Guild Secrets

6 ~ black thorns & green vines

"How hidden is this place?" Lucy muttered as she trailed around a corner of a street for the fourth time that hour. "Seriously, we've walked everywhere and it's nowhere!"

"It makes sense if it's hidden. They're a dark guild after all." Explained Natsu, as he sauntered by Lucy's side.

The pair were travelling through the most dead part of town, looking for the Black Thorn guild.
With no exact idea of what they were looking for, they weren't getting anywhere...

"I'm suprised no one in the town has figured out where it is... people must never leave their houses here..." Lucy sighed.

The town was crumbling. Falling apart. Due to the so feared guild, none of the towns people did anything anymore. When the guild first appeared, many people wisely left the town, but now, the people left are trapped; with no way out, no real jobs, no happiness. It was a sad story really, and Natsu and Lucy were determined to fix it.

Lucy followed Natsu as he took a new route; turning a corner behind an abandoned looking flower shop. She stared at the wilted flowers that were left to die in their pots outside. It was almost as if they represented everything around them; dead. No one could even look after plants anymore.

"We're here." Natsu spoke, lifting Lucy from her thoughts and grasping her attention back.

He was no longer walking and Lucy had stopped by his side. She tore her gaze away from his, angling toward the direction his pointed finger was headed. Her breath caught in her throat for a second at the sight. It wasn't what she had expected at all.

"T-this is the place?" She gasped, craning her head back towards Natsu.

He frowned determinedly then nodded.

"I think it is." He said.

Infront of them sure was a sight; it was a broken down building, it looked castle like. Walls were cumbling, Windows smashed; similar to the rest of the town really.

But then there were vines.

Long, thick, black vines.

They covered the building, completley engulfing it.

"I see why they call themselves Black Thorn now..." Said Natsu as he took a few steps closer to the seemingly unguarded building.

Lucy nodded silently, still a little shocked by the terrifyingly magnificent sight. Lucy knew as soon as her eyes lay on it: she did not want to go in there.

"S-so what's the plan." Lucy said, not taking her eyes off the building but jogging forward a little to catch up with Natsu.

"We burst in there and burn down the place!" Natsu beamed, raising his first into the air -- for it soon to be grabbed by Lucy and be pulled down.

She shook her head.

"No Natsu, not today. Listen, we need a logical plan. We have no idea how many people there could be in there, especially now that we know they don't just take on magic users. If we were to crash in there like we were uninvited to their stupid tea party, it may not go down well..." Lucy suggested, bringing the pair to a stop in the path.

They were out of view from anyone at the guild, but could see it themselves, clearly. Natsu sulked childishly.

"I wanted to burn it..."

-

Eventually, Lucy had managed to persuade Natsu that fire wouldn't be the answer just yet and the pair quickly came up with... a more suitable plan; sneaking in.