Three days. It took me three days to write this chapter. I hope it's worth the wait. Remember, reviews keep me motivated. Thank you to those that review regularly.
To the new follows and favorites, hi. To my usual lovely follows and favorites, still hi. Love ya all.
I don't own FT, the Pradeshes, or A Midsummer Night's Dream. Then again, Shakespeare is public domain so take that as you will.
Zen wasn't listening to Kaleb's speech at the front of the hall. He felt out of place. Despite the fact that Kaleb had saved a table for him, his father, and Lucy in the back of the room, many mages were glancing back at him. It was why his father had said that he should go to the memorial. To be the example of why the two mages had died.
"Are you okay?" Lucy whispered.
He glanced down at her and tried to resist blushing at Lucy's cleavage. He'd seen breasts before. His owner had rented him out a few times to women hoping to bare his child. These were Lucy's breasts though.
The uniform was the other reason that he felt out of place in the guild. There were a few variations, but they were all roughly the same all black outfits. It made Kaleb stand out more since he was in all white and covered in jewelry. Lucy wore boots, a weirdly cut skirt with four ends, and the same jacket that all of them wore with the White Sea insignia on the shoulder.
"Yeah."
She was studying him before taking his hand briefly and squeezing it.
"Did you know them? The two mages?"
"No. Outside of your siblings and my team, I don't really spend much time with people here."
"Oh. Then why are we here?"
He felt stupid for asking the question, but her expression was understanding. There'd never been a situation for him to pay his respects to the dead. To grieve them. The closest he'd come was realizing that his family must all be dead for them to have abandoned him to be a slave. It never occurred to him that they thought he was dead.
"To pay our respects. The funeral is for friends and family." Lucy yawned and he cringed, knowing that it was his fault that she was tired.
*.*.*
Zen woke up screaming. That was new. He'd had nightmares but never woke up screaming. Not since before he'd been at Skys Reach. Even then, he'd have been beaten if he'd woken his owner up.
"Zen," Lucy said, running into the room. Hers was the closest. She was sleeping in Kaleb's room since he wasn't there. Though she didn't hesitate to scramble into his bed next to him, she didn't touch him. Once she saw that he'd calmed enough, she wiped away tears he hadn't known he'd shed and hugged him. Her soft voice cooed gently.
"I thought it was a dream. That I'd wake up and be in Skys Reach."
"'If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumber'd here while these visions did appear.'"
"What's that?"
"It's from a play. The character's saying that if the play offended the viewer, to pretend that it was nothing but a dream."
"Oh." He rested his head in her lap and missed her surprised look at the move. "Tell me about it. The play."
"It's called A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's one of my favorites." She glanced up and saw Arman in the doorway. It's okay. I've got him, she told him.
Lucy proceeded to tell him the story of the play as she stroked his head. In her exhaustion, she knew she was missing pieces of the story, but he didn't call her out on any plot holes.
*.*.*
You're exhausted, Kaleb said after his speech. Now, he was talking privately to the families of the two mages.
I know. Zen had a nightmare. I was up with him.
Think you can get away for a bit?
I'll try but no promises.
Zen was garnering a lot of attraction. Everyone knew that he'd been a gladiator in Skys Reach. It seemed as if most of them could decide if he was safe to approach or not.
Finally, a woman decided to try her luck. She was a busty brunette. Before approaching, she'd unfastened the jacket, so her bra was showing and her skirt had been hiked up.
"Would you like to share pleasure?" she asked, a finger softly scratching his hand.
It took him a moment to remember that Lucy had told him that was how Boscans propositioned one another. He'd been confused at why she'd felt the need to tell him that. 'You're attractive, you're new, and you're a Pradesh,' she'd told him.
Lucy didn't react to the question. Instead, she was watching Kaleb, though he caught her glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She could feel his panic rising. Much like how she imagined Cristoff could feel her emotions.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think he's up for it," Lucy said.
The woman turned and sneered at Lucy. "Really? You're going to put your claws into another Pradesh? The guildmaster isn't good enough?"
Zen jerked back, fighting to keep his wings from appearing. "What did you say?" he hissed.
"Zen, no," Lucy said, barely reacting though the woman looked a little frightened. "While I understand your jealousy at my relationship with the Pradesh family, I think it's apparent now that it's a two-way street."
The woman left with a look that was a mix of lascivious and nervousness.
"Does that happen often?"
"Rarely so obviously. But yeah, it happens. I know about the rumors. That men and women have propositioned Kaleb because everyone's waiting for us to get together. They want a taste while they have the chance. Or a chance to steal him away." Her words were meek enough that he had to strain to hear them.
"Why doesn't he stop them?"
"How? I mean, yeah, he could use his magic, but he shouldn't. Not for something like this."
Zen touched her cheek, echoing a gesture she'd done to him. "He should if it makes you look like this." For a moment, she leaned into his hand before jerking away.
"Cris, hey." She walked up to him and said quietly, "Stay with him. I'm gonna go steal time with Kaleb."
Office.
Is this a good kind of request or a bad?
It's the kind that doesn't involve clothing.
Good. I'll meet you up there.
Before she'd made it to the stairs, Laxus caught her. He flinched away from her glare but relaxed when she sighed.
"What is it?"
"The Grand Magic Games were this week."
"Okay?" Laxus showed her his tablet. She didn't read the article, just saw the picture that was attached to it and groaned. "I'm never getting laid," she sighed.
Raincheck, she told Kaleb as she headed to her apartment where her comm was.
What happened?
Natsu's back.
She called Sting's office knowing that either he or Rogue would be in. "Which of you numskulls told him?" she said as soon as Rogue answered.
"Yuki. She ran into him after Princess Hisui let him go for crashing the Games. Told them that the guild disbanded. That you'd left to train."
"So, everything but the fact that I'm in Bosco and that I'm a dragon slayer."
"Yeah."
"Small blessings."
"He also took my job request."
"What was it for?"
"A last minute request for mages to deal with Avatar."
"Hisui's going all out."
"She's scared. She's afraid that Avatar will become another Tartarus. They've done enough damage." He paused then asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Call Gajeel and warn him."
"That's it?"
"I've got 99 problems but Natsu ain't one. Until the tatsu is fully formed and he decides that he wants to fight me for leadership, he's not my problem."
"What's your biggest problem?"
"The fact that it'll take three days for my mating to settle enough to pretend to be functional human beings and actually finding three days is proving to be damn near impossible."
"That qualifies," Rogue chuckled. "I'll let you go. Tell Gajeel I said hi."
"Will do." She called Gajeel next as she moved to sit on her bed. "He's back."
"I know," he grunted. "I saw the newspaper. I tried to quit and walk out but Levy wouldn't let me."
"Hi, Lu!" she heard Levy yell in the background.
"Tell her I said hi. He's coming your way."
"I figured. You're a trouble magnet but he goes looking for it. I think that's why he liked keeping you around. That and you put up with him."
"Yeah, yeah. Remember, don't tell him where I am."
"I know. Here. Levy wants to talk to you."
"Lu, have you mated yet?"
Lucy coughed. "Thanks for the preamble. And you know I haven't. There hasn't been time."
"Okay. But be careful. I've been reading about dragon matings and the books say that the female slayer can go crazy if she's around her mate without claiming him. Especially if they've had sex."
"I'll keep that in mind but we both know that there needs to be time between the setting of the two bites. I might be able to get away with only a day since Kaleb is so powerful, but I'd rather not risk it."
"Like I said, be careful, Lu. See you soon, probably."
You can come in now. She didn't move from her bed as Kaleb walked into her room.
"I'd rather have you here anyways. Told Dad to leave without you. I'll send you back later." She sent him a memory of him between her legs, eating her out. "I can start with that."
.~*~.
It had been three days since the memorial. Afterwards, Zen insisted on daily Sudahpah lessons. No one had even considered a male Sudahpah since they'd all seen how he reacted to men propositioning him.
That day was Kaleb's turn spend time around Zen. While he was in his lesson, Lucy had jumped at the chance to be intimate. Now they were headed into the second hour of his session and Lucy and Kaleb were in the sitting room playing chess.
"Rock City Boy?" Arman asked, sticking his head into the room. Seeing that they were playing chess, he walked over, curious to see who was winning, and mildly surprised to see that it was Lucy. "Ah. You're keeping him out by playing music."
"That's not music, it's noise."
"You sound like an old man…Legolas."
His eyes narrowed. "Which of them told you?"
Lucy smirked. "Bixy."
"I'm gonna kill him." He rolled his eyes when Lucy giggled.
"I was actually looking for you," Arman said, looking at Lucy.
"I can go."
"Stay. You'll probably eavesdrop anyways."
"It concerns him, too. I looked into the legality of your relationship. Normally, you'd be right. However, Bosco has laws protecting dragon slayers and their mates. Essentially, as long as you mate before you promise, you'll be fine."
"Good. Now, we just have to find three days that Kaleb is willing to leave the guild and give me his undivided attention."
"You always have my undivided attention."
"You've checked your tablet three times since we started the game."
"Yes, because you beating me, again, does not require my undivided attention."
"You might win if you did."
Arman watched the two of them bicker. He could hear both of their souls enjoying the banter. For years, Kaleb wanted someone that treated him as a person instead of the Wizard Saint or the Guildmaster of White Sea. That had been his complaint about his last relationship and why Emzadi had bet that it wouldn't last.
The impatient part of Arman was annoyed at how long Lucy had dragged out their relationship but appreciated the fact that it meant both were in love with each other.
Just as he was considering calling Cristoff, there was a short shriek followed by a crash. Lucy fumbled as she ran after Arman to the room where Zen and the Sudahpah were.
"What happened?" Arman asked, knowing that Lucy was going to Zen.
Zen was curled up in the corner with his knees to his chest and trembling. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, and his skin clammy.
"He's been doing well. I'm not exactly sure what triggered this reaction, but suddenly he became frightened and defensive."
"It's a panic attack," Lucy said quietly, stroking his face.
Can you hear anything?
No. His magic protects him from me. I could force my way…
No.
It took a few minutes to urge him into the bed and an hour of Lucy softly singing lullabies to lull him to sleep. Extracting herself from his grip without waking him seemed to take even longer.
By the time she did, the other Pradesh children and Meredy had arrived at the house. She wished she'd thought to use Meredy's sensory link but Cristoff apparently had.
"Adrienne said that his problem seems more about intimacy than sex," Arman said when Lucy joined them.
"Have they already shared pleasure?" Emzadi asked, sounding surprised.
"No. Adrienne is a mage. She uses a type of illusion magic that allows for the sensations of sex before becoming physical. I picked her because she works with helping rape victims overcome their trauma. She said that he'd been pushing to move faster. Today was the first time she'd actually touched him."
"Why is he trying to move so fast?" Xally asked.
"He told me that it was because he was a Boscan man but didn't feel like a Boscan man," Lucy said, chewing the nail of her thumb.
"I brought it up before," Kaleb said, rubbing circles on Lucy's hip to ease the anxiety he felt pulsing from her.
"I didn't like it before, but Adrienne said if she hadn't recognized the warning signs as fast as she did, he might have injured her," Arman said. "I'm just glad she's as dedicated to her job as she is. Otherwise, she might've refused to return."
"What exactly happened?" Bickslow asked.
"While she creates the illusion itself, it's directed by the person. Things were moving along fine- this was her first session touching him- until she felt it began to shift away from her approved illusion. She thinks feeling her touch caused him to change the direction of the illusion to the first time he'd had sex with a woman."
"What was Kaleb talking about?" Lucy asked.
"Given the potential danger his magic poses, I recommended healing the worst of the trauma," Kaleb answered.
"With magic? That seems like- I don't know- cheating?"
"The memories would still be there. He might even occasionally mourn them, but it would be as if years had passed instead of days."
"It should be his decision," Xally said.
"Agreed," Arman said. He could hear Zen crying in his sleep and watched as Lucy stood with the exhaustion of a new parent with a colicky baby.
Lucy, you're exhausted. Don't pretend that Mr. Elan hasn't been putting shots of espresso in your drinks, Kaleb said.
I know. I just- I don't think healing is something that should be skimmed over.
But there's nothing wrong with help. You seemed familiar with the fact that he was having a panic attack.
Yes. I've had them sporadically over the last few years. After my dad hired Phantom Lord to kidnap me.
I know it's tradition in Fiore, but I'm not going to need his permission to marry you, right?
Lucy giggled as she settled down next to Zen. I couldn't give less fucks about if my father approved or didn't so no.
How did you stop having panic attacks?
I realized that as much of a pain in my ass my team could be, they'd go barreling into hell to retrieve me.
He doesn't have that. He doesn't remember being loved. Even now, he's latching onto the connection that your magic creates. And that big heart of yours. He needs helping being saved from the darkness.
She stroked his hair, watching how the lines faded from his expression. Fine, but it'll have to wait until he wakes. Panic attacks always left me exhausted.
*.*.*
"You want to do what?" Zen asked, staring at his father.
"It would help you heal. It would be like your memories of Skys Reach and your first owner were farther in the past. They'd be scars instead of open wounds," Arman said.
It was only Zen, Arman, Kaleb, and Lucy in the bedroom. Lucy sat at the head of the bed, watching Zen's reactions with concern. Arman was in front of him at the foot of the bed. Kaleb was standing awkwardly, unsure of where he should be.
"You would change me. Change who I am."
"Or maybe reveal who you are without the need to be the gladiator. Without the need to be tough," Arman countered. "You'd still need Sudahpah lessons, but you wouldn't need to fight to grow so fast."
Zen looked at Kaleb. "Could you have done this without my permission?"
"Yes."
Not helping.
"I would have pissed off a lot of people, but yes I could have. The only person I can't force my way into their mind is Lucy."
Zen turned to look at Lucy. "You're immune?"
"No. He would just like to have sex again. Otherwise, I'd cut off his balls and wear them as my new earrings."
All three men flinched. "That was graphic," Kaleb muttered.
"Good."
"Do you trust him?"
Lucy met Kaleb's eyes. "With my life. Always."
Zen nodded. "Okay."
Kaleb walked over to the bed, sat down, and placed his hands on Zen's head. The room became progressively brighter until Lucy had to close her eyes. It took a few blinks for enough of the spots to disappear for her to see Zen sleeping on the bed and the door opening as the rest of the Pradesh family prepared to entire from the hallway.
"He'll be out a while."
"Long enough for us to find a secluded place to mate?" Lucy asked, her exhaustion causing her to lean against Kaleb.
"Not sure about that. Besides, I think you're too exhausted to claim me. Let's go take a nap," Kaleb said, scooping her up.
"What about-"
"Don't worry, Cosplayer. We've got him."
"Hm. Okay. How about I nap and you work on your tablet? Then we go have a night on the town?" Half of her words were mumbled as she snuggled into his chest.
Bickslow watched her leave. Her soul was settling for the first time in days. Despite the fact that the archangels were meant to be subservient to the celestial mage, that wasn't in Lucy's nature. Instead, her soul was reaching out to him, trying to heal him. When it had been his turn the day before, he'd told his dad that they needed drastic measures. Letting him take his time might have saved Zen, they'd have lost Lucy in the process.
"How is she?" Cristoff asked.
"Better. I think a couple of days without Zen and with Kaleb will do her some good."
.~*~.
"They were successful," Lucy muttered.
Kaleb was sitting against the headboard of his bed, working on his tablet. She'd propped a pillow against his thigh and was reading on her own tablet. His hand was absently stroking her hair though she'd stopped purring after that apparently aroused him. They were attempting to pretend to be productive adults.
"Yes." He sent her the official report from the Fiorian Magic Council. "Your team is mentioned heavily. Gray infiltrated because he's a demon slayer. Erza was his handler."
"Natsu nearly blew everything. Gajeel says they moved up the plan as soon as he knew that Natsu was headed their way."
"Did all of your friends make it out all right?"
"Yeah. There were heavy casualties amongst the Rune Knights though."
"What's their next step?"
"Levy says they're rebuilding the guild." Kaleb's hand stilled in her hair. "Erza's going to be the next master but there's some talks about coming to Bosco and seeing if Laxus wants to return. He knows the paperwork better."
"Will you go back?"
She pulled his hand from her hair and kissed his palm then rested her lips against his pulse in his wrist. "No. My place is here now."
He moved to kiss her, his hand moving to her bare breast, and all thoughts of attempting to be productive fled.
.~*~.
The first full day that Zen was awake was Emzadi's day. She arrived bright eyed and bushy-tailed with pre-workout smoothies from the guild. Only halfway through her first cup of coffee, Lucy blinked uncomprehendingly at her. As soon as she fully processed the cups in front of her, a look of terror crossed her face.
"Zen, I'm so, so sorry."
Lucy didn't get far before the taller woman had grabbed her and was dragging her back into the dining room.
"Nope," she said cheerfully. "You're coming."
"But I don't need anything."
"So?"
"I still have stuff I haven't worn from the last time."
"Your point? Zen needs new clothes and I'm not taking him by myself. Besides, you've been cooped up in this house nearly as long as he has."
"Kaleb and I went dancing the other night."
"Daylight. You need to see the sun."
"I see the sun." Lucy pointed at the window. "See? Sunlight."
"Nice try."
"I'm your queen."
"Not yet you're not. Besides, I need help getting Laxus clothes."
"You're his mate."
"I know-"
"Pull a Lysistrata. Withhold sex."
"Except that means that I'm not having sex."
"Oh yeah."
Overhearing their voices, Arman walked out of his office to find them in the dining room. Zen was sitting, sipping on a smoothie with a confused expression while the two women argued.
"Ah. Did you want to use my accounts?" Arman asked.
"If you don't mind. I had to ask Cris to get us into the Elluris showrooms today."
"Elluris?" Lucy asked, perking up. She was already mentally estimating how much she could spend while still having enough to live comfortably since she hadn't taken a job in a while.
"Lucy, I'll pay."
"What? I can't let you do that."
"Emi, don't let her pay," Arman said, ignoring Lucy's sputtering.
"Just say thank you," Emzadi said.
"Thank you," she said with a bashful smile.
"Your welcome."
"So, the plan is the Pelerno showroom, followed by lunch at the guild with Xally, and then Zen has to be back here for his session."
*.*.*
Lucy was fairly certain that the Elluris showroom was heaven. Personal shoppers swooped in as soon as they entered. Before he could get nervous, Lucy requested that only female shoppers worked with Zen. That didn't stop the nervous look he gave Lucy as she and Emzadi were steered in a different direction.
It took an hour for Lucy to give up curbing Emzadi's picks. The older dragon slayer would wave her off anytime she attempted to stop her. She even smacked Lucy's hand when she attempted to look at a price tag. Once she had her measurements, Emzadi let her go check on Zen.
"You look good," she said, as he fussed with the fitted shirt.
"Thanks, but it's not me."
"And who are you?"
"I'm still figuring that out."
"Then you might as well start with some clothes that aren't Cris's." She heard Emzadi calling her name. "That's my cue."
Zen looked at himself in the mirror. "Can I get more like this?"
A few hours later when they left the showroom, Lucy felt oddly energized. She couldn't decide if Emzadi had decided to take it easy because Zen was with them or if she was developing a better stamina for shopping with her.
After deciding that she'd spent enough of her father's money, Emzadi started shopping for Laxus. The two women had their share of laughs picking out clothes and making plots to ensure that the stubborn lightning slayer wore them.
As they walked from the showroom, Emzadi found herself trailing behind Lucy and Zen and watching them interact. Suppressing the worst of his trauma seemed to have helped. He hadn't panicked like she feared he would, but she'd noticed that he appeared to stand taller when he thought Lucy was looking.
Lucy talked with her hands and was her usual self. It was Zen that was the unknown factor and the way that he still seemed to lean into her touch worried her. The dragon was wrapped around her neck like it usually was. Both Cristoff and Kaleb had commented on how the dragon moved to put emphasis on her breasts when she was trying to seduce. It acted as a sort of mood ring for her dragon's instincts.
We need to talk, Emzadi thought, directing it to the faint link she could always feel with Kaleb.
About?
Zen and Lucy.
Is something wrong?
Emzadi could nearly hear Kaleb preparing to ask Thane to teleport him to Pelerno. Not the run to Pelerno kind. I think Zen is in love with Lucy.
Given that I'm in love with her too, I can't fault him his taste.
I'm being serious.
So am I. He's our brother-
He's not our brother, Emzadi interjected. He's Farron's brother. Arman's son. He doesn't know us well enough to call us family. Not yet.
He let me into his head.
Because Lucy said it was okay. Do you remember when Bix was first adopted? If he'd had better control of his magic, we'd all have died. It wasn't until Cris got back from his training trip with Nurem that he decided that we were okay.
Emzadi could feel him considering that for a moment.
And Lucy?
She's herself. Honestly, I'm not sure she appreciates the affect she seems to have on him. She says the pull isn't as strong when her dragon is active. And the tattoo is perched on her shoulders.
She could hear him mentally sigh.
What's he like?
He's got a kind of dry humor. A bit like Laxus which is probably why she gets his jokes. Still a bit skittish at times.
I figured he might be.
"Emi?" Lucy asked, looking up at her.
"Sorry. I was just thinking."
Lucy arched an eyebrow but didn't call her out on the lie.
"We're here," Lucy said, gesturing to the guild.
"Right. Xally wanted to eat outside."
"So, Dolares," Lucy said.
Dolares was one of the cafes attached to the guild. It overlooked a set of hand-to-hand combat training grounds. Depending on who was training, it could be full of women ogling the men or the other way around.
Xally was sitting with an iced drink and watching Vander and Presca spar. There were a few other interested women watching as well.
"Damn, I forgot how good he looked," Emzadi said as she sat down in the other seat angled towards the field.
"You're mated," Lucy chastised lightly before studying the man as well. She'd only met Presca once before. Like most mages, he worked hard to keep himself in shape and was handsome enough to turn heads despite being Vander's partner.
"So? Doesn't mean I can't look."
"Didn't you nearly set a woman's hair on fire for looking at Laxus?" Xally asked
"What?" Lucy asked.
"It was while you were in Pergrande."
"It wasn't that she looked. It was that she'd touched before we were mated and was looking for a repeat performance."
"You didn't tell him he couldn't touch," Lucy pointed out.
"He knew we were mates. It never occurred to me that he'd want to touch anyone else. I mean, Lucy, do you want to touch anyone else?" Emzadi watched Zen.
"I slept with Cris despite knowing that Kaleb was my mate. Also, I'm not Laxus. I mean, the rumors I heard about him around the guild… And that's after he knew that Mira was a potential mate."
"Yeah. Whatever," she grumbled though she was watching Zen's pensive expression out of the corner of her eye.
A waitress came over and took their orders. They were halfway through their meal when Vander plopped down next to Zen and Presca seemed to hover.
"Hey," he greeted, stealing fry from Xally's plate.
"Hey," she complained, flicking some water from Zen's glass at her brother.
Presca walked over to Xally, propped himself up as he leaned over, and looked her in the eye. "Share pleasure with me?"
"I- uh what?" Xally said while Emzadi gaped and Vander helped himself to more of her fries.
"We could just talk if you'd prefer."
"No! I mean, yes, I'd like to share pleasure. And talk." She blushed but wasn't surprised with her own reaction.
She, Vander, and Emzadi had all tried to seduce him at one point in time or another. With Vander, it had become a running joke between the two men. Emzadi had told him one night while intoxicated that she knew he wasn't her mate and so he'd rebuffed her advances.
Xally had propositioned him once. For a moment, it looked like he was considering it before turning her down. Unlike her siblings, she'd respected that, but she was Boscan. It wasn't in her nature to hide her interest. And she knew he saw it in the way her eyes lingered.
He held out his hand and the two left. Once they were out of sight, Vander moved Xally's plate in front of himself and started eating her sandwich.
"Weren't you just complaining about Laxus touching? And that was before you were mated," Lucy teased as she closed Emzadi's mouth for her.
"But- You knew, didn't you?" Emzadi sputtered.
"Yup. They kept missing each other the last few weeks though."
"Five years I've been trying to get in his pants. Five years!"
"You're still mated," Lucy said.
"I don't care. It's the indignity of it." The dragon slayer slid in her chair and sulked.
"Why did it take so long?" Zen asked.
"The Steel Council, they're in charge of clandestine operations, was threatening her to force me to work for them. Courtesy of the beautiful and terrifying Lucy, they are no more. Well, currently anyways. So now it's safe to pursue her."
Emzadi looked a little less sulky at that explanation.
"Since I'm gonna assume that they won't be leaving their beds tomorrow, you're stuck with me," Vander said.
"That's just what I need," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes.
*.*.*
Lucy was sitting opposite Zen on his bed with cards spread out between them. She was unabashedly teaching him card games with the goal of hustling Vander the following day.
"Why do you still feel the need to rush?" she asked after he'd told her about his session. She was focused on the cards in her hand and counting the cards that she missed the heated look that Zen gave her.
"Because I want to be worthy."
This time, Lucy did look up. "Of what? Of who?"
"Of being Boscan. Of being a Pradesh."
"You know, no one's rushing you to be something you're not, right?"
"I know." He reached out to the ring that still dangled around her neck. When his finger slipped into it and his thumb pressed on the stone, he could feel the faint pulse of Kaleb's magic. "This is a promise ring, isn't it?"
She smiled. "Yeah. Kaleb asked me before I left for Pergrande. I thought the timing was shit, so I turned him down. I still think it was shit timing but- Oh well. Anyways, he put it on the chain for me."
"He's your mate, right? Why do you still wear it on the chain?"
"Yes, he's my mate," Lucy said as she placed a card down. "I still wear it like this because we're not mated or promised yet. We haven't had time and I'm Fiorian so there's legal ramifications if we were to promise without mating."
"Am I the reason you haven't mated?" Zen asked, feeling hopeful.
"It's you turn. Partially. Dragon slayer mating can take one to three days for the bites to set and for the dragon slayers to be willing to allow their mates around other people. Like, the day of the memorial, there were a couple of people that propositioned Kaleb and it took everything in me not to tear them apart and that's without us being mated. I'll probably be worse once we are." She collapsed to the side dramatically. "That's gonna suck. Once he has a ring on it though."
"You have a ring and were propo-"
"-Propositioned-"
"Yeah. That. At the guild today."
"Because it's not uncommon for someone who's promised died to wear the ring on a chain like this. Also, for a more jaded reason, most people know that I'm friends with the Pradesh family so what better way to get an 'in' with the guildmaster or the head of the Pelerno branch than to woo me. It's your turn."
She looked at the card he'd put down and sat up. "You can't use this card. This an eight of spades and I put down a three of hearts."
"Oh. Right."
.~*~.
Lucy learned that Zen had a sense of humor. Yes, she'd known he did before but there'd been times that she'd wondered if he realized that he was funny. Now, sitting with Zen and Vander, she realized that yes, he was perfectly capable of being funny. It was just proving to be problematic that he sided with Vander.
"I'm gonna have to take credit for this," Vander said while Lucy gawked at the board.
"Blame. I think you mean blame."
"Blame is such a mean word."
"But appropriate when the two of you gang up on me."
"Why am I the one getting yelled at? Technically, you were playing against Zen," Vander said.
"Because he's an angel. Literally. You? You're like the physical embodiment of the demon on the shoulder."
"Hm. I think I want that on my tombstone."
"I challenge you to a duel. Mag-" Lucy was interrupted by Zen picking her up. "Hey! Put me down."
"Do you still wanna kill Van?"
"Yes."
"Then no."
Zen sat down, still holding onto Lucy while she glared at Vander. Who was smugly eating Mr. Elan's cinnamon chocolate chip cookies which is what they were betting over. Three different games where the two men had teamed up to keep her from the cookies. After a few minutes, Zen mistakenly released the no longer struggling Lucy.
Before either of them could stop her, she'd grabbed both of their ears.
"I don't care that you're bigger than me. I don't care that you were a gladiator or that you were an assassin. I will kick both of your asses. Understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am," they both muttered.
She snatched the cookies and walked off in a huff. She decided to curl up in the armchair in Kaleb's room with the plate and her tablet. Levy was keeping her updated on the rebuilding of the guild. Her father surprised her by agreeing to sponsor money towards the construction. There were a few messages from Gajeel threatening to kill Natsu. For all the destruction he'd caused when they were a team, she hadn't realized she had served as a buffer from some of his worse impulses.
Think Zen's ready to come to White Sea? Kaleb asked.
She smiled and moaned as she bit into one of the cookies. Yes.
Do I want to know what just made you make that sound? Should I be jealous?
Maybe? It Mr. Elan's cookies.
Bring some with you?
Absolutely no promises. So probably not.
Lysistrata is my favorite Greek play. There aren't enough surviving Greek comedies. It's about a group of women from around Greece who decide to stop having sex with men until they stopped starting wars.