The High Priestess – or the "Priestess" as it is more commonly known – can be a frustrating arcana to fully acquire.
Those who possess this arcana are known to be highly intelligent individuals, but this quality of their character is usually overshadowed by their reluctance to open up to others. This in turn hampers their ability to use this intelligence to their advantage.
In a sense this contradiction of self makes the possessor of the Priestess Arcana a near perfect manifestation of their namesake. Shy and modest, yet hiding a tremendous wealth of power within themselves. This can lead to indecision more often than not.
Patience is essential for one to fully manifest this arcana. In some cases it never fully develops; though this is rare. Despite its obstacles, the time taken to try and figure it out how to unlock its potential can be just as rewarding as gaining the arcana itself.
It is simply a matter of time.
"You want some too, you jerk!"
"Natsu…"
"Bring it!"
"Natsu…!"
"I'll take all of you bastards on!"
"Natsu!"
The dragon slayer's eyes shot open and he sat up, a line of drool hanging from his open mouth. "What?! What happened? Someone attacking the guild?!"
"You're slumbering roars certainly made it seem that way." Freed commented under his breath.
"You fell asleep again." Levy informed.
Natsu cleaned his mouth, smiling sheepishly at the petite scribe next to him. "Sorry about that."
"Maybe it would be best if you let us handle this." Freed suggested with as little venom as he could muster. This was the third time Natsu had fallen asleep in as many hours, and the enchantment caster was starting to grow weary of waking him up. "Levy and I can handle this translation without your…'help'."
"Freed's right."
Though she didn't agree with his phrasing, Levy did believe that it would be best if she and Freed were left alone to focus on translating. Natsu's constant snoring and sleep-talking was just too much of a distraction.
Natsu shook his head in refusal. "I said I'd help you so that's what I'm going to do."
"I appreciate it, Natsu, really I do. But you don't have to force yourself for my sake. Freed and I can take care of things on our own."
Natsu's shoulders started to slump. "Really?" His big eyes begged for Levy to say no.
She didn't seem to catch the hint. "Yeah. I'll let you know when we're done, ok?" she smiled.
"Alright." Natsu rose from his seat and dragged his feet to the stairway. He gave one last look back to the table. To his increasing melancholy Levy and Freed carried on like nothing happened.
When Levy heard the door close behind Natsu she looked to Freed.
"I think we were too hard on him." she said with a hint of guilt in her voice.
Freed continued to sort through the scattered papers on the table. "Couldn't be helped. We can get much more done without him. He asked to help him, and we can't do that with his snoring and rambling constantly breaking our concentration."
"Yeah…" Levy agreed penitently. "I guess you're right." She still felt awful.
Natsu let out a long sigh, his eyes firmly set on the ground as he pressed his forehead against the edge of the bar counter.
"What's wrong, Natsu?" Mirajane asked. "You've been sighing for five whole minutes now."
Natsu raised his head, placing his chin on the bar. He looked to the curious - and slightly concerned - barmaid in front of him.
"Levy and Freed kicked me out of the library. The said I was a 'distraction'." he grumbled.
"Well if what I heard up here is an indication then I'm inclined to degree." Mirajane giggled, referencing Natsu's snoring.
"Thanks, Mira." The dragon slayer said sardonically.
"All I'm saying is that it's hard for them to concentrate with you constantly falling asleep. Your snoring can be really loud."
"That's what they said." Natsu said. "I'm trying to stay awake, but it's just so boring! All of that reading and stuff makes my head hurt."
"I'm not going to pretend that I find translating ancient languages appealing either, but you have to let Levy and Freed do their work in peace. Otherwise they'll never get done."
"Fine." Natsu huffed.
"Don't pout. Why not go on a job? That will help take your mind off of things."
"Everyone else went out already." Natsu's words proved to be true. Erza had left for a job a couple of days ago. Juvia had taken a job with Mira's siblings, Happy, and Gajeel. Even Cana was gone; having left on a job a little while earlier with Gray and Lucy.
"You can't go on your own?" Mirajane suggested.
"It's not as fun."
"Hmmm." Mirajane couldn't really argue with that line of thinking. Going on a job alone guaranteed one all of the reward money, but it could get rather lonely and boring as well.
As the barmaid thought of another way to help reduce Natsu's boredom, an idea struck her. "I know! I have to go into town and buy supplies for the bar. Why don't you come with me?"
"Nah." Natsu declined with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Sounds boring. I'll just wait till one of the others come back and ask them if they want to go on a job with me."
Mirajane puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "Geez. Why do you have to be so difficult? It's not like you're doing anything else."
Mirajane moved from behind the bar, grabbed Natsu by the scarf and pulled him off of his stool. He fell to the ground with a hard thud, the barmaid keeping a firm grip on his scarf and coat collar.
"Hey! Mira!" Natsu struggled but he couldn't break free. "What's the big idea?! Let me go will ya?! I don't want to go!"
"Well you're not gonna sulk here all day." Mirajane turned to smile at Kinana. "Can you watch over things while I'm gone?"
"You can count on me." Kinana nodded with a smile of her own.
"Thank you. Come on, Natsu." Mirajane dragged the struggling dragon slayer to the guild's entrance.
Those still in guild laughed as Natsu was pulled along by Mirajane. She didn't even need her takeover to easily drag him.
"It's now or never, Wendy." Carla said as she sipped her tea. "I suggest you go now."
"R-right." Wendy stood up from her seat and quickly walked to Mirajane. "Um, excuse me."
Mirajane stopped. "Oh hello, Wendy."
"Wendy! Help me!" Natsu pleaded, still trying to loosen Mirajane's iron grip.
"Ignore him. He's just being stubborn." The barmaid smiled. "Did you need something?"
"O-oh yes. Well…" Wendy briefly looked at Natsu before looking away all together. "...where are you going?"
"Natsu and I are going to buy supplies for the bar."
"We aren't going anywhere!" Natsu protested. "Mira forced me to-"A hard hit to head effectively silenced the dragon slayer, much to the shock of Wendy.
"Would you like to come with us?" Mirajane asked this question with a smile. Compared to her violent action just a few seconds ago, this was was very unnerving.
"Y-yes." Wendy nodded meekly.
"Wonderful. Let's get going before the shops start getting crowded." Mirajane walked to the guild doors, Wendy and Carla – having finished her tea – not far behind.
Wendy worriedly looked to the still unconscious Natsu. "Will he be ok?"
"He'll be back to one hundred percent once he smells the food in the market district." Mirajane answered. Her smile had yet to fade.
Levy placed the stack of papers in her hand on the table and leaned back in her chair, letting out a relaxed moan as she stretched her arms and back.
"How far have you gotten?" Freed asked her. He was still working.
"I have the first five chapters done so far." she answered. "What about you?"
"Almost done with the second group of chapters. You were right. This book is ancient. I'm having to translate it into two different dialects beforehand just to get it to modern language."
"I think we've earned a break." Levy took off her glasses and placed them on the table. "You want anything to eat?"
"A black tea should be fine." Freed answered, still not looking up from his papers. "Thank you, Levy."
"You're welcome. I'll be right back." Levy walked up the stairs and entered the guild hall. After being in the library all morning, coming out felt like being released from an underground shelter.
Making her way to the bar, she was immediately happened upon by a gleeful Jet and Droy.
"Levy!" the pair exclaimed happily, stopping their leader in her tracks.
"H-hey, guys." She waved with widened eyes. Their sudden appearance startled her.
"Are you finished down there?" Jet asked quickly.
"Not yet. We still have a little ways to go."
"When will you be done?" Droy inquired.
"Hopefully before the end of the night." Levy looked around Jet and Droy. The guild seemed to be missing a certain pink-haired dragon slayer. "Have you guys seen Natsu? He came up here a little while ago."
"He went into town with Mira and Wendy about an hour ago." Jet reported, pointing his thumb to the open guild doors. "I think Mira mentioned something about buying stuff for the bar."
"Yeah. You should have seen it." Droy snickered. "Mira dragged him away kicking and screaming."
Levy grinned. "Oh, she did? Too bad I missed it. I just came up to get something to eat for myself and Freed. I'll see you two in a bit, ok?"
"Got it." Jet nodded.
"Good luck, Levy." Droy added. "We're here to help if you need it."
"I know. Thanks, guys."
With that Shadowgear parted ways and Levy was finally able to reach the bar. She was greeted by Kinana.
"Hello, Levy." The interim barmaid smiled. "Taking a break?"
"Sort of. I'm going back down after I get food."
"In that case, what'll it be?"
"Two black teas and an egg salad sandwich please."
"Coming right up."
Kinana soon busied herself with the food preparations while Levy took a seat. She placed her elbow on the bar top, her head nested in the palm of her hand as she absentmindedly looked at the back wall. For some reason she found herself a tad bit sad that Natsu wasn't around.
I should find a way to apologize to him when he gets back. She thought.
"Here you go." Kinana placed a silver platter in front of Levy. On it was the sandwich and teas she ordered.
"Thank you, Kinana."
"No problem. Good luck."
Levy took the platter. It wasn't heavy, but she didn't want to chance spilling anything on the ground, so she carefully walked back to the library. After slowly descending the stairs, she placed the platter on the table.
"That took longer than expected." Freed commented with a grin.
"Sorry about that."
"Don't worry I was only teasing." Freed reached for the saucer with his tea. Pinky finger outstretched he took a quick sip, his eyes slightly widening at the taste. "It's even better than usual."
"Kinana made it." Levy took her seat. Placing her food in front of her.
SOLID SCRIPT: TABLE
Wooden letters spelling out "TABLE" stacked next to Levy. She placed the platter on them.
"Where is Mirajane?" Freed inquired.
"Jet and Droy told me she's out running errands. Natsu and Wendy went with her."
"That's a relief. Now that Natsu is actually gone we can get done much faster."
"That's not fair, Freed." Levy said. "Natsu really wanted to help us."
"Yes until he fell asleep the first time…and the second time…and then there was the third-"
"Ok. Ok. I get it." Levy sighed. "But it's the thought that counts right?"
"I suppose." Freed finished his tea and returned to work.
Levy soon followed suit.
"Hurry, Natsu! You're falling behind!" Mirajane sang.
"Well if you'd slow down a little I could catch up!" the dragon slayer irritably retorted. The bags hanging from his arms only seemed to get heavier and heavier with each passing step, and from the happy look on Mirajane's face the load would only get more cumbersome from here on out.
"Do you need help?" Wendy offered. "I don't mind carrying one of the bags."
Natsu smiled at her in an attempt to ease her worries. "Nah. It's fine. I can handle it. I haven't had a workout all day anyway."
Wendy seemed to accept this answer and continued to walk at Natsu's side. Mirajane not too far ahead of them.
"Are we done yet, Mira?" Natsu called.
"Just one more stop." She pleaded with a smile. "Bear with it a little longer. Please?"
Natsu rolled his eyes. "Alright." He looked down to Wendy. "Is that alright with you, Wendy? You're probably bored of walking around with us. You probably wanted to go on a job."
"N-no." Wendy quickly shook her head and grinned. "I wanted to come. I wasn't doing anything else anyway."
"That's an understatement." Carla interjected. Wendy sulked in shame.
The trio finally caught up with Mirajane. She was standing in front of what she was apparently their final stop for the day.
"Here we are." She happily presented.
Natsu, Wendy, and Carla looked inside the window of the shop. They expected more cookware, grocery, and supplies, but were instead met with racks and mannequins with dresses hanging on them. Wendy looked up to the sign handing over the door.
"The Siren's Armoire." She read aloud.
"This is a dress shop." Natsu flatly stated.
"I'm aware of that." Mirajane replied.
"Is there a particular reason why we're here?" Carla asked. "This seems hardly the time for a wardrobe change, and I doubt the guild has a place to store them."
"To be honest I've been planning to buy a new dress for a while." Mirajane admitted. "But I've been too busy with guild duties to go and get one."
Carla raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "So this entire excursion was all so you could purchase a new dress?"
Mirajane giggled. "You caught me. The bar really did need supplies…just not right now. Better to kill two birds with one stone, right? Shall we go in?"
"Lead the way." Carla sighed.
"Welcome." The shopkeeper – a young woman with dark blue hair – greeted with a bow as the group entered the shop. "Is there anything I can help you find today?"
"Oh no, we're just browsing." Mirajane answered with a smile.
"Ok. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you." Mirajane bowed her head in gratitude once more then proceeded to look around the shop.
Natsu sighed and started a search of his own. A search for a place to sit and rest his tired arms. Wendy motioned to follow after him, but was stopped by Mirajane before she got too far.
"Why don't you take a look around too, Wendy?" She suggested. "If you find something you like, I'll buy it for you."
"N-no. That's ok. I couldn't let you do that." Wendy politely declined.
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, child." Carla said. "If she wants to purchase you a dress I say let her. Your wardrobe could use some touching up."
"Ok." Wendy reluctantly accepted. "Thank you, Mira."
"It's no trouble." Mirajane smiled. "We'll find you something really pretty. Something that will make the boys unable to take their eyes off of you."
The sky maiden blushed. She briefly glanced over to Natsu – he had found a small sofa near the dressing rooms to sit on, his pinky resting comfortably in his right nostril – before looking down at her toes in embarrassment. "Y-you don't have to go that far."
Natsu leaned back in the sofa. Staring at the lamp light above, his mind started to drift. I wonder if Levy and Freed are done translating the book yet.
"Natsu?"
"Hm?" The dragon slayer craned his neck down and looked ahead, seeing Wendy and Mirajane with dresses in their arms.
"We're going to try these on." Mirajane told him. "Let us know what you think ok?"
"Umm…ok."
Mirajane smiled. "Great. We'll be right out. Don't go anywhere."
Where would I go? Natsu questioned as he watched the pair walked enter their respective dressing rooms. Why do they want me to tell them how it looks? Aren't they just going to buy them anyway? Girls are weird.
Leaning his head against the back of the chair again, Natsu soon heard the curtains of one of the dressing rooms draw open. When he looked ahead he saw Wendy ready to present her dress – albeit nervously.
"H-how does it look?" she stammered, her fingers clenched tightly along the edge of the dress. Her downcast eyes were covered by her bangs, but Natsu could still see the blush on her cheeks.
The top half of Wendy's new dress was sleeveless, stopping in the middle of the young girl's thighs and flaring out a bit at the ends. Its color was a light cream, with small black polka dots randomly arranged about. The rest of the dress - below the light brown belt fastened around Wendy's waist - was a dark navy color.
"Stop fidgeting, child." Carla chided, waving her paw about in disapproval. "You'll ruin the dress."
"S-sorry." Wendy apologized and let her arms fall limply to her sides. She slowly craned her neck upward until her nervous eyes met Natsu's.
He had remained silent for what Wendy felt was an eternity.
Natsu seemed disinterested, but in reality he was paying very close attention to how Wendy's dress fit her. The garment didn't appear too tight, otherwise she would be struggling to breathe. Nor was it too bottom half of the dress also matched well with Wendy's hair.
He gave his fellow dragon slayer a thumbs up, his wide smile lifting the uneasiness from Wendy's shoulders.
"Looking good, Wendy." He complimented.
The girl's heart thumped and her face flushed completely red. She found her eyes trained on her feet again. "T-thank you." She managed to say.
"I told you there was nothing to worry about." Carla grinned. "You look stunning."
"Now it's my turn." The second dressing room curtain swung open, revealing Mirajane.
Mirajane's new dress was much more daring than Wendy's, but that was to be expected from a cover model.
She wore a long sleeve dress, similar in color to the one she normally wore at the guild, but with a few key differences other than the sleeves.
While Wendy's dress gave her a bit of room to work with, Mirajane's hugged her body tight. All of her curves perfectly visible to anyone that looked her way. It almost appeared that the dress was painted on her. The most noticeable feature on the dress was the hole in the chest, or to be more accurate, it was a window in the shape of a heart. Showcasing Mirajane's bountiful cleavage for all to see.
Wendy was shocked – as well as self-conscious.
"Is something like that really necessary?!" Carla shrieked.
Mirajane ignored the tabby and playfully lifted her hair. She turned around, showing that the dress was also backless. She looked over her shoulder, her half-lidded eyes squarely on Natsu.
"What do you think?" she asked with a smirk.
Natsu looked straight ahead, his expression not changing. "It looks fine." He replied.
"Just fine?" Mirajane was deflated by this reaction. Any other man – and even a few women – would have been rendered speechless at the display. If Jason was passing by he would have went into a coma brought on by sheer excitement, but Natsu was completely unfazed.
Normally Mirajane was not one to be affected by people's reaction to her appearance – that was simply the job when you were a centerfold - but Natsu's opinion meant much more than she thought it would. She wanted him to feel something.
The barmaid started to frown, letting go of her hair. She started to close the dressing room curtains… until she saw a small trail of blood trickle from out of Natsu's nose.
Her smile slowly returned. He's trying to be tough. That's so cute. She giggled. "I'll go try on a couple of more dresses. What about you, Wendy?"
The young dragon slayer shook her head quickly. "I-I'm fine. I'll take this dress."
"Ok." Mirajane accepted with a smile. "It looks cute on you."
"T-thank you." Wendy wanted to say how her appearance didn't hold a candle to Mirajane's, but decided to keep her comment to herself. Somehow this made her feel even more self-conscious.
"Excuse me." Mirajane walked past Wendy and Carla, making her way to dresses near the shop's entrance.
Wendy looked to Natsu, he still had the same blank expression as blood continued to trickle from his nose. He was completely out of it.
"Please clean your nose." Carla said.
"There." Levy put her pen down on the table. "All done." She picked up her papers, tapping the bottom of the stack on the table top to line them up. She then placed them back down and stretched her arms.
"Well done." Freed praised.
"Thanks. Are you finished?"
"Sadly some of us are not as swift as others." The enchantment caster grinned ruefully. "I just have a few more pages left."
"Do you want something else to drink?"
"No thank you. I should be fine for the time being."
"Ok. I'll just check over my translations again."
Freed gave an affirmative nod, but his attention was completely on the papers before him.
Levy grabbed her stack and looked over them again with her Gale-Force reading glasses. There were no errors, but she already knew that. When she finished she saw Freed was still translating. Seeing nothing else to do other than wait, she made herself as quiet as possible and watched Freed work.
"You don't have to say down here with me you know." Freed grinned – noticing Levy's stillness from the corner of his eye. "I'll manage just fine on my own."
"I don't mind." Levy smiled warmly. "We're in this together right? I would feel bad if I left you down here to finish by yourself."
Freed returned to work but not before flashing Levy a smile that seemed to say: "Suit yourself."
Levy leaned back in her chair and looked up the long ceiling of the library. Her eyes absently focused on the chandeliers dangling high above. She was ruthlessly bored.
Normally she'd occupy her time by reading, but she had already read all of the books in the library – some two or three times. Resigning herself to fate, Levy interlocked her fingers over her stomach and closed her eyes.
I wonder…is Natsu back yet?
Levy heard a yawn and opened her eyes. She turned her head to Freed. He was starting to doze off.
Levy looked to the clock near the stairs. It was almost nine. The guild would be closing in an hour or so. We've been down here all day.
Levy rose from her chair and walked to Freed. "Maybe we should call it a night."
"Hm?" Freed shook the cobwebs from his head and looked to Levy. "No. I'm fine."
"You don't have to push yourself. Go home and get some rest. I can finish whatever you have left."
"I can't let you do that."
"It's ok." She smiled. "You've done more than enough. Let me take care of the rest."
Freed wanted to protest, but the soft look in Levy's eyes made it hard. He let out a long sigh, signaling his surrender. "I concede."
"Thank you." Levy bowed.
"Don't push yourself too hard." Freed advised. "No sense in one of us keeling over translating some silly book."
"I won't. I promise."
Freed stood up. "Then I leave the rest to you, Levy. Let me know if you find anything else…interesting."
"I will. Good night, Freed."
"Good night, Levy."
The emerald-haired swordsman grabbed his coat and walked up the stairs to exit the library.
Levy sat back down once Freed was gone. She picked up his stack of papers. "Ok. Let's see what we've got here."
After a few minutes of looking over Freed's notes, Levy felt her eyelids get heavy.
"Oh my." She yawned. " I need coffee." She gathered all of the papers and put them in her satchel. "I should probably finish this at home. I'm more comfortable working there anyway." Levy finished packing and walked up the stairs.
When she entered the main hall of the guild she looked out of the window. As she expected it was dark outside. Most everyone was gone – even Jet and Droy. The only ones left were Mirajane and Kinana, who were making their final preparations before starting to clean for the night.
"Good evening, Levy." Mirajane smiled. "I saw Freed leave the library a few minutes ago. Are you finally finished working?"
"Not quite." Levy shook her head. "There are still a couple of pages left. I told Freed I'd finish up. I was hoping to get one last cup of coffee before heading home if it's not too much trouble."
"Of course. Kinana?"
"One coffee coming up." The purple-haired barmaid smiled.
"Thanks." Levy sat down at the bar, placing her satchel on the stool next to her.
"Looks like you've had quite a day." Mirajane giggled.
"Not really. Just a long one. I heard you went shopping earlier. Did you get everything you needed?"
"Yes." Mirajane smiled. "Yes I did."
After the first dress, Mirajane found four more. Each more daring than the last. One of them was even partly see-through. While some of the more racy dresses were a bit uncomfortable to wear, Mirajane tried them on just to see Natsu's reactions. She had never seen his face go so red before. Eventually she settled on two dresses: the first one she tried on, and a much more conservative dress that she could wear for guild work.
"That's good." Levy smiled. She was oblivious to the true reason for the eldest Strauss sibling's good mood.
"Hey, Levy!"
The scribe looked over her shoulder to see Natsu approaching the bar with a wave and a smile. He sat next to her.
"You finish the book yet?" he asked.
"Not yet."
"That sucks. I thought you'd be done by now."
"So did we, but it was a bit harder to translate than we thought. I'll try and finish it tonight."
"Don't work too hard." Natsu said. "It's just a dumb book. No reason to lose sleep over it."
Levy giggled at his concern. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"Here you go." Mirajane placed Levy's cup of coffee in front of her. "Enjoy."
"Thank you. I'll head home now." Levy grabbed the cup and started to walk out of the guild hall.
"See ya tomorrow, Levy." Natsu said.
"See you-"Levy suddenly stopped walking, confusing Natsu and the others. I almost forgot.
"Levy?" Natsu called.
"Is there something wrong?" Mirajane asked.
"Do you not like the coffee?" Kinana fretted. "I can make you another one."
"Natsu, have you had dinner yet?" Levy suddenly asked.
"No…" he wondered where she was going with this. As was Mirajane.
Levy looked over her shoulder, her smile directed at the dragon slayer. "Do wanna get something to eat? My treat."
For some reason Natsu was compelled to accept this offer. "Y-yeah." He nodded. "That sounds awesome."
"Great. Follow me. I know a place that should still be open around this time."
"Cool. Lead the way." Natsu hopped from his stool and followed after Levy.
Leaving behind a stunned Mirajane and Kinana.
"Here you are. Enjoy."
The waitress gently placed two plates of food before Natsu and Levy.
Levy ordered a simple sandwich with turkey, mayonnaise, tomato, and lettuce. Natsu was presented with a large bowl of ramen. The bowl was almost as big as his head.
"I will return with the rest of your food shortly, sir." The waitress said to Natsu with a bow.
"Thanff." Natsu absently waved at her, his face already full of ramen.
"Thank you." Levy repeated. With that the waitress made her way back to the kitchen.
Natsu loudly slurped on his noodles, broth flying every which way the closer they came to his mouth. Amazingly none of the liquid flew in Levy's direction.
"So…" Levy drawled, doing her best to think of a topic of conversation.
Though the pair regularly interacted over the past number of days, Levy was still unsure on how to start a conversation with Natsu. Compared to Gajeel – who mostly brooded and brushed her aside when she tried to talk to him – Natsu was much easier to speak with; but the scribe still found herself at a loss for a topic that would interest the both of them.
Having heard Levy, Natsu looked up from his bowl with wide-eyes; noodles hanging from his mouth.
Levy couldn't help but giggle.
Natsu noisily slurped the noodles into his mouth and swallowed.
"I heard you went shopping with Mira today…" Levy began. "How did that go?"
Natsu finished drinking the ramen broth, wiping some of the liquid from around his mouth with his sleeve before answering. "Mira dragged us all over town." He complained. "I don't even think she needed half of the stuff she bought."
"Better safe than sorry." Levy said.
"Here you are, sir. Sorry for the wait."
The waitress returned, along with three of her coworkers. Each of them had a plate of food in their hands.
Natsu started to salivate and looked to Levy. "You sure?" he asked her.
She smiled and nodded. "I did say it was my treat."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Awesome! Bring on the food!" he yelled to the wait staff.
The quartet placed the plates of food before the excited dragon slayer. Natsu's stomach was doing backflips in excitement at the wide array of meals in front of him. Not wasting another second, he dug in.
"Is it good?" Levy joked.
Natsu stopped and looked to her, once again there were bits of food on his face. He pulled the leg off of the roasted chicken he had yet to touch and held it to a confused Levy. "Wanna taste?"
"O-oh no. You don't have to worry about me." Levy politely refused, but Natsu proved persistent.
He held the meat closer to her, the smell of the meat's honey glaze enticing her both her nose and her taste buds. "Come on. You know you want to."
Soon Levy gave in. "Ok. Ok." he took to the leg and bit into it. The meat was warm, tender, and juicy. Melting into her mouth the more she chewed on it. "This is really good." she said with widened eyes.
"It was kind of raw so I had to cook it some more with my magic." Natsu revealed. "You want any more just ask."
"I will. Thank you."
"That train ride lasted forever."
"You slept the entire way back."
"I can't help it. A girl needs her beauty sleep. Kicking dark guild butt gets tiring after a while."
"Good job, Cana."
"Thanks."
Having traveled to a small town in the east called Aster, the somewhat peculiar trio of Cana Alberona, Lucy Heartfilia, and Gray Fullbuster were tasked with protecting a bank from a local dark guild attack.
It was a relatively routine protection job all things considered, but there was an unexpected occurrence, Cana's attitude. While she was never really lazy when out on a job, she was much more motivated than usual today.
In fact she nearly took out the entire dark guild by herself. Gray and Lucy hadn't seen a fire lit in her like that in quite some time. It was a pleasant surprise.
The fortuneteller stretched her arms overhead, Lucy and Gray following her as they exited the train station.
"Anybody wanna hit the town?" Cana suggested with a wink and a smile.
"It's almost midnight." Gray pointed out deadpan. This didn't faze Cana.
"So? Most bars aren't even lively until midnight."
"I think I'll pass." Lucy voiced. "I'm pretty beat from the job."
"Ditto." Gray said. "I just wanna go home and sleep."
"Lightweights. Go home and be boring, but you won't live long like that."
The trio went their separate ways for the evening, Cana finding herself strolling the lantern lit streets of Magnolia alone.
The town wasn't much different at night than it was during the day. The only thing immediately noticeable was the scarcity of people on the streets.
"Hey, Cana! Hitting up the bars so soon?"
"Early drunk gets the booze." She smiled at the passerby.
Cana didn't have many friends outside of the guild. Sure she had a couple of drinking buddies, but she wouldn't call them anything more than that. Lately things had started to get boring.
"Drinking alone sucks." She bemoaned. "Where's a hot guy when you need him?" For some reason, Cana found herself thinking of Natsu.
Lately the two rarely had a chance to talk one on one. She was going on more jobs which lessened her time spent in the guild hall, but even when she was there Natsu was always preoccupied with either Erza, Mirajane, or he was taking jobs of his own.
It wasn't that Cana had to talk to Natsu…she just wanted to.
Cutting into an alleyway, Cana saw a familiar bottom wriggling in some shrubs on a sidewalk at the end of the alley. "Juvia?" she called.
The rain woman nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her name. She shot up, her head peeking out from the top of the shrubs. Juvia looked over her shoulder – completely unaware of the leaves and twigs sticking out from her hair.
"G-good evening, Cana. How pleasant to see you." She greeted with a nervous smile.
"What are you doing in the bushes?"
"I was…" Juvia's eyes frantically searched for something to use as an excuse. Her salvation came when she spotted a beetle crawling along one of the twigs sticking out from her hair. "I was beetle watching!"
Cana raised an eyebrow. "Beetle watching?"
"Yes! Beetle watching!"
"I didn't know you liked that sort of thing."
"Oh I do! Very much so! Beetles are very interesting creatures."
Cana stared at the rain woman in silence for a few moments. Juvia struggled to keep her smile stable. It was obvious that she was lying.
"Mind if I join you?" Cana asked. She wanted to know exactly what Juvia was hiding.
This caught the rain woman completely off-guard. "I-I'm sorry?"
"Beetle watching sounds fun."
Juvia quickly racked her brain for another excuse. "Normally I wouldn't mind, but umm…beetles are very shy at night you see. If we startle them, they could run away."
"Then I'll just be quiet." Cana reasoned. She walked to the bush. "Now scoot over."
"N-no, Cana! Please don't come closer! The beetles-"
"Stop being so paranoid." The brunette stuck her head into the bushes. When she came out the other side, a bright light flooded into her eyes.
Cana looked up, seeing a light post illuminate a sign on the building ahead that read "Magnolia Bistro".
"A café?"
Cana looked through the window of the bistro, surprised to see Natsu and Levy seated across from one another at a table. "What are those two doing in there?"
"I'm sorry."
Juvia poked her head out next to Cana's, an expression of shame on her face. "This is what I was truly doing here. I didn't want to say anything because I was too embarrassed."
"I gathered. So you're stalking Natsu now?"
"I'm not stalking him!" Juvia fiercely protested. "I stopped by his home with Happy to tell him about the job I went on today, but he wasn't there. I thought perhaps he was at the guild hall, so I decided to go back. That's when I saw him enter this bistro with Levy."
"So instead of walking up to him and saying hi, you decided to hide out in the bushes?" Cana asked.
"I didn't want to interrupt." Juvia blushed and looked away. "I thought perhaps they were going on a…date."
"Natsu and Levy on a date? I doubt it." Cana denied. "They probably just stopped for something to eat after a job or something."
"Do you really think so?" Juvia looked to Cana, her eyes seemingly lit up at the possibility that this outing between the dragon slayer and the script wizard was strictly platonic.
"Y-yeah." Cana assured, slightly uncomfortable by Juvia's staring.
The rain woman sighed in relief. "I see. It's just a friendly outing. That's good."
Cana grinned playfully. "That's a weird thing to say. Don't tell me you have a crush on Natsu."
Juvia's face turned completely red. "W-what?!" she shrieked. "Of course not! Natsu is simply a friend! My heart belongs to Gray!"
"Really? You looked pretty happy when I said they weren't on a date."
"T-that's just…that's because…" Juvia looked away.
"Because?" Cana prodded, leaning closer to the nervous rain woman.
"I don't think Natsu and Levy would get along as a couple."
"Why is that?"
"They are too different. Levy is very smart and Natsu is…"
"Dumb as a sack of rocks?"
"No! Natsu may not be as intelligent as other people, but it's only because his mind is focused on things other than books." Juvia defended.
"You sure sound like you know a lot about Natsu for someone who couldn't stand being around him a month ago."
"People change." Juvia proudly stated. "I may have disliked him before, but now Natsu is a very dear friend to me."
"Well good for you." Cana smiled. She looked back to Levy and Natsu. "So what's the plan? Were you going to go in at some point?"
"I planned to wait until they were finished and then talk to Natsu on his way out."
Cana saw no merit in this plan of Juvia's. She was going to wait out here all night? She looked over to the rain woman once more.
Every time Juvia saw Levy laugh at something Natsu said or did, she would bite her bottom lip in slight frustration, as well as let out a light moan of discomfort. Her body would also writhe uncomfortably in the shrubs every so often.
Cana sighed. She really needs to be honest with herself. Though for Cana this was also an odd sight.
Levy seemed to actually enjoy Natsu's company. Every few seconds he would flail his arms around wildly with a mouth full of food – obviously telling a story – and even stand on the table, but no matter what it was Levy looked either incredibly focused on what he was saying - laughing when he finished talking - or begging him to get off of the table. No matter how Cana looked at it, the pair was having fun.
Something…unsettling welled up in the pit of Cana's stomach the longer she watched them. She didn't like it.
"Ok that's Enough of this." She pulled out of the bush and stood up.
"Cana." Juvia hissed, pulling herself out of the shrub as well. "Get down. They will see us."
"I'm not trying to hide. It's time to go."
"Where are you going?"
"We are hitting the bars." Cana grabbed Juvia by the wrist and pulled her along. "It's happy hour time."
"But Natsu-"
"Will be at the guild tomorrow. We don't need to watch him over like mother hens."
"But I don't drink alcohol!"
"It's fine. Just pass me whatever you don't want. Come on! We're burning moon light!"
"Cana, wai~t!" Juvia howled into the night, her feet kicking up dust as the fortuneteller dragged her away.
Natsu's ears perked up. He turned his head to the bistro window.
"What is it?" Levy asked, looking out of the window as well.
"I thought I heard Juvia's voice."
"Juvia? Really?" Levy saw people walking past the bistro, but none of them were their blue-haired guildmate. "I don't see her."
"Guess I was just hearing things." Natsu returned to his food, shoving a mutton leg into his mouth. "I fogot do aff. Why diff yu ibite me heo?"
Levy chuckled. "Kind of hard to understand you with your mouth full."
"Sobby." Natsu finished chewing. "I asked why you wanted me to come with you."
"I wanted to make up for being so rude to you earlier."
Natsu was confused. "You were rude to me?"
"Remember? Freed and I kicked you out of the library this morning."
"Oh. I forgot all about that." The dragon slayer smiled.
"You did?"
"Yeah. It was probably best that you guys kicked me out. I was only distracting you and slowing things down. Actually I should apologize to you."
"For what?"
"I said I would help translate the book, but all I did was sleep." Natsu dropped his head in shame. "Sorry."
Levy quickly waved her hands. "No. No. It's ok. You don't have to apologize. I know translating can be really boring."
"You're right it is." Natsu said – much to Levy's dismay. "But I still feel bad."
"Well if you want to make it up to me…" Levy reached down into her satchel and pulled out the book. "There's still some pages left to translate…do you want to help me finish it? That is if you can stay up." she smiled.
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"
"Sorry I don't have a table we can use."
"It's ok. We have more space on the floor anyway. Are you sure we won't wake Happy?"
"Don't worry about him. He sleeps through anything."
Seeing as how men were not allowed inside Fairy Hills – despite Natsu having broken into Erza's room a little over a month ago - Levy agreed to finish translating the book at Natsu's house.
She was rightfully hesitant at first – she had never been inside a man's home before – but she found herself slowly relaxing into the idea since she knew Natsu wasn't a pervert.
"Can I look at the stuff you translated already?"
"Go ahead." Levy handed Natsu some of the papers in her hand.
"Thanks."
Natsu's house was much cleaner than Levy expected. Sure a few things – namely clothes – were scattered in random places, but she could see the floors; which made it a huge improvement over her own room.
Despite her neat and clean appearance, Levy's room was surprisingly messy. There was nothing embarrassing out in the open for all to see, but the scribe would be lying if she said visitors – as well as herself – hadn't tripped over or stepped on a book or two on the floor every once in a while.
Natsu told Levy he had just cleaned his house when she brought up its cleanliness, but this was only half true. In actuality Juvia had come over the previous day and helped him clean. For some reason he chose not to let Levy know this.
Natsu thumbed through the pages handed to him by Levy, but he couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. Applications of the arcana. The magical history. Something about bonds. All of it blurred together in a mix of paper and ink that made his head hurt he longer he looked at it.
"I don't understand any of this!" he fumed, scratching his head in frustration.
Levy didn't look up from her page. "Even translated it reads kind of weird. Some of the lines have different interpretations on what was written. I tried to choose the easiest ones to understand."
"There wasn't one easier than this?"
Levy giggled. "Guess not."
Natsu put down the papers and scooted over to Levy's side. "How far are you?"
"I'm-"Levy looked up, blushing when she noticed how close Natsu was to her. She scooted over just a bit to give herself some space. "I'm on the last chapter."
"Mind if I help?"
"That is why we came here." Levy reminded with a grin. She handed Natsu a light pen as well as a few pieces of paper and the two got started.
Levy explained the basics of translation to Natsu, and was pleasantly surprised at how diligent of a student he was. He listened to every word she said intently, even going so far as to ask questions.
"So that word is just another way to write 'here'?" Natsu asked, pointing the foreign text out on the paper.
"Yes." Levy nodded. "There are a couple other interpretations, but 'here' is the most common usage of it in this context. Here, this should help." She handed Natsu a piece of paper. It was a codex of the most common words used in the book as well as what they translated into. "If you need help just ask."
"Ok."
Soon silence slowly overcame the pair. Not because they had nothing else to talk about; they were simply too focused on their work. Out of the blue Natsu asked a somewhat simple question.
"Why did you wanna do this type of stuff, Levy?"
"Do you mean translating?"
Natsu nodded.
"I always enjoyed reading." Levy explained. "And…I guess I found it sort of unfair that I couldn't read books written in different languages."
"Unfair?"
"Mhm." Levy nodded. "Books have so much knowledge in them. What if we're missing out on something important just because we couldn't read the language anymore? I didn't like that, so I learned how to translate ancient text."
"How long did it take to learn?"
"Years, but it was worth it."
"You have a teacher?"
"I met a few people that helped me here and there – Freed was one of them – but for the most part I taught myself."
"Oh. That why you learned Solid Script? So you could translate better?"
"To be honest, Solid Script doesn't really help me translate. I use my basic letter magic for that."
"Then why did you learn Solid Script? There's way stronger magic out there."
Levy smiled ruefully. "I think that's the reason why I chose it."
Natsu was confused by this answer.
"I'm not a really strong person when it comes to fighting. Everyone knows that. Honestly the very thought of battle scares me. The only thing I liked to do was read books, so I wanted a magic that could make use of that. That's why I learned Solid Script.
I can attack with it sure, but the spells aren't really that powerful. They're mostly for diversions, setting traps, or defending myself long enough to run away. I could never fight anyone head on. I'm too weak."
"…I don't think you're weak."
Levy looked up to Natsu. She expected him to be smiling, but his face was completely serious.
"Running away from a fight isn't always bad." He explained. "Everyone has something they aren't good at. I like to fight, but I know everybody in the guild isn't like me…if they were it would get pretty boring after a while." Finally a smile broke through. "You're really smart, Levy…one of the smartest people I've ever met."
Levy blushed and looked away. "Y-you don't have to say things like that."
"Why? I'm telling the truth. Just because you're not the strongest person in the guild, doesn't mean you're weak. You learned a whole new language on your own, and can translate it like nothing. There are people in the guild who can't speak good at all."
"Speak well." Levy corrected with a giggle. She wondered if Natsu did that on purpose.
"See that's what I'm talking about. You're plenty strong. It's just your strength is all up here." Natsu pointed at his temple, once again flashing Levy an even bigger smile.
Levy was overwhelmed by Natsu's praise. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Sure Jet and Droy normally complimented her for her mental prowess, but somehow praise from Natsu meant just a little bit more.
"Thank you." she said. "...No one's ever said anything like that to me before."
"No problem. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."
Levy blushed again.
The pair eagerly threw themselves back into their work with renewed spirits. This time instead of silence, the air was filled with spirited chatter and even a few bits of laughter from Levy. As the night moved forward, she could feel the onset of sleep setting in. Luckily she had just finished her portion of the last chapter.
She yawned.
"Finished? That was fast." Natsu said.
"Do you need any help?" Levy offered.
"Nah. I've only got a couple of pages left."
"Ok. Let me know if you need help."
"I will."
Levy sat down on the couch, watching as Natsu diligently wrote down the translations. She yawned again, this time her eyelids starting to grow heavy. She laid on her side, stretching across the couch and slowly closing her eyelids. I'll think I'll take a nap before going back home…
"Finished!" Natsu shouted in triumph, holding the freshly translated pages in his hand. "Look, Levy! I did-"
Natsu turned to Levy, finding her sleeping peacefully on the couch under his window. Natsu wanted to call out to her again, but he quickly deduced from the bags under her eyes that she had been up for days without much – if any – sleep.
He walked to Levy and scooped her into his arms. She was much lighter than he thought.
He gently placed her in his hammock and stepped back. He grinned when she pulled the pillow closer to her head, shifting her body until she was comfortable.
"Good night, Levy." Natsu turned around and picked up the scattered translated pages of the book. When he flipped through them, he noticed something odd. "Some pages are missing." he said. "Did we drop them somewhere?" Natsu frantically looked around the floor for the elusive pages.
"Come on! Where are they?!"
Natsu heard Levy groan in dissatisfaction and turn the other way in the hammock.
"Sorry." He whispered to her. He resumed looking for the pages, this time much quieter. He couldn't find the papers anywhere. "Guess I'll just have to translate the pages myself. Where's the book?"
Natsu found the tome and flipped to where he noticed the skip, to his surprise it was in the book as well.
"What the hell? It looks like someone tore the pages out." He sat down on the couch. "This sucks." Natsu closed the book. He looked back to Levy, for some reason she was smiling.
She must be having a really good dream.
Just then, a bright light flashed, and a card appeared over Levy's head.
"Levy too?"
Natsu walked over to her, book in hand, and touched the card.
When the light faded, Natsu found himself inside of a library. While not as big as the magic library, it was still massive in scale. Stretching at least five stories into the air.
"Betty?!" He called. Soon the elderly woman appeared over the third floor railing.
"It's been awhile." She smiled at Natsu.
"What are you doing up there?"
"Obviously I was getting a book. Hang on a moment and I'll come down." In a flash Betty appeared before Natsu.
"How did you move that fast?!" he exclaimed.
"Just something I learned over the years." She grinned. "Got the next card for me."
"Yeah." Natsu grabbed the card from his coat pocket and handed it to Betty.
She looked over it carefully. "I never expected you to find this one."
"Why? What is it?"
Betty held the card up to him. "The Priestess Arcana."
Natsu grabbed the card and looked over it. He recognized it as one of the arcana Cana showed him before, but he forgot what made it so unique.
"That arcana can be a bit of a tricky one." Betty said.
"What do you mean?"
"You have to be very patient if you want to realize its full potential. You can't be all gung-ho like you normally are. This one takes time to nurture."
Natsu had no idea what Betty was talking about, but he nodded anyway.
"What's that under your arm?" she pointed.
Natsu looked down to the book. "How did this get here?"
"Let me see that."
Natsu handed the book to the elderly woman. When she got a better look at it, her eyes widened.
"Is this-?"
"Yep." Natsu smiled. "It's that book you were telling me about. I found it."
"Where?"
"Inside this secret chamber at the magic library. Looked like it had been there for a long time."
"I had no idea it was still out there." Betty whispered, rubbing her hand along the cover.
"Levy and Freed helped me translate it…but some pages are missing though."
Betty's eyes widened again, this time in shock. "What?! Where?!"
"S-somewhere in the middle." Natsu replied, startled by her tone of voice.
Betty frantically flipped through the book, finding just where Natsu said the pages were missing. "No." she uttered in shock. Her body started to shake.
"Betty, what's wrong?" Natsu asked. "You're acting weird?"
"It's nothing." She closed the book shut. "That's all for today."
"What? But I-"
"I said that's all!" she shouted.
Natsu nearly jumped back in surprise.
"I-I'm sorry." She apologized. "Just…I'll see you next time."
"Ok." Natsu reluctantly accepted.
Betty waved her hand, and in a flash Natsu was gone from the library. She reopened the book back to where the pages were missing. Tightly clenching the sides of the book tightly as her hands shook. "I sealed those pages. There is no way someone found them. Who could have-" Betty's eyes widened in realization before narrowing in anger. She gritted her teeth, throwing the book across the library in her rage.
"Dammit!"
Levy sat against the large oak tree in the clearing as she watched the sun rise. It was a quiet morning, the only sounds being the bird chirping overhead ans the gentle rustling of the leaves and grass by the wind.
Levy deeply inhaled the fresh spring air, letting it fill her nostrils. When she was satisfied she exhaled, letting all of the air back into the world. Her mind starting to drift away into nature, she once again saw the pink and red butterfly float near her.
"Hello again." she smiled. She reached out her hand, but instead of landing like before the butterfly chose to keep flying ahead.
"Where are you going?" Levy asked. She stood up to follow it, but the rays of the sun proved too bright for her.
They shined brightly, Levy losing track of the butterfly's sillhouette in the light. When she covered her eyes, she saw another figure approach, this one human.
"Who's there?" Levy asked, still barely able to see. Though she didn't know who was coming to her, she didn't feel scared or threatened.
The figure inched ever closer, holding out its hand as the light encompassed both of them.
A mix of cinnamon and fish awakened Levy from her slumber. Shifting around, she opened her eyes towards the sounds of the crackling in her ears.
"Nat…su?" she called weakly.
The dragon slayer stood in his kitchen, frying up a fish that he had caught earlier in the morning – Happy was in the kitchen as well, though he was sitting on the dining table with a fish already in his mouth. Natsu looked over his shoulder to the tired scribe, a smile on his lips.
"Morning." He greeted.
"Morning." Happy muffled through his meal.
"Good morning." Levy yawned. "Why are you in my room? Guys aren't allowed in Fairy Hills."
Natsu and Happy looked at one another briefly, then back to Levy.
"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked.
"You're in our house." Happy stated. "Remember?"
"What? That's not right…I-" Levy turned her body to the side and proceeded to fall out of the hammock and onto the floor. "Ow~." She groaned.
"You alright?" Natsu reached his hand down to Levy, raising her to her feet when she grabbed it. "Getting out of that thing can be tough."
"Yes I'm ok. Thank you."
"You should be more careful." Happy advised.
"Thanks for the warning." Levy deadpanned to the exceed. "I'm sorry." Levy bowed to Natsu. "I didn't mean to stay so long."
"It's cool." Natsu waved off. "I know you've barely been getting any sleep lately."
Levy was surprised by his statement. "How did you know?"
"I can see the bags under your eyes." Natsu pointed.
Levy covered her cheeks in embarrassment.
"You shouldn't say that to a girl, Natsu." Happy said.
"Why not? It's true."
Levy forcefully cleared her throat, getting Natsu's attention. "Like I said. I'm sorry for imposing on you."
"You apologize too much." Natsu said. "I told ya it was cool. Letting you get some sleep is the least I could do for all you've done for me."
"But…I didn't do anything."
"Are you kidding? You did everything! If it weren't for you I would have never found the book, or got it translated. Seriously, Levy, you're the best!"
Natsu smiled wide, but all Levy could do was look away. Her cheeks had flushed red in front of him so many times she had lost count. This was starting to become a problem.
"I-I should get going?" She said quickly.
"Already?" Happy whined.
"Yeah you don't have to leave so soon." Natsu said. "I was thinking we could look over the book again…but I guess if you gotta go then-"
"Actually…" Levy interrupted, her cheeks still red. "I guess I could stay...just a little longer."
"Awesome!" Natsu exclaimed. "We can look at the book after we eat breakfast."
"O-ok." Levy nodded.
"I hope you like fish." Happy smiled.
Levy took a seat at the table. "I don't hate it." She smiled.
Cana and Juvia's pained moans echoed through the guild hall.
"Long night, you two?" Mirajane tittered.
"I don't want to see another drop of alcohol again." Cana groaned.
"I feel the same." Juvia agreed. Her head was still spinning.
Despite Cana offering to drink whatever Juvia didn't want – which was everything – the rain woman was still somehow goaded by her friend to partake in a few glasses. After her third drink the night became a blur.
Juvia woke up in her room – which was almost completely wet save for her bed and the rock Natsu had given her – the next day with no memory of what happened. Though hearing of a bar downtown being destroyed by what was described as a "spontaneous whirlpool" sounded vaguely familiar to her.
Cana tapped her mug. "Another." She said to Mirajane.
"I thought said that you 'didn't want to see a drop of alcohol again'." The barmaid reminded.
"I don't have to see it to drink it." Cana countered.
Mirajane rolled her eyes at the brunette's flimsy logic. She took her mug, refilled it, and gave it back. "Don't blame me when your liver fails."
Cana raised her mug. "Here's hoping."
She took a sip.
It's been a while! To make it up to you guys I kind wrote this "super chapter" to finish off Levy's part of the story. There are some parts I may come back and revise later, but I hope this was worth the wait. Truth is I've been slowly writing this story over time and changing a lot of how the chapters flow.
Writing Natsu x Levy has always been sort of a challenge since you basically have to create the relationship from scratch since the to have nothing to build off of in canon, but that also makes it sort of fun. You can take little pieces of their characters and connect them in a way that most people may not think of. So when it comes together its actually a neat little ship.
Anyway I will try and make the next update quicker than this one, but sometimes life gets in the way. HOwever I thank all of you for being so patient and again I hope this chapter met expectations. Next up is Lucy!
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think by leaving a review/comment! :)