Chapter 19: The Photo Studio
Lucy Heartfilia sneezed. She hoped that no one was talking about her unless they were saying good things like how cute she was. She was already in the photo studio with Jason and the rest of the staff from Sorcerer Magazine. They just finished setting up the beach backdrop so that they could start with the shoot.
The celestial mage had to perform a force gate closure on Loke earlier because the lion had teased her about wanting to linger around while she was working. She certainly didn't want the resident playboy to ogle at her while she was in her bikini.
"This is so cool!" Jason exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands. "Okay, Lucy, why don't you stay over there and do your thing? Photographers—get ready!"
Lucy removed her robe and walked confidently toward the beach backdrop in her red bikini. She had done this so many times before, so she knew which angle she would look best in front of the camera. After a series of different poses and snapshots, Jason called for a timeout.
Sighing, Lucy donned her robe again and then let a couple of makeup artists apply a few touches on her face and brush her hair. She badly wanted to speak with Jason about hiring her as one of the editors for Sorcerer Magazine. It shouldn't be a problem since he always seemed to favor her.
"You sure have a lot on your mind today, Lucy," Jason said as he approached her. "Is everything all right?" He smiled cheerfully at her.
"Yeah, everything's fine, Jason," she replied sheepishly, fluffing up her bangs. "I… kind of want to talk to you about something though."
"Well, let's hear it!" he said eagerly, clapping his hands again. "What's it about?"
Lucy hesitated. "Well, I kind of want to work for Sorcerer Magazine… as an editor."
Jason's eyebrows rose. "An editor?" he repeated.
"Yeah, I mean—it's always been my dream, you know? If I have to start from scratch, I'd be willing to go through all that. If you hire me, I promise that you won't regret it."
"Hmm..." Jason looked thoughtful. "Well, I suppose I could take you in as an editor-in-training. I have to tell you, though," he warned, "it's not going to be easy. Trainees are treated differently compared to models. Are you sure you're up for the job?"
"Yes!" Lucy replied happily, clasping her hands together. "Yes, yes! So, like—when can I start?"
"You can start tomorrow. You're going to have to wake up early and be here at 6 o'clock."
The celestial mage laughed and hugged Jason. "Oh, thank you, Jason! I promise I'll work hard!"
The blond reporter patted her on the back and then drew back. "It's cool, Lucy. In the meantime, let's finish today's shoot, okay?"
Lucy smiled at him and nodded. "Let's do it!"
"Hey, Jason," one of the female staff hollered from the doorway. "Are we expecting an audience today?"
"Huh? Not that I know of—why?"
"There seem to be five mages here who are claiming to be Lucy's friends. What should I tell them?"
Startled, Lucy craned her neck to see the people who were at the doorway, but the female staff, who was standing in between, blocked her view.
"Mages?" Jason yelped. Then, his expression suddenly brightened. "Cool! Let them in, then!"
The celestial mage watched in horror as Cana, Bixlow, Freed, Evergreen, and—for crying out loud—Laxus entered the doorway. What in the spirit world are they all doing here?
"Hey, blondie," Cana greeted, winking at her.
Lucy could feel the heat rising to her face. "What—what are you all doing here?" she stammered.
"This is so cool!" Jason screeched. "I can't believe I have Laxus Dreyar and his Thunder God Tribe in front of me. And of course, the dazzling Cana Alberona is here, too!"
Laxus ignored the blond reporter and met Lucy's baffled eyes. "Don't ask me. This was Evergreen's idea."
"Oh, please, Laxus," Evergreen said, waving her hand fan. "You wanted to come here."
"Oi, I never said that!" the dragon slayer said indignantly. "Unbelievable!"
Jason dropped to his knees and bowed before Cana and Evergreen. "Please! We're doing a bikini shoot for Sorcerer Magazine. It would be an honor if you all could do a series of poses with our Lucy here!"
"What do you think, Ever? Should we give it a try?" Cana challenged the fairy magic user. "Or are you afraid I might outshine you?"
Evergreen scoffed. "Oh, I'm certainly a better model that you are!"
Jason looked up and beamed at them. Then, he turned to Laxus, Freed, and Bickslow. "Could you also—?"
"Forget it!" Laxus snarled, turning on his heel and walking toward the nearest seat. Freed and Bickslow followed him; both looked like they were trying to hide their snickering.
"Now, Lucy, why don't you escort these lovely ladies to the dressing room first to change?" Jason said.
"I—Okay," Lucy stuttered, still feeling flustered. She glanced at the two older mages. "Hey, uh, the dressing room's over here. Follow me."
She led Cana and Evergreen into the dressing room. Then, she motioned toward an open closet that was full of different pairs of bikini wear. The older mages started rummaging for the ones that they liked. When they had finally found them, they donned them quickly and then stood in front of the mirror.
"So, who do you think looks better, Luce?" Cana said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Answer wrongly, and I'm going to turn you into a stone," Evergreen hissed, adjusting her eyeglasses up her nose.
"You guys—!" Lucy said helplessly. "Would you mind telling me what you're doing in my workplace? I mean, I'm glad to see you guys and all, but…"
"What's the matter, blondie?" Cana asked, turning to face her. "Does it bother you that Laxus is here?"
"Well—yeah."
Evergreen laughed. "I knew this would happen. Oh, Lucy, you're such a little girl." Then, she told the celestial mage about their encounter with the Trimens back in the hotel.
Lucy gasped. "So, you guys came here because Laxus got upset about me and Loke?" she asked incredulously. "But Loke and I are just friends. Why would Laxus—?"
"Oh, Lucy." Evergreen looked at her pitifully. "Don't try to be dense. Laxus is still a man. Of course, he wouldn't want his lover to be getting too close with other men."
Lucy sighed. "Yeah, I get it. The only reason why I rode with Loke was that I didn't want to be late for work."
"We know, blondie," Cana said sympathetically. "And I'm sure Laxus knows that, too. Now, come on," she urged. "Let's move our butts and show them what we got!"
Modeling in a bikini with Cana and Evergreen had proved to be more fun than Lucy imagined. Jason and Bickslow were loudly cheering on them while Laxus and Freed were trying their best to focus their attention on the floor.
"Okay, that's a wrap, everyone!" Jason yelled, clapping his hands. "I can't believe it! This is the best shoot ever!"
Lucy watched as Bickslow rushed forward and gave Evergreen a peck on the cheek. The fairy magic user looked flustered and pleased at the same time. Cana, on the other hand, laughed while Freed walked over to her and reprimanded her about her skimpy outfit.
Her gaze finally rested on Laxus, who stood up from his chair with arms folded on his chest. She nervously approached him as she covered herself with her robe.
"Hey," she said cautiously. "Sorry if it took so long to finish. I—"
Before she could complete her sentence, she heard a loud thunderclap. She couldn't comprehend what was going on, but she felt her body turn into something else. The next thing she knew, she found herself lying on a soft bed with Laxus on top of her.
Bewildered, the celestial mage opened her mouth to protest, but the dragon slayer already silenced her with a firm kiss.