Chapter 11
Gajeel returned to the library to find his watchman right where he left her. He had not been gone very long, but it appeared she had attracted the attention of a male admirer. In a library, of all places.
Hot fury shot through his veins when the miscreant made advances towards her: caressing her cheek, fondling a curl of cerulean hair. She had moved around the workstation in an attempt at distance while she worked and had firmly pushed his hand away from her, vocally requesting he desist. When he took hold of her hand and pinned her against the table, Gajeel moved.
He saw nothing but red and gripped her aggressor by the throat, lifting him off the floor.
His outcry was cut off and instead, he made quiet, guttural sounds of a strangled nature. He was vaguely aware of the little hand that pressed against his bicep.
"Gajeel, put him down."
He didn't listen at first. In fact, he squeezed harder to spite her plea; the man now turning a shade of blue. But her voice was like an arrow to his resolve. He released his hold, dropping the perpetrator to his knees and kicked the man over with a booted foot, watching him scramble to shaky feet and leave.
He turned to his watchman, about to scold her, until he saw the unmistakable look of relief on her face. There were tears welling in her eyes and his earlier wrath vanished entirely.
Had he frightened her? He was unskilled with tears. Only children and women cried, and he was neither. She scrubbed her face clean, removing the salty drops from her features and turned back. She crouched over the floor, sheathing the knife that he had not seen her draw. She shuffled a few documents that had been displaced; her hands lightly shaking. His little watchman would not go down without a fight.
He retrieved the page she had been scribbling on earlier, examining her writing.
"Is this what it says?" he asked quietly.
She looked up at what he was holding, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Sort of. The words are not in the right order. And I still have another three lines to do."
He nodded to himself, tucking the sheet into a nearby tome.
"Take only what books y'need. Keep them in yer bag. We're outta time."
As if on cue, a bell rang, signifying nightfall. Levy had never stolen anything before and wasn't sure she heard him correctly. Take the books? As he started walking out, her nerves coupled with the distant ringing made her jumpy. She took two dusty books and a stack of papers (including her final translation), along with a corked bottle of ink and dry quills. She crammed everything in her bag, rushing to catch up to her giant.
Pantherlily was waiting outside at the bottom of the stairs when they exited the doors, a downdraft greeting the little woman with a vile coldness. To her surprise, Gajeel grabbed her by the waist and tossed her into the saddle. She shivered against a brisk breeze and pulled her hood up, shielding herself. He gave her no time to adjust herself further as he mounted up behind her, forcing her into side-saddle when he spurred Lily into a gallop.
She had come to hate this position. It made her feel like she was going to slide off at any moment.
His voice sounded harsh in their silence.
"Yer stayin' with a friend. When ya finish, I'll be back."
His words confused her and she did her best to look him in the eye to ensure he spoke the truth. She feared he was going to visit her home again, and she couldn't allow that.
"Where are you going?"
"Crocus."
Crocus, the capitol, she thought. She recalled a detailed map from home and noted the capital was about forty miles East of Magnolia. They were headed towards the North gate.
"Why?" she asked.
"Not yer business, shrimp," he tacked on her nickname to soften his statement.
She was quiet, and that was good. He didn't want to explain himself.
Pantherlily raced out of the city gate, startling guards, but not provoking a pursuit. Apparently, tightening security included checking-in, but not out.
The twilight sun scattered brilliant colors all across the sky with bright pinks and oranges against the clouds. The landscape had changed from crowded forests to rolling hills and grass. Not a tree in sight. The previous rain turned the scenery into a lush paradise that made Levy itch to kick off her boots for. The trail broke into a fork and Gajeel took the less traveled path, slowing Lily to a trot. Brick-like rock formations began dotting the ground until they came upon a mass of ruins. They circled the crumbling remnants until she spotted a little home built into the side of the hill, hidden amongst the rubble. Smoke rising from a chimney and a warm light from within suggested occupancy.
"Oi! Rain woman!" he shouted.
Moments later a tall woman with hair as blue as Levy's and eyes as dead as fish opened the door.
Gajeel wrapped a muscular arm around her and slid her off the saddle, setting her feet on the ground with more tenderness than she expected. She found her footing and stepped back from the horse and rider.
"Keep an eye on her!" he called.
He stayed a moment too long after his instruction, seemingly wanting to say more. He turned his horse East and did not look at her again as he rode off.
"You gonna stand out here all night?"
Levy scrambled up the makeshift steps to the wooden door, passing in front of the woman to the inside of her home. She stood awkwardly in the space, not knowing what to do. It was a small home, fit for maybe two people. But what made her truly pause was the amount of water every flat surface held. Large glass vases, thin shallow dishes, and every inch in-between was some kind of clear vessel of water.
"Are you gonna stand there, too?" the woman had moved Levy to the side and walked inside, closing the door.
"I-I'm sorry. I was just..." Levy paused, trying to think of a better excuse for her gawking, "looking?" she finished lamely.
The woman was taller than Levy; beautiful and well-endowed. She wore a short, navy nightshirt that properly put her long legs on display while draping across wide hips to a defined waist. Her skin was clear and pale, but not unhealthily so. She was the epitome of beauty that Levy strived for, although she was certain no such goal would be obtained since she had stopped growing.
The blue-haired woman crossed her arms over her chest, fully examining Levy to the point that it made her uncomfortable.
Then she spoke, "Juvia is my name. You can put your things by the table. Juvia thinks Gajeel won't be back for a while."
Her odd word phrasing caught Levy off guard and she did as she asked, placing her cloak and bag near what appeared to be a dining table, although it was much too small for more than one person.
Levy rubbed her cold hands together, wondering what to do with herself now. The woman had made herself comfortable on a little loveseat near a blazing fireplace. She picked up a mug, with what Levy assumed was tea, and resumed drinking it as she had been doing before the interruption.
She was amazed the hulking man had any friends at all, much less a domestic woman friend. If they even were friends. Perhaps they were more than that.
She tried to picture Gajeel sitting on the couch with his muscular arms stretched over the back, but he didn't seem compatible in the cozy, if not watery, setting. While she was repulsed by the thought, she didn't think it impossible. What if he had feelings for her?
"Do you stand around a lot?" the snide remark brought the records keeper back down to earth.
"How do you know Gajeel?" she asked quietly, walking around to face the woman.
She did not seem like the kind of person who would converse well with someone like him, but she couldn't restrain her curiosity. Levy felt comfortable with this woman, in a kindred sort of way. Perhaps it was because they shared similar traits. It was an inexplicable feeling, but she trusted it.
The woman made a gesture that Levy took as a motion to sit, so she knelt on the rug near the fireplace to thaw the cold developing in her hands.
"Juvia wants to know what you know about Gajeel first."
Levy thought hard for a moment, trying to recall any little detail she could about the man in question.
"Well, I know he's a raider. Though, I don't know what he's raiding for. I don't remember him or any of his men taking anything of value. Just burning things," she brought her hand to her mouth, drumming her fingers against her cheek in thought, "He has money, and a nice horse. He buys a lot of stuff too. And he's pushy."
At her last comment, the woman gave a knowing chuckle of humor, but covered her expression with her hand, waving for her to continue.
"Um...I don't know much else. He doesn't carry any weapons, I think."
Juvia nodded in agreement, pondering her response.
"Juvia has known Gajeel for a long time. He is Juvia's friend. That's all."
The declaration seemed absolute and held no romanticized attachment to it. But Levy was unsatisfied.
"He came to my village," Levy began, "He knocked on the doors and broke in to my convent. He asked if I could read something...," she jumped up from her spot on the rug and retrieved the copy she made of his parchment note from her bag. She returned and sat with the woman on her couch, handing the document to her.
Juvia did not even look up to know what the girl was talking about. She answered after a swallow from her drink, nodding, "Yes, Juvia has seen it."
Levy dropped the page to her lap, "What is it?" she asked.
Juvia shrugged her shoulders in response, "Juvia doesn't know. All Juvia knows is Gajeel has been looking for someone to help him figure it out for a long time."
"But you're his friend," she retorted in confusion.
"And you're his whore. That doesn't mean he tells Juvia everything."
Levy lurched at the distracting derogatory insult. She was no such thing and never would be.
"I am not," she muttered through restrained anger.
The woman cast her a condescending look of disbelief. Levy's fingers itched to slap her for calling her such a name, but resisted the temptation. She would not initiate violence, it was against her nature, even though her nature demanded an apology. She took a calming breath, still feeling the animosity tingle in her hands for strength.
"I really am not. I am a records keeper and a cloister member," she explained, hoping to prove something to this infuriating blue bimbo.
Juvia eyed the girl with a questioning look, "You're serious?"
She was asking more than just the validity of her position, but also the status of her experiences. Which she had none. Unless she counted their night in the cave as one, which she no longer thought plausible. So, she didn't count it.
Levy nodded her head gravely, and Juvia was taken aback, taking a final sip of her now lukewarm tea.
"Oh, well, Juvia thought he might have by now. Juvia is sorry," her voice held clear remorse and Levy was convinced it was sincere. She waved her apology off, no longer offended.
Their conversation filled with silence until Juvia noticed the fire dying down.
"It's late. Would you like to sleep now?" she asked.
Levy nodded tiredly. There was too much on her mind to let her complete anymore translation work.
Juvia unfolded herself from her position and dug into a nearby cupboard. She came across thick bedding, dragging the bedclothes across the hard floor, and dropped them on the rug near the fireplace.
"You can sleep here and Juvia will be over there," the tall blunette pointed to a hidden corner of the home, probably her own bed. Levy noticed she twisted her fingers into knots, apparently nervous about something.
"Juvia would really appreciate it if you wouldn't run away. Gajeel can be...temperamental."
Levy gave her an understanding smile, but truly felt no need to leave. Her family was safe and she was going to see this through to the end. As a cloister member and a decent human being, she would help him.
"I won't," she promised.
And with that, the blue haired pair prepared for bed.