Chapter 1

The air had a chill that filled his clothes and left him breathless when he stepped onto the platform. The morning clamor and hustle of Magnolia Station was nowhere as congested as the capital's, but he wouldn't risk tangling himself among a slow-growing crowd. There was a staircase to his far right that retreated upwards into the open city.

Just as his fingers touched the railings, his pocket vibrated. As he reached into his coat, a whistle sounded and with mild curiosity, Jellal glanced behind him and watched the next train, a bright red beauty, begin to chug away from the platform. The model seemed advanced. He hadn't seen it the last time he was in this part of Fiore, and he briefly wondered what part of the map it would reach and where it would go afterwards. When it vanished from sight, Jellal sucked in a breath and let his gaze fall. The blinking face of his lacrima phone drew his attention.

"Meredy," Jellal greeted. "Have you arrived?"

He'd forgotten what short hair on her looked like.

She picked a quiet place. Lia's Diner was a ten minute walk from the train station and sat along a small, green strip of quaint home-based businesses that probably belonged to a generation or two before them. Dahlia pots lined the walkway. A man who couldn't have been younger than sixty and a woman who Jellal thought could have been his granddaughter—she had his small, brown eyes—welcomed them from the central counter. Jellal bowed awkwardly and claimed a corner booth.

The woman's name tag said Lily. She left them with a glass pot of green tea and two menus before disappearing into the kitchen. Meredy leaned forward.

"This is exciting!"

"What is?"

"We've never done this before."

"We used to eat together."

"Not like this," Meredy replied. "Not in public."

Jellal nodded and sipped his tea. "I suppose you're right," he swallowed. "Do you know what you're ordering?"

Meredy stuck her nose into the menu's fold and hummed.

"Are you paying?"

He snorted. "Wasn't that implied?"

"I don't know," she pursed her lips and tapped her index finger against the laminated edge. "You owe me, though."

"Have you truly been well, Meredy?"

"Yes, Jellal. We've all been very well."

He nodded, though he wasn't sure how to move. "I'm glad to hear it."

"I want pancakes," Meredy said, closing the menu, "and something stronger than tea."

"Coffee?"

"To go. Will you tell me how you've been? I don't want to talk about me."

He gave a light shrug. "I've also been well."

"Oh? How was house hunting?"

"Smooth, I suppose. The arrangements were finalized last week."

"Good. Did you like Crocus?"

Her green eyes studied him and Jellal held his breath, feeling their severity. He took another sip of tea.

"You're a very busy man these days, aren't you?"

"I was never living in Crocus, Meredy."

"Travel all you want, Jellal. I just want to know why you're so difficult to get ahold of."

"I'm sorry."

The arrival of more customers swayed the pair of chimes floating above the entrance. Meredy drank from her cup, facing the window. Jellal shifted in his seat and followed suit. Meredy hadn't changed much, not in her appearance nor the way she spoke to him, but the great familiarity in how she presented herself both called to him and bruised him. He wanted her forgiveness. He wanted a lot of things, lately. When he wondered how much he spoiled their reunion, her fingers brushed across his knuckles and he felt more transparent than he wanted to be.

"I went too far."

"No, you have every right—"

"Don't get the wrong idea," she said. "I'm happy you're here, Jellal. And I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too."

"How long are you staying?"

"Are you ready to order?"

"Could you give us another moment?" Meredy smiled up at Lily and he felt guilty. "I'm sorry. This one is indecisive."

Lily bowed and moved from the table again. The door chimed. "Good morning Leo! Are you here for your regular?"

He watched Leo interact with the owners of the restaurant before turning forward.

"I don't know," Jellal confessed. "I haven't decided."

The room came alive with different voices. Meredy nodded slowly and began to refill the tea cups, but the brew was already getting cold.

"At least look at the menu," she said softly, after a minute. "I hear their house special soup is good."

"I am," he replied, staring down at the fold. "I am."

Note:

A few things: I am taking my time with this story. As the title implies, it'll be a detailed account of what happens for Jellal in the year X794. I'm still creating my rough outlines for it and working out the kinks concerning a more specific timeline, but I'm aiming to convey a whole year and every moment in it that matters - from the broken and perhaps irreparable to every smile and moment of healing. It will be entirely Jellal-centric with the exception of some scenes with Erza's point of view. And while this story will be, as a whole, dipped in romance, it will not solely be about romantic love. It may take 100 chapters. It may take less. I don't like deadlines.

So, bear with me and all of this exposition. The next update will be longer and things will eventually make sense, haha.

This chapter is subject to modifications.