Downstairs and Dead
Chapter Ten
The Upperstairs Crash
Mik tried once more to kick her out of the kitchen and away from the murder victim, but Lucy refused to budge. Giving up, they all waited in the quiet kitchen. Even the sister had stopped crying to wait.
Lucy felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. Reminding herself of her own words to Laxus the previous week: Never say never. Rational.
He's the one who killed her.
Wasn't working.
...downstairs. While you were dancing.
It was obvious to Lucy that none of the women would answer her questions. Especially not with Mik's stern presence in the room. She took the time to, though it horrified her, look over the body. She had the time. It would take awhile for the Guard to arrive and for Laxus to finish his search.
So she looked. Much as she didn't want to. She looked.
The tourniquet was typical of the other murders, and the body was posed. Her arms and legs broken so often and in such ways that they could be – and were – braided, tied off with a wide blue ribbon, which Lucy could see matches for in the hair of several other women in the house over the last days. Matching the rich blue of the family crest. The terrifyingly beautiful blue of the girl's lips.
With the uniform skirt pulled down, Lucy couldn't tell anything else, but she could admit to herself that she was too much of a coward to ask.
"Lucy?!" she started at her name spoken from such a familiar, though long unheard, voice.
She looked up, up, up, and smiled. "Lily. Hi." She reached out to touch the crisp, clean cuff of his coat. "I knew you were in the guard, but I didn't realize you would look so nice in the uniform."
He ignored her words and false pleasantries. "What are you doing here?"
"I... It's complicated. Can we talk about it after you care for this poor girl? Is Gajeel with you? Laxus is on the property, trying to hunt the killer."
"He is. He ran off the second we pulled up, saying..." the large exheed's eyes scanned the room, taking in the obvious hurt and fragility of their company, "stuff. Probably went after him."
"Probably so. Laxus will be ecstatic for the help." Lucy wanted to laugh, but couldn't make herself do it. Couldn't make herself lighten the mood. Shouldn't. Couldn't.
God, it hurt to breathe.
"Yeah, I bet. So, what happened here?" Lily turned so that he stood beside her, facing the scene.
She didn't state the obvious; she did lower her voice. "Laxus heard a scream, so we came from the dance. We found them all like this. Laxus said he smelled mint on the … on her, and nothing else, so he went searching for a match for the scent."
She didn't say that was all she knew. She didn't give him any further information. She listened as he questioned the others in the room. It was the oldest woman, the cook, who'd found her. She'd gone on break and then returned, and there she was, lying in the middle of the kitchen. No, she hadn't touched her. Why? Shocked. Too afraid. Obviously dead. Couldn't help. Yes, she was alone. No, she didn't know who could have done it.
"But what about the ghost she," Lucy pointed to the sister, "mentioned?"
And that's when the cook and Mik and all the surrounding girls stiffened. Lucy realized she shouldn't have singled out the sister. That would make her the focus of Mik's anger, and likely get her fired after any inquest was finished. And an inquest would be quick...
Well... maybe... The guards here were Lily and Gajeel, after all. They weren't very likely to take bribes or bow to a little aristocratic pressure. To simply give up. With a little work, this season might not just end with a serial killer caught, but with more than one family being reminded how important common lives were. And that that money didn't buy everything.
At least, she hoped not.
Several men and women in gear similar to Lily's, but deferring to him in rank, which was interesting considering the short period of time Lily had been in Council service, took pictures and recorded the statements from people her ex-guildmate had already questioned. They also meticulously cataloged every inch of the kitchen, including her own self, clothing, skin, saliva, hair, and magic trace.
Everyone upstairs already had that information on record.
Lucy still didn't mention Princess Hisui or their mission. She trusted Lily, and Gajeel, but she had told Laxus and the princess it was supposed to be a secret mission. And Laxus was her partner. She wasn't going to reveal anything without him present. And in private.
"Can you stay? For an hour or so after?"
The large cat was hesitant. His whiskers twitched, "We've gotta timeline to follow on a report like this."
"My," she said, "that's almost alarmingly rule abiding of... well, not of you, but... does he actually manage to follow timelines when he's taking off after people as soon as he reaches crime scenes?"
It seemed Lily couldn't help but chuckle at that, despite the fact that it was probably also something of an irritation. "That would be why he has a partner."
"I thought a combination of jealousy and neediness was why he had a partner."
"That, too." Lily studied her for a long moment. "You weren't surprised to see me."
"I didn't realize you were stationed in this region of the country," she explained, "but I knew you were in the Guard. Last I heard, you were farther east."
"Got moved here just last week, actually. Gajeel was hot about it, too. We were run off a big gang deal off the coast."
"Money," she sighed. It was always money.
"Oh, yes." Lily's expression was as close to hers as it was possible to get on a large feline face.
"I'd think this Council would be above that. It's the 10... well, 9 Wizard Saints!"
"At the top, yes, but under them? There are a lot of guys between the 4 Kings and us, and a lot of those guys'll take bribes. And probably run from threats, too. It's a shame. We almost had that group. We've got a four-day leave coming up in two weeks..."
"And Gajeel has plans for personal time at the south-eastern coast?"
"I wouldn't be surprised."
"Sounds like him. Rain or shine, sun or snow, always the beach bunny."
"You're the bunny, not me," came a deep voice from far too close behind her. She jumped and squeaked in surprise, glad that the rest of the guards and servants had cleared out by this point.
"You realize that it's your fault that... oh never mind." She turned to her partner, who stood behind and almost dwarfed the dark, iron dragon slayer. "Did you find anything?"
"Not a goddamn thing."
Which she could have guessed from the look on his face. She was expecting a little more explanation, however. "The scent is literally here and nowhere else on their land?"
"Exactly." He rubbed his hand through his hair, "I checked some of the house, too. Nothin'. Like the only place he was, was here."
Lucy pulled a silver key from her set. "Laxus? I say it's okay; you?"
"Yeah, go for it."
"Okay, Lily. This is what we know. Like the servants here said, she was one of four in the past four years at this house. What they don't know is that there were also four in the last four years at the Mason house, which we visited last week. Next week we will be at the Wilnlo residence, where they have had three murders in the last three years, and we are expecting a fourth. Then the Cartrights, who have had three. Followed by the Hardnoses and then Jaynee Adles's estate, where each has seen three murders in three years.
"Before you got here, there was a magic ward set around the place set to detect magecraft, but they must have deactivated it at some point, since it didn't react to your entry. You should probably ask about that. I don't know if the killer shut it down somehow, or if they turned it off in anticipation of your arrival, or if it's on and somehow recognizes and ignores Council Guard members."
"The last isn't likely," Laxus threw in.
"So you're on a job?" Lily asked, unnecessarily.
"Correct."
"For who?"
"That's confidential," she said before Laxus could answer, though he certainly didn't look like he was going to utter a single word. Letting her do most of the talking. She shouldn't be surprised. She wasn't surprised.
"Anything unusual about this one?" Gajeel asked her. Since he hadn't seen the body, she wasn't exactly sure what he meant.
"Ah? What do you..."
"Different from the other ones. The grunts showed me some of the stills when we were coming in. Fucked up, but I'm talkin' weird when put against the others."
"No. I don't think so."
Laxus grunted and moved a few steps forward so that he could join what had become an oddly close circle between the main kitchen counter and the large island. "She was younger than the rest. Not more than, what, fourteen?"
"Sister said she only recently turned fifteen," Lily answered, with a quick look at his notes.
Lucy looked up at Laxus, wanting to reach up, wanting to reach out, to all of them, to any of them. She didn't. Though, she realized that they'd all know. They'd all smell it on her. See it on her, even. But she still didn't. She stood her ground.
"That would make her the youngest, then. The rest were seventeen and older. I didn't even notice." Eyes down. Eyes up. Eyes down. Eyes up. "Was she..."
"Yes." All three of them. All three at once.
That was cruel. They didn't have to answer her like that.
"He not do that to all of them?" Gajeel asked. "What about the cloth around her neck, and her arms and legs being tied?"
"No pattern to the posing, and they're not always raped. No pattern to that, either." She lifted the key, "Open the Gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!"
The large cross appeared before and between them, hovering and more alert than usual.
"Miss Lucy."
"There was another death, Crux. Is there a difference of who is in the house now and who was in the house before she died. Before the ball began?"
"I don't have directly before the ball, Miss Lucy, because I was not active at that time. You had closed all of your gates to recuperate."
"I...oh no." She wilted, but before she could breakdown Laxus bumped her arm with his elbow.
"You had no choice. You were almost completely drained. Move on."
She swallowed, and looked up at her spirit.
Crux's eyes were wide. "I do have a reading from before that period, so that would be from closer to the festivities that followed your brunch."
"Okay, that's fine. If that's what you have, that's fine. Who is missing?"
"No one."
"Shit," Laxus hissed.
"Too easy," Lily shrugged.
Gajeel nodded, "Bastard hid himself like a fuckin' ghost. Shit, he'd have to be a fucking idiot to run off. He'd stand out."
"Fine. What about matching the men here now with those we already have on the list. Does that knock anyone off?"
"Yes, Miss Lucy. Both Lords Carmine chose to skip this event, making them no longer suspect. Randi was with his brothers this morning, but left before lunch and has yet to return."
"But this guy doesn't leave a trace," Laxus said, "he could have returned, done this and left again. I know we've been keeping up this list, Lucy, and I know you think he wants to show himself, but who's to say this person isn't just anyone coming in? Ama-"
"I know! I know. Sweet stars, you don't think I know? But then we have to suspect the entire world, Laxus. Proximity and consistent contact make the most sense, and it's all we have to go on." She was so close to a breakdown. Too close. "Old-man Crux, how is he doing this? What ways can he use to hide that are this thorough?"
While he searched, Lucy thought of something else.
"How long before we found her did she die?"
"Probably only minutes," Laxus answered. "There was still some warmth in her."
"And how long since he... since he started? You said at the beginning, it takes time and privacy to be that brutal. We were watching half of the men on our list..."
All four of them were remembering the girl's mangled limbs, and the… the rest. "An hour, at the very least. I'd say something closer to two."
"Then Duke Maybine is off the table."
"The letch?"
"The most recent one, yeah. Anyone you don't remember seeing? Two hours is a long time to disappear..."
Gajeel cleared his throat, looking away from all of them he said, "Wouldn't have t'be done all at once. He could've grabbed the girl, dragged her off somewhere private, secured her, and gone back to whatever it is he was suppos'ta be doin'. Then, he goes back and," he rolled his shoulders. "Doesn't even have to do much. Just a little. Maybe a few minutes. Goes, comes back, goes, comes back. I'd bet good cash folks are drinkin' good hard shit up there. No one's payin' too much attention to who comes an goes, 'sept you. Asshole cudda spent all day killin' her and taken all've two minutes to put her on display."
Her heart and stomach dropped because he was right. Gajeel was right, which made the suspect harder to pinpoint. Gajeel was right, which meant the victim suffered that much more. Gajeel was right and good god, she was going to throw up!
She barely made it out of the door and over the hedge before she lost the watered wine and hors d'oeuvres she'd picked at during the dancing. While she vomited, hands gathered her hair and rubbed her back.
"Sorry," Gajeel sounded sincerely upset to the point that she almost stopped puking to laugh in shocked surprise.
"Wasn't just you," she backed away from the hedge. Her legs were trembling, and she didn't fight the arm he placed around her waist, helping to hold her upright. "Wanted to ever since..."
"Don't blame you."
"Thank you for helping me."
"Lily said I should."
She rolled her eyes. The months away hadn't changed him one bit. Of course, she looked at him in that white uniform, that wasn't entirely true. Sure, like Laxus, he'd stayed with his partner, so that hadn't changed since Fairy Tail. Unlike Laxus, he didn't lose a grandfather or anything like that. He wasn't super close to many of the guild, not really, really close. Of all of them, one would think he'd be able to adjust to the outside world better than the rest...
But she remembered him calling for her on Tartarus, calling her name, stepping between her and danger, asking if she was safe. He said her name now, and there were hints of that still. That question. That cry. Are you safe?
No. He wasn't close to many of them. He sparred with Natsu a bit, and used her as a dancer.
The hand on her hip was tighter than it needed to be to keep her upright. She didn't complain.
Juvia, of course, had disappeared, but he could probably handle that. Lily. But he kept Lily with him...
"You spent much time with Levy?" she whispered, for his ears only. "Lily says you get leave time..."
"No!"
"Liar." Lucy stood up on tip-toe so that she could hiss into his shoulder, closer to his ear, "I have pictures of a certain blue-haired Council woman from a western division and a certain dragon slayer entering a certain inn in a certain town."
"You a stalker now?"
"Reporter," she huffed.
"Fancy-ass name for stalker," he sneered. "And anyway, you're an underwear model."
"Oh, Gajeel! I didn't know you were a fan."
"I'm not. Lev..."
"Mmm, what was that?"
"Fuck."
"I bet."
The two of them made it back to the kitchen, and Lucy rinsed her mouth out in the large sink before raiding the cold storage for lemon water.
"Lucy," Loke materialized behind her, a hand on her shoulder. "You told Char you would be at the party tonight. You asked Hologrim to remind you, but have been distracted. It starts in an hour."
Laxus was surprised, "What party? I thought we just left a party."
She shrugged, exhausted. "Another one of those sneaky contract-cause-and-effect events. They're secret, and only for the young and unwed. Everyone knows – since everyone was young and unmarried at some point – that they're going on somewhere, but the time and location are impromptu and unknown until a few hours before. Not every house has them. It's tonight, now, at the lake east of the gardens. You're invited."
"We're going?"
"I don't... I don't... we can see how the younger men behave, I guess. The rules are looser. Don't be surprised to see a few random folk show up."
"Like?"
She blushed, looking from him to Lily and Gajeel, and then the floor. "Ah. Um. Well. Sometimes the boys, the younger ones, show off by bringing prostitutes." Then she looked up at Laxus and smiled, "And entertainers."
"Seriously?" Gajeel laughed. Lily, too, seemed amused, if slightly horrified. Possibly at the thought of Lucy being around hookers, since he was looking at her with a lot of concern. But there were so many reasons to show her concern that it was hard to tell.
For Laxus, who had spent too much time with young aristocratic males, he wasn't surprised. It was like Lucy said right from the beginning, they liked to show off how big and rough they were. Even, or maybe especially if they weren't.
"Yes, well," she continued, blush driving away some of the pallor, "They're young and stupid and have lots of money. I feel sorry for the women who have to put up with them. Or would, if they weren't getting paid. And the smart ones pump 'em full of booze so that they have to deal with them even less."
"Cana'd do that sort of job, you know," Loke told the four of them. "Information gathering. Like how I got the Council addresses. Well, not quite the same way," he grinned, and Lucy rolled her eyes. "Not a whole lot. She likes to kick ass, much as the rest, but she could go ply guys, drink. They'd drink and drink. They'd get so drunk they'd say anything in the world-"
"Ghihihi, an' that chick can't get shitfaced."
"Only with Bacchus," Lucy agreed.
"She was already drunk," Lily argued.
She shrugged, "So was Bacchus."
"But his magic pretty much depends on him being drunk," Laxus said, "so Bacchus really doesn't count."
And then, in that second, they all shared the same exact memory. Cana, drunk off her ass. She knew they did. It was like she could feel the burning connection. She could feel it in her side, below her ribs, where Laxus was stamped. Her arm. Her back.
It hurt worse than any other pain she'd felt in the whole of her life.
"But yeah," Lucy panted, "A few prostitutes. A lot more booze. Louder music. Higher hem lines. It's a club in the woods."
"Then, we're going."
Lucy saw his expression, saw the automatic no there. He could tell that she didn't want to, and that meant it would be harder to convince him to go. Her skin was pale and she smelled sick. She imagined that if he had his way, she'd be upstairs, asleep.
But that wasn't the way the night was going.
"Loke. I need suitable clothing. Laxus, you'll be fine just removing the jacket and unbuttoning the top three or so buttons unless you want to change..."
"I'm fine. Like I give a shit about clothes."
"What about you two?" she looked at their nakama. "I can probably get Virgo to replicate the house guard uniform, and people will be so drunk that if you hide in the trees..."
"We needed to make our report," Lily apologized. "But you know where we are, now, so don't hesitate to call. And we'll be back and forth here checking on this case, so make sure to contact us with anything new."
Lily stood stiff for a moment before returning Lucy's spontaneous hug. "I always knew where to find you," she countered. "And I'll send a message if anything else happens, specifically for you two. Laxus and I'll be on the circuit. You can find us there or contact us through the princess if you discover anything of interest." No one mentioned that she just casually let slip their confidential client. They all knew she hadn't done it on accident. She smiled. It was small and soft, but a smile. "Or if you just want to chat."
"Likes to stick her nose in, doesn't she," Gajeel growled, and Lucy giggled a bit as she hugged him, too.
She whispered, "Tell her I said hello next time you meet up. And be more careful. I won't be there to throw any others off the scent."
The iron dragon slayer's furious blush was the best thing Lucy had seen in weeks. Maybe even months. That the man didn't grumble or bluster or make denials none of them would believe made it even better.
Laxus nodded his own goodbyes to the two of them, and then he and Lucy were once again alone. She felt... the only word she could come up with was forlorn,and that made her feel guilty when Laxus was still with her.
She wasn't alone.
0000
She made it to the room before she broke down. He … he started sooner. When they were still in the kitchen. When he was searching for the killer. When he knew he was failing. He broke down.
He broke down. By shutting off. Going blank. It made him useless to her and her pain. He watched as she knelt, half-sprawled, on the floor. Sobbing. And he felt nothing.
Not a single goddamn thing.
He had failed. Failed to protect. Failed to do the only thing he had charged himself with doing: Protect. And that girl had died because of it. Suffered because of it.
So he felt something. One thing. Self-loathing.
Loke appeared, two cups in-hand. "You two will be useless as you are now. Not that I don't understand, but you both have jobs to do." He sat in front of Lucy and put one of the cups next to her. "This is an upper. It is from the Spirit World, safe. No lasting damage, not addictive. It will last four hours. You won't forget, but it will allow you to distance yourself so you can go downstairs and do what needs doing."
He stood up and walked to Laxus, holding out the second cup. "This isn't the same drink. You wouldn't be yourself with an upper, but it has the same distancing properties, push the sorrow aside. And it will calm your mind." He lowered his voice. "She's going to have to... you know, you already know, and I know, and neither of us like it, but she's going to have to do things and behave in a way that neither of us like. And you can't react."
"I know that. I haven't."
"You haven't so far. But this is going to be worse. You heard her. This party isn't going to have the same rules. Their parents aren't going to be watching them. There are going to be prostitutes. What do you think that means for her?"
And there were his feelings. Mainly anger. A touch of fear. That all-encompassing need to protect, swamped by worthlessness.
"You'll need to watch over her, but not interfere unless necessary, all while trying to get your own information. I'm sure there will be a few women trying to get you to have a few private meetings in the woods, but they won't be able to force you. With Lucy," he looked at his master and Laxus was again flush with anger.
Goddamn.
"Take the drink. You have four hours. Get her back before the four hours are up, because I don't expect her to process the shock while under the spell of the drink."
He did as ordered. Loke was right.
It tasted, oddly enough, like weak tea and rose petals. Calming. Maybe. Yes. Calming. He was able to move. To crouch next to Lucy. To put an arm around her shoulders, and to help her drink the drink she was given.
"What does it taste like?" he asked. Honestly curious. The calm of his drink allowing for that curiosity to surface.
"Soda," she hiccuped, "lime, and blueberries. And it's a little metallic."
Laxus nodded as if that all made sense and helped her to her feet. "Go change. We've got less than an hour to get to this thing."
"It'll be okay if we're a little late," she exhaled stress. He watched most of the agony in her drain away. She almost looked like she did before. Before they'd heard anything about the murders.
Before their world had crumbled.
He waited for the shaky feeling of unhappiness that the thought should bring, and was slightly nauseated when he remained calm. He didn't like drugs.
"Go change, Lucy. I'll wait."
She went to the bathroom, taking her keys with her. He shrugged out of the jacket, having permission to do so, and decided to change shirts completely. He did the same with his shoes. If the party was taking place outside, it would be better to wear his more standard footwear than the nicer shoes he had for the ball.
Pants still worked, though.
It didn't take Lucy much more time to change than it took him. He had barely finished and sat down to wait when she came out of the bathroom, her face clean and free of tear stains or puffiness, and in clothes she apparently deemed suitable for their outing.
The top she wore was the yellow side of cream and the neckline drawn straight across her collarbone, with the hem falling below her hips. Despite the fact that it was fitted, and the fabric looked almost fluid, it was bizarrely conservative.
And she was wearing pants. Pants.
His confusion must have shown on his face because she laughed. Quiet a lot, actually. The drink was working. Well. Very well. Her eyes were almost glowing. And she turned.
To show him, to let him see that the collar, the whole shirt was held together by a chain with a heavy lock pendant pulling it to mid-back. Keeping that neckline straight. Just a few thin chains and that heavy lock and somehow it was all staying on. It displayed the whole expanse of her back, while shielding the more commonly displayed front.
Well. That made sense.
"And the pants?"
"Everyone there will be in skirts. They've been in skirts all their lives. Long skirts. Short, tight skirts. Lots of those. Sweet rebellion from the ballroom. I understand that completely. But I can do more." She grinned, "I know what I'm doing."
"Never said you didn't. Never even thought it."
0000
Loke wasn't even close to nailing down how not-good he was going to feel at the whole situation. He was seconds from killing a third of the men in this hellish den of immature rebellious bullshit. And those were just the ones touching her. He was being generous. Kind, even.
The place was deep into the woods in an unnatural clearing, magically covered. The clear, shining night sky augmented by only a few small lanterns, protecting privacy. Creating privacy.
Huge speakers were set up at four corners, forming a large dance area, with a generous open, self-serve bar off to one side.
Laxus chose the bar. Lucy chose to dance.
He very much wished they'd both chosen to go home. Wherever the fuck that was.
They'd swarmed her like worms to sweet fruit. Grabbing. Touching. Sliding over and around her.
She laughed. Talked. More than once, closed her eyes and dropped her head on the shoulder of her partner. Momentarily heavy with grief. The drink wasn't strong enough. He'd watch her muscles almost give out.
Movement is joy.
Not always.
The usual suspects enjoyed her company. The triad, as he'd come to think of them, and the older brother, whose name she'd said in surprise. The men she sat with at dinner, they danced with her here, as they'd danced with her earlier in the evening. But now, when they touched her, it was bolder. Now there was no inch of space between their bodies.
Everyone danced with her. Because she was right: Lots of cleavage, lots of knees and lower thighs. No open backs, but her. No fully outlined legs, but her. Even leaving out her magnetic personality, she stood out.
She stood out, and they flocked to her.
He was certain, he was sure she was certain, one of these men was a killer. A monster.
Touching her.
And it was what they wanted. For some reason. He couldn't quite put a finger on what that reason was.
"So," Richard, the calmest of the triad, sat next to him, "you enjoying yourself?"
"Lucy promised me good booze when I signed on," he shook the glass he was holding, the one with some kind of alcohol in it that he hadn't bothered to drink from, not that anyone else was sober enough to notice, "and that is no disappointment." He leaned back against the bar, "But I know I wouldn't want to put up with this my whole life. I don't even live with it, really, but for her sake, I've gotta play by the rules. Only a few weeks, and I'm ready to go mad."
"Price of wealth," Richard shrugged.
"I may not have the money, but I like my freedom. I know Lucy thought she'd give her dad's world a try again, but I can't believe she'd fucking stay. I get even more now why she hauled ass back then."
"Don't think too highly of us, do you?"
"Has shit to do with you as individuals. It's about the culture. Everyone has assholes in their families, and rebellious periods, and whatever, but the control that values the money over the child's well-being," the thought of his father, "that's fucked. That's fucked anywhere, and it happens to be the foundation of what I see here."
"The thought is that the money is the child's well-being."
Laxus snorted, "Bullshit. Bullshit, and you know it. Two weeks, and I've seen too many girls in 'what makes me (father) wealthier now' relationships versus 'what makes my daughter happy, safe, and secure in the future' relationships. Maybe these girls get married off for sons if those are the children you mean, but I still call bullshit."
Richard laughed, "You're smarter than you look."
"Lucy'd probably say I'd have to be."
"Probably. She's pretty smart, too."
"Tell me something she doesn't remind me of daily."
"Magna mentioned the body," Richard threw out from absolutely nowhere.
He froze. "Yeah."
"Surprised she's down here."
Laxus decided to take a risk, "She drugged herself."
"She what?!"
"She promised to come. Part of being a celestial mage is keeping promises. Granted, they're usually not so strict, at least not that I'm aware of, but Lucy's a step above. And, anyway, people'd ask questions if she didn't come... it was what she wanted to do, so she did."
"You couldn't have locked her in her room or something?"
"You know Lucy. That shit doesn't work. I don't like it, but she wants what she wants. And that's okay."
"Has she ever wanted you?"
Laxus looked at the small man. "You're asking if I've fucked her."
He nodded.
"Not for you... Magna?"
"Lots of people are curious. You travel together. Guild mates. Both, you know, good looking. No one would be surprised."
"Someone wants to ask her, but doesn't want to step on my territory," Laxus clarified.
"Something like that."
"Lucy's her own person," he barely managed to say. "She says yes? All good." Laxus leaned down, "But I hear of anyone pushing her when she's said no, and I will start mass castrations, got me? Nah. I've never had sex with her, but that doesn't mean I'll let someone take advantage." He looked around the clearing. "That applies to all the women here. I've got good ears. I'm here first and foremost for Lucy, but I won't just sit and ignore a man attempting that shit, got me?"
"Loud and clear."
"Good."
"You should really unclench, though, man. People here came to party, you know? They didn't come here to say no."
"Two hours ago I was looking at the mutilated body of a 15 year old girl. It'll be awhile before I unclench. Lucy came here to forget, not to say yes. She might not be the only one like that. My point remains unchanged."
Richard slid off the chair, clearly deciding there was more fun and less scary to be had elsewhere. He didn't even bother to say goodbye. Not that Laxus gave a shit.
With him gone, Laxus focused his full attention back on Lucy. She'd been isolated somewhat from the larger group of dancers, but wasn't concerned by it. Wasn't worried. But then, he wasn't entirely sure if the drink would keep proper reactions away from her. Would she feel frightened when she should feel frightened?
He should have asked more questions.
His fucking drink had calmed him down too fast. Thank goodness it was burning off fast, too.
Her own person, his ass. He should have tied her to the bed, locked the goddamn room down, and said fuck you to this entire thing.
Her expression said she was fine. He probably looked seconds from carnage. That might be enough to keep some of them at bay. Not enough of them, since it wasn't all of them.
He let his gaze sweep over the leisure areas.
Prostitutes. Lucy hadn't been kidding. There weren't all that many, but they were obvious, and the men with them flaunted the fact. It was a wonder the young ladies of station put up with any of the men at this place with the way they were acting.
After taking a few turns with Lucy and the wealthy girls on the floor, the triad (minus Richard, who was running his question-and-answer errands) had retired to play games with those women on the couches. Char and Magna were still clothed, but more than a few young men had loosened their belts, and his unfortunately – in this case – powerful senses of smell and hearing (and when his eyes happened to accidentally stray that direction at the wrong moment, sight) had caught a few still with their pants up crossing the line between playing and sex.
All of it was consensual (he was paying attention, much as he didn't want to), much of it was extremely sad (seriously, before they could even get their pants off... he wanted to go yell at those boys: work on your stamina, for real... one of these poor girls – or their younger sister, or their, god forbid, daughter – is going to have to get married to you some day...).
I mean, sure, you've got all that money, but have a little bit of pride, too.
He thought to pay attention to the sad ones, though. If any of those were still on their list, they might be worth considering. Shame, that sort of shame, might be a reason to kill and mutilate a woman... lots of women.
Back to Lucy. Dancing with Runnar. Really, really close. Hands where he didn't want to see hands.
He wanted nothing to do with that, so he turned his attention to the general clearing.
"Um, Laxus?"
Goddamn it.
"En." He hardened his mouth and let his eyelids go heavy. Drunk. He wanted to look drunk. Less approachable. Not in any mood to deal with Amilia Domino. What was a girl like her even doing in a place like this.
He looked down at her with her shifting posture. Her big eyes. Her short skirt and halter top, tied loosely at the neck. Heard how fast her heartbeat was. Saw how flushed her face.
Remembered in a terrible, horrific flash Lucy's story about guards and gardens and plans.
Shit.
"Um...I thought, it's a little loud here. Maybe I'd walk? But...maybe it's dark, you know? So maybe...maybe you'd walk with me?"
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Go for blunt. Just because you refuse, doesn't mean you'll lose her for information, and even if you do, it's fine, because no. Hell, no.
"No one's walking out there, Amilia. If the music's too loud, you should go back inside. I'm waiting to walk Lucy in, probably in about thirty minutes. If you want to hop on this stool next to me, I'll walk you in at the same time. I don't want you walking back alone. But just wandering around here? Nope. No can do. That's not what this place is for."
He thought she might press him, but a fight started near the leisure area, which caught his attention. Amilia's, too. Everyone's really. There was a lot of screaming, the triad was surrounding one of the prostitutes, who was standing on the back of a couch, holding onto Magna's head, and yelling at someone in the middle of a crowd. There was even more noise. Char with his face under a sparkly skirt. Some yelling about parents.
Lucy was pushing herself out of it, and carefully making her way through the mass of people now watching the fight to meet him at the bar.
"I think I want to go," was her simple statement. Her eyes, which had glowed after first drinking Loke's Celestial potion, were almost completely burned out. Dying lights. Nothing in this place worth reflecting. Not the stars, not the lanterns, not him.
He nodded.
"Amilia, you wanna walk back with us?"
The young woman huffed and walked away. Into the crowd Lucy had fought her way free of.
"Guess that's a no," he shrugged. "Come on. Let's go back. You okay to walk on your own?"
"Yeah, Laxus. It's fine. I'm good."
He lowered his voice as they broke the line of trees to exit the clearing, "It's okay if you're not good, Lucy. You know that, right?"
"Yes. Yes, I know. And, technically, I'm not. I know I'm not. But I'm no more not-good than you are, so leave it. We still have a job to do."
"You're right." He was going to touch her, to … to … to try and do something, but she was right. They had a job to do.
"I let Loke out. He'll watch the house. And Crux is back on. The ward, could you feel it? Covered that whole clearing, too. Everyone in that fight, just now, still on our list, has to be exempt from the ward not to flash on it."
"They were all in the hunting party," he said. "I recognized most of them. Are you sure you have enough energy to keep Crux-"
"I do. So that means everyone who was part of the hunting party was exempted from the fighting ward. Crux will put that with the list and see if that changes anything."
"Okay. Okay."
She stumbled over a root, and he put an arm around her shoulders. Neither of them said anything about it.
0000
She joined him in the bed after she finally finished in the bathroom. She had taken her time. It wasn't just soaking in the bathtub – though, she had done that – she had also used that time to mourn.
He hated listening to her cry from the other side of a locked door.
Whatever was in the drink Loke had given her had worn off, leaving her drained and empty. Dull-eyed. Weeks now they'd shared a bed, barely making contact, at least not until after they were asleep, but tonight he grabbed an arm as she slid under the sheets and pulled her to him. When she didn't resist, he carefully settled her head on his shoulder and put his hand on her hip.
"You're wearing underwear," she slurred at him, confusion and surprise warring with exhaustion for dominance in her expression.
"Didn't want to make you uncomfortable."
She pushed her nose into his skin, and it was cold still from the outside. "You wouldn't have. You can't."
He fought not to pull her tighter to him. Not to clutch her like the only anchor he had. Not to grab at her like she was something he couldn't let go of. Not to touch her like he owned her. He didn't want to frighten her. So he kept his grasp loose. Nothing too close. Just to remind her he was there. To remind himself that she was there.
"He messed up again," she told him, voice as blank as her eyes.
Considering the kill, he couldn't figure out how she came to that conclusion.
"The mint. Three years and not a single fleck of skin, now the crime scene smelled of mint. Three years using some sort of hiding magic, and this time it was imperfect. Three years of control, and suddenly he's sloppy."
"What's it mean?"
"Something changed. Could be small. Maybe his kid's angry at him, or he had a bad hand at gambling. Something big. His wife's cheating, he's facing bankruptcy. Something unexpected." She turned to him, "Us."
"What?"
"From what I can tell, these things haven't changed since I was 16. People get older, but it's the same story over and over again. We're the only odd addition."
"He knows why we're here?"
"Maybe. Or he just knows who we are. Our reputations. That we're two people not likely to put up with what he's doing, and we're willing and – to do something about it."
And able. The phrase was willing and able, but he didn't correct her.
"That change anything?"
"Yes. I think it solidifies our assumption that he's not one of the older, older ones." She rubbed her left hand over her stomach. When it brushed his arm, she clutched at it. "I think it's Runnar."
The man she'd just spent two hours dancing with. The man with his hand on her thigh. In her hair. On her cheeks.
Her body was trembling and sweating.
First instinct was to pull her closer, but then that might also call up an instinctual fear in her. Capture. Flight. He held his ground, stayed as he was.
"Is there something else?" he asked. "It's more than the mint, or you would have said sooner. It was something about..." he didn't say the word dance. He didn't talk about how he touched her.
She shook her head, "There was... could you smell mint on him?"
"No." Not that he had tried, but Laxus could very clearly smell the man on her, and there was no mint. Silk, cotton, alcohol, various foods, heavily of dogs – he must have several as a hunter – and gunpowder, and a cologne several other men chose to wear. He had smelled common. Ordinary. "If it wasn't just the scent, what was it?"
"His wife left him three years ago. They didn't divorce until recently, she was tired of the waiting for nothing to change, Char told me, but Runnar said that she took the kids and returned to her parents three years ago."
Laxus sucked in a huge gulp of air. Her head almost rolled off his shoulder. He lifted his hand to hold it, and curled his fingers in her hair. "Those are big things."
"Yes," she said. "Yes, they are."
He smelled her tears, but none fell to wet his skin.
"Before I left my father's house, he offered... he offered for me to elope with him. If I couldn't stomach marrying that man my father chose, we could... he offered to save and protect me. His family was just the slightest bit richer and more powerful, at that point in time. My father couldn't have retaliated directly. I would have been safe." She choked on a breath. "I told him no. I told him he shouldn't marry out of obligation, and neither would I. And then I... I went out and had my adventure. I met everyone. Met you. And now this."
It was she who pulled in closer. Who lifted her arms and turned fully into him. "They don't start out a serial killer. None of them start out killing. They do other things first." She absolutely stank. Despair. Guilt. And a man. A man who had very likely killed, and killed so many.
She shook. "When he was young, he was... he was like Natsu or Gray. Energetic, physical. He liked to run around, play. He got into fights, but it wasn't to hurt people. It was... He was the sort of person who was meant to be out, doing things. Getting dirty, breaking up mountains with bare hands and will. But he wasn't allowed. He was stuffed down into this little tiny place we're forced to be. Polite society. Our tight clothes and ridged rules. I know everyone and everywhere has laws. There are terrible parents and terrible lives, no matter how much money you have, but he...
"He got mean. Such a sweet boy got mean, but it was only mean like so many others, so no one cared. He was mean to servants. To common folk. People who didn't matter, in his eyes. So many men of station are; so many women. Caring, that is what is unusual, and he had cared before. When he wanted to be, there was no one in all the world more charming. I didn't see his meanness until I was fourteen, and he was so charming that I could actually forget it. I actually did forget it. Until tonight."
"With the prostitute."
"Yes."
"Lots of people look down on prostitutes," he offered. "And it was his brother. Concern for their reputation isn't-"
"You weren't close enough to see his face. His eyes. I won't deny other possibilities, but I think it's him."
Laxus grunted, "Alright." He thought for a moment, fingers still tangled in her hair. It occurred to him that she had already considered this possibility. That the killer was not just known to her, but close to her. The way she shook, but did not cry. The way she was hurt, but not surprised.
Was embarrassing that he hadn't figured that out sooner.
"Do we change our travel plans?" he asked. "Want me to jump us, or do we follow behind him? Or travel with him..."
The most painful choice; the most useful choice; the choice that might save lives.
"He asked me to sleep with him tonight, and I said no. If I suggested we travel together, it would seem weird. We could try following him., but how would we do that without being suspicious?" She shook her head, "I think we should stay to our plan and go ahead, like we did here."
He nodded, agreeing with whatever it was her decision had been, not especially sure, since he was sort of caught on that sleep with him part.
"Lucy... Are we sure no one knows you're in here with me?"
She looked up at him, her eyes large and confused. "Yes."
"I'm going to go check your room."
"You think... you think he... oh..."
"If he is what you say he is, fuck yes, I do. And not just that..." he was pulling on pants when he glanced over his shoulder. She was doing the same. He expected her to. "Stay here."
"No. I'll check my room. You check the kitchens. The servant's quarters."
"He only kills one a house! He's already killed one, Lucy; that's not the worry right now!"
"Yes it is, Laxus. He's spiraling. If what we both think is true, he could do anything. He's making mistakes. If he needs to hurt something, he's going to go after a servant. He doesn't hurt socialites," she muttered, pulling on the pants she'd been wearing an hour earlier.
He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "You're not a socialite anymore! If he's bitter and angry. If you told him no..."
"The girls he went after weren't mages. I am."
"Lucy, please." Fear cut at his insides because he knew she wouldn't listen. He knew she wouldn't stay in the room. She was a mage, a Fairy Tail mage, guild or no guild. She wouldn't be held back. God, it made him want to puke, the fear.
"No!" She pushed him off. "You go downstairs. I'll check here." She raised a silver key, "Plue! We're looking for mint. Okay?"
The shaking of her small carrot-nosed spirit helped him to see that she wasn't shaking anymore. Her jaw was set, and she was going to do what she was going to do.
"Shit. Shit." He buttoned his shirt as if it had insulted him. "Fine. Just be careful."
"Yeah. You, too."
0000
He found her in the storage room. On her stomach, naked. Arms broken, broken, broken. Broken, broken, and broken so many times it was a wonder he could recognize them as arms.
Broken so they looped over her shoulders to knot at the center of her bare back.
A small hole visible in the opening of the fingers. Like a lock.
Lucy. Holy god, he had to-
A tiny, ragged breath. A weak, fluttery heartbeat. If it could even be called a beat. This girl was alive. And she wouldn't be. Not if he left here for any number of seconds.
Shock and restricted airflow. She wouldn't be. He broke the spoon. Tore the underwear. Freed her airway, but she didn't even have the energy to gasp. He kept her on her stomach, careful when he touched her. Careful of those... those arms.
Her hair – her long, blond hair – still smelled faintly of mint. Bare back and fingers broken to look like a lock. There was no choice to make; though, his mind was a riot of panic at the possibilities his departure left his partner to face. Unwilling to waste time, he pulled the girl to him, and transported them to the guardhouse at the front gate.
"She needs a healer," he told the horrified guard. "Where can I find someone?"
"That's Maggie! What...what happened?!"
"I don't know. I found her like this, but that isn't the issue right now. She needs to get to a healer and she needs to get to a healer now. She'll die if we don't do something. Is there one in the house, or does she need to go to town?"
"There's one in the servant village. I can call-"
Laxus shook his head, "Too long. Hold on to me, I'll take us there."
0000X0000
Author's Note: This was a long chapter where lots of stuff happened.
I've had Gajeel and Lily written into the story since Gajeel and Lily appeared in uniform in the manga MONTHS ago. I'm excited to finally get this in there. Also, some action!
I've got a major conference coming up that I've got a lot of work to do on, which is why I've done what I can to get so many chapters out here in October because I can almost guarantee November is going to be a barren wasteland for Downstairs and Dead updates. But that's not to say that I don't know where I'm going or I haven't done some forward work on chapters.
Anyway! Thanks for reading. PLEASE take a moment to leave a review of some kind. Thank you. Thank you so much, as always, to those who do, and to those I have wonderful convos with. If I don't talk to you before then: Have a great November!