When We Take Different Paths 2018

On The Same Page - Doranbolt x Lahar

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima.

When We Take Different Paths - Week 2 MLM

Pairing: Doranbolt x Lahar

Prompt: This is Not What it Looks Like!

On The Same Page

Doranbolt sat in a chair behind his desk staring intently at the small item that was sitting atop it in his Magic Council quarters in Era. It was square in shape and when he'd probed it with some Jutsu Shiki magic he'd learned from Lahar, he could see that it was covered in very intricate runes. He'd been sitting this way for at least an hour both regretting that he had accepted it and weighing his loyalty to the Magic Council against the outrage he felt at their actions. He had been able to think of nothing else since it had been entrusted to him by Gajeel Redfox of Fairy Tail.

Fuck it. He grabbed the item and put it in his pocket. He didn't want to be late to the Magic Council meeting he was supposed to attend. He bumped into Lahar on the way and they continued walking together side by side. They remained silent, content in the camaraderie they had developed over the years. Doranbolt stole a side glance at the Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit and quickly looked forward so that Lahar would not notice the attention.

He groaned in frustration, although outwardly his expression remained impassive. He had been harboring the slight delusion that something more interesting could come out of his sometimes contentious friendship with Lahar, and this was interfering with his ability to make a decision.

Doranbolt knew he was not bad to look at, and he could be quite charming when he felt like it, but he wasn't interested in dalliances. He was looking for an equal, someone he could admire as well as desire and Lahar had been at the top of that list for awhile. If he went through with what he was planning he would be putting that at risk. He knew what the right thing to do was but he couldn't commit to the action, at least not yet.

They entered the Council's chambers and stood near the doors. Even though they had been summoned they were not deemed important enough to have a seat at the spacious table, which was currently littered with empty seats. The meeting droned on and on, with only a few questions directed at them throughout the proceedings. Doranbolt began to zone out, once again thinking about his predicament, when he heard something that caught his attention. The Council Members all seemed the same to him and so he had never bothered to learn their names, just assigned them numbers based on their ranks.

"We have received reports that several mages have gone missing in a short span of time," one of the Regional Commanders informed the Council Members.

"Mages go missing all the time, it's probably just a job that took longer than expected." Number Two dismissed the report out of hand.

"For all of them? You haven't even asked if they're from the same guild?! It says here that all of the mages that disappeared had something in common," Number Three argued as he scanned the report more carefully.

"Well? Are you going to tell us or do we have to wait until your brain cells copulate to create more?"

Number Three glared at Number Two, who was a pompous ass as always. "All of the mages used Lost Magic."

"The initial reports started in the East of the continent but they seem to be moving West," the Regional Commander added helpfully.

"We should warn the guilds. Let them know there might be a threat." Number Three attempted to be the voice of reason but as usual his suggestion was ignored.

"We don't know that there is a threat, it would just cause an unnecessary panic," Number Two once again dismissed.

"It's our job to protect our mages - how would it look if word got out that we knew of a threat and didn't inform them." Number Four spoke up for once.