Chapter 2: Getting Cozy
"We will be arriving at Fernatica in a few moments," came the peppy voice over the intercom. Gajeel groaned from his spot on the floor, hunched over the on-board toilet.
"Finally," he huffed, pulling himself to his feet. Levy's iron had served as a decent distraction, filling his stomach and keeping his mind off of the unnatural tug of the moving train, and when it finally stopped for a brief period upon passing the border into the Principality of Veronica, he was even able to catch some sleep. However, barely an hour had passed before he awoke with a start, jumping up to run to the restroom before emptying his stomach once again. Realization that sleep wasn't going to be returning any time soon convinced him to simply spend the remaining half hour in the small room. He had just gotten through with another one of his wonderful sessions of introducing the contents of his stomach to his porcelain friend when the relieving message sounded through the train.
He opened the door, stumbling out with shaking legs. This motion-sickness is such a pain in the ass, he thought, making his way back to the enclosed booth to retrieve his comrades. As he approached, his eyes fell on Pantherlily. His eyes sagged with sleep, but he appeared to be awake, nonetheless.
Then his eyes turned to Levy, the blue-haired mage laying, curled up in a ball, pressed against the back of the booth. Her hair had partially escaped the confinement of her headband in her sleep, and was now messily sprawled about. A thin, orange blanket lay loosely atop the Script Mage, making it possible for Gajeel to just barely see the rhythmic movement of her breathing beneath. With his naturally perceptive hearing, he listened to the captivating lull of her breathing. Gajeel was stunned. Something about the scene made every thought in his mind halt to a screeching stop. With a fascinated stare, a single word remained ever clear in his mind.
Cute."Eh-hem," the cough freed him of his trance, his head snapping back toward the Exceed. His small arms crossed, an eye brow raised as an amused grin grew to envelop his face.
"You were staring."
"No, I wasn't," he denied bluntly.
"Liar," Lily accused.
"Shaddup."
"So you admit it?"
"Like hell!" The Iron Dragon Slayer clenched his teeth. He couldn't understand why his cat seemed so determined to catch him paying attention to the bookworm. What was it he was trying to get at?
"Then what exactly was it that you were doing?" The Exceed questioned, his tone deceivingly inquisitional.
"I was going to wake 'er up," Gajeel smirked, arrogance returning with his honest excuse.
"You planning on doing that by staring at her?" The smile on Lily's face only grew.
"I wasn't starin' at her!" he growled, growing irritable.
"I don't believe you understand the semantics of 'staring.'"
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
"Exactly."
The man growled, irritated with his cat's ridiculous words and unable to come up with a decent retort.
"You like her."
The accusation caught him off guard, setting his cheeks aflame, but the determinedly stubborn Dragon Slayer maintained a scowl. "Now you're starting to sound like that damned Salamander's cat."
"I'm merely stating an observation," he countered, "Although, I'm glad you didn't deny it, for once."
Gajeel visibly flinched, immediately answering with a roar, "I don't 'like' her!"
Their focus shifted as a grumble erupted from the girl in question. After sharing a look, the two turned and watched as she slowly sat up. The blanket sagged to her lap, and the headband completely detached itself from her disheveled hair. An anomalous frown had formed on her lips, and after a brief bout of rubbing her yes, she turned a rather bitter glare toward the taller male.
"Why are you yelling...?" she groaned. She leaned into her hand, pressing against the side of her face in an effort to keep from falling back asleep.
The taller mage gulped. "I... uh... we're almost there," he answered awkwardly, resulting in an amused eye-roll from the Exceed.
This elicited yet another churlish groan from the girl. With one, sluggish motion, she removed the blanket and rose to her feet, stretching into the walkway. Gajeel quickly backed into the empty booth across the aisle, realizing she was prepared to walk right into him should he remain in her way. She made her way to the adjacent booth where she had placed her items before falling asleep. Reaching into the front pouch, she pulled out a new set of clothing, pausing to stifle a yawn. Once she had the items bundled into a messy, yet compact pile, she made her way to the restroom without another word.
"She doesn't appear to be much of a morning person," Lily stated, puzzlement embedded in his features.
"I've seen worse," Gajeel shrugged.
"So have I. I see it almost every morning." The Exceed chuckled, dodging a joking blow from his partner.
"Ah, shut it." The two joked a little longer as they gathered their things together, preparing to exit the train. Within a few minutes, Levy came out of the bathroom to join them. Although her replies were short and frequently interrupted by a yawn, she lacked the same grumpiness that had infected her tone when she had first awoken. Gajeel attempted to poke fun at the shorter mage, pointing out her personality change in comparison to her usual cheer. When he received a fuming glare and a rather gruesome threat, he backed off in shock, and Pantherlily rolled with laughter. The reaction appeared to improve her mood, if just by the smallest amount. As the tension of the tired mage lifted, they finished packing their things, and prepared for their stop.
"Woooow..." The chorus of amazement sounded as the group gazed upon the suite, dropping their bags by the door. A short hallway led into a large, decorous parlor. Every square inch held the same, inviting sense of sophistication and authority. The furniture consisted of varieties of intricate designs made from only the finest of materials. A large lacrimavision lay mounted on the wall opposite of the sleek, charcoal sofa. This room divided into the kitchen with the barrier of a marble bar accommodating an assortment of aged wines. This wrapped around to entrap the corner of the kitchen area, molding into the various appliances that surrounded the large dining room table.
Pantherlily hopped off of Gajeel's shoulder, releasing his wings and flying forward to examine the furthest room lining the right wall. His comrades followed silently, still awestruck with their current surroundings. When they opened the door, their amazement only intensified. The luxurious features of the master bedroom captured their gaze. A beautiful dresser adorned the furthest wall, carved with intricate floral designs and topped with a grand, framed mirror. Various pieces of artwork illustrating cliché forms of scenery sat on every wall, the largest centered above the mattress. The jet-black, poofy comforter was covered in a heap of pillows, each case in some form of black and white pattern. Adjacent to the door that lead back to the hallway was stood yet another doorway. Lily lead the group in as they took turns admiring the sizable bathroom. A plethora of scented soaps and salts lay available for use, stationed on the sink across from the shower. On the opposite side, the smaller room connected to the other bedroom, only slightly less extravagant in comparison to its predecessor. As the group slowly made their way back around to the door.
"I can't believe they were willing to let us stay here for free," Levy pondered, gathering her belongings.
"This town appears to have a significant amount of respect for mages," Lily observed, following suit.
"Probably just eager to have someone finally take the books outta their hands. Seems like they've had an increase of bandits since the damned place was discovered," Gajeel noted, recalling the seemingly unreasonable number of guards they discovered the moment they stepped off of the train. He continued with a snort, "not that I'm complaining or anything."
"Still, it was incredibly generous of them to offer up their best suite for us to use while we're here. It's almost like a paid vacation," Levy countered, grinning at the thought.
"Oi, don't go getting all cozy and forget the real reason we're here," Gajeel warned.
Levy rolled her eyes, but ignored the comment otherwise. "So, who's rooming where?"
"I can sleep on the couch," Lily proposed.
"You sure you don't mind?"
"Not at all," he smiled, "I'm much more comfortable with the smaller space than most."
"Alright, Gajeel, which room do you want?"
"Tch, I don't care," he scoffed, "Take your pick. Both are a hell of a lot more fancy than anything I've ever slept in."
Levy hummed in thought, eyeing her two options. After a brief moment of contemplation, she answered, "You can have the main bedroom since the bed is a bit larger."
"Fine by me."
With that, the group began unpacking and distributing their belongings, making themselves better acquainted with their temporary home. As soon as they were settled in, Gajeel began making his way to the door. "Ready to check out this cave?"
"Tonight?" Levy questioned, appalled. "It's already dark out. Don't you think it'd be better to wait until tomorrow?"
"It's barely 6 o'clock, we got plenty of time!"
"I agree with Levy," Pantherlily interjected. "It'd be wise to wait until it's light outside and we've had time to adjust."
"What the hell are ya talking about? We've had plenty a' time to adjust. I'm ready to take on whatever bastard that gets in our way, so why don't-"
"Settle down," Lily interrupted the Dragon Slayer just as he began to crack his knuckles. "I know you're eager, but not all of us are as headstrong and dying to get in a fight. Why don't you just appreciate the little bit of time off and relax?"
Gajeel scoffed at the advice, unenthused with the concept of remaining idle for the rest of the night. However, he didn't argue, and instead turned to the kitchen. "Fine. What kinda food they got in this place?"
Levy walked the few steps into the kitchen area, and hummed in thought for a moment as she opened the refrigerator. "They have fruits, wine, and hard liquor, but other than that, we're on our own." She huffed, closing the door. "Looks like we'll have to stop by the store downsta-what are you doing?!"
The Script Mage was stopped short in her speech as the Dragon Slayer opened a nearby drawer and took a large bite of one of the available spoons provided by the hotel. "What?" he grumbled, chewing on the silverware. "They can afford to give away a load of booze and a free suite, they won't miss a few utensils." He took another bite, finishing up his spoon and grabbing another before moving to sit on the sofa beside Pantherlily.
The bluenette let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head before grabbing an apple and a glass of water. She made her way to the couch, sitting by Gajeel as he turned on the Lacrimavision. The group enjoyed the remainder of the evening in each other's company, watching stupid shows and chatting casually. A few hours passed this way before, one by one, they moved to their designated sleeping arrangements and left the night to a dream-filled slumber.
Neko-chan: With luck, I'll be able to move on to the first big plot point within the next chapter. For now, I thank you all for your patience!