Hello, people. Nightlingbolt here. Welcome to what I hope will be a new project, which I've codenamed "Scenes from the Fairy Tail Guild." I really can't say too much about it except, if it turns out to be popular, I'll continue this to the best of my ability, even though I've got Lucky Star and ABCs to worry about.
The idea for this came when I decided Juvia and Totomaru worked well as a couple, which made me want to write a situation in which they meet again after the timeskip, and maybe fall for each other. But then I got four other ideas for storylines, so what originally was JuviaxTotomaru became... well... this.
I guess I can look at it as an experiment in ensemble casts, which if you remember from The Sandstorm Slasher, I didn't really highlight all the group's Pokemon as much as I wanted to. In fact, Roggenrola was going to say a line just before he used Sandstorm to assist in Excadrill's story, but I juat ran out of opportunities to sneak it in. This time, I'm doing a different kind of ensemble, focusing on two characters at a time.
Eh, I've said way too much crap already! On with the story!
I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters. Anything not instantly recognizable (Thalia Town, for example) is my own creation.
Juvia was bored, though she really had no right to be.
Ever since Fairy Tail's appearance at the Grand Magic Games, there had been an influx of jobs pouring into the guild, so she really had no reason to not work. In fact, all the members of the B Team were eagerly anticipating a time when they would get to do a job together. Yes, even Jellal, when he took missions under the alias Mystogan.
The guild had largely come to regard Jellal as a sort of unofficial member, though there were quite a few new recruits that were in the dark about Mystogan's true identity, hence why everyone called him Mystogan around the guild. Every now and again, Mystogan came to the guild to take a mission in order to help support Crime Sorciere. When the job was done, he would stay just long enough to report to Makarov and be on his way again.
Juvia had been part of the effort to save Erza at the Tower of Heaven, and until the training camp, she largely knew Jellal as a villain. However, Erza and the others trusted him, so she took him with a grain of salt. She knew he and Erza had some sort of relationship, but it seemed like Jellal never bothered to make the effort.
She had asked Erza about it once, and the Titania said she was perfectly happy with the way things stood between them. It would be nice for the two of them to pursue a relationship, but she knew the Council could discover Mystogan's secret identity at any time, and she understood that if they became lovers, she would be targeted as well. Jellal wasn't about to force Erza to choose between two loves, so he stayed curt and professional in both his identities.
Juvia did, however, notice that she and Natsu had been going on missions without their teammates (not even Happy, and he was practically Natsu's shadow!), but fearing the knight's wrath, she wisely chose not to pursue the topic with her.
Still, she was smart enough to realize that they usually came back a couple days later than they should, which brought her back to the Tower of Heaven topic. She saw Natsu carrying Erza in his arms, gazing at Erza protectively, as the normally proud Titania stared at the usually ferocious Salamander in wonder. Maybe this was just Juvia being a hopeless romantic, but she thought she saw hints of love in those two sets of eyes.
But wait. If Natsu loved Erza, and Erza loved Natsu, then what? Juvia supposed Jellal had Ultear, but what about Lucy? Loke was out of the question, given their spirit-owner relationship.
She went over all the Fairy Tail couples, and arrived at one logical conclusion: Lucy was most compatible with Gray.
She could not let that happen. She would not let that happen.
"Juvia won't lose to Lucy-san!" she declared, not even noticing Romeo's arrival.
The Fourth's son simply stared at the water woman. "Ummm... good for you?" he said nervously.
Juvia calmed down as she noticed the boy. "Oh, hello, Romeo-kun," she said brightly.
"Hi, Juvia-san," said Romeo. "Can I ask you a favor?"
"Of course!" said Juvia. "Anything to help out a fellow guild member!"
"Well... in Totomaru-sensei's next lesson, we're supposed to go over methods for fighting Water mages," explained Romeo.
"Because Fire mages are naturally at a disadvantage against Water mages," supplied Juvia.
"Right!" said Romeo. "Anyway, I told Sensei I'd ask if you wanted to volunteer for a practical demonstration. I mean, I figured since you guys used to be in Phantom Lord together and all..."
Juvia smiled. She liked Totomaru. Along with Gajeel, he was one of her few friends in Phantom Lord. He'd often complain that her rain made it hard for him to use his fire, but he also went out of his way to reassure her that it was proof of her mastery over water, which served to make her the strong mage she was. Her relationship with the younger boy (now older man, she supposed) was not unlike Gray's relationship with Natsu: their opposite elements caused them to butt heads frequently, but at the end of the day, each acknowledged the other as a worthy rival, and ultimately, a friend.
"I'll do it!" she declared.
Romeo's smile instantly brightened. "Thanks, Juvia-san!" he said. "Tomorrow's lesson is gonna be awesome!"
"Tomorrow?" Juvia repeated. "Oh, no! Juvia was supposed to go on a mission with Gajeel-kun! Juvia's rent is due not long after that!"
"Oh," said Romeo, now sounding dejected. "I didn't know, or I wouldn't have asked. I mean, I guess I could ask Lucy to summon Aquarius or something."
She didn't know whether it was the thought of disappointing Romeo or the thought of Lucy one-upping her, but she decided that Gajeel could wait one more day for his mission, or even go without her. He was strong enough to do a solo job every once in a while. Heck, in Phantom, that's all he ever did!"
"Don't worry, Romeo-kun," said Juvia. "Juvia will be there. Count on it!"
"Aye!" said Romeo cheerfully.
"Aye?" thought Juvia. "Juvia thinks he spends a little too much time with Natsu-san."
If you had asked Lucy Heartfilia on Monday what her plans for the weekend were, she definitely wouldn't have said she was going to a bed and breakfast with Gray Fullbuster. However, that's just how the weekend ended up.
Apparently, he had been given a reservation for two to a bed and breakfast his most recent client owned in Thalia Town. According to the Ice mage, he had been taking jobs for at least a week to pay Lucy's rent, since by his own admission, he had caused her to fail her last job.
Lucy grimaced at the memory. She was working at a cafe three towns over, and her teammates paid her an unwelcome visit. Natsu and Gray were fighting, and it ended with Gray tossing Natsu into a waiter, who was bringing Erza a souffle, which fell to the ground, causing Erza to go mad with rage and, in the process of brutalizing the boys for their crime, destroyed the entire building. The guild was forced to pay for the damage, and in the end, Lucy didn't get her rent money.
Lucy accepted the money gratefully, saying she would pay him back somehow, to which Gray replied with the offer of a weekend away. "I think we both need to de-stress after last week's fiasco," he had said. That was a sentiment Lucy could get behind wholeheartedly.
And so it was that Lucy found herself checking into the Thalia Bed and Breakfast with Gray at her side. The place was beautiful, obviously meant for couples, but she supposed they did good business with mages in town on a job or something.
"Hi, I have a reservation for Gray Fullbuster this weekend," said Gray. "The owner should have everything covered.
The receptionist, a middle-aged brunette woman, looked over her information and smiled. "Oh, you're the Fairy Tail mages Mrs. Roseley mentioned!" she said. "There was a little bit of confusion a couple days ago on that matter."
"Confusion?" repeated Lucy. "What happened?"
"You see, a terrible monster has been plaguing our town for several weeks," the receptionist explained. "We couldn't afford mages from, say, Lamia Scale, or even Sabertooth, so we took our problem to Fairy Tail."
"Gee, it's really encouraging to know that our guild was the cheapest one available," said Gray bitterly.
"Oh, dear, you mustn't think that way!" said the receptionist. "Fairy Tail has served us well in the past, before the collapse, and we were only too happy to get them back on their feet again!"
"Great," said Gray disinterestedly. "So about the other Fairy Tail mages?"
"Well, they came into town, destroyed the monster, and are currently staying here for a couple days before going back home. We thought they were the mages Mrs. Roseley informed us of, but they called themselves Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet," explained the receptionist.
"Wait... Natsu and Erza are here?" asked Lucy.
"Those were the names they gave," replied the receptionist.
"But... isn't this a couples' place?" asked Lucy.
"Well, the Thalia Bed and Breakfast does cater mostly to couples, but over the years, we've accommodated several mages from various guilds," said the receptionist. "Shall I let them know you're here? I'm sure they'd love to hear from you!"
"Uh, no thank you," said Gray. "I'd rather not have Erza swearing vengeance on my head."
"Aye!" agreed Lucy. To herself, she mumbled, "Oh God, I'm turning into Happy."
The receptionist took a key without either mage noticing and placed it on the counter. "Your room number is 208, 2 for the floor, 08 for the room. Incidentally, your friends' room is number 306 if you decide you want to visit them," she said. "My name is Peggy, and I'm the manager on duty. If you need anything, you both just come to me."
"Thanks," said Gray, taking the key. He motioned for Lucy to follow, and the Celestial mage did without a word. Damn Gray, she thought. If the others found out, they'd have the guild convinced they were a couple by this time Monday!
But is that really a bad thing? Well, she had the whole weekend to decide that.
Okay, I think that's enough for now. Remember, I'm just posting this as a new idea. If people like it, I will continue. If not, I will delete it. Simple as that.
So until next time, peace and love from Nightlingbolt. Take care, everyone.
