Chapter Twenty-eight

We've been at the council headquarters for two weeks now and Levy has refused to leave the library, other than to go to the bathroom, I've even seen Jet bringing food for her and Gajeel, with a very sour look on his face all the while. I'm fairly certain she's even been sleeping in there, causing Gajeel to have to as well. He wouldn't admit it, but I know that even if she told him he could leave to go sleep in his room, he wouldn't dare leave her alone in a place that we don't all trust and feel safe in. Laxus and his team have been the same way with me and Wendy, but she generally has the exceeds around her, so they let her wander with just Pantherlily and Charle.

During the days Gajeel and Levy would be back in the library, if they had even left at all during the night. Jet and Droy would be standing outside the doors, seething that they couldn't go in as well. Wendy would normally be off learning new magic, mostly healing magic, but some defensive and even some offensive magic, along with strengthening the magic she already knows. Charle and Pantherlily would be talking while watching over Wendy. If Wendy isn't practising her magic then usually she is with us. Laxus and I request to leave the area to train in the forest or at the beach cliffs. Ever since Lahar's comments a few weeks back, Laxus has been pushing me harder to learn the lightning magic, though it usually only ever happens if a Rune Knight is available to escort us. Freid, Bixlow and Evergreen follow us if we are able to leave, but if not then we do whatever kind of training we can do at the building without damaging too much. Ever since the first day though, when we broke down a wall, they've been very good about taking us out to train when we want to, it's only ever for short periods of time, so I haven't accomplished very much since we've been here.

At night, we're all separated. Well, not completely. The council gave us three rooms, three beds in each. Gajeel, with Pantherlily, Jet and Droy to one, Laxus, Freid and Bixlow to another, then Levy, Wendy, Evergreen, Charle and myself to the third. Evergreen refused to share a bed if there were other beds that the rest of us could share, so it was decided that Levy and I would share, when she came to the room to sleep, then Wendy and Charle would have the last. So, needless to say, we don't get very much alone time, especially when we only were given rights to use two bathrooms to split between the ten of us, well, twelve if you include the exceeds.

Luckily, we get a break from the guys when we go to bed, I don't think I'd be able to handle them if we had to stay together all the time. I feel Laxus' annoyance with having to be with all of us all the time, as well. Unfortunately, during these nights away from Laxus and the guys, it gives Evergreen the perfect opportunity to relentlessly tease and question me. And thanks to that, Wendy, and Charle, now know everything, from my maybe-feelings to the confusion to the out-right refusal to say anything to Laxus. And some nights, Wendy even gets in on the questioning. Tonight is one of those nights.

"So, Lucy, I've been wondering something." Wendy said innocently enough, but these two weeks with her let me know that she has a devilish side equivalent to Mirajane's when she's matchmaking. But she still looks too innocent, so I can't bring myself to say 'no' to her questioning, or even ignore it like I do with Evergreen and Mira.

I look over to her, Evergreen's interest caught as well, and she takes it as a cue to ask her questions, "What was it like while you were living with Laxus?"

This question had never come up. I have no idea how to answer. I never even thought about it. What was it like living with Laxus?

"It was easy, I guess." I said with a shrug.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know how the 'Link' caused us to feel each other's emotions, so we knew when the other was getting annoyed, so there wasn't any fighting. We just stopped whatever we were doing. Evergreen, you were there for a bit, you know what it was like." I waved an arm towards Evergreen.

Evergreen nodded and spent a few moments in thought, "Plus, you two were so in sync that you would be doing something, then Laxus would came in and say that he was going to do it. Or whenever you would be out training thinking about a bath and inside Laxus would go run one for some unknown reason."

"Ya, that was nice." I said through giggles. "Anyways, Wendy, alot of the time I was outside training, other than the last few days when we were otherwise forced to be at the guild. But, the 'Link' probably made it easier for us to live with eachother. I mean, we didn't know eachother at all, but I had to go and impose on him and live in his house. Under any normal circumstances, things would have been very tense and difficult."

"I guess I get what you mean when you said easy, then." Wendy was pulling back the covers on her bed, Charle already asleep beside her.

"Anyways, we should get to bed. Laxus told me that we'd be going out training in the morning. Oh, and Wendy?" Wendy perked at the sound of her name. "He said that Doranbolt would be the one escorting us, so you can join, if you'd like."

"Doranbolt? Are you sure?" Wendy was doing her best to hide her interest in the man.

"He didn't really say 'Doranbolt', but said 'the damn mind meddler that has a soft spot for Wendy', so I'm assuming he meant Doranbolt."

"I'll come."

"Okay, should I put you in the shower to wake you up?" I said with a bit of a devious smile.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. Just get Charle to wake me." And with that, she plopped down into her pillows.

I giggled a little as I turned out the lights and fell asleep.

*The Next Day*

"Come on, Girly. We've been working on this for weeks. You should be able to get it by now. You know that you could easily do it."

"I know that I should be able to, but I can't."

Laxus started taunting me like this last week when I could still barely make thirty feet. Now I'm sitting just under forty feet, and progress is very slow.

"We've been at this for almost three hours, I'm taking a break." I said as I flopped onto the sandy beach. Laxus opened his mouth as if to argue, but at Bixlow's headshake, and probably feeling my frustration and agitation, he just closed his mouth again and walked towards the trees that surrounded the beach that we were on.

Dammit! Why can't I do this any faster? The other stupid things were so easy compared to this. Laxus is right. I should easily get this. I did it at the guild, albeit by accident and I kind of freaked out about it, but I still did it.

I let out a loud sigh and collapse onto my side, not caring that I'd get sand stuck to my face and in my hair and clothes. I just laid there listening to the ocean and the light conversations happening around me. The area we were in itself was actually quite nice, not Laxus' property nice, but still nice. We could see the council headquarters on the cliffside, which was opposite the small beach, and there were trees on either side going up the steep hillside. I could hear Wendy's excited chatter at Doranbolt, along with Doranbolt's lighthearted replies. Lily and Charle had decided to come along and I knew that they were hovering around Wendy. I could hear the Raijinshuu's quiet, comfortable ways of speaking with each other, and I could feel that Laxus enjoyed the matter of conversation, whatever it was.

I was beginning to relax, feeling ready to begin training again.

That was the moment we heard a large explosion back at the Council headquarters. In an instant we were all up and running back to the headquarters. Specifically to the part that had a pillar of dark grey smoke coming from it.

"The library."

Those small words from Doranbolt sent worry crashing over me.

Okay, Muses, again I don't really have anything to say, but send me lots and lots of reviews and inspiration and I will be back soon.