Erza walked into the house she shared with Ruby and Mirajane, requipping into her pajamas as she did. She blinked as she saw Ruby and a blond haired girl about the same age talking over cups of hot chocolate. Ruby looked up as she walked closer, jumping up and rushing to pull Erza into a hug, "are you alright?"

"We can talk about it later," Erza waved off quickly, not wanting to spill her woes with a stranger in the house. Ruby seemed to catch the message, glancing over at the girl, "Yang, I think it's about time you head back to the dorms."

"What? But-"

"Please, Yang," Ruby said.

"Alright," Yang sighed, "Who's this, by the way?"

"Erza Scarlet, my girlfriend," Ruby said, and Yang's brow furrowed, a clear look of confusion on her face.

"I thought Mira-"

"She is," Ruby said, "it's complicated. I'll see you tomorrow."

Yang gave Ruby a hug before stepping out of the door, letting it swing shut behind her.

"Sorry about that," Ruby said.

"Who's she?"

"Yang. When we were at their country we did a test to see if I was actually Tai's daughter… I am. That was my sister, Yang. I'm mentoring her team until they get the hang of magic. Now, what's wrong?"

Ruby asked this as she guided Erza into the living room, where Mira was reading a novel. She shut it, putting it aside as Erza was sandwiched between them.

"...I had to go back to the Tower of Heaven," Erza finally said, voice shaken, "while we were at the casino, everyone showed up… Sho, Simon, Wally, Millianna…they incapacitated the rest of the team and teleported me to the Tower… they thought I had betrayed them. That's what Jellal told them. And Jellal was there too, he… He wanted to use to use me as a stabilizer for the R-System's Lacrima.. He… He killed Simon… And… And me and Natsu had to kill him."

Erza felt the hug come from both sides, cradling her. The girls knew she had unresolved feelings for Jellal, and now those feelings would forever be tied to his death.

"Let it out," Ruby said, "we're here for you."

Tears began to flow out of Erza's eye as she broke down in the one place she was absolutely safe.

—

Blake walked through the streets of Magnolia, taking in the short distance between Fairy Hills, the female dorm all three girls were staying at on Ruby's tab. It did make Blake feel bad about how much they were taking advantage of the other girl's generosity, but it was that or live on the streets with nothing to eat.

Blake didn't want to do that again. It had sucked the first time, after she abandoned the White Fang with nothing but the clothes on her back.

It was strange, while Blake had seen a couple of people with Faunus traits at the Guild, she had seen none out "in the wild", to use a perhaps too on the nose pun.

She entered the guild early enough in the day that there weren't a ton of people milling about. Wakaba was there, smoking his corn pipe. Reedus, an incredibly rotund man wearing a tophat, was sketching something Blake couldn't make out…

And Cana was already drinking herself stupid.

Blake wasn't sure what was wrong with the girl, but she seemed the worst of Fairy Tails habit for casual alcoholism. Everyone in the Guild she had meet enjoyed drinking, but Cana seemingly did nothing but.

Approaching the counter, one of the women, Ashley, looked up and smiled, "the regular, Blake?"

It was strange having a regular after four days, but… "Yeah."

Blake found a seat alone rather easily, propping up her book on shadow magic and began to read it when the doors to the guild hall were kicked open.

"The usual, Natsu?" Ashley called without turning from preparing Blake's breakfast.

"Yeah!" "Natsu", a boy with salmon pink hair, wearing a sleeveless vest and a scaled scarf said, while a blue cat, walking on its hind legs, walked in sniffing the air.

"Is that salmon?" It asked, and Blake's brain malfunctioned. A… What… A… She knew this world was weird compared to Remnant but a bipedal talking cat?

"It's not for you, Happy, you'll have to wait your turn."

Happy. The cat was named Happy. Of course it was, why wouldn't it be?

Natsu walked further into the room, letting the door swing shut in time for Yang to catch it and push it open, "Hey! Can I get the regular?"

"Of course, Yang," Ashley said, "so, how was the job, Natsu?"

"It was nothing," Natsu said, taking a flaming shot from Ashley and downing it, "the rest of the team should be in soon, you can ask them what they thought."

—

Yang was eating an omelet when a woman settled across from her, a severe looking redhead in a suit of armor. Swallowing, she said, "Erza, right?"

"Yes, and you are Yang?" Yang nodded, "let me make this clear, I don't care if some form of test said you are Ruby's sister, if you do anything to hurt her, it will be on your head."

Ok, barring where she first met Ruby and hasn't believed her, "I would never hurt Ruby!"

"Hmmph," Erza huffed out, before continuing, "you can say that, it may very well be true, but I'm warning you nonetheless. I won't stand by and watch her be hurt again."

Yang wanted to explode, to fight the woman in front of her… But she remembered what happened when she fought Ruby, and had the distinct feeling the same thing would happen again if she fought Erza.

"Are you bullying the new girl?" Mirajane said teasingly as she approached with two plates of food.

"Just laying down the law," Erza said, taking one, "Ruby slept in?"

"Getting ready for a job towards the north coast, apparently some bandits are causing a ruckus. Might even be a Dark Guild."

"Dark Guild?" Yang asked, since she was aware that job would most likely involve her

"Guilds that run without the legal sanction of the Magic Council. Ones who do things like assassinations and the like."

"We're not going to have to kill them, are we?" Yang said, cautiously. She didn't think she was ready to take a life.

"Oh, no. Deaths are an acceptable accident on these kinds of jobs, but they're first and foremost looking for captures."

"I might come with you. Ruby and I have both been so busy we haven't had time to be together in a while," Erza said.

—

Weiss was practicing Solid Script magic with Levy, who happened to use the same type and was a great help at explaining what Weiss was doing right and wrong, when she heard Cana deadpan, "Gray, your clothes."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" A voice she didn't recognize said, and Weiss turned…

…and her face exploded with a blush as she did so. Standing there was an, admittedly handsome, man around her age wearing nothing but his underwear, "wha- wha- wha-?"

"Oh that's Gray," Levy said with a dismissive laugh, "he does that all the time, don't let it get to you."

How was she supposed to not let a near naked man get to her? That was…

Weiss turned to Levy, a blush still on her face, "let's- let's just continue the lesson, please?"