The main hall of Fairy Tail was filled with its members, even in the later hours of the evening. Chatter could be heard even on the second floor from below. Wizards were also making use of the stage downstairs, causing soft music to be heard across the guild hall.
Levy was in the corner of the room, skimming through the pages of one of her favorite books. The Script mage loved to come to the guild hall to read. While it wasn't the most quiet place, the extra noise was actually kind of relaxing. After being in Fairy Tail for several years, it's easy to get used to chaotic surroundings.
The script mage couldn't help but think about her best friend as she sat in the guild hall. Lucy's been on her mission for nearly six weeks. Levy hoped everything was going well. The bluenette missed her best friend. There were so many things Levy wanted to talk to Lucy about!
"Whatcha up to, half-pint?" A male voice came up beside her.
"Just doing some reading…" Levy gazed up from her book. "What are you guys up to?"
Gajeel shrugged, leaning against the chair she was sitting in. "Thinking about grabbing a job for some extra cash, you in?"
The script mage smiled, looking towards the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Can I take a raincheck? I'll catch you on the next one.
"Really? Damn…" Black Steel groaned. "Lily's gone on a mission with Wendy and Carla, I guess I'll have to go solo on this one."
"Oh…" Levy felt a heat rush to her cheeks. She hated changing her mind, but knowing she would actually have some alone time with Gajeel excited her. "Well if you don't want to go alone, I guess I could go with you."
"Nice. Meetcha here in the morning. Don't be late!" Standing upright, Gajeel walked away from Levy without another word, causing her to raise a brow. Levy shrugged him off and continued where she was in her book. The juicy part was just about to unravel!
Suddenly, the bluenette felt another presence around her. She looked up from the book, at first not seeing anyone. Levy stood up, turning around behind her.
"Miss. Levy." The maiden's voice could be heard, but not seen. It took the Script mage quite some time to realize that Virgo was hiding in the darkened part of the guild hall. "I have something to give you."
The young wizard was quick to move towards the Celestial Spirit. "Virgo, is Lucy okay?"
Nodding, the pink haired spirit pulled an envelope from her pocket. The Maiden had a worried look on her face. "My Princess doesn't know I'm doing this.."
"Doing what, exactly?" Levy asked, looking at the blank envelope. It felt as if there were a few pieces of paper inside of them.
"Princess, what are you doing?"
The two ladies just finished reading the new info packets left by Jestine. With it, Lucy was able to comprise a profile on each of the workers at Royal Tree. Most of the profiles were basic, given that she didn't need to keep track of them as much. However, the flower crew, along with Rhythm and Melody's profiles were beginning to stack.
Lucy's been in the processing part of the building for nearly a week now. She's learned a lot about Melody and her condition. It would be nearly impossible for her to lift most of the equipment. If she was somehow in on it, Melody clearly had help. Lucy hated to think that someone as sweet as the young girl could be responsible for this.
The Celestial Mage has been keeping her eyes on the flower crew. While she's never caught them doing anything wrong, there is a vibe they're giving off that screams criminal. Lucy was even convinced one of them had magical abilities. She could sense a dark magic power in the basement every once in a while. Not enough to alarm a normal person, but to a wizard, it brought up red flags.
"Princess?"
"Huh?" the young mage jumped, becoming aware of her surroundings once again.
"I asked what you were doing… You pulled out some more paper. I thought we were done with work. We were going to do something fun this weekend!"
Lucy glanced at the paper, a small smile on her face. "You're going to think it's silly."
"No I'm not." Virgo pouted as she hopped off the bed, walking over to the desk. "I'd never think anything you do is silly. Unless you were wearing a funny outfit."
"I've been writing to my friends." The Celestial mage smiled sadly. "I know I can't communicate with them, but writing to them seems to help with missing my family." Lucy had been writing to Levy nearly once a week, and the Dragon Slayer even more so.
"Why did they have that stupid rule anyway?" Virgo questioned with a raised brow. The maiden crossed her arms in disappointment. "Nothing in this job has warranted you to hide your identity. It's almost like you're just working a regular job for these people."
Lucy sighed. She hated that Virgo was right. The Celestial Mage felt like a glorified nark. "While I agree with you, it was still a part of the job details when I signed up. I just feel like they're not telling me everything. There has to be a reason that they'd want my identity a secret."
"Do you think one of the workers is a wizard of some kind?"
The Celestial Mage shrugged. "I haven't ruled it out. If they are, they're amazing at suppressing their magic energy." Lucy continued to ponder that aspect.
"Why would I need to hide my identity from another guild member?"
"Could be part of a dark guild?"
"Hmmm…Maybe" Lucy contemplated this for a moment, before setting it to the back of her mind. "Let me get these written, and then we'll do something fun, ok?"
"You're finally going to punish me, Princess?!" The look of excitement that took over Virgo's features was unmistakable.
"Uh…" Lucy raised a brow, then an idea came to her. "We'll see… I'm sure I could make training count as a punishment." The Celestial Mage grinned.
Virgo looked down at the ground. "I took the letters from my Princess. While I know stealing is wrong, I only have the best intentions. I know she misses her friends dearly. While I know she's not supposed to communicate, I figured the safest way would be through us."
"Thank you." Levy embraced the Celestial Spirit. The bluenette could feel tears stinging her eyes. "Thank you so much. This means the world to me.. How is her mission going?"
The Maiden sighed, taking a deep breath. "She's making headway in her case. However, it's not going as quickly as she'd hoped. The manager seems to be keeping her around just for the extra help, instead of letting her do the actual job she was hired to do."
"How often do you see her?" Levy asked curiously.
"I'm usually in her hotel room every couple of nights. Either me or my big brother will take turns spending the night with her. We know she misses you guys, so we try to fill that void the best we can."
The bluenette smiled brightly at Virgo. "You guys are everything to her. Please don't forget that." Letting go of the Celestial Spirit, Levy put the letter in her bag.
"Do you know where I can find the Salamander?"
Levy thought about it for a moment. "I know he's been spending a lot of time at home lately. That would be the first place I'd look, besides here of course. It's getting pretty late, I'm not sure if you'll catch him here tonight."
The Maiden took a good look around the guild hall, before sighing. "I guess I will look there next."
"Before you go," Levy mentioned quickly. "I have a question."
"If I decided to write something for her, would it eventually make its way to her as well?" The script mage asked, a sly grin on her face.
Virgo chuckled. "I'm sure that could be arranged, Miss. Levy." the Celestial Spirit waved before disappearing.
"Come on, Natsu!" Happy slammed his little fists against his friend's bedroom door. "You said you would actually get up today!"
The blue Exceed made a point to get up early this morning. The Dragon Slayer agreed to leave their house and actually go do something. Which is more than the pink haired wizard has done in weeks.
In the time Lucy's been gone, Happy hasn't been able to get Natsu to step foot inside the guild hall. Today, he was going to do his best to break that cycle! The two needed to get out there and earn some money, or else they'd be running out of food soon!
Getting Natsu to leave his room in the last few weeks has been like pulling teeth. While he's not confined to his bed anymore, the Dragon Slayer will be found pacing his room as if he's deep in thought.
"Natsu! Please, I really wanna go to the guild hall today!"
"Then let's go, Happy?"
The little blue cat turned on his heel, surprised to hear a voice behind him. "When did you get up?"
The Dragon Slayer shrugged as he walked into the kitchen, going to the fridge. "Not really sure. I decided to get some fresh air, and just came back to the house." Natsu grabbed a few things before closing the door. "Are you hungry?" He asked while he began cooking breakfast.
Happy smiled at his best friend, glad to see he was in better spirits. However the Dragon Slayer looked as though he hadn't slept in months. The Blue Exceed was definitely worried about Natsu, but wasn't sure if there was anything he could do. "Yeah… I was just about to make breakfast before going to Fairy Tail."
"Probably need to pick up a job or two while we're there." The pink haired wizard mentioned. "We're kinda running low on our funds… Sorry about that buddy.."
"No need to worry." Happy shrugged it off the best he could. "Everyone goes through a rough patch. The important thing is that you're back now! I mean, you look like you're in better spirits, are you?"
"I've been doing a lot of thinking." The Dragon Slayer looked down at the pan on the stove. "Lucy mentioned in her letters she didn't want to be 'the damsel in distress' anymore. If she's taking all this time to train and become a better wizard, then I should be doing the same, right?"
"Aye! You're absolutely right!" Happy smiled. "There are other ways to become a better wizard than strength alone. I'm sure we could find the perfect job to help us out."
After a few minutes, Natsu had breakfast cooked up for Happy and himself. He served his best friend before getting his own. The two ate in peace for most of their meal.
However, it wouldn't remain that way.
In an instant, The Dragon Slayer felt another presence in their home. He quickly got up from his seat at the table and ran towards the living room. Natsu's eyes widened as he noticed a maiden with bright pink hair sitting on his couch.
Happy was the first to speak, pointing at the Maiden. "Holy Moly! It's Virgo!"
"W-What are you doing here?" The pink haired wizard's heart began to pound, his blood running cold as he saw one of Lucy's spirits in his home. "Is Lucy okay? Does she need our help?"
Virgo shook her head, a gentle smile on her face. "My Princess missed her friends and began writing them letters. She doesn't know I took them. However, my intent was to deliver them to show her friends that she's missing them terribly." The Celestial Spirit placed the envelope on the coffee table in front of her.
"I know you miss her as well, Salamander." Virgo gave him a devious smirk. "If what my Princess was telling me was true."
"It's kind of hard not to.." Natsu began rubbing the back of his head. "Ever since we've met, the two of us have been nearly inseparable. Now, it's like we're living two different lives."
"I don't think it's that way at all." The Maiden leaned back in the seat.
"Really?" Happy questioned.
"The two of them share a common goal, and love helping people. Sometimes that may take you in different directions, however your path is still the same." Virgo smiled. "Right now, she's on the path to bettering herself for the goal. I suggest you be doing the same."
"Hmm, I didn't think of it like that." The Dragon Slayer contemplated the Celestial Spirits' words. Now, he almost felt foolish for spending all of that time alone. He could've been doing so much. Instead, he's been writing different versions of the same apology letter…
Suddenly, Natsu had an idea.
"Virgo..Could you give something to Lucy for me? Please?"
The Maiden nodded. "I'm not sure how I'm going to do it exactly, but I told Levy I would do the same. I don't want my Princess to know that I betrayed her trust."
The Dragon Slayer ran to his room, grabbing the latest version and stuffing it into an envelope. He came back and passed it to Virgo, along with his white scarf around his neck. Natsu could hear Happy gasp behind him.
"Please, give both of these to her."
"Are you sure?" The pink haired Maiden's eyes widened. "I've never seen you without this scarf."
"It'll be fine." Natsu flashed a toothy grin. "She can just give it back when I see her again. I just want her to have something to make her not so homesick."
"Natsu…" Happy was shocked at his best friend. The Dragon Slayer NEVER took off his scarf. At some point,the Exceed was almost positive that Natsu showered with it. Now, he was watching the pink haired wizard give it to Lucy. "Are you sure you want to give her your scarf?"
"Yeah.." The Dragon Slayer nodded. "It feels weird not having Lucy here with me, just like it's weird to be without my scarf from Igneel. I want her to be comfortable while she's away from home. Even though I can't be there to make her safe, I can at least try and make her feel that way."
He must have felt that Dragon Slayer thing for her! That's who he was talking about.. The blue Exceed came to the conclusion as he watched his best friend hand over his most prized possession.
This work will be taking a momentary hiatus. With the holidays coming up, and work beginning wholesale of my candies, I am taking some time to focus on work and my family. This is by no means the end, this work will continue! I just am not able to keep up with the weekly posting that I strive to do. Once I can find a balance again, the works will continue!
Happy Reading Everyone!