***Yes, I am being strangely reliable these days. I sort of doubt it'll last for too long, but I feel grateful while it lasts. I do not own Fairy Tail, nor its characters or its storyline.. Yeah, I also told you this would get out in the morrow, but then I got struck by this urge to give this darling out today. I get those, sometimes***

I sat by the bar, staring into space when the barmaid approached.

"I heard you lost your village to a demon," Mira said, and I blinked. My village? Mine?

"Ah.. May I try a fire chicken, please? Perhaps a smaller one than the one Natsu would have, but..." I said to her as she seemed to be focused on me. She stared at me oddly, but nodded and soon returned with my order, then leaned over the counter clearly awaiting an answer.

"It was a nearby village. I didn't live in it. It was small, but burying them all was... time consuming," I said, and then started nibbling off the chicken, unaffected by the heat.

"You buried them all?" she asked, and I looked up.

"It is one of the few human traits I find appealing. Showing respect for that which was. That which is is a whole different matter. All things end eventually," my voice was calm. What else could it be? Calm was good. Calm was like dying. Not being dead, but merely losing what was life. Passion.

"So.. was this a long time ago?" Mira asked further. Quite prying, this one.

"Depends on your perception of time. Would you call a year short, or a day long?" I answered, and then the doors busted open.

"Fight me!" yelled Natsu as he flung himself at me. I turned, and once again stopped his flaming fist with my palm, extinguishing his fire once more.

"No," I replied, and then sent him flying across the hall before turning back to a baffled Mira.

"It took a week to retrieve all the bodies and bury them. The cold kept them from rotting, but it also froze the ground and made it hard to dig in it. Since a lot of people were mauled badly by the demons claws, I had difficulty placing all families together. I gave them names when I didn't remember the ones they used when alive, and then wrote the names on their graves. It was silent. Another week passed when I searched for Ur, and then found out she ended. I guess it is closing in on three weeks, now, since then. Would you refer to it as long, or short?" I answered her question, and she got paler as I continued on.

"Short, I think. But five weeks, wouldn't we have heard news of such destruction by now?" she commented, the barmaid, sent a glance to Master Makarov, whom sat eyeing me with... curiosity? I couldn't quite place the expression he wore.

"It is the North, and it is winter. The town is isolated during winter. Wait for the Spring, when what ended last year lives anew. They will find the graves, they will offer the final greeting, and the town will be erased from the maps. Such is the tradition where I lived, since hesitation will kill others that still are." I explained.

"Who taught you your magic, girl?" Master asked, changed the subject. It might be for the best, most people had problems with death.

"Mama did," I replied simply. What an odd question.

"Yet she tried to kill you?" he commented, pointed towards my stomach. So he had heard of that.

"She tried saving me. Mama is very strong, and hit me too hard when she pushed me aside. She was mad too, and hurt." I explained.

"Does she have a name?" he inquired further.

"Maya, though she told me her last name was a secret, and that I shouldn't tell people," I replied. Where was he going with this? What did Mama have to do with anything?

"And where did she learn her magic?" Master asked.

"Papa," I replied.

"And where did he learn his magic?" I laughed when he asked. Such a weird question.

"I don't know where, but I don't think he learnt it anywhere. He's even stronger than Mama, and Mama is a lot stronger than me," I replied, grinned, and then continued eating. I was hungry, and if the old man planned to keep this question round going for much longer my food would go cold.

"Do you happen to know his name?" the man asked. I noted that Natsu had recovered and slowly walked towards us.

"Papas? 'course I know his name. But what does it matter?" I said, and then stopped eating for a second.

"Your father is strong?" Natsu asked, sat down and started taking chunks of my chicken and ate it. I ignored it, were full anyways.

"Just tell me his name," Master said with urgency.

"I.. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you. I think he's pretty well known in the south," I said hesitantly.

"Was he.. erm.. by any means a Dragon Slayer?" Mirajane asked.

"What kind of question is that? Of course he isn't..." I shrugged, and yawned. Someone laughed nervously. They seemed relieved, somehow. Relieved, that Papa was not a Slayer of Dragons.

"Why the hell would anyone wish to slay a dragon?" I asked sharply. Why would they even suspect such a thing?

"A Dragon Slayer uses Dragon Slayer magic, girl. Your magic resembles that type of magic, is all," Master explained, and I shrugged.

"You people are weird.." I muttered, mostly to myself.

"What kind of magic do you use, anyways?" the old man continued.

"Mama calls it Dragon Magic." I replied. People sighed. As if.. I was a child that did not get the notion.

"Well, show 'em, Lucy! Show'em your magic, use those magic rocks of yours!" Natsu said, looked upon my being, looking for the stones I had used earlier.

"I have eaten." I said, and then lit my palm on fire. The flame was still purplish, but a tad less lazy in its movements today. Perhaps due to the lack of rain?

"I would call that Dragon Slayer magic, though it is peculiar..." Master stated, and I felt myself becoming annoyed.

"Why would Papa wish to kill dragons? Why would Igneel wish to MURDER others.." I stopped when I realised what I'd done. I'd mentioned his name. Damn. Again with my feelings going haywire.

"Why would he wish to kill others of his kind?!" I ended, though a bit too late, I guess, when people suddenly stared at me in confusion.

"You know Igneel?" Natsu asked. I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I never met him..." I said, calming down again. Breathe, Lucy. They just misunderstood something. They did not ACCUSE anyone.

"But you mentioned his name," he said, urging me to continue.

"He's my Papa. I never met him, but Mama has told me stories," I stated. He seemed disappointed. Master on the other hand looked at me as if I just grew a second head.

"Are you human, child?" the old man asked, and it did seem as if he dreaded the reply to come.

"What a stupid question. Of course I am," I answered. Humans are weird, sometimes calling their own inhuman due to their actions. I didn't understand humans when they did that. How could a murderer lose his right to belong to the race he was born into due to he way he acted? Master nodded, but seemed to be in deep thought.

"I didn't know there was a mage named Igneel in Fiore, though," he muttered, seemingly to himself. Igneel.. a mage?

"He's not a mage. That would be stupid, and cause a lot of destruction. Just imagine him wandering around in towns, people would freak out..." I sighed, and playfully made a ball with the flames on my hand.

"But he taught your mother magic," Master commented. Well, just because he knew magic, that did not mean he HAD to be a mage.

"Yeah, Dragon Magic. Igneel is a Fire Dragon, like DUH," I uttered, separated the flame from my palm, and grinned briefly. Perhaps the fire-eater would like some. The whole guild froze after processing my words for a moment.

"So you DO know Igneel!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Like I said, never me him. Mama had a big fight him a long time ago, so even though she was his mate she never got to tell him he had a dau.." I began, but I didn't get to finish.

"Wait.. his mate?" Natsu interrupted me, blinked, and I nodded.

"Yeah... it's a dragon thing, kind of hard to explain." I replied.

"I know what it is," he said.

"That's surprising," I said back, looked at the boy. He looked back. His eyes where focused, and I suddenly stood up, bowed near him, sniffed.

"I'll be damned. You smell... peculiar," I commented. How come I hadn't noticed that before? Wasn't like I made a habit of sniffing people really, but I should've noticed something like this.

"So, your mothers name is Maya Dragneel?" Master asked, and I blinked.

"Like I said, she and Papa had a fight a long time ago. Why would she keep his last name, that would be weird. I guess I can't keep it a secret, though, since you all know Papa. Mamas full name is Maya Clive," I sighed, and then noticed that everyone stopped dead again.

"C..Clive, you say?" Master asked, seemed to have problems saying the last name of my mother. Her family name.

"Hm? Yeah." I replied, and a woman sitting and drinking from a barrel spewed everything out on the table, and looked at me in disbelief.

"Has she ever mentioned any family?" Master continued questioning.

"Hm? Like Uncle? Mama said he travels a lot, and that he does reckless things. She also called him a wimp, but most people are compared to her," I said, shrugged, and then yawned again. It had been a long day.

"I wonder if there are any graveyards nearby..." I muttered to myself and headed out of the guild, ignoring the loud EH?! coming from the inside. And I needed to find a candle shop too.

***Blargh. It isn't a word in the dictionary, yet I feel that it should be. More like a vocal word, perhaps, if that makes sense. I can hear it upon reading it, but mayhap is it not suitable in that proper world we all come to fan in order to get away. Therefore, I reckon "blargh" IS a word. So long!***