Lucy was fuming.
She had given her five coins, and all Cana had said, in a voice that was trying to stifle back laughter, was "There will be a lot of blue coming up in your life"!?
What kind of card reading was that supposed to be? Heck, she walked underneath a blue sky every freaking day! Of course there would be a lot of blue in her life!
She glared at Cana, who was laughing her head off as she gulped down more alcohol. "Y-You're so gullible!" she said, banging the table gleefully. "Do you really think people like us would be honest with you?"
She had a point.
Lucy had never interacted with anyone other than servants in her castle, and she had no idea how to deal with people who were not of royalty. And for that, she blamed her father. It must have been his ultimate plan to make it so painfully obvious that she was a princess, so commoners could tell who she is no matter where she goes.
"Then...you know who I am?" Lucy asked, her heart sinking in dismay. It was her first time out, and already her plan was busted. She was really hopeless. How could she go back and face Natsu now? She was his only key to freedom, and yet she had ruined it...
"Stop looking so sad," Cana comforted, putting one hand on Lucy's shoulder. "You're wearing a cloak. It's bound to draw attention. But don't worry, Virgo, I won't tell anyone your secret. Fairy Tail mages never betray their friends."
She grinned, but Lucy didn't smile back. Instead, she was on the verge of tears at the thought that she had failed. Lucy sniffed, and remembering her wine, downed the rest of her glass. It made her head spin, but she felt slightly better. And braver.
"My name isn't Virgo. It's Lucy," she admitted. She was glad she had met someone like Cana, and not someone evil who wanted her for their own selfish reasons. It was the only thought that made her feel slightly better, as she lowered her hood to reveal the blond hair underneath before quickly covering it again. Cana deserved to know the truth, now that she had guessed who Lucy is.
Cana gapped at her with her mouth dropped open. If Lucy wasn't in such a dire situation, she would have laughed at how comical she looked. "Lucy? As in...the princess?"
"What? I thought you knew!" Lucy accused.
"No...I just thought you were acting strange. I never would have expected to be speaking with the princess of all people! What happened to your guards? And that father of yours? What are you doing here, talking to me?"
Cana's endless questions were making Lucy's head spin, but she was certain of one thing. She would be able to trust Cana. And, besides, it would be good to have a girl to talk to for once in her lifetime.
"I never wanted them," she answered truthfully. "I hate it - the guards, my father, watching over my every move and deciding my future for me. It's frustrating."
Cana looked thoughtful. "Well, that's not what I expected from a typical princess. So that's why you're here? To escape from everything?"
Lucy contemplated telling Cana everything. Then again, she didn't think she would believe her, especially after her comment on dragons earlier. "I...I'm searching for someone."
It wasn't exactly a lie.
"And this someone can help you run away?" Cana asked, wagging her eyebrow at her. "Is he your secret lover, Princess?"
It was Lucy's turn to gawk. "N-No!" she denied, blushing furiously at what she was suggesting. "I'm just trying to help a friend."
"If you say so," Cana mused, not entirely convinced. After all, which princess would dare leave the comfort of her castle to help a mere friend?
"Really," Lucy insisted. "Do you know anything? I'm looking for a mage who can build cages that prevents one from using magic."
Cana closed her eyes, deep in thought. "Hmm. Now that you mention it, there is someone who might fit the bill. Would you like to come to the guild and speak to him?"
Lucy's eyes sparkled with excitement. To think she was actually getting somewhere on her search! "Yes, I would love to come!" she glanced outside, and to her disappointment saw that the sky was darkening. "But it's getting late, and my father would be furious if he found out..."
"Ah, right. I forgot about that," Cana muttered, frowning. "How about tomorrow? We can meet up in the morning, and I'll take you to him." She held out her hand for Lucy.
"Sure!" she accepted, shaking Cana's hand with a smile. "I'll be off now!"
Humming happily to herself, she waved to Cana and left the bar. She was in such a cheerful mood that she didn't think anything, even her stupid wedding, could ruin her day now.
But she was wrong.
She had just turned a corner when something, no, rather, someone, caused her to trip and fall onto the ground.
Lucy yelped in surprise and threw out her hands to steady herself. In the process, she accidentally let go of her pouch, and she gasped when someone's hand snatched it away from right from under her nose.
"Wait right there, you thief!" she called, trying to run after them. But whoever it was moved too fast, and soon had disappeared around the corner. Lucy tried to follow, but when she stopped at the end of the street, he was already gone.
Of course they wouldn't wait for her.
She sank to her knees, staring at the empty street ahead of her. Without the map, she was now lost, and she didn't have any money left either. Whatever was she going to do? It was just her luck to get lost when it was already getting late, and soon she wouldn't even have the sun to guide her.
"I'm such a failure," she groaned, touching her scrapped knees gingerly. She pushed herself up again and forced her tired legs to keep moving, knowing that she would have to find a more populated street to ask for directions.
She felt as though she had been walking in circles for ages, until at last she heard loud voices up ahead. Quickening her pace, she noticed a short girl in a simple pale orange dress and her two larger companions huddling together a short while away.
"Excuse me!" she called out.
The girl turned at Lucy's voice. Lucy saw with surprise that her hair was a shade of blue. "Yes?"
"Do you know how to get to the castle?" Lucy asked politely.
"The castle? Why would you want to go there?" the girl couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice.
Lucy paused. She had to be more on guard this time. "I...I live near there," she said.
"Oh! Well, if you turn right at the corner across the street, over there, you'll be able to see it!" the girl said cheerfully, pointing in the direction she was speaking of. "Actually, I have a question of my own, too. You probably don't know, seeing that you're new, but...have you seen a boy with pink hair around here?"
Lucy certainly didn't know many pink-haired boys. The closest was Loke, though now the she thought about it, his hair was a lot more orange. She shook her head.
The girl's shoulders fell. "I was hoping he'd be here," she murmured.
"Aww, don't be upset, Levy-chan! I'm sure we'll find Natsu soon!" One of the boys tried to console her by putting an arm around her shoulder, but the girl named Levy danced out of his reach.
Lucy froze at the boy's innocent comment. She tried to keep her appearance normal, but she couldn't hide the shock in her eyes at the mention of his name. She coughed to cover her initial surprise and hoped it wasn't too obvious. "Anyway...Thank you for the directions. I'll get going now!"
Levy must have noticed the flicker of recognition in her eyes. "Are you sure you haven't seen him?" she pressed.
"I wish I could help. But I'm sorry. I don't know him," Lucy whispered, trying to convince herself as much as the other girl that it was impossible. Because there was no way her dragon Natsu could really be a boy, could he?
Natsu was probably a pretty common name...Then again, she hadn't known any Natsu's before meeting him.
She left quickly before the girl could ask her anything else, her mind whirling with the information she had gotten from her. It was clear that Natsu's friends would come looking for him, whether he was a dragon or not. But for some reason, she didn't want them to find him.
She knew she was being selfish, but she hated the idea of being left alone, once again, with no one to talk to.
A/n: Holy Mavis, 9 reviews for chapter 4 ;;w;; I'm all fired up! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, you're all so sweet and amazing :D
eep, some of you guessed right! ;) but you all have such good ideas~ this chapter is shorter, but the plot is moving forward dundundun I'm thinking the story will have 10-15 chapters at most? :3 but reviews might inspire me to write more ;) hinthint
and to clarify, Cana is in a local bar that's different from the actual guild. She likes to hang out there because they have stronger wine XD
don't forget to leave a review! Or Natsu will roar at you 8D