi smirked playfully.

"No, under the left breast." Natsu's eyes drifted to a brunette sitting at the other end of the bar. "Like Cana's over there, but higher up. She wanted it just underneath the breast and to the side."

The woman in question returned shortly after the man finished speaking. She was talking quietly with Mira but they parted ways as Mira placed the stamp back in the box and took it back to Makarov's office.

"Okay, I've been stamped." Lelyanna announced softly to her friends, smiling warmly at the group as she came to a stop beside Henrietta. "We're only waiting on Makarov, right?"

"I'm right here." The old man called out kindly as he hopped up onto the top of the bench and laid out three forms; two were identical while the last was a little more complex and was placed down in front of Henrietta. "Natsu, Lady Lelyanna, this form is just so the Association knows that you are no longer freelancers and now fall under our banner. Miss Frost, this is the form you'll need to fill out to be a supporter, her Grace would've had to fill out an identical form prior to her first mission with Natsu. If you need a hand filling it out, I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you. Can I borrow a pen?" Henrietta politely asked the man, who gave her a smile and took one from his pocket.

"Here you go, young lady."

Natsu deftly spun his fountain pen around his fingers as he scrolled through the form. It was fairly straightforward and was exactly as the old man had said; just a form that was signed off by the people in question to notify of a status change. He filled out the form and signed it at the bottom with both his professional and private names. Lelyanna had finished just before he did and was handing her form back to Makarov.

"Master?" Henrietta murmured lightly.

The only thing that stopped Makarov from automatically replying was that the android woman turned to look up at the nearby pinkette with questioning eyes.

"Yes, Henrietta?"

"Could we buy some warm gloves? My hands were cold outside and I fear that it'll impact my abilities with my rifle."

"Alright. I can get you some woollen half-finger gloves. They should keep your hands warm enough while also freeing up your fingertips so you can feel all that you need to. I probably should've thought of that when I got you that ushanka."

"Thank you, Master." Henrietta smile warmly at her master and returned her attention to the form. Once she was finished, she handed the form over to Makarov and rose from her seat. "What do we do now?"

"Just make yourselves at home." Makarov suggested with a gentle grin. He collected up the forms and hopped off the bar. "Get to know people. Oh, Miss Frost, Alzack and Bisca will probably seek you out since you're carrying that rifle around on your back. I know they've been curious about Natsu's firearms ever since that night."

Natsu sighed softly and ran his right hand through his hair. He glanced at his maid then across the hall to where he could sense the married couple playing with their little girl. "We can't really avoid the conversation if they spot us and approach us. So, we might as well take the initiative and go deal with it first."

"Alright, if you three go and wait upstairs, I'll bring them to you." Natsumi offered, slowly rising up off the ground.

"Sounds good to me."

"I'm going to head back to my table." Lucy informed the group. She gave them a small wave and a gentle smile before hurrying back to the table she had been sitting at before she noticed their arrival.

Natsu's gaze lingered on the retreating woman's back until she disappeared into the crowd, and he let out a gentle sigh. "Let's go find a table upstairs."

"You know, my life definitely doesn't lack for any excitement ever since you were dropped into my lap." Lelyanna let out a small chuckle and led the way over to the stairs and up onto the second-floor landing. There seemed to be very few people upstairs right now, though they'd probably all be down among the pit-fight. But thanks to that, there were plenty of empty tables. Lelyanna took a seat at the table closest to the stairs and stretched out across the tabletop. "The air in this place is full of energy, it's making my skin tingle a little."

"Yes, I'm a little on edge too…" Henrietta murmured as she glanced at her master but was motioned to sit down first. Once she was seated, Natsu sat next to her and glanced around the building. "I thought I'd be able to let my guard down here. But it seems that may take a little bit, especially if fights like those are commonplace."

"Well, once you settle down, you should let them see the bubblier side of you, Henrietta." Natsu glanced at the maid and gave her a gentle smile. "Though, considering you were like this during the raid, they may think this is the normal you."

"I don't mind if they think that…" Henrietta looked down at her hands then to her master. "I mean, like you, I have two faces. I just so happen to be in 'combat mode' outside of the place that was the only world I knew up until recently."

"Alright, that's fair." Natsu chuckled softly. Before they could continue with the conversation, Natsumi sat down on the bench next to him backwards and leaned back over the top of the table with her arms behind her head, which only made her breasts even more pronounced.

"They'll be up in a sec, just grabbing a drink for Asuka, their daughter."

"I'm surprised you decided to come up here instead of going to your friends." Lelyanna said, rising up from the table and looking down into the woman's vibrant green eyes.

"Who says I'm not hanging out with my friends?" Natsumi grinned widely. "Besides, at this guild, I'm the best go between for everyone when it comes to Natsu. Sure, some would be gutsy enough to talk to him straight up, but after the show he put on, a lot of people are a little frightened of him. Especially since you use your powers differently than I do, in a more brutal fashion. Like that sticky fire that acts like a liquid."

"Napalm."

"Yes, that." The dragon princess pointed to the man then slipped her arm back under her head. "You had quite the fearsome aura and your actions only compounded that. You made quite the shocking entrance into their lives."

"I was watching from the rooftop for a little bit, debating on whether I should step in. But when it looked like you lot were being overrun, I decided to abandon the notion of hiding what I can do and what I have. I needed to step in before the worst could happen."

"It's a good thing you stepped in when you did." Bisca said, announcing the arrival of the Connell family. The guild's sniper had her daughter sat on her left arm and was holding hands with Alzack with her other. "It's as you said; we were beginning to get pushed back. It's not easy being gunslingers when it's faster to use swords. You run the risk of being overwhelmed when you reload or are cycling the bolt."

"Mama, why does that man look like Natsumi?" Asuka asked while energetically pointing to Natsu. "His eyes are scary."

"Heh." Natsu closed his eyes and shook his head lightly.

"Asuka, don't say that." Bisca lightly reprimanded her daughter before giving the man an apologetic smile. "It's a bit difficult to talk about your circumstances with her, sorry."

"Don't be, it's fine." Natsu returned her smile with a sombre one of his own. "I'm glad that you two had the chance to start a family here… mine weren't so lucky. But, at least they had each other when they went…"

"Here, come sit down." Lelyanna offered the family a spot on her bench and she shifted a little further towards the end to give them enough room.

"Thank you." Alzack bowed his head to the archbishop and took a seat beside her with his wife on his other side and their child on her lap. "So, Natsu…"

"Should we cut to the chase, or would you like to ask me a few things?" Natsu picked up where the man had begun to stumble on his words. "I'm happy to answer whatever questions you may have, but I will censor things for her." He gave a brief nod to the young girl on Bisca's lap while keeping his eyes on the two adults. "It's better that way…"

"Um… how did we go?" Bisca asked softly.

"Heroically." Natsu replied quietly, lowering his eyes to the wooden table. "You two held your position and covered the retreat of civilians from an active combat zone. But in the end, you two were overrun, yet you two fought back-to-back to the bitter end. When we found you, you two were on the ground with your backs together, with a long trail of dead hostiles along your path of retreat."

"Oh…"

"Certainly not the worst way to go. Wendy said it was blood loss, and we couldn't find signs of hostile activity in the area, so it seems like they had eliminated the threat to the civilians before finally giving out."

With the two parents at a loss for words, Henrietta decided to step in and guide the conversation forward. She took her rifle off her back and removed the magazine then took the bullet out of the chamber and sat it all down on the tabletop. "You were wanting to know about the rifle I use, right?"

"Oh, yes, and the handgun that Natsu had." Bisca replied quickly, snapping out of her stupor at the same time as her husband. She glanced at Alzack then looked at the three newcomers to the guild. "Oh, and that one that Lady Lelyanna was using."

"Lelyanna is fine." The priestess said for what felt like the umpteenth time. Her MP10 flashed into her hands and she quickly rendered it safe before placing it down on the table. She also pulled her M12 pistol out from under her half-cloak and repeated the process, laying it down beside her other weapon. "Natsu has many more in his own requip storage."

"You know… it's a little strange and kind of scary seeing a priestess and cute as her just casually whip out a pair of firearms, and especially that handgun…" Bisca murmured with a weak grin.

"As you can see, they fire the same ammo." Lelyanna explained, lifting both magazines up and showing their contents to the two gunslingers. "They're a bit weighty too, probably more than what you're used to. Natsu said it was due to his world using a lead alloy that was denser than normal lead, which allows it to impart more force into a target."

"It also looks pointer than the bullets I use…" Alzack noted. He pulled out his revolver and removed a cartridge from the cylinder. "These are snub-nosed whereas yours have a distinctive taper and point. Oh, and it doesn't have a rim at the bottom like mine do…"

"I think what you have is a .38 Special." Natsu took the bullet from the man and brought it closer to his eyes. "Yeah, it's a 9x29mm Rimmed. In comparison, what Lelyanna has shown you is a 10x28mm Rimless cartridge. Just ignore the endcap being different for now."

"Alright." Alzack took the bullet back and weighed it in his hand against one of the 10mm cartridges that sat in front of the priestess. "Huh, it is kinda noticeably heavier…"

"Now, I'll be up front with both of you." Natsu leaned in and interlinked his fingers with his elbows resting on the table. "I have no plans on making my own personal weapons and ammo available to the public, that includes people from the guild. However. I am working on designing a rifle and pistol that I believe would be a good middle point between mine and what's currently here. Instead of the hybrid casings that mine use, these would be full-brass, and they'll be standard lead and copper, not the high-density stuff I use." He took one of the rifle rounds from Henrietta's magazine and one of the pistol rounds from his own magazines and held them up. "They'll be these two but 'normal'."

"I'll be honest, as eager as I am to get better gear…" Alzack glanced at the pistol near the priestess and held out his hand. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

With Lelyanna's blessing, he picked up the pistol and tested it in his hands. "Yeah… I'm not the biggest fan of this style of handgun. Maybe because I've never seen one like this before."

"Hm…" Natsu sat back and regarded the black-haired man with narrowed eyes. "Alright, how about this? I might be willing to make a one-off revolver for you that uses the 10mm ammo I'll be producing. If I like how it looks and feels, then I might make it into an actual product… Hmm, actually, that might be a good idea, people are more likely to trust something they're familiar with instead of some new-fangled weapon."

"Will it be better than my own revolver?"

"It'll certainly be more powerful. But I believe your gun is single-action only, correct?" Without waiting for an answer, Natsu pointed to the pistol in the gunslinger's hands. "Pull the trigger, don't cock the hammer."

"Oh?" Alzack kept the gun pointed at the wall and did as the man asked. The trigger was heavier than what he was used to but as he pulled on it, the hammer came back and then slammed forward. "Wait, what?"

"That's the double-action mode. Now, cock the hammer and try again."

Alzack brought his thumb back and pulled the hammer down into a cocked position then pulled the trigger. "That's more like what I'm used to."

"That's single-action mode, like your revolver. The one I can make for you will have the same feature, which allows you to quickly fire off a bullet without needing to cock the weapon. But if you know you need to shoot, you can ready the gun beforehand and have a snappy trigger pull."

"I like that." The man nodded slowly and handed the gun back to the priestess. "Yeah, if you can do that for me, I'd be grateful."

"I'll do up some speed loaders for you too, so you don't have to fumble with ammo." Natsu gave the man a gentle grin and turned to the busty greenette. "Now, Bisca. The rifle I'm planning on making is quite different to the one that Henrietta uses. Mainly because the magazine will be inserted ahead of the firing hand instead of behind it. But like this rifle, that one will be capable of semi-automatic firing, and fully-automatic firing."

"Will it be using ammo similar to this one." Bisca glanced at the battle rifle then back to the man.

"Yes. If you remember that gun I was using during the raid, my MG80 machine gun, it uses the same ammo as this rifle. So, you can expect a similar performance, but with less devastating results, of course."

"Do you happen to have any other weapons? I'd like to see those before I make a decision."

"I'll leave the biggest one alone and show you my sniper rifle then." Natsu brought out his SR38 and placed it on the table. He took out the magazine and removed the bullet from the chamber before moving it a little closer to the woman. "As you can see, it has a different sight than Henrietta's rifle. Her's is a 1-4 zoom scope, so it goes from no magnification to four times what we see. But this one is 6-10 times, as it's designed for greater distances. And unlike the battle rifle she has, this is only capable of semi-automatic fire, but it sends a much larger bullet downrange with each pull of the trigger."

"Is it possible to have one of both? Though, I'd be happy with the rifle you're making first, to begin with." Bisca asked curiously. She reached over the table and lifted the battle rifle to get a feel of it. "It feels so strange…"

"Yeah, I thought the same with the pistol." Alzack chuckled lightly.

"I could make a one-off custom sniper rifle, but I haven't set anything up for making the ammo for that specific gun. Arrangements have been made for the pistol and battle rifle, though."

"That's ok. I'm happy with just having the rifle. It'll be better than anything I have." Bisca gave the man a gentle smile and watched him put away the SR38 with a hint of longing in her eyes.

"Tell you what…" Natsu grinned at the woman. "It'll be in 8.6mm like the SLR-1 I'm making, but I could make you a special version of the SLR but designed for sharpshooting?"

"If it's not too much trouble, then that'd be wonderful!"

"Heh." Natsumi grinned widely and gently punched the man's arm. "Already settling in nicely, I didn't think it'd take long."

Natsu glanced at the pinkette and decided to just ignore her and focus on business. "It's not going to be an instant thing, just so you two know. I'm still in the process of setting up my machines, and I want to get ahead with munition manufacturing first so I have a stockpile ready before I put out my weapons. No point having guns but no ammo for them."

"Would they work with these bullets?" Bisca asked curiously, pointing to the two different rifle rounds in front of the man.

"With modification, yes, but that's a fair amount of work to get it to function with drastically more powerful ammo. You've got a lot to rebalance to get the gun to actually function with the specific dynamics of that cartridge; higher pressure, more weight and recoil, potentially changing the mass of the internals to soak up some of that recoil. Like I said, a lot of work."

"How much will it cost us?" Alzack asked, hesitantly getting down to the brass tacks.

"For the guns, accessories, and the maintenance kits, those will be on the house, along with the initial supply of ammo." Natsu replied, giving the family a gentle smile. "As for the ammo after that, I'm happy to supply those at a considerable discount, just come directly to me for it. Actually…" Natsu turned to the android next to him. "If they come to the manor while we're not there, can you have the others deal with it?"

"Yes, Master." Henrietta nodded.

"There you go." Natsu turned back to the gunslingers. "Anytime you're short on ammo for the weapons, just come to my home and speak with the androids there and they'll help you if either Henrietta or I aren't home." The man blinked as he realised his blunder. "I'm sorry, I don't think I actually introduced her… This is Henrietta Frost, she was originally just the basic intelligence that ran my clockwork servants, but I got her this body from my world and created a sophisticated artificial intelligence for her. The results are the woman you see before you."

Henrietta let down her guard for a moment to let the family see her kinder side; she gave them a warm smile while bowing her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you. While Master didn't explain everything, that's basically the gist of it. While I can operate outside of the estate grounds, when I'm home I can link with the Henrietta network and share my experiences with the Hub and perform my role as the Head Maid. But outside the manor, I can fulfil my role as an android built for combat by fighting alongside my master."

"Wait… she's not human?" Alzack's gaped and his eyes widened in shock. He eyed the android closely but couldn't even pick out anything unusual about her. "No, you're pulling my leg, gotta be. R-right Bis?"

"Y-yeah."

"Nah, he's telling the truth." Natsumi laughed loudly at the stunned husband and wife. "I was with him when we found her body in an underground lab, in his world's Magnolia. She was completely naked and showed no signs of life, what was it that you said, Natsu?"

"Hm. She was essentially braindead and needed a neural map uploaded to bring her to life."

"And that she was basically a sex doll." Natsumi added with a playful grin. "Though, I do agree with that. She has all the parts that you and I do, Bisca, but was completely lifeless, literally a sex doll. Except, when she's brought to life as she is now, she's an android designed as a weapon of war."

"Her specific designation was PM-B/I-01, or Pilot Model, Battler slash Infiltrator, unit Zero One. She was the first of her kind, and from what I could find inside the lab, she was the only one of her kind."

"Wow… and I thought those guns were insanely advanced…" Bisca murmured, now unable to take her eyes from the woman on the other side of the table. "But to effectively create an artificial person…"

"There are parts of me that you wouldn't have, Miss Connell." Henrietta calmly informed the woman. "I'm stronger and more durable than I look, and I don't actually need food or drink to survive as long as I have charge in my organic power cells. While I'm not as strong as Master is, I'm certain that I can hold my own in a physical fight with most men in this guild. That's only taking into account my raw strength and not the techniques hardcoded into my systems. However, I lack the ability to use magic."

"Gods, all this stuff is making my head hurt a little." Alzack gave Natsu a weak smile as he rose to his feet and held out his hand for a handshake. "It was nice to properly meet you, and talk about working out some gear."

"Yeah, likewise. I'm happy to see that you two have a family here." Natsu replied and rose to his feet to shake the man's hand. "If I can provide you with stuff that increases your chances of coming back home to Asuka, then of course I'd do it."

"Come find us once you've got it sorted out." Bisca smiled warmly and lifted Asuka back up into her arms as she stepped out from the table. "And in return, I'll show you a place where you can keep your skills with your rifles nice and sharp. It's a little bit of a hike, but you won't be disturbed out there."

"Yeah, that'd be a big help. I might even be able to set up some of my own stuff for you if there's room." Natsu graciously accepted the woman's offer with a smile of his own. He watched the family head back down the stairs and once they were out of sight, he sat back down and started to clear the table. "Well, that's that business sorted out. I guess I need to get onto working on those schematics and prototyping the guns."

Natsumi yawned loudly and stretched her arms out across the table before energetically launching to her feet with a large grin. "Imma go grab us a bite to eat and something to drink!" The pinkette bolted for the railing and swan dived off the top of it. "Be right back!"

Natsu couldn't help but smile warmly as he gazed through the railing and down at the floor below. It seemed that coming to the guild was definitely something he had needed to do. And now had been the right time to have done it. Sure, he got the occasional prang when he heard a familiar voice shouting across the hall, or caught a whiff of a familiar scent. But it had quickly started to feel like home to him, and that just went to show the kind of people his family had been, and how is new family were turning out to be.

I don't have much to say here, so I'll just say thanks for reading the chapter and I hope you've enjoyed it. I'll see you all in the next one.

Just came back about half a day later because I remembered what I was going to put down here... Mira's outfit was inspired by Miss Moxxi's outfit in Borderlands 3, so if you want a visual representation, that's what you should look up.