It was only a matter of time until the gossip mill turned her way, and it looked like her time of peace had finally run out. The mages of Fairy Tail loved to spread juicy rumors, and one of the women rivaling Cobra's notoriety in spreading stories was headed her way.

Cana sauntered over to where Lucy sat alone at the bar sipping her favorite smoothie. The brunette didn't stop at a stool, instead crawling onto the bar and laying flat on her back. Used to this behavior, Lucy only picked up her glass to avoid it being knocked over as Cana's body covered the space in which it formerly sat. Lucy's calm façade nearly cracked as relief flooded her when Cana said, "Babe, I'm soooo bored. There's nothing interesting going on around here."

Taking a sip to give herself time to think of a response, Lucy finally thought of something to say. "Well, we could play some cards."

"That's a great idea!" Cana rolled onto her stomach and reached into a side pocket on her cargo shorts. "I've been wanting to show off my new deck."

The tarot cards that landed in front of Lucy were not at all what she meant by playing cards.

Unaware of Lucy's inner panic, Cana went on, "I just finished making these and I've been dying to try them out on someone. So, you game?"

"Sure!" Lucy said with false excitement, not that Cana had been waiting on a response. She was already shuffling the cards and then pulled out the first one, laying it face up in front of the blonde. The card mage's face scrunched up in confusion and doubt as she said, "That can't be right. Maybe I need to check these out again before I use them."

Totally out of her league with tarot cards, Lucy asked, "Why? What's wrong with this one? It just looks like a lady on a card."

"Yeah, well it is just a lady, the High Priestess, but it's what she represents that doesn't make sense. If the card had been upright, I might've just went with it because it would totally match up with you because you're super smart and in touch with a form of divinity, the Celestial Realm. But it's not upright. It's upside down. That implies hidden things and a disconnection with one's inner self. That definitely doesn't sound like you." Cana stopped speaking, her self-depreciating smile breaking Lucy's heart. "Well, I guess I fucked these up. Haven't done that in a long time. I'll probably give them to Natsu to burn. Can't risk my magic fucking up somebody's life just because I screwed up when I made them."

Lucy's mind was at war with itself. Could she really let Cana go on doubting herself just to continue hiding her own issues? She knew the other woman had some serious insecurities over her magic. Letting her believe this lie would hurt her already fragile self-esteem, something Lucy couldn't allow to happen.

When Cana reached for the card, Lucy stopped her by placing her own hand over Cana's. She couldn't meet her friend's stare as she said quietly, "Don't destroy them. You did a good job with the deck."

There was a brief pause before Cana asked, "Everything ok, Lucy?"

The blonde chewed her lip and shrugged one shoulder before pulling her hand back into her lap. "I'm alright. Just some things going on in my mind."

Cana leaned forward to wrap her arms around Lucy. Tears stung Lucy's eyes as her friend held her, sensing the blonde's need for comfort. Stroking a hand up and down Lucy's back, Cana whispered, "I'm here for you whenever you're ready to talk."

Cobra watched the exchange between the two women, relieved to see Lucy opening up to someone. He hoped she'd let go of the lingering determination to be strong that he still heard in her soul. Keeping that shit trapped inside wouldn't do her any good. If she kept it up, he would be forced to do something about it and he really didn't want to wrap himself up in her problems any more than he already had. He didn't know how to help someone through their emotional issues. That ventured dangerously into the territory of friendship and friendship was something he didn't do. He kept people at arm's length because he wasn't good at dealing with them. So, he planned to keep listening in on her soul to keep tabs on her progress, and direct her to someone better suited to take care of her if she needed it.