Walking down the stairs from the second floor, Natsu would scan along the bottom floor, paying extra attention to any mage he saw, on his way. Despite what he's been told, Natsu couldn't help but still be anxious walking around the guild hall on his own; a fact that was made abundantly clear by the rigidity of his steps, as he walked. Though Natsu was pleasantly pleased to see that he wasn't lied to, the night before. Walking through the guild, he would receive friendly smiles and waves from many of the residents, which he'd do his best to return, in kind. Though he did note that there weren't many people around, perhaps since it was still quite early in the morning. Walking past the large door frame and into the cafeteria he's been in a few times, now, Natsu's eyes would instinctively pick out Kagura; his nose smelling the faint traces of cinnamon that lingered on her body, filing the information away for later - he never knew when he'd have to track someone, after all.

As Natsu approached Kagura, he would notice her sitting by herself, at her own table - his eyes furrowing as he paid close attention to the few others in the room. "Does… Kagura not get along with her guild mates?" Natsu pondered, noting the very curt good mornings that were exchanged between Kagura, and any passerbys.

"Yo, Kagura." Natsu said casually, as he went back to a more casual appearance. He'd raise a hand as to wave, his right hand sliding into his pocket, while walking towards the surprised swordswomen.

Kagura's eyes widened by the smallest fraction, as she heard Natsu call out her name - a small smile forming on her face, as she stood from her seat, and gave a curt bow. "Good morning, Natsu. I'm glad to see you're recovered, well." Kagura said, her tone polite and formal.

"Yeah, well - get your ass kicked as often as I do, and you start recovering fast." Natsu joked, with a little grin, as he pulled up a chair at Kagura's table. "Mind if I sit, for a moment?"

Kagura shook her head, with a small smile, as she herself sat back down. "No, by all means, do." She said kindly, her hand lifting her teacup up once again, as she sipped. Placing the cup down, Kagura would give the dragon slayer an inquisitive look, before speaking. "Is there something you need?"

"Yeah, actually. Ultear wants me to head with you to Port Haven." Natsu responded casually, noting with happiness that none of the girls were paying him any extra attention, like they had been the day before.

"Really? That's surprising. Did she say why?" Kagura asked.

"She gave me the general gist of why we're going - to help your guild member. Though she wanted me to go in particular, cause there's something about wyverns being present. And since my magic was made to kill dragons…" Natsu trailed off, as if to let Kagura connect the dots.

Kagura nodded her head in understanding, as she finished the remainder of her drink, with a satisfied sigh. "Very well - that makes sense. I'm glad to have your aid. Though I don't know if Mira will appreciate your help, in the matter." Kagura responded, with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Is that so? What's Mira like? I'm assuming she's Mirajane Strauss - and I've heard two things about her. That she's a demon, and that she's the single most famous pin-up model in all of Fiore - which is true?" Natsu asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

"Both." Kagura replied.

"Ah." Natsu responded, straight faced.

…

…

…

"Well shit. This is awkward." Natsu thought to himself, internally cringing at the conversation. He thought he had hit it off pretty well with the swordswomen, too - minus her attacking him, at first.

"Anyways. We should probably be on our way. If we're lucky, we'll make it to Port Haven just before nightfall. I assume it's safe to say you're ready to leave?" Kagura asked, as she stood up from her seat - grabbing her sword, which was propped up next to her.

Natsu nodded his head, as he stood up to meet the woman in kind. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'll follow you - not sure where this carriage is, that we're getting in." Natsu responded, his face turning a sickly shade of green at just the thought of the carriage ride.

Kagura nodded her head, as she led him out of the guild hall, and down the streets of Gracia. Natsu would take in the sight of the cozy city, basking in the first golden rays of sunlight of the day. Taking in a sharp inhale, Natsu smiled softly - enjoying the scent of the petrichor, as he walked down the cobbled streets, occasionally being waved at by citizens who had known Kagura, seeing her wave back in kind.

"You're pretty popular around here, huh?" Natsu asked casually, as they walked in a somewhat awkward silence.

"Mm? Yes, I suppose so. Mermaid Heel tries to do whatever it can to support Gracia, out of thanks for the. Housing our guild. I've… gotten to know a lot of the people of the town, as a result. They're a lovely crowd." Kagura responded, a small sincere smile forming on her face.

Natsu would observe Kagura, for a moment. How she interacted with the residents of the town, compared to how she did with her guild mates, this morning. Then, with some form of confidence he didn't know he had, he would ask the question that's been bugging him. "Do you not get along with your guild mates?"

As soon as those words left his lips, Kagura's body would seem to tense up on the spot - as she stopped in her tracks for a moment, before she continued moving. Just as Natsu was about to apologize, however, he would hear the purple-haired woman speak up, noticing the frown on her face, as she did.

"I… do not, no. As one of the Four Empresses, it's my duty to uphold morals in our Guild, for what we believe in. We - all sort of do that, our own way. Onee-sama, or Erza I should say, and I act as our disciplinary committee, so to speak. It has driven a… form of wedge between me and the other guild members, I've noticed." Kagura responded, as the two kept walking.

"I understand… But if that's the case, what about Erza? I haven't seen her interact with others as much, but she seems to get along relatively fine." Natsu questioned, with a curious tone.

"Onee-sama is better with people than I am. She's more serious about our duty - but I suppose people find her more endearing, that way. Like - a villain from a child's story." Kagura replied, a small smile on her face, before she frowned again. "Whereas people see me more as a guard, or officer. A lot more realistic, and less endearing. As a result, I find it hard to open up around my guild, and they find it hard to open up to me. I've got a title to hold on to, after all. But it's okay, that's my role - and I'm content with it. Though I suppose it's a little silly, of me." Kagura muttered, with a troubled sigh.

Natsu would nod his head, remaining silent as the two walked onwards. After a few moments though, he'd open his mouth to speak. "You know, Kagura. I had a friend like you, once." He said, piquing Kagura's interest.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, unsure if it was a good or bad thing.

"His name was Caspian. Worked as a laborer for basically all of his childhood, with his pops. Not cause he had to, or anything. He just liked the work. He got pretty big as a result - really sturdy too. Dude could take a hit, that's for sure." Natsu laughed, before continuing. "Well, he developed magic, one day. He had a crazy powerful form of healing magic that only worked on him - like regeneration. Small cuts? Gone in seconds. Broken bones? Give him an hour or two. Hell, he regrew his pinky, after a day." Natsu said.

"How is that anything like me?" Kagura asked, confusion written on her face.

"I was getting to that." Natsu teased, before sighing. "Well, we traveled together for a while - a few years, alongside two others. Because of his magic, he was basically the de-facto tank. He would catch enemies off-guard by taking their hits, and then retaliating with his own. We all thought it was a pretty dope deal, y'know? We don't get hurt, as much, and he walks away perfectly fine. Well, we found out later on that he still felt pain, contrary to what he told us. Damn was he good at masking it, but he did feel it. More than that, however, the pain stuck around, until the wound was healed. For small cuts it didn't matter - but a broken bone? He'd feel the same amount of excruciating pain, every second that the wound was healing. Always as intense as when the injury first happened."

Kagura's eyes would widen at this, only imagining the excruciating levels of pain someone would be in, as a result. Though she was still confused as to how it related to her - not that she wanted to be self-centered, about the topic. Though Natsu picked up his dialogue, not much later. "He never told us how much pain he was in. If we had known - we would've tried to do something, you know? But we didn't know." Natsu sighed, his voice shaky, as he calmed his nerves, before speaking again. "The reason I'm telling you this, is because I see him in you in a way. He was content with his role, just like you say you are. He didn't let his friends know he was suffering, or the pain that his role brought him - just like how your role as enforcer makes you feel isolated, I'm sure he felt isolated, as our protector." Natsu spoke, ending his sentence softly.

Kagura's eyes would remain wide, as she looked down at her feet, while they walked. "Perhaps he's right… maybe I could say something. Maybe I could try to change my role, with the guild." Kagura thought, before looking up to Natsu. "Perhaps you're right, Natsu… This Caspian seems like a strong man. I'd like to meet him one day." Kagura said, with a small smile.

Natsu would just laugh, as he shook his head. "Believe you me, I hope you don't meet him for a looong while." He said, his tone carrying a heavy weight, that Kagura didn't notice.

"How come? He seems like a very respectable man." Kagura questioned, curious as to why Natsu would say such a thing.

"Cause he's dead, Kagura. He died protecting me." Natsu's eyes would be overshadowed by his hair, as he stopped walking suddenly. "He never told us the pain his role brought him, so we could never tell him to stop. He died, before ever opening up to us. It - it was his father, who told me everything. That's why I brought it up. He died doing his role, despite the excruciating pain it brought him. Don't make the same mistake he did, Kagura. I know the situation between the two of you isn't the exact same - but I can't help but notice the similarities. I can't say what feelings will go through your mind, if you were to die as the enforcer of Mermaid Heel - with a wedge permanently driven between you and your friends." Natsu trailed off, before looking up at Kagura, in the eyes. "But I can promise you that your friends who are left behind, after your death, will feel terrible, for not realizing the damages they inadvertently helped cause. You may be content with your role as an enforcer, but if you can't open up with your guildmates, and vice versa, then it'll only spell out pain in the future." Natsu spoke, as he took a deep breath, wiping a stray tear from his eyes, as he did so.

Kagura would stare wide-eyed at Natsu, as he opened up to her in such a personal way, about something that clearly was traumatic, with him. Without realizing it, her hand would clench tighter around her sword - as she stared down at the ground, not knowing what to say or do. "How could I be so stupid!? I should've realized not to ask about his friend, like that -" Kagura thought, before being pulled out of her stupor, once again, by Natsu.

"Or maybe I'm crazy, who knows?" Natsu said, with a grin - the pain still evident in his eyes, even if he tried to push it away. "Just don't die while willingly doing something that brings you pain. Or, at the very least, try to be open with your guild mates. Try to build bridges with them. Just because your supposed role makes it hard, doesn't mean it's impossible; or that you shouldn't try." Natsu muttered, as he continued to walk again, no longer standing still. "That's what I think, at least." He grinned, with a sheepish chuckle.

Kagura would nod her head along with Natsu's words, as she picked up pace as well. The two continued their journey in a peaceful silence, both instead choosing to be left to their own devices, rather than speaking. Though with another ten or so minutes, the duo would eventually arrive to where they were heading - coming upon a smaller house in the outskirts of the city. Walking up to the door, Kagura would knock - three times, waiting for two seconds, then delivering the fourth.

After a few seconds, the door opened up to reveal an older man, standing there. The first thing of note to Natsu was his height - being much shorter than him and Kagura, likely nearing the very bottom of 4'0. "What's with old men always being so short?" Natsu mused unimportantly in his head, as the gentlemen spoke.

"Ahh, Kagura! Good, good, you're here. Ultear has already let me in on where you're heading - and my horses are ready. I take it he's your traveling companion, for this mission?" The older man asked, as he peaked around to look at Natsu, who gave him a casual wave.

"Yes, his name is Natsu. He's a…" Ultear trailed off for a second, not knowing how to describe him, to the older man. "Friend of the guild, I guess you could say." Kagura finished.

Nodding his head, the older man would approach Natsu, sticking his hand out for a handshake. "Well, put er' there! I'm Hobin." The older man, now revealed to be named Hobin, said.

Natsu took his hand with no worries, shaking it, before smiling. "And I'm Natsu. It's a pleasure." Natsu said, respectfully.

Letting go of the dragon slayer's hand, Hobin would begin waddling over to the side of his house - Natsu could see his two horses, who were already hooked up to a decently sized carriage. He would hop up into the carriage, with surprising dexterity for a man of his age and stature, before grabbing the reigns. "Well? What are you whippersnappers waiting for? Get it!" Hobin, called.

Nodding her head, Kagura would begin walking to the carriage - with a begrudging Natsu, in tow. Noticing this, she'd turn back to look at the pink-haired mage, with curiosity, as she was climbing up and into the closed off back of the carriage. "Is something the matter, Natsu?" Kagura asked.

Natsu would cross his arms, grumbling, as he heard Kagura speak, and watched her sit down. With a sigh, he'd get up and into the carriage, his legs immediately feeling like jelly under his weight, as he clutched his stomach, falling over onto the bench across from Kagura. With a defeated groan, Natsu would open his mouth, and answer his companions' questions. "I have… really bad motion sickness…" he moaned out, before instantly clamping his mouth shut, as if he were going to puke.

Kagura would sweatdrop at this, a little bit - not having expected the man who fought her and Erza, back to back, and won - to be defeated by a carriage, before it even started moving. "I was hoping to talk about our course of action, while on the way there - but I suppose it'll have to wait. Mira should be meeting with us, as soon as we're dropped out, though." Kagura said.

Natsu nodded his head weakly, as he felt the carriage rumble beneath him, the sounds of horse clopping being abundantly clear to him. Natsu would just lay on his back, on the bench, focusing on not upchucking his dinner from last night.

Kagura, seeing this, would crack a tiny smile, as she looked out towards the countryside they were traversing through; deciding to let Natsu focus, by not speaking.

Port Haven Outskirts.

Natsu touched down on the ground, with the happiest expression Kagura has ever seen, from the man. Kagura couldn't help but laugh a little bit, as she watched Natsu basically hug the floor - a sight that confused Hobin, as he began to go back towards Gracia, on his own - despite the late hours.

Noticing Kagura's laugh, Natsu would get up sheepishly off the floor, before looking at Kagura. After a few seconds of staring at the small smile on her face, Natsu would have his own smile. "You should smile, and laugh more. It suits you." Natsu said.

Upon hearing this - Kagura's face would lighten up, into a flushed red. She's been complimented many times before, usually by greater means than what Natsu has just said, too - yet she couldn't help but feel taken aback by his remarks. "T-thank you.." Kagura muttered, softly. Something about what Natsu said, and how he said it, had felt so… genuine, to Kagura. It didn't feel like he was just trying to get in her pants, like many of other guys; but instead like he genuinely meant what he said.

Having looked away, and towards the town of Port Haven, Natsu hadn't noticed the woman's blush - but he did hear the soft way she muttered thank you, which surprised him a little bit. Not paying it too much mind, however, Natsu would turn back to Kagura, only catching a faint glimpse of her rosy cheeks before they returned to their normal shade. "So, where's this Mira lady, at?" He asked, before going back to doing surveillance of the nearby area.

"Mm, I'm not sure. She should have been around here -" as if on cue, Kagura would see a blob of white hair coming up from the distance, away from Port Haven.

It only took the woman a few minutes to reach the duo, and as she did, she'd give Kagura a curt nod, before looking at Natsu - raising her eyebrow in confusion. "Who's this punk?" The white-haired woman asked, while crossing her arms.

Natsu would watch as the woman approached, taking note of her… interesting attire. He'd see the woman wearing rather revealing Gothic clothing, a purple pair of short shorts that barely covered anything, with a matching purple crop top that was equally as scandalous - that had the word "Demon" written on it. Though as he was referred to as a punk, by the woman, he'd let out an audible sigh - not wanting to do this whole routine again. "I'm Natsu. Ultear asked for my help, due to the wyverns involved." He spoke, causing Mira to widen her eyes a little.

"Is this true, Kagura?" Mira questioned.

"Mmm. Yes, that is the case." Kagura responded.

"Tch. Well, so long as you don't get in our way, Pinky." Mira responded, before turning around, back towards where she came from. Though she couldn't help but feel an ominous energy radiating off of the man, behind her.

"We just met, so I'll let it slide once… but my hair is NOT pink. It's SALMON." Natsu muttered, in annoyance, before sighing and calming down. "Anyways. I'm a dragon slayer, so Ultear figured the wyverns would be nothing, for me." Natsu explained, as he walked I up to the two properly.

"Well, that makes sense. But how do you even know our master?" Mira asked with an incredulous look.

"I met her through Meredy. I had an appointment with her, as a client, and we had to meet at Mermaid Heel. It led to Kagura and Erza trying to disembowel me." Natsu deadpanned, with caused Kagura to flush in embarrassment, as she coughed into her hand.

Mira, on the other hand, would let out a laugh, as she heard this. "Nearly disemboweled? Sounds about right, for Tin Can and her little bunny." Mira joked, as she looks towards Kagura with a laugh. "Well, you're still standing - so I guess you won't be completely dead weight. Especially if you're a dragon slayer." Mira remarked, as she began to walk off.

Natsu would only scoff at her remarks, already finding her to be incredibly arrogant - not that he really cared. Though Kagura would speak up, rather quickly. "Natsu will not hold us back, I assure you. He did manage to beat Onee-sama and myself, back to back." Kagura said, straight faced.

Mira would stop in her tracks, looking back at her fellow guildmate, and then Natsu, with wide eyes. "Is that so?" Her eyes narrowed a bit, as she stared at Natsu. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. That redheaded freak isn't that strong. But her and Kagura? That's not too bad." Mira mused. "Still wouldn't compete with me, though." She said, with a cocky grin, before they continued walking.

Noticing the look of annoyance on Kagura's face, Natsu would then decide to try and change the topic, and quickly. "Uh- thanks. Anyways! We're are we heading? Towards the bandit camp?" Natsu questioned.

"Mhm. I figured we could probably attack, just fine, as we are. Though if your job is the wyverns - be careful. When I saw them, I sensed something… foul, about them." Mira responded, with narrowed eyes, as she thought back to her encounter from earlier.

Natsu nodded his head, as he walked along with the two; before a question came into his head. "Hey, Mira. What type of magic do you use?" He asked, with curiosity.

"Oh, I use Take-Over magic. Let's use the souls of certain creatures to augment and boost my strength." Mira responded.

Hearing this, Natsu would nod his head in understanding. "Take-Over? What type of souls, do you use?" He questioned, surprising Mira.

"Didn't think you'd know of the nuances with Take-Over, like that. Not many people even know it's magic, nowadays, it feels like." Mira responded, with a sigh. "I use demon souls. Hence the nickname." As she said this, Mira would hook her thumb towards the words etched across her crop top.

"She may not look like it, but Mira is quite powerful. She's one of the Four Empresses, for a reason." Kagura said, as Natsu nodded his head along in understanding.

"Tch! What do you mean I don't look like it!?" Mira growled in annoyance, as she turned to look towards Kagura harshly, before looking back towards the forest they were about to enter. "We both know I'd mop the floor with your ass, any day of the week, Kagura." Mira replied, as they began to track through the underbrush.

Natsu, sweat dropping at Miras reaction, would suddenly look a lot more serious, as he took a few whiffs of the air. "Hmm… you're right, Mira. Something is weird about these Wyverns. They smell… wrong. Almost like they're rotten." Natsu muttered, as he looked towards where the smell was coming from.

"Oh yeah, you're a dragon slayer - of course you'd smell em." Mira said, before shaking her head. "Just don't go and start getting cold feet on us, you got it?" She said over her shoulder, as they neared closer towards the bandit camp. "Anyways - from what I saw, none of the bandits are anything special. It's just the wyverns that concern me." Mira responded, with a serious look on her face, as they neared a clearing in the forest. Hiding behind the trees, the trio would be able to spot the bandit encampment rather easily - taking note of about 20 to 30 bandits, being present.

Natsu, who was focused on the back of the encampment which rested against a small cliff side, would get a glimpse of one of the wyverns - noticing as the scaly beast looked a lot darker than normal. More than that, he could've sworn he saw a bit of black, oily tendrils falling off of the creature, though he wasn't sure.

"So, how are we going to do this, then? I'm smelling about three wyverns - which I should be able to manage. Do you two want to handle the bandit?" Natsu mused, as he looked towards his companions.

"Sounds good to me." Kagura muttered, while holding her blade.

Mira would punch her hand into her palm, a wicked grin on her face. "Sure, works for me. So long as you don't get in our way, with your overgrown lizards." Mira responded.

Natsu, sighing at this, would give a small smile. "Perfect. Let's do this."

There's this chapter, done! I'll admit, I'm not as proud of this chapter, as I am some of the others - but I hope you all enjoy it, nonetheless! Until next time!