Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima
Chapter 1: Unexpected Encounter
Lexi was very satisfied with herself. She had only been in Magnolia a week and she had already found a job. She had happened upon a Help Wanted sign at a bar on her morning walk. She was still learning her way around town but so far she thought Magnolia was really nice with its many cafes, shops and parks. She still had to find a permanent place to live but her new employer had offered her the use of a small apartment above the bar where she would be working and she had told him she would think about it. She liked the idea of having people around at all times. It made her feel safe.
She would start work that evening. Her job would consist of serving drinks, making some simple food and keeping the bar clean. She was a little excited as she was a fairly sociable person and it had been awhile since she had felt safe enough to allow herself to be around other people. She looked down at the oval shaped locket that hung from her necklace and smiled. She opened it and looked at the picture of the green haired man and said "I think I'm really going to like it here, Daniel. I really wish you were here with me. I miss you so much." She started to sigh but stopped herself. Daniel would not want her to be sad.
She spent the rest of the afternoon walking around town waiting for her shift to start. She arrived a little early so she could check out the apartment. Her boss took her upstairs and opened the door to a beautiful, although small, furnished space. If she was willing to work a few extra shifts he would be willing to let her stay in it as part of her pay. She quickly agreed and he gave her the keys.
They both went downstairs and he showed her everything she would need to know to perform her duties. Customers started coming in soon after and she noticed very quickly that most of them were a lot older than her. A few of them came on to her but they were nice about it and didn't seem upset when she didn't respond to their advances.
She had been working there for a week when something unexpected happened.
"Hey can I get a beer?" Lexi heard a man ask behind her.
"Sure, hang on a second." She quickly poured some beer into a tankard and turned around to see a pair of blue eyes she had never expected to see again looking right at her. She tensed as she handed him the beer but his eyes glanced over her without any hint of recognition. Her appearance had changed considerably since then, ironically due to his advice. He went to pay her for the drink but she waved him away.
"Here you go! It's on the house.", she said with a smile.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not interested."
She looked at him in amusement. "Do you assume that every girl that buys you a drink is hitting on you?"
He looked at her in surprise. "Aren't you?"
She laughed at him. "Not really. I just moved to Magnolia two weeks ago and you are the first person anywhere near my age that has walked through that door. I just wanted to make a friend."
"Oh, well that's embarrassing. Hi, my name is Gray."
"I'm Lexi, nice to meet you."
"I'm not surprised about the age thing by the way, it's kind of why I come here."
"You like to go to places where older people hang out?"
"No, I like to go places no one would expect me to go.", he said with a shy smile.
"Why is that?"
"Sometimes it's the only way I can get some peace for a little while."
She wondered if that girl he'd told her about back then was still a problem. That was too bad. He'd seemed like a really nice guy.
"Well, I need to go check on some of the other customers, maybe we can talk again later."
He nodded at her and drank his beer quietly.
Who would have thought that Gray Fullbuster of all people would walk into her bar. She had promised herself that if she ever saw him again she would help him with his Juvia problem. Two years ago he had helped her out of a similar situation after all. Well, she hoped his situation had not deteriorated to the degree hers had. After a half hour of filling orders she made her way back to him.
"Aren't you cold?", she asked him curiously. In the time she had been gone he had managed to lose his shirt. "You know if you don't want girls to hit on you maybe you shouldn't walk around half naked." She grinned at him.
"When did that happen?" He looked around in confusion trying to figure out where his shirt went.
Lexi laughed. "What's that tattoo on your chest?"
"That's the mark of the guild I belong to, Fairy Tail."
"I've heard of it. A lot of the people here have talked about it. So you're a wizard?"
"Yep. Anyway, I have to go, I have a job in the morning. Thanks for the drink! Maybe I'll introduce you to some of my friends sometime", he waved to her and got up to leave.
"I'd like that."