Chapter Nine:
Joya City was a city of tall buildings called sky scrapers because they were so tall they seemed to touch the sky. These buildings were lit up with neon lights in green, pink, blue, purple, and orange. Lucy had seen a lot of things in her days, but she'd never seen such a thing as Joya City. Absently, she touched the opal necklace she wore around her neck. She thought wearing her mother's jewelry that hailed from the land might bring her good fortune.
"Is it possible that they didn't talk to each other at all?" Gray whispered. He stood at her side as they waited for the carriage to pick them up outside of the train station. The casino owner and their boss for the next few weeks wanted to provide them with transportation to where they'd be staying because he was afraid they might lose themselves amongst the busy streets of Joya City.
Lucy glanced over to where Erza and Jellal were studiously ignoring one another. She had thought that when she and Gray had returned to their car after eating the day before that the childhood sweethearts might have sorted to their differences. Lucy took hold of Gray's hand and felt chills race down her spine when he laced his fingers with hers.
"I believe that's our ride," Jellal said. A large carriage with a team of eight-horses drew to a halt in front of where they were waiting.
"Fairy Tail?" the driver asked. He was a large and muscular man with a bald head and a vest that barely stretched across his broad shoulders. He was scary enough that Lucy would have agreed to anything he asked her.
"We are the Fairy Tail mages," Gray answered. "Are you with Mr. Percy?"
"Indeed. I am your ride. You may call me Bull," the driver introduced himself. "Are these your bags?" he asked eyeing Erza's vast collection of luggage.
"Yes," Erza answered.
"Okay," Bull said. He placed the entire stack on top of the carriage. Then he opened the door to the covered car of the carriage. "If you please," he said politely.
Gray climbed into the carriage first and turned so that he might offer his hand to Lucy and help her inside. They sat next to each other leaving Erza and Jellal once again to sit side-by-side. Bull fastened the door shut behind them and within moments they were traveling down the street in route to The Joy of Joya!
A short while later, Bull pulled up in front of the largest of the skyscrapers. It was aglow with purple and green lights. As they entered the casino they could see that it wasn't completely ready to be open for business. "We've been having trouble keeping the lights functioning," Bull answered. "I'm sure Mr. Percy will give you more details on exactly what sort of trouble we've been having."
"Let me show you to your rooms and then Mr. Percy will meet you in one of the conference rooms across the hall from your suites on the eleventh floor," Bull said. "Luckily, the elevators have back up generators, so they are relatively reliable."
"We'll want to know where the stairs are," Erza said.
"You can follow the signs pretty easy for that," Bull said. "And on the back of the door to your suite there will be a floor plan with routes addressed for emergencies."
"Is that normal?" Lucy whispered to Gray.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close when they tried to cram into the elevator alongside Erza's luggage. It was a big elevator, but there was just barely enough room for them and all the luggage. "I've never been in a fancy hotel before," Gray whispered back.
They followed Bull down the hall on the eleventh floor to the corner suites. He handed out keycards to the four of them and gave Erza two extra. "Those two are for your other teammates," he said. "Do you see the room three doors down on the right and across the hall?"
They followed the direction of his finger. "Yes," Lucy said.
"That's the conference room. The boss will be there in half an hour. Do not be late," Bull warned. He disappeared down the hall back in the direction of the elevators.
Lucy stuck her keycard into the slot on their door and the flipped on the light to their room. It was no ordinary hotel room. The word suites didn't seem to do it justice either.
"Wow," Gray said stepping inside behind her.
"I'm impressed," Jellal said. He tossed his mask on the recliner in the common room before he continued on to the back of the rooms. "There are three main rooms, two bathrooms, four closets, three queen-sized beds, and I'm pretty sure that the sofa in the common room is a pull-out sleeper sofa."
Lucy set her book bag on the dining room table. She ran her fingertips across the smooth wooden tabletop. "This will be great for brainstorming and researching."
"You want the bedroom by the east window?" Gray asked. He had picked up Lucy's suitcase and was carrying it along with his own.
"Um, yes," Lucy said. Did he mean that he was giving her that bed or they would be sharing that bed? She did a quick recount of Jellal's run-through of the suites. Three beds inside three separate rooms and a pull out sofa, but there would be six people eventually.
Gray stood over her and didn't move. "Do you want to share the bed with me? If you don't I'll use the sleeper-sofa. Or hell, I guess I could share with Natsu when he gets here."
"No, no, that's ridiculous!" Lucy cried waving her hands frantically. "You're my boyfriend and it's not like we haven't shared a bed before. And a much smaller bed by the way, and besides you and Natsu would kill each other and I don't like sleeping in strange places and…"
"Lucy, it's fine. I'll take the sleeper-sofa," Gray said.
"No," Lucy said. She took hold of Gray's arm and grabbed her own luggage and they made their way to the bedroom portion of the suites. "Which way is east? We're sharing." She could feel that Gray was itching to take off his clothes in anxiety, but he had no free hands to do so.
"Okay," Gray said. His body temperature dropped several degrees. When they passed the bathroom sink Gray spit out several ice cubes. "I don't want to pressure you Lucy."
"You're not. And besides, we're an official couple. This will be good for us. This is what we're supposed to do next, right?" Lucy asked him.
Gray took back Lucy's luggage and then set both it and his on the folding luggage rack. "We don't have to do anything," he pointed out.
"Unless we want to," Lucy said with a quick smile.
Gray cleared his throat and looked away toward their door in the direction of the other suites with a dark blush staining his cheeks. "How do you think they'll sort themselves out?" he asked quietly.
"My guess, Erza would rather share with Lisanna. Jellal will choose his own room and Natsu will get the sleeper-sofa," Lucy said.
"Care to make a wager?" Gray asked. He sat on the edge of the bed and folded his hands together and propped his chin on top of them.
"Considering we're in a casino that seems an appropriate thing to do," Lucy said. "What kind of wager?"
"By the end of this mission Erza and Jellal will work out their differences," Gray said.
Considering that the two hadn't spoken at all on the train except when they absolutely were forced to it didn't seem very favorable. "What are we wagering?" Lucy asked.
"I have no idea," Gray said on a laugh. "I've already got what I want," he said smiling at her with his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.
Lucy laughed too. "You're hopeless sometimes," she said holding out her hand. "Come, let's make sure those two don't kill each other."
Gray took her hand and they found Erza and Jellal engaged in a fierce staring contest. "Are you guys okay?" Gray asked.
"You take the middle room," Jellal said. He dropped off an armload of Erza's luggage in the middle room. "I'll take the room with the western facing window."
"You sure you don't want to share a room with me, Lucy?" Erza asked.
"I don't think there's room," Lucy said staring at all the luggage. She cleared her throat. "Gray and I will be sharing. I suppose that means Lisanna will share with you and Natsu with Jellal?"
"Or they can use the sleeper-sofa," Erza agreed. "Come, let's hurry to the conference room to meet with Mr. Percy. Then, we need to find a place that delivers cheesecake."
"You take care of her, I'll take care of him," Lucy whispered.
"I'll help you find cheesecake," Gray promised Erza. "Let's go," he said leading her out of the rooms and down the hall.
"Jellal, you okay?" Lucy asked. She stepped into the room that he claimed. His blue hair was a disheveled mess.
He looked up and met her eyes and his dark eyes were haunted. He offered her a weak smile. "I may have miscalculated," he admitted. "We didn't talk at all on the train. When you and Gray left I thought she might ask me questions. I thought we might clear the air, but she just stared out the window. She hates me."
"She's in pain," Lucy said. "Give her time. You've had seven more years to sort out your feelings and yet you're just as confused as she is."
"I thought I lost her. Seven years without word of what happened to her. I'd closed off my heart and dedicated myself to Crime Sociere. Erza wanted me to live and atone for my sins, so that's what I did. I didn't expect her to come back and for my feelings to only intensify. Unfortunately, my self of worthlessness also increased."
"You're a member of Fairy Tail, Jellal. Master wouldn't have allowed you to join us if you didn't belong. Now, stop moping. We have a mission to solve and you need to make Erza remember why she loves you. Gray and I will help!" Lucy said enthusiastically. Maybe there was some truth to the habit of paired off friends being determined to pair off their other friends.
"So, you and Gray aren't pretending anymore are you?" Jellal asked. He pushed himself off his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He went toward the front door and snatched his mask from the recliner and covered his face. Only his dark eyes could be seen. "Am I right?"
"It was too confusing to keep pretending," Lucy said.
"Just be careful," Jellal warned. "Sometimes you only get one chance with a person. If you break their heart you may not be able to fix it."
"Why does everyone seem to assume that I'm the heartbreaker?" Lucy complained. She reached into her pocket for a hair tie and pulled her blond hair into a high ponytail. "We better hurry. We want to make a good impression on Mr. Percy."
"People keep warning you, Lucy, because Gray has had feelings for you for a long time. I saw the way he was protective of you at the Grand Wizard Tournament," Jellal said. "I've never seen him so angry as when you were bullied or when your powers were negated."
OoO
The conference room had a large table in the center, a projector with screen, white boards for notes, and one wall covered by a bookcase full of reference books. The Fairy Tail mages sat around the table with the owner of the Casino sitting at the head of it. Bull stood with his arms folded over his chest at the door.
"I have hired you to solve the mystery plaguing my new casino The Joy of Joya. Not only am I having electrical power problems, but there have been mysterious disappearances. At first it was construction workers, but I thought it was just a problem with migrant workers — things happen and they disappear without warning. Then I had the full time staff begin to move in — there is a residential area on the third, fourth, and fifth floors for my staff. When the children of the staff started disappearing that's why I hired you. The police can't figure it out. They say it's happening all around the city — people disappearing. But I think it is someone trying to keep The Joy of Joya from opening. We haven't even opened our doors officially!" Mr. Percy exclaimed.
"When was your grand opening supposed to take place?" Jellal asked. His face was hidden by his mask.
"Do you ever take off your mask?" Mr. Percy asked with a concerned expression. "I'm not sure you'll fit in like that."
"He has a severe dust allergy," Lucy lied easily. "With all this construction we thought it pertinent for him to be cautious. He's our research leg."
"Oh! Speaking of research, I took the liberty of collecting reference books that might aid you in your research," Mr. Percy said. "And to answer your question. We were supposed to have our grand opening in two weeks."
"Do you think the police will talk with us?" Gray asked. "If the disappearances are happening throughout the city there must be a connection."
"You're welcome to try," Mr. Percy said. "I was hoping in the mean time you could scope out some of the nearby casinos. See if you see anything suspicious. It may just be a competitor worried that I might steal away their business."
"That will be where we come in," Gray said. He gestured to himself, Lucy, and Erza.
"I will, of course, give you an allowance to cover expenses. It's important that you fit in. You need to gamble, attend shows, and stay out late amongst the crowds," Mr. Percy said.
OoO
"We should start investigating right away," Erza said once they returned to their suites after their meeting with Mr. Percy. He'd given them a key to the conference room so they'd have access to the reference materials he'd gathered.
"How about Lucy and I check out the nearby casinos and get a feel for the type of environment we're in," Gray suggested.
Lucy glanced toward Jellal, he was sitting on the window seal of the common room and staring out into the streets below them. He was unusually quiet. She would think that he might be the one to take charge given his history of infiltration. "Actually, why don't you and Erza do that. I'll go with Jellal to a nearby pharmacy and we'll work on altering his appearance." Jellal immediately looked in her direction, his blue eyebrows were knitted together.
"He could do a spell to alter his appearance," Erza said. She rubbed her jaw thoughtfully. "I suppose it won't do to have him walk around with his face covered."
"Not if we want to blend in," Lucy agreed. "And I don't think any of us have the magic to alter appearances."
"I don't," Gray said. "Unless you want to wear a beard of ice." He leaned down and whispered in Lucy's ear. "I wanted to explore the casinos with you."
"Tomorrow. Tonight you and Erza explore and observe. You're both better at that I am. When you find out places for us to look deeper into bring me. I'll hang on your arm like blonde eye candy. No one will think twice about our presence. Besides, you promised to find her cheesecake." She looked Gray up and down. "What do you plan to wear?"
"Um, the jeans I have on and the black button up shirt I'm wearing?" Gray asked. "Is that not acceptable."
"No, it's not. Erza?" Lucy asked.
The red-haired warrior closed her eyes and channeled her requip magic. Within moments she appeared before them in a royal blue gown with silver high heels and her hair piled high on top of her head with silver clips twinkling in the dim light of the room. "You need something that can complement this," Erza ordered.
"I don't have something that compliments that," Gray said. He wiped away a drop of sweat from his forehead.
"I can fix that," Lucy said confidently. She pulled out one of her celestial keys and held it before her. "Open Gate of the Maiden – Virgo." Her reliable maid spirit bowed before her. "Virgo, can you give Gray a change of clothing. Something to compliment Erza's gown?"
"No offense, Lucy, but I don't want clothes that will melt out of existence," Gray said nervously.
"My clothing doesn't melt out of existence. Once it is created it remains," Virgo said. She pointed toward Lucy's skirt and shirt. "I created those for my princess three months ago."
"I thought you agreed with me that the clothes Virgo makes don't last," Gray said quietly looking at Lucy with accusation in his dark blue eyes. "Why else did we waste all that time shopping on our last mission?"
"I didn't agree with you, Gray. I simply didn't correct you," Lucy said with a placating smile. She leaned over and planted a kiss on Gray's unsuspecting lips. Before he could respond she pulled back. He wore a dazed expression on his face and a very nice navy blue suit courtesy of Virgo's magic.
"Will that be all, princess?" Virgo asked.
"For now, thank you, Virgo," Lucy said dismissing the spirit. She waited until after Gray and Erza left before she turned to Jellal. "You ready?"
"Is it necessary for us to both go to the pharmacy?"
"Do you trust me to bring back the necessary tools? You won't complain about the color dye I bring or the make-up I might choose?" Lucy asked.
Jellal shook his head. "I will place my trust in you. I'll read through the portfolio Mr. Percy left us regarding the details of the disappearances and various strange occurrences."
Loke popped into the room entering the physical world of his own volition once more. "Don't worry, Lucy. I'll accompany you to the pharmacy. We'll be back, Jellal."
"How is it that you know when to show up?" Lucy asked once she and Loke were alone in the elevator. "Are you spying on me all the time?" Oh gosh! Was he watching her in the shower?
"I can sense you at all times, but I don't actively watch. I generally appear when I sense your distress levels rise. I try not to pry," Loke said with a flirtatious smile. "So what colors should we go with?"
"I was thinking either maroon or brown hair dye," Lucy said. "I don't want him to stand out too much. And I thought I would call out Cancer to help with the process of styling and dying his hair. The make-up might be trickier. I have to find a way to hide that tattoo."
"Brown hair would be better if we're trying to keep him bland and unnoticeable. He's going to be catching eyes regardless thanks to his physique. Girls like a guy that's got a good body," Loke said lifting his arms and showcasing his biceps. "Maybe we can stuff a pillow against his abdomen to give him the appearance of a flabby belly."
"I disagree," Lucy said. "I've been to a casino before and the people there are generally beautiful or handsome. A handsome person will blend in better with other handsome people. Besides we can look into the pillow idea if we need another disguise."
"You could wear a pillow and pretend to be my pregnant wife," Loke said with a wink as he laid his arm across Lucy's shoulder and ushered her off the elevator when it's doors opened. "Or maybe you'd like to be Gray's pregnant wife, eh?"
"Why do you have to turn everything sexual?" Lucy complained slipping out from under her spirit's arm.
"Oh come on, Lucy! Have a heart! I've waited years for Gray to finally have a girlfriend and then it ends up being you! How can I not voice my opinions? Or tease you just a little?" Loke asked. "Do you have any idea where the pharmacy is?"
"There's one about a half block away. I spotted it when the carriage brought us here earlier," Lucy said. They stepped outside the casino hotel onto the crowded streets. "Does this place become busier when the sun goes down or something?"
"Just wait until about ten o'clock, that's when the real fun begins in a gambling city," Loke said with a wink. "We should check out a show while we're out. Maybe a magician or an illusionist? I'm partial to an acrobatic dance show."
"I'm sure you are," Lucy said. She could picture Loke in the front row whistling at scantily clad dancing girls. "There's the pharmacy," she said pointing to the red and white structure to their right. She was glad that Jellal didn't accompany her. It was bad enough being in the store with Loke, but to be there with Jellal who she barely knew it would have been torture.
"Oh, we should select an assortment of these. You might need them over the next couple of weeks if you're sharing a bed with Gray," Loke said wagging his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
"Put those away," Lucy hissed knocking the variety pack of flavored condoms out of his hands and back to the shelf.
She went to the hair product section and selected brown, auburn, and maroon colored hair dyes. She still had an excess of funds thanks to her recent jobs with Gray. She dumped the dyes into her basket and then went to the makeup section and bought concealer, base, and powder in a few different shades. She wasn't sure exactly what was best for Jellal's skin tone, plus she wanted some new makeup for herself. She also picked up a few bottles of nail polish and conditioner and gel for styling hair.
Lucy went to the checkout area and Loke showed up at her side and dumped in a few products. "Don't worry, this one is on me," Loke said pulling out his wallet and blocking the view of the contents he'd added.
"How do you have money?" Lucy asked. She pulled out money for the items. "I can afford these things, let me do it."
"I work jobs too," Loke said. He paid the checker and then carried the Joya City souvenir cloth bag he'd bought for the items.
"What did you add?" Lucy asked, trying to take the bag from him, but Loke held it high above her head. "Let me see."
"You don't need to know everything. Now let's hurry back before your roommate goes stir-crazy and decides to be evil again," Loke said in reference to Jellal.
Back in the room, Loke took out the hair dye and the makeup from the shopping bag and placed it out the kitchen counter. He took the rest of the bag into the bedroom section of the suites. Lucy didn't pay him too much attention. She was focused on the hair dyes.
"Why do you have so much makeup?" Jellal asked.
"Why do you have a large tattoo over half your face?" Lucy countered waving the concealer in his direction.
Jellal rubbed the maroon tattoo. "I was branded with it as a child before I was sold into slavery in the mines where I met Erza."
"Oh," Lucy said. That was terrible. However, it didn't explain why Edolas Jellal had the same tattoo. "So, what color? Brown, maroon, or auburn?"
"For my hair?" Jellal asked. He tugged on a strand of his bright blue hair. "Why do I have to change?"
"Because blue is memorable. I think maroon. Does that suit you?"
Jellal sighed in resignation and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. "It will do. How long will it last?"
"About two weeks," Lucy assured him. She pulled out another one of her celestial keys. "Open Gate of the Giant Crab – Cancer!"
"Oh this should be good," Loke said lounging in the common room in the recliner and watching Lucy and Jellal in the kitchen.
"Ebi?" Cancer asked as he materialized before Lucy with his red handled scissors snapping in his hands eagerly. The green lenses of his fashionable glasses flashed in the light of the room. "Nice color," he commented focusing on the bottle of maroon hair dye. It was the same shade as his own maroon and black striped hair.
"What exactly is he going to do with those?" Jellal asked wide-eyed. He looked from the scissors to Lucy.
"He's going to help me make you over," Lucy said confidently. "Now, don't squirm."
OoO
In the basement of the For Frills and Fun Casino a little down the block from the Joy of Joya a dark figure tapped the security monitor made of magically infused lacrima. Her boss would not be pleased by the arrival of the Fairy Tail mages. She'd dealt with them before — the blonde princess was a lightweight, but her teammates the ice mage and Erza Scarlet were formidable. She didn't see the face of the masked man, but she had a feeling it was the mysterious figure known as Mystogan. She could give her mistress good news that the Salamander wasn't there.
There was a brief knock on the door before a key was inserted to unlock it. Her father stepped into the room. "Did you find out who Percy hired?" he asked.
"You can tell your lady friend that a team of Fairy Tail mages have arrived," she answered. She flipped her long purple hair over her shoulder. Her father was lucky that she was doing him this favor. She didn't owe him anything. She was only helping his new lady friend because she was bored and a couple of her new guild mates wanted a challenge.
"Will that be a problem for you or your new friends?" he asked.
She laughed. "They'll only serve as more fodder for your lady friend to use."
Her father's lips twisted into a cruel facsimile of a smile. "Excellent."
A/N: So, the villains have appeared! Lucy and Gray are official. And I don't think Erza and Jellal are hopeless, just in need of some serious intervention! Anyone want to take a guess as to the identity of the the mysterious characters in the last section?