*Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy*
Just because the guild had disbanded, didn't mean that she couldn't still help people.
Levy McGarden stood in front of a large bulletin board in a port-side bar, scanning the notices that were pinned up on it. There were a few jobs listed for the odd wizard who wasn't part of a guild. The rewards were much lower than what she was used to, but money was money, and at that moment, she was a little low on funds.
She sighed as her eyes scanned the pages, reading each notice. Bandits…pirates…an irritating ex-lover who liked to break in. None of them were right for her. Without the help of Jet and Droy, she couldn't take on any of the tasks. Her script magic was growing stronger, but she was by no means a physical fighter. She was just about to leave when a bit of blue caught her eye. She lifted an announcement for a park concert and found a weathered, worn scrap of paper.
Wanted: Translator for five large tomes of approximately one-hundred years of age. Apply at Oshibana Station. Reward for completed work- 50,000 Jewels.
50,000 jewels! That was more than enough to cover her rent and get her that new fantasy series she'd been eying at the bookstore. Levy snatched the notice and ran back to her apartment, eager to be on her way. She hoped that the job was still available, the notice had looked rather aged. But even if there was no job, she could still pop in to see Cana, who had opened a bar in Oshibana. It would be nice to see one of her old guild mates again.
She changed into her orange mission dress, securing her hair with a headband. It felt good to wear that old ensemble again; she rarely put it on because of the memories that came with it. Days long passed…
Once she had packed her bag—placing in it extra shoes, a dress, and some reading material for the train, she set off for the station, and extra bounce in her step.
'I wonder what kind of books the client wants translated,' she thought, 'they did say that the books were old.
Old books were Levy's favorite. They smelled the best. Lucy once bought her a specialty fragrance that mimicked that heavenly scent. The little bottle sat in a drawer by Levy's bed, a few precious drops still remaining.
Lucy. Levy frowned. She missed her old friend. The blonde celestial mage had followed Natsu, who wanted to explore all of Fiore. The blunette wasn't angry though. She knew her friend's feelings for the fire dragon slayer, and wished them the best. Maybe one day they'd make the perfect couple that the whole guild had hoped they would be.
She took her seat on the train and immediately buried her nose in a book, losing herself in a world of fantasy and mystery. Were it not for the sharp blast of the whistle a few hours later, she might not have remembered to get off at her stop. She sighed and placed a bookmark at her place. Drat, she frowned. And she was at such a good point in the story. She grabbed her bag, extending the strap and wearing it cross body, and hopped off the train.
Oshibana Station was a bustling hub. People scurried about, each with their own personal destination, weaving through the crowds, trying to accomplish their goals. It was a beautiful building, very classic and retro looking; amazing since only a few years ago, Natsu, Gray, and Erza nearly destroyed it fighting Eisenwald. She smiled. Ah, those were the days.
She pulled the notice out of her bag and reread it. Odd. It said nothing about precisely where to inquire about the job. How was she supposed to find anyone in that crowd? She looked around and spotted a column covered in pinned up notices. Perhaps there was more information there. She skipped over all the rest, focusing on only the blue papers. There, at the very bottom, was a blue page identical to the one she had in her bag.
Wanted: Translator. If you are here for the job, please report to ticket booth seven. Thank you.
Good. More information. She was just about to leave when the text of the other flyers caught her eye. It was a habit of hers, formed when she was just a little girl, discovering the wonders of reading for the first time. She read everything she could, store signs, banners, anything her eyes made contact with. But this. This was different. The text made her blood run cold.
WANTED: Gajeel Redfox. Also known as 'Black Steel Gajeel, Kurogane, and the Iron Dragon Slayer. This individual should be considered highly dangerous. If sighted, contact law enforcement agencies immediately. Do not approach. Reward for any information leading to a capture: 1,000,000 jewels.
She couldn't believe it. Gajeel? Wanted by the law? She wouldn't dispute that he could be a dangerous individual, she could personally attest to that. But he had changed. He was one of the good guys.
Right?
She looked around, and when she was sure that no one was watching her, Levy snatched the wanted notice, checking for others. She sighed. What mess had he gotten himself into?
Her good mood now deflated, she made her way to ticket booth seven. She would still take the job if it was available, then definitely visit Cana. She would know what was going on with Gajeel, and Levy was desperate for answers.
She waited in line for only a few minutes, and soon found herself face-to-face with a cheery eyed, rosy cheeked, elderly woman. She had blue-grey hair, a cat sweater, and smelled of fresh gingerbread. Levy was overcome with the strong desire to hug that woman.
"How may I help you dearie?" she asked in a hot coco warm voice.
"Oh, hello. I'm here about the translation job," she held up the flyer.
The woman's sparkling eyes lit up even more.
"Oh, yes! Yes, of course. I'm so glad someone came. You see, my dear grandson found these old books that my husband had many years ago. He wanted to read them, as my dear Albert passed away when he was still young, but they're not in English. He'd give anything to have them translated. Here, I'll write down the address for you."
Levy's heart was filled with such warmth from the woman that she almost offered to do the job for free. She would have, but she really did need the rent money, and the woman did say that the job was from her grandson, not her directly. The woman handed Levy a slip of paper with an address written on it. The girl expressed her thanks, then set off to find a hotel room and Cana's bar.
By the Barrel, Cana's bar, was right across the street from a little mom and pop hotel. Levy checked in, dropped off her clothing, and then crossed the street.
Surprisingly, the bar looked…nice. The tables and chairs were all in one piece, the floors were clean, and none of the patrons were on the floor brawling. When Levy spotted her old guild mate, the woman wasn't even drinking. She was drying out shot glasses at the end of the bar.
"Levy!" the woman spotted her, "Get over here. I haven't seen you in ages."
The blunette smiled, "Hello Cana. You seem to be doing well."
"I am. Just look at this place! It's certainly nicer than the guild hall."
"I'll admit, it's good to see tables that are in one piece."
"Cheeky. Come on, take a seat. What brings you to Oshibana?"
Levy accepted a glass of water and told her friend about the job.
"You know, if you ever need work, I could always use another server," Cana offered.
"Thanks, but I might have to hold off on that for a while. I'm thinking about opening a book store someday, or maybe even a library."
"Book store? Just pull out your collection and put up a sign. You've already got enough for a store."
Levy blushed in embarrassment. Yes, one could say she did have a little bit of an obsession with books. But who could really blame her?
"Say, Cana. I have a question," she spun her straw nervously.
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Have you, maybe, heard from Gajeel lately?"
"No. Why do you ask?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"It's nothing like that. I just," she took a deep breath, "I saw a wanted posted with his name and face on it."
"A wanted poster? Where?"
"At Oshibana station. There was only one and I took it. I was just wondering if you knew what had happened to him. There's a really big bounty on his head. One million jewels," her voice was lowered.
"One million," Cana's jaw dropped, "Did the poster say what he did?"
"No. It just said that he was dangerous, to not approach him. It didn't give much more information than that."
"Maybe it's an old poster."
She shook her head, "I don't think so. The paper is white, there are no signs of aging. I'm certain it's new."
"I'm sorry, I don't have any information. But I will reach out to Erza. If anyone will have any news, it'll be her."
"Thanks Cana. I have to go. I'll try to visit again later."
"Of course. Stay safe, Levy. And don't worry too much."
Levy smiled at that, and returned to her hotel room.
*Whew! First chapter done. Let me know what you guys think. I'll try to write more as often and consistently as I can.*