We are approaching a turning point for Ryker. And soon there will be an inflection point for him, where everything will be clear.
Enjoy.
"AHHWWWW!" Lucy whimpered with her head resting on the counter of the guild bar.
"What's it, Lucy?" Mira asked gently.
"I need a job urgently, I don't have money for rent, nor for new clothes, nor for books, nor for anything!" said the blonde in total dismay.
"Have you looked at the job board? There must be something you can do." Mira said trying to help the poor girl.
"Yes, Mira-san. But there are only very difficult jobs that need more than one wizard to do or require wizards with specific skills," she pouted in frustration.
"Well, you can always go with your team. Where's Natsu and the others?" , said the woman.
"Erza dragged Natsu to some kind of mission and Gray went with Juvia, again, to do some random work. And everyone else in the guild already has something in mind, so I'm alone," the blonde cried.
"Well I'm sorry, maybe tomorrow you'll have better luck", the beautiful Mira said smiling, trying to comfort the celestial mage.
"I think so," Lucy said in defeat. "And where is Ryker? He's always around," she asked looking around.
"I don't know," Mira replied. "He came this morning as usual, stayed for a while and disappeared," she said thoughtfully.
Lucy turned to her friend, who had a thoughtful look on her face. "Mira!? What's between you two? What I mean to say. You two are always together," the celestial mage asked curiously. In all honesty, she wanted to know more about their relationship, and wanted to help in any way if that was the case. After all, she wanted to see her friend happy.
Mira upon hearing the question blushed, it was unusual for her, even rarer was Lucy seeing this behavior. The Take Over mage even showed signs of nervousness, and the blonde found it even stranger, but cute at the same time.
"N... nothing! We're just friends," Mira replied nervously, and Lucy gave her a knowing look.
"But do you like him?" asked the blonde mischievously.
"W… well, maybe!" Mira said contemplatively. "As a friend", he added quickly smiling, without blush and light, leaving the blonde, slightly, disappointed.
"I hope you guys meet at some point," Lucy said smiling and hopefully, Mira returned the comment with a smile and a slight one.
"Hello my daughters", greeted Master Makarov, arriving at the bar.
"Master, how are you ?" , the magicians said to the old man.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," he said wiggling his chin. "Mira, I'm leaving for a few days. The council called me urgently, so during this period, keep an eye on things here, yes".
"Of course master. As you wish". She responded with her usual smile.
"Did something happen to the council to call you ?" asked a worried Lucy. Immediately she thought it was due to the destructions caused by Natsu and other problems caused by guild members in their quests.
"They didn't say anything, young lady. But if I were to bet I would say it would be more a problem of inconvenience caused by these damn idiots who can't control themselves !" , he said, his voice increasing in volume as he uttered the sentence.
Mirajane laughed, and Lucy looked at her in astonishment. How could she laugh if the master is so scary when he gets angry? Well, it was Mira after all...
"Well, I'm coming, like I said. I should be back in a few days. Keep an eye on everything," he said leaving the guild. Mira waved as the Makarov left.
"I hope it's nothing serious this time," Lucy whimpered.
"Don't worry, Fairy Tail is always cautioned, as you know, and we have greater prestige and strong appreciation for the princess, after all. Nothing the council says is going to hurt us," Mira said nonchalantly.
"But that's no excuse for causing trouble out there," said a tearful and concerned celestial mage, as the albino mage laughed.
It was nighttime and Lucy was on her way back to her home, walking along the edge of the canal as she always did and the boatmen telling her to be careful not to fall into the water. She greeted the boys and nodded that she was taking due care. She also complained that she had not found any job and that she urgently needs money. Finally, she arrived at her apartment and started up the stairs to her room, thinking about what to do. Maybe she had to work as a waitress at some restaurant again, so she could pay her monthly rent.
"I hope tomorrow there's some work I can do," she said sighing and wistfully, standing in the doorway of her bedroom. "I don't want to work as a waitress again." She took the keys and unlocked it, opening the door, stepping in and closing it behind her.
It was dark, she looked for the switch on the wall and turned on the lights, when she turned around, she was startled.
"AAAAHHHHH!" , she screamed. "What are you doing at my house!? And sitting here, in the dark, in my armchair!?" was obviously another guild invader in his residence. She should be used to it, but it was something that still bothered her.
"Hey, calm down, Lucy," the guy said. "I just came to talk," he said seriously.
"You could have done this in the guild, Ryker!", she continued screaming in rage.
"I wasn't in the guild, I don't know if you noticed", the mage said sarcastically. He was sitting cross-legged, comfortably in one of Lucy's armchairs.
"What do you want? And why did you break into my house?", Lucy said quite annoyed, she looked at him with unfriendly eyes.
"I already said, talk. Besides, everyone invades your house, I wanted to see what was so special here. I was disappointed," Ryker spoke sarcastically, further irritating the blonde.
"This is my home and not a place for anyone to explore, your idiot," grumbled the celestial mage. "And how did you get in? Through the window, like everyone else"
"I'm not just anyone to walk in through a window," he said seriously. "I walked in the door like a normal person would," he said in the most natural way there could be in the world.
"A normal person doesn't enter another person's house without permission," Lucy said pouting, frustrated by the whole thing, however something came to her mind. "Wait, the door was locked when I arrived. So how did you get in?" .
Ryker looked at her and smiled slightly at the nervous girl in front of him. "You'd be surprised what you can do with a paper clip," he said, and Lucy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped comically.
"But let's get down to business", he said making the blonde return to her normal self. "I have a job to do, it will take about four days and it pays well. I want to know if you're interested in going," he asked.
Upon hearing 'work' and 'it pays well', the blonde's eyes already sparkled, but of course she had to value herself, play hard to get. She couldn't show how desperate she was, she would ask what the job was, where, what they were going to do, she would think about it and then decide, coming on top of course.
"YEEEESSSSSS!" she screamed desperately, accepting before he changed his mind, stars in her eyes.
"Eh, don't you want to know what the job is?", he questioned her.
"Oh, yes of course...", said the mage, embarrassed. Ryker chuckled softly, even without a smile.
"It will be at an auction that will take place in the city of Hargeon. We'll have to be event security, protect the pieces that will be auctioned," he said calmly and handed the mission paper to Lucy.
She picked it up and analyzed its entire contents. "It seems to be very simple and the reward is really good. This will solve my financial problems for a while," she smiled and Ryker rolled his eyes.
"Great, we leave tomorrow afternoon," he said, getting up from his chair. When doing this, however, he felt dizzy and lost his balance, having to hold on to the arm of the chair to keep from falling.
"Ryker, are you alright!?", Lucy said worried when she saw her partner.
"I am, I am," he said, calming the situation. "I got up too fast that's all," he lied. His overdosing on drugs and lack of sleep, he hadn't slept in at least a year, were taking their toll, but he wouldn't admit it.
"Anyway, you'd better buy clothes suitable for this job," he said in an unsubtle and elegant way.
"I have proper clothes !" , she screamed.
"I mean understated clothing, like a suit, with pants. And no skirts, they limit your movements, and no heels," he said wearily. Lucy eyed her grudgingly but agreed to the dress code.
"Wonderful! I'll meet you at the station at 13," he said, heading for the door. "Don't be late," he said as he walked out the door and closed it.
"Who does he think he is?", the blonde told herself annoyed with the magician who just left. "Of course I'll be on time and of course I have suitable clothes", but she remembered that she didn't have anything for that particular occasion. Even though she hated to admit it, that kind of event would really require appropriate clothing, in a style she didn't have. She despaired.
"I have no clothes for it and no money. OH NO!" she screamed in frustration. "Tomorrow I have to go out to buy new clothes. I hope I'm not late", she said, completely defeated.
Ryker had been at the train station for at least half an hour. She had arrived early and bought the tickets and stood there waiting for the girl. When the time came the blonde was not late and was at the station on time, despite being breathing heavily.
"Why are you like this?" asked the confused wizard.
"You couldn't have told me about the mission before! I had to rush to buy everything I needed this morning and still be on time," she screamed and whimpered. "I haven't even had lunch yet!" .
"My bad!", was smitten with Lucy's glare. "Come on, you'll get something to eat on the train," he said, walking to the platform and getting on the train.
The trip had barely started and Lucy had some lunch, not good, but better than nothing. Neither of them had said a word, so far, since they sat across from each other. Ryker was looking out the window, but Lucy realized he wasn't focusing on anything, he was looking at infinity, at nothing. It was strange, she thought, but she noticed that one of her hands was shaking uncontrollably. She had seen it before, and as before, it scared her.
"Ryker…" she called him, but nothing. " Ryker!" , repeated louder, and nothing. " RYKER!", she screamed and grabbed his shaking hand, making him snap out of his trance. He looked like he'd taken a break, his eyes wide and staring at her, his breathing heavy.
"Is everything okay?" Lucy asks looking at him worriedly, she still held his hand, which had stopped shaking.
"It is, of course it is!", he replied dryly.
"Are you sure, because…"
"I already said yes!" he yelled angrily and dryly. "Let's just wait for the train to reach its destination, it shouldn't be long," he said after a sigh. Lucy nodded sadly.
Ryker looked at her and saw her sad face, he hadn't wanted to yell at her, but he was starting to break down and he knew it. He would need to be more careful and pay more attention from now on, if he wanted things to go well. Returning home, he would take care of that situation. He would fix himself again, one way or another.
The rest of the trip was made in total silence, not comfortable for either party. There was tension and an unpleasant atmosphere between them, Ryker knew he couldn't stay that way, he'd fix things as soon as they were done talking to the contractor. Then he could totally dedicate himself to it.
"Lucy," called the wizard. "You know this town better than I do, so go ahead," he told the blonde as they reached Hargeon and exited the station. She agreed and guided them to the meeting place at the address given on the mission paper.
They walked through the city in silence, that uncomfortable silence on the train. For a few minutes they walked to the noble area of the city and went to a big house.
The magicians were in awe of the place. Large and well-kept garden, the house appeared to be enormous, and the front door was large, a double door of fine wood and richly detailed. They entered the property and rang the bell. After a while the door opened and a tall dark man answered them.
"How can I help you," he said flatly.
"We're Fairy Tail mages, we came for work," Lucy said seriously.
"I understand. Show me your marks," the man ordered. Lucy showed her pink mark on her hand and Ryker showed his on her left forearm.
"Perfectly, come in," he said, stepping aside for the wizards to enter. As soon as they did, the man closed the doors.
If, the big house was beautiful on the outside, on the inside it was splendid. A real castle, spacious, lit by natural light, flower pots decorate the beautifully positioned corners. There was a huge staircase that led to the upper floors, sculptures were dotted around the residence, paintings and pieces of art. It was difficult to say which was worth more, the house or the objects that decorated it.
"I'll take you to the office, where you can speak to the head of security. He will give all the necessary recommendations. Follow me," the man said in his thick, stilted voice.
Ryker and Lucy noticed that the house was full of servants and security. Apparently they were just finishing up arranging everything for the auctions that would take place in the next few days.
They walked through a good part of the mansion to reach the office. The man opened the door announcing them.
"Excuse me Mr. Barret," the man said, bowing as he entered the office. "The Fairy Tail mages that were requested have arrived," he said and waved them in, leaving and closing the door as they both entered.
It was a large room, with bookshelves in every corner filled with copies, a large window at the back, and a large table in front. There were armchairs and sofas, too.
"Please have a seat," Barret said, pointing to two chairs in front of his desk. "My name is Barret, I am the head of security for this auction, you will report to me", said the man with copper hair and eyes of the same color, he had an above average height and large physique, the features on his face denounced an age in his 40s.
"It's a pleasure Mr. Barret, I'm Lucy Heartfilia and this is Ryker, we're Fairy Tail mages," the blonde introducing them both.
"Nice to meet you. Okay, let's get down to business," he said. "We identified an alleged attempt to steal the auction materials. It seems thieves can use some kind of magic, we don't know for sure. That's why we thought it best to call some wizards. We usually don't use them in our auctions, but in this situation we think it's better to change and be safe."
"Do you have any idea who these thugs might be?" asked Ryker.
"No, but our sources are reliable. If they weren't, we wouldn't have sent the requisition to you," Barrett was seriously.
"So we don't know what we're dealing with, or if we're going to be attacked," Lucy said thoughtfully. "We will have to take care twice, and be prepared for everything." She made a face of disappointment and crying, with what she thought was a quiet mission, just got complicated.
"Did you check the people who work here?" Ryker asked.
"It was the first thing we did. They're clean," Barrett replied. "Look, what I want you to do is support the security staff and hang around, especially in the safe and in the hall, where the auction will be held."
"You said you have a safe? Are you keeping everything here?" Lucy asked.
"No, we keep it in a bank. And speaking of which, at least one of you has to accompany the escort bringing the objects."
"No problem, but when are the auctions going to take place?" asked Ryker.
"Starting tomorrow. They will mainly take place in the afternoon. The first day will be just sculptures, vases, some works of art of this type, the second day will be paintings and pictures and the third day, and this is our biggest concern, it will be jewelry", added Barret in a serious tone.
"I understand. Can we see the location?" Ryker asked and Barret nodded.
He took them on a tour of the mansion, visiting and analyzing the auction room and vault, the interior of the house and its surroundings. It took some time, but they saw everything they needed.
"Don't worry sir, we're not going to let anything happen", Lucy said with confidence and a smile on her face, cheering the person responsible for the event's security.
"Thank you my dear. Well, I booked a room in the best hotel in town, I didn't know a man and a woman were coming," he told the magicians at the door of the mansion before they went.
"No problem, we turn around," Ryker said, Barret nodded, and the wizards headed for the hotel.
They were walking side by side and the silence between them was deafening. Lucy had a frown, signaling a bad mood, and Ryker was not comfortable with the situation, after all he was the one who caused the discomfort . But, she could be more understanding too, he thought. Anyway he decided to try to calm things down.
"Hey Lucy!", he called her, she didn't listen and kept walking, always looking ahead. "Look, I'm sorry ok!", he said without much confidence, the girl beside him just mumbled something and didn't care about his apology. If he wanted to solve it, he should try harder, and that realization pissed him off a little.
The mage sighed, and took a breath for what he was supposed to say. "I, I'm sorry", sounding more convincing this time. "I didn't mean to scream or be an idiot with you, but it's just…well I don't know", this time the blonde looked at him. He was clearly uncomfortable, but the apologies were sincere.
"I just wanted to help, you didn't have to be so rude!", she said frowning.
"Sorry"
"Look, Ryker," she said with a sigh. "I saw your hand shaking and your gaze lost, and I've seen it one other time, on our first mission together. On our second mission you sometimes seemed distant, I saw your tremors too and I saw things that scared me," she had a look melancholy at this point and his voice showed concern. "Then don't come up with that it's okay. I know you're not, that you must have a problem. On the train I was just worried about a guildmate", his face changed to something serious.
The mage sighed, he was dejected. Everything that girl said was true and more. "I've been hearing this a lot lately. Look, I'm grateful for your concern, but it's not something you can help or understand, believe me. Only I can handle it. But, I don't think getting angry will do it. I'm sorry. I'll be more understanding", he said, there was a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, she accepted his apology, with the promise that he wouldn't be bothered when someone tried to help him. She smiled back at him signaling peace and a return to friendship.
"Anyway, I don't want to get scolded like I did from Mira," the wizard said lightly and sarcastically.
Lucy laughed at the comment, but she also formed a smirk. "And speaking of Mira. What do you have with her?"
Ryker gave her a bored look. "Oh, no! Don't give me that, I know exactly where you're getting at. We are just friends and nothing else. You are a guild of wizards or gossips," he said tired of all that. Which got a laugh out of Lucy.
They walked to the hotel, even though most of the way was in silence, it wasn't a bother. They were fine and had everything to do a good job together. They just didn't know how to do it with just a room for the two of them.