While the other group of Fairy Tail was in Joya, things proceeded as normal in Fiore. Laxus and the Raijinshu were just finished wrapping up a job, which involved taking down some lowly dark wizards. Laxus chopped the head of the last one standing, crushing them into the ground unceremoniously. "And that's the last one." He said while dusting his hands off.

"That was pretty easy." Evergreen said while fanning herself.

Freed swung his sword a few times, creating a number of runes that bound the dark mages tightly. "There. That should hold them until the Council gets here."

"Hyahaha! Pretty decent exercise." Bickslow laughed. Once they were all wrapped up, they all decided to make their way back to the guild. It wasn't going to be too far a walk, but it gave them the time to talk. "Say, Laxus. You sure you don't regret not goin' to that meeting? You were asked to."

"Don't regret a thing." Laxus replied while shaking his head. "You know as well as I do, that I don't like that kinda atmosphere. Erza and Mira are also way better at disciplining the rowdy ones with words better than actions."

"I bet Natsu has already nearly gotten into a fight already." Freed said with a few nods. Natsu was that predictable.

"Natsu's too upfront." Laxus replied to that statement. "The second someone says something he doesn't like, no matter their station, he'd swing at 'em. I'd just ask them to take it out back. Either way's not a good look, but he lacks the decorum to pull of a meaningful threat sometimes. It works out for him most of the time, but when it doesn't, he really eats it."

"Mira did mention that Sidney kicked his ass a while back because of it." Bickslow snickered. "Kicked ass! Kicked ass!" His dolls exclaimed behind him.

"But, I think they should be alright as long as Erza and Mira keep them in check. We just do what we usually do in the meantime." Laxus said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You think they'll bring us back souvenirs from Joya?" Bickslow questioned. Since they never really stepped out of Fiore before, it was an amusing question he figured he could throw out there.

"I doubt it." Freed shook his head. "I haven't been to Joya myself, but I've heard that the prices are absurdly high. At least, the taxes."

"And you didn't tell them about it?" Evergreen looked to Freed with a quirked brow. "I didn't think you'd be so cruel."

"They're only there for an overnight stay. I doubt they'd be buying too much anyway." Freed had no idea how wrong he was in that regard. "I do not think they'll blow through their trip funds that quickly."

"Have you met Natsu?" Laxus looked to Freed, although he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. The others did as well. "I'm sure they'll have a story to tell when they get back." Although, they couldn't imagine the events that were currently going on over there.

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.

At Lamia Scale, Raven and Chelia stood next to one another. They were in the training yard, and in Chelia's hands was a bow, and she was taking aim at a target. The bow was a magical weapon, so there wasn't a need for a quiver. She drew the bowstring back, closing an eye as an arrow of wind formed. She took aim and fired, launching the arrow forward to land a hit on the target. It wasn't a bullseye, but she still managed to hit it. "I got it!"

"Nice!" Raven gave Chelia a thumbs up. "Your aim has gotten better!"

"I still have my instincts." Chelia said with a bright smile. Even though she didn't have magic anymore, she could still retain some fighting instinct. "It does still feel weird to use a weapon...but I still really appreciate you getting this for me."

"It's the least I could do." Raven said while rubbing the back of his head. "I couldn't be there for you when that all went down. I don't even know if I could've made a difference, but it's still haunted me for these past few weeks. It all happened so quickly in my eyes. One second we were prepared to advance, and the next, you're wounded and without magic..."

"I don't regret my decision." Chelia said with a faint smile. Even if she had to spend the rest of her days without magic, she lost it protecting everyone. "I would do it all over again if I could, too. As long as I have my Lamia Scale, my friends, and you...I'll be okay."

"Chelia..." Raven smiled warmly at her words. "I'll do my best for your sake. I promise!"

"Hehehe..." Chelia blushed faintly. "So, where did you get this bow?"

"Oh, I had it custom made!" Raven said, pulling out his own bow for comparison. The two looked very similar. "My bow, the Fujin Yumi, is one of a kind. So I had them base a second bow off of this one. Unfortunately it runs off of its own magical battery, so if it runs out of magic you'll be a sitting duck for a while..."

"I only intend to use it to defend myself. So you don't have to worry." Chelia smiled in response. While her fighting days were pretty much over, that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and pull her weight around the guild somehow. "I can still do easy jobs, no problem!"

"You won't be doing them alone, because I'm here with you!" Raven said with a grin. Chelia nodded and the two of them gave one another a high five. After that, they went back to training.

Not too far away, Lyon was watching the two of them. He wasn't alone, as Sherri was with him. Ultear was as well, but she had her cloak on, for she didn't want to get Lamia Scale in trouble for harboring a fugitive. "She's really grown up..." Sherri said with a melancholy smile.

"..." Ultear was silent the whole time, watching Chelia as she tried to train with a bow.

"You came to check on her, didn't you?" Lyon said while looking at Ultear. She gave a slow nod in response.

"I can't stay long." Ultear replied. "But I did want to see how she was doing..."

"You could stand to say hello. I'm sure she would appreciate it." Sherri said with a faint smile. "You don't have to worry about Jura either. He won't rat you out."

"I appreciate that, but I can't stay in one place for too long anyway. I'm glad she's doing better." Ultear replied with a small smile. After watching for a few more minutes, she turned on her heel to leave. She took a brief final look at Chelia before departing.

Chelia turned to look over her shoulder. She could see a hooded person leaving, but she wasn't able to see their face. Still, there was a faint smile on her lips. "Heh..."

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.

Jenny just finished up some training of her own. She was in a sports bra and shorts, bringing a cloth to her face to wipe away the sweat she worked up. After that, she opened up a bottle of water and began to chug it down. "Whew...talk about a training session...how does it look?"

Hibiki was nearby, his archive open to keep track of Jenny's efforts. "You've shown considerable improvement, my dear. Truly, your beauty and effort shines through like no one else."

"Aw, Hibiki. You know just what to say." Jenny said with a warm smile. That smile did turn into a vaguely serious visage. "I've been thinking a lot about the Isle. I could've done more...I could've helped."

"But you weren't ready." Hibiki added. He knew that Jenny was beside herself that whole time. "As powerful as that Takeover was, you couldn't control it very well, could you?"

"No." Jenny admitted with a wistful sigh. It was a painful thing to admit, but she still had a long way to go.

"As difficult as this is to say, you would've caused more harm than good with that takeover. But as you are now, I think you have made significant strides!" Hibiki added with a wide grin. Jenny smiled in response to such progress. "What spurred on this sort of training? I know it's not just your model training."

"I do want to get stronger. I can't keep letting Mirajane beat me every time we encounter one another!" That was one reason Jenny kept up good work. As great as she was as a model, she had to completely outshine Mirajane. She would not be satsified until she was able to lord a victory over her! "And because of that girl. Cynthia."

"Oh?" While the Mirajane part was expected, Hibiki did not expect to hear about Cynthia.

"I keep thinking about that happened two years ago, at that tower." Jenny stared up at the sky. The memory was still fresh in her mind, even that long ago. "When she knocked us out, I had a chance to take her out. But I couldn't do it, she didn't ask for any of that. But she managed to come out of it stronger. It's kinda funny...I don't even think she remembers. We haven't exchanged a single word, yet seeing her constantly improve is a little inspiring."

"I had no idea you became a fan of her!" Hibiki said with a playful laugh. Jenny just rolled her eyes in response.

"Considering this is slightly related to her, it's no surprise it's been on my mind!" Jenny crossed her arms. In order to get her mind off it, she turned around once more. "I'm gonna go again!"

"I advise that you shouldn't. You're already exhausted." Hibiki said sternly. As much as he loved Jenny's determination, this was a serious matter.

Jenny conceded. "Fiiiiine." It probably was for the best. But her road to self improvement wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

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.

Makarov was called into a late night meeting with a few of the other Wizard Saints. The location was a building somewhere in Crocus. Not entirely abandoned, but the furniture for it wasn't the greatest either. Serviceable. There were some drinks going about, to lighten the atmosphere. Makarov was glad to indulge in a few, and aside from Kemuri, they were the only ones willing to do so. "I see most of us all are here, but we are missing one." Makarov commented. Avani, Anri, Zios, Mac, Lucius, Satoshi, Kemuri, and Mary were present. "Saint Draco is unaccounted for..."

"I haven't heard a peep outta him as of late." Mac said while grabbing a whole bottle of wine, and chugging it down. "Not since that whole Isle business. Wasn't he supposed to and help y'all over there?"

"That was the idea, but nobody has seen him." Mary said. She was a bit annoyed since she was called away from training the new recruits to assist with this meeting. The last thing she wanted to do, really. But appearances and all...

"I wonder what happened to him. He's normally more cordial than this." Zios tapped his chin.

"I can tell you what happened to him." Kemuri said while letting out a puff from his cigarette. Everyone looked to him curiously. "A few days ago...some of my people found his body."

"What!?" Avani gasped, hands covering her mouth from the shock.

"Was he killed?" Lucius Kaiser asked calmly. To that, Kemuri nodded.

"That's what his injuries looked like. Based on the eye witness reports, it appeared to be done by Tartarus." Kemuri said. The tension in the air grew heavy as that name came up once again. "The reason for it is unknown. But what we found out is that he was en route to the Isle of the Dragons. We checked his guild to see something...and it was wiped out as well."

"Holy shit." Mac's jaw dropped.

"Tch. Those demons have no respect for any life, do they?" Satoshi sucked his teeth. He respected Draco as a man and a dragon, and to learn of his murder...

"...This means we could be targeted next." Makarov crossed his arms, eyes closed as he pondered this. "Tartarus has never had a motive beyond death and destruction. It's been like that for years. Who knows why they did this?"

"The why is hardly important." Anri said with a wave of her hand. "All we need to do is be on guard, right? I bet those demons are getting a bit too big for their pants lately."

"That's not exactly the right phrase..." Avani said with a sweat drop. But the idea of the people she loved and cared for being attacked...of her being attacked. She carefully placed a hand on her stomach with a pensive look.

"This sort of meeting couldn't have been a call, either." Kemuri added. "Tartarus has a way of learning information they shouldn't when it's transmitted. It's only us in here. I'd just hate to see anything happen to my fellow saints."

"Mighty kind of ya to provide the drinks." Mac lifted up another bottle.

"And the thought all of us wouldn't be taken out at the same time didn't occur to you?" Kaiser questioned Kemuri. "We are all in a single place..."

"You don't have any faith in me." Kemuri said with a dismissive laugh. "My men are sharp. This place is practically off the grid, and this was called at the last second. Nobody knows we're here. And as long as they think we're clueless about the situation, we can catch them off guard."

"I see you've put some thought into this." Mary could commend Kemuri for his foresight. "I was wondering what sort of backup plan you have."

"When you're in the business as long as I have, you know to have a few contingency plans." Kemuri replied calmly while lifting up a wine glass. "Now then, I didn't invite you all here just for business! Who wants a few drinks?"

"I'll take more!" Makarov wasn't going to say no to that.

"Hit me up!" Mac added.

"I'll have some." Zios said calmly. Avani was the only one abstaining from having a drink.

"I could use a drink." Satoshi shook his head, sighing heavily. With the news he just heard, he could feel a shift in the wind. He was going to need a drink for it.

Anri was the only one who noticed that Avani was abstaining from taking any drinks. "You not gonna have any? There's plenty here!" The white haired woman said, laughing as she started to drink straight from a bottle. This only made the other woman sweat drop slightly.

"I think you've had too many." Avani shook her head. It was a little hard for her to enjoy the atmosphere with such heavy news hanging over her head. A wizard saint, dead. Tartarus slowly crawling out of the woodwork with some unknown motive. Their lives were in danger once again. Her thoughts went to her husband and her guild, while she glanced down at her stomach as well. "No matter what happens...I will protect you. I promise..."

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Next Time: A Night in Joya.