With her hair freshly dyed a dull common brown and some interesting and weird information now known, Lucy found herself sitting on a bench contemplating what she needed to do next. It had been surprising but Crux had known why she didn't want to leave Fiore. Apparently there was a powerful item that needed and called out to the Golden Gate Keys. Because of this the Golden Keys felt that they had to stay in Fiore, and as she was the link between the ones she had and Earthland, she was, even unconsciously, reluctant to leave as well.
She huffed to herself as she looked up to the sky. It would have been nice if they'd told her about this beforehand. While she hadn't asked them if they wanted to leave Fiore, her spirits knew about what she had planned. Then again, they might not have been able to say. Celestial Spirits were like that.
She couldn't ask Crux about the item keeping the Zodiacs in Fiore; she didn't know its name and without that he couldn't say anything more than vague references. It was the same with finding other Celestial Spirit mages; unless she knew their names or they were dead, Crux couldn't talk at all about them. Lucy couldn't even ask about lady Leanna's mission, all the spirits were apparently bound by oath to not talk about it unless under certain specific circumstances they also weren't allowed to talk about or hint at.
So her search was limited to Fiore. That was fine, she could work with that, even if she'd have to keep looking over her shoulder and dodging attention. Crux had helpfully said that Fiore had the highest concentration of Celestial mages in the world. Something about how that mysterious item drew in all Gate Keys, not just the gold ones. Probably so that the gold ones would always have a summoner. Not that that'd really helped; Taurus had been lost for years in a cow pasture.
None the less, a part of Lucy didn't want to believe Crux's words. She'd been searching for eight months and hadn't found a single other Celestial mage. While eight months wasn't long and Fiore was big, it still felt like she was looking for a needle in a hay stack.
Now that she wasn't leaving Fiore she really needed to plan out what she was going to do now as opposed to on the way to her next destination. She needed a job, her funds were running out. However, she needed a job that would allow her the freedom to keep traveling and searching for other Celestial Spirit mages. The best job for that would probably be as a guild mage and there was only really one guild she wanted to join. But like she had told Natsu and Happy earlier, she didn't know the requirements needed for joining it nor did she feel she had the magic needed to pass whatever requirements there were. After all, she doubted Fairy Tail would accept just anybody.
She fingered the new silver Key attached to her key ring. She could and probably should summon Canis Minor soon, however both Cancer and Crux drained her magic too much. She also wanted the key to be a little bit more shiny than it was; the spirit wasn't likely to have enough energy to stay in Earthland long enough to create a contract at the moment.
With a sigh she pulled out her most recent copy of Sorcerer's Weekly and gave it a quick look through out of habit. There was no mention of any Celestial Spirit summoners that caught her eye, nor was there anything about Celestial Gate Keys. That done she flipped back to the front of the magazine and read through the articles in earnest.
It wasn't long before she came across a story that made her smile. "Fairy Tail caused trouble again?" She giggled as she read about how they got rid of the Devon thief family as well as several houses. There weren't any casualties, not even with the Devon thieves themselves, but she'd expected that. It was one of the things that Fairy Tail could be thoroughly relied upon for. The mage who did it hadn't stuck around for questioning but the other interviews made her laugh so hard it brought tears to her eyes.
Especially the one about how the mage literally ate all the food at a restaurant; they'd had to close until they got restocked. She didn't know why it was so incredibly funny, probably because it reminded her so much of that guy she met a couple of hours ago. She could easily imagine Natsu doing something like that.
"That's way too much!" She finally gasped out before moving on. The next page, as well as several afterwards, were all about Mirajane. It was probably strategic to make the reader forget about how destructive the other mage was.
"Fairy Tail's top model, Mirajane. I wonder if someone like her would be so reckless too…" Lucy certainly couldn't imagine Mirajane eating a restaurant out of business. Then again, Lucy didn't know what her main magic was; it could have something to do with gravity or some other highly intensive fat burning magic.
"How would I even join? Would I have to learn some stronger magic?" Her fingers gently caressed her Keys. She hoped that wouldn't be the case. The thought of anyone considering her spirits to be weak, even the mages of Fairy Tail, was upsetting. True she wasn't the best at using them, and she likely wasn't the ideal owner for them, however that was all on her rather than her spirits.
"Would I have to go through interviews?" If that was the case, she didn't even know where to begin or what she'd say. She could tell them her name, age and magic type but for everything else…
She sighed and rested her chin on a hand, looking down at the glossy pages with longing. "I really want to know…Fairy Tail…I wish they'd actually say how to join…"
"I see!" She cried out in shock as a man jumped up from the bushes next to the bench. "So you want to join Fairy Tail." It took a second to recognize him.
"S-Salamander?" Why was he hiding in the bushes? That's even creepier than using Charm! How long had he been spying on her for?
He kept talking as he freed himself from the foliage. "I've been looking all over for you…" That was even worse! "I really wanted to invite a beautiful lady like you to our party on the ship."
She scrambled up and quickly put some distance between them. "What are you trying to pull? First the Charm and now stalking? Why should I go anywhere with you?" One of Charm's weak points was awareness; so long as she was aware he had it, it was much easier to fight off its effects.
Salamander smirked. "I knew it! I knew you were a mage when our eyes met." He spread his arms out as if motioning for a hug and Lucy was suddenly very aware that it was only the two of them in this area of the park. "That Charm was just a little test. I'm pleased to say that you passed. I'd be very happy if you'd just come to the party."
Lucy gritted her teeth; why should she care about his happiness? She fingered a specific golden Key. Taurus, as obsessed with boobs as he was, was frightfully good at dealing with pushy men and unwanted advances. However, she had summoned Cancer not too long ago and she wasn't sure just how good Salamander was with his fire. As much as she hated it, if things went bad she'd likely have to use Taurus to stall as she made a run for it.
"There's no way I'd go to such a nasty guy's party."
"Nasty? Me?" He looked hurt, and confused. However, something about it made Lucy think he was faking.
"Using magic like Charm to entice girls. How much worse could you get?"
"I told you, it's a trial. Completely harmless. Besides, can you blame me for wanting to be the star of the party?"
"Isn't it your party?" She gritted her teeth and turned away. It was risky, even though she kept all her other senses trained on that man, turning her back to him made her skin crawl. However, she really hoped he'd just let her walk away. "Never mind, someone like you isn't worth being considered popular."
"Wait up!" She heard him taking several steps closer to her, even as she walked away. Her hands drifted down to her Keys again. "Don't you want to join Fairy Tail?"
His sudden question made her stop. That was right, she'd been talking out loud when he'd been spying on her. She should just keep walking and ignore any attempts he made to talk to her. Still she couldn't help but turn around to look at him in confusion. What would he know about joining Fairy Tail?
"Did you know I'm part of a guild?" At her hesitant nod his smirk grew. "Have you heard what they call the best fire mage in Fairy Tail?"
It suddenly clicked. The magazines didn't actually talk about Fairy Tail's Salamander often, at least not by that name, but when they did it was with exceptional acts of magic and bravery. "I…You're part of Fairy Tail?" She gaped.
He chuckled, "I am. If you want to join, I could talk to the master for you. It'll make things much easier for you if you have a recommendation. Just come to the party, so I can get to know you better."
She couldn't help but stare at him for a second in awe. Here he was offering up her dream job of being a Fairy Tail mage, even after she'd called him a creep and nasty. Her heart sped up at the thought of being a guild mage, of being a Fairy Tail mage. Lucy smiled. "It'll be a wonderful party, right?" And hopefully the start of the most wonderful years of her life.
He laughed again, "It will be with you there."
"And, can-can I really join Fairy Tail?"
"Of course! But please, don't tell anyone else about the Charm test."
"Okay!" She sing songed. Somehow, knowing now that he was from Fairy Tail, the idea that the Charm was a test was easier to believe. If it was a test, then it'd be difficult if everyone knew about it. "Okay!" She chirped again, because she still couldn't believe she'd have a chance at joining Fairy Tail. That the opportunity had just fallen into her lap like that.
"I'll see you at the party then." With that, Salamander left with only a wave.
"Yes sir!" Lucy saluted, even though the other mage wouldn't be able to see. Her heart was still pounding and it felt like she was floating. She could join Fairy Tail. She dropped her hand from the salute, her hand brushing against her Keys. One of them, likely Aquarius, scalded her fingers and abruptly brought her back to reality.
Lucy choked on air as she remembered the last few minutes of that conversation. "I got Charmed again!" Still, a sense of anticipation that had nothing to do with Charm magic bubbled up inside her. "I can join Fairy Tail!" She jumped for joy. "I'll just have to be friendly with that guy until I join." It sounded a bit mean, even to herself, but well he was a jerk using and manipulating girls like that with magic. She supposed it was normal for a guild that size to have one or two people like that in it. She'd just have to be friendly now and then avoid him after joining and making other friends.
Thankfully the knowledge of what Salamander was actually like didn't dim her excitement. She gleefully trotted back into the main parts of Hargeon so she could prepare for tonight.