Dinner was a solitary affair. They were not allowed to eat with the other generations and the three of them found it uncomfortably stifling to eat together. As such the most contact they had at meal time was when they obtained their identical meals at the pickup area. Even if it was the last meal Lucy would be having with the others, neither she nor the other two did anything different. To act out of the ordinary would be disastrous at this point in time. Even if she did want one last goodbye.
At her desk, Lucy sighed idly pushing some meat around the plate. She hadn't been able to talk about leaving to the younger generation. At least not the ones she wanted to talk to. Lucy still remembered what Miss Layla had said about leaving the manor, about taking the others with her. Also, she figured that if she was going to defy Lord Heartfilia and leave the manor, she should at least extend the option to the younger ones as well. However, the Leahs were too young and it would have been impossible to talk to them without Lord Heartfilia knowing about it.
As for the younger generation of Lucys; Number 9 couldn't keep anything a secret, the new Number 7 practically worshiped Lord Heartfilia, Number 6, she knew, would rather be experimented on than leave the building, Number 5 didn't like to make hard choices and Number 2, while she agreed to keep it a secret, had the same thoughts as the other two Lucys of Lucy's generation.
The only ones she thought would want to join her would have been Number 1 and Number 10, however Lucy hadn't been able to get them alone in a place that she could talk with them. They'd likely be alright for several more years regardless. At least, that's what Lucy told herself. It would have been extremely difficult for her to take them with her anyway, considering that their room had no windows. More than that, she doubted she'd have enough food for herself, much less for a second person.
It was an excuse, she knew that. They could have snuck out, like what she and the others had done years ago. She could have waited longer and gathered more food. She could have put off leaving, though right now was the perfect time to with her finally feeling like she was ready and Lord Heartfilia away on a rare business trip.
With a huff she shook those thoughts from her head and took a bite out of her meal. It was a filet mignon, medium rare with just the right amount of sauces and spices to make it practically melt on her tongue. She knew she should savor it; whether she succeeded or not, there was little chance of her eating anything like it in the near future. Or at all. However, the stress and anxiety of what she was about to do made her loose her desire to eat. She still forced herself to, as she'd need the energy, however the perfectly cut and prepared steak may as well have tasted like dirt.
Before she knew it, her dinner was finished. She couldn't remember eating most of it. Numbly, she returned the plate to where she'd gotten it from. Two other identical plates were already there. She returned to her room without seeing anyone.
There wasn't anything else to do but to putter around and wait. It was still early and while Lord Heartfilia wasn't in the manor at the moment, Lucy didn't know how far away he was. She didn't doubt that he was still monitoring the building, or that he would return at the first sign that something wasn't right. She didn't know if Lord Heartfilia slept or not, but if he did then doing this at night would give her the best chance of success.
She obsessively checked her bag and a tiny cheap wristwatch. Time was crawling far too much for her nerves to handle it and it wasn't even dark out yet. She was too nervous to take a nap and too afraid she'd just sleep the night away. It was the same with reading, though she did look longingly at her books from time to time. She couldn't take any with her, there wasn't room in her bag; it was small and cheap and already bulging with the supplies she knew she'd need. She couldn't afford to carry it on her person either. She needed her hands free and there was nothing else she had that could hold a book.
It wasn't like she'd have the luxury of free time anyway. Not now, not in the near future, maybe not even in the far future.
With a sigh she ran her fingers along their spines. Was it strange that she was going to miss her books as much as she'd miss the other Lucys? They'd probably think so.
After waiting for far too long, but before she was ready, night fell and soon she'd be breaking into Lord Heartfilia's office and safe. She took a deep breath before slipping on her bag and her cloak, pulling the hood up to obscure her hair. She was rapidly approaching the point of no return and all she could feel was a unique mix of dread and excitement.
Lucy took another deep, steadying breath before opening the window and gently lowering herself out onto the ledge.
It was, perhaps, not the smartest or sanest route to get to the office. However, Lucy liked to think it was the least monitored way. She was starting to regret thinking like that. Clinging to the side of a building was much harder than her books had implied. The night was cold, her fingers were already starting to ache and all she could do was inch her way along the narrow decorative ledges. There were thankfully two of them; one that her fingers where grabbing onto that was almost the same level as her window and the other, the one that marked the tops of the windows on the floor below, was just high enough for her toes to stand on. This did mean that her face and chest scraped uncomfortably against the wall, however.
Lucy could only thank her lucky stars that Lord Heartfilia's office was on the same level as her room, she didn't even want to think about what would happen if she'd needed to go up or down a floor.
After an eternity she reached the area near Lord Heartfilia's office. She knew this because his office window faced the cemetery, so that he could see the two large angel statues that marked the graves of his wife and child. By then she was panting, her fingers were numb and her calves ached. She didn't even know how she was going to pull herself up and open his office window but she would. She had to.
Lucy reached up and groped blindly for the window leading to his office. She scooted along, going left and right until she found the seam where they opened. She switched hands, giving her other one a bit of a break, and pulled out a thin bit of wire she'd gotten from a cheap bracelet. Biting her lip, she attempted to slide it in the seam and unlock the window, a feat that would likely be difficult to do even if she could see what she was doing. Lucy really hoped it'd work though, if it didn't she'd likely fall and break her neck. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on for.
She sucked in a breath when she felt the wire move. Either it was able to enter or it'd folded in on itself. Lucy really hoped it was the former. After some wiggling she was able to feel some resistance on the wire. She had to switch hands again, once or twice, each time she feared the wire would fall. It didn't thankfully. Eventually, after much wiggling, jiggling and cursing, she heard a small sharp click and the window swung open. Lucy let out a shaky breath in relief.
Now she just had to get inside.
Lucy dropped the wire inside; she'd pick it up later, it could still be useful. Reaching as far as she could, her fingers just barely hooked over the sill. Her other hand soon joined the first one and she jumped up as high as she could.
It wasn't very high, though it did allow her hands to now be fully gripping at the windowsill. Lucy was left dangling and huffing as she tried to will her arms to pull the rest of her up. They ached horribly, especially her wrists from the odd angle they were stuck at. However, she wasn't in a position to adjust her hold.
She nearly fell a few times but thankfully the resulting surge of adrenaline gave her the energy needed to hang on for just a little longer. Eventually she managed to scramble enough so that her upper body was half in the office. After that, it was much easier to pull the rest of herself inside. She collapsed on the floor under the window, panting and wheezing as she tried to shake the pain out of her hands and arms. Lucy couldn't stop now, as much as she wanted to, she was only part way through her plan.
She swallowed and forced herself to her feet, pocketing the wire as she got up. She closed and locked the windows. There was no point in going out that way, Lord Heartfilia would know for sure that there was an intruder, she might as well not risk falling and breaking something. She didn't think her arms could stand doing that again regardless.
The safe was kept behind some decorative curtains. She knew this because that's where Lord Heartfilia kept his money as well. Or at least, the money he gave to her and the others whenever they were to run errands for him. She did her best to calm her racing heart, to get her pulse to stop pounding in her ears. Lucy would need to listen carefully for this part.
She brushed the heavy velvety curtains away and knelt before the metal box. She could practically feel the keys inside reaching and calling out to her. First right, then left, then right again; she listened carefully for the louder clicks. It took a few tries, but soon she was prying the door open and gazing at the treasures inside.
On small hooks around the walls of the safe, there were four keys. Two silver, two gold. Lyra, Crux, Cancer and, to her surprise, Aquarius. Even if she was shocked at the fourth key, Lucy still grabbed them all without hesitation. Despite not having been touched in a long time, they felt warm in her hand. She gently placed them at the top of her pack, closing it securely.
She paused at the stacks of money before grabbing as much as she could stuff into her pockets. It was only about a million Jewel, maybe a million and a half. With any luck, it would last her a while.
That done, she closed the safe, shouldered her bag and left the office. If she wasn't on a time limit before, she certainly was now. Lucy was fairly confident that Lord Heartfilia would be the type to hide an alarm Lacrima somewhere inside the safe. Even if he was asleep and not monitoring the office, he'd be awakened and alerted to the fact that someone else opened it.
She walked as quickly as she dared through the halls, down the stairs and out the back door. She didn't run, she couldn't afford to use more energy than she needed to. The moon was full, so it was easy to see where she was going, even when she entered the forest behind the house.
As she passed the tank room she checked her watch. It was almost one. Perfect. If either of the other Lucys wanted to join her, she'd be able to meet them at the time she said they should. Lucy might not have enough supplies, but she was positive they'd be able to make due. She'd also be able to rest a bit. After all that she'd done, her body was shaking and begging for a break. Lucy smiled and forced herself to keep her current pace as she made her way to the graveyard.