Chapter 36
"Natsu look!" Happy plastered himself to the glass wall of the tank. "FISH!"
"That's nice, Buddy," Natsu lifted a torch from the pole of the tent. He slurped up the flames casually, pausing to wipe his mouth and say, "Hey, these aren't half bad!"
Happy glanced at him, "Natsu! You're gonna blow your cover like that!"
"Said the fox drooling over the flounder," Natsu finished off the torch and replaced the cool nub back where he found it.
"Foxes eat fish too!"
"Do they?"
"Don't know."
Natsu looked around at the tent. "C'mon, we should go find Lucy. She'll probably be here soon. Now that I've got some fire in my belly, I feel a little more energetic," he rubbed the bags under his bloodshot eyes.
"Hmmmm," Happy turned back to the fish. "But…"
Natsu scowled, "You'd rather sit here staring at fish all night?"
"Fish are ten million times more interesting than Lucy," he said. "Besides, she'll probably just look at a bunch of different clothes, listen to the music, eat way more cake than she ought to, and then watch the fireworks. That sounds super boring to me." He pressed his paws against the glass and leaned his face close, "I'd rather take my chances with the fish."
Natsu sighed, "Whatever. Fine. You hang out here and I'll follow Lucy around. You know… like the job says."
"The reward is a fight with Erza," Happy pointed out. "I won't exactly be heartbroken if I don't get to take part in that."
Natsu stacked his hands behind his head and turned, "Fine, fine. I'll catch up with you later! Don't draw too much attention to yourself!"
"Aye Sir!" drool dripped down the cat's chin.
Natsu walked out onto the street once more. It was packed. People crowded around the multiple booths set up on the sidewalks. Natsu's eyes fell on a pair of women with arms hooked together as they walked by. They were dressed from head to toe in traditional yukatas of the brightest greens and pinks he had ever seen. He watched them walk away and then moved along with the crowd. Music was booming from somewhere down the street. A warm glow cast over the town from the lanterns floating above.
"Masks! Masks! Get ya masks over here!"
Natsu looked towards the shout. A man stood behind the counter of a booth on the left of the street. The booth was covered in colorful wooden masks. The man threw his arms out wide as customers loitered about, browsing his wares. "It just ain't the Eastern Moonlight Festival without a traditional moonlight mask!" he grinned as a man handed over a handful of money.
"Hey," Natsu grinned, "Just what I need!"
He pushed through the crowd and searched through the masks. His eyes followed the booth's pillar slowly upwards. "Hmm…" his gaze caught sight of a red mask. "Ah ha!" He jumped and hooked his fingers on the edge. He pulled it down and grinned in satisfaction at his find.
He turned to the man running the booth, "Hey! I'll take this one!"
"A wonderful choice my good man!" he said. "That's the only one of that design! You have good eyes!"
Natsu handed over payment and slipped the mask over his face, leaving only his black hair visible. He turned towards the street and melded into the crowd.
"Uhh, Loke?" Lucy dug her fingernails into her spirit's arm as she lost her balance for what must have been the sixth time in the past hour. "Why did you make me wear these shoes?"
"It completes the look!" he replied, gazing down at the wooden, elevated sandals. "You're supposed to wear geta with a yukata!"
"They're so hard to walk in though!" Lucy whined as she stumbled again.
"Would you like me to carry you in my arms, Princess?" Virgo offered.
"No thanks!" Lucy growled. She watched the pink haired maid clomp around uncertainly. "As if you are any better at walking in them than I am!"
Loke's arm pulled from Lucy's grasp and she looked at him. He moved away, waving at a pair of women in flamboyant yukatas. "Ladies!" he called. "Let me be your guide tonight!"
"Hey!" Lucy said. "Come back here you stupid lion!"
He ignored her and promptly disappeared into the fray. Lucy let out an annoyed huff and turned. "Can you believe that, Virgo? He just ditched us!"
When she didn't receive a reply, she looked around, "Virgo?" The woman was nowhere to be found.
Lucy's jaw dropped, "Are you kidding me?" she spun circles. "They both just left me?" She grabbed a bundle of the fabric of her yukata in both hands and stomped unsurely off in her wooden sandals. "Oh when I find them I'm gonna…"
"Here we go!" A man threw an arm around Lucy's waist and dragged her through the bustling streets.
"Ah!" Lucy could barely keep up with him as he pulled her along. "Who are you?"
The man grinned down at her. He had short blonde hair and bright blue eyes, "If you don't hurry up, you're gonna miss the competition!"
"What competition?" her mind was racing. How had she gotten caught up like this? Who was this guy?
"The beauty competition!" he answered gleefully.
"Ehhhh?" Lucy tugged against him, "B-but… what beauty competition? I didn't enter any kind of competition!"
"Of course you didn't!" he laughed. "I'm one of the lucky few that has the pleasure of scouting out and nominating certain beauties I find in the crowd! You should feel flattered that I picked you out for my one nomination!"
"Oh, well…" Lucy stumbled but the man's arm around her waist kept her steady. "I am flattered. But… I don't think I want to be included in some kind of beauty competition. You can use your nomination on someone else—"
"Hey Bora!" the man lifted Lucy's arm and waved it around. "Found you another nominee!"
"Bora?" Lucy frowned. Now where had she heard that name before?
The man pulled her across a wide open part of the street and up to a wooden stage erected beyond. Women stood together on top of it, giggling.
"Perfect!" a man in a cape whirled towards them. He flipped his dark blue hair and held out a hand. "Bring the beauty up here and we will get her information!"
Lucy's jaw hit the floor. "Wait a minute!" she pointed up at him. Her eyes flew across his familiar face and landed on the tattoo over his right eyebrow. "You're that guy that pretended to be Natsu and tried to sell me into slavery!"
Bora's face drained of color, "Oh jeez… You again…"
Lucy reached for her keys, "I'm gonna knock you around!"
"Hold up!" Bora lifted his hands pleadingly. "Yeah, I was a bad guy back then… but I've reformed myself!" he flipped his hair. "My time in jail really opened my eyes. I am a law abiding citizen now. And I'm just the host of this beauty pageant."
Lucy hesitated, but then straightened, "Well… I guess I'll believe you. For now. But do one wrong move and I'll—"
"Yeah, yeah," he took her hand and pulled her up onto the stage. "You'll kick my ass. Got it. Now get in position with the other ladies and we will get started soon."
Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and joined the other women on the stage. She stood silently for a minute as the street in front of the stage filled with people all looking forward to voting in the pageant. It was getting really crowded. Not just on the street, but on the stage too, where more and more nominees gathered. Lucy scowled when she noticed the blonde man that had roped her into the competition ushering more girls to the stage.
"One nomination my ass," she grumbled.
Another couple of minutes passed and the amount of women on the stage was ridiculous. She was getting bumped left and right.
Suddenly she realized, "Hey! I don't even want to be in this stupid competition!" she turned and stomped towards the edge of the stage. "I'm getting out of here…" She elbowed her way through the women until she was almost to the stairs. "There we go," she murmured.
But she never made it. A woman in a forest green yukata bumped into Lucy's hip, sending her off balance. She squeaked and rushed to correct herself, but her feet slipped in the impossible wooden shoes and she plunged backwards, arms wind milling as her left foot hit the edge of the stage at an angle and her body pitched backwards.
Uh oh, she flailed her arms as she seemed to fall in slow motion. She reached towards the stage, but no one was close enough to grab on to. Lucy was alone with her thoughts as she plummeted back towards the hard cobbled street below.
No, she thought. Grab on to me. Pull me back up… if she hadn't run off alone, there would be someone there. Someone beside her to lift her up. To pull her back on stage, tease her for her clumsiness. Someone to grab her hand…
But there was no one. Lucy was alone. And she fell from the stage like a graceless sack of gravel.
"Oomph," Lucy let out the grunt as a hard arm caught her around the back. The bend of her knees hooked on a muscled thigh, and a shadow fell over Lucy's vision as another arm flew up and curled around her head, fingers sliding through her blonde hair. The ornate hairpins that had gathered her hair into a neat bun were gently knocked loose and fell away. Warmth spread over her entire body as she was tucked closely against a hard chest.
Lucy held still for a moment, reeling from the shock.
Someone caught me. She blinked rapidly, peering up at the pale neck leaning over her. Her savior shifted his position, pulling his arm away from her head slowly. Lucy stared into the face of a red, scaly dragon. Igneel. The name flew across her mind for just a split second before she recovered. No. It was a mask. A wooden mask detailing the visage of a horned dragon. A lock of blonde hair slid into her eyes and her savior bushed it tenderly away without hesitation.
"Th-thank you," Lucy breathed.
As if just remembering that he was kneeling in the midst of a crowded street, the man released her and scooted away. Lucy sat on her heels and pushed at her wild hair. The man was dressed in simple dark blue jeans and a long red jacket. Behind the mask, she could see a hint of shaggy black hair.
"Thank you for saving me," she said again, gathering up the pins that had fallen out of her hair. She struggled to her feet. The man quickly joined her, offering an arm to steady her as her legs quivered. She gratefully took it, sighing in relief. "Sorry," she said. "I think I'm still a little shaken. I totally thought I was going to brain myself!"
He didn't say anything.
She glanced up at the mask again. Natsu would love that mask…
"Hey, can I ask you where you got your mask?"
He was silent.
"See I have this friend that I think would really like to have a mask like it," she went on. "He's a dragon slayer. So I was wondering if the booth you got this one had more like it?"
He shook his head slowly.
"No?" she frowned. "This was the last one?"
He nodded.
"Can I buy it from you?" she pulled out the small silken coin purse she kept tucked away inside her sash. "I'll match what you bought it for…"
He shook his head.
"No? Okay…" she pursed her lips. "Alright, I'll pay you double."
He shook his head.
"Triple?"
He shook his head.
She sighed and replaced her purse. "I don't think I can afford quadruple…" She smiled, "Oh well. It's fine." Realizing that she was still gripping his arm, she quickly released him, "Oh! Sorry!" She tried to take a step backwards, but someone bumped her and she pitched forward with a shriek.
Lucy fell into the man's chest again and his arms wrapped around her tightly.
Wow, she blinked against his collarbone. He's so warm… Her eyes slowly closed as she deeply inhaled his scent. He smelled faintly of campfire and the clean night air.
He shielded her head as the crowd suddenly got rowdy, jumping and cheering wildly. The voting for the beauty pageant had begun. Everyone pressed towards the edge of the stage. The man kept one arm firmly around her as he shoved their way through the boisterous audience.
Finally they broke through into a less crowded part of the street festival. Lucy breathed out a sigh of relief and the man released her once again.
"Thanks!" she grinned up at him. "It's getting pretty crazy, isn't it?"
He nodded.
She examined him closely for a second. "You don't talk a lot, do you?"
He didn't answer.
"Are you here alone?"
He shook his head.
"Oh. Then you should probably go find your companion then… huh?" She tried to hide the disappointment from her face and voice.
He shook his head.
She stared up at him for long seconds. "Do… uh… do you want to hang out with me then?"
He stared at her.
Her cheeks flushed, "Well… it's just… I came with two of my friends but they ditched me. And I kinda have this problem with getting roped into stupid situations, as you may have noticed with that whole beauty pageant thing… And usually I have someone around that keeps me out of those kinds of situations but…" she scratched her head sheepishly. "Obviously I'm alone right now."
The man was silent.
Lucy fidgeted, losing her balance momentarily and then righting herself. "If you don't want to, it's fine. I'll manage on my own. I could go find my friends or…"
The man grabbed her hand and tugged her down the street. She stumbled as she tried to keep up, "Uhh… where are we going?"
He winded through the festival goers, ignoring her complaints. Finally, he stopped at a tent decorated with colorful silk shawls and glittering jewelry. The man entered the tent and went to a barrel. He released her hand.
"What are we—" Lucy stopped when she noticed he was reaching inside the barrel. He rustled around inside for a few seconds head bowed over the round opening.
He eventually straightened, pulling his arm out of the barrel. In his hands was a pair of bright red sandals. He turned and offered them to her.
Lucy took them in surprise. She glanced up at him. "I…" she smiled. "Thank you. This is actually exactly what I wanted right now." She laughed, "I guess there's no denying my obvious clumsiness in these things!" she gestured at the geta. "Wait here! I'll go pay for them!"
She bought the sandals and the two of them left the tent. After Lucy changed out of the geta, she turned to the man with a bright smile.
"So what should we do first?"
He shrugged.
She looked around, "Hmm… Oh!" she grabbed his wrist and pulled him along excitedly. "Let's go try this game!"
They stopped at a booth and the man running it instantly thrust two water guns at them. "It's easy! It's easy!" he announced. "You and your partner face off against another team," he gestured at two guys standing on the opposite side of the booth with identical looking water guns. "All you gotta do is aim for that little ball in the center of the pool," he pointed at the large basin of water in the middle of the booth. "Succeed in getting the ball to your opponent's net over there… and you win a prize!"
Lucy held her gun up, "Alright! Let's do this!"
The man slammed his right foot up on the counter of the booth, shoving the butt of the gun against his shoulder and leaning forward in an intense pose. Lucy laughed.
"Are both teams ready?" the booth owner stepped back.
The opposite team chimed in their agreement and Lucy said, "Aye Sir!"
"Ready… Go!"
Author's Note: AHHHHHHH HELP MEEEEE
I have to go and talk at this thing tomorrow and I'm FREAKIN' OUT MAN. A former professor of mine asked me to come talk to these people that are all into writing and that good crap and of course, being the angel that I am, I was like, "Aye Sir!" and so now I have to put on pants, show up in a place I've never been, and talk to people I've never met.
As a hardcore introvert, I don't think my heart can take it. Please Lord Almighty give me strength to not puke. I mean... sure. It's a compliment, right? They want to listen to me blab about stuff. Huge compliment. But... I have this silly habit of making myself sick over stupid things. And I'm definitely so nervous that I might not be able to sleep tonight. I'm gonna be like Natsu without Lucy. Ugh. That's why I've already written this other chapter and am posting it now rather than tomorrow. I've spent all day trying to keep myself from busy so I wouldn't think about it. I wrote... I watched Fairy Tail... I ate cheetos... A good, productive day if I say so myself.
Anyway, for all of you guys out there with scary responsibilities to deal with, I'm rootin' for you.
Tracks to enjoy:
"Unsteady" by X Ambassadors
"Stars" by The xx
More suggestions by 13Pie:
"Settle Down"-
"You"-
"She Way Out"-
"Chocolate"- all by The 1975
"Like Real People Do" by Hozier (Omg I'm so happy you also love this song! EEEEEEEeeeEEEeEEeeeeeeeEEE!)
"Venice" by The Lighthouse and The Whaler
Thanks for the suggestions! I love them all! :D
Also, I just realized that my two suggestions for today both have 'X' band names. Weird.
Okay! So, Merry Christmas to everybody. Two chapters out in one day. Wow. I'm so cool. I am a benevolent fanfic writer. I expect three sacrifices by morning.
Love-Moo