Erza quickly made a soft cot for Juvia to sleep on. When it was finished, Gray gently sat her down on it.
"Are you comfortable?" He asked her.
"Yes it's very soft and warm. Thank you." She said.
"Not a problem. I owe you remember? You saved my life."
"Will you be sleeping in here with me?"
"No I typically share a room with Gajeel."
"Can you sleep with me?"
"Um...No."
"Why not?"
"Because... It's not proper for a guy and a girl to sleep together."
"Why not?"
"Well you said that you had the whole bible memorized right?"
"Yes."
"Well there's a rule in there that it explains why it's not proper."
She thought for a moment then started laughing.
"Oh you silly! We wouldn't be doing that. Sure I'm not supposed to have intercourse with a man til marriage but there's nothing wrong with sleeping."
"Well even just sleeping with a woman is a little weird for me especially when she's half naked."
"But I don't like to sleep alone. I normally sleep with my sisters."
"Okay then you can sleep with Erza and Lucy."
"Very well."
So they moved the cot to Erza's quarters, Gray bid her, Lucy, and Erza goodnight then left for his quarters.
"Hello." She greeted the blonde and the red head. "My name is Juvia."
"Hi I'm Erza and this is Lucy." Erza introduced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Juvia glanced out the window of the room and saw Gray helping Natsu batten down the hatches. She smiled at the raven haired young man.
"He's so kind." Juvia sighed. "And handsome."
"Handsome? Gray?" Erza said. "I guess he's kind of cute."
"My sisters always said that humans were ugly but he's the most handsome thing I've ever seen and you two are so lovely."
"Thank you." Erza and Lucy said.
"What are your sister's like?" Lucy asked.
"Oh well they're not like me. For one thing Sherry and Jenny can be so vain. They're always gazing into mirrors and talking about how beautiful they are. Then there's Kagura she's always bossing us around and thinks that she can tell us what to do even though she's only the third oldest. She's also the most ruthless and dangerous of us. Arana, Risley, and Beth aren't so bad I mean they still hate humans but they don't tease me."
"Hold on you have six sisters?" Lucy asked.
"Yes and I'm the youngest so they always treat me like I'm a child and they think I'm crazy too."
"How come?"
"Because I believe in love. We don't have it under the sea."
"You don't have love? Then how do you get married?"
"We don't. We're all female you know so that's not possible."
"But if you're all female how do you reproduce?" Erza asked.
"We come from a very special magic pool and when it's water is mixed with the blood of a siren, a mermaid is born."
"Aren't sirens and mermaids the same thing?" Lucy asked.
"No we're actually very different. Mermaids are half woman half fish, live in the sea, and most are very lovely. Sirens on the other hand are half woman and half bird, live in the mountains, and are actually quite hideous. But both are monsterous and both hate humans, men especially."
"But you're not monsterous and you don't seem to hate humans."
"I know. I don't know why I'm so different though to be honest I can't say I like the idea of growing fangs and claws and eating human flesh."
Erza and Lucy shook at that last part.
"We live for three hundred years but we have no afterlife. Once we die we turn to sea foam."
"That's awful."
"Yes it is. My sisters have accepted their fate but I haven't. I refuse to become a speck of foam which is why I need an eternal soul. The only way I can earn one is if I win a man's love to such a degree that he shall leave everything for me, that I shall be mixed up with all his thoughts and wishes, that he values me above all things including his own life and allows a priest to join our hands that we may be man and wife."
"So for you to earn an eternal soul you have to get a man to fall in love you?"
"And love me so much that he would make me his wife. My sisters think that love is just a myth and when I told them about it they laughed at me but I know it's real."
"How come you know it's real but they don't believe in it?"
"Because I saw it once and I want it. I want to love and be loved in return. Have you ever loved someone?"
"I love my father and my mother but I've never loved a man that way. What about you Erza?"
She hesitated before answering.
"No...But I came close to loving someone that way once."
"Do you think a human man could love me?" Juvia asked.
"Well you are pretty enough to catch a man's eye that's for sure." Erza said. "But getting a man to love you isn't easy even for human women."
"What do I have to do to get one to love me? And how do I get myself to love him?"
"Um... There's really no plan how. It just happens. In my opinion you've learned how to love someone once you care more that person than yourself."
"Is there anybody you care about more than yourself?"
"Of course. There's Pastor Makarov, Natsu, and Gray but the love I feel for them is more of a family love."
"You know what I would like to know is how is it that you can grow legs?" Lucy asked.
"Well all mermaids can grow legs if they're on dry land for too long but it's a little tricky. For one thing once we touch water again our tail grows back and we feel terrible pain when we walk on our legs that's why we don't really come out and walk around that much. This is my first time with legs but they really hurt that's why I can't walk but I'm sure with time I can learn to ignore the pain."
"If it hurts that bad we won't make you have legs all the time." Erza said. "Just let us know when the pain gets too bad and we'll let you swim around in the sea."
"Thank you and you don't have to worry about me escaping because I won't. If I want to win a humans love then I have to stay where humans are."
"I hate to break it to you Juvia but the men on this ship aren't exactly a catch."
"What about Gray? I think he's wonderful."
"Oh trust me you don't want him."
"Why not?"
"Well he's snarky, immature, reckless, starts fights, and gets nervous around women. Except for me."
"But he's gentle and kind and he treats me so well. He also gave me this to wear." She hugged the shirt closer to her body and inhaled it's scent. It smelled just like Gray. "Is this what human women wear?"
"Sort of." Erza said. "Most of the time women don't walk around in just a shirt."
"Typically they wear dresses and undergarments." Lucy said.
"What are dresses and undergarments?" Juvia asked.
"Don't worry when we go to town tomorrow I'll help you learn what they are."
"What's a town?"
"I'll explain it to you later."
"Okay."
"So Juvia you said that you come from the water of a magic pool and the blood of a siren right?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean you don't have a mother?"
"Pretty much."
"So you don't have any parents? Any family?"
"I have my sisters but no parents."
"Oh I'm sorry."
"I can relate." Erza said. "I don't have parents either."
"Oh are you a mermaid too?" Juvia asked. "That would explain why your hair is long and why you're so extraordinarily beautiful."
"Oh well thank you." Erza said feeling flattered. "But no I'm human. Technically I do have parents but I wasn't raised by them. I don't even know who they are."
"What about you Lucy?"
"I have a father and I had a mother but she died when I was very young."
"But you still have your father right?" Erza said.
"Yes but he and I don't get along. We used to be close but after Mother died we became distant."
"What was your mother like?" Juvia asked.
"Well she loved the sea. I remember how we would always go down to the beach and stick our feet in the water, look for seashells, then we would have picnics on the sand for lunch and feed the sea gulls. Sometimes I would close my eyes and imagine that I was a fish swimming in the sea."
"Looks like you inherited her love of the sea." Erza said.
"I did. I always dreamed of going sailing and exploring over seas. And I loved hearing stories about mythical creatures like sea monsters and mermaids."
"Mermaids are not mythical." Juvia said.
"Sorry but believe it or not a lot of humans don't think that mermaids exist. One of which would be my father."
"Really? Huh."
"My mother on the other hand, she believed that they were real. She said that she saw them once. When I was a child I would go to the beach and try to look for mermaids but I never saw one until I met you."
"That's because most mermaids try to avoid humans unless they get too close to us then usually they try to kill them except for me of course. Unlike my sisters I feel like I have a lot in common with humans."
"No kidding." Lucy said glancing down at Juvia's legs.
"That's enough talk for now." Erza said. "Let's get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow."
The three girls then curled up on to their cots and fell asleep.