Weeks turned into months. Two months after Lucy's induction into the company, she was sipping on a latte in the swanky café as Capricorn read through a small pink notebook with a flower on the front. It was a comical scene, an intense investigative lawyer perusing a notebook meant for a fourth-grade girl. But fourth-grade girls didn't right down the names and transactions of local bars, pubs, and dives with the Heartfilia and Cobeson companies.
Capricorn pointed at a particular spot on the page, humming. "So my information was correct: Don's pub is the only untouched business in the entire Hargeon area."
Lucy nodded over her foam. "Yep, and he's written a lot of angry letters to both my father and Alyssa on why he doesn't want any part of their business. But there isn't really a clear reason. It's not because of the over-concentrated liquor, that's for sure. He already sells plenty of the stuff."
Capricorn nodded pensively. "I see. That's very strange, Miss Lucy. Is there any way we can obtain copies of these letters?"
Lucy shook her head. "Nope. Jacob's in charge of that account, so he won't let me anywhere near them. He's still suspicious." Which was infuriating for Lucy; she'd been walking on eggshells for more almost three months now.
"Very well, don't worry about it then. You should see if you can steal that account from him, since it's our key player in this scheme. I'm sure Jude will give it to you, since it is doubtful the Cobeson boy has made any progress with Don. He has unshakable trust in you."
"For some reason," Lucy laughed. She had been going through private files, copying down illegal transactions, and memorizing every word Alyssa Cobeson and her father's phone calls in her quest to topple the Heartfilia name. It was a sweet betrayal her father would never see coming.
As Capricorn kept reading, Lucy stirred her latte in thought. "Capricorn, can I ask you something?" The man looked up from the notebook expectantly. "You keep mentioning information you receive from this mysterious informant. He obviously knows about my father and the pub pretty well…" Lucy could see he knew what she was hinting at. She had theorized about it for weeks; there was no other person that knew how to operate in the pub and had so much background of working with her father and his partner.
Capricorn let out a breath. "You are as astute as ever, Miss Lucy. And I'm sorry I kept it from you. But yes, the Salamander is my informant, as you put it." Lucy's heart stopped; having her suspicions and having them confirmed were two different things. "So he's out? Libra pulled through?" Lucy couldn't keep the excitement from her voice.
Capricorn's smile faltered. "Not yet, Miss Lucy. She is still pulling strings to get him out as quietly as possible. I believe you would have heard about it from your side of things, as well, had he been released." Lucy nodded, crestfallen yet understanding. He was right; she would've heard the minute Natsu had been out. "But I have met with him a few times to ask him questions that I needed answered."
Lucy ignored the prick of betrayal she felt at that information. "Why you? He'd be much more likely to tell me more information; I doubt he trusts you as much—"
"You are right, he does not trust me. But he knows that I know you, and it keeps him cooperative. I do not dare send you, for many reasons. One, you cannot be seen there; it will compromise all of the progress you have made with your father. Two, your Salamander is not as you knew him."
"What does that mean?" Lucy asked lowly. She wouldn't be stopped from seeing Natsu anymore, especially not by an ally.
"As soon as I heard of his arrest, I contacted Libra to keep an eye on him. So she did, in the only way a prison warden could. He became her guard dog, in a sense, keeping other prisoners in line when they caused a riot. He's done nothing but fight for over a year now. He hasn't spoken much, according to her, and getting him to open up was impossible without dropping your name. But I'm worried for what he will do when he sees you again. However he was when you first met him, that may be where you are starting again."
Lucy sat completely still. She remembered how Natsu had been ready to leave her in the street all by herself, compared to how they were inseparable up until his arrest. There was no way she would have to start over.
"I want to meet with him, Capricorn." It was not a request, and Capricorn seemed to understand this. He didn't answer immediately, however, and Lucy felt her blood boil. "Capricorn."
"Very well, Miss Lucy. Next time you have a break in your schedule, we will go visit your Salamander. But I have warned you." He snapped the notebook closed and stood. Lucy followed, feeling only slightly bad she forced his hand. But she was his partner in this, not another pawn or informant. And she had been kept from Natsu for far too long.
"Thank you, Capricorn."