Electrified Shorts

23 To 17

Magnolia Town, Dreyer Cabin (10pm)

I opened the door and stepped inside, sighing from a hard day of work. Five quests was irritating, but as an S-Class mage, I completed them without complaint. Though, I'd wished I complained about the quests' repetitive demands. 'Please, save my cat from a monster; There's 300,000 jewels for whoever kills a mythical creature near Cedar Town.' It was always fetching a lost pet or killing a supposed mythical beast. The Thunder Legion went home for tonight, so that left with me resting in my bedroom. Before I headed upstairs, Theresa approached me with a potion bottle in her hands. Oh no, not again.

"Another experiment?"

Theresa smirked and arched an eyebrow. "You know me too well, Laxus. A local merchant wants a youth elixir, or 'Fountain-Of-Youth-In-A-Bottle.' I crafted this five hours ago and tried persuading Allisa or Donica to test it. Donica, despite how ditzy she is, refused the offer. Allisa flipped me the bird before heading out to the forest, training, obviously."

Those two were aware of Theresa's experimentations. Ranging from chaotic to disastrous, Theresa's elixirs were a troublesome occurrence. Gladly, she only does it when a merchant asked her to. Unfortunately, Tanya was still at the Magic Council, meeting with the other guild masters. Just my luck.

"You're the only one here, so..."

"I know the drill." I snatched the bottle from Theresa's hand.

It showed a sky blue hue. I pulled the cork out, a scent of blueberry and cream filled my nostrils. My dragon slayer senses were flaming when the scent reached me. "You definitely know your flavors, Theresa."

"Oh, stop it, Laxus."

I gulped the elixir down my throat, a creamy texture massaging my tongue. Yep, there was a hint of blueberry and the freshest cream Theresa could buy. I returned the bottle to Theresa, who smirked harder. "Thanks for the help, Laxus. Now, go upstairs and get dressed. Donica, Allisa, and Tanya will return shortly."

I nodded, climbed upstairs, took a nice shower, and changed into my black and yellow pajamas. Donica bought these, believing they were cute. God, I'm a grown man, not a spoiled man-child. I'd ignored my rant and fell asleep. Tomorrow had something enstored for me and I wouldn't like it.

Not one bit.

~***~

The Next Day (6am)

Ah, what a fantastic morning to start today. I sat around the dining table, sipped coffee and read today's newspaper. Last night was relaxing. The guild masters and I discussed the black market crisis going on in Fiore. A serious crisis which I was aware of prior to our meeting. My sisters notified it weeks ago. Still, it bothered me. Laxus, alongside Erza, were our strongest mages in Fairy Tail. Erza agreed to help us, in case we needed her. Laxus, however, refused. 'The guild can operate without me. It's their way of growing stronger, to prove me wrong.'

Those words stung me. I sipped more coffee and unintentionally slammed my mug on the table. Donica noticed and leaned forward. "What's wrong, Tanya?"

"Nothing, Donica."

"I feel stress and fear. Is it about the crisis?"

"Of course it's the crisis, Donica." Theresa sat next to Donica with a cup of black tea. She sipped hers before speaking. "We'd conversed about this for days."

"I know, I know, but the stress of dealing with black markets has affected Tanya's health."

"There's also our nephew. His arrogance hasn't changed since the announcement. He refuses to aid us or the guild. Only caring about his team and no one else."