An armor-clad woman held a sandy haired man against a bar along the far side of the room, a sword pressed against his throat. The hapless man's elbow was firmly planted in a piece of squashed something on a plate to his left, and he was attempting to curl into a fetal position while still standing. The woman's grip was strong enough to allow the man's legs to come up to his abdomen. And was she glowing?
Several more swords appeared in the air, all pointing at the pinned man.
"What excuse could you possibly have for this heinous crime?" she demanded. Her scarlet hair was as brilliant as the blood on the man's elbow, the same color as the blood that would come from the man's throat should she press any harder at all on her blade. The man just stuttered helplessly. No one else in the area seemed to mind this situation at all.
Lucy was horrified. This couldn't be the right place. It was a joke, right?
"Natsu! Gray! Welcome back!" called a cheerful voice from behind the bar.
"Hey, Mira. Good to be back," Gray responded, walking further in with Juvia towards a table.
But it could just be a place the two frequented. That didn't necessarily mean this was a guild hall. Maybe the sign on the front had been a figment of Lucy's imagination.
"You've been away from the guild for a while, Natsu."
Alright, so maybe it was a guild hall. Perhaps…
"It's good to be back at Fairy Tail!" Natsu said. "And we brought some new friends!"
Lucy was done trying to explain herself out of this madhouse where people ignored scrawny men being brutalized by immensely strong swordswomen. Apparently this really was the Fairy Tail guild hall, and these were the people Mavis sent them to for help.
What was Mavis thinking?
"Someone has nice metal," Gajeel muttered. Lucy blinked, frowning a little. He couldn't see the swords or armor or anything. How would he know about metal being in the room? "Real nice."
Did he just sniff the air while saying that? Lucy decided Gajeel needed some rest and pulled him over to the table where Gray had deposited Juvia. She eased out the edge of the bench for him, and tried to help him sit down comfortably.
"Stop your fussin', star girl," was all the thanks she got. Though disgruntled, she forgave him for it on the grounds of his being so self-conscious about needing help for once. Getting mad at her friend wouldn't make anything better. It would be even worse since with his being blind and her being mute, she would have no way to communicate with him to fix misunderstandings. Hardly a dynamic duo. They couldn't do anything.
Natsu and Gray were at the bar speaking to a beautiful girl with long white hair, and a face that seemed made for her gentle smile. The three former merfolk sat at their table in silence, looking around with wide eyes. At least, the girls did. Gajeel just hunched forward with his arms folded on the table exuding an air of irritation.
"Hello. So you're Natsu and Gray's new friends?" It was a deep, rich woman's voice, beautiful. Lucy was shocked to find it belonged to the scarlet-haired punisher. Not seeing the victim anywhere about, Lucy supposed the situation had been dealt with, and the man was either dead or in hiding. Either was a valid theory, really. "I'm Erza Scarlet."
Gajeel kept his head down. "Who said anythin' about bein' friends? We just needed to get to Fairy Tail, so we used 'em to help us."
Erza raised her eyebrows. "I see."
What a great way to introduce themselves. Juvia and Lucy met worried glances across the table. It would do no good to alienate themselves from the very people they'd been instructed to seek out. Besides, Lucy had seen Erza meting out justice only moments ago. She made a mental note to avoid Erza's displeasure as much as possible.
Juvia extended a hand. "Please, don't mind Gajeel. It's been a difficult journey for us, and our spirits are not very high at the moment."
Lucy nodded in agreement. If Erza knew their story, it would be easier to sympathize than rush to judgement. The thought made Lucy pause. Had she not herself just been drawing conclusions about the redhead on the scene witnessed when entering? Couldn't there be a reason for what she had seen? Maybe Lucy should take her own advice, and withhold her fear of Erza. Maybe, instead of fear, friendship could be there instead?
"I hope you are able to recover soon," Erza said graciously. "May I ask-"
"It's stronger here. You're the one with the metal." Gajeel was sniffing again, sniffing and interrupting. Lucy rubbed her temples.
"Yes, I wear armor and carry a sword at all times," Erza replied after a moment. Lucy didn't look up to gauge her reaction. She didn't think she wanted to know. Instead she continued gently massaging her temples while focusing her gaze on a knot in the table's wood, breathing deeply to inhale peace, and exhale chaos, inhale peace, and exhale-
Her heart jumped along with the rest of her when a plate of food slammed over the knot she'd been staring at. She took short, quick breaths to keep herself from letting out a strangled cry. That would only make things worse. And she really didn't want things to get any worse. She didn't think she could handle it if they did.
Another several plates were set calmly on the table before the others. Calmly, not emphatically. Lucy's eyes followed the arm attached to the dish and was not surprised to find it connected to Natsu. He did give off the impression of being energetic about everything he did, even something as menial as serving food to guests.
"Time to eat!" declared said rose-haired man as he settled down next to Lucy on the bench and pulled one of the filled plates towards himself. Lucy scooted to her left, distancing herself more from Natsu. The chaos of the past day had not diminished in her mind the fact he knew her name, and she still didn't know whether that was a significant fact, or something unimportant. She told herself it wasn't because she was petty enough to wonder what would become of her dress if she sat next to this vivacious man while he ate. It was because she was being wary, cautious, like any sane mermaid would be in her situation.
Gray took a seat directly across from Gajeel, and further away from Juvia than the bluenette cared for. Lucy worried for her expressive friend. Would she be taken advantage of here in the human world? Her emotions were so raw, so tender. Lucy determined to keep her friend safe.
"We thought a nice warm meal would help us all," Gray said, beginning to eat.
"Good thinking. A proper meal always helps raise morale," Erza agreed, and she joined them at the table as well.
Lucy studied the offerings, and then glanced at Gajeel. How would he be able to eat any of this? They all required utensils, and Gajeel was too proud to acquiesce to being fed in front of an audience. Was there nothing he could eat with his hands, kept in his grip so he wouldn't have to fumble around between bites? She worried her lip. The more worried she became over friends and their situations, the more worried her lips became. The poor pink cupid's bow of her lip was going to be mangled soon if this kept up.
A small platter of some new food was set down with a gentle sound before Gajeel. It was the pretty barmaid. "Here you go! Natsu thought you might prefer these fried chicken strips. Sorry they took a little longer to get ready!"
Gajeel grunted, but allowed Lucy to guide his hand to the first piece of chicken. Watching him feed himself without mishap, Lucy felt relieved at least one of her worries was resolved. And by… Natsu? She studied him from the corner of her eye. From what she had observed, the man could be ridiculously ready to throw himself into the next action, able to strike up a bickering tirade with Gray over nothing, and at times almost unwilling to think before he spoke.
But there were moments when a quiet action spoke volumes, moments when she saw thoughtfulness, intelligence. Natsu must have felt her searching eyes, for his darted to the side to meet hers. And there they sat, both still facing forward, heads barely tilted to allow them to meet gazes in the corners of their eyes. Lucy couldn't help but acknowledge the angle of Natsu's chin very much showed his jawline to advantage. When she saw his lips quirk into a smirk, she forced herself to focus on his eyes. There was something in those dark eyes, something practically screaming that this man knew. She didn't know what it was he knew, but he knew it, and she felt it was important.
And then the moment was broken when a burst of heat came from the table and distracted Lucy. She searched for the source, then stopped short. Was Natsu's food… on fire? Lucy felt the surprise all over her face, and heard Juvia's gasp.
"Is something burnin'?" Gajeel asked, pausing his eating.
Merfolk did not have or use fire themselves, but anyone who worked to help during the ship battles knew what it was, and knew that it hurt to touch. But where had the fire come from? Natsu didn't seem concerned, rather, he picked up his utensils and prepared to dig into the meal.
A blink of an eye later, and Lucy, Natsu, and his food were all very wet.
"Huh. Fire's gone," Gajeel commented, and went back to eating.
Spluttering and pulling wet bangs from her eyes, Lucy saw water had splashed diagonally across the table, originating from Juvia. It left a clear and very wet mark. Juvia's cup was knocked over. All that water could not have come from such a tiny cup, though, or even several of the cups, and none of the others were spilled.
"I am sorry!" Juvia exclaimed. "I don't know what happened! It was just that fire came from nowhere, and fire is so dangerous, and I did not want Lucy or our new friends to get burned, and suddenly there was water!"
Gray looked impressed. "Are you a mage?"
"What?"
Erza joined in as well. "Are you a water mage? That was pretty impressive."
"No, I-" Juvia looked confused at their questioning. Mermaids weren't mages, though they did have their own powers, in a way.
"Mira, did you see what Juvia just did?"
"That was so neat!"
Of course, it made a little sense, Lucy thought. Juvia had always been close, intimately close, with the water. It responded to her and her emotions back home in the ocean. It followed that her connection to water would still be a part of her, the same way Lucy's affinity with the night heavens was still part of her. That being acknowledged, it was different seeing water react to Juvia when the water wasn't the entirety of their surroundings. Watching water shoot from a cup and grow made it much more conspicuous than when an invisible current grew just a little stronger. She smiled. Lucy could understand why everyone was so impressed.
Juvia broke through the queries and remarks. "No, I'm not a mage. I'm just a mermaid."
"Not right now, you're not. You've got legs, and something ya need to do," Gajeel said. "Which is why we're here."
That took the smile from Lucy's face. Right. Time was precious. While they were sitting here eating, who knew what was happening back in their coves? Such horrible, tangible darkness spreading everywhere, eating merfolk up, swallowing their screams of terror. Lucy shuddered. How could she possibly eat? How could she do anything besides rushing to find a solution, a way to save the others?
"Right. You wanted to talk to Master Makarov," Gray remembered. "Let me go see if he's in his office."
"No, Gray, you finish eating," admonished the barmaid, Mira. "I'll go find Master for you. You can all speak to him when you're done. An empty stomach won't do you any good!" Erza went along with her.
Lucy didn't want to eat. Juvia had almost finished her meal, as had Gajeel. She was the only one who hadn't eaten.
"But my food is soggy!" complained Natsu, poking at the mess on his plate.
Gray snorted. "That's what you get for scaring people, pyro!"
"It tastes better on fire, snow cone." Natsu was salvaging what he could from his plate.
Fire. Food. Eating. What? Lucy gave up trying to make sense of the fire and food incident, and instead poked listlessly at her food. Would Makarov be able to help them? Would he be willing?
A hand darted in and snatched a small red item from her plate. "Well, if you're not going to eat them, I will!" Natsu declared as he popped it into his mouth.
The blonde was getting to the end of her rope, being in a new situation, with new people, and new food, and new fears, and new circumstances she needed to find courage for- and now this man who confused her was teasing her and eating her food? She angrily seized another of the red item and shoved it in her mouth, chomping down. And instantly, she smiled.
Looking at Natsu, she wanted desperately to ask him what these were, but was taken aback by the look in his eyes. It was back. She could tell, could feel, that Natsu had known eating that particular item would cheer her. He knew, somehow, something even she hadn't known about herself.
"They're called raspberries," he said with a smile. "Good, aren't they?" And he took another.
Now that Lucy knew what they were, and how good they were, she was willing to fight for them. And fight she did.
"Natsu, leave her alone," Gray snapped. "You can get some more food when Mira comes back."
"No, then we'll have to go talk to Gramps," Natsu retorted, reaching out another hand. Lucy pushed it down onto the table with both of hers, triumphantly grinning, only to find he'd snaked his other arm behind her to grab two berries off her plate. To reach his mouth, he pulled his arm in closer, and his muscles had no problem moving Lucy snugly against Natsu. She didn't know if she was more irritated by his casual proximity, or the fact her berries were almost gone.
"Who said you're coming with us to chat with Makarov?" Gajeel demanded, sitting stiffly. There his untrusting instincts went again, pushing everyone back, even if they were trying to help.
Lucy's shoulders stiffened as she felt a tingling in the back of her mind, a familiar tingling. Something nostalgic and comforting and foreign, all at the same time. And then it stopped. She relaxed a little.
"Well, we've helped ya this far. Why wouldn't we help you with whatever ya need to do?" Natsu reasoned. Then, noticing Lucy petulantly hoarding the last of the berries, he smiled winsomely. "Tell you what, you share those berries with me, and we'll split the plate, and I'll buy you some more of those almonds later."
Now that was a proposition Lucy could live with! But would he try to "share" her almonds later? Seeing her distrustful look, Natsu pegged on, "And they would be only for you. No sharing. Unless ya wanted to." She gave him a look that clearly stated she would likely not want to share the almonds, then nodded in her agreement to the bargain. Before they could start eating again, however, the tingling presence returned.
"Wow. I never thought I'd see the day Natsu was putting moves on a gorgeous girl," came new, smooth voice from behind her. Lucy turned to see who it was.
When her eyes met the stranger's gaze, the feeling grew. It wasn't powerful, or overwhelming; it was soft, varying, like the lapping waves on the shore. But it was so familiar, unlike the face of the man before her. His russet hair was short, and his hazel eyes were partially hidden by blue shades. He was incredibly handsome, tall, lean, and with his confident, Lucy wouldn't be surprised if he were hiding some nice, understated muscles under his bulky clothing. Why did this unfamiliar face bring such a familiar presence?
Gray's snort ended her reverie. "Natsu wouldn't know how to put moves on a girl if his life depended on it. He probably doesn't even know he's got a girl in his arms right now."
Gajeel stiffened. "If you're talkin' about star girl, you'd better get yer hands off her right now."
"That's fine by me," Natsu said, retrieving his arms. "Easier to eat without working around someone." Lucy was offended he would be so unconcerned about all this. Her beauty was no small thing, and she knew there were plenty of sailors and other humans who would've paid dearly to hold her the way Natsu had. And he just lets her go for ease of eating?
"That's our Natsu for you," remarked the stranger still standing behind them. Lucy was beginning to think Natsu was an absolute blind idiot when she caught the smirk in his eyes. And then she realized he was playing a game, a game only he saw. She was distracted by a new arm draping across the back of her neck. "Well, beautiful, I haven't met you before. Are you fresh from the heavens?"
"The ocean, actually," Juvia replied honestly.
"Now shut up and get away from star girl," Gajeel ordered.
Lucy wasn't sure if she was more intrigued by Gajeel's protectiveness, the fact he knew it wasn't Natsu's arm around her anymore, Natsu's grin as he ate another raspberry, or that the man's arm seemed tense at Gajeel's remark.
"What? Oceans? Star girl?" asked the man behind Lucy.
"Hands off her."
"Ya know, you're missin' all the food, Lucy."
"Stop eating her food, Natsu!"
"Yes, ocean. We're mermaids."
"I'm not a mermaid!"
"But ya looked so nice in that dress!"
"Gajeel, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"
"So help me, I'll kill ya for bringin' that up!"
"Please, calm yourself, Gajeel-"
"It's not his fault flame brain is more irritating than-"
"You wanna a piece of me, frostbite?"
"Leave Gray alone, please! He's just trying to help!"
"Why'd you throw a berry at my head?!"
"Because you're annoying!"
"If you're as grating to look at as it is listenin' to ya, I'm glad I can't see nothin'."
"Ya wanna start, too?"
"Please, sit down! Don't start to fight over the table!"
"How can you help us if you're always bein' stupid?"
"Lucy, did you really just grab the raspberries?"
"Leave star girl alone!"
"No one's touchin' her!"
"I am. I still have my arm around her."
"No need to shout, ya idiot, I'm blind, not deaf."
"Gajeel, sit down! You could get hurt!"
"See, Natsu? Even blind people can tell you're an idiot."
"And get your hands off of her!"
"That's it!" And before Lucy could quite fathom what was happening, she found herself lifted up and tossed into the stranger's arms, several red berries still in her hands, bag of almonds resting on her abdomen, and Natsu was flying across the table to punch Gray in the face. How did she get here?
"Well, I'll have to thank Natsu for the assist later," the man smiled. "Never thought he'd be my wingman."
Natsu? That was kind of sweet of him to get her to safety, along with her precious treasures. Of course, he didn't look quite as sweet at the moment, ducking a punch from Gray while simultaneously shooting out his right leg in a fierce kick.
"The name's Loke, by the way." He introduced himself casually, as if the fact he was holding a strange woman in his arms on the sidelines of a fist fight were an everyday occurrence. "From all the shouting, I gathered your name's Lucy. Is that right?"
The blonde just nodded. She watched as others from the guild got sucked into the brawl, turning it into a free for all. Lucy saw Juvia pulling on Gajeel's hand, trying to calm in. He clearly wanted to punch someone as well. And maybe it was just her imagination, but it looked like a few people were determined to best Natsu, and started to tag team him. A cup of frothing something went soaring across the room. Maybe Mavis had told them to come to the wrong guild after all. This was a complete and utter madhouse.
Loke just continued with his smooth talking, completely unfazed as he sidestepped another piece of flying table wear. "So, you want to go and get a drink later? I know a cozy little-"
But Loke didn't get to finish his question. With two people leaping at him and a chair sailing overhead, Natsu decided to pull a switch and evade the attacks. He lunged backwards, grabbed Lucy from Loke's arms and pushed the man forward while stepping to the side to avoid the chair, which crashed harmlessly on the floor where Loke had been holding Lucy only moments before. Loke, however, was not so lucky, as he received both the punch and kick meant for Natsu.
Seeing the look Loke was giving him, Natsu grinned at Lucy. "You might want to finish those berries, and hold on tight to the almonds. They probably won't make it through."
Lucy stuffed the berries in her mouth, ignoring Natsu's warm laugh. He wouldn't understand. Merfolk didn't have raspberries. She couldn't waste an opportunity to eat them while she was on land. Maybe they grew close to the shoreline, and she could have them even after she went back home?
Just as Loke adjusted his sleeves and prepared for battle, a large shadow fell over the entire room. Lucy froze in terror. Had the darkness followed them all the way here? Had Mavis been unable to do anything to stop it? She wrenched herself from Natsu's grasp and ran to Juvia and Gajeel, both still at the table. Both girls grabbed onto Gajeel's arms. They had to stick together, no matter what!
Tough Juvia was also afraid, it seemed no one else was deeply perturbed. Uncomfortable, frightened, perhaps a little. But not scared. Not like Lucy and Juvia. In fact, most of them kept on fighting.
"It's alright," Gajeel said, sensing their tenseness around him.
"Will you all just SHUT UP?!" came a loud bellow. The entire room froze. Lucy could see where the shadow came from now. It was a giant! Standing before the doorway, it blocked most of the light, creating an ominous silhouette. But it was shrinking now, getting smaller and smaller until its size and shape resembled a man. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. But the shrinking didn't stop there; it continued until there was a diminutive, old man, not even reaching Lucy's hips.
Mira came to stand before him. "There you are, Master! We've been looking for you!"
"I see Gray in the middle of that mess. I suppose Natsu is back as well?" the old man said, rubbing a hand on the bridge of his nose.
"They're both home, and they've brought some-"
"Natsu, did you really blow up that ship then come home and start a brawl? Are you trying to kill me?"
Natsu beamed from the sidelines. "Hey, Gramps! I'm not even in the fight. I'm just over here on the side!"
The whole guild gaped. Apparently Natsu was not often found on the fringes rather than the midst of the fray. Gray started shouting about how it was Natsu's fault this whole thing even happened.
"Now, now, don't be so petty. We've got important things to take care of," Natsu waved a hand to shoo off the complaints and accusations. "Look, Gramps. We've brought some friends home with us. They need our help."
"That's what I was trying to tell you, Master Makarov," Erza added,
Gramps, Master Makarov, turned to get a good look at the trio of merpeople turned human. His eyes lit up, and roved up and down when he saw Juvia and Lucy. "Of course! Anything to help out such lovely girls!"
Mira and Erza promptly rebuked their guild master, telling him to be polite.
"Is that old guy as perverted as he sounds?" Gajeel asked.
Juvia and Lucy looked at each other around Gajeel. This was the man they were to ask for help? A giant monster who shrunk into tiny elderly man with the expressive eyebrows, impressive mustache, and eyes too eager? This was the guild Mavis had started? THIS is how they were supposed to save their home?
"I do not think I understand what is happening here," Juvia stated simply.
Lucy grimaced. This was a disaster.
Dear Friends,
I am aware that this is both late and perhaps a little rough. The reason is as follows: I need a beta! My sweet man does what he can, and helps me immensely, but the fact is that he has other obligations, like his job and stuff. And that makes it harder for me to get this turned around and ready to go up at a reasonable hour. Sheesh.
If you want reports on how the story is going and the suchlike, you can check out my tumblr. I'll keep you guys posted from there should anything chaotic happen again. Which is might, since this is life.
Anyway, my brother's wedding was fabulous. The groom was incredibly handsome (of course, since he's from the same gene pool as me, and I'm gorgeous), the bride was incredibly lovely (I spent all morning doing hair and makeup, but she was pretty to begin with), and there were an appropriately large number of tears shed by everyone's mothers. The ceremony was touching, and the reception had watermelon AND honeydew AND cantaloupe. Nothing gets much better than that. Oh. And cake. The cake was pretty good.
In summary, updates will now go back to their normal time on Tuesdays, I'll find someone who can help me proof read, and life will continue being awesome.
Thank you for the reviews, follows, and happinesses. It means a lot to me, and helps keep my motivation high. If I didn't respond to your review, feel free to berate my neglect by leaving another review stating my crimes!
No mermaid factoid this week. I'm tired.
Cheers!
Anne-Marie
