It's time for Laxus and Ivy's not date... Also little bit more plot.
Chapter 8
A man in a black cloak stood in front of what could be a door, seeming to examine the objects placed within the stone.
The door was placed on the side of a mountain, the top stood at least sixty feet tall with a twenty foot width at its base. There were no handles and runes that had been worn down with age circled the edges. In the positions the represented corners of a diamond there were four cavities carved into specific shapes. These were placed in the center of the door where there should have been a crease that allowed the door to open, the highest cavity sat just above the man's head. Three of the them were full.
At the top was a round metal shield, placed to the right were what looked like a set of woman's fans also made of metal, and to the left a meteor hammer, two heavy weighted balls with a chain connecting them, all three were covered in intricate engraved runes. Each weapon had been locked in place with large magic infused straps that were bolted to the door, none of the three bindings looked to be from the same time frame. Every once in a while one of the objects could be seen slightly glowing and shaking as if trying to struggle free, it always soon stopped and the item would return to normal.
The last place was where the man continued to look. This cavity consisted of a large curved triangular shape at one end and a long line coming out of the left side. Anyone looking at the cavity would recognize an overly large hammer should be placed there. The amount of hatred and anger held in the glare the man sent at the hole was almost palpable.
An older gentleman dressed in a business suit walked up the path almost turning around when he saw the angry man, but decided to continue forward.
"May I be the first to congratulate you on your promotion Grand Head Wallace."
Wallace turned away from the door at the sound of the older man's approach. "Thank you Right Hand Krane, but that can't be the only reason you walked the long way up here."
Krane, like the rest in the order, had a hard time looking away from the scar that ran down the side of the new leaders face. It started above his left eyebrow cutting slightly into the eye, causing the iris and pupil to look shattered, rounded close to his nose then shot diagonally out to curve around the man's jaw. It reminded Krane of how a tree looked after lightning had struck it, and even though it was years old the edges still held a black charred look. The cloak prevented anyone seeing more of the scar, but the slight limp in his left leg hinted the damage continued at least that far. "No it isn't, the others and I were hoping that with your new position things could start moving at a quicker pace." The glance Krane sent to the last empty cavity pushed his point.
"I do have a plan. It will take some time to contact all our followers and get them on board, but once it's in place it won't take long before the completion of all our work will be in our grasp. Don't worry I will not allow another generation to pass without results."
"You talk like this plan is full proof. Which at my age I have never seen be the result."
A look that could chill the heart of the most battle worn veteran formed in the midnight blue of Wallace's still working eye. "If there's one thing I know about Ivy Beltrum, it's that she cares too much about others, no matter how much she pretends not to."
Ivy took a shower scrubbing her hair several times. After Wendy showed her the guild locker rooms with a few stalls, the small girl left saying she had to restock the infirmary. As Ivy was getting dressed a busty blonde walked in with very little of her clothes still in place.
"That stupid pink haired idiot; it was a simple job in town, no risk of anything happening and he still manages to cause a problem and destroy my clothes!" The blonde continued to rant as she swung open her locker, not noticing that she wasn't alone. "If I wasn't completely in love with that moron…." At this moment she finally noticed Ivy drying her hair sitting in only her sports bras and pants held up by suspenders with boots unbuckled. "Um can we pretend you didn't hear that last part?"
"I heard nothing and I don't know who you're talking about anyway?"
"If you spend more than a day here you'll know who I'm talking about soon enough." With a huff the blonde began to pull off her damaged items, throwing them in the trash before grabbing the extra cloths she kept here for these occasions. "I'm Lucy, are you the girl Laxus knocked out?"
Ivy shifted in her seat as she continued to towel her massive amount of hair. "Yup, does everyone know about that? And it's Ivy."
"By this time, yes; Mira knows how to gossip, usually in an attempt to form couples; she has a weird fascination with babies. The woman also has multiple betting sheets on different things in the guild, like who will date who or who will start the next big brawl." The look of horror on Ivy's face had her stopping with a laugh. "Don't look so scared. Everyone knows not to really take anything Mira says to heart, even though she usually gets her way because she's a master at manipulation." Every few words where emphasized with the aggressive way the blonde was pulling on her clothes. "I came back here instead of going home so Wendy could heal me, but it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. What do you think?"
Ivy was having trouble keeping up with the blondes quick irritated chatter, and had to take a second to figure out she had been talking about a large scratch on the back of her thigh. "That shouldn't take too long to heal, but you need to at least wash it out with disinfectants."
"That's what I thought. Whoa, how do you have the patience to braid all of that hair?" Lucy just then looking at Ivy for the second time after she had walked in. Ivy had been finishing her smaller side braids when Lucy's question had her turning her head back to the blonde.
"Did you see my hair when you walked in? If I didn't do this I'd end up ripping it all out." Along with a large French braid in the middle of her head, two more braids were wrapped around the sides. All the hair that was wasn't already up, except for a couple curls left around her ears, was then pulled up with the braids into a high pony tail that was thicker than her wrist.
Once finished she dropped the suspenders off her shoulders and pulled on a t-shirt, then bent to buckle her boots. "Well it was nice to meet you Lucy, but Laxus told me he knew someone who could fix my sound pods so I got to go. Would it be okay for me to leave my pack in here?"
"Sure I think that ones free." Pointing to a door not far down from hers, a smirk curled around the blonde's mouth as she watched the taller woman slip back into the suspenders before pushing her pack into the unused locker. "So Laxus is taking you somewhere? Is it like a date? I would hope you wouldn't wear that on a date."
The blonde's smooth words brought Ivy's head whipping around face red and scowling. "It's not a date, and if you start that rumor everyone's going to know you're in love with a moron. And there's nothing wrong with my clothes."
Lucy's face soon matched Ivy's in color; only the sly smirk still covered her face. "Well you're going to fit in just fine. There isn't anything wrong with your clothes, as long as it's not a date. Have fun with Laxus." With one last big smile and a wink Lucy left the flustered woman in the locker room.
Laxus watched as Lucy walked across the guild to talk to Wendy, Natsu at her heals. They had come in from an easy job, but Lucy had looked like a lawn mower had gotten a hold of her clothes. The three headed back to the infirmary as Bickslow caught his attention.
"Holy fuck boss man, that's the chick you ran into?" Bickslow had finally rolled out of bed less than an hour ago, having not only drunk at the guild the night before; he had also ended up at another bar then someone's bed. Ever had to catch him up to speed with what was happening. Laxus was sick of repeating himself. Now Bicks sat with them trying to figure out the woman's back story based on what little they knew.
Looking toward the hall that went to the girl's locker room he saw Ivy walk out and look around with a slightly pink face. Even with the worn clothes several sizes too big the woman could still turn heads, but from the way she acted she had no clue. Laxus raised his hand to get her attention, when she noticed him and started in his direction he turned to Bickslow. "Yeah that's her; remember not to pry or do anything that might make her run."
"Would trying to get her to sleep with me count?" Bickslow's usual crazy grin was shot in Laxus' direction as Evers fan hit the top of his head.
"Yes, that would count." The growl and dark glare that followed threw Bickslow off. Normally Laxus didn't care who he hit on or slept with as long as it didn't interfere with a job, and having his leader snap at him about it forced the smile off his face.
"Thanks for waiting. I ran into Lucy and we started talking." Ivy shifted on her feet sensing the tense atmosphere.
Bickslow felt a slight shock jump up his spine that had been sent by his blond leader; causing him to relax and slip a smile back on his face. "Cheerleader does know how to do that. Did you talk about anything good, cute boy's maybe?"
Ivy's face that had finally returned to its normal tan flushed pink again. "No, and I wouldn't tell you if we did."
Bickslow's grin only grew, "Ah feisty girl I like it, the name's Bickslow left hand of the boss man; Freed's his right and Evergreen sits on his shoulder hitting us whenever we piss her off." As if on cue Evers fan once again smacked him in the face.
"Ignore him he's an idiot, but feel free to hit him if he bugs you. Welcome to Fairy Tail." Evergreen extended her hand to the staring woman.
"Uh thanks I think. You must be Evergreen?" Ivy came to the conclusion that everyone in this guild was insane as she shook the other woman's hand.
"Let's go; the music shop won't stay open all night." Laxus pushed away from the table, having a need to get away from his teammates.
"Have fun!" Bickslow's loud call had Ivy walking quickly to the door with Laxus following behind.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the two. Laxus never really tried to make small talk with anyone he wasn't already on familiar terms with, even the women he had usually slept with needed very little conversation, and Ivy was unsure of how to act or what to say. Stupid Lucy! Putting that idea in my head, this is not a date! The silence finally broke when they started to cross a bridge over the canal. Ivy couldn't resist hopping up onto the ledge, looking for any normalcy to calm her nerves.
"You're going to fall." Laxus watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her arms weren't even out to balance herself; instead they had been slipped through her suspenders resting her forearms against the straps.
"That would suck; I'm guessing that's not the cleanest." Ivy glanced down at the running water before doing a spinning jump landing next to Laxus, finishing the turn and easily falling back in step. Feeling more relaxed she started looking at the shops they passed.
Laxus watched her head swing around, noticing it was the first time he could walk his normal pace next to a woman. It was nice not having to constantly monitor his step size.
As they started to close in on their destination Ivy noticed a book store. Swerving away from Laxus her mind latched on to the new destination. It was only the large man grabbing onto her Y strap and stopping her mid stride that kept her from disappearing into the stacks behind the glass.
"Did you forget where we were going?" Laxus rested his hand in the middle of her back pushing her toward the music shop, two doors away.
Ivy's face heated as she gave him a shy smile stepping forward away from his touch. "No I'm just used to going where I want when I want."
"Sounds nice."
"It can be." Ivy's smile fell slightly at the words as she continued through the door Laxus had nudged her to.
The chime that announced their entrance caught the attention of a short lean man behind the counter who held up a finger then pointed to the lacrima phone in his hand.
"Do you have your pods?" Ivy pulled the broken set out of her pocket, and placed them in his palm noticing how large his hands where. "Look around, when Tim's off the phone I'll talk to him, I can probably get a cheaper deal."
Ivy had already begun to walk away as he finished his sentence pulled into the rows of music. Her excitement seemed to grow as she hopped between sections, pulling out records only to put them back when something else caught her eye.
Laxus chuckled as he watched her dart around the store. For someone as tall as she was and wearing large combat boots she moved with a gracefulness that was almost unnatural.
Approaching the counter he watched as Tim hung-up the phone without a goodbye. The old rocker had been running the store since before Laxus had his lacrima implanted. As a kid he had spent hours here learning about music from the tattooed gruff man, and when he was a surly teenager the older man had listened while he bitched about everything. Knowing that nothing he said would've help, having been an angry youth himself, and putting trust in that Laxus would figure it out eventually.
"What does your ugly ass want? Don't you already own every record you could ever need?" The gapped tooth grin and warm eyes that always greeted Laxus helped him feel more at ease. This was his home away from home just as much as the guild.
"Not shopping this time, was wondering how long it might take to get these fixed." As he placed the pods on the counter he tapped three fingers against it while giving a slight nod to the woman absorbed in the records.
"Well with how busy I am it'll take at least three days." Picking up the pods and turning with a subtle wink. "Speaking of which I'm going to close early tonight, that storm blew the sound system out in the old movie house. I've also been getting a lot of calls from folks who had their home systems blown too. I'll probably have to close the shop for a few days just to keep up."
Ivy halted her search as his words reached her. Shut down a festival and destroy sound systems, aren't you a nuisance.
"Is a few days okay with you?" Laxus' question pulled her from her growing shame.
"That's fine I don't have anywhere to be." With a dismissive wave of her hand she went back to her search.
"If you find any you want to listen to the player's in that corner." Another raise of her hand was the only reply the old man got. "So who is she? You've never brought a chick in here before, and I've heard about the type of player you are."
It wasn't as if the statement wasn't true, but Laxus still looked away with a grunt. "I broke her pods when…" He stopped as the first notes of Bad Moon Rising started playing over the stores speakers.
Ivy loved music and as she set the needle on the record she couldn't stop the sway that started in her hips. To her music was movement, she could never just sit and listen to a song. She would learn the words, the feel of every note, and the rise and fall of the pitches that sent her body into motion.
Before the hammer had come to her and changing her life along with her body she had been a dancer. On her way to someday becoming one of the top performers in Caelum she knew ballet and tap, with a partner she could dance a decent swing, and modern and contemporary spoke to her free spirit. It was why she loved her sound pods and walking along empty roads or city streets, it was where she let lose; free of the hurt and worry that were always at the corners of her mind.
Bad Moon Rising took her back to dancing with her mother in their living room; jumping on and off the furniture as they belted the words. So when she started to slide her feet and spin down the aisles continuing to look through the records it felt like the most natural thing; she even forgot that she had an audience.
Tim's raising browns and widening smile caused Laxus to look back across the store, just in time to see Ivy execute the perfect moonwalk before spinning around to stand in front of another row of music her feet and hips never stopping their sway. If he thought she was graceful walking it was nothing compared to her movements now. Even the odd jerks, slides, and kicks that had overtaken her feet had an easy control to them.
The hand that landed on his shoulder startled him from gawking at the woman. "I don't care where you found her; just make sure you keep her." The old man made his way through the store towards the woman, catching her attention and offering his hand.
It had been a long time since Ivy had danced with a partner, but the older man's sincere smile pulled her in as she placed her hand lightly in his. She soon realized the man still had life in him and he knew how to lead, spinning her as they performed an odd swing step that carried them around the store.
Laxus couldn't believe what he was seeing. The woman could be quiet and shy one minute and the next be seen dancing around a music store with a man closer to his grandfather in age. He decided that he liked this part of her, the one that had her laughing when there was a miss step and easily flowing into another move as if she hadn't stumbled. She even had Tim doing a couple spins. As the song ended she moved her right foot back into a curtsy while holding up an imaginary skirt, Tim bowing in return.
"I don't think I've ever danced with a woman as skilled as you. When I get done fixing your pods you can come in and transfer as much music as you want to them." Tim began to walk back around his counter looking for his tool kit, slightly out of breath.
"Thank you but I really can't afford that." Just like a light switch she once again became unsure, shifting on her feet.
"Nonsense, you dance with me a couple more times and I'll consider the music covered. Now stop being so nervous, someone who can dance with the confidence you just did should be able to hold that power all the time. Now get out of here I have to get to that movie house." Tim waved them off as he thudded his kit onto the counter.
Ivy stood straighter as his words struck her, the sound of her mother's voice in her head. "Confidence is power. Never let anyone take it from you. Now stop hunching your back. Who cares if you're the tallest girl on the stage, you can move circles around the rest."
Laxus noticed as they began the walk back that she stood taller, and a light that wasn't there before seemed to glow in her eyes. "I can't help but wonder how you can dance in those boots." Her laugh echoed down the street bringing a smile to his face.
"They're almost five years old, so I've loosened the leather and made them mold to my feet. I honestly don't know what I would do if I had to buy new ones." She kicked a rock down the street as she extended her leg to show him the worn boot. "Thanks for taking me there and not just because you're getting my pods fixed."
Laxus rubbed his neck looking away from the tall woman. "No problem, I'm glad we went. I liked watching you dance."
The last part was said so quietly that Ivy almost missed it, almost. The spark that she had snuffed out earlier popped back to life. When she tried to once again imagine black, midnight blue, and pain; she had a harder time bringing it to her mind. Leaving that small spark to continue burning softly; where a cold broken emptiness had once made its home.
If you have never listened to Bad Moon Rising By Creedence Clearwater Revival then you should go do that (no, really, you need to it's so good). I was debating between this song and Renegade By Styx, in the end the lyrics of Bad Moon stuck with me more for this story.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, or even read a little piece of this.
I got a review that showed up in my email but it's hasn't appeared on this site that says I write Gajeel and Levy cute (they said it as a good thing). When I think of these characters I always imagine that they are that couple who can be sitting around just talking and their friends will come up to them saying they need to stop being adorable, and then they'll look confused because they're not even touching each other.
MoonbeamMadness- Bickslow gets hit by Ever constantly I see them as having a very sibling relationship. As for the hammer you'll just have to wait and see, don't worry you wont have to wait too long.
-P.P.V
