Chapter Text
Lucy really couldn't trace how she wound up here.
On paper, of course, she knew: Mirajane had talked her and Cana into breaking Erza out of prison, which had turned out to be more of a 'keeping Erza company while she's in prison', and now there was a demon flute strapped to Mirajane's bag, and the four of them were in a carriage on their way to a job hunting a demon that had kidnapped a little girl on the other side of Fiore.
...But there were so many steps missing there!
Okay, so, she did still understand some of the steps in between still- Mirajane had asked Erza to fetch her a job to avoid explaining 'all that' to the guild. Erza, seemingly trying to call some kind of bluff had made it into another team up job, Lucy and Cana getting dragged into it before they could think to protest.
But that had just! So many questions still unanswered!
...and. Watching Mirajane quietly growingly back and forth with the murder flute was not inspiring her to ask them!
"So, Mira. What the hell."
...Thank the stars for Cana...
"...I don't get what's confusing." Mirajane scoffed, staring pointedly out the window. "I kept his soul in tact. The council yanked it out of me- not a pleasant feeling, by the way, thanks for asking- and stuck it back in his flutey body."
"Mirajane."
"...Fine." Mira growled, idly clinging to Lullaby, "Demons aren't evil. Most aren't even dangerous! Definitely not any more dangerous than your average mage! But... that bastard Zeref..."
"...the Etherious ruined their reputation." Lucy frowned, catching on to Mirajane's point. "But... why hunt them at all, at that point...?"
"...They're still hurting people." Mirajane pouted, the flute in her hands scoffing, "Or at least, the towns think they are, if they're going through the effort to get a mage on the job... And... If I didn't, someone who actually wanted them dead still would."
...Mirajane was a lot nicer than she wanted people to believe.
"H-hey! Knock it off with that weird face!" Mirajane squarked, turning her head to face the window- doing nothing to hide the blush burning across her cheeks. "All of you- do you want me to kick your asses?!"
"You are more than welcome to try..." Erza was quick to riposte, leaning forwards with a smirk.
"Oh I'll show you 'try'-!"
"We are. In. A. Carriage." Cana groaned, pressing herself against the wall preemptively. "If you two spook the horses I swear..."
"Um, question!" Lucy yelped, raising her hand like before her tutors- sue her, she panicked, she did not wanna walk halfway across Fiore- and scrambling for an actual question that she still wanted answering- preferably one that wouldn't make her look like a complete idiot... "...Are Etherious demons actually... Well, demons? Because- they were made, by Zeref, and..."
"...Okay, ten points to Lucy." Mira snickered, thankfully willing to drop her argument. "And... It's complicated. The sort answer is yes. The long answer is... Do you know what demons actually are?"
"...Not really." Lucy admitted. Cana shook her head beside her, and Erza just leaned further back in her seat.
"Don't worry, basically no one does, these days- Demon Slayers, maybe, and Take Over Mages obviously, but it's not something people tend to think too hard about." Mira shrugged. "'Demon', before Zeref made it all... 'five buildings tall monster'-y is just a term for any sentient being that isn't 'meant' to exist."
"Like, for example, a flute brought to life." Lullaby chuckled, eyes glowing red as he spoke. "Not that I was sentient before becoming Etherious..."
...okay, Death Flute Lullaby would just. Be adding commentary now. To their conversations. Cool. Coolcoolcool.
"How can you expect someone to not hurt humans when humans have done nothing but hurt them!?"
...That was cool.
"Yeah, like Lullaby. More often not, 'not meant to exist' means 'manmade', but that doesn't always mean intent." Mira explained, "Magic is a wild and unpredictable thing- more than humans can ever really understand, I think. Throw in out of control emotions and a total lack of training..."
"And a child wishing for a friend may simply make one." Erza finished, paling at the thought.
"Bingo."
"Wait- but. That would kill them!" Lucy gasped, clinging tightly to Aquarius' key. "Even with the failsafes in the key, Celestial Spirit Magic..."
"...And that's why there weren't many people leaping to Demon's defense, when the Etherious drove their reputation into the dirt." Mirajane continued, face frozen in a stiff grin that didn't reach her eyes.
...Oh.
"...Anyway. Add to that that demons' kids aren't 'meant' to exist either, and you can see how demonic traits got so diluted the actual meaning's basically just semantics at this point- Etherious are... Weird, though, is the point I was getting around to." Mirajane shrugged, turning to the window again. "Most demons have Curses- magic that runs on Ban- you know what? I'm not explaining that. My throat fucking hurts now. Most demons have curses, Etherious only have curses, and that's really weird of them. Zeref was weird. That's the real short version, Zeref was fucking weird."
"I'll drink to that!" Cana laughed, swigging her flask. "Zeref was fucking weird."
"You'll drink to a clock ticking." Mira scoffed, chuckling despite herself.
"Well damn, that sounds like a fun drinking game..."
"...I pray for your liver." Erza sighed, relaxing into her seat. "So. I assume we're to let you take point and assertain whether this demon is open to your... Parole methods?"
"I swear, if that catches on, I'm assassinating that council lady..." Mirajane sighed. "Yeah. Shouldn't be an issue- wouldn't be the first time a normal monsters been labeled a demon though, if that's the case you'll get your fight."
"Ah, grand." Erza smirked. "My point still stands."
"Oh fuck yo-"
"What point?" Lucy asked- genuinely curious this time, though stopping Mira from launching herself across the carriage was a good side effect.
Erza and Mirajane both immediately flushed red, staring pointedly out of opposite windows.
Cana started laughing.
"Nothing of import." Erza muttered.
"Erzie's a hypocrite, is her point!" Mira snapped.
Cana just kept laughing.
...Okay, so Erza was concerned about Mirajane for some reason. And that had lead to them all accompanying her on this job, and was something Erza also did...
...Aw. How sweet. Erza didn't want Mirajane taking jobs on her own anymore...
Erza muttered something under her breath, sending Mira launching herself across the carriage, and Lucy just laughed as she dived under the benches.
By the time they reached the small, countryside village the job had been sent from, Lucy was pretty sure her neck would never recover, and they'd had to tip generously to the driver to repair the... Well, frankly, the entire interior. And parts of the exterior. An-
They'd left a sizable tip.
She couldn't stop grinning.
Which was a problem, seeing as they were immediately met with the grim face of the local mayor.
"Ah, I'm awfully sorry... Given the child this demon has taken, we were rather hasty with sending the job, and..."
Mirajane growled, rubbing her brow. "Beast or Spirit?"
"W-what?"
"Beast or spirit. Which is it that you mistook for a demon?"
"Oh! No, no, the mistake isn't nearly that dire..." the mayor laughed, shoulders slumping in relief, "No- are those kind of mistakes really so common? No, the mistakes were simply... Well, for one the child is possessed, not taken..."
"...Thought the pay was weirdly high." Mira groaned. "The other?"
"Ah... That's the rather more... Awkward one..."
"Us." another voice interrupted.
A woman strode towards them, tall with long pink hair, sensible travelling clothes... And Lamia Scale's Guild Mark proudly displayed on her forearm.
"...Blendy."
"Strauss." 'Blendy' nodded, offering a hand to shake. "Paperwork mixup, he accepted both of us taking this job."
"Greaat." Mirajane sighed. "...Technically, this is Titania's job."
"Yeah, I'm sure it is." Blendy scoffed, rolling her eyes. Still, she turned her offered handshake to Erza, "Pleasure to meet you, Scarlet. Kelly Blendy, of Lamia Scale-"
"The Rock Devil Slayer."