Everyone is so kind! Thank you for the response the first chapter received. I definitely wasn't expecting it, haha.
It was six in the evening, they had been walking for (Lucy checked her watch) over thirty-seven minutes now, and Wendy still refused to tell her where she was taking her.
They had followed the canal system near their house, walking on the ledge of the water and assuring the nearby fisherman that they would do their best not to fall in. From Strawberry Street, they made a turn or two until they hit Main Street. They crossed the bridge over the canal and made their way toward the edge of the city. Lucy idly wondered what was down there. After all, she had yet to explore that side of town.
It was when they arrived at their destination, signaled by a silent Wendy's pointed finger, that Lucy gaped in utter shock. Of all the things she expected, this was something her thoughts hadn't come close to.
Fairy Tail.
Before we continue, let us share the significance of the establishment.
Fairy Tail was a bar, simply put. It was a place to kick your feet up, take a sip or two of scotch, and just relax. Everyone, rumor had it, was kind, helpful, the type of people you would want to call friends. Nakama, Lucy told herself. It was a word Wendy had spoken of many times. There was no truer friendship than the one you shared with your loved ones, blood-related or not. Everyone was family.
It was a dream to someone like Lucy, to someone who had grown up the way she did.
What made Fairy Tail unique was its clientele. You see, it was an exclusive bar which only served to its members. Members with a streak of destruction in their bones. In almost every issue of Magnolia Times, there was an article about Fairy Tail and their members' acts of mischief and trouble-making. Small skirmishes that went out of hand occurred in almost every cranny of Magnolia, according to Wendy, who simply shook her head with defeat. Wendy had lived here a lot longer than Lucy and was probably used to the chaos the group caused.
Never did it occur to Lucy that Wendy herself might be a member of Fairy Tail. After all, it was hardly a subject that came up. Fairy Tail was nothing but a source of entertainment or exasperation, depending on the type of person you were.
For that reason, many derided Fairy Tail for its antics, often going up to the mayor in an attempt to ask them to quiet down and act like normal human beings, while others yearned to join the infamous club, hoping to get in on the excitement and thrill of a life full of freedom and no regrets.
To Lucy, it didn't suit Wendy's character. The 19 year old was meek, shy, and polite to a fault. She didn't seem like the type to pick fights with anyone. Actually, Lucy mused, she seemed like the type to run away from them. Maybe she was wrong.
Wendy nudged her older sister with her elbow. "Nee-san, let's go."
And with that, Wendy dragged her to the front of the bar, pushed the door open, and let Lucy take in the sights and sounds of the mysterious and oh-so-wonderful Fairy Tail.
There was only one thought that came to mind.
The place was a fucking mess.
Shouts and screams filled the air. There was a fist fight between a pink-haired man and a black-haired pierced man in the middle of the bar with a crowd surrounding them, urging them and cheering for them with yelled laughter. A scarlet-haired woman suddenly moved her way into the circle and in an instant, everyone went silent.
Lucy watched on as Wendy regarded the scene with faint amusement.
"You despicable fiends! How dare you!" She grabbed the pink-haired by his collar and swung her fist into his jaw before grinning. "HOW DARE YOU START THE PARTY WITHOUT ME!"
The bar exploded with fervent cheering and praises to God for the existence of strawberry cake.
"It's the only way to get Erza in a good mood," Wendy explained.
Lucy nodded mechanically.
Chairs were flying around, tables were visibly cracked here and there, bar stools were held in rough hands above their heads, and everyone seemed intent on murdering everyone else. Trash laid upon the barren, wooden floor, and the bar itself was full of half-drunk glasses of wine and beer.
It was a drunken fight to surpass all drunken fights.
Lucy gaped for the second time that day.
"Ah, Wendy! What a surprise! I haven't seen you come in for quite a while now."
Lucy's eyes widened. It was Mirajane Strauss, the famous model that was always on the cover of Magnolia Weekly, the city's most read magazine. Not only was she absolutely gorgeous, but she was said to be the sweetheart of Magnolia. Lucy agreed.
Lucy gulped when Mirajane and turned to her. "And who might you be?"
Wendy beamed. "This is my nee-san, Lucy Heartfilia."
Mirajane immediately brightened, a loving smile on her face. "Lucy! I've heard so much about you. Come, would you like a drink?"
Wendy spoke up for her before she could utter a single syllable. "She'll take a glass of your best merlot, Mirajane.
"Of course! Please follow me."
And so she did, Wendy at her side, who giggled at her older sister's expression. It was one that she would later wished she had taken a picture of. It would be a nice memory to hold onto. For her, at least.
Lucy too wished she had brought her camera or at least her phone with which to take a video of her little sister.
She really was quite entertaining when she was half-drunk.
"Tell me again!" Wendy demanded. "What exactly did they say?"
Lucy sighed and repeated the statement for the third time. "They said it still needed some work and that they couldn't accept it."
That was all that was needed to send Wendy in full-on wrath mode. "Seriously, Lucy-san?! Are they demented or something? How can they not recognize a work so beautifully written? And the plot! It was absolutely fantastic! I fell in love when I read it. What the hell is wrong with those people?!"
And so, Wendy went on a spiel of analyzing the most critical and most emotional parts of Lucy's novel, noting every small detail from memory and raving excitedly about it, while she intermitted harsh insults toward the publisher. Lucy listened attentively, smiling at her number one supporter.
When she first came to Magnolia, Lucy had been immediately lost from her very first step off the train. She had left the Heartfilia Estate in a rush of adrenaline and had not thought out even a scrap of a plan. She asked the train conductor for directions to the nearest library in an effort to learn more about her new home and ended up finding a friend in little Wendy Marvell.
Wendy was in her freshman year of college at Fiore University, studying to become a nurse. To Lucy's surprise and relief, Wendy had a magical ability to fix almost any ailment one should acquire. Combined with her extreme need to help the people around her, she was practically perfect for the person she wanted to become.
The two connected over their love for reading and their situations. Wendy had been an orphan since birth, even though she swore she remembered her mother. A woman with beautiful blue hair, just a shade lighter than hers, and crystal silver eyes. Every other feature was blurred to the girl, but Wendy clung onto every detail she had. Lucy, on the other hand, was a run away, the cause of her father's verbal abuse and forceful indifference to her wants and needs. The two sympathized with one another and quickly became friends in the short time they spent together in the library.
Needless to say, Wendy ended up taking down the roommate-wanted ad she put up in the newspaper and Lucy was all moved in by a week or so. And so, they both lived happily ever after on little ol' Strawberry Street.
It had been a few months since then and the two were the best of friends, so close that they had become inseparable, just like sisters. They even went as far as to call each other as such. Lucy couldn't be happier. She had found someone she could call hers and she finally had a place she could call home.
"—u-san? Lucy-san!" Wendy crossed her arms with a small glare. "Are you paying attention?! This is crucial! Aquarius and Scorpio's love is the pivotal point to the war between the mages and the dark guild. If they're separated, the Stellar mage won't be able to summon them and—"
Lucy cut her off with a sad laugh. "I think I know my own story, Wendy."
Mirajane swooped down toward the two girls. "Care for a refill, ladies?"
"YES." Wendy slammed her glass down on the bar and kept her eyes fixated on the bottle of merlot the older woman held in her hands.
Mirajane chuckled. "Don't you think you've had enough, dear?"
Wendy shook her head. "No. I'm very very very upset. Nee-san has been through too much today and I'm determined to forget all about it by the morning. I don't want to see nee-san's sad face in my head ever again." Wendy nodded her head vehemently. "Let's do this, Lucy-san!"
Lucy grinned. Although she was usually her cute, polite little self, Wendy had a vivacious streak only she could muster at the right time. "Alright then. Mirajane, fill us up!"
Mirajane stared at the two before an indulgent smile graced her lips. "Why not? What's the worst that could happen?"
Refills were immediately made.
Mirajane blinked. "Oh, dear. I suppose this isn't quite good." She whistled innocently and left the girls to their own selves, forgetting to take the wine with her.
Lucy was bawling her eyes out, slamming a fist on the table over and over again, while Wendy screamed indescribedly about a novel.
"THIS ISN'T FAIR, NEE-SAN! WHAT RIGHT TO THOSE PEOPLE HAVE TO CALL YOUR STORY STUPID?" Wendy downed the merlot in one gulp.
Lucy looked up with a tear-stricken face. "NOT STUPID. UNWORTHY!"
"HOW DARE THEY MAKE MY NEE-SAN CRY! IMA GO UP TO THEM AND SHOW THEM A MOVE THAT WILL—"She hiccupped here. "—BLOW THEIR MINDS!"
Lucy looked up with hope shining in her eyes. "Dragon Slayer?"
Wendy held her glass high in the air before standing on top of the bar stool and taking a deep breath. "ROAR OF THE SKY DRAGON!" And she blew out every bit of air in her lungs in a great, big whoosh.
Unfortunately, her energy was spent in the Sky Dragon's (from Lucy's novel) signature move and her eyes started blinking sleepily. "Nee-san… I—" She lost consciousness and started toppling forward.
Lucy panicked. "WENDY!"
Lucy caught the girl and set her gently on the stool, but she didn't realize that Wendy her dropped her wine in the process, shattering the glass and spilling the drink all over the floor. Being said, Lucy slipped and started falling backward. She did nothing, her body heavy and sluggish with all that she had drunk, and simply waited for her head to make contact with the hard ground.
She never expected someone to catch her in their arms and keep her balanced.
"Sorry to startle you, but I can't have you hurting your pretty little head, can I?"
The voice was deep, smooth, and oh-so-soothing.
The man spun her around until she was facing him, still in his arms with her hands pressed against his chest.
The man's features swirled before her eyes in her drunken haze and Lucy said the first words that came to her mouth, words that she would later regret.
"You're hot."
Some of you will wonder why Wendy is OOC. Here is my reasoning: Not only is Wendy grown up, but she's been in Fairy Tail for quite a while now. I wouldn't be surprised if some of that influence seeped out now that she's matured.
Also, it's fun to see a different side of characters. Livens things up a bit, you know?