Chapter Two.
Lucy awoke the next morning freezing cold. She grumbled when she realized she had failed to cover herself with her warm blankets before falling asleep. Patting her hand around to find the edge of said blankets, Lucy peeped an eye open. It was early morning, she guessed from the gray sunlight pouring into her room. Meaning it was time to get up and go get things ready at the bakery.
She let loose another noise of complaint. Sometimes, she wished she could just lazy about with life. Forget her responsibilities and just do nothing. She smiled at the daydream. It sounded so lovely.
Sitting up she rubbed her eyes free from their grogginess. She heard a yelped yawn beside her and looked down to see Plue stretching. "Good morning, boy." She whispered and scratched the underside of his chin. He licked her fingers in a way of thanks for the wonderful good morning gift.
Lucy sat up straight and crawled over to the window by her bed. Pushing it open, she leaned on the open windowsill. She crossed her arms and rested her chin in the nest of them and gazed at the morning buzz of Magnolia. People were waking up, excited for the start of a new day. Birds were chirping and the liveliness of the city streets below made Lucy smile.
She'd always loved watching the city early in the mornings. It was soothing and helped her wake up. Besides, if she waited long enough, she'd be just in time for breakfast downstairs. It was Levy's turn to make breakfast today and Lucy could already smell the eggs and bacon. She hummed at the tasty aroma.
Plue could smell it too, it seemed. He had jumped down from her bed and was now prancing around the wooden floor of her bedroom. Scratching at her closed door and whimpering loudly. He looked back at her with pleading eyes. As if to say "Let me out! They're having breakfast without me!"
"Alright, alright, just let get some socks on. I hate how cold the floors are..." Lucy grumbled, she closed her window, and then tip-toed all the way to her dresser, which was on the opposite side of the room. Slipping some socks on, Lucy wiggled her toes and slid to her door.
Clumsily, she lost her balance and instead of gracefully coming to stop so she could open the door, she slammed right into it. The door burst open and she fell flat on her face. Lifting her head up form the hard floor, Lucy grunted when Plue bounced off of her head and raced downstairs. She stood up to her feet and very carefully, so as not to slip down the stairs, she hurried to the kitchen.
Breakfast was waiting on the table, and Lucy licked her lips. Erza had just sat down piling her plate up with food. Levy sat beside her and the two gave Lucy a groggy good morning. Returning the good morning, Lucy took her seat beside Erza and started filling up her plate right away.
She took a bit of the bacon and sighed. "Levy, you cook so well~" She hummed, reaching for an empty cup and the pitcher of milk. Pouring her a glass she took a sip to wash it down with the bacon. "Thank you for breakfast," Lucy smiled and Levy grumpily nodded her head.
Levy, Erza, and Lucy were never the morning types. It was on rare occasion to see them bouncing around with a smile on their face like Lucy had been that morning. The three of them combined on a regular morning was a silent and frightening encounter.
Someone pounded at the door, startling the group enjoying their quiet meal. Levy and Erza glared at the front door and Lucy took that as it was her chore to answer it. Huffing grumpily, she stood up and patted down her hair. She hadn't bothered to get dressed before breakfast today and she was starting to regret that decision.
Lucy opened the front door and jumped back, completely baffled by who was standing there. The man was tall, broad shouldered with what looked like a permanent frown on his face. He had piercings where his eyebrows should've been, on either side of his nose, down his chin, and in his ears. It was a frightening look, but he was able to pull it off. His jet black hair was very long, ending at his lower back and so spiky it looked sharp.
"Gihi, good mornin'," He greeted, his frown turning into a mischievous smirk.
"Oh, morning Gajeel!" Lucy raised her voice loud enough for Levy to hear. She heard a fork clatter with a plate and the scrambling of feet. Pulling the door shut a little bit, Lucy stood in the opening as she saw Levy dart towards the stairs from the corner of her eye. "What brings you here so early in the day?"
"Just wanted to stop by and give this to Levy, she let me borrow the book... is she awake? I'd like to talk to her about it." He pointed to the book held in his hand. From the title of it, Lucy recognized it as the book she had given to Levy for her birthday.
"Yes, she's awake, she made us breakfast today! Want to come in and fix yourself a plate?"
"I was hopin' you'd offer." Gajeel chuckled and Lucy stepped back to let him inside. "Oh, and nice bedhead there, Bunny Girl."
"Quit calling me that!" Lucy sputtered and started patting her hands down over her hair. "Why- ugh! Shut up!" She felt her face turn red from anger and she growled when Gajeel cackled loudly.
He made his way to the kitchen and plopped down in the seat across from Erza. He started piling food on his plate, ignoring how Erza's face darkened and she looked about ready to tear him down. Lucy scoffed, she would never know what Levy saw in a man who clearly had no idea what manners were.
Lucy turned to go upstairs, she wanted to get dressed before Gajeel started teasing her about her bedhead again. She trotted up to the empty hallway and skipped into her room. She walked over to her vanity, which sat at the end of her bed. She sat down in the chair in front of it and started brushing out her hair. She drew it up in a tight bun again and checked it from all angles. She nodded her head when she was happy with the outcome of the up-do.
She stood up from her chair and opened up her dresser again. She pulled out a plain brown dress, one of the many that she reserved for working in the bakery. She moved to close the door to her bedroom when she heard hastened footsteps running towards her.
"Lucy, Lucy! You gotta help me! I'm having a bad hair day!" Levy ran in wide eyed and terrified.
"Oh... dear," Lucy took one look at Levy's hair and both of her hands shot up to cover her mouth in shock. Her dress fell to the ground, ignored.
Levy's hair was even worse than usual. One side was flat against her head while the other side stuck out wildly. It was obvious Levy had slept like a rock the night before. Lucy guided her friend to sit at the vanity and started brushing her hair out.
"Levy, how do you even work with your hair? It's ridiculously stubborn!" Lucy said as she reached down for a bandanna. "We'll just have to cover it up with something, but considering you wear a bandanna everyday nobody will know the difference." She gave her a friend a thumbs up through the mirror.
"I feel so stupid," Levy grumbled, "Used to, I wouldn't care if my hair looked like this, but now... Why does he make me feel this way? It should be illegal, the way he makes me feel!" She puffed her cheeks up in irritation and Lucy snorted.
"It's called being in love, dummy." Lucy poked Levy's cheeks and sighed. "Okay, you look great! The bandanna looks good in your hair and you can't even see the disaster underneath!" Lucy put her hands on her hips and nodded her head in approval with her works. "You look adorable."
Levy blushed and fiddled with the knot Lucy had tied the ends of the bandanna in. She smiled at her reflection and the covered her face with her hands. "I totally could have done this myself, but I was too flustered to do anything right! Lucy I don't like this!" She complained and gave her friend a miserable frown.
"Mmhm, and once he compliments you, you'll be up on cloud nine and saying you love it." Lucy replied, giving her friend a knowing look through the mirror. Levy blushed and glared back, she knew Lucy was right. Lucy smacked her friend on the shoulder, "Now, go on down there! I need to get ready! I'm going to run late if I don't hurry."
"Okay, and thank you, Lu!" Levy beamed and raced out of Lucy's room, closing the door behind her.
Lucy rolled her eyes, Levy was obviously head over heels for Gajeel. Gajeel was also head over heels for Levy, but he hid it (he didn't hide it very well, but he tried.) Lucy stared at her reflection. She wished she could find a man to fall head over heels for. Sighing, she moved to where her brown dress had been left unattended on the bare floor. She picked it up and traded it with her nightgown.
While she got ready for the day, Lucy daydreamed. She imagined what the man of her dreams would look like and act like. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, would be his features. He would be a man who had been taught etiquette and knew his manners very well. He would be calm, mature, mysterious, and wise.
She knew her ideas of a man were very rare to find, but she couldn't help it. She dreamed of a prince coming to her on a white stallion. She dreamed of her knight and shining armor every chance she got.
Buttoning the collar of her dress, Lucy checked her appearance in the mirror. Confident with her looks, Lucy beamed at herself. She looked very pretty, even if she did say so herself. She turned around and plucked her blue jacket from the hook on her door. She shouldered it on and stuffed her keys in her pocket.
She rushed out of her room and hurried downstairs into the kitchen. She grabbed a last few bites of bacon and eggs, downed her cup of milk and said a quick farewell to her friends. Groaning when Gajeel yelled "Bye, Bunny Girl!" Where, when, and how he had come up with that nickname, Lucy had no idea. She could only hope that he would forget it and it would never come back, but she knew that was wishful thinking.
Once outside she slowed down her walk. She really didn't have any hours for the bakery to be open. No matter how early she got her shop, there'd be people waiting. What they didn't know was that it took awhile for things to bake and cool. Looking down the street she smiled as she passed by familiar faces.
"Oh, Ms. Heartfilia!" Cassie, Lucy's neighbor ran up to her. The woman was the mother of three children and a widow. "I want to thank you for supplying my family with bread when we needed it most, so I thought I'd give you this carton of eggs. No, no don't fuss! My chickens lay eggs ridiculously fast and I want to thank you. You are such a kind woman. Your parents should be proud of you!" The woman shoved a carton of eggs towards her and Lucy blink down at them. She remembered helping Cassie's family, but she had never expected getting anything in return. Lucy just knew that if she had been Cassie, she would have been wanting to meet her children's needs before her own. She did her best to help people, and she always told them to never bother in 'making up for it'. Lucy thought that doing a good deed was only a good deed if it came from the bottom of someone's heart and when they didn't ask or expect anything in return.
Lucy's heart fluttered at that last comment and she looked at the carton of eggs she was handing to her. "Thank you so much! I was going to need to buy some more later today, and now I won't have to close the bakery to run an errand, this helps a lot! Thank you!" Lucy hugged the woman in gratitude and smiled at her gently.
Now carrying a carton of eggs and her day brightened from Cassie's compliment, Lucy was beaming from ear to ear. She waved at people passing by, greeting them with good mornings full of cheer and joyful laughter. She turned onto Main Street and could already see people lining up outside of her shop. Knowing she'd be worked to the limit again today watered down her mood a bit, but the thought of going to the field to stargaze that night put a skip in her step again.
"Okay everyone, I'm going to get everything set up before I can take orders! It will take maybe ten minutes, but once I am finished I will open up shop!" Lucy announced as she approached the giant mob of people. Some cheered, others groaned in complaint about having to wait.
Shouldering and elbowing her way through the crowd, Lucy nearly dropped the carton of eggs numerous times. She stumbled up onto the steps leading into the bakery and let out a deep breath. She was going to need a bigger building and helpers, soon. She dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the bakery door. She cracked it open and squeezed through the small opening, she didn't want to risk anyone else worming their way in with her.
She shut and locked the door behind her and took off her jacket. Hanging it up on the coat rack by the door she grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist. She looked around her shop and huffed. She had some work to do.
The shop inside was bigger than what one would expect from the looks of the shop outside. It was still too small for the amount of people outside, though. Running into the kitchen, Lucy lit a fire to get the oven going. Setting up the kitchen and bakery was like a dance. She would scrub the wooden counters, mop the floors and beat the curtains. Then she would dash back to the kitchen to get the batter and baking supplies ready.
Mixing numerous bowls of cake batter and kneading bread dough, Lucy cast nervous glances to the front door of her bakery. She snorted when she saw children's faces pressed up against the glass and adults peeking in, looking for her. Setting a sheet of cookies in the oven, Lucy rushed to the door of the bakery.
"Welcome! Come in!" She yelled over the noise of the crowd when she opened up. She barely had time to jump back and bolt behind the front counter before people were bombarding her with orders.
"Chocolate chip cookies!"
"Cinnamon bread!"
"Rolls!"
"Strawberry cake!"
Her hand scribbling down the orders looked like it was merely twitching, she was writing so fast. She skipped back into the kitchen, pulling the cookies out of the oven and replacing them with cakes and breads that needed to rise. She set the cookie sheet on the counter and hurriedly served them on a platter.
"Chocolate chip cookies, coming right up!" She called as she peeked out the window in the kitchen wall. People were waving jewels at her, children reaching up with grabby hands over the counter.
The rest of her day was very much similar to what the morning buzz of The Fairy's Delight consisted of. She rushed around cleaning messes and starting new ones. Her elbows were covered in flour, cake batter, cookie dough, and yeast.
Before Lucy knew it, the sun was beginning to set. She gave a bag of cookies and bread to her last costumer and collapsed in the chair behind the counter, exhausted. Looking around the bakery, Lucy raised an eyebrow when she noticed a figure sitting in the corner by themselves. She thought she had just served her last customer.
She got up with difficulty, but managed to grab a blank piece of paper and a pencil. She walked to the person sitting at the window ready to scribble down their order. "Welcome to The Fairy's Delight, what would you like?" She asked and cringed at how tired she sounded.
"Oh, Juvia doesn't want anything, but thank you," The woman replied and Lucy raised an eyebrow. Was she waiting for a friend? She was confused by her answer. She had asked the woman, not a Juvia. The woman looked very lonely sitting there by herself. She was beautiful, Lucy noticed. She also seemed to love the color blue. That was the only color she wore, her dress and shawl were two different shades of blue, the dress being a light sky blue, the shawl a dark navy. The only other color she wore was on the hat she wore, a yellow flower that stood out and was as bright as the sun. "Juvia said she doesn't want anything..." The woman repeated herself a little more nervously and Lucy flinched.
"I'm sorry! I... uh, I didn't know you were talking about yourself." She gave the woman, whom Lucy now knew as to be Juvia, a sheepish grin. Pointing at the empty chair across from Juvia, Lucy asked, "So you don't mind if I sit here?"
"Juvia would love to talk with someone!" The woman gasped and her eyes lit up like a clear sky in the middle of the afternoon. She sat up straight and tucked her hair behind her ears. "What is it like working in a bakery? Juvia is curious!"
"Well, um, if you'd like to know so badly you could work here?" Lucy shrugged unsure and jumped back when Juvia gasped.
"You mean that? Oh, Juvia would love to work in a bakery! You must show her what to do!" She reached across and grabbed Lucy's hands and then stopped short. "But first, what is your name?" Juvia giggled and Lucy smiled.
"I'm Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia. C'mon Juvia, I can show you around if you'd like. There isn't much to see though."
"Juvia does not mind, Lucy!"
Showing Juvia around the shop had been a fun experience for both women. When Lucy walked into the kitchen, Juvia excitement bubbled over and she pranced around the counters and peeked into the empty oven. Amused, Lucy watched as Juvia picked up one of the bread pans and then a cookie sheet. Before Lucy could stop her, Juvia was going around cleaning the entire kitchen.
"You don't have-
"Yes, Juvia has to clean!" Juvia cut her off and sent her a pouting glare. "If Juvia wants to work at Fairy's Delight, she must help clean!"
Lucy wondered why Juvia wanted to work at her bakery so much, but she didn't complain. She had been wishing for help and it had been answered. She sent a silent thanks to whoever had been listening to her pleas. If only they would answer her wishes for a man in her life.
Lucy grabbed the mop and broom and moved into the dining are of the bakery. She swept all the dirt and dust away and mopped away any mud that had been tracked in. She could hear Juvia working hard from the kitchen and that's when it struck her.
She had just welcomed a complete stranger into her bakery as a worker. She didn't even know the woman! She smacked her hand against her forehead and sighed. She would have to interview Juvia after this. Even if the woman already showed that she was sweet, kind, and tenderhearted, Lucy still needed to make sure she was fit for the job.
Once they finished in their separate rooms, Lucy and Juvia worked together to clean the windows and counters. It was a difficult task, for the windows were tall and started at the floor and reached to the ceiling. Lucy had to stand on a chair to make the glass shine and squeaky clean.
"Juvia thinks she and Ms. Lucy did a lovely job!" Juvia clapped her hands when the two finished up. They were sitting at one of the tables in the dining area, exhausted and sore.
"So, Juvia, I know you want to work here, but before you can, I need to interview you, so I can know more about you," Lucy decided to get straight to the point. She sat up straight and gave Juvia an apologetic grin, "I was so excited about having someone to work with I forgot there was a certain way of going about this."
"Oh, Juvia knows! She was going to ask you about it if there hadn't been one before we closed up the shop." She giggled and Lucy raised an eyebrow. She was beginning to see Juvia was very trustworthy.
"Well, then let's get started!" Lucy smiled and started interviewing Juvia.
Lucy learned many things about Juvia. She learned that Juvia came from a rough background. A place where she and an old friend used to work was horrible, the people there mistreated Juvia a lot. She and her friend left, but Juvia hadn't seen her friend since. She claimed that she came to Magnolia searching for her friend after hearing he had opened up a shop somewhere. Lucy also learned that Juvia wasn't that good of a cook or baker. Seeing her hopes falter, Juvia quickly intervened, "Juvia will help with the front of the store, she can take orders and deliver them! Then, after she's been here long enough, maybe you could teach her to bake?" Lucy decided to agree to the deal.
She was in desperate need of help anyway.
"So, Juvia, where are you staying?" Lucy asked when they were locking up shop. "Oh and after you've worked here for a week, I can go to see the locksmith about making a spare key for you." Hanging up her apron, Lucy shrugged on her jacket. She shut and locked the door behind her and jumped down the steps, falling into step with Juvia.
Juvia grew quiet. She looked almost ashamed. The woman wouldn't meet eyes with Lucy and that's when her suspicions rose. Lucy stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest. She raised an eyebrow at Juvia and began to tap her foot.
"You don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" She confronted her and her frown deepened when Juvia tensed. "Well, c'mon, you're staying with me and my friends then. We'll set you up on the couch in the living room. I just hope Erza doesn't get too angry with me."
"You really mean it?" Juvia spoke from beside her. She looked at Lucy with wide eyes and when she nodded her head, Juvia tackled Lucy with a hug. "Thank you! Juvia wasn't sure what she was going to do if she couldn't find a place to stay..."
"Well, I couldn't just leave you to sleep outside in the frigid cold, now could I?" Lucy laughed and grabbed Juvia's hand. She tugged her up the streets of Magnolia that were growing emptier and emptier as the sunset lowered.
On the way back to the apartment, Lucy noticed someone walking up ahead. Upon recognizing the long jet black hair to be Gajeel's she urged Juvia to hurry. The two raced up the street following after Gajeel who seemed to be headed in the same direction.
"Gajeel!" Lucy called out and waved her arm in greeting.
"Gaje-" Juvia cut off and slapped her hands across her mouth. "Gajeel!" She cried out and Lucy was baffled to see tears rush to her eyes.
Hearing his name being called numerous times, Gajeel turned around, looking rather irritated. He sent a look at Lucy and then yelled when Juvia came crashing into him. The two were sent to the ground and Gajeel groaned from under Juvia.
Lucy stood frozen in place. How did Juvia know Gajeel? Did Gajeel know Juvia as well? It was all rather confusing.
"Juvia? What are ya doin' here?" Gajeel looked at Juvia just as shocked and baffled as Lucy. Though his confusion had a delighted air to it. He tried to get up, but the fact that Juvia was sitting on top of him restricted him from doing just that. "Would you mind gettin' off?" He growled and Juvia snickered.
"Sorry Gajeel! Juvia just did not expect to see you here! She is so happy to have found you!" She stood up and twisted on her feet. "She was very lonely without you," She pouted.
Lucy's eyebrows felt like they were close to touching the sky by now. What was their relationship? They weren't together were they? She brought a hand to her lips, 'Poor Levy!' Her mind said and she narrowed her eyes at Gajeel. If he was already with a woman then what was he doing going around leading Levy on?
"Oi, Bunny Girl. Whatever that silly mind of yers is thinkin', it's wrong. Juvia and I are close buddies." He stated when he stood up. He walked over and flicked Lucy in the nose. "Get that mind out of the gutter, Bunny Girl."
"Do not call me that!" Lucy huffed as she rubbed her nose. "Juvia, is Gajeel the close friend that you were telling me about?"
"Yes! Gajeel and Juvia are old friends!" Juvia bounced on her feet and giggled. "Gajeel, you must tell me everything about Magnolia! Juvia wants to know what she missed!" She tugged on his arm and smiled up at him, blinking her big blue eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, but that'll have to wait for tomorrow. I gotta date, ya see?" Gajeel's voice got lower and lower with every word causing Lucy to gasp. Gajeel cringed and shot a glare full of daggers in her direction. "Keep your nose out of this, Bunny Girl. I swear you're worse than Mira!" He cackled and started walking. "You girls headed for the apartment, cuz that's where I'm goin' right now."
"Yes, we were headed in that way." Lucy nodded, and looked up the road wistfully. They were right on the corner that turned onto Strawberry Street. Her feet were itching to take her to the clearing again. She longed to star gaze. "I was going to watch the stars, but..."
"Go watch the stars, Lucy! Gajeel can take Juvia to the apartment, Juvia will explain everything to... Erza and Levy? Yes, and Gajeel can help!"
"No, I couldn't shove that on you two." Lucy shook her head. "It's my responsibility to explain everything and Erza would probably get mad at me for going to the clearing alone again. Let's just go home." She sighed and looked up at the sky that was beginning to grow dark. "I can always watch them from my bedroom window, anyway."
The trio set off down Strawberry Street heading back to the apartment Lucy shared with Erza and Levy. Even though part of her desperately wanted to go running to the field to watch the night sky, part of her was excited to get to bed early. She found herself walking faster as the three of them neared the orange building.
When Lucy walked through the front door with Gajeel and Juvia close behind, she gave a brief explanation to Erza. The woman wasn't mad like Lucy had feared. Before Lucy could throw any teases at Levy, the petite woman was rushing out the door with Gajeel, their arms intertwined.
After setting up the couch for Juvia to sleep on, Lucy ate a quick dinner and dismissed herself to the bathroom. She soaked in the bathtub for an hour and was very hesitant to get out. She dipped her chin in the water and glared at the drain that seemed to be taunting her. She loved taking baths after a long day at the bakery, but the worst part was getting out of the warm water!
When she did get out, she found her exhaustion to be more relaxing. She changed into her night gown again and walked into the hallway, nearly tripping over Plue. He had been sitting up against the door to the bathroom waiting for Lucy to get out. She picked him up and snuggled Plue close to her chest when he seemed to be shaking from the cold winter air.
She padded to her room and sat down on her bed. She was still upset about not going to the clearing. She had a half a mind to sneak out and go right then, but she thought better of it. Had Erza found out she was missing, Lucy would be in major trouble. So instead, she settled on her bed and leaned against the windowsill, pressing her forehead to the freezing glass. She stared up at what stars she could see and rubbed Plue's soft fur.
"Sorry I couldn't go to our usual spot," She whispered, "So much happened today and I just didn't have time. I'll be there tomorrow, though! Tomorrow is the day the bakery is closed and I'll be able to stay as long as I like... that is if Erza allows it. She gets too protective, you know? Oh, and Levy does too, but that just means they care about me, Momma. Just like they love me, I love them as well." Lucy smiled. "I also made a new friend today! Her name is Juvia, and she is a very pretty woman. She and Gajeel are best friends, apparently. I can't wait to hear the story behind that, but... until then... I'm going to get some sleep." She was beginning to yawn with every other sentence and the blankets and pillow of her bed were beckoning to her.
Feeling her eyes begin droop, Lucy crawled under the blankets and closed her eyes. Plue curled up on her belly, resting his muzzle against her breasts, he whined a tired yawn before closing his eyes to sleep as well.
What Lucy failed to notice, was how her window had been cracked open. She also failed to notice the small figure of a cat sitting in the flowerbox of her window, blinking curiously at her and the little dog settled on her stomach. A soft breeze floated through the room, stirring the curtains and blocking any view outside the window. When the curtains settled once more, the strange cat was gone. Just like the strange man had mysteriously shown and vanished the night before.
Ohhhh wow! Thank you for the review guys! So much encouragement! ^^ I couldn't/can't stop smiling at all the wonderful comments! I won't always update everyday, but I will update quite a bit! I'm on summer break so I have lots of free time! Please keep the reviews coming, they were very helpful!
Books Books and Books~ (butnotreallybci'mnottalkingaboutbookstodaykinda)
I went to the library today and turned in this book that I had had a hard time getting into, and while I was there I signed up for the writing contest! I didn't submit anything NaLu or any fanfic of something though. I submitted an 'informal essay' is what they called it, but when I wrote it, it just me venting to a piece of paper. I hope I do well! I don't know if I'll win any of the prizes, but I feel very proud for signing up. Normally I'd be too shy and self-conscience to do something like that...
So, anyway I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter! Until next time my lovelies, and please, leave a review if you can~