In the marketplace...

"Gray, do you think this is enough food?" Juvia asked her partner.

"Hm, if we get more crew members, I don't think so, but we already spent all of the money. I think it is better if we head back." Both Gray and Juvia gathered a few cows and chickens, in their crates, and feed for the livestock. A few huge barrels that had dried beans, pickled vegetables, some salted meats, vinegar, olive oil, molasses, honey, cheese, rice, almonds, salted flour, and lastly sea biscuits. They were currently on a wagon transporting the supplies, with the cows pulling it.

"Do you think these will fit in that small boat?" She questioned thinking about how to fit all of the barrels in the tiny boat.

"Of course not, that's why I am going to make a path of ice for us, and then transport all of the goods."

"That's a good idea, and when we're done transporting the goods, I will make the water destroy the path."

Gray smiled, "Good thinking."

"How long do you think we are going to be out on the sea for, this time?"

"Not sure, all depends on the cap, last time we were out on the sea for three months. It just depends on her, and if we should stop at a port or not."

"True, but you know what,"

"What?"

"I heard that there are bandits around here." Juvia looks around some of the stands and homes.

Gray let out a chuckle. "Oh, really and when did you hear that?"

"Did you not hear the villagers? They were talking about how they were being robbed and the royal family is doing nothing about it."

"I guess we should be careful then after all Lucy doesn't want us in unnecessary fights."

"Right," Gray and Juvia continue their way to the ship, not noticing Wendy, and Natsu going in the opposite direction, heading into town.

"Just a little bit more, and we are at the inn, um."

"Natsu, my name is Natsu."

"Okay, Natsu." Wendy smiled.

"So which inn are we heading to?" He asks looking for some restaurant to eat at later.

"The Sins Inn, oh and there is a pub there too so you can have some dinner."

"What do they serve?"

"Whatever they have, but it's mainly soup and stuff, I am not so sure since I have been here only once or twice with my crewmates family."

"Do you travel a lot?"

"Hm, I guess you can call it that. By the way, we're here."

"Thanks for helping me out, and before you go I was wondering, have you heard about the pirates of the light by any chance?"

"Sorry, I don't and your welcome, bye-bye." Wendy rushes off before she is asked any more questions.

"It may be just me but, that was weird. Well, time to go inside." Natsu heads inside. "Hello? Is anyone here?" The inn looks clean enough for at least one person to be working here. He goes up to the front desk and meets a white-haired girl popping up from the desk, resembling much to one of the servants in the castle.

"Yes?"

"Can I get a room?"

"Of course," She takes a random key looking at the number and puts it back. Taking another key looking at the under again before handing it to Natsu. "Here is your room key, the room is 152 and it's at the end of the hall. If you need anything just call for me, I'm Lisanna. Oh, and you can order your dinner at any time before I head to bed."

"Thanks," He says before heading to his assigned room, and he lays down on his bed. Thinking on how to get more information on those pesky pirates. He can ask the owner of this inn, but he has a feeling like she won't say anything.

'There is something about the girl I met earlier, it feels like I met her before, but where?' He asked himself as he looks up at the ceiling.

'That was close, I almost blew our cover. I have to stop doing this to myself.' Wendy scolds herself and runs into something solid and hard, before falling down. "Ow," She looks up and sees two familiar faces.

"Are you okay? Wendy? I thought you were getting medical supplies." Asked Levy.

"I was helping someone find someplace to stay."

"That does sound like you. Have you seen the captain?" Yukino asked.

"Ah, I saw her talking to Natsu-"

"Natsu?" Both of them questioned.

"Isn't that what the second prince is named?" Levy asked.

"I think so, but it could also be a popular name."

"Oh, he is the guy that I guided to the Sins Inn. About the captain, after she talked to Natsu she caught a carriage and headed out of town, most likely in the country area."

"Well if THAT is where she is headed, then we shouldn't worry too much." Yukino nodded to Levy's comment.

"What do you mean, shouldn't worry? Is there something I don't know about?"

"Don't worry Wendy, not everyone knows, only a few of us," Yukino pats Wendy on her head to make her feel a bit better.

"And it's not in our place to say anything, it is Lucy's past after all."

"Okay," Wendy pouts, "I should go to the forest before it gets dark and I need to gather as many herbs and I can."

"Wish we could help, but we need to get our supplies back to the ship as soon as possible."

"What did you get?"

"Freshwater, Lime, most importantly rum." Levy listed what they had gathered.

"And lots of it." Yukino had a smile on her face.

"Don't worry Wendy ye are going to get the watered down rum, no matter what," Levy reassured her.

"So reassuring, I should not be keeping you, oh, and I heard that there are bandits around here. Ya better be careful. Bye!" Wendy runs away before she could be stopped, by her crew-mates.

"You think she is going to be okay, Yukino?"

"It's Wendy, I don't think so, after all the cap trainer her herself." Yukino hits the horse's straps of its harness to make it go. Levy and Yukino ride out of the marketplace and head back to the ship.

Wendy heads to the forest with her medical bag and immediately spots some medicinal herbs that would be good to use on wounds, stomachaches, toothaches and more. " Ginseng, Goldenseal, Black Cohosh, Bloodroot, Passionflower, and May apple- and Mushrooms like Shiitake, Maitake, Chaga, and Reishi. They're all here." She starts to pluck out the herbs until she could not fit any more into her bag. Wiping her forehead, she returns back to the ship for the day. "This is a good haul, I should get more tomorrow, just in case. I wonder if Nami and Zoro found any new crew-mates."

As everyone heads back to the ship with their supplies and new companions, Lucy is still making her journey to her past, present, and future. "I would love to go for a good bowl of chili right now, I really should have stopped at the inn before going. It shouldn't take this long to make it to the house, should it?" The carriage stops. "Seems like I spoke too soon." She gets out and looks around her used to be hell. "Coach driver let's head back, to town."

"Of course miss." The old man stopped, hesitating. "May I ask a question."

"Ye may."

"Why did you want to come here in the first place if you were just going to go back to town as soon as you got here?"

"I just wanted to check it out before heading back here in the morning, after all, it took a while to get here, and it's getting dark, and I am sure that, that house is not a safe place to sleep."

"I see," The coach driver looks at the house observing all of its feature, everything from the broken wood to the uncut grass around it. "Alright, let's head back to town, and I am still getting paid right?"

"Of course you are going to get paid, as soon as we head back to town."

"Well get in and I will drive us back." Lucy goes back inside the carriage, knowing she has to deal with her past sometime, but just not today.

'I am such a chicken, but that's what makes me human.' Looking back at the house, it looks as if no one has lived in that house for years. The bright house she used to live in is now a run-down rickety old house. 'I should head to the inn, I wouldn't like to get caught in anything unnecessary, and the crew must have taken the only thing to get back to the ship, and I can catch up with Lisanna. The inn it is.'

Lucy poked her head out of the window. "Hey mister, can ya go to the Sins Inn?"

"Sure, I could use some good booze after this job is done." The little old man chuckled. "It sounds like you been living on the seas, huh."

"Yeah, I guess ya could say that."

"You know what, I used to live on a ship myself."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, but that was many years ago. Where is your crew headed?"

"Anywhere I guess,"

"There is always a destination, goal, no matter where ya go."

'I guess that me and my crew are trying to find ourselves,"

"Seems like you already did if ye are on the seven seas."

Lucy let out a chuckle. "What did ya do out on the seas?"

"Hm, I was a pirate that more or less led a crew singing, dancing, all that other good stuff, even finding some uncharted islands." The old man reminiscing about his past. "But that was a good twenty years ago, now I am a humble carriage driver."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what? Being a pirate? Following my dream to be a pirate? Never, if I was young again I would go back to being a pirate. What makes you ask?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." She smiles. The old man stops the carriage and gestures Lucy up to the front to sit next to him.

"I may be an old geezer, but I know a pirate when I see one. So what is on your mind young one?"

Lucy walks up to where he is sitting and sits down next to the old pirate. "I am having troubles coming to terms with my past, always thinking what if I did not do this and that."

The old man listened to her, and when she was done talking the old man gave her some advice. "You know, when it is all said and done we all end up as skeletons, piles of bones. One thing we should never do is regret, after all what done is done. Nothing you can do can change the past, the only thing that can change is the future is you and your choices."

Lucy almost on the verge of tears thanks the old geezer.

"Your welcome, and we're at ya stop."

"Here's ye money. "

"Thanks girly, but you should keep it. Besides talking to ya reminded me of myself when I was around ya age."

"Hahaha, thanks again."

"It was no problem at all, have a nice night." He said and drove off into the night of the marketplace. Lucy waves him goodbye and walks into the inn.

"Lisanna? Are you still up?"

"Yeah, you want somethin' to eat?"

"Yeah, get me my usual, I'm starving."

Lisanna chuckles. "Alright one bowl of pottage coming right up. Want some rum with it?"

"Of course, "

"Be back in a sec."

"Okay, "

Lisanna leaves and Natsu leaves his room and goes back to the pub part of the inn and sits down next to Lucy.

"And here we meet again. "

"And so it seems good sir. "