I Would Rather Die Standing Than Live On My Knees! [Guild Meeting]

To the outsider, nothing out of the ordinary was happening within the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, it was as chaotic and bustling as usual. And to some extent, everything was normal, because regardless of the circumstances, Fairy Tail Mages will always drink. A lot. But the elephant was still in the room, the arguments and brawling that were all in good fun were just shrouds to hide true feelings, everyone was tense. Everyone was worried. A Coming Storm had made their way into Fairy Tail, and that presented problems... Magnolia's pride and joy could very well soon be chalked up to a Dark Guild, forgotten-- no, shunned by the public, but relentlessly hunted by the Magic Council. The few Mages in the Guild Hall who were still sober seemed even more tense than the drunken ones, and Brennan was among the former. Being a bartender could suck.

To top things off, Fairy Tail's Guild Master and most powerful mage had gone missing in action, not long after he had announced to the Guild that he and Alyia, another powerful mage in the guild, were having a child. The lack of Heero amplified the tension tenfold, without their Guild Master, their leader, to make the decision of what would happen to the Coming Storm... Fairy Tail would be labeled a Dark Guild is only five days time, less than a week. Such little time to discuss such a massive decision and come to an agreement... It seemed unjust. Surely the organization that was responsible for upholding peace and order in all of Fiore would allow a day's leeway, perhaps even just a few hour's leeway for such an astronomically important decision to be made... But apparently not. The mages of Fairy Tail were expected to make a decision and never look back, never wonder what had happened if they had maybe, just maybe, made the other choice... They had to hold fast, Fairy Tail was facing an obstacle, but it was nothing they couldn't overcome. If they could repel a clans of werewolves, prove themselves to be worthy of Heaven itself, and take down guilds capable of destroying entire islands, then surely the members of Fairy Tail could make an educated decision.

Brennan's eyes flitted around, examining his surroundings for anyone capable of starting a discussion, anyone who wasn't so drunk that every third step they took was into a nearby wall. Brennan's eyes fell upon Kanix, an Ace who was roughly as powerful as he was, and surprisingly enough, not drunk. Not that she was an alcoholic, it was just hard not to be drunk in the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Though he didn't know her well, Brennan could tell that Kanix intended to do something about the Coming Storm... Though he never could have anticipated how soon she would decide to take action. A mere second after Brennan took his eyes off of the blind woman, she stepped onto one of the Guild Hall's wooden table, calling for everyone's attention. Her voice boomed with confidence, so much so that even the drunks stopped their bickering to stare at her as she paced along the wooden table. She explained the Guild's predicament with powerful words, ending her monologue with a request for input from other members of the Guild.

Brennan was not about to stand idly by and watch the decision be made, he was going to speak his mind, regardless of whether or not the words stung. However, his dear friend Apollo managed to speak up before him. Apollo said they needed to get rid of the dark mage, which was a noble view, and was something that Brennan had grown to expect from Apollo. The man had a strong feeling that justice needed to be upheld, and an even stronger feeling that he needed to protect those dear to him. At least, that was what Brennan had gathered from Apollo's personality when he was on a job with him.

Apollo's view was a valid one, and was likely what would end up happening, but Brennan wanted to get his opinion in the air. Though struggling in the process, he managed to clamber onto the bar, clearing his throat to call everyone's attention. When no one seemed to listen, he chimed in, "I have something to say."He hasn't screamed it or anything, he'd just used a firm tone. After all, Kanix's words had chilled the Guild into silence with the exception of the occasional whisper. Most people's eyes shifted from the pacing Kanix to the standing Brennan as he called their attention, longing to know what the other Ace had to say about the subject. "We are a family." He stated simply, his voice even firmer than it had been when he had called everyon'e attention.

"Each and every one of us knew that when we joined Fairy Tail. We are a family. And families stick together, regardless of their differences." He hopped off of the bar and began to pace around the Guild Hall as he talked. "Will we abandon our family for our own safety? Will we feed Lucie to the metaphorical wolves just to let us get away? Perhaps we will. Perhaps we should. In all honesty, I don't know what we should do. All I know is that we are a family. And families are supposed to stick together, through thick and thin." His voice remained steady throughout his entire monologue, not once in the entire speech had he felt even the least bit unsure of his words. As he finished his last sentence, he sat down at the nearest wooden table, waiting for someone else to give their opinion.

GRACE UNDER FIRE

Now, what was a 'normal' day in Fairy Tail? From a new comer's point of view, there wasn't really much normal in the rowdiest wizard's guild, was there? And that was what Sorano once thought, dodging unidentifiable objects and shutting out the raucous yelling everywhere. Could there be any place in the world this noisy, rowdy, and, well, disorganized? Such a place was once foreign to her, unwelcoming and unfriendly. Looking back, she would realize how far she had come from that timid twelve year old girl who barely avoided being hit in the face by a chair on her first day at the guild. Now, she would skillfully weave through the crowd, slamming a giant dictionary with four different languages into the faces of the drunks while dodging any flying objects with a practiced ease. Had it really been a year already? It had passed by astonishingly fast for the letter mage, but as she thought about it, things had changed. A lot.

Having had three guildmasters as her own in Fairy Tail over her time here, she'd been here for quite a long while. Long enough to find a place she belonged here, a teenaged bookworm among a crowd of drunks. Now, as she wove through the crowd, trying to find Hoshi, she heard a familiar booming voice echo over the crowd. Glancing up with remarkably plain brown eyes, she noticed the familiar figure of Kanix Laspor, one of the members who proved what a variety of people the guild held. Having once been a dark mage, Heero had brought the shamaness around to the legal side of things and she was now an ace of the guild.

However, what she reported was certainly news to the younger mage, news she had somewhat anticipated but surprised her nevertheless. A Coming Storm? In Fairy Tail? Sorano bit her lip slightly, glancing around the guild. She had noticed an odd aura ever now and then, but had disregarded it because of the low magical power it possessed. Who was it? Was he or she here now? She could feel the rustling of other guild members besides her whispering as well, everyone shocked. Well, at least Kanix was one of the few mages here clear-minded enough to help lead everyone to a logical solution. Sorano began thinking, listening carefully to everyone's responses.

Apollo spoke first, very much against going to dark. It made sense, seeing how Apollo was very kind guy who wouldn't want Fairy Tail to turn dark. Even so, Sorano felt something wasn't quite right with making such a fast decision. And the matter with Heero... Their guildmaster hadn't been around for a while, she realized, not after he made that announcement about the baby. Then, Brennan stepped up, stating his own opinion. The way the flat mage acted was much different from his brother's, much more calm and controlled. Of course... she had seen the mage when he wasn't in control... Things hadn't been pretty, that was for sure. He was with keeping Lucie on, due to Fairy Tail's core principle of family. It made sense as well, though it did seem rather reckless.

Zecarayus cast in a much more cautious opinion, one Sorano agreed with a bit more. She honestly had never met Lucie personally, though she had sighted the younger girl occasionally around the hall. The way she had a sort of double aura... it would have spooked the emotionless girl had she had emotions. Next, her teammate Hana stood up, stating her own opinion. Hers was very well put, and rather serious for Hana. It was a serious situation though, so things made sense. Who knew how Lucie felt about them? A newer mage Sorano didn't know well shared her own idea about bringing Lucie to the light side. All good opinions, an the letter mage d like how everyone was suddenly turning democratic... it did creep her out a bit though.

Deciding to speak up herself, Sorano pushed up to the front, dictionary hefted in one hand. "I do like Zecarayus' more cautious stand on the topic," she began, raising her voice and putting a but of letter magic into them in order to draw people's attention, "This isn't something we can charge right into as usual. Fist of all, I believe the most important thing is learning Lucie-san's exact situation. Is she doing this for some reason we could help her with? Killing in order to help someone is different than killing with malicious intent, after all. What if she was threatened? We may be able to help her. Of course, if she truly does have a dark purpose here, as Akki-san has suggested, things would become much more muddled. If this was so, we still may be able to find a way to bring her to the legal side, or at least stop her killing. We are a legal guild, after all. Shouldn't our aim be to eliminate dark mages? As those within this guild do not kill, the best way would be to try and turn them, right?

"I'm certain that this can be done. After all, there are some in this guild who once performed actions that are associated with darkness and those who favored the illegal in the past. Myself included. Most importantly, we must understand this Lucie-san's situation. That, in my mind, is the most important part." Finishing, Sorano bowed her head slightly, and stepped back, her words said. She was actually eager, for once, to see what others had to share. Another part of her was worried. If they did turn illegal, what would be of that promise we made? The one made to take responsibility. The one made to Anna, to Hoshi, to all those on the mountain, to her family, to herself. Would she be breaking it?

Dark clouds began appear above the town of Magnolia not soon after it began to rain. Drip drip drop... Hmmm this rain feels different... This rain isn't any normal rain... It feels dark... As if something might happen... But what? Julius felt a dark pressure in the rain, not that the rain might be a sign of a attack from someone or something. Julius left Squabble at home  he wasn't feeling very well so Julius decided to let him rest. He was on his way towards the guild hall since Julius hasn't been around the guild for some time. Normally Julius would ran towards the guild at light speed but every step Julius took he felt more unease. *sigh* Come on Julius! Nothing bad is going to happen! Julius wiped away some rain from his face and continued walking.

When Julius was finally at the guild hall though he was completely soaked by the rain. He dried himself off using his water magic and walked inside. Normally Julius would see a happy and eager guild  but for some reason everyone was a bit down it was almost depressing. Julius remained optimistic and walked around with a smile on his face. He went to the bar and sat down at one of the chairs and ordered a glass of water he grabbed the glass and looked behind him as soon as he saw Kanix one of the guild aces stand on a table. She held a speech stating that one of their guild mates had turned into a coming a storm and if she wouldn't get kicked out the magic council would turn Fairy Tail in a dark guild.

Something inside Julius snapped. Though he didn't show it he was enraged. He squeezed into the glass he was holding. He squeezed even so hard that the glass broke. Many people started to give their opinions even Hana and Sorano gave their opinions. Julius didn't know what to say he was very conflicted. He wanted to that Lucie would leave the guild since she would drag people along with her who had nothing to do with it. But at the same time he wanted to hear her side of the story. Julius remained silent he walked towards a table and stood on it. How about we search for Lucie-chan 4 days so that we at least give her a chance to explain herself... But if she doesn't show up by then we can safely assume she abandoned us and that we will abandon her to... Julius was trembling he wanted to scream and say that she has to leave with a warning but he also knew that he wasn't going to make any friends if he was going to throw a tantrum.

Soon after Brennan had finished stating his own opinion, Kanix had countered with one of her own. 'Brennan, if you had to choose for yourself the difference of the guild as a whole or a single mage's life, what would you do? Would you forfeit the lives of many for the life of one or would you forfeit the life of one to save many?' He had to admit, she was going a good job leading this whole thing, and her arguments were very good, for what was perhaps the first time in his entire life, Brennan lacked a response. It was truly baffling, so he just remained sitting, he stared at the ground and fidgeted. He wanted to save Lucie, the poor little corrupted girl, but he didn't want his family to be hurt by one little girl who had made a poor decision... What to do, what to do? "I-I don't know..." Brennan said uncomfortably, "I want to help Lucie, I really do... But I don't want Fairy Tail to be hurt by one little girl who made some bad decisions..."

Brows furrowed, brain kicked into overdrive, Brennan listened intently to every single opinion that everyone voiced, and had his own critique for almost every single one of them. 'I don't think true family would try to hurt each other.' Zecarayus had said, explaining that he thought they should find Lucie first and foremost, then they should figure out her motives. If she truly planned to hurt the Guild, then they should turn her in to the Magic Council. As soon as Zecarayus began talking, Brennan began thinking, and no matter how much he talked about it, The more conflicted he became. Families should never turn on each other. Ever. Regardless if she wanted to hurt them, the closest family in all of Fiore should never turn on one of their members. If Lucie had joined Fairy Tail... Then she had joined knowing what she was getting herself into. If she had joined Fairy Tail, she had joined because she had wanted to be a part of their family. On the other hand... She could be a spy, a traitor, someone who had joined their family just to ruin them. Did she want Fairy Tail to fall apart? If she did... Then that was unforgivable. Perhaps Zecarayus was correct, so he stood up to say just that, but before he could talk, Kanix began to talk, saying that she felt that Lucie was among the crowd and that Zecarayus should try to talk to her, but he should be wary because she may not answer truthfully, or at all. "Zecarayus." He began, right after Kanix finished, staring at him with a stone-faced gaze. "You... Are absolutely correct. We need to find Lucie, and we need to find out her motives. If she is a traitor, someone who just wants the family to fall apart, then we turn her in. Immediately, traitors disgust me. But on the other hand... If, somehow, Lucie doesn't want to do this, then we help her. Even if we are labelled as a Dark Guild, helping other members of the family takes precedence over everything. I suggest you find Lucie, like Kanix said, and see what she tells you." With that, Brennan sat back down, allowing for the next person to begin talking.

Then a mage Brennan didn't know too well, but had come to know as Hana, spoke up, voicing her own opinions of Lucie, but instead of beginning her opinion with saying what they should do to her, Hana explained what Lucie thought of them. She ended her speech saying Fairy Tail was better off legal. She had said that Lucie most likely didn't think of them the way they thought of her, they weren't family to her, not the way she was to them. Brennan stood up to begin talking, but once again, Kanix beat him to it. She said that dozens of other mages had killed innocents as well... But they took the stance of 'self-defense'. She then proceeded to ask Hana if Lucie could not rightfully claim the position of self-defense. After Kanix finished, Brennan nodded and proceeded to speak, "Hana, I agree with you. But I also agree with Kanix. This girl... Is only one of dozens of mages would has killed senselessly, several times... But she is one of the only ones who is being held accountable. If we end up turning her into the Rune Knights, then should we not turn in every other mage in our Guild who has ever killed someone?" He asked calmly, sitting down as the next person began to talk.

Kaylin began to speak next, stating that she agreed entirely agreed with Brennan, and that they should turn dark if they could not find Lucie in time to help her, and Brennan was happy that someone agreed with him... But Kanix had some harsh words for the poor girl. She talked about how she didn't want to go back to being a dark mage... And how being a dark guild would put them on the same territory as their mortal enemies, Basilisk Fang, and how that could never be a good thing. Brennan bit his lip and stood up, facing Kaylin. "While I do, to some extent, hold the same opinion as you... I am inclined to agree with my fellow Ace as well. Becoming a dark guild could never be good, perhaps it doesn't affect how we go about as a guild, but then we will have the Magic Council after us, and Basilisk Fang. While I truly do want to help Lucie, we need to find a way we can do so... Without turning into a Dark Guild. If that is at all possible... Do you understand?" He asked before sitting back down with a frown spreading across his face.

Sorano's approach was perhaps the most rational one so far, which made sense, seeing as she was one of the most rational people in the Guild. She suggested that they listen to Lucie's intentions before doing anything, after all, different kinds of killing could reveal very different types of mind sets. Kanix's response voiced all of Brennan's fears about what Sorano had said without him ever having to say it. What if she didn't talk? What if she couldn't talk. They couldn't just ignore her, but if they had no way of communicating... That could lead to quite a bit of trouble.  He stood up, "Sorano, that is a phenomenal idea, but I agree with Kanix as well. What if the girl won't talk to us? What if she can't talk to us, what do we do then?" He asked, slowly sitting back down... He was really getting tired of standing up and sitting back down.

Julius wanted to look for Lucie for the next four days, but if she didn't show up, then they should abandon her like she did to them... Which was perfectly reasonable, but also felt kind of... cold, to Brennan. Kanix, on the other hand, disagreed, and when Brennan heard her opinion voiced, he felt as though it made more rational sense... 4 days was too long to look for Lucie, and that it was best to just kick her out of the guild. "Julius... I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Kanix... For the most part. I feel as though 4 days is too long to look for the girl... If we can't find her soon, we need to officially kick her out of the Guild. On the other hand, if we find her and she cannot explain herself, then the same thing must be done. However, if we do find her, we must try out best to get her to explain. We must know why she did what she did." He hadn't even bothered to stand up this time, it was much too tiresome.

Suddenly, an annoying Imp popped out from under a table and stated that Lucie just needed to stop killing, then everything could be fine. Before Brennan even opened his mouth, Kanix voiced an explanation identical to the one he was about to give... So there was no really any need for him to give one. "Yeah, what she said." Brennan agreed with a nod and a grim frown. "Lucie, please come out from under the table," Interesting, so he wasn't the only one who had noticed. Brennan had sensed Lucie's magical power when she had come to listen to Kanix's speech, but he had kept it to himself, he didn't want a Guild full of rampaging drunks attacking her, but if Kanix had revealed her presence, it must be safe, Brennan trusted her. Kanix said she would never dare let anyone lay a hand on Lucie, and turning to the table where she hid, Brennan nodded, "That's right, Lucie, we'll protect you. We won't let any of the bullies hurt you." He smiled warmly and gestured for her to come out from under a table. Apparently, he and Kanix weren't the only ones trying to coax Lucie from under the table, soon after arriving, one of their guild mates who went by the name of Mura attempted to help as well. Apollo agreed that the girl would be safe, but then launched into explaining an elaborate scheme that they'd be able to use to protect Lucie.

It was amazing, and Brennan had expected nothing less from Apollo, so a huge grin spread across his face as soon as Apollo began to explain his plan. "Apollo, that plan is almost perfect..." Brennan began, standing up once again. "You said that if she is innocent we do this... If she isn't, then we need another plan. I say we go with what Kanix said... If Lucie truly did kill all of those people in cold blood, which I hope with all of my strength that she did not, well, then I'm afraid we will have to kick her out of the guild and hope for the best." He sighed grimly and sat back down for the zillionth time in just a few minutes. A plethora of people agreed with Apollo's plan, though with some bickering in between, but Brennan wasn't intervening, they could bicker all they wanted, he was getting tired. Well... He wasn't going to intervene until a Guild Member named Takumi said something that made him very uncomfortable. "What if... What if I went with her?" He asked, saying that he used to be a dark mage. Brennan jolted back up, finally beat Kanix to saying something for once. "Absolutely not, Takumi." He said, shaking his head, "You're new here, and Lucie is a Coming Storm. There will be people coming after her... With all due respect, if we are sending someone after the girl, we need someone who at least has a chance of fending off the Magic Council." He said sternly, sitting down just as abruptly as he had stood up.

GRACE UNDER FIRE

Listening to her teammate Julius' thoughts, she pondered those as well. However, she would end up having to agree with Kanix on the fact that four days was simply too long. However, being less of a speaker and more of one of those who quietly pondered problems, she kept her mouth shut. Best to leave the speaking to bolder people like Kanix, Brennan, and Apollo. She could always speak up when there was something important to be said, which wasn't now. Now, that Imp came running up, and Sorano braced herself for a storm of questions and randomly blurted out comments. She wasn't disappointed. As the Imp let its feelings pour out of its beak, she sighed. Of course its arguments were full of holes, and very easily rebuked by the shamaness. However, he did have a point as Brennan did in how Fairy Tail was a family.

Then came Kanix's very valid point. What if? What if Lucie couldn't explain herself? Possession, influence, as well as natural disabilities could all be cause of this problem. Chewing on the inside of her lip, Sorano would take a while to think about it, looking around the room as she did so. Suddenly, that odd overlapping double aura caught her eye. Lucie! Her gaze focused in on the small figure huddled beneath the table, but she could tell some had already noticed her. Kanix would surely have had, as the shamaness easily noticed these things even without her sight. Speaking up, she began, "Well, for some types of disability, I may be able to help. My reading and writing speed would allow me to communicate messages between us very quickly if she is mute or deaf. If she is lying, I believe some of us here have to ability to perceive that, am I correct? I can also perceive this to some extent with my aural vision. If she is being held against her will, unless her very emotions are altered, I should be able to tell."

Sitting back down, Sorano fidgeted a little in her seat. She wondered if Lucie would move up to Kanix, or whether she would run? Once, Sorano would have complied with her request. Now, she was almost certain she would run in this situation. Mura went to help as well, being the nicer guy he was. Also one of those people who usually wasn't drunk, which was a good thing. Turning back to the front, she watched as Apollo went up, pulling up an Archive board. Explaining his idea, she had to frown a little. Simply possibly defying the council was enough... But lying and defying the council? That would only land them in deeper water if they were caught. "Well, if we were caught, Apollo-san, we would be in even deeper trouble for lying. At least, if we simply go dark, that would be it." It wasn't a very well explained thought, just a point she wanted to toss out there.

It appeared as though Hana agreed as well, something she appreciated from the dragon slayer. Then, Magnus came up to say his stuff. One of those rowdier mages of the guild, all up with the drinking and the drugs, had little of the letter mage's respect. However, it was rather nice how he just slammed it down on the table so bluntly. Most people paddled around subjects, including herself. Still, he didn't contribute much in the end, really just agreeing with Apollo. They already knew Lucie was guilty in one way or the other, anyway. Kaylin, too, was skeptical about the plan. It had many holes in it, but no one seemed to have too much of a better idea. Takumi's idea was very much against Fairy Tail's way of life, so she quickly slid that away as Brennan spoke again.

The flame mage went through everyone's input just as thoroughly as Kanix did, agreeing with the shamaness for the most part. What surprised her was how much he supported Apollo's plan. From what she could see, it was a little risky... "Are you sure putting her on Tenroujima Island will be alright? You are putting her on our most important land, who knows what she might do there if she is possessed or truly evil?"

Hearing Takumi speak up again, Sorano turned to him, a very serious expression on her face. "Takumi-san. I understand that you may want to help, and you may truly have nothing to live for. But you, we have nothing to hate about. When you joined, you became a part of the Fairy Tail family in the same way Lucie did, which is why we are not hurting her. Think about it! What would Julius do if you ended up being hurt? By the way, your pet may be able to shapeshift, but then we would be putting him or her in danger. I, and I'm sure many of us would not want to out all the danger on just one person. Also, harming the magic council's would truly mark us as enemies with almost no possible way of return to the legal side. Before, even if we are marked as dark, perhaps there was still some chance." Sorano would sit down again, hoping no one would try to do something as alarming as she personally found Takumi's idea.

it may sound absurd but don't be naive

even heroes have the right to bleed

"I don't need to wonder anything as long as I know you're going to get the hell beaten out of you if you go off on this," Ultra wasn't in the best of moods on this day, and this whole situation did nothing more than to piss him off even further. Not making things better was this one going off and saying that he could do something about it.

At this moment, Ultra's patience was at its end. "If neither you nor I could beat two dark mages, what in God's name makes you think you could take out an army alone?" he remembered the time he went in and fought some woman, only to have been forced into his Oblivion forme, and almost got his ass whupped by one of her comrades.

"What you're suggesting is bordering on suicide. If what Zecarayus is saying is right, we could be dealing with a massive problem on our hands. I frankly don't trust one person going with Lucie, considering she could go batshit at any moment, kill everyone involved. And once that happens, I'll repeat what I probably said before: There's nothing stopping her from hurting more people if that's the scenario."

It was at this moment that something snapped in Ultra: A crippling feeling of anxiety came over him, and he clutched his chin in pain as he began overtly breathing heavily. He had only experienced this feeling twice before in his entire life. He would try to walk, with a hand on the table, before falling to the floor in one abrupt motion.