Invité: xxchatonxx: Mettre à jour bientôt! j'adore ce chapitre! Mais je me demande pourquoi Lucy était parti de la guilde?
Moi: Ah, Lucy a quitté la guilde avant pour une raison que je ne l'ai pas révélé. Mais je vais, rassurez-vous Chaton.

You know, I honestly hadn't realised it had been so long. Fuck. And this is really shit, I just had to write something to get this back on pace.

The clanging had already started, heavy and hard, down at the docks of Rover by the time those six roused from their sleep. At no point had the drunks woken, nor moved, and so woke in the position they had fallen asleep in. It was the pounding that awoke them, the sounds drifting in from the docks to the city hall where they lay in rest. It was distant, but it was there and it was pounding against their heads as if they were rivets; though, Lucy later argued that it was also the cathedral bells that sounded to rouse the people to Mass. It had rained overnight, clearing the air of smog and pollution for the most part. The streets darker than before for all the toxins that had been drained into them. The flowers that had tried valiantly to grow between the cracks in the cobbled street had been crushed under the weight of the gunk, no longer any colour to guide a person's way. Many were making use of the clear sky to rush about without their masks and to do a large shop so that the food would not get rot or be blackened with the pitch in the air before eaten, it would make them all so much healthier – and it meant the food would have a longer life span.

Of the group Freed was the first to wake, he would be watching over the mayor once more and also helping him out with the paperwork. Once the mayor had found out about his ability to cope with a large amount of paperwork he had immediately been put to use filing and as a temporary secretary. He had been very please, and had pushed a sum of cash into Freed's hands as soon as it was his time to retire - Freed was pleased, even if he did not show it; this money could buy him a new coat because the one he wore would be ruined by the end of the week - even if he was inside.

Evergreen had roused from her sleep next, though no pounding made its way to her delicate ears. That day would be like the previous one, except for the party that they had been invited to - it would seem that Lucy had many friends who were currently resting in Rover for a pretty time, friends who seemed to owe Lucy many favours. And as such King and Midford had been invited to a charity ball for some cause of a sort; though of course Evergreen would have preferred they had not, as it would mean that the two women would have to spend the day detailing a very intricate, and very fake, family history and business. The party they had been at the first night, many had been too drunk to speak by the time the two arrived and so it was easy enough for them to not have to mention families nor businesses. That night was different.

Bickslow woke next, a groaning mess. Though, as he looked to the three that still slept he felt a little empathy - the Raijinshuu had not drunk so much as they had, but had drank with their meals - while the drink may not have been of any quality it was heavy with alcohol! There would be something amiss that night, Bickslow warned the others as they began clearing the floor, and he may not return to the hall because of such an event. Bickslow had been quick to depart when the clock-tower caught his eye from the window - though, he had scrubbed himself with the grime that had scabbed on the bathing tub; also he threw himself from the window with a hand full of money from Freed, rushing an explanation that it would cover his reasons for being out all night to the 'others'.

The first of the drunks to wake was Gajeel, who, upon hearing the faint clamour from the dockyard, had awoken with a shout that had started Freed from where he sat reading a book. Gajeel had scrambled about the room, falling over some bottles but otherwise seeming fine, until he had gathered all the things he would need for his work at the docks - and while his work would not begin until the mid-day toll Gajeel had promised that he would go with some of his work mates for a meal; which had seemed very suspicious to him. Gajeel clawed his way out the door with a full bottle of whiskey and a small bundle of Jewels - his reason for being at the Town Hall being that some reparations were needed in the boiler room - and as such a mercenary (Freed) who had recognised him from Brunkulla had dragged him in to do the work for a price. The work having taken longer than anticipated.

Laxus' awakening had been fairly uneventful - as a Slayer his ability to rid himself of the alcohol was above par, and meant he awoke with little more than a groan. Laxus had taken a mug of coffee from Evergreen; as well as a reminded he would have to spend the day moving about the city once more. Laxus had taken this with a grumble, before turning his attention to the mess in Lucy's rats-nest of hair, which Laxus had vague recollections of causing and sighed palely when Evergreen noted that Lucy would skin him for such an action - this meant that instead of drinking his coffee and eating whatever it was that had been prepared for him, Laxus spent his time trying to ease the lumps from Lucy's hair without her waking.

Lucy had awoken at some point, Laxus knew, due to the changes in her breathing. Though, it was understandable that she would not move her self because of the copious amounts of liquor she had consumed the night before. At such a time when she did move herself, there had been a lot of groaning and clinging to (an embarrassed) Freed as she had taken the pain killers and coffee. She had stayed like that for a while, and only moved with a disdainful grunt when Evergreen had told her they had things to discuss - at which point both a blushing Freed, and a laughing Laxus, had made their escape so that they could report to the Mayor and then move to their daily tasks.

"I hate bourbon; never let me be besotted by it ever again, Evergreen." Lucy had shuffled herself into a beige dress, which was overlaid with intricate black lace, and many, many ruffles. There was a murmured agreement from her companion who wore a dirty-turquoise coloured dress, which was equally intricate with golden embroidery. "So Midford and King are going to a ball - King is a Lady, perhaps she doesn't work or feels like it is not her place to know much about her family - they can be the corporate heads of some protection detail from the borders to Bosco. Hmm, no. King is young, she would perhaps be the youngest child of - several, we'll go for several King children. It would explain her lack of knowledge; and why a sister of hers is married to only a Mayor, of all things." With a sigh, Lucy corrected her posture as slumping over the table would do the clothes no good. "Midford... Not royalty, certainly no - upstarts? Yes, that would do. They invest extensively in the King's business and others, also owning a fishing business. No one would ask much about that."

Evergreen held her tongue as Lucy spoke, there was a certain bored-knowledgeable look that was on her Thunder Goddess that seemed so reclined and uninterested. Evergreen was fascinated, from what little they had been able to obtain about Lucy, her mother had married a wealthy man and now ran his business from behind an iron wall. From this, Evergreen was in awe of the woman because of how easily she came about the role they had adopted - the graceless bounds of her knowledge seemed to come so easily to her while for others it was foreign to grasp. There had been a little teasing from Bickslow and Evergreen when they had found out Freed's origin, but they could only envy him now as he freely spoke on equal footing with interest to their Goddess - how easy it seemed for him to be able to coax her out of her shell.

"What business would we have in Rover?" Evergreen asked when Lucy calmed from her rambling thought process, "We will have to stick with our story of the Mayor being my brother-in-law," The little brat had seemed so happy when he was told, "And he certainly may have invited us - but for what purpose? His wife is dead, so we cannot claim that we are invited to see my sister." Evergreen prided herself with the knowledge that she had come up with something like that - while she was by no means stupid, Evergreen usually left such intricacies to others. "From what we asked ere-yesterday his wife's mourning day was weeks past." They had run across that little titbit when a man claimed he was friends with the former Mayor-wife, and had expressed his sorry at her demise and had commented (surprisingly) that Evergreen much resembled her sister - as such the two woman had asked for a file on the woman (Marie Shorthave) before the next day.

"Yes, that certainly would be a cause for concern and would explain why we were followed the day before yesterday." Lucy cast reddened eyes to Evergreen, "If anyone asks about why you were with the mercenary, say that I was in the library reading and that you wished to sample to local cuisine - the asker will naturally presume that your brother-in-law feared for your safety if you went alone, and so charged one of the mercenaries to accompany you." It was not on topic, Evergreen noted as Lucy's eyes surveyed the ceiling. "If anyone asks, and not in the middle of large crowds, comment that your dearest brother-in-law is a pervert and that he wished to gaze at you and I. Your mother insisted that you go when he sent a letter commenting on your beauty, and how he missed his wife - mourning the fact they never had children."

"That would ruin his reputation."

"Only to send it further down than it has already sunk." Lucy gave a shrew smile to Evergreen, one that made the Fairy Queen shudder with a bitter breeze. "Now, I do believe we should go shopping. Just to uphold our images," Lucy eyed the bag of Jewels that sat half-open by Freed's bed, "And we shall all need new clothes once this is over." There was a wistfully depressed tone in Lucy's voice as she gazed out the open window, despite the earlier clarity due to rain, the work of the town had begun to dirt the air once more. "I do believe we were cleped* by a certain by a certain dress shop near Burrow Lane." Evergreen remembered staring distractedly into that shop, sighing over the produce.

"There was also a tailors," Evergreen looked at the ruined red dress-coat that had once belonged to Freed, "We can figure his measurements out and give them to the tailor."

The girls gave a laugh as they hung the coat over the door, measure-rules taking in the measurements and another writing them down. That day they spent shopping.

As night rambled closer, the four who were higher in class worked their way through the crowds, making polite conversation and dancing when asked. Evergreen and Lucy seemed to dissuade their company from having people follow them, through their stories of perverted mayors and of what their families did to make their fortunes in the world. Evergreen had felt the pride Lucy had for her, when she had created a story about her grandfather using what was left of his father's ragged noble wealth to start a business designed for training mercenaries and that ilk - having it derived from the days an ancestor of hers had been granted a Knighthood by some King or the other for a great deed in combat.

When the eleventh toll rang through the city, a man had stood on the bier platform to make an address to the people of the city - he had declared thanks for the money deposited into the tanks at the front and gave a rousing chorus of the purpose of the charity for the night. Many had filtered into whispered conversations as the speech rolled on - but Laxus only had eyes for Bickslow who had lurking on an overhanging balcony with some really unsightly bastards. Freed had alerted him that Gajeel and a few others had slunk into the kitchens looking for a meal after they had worked their time in reparations as the night had worn on.

It would seem dock-men had many uses in that city.

At some point Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Lucy had been paired together for a four-pair dance, the music flowing, and loud, and breathy. None could say that it had not been enjoyed. As a toll strung to signal the new day, many of the crowd had thinned off. Leaving only a few still drunk enough to darken the halls they stood in.

It was at this point the 'gangs' seemed to strike from all sides of the hall - the well to do people not fighting back, but rather laughing at how comely the poor people seemed with their skeletal frames and overly large clothes. Bickslow and Gajeel had been amongst them, and had at that point taken down the majority of the weaker ones. Leaving Laxus to fry those that tried to escape with money they had taken from the bowls (an ill-tempered man slurring swears the whole time).

"That was not a big somphin'."

"They were looking for profit, not flamboyance."

Makarov sat with his eyes closed, a deep hum rumbling in his throat; Lahar and Doranbolt, and some of those toad-hybrids, had arrived at the Guild to 'inspect the suitability' of his grandchildren. The old man had filed the yearly forms and for a change had completed the optional 'successor' boxes on the sheets for who would inherit the Guild should Makarov be killed in action, or whom he would trust to pass it on to personally, once the man decided it was time for him to retire. It would seem a joint-Master arrangement was considered to be unusual and could only be done under certain conditions because of some incident that had occurred many years previous. So the Brats had to be inspected and tested if they wanted to be allowed to do such a thing.

Doranbolt had looked exceptionally uncomfortable when Lahar had entered explaining that while the Council had no objections to Laxus (except some mild doubt about his mental stability), the Council held no information about Lucy beyond her heiress days. Though, of course, Lucy Dreyar was no longer an heiress – she was a full-fledged Chief Executive Officer and main benefactor of the Heartphilia transport networks. Doranbolt naturally had a part to play in Lucy's disappearance from the memory of Fiore, and for that Makarov could only be thankful. Over the years Mest had made so many sacrifices for them all – more than the man cared to remember. More than he did. Fairy Tail's mark still bore a proud image on his arm, but was forever hidden under his robes.

Freed had contacted Kinana that morning to inform the Guild that their group would be arriving from their job in Rover that very afternoon, having completed their mission to a satisfactory level. As usual. Of all the teams in the Guild, the Raijinshuu were the only ones who stuck to the rules concerning the absence of the Team. Most likely they were the only ones who had read them – or even knew that they existed.

So that was the reason that Makarov was now sitting with a frown on his face, while he listened to the Council Mages trying to be discrete about their conversation topics. Honestly, those toads were so condescending it was like they forgot their own place. Lahar, however, was outline in a forgotten voice what sort of things the two would have to go through in order to become certified. Makarov himself remembered the tests, but never before that there been such a situation like this. A main part of the certification was an agreement from the previous Master, and from a certain number of Guilds; of course, Sting Eucliffe, Ooba Babasama, Goldmine, and Bob had been more than happy to offer their names to this cause. Both the brats would have to take all several of the tests a Master had to complete before the Council would allocate a role towards each of them. One of them would be in charge of paperwork, and with the inter-Guild communications; the second one would have the role of discipliner and would, in all honestly, be involved with the public and the Mages in their own Guild. Both would have to go to the Council if Fairy Tail was summoned for any reason.

It was not an overly hard question as to who would get each part of the leadership.

*cleped - to name something, to call someone