Sorano scrambled to defend herself, trying to distance herself from the accusation.
"That's not, I mean, it's true that Nothingness did want a few keys to strengthen me, but the order didn't come from me, and besides, it didn't even work out in the end..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke, sounding less convincing by the second.
Sensing the mood had gotten a little awkward, Erza cleared her throat and stepped in to smooth things over.
"Alright, that's all ancient history now. We're family these days, comrades who fight side by side and rely on each other."
She elbowed Mirajane, prompting her to say something too. Mirajane blinked, then somewhat sheepishly uncrossed her legs, her tone softening.
"Ahem. I only brought it up because it's a funny coincidence how connected we all turned out to be, I wasn't trying to blame you for anything."
She pointed at herself, then Lucy, then Sorano in turn.
"Think about it. If it isn't fate, then what would you call it, the three of us crossing paths as such different characters in the very same story, only to end up here together in the same guild by pure coincidence."
Hearing her put it that way, both Sorano and Lucy's expressions softened. The two of them exchanged a glance, both quietly struck by the strange, almost fated feeling of it all.
But just as everyone sat there soaking in the moment, an oddly timed voice suddenly piped up right by Lucy's ear.
"Whoa, now that's an interesting story. So, how about a fight with me, newbie?"
"Eek! Wh, who are you?!"
Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin, shrinking back against Sorano as she demanded an answer from the pink haired man who'd appeared out of nowhere.
The man was, of course, none other than Natsu, freshly recovered from the earlier kick that had sent him flying. Having already settled things with Macao and Wakaba's group, he'd wandered back over, just in time to catch the tail end of Mirajane's story and decided to stick around and listen in quietly. Now that the story was over, though, and with no other pressing business at hand, he'd naturally circled back to the one thing on his mind: getting a fight in.
"I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."
After introducing himself, he cracked his knuckles eagerly and turned to Lucy.
"Lucy, right? If you're out on jobs with Sorano and Meredy, you've gotta be pretty strong. Come on, spar with me, friendly match."
"It's Lucy! You can't even get my name right!"
Lucy clenched her fists, gritting her teeth, and turned down his challenge without a moment's hesitation.
"Sorry, but I just got back from a job and I'm exhausted. Let's skip the sparring, okay?"
"Ugh, why is everyone like this, come on, where's your fighting spirit."
Rejected yet again, Natsu practically started smoking with frustration. Mirajane shot the annoying brat an irritated glare and cut in.
"Don't push your luck, Natsu. Unlike you, with all that pent up energy and nowhere to burn it off, the three of us just got back from a ten year job. We're exhausted, we're not in the mood to babysit you through some kiddie playfight."
'Wow, that's harsh. She basically wrote him off completely.'
Lucy took careful note and quietly filed Mirajane away under "do not provoke."
Natsu, meanwhile, had latched onto something else entirely. The flames flickering around him suddenly died down as his eyes went wide, staring at the three of them in disbelief.
"A ten year job?! You guys are already taking on ten year jobs? What was it? Did you finish it?"
"Idiot, of course we finished it, the three of us handled it just fine. Why would I bother telling you the details."
Mirajane rolled her eyes at him without much patience and turned away, done with the conversation.
Natsu's expression shifted through several emotions at that. It wasn't that he was desperate for the specifics. It was the fact that Erza, Mirajane, and even Ultear, who'd joined more recently, had all already reached S Class and started taking on ten year jobs, while he wasn't even S Class himself yet, hadn't even attempted a basic S Class job. The gap hit him hard, stirring up both frustration and a fierce competitive streak.
'No more wasting time. I need to get stronger too, I've gotta take on an S Class job!'
Resolve set, Natsu spun around, marched over to another table, snatched up Happy, who'd been happily enjoying a grilled fish, and stormed out of the guild without another word.
"Guess that struck a nerve. Typical kid, no patience whatsoever."
Mirajane scoffed, then, not missing the chance, turned to give Lucy one more piece of advice.
"Remember this, Lucy. If you don't want to end up an idiot too, stay far away from Natsu, and from that other pervert who never wears clothes."
Lucy: "...Noted."