Chapter 4: Burnt Flesh and Smoldering Curiosity
Mira watched as Master Makarov led their newest recruit through the mass of people crowding the Magnolia train station, undoubtedly heading toward the market district of the town. Her eyes didn't linger from the cloaked back of the latest Fairy Tail member, the bandaged wrist throbbing with every pulse as she did so. Erza was clear in her distrust of the man, Gray was just as forthcoming with his uneasiness, and Lucy's fear was less than subtle, but Mira herself fell somewhere in between all the rest. To start, she was pissed about her arm. It hurt, ached, and pained her with every movement while throbbing at every beat of her heart to fill the gaps between. Extending beyond that, though, Mira couldn't shake her nagging curiosity over what it was he exactly did. Even though she didn't fully use her Takeover magic on him, the arm that was covered should have been plenty protected from fire magic. Sure, any prolonged exposure to the flames would be an issue, but never this bad.
Then there was the feel of those flames.
The magic Mira possessed was an odd one, especially given the fact that it wasn't one that she was taught or consciously learned herself. Through a series of misfortunes, a young Mirajane found herself in the possession of an ability to seal demons within herself and use their magic. This came with several obvious things, namely a grotesque arm that only fixed itself once she found Makarov and he helped her and an abundance of magic at such a young age, but she was also given some more subtle things now that other beings were sealed inside her. There was a sixth sense that she tended to lean into when things were inherently off, such as a foul intention or impending doom. Or, perhaps, when a fire mage uses flames eerily similar to her own magic against her.
Since joining Fairy Tail, Mira has fought plenty of demons that would terrorize towns across the country, even some of Zeref's demons that were sprung from their pages by this group or that. Still, in the last eight years, she hasn't once met another mage that used a demon's magic. She wasn't even confident if there were any others to be found. When she came to Makarov to help her, he even mentioned how rare it was to see such a magic. He had, like, a hundred years to see all kinds of magic, and even then there wasn't much he had to go on, so how the hell did some rogue mage get it? Mira never even saw the guy transform to use it. Flames just exploded from his hand and held there.
No, Mira wasn't itching to convince Makarov to send Natsu on his way. She wasn't going to skulk around the guy until she knew he could be trusted. She definitely wasn't going to shy away from him because of all the stories that have flown around. Mirajane Strauss would go to the guild, like she was told, and wait there until she could demand the guy for answers, as she should. If his answers were acceptable, she would be more than glad to repay him for the gift he left on her wrist and let Erza continue shooing him out of the door. There were two siblings of hers to worry about when it came to letting people in the guild. The daily riff-raff that came in wanting to be a mage of Fairy Tail because of their popularity was one thing, but letting a guy in that is literally known for torching guilds and leaving only bodies behind wasn't someone she wanted near her little brother or sister. Call her a tad overprotective.
After Mira and Gray were able to cow Erza into following them to the guild, all they had to do was suffer her grumbling all the way down the straight path that led directly to the front doors of Fairy Tail's guildhall. The armored woman stomped with metal clanking feet against the cobbled ground ahead of the three other Fairy Tail mages, arms crossed as she glared a clear path through the lines of people that passed one way and another.
"I can't believe he's just going to let someone like that join our guild." The knight complained for the umpteenth time, forcing a painful eye roll out of Mira. She just couldn't let things go. "Master should have let the Council take him like the criminal he is."
"Technically, he didn't directly break any laws, Erza. At least, not by any of the reports we've gotten." From Mira's left, Gray spoke with some trepidation as his fingers absentmindedly fiddled and loosened the buttons on his white button up, falling victim to his compulsory stripping once again. It only took a glare from the leading weapons mistress to shut him up and force his arms to his side, leaving a half opened shirt flail awkwardly in the breeze.
"Calm down, thunder thighs. It isn't like Gray is wrong. If the guy was a criminal he would have been arrested." Mira found it was her turn to earn one of Erza Scarlet's glares, only this one was met with a scoff. Many of the other guild members could be found cowering away from the glares of the woman, but no eyes would see Mira do the same. Erza can strongarm most of the mages in their guild, even Gray despite the guy being pretty good himself, but she wouldn't fall into that crowd. If she wanted to shut Mira up, it would take fists. Fists, however, were no longer allowed to be thrown at each other in public due to some unforeseen mishaps of nearby properties in the past.
"Maybe…" The girl that followed a few steps behind to Mira's right finally spoke up, in a rare showing of confidence around both Mira and Erza, but when they turned she quieted down again for a moment. "Maybe we could trust Master's choice on this? Yeah, I'm pretty scared of Natsu, but I think Master knows what he's getting himself into, right?"
Mira felt her right eyebrow raise at the suggestion. It wasn't particularly groundbreaking, or outside of what the rest of them were already thinking, but only because she said it at all. In the few weeks Lucy has been in the guild, she was talkative with Gray, Levy, and a few others around the guild, but she would clam up when any of the high ranking members spoke to her. When a disagreement arose, as they often did, Lucy never weighed in. Call it progress, for now. Honestly, Mira wasn't entirely sure Lucy wasn't just saying this to justify it to herself and calm her own nerves, but it worked nonetheless.
"Whatever the case, I hope Master gets rid of these notions of helping the savage before he tarnishes the name of our guild." Silence reigned after Erza's statement of finality, assuming one ignored the scoff that ripped from Mira's throat reflexively. Their guild was many things, strong being one of the main ones, but Erza was delusional to think they were something looked up to by their peers. At least, not in terms of any prestige. The only thing that matched the raw strength of many of their members was the abject apathy for others' property while on jobs. It was impressive how much damage they did without even trying to.
The rest of the walk was filled with silence. There wasn't a moment of relief while walking through the town of Magnolia again after being away. They were gone for a day. Most jobs turned into several week ventures, and many times several months depending on the job itself. A day left little in terms of excitement in returning, but there was always something to be said about the sight that greeted them as they drew closer to the guildhall. Standing tall on a strong squared foundation, the guildhall rose up three vaulting stories that were separated by red sloping roofs. The second and third floors were incrementally smaller than the one before it, but it was topped with a gleaming, pointed dome that reflected the brilliant light of the morning outward with a proudly waving flag of a fairy with its tail trailing behind itself. Fine white walls were implanted with decorated red windows evenly spaced around the exterior, green trim matched the green columns that surrounded the entrance and held up the golden overhang of the entrance, and, most importantly, was the sturdy painted oak that glistened in its white and red under the sun. The door, though upkept in its paint, was noticeably worn and just waiting to be kicked open. As always, Gray pushed past Erza and pushed his heel violently into the center of the doors to make them clack open with an echoing force.
"WE'RE BACK!" He called through the bustling guildhall, arms spread out in front of him in grandiose fashion to show off his now entirely shirtless form. A cheer erupted from the paused chaos inside, creating a wave of sound that burst directly at them from the singular opening of the door frame. The guild's interior was as grand as its exterior. Large columns aligned the sides of the first floor, allowing a broad and open hall that was filled with benched tables that were filled to the brim with their members. Tables were sat at, sat on, laid on, danced atop of, thrown through, flipped, and any action that would fit in the gaps. In between the tables, members did the same things as they did on the tables, except while on the floor or on each other as chaos ensued with Gray entering the madness. At the other end of the hall, opposite the doors, was a bar that was filled with customers on one side and filled with food, booze, and healing supplies on the other. To the left of the bar was a wall filled with papers that represented the jobs requested from clients to Fairy Tail, to the right was a staircase that led to the second floor that was limited to S-class mages and the guildmaster only. This was home.
Mira and Erza walked through the mass of bodies entirely unhindered by the uncontrolled chaos that sprung about. Fists were thrown, bodies flew, and debris filled the air, none of which making the two mages falter outside of a lean one way or another to evade a poorly aimed something or another. Lucy never strayed more than a few inches from either one of them, knowing that two of Fairy Tail's S-class mages would be more than safe as an escort through the battlefield their hall constantly played home to. It took a few minutes longer than it should have to cross the length of the hall to the bar. Despite how the floor may look, it never is a straight path from door to bar no matter how you walk it. If one were to try, they'd find themselves in the infirmary and their intentions forgotten.
Normally, Mira would have taken the time to greet her friends that she saw, heard, and bumped into on her way to the bar, but they were still on business. Master was currently out with their newest member and it would fall to Mira and Erza to explain the situation to the man that was watching over the place. Leaning over the balcony of the second floor, directly above the bar counter, Laxus Dreyer kept a watchful gaze over the guild. As opposed to Makarov Dreyer, his grandson lacked a certain jolliness that was often found in the old man. Aside from his few moments here and there, Laxus was rarely seen with a bright smile on his face to cover up the rigid coolness that usually took hold. Where Makarov was short, Laxus's frame was tall and broad which was only accentuated with the heavy fur-lined coat that was perpetually draped over the man's shoulders. Where Makarov was balding, Laxus had a full head of yellow hair that seemed to blow back on end in sharp spikes. A heavy brow, sharp chin, sharper cheekbones, a permanent frown, and the lightning shaped scar over the man's right eye all served to show what he wanted to show: where Makarov was lenient and carefree, Laxus was hard and stern.
That's not to say he was a bad guy, even if Mira never really saw eye to eye with him. Laxus was wholly dedicated to the guild. He wanted to protect it, and its members, as best he could. It was generally accepted that Laxus, once Makarov was done with his seat, would succeed the leadership of the guild from his grandfather. Seeing their vast differences, one may think that such a transition would shift the culture of the guild and halt the chaotic mess that currently sat at Mira's back as she leaned to the side to let an errant beer bottle fly past her head by the slimmest margin. However, just looking at the man watching the chaos with veiled amusement, Mira knew that wasn't the case. He may act old and crotchety, he may look old and crotchety, but Laxus was only a few years older than Mira. He grew up in the same madness she did and he knew what made them Fairy Tail. Either hearing her thoughts, or finally acknowledging the two women staring up at him, Laxus turned his gaze from the party of the guild to Mira and Erza with an eyebrow raising in question.
"Come on, Sparky. We have words." Mira lazily called their interim-guildmaster down from his perch with a roll of her eyes. The scoff was drowned out by the sea of action behind her, but Mira knew it was there as Laxus pushed himself from the railing and acted as if he needed to straighten his clothes before meeting them. His purple button-up shirt was straight and clean, yet heavy hands still patted it down, black pants were unscuffed but shaken out nonetheless, and heavy brown boots had yet to touch dirt despite being kicked off on the wooden floor. All of that happened before the buffoon started the slow walk to the stairs on the right, which he took one at a time at an extremely slow pace.
"He's in a mood right now, guys. Just a heads-up!" Mira heard the light flutter of her sister's voice as she scrambled from the door behind the bar counter and dished out plates of food to those sitting at the bar. In truth, her sister was a copy of herself only two years younger, shorter hair, and much more smiley. They shared their stark white hair, even if Lisanna's only scraped the top of her shoulders, they shared the same blue eyes, and the same pale complexion. The easiest way to tell the two apart, from a short glance, was their attire. Mira was a lot less modest or bright with her clothing choices than her younger sister was. Lisanna, more appropriately, wore a simple pale purple dress with crossed straps that fell just below her knees in a gentle skirt. Atop the dress was a stained and tattered white apron that seemed to impossibly shield every bit of grime from the purple fabric or fair skin.
"It doesn't matter what mood he's in, the information is dire." Erza may have responded to Lisanna, but the words weren't truly meant for her. Mira's sister was already racing back from the door to the kitchen that she came from, not listening to the words at all, and Erza's gaze was turned to the man who had finally reached the ground floor. Even with Erza's insistence, Laxus didn't rush as he joined them at the midpoint of the bar, squeezing between the two women, and lazily leaning his elbows on the bar top as he glanced between the pair of them. Idly, Mira wondered where Lucy scuttled off to so quickly, but a glance to her left further down the bar and the mane of blue hair told her all she needed to know. Lucy had taken to Levy her first day and was always skittish around Laxus.
"Well? What's the dire information? Did Gramps get himself hitched to some broad on the road?" There wasn't a smirk on his face as he asked, only an eyebrow that arched higher on his forehead, but Mira knew when the oaf was poking fun. It was dry, toneless, and hardly considered humor, but she knew he was trying his best.
"We have a new member." Mira started, knowing that Erza was going to jump in and take it wherever she was going to take it. She supposed that giving the man some preface would help make sense of what rambling was bound to fall from those scowling lips. Laxus, however, was unamused by the admittance, knowing that Makarov accepted most people that walked into the building looking to be a part of a premiere wizarding guild.
"Master has brought a criminal under our banner." Almost as soon as Mira finished speaking, Erza jumped in with her harsh interpretation of the situation. Granted, she wasn't terribly off, but some could see it as an oversimplification. Mira saw it as Erza throwing around her snooty opinions again, but that was just her. "We ran into the Akuma on our mission to find Lullaby, and when the Magic Council showed up to put him where he should be, Master said he was part of Fairy Tail. As of right now, Master is parading him around Magnolia for whatever reason." The woman's face was pulled into a tight scowl, showing her disgust for the situation as plainly as one could ask for. Erza's disgruntlement always came with Mira's amusement, it was nature, and it was impossible for the snort to be stopped before it came tearing through Mira's throat and earning her a glare from the armored mage.
"Oh, calm down, Red. Master is with him, it's not like the guy is rampaging outside our front door." Always overdramatic. If it were up to Erza to describe a situation, it was always the worst of the worst. Mira didn't have the same visceral reaction to the situation, as pissed as she was about her wrist and as wary as she was about her siblings, but Laxus showed more interest in Erza's words than her own. The man's brow furrowed as he quietly considered the situation, not speaking for a few moments as he looked back out at the guild.
"The Demon finally shows up, huh?" He seemed to say to himself more than either Mira or Erza. His hand rubbed his face as he considered something, only to stop suddenly and look at Mira. "No offense, Strauss." A wide smile stretched across Laxus's face as a scowl found itself on Mira's. What an ass. "Well, that means I'll have to prepare for him. Knowing Gramps, the kid will be dropped into the guild without anybody getting a chance to adjust to it. We'll have a wandering savage on our hands and that savage will be around all of this." Laxus's head nodded at the chaos of the guild, not ignoring how it seemed to have had an uptick in intensity since the last time Mira glanced at it. The man took his weight off of the counter behind him and gave both Mira and Erza an appraising look.
"What's he like? Not the stories, not his magic, but what is he like? What should I expect?" His brow furrowed again, Mira recognizing Laxus's "thinking face" as he tried to determine his plan of action for when Natsu was finally dragged here by Makarov. They were simple enough questions, questions meant for him to try and get a handle on Natsu's demeanor ahead of time, but Mira found it hard to articulate. Even when he was gripped by a flaming palm and a knee was unceremoniously pushed in between her shoulder blades, there wasn't much to go off of. He was quiet, but there was no telling what was happening behind the dark, searching eyes that never seemed to miss anything around him. Despite her constant protests of the man, Erza seemed to find herself in a state of pondering just as Mira did trying to answer Laxus's questions.
"Quiet. He didn't speak to anyone outside of Master. All we know is that he used fire magic that burnt through Mira's Demon Soul." The ointment that Erza unsurprisingly kept on her in case of emergencies was helpful, but she was looking forward to being able to get it treated more in depth than ointment and bandages. Now that Erza brought it up, her wrist seemed to flare into another bout of discomfort under the chafing bandages. "Despite not saying much, it was made clear that we must keep our eyes on him. He slipped out of his room he shared with Gray without issue. If he chose to, he would have been long gone."
"If he chose to?" Laxus let his eyes rise from the bandages on Mira's wrist he inspected briefly before turning back to Erza. He seemed as confused hearing it as Erza was saying it. "If he comes willingly, then we shouldn't have too many issues. Still, I'll keep an eye on him. Some rogue mage shouldn't give me too much trouble." With that, Laxus walked back toward the stairs, letting his feet fall heavily on the wooden boards as he walked up. Mira and Erza caught each other's eye and knew that they were on the same page. They knew Laxus's strength, there weren't five people in the guild that could claim to be stronger than him, Master included in that count, but there was something different about Natsu. Something dangerous.
"Listen, I have to go to Porlyusica to get my wrist looked at. I'm sure I don't have to tell you to wait for Master to return?" Mira said half-heartedly with more bite in her tone than she needed to, as was usually the case when she spoke to Erza. The only reply she got was a nod before she began her walk out of the guild, only for it to be halted almost immediately by a hulking body flying in her direction. Raising her unburnt hand, Mira thrust her palm into the broad back of the man sent in her direction, making him drop gracelessly to the ground at her feet.
"HA! That's what you get, Elfman!" Gray gloated from the center of the guild, torso bare and showing off the dark blue Fairy Tail symbol on his right pectoral. Turning her gaze downward to the massive man who sat at her feet straightening out the black button up coat he wore over a red shirt that barely peaked through the separation in the collar. As the man stood, massive hands went about patting out the matching pants that were more than a little scuffed and stained from the brawl. Reaching full height, Elfman towered over Mirajane by now less than a foot and a half, appearing even more so due to how broad his shoulders were, but even with the height advantage he still seemed to cower at her glare.
"Sorry, sis. You know I didn't mean to." A large hand pushed through the tall hair that spiked on end. Sometimes Mira had to remind herself that this was her brother and that she couldn't hurt him too badly, even if he ends up flying into her like some buffoon. Unlike Lisanna, the resemblance between herself and her younger brother was less apparent. Where Mira was an average height, Elfman was towering. Her skin was fair enough to rival her white hair while Elfman's white hair stood out sharply against his tanned skin. She boasted a brain in her head and her younger brother likely stored his rock between his ears. Only one year apart and so much went wrong.
"Just keep your feet on the ground and try not to get yourself too hurt, okay? I'll be back soon." Her knuckles thudded up to his shoulder, harder than it should have been for it to be playful, but there was only a resilient thud of muscle that was returned to her. With a scoff, Mira trekked back through the guild without even having to dodge or weave any of the roughhousing taking place around her.
Usually, when one makes the transition from inside to outside, it's expected that they're leaving a place of peace for the chaos of the outer world. That was entirely backward when it came to the guild. Instead, despite the masses that still filled the streets, it was a relative peace that finally settled in Mira's ears as she walked out to the well maintained paths of Magnolia. There was no hurry to see the guild's healer, her wound wasn't that of immediate need, but the path to Porlyusica's home was a long one that led far outside the outskirts of the city. At its back, toward the south, there was a lake that expanded wide and far to make the town practically glow throughout the day with its reflections. On every other side of Magnolia, excluding the path of tracks that lead to the train station, dense woods filled the land for several miles in each direction. The healer Mira sought to seclude herself in the woods to the west of the town long ago and made it an absolute chore to get to. So, even if she wasn't hurried by necessary urgency, Mira kicked her legs forward at a brisk pace out through the town and down the winding "path" that would take her to her destination. It wasn't so much a path as it was a worn strip on the forest floor that was usually only recognizable by those who have already seen it once before.
Even with Mira's sped up pace from her usual strut, more than half an hour passed before she saw the subtle carvings of a tall, gnarled oak that was the dwelling of Fairy Tail's healer. The tree sat on an elevated hill on the right side of the path, its thick, winding roots sprawling across the elevation before digging greedily into the soil. Three circular windows were cut into the tree's side closest to the path Mira walked along, going from the tree's immediate side and approaching the door that was hiding in the confines of overgrowth. A set of stone stairs were carved into the hill the oak sat upon, stairs that Mira took to reach the heavy door from the level ground of the path she had walked. Knuckles rapped against the carved surface of the door, only to receive an almost immediate groan of displeasure erupt from inside.
"This better be good. If that old coot sent you to invite me for a drink one more time, I'm going to kill you and then him shortly after." The door was snatched open to reveal the angry face behind the angrier voice as a wrinkled face of a towering old woman glowered down at Mira. Red eyes were practically blazing in their sockets for a moment before diminishing entirely. Mira could only stand there with an eyebrow half cocked on her forehead as she watched the woman try and settle herself. Master seemed to be digging back into his favorite pastime of getting on the very last nerve of his old friends. With an almost silent clear of the throat, Porlyusica glanced down at Mira's bandaged arm and quickly turned around with a snap of her red scaled cloak. "Come on, then. You want that looked at, don't you?"
Her voice was not nearly as enraged or biting as it had been initially, but Porlyusica always kept an audible disgruntlement about her when she was around people. For whatever reason, Mira tended to get off light when the healer got off on a tangent about "annoying humans" but she's heard her fair share of stories from her guildmates about how wroth the woman could make herself. Keeping those stories in mind, Mira hesitantly followed behind the healer into her house.
There was a bed with a comforter crafted from orange leaves, there were small stumps sitting along the wall and at a roughly carved wooden desk that sat before a window in place of chairs, but what always caught Mirajane's eye was the immaculate shelf that filled the back wall of the tree home. Instead of being made roughly from roughage close by, the shelf was clearly made with the finest care by a professional that took the time to size the piece of furniture to the exact measurements of the odd wall it was placed within. On the shelf was anything and everything that a healer could possibly need from floor to ceiling. A haphazardly constructed ladder was leaning just off to the side of the shelf, as the woman's height over Mira was not enough to clear the story and a half the shelves climbed to. Books, potions, concoctions, supplies, and everything in between were meticulously placed and sorted all about the various levels along the wall.
"Sit and unwrap the bandages. Let's see what you've done to yourself this time." She spat it out like Mira constantly found herself here, but it was quite the opposite. She could probably count on her hands how many times she's needed any attention from a healer outside of simple wrappings. Still, Mira needed the woman's help and didn't think arguing the finer points of things would get her wrist to feel any better. Instead, she simply sat on the stump across from Porlyusica and let her unravel the bandages over her burn. Despite the gruff demeanor elsewhere, Porlyusica went as gentle as could be once she was doing her work. Wrinkled fingers danced around the wrist, never truly touching it despite unwinding the tight bandages. The healer's posture was rigid under her scaled cloak, frowning face softening and shallowing out the the wrinkles across her face, long pink hair that spilled to framed her face from the bun atop her head unmoving in her stillness, and lips whispered to themselves as she removed the wrappings only to stop altogether when she saw the burns.
The skin was still a deep red, still harshly tight and wrinkled despite the ointment it was fitted with, and long reaching blisters came in a pattern that showed exactly where Natsu's fingers gripped her. Mira had never seen a burn anywhere close to this. It was so localized and so harsh that it made the girl follow the healer's movements with every bit of her attention. Porlyusica stood swiftly, the tall, clawed collar of her red scaled cape shifting rigidly with her movements as steps crossed the small room in long strides toward the tall shelf and the woman immediately began digging into various stashes of supplies. The mumbling under Porlyusica's breath drew louder, but not loud enough for Mira to confuse it being meant for her while clanking and shuffling continued behind her.
"You don't happen to know the name of the demon who burnt you, do you?" The question came as almost a side note, one that split through the clattering abruptly. Mirajane's eyebrows rose up, hiding under her bangs as she peeked over her shoulder to gaze at the woman's back. She wasn't sure if she should answer the question or ask how the hell she knew it was a demon's fire in the first place. Granted, Mira could only speculate for right now, but with Porlyusica's question there was little doubt in her mind.
"It wasn't a demon, just a rogue mage that we ran into yesterday." Mira said simply, not wanting to derail whatever it was that needed to be figured out by the shelf behind her. A snort came from the healer before her heels stamped down the thick rungs of the ladder and she returned to her stump with new wrappings and a few clear vials with dark liquids in them. Setting the supplies on the lap of her dark red skirts and shifting her teal vest under her cloak for comfort, Porlyusica sent a sharp look to Mira's burn before speaking again.
"That hand was in its demon form, was it not?" Not exactly the words Mira liked to hear about her magic. It was a Takeover, not a "demon form", but semantics had a time and place that wasn't here and now. So, again, Mira just nodded along. "I can tell by how aggressively the flesh was attacked, however the burns are only skin deep. It chose to burn at the magic that covered your arm, and by extension the upper layers of flesh, instead of eating deeper into your arm. Some would call it lucky, but I'm positive you wouldn't feel that way if you tried using your magic again before it healed."
Without any further words, Porlyusica uncorked a vial that sat on her lap. It was a thin liquid, one that seemed to unnaturally bounce in its container, and one that was unceremoniously poured onto Mira's wrist. Porlyusica gripped the tips of her fingers on her burnt wrist, yanked the appendage forward, and poured the liquid out without care of spillage or splatter. The pain was immediate, emanating from Mirajane in a sharp cry out that she didn't have the time to catch before clamping her mouth shut. Indiscernible smoke and fumes wafted from the skin that made contact with the liquid, an unsettling crawling feeling danced beneath the surface of the burn, but eventually the uncomfortable sensations broke away into a delicate feeling of comfort. Her arm shook from the exposure to such sharp pain so quickly, the muscles of her forearm exhausted already from only moments of stress, and the healer was already uncorking the second liquid that seemed much heavier in its confines.
"Whatever magic that rogue mage used, whatever demonic taint made its way into your arm, lingered within the burn. Without ridding yourself of it, the arm would take ages to heal, but that will hopefully be sped up now." When the healer's hands covered themselves in the new liquid and gently massaged around the burnt wrist, Mira felt her previously tense body smooth out into a deep relaxation as only soothing sensations were felt. "This will help the skin from drying too much or allowing any of the abrasions to get infected. Only one rinse should be necessary, just don't take the wrappings off."
Mira only nodded as she watched Porlyusica unravel the fine wrappings on her lap and expertly wrap, cross, and twine the fabric into place. The wrappings were firm against the burns, although not tight, and secured by a delicate pin. With that, Porlyusica stood up and moved toward her door, opening it to show Mirajane out of her home and back onto the path toward Magnolia. There wasn't a word of argument from her as she said her thanks to the healer and walked out of the door, only to be stopped just before descending the stairs before her.
"A word of advice, girl. If you run into that rogue mage again, you'd be better off turning around and leaving them be." Porlyusica's voice was as firm as it always was, but Mira heard the graveness that came with it. "That burn was one hand on your wrist. I'd be worried about what a spell of theirs would do to you if you were fully transformed. It's a nasty magic that did that to you." And, with that, the carved oaken door was shoved closed.
Her feet led her back to Magnolia, but Mirajane's mind played around with Porlyusica's words for most of that time. Did it matter if that "rogue mage" happened to be their newest member? Surely there was no detriment to simply being around the guy, right? Maybe, when the time came to run him off with Erza and Laxus, Mira could simply stand back and watch the show happen instead of being caught up in any crossfire. It wouldn't ever be said that Mirajane Strauss was ever scared of a fight, she simply wouldn't allow it, but that's not to say she wouldn't be taking any heed to Porlyusica's warning. Until she knew what the hell those red flames were, Mire would rather not have them anywhere near her.
Mira returned to the guild immediately after her trip to Porlyusica. She meant to be there when Natsu was introduced to the guild, as she knew that Gray and Erza would, too. Yet, as time passed, it became clearer and clearer that neither Master Makarov or their new recruit would be making it to the guild. Her time was passed fairly easily, whether it be eating her sister's delicious meals or brawling with the rest of her guildmates, but it was no less concerning that they hadn't shown up. Mira was sure Master would be eager to stamp their guild mark on Natsu, making him an official member, but whatever they pulled away to do after arriving at the station seemed to be much more than she expected. Instead of some grand introduction to a new member of the guild, and an inevitable confrontation between Laxus and Natsu, Mira only got the same old guild until Lisanna began closing up shop.
As always, the guild was trashed when the day was done. Light no longer filtered through the windows, instead the hall was lit with torches that hugged the sides of each window pane. Tables were turned over, pushed to the side, or simply broken. The chairs and stools are in much the same condition. Mugs, bottles, and other trash litter the ground with stains of food laying near and climbing higher on the wall. It was a disaster, one that couldn't be left to one person. Especially if that person was Mirajane's sister. Lisanna was no janitor. No, all that Lisanna was responsible for was locking off the basement, tracking the food stores, throwing out the food that will go bad through the night, and locking the front door on her way out. When they came to open the doors back up, it'll be spick and span as if it was never a disaster to begin with.
With the guild closed, Mira walked with Lisanna down the lantern lit paths of Magnolia to their home. They talked about this and that, with little holding any actual weight to it. The roads of Magnolia were empty and quiet, a stark contrast of what they were only hours ago, as the town searched for its sleep unanimously. They stopped in front of a two story home that was right off of the main road from the guild, a house squeezed between others just like it. Three steps climbed to a walnut door that was only a few shades darker than the rest of the house that was lined with white trim. Walking into the home, Mira was greeted with the large body of Elfman dozing off on the couch in the living room that sat on the other side of their entryway. Deep, rumbling snores tore through her little brother's throat loud enough to draw a deep eye roll from Mira. Just as she was about to give him a gentle nudge off the couch, Lisanna beat her to the punch by gently shaking their brother awake and nudging him toward his bedroom down the hall to their right.
"If I hear your snoring tonight my sock is going down your throat, kid!" Mira yelled down the hall to her brother, receiving a "goodnight, sis" in return. Lisanna came back with a giggle at her lips as the pair of them made their way up the stairs that sat opposite to the hall Elfman was walked down. The stairs turned up into a balcony that looked down on the living room, placed directly above their kitchen, and held two bedrooms on either end of the hall with a bathroom between them. When they were kids and just settling into their new home, Elfman declared that he was to have the downstairs room so he could protect his sisters from intruders. The memory of her brave brother always gave Mira some amusement, especially when he was the younger brother, a little behind her in terms of strength, and almost definitely afraid of the balcony when they first moved in. But that's who they were, that's how they survived. Strauss' protected each other, which was why Mira stopped Lisanna's death walk to her door.
"Hey, make sure you keep an eye out tomorrow. I know you overheard what we said to Laxus earlier and it isn't anything to play with, okay?" Mira made sure that the harshness of her tone was gone, the demon that everyone knew was filed away, and it was the big sister that was talking. She didn't know Natsu, she didn't know what he was capable of, or why he even played along with Master's whims. Curiosity in his magic or whatever he did to her hand was one thing, but Mira wasn't willing to play when it came to her family's safety.
"Will do, big sis. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Goodnight." With a tired smile, Lisanna padded into her room with heavy steps and lightly shut the door behind her. Snorting, Mira walked into her own room in much the same way as she shook her head and muttered to herself.
"Don't worry? It's my damn job to worry." Those were the last words out of her mouth before she pulled herself into more comfortable clothes and passed out on a soft mattress. The night was quick, the night was fast, and the morning was faster. The Strauss siblings walked the familiar path of their waking routine with Lisanna cooking breakfast, Elfman cheerily exclaiming various words of encouragement, and Mira fighting with herself not to smack the happiness off both their faces. They could be morning people all they wanted, but she refused to be exposed to such jolly so early.
After breakfast, the three of them walked back to the guild. It was early in the morning, the sun only barely peeking over the horizon that was hidden behind the greenery surrounding Magnolia, and people had yet to start bustling out of their homes outside the select few of early risers. Mira led her siblings, who enthusiastically chatted behind her back as if it was okay to be out already, and stopped at the front door to wait for Lisanna to unlock the guild, only to find that the door was already cracked open. Raising an eyebrow, Mira pushed open the door all the way to find three people already standing in the guild and a heavy mass of tension filling the room.
Natsu, garbed in red and white fabrics that he wasn't wearing a day ago, stood in front of Laxus as the Master's grandson glared down at the mage with his imposing height. Mira couldn't see Natsu's face, only seeing the shortened lengths of hair at the back of his head, but the tense fists at his side told her all she needed to know. It was neither of them that broke the silence, and tension, that Mira had unknowingly led her siblings into.
"Hello, children. I hope you're having a good morning!" The smiling, jolly face of Master Makarov peered from behind the right shoulder of Laxus as the old man scuttled across the bar top to see the newcomers into the building.
"Do I make myself clear, Natsu?" Laxus said with his teeth clenched and less than subtly saturating the air with his own magic. As Mira inhaled she felt how charged the air became by the deliberate flex in strength and knew immediately how serious Laxus was. Most people, meaning all aside from Erza, Mira, and a few others, would have backed down immediately from Laxus's challenge. He was a force to be reckoned with no matter how you sliced it.
Yet, when the entirety of the room spiked in temperature in an instant, Mira had a funny feeling that Natsu wouldn't simply back down.
Exposition, exposition. There are a couple more chapters before things start moving, but I think it necessary. My thoughts when writing this was always with the idea of acting as if the reader isn't familiar with the universe. Those reading Fairy Tail fanfictions at this point are probably more familiar with fanon than canon, myself being a prime example. So, to clear all confusion I find it better to act like none of us know anything so I can easily introduce my details that stray off from the original...we'll get more of that soon. Additionally, it just makes for a better story as a whole if introductions and a true beginning of a story is worked through. Not saying I'm crafting fine art, but if imma write story then I'll try and make sure its serviceable as a story.
That being said, I would hope none are expecting to go through the beats of Galuna now that Lullaby is over. Take that timeline in your minds from the original story and toss it. That's what I did.