Well, here he was. Odin walked through the doors to the Fairy Tail guild hall. It felt weird every single time he did it, since if these people knew they would instantly try to arrest him. It brought a sense of risk to his everyday life, as it could all change if he simply took off his ring. Sometimes he was tempted, he considered just removing it from his finger, revealing his true form, and casting his magic to destroy the guild instantly. But that was not his mission, that was not what SHE had demanded of him. His mission was to infiltrate the guild, rise in the ranks, and see what he could do. Destroying the guild would not work, he had to bite the bullet and be patient.

He had made a little bit of a name for himself, under the guise of Lucas Wright, Fairy Tail warrior and B rank mage. He could change his name, and hide his true power, but his physical attributes were much harder to fake. He was already one of the strongest in the guild in terms of brute force, but he was able to work around it with his lack of magic. "All he could do was train", that was his usually evasive statement. Sometimes it worked, sometimes he had to be a bit more creative, but so far no one knew who he was.

Currently he stood behind the bar of the guild hall, serving drinks and using his extensive bar-tending experience to give the mages of Fairy Tail a fun time, and they all seemed to love him for it.

Eventually coming in from a walk, opening the door herself Judith would eventually walk into the guild, Hearing that a few new member seemed to bring a smile to Judith, You could see it on her face when she walked through the door, as well as carrying a few framed pictures on her.

With that feeling of bliss she seemed to give off. Slowly but surely Judith not even with in a few minutes to arriving was looking around at the tables and seeing what needed to be picked up.

Eventually Judith would arrive to the front counter, Nothing going behind it yet, Putting her the few framed pictures upon the counter top. It seemed when Judith was in and working. She placed various pictures of her family members around the counter top.

It was not being vain or rude, Judith kind of just seemed to do as she did and generally seemed to phase out to the things around her going about her normal manner of working.

After putting said pictures and arranging them, Judith would slowly start walking towards the door to go into the kitchen, Her musical humming as she entered.

Her casual way of being Judith finally realize there was some one else behind there. Thinking about it Judith had to wonder if she was being replaced as the main lady who cooked food and serve drinks here, She figured she was doing a fine a job, Judith never got any complaints.

But not assuming she would go back to her normal way of working. so she would finally get this man behind the counter."Oh greetings, Are you new here?"Judith asked Nonetheless she would continue her introduction."My name is Judith Karlinius, I am member of not only this guild, I cook food and clean for the guild as well."Judith would walk over and offer her hand to shake hands with Lucas."Do not mind the pictures, I keep them around because when the guild was mostly empty it was nice to brighten up the room."What pictures were left there would be easy for him to look at if he wanted.

One was a picture of Judith her husband together. A tall blue haired man, compared to Judith he was a giant, But Judith was a small woman.

Second picture was Judith two adult men and a adult woman all blue haired as well. This picture would be her: Waylon, Regis and Judina.

Third picture was Judith with two younger looking children and a woman. Alice, Anton and Tanya.

The fourth seemed to be a really old family picture of Judith, Her husband and four children. So it was her family all for her to see at all times.

Nonetheless Judith would continue what she was use too."I know you maybe working behind here too, But would you like something?"Judith mention politely, Like she was use too.

Lucas was never shocked when people from Odin's life turned up around him: it was annoying but to be expected if anything. But there were some people that he just flat out hadn't expected to see again, and it was one of those people that approached him now. A woman who Odin only knew as someone that knew basically everyone interesting in the Lich's life: from Kon and Alice to Arisa. She was also the woman who's leg Odin had snapped in Astera, having learned who she was. That had been a simpler time, when he was allowed to just be bad when he wanted to be. This, this was much harder.

She introduced herself as Judith Karlinius, a surname that Odin was sure he knew from somewhere, but couldn't place where. She asked if Lucas was new to the guild, since they hadn't crossed paths until this moment, despite Lucas' yearlong adventure in the guild. "I guess you could call me new, I've only been a member for about a year now. Compared to some, I'm a seasoned veteran, to others I'm very much the new guy." Lucas poured himself a glass of water before extending a hand to the woman, "Lucas Wright, pleasure to make your acquaintance Judith. And I don't mind the photos at all, it's good to keep memories of happy times close."

Still smiling, Lucas took a sip of the water and again, just as he had every time, couldn't believe that he could taste again. Sure, it was water, but even the bland taste of this clear liquid was better than the dust he had experienced for years. His face betrayed nothing behind the smile, as he walked towards the photos to get a look at them. Other than Judith herself, there was only one photo that held anyone that Odin had met before. Alice, Anton and Tanya: Kon's wife and two children. Odin had met all three of them before, having been been playful with the children when they were much younger, before he became an enemy of humanity. Holding up the photo, Lucas looked back over to Judith and gestured to the picture in his hand, "Quite a big family you have here, are these your grandkids?"

It seemed it would a rather joyful conversation for Judith and Lucas. but it seemed at least Judith had some one to explain it too."Biologically, they are of no blood relation to me."Judith would mention right away, But Judith seemed to show already that even if not of her blood she considered people family over length of time of knowing them."But I treat the ones in that pictures; Alice, Anton and Tanya. As family...they are currently are the closest to grand children I have."

It a minor moment of a twist in emotion Judith would sound rather depressed."Not since my oldest son Regis killed the only grandchild I had 4 years a go now."That mood would change back to what the normal of Judith was rather quickly."So I will always call them my grandchildren, As well as their mother a daughter to me."Judith showed where her heart and motivations where at all, It was all in her family, through the darkest and lightest moments.

Judith would walk over and collect a small cup for tea for herself."It is interesting to see people here again, After so long of so little people I was starting to wonder if i even had a job here anymore."Which was an actual worry, Judith liked this guild far too much."So i often went exploring, Meet some pretty interesting people out there."Generally spoken while she was making her cup of tea.

It was a random thought she would have when she finished making her cup of tea to mention."I will have to worry, that if we get enough member and they will be as lively as I recall Fairy Tail use to be, I may worry about the condition of these pictures."Keeping her faith at least in strong how the guild was going."But I will just hope nothing too horrible happens, Or I will fine a better place for them."There was some plan at least for if she needed to move them.

She was now curious herself."Do you have any family around here Lucas? I do not intend to be nosey, But I am a rather curious person normally."Judith was enjoying herself at least.

Obviously, it was something Odin already knew, but it got Judith talking, which meant less time Lucas had to keep up any facade. Anton and Tanya were effectively her grandchildren, Alice her surrogate daughter. While the mood was generally happy, it quickly took a turn when Judith mentioned that her son, Regis, had killed one of her biological grandchildren. Regis was one of the few Odin didn't recognise from the photo, but he was surprised that someone would just so casually bring up such a terrible thing in conversation, especially to someone they had only just met. Lucas didn't know how to react, so he just chose not to, instead just listening as she continued.

She was quite an open book, this Judith, not afraid to reveal literally every important detail about her life, as well as her concerns about how quiet the guild had gotten over the past years. She then changed the subject to talk about the guild getting so busy that her pictures would suffer, due to the increased footfall, prompting Lucas to speak, "So far I think it's just been me, but perhaps the guild will grow once more. Who can say. Who did you meet? I'm always curious to hear about everyone's experiences." The calm smile on Lucas' face did nothing to betray the emotions going through his mind as he poured himself a glass of water.

"Unfortunately not", Lucas' smile fell a little as he took a drink of his water, "I was married, but she has since passed on. This", he held up his left ring finger, showing the silver ring as he continued, "was our engagement ring. I buried both our wedding rings with her so that we would always be together. And we never had any children ourselves, we just weren't so lucky."

Coughing a little bit, actively trying to choke back tears that felt themselves starting, Lucas decided to change the subject, "So, as someone who's been part of the guild for some time now, is there anything I should know about Fairy Tail? How is the guild master, Adriana? Have you met her?"

At least one point of continuing conversation seemed to be more with in reason, Judith had an odd way of working herself."I've met various young mages with a strong wonder lust for life and adventure."generally open ended but Judith would most likely get to details soon, knowing how open she was."Various Rune Knights before they disbanded, My daughter was with in it's ranks during that time, They were pretty good group despite their problems in my views."  Maybe it was just Judith supporting her daughter as well, Would not be a wrong thing to assume.

Judith seemed to admire this moment even if she did not the reality of it all being a lie and fake, But lying and let her be in bliss seemed to be a good thing to deal with Judith. She was rather easy to handle this way."Well, I am sadden to hear of your loss even if it was long before we met."Judith would mention, She did not lack compassion or empathy that is for sure, It was one of her problems it could left to wonder if she knew that was a problem for her.

It made her wonder if Anders would do the same thing, Or even if she would do that if Anders passed on, Loss was not something that Judith would really able to handle at times, But she was more a person of peaceful emotions sometimes then logical reasons."Our guild master whenever she does happen to come out of the her hiding places, Is often drunk looking for more to drink."Which Judith could recall a few times."Or looking for a hang over cure."But Judith did have a few nice things to say about her guild master."She is a very nice woman, Lazy most of the time. Her heart is always in the right spot. Being a young lady and knowing her beauty and womanly charm she does not hide that, She isn't very modest about what she wears."So a bundle of different compared to Judith, But unknowingly to Judith she gave some pretty different information to Lucas who she assumed did not meet the guild master quite yet."I should check up on her eventually, Might be long over due to cook her breakfast."A minor worry in her mind but something to note as of late.

Judith seemed more than happy to have someone closer to her age that she could talk about her life to, as she recalled the stories of the mages she met, including one of her children's: her daughter, who had previously been employed as a Rune Knight before the group had disbanded over the past year. That had sent waves throughout Fiore, as it was the big admittance of failure from the crown. The Rune Knights were no more, and no one could protect them, this had been the catalyst for the formation of many of the new guilds throughout Fiore. One of them, Phoenix Feather, was created in light of the Rune Knight destruction, housing many of the former members and living up to the same creed. They were the new 'protectors of Fiore' and so it seemed likely that Odin would need to deal with them in the future.

"I agree, the Rune Knights helped protect so many civilians from threats. I'm just glad that, despite their disbandment, many are still following in their footsteps and being beacons of hope in this time." It was something Lucas would say, even if Odin didn't believe it in the slightest. The Rune Knights had always been weak, changing the name didn't alter that fact as far as he was concerned.

Judith then offered her condolences to Lucas after hearing of his wife, prompting the mage to raise his hand to ally any concerns she may have, "It was a long time ago, I simply wear this to remember her by, I am happy moving on with my life."

Then the topic shifted to the guildmaster, Adriana. The drunken queen, always on the hunt for her next drink, or a cure for the inevitable hangover she was to have. It seemed that Judith often brought her breakfast when she was in that kind of state, which seemed pretty likely. Odin had briefly met Adriana once before, in Orchidia at his Pub stall, along with every other former guild master. There was some meeting between them all, and she had been present. Wasn't much to go on, but she had been drinking fairly heavily that day, and everything Judith said seemed to match up. "I hope to meet her one day, she seemed like a truly interesting women."

This was more of an interesting conversation to Judith even if it was all a cover for something she feared entirely."Not much else otherwise, a few being that scared me and left me with a few tense moments, Not much else otherwise in my adventures."this part she did not want to mention too much else in that matter it seems, Judith was more interested in easily predicable things with in their conversation currently.

At least Judith seemed to eventually casually sigh."I would say such a shame for the rune knights to fade, But the world will move on with what was given now."Judith did not seem to worried about the Rune Knights being gone."Now is the time for everyone else to shine I guess."Judith would casually mention.

But in her never ending amount of empathy."It is most likely the best way to go about I think. I am unsure if I could work like that if I lost my husband."More signs that Judith did not handle loss of people who knew the most well, Surely it seemed annoying to some but to her it was her normal."But it is good to be happy and living in the now."still showed how different people could be, handing death or loss was tricky.

Lucas was interested in meeting Adriana and Judith just said."I should check up on her, I have not seen her today, Knowing her, she is just a sleep after another evening of careless drinking."Judith would just quietly started skipping around the kitchen checking over a few things."Maybe I should check the drink supply to see what is all gone or missing, I might need to get a few missing bottles or drinks."From casual talk to work like talk, it seemed to be determine to commit to her work tasks and work when her mind was set to to.

Her next words, specifically about how she had met some beings that had caused her harm, almost caused Lucas to choke on his drink. Luckily he pulled it back before anything could be noticed as Judith was most certainly recalling her meeting with Odin, where the Lich had snapped her knee for, as far as she must've thought, absolutely no reason. However, she clearly didn't want to go into anymore detail regarding it, so Lucas was content in staying quiet and letting their conversation progress.

She was a beacon of light in a dark world, Lucas couldn't help but respect her himself, "You're right. With the Rune Knights gone, it is the job of everyone to step up and do what they can. This is a team effort, and only together can we all save Fiore." Ironic, then, since Odin was one of the people looking to destroy Fiore. He was detailing exactly how he should be beaten to Judith, it was certainly odd.

Talking about Lucas' fictional wife seemed to affect Judith, which Odin would've found hilarious if he was around. She doubted her ability to cope if she lost her husband, but she was glad Lucas was among the living now, happy spending his life in the new guild. The man didn't say anything, simply smiling and nodding at her words. He could tell it was a difficult subject and hey, he was compassionate now.

The mood changed as Lucas laughed in response to Judith's words. The guild master, Adriana, was likely still in her bed hungover, and that meant the guild building's alcohol stocks would have decreased. Without wanting to give away too much about his own bartending background, he had to ask, "So what is Adriana's favourite drink then? If she has a specific cocktail in mind, I could probably whip it up for her when next she wants a drink."

It seemed to at least give Judith a smile with in this moment, it all seemed Judith had little to no worry for the moment about Lucas and being around him, Surely falling into the grasp of what Odin intended unknowingly but the bless of not knowing would both a peace and a curse to Judith, For no it might be safe for Judith to be held in this almost peaceful danger.

Judith did not quiet have an answer for that."She merely suggest various kinds of drink, I have yet to pin point an actual drink she enjoys most."With how she worded it Judith sounded like she was trying to learn that herself."I always guess beer, But she always tries something else a lot often too."Judith seemed to then pull a list of things she had drank from a sleeve of hers."I have made a list overtime and it just seem vast that she does not stick to one thing enough to have something her favorite."She was trying her best to learn it seemed and was oddly dedicated to food and drink  that did seemed for sure.

But Judith did not mind the thought of it but she seemed to have an idea of it first."I do not see why not, Mind you....If you are mentioning it now."Judith sounded interested, Almost like Judith was interested herself, Would not hide it either."I've always wanted to try some one else to make a Long Island Iced Tea, To see if i am making it right."Judith said interested mostly because so much time of being the only one making drinks, She felt naturally curious."You are more then welcome to say no if you wish not too."Judith was not forcing him but was curious.

It seemed that Adriana was a simple alcoholic. She didn't have a specific drink that she would prefer, rather choosing instead to just get drunk off of anything with even the slightest percentage in it. Judith had even made a list of different drinks she had ordered to try and get a better idea of what she liked, but that didn't help at all as the list had grown extensive. The more Lucas heard of Adriana, the more Odin figured her easy to replace. She seemed weak willed, and self destructive, which would make taking over the guild so much easier for the Lich. Of course, she would likely be powerful, but she had a weakness, and that was something that could be exploited.

She then requested Lucas craft a specific drink, one that Judith wasn't completely confident with: a Long Island Iced Tea. Interestingly enough, it was one of Lucas' favourites now that he had regained taste. It was high in alcohol, yet tasted delicious at the same time. On top of that, it was relatively easy to mix it all together. Grabbing a large glass, Lucas would set out the spirits he required: vodka, rum, gin, tequila, and triple sec, as well as filling the glass with some ice.

"It's fairly easy to make this actually. Just add one shot of each of these five spirits, add cola, and mix. Then stick on a bit of lime to enjoy." As he spoke, Lucas expertly created this summer drink, even using some bar flair to spin the bottles and flip them as they moved across his hands. After squeezing the lime over the drink and adding it on the glass, Lucas placed a straw in it before sitting taking a sip, marvelling at the drink.

"Want to give it a go? You don't need to be flipping anything, don't worry."

It was Judith's ever wanting wish to learn off of so any things,  with Lucas' demonstrative way of showing Judith how to make it, It seemed to amaze her, Judith was a better cook then a drink maker."Maybe it is because I focused on cooking more, I did figure out I could get by at first."She mentioned taking in that entire was of it being shown to her, Pondering it over Judith just seem to figure it was worth the try."I have nothing to lose from, If anything I enjoy the process of seeing this and learning from it."She sound edger and delighted at the thought of trying this.

Having more some one fitted to this field Judith felt it was more ways to expand her horizons if she did not horribly fail, But even this with how Judith seemed as a person failure in this manner might not bother her at all.

So she would go right away into making this, repeating the process. Slower then how Odin did it, only by a small frame of time due to her being less experienced at making drinks, She would even skip the fancy bottle flips and tricks.

Judith would finish her attempt and stick a straw in it and squeeze the lime into it. Judith did not seem to have her smile after making this drink, Even during the time process of making it, It faded into a face of focus and concentration, She was doing her best to try to and see if she could do it. She then just presented what she made and requested."Could you please compare and give me an honest answer of if it close to yours?"Judith asked wanting to be sure, Sure in her mind she seemed to have done it right, But the mind gives into its own wishes sometimes.

It seemed Judith's skill set was more about cooking, while Lucas had speciality in the drinks and cocktail side of things. Together, they complimented each other well, which could allow them to serve the members of Fairy Tail as well as anywhere else in Fiore. The guild would get to experience their collective years of experience, how lucky for them. Then again, Lucas hadn't yet sampled any of Judith's food, there was no way to know yet just how good she was. "Yeah, if you just watch you'll pick it up in no time at all." Lucas would reassure her before pouring the drink himself.

After taking a sip of his, Lucas would pour himself a tiny little bit of lemon juice, to clean his palate so as not to taint his tongue with the taste of his drink when trying Judith's. He watched her, not at all surprised that she didn't use any flair. It was a skill for those more experienced in pouring drinks. However, despite not having that skill, she still put together the drink in good time. Lucas picked it up, noting that the colour was similar to his before taking a sip.

"It's very close, but you didn't mix it enough, so most of what I can taste is cola and lime. It's by no means the worst Long-Island I've ever had, so good job on that. Just remember to mix it before serving, so that the same flavour is spread throughout the entire drink."

These moment were rare for Judith and it was super interesting for her."It just mean, I have even more reason to practice."She mentioned rather excited about a new aspect of learning."When I have a few moments of free time, I will practice...Maybe my Husband will learn how to enjoy Long Island Ice Tea's."It was hard to tell weather or not this could be horrible for Judith's husband, But Judith sounded Oddly inspired to try something new.

"Because I don't believe any of my children drink anyway.."She would leave out of the part of them not being around either mostly because it was not really on her mind."It at least gives Anders a break from all of the Ciders and Beers he drinks."Judith could laugh about it, Even if she knew it was because he was rather basic in his enjoyments.

Now Judith was seemed to think for a moment, Then would offer Lucas something in return."Is there something, I could show you cooking wise that you would wish to know?"Judith seemed to offer, An even exchange between them."Food and drink always go hand and hand in some manner."That was something Judith at least noted.

For what Judith recalled most people did not seem to do cooking around here besides her."If not, I am sure I will figure out a thank you in some way for showing me what to do."Judith at least seemed to be the type show she was grateful for these experiences in life. Lucas was more then welcome to say no, It seemed it would not bug her at all, Judith was a rather reasonable woman despite her almost easily excitable,friendly and whimsical looking nature, Knowledge made the world great.

Judith seemed really pleased about the criticism received, as Lucas had intended for it to help her improve. It was nice to see, and she was actually a fun person to talk to. Lucas was enjoying his time with this woman, even if Odin had broken her leg once before. She suggested introducing her husband to Long Island Iced Teas, as it would give a reprieve from the beer and cider that he often drank anyway. "Well, I'm sure he'll enjoy it. And you've picked it up very quickly so I know you'll make them to a high standard. Be sure to taste them yourself so you know how to improve, because you'll be the best judge of your own drinks." Lucas didn't know anything about Anders, but he was for sure getting to know Judith a lot.

She offered to share some of her skills with him, perhaps cooking him something if there was a specific dish that he wished to learn how to prepare. The mage would mull it over for a few seconds before replying, "I think, for now at least, that I am okay, although I look forward to trying some of your cooking eventually. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I must retire. It's been a pleasure to meet you Judith." With that, Lucas would bow his head, before leaving the guild hall to return to his flat: a modest little apartment in the middle of Magnolia.

-Exit-

It did not seem to bother her that she had no said to her it was not like she had not heard that before."Very well then Lucas."Judith seemed to smile about it even if it ended so quickly, Everyone was busy it was just the case that Lucas had other things he wanted to do."It was wonderful to meet you  as well."When he bowed his head Judith even bowed slightly herself.

So now Judith would continue about her day as normal with that joyful excitement in her mind of what happen today, With the thought of life always giving her something new to learn everyday this was just another thing to add to it and she could not be any more delighted.

Eventually when Judith was done what she was doing at Fairy Tail that day she would return to continue practicing making long island iced teas, How many she drank was a good question, After all she was more interesting in mastering the drink already, She did however lose count after six, She also was not counting how many Anders was subjected too.

It was enough for her to still be able to recall the next day while her husband had to sleep in for a while longer. Considering the happy couple otherwise they did not mind the extra time to sleep and rest, Even if Anders was now slightly more grumpier because he had a hang over and drank too much. Anders would forgive Judith later as long as she let him sleep in, Which given this rare case Judith did not mind at all, They would spend they time together. For even in old age they where still far to happy together. The results of Judith's training to make said drinks for now was stuck between them.

[Exit]