10: Sena

30th January, Tuesday. Fairy Tail Corp, conference room 101. Noon.

Erza ignored the stunned and flummoxed expressions on the multitude of faces around her and continued speaking as though she had not just been interrupted with a sudden, and really rather rude, "What the frack?!" Thankfully the metal chewing male had not interrupted again, after the redhead's order for silence had been aided by a sudden, and really not that surprisingly anymore, whack from a miniature blunette onto her boyfriend's back.

"As I was saying, some of you may already recognize this very familiar face standing here next to me", Erza continued, as she gestured towards the blonde standing beside her. Lucy herself was wearing a neutral smile and trying her darndest to look anywhere but directly to her right, where a pink haired male appeared to be sulking and glaring at the table. As her redheaded boss-for-now resumed her address to the stunned crowd, Lucy slowly surveyed the people seated around the long conference table, taking in familiar faces who appeared surprised as hell, and unfamiliar ones who studied her suspiciously, wondering why on Earthland their new colleagues were so shocked by this blonde. The blonde noted distractedly that the absurdly young looking girl with pink hair sitting in the corner was the same one she had seen crossing the street a few days back.

"-cy Heartfilia."

"Hmm?" Lucy turned towards Erza, a little taken aback when she realized the redhead was now regarding her with a curious look in her eyes. "Sorry. Is it my turn to speak?"

Erza gave a tiny smile. "If you want."

"Right. Ok." Lucy gave a small cough to clear her throat and her hands distractedly smoothened down her pastel coloured jacket. Looking up, she gave a little wave and a hesitant grin. "Hello~ My name is Lucy Heartfilia, and I have been senten – ahem – dispatched here for the next few months as the official event planner for Fairy Tail's and Lamia Scale's convocation, well, celebration. During these three months, I will be working directly with the HR department managers Lyon Vastia – san and…"

Lucy paused for a moment as her throat clenched, her voice screeching to a halt that had people regarding her strangely. She could see the worried glances of Erza and Levy out of the corners of her eyes and hurriedly, Lucy folded her arms and fingers behind her back to regain her composure. Taking in a deep breath, she picked up the manila folder on the table and opened it, scanning the first page quickly.

"and… Notsu Dragneel. Sorry, did I say that right?" Lucy affected an innocent stare up at Erza, who appeared both shocked and amused simultaneously. Her lips curling inwards in her attempt to hide her grin, Erza shook her head. "It's Natsu Dragneel. A, not O."

"I see. Ok." She laid the folder back down on the table and ignored the not so subtle glare a certain male was throwing her way. "In any case, I'm looking forward to working with all of you, and I sincerely hope that that wish is mutual." Against her own wishes, Lucy forced herself to end with "Now, does anyone have any questions?"

Instantly, a deep voice droned out from the back of the room as all attention was directed towards a large male with a messy mane of long black hair.

Gajeel Redfox droned out in a lazy voice. "So bunny girl-"

"That's Heartfilia – san to you, Mister Redfox.

Gajeel rolled his eyes causing the blonde's cheek muscle to jump. "Does this mean you and Salamander are back together now? Hey, what the fuck midget?!"

"Shut up, you stupid man!" Levy snapped as she grabbed the much larger man by the ear and dragged him down towards her level. "That's taboo!"

"Together?" The silver brow on Lyon Vastia's face arched up as he alternated staring at the blonde and the sulking pink head. "You two were-"

Lucy plastered a false smile on her face and gritted out through clenched teeth. "The operational word is 'were'. Dragneel – san and I were once… together… but that is over now. Now, any more questions? And nothing about what type of relationship I once had with stup- Dragneel – san." Despite what she said, the blonde was all too aware that by the time the day was out, the news that Lucy Heartfilia – ex-wife of Natsu Dragneel – was back in Fairy Tail would be on everyone's tongue and hanging from every gossip vine.

In her peripheral vision, Lucy saw a dark haired male loop his arm over Natsu's shoulder and nudge him discreetly. Gray Fullbuster cocked his head at her while keeping his voice at a minimum. "Oi, Flamehead. Did you know about this?"

Natsu growled and shoved the other male off him. "Keep off, fuck face. You're heavy."

Gray instantly went on the defensive and shoved back. "What the hell? I just-"

"Gray – sama. Don't."

"But-"

Juvia clenched her grip tighter on Gray's bare arm, blushing as she did so, and shook her head firmly. "Leave him be."

Gray opened his mouth as if to argue back but instead shut it obediently much to Juvia's relief.

Back at the front of the room, Lucy forced her attention back to the person Erza was introducing her to – Jura Neekis, CEO of Lamia Scale, or rather acting CEO. The actual head had disappeared off to an early pre-retirement retirement holiday and left her second in command in charge. Truth be told, the man intimidated her. Jura Neekis towered over her petite frame both in terms of height and width, though the scariness of the man was lessened very much by how the perfect baldness of his head shone under the bright lights of the room. Lucy had to remind herself once again not to laugh.

Despite his size, the man was like a giant teddy bear, mild-mannered and polite. The gentle yet firm tone that he assumed reminded Lucy of her father on his good days, something she had always looked forward when she was young since they were so rare. Lucy smiled warmly and shook his hand.

Erza nodded politely at her CEO partner and excused the pair of the other end of the room where Lyon Vastia and a familiar woman with long pink hair hanging down to her waist were sitting. Nodding towards the woman, Erza stated. "Lyon's secretary. You'll be working closely with her too."

The resemblance between this woman and the pink haired midget was striking and Lucy blinked, looking between the two females. The long haired female laughed and clarified "My cousin, Chelia Blendy. My name is She-"

Lucy let out a loud gasp and her arm flew up to point at the surprised female. "Sherry Blendy!"

Sherry blinked, her large blue eyes reflecting surprise. "You know who I am?"

Lucy grinned and whipped out her mobile, opening the camera gallery to a photo that featured herself surrounded by a trio of guys and another woman. Tapping her finger on the leftmost guy with dark, shoulder length hair, she winked and said. "Friend of mine. Look familiar?"

"Ren!" Sherry grabbed the phone over and smiled at the photo before looking up again. "That's right. I forgot Ren worked for BlueHeel too. He told you about me?"

Lucy laughed. "Eve did. Ren's too tsundere to tell anyone your name. You're his phone wallpaper, y'now. Sometimes he just stares at his phone and blushes and it's so adorable when he tries to hide it from us."

Sherry didn't reply but instead blinked, her own fair cheeks turning a pink shade as she returned Lucy's phone. "I-I look forward to working with you, Heartfilia-san."

"Call me Lucy." The blonde grinned and shook her outstretched hand before being subtly dragged away by Erza again. "One last person," Erza noted "before we break for lunch." Lucy noted with alarm that she was slowly being pulled nearer and nearer towards a certain male and was about to protest but thankfully, Erza stopped a few seats short and gestured towards a slim female who rose from her seat instantly.

The woman was young with a healthy tan. Her full lips were shaded a dark red and as she smiled, two dimples appeared at each corner of her mouth. Long, wavy black hair streaked with dark red and brown had been pulled into a tight ponytail but rather than making her look fierce, the strict hairstyle threw this stranger's perfect profile into stark view. She looked at Lucy with clear, forest green eyes, and while she didn't have the curvaceous body that Lucy boasted, the blonde instantly felt a little self-unconscious.

"Sena Oakheart." Erza stated, as the brunette stood up and shook Lucy's hand firmly.

"Nice to meet you, Heartfilia – san. You can call me Sena."

The accent was distinctly foreign, but Lucy had already guessed that from the woman's eye-hair colour combination. No local in Magnolia or Crocus had such unique colouring; accentuated with the thin line of kohl under her eyes, Sena Oakheart looked beautifully exotic.

"Sorry, you are…"

"Oh, right." Sena chuckled. "I'm Mr. Dragneel's personal secretary." She seemed to catch herself and blinked twice. "No wait, Dragneel – san's. Sorry, it's a bit difficult for me to get used to the honorifics."

"That's alright." Lucy smiled as she regarded the foreigner curiously. This… She was his personal secretary? For some reason, the thought of him working in a symbiotic relationship with this… this woman irked her, though Lucy quickly stamped down the discomfort bubbling in her chest.

Erza didn't seem to notice anything and instead guided Lucy back to the front of the conference room where she announced for everyone to quiet down.

"This meeting is over now so everyone, you can now break from lunch. Lucy, with me please."

"Okey."

Lucy moved to pack her manila folder back into her briefcase, and just like how it always was, there was a pink haired male in the corner of her eye… though he was not there long. Lucy noted with just the slightest bit of umbrage, that Natsu Dragneel was the first one out the door. A mere step behind him, Sena Oakheart followed as she whipped out her tablet PC to discuss something with him. The pair quickly disappeared behind the glass walls to the other end of the floor where the HR department was located.

Lucy bit her lower lip as her brows narrowed. What the hell? All she'd done was deliberately mispronounce his name a little just to let everyone know that she had long forgotten him, but it certainly didn't warrant his complete ignoring of her, right?

"Stupid pin-"

"Lucy, you coming?"

"Yeah! Sorry, wait up!"

The rest of the day passed the same way, with Erza bringing Lucy through all five levels of the new company. Instead of both companies moving into a new office building, the merged company had bought over the empty office space directly above Fairy Tail and relocated Lamia Scale into the newly renovated floors. The hours passed in a blur with basically the same routine – Lucy meeting old friends and colleagues, Lucy meeting new friends and colleagues and Lucy firmly quelling gossip people had about her and Fairy Tail's current HR Manager. The two women moved from department to department, from level to level so rapidly that Lucy felt a sense of vertigo by the time they had settled down in Lucy's new home base, a spare room walking distance away from the HR department.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Well, what do you think?" Erza prompted. "Of the place… the people?"

"Oh. Ah… I like it."

"Hmm."

"I do I do." Lucy laughed sheepishly. "The offices are much nicer than how I remember them."

"That's cause we took the chance to renovate the old spaces too when Lamia Scale moved in. You haven't seen the gym or the rooftop garden yet right? They're open to Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale employees only."

Lucy gawked. "You have those now? Two years back you were still petitioning for funds!"

Erza gave a self-satisfied smirk. "Well, two years is a long time for someone who knows how to efficiently manage their time and resources. Would you like a tour?" The redhead glanced at her watch. "It's already past office hours, so there won't be many people there now. You can relax your guard."

Lucy laughed and got to her feet. "Was I that obvious?" The redhead merely rolled her eyes and didn't reply.

They rode the life all the way up to the 85th storey where Erza gave her friend a quick tour of the gym and the different types of classes that were held there from time to time. The rooftop garden was on the 90th storey and above their heads, a glass ceiling spanned the entire space so that people could still come up on rainy days.

At each corner of the square roof sat large pavilions complete with stone seats and tables which Erza identified as the haunts of many during lunch break. Across the large expanse of space, there were garden pathways that slinked and meandered across the entirety of the roof. Along either side of the pathways sprouted flowers and shrubs of so many kinds Lucy couldn't identify a third of them to save her life. In the middle of it all sat a koi pond demarcated by a border of small rocks and pebbles. A narrow wooden bridge arched across the length of the pond and a small pavilion just large enough to fit four people extended out from the left hand side.

"Oh my God! It's beautiful!"

"Glad you like it. We certainly spared no expense in renovating our spaces. Perhaps that is why the in-office canteen only serves bread and beans now." Erza stated with a straight face, only to chuckle when she caught sight of her friend's flabbergasted expression. "I'm joking, Lucy. C'mon, there's one more little part of the garden you haven't seen yet. I promise that you'll love it."

Lucy pouted as she folded her arms. "Not funny, Erza." Her frown morphed into a laugh when they turned the bend behind the koi pond's mini waterfall. Seconds later however, her smile dropped back into a scowl and Lucy's brows shot down.

Erza blinked in surprise. "Damn."

"Scarlet – san! Sorry, I didn't hear you coming."

Sena Oakheart instantly got to her feet and dipped her head in a polite nod the moment she saw her boss and the blonde standing meters away from them. The man sitting beside her peeked his head around the brunette, the perpetual smirk lining his lips slipping the exact second the blonde came into view. The hand that he had raised in greeting slowly descended as he averted his gaze to the side of Lucy.

"Hey Erza, and… Heartfilia – san."

An odd feeling tightened her throat at his greeting but Lucy ascribed it to the discomfort of seeing him so many times in one day. Her lips sucked inwards as she gave him a curt nod. Erza gave her manager a quick wave and proceeded to guide Lucy away back around the bend. Lucy was still scowling as they stepped into the elevator.

"So… Was I supposed to love that?"

"Sorry, I forgot he's usually up here around clock off time. No, I actually meant to show you what we call the animal corner. It's a sort of mini zoo. Well, I call it a zoo, but it's really made up of only one dog and a few rabbits."

"Really? Like animal therapy for the office?"

"Yup. We even have a duty roster for things like cage cleaning. The feeding itself is an automated system so we don't need to worry about them starving. During any hour of the day, there will almost definitely be someone up there."

"That's… pretty cool." Lucy grinned at nobody.

"Told you you'd love it. When the office closes for the day, the dog will be brought home by anyone who signs up for it. If you want, I could put you on the roster list."

Lucy paused mid nod laughing sheepishly. "Nah… I think I'll just visit it when I'm here. My rented apartment isn't very big and I don't think my landlady will like a dog running around breaking things."

The pair had ridden all the way down to the first floor and was halfway across the lobby when Lucy heard her name being called from behind. Sena was running towards them, her black hair tied in a ponytail whipping from side to side with each stride as her three inch stilettos clacked noisily across the shiny linoleum. Lucy cringed inwardly at the possibility of her falling and breaking her neck, though the worry was in vain. The woman hadn't even broken a sweat by them she reached the pair.

"Heartfilia – san! Sorry, could I speak to you for just a moment?"

"Me?"

"Yes, if you don't mind. And…" Sena's green eyes shifted a ways to the side as she chewed her bottom lip nervously. Erza tapped Lucy on the shoulder.

"Lucy, I'll wait for you in the car outside. Let's go out for dinner afterwards."

"Alright then."

Lucy followed the brunette to one end of the lobby where plush armchairs sat around a glass coffee table in the center of a copse of decorative palms and ferns.

The blonde settled herself down on a smooth, cool seat and looked up to face woman. "Right, what did you wish… Oakheart – san?"

The brunette was sitting opposite her, her hands clutched tightly and creasing folds in her A-line skirt as she regarded Lucy with an expression that appeared almost fearful.

"Heartfilia – san…"

"Just Lucy is fine. Sorry, are you alright? You look a little pale."

"I-I'm fine. Ms. Lucy. I heard… I heard people gossiping about you… well, you and Mr. Dragneel. Is it true that… uh…"

Lucy sighed. She should have known this was coming. "Yes, it's true."

"Then you two were really… married? In the past?" Sena's green eyes widened further.

"Yes."

"And… and do you still have…" The brunette's eyebrows shot down as she wondered how to phrase her question properly but Lucy caught on easily enough.

"In the past. He and I can barely have a civil conversation anymore, let alone a relationship of any kind."

"Yes, but… it hasn't been very long since you sp-split up with him, right?"

Lucy sighed again and she slumped back into the curvature of the armchair, wondering how on Earthland she should try to end this awkward conversation as soon as possible when an idea popped into her head. She paused for a moment. Should she try that? Oh, what the heck. It wasn't like Dan was here to say otherwise anyway.

"Truth is, Oakheart – san…" Lucy leaned forward in a surreptitious manner and cupped her hand to her mouth. "I'm already engaged to someone else. Someone I met in Crocus."

Sena jaw dropped as she regarded Lucy with a shocked look. "But-but you're not wearing… Pardon me, but you're not wearing a ring!"

"Shh! We're just trying to keep it mum. And yes, I know it seems fast but honestly, I think this man, Dan, is my one true love. Love at first sight, well, almost." Lucy forced herself to shrug nonchalantly even though the lie bit into her chest.

The change in Sena's expression was instantaneous. The worry from her face seemed to clear as though the gloomy clouds of her mind had suddenly been carried away by strong winds, and a stunning smile split her lips, revealing a pair of model perfect teeth.

"I see. That's perf- I mean, thank you, Ms. Lucy." She shot to her feet, and grabbed Lucy's hands, shaking them enthusiastically. "And… uh… Well, the reason I'm asking you this is because well, I think it's really obvious why I'm asking you all this."

A determined expression came into her green eyes as she regarded the blonde in all seriousness. "Ms. Lucy. I do hope that you'll give me, us, your blessing."

"Sorry?"

"I- I… believe that I'm in love with my boss."

Lucy could not have been more shocked in her life. "R-really?! I mean, it's the 21st century and all, bu-but I don't think Er- Scarlet – san swings that way!"

"Scarlet – san…? No! I- I meant…. Well, I mean a certain mister boss."

"Nat- I mean, Dragneel – san? Are you sure?"

Sena laughed embarrassedly and looked away. "80… no… 90% sure? I mean… well…" Her voice trailed off into a sheepish chuckle.

"Wow. Ok… uh. Wow. I didn't expect… woah, I certainly didn't expect that." Lucy's eyes widened as she plopped heavily back down onto the chair. Sena looked fearful again.

"I mean! I'm only telling you this because I know about your relationship with him, and if- and if you have an issue with it, I-"

"Oh no. Oh hell no. I certainly don't carry that flame anymore. You can- uhm… take over the um, torch carrying. Listen, I should… uh, Erza is waiting and…"

"Right! I'm sorry for delaying you for so long! I'll just get back to work now and… see you tomorrow?"

"You haven't ended yet?"

"No, actually. Mr. Dragneel is doing overtime today so I'm staying behind to help him, with… well, anything." A tiny blush creeped into the brunette's cheeks as she glanced down at the floor.

"Oh." Lucy blinked once, twice, before she regained her composure. "Ok then. Uh… have fun. See you tomorrow."

"Ms. Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

Sena gave her a brilliant smile as she entered the elevator. "You can call me Sena. I look forward to working with you."

30th January, Tuesday. Magnolia City, Somewhere after 9...

The red Maserati screeched noisily across the carpark and with a sudden and abrupt turn, parked neatly into the empty slot right at the end of the carpark. The powerful engine purr ground to a halt and its occupant slid out from the driver's seat, slamming the car door behind him with such vehemence that a group nearby snapped their heads towards the male stalking his way across the tarmac and towards the staircase exit. The sound of shoes stomping down two flights of concrete steps, followed by the slam of the stairwell entrance door echoed loudly across the wide expanse of the building as the stranger turned into the busy streets alive with the hustle and bustle of Magnolia City's night life. The post-dinner shopping crowd thronged around him as he weaved his way in and out, left and right, with a single-minded determination towards a specific destination that lay just around the next bend.

The street before him was lined with rows of shops dealing mainly in hardware and whatnot, with one or two small eateries interspersed in between. He didn't have any of these in sight, however, as he turned abruptly into a darkened alleyway between a DVD shop and a pharmacy. As he walked briskly forward, the noise and flashing bright lights that once overwhelmed his senses were quickly drowned out by the silence and the dim yellow glow in which the narrow pathway was awash. A cat yowled in the distance and there was a clatter of a bottle somewhere off in the distance. He walked swiftly and without hesitance and with every step, dirt and rainwater splashed from the uneven ground, smearing his clean brown moccasins with blotches of dampness.

Climbing up a small flight of metal stairs held together by rusty steel bars that creaked with each step, the man strode through an entrance flanked by two burly men. Neither of the men blinked as the stranger walked past them, and they maintained their expressions of stoic aplomb.

Heads nearby turned as the door to the club burst open suddenly, almost taking someone's nose off with the force of it. As soon as they saw the stranger's familiar face though, they resumed their lively banter and imbibing of heavy fluids. The man weaved his way through a second sort of crowd tonight. This one was not marked by skirts, innocent laughs of children, and the ubiquitous elderly person picking his way down the street with a walker. Instead, men, men of all fashions, races and ages ranging from the sprightly 20 something year old to the little more decrepit 50 odd year old flooded the room. Shouting men, laughing men, yelling men, men spewing abuses… The only few people of the fairer sex were stationed behind the bar top counters, clothed in modest, surprisingly unrevealing outfits, with drink glasses in their hands, and conciliatory smiles on their lips.

The stranger headed up to the bar, slid himself onto a high seat and ordered himself a scotch on the rocks. Instantly, a second male a little larger and burlier than himself slid onto the seat next to him, a cocky smile on his lips. Sting Eucliffe smirked arrogantly as he wrapped his arm around the shoulder of the first male. "Yo. Nice to see you back here."

"Fuck off, Sting."

"How is that any way to speak to your best friend? You wound me." The blonde laughed cheekily as he squeezed the younger male's shoulder firmly before releasing his grip.

"Is that a joke? Since when were we even friends?" Natsu Dragneel scowled and grabbed the scotch handed to him, downing it in one gulp.

"Sheesh. Someone's prickly tonight."

"When did I ever come here in a good mood? Now be a good friend and fuck off."

"Hey hey. I don't mean any harm. I'm going, I'm going." Sting slid off the adjacent seat and was about to disappear into the throng when he suddenly paused and thumped Natsu on the back.

"Hey man."

"What?"

"You going in tonight?"

"Is there any other reason for me to be here?"

"Fair point. I'll see you later then. Try not to lose too badly."

"Up yours." Natsu snarled back, as he flipped the blonde off. However, Sting had long since vanished behind the wall of bodies surrounded the bar after his snarky rejoinder. The pink haired male scowled as he downed his second scotch, the drink burning slow embers in his chest.

"Her one true love huh? Well, whoopdedoo. Good for her."

Natsu slammed his glass down on the counter, the ice cubes rattling noisily in the crystalline body. What a great fucking coincidence. The very minute he had gone down to the lobby with the intention of getting takeaway had to be the exact same minute he had spotted his secretary and a certain blonde bitch conversing by the palms. Lucy's words echoed in his mind, her soft whisper of a voice drowning out the much louder, belligerent ones in the background.

Dan is my one true love. Love at first sight…

"How fucking great for her. Only seven months and she's already moved on this much, even found her a new fucking boy toy." He grabbed the third glass of scotch slid his way and downed it down again in a single gulp.

"Bloody hell."

A little sneeze escaped his nostrils as the drink sizzled down his throat. It was time. Natsu leaped off his seat and squeezed through the crowd surging around him. Stripping off his Armani jacket and practically ripping his striped tie from his neck, he stepped out into the light.

I believe someone asked for jealousy? What a coincidence! It was part of my planned plot. HAHAHAHA. Toodles~!

Faie.