Seeing what Natsu and Gray were carrying, Rhodes couldn't help but imagine several scenarios.
Did they seriously wreck the billiard hall until only two tables were left, just to deal with a few street thugs?
"Welcome back. Thanks for your hard work," Mira greeted Lucy warmly from behind the counter. "Did everything go smoothly this time?"
Lucy gave a tired nod. "How do I put it. The outcome was a little different than I expected, but hey, at least I made enough to cover the rent."
"I get the feeling something interesting happened," Mira said with a smile, pouring Lucy a cold drink.
"Check it out! This is how you're supposed to play billiards!" Natsu's voice rang out from across the hall. "Hyaah!"
Bang! Snap!
The cue ball rocketed off Natsu's stick, crashed into the cluster of colored balls with explosive force, smashed into the bottom corner pocket, then shot out of the table entirely and broke one of the legs of Lucy's stool.
"Wah—!" Lucy shrieked as the stool collapsed under her, sending her tumbling to the floor. She picked up the rogue cue ball and hurled it back at Natsu. "Natsu!!"
"Oh, thanks, Lucy!" Natsu grinned as he caught it midair. "Now I don't have to go pick it up."
"I wasn't helping you!"
Too late, Natsu had already passed the ball to Gray. "I only wrecked six balls. Your turn, Gray!"
Happy nodded in admiration. "You're amazing, Natsu."
Gray snorted. "Tch. I only broke five."
"You two don't even know how to play! That's not how billiards works!" Lucy stomped over, fuming. "You guys were in that billiard hall for days! Didn't you learn anything?!"
While chaos unfolded near the tables, Rhodes simply looked up at the sky in silence.
Mira slipped behind him and leaned forward, pressing her body gently against his back and letting his arm sink into her embrace. She whispered into his ear, "So… what color?"
"B… I mean, I'm not sure if it's going to rain later. We should probably set up a canopy. You know, for the sun too." Rhodes played dumb quickly and turned to face her bright, mischievous eyes. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
Mira pouted playfully. "So you weren't paying attention to me."
"No, I—" Rhodes flinched. He'd fallen into a trap.
"Just kidding," Mira giggled, pulling away just a little. "It's not like you peeked on purpose."
Rhodes exhaled in relief, only for her to press the question again.
"So… what color was it?"
"I didn't see anything. Swear it." His tone was firm. "Even if the Celestial King himself descended right now, I did not see anything."
Mira finally let him off the hook, though the impish glint in her eyes said she got exactly what she wanted. She wasn't actually upset. Teasing him like this was just too fun.
…
Back by the pool tables, Lucy, having suffered yet another disaster, tried to argue, but clearly her intentions were misunderstood.
"Huh? Lucy, you wanna play too?" Gray asked, as he casually wiped chalk dust off the tip of his cue.
"Come on," he added, "I'm in the middle of a bet with Natsu. Loser has to take off one piece of clothing."
"WHAT?! No way! Why are you betting something like that? You don't even know the rules! And you're practically already naked!"
"What's it matter? It's all about having fun!" Gray grinned. "Watch this!"
With another unnecessarily powerful swing, Gray launched the cue ball, straight into the side pocket.
Unfortunately, the cue ball didn't stop there. It ricocheted out of bounds and hit Macao square in the family jewels from behind.
Macao and his cart toppled over, spilling the entire load of bricks across the ground in a crashing mess.
A shrill, piercing scream echoed across the entire construction site.
When Rhodes saw Macao curled up on the ground in that unforgettable pose, Rhodes winced deeply. A surge of sympathetic pain shot through his spine, and he even felt the sudden urge to throw his arms around Mira for comfort.
"Ah…" Mira covered her mouth in surprise. She truly did feel sorry for Macao, but… she couldn't stop herself from chuckling. The sight was just too much.
When she noticed Rhodes's scrunched-up, horrified expression, she gently patted his back in consolation.
Anyone who ever tried to do that to Rhodes would quickly learn why she was known as the She-Devil.
Fortunately, Macao was a seasoned, high-ranking wizard. After a few wheezing breaths, he got back on his feet, though clearly still recovering from that critical hit.
But no matter how tough you were, getting nailed like that was enough to spark a vendetta.
"You little punks!!" Macao roared.
He grabbed the loose bricks on the ground and began lobbing them at Natsu and Gray before limping after them in angry pursuit.
"Run, Lucy!!"
Without a second thought, Natsu grabbed Lucy by the wrist and sprinted off, dragging her along as the bricks rained behind them. It wasn't that they couldn't take Macao in a fight, they just knew they were very much in the wrong.
Lucy stumbled along behind him, confused and breathless. "Why am I running with you?!"
This was Fairy Tail.
Even if the building wasn't finished yet, even if things got smashed and disasters struck, as long as the guild was still there, the fun and chaos never stopped.
…
As fate would have it, Rhodes's instincts were right.
That night, the sky cracked open with thunder and lightning. He was jolted awake by a flash of lightning that lit up the entire room, followed immediately by a resounding boom that shook the windows.
Still groggy, he walked over to the window and gazed out at the storm for a moment. Then, without a word, he jumped out.
His arms transformed into sharp, feathered raptor wings, and with a few powerful flaps, he soared straight toward the construction site.
Thankfully, he and the others had prepped tarps ahead of time.
But still—if all the construction wood got soaked, it'd delay everything.
He landed hard and immediately got to work, yanking a large tarpaulin over one of the wood piles. He weighed it down with bricks at the edges to stop the wind from catching it.
Through the rain and wind, he saw figures running toward the site.
Erza arrived first, followed by Laki, Bisca, and several of the girls from the dorm. Not long after, Mira came too, soaked but determined as did Gray, Macao, Wakaba, and the other level-headed veterans.
They all arrived without needing to say a word.
No coordination. No instruction. Just one glance, a smile of acknowledgment… and then everyone jumped into action.
"Let's move!" Rhodes barked over the storm.
Everyone scrambled, covering stacks of stone, planks, and tools with waterproof sheets, securing them under heavy bricks and rope. The thick, humid air clung to their skin, and the downpour soaked them to the bone, but no one slowed down.
Another low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, and with it came a cascade of thick raindrops. They pelted the tarps with a heavy clack-clack-clack, and in the blink of an eye, the rain turned into a full downpour.
A group of soaked wizards huddled together beneath the canvas tent behind the temporary counter. They watched the midnight rain curtain fall, the small lanterns flickering warmly through the storm, and despite the weather, smiles gradually spread across their faces.
It was peaceful.
Rhodes reached for a dry coat and draped it over Mira's shoulders, wrapping it around her thin nightgown. Then he pointed to a half-submerged shirt flapping around in the mud. "Gray, doesn't that look like one of yours?"
Gray glanced down at his bare chest and clutched his head. "Crap! That is mine!"
"Ice-Make: Fishing Rod!"
In a smooth motion, Gray conjured a rod of ice. A thin ice-thread extended from the tip, ending in a small crystalline hook. He flicked it out into the rain and—somehow—managed to snag his shirt from the puddle and reel it back in, intact.
No one understood how that flimsy strand of ice could lift a soaked shirt in the pouring rain without snapping.
But that's magic for you. Ice-Make logic.
Wakaba sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, at least we saved the wood. But if I go home drenched like this, my wife's gonna chew me out."
Macao leaned against a support beam and shrugged. "We're already soaked. Might as well stay here, crack open a few drinks, and wait for the rain to lighten up."
Bisca raised an eyebrow. "And what if it doesn't lighten up?"
Macao grinned, completely unbothered. "Then we drink till dawn and roll right into work!"
Wakaba shot him a look. "What about Romeo?"
"He's fine," Macao waved it off. "The kid's six now. Not some toddler afraid of thunder. He sleeps like a rock."
That was true. Romeo wasn't the clingy kid he used to be.
Encouraged by the idea, Macao and Wakaba started rearranging crates and spare planks to make a makeshift table. Then, with expert precision, they roped Laki into fashioning some quick stools with her magic.
As soon as they settled down, Macao slammed the table with dramatic flair. "Rhodes! We're working you overtime tonight!"
Rhodes gave a dry chuckle. "Sure, sure. Glad to know you all still remember I exist."
With a wave of his hand, Rhodes summoned a few barrels of ale and brought out some Poro snacks from his storage, technically emergency rations for Warm, but he could always restock tomorrow.
Everyone crowded around the table, raising their mugs with grins on their tired, rain-soaked faces.
"For the rainy-night feast!"
"For the first time making Rhodes pull overtime!"
"For the new Fairy Tail guild!"
"Cheers!" they shouted in unison, and their laughter echoed warmly under the storm-soaked sky.