Fairy Tail: Next Generation - Volume II

Chapter 11: Old Friend

About a year ago, we're not sure, Marigold can't quite remember

Marigold lit her cigarette and pursed it into her lips. She twirled it around with her teeth and blew smoke from her nose. A man comes from behind and taps Marigold on the shoulder lightly. She throws her leg back, knocking the man in the knee. He falls back onto the ground and Marigold turns around.

"Adams." she said, as she balanced her cigarette between her middle and pointer finger. "Don't I have a rule about not touching me." 

"I--I'm sorry..." Adams said, trying to pull himself up and bowing repeatedly. 

Marigold snickers, "Calm down, I don't bite." 

She waves for Adams to stand up and he quickly springs to his feet. "What did you need?" she asked, sticking the cigarette back between her lips.

"Well..." Adams muttered. "Well....the shipment got...stuck."

"Stuck?" Marigold said, in boiling rage.

"The men who went out to send it contacted us going on about some accident." Adams said, twiddling his thumbs. 

"Gyuh...and you expect me to do what?" Marigold said, puffing smoke.

"Well...no one can beat you're magic, let alone strength, and..."

"Fine." Marigold flicks her cigarette out into the street. "I'll head down there and deal with the problem."

Marigold traveled down the highway out of Briska and stopped when she saw smoke burning into the sky. 

"It's the snake charmer!" one of the men said joyfully. They stand near an upside down van that was burning from the inside.

"What did you do...?" Marigold groaned.

"We were thrown off the road! There was some big monster!" A man cried.

"Okay then..." Marigold reached into her shirt and pulled a seed out. She threw them onto the ground and vines sprout out. They wrap the van and pull it up from the ground, putting it right side up. "Put this out, and I'll go after this monster of your's. Now, please point into the direction of the monster."

All the men point north into a valley that stretches so long into the horizon it seemed endless. Marigold groans at the journey that awaited her, so she stepped into her car and began to drive north. 

After about 10 minutes of driving, the car hits a bump and Marigold steps out of the car. She looks to the front of the car and sees a bag of her merchandise torn up and dragged around. She kicks it to the side and squints as she looks into the north. 

"What the heck is going on....?" she said to herself.

"Hmm...do tell? What is going on?" 

Marigold turns to the voice and sees a monstrous dragon towering over her. "Hey..." Marigold said, waving her hand slightly.

"Are you with those men I came across earlier?" the dragon said.

"I'm their employer, so I wouldn't say 'with' but I am associated with them."

"Hm, they were quite cowardly, I believe one of them began to urinate."

"Interesting way to put it..." Marigold said, stepping towards her car. 

"Who are you..." the dragon said. 

"They call me the snake charmer." Marigold said with an irritated smile.

"Why?"

"Because they think I'm really hot....but there might be another reason."  Marigold scratches her head, realizing this might have been the most civilized conversation she'd had for months.