Welcome to Gaia! ::

((ooc: Just letting you guys know that school starts again for me on Monday, so I probably won't be on as much.))
Rein chuckled slightly when Gray said "It won't happen again". Yeah right. Because he'd been around the Guild for so long, everyone thought of it more as a bad habit than weird. Rein gave Taura an amused smile, "Exactly, everyone gets use to it eventually." She heard Evalina's comment and gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it, he'll bounce back."

Lucy flicked her hair in a seductive but playful way when Theodore referred to her as "Adorable Lucy". She glided over to join the group in their toast and took a cup from Theodore, giving him a wink and saying "Thanks!". She picked up the wine bottle and poured herself some, then raised her cup into the air in a cheers motion. Closing her eyes and taking a sip, she wrinkled her forehead at the taste. It was interesting. So she took another sip. And another sip. And another sip...

Rein couldn't help but let a smile surface when Gray scolded her. Laughing at the amusing sight of Devi teasing Gray with his pants, she called out, "Don't be mean, Devi. Give him his pants back already!" in an attempt to hide her laughter. Shaking her head in disbelief, she watched as Devi mounted Gray's pants on top of a stick and announced it was to be Fairy Tail's new flag. I bet all of the other Guilds don't do this kind of stuff.. She smiled at the thought.

Juvia raised an eyebrow at Theodore's attempt to sweet-talk her and offering her a drink. Her heart belonged with Gray, no one else. "Thank you, but Juvia doesn't drink," she told him, imagining what she might look like drunk. Yeah, not a pretty sight. She didn't want Gray to think less of her or anything like that. Her attention shifted to Devi waving Gray's pants around like a bully in the school yard. The nerve of her.. How could she treat Gray like that? She threw Devi an annoyed look to let her know she wasn't happy with what she was doing.

Nathan leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms, feeling more comfortable now. "Why Fairy Tail?" he echoed, thinking about the question. "When I was younger, I always use to read about what kind of mischief Fairy Tail had gotten up to, and I use to love it. You're all so loud and destructive, but so caring about you're team mates. I suppose it's because you're so different from all of the other Guilds, you just.. stand out," he explained, his smile not disappearing.

Throughout the whole ordeal, Gray had been kept occupied with a game of cat and mouse as he tries his very best to retrieve his pants from a very playful and teasing Devi, who had been giving him the slip through sheer agility. Just as all hope seems lost, Gray noticed Devi taking a short pause due to his comment and decided to take that moment of opportunity to lunge at her with both hands extended out wide in his bid to nab her only to fail miserably as he skids past her and fall on the ground when she suddenly jumped towards the railing and proceeded to hoist his pants up like a flag. Gray then regains his composure and quickly got up to his feet only to stare at Devi's actions with shock. "I just told you not to wave it around like flag! And it won't be the guild's new flag!" exclaimed Gray loudly as he proceeded to jump on top of a table and used the leverage of it's height to launch him towards Devi with his right hand reaching out for his pants.

It is at this moment that Theodore had been a little pre-occupied with a somewhat flirty Lucy as she flick her hair back in a rather seductive manner whilst retrieving the cup of wine from him and displaying a wink in his presence. Theodore appeared emotionless or a least a bit confused by her actions. Nonetheless, he proceeded to give Lucy a polite bow. "You most welcome, adorable Lucy," responded Theodore with a polite tone as he bare witness to her sipping more of her of wine. "Umm...I suggest you go easy on the wine. We do have a quest to attend to, my dear adorable Lucy," noted Theodore with a persuasive tone as he tries to coax Lucy away from her drink. Theodore then noticed Juvia declining his offer as he gaze at her with mysterious eyes. "Oh that's too bad, sweet Juvia. However, I respect your decision and I look forward to working with you in this quest," responded Theodore with a slight bow as he proceeded to make his way towards Angie and offered her a cup of wine instead. "Would you like to partake in our toast, Lovely Angie?" inquired Theodore politely as he offers her a cup. "Of course my offer is extended to all of you as well," noted Theodore as he extends his offer to Taura, Celina and the rest.

When Theodore departed away from Juvia, a shadow could been blanketing Juvia from above as a familiar figure could be seen falling from the railing. Before anyone could act, the figure fell on top of Juvia with a loud thud. "Ouch!" exclaimed the figure who appears to be Gray as he rubs the back of his head as he sat up slightly. "Hah! I've got my pants back, you flag waving wannabe!" called back Gray as he mocks Devi while displaying to her his pants as he raise it up victoriously. It is within this time that Gray realised that he is sitting on something. As he gaze down, a shocked expression spread across his face. From everyone's point of view, Gray is seen sitting on Juvia stomach while his free hand is resting on her shoulder. "Juvia?!" exclaimed Gray as he shivers franticly. "Um..Ah...Are you alright?" inquired Gray awkwardly as he is at a lost what to do.

((Hey there guys. I got a laptop for this week so it's time for me to get back in the groove. Yes, I had to make Grantes angry and yes, he's very pissed. Mostly it's because he's not killing anyone. No, he's not powerful enough to match Makarov but he's capable of fighting Erza on her best day. Sorry if it's such a powerful dude but you'll see how shitty his magic is.XD))

After half an hour of conversation with the two, Grantes and Alleria made a small agreement that she could come along if and only if she'll agree to fight by his side the whole time... And do a little research on the Dark Guild they'll be eradicating. Surgical strikes were Grantes' specialty. Finding who and what to strike surgically was Alleria's game.

It finally dawned on both of them that Nathan was taking so long that they went back to the guild and found Theodore toasting, complimenting and praising Fairy Tail like a politician would. It was at that point that Grantes lost his temper. With a simple swing of his two swords, the tables, cups, bottles and almost everything within a ten to fifteen meter range away from Grantes' reach were sliced cleanly in half but had enough accuracy to leave everyone that's breathing unharmed. Erza showed equal skill but it was this level of control that put him at a slightly above level from her in terms of swordsmanship and physical strength. In terms of magical aspects though, Erza was far more superior and efficient (she didn't pose herself in harm like he would when using his Lost Magic Chronos) than him by a far margin.

The guild was thrown into silence as Grantes swung his sword once more to finalize his statement and cut the bottles nearby. Lucy knew this side of him which drove her to avoid him or even get in his way. Mirajane knew better than to talk to him at that point as it would only amount to Erza attempting to beat the living crap out of him to actually make him stop.

"Is this what we always do? Have fun and try to get laid? Fairy Tail is unique because we treasure our Nakama and we value the lives of those in danger. Nathan, you're excused for this but you are TAKING TOO DAMN LONG! Rein, are you going to ogle at everyone while waiting for everyone to get going on the quest? Juvia, I thought you valued Gray's safety. Why aren't you on the road towards the action so he won't get hurt? Natsu, you're one of the fiercest members here and yet you sit here bored at nothing to do. Happy, stop fooling around and Loki, get your a** out on the road if you're gonna do a quest." Grantes said, barking at everyone like Erza did whenever she came back from a job. "I'm not asking you to be as efficient as Erza but please, when you take a job, get to it, especially if it involves Dark Guild scum. Scum should always be culled, maimed and killed on sight."

The guild was silent as they looked down on the sliced up bottles, cups and wine glasses. Theodore was the last person he wanted to see and what's more, he's offering them wine. While not exactly a no alcohol man, he valued his sobriety. Theodore and his flowery words were just too much for him to handle.

"And YOU!" Grantes said, pointing his sword at Theodore that sliced up the wall behind him. "You said you're going in this quest if you could. You said the reward was raised and that it'll take a larger group and that immediate action was necessary... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! Get your men and women drunk AFTER the job is done, that's what the fine wine is for! Are you sure you even WANT us there or are you just some decoy for some Dark Guild that wants to infiltrate Fairy Tail by luring the core members out in the open for a gory massacre? If there's one thing I hate, it's-"

"Shut up, Fury." Alleria said as she calmed Grantes and his already shaking grip on his swords and completely ablaze blades down, a feat which even Mirajane was unable to do. Without a single word, she shot an arrow just an inch near Thedore's crotch and hit the wall behind him.

"He hates flowery words and he doesn't like drinking or goofing off too much when important things are at hand. I may not be from around here but I know when there's something fishy. Something's off, honey and you're not fitting in the puzzle. Clean up your act or I'll let Fury here go bananas." Alleria said, shooting a death glare at anyone who locked eyes with her, including Mirajane.

"Like she said. Clean up the act everyone. Whoever's going, get going now. This is a Dark Guild, people. These men and women kill. We wanna maim, kill, burn and eviscerate them and rip them into a million pieces first." Grantes concluded as he laid down an intricately decorated magical sword for Erza. "Erza, this one's a nice piece. It's yours... AND GET GOING YOU APES!"

Grantes didn't care who or what came in front of him. Master Makarov was a person he deeply respected and was equal to his level of respect for Erza. As long as the master says so, he'll take things into consideration. He didn't really like making statements like these but he thought it was time for a little wake up call from reality.

"Well Devi, I'm not in this one for the money... Well, not purely for the money. But people are in danger. Children have gone missing, families are weeping for losses. Life goes on, I know, preach to someone else if that's what you think I'm going to. My point is that we have a job, we accepted it then let's get to it. Drinking and celebrating can wait, we can talk on the goddamn road for crying out loud." Grantes said.

Alleria only watched as Grantes made... Strangely perfect sense. She never imagined him to be so... Logical. Then again, he'll probably revert back to his old bloodthirsty self after they finally get on the road. With another brush of her hair, she sat down on the nearest, unsliced and unoccupied chair she could find.

"We might be friends but friends can talk on the road. There are lives at stake. Have you ever arrived late once? Imagine a little boy in tatters and bloodied up because his family's killers decided to have a little fun. Imagine that. Imagine saying 'I'm from Fairy Tail and I came here to help you.' to that dying kid. Think about that." he said, locking eyes with Devi.

The outburst from the female mage was complemented by the master himself. At that point, Grantes didn't really look like he cared as he simply sheathed his blades and looked directly at the man with respect.

"Lives are at stake, master. Like Theodore said, we need all the help we can get. But right now, all the help we're getting is booze and... This piece of flowery wordy-"

"I'm sorry, Master Makarov. He's not usually this sentimental. Just... Just have everyone clean up." Alleria chimed in as she cautiously tugged and dragged Grantes to a chair before he chopped anything up.

"I might be a former mercenary with over three hundred confirmed kills including women and sadly, children. But I do have a conscience and right now, my conscience is SCREAMING at me to get going and stop the drinking because somewhere, sometime and at any moment in time, somebody might be in danger... Or worst. I just hope you all think the same or at least have the same outlook. Lives are at stake and I don't wanna be late again."

In the middle of taking a small mouthful of her drink, Lucy stopped and gave Theodore a blank look at his attempt to stop her. He was right. She swallowed what was left in her mouth and said, "Right, sorry," with guilty smile and scratching the back of her head. She put her cup down on the table behind her, giving it an odd look every now-and-then wishing it would maybe just.. disappear, since it felt like it was staring at her. She noticed Happy flying above her, and heard the concern in his voice. She let out a small laugh and said, "Don't worry about it, Happy."

Juvia's attention seemed to be elsewhere at that time, so she hadn't noticed that shadow approaching her from above. On impact, she let out a small squeal and tumbled to the ground, only to see Gray on top of her as her eyes opened. Her eyes widened and seemed to start sparkling, while her face turned bright, bright red. "G-Gray-sama..." she whispered to herself in surprise. What should Juvia do?! she asked herself in a slight panic. She felt his hand on her shoulder as he asked her if she was okay. Of course she was okay! Gray couldn't hurt her! She gave him a small, reassuring nod to show she was fine, and then her thoughts got hold of her again. She imagined Gray holding her and saying he loved her, while she stood, looking into his eyes, saying how much she loved him as well. Her day-dreaming got interrupted by some loud shouting being erupted by some man who she wasn't very friendly with.

Meanwhile, Nathan was still in Makarov's office being asked some questions. He really didn't have to give this question much thought. "I would sacrifice anything if it were to save their life. Whether it were my Soul Orbs or even my very own life, I would not hesitate to do so," he replied, his smile slowly fading as he spoke. The question reminded him of his parents, they sacrificed their own lives to save hundreds of other lives. As the new, yet uneasily familiar voice entered the Guild, Nathan frowned to himself and followed the Master out of the office. "Grantes!" he yelled in a stern voice, he was starting to get angry. There was no need for this. Yes, there was some truth in the words he spoke, but there was no need for Grantes to all-out yell at the whole Guild. Even Nathan knew how this Guild worked, and he wasn't even a member yet.

Rein was too preoccupied with the scene between Gray and Devi, now featuring Juvia, to notice Grantes walk in. His loud voice and slicing everything scared her as he started his speech, scolding anyone and everyone he saw. She spun around, her arms stiff at her sides. "Grantes!!" she yelled, almost in perfect sync with Nathan. After Devi's little speech scolding Grantes, she heard Grantes' reply out. She wasn't very happy with it though. "What is your problem? You really think we don't care? Is that what you think? Because I can tell you right now that every single person in this Guild feels the same way! You know how this Guild operates, you know that we hate the Dark Guilds as much as you do, and you KNOW that we always prepare ourselves before a huge quest like this! We know that there are people's lives at stake here, so don't go acting like a total jerk just because your blood-lust isn't being satisfied as fast as you'd like it to be!" This was a side of Rein that very few people got to see, and she didn't like it much herself, but she couldn't keep it in. She was getting pissed.

Lucy stood stunned at Grantes' sudden outburst at everyone in the Guild. Here we go again, another one of his rage-fits. Yes, she very much disliked the man, and yes, he did scare her a bit when he had that blood-thirsty look in his eyes, but he was going a little overboard right now. "They're right, Grantes, you can't just come in here and yell at everyone, expecting them to follow you straight away into a battle we're not prepared for," she added, her arms crossed and her face serious.

Devi raised an eyebrow at Will's response her eyes gleaming. "Oooh...
sounds interesting," She told him, intrigued. "What is it?" She asked, tilting
her head, not seeming to pay attention to the last part of what he said.

Celina smiled, "Ok," She nodded with a smile as she took her bags and
brought them over to the bar, handing the bags to Mira. "Could you keep
these here for Angie until we get back?" She asked, smiling before walking
back over to Angie. She frowned a bit as Grantes came in yelling, watching
the action unfold silently.

Devi narrowed her eyes as Grante's response, "Yes, we have a job to do,
don't you try lecturing me about the terrors Dark guilds can do. Everyone in
this building, some more than others." She told him, as if daring him to argue
against people who had actually been in a similar situation to what he was
creating. "In order for US to complete the job and help ANYONE we have to
be ready, we need to be together and have each others backs, or we won't be
helping ANYONE."

Loki watched the scene, as a member of the guild, yet set apart he couldn't
help but to smile, the people in Fairy Tail never changed, they had guts and
courage if it was for something they felt strong about.

Makarov sighed, not seeming to pay attention to Alleria as he listened, his
face firm as he listened. "No one doubts that this is a serious matter Grantes,
but the quest has just been taken and they all need to prepare. Our strength
is our bonds with one another. Several of these members are new, nothing
brings people together like a glass of wine. I assure you, everyone here wants
to save as many lives as possible, but rushing in head on would be foolish,
you don't help anyone when you get killed." He told him, his voice back to
normal as he looked him in the eyes.

Devi sighed, rolling her eyes and scratching the back of her head as Grantes
started blabbing. "Man, now the mood is killed too." She sighed as she
glanced over at Will, shrugging a bit, though the mood took about no time to
recover.

"Wanna come sit over here?" Loki offered for a wink, not having moved.

Devi glanced over at Loki, "Just because my other shoe is over there." She
told him, as she walked over, grabbing her fallen shoe and jumping up onto
the counter to put in on her feet. "So what about that Magic?" She asked,
looking up at Will with a smile.

Celina smiled as she glanced at Angie, "Never a dull moment at Fairy Tail."
She laughed.

Makarov sighed for a second before turning back to Nathan. "Sorry for the
intrusion, but i believe I have heard enough." He told him with a smile.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail!!" He told him, turning to Mira Jane. "Would you do
the honors?" He nodded before turning to look at Alleria. "Well, that's one of
the first apologies i've gotten for a scene like that..." He said, more to himself,
the scene not completely uncommon in his guild. "Anyway, your apology is
accepted, as for the quest, I have had Mira Jane send word what we have
accepted. Though normally I don't let people outside the guild join our quests,
because this situation is unique is the requester approves I don't see why
not." He told her.

Evalina appeared behind Rein. Holding on to Reins t-shirt with tears running down her face, Evalina said "Why was that guy Grante shouting?, I don't like shouting" with a sad face.

"Also, what's this quest everyone is talking about?" she sniffled with a curious look on her face.