Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
July, x788.
"Alfonzo, it's been a long time." Jenny said as she walked through the Fairy Tail guild hall's first floor towards Alfonzo, who was standing near the kitchen's entrance while ignoring the bodies of the Fairy Tail wizards strewn about the floor. "It's good to see you again."
"OH, hey, Jenny." Alfonzo said nonchalantly while shaking his head. "What brings you to Magnolia?"
"I came to see you." Jenny replied with a bright smile on her face as she drew nearer to Alfonzo.
As she said that, Jenny opened her arms wide to give Alfonzo a greeting hug.
*Bang!*
However, before she could close her arms around Alfonzo's waist, Jenny was blown off to the side and slammed into one of the metal walls, face first.
"Oops!" Mirajane exclaimed in a tone of mock surprise. "Sorry about that, Jenny. I was so excited to see you that I accidently bumped into you."
While Mirajane spoke, Jenny, who was just slammed face first into the wall, slowly slid down the wall before collapsing onto her butt.
"Are you okay?" Mirajane asked in a feigned tone of concern. "That didn't leave a mark on your face, did it?"
With anger swirling in her eyes, Jenny slowly turned her head up to look at Mirajane. A moment later, however, tears started pooling in Jenny's eyes, which greatly surprised Mirajane.
"Wahh~~~~~~!" Jenny cried heart-wrenchingly. "Why are you always so mean to me? I've looked up to you as an idol for years. I became a model in Sorcerer Weekly because I wanted to be like you! But all you ever do is make me want to cry! Why? What did I ever do to you?"
When Jenny started crying, not only Mirajane was taken aback, but everyone in the guild hall was completely dumbfounded. Well, those who were still conscious after Cana and Erza went on their rampage were.
Yet, after being surprised for a short while, Mirajane's expression turned sharp.
"Oh, please, even if that's true, why do you think I would be okay with you always throwing yourself at my husband?" Mirajane asked sharply. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to, Jenny. Master Bob has been trying to poach Alfonzo for more than ten years. And he asked you to seduce him into joining Blue Pegasus, right?"
Hearing that, Jenny's tears stopped immediately. She then opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Seeing Jenny's reaction, Mirajane smiled smugly after seeing through Jenny's pretense.
"Is that true?" Jenny asked dumbfoundedly while blinking her big, blue eyes in confusion. She then shook her head before continuing. "No, it can't be. Master Bob would never do something like that."
Jenny's rebuttal and what she perceived to be a fake expression of innocence, caused Mirajane to grow furious.
"Go ahead, keep pretending!" Mirajane shouted while pointing her right index finger at Jenny's nose. "But even if you do, I'll never let--- Kya!"
*Smack!*
Before Mirajane could get even more worked up, the sound of a crisp smack sounded out before she quickly covered her butt with her hands. A moment later, a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped around her waist from behind as she was pulled back into Alfonzo's embrace.
"Alright, Mira, that's' enough." Alfonzo said gently into Mirajane's ear.
"But Alfonzo, she--- Mmph!" Mirajane started to retort before her mouth was blocked.
In order to stop Mirajane from continuing, Alfonzo reached up and turned her head towards him. Then, he kissed her passionately. And he did not stop until she was basically a pile of Mirajane-shaped goo in his arms.
"That's enough, okay?" Alfonzo asked with a smile.
"Uh huh." Mirajane replied with a sloppy smile on her face while she leaned against Alfonzo's chest.
Getting the response he was hoping for, Alfonzo gently combed his fingers through Mirajane's hair. Then, he turned his attention back to Jenny, who was using her hands to cover her blushing face and eyes. However, the wide gap between her fingers made that action completely useless.
"But Mira's telling the truth, Jenny." Alfonzo said with a smile. "I don't' know if what she said about you trying to seduce me is true, but Master Bob has been trying to poach me and Lici over to Blue Pegasus for years."
When Alfonzo said that, Jenny's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Is that why he told me to become your girlfriend if I really like you?" Jenny asked. "But he only told me that if I was your girlfriend, I could get magic machines to add to my magic. And because I was your girlfriend, they would be the best quality machines. And since I'm so beautiful, I thought you'd be happy to have me, too."
"*Sigh* I actually believe that." Alfonzo said as he continued combing his fingers through Mirajane's hair. "Despite the fact that he's asked me to join Blue Pegasus more times than I care to remember, he's never done anything underhanded. So, he was probably just hoping to strengthen the guild and find a partner for one of his children."
"I see." Jenny replied with a blushing face while she lowered her head.
"But honestly, a relationship between us would never work." Alfonzo continued.
"Huh? Why?" Jenny asked as she snapped her head up to look Alfonzo in the eyes.
"Because I don't' believe in long distance relationships." Alfonzo replied with a shrug as he swept Mirajane up into a princess carry. He then turned around and started walking towards the table where he and his friends usually sat. "But I don't mind making some machines for you, for the right price, of course. You just have to tell me what you're looking for."
Hearing that, Jenny stared blankly for a while. Then, she quickly wiped away the tears on her face before standing up. After that, she reached into her cleavage and pulled out a compact mirror to check her makeup. Then, she pulled out a few small brushes and containers holding makeup to clean up the tear stains before putting them all back. When she was done, she followed Alfonzo towards the table.
'Seriously, women have to have invisible space expansion sigils tattooed on their boobs, right?' Alfonzo asked himself. 'Because there's no way they could keep so much stuff in there.'
Meanwhile, Irene, who had watched the entire interaction between Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Jenny from the guild hall's entrance with Heine and Juliet, shook her head after seeing how easily Alfonzo resolved that situation. However, she did not notice that her cheeks were dusted red when she saw Alfonzo slap Mirajane's butt and kiss her in front of so many people.
Heine and Juliet definitely noticed Irene's change, though. And when they did, they both glared at Alfonzo as if he were their mortal enemy.
"Mother!" Erza shouted.
Irene's gaze was finally drawn away from Alfonzo when she heard Erza's voice. Turning her head in the direction of the voice, Irene saw Erza walking over to her, occasionally stepping on members of the guild who were sprawled out all over the floor as she approached.
"Erza, good afternoon." Irene said calmly. Then, she gestured towards all the knocked down members of the guild. "What exactly happened here?"
"Cana and I had to show them the consequences of their actions." Erza said darkly.
"So, they messed up a slice of strawberry shortcake and a bottle of alcohol, huh?" Irene asked while shaking her head in exasperation.
Upon being reminded of the strawberry shortcake that she lost before its time, Erza's eyes started to water.
'*Sigh* Would she have turned out like this if I had raised her properly?' Irene asked herself in a conflicted tone. 'I've truly failed as a mother.'
Irene then glared at Alfonzo.
'This is partially his fault.' Irene continued thinking to herself. 'I heard about how he served her a strawberry shortcake when Erza first joined the guild, from Erza herself. But if he did not get her so addicted to it, she might have a more normal outlook on life. So what if that helped her open up to her new family? She still acts like this. Hmph! Winning my heart won't be so easy, Boy.'
At that moment, Alfonzo turned around, having felt Irene's glare. Then, he smiled brightly and waved at her.
Unfortunately, over the last week to ten days, Irene spent more time than she would ever admit thinking about Alfonzo. Especially because of Erza's suggestion to try dating him. On top of that, he was the one who gave her humanity back and helped take care of Erza after she escaped from the Tower of Heaven. Plus there was that big thing between his legs that she saw that night.
When her thoughts reached that point, Irene's cheeks reddened. Then, she shook her head vigorously to get those thoughts out of her head. She was supposed to be mad at Alfonzo because of what he helped turn her daughter into, not fantasizing about having him scratch a four hundred year old itch.
"I'm glad you've finally decided to come back to the guild hall, Mother." Erza said with a smile as she grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her into the guild hall. "I hope everything is okay."
"Everything is fine, Erza." Irene said after getting her emotions under control. "I just came by to take a quest with Heine and Juliet. And perhaps have a word with Alfonzo. Though, it seems he'll be busy for a while talking business with the Blue Pegasus girl.'
"I'm sure he would make time for you if you asked." Erza said.
"I'm sure he would, as well." Irene replied with a smile . "But I have no desire to get in the way of his money making."
"Indeed." Erza replied with a nod. "Alfonzo does get a bit fussy whenever someone stops him from making money. Anyway, what kind of quest were you thinking of taking? Surely, there aren't any quests that would be a challenge for you, are there?"
"Perhaps." Irene replied. "That 100 Years Quest that Gildarts supposedly failed a few years ago might pose a challenge. But I have no desire to be away from home for that long."
Hearing Irene refer to Fairy Tail and Magnolia as her home made Erza smile brilliantly. Then, with her mood clearly improved, she pulled Irene towards the quest board.
"Well then, shall we take a quest together?" Erza asked with a smile. "I do believe this would be the first time we've done so, would it not?"
"That sounds nice." Irene said with a smile of her own. "You wouldn't mind if Heine and Juliet came with us, would you?"
"Not at all." Erza replied. "I haven't had the chance to get to know them since they arrived in Magnolia, so this would be the perfect opportunity."
Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Jenny had taken seats at the group's usual table.
"So, what kind of machinery are you looking for?" Alfonzo asked as he held Mirajane on his lap. "Not to brag, but I can make damn near anything you can think of."
"Yes, and they all go well with my [Take Over: Machina Soul Magic]." Jenny replied with a nod and a smile. "Especially those magic vehicles. When I use them, they make traveling so much more convenient."
"Oh, what kind of car did you buy?" Marin asked curiously. "Since you're so popular as a model, you probably bought a pretty expensive one, right?"
"I have one of those Huracáns." Jenny replied. "And when I use it with my [Take Over Magic], I can move really fast."
At that moment, both Alfonzo and Elicia thought of a character from the popular franchise, Transformers, the robots that could transform into different vehicles, from their past life. Then they equated Jenny to a female Transformer named Arcee, who could transform into a pink, futuristic sports car.
"I wanna see that." Elicia muttered in a dreamy tone. "She's just like a Transformer."
["*Sigh* She said something she shouldn't have again."] Scylla muttered in Elicia's inner world while face palming… hard.
"Transformer, what's that?" Lucy asked curiously.
Immediately, Alfonzo looked at Elicia helplessly. Now, he would have to make up a story to cover up her thoughtless slip of the tongue.
"*Sigh* Lici ruined my surprise." Alfonzo said in a feigned tone of exasperation. "Back when we were kids, I told Lici about an idea I had for a story. It was called Transformers. And it was set in a world on another planet in the universe where robots… Living Magic items lived."
"Like automatons?" Levy asked curiously.
"Exactly." Alfonzo said with a nod. "And these Transformers had the ability to transform into magic vehicles that looked a lot like the ones I came up with. And they were in a state of civil war. The two sides would be called the Autobots and the Decepticons."
"That sounds like it could be pretty interesting." Lucy, the lover of reading and writing said with her eyes shining.
"Unfortunately, I never really found the time to write out the story." Alfonzo said in a regretful tone. "So, nothing ever came of it. But when I get some free time, I intend to finally make it. And with the advancements in my magic item crafting, I should be able to make it into a moving picture feature. Or what I call, a movie."
Hearing that, everyone at the table was interested. And when Alfonzo explained further that a movie would basically be a play recorded with his video lacrima technology and that he would need actors to help make it, everyone was excited to join the production.
Meanwhile, Elicia wore an expression that screamed: "Oops." Yet, this would be another avenue for Alfonzo to make money with Sixth Sense Holdings. So, he was not too upset at her for making him think up an excuse on the spot.