Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

To say that Levy was surprised when her eyes finally landed on Aya’s new residence was an understatement. She’d heard that it needed work… but holy crap!

And this was already after several improvements too.

Surely the house was breaking several building codes for simply remaining standing.

The roof seemed new though, so did the front door and all the windows she could see. She just hoped that the building's frame and foundations were sound and the whole place wasn’t about to come crashing down.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the front door. She’d been away with her team for the past two weeks and had apparently missed a great deal of drama. Namely her new best friend apparently stealing an s-class mission and returning without so much as a scratch afterwards, despite her apparent appearance as she walked through the front doors of the guildhall.

The door violently swung open and Levy was greeted by the smiling face of said new best friend.

“Levy!” Aya proclaimed as her eyes landed on the blunette in front of her, ignoring the scowl plastered on her face.

“You’ve got some explaining to do.” Levy said with a grin as she walked past her and into the building.

Aya shook her head fondly as she shut the door behind her.

The inside of the house was at least marginally better than the outside, the walls seemed to have been stripped back and were slowly being replaced after much needed repairs had been done. The floors on the ground floor were also in the process of a serious renovation too as planks of hardwood flooring were gradually being fitted.

Aya led Levy up the newly fixed wooden stairs onto the first floor where a living space was starting to take shape. The three of the four walls had been fixed and one had even been decorated with some simple wood panelling. In a small circular layout, surrounding what Levy suspected would one day be a fireplace, were two mismatched settee’s and a plush green armchair half covered in an old blanket.

Despite everything looking much better than she expected, the new decor was not what had first caught her eye upon entering the room.

No, what had actually captured her attention was the multitudes of books that took up just about every surface in the room, even parts of the floor.

“Are these… all yours?” Levy asked as she navigated her way around tilting towers of hardbacks.

“Ah no.” Aya replied sheepishly. “Most of these are on loan from the archives, Makarov let me borrow them so that nobody could accidentally stumble upon what I was working on.” She added as she scratched the back of her head.

Aya wandered over to one of the settees where several books lay open alongside a notebook. She swiftly grabbed the notebook and sat herself among the clutter, directing Levy to clear herself a space so she could sit down.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to mess with anything if you’ve got a system going.”

“Oh don’t worry I’ve already read through most of these now anyway, I’ve picked out the ones I need for this part.”

Levy could only shrug in response as she began relocating the books from the armchair. “Sometimes I’m still surprised that you and Natsu are related… I don’t think I’ve ever seen him pick up a book.” She said as she continued to move books.

“Oh Natsu’s always been a much more practical boy… see Zeref could breeze through a textbook and pick up concepts like that,” she began snapping her fingers to make a point. “Natsu on the other hand always had to get his hands dirty, he could try and pick up something on paper till he was blue in the face but he only ever understood the concept when he was physically doing it… it’s just always how he’s been.”

Levy paused for a minute as she let Aya’s words sink in.

“Huh…” She began. “I guess I never realised that about him, he’s always just been this goofy guy to me but I guess he really does do that now that I think about it… I suppose it’s really easy to only think of the ‘smart people’ as those that constantly have their nose in a book, that’s not always true though is it.”

“No it’s not… I used to think like that but when I met Tetsuya’s family I realised that intelligence comes in a variety of different ways.” Aya replied with a smile as she began leafing through the note in her notebook.

Levy let the silence linger as she watched her friend read before curiosity got the better of her.

“So what are you currently researching anyway?” She asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Aya sighed with a smile as she glanced over at her. “If you must know, I’m looking for an old family artifact, a bell, they were used in various religious rituals when I was a child and I’m hoping that at least one of them survived the centuries and is in decent enough condition.”

The more Aya spoke the more Levy began to light up until she was practically vibrating in her seat. The moment Aya finished Levy couldn’t help blurt out…

“I think I know someone who can help!”

~*~

Apparently the person they were going to see was a historian Levy had worked with previously. According to Levy she was very good at tracking down rare and unique artifacts and had a rather modest collection herself.

Unfortunately she was also something of a hermit and preferred to stay secluded away in her house if she wasn’t on one of her very rare expeditions. So the two had to take a small trip to the town of Aster to track down the elusive Shunnar Mouse.

The trip was relatively straightforward, with there being a direct train line between Magnolia and Aster, so it took no time at all before they were stood in front of a modest brick townhouse.

“Are you sure this person can help?” Aya asked as she fidgeted in place.

“Shunnar can find almost anything, and if she can’t she’ll know someone who can.” Levy replied as she hopped up the steps to the front door and knocked.

When no one answered Levy knocked again.

She was about to knock a third time when the door opened a crack, the chain attached to it rattling and preventing it from being opened any further.

“Please go away… there’s… there’s nothing here of any use” A small timid voice said through the door crack before the door slammed closed once more.

“Well that was quite the welcome.” Aya muttered with a raised eyebrow as she exchanged a glance with Levy.

Levy huffed and knocked again. When she didn’t get another response she crouched down and flipped open the letter box on the door.

“Shunnar, it’s me Levy… we collaborated on a job researching and restoring the bell at Kardia cathedral, we really need your help with something.” She shouted into the opening.

Again when she got no response she flipped the letter box closed with a sigh and began to slowly make her descent towards where Aya stood at the bottom of the stairs.

Only for the sound of several locks clicking and chains rattling to stop her mid step.

The door opened to reveal a small willowy young woman. She adjusted the round milk bottle glasses on her face before sweeping a strand of soft mousy brown hair from her face.

“come in… just… please be careful, and try not to touch anything.” Shunnar finally said as she stepped aside.

Levy quickly thanked the smaller woman and hurried inside, shortly followed by Aya. When Aya stepped into the building, cluttered was the first word that came to mind

Stacks of books were littered everywhere leaving only a small path through the house into the various rooms. Aya had to hold herself back from getting distracted by several interesting titles she saw as she passed. She was having to constantly remind herself of Shunnar’s request not to touch anything, but some of the books she saw were making that really hard.

They eventually found themselves in some sort of living room, though it was hardly better than any other part of the house with books stacked high around the room. Aya was starting to feel a little better about the amount of books she herself was hoarding away in her own home.

“It’s nice to hear from you again Levy, I enjoyed cataloguing those historical references for the cathedral’s bell.” Shunnar said softly as she carefully sat down on the only chair not littered with books.

When the other two continued to stand looking awkwardly around the cluttered room Shunnar realised her mistake and jumped up with a sqeak to quickly clear off more space for them both to sit.

“I’m really sorry… I don’t get a lot of visitors.” She explained as a small blush crept across her cheeks. When the two finally sat down Shunnar took a small breath before asking. “So what did you need help with?”

“Levy told me that you’re good at finding artifacts.” Aya began. “We were hoping you’d be able to help us find something, a ritual bell, it would’ve been used around 400 years ago or so.”

Shunnar thought for a minute. “Can you give me any more information? I can think of a lot of artifacts that fit that description from that time period… you said 400 years right? That would’ve been towards the end of the Mildian golden age, possibly early dark age… the artifact is Mildian right? Not Minstrellian or Desian?”

Instantly Aya began to draw a blank, she wasn’t sure exactly when the golden age had ended and it didn’t exactly seem like a golden age while she was alive, at least not in the family she grew up in. “I errr, yes it’s Mildian… it was used in religious practice by followers of Ankhselam, erm...”

Thankfully Levy came to the rescue after seeing her flounder. “It’s a late golden age artifact used in religious practice, it shows markers of Minstrellian craftsmanship but was found throughout Mildia, and like Aya said it was used by worshipers of Ankhselam.”

Shunnar listened to them before sitting back and tapping a finger against her chin. “I’ll be honest there’s only a handful of bells I can think of, outright worship of Ankhselam was controversial even back then… despite being a god of life and death it was seen as almost bad luck to invoke his power outside of certain events like funerals, in fact most if not all of the other gods in the Mildian pantheon had regular festivals in their honour, but never Ankhselam…”

Shunnar thought for a little longer before jumping up and rushing out of the room. The moment she left the room Levy glanced over at Aya, noting how she had wrapped her arms around herself.

“You okay?” She quietly asked.

“Yeh… it’s still weird hearing people talk about that time in the past tense.”

Levy would’ve replied if Shunnar hadn’t come rushing back into the room, arms laden with books. The young woman dumped them onto the floor next to her chair before taking a seat once more, pulling a book from the top of the pile.

“Okay let’s see… bells were often used in many religious practices during that time, but since Ankhselam wasn’t worshipped in a traditional sense there are very few ritual items associated with the god… it’s definitely Ankhselam right?... not Luxikos or Amatsu?” Shunnar asked, looking up briefly from her book. When Aya shook her head she sighed and returned to flicking through the pages. “Well there were a handful of groups that did worship Ankhselam but each group had a very specific style, was the bell you’re looking for linked with any such group?”

Levy felt Aya tense up next to her. She reached out and placed a hand on her friends. Levy knew Aya didn’t like to talk about her life in Mildia. She didn’t need the details to imagine what life must’ve been like for her to so completely turn her back on it.

“It’s… erm… it’s, it’s the Bellemare family…” Aya said quietly as she looked away.

Shunnar sighed as she snapped her book close, drawing Aya’s attention back to her. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say them, I actually had one of their ritual bells in my collection, in fact I had a lot of research on the family, they’re quite fascinating really… they were a prominent Mildian family steeped in generations of magic and wealth and then almost overnight they seemed to just fade into obscurity.”

Aya deflated as the scholar’s words sunk in but Levy only sat up straighter, having caught something Shunnar had said. “Wait you said you had one of the bells? What happened to it?”

Shunnar pushed her glasses up as she fidgeted with the book in her lap.

“Ah well… my collection of Bellemare artifacts were recently requisitioned by the historical society… apparently Dr. Barna needed them urgently for a research project he was conducting but wouldn’t say what… if he didn’t threaten my funding I would’ve turned his request down.”

Both Levy and Aya groaned, flopping against the back of their chairs, upon hearing Barna’s name once more.

Shunnar looked between the two with a raised eyebrow. “I feel like I’m missing something.” She eventually said.

“Barna’s been a pain in my ass before… I shouldn’t be surprised that we’d cross paths again.” Aya bemoaned as she sat forwards placing her head in her hands.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be anymore help, those artifacts were some of my most prized possessions even if I had them I couldn’t just lend them out for anything despite how well made they are they’re still hundreds of years old.” Shunnar explained apologetically.

Aya sat up thinking, she needed that bell for the ritual, she didn’t want to think of what she would do without it. There had to be something she could do to get her hands on it….

“What if we were to get your artifacts and research materials back and I give you some information in exchange for letting me use the bell for a ritual.” Aya asked slowly as she eyed Shunnar carefully.

In turn Shunnar narrowed her eyes as she considered her words. “It would have to be valuable information, like I said those bells are delicate, and I don’t know you.”

Taking a deep breath Aya locked eyes with Shunnar as she next spoke. “Before I married my name was Ayanii Bellemare and I once lived in Mildia attending the Mildian academy of magic, where I learned and studied multiple forms of magic that would eventually allow me to resurrect myself 400 years in the future.”

When she finished speaking a silence descended on the occupants of the room as both Levy and Shunnar stared at her, their jaws hanging open.

It was ultimately Levy who moved first grabbing Aya’s closest arm and shaking her. “Are you kidding me?! You’ve been a member-”

“- ex-member -”

“fine, ex-member of one of Mildia’s most prominent magic families and you never told me?! Aya I thought we were friends!”

“Levy there’s a reason I don’t like talking about it and the only reason I’m doing so now is because my discomfort is nothing compared to what I’ll ultimately be getting from this exchange.”

“Still, what are friends for if not dumping your tragic backstories on, I’ll be there for you emotionally with a notebook or two.”

Aya rolled her eyes at her friend, strangely feeling less daunted about sharing that part of her life than she had been. She’d kept it hidden, secreted away as a dark corner of her past that had weighed on her for so long. Yet now that she had finally spoken about it out in the open it was as if that weight wasn’t as suffocating anymore.

“Wait…” Shunnar’s voice cut through her thoughts as the other two women remembered that they weren’t alone. “Is she telling the truth?” Shunnar asked, turning to Levy who nodded enthusiastically.

Her look of shock turned into something else, something hungry as her face hardened and a grin spread across her face. “Well… if that’s the case, then you’ve got a deal.”

Chapter Text

The headquarters for the historical society was strangely found out of the way hidden within a small town not far from Aster. From what Levy had told Aya on the way there the historical society had once been a treasure hunting guild that had evolved over time to protect and catalogue the magical (and eventually non-magical) artifacts that the members had come across. In turn it had attracted not just adventurers but scholars and researchers as well, adding them to their growing numbers as they uncovered the secrets of the past.

The guild had eventually secured funding from both the magic council and Fiore’s central government for them to continue their work finding and researching artifacts from across history. Now it was considered an institution of learning for historians and archaeologists across Ishgar.

It’s just a shame that it was currently being led by the man-child that was Dr. Barna.

The building itself was rather unassuming and the only indication that it was owned by the historical society was the small weathered sign hanging by its front door.

“Is this it?” Aya questioned as she stood by Levy outside.

“Yep… I know it doesn’t look like much but it doesn’t need to, the people inside make up most of the personality.” Levy replied as she pushed the front door open and stepped inside.

“I can think of one personality that could fill the building… or maybe that’s just his ego.” Aya muttered as she followed after.

Aya was surprised by the inside after finally getting a look at it. It reminded her of Fairytail’s mainhall if it were half the size. As she followed Levy through the space she passed multiple people all lounging about across the few tables and chairs found in the small hall. From the snippets of conversation she did hear they seemed to be comparing research and their most recent discoveries.

Eventually she noticed the walls of the hall, they were littered with trinkets and relics from countless adventures and expeditions. If she weren’t here for a specific reason she would’ve happily spent hours looking over each and every one of them.

All too soon though, Levy stopped walking, with Aya almost bumping into her after getting distracted by the decor. What appeared to have once been a bar was now a reception desk with several receptionists bustling behind it.

“Welcome to the historical society, is there any way I can help you today?” came the chipper voice of a receptionist as he looked up from the lacrima he’d been tapping away on moments before.

“Hi, we’re looking for Dr. Barna, is he here today?” Levy asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

The receptionist looked back at the lacrima in front of him, tapping a few times before looking back up with a smile. “Yes he is actually, have you got an appointment?”

Levy glanced at Aya, whose expression remained neutral but her hands tightly clasped at her side betrayed her true feelings of frustration and nervousness. “Errrrm yes actually… we just spoke with him, he's expecting us, can you just point us to his office please, it’s for a rather time sensitive job.” If Levy hadn’t already been so good at talking her way out of problems, normally just making sure the rest of her team didn’t accidentally get arrested, then she probably wouldn’t have been as convincing.

“Oh fantastic, his office is on the top floor, it'll have his name on the door.” The receptionist replied.

Levy let out the breath she was holding as she thanked him and led Aya away. She wasn’t there when she’d been rescued from him and she hadn’t really spoken about what had happened while she’d been in his manor, the only thing that had been openly discussed had been her rescue. But just from the way Aya tensed up at his name she only had to imagine.

They both walked in silence for the rest of the way until they finally reached the room, a stern looking secretary waited outside, already suspicious of them the moment she looked up and saw them.

Unfortunately for her she didn’t get the time to say a word before Aya took the lead breezing past both her and Levy and all but slamming the door to Barna’s office open.

“Barny what’s this I hear about you stealing artifacts and hoarding research.” She said as she wickedly grinned at the man sat behind the desk, taking joy in the fact that he nearly jumped out of his seat from the sudden intrusion.

Behind her she could hear the secretary fruitlessly apologising for the intrusion and trying to get between Aya and Barna, only to be blocked by Levy who had come to her friend's defence.

Aya had thought that she’d be more nervous upon seeing the man again, after all she’d been dreading the confrontation from the moment they’d left Shunnar’s house. However, as she’d walked down the corridor, Barna’s office, and subsequently the man himself, mere steps away, that nervousness and dread had quickly dissolved into something more furious. Whatever lingering fear she did have had all but vanished now that she was once more face to face with that man that sought to steal her away from her family and keep her locked away in a gilded cage for his own purposes.

She was sick of gilded cages.

Now that she was finally face to face with him she really just felt nothing but contempt. There was nothing he could do to her that would leave any lasting mark on her, she’d dealt with worse than whatever he could conjure up.

The man in question had startled when his office door was unceremoniously slammed open. His surprise had quickly morphed to confusion, then upon seeing Aya had become a strange mixture of fury and desire.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon my dear, finally come to your senses?” He said, while he had joked about the last part a piece of him hoped that there was a fragment of truth in it. His eyes flicked briefly to his secretary who was still unsuccessfully trying to put herself between him and the intruders. He caught her eye and dismissively waved a hand towards her, letting her know she was free to return to her other duties.

Aya scowled at the man as she marched over to his desk, slamming her hands on the surface. “Leave me alone and stop researching my past.” She growled in a low voice, eyes flashing a dangerous red for a moment.

“I don’t know what you're talking about.” He spat back.

“You know damn well what I’m talking about, requisitioning research materials on the Bellemare clan and ‘borrowing’ artifacts belonging to them, did you think I wouldn’t catch on? Do you even intend to return those materials when you’ve done… whatever it is you plan to do with them?”

Barna met her glare with one of his own as he tipped his chin up and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know what your implying but everything I’m doing is well above board I can assure you, though I could very well have you trespassed from this property and your actions here reported to the magic council, as far as I’m aware they currently have no idea who… or what you are.”

The threat was clear. Far too clear. Aya hadn’t heard very many good things about the magic council. If anything they seemed to be a bunch of busy bodies that existed purely to make the lives of wizards throughout Ishgar that much more difficult. Aya didn’t want to think about what they’d do if they discovered the truth about her.

She slowly stood back up, maintaining eye contact with Barna as she did so. She really wanted to smack that smug grin off his face, he really thought he’d won this one.

Her next action may have been one of pure pettiness but it was ultimately very rewarding.

In one swift motion she summoned several spectral hands, revelling in how Barna’s face paled slightly upon seeing them, and then swiped everything off his desk. Trinkets went clattering to the floor and the air became filled with a flutter of papers.

Then she turned on her heel, stuck her middle finger up at him over her shoulder and marched out of the room. “Kiss my ass Barna.” She yelled as she left.

Gajeel had strangely taken a great deal of pride in teaching her many of his favourite insults on the few jobs she’d taken with Levy and her team. She had to admit though, the words themselves left an intensely satisfying feeling in her as she spoke them.

Levy had waited till Aya had left before scoffing at the man herself and following after. She herself could think of several ways to ruin his day but ultimately she was here for her friend, not to make the situation any worse.

When she finally did catch up to her, and boy could she walk fast when she wanted to, she simply decided to walk (more like jog) beside her as her friend steamed.

It was only after leaving the building and rounding the corner did she stop and lean against a nearby wall. With her head dropped Levy couldn’t see the expression on her face but the shake in her shoulders was concerning. She didn’t think the confrontation had been that taxing on her, though after what Barna had done to her she wasn’t surprised it’d be emotionally challenging.

At least until Aya tipped her head back and Levy realised that she wasn’t crying.

She was laughing.

Her arms were wrapped around her middle as she gasped for breath between fits of laughter.

Levy couldn’t help but laugh too, the whole situation seemed so ridiculous now that the ordeal was over with. To think she used to look up to Barna, I guess it was true that you should never meet your heroes.

When their laughter finally petered off the two continued to stand in silence.

“So what happens now?… he clearly has the artifact so how are we supposed to get close enough to him and his collection when he probably won’t let us anywhere near his property now.” Levy eventually asked.

Aya smiled and fished around in the pockets within her waistcoat until she pulled out an ornate strip of card, handing it to Levy.

It was… extravagant, to say the least. The edges were perforated to appear almost like lace. It had a tasteful off white colour and the calligraphy on it swirled and looped across the card elegantly in gold ink. There was even a watermark.

“I saw this on his desk and decided to swipe it when I could.” Aya explained as she grinned devilishly.

So this was their ticket to getting to Barna’s private collection then.

An invitation to the historical society’s annual gala.

Hosted by Dr. Barna.

At his new estate.

~*~

The two wasted little time upon returning to the guild to get to business planning how exactly they were going to infiltrate the estate and get what they needed.

Thanks to Levy’s list of contacts they’d already managed to get a copy of the blueprints to Barna’s new estate. It turns out when you save the life of multiple people that happen to work on the local council they can open doors with other departments to obtain such records.

Then of course Levy herself was skilled enough to make multiple copies of the invitation so that they could get in without issue.

Unfortunately what they didn’t count on was that their duo was about to become a trio. Since Aya’s house had been taken over by her own research on the ritual she was trying to perform. She simply didn’t have the space to plan anything else and Levy’s apartment in fairy hills was too small for any large-scale planning. They had instead opted to spread out in the guild’s archives, it wasn’t like many people went down there after all.

At least that’s what they were hoping for.

Until of course the door swung open startling them from their work as Mira descended into the room.

The moment she reached the bottom of the steps and saw the blueprints and various papers strewn across the table she froze, only to see the twin guilty looks on her friends’ faces, and smiled to herself.

“What do we have here?” She said far too cheerfully.

Chapter Text

Mira smiled at the two in front of her as the other two stared back guiltily. She of course knew they were up to something if the way Aya was trying to subtly hide the blueprints was anything to go by.

Levy cleared her throat as she recovered from the shock. “We werrrrrre-”

“-oh yes, just doing some planning-” Interjected Aya.

“-yes of course planning for a job over in… Clover!”

“Aster!”

“No yes sorry Aster, of course we have a very important job-” Levy corrected as her cheeks took on a slightly pink hue.

“-very important-” Aya added solemnly, nodding along.

“-They asked for secrecy, it's rather delicate… we hope you understand.” Levy finished with false sincerity.

Mira waited for a moment longer, if only to make them sweat a little until she dropped her smile, placing a hand on her hip and asking.

“Okay so what’s really going on?”

The two deflated before her as their ruse apparently hadn’t paid off.

“Okay fine.” Aya began as she beckoned Mira over to look at the blueprints on the table. “We need an artifact that our old friend Dr. Barna has… he’s apparently been requisitioning artifacts and research so the original owner has asked if we could get it back in return for letting us use one artifact in particular.”

Mira let the words sink in as she looked over the beginnings of the plans.

“Mira please no one else can know, especially not the master, he’d tell us to call the whole thing off… it is technically stealing after all since it’s not an official job.” Levy pleaded when Mira didn’t immediately say anything.

She casually picked up one of the blue prints and examined it for a moment as Levy and Aya stood silently by her, exchanging glances between them.

Finally she put it down again and spoke. “I won’t say anything…” Their sighs were audible, until.” But…” Because of course there was a but… there was always a but. “I want in… this looks fun and the guild’s been so quiet lately.”

.

.

.

“Okay fine.” Aya said with a sigh as Mira all but squealed in delight as she pulled the two into a hug exclaiming how much fun they were going to have.

~*~

Mira was quickly caught up to speed on the situation, along with the problem they were currently facing.

The estate was expansive and there would be security at every corner of the property, they needed a way to keep an eye on the outside as well as the inside. It was beginning to look more and more likely that someone would need to stay behind to play lookout and warn about any problem that might crop up during the operation.

The conversation went back and forth multiple times with everyone getting more and more frustrated as time went on. It was quickly evident they weren’t getting anywhere with their current discussion and eventually decided to leave it for the moment. Hoping that some time away from the problem would lead to a solution.

Unfortunately Levy and Aya came back the next day to a solution that they never expected… or asked for.

“See right here on this overlook would give a great view of the majority of the property without giving away your location too much, not only that but you’d still be in range to tap into any security system he might have.”

Levy and Aya froze at the bottom of the steps to the archive.

Mira was already there… along with Bisca as they both leaned over the table and its contents.

Mira nodded as Bisca spoke following as she pointed to different spots on the map in front of them, explaining the various advantages the different locations offered.

“Over here it looks like he plans to set up some sort of security checkpoint, looks like maybe some kind of staff entrance, this location over here would give a good view of it but you’d miss out on watching the main entrance… oh howdy y’all, Mira was saying you’d hit a snag with your job.”

Levy and Aya looked at Bisca before their eyes slid over to Mira who at least had the decency to look sheepish for going less than a day before spilling their secret.

“Okay in my defence,” Mira began holding her hands up, “we really were stuck and with how big this job is, there was no way we could’ve done it just the three of us, not to mention Bisca’s skills are exactly what we were looking for.”

They… really couldn’t argue with that one. Even now as they looked over some of the new plans Mira and Bisca had revised together they could see just how much better they were already.

“I thought you were on a job still.” Levy asked Bisca as she finally wandered over to the table.

“Oh we got home last night, we would’ve stayed an extra night away but Alzack wanted to get home to Asuka and I honestly can’t blame him, these long jobs are hard when we’ve got to be without her overnight.”

At least that was something Aya could empathise with. Being so far from her own kids was a deep ache that was hard to ignore at times, at least she somewhat saw Natsu on a regular basis when he wasn’t on a job himself.

Well it seemed that now their trio was a quartet, and Aya was starting to pray that it would stay that way.

… unfortunately the fates were not in her favour.

~*~

It wasn’t long before they encountered another problem.

Communication.

It was all well and good that they had a bird’s eye view of the area and someone to keep an eye on security and any arising problems. Without a way to communicate those problems to the rest of the team it was relatively useless.

Communication lacrimas were discounted straight away. They were far too bulky and certainly not subtle in the slightest.

When telepathy was suggested and all eyes turned to Aya. She had to sheepishly explain that while she could use it she wasn’t particularly skilled with it and wouldn’t be able to keep multiple lines open over the distances they needed. So that idea was just as quickly thrown out the window.

“Well way back when me and Alzack used to use light signals to pass short messages over long distances.” Bisca suggested.

“Oh with a light lacrima? Would that work? Would we have enough?” Mira asked as she considered the idea.

“Well we always used to use mirrors, since it was always dark we just reflected the moonlight.” Bisca replied.

Aya placed a hand on her chin as she thought over the concept. “It’s not a bad idea though we’d need to practice how it would work in the field first, I’m more concerned about how we’d get the mirrors, if we were to drop one or leave one behind then it could tip someone off, we need multiple options.”

“Well physical mirrors, like compacts, could go mostly unnoticed but we could maybe think about other types of mirrors… would ice mirrors work? they‘d be easy enough to get rid of in an emergency.” Levy suggested.

“How would ice work?” Aya asked, puzzled by the idea of using ice of all things as a reflective surface.

“I’ve seen Gray use his ice as a mirror plenty of times, I’ll ask him if it’s possible, maybe he’d be able to give some pointers on it… like you said we need multiple options.”

Aya was unsure about the idea but she trusted Levy to not drag Gray into the fold like Mira had with Bisca, she was after all just asking about his magic and not for his direct input into the plan.

At least that’s how it should’ve turned out.

Levy did in fact ask Gray for pointers on ice-make magic and how it could be used to make a simple mirror. The theory itself was surprisingly easy to grasp but putting it into practice was a lot harder than it first seemed. Gray himself turned out to be a pretty good teacher when he wanted to be. He helped Levy adjust her stance, congratulating her when she eventually managed to make a small, if slightly lopsided, disk of reflective ice.

If only they weren’t being watched while they worked.

~*~

“HOW COULD YOU!” Came an unearthly screech the moment Levy had returned to the archives.

She hadn’t even had a chance to show off what she’d learnt when she suddenly found herself soaked to the bone.

“Juvia considered Levy a friend only to find her with her beloved's hands all over her… to think she would cheat on Gajeel like that!” The water mage was in near hysterics as she backed Levy into a corner. Meanwhile all Levy could do was look pleadingly at the other women who were stuck trying to decide the best way to talk Juvia down.

“Juvia tried to not think about how her darling Gray’s hands were all over her friend, but to go behind Gajeel’s back like that and let another man touch her so intimately, he’s going to be heartbroken.”

“Juvia it’s not like that Levy would never go behind Gajeel’s back.”

“Hon I think you’ve got the wrong idea here.”

“Juvia, mija, you’re flooding the archives.”

Juvia startled slightly at the other voices as if finally realising she and Levy weren’t alone. Only her rage quieted for a moment before it was redirected at the others.

“Juvia can’t believe that everyone is in on this sordid affair!” She wailed.

“JUVIA!!” Aya eventually yelled over her crying, finally seeming to break through to her.

Her jaw snapped close with an audible click as she finally glanced at the Dragneel matriarch.

Aya glanced between the others in the room, a mix of emotions passing over her face before she groaned and massaged her temples.

“Juvia… Levy wasn’t ’getting intimate’ with Gray, she was trying to learn some ice make magic for a job we’re trying to pull off.” She finally explained, beckoning over Juvia so that she could be shown the papers across the table.

As everyone caught Juvia up to speed, the water mage had gradually become more and more red as she realised the error of her ways. Once everything had been explained Juvia was folded into the group when there was no more reason for her to be kept out of the loop.

Only there was one more thing that only occurred to Levy after everything had been explained.

“Wait what do you mean I’m cheating on Gajeel! We’re not dating!” She’d yelled her face burning a bright crimson at the accusation.

~*~

Evergreen was not the airhead people thought she was. In fact after her most recent discovery she considered herself to be quite the observant person.

Which is why when she noticed after a few days that several female members of the guild were taking regular trips down into the archives she just knew something was going on. Especially considering that she’d been keeping a close eye on Aya ever since she’d learned the truth.

So after watching the comings and goings for a few hours she’d found a moment where she was sure everyone that was going to be down there would be. Thankfully she had the element of stealth on her side as she quietly and subtly made her way down to the archives.

Only to find that everyone was waiting down there for her.

“Y’ain’t subtle hon.” Bisca said, her hands on her hips.

Evergreen scoffed as she adjusted the oversized sun hat and glasses that were supposed to be concealing her identity. “I don’t know what you’re talking about… I was just coming down here for… a book, for my… our… job?”

She stood up taller exuding an air of confidence while the other women gathered simply stared at her, clearly not believing a word she’d said.

“Juvia doesn’t think that Evergreen is telling the truth.” Juvia muttered to Levy who nodded in agreement.

“Why are you here Evergreen?” Aya asked with a sigh.

“Well I… you see, ughhh” She groaned in frustration as she ripped the not so subtle hat and glasses off. “I’ve been seeing you all meeting up down here all week and I want in on whatever little scheme you’ve got going on here.” She demanded all but stomping her foot.

“What makes you think we’ve got anything special planned?” Levy asked as she tried to conceal some of the papers on the table.

Evergreen leveled the bluenette with a stare. “I’m not an idiot Levy I’ve seen the way you’re all talking with one another and I hardly get to go on any jobs with the other women in the guild-”

“that might be because of your attitude.” Mira mumbled from behind her hand, just loud enough for a few of the others to hear and smile at.

“- I’m always having to go on jobs with my team, which I do enjoy because they’re my friends, but a lady likes to be a little refined every now and again and I figured I would hopefully get such an experience among my peers.” She eventually finished, flicking her hair over her shoulder with a flourish. When she was finished with her theatrics she took a peek at the others and saw the unmoved faces of her so-called peers.

Aya sighed, stepping forwards. “Ever if you wanted to go on a job I don’t mind going on one with you, we could have a girl’s day out… which I think is the right term, right guys?” She asked, casting a glance over her shoulder as the rest of the gathered women all gave encouraging nods and thumbs up in return.

When Aya looked back at Evergreen she was met with a sly smile that set her on edge.

“I imagine it wouldn’t be too difficult for me to join in.” She said in a careful tone as she cocked an eyebrow at the soul mage.

Aya knew exactly what she was thinking, it really wasn’t hard to guess considering she was from a handful of people privy to some very uncomfortable secrets about her. While she was almost certain that Evergreen was bluffing, after all it seemed very unlikely that she would do anything without consulting the rest of her team. Unfortunately, there was always that concern that she wasn’t bluffing at all though.

Aya weighed her options carefully for a moment before sighing as she pinched the space between her eyes.

“Fine.” She finally said as she stepped to the side to let Evergreen see the table. The woman in question grinned, bouncing on the spot before remembering the company she was in and once again adopting more sophisticated mannerisms.

Thankfully following Evergreen’s arrival into the team there were no more intrusions or people finding out. Although as much as Aya hated to admit it, the additional firepower added to the team helped even out the distribution of roles. They’d even managed to find a position for Evergreen that suited her skills.

So far they had Aya distracting Barna and drawing his attention away from anything that could make him suspicious. Evergreen would go as her plus one to keep an additional eye on her and Barna and provide extraction if necessary. Bisca was on lookout and keeping an eye on security movements in general. Juvia, Mira, and Levy would make up the infiltration team who would be doing the hardest part of actually breaking into Barna’s private collection to retrieve the pieces they needed.

Unfortunately the issue with communication continued to plague them. As much as using mirrors had seemed like a good idea at the time, the more they tried to get them to work the more they realised that it just wasn’t going to be a good idea.

It was after a particularly frustrating practice run where Levy had missed the signal again and triggered a fake alarm that the solution presented itself.

“Look I’m sorry it’s really difficult trying to disarm an alarm system and look out for a warning signal at the same time.” Levy complained.

“It’s alright Levy, I know it’s difficult mija, but we’ll get it eventually I’m sure of it.” Aya said, trying to encourage her friend.

“Oh give it up Aya we’ve been trying this for the past day and we’re no closer to getting it now than when we started.” Evergreen complained.

“Unfortunately Evergreen has a point, we might have to find an alternative to this whole communication problem.” Mira added.

Aya looked between the downtrodden members of her team before asking if anyone else had any ideas on how to get around the issue.

“Well there’s the option of short range communication lacrimas, they’re smaller than the longer ranged versions but unfortunately given where everyone's positions are the range on them just won’t reach unless we solely use them for the people in the building.” Levy mentioned trying to think of something.

“Even then those lacrimas are a pain to deal with and ain’t exactly subtle either since you’d have to hold them up to hear anything.” Bisca pointed out.

Evergreen sighed loudly drawing the attention back to her. “Why don’t we just ask Cana?”

There was a moment of silence as her words hung in the air.

It was eventually Juvia who broke the silence between the group as she pointed out that possibly bringing someone else into the group maybe wasn’t such a bad idea since there were already six of them there.

There were some noises of agreement to her statement that were tinged with uncertainty. After all, if it solved their ongoing problem then what was one more person in the grand scheme of things.

~*~

“Hey Cana I have a pretty big ask, would you-”

“Buy me a few drinks and I’m in.”

“I, oh, okay… sure.”

Chapter Text

It was less of a surprise that Cana was more than willing to join in on the excitement and more of a surprise that she was apparently already going to the gala. According to her she was accompanying someone as a plus one as a reward for a recent job.

“Hey it was less about wanting a hot date for a night and more about me wanting a night off and to drink myself stupid on someone else's jewel.”

“You drink yourself stupid most days.”

“Yeh, but I still have to pay for it… usually.”

“That poor fella’s no idea what he’s gotten himself into.”

With the addition of Cana their problems with communication were solved. Her use of card magic allowed her to create a series of cards that connected to each other allowing them to communicate over longer distances that would normally be impossible by normal means. It also had the added benefit of the cards being very lightweight and easily hidden. Not to mention that they were set to disintegrate if they were ripped in half or got too far from their designated person.

Soon enough though, the day of the gala came and despite their nerves the team were confident that they could pull it off.

~*~

“Woah you guys look gorgeous!” Levy exclaimed when she finally saw what Aya, Evergreen, and Cana were wearing.

Evergreen and Cana were both wearing gorgeous evening gowns. Ever had tied up her hair and donned a pair of white evening gloves and a matching set of emerald jewellery to compliment her deep green dress. Cana too looked stunning in her wine red gown that was slit down one side and accented with elegant ruffles, she’d opted to leave her hair mostly down, pinning one side up with a clip adorned with a red rose.

Aya on the other hand looked more than a little uncomfortable in what she was wearing. It was the same dress she’d worn during her time in Barna’s manor, a recreation of the clothes she’d once worn 400 years ago, though she'd acquired some golden jewellery to go with it. The moment Evergreen had first seen her she’d narrowed her eyes at the sight, clearly spotting the resemblance to her eldest.

The rest on the other hand had chosen to wear more practical clothing. Bisca was dressed head to toe in black with one of her rifles slung across her back and a set of binoculars and several pouches strapped to the belt around her waist. Levy, Mira, and Juvia had all opted for more non-descript clothes with the intention to find disguises while on the premises in order to blend in with the waitstaff.

“Okay so I think we need code names.” Cana said suddenly, ignoring the looks of bewilderment from the rest of the team as they waited to leave.

Before anyone had a chance to reply she powered on. “I’ll be ‘Eagle One’, Evergreen’s codename is ‘Been There Done That’,” the woman in question rolled her eyes in response but it did little to deter her, “Bisca is ‘Currently Doing That’.” She added, high-fiving Bisca with a smile.

She then turned to Juvia. “Juvia you can be ‘Too Scared To Do That’ Levy is ‘It Happened Once In A Dream’-“

“Wait what?!” Levy tried to interject before Cana continued to steamroll through the rest of the group.

“-Mira you’re ’If I Had To Pick A Dom’.” She added with Mira giving a sweet smile in return for the code name. Cana then turned to Aya.

“Cana…” Aya said in exasperation only to be ignored by the woman.

“Aya you can be ‘Eagle Two’.”

“Oh thank the gods.”

~*~

They’d travelled in three separate groups. Cana had gone with her date after he’d picked her up from the guild. Aya and Evergreen had arranged their own carriage so that they could turn up with the rest of the guests. While the others had taken another carriage to the outside of the property so that they could sneak inside, dropping off Bisca on their way so that she could make the hike to her lookout spot.

“Alright we’re about to enter… is everyone in position?” Aya asked, speaking into the card she’d carefully concealed in a compact mirror.

The throngs of people around her made her chafe slightly. All that wealth, all that finery, the way they didn’t pay attention to the staff around them or worse turning their nose up at them and treating them as less than. It seemed that no matter how much time had passed, high society still carried the illusion that they were somehow better than everyone else.

“I'm in position and don’t you two look the picture of elegance.” Bisca’s voice came crackling through the card.

“We’re just getting into the building, we found a changing room with additional uniforms so we’re just getting changed now.” Mira added.

Aya nodded along as she spotted Cana through the crowds before confirming that she’d heard and quickly putting the compact away before she could draw too much attention to herself.

“We may be here on a job but it’s nice to get dressed up for once, the rest of the Thunder Legion have no interest in getting dressed up, even for jobs… we should do this again.” Evergreen casually said sidling up to Aya as the two made their way into the venue.

For the most part getting in was relatively easy, the staff at the door had let them in without issue after seeing their invitations. Aya would freely admit that she was eternally grateful for Cana pointing out that just the invitation wouldn’t get them into the venue. There was also the guestlist to think about, something that no one had thought about before. Thankfully Cana had managed to twist the arm of her date to pull several strings on his end and get them added without much fanfare.

Aya made a mental note to buy him a drink. If not only to say thank you but to also apologise for how Cana was about to bleed him dry with the tab she was about to rack up.

Once they were finally inside, Aya's stomach began to turn. This new estate was decorated in the same gaudy over the top fashion as the last one and frankly it was an eyesore.

Evergreen was quick to leave her side once they were in the ballroom, quickly making her way to the fringes of the room so as to be able to keep a better eye on everything happening within.

A quick scan of the area and she soon found Cana, laughing raucously as she hung off the arm of a young man, who was quickly realising the chaos he’d signed himself up for. It seemed she’d also accosted a member of the waitstaff, if the already nearly half empty bottle of wine in her hand was anything to go by.

Another scan of the space and she finally locked eyes with her target.

She schooled her expression, standing proudly as she allowed herself to be drawn into a nearby conversation. Her nonchalance towards him seemed to do the trick as out of the corner of her eye she saw his face flush red as his stare turned to a glare.

Barna’s attention was fully on her and her alone. Now the rest of the team just had to do their jobs.

~*~

Infiltrating the waitstaff was surprisingly easy, laughably so in fact. The coordinator, a stressed out man in his early thirties who seemed one mishap away from a nervous breakdown, barely paid much attention to them as they entered, snapping that they were late and directing them to a changing area to get their uniforms on.

The rest of the staff didn’t pay them much mind either as they wandered through to change, too focused on the task of pulling off such an elaborate party. The uniforms were simple black slacks with white dress shirts and black ties. It seemed to make them completely invisible to anyone who looked their way. It was perfect. Their own clothes were quickly stored away in a small handbag that Levy had brought, while it was small enough to conceal, its capacity was surprisingly large. Especially given the fact that it was enchanted to open up into a small pocket dimension that Levy often used for transporting large quantities of books.

With the clothes stashed and the trio successfully blended into the waitstaff all they had to do was make their way to where Barna was storing his research materials.

It was easier said than done with the entrance being in the opposite direction to the main hall where the event was taking place. Deviating from the staff and trying to make their way up there would definitely attract notice.

No, they had to be smart about this. They needed to make a reason to go up there.

Mira wandered to where several trays of canapes were being prepared before grabbing two and a bottle of nearby champagne and making sure everyone in the group was holding at least something.

Then she approached the increasingly stressed out coordinator and took a gamble, hoping it would pay off. “Dr. Barna’s requested that some food and drinks be brought over to his private study, I was hoping to use my initiative and take them over with my colleagues… if only to take the request off your plate.”

“I ugh yeh… whatever, if that’s what he wants then sure.” The coordinator said dismissively as he waved them off before turning to the next crisis to arise.

Mira smirked to herself as she led the two away at a casual pace. They may be on a time crunch but they couldn’t afford to tip anyone off to what was happening. Not yet at least.

They were stopped once more by a nosy security guard that questioned why they were heading in the wrong direction. Thankfully Juvia was more than happy to step in and lay out that them getting the food to Barna’s private study was of the most importance and that if he wanted to stand in the way of that then he was more than welcome to.

The guard seemed to give pause upon hearing that, considering whether it really was worth it to question the man of the hour when he was entertaining guests.

The group collectively felt the sweat drip down the back of their necks as the guard mulled over his options, sighing in relief when he stepped to the side to let them pass. Clearly Barna wasn’t worth bothering, likely not doing so was just easier for everyone involved.

The journey to the archives was quiet, there weren’t any other staff in that section of the manor with everyone focusing their efforts on the gala, so the trio didn’t come across another soul until they reached the entrance. They were quick to deposit their carried trays in a nearby cleaning closet, and if Levy pocketed the champagne then nobody commented on it, or made any attempt to stop her.

“Have you two got it from here?” Mira asked before the others entered the room. She would be staying behind to watch the hall. She was pretty proud of the cover she’d come up with if she was being perfectly honest.

“Yeh we’ve got it, thanks Mira, are you all set?” Levy replied as Juvia went on ahead, descending the stairs into the archives.

Mira grinned as her form shimmered and shifted, changing into that of a big burly security guard. Her grin peaking out from under her new bushy moustache was a little disconcerting but she was clearly having fun with her disguise.

Levy offered her a grimace in return before she promptly followed after Juvia into the depths of the manor. Mira giggled to herself as she crossed her arms, positioning her new hulking frame in front of the door as it closed behind her.

~*~

Aya would admit that she may have gotten distracted by the absolutely fascinating conversation happening around her. It was weird to be able to actually contribute to a discussion for once instead of trying to play catch up with various terms and historical references that she was still trying to grasp.

She was so engrossed in her conversation that she didn’t notice the person approaching nor did she notice how Evergreen was trying to contact her through the card hidden in her compact.

She only realised that something was amiss when a hand came to rest on the small of her back. The sensation had her almost turning and landing a fist in the face of the person belonging to the hand. Instead she startled slightly scowled and turned, unsurprised to find Barna stood by her side.

The two shared a look that killed the conversation around them.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” He said, putting on an air of charm as he spoke.

“I admit that I didn’t realise that this was your event, I came with a friend as a reward for a recent job… not that you’d know what hard work entails.” Aya shot back just as coolly. The crowds around them had taken a few steps back, more than likely picking up on the animosity radiating between the two verbal combatants.

Barna moved his hand from her back to trace down an arm before taking her hand and running a finger over the calluses there.

“To think that you were once a lady… your hands must’ve been so soft… untouched.”

Aya ripped her hand from his as he spoke, cradling it close to her chest as she glared.

“I learned what it means to live, I cherish every mark and callus on this body, they show a life well lived.” She spat back.

“You don’t really mean that my dear, you could’ve had everything with me... and in time I may have even let you visit that child of yours… how is he by the way, he’s the one with the pink hair right? The one that turned my gardens to ash.”

“Don’t ever speak about my son… you haven’t earned that right.” Her voice dropped lower as her eyes flashed.

Barna grinned smugly as he saw how quick to anger she was. “Temper temper my dear, not exactly something befitting someone of your… station.” He said, his eyes raking up and down her form.

Aya glowered and took a deep breath. He was doing this on purpose, they were in public, surrounded by people she couldn’t let her temper get the best of her and allow him to turn her into the enemy.

“Oh there you are! I was beginning to wonder if you’d abandoned me!”

Aya sighed in relief as Evergreen came to stand beside her, linking their arms together.

Barna scowled at Evergreen, who simply grinned back at his annoyance.

“So this is your… friend?” Barna asked, the word friend dripping with derision.

“Oh yes! Aya and I are close friends indeed, we simply know so much about each other! I’ve been trying to get her to get out and enjoy herself but she always seems so preoccupied lately with sticking her nose into books.” If there was one thing Evergreen was especially good at, it was dominating a conversation.

“I see well-” Barna tried to say before he was once more bowled over by Evergreen as she steamrolled on talking about everything and nothing in particular. He tried interjecting several more times with carefully curated jabs and concealed insults directed at Fairytail and Aya only for Evergreen to pay no mind at all and continue her rambling.

Her talking also had the added benefit of drawing more people into their growing circle. She certainly knew how to work a crowd and soon they had a rather impressive group around them that hung off her every word. barna ‘s face continued to get redder and redder as she spoke, not being able to get a word in edge ways as he was effectively pushed out of the circle of partygoers.

Eventually he snapped and stormed back to the middle of the group, only to realise that he was suddenly the centre of attention and not in the way he wanted to be. The people he’d pushed past looked rightfully indignant as they straightened their clothes and scoffed at his display.

Barna’s fury turned to embarrassment as he realised that he’d made a fool of himself. Only to quickly school himself and straighten himself up, slipping his mask of charm and elegance back on as he once more addressed the two that had caused the scene, finally having the room to talk now that Evergreen had finally paused.

“It is good to hear that you’re settling so nicely in this era.” He began smoothly, noting the questioning glances he received and the mild shock that flickered across Aya’s face. “I admit that it must be quite the shock for someone like you… I still have my doubts that it was you who made that lacrima.”

Aya’s shock quickly morphed into outrage as he spoke. She didn’t think he would stoop this low, at least not this quickly. She couldn't let him get away with controlling the narrative, if he thought she was going to stay quiet and take him spilling everything then he was sorely mistaken.

She smoothed out her features, making herself appear more amused than upset. “It seems you just can’t grasp the complexities of my device Barna… even after I explained the mechanism behind it, it’s quite alright though I don’t expect you to fully understand something so far above your understanding.” She grinned when his face once more began to turn red, his ego was so easy to attack.

When a few murmurs broke out across the crowd wondering what the two were discussing she realised that she could take his one weapon against her from him. Render it useless.

“The Desian proto-lacrima as you call it worked entirely as I intended it to and I still do thank you for taking such good care of it... however now that it’s done its job of reviving me I do ask that you allow me to live my own life, the lacrima was never yours… you were merely just it’s current caretaker after all.”

Barna’s face went from red to white as the colour rapidly drained from it. The crowd on the other hand exploded around her at her declaration. Scholars and historians clambering to speak with her and learn more about her and the proto-lacrima.

As Aya carefully answered their questions she exchanged a look with Evergreen as she removed herself from the crowd to tell the others of the development.

With her trump card being played so early they wouldn’t have as much time as they initially thought.

Chapter Text

“Oh man this wine is so much better than the stuff at the guild… you think I can convince the geezer to get a few bottles every now and again?”

Evergreen found her exactly where she thought she’d be, at the bar. Unsurprisingly her date was nowhere to be found.

“We have a problem, Aya’s already had to pull out her last resort.” Evergreen said as she slipped into the space next to Cana.

She paused, her drink hovering in the air just before it came into contact with her lips before she slowly lowered it and reached into the bust of her dress, pulling out a deck of cards. She cursed under her breath as she began to lay them out across the bar. Evergreen wouldn’t pretend to know how Cana’s magic worked, but she could at least admit that she was skilled with it.

Not only that but being able to see the future was useful, even if the outcome was never fully clear.

“Hmmmm, it’s not really clear but we need to be cautious… Barna’s definitely suspicious but it doesn’t seem like he’s on track to discover the plan just yet… I think the others are going to run into a problem too.” She muttered as she put the rest of the deck down and slammed back the rest of the wine in her glass.

“We need to get a message to Bisca then so that she can tell everyone else.” Evergreen whispered as she turned back to the room watching as Barna was pushed further and further away from Aya as more people clambered to speak with her. The man certainly didn’t look happy as he stormed off to another corner of the room.

Cana said nothing in return, only nodding as she picked up her deck of cards, giving them a shuffle before she laid out another hand. Evergreen didn’t stick around to see the rest of her display, deciding to reenter the crowds once more to keep an eye on Barna and Aya.

~*~

Lookout work was never the most flashy, but it was essential. It took a certain resilience to stay in one spot for prolonged periods of time and remain focused for the entirety of it too. Bisca had her ways of keeping her mind sharp and her eyes sharper though.

She’d already made it a habit to continually look over the guards and their movements quickly noting their patterns and for the most part hadn’t noticed anything too out of the ordinary. It was a fairly standard operation and if anything the guards seemed bored as they milled around casually talking to one another. No wonder Mira and the others were able to slip in so easily.

As she scanned the security patrols once more she felt the card from Cana buzz in her pocket. Taking it out revealed that she’d sent a message through. The messages weren’t particularly complex by any means but they did convey simple messages. The one she’d just got essentially boiled down to the fact that Aya had just brought out the big guns and now the others were in trouble. She wished she could get more specifics than that, or at least a better idea of what was going on inside but this was the best she got, so she had to work with it.

She pulled out the card and quickly set it down beside her. The benefit of being so far away from the estate meant that she had the freedom to speak freely, unlike the others who had to be careful about when and where they used them.

“We got a problem ya’ll Cana’s saying that Mama D’s had to pull out her big guns already and it looks like you're due somethin' on your end too.”

Levy’s voice echoed through the card. “Have you got anymore specifics?”

“Sorry hun that’s all I got right now, you stay safe now, okay?”

~*~

“Dammit, we’ve only just started looking for the artifacts.” Levy complained as she glanced over at Juvia who was busy scanning the shelves around the archives. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose before asking. “Are we at least still within our transport window? The van we came in hasn’t been moved right? It was disguised as one of the catering vans.”

Bisca made a noise through the connection as she considered the question, no doubt taking a look at the entrance in question to see for herself.

“Yep, vans still there and sittin' pretty, I don’t think anyone's even come near it since you got there so we should be within the acceptable error margin.”

Levy sighed in relief as she thanked Bisca for the update before closing the connection and putting the card away.

“Juvia?” Levy called out looking over at her friend, who had stopped to examine something on the bookshelf, she hummed in response letting her know she was listening. “The timelines moved up, we need to work quicker than planned before Barna catches on to what we’re up to."

“Understood.” She replied before beckoning the script mage over to see what she had spotted. “Juvia has found that Barna is using some sort of runes all around the archives.”

“Lemme see.” She said as she joined the water mage and looked over the runes for herself.

There were… strange, she figured since Barna was a scholar, though she was beginning to believe that less and less as time went on, that he would use a previously established rune language. Instead what met her was… something. Everytime she thought she’d managed to pin down what language he was using there would be a character that would completely stump her.

There were elements of Mildian in there, at least she thought so anyway it was a rather elegant written alphabet with lots of curves and looping characters. Then she was also sure that there was some old Midi runes, they were similar to Mildian in their construction but had a harsher element to them, like they were caught between the Mildian and old Minstrelian alphabets. The only problem was that the runes were complete gibberish.

She continued to look a little more before she gasped in a mixture of offense and indignation.

“He’s using a bastardised Artharki pattern!” She exclaimed. Artharki runes used to be a standard among many scholarly institutions across Ishgar between 400 and 600 years ago. They’d fallen out of favour with the magical world as the great academies closed. However, they’d recently had a resurgence in popularity among many rune wizards for their magical stability and general ease of use.

Barna’s rune work was clunky at best and falling apart at the seams at worst. The writings spoke of someone who’d never truly understood the system and had put it together at the last minute. Some scholar he was if he couldn’t even be bothered to spend more than a few minutes to check over his work, or at least check the work of whoever did it.

Pulling it apart would be laughably easy and Levy was more than tempted to dismantle the whole system just to prove a point. She was above that though… she hoped. What they really needed was to leave as little trace behind as possible.

She quickly pulled out a pen from her bag and began dissecting the runes in front of her, occasionally grumbling about the shoddy work as she went.

Soon enough the runes dimmed but stayed in place, indicating that they were no longer active yet appeared to still work to the untrained eye. With the work complete she nodded to Juvia in triumph. Now that the two could freely remove books and artifacts from the shelves without setting off any alarms they began searching for Shunnar’s missing materials. When it became apparent that ‘a few’ books and artifacts was in fact a museum's worth of stuff, they wondered just how they were going to get it all back.

“What if we use these?” Juvia suggested as she pushed over two carts. It seemed that their original function was to transport objects around the archives in large quantities yet with a plain white cloth covering the shelves underneath they could easily double as a catering cart allowing them to sneak everything out with minimal issue.

With the carts acquired, gathering up the research became easy… too easy in fact. Levy should’ve probably realised something was about to go wrong with how quickly they were getting through everything.

Barna’s archives were surprisingly large, a veritable network of rooms and corridors that extended under the manor itself. For the most part all of Shunnar’s writings were concentrated within one area of it. Unfortunately the artifacts she’d lost to him were scattered about throughout the twisting web that was the archives.

They’d found just about everything on the list. Everything but the ritual bell that had started this whole endeavour. Time seemed to drag on and pass far too quickly at the same time, creating a sense of unease that slithered down their backs. Barna was already suspicious after Aya’s stunt earlier and he could catch onto their plan at any minute. Thankfully his attention was firmly fixed on Aya if their check ins were anything to go by.

Then of course there was Cana’s cryptic warning from earlier about them experiencing trouble. Trouble they had yet to encounter. Though with any of Cana’s predictions it could have any meaning to it unless she got a truly clear picture of the future, she wasn’t exactly one to mince words if she could help it.

Unluckily just as Levy was trying to consider just what kind of trouble they would come across once more, Juvia suddenly shouted.

“There it is!”

Levy glanced over in the direction she had run off too and sure enough, at the end of a long corridor was the bell. The pictures Shunnar had supplied them with did it very little justice now that she could finally see it in person.

If only she’d had the time to properly examine it. She could do that when they got out and weren’t in any danger of being caught.

And if only she’d spotted the silently pulsing runes that subtly lined the room, just out of sight, and how they’d changed colour the moment they’d entered the space.

~*~

Aya had many regrets. Too many to count by this point but her most recent one was revealing her true nature just to spite Barna.

She’d quickly been swarmed by scholars and historians once the truth had left her lips. They all wanted to know about her, about the lacrima, about her life 400 years ago. She was doing everything she could to keep her head above water and keep her temper in check. No doubt Barna would love it if she were to lose control of herself there and then. Especially with such a large crowd to to witness her ‘instability’.

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the thought.

A brief glance over to the bar saw Evergreen and Cana lounging by it. She silently pleaded with them to help her, mouthing out a cry for help over the crowd before answering yet another uncomfortably probing question about her personal life. When she glanced back both women smiled at her and raised their glances in sync.

All she could do in return was scoff in mock offensive and turn away towards the throngs of people around her. Clearly they were having fun witnessing her misery, see if she ever cooked for them again once they got back to the guild.

Her eyes roamed across the hall once more as she surveyed her surroundings in an attempt to ignore the lack of support from her teammates.

It was then that she spotted Barna in a heated discussion with several security personnel on the fringes of the room. The way he was gesticulating wildly made something curl in Aya’s gut.

She glanced over to where Cana and Ever had been only to find Ever marching over to her with her card in hand and a look on her face that made ice settle in Aya’s core.

“We have a problem.” She began as she slid into the space next to her, speaking subtly. “Bisca thinks some kind of alarm has been tripped since the guards on the grounds have started moving around pretty quickly.”

Her stomach dropped upon hearing that, this is not what they needed at all. Her main concern was Levy and the others down in the archives, if they were still in the process of gathering everything then there was every chance they might not make it out. Did they even know what was happening? Did Bisca warn them first?

Evergreen tried to urge her towards the exit, something about regrouping and trying to rescue the others but Aya couldn’t really make her out over the noise of the rest of the people around her. She tried to follow, to push past the throngs of attendees, but a hand grasping around her wrist had her stopping dead in her tracks, watching fruitlessly as Evergreen disappeared into the crowds.

“What did you do!” Barna hissed as he harshly spun her around so that he could face her.

Aya matched his scowl with one of her own. “I don’t know what you're talking about.” She shot back, yanking her wrist from his grasp.

“I think you do my dear, it’s very convenient that you would show up today at this event, then I find out one of the alarms in my personal collection has been activated, somehow I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

Ice ran down her back as she silently prayed that Levy and the others would be fine. However as much as every part of her screamed to keep them safe, to go charging in to defend her friends, she knew that it would only cause more problems. No her best option was to deflect and keep Barna busy for as long as possible, if she could buy everyone some more time then they might still be able to salvage the night.

“Well maybe you should keep better track of your things, I already told you that I didn’t know it was you who’d thrown this gathering, otherwise I would’ve turned down the invitation when it was offered.” She’d long since lost track of Evergreen amongst the crowds and glancing over towards the bar showed no sign of Cana either. Hopefully the two had made a break for it and were in the process of helping the others down in Barna’s collection.

“Ordinarily I’m quite good at keeping track of my artifacts when they don’t inexplicably sprout legs and decide to be belligerent.” The venom in his voice almost made Aya flinch, until his words finally sunk in and her scowl deepened instead.

She was about to fire back something venomous herself, the poisonous words dancing on her tongue, when a loud commotion echoed across the ballroom drawing the attention of both verbal combatants.

It didn’t take either of them long to push to the front of the growing crowd and Aya paled slightly when she finally saw what had captured everyone's attention.

Stood in the middle of the growing collection of people was one very drunk, very loud Cana.

In between arguing with several guards and partygoers she glanced in Aya’s direction, swaying slightly with the movement as she brandished a bottle of half drunk brandy.

The moment the two locked eyes Cana winked and all Aya could do was internally groan as she went right back to making a nuisance of herself.

Chapter Text

Evergreen tugged at the collar of the chef’s whites that she’d grabbed from the kitchens. They were itchy, uncomfortable, and frankly… they smelled. She clutched her evening gown in one hand, upset that she’d been forced to change, she was really hoping that she wouldn’t have to, she was enjoying getting a chance to properly dress up for once.

In the other hand she held up her communication card as Bisca directed her through the winding halls of Barna’s manor. It had been a good idea on Juvia’s part to take a copy of the manor’s blueprints for this very reason.

Sure enough she soon came upon the other three who seemed to have been successful as they had already exited the archives and were making their way back towards the kitchens.

“Please tell me you managed to get everything, if I’m going to look ridiculous it better be for a good reason.”

The two women and one burly security guard, who she assumed was a transformed Mira, beamed at her as she spoke.

“You look great!” Mira said, her voice deep and gravelly as she held up a rather muscular hairy arm giving Evergeen a thumbs up, a smile spread out across her face, partially hidden underneath a thick moustache.

Evergreen shook her head slightly as she suppressed a smile, she was supposed to have standards but damn if she wasn’t enjoying the ridiculous more than she thought she would.

“I’ve got transport waiting near the service entrance, we just need to get through the kitchens first.” She said as she hid her dress away underneath the cloths covering the carts.

“How’re we supposed to do that without attracting attention?” Juvia asked.

Evergreen smiled and adjusted her glasses as she glanced at Mira. “Let’s just say that the head chef is a little extra stonefaced now.”

Mira grinned in understanding as her magic activated and her form shifted once more. Where once was the tall and imposing figure of the security guard she had been impersonating now stood a man with short sandy blonde hair, and lines across his face that suggested the presence of an almost permanent scowl, that wasn’t currently present due to Mira’s usually sunny persona.

She took a moment to centre herself as her smile dropped and her face creased in a way that her new features were clearly familiar with.

“Alright let’s get this over with.” She said in a gruff voice, the corners of her mouth twitching as she fought to keep her expression soured.

~*~

“Oh Cana.” Aya muttered as she massaged the bridge of her nose upon witnessing the scene in front of her.

Cana had draped herself over the shoulders of two seemingly unwilling young men as she swayed precariously back and forth. Miraculously the wine in her almost full glass hadn’t spilled a drop as she gesticulated wildly with it.

“I’m jush sssaying… if the magic council really wanted to change thin’sss then maybe they shouldn’t be such sticks in the mud, right?” She slurred loudly, her voice carrying over the whispers of the crowd around her.

She hiccuped and brought her glass to her lips downing its contents in a few quick gulps. She went to fill up the glass with the bottle that hung loosely from her other hand before frowning as only a small trickle of red liquid flowed out of the glass.

“Ugh! What a bummer!” She complained as she leaned heavily to one side forcing the man on that side to take more of her weight lest she go tumbling to the floor. “These things jusss never have enough in them you know? They always run out so quickly!” She continued as she held the now empty bottle out to the man on her other side who took it without much question.

The moment it left her hand she turned to him and smiled, fluttering her lashes at him as she continued to lean heavily on the man still holding her up. “Hey handsome wanna go get me another bottle?” She said as she blew him a kiss, laughing as he went red faced and scurried off into the crowd.

Aya debated stepping in and redirecting the woman away from the crowds when she caught the sight of the security personnel lingering along the fringes of the ballroom. There were a lot, likely anticipating the need to intervene should the situation escalate.

Then she caught Cana’s eyes and the woman winked at her before ‘drunkenly’ accepting a new bottle and launching into a new rant about the current economy.

Oh that sneaky little…

~*~

“You call this cooking!! My gran cooks better than this - god rest her soul!”

“Yes chef!” Came a chorus of replies.

Okay so maybe Mira was getting a little too into her new role. Sure the head chef had been loud when they’d first arrived but they didn’t think he’d been this bad. Though with how nobody was batting an eye at Mira’s portrayal of him, they were beginning to think this wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for him.

“Do you think we should step in?” Juvia asked carefully as she slowly navigated her way through the kitchen with the cart.

“Let’s just leave her too it, she seems to be having fun and no one’s looking our way.” Evergreen replied.

“Yeh, besides… I’m almost too scared to say anything.” Levy added as she pushed her own cart.

The yelling continued behind them as Mira rounded on one chef in particular and tasted the sauce she was stirring.

“What do you call this? I may as well take a drink from the ocean, it’d be far less salty than whatever this is, fix it!”

“Y-y-yes chef!” The poor cook stammered as she reached for a nearby jar of crushed tomatoes.

Mira was about to round on another chef when she caught Evergreen’s eyes across the kitchen. The woman hurriedly motioned to the nearby exit in an effort to encourage her to follow along.

Mira felt her cheeks flush slightly before coughing into her hand to mask it, thankfully it didn’t seem anyone had caught on over the chaos within the kitchen. Unfortunately before she could make her way over a frazzled member of the wait staff all but stumbled into the kitchens.

“We’ve run out of wine in the ballroom, one of the guests has completely blown through our entire supply!” They yelled.

Oh Cana… was the collective thought of every Fairytail mage in the room.

When Mira finally realised that the entire kitchen had turned to her in fearful silence, likely waiting for their head chef to explode at the news, she saw an opportunity to make a break for it. She rounded on where Evergreen and the others were quietly making their way through the exit and jabbed a finger in their direction.

“Oi! You over there!” She yelled loudly causing some nearby cooks to flinch. “Make yourself useful and go get more wine before I have them serve the cooking wines!”

Evergreen’s face twisted as Mira yelled at her but managed to grind out a reluctant ‘yes chef’ through gritted teeth after Levy nudged her to respond. In fact she refused to look at either Levy or Juvia who seemed to be finding the whole situation entirely too hilarious as they fought to hold back fits of laughter as they made their way towards the wagon that would carry them away.

Thankfully loading everything into the back of it went smoothly and without further interruptions. Halfway through securing everything Mira made a reappearance. She kept up her portrayal of the head chef, yelling about how slow they were being. She made a show of berating them enough that everyone looked away not wanting to draw the head chef’s ire. Thankfully it was also long enough for her to seamlessly change forms into that of another chef, allowing her to slip out with them.

~*~

Bisca watched carefully as the wagon peeled away from the manor before turning her sights back onto the large windows of the ballroom. She couldn’t quite make out exactly what was going on but she could see Cana deftly weaving between several security guards while continuing to play the part of belligerent drunk. She was definitely giving them all a run around and Bisca smiled at the show.

She was definitely going to be sitting her down later with Alzack and demanding a play by play. Speaking of Alzack she was beginning to wonder how he and Asuka were getting on, no doubt the little girl had roped him into some form of tea party and she desperately hoped that there was some form of evidence to see later.

After assuring that Cana wasn’t in any immediate need of assistance she turned her attention back to the slowly retreating form of the wagon. Her breath hitched when she saw a group of guards flag down the wagon and bring it to a halt.

Bisca kept her sights trained on the guard approaching. They seem tense but not looking for a fight. The guard that approached the wagon kept their hands visible as the rest of their teammates kept their distance. From the angle Bisca couldn’t make out what was being said but the body language told her enough.

They were defensive, not really a good sign but they weren’t reaching for any weapons or readying any spells so so far so good. Still she kept her rifle aimed and her breathing steady, it would be a glancing shot at most, just enough to cause a distraction for a clean getaway but not enough to cause any lasting damage. It would be through the arm, close to the shoulder so as to miss any arteries, clean, straight through the muscle.

She’d made shots like that before and had no issue with doing so now. Thankfully though the guard seemed to be satisfied with whatever Mira and the others said and backed off signalling the rest of the guards to step back too.

All seemed to be going well as the wagon slowly trundled up the winding path towards the exit. Bisca was more than content to relax but movement caught her eye.

It seemed someone had finally caught onto the team. Several guards began rushing from the manor, garnering the attention of the guards that had just waved the wagon on, as they attempted to catch up to the vehicle.

There was another issue too. The gate on the edge of the property had been locked down, the wagon had nowhere to go.

They were trapped.

But not if Bisca could help it.

Through her scope she could see the locks that held the gate in place. If the wagon were to slam into it currently it would crash and everyone in it would be caught.

The wagon was gaining speed, likely whoever was driving had now caught onto the fact that they were being chased down.

All it took was one shot. One shot straight to the lock and the whole mechanism fell apart.

Just in time too as the wagon barrelled into it and through the gates.

The guards chasing it down came to a stop at the edge of the property as they fruitlessly watched the vehicle and its inhabitants make a clean getaway.

Bisca smiled as she finally lost sight of the wagon. At least they were free now along with the artifacts they had originally been sent to gather.

With Mira and her team safe she turned her sights back on the commotion happening in the ballroom just in time to see Cana dance out of the way of another member of security.

Now it was time to get the rest out.