What a year it had been for the Lich, who wasn't even a Lich in appearance anymore. The feared, dark mage Odin hadn't been seen for some time, having disappeared shortly after the new year's ball, where the King had invited literally everyone in Fiore. During that time, a new mage had been born. Discarding all previous weapons that could tie him to a previous life, and now with an unassuming silver ring permanently resting his right ring finger. That ring held all the power to Odin, and was responsible for his current appearance. It was thanks to that ring that Odin could hide inside the Fairy Tail guild, taking on a new name and becoming a new person: Lucas Wright.

Today, Lucas was walking through the main park in Magnolia City: the location he had made his home over the past few years. He had integrated well with both the guild and the people it protected, and was now a fairly noted member, despite pretending to be a simple B rank mage. If Odin had joined the guild, out of nowhere, showcasing his true powers as an S rank mage with such a dark magic, his true face would've been revealed. To hide that, he had sworn not to use his magic, and had purchased a new weapon to better pretend he was who he said he was. Nothing too fancy, just enough to get by. Lucas was strong, but not as strong as Odin.

The cloak he wore covered much of his body, another new addition to Lucas' arsenal, and was much lighter than the previous heavy armour he had worn. It also came with some nice abilities, and looked pretty stylish. But the one thing that wasn't hidden, as Odin removed his black gloves to show his hands, was the silvery-white Fairy Tail guild emblem on the back of his left hand, as the old man sat, book in hand, reading about the different plant life one could find in the outskirts of Magnolia.

It had been a while since Grace was back in Magnolia. For a while, she hadn't done any jobs or quests at all. She was as lazy as the homeless people on the streets. Though, she wasn't quite as filthy as them. Either way though, she had hated herself for not doing anything, and it seemed as though her parents were disappointed in her as well.

The disbanding of Lamia Scale was abrupt to say the least. She couldn't quite believe that it had happened when it did. The guild was tough, as tough as she was. No one ever doubted her strength or skills there, because no one ever talked to her in the first place. That was what she really loved about the guild. The fact that she didn't have to talk to anyone was quite relieving. At that point in time, the only things she would've drawn in were measly D rank mages. Mages who didn't deserve her time. The guild's ways helped in warding off these unwanted members. Most people cared more about gaining reputation and strength. So, for the guild to fall under all these amazing circumstances was shocking. It took her a while to get back on her feet.

The one thing that had truly brought her back to the world was the drama surrounding the nobility. Although her family wasn't nobility themselves, they followed news that surrounded them. Every single magazine, news article, or etc. they could find was already in their clutches before someone could say anything about them. This was it for Grace's family. The window was closing for them to become nobles. Of course, they wanted to be better than them, but they had to become them first. Now that that opportunity was slowly being taken away, it caused them to put more pressure on Grace to get out there. First though, she would need to find a guild. A guild that would be her home as she spread the name of the Lucrin family.

While sitting down on a bench in Magnolia's park, she looked out to scout out the area. Though, she made sure to not look eager or desperate. She merely glanced about with a neutral face, searching for someone powerful. Someone that would be worth talking to. However, the only person that seemed to be around at the time was an old man right next to her. She didn't care too much about him, but at least he seemed rich. So, as she looked over to him, she reached out her hand, and said with a slightly perky tone and smile, "How do you do? My name is Grace, and your's?"

No matter how many years Odin would spend as a Lich, there were some things he just couldn't get used to. Once of these, naturally, was the ability to once again taste food. He hadn't expected it but it had caused him to spend a sizeable amount of his money in a restaurant by ordering more or less everything they had on offer. He could eat and drink once more without the taste of dust and death on his lips. He actually had lips now, and hair. The moustache had come with the new appearance, but Odin had grown rather fond of it over the past year, as he ran two fingers through it, making sure it sat nicely on his face. It was difficult for Odin not to just feel the world around him, and his body. He had warmth now, he was warm.

The other thing that he had not yet gotten used to was that people would start conversations with him. They wouldn't sit away from him or, even more likely, run away at the mere sight of him. People smiled as he smiled at them, and some actually came up to talk to him. Most of the time, he despised the conversations of the dull common people and so, as the girl sitting next to him with an outstretched arm and introduced herself, Lucas tries his hardest not to roll his eyes. He succeeded, and turned to face the girl, placing a bookmark in his book so as not to lose his page.

"You're a hero now, remember. Act the part."

"Hello there, madam. My name is Lucas, and I'm just enjoying the weather of the park as I read my book. What brings you out here on this fine day?"

Grace wasn't the type of person to be kind or compassionate about anyone. All she really cared about was connections. Connections that could get her wherever she wanted to go. In this case, it was the guild Fairy Tail. It was sort of saddening to see the ignorance of the man before her. He seemed to think that she was being genuine in her greeting. It was almost laugh worthy. However, she learned how to suppress those emotions with wanted ones through her past tutor.The things she was portraying at the moment was ones of gentleness and kindness. It was quite different than that of her usual appearance. She wanted to make sure that she was approachable rather than intimidating. After all, she didn't know how much rudeness the man before her could take.

"Nothing much. Just a bit of scouting. My past guild disbanded a bit ago, and I received some pressure from my family to gain a new one. I saw that you were in the guild Fairy Tail. What's it like? I've heard a few things about it, but nothing concrete enough to see if it was worth my time."

With that, Grace dropped her facade a tiny bit, letting out a bit of her crass nature. She wasn't too sure how that would affect the mans thoughts about her. Though, she made sure not to show that hesitation in her face. Instead, she just brought back the kind tone in her face she used before.

Perhaps it was because she was young and ignorant, or perhaps it was simply because she didn't think Lucas was as intelligent as he was, but this young woman told the Fairy Tail mage a lot more about herself than she may have initially realised. She was from a recently disbanded guild, which didn't leave many options. It wasn't going to be Midnight Cult, as Odin would've known her, nor would it be Red Hades, as a former dark guild member wouldn't be walking the streets so casually. That left the three former light guilds, of which two still remained: Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus. So a Lamia Scale mage, a theory which was then confirmed by the girl's arrogance. Definitely Lamia. Odin hadn't met many from that guild, but he knew enough of their reputation to know that, a lot of the time at least, they thought they were superior, and this girl was trying to see if Fairy Tail was 'worth her time'.

Resisting the urge to break the little girl's jaw, Lucas started, "I'll admit I've only been a member of Fairy Tail for the past year so I might not be as helpful as some." He ran one hand through his unkempt hair, "However, I can tell you that all my opinions of the guild are positive. We are a friendly, rowdy bunch, happy to help each other when asked, or fight each other to get stronger. We're also pretty laid back, but I'm hoping to change that as I become more well known in the guild. I understand that you might be looking for some way to prove superiority within the guild, and across Fiore. Fairy Tail, and I myself, can certainly help you with that."

The final statement wasn't entirely false, as Fairy Tail could allow this girl to grow and become stronger as a mage. However, if she was as arrogant as she seemed, then Odin may also have use for her. He was looking to add new members to Fairy Tail that were a bit more morally... dubious one might say. Maybe Grace could be the first.

Grace nearly smirked at the man's stupidity before her. She couldn't believe that he had succumbed to her wiles as soon as he did. After all, Grace knew it as much as anyone else, she was quite a terrible person. She wasn't as lowly as those dark guild members, but she most definitely didn't have the goals and morales that most other good guilds did. They were go-lucky cheery people that annoyed Grace to her very core, because she knew that kindness was just another showing of weakness. Although she had gotten a bit closer to the idea of kindness over the past few years, she knew that it was a non-rewardful lifestyle. One that was very much beneath her. Though, most people would think otherwise. That was why she had to put up an act that allowed her to seem kind and putrid.

No matter how much she hated living the way she did, she knew that it did produce results. It put money her hand and fame in her family. These things were too important to let go of just because of her own personal agenda. So, no matter the fact that she just wanted to punch the man in the face, she smiled at him and said perkily, "Wow, that sounds extremely nice. I never really had that caring of a family growing up, so having people as laid back as you all would be amazing. Do you know when I'd be able to start fighting alongside you guys?"

As the words came out of her mouth, Grace could feel puke rising up. She couldn't believe that she said all of that, nor could she believe the tone she used. It wasn't obviously fake, but if the old man was smarter than he was, it would be pretty obvious that it was a facade. After all, this was one of the first times in a while Grace has had a social interaction with someone else. Even though she used to be amazing at doing these sorts of transactions, her skill seemed to deteriorate .

There was something about the girl's words, and the way she spoke, that didn't sit right with Lucas. On the surface, she seemed really excited to become a member of Fairy Tail, and 'fight alongside you guys' as soon as possible, having suffered in her early years. But that was exactly what didn't add up to the older mage. If Grace really wanted to join the guild, and was as excited as she said she was, then why not just go to the guild hall itself? It's not like Fairy Tail turned people away, and the guild hall itself was a landmark in the city that anyone could find if they were looking for it. The fact that she was only telling Lucas about her wishes and not just dashing to the building to sign up seemed odd. Perhaps she just arrived in the city, and had been resting from her journey on the bench when they had spoken. Everything she had said before lined up with that logic, except from the slight showing of arrogance from earlier. There was more to this girl than met the eye.

Time to find out. "Don't worry, we can be your new family. We all care for and love one another in the guild. As much as we are laid back and carefree at times, we will always protect one of our own. You can join at any time if you just go to the main building, I can let them know you're coming to make it easier. I'm so looking forward to working, and growing stronger, with you Grace. There's so much to look forward to." It was a good thing Odin could act, and keep up the facade of Lucas even in the most trying times, because he wanted to punch himself after what he had just said.

He would leave these words as a parting gift to the girl. If she had what it took, he'd find her in Fairy Tail before long. If not, well then she wasn't that special after all.

-Exit-