---

When Amelia had finally arrived at the train station, she searched around for her companions among the tight crowd. It only took her a few seconds to spot Maya's pink hair and recognized Tane standing next to her. "Heyyy! Maya! Tane!" She cheerfully waved to them. There another person accompanying the two, a woman with black hair. At first, Amelia assumed she was another new member of the guild, but then she realized the woman did not possess a visible a guild mark yet. Oh well, if the others didn't mind then it was fine by her. It would be one hell of an initiation if they successfully complete the mission.

Amelia approached the three, managing to catch the last bit of their conversation regarding the ticket situation. "Wait...did I hear that right? Could you really get free tickets AND cut the line if you wanted to?! Just, who are you exactly?" She asked the woman, being somewhat stunned and confused. Amelia was completely out of the loop as she glanced over at Tane and Maya for a moment, hoping they would fill her in...and get her a free ticket.

@Indra@Renny@Noxxis

---

---

Tristan rubbed the back of his neck, grinning at the audience of fine ladies and gentlemen that had been slowly growing since the appearance of the talking rat. He was no stranger to large crowds; in fact those were his favourite. Yet the situation he found himself in was so bizarre he couldn't help but feel a little awkward. After accepting his offer of cheese, the rat praised the young bard with a rather optimistic love fortune.
"Oh, little mouse God." He sighed, remembering his previous failing with the woman at his performance. "Even your mighty powers cannot help me in that endeavor."

Then, the little rat began to offer his services to the other patrons. The fact that someone actually was falling for this charade was hilarious, and Tristan struggled to keep himself from bursting into a fit of childish giggles. Though as the beautiful dame recounted the tale of her husband's woes, the seriousness of the matter began to settle in. Her concern for her husband was touching, and Tristan felt a pang of guilt in disturbing her lunch. For all they knew, this could have been her only moment of solace. His eyes met with the young rats, who made a hasty exit down the street after instructing Tristan to follow. It was clear he was planning something. The bard found himself beaming. An adventure seemed to be brewing. He had lived through many a dangerous expedition in his time as a vagabond, each one inspiring a ballad of epic proportions he would recount to audiences across the land. The lyrics may have embellished the exploits a tad, but that was just show business.

Offering a polite nod to the mistress, Tristan made his way to the alley where the mouse had scurried off to. Turning around the corner, he came face to face with a young man with messy, blonde hair.
"Hah, your little show back there was fantastic!" He praised, nudging the strangers shoulder with a friendly punch. "I had expected a professional, not some rascal." He had held in his delight for far too long, letting out a hearty laugh. The antics that transpired between the two would make for a very interesting song.

Wiping a joyful tear from his eye, Tristan took a deep breath before outstretching his hand to the young man.
"My name is Tristan Deimos." Tristan's smiling face softened slightly, reminded of the suffering woman they had both just met. His sorrowful expression only lasted a moment, quickly returning to his trademark grin.
"Now tell me, little rat God, how shall we rescue that damsel in distress? I must warn you, I'm very good at being the knight in shining armour."

Tane Snocur

---

@Rune_Alchemist@Noxxis@Animal

Renard Sournois

The response of the Bard surpised Renard. The young wizard wasn't really used to people having such a positive response to his rather childish antics. Usually Renards pranks would just annoy the crap out of people or piss them off real good but the chap in front of him seemed to have had a good time as well. With a big smile on his face the shape-shifting wizard laughed "hahaha, it was a good show indeed. I can't believe they actually fell for it. I guess you stepping in reallye helped." Renard pauzed a but before returning the favour of a friendly punch to the shoulder as well. "It's actually nice to hear someone respond positive to my well uhm, sense of humor. Usually people go like 'cut the crap, start acting to your age' or 'when will you finaly grow up, you're 17 now'. Looks like not everyone becomes boring as they age." Renard accepted the hand Tristan offered with joy. It filled the young wizard with delight that he had the honor of meeting someone who wasn't annoyed of his often stupid pranks at first sight. "I am Renard, Renard Sournois of the Fairy Tail guild. My friends call me Renard or annoying brat."

After the exchange of pleasantries it was time to focus at the task at hand. It was clear that Renard wanted to do something about the situation but his current plan was nothing more then to do something about the situation. Now that the bard was tagging along the young wizard was forced at least a bit to think about what the actual plan would be. It's not like that he could go around kicking in doors, beat up bad guys and save the day. He's not the legendary Natsu Dragneel of past times. Not to mention that he could not afford to cause too much destruction either since the incident. As Renard started to walk towards the gambling hall he continued the converstation with Tristan/ "I kind of ran out of credit with the magic counsel for this year so I suggest that we move forward with a bit of caution. I don't want to stir up too much trouble. Lets pretent that we want to gamble, walk down the front door and see what we can find out about the place."

@Raider Dog
"Nope." Jasper said when Sadao admitted to being in a similar situation as herself, at least as far as money went. She pulled her pockets inside out to emphasize the point. "I mean, I would, but." She shrugged. "I can't." She would've said more to defend her point if need be, but needed didn't need be, because her companion didn't push. Instead, he opted to get them tickets via some basic, if not impressive with its sheer audacity, deception.

"Impressive," Jasper admitted, taking the ticket from Sadao. "Much more comfortable than how I would've gone about getting them." She arched an eyebrow when he mentioned the class, and read the ticket to make sure he hadn't been mistaken, but he wasn't. "Even better. The only thing better than a free meal, is a free steak." Grinning, she turned her attention to the train, and motioned for him to follow her. "Well then, I suppose we should get on. I'm sure it won't take long for the others to meet us here." Again, she shrugged. "But if not, then the next train to the job won't take very long."

She began to walk, but paused after a few steps. "Or no time at all." A small smile spread over her face like the shadow cast from a razor thin twig of a tree.

@Noxxis@Animal@Animal
"Hey guys," she said, moving towards the rest of the group. "No idea how everyone did it, but you all managed to beat us to the punch."

---

---

Tristan fancied himself a good judge of character; there was very little that couldn't be revealed in the first encounter with a stranger. One only needed an open mind and keen sight to recognise it. Renard Sournois was an interesting lad; playful with boundless energy, living on the brighter side of life. It was clear as day the boy was an open book, comfortable with who he was and not afraid to share that with the world. Tristan's smile widened as he shook his hand. He could tell they would get along just fine.

"Bah! Nothing but the words of bitter old crows resentful of their own misspent youth!" Tristan sneered, grasping Renard's hand in a firm grip. The boy wasn't shy with sharing his grievances with Tristan, despite barely knowing him. Not one to dally on such thoughts, the Bard simply took it as a sign of trust and did his best to offer comforting banter. With a nickname like 'annoying brat', Tristan wasn't particularly sure how fond Renard was of his guildmates opinions of him.

"As charming as that nickname sounds, I think I'll stick to calling you Little Mouse."



"When we're finished with this business, I would very much like to hear your, no doubt numerous, tales of drawing the ire of the Magic Council. Tristan beamed, walking a little bit behind Renard so he could lead the way to the gambling hall. The pair had long since left the glamorous port strip of elegant boutiques, cozy cafes and bustling markets. They instead found themselves in a much less dignified part of Hargeon. The walls were lined with graffiti, garbage was being picked apart by feral cats and seagulls and the looks given to them by the local clientele leaved much to be desired. Tristan met eyes with a one eyed brute who was rhythmically flourishing a butterfly knife in his hand. The man spat on the floor while locking eyes with the Bard, a most unfriendly scowl revealing a row of filthy teeth. The pair quickly moved on, Tristan's gaze quickly shooting forward lest the man decided he didn't like the look of his face.

Renard approached an old warehouse, the walls lined with worn posters and faded printing that suggested the space was once used as a pharmacy. Weeds grew wild up along the wall and windows were shattered, giving off the impression of an abandoned building. Yet the distant sound of idle chatter and laughter was indicative of anything but. Though perhaps the biggest tip off was the beast of a man standing by the door. He was as typical a bouncer you had ever seen; stern, unyielding gaze and built like a mountain. He wore a black bandanna that covered the lower half of his face and his exposed torso was covered in an intricate tattoo of a huge octopus. The tentacles spread up to his shoulders and coiled around his arms up to his wrist. His forearms looked like they'd been used to block many a sword strike, riddled with nasty scars. Tristan noticed he was wearing studded cestus on his hands. Judging by his sheer size and brawn, a haymaker from this fellow would be the last thing one would want.

Wrapping an arm around Renard's shoulders, Tristan quickly forced the boy into a nearby alleyway, being careful not to step in any rancid rubbish.
"Unfortunately, you may need to make yourself scarce Little Mouse." Tristan began, huddled in close to Renard as to avoid any eavesdroppers. "I imagine that bouncer isn't the only security in that place, and we'll need to keep a low profile while gathering information lest we end up on their bad side. Transform into a Rat and hide in my shirt, then when I'm inside you can scurry off and listen out for anything useful. Sound good?" Tristan couldn't hide the excitement in his voice, despite the seriousness of their task and the very high risk he'd end up with more than just a couple bruises if things went south. It had been some time since he'd been on such an exhilarating mission. The certainty in which Renard had involved himself in this matter was downright inspiring, and Tristan couldn't help but wonder if all of this was par for the course in the lives of a Fairy Tail wizard?

Renard Sournois

The trip to the gambling hall was a rather pleasant one. Tristan is defenitly great company to have, talkative and not someone to shy away from asking personal questions. Having Tristan around make the walk up to the gambling hall much more fun. Both Renard and the bard had much more in common than they would have guessed at first sight.

The journey to the gambling hall took both wizards through what most would call the bad part of town. Worn out buildings, littered across the streets and the locals weary of outsiders. This part of Hargeon looked familiar to Renard. The young wizard himself had grown up in one of the lesser neighborhoods of Magnolia and knew the workings of the underclass. Renard was perfectly aware of the struggles these fellows had to go through on a daily basis and how their worldview was. If it wasn’t for his magic, the young wizard himself might have ended up like the fellow with the butterfly knife, although of less intimidating posture.

Just as their destination became in sight Tristan suddenly dragged the young wizard into some dark alley. “Hey, you might want to refrain from dragging young boys into dark alleys in public. Especially when you’re going to ask them to get into your shirt. It makes you look a little bit creepy” Said Renard with a big smile. He was confident that the bard meant no harm to him and the opportunity was to good not to make a joke about the somewhat awkward situation. But Tristan was right. The big scary dude in front of the door wasn’t there for show. You could bet that lots of his gang buddies would be inside, keeping an eye on their clientele or simply having a good time. Not to mention that such establishments as these where more often than not ‘adults only’. Renard’s small size and generally young appearance would make him stand out way to much in the crowd. “You’re right, I would attract too much attention in there. Luckily I am a natural when it comes to low profiles” Said the young wizard as he transformed himself back into a mouse and made its way up Tristan’s pants before getting comfortable in one of his shirts pockets.

The confined darkness of Tristan’s pocket did not bother Renard, in his mouse form his eyesight was remarkably poor anyway. However no sight, feeling or smell went unnoticed and it wasn’t for long before the young picked up the rather unpleasant odor of the buffoon at the front door. The stench of sweat and an unwashed mouth was rather penetrating. Without doubt the lad was standing for a while in the sun guarding the door. He definitely was not standing there for hospitality. The contraction of muscles and the screeching of bones combined with the fact that the bard wasn’t flying gave way that the brute was letting them in to the underground establishment.

The sounds of laughter, chatting and all kinds of gambling machines was overwhelming for the mouse sensitive ears. It took Renard a few seconds to focus his senses before he noticed a strange unpleasant feeling. As if there was some sort of unknown, sinister form of magic at play. It almost felt like there was some kind of spell cast on this place. “Do you feel that Tristan?” Whispered Renard from inside the Bard’s pocket. “It’s really strange but I suddenly feel in the mood to gamble and I never even considered to gamble in my entire life. I wished I had brought my savings. I could make so much money.”

---

Amelia took a moment to process Merry's royal status, the reveal surprising her more than it should have. "Whaaa-!? A princess?!" Her jaw instantly dropped. A princess who wants to join a guild, especially when that guild is Fairy Tail? It is unheard of, to Amelia at least. When the moment of shock passed, she began to imagine what royal-tier food must taste like. She couldn't help, but drool a little at the thought of it. She then noticed Tane standing closely by the pillar, she gave him a heartwarming smile and gestured him to come a bit closer to the group. Just as she was about to answer Maya's question, Jasper showed up at the right time. "There's Jasper!~" She pointed out and welcomed her with a hand wave. "I guess that means everybody will be here a minute or two. Let's go get our free tickets!" She cheered.

Out of the kindness of her heart, Merry insisted on getting each member a free ticket. Just one of the perks of being a princess after all. Merry didn't hesitate to cut in front of the long line and demanded VIP tickets at no cost. After a quick unsettling talk with the station clerk, she was granted the tickets and flashed in front of the others with a cheeky grin on her face. "HAHAHAHA! See, that was way too easy!"

@Renny@Noxxis@jynmi88@Indra

Sadao gave a prideful grin and chuckled as Jasper complemented his job in getting them good tickets. He then began to follow her towards the train and arched an eyebrow as he saw that the others had already beat them. He held up a lazy hand and greeted them. "Yo, looks like ya beat us," he chuckled as he approached the group. Sadao chuckled as Maya asked them about their tickets and held up his first class ticket. "Oh yeah," he said with pride, though he most likely wouldn't explain how he got them. Not the best image for a veteran of the guild to show to a new member. He gestured for the train. "Come on, lets get a move on. Sooner we get this job done the faster we can celebrate," he grinned as he began his walk towards the train.

@Noxxis@Animal@jynmi88@Renny@Indra

Tane Snocur

---

@Noxxis@Raider Dog@Animal @jynmi88 @Indra

---

---

Tristan's face went red when Renard remarked on the unsavoury implications of his actions, turning away from the boy with a forced cough.
"I... Uh, sorry. Perhaps that would appear suspect." He stuttered, pretending to be intensely interested in the fragmented remains of a beer bottle. The awkwardness didn't last long, thanks to Renards infectious smile and bright persona. A snicker escaped his lips when Renard brought up being good at keeping his head down.
"Hard to imagine such a loud-mouthed pipsqueak like yourself suited for stealth. Color me surprised." He snickered, letting Renard climb up his clothes and nestle inside one of his pockets. He pulled the buttons of his coat together up to his neck, making sure his ally was completely hidden. With that sorted, Tristan inconspicuously stepped out from the alley and headed to the gambling hall at a steady, relaxed pace.

The bouncer cocked his eyes towards the Bard, staring at him like he was a piece of meat. Keeping his composure, Tristan returned the glare before jutting a thumb in the direction of the hall.
"You gon' let me in or what?" He spoke brashly, trying his best to act more like the regulars of such an establishment. While onlookers would find it hard to see, Renard most likely could feel his heart pounding. The man shifted to properly face Tristan, lowering his arms down by his sides in balled fists. Tristan shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet, half expecting the brute to take a swing at him. Instead he pounded his huge fist onto the side of the building with the force of a battering ram. Tristan couldn't help but jump a little at the display, which brought a grin to the bouncers face.
"Knock yerself out, pal." He sneered, just as another man of equal stature swung the door open.

"Cheers, mate" Tristan said, doing his best to regain the tough guy composure. The bouncer chuckled returning his arms back over his chest and resting against the wall. The Bard stepped through the door; the distant chatter from outside now a riot of shouts, laughter and jaunts. There were a few rows of gambling machines; slots, poker and roulette, but the bulk of the gambling took place at the tables. Smartly dressed dealers flourished cards with tricky sleight of hands. Most wouldn't have picked up on it, but Tristan could immediately tell from the subtle movements of their fingers that they were cheating. Nothing too unexpected, the house always wins after all. Renard spoke out from inside his pocket about the gambling, clearly intrigued. Yet there was something about the way he was acting that Tristan found strange.

"Think again, friend. The games are all rigged." He began, sensing a similar feeling pulse through his being. The sound of cards being shuffled, the clink of glass pints and the rattling of a mountain of chips being thrown into the pot all melded together into an alluring jingle. He could feel his breathes quicken, quickly losing track of why he came to the hall.
"Well, perhaps one game couldn't hurt. I can see how they're cheating so we'd have an advan-" Tristan paused mid sentence, his stomach churning as he clutched the side of his head. "Wait, no! That doesn't make sense." Tristan quickly peered around, noticing that all the patrons had a strange gleam in their eyes. Suddenly their laughs sounded hollow, their banter empty. Tristan had been standing in the center of the hall for a while now, and a few dealers had begun to take notice. One clicked his fingers and gestured towards a bouncer, pointing at the Bard before returning to his game. He felt a heavy hand tough his shoulder, spinning around to meet with a well built lady with a rapier and flintlock pistol at her side. Her head was completely shaved and she had a wicked scar across her face. She was about the same height as Tristan, looking into his eyes with a menacing glare.

"You ain't lookin' right there, buddy. Don't you go puking over the floor you hear?" She rolled her eyes at Tristan's blank expression, spinning him around before pointing to a little nook past the bar. "The cans in there, mate. Take it easy on the drinks, alright? The Bard gave a short nod before stumbling towards the restroom. His head was spinning with conflicted thoughts; he knew the games were rigged and he'd win nothing, yet there was an insatiable desire to try. He'd never have to perform on the street for food again. He could live in fancy hotels where he'd have servers at his beck and call. Attend glamorous orchestras and the opera! He struggled to release his jacket, which felt like it was starting to choke him. When he finally succeeded, he quickly plucked Renard from his pocket and placed the rat on the side of a basin. Turning the water on, Tristan splashed himself in the face while taking deep breathes.

"Something is very wrong here little mouse. I don't feel like myself." He was panicking. Whatever dark force had hold of him, he clearly wasn't coping. He tried his best to think of a solution, but his thoughts were clouded with visions of all that could be. All he had to do was take his place at the tables. Join everyone else at the tables. Everyone was happy at the tables. He could be happy too. He clutched his head, pressing his forehead firmly against the mirror.
"Get out of my head!" He cried, smashing his fist into the mirror with a frustrated grunt. Wincing at the sudden pain coming from his hand, he noticed that he'd shattered a part of the mirror in his anger.

Renard Sournois

The sounds of laughter, cheers, small talk and the cries of those who lost faded away as Tristan moved to a different, less populated area of the establishment. Even before the bard had pulled the little mouse from his pocket Renard instantly knew where they were. No smell so penetrating as that of a restroom. However the reason why Tristan was taking this detour was all too clear for the young wizard. He could feel his companions hearth pounding, the heavy breathing and the muscle tension increasing. Even before the bard placed him on the basin and started to talk Renard knew that the strange sensations had taken hold of the bard as well.

For a moment Renard just observed his companion with a bit of a worry on his little mouse face. It was clear that Tristan wasn’t as accustomed to being under weird spells as he was. The fear on the bard’s face wasn’t as enjoyable as the red blush from back in the alleyway. Speaking of red, the young wizard should totally put his money on red during roulette. Just having this constant urge to gamble was not nearly as bad as that time that Renard was transformed into a worm, put in a jar and Sadao had to bail him out. Constantly walking from one side of the basin to the other Renard tried as hard as he could to analyze the situation but his mind was constantly getting back to gambling. With a bit of frustration in his voice Renard finally spoke out “This is so annoying! I can’t stop thinking of gambling. I bet this is some kind of magic.”

And suddenly Renard’s mind became more clear. That last sentence seemed to be the most clearest thing coming from his mind since entering the establishment. Suddenly it dawned into the young wizard how he could use the rules for their advantage. His expression of frustration slowly changed to a big smile as Renard had found a way to work around his gambling thoughts. “Cheer up Tristan, we’ve got to play with the hand we’ve been dealt. Time to look at what cards we can put on the table. Better not go all in when betting on my magic to negate the negative effects of other persons their spells” Renard paused as he gave his companion a curious glare, wondering if Tristan would catch on to his rephrasing his thoughts into sentences that had something to do with gambling.

The mouse closed his eyes and imagined himself sitting at a poker table. Next to him he placed the bard and started to fill in the seats with the other actors in this rather awkward comedy. The bouncer at the door, the lady who pointed Tristan to the cans, several dealers and even the unlucky crowd that got themselves into this fine gambling mess. The real important question was; ‘who casted the spell?’ The bouncer at the door? No, his cards sucked because there was no trace of any magic power coming from him. Maybe 1 of the dealers at the table? Most likely not, they are way too busy with their little tricks and scams to constantly take notice who entered and left the establishment. It was unlikely for the cans lady to have an ace either. Renard could not sense any magic power from her either. “What person did I miss…… what….what. That’s it! It’s not who but what!” shouted Renard in rejoice. “I am going all in on a magic device. It must be. This is Hargeon, unlikely to find a wizard this…..”

Renard could not finish his sentence before the door to the restroom opened and two men walked in. In a reflex the mouse jumped back into Tristan’s jacket, just hoping that both men did not have noticed him or heard Tristan talking. From inside the dark, confined space he could hear that both men were busy conversation with each other as they passed the bard and positioned themselves in front of the toilets. Although the men lowered their voice Renard could still hear their conversation with his sensitive mouse ears. “Boss, a message has come that the Abyss Chasers will be here shortly. The boys have gathered 35 ‘volunteers’ for them. All people eager to work off their gambling debts if you know what I mean” The other man sighed in annoyance. “Of course I know what you mean fool. None of them will ever return. God knows what those dark wizards do to them. And frankly I don’t care and I am not going to ask them either. We don’t want to get on the bad side with them. That would be the end of the octopuss gang”