Hey, guys! I first wanna apologize about the wait, as I made sure to have chapter two up before I went to Washington for vacation. I hated to make you guys wait, so sorry if I timed this poorly T-T But this chapter will be good, and funny, hopefully XD
Levy, for pity's sake, you look fine in both.
"B-but can't you just tell me which you like better?" The young blue-haired girl named Levy scrambled around, trying to find a decent clothes combination to wear. She had settled on some cute knee-length dresses, not deviating away from what she normally clothed herself with, but today, she had trouble picking between a lime-green one with white flowers or a plain yellow one.
Levy, I am not one of those "preference" people, and trust me, you look beautiful in both. Besides, why are you asking me?
Levy's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Because you're my friend, Aiel, and I care about what my friends think of me, and even though I'm not a fashion-ish girl, I like to make sure I match."
It took a while for Aiel, Levy's magical friend trapped in a book, to come up with an answer. Fine, if I had to pick, I'd say I liked the yellow one more. With that pink headband, too.
Levy nodded, her face breaking into a satisfied grin as she skipped to the bathroom to change. She slipped her nightshirt off with one fluid motion, followed by her sweatpants. She got cold a night, and always had to cover herself in multiple layers to prevent herself from freezing to death at night.
She quickly put on fresh underwear, all the while looking at herself in the mirror. Her blue hair was still a bit damp from her earlier shower, and retained much of its natural spikiness. Levy loved her hair, and she thought it, along with her cute face, were her only redeeming physical qualities.
"They should start calling me "the walking ironing board" down at the guild." She chuckled sadly to herself. While it seemed harsh, it was true to the extent that all of the other girls in Fairy Tail of her age were simply more attractive than her. Lucy, Cana, Evergreen, Mira...the list went on. Whether it was breasts or curves, and it was usually both, Levy was always feeling left out. But with Lucy always treating her as her equal along with Jet and Droy fawning over her, she usually didn't have time to lament her seemingly underdeveloped body.
Levy rolled her eyes as she slipped on the rest of her clothes on and exited the bathroom. "I'm leaving for the guild, so I guess I'll see you later?"
Sure. Just close the book before you leave, it darkens my atmosphere in here.
Levy closed the book as asked and left Fairy Hills. She didn't have that far to walk due to the short distance, but she decided to take the longer route through the market.
The Magnolia Market was an interesting place where you could buy almost anything. It was mostly poor people selling baked goods, fruit, and other perishable goods, but once in a while, you could find a magic shop or two.
"Ooh, kiwis!" Levy laughed as she dashed to the cart where an old man was selling them.
"I bet Lily would love these." She giggled to herself as she remembered how much the little black Exceed loved the fruit.
"One, please." She said to the vender. He appeared to be asleep, but when Levy spoke, he awoke with a spluttering cry of surprise.
"Uh, oh, w-was 'at, oh..." He stopped and coughed once. "That'll be fifteen jewels, young man."
Levy dropped her wallet, a deep blush etched in her face. "Excuse me! I am a girl!"
"What?" The old man took off his glasses, revealing his small, squinty eyes. He analyzed her for a few seconds before putting them back on.
"Sorry there, missy, these old rune glasses must be getting fritzy." He laughed. "I had to look real close to make sure you weren't lying!"
"Perv!" Levy cried, literally throwing the money into his face and taking one of the hairy green fruits. Ignoring the stares of onlookers, she dashed as fast as she could to Fairy Tail, trying her best to rub the red off of her face.
"Stupid old man..." She grumbled, finally reaching the guild. She stepped inside, where nothing short of unordinary was going on. Natsu, Elfman, and Gray were having a heated discussion about how a "man" should treat ladies, all the while Gray was stark naked. Cana appeared to be teaching Romeo and Wendy how to play cards, her barrel of alcohol on her shoulder. Macao was having a pleasant conversation with Wakaba and Mira, and Gajeel and Lily were sitting at a lone table in the corner.
"Hey, guys." She smiled, taking a seat across from Gajeel.
"Good morning, Levy." Lily replied, his tone happier than normal. Gajeel didn't reply.
"I picked this up on the way here, Lily." She set the fruit down in front of the black Exceed, where he mumbled a thanks before biting into it.
"Stupid cat..." Gajeel growled, crossing his arms.
"Damn it, Gajeel, you know I'm right!" Lily laughed as he finished the fruit. "Levy, Gajeel has something to say to you."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't!"
"Yes, you do!"
"S'up, ladies?"
Gajeel and Lily were interrupted by a new face around the guild, Emily. She had fully recovered from her injuries, and was now able to tour the guild. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and the tight black shirt she was wearing made the men nearby stare.
"What's going on over here, huh?" Emily laughed, taking a seat next to Levy.
"Really can't say for sure, Em-chan, but these two are having a fit over something." Levy replied, shrugging.
"He wants to apologize about a couple days ago, but he's too much of a hard-ass to admit he was wrong." Lily seethed, earning a killer glare from Gajeel.
"Aw, would you feel better if I made you some iron, Ga-Ga?" Emily cooed like she would to an upset toddler.
"Don't call me that, dumb broad!" He turned to Levy. "I, uh..." Gajeel's face reddened a bit. "I'm sorry about the other day, alright? I was being a dumbass."
Levy had pondered forgiving him for a while, and eventually decided that brooding on a material possession lost was pointless. "I forgive you, Gajeel. Just don't do something like that again, please."
"O-okay..." He growled, turning back to Emily. "Can I have some, please?"
"Sure, why not?" Emily laughed, holding her hand out. Suddenly, her whole arm turned stone gray, and began to reflect light. From there, a square object began forming in the pit of her palm, eventually forming into a brick shape. It was a lump of iron, completed with a big "G" on the front.
"Enjoy." Emily laughed, dropping it on the table. Gajeel grabbed it and took huge bites, consuming it in under five seconds.
"So good..." He almost purred, laying his head on the table. "You make the best iron, kid."
"Hell, yes! Iron make and Iron body magic rocks!" She laughed, giving Gajeel a high-five.
Levy was mortified, to say the least. "I-I made him iron, too! Back on Tenrou, but he never said anything like that!"
Gajeel suddenly reared back and let out an enormous belch. "Ah, that was great. Say, kid, you wanna take a mission with Lily and me? It'd make you some cash."
Emily shrugged. "I wish I could, but I'm still nursing burns, man. Maybe in a week or so."
"Whatever. You scared?" Gajeel challenged.
"Scared? I ain't scared of nothing, rivet-face!"
Gajeel leapt up from the table, activating his Iron Dragon Scales. "How 'bout some wrestlin', then?"
"Now we're talking!" Emily put her hands in front of her in an 'x' shape, activating her magic. Her body instantly hardened into pure iron, causing the floor boards underneath her to groan from the weight. From there, she extended her arms to their respective sides, her right hand forming a broadsword, and the other forming a goedendag*.
"Iron Dragon Club!" Gajeel roared, extending his blunt arm into a pole to strike Emily. Levy and Lily backed off, afraid of getting in the crossfire.
Emily used her broadsworded hand to parry the slow attack. "Chariot Tackle**!" Emily rushed forward surprisingly quick, her shoulder flared forward. She crashed into Gajeel, sending him flying towards a group of people. Gray and Elfman managed to dodge, but Natsu wasn't able to avoid getting smashed into by Gajeel's body.
"What the hell, metal face?!" Natsu cried, trying to push Gajeel off of him.
"It wasn't me, flame breath, the new bitch sent me flying!" Gajeel pointed in her general direction.
"Aw, how you flatter me so!" Emily laughed hysterically, her hands (now back to normal) covering her face. "Come on, is that all you got? I'd hate to smash your handsome face in."
"Handsome?" Gajeel's smirk widened, his mind venturing back to the time a few days ago when she picked on him for an accidental slip of the tongue. Time for some payback. "You think I'm handsome?"
Emily's face blanched, and quickly reddened, causing some onlookers in the guild to laugh and whistle suggestively. "W-wha? No! I never said that!"
"You don't have to lie about it, we're all friends, here." Gajeel snickered, putting his hand on top of Natsu's head; he frowned, but allowed him for the sake of the joke.
"Well..." Emily's guts and bravado from before had faded, and she suddenly felt like curling up in a ball. "Y-yes, I will admit, when I saw you, I thought you were handsome."
Random guild members cheered as Gajeel nodded in understanding, a pondering look on his face. "See? Don't like being grilled about that stuff, huh?"
Emily crossed her arms and turned away, looking indignant, but smiled anyway. "You're a clever one, Redfox. So what's this about a mission?"
"If you come on back to my place, I've got a flyer for you. We split it two ways, so you'll definitely get some nice cash. I'll take care of the bandits while you support me with nourishment! Gee hee!"
"We'll see about that, jerk!" Emily laughed, running to catch up to him.
Lily turned back to Levy, smirking. "That's Gajeel for you, huh? Anyway, have a nice day, and thanks for the kiwi!" He called before flying out of the guild.
Levy sighed as she found herself alone. Not even Jet or Droy was there to comfort her, as they were doing something together. Luckily, she caught the form of her friend Lucy entering the guild.
Levy quickly claimed a seat at the bar, motioning for Lucy to join her. The blonde-haired girl smiled at eye-contact, taking a seat next to her good friend.
"Hey, Levy-chan! You look a lot better, how are you?" Lucy asked, giving her friend a hug.
"Large breasts...why have you cursed me, God?!" Levy thought frantically. "I'm a bit better, thanks for asking, Lu-chan. Where were you?"
"Finalizing some things at Fairy Hills. I think I might be getting a room there!" Lucy squealed, her hands balled into excited fists.
"That's great, Lucy!" Mira's voice piped in from behind the counter. "You two can be roommates!"
"Isn't it expensive, though?" Levy asked.
"It is, but Natsu's been helping with jobs, and there's a chance I can tap into my dad's fortune." Lucy replied, accepting a drink from Mira.
"Natsu, you say? Helping?" Mira laughed suggestively.
Lucy blushed slightly. "N-natsu's a nice guy, it's not like that!"
Levy turned away from Lucy, a sad look in her eyes. She didn't even notice for a couple seconds until she sighed sadly.
"Levy, what's wrong? Are you still mad about the bookmark?" Mira asked.
"No, that's water under the bridge," Levy sighed again. "but I just don't understand how he and Emily hit it off so quick!"
"Oh, I think someone's a bit jealous that the new girl is hanging out with her man..." Lucy laughed.
"No, Lu-chan! I..." Levy began, but quickly found herself at a loss for words. Was she really jealous of Emily and her new friendship with Gajeel?
"Don't take it personally, Levy, they just get along so well because their magic is similar." Mira explained as she wiped a beer mug clean.
Levy shrugged. "I guess you're right. Besides, she's a new guild member, I shouldn't be so hard on her. She's nice and fun, albeit a bit rough."
"Yeah...they are similar." Lucy sat up. "I gotta run a few errands, Levy-chan, Mira, so I'll see you guys later!"
Lucy waved goodbye to her friends and exited the guild, heading back into town. She had some shopping to do, and a certain bull spirit with large muscles would be of much help.
Some time later...
"Don't worry, I won't let your nice body get all tired from these bags, Lucy!" Taurus laughed as he set down several bags of groceries on her kitchen table.
"Thanks..." Lucy laughed nervously. She closed his gate and got to work sorting the groceries.
"I worry about Levy-chan, especially when I heard her talking about that Aiel guy..." Lucy pondered quietly, putting boxed food in its appropriate cupboards.
As Lucy finished putting her food away, she got a great idea.
"Open, Gate of the Southern Cross!" Lucy summoned a spirit that knew things about people, and she would be able to learn if this Aiel guy was a celestial mage at one point or another, which would possibly give her a lead.
"Crux, can you tell me if there was a celestial mage named Aiel?" She asked the hovering spirit.
Old Man Crux seemed to have fallen asleep, but that was just his way of searching for info. Crux did not awaken, showing that he had nothing to offer.
"No, Miss Lucy...I have no information..." With that sleepy statement, he disappeared.
Lucy sighed, falling into a chair. What if this guy or book or whatnot was dangerous? She wanted the best for her Levy-chan, and that meant protecting her from people that want to hurt her.
"I guess I can ask the master, Erza, or Gildarts..."
Lucy sprang back up, and grabbing her keys and purse, began the walk back to the guild. She was going to get her answer one way or another.
* It's basically a spear with a thick disk around it, making it a club, too. Very similar to a pike.
** Taken straight from Street Fighter 3, it's one of Urien's special moves. Nothing more than a shoulder smash.
I hope you guys like it, and I will do my best to coordinate with Neko to have the next chapter out ASAP. Thanks for reading :D
One more thing is that I may draw inspiration from other series and video games like above. You don't have to look at it, but I just do it for fun :)
