Chapter Ten
Escalate
"Ok, you guys win!"
Natsu yelled "All right!" And held out his hand for a high five from Esther. She shyly reciprocated and the group smiled wilder.
"Here, Natsu. You should keep it. You got it out of the water." Esther suggested, thinking she didn't really need any other tiny attachments to the boy. At first Natsu was going to disagree but then an idea popped into his head and he thanked her.
Esther now back in her room, saw Neeya playing with the shell Erza, her and Happy found. She guessed they decided to give it to her.
A knock on her door drew her away from watching her cat lovingly.
"Natsu-San?"
Natsu smiled, back in his usual vest scarf and capris outfit. "Hey! We're all heading down into the casino. Wanna come?"
Esther looked at Neeya. "You know how Neeya is, Natsu. She does not like being around a great amount of people. I do not wish to leave her alone though."
Natsu could tell she still wanted to go, but just as much as he loved Happy, she loved Neeya. He was about to suggest that he stay up here and play with them then but Neeya spoke up.
"I-it's ok! I wanna go!" She said cutely, flying up to the two. Erza had convinced her nothing bad could happen when she was in a big crowd when your with friends. That it was ok to be cautious of new people but she couldn't let it run her whole life with fear.
"Are you sure? Don't force yourself." Natsu questioned and Neeya nodded.
"Well then... I will just go get dressed! Natsu-San, would you wish to wait in here? It will only take a few minutes."
Natsu shook his head and backed away from the door frame he had been leaning on. "Nah, I'll wait out here for ya." He closed the door gently and slid down the wall next to her door. His lips widened into a dazed smile. The young man pulled out from his scarf a black corded necklace with the rainbow shell threaded onto it. The fire dragon hoped that she liked it. He remembered how her amethyst-turned red eyes brightened at the shell earlier that night. It was a perfect gift for her since she picked it out.
Hearing muffled footsteps, he placed the necklace back in the folds of his scarf and stood up, arms crossed over his broad chest cooly. But when she stepped out though, he almost fell on his face.
Esther strutted into the hotel hallway, impassive face painted in dark makeup. Black eyeshadow with gold shimmers and black lipstick. Her body was covered in a black tulle evening gown, the bust basic black but as it fell around the waist it melted into black chiffon and a burst of gold shimmers. Her black hair was in an elaborate braid and she wore gold chain-link earrings. Her feet wore strappy black heels with gold spikes.
She looked beautiful.
And when Natsu realized he said that outloud, he blushed and looked away when Esther chuckled and raised a brow. No doubt she thought of him as a lame romantic. Neeya giggled but stayed quiet.
"Well then, should you not be escorting me to show off how beautiful, as you say, to the crowd downstairs?"
Natsu grinned and grabbed Esther's hand.
"Of coarse!"
Esther akwardly played some games with Natsu, often being put into situations where she had to be in very close proximity to him. Though once again she got use to it. That goofy grin never left Natsu's face.
"Oh, hey Esther?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are your eyes red now?"
Esther coughed and looked away, pure mortification warped across her face.
"Uhhh... ask Nee-chan when you get the chance. Her answer would be pretty blunt."
Natsu rose a brow but then shook his head. "Your a weirdo, Esther."
He laughed at her angry pout and dragged her over to another game. "It's a good weird though! Your speech is funny—"
"Proper." Esther interrupted and Natsu laughed lightly.
"Ok, proper! And you spaz alot!"
"I do not spaz!"
"You so do!" Natsu fought back and bent over to kiss her on the cheek. She blushed hard and she sort of... well... spazzed. Natsu bellowed with laughter and Gray turned to look at them. He was playing at a poker table. The ice wizard saw Esther's blushing face and chuckled. 'That idiot's an idiot.' He thought jokedly, chuckling at his own pun.
"But that's what makes MY Esther-chan." Gray heard Natsu say and he looked back to see Natsu making Esther close her eyes.
"What are you doing, Natsu-San?" Esther questioned and he 'sshh'ed her gently. He pulled out the necklace and wrapped it around her neck. After he was through, he let his hands glide across her shoulder and he kissed her right one.
"Open your eyes now." He demanded in a whisper, head lying in the crook of her neck. Esther was really about to spaz now.
Red eyes opened to the sight of a beautiful rainbow seashell.
The girl smiled. A smile so bright, that it made Natsu's heart swell with pride. Esther turned and for the second time that night, hugged Natsu tight.
"Thank you." She murmured and he smiled.
"I just wanted you to know that I really do care about you." He replied, kissing her forehead sweetly, letting his lips linger.
Then her shoe strap decided to snap at that moment.
Esther excused herself to go fix it at a bench, always having trouble with this particular heel.
As she approached the bench, she spotted an angular and sharp jawed… well everything about him, man already sitting their in a blue suit and black fedora.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Not at all, Doll." He said politely in a drawl, making sure she had a comfortable amount of space between the two. As she fixed her heel, Natsu yelled back to her.
"Oi! Esther-chan! Pick a number!"
Esther giggled and thought about it. Natsu made her happy, she knew. It didn't take a mad scientest to figure it out. But it was also obvious he bordered feelings for her. And so she decided that untill she was seventeen, in two months, she wouldn't let her emotions get the best of her. That seventeen would be the day she decided if she'll give Natsu her heart, or sink back into her shell.
"Seventeen!"
Natsu hit the button and she sat back and enjoyed the lively atmosphere.
"Is that your husband?" The man asked good naturedly and Esther chuckled with a soft blush.
"No. We are simply good friends."
They both laugh a bit and then Natsu began whining how the last number changed on purpose. How he almost got to seventeen. Something about that sobered her mood and she smiled sadly. Like that meant he almost had her. Shaking her head she rolled her eyes and called to him.
"Calm down Natsu-San! Maybe seventeen is not your lucky number!"
"Perhaps it isn't your number either, Roselyn."
Esther's eyes widened in desbelief. There was only one person in this world that called her 'Roslyn.' She turned to the man and put a hand to her lips.
"…Wally…?"
Esther screamed as she was embedded into the game Natsu was playing. Natsu instantly saw red and went to go pummel the guy, only to suffer the same fate. Stuck to the wall by blocky figures, which seemed to be part of his body, Esther looked down at her supposed long lost friend.
"Wally?" She asked with more bass in her voice, tone demanding. "What are you doing here? Why are you doing this? Did Jellal send you here?!" She yelled, her last sentence, making it sound like he was this 'Jellal's' lapdog. Natsu watched the two with growing yet restless interest.
"Listen, Doll, it's got nothing to do with you. We were ordered to bring your sister regardless if you fought back. Though Jellal would like to see you again."
Esther shivered and squirmed under the restraints. Growling, Natsu was spitting fire as he talked.
"Hey what's this about?!"
Esther was terrified as Wally transformed his arm into a gun.
"Wally! No! STOP IT!"
Natsu let out a loud roar cry as the bullet sound rang out.
Esther woke up.
Groggily, she would admit, She felt sick to her stomach. It was dark. So dark. Even if it was an advantage for her, it was also a discouragement.
Groaning, the events at the resort's casino flashed through Esther's mind. The last image made her heart pound. Natsu was shot.
In. The. Mouth.
Realization hit and she was on a major freak out. She thrashed up and noticed her arms and torso was restrained. No this could not be happening!
"N-Natsu-San?!"
No answer.
What was this feeling? Worry? Terror? Whatever it was, it clenched around Esther's heart painfully. Please let him be ok!
"So your awake, Rosalie?"
Turning to the voice that called the young woman by her old play name, even in the darkness she could tell he was a buff man with a weird jaw protecter under a turban that was around his head. Almost not recognizing him, he held up her purple pocket knife and it dawned on the Demon Dragon Slayer who he was. Turning slowly to him as best as she could, her eyes widened in shock.
"S-Simon?"
He nodded and looked down at my legs. Esther looked at them too and gasped.
She wasn't in her casino dress anymore. No, she was in another dress. It was blue and flowy, and with the way she was sitting it rose past her thighs. Revealing her scars from the years of cutting.
"You didn't use the knife like I told you to. It was to protect not to harm you." He sounded dissappointed in her and Esther turned back into the wimpy kid that relied on him relentlessly. Biting her bottom lip, Esther shifted so that her knees faced him and she wanted to hug him.
She missed him so much!
"N-no I didn't!"
"Your lying to me."
"I'm not! I'm not lying, Simon!"
The man sighed and pressed a large hand against her left thigh. Letting his forehead lean against her's, Esther blinked away tears.
"Simon. I thought—" She didn't know what to say. That he hated her for leaving? That she wished she would have given Jellal what he wanted so that she could have stayed with him and the others. There was so much she wanted to admit, but she was tounge-tied and to confused to actually say anything at all.
"It's alright." He muttered soothingly and she hiccuped to keep the tears away. "But I know you use this knife and its my fault."
Esther let the tears flow and she wanted to hug him like nothing before.
"I missed you, Big Brother."
Simon held her as close as possible with the chains and Esther sobbed.
It was over. All of her secrets were slowly pouring out from a stream into the vast ocean of chaos.