I do not on FT.
Arts Topic: Nudity
Chapter II
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Love you all! Enjoy!
Despite an annoying feeling of anxiousness, Lucy noted that nothing changed when she came for her classes the next day. Few people greeted her and she answered to even fewer. All she wanted to do there was study and her attitude was only emphasizing it.
Apparently though, not everyone wanted it to stay that way. During the third period Lucy was buying water in an automat downstairs and she was suddenly tapped on a shoulder lightly. With widened eyes, she turned around and found herself in front of a grinning Sting Eucliffe.
"Hello." He said friendly.
"Hi." She answered, wondering if he would turn into her nemesis soon.
"Sup?"
"Oh, I'm fine, thanks. You?"
"Too. Just a little tired." He chuckled.
Lucy gazed at him with question, not sure what he wanted from her. Hell, he approached her in the middle of the uni! But seeing he was not catching on, she let it form on her lips. "Um, did you want something? You talked to me so suddenly…"
"Um, no, not really." Even if he was surprised, he hid it well. Sting scratched the back of his neck and smiled. "I just saw you walking and wanted to say hello. That's all."
She felt her mouth move, but nothing came out. Feeling a little startled, she smiled slightly. "I-I see… Thank you."
He nodded. "Gotta go. So, see you on Saturday?"
"Yeah, see you, Sting."
The man waved at her and returned to his friends, popping in the conversation like he had not left it at all. Lucy watched him for a moment before she headed to her next classroom. What was that? He made her feel a little important… Like she existed, not just moved as a shadow or a ghost. It felt pretty nice, actually, to be acknowledged.
She stopped abruptly in the middle of the corridor.
She was considering socializing again? What did it mean? Did it mean she was ready to move on? To live a normal life again…?
So maybe she could become a living person once again? It seemed a little surreal… even though it was her who had spurned everyone and everything? And now she got involved into such a daring project, may it be that it was all a sign that it was time? What was more, Lucy knew that Levy was right about everything, she did act like a social cripple, but she needed time to change it all, change herself—if any of that.
Did she want it? Really?
Her inner devils were in denial. And she herself was not sure anymore.
Lucy was sitting in front of a tall mirror. It was smooth and clean, perfectly reflecting the vision. It had been a while since she had used it. She was clad only in her underwear, seated on a chair with pinned up hair and no makeup. She got rid of the glasses, not willing to diverge the view in any way. Her deep brown eyes were sliding along her shoulders with slow but fluent moves of the orbs, inspecting them. The woman shifted, trying another pose to see which looked more natural. She averted her sight then only to move on her chest, belly, hips, thighs, knees, calves, feet. She sighed; there was no point in complaining about her figure; it was a perfect shape of a sandglass, full curves hard to miss. She had an amazing shape and she knew it. All too well.
After a long while, she moved. Lucy raised to her feet and turned her side to the mirror. She gently caught one of the shoulder straps and unhurriedly pulled it down. Her intense gaze never faltered. Leaning slightly forward, she reached back and unclasped the bra, letting it fall to her toes after wiggling out of it. She sighed when she felt her bosom free of the fabric's firm grasp. Speaking of which, her bra had left a red imprint. That would not be good for the drawing. Either she had to roam around without any bra on or wait a while before posing.
Heartfilia wondered what pose would she be forced to take. Which reminded her that she should be thinking about Sting's pose, because she was the one to choose one and then draw it.
But first, before she did anything else, she had to get used to her own body. Anew.
So she touched her collar bones and nodded. Later, she embraced her breasts from under the mounds and brushed the nipples with her thumbs, hardening them slightly. Her fingers crept on the rib cage and then on the waist. She smirked. Still extremely small,she thought. Lucy was not a typical one-sized creature; like every sandglass, her hips and bust were much bigger than her slim, wasp-like waist.
Thus, she passed to the last piece of clothing she had on—the panties. Doubts filled her mind, yet, she knew she had to do it. Thus, her hands slipped under the fabric on her hipbones and slid down along with the material. The woman straightened herself and scrutinized her sex. She did not touch herself, though, only brushed her fingers delicately along her bottom to examine the curve of her buttock.
Lucy spent some time like that, changing positions, looking at her mimics, trying to cover as much of herself as possible with no attire. Finally, quite satisfied, she left the mirror and went to take a long and relaxing bath.
Saturday came with abnormal speed to her. From the moment she got up she was rather nervous, jumping on every sound. In spite of being aware that it was not anything more but a simple, detail-making meeting, she felt a little preoccupied. Also a bit excited. After all! It had been a while since she had gone out with anyone. Her friends were a hundred kilometers away and, if they had bothered to come to visit her, they always busy with their studies and were spending most of the time at her apartment rather than anywhere else.
True to her word, Lucy did not put the stretched sweater on, but neither did she dare to wear something more clingy; instead, she settled for a little less loose trousers and a sweatshirt. Having dealt with the most difficult part for now, the woman grabbed a notebook and a wallet, then left the flat. Locking the door, she hummed along with the song on her iPod to relieve stress.
She ran down the stairs and nodded in approval when she saw the weather. It wasn't windy and the sun was shining—it was pretty livable, a good sign.
Lucy was taking long steps, enjoying the walk. Soon enough, she reached the café they were settled at; checking her phone to reread the message with the name to make sure she was in the right place, a message from Sting came. He said that due to the blocked roads he would be there five minutes late. Nodding to herself, she entered the café and sat at a table next to a window, fully intending to stare at the passing people. Instantly, a smiling waitress came to her and asked for her order. In reply, Lucy smiled brightly at her.
"Cafe Latte, please. Umm, maybe with almond syrup?"
"Of course! That's my personal favorite as well." The waitress answered. "And anything to eat?"
"Oh, no, thanks."
"Alright. But if you want anything, just call me." The woman nodded. Lucy smiled and tilted her head gracefully. "Aw! You're such a well-mannered and sweet girl!"
"Thank you…" Lucy blushed a little and took off her bothersome glasses, then transferred her eyes on the other woman. "Oh, and there will be someone joining me."
"Oh, a date?"
"No!" She quickly denied and laughed uncomfortably. "Do I look like I'm ready for one?"
The waitress eyed her critically and shook her head with a snort. "Definitely not."
"See?" Lucy grinned and wanted to put the glasses back on, but the woman caught her hand. She looked up at her with question. "What is it?"
"Don't wear those. You look so much more beautiful without the glasses!"
The blonde smiled, a little bitterly, but the waitress seemed not to notice. She took her leave soon, leaving Lucy pondering, playing with the glasses in her hands. That was what she wanted to avoid. Looking nice…
"Yo. Sorry for being late." Suddenly, Sting's voice reached her ears and she gazed up with a smile.
"No problem, I didn't get bored."
"Right, always alone." He rolled his eyes and took a seat in front of her.
Lucy frowned. "Actually, I wasn't…"
"Here you are, sweetheart!" At that moment, the waitress came back with her coffee. Lucy grinned and thanked her, but the woman was looking at her companion. "Oh, already here? Then what do I get for you, young man?"
"Um, maybe an Americano?"
"Good choice." She smiled and turned back to Lucy, first eyeing her sweatshirt with reproach, then saying cheerfully. "If you wanna talk some more, then you're always welcome. Ah, and seriously, don't put the glasses back on."
Heartfilia pouted and crossed her arms, making the sweatshirt look like it was flooding her. She missed a scrutinizing look that Sting threw at her. "Thanks, I guess?" Finally, she laughed. "But I need to get back home somehow, so the glasses will get back on my nose later on."
The women winked at each other and the waitress disappeared, leaving the blondes alone. Lucy glimpsed at Sting and found him staring.
"Y-yes? Is there something on my face?"
"The opposite, I'd say." He stated, amused. Seeing her shaking head, he added. "And she's right, don't put the glasses back on. It's completely… Um, different? I knew that something was off when I saw you."
"Geez, thanks." She rolled her eyes half-heartedly. "I'm not sure if I should actually consider it a compliment or not. Something's off, honestly…"
"Right, you're not used to my… Um, I'm…" Sting wanted to apologize, but, seeing her playful expression, he realized it was a joke and chuckled. She grinned. "Hey! You got me there."
The waitress chose a perfect moment to bring him his Americano, then wished them a good meeting and went back to the staff room room.
"Who would've known you're such a joker." He commented, stirring some sugar into his coffee.
"I know, I seem as stiff as a board at the university…" Lucy grimaced. "Well, but we're not here to discuss it."
"You know," Sting braced himself on his elbows, leaning slightly forward. "I think I'll have fun figuring you out during this project."
"You can try." She tapped one finger on her cheek, pretending to think. "But I'm not gonna make anything easy for you."
"Oh, I'll handle that. After all, I'm great at challenges!" Eucliffe said proudly.
"Challenge accepted, then."
"Deal." He agreed quickly and she laughed.
"Anyway. Let's deal with the project details, we can waste some time later."
"Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. It's Saturday." Eucliffe leaned back on his chair, smirking.
"Me neither."
"But you're right. Let's get this done and then spend time more productively." He cleared his throat and pulled out a paper sheet with a schedule. "Let's compare our schedules and decide what the days we'll be meeting up."
Lucy took out hers and put it on the table, at the same time inspecting the man's paper. "Okay. We both have free Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, plus Fridays and weekends off."
"Yup. So we can meet on one or two of those. Occasionally, some weekends, too. I doubt that we'll move on with the work fast enough to avoid it." Sting sighed.
"Agreed."
"So, er, who poses first?" He shifted his sight at her and Lucy returned the gaze quite proudly—she hoped.
"W-well, if you prefer it like that, I can be the first… Gosh, it sounds so wrong." She chuckled.
"So eager to undress?" He grinned and cocked a brow suggestively.
"What? No! I just…"
"Chill. I don't know how to react to that either." Sting ruffled his hair in embarrassment. "Although I can't say I have something to be ashamed of… Okay. So how about taking turns?"
"Like, one poses one day and the other on another? Or the first one, then the second?" Lucy asked, flustered. She chose to pretend that she had not heard the last comment of his.
"Either way's good. And about the place…"
"We can meet in my flat. It has a well-suited room. Plus, I'm living alone, so we won't disturb anyone."
"That's great. I live with Rogue…"
"Who?" Lucy asked before she could bite her tongue.
"Ryos. From our faculty." Sting replied. "He asked me to call him that. Well, no wonder, we're best friends, after all… Anyway, when he'd be out, we're free to come over and do the project there."
"Maybe you could arrange a schedule, too, when he's out and when not. That way we could set ours."
"Hey, that's actually a good idea." The man nodded and smiled. "I'll talk to him today."
"Great."
"So! I say we start this Tuesday." He made an expression like it all had been settled and leaned back, tossing the sheet back into his pocket. "So, Lucy. Tell me. Why are you always avoiding others? I've been watching you for the last few days… And it seemed strange to me."
"Stalker much?" She shook her head with a smirk. "Actually, it's not that I'm avoiding them. I rather choose not to butt in and make trouble."
"How is talking to colleagues equal to making trouble?" Sting furrowed his brows. She knew he was smart, so just any excuse was not an option here. She stared at him for a moment before she said slowly, looking away from him.
"Let's just say that I had… A very bruising event in the past. And I'm trying not to make the same mistakes."
"I'm sorry to hear that." He mumbled, abashed. "Still, a little bit of conversation…"
"Sting. I've learned that 'the evil that men do lives after them', and no, I'm not talking about the ones who did it." Lucy laughed shortly, coldly, observing the opposite wall. "I'd rather not invite it over again."
"Shakespeare." Lucy's head snapped towards him in surprise. "Julius Caesar, I believe?"
"Exactly…"
The man watched her for a moment, then half-smiled.
"Does it mean that you don't sense evil in me?"
"No, it's not that." She denied softly and sighed. "I didn't choose to approach you. I'd say that the interference happened out of necessity. And you must admit that you wouldn't come to me without a stimulus from Reedus."
Even though he wanted to deny it, Eucliffe knew she was right. "You're smart."
"Happens to me." Lucy tilted her head and added. "So are you."
They both smiled at each other and took a sip of their coffee.
"Tell me, about your group, you were all together in high school?" Asked Lucy, curious. "You seem to know each other so well and I've been wondering for a while…"
"Um, yes and no. I attended one high school with Yukino, Rogue, and three other people. The rest is from Oration Seis and Blue Pegasus."
"Oh, I see. Huh, I'm totally alienated now."
"Why is that?" Sting made a curious expression.
"Because I'm the only one from Fairy Tail in Magnolia." She explained and giggled at the sight of his face. "See? I knew you'd react like that."
"I'm surprised, that's all." He admitted. "Then what are you doing here?"
"Huh?"
"Since no one you knew was going here…"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lucy frowned. "I'm interested in arts. They chose something else. So what, I should've gone with them because I should've been scared of lack of company?"
"Well…"
"Do you want to tell me you did that?!"
"No, not me." Sting sighed, then added rather arrogantly: "Why would I adjust to others? I wanted to attend drawing. But a few people… Just to stay together."
"But what's the point of studying something you don't enjoy?" She pointed out and he agreed with her.
"Exactly. But what can I do?" He spread out his arms and laughed. "Then what did they all take? Your friends?"
"Mostly Medicine." Lucy groaned. "Imagine, they're so busy we rarely see each other. Oh, one of my friends went to study Journalism, though. She's good at that."
"Pretty diverse." He noticed and smiled. "How come you chose drawing, then?"
"Well. I love it." Lucy pondered, squinting her eyes a little. "I can express myself. And I feel it's my cup of tea."
"Nice."
"How about you?"
"Me?" Sting seemed taken aback by receiving that question. Lucy raised her brows, catching that without any problem.
"You seem surprised."
"It's just that… No one's really asked me that question before." He confessed. "Everyone just…. knew. Like they took it for granted, like it was only natural and they never needed any reason. You see, my father was an artist. A painter. He taught me a bit… Thus, after high school, I handed my folder here and I got in."
"But… Sorry, it's a little private, but you do love what you're doing?"
He sent her a long, examining gaze, then replied. "For now, I enjoy it. I thought that I'd learn to love it with time." Lucy did not appear to be convinced, but let it go. "It's just like with others wanting to know you because of your relatives, connotations, money, etcetera…"
"Well, I'd rather know you as you, a person, not the idea or material goods. I don't know nor do I really care about it, sorry." The line slipped her mouth and it was now too late to take it back. So, she shot him a smile and quickly took a big gulp of her coffee, flushed. Why did she have to be so chatty out of the blue?
"That's good to know… Thanks!" Sting grinned at her and sighed with relief. "In fact, I'd love that."
The woman blinked and nodded, abashment disappearing. If anything, she was somewhat amused. Then she had guessed right; he was a kind of victim of his looks and parental fame, too.
"Hey, what would you say if we finished the coffee and went to grab some dinner? I'm starving." Suddenly, Eucliffe offered and gazed at her, expectant.
Should she agree? After all, she had promised herself that she would not make any new friends—but damn was it a tempting offer. Also, they were rather doomed to become friends; who would not if they were to spend a semester together? Thus, Lucy bobbed her head and smiled brightly.
"Sure. Why not."
