Author's Note: Oh hey! Back with another chapter!~
So, as I stated in the last chapter, these next three are going to be the memories of their first two meetings and little things in between. These are heavily RoLu, by the way, and they get a little wordy- not gonna lie. Well, 'wordy' is kind of my writing style anyway. But, these three chapters are put here for a reason- the end of Chapter 7 left off perfectly for it and the next chapter to continue in that day- Chapter 11- refers to these memories quite a lot.
But, enough of all that. Onto the show!
The Memories (I)
"We need to interview a few more people going to the upcoming Games," Jason said, looking at the roster of people interviewed and the roster of those who have yet to be. He looked deep in thought as Lucy thought back at her own experience at the Grand Magic Games- which, honestly, wasn't the best experience. After Natsu left and Fairy Tail disbanded, she had spent two months just training up in the mountains with her spirits to better her ability. Hell, she continued to do so even with her current place of employment. Even still, she couldn't help but get a little excited about the idea of visiting old friends that she had made. The look on his face seemed to darken for a second before he apparently decided on something.
"It doesn't look like the Power House Guilds are going to be attending," he said, looking back up at Lucy from his seat at the desk.
She furrowed her brows. "Power House Guilds?"
"Fairy Tail, Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Cerberus. The top six in the land," he elaborated.
Lucy nodded, following his thought path. "Okay, so if they're not going-"
"You shouldn't conduct these interviews," he stated with no room for argument. "It would be a waste. We have a list of people who still need to be interviewed from guilds you're acquainted with, though, and I'd like you to do those. You might get further with them than I ever did," he said, handing her a rather small list.
On this particular list were five names: Minerva Orland, Rogue Cheney, Kagura Mikazuchi, Chelia Blendy, and Cana Alberona. She flinched slightly at the last name, but she simply looked back up at Jason. "I can write an entire novel on Cana... Because I have no idea where she is, I might do that instead. If that's what you want, anyway."
He furrowed his brows and blinked. "So Fairy Tail really did disband, then... I was kind of hoping it was a lie and you just wanted a part time, more stable job..."
"Yeah... I only know where a handful of my old guild mates are," she admitted shyly. "I'm still looking, though, in case something ever happens."
He smiled warmly at her and patted her back. "You're strong, Lucy. Much stronger than I could ever be."
The lass blushed lightly and shook her head. "You know, I miss seeing you scream about how cool things are every five seconds~"
He laughed loudly. "It's shocking how different I get when doing desk work instead of field work, huh?"
"Very shocking."
He shook his head, a broad smile still on his face. "So, if you would save Cana for later, that would be best. You might know her very well, but I want to make sure everyone on this list is okay with what you write about."
She nodded, looking over the list. "It would be easiest for me to start with Chelia and Kagura- I know them better than Minerva and Rogue."
"Alright!" He nodded, taking notes for himself as well. "I have another list as well, but these are the most requested people that have eluded us."
"Understood!~ I'll go get some letters written out. It might take some time, so-"
"I understand, Lucy, you do what you need to, okay?"
"Gotcha!" She waved him off, shooing him off to go get started on his own interviews. Once he was gone, she looked down at the notepad in her hand- looking at the names and addresses listed for everyone. Cana's, she knew, was no longer valid. But she had hope for the others. Thinking about how they typically acted and what would be the best way to catch their attentions, she first contacted Wendy via lacrima- as she knew the blue haired lass to be in Lamia Scale with Chelia. The little God Slayer would be the easiest, considering how she and Wendy were so alike... And how kind hearted she was. Perhaps it would also give her a chance to catch up with Lyon and see if he's heard anything about Gray.
About a week after that interview- (and no news on Gray's whereabouts) she sent out a letter to Kagura's house. The next day- quite literally- Kagura had shown up at Lucy's house with tears in her eyes. The two women sat and talked about the last time they had seen Erza and, surprisingly, Kagura had seen her more recently than Lucy had. That still gave her no insight to where she currently was. They spoke about a number of different things and, unsurprisingly, Kagura didn't want a lot of the stuff written in the article. Lucy respected that, obviously, and got a little more information out of her to work with to write about.
It took another four or five days after her meet up with Kagura to think of just how she was supposed to contact the tigers. One had killed her and one had tortured her. Which was the lesser of two evils, she had to think. But, that negative thought process was soon removed from her mind. Rogue didn't kill her- he fought against himself. Worrying the flesh of her lower lip, she decided that he would be the next interview- so long as things went right. So, she wrote him a letter.
Hey Rogue!
Look, I know it's probably one of the weirdest things to get a letter from me of all people but... I've been thinking about a few things and I'd like the chance to sit and talk with you sometime. I personally have a free day this Friday- May 7th, if you get this letter at a weird time- and I'll be at the Paradocial Cafe in Magnolia at around 9PM... The owner is a friend of mine. But I figured that with both of us going through the Games, the Eclipse thing, and the pseudo-war with Tartaros together, we might have a little to talk about. I just really want to patch this up. Maybe actually get to the point where we can be close friends, you know? If you don't want to, though, I won't blame you at all.
Currently, as it were, it was only the first, but that gave plenty of time for the man to get ready and know he needed that day off from missions. Hopefully it got to him instead of him being way on a mission and not receiving the letter because he was away on a mission. In the mean time, Lucy spent her time training and thinking of ways to get the other person interested in an interview with her. Thank goodness for knowing them beforehand, though. Otherwise this task would have been seriously impossible.
However, with it being Minerva... Someone who was a Demon during the Tartaros War and who literally tortured her at the Games... Lucy wasn't sure if everything would go over well. After her training, she spent the entire day of the sixth just relaxing and doing what she wanted to do. Rogue didn't need to know she was afraid of him or that she had nightmares of Future Lucy's memories. He didn't need that guilt. And he sure as hell didn't need to know that he killed her in the first place. It wasn't him. And Lucy just had to convince herself that. So the sixth was used as her down day to prepare herself and shoo away any doubts.
And, on the seventh, Lucy found herself entering the cafe with much on her mind, yet still, so little on her mind.
"What are you doing here?" A voice said, bringing her back from her wandering thoughts. Lucy looked over to the black haired man in the otherwise empty cafe and smiled gently as she carefully approached.
"Trying to find you," she said in earnest.
Rogue's expression seemed confused and thoroughly perplexed. His ruby eyes seemed like they were carefully thinking over the statement she had just made and it was like a light bulb went off in his head. "...Okay then… So you're-"
"Yeah," she interrupted, trying to stop him from reminding her.
"It's true then.. That the guild..."
"Yeah... It is. But enough of that. Have a seat," she said, motioning back to the table he had stood up from when he saw her enter.
"After you," he said, pulling a chair out for her like a gentleman.
She smiled warmly and took the seat without complaint.
After she was seated and scooted back in, he went around the table and took a seat for himself only to pull out the letter she had sent him. "You know, I didn't expect it to be you here today."
The lass tilted her head. "What do you mean you didn't expect it to be me?"
"You didn't put your name anywhere in the letter," he said with a raise of his brows, simultaneously offering her the letter to read.
She quickly snatched it from his hand and reread the entire thing a few times before groaning and slamming her head down on the table- her face as red as Erza's hair. "I'm such an idiot.. I'm so sorry.."
He chuckled and pulled the letter back to himself, stuffing it in a pocket on his cloak. "It was an honest mistake. I have to say, it made me more curious. In a way, you were able to capture my attention."
She looked up to see his ruby eyes sparkling with amusement and it only served to embarrass her further. "Well that's definitely not the way I wanted to."
He only laughed softly, mentally noting that the scent of the letter she sent him was only that much stronger coming from the source. He didn't want to take the time to figure it out, though. Not after what he- or rather, his future self- had done to her. He cleared his throat, trying to take his mind off of that. "So, what have you been doing since Fairy Tail.. Well.."
When she smiled softly at him, something made his chest strangely warm and he wasn't entirely sure he liked the feeling. "I work for Sorcerer Weekly now. Before you high tail it out of here, Jason wanted me to attempt an interview with you... But you can do what Kagura and I did."
"I read that article," he said, furrowing his brows in thought. "It didn't have much information but at the same time, it did. I wasn't aware that it was you who wrote it.."
She laughed and nodded. "Yeah. I sent her a letter too, but she came to my house instead of meeting up with me. To be honest," she whispered, a faint and sheepish blush covering her cheeks, "I'm kind of using these interviews as an excuse to get back in contact with people..."
He nodded, looking over as the waitress brought over two drinks instead of the one he ordered. A cup of steaming coffee was sat in front of him while a cup of green tea was placed in front of his company. He watched, amused, as she took the honey from the waitress and poured a little into the tea before stirring it up. "I assume you come here often?"
Her blush worsened and she nodded. "I came here every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday I could when I lived here in town. They know my order by heart, it looks like," she explained before taking a sip of the tea. "But seriously, the green tea here is to die for."
He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "I'm not one for sweets, but I'll take your word for it." He offered a lopsided smile before he quickly wiped it off of his face. Sure, it was only the two of them, but he didn't know her. No matter how much he wanted to relax, he wouldn't allow himself to do so any more than he already has. "So, before I agree to this interview, can you tell me how you conduct them? Jason is pretty... Straightforward."
She laughed- a sound he'd never admit to liking no matter how weirdly it made his chest feel- and shook her head. "He just gets excited. I'll conduct this interview- if you agree to it- the same way I have all others I've done. We just sit and talk about anything we want to. I'll take notes here and there about random things and when I think I have enough information, I'll read it back to you." She paused, watching as he thought it over. "When I read the notes back to you, you are more than welcome to tell me if I have something down you don't want to be included."
He raised a brow at her. "So, using something stupid for an example. If I say my favorite color is pink and I don't want that getting out, you won't include it?"
A snort of laughter made green tea come from her nose which, in turn, made him chuckle at the action. He lifted a few napkins to her from the container on the table and waited patiently as she cleaned her face from the mess. "I did not take you for a joke-ster. If you say something like that in the future, can you wait until I'm not drinking?" she inquired playfully.
"Hmm... I'll think about it," he teased right back.
She only shook her head, the smile on her face never faltering. "But yes. If your favorite color was pink and you didn't want people knowing- stars forbid- then I won't include it."
He nodded and smirked. "What's the catch?"
"If you make me remove something, we'll have to talk longer, I guess," she sighed as though it would be the end of the entire world if that were to happen, only to look back up at him and raise a brow. "So I would suggest not making me remove anything from my list. I get annoying after a while."
He snorted and rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt that to be truth- but I'll play your little game and raise you a challenge."
She leaned forward and he sure as hell did not miss that new spark in her eyes. The one of interest. The one of challenge. "Go on~"
"For every two questions I answer- not topics we openly talk about, but actual questions- you have to tell me a story of my choosing. Something you've done, a mission you liked, an embarrassing moment," he explained, watching as her face only grew more confused. "I'll be damned if we walk away from today and you know more about me than I do you. And the moment you fail to tell me a story, you don't get to write the article."
Her eyes sparked again and she smirked right back at him. "You have yourself a deal, Mister Cheney."
"Call me Ryos," he said, shocking himself and the woman both. He didn't even like it when Gajeel called him by his birth name, so why the hell was he telling a woman he barely knew?
"Ryos then," she agreed with a soft smile.
And his heart fucking stalled. The way his name fell so gracefully from her lips... He no longer regretted telling her. Though he did grow curious when she didn't write that down on her notepad. "Are you not going to write that down?"
She raised a brow again at him. "Only if you're okay with it. I mean, I figured there was a reason you don't go by Ryos openly, so I didn't plan on it."
That threw him for a damned loop. She was being more considerate than he thought any interviewer would ever be- Lucy or not. Then, the two started talking. It was a little on the tense side at first, but after a few more jokes from Rogue (and having to blow green tea from her nose one more time) things finally started to get more relaxed. They spoke more freely, as though they had broken through a barrier neither knew existed. They ordered their food, ate, and talked about a little bit of everything and Lucy kept up with him the entire time- taking notes and telling him the stories he requested. The story about the Infinity Clock, about where and how she learned the spell Urano Metria, and just about how her life. Everything seemed so light hearted until she asked the next question.
"How do you feel about the Games?"
Rogue stopped and bit his cheek, not knowing exactly how to answer it. But, eventually, he spoke. "At first it was an annoyance- and it still kind of is. It was a way to get our guild's name out there so we had more jobs to take and people knew we were as strong as Jiemma wanted us to be. We're not going this year because Sting says our only real competition is Fairy Tail-"
"Damn right," she interrupted with a smirk.
He only smirked back at her before letting that smirk fall. "But after last year... It's just one big, horrible memory... Especially knowing what I did..."
She reached across the table and rested her hand on his. "That wasn't you, nor was it your fault, Ryos. Just because he had your face and your name... That doesn't mean a damn thing when it wasn't you."
His red eyes didn't look up from where her hand rested on his. He flipped his hand and held hers, giving it a light squeeze. "That doesn't change what I've done... Or what I did to you."
The silence was overbearing. It stayed there for a minute or two before she whispered "who told you about that?"
He squeezed her hand again. "Did you not want me to find out?"
"No, I didn't-"
"Why not? I killed you, Lucy. That's... That's a sin I can't ever look away from.. Your blood is on my hands.."
"No, Ryos, it's not," she said, squeezing his hand in return and she smiled softly- sadly- when he looked up at her face. "Like I said, it wasn't you who did any of that. I don't hold it against you because it wasn't you and I didn't want you to feel that guilt."
He released a dry laugh and looked up to the ceiling. "Lucy, it's my guilt to carry."
"It's not," she insisted, her tone stern. "And I'll personally fight the mother fucker who told you."
His eyes went wide and he looked back to her to see the determined look on her face. He didn't know how she could so easily brush something like her own fucking death off, but he sure as hell couldn't. The nightmares wouldn't let him, the memory wouldn't let him, and his conscious wouldn't let him. His shoulders fell and he shook his head. "Nobody told me, Lucy. I have... I... I have some of his memories..."
She startled him again when her hand- not the one he was holding but her free hand- came up to rest on his cheek. He startled himself further when he found the touch comforting and he leaned against that hand, a soft and nearly unnoticeable whimper escaping from him before he could stop it. Before he could even realize what it was. As though they had been friends for centuries, as though she knew exactly where his insecurities and fears lay, her doe eyes softened and... And.. They felt so welcoming. He didn't dare think of how he wasn't this close with anyone other than Sting, Yukino, Orga and Minerva. He didn't dare think of it because he knew the moment he did, he would put his guard back up. For the first time in many, many years... He didn't want to put it back up.
"You see things from his point of view..." He nodded to her statement, another very soft whimper escaping his throat like he were an actual dragon in pain instead of a human haunted by their sins. "I have some of my future self's memories, too. And you know what?"
He bit his lip, only hurting worse knowing she could see herself getting killed by him in two different points of view now. But, he didn't dare speak. So, instead, he shook his head, silently stating that he didn't know what and that he wanted her to keep talking.
"She- future me- didn't hold any remorse towards you. She didn't blame you. And neither do I."
The sound of a throat clearing interrupted their moment and Rogue couldn't hold back the growl that came from his throat in response. The waitress apologized and looked both embarrassed and upset for ruining their moment but she informed them that the restaurant had closed ten minutes ago. She had given them the time it took her to clean the rest of the restaurant before letting them know, and that was more than either mage could ask for. Lucy thanked her and paid the bill- for both of them, much to his chagrin- while Rogue left behind a hefty tip for the woman, apologizing for the growl and thanking her for her services.
Once they were on the outside, he looked over at her and decided that he did not like the tension that had come back. She looked up at him with a hesitant and sad smile, but bowed to him in thanks nonetheless.
"I guess this is it, then! Um, thank you for meeting with me, Ryos..."
He lifted her chin, forcing her to stand straight and look up at him. "Well, if I remember correctly-... Damn... I'm sounding like Rufus..."
That brought a light laugh from the woman and he mentally patted himself on the back for tearing away at least some of that tension.
"You still haven't gone over what you have written down with me," he said, a smirk playing at his lips.
A blush settled on her cheeks and she looked down at the notepad again. He heard her take a breath to read off what she had written down, but he interrupted her again.
"There's a bar down the street. If you'd like, we can go grab a drink and keep talking. I-If you want, of course."
She looked back at him clearly startled, but she soon regained composure to smile warmly at him. And that weird warmth in his chest was back again. "I'd love to."
The duo walked down the path to the bar- one Lucy was familiar with. She and Cana had come here together for 'alcohol training', as the brunette called it months ago. When they entered the establishment, a few patrons looked up and cheered to welcome them. The bartender- the same man who was on duty just about every other time she and Cana had showed up- smiled warmly and motioned to the open seat towards the end of the bar. The same seat Lucy always took when she came. He grabbed Rogue a mug of mead (a drink he said was difficult to get a hold of nowadays) and mixed Lucy a mango vodka club with a small dash of vanilla flavoring. Just what she wanted. Just the way she liked it.
The shadow mage chuckled and shook his head. "Seems like everyone around here knows you," he stated before taking a small drink of his drink.
"I did live here for a little over a year, you know," she retorted snarkily and took a drink from her own glass.
He chuckled heartily and shook his head. "Of course, of course. So, what do you have written down?"
She looked down at her notepad and smiled as she started speaking. "Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth. One of the Twin Dragons. Can be a little awkward but has a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. O negative blood type. Birthday is December 21st, the Winter Solstice and a Sagittarius even though he isn't half-horse."
This got a laugh from the black haired man, since he clearly remembered the spirit she was talking about.
"Not very outwardly talkative unless comfortable around you. Looks better with his hair up in a ponytail-"
"Oh I do?~" he cooed, leaning towards her.
She met him, though, and leaned towards him in return. "Hell yeah you do~"
He chuckled again and leaned back, taking another drink from his mug. She was an interesting card, that was for sure. Nobody met him challenge for challenge the way she did- not even Sting. And that mother fucker was almost as hot headed as Natsu. Not quite that bad, but damn close. "Anything else?"
She cleared her throat and flipped the page. "Loves his exceed partner Frosch more than any other living being. Fiercely protective and loyal. Pays attention to detail in ways most people don't and, because of that, absolutely loathes the movie Edward Scissorhands- which is a sin but I will let that fly for now. Though shy, does not hide anything from you and is completely upfront and blunt. Watches too much Netflix on his home Lacrima Movie System. Give him freedom and he'll stay, but cage or restrict him and he'll run. Oh, and his favorite color is Pink."
He blinked, wondering just how closely attentive she was at how easily she was able to pick up on these little things about him, but he smiled widely at the final statement. "Well, looks like you'll be forced to talk with me for a while longer."
"Oh?" she responded, her smile showing smug victory. "And why's that? Do you not love Frosch?"
"Sure don't, absolutely loathe the cat," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. That, at least, got another bout of laughter from the blonde, so he considered it a win. "My favorite color is purple, not pink."
She laughed and nodded, acting like she was crossing something out to change it. "Well, I'll make note of that... So tell me, mister Dark and Broody, what do you know about me?" Her brown eyes spoke of defiance, as though she didn't expect him to know very much.
He paused and nodded back, accepting her mini-challenge. "Lucy Hearfilia, B positive blood type. Born July 29th, making her a Leo- who is coincidentally her second most trusted Spirit... Second only to Aquarius, of course. Loves music more than should be humanly possible and baths even more than that. Very upfront with what she thinks and feels, but is definitely hiding why she seems sad for some reason. More loyal to her friends than the other Fairies I know. Very stubborn, too."
The blonde woman laughed, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she leaned on the bar and watched him as he thought things over. The sparkle of her eyes in the dim lightning let Rogue know all he needed to know. She was amused, interested, and he definitely had captured her attention.
Good.
"Somehow makes friends with all of the weirdos who don't know the meaning of restraint-" that got an even louder bark of laughter from her.
"Is that all?" she asked, raising a brow.
He hummed and leaned towards her. "If I had to describe her from what she's told me, I would say she's motivated, loyal, a good friend, a little dramatic but in a good way, and very charismatic."
A light blush dusted her cheeks and she looked away from him. "Stop that," she whispered, though he could hear the smile in the soft spoken words.
"Stop what?"
"Doing that thing you do where you fluster the hell out of me," she said, even softer than before.
He smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder. He waited until she looked at him and he raised his brows. "If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen."
"PFFT. Okay, Natsu," she scolded.
"And here I thought I was more level headed than he is."
"Oh, you definitely are, but that statement? Totally something he'd say."
The silence that fell over them wasn't uncomfortable- nor was it that silent. There were many conversations coming from the patrons of the bar, a soft song coming from the speakers in the back of the room, and the clinking of glasses. The duo ended up playing billiards for a while, laughing and talking the night away. Hey, it was an interview... A very relaxed interview... It wasn't like they could do anything other than talk. Around three in the morning, the bar had emptied out save for one very drunk man that the bartender had called the man's wife to come and get. Rogue payed their tab- which wasn't very large considering that they both might have had a grand total of six drinks altogether. This time, when they left the establishment, the night sky was the clearest it had ever been and her eyes seemed to brighten when she saw it.
Rogue walked her down the streets of Magnolia, both of them silent in their walk. Her eyes never left the sky for more than one minute at a time, and his eyes never left her face for too long either. His mind was racing at about thirteen thousand kilometers a second, going over everything they had talked about and everything they had done together that day. The way she laughed, the little things that seemed to make her light up in her own way, how open and inviting she was, and most of all... How comfortable it was to be around her. It was much the same comfort he got when he was around Yukino and Minerva- that feminine way they could make everything seem so simple and complex but still inviting at the same time.
He couldn't wipe the stupid ass smile off of his face as he thought more on it, and that stupid warm feeling in his chest didn't seem to want to go the hell away. He knew she no longer lived in Magnolia and probably needed to get a train ticket to go back to Crocus but... Call him selfish, but he didn't want this moment to end. This night. There were few times, few days, and fewer moments that he allowed himself to relax the way he did that night. And, surprisingly, he didn't regret it one bit. He turned his eyes up to the stars, trying to see what she saw.. But he didn't see anything too special about them. They were the same they were every other night.
"Lucy?" he asked softly, breaking the all too wonderful silence between them.
"Hmm?"
He bit his lower lip slightly, trying to think of some way to extend the night further. Morning mission with his group be damned. And, then, it dawned on him. "Will you show me the stars? Like. The constellations..."
He looked over to her and holy fuck did his heart just stop or is it beating to fast. He couldn't tell which it was, but the look on her face fucking captivated him. The excitement in her eyes made it look like he could see each individual star reflected in them. The smile that lifted both sides of her lips seemed like it was going to split her face in two. Her hand took his and she started running forward.
"I-I'd love to! Come on, the park is this way. It has a little hill that we can sit on and watch the stars!"
Yet another thing he couldn't find reason to regret doing was letting her talk his ear off. She pointed out Virgo, Crux and Corvus's constellations and detailed how he would see them in the stars. She pointed out every star and named them as she showed the constellations he never thought twice about before. He listened diligently, paying equal attention to her face and what she was trying to show him. Or rather, to teach him. It was a weird experience, trying to watch the stars and learn about these things from someone who wasn't Yukino... But the blonde woman explained it to him in a way he just... Understood. He got it so much easier than when the tigress tried to show him.
And even though she was teaching him about the layout of the stars, how far away they were and how they weren't just tiny little specks, he still couldn't tear his gaze away from her face for any longer than ten minutes at a time. She was so animated, so excited about the whole ordeal... It was like whatever sadness she had previously was either completely gone or just shoved to the side for the moment. Either way, he knew in that moment, she deserved this. This happiness. This moment free of worry and stress. He had been plagued with guilt of killing her and, had she included her name in the letter he probably would not have come out... But he was glad he did.
Especially for the moment they were having. Both mages were laying on their backs facing the night sky. Lucy's hair was splayed around on the green grass randomly and her brown eyes seemed like muddy-yet-crystal-clear pools of water, easily acting as mirrors to reflect the sky above them. Her hands were up in the air as she pointed out two stars in constellation Virgo and was trying to show him how to connect them. Her mouth, though talking, still had a smile tugging at her lips through every word. His own head was turned slightly to the right so he could see her better but also look to the sky if she ever tried to look over at him. And he wouldn't deny the smile on his face that had to be the dorkiest he ever felt himself sport. It wasn't until the stars seemed to grow dim did he realize the time- or rather, that they realized that they had stayed up all night. The sun was peeking over the horizon and he decided it was time to stop being selfish.
"I'll walk you to the train station," he offered, helping her up as well.
"Okay..."
He did not like the way her voice sounded in that moment and, without thinking, he picked up the pad she had scribbled on all night and wrote something on it. "If anything is ever bothering you or you just need to talk, here's my lacrima number. I'll listen, okay?"
With the notepad back in her hands, she looked down at the number and blushed again. "A-Alright. I'll.. Send you a letter soon so you have my address, too. In case you can't reach me through my lacrima comm."
He nodded and tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "If you ever want to talk my ear off about the stars again, I'll listen to that, too," he teased.
She smirked and winked up at him. "I might take you up on that offer."
