Lucy's heart was threatening to beat out of her chest as she walked with Capricorn down the hall of Hargeon Penitentiary. Her pulse was drowning out the dribbling small talk Capricorn was having with their escort, who Lucy noticed was heavily armed.
After Capricorn dropped the bomb about her father's dirty business, he had told her of a contact that he needed to meet with. He had invited her, since she was now involved in his plan, and Lucy was surprised to find herself winding through the hallways of the Hargeon Penitentiary.
The stone walls moved impossibly slow in her peripheral vision, making her feel slightly nauseous. Riotous yells echoed from somewhere far away, but Lucy wasn't sure if they were real or just her imagination from watching prisons in movies. Either way, she felt more and more anxious the longer they walked. She picked up her pace to stride alongside Capricorn. "Who exactly are we meeting here?" she whispered, wondering what kind of meeting this could be.
"She's the warden of a specialized sector in this facility. I need to negotiate with her for something we need, and I figured it'd be good for you to come along." His smile was gentle, and Lucy found herself smiling back. The kindness made her skin warm, after weeks of nothing but formalities and disappointment.
After what seemed like an eternity of walking, they arrived in a small room not unlike an interrogation room. A table sat in the middle, with three chairs surrounding it. A strict looking woman was already sitting in one, facing the other two empty ones sitting side-by-side across from her. Her black hair was pulled into a severe bun, and her brown eyes were hard as they followed Lucy and Capricorn's walking. They took their seats quietly, the scrape of the metal legs against the stone floor making Lucy jumpy.
As soon as they were settled, Capricorn started talking. "Good afternoon,—"
"Please cut with the formalities, Capricorn. We're here to discuss a bail, am I correct?"
Capricorn cleared his throat as if he hadn't just been rudely interrupted. Lucy was still reeling from this woman's blatant disrespect, and the topic of this meeting. 'Bail?'
"Yes, of your prisoner 58410. He was admitted a few months ago, and I understand he had a bail put out but no one bothered with it." Capricorn slid a file across the table, and Lucy had no idea where he pulled it from. He hadn't been holding it five minutes ago. "I know the pay date has far expired, but I'm sure that you can respect the wishes of a dear friend." His voice was the smooth timber of a man that wanted something; a voice Lucy was all too familiar with due to the frequent meetings with her father. But where her father and his employees always had the air of desperation about them, Capricorn didn't seem as if he cared one way or the other about how this negotiation ended. Which begged the question: how necessary was this negotiation?
Capricorn's contact hummed thoughtfully as she picked up the file, giving him a long look before flipping it open. Her eyes bugged out of her head almost immediately, before looking at Capricorn like he was out of his mind. "Roman, I can't just give him to you. There are big names tied up in this—"
"I know, Libra." Capricorn's voice was heavy, and Lucy was growing nervous. Just who was this prisoner? How were they connected to her father's empire? "But this isn't just another case; it's for Layla."
The woman, Libra, sobered up at the drop of Lucy's mother's name. "Layla, from all those years ago? The bootlegging case?" At Capricorn's nod, Libra's eyes flitted over to Lucy. "So this must be…"
Lucy figured this was the real reason Capricorn brought her, so she composed herself as best she could. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia, Layla's daughter." She gave a shy little wave, but Libra had already moved on.
"Is this about Jude, still? Capricorn, you can't keep holding on to that—"
"We have a real case this time. With Lucy's inside status, I feel like she can help where Layla couldn't. Jude wants her in with him, wants to keep his name going. You don't know him; the man is obsessed. I need to fix it, for her."
Lucy was beginning to think that Capricorn wasn't just doing this for justice.
Libra gave him a long look, before sighing heavily. "It's not going to be easy. Like I said before there are big names tied up in this kid, more than just hers." She nodded to Lucy, but something she said sparked Lucy's interest. 'Kid?'
Libra continued. "They check on him pretty frequently, trying to draw out information or cut deals with him. They send this one kid pretty consistently, but nothing ever results from—"
"Wait," Lucy cut in, pieces of the story coming together in her mind. "Is it a boy, maybe a little older than me, with blond hair?" Libra nodded, giving Lucy a skeptical look. Lucy's mind was racing, trying to see the bigger picture, but she couldn't. Not without that file.
"Anyway, it will probably be at least a few weeks, maybe even months, until I can smuggle him out somewhat safely. But that will give you time, both to build your case and pay the bail."
Capricorn nodded, a smile lifting his lips slightly. "Of course; how much do do we owe you?"
"Well, he hasn't been exactly easy to handle, as he's racked up a few charges of battery and assault since he got here, on top of his original bail, so it's at about… $32,000 right now. I'll settle it there, though." Her lips twisted in a smirk at Capricorn's almost imperceptible swallow, and Lucy's flat out choke. "I'll keep in touch with you as the process goes along, but now I really must be going. It's hard enough to keep this place in balance without visits from old friends." Libra stood swiftly from her chair, walking toward the door. "It was good to see you again, Capricorn, and nice to meet you as well Ms. Heartfilia. We'll be in touch."
Capricorn stood politely as she walked away, and Lucy watched her go. She turned back one last time at the door, looking dead at Lucy. "The Salamander has spoken highly of you, Miss Hear—Lucy." Lucy blinked, unsure how to respond. Libra turned once again and left, the door clicking shut decisively.
Capricorn turned to look down at her, and for the first time in a year Lucy felt a smile threaten to split her face apart. He smiled fondly, patting her on the shoulder before guiding her to the door. "Let's go, Miss Lucy. We still have much to do."
