Erza had stomped all the way from the hotel to the docks. It's a difficult feat to be convincingly angry while also getting horrendously lost, but Erza managed. Fati and Lucy walked behind her uncomfortably, mostly just giving each other looks.
Erza stopped so suddenly at the docks that Lucy slammed into her back. She sputtered in shock, grabbing her head in pain. Slamming into her armor hurt like hell.
"So?" Erza said loudly, getting their attention. "Where's our ship?"
"It's over here, ma'am!" Fati answered, pointing, back straight and voice solid like the well-trained official that she is. Without a word, Erza began walking again, towards the ship that Fati pointed at. Fati grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled her forward. She didn't know what would happen to her should she get left behind, and didn't want to find out.
The ship wasn't anything spectacular, which makes sense, considering it was going to be used as bait. It was definitely large, but the paint was peeling from the side. The boat's creaking was audible from the dock.
A gangway was already set from the boat's deck. Erza's anger seemed to dissipate with every step she took onto the ship, seeing her plan come to fruition. By the time she ascended the bridge, a wide smile split her face.
Fati gave Lucy an incredulous look, as if saying, "Is this girl for real?"
Lucy replied by tightening her lips and raising her brows high on her head, "Yeah, this happens a lot."
Erza gasped in awe. "It's so pretty!" She beamed. She was staring out onto the horizon, watching the way that the sunlight glittered off of the water. Well, it's better than her being angry.
Typically, a ship of this size would require a large crew to man it. However, Fati explained that finding a crew in under a day would be near impossible, even in a city as large as Calla. It was made especially hard because of the fact that the boat was almost certainly going to be put into danger. Fati went through a short description of the rigging, as the trio would be the only ones manning the ship. Lucy could barely follow through all of the different names Fati listed and pointed at across the entire deck. Hell, she could barely remember what port and starboard meant! To save herself some work, Lucy called upon her spirits.
In a flash, Loke arrived on his own power. She then called Virgo. Lucy assumed (for some strange reason) that Virgo would have a lot of experience with ropes and rigging.
"Oh, that's cheating!" Erza called from the helm. She held the wheel at ten and two, slowly spinning the rudders to get them out of the dock.
"It's not cheating!" Lucy huffed. She looked around for a moment. "Wait, where's Fati?"
"She went below deck to activate the lacrima."
"This ship is powered by magic? Then why are there masts for the sails? And the rigging?"
Erza turned to look at Lucy with sharp eyes. "Were you not listening?"
Lucy flushed. "Not entirely."
"Yes, it is powered by a lacrima. If the lacrima fails for any reason, then the sails are a second resort." Erza sighed. "Really, you need to listen when people talk. I think you're picking up bad habits from Natsu. That boy can't sit still and listen for his life! Don't be like him."
"Ugh! Don't compare me to Natsu." Lucy scoffed. "He's my friend, but that doesn't make him any less stupid."
The two felt the entire ship shudder as the lacrima flickered to life. The previously near-useless turning of the wheel was now actually pulling the boat from shore. Erza grunted as the effort required to spin the wheel tripled within a split second.
"Hard to starboard!" Erza yelled in glee, pressing the wheel as hard right as she could. The ship groaned, literally tilting as the rudders suddenly shifted. Lucy and her spirits watched as Fati sprinted, yelling, from the cabin to stop Erza. Lucy could distantly hear Fati saying to treat her gently, she's old, at the prow. She chuckled, becoming a little excited for the mission ahead. She sat with her back to one of the masts at the stern. Loke and Virgo leaned against the railing, watching the waves roll. It didn't take long for Fati to join Lucy.
She slumped against the mast with a great sigh. "I swear that woman is insane."
"Maybe not insane, just passionate." Lucy said, seeing the light in Erza's eyes at the opportunity to drive a large vessel.
"Some say those are the same thing."
"Who says that?"
Fati paused, trying to think of an answer. She laughed instead. "Got me there, I guess!" They laughed together before falling into random conversation.
At some point, their conversation slowly ended in preference for peacefully enjoying the sway of the boat and the free feeling of sea travel. Lucy closed her eyes, seeing orange through her eyelids due to the strength of the sun. Both girls sat there, chilled by the salty breeze, as Erza (alongside navigational commands by Fati) guided them out into the ocean.