It wasn't too long after Lucy and Jackal had left for their nap that the rest of the vacationing group decided that they too were mostly done. Cleanup was mercifully quick between them, as there hadn't been much mess to begin with.

"The heat has grown rather intense," Mirajane thought aloud as she wiped away the beads of sweat forming on her forehead with the back of her hand. "Should we go swimming again to cool off?"

What she had thought of as a good idea seemed to fall flat with the others, their gazes failing to meet hers and nervous smiles tugging at their faces. "I… kind of want to get out of the sun for now," Wendy offered meekly when the rest were unable to respond in a timely fashion to Mirajane. "And after the thing with the giant fish…"

The barmaid nodded. "That's understandable." A thoughtful expression crossed her face, and she raised a finger to tap against her chin. "I'm feeling a little too energized for a nap right now, though…"

"I'm going fishing!" Natsu announced loudly, a grin spreading across his face. "I wanna see if I can catch another fish like the one earlier!"

'Of course you do,' everyone thought.

Oblivious to the group's reaction to his statement, Natsu continued, "It's really too bad what happened to the first one. I wonder what it would have tasted like… Too bad Jackal exploded it before I could try it."

Erza shuddered, goosebumps popping out all over her arms at the memory of it. Millions of tiny pieces of raining offal had perhaps been a little traumatizing for her to bear. She rubbed her arms up and down, as if trying to scrub away the memory of the slimy fish bits that had fallen on her.

"That's not a half bad idea though," commented Mirajane, semi-high on malicious glee at Erza's predicament. She giggled when Erza shot her a glare, adopting an air of practiced innocence. "Catching fish for dinner tonight is a good plan. We can roast them on the beach together."

Drool slipping down Happy's chin at the thought, a puddle of saliva forming at his feet. "I like the way you think, Mira."

"Just fish for dinner doesn't sound like a particularly balanced meal though," Carla observed, stepping away from Happy to avoid his excessive drool. "Shouldn't we think of something else to go with it?"

"What about foraging in the woods?"

Mirajane looked at Erza in surprise, the redhead seemingly recovered from her funk, at least to some degree.

Erza's image of returned composure was shattered a moment later when she added under her breath, "And it will take us away from the water…"

"I'd like to come too!" Wendy squeaked, her face gone a little pale in her own remembrance. "I can help you identify what's okay to eat!"

"So let's split into two groups, then," suggested Gray. "One for fishing and one for gathering. Then later we can meet back up here to cook dinner and wake up the sleeping beauties. Sound good?" After they all chorused their agreement, the ice mage nodded himself. "Alright, then. I think I'll go fishing with Natsu."

"Awesome!" Natsu said giving his friend a high-five.

"I wanna go fishing too!" Happy declared, his paw raised up to receive a small high-five from Natsu as well.

A sweat droplet ran down Carla's cheek. "Surprising absolutely no one," she commented sarcastically. "I think I'll go with Wendy, gathering in the woods. It sounds like a pleasant way to spend the afternoon."

Clapping her hands, Mirajane nodded. "I think so too! A walk in the woods sounds nice and cool." She turned towards Mard Geer with a smile. "Which leaves only you, Mard. What do you want to do for the afternoon?"

Displaying a rare moment of hesitation, Mard Geer glanced between the two groups, and then longingly towards his book. "…I'll go with… fishing," he decided. "Fishing is a relaxing activity for humans, correct?"

Gray clapped a hand on the demon's shoulder, which Mard looked at in distaste. "Not when you're fishing with Natsu and Happy, I'm afraid."

An uncommon emotion settled upon the Underworld King. An unpleasant sensation settled deep in his abdominal region, and chills swept across his back. Is this what humans referred to as dread? Or an impending sense of doom?

"Come on, I'll help you pick out a fishing pole," Gray offered helpfully. "I'm sure Erza brought plenty of spares. I'm pretty sure she's even prepared for the apocalypse."

Stubborn and committed to following through when he made a decision, Mard Geer reluctantly followed Gray out of Mirajane's line of sight.

"I know I shouldn't, but I feel kinda bad for him," Wendy stated.

A short while later, the pair returned with all of the fishing gear and baskets for the gathering group.

Mirajane completely lost her composure over seeing what Gray had done to her boyfriend, however. A spluttered laugh burst from her throat before she could stop herself, and she had to cover her mouth to prevent any further outbursts of mirth, though she began to shake with the force of holding it back. She wasn't the only one afflicted, but only Wendy and Carla shared her reserve as Natsu and Happy simultaneously spewing laughter and saliva at the sight of the demon. Erza, too, let out more than one chuckle at the ridiculous view.

Mard Geer scowled at them all, adjusting his fishing vest and hat full of metal hooks. He shifted his weight, his thigh-high rubber boots squeaking at the action. Both the boots and his khaki shorts felt decidedly uncomfortable compared to what he normally wore. But Gray had insisted that this is what he was supposed to wear to fish.

Then again… now that he looked, neither Natsu nor Gray were wearing the same getup as him, and Gray was grinning ear to ear in a very suspicious manner.

Maybe Erza's apocalypse preparation would come in handy after all on this vacation.