Erza Scarlet looked at her reflection in the mirror of her room. She tightened the corset of her dress, applied rouge to her lips, and perfume to her neck. She had to look her best if she wanted to please her client and get paid. She had been working as a prostitute at the local brothel ever since she was sixteen. It happened after her lover had disappeared and she had grown up an orphan so she didn't have any family to help her out. Prostitution was her only chance of survival in this world. She was disgusted and ashamed by what she had to do to get by but she didn't know what else to do.
Once she finished getting ready to she went outside the brothel for her client. Apparently he was some aristocrat who had become bored with his marriage and was looking for a little excitement. She didn't like taking married clients but this guy promised her twenty pieces of silver if she satisfied him and she was desperate so she agreed.
As she waited for the miserable cheat she saw a man walking by dragging a boy behind him. The boy's hands were tied and he was trembling, sweating, and looking as white as paper. He stopped at a nearby post and tied the end of the rope which kept the boy's hands tied to it then he gagged him with a kerchief.
"Now I'm going to look for a private area to carry out your punishment in and don't bother trying to escape or call out for help because you'll never undo that rope and nobody in this part of town will ever help you."
As soon as the man left the boy began struggling to break free from the ropes holding him. Erza stared at him concerned. She looked around the area. Her client hadn't arrived yet so she figured that she could help him out. She walked to the post and removed the kerchief from his mouth.
"Are you alright kid?" She asked him.
"Help me! Please help me!" He begged her. "That man is going to hang me! And I didn't do anything I swear!"
"Alright calm down I'll get you out of this." She pulled a knife from the garter under her dress and used it to cut the rope binding him. As she was setting him free she noticed the scars and bruises on his arms, hands, and feet. She also noticed how horribly thin and frail his body was. "My God what did that man do to you? Where are your parents?"
"I don't have parents."
"Oh you're an orphan then?"
"Uh-huh."
"Do you have anywhere to live?"
"I used to live at the orphanage but I can't go back there. If I do I'm done for."
"So you don't have anywhere else to go?"
"No but I've decided to join the army."
"But you're just a kid."
"So? I'm a pretty tough kid."
Erza rolled her eyes then thought for a moment. Her client would be here any minute and if she wasn't there then bye-bye goes those twenty pieces of silver she needed. But this kid was all alone and she could tell that he probably wasn't the brightest star in the heavens.
"Well so much for twenty pieces of silver." She sighed. "Come with me."
She took him by the hand and before he knew it the boy found himself in a building full of busty young women flirting, drinking, and putting on make up and provacative clothing. Erza led him upstairs to her room, sat him on top of a table, left him alone for about two minutes then came back with a bowl containing water and a rag. She rung the water out of the rag and used it to wipe the dirt from his body and clean his cuts.
"So do you have a name or what?" She asked him.
"It's Natsu."
"Okay Natsu my name is Erza. So do you have any family? Grandparents? Brothers? Sisters?"
"No at least I don't think so. Mard Geer said that they found me wandering around alone."
"Who's Mard Geer?"
"He's the man who runs the orphanage but he's horrible. He makes us work all day in the work house and he never gives us enough to eat and he beats us and if we break one of his rules then he'll hang us."
"He sounds like a monster."
"No kidding."
"I would report him to the authorities but the head of the law is no help. He thinks that all people who live in poverty are just criminals who haven't broken any laws yet."
Meow!
"Happy!" Natsu cried joyfully.
Erza and Natsu looked to see a kitten at the window of her room. Natsu got down from the table and opened the window allowing the kitten to jump inside.
"You found me buddy. Boy are you smart."
"Who's this?" Erza asked.
"This is Happy."
"He sure is a cute little thing. No doubt Milliana would go nuts if she saw you."
"Who's Milliana?"
"She's a friend of mine who works here which reminds me I need to have a talk with my fellow tramps."
"What's a tramp?"
"Nevermind. Listen you just sit up here in my room for awhile. Stay out of my closet, don't leave from here til I get back, and there's some bread and strawberry jam in the cupboard if you get hungry. I should be back in thirty minutes."
"Okay."
She left him in her room and went downstairs to speak with the other residents of the brothel. The other residents were Kagura, Milliana, and Cana. Erza knew she had to be very persuasive when trying to convince them to let Natsu stay.
"So you want to keep a boy that you found on the streets?" Kagura asked when Erza told them the news.
"Yep."
"Erza you know our policy." Cana said before taking a sip of booze. "If they don't if they don't got dough."
"He's just a child, an orphan. He's got no where else to go and we all can relate to that can't we?"
"True but Erza how do we know this boy isn't some pick pocket thief?" Milliana asked. "I mean we don't know him."
"He has a kitten."
"I say we let him stay." Milliana said excitedly.
"Milli!" Kagura said.
"Sorry but I love kitty cats!"
"How about this we need someone to clean up around here while we're at work." Erza suggested. "He's used to doing hard labor at the work house so I doubt he'll complain about keeping tidy here."
The three women talked it over with each other for five minutes then came to a conclusion.
"Alright Erza he can stay." Kagura said.
"But he has to work." Cana said.
"And let us play with his kitty." Milliana said.
"And he can't peek on us when we're working or changing or go through our clothes." Cana added.
"And he's your responsibility." Kagura finished.
"Fine by me. I'll go tell him." She went back to her room. "Good news Natsu they said that you can stay but you have to-"
"Hey Erza what's this?" Natsu was holding up a brassiere.
"Give that!" She cried snatching it from him while blushing. "I told you to stay out of my closet."
"Sorry."
"I'll show you sorry! Come here you!" She then gave his bottom a spank with her hand.
"Ow!"
"And you'll get that everytime you go through mine or anyone else's closet. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am."
...
Meanwhile outside of town a band of gypsies were setting up camp for the night. Among them was their leader Jellal Fernandes. He had recently escaped from prison and was trying to start over with a new life. Over the years he had trained himself to be a master thief and pick pocket while also using parlor tricks and illusions to get away from the law. A clever and crafty man he was, able to outsmart almost anyone. He had tried honest work but in this day and time nobody trusts a gypsy so he decided that if the world was going to call him a liar and thief then that's what he was going to be.
Before going to sleep he decided to scout out the area one last time to make sure that no one had followed them. It appeared that no one was around so that meant that he and the other gypsies were safe to sleep for the night. No...No he was wrong there was someone there. It was a little girl, about nine years old and she was sleeping under a tree.
He kneeled down and gently shook her awake. When she woke up and saw him she ran behind the tree to hide.
"Hey, hey, it's okay I'm not going to hurt you." He told her softly. "What's your name?"
She didn't answer for the longest time but eventually she said.
"Juvia."
"Where are your mother and father?"
"They're in heaven."
"So they're dead huh?"
She nodded.
"It was the poxy."
"I'm sorry."
"Are you going into town?"
"Yes."
"May I go with you? I don't know the way."
"I'm sorry young lady but I don't have can't room for another mouth to feed."
"Oh no I'm not asking you to let me stay with you. I just need to get to town, you can drop me off at the church. That's all I ask and I'll pay you." She stuck her hand in her dress pocket and pulled out two copper pieces. "It's not much but it's all I have."
Jellal looked at the girl and thought for awhile. On one hand he already had to worry about his fellow gypsies while trying to avoid getting captured by the law and if he had to worry about a child then it would make his life a lot harder. But on the other hand he too had lost his parents at a young age and he had been forced to grow up alone with no one to care or look after him. His morals over shadowed his common sense.
"I'm sorry but I can't just drop you off somewhere."
"Oh... Okay."
"So I'm afraid you'll just have to live with me."
"Really?"
"Just as long as you don't get me into trouble with the law."
"Alright."
Jellal then picked up the girl and took her back to his camp.
