The sun has started setting when Erza is plodding along the cobbled pavement leading to Fairy Hills.
She has just returned from an S-class mission which took her a week's time to complete. As fatigue washes over her body, she made the decision to go back to the dormitory immediately after reporting to the guild instead of staying for partying with her guild mates. Nonetheless, she didn't overlook the fight between Natsu and Gray and gave both a hard punch before leaving the guild.
When Erza reaches the building of the girl's dormitory, she checks her mailbox hanged on the wall next to the right side of the front door but finds nothing in it. She sighs quietly with a slight disappointment, and takes out her key to unlock the front door.
Having settled her baggage in her room, Erza goes to take a bath at the common bathroom. When she returns to her room again after the bathing, she sees a blue haired girl knocking on her room's door.
"Wendy, you're looking for me?"
"Oh, Erza-san, yes, this." Wendy gives Erza a postcard. "It's addressed to you but was wrongly dropped in my mailbox, so I return it to you."
"Thanks Wendy." Erza can't stop a smile from forming on her lips when taking the postcard from Wendy.
After entering her room, Erza settles herself comfortably in the couch and starts examining the postcard. On its front, it's the image of a town where houses are all rooted in different colors of tiles. At its' back, her name and address are written on the right side but nothing is written on the left side.
"Jellal…" She whispers. After several seconds, words starts appearing on the previously blank space on the postcard.
Dear Erza, I hope everything is fine with you. We pass by this small old town called Ibisco today. Their colorful houses are lovely, aren't they? It's pity that we don't have time to explore more about this town. Our target is running fast that we have to leave immediately after buying some necessities for our journey. I'll write you again when we reach another town. Take care, J
Erza re-read the message on the postcard several times before finally getting up from her seat. She goes to her bed, and pins the postcard on the pinboard hanged on the wall at her bed end. She notices that she has now received a total of seven postcards from the same man.
She recalls that the first one reached her around a month after the end of the dragon war. Although it was the first time she received an anonymous postcard with nothing more than her name and address written on it, she just knew that it was sent to her by her blue haired friend and his name naturally escaped from her lips. That was how she accidentally found out that magic was applied to the postcard that the message would only appear when she spoke the sender's name.
The following six postcards took between ten days the shortest to three months the longest to reach her hands. She understands very well that the man's circumstances don't allow him to keep regular contact with her. Nonetheless, she feels anxious whenever a new one doesn't show up in her mailbox for over a month. When she finally receives one from him, it always gives her some relief because it's the proof that her dear friend is still alive and safe. Well, at least at the time the postcard was written.
She remembers every word written on all the postcards, and is aware how the man always keeps his message simple and factual without showing any of his personal feeling or mentioning any difficulty faced in his vagabond life. He knows how much she cares about him or he won't write her these postcards to ease her mind, but is careful not to write things that will cross the line of their friendship or make her worry about him. She respects his decision, knowing that she will do the same if she is in his position.
"Please stay safe, Jellal." Erza whispers her wish for her fugitive friend while giving one more look at the postcards he sent her, before walking away to go the kitchen to cook for her dinner.