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"And that's it? She just left?" Natsu growled.
"Uh hum-m-m," Lucy replied through chattering teeth. She reached out for the warm cup of liquid that Mirajane was handing her. The formal had since ended, and the small group was gathered around, inside the main hall of the guild. Outside, laughter and merriment rang throughout Magnolia.
"Did she hurt you?" he looked over her carefully. Aside from her disheveled hair, she still looked like Lucy.
"Too bad," Happy replied softly. Lucy shot him a glare. She knew his comment wasn't in response to Natsu's most recent statement. The tiny blue cat had come to like Adie; he wasn't used to someone treating him like an actual...person.
"What I want to k-k-know," Lucy's voice wavered, "is how we let her fool us..." Her voice was filled with regret. The signs had been there: the calloused hands of someone was was used to manual labor, the stable vision without the glasses, the interest in Erza's armor, her knowledge about Stellar Spirits....
"Well, it's not entirely accurate to say that she had us all fooled..."
"Huh?" everyone said in unison, their heads quickly turning toward the sound of the voice. Makarov was standing against the door frame, shaking his head. His arms were crossed over his chest and Gajeel was standing behind him.
"What's that supposed to mean, old man?" Natsu asked, warily eyeing Gajeel.
The Guild Master sighed, "I had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't who she said she was." Lucy's mouth hung open in shock as Makarov continued, waving his arm as he spoke. "I've known the Council Members for years, have I not? I know that, since the fiasco with that Gerard character, they had been dedicated to restructuring the Council, so I couldn't be entirely sure."
"I could have been killed!" Lucy squeaked.
"I highly doubt she was capable of that. Even I can tell when someone has the blood lust. She definitely did not have it," Gajeel's deep voice echoed through the empty hall.
"What role did you have in this?" Gray asked suspiciously.
"Eh, Old Man asked me to help," the dragon slayer shrugged.
"What?" came another chorus of confusion.
"I figure he'd be the least suspicious," Makarov confirmed, nodding slightly. "I asked him to keep an eye on her...though, I have to admit, he didn't do it how I had anticipated it."
"You gave no specifics," Gajeel retorted, his arms crossed over his chest. "You want a spy, that's what I gave you."
"Pretty shitty job," Natsu mumbled under his breath.
"What was that, asshole?" the raven-haired slayer's eyes narrowed in anger.
"Nothing," Natsu waved his hands. "I'm just wondering why you were chosen to watch over the newcomer, that's all."
"I've been a spy for Makarov for some time!" he shot back. "So deal with it!"
"WHA--?" Natsu hissed, looking to Makarov. "You're kidding, right?"
"Definitely a joke," Happy chimed in.
NO way! Lucy thought. He did seem a little more abrasive and boorish than usual, she conceded. But, Gajeel? A spy? For the guild?
"It's true," Makarov boomed. "And, no, it's not important to the matter-at-hand." He turned his attention to the newest guild member. "I've managed to eavesdrop on most of the discussion, Lucy. But, I missed one thing: what did Loki tell you?"
"About the Oni, Adzi and Amarok? Or about this Lilith person?" Lucy saw the whites of Makarov's eyes. "What? What is it?"
The old man was silent for some time. "It's more serious than I thought," he muttered to himself.
"What's more serious?" Lucy's voice was rising. "I don't understand!"
"It's nothing to be concerned about," Makarov glared at the group gathered in the great hall. "You should all get your rest tonight. We can talk more about this tomorrow. I don't think Adie is much of a concern for us at the moment. Sounds like a women who has other intentions. I am sorry she attacked you, Lucy. I feel partially responsible for not protecting you. Come find me tomorrow and we will discuss the events more thoroughly." And with that, he turned and left the large building. Gajeel stood in the doorway, smirking at the crowd.
"What?" Gray hissed through his teeth.
"Nothing," his piercings sparkled in the dim light. "Just seems that you guys lost your puppy dog." He too, turned and left the building.
"What was that about?" Mirajane asked quietly.
"I dunno," Natsu replied, his confusion written on his face.
Gray's face was a slight shade of pink, but he remained silent. He had seen Adie hastily retreating from the direction that she had left Lucy and Loki. She had looked distraught, completely ignoring the fact that he was standing in front of her. She ran into him, and he could see the grief in her eyes. He had known, immediately, that something had happened. But, yet, he let her go—even against his better judgment. Had he kept her there, perhaps they could be asking her these questions.
"What's wrong, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, obviously gleeful at her rival's disappearance. She tugged at his arm. He quickly pulled his arm from her grip.
"Nothing. I was just thinking." He turned toward Lucy. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm still a little shaken up," she admitted, the warm beverage calming her. "Mirajane? What is this?"
"My secret pick-me-up," she smiled. "Plus some alcohol."
"Great," Lucy's stomach turned, thinking about the hangover she had that morning. She glared into her cup. Whatever it was, it was working.
"Lucy, go home and get some rest," Mirajane scolded her. "You've had a long day."
"I-I guess so," she grumbled, standing on wobbly legs. She was still slightly shaken over the events that had transpired. Not only was she embarrassed at her own weakness, but she was disturbed that she was not projecting more blame on the young woman that had taken them all for fools. Part of her felt like she...understood...why Adassandra had done it. Another part of her had an inkling that, with a little research, she could uncover more about this young woman.
She looked at Mirajane, nodding. "How is Elfman?"
"Oh, he'll be alright," Mirajane chewed her lip. "He's a bit upset that his date left him in the middle of the formal."
"Mirajane? Did you have an idea of what Makarov was up to?" Lucy asked, as something was tugging in the back of her mind.
"Yes," she whispered, her pale hair falling from its neat up-do. "That's the reason I suggested tonight's events. To buy us time." She looked apologetically at Lucy. "I'm sorry."
"No way, you did nothing wrong!" Lucy waved her arms. "I-I'm the idiot that wandered off by myself. I brought this on myself."
"But still, it appears that you were her target," Natsu interrupted. "There is obviously something going if spirit mages are being attacked." He pounded his fist into his hand. He had been more upset that he hadn't been there to help Lucy than at the fact that Adassandra wasn't who she claimed to be. Lying he could handle. Harming those closest to him: unacceptable. "It's dangerous for you right now, Luce."
"Not you too!" she barked, her eyes bulging.
"Natsu's right," Gray softly spoke. Lucy's shoulders slumped in defeat—it was rare for the ice mage and dragonslayer to agree on anything. She looked around the room, everyone nodded their agreement.
It was done. Lucy was officially a guild prisoner. She sighed, sitting back down into her chair. "Mirajane? Another one?" She held out the empty mug.
"What's going on?" came the familiar female voice.
"Erza!" Happy exclaimed, being the first one to see the mage return.
"Why is everyone dressed up?" she asked hesitantly. She looked at Lucy, immediately suspicious. "What happened?"
Lucy looked at Mirajane. "Better get her a drink, too."
"I can't say it didn't pass through my mind," Erza admitted, after listening intently to Lucy's story. She asked a few questions, interrupting from time-to-time. "But, I still found her a likeable person."
"I agree," Mirajane nodded. "She would have been a nice addition to the guild."
Erza was quiet for a few more moments. Lucy could see the hesitance on her face. "What is it, Erza?" she asked, her face becoming hot from the drink that Mirajane kept supplying her.
"It's...well...something I saw while I was out," Erza looked at the floor. "I wasn't on a mission. I was doing some information gathering for Makarov--"
"I knew it!" Lucy moaned. Everyone but her! Erza shot her a warning glance, and Lucy yelped. "S-sorry! Continue!"
"Anyway, I had heard rumors of such sightings of odd creatures. In fact, I think I even encountered those...Oni...as you called them. More goblin-like. An attack on a village west of here. There were about a handful of them. I easily overcame them, though."
"Of course," Lucy murmured into her cup. Another glance—well, more of glare.
"I had never seen anything like it before...so I took one of the bodies to Porlyusica. Even she was at a loss. She said something about pulling out some of her old, dusty books. She would contact Makarov if she finds anything...." Erza was staring at her hands.
"What is it?"
"I don't...know," Titiania confirmed. "I have never felt anything so....evil before. It was as if they were from...somewhere else. Somewhere not of this world."
Natsu scoffed, but Erza just looked at him. "I'm serious."
"I think that's enough scaring Lucy for one night," Mirajane soothingly patted Lucy's back. "Natsu, why don't you walk Lucy home?"
"Ok," he replied, puffing out his chest a bit.
"I'll be fine, I don't need a babysitter. Besides, no more matchmaking!" she muttered the last sentence so that Natsu couldn't hear it. The transformation mage blanched at the inference.
"No, I'll walk you home. It's my fault you were attacked," he offered his arm, but Lucy pushed it away. She turned once she reached the door. "I'll see you all in the morning," she gave them a weak smile. "Goodnight!"
"'Night, Lucy!" came the friendly chorus. She knew they would discuss her as soon as she left, but she didn't care. Her steps were slightly off-balance, and her vision was becoming fuzzy from the strong drinks. She suspected that Mirajane was increasing the alcohol with each refill. She heard the footsteps padding along beside her.
"I don't need you to walk me home," she growled, remembering her earlier anger at her date.
"But I want to make sure you get home alright," Natsu replied, looking ahead. "I'm...er, I'm sorry about earlier, Lucy."
"Whatta 'bout it?" she slurred her words slightly.
"For upsetting you. I don't know what I did, but the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I had upset you, Luce."
"Story of my life," she replied as they finally reached her apartment.
"But I don't want to upset you," he responded, turning toward her. She unsteadily looked into his eyes, confused by his sudden serious nature.
"What's wrong with you?" she hiccuped. "You're acting weird." She handed him the keys, allowing him to unlock her door.
"I just worredd about you, that's all. Am I not allowed to worry about....my friends?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever?" she murmured, stumbling into her apartment. She made a hazy mental note to kick Mirajane for really spiking her drinks. She grabbed a few items from her drawer and stumbled into her bathroom. She quickly changed, leaving her dirty dress on the floor.
Natsu was standing in the middle of the room, his hands in his pockets. Lucy realized Happy wasn't with him. "Where's Happy?"
"He's going to stay with Erza or Gray," Natsu replied softly.
"Why?"
Natsu shrugged. He helped Lucy to her bed, even pulling her covers up for her to snuggle beneath them. She almost felt badly as he tucked her in. "You can go now," she replied gruffly.
"I will, after you go to sleep," he murmured as she drifted in and out of slumber—the room spinning around her. Something told her he wasn't really going to leave.
"Y'know, it's not your fault, y'know..earlier. Is my own fault." she offered sleepily. "You don't hafta protect me, y'know."
"I know," he replied softly, "but I want to. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you, Luce. I'm not going to let you out of my sight from now on. I promise." His confession was met with her soft snoring. She briefly thought she felt something light and soft touch her forehead, but she was too exhausted to care, sleep was overtaking her.
Lucy awoke feeling surprisingly revived. She could clearly remember the night's events. Part of her cringed when she remembered the encounter with Adie. Adie! She had thought of something the night before, and she wanted to see if it would be worth her while to investigate. She pushed her covers aside, and was surprised to find that she was only wearing a t-shirt, that was sizes too small, and a skimpy set of underwear. She yawned, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was still partially pinned from last night. She quickly stood up, immediately regretting it from the way the room spun as she did so.
As she lazily stumbled toward the bathroom, she tripped over something. Luckily, she fell onto the couch. She quickly realized that she hadn't just fallen on the couch--she had also fallen onto Natsu. He was splayed on his back, and it was his foot she had tripped over.
"Oof!" he choked. He opened his eyes, realizing it was Lucy that was adding the extra weight to his lungs. "You're heavy!"
"You're an ass!" she squealed, immediately embarrassed.
"Talk about morning breath," he replied weakly.
"Shut up, idiot!" she hissed, covering her mouth. She hadn't brushed her teeth the night before, she remembered. She was sure she looked like a total mess, on top of that.
She stood up, but not until after strategically placing a knee into his chest. "Shit, Lucy, that hurts!" he moaned as he stretched out, scratching his stomach under his untucked dress shirt. He had slept in his suit, of course.
"You slept in that?" Lucy hissed, pointing to the suit. It had looked so nice the night before! Currently, it was a disheveled, wrinkled mess. His hair matched the state of his suit.
"I was going to ask the same about you," he smirked. Lucy realized her clothing—or lack thereof. She quickly grabbed a pillow to cover herself.
"Pervert!" she snapped. "Get out of her!"
"With pleasure," he yawned. "This couch is going to ruin my back."
"No one told you to sleep there," she shot back. Natsu didn't respond.
"I'll go grab some food, want me to bring you anything back?" he asked, when he finally spoke.
"Coffee and donuts," she replied. Her stomach rumbled its agreement. "I need a shower."
"Good idea," he growled, and was immediately met with a pillow in the face as the bathroom door shut. Nice arm! He thought as he stood.
Lucy showered quickly, patting her hair dry with the towel. She pulled her robe tighter around her body, making sure nothing would fall off of her this time. When she peeked her head out of the door, she was surprised to find that Natsu hadn't returned. She was also surprised to find that she was slightly disappointed by that fact. She remembered her idea from the night before and quickly pulled her keyring from her nightstand. She found the key she wanted, immediately summoning the spirit. The large cross materialized in front of her.
"Aaah, Lucy! So nice to see you!" the grandfatherly voice immediately soothed her.
"Crux...I, uh, I need a favor from you."
"Anything, my dear. All you have to do is ask."
"I'm looking for someone. I'm not sure her relationship to Celestial Spirits...."
"It's worth a try," the giant cross mused. "I can try my best. Tell me the name you wish to search for, my child."
"Adassandra." It still shook her to say that name. But, something inside of her knew that she had to do something.
"Ahhhh, yes. I will search," he murmured, immediately falling to sleep. Lucy was slightly surprised by how quickly he nodded off.
She sat, cross-legged, on her bed as the large spirit napped in her apartment. Now all she had to do was wait.
Sit and wait.
For something...anything.