Chapter Fifty-Six
"Ow." Wendy whimpered as she tried to put weight on her right leg. Her ankle was still swollen, as she couldn't use her healing magic on herself and their healing devices had been used on Levy—at her direction.
"Come on, off the ankle." Natsu said and picked her up and carried her from her Magi-Hover to the table where everyone was sitting around ready for dinner.
"Thanks Natsu." She whispered and looked around. Everyone had a multitude of injuries that were both visible and not visible with their clothing. She hated that everyone was hurt and she couldn't heal them, but Alfie had reassured her that they were on the mend. She watched as Gajeel came out of his Magi-Hover with Levy in his arms. She had been informed by Mirajean what had happened and she had a hard time looking at Gajeel. He was giving up his chance to find his growlkin in order to force a mating bite on Levy to save her life. And no one was telling Levy that that is what happened. Lucy was against it but she had given in when Gajeel had stood over her growling.
Natsu had nearly fought him at that point, but Lucy pointing out that the scalut hadn't reacted meant it didn't consider the act a threat; was the only thing that stopped the fight before it began. She looked at the food and sighed. Most of their supplies had been destroyed in the blast, but somehow Lucy had found enough food to make a meal.
"Thanks Lucy for cooking." Evergreen whispered and the blonde nodded and pointed over at Elfman.
"Elfman helped so he deserves some gratitude too." She murmured and sat down, Natsu immediately leaning into her. And she leaned into him. Wendy sighed. Bixlow had confided that he'd blackmailed Alfie with a wiping if the AI didn't tell him what happened between Lucy and Natsu after the blast. And it had been difficult. She couldn't believe that Lucy and Loke had lost in battle. But according to Bixlow; their opponent had been a demon that was a living bomb. She shook her head and picked up the glass that had juice. She sighed as the cool liquid calmed her parched throat.
"Thanks Elf-ni." Lisanna said and settled down next to Freed and Evergreen and looked across the table at Mirajean and Levy. "How are you two feeling?"
"Tired." The two girls said in unison and it made everyone smile a little. Gajeel filled up a plate of food and put it in front of Levy and then started to fill his own plate. She blushed and took the food and started to eat slowly. There wasn't much conversation. Everyone around the table was quiet but it was comfortable. Alfie hummed continuously in the background as the AI ran security protocols and controlled drones that were scanning the skies and streets.
"How are you Lucy? I heard you got knocked around pretty good." Mirajean asked as she finished eating and the blonde looked up and over at her.
"Good. Alfie said that the pain of the bruising should be gone by tomorrow." Lucy said and handed Natsu her empty plate. "What about you?"
"I'm fine. My Takeoverian magic seems to speed up the healing." Mira said and tilted her head, a small ponytail of bangs flopped over her forehead and into her eyes. Lucy giggled and smiled.
"Magic is definitely interesting." Lucy conceded and looked at Levy. Her friend looked at her offered a small smile. "Levy?"
"I'm ok. I'll be fine eventually. Alfie is optimistic." The bluenette murmured and looked down at the table. Gajeel shifted and she looked at him from the corner of her eye and then focused back on the table. The Dragis looked over at Lucy who shrugged and shook her head. She had no idea what was wrong with Levy.
Wendy watched the interactions and worried about Levy. She'd been quiet ever since regaining consistent conciseness. She looked around and saw the tension growing in her fellow Dragis and the others. She took a deep breath.
"I think, it might be a good idea; that the girls join me in my Magi-Hover." Laxus looked over at her and she smiled. "I have some reserved healing items but they're aimed at females and they weren't destroyed."
"Sure." Everyone agreed and Gajeel stood up and held his arms out and Levy slowly rotated and turned on her seat and he picked her up. He carried her to Wendy's Magi-Hover and set her down at the door.
"Have Alfie contact me when ya wanna sleep."
"Thanks Gajeel." She whispered softly and he stalked away. Wendy and Lucy were walked over by Natsu, while Laxus escorted the Strauss sisters and Evergreen followed on her own while everyone else stayed to clean up the table and prepare to pack everything into the few working Magi-Hovers. They had plans to move onto other sites; and Laxus was going to take Mirajean, Lisanna, Elfman, and Levy back to the Guild Station and bring back fixed magi-hovers.
Eve, Ren and Habiki were going to stay and work on the broken Magi-Hovers and see if they can get them fixed up; and if they can't they were going to return to their Guild Station and they would return with their own crafts and supplies. They wanted to stay on the planet and help get survivors up.
When they all got into the Magi-Hover and settled down, Wendy sighed. She pulled out some bottles of lotion and passed them around. "These are some healing lotions. I'm not sure how well they will work as our biologies are different but they won't make things worse."
"Thank you for sharing Wendy." Lisanna smiled and sniffed at the different bottles. All of the girls sniffed some and settled on which ones they wanted to use.
"Oh…it tingles." Lucy giggled as she rubbed it over her hands and the scalut adjusted for her rub it on some bruises, scrapes and cuts that she still had.
"Oh Lucy, you didn't say that you were that bruised." Wendy worried and the blonde shook her head.
"It doesn't hurt. I promise." She reassured the younger girl. She turned and set the bottle on the table. "What about you. Are you okay?"
"Of course." Wendy looked down and Lucy got up and knelt in front of her. She cupped the young girl's chin and lifted her head.
"You can be honest here. No one is going to judge." She said and the bright eyes in front of her started to water. She wiped at the tears and waited for the young girl to find her words.
"I feel like I'm letting everyone down because I can't heal anyone and that's my responsibility."
"Wendy…you were injured. You have no reason to feel bad that you have to focus on yourself before you can focus on anyone else." Lucy reassured her.
"But even after being injured, Mirajean saved herself and you. And Levy defied the demon while being tortured…"
"Hey hey…" Levy scooted over and put an arm around the younger girl.
"No one, and I mean no one, is thinking anything like that. And you risked everything to show yourself and your healing skills in front of Mard Geer. That is more badass than what we did."
"Levy is right." Mirajean said and smiled at the girl who turned watery eyes to her.
"Listen brat." Evergreen sighed and everyone glared at the Fairiest. "Everyone in here feels like they didn't do enough. That they weren't brave enough. That they are shameful. That's what happens when you get your ass kicked in battle. But at the end of the battle, we all still won. Even if it was by sheer luck. So we suck it up; and we learn from the failures and we try to do better next time."
"Evergreen is right." Lucy conceded and Wendy blinked at the Celestial Mage and her bottom lip quivered.
"Come on Wendy. We're all friends. And we all love you and are so proud of you for everything you have done and will no doubt do in the future. Have more faith in yourself." Lisanna cheered and the bluenette nodded slowly. A small grin appeared on her face and she grabbed a bottle of lotion to have something in her hands while she sat with her shoulders hunched. She still tried to believe the words but found it hard to believe that.
Levy watched as everyone shared a look and stared at the younger girl. They knew that while she said she was trying to believe them; they also knew that she probably couldn't.
"I cried on the battle field but not from the pain." Levy whispered and Wendy's head shot up and looked over at her. Everyone else went still. "I cried because I felt worthless. That I couldn't defeat anyone on my own; and that I was going to get killed and they would have gotten past me to Lucy."
"Levy!" Lucy cried and threw herself at her friend and squeezed her close. Wendy's eyes were wide as she watched as Lucy pulled back and started to shake her friend gently. "What in the world is in that head of yours? You used yourself as a diversion to save everyone. You ran in the opposite direction to try and keep me safe. You risked your life for all of us. That isn't the actions of a worthless person."
"And you are wrong." Mirajean said and put her hand on her shoulder. "You, and you alone, killed Lamy. That wasn't me. It wasn't Gajeel. That was you. You held your own against high powered demons from the book of Zeref. I know what you did to defy Seilah; how you would get away and then come back and get her attention."
"I just…"
"Natsu and Virgo had to save me." Lucy pointed out.
"Lucy and everyone saved us." Lisanna pointed out as well.
"You saved Wendy, Eve, Freed and the others that were still in the immediate area. Those demons would have ended all of them as they were unconscious but you didn't let them have that chance." Evergreen murmured softly.
"It sounds impressive when you say it that way." She whispered wiping at the tears running down her face.
"Because it was a badass move." Lucy said with a tired laugh and sent her friend an exasperated look. Wendy looked at Levy in surprise. She couldn't believe that Levy felt like she did as well.
"I'm worried that everyone is just accepting my demon Takeover magic because there are so few people on our side of this war." Mirajean whispered and Wendy looked over at her. "I fear that after the war, I'll be killed or exiled."
"Mira-sis!" Lisanna cried and grabbed her sister and leaned onto her while crying into her shoulder. Wendy's mouth fell open.
"I'm scared that I'm going to fall into darkness." Lucy whispered and everyone looked at her, the silence deafening.
"Lucy?" Levy gasped and she looked around and realized everyone was surprised. Lucy was sitting on her knees in front of Wendy, her head bowed. She looked so small at that moment that Levy wondered how her friend had been fighting draconics and demons. Evergreen got up from the seat she was on and knelt down beside Lucy and nudged her shoulder with her own.
"I have no doubt that you'll always stay pure light." She said and Lucy looked up at her. "But I do worry that I'm only in the Thunder Legion because I used to bully Freed and he's scared if he doesn't stay around me I'll bully others."
"Wait…does everyone have insecurities?" Wendy asked and Lucy looked up at her before grabbing one of her hands and squeezing it.
"Of course. Even the guys have insecurities. They may not tell you to your face; but they have them. A lot of our insecurities are what fuel us to be as brave as possible." She stated and took a deep breath then looked over at Levy. "And the fact that people; who are terrified and think they aren't strong enough; but still do brave things-scary things; are the people others look up to for inspiration the most."
"Lu…" Levy sniffled and Lisanna patted her leg.
"It never occurred to me to think like that." Wendy whispered.
"Me neither." Levy said and wiped at her tears. "Who knew that we'd also be spiritually and emotionally healing in here?"
"Females of any race appear to be very emotional." Alfie chimed in and all of the women giggled. Lucy rose up on her knees and hugged Evergreen briefly before turning and hugging Wendy who returned the hug. As she stood up, Mira and Lisanna hugged her. She turned and slid into the bench besides Levy who wrapped her arms around her. She rested her head against her friend's head and wrapped her arms around her as well.
"You could never get corrupted Lu-chan. You are so much stronger than that." Levy whispered and Lucy nodded and she pressed her lips to her friend's ear.
"And you are so important to so many of us. You are stronger and braver than you give yourself credit for."
"Thank you." She whispered and nodded as Lucy pulled back and smiled at her. Wendy cleared her throat and went to a pantry and came back with a blue metallic box. She opened it and everyone perked up.
"Is that Air Candy?" Lisanna cried in joy and Wendy giggled.
"They're fine Rust Bucket." Natsu said as he listened to Gajeel pace up and down the street again. He and Happy were working on getting their Magi-Hover fixed up; Eve and Habiki were inside working on the wiring with Alfie discussing with them what the AI could identify as issues.
"What if she gets hurt in there?"
"How? It's Wendy's Magi-Hover." Natsu rolled his eyes and snickered into Happy's fur as the Exceed crawled over his shoulders and started attaching a panel with a wrench. He did feel bad for Gajeel; he understood completely how he felt. He'd worried so much the first few days after meeting Lucy; especially when she hadn't left with him. The worry and pain was real. But Gajeel hadn't had any sympathy for him; so he was just returning that favor.
"What if Wendy gives her something that her human body isn't compatible with? Wendy can't heal anyone. And we don't have any extra medical supplies."
"Alfie will no doubt ensure that everything is fine for them to use."
"Affirmative. All of the items Wendy wanted to use is safe for the humans." Alfie hummed and Gajeel just glared at the Magi-Hover and the back of Natsu and Happy's heads. He put his fists on his hips and glowered.
"Why are ya so calm? Ya claim Lucy is yer growlkin but ya ain't acting concerned she ain't beside of ya!"
"Have you ever realized that your grammar gets worse the more irritated you become?" Natsu asked and ducked as Happy leapt off of his shoulder. A large rock bounced off of the panel and the panel jerked and hung off of the Magi-Hover at a cockeyed angle. Natsu sighed and fitted it back into its proper place.
"I'mma show ya what happens to my grammar." Gajeel growled and Natsu turned and stood up, putting his hands on his hips and leaned forward.
"I'm calm because I trust my growlkin to keep herself safe until I can get to her. I also am calm because Lucy and I are aware of the relationship we have. It's not one sided. If you want to be calmer, you need to tell Levy the truth of how you saved her."
"Are you crazy?" Gajeel snarled and Natsu leaned back as the vitriol spoiled over. "That gwolmp would beg to be killed before being stuck as my growlkin and I ain't in the mood to fall into a stasis."
"You appear on the edge as it is." Alfie commented and Natsu signed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. As he dropped his hand he watched as Gajeel stormed off.
"You need to learn not to comment with the obvious when he's upset. Now he's gonna go sulk and anyone who tries to calm him down is gonna get attacked."
"Should I send a drone with a net to trap him in one spot?"
"No. That will just make him more angry. Just keep an eye on him and if he gets into trouble let us know." Natsu said and turned back to the Magi-Hover as Alfie made a chirping sound of compliance. Happy returned to his side and helped him work for a while in silence.
"Why is Gajeel so scared Levy won't want to be his growlkin? I mean, she seems to like him enough to travel and work with him. That's more than anyone else we've ever seen before."
"He's just scared that she's gonna be angry and won't care if he falls into a stasis."
"But Levy is so nice." Happy scrunched up his face and Natsu patted his head.
"Yeah, but having your choice taken away from you can make a nice person angry. Think about how angry Lucy gets when someone tries to tell her what to do without her input."
"Ohhh." Happy nodded as if that was something he hadn't thought about. "I guess Levy and Lucy are friends; so she might be able to get that mad too."
"Possibly. Can you hold that in place while I get the welding wand?" Natsu asked and pointed to a small piece of metal that had been torn off by the blast. Happy nodded and his wings popped out and he flew up and flew against that piece to hold it in place. Natsu came back with the wand and slowly moved it over the piece of metal.
"Surprised you aren't using your finger." Lucy's voice made him stop working and he looked over his shoulder.
"He wanted to, but I reminded him that too much heat could ruin the electric components under the shielding." Alfie announced and Lucy giggled and shook her head as Natsu's face pinkened a little.
"Way to sell me out." He whispered as Happy giggled behind his paws. Once Natsu nodded that he was good to stop supporting the panel; he flew over to Lucy and wrapped himself around her shoulder and neck and snuggled close.
"I missed you Lushee!"
"I have only been gone a sckowl at most." Lucy laughed and scratched his furry little head as he nuzzled closer to her.
"But I was trapped in the Magi-Hover during the demon battles and I missed everything!" He whined and she pinched his cheeks and pulled on them until he started to giggle again.
"But you were ready to fight when Bixlow got the door open. Which is very brave of you." And Happy had been ready to fight until he'd realized that it was his friends. Then he'd broken into sobs of relief.
"Lushee!" Happy cried until she let go of his cheeks and he flew over to Natsu and clung to the back of his vest and peered at her over his shoulder. Natsu strolled up her and wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her close. She nuzzled him back and he shivered as she sighed into his neck. Her breath was cool against his heated skin and it sent chills through him.
"Everything okay in there?"
"Yeah. But Evergreen and Lisanna started wanting to give Levy, Mira and Wendy and myself haircuts, but I very much don't want to cut my hair; so I made an excuse that i needed to check on you."
"You can use me as an excuse anytime." He smiled down at her and she winked up at him. Happy giggled and curled up on top of Natsu's shoulders.
"Why are you out here?" Gajeel demanding, breaking the silence and Lucy rolled her eyes.
"I ran away when Evergreen and Lisanna teamed up to cut everyone's hair."
"You left Levy alone with those two teaming up?" He demanded and Natsu issued a low growl that had the metal Dragis snarling. Lucy turned her head and eyed him. He cut off his snarl and she rested her cheek on Natsu's chest as she glared at him.
"She's fine. No one around here is going to hurt her. Go take a cold bath or something to cool off." She advised and he rolled his eyes. His Magi-Hover was one of the undamaged ones and he'd already used the cleaning room since they'd made it back to camp.
"I am not.."
"You are stressing out and need to get yourself under control before you start worrying Levy. She needs to rest and heal; she can't do that if you have her worried or stressed out."
"Gah!" He grouched and spun on his heel and stalked away. Lucy looked up at Natsu who was looking after his friend.
"Is he gonna be okay?"
"Whenever he gets the scales to tell Levy the truth." Natsu murmured and then looked down and winked at her. "Aren't you glad I was so straight forward?"
"Uh huh." She nodded and he grinned down at her widely.
"But Natsu…you couldn't explain anything to Lucy when you gave her the scalut. Remember? It was before…"
"Happy!" Natsu whined and threw his head back, causing the Exceed to release him and take to flight. Lucy laughed as the two started to chase each other around the clearing.
Levy smiled as she watched Natsu and Happy take turns chasing each other around the clearing as Lucy laughed. All of the other girls had piled out of the Magi-Hover and were integrating with the others. Levy noticed that Gajeel was nowhere to be found and she felt a twinge in her chest. She rubbed a hand absentmindedly over her sternum and wondered why not seeing him bothered her. It wasn't something that she'd felt before the bomb attack. When Natsu raced up to Lucy and wrapped his arms around her from the back and nuzzled close to her neck, her eyes widened. She remembered hat she needed to talk to Lucy about. She'd been prepared to tell her originally before the bomb had gone off but Gajeel had encouraged her to let them both calm down. But she really needed to talk with Lucy about the Dragis mating rituals.
She started to walk towards her friend and she smiled as Happy landed on Natsu's head and started to swat at him. Lucy ducked free of his arms and caught sight of her friend and hurried over to her and put her arm around Levy's shoulders.
"What's up Bookworm?" Lucy asked playfully and Levy smiled at her.
"I finally remembered what I needed to talk to you about before the bombing." She said and Lucy nodded and led her into the Magi-Hover. Alfie hummed and two drinks appeared. Lucy wasn't going to ask where the AI found them, or how it had produced them. She wasn't looking any gift horses in the mouth.
"Ok, well what is it?"
"Dragis Mating rituals." Lucy choked on her drink and turned to look at Levy and she watched as the bluenette blushed and looked down at the drink in her hand.
"Really? Why?" She asked and Levy huffed a small breath and looked up while rolling her eyes.
"Lucy…do you know what it all entails? I mean, there is more than just telling Natsu that you are his growlkin and wearing the scalut."
"Well, I mean, I know he mentioned his parents bit…which is why I had to teach him what kissing was…"
"Oh Lu-chan." Levy blushed and shook her head and looked at her also blushing friend. "Let me explain."
"What are they in there yappin' about now?" Gajeel snarled and kicked at a rock. Natsu, Laxus and Wendy all rolled their eyes.
"Levy is explaining Dragis mating rituals to Lucy." Alfie announced and Gajeel spun so quickly on his heel he stumbled against Laxus' Magi-Hover and he looked at the others who all looked uneasy.
"Is Lucy telling Levy something too?" Gajeel wanted to know and the AI hummed.
"No. Lucy is listening, but her metrics read as minor distress…but I believe it is not real distress but what I have learned from the air files as being an emotion called embarrassment."
"Thank Metallicana that blonde hasn't spilled the bolts." Gajeel shook his head and Natsu snorted a smoke ring at him.
"Lucy knows that you don't want Levy to know so that the bond will wither."
"It's what's best for Levy."
"Uh huh." Wendy shook her head and the older Dragis all looked at her. She shrugged and waved her hand in the air nonchalantly. "Gajeel…you like Levy. You tolerate her. You protect her. And you tease her worse than anyone I've ever seen but when you realized you've gone too far you apologize. You never apologize."
"Oh I hadn't thought about that. He does apologize to her." Laxus said and stroked his chin. "Is it possible that you think Levy really is…"
"Shuddaup before I weld yer mouth shut." He snarled and Laxus threw his head back and laughed. Natsu grinned and worked on soldering some internal parts for Eve's control station. When Eve realized that Natsu could fine point the heat in his claws; he'd worked with him in what needed to be done to the components. Natsu was glad to be able to do something that wasn't just large scale or fighting. He actually felt a sense of pride at being able to do something that Eve had admitted was hard even with their tools.
"Come on Bolt Head. We all see that you aren't as gloomy as you used to be. And it's not hard to tell why." He said and set down the piece he'd just finished. He stood up and stretched and looked at his fellow Dragis as he scratched as the scales along his back. Gajeel was glowering at him. "Don't look at me like that. I was there when you went to save Levy after she was taken by those bad humans."
"Don't remind me of that." He snarled and Wendy rolled her eyes. He looked around at them and crossed his arms. "Ya'll really think this is true huh?'
"Absolutely." Wendy said.
"Undoubtedly." Natsu smirked.
"A blind Dragis could see this truth." Laxus stated and Gajeel growled low in the back of his throat.
"Ohh…is Gajeel trying to deny his crush on Levy?" Lisanna asked as she skipped over with some food in her arms. He turned to snarl but bit it back as Bixlow glared at him from behind her, his eyes bright green.
"I don't got no…"
"Your grammar really suffers when you get worked up. You should just tell her how you feel." Mirajean said and handed him a bottle of something to drink and he glared at her as she turned and walked around to everyone else.
"I'm actually surprised she wasn't wearing your scalut when you two came back before the bombing." Freed said and Gajeel gritted his teeth and bared his fangs.
"I also have to say, I was surprised she had no qualms about being alone with you given how small and quiet she is." Ren said and shrugged. "But she may like the brooding and larger than her types."
"You know what…" Gajeel started to stalk over to the Blue Pegasus member when Laxus stepped forward and put an arm around his shoulders and turned him around. Ren sweat dropped and sat down next to Habiki who shook his head at his friend.
"Just talk to her. You don't have to confess everything but you could see if she feels the same way." Wendy suggested and Gajeel rolled his eyes.
"She don't. And she never will." He stated and looked at his hands. "I already know I'm not her type and let's face it; if she knew I forced the bite on her she'd be so upset she'd demand being sent back to the Guild Station and possibly demand to find a Dragis elder to perform the cleansing ritual."
"Oh I forgot about that…I bet Lucy could…" Natsu shut up when his friend turned and snarled at him. He bit into his food and looked away. Happy shook his head as he munched on a fish and then looked up at Gajeel.
"But why are you mad when that's what you want?" Gajeel looked down at him and Happy held up one paw and then the other. "You want the bite's power to wane slowly; but get mad when reminded that she could have it undone quickly. It doesn't make sense."
"She ain't healed yet ya friggin' idiots. If the ritual is done she could die again."
Everyone got quiet and they took deep breaths. They hadn't thought about that. Levy was healing slowly. Wendy and Alfie had been monitoring her but they all knew that her body was drastically weaker than it appeared.
"Your still looking out for her." Lisanna whispered. "Are you sure you don't love her?"
"Don't think that there is someone for everyone. Metal Dragis rarely find their growlkins. Usually it's just matings arranged to continue the lines." He stated and grabbed a bundle of food and stalked off. Lisanna flinched and looked over at Laxus.
"Is that true? Do Metal Dragis not find their growlkins?"
"Most don't. Fire Dragis, Ice Dragis, and Air Dragis have the most luck; in that order." He said and sighed. "Light and Shadow Dragis are mid-range. Lightining and Earth Dragis are less likely to. Metal Dragis…well…I think before the fall of Edolas there had only been about twenty growlkins matched in the last six hundred years of our history."
"That's horrible." Mirajean said and looked at him. "But how can that be?"
"Open-mindedness." Natsu said and Laxus rolled his eyes but nodded. Mirajean looked at him and he swallowed the bite he'd just taken. "Fire, Ice and Air are more open-minded about finding their growlkins outside of their own elements or races. I think my parents were the first two fire growlkins since before the Exceed War."
"Light and Shadow are more on the fence but the males have no problem flirting with females they think are attractive no matter their race."
"Yeah I can totally see that after having been around Sting." Lisanna said and everyone laughs.
"Achoo!" Sting sneezed and looked around. Erza glanced over at him.
"Someone is talking about it seems."
"What?" He asked and Erza laughed while Alfie started to explain the meaning.
"Lightining and Earth Dragis are rare to start with. And for the most part the hoards believed that keeping their blood lines pure; would be for the best. The Metal ones…they just breed for power."
"That's heartbreaking to hear." Mirajean whispered and the Dragis all shrugged. This was their normal. Most of the time they didn't even think about it.
"Are there Water Dragis? You mentioned most of the other elements, but I didn't hear about water." Elfman asked and there was silence. Habiki cleared his throat.
"They were wiped out during the Dragis War of 777. They were neutral in the war; wanting nothing to do with it. They tried to set up towns were other elements could live if they didn't agree with the war either. But they became targets."
"That's barbaric." Mirajean shook her head and everyone sighed.
"It was long before any of us were born." Laxus offered and shrugged. "By the time I was born; there was peace. And a lot of regret over the loss of life and an entire subculture of our world."
"Wait… You aren't fully Dragis right?" Elfman asked and Laxus nodded.
"My mother was a lightning Dragis and she met my father; Gramp's son while out on an early Interstellar United Planetary Commission. She and Wendy's father and Natsu's mother were part of a group of Dragis being sent to represent Edolas. My father was Gramp's protection as he was the only "official' delegate from their planet."
"Wow. Talk about a chance encounter." Elfman murmured and Laxus shrugged.
"From what Gramps told me, my father fell in lust while my mother fell in love. But my father wasn't the type to tie himself down. My mother returned to Edolas; not aware that…I was coming. When she found out she was going to have a hatchling outside of an official mating; it made her an outcast in the Lightining Dragis community. The Fire Dragis took her in; helped her get word to Gramps. He came and stayed with her until she had me."
"What happened to her?" Lisanna asked and Mirajean shook her head.
"You don't have to share." Mirajean made a hissing sound at her sister who looked ashamed. Laxus rubbed the back of his neck. Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen didn't move but you could feel the somber air settle around them.
"She didn't last long after I hatched. From what I heard from Gramps; it was a broken heart. She still loved my father but he refused to have anything to do with either of us."
"That's horrible." Mirajean got up and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened then slowly relaxed and patted her shoulder.
"Don't get emotional. It's fine. I grew up just fine being raised by the Dragis community and Gramps. He left his planet and my father took his place. Gramps instead started to travel; taking me with him a lot. We met other worlds and he returned to Fairy Tail."
"Was Fairy Tail Guild Station already floating around before the draconic invasions?" Elfman asked and Laxus nodded his head.
"Fairy Tail Guild Station used to just be a grounded Guild on the planet Tenrou but when the planet got too small for all of the Guild members it adopted; the founder; Mavis made it into a Guild Station."
"We had a Mavis here too." Lisanna perked up. "Lucy and them all lived in Mavis hall if I'm not mistaken."
"Small universes." Bixlow grinned and Lisanna giggled.
"It is interesting to say the least." Freed murmured. Mirajean was thinking hard.
"Didn't the people on Tenrou feel bad that the Guild Station left?"
"No…Tenrou was not inhabited before Mavis set up Fairy Tail there. It became a special place. Usually once every quark or so we return to Tenrou to pay homage to Mavis and her sacrifice for the Guild."
"What's a quark?" Lisanna asked and Eve cleared his throat.
"Based on the units of measure Levy and Lucy have explained to me; a quark is about twenty-five years."
"It's like a religious pilgrimage." Elfman stated softly and everyone nodded.
"Well hopefully we can go with you all the next quark around." Lisanna smiled brightly. "I'd like to travel to Tenrou and thank your Mavis for everything. If not for Mavis; we'd not be here and would be in a heap of trouble."
"Agreed." Mirajean murmured and everyone smiled.
"I'm sure Gramps would be glad to have more people join us." Laxus said and smiled as everyone else settled into silence. The atmosphere was calm, collected. It was something they valued and appreciated more after the surprise attack.