Little Request
"What is the job you picked?" Mirajane asked Lucy. "Well, I found this one that would help some worried parents. They are wanting someone to find their lost child," Lucy explained smiling warmly as she pulled out the squared folded request from her short shorts' small side pocket. Natsu grabbed the request from Lucy's light grip, and his dark eyes widened while a white-toothed grin spread on his face willingly and slowly. He glanced at Lucy from over the top of the paper, "Luce…. this award is only 100 jewel." Happy yelped in surprise, "What!?" He turned a flip in the air, and then continued. "The whole team wouldn't be able to go, but if they did…." Happy tried to count on his paws the divided sums. Lucy finished for him, "It would leave each of us with 20 jewel to work with," she said back. 'But, why would you do this, Lucy?' thought Natsu toward her while she lazily stood beside the bar stools. He was confused, and it showed. Lucy smiled at the three who stared at her in wonderment. "So, you wanna go or not?!" Lucy suddenly snapped at her two colleagues. Natsu grinned and replied enthusiastically, "Yeah, count me in!" "Happy too!" said the exceed feeling left out from the two. The trio said goodbye to Mirajane and ventured toward Erza whom looked as if she was still bossing, erhem…. I mean talking to the other people. "Hey! Erza, we have a mission now!" called Natsu waving happily. "What is it?" demanded Erza turning her head from the cowering Jet and Droy. Lucy tenderly handed her the request she reclaimed from Natsu. Erza's eyes started to sparkle with delight and she told them, "Yes! I will come." Natsu and Lucy traded glances of bafflement. They then asked the ice mage Gray who answered no. But, as the three passed by Wendy and Carla at the square eating tables, Wendy held them up. The small girl tugged at Lucy's shirt and asked her with innocent eyes, "Can I go on your job with you?" "Why, sure!" Lucy answered her cheerfully. Wendy looked content and told Carla, "Let's go pack!" "But, Wendy…." Carla replied, but Wendy was already making her way out of the guild towards the girls' quarters. "Hmph!" Carla sighed and flew in Wendy's wake. "Yesh!" said Happy smiling to himself with his cheeks in dimples; his paws were in front of his mouth muffling his voice's sound. Then, Happy looked concerned. "But, now the reward is…. ugh," he slurred, failing at the math again. "It's not really dividable…." replied Lucy shrugging, but she sighed very softly. Nobody heard it but Natsu. 'Oh, so she does still care about the money,' thought Natsu, chuckling inside of his mind. He patted the disgruntled Lucy on the back and said, "Let's meet here tomorrow then!" "Okay," replied Lucy smiling a sweet smile with her eyes, and she was happy he was there.
Lucy took a warm shower when she got home and put her hair up in a white, fluffy, and comfortable towel. She wrapped her body's frame in the matching towel tightly. "Awwwwe!" she sighed as she walked out of the bathroom toward her bedroom. She dressed in some light blue patterned pjs and lay down; Lucy discovered that Natsu was nowhere to be seen, neither Happy. 'That jokin' cat!' And, she fell asleep. During the night whilst it rained lightly outside pattering on the rooftops, Lucy had wavy dreams of the deep, dark ocean with worried and befuddled thoughts swimming around frantically within, for the present in the dreams, her cracked mind. When she awoke she knew she had dreamt, but she couldn't remember what she had dreamt of. She slowly arose from her bedside, and wrapped her arms tightly around herself while shivering. 'If only Natsu were here to hold me!' she reminisced thinking warmly. "What?!" she yelled out loud, distressed. "Bad! Bad! B-A-D!" she screamed. 'But, maybe not….' said her mind so softly that she barely heard her feelings of affection towards him. She soon felt soft warmth again and settled down not knowing how but not caring so. She got ready for the trip. Then, Lucy summoned Plue, hugged him, and set forth with the white Canis Minor by her side shakily walking on the walk to the guild.
The gang was waiting for Lucy at the guildhall, all except for the knight, Erza. Carla stood beside Wendy with a cute outfit on her of a white dress with pink buttons on the top and the skirt part being the same shade of pink.