After using copious amounts of soap, Lucy was finally assured the fish smell had come off. Cursing Natsu under her breath for making her late for an appointment, she hurriedly rinsed herself off. She was thankful Virgo had brought the lavender-scented soap. Without it, her anxiety would be through the roof. She had never been late to an appointment before. Just the thought of it made her stomach clench.
Finally, she was ready to return to the guild. One glance at the clock told her she had approximately 5 minutes before Pappa would be waiting for her.
"Can I offer you a piggyback ride, princess?" The voice of Loki sounded behind her. Fast as a whip, she turned around.
"Loke," she bit out harsher than intended, "I don't have time for your nonsense now."
"You wound me, princess. All I wanted was for you to be on time for your date. I believe a certain little totem expects you quite soon?" Lucy couldn't help a little chuckle. She had known the dramatics of Bickslow that morning had made her think of someone. Now she knew for sure. Loke could be just as dramatic as their resident seith mage.
"All right then," she said with reluctant approval. She always tried to keep a certain length between her and her favourite spirit. After the whole shebang with Stache-face, Loke had turned up the ante with his flirting. While at the guild, she had seen how he would flirt with their fellow female mages. However, with her, he was different. She suspected its origin had to do with the previously-mentioned event. It had nothing to do with her, of that she was sure. She couldn't help but think of the black and blue-haired mage again. If... IF he was honest in his flirting, she wouldn't mind one bit. The problem was that he wouldn't be serious about it. Ever. So she held that knowledge tucked away in her heart. Far away, only for her to admit to herself in her weakest moments.
"Hop on," Loki said with a brimming smile. "Your ride awaits."
At the guildhall, Erza was fed up with the fighting. After the red-head glared at the two fighting mages, she grabbed their heads and smashed them together. "Seize your fighting at once," she stated authoritatively.
"Erza?" Natsu asked, rubbing his head. "Where has Luce gone to?"
Out of nowhere, Happy appeared looking very disgruntled. "Lushy wasn't happy," he said with tears brimming in his eyes. "All that yummy fish she got from us. She didn't need it." Happy looked away to the ground. "She is fat already," he grumbled under his breath. To his demise, Lisanna heard it.
"Shut up, Happy!" Lisanna shouted angrily, "I can't believe you are still saying that. How often have I explained to you that Lucy is the furthest from fat? What if she believes you?!"
Happy stepped back in shock. Tears were now flying freely over his furry blue cheeks. "Lisanna is mean to me," he wailed, flying rapidly out the guildhall. Natsu tried to go after him. However, the youngest Strauss-sibling grabbed him by the ear. "We aren't done here yet, Natsu. Give Happy some time alone. Maybe he will think about what I said." He looked longingly to the exit but relented. He knew that Lisanna cared for them both. She would never say anything out of maliciousness.
"I see you have everything well in hand," Erza stated. "Now I have somewhere else to be. So I'll leave his punishment to you, Lisanna." Without further ado, Erza walked resolutely out of the guildhall."
"You're in luck flame-breath," Gray scornfully laughed. The white-haired takeover mage quickly put her hand to Natsu's mouth, keeping him from talking back.
"Not helping, Gray," she hissed out. Knowing that this wasn't the time to pick a fight, Gray gave his goodbyes and went to sit with Elfman.
"What's the matter with everyone," Natsu asked in a small voice. His big eyes stared imploringly up to his oldest friend. "I really thought I did something nice." He sounded so defeated that Lisanna couldn't help but give him a hug.
"I know you only meant the best, Natsu," she soothingly said. Trying to figure out the best way to explain it, she began stroking his hair.
"You know how I always spent time before the mirror when Happy was newly born?" She waited for his nod. "Well, lots of girls love it to feel pretty. With our outfits, our hair and our smell. Lucy and I spend lots of time in the cosmetic shop here in Fiori. The thing she loves the most is all the bath related products. I believe she has quite a treasure trove in the meantime. Do you understand what I mean, Natsu?" She stopped stroking his hair to look him in the eyes. A glimmer of understanding flickered within them.
"Yes, you're saying I should be mad at Luce for being angry with me. Not only did I give her food, but she also has a reason to go into the bath with all her... treasures." A thunk loudly echoed through the guildhall.
"No, she is saying girls don't like to smell like fish," Gray shouted out, "you flame-brained idiot." This time Lisanna wasn't in time to withhold Natsu. He flew up and banged his head against the ice-mage.
"What did ya say, icepick," he growled out. Gray pushed back just as hard, glaring.
"I said you're a flame-brained idiot!"
"O yeah? Well, you're a hairless polar bear!"
"Dragon freak."
"Ice princess!"
"Crazy flame spewer!"
"Pervy popsicle!"
Lisanna couldn't help but giggle fondly. Natsu would never change. She did, however, make a mental note to tell Lucy what happened. She knew those two were best of friends. She would hate it if it all came crashing down just because Natsu had misinterpreted her words.
For the first time in ages, the Thunder Legion sat at the bar down the guildhall. Thanks to this, Bickslow had followed all of Lucy's misadventures. He could not believe Natsu had dumped fish on her. Fish! When it happened, he almost couldn't contain his laughter. 'No Bix,' he thought sternly to himself, 'you're watching her to make sure she won't hurt Pappa.' No matter how sexy her perfect hourglass figure was, she was the enemy until proven otherwise. She may seem like a nice person, but he had seen all too often how people really were. He hadn't used his figure eyes on her since Fantasia. Then it had been pure, delightful and o so distracting. It had been one of the reasons he had lost to her. However, since then, she could have changed. The torture she went through could change anyone. He may not have been there when it happened, but he had heard what had happened. Hardly anyone came out of things like that unscathed. Add thereupon the other times she was kidnapped, it could really fuck somebody up. For all Bickslow knew, she had changed in the worst way and would vent her frustrations on his poor little Pappa.
"Bixy-boo," he heard a voice sing-song. "Still with us, honey?" It was Evergreen. He sighed and turned to his fellow teammate.
"What is it Ever?" he tiredly said. Evergreen was taken aback. The fairy-mage had never seen Bickslow so out of sorts. Had it to do with the 'date' his totem and the blond bimbo would be having later that day? She mentally shrugged it off and began speaking.
"I was asking you what you thought about the thing Lisanna said to Natsu and Happy. Think she is in trouble?" Evergreen couldn't help but worry. When she'd been a young teen she had been just shy of anorexic. She had been a rather fat child (all baby fat as it seemed later) and had been starving herself when she came upon the guildhall. Luckily Makarov had seen the signs and got her help before it was a problem.
"If I may," Freed cut in, "we hardly know enough of the situation to make an accurate opinion about this. Miss Lucy is a strong woman. If the two in question would be overstepping their boundaries I am sure she will put them in their place."
"Cosplayer?" Bickslow guffawed. "She isn't strong at all. How many times has she been kidnapped? I am sure that when she is on missions with her team, she is only used as bait." He didn't know why he was so derisive of her. The only thing he knew was that he didn't trust anyone with his most beloved totem. Even his teammates knew to keep their distance from Pappa. He had been protective of his totem for as long as he could remember. Why it even started he didn't know. He had been like that before... before the incident that made him leave his homeland. Pappa was his and now that gorgeous piece of flesh was stealing his totem from him.
"I would prefer if you would not talk about our fellow guildmates in such an uncouth manner, " Freed spoke stiffly. Something in his brain was nagging him. He knew the name Lucy Heartfilia from before his time with Fairy Tail. Back when he was still with his family in the upper crusts of Fiori. Yet, it didn't explain the nagging feeling he had forgotten something important about her. Something that made him sick to his stomach. He tried to shrug it off. As expected, it didn't work.
Evergreen hit the two mages with her fan. "I don't care about any of that. Just.. just keep an eye on her. You two know what to look for if she..." Evergreen broke off. One of the reasons the Thunder Legion had formed was because Makarov had made sure Evergreen always had company when eating. Her acidic tone, however, made it so that Erza and Mira-Jane only made her eating disorder worse by fighting with her. And Levy had cried when she was near her in those times. So it came to be that Bickslow and Laxus and later Freed had accompanied her. They didn't seem to mind her, sometimes rather hurtful, words.
"Yeah, yeah," Bickslow grumbled. He had been planning to keep an eye on their celestial mage anyway.
"I shall endeavour to keep an eye on the health of miss Lucy, " Freed solemnly swore.
"Well," Bickslow said, perking up. "I'll be off now. Pappa will take a while, so I'll be back in an hour or so." Before Evergreen or Freed even knew what was happening, he was gone.
Lucy had gotten to the guildhall in the nick of time. She had jumped off of Loki's back, waved him farewell and had hurried into the room. There she saw Bickslow sitting with his teammates. They had been suspiciously silent when she approached. After a cordial hello, she and Pappa had gone outside. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies. They had settled beneath the big hornbeam in the backyard.
"No, I won't show you," Lucy chastised, "you know I have promised Levy to read it first. And as a celestial mage, I must always uphold my promises."
"I know, I know," Pappa sighed dramatically. "It will just take so long now.
Levi is still not back from her mission." It was clear the little totem was pouting. Lucy could imagine all to clear how his eyes would go big and round, a trembling lower lip... She felt a tug at her heartstrings.
"Oh Pappa, I am so sorry," she cried out, hugging the totem close. What if I take my manuscript tomorrow to the guild? Then you can read the earlier chapters?" Her big brown eyes looked hopeful down, straight at her companion.
"That... that will be fine," Pappa continued the dramatics. They continued their conversation not knowing that there was a certain black and blue-haired wizard in the bushes nearby.
When Lucy and Pappa had gone outside, Bickslow knew that if he followed them directly after, he'd be caught. Then his conversation with his teammates had stilled. It had been the perfect opportunity to get away from them. They would notice nothing. He patted himself on the chest, congratulating himself on a job well done.
"Now be quiet you four, " he warned his other totems. "We will be spying on your brother."
"Why Daddy?" the high voice of Peppe asked curiously. Bickslows eyes softened when he looked at his youngest totem. She had been no older than 5 when she had died, searching for a family. For months she'd lived on the streets. The little girl couldn't remember how long she had been searching. She had never stopped. She hadn't even known she died before she bumped into Bickslow, literally.
"Because we have to make sure that your brother is safe," he answered.
"Why is he not?" Peppe resumed her questioning.
"We don't know if he is," Pippi answered.
"But but but Cosplay looks nice."
"Looks can be deceiving, child." Now it was Poppo who replied. They went outside, keeping close to the wall and peeked around the corner.
'Let's just hope Cosplayer hasn't gone too far with Pappa," Bickslow thought. He knew that if they had left the premises of the guild, he would have a hard time finding them.
"Look look look," Peppa cried out enthusiastically. "There they are. Under the tree."
Bickslow put his finger or his lips. He gestured down to indicate that they would be hiding behind the bushes. He crawled on, making sure they didn't make a sound.
They had arrived at hearing distance. 'Bleah," Bickslow thought, 'chick novels. Can't they talk about something a bit more engaging?' He let his mind wander to other things.
"Ow, what was that for?" Bickslow whisper-shouted. Startled, he looked to see if his totem and the blonde had heard him. 'Shit shit shit shit,' he thought as he saw them looking over. Keeping totally still, he waited. After a harrowing few seconds, the pair seemed to decide it had been an animal of sorts, furthering their conversation. Bickslow strained his ears, determined to miss nothing else. Stroking Poppo in thanks, he watched on.
'Oii," Bickslow thought affronted, 'how dare he? It isn't any of her business that I don't like Brussel sprouts and witloof chicory.'
Back at Fairy Hills Juvia looked at her best creation yet. She carefully put on the shirt she had taken from the guildhall. Finally, it was finished. With how often Gray shed his clothes, you'd think she would have gotten a shirt earlier. However, to her great chagrin, every time she almost had it someone would notice Gray had stripped again and she couldn't take it with her. 'Juvia will make Gray hers,' the water-mage thought fiercely to herself. The doll she had made was very lifelike, though it wouldn't compare to the real Gray. 'But how will Juvia do that?' She hugged her doll to her body. 'Juvia could make female friends. Friends won't take another love interest. And then Juvia can also go on missions with them. Love rival is too close to my Gray. Juvia needs a girl who is well-liked but doesn't have too many close relationships. If Juvia goes...' Her thoughts trailed off. She didn't have a concrete plan yet, however she knew it would come to her in due time. Gray. Would. Be. Hers!