Phoenix Storm || Fairy Tail [2]

➝ 𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫

𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜: 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙩. 𝙨𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙯
❛ 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸. ❜

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"400 million..."

"So, all we basically have to do is catch the girl with the other stone, right?" one of the group members, a blonde woman, took a swig from her mug. Her face was nearly split into two thanks to her wide grin. "400 million Jewel for such a simple job!"

"It's hilarious," a bulky male agreed, downing his drink in an instant.

Sitting across from the two was the man with icy blue hair, the one who'd previously been speaking with 'Duke Cream'.

"Chase," he said in a clear tone. The masked figure who'd been seated behind him rose silently and glided out the door, moving as though his feet never once touched the floor.

"A Phoenix Stone..."

The two seated with him sensed a shift in the atmosphere and stopped their excited chatter, anticipating his next words.

"In the name of Carbuncle, the glittering garnet on the forehead of the beast that lurks in the darkness of night..."

The three raised their glasses, though the leader didn't touch his – it floated steadily up as he spoke.

"... We shall accomplish this job."

Clink.

◊

The guild was dark and quiet, lit only by a few lamps on the inside. The braziers outside the main building had been extinguished to make way for the night.

Rose leant back against the bar, curiously observing the woman Lucy had brought in. Her hair was long and brown, tied back with a thick band of cloth, and her attire was composed of a red skirt and a white blouse. A long cloth wound around her waist and over her shoulder, the same shade as the skirt, hemmed in a golden fabric.

In contrast, Rose was cloaked in black. It wouldn't be a lie to say that her entire closet was monochromatic... except for the splash of pastels from the time the girls from the guild had gone shopping together. After that fiasco, Rose promised herself that she'd never go shopping with them again. Her attention returned to the present, to the woman who was currently being served a mug of ale to go with her meal.

"Here you go," Mira smiled and placed the mug down beside the lady's meal.

"Thanks..."

Rose's eyes tracked Mira as she tucked the platter beneath her arm and returned to the bar.

"Was she just hungry, maybe?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"Who is she?" Natsu questioned. Rose perked up. She was curious, too.

"I don't know..."

"Thank you for the meal," the woman stated plainly, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

Lucy slid into the seat across from her, leaning forward so that she could rest her chin in her palm. "You'll be okay now!"

"No," said the woman impatiently, "I would've been fine with or without your food."

Rose couldn't help but frown. Stranger or not, Lucy had done her a huge favour. Couldn't she at least try to be somewhat polite?

"Huh?" Lucy finally managed to get out, her eyes round like plates and her mouth dropping open.