A/N trying to space my updates a little, deliver larger chapters where I can. Hopefully you'll all enjoy where I'm going, there's a lot to set up so I hope I'm not boring you!Stick with me, action is coming...DESNA
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"I'm just saying I've never see you with any women but you seemed so interested in that…" Bickslow was saying as he followed Cobra down the isle boarding the train for Magnolia.
Lucy was already seated, Wendy beside her for a good reason, Cristoff sat across from Wendy, over breakfast that morning telling the young Slayer he'd teach her a new spell on the train. So, sitting next to Wendy guaranteed Lucy an opportunity to get to know Bickslows brother a little better.
"If you finish that sentence crazy eyes I'm gonna kick you in the nuts so hard you'll be a woman." Cobra snarled, glaring at Bickslow who had pressed his lips together but the Seith mages mouth was already tipped up into a grin. Cobra couldn't see his eyes through his visor, but body language told him enough.
The pair stood for a minute, Cobra glaring Bickslow silently struggling with himself "Given your patterns maybe I'd suddenly be perfect for you." He said and they got a nice brief show of Bickslows acrobatic abilities as he did a back flip, boosting up and over Laxus to escape Cobra.
He landed perfectly too and except for the ungodly amount of electricity that immediately coursed through both him and the Poison slayer, it looked for a moment like Bickslow was going to try to use Laxus of all people as a shield against Cobra. Instead both men collapsed to the floor of the isle twitching.
Laxus grabbed both unconscious men by their collars and threw their limp bodies not kindly onto a bench before he silently sat across from them, Freed happy to sit next to him.
Evergreen and Erza were already sitting across from each other with Natsu and Gray and barely even looked up from their excited discussion about visiting Caelum.
It was a good hour into the trip before Bickslow and Cobra untangled themselves from each other and sat glaring at Laxus who ignored them, sitting back and listening to his sound pods.
Cristoff suggested they go sit in the dining car "I'll buy you some tea and we can work on the new spell, more space and besides that, I like the views." He'd said simply, Wendy hopped right up, excited and Lucy bit her lip, so much for her plans.
"You're welcome to come Lucy, though you may end up being a guinea pig for Wendy to practice on." Cristoff added and Lucy grinned.
"A guinea pig for healing magic doesn't sound too bad." She said brightly. "Well they may have to injure you so they can heal you though Cosplayer." Bickslow pointed out, Lucys eyes widened until Cristoff chuckled
"No, that's not how it works, but I'd be willing to use some of your electric burns there for her to practice on…" he smirked and Bickslow grinned, standing "Well, sounds like I'm coming too then, you can buy me a beer since I'm a test subject." The Seith said brightly, his brother shaking his head and following Wendy up the isle without a word.
They went up a couple cars then climbed some stairs into the elevated dining area that had huge windows so you could watch out over the landscape as the train travelled.
Once they found a good table, sat down and put in their drink orders, Cristoff looked at Wendy seriously.
"Okay, so when did your dragon leave, It was Grandeeney right? How old were you when she left?" He asked.
"I was 5, I didn't get much time with her at all. Porlyusica had taught me a lot about potions, herbal remedies and such though." Wendy replied.
"That's the Edolas counterpart of your dragon if I remember what your guild Master and Bix have told me. Yeah, that's pretty young to loose your teacher." He frowned.
"How old were you when yours left?" Lucy asked.
"Almost 12, it was when Acnalogia attacked Tenrou apparently from what was pieced together after you all disappeared. Nurem told me she couldn't endanger me by being near me anymore, that since Acnalogia was on the wing again, she had to go into hiding to avoid a fight with him she wasn't sure she could win and knew if she waited for him to come to her he'd lay waste to everything around where he found her. Nurem was a brood mother, a full Queen dragon, mate of Draco. Her Tatsu had already been almost wiped out by Acnalogia centuries earlier, she said she didn't doubt he would look for her since she is one of the last Dragon Queens." Cristoff replied, his eyes lowering for a bit. Their drinks came then and broke the silence and when the waitress left Cristoffs attention was back on Wendy.
"Ok, so I've seen you do a little this morning, you cast Troia on Natsu, an equilibrium spell. You know Troia is really inefficient for that, diminishing returns is a serious problem if you use it frequently, it's not what the spell is really meant for. To handle motion sickness you use Trenka, a variation, uses far less magic power to cast, has a 24 hour duration and you can cast it again, over and over and it won't diminish, Natsu can't get tolerant to it." Cristoff was explaining and Lucy watched, Fascinated, while Cristoff taught the girl the simple spell.
It seemed so easy she half wondered if she could cast it herself but didn't want to interrupt what she was watching, instead storing the information away.
"So, you said you need to be close to someone in order to heal them, and that is best, the less distance your magic has to travel, the better it works and the more precise your control, however, sometimes in battle situations you really don't have options, there's no time out you can call to heal a comrade that's taken damage yet life or death may hang in the balance over whether or not that comrade stays in the fight." Cristoff was saying.
Lucy just sipped at her tea, watching, letting her mind drift a little while Cristoff started showing Wendy how to heal from a distance, having Bickslow sit at a table across from them.
Something occurred to her then and she looked at Cristoff sharply as he was watching Wendy trying to follow his instructions. "Your dragons mate was Draco…as in THE Draco? The Celestial dragon?" She asked him.
He nodded "The same, yeah, he was recalled to the celestial realms a long time before I was born, but they still communicated, spirits would bring her messages from him and sometimes she would leave for a few days to visit a certain peak somewhere in Pergrande that she said was a celestial magic focal point where she could actually see him. It was why she was so agreeable about my father adopting me, I had a home so she didn't have to worry about leaving me now and then, I was in school, training with White Sea by the time I was 6. She found me when I was tiny, 3 years old, like how Wendys Dragon found her. When I was 4 father adopted me and Nurem lived on the estate near Pelerno with my new family."
Lucy was amazed, it made sense, Nurem, the Lunar Dragon, a celestial body creature herself was mated to Draco the celestial dragon. Cristoff smiled at her then and pulled a ring off the middle finger of his right hand, handing it to her. Lucy frowned slightly but took it, her eyes flying wide, mouth falling open as she felt familiar magic warm in the ring, the deep dark blue stone had a symbol in it and she gasped "Rastaban…" She breathed, one of the stars of Draco 'This is…it's not a key…" She was completely confused, it FELT like a key, the magic was so familiar.
"You've seen them before princess." A familiar voice said behind her and she looked up, Loke stood, she hadn't even felt him push through his gate but the lion spirit pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat next to Lucy, holding his own hand out.
On his fingers were of course his rings and it suddenly started coming together. "But you're not…how could you have one?" She asked in amazement and Cristoff held up his left hand, on the smallest finger was another ring "I have two." He said, pulling the second off and letting her examine it. "Rastaban and Aldhibah, Nurem gave them to me when she had to leave me, told me she wanted all the protection she could grant me upon me." He said.
"Draco gave several of his stars to Nurem, the spirits of his constellation, like those of mine, are strong guardians for those given their protection. Hello by the way Cristoff, Nurem, as always, sends her love." Loke said, nodding at Cristoff who smiled.
Lucy felt her magic stir this time when Virgo broke through, the Maid spirit bowed to her "Princess." She acknowledged then turned and smiled brighter than Lucy had ever seen her and Cristoff was on his feet suddenly hugging the spirit.
"Virgo is a favorite of Draco as a messenger, she's been visiting with Cristoff since Nurem found him." Loke explained.
Cristoff set the maid back on her feet and she smiled up at him "You have grown a great deal since I last saw you Lunar Slayer." She observed. He grinned at her "Well I was what, 11 the last time you saw me and that was almost 11 years ago, yeah I've grown some." He replied. Wendy was grinning, Bickslow smiling too, not looking as surprised as everyone else.
"You know Lucys spirits?" Wendy asked.
"Some of them, I don't know who all is contracted to her, but Virgo and I know each other really well, and I've met Leo a few times too." Cristoff replied.
Lucy was about beside herself. Nurem was the mate of Draco, and had raised Cristoff as a son like Igneel had Natsu and Metalicana had Gajeel. Igneel and Metalicana though were gone, so was Grandeeney, but apparently Cristoffs dragon, one of the Dragon Queens, was still alive somewhere in hiding. All of that was staggering enough but her own spirits knew Cristoff, had for years, and he possessed the rings to two of the stars of Draco, keys she knew well as a Celestial Mage, but the rings she didn't know much about, though she badly wanted to now hold two of them in her hands, feeling their magic pulse warmly against her own, so welcome, like her keys always had.
"Why not use Rastaban or Aldhibah as messengers?" She asked.
"Well, it was often easier to ask a zodiac, who can push through under their own magic far better than a star can, Zodiacs can also bring items, so usually when one of us visited Nurem, it was to bring her something from Draco. I myself gave her those rings for Cristoff along with the news she had to leave him." Loke admitted.
"I resented you for a while for that, hated Draco for being so persistent about it too." Cristoff said.
"He was only protecting Nurem, and you and your family, the whole city you grew up by too, Acnalogia would have destroyed it all without hesitation, would have killed thousands knowing it would upset and distract Nurem enough he'd get a good edge fighting her." Virgo told him.
Cristoff smiled "I came to terms with it Virgo, it was just hard to deal with, my brother and my mother both disappearing at the same time was a hell of a blow, and then I didn't get to see any of you anymore. Rastaban and Aldhibah told me she was safe, but they couldn't tell me how you were, or anything at all about my brother other than telling me he wasn't dead."
"Yeah, our dad was who gave Fairy Tail the money to get out there again when they finally found us." Bickslow said "all because Cristoff kept telling everyone for 7 years I wasn't dead and somebody had to find us."
"Being a kid it was tough getting anyone to listen though, it wasn't until I had made S-class and got knighted that anyone started really taking me seriously, though Dad always believed me." Cristoff said, not a little bitterly.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, you are all welcome of course to remain up here until we stop, but we're ten minutes from Magnolia now." The waiter interrupted them and with a final hug for Cristoff and a bow to Lucy, Virgo vanished, Loke shortly after her. Lucyhanded Cristoff back his rings and he slid them back into place on his hands smiling, casting Wendy a thoughtful look.
"Our little lesson got broken up, but tomorrow, 7am sharp I want you at the guild, we'll start working more seriously got it kiddo?" He asked and Wendy beamed "Yes Cristoff." She hugged him then and headed for the stairs to rejoin Carla and get her bags.
Lucy followed her and Bickslow stretched, before falling in with his younger brother "Man, it's gonna be fun trying to keep team Natsu in line." He said. Cristoff eyed him "Natsu might just be taking a lot of unplanned naps." He smirked and Bickslow grinned wickedly "Can you cast that at any distance now?" He asked, Cristoffs smirk darkened "I can actually…"
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"Ok, so I have winter gear, stuff for hot weather, wet, tents, sleeping bags, every blanket I own…can you think of anything else Virgo?" Lucy looked up at the maid spirit across the wreck that was her livingroom and Virgo tilted her head, "Well, we still need to go grocery shopping for food, I think that Cristoffs advice about trying to bring as much to fall back on as possible would be wise, I can store an infinite amount between my own pantry and those of my brethren, though Aquarius told me to tell you she wasn't letting you keep anything at her place and if you summon her from a cup again she'll drown you."
"You like him don't you? Cristoff I mean. I was really surprised you knew him." Lucy said. Virgo bowed slightly.
"Yes Princess, the Lunar slayer is a good person, and he's grown into a very handsome man, looks like he could punish you very nicely…" Her sly smile made Lucy blush.
"Ok, I'll be going to the grocery store then, can you store all of this for me?" She asked deciding she wasn't touching the subject of Cristoff punishing her the way her maid had in mind. That just made weird shivers run all through her.
Erza met her outside, the knight liked the idea of having back up food for the trip and had apparently put some research into what they could bring.
"Apparently Cristoff will be bringing some as well, but I would like some variety." She said brightly.
By variety she of course meant purchasing two dozen strawberry cakes and talking Virgo into freezing them for her. Lucy could only smile and shake her head, though she herself bought a few whole cheesecakes and added them to what Virgo was handling for Erza, if she was careful, no matter where they went or how long this mission took, she would be able to have a slice of cheesecake and all could be right with her world.
She was a little horrified by how much they bought, but Virgo insisted it was all wise (except for the cakes) so Lucy just finished getting her things together, paid her rent for the next two months, wondering if that would be enough and somehow doubting it would be. Travel to Caelum from Crocus was going to have them on board an airship for a little over a week since they were flying to a smaller city in the western region of the country.
The Raijinshuu had gone to Crocus already with Wendy in tow, Cristoff had to get his visa from the Boscan embassy and there was a sporting equipment store and an armorer there the team wanted to pick things up from before they left. So Team Natsu travelled on their own, Natsu miserable because there was no healer to ease his motion sickness for the 10+ hour train ride to Crocus.
She had gotten to talk with Levy, set it up with Gajeel to give Levy the book she'd gotten signed for her, since she was going to miss her friends birthday, something she wasn't happy about but couldn't be helped. At least Levy was pre-occupied with the Iron Dragon Slayer, he'd asked Levy on a real date and Lucy was almost in pain she wasn't going to be there to talk with Levy afterward but she had a com lacrima now, purchased with the money from the first keypiece mission and planned to call Levy the day after to see how things had gone.
Crocus was bustling, alive with people when they arrived, Erza smiled back at Lucy Natsu and Gray, "We have four hours before we need to be at the Sky Port, I would like to visit a book store and pick up some reading material." Erza said, Lucy grinned, her friend always knew exactly what would pull her in.
"Ok, well, I'd like to hit the clothing store, I need some more shirts…keep losing mine…" Gray muttered the last part and Lucy and Erza both snickered.
"I'm going ahead, there's a diner at the Sky Port, Happy and I are hungry anyway." Natsu said.
"You're always hungry Natsu." Lucy observed, smiling fondly at the grinning slayer. "Yeah, I guess I am, see you guys there." He called, hefting his bag and making his way through the crowds of people in the direction of the sky port.
Erza and Lucy found a good book store and Lucy, who was determined to carry no more than her messenger bag, having everything else with Virgo, managed to find room in the bag for the books she bought, they stopped by a candy store close to the Skyport then, purchasing some treats for the flight before taking the huge elevator up to the concourses that led to the docks for the airships.
"We're flying on the Besillah." Erza said, reviewing her information sheet. Laxus had given everyone one a few days ago with their tickets so they would know how to get to and on board their airship.
The new trade agreements with Bosco had brought the countries incredible airships to Fiore in spite of the train line owners resisting them. It opened up a huge amount of trade with other countries as well as travel options that had been pretty lengthy and miserable before.
The Airships were comfortable, safer than boats, far faster than trains and could manage a great deal of cargo, though the Besillah was a passenger ship. "They call these ships flying resorts." Lucy smiled as they neared the dock where the Besillah was waiting. Natsu stood up from a seat in the lobby along with Gray who was now pulling two large suitcases on a little wheeled cart, all recently purchased, he'd meant it when he'd said he was buying clothes it seemed.
Through the windows they could see the Besillah, the sleek ship was a big as the largest boats Lucy had ever seen on the water, the massive lacrima engines mounted along its belly.
"I saw Evergreen board while I was over there in the diner." Natsu said, nodding toward the concourse diner across the way, he'd been sitting content to watch the airships come and go while he and Happy stuffed their faces.
"Lets hurry and find Wendy or Cristoff then so you can keep all you just ate." Lucy quipped and the Fire slayer suddenly paled a little, eyes widening "Yeah…yeah lets hurry and do that!" He agreed and they went through boarding, having their bags checked through, travel papers reviewed etc took a while but soon they were walking across the flight bridge being greeted by pretty Boscan flight attendants. "Welcome aboard the Besillah!" They greeted, handing out maps of the ship and giving them directions to their cabins.
Gray was grinning, he'd been around Boscan women before and it had always been a really good experience.
They went to their cabins and Lucy was amazed they each had their own, Dr. Grinoir had spared no expense for the now combined teams.
It wasn't spacious, a simple room with a queen sized bed dominating it, large windows affording a breathtaking view, a little closet and a bathroom that consisted of a toilet and a sink.
Lucy frowned, not having even a shower to herself kind of bothered her, but looking at the ships map she saw there was a shower, bath and steam room on every deck, what sort of alarmed her was there weren't designated mens and womens separate ones.
She knew Boscans were very open, casual about sex, they had a relaxed forward thinking culture that really did favor women and empower them as much as men, she had always sort of admired it even while it kind of intimidated her in away.
Still, an open shower/bath? She shook it off, deciding it was best to unpack, she was going to be in this cabin for 8 days she could get a little comfortable. Summoning Virgo she and the maid spirit rapidly had dresses hanging and clothes in the dresser.
"Passengers, welcome aboard the Besillah. I am Captain Kaldair, we are in the process of pushing away from the dock and will begin our ascent to our cruising altitude of 1000 feet for this 8 day flight to the city of Umleith in Caelum with one half day stop in the capital city of Prentice on the way. All amenities are now open for your enjoyment, please enjoy your time aboard the Besillah." Came over the speakers and Lucy smiled, looking out the window of her room and seeing them moving, grateful that Cristoff and Wendy had been thoughtful enough to wait for Natsu in the reception area so Wendy could cast her new spell on him so he could enjoy being aboard the ship.
Once she saw Crocus grow little beneath the ship she turned away from the window and found Virgo had already excused herself. Smiling she said a silent Thank You to the spirit as someone knocked on her door.
"There is a pool, and many other amenities, even a casino onboard, I would like to visit the spa and have my nails done before dinner with Evergreen, would you care to join us?" Erza asked as soon as Lucy opened the door.
"I'd love to! Let me grab my bag!" Lucy grinned.
"This has to be the best way possible to travel." Evergreen was saying as they walked from the spa to the dining hall/Casino/Club that was on the top deck of the ship. It was dinner time and Lucy was starving.
"Agreed, it's good our King was able to work out such a good agreement with Bosco. It feels like a vacation instead of travel." Erza said brightly, admiring her now pink finger and toenails, some even had lovely flower and bird designs painted onto them.
Lucy had gone red, since her bathing suit was that color and she had a slinky sundress and some other things in that color. She'd decided she was going to see if she couldn't catch a little attention, maybe even the notice of Wendys new healing magic teacher.
She had an edge there, she already had a great friendship with Wendy, honestly loved the girl, so it was easy to insert herself in what Wendy was up to. She just needed to figure out how to maybe get time alone with the Lunar slayer, it was hard to be flirty with a 16 year old girl grinning and hanging on every word.
They met up with Natsu, Freed and Gray and Lucy asked after the others.
"Laxus, Bickslow and Cristoff wanted to investigate the ships gymnasium. They said they would grab dinner at the small eatery by the pool that serves all Boscan cuisine. I believe they plan to linger around the pool tonight because the weather is nice." Freed replied.
Dinner in the main dining hall came with a show that wasn't half bad, singing and dancing that had everyone smiling and Evergreen and Erza both determined to purchase Boscan veil outfits when the waitress told them the attire on the dancers could be bought at one of the shops in the third level shopping area.
Lucy had to admit, the outfits were sexy as hell and looked very soft and comfortable, almost like something you would see on a genie when she thought about it.
After exploring the shopping level and giving in and buying herself one of the veil outfits because damn it, they were so soft and Evergreen, Wendy and Erza all said the red one looked amazing on her, Lucy was tired but wanting a bath before she turned in.
"I'll accompany you Lucy, it is my understanding that as per Boscan culture, the baths/showers and steam rooms are open to both sexes, so none of us should visit them alone." Erza said.
"I'm not too worried, a lot of the men on board aren't bad looking at all, but if it's ok, I'll go with you too." Evergreen said, Wendy adding her own agreement so all of the women returned to their cabins then met up again in the provided robes. Lucy brought her bathing suit along, unsure of how she would feel until she saw how things were laid out.
It turned out the open bathing facilities had rows of lockers, locks provided upon request, there were open showers that didn't have doors and only waist high partitions that were apparently traditional for Bosco, but there were also a few showers that were private, with locking doors made of heavily etched glass that couldn't really be seen through, you could tell if someone was in there, but the glass distorted enough you really couldn't make out any sort of details.
The steam rooms could hold up to 8 people according to the attendants, and the hot baths were, in fact, open to all but had attendants manning them so if anyone behaved in an inappropriate way, they would be handled promptly.
Lucy was also informed attendants were available to assist in bathing if requested, massages including private ones that "Are meant to provide full pleasure and release of tension, you may select a highly trained and skilled male or female attendant if you wish such a session." They were told.
Wendy blushed, hell, all of them blushed. But after seeing a few of the trained attendants, and knowing how Boscans were raised, Lucy was sure she wasn't the only one tempted.
After glimpsing the bath area and seeing it mostly empty, they decided to be brave, it was their first night on this adventure, they were travelling to foreign countries, it was time to live a little!
Erza had no qualms about going nude into the bath, Lucy, blushing furiously but determined not to be a prude, followed her lead trying not to make eye contact with the male attendant who was present…and not bad looking.
Wendy opted for her bathing suit, but Evergreen, refusing to be outdone by her guildmates, also went nude into the steaming waters. They were fragrant, a mixture of minerals and oils in the flowing water, circulated and heated through a waterfall that was at the back of the bath.
They opted to sit by the waterfall and Lucy groaned as she sank to her chin in the soothing water.
"Ok…this is amazing. I can't believe we're on a ship, flying through the air, and soaking in an amazing bath right now." She purred.
"I'm really loving this, we get 8 days of this." Evergreen added.
"Liking Boscan airship travel hmm ladies?" Lucy almost eeped, wading toward them were three decently good sized men, not Boscan judging by their paler complexions and lack of tattoos.
The water was heavy enough with minerals and movement she was certain they couldn't see any more than they would have if they were trying to look through one of the private shower doors but Lucy still felt exposed and uncomfortable with the leers on their faces.
"Very much, but we were also enjoying it privately and wish no trouble with anyone." Erza replied giving them a dangerous look that would have sent anyone who knew her running.
The men though, did not know her, all they saw were some good looking women in a corner relatively far from the attendants post.
"No trouble at all, we're just looking to enjoy the trip like you ladies are." The one speaking had red hair, styled up in some odd attempt at a pompadour and vaguely reminded Lucy of Wakaba, just without the smile.
"You know these waters are pretty nice, and if you just sit a little higher on the rock formations by the waterfall, gets everything that matters at just about the perfect height for full enjoyment, know what I mean?" The redhead was lewdly moving his hips and Erza curled her lip as Lucy, Evergreen and Wendy recoiled in disgust.
"You will leave now, we want nothing to do with your brand of fun, now go away and leave us alone or else." Erza snarled. The men laughed, and Erza was just about to move when the water suddenly rose and swept the men back from them.
Walking along the outer edge of the bath was the good looking Boscan attendant. "I warned you men, if you bothered any woman, ignored a single hint of rejection, you would face repercussions, this is a Boscan ship, you will respect the women on board. If you are looking for sexual release we have trained attendants that can assist you but you are not allowed to force your attention on other passengers. These women were clear when you approached they did not want your company." He was saying firmly, a flick of his wrist and the water hurled the men to the far end of the bath area where two other male attendants removed them.
Lucy looked away, the three men were all naked, and all had hard ons, it was clear what they had been thinking.
"Thank you." Evergreen smiled up at the attendant, who was clearly a water mage. He smiled down at them "We have to give everyone a chance to behave respectfully, I had a feeling about those three, their conversation when they came in here was not a positive one. You will not encounter them in the baths again, they will be banned from being in here if women are present in the future." He bowed, his dark brown hair falling over sea colored eyes and Evergreen and Erza both smiled back more than a little warmly.
After a good comfortable soak they went to the showers then Lucy returned to her cabin, falling asleep looking through the window at a deep dark blue sky filled with stars that reminded her of the Lunar slayers eyes.
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"Your being stared at." Freed said as he walked past the showers Laxus, Bickslow and Cristoff occupied. He had gone to the private showers with doors but Cristoff and Bickslow lacked any need for privacy, accustomed to open shower areas and neither wanted to wait for one of the few private ones anyway.
So, both men had opted to just take their showers in the Boscan common area and Laxus had agreed with the choice too, the three all needing them after enjoying time in the well equipped gym.
"Looking forward to 8 days of time in a good gym, the guilds is always a bit of a mess and Gajeel keeps snacking on the weights." Laxus said, not caring any more than the two Boscan men to his right if anyone was staring at them.
"Yeah, I like they have balance beams and uneven bars too, don't see many gyms with gymnastic equipment." Bickslow said, finishing up and grabbing his towel, when he turned he saw what Freed had. A couple of women openly watching the men shower. One was Boscan, tattoos unmistakable, the other though wasn't. Bickslow gave them a smile, wrapping the towel around his waist and headed for the lockers to collect his robe and clothes so he could return to his cabin.
When he started back across the area he saw the Boscan woman had moved and was leaning on the low patrician outside Laxus' spot, a few moments later Laxus reached out and pulled the woman into the stall with him. She giggled, but seeing Laxus bend his head to kiss her, there wasn't much doubt what was happening there.
The brunette that was with her stepped out then and Bickslow had to stop or run into her.
She smiled up at him, her ship issued robe open, yep…gorgeous, Bickslow raised a brow at her "Did you need something?" He asked her.
"Company." She replied and he grinned, pulling her to him.
"Later little brother…Laxus" He called as she walked with him from the showers, there was so much to be said for women that were not afraid to ask for what they wanted.
Cristoff smiled watching his brother leave. Silent, he left Laxus, who was engrossed in his new companion, grabbed his robe smiling to himself and headed to his cabin. He wasn't one for jealousy, wasn't feeling especially in need of a woman at the moment and wasn't totally sure why, usually hi appetite ran high. When he felt the need though he was sure for the next 8 days at least he wouldn't have a problem getting what he wanted.
If nothing else, the steam room massages were satisfying and the experienced attendants knew their way around the pleasures of those they served. It was late, he knew Wendy had gone to bed a few hours ago, everyones cabins were on this level, Dr. Grinoir kept them together.
Dried off he pulled on his swim shorts some track pants no shirt but shrugged into a zippered dark blue hoodie deciding to take a walk on the open deck and maybe have a swim before he turned in. He could feel a full moon coming, and always deeply savored any time he could be out in the moonlight, it invigorated him, charged his magic, fed his spirit.
So as soon as he was outside, the breeze washing over him with the light of a nearly full moon he let the hoodie slide down his arms, carrying it and turning his face up toward the moon, standing by the railing and looking out over the moonwashed landscape below them.
It was far from his first time on a Boscan airship, though these brand new ones built to serve as strictly passenger liners he hadn't been on, he'd always flown on gunships or freighters. He had to admit, this was pretty nice, the amenities of home while travelling.
Wendy was going to learn fast, he could tell that much, needed her second origin opened too, he could do that but she'd need to even out how she used her magic first. She tended to pour too much energy into her spells and wear herself out fast, and her precision just plain wasn't there, making her healing sloppy, which her outpouring of magic energy compensated for but he could see why Makarov had sought help for her.
He had always liked his brothers team, he'd known them for years, and he liked the other team they were with now as well. Natsu, as a Dragon Slayer, was a bit of a shock. He was used to disciplined Dragon Slayers, his sister was manic about her training and controlling her magic and Laxus was no slouch either, Cobra rarely made the smallest mistake that he'd seen, also precise, deadly in combat, but Natsu was like a canon missing its barrel.
Gray seemed decent, he'd not met an Ice Make demon slayer before, the man wielded some hefty power. Erza was formal, a little stiff, and beautiful, and of course Lucy, the Celestial Mage was stunning, had at least two spirits he knew from his childhood, and had a kindness to her, none of the harder edges he was used to in women.
She seemed shy, her arousal around him he'd not missed, but he wasn't sure if it was all for him or not, so far other men had been around every time he'd been around her and caught that heady feminine scent of arousal coming from her, when he'd been checking her back and legs by the pool in Onibus he'd scented it, and was certain that was directed at him, her breathing and heart rate weren't being driven by anything buy his hands on her body that time.
He'd be lying if he tried to claim he didn't return her interest but she was "The Light of Fairy Tail." According to his brother, who had told him he doubted there was a man in the guild who hadn't thought about wanting her in some way, but she was well adored by the guild, so he was better off keeping himself tightly reined into the friend zone with her, no matter how wonderful he was sure her gorgeous body would feel beneath his.
He still didn't really understand the reservations, the whole "Don't have sex it's naughty" thing Fiore clung to like a filthy outdated shield against their women having personal control over their own bodies and the pleasures those bodies could enjoy.
Cana had seemed more like a normal Boscan woman when he'd met her, but he'd been warned away from her too so he'd just seek women elsewhere, in all his visits with his brother, companionship from women was never something he had to work much for, so he wasn't overly concerned, he wouldn't be going without, it was just sad the finest women he'd met were not options because of antiquated ideas about a woman that abstained and didn't enjoy herself was somehow better than one that did.
He liked Lucy, he'd always had a thing for blondes, maybe it was because most of the people in Bosco had dark colored hair. It also could be because she was a celestial mage, a strong one from what he could tell, and had Virgo contracted, he'd always been fond of Virgo.
He walked the entire deck before heading to the pool. Since it was late most of the lights were dimed so the moons light dominated the area which was fine with him, he preferred it anyway.
Striping away the pants and his shoes he tossed his clothes onto a lounge near the pool and dove in. A few laps followed and stretched out his body, the unexpected workout with the weights in the gym that evening had been something he'd needed but the swim stretched everything out really well so that when he emerged from the pool and grabbed a towel from a nearby cart he was feeling the gentle tug of being tired deep enough he could probably get to sleep soon.
He was always like this around full moons, the influx of surplus magic made everything in him hum with power and energy. In a couple of nights he'd definitely be about drunk with it and needing some female attention.
He stretched out on the lounge, soaking in the night, it was all such an integral part of him, from the cool air, to the dark sky, bright stars and luminous moon, though he was a Lunar Slayer he still used star related spells, using primarily Lunar based magics but also celestial and the rings on his fingers made him a capable holder mage too, he'd worked with Aldhibah and Rastaban for a lot of years now.
Maybe that was another reason he liked Lucy, holder magics tended to mesh well and his and hers were about as close and they could get.
Light of Fairy Tail…he reminded himself, off limits. He really had to stop thinking about her, he'd prowl a bit tomorrow and see about getting some feminine company, that was probably all he needed, he was just thinking about the Blonde because he liked blondes and it was close to a full moon so he was getting riled. Easy enough to fix.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Lucy was just lost, she really hadn't meant to wander the whole fucking ship but for the life of her she couldn't find the door that would get her back below decks, she'd wandered the upper deck, enjoyed the moonlight, the starry sky, and was finally ready for actual sleep when she halted.
Laying on a lounge, completely alone in the darkened pool area was Cristoff, stretched out wearing just those fitted dark blue swim shorts of his. He looked unreal, tall body stretched on the chair, arms behind his head, toned and defined abs, chest, he had such flawless definition, not overdone, just what any woman would love to get her hands all over.
Unable to stop herself she slipped through the little gate into the pool area and went over to him. He was asleep, body still damp from a swim, beads of water glistening on his tan skin, long black hair clinging to his shoulders in places.
She couldn't put a label on what all he made her feel but she wanted him, and that she could label easily, lust. The man was just a tall, dark and gorgeous hunk of panty dropping sex on legs and she wanted a piece. Leaning down she couldn't stop herself from touching him, sliding her hands over the warm skin, amazed to find him so warm to the touch given he was still wet from swimming and laying in damp swim shorts at night with the cool breeze blowing.
Eye like the sky above them came open and she was transfixed again. Nobody had eyes like his, she'd never even imagined someone could, it had to come in part from his magic, which fascinated her, his rings, his healing, his easy going nature, he handled Wendy so well, was friends with some of her spirits even.
He didn't say anything, just reached a hand up into her hair and pulled her down to kiss him and she was lost in a new way. His lips, warm and soft moving on hers she didn't hesitate to press her body into him, not caring that the water on his skin soaked into her jacket and little tank top, he felt incredible.
She bit his lower lip, earning a growl that made her insides clench and burn hotter. When his lips parted her tongue was pushing into his mouth and she could feel the sharper than normal canines, his body just radiated power, the deep growl, the masculine scent like the evening breeze, his black hair was damp and thick in her fingers and she just devoured him because he let her.
His lips slid from hers, trailing along her jawline while hands that seemed to know exactly what she wanted slid her jacket form her and pushed up her tank top so it bunched under her arms and exposed her full breasts, she wasn't wearing a bra, she was dressed for bed after all.
He teased her breasts until she was moaning, writhing on top of him, straddling his hips and grinding herself against him, feeling his hips lift to meet her, his hardened member straining against his shorts, pressing deliciously against her core and her hands were shaking as she grabbed the waist of the shorts and shoved them down until he was free of them enough that when she shoved her tight little shorts and panties to the side she could sink down on him and feel him filling her, decidedly bigger than any of the three men she'd been with in both girth and length she was groaning in a mixture of deep pleasure and pain before he was even fully seated inside her but he slid skilled fingers to the bundle of nerves at her center, pressing her little button and she threw her head back.
She was already drenched, all that slowed the process was purely the fact he was so much bigger than the men who she'd been with, but once she felt herself settle, him deep inside of her, the pain was gone quickly replaced by burning need and she started moving on him, riding his hard length, hands braced on his firm stomach, after a few strokes she trust down harder and he finally made a sound, a wonderful growl but he still said nothing, just started thrusting up with his hips, driving himself into her as she rode him harder and harder.
It was intense, she felt like he was almost too deep, plunging so far inside of her each thrust flirted with but never quite touched pain, just a surging tension, tighter and tighter until she was bucking on top of him, the lounge scraping on the deck their breathing coming in ragged pants.
"So good…oh Gods…Cristoff…" She panted and his fingers were firm on her hips, one hand sliding to her ass, clenching the cheek there hard he added a little twist when he would pull her down on him, enough to change the angle just a little so the head of his erection suddenly hit her g-spot and within two thrusts she was flung rapidly over the edge into bliss, vision going white as she felt herself cum.
Thrashing wildly she fell off the lounge and was somehow tangled in something…maybe her jacket? No he'd thrown that off, it was all around her and she struggled with it, where had he gone?
Lucy popped up, free of what she saw now were the blankets from her bed, and she wasn't on the pool deck…she was in her fucking cabin and there wasn't a sexy dragon slayer laying panting for her either, just her own sadly empty bed.
"Fuck my life…" She growled.
Lucy kicked the covers off herself and heaved a sigh, grabbing up a light jacket to be on the safe side she slid her feet into her trainers not bothering with socks and headed from her cabin, a nice walk would help her relax, maybe shake the lusty thoughts from her Lunar slayer obsessed mind.
She'd thought that would work, when she stepped out onto the top deck and the breeze washed over her, moonlight making everything silvery she was sure she'd made a good choice. She didn't walk far, had seen the ships pool during the day and thought maybe gazing at the water with the moon shining on it would be soothing since she couldn't really see anything but dark shapes below the ship right now. There was hardly anyone out, but then it was almost 2am, anyone still up was probably below decks at the ships casino or club.
Just a few of the crew were milling about, cleaning and preparing everything for the following day before they turned in themselves.
Her calm though was turned upside down when she saw the object of her recent dream laying on a lounge by the pool, in those dark shorts, a hoodie and jeans lain over the nearby chair moonlight glittering on beads of water on his smooth skin.
It was just like her dream, he wasn't on his back, instead on his belly, black hair pulled over one shoulder, both arms under his head it was like he was sunbathing just under the moon.
Lunar slayer, maybe he was like Natsu, consumed his primary element except you didn't eat moonlight, so he laid out in it?
"You couldn't sleep either hmm?" He cracked open an eye and she saw it catch the moonlight, flashed almost as silver as the moon above them for a moment before he closed it, smiling.
"N…no, I uh….had some disturbing dreams." She managed awkwardly. Way to go Luce, never can get much more than a sentience out around the man, he's gotta think I'm some sort of idiot. She mentally shook herself, but this was un-nerving, minutes ago, in her dreams she'd been all over this man and it had been so…real…intense, she could still taste him, feel how warm and firm his skin had been…
"Mmm, I can help with those dreams." He said lazily, and he moved, swinging his legs down and sitting on the lounge.
Lucys eyes flew wide, help?! He was the fucking star of those dreams and here he was, exactly like she had dreamed about him, nearly naked stretched out by the deserted pool in the moonlight except the reality was ten times as enticing as the dream Cristoff had been, this one was talking to her in that smooth deep lilting voice.
"Y…y-you can..h-help? How?" She stammered, fingers digging into the waist high fence that ran around the pool area, it was the only thing giving her the ability to stop herself from diving right onto that man, pinning him to the lounge and taking what she'd dreamed of having.
"I'm a lunar dragon slayer, I've never encountered anything that could resist my command to sleep, and I can influence dreaming, command sweet dreams or nightmares on people. I can't tell you what to dream, but I can command your dream state to keep them pleasant." He told her, now fully under that dark gaze she was mesmerized.
"You looked like you were sunbathing." She said suddenly, trying hard to stop thinking about her damn dream.
He smiled, turning his face into the moonlight, eyes closed, looking so utterly at peace it was compelling.
"I feel the moon, it's cycles, it's movement in the sky, when its reaching full I get restless, have more energy than I know what to do with, laying out in it is soothing, refreshing, the less clothing I have separating me from it the better, it's like warm water on my skin right now." He told her and the idea made a shiver run through her.
"You prefer to be naked huh?" She asked, almost licking her lips at the idea, she'd prefer it too, but then mentally slapped herself Ok, bad Lucy, seriously, this is not how you convince the Gods you're a good girl deserving of the raven haired angel sitting a few feet away and there's no doubt it would take divine intervention to land that sexy thing so you need to behave!
He smirked, and she shifted under that suddenly warmed gaze "Yes, if I had my way, I'd prefer to lay naked under the moon. Were I in Bosco that's exactly what I'd be doing in a couple of nights." He replied.
"In a couple of nights? Why not tonight?" Lucy asked.
"Night after tomorrow the moon will be full, I'll have more energy than at any other time during its cycle." He stood then suddenly, reaching out and grabbing the hoodie from the chair and pulling it on. Truth was, at the moment, his blood was singing through his veins and the blonde was standing there, her golden hair almost glowing in the moonlight, silken skin luminous beneath it. At home, right now, he'd usually have at least one woman with him, likely out on the balcony of his home by the Guild, he'd fuck her all night too, by the full moon he rarely had fewer than three women with him, two would struggle to keep up with the amount of energy he'd have under that incredible feeling, endless bath of magical power he'd be under.
He'd fucked his way through many full moons now, and planned to do the same in two nights, he was sure he could get a couple of women to let him drive them insane with pleasure for a night.
So, with that energy flowing through him, his libido in overdrive, pushed by his surging magical power and his dragon basking in it within him wanting to direct that energy into sating more carnal desires, having the beautiful blonde standing there, smelling strongly of desire wasn't doing him any favors. So he pulled on his hoodie, hoping the fabric would slow the bath of moonlight he was in and help him keep his head straight, he felt himself a little drunk on it right now.
He saw her faint disappointment cross her face when he covered up, the angle of the moon right now had it coming slightly behind him, washing over her lovely face and gratefully shadowing his own so his expression, which he was sure was at least a little predatory right now, wasn't as obvious. He was lucky his eyes weren't glowing, they often did under a moon this full, they would for sure in two nights, he'd need to stay well away from Lucy until it started to wane.
Fairy Tails light, off limits. He'd just keep reminding himself of that, teach the Sky Dragon Slayer, work and do his share on this extended mission, and keep a nice distance from Lucy and her tempting chocolate colored eyes, luscious body…he shook his head, hiding the head clearing movement under pulling his hair free from the hoodie and grabbing up his track pants and shoes.
"I'll walk you back to your room if you're ready, I can make sure you sleep well." He offered, wishing as he said it he could do it with his body instead of his magic…he'd love nothing more, the idea of laying that beautiful blonde down and wearing her body out, having her writhing and gasping beneath him was far too tantalizing a thought and one he shoved firmly aside, managing what he hoped was a friendly smile as the came to the gate a little to her left and stepped through it, closing it behind himself.
Lucy really didn't get a clean perception of what he said. Her mind instantly taking the idea of him making sure she slept well right into the gutter, involving her legs wrapped around that tall body, her tongue moving over his skin, Gods he filled that bathing suit out so well…
"Y-yeah…I mean…yes, please…I want energy enough for a jog in the morning with Erza before breakfast, and there's a yoga class we were thinking about too…" She was saying. In her haste to clear away her lecherous thoughts she was babbling, and she knew it, but she couldn't help herself.
"They have a lot on this ship to do. I've never travelled on one of these passenger liners before, always been on gunships or freighters so I've got a full day planned too." He smiled and she was relieved he didn't seem to be picking up on how much he had been affecting her. She wanted to know him better, she really did, her spirits liked him, and that said a lot, meant a lot, but it didn't mean she should be clamoring to get into bed with him.
Even if he was just perfectly tall enough she'd fit in his arms, head under his chin, be able to tilt her head back just right for long kissing while her hands wandered that tall yummy body….Fuck, there she went again…she really should just go slam her head in a door a few times, then she'd sleep.
"The brochure they handed out when we came onboard said this type of airship was a pretty new design, that the Boscan government just rolled out 12 of them last year and 6 of those were going to be serving Fiore." Lucy fell into the more mundane trivia gratefully, the farther from talk about him laying naked under the moon, the better.
"I didn't even know, but then they don't really announce what they're doing in the way of the airship fleets compositions. Not to the Guilds anyway. I'm sure my father and oldest brother probably know a lot about them." He said as they walked.
Mental note, ask him more about he and Bickslows family, easy non-sexual topic. Lucy noted, smiling at him. "You have plans tomorrow huh?" She asked and he nodded.
"The ship has a great gym, and I maintain a pretty strict training schedule at home with weights and such, Laxus proved to be good competition for me today so we plan to spar a little tomarrow after weights, no magic, just hand to hand." He replied, grateful of the simple topic.
"You're going to spar with Laxus?!" She stared at him like he was crazy and he grinned "You act like that's something remarkable, he's a little bigger than me but we handle the same weights and I honestly have more training in open combat than he does because I've trained into the military and the knighthood for Bosco for the last several years in addition to my magic training. In Bosco, mages are required to enlist for military service at 16, we don't get called for duty often but we train twice a month so we can fight efficiently and safely with non-magical forces." He said confidently.
He honestly wasn't sure how he would fare against Laxus, the man had been a hulking beast when he'd Cristoff was a boy but the 7 year time skip had allowed Cristoff to catch up to him in size and physical strength so he was actually pretty excited about being able to take on someone who had intimidated him as a child.
"Well…I've seen Laxus take on some pretty serious people, he's one of our guilds strongest." Lucy said uncertainly, she couldn't say whether or not Cristoff could handle Laxus, he was big enough, taller than Gajeel but not quite as tall as Laxus, she just had a hard time imagining anyone holding their own against Laxus well.
He smiled at her though "Well, I'm one of my guilds strongest, but it's not anything serious, just some sparing, not like we're challenging each other to real combat." He told her. Maybe that was where she was hung up. So used to Natsu, who couldn't ever seem to hold himself back from turning everything into a major destruction party.
Cristoff was calm for a Dragon Slayer, Evergreen was right about his soothing presence. Soothing and at the same time so very tempting. He lacked the brooding darkness Laxus and Gajeel seemed to have down pat, and the wild barely controlled destruction that was Natsu. Cristoff had his own unique presence that was…well…like the night if she thought about it, calm, peaceful, but also so sensual and mysterious.
They reached her door. "I knew you were one of these, Evergreen has been playing around with scented lotions and it's made distinguishing who was in what room a little harder around hers, I'm just a few doors down from you." He observed, nodding past her door.
She was staring up at him, in the hallway light she could see more of him, and the luminous yet shadowy nighttime wasn't hanging around him like some sort of cloak. Now she could see those incredible eyes and those lips…Gods his mouth just begged to be kissed, she bet it was just amazing.
He leaned closer and her breath caught as his nose brushed hers and the midnight eyes almost swallowed her. "Go inside Lucy, go to sleep and have sweet dreams." He breathed, his warm breath fanning over her lips and she tilted into him wanting so much to have a long hot kiss but instead her body ignored her desires, her lips barely touching his before she pulled back and he was watching her intently and she felt it, magic, his magic, flowing through her, soothing, calming, her mind already drifting, body feeling light and comfortable she opened her door and stepped into her cabin, closing and locking the door and going straight to her bed where she slid under the covers and was instantly deep asleep.
Cristoff put a hand on the wall to steady himself, holy hell was that woman hard to resist, when she'd started staring at his mouth he'd damn near pushed her against the wall and given her the kiss she clearly wanted. But if he'd done that, with his blood running hot and high on energy like it was, he wasn't sure he could stop there, not with her arousal floating around him, heavy with honey and strawberries, her scent was edible, and that was dangerous for him.
"Watch it Moony." He snapped his head up meeting stormy blue/gray eyes. Laxus stood in his cabins doorway a couple down from Lucys, right next to Cristoffs glaring at him.
"She's kin, MY kin, you keep your moon drunk ass clear of her, especially right now." Laxus said firmly. He knew Cristoff, knew he was a good man, but he also knew close to a full moon Cristoff got horny as hell, like a mini mating season sort of level of lust just without the drive to actually claim a mate. He had no intention of letting one of his Nakama get pulled into the Lunar slayers over tuned attraction right now.
Cristoff had already told him he would be a little overpowered around the full moon, and to expect him to be entertaining some women, Laxus had been a little surprised Cristoff hadn't taken anyone to his cabin tonight, but catching him in the hall, hovering over Lucy had been a surprise Laxus didn't want. Bickslow had warned Cristoffs attraction on women would ramp up with this, that women went to him like moths to light during full moons and Lucys attraction toward the Lunar Slayer hadn't slipped his notice. Normally he wouldn't care, Lucy was a grown woman and Cristoff was a good man, but not right now, not at the start of a long mission with the moon coming full.
He didn't need the drama, this mission was a great opportunity and Laxus wasn't going to have Bickslows oversexed brother fucking it up.
"I know, she's off limits, notice I sent her in without me? I could have probably joined her, she reeks of wanting me but I didn't, and I won't." Cristoff said, a little irritated Laxus would think he'd forget or ignore what he'd been told.
"Damn right you won't or I'll kick your fucking ass so you'll just be unconscious through this full moon." Laxus snapped.
Cristoffs eyes narrowed, and Laxus saw them lighten, his magic jumping, electricity starting to snake out in little arcs over his arms.
"As if you could, I'm not the 11 year old you left when you returned to Fiore, went to Tenrou…you don't intimidate me anymore Laxus. I was just helping Lucy get to sleep, she showed up on deck up where I was laying by the pool, said she'd had a bad dream, I was just helping, nothing more." He tried hard to keep this angled toward calm, his own dragon rising seeing Laxus' magic activating.
"I could put you down Cristoff, you've grown all right, but don't doubt me." Laxus warned.
Cristoffs eyes narrowed further "You should take your own advice Laxus, I can help you sleep just as easy as I helped Lucy." He said calmly.
Laxus' lip curled "It wouldn't work and you wouldn't dare."
Cristoffs eyes went silver and Laxus' widened "Sleep Laxus."
The next moment the lightning slayer hit the floor snoring and Cristoff released the breath he'd been holding. The heavy thud from the big man going down caused Bickslows door to open a minute later and the Seith gaped between his brother and his best friend.
"The fuck did you do?" Bix demanded.
"Put an overprotective dragon to sleep. He may or may not remember, hopefully he'll think he dreamed it. Help me get him into his bed." Cristoff sighed. Bickslow frowned at him but stepped forward and helped his brother lug the heavy slayer back into his cabin and put him back into his bed.
"Careful messing with Laxus little brother, he won't play nice." Bickslow warned.
"I realize that, he was just jumping to some conclusions he shouldn't have been and I had to diffuse the situation, it's fine, I won't say a word if you wont and he'll not be sure if it happened or not." Cristoff said, hoping he was right about that.
"Yeah ok, well, get to bed damn it, we're training in the morning and you're sparing with him too, if you've riled him up he's gonna fuck you over as it is." Bickslow snickered, having no clue what had happened but he was looking forward to seeing his little brother stand toe to toe with Laxus. Little shit had been way too cocky since he'd come back from Tenrou and discovered his little skinny brother had grown into a monster on par with Laxus and Gajeel. Bickslow couldn't just put him in a headlock and noogy him into submission anymore, Cristoff could fucking break him in half now, but he was still the big brother damn it.
"Yeah yeah, night Bixy." Cristoff waved as they both left Laxus' cabin and retreated to their own on either side of the Lightning slayers.
Once in his room Cristoff groaned and fell onto his bed, he should have just gone to the damn steam rooms for a message.
