Chapter Twenty-Five

"Who do you even think you are?" The old man with the cane demanded as he stared at her.

"I'm Lucky Lucy Heartfilia." A murmur rose which had Natsu's brow furrowing. Lucy sighed. "The Heartfilia name doesn't mean anything. The world is overrun. And unless we work with the Guild Station and it's inhabitants, we're never going to make it inhabitable again."

"There are monsters down there. We'll never see it inhabitable again." Another man huffed and shook his head.

"They can be killed." The people shifted, surprised. "Elfman killed one with his barehands. I've fought them. Erza too. And all of the Dragis like Natsu and Gajeel take out entire nests."

"That monster of a man killed one?"

"Hey, big brother Elf isn't a monster!" Lisanna shouted and Lucy shook her head.

"The only monsters here are you all. Your fear has turned you into monsters."

"We don't have to listen to you! Your father's fortune is gone."

"My father's fortune wouldn't have mattered even if it was still here!" Lucy shouted and stomped her foot. The scalut turned bright red and she knew that it caused several people to flinch backwards. "The only thing that matters is that we are all alive and have a chance to make the future better. But we have to work for it. It won't just be handed to us!"

"What would you know about hard work?" A middle aged woman asked and Lucy turned to look over at her. "Your parents raised you with a golden spoon."

"You know nothing about how I was raised." Lucy shook her head and Natsu wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back as she took a step towards the woman. Everyone tensed, holding their breaths. She turned and looked at Natsu.

"I want to go down to the next level. See if anyone there will listen."

"You can't go down there!" The old man barked but Erza stepped forward and he held his cane tightly in his hands.

"Watch us." She glared and then nodded at Lucy and Natsu. Natsu nodded slowly and pulled Lucy backwards, never turning his back on the crowd as he walked towards the second set of lift doors that would take then below. The other humans watched, but too scared of Erza to move. She had her sword in front of her as she too walked backwards. Levy had slid next to them and Gajeel was stalking towards the lift, his back turned; but Lucy saw the sheen of metal under his long hair.

The hiss of the door as it slid open filled the silent hall. Gramps waved as they all stood there and the door started to slide closed. Lucy crossed her arms under her chest and expelled a heavy breath and inhaled deeply.

"Keep breathing Lu." Erza and Levy encouraged and the blonde was vibrating in anger. Natsu kept his arm around her waist out of fear that she'd try to climb the lift's interior walls and get back to the people above them. The lift slowed to a stop and the door slid open. As they stepped out, they were met with the wide stares of children.

"Look at his pink hair! It's so pretty!" A little girl said before an older boy could grab her and wrap a hand over her mouth.

"Thank you little one." Natsu said and smiled at her. Her eyes widening and she looked up at the boy and pulled his laced hand off of her face.

"He speaks English! He speaks English!"

"It's a trick."

"No it's not." Levy said and pulled their attention to her. "The Guild Station has translators all over. And because we've spoken English enough; it allows the Guild's inhabitants understand us and vice versa."

"I don't know what those big words were, but you seem nice." The little girl giggled. She pointed at Natsu. "Is your hair as soft as it looks?"

"Softer." Lucy smiled and tugged on a pink strand. The girl giggled and hid behind her hands and twisted her foot.

"Your gold hair is pretty too."

"Thank you." She pulled free of Natsu and squatted to get closer to their eye level. She felt Natsu do similar. "I know you are all probably really scared. And that the adults are scared too. But these two guys, they're a people called Dragis. And they're friends. Do you think you can help me convince your parents and the other adults that they're friendly?"

"No way." The older boy rolled his eyes. "They don't listen to us at all."

"They don't?" Lucy sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. That must make it harder. Is there anything you need?"

"Toys?" A little boy who had been hiding behind the older one peaked around him and looked hopeful.

"Toys?" Gajeel groused and the boy stiffened. Lucy and Levy stiffened and Erza side-eyed him. "Gramps showed the elders where the things we thought were toys where."

He stomped off towards a wall and tapped it. As the panel popped open, stuffed animals fell out onto the floor. Gajeel grabbed the panel and walked down the wall a few feet, pulling the panels back on a hidden track. More toys came into view. Lucy's mouth fell open, as did the childrens'.

"Look at all the toys!" The kids shouted and raced towards the wall. Lucy walked over and tapped on the top panel of the ones that Gajeel had pulled back.

"Guild AI?" She asked, feeling stupid but she heard a familiar digital hum.

"Yes Lucy?" The kids dropped the toys and turned and stared with their mouths open. Lucy smiled.

"Can you mark this first panel with pictures of some of the toys on the other side? Its possible they couldn't find the panel to show the kids the toys. Humans need things to help us spot these panels."

"Of course." Instantly the images of several stuffed animals appeared on the panel.

"Thank you!" Lucy turned and looked at the kids. "The AI can help if you have questions. But if it doesn't understand; you'll have to explain."

"That's cool." The kids chimed and rushed towards her. "How'd you know that trick?"

"Well Natsu's Magi-Hover has a very chatty AI." She said and they stared at her.

"What'a Magi-Hover?"

"It's a transportation vehicle, like an RV Trailer but it hovers without wheels."

"Cool!" One of the little girls giggled and reached out and touched one of the scales on Natsu's arms. He stilled and looked at Lucy with wide eyes.

"The scales are smooth but hard right?"

"And warm." The girl murmured and smoothed her finger over a larger scale.

"That warmth is because Natsu is a Fire Dragis. He can make fire appear…and if he wants to…he can eat it." She said the last part like it was a secret and the girl's mouth fell open. She looked up at him.

"He's a dragon?"

"I wish." Natsu murmured and he squatted lower. "Dragons are so much cooler than Dragis. They are our deities. Igneel is the King of the Fire Dragons."

"Are there dragons on this ship?" A boy asked and he shook his head slowly. The boy sulked. Natsu nodded slowly again.

"I wish but the Dragons left Edolas a long time ago to help other planets battle the evil Acnologia; a dark Dragon who wanted to cause havoc. One day I hope to find Igneel and the others and taken them back to Edolas and possibly help our planet revive."

"What happened to Edolas?" The first elder boy asked and Lucy swallowed and closed her eyes. Erza watched a Levy sniffled and Lucy looked forlorn. Natsu cleared his throat but when he opened his mouth, words didn't come out.

"The Draconics who attacked your world; attacked ours too. The only Dragis from our planet who survived weren't actually on our planet when they arrived. It was those of us who were off world." Gajeel whispered softly. The little girl who had first spoken, looked around and then walked over and wrapped her fingers around one of his. He looked down at her, his dark brows pulled together.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." His voice cracked before he snarled and looked up at the ceiling. Levy walked over and patted his arm and then knelt in front of the little girl and smiled watery at her.

"You are very sweet for comforting Gajeel. He's a big softie despite how gruff he looks." The girl giggled and smiled up at him as he glowered at Levy who smiled up at him too. He looked away again, and Lucy was pretty sure that he was blushing.

"What do we owe them for the toys?" Another girl, this one older than even the eldest boy who had spoken asked into the silence. "Mom and Dad said we shouldn't taken anything from the aliens because they'll want something from us. Something we might not be able to pay off."

"Nothing." Natsu looked horrified. "We just want to help everyone. The Guild Station is a safe place while your world is overrun. We hope that we will be able to rid the world of the Draconics and you all can go back down. These toys, we've collected from down there to try and help you all feel comfortable."

"So you don't want payment?" The girl asked and Natsu shook his head.

"That's what we've been trying to tell the adults upstairs." Erza said and pointed upwards with her chin. "They wouldn't listen, so we decided to come down here."

"The hairy man and the queen-ie lady might help…if we let them talk to them. The adults listen to them." The little girl holding Gajeel's finger said and he looked down at her and raised one brow.

"Hairy man and queen-ie lady?"

"There's an old man with lots of hair and his wife, who looks like an angel and acts really nice." The little boy who had mentioned dragons said and jumped on his toes. "All the adults listen to them. My mom says its because on Earth the old man was rich and rich people had power."

"They might help." Levy said and looked hopeful. "Should we go to them."

"Ehhh." The kids looked unsure. Then the little boy bounced excitedly.

"I'll go get the queen-ie lady. She likes to play with us even if she looks sad when she does."

"Yeah. Go get her." The older girl said and he took off. Lucy stood up and got close to Erza.

"I doubt she'll come alone. That kid's excitement is going to get clocked."

"I'm primed and ready for anything." Erza said and Lucy nodded and Levy came over and looked at her friends.

"Do you think we're going to get a rationale person to try and talk to?"

"Even if we don't we have to keep trying." Lucy said and turned when she heard giggling. And her heart stumbled over itself. The several kids had gotten close and he was picking up two; one with each hand and lifting them over his head. Another was hanging off of his neck. He gently blew smoke at the kids around his feet, making them shriek and giggle. He caught her stare and smiled widely at her and she felt her lips quirk on their own accord. She felt a tug and looked down and a small girl stood there and held her arms up. She picked the girl up and she carefully touched the scales on the scalut.

"These are pretty. Like his." She said and pointed at Natsu and Lucy nodded.

"That's because these were his."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's a special suit made from his scales."

"So pretty." She stroked them and rested her head on Lucy's shoulder and looked up at her. She grabbed a strand of hair that had escaped her braid and wrapped it around her finger.

"Your hair is pretty too." She said and gently touched the brown curls that framed her face. "And your green eyes are really cool."

"Thank you." The girl wiggled and unwrapped the hair and looked past Lucy to the toys. "Can I play with the purple bunny?"

Before Lucy could turn to get it; a metallic claw wrapped around it from the back and extended out. The girl gasped and caught the bunny and the claw immediately retracted. "Thank you AI."

"You are welcome E231."

"E231?" The girl looked up at Lucy.

"AI's don't learn names, they assign their own labels to people. If you want it to call you by your name you have to tell it your name."

"Uh…AI?"

"Yes E231?"

"My name is Sarah. Can you call me Sarah?"

"Of course Sarah." The digital voice said and the girl perked up. She held the bunny close and smiled at Lucy who had turned and was facing Natsu and Gajeel. She saw Natsu's smile falter and she tensed. She handed Sarah over to Levy and watched as Natsu carefully set all the kids down. His eyes wide and confused.

"Natsu?" She asked softly and he tilted his head and sniffed. She knew that he was scenting something and she tensed. Was it danger? Erza gasped and that was it. Lucy turned around and her hands flew up to her mouth.