11th January – 12:20 PM

"Hiya Natsu, what are you up to?"

Natsu glanced up from the cluster of holographic schematics and scan results littering the space just above his desk as his attention snapped up by the bubbly voice whispering into his ear. "Luce… Lucy, how long have you been there?"

"Only a few seconds." The blonde smiled warmly. She carefully made room on the edge of the man's desk and sat atop it near his right hand. "I kind of expected you to notice me the moment I walked in."

"I was focusing on trying to understand how this fucking thing works." Natsu grumbled and he grabbed the shield module that sat atop a large but flat disk, shaking it gentle while bearing his fangs at the contraption. "It's some backwards and upside-down technology that only some fucking lunatic could dream up."

Lucy gently took the device from the man before he could do any unintentional damage to it and she placed it back onto the scanner. She brought a finger to the underside of the man's chin and slowly redirected his gaze up to her smiling face, effortlessly quelling his anger. But she gave him a quick kiss to be certain. "Maybe you need a break from it?"

"Probably." He sighed softly and sat back in his chair. His eyes wandered down the woman's body and he blinked slowly. "You must have just arrived, right?"

While she had already hung her brown trench coat on the coatrack by the office door, she hadn't yet changed into clothing more comfortable for around the house. Her slightly swaying legs were covered with a pair of knee-high chocolate-brown suede boots with long black woollen socks covering the rest of her legs. Her usual short skirt was a black-grey tartan and pleated and was haphazardly splayed out around her on the desk since she didn't sweep it under her when she sat down. A matching suede waistcoat snuggly hugged her figure over a black long-sleeved shirt and pushed her breasts a little higher, not that they needed any more help getting noticed. It wasn't one of her usual colourful outfits but maybe she wanted to wear something different.

"I hope I don't have snow on me…" Lucy murmured slightly panicky as she quickly checked around her body for the fine white flakes. She was quickly stilled by an incredibly warm hand gently cupping her cold cheek and caressing it softly.

"You're fine, Lucy." Natsu laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it."

"Mm," Lucy couldn't help but to lean into the warmth a little as it soaked into her face and turned it a touch rosy. "But yes, I only just arrived."

Natsu shifted his attention to the nearby window and let out a short sigh. In the few hours that he had been sat at his desk and pouring over the results and schematics in front of him, it had begun to snow heavily and all he could see beyond the window was a white haze with grey masses visible within thanks to his eyes' enhancement.

He let out a huff and returned to his work. "I was hoping to get out and take some examples of my weapons over to Saiko… But I doubt that car will do good in this weather."

"The trams are offline too." Lucy informed the man. She slowly leaned to the side and hung her head into the corner of Natsu's vision, eyeing his eyes with a visible curiosity. "I was talking with Lelyanna about you, and she told me something interesting about your eyes."

"That I can see better than normal people?"

"Something along those lines." The blonde woman reached out her hand and waved her fingers in front of the man's right eye, causing it to turn to her and drawing his full attention to her and allowing her to look into his eyes. "They look normal to me; can you really see through clothes?"

"Depends on the thickness and the material." Natsu sighed and shook his head lightly; of course, she had found out about that particular side-effect of his augmentations. He half-smiled at the woman and pushed her hand down lightly. "The chemicals mutated my eyes to allow me to see beyond the visual spectrum of light and into the infrared portion – specifically the Near-Infrared portion. Think of like how animals have night vision, my eyes are like that. I'm sure there are races in this world who have something similar."

"The dwarves from our last job had the same kind of thing, but I don't think they're capable of seeing through clothing. There are a few races that can see better in the dark compared to humans, and a few others who can see better than those." Lucy sat back up and stretched her arms out above her head and arched her back. "Can you see through my clothes?"

"Ah," Natsu blinked and turned in his seat to face the woman. He ran his eyes down the woman once more and shook his head. "Not all of it, just your shirt. But that doesn't really show much since your tits are mostly hidden behind your waistcoat. I can see your cleavage though." His eyes darted down when the blonde playfully lifted the front of her skirt and flashed her panties. "I mean, if you do that then of course I'd be able to see through them."

"Wanna lick it?" Lucy giggled but she dropped her skirt and mused, "I wonder if my Star Dresses could be seen through…" However, she pushed the thought aside and hopped off the desk. "Anyway, you look like you need a break. Let's go and do that thing with your weapons. I know it's a bit meek outside, but I want to do something too."

"Did you bring your stuff over from your apartment yet?" Natsu asked offhandedly while closing down the holograms and placing the shield module into the top draw of his desk.

"Yeah, I did it this morning with Erza. My stuff is already in the bedroom beside yours. I actually just came back from a meeting with the home owner; told them I won't be renewing my lease when it runs out midway next week and that I've already moved my possessions out of the apartment." Lucy replied happily, smiling brightly at the man as he rose from his seat and looked down at her. Her smile turned flirtatious after his gaze lingered on her without him saying anything. "Lost in my eyes again, Natsu, or do you want another kiss?"

"Both." Natsu pulled the woman in close and held her body against his own as he lowered his head, bringing his lips near hers. His voice lowered into a husky growl as he murmured, "Though a part of me wants to leave you unsatisfied so I can see that cute puffy pout that I know you'll give me."

"You wouldn't dare!" Lucy let out a quiet, theatrical gasp and gave the man a mock-appalled look. She snaked her arms up the man's body and wrapped them around his neck, pulling herself up a little higher so their lips could finally meet once more. "Mm, kissing you always makes me feel so giddy inside."

"She did say that you would become addicted to me fairly quickly." Natsu murmured between kisses. "Did you think she was joking?"

"No, I thought she was talking about sex…"

"I mean, she kind of was, but we didn't start out with sex. She loved kissing me, said it was something about the taste of me that drove her crazy."

"I can definitely attest to that." Lucy purred lightly before slamming her lips against Natsu's and forcing a deep, passionate kiss. After near-on a minute of kissing, Lucy reluctantly pulled away from the man and panted softly, her chest rising and falling against Natsu's. "Could it be those chemicals that changed you?"

"No," Natsu replied with a slight shake of his head. "It was like that even before we were put through the augmentation process." He combed a hand through her long blonde hair and glanced briefly out the window. "I can sense a little bit of magic in that weather, it reminds me of Juvia… Is something up with her counterpart here?"

"Him and Grace probably had a little spat again. He's kinda clingy in a sweet way and she's a tsundere to the core, it's cute but tiring. I just wish they'd finally break that sexual tension and work out all that stress between them." Lucy followed the man's gaze to the wall of white outside the window and hummed in thought. She tucked her head under his chin and slid her arms down and around his waist, cuddling up to him and letting his warmth soak into her body. "We should give it a little bit to peter out, maybe half an hour to an hour. It should be clear enough by then, and that'd give the roadworkers time to clear away the snow."

"Hm, I wonder what we can do in the meantime." Natsu chuckled quietly as he slipped his hands up the woman's legs and gently grasped her arse, earning a soft moan from Lucy.

"Would you like to eat me?" Lucy giggled as she wiggled her hips, shaking her arse in the man's hot hands.

"Well, I am starving after frying my brain on that damn thing." Natsu laughed but he gave the woman a gentle kiss and brought his arms back around her waist. "I don't know whether or not you've had lunch, but how about we go a get some food."

"I worked up an appetite with all the work I had to do moving my stuff into my new room." Lucy lightly pushed off of the man's chest and stretched her arms out above her head once more, letting out a delicate groan before resting her hands on her cocked hips. "So, what are we having?"

"Haven't decided just yet." Natsu grabbed his terminal and stepped away from his desk. As he left the room, he glanced over his shoulder at the woman hastening after him. "Do you have any thoughts?"

"Hm, I'm not really sure. I'll be happy with whatever you give me."

"I guess I'll think of something."

After a few minutes of silence, only filled by the footsteps of Lucy and the android servants tending to the manor, they arrived in the empty kitchen and the blonde leaned against the bench while she watched the man wander from the fridge to the pantry and back again. "Natsu?"

"Hm?" Natsu glanced up as he laid his ingredients on the bench and began to prepare them for cooking.

"Back on the job, you and Henrietta mentioned something about your bullets?" Lucy tilted her head slightly, trying to remember their exact words but they escaped her. "Was there some kind of restriction on types?"

"Eh, somewhat. It all depended on the situation. There was an agreement between nations that they'd restrict the usage of specific bullets that would cause unnecessarily grievous harm and suffering. Though this was thrown out the window about two years into the war to end all wars. I don't know who started to field them first, but we quickly began to see the usage of incredibly devastating munitions against soft targets – against people. The use of expanding and even explosive bullets became commonplace on the battlefield, so we developed better and better armour made from increasingly sophisticated materials. Politicians argued back and forth over the merits of using such munitions and how it was against international regulations but neither side stopped using them, probably because the politicians never saw what they could do in person."

"I'm almost afraid to ask about when the 'situation' called for it…" Lucy hesitated as she stared into the man's cold, dark eyes. "But I'll ask anyway."

"There were a lot of people crammed into my world," Natsu began, choosing his words carefully, "so there were a lot of unsavoury types. I already told you what happened to Happy. There were plenty of times when we came across civilians who had been massacred – on both sides – by sick fucks, so when we came across those kinds of people, we had no mercy."

Lucy paled and she looked down at her hands. They were shaking. She couldn't comprehend the horrors he had seen. While her own world wouldn't be considered a paradise, it was far more comforting facing the monsters that she knew over that she couldn't understand. Human cruelty was one thing, but on the incomprehensibly massive scale that he had seen, the mere thought chilled her to the bone.

"You would've seen that all the ammo I have stored down below is either FMJ – copper-jacketed rounds with a lead alloy specifically created to have a high density – and AP or Armour Piecing slash Penetrating. This was because in the later years of the war, armour had come so far that lesser rounds weren't able to punch through the composites and alloys, even the soft armour that made up my combat uniform were pretty fucking resistant to hollow-points and the likes. That, and they punch through light vehicles easier than deforming bullets and will carry enough stopping power to take whoever is behind it out of the fight."

"So, umm… these bullets that were used on the… undesirables… what were they?"

"Polymer-tipped hollow-points that expand rapidly, frangible bullets, fléchette rounds, sometimes calibres larger than what was required… Whatever was needed to put those cunts down, be it my side or their side. Wherever I came across some mongrel fuckers who was fucked in the head enough to commit war crimes, then I'd give them a taste of the pain they've inflicted on others before killing them or letting them die of their wounds." Natsu growled and stared at the chopping board for a few seconds before letting out a quiet sigh. He grabbed the nearby knife and began cutting up the ingredients. "I've said it before, Lucy, I'm a monster. I've done monstrous things, some of which I'm proud of and others that I'm not. But I believe I was justified in every action I have taken when put into difficult moral situations."

"Natsu…" Lucy sighed and pouted at the man, puffing her cheeks out. "I don't know what those are… I only know of basic ball ammo and soft-tipped hunting ammo."

"Frangible bullets break apart inside or against whatever they hit, and fléchettes rounds are darts generally fired either on their own or in clusters in a canister. Normally frangible bullets are for training, but they quickly became made with compressed slivers of metal instead of powder, essentially turning them from solid bullet into fléchettes upon impact and spread out through a person's body or send shrapnel tearing through a vehicle."

"That sounds horrific!" The blonde gasped and her eyes shot wide open.

"Such is war." Natsu looked up at the woman and he reached a hand out to her, gently caressing her cheek. "But enough of that macabre topic. The main point of what Henrietta and I talked about was using those polymer-tipped hollow-points to reduce overpenetration in soft targets and reduce the likelihood of civilian injuries. The only problem is working out a polymer that is already in existence that would be up to the task."

After a few moments of silence, where she just enjoyed the man's warm touch, Lucy suddenly spoke up, "Could you teach me to shoot? I know you taught Lelyanna, but I've had the inkling to learn too ever since I met you."

"I can, but I can't exactly give you one of my personal weapons… You know that, right?"

"I'm happy to buy some of those weapons you make." Lucy instantly replied. "I know you'd prefer keeping the really advanced stuff under your supervision, and it would make more sense for me to carry one of the SLRs."

"That's only a small part of it. My weapons are very unusual since this world has no bullpup weapons at all. Aside from that, it's more about ammo and spare parts availability. I don't want to send you out and have you run out of ammo or some other worst-case scenario." Natsu turned his back on Lucy and started to cook the chicken that he had cut up and marinaded with a smoky barbeque marinade. "Alright, I can do that but I want you to answer something; why? You handled yourself incredibly well using those magic dresses."

"But what if I'm running low on magic or am in a situation where I can't use it? I'm not as strong as Natsumi and Wendy with their mutations from their dragon magic and Nat's demonic side. Erza's mother is a dragon slayer who underwent draconification while pregnant with Erza, so Erza's far stronger and resilient than she'd normally be. And Grace has her devil-slaying magic which altered her body in a similar way to Natsumi and Wendy. I'm in a similar boat to Lelyanna with the exception of not being a healer. I'd rather carry one of those rifles and or pistols for when it is needed."

"I understand." Natsu held up a hand in an attempt to quell the woman's rambling. "I'll give you both a pistol and rifle, and you can choose which version of the SLR that you want. But I have one stipulation; I want you to be familiar with the manual of arms before I take you out for training. I will be testing you on it too, so don't skip out on reading it thoroughly and practicing what it teaches you."

"Alright. I can do that." Lucy nodded eagerly. "I'll take the shorter of the two." She tilted her head slightly and she hummed in thought. "Is it possible for you to make it shorter?"

"I can switch out or adapt the stock so it can fold. That'd made it smaller overall. I could also shorten the barrel from eighteen inches to thirteen to be a carbine but you're trading out a considerable amount of stopping power from the full-power 8.6 cartridge doing that. And stopping power is something you'd want when facing down monsters."

"No, just the stock will do. I don't want to sacrifice stopping power. That'd make it easier to store in a bag or on the side of my backpack."

"Okay. It shouldn't take me long to whip up a folding mechanism for the existing stock as a proof of concept. I'll do that after we eat." Natsu came back to the woman and pieced together their meal. It was just a simple barbeque chicken salad but neither of them voiced any complaints while they ate.

3:44 PM

A bell chimed as Natsu opened the door for Lucy and allowed her into Pierce the Veil ahead of him. But the black-haired woman he was expecting behind the counter was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a slender redhead with freckles dotting her pale nose and cheeks.

"Welcome to Pierce the Veil. Feel free to look around, and if you need help with anything, please just ask." The kind-looking woman waved from her place at the counter.

"Is Saiko in?" Natsu asked politely as he approached the redhead. "I was wondering if I could speak with her about something."

"She's down in the forge. I'll go and bring her up." The woman stepped towards the door behind her but paused when she had half opened it. "Oh, I'll need a name."

"Báleygr."

"Thanks, I'll be right back."

While the woman headed through the doorway, Natsu glanced around to see where Lucy had wandered off to. He found her standing by a selection of daggers and knives, eyeing each one with a curious but uncertain gaze. "Interested in a blade too?"

"I just think I should carry something small that I can hide on my person. That rules out anything short sword sized and above." Lucy folded her arms under her bust and turned to the man, her low gaze easily being drawn to the KMXX combat knife that he had strapped to his left thigh. "Something like what you brought with you."

"That's something I don't mind giving you." Natsu stepped closer to the woman as he brought out one of his few remaining spare combat knives and handed it to her. "Once you've worked out where you want to have it, just practice drawing and returning it to the sheath slowly in your downtime until you feel confident to use it in dire situations, and then continue to practice as often as possible. Same goes with the pistol and rifle."

"Thank you." A smile spread across Lucy's lips and her eyes lit up with happiness.

"Hey, Báleygr!" Saiko called out as she burst from through the door at the back of the store with the redhead following close behind. "What can I do for you?" She looked around and quickly found the man standing with a familiar blonde bombshell nearby. "Damn, are you some kind of ladies' man? Every time you come here; you're always accompanied by a different woman."

"Who knows." Natsu replied offhandedly and he walked over to the counter once again, coming to a stop in front of the two women. "I wanted to show you what I was working on with those materials I buy from you, and talk about expanding the Báleygr line we had set up for weapons made with the alloy I helped you with."

"Alright, show me what you've got." Saiko slipped around to the front of the counter and stood next to the man with her hands on her hips. She watched on as the man laid out four wooden cases on the counter, with the occasional glance directed at the redhead. "Oh, you're probably curious about her; she's my sister-in-law, Mai. Married to my brother."

"We just moved to Magnolia from Hargeon and I needed a job. Since I had experience running a store, Sato – my husband – suggested I get in contact with his sister here since she always talking about having her hands full running the shopfront and working the forge. He thought that she might have liked having an experienced hand helping around."

"Welcome to Magnolia," Lucy cheered brightly, beaming at Mai. "Sorry about the sporadic bouts of inclement weather, like the sudden snowstorm earlier. That's because of someone at our guild; Fairy Tail."

Natsu quickly redirected the conversation back to the reason he was here in the store; the firearms. He opened the four cases and propped up each weapon. "This is what I've been up to with the materials I buy from you. The two rifles are the Mark One and Two Self-Loading Rifle or SLR for short. The pistol is the P10 for Pistol Ten Millimetre, and the same for the revolver designated the R10."

"Holy crap. They definitely fit with your other weapons." Saiko murmured, her voice filled with awe. She reached for the SLR Mk2 but stopped a centimetre short of touching it, sparing a quick glance at the salmon-haired man and silently asking for permission.

"Go ahead." Natsu gave the woman a slight grin and nodded. While the woman snatched up the marksman's rifle, he launched into an explanation, "I wanted to bring some of the firearm technology that I'm familiar with to this country, since I noticed there was nothing like my own personal weapons here. It took me a little bit to get all the necessary facilities online, but in my estate, I have an automated factory manned by clockwork workers who I've trained to create these weapons and accessories with unmatched precision. I've also got a munitions plant to create the ammo required for these weapons, automated just like the weapons to ensure every bullet performs with uniform perfection."

"Hah, if the Jeager job doesn't pan out for you, you could always become a salesman." Saiko laughed heartily and she clapped the man on the back. "Though, it seems you want to spread out your income sources anyway."

"That's part of the reason, yeah, but not the only one." Natsu smiled. "These weapons come as you see them now, box and all."

"So," The black-haired weaponsmith place the rifle back down into its designated spot in the box and turned to the man with her arms crossed under her breasts. "Where do I fit into this plan? You brought them here for a reason, after all."

"I want you to be the sole point of retail of these weapons. This shop is well known for high-quality weapons, and we've already established the Báleygr Arms line here so why not expand that existing partnership even further." Natsu explained. "I'm still debating on whether a small stock of weapons is kept here – say ten of each, maybe more – or we go by special order. Though I want to keep a significant stock of ammunition here so you can keep a steady sale of consumables flowing."

"How do you want to handle the purchase of stock?"

"I've worked out a cost to manufacture, since my facilities don't have living workers and function off the power grid thanks to improvements I've made to my estate, my only costs are materials, maintenance, and freight, which means my overall costs are comparatively low and those savings can be carried over to you too thanks to a low cost of purchase." Natsu paused and hummed in thought while drumming his fingers on the counter. "I think we should continue with the existing agreement for the weapons you make; treat this as a cooperative partnership, an extension of the Báleygr Arms line as I mentioned before."

"Sounds good to me. But for the sake of the books, I'll 'purchase' them from you separately. In reality, I'll be taking the purchase cost from the sales revenue and splitting the remainder between you and I, and both the purchase amount and your cut of the sales can be given to you." Saiko cocked her hips slightly with her left land on the hip and her right raised, its index finger waving back and forth during her explanation. "Of course, this means that while there are no sales, there is no money moving between us. Is that fine with you?"

"Yeah, that basically aligns with what I expected the special-order system would be like anyway, so I'm fine with that."

"Hm, I don't quite agree with this business model…" Lucy spoke up. She was speaking as the heir to the Heartfilia Konzern and while she didn't have much to do with her family's business, she was educated by Layla in all manners related to running a successful business. "From a financial standpoint, it puts you in a position inferior to her, Natsu. The success of your firearms business will hinge on her ability to sell the weapons, and if the weapons don't get sold then you don't get paid. It makes more sense for you to secure payment or apply a credit to her account prior to the sale of weapons to her business."

"Yes, but compromises need to be made when starting out, Lucy. She's taking on a risk going through with this and doing it this way allows for her to have some insurance." Natsu turned to the blonde and he gave her a small smile. "I want Saiko to handle the civilian market since she knows how to deal with this side. I plan on talking with the Queen at some point and organising a trial with her military and royal guards. And maybe even sort out procurements for the city guards, police forces, and railway guards. I can leverage my knowledge and experience from my previous profession, I'll most likely be able to convince the Queen's forces to make a procurement order."

"Don't worry your pretty head over it." Saiko grinned and held up her hands. "Once we can determine just how well these weapons sell, I'll be happy to amend the process to something a little more standard. Say something like a three-month trial period, a standard financial quarter." She held out her right hand to the pinkette. "Shake on it?"

"Yeah." Natsu took the woman's hand and gave it a firm shake, though he was mindful of his inhuman strength, he didn't warn to harm her. "I'll write up a description for these weapons and what each case includes."

"Alright. Blondie and I can write up some terms then while you do that." Saiko winked at Lucy but she quickly returned her attention to Natsu. "You can set the cases up in the glass cabinet with the examples of the weapons from your line. Just look for the sign saying 'Báleygr Arms'."

"Got it." Natsu closed all four cases and made his way to the glass cabinet. While he worked with Mai on setting up the display and filling out the information for the respective weapons, he could hear Lucy quietly working with the weaponsmith on the finer details of the business agreement, making sure he wasn't getting a raw deal.

Once he had set up the weapons in a prominent spot and – with the help of Mai – made it eye-catching enough to draw attention to it, he returned to the counter and took out his pen and notepad. He quickly worked out the recommended retail price and the price of purchase that'd allow him to cover the cost of manufacture and make a healthy but reasonable profit for each specific weapon while also ensuring that Saiko made some money too.

"I'm happy with this." Lucy announced proudly, a happy smile lighting up her face. She turned to the pinkette and placed the contract in front of him. "Have a read, please."

"Right." Natsu handed his workings-out to the weaponsmith and read through the document while Lucy hovered by his shoulder, clearly proud with herself.

"Damn, these are actually pretty competitively priced." Saiko exclaimed, sparing a glance at the man. "Are you sure these prices are correct?"

"Yep." Natsu replied without looking up from the paper in front of him. "Like I said; having an automated system and running it all on a closed power system allows me to reduce manufacturing costs. All the savings from the decisions I've made can be carried over to you and to the customer. But if you think we should raise the prices, then we can."

"They all look and feel high-quality, and if you're certain they run like a dream then I reckon you could bump it up a little and people should still buy them. Especially since there is nothing else like them on the market. And with the accessories you're providing with the guns too, I'm certain that it'll be a more attractive when compared to competitors."

"Alright, then why don't we put the prices up a little." Lucy suggested. She turned away from Natsu and took a quick look at the notepad Saiko held. "Maybe by ten percent on the purchase amount and fifteen for the sale amount? So, an increase of profits can be felt by both parties?"

"No issues here."

"That works for me too." Saiko agreed. She quickly worked out the amended prices and placed them into her inventory journal. "Can you get the stock of weapons and ammunition to me by the end of the week? I'll talk to some advertisers and get an ad placed in the Daily Herald. Is it alright if I mention you by name?"

"Yeah, you should probably say they are weapons developed by a Jaeger from Fairy Tail too. Since I'm a part of their guild, I don't think Makarov would mind me using it for a little bit of recognition."

"He's generally fine with it." Lucy informed the pinkette. "We've got a few inventors and small business owners among our guildmates, he allowed them to do it as long as the product doesn't besmirch the guild's reputation. And since you want to arm people so they can better defend themselves against monsters and other rouges, there should be no issue with it."

"Good, since I can leverage that reputation, it will allow me to have greater reach and should coax people to – at the very least – come and check out the guns."

"Could I make a recommendation?" Mai spoke up, holding a hand up as she gazed at the man with gears turning behind her eyes. "What if you organised some form of exhibition where you invite notable parties that you want to show the weapons to and then display their capabilities and talk about their features?"

"I second that idea." Lucy nodded eagerly. "We can even invite reporters from across the nation, representatives from the military, city guards, police forces, and maybe even Queen Hisui or a representative from the royal guard."

"I'll have to talk to Makarov about it, but I'm all for that. Thanks for the idea, Mai." Natsu signed the agreement that Saiko and Lucy had put together then slipped his pen and notepad back into his coat and took one last glance at the display to make sure it stood out enough. "We'll have to get a move on, still have things to do today. And now I've got another thing added to the To Do list; having that chat with Makarov."

"I won't keep you two any longer then. I've got my own work to take care of too." Saiko gave the man a friendly wave and made her way to the door behind the counter. "Just shout out when you bring the stock over and I'll show you where they can be stored."

"Will do."

"Should we head to the guild now or head back to your place?" Lucy asked quietly as she led the way out of the store and to Natsu's car.

"I need to get out of the house for a bit, even if I continue my research on that shield device." Natsu replied with a quick rub of his eyes. He opened the passenger door for Lucy and walked to the other side of the car once she was inside and slipped into the driver's seat. "Let's head to the guild. Hopefully those women haven't trashed the place."

Lucy slipped off her coat as Natsu naturally provided enough warmth to warm the car's cabin in moments and wearing the garment made her too hot. She turned on the bench seat and laid down on her back with her head resting on the man's left thigh. "Natsu, what do you think about going on a job with me? Just you and I."

"What did you have in mind?" Natsu asked curiously, sparing a quick glance down at the beautiful blonde before he pulled out into the light traffic.

"Just an investigation, not sure when or where just yet but I think I'd enjoy a little quiet time with you over Nat's hyper-sexual antics."

"You do realise that you bring that side out of me too, right?"

"As do you." Lucy admitted with just the slightest hint of embarrassment at her own forwardness. "I'm becoming addicted to your warmth, the feel of your tough body, the taste of your lips, the touch of your hands, your naughty tongue..." A blush slowly reddened her cheeks as she slid a hand down her body seductively and snuck it up under her skirt. "I've lost count of how many times I've gotten turned on by you. That vicious side of you never fails to give me tingles."

"What, you like dangerous men huh?" Natsu let out a bark of laughter and grinned down at the playful woman. "Probably explains why you keep getting soaking wet every time you're pinned down by me."

"Don't remind me~!" Lucy giggled and brought her knees together. "I swear, I go through so many pairs of underwear since you charged headfirst into my life that I've began debating if I should just stop wearing them. Do you know how inconvenient and uncomfortable it is having to put up with soaked-through panties?"

"The only inconvenience they are to me is that they're always in my way and I need to pull them down your legs."

The blonde reached up and smacked the man's chest lightly, puffing her cheeks out with a playful pout. "Stop being so sexy then."

"Can't help that, it's like me telling you to stop having big bouncy tits that are just begging to be fondled." Natsu glanced down at the woman and he gently grasped the hand that was resting against his chest. "I'm just way to damn sexy."

"You know what… Just between you and me, I might stop wearing them once I get home tonight; like just wear a t-shirt and nothing else. You're the only guy in the manor, and I know I can trust you. Plus, even though it's still kind of embarrassing, I don't mind you seeing me naked." Lucy slid her hand up the man's chest and along his neck until she reached his cheek. She gave it a gentle caress, slightly scratching his stubble-covered jaw. "I never realised just how much of a naughty girl I was until I met you; someone who holds so much power over my body that I get turned on from just…"

She trailed off with an embarrassed whine, drawing Natsu's gaze once more. "Yes?"

"Do I really need to finish that…?"

"Not really." Natsu chuckled as he shrugged off her question. He pulled into the parking lot attached to the Guildhall and shut down the car. "Alright, enough lap time, time to head inside."

"Aw." Lucy murmured and reluctantly sat up. She opened the car door and climbed out, putting on her coat with a flourish as she turned to the pinkette. "Sounds like there is another brawl. I don't know how they have the constitution to just butt heads practically daily."

"Having a job that frequently puts you in life-or-death situations does that to people. You become addicted to the adrenaline rush that comes from it." Natsu replied smoothly. He locked up the car and headed for the large front doors. "Or they could just be doing it to blow off steam."

"Did you used to do that where you're from?"

"Yeah, sometimes."

"Then why don't you join in on the fights here?"

Natsu stopped in front of the entrance to the guildhall with his hand resting against one of the large wooden doors. He turned his head to the blonde who was looking at him with an innocent curiosity in her eyes and he shook his head lightly, his lips tugging up into a slight smile. "I'm usually busy with other things, and I haven't been here all that long anyway."

"Are you afraid that you might hurt someone?" Lucy slipped under the man's arm and pushed the door open. She brought a hand up and grabbed Natsu's outstretched arm, pulling him into the building.

"A little, though I'm perfectly capable of adjusting how much physical strength I output."

"Well, you've never hurt me by squeezing a little too hard." The blonde looked over her shoulder at the man. A prolonged shout grew louder and Lucy ducked just in time for a large figure of one of the guild's lesser-known members soared right over her. "It has always been just the right amount of force to make me squirm. Even with the difference in physical resilience between your Lucy and me, you just seem to know…"

"Well, I'm honestly more comfortable touching you than Lelyanna because she feels too frail to me. And I know exactly what you can withstand since my Lucy and I were screwing even before getting turned into what I am now." Natsu lowered his gaze to the beautiful blonde and he was met with a very familiar glint in her eyes and the subconscious twitch of her lips; she wanted another kiss but seemed to be too embarrassed to do it in front of the entire guild. He gently turned her as he stepped around her and put his back to the members of the guild, blocking her from view and allowing him to steal a quick kiss which earned him a delighted gasp from beautiful woman.

Lucy fisted her hands into Natsu's waistcoat and pushed up onto her toes, deepening the kiss for just a moment before she broke it off with a smile. "I'm going to find the girls."

"Alright." Natsu caressed the woman's cheek before moving out of her way. They went their separate ways and he headed for one of the alcove tables along the side wall. He placed his terminal down on the tabletop and brought up his holographic schematics, returning to his research.

It wasn't long before he was pulled out of his focus as a blunette sat down across from him. "Made any progress?"

"Hey McGarden." Natsu ran a hand down his face at the woman's curious and borderline gloating grin. "It's a bit difficult trying to work out how the fuck that device works. I'm going to try and miniaturise the kinetic shielding from my world's warships based on the design of that shield module, swapping out things here and there until I can make it work."

"Yeah, I wasn't going to bother giving you pointers for it. Pandora had some fucking strange tech. Don't get me wrong, they're fucking great and a hell of a time to use, but I swear they run on some black magic or someone made a huge human sacrifice to some kind of science god – which I wouldn't put past those crazy fucks." McGarden laughed loudly and leaned in, slamming a half-full tankard down on the table. "So, tell me; how do you plan on powering it? I've seen some of the stuff you've got around your manor and talked with your ghostly wife, I know you had some pretty insane material sciences going on, and magic-science fusions."

"I'm thinking of going with that passive magic accumulator paired with an ethernano reactor I was talking about when you gave me the module. Use that to power a battery and capacitor pack which will supply the shield emitter. The issue I'm running into is how to control it all without a computerised system." Natsu replied. He let out a huff through his nose and drummed his fingers on the table as he stared at the collection of holograms, his eyes slightly unfocused as he was lost in thought. "I can probably run a runic programming system to emulate the computer control system, it's rudimentary in comparison and definitely not as accurate but would be less out of place in a place like this. I'd have to micro or nano-engrave it to keep the formfactor as small as possible and it would boost the processing power as a side-effect."

"How small do you think you could make all this?"

"Probably about the size of an amulet or belt buckle… If I go the amulet route then I can have a crystal-like display on the front to show the status of the shield with colours; solid blue to flashing red for online and offline, for example."

"You could you for a bracelet style with that kind of display." McGarden offered her opinion and held up her left arm, waving it from side to side to emphasise her point. "I reckon that'd be easier to monitor than having to look down at something hanging from your neck. And it could also give you more room to build with."

"I'll need to build it to be flush with her arm then." Natsu tilted his head from side to side in thought before nodding in agreement. "That'd probably be the best route to go anyway since it'll be easier to define a safe zone when you have a non-moving reference point directly on the skin and it'd allow the shield to project itself along her body instead of creating a bubble based on measurements which would fluctuate with the movements of clothing, belts, or the amulet itself."

"Natsu, my boy," A short old man called out as he leapt up onto the table. Makarov stroked his beard while inspecting the strange schematics. "I won't ask what you're working on, it looks incredibly complex. Anyway, Lucy said you wanted to talk to me about some kind of event."

"I want to hold a little demonstration out in the land behind the hall; set up some targets at varying distances and bring over some of the weapons I'm manufacturing to show representatives from places like law enforcement, the guards, the Fiorian military, probably the Queen herself too if possible. Run them through the weapons I have on offer and talk with them about future plans to expand my catalogue."

"Hm, if you write it up for me with a realistic date and the things you need for it and leave it on my desk in my office," Makarov turned and pointed to a door on the second-floor landing. "Then I'll talk with some of my contacts within various branches and start organising it for you."

"I'll do it later since I've got more important things on my plate right now." Natsu casually waved his right hand at the diagrams then ran it through his long spiky hair. "Give me a few days to work the kinks out of the plan, I should have it ready for you to go over by the end of next week."

"Take your time, I don't have any trips planned for the next few weeks so I'm free, unless something comes up." Makarov held up his hands and offered the man a kind smile. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to your work."

As the short man hurried back over to the bar, McGarden shifted her attention back to the projections with slightly scrunched up expression, like she had a bad taste in her mouth. "I see one glaring issue with this; I doubt you have access to the materials and tools needed to create something like this, and I can't exactly spare any of my own gear since I might need it wherever we're heading next."

"It's fine," Natsu brushed off the woman's concerns with the wave of his hand and he began to create a 'shopping' list in his notepad. "I going to have to head back to my world to gather the specialised tools I need to do the etching and the parts for the accumulator and reactor. It's something I'll need to do in person as Ceres probably won't know what to look for. I know Crocus had some advanced research labs and factories that would have the gear I'm looking for but it's going to be incredibly radioactive since that's where Mercurius is, home of the Royal Family."

"How irradiated are we talking? Like Glowing Sea bad or the occasional tickle?"

"I wouldn't put it past those cunts leading the Pergrande Kingdom to launch a cobalt bomb on our capital, considering they dropped one on top of our heads in their own capital. Killed off everyone there pretty fucking quick, all but me."

"And you had to watch them all die, knowing you could do nothing to save them…" McGarden murmured in an uncharacteristically soft and sad tone, surprising Natsu. She suddenly lifted her tankard and downed the remnants of her drink, lifting the container into the air and shouting at the top of her lungs. "Oi Mira, could I get a refill over here?"

"Get it your fucking self!" A familiar voice called out but it wasn't the soft and gentle yet somewhat suggestive one belonging to the resident barmaid, instead it was her counterpart who was knee-deep in bodies in the recessed floor in the middle of the hall which had been turned into a massive arena containing an intense brawl.

"I wasn't fucking talking to you, you fucking arsehole! Go shove a broom up Max's arse!"

"She seems to be enjoying herself." Natsu remarked, sparing a quick glance at the fight.

"Scarlet is somewhere in there too. They've been instigating these fights daily, sometimes even twice or three times a day since we got here and that's saying something since it's only been a few days. Just some non-life-threatening fun, a nice change of pace to the blood and viscera that we're used to. Kagura is spending her time differently, though, since she's gone off to some bathhouse with Lisanna and Evergreen. Said something about getting a manicure and pedicure while she has the chance to, she's probably soaking in the bath with a cup of tea by now."

"Here you go, McGarden." Mira announced her arrival and placed a new tankard of beer on the table before turning to Natsu. "Can I get you anything, Sugar?"

"Just a coffee, Mira." Natsu leaned back against the wall behind him and looked up at the white-haired beauty. "Two sugars and a dash of milk."

"Alright, I'll bring it over when it is ready."

"Thank you."

A blunette slipped past Mira as she turned to head back to the bar, almost spinning out the woman. "Hey, watcha working on?" Levy asked eagerly while soaring through the air and landing on the spot next to McGarden a moment later. She leaned in with her hands on the table, eyeing the holograms hovering above the table.

"Just that shield module for Lelyanna. Not much more I can do beyond finalising the design since I need to gather some parts and tools from my own world. I'm probably going to have to go there by myself, or maybe with Henrietta if her body is capable of handling exposure to a heavily radioactive environment."

"Why don't you just ask your goddess to procure some radiation suits or rig up some protective gear yourself?" The bustier blunette asked. She took a gulp of her booze and pointed her mug at her counterpart. "I'm sure she'd be ecstatic to poke around in your world. It'd help her with her own research projects."

"Yeah, well, don't get your hopes up." Natsu quickly shut down Levy before she even had the chance to express her desire to explore his technologically superior world. "Depending on if they used cobalt warheads or regular thermonuclear warheads, or if the detonation was in the air or on the ground, it's highly likely that a large majority of Crocus is still incredibly radioactive since it really hasn't been that long since the world as I knew it ended. Even with Grade A CBRN protective suits, only myself and Natsumi would be able to survive in the hot zones, the rest of you would die sooner or later due to radiation exposure, and if not then you'd have complications down the line like becoming sterile or having fucked up kids."

"I'm sure you'll find some work-around for it." McGarden offhandedly remarked, completely brushing aside the man's grim tone. "If need be, I can give you some pointers on hermetically sealed suits since our armour allows us to operate in exoatmospheric environments where radiation is everywhere."

"Unnecessary." Natsu shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. "All that existed in my world too. I could probably get them some exoatmospheric suits from my world too which would do the job just as well. I could build full suits of ballistic armour at the same level of my own, build all kinds of aircraft, seacraft, and land vehicles that would blow their minds. Same with weaponry; mass drivers, particle beam weaponry, lasers, hell a fucking basic missile would be game changing here. My only limiting factor is and has always been that the materials and tools of this world aren't capable of constructing what I am capable of constructing. Put me in a cave with some tools and fitting and turning equipment and I could make a suit of damn power armour."

"Keep that tirade going and we'd have to change your business name from Báleygr Arms to Báleygr Industries and you can build all sorts of advanced tech. Maybe even a flying suit of armour." McGarden burst out into raucous laughter, slapping the table with her hand as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Levy glanced between the two off-worlders with a bemused expression. "Err, I got lost at the weaponry part and couldn't follow after that but it all sounded pretty advanced."

"That man," McGarden sat back and downed the contents of her tankard once more before pointing to the pinkette with the empty mug. "Is potentially the single most dangerous man on this planet. Putting aside his physical and magical capabilities, the sheer wealth of knowledge he holds could dominate this entire world overnight should he ever feel the inkling to go find a deserted island and build a hidden lair. Bonus points if it happens to be a volcanic island with the base right in the middle of the volcano."

"I mean… I'd have access to a wealth of geothermal energy to power said base." Natsu shrugged, chuckling lightly at the blunette's laidback but completely true statement. "Who's to say that I don't have a secret teleporter somewhere inside my home that takes me out to that island?"

"Here you go, Natsu." Mira slipped into the conversation and placed the pinkette's drink down in front of him. "I heard some gossip about you, nothing dramatic mind you, but Natsumi was telling me about how you two met in the park. That you can play the guitar?"

"It's not the only instrument that I know how to play, but yeah, that's what I was playing when she finally approached me after stalking me for most of the early morning." Natsu took a sip of the coffee and gave the barmaid a small but appreciative smile. "Thanks for the coffee."

"How about you come play with me later?" Mira pointed to the stage with her thumb but her soft sultry voice left her words open to interpretation.

"Heh." McGarden smirked into her tankard. She drew the attention of both the barmaid and her own counterpart who both stared at her curiously. "You just reminded me of Moxxi again. Like I said when I first saw you here, you actually dress almost exactly like her. She pretty much only spoke in innuendoes, and very much on purpose too."

"Oh." Mira tilted her head and placed her hand on her hip, cocking it as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "She's a woman after my own heart then, since I do enjoy a little bit of naughty wordplay."

"Let me finish my coffee and plan out a trip to my home world and chat with those who'd probably want to come along, so maybe about half an hour, and I'll come and play some music with you." Natsu replied as he sat back in his seat and looked up at the beautiful barmaid. "Sounds good?"

"Yeah," The woman nodded, giving the man a bright smile. "I'll be at the bar or by the job board when you're ready."

"So…" Levy spoke up, turning her attention back to the pinkette. "Does that mean I get to go to your world?"

Natsu sighed and scratched his stubbly jaw. He reluctantly answered, "Yeah. As long as you understand the risks and follow my orders to the letter, then I guess there shouldn't be any issue. Just be aware that if it gets too hot over there, then I'll pull the plug on you lot being there."

Levy practically jumped out of her seat with excitement but it was quickly quelled when she remembered about the protective equipment they would need to survive. "What about those radiation suits?"

"I'll speak with Ceres and have her poke around some of our warships for EVA suits. They're fully sealed and protect from radiation exposure since they were designed for use on the hulls of ships that flew on the edge of space. And since they're designed to work up there, they're completely temperature self-regulating." The man waved his hand, brushing aside her concerns. "I'll have her get the suits we used for ship-to-ship combat since I'm used to using those. They're oversized and stretchy so they're easy to get into, then you just hit the trigger at the wrist and it shrinks to fit your body exactly. Our armour went over the top of it."

"I'm surprised, it sounds like you don't have it on you?" McGarden asked curiously.

"I don't. The final mission was a ground assault with an aerial insertion. We were dropped from the ship in sealed pods and landed in the centre of the city, behind enemy lines. Had to work our way to our objectives while friendly forces pushed inward. We didn't need it so we didn't take it. But there was talk about making it our standard undersuit, this was about two weeks prior to the drop on the capital. In hindsight, I wish we did make it standard since it would've protected many people. At least, it would've saved those on the ground. An EVA suit isn't going to help you if you plummet from eighty K's high. You're still going to turn into a red stain on the ground when you land."

"So, umm, what does EVA mean, Natsu?"

"Extravehicular Activity," Natsu replied quickly, turning his gaze from McGarden to Levy. "It means operating outside your vehicle, typically either in or near space. When I fought on the hull of a warship, I was doing an EVA, and since these warships generally operated at a height where there was minimal atmosphere, we had to wear these suits to survive."

"I wish I could've seen those ships in the skies…" Levy murmured, eyes wide with awe. "They probably look nothing like our airships, right?"

"Completely different." The man nodded. He tapped on his terminal's holographic interface and brought up a projection of the All Under Heaven. "This is the ship I deployed from; a heavy frigate named the JNN All Under Heaven. It's a little over twice as long as the largest of the airships floating above us at just over five-hundred metres long. And this was one of the smaller ships. There is a carrier that is crashed in Magnolia that's three-thousand metres long."

"They must be incredibly heavy… it's a wonder how you even make them fly."

"There are plenty of things in my world that'd blow your mind, Levy." Natsu closed down his terminal and sent it away to his Requip's pocket dimension then downed the remainder of his coffee. "I'll find you later once I know more about the expedition and have the equipment needed to safely travel my world."

"Ah, wait a moment." Levy quickly took out a small notepad from one of her pouches on her belt and scribbled down a series of numbers before tearing the paper from the pad and handing it to the man. "This is the number for my telephone. Just so you can reach me when I'm at home."

"Right. I'll give you a call once I've got things ready." Natsu held up the slip of paper before putting it into a pocket. "I've got a delivery to make either tomorrow or the day after, so you probably won't hear anything about it for a few days. I've also got to wait for Ceres to find the protective gear for you girls too, and I don't know how long that could take."

Levy smiled at the man fiddled with her fingers. "That's fine, I'm just happy that you're allowing us to come along."

"Only with proper protective equipment, mind you." Natsu rebutted. "The last thing I want is for you lot to be harmed by my negligence. So, if I'm caving in and letting you lot come with me, then I'll be having you all in gear that will protect you and ensure that you won't suffer any acute or chronic effects of radiation exposure."

"I can't wait!" Levy giddily bounced in her seat. She had never expected to have such a tantalising research opportunity thrust upon her. "I don't want to rush you, but please hurry."

"Yeah, yeah." Natsu waved a hand at the woman and started to make his way to the bar, but he looked back over his shoulder with a soft smile. "I'll call you as soon as I get the gear. I bet you'd love to get your hands on the suits too."

"YES!"

This was more of a touch-up than a rewrite but there was still an increase of about 200 words.

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I think this might be the last time thehappy's girls will appear since I'm going to bump it forward by about a week which would be past their week-long charge-up period where they hit criticality and warp to the next random destination.

As I mentioned, this crossover was set between 'The only good bug, is a dead bug' and 'Doomsday', to give you an idea of where it sits. They didn't come directly from Valaka though, instead it was a planet like Yavin 4 from Star Wars – a planet full of cannibalistic tribal bipedal bears – which they slaughtered because the bears were trying to make a meal out of them.

The next chapter will be back to Natsu's home world, specifically the ruins of Crocus, to gather the parts and equipment that Natsu needs to construct the shield unit for Lelyanna. We'll see how that comes out next time. So, until then; again, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.