"Mavis did say there could be side effects from the transformation," Juvia reminded Gajeel as they rested in the train's closed compartment. The rattling and swaying of the transportation was soothing to her, reminding her of the way the ocean was constantly in motion. When she'd told Lucy so a few minutes after departing, Lucy could tell Juvia was missing the water, and felt for her friend.
Gajeel snorted. "This goes beyond some 'side effects.' This is bein' a cripple!" He rubbed at the bandage wrapped around his head to keep his eyes closed. Lucy had insisted on doing something to protect him, even if he wasn't too certain about how helpful some wimpy scrap of cloth would be. Lucy hadn't given him much of a choice, however. Even if it didn't actively make his condition better, Lucy thought that perhaps a bandage made of his discarded dress might have some benefit. Clearly the fabric had some sort of magical properties, considering it didn't get soaked or dirty when being tossed and dragged about on the beach. It didn't even have bloodstains. Gajeel grumbled again. "How the heck're we gonna do anythin' now?"
"Well, we're already on our way to Fairy Tail, which is what Mavis told us to do," Juvia began. "So that's something."
"But what about findin' the Trident, huh?" Gajeel pessimistically demanded. "What are we supposed to do about that?"
Juvia fell silent, not having a response. However, Gray did as he walked into the compartment bearing gifts of food. "That's why you're coming to Fairy Tail with us. I don't know what you guys are looking for, but we'll do our best to help ya."
Gray Fullbuster was the man who had the propensity for losing his clothing, the one who had inadvertently donated his shirt to Juvia's wounded feet. He was tall, dark haired and dark eyed, with a cool voice and persona. In short, he was the kind of man that would feature as the prince in a mermaid's fairy tale, a prince worth going to land for. And Juvia seemed very ready to go to land for this Gray.
"You have brought us food? Thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness!" Juvia enthused when Gray handed her a sandwich.
Gray raised an eyebrow, apparently thinking a mere sandwich wasn't worth all the fuss, but replied with, "No problem."
Listening to Juvia happily munch and praise the bread, meat, and cheese, Lucy just laid her head against the window on her left and watched the landscape. Trees and grass and bushes: they were so different than her underwater home. In the water, there was motion, undulations with the ocean's life force. Here, when the wind wasn't blowing, things we still. And if Lucy looked forward instead of up, it was also a lot more crowded here than in the ocean, too. People walked, rode trains, planted food, had buildings, and did everything on the ground. They couldn't just swim up higher if they wanted to have some open space for them to breathe. Looking up at the sky wasn't the same as being able to swim higher towards the surface and be suspended with no one and nothing around you. The clouds were so high. Lucy found herself wondering if those clouds were like the waves on the surface of the ocean: if she could fly, would she be able to break through those clouds and find another world above the sky the same way she found another world of humans and sunlight and boats above her watery home?
"Blererggh." A miserable moan shattered Lucy's poetic musings. She looked to her right to find Natsu slouched down in his seat, a pale green visage contrasting his rosy-hued hair. He clutched his stomach with one arm, the other hand pressed tightly against his mouth. "Do you have to eat in here? It's making everything worse!" The train bumped a bit higher, and Natsu slumped a bit lower.
Gray had no pity for his companion. "We all agreed it would be best to sit in a private compartment to keep us together and allow us to talk. And it's not like we can just not eat. We've been travelling since morning; we need lunch."
It was true. After helping the three former merpeople to a hotel, Gray and Natsu had acquired some food and a set of men's clothing for Gajeel. Not wanting to be a burden on the kind men, Juvia had dug her fingers through her blue locks until she found a blue-sheen pearl, and pulled it out. She'd asked the humans if the humble offering would assist them in financing the costs. The two were stunned and, after blinking and exclaiming over how rich Juvia's head was, sold the pearl for enough funds to cover the hotel rooms, food, and train tickets, with some left over as well. Apparently mermaid pearls were rather valuable.
"But the smell's so strong and-" another groan from the sick man for another jostle. "I think I'm dying."
"So shut up and do it quietly so we can eat in peace." And Gray munched happily away at his lunch. Lucy suspected he was enjoying Natsu's pitiful display.
Juvia tapped Gajeel's arm to offer him some food, but the only response she received for her efforts was a gruff grunt. Gajeel's head rested on his fisted hand as he sat across from Lucy, and he had a light sheen of perspiration on his brow, clearly uncomfortable. Lucy suspected he was feeling ill, much like Natsu was, but being Gajeel, he would never admit such weakness.
Yet another strangled noise of pain made Lucy think that perhaps Natsu was the sickest one. The poor thing looked nearly gelatinous in the uncomfortable crumpled position he had adopted in his seat. She varied between concern for his well-being and concern for her clothing: the dress from Mavis had proven to be water and blood resistant, but vomit? Lucy didn't care to test that theory.
She wondered if he couldn't just fall asleep. Even though the three merfolk had been beyond exhausted when they reached a hotel, Natsu had still been the first to fall asleep. Lucy had been astounded at his ability to just flop over and snore almost in the middle of a conversation. Gray had seemed indignant at this behavior as well, but had followed suit directly after berating his sleeping companion. The three were left to put themselves into human beds. Oh, well. At least they'd been able to clean themselves and their wounds with relaxing warm water. If Juvia hadn't been so excited for her turn, Lucy felt she could have stayed in the bath for hours.
A sideways glance at the pink-haired man informed her that while he may not be asleep, he could hardly be called lucid, what with the vacant expression and limp appendages. It was unlikely he would be responsive to anything but the occasional bumps on the track. She wondered if this man really did know her somehow, or if his knowing her name was some sort of byproduct of the kiss she'd given him. After his little greeting and massive grin on the beach, Natsu hadn't provided any further explanation, only helped get her to the hotel and fed. He didn't give any indication to the others that he knew Lucy, or had ever seen her before. Lucy couldn't exactly ask questions at the moment- her attempt at bidding her friends a good morning had ended with her coughing so hard she'd fallen backwards onto the bed.
But Natsu had been there to help with that as well, just as he'd been last night. He had simply handed her a glass of cool water and supported her while she drank it slowly. That was twice he'd helped her. No, wait, thrice? Two times while coughing, once while helping her lug Gajeel's massive form out of the waves. Lucy supposed that his and Gray exchanging the pearl for money, finding them accommodations and food, and bringing them to Fairy Tail to talk to Makarov should go on the list as well. Maybe she could do something to help him in return?
Looking around the compartment, Lucy noted the others had fallen asleep. No wonder. It had been a hectic and emotionally, and physically, trying eighteen hours. Natsu looked miserable. Lucy reached out a hand to help push him over to a more comfortable position, but hesitated. What would be more comfortable? Maybe he liked being hunched over so he could hold his stomach in an effort to hold himself to together. Her pause gave the train a chance to rattle once more and Natsu responded by oozing sideways to assume a half-lying down position in the seat to his right.
Lucy dropped her hand back down, relieved she didn't actually need to do anything. She wasn't sure how she should handle this situation. She'd never had the chance to speak with Mavis about the kiss, and what possible explanations there could be.
Besides, his grin…
Shaking her head, Lucy leaned against the window, determined to watch trees go by until she could doze off and find some respite from over-analyzing her situations. Sometimes sleep was the only place she had the chance to get away from her own overactive imagination. It was even worse now that Lucy had no one to speak with, and everything was stuck in a jumble in her mind. Perhaps when nightfall came, she could go outside and speak with her friends; at least they could still hear her. With that soothing thought, Lucy finally nodded off.
"Come on, Lucy, we've arrived." Gentle shaking. "Lucy, wake up." More gentle shaking.
But Lucy ignored Juvia. She was having a nice dream, a dream with sunshine coming through the top hand's width of water and kissing her face as she bobbed along lazily, happily. A dream with a cheerful school of fish swimming along to her left, making hairpin turns seemingly on a whim. A dream with-
"Oi, star girl! Get up!"
Lucy's consciousness was yanked from the comfortable ocean scene to a stilled train. Gajeel's voice wasn't gentle at all, unlike the first voice and touch. Lucy was only grateful Gajeel hadn't been able to see her location to reach out and shove her over to wake her from her sleep. Small blessings to his being blind, she thought dryly as she looked out the window.
They were at a train station. People were bustling about, some busy and alone, others leisurely and in groups. Lucy missed the smell of salt; they were too far from the ocean. She wondered how a city so firmly on land would smell.
The blonde was knocked out of her reverie by two raised voices.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Natsu had such enthusiasm, such drive for getting up and doing things. Especially things that didn't involve sitting around and waiting.
Gray scoffed. "We're waiting for a way to get everyone out of here, flame 'tard."
Yes, Natsu had an excess of enthusiasm, Lucy noted. Just to the point where thinking things through wasn't his modus operandi.
"It would be difficult for Gajeel to move with the passages so crowded with the others also debarking," Juvia agreed.
Gajeel just gave another grunt as he stood. He was impressively tall as a human, and had maintained his muscular frame through the transformation. Lucy could tell he didn't like being such a dependent, a handicap to the group, when he was used to being the strongest one. It was quite the turnaround for him, a turnaround he despised. He wasn't even able to help carry Juvia, some strangers had to do it, strangers who may or may not end up being untrustworthy. It wasn't in Gajeel's nature to be trusting right off the bat. So instead of responding to anything, he instead focused on stretching his long legs and muscles while maintaining his balance.
"Not to mention carrying you through the narrow halls will be difficult if it's crowded," Gray added, slinging his pack over his shoulder.
Juvia's eyes lit up. She enjoyed being carted around by Gray, that was for sure. Lucy could feel Juvia's anticipation for another ride in the Bicep Boat from where she was sitting across from her.
It was Natsu's turn to scoff. "Well, why don't you put a shirt on before carryin' her across town? Or do you like gettin' felt up, ya perv-sicle?"
And it was true. Gray's shirt had come off yet again. Lucy was amazed at how he could be continuously as surprised as everyone else when his clothes went missing. In fact, sometimes it was as if he was the only one surprised by his state of undress. Natsu definitely wasn't reacting in a way that suggested this was unusual. It was quite the opposite; everything pointed to Gray being more undressed than not the majority of the time. Lucy doubted very many women objected. Gray was particularly sculpted and easy on the eyes.
"Dang it!" Gray shouted and fished his shirt from the floor. He put it on, then turned to Juvia, who had been watching his abs and pecs contract and move as he raised his arms to pull the shirt over his head, then down his torso. "You ready?"
Juvia nodded.
"Alright, here we go then." And with that, Gray scooped Juvia up princess style into his arms, and set off out of the compartment.
Lucy stood and took Gajeel's right hand to place on her left arm. He would walk himself, a slow shuffle, but he trusted Lucy enough to let her lead him. It was tricky since she wasn't able to sound any warnings, but she'd managed to guide him around stumbling blocks and dangers last night and this morning. She could do it again.
And she did so rather successfully as they walked down the aisle of the train to the door. She hit a snag when they came to stepping down the steps to leave the train, however. Natsu swiftly came in and voiced some directions to complement Lucy's guiding hand. While nudging Gajeel's foot forward with his own, Natsu looked up and shot Lucy a conspiratorial wink. That one threw her for a loop. Why would he wink at her? But then they were on the platform and ready to head for the guildhall. Lucy put it from her mind to be pondered, or forgotten, at a later time.
So their little procession set off down the streets of Magnolia: Gray carried Juvia in the lead, and Lucy followed with Gajeel firmly clasping her arm. Natsu brought up the rear, carrying his pack and strolling with his hands up behind his head. A cheerful fellow. Lucy wished she had the time for carefree observation of her surroundings, but she was too busy staring at the ground to avoid potential disaster. She would have to look around later. There were giant panes of color she could in her peripheral, and she wanted to explore them.
A delicious smell pulled her eyes to the right. It was a tented stall with a woman busily roasting and coating some sort of nut to sell to hungry pedestrians. Lucy stopped walking, not caring that Gajeel nearly bumped into her. It smelled absolutely wonderful. It didn't smell anything like the salty fullness of the ocean, but it still smelled divine. She wondered what it tasted like as she watched a young man approach the stall and purchase an open bag of nuts.
"Why'd we stop? We there?" Gajeel asked. His voice stopped Gray, who turned around to see what had happened. Lucy just continued to stare at the man buying the tempting treat.
When the man turned around and began to walk away munching on a handful of the nuts, his eyes met Lucy's and he stopped moving. He just stared into her wide, enchanting eyes for a few moments, then she glanced between his face and the bag of nuts. With a stutter, he held the bag out towards Lucy and asked, "Um, w-would you l-l-like t-t-to try some? They're al-almonds. C-cinnom-m-mon and s-stuff on them."
Lucy nodded eagerly. The man advanced, and Lucy delicately plucked an almond from the top and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes widened. It was as delicious as it smelled! She swallowed slowly. The man, who'd been watching her movements and expressions with that same dazed expression as when he'd stopped moving, asked, "Did you like it?"
She smiled brilliantly. She loved them! The man's jaw dropped, showing some lingering bits of chewed almond his in mouth. That made her smile even more. There were perks and entertainments that went along with being gorgeous.
"W-w-well, y-y-ou can have the r-rest, if you'd-d like," the man offered reverently.
Her eyes widened in delighted surprise, and she reached forward to take the bag, brushing the man's hand so lightly and briefly it was like it hardly happened. She immediately grabbed a nut and spun to push it into Gajeel's mouth, who sputtered, then decided chewing the foreign object was better than choking on it. Lucy didn't wait for his reaction, but pulled him forward to Juvia so she could offer her some of the fantastic almonds, too.
"What was that you put in my mouth, star girl?" Gajeel demanded as he shuffled after Lucy, trying to sound angry while smacking his lips to not miss any of the flavor.
"It's delicious!" Juvia exclaimed.
"But what is it?" Gajeel asked again. Lucy didn't answer, obviously, and just popped another nut in her mouth to savor.
The man had started walking forward again, and Lucy turned to give him a smile of gratitude as Juvia's face beamed happiness from the treat. He walked into a pole of the stand and fell backward on his behind, then just stared at Juvia and Lucy blankly, mouth still open.
Seeing the crowd starting to amass around them, Lucy started to feel uncomfortable. She didn't know how to ask to keep going other than to make a shooing motion, but would that be rude to Gray?
Natsu fixed the problem for her by walking up behind the man on the ground, and picking him up by the collar of his shirt to put him on his feet again. "There ya go! On your feet again! You gotta be careful with all these poles around, or you might knock over someone's booth!" The man colored lightly at being clumsy before so many people, but when he caught Lucy smiling at him again, his face went a lovely shade of red Lucy rather admired. "Well, let's get goin'! Come on!"
And he put his hand around Lucy's wrist and pulled her off down the street. Lucy resisted a bit to make him slow down, giving him a pointed look towards her treasured bag of nuts. She did not want to spill those along the street. Oh, and Gajeel. They should slow down for him, too. Was she an awful friend if her first thought was to care for the coated almonds? Natsu did slow down, but then increased his pace gradually until she needed to slow him again.
Just when she was getting ready to yank her hand from Natsu, Gray announced, "We're here at last."
They were in front of a large building on the far side of town. Lucy could see a large lake and some woods behind it, her heart tweaking with longing at the sight of water. It was an unusual building, three stories high, each one smaller than the last, with creamy walls and a large flag proudly emblazoned with the same emblem Lucy had seen on Natsu's shoulder and Gray's chest, and large letters over the doorway spelling out "Fairy Tail."
"Welcome to our guild," Natsu said with a grin. Lucy thought he looked sweet for a moment before he walked forward and literally kicked the doors open and shouted, "We made it back alive!" as he strolled into the guild hall.
Lucy's mouth just dropped open.
Dear Friends,
I'm sorry this wasn't up last night, but for some reason my computer was having a hard time with the server, and I was unable to login at all. I thought it was a site thing, but this morning I restarted my computer and suddenly things were working. So, apologies, and here you go.
This weekend is my brother's wedding, so if I don't update by Friday, then it won't be until next week sometime. After that, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled episodes, folks.
Question: By a show of hands, who here would like a ride on the Bicep Boat? Juvia's got it pretty lucky. For a girl who can't use her feet, that is.
Mermaid Trivia: Mermen are actually a thing, though they aren't as popular as mermaids. The most famous is probably Triton, who was the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. You may be more familiar with his name from Disney's The Little Mermaid. In some cultures, they were considered to be wilder, and less attractive than their female counterparts. Like, perhaps, a heavy metal kind of guy? ;)
I look forward to hearing from you! Let me know what you think, what you liked, what could be improved. I thank you for the reviews, and follows and favorites. It means so much!
Have a glorious day!
Anne-Marie
