It's Monday!

guest: LOL! That would be horribly ironic... and beyond hilarious. I kinda wish I'd thought of that. ;) Kidding, kidding! Tempted though I would have been, I wouldn't actually have done that. But that's totally my sense of humor. Thanks!

- K. Chandler


The world around her exploded with the sounds of battle.

Juvia could feel the scalding surge of magic in the air as Natsu sent a wild burst of flame shooting across the deck. She could hear the scrape of metal on metal as Erza drew a magic sword, seemingly out of thin air. Cana's sharp voice mingled with Gray's low growl as both of them rushed to join their comrades in battle.

But Juvia paid them no mind. She wasn't paying attention to the way Erza and Gray barked orders to their respective crews. She ignored the way Lieutenant Jellal's meteors rained fiery havoc over the darkened sea.

All she could see was the ring that housed her magic, rotating unsteadily as it soared through the air.

Juvia pushed past Levy, desperately bolting towards the side of the boat. Putting all of her strength into her flimsy legs, Juvia rushed to catch the precious treasure before it plunged into the inky darkness. She lunged over the side, stretching her arms out as far as they would go, clasping her hands together. But her fists met air as the ring slipped through her fingers, lost to her forever.

Juvia crashed onto her knees as she heard the splash. Her vision blurred with hot tears, every shaky breath feeling like glass in her tightening chest. The rational part of her knew that she had already given up her magic. It had been forfeited weeks ago. But it hurt, all the same. She had been so close!

But Juvia's feelings of heartbreak were quickly drowned by a surge of overwhelming triumph. Her heart gave a hopeful leap as she remembered the Sensory Link she still shared with Gajeel. She had forgotten that he was still near the ship.

"Juvia, over here!" shouted Levy, waving her over. The Royal Scholar leaned over the side of the ship, dangling precariously for a moment as she reached for something from Gajeel's open palm.

"Careful, Shrimp," muttered Gajeel. "Fishing for this thing was hard enough. Don't need you to go falling in too. You're so small I'd lose you for sure."

Levy shot Gajeel an irritated glare, her hand finally closing around the object in triumph. "Got it!" Hoisting herself back to safety, Levy turned to Juvia with a grin. "I'm guessing this is yours," she said, extending her dripping hand to reveal the magic ring.

Gajeel tsked impatiently. "All this trouble over a little ring," he huffed. "You need to hold onto your stuff better, Juvia."

Juvia bobbed her head gratefully, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her stomach was a mess of butterflies as Juvia reached tentatively for the precious gem that now housed her magic. Levy startled her by pulling it away.

"It wasn't always a ring, was it?" Levy asked quietly. "If you're really a Sea-Person, then you were born with your magic. This used to be a part of you, right?"

Juvia nodded, hugging her arms to her chest. She remembered how much it had hurt to give up a part of herself. She longed to have her magic back inside of her where it belonged.

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out." Levy tapped the ring on the side of the hull thoughtfully. "See if you can break it, Gajeel," suggested Levy.

"What?!"

"I'm not an expert in enchanting objects or anything, but I did study a little of the theory," said Levy. "Magic will try to remain its native state. It has a form it wants to be in and it will try its hardest to stay that way. And if I'm right, Juvia's magic power doesn't want to be trapped in that ring. Not really. It's not normal. If you break it, Juvia's magic should try to go back where it belongs."

"Back to Juvia, you mean," said Gajeel.

"It makes sense, right? I mean, the Phantom Lord took your powers by force, right? There's nothing normal about that."

"If it's so abnormal, then how do all you humans have magic-infused objects?" challenged Gajeel.

"We make them, of course," said Levy.

"Make them?" repeated Gajeel.

Levy nodded. "Of course. Any magic object can be used to infuse another object. I mean, it's not an easy thing to do, so magic is still very precious, but it's not impossible to obtain," said Levy. Then she frowned. "Gajeel, you didn't think we stole all of our magic, did you?" she asked slowly.

Gajeel shrugged, though Juvia could tell how sheepish he was feeling because of their Sensory Link. "D'ya blame me? I mean where else would it come from?"

Levy paused to mull this over. "Well, I suppose we must have, at one point. But that isn't something we do anymore. That just sounds barbaric." Levy scrunched her nose in distaste.

Gajeel nodded. "Give it here," he said, catching the ring in his palm. A steel kunai appeared between his fingers. "All right. Watch out, Shrimp." Gajeel tossed the ring up in the air, launching his weapon after it with a practiced flick of his wrist. The steel point shattered the ring into tiny fragments. Magic power surged, freed of its container, rushing back to its rightful owner.

Juvia could feel her powers flowing back into her body, warming her from the inside. She was whole again.

"My magic!" gasped Juvia, a breathy laugh escaping her.

"Your voice!" said Levy, excitedly. "You can talk!"

Juvia nodded, blinking back tears. "Thank you. Levy, Gajeel, thank you!" she breathed. "I never thought…" Juvia shook her head again, excited beyond coherence.

"So what'cha gonna do now, Juvia? Will you come back with us? Meredy's waiting back at the grotto."

Juvia longed to see her friend again. It felt like a lifetime since they had last spoken. Could she really just go back?

"I can't," she said.

"Whatd'ya mean can't?" demanded Gajeel.

"She hasn't fulfilled or broken her contract yet," Levy reminded him. "If she leaves with you now, it won't stop that Phantom Lord guy from going after her."

"And even with my magic, I still can't breathe underwater," Juvia pointed out. Then she looked over her shoulder, where her other friends were locked in battle with the Phantom Lord. "Besides, I have to help them. Now that I've got my magic back, I need to teach this Phantom Lord a lesson he'll remember."

Gajeel gave Juvia an appraising look. "Good enough for me," he said finally. "You know, Bora was wrong about you. You haven't gotten soft. You're just as strong as ever." Gajeel transformed his fist into a steel club.

"What are you doing?" asked Juvia.

"I've got a little bone to pick with the Phantom Lord too," growled Gajeel, starting to submerge.

"But… your armor," said Juvia. She had never seen Gajeel go into battle without his steel scales.

"Yeah, um. I ain't gonna be able to do that no more," said Gajeel, running a hand awkwardly through his wet hair.

"What do you mean?" asked Juvia. "Why not?"

"Because." Gajeel looked away. "I gave it up."

Juvia searched his face. "What do you mean gave it up?" she asked quietly, suspecting she wouldn't like his answer.

Levy narrowed her eyes. "You mean to Jose?" she asked sharply. "In exchange for Juvia's contract?"

"You really are too smart, Shrimp," complained Gajeel, crossing his arms defensively.

"Gajeel!" gasped Juvia. Her stomach did a guilty flip, eyes darting to the bruising she had noticed on his torso earlier.

"Look, I had to give him something. And it wasn't like it was a big deal or anything," he said, shrugging. "The rest of you guys don't have armor, and you get along just fine."

Juvia shook her head, swallowing hard. This was all her fault. Her foolishness had cost him his armor and he'd gotten hurt because of it.

"Look, it's fine. Wasn't like I gave him my soul or nothin'," Gajeel joked.

Juvia and Levy exchanged worried glances.

Gajeel gave an impatient huff. "Come on, Juvia. We gotta get going. Save your new friends and all that."

Finally, Juvia sighed. "You're right."

"Be careful, Gajeel," said Levy. "You too, Juvia."

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Gajeel, submerging in a flurry of foam.

Juvia nodded, offering the Royal Scholar a tight smile. "You stay safe too, Levy."

Juvia rushed to assist her new friends, the explosion of Cana's card magic thundering in her ears. She ducked as one of Jose's shades lunged for her. Two others circled above, dark, wispy fingers reached for her arm. She retaliated with a jet of water, dispelling the shadows with a shot of her magic.

She could see where Gajeel had surfaced on the opposite side of the ship. She knew how strong Gajeel was, but that didn't stop Juvia from wanting to keep an eye on him.

Gajeel puffed out his cheeks, holding his breath. Raising his hands to his mouth, he formed a tube with his fists. He blew, spraying a formation of shade soldiers with magic and metal shards.

The handful of mottled bruises on his chest hardly counted as a real injury. But they proved just how much he relied on his impenetrable steel scales. Gajeel was so accustomed to being impervious. He wasn't used to having to dodge attacks like the rest of them were.

Though she had her own opponents to fight, Juvia couldn't help but worry for her old friend.

That was her mistake.


Yay for protective Gajeel. :)

So... Juvia has her voice back! That means that she and Gray may be able to have an actual conversation at some point... XD (Seriously, it might be the first time they've spoken without having to play charades.) But she's not out of the woods yet. Like Levy pointed out, they've still got the contract thing to figure out.

But hopefully this (along with the last Gajeel & Levy conversation) has shed some light on the humans' side of the whole Land Dwellers vs Sea People thing. Between the accusations of stealing of magic, the idea that the Surface-Dwellers don't belong at sea, the fact that each considers the other side to be the aggressor and some of the other prejudices (Sea-People are inhuman or Surface-Dwellers are greedy and heartless), it's little wonder that neither side has taken the time to have a conversation and compare notes.

But now that Levy has... what do you suppose that'll mean for our heroes? Keep in mind that Levy is neutral enough to be considered impartial (by the Prince and others in the court) but she has enough clout to influence some decisions. IRL, people like Levy often have more power than most would give them credit for.

Let's freeze-frame this one and catch up with Gray and what's been happening with the battle.

Next time, in Silence, the battle rages and our Captains have a decision to make: She drew a careful breath. "We need to withdraw."

Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.