"So, you're looking for information regarding a key?" Carina asked, leaning back against the plush velvet seat, her legs crossed over one another. The sheer skirt that she moved with her, sliding up to reveal even more of her luscious thighs. Felix sat next to her, stretching out on the rest of the love seat, his legs bent invitingly; he set up a hookah and handed it to Carina.
"Do you remember when I came here?" Lucy asked, sitting down next to Gajeel on the other loveseat. Gajeel flared his nostrils as Carina blew smoke in his direction.
Felix smiled. "You walked into this pleasure palace like a lion and walked out of here like a dragon- no pun intended." He winked at Gajeel, who snorted and took the offered mouth piece from Carina.
"But, you were broken." Carina stated, green eyes unnaturally sharp as they focused on Lucy.
The blond woman nodded. "It's about Aquarius."
Carina raised an eyebrow. "The Water Bearer?" She leaned in, looking at her former lover with a serious expression. "Lucy ... he aha tenei?"
Lucy took off her backpack and stripped off her shirt revealing the stark black tattoo that curled around her collarbones. Felix and Carina looked at each other and then at her.
"That wasn't there the last time we saw you, babes." Felix said, moving over to her. He brushed against the mark lightly and smiled at her wryly. Gajeel's lips twisted slightly at the gesture.
Lucy nodded and put her shirt back on. "I know. It showed up a couple of months ago and hasn't gone away. There's nothing about it in any of the Celestial books I own, nor any mention in any of the books I've come across. So there's only two people I can ask: Aquarius herself, or… The Spirit King- and I'm not going through with that again."
"Then why come to us?" Carina asked, leaning back in her seat, a frown distorting her face. "We don't really dabble in magic anymore."
Gajeel handed the hookah to Felix. "We came because there was a rumor going around that Aquarius, or at least a mage with the same magic as her, was seen in this part of Bosco."
Felix nodded. "I did hear from one of my clients that they had experienced a wicked storm on their way here, but they were from Stellar. I don't know how far away it was, but they mentioned that it was pretty close to here- outside of city limits."
"Did they say whether or not this storm felt different from any other storm? More magical, at all?" Lucy asked, her voice edging on a desperate tone. Gajeel shifted closer, his hand grazing her clenched ones; the action did not go unobserved by the two masters across from them.
Felix nodded. "They said it was a strange storm; very violent and untamed for this region and it quite literally appeared out of nowhere. Nothing was normal about it." Lucy was practically vibrating as she listened to the redhead. This was the closest she had gotten to her oldest friend.
Lucy was beaming as Gajeel and her walked towards the rest of their group; they were by an elaborately carved fountain, sitting on the edge with food in their hands. Evergreen waved at them when they came into view.
"Lucy, I bought you some clothes for you to wear. I know that you ;pve those shorts, but they're rather…." She drifted off as she gestured to the destroyed khaki shots that Lucy was wearing. Lucy just chuckled and accepted the bag from the older woman.
"Thank you, Evergreen." Lucy replied.
"You seem to be in higher spirits, Sugar-Snatch." Cobra commented, picking at the dirt underneath his fingernails. His eye met hers and he could tell that some weight had been lifted from her shoulder.
"I'm going to ignore you for the moment in favor of what I just learned." Lucy said, pulling out the soft cotton pants that Evergreen had bought for her.
"Well, are you gonna tell us, Blondie, or are we going to wait for you to stop ogling clothes?" Laxus removing his soundpods from his ears.
Lucy snorted and looked at them. "The storm was seen outside of this city, heading East towards Stella."
"Stella?" Bickslow asked, perking up a bit. Cobra cocked an eyebrow at him, intrigue in his eye as he stared at the Seeth Mage.
"You've been there, Soul Eater?" Cobra asked, leaning back on his hands.
Bickslow shrugged. "Yeah, it's gorgeous and the library in the capital is amazing."
Lucy hummed. "If you want to know something about anything, Stella is the place to be. I spent a lot a years there for schooling as well as when I was gone. It might be where Aquarius is heading, especially since there are a lot of Spatial Mages there."
"Well, what we waiting for then?" Gajeel asked, looking at Lucy. His red eyes seemed to burn into her, all dark and attentive with a familiar emotion. She felt herself flush lightly under his gaze.
"So you talked with some of her former partners?" Evergreen asked, as they set up camp for the night. They were outside the city limits, on top of a hill in a forested area; Lucy, Laxus, and Bickslow having gone out to get firewood and hunt down some dinner.
Gajeel rolled out his sleeping bag and nodded. "Yeah, Felix and Carina, former mages turned paramours."
"And?" Cobra asked, sitting down on his designated bag. "You knew that she had partners. What's got your manties in a twist?" Gajeel chucked a stone at him, which hit him in the forehead, and sat back.
"I don't know. I mean, I know that she had a past before me and that I'm not even her mate yet, but… It's difficult to wrangle in my dragon when it comes to her. All I wanted to do when I was there was tell them to fuck off and wrap her up and fucking get out of there with her."
"You didn't toss her over your shoulder did you?" Ever asked, looking slightly concerned at the Iron DragonSlayer. An incredulous look passed over Gajeel's face.
"Hell no, I'm not looking to get throat punched by her." He said, huffing at the idea. "I'm just conflicted, because I want her as my mate so badly, but I don't want to freak her the fuck out with how possessive I will get if she accepts me."
Cobra, who was still rubbing his head, grimaced. "All you can do right now, though, is wait for her."
Gajeel huffed again and lowered his eyes to his hands. "I know, but waiting is the worst part."
He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and looked up into warm brown eyes. "It always is."
Laxus was silent as he fell into step with Lucy. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and watched as she picked up sticks and packed them into her bag- courtesy of Virgo. He could see why Gajeel would want her as a mate. She was strong in every sense of the word, and sweet, but she also matched with the black haired man's speed- his way of thinking and doing things. Hell, if he felt anything for her, other than a kin bond, then he'd be vying for her attention as well as getting into fights with the other slayer.
"Do I have something on my face?" She asked, lifting her head to look at the other blonde.
Laxus shook his head from his thoughts. "How much do you know about Dragonslayers, Lucy?"
