Hey guys.
I'm kinda sad again. My emotions are a rollercoaster ride. Not the good kind.
I have had so little time lately that I haven't really sat down and written in about a week. This post is the last chapter I have fully written. I hope to get chapter 11 done in time for Sunday but I'm not sure I'll be able to. I've had zero inspiration due to the lull in Fairy Tail goodness lately. Don't worry though I am far from giving up. I just wish I would hurry up.
So 11 days 'til Fairy Tail Anime starts back up. I'M FREAKIN' OUT MAN FREAKIN' OUT.
I've made a small list of Anime's that I need to watch. 20, there are twenty on that list. Goodbye social life, I knew thee well.
This chapter was super easy to write because it focuses and expands on my characters so I hope you like it. I didn't really give it the attention it deserved though. Sorry.
I could write some long boring story about rabbits, 12 year olds, and the mall but I won't. I'll just let your imaginations run wild on that one.
I'm bored and short attention spanny right now.
Enjoy
Disclaimer: How many times do I have to do this?
Arc 3
Chapter 10: Libra?
The Crew kicks ass with class!
Waking up that morning was nothing short of hellish. Happy had managed to fall asleep on her face. Gray, while he was turned the away from her, had kicked his legs back into hers. Natsu was facing her and had his arm over her stomach, snoring into her ear. The three had made it impossible for her to sleep. Even now, as sunlight streamed into the room from the window, Lucy cursed her soft-heartedness. She'd barely gotten any sleep. She had to remind herself, though, that it didn't matter how obnoxious her friends' sleeping patterns were. It was her thoughts that had kept her from sleep.
Her newest problem was how to get out of bed. She wormed her way down just enough so that she could lightly push Happy off of her head and he would land on the pillow. Part one was a success. Next she focused on gently pushing Gray's leg away from hers. He was precariously perched on the edge of the bed, one wrong move would cause him to fall to the ground. Another success. Last step to freedom, Natsu's arm. She had to be careful. Anything too forceful and his arm might tense. If it was her against Natsu's strength, she was done for. She carefully moved her hand across his arm. He sighed in his sleep and she froze. When he made no other sound she continued. Her hand wrapped around the back of his and she gently began to move it to his side. This time he mumbled something incoherently and rolled from his side to his stomach, stretching his arm farther across her. His hand was now palm out so she held it and started to try and move it again. His face was frowning and she realized he must be dreaming. His frown deepened and what she feared, happened. His hand tightened around hers. Without thinking she whispered, "Let go!" His frown held and his hand didn't loosen. It seemed as though her words didn't wake him but seeped into his dream. Taking a long shot she said the only thing she could think of that would make him let go, "Trust me. Let go." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly and his hand released hers and moved to his side. He was still asleep and her half baked plan had worked. She blushed and scooted out of the bed.
She got ready quietly and walked down to the lobby. There were a few strangers sitting on the couches and she could see two figures by the desk but no one else was present. She decided to see who was at the desk. To her slight chagrin, Spinoza was on one side. On the other, Lucy was pleasantly surprised to find Luka. Luka had his back against the desk and he was laying his head against it chatting excitedly at Spinoza. Her hands were on the desk next to his hair and she looked down to him with a slight blush to her cheeks.
"Good morning, you two!" Lucy waved over to the couple as she approached.
Spinoza straightened and frowned, "Can I help you?" she asked sourly.
Luka, on the other hand, smiled widely at Lucy, "Hey Lu!"
Lucy laughed, "It's funny, my friend Levy is the only one who calls me that. She's a bookworm, too."
"Ain't that a coincidence? What's got you up so early?" Luka lifted his head and took up the leaning position Spinoza had been in.
"Couldn't sleep. What about you guys?" Lucy returned the interest.
"Some of us have to work to earn a living," Spinoza commented.
"Excuse me?" Lucy was taken aback by such a comment.
"Spinster!" Luka scolded her, "Lucy's part of a wizard guild. You told me yourself. She's not here on vacation!"
"Stop calling me that," her face got even redder, "I also did some research. She's the Heartfilia girl. She's the heir to a fortune. She doesn't know what work or homelessness means."
"You really shouldn't judge people," Lucy's face was somber, "It's not fair if you don't give people a chance."
"Mistress makes a good point," Matteo came to join the conversation, tucking a handkerchief into his breast pocket, "What are you talking about?"
Spinoza stiffened, she didn't want to get into anymore trouble with Matteo for being rude to customers. Lucy came to the rescue, "Spinoza giving Luka a chance," but it was sure as hell going to be an embarrassing rescue.
"Spinoza finally saying yes to one of Luka's many requests? That will be the day, Mistress Lucy." Matteo chuckled, still struggling with the handkerchief.
Luka let out a hearty laugh, "So Spinster, are you going to listen to Lucy and let me take you out?" he held on to her hand.
She didn't pull away, "You're still on that?"
"I won't rest until I buy you a pizza and we watch those old movies you like so much!" Luka tried to jump on the desk with Spinoza's hands on his shoulders trying to push him down, "I don't care what you say, I won't give up! I know you love me!"
Lucy had no idea how accurate her little jab was, she was just trying to embarrass her a little. Matteo made the next jab, "Seems the men of this area always fall for the wrong women."
Matteo was aware that Lucy knew he felt for Ivy. He was aware that they all knew, all except for Ivy. It was a sore subject for everyone but he was insistent upon making light of it. Lucy felt for him, "I think people in general do that, no matter where you go. Fall in love with the wrong person." Matteo gave Lucy a questioning look as if to ask, what would you know about that?
"The one you love and the one who loves you are never the same person. Chuck Palahniuk said that," Luka quoted thoughtfully. Lucy tried to contain her laughter. Spinoza looked at Luka as he quoted in a manner that reminded Lucy of the way Juvia looked at Gray.
"Is Luka bein' a charmer again?" Ivy butt in, swinging an arm around Spinoza's shoulders, "'Ow do ya resist this catch, sis?"
Spinoza was beet red at this point, "I would appreciate if we all would stop behaving like children. Luka, we've held multiple discussions, I need you to," she whispered this last part, "back off a little, ugh." as soon as that sentence was out, she was back to being cold.
Matteo seemed unaffected by her arrival, "Lovely to see that none of us are currently doing our jobs. How is the Master this morning Ivy?"
Ivy pouted, "Said 'e is too busy ta play. Told me to fetch 'im some treats. I'm on my way to so see Tanana right now, matter a fact."
"He does have many things to attend to, Ivy. You mustn't take his brushing you off personally," Matteo comforted her.
"Aw Tay," she gushed, "You always know what ta say, you do!" she fixed his handkerchief for him and patted the place where it sat, on his chest.
His business demeanor was back but Lucy noticed the hint of something in his eyes, "Go to Tanana and do your job please, Ivy. I don't enjoy watching my employee's laze about." His hand was in his coat pocket closing off his body language.
Ivy frowned at him, "Right on it, Sir."
Lucy cast Matteo an imploring glance but Luka put a hand to her shoulder. She looked to see that Spinoza and Luka were giving her a look that said don't question Matteo's actions. She respectfully stayed quiet.
Suddenly a crash sounded towards the front of the lobby. Through the rubble, a woman came forward. Lucy was astonished to see that it was a celestial spirit. Libra, one of Yukino's keys, was standing before them.
Lucy stepped forward, "Yukino?" she shouted, "Hey, where are you? Libra! Where's Yukino?"
Libra didn't say anything and instead stuck out her hand, a scale hanging off of it, in Lucy's direction. Lucy slammed to the earth. She felt the bone crushing weight of Libra's gravity-altering power bearing down on her. She was fighting against it to stand up but the harder she fought the tougher it became.
Lucy saw Libra get knocked off her feet and Luka ran over to Lucy. He helped her up and started to pull her away, "Stop," Lucy shouted, "I have to help them!"
Matteo rose from the ground next to Libra, "I suggest you not harm my hotel. I really suggest you don't harm those that stay here, either."
"Trust me," Luka smirked, "They don't need it."
As Luka pulled her away, Lucy could see Spinoza removing her gloves to reveal two small daggers that had been along her forearms. Ivy, on the other hand, pulled nunchucks out of her socks. The two nodded at each other as they joined Matteo. Matteo had already engaged Libra in hand to hand combat but was thrown aside and crushed with a gravity based attack. That was all Lucy could see before Luka dragged her into the kitchen.
"What's going on?" Lucy demanded of Luka.
He smirked at her but his eyes were busy searching the kitchen for something, "Every so often some important people stay here or this place gets robbed. This staff isn't exactly just a staff. Earlier in Niko's life he had some bad people after him, so the staff protected him. They can't use fancy magics like you and your friends, but they go from clumsy and silly to kick ass in a matter of .2 seconds."
"So what are we doing in here? Why can't I help? Why is this place so weird?" Lucy was bubbling over in her confusion. The most important question still swirling in her brain, "Libra's a celestial spirit. What is she doing without her wizard?"
Luka's eyes grew wide, "You know that girl? She's a spirit?" he looked around more urgently now, "Help me find Brody and I'll give you a huge explanation."
Lucy figured this was the best deal she was going to get. She looked around the kitchen rather frantically. From where she was standing she could faintly make out the shadow of a man in the back hallway, past the rows of stoves, "Follow me!" she took Luka by the arm and ran back with him.
Brody watched the two with slight shock, run in front of him, "Luka? You finally give up on the old Spinster? Wow, and for the busty blonde tourist. Funny, I thought she was with the-"
"Brody, we're under attack. Matteo already initiated combat," Luka tried to splutter out over his heartbeat and his breathlessness.
Brody's demeanor was suddenly deadly, "How many?"
"Just one, but she seems dangerous. Lucy says she's a spirit," Luka explained.
"Her name's Libra," Lucy wanted to at least feel like she was helping, "She's a celestial spirit. She uses gravity-altering magic."
Brody took Lucy by the shoulders, crouching eye level, "Good, good. Is there anything else you can tell me? Think hard, does she have a weakness."
Lucy felt a ton of pressure on her, but she racked her brain, "Umm…" she really couldn't think of anything. Usually the weakness of a spirit was it's key holder but since Libra seemed to be operating freely right now that wasn't an option. Suddenly a thought came to Lucy. If you took away Cancer's scissors he was just an over glorified crab, "The scales, hanging from her hands. Get rid of them and it should at least slow her down!"
"Great job, kid," he ruffled her hair and began to run out to the lobby.
"I'm not a kid!" Lucy shouted after him.
Luka fixed her messed up bangs, "Don't take it personally. He does that to everyone, he is 56 after all. To him everyone is a kid."
Brody looked like he couldn't be more than 25, "How is that possible?"
Luka walked Lucy over to a deserted part of the kitchen, "Alright, in order: We found Brody because he's the brains of the operation. He's had enough battle experience that he stands back and shouts orders. Nobody really knows a lot about his past but he's good at what he does so no one presses him about it. You can't help because they have a team dynamic. If you were to go into battle with them it would mess up their rhythm. I've tried," Luka scratched the back of his neck, "It's not easy for me to watch Spinoza take out bad guys and stand by helplessly but I know it's the best thing I can do for her. Last, there's something you should know about this place.
"Things are different here. I trust you and I feel like the staff does, too. But you can't tell anyone. Time works different here. Some people say this place is holy, others will tell you it's cursed."
"What do you believe?" Lucy asked.
"What me and the staff figure is that the border between worlds is thin here. I don't know if it's the afterlife or the spirit world or what but all I know is people age really slowly here. Spirits like yours are stronger here, too. Explains why Libra is walking around like she owns the place. She can probably stay here without any repercussions. She doesn't need a wizard here. The twins look 18 when really they're 25. Matteo's been effected way stronger. I'm not quite sure how old he is but he's been here longer than Niko. I've only been here two years so I still look normal. I really am 19."
"Wow, that's a lot to take in all at once," Lucy mulled over this new information. It sure did explain a lot, "So it's different for each person?"
"Yeah," Luka shrugged, "There's nothing really scientific about it. We learn as we go. We don't want this place flooded with a bunch of eternal youth seekers though. It's a small town, we all know each other. We love it the way it is."
"I understand," Lucy knew what a perfect place to call home meant to someone. It meant Fairy Tail to her, "I won't tell anyone. I promise. But what I can't promise is that I won't try to help them!"
"I figured you'd have a hero complex," Luka grabbed her hand and led her back out to the lobby, "You seem like the type. Ya know, big heart."
She smiled widely at him. That was quite the compliment, "How does Spinoza keep saying no to you?"
"She's really her own worst enemy. She's told me she's got a lot to work out before she could possibly drag me down with her. She's wrong, though. I'm going to show her that," Luka held his fist in front of him in determination.
"Wow," Lucy was touched by his bold and endless love. He really seemed to be years older than any of them. He'd mastered this living stuff, "That's amazing. I'm jealous."
"You shouldn't be," Luka winked at her, "I'm sure you've got your very own me somewhere."
Lucy blushed and turned to face the battle, "If you're right, then my spirits will be stronger. They could help." Lucy spotted Brody, who had somehow managed to hang from the second floor balcony, overlooking the entire lobby. The fight was still raging on with Libra currently blocking multiple attacks of Ivy's nunchucks.
"Spinoza, left side right dagger, now," Like a machine Spinoza went to Libra's left side, while Ivy was still attacking her full front, and tried swiping Libra with her right dagger. Libra side-stepped, trying to avoid both women attacking her at once. Matteo was still pinned down to the ground.
"Brody!"
Lucy caught his attention for only a split second, "What's up, cupcake?"
"Don't call me cupcake. Work me into your attack." Lucy ordered.
"No way, kid." Brody laughed, "Leave this to the big kids. Go hang with Luka 'til this is over. We've only got a bit left."
Luka ran up behind her, "There's no convincing her."
"I can call out a celestial spirit stronger than her. If you're as good as they say then you know that a trump card is an opportunity in battle that you can't afford to pass up on." Lucy saw a flash of understanding pass his eyes.
He cursed, "Alright kid, whip out that spirit of yours and tell it to do exactly as I say."
"You got it!" Lucy yanked a key from her key ring and called out, "Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!"
"Ms. Luuuuucy, aren't you looking mooore ravishing than uuusual!" Taurus came forward wielding his axe.
"Taurus?" Lucy spluttered, "What are you doing here?"
"Unfortunately Scorpio is out on a date. Aquarius wouldn't let him leave for yoooou and sent mmme instead." Taurus poked his fingers together, "I wouldn't upset her I were you, Ms. Luuucy. But, we could go on a date after this if you like!"
Lucy got nervous hearing that she had almost upset Aquarius, again. "Alright Taurus, listen up! I need you to do exactly as Brody says," she pointed up to the awe stricken Brody.
"Will I finally get that smooooch?" Taurus begged her.
"Just get to work will ya?" Lucy pleaded in return. She could hear Luka howling in laughter behind her.
"Taurus," Brody shook off his surprise and started to calculate him in, "I need you to cut through the chain's that keep Libra's scales connected to her hands."
"Her scales?" Taurus looked over to the opponent, "Libra."
Lucy watched as Taurus looked from her scales to his axe and back again, "It will make her nearly powerless," Brody confirmed.
"I know," Taurus nodded, gripping his axe tightly, "Let's get a mooove on."
"Taurus," Lucy shouted before he charged into battle, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
Taurus smiled, "It will be easy Ms. Lucy. Libra doesn't have the love of a master like you to back her up."
"Taurus, Ivy and Spinoza will be attacking either side of Libra and she will force them to the ground. You will charge at her. You won't make it. Libra will let one of the girls go in and attempt to stop you. When this happens, Matteo will launch from one of the girls grasps and grab Libra's wrist. Attack without hesitation. If you hesitate, it won't work."
"I get to fight with two pretty ladies. Whoo, I'm ready. You going to count to three or can we just fight?" Taurus said sarcastically. Lucy stood by with a sinking feeling. Her breath hitched in her throat as Brody prepared to yell out his orders.
"Twins! Unison on either side. Matteo, springboard! Taurus, be ready!" Brody's calculating eyes scanned the lobby like a chess board.
Again, acting as a well oiled machine, the staff did exactly as they were told. Libra stood breathing heavily. Ivy and Spinoza, coming off an attack stood back to back. They faced each other for a moment. Ivy winked and Spinoza huffed in amusement, "Twin Terror!" they shouted and pushed away from each other to run full force at Libra from either side of her. Ivy nearly landed a nunchuck on Libra's head and Spinoza's dagger grazed Libra's thigh before they were both flung to the ground. Lucy could hear Luka's intake of breath. The effort of keeping up so much magic at once was bearing down on Libra. She crouched with her arms outstretched to keep her magic hold on the twins.
"Taurus, charge!" Brody yelled.
His axe first, Taurus ran at Libra with all his force. Her eyes grew wide at his approaching form. Her hand left the direction of Ivy and pointed to Taurus. In the heat of the moment Libra let Ivy's gravity return to normal. Taurus slammed down in her stead. He tried to pull himself up, his whole body taught in effort. The more he fought against her, the weaker and more vulnerable she would be. Matteo called out to Ivy, "You ready?"
"Always!" she smirked at him. He was on the other side of the room running to her. She laced her fingers together and kneeled. He placed a foot into the makeshift foot hold and Ivy launched him with surprising force at Libra.
As Matteo flew into the air he yelled out, "Libra!" causing her attention to shift from Taurus to him. Still holding her hand out in Taurus' direction Matteo snatched her wrist and held it in place knocking in to her just enough to disorient her.
Taurus propelled himself off the ground and moved his axe faster than his brain could think. A clash of metal was heard before anyone could really understand what had happened. Taurus had done it. His axe had made contact with the chains of Libra's scale. It clattered to the ground. Silence hung in the air, the only movement was the scale settling on the ground. Matteo was on the ground next to Spinoza and Ivy stood by, a serious expression looking odd on her face. Libra's pained expression matched the one Taurus wore.
"One scale down eh Lucy?" Brody looked down in the moment of frozen time of the battle. Lucy was doubled over, she was clutching at her chest. She was just barely hanging to the table next to her. The pain wasn't just in her head it was everywhere. It coursed through her veins and stemmed from her chest, just like last night. Not nearly as bad but definitely painful. Luka could barely keep her upright. Brody panicked slightly. The only help he could give Lucy was ending this battle quickly.
Libra knelt before her scale and Taurus stared at his axe. It sported a crack, stretching from one end to the other. He knew it would happen. He was surprised more damage hadn't been done. It was almost like an eye for an eye with celestial weaponry. He wanted to leave Libra powerless by taking out her scales, well he knew what it would feel like. Like Taurus fighting without an axe. He was glad that if he had to hurt her, he would endure the same pain. It was worth the pain, for Lucy, though.
Taurus approached Libra, "Go back to your wizard," he knelt down with her, "She can make you whoooole again."
Libra looked up to Taurus and held out her defenseless hand to him. Taurus went to return the gesture and disappeared before her eyes. A simple 'I'm sorry' left hanging between them.
Brody was stunned by the exchange the spirits had. He was more stunned by Taurus leaving. Did that mean Lucy's magic was failing? They still had one last scale to take out. Brody scanned over to the staff and was about to shout another order when he saw that Libra was trying to escape. Through the rubble she ran and Brody called out, "Stop her!"
Her head snapped around and realizing there wasn't much she could do in this state froze for a moment. They all started running to her, Ivy being the closest. In a last ditch effort Libra saw a loose ceiling plank above her. With a swish of her still scaled hand Libra sent it crashing down. Libra escaped hearing one scream. Matteo's voice rung out for miles, "Ivy!"
Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Lucy pushed Ivy out of the way and took the blow. The plank landed on her with a booming thud. Another bout of tension filled silence overtook the lobby as they waited for the dust to settle. Brody jumped from his spot on the balcony and joined everyone as they rushed to her side. When everything was finally still they all let out a collectively held breath.
The plank had landed only on her leg. The worst she could have was a broken leg. They hoped.
Ivy let Matteo help her to her feet. She ran over to Lucy and tossed the plank away, "No, Lucy. Why? I would 'ave been fine!"
Lucy coughed and sat up, "It was my fault," she muttered. She clenched her fists and slammed them to the ground, "If I could have just kept Taurus' gate open longer."
"Lucy," Brody said sternly, "Luka and I both saw you. You were in a ridiculous amount of pain. You did great. The only thing we're mad at you for is being so reckless."
"Yeah," Luka agreed readily. He looked up from pestering Spinoza about her wounds, "You didn't have to have such a hero complex."
Ivy had tears in her eyes, "You shouldn't 'ave done that. I'm so glad you're all right, I am!"
Lucy was touched to see they all cared so much. She hadn't gotten the family vibe from them earlier but it was the least she could do. Luka had let her see into their world, "That's what being a friend is."
Matteo put a comforting hand on Ivy's shoulders. His gaze locked with Lucy's and he bowed his head slightly, "Thank you."
Ivy looked up to him, smiling widely, "Mister fists o' fury ova 'ere. You didn't do so bad yourself!"
They all let out a laugh, driving out any remaining tension. Brody lifted Lucy into his arms, sure not to move her leg too much, "It was pretty much a one sided fight until you got there though. These goons were having it handed to them!"
Spinoza was a little indignant but only a little, "We could handle!" She shoved Luka off of her now.
"I'm severely disappointed in all of you," the entire group froze and their heads shot to the source of the voice. Niko stood looking over all of them and his eyes fell on Lucy. They lingered there momentarily until shifting to take in the damage that his hotel had suffered.
"Master!" Ivy pouted at him, "We did the best we could, we did. Libra was a tough girl, you shoulda seen 'er!"
"So should I hire her as my staff? If she is so much stronger." Niko seemed like an entirely different person, "Do you even know what this woman was after?"
"We couldn't ascertain any information from her. She was a challenge but we remain victorious, Master," Matteo's tone was just as cold as Niko's but he knew his place.
Niko walked closer to them and swung his arm out to Lucy, "This is a victory for you? A guest of SkyNut allowed you to face me in victory. You should've taken more damage yourselves rather than let a fight go on so long."
"Master, please. Understand that this girl interfered, we couldn't help the matter!" Spinoza would rather see Lucy in trouble than anyone else.
"When you fight, don't hold back!" Niko yelled letting his silver hair fall out of the way of his eyes. The bags under his eyes were much more intense. Lucy was shocked how different this Niko looked, how mean he was.
"Please Niko!" Ivy hung off his arm, "We just want ta protect an' please you!"
He shook her off of him, "You know what could happen! Do I have to remind you?" he shouted at her.
Tears gathered in her eyes, "I know full well, Master, I do."
Matteo stood before her and expressionlessly gripped Niko's shoulders, "Go to your room, Master. We will endeavor to better please you on another occasion."
"I am your Master! You do not order me around!" He was becoming increasingly whiny, but to Lucy it was much better than this cold angry Niko.
Brody muttered under his breath, "Hate when the Master gets like this." It took everything out of him to restrain from arguing with his Master. It did him no good.
Niko looked suddenly even more tired than when he walked in, "You will all return to work now! Do not let my work be interrupted again!" he swung around and stalked back to his room. Everyone's gaze drilling holes into his back.
"Brody, you have to clean this up. Ivy go to the master's room and serve him well. Spinoza, you and I shall investigate the matter of why Libra was here in the first place." Matteo said as if nothing had happened.
They were all back to business. Not normal people with emotions, a well oiled machine. Matteo seemed more comfortable that way, "Let me take little Lucy here to her room first, boss!"
"Of course," Matteo gave her another relieved look, "Thank you again for your assistance in this matter Lucy. However, I insist that should something of this nature occur again you leave our staff to our duties and refrain from interfering."
"That's his way of givin' you a compliment Miss!" Ivy said, almost tipping over as she overzealously leaned out from behind Matteo. They had all tucked their weapons and alter ego's away.
"I wish I could tell you more about why Libra would be here but without Yukino, I have no idea," Lucy relaxed slightly in Brody's arms, suddenly feeling very tired. The shooting pain in her leg was starting to catch up to her.
Brody began to carry her away with Luka stating, "Don't sweat it Lucy. We always figure things out! Research is my department."
Lucy laughed, his undying faith reminded her fondly of Natsu's. Spinoza ran over to her and looked at the ground nervously, "Thanks loads for ya know, saving my sis."
Lucy thought she had only ever heard Spinoza speak so casually, and without her famous biting tone, to Luka, "It's my job," Lucy smiled and winked at her, finally carried up the stairs.
Luka ran over to Spinoza, "You know what I read in the paper?" he took her hand. For once in a great long time, she didn't shake him off, "Her mom died. She ran away from home. Her family lost it's fortune. She's been working for that guild and she's pretty strong. You two have more in common than you think. Don't judge her Spinoza, she could help you."
Spinoza let Luka drag her away, probably to the library with Matteo. She let his words sink in. She wasn't a spoiled princess at all. How could Spinoza have been so wrong? She had really misjudged Lucy. Was Luka right? Could she trust her?
Brody set Lucy down gently, still supporting most of her weight on his arm, "You're heavy, kid. Anyone ever tell you that?" he said nonchalantly.
"I am not that heavy! Were you talking to that stupid cat!?" Lucy winced as she tried to place some more weight on her foot.
Brody raised a hand to knock on the door to her room. Her hand flew up to stop his. He gave her a curious glance, "This is your room, right?"
"Can you do me a favor?" she refused to meet his gaze.
"Depends."
"Can we keep this whole thing between us?" she kept her gaze locked on the floor. The wood grain was suddenly very interesting to her.
Brody removed his arm and let her stand on her own, "Doesn't matter to me, kid."
"They just don't need to worry anymore than they already do," she finally looked up to see what his eyes held only to be greeted by the back of his head.
Hands shoved into the depths of his pockets and casually sauntering away he said, "I mean it, you don't have to give me an explanation. See ya, kid."
Lucy stood before the door, gathering her thoughts. It was disorienting how quickly the staff went from emotional heartfelt people to strangers hiding secrets. It took her a moment to gather her wits about her. It took her another moment to cook up an excuse for why she looked like she'd been through a war. Several thoughts and lame excuses later, Lucy carefully opened the door and stepped into the room, glad she had taken the keys.
The boys that knew no bounds, half of the strongest team in Fairy Tail, and the ones always itching for a fight were still passed out in her bed. They had slept right through the entire battle. She would never cease to be amazed at their iron clad will to sleep through anything. She also thanked her lucky stars that they slept like logs. That meant she wouldn't have to explain her injuries, at least for a little while. She decided to take a shower, being the best means to get rid of all the grime and dust. Many of the small cuts weren't really visible and the splinters fell out easily. The only thing she was worried about was her leg. She tried putting pressure on it but grimaced in pain. Once she was out of the shower, she tried again. The same result. Surprise.
She looked through the first aid kit in the bathroom cabinet. The only bit of helpfulness she could get from it was the compression bandage it had. She wrapped her leg and surprisingly enough, her leg did feel a bit better. Just a bit. She slipped on her clothes and chose her knee high boots to cover up the bandage.
Elsewhere… We find Luka and Spinoza pouring over the books spread around them in semi-circles on the floor. Every so often Luka would look up and hear his bones aching with all the weight of his posture. He looked over all the books they had pulled, wondering exactly what they thought they would find. They had done this research before and he had a feeling they would do it again. Books on Minstrel, books on Supernus, books on celestial spirits, and books on folklore. He had seen it all before. But there was no convincing Spinoza of anything when she was like this. Not when the Master was upset with them. Not when she was trying to do well for Matteo. Not when her nose scrunches up like that and she furrows her brows…
"Luka," she interrupted his thoughts, "You're staring, again."
"Then quit being so damn beautiful, Spin." Luka demanded playfully. He tried half-heartedly to rip his gaze away from her but he found he really didn't want to. He prayed she wouldn't move. He loved watching her read. She would tense up when things got serious or huff when she was confused. She'd laugh out loud when she thought an author was using big words for no reason. The inner-workings of her brain seemed to be in overdrive that day and he wanted to help. But he also wanted to stare at her forever. What to do?
"Either pick up a book or go away," Spinoza said, calmly. She hadn't picked up her gaze, not even once. She poured over the information in front of her. None of it connected. None of it was very useful to her. Luka was right, there was nothing here. She couldn't give up, though. She'd done enough of that in her lifetime. She'd had her fair share. Time to move forward.
Luka stood up indignantly, "Fine!" He exclaimed, haughtily. Oh no, Spinoza smacked her forehead with her palm, what is that idiot up to now?
Luka ran over to a random bookshelf and picked up a random novel. Somewhere where he thought the middle would be located he threw open the book. He read aloud in a pompous tone, "Jonathan Safran Foer says, 'Feathers filled the small room. Our laughter kept the feathers in the air. I thought about birds. Could they fly if there wasn't someone, somewhere, laughing?' Wow, I like that one Spinster!" Luka spun around put the book gently back in its place.
"Stop, Luka. I'm busy. You can read me quotes some other time." Spinoza wrung out her fingers. Sighing, she lifted her gaze to see Luka's mischievous smile shining.
He went to grab another. He plucked one a few bookshelves over and returned, "Margaret Mitchell believes that 'Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect.' That's fantastic!"
"How is that? If it doesn't give us what we expect then we're never satisfied," Spinoza frowned at him and closed one of the books in front of her and laid back on the ground. Dust kicked up around her and she was sent coughing. She gave Luka a glare as if to say,see? I told you.
Luka gave her a playful sneer and turned to pace next to the bookshelves. It was more of a saunter than anything else. He opened his mouth as if to reply. No sound came out. He closed it again. He opened it once more. Only to close it again. Spinoza was waiting patiently for his witty reply.
"I think not getting what I expected is fantastic," Luka was deciding his words carefully, so he could sound confident when he said them, "You can get more than you expected. I never expected you to come along. I love that I got you."
Spinoza never ceased to be amazed with Luka's boundless positivity. He wouldn't be Luka otherwise. Hoisting herself off of the ground she took the book from Luka's hands and placed it back on the shelf, choosing her own book instead, "Stephanie Klein believes that you should 'Tell the truth, or someone will tell it for you.' I can identify with this." She'd eyed Luka, meaningfully.
He threw up his arms, "Hey, I never lie. I tell you I love you, everyday. That's truer than true!"
Spinoza turned away to hide the blush crawling over her skin, "Honesty is an important quality."
Luka put his arms next to her head, resting them on the books behind her. He made sure there was no way for her to escape. He moved his face close to hers and with a demanding tone asked her, "Why do you do that?"
She flushed, her heart beat erratically in her chest. She tried to move either one of his arms but they were locked, stuck in place. She looked anywhere but at his eyes. She'd have to tell him the truth if she looked in his eyes. She couldn't afford to tell him the truth, "You know I like to lecture on good qualities."
"That's not what I mean," he whimpered, "Why do you always turn away from me like that. I know everything about you. When you do that it makes me feel like you don't trust me."
"I just can't be a girly girl in love, staring into your eyes all day. I have a lot to do." she dodged his question well. He stayed rooted to his place, in turn rooting her to hers. She pushed lightly against his cheek in almost a mock slap. That only brought his face closer to hers. Closer and closer until there was so space between. He had closed the gap between his hand and the next book he would pull off the shelf. He pulled back from Spinoza's face distressing slowly. After widening the tiny gap he had left she found her heart beating normally again. Finally when he stopped looking at her and instead searched for his next quote she let out the breath she was holding.
"John Steinbeck believes that, 'We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.' I wonder if our new friends know that." He laughed at the idea of telling the rag tag wizard group something sointerpretive. Then he thought about Lucy, would she understand? Did she already know about Steinbeck?
"Ain't that the truth," Spinoza scoffed and walked down a few shelves with rays of orange illuminating her skin tone with every passing window. The sunrise in Supernus was Luka's favorite thing in the world. On Spinoza, it was even more beautiful than he thought it could be.
"I like it," Luka put away his book gingerly, "when you talk like that," his voice was soft. He tried to make sure there was nothing in his tone to scare her off. He wasn't being sarcastic, he wanted her to know how he felt. He wanted her to know everything about him, always, "It reminds me of a less accented version of Ivy. I think it's more real than all the harsh words you use."
Spinoza bristled. She hated the way she spoke. She would always hate it. It reminded her of who she really was. Who she was is someone she can never escape. But she can hide that person, under cool tones and big words. She pulled another book without addressing Luka's statement. She flipped to the page and pronounced royally, "Albert Camus says," She looked at the book in her hands and sobered up, continuing more slowly and a bit brokenly, "'Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.'" she tasted each word on her tongue, savoring them. As if they were life giving and life taking, if only because she knew they were true. As if in that bittersweet flavor she had found a part of herself, a part she was not particularly fond of.
"Is that true?" he stole the book from her grasp and placed it gently on the shelf. When he was answered with silence he turned in hopes that she wasn't crying. She did that a lot and she hated every minute of it. He did, too.
She wasn't crying. She looked almost frozen in time, as if something in the words had taken hold of her. Even now that the pages had closed they refused to let her go. Luka took her hand and pulled her to the book half circles they had made, making damn sure she didn't trip on anything. He sat down and pulled her into his lap. She moved like a rag doll. He pulled a book into her lap and read over her shoulder, turning the pages every so often.
She turned her head into his shoulder, "I can never let it go. I will never forget."
"No Spinoza," Luka ran his finger through her hair, "Your father is gone. You'll never have to deal with him, again. You did what you had to. It's all behind you, now."
"I want it to go away," she had that haunted look again. It reminded him of when they first met. It was the only look she knew when she first entered his book store. She only wore this look when she was watching the trauma play out in her head. Over and over it flashed in her eyes, "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"You won't," he rocked her slightly, trying to distract her from those thoughts, those memories, "You'll never hurt anyone, ever again. I promise. You'll even learn how to accept love one of these days and I know we'll have the happily ever after people write about. We'll have some author beg us to write our story. We'll get a movie deal, Spin."
He had been teasing her but something had struck a chord, "No," suddenly Spinoza the cruel had returned. She removed herself from his lap and strode to the door, "I will never have a future with you. If you would stop being so stubborn I would be able to properly adjust but with you around I'll never be able to let any of it go. You're just another mistake." and with that, she left. She made a whooshing sound and let the door thud closed. It was a sound Luka knew well, it was the sound of her running away.
Sorry I got all mushy and weird on you guys about Lunoza. I just love them so much and wanted to do a scene about them. I couldn't resist, it probably bored some of you but give me a break I love Luka.
Spring Break is coming and there's still snow on the ground. Lovely winter we're having this spring… But that means I'll have more time to write!
You know the drill, drop me a comment and give me your thoughts.
-Inkwell