Standing at the bar and talking to Mira was a hulking man with a mane of white hair, someone so much more bulky and taller than Takeda that he looked like he could snap him like a matchstick: This was Elfman Strauss and he was ready for his next mission.
"Elfman! There's been a change of plans, my boy…You will be joined by Yoshida here so he can get a feel for a different type of mission." Makarov explained and gave Takeda a pointed look so he understood what to do.
"So I'll be on the job with you? Hope we can make it work." Takeda said plainly as he held his hand out to shake, appreciating that Elfman was civil enough to welcome it.
Elfman nodded as he shook Takeda's hand with a firm grip; "I saw what you did in that fight with Natsu, gotta say; Using that powerful barrier to protect the Guild from Natsu's fire was pretty manly…Especially after you've been in jail for this long." He said as he decided to be cordial for their mission together. "You have to tell me how you were able to do that big bubble thing."
"It's called a Flame Barrier…And until I get my bearings back, I'm not making something that big again anytime soon." Takeda mentioned as he walked out of the Guild with Elfman alongside him. "It took a lot to form and it gets dangerous if held up for too long." He explained as they got on a carriage; "So what is this mission that we're doing?"
Elfman noticed the attempt to change the subject and decided to not push his questions. "It's a Bodyguard detail; Supposedly we're guarding some candidate for Mayor in a nearby town and the guy's a little paranoid that someone's coming after him…Supposedly because he started as a clerk and worked his way up the chain." He detailed as he climbed in to the carriage and set off.
"Okay, seems pretty simple…Though did he say what we're protecting him from? Disgruntled employees? Upset family members? Another Guild?" Takeda asked as he went into Professional mode, wanting the full story before choosing how to approach things.
"Didn't say, just that he needed some extra muscle to guard him." Elfman shrugged as they left the borders and further away towards what looked like a nearby mountain town. "Still, job's a job so we need to see it through like men!" He cheered before climbing out and headed into the town.
It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary as far as mountain towns went but they could see where the entire thing was about to be broadcast, the entire city square had been made into a stage with a podium in the centre surrounded by a series of posters with a rather smarmy looking man on the front.
"Good to see that the help finally decided to show…" A particularly snobby man with that same face groaned as he peeked up from a book; Just from looks alone, he was going to make himself a handful.
This man was around Takeda's height in a rather loud coloured suit though drastically skinnier, boasting a slick ponytail of silvery hair to accentuate his skinny looking rat face and beady looking black eyes.
"We're from the Fairy Tail guild, you've hired my friend here and myself for bodyguard detail." Takeda said with his tone and demeanour becoming more business like.
"Yes yes, I know, you two will be protecting me up until I complete my speech here as future mayor…You're not to do anything without my say-so and you aren't to question me or anything I do, it is far beyond a man of my intellect to expect a muscle bound gorilla or a sketchy looking con artist like you two to act beyond any common thuggery." The man detailed with a breathy and wheezy voice that seemed to eke on their patience.
Elfman growled in annoyance as he felt the client needlessly talk down to them despite the obvious fact that the stark physical contrast was so apparent. "We are-!"
"I can assure you that we are both more than capable of handling security." Takeda said calmly as he maneuvered himself in front of Elfman, intervening before the politician decided to say something else to warrant the manly man turning him into a sandbag. "I will keep a lookout while Elfman here can ensure that no one gets close during your speech."
The man hummed and hawed as he looked over the two and finally relented. "I suppose that since you're here, I'll have to make do…Though couldn't your guild have sent someone worthwhile to entertain the great and capable Arkveld in the meanwhile?"
"You requested for a security detail as far as I was aware…There wasn't anything for entertainment requests." Takeda pointed out with confusion as he looked to Elfman who shrugged.
"Typical…I pay top Jewel for your shoddy guild's aid and you didn't have the forward thinking to send someone substantial along with you? I heard that the famous Titania was part of your little group…She'd certainly be something worth bringing to watch for my big day." Arkveld said with a sleazy smirk on his face as he brought up Fairy Tail's own Erza Scarlet.
Elfman felt the anger building while Arkveld strutted off as now it was not just the two of them getting mocked but the idea of this…person ogling the Requip Mage like they were a mere firefly in a jar was enough to make him grind his teeth in repressed frustration.
"Let it go, Elfman…We only need to guard him for today and then we're done…A creep like this isn't worth compromising anything over…Even if he makes it real easy to." Takeda whispered to the taller man, admittedly the Flame Mage could feel his own patience tested but he had experience with powerful people looking down on him. "So…Who is this Titania anyway? They don't sound familiar to me."
Elfman welcomed the distraction and decided to try explaining; "Titania is Erza's nickname in the Guild…She's one of our most powerful Mages and because of that, she ends up away for long periods on more difficult missions…That's probably why you've not met her when we face you guys…Well…Faced before."
"She sounds pretty tough…Then again when someone in Fairy Tail is nicknamed the Fairy Queen, you have to be." Takeda remarked as he then headed towards the area where the politician was going to have his speech; "In any case, we should be careful…Until we find out who this guy's saboteurs will be, we can't take chances."
"I can use my Beast Soul to bodyguard him but you said you couldn't use that barrier on a big scale yet." Elfman offered as he inspected the podium
Takeda took a white and bronze box off of his belt and then ignited an indigo flame on his ringed finger. "I never said that was all I could do." He mentioned as he then pressed the smouldering ring into the hole on top of the box before aiming it up towards the sky. "That should help solve some problems for the time being."
Elfman saw the box open up, letting a bright indigo and white blur burst out and shoot up into the sky like it was a flare before it started to glide out into the trees. "What…What was that?"
"A second pair of eyes to help make our job easier…All we really need to do now is keep an eye on our client from the ground and make sure he doesn't do anything to piss anyone off." Takeda remarked as he then reattached the box back to his belt with the others and started keeping watch for a few hours while keeping a distance from their target since he couldn't help but feel disgusted at Arkveld after his comment regarding Erza now that he had context.
By the time that the sun reached it's zenith and noon reached it's highest point, the whole thing was ready and Arkveld was ready for his time in front of the crowd; "The Speech is about to start, you bum! Get out of sight and keep me and my pristine image safe." Arkveld snarled as he climbed up onto the podium while people poured in for the announcements, his expression changed from that rat like sneer into a face that resembled something similar to what a kindly man would wear. "Greetings citizens and I hope you can listen to what little words I have to say."
The speech carried on like it had meant to for a good half hour but out of nowhere and to neither of the Mages' surprise; A few disgruntled looking men showed themselves with either improvised weapons or what they could get their hands on. "Arkveld, you conniving little weasel!"
"You thought you could get away with trying to screw us over?!"
"Or trying to crush your employees when they protest you?!"
"D-Don't listen to their prattle! I had to fire them for threatening my gentlemanly image!" Arkveld screeched as he ducked behind a podium when a hardened patch of grass dug into the wall behind him like throwing knives. "See?!"
"Takeda, we can talk with Arkveld about this later but right now we got a job to do!" Elfman roared as he summoned up a Beast-Man arm to swipe away at the fraction of the mob trying to attack him, ensuring that even though they were guarding this man; Elfman was doing his utmost to ensure that they were knocked out rather than brutalised.
Takeda on the other hand had the same idea as Elfman as he used kickboxing and a bright blue flame on his gauntlets along with the same coloured fire on his forehead. "Until we get the full story from this guy…I'm not going to start racking up a body count, better to let Tranquility slow them down." He thought to himself as several flaming quick punches started to make them slow down before he knocked these assailants out of commission.
"Wh-What's with these guys? That big dude's a monster and the other guy's got some weird Magic slowing us down…" One such attacking mage yelled as he dodged a swipe by Takeda but the blue flames that managed to graze him started to make him lose some of his momentum and become sluggish enough to get caught by the pugilist's backswing.
"Plant Make: Summer Updraft!" A Mage cried out as he slammed his fists into the dirt and caused a high speed barrage of grass blades and dirt bullets to hit them even when they ducked for cover. "You can't hide forever, Arkveld! Those goons of your's won't be able to save your duplicitous ass either!" The robe wearing Mage yelled as each swing of his fist into the dirt made another blast of bladed grass shred the wooden stage.
"Takeda, do you have something for this? Because as manly as it would be to tackle this guy head on, I can't move that fast." Elfman asked his new comrade as he partially wanted to test and see what Takeda could do under pressure.
"I got just the thing for this…Ideally I try not to rely on this aspect too much but I don't think we have other options." Takeda responded as he placed his thumb and middle finger in his mouth before blowing out a loud wolf whistle from behind a turned over table.
"That's it? Your boys can take out our union but against an actual Mage, you can't do squat? Where'd you even find these gu-" The Mage taunted but then stopped as he heard the piercing screech of a hawk overhead followed by what looked like several small clouds of gray smoke rose from the ground.
The sharpened blades of grass that were being launched at Elfman and Takeda sank in deep and made the pair hit the ground, the two bodies quickly lost their luster before they even touched the ground and then vanished in indigo flames like paper slowly burning away in the wind. "Wha-What did…How?!"
"Elfman, now!" Takeda yelled as he climbed out from over a table and then made his gauntlets change, turning off the indigo flame and reigniting into an orange one.
"You got it!" Elfman yelled as he summoned up a Black Bull Arm from his Beast Soul Magic, swinging with all his might as he knocked the stronger Mage into the ground. "That's how you take your lumps! LIKE A MAN!" He roared out loud and started banging on his chest like a gorilla.
Takeda sighed as he watched the man's man making a display; "These guys are something else…" He thought to himself before walking over to the somehow still conscious Mage and knelt beside him and placed his gauntleted hand over the Mage's chest as a warning to not move; "So…Who sent you guys after our client?"
"We all have our issues with him…once most of us got fired or bought off when we "Ruined his image", the stragglers including us had our protest crushed by the group of thugs sent by him, we thought enough was enough…It becomes more of a problem if that power hungry man takes up a position like Mayor." The Mage explained, having no reason or the fortitude to fight back anymore.
"Huh, so you say it's protest and he says it's threats…Interesting." Takeda nodded along before getting up, "Well, regardless of if you were warranted or not, you still launched a calculated attack on our client when you could've easily told us from the beginning or the police…Now all you've done is screwed yourself into a prison cell."
"I don't think any of us know if he had connections with whatever form of Magic Guardsmen or officials…He could very well have paid off anyone to look the other way and in all honesty; Would you have believed us if we tried explaining while you're getting paid by that con artist?" The Mage asked rhetorically with a disdainful look in his eye towards Arkveld who was currently hiding behind the toppled podium.
"We would have heard you out…" Elfman said gruffly as he pulled the Mage to his feet. "But taking a stand and protesting openly is more manly than all of this sneaking around to jump this Arkveld guy…So think on that while you get running."
"Elfman, what are you doing?" Takeda asked with confusion as he watched Elfman let the attackers to their feet and let the Mage get up.
The Mage followed by a few of the conscious attackers nodded in thanks before picking up their passed out friends and disappeared into the trees, leaving Elfman and Takeda alone to start trying to regroup.
Takeda was confused, this was the first time he had seen Fairy Tail in action on someone that wasn't him and his old guild but Elfman was treating this like they were some bratty kids rather than a threat, though he honestly couldn't help but wonder something; "Why'd you take it easy on them?"
"What do you mean?" Elfman asked as he used his Black Bull Arm to try putting all of the stage back together where he could. "You mean as in using only my arms when I could use my magic on my whole body? Or about letting those guys go?"
"Well…Both actually, you know that they'll just come back to get him again…And on top of that since they know we're with him, they're gonna plan around us as well." Takeda pointed out as he readjusted some fallen chairs.
"True, they also know that they have us to contend with in order to get to him." Elfman added as he grabbed one of the tables; "You know that we don't do things like other Guilds do…Most other Guilds wouldn't stop until every opponent of their's is out of commission…But Fairy Tail is manly enough to know when to let someone go and let them accept defeat, if they come back then they come back…The only real reason we'd go all out on someone is if they do something to provoke us."
Takeda nodded along; "I guess it makes a fair point if he puts it like that…Most of those guys in Fairy Tail who confronted me and the others in the past made it a point to stop us and the only way we got out unscathed was by escaping…Any other Guild with half a spine would've made sure we would go down and stay there." He thought to himself as he raised an arm up like he was summoning a bird. "Alright, let's touch base with Arkveld and make sure he's still up…Something about all of this doesn't sit ri-"
"GAH! HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU FREAK OF NATURE?!" Arkveld was heard shrieking as he was trying to fend off what looked like a white hawk with wings that were smouldering with indigo flames. "YOU TWO, GET THIS WILD BEAST OFF OF ME!"
Takeda glanced to Elfman before whistling again and watched the bird fly over to land on his forearm; It's snowy white body and indigo eyes made it a very regal yet very judgemental looking figure while keeping it's gaze on Arkveld. "Alright, now that the fight's over…I think it's time the three of us had a little chat."
"Takeda, what is that?" Elfman asked as he found himself not just confused but shocked that someone like him had the ability to summon a creature like this. "I thought you were a Caster-Type Wizard not a Holder-Type."
"I never said I was any specific type of Mage other than one that uses Fire, my abilities simply let me do a wide variety of things with my Flames….Elfman, this is Kishiwada…Kishiwada, meet Elfman; He's loud but he's okay." Takeda remarked as he gently scratched the back of the hawk's head and got a sharp chirp in response.
"Y-You did this…You pair of rock brained mongrels set that mindless beast on me because you thought you could threaten me for a greater reward! Didn't you?!" Arkveld shrieked as he kept his distance from the bird after it screeched at him for his insult; His suit and hair were more frazzled enough to make his indignation visible from the pandemonium.
"Kishiwada was meant to be watching for any potential threats, She can detect Illusions with her eyes and the Flames on her wings meant that she could dispel potential illusions or create them." Takeda explained; "So now you can explain to us who you really are."
"Takeda…" Elfman said warningly as he was watching the other man interrogate their client.
"You…You must be blind! I am Arkveld, one of the youngest industrialists who worked up from the factories and now into the political world, my face is plastered on those posters for goodness sake!" The man shrieked as he tried to wipe away his face from the proximity to the bird that attacked him.
"Yeah but people can fudge how they look on posters all the time…Make themselves look bigger, grander or more appealing. The only reason Kishiwada would ever attack something or take notice is if there is an illusion." Takeda remarked with a smirk as he saw how on edge that Arkveld was getting and decided to further push. "So I'll ask again; Who are you?"
"Takeda, if you keep this up then you'll lose us both the job if you're wrong!" Elfman barked as he was starting to get worried about how things were going, but on a smaller scale even he could see that something was up with all of this.
"You said we'd talk after the fight so now we are…I think I have an idea but I'm sure that the people who tried attacking this man will vouch if we try finding them for answers...Once they settle their grievances first." Takeda said plainly and kept his eye on Arkveld who was starting to sweat.
"ALRIGHT! Alright…Fine." Arkveld sighed defeatedly to stop Takeda before a glimmering light turned his face into something different; "Arkveld" was now a round faced man with a scruffy stubble and a greasy looking black and murky gray ponytail. "My name's not actually Arkveld, that was my boss's name…I'm actually Arnaud, a factory worker."
"Elfman…Go check his carriage for anything else he's hiding…I'll need to talk with the guy." Takeda stated bluntly as he watched the bigger man rush off and turned to face Arnaud before lifting him up to his face with a more intimidating look. "You and I have a lot to discuss…"
Elfman sprinted off towards the carriage where Arkveld's name was plastered all over and started to search around for something that could be concealed; Thankfully he didn't have to look very hard as a latch on the ceiling of the carriage was open and inside of it was a plastic cage holding a silvery rat who started going nuts when it saw Elfman staring. "Why would the fake Arkveld ha-Oh that's messed up…" He thought to himself before grabbing the cage after noticing a rather odd smell of magic around the whole thing.
By the time that Elfman returned, Takeda had been able to get a detailed albeit flowery mayoral speech/confession out of Arnaud ranging from using his transformation magic to masquerade as his former boss Arkveld, embezzling every last Jewel to spread with his fellow workers but ended up backpedaling and keeping it for himself, all accumulating into his boss's disappearance and Arnaud using his face to get himself higher up the authority ladder. "So just out of curiosity's sake; If you were so intent on using your boss's face to change things, why didn't you just try to make it better for the people you work with instead of all this convoluted power play to boost yourself?" Takeda asked Arnaud curiously, "First you said it was about getting everyone better treatment then you said it was about getting paid better…Which is it that you want?"
"Even when I was a worker, everyone looked down on me…Once I donned that jerk's face, everyone gave me respect…So I rolled with it, I took the guys' money and bailed…I wanted more and more until finally I wanted a place in full control…What's wrong with wanting respect after being stepped on for years?!"
"Yoshida! I found this…" Elfman remarked as he carried an unconscious man and what looked like a broken cage. "Looks like the real Arkveld was transformed into a rat, good thing that he sprung some extra money for one of those self replenishing cages used for pets but this…rodent is scum." He explained with an ironclad glare on Arnaud who seemed to shrink even more.
"I-I don't know where you found that rat but I can assure you that I am much more intelligent with my ideas than any of you knuckledraggers could ever hope t-Gh!" Arnaud started a rant for the pair of them but it was clear that enough was enough as Takeda punched the fraudster's face so hard that he swore that he heard his brain bouncing inside of his head.
"Okay, I think I've heard enough…Let's leave him for the authorities, we need to make sure the real Arkveld is okay." Takeda explained as he shook off his punching hand and looked to Elfman who was eyeing him with surprise at being the one to slug the man and not him. "What? We figured out that this guy was a faker with a ton of crimes under his belt…He's probably gotten off easy like this."
Elfman retracted his Beast Man arm as he decided to calm it down now that the trouble was over. "Normally I'd call it unmanly for lashing out like that but I also can't really blame you after listening to him talking down to us all day." He said as the spell on the rat wore off and it suddenly became a suit wearing man with that same face that was plastered all over the walls; The Real Arkveld. "Looks like we've gone from a bodyguard job to a rescue job."
Takeda nodded as he saw the man begin to straighten himself after Elfman set Arkveld down to his feet. "So you must be Mr Arkveld, you have a lot to be caught up on."
"No need, my greasy looking haired associate." Arkveld stopped him with a rather stiff tone as his eyes moved away to look at the posters around town. "I think an intellectual man like myself can easily put the pieces together." He drawled as he began inspecting everything like an over-exaggerated detective. "I suppose if you are the help then there is no need to keep you here anymore since I'm not going to partake in this charade…I'll make sure whatever Guild you've come from will be paid the fee."
"Wow…No wonder that little weasel could fool everyone if this was how the real deal was." Takeda thought to himself as he withdrew Kishiwada back into the Box before looking to Elfman; "I guess if he's not going through with this then that means we're done guarding him."
"I guess so…The person who raised this request was supposedly his assistant so they should be able to pay us pretty great since we showed off how manly we are!" Elfman remarked to assure Takeda that the both of them did a good job even though the shorter suit wearing man seemed to shrink away at Elfman's attempt to wrap his arm around him in a man-hug.
"Manliness?" Arkveld let out a snooty scoff as he looked to the two with a disdainful glimmer in his eye. "Just flexing your muscles to show off how big you are like some overdeveloped caveman doesn't make you a man…Far from it."
Elfman felt his eyebrow twitch as he felt Arkveld spout off about his way of life like it was just fact, making him very easy to punch even if what he said was unintentionally phrased.
Takeda however noticed that Elfman's patience for this kind of self-superior attitude was grating down to the last nerve, "Easy, we just need to get back on the carriage to the Guild and then we're all done, no more dealing with hi-"
"Honestly, no one these days really understands what it means to be a true gentlemanly man in this new age…It's all about finery, the quality of your education and your upbringing, why I dare say that compared to a beastly ape and a sleazy looking hitman….I'm a greater man than either of you could ever hope t-"
It didn't seem to matter much what he had to say as Elfman roared in anger and snapped, a deft swing was thrown and managed to knock Arkveld off of his footing and sent crashing into a line of chairs, it was only after the red mist cleared when Elfman realised what he did and his embarrassment settled in; "Oh…"
"Well, so much for Bodyguard Detail…" Takeda thought and then sighed as he looked to Elfman; "I'll vouch for you if you need to explain, we've been taking shots from both the fake and the real deal."
It took a good day to pass before Takeda was called onto another mission, this time it was to act as a host in a nearby club alongside one of Fairy Tail's more lax Mages but also one of it's more popular faces.
"And here you are…Enjoy yourself with this gorgeous vintage from me to you." Loke remarked with his usual flirtatious tone as he poured a drink for a girl sat at one of the tables. Loke had a natural gift when it came to winning people over with his natural charm and bright, playful demeanour. This certainly came into full force when he was able to be more open and flirty with multiple girls at once, especially when jobs like this would pay him to do it without reprecussions.
"So tell me, how exactly does this help in our job?" Takeda asked as he finished with a client by bringing them some food over on a platter. "Because so far for the last few days, you've been drooling and gawking at anything in a skirt." He remarked with a rather unimpressed tone; Mirajane had congratulated him on a job well done on his first mission with Elfman and decided to set him up with another mission; Spend as long as needed to work alongside the Ring Magic Wizard Loke on his next job though it did come with a caveat.
"Yoshi, you need to relax a little more…You're more likely to scare people away with that sour look on your face~" Loke said with a cheeky laugh as he waved at the girl that had just been served. "You'll be able to earn a lot more tips if you turn up the charm…Which in turn means you'll get a better payout on this, then again there are some girls who like the aloof, strict types."
Takeda grit his teeth in annoyance at Loke's rather happy go lucky approach with the job they were given; The fact that he himself didn't like Loke's compulsion to make advances on every woman who stepped through the door of the club they worked at, it made it all the more annoying when the odd one or two ladies tried to flirt and distract him while he tried to be the focused one. He did try to warn them off by being distant and stern to them, all that accomplished was enticing them to keep chasing for more time with the dour faced host when they visited the club. "Yeah but we're here to find out about what's going on around here, not trying to get you another date." Takeda pointed out as they were left alone when the next group left.
"Well, so far we've been able to come up empty with these disappearing girls and no one in the area seems to be clued in on how or why." Loke explained as he cleaned up one of tables before glancing around to check if they were clear. "They always leave the club and end up going missing soon after when the sun goes down."
"Think it could be Magic?" Takeda asked as he flipped the sign to "Closed" while they talked; "Because even if someone was able to steal away that many people, they'd need some place large enough or extra method to hide."
Loke thought on it but then they both heard a scream from the back of the club and immediately jumped to attention; "Sounds like we've got trouble." He urged as he dropped the apron in his hand and rushed out of the back of the club with Takeda following after. "Melody!" He yelled out when he recognised the source of the noise.
Melody was a sweet looking girl with who often came by the club to check in on Loke much like the other women who were taken in by the Ring using man's charms; She was what Loke described as "A brown haired Girl Next Door" who was sweeter than the drinks she ordered. Only this girl who's smile brightened up the room was now whimpering in fear as she was dragged over a wall but she ended up vanishing once her head reached the top of the wall.
"Damn it!" Takeda snapped as he kicked over a bucket as they saw it was too late. "Loke, please tell me you saw who took that girl away!" He quizzed as seeing that sudden disappearing act put him on edge.
"She's vanished….but I can still follow her trail…This way." Loke stated as he climbed the wall and started heading down the streets, "Try and keep up, Yoshi! I wanna see what impressed our Guild Master so much!" He jabbed at his partner in an attempt to try goading more tricks out of him.
Takeda on the other hand stuck with going on foot but something dwelled on his mind when he saw how that girl disappeared, only to find that around the corner; Loke had stopped at an alleyway that looked one-way; One side had a brick wall while the other had a house that looked like someone was out or asleep followed by the wall in front that blocked them from going any further. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you lost them…"
"I followed it…I didn't take my eyes off of the trail for a second but…It ends here." Loke mentioned as he checked the nearby doors to see they were locked and then looked through the windows. "Nothing…Damn it! Hold on, Melody…I'll get you out of this!" He yelled to the open air as he then started preparing to either kick down the door or to jump onto the roof.
Takeda was about to question Loke about his priorities but then a second glance to the alleyway made him recognise that something was odd from where Loke was standing. "Loke…Move out of that wall's way quickly…" He said as he picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at the wall leading into the dead end.
Only to see that the wall started to ripple like a puddle of water when the stone made contact with it and seemed to vanish inside, they hadn't just discovered that there was more to this than just a simple grab off of the streets.
"Concealment Magic…No wonder the authorities couldn't find them." Takeda thought to himself as he smirked a little when he figured out the secret but somewhere deep down, he began to feel some suspicions when he knew this kind of magic was involved.
"Yoshida…We're going in, keep your guard up." Loke stated bluntly as he adjusted the Rings on his fingers before vanishing into the wall with Takeda going in afterward.
By the time that he ventured in; Takeda was already seeing Loke letting out streams of light and flashes as he started beating down the supposed kidnappers who were swarming him with clubs and various weapons. "Loke, I'll track down the one in charge. You handle these guys and protect the girls, I'm pretty sure that you're better at that." He snarked as he activated the orange flame on his gloves and ignited the same coloured flame on his forehead.
"Just try not to run off! The old man'd get mad if I lose track of you!" Loke quipped back as he kicked away another person with a knife in hand. Even though he had his distractions with girls and looking cool, he still had the skill and the capability to get the job done to warrant his easygoing approach and cocky attitude.
With Loke now focused on getting the girls somewhere safe, Takeda began his own trip up towards the upstairs where he figured the boss of this whole thing was; Thankful that he didn't have to worry about the narrow stairways when he could just swing jabs and thrust his knee into a burly man to send him crashing through the door of the manager's office.
The dust cleared as the groans of the man signalled Takeda's approach into the room; It looked untidy due to the now scattered papers, the now toppled bottles on a drinks cabinet along with various magazines, some were of up and coming Mages and some were of weekly models including Mirajane and a redheaded girl clad in a suit of armour.
Takeda blushed a little as he saw Mirajane in a swimsuit but the moment he lay eyes on the redhead, a different feeling settled in his stomach and it was not a welcome one; A feeling that he could recognise her from somewhere and the moment that he recalled who it looked like, he quickly placed it face down on the desk before he could address those feelings and end up distracted. "I know someone's in here…you may as well come on out since we have you to rights." Takeda remarked as he looked around the office. "If this guy could use Concealment or has someone covering him with it…I need to stay focused…"
The boss however was a different perspective; One minute he was finishing a drink to calm his nerves and preparing himself for the next step of their plans when the commotion downstairs confirmed his anxiety, The rotund man barely had anything in terms of offensive skills so his best idea was to grab the knife he had hidden and hid himself away in a corner with the Concealment. "Just a little closer…This little snot wants to look tough, let's see if he is…" He thought to himself before he made the dash for the boy when his back was turned.
Unfortunately for him, Takeda was already aware of his presence; You could call it a Hyper-Intuition but that was reserved for another famiglia, instead the creak in the floorboards alerted the Flame Mage to the boss's presence: By igniting the burning orange flame on his right fist like a jet, he rocketed his arm backwards and smashed his elbow straight into the Boss's face mid lunge. "Man, you really need to work on your…stealth…" He snarked as he grabbed the boss by the collar and lifted him up to get his attention and noticed the cerulean Lacrima in the Boss's ring; "That kind of Magic isn't typically something you get in a Magic Shop…So how about you tell me what you were planning with these girls, then you can tell me where or who you got this ring from."
"W-What are you talking about? I just got this off of a contact…Now get the hell off before I-" The Boss snarled but then yelped in pain as Takeda jerked his head down and smacked the back of the man's head against the floor.
"Wrong answer! I'm not in the mood for games right now so get to talking…" Takeda growled as he started to look more focused and angry than he did before. "There's only one person I know in Fiore who has this kind of fast acting Magic so spill it! Where. is. Blink?!" He yelled as he gripped tighter on the man's collar.
"Blink? Last I heard, they were a runner for Hellhou-Wait…I remember you…" The Boss said as he started to recall Takeda's face. "I don't exactly know why you're asking me where they are? Far as anyone on the downside of this business knows that they went belly up…just like the rest of your group did, I'm pretty sure their killer would know that by n-"
That was the last straw for him as Takeda punched the boss square in the jaw and knocked him out. "If anyone would've gotten out of that disaster months ago…Blink would've…" Takeda thought to himself as he got up from the floor and used a nearby rope to tie the boss to his chair but noticed that the emblem from one of the Boss's letters had looked familiar. "Titan Nose…Never would've pegged them to start trying to traffick…Better let Loke know so we can keep a watchful eye." He remarked as the boss's room warped back to it's prior state when the magic got undone: A messier room with cuffs and chains on the wall along with a Titan Nose Brand thrown under the desk.
By the time that Takeda got back downstairs was when he saw Loke kick the last enemy unconscious while ushering the girls to escape from the back door, though the entire downstairs interior looked different as it resembled a now smashed up club similar to the one that they had been working at. "Yoshi, looks like whoever's been hiding this place has been laid out, so nice work up there." Loke mentioned as he complimented his charge's efforts. "So care to fill me in?"
Takeda explained everything; The boss's affiliation with another guild, the cerulean Lacrima in the ring and the usage of Concealment Magic. "So if I'm guessing it right, whoever this guy is reporting to is finding girls for that Guild and making a profit from them being sold into slavery."
Loke grimaced at the thought but remained thankful that Takeda had handled the situation and at least detained the Boss. "The best we can do is make sure the girls get home but aside from that; Our job here is done, we'll let the client know and then we'll be back at the Guild." He remarked though paused a little when he noticed that the Fairy Tail parolee's normally serious expression had a faint hint of something else when they made eye contact; A rather distant look in his eyes and some form of negativity that seemed different from his mood at the club. "You uh…You doing okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
"It's fine…Let's just get the job done." Takeda quickly shrugged off the concerns as he made his exit with a rather brusque march and Loke not far behind as the ruins of what was essentially a derelict building now that the Concealment had worn off. "The girls got out?"
"I told them that no one will bother them and urged them to head home…" Loke explained as he relaxed his magic now that the fight was over, once they explained everything to the club owner and they were issued their "Well Done", they were already on the path back to the Guild via train. "So, consider that one extra win under your belt as a Fairy Tail Mage." He mentioned with the attempt to try cheering Takeda up since he hadn't really talked much or looked all that different since the club. "Heck, we might be able to celebrate you going along fine."
"But I'm not an actual member, just someone for you to watch over like a pet rat." Takeda pointed out as he walked; For him, it was simply an obligation and he knew that after their continued provocations in the past: Some members of Fairy Tail weren't all on board at the idea. "Besides, I'll pass on the party idea…Crowds aren't really my thing.
"Hey, come on…You don't need to see it like that." Loke remarked as he crossed his arms and then snuck a wink at a passing attendant. "Elfman probably said it before but Fairy Tail looks out for each other as friends and as a second family…Not just because we're all a part of a Guild."
Takeda felt his insides curdle at that analogy but he couldn't explain to Loke as to why that dug at him. "Friends, huh?" He said with a laugh of disbelief as he finally met eyes with Loke. "It's really that simple?"
"Of course! I know for a fact that our Guild may not have gotten along with everyone; I could probably name a few people that bug me and some who just outright don't like anyone in our Guild…But in the end, we've got each other's backs and that'll include you."
Takeda didn't respond as he kept his eyes skeptically on Loke and processed what he said, his mind wandering back to times that he saw in Hellhound Claw and how they did things; Poaching Guild Requests, screwing each other over and a single phrase that was repeated to him ever since he got in: "Trust no one and be ruthless…It's the greatest mercy you could give."
Loke wasn't blind to notice his charge's rather suspicious face and decided to try coaxing out a little more from him. "Come on, you really can't expect me to believe that a guy like you doesn't have friends? Not even a girlfriend?" He asked the last part playfully but then found himself realising that he hit a touchy subject when the train car they were sat in suddenly become colder.
"Well, my friends are dead…So no, right now I don't." Takeda said with a rather cold, quiet voice as he turned to look out of the window to distract himself from what would have been another uncomfortable memory.
"Okay, nerve not to touch…Got it." Loke thought to himself as he decided to let the last few minutes of their train voyage sit in quiet until they reached Fiore. "Look…I know this whole thing feels like a prison but that's only if you let it." Loke said as he watched Takeda wander off as the evening slowly rolled into night; "You'll get used to it and you'll get a bunch of friends out of this, I promise!" He called out to Takeda as he figured that letting the guy go home to sleep on it was a better idea than bugging him.
Takeda grunted in return as he vanished into the crowd and redirected his way home; "Yeah…Keep thinking that." He thought to himself as he avoided making eye contact with people and slowly wandered from the station to the outskirts of Magnolia; Away from the buzz of the city and away from potentially prying eyes.
The house looked like it was a rustic yet very well made looking log cabin out on the cusp of a forest, a place where he could look down over the city for caution and partly so no one in both his old guild or the new one he found himself in could find him without knowing exactly where to look.
"Best I really can do for now is keep going on with them for business…One that Master finds me redeemed then I'll bounce out and go solo. No point in me trying to find another Guild anymore after this…" Takeda said to himself as he picked up a faded picture to reminisce.
The burnt looking picture was hard to place for most areas of the city but it looked like a restaurant's exterior. The big "TakeSushi" was emblazoned on the ridge above the door and there were a bunch of kids in school uniforms all huddled together in a rather chaotic way.
There was a cheerful looking black haired kid with a baseball in his hand, a white haired boy looking like he was screaming to the heavens with bandaged fists and a nose strip, a red headed boy looking like he was about to throw up his guts, a baby in a cow patterned leotard and a very messy looking afro with cow horns unevenly sticking out trying to reach for a piece of candy, Takeda who was holding on to that baby while a brown haired girl stubbornly tried to adjust Takeda's school tie, in the very centre was another brown haired boy looking incredibly flustered with a suit wearing baby on his shoulder.
The only outlier in the picture was that a redheaded woman in a white vest with a scorpion tattoo on her bare arm, giving off a half hearted smile next to the redheaded boy but it wasn't clear to who she was smiling at as that part of the picture remained splotched with age and remembrance.
It wasn't the first time that he looked to this picture for some form of solace but at the same time, it was the only picture he had of his old life…Before prison, before Hellhound Claw and before everything else. This was Takeda's only memento of his past and he cherished it more than any jewel or trinket that he had picked up at the guild or anywhere else.
"Your friends are dead."
"Your teachers in that squad of rejects are all gone…"
"All gone with no one to remember them...Just like no one will remember you."
Takeda slumped down on his one chair as he stared longingly at the picture, letting that mask of hardness and cynicism slip for a moment as he began another long, lonely night of wanting the last few months of his life to be a dream; "Please…Just let me wake up and see Tsuna and the others at school…To see Gokudera yelling at Ryohei…To be able to tell them how I really felt before this all happened...Before everything…The universe never wanted me to have friends when Reborn handed me this ring…Maybe it's better that way…To stay alone..."