Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters: that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.
Monday, August 6th - Tea Time!
Just after ten am, the small group arrived outside Lucy's apartment. They were all met by a rather bored-looking Mavis sitting on the doorstep, head in hand. When she saw them all, she jumped up, smiling excitedly.
"About time you all got here. Okay, let me mark Freed and Yajima so they can get through my barrier," she chattered at them quickly, not seeing Yajima's shocked reaction to her presence.
He knew who she was from pictures that were in Makarov's office. He was reeling that he could see the First, even though he left the guild a long time ago, erasing the guild mark he had at the time. He watched as she poked Freed's hand, causing a shimmering image of the fairy tail logo to appear briefly before dissipating. When she came to him, he lifted a hand, looking at her wonderfully.
"You know it isn't nice to stare at a lady like that, Yajima, and you can see me because you were one of my children in the past. So, don't fret about the small things, okay? I appreciate you helping us, and they are awake up there, fumbling around," Mavis said before vanishing.
Makarov and Freed just smiled as they watched a shell-shocked Yajima look at his hand. After a few seconds, they both stepped around him, Freed opening the door so they could all step in. It was his first time coming to Lucy's home, so he would finally get to see precisely what she was like away from the guild.
To him, she always appeared to act like a lady and attempted to look like one in her short clothes until she opened her mouth, spewing violent but well-educated words at Natsu and Gray. Seeing what she was like in her personal time would be a new and exciting view for him. With a faint smile, he followed Makarov and Yajima into the small two-story house, quietly shutting the door behind them.
Once they were up the two flights of stairs, they could hear shuffling behind the door at the top landing. Makarov reached out and knocked on it, making sure it would be loud enough to be heard. In less than a minute, the door opened to show Lucy staring at them, her face showing a bit irritated. They all filed into the small apartment when she stepped aside, allowing her to shut the door behind them.
"Good morning Lucy, my child. How are you feeling this morning?" Makarov asked as he walked to the couch, which still had a rumpled blanket tossed to one end.
Jumping up, he sat on it. Lucy just smiled as she shrugged her shoulders before replying, "I am okay for the most part. How about you, Master? And you too, Yajima and Freed? Would any of you like some rose hip tea?" she replied before asking her questions.
Yajima went to the couch, jumping up to sit next to Makarov. He noted that the apartment was small, quaint, and well-kept. It was very homey and simple, considering that she came from a wealthy family, living most of her life as a noble. The room was decorated far from what he thought it would be.
"I am fine, Lucy; tea would be nice, thank you. And you know why I am here to talk with you, I presume," he said before letting his gaze slide to the bed, looking at the person laying there, confirming with his own eyes that she did have Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth as an injured house guest.
Realizing just how delicate this situation was, he took a random guess that he was the reason Lucy had looked so irritated this morning when she was usually a cheery person.
Makarov said nothing but nodded at Lucy when she offered him tea. His main concern was to watch Rogues and Freed's reaction to each other at the moment.
He knew that Freed was a usually logical, rational person who was calm, but the relationship between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth could not be shelved that easily. He saw that Freed was more interested in looking at Lucy's room, making him realize that this would be the first time he had been here.
From what they knew of Lucy's background and current personality, it was a far cry from what anyone would think it would look like. He smiled to himself, glad that his mustache hid it, as he let his gaze go to Rogue, who was trying subtly to analyze each of them.
The young man wasn't stupid and probably knew he was on thin ice in enemy territory. A movement on the other side of Rogue caught Makarov's eyes, making him do a double take at a green exceed in a duckie suit. He wondered where it came from before it dawned on him that it probably was Rogue's exceed.
Lucy watched the three of them and their reactions. When she didn't get a response from Freed, who was carefully and instead intently studying her room, she sighed before speaking up again.
"Freed, would you like some Rose Hip Tea?" she asked, stressing the first letter of each word, which caused Freed to startle and flush before he replied.
"Yes, please. Sorry about that; it is just that I didn't picture your home to look so simple and country quaint if you will." Then he closed his eyes, realizing that what he said might be rude, only to be surprised when he heard the soft peal of musical laughter.
"It is alright. I have gotten that a few times. I like the simple things after living in the Heartfilia mansion. Please sit at the table; I will have you three's tea up soon." She replied, her voice amused.
With that, she turned, making her way to the kitchenette to boil the water. Looking through the small square hole in the wall, she noted that Freed was once more looking around the apartment and going to her book collection. He slowly ran his pointer finger down the spines as he read each title.
She could tell what his thoughts were by his body's reactions, making her smile and lightening her eyes to a soft brown color. While the water was heating, Lucy got the tray from last night and wiped it off before getting five cups down and setting them on it. This would either be an extended visit or a short one, and it all came down to how cooperative her house guest and her bodyguard could be. She sighed softly as the tea kettle whistled that it was done.
Grabbing a cloth, she picked it up and placed it softly on the tray before picking it up and heading into the living area.
"Okay, so why don't you start this off, Yajima, while I serve everyone their tea? It will have to be bland unless you want just Vanilla Honey in it," she said as she set the tray on the table and started making the tea for everyone. With a soft cough, Yajima smiled before speaking.
"The honey will be fine. And as for the who, what, and how. It is simple. Starting tomorrow, I will have you show up for about four hours to work as a hostess. I don't want you overdoing it, and at the end of the night, when we clean, I will give you the details for the next day. That way, you will know how long you will work and where in the restaurant. The pay you will receive will be in the form of tips you earn and twelve hundred Jewels an hour. I know it's a bit higher than the normal going rate, but it is because this will be your only source of income, and you will work in short bursts." As he finished speaking, Lucy handed him his cup of tea.
Going back to making the next cup, she looked at Makarov, who just waved a hand that he didn't want any honey. So placing the bag in the cup, she poured the water into the cup to let it start steeping.
"That sounds okay, but what about my bodyguard for the day? I am presuming that they can't just stand or sit around during those hours. Should I leave them here at the apartment to help Rogue for now? Or are you willing to put them to use at the restaurant, and I can leave Loki here to take care of Rogue?" she replied, trying to make sure everything was clear, getting a bit of a thoughtful gaze from both Yajima and Makarov.
Her gaze traveled from them to Freed, who had come to stand by the table in a rather stiff, formal manner, reminding her of a butler.
"Those are valid points you are making there. I would prefer for them to be at the restaurant with you. I am sure that Loki will be fine here, helping Rogue. It isn't like he would try and kill the poor boy." Yajima said that a small strangled cry came from Rogue, making four sets of eyes turn to look at him.
"Is there anything wrong with you child?" Makarov asked Rogue, who just shook his head rather violently to say no, as he looked towards the ceiling as if it had suddenly become rather interesting.
"Okay, that was odd. Honey, Freed? And I take it you are my bodyguard for the day, right?" Lucy spoke up, giving Rogue a quizzical glance.
"Ah, no, honey, and yes, I am. If there is anything you need to do today, I will do my best to help you," Freed replied softly as he watched how she expertly poured the water and handed him the teacup.
It was fascinating to him to see how she was so calm and relaxed, being the perfect hostess. The fact that she liked to read a lot of historical tomes only made him have a better opinion of her. He only had today to get to know her better before he returned to his everyday routine.
"If she proves to be intriguing, I think I might pursue getting to know her better after this," he thought, smiling as he lifted the fragrant tea to his lips, sipping softly on the hot liquid.
Nodding her head at his words, Lucy made the fourth cup. "Rogue, would you like some honey in your tea?" she asked him.
Her gaze leveled on him as he lifted his to meet hers before replying stiffly, "Yes, please. Three spoonfuls."
His request made Lucy blink as she added three spoonfuls of the honey to his tea, saying nothing as she thought to herself, "So he likes sweet things, huh? That helps for later."
Stirring the tea until the honey had almost diluted into it, Lucy quickly looked at Freed, making sure to meet his eyes.
"Can you please help me? I need you to lift him very gently, so I can brace his shoulders and neck with some pillows, so he can drink the tea without burning himself," she asked once she had gotten Freed's attention.
Giving a nod of acknowledgment, Freed set his cup down. Both of them walked to the bed, Freed following Lucy's detailed instructions on how to lift him while she shifted the pillows behind Rogue so he was in a half-sitting, half-leaning position.
"Thank you, Freed," she said as she returned to the table to retrieve Rogue's tea.
As he took it, he noted that she observed him. He sipped once, enjoying the fragrance of the roses, vanilla, and honey coming from the cup when something in his mind said that the smell was somewhat familiar. Unable to place it, he looked back up at Lucy.
"It is perfect, thank you," he replied politely.
The whole time this was happening, Yajima and Makarov watched the exchange between all three of them, mostly Lucy and Rogue, each smiling for their reasons.
"So, Yajima, what time do you want Lucy to arrive at your place tomorrow?" Makarov spoke up, getting things back on track, causing Lucy to startle and hurry back to the table to make her cup of tea.
"I guess that noon til four pm would be good. It is the lunch rush, but not quite into the dinner rush. And since it will be a Tuesday, it won't be as busy as usual in the middle of the week. Does that suit you fine, Lucy? And who is her bodyguard for tomorrow, Macky?" Yajima replied, letting the two questions hang in the air.
Both people were in mid-sip when Yajima posed his questions to them. Lucy was the first to swallow and reply, "That suits me just fine, Yajima-san. I appreciate your help while I am in this unique predicament."
Her voice was sincere and soft, a smile on her lips, her gratitude showing in her eyes. Nodding his head to her, Yajima looked at Makarov, waiting for his reply. It was a few more seconds in the coming.
When he finished drinking the tea, Makarov cleared his throat before speaking, "Well, tomorrow is Evergreen, followed by Max, Erza, Bixslow, Elfman, Gray, Juvia, Reedus, Warren, then me on the sixteenth. After which will be Gildarts for the rest of the month unless Lucy says she wants to stay on the rotating schedule. And the others of the guild are fine with it as well." He pointedly looked at Lucy, who was already making a mental list of the people and dates in her head. Makarov had always been surprised by how quickly she could do that.
"That is fine with me, Master. I will see how this works out before making that decision, even though I don't want to disrupt the others in the guild because I have to babysit until all this blows over. But what happens after Natsu goes through the heat? From what I understand, it only lasts a week at most. Sting looked like a crazed animal; Rogue, how long has Sting been in heat? How long does he usually stay in heat?" Lucy spoke up, her voice firm in what she said, ending in curiosity as she pointedly asked Rogue questions.
Everyone watched as he shifted uncomfortably on the bed at their gazes.
"Sting should be out of heat no later than the 8th. He was at the peak of it, when he attacked you yesterday. Before you all ask me about my time, I usually am next to Sting when he goes through his, so I follow immediately afterward. Since I am not right now, I don't know when I will go into heat, but my personality will change gradually. By that time, I hope to be out of here, for all of our sakes," he said, his voice becoming rather severe and calm.
Makarov jumped off the couch and walked towards Lucy, coughing loudly to break the ensuing silence.
"Well, that answers all my concerns, and if Yajima doesn't have anything more for you, then I think it might be prudent to allow you to go about your day. Remember to take it easy, Lucy, and don't forget to take your pills, okay? They will help you get better and stabilize your magic more." He said as he handed his teacup to Lucy, who took it and set it back on the tray.
Her eyes were trained on Rogue still as if trying to figure him out. With a soft sigh, Yajima slid off the couch, walking to the table, where he put his cup on the tray.
"No, there is nothing further. I will excuse myself now; I have a restaurant to open in less than an hour. Thank you for the tea, Lucy, and good day to you," he said as he turned, making his way to the door, followed by a silent Makarov.
Freed was the only one who acknowledged them leaving, as Lucy stared at Rogue while Rogue just stared at the cup in his hand. The situation was that he made sure his voice was a bit louder than needed. Jumping a bit, Lucy looked at him, smiling.
"OH yeah, can you carry that basket of dirty clothes and come with me, please? Frosch, be good and watch Rogue while I go wash your Froggie Suit, okay?" she said, calling out sweetly to the exceed, who perked his head up, smiling.
"Fro will do that, Lucy. Frosch will take good care of Rogue," he called back to her. Freed kept a neutral face as he picked up the back, catching a good whiff of the rank-smelling Frog suit on top. As Lucy walked by him, out the door and down the stairs, he waited.
As they descended the stairs, Freed studied Lucy up close, even if it was from behind. He noted that she carried herself with a stiff poise and dignity, which he assumed was from her earlier years, being raised as a proper noble lady, except that her hips had a defined sway to them. Switching from her posture, he noted that she was about average height, that her hair was naturally blonde, and that she was shaped symmetrically.
From what he saw in the apartment, her temperament had many angles. She was usually loud and rowdy at the guild, and in battle, he had heard from Bixslow that she was rather protective and cooperative in battle with her teammates. That was a great trait in the guild since she was always trying to keep them together.
During his inspection, his keen eyes noted that her skin didn't have its usual rosy glow. Still, rather a yellow pallor, which indicated that she was not well, but he knew that from what he had gleaned from conversations at the guild, as well, that it had to do with her lack of magic.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Freed turned his attention to their surroundings as Lucy made a beeline for the singular door on the wall adjoining the front door. When she opened it, he noted it was a simple laundry room with a very up-to-date Washer/Dryer combo and a small sink for soaking/rinsing stains. He also saw that the room was occupied by a relatively short, dour-looking woman with pink hair.
"Oh, hello, Ma'am. I am sorry, didn't realize that you were doing your laundry today as well," Lucy spoke up, getting his immediate attention at the respect she showed the woman, who just glared up at her with hands on the squatty hips. With a grunt, the woman pushed past the both of them rather rudely.
"Don't worry about your rent this month, girl. It has been paid in full once more. And no, don't bother to ask; it is a secret." the woman practically barked over her shoulder before disappearing into another room.
Once the woman was gone, he turned to see Lucy standing there stunned, with her jaw slightly ajar. Coughing politely, Freed brought Lucy out of shock and raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.
"That is my landlady. She is not too bad; I adore her but wouldn't ever tell her," Lucy replied with a small smile.
When she finished speaking, Freed stood there watching as she took the basket from him, haphazardly throwing the clothes in the washer/dryer. He was stunned that she didn't separate her white, colors, and darks when she washed them. She added her cleaner and shut the door; the machine turned on and started washing the clothes.
Freed stepped back, saying, "I presume that we are going shopping after you return the basket to your living quarters."
He was more stating than asking, making Lucy smile as she nodded yes. That was all he needed to know as they started back up the stairs to the apartment.
TBC!