A/N: Hello there lovelies! Here's to the release of another chapter! I apologize for the wait, I've been busy with my first semester as a college freshman, so patience is graciously appreciated and accepted. I'm excited to share this chapter with you all, because there's someone I'd like to introduce you to!
Charmed
o-o-o
Chapter 3: Stars, Stilettos, and Stella
o-o-o
Their plan had been nothing short of brilliant, so brilliant in fact, that Lucy was utterly amazed at the finished product. Not only had they been able to create a scenario in which they would inevitably frustrate the boys, but they'd also ensure that the outcome of the game would go to their favor entirely. It was simple enough to understand and carry out, yet just complicated enough to work into their intricate strategy.
Lucy really had to hand it to Erza, Mira, and Levy for creating the so-called backbone of the plan, working out the details and filling all of the holes. Then again, those three were part of the veterans of Fairy Tail's little game, so experience definitely helped with their cause. Although, it didn't help that the majority of the male team was made up of guild vets, but that matter was trivial at the moment.
Coming up with a kickass game plan? Done.
The next hurdle? Dress shopping.
Lucy felt shivers of excitement trill down her spine and into her fingers and toes as she adjusted the strap of her purse to fit the length she desired. In all her years, she'd been fitted and secured into tight fitting frilly dresses that were picked for her. This would be the very first time that she'd be able to pick a dress for herself, accommodating her preferences of color and fit. Yes, it seemed extremely trivial compared to the other freedoms she'd been granted, such as decorating her apartment and—though sometimes it was a dreaded privilege—paying her rent. But for now, it was enough to satisfy her excitement.
The girls had entered a shop in uptown Magnolia called Divination, to which Cana was sarcastically disappointed that none of the employees held such talent in the actual divination department such as herself, but all was forgiven when they were handed bubbling pink liquid in champagne glasses, complimentary of course. Lucy typically wasn't a fan of alcohol, but as soon as the pink drink travelled down her throat, she was absolutely mesmerized by its taste; strawberries and cream was typically a flavor that served in the younger children's department of softened drinks; the bubbles popped against Lucy's tongue happily as a faint flush spread upon her cheeks.
"Bring me some more of this stuff!" Cana exclaimed as she quickly downed her second glass while the other girls were still working on their first one. And while it didn't surprise Lucy that Wendy hadn't been offered a drink, one of the sales associates brought the little dragon slayer another glass filled with a more opaque pink liquid, a virgin drink that made Wendy's eyes light up.
"Feel free to look around all you want! If you'd like to try on a dress, just ask one of us and we'd be glad to help!" A red-headed sales associate chirped as she sauntered away from them and towards her fellow employees, who were chatting away about something.
Lucy ran her fingers through the silk fabrics of the dresses on display, smiling contently as the fabric passed fluidly against her fingers, almost as if the fabric were water. An enormous palette of colors flashed and danced before her eyes, enchanting her into a daze of rainbows. Her eyes darted from dresses of aquamarine to ruby, even to the most exotic colors of dresses such as sarcoline and xanadu. Each dress led to a small surprise, whether it had been a glittering patch of jewels around the waistline or extra padding just under the bust, it was purely a girl's paradise.
Lucy's mind raced as she wondered what color dress she'd want for the evening, after all, she clearly had so many options displayed before her that she'd started to become a little overwhelmed. Did she want strapless? Or maybe a halter top? She didn't know exactly what she wanted, but since she finally had the freedom to choose, shouldn't she have already figured out what it was she wanted? Oh, the irony.
And as she picked through dress after dress, she couldn't help but wonder what Natsu would wear that night, and that maybe, just maybe, they'd happen to conveniently match colors…
"Umm…Lucy-san?"
Lucy's fingers froze on top of a sparkling chartreuse dress as she turned to address the speaker who stood a few feet away behind her. When Lucy saw who it was, she flashed her visitor a bright smile. "Oh, hi Juvia! What's up?"
Lucy noted the embarrassed flush on Juvia's cheeks as the water mage nervously toyed with the black material of her tank-top, her blue hair spilling down her shoulders in liquid-like cascades. She looked up at Lucy worryingly with her ocean blue eyes.
"Juvia?" Lucy frowned. "Is everything alright?"
Juvia shook her head from side to side, thoroughly messing up her hair's natural curl. "Oh, everything is fine, Lucy-san. It's just that…well…"
Lucy's fingers immediately left the dress she'd been inspecting, and diverted all of her attention to Juvia, who by the looks of it, was uncertain about something.
"Juvia's never bought a dress before." Juvia said awkwardly, her eyes darting over to glance at the rack of dresses behind Lucy. "She doesn't know where to…start."
A few seconds passed before Lucy realized that Juvia had asked for Lucy's help, and if she were being honest to herself, she felt utterly flattered. Her lips curled upwards into a glossed smile as she grabbed Juvia's wrists excitedly.
"Of course! This'll be so much fun, Juvia!" Lucy said brightly, feeling accomplished when Juvia's eyes began to sparkle.
Lucy quickly lead Juvia over to the racks of dresses she'd been examining previously, and her trained eyes began to assess every dress that came into her field of vision, while Juvia did the same. The girls went through dress after dress individually, and while Lucy didn't exactly know Juvia's taste of clothing, she had a slight idea to search for something blue considering the blue dress-coat Juvia seemed to wear daily.
Balancing her champagne glass in one hand, Lucy adeptly shuffled through the line of dresses, commenting on each one as it was rejected.
Too bleak…too expected…too shabby…
"Lucy-san, have you found your own dress yet?" Juvia's voice trilled as she happily examined the strikingly beautiful dresses displayed before her, catching Lucy's attention immediately.
"Hm? Oh, not yet." Lucy admitted sheepishly. "But no worries! Maybe I'll find the one while I'm helping you out."
Lucy noticed that Juvia's eyes were watching her after she spoke, and she silently wondered what the water mage was thinking about. It certainly made Lucy curious, though her curiosity was short lived.
"How will Juvia know when she's found…the one?" Juvia asked her with curious eyes, absentmindedly brushing her thumb over a cluster of purple sequins on a dress.
Lucy smiled softly, remembering that Juvia didn't really have a past that would have allowed her to purchase such fancy dresses for such posh occasions. Lucy couldn't be quite sure, but she assumed that Phantom Lord had no rhyme or reason to hold exquisite balls or dances in their halls. The closest aspect that the extinct guild probably had to a fancy night would be going out and tormenting innocent people for the fun of it, maybe some of them would wear new spiky boots for the occasion? She could only imagine so much.
Lucy frowned as she thought about what to tell Juvia. After all, it was only dress shopping, but then Juvia wasn't the type of person to take any new experience she'd partake in lightly.
"Well…it'll…stand out from the others all together. It'll have that special something that makes you notice it above all the others, kind of like a special signal." Lucy told her, turning her attention back to the dresses in front of her. She grasped onto a hanger and pulled it upwards, though she immediately put the dress back when the electric lime-green satin blinded her eyes. "You'll just know when it's the right one."
Lucy bit down on her lip in concentration as she continued her search. And while she picked up dress after dress, she went through a mental check list of what would look good on Juvia, taking into account her hair color and body shape. And if that didn't suffice, then she'd think about how the dress would look on her, though Lucy mainly focused on helping her friend.
"Do you know what I mean, Juvia?" Lucy asked, suddenly realizing that Juvia hadn't said a single word for the past few minutes of their dress hunt. Lucy wondered why she was suddenly so silent, so she turned towards Juvia. "Juvia-"
"A certain feeling…" Juvia said softly, her eyes softening as she stared down into a sparkling aqua fabric that she clutched in her hands, though most of the dress was hidden from Lucy's point of view. Lucy could see the glitter reflecting in Juvia's ocean blue eyes, accenting the warm blush spreading on her cheeks.
"Juvia?" Lucy asked her, walking away from her line of dresses and peeking over ever so slightly to take a glimpse at the dress Juvia held in her hands, marveling at how the dress sparkled so radiantly, and the color shone bright against Juvia's pale hands.
Lucy nudged Juvia with her elbow, her drink sloshing around in her glass. "Go try it on!"
Juvia broke out of her trance immediately, turning to face Lucy with surprised eyes. "T-Try it on?"
Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled as she raised her hand to wave over a strawberry-blonde sales associate. "Excuse me, she'd like to try this dress on!" Lucy chirped cheerfully, pushing down lightly onto Juvia's shoulders as the water mage began to blush violently.
"Lucy-san! Juvia-"
"You won't know if you really like that dress until you try it on!" Lucy urged, leading her to the cheerful associate who gestured for Juvia to follow her to a nearby fitting room. "Just go, Juvia! And come out and show me when you're done!"
Juvia looked back at Lucy nervously, but all Lucy did was wink at her friend while she was escorted into the other room.
"Oh, that color will match marvelously with your hair!" the associate beamed, making Juvia smile softly, gazing down at the glittering dress in her hands.
"Juvia's hair isn't full of silver sparkles though." Lucy hear Juvia remark before she was out of her sight, leaving Lucy all alone, except for her bubbling strawberry champagne.
Lucy sighed in amusement, Juvia's face still swimming in her head vividly as she turned her attention back to the dresses available to her. And though she wished to continue her search for the dress she'd need, she found her feet stamped firmly on the ground and unmoving.
She'd been looking around for a dress for a good two hours, and while some of the other girls had already found dresses of their own, Lucy still hadn't found one that caught her eye, which of course wasn't the worst thing in the entire world. She had time, though not much of it. She had to find a dress by the end of the day, and if she didn't find one, who knew what she would do. Then again, she'd promised Juvia that she'd help her on her dress hunt, and Lucy was extremely happy to do so, no doubt. However, there was still her hurdle of finding a dress. Shopping was a sport to Lucy, she was good at it and knew what she was doing. So why couldn't she find a dress? Each one had something that displeased her, even if it was the smallest of flaws, like too low of a neckline or too much beading. Maybe her eyes were just tired of looking through silk and satin.
And with a sudden flourish of an idea, Lucy's decision sparked to life.
Taking a quick glance around, Lucy dug into her leather pouch clipped to the belt above her white skirt, feeling around for a certain item. When her fingers brushed against cool metal, she withdrew her hand immediately, pulling out a glistening gold key. Lucy could feel the spark of exhilarating magic respond to her touch, fueling her very core and providing her with the words she needed.
"Open, gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
The golden key began to glow and shimmer brightly, emitting a pleasant chime throughout the air as Lucy felt her magic reach far and beyond.
A dash of glittering light and a pop of an incandescent glow later, Virgo stood before Lucy.
"Good afternoon, Princess." Virgo greeted, bowing slightly, the chains around her wrists lightly jingling as she did so.
"Hey Virgo." Lucy greeted, pausing to take a small sip of her bubbling drink. "I need you to do me a favor."
The celestial spirt's eyes lit up like stars, shimmering with hopeful excitement. "What punishment shall I receive today?!" she asked excitedly, which made Lucy sigh loudly, shaking her head vigorously.
"No, nothing to do with that." Lucy said, turning around and gesturing to the racks of dresses displayed behind them. "I need you to help me find a dress."
"Shall I try each and every dress on for reference?" Virgo asked her enthusiastically. "It would make a very adequate punishment."
"No, no." Lucy said quickly, quickly shaking away any thoughts of that sort of form from Virgo's hasty mind. "There's an event at Fairy Tail tomorrow night, and it's formal. I haven't had any luck finding a dress so far, and you know my taste."
Virgo nodded. "Yes, nii-chan has informed me of the event. He also claims that the males will be the victors of the game."
Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled as a picture of a snarky Loke swam into her thoughts. "Not gonna happen." she told Virgo, who nodded back at Lucy. "And I'm sure that if I need some help, I can count on you guys to provide it for me."
"You can count on us, Princess." The maid promised before spinning on her heels and diving headfirst into the rack of dresses behind her, causing Lucy to sweat-drop.
Can't deduct enthusiasm points from her, that's for sure… Lucy thought to herself, smiling as a multitude of colors began to shake and flip off of hangers ever so briefly.
Taking another sip of her champagne, Lucy's body hummed with pleasure as she drained every single drop from the crystallized glass, though the feeling soon passed as it was replaced with a small shot of dizziness, making her vision blur for only a brief second. Frowning, Lucy placed her right hand over her eyes and applied pressure very softly, attempting to alleviate some of her unsteadiness. Perhaps the drink had been too strong for her, or maybe it was due to the fact that she hadn't eaten that day. Whatever the cause, Lucy decided that she'd had enough of any alcoholic drinks that day, and that her stomach was in need of a tomato and basil panini from the cafe down the street.
"Lucy-san?"
At hearing her name, Lucy turned towards the soft voice that called her, and her brown eyes widened immensely as Juvia walked towards her.
The dress, it turned out, hadn't been all of one color, but an ombre of sparkling silver to the darkest ocean blue. The lightest blue of the dress began right beneath her breasts, the baby blue washing into a brilliant aqua, which then drenched and saturated itself into a deep cobalt. Her blue waves accented the color of her dress perfectly, hiding the straps of the halter-top tied behind her neck. The dress hugged her body in all the right places, accentuating her small waist, yet showing off her broad thighs and her voluptuous chest. Her ocean blue eyes sparkled with the fabric, creating an oceanic goddess fresh out of the Fiorian sea.
"Juvia! You-" Lucy began.
"Why do you have a strange look on your face?" Juvia asked Lucy nervously, crossing her arms across her chest, a faint blush creeping up onto her cheeks. "Does Juvia look silly?"
"What? No! not at all!" Lucy assured her, shaking her head vigorously as she ran up to Juvia and grabbed her wrists, excitement stamped onto Lucy's face. "You look gorgeous!"
Juvia blinked before she allowed Lucy to lower her arms from her chest, and slowly but surely, her face began to match Lucy's excited one.
"Do you think so?" Juvia asked her, her eyes shining as she glanced over at a full length mirror hung on the wall, her eyes tracing her body as Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Juvia wouldn't want to pick the wrong dress."
"Are you kidding?" Cana's voice exclaimed suddenly as she leapt out of the shadows and draped her arm around Juvia's shoulders, grinning at her as she downed her—most likely—fifth glass of champagne. "Girl, you look smoking hot! I'd totally bang you."
Juvia's face quickly began to resemble that of a tomato. "C-Cana-san!" she stuttered.
"Lay off, Cana." Lucy laughed, shaking her head at their friend's unfiltered thoughts, turning her attention back to Juvia. "But she's right, Juvia. You look beautiful! The true Belle of the ball."
Juvia frowned. "Belle? This dress will make Juvia ring?"
"She means that you'll be perfectly presentable for tomorrow night!" Mira's voice suddenly chimed, gliding over towards the girls wearing a flowing white gown with silver embellishments that accentuated her hair perfectly. "Well, after we win, that is."
"You bet your ass we'll win!" Cana exclaimed, letting go of Juvia. "And maybe, along with our victory, we'll wins few hearts as well." Cana nudged Juvia, who immediately went still, hearts beginning to invade her eyes in a cluster of bliss.
Catching Juvia's reaction, Lucy smiled as Juvia sunk deeper and deeper into her ocean of daydreams.
"Gray will love it." Lucy assured Juvia, who blushed even harder than before as Lucy supportingly patted the blunette on her shoulder as she turned her attention away to see if she could locate Virgo. Mavis only knew where the spirit was, she could be anywhere in the mass of chiffon and silk.
"And Natsu-san will have his eyes on you."
Lucy's body froze as Juvia's words hit her eardrums, generating an enormous heat that sunk into her belly as she slowly turned around to meet eyes with a smiling Juvia, who seemed to be innocently playing with the ends of her hair, unspoken words lingering on her pink lips.
Natsu's face slowly began to sneak into Lucy's thoughts as Juvia's smile became seemingly more apparent. The more she tried to shake that pink hair and those incredibly smoldering eyes of his out of her head, the more vivid her vision of him became. His features began to glow as she pictured him smirking at her slowly, his canines poking out from his lips ever so slightly. His tanned skin had been so tantalizingly warm and smooth, so rough and yet so comforting…
"Wh-What makes you say that?" Lucy stammered awkwardly as Juvia strode over to a full length mirror hung up on the wall. Lucy watched as Juvia examined her body.
"You said so yourself, Lucy-san." Juvia told the frowning spirit mage as she did a small twirl while watching her reflection carefully, her voice dropping down to a softened octave as her eyes warmed immensely.
Lucy strode slowly over to a sparkling Juvia slowly, stopping in her tracks when the water mage spoke again.
"He'll stand out from the others all together." Juvia said, tracing the halter straps on her dress slowly. "He'll have something special that makes him stand out, like a special signal.
"And you'll just know…" Juvia murmured softly, turning towards Lucy with a knowing smile. "That he is the one."
Lucy was stuck in a tremendous stupor for a grand total of ten seconds before she began to, for lack of a better word, freak out. Her head shook back and forth vigorously, as if to rid herself of the visions that suddenly began to invade her brain. She knew that Juvia had her moments of ridiculousness, but this was just insane, even for her.
"What?! What are you talking about?!" Lucy exclaimed. "I-I was talking about dresses! Not boys! Especially not-"
"Juvia sees the way Natsu-san looks at you." Juvia interrupted her, looking down at the ground and smiling to herself softly. "She's seen it multiple times."
Lucy's breath caught in her throat as she caught the gist what Juvia had told her, the true meaning behind her words sinking in.
Lucy hadn't been the only one who noticed…Juvia had as well…
"Juvia isn't saying that she's one hundred percent certain, but to completely pretend that something isn't going on would be foolish, wouldn't you agree, Lucy-san?" Juvia asked her, looking her up and down before turning away from Lucy and heading back towards the changing room, her dress trailing on behind her.
Lucy could only watch Juvia leave for two seconds before her big mouth opened up.
"How…are you so sure?" Lucy asked Juvia, immediately dreading her response.
Juvia's steps halted as she turned to face Lucy.
Perhaps, in that very moment, Juvia actually had been a goddess. This time, it hadn't been the dress to convince Lucy that Juvia belonged to a whole other power entirely, but her words were just enough to convince Lucy that maybe, just maybe, there was something that needed to be addressed. That it would be foolish indeed.
"It's the same way that Juvia looks at Gray-sama."
Of all times for Virgo to come through for Lucy, she had surely delivered. Just a few seconds after Juvia left Lucy standing all alone in the middle of the shop, Virgo had popped up behind Lucy holding the most beautiful dress that she'd ever seen, immediately taking it from Virgo's grasp and marveling over it openly in front of a few other shoppers, who giggled at her sudden excitement. It had been enough to distract her from…what had she been thinking about?
Oh…right. As if it would be so easy to forget.
After Lucy had said a silent farewell to the jewel she handed to the cashier, they told her that the store would dry-clean her new dress for her, and that it would be ready to be picked up and brought home in an hour.
Deciding to kill the hour that she'd been graced with, Lucy decided to head across the street to a smaller boutique that sold sparkling accessories and glittering high-heels that were perfect for occasions such as the one occurring the next night, and now Lucy finally had an excuse to buy something for a change, not to mention that she finally had jewel to spend as well.
She brushed her fingers along a bunch of stiletto heels that looked as though they could impale somebody, though she supposed that they were made to look that tantalizing. After all, go hard or go home.
The air smelled pleasantly of orange blossoms and figs, a hefty combination that was extremely pleasing to Lucy's nose, and she occasionally found herself closing her eyes and inhaling the scent deeply before returning her attention back to her shopping, her chocolate eyes catching a pair of golden heels that immediately reminded Lucy of her dress.
They weren't a ridiculous height like the ruby ones sitting next to them, and they weren't that obnoxious either. The light dusted on gold color sparkled as Lucy held it up to the light to inspect them, and while her shoes would be concealed underneath her dress, she was still a girl.
Rule number one of shopping, always inspect the item for damage. That way, she could persuade the shop to give her a discount. After all, she wasn't made of money, and who knows how many jewel she'd have after this shopping trip. Mavis knew that it would be her last one for a while.
Wandering around the store, Lucy lazily glanced at tables that were adorned with scintillating barrettes, becoming mesmerized by their hypnotic jewels and gemstones. Before Lucy had even realized what she was doing, she found herself standing in front of the table, holding a barrette with a heart-shaped topaz gem. Slowly, she traced the gem with her thumb as her eyes stared back at her in the yellow reflection of the rock. The gold embellishments on the tan metal glittered in the artificial light as she tilted the barrette from side to side, becoming amused by its beauty, feeling like an absolute child.
Once she flipped the accessory over and noted its surprisingly cheap price, Lucy happily enclosed it into her palm, making her way over to another section of the store all the while noticing other shoppers admiring cropped t-shirts and mini skirts. Lucy immediately eyed a pale pink top that a girl held in her arms.
That looks incredibly soft she thought to herself as she made her way towards the section of the boutique that displayed some varieties of clothing. Lucy was in desperate need of t-shirts, especially since the day that Natsu had accidentally melted her clothes off during a small training session. Needless to say, he'd melted her favorite staple t-shirt, along with one of her favorite bras, clasp and all. He'd received a hard hit to his head after his attempt of trying to cover her up, which involved hand to breast interaction that was nothing short of infuriating.
When she found a small counter that held folded up t-shirts, Lucy's eyes sparkled when she read the piece of paper taped above the table.
Buy two, get one free!
It was her lucky day.
Lucy knew her size, so there was no need to try the tops on and waste time. Deciding to keep things simple, Lucy immediately grabbed a white top. After all, white went with everything, and she certainly had enough skirts and pants that would make an outfit with the top. After grabbing a pink top that resembled the shade of a ballet slipper, Lucy was stuck.
There was no way that she'd pass up free clothing, but there were so many options to choose from, it was like she was back in the dress shop staring at the palette of colors that made her briefly wish that she had been colorblind.
Lucy glared down at the table. It wasn't rocket science, it was shopping.
Frowning, Lucy picked up a lilac and yellow shirt, looking back and forth between them before looking back down at the other colors available. What color? Aqua? Mint? Gray? Orange?
"I'd go with the lilac one."
"Huh?" Lucy heard herself say automatically as she turned to her left, her eyes sweeping over the array of t-shirts and over to a rack with hanging chiffon maxi-dresses, a pair of emerald green eyes catching hers in a flash.
Lucy watched as those green eyes blinked at her evenly, glowing in the daylight against fair and porcelain skin, despite the healthy blush on her cheeks. Her hair fell down to her shoulders in big and flowing curls that couldn't be credited from genetics, her golden brown locks catching sunlight from the store window. Her glossed, pink lips almost matched the shade of color that Lucy'd picked out to wear that morning.
The girl's eyes darted to the lilac shirt in Lucy's right hand, and Lucy instinctively followed suit.
"You think so?" Lucy asked the girl, the color suddenly growing on her.
"I probably sound biased, but that shade of purple is my favorite color." she told Lucy, who turned back to face the girl as she smiled at her, gesturing to her sleeveless peplum top that just happened to be a light lilac. "And, I find that purple really brings out brown eyes, especially yours." She said, though shaking her head quickly and taking on an embarrassed facial expression, holding her hands out. "N-Not to be creepy or anything!"
Lucy laughed at the girl's flustered expression. "Don't worry, nothing creepy about it!" Lucy reassured the brunette as she smiled sheepishly in response, tucking a piece of curled hair behind her ear as Lucy claimed the lilac t-shirt as her own. "Besides, it goes well with green eyes, especially yours." Lucy said wryly, which rewarded her with a few giggles from the brunette.
"I'm Lucy." Lucy said, offering the girl a bright smile as she walked over to the dress rack, extending her hand in a friendly manner.
The girl accepted Lucy's hand without hesitation, and her green eyes sparkled as she smiled brightly at the celestial mage. "My name's Stella. Nice to meet you, Lucy!"
The hot latte was sweet on Lucy's tongue as she took a small sip of the foamy drink, crossing her legs underneath the table outside of the small cafe, her purchases sitting neatly in their bag next to her feet.
So far, Stella had turned out to be a good talk, listening to Lucy all the while laughing at the ridiculous things she'd mutter. They'd found out that they were both eighteen, which turned Lucy's assumption into a fact. They spent the half an hour at the cafe chatting away about trivial things, such as the ugly outfits they'd seen in Sorcerer Weekly, or how the featured male mages were either hits or misses, though the past issue featured a member from Lamia Scale who had the bluest eyes that Lucy had ever seen, and her new found friend had agreed with her immediately. For once, it was kind of nice to meet new people outside of the guild, not that her friends bored her, it was the opposite. After all, her mother always told her to make new friends wherever she went, not matter how many friends she already had.
"So, what brought you to to buy those fancy heels?" Stella asked Lucy as she finished a sip of her latte. "Special occasion of some sort?"
Lucy nodded as she allowed the warm liquid to flow down her throat, sighing as the caramel and vanilla flavors kicked into her tastebuds.
"It's for a ball, actually. My guild is hosting one tomorrow night in honor of a yearly game we play. I had to buy a dress too." Lucy told the brunette, watching as Stella's eyes suddenly widened in excitement.
"You're in a guild?!" Stella exclaimed as she slammed her palms down onto the table, leaning forward towards Lucy, her curled hair dangling dangerously above the foam of her latte. Lucy watched as the girl's eyes turned into glittering emeralds, provoking an amused smile from the celestial mage. "That's awesome! I've always wanted to join a guild, or at least, meet someone who actually is in a guild!" she squeaked, her excitement refusing to dull down for a few more minutes until she sat back down into her seat, laughing nervously.
"Yup, that's right!" Lucy told her proudly, though her excitement got the better of her when it was her turn to lean forward on the table, close enough to Stella's face so that she was able to smell the vanilla of her latte. "So, you're a mage too? And you've haven't joined a guild?" Lucy animatedly asked Stella, who nodded enthusiastically back at her.
"I haven't really had the time to think about it, joining a guild I mean. I've been traveling a lot recently, and it just didn't make sense to join a guild with all the moving around." Stella said, playing with one of her curls as Lucy nodded in understanding. After all, it was only luck that Lucy had bumped into Natsu back then, if she hadn't, she may not be where she was right at that moment. She definitely didn't want to linger on the what if's.
"But, I do have to say that I really love it here." Stella said, leaning back in her seat and stretching her arms out over her head contently. As she did so, the sunlight shone onto her neck, and it was at that moment that Lucy noticed the small silver chain draped around her neck, a necklace of some sort. Lucy's eyes followed the path of the chain down towards the base of Stella's neck, though stopped when the two ends of the chain met just beneath the hem of her shirt, the hanging charm of the necklace completely sunken into the valley of her breasts. Lucy wondered what the necklace could be, though she supposed that it wasn't really her business to know.
"I might look for an apartment." Stella said, gazing up at the aqua umbrella that concealed the girls and the table from the sun. "I have a good feeling about Magnolia."
Lucy nodded, taking a small sip of her latte. "I can fully and truthfully say that Magnolia gets five stars from me, though I've only lived here for about two years. It never gets boring, that's for sure, especially with the guild around."
Stella's eyes landed on Lucy's once again with surprise. "Oh, that's right! You're guild is here in Magnolia. What's the name of it, if you don't mind my asking?"
Lucy shook her head and stood up from her seat. With a smile, she proudly flashed her hand to Stella's vision just as she was taking a small sip from her white coffee mug.
"Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail, at your service!"
It was as if Lucy's name was a taboo itself.
Lucy watched with horror as Stella's eyes widened to the size of beach balls, her irises sparking with alarm. A few seconds later, sounds of violent coughing were coming out of the brunette, her pink lips dripping with coffee and foam as she coughed up the liquid she'd accidentally inhaled. She'd dropped her mug to the cobble-stone sidewalk, and much to her luck it hadn't shattered.
"St-Stella?!" Lucy stammered as the brunette lunged for her mug on the ground, shooting upwards a few seconds after she'd placed it on the table with a shaking hand. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"
Lucy shrieked as she felt her hand being yanked towards Stella's chest, watching as green eyes stared at her guild mark with wonder and amazement. A small bit of foam still lingered on her lips as she tried to speak, only to fail miserably as Lucy's face became red with embarrassment.
"Stella?" Lucy tried again, only to be interrupted.
"You're Lucy!" Stella exclaimed, looking up at a flustered Lucy with shining eyes. "You're Lucy!"
Lucy gulped awkwardly. "Y-Yes, that's me. I'm Lucy-"
"Lucy Heartfilia! Lucy Heartfilia, the celestial spirit mage of Fairy Tail!" Stella exclaimed, letting go of Lucy's hand and grabbing onto the blonde's arms, laughing in a joy that sent Lucy into a state of shock. "I knew that you looked familiar! I watched you guys compete in the Grand Magic Games! I've always wanted to be part of the games, but of course I have to join a guild first...but Fairy Tail was just awesome! The way that you battled that girl with the fiery hair was amazing!" Stella praised enthusiastically, bringing Lucy down from her mountain of shock and into a sea of smiles.
"I..kinda lost that match…" Lucy said awkwardly.
Stella looked at her like she was insane. "So? It's not about the end results of the fight, but the effort and heart you put into it." she said softly, smiling down at the ground, looking as though she wanted to remember something. "And that looked like a ton of heart to me."
Lucy felt something warm begin to bubble in her chest as soon as Stella's words sunk into her skin, tattooing a strange pulsation into her entire body.
There was something about Stella that Lucy couldn't quite put her finger on. Lucy felt like they'd been friends for years, regardless of the fact that they'd only met an hour ago. As far as she was concerned, Stella was still a stranger.
But how could a stranger make her feel so…warm? Accepted?
She hadn't felt a warmth like this since she'd first joined the guild.
Since she first met Natsu.
A sudden flash of a reflection shot itself into Lucy's eyes as she sun began to peek out from behind a cloud, which caused her to immediately shut her eyes on reflex, bringing her hand up towards her eyes to rub the light out of them.
"Stella, thank you." Lucy said just as she was beginning to open her eyes once more. "Thank-"
Lucy choked on her words as her eyes landed on Stella's chest, the silver chain around her neck glistening in the sunlight. And though it was full of luster, it wasn't enough to force Lucy to close her eyes all the way like she had.
But the silver key hanging on the end of the chain would do the job.
Lucy could see Stella frowning at Lucy in confusion, but she blatantly ignored the brunette's stares as she examined the key around Stella's neck, realizing that it must have slipped out from under Stella's shirt when she collapsed to ground a few minutes earlier. Her eyes darted over its surface multiple times, just to be sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
There was no denying it.
Lucy knew a gate key when she saw one.
"Lucy?" Stella asked the blonde softly. "Are you okay?"
Lucy's chocolate brown eyes met Stella's, and her voice was nothing but a small whisper.
"You…" Lucy began, a sort of impending wonder building up into her chest. "You're a celestial mage?"
Stella blinked slowly at the label she'd been given, frowning at Lucy's question before her hand shot up to grab the silver key that hung below her neck. When her fingers touched the cool metal, her eyes widened in realization as she shook her head quickly.
"Oh, no, you've got the wrong idea here! I'm not a celestial mage." Stella told Lucy with truthful eyes, increasing her grip on the silver key around her neck. "I'm sorry to make you think that." she apologized.
Lucy frowned at her new friend as she raised her finger pointedly at the key. "Then..why do you have a gate key?"
Stella looked down at the shimmering silver key as she enclosed it into her palm tightly, a small smile spreading smoothly onto her lips like melted butter. Her eyes began to swim with something that shook Lucy down to her core. It was a look that she'd seen in her own eyes countless times, and when Stella spoke, Lucy's guess was confirmed.
"It belonged to my mother." Stella told her softly.
Neither of the girls said anything at first, a stunned silence pressing down on Lucy's lips as she tried to press them together in order to not look as shocked as she felt. She watched as Stella's eyes glistened sadly, though there were no signs of tears in her eyes.
Lucy bit back her own once a high-pitched voice floated into her memory, followed by the most calming and soothing melody that Lucy could ever hear of.
"Mama, mama! Look at my new dress! Isn't it pretty?"
"It looks absolutely lovely, Lucy my darling."
The wind blew onto Lucy's face softly, blowing her hair back and away from her shoulder blades and towards the direction of a field that was across the cafe. Lucy's eyes were immediately drawn to the small glassy plain, the green washing and invading her vision entirely.
A pair of brown eyes identical to hers stared back at her warmly, her heart-shaped face blushed underneath her golden hair. And just as quickly as it came, she was gone.
Her mother, gone, just as it had always been. Just as it always would be.
"So…" Lucy asked Stella softly, her voice uncertain in a manner that any other person would take as approaching a sensitive subject. Though suddenly, Lucy felt a connection with this girl that she couldn't describe with tangible words. "Your mother was…"
Stella nodded, flashing Lucy a small smile. "My mother was a celestial spirit mage, though not like one you'd expect. She ever only had one gate key in her lifetime, she always said that the best bonds were made undivided, but I just think that she was too proud to choose multiple partners for her jobs." Stella said, brushing her thumb over the key, emitting a small clang from the sliver chain. "Then again, she wasn't a big fighter. And neither was Neo."
"Neo?" Lucy asked with curious eyes, glancing down at the silver key, realizing that on the main charm of the key, there was a small black paw print with a flattened green jewel on the crown, right below the chain.
Stella nodded. "Short for Neosilvia, the Gate of the Onyx Panther."
Lucy nodded at hearing the name of the spirit that the key summoned, though she'd never heard its name before. Then again, most silver keys were unique since those were the most common to find in shops. Actually, they were now the only keys that any mage could find in a shop, now that the twelve golden keys were owned by both Lucy and Yukino Aguria.
"Neo's been with my mom since before I was born, and once I was in the picture, she'd summon him to play with me everyday. He was big compared to a small girl, but he was gentle nonetheless. I think he sensed that I was more than just a smaller version of my mother…he didn't even have to be told who I was when we were introduced. He just…knew.
"We played together everyday, he'd let me ride on his back and I'd brush his fur every night. I'd fall asleep next to our fireplace cuddled up against him, and when I woke up, he'd already be back in his world. Mom explained to me that he needed to rest too, and I complained that I wasn't able to visit him in the Celestial World.
"I haven't seen Neo since my mother died." Stella told Lucy, frowning slightly. "I haven't been able to, for obvious reasons of course."
Lucy's lips sank into a concerned frown as she was told this, realizing with a heavy heart that with Stella's mother gone, she couldn't see the spirit that she grew up with. She'd not only lost her mother, but a friend as well. And even after her mother had passed away, and the key had been passed down to Stella, she still couldn't use it.
"I've been so tempted to find a celestial mage to help me out, to summon Neo just so that I could see him again." Stella shook her head. "But I can't."
Lucy frowned. "You can't? I could help you if you want-"
Suddenly everything was clear.
Of course Stella wouldn't want anyone to help her summon Neo, that would mean creating another contract with a different celestial mage other than Stella's mother. And what if the mage wanted to keep the key? That would absolutely break her heart…
"Do you miss him?" Lucy asked her instead, internally smacking herself for asking such a stupid question.
Of course she does you idiot! Her brain screamed at her. Way to show your sentimental side, Lucy.
Stella looked down into her latte, the cocoa colored liquid sloshing around as she brought it up to her lips. "Some days more than others. But I think about him and Mom everyday." After taking a sip from the cup, Stella licked her lips and brought the mug to her chest. "This key helps me feel closer to them, even if I can't see them."
After a pregnant pause, Lucy heard Stella laugh softly, though there was nothing humorous about it.
"Listen to me, telling someone I just met all this personal stuff…you must think I'm crazy." Stella shook her head and glanced at Lucy, though taking on a serious manner when she saw Lucy's frigid face.
Lucy bit down on her lip, feeling her heart stir as she looked down at the ground.
"I lost my mother too." Lucy said softly. "Three of the keys I possess were originally her spirits, and they were passed down to me. I can't help but think of her whenever I hold them."
It was funny how things all come into place at certain times. A sudden rush of wind promotes the purchase of a new sweater. A sudden pang of thirst brings the best tasting bottle of water someone's ever tasted, even though they've drank it many times before. A steaming bowl of soup eaten after harsh and frigid winter day suddenly tastes more divine than it ever had before. And a stranger who wouldn't be glanced at twice, suddenly became noticeable.
That was just what Stella was, a person who had once blended into the background was suddenly a shining silhouette of interest that most definitely sparked Lucy's attention in more ways than one. What once was a day of prep with her guild mates became an encounter with a new friend, and Lucy couldn't have been happier to find someone who finally…understood.
"Ugh!" Stella exclaimed suddenly, slamming her mug down on the table. "This is a great way to meet people huh, telling them about your sad backstory. Must be a defect in the Demarva genes or something."
Lucy blinked in surprise at Stella's sudden zero to sixty attitude, but she grinned at her nonetheless.
"You should be more careful ya know." Lucy mocked Stella, nudging her with her elbow. "You just told a stranger your surname. Stella Demarva, huh?"
Stella winked seductively at Lucy. "The one and only. And you told me yours, so it's only fair."
"But you technically knew who I was before we met!" Lucy argued, laughing when Stella put on a pouty face. "And you knew what magic I used too! And that reminds me, if you're not a celestial mage, then what type of magic do you practice?"
Lucy watched as Stella's face slowly lit up with excitement, her glossed lips spreading into a smile. "I'm glad you asked."
Stella grabbed Lucy's wrist and tugged her hard, pulling a surprised Lucy away from the tables of the cafe, forcing her to abandon her latte. "Come on!"
"W-Wait! Where are we going?!" Lucy exclaimed as Stella dragged her across the paved road, heading towards the small field of grass across the street, a sea of green in the middle of a bustling town. A few maple leaf trees stood proudly in the distance, the leaves painted with the reds and golds of a budding autumn season.
"Just watch!" Stella exclaimed brightly as Lucy felt the grass swish underneath her boots while Stella released her wrist and continued to run a few more feet until she spun on the ball of her foot to face Lucy again. The wind picked up as Stella placed her feet firmly into the long blades of grass, stretching her arms out to her sides along her hips, and took a deep breath.
Lucy watched with a small frown as Stella's fingers moved slightly, her eyes darting all along the grass while nothing seemed to be happening. Was she missing something?
"What are you-" Lucy began to inquire, until the first hit of an aroma invaded her nose, making her instinctively inhale deeply, sighing at the sweetness of the smell. As Lucy inhaled deeply, the perfumed scent increased its strength, filling her senses with a vision of spring.
And then, she was surrounded.
Her chocolate eyes widened as the green around her began to bud with a multicolor spectrum of flower buds, popping up and spreading out all across the field. Beautiful and tantalizing shades of reds, blues, pinks, yellows, and oranges filled Lucy's sight as a circle of purple lilac flowers began to bud around her feet, emitting a fresh and intoxicating scent that captured Lucy in a state of bliss. Her eyes traced the flowers all the way to the end of the field, and gasped when the once autumn stricken leaves of the trees melted back into their fresh green shade, leaving no sign of the current season.
Lucy watched as the flowers grew up to her knees, the petals spreading out and booming open to reveal complete and matured flora that Lucy had never seen before.
She was surrounded by pure spring.
"This is…" Lucy tried to speak, laughing as she picked up a flower that would put the blue sky to shame. She placed it atop of her right ear, the stem fitting into her hair nicely. "Beautiful…" she finished in a whisper.
Lucy's eyes met a grinning Stella's and she laughed at Lucy's awestruck face.
"Like it?" Stella asked her enthusiastically, her clover eyes sparkling.
"This is incredible!" Lucy exclaimed, rushing over towards Stella to grab her wrists and shake them excitedly. As her legs brushed against the flowers, their perfume shot up into the air, sweetening the natural oxygen. "I've never seen magic like this before! What's it called?"
Stella giggled as she bent down to pick up a yellow pansy, mimicking Lucy's idea and placing it above her ear, making it rest in her hair. "It's called Spring Caster magic."
"Spring Caster magic…" Lucy repeated, her eyes sweeping over the now colorful field. "I've never heard of it before."
"I don't blame you, nobody really has." Stella shrugged. "My grandmother's mother was a spring mage, so I guess it skipped a couple of generations and now it's my turn."
Lucy nodded, her face still awestruck by the colors surrounding her. "So what you're saying is, you're basically a flower child."
The breeze swept across the field in a stunning crescendo, loosening petals from the flowers, allowing them to dance in the air over the girls' heads, creating a colored storm of nature that was beyond anything that Lucy could ever dream of. A few petals brushed against her cheeks, and she laughed as they tickled her exposed skin.
"You could say that."
And suddenly, Stella wasn't a stranger any longer, but a friend that Lucy would hope to keep for years to come.
Little did Lucy know that no amount of spring could prevent the leaves from meeting their faithful end, their death was inevitable in more ways than one.
Fate really was a cruel thing.
A/N: And there's chapter three! I was so excited to write Stella, I think that she'll be one of my favorite OC's that I'll write in my fan fiction career. Stella was originally supposed to be a celestial mage like Lucy, due to *cough plot reasons cough* But to make the plot a bit more dramatic, I decided to make her something else. All will be revealed soon about that! Thumbs up for some foreshadowing in this chapter too...
Fun fact, Stella's spirit Neo was inspired by my actual black cat, who's name is also Neo. Funny how things work huh?
Big, BIG hugs to all who reviewed!: Guest, Snavej, , .3, luxaline, MatchMakingQueen, huntingtimeconsultingthings, fanficlove2014, Adrillian1497, CopDog, Haus of Lexy, Person, kccb16, papaya-cha, Mrs HopeEstheim, SafireRansomePoseidonsDaughter, KaUiA, PrincessMophia, and feidas! You guys are so sweet and you rock! I read every review I get, and you all put smiles on my face, so thank you!
Next chapter begins the Fairy Tail game! You'll see the plan the girls have, and Lucy's dress won't be revealed until the ball, so stay tuned!
See you all next time! Stay beautiful loves!
Love you Fiore and back xx