.

Six

(In which Lyon and Juvia attend a birthday party.)

"Just remember, we don't want to tell them you're a selkie," Lyon said for maybe the fifth time that evening. He passed Sherry's gift to his other hand, the scrap of butcher's paper he'd wrapped it in crinkling loudly. "I mean, they're good people and they mean well, but they would bombard us with questions. And a few of them have had run-ins with selkies before. I think it would be easiest if they thought you were just a normal girl. Not that you're normal, of course, just…"

Juvia shoved his arm gently, her fingertips pressing lightly into his skin, and her teeth flashed white in the moonlight as she smiled.

"Sorry," Lyon said sheepishly, passing the package back to his other hand once more. "I know I've already said that. It's not a big deal, really. They'll love you. I think you'll like them too. They're lots of fun. Most of them, anyway."

Juvia tugged at his sleeve and pointed to the myriad twinkling lights shining in the darkness, burning in windows and trapped in lanterns strung about the town. Lyon laughed and picked up the pace.

"Yeah, yeah, we're almost there."

They traipsed along the path leading into town, Juvia practically skipping in her eagerness while Lyon gnawed at his lower lip. In truth, he still wasn't sure this was a good idea. He had debated the wisdom of it all day, until Yuka had berated him for his distraction and told him to get a grip or swim back to shore. As much as he trusted everyone, something still niggled at him about putting his two worlds straight onto a collision course.

It was probably nothing. No one knew Juvia was a selkie, and it wasn't as if they'd do anything about it if they did. And with Juvia's skin safely hidden, she wouldn't be taking any opportunities to run off before she was fully healed, although her skipping suggested the process was coming along nicely.

Anyway, it was too late to back out now even if he did have second thoughts. Juvia had greeted him with a wide smile and shining eyes when he returned home that evening with a brace of fish. She had spent the day assembling another driftwood and shell frame, complete with an amateur but vivid drawing of the beach and rolling ocean. There was even a colony of tiny seals visible in the rocks on the far end of the beach. Then she had wrapped up both their gifts in the only suitable paper they could find—bits of brown butcher's paper that smelled faintly of fish—and dragged Lyon out the door.

He didn't have the heart to ruin her excitement. Sherry and the others had already expressed an interest in meeting Juvia as well, and he'd just have to trust them to be on their best behavior. Everything would be great, and it would be nice to have all his friends meet each other. Still, he had the feeling that it would change everything, for better or worse.

The sound of raucous laughter and the shrill screech of a fiddle drifted down the path, magnified by the still night air. Juvia bobbed her head in time to the sliding notes of the fiddle, despite its awful caterwauling.

"I did warn you that they're pretty loud, didn't I?" Lyon asked.

Juvia flashed him another grin and whacked him lightly on the shoulder. He interpreted this to mean yes, you did, but relax and stop worrying so much.

He smiled back and shifted Sherry's gift to the crook of his arm. "Fair enough. The fiddle is Gajeel's. He can't hold a tune to save his life and has zero skill, but he gets a kick out of insisting on playing. I think he actually enjoys it. He gets some ribbing, but you have to be careful of pushing it too far or he'll flip out. But to be fair, that's basically everything with Gajeel."

Juvia did not seem perturbed by Gajeel's resounding lack of talent and continued bobbing her head in time to the discordant notes as they reached the edge of town and headed into its heart. Streetlamps lit the way, casting a flickering play of light and shadow over the streets and buildings. Many of the houses' windows were dark. Half the town would be in the square for the festivities. If there was anything the townsfolk liked, it was a good party to break up the monotony of their daily life.

Sure enough, the dull roar of laughter and music surged louder as they entered the square. Lanterns had been strung all along the surrounding rows of shops, and heavy wooden tables had been dragged outside and piled with heaps of food. A few people danced in the center of the square, while others milled about and chatted. Frankly, Lyon couldn't believe anyone was willing to attempt dancing to Gajeel's tone-deaf caterwauling, but the town had a couple more accomplished musicians who would take over later.

He looked for Sherry, but Yuka and Toby materialized as if by magic.

"You're late!" Toby said. "Sherry has been looking…"

He trailed off as he spotted Juvia. He and Yuka exchanged a look.

"Ahhh," said Yuka, and Lyon didn't like the way he drew out the word and looked Juvia up and down. "This is the mysterious girl staying at your place, huh? Sherry is going to be thrilled."

"Sherry invited her," Lyon said stiffly.

Yuka held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Of course she did. Sherry's nice like that. But you know how she is." He smiled at Juvia and held out his hand. "Hi, Juvia. Nice to finally meet you. I'm Yuka."

Juvia smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Toby," Toby added. "We're Lyon's friends."

Juvia nodded and shook his hand too. Yuka and Toby looked at her expectantly, then shot puzzled looks at Lyon. It took a second for him to catch on.

"Oh, she can't talk," he said. "Didn't I tell you that? She's mute. But she's happy to meet you too."

Yuka's eyebrows shot up his forehead like a pair of large, fuzzy caterpillars. "No," he said. "No, you did not mention that." He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly and waved Juvia into the square. "Well, how about you come meet the rest of the gang?"

Toby tugged at Juvia's sleeve, eyes shining with excitement. "Want to meet Toby? She's hanging around somewhere… Although she's scared of Gajeel's screeching."

Yuka dropped back beside Lyon as they followed behind Toby and Juvia.

"Mute?" he hissed.

"Yes? Sorry, I thought I'd mentioned it. We've been figuring out how to communicate, though."

"Funny," Yuka said in a low voice, "I could have sworn you were just in the bar asking questions about mute selkies."

Again, it took Lyon a second to get the point, but then he felt the blood drain from his face. "It was just a mistake," he said. "I found her on the beach and–"

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just telling you what other people are going to think when they hear that."

Lyon supposed it was better to get a warning from a friend before being thrown to the wolves. Panic welled up inside him, but when he thought about it… Well, he'd likely get some ribbing, but who would really think he'd found a selkie? He could pass it off as being a little dense and freaking out about finding a girl on the beach in the dead of night. Although he was an awful liar, so he'd need to be careful.

They ran into Lucy and Levy before finding Toby the pooch, and the process of introductions began in earnest.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Lucy gushed. "Do you like to read? I write poetry and stories."

"And I read them," Levy added with a laugh. "It would be nice to have another brain to pick. Let us know if you want to join the club!"

Lyon and Yuka gaped at them as Toby wandered off looking for his dog. As a rule, Lucy and Levy were secretive about whatever it was they scribbled and whispered about.

"Are you sure she's not magic?" Yuka hissed. "They just invited her to be part of their super-secret writing club!"

Lyon shook his head helplessly. "Maybe because she can't talk and they think she won't be able to break their code of silence?"

"I'm sure you have lots of interesting stories of your own," Lucy said, eyes gleaming.

"And if you can't talk, maybe it will be easier for you to communicate through writing," Levy said.

"Ah," said Yuka. "They're fishing for stories. Or maybe they're just trying to be nice and find a way to communicate with her."

Juvia nodded vigorously, smiling and miming gestures with her hands that set the girls laughing.

Lyon wasn't sure what he thought about the townspeople making friends with Juvia so quickly when he'd been expecting a one-time interaction at the party rather than actual relationships. To be fair, he supposed he had brought Juvia here because she seemed lonely. She could use a friend or two besides him. But she wouldn't be staying for long, and there was always the risk of exposure.

There was also the small issue of her unsteady handwriting, but they could play that off. Most people around here had at least a few years of schooling and knew their letters, but they weren't an overly educated community by any means. Many of the other fishing villages in the area didn't even have that much.

"What?" Natsu asked, loping across the square with a squirming Happy clutched in his arms. "How come she gets to read your stuff and I never get to?"

"You're a loudmouth," Lucy said with a sniff. "You couldn't keep quiet to save your life."

"We do let you read some," Levy added, placating.

Natsu opened his mouth, but that was the moment Toby hurried over with Toby on his heels.

"Look, Juvia!" he announced. "I found Toby. Want to say hi? We can go see the puppies too!"

Happy hissed loudly, and Natsu yowled as the cat dug his claws into his arm. After a brief struggle, Happy went crashing to the ground in an ungraceful tangle of limbs and pounced at the mutt. They went tearing off in a blur of brown and blue-gray fur, growls and hisses floating in the air behind them. Their owners went chasing after them, yelling for them to come back and shouting at each other for the misbehavior of their pet.

Juvia pressed her hand to her mouth and stared after them with wide eyes. Lyon shook his head and exchanged a look with Yuka, half irritated and half amused.

"Don't worry," Yuka said. "They'll be fine."

"Happy's not really much of a scrapper, even if he pretends sometimes," Lyon added. "The first time Toby swipes him, he'll go running."

The distraction proved enough to drag Juvia out of Lucy and Levy's clutches, and Lyon made their excuses and rushed off. They found Sherry near a table with one end cleared to hold her gifts. It would be a collection of small things, half practical and half pretty, half handmade and half purchased from around or out of town.

She was chatting with Chelia and Wendy, but noticed Lyon over their heads and shooed them away.

"Lyon! Glad you could make it, although you're a little late, don't you think?"

"Sorry. The party will be going all night, so I can make up for it."

Sherry's expression shuttered as she looked Juvia up and down. "You must be Juvia. Nice to see Lyon finally brought you around."

Lyon got the feeling that it was not nice at all, but Sherry would be too polite to say so. Juvia smiled widely and offered her hand, which Sherry shook and released.

"She's mute," Lyon added, and he could almost see Sherry weighing that against everything else before relaxing ever so slightly.

"That's a shame," she said, and she meant it, too. Sherry could be petty and jealous at times, but she was a genuinely kind person. "I'd be interested in seeing how you get around that. It seems challenging, but we'd like to make you comfortable during your stay."

"She plays a mean game of charades," Lyon said. Juvia gave a thumbs up, and the corner of Sherry's mouth quirked upward.

"I bet she does."

"Well, we came by to say hi and give you your gifts. Happy birthday, Sherry."

Lyon handed over his gift. Sherry unwrapped the jewelry and held it up to admire it.

"How pretty!" she said, sliding the bracelets onto her wrist and the necklaces over her head. "Wherever did you find them?"

"I made them."

"You?" Sherry asked, arching an eyebrow. "You made something?"

Lyon rubbed at the side of his nose sheepishly. "Well, Juvia helped."

"She did, did she?" Sherry's gaze grew appraising again as she gave Juvia another once-over. "Well, thanks."

Juvia beamed and held out her own package.

"She made you a gift too," Lyon said.

"Oh," Sherry said, surprised. "You didn't have to. You don't even know me, really."

Juvia shrugged and threw a pointed look at Lyon, who interpreted the gesture to mean that Sherry was his friend so she'd brought a gift too.

"Ah, it's a birthday party," he said. "You're supposed to bring the birthday girl gifts."

Sherry unwrapped the picture frame and cooed over the drawing appropriately, but she was interrupted by Wendy darting past.

"Heads up!" the girl said as she slipped past. "Porlyusica is coming!"

"Porlyusica?" Lyon asked. "She doesn't come to parties."

But sure enough, he turned and found himself nearly nose to nose with the crotchety old healer. He started back in surprise, looking for an escape route, but it was too late.

"I thought I told you that if someone had a broken ankle, you had better bring them to me," Porlyusica growled.

"Porlyusica!" Lyon said in a voice that was nearly a squeak. "What a surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you at the party."

She fixed him with a withering glare. He withered appropriately.

"I heard a rumor that you brought a stranger hobbling around on a broken ankle and decided I'd risk joining your party," she said dryly. "Considering how you've been avoiding me, it might be the only chance for me to do my job."

Lyon shot a panicked look at Sherry, who only shook her head and tiptoed away before being roped into Porlyusica's inquisition. Juvia, oblivious to the danger, gave the healer a sunny smile and a wave.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Lyon said. "I meant to bring her by." Catching Porlyusica's skeptical, unamused look, he added, "Really! But she's doing much better, see? Barely any limping anymore!"

"No thanks to you," Porlyusica grumbled, which he thought was unfair, considering he had followed her advice to the letter.

She sat Juvia down on a chair and pulled off the selkie's shoe to prod at her ankle. She quickly grew impatient with Juvia's inability to answer her questions vocally and had even less patience for charades, but they devised a ten-point pain scale using Juvia's fingers and Lyon translated as best he could when anything else was needed.

Finally, Porlyusica rewrapped Juvia's ankle and sat back.

"You're very lucky," she said, clambering back to her feet. "This is the cleanest break I've ever seen. Couldn't have been any cleaner if you'd known what you were doing and broke it yourself."

"That's good, then," Lyon said, even though his heart sank into his stomach. An uncharitable feeling. "If it's healing so well, you'll be able to go home soon."

Juvia beamed and clapped her hands together. Then, clasping them in front of her, she inclined her head to Porlyusica in a gesture of thanks.

Porlyusica lectured them a few minutes longer and gave further instructions for speeding the healing process before stalking off.

"You'd better watch yourself, boy," she said over her shoulder. "I am not pleased that you lied to me and forced me to track you down in this circus. Don't cross me again."

Lyon gulped and suppressed a shudder. When Juvia raised an eyebrow, he was quick to defend himself.

"She's scary!" he said. "Trust me, no one crosses Porlyusica lightly."

Juvia only smiled, and he got the feeling that she was laughing at him silently again. Either she was a braver soul than he or too naïve to understand the magnitude of Porlyusica's wrath. She might return to the sea in a few weeks, but Lyon would be living here the rest of his life. If he injured himself or fell ill, he would be subjected to Porlyusica's tender mercies firsthand. She definitely had her eye on him now.

No one had dared approach them while Porlyusica had them in her clutches, but now the townsfolk crowded around, spurred by their curiosity.

Everyone wanted to meet Juvia. It might have to do with her natural magnetic charm or beauty, but it was probably just that strangers weren't an everyday sight in a small, close-knit community like this one. They always attracted attention.

Still, everyone did seem unusually smitten with Juvia from the start. Wendy and Chelia played at her feet and wanted to braid her hair, although Lyon noticed Bisca holding Asuka back from joining in. He supposed Asuka was at that age when parents needed to teach children about not talking to out-of-town strangers, even if that didn't explain the way Bisca glared across the square at them. Lucy and Levy invited Juvia to an exclusive poetry reading on Sunday, after the church service. Erza asked about all of Juvia's favorite pastries and took great delight in deciphering the answers. Or attempting to, since she was terrible at it. Toby enticed his canine friend and her litter back to show off to Juvia, and Natsu stormed off in a huff and returned with Happy to prove that cats were better. Another scuffle ensued.

Lyon rubbed at his forehead as he watched the chaos unfold. He imagined he could feel a headache coming on.

He worried that someone who had actually met a selkie before might pick up on the deception, but Lucy and Natsu seemed oblivious, Cana was already too drunk to take much of an interest in the proceedings, and Jura didn't seem to be around. Maybe Lyon was worrying for nothing.

Anyway, Juvia seemed quite taken with the lot of them. Her smile was brighter than any of the lanterns lining the square, and her eyes sparkled like sun glimmering on the waves. Lyon hadn't realized how lonely she must have been until he saw her come alive in a gathering of people.

She kept turning to beam at him as well, and he couldn't help but smile back despite his misgivings.

"She's making quite the stir, isn't she?" Sherry asked, stepping up beside him to regard Juvia with an expression he couldn't quite read.

"Seems like it," he said. "Sorry we upstaged you."

"It's okay. I told you to bring her."

"Sometimes I forget how excited everyone gets about newcomers." Lyon scowled and pointed an accusing finger at her nose. "But I don't feel bad. You left me to deal with Porlyusica alone!"

Sherry laughed. "Maybe I'm just smarter than you. I didn't want this to be my last birthday. Besides, I helped you get away when she was chasing you the other day, didn't I? She's not too thrilled with me either."

Lyon supposed she had already done more to help him than any sane person would. And it was her birthday, so she could get away with more than usual.

"Still," he said. "It's not very nice to–"

"Cute girl you picked up," Gajeel said, ducking around a gaggle of Juvia's admirers to smirk at Lyon. "Funny, coulda sworn you were just asking a bunch of nosy questions about mute selkies."

Lyon should have known Gajeel would never let that pass. The absence of fiddle screeching scrambling his thoughts should have been his first warning sign that Gajeel was on the prowl.

"It's nothing," he said shortly. "I wasn't sure what to make of her when I found her wandering along the beach and jumped to conclusions. She's just a normal girl who happens not to talk."

"Uh-huh ," Gajeel said, dragging out his skeptical hum until it grated along Lyon's nerves nearly as severely as his fiddle. "So it ain't a curse, then?"

Lyon hesitated a moment too long. He'd be lying if he said the thought hadn't stuck with him, as improbable as it was. Maybe it only seemed possible because it was hardly more fanciful than a selkie sleeping in his spare bedroom. Or maybe he was still just dreaming of being a knight in shining armor, rescuing Juvia from a horrible curse to make up for taking her skin. Whatever the case, it was nothing he'd ever admit, and certainly not to Gajeel.

"No curse," he said with a tight smile.

"Maybe she just ain't got anything to say to you." Gajeel laughed at Lyon's glare. "Calm down, lover boy. No need to get so defensive of your girlfriend."

"She is not my girlfriend."

"Uh-huh," Gajeel said again. He threw a look at Sherry, standing stone-faced at Lyon's side. "Don't wanna say too much in front of your backup girl?"

Lyon's voice rose sharply in pitch and volume. "Excuse me? She is no such thing."

"Oh yeah, you ain't just keeping on her good side in case things don't work out with your mystery girl?"

As ludicrous as the claim was, it made Lyon see red. Sherry was one of his oldest and dearest friends—and the sweetest, beneath her teasing—and didn't deserve to be treated with such disdain, the butt of an ill-mannered joke aimed at Lyon. Collateral damage.

"How dare you?" he sputtered, clenching his hands into fists.

"I think you should go," Sherry said calmly, although her face had reddened. "This is a conversation to have when everyone is sober, and it seems like you're already more than a little tipsy."

"This isn't a conversation to have at all," Lyon said, outraged. He could smell the alcohol on Gajeel's breath now that Sherry had mentioned it, but that didn't excuse his behavior.

"S'okay to be jealous," Gajeel said to Sherry. "The girl's a pretty one, for sure. Happy birthday to you! A great gift after all your pining and sighing."

Lyon stepped forward and found himself joined by Yuka, who looked downright murderous. No one talked to Sherry like that on their watch. And though she had proven more than capable of defending herself in the past, she shouldn't have to.

"Back off," Yuka said. "As a matter of fact, you're welcome to leave the party. No one will miss that awful screeching of yours."

Gajeel sneered, and Lyon had a vision of them getting into a brawl right there in the square and wrecking the party for good. Gajeel would never back down, and neither would they. With everyone spoiling for a fight, it seemed inevitable.

At least until Levy drifted over and smiled at Gajeel sweetly. "You aren't being mean to Sherry on her birthday, are you?"

Gajeel's entire demeanor changed in a flash. He deflated a little and shuffled his feet, looking sheepish but still belligerent.

"Aw, Lev," he said. "It's only a bit of teasing. All in good fun."

"You know your teasing is always in poor taste," she said sternly. "You shouldn't be so mean-spirited."

"I'm not!" he protested. "It was a joke!"

"Mh-hmm. Come here."

She gestured for him to lean over and he did so, stooping low to match his hulking frame to her diminutive one. She gave him a smile that was half sugar, half spice, and all teeth, and reached out to grab his ear and twist it in her iron grip.

"Ow!" he gasped, face contorting. "Shrimp!"

"Sorry about this lout," Levy said to Lyon and the others. "I'm still trying to teach him manners."

She dragged Gajeel off kicking and screaming, or near enough. They stared after her. Lyon still couldn't fathom how someone like Levy could willingly attach herself to someone like Gajeel, but he had to admit that she had some steel of her own to keep him in line.

They had gathered a bit of an audience—Lyon sincerely hoped from Levy's show and not from the start of Gajeel's—and were faced with a handful of awkward spectators. Juvia looked between Lyon and Sherry with a wide-open, curious expression, and Lyon flushed and didn't meet her gaze.

"Well…" Erza said slowly, clearing her throat. "Is everyone ready for cake?"

They seized on the interruption gratefully and spent a few minutes gathering everyone around the table. The cake was, as usual, a massive pink blob of icing, although attractive enough in its own way, if you liked such things. Erza had, with much practice and many ruined strawberries, become quite skilled at decorating her creations. This one had a variety of colored flowers piped on the top and around the side. As if that wasn't enough sugar to last a lifetime, she had arranged a tray of tiny cakes—cupcakes, had she called them?—nearby.

Now she proudly stuck a handful of wax candles into the cake and struck a match to light them.

"Happy biiirthdaaay…" she started, the notes off-key but exuberant.

Everyone joined in, adding their voices to the chorus while Sherry shuffled her feet and looked awkward.

"Happy birthday, dear Sherry. Happy biiirthdaaay to you!"

Several people clapped or laughed. Someone wolf-whistled from the back of the crowd.

"Make a wish," Lyon said like he did every year, even though they were too old to believe in the power of wishes. They had laughed about it once, and it had become a running joke resurrected on birthdays.

Sherry cast a sidelong look his way, but her eyes weren't smiling even if her mouth was. She hadn't seemed quite as amused by the idea as of late.

She blew out the candles in one breath, and Erza swooped in to cut the cake. A murmur of surprise went through the crowd as she presented the first piece to Sherry and revealed that the cake buried beneath the mounds of icing was brown rather than the customary pink.

"It's not strawberry?" Lucy asked in awe.

"Unless she colored it to not look like strawberry even though it is strawberry," Natsu said. A convoluted idea to be sure, but logic had never been his strong suit.

"Erza always makes strawberry cake," Lyon told Juvia, who had moved to stand by his shoulder. He couldn't remember if he'd relayed this particular tidbit of information before, but figured she wouldn't mind hearing it again if he had. "Sometimes you have to pay extra to get her to make a different flavor."

Juvia smiled and pointed to the cake, widening her eyes in an inquisitive fashion.

"It's chocolate," Sherry said as she tasted the first bite. Her face wore an expression approaching awe.

"Well, you like chocolate, don't you?" Erza huffed as she worked at slicing up the rest of the cake and handing out pieces. "I thought I'd try it. Gave you a good surprise, didn't I?"

"Look out," Natsu said. "The world might be ending."

"Don't worry. The cupcakes are still strawberry."

"I guess it's just a minor apocalypse, then," Lucy said.

The cake was delicious. It seemed Erza wasn't just a one-trick pony after all. Lyon gobbled his piece down and piled heaps of food and snacks on his empty plate. Juvia nibbled at her cake more delicately, taking frequent breaks to attempt communication with Lyon or any of the others chatting with her across the table.

Lyon noticed Yuka talking to Sherry in quiet tones and figured it was about Gajeel's ill-conceived display. He really ought to make sure she was alright, but he was nervous about leaving Juvia to fend for herself and it seemed like Yuka had the issue well in hand.

Juvia seemed to be handling herself just fine too. Unfazed by the attention, she beamed brighter than the old lighthouse down the coast and gestured widely to anyone and everyone who showed an interest. At this rate, she'd be best friends with Lucy and Levy by the end of the night, and Erza seemed quite taken with her as well. Toby still lurked at her heels like a puppy, Wendy and Chelia were having a grand time, and Lyon noticed several men shooting her looks of interest.

Apparently, Lyon wasn't the only one who found her charm magnetic. This wasn't the lost, scared, mistrustful girl he'd first found on the beach, but Juvia at her boldest and brightest. She was rather magical, even considering that she was a selkie. Maybe Lyon had worried unfairly about introducing her to the town.

Still, he was glad to be something of a security blanket. He helped translate for Juvia when she had a hard time making a point, using the knowledge he had picked up after living with her for days. She looked to him often, tugging at his sleeve to get his attention or giving him conspiratorial looks when someone said something particularly outrageous.

He did turn to Sherry once and ask how she was doing, but Juvia tugged insistently at his sleeve before the conversation got anywhere. Lyon gave Sherry a sheepish smile and an apology, mouthing 'later' before turning his attention back to helping Juvia deal with his nosy friends.

Later, once everyone had eaten their cake and a bite for dinner, a few of their more talented musicians set up on the edge of the square with their motley collection of wooden flutes and handmade violins and began playing a lively jig. Lyon's foot tapped in time to the cheery beat under the table. He was neither a dancer nor a singer and had no special love for music in general, but he could appreciate an upbeat melody. Anything was better than Gajeel's sorry attempts at music, anyway.

Some people paired off and spun about the center of the square, while others sat back and watched as they chatted. Lucy grabbed Natsu's arm and dragged him off to dance despite his loud protests. Wendy and Chelia spun in circles, laughing. Even Levy and Gajeel made it onto the dance floor, although Gajeel wore an expression that looked like he was eating nails.

Juvia grabbed Lyon's arm and pointed at the whirling couples.

"I don't dance," he said with a hint of apology. She pouted, but he shook his head. "Sorry."

"I'll dance with you!" Toby said, jumping to his feet.

Juvia hesitated, and Lyon imagined he could read reluctance in her face.

He gave Toby a hard look. "She has a broken ankle, remember? She shouldn't be dancing with anyone. Porlyusica would have my head."

"Oh. Yeah." Toby wrinkled up his face and sat back down. "I forgot."

"And you should be more careful, okay?" Lyon added to Juvia. "I know you like to run around, but we want to make sure your ankle heals."

Juvia nodded, but she was pouting again. That girl was still wild, and she liked her freedom. Lyon hoped she wasn't doing herself more damage by insisting on hobbling around everywhere and ignoring her limits.

But she consented to resume her game of charades with Toby and the others who had two left feet or didn't care to join the dancing.

"Lyon?"

Lyon turned to see Sherry standing behind him. "What's up, birthday girl?"

"Will you dance with me?"

Lyon groaned internally, but caught himself before the sound escaped his lips. "You know I don't dance."

"It's okay, I'll forgive you for crushing my toes. Besides, it's my birthday. You have to dance if I ask."

Lyon sighed. This was a fight he wouldn't win, and he knew it.

"Promise you aren't going to tease me mercilessly for stepping on your feet?"

"I promise I won't tease you mercilessly for stepping on my feet." Sherry smiled, and it was all teeth. "I'll just tease you a little bit."

This time, Lyon did groan. "You're awful."

"You can't say that! It's my birthday! Besides, I wore my dancing dress."

She swished the flared, knee-length skirt of her dress suggestively and wagged her finger in a come hither gesture. Behind her, Yuka raised his eyebrows and gave Lyon a hard look.

Lyon relented. "Fine, fine." He stood and took Sherry's hand. Juvia watched with wide, unblinking eyes, and a hint of her previous pout clung to the corners of her lips. "I'll be back in a little while," he told her. "I have to make the birthday girl happy. I'm sure Toby and Yuka will entertain you."

He walked Sherry out to an open patch of ground, overexaggerating his gestures until he felt comically gallant and she was fighting back another smile.

They didn't say much during the first couple of dances, which were so fast that they left them breathless. Lyon stumbled through the steps, letting Sherry take the lead and guide him along. He stomped on her toes several times.

"Oh, just look at my face," she said when he stared at his feet to avoid hers and missed all her cues. "It's okay. I'm tough, and my feet will survive."

Lyon did as he was told, but winced along with Sherry the next time he clipped her toes.

"Sorry," he panted. "But you brought it on yourself."

She grinned. "I can't believe you're so breathless and uncoordinated for someone who does physical labor on boats all day."

He wanted to explain that dancing and fishing were entirely unrelated—he was sure they must use different muscles entirely—but saved his breath.

"Can't you give us a slow dance already?" Lucy wheezed from across the square. "I'm dying over here."

"Aw, but slow dances are lame," Natsu said. "Fast ones are more fun."

"Not when your sense of rhythm is so bad that you're totally out of time with the music! It's awful!"

"I am not. I am perfectly in sync!"

Lyon and Sherry rolled their eyes at each other.

"Those two…" Sherry said.

Lyon snorted. "It's always something."

But he was grateful when their makeshift band switched to slower songs and gave him a chance to catch his breath.

"Are you alright?" he asked as they swayed. "Gajeel was just being a jerk."

"It's fine," Sherry said, snaking her arms around his neck. "Gajeel is Gajeel. He's always like that. And he was drunk."

"Still, it was uncalled for."

"Yeah, well." She shrugged. "Anyway, will you come to mass with me tomorrow? And family lunch after? You can bring Juvia if you want. You haven't been around enough lately."

Lyon hesitated. "Well…"

Sherry widened her eyes in the way she did when she wanted something and was prepared to turn up the guilt. "Please?"

"Oh, alright." Lyon had never been able to resist the puppy-dog eyes. "If you insist."

Sherry smiled to herself and rested her head against the crook of his neck. Her hair brushed against his chin, and he couldn't make out her features as she stared somewhere off at the other couples swaying around the square.

"Thanks," she said.

"Yeah, yeah. It's your birthday. What did you wish for?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't come true."

He snorted. "Since when do you believe in wishes?"

"Well… I think it's better to work for what you want rather than wait for it to fall into your lap, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to have faith for the parts you can't control."

"Hm. I guess."

"Although, on that subject–"

Lyon startled as Juvia materialized at his side and waved to catch his attention. "What is it?"

Sherry pulled away and regarded Juvia with something approaching exasperation, but then her expression softened. "I think her ankle is bothering her."

Sure enough, Juvia was moving with a pronounced limp again, and her face was drawn.

"What were you even doing?" Lyon asked. "I thought you were just sitting with Toby and them. You didn't try dancing, did you?"

She looked a little shame-faced, but he couldn't tell if it was an admission of dancing or not. Lyon sighed. If she couldn't even stand sitting with the others anymore, it was probably time to call it a night.

"I'd better take her home," he said, taking Juvia's arm to steady her. He looked back at Sherry. "What were you saying?"

"Oh…" Sherry hesitated and then shook her head. "Never mind. Nothing important. You should take her back so she can get some rest."

He did so, marveling at how bad Juvia's limp had gotten when she'd been fine earlier.

That night, he dreamed of water lapping around his ankles and then thighs and then waist as he followed blue-haired selkies out to sea.