Title: Finding Adventure
Summary: "Sometimes on the way to the dream, you get lost and find a better one." -Lisa Hammond
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Cana's lost.
Not this isn't part of the plan or anything. When she had decided that she was going to go on her life-long dream of a cross-country roadtrip, she had figured getting lost was a pretty good guarantee for adventure. But now, when she's stranded in the middle of fucking nowhere with an almost empty tank of gas, no phone signal, and a storm rolling in, she thinks that maybe, just maybe, she should've actually planned this trip, rather than just hopping in her car and driving after she quit her stupid job.
Cana pulls over to the shoulder of the road and slumps back against her seat with a sigh. This was a bad idea, even if she doesn't regret it. She's twenty-seven years old and she's been looking for something to break the tedium, even if storming out on her boss probably wasn't the best way to go about it. Regardless, she's going to get some adventure somehow, whether it kills her or not. Cana groans and throws her head onto the steering wheel because her dream vacation is supposed to be fun dammit, not remind her why she's already fed up with life.
Cana takes a deep breath and peers through the gloom to see if she can find some sign of life around. Nothing appears so she starts looking through her glove box, hoping that she was smart enough to put in some sort of map at one point. Her glove box is just full of random crap (though she does manage to find an old energy bar) and Cana curses again because she definitely didn't think this through enough.
Something flashes in her corner mirror and Cana jerks upright, turning to look over her shoulder. She crows in glee at the car coming her way. Finally, a stroke of luck! Hopefully, these people know where they are going.
Cana eagerly chases after the car after it goes tearing past her, grimacing slightly as it also starts to rain. She follows them for about twenty minutes or so, any signs that flash by unreadable. Cana shifts nervously as the thick foliage on the side of the road grows and looms closer. A memory of the latest horror film she saw flashes through her head and Cana shivers, eyeing the scenery with growing dread.
Cana rounds the bend and she sees a couple of lights flickering up ahead, faintly noticeable in the first car's headlights. The rain starts pouring harder and Cana groans. Great, a perfect start to a horror film happening in real life.
The car in front of her starts speeding up and Cana groans again as she starts pouring on more speed as well. She wishes the driver in front of her would stop speeding up because she really, really doesn't want to be lost around here with her imagination. Unfortunately, the car goes even faster and it's with a jolt that Cana realizes they aren't speeding up, she's slowing down.
"Shit!" Cana slams her foot down on her gas pedal but the car continues slowing down, the gas meter well below red. Her car at least keeps going for a few minutes before she pulls over and slows to a stop but, dammit, now she's really fucked.
Cana checks her phone but she still doesn't have a signal and she chucks it away with a curse. A few more lights twinkle up ahead and Cana thinks they're fairly close by. She judges the distance between her and them and shuts her car off with a sigh. Staying in it won't really help things and she certainly hadn't prepared enough for overnight camping anywhere. Plus, there's a pretty good chance she could get help up ahead. She just wishes she had at least packed an umbrella.
Cana grabs her purse and an old magazine in her back seat before gulping and stepping outside. She's soaked almost instantly, the water making her jacket heavy and cling uncomfortably to her arms. She locks her car before running towards the lights, hoping that for whatever reason someone lived out in the middle of nowhere.
Cana sticks close to the road, too scared to go through the dense bushes and shrubs and there's some small paranoia that something will jump out and grab her (she should probably stop watching all those horror movies). The road makes a sharp curve and Cana speeds up, willing an old gas station or something to come up soon.
Instead, the road slopes down towards a bright city with lights strung everywhere. Most of the buildings are short, only two or three rising above the rest and their tops decorated with blinking spotlights (which must have been what she saw earlier). Cana laughs in relief and makes her way down the hill, occasionally slipping when her heels catch on pebbles.
She just passes the town's first block of houses, all of which have fabulous and brilliantly colored gardens with flowers and lights spilling onto the sidewalks when her toe catches on a curb. Cana shrieks and falls, pinwheeling arms and all, into a large puddle. The water splashes up, thoroughly drenching any part of her that had managed to stay dry earlier. Cana curses.
A small giggle comes from over her shoulder. Cana blinks as the rain stops hitting her head and she rolls onto her side to see a pretty woman in blue crouching next to her, holding an umbrella over their heads.
The woman smiles, her eyes crinkling warmly from underneath her blue bangs. "Hi there. New to town?"
Cana slumps slightly. "That obvious, huh?"
The woman giggles again. "Yes. Everyone around here carries umbrellas. What brought you to Juvia's humble little town?"
Juvia? Cana sits up, smiling back at the woman when she offers her hand. Cana pulls herself up and has to move in close because the umbrella's a little small. But, when the woman gives her a side hug and presses her chest against Cana's arm, Cana doesn't really mind. She gulps. "Ah, well, my car ran out of gas a little ways back and I'm looking for a tow truck or gas station. Or anything help, really."
The bluenette grimaces. "Well, unfortunately, today is the anniversary of our town's founding day. You won't find any shops open right now."
"Shit." Cana groans and drags her hands over her face. "I should've guessed this would happen, nothing's gone right today."
The woman rubs Cana's shoulders comfortingly. "How about you come home with Juvia and she'll let you dry off and drink some hot cocoa. You can also use her phone and call anyone if you need to."
Cana smiles. "Thanks, but I don't want to impose." She looks off to the side and frowns. "There's no one to call anyways."
The woman's hand tightens on her shoulder. "That's all the more reason to let Juvia help you. She can't just leave you out here in good conscious. Come on."
Cana lets the woman drag her away. "How do I know you're not a serial killer leading me to my doom or something?"
The woman snorts. "Juvia thinks you watch too many movies. Juvia would never hurt someone, she's a good person! Now hurry up, Juvia doesn't want to stand outside all day."
Cana laughs. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Just warning you that I know karate so don't try anything funny."
The woman rolls her eyes and snorts again.
"So," Cana drawls, looking her savior up and down. "You are Juvia, right?"
The woman eyes her skeptically. "Duh. Juvia thinks that should be obvious."
Cana presses her lips together to prevent herself from laughing. She shakes her head and grins. "Just making sure. I'm Cana, it's a pleasure to meet ya."
Juvia smiles. "Same with Juvia." Cana catches Juvia eyeing her up and down out of the corner of her eye and she presses her lips together to hide her smirk.
Maybe she'll get her adventure after all.