Lucy Heartfilia did not care for all that, she decided, watching as a dark haired mage crooked a finger in her direction. She swiftly turned on her heel and entered the largest magic store in Hargeon, mentally tallying the funds she had stolen from the manor before her rapid departure several months earlier. She had taken enough Jewels to keep herself afloat for quite a long time, a dip in the pot that would likely be noticed immediately by her undoubtedly enraged father. Still, she was careful to note each expense, choosing the cheapest inns and fares so the money would stretch far longer, until she could find work as a wizard. However, before she could find work, she had a clear goal: get stronger.
Lucy's mother had always told her daughter that she had the potential to become a very powerful wizard, despite the apparent weakness of celestial summoning magic. To honor her mother's memory, and prove herself capable and independent, Lucy intended to train her body and her magic until she was a force to be reckoned with. She had spent long enough as a pretty bauble to be bought and sold; her new incarnation as truant and runaway would give birth to the next version of herself, the powerful Lucy. Her spirits were all on board with her decision, offering support and advice for how to proceed. Even Aquarius had seemed less judgmental when she had expressed consternation and pride. The water spirit didn't understand why Lucy hadn't run away to train years earlier, but she was reluctantly proud of her master for finally seeking out her dreams.
Lucy wandered through the magic store, spending an hour selecting a new, sturdier belt that boasted charms to make it more durable and magically size-altering. It was an expensive purchase, but the leather of her current belt was frayed and weak. The last thing she needed was for it to break and send her keys scattering in all different directions, especially during a fight.
Thankfully, the store had a large selection of magically outfitted clothing. It was the first magic store she had been in with such a huge selection, making her glad she had waited to purchase training gear. Lucy methodically tried on and rejected different outfits before finally settling on one that suited her needs. It was some of the most expensive items she had tried on, but she needed clothing that was strong and flexible enough for training and fighting. And, despite the utility of the cheaper items, she also wanted something that was cute.
Flipping through Sorcery Weekly, she had noticed that each powerful mage featured in the magazine had a certain look. How they dressed was as much a part of their image as their power. If Lucy wanted to become a powerful wizard, she needed to carefully cultivate her image. The first step: a cute outfit. For now, however, she just needed something good to train in. Which was a relief, since she had no idea how she wanted her image to look; once she decided on something and began taking jobs and becoming more well known, it would be very difficult to change. She needed to decide carefully.
After carefully picking through all of the racks of clothing, Lucy selected a black leather vest that zipped up the front, armored along the neckline with dark studs. The vest ended at midriff, right above her belly button. Hanging low around her hips were black leather combat pants that cut off at mid-shin. Black, ankle high boots stood firmly on metal-toed grooved soles. She threw a long white jacket, the hood trimmed in thick fur, over herself, trying to alleviate the dark image of the leather combat gear. She looked determined, almost… lethal. And damn good, she decided to herself. Determined, lethal, and damned good were her only criteria. She stripped quickly and placed her chosen clothes over one arm before turning her mind to her main objective.
Approaching the front desk, staffed by an old man that genially cleaned a glass case, Lucy smiled. "Hello, sir," she greeted politely, "I was wondering if you have any celestial spirit keys?"
The man smiled back at her and pointed to the bottom, velvet lined shelf of the glass case. Lucy kneeled to inspect the store's merchandise, hand casually brushing the keys hooked on her belt. What do you think? She mentally questioned. While training by herself the last few months, Lucy had discovered that when in physical contact with a key, she could hear the spirit's voice in her mind. Had she not discovered that utility, the loneliness she felt would be a lot keener. Thankfully, she could talk to her spirits mentally, without expending any magic power and draining herself.
A gold key! That's Pisces, bebe, Cancer exclaimed.
The fish, Aquarius scoffed as Lucy's fingers brushed over her key. Useful enough, I guess. The silver keys there are Nikora, a minor constellation, and Vulpecula. Do you need anything else or can I go back to doing something useful or enjoyable?
Lucy rolled her eyes at her strongest spirit and stood. "I'll take them all," she told the shopkeeper, quickly making her purchases before leaving to return to her inn. Earlier in her journeys, she had bought the Libra zodiac key, adding to her collection inherited from her mother. Mentally tallying how many more keys she needed to complete her set, she walked outside the shop and then stared in astonishment. She had spent maybe two hours in the shop, at most, and the harbor was on fire.
A giant cruise liner sunk beneath the water, and women cried happily along the pier. A boy with pink hair belched fire loudly. Lucy scrunched her nose and walked to her inn. While the boy was clearly a wizard, she had no interest in meeting anyone until she had a firmer grip on her magic. She wanted to impress other wizards, not be seen as some useless, pretty girl with useless, pretty keys.
Lucy clenched her firsts and entered her rented room, throwing her shopping bag on the bed. She would become strong and powerful! There was no other option but success.
She showered and got ready for the night, slipping into soft pajamas with a large H monogrammed on the pocket. A remnant from her past. She picked at the stitching, wondering what her father was thinking at that moment. Did he care?
Yes, she decided, letting her hands fall onto the bathroom counter. He had just signed her away to that foreign prince of a small country to the north. He would want her back as soon as possible, just to ship her away.
Turning her thoughts from what would undoubtedly upset her, Lucy hardened herself. Don't think about Dad, she admonished. Focus on getting stronger. Worrying can come later. Growing up in the Konzern had made her good at compartmentalizing her emotions. When her father had turned her away again and again, she had learned to box her sadness and shelve it for later. Soon, her shelves were cluttered with boxes that she either rarely or never opened.
Amber eyes blinked tiredly. Tomorrow she would leave Hargeon and travel deep into the forest where she planned to spend a good, long time training with the spirits she already had. Then, she would begin her journey to collect the rest of the zodiac keys, completing her set. She already had Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, Pisces, and Libra. She needed the other seven to truly achieve her goal of fulfilling her mother's prediction. She would not stop training and searching, not until her power reached a ceiling and all twelve keys were in her possession. Her determination remembered, Lucy breathed deeply, stretching the taut muscles of her stomach.
Over the last three months she had trained her body each morning, doing a series of exercises meant to tone and strengthen her muscles. Her body was lithe and strong, the best shape she had ever been in in her life. The next big step was continuing to train herself physically while also adding more magic into the mix. She had been slowly practicing with her magic, summoning spirits and closing gates until she could do it as quickly as lightning. She could now summon her spirits by just brushing her fingers over the right key and calling out mentally. But those exercises required very little magic, although it had taken intense discipline to get to that point. She felt that it was time to begin growing her magic, rather than simply refining it as she had been. And that meant she needed to go somewhere far away to train, so no other wizards would sense the magic energy she burned and come investigate, and so she could focus on just her training.
Lucy wanted to avoid meeting other wizards for as long as possible. Eventually, she planned on joining a guild, but for now her only goal was focusing on strengthening herself. Other wizards would be useful later, when she needed a sparring partner. She didn't need any distractions before then.
Feeling better, she left the bathroom and slid beneath scratchy blankets. Sleep took her before her eyes were fully shut.