Makarov unceremoniously led the team in running away.
As the remaining conscience of the Guild, Rhode decided to stay and see what was happening.
Mira also stayed behind; Rhode guessed she might want to see more fun... no, no, we have to trust that our Mira is kind at heart.
It's unclear whether the audience thought the escape of the Fairy Tail members was part of the performance, but after leaving the necessary cheers and applause, they noisily ran away too.
It seems quite fitting to have some extras act out running away after a terrible battle like those depicted in a dramatic play.
The audience, hyped up, ran away, feeling a bit more engaged in the process.
The grand theater was left in ruins, with Natsu and Gray lying beaten on the stage, Erza taking a bow, and Lucy barely able to bow with her cloak on.
At this moment, Erza believed she had completed a great performance, while Lucy was still pondering whether they had succeeded or messed up.
Mira walked over, clapping: "Congratulations, your performance was a great success!"
"Thank you," Erza calmly accepted the congratulation, "but my performance still has some immature parts. Thank you for coming to support us."
Lucy weakly asked, "Can this really be considered a success?"
Mira assured her: "Of course, because everyone was happy."
Rhode nodded and said, "An audience that is satisfied equals a success."
"That would be great then," Lucy said belatedly, "Ah, I think I just saw the President and everyone..."
"Yes, the President brought everyone to watch your performance, but he ran away fearing he'd have to compensate the theater for the damages."
"Terrible!" Lucy held her head in shock, "The theater was destroyed!"
This girl is as dull-witted as ever.
"It's okay, thank you." A middle-aged man emerged from backstage; it was Rabian, the leader of the Shizad Theater Group and the client this time.
Rabian said cheerfully, "No need for compensation, it's okay, I can even still pay you, thank you. But..."
"But?"
"But you need to stay, thank you, and continue performing for at least a week, thank you."
'Thank you' seems to be his catchphrase. Is he a very polite person? Rhode thought this arrangement was acceptable.
"No problem!" Without waiting for Lucy to speak, Erza immediately agreed enthusiastically, "I can perform as many times as needed!"
She even wanted to start rehearsing right away.
Lucy wanted to say that Erza agreed too hastily, but with the theater destroyed, being asked to work a few more days to recoup the losses was to be expected.
She hesitated, then looked at Mira: "Is working instead of paying compensation okay?"
Mira said, "Since the client suggests it, as long as you all agree."
"It'll have to be this way." Lucy sighed; she currently couldn't come up with that much compensation money.
Rabian promptly said: "No time for chatting, thank you. Let's start clearing the ruins and setting up an open-air stage!"
Rabian now felt the theater was an extra item; these Mages were the real gems.
"Ah! Aren't you Miss Mirajane? Thank you!" Rabian jumped in front of Mira, rubbing his hands expectantly, "Would you like to join my theater group?"
Rhode lowered his fist, watching Rabian's previous demeanor, thinking he was about to make a move.
Mira waved her hand with a smile: "Thank you for the invitation, but we have other matters and will be heading back soon."
"That's a real pity, thank you."
"Well then, we'll get going; the Guild is starting renovations tomorrow, and there's a heap of things to handle." Rhode thought this client was quite good, and with Erza around, they couldn't really lose out.
Natsu and Gray suddenly leaped up: "The Guild renovations are done?"
Seeing Rhode nod, they both looked regretful: "Darn, delayed too long, missed such an important event!"
"Well then, you guys put in some effort and aim to catch the end of the renovations," Rhode said, "And please, don't cause any more trouble."
Erza patted her chest plate with a thud, signaling that with her there, it would be all right.
Yet, developments are always hard to predict.
...
It was August 28th when they said goodbye, and September 8th when they saw each other at the Guild again.
Even after resting for a day upon returning, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and even Hapi all looked utterly exhausted.
Only Erza, glowing with enthusiasm, handed in the task slip: "Being an actor was such a nice experience, I'd love another opportunity like this!"
"It definitely wasn't like that..." Lucy leaned on the counter, feeling exhausted but still had to add a quip, "Why is Erza so pumped up?"
"By providing exquisite performances, bringing the audience mental joy and relaxation, helping them temporarily escape their troubles, isn't it wonderful?"
Erza saw this job as meaningful and seemed to be shining all over.
"There was nothing exquisite about our performance... and that boss was too strict!" Lucy lamented about the troublesome experience, "Having to perform three times a day!"
If it was just that the client was a jerk, it would be easier to handle; the problem was they were in the wrong, and Erza was highly enthusiastic.
The boss was also a pitiful person, pursuing his theatrical dreams after not being understood by his wife, leading to divorce.
It was hard to even bring oneself to beat him up.
"Well, well..." Mira kept smiling the entire time, "At least you got paid, isn't that great?"
"I suppose," although successfully getting paid this time, Lucy never wanted to go through such an experience again.
"But it was quite surprising to come back to see the Guild renovated so quickly."
"No, it's only the first floor that's done, you can hear the construction above," Mira said, "The Guild won't be fully operational for a few more days."
"That's still great." Lucy sat up, leaning against the counter, looking around, "And even though the size didn't change, it feels much more spacious."
"Because things have been re-planned; a lot of rooms have been moved upstairs or downstairs," Mira suddenly thought of something, "Oh, the tavern is hiring new waitresses, Lucy, would you like to try?"
"That..." Lucy still preferred going out for adventures, completing various tasks.
Mira tempted her: "You may get a good-looking waitress uniform~"
Lucy wasn't tempted at all: "Who'd work as a waitress just for a uniform..."
Yet, Erza's eyes sparkled: "What kind of uniform is it? Please, let me try it!"
"It really exists..." Lucy held her forehead, having forgotten about Erza.
Mira covered her mouth and laughed; as expected, Erza was most enthusiastic about such matters.
"Why haven't we seen Mr. Rhode?"
"The library was just renovated yesterday, he is helping with the arrangement." Mira pursed her lips, "Together with Reby."
"Are you okay, Miss Mira..."
"I'm fine. Rhode and Reby always had a good relationship; he even learned Text Magic from her." Mira played with the empty wine glass in her hand, saying softly, "It's perfectly normal for two people to be alone in a dim space."
Though not fully understanding the situation, Erza nodded in agreement: "That's right, Rhode even asked me about Requip Magic, and we were also alone in such an environment. It's no big deal."
Lucy watched the cracked glass in Mira's hand and whispered: "Uh, Erza, I feel like with what you're saying, Mr. Rhode might be in trouble..."