So this is being written at the same time as another one of my stories, A Trainer's Bonds, which is a Pokemon fanfiction. I started writing this because I had the idea a while ago, and I wanted to give myself something to do between uploads of that story, and not focus entirely on one thing, which usually leads to me becoming drained of that one thing after some time. I've still got ideas for that story, don't worry, but it was tough to start the latest chapter, so I decided to switch to a Fairy Tail fanfiction to keep my mind occupied, and give it a break on the other story. This one might take a bit of a backseat for a bit though, so don't expect uploads here as often. Anyway, I'm super excited, so let's get started! I do not own Fairy Tail.
(Lucy's P.O.V.)
"Hello, welcome to Fairy Sweet, how can I help you today?" I asked as the door rang open. My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I'm 18 years old and just finished high school a few months ago. I've been working at Fairy Sweet Candy Store for over a year, but I only recently started it as my full time job. I sit at the front counter, helping people pick up orders and decide what candy they like.
"Hey, I'm here to pick up an order?" the person asked.
"Alright, what's the order number?" I asked.
"618." They said.
"Okay." I said, typing it into the computer. "Name?" I asked, just to be sure.
"William." the man said. "Thompson."
"Alright, let me just go get that for you." I said. I walked into the back where the candy was made and stored. "Levy!" I called.
"Yeah Lu?" She asked, turning her head from her notebook. Levy McGarden was a small woman with blue hair, and she was incredibly smart. She took care of inventory and order management for the store. She was also my best friend.
"Where's order 618?" I asked. "Someone's here to pick it up."
"It's in the back." Levy said. "It might be behind some boxes though."
"Thanks!" I said. I walked to the storage room, and on the back shelf was a white box labeled 618. It wasn't large, only about the size of my head. I brought it out to the front and set it on the counter. "Alright, that will be $65.82" The store was expensive, but there was no denying the quality.
"It should already be paid." the man said.
I looked at the computer and the man was correct. "Oh! My apologies." I handed him the box. "Have a good day!"
"You too." he said before leaving.
(Natsu's P.O.V.)
"Hey Ice Breath, you messed up on these croissants!" I yelled across the kitchen.
"No way!" Gray shouted back. "You're the one who can't roll them properly!"
"I've rolled dough for years, you're the one who doesn't know what you're doing!" I shouted.
"Come say that to my face, Ash Brain!" Gray called.
"Maybe I will!" I yelled, starting to stomp over there.
"Get back to work Natsu!" Laxus called. "We've got a big order, I will not have you messing it up!"
"Yeah yeah." I grumbled, telling myself I'd fight him later. I worked at Dragon Tail Bakery, one of the more pricey places to buy pastries and bread, but it was no doubt the best. I worked in the kitchen, making things like donuts and croissants and cakes. There weren't too many of us working here, primarily because we simply didn't need that many people. The ones working here were me, Gray, Laxus, Freed, Bixlow, Elfman, Gajeel, and some other guys I didn't particularly care to remember at the moment. It was all guys here, which wasn't intentional, but it made our rivalry with Fairy Sweet all the more interesting. They were, coincidentally, an all girls candy store. While neither company had any rules stating it's employees had to be those genders, it just happened to be that way.
I returned my attention to failed croissants. They hadn't risen correctly, which I knew was Gray's fault. Rolling had nothing to do with rising, but everyone knows you have to keep croissant dough cool while rolling, and Gray and Gajeel were in charge of maintenance. Since Gajeel didn't have work today, Gray clearly messed up. I put them to the side for employees to eat, and started work on another batch.
(Lucy's P.O.V.)
I walked into the back, having closed up the front of the shop. Mirajane was there with a strawberry smoothie, which she handed to me. "Thank you." I said.
"You work so hard, I figured you deserve something as a reward." she said. Mirajane Strauss was the eldest between her and her two siblings, but was the only one who worked here. Her brother, Elfman, worked at Dragon Tail Bakery, and her little sister Lisanna had gone off to college. She had long white hair, blue eyes, and was no doubt the prettiest of all of us. She was the manager of the store, and therefore was the one in charge of scheduling.
"You're so kind." I told her.
"I just want to make sure that everyone feels welcome here." Mira said. "Oh! One extra thing." She handed me a piece of paper. "You should probably read this. It came in while you were in rush hour and I forgot to let you see it."
I took the paper from her hand and looked over it. It said that the city of Magnolia would be hosting a contest for all the local businesses. They would have to team up and create a large float for a parade that would be held within a month, which would celebrate all the hardworking business owners and employees. "This is… strange. Why would the city set up a random parade?"
"Well, Makarov was the one to orchestrate this, and he said he wanted to make sure that employees feel like their work is being recognized, though if I'm going to be honest, I think he just wanted to hold a festival." Mira explained.
I set down my finished smoothie and Mira picked it up and started washing it. "So, is there any more information than what's on here?"
"From what I understand, the teams will be picked at random." Mira said.
"Is all we're doing making the float?" I asked.
"Well, considering this is Makarov we're talking about, no doubt he'll throw in some extra challenges." Mira said. I sighed. "So, do we know who we're teaming up with?"
"We won't know until tomorrow." Mira said. "But I understand that we're working in teams of two."
"Hopefully our partner will be willing to listen." I said. "There are some businesses who are particularly… stubborn, I'll say."
Mira giggled. "I know what you mean. Anyway, you should probably get going. It's pretty late."
"See you tomorrow Mira!" I said, getting up from my chair, making my way towards the exit.
"Goodbye Lucy!" She called after me. I walked out the door to my car, and drove home.
(Natsu's P.O.V.)
I crashed onto the chair in the break room after having been forced to help close due to "disrupting the peace of the customers". It wasn't my fault that Gray had such a punchable face! He was practically asking for it, looking at me that way. My eyes settled on a piece of paper lying on the table. I leaned forward to read it.
"A competition?" I asked myself. "Oh, we're so winning! I'll build that float so hard they won't even know what hit 'em!"
"We already know about that, idiot." Gray said from behind me. I jumped up and smacked him.
"You trying to give me a heart attack?" I yelled. "And I didn't know about it!"
"If I was, you'd know!" he yelled back. "And Laxus told us already! Maybe you should've paid attention!"
"It's not my fault that he's so boring!" I said.
"Look, I don't have time to argue with you, loser!" Gray said. "I'm going home. Laxus said he'll have more information tomorrow."
"Later Ice Breath." I said as he walked out the door. I waited for a few minutes before heading out myself, anxious to see what the old geezer had cooked up this time.
So that's the first chapter. I hope I got everyone in character. So yeah, there's a competition going on, and I'm going to have fun with it. Like I said, don't expect this to be updated as often as my other story. That one takes priority, because it's the larger, more important project. See you later!