Fairy Tail :: Staff Meeting

It was no wonder that Mura was in low spirits, what, with the recent repeat of several events in the past - the destruction of Fairy Tail’s guild hall, which in all honesty had begun to get veeeeeeeery repetitive. It was… the third time, if he remembered correctly; strictly speaking from his own experience, there was the time when they returned from Tetsukazu and found the hall deserted and in great need of renovation, then there was the whole incident with Savage Skull and little Frey, and this would be the third time.

But while he could stomach this for now, hoping to watch it rise up again, how did the others feel about this? Most of the guild’s HQ functions were at a halt, and with it being such a hotspot in Magnolia Town - both for the citizens and for the precious Fairy Tail Wizards - then this was far heavier than before. How… how did Nessa feel? What about Aven, or Althea? How was Vandrad going to continue his inhuman exercises right now? How was Mo going to report back to his office with it being buried under several meters of debris? How annoyed would Akemi be, if he wasn’t able to confirm her succeeded missions?

Where was Kumiko going to stay now? Hopefully, she had a place in the Fairy Hills, but she spent almost all her time in the guild hall, and she must’ve been shattered by this experience…

… And Leo… he enjoyed his time at one of the tables, offering his homemade cakes with a mug of strong beverage.

For all those things that drew them to the guild hall - the small things and the big things, all weighing the same in Mura’s head - the new guild hall wouldn’t just have to be built quickly… but it would have to accommodate all those things.

Nessa had brought the idea of holding this meeting between the Aces and the Guildmaster in her own home, and she even brought the notes and documents outlining the costs and details of the renovation. Of course, he would have to enter her home first - now that he thought about it, this place was… new. He didn’t recognize this grand house - probs to you, Nessa! Maybe, this renovation wouldn’t be so stressful after all.

He hadn’t spotted Aven or Althea yet, but maybe they were already inside, so he just rang the doorbell. Zirconis was the only ghost with him today - Kyuken had chosen to keep Kumiko company through this hard time, which Mura could get behind, surprisingly - as long as he didn’t cause any troubles for her, then he would allow him to float about.

He was wearing a simple, red jacket and ear warmers that he bought from a nearby souvenir store - just like many other accessories in Magnolia Town, it had the guild’s Mark proudly shown on each phone. A red scarf was also worn by him. Nessa quickly arrived and greeted him in, to which he… hugged her. It felt really necessary to hug her, y’know, for while they were close in his eyes, who knew how tormented Nessa felt with the destruction of the guild hall? He couldn’t take any chances, and he wanted to soothe that lingering despair that he, too, once felt all those years ago. If anything, the entire guild needed hugs after all of this. It suited the holiday too.

“The pleasure’s mine- say, when’d you get such a pretty place?”

“Please, with all the time you spend in the old office, you’d barely notice all the companies rising their towers up all around your head,” Zirconis snickered grimly, “Greetings, Nessa. Kyuken’s not with us today - he’s hanging out with Kumiko… if you ask me, that’s a double-win.”

Mura was being a little uptight at first - being in someone’s house for the first time and all - but the smell of freshly baked delicacies and the welcoming atmosphere soon brought a pleasant swoon from his blissful face. It often made him look younger, but screw that. His sis was here, so he didn’t mind the facial expression of his one bit.

Before entering the house, however, he took off his boots - they were a little wet and dirty, so he flung the dirt and water particles off with a flick of his hand, then walked into Nessa’s household in his white socks.

“W-Woah, this place is huge…” Mura mumbled in awe, trying to figure out where he should sit. Aven and Althea weren’t here yet, and god, he and Nessa had been busy lately - it was time to rekindle their bond. “Does your family live here with you? That’d be pretty sweet, not gonna lie…”

WC: 797
Thread TWC: 1237

@Nessa Cordelia Lux @Aven Alveron @Althea

There was trouble in the air, the scent of conflict wafting on the afternoon breeze. Aven smoothed his bangs to the side, gazing onerously at the glittering abode he'd been invited to. She's done well for herself. He could sense both Nessa and Mura inside, likely exchanging pleasantries, but as he'd expected, Markus' aura was as absent as ever. He felt a pang of anger, an emotion that'd become more frequent since Elysium's assault on Magnolia; even if Nessa and Aven hadn't spoken in quite some time, he still considered her a close friend, and he found it unacceptable how little of Markus he saw. Aven exhaled bitterly, looking wistfully at the clouds. By this time, his Rival should have been strong enough for Aven to sense him from anywhere in Magnolia, so either Markus had been lax in his training, or he'd been off doing who knows what, who knows where.

With a sigh, Aven shifted his attention back toward Nessa's place. The meeting's purpose was based firmly in Fairy Tail Guild matters, but the timing kept Aven on edge, as it couldn't have been worse. He still hadn't spoken with Nessa about everything that'd gone on, about how he'd felt, and how much he wanted to go back to how things used to be. There'd been a barrier there, like an emotional wall that'd kept him from approaching her, one he couldn't seem to overcome. Even then, as he stood at the end of the walkway to her door, his feet were heavier than steel, refusing to budge a single step.

It was ironic, really: there he stood, before a testament of Nessa's hard work and achievement, an accomplishment he should have been there to congratulate her on and celebrate, and all he could do was contemplate his own failure. How many times, he wondered, had he pondered what it'd be like to buy a house just like this one with Nessa? Perhaps, that was the source of his annoyance, that after losing so thoroughly to Markus, the crimson mage was nowhere to be found. Truly, his feet wouldn't move because they refused, almost on principle, to take a single step onto the grounds of Aven's greatest failure.

He didn't blame them.

Nevertheless, Aven couldn't just stand in place forever. He'd already taken countless steps forward, with the intent to move on, and in that regard, that walkway was no different. The world wouldn't wait for him, and he had his responsibilities as an Ace of Fairy Tail to fulfill, thus the sound of his soles on the concrete echoed around him. Time to move on.

Aven could briefly hear conversation from inside the door, as he made his approach. Pausing before knocking, he could hear Mura and Nessa engaging in idle chatter. With a few swift raps on the door, Aven stood back, waiting for it to open. At the very least, having Mura and Althea around might ease the tension a bit.

...or, so he hoped.

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[Word Count: 500.]
[Thread Count Total: 1737.]

Mura could, somehow, sympathize with her decision to move out of the family household, since it was often a big step in life for young adults like them to finally have their own place and truly take daily matters into their own hands; at times alone, and at times with someone special to them… but that varied from person to person. If Mura had been able to stay in Midi back then, then he would’ve likely stayed with his father until he found a spouse to grow the family with. Life, however, took a sharp turn all those years ago, and now he was here… married and living in his own place away from his parent. Without taking all the details in, it was exactly what he had hoped for… but boy, the details made all the difference.

“…” Looking at the furniture any more made him realize that his own place needed a renovation. They were in Fiore, yes, but Mura missed the classic, Midijin architecture back at his parent’s home, so he should get into contact with the fashion line and see what’s up. “It all looks brand new, almost untouched… I suddenly feel motivated to renovate my own place, too,” he expressed his thoughts before picking up one of her newly-baked cookies. Seeing cookies reminded him of two things; Menka’s silly Cookie Magic - no, wait, Cookie Slayer Magic – and… the bundles that Alyia used to bake for the members.

It was strange. The memory of the past angel somehow revitalized itself during Elysium’s assault on Magnolia, but for reasons unknown to the shaman.

“Tail?”
“Tail?”

Both Mura and Zirconis asked out in unison. It took a solid second to realize what was meant by that… hopefully, Seb wasn’t going to get himself in trouble. It just emitted a few Kyuken vibes, is all… and yet, that was a source of worry for the two.

“Heh, silly Seb… he already got one,” the shaman lightly joked, “*munch* Mnng! You’re not kidding…!” he gasped quickly, having taken quite a chomp of the steaming cookie without care. He could cool it down with water, but that would ruin the treat, so he just let it sear on his tongue and inner cheeks until its sweet contents met his taste buds, allowing him to swallow the treat in delight. Nessa also brought a pair of jugs filled with an orange and deep-purple-red juice to flush his throat with.

“The first cookie was a bit too hot, maybe the next one will give me the full, tasty experi-“

“Maybe you should wait until the others are here, too.”

“B-But she made so many; just a second one won’t hurt-“

And that was when he heard her greeting towards Aven. About time! And Althea followed suit right after, which made it four… now, only Vandrad had yet to show up. It was short notice, but given the Energy Mage’s new role as an Ace, Vandrad was unlikely to be absent from an important meeting.

“Glad to see you here… Vandrad should be on his way, too. You know how much he occupies himself with,” he covered, knowing well just how dedicated Vandrad had gotten to his new position as Taskmaster & Treasurer of their guild. As if his previous activity and earnings from bags upon bags of quests hadn’t made it crystal clear that he had been a goddamn blessing. On top of that happy thought, hearing the news of a new Dongxia place serving takeaway tickled his belly a little; he had forgotten how long ago it was since he tried their hotpot, peking roasted duck, spring roll, steamed pork bun and shrimp dishes…

But that surge of joy had to be subsided for now. The topic at hand made him remember the day.

And the more he remembered, the more he regretted.

Finding out that he had just been forced away by Janet, a diversion, pained him to the point where he didn’t know what to say. His guild hall, once more, had been reduced to rubble, and where was he? Stuck at Kardia Cathedral, surrounded by elder dragons and Elysium’s mistress who wanted none more than to hold him in place. Pride in his guild who gave it their all had grown, but pride in himself had dwindled…

It had dwindled because he kept telling himself ‘if’. It was so easy to fall for that, the power of ‘if’… there was never a chance of ‘if’ for events of the past, and yet he yearned it so much. If, if, if… for a long time, it intoxicated his mind. How were the others?

His guild stood their ground, but he still remembered how badly hurt Percy had gotten, and how fatigued the others turned out after dealing with the monster among dragons that tore down their walls and roof. And, of course…

It was tough. One’s heart shouldn’t go through this, gaining so much weight in a single second that his feet almost felt like giving up and collapsing.

Where was his smile? Return the smile, and things would likely grow easier on your shoulders, Mura.

“… Struggling,” he answered her question, closing his eyes to take a deep breath – he needed to calm down. Calm down. Calm down. “I… I…”

He wanted to apologize. He wanted to fall down to his knees and apologize, and if they didn’t see any reason for him to say sorry, then he would do it just to get this unbearable feeling in his chest out. He would cry out, most definitely. Would it help lift the mood – no, it would likely do the opposite, but he felt terrible, but he had to focus, but his promise given to the previous Masters was broken, but he wasn’t at fault, but he was, but he wasn’t, but he was-

…

WC: 976
TWC: 3767