"Are you sure you can't drive a little slower?" Natsu rolled down the window and started retching the second the RV paused in the traffic turning off of the interstate. "Erza, please, I'm –"

"People probably think you're drunk off your ass," Gray said dryly, falling back against the small couch towards the back of the RV. "Which, considering it's almost one in the morning, would make sense. You better hope that's what people think."

Lucy grimaced when he belted himself in, taking her seat back beside Erza, in between her and Natsu; her in the passenger and him in the far passenger seat. Erza took a glimpse at her but kept driving, doing her best to stay focused. We're going to have to take a rest for the night soon. The nearest campsite is only twenty three miles away. Then, we can rest. Her hands gripped tighter around the steering wheel. Traffic began to idle as they turned onto the main roads off the interstate. She swore under her breath when a convertible nearly hit the back of the RV. She scowled out the window and resisted the urge to flip off the teenagers (badly) driving the convertible when they flipped her off. Her shoulders tensed, too, creeping up towards her ears. Lucy kept looking between her and Natsu every few minutes, her fingers nervously bouncing up and down on her (somewhat oversized) bag in her lap. Her mind began to wander, and she reached behind her to grab a blanket and wrap it around herself. Her eyes began fluttering in exhaustion. She swallowed hard. How long had it been since we started driving? I swear we only left after that job little after lunch… She tried to close her eyes, sleep just a little. But, then, her eyes went wide open. She let out a short, startled yelp. Erza slammed on the brakes, nearly running a red light.

Natsu groaned and started retching again, much to the anger of the drivers in the lane beside them. Gray leaned over a little from where he had been trying to sleep, yelling something about not trying to kill them, but Erza seemed not to hear. Her mind was too disorienting in and of itself. She barely noticed the tingling in her hands as her fingers started to go numb from how tightly she was holding onto the steering wheel. It wasn't until her communications lacrima began to buzz violently in the centre console that she came back around. She glanced up at the light as it changed, and (a bit too quickly) continued down the road. For a second, Lucy took a look at the caller ID but quickly shut the mobile off. None of us want to talk to anyone right now. Much less – Gray began shouting again, this time not at Erza but at Natsu, threatening to never let him eat before getting on the road for any extended span of time again. Natsu started to shout back, something about not having much left in him. Yet all of it felt almost inaudible to Erza. Her thoughts were becoming almost loud enough to deafen her, and, for once, not even Natsu and Gray's arguments bothered her.

Twenty three miles. There's not much traffic right now. With stoplights and the speed limit, it's probably going to be just over half an hour before we reach a campsite. But we're almost there. We're almost –

"Erza! Look out!"

For a split second, every sense and nerve in her body was on edge. Lights – and lights far too bright for the otherwise dark and quiet roads. Panic overtook her body, and, her hands badly shaking, Erza swerved onto the shoulder of the road before driving onto the grassy knoll beside it. Where no one would be driving. The second she was sure they had cleared the car going the wrong direction, she slammed on the brakes. She flipped on the hazards. Her heart feeling as though it would burst in her chest, Erza leaned forward, almost collapsing over the steering wheel. Barely aware of it, she started to cry. Just as startled, Gray leapt up from the back of the RV to let Natsu out for a minute. Natsu keeled forward on the grass, and what little he had left in him came out. Happy curled up on his seat to keep it warm. Gray steadied himself in against the door, resisting the urge to start running as though it would make him feel better. Slowly, he slid down to sit on the floor of the RV, looking exhausted. Her own head spinning a little, Lucy blinked rapidly to try and calm her breathing but, then, after a second, she turned to Erza, who was shaking badly.

"Erza?" Lucy softly pressed. "Do you need anything? Should we…"

"I just need a minute," She closed her eyes, trying to make her hands stop shaking and her head stop spinning. "What in the hell was a semi truck doing making a turn like that? We –"

"It was startling," Lucy shifted slightly loosely hug the armoured mage. "I don't like it either," She said, her voice unsteady. "It kind of…"

"I haven't seen anything that bright in a while," Erza said, rubbing at her head. "I know it's not the same, not at all, but I…the last time I felt subsumed by light was in the Tower. When Eth…"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah," She said, shivering a bit at the memory. "I feel that too."

"What even was the point of all of it?" Erza paused, unsure if she felt shaky from anger or fear. "Nobody wins. And it feels like that's only going to get worse."

"We'll figure something out," Lucy said, grabbing one of the other light blankets and draping it over Erza's shoulders. "And things will be okay. We're going to meet up with the other guilds in a few days, and we'll be able to find out what's going on with…with the Oración Seis then."

"I'm less concerned about them as individuals than I am about why the hell they are trying to seek out a dangerous and forbidden magical artifact," Erza swore under her breath. "Or whatever 'Nirvana' is. All we know is that it certainly won't do anyone any good, much less if a dark guild has it to use as a plaything."

Lucy grimaced. "Do you think they just want to cause anarchy?"

"We would probably be lucky if they were just anarchists," Erza shook her head. "I don't know what they want. I just know that it shouldn't be brought about through something so incredibly dangerous."

Lucy sighed. "If we do find Jellal," She slowly began. "Do you think they would hurt him?"

"I don't know what they would do to him," Erza said, her hands beginning to shake again. "But I don't want anyone else to find him. I…I want to protect him. We couldn't…we couldn't protect ourselves, when we were trapped there. And he's had his entire life destroyed. I have no idea how much of it he truly chose but I don't want to see him unable to make things right. There are plenty things I've done wrong, and –"

"You don't have to explain," Lucy gently cut in, reassuringly patting her back. "Do you want me to drive a little, so you can get some sleep? I know it's hard, and I know you haven't been sleeping well since…"

"He was so cold about it all," Erza whispered. "As if he doesn't care about Jellal at all…"

"There's a serious difference between what you think is –"

"I've had enough of you bouncing around the question, Siegrain. You're vindictive towards your brother, and you know it."

"I'm not, Erza, and, please, calm down."

"You said yourself that, if Jellal is found and brought to trial, he's going to either be locked away for the rest of his life or executed. And, say what you will, I can tell you are more than willing to put your own brother to death."

"I do not want him dead, Erza. For –"

"There's a part of me that wants to trust him, you know," Erza finally said, looking tiredly to Lucy. "But we all know better. I…I can't let Jellal die. I just can't. He's so much more than what's been done to him…and he needs to be given the chance to show it."

"Hey," Lucy said. "I get it. Siegrain is…well, self righteous and has an ego. He's made that more than clear but…he could have stayed in Era and taken no responsibility for what happened in the Tower and instead risked his own life to try to stop us from getting hurt. To stop you from getting hurt."

Erza glanced at her from behind her dishevelled hair and messy bangs.

"Do you think he cares? Or do you think he is trying to string us along to do the work the Council wants done for them?"

Lucy sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's using us. But I don't think he has bad intentions. Honestly, from every time we've talked to him, while he has been cold and said a few things about believing Jellal will be found guilty…I think he wants to help. I think he wants to do the right thing. And, when it comes down to it, I think he will."

"Yeah, Erza," Gray agreed, rubbing at his temples. "You having strong feelings about Jellal is understandable, with everything the two of you have been through over the years, but Lucy has a point. When he's been up against the wall, Siegrain has been fair. He made clear during the inquest that we were all a part of getting everyone out alive, and it wasn't even mostly him. And, not only that, he's been willing to speak with us off the record. He's got a temper. I'd be willing to bet he's said a lot he doesn't actually mean out of anger when the two of you have been arguing about Jellal."

Erza closed her eyes, leaning forward just a little in exhaustion.

"I…I want to believe he's willing to be fair, to do right by Jellal," She finally said. "But I'm scared about what might happen if we trust him."

"It's a risk," Gray agreed. "I mean, if the Magic Council says you're guilty, then you're guilty. Thank God this is being handled by the federal court system. With how Ultear embarrassed all of them, I'm sure most of them would be more than willing to put Jellal behind bars just to save face. But, with everything Siegrain has done…he's been way more honest than I ever expected."

"I'll give him that much. Siegrain has been…relatively transparent," Erza swallowed hard. "For Jellal's sake, I hope we won't end up living to regret this."

"We won't!" Natsu said encouragingly. "And, if Siegrain does decide to be heartless, then we can make sure he –"

"Are you out of your mind?" Gray exclaimed. "You would fight someone on the Magic Council after you spent a night in prison after –"

"That's enough!" Erza turned around and scowled at them. "You know what? Lucy's right. Trying to keep going for the night isn't going to be worth it. Maybe…maybe things will feel clearer after we get a little bit of sleep."

"They usually do," Lucy said reassuringly. "Besides, how long have we been on the road just today alone?"

Natsu gagged. "Ugh. Five hours. Speaking of which, I need to throw out the trash bag you gave me. I threw up just about everything in my stomach."

"Aye!" Happy put in, waking up from a nap. "Your driving has really messed up his stomach, Erza."

"It nearly messed up mine," Gray muttered. "How have you not gotten us pulled over?"

"I'm not a bad driver!" Erza gaped at them. "We're all in one piece, now aren't we?"

Gray snickered. "If that's the standard for your driving being good, you really need to reconsider how the hell you even got your licence in the first place."

Walking into a meeting with the Magic Council was perhaps one of the last things Makarov Dreyar ever wanted to do. Each time, without fail, he found himself scrutinised in just about every way. Despite having seen Siegrain around the guild and Magnolia more in recent months due to his relationship with Stella Moore, the close and critical way the man looked at him made him feel uneasy. What made him far more uneasy was the way Org and Crawford seemed to be observing him as though they were expecting him to do something troublesome again. Falling asleep during that hearing was more than reasonable. We all knew how it was going to end. Their judgement on me, now, is strange. They already knew what their decision was going to be. It was a waste of time. Uncomfortably, Makarov sat down beside Yajima, who was ready to begin taking notes again. The date in the corner of the laptop made his heart drop. November the 21st, X786. Two weeks. Two more weeks, and Ivan's trial would begin. This was the last thing needed to be done before then. It would not be so hard. That would be what was to come. Ivan. His son had not done the one thing he had expected him to – reach out to him, whether for a veiled threat or something else. He looked around the table again. Leji and Michello were speaking in low voices with Yuri and Hogg. Org, Crawford, and Siegrain watched him closely, warily. And, for her part, Belno was doing everything she could to avoid his eyes.

"This, I'm sure, has been difficult and a long time coming," Org finally said when the guild master looked back to the information he had brought with him. "I can only imagine how uncomfortable reading the information against your son was."

"I'm more concerned that it's not enough," Makarov said shortly. "Which is precisely why I want to ensure there is no room for equivocating about why he was removed from my guild."

"Indeed, it is an important piece," Crawford said. "He was, after all, in your guild for nearly thirty years."

"And thirty years of disagreements," Makarov shook his head. "I allowed my son to become a member of the guild when he was seven years old, because of his impressive magical talent, and the way he seemed to be eager to learn. But he was…I'm not quite sure how to describe how he changed. He became…arrogant is perhaps the best word I can think of."

"Arrogant is one word to describe him," Michello said with a dark edge to his voice. "He seems to believe he can go missing for over half a decade and thus be absolved of any wrongdoing he had done before."

"It's worse than him pulling stunts like this," Makarov sighed. "I removed Ivan from Fairy Tail for three reasons. The first reason was his treatment of his ex-wife."

"Yes, I saw she had been noted in every document pertaining to their relationship and children as redacted for her own protection, though she was never granted a formal order of protection against him," Org noted. "However, it is noted she had not been granted it because they divorced."

"At the end of their marriage, shortly before their youngest child's first birthday in X766, Ivan grew increasingly short tempered with her, to put it mildly," Makarov said. "This escalated to physical abuse. He never did permanent damage, but she did end up badly bruised on more than one occasion. When they divorced, he took their three children away from her, knowing she was too afraid of him to fight back because, for all his faults, Ivan has never hurt his children, with one exception."

"His implanting a lacrima into his eldest child in an attempt to better their health?" Leji raised an eyebrow. "I find it interesting he only did one thing that could be seen as him hurting any of his children."

"Ivan does – or, at least, as far as I know which goes back to until I removed him from the guild – care about his children and has done nothing to intentionally hurt them. He was stunned by the incredibly long recovery Laxus went through after the lacrima was placed in him," Makarov fell silent, for a time. "He nevertheless took care of him and did his best to take care of him afterwards. He was incredibly happy to see Laxus' health improve overall after, too, though I have always thought that was more selfish than anything else."

"That would be unsurprising given what we know of him," Siegrain watched him closely. "Is there more to note about his relationship with his ex-wife?"

"A little," Makarov said, nervously glancing at Belno for just a second before looking quickly and just as nervously away. "Ivan's relationship with her was, well…"

"This is an unnecessary tangent," Belno coldly cut in. "You said there were three reasons you removed him from the guild. What were the other two? I imagine they're significantly more important than your family politics."

"My own curiosities aside, I would tend to agree," Siegrain said, though he startled when he noticed the irritation in her voice. "It seems rather immaterial."

"Yes," She said, sending Makarov a pointed look. "It is."

"The least you can do, Ivan, is to one day tell them the damn truth."

Ivan had scowled. "They don't deserve whatever you have to say on the subject. I am the one who took care of them, who was there, who did –"

"And yet, over a decade later and only after your own father finally has had enough of you, you seek me out only to tell me you implanted a lacrima in our son's body, and that you've handed our children over to their grandfather! I suppose that last is for the best, though!" She had snapped. "I am more than relieved to know Laxus is doing alright now, but you –"

"You're being just as irrational as my father," Ivan had cut in. "You cannot understand what Laxus went through. You have no idea how difficult things were for him, or how hard it was to see your child struggle just to have a normal childhood because they are prone to illness, because they're physically weaker than most children their age, and because –"

"I was there!" She had shouted, anger finally getting the best of her. "I did everything I could to be there for him, and all three of our children! I have two sons with my husband, now, did you know? And I have been a perfectly good mother to them so far! You never gave me a chance to be a proper mother, to –"

"You were never going to change!" Ivan had shouted back, moving to slap her though she caught his wrists with both hands before he could. "And, for that, I suppose a congratulations is in order! You've finally done it, Bella, finally managed to pull yourself into a position to become a member of the Magic Council in the next few years!"

"And, if I do, I will not be letting you get away with things anymore!" She had declared, shaking in anger. "I heard rumours you began a guild after leaving Fairy Tail. I have no doubt in my mind you haven't done so legally, are creating a dark guild for God knows what purpose in –"

"My guild will surpass my father's in every respect, and you needn't think twice about it!" Ivan had sneered. "I assure you, Bella. You will be just as helpless as you are now if you ever make it onto the damn Council. You haven't changed a bit. I can't believe I ever was married to you."

"And I think the same of you," She had said, her voice briefly wavering. "But, then again, I wouldn't marry me either. All I wanted was for you to see me...and maybe that's where I went wrong."

Ivan had tauntingly laughed. "And, yet, I liked you better then, when you were nothing but a pathological people pleaser."

"Well," Org cut into the silence which had befallen them when Makarov did not say any more at Belno and Siegrain's chiding. "Makarov," He turned to the nervously silent guild master. "You were saying?"

Makarov jumped. "Oh, yes," He said, regaining himself from the disquieting conversation his begrudging daughter in law had asked him to confirm details from. "That was one piece which caused tension between me and Ivan. The other two are, I suppose you could say, much more recent but equally serious."

Siegrain raised an eyebrow. "And those are…?"

"They go hand in hand," Makarov said grimly. "Ivan sought to take over the guild from me through blackmail. Blackmail, I should add, that does not exist. Nevertheless, he tried, and, when I expelled him from the guild because of this and his increasing distance from his children, several former guild members went with him to form what I can only describe as a dark guild afterwards."

"So, attempted blackmail," Leji said. "Attempted blackmail and child abandonment? How old were his children at the time?"

Makarov sighed. "Laxus was fifteen. Esseca was twelve, and Caity was eleven. They were legally in my custody as their primary caregiver with Ivan considered to be a dual caregiver. He had legal rights to them as his children, rights which had been taken away from his ex wife when they divorced. He never gave any support to them – physical, emotional, or mental – after he left. Soon after, he vanished with nothing for them, and nothing for me but blackmail."

"I presume this attempted blackmail was deeply insidious. We ought to investigate it and have a further investigation started into Ivan Dreyar," Belno finally said, her voice clipped and masking anger as her fingers curled. "It would benefit us – in supporting the prosecution – to know where he is and what he is doing every second of every day."

Siegrain turned to her in surprise. "I hesitate to say it, but is that not a bit drastic?"

"You're the last person who should judge on whether or not something is drastic," Org sent him a pointed look. "I would refrain from using that in any argument for quite a while if I were you."

"Those measures would not be particularly drastic, either, considering the gravity of the charges against him," Leji said, then turning to Makarov. "It's additionally important to inform you that your son's legal team has submitted a subpoena request for one of his children to speak during his trial."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"His middle child, Esseca," Leji pushed several documents towards him. "According to his attorneys, neither his eldest nor youngest would be considered reliable witnesses to his character. Laxus was ruled out because of his…complicated relationship with Ivan, and Caity was ruled out due to her being cited by Ivan's attorneys as mentally and emotionally unstable."

"I do find it interesting that Ivan personally noted that he believed both his youngest and eldest children would want him to be found guilty," Michello said, glimpsing through some of the documents. "What is it about his middle child that makes her so special?"

"Esseca is by and large a calm and level headed presence," Makarov said shortly. "By our family's standards, at least. And she's certainly the most likely to be able to remove at least some of her personal feelings towards her father in a way her brother and her younger sister cannot."

"We ought to have at least some form of a meeting with Esseca before the trial, then, to get a better handle for our investigation," Org said, avoiding looking at Makarov. "As I'm sure the prosecution would also like to get their hands on an official statement from his own child since she will, after all, be speaking at the trial."

"I sincerely hope we'll see a conviction," Michello said, frowning at the documents as he flipped through them. "Being put in a position where we have no reason to deny his formation of legal guild would be less than desirable."

"I won't deny how satisfying it would be to see him held to account," Makarov hesitated. "But I am quite worried he won't be. Ivan is especially good at getting his way, and always has been. Perhaps that is partially my fault as his father but, I suspect, much of it, however...I think it came from within him and within him alone."

"Of all of the things I thought you would be afraid of, I wouldn't have guessed heights."

"I suppose, then, I may always be able to surprise you. Then again, always is a long time."

Hisui laughed when Laxus gently pulled her in and kissed her with a mischievous smile. Something fluttered in her chest when she felt his arms stay tightly around her, and she closed her eyes, taking a moment to simply be. Simply exist, in herself, and with him. Laxus held her close, almost as though he were worried something would happen to her. Still, he couldn't help but smile. There was something about being with her that made everything seem more manageable and far more clear. What he found himself most surprised by, however, was the ease he felt despite being up on the rooftop of the guild hall. Heights. No. I haven't even talked to anyone but gramps about what happened, and only in the… As best he could, he tried to shed the thought from his mind. It was little use. A worse one began to emerge, a memory, from when he had been younger, from when, it seemed, Ivan had been a good parent. Without realising it, he let go of Hisui with one arm to pull his wallet out of his pocket, briefly mistaking his mobile for it. Surprised, Hisui eyed him closely and, feeling him begin to tremble, reached over to steady his hand, delicately turning to take both of his hands reassuringly in hers.

"Something wrong?" Hisui asked, pausing when she saw the upset in his eyes. "Laxus –"

"You're fine, Hisui, don't worry," Laxus sighed. "I haven't been up here in a long time. Guess it brings back some memories I try not to dwell on. Most of them involving my dad."

Hisui raised an eyebrow when he opened his wallet and handed it to her, his right thumb just above a small, family portrait.

"November the 19th, X775, a little over a year before dad left," Laxus eventually said. "I was fourteen, Caity was ten, and Esseca was eleven. For as much as he and gramps fought, both dad – Ivan – and gramps really wanted to act like we were perfect. It always infuriated me, but I think, now, they had been trying to protect the three of us, especially considering none of us had or have a relationship with our mother."

Hisui glanced between him and the photograph. "I…" She hesitated. "I can't even imagine how any of it felt, Laxus, and…"

"It's alright. Honestly, I'm glad you can't. My family's a disaster," Laxus let out a brief, bitter laugh. "You know, knowing what I do of Ivan now…I'm surprised he and my mother managed to stay married until I was a toddler even though I can't really remember a damn thing about her. But Ivan was…he's always been good at manipulating people. As angry as I am at her for abandoning us, I'm sure Ivan was incredibly manipulative of her. It wouldn't shock me if he went further. Gramps seems to think he became…abusive, towards the end."

"From everything you've said about him, I'd believe it," Hisui said, reassuringly squeezing his hands. "It's been just over a decade since he left, hasn't it?"

"Probably part of why I can't stop worrying about what he's up to," Laxus said. "That and the fact he goes to trial soon."

Hisui turned to him in surprise. "I heard he had been arrested, but I hadn't realised he was going to trial so imminently."

"I hadn't either, and still can't believe gramps is going to speak during it," Laxus said, caught between anxiety and bitterness. "Ivan is a lot of things, but he's far from stupid, and very rarely reckless. I really, really worry he's going to get off. But…who knows how the trial will pan out. As for this…I was angry, at first, when gramps kicked him out of the guild, honestly blamed him for dad leaving. Abandoning us, really. But, after a little while…it seemed clear he didn't give a damn. Sometimes I wonder if he ever did."

"Pose with your sisters, Laxus," Ivan had chided. "Won't you be a good brother? It's only a family portrait."

"I'll admit I did a lot of…stupid things after he left," Laxus finally went on, tugging the photograph out. "I don't know how I finished high school on time, let alone with half decent marks, but I started taking a lot more jobs. The riskier the better. I got so angry about how Ivan had left us while on a job at one point, and so I burned him out of the photograph with what I had left of a cigar. Honestly…it made me feel better."

"I can see why. As you said, he abandoned you," Hisui shook her head. "Everything he's put you through…it's awful."

Silence fell between them, and, hands shaking a little again, Laxus slipped his wallet back into the pocket of his coat, and tried to set the memories aside. Even with the mess Ivan's probably making, we're going to survive it. We're fucking Fairy Tail, and that's something dad can't ever take away. Hisui, too, found herself growing angry with Ivan. Laxus' past was something they had struggled to talk about and still did, but she knew enough to be sure Ivan was a monster who had shattered his own son into a million pieces just so he could try to force him into being the son he had wanted. She held Laxus' hand tighter at the memory of the night he had told her how his father had done terrible things to make him a dragon slayer. They had been almost alone in the guild hall that night, but the air had been almost oppressive. She had struggled not to cry herself when she saw how much it pained him to talk about it. He's often quiet about his feelings, but has opened up to me…I wonder if… She sighed, worried still, but she could not help but relax when he turned, held her close, and gently kissed her.

"I'm glad I wasn't alone particularly long," Laxus managed a faint smile. "I earned S-Class when I was seventeen, and spent a lot of time alone working after for a few months before Evergreen joined the guild. Supposedly – if Bickslow is to be believed – he begged her to join him in being my bodyguards. From there, and a lot sooner than I care to admit…well, it was the first time I ever had a real group of friends."

Hisui quirked an eyebrow. "I take it Bickslow tends to exaggerate at any opportunity?"

"More often than not," Laxus admitted. "I'm still disturbed by the stunt he pulled on Halloween with the Salamander of all people. Where he and Natsu got their hands on a real coffin is beyond me, but I'm not sure knowing would make them telling gramps it was his ride to the next world any better."

Hisui laughed. "I'm stunned he went through the effort to climb in and out of it from a hole in the bottom just so he could inform him there was a hole he could climb out from if he decided he wasn't ready to go."

"More than anything else about that, I appreciate gramps smashing it," Laxus began laughing with her, a feeling of peace washing over him in waves. "And, don't worry," He teased. "I'm sure you'll get the chance to do something along those lines sooner rather than later."

"Could be fun," She replied with a teasing smile. "But, for now, we can rest. You were right, it is lovely up here."

Laxus grinned. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve."

"I'm sure," Hisui said, curling into him, her hair being tousled by the breeze. "You are a member of Fairy Tail, after all."

"We do have our charms," Laxus murmured, affectionately caressing her arm. "It's all part of what we do."

Hisui laughed a little. "And I thought what you do is destroy things."

"Partly," Laxus admitted. "Don't suggest anything involving sledgehammers, fireworks, or spray paint to Bickslow. He will take whatever you say to the extreme."

"I'd believe it," Hisui paused in thought. "I have to ask: has he ever done anything involving all three of those things before?"

"Yes," Laxus said with a grimace. "He and Cana were drinking – something the two of them should never do together – and thought it would be a fantastic idea to celebrate Fairy Tail ranking second in the Grand Magic Games a few years ago with a party. They nearly ended up getting arrested for vandalism. Then again, we all should have seen it coming when they ran back into the guild hall with Evergreen, who was holding a parking sign from the town's high school under her arm."

"Evergreen stole a parking sign?" Hisui blinked, stunned. "Does she still have it?"

"Hanging up on the wall of her bedroom," Laxus said. "Apparently, she did it to win a bet against Freed. He hadn't thought she would actually do it on a dare, but, as it happens, he didn't know how far she would go for him to buy her that damn fur coat she's always wearing. He's never bet against her since."

"Good to know," Hisui said, glancing towards the night sky. "Some of the zodiac are surprisingly visible tonight, but I suppose I'm still not used to being anywhere but the city."

"Being a fifteen minute drive to the middle of nowhere has its charms," Laxus smiled. "I didn't realise you could identify constellations so quickly."

"Seems I still have some tricks up my sleeve too," Hisui replied, pulling a set of keys out of her purse. "I don't talk about it much, but I can connect to the celestial spirit world. My mother has taught me how to reach it since I was a young child. It may be silly, but I always keep these gate keys with me. I suppose they make me feel safe, and less alone."

"You really are something, aren't you?" Laxus gently kissed her. "I'd love for you to show me, one day."

"You needn't worry," Hisui promised. "I will."

"Why are we bringing her along?"

Bickslow nudged Evergreen in the side, pointing at Bisca Connell who was walking beside them. Not hesitating for even a second, the sharpshooter turned to scowl at him, twirling her gun in her hands. Unperturbed, Bickslow shrugged and his 'babies' began to chatter around him, causing several other passersby to take a step away from them. Evergreen rolled her eyes, and primly adjusted her glasses before offering their companion an apologetic look, them both well aware of the fact, if anyone could raise eyebrows simply by existing, it would be Bickslow. For once, it seemed, he had opted for a halfway normal outfit. Wearing real pants, sneakers, and a long sleeved shirt with no cape, if it weren't for his 'babies' and the mediaeval knight's mask he always wore for no reason other than theatrics, Bickslow could have nearly passed for any other person in the country, albeit a strange one if they had been anywhere but Magnolia. Due in part to him being a member of Fairy Tail and in part to his frequent late night coffee runs, everyone in the town knew there was exactly one person in town who was as (sometimes worryingly) eccentric, and that was Bickslow. As for Evergreen, she was perfectly content to be the voice of reason in absence of Freed, who had decided to take a job on his own. That loss, however, had been an opportunity Bisca had been all too happy to fill, and, seeing no way to quickly argue their way out of the situation on their feet, Bickslow and Evergreen had found themselves with Bisca Connell travelling alongside them.

"You already know why I'm coming with you," She reminded Bickslow. "You said you needed a third person, and no one else was particularly eager or ready to go. I could always use a good extra infusion of cash. Alzack ain't going to object to me bringing home a little something extra."

"Sure, but are you sure you're ready for a job with me?" Bickslow replied with a jokingly sinister edge to his voice. "After all, you are going to have to share a small hotel room and at best two small beds with me and Ever."

"I am not sleeping in the same bed as you under any circumstances, Bickslow," Evergreen said, eyes flaring in warning and lowering her glasses ever so slightly. "If there is only one bed in whatever shitty hotel we end up in because you're cheap, I get the bed, Bisca gets a couch if we're so lucky, and you will be sleeping on the floor."

"I don't care if I have to share a bed or a couch with Bickslow," Bisca said with a shrug. "Alzack knows he doesn't have to worry about me. And, frankly, Bickslow's not my type. Never has been, never will be."

"You aren't mine either," Bickslow said, laughing. "But, if there's anything you should be worried about, it's the shit we're going to be dealing with for the job."

Evergreen frowned. "I still cannot believe we have to attend a séance for this! We're searching a few locations, most of them relatively obscure, for some old books and family heirlooms for a rich lady. What good does her having us attend a séance do?"

Bickslow pulled up his mask to look at her fully.

"Look, Ever," He began with a surprisingly serious tone to his voice. "When someone tells you they need you to attend a séance, you go and attend the séance. And you especially do when the person paying you is going to be paying for you to fly across the country in business class without taking anything out of the promised pay check."

Bisca rolled her eyes. "Bickslow, even for you, that doesn't make any sense."

"It actually does," He said, lowering his mask back down. "Not just because of the money, either. When I joined Fairy Tail, it was the first –"

"Damn it, Bickslow," Evergreen groaned. "Are you seriously going to get into your absolutely absurd childhood again?"

"Absurd childhood?" Bisca said, faintly smirking. "I need to hear this."

"Someone understands!" Bickslow said, high fiving Bisca and childishly sticking his tongue out at Evergreen. "I was raised by my aunt, and to say she was eccentric would be a lie. She was absolutely nuts. Great woman, but nuts. I think I was four or five when she had me attend my first séance, and it lasted six hours. She taught me how to perform an exorcism by the time I was seven. We purged a poltergeist from our house and, in the process, apparently drove property values on our street down the toilet."

"You purged a poltergeist?" Bisca sceptically repeated. "When you were seven?"

"He did," Evergreen told her, though her tone made clear she was by no means happy about it. "If Bickslow were exaggerating something for the hell of it, he would be much more overt. The man isn't exactly well versed in being subtle."

"And I really don't need to exaggerate this shit," Bickslow said with a grimace. "She usually let me roam freely if I weren't doing something with her or at school on the occasions when she made me go."

Evergreen snorted. "It's a miracle you graduated high school."

"It's miracle neither of us didn't die some sort of horrible death as kids," Bickslow teased, his babies chattering in agreement. "From what you've had to say about your childhood, you roamed pretty freely too. Your parents just actually gave a damn about you going to school whereas my aunt only made me go to school as often as it took to keep social services from getting involved."

"Turning on each other now?" Bisca drawled, spinning her gun in her hands again, and looked to Evergreen. "What's this about you having next to no parental supervision?"

"It's not sinister," Evergreen assured her, brushing her hair over shoulder. "My sister and I used to spend hours outside. Our parents didn't care as long as we were home every night. We used to play on those boxes in front of people's houses. You know, the electrical ones?"

Bickslow and Bisca both paused and, after briefly sharing a shocked look, stared at her strangely. Evergreen met their gazes with a confused look, raising an eyebrow when Bisca and Bickslow began to mime electrocution.

"You are both being ridiculous," She scoffed. "They're essentially nothing more than big, green, metal jumping boxes. Hell, my sister and I played on those almost as much as we climbed trees."

Bisca shook her head. "Those can blow up. I'm pretty sure, if someone knew what they were shooting at and were aiming at those big power line facilities, it wouldn't take much to blow up part of the power grid, never mind a small ass power box."

"Damn," Bickslow said, letting out a low whistle. "Guess I had a normal childhood after all."

"No, no you didn't," Bisca told him. "We just learnt that the Moore sisters have no sense of danger."

"Really? Is that so?" Evergreen said wryly. "You should both be smart enough to realise, if they were so prone to blowing up, they wouldn't be in people's front yards."

Bickslow laughed. "Or, maybe, you secretly have the luck of a saint."

"Maybe I do," Evergreen said, smirking as she dramatically spun around. "Or, maybe –"

Nearly falling over, Evergreen stumbled into and caused two young girls to slam into the pavement, one of them cursing as she went down, and the other letting out a surprising and nervous yelp. Before Evergreen regained her composure and Bickslow realised what happened, Bisca was already helping (read: snatching them up by the arms) the two girls get back up from off the ground. When they had a moment to take a look at the situation they had (accidentally) caused, both Evergreen and Bickslow found themselves deeply unsettled. The sense of something being incredibly wrong about the situation slammed into both of them in waves, even if, on some level, they were sure it had to be irrational. The smaller of the two, a girl with long blue hair in pigtails, seemed particularly eager to leave once she had all of her things sorted again, as if she had to leave for an urgent meeting. Beside her was a girl they could only assume was her older sister, with pale pink hair and a timid way about her that seemed almost forced. With only a whisper to the smaller girl neither Evergreen, Bisca, nor Bickslow could hear, the slightly older girl watched the girl the trio were sure to be her little sister run off with most of their bags, seemingly going home as quick as possible, as if they were going to be late for curfew.

"Sorry about that," Bisca said. "If we had seen you, we never would have –"

"Don't think anything of it," The girl said, nervously looking between them. "You're clearly just not situationally aware."

Evergreen bristled. "Who are you to –"

"My name is Melody," The girl told her. "And, if I were you, I would keep myself out of places where I don't belong."

Evergreen's eyes narrowed. "Do I know you? And – nix that. Was that a threat?"

"Guess you aren't completely unperceptive," The girl called Melody shook her head. "Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes."

"Sure," Evergreen said coldly as she took off down the alleyway. "But witches don't like or put up with their cats being killed."

By the time her words were ringing out, however, they were the only echoes down the alleyway.

Whomever she was, the girl called Melody was long gone.

"I know that look in her eyes, you know," Bisca said, her voice growing serious as she checked the sights on her gun. "Something about her looks like it's covering up a young killer deep below the surface."

Something felt deeply wrong.

Meredy was sipping her morning tea like normal. Wendy and Carla had left to play their part in Ultear's plan for keeping their family safe. Everything was going as intended, so far as Meredy knew, but there was something about Ultear that felt completely and utterly wrong when she stepped into the room. Most mornings, Ultear was off kilter. In all the time she had known her, Ultear had never been a morning person. If she were doing anything other than sleeping in the morning, it was because something bad was happening or had happened. Though not particularly risk averse herself, Ultear had always been particular about the safety of the few people she held close. From what she had come to learn of the woman who had taken her in, the desire to turn back time and set everything in her life right had led Ultear desperate to be what her mother could never be for her – a protector, a constant, and someone willing to go to any end with any means for the people she vowed to protect. It was for that reason and that reason alone Meredy had chosen to keep the encounter she and Wendy had with a few members of Fairy Tail to herself. There was no need to worry Ultear. Wendy had been unfazed by the time they were all back home, and no one had been hurt.

For a moment, Meredy wondered if Ultear had finally learnt about why she and Wendy were actually home late that day.

Then, she realised it had been well over a week.

It had been well over a week since that day, and about five days since Wendy left with Carla. Things had fallen into something of a dull routine, though not one which was unbearable. Still, it had come to be exhausting. For as eager as she was for things to become less dull, seeing the way Ultear appeared to be on edge caused her stomach to sink. Is Wendy alright? Or has something happened? She tried not to ruminate in those thoughts. If something had happened to Wendy, Ultear would not be nearly so silent or in something of a daze. Maybe it's something to do with the Magic Council's pursuit of us. Siegrain being anywhere near us has been stressful. If he finds us…it would be a disaster. It would destroy the family. It would ruin everything. Nervously, Meredy kept watching Ultear, startling, for a split second, when she finally turned to face her before sitting down beside her on the couch. If anything were clear, it was that she was exhausted, her eyes blinking quickly, struggling to remain open. Her hands were shaky as she ran them through her unusually messy and unbrushed hair. For someone so otherwise sophisticated, seeing her in any other state was jarring. Unsure of whether or not either of them wanted to speak, Meredy and Ultear simply stared blankly at each other, lost in thoughts both triumphant and terrifying, until, never keen on silence if she could avoid it, Meredy spoke.

"Heard anything from Wendy or Carla?"

Ultear shortly nodded. "They've arrived. Only people still not present are those from Fairy Tail. I can't say I'm surprised. They're an unmitigated disaster."

"Well," Meredy said with a small laugh. "I wouldn't have been able to make this possible in the first place if they weren't."

"True," Ultear agreed. "I can't say I want you to take such risks, but I will concede that you doing so has been an immense help. I didn't realise you would take such risks for this family."

"You saved my life, Ultear," Meredy said, smiling. "I wouldn't be still alive without you."

"I'm far from as cold as I present myself," Ultear said, sweeping up her purse and stepping over to the mirror on the other side of the living room. "I assume you've eaten breakfast?"

"Already did the dishes," Meredy happily replied. "Everything should be all good here. Just quiet without Wendy."

Ultear raised an eyebrow as she unboxed and put on her long, dull brown wig from where it had been left on the table under the mirror.

"And Jellal? Is he sick again? I'm getting rather concerned about his health going in and out."

"He's probably still asleep," Meredy said sadly. "What happened to him? You said he had been in a disastrous accident, and the two of you are being framed for crimes you didn't commit by his brother, but not much else. Do you think whatever happened to him did more damage than to just his magic?"

"Maybe," Ultear said, pursing her lips at the thought. "But, at the moment, I'm not sure."

"Is there anything more we can do to help?" Meredy said, staring, a moment, at the handful of other wigs her 'mother' had laid about. "Should I start masking my hair colour too? I know it's distinctive."

"If you're going to keep going out, then, yes, please do," Ultear glanced at her before pulling out her mascara. "As for what we can do to help Jellal –"

"Do you think the King could grant him clemency?" Meredy suddenly exclaimed. "We know he's not a bad person. Do you think appealing it to the King could work, if we can prove he's being framed?"

"I certainly couldn't," Ultear calmly reminded her. "I'm just as – if not more – wanted than he is."

Meredy's face fell. "I don't understand," She said quietly. "Why is everyone against us? You and Jellal are good people. You took me in and saved my life when no one else would, after my town went up in flames. I was a little kid, you didn't have to do that for me, but you did. How can anyone think you're a terrible person? Why does the Magic Council have it out for us?"

"Some people are simply corrupt," Ultear said, leaning closer to the mirror as she twisted the cap of her mascara off. "And we happen to be caught up in more than unfortunate circumstances."

"I guess that's true," Meredy said, pausing when she realised how quiet the apartment was in the moments where they let themselves stay silent. "I'm…I'm going to go check on Jellal."

"Go do it, then," Ultear said, beginning to apply her mascara. "Let me know if there's anything I need to do to make sure his recovery keeps going as well as it can."

The nervous way Meredy carried herself whilst leaving the kitchen, for a moment, left the disgraced, former Council member uneasy herself. Not wanting to dwell on it, she went back to applying her makeup, careful with every little detail, knowing she could not go out without making herself all but completely unrecognisable. It gets more and more tedious by the day, but I can keep tabs on Siegrain far better than Meredy can. Poor thing is stressed enough as it is. As for Wendy, she at least has her cat. Hopefully Meredy's plan works. The more we know about the guilds, but especially Fairy Tail, the better. Irritated when she inadvertently smeared a tiny bit of mascara onto her eyebrows, Ultear swore as she opened the drawer under the mirror, looking for a makeup removing cloth. When she found it, she got to work quickly. Soon enough, things were back to pristine and she finished off with the mascara, satisfied with how she looked. The way the cloth clung to her fingers after she twisted the cap back into the mascara bottle, however, briefly startled her, and the words that came to mind did not sicken her and, instead, angered her.

Come off you damned spot! Come off, I said! One ring, two rings. Well then it must be time to do it. Hell is a murky place!

"Ultear! This is –"

"What?" The disgraced Council member snapped, nearly smearing the lipstick she had been uncapping on her hand. She fell silent when she saw the look on Meredy's face and that she was holding a few sheets of paper in her hands. "The hell is that?"

"Jellal…he…" Meredy shakily set the papers down on the table upon which Ultear's makeup was sat. "He went after Wendy. He's…he's gone."

Ultear's gaze darkened and she looked between her 'daughter' and the papers, her eyes narrowing the further down them she read.

"You're right," She said, a coldness to her voice Meredy almost couldn't believe. "This could become a disaster. It may already be one."