Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Supernatural. I do not own the Mission Impossible Theme Song. I also posted this on AO3. Any character that is not in the anime or manga are my own original characters. If anyone wants to use them in their stories, please let me know or give me a shout-out. I would gratefully appreciate it.
AN: I wanted to give the Thunder Legion some screen time. I actually started working on Chapter 7 before Chapter 6 because I had a superb idea for it. It's where they will start to look for the jewels and I decided to put them in some interesting locations. When I first started writing this story, I only had like 30% of the plot figured, but as the more I work on it, it's 90% figured out. I hope that I'm heading in the right direction because I'm still new at this. I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I'm open to requests or ideas you would like to see, although I can't guarantee I can get to all of them. I think it would be an enjoyable challenge for me and it will make me push myself. As always, enjoy and I love hearing any feedback.
Everyone gathered around the living room in the Heartfilia mansion after changing to discuss everything they have learned so far. Bickslow recounted what he and Loke went through once they separated from the group.
Flashback:
Bickslow and Loke separated from the group and headed towards the museum basement, avoiding the guards and nobles. Finally, they stood in front of an old steel door.
"Guess, this is it," muttered Bickslow and nodded towards Loke. "Let's go. The faster we navigate through the tunnels the faster we can regroup with the others."
Loke and Bickslow pushed the steel door open and coughed when a cloud of dust surfaced into the air and into their noses.
"Lucy… cough… wasn't kidding when she said… cough that council members USED to use these tunnels," Bickslow wheezed, trying to get the dust out of his lungs. "Let's go before we die from all this coughing."
Loke shone a light using his finger with the power of Regulus to light their way down the tunnel. Lucy told them to go straight down until they met a junction. One side should lead them to the morgue, and the other side should lead them to the National Archives with a couple of more turns.
Both men were surprisingly quiet as they made the trek to the morgue, the sounds of their shoes clicking against the concrete floors and pieces of rubble. Even Bickslow's babies were silent, even though they liked to be chattering. After a few minutes, it seems that Bickslow couldn't take the silence anymore since he was a naturally social person and was curious about something.
"Hey, pretty boy, what's it like having Lucy as your Master? Better yet, how did she become your Master?" Bickslow immediately recognized Loke as a spirit when they first met because of his magic, and opted to keep it a secret since it seemed like he didn't want anyone to know. Loke had this haunted look the 3 years he spent in Fairy Tail which he constantly hid around his friends but Bickslow knew better. Despite his carefree and playful attitude, Bickslow was an expert at reading people, a perk of being a Seith mage.
When Loke suddenly came back after his disappearance to aid Gray during the Battle of Fairy Tail, he was a changed man. It was also where it was revealed that he was a Celestial Spirit and not just any Celestial Spirit, but the leader of the Zodiac. Not only in appearance but even emotionally it looked as if a tremendous weight was lifted from his shoulders and he looked happier. He surmised Lucy was responsible for this reaction, seeing Loke look at her in fondness and respect that he has never seen Loke give towards a girl.
Loke let out a sigh. He knew that eventually this question was going to be asked by one of his guild members. He decided to let the cat out of the bag and responded.
He told the entire story about his past with his former master, Karen, and the sin he committed in trying to protect his fellow Zodiac comrade. When he felt his time was almost up, he was ready to accept his punishment and quit the guild.
It was fate that Lucy was staying at that inn during his last job as a Fairy Tail member. He learned later that she was on her way back home from meeting a business client and took a rest in Balsam Town since she missed her train.
Two guys he was after tried to harass Lucy and forcibly take her with him. He quickly punched one with Lucy kicking the other. She thanked him by treating him at the local bar where he found out she was a Celestial Mage, and she quickly deduced he was a Celestial Spirit.
At Karen's grave where he tried to succumb to his fate, it surprised him to see Lucy show up and try to save him despite knowing that he committed the biggest sin in the Celestial World.
She advocated for him before the Celestial Spirit King, and he was allowed entrance back to the Spirit Realm. He vowed to serve Lucy and her bloodline for the rest of their lives.
"Having Lucy as my owner is the best thing I could ever wish for. She came at my lowest point and where I was about to disappear from this world. And I mean literally disappear. You of all people should know that spirits cannot live long in the human world without a proper vessel. She risked her life to save mine, and I will forever be grateful for all of eternity," Loke finished with a smile.
Bickslow was stunned when Loke finished his story. He knew Lucy was an impressive person/mage with a big heart. However, he wasn't expecting it to be this impressive or big. The more he learned about Lucy, the more he thought she was an excellent match for Laxus. He sensed chemistry between them from the beginning. Given time, that attraction can blossom into something more. He was very good at predicting potential couples.
"Hey, I got another question for you."
"Shoot."
"Is Lucy single or are the two of you involved? I'm asking for Bossman." He was pretty sure they were not involved since there were strict rules in place that forbade romance between a human and a spirit. Considering what Loke went through, he'd doubt Loke would risk his second chance for a life for a girl no matter how indebted he was to her. Plus, there was the pain of seeing the human grow older and older who would eventually die while the spirit would remain ageless.
Loke stared at Bickslow as if he just asked him to dance around naked around a campfire. Gray might do it, but not him. Gray probably had.
"No, absolutely not," denied Loke firmly, shaking his head. "Anyone, but that brute! My Lucy is beautiful, kind, smart, and the light of my life!" Loke blabbered excitedly. "Laxus is just meh. He's not worthy of her love. No one is!" Loke chattered in a less cheerful tone when he talked about Laxus.
Bickslow felt offended for Laxus's sake. "Hey! What's wrong with Bossman ending up with Lucy?! And what do you mean Laxus is meh. He is easily one of the most good-looking and strongest men in this continent." Gosh, he was sounding like Freed. "Together they'd produce powerful and the best looking kids on the planet." Now he sounded like Mira.
"I may be old Bickslow, but I am not blind. I've had the honor of serving 3 Heartfillia women, 4 if we include Lucy. Trust me, the Heartfillia clan produces very beautiful blonde women," Loke couldn't help but brag. A lecherous smirk appeared on his face as he recalled his former and current master, their beautiful faces and beautiful figure. "I might have had ulterior motives when I agreed to serve the rest of Lucy's bloodline." He gave Bickslow a knowing wink.
Bickslow gasped when he realized what Loke was insinuating. He playfully nudged Loke's side with his elbow. "Loke you rascal!" He gave Loke a knowing smirk. "Trying to spend the rest of eternity serving beautiful women, eh?"
"Isn't that every man's dream," shrugged Loke. "Having a beautiful woman by their side?" His playful demeanor changed back to a serious one when he realized they were close to their destination. "The exit should be right above us. Think your babies can levitate us to that access hole?"
"Yes, we can," chirped the totems excitedly. They lifted Bickslow up first and let him uncover the access hole, in which he lifted himself onto the dark, quiet street. They went back down to bring Loke aboveground as well.
Loke sweeps the dust off his jacket and looks up to stare at the building in front of them. He read the sign Era Mortuary. He scoured the area to detect any possible points of entry and deadpanned when he saw a casement window open on the ground floor about 10 yards in front of them. Not that big, but it allowed one person at a time to squeeze through.
"Pst," Loke signaled to Bickslow and nodded his head to the open window. Bickslow saluted, he understood and started tiptoeing towards the window. On the way, Bickslow's babies decided to have a bit of fun.
"Bum bum ba da bum bum ba da bum bum nananaaaa nananaaaa nananaaaa nana," the totems vocalized the song Mission Impossible softly.
Bickslow joined in on the fun by doing dramatic rolls or hiding behind lamp posts. He constantly scanned the area and seeing that no one was around would mutter clear. When he finished having his fun he joined Loke near the window who was shaking his head in disbelief.
"You done," asked Loke incredulously as he wondered how the man in front of him was still alive.
"Hey, I don't get a lot of opportunities to do stealth missions, so I apologize for trying to be cool." responded Bickslow with a pout.
I wonder why, thought Loke sarcastically. He let out a sigh. Usually he wouldn't mind antics like this, but something about this whole situation made him feel on edge. Ever since Lucy told him about the first victim who collapsed, he's been uncomfortable. That feeling grew when Jude collapsed, but he didn't want his princess to worry or become more stressed. She has enough on her plate at the moment, which was why he would continue to play the hopeless romantic. He prayed to the Celestial Spirit King to watch over them and keep them safe.
"I'll go first and make sure the coast is clear. I'll send a flicker of light. That means you can come in," Loke explained and squeezed through the window, landing gracefully. Luckily, the window wasn't too far from the ground.
Loke stood up, closing his eyes and concentrated. He opened his eyes, which were glowing yellow. Being the lion spirit meant that he also had the abilities of a lion he can call upon at will, and lions are known for having superior eyesight in the dark.
He inspected the room using his night vision. He shivered at the frigid temperature of the room. A downside to having lion-like characteristics. Lions preferred living in warm climates. He noticed the mortuary cold chambers and deduced that they were in the correct room and currently no one was in here. He sent a spark of light in the air that quickly disappeared and turned to see Bickslow struggling to get through the window.
"What are doing," whispered Loke harshly. "This was no time to play games."
Only half of Bickslow's body was through the window. Unbeknownst to Loke, his butt was preventing the rest of him from getting through.
"I'm not playing around! I'm stuck! Pull me through," he whispered back raising his hands in the air for Loke to grab him.
Loke grabs his hands to pull him through but struggles. "Tell your babies to push you from behind!"
The totems moved back and barreled into Bickslow's behind, trying to force him through. They did this multiple times with Loke pulling him from the other side. Finally, through some miracle, Bickslow gets through. He lets out an oomph as he falls to the ground, with Loke sidestepping him so he doesn't crash into him.
Bickslow stands up and straightens himself. He gives Loke a serious gaze. "We speak of this to no one."
Loke bit the side of his mouth to prevent a smile from forming. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone of your little ASS-HAP."
"Hahaha," Bickslow fake laughed. He headed toward a file cabinet with his babies trailing behind him. "Let's hurry so we can get out of here."
"You're right. We're going to need plenty of time to get your ass through the window again," jokes Loke, avoiding Bickslow's attempts to swat him. "But seriously, let's finish things here quickly before someone comes in."
Bickslow headed to the cold chambers, with his babies providing light and scanned the names to look for the victims while Loke headed to the file cabinet to read the medical reports.
After shuffling through the files for a bit, Loke finally found the documents he was looking for and the report for an additional victim who passed away that afternoon with the same M.O. An autopsy has yet to be performed for them.
Sally Fields, he read, frowning as he read the description. Poor girl. Only 18 years old. Collapsed on her birthday. She just became an adult. Died after 2 months. He skimmed down to the notes the medical examiner wrote. Cause of death: died in her sleep, but the factor is unknown. Possibly due to lack of oxygen in the brain. Further tests required. Loke grimaced. The time between collapsing and dying is getting shorter with each victim.
Loke put the files back in its place and walked over to his partner to help him in his search. He was about to call out to Bickslow when he heard something. Bickslow and Loke looked at each other with wide eyes as they heard footsteps come closer and closer to the room they were in.
They scrambled to find a place to hide, but there wasn't anything appropriate to hide in. Bickslow opened a cold chamber, and luckily it was empty. He gestured to Loke with his head to get in there.
"Are you crazy," Loke whispered harshly. "There's no way I'm going in the- hey!" Bickslow grabbed Loke by the collar and pushed him into the chamber, muttering an apology along the way. Luckily Loke didn't bang against the door or make any sound.
Now to find a place to hide, thought Bickslow as he looked around frantically around the room. There's no good hiding spot here! Since it was the morgue, there wouldn't be any fancy furniture. A lightbulb lit in his head and commanded his babies to lift him in the air, in a laying down position.
Just as Bickslow went up, two figures opened the door. Bickslow strained his eyes to see if he should make out any distinct features but lucky for him, they turned on the light. He had to bite his tongue to prevent the gasp from escaping his mouth, alerting them to his position. He stared with wide eyes at the two people, or rather creatures that came in.
The two figures that came in looked human, if it wasn't for the fact that they were covered in blue tribal tattoos all over with glowing blue eyes. Bickslow observed with bated breath as they started opening and closing random cold chambers. He felt his heart stop when one of them was about to open the chamber Loke was hiding in but stopped when his companion called him over. He felt relief throughout his body. There was no telling who these creatures are and what they are capable of. This was a stealth mission, and they needed to avoid a fight. He dubbed them Thing 1 and Thing 2.
"Quick! Before the coroners come in and do their exam," said Thing 1 to Thing 2. He was standing above the dead body of Sally Fields. "Did you bring it?"
"Yep," answered Thing 2. He opened his satchel and took out a syringe attached to a tube attached to a plastic bag. He jabs the needle into Sally's scalp, allowing the syringe to do the rest of the work. "Mistress will be so happy when she gets this new batch," he exclaimed in a cheerful tone.
"Good. Everything is going to plan. Ah ah ah. Remember, not too much," Thing 1 instructed, observing two of the bags get full. He attaches the syringe to the last bag.
"Personally, I preferred getting it fresh, when they're alive. It took longer because we took less so as not to raise suspicion, but it's much better than what we are doing now," whined Thing 2.
"So did I," responded Thing 1. "Because the body will end up replenishing the blood it lost. But ever since that mishap at the Heartfilia mansion, we are given strict orders to obtain blood from the bodies when they are dead." He shuddered when he remembered something unpleasant. "I'm so glad I wasn't in Zaki's shoes. Mistress really took her anger out on him. She's starving him to death."
"Speaking of death, how this pretty little thing die," asked Thing 2 as he observed the pale form of Sally's dead form.
Thing 1 started laughing as if he was about to tell his companion a fantastic joke. "She threw herself off a building," he cackled with his partner joining in. "You should have seen the way the body went splat." He wipes a tear from his face and composes himself. "Ahh, those are my favorite dreams."
Bickslow couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing as he tried to keep his anger in check. He felt helpless at the fact that he couldn't do anything for the girl. But what could he do? She was already dead. Even if he did something he was putting himself and Loke in danger. He felt like a coward as they continue to steal blood from the poor girl and verbally abuse the dead. He vowed to get some form of justice for the girl when the opportunity is presented. No one should disrespect the dead like that.
"You get enough," asked Thing 1 when he saw the third bag get full.
"Yeah, this should be good," confirmed Thing 2, taking the syringe out and putting everything away in his satchel. He turned towards the door and walked towards it. "Let's go before the Mistress yells at us for being late again."
The two creatures finally leave and Bickslow lets out a sigh of relief, Fully making sure they weren't coming back, he tells his babies to bring him down. When Bickslow hits the ground, he immediately rushes to the cold chamber that Loke is in. He opens it to see Loke, shivering with blue lips.
Loke tries to give Bickslow a menacing glare but fails because of his constant shivering. "You are so lucky that I am a spirit," he spat out, getting out of the cold chamber. He uses his light magic to steadily help his body temperature get back to normal.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm sorry, but there was no other choice. We need to head to the archives asap. Some weird creatures were in here. They took some of the dead girl's blood and said something about a Mistress," he chatted quickly, pulling Loke towards the window.
They got out of the room, this time Bickslow's butt didn't get stuck and hurried back down the tunnel. They run back to the junction and see the other side caved in.
"What the hell," muttered Bickslow as he looks at the rocks blocking the path. "Now what do we do, head back?"
"Shhh," Loke hushed Bickslow and moved closer to the cluster of rocks. He puts his ear against the wall to hear the conversation happening on the other side. He heard two men speaking to each other.
"Did you get the vase?"
"Yeah. I took it when everyone else was distracted by the fire and robbers. Tell your Mistress that my part is done. I've fulfilled my debt! How much more does she want me to do," one of the strangers raised their voice in frustration.
"She'll be done with you when she says she is done with you. You are not off the hook yet. You think this one task fulfills your debt, then you are sadly mistaken. Until Mistress is reunited with her beloved, you will continue to help her." The other stranger continues in a threatening tone. "You know what will happen if you cross us and break your promise?"
"Fine," the first guy says after a few seconds of silence. "Let me know when she needs me again."
Flashback End
"... and then we met up with you guys," finished Bickslow with a grimace. "That's what happened on our side. Maybe you can help connect the dots."
Freed had a perplexed look on his face and quickly excused himself to get something. Something about the description of the creatures sounded familiar to him. He had to go and double check to see if his theory is correct.
Evergreen recounts what Freed discovered in the garden and that the fire was started deliberately to cause a distraction.
Laxus recalls the robbery and what he overheard from the museum employees. "Whoever Bicks overheard, took the vase. I'm guessing that they are going to use it for something."
"Then we have to assume that the group in the museum and the group in the tunnels are either the same or together. And they're working for someone they call Mistress," adds Evergreen.
"But the big question is, what are they?" Lucy rubs her chin in thought. "I've done a lot of research with Freed the last few days about magical creatures. I can't think of a creature in Fiore with that description," she states.
"Because they are not native to Fiore," Freed called out as he strolled into the room, carrying a large book. He slammed the book on the table and pointed at the open page in front of him. He continued, "They are called Djinns. They are a part of Desierto folklore and their religious texts. A story to scare children and even adults. Make them be wary of strangers and to control one's greed. I'm assuming when the Desierto ambassadors and envoy arrived in Fiore a few weeks ago, the djinns arrived with them as part of the traveling party."
"Woah," said Bickslow, when he looked at the picture of a djinn. It had a human-like figure with navy blue tattoos all over and glowing blue eyes. It looked just like the creature he and Loke almost had an encounter with in the morgue. "That's the thing Loke, and I saw in the morgue. Shouldn't they be easy to find, if they look like that? I mean, people covered in blue tattoos aren't exactly normal."
Freed frowned. "Here's the problem. Djinns can alter their appearance. They can literally be anyone." This was a tremendous problem. It was going to be hard to tell who is human and who is not, especially if they went searching for the jewels. Sadly, this was the only book he had that talked about Djinns, only vaguely describing their history and appearance. "This is the only book I have about them, and it's not a lot to go on. Plus, we have to research the contents of the vase and the jewels that go along with it. If there is something evil in it, we have to stop it from getting free."
Lucy nods her head in agreement. "We can't go into this blind. We have to see what these things are capable of. I'll ask Old Man Crux and see what he can pull from the Celestial Library. You tell us what you need us to do, Freed."
Freed looks at Lucy first. "I need you to find out about the vase that was stolen. How it looks and all that info." Freed faces his team. "I have a few contacts that deal with a vast amount of books with vast amounts of knowledge. Ask for books about Djinns and the jewels. Tell them the books are for me and to charge it to my account."
Lucy steps forward and addresses everyone with a smile. "Excellent work, everyone. At least we have something to work with now. Please have a good night's rest and we can start tackling the research tomorrow."
Everyone bids good night and heads to their respective rooms.
Later in the night
Laxus was scrolling down the halls, trying to find his way back to his room. He woke up in the middle of the night because he felt the urge to pee and was thirsty. After finishing his business, he tried to find his way back to his room from the kitchen. This wasn't the first he got lost trying to make his way through the mansion.
Why are there so many freaking rooms here? Who needs this many rooms?! Laxus grumbled as he tried to find the door to his room, but all the doors looked the same. After a few minutes of wandering around, he was about to ask one of the servants who were on night-duty for help when he noticed the light in Jude's office was on. Curious, he headed in that direction to see who was there.
Laxus opened the door to see Lucy, who was sitting in her father's chair, doing paperwork. She was wearing a pastel green night robe that was open with a night dress underneath. For once, her long golden hair was flowing down past her shoulders and down to her waist. Usually she had her hair either made up in a fancy hairdo or in a simple style. It was a fresh look for her in his opinion and something he wouldn't mind seeing more of. It shocked him to see Lucy still awake, even though she told all of them to sleep and get some rest.
"Couldn't sleep," called out Lucy, not glancing up at Laxus and still focused on filling something out.
"I went to get a drink of water. I was on my way back when I saw that the light was on." Laxus crossed his arms over his chest. "What's your excuse?"
"Paperwork." Lucy promptly responded and sighed. "Even though I'm not fond of doing this, someone has to do. A business doesn't run by itself, you know." She put her pen down and faced Laxus with her elbows on the table. "My father worked hard for this. I will not let all his hard work go to waste."
Laxus walked up to her desk and looked at the papers neatly organized. He winced at the size and from some he glanced at. Paperwork was something he was familiar with because of his grandfather teaching him how to run a guild. It required a lot of math skills and knowledge of the system to make sure nothing was wrong and everything was filled out correctly. One mistake or miscalculation could ruin a lot of things. He couldn't help but notice how tired she looked and wondered if she ever got a proper night of sleep since her father collapsed.
"Have you been sleeping lately," asked Laxus in a concerned tone. He was hoping she wasn't running on fumes and wondered if lack of sleep caused her to almost faint at the ball.
"Yes," answered Lucy hesitantly. "Why?"
Laxus ignored her question and narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a skeptical gaze. "How long?"
"I don't see how that concerns you." Lucy tries to dodge his question. In reality, she hasn't been getting a lot of sleep. It wasn't just the paperwork. She couldn't fall asleep because of the constant worry over her father. Will he be okay? Will he make it through the night? Will someone try to break in again? She gave herself the duty of a guard dog to make sure her people are safe.
"How long," he repeats.
Lucy sighs and scratches the side of her head. Lucy says sheepishly. "In total, this week, 21 hours. 3 hours a night." She winced at the answer she gave. Hearing it out loud, even she knew it was not a healthy number.
Laxus's eyes widened at that number. This was not good. She needs some well-needed rest, and he was going to make her regardless if she wanted to or not.
To the shock of Lucy, Laxus picks her up and throws her over his shoulder. She started to beat his back at his barbaric treatment of her as he walked out of the room into the hallway.
"Put me down," she was about to yell when Laxus hushed her.
"Shhhh. People are sleeping," he whispered and made a victorious smile when she listened and whispered.
"Take me back! The paperwork…" Lucy tried to convince Laxus to take her back to the office.
"Will still be there tomorrow," Laxus replies cooly, strolling down the hallway. "You on the other hand need to sleep so I'm taking you to your room."
"If you're trying to take me to my room. You're heading the wrong way." Lucy tries hard to not laugh. Laxus pulls her down a little to see her face, carrying her in his arms. "It's down the hall. The last door on the right side."
"I knew that," states Laxus trying to play it off and fighting the blush that threatened to form on his face. He also tried to ignore how soft her body felt against his. He slumps her back on his shoulder. "It was a test." He mentally smacked himself. "I just wanted to know if you knew where your room is in your sleep-deprived state."
"Sureee," drawled Lucy.
Laxus followed Lucy's directions and entered Lucy's room. Still carrying Lucy, he pulls the cover onto one side. He threw Lucy onto the bed, ignoring her cry of protest, and quickly tucked her in extra tight so she wouldn't escape.
"Hey," whispered Lucy, struggling against the restraints. "Loosen it! I can't breathe."
"Only if you promise to go to sleep." Laxus smirked when he saw Lucy go still and quiet. If Lucy made a promise, she had to honor it because of her magic, which was based on making contracts and promises.
Laxus sighed and sat on the bed next to her. He had a good feeling why Lucy would not sleep. He said in a gentle voice. "Look, I know you are worried about your dad. But he wouldn't want to see you like this, working yourself to death." He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Fairy Tail is here to help you so relax. You're not alone in this. Rely and put faith in the people around you." Laxus loosened the covers so Lucy can place her hands on top.
Lucy felt her eyes water at Laxus's simple but kind words. A part of her always felt alone. In noble society and at home. Because of her failed marriage with the Duke, the other ladies and nobles would shun her and mistreat her. Not that the servants did not take care of her, and however, they still insisted on being formal with her, creating this invisible barrier of class differences. It was a pleasant change to see someone treat her like an equal. She shook her head and blinked the tears away. She nodded shakily at Laxus. "Okay. I promise," giving him a small smile.
Laxus smiled back. Just as Laxus turned to leave from the bed, he tripped over her slipper on the ground. He fell and tumbled down on Lucy. Both blondes let out an oomph at the unexpected collision. They glared at each other as they tried to untangle themselves.
"Ow my hair! You could be a bit gentler!"
"I'm trying the best I can!"
"Try harder!"
"Miss, I heard a clatter and came to check on y-oh my." The maid whose name was Luigina was shocked at the scene before her when she entered her Lady's room. She placed a hand over her mouth and blushed a violent shade of red as she stared at the two blondes who were in a compromising position.
They stared at her and she stared back, misunderstanding the whole situation.
She quickly composed herself despite still being in a flustered state and bowed an apology. "I'm sorry, Miss! I wasn't aware that the two of you were about to engage in intercourse! I'll leave immediately and let you two continue! Um, um, please make sure to use protection!" She turned to look at Laxus with red cheeks. "Please take care of our Miss and make sure she's well satisfied! But don't push her too hard as well! Her health is important! Good night!" She bowed once more and shut the door before them, running away before Laxus and Lucy could explain themselves, clearing up the misunderstanding.
Lucy pushes Laxus off of her, causing him to fall on the ground. She called out to Luigina to fix the misunderstanding, knowing that she was a huge gossip and that her version of the story would spread throughout the mansion tomorrow morning.
"Damn it," grumbles Lucy as the door closes on her face. She sighs and massages her forehead. She would have to do a lot of damage control tomorrow. She glares at Laxus on the ground from her place at the door. "Comfortable," she says sarcastically, standing in front of him.
"Yep," Laxus responds with just as much sarcasm. "So comfortable I'm thinking of spending the rest of my life down here." Laxus gets up and heads towards the door to leave. "Now go to bed," he scolds, pointing to the bed.
"Okay, okay." Lucy says and raises her hands in surrender. She gets under the covers and mutters a good night.
Laxus bides good night and opens the door, walking out. He was about to close the door when he heard Lucy murmur. "Your room is two doors down to the left," letting out a giggle.
Laxus felt his cheeks grow warm at that comment. She knew the entire time that he was lost. He followed Lucy's directions, grumbling the entire way about know-it-all blondes. Reaching his room, he goes to sleep.
The Next Morning
Laxus heads downstairs to the dining room to eat breakfast. There he sees two members of his team with the same emotion displayed on their faces. Bickslow and Evergreen were giving him knowing grins.
Bickslow is the first to break the silence. He nudges Laxus playfully with his elbow. "Sooo, how did you sleep," asked Bickslow, unable to keep the wolfish grin off his face.
Laxus was confused at this. "... well," he said, sounding unsure about his friends behavior. Bicks never asked him this before. He wondered if this was a trick question.
"What kind of question is that Bicks," scolds Evergreen, reaching over to smack Bickslow with her fan, causing him to cry out in pain. Adjusting her glasses she continues, "Oh course, he slept well. After all, he was sleeping in the arms of his girlfriend."
Laxus, who was drinking a glass of water, quickly spat it out at the girlfriend's comment. He wipes his mouth with the napkin in front of him. Clearing his throat, he asked what Evergreen was talking about.
"What girlfriend?"
"You know, Lucy."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"You don't have to hide anything from us, Bossman." Bickslow gives him a playful wink. "Luigina told us everything. She caught the two of you in a passionate embrace."
Laxus realized what he was talking about and rushed to explain himself. "That wasn't a passionate embrace! I fell on her!"
"Then what were you doing in a young maiden's room in the middle of the night," countered Evergreen.
Laxus explained the whole situation; him getting lost, seeing Lucy still awake working and him forcing her to go to bed.
"Nothing happened." Laxus didn't understand Bickslow and Evergreen's weird obsession to get him and Lucy together. Sure, he found her attractive, but that was it. So what if he enjoyed pushing her buttons in order to see her angry pout or red face? It meant he considered her a friend. He liked her, but he didn't liiike her. Right?
The two pouted when they realized Laxus was telling the truth, that nothing happened. No worries, there were plenty of opportunities to get the two together.
"Well then, in that case. Why don't you call Lucy down for breakfast? Freed should be with her," suggested Evergreen, batting her eyelashes innocently.
"Fine," Laxus reluctantly agreed. The faster she came down, the faster they could eat breakfast and get to work.
Laxus heads back upstairs to get Lucy, grumbling about how she's not his girlfriend. He spots Spetto along the way and asks her where Lucy is.
"The young miss is currently in a meeting with a merchant from Magnolia. She is ordering supplies that the mansion currently needs and what it may need in the future," explained Spetto. "I can take you to her if there's something you need from her."
"Oh no, it's fine. I can do it myself. I wouldn't want to keep you from your duties," said Laxus while he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. For some reason, every time he was around Spetto, he couldn't bring himself to scowl around her. Something inside him compelled him to be nice and treat her with respect.
"Nonsense. A sweet man like you can never bother me," said Spetto with a sweet smile. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to where Lucy was, with strength he didn't know a sweet old lady like her had.
In Jude's Office
"Capricorn," called Lucy, beckoning him to her desk with her finger as stared at the receipt the merchant gave her.
He came closer to Lucy's side and slightly bowed. "Yes, Miss Lucy."
She pointed to the merchant sitting in front of her. "Please escort this man out and find another merchant."
The merchant in question, a man of average height in a suit with plain brown hair and a mustache, rose from his spot in shock. He looked visibly upset. "What's wrong? Why are you…"
"Do you think I'm stupid," said Lucy bluntly, and the merchant flinched. "Just because my father isn't here to make the order doesn't mean you can rip us off." She pointed to the calculations on the receipt. "I'm pretty sure the price for ceramic tiles per square feet ranges from 35 to 50 jewels." She pulled up her own calculations from the desk and put it up to his face. "You charged me triple. Why the sudden change in price," she asked in a stern tone as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Well, Miss, if you look closely...," said the man nervously as he scrambled to explain the receipt. When he heard that Jude's daughter was making the order, he thought he could make a hefty sum by increasing the price. He didn't think that Lucy would notice. He started to sweat profusely when he noticed the glare the humanoid goat dressed in a butler attire gave him. "Maybe we can…"
"We're done. Get out," interjected Lucy with an icy glare of her own. A dark aura emitted from her. The merchant shook in fear and ran out of the room screaming about scary blonde ladies.
Lucy slumped back against her chair and let out an enormous sigh. She rubbed her forehead to soothe the headache she got from the merchant. She didn't mean to be this harsh, but she was tired of being treated like this. This wasn't the first time merchants underestimated her and would try to rip her off. Just because she was raised as a lady did not mean that she was stupid. Her father made sure she got the best education possible. Even learning how to run a business and invest in possible trends. Reading contracts and finding loopholes as well.
It was how they were able to get out of a financial slump a few years ago. Lucy convinced her father to invest in potential businesses, and she even went as far to personally meet them to make the deal. They were people who had wonderful ideas but needed someone to support them and transport their goods. However, because of their social status, most were denied opportunities to further themselves. That's where she came in. She reviewed their business plans and saw great potential in them, taking a chance. Those businesses turned out to be successful and continued to make profits to this day.
Lucy sat straight when she heard knocking at the door and told the person to come in. She sees an excited Freed come in with a couple of books and papers. She beckons him to place it on her desk.
"I've come bearing good news," says Freed as he slams on the objects on the table. "This morning I researched the notes and books everyone brought me." Freed continues excitedly, showing Lucy the books and his notes. "The vase houses a Djinn by the name of Abishai. He caused a lot of trouble, bringing terror and calamity everywhere, when he granted wishes to people. People got tired of it and trapped him in there. The jewels represent parts of his soul. You know the seven deadly sins." Freed looks up to see Lucy following along and keeps going. "So parts of his soul are trapped in these jewels, thus weakening him. And these jewels are scattered all over the place."
"And you're saying that someone is planning on bringing Abishai back by finding these jewels," Lucy asks Freed.
Freed nods at Lucy's correct deduction. "Thankfully, we know how these jewels look." Freed peers over Lucy's shoulder and flips the pages of an open book to a certain page displaying the jewels. "If we manage to get a few before the Djinns, we can stall the ritual or prevent it from happening." Freed frowns. "Unfortunately, these books do not reveal the locations of the jewels, especially since it's been so long, so it's likely that they are not in the same place as they were before."
"What about the ritual?"
He shakes his head. "No luck. I tried my usual contacts. They had nothing. It's probably black magic, which is why we can't find anything."
Lucy leans back in her chair and contemplates the information Freed just gave her. Old Man Crux has yet to get back to her, so they'd have to rely on the information Freed gathered. She looks up at Freed and gives him a small smile. "Excellent work Freed, this is very helpful. We should focus on getting those jewels. Even getting one can make a difference."
"It certainly would. We could use it to track the others. All I have to do is enchant the jewel and a map with some runes. The jewel will recognize the magical signature of the others, since it is part of the same soul," explained Freed, neatly organizing his notes together into one.
Lucy was about to respond when she heard the door to the office slam open with Laxus marching in, scowl and all.
Laxus walked into the office to see Freed and Lucy looking very cozy and comfortable together. Aren't they a little too close to be talking about Djinns, he thought bitterly. On his way, he overheard the conversation between the two. Seeing them together made him feel uncomfortable. They were the very definition of a noble lady and a noble gentleman, looking very good together. It tempted him to push Freed aside and put some distance between the two.
Laxus felt horrified at the thought of doing that to his friend, but he also didn't like them so close together.
Because you want to be there next to her, a part of his brain told him.
Shut up brain, thought Laxus with a scowl on his face. He marched towards them and got in between them. "Are you guys done here? Everyone's downstairs waiting for you." He crosses his arms across his chest, staring down at Lucy, momentarily ignoring Freed at the moment. "Or you gonna make us starve to death?" He internally smirked when he got her attention.
Lucy huffed at him. "Are you a child? Do you need me to feed you? Everything should be ready on the table. You could have started without us." She didn't understand the attitude he was giving her. This wasn't the first time she told them to eat without her. Maybe he was hangry. People can act hissy when they don't have food in their system.
"I can feed myself perfectly fine. And I could have started without you, but the goat said it was bad manners to eat without everyone present at the table." Laxus mentally patted himself on the back for that answer and saw Capricorn nodding at him in approval.
"He is correct, Miss Lucy. I'm glad to see he was taking our etiquette lessons seriously, something you've been seriously lacking these last few days, my lady," he gently chides Lucy. "Don't think I haven't noticed your decreased appetite and late nights. Out of everything I've taught you, health is the most important thing to a lady." He scolds Lucy and adds quietly. "Especially, considering your family's history."
The room got quiet and Lucy hung her head in shame. It's been a while since Capricorn scolded her, but she knew it was out of concern. He was right; she hasn't been taking care of herself lately and it was showing. She noticed her clothes were looser and her complexion a bit paler every time she got ready in the morning. Even at the ball where she almost fainted, if Laxus didn't take care of her. She should not have felt the toll on her body with Gemini out that quickly, and it was because of a lack of care on her side.
Laxus felt bad. He didn't mean to put her on the spot like that and have Capricorn scold her. He tried to clear the awkwardness in the room. "She can start now. Breakfast is ready. We'll make sure she eats well and doesn't miss a meal."
"Thank you, Mr. Dreyar," Capricorn bids farewell and returns back to the spirit world, leaving the three mages behind.
Lucy is the first to move and heads towards the door. She looks back at Laxus and Freed. "Well, aren't you coming?"
Laxus was about to respond when a loud rumbling echoed throughout the room. The sound came from his stomach. His cheeks burned red with embarrassment when Lucy giggled at him. Well, at least she's not upset anymore, he thought as he walked down with his two companions. They joined Bickslow and Evergreen who were waiting for them.
Freed brings his notes down to the dining room. After breakfast he explains everything he told Lucy, showing the picture of the jewels and that it is imperative that they find one of the jewels. Bickslow was on the side reading a newspaper intently.
"Guys, you won't believe where the first jewel is," exclaimed Bickslow as he stared at the newspaper with wide eyes.