Pradesh Week 2k18

by kendraleaanne

A whole week filled with Desna's Pradesh boys paired up with my favorite Fairy Tail mages. The chapter titles will have the theme of the day and the pairing listed. Smut/Fluff/Humor/Drama I know I'm little late but better late than never!

4. Summit Part 2- BAMF LucyKaleb

~Okay so here is Part 2 and I REALLY hope y'all like it because I am a huge fan. Again, I'm on my phone this week so I'm sorry if there is grammar stuff I missed!~

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It was noon and though the sun was high, so was the humidity and Lucy was stifling in her usual leather armor. She, Farron and Hisui had been practically locked into the stuffy room with the every single member of the Magic Council and the King with his advisors were hashing out the details of her official job and how that would affect the other major parties of Fioran government.

At this point and time, Lucy didn't really care what the Magic Council thought and the King was a jovial man who adored her.

She cleared her throat before standing, feeling every pair of eyes on her like each was its own hot brand. Her voice even as she smiled through her own interruption, "Pardon me but I'm in desperate need of moving air and lunch. I think it best if we moved to the veranda for the rest of the afternoon."

Before any of the stuffy old men could even split their walrus mustaches, the Princess' bright voice filled the space, "Oh what a lovely idea, Lucy. I'll tell the staff that we will take lunch out there as well. Would you care to join me?"

Lucy gave her longtime friend and practically sister a little playful curtsy before looping their arms together. Her voice was bubbly and bright, pausing only to stop and give Farron's toned shoulder a friendly squeeze, "I would love to accompany you, darling. We will meet the rest of you under the warmth of the afternoon sun with lunch."

The pair wound their way through the maze of corridors to get to the kitchen where the children of the palace had gathered to try and coax some butter cookies from the baker.

While Hisui talked to the staff, Lucy took to inquiring about the baked goods schedule of the palace. Her brows were furrowed in interest as the ancient woman went off to list a militaristic schedule of cookies, cakes, pies, scones and everything else even she could think of while carefully lifting the large tray of fresh cookies behind her back.

When the chef turned her back to focus on the Princess once again, the Celestial beauty gave the giggling group of kids a wink before calling back to her friend that she would meet her on the veranda and sauntering out of the kitchen.

Kaleb had been trying to get a hold of his father when he saw her. Once again she was barefoot with the legs of her pants pushed up as far as the leather would allow and once again she seemed to be totally immersed in her own little world as nearly a dozen children ranging from toddlers to teens laughed and played around her. On her shoulders was a young boy with cropped bright red hair and a pair of very young twins had wrapped their little arms around her thigh as she lifted their little bodies with each step, sending another round of high-pitched joyous laughter through the yards just beyond the veranda.

"Okay little loves, let's get you back where you belong. I think I've stolen you away long enough." Her smile was wide as she effortlessly lifted the red-headed boy from her shoulders with one arm.

The chorus of complaints at her words pulled low chuckles from the Mindbender as he tucked his hands under his biceps to see how she does managing that many small humans at once.

"Don't give me that. You know I always rescue you when you need it most and the only reason I get away with mass kidnapping is because I always bring you back. You wouldn't want to ruin the fun and miss your surprise tomorrow, would you?"

"Surprise?"

She ruffled the young boy's long hair before kneeling down to be eye level with a nervous little raven-haired child. She softened her tone knowing this particular little boy was the new head of the Magic Councils boy, Lito. When Lucy first met him, he barely spoke and refused to play with any of the other kids but after two years, he was like a whole different little man. His magic coupled with rough nature of his father made him anxiety ridden and unsure of himself. As best they could describe, Lito had a type of magic they liked to call chameleon magic. He could adopt any of the traits or magics from the people around him for a short period of time and that made people uncomfortable to be near him. Add his father's less than shining reputation for being a proud mule made things especially difficult for him but she always made a point to see him when she could.

"Yes, little light, a surprise but only if you promise to work extra hard on your studies when we get back. Mistress Grentel will only let you come with me if you do."

The headwinds coming from the rapid up down motions coming from each of the children was alarming considering every single one of them was in agreeance. Even the children of his White Sea members have never all agreed on something so wholeheartedly, especially not something like working harder.

The blonde whirlwind herself had a child on her hip and was holding the Magic Councilman's child's hand as the herd of small bodies flocked and followed her back into the castle, voices chattering nonstop as they beamed up to the equally as beaming woman.

"Kaleb? Hello? Kaleb?"

His father's voice pulled him from his observation as he lifted the comm to see his father's face, knowing pale green eyes shining with something that to this day never fails to send a wave of shivers down any given Pradesh's spine. "Father, have you spoken to Farron yet today?"

The Pradesh patriarch noted his sons too hasty inquiry but made no comment as he answered easily, "I have. He's informed me that you two will be bringing back a girl finally. Your brother seems quite impressed with her." Arman Pradesh was trying to bait his mind reading son. Of course, after having raised all of the Pradesh brood, he knew ways around his children's natural defenses.

Kaleb gave a nod of his head in agreeance before giving his father what he wanted. "She is quite impressive. I've never met anyone like her, that's a fact."

That caught his attention. Raising a brow smoothly, Arman pressed further, "I find that hard to believe coming from two of the most world travelled beings I know."

"You'll meet her soon enough. I'm hoping before the end of the week but Fare seems to think that unlikely."

A warmth lit in his father's sagely eyes as he spoke, "It's been so long since I've had laughter in my home. It'll be so nice to have Farron and Lucy home every night for dinner."

The platinum-haired mage rolled his eyes. "You have family dinners every Sunday, Dad. Van and I have been to every single one."

The patriarch sulked as he shot back, "But you don't stay anymore."

"I have my own home to sleep in." It was an argument he often had with his father now that Xally has been gone with her studies at the university. Arman Pradesh's birds have flown the nest and he doesn't like it one bit.

The older Sound Mage countered, "You have a bedroom here as well."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "One that has my baby clothes tucked in the closet and a hole where Bixy put his head through the wall. Plus my place is closer to the Sea."

"The Sea isn't that far from your family home, Kaleb."

"And this discussion is tiring, Father. If you want to convince a son to come home, talk to Bixy."

As if just given a brilliant idea, the oldest Pradesh gave his son a winning smile before letting him go so he could make another phone call to a younger child of his.

Kaleb breathed out under his breath, "Dear gods, what have we started?"

A sharp, nasally voice all but screeched from the shade of the patio, "That Miss Heartfilia is unmarried, remains an independent mage with no ties or loyalties to anyone and just this morning was seen walking the gardens barefoot and on the fencing!"

His brother's familiar smooth voice offered the flea of a man complaining only now that Lucy had left the vicinity. The Mindbender recognized the tone his older brother was using, it was a strictly ambassador tone that showed just how uncaring he actually was only to those who knew him well. "Miss Heartfilia is a loyal Fioran and brilliant mage that Bosco would be more than happy to sponsor so we could strengthen the ties between our great countries through means of trade, diplomacy and an exchange of culture. I find that her sudden appearance is that akin to a miracle for Princess Hisui and by extension, the King himself. Or did you have a suitable replacement already in mind?"

The older man sputtered as Farron's sky blue eyes danced with mirth over his aromatic cup of tea.

Much to everyone's surprise, the star Celestial Mage returned from dropping the children off only to have returned with a young girl, maybe the age of two, with white blonde hair and piercing grey eyes fast asleep in her arms. The mystery child looked as if she could have been Lucy's with her heartshaped face and feminine features made round in her youth. As if this was a normal occurance, the bright young mage practically sang from where she had started dancing with her charge, "Let's get down to it men. It's much too beautiful a day to spend it arguing."

So they did. By the time they had agreed that she was actually in fact perfect for the position, Lucy had sat down and her could-be daughter had fallen asleep on her shoulder, her arms curled around the starry skin of her neck.

Kaleb had stayed for the rest of the meeting and both Celestial Mages present were thankful he did. The Magic Council was firm in demanding that if Lucy was to become ambassador, she would need to join a legal guild. It was non-negotiable for them. No one save Farron thought the Guildmaster himself from the most successful and prominent guild in Bosco would offer her a place there on the spot.

It made for a relatively painless and quick meeting and Lucy was content to watch the sun kiss the horizon as bodies filed out around her.

The electric warmth of Kaleb's magical presence pulled a sigh from her lips as he approached from behind. Just like before, his voice was like silk over her senses, "Fair fatina, you've found a sleeping beauty."

Smoothing the hair back out of the child's sleeping face, golden eyes landed on the slash-like red markings up her arms. Her voice was filled with the overflowing affection she held for the child, "Her name is Tsukiya. She's one of the maid's daughter but she's a Kitsune Mage and petrified of her magic. She must have grown her fangs in while I was away." It was an absent remark but there was sorrow behind it.

Clearing his throat, the Guildmaster offered a hand to help her up. "Does Tsukiya have to return home soon?"

A melodious catching laugh resonated through the yard and wrinkled the corners of her eyes. "Nope. She's mine for the week. Her mom, the maid I mentioned, used to work at the Konzern before I found her at Everlue's. She needed a job after...I uh, found her there and Hisui was in need of a head maid. Her father is a member of the guard for the castle and they haven't had any time together since the last time I visited when she was a baby. You're looking at her chief godfairy." She couldn't help the pride in her voice as she looked up into ever thoughtful lavender eyes and finally released his hand back to him to rub Tsukiya's back.

"Surely you aren't taking her back to your hotel?" He couldn't help the question as it fell from his lips.

Noting the worried tone of his voice, she gave his impressive arm a reassuring pat before casually stating, "Of course not. She's coming home with us."

"Us?" His worry for the little girl quickly morphed into worry for himself and his Sound Mage older brother currently sharing a home.

"Us, Guildmaster. I might have accidentally let slip that I was staying at the Honey Bone and Hisui wouldn't hear it. Insisted I stay with Farron since the house is plenty big enough. Don't worry, she doesn't speak much and she rarely cries. She's honestly a little angel."

As if on cue, one clawed hand extended from the tangle of blonde curls in a yawn that showed off the little sharpened canines from her magic. She eyed the strange man from where she had simply turned her head to rest her opposite cheek on Lucy's bare shoulder curiously. "Pretty."

Pouty pink lips split into a blinding smile first at the child oblivious to her and then to Kaleb, who seemed transfixed on it before turning his attention back to the toddler staring at him completely unabashed. "My name is Kaleb. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Her face remained unchanging as she repeated more firmly, "Pretty."

He had bound his hair back in a low ponytail and the rope of silvery-blond hair had loosened. Enough so that his face was being framed by the silk and he knew Tsukiya was talking about more than just his hair. "Not so pretty compared to you, kit."

The Celestial Mage watched as her godchild turned her face back towards her and away from Kaleb to whisper in her ear as they made their way out of the Castle grounds and into the gardens.

"Oh is that so? I think if you asked him nicely, he wouldn't mind."

Kaleb's blood ran cold. He obviously had an advantage when it came to children but this particular child in the arms of that particular woman made him nervous. No one had ever told him he was good with kids. No one told him he wasn't good with kids either but he's been around plenty of children and they usually avoid him. Whether that was due to his size, title or immense magical aura, he didn't know. So he waited to hear what the tiny Fox Mage would request of him.

Startling grey eyes met his evenly before extending her hands towards his head, "Uppy."

Lucy gently reminded her of her manners, "Please, Kiya."

With a small nod, the child tried again, "Uppy pease."

The former Fairy Tail mage had to rein in her giggles at the look of panic on his face. Deciding to throw him a bone, she bumped his leg with her hip. "She wants on your shoulders and I can guarantee you're about to lose your crown when she gets up there."

His attention was once again pulled down to the little girl with an alarmingly deadpanned face. "It's pretty high up, are you sure you can hold on?" The tone of his voice was teasing and light as he smiled at her.

Tsukiya gave a curt nod of her head before extending her arms once again, the marks of her magic stark against the pale cream color of her skin.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

When the trio made it to the front steps of their home away from home, Tsukiya had the circlet-type jewelry that rested across his forehead around her neck and her ears, more akin to those of a fennec fox, were proudly displayed through the curls of her hair. She was toddler-talking her lungs out, pausing every now and then to allow one of them to nod or make a comment before continuing.

Kaleb had wrapped his hands around her feet and told her to lean back which much to Lucy's surprise, she did without hesitation. Even letting out peals of giggles when she tried to tickle him through the layers of his dress clothes.

They hadn't even closed the door before a knock sounded from the other side accompanied by the sweetly smiling face of Tsukiya's mothers.

"Haru! I didn't know you'd be dropping Kiya's things off so soon or I'd have just taken it myself." The younger blonde moved to embrace the older woman with kind eyes and hair so faintly red, it almost looked pink.

Stepping into the house, Haru started piling up bags in the hall while running through the toddlers schedule. Before Lucy could get a word in, the older maid was backing out the door again and saying her goodbyes to her upside down daughter.

Her chocolate eyes sparkled with disbelief as she stood blinking at the front door.

"Lulu."

The small voice brought her back as she turned to see what she could do for her. "You getting hungry baby?"

The twitch of her ear was all the further confirmation she needed before pulling her tiny frame from Kaleb's honestly massive shoulders, her voice lilting as she settled Tsukiya on her hip, "What were you thinking for dinner because I was thinking we could make spaghetti."

Her grey eyes widened like saucers at the mention of the Minstrellan dish.

The pair was making their way towards the kitchen when the Fox Mage called to Kaleb, "Pretty, come." She gave pause before adding sweetly, "Pease." Her tone still left minimal room for argument from the hulking Mindbender.

To say Farron was speechless when he came home would be a fair statement. As he leaned on the frame of the archway between the dining room and kitchen, he took in the incredibly domestic scene unfolding before him. Lucy had changed out of her leather and into a pair of peach dhoti pants and a dove grey halter top, her hair in a half tangled mess at the back of her head as she sang along with music playing softly in the background. Kaleb was leaned against the counter right beside the Celestial Mage with a young Kitsune Mage in his arms, still dressed as he was in the castle, as they made what smelled like pasta of some sort. His brother was telling them both about the White Sea and they both seemed to be enraptured by his words.

Overall, the Sound Mage was feeling optimistic about the years to come.

"Oh, Fare! You should have said something," as if second-nature, the stunning blonde crossed the room and grabbed his hand to lead him to the breakfast nook to sit and be a part of the festivities, "We are having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and you've come just in time." Her brows waggled at him conspicuously before turning back towards her charge and rubbing her hands together. "All right, kit-kat, I want you to meet Kaleb's big brother, Farron. He's a really good friend of mine and he's really good at making meatballs. Do you think he could join us?"

The young mage looked between the two men before her head tilted to side and her ears dropped slightly, "Pretty?"

He gave her a reassuring smile before putting her down to inspect his older brother for herself while he showered and changed out of his clothes into something more comfortable.

By the time he came back downstairs, Farron had rolled the sleeves of his button down to his elbows and was trying to teach Tsukiya how to roll meatballs but the small child just kept motioning for him to keep making them so she could put them on the pan.

He felt a dainty hand against the muscle of his back, its warmth seeping through the thin material of his shirt to settle in his chest even though the touch was casual and passing. "I think she's in love. You may be her pretty but he's her boo."

His brow raised in challenge as his arms fell away from his chest, the back of his hand brushing against the silky fabric covering her thigh. "How quickly I'm replaced."

Her hand trailed down the back of his arm as an impish smile spread across her lips. "You were no match for his baby blues and ability to make perfect spheres from ground meat."

His fingers caught hers before he started rubbing his thumb across the sensitive skin of her wrist making her pulse quicken and her magic ebb in a sensual way that had never happened before. Lucy wasn't going to complain about it but she also didn't know what in the blue devil she was supposed to do about it.

"Lulu! Come! Come!"

Without taking her eyes from Kaleb's, she answered a little out of breath, "I'll be right there, kit-kat."

The moment broke as she crossed back to the kitchen, her face lighting up as Tsukiya proudly showed off her and Farron's creations but Kaleb knew her thoughts. Her thoughts were centered on the inexplicable way their magics seemed to react. The same thing he was focused on.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

By day three with Tsukiya and Lucy, Kaleb was pretty sure he found the ultimate way to wear himself out and it had everything to do with the two newest blondes in his life. Here he was, Guildmaster of the White Sea, son of highly renowned Boscan ambassador and Wizard Saint in his own right, holding hands with a tiny kit and the female version of his youngest brother.

He had yet to determine if that was something that was going to be a problem or not.

Lucy had scooped Tsukiya up on a mission to the bathroom when an elderly woman spoke from his side, "Oh my, what a lovely family you have. You must be a very lucky man indeed to have such love in your life."

He blinked down at the aged woman before answering evenly, "I would be an incredibly lucky man to have a family so beautiful, but unfortunately they aren't mine."

She raised her brows as she nodded absently.

They shared a moment of silence before she pressed again. "What's stopping you?"

A brow rose in suspicion at the implication. "Stopping me?"

"Repetition is unbecoming for one so intelligent."

Taking a deep breath, he refrained from rolling his eyes. "Nothing is stopping me from doing anything."

Her eyes narrowed skeptically before settling back into indifference. "She's a firecracker, that one."

It was then he looked up to see Lucy now had piled her hair on top of her head and Tsukiya's wildy giggling body attached to her hip. The elder of the blondes looked significantly less amused than the younger.

"If you'll excuse me, ma'am."

She gave a respectful bow of her head before disappearing into the crowd to leave him to his women.

When the pair finally walked close enough to talk without shouting, Kaleb's velvety voice washed over her prickled nerves. "Something wrong, fatina?"

She threw one more haughty glare over her shoulder before motioning the towering man to duck down so she could repeat it quietly. He gladly obliged the irritated beauty. "Loke decided to pay me a visit which is no big deal but a couple of hags were lurking and saw Kiyo's ears. The words half-breed were uttered and thankfully, she completely missed it. I had to force his gate closed before he did something he'd regret."

The change in his mood was sudden. So sudden, it even caught the Kitsune Mage by surprise as she quickly turned to make 'uppy' motions to the behemoth.

The Mindbender easily took her small frame before asking smoothly, "It's been properly dealt with?"

Her golden eyes flashed with something darker before she gave a shrug, her voice unreadable, "It's been dealt with. I don't know if I'd call it proper though."

Her answer seemed suffice enough as they continued their trek to the outskirts of town to visit Blue Pegasus.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"You have a kid." The even deadpan of Laxus' voice made it sound like a statement rather than the question he wanted. Really, what else would you think when you looked at the little girl. The expressions were wrong but the features were spot on.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she fixed Tsukiya's boot for the tiny child, "Hello, Laxus. It's really nice to see you again. Oh, I'm doing good, thank you asking. I'd like for you to meet my goddaughter, Tsukiya." Ducking her head to press their foreheads together to get the young mage's attention, "Kit-kat, I'd like you to meet some more of my nakama. This is Laxus. He's a Dragon Slayer."

"Swayer?" She knew that would pique the little girl's interest.

"Mmhmm. Can you guess what his magic is?"

Kaleb had been immediately pulled into a rough hug by Bickslow before being dragged to the table where Freed and Evergreen were already seated so it was just the three blonde mages and the biggest of them was currently staring down the youngest of them with a less than warm emotion. More amusing yet was the miniscule mage refusing to back down under the glare.

The little Fox Mage crossed her arms over her chest before her tail started swishing out of annoyance. "Wightning."

At the sight of Tsukiya's fluffy tail, Lucy's eyes bugged a little as she tried to swallow her laughter. Her goddaughter rarely let her tail come out. Like with her ears, it was a target of careless comments and they made people nervous, especially in the castle. So to see it twitching back and forth meant that either she was comfortable enough to let it show or annoyed enough that she couldn't help the basic instinct. Either way, Lucy found the situation endlessly amusing.

"That's right, baby. He likes to pull the lightning right out of the sky and eat it."

Her voice was tinged in wonder as the young kit looked up at the dragon slayer in awe. "Weawy?"

She poked the end of her twitching nose playfully. "Just like you gobble down cookies."

The pale grey of her eyes widened in blatant awe as Laxus squirmed under the child's scrutiny.

Lucy's voice was teasing as she set the little blonde on her feet to make her way to Kaleb, "She's just a kid, Spark Plug. I can't promise she won't bite though. She uses Fox Magic after all." Her chocolate eyes didn't leave the child's frame until she had safely clambered up into Kaleb's lap.

He gave a grunt of acknowledgement before asking gruffly, "Where'd you pick her up then?"

She gave a shake of her head before rolling her eyes to meet his, "I'm going to pretend you didn't just speak about that living breathing human being as if she were a fruit at the market and one of the maid's when I was young named me godmother two years ago. Neither of her parents are mages and I absolutely adore her so if it gets to be too much, I come in and kidnap her for a week or so."

Another grunt was his only response as they stood watching over a guild hall that wasn't home for either of them.

Laxus felt the cool metal of her rings as her hand wrapped around the muscle of his forearm and he almost let out the breath he felt like he had been holding for months when the rest of her body leaned against his side, but he thought better of it. "When do you leave?"

"The end of the week if all goes as planned. I have the get myself a new guild mark when I touch down." Her voice wavered unsteadily as her grip tightened unconsciously.

"Blondie, I can't imagine you going to a better guild than Kaleb's Sea. Is there any skin left for your mark to go?"

She knew he was teasing her to make her feel better and she would be lying if she said it wasn't working. "Few spots here and there. None that you'll be seeing anytime soon unless you visit me all the way in Bosco."

"It has been awhile since I've been back."

A slow curling smile spread across her face when she saw the quirk of his smirk and she knew the Lightning Slayer would make the trip at least once. "Big boy like you could use some time in Bosco anyway." She sent the blushing slayer a cheeky wink before heading over to force Evergreen and Freed into a hug.

Without hesitation, they both returned the Celestial Mages easy affection.

"Lucy! You look amazing! Bickslow said you changed for the better and I totally agree." The Fairy Mage's words were genuine as she sat back down across from the Pradesh brothers.

"You'll have to tell me of your travels. I'm very curious to hear where you've been and congratulations of becoming Fiore's first ambassador." The Rune Mage's hold tightened for just a second longer before releasing the joyful blonde and sitting next to his fellow Blue Pegasus guildmate.

Lucy's hand was resting on the broad muscled shoulder of the older Pradesh, her body practically bent over his as she ran her fingers through Tsukiya's hair absently. "Oh Freed, it was wonderful. I've met so many people and learned things I didn't even know possible. The library in Caelum was sinfully overstuffed with books ranging from ancient tomes to instruction manuals for shelving. It would definitely be to your benefit to take a trip sometime."

"That's just was he needs, more books. You know Caelum is also known for its military. It's all male military." Bickslow's voice was casual but the innuendo of his words wasn't lost on the adults present.

The lilting quality of the Celestial bombshell's voice was completely at odds with her words as she moved to sit on the other side of the Seith Mage. "And their uniforms. Talk about well rounded men, indeed. The far east island had more training facilities than residential and that just so happens to be where most of the libraries of Caelum are as well. What a sweet coincidence, don't you think, Freed?"

The usually regal man was blushing fiercely and Lucy was sure if he wasn't so refined, he would have been floundering.

Laxus' tone was measured and bored, like usual, as he took the seat across from Lucy. The little blonde had a sneaking suspicion it had nothing to do with herself and everything to do with the Kitsune Mage glaring at him from her perch on Kaleb's lap. "Oi, leave Freed alone. I need him functional for the job."

Bickslow perked up at his leader's words. "Job? We got a job?"

The haughty brunette's voice cut in before Laxus could answer. "When do we leave? How long is it? Where are we going because I swear to Mavis, if you take me on another of your backwoods bumbling manhunts and I can't be clean or sleep in a bed, I will make you regret this decision."

"You mean more than I already do right now, Ever? Because I don't think that's possible."

With a heated 'hmmph', she crossed her arms over her chest and raised the end of her nose just slightly.

"Lulu." Tsukiya's even voice was more of a question than a statement, as if the child where looking to confirm the older woman's presence.

Her response was automatic and warm as she ducked her head to look into the little mage's eyes from under both Kaleb and Bickslow's arms from where they leaned on the tabletop. "What's up, kit-kat?"

"Outside."

Her head tilted and the mass of hair on the back of her head gave just slightly. "You wanna go outside and play?"

When Tsukiya gave an enthused nod of her head, the gilded beauty laughed before motioning for her to come over to her quickly. She was expecting the child to slide off Kaleb's lap and walk her way over but instead, she watched as her goddaughter's too large ears stood up with a determined look on her face. One tentative hand raised to tug at the material of the Seith Mage's knightly armor, her voice matching the fierce glint in her eye. "'Scuse me, sir."

Bickslow's words died in his throat as he smiled down at the fierce little blonde, his easy voice bristling the fur of her tail, "What can I do for you, beautiful?"

She stared into his visor with apprehension, quickly losing her courage.

The blunette looked up into his older brother's knowing eyes for help before the Mindbender tapped just above his brow and Bickslow understood.

He continued to talk Tsukiya as he undid the buckles of the plate covering his eyes. "You know, I once knew a Princess with ears just like yours. They were soft and lovely and she was the kindest ruler I've ever met."

By the time his face was clear for her to see and he pulled his hood down, the Fox Mage had settled into stranger danger levels of fear. A significant improvement from murderous creep to be sure. "Princess Hisui is kind." Her words were a challenge.

"And beautiful as well."

"Not like Pretty."

Kaleb suddenly felt a very small hand on his cheek. His voice was deep as he gave the girl a smile before meeting his brother's amused gaze, "No one is as beautiful as Tsukiya's Pretty, bro. Not even princesses."

Feeling satisfied and emboldened by the back up, she looked up into swirling deep pools of red and spoke evenly, "'Scuse me."

The Seith let out a few good-natured laughs before leaning back to let her through to the openly laughing Celestial Mage on his other side. "After you, boss lady."

Halfway across the vast expanse of Pradesh laps, Tsukiya was met by one of Bickslow's babies. His smallest and most wily baby. They stared at each other, the mage curiously and the totem wide eyed on account of his being carved with wide eyes. In an unexpected gesture of affection, the Kitsune Mage lowered her ears and rubbed along the totem before crawling into Lucy's lap and waiting patiently to go outside.

"Hm." The absent shock at her actions was quickly masked by bubbling energy as the blonde twirled them out of the seat and towards the back of the guild, her voice calling back as curiosity took hold in the pair of mischievous females. "We'll be exploring if you need us! Come join us if you have courage enough!"

As the guild slowly went back to their conversations, Evergreen spoke up, "I know those two aren't actually related but wow, that is a weird sight to see."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

After they had said their goodbyes and be safes, Kaleb was feeling particularly caged and restless. He hadn't had a good workout in too long and his magic was taking a toll. Usually when it got this bad, he'd find a willing partner and burn through the feeling until he was sated enough to pass out in peace. For some reason, he desperately wanted to lift something heavy instead.

"You're bringing down the team, Guildmaster, and half of us are asleep." She was teasing him but her magic was soothing his. It confused him even more that her magic was doing it completely involuntarily.

He stretched his shoulders back, the material covering his chest pulling tight against the carved muscle of his pecs, before stating, "I need to work out, blow off some serious steam."

Her eyes lit with excitement as she had to keep herself from bouncing too abruptly as to not jostle the sleeping toddler in her arms. "We could spar. I haven't sparred with a mage in...stars, it's been months. I've been in plenty of fights but I never find anyone interested in a good round of healthy sparring."

Again, she kept managing to surprise him. No one, absolutely no one, offered to spar with him and oddly enough the one person that did reminded him a lot of Lucy. Maybe the similarities of his youngest brother and the former Fairy Tail and soon to be White Sea member had the potential to become a problem. "You actually want to have a go at me."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't come across a Mindbender Mage in...well never. Unless you count Cobra. Which I don't."

"I'm a Wizard Saint."

"That's impressive," her dry sarcasm grating before continuing, "I watched Laxus take down a Wizard Saint and I'd like to one up the overgrown insulator."

"I'm your Guildmaster."

"Not yet technically and if that's an issue for you, we are going to have to do this sooner than later because your fancy title isn't going to stop me."

"You're the ambassador between Bosco and Fiore."

"And look at me strengthening our relationship through camaraderie and friendly competition."

He rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "You really want to fight me?"

"Almost as much as I want to fuck you."

"Which is as inappropriate as fighting me, mind you."

"Funny because I'm pretty sure you were just about to agree to fight me."

The back and forth was lightning fast, Lucy's side full of coy, playful tones and his full of amused reluctance as they walked the streets of Crocus.

"I don't think you realize what you're signing up for, fatina."

With a roll of her eyes, she gave his back a few patronizing pats. "Okay, so how about to even the playing field, it's a no-magic spar. Purely physical. I wouldn't want to embarass you so soon, Guildmaster."

His eyes snapped to hers and saw only the same glint of excitement as before. She had full confidence in taking him on one to one, hand to hand. He had more than a solid hundred pounds of muscle mass and a foot and a half on her. Not to mention, he really couldn't turn off his magic.

"As much as I think that a marvelous idea, my magic isn't easy to block out. I'll have the advantage regardless."

"Let's compromise then. You use your inherent and always present mind voodoo and I use my always present light tricks and we see how it goes. No spirits or Stardresses on my part."

He let out a breath before looking down at her open, uninhibited face that showed nothing but smiles before the twitch of a fluffy tail caught his attention. "And where will Tsukiya be through all this commotion?"

"Up in bed where she should be. I'll have Lyra and Loke come out to watch her. The real question is where can we go that won't be another reason for me to be thrown in jail."

One sharp brow raised at her words before he teased, "Been in many jail cells?"

"And cages. And traps. Even holes. I find myself in the funniest of places and I've learned it's best to just accept it." She wasn't kidding either. If she thought being with Fairy Tail was bad for her luck, traveling the continent seemed to be a harsher test. The difference between then and now was that she didn't have to wait around for someone else to save her anymore.

Kaleb took her words in stride as they made their way down the streets towards their house, her quiet humming filling the air with a gentle peace and a calm before the storm feeling washed over him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

They were both panting, sweat dripping down from both their chins as they crouched across from each other. Kaleb had long since learned that Lucy had no intention to fight him head on but to wait, ducking and dodging his advances, until he tired himself out and got clumsy and slow. A very sound strategy if it hadn't been for the fact that he just stopped attacking and it forced her to change tactics.

The agile blonde was trying valiantly to get close to his body while he defended her barrage of quick jabs. So far, they had both succeeded in a stalemate.

That is until Lucy huffed and disappeared.

Kaleb's voice was a tired kind of exasperation as he looked up, "Really? Really. Because I love that so much when Van does it."

So he waited. He waited because that's all you could do when someone blinked out of this plane of existence.

He knew the instant she returned but she had already landed her first two blows down the line of his spine and he felt his legs give. What Lucy had not accounted for in her haste for victory was that her opponent was a solid man of at least two-hundred pounds and he was going to come down hard.

Which he did. Right on top of her significantly smaller frame.

She was trying desperately to shove him off her so she could resume normal lung function as she gasped out, "Please...Gods...get up."

"I can't feel my legs, woman. What in the hells did you do to me?" He made no effort to get up or move. Her chest made an ecsquisit pillow while he waited for his legs to gain mobility.

Finally managing to shimmy enough that her legs weren't bent awkwardly beneath his butt and she could breathe, she stared down at the lazy Pradesh. Her voice was airy as she pulled his platinum hair from his face, "My little secret, Guildmaster. You should be able to feel your legs soon, I didn't put much fire into it."

"Are you ever going to explain how you have such an immense magical presence that you dampen it almost constantly?" He posed the question casually but he was curious and she rarely put any thought into the action.

Her motions stilled as if she just realized that she was doing it right then and there was a sudden pressure to the air before it warmed and waned. "I'm used to having to hide it so I don't attract the wrong kind of attention. As if being a Celestial Mage wasn't a beacon in it of itself, I'm the first to use it the way I do. I tried cuffs but my stars eat through them so fast, it's not worth it for me to keep buying them."

"So you suppress it within yourself? That seems hardly safe."

Her smile was fond as the glint of her septum piercing caught the light coming from the night sky. "Not within myself persay. Most of my jewelry are conduits for my magic and it's more like staunching the flow. I don't think my spirits like it very much but they understand it's necessary sometimes. We were in Pergrande before hoping a boat to Enca and I've seen the pits. I...it was like I was drawn there. I saw what they made of gladiators and champions. I spent most of my time at the end in disguise."

The fighting pits of Pergrande were barbaric and merciless. World renowned, they brought all walks of life to the harsh country. Kaleb was very familiar. "How long were you there?"

"A month maybe. The countryside I loved and the people were hearty and straightforward in an all too refreshing way. It wasn't until I made it to the city that I started getting paranoid."

He had gotten quiet but not in thought, the strong line of his brow was relaxed for once and Lucy let the night's noises wash over them. Emptying her own head of the worries of things to come, the anticipation she always felt heading off on a new adventure, and stilling the constant flow of thoughts to just sit in silence under the stars.

It wasn't until the chill of the night started cooling her sweat slicked skin that she realized that Kaleb had fallen asleep on top of her.

Well, things could be worse. Lucy leaned forward to brace the bulky man before opening her gate below them and praying for the best.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When she cracked her golden eyes to see that she had successfully transported them to her bedroom safely and without commotion, she could have cried. If she knew what Kaleb's room looked like, she would have taken them there but if she got it wrong, she would be taking an even more painful fall with the massive mage. No, she definitely did not want that. Her bed would be fine. It was plenty large enough for the both of them. Of course with the way they were now, just about any bed that could fit Kaleb's frame would do considering she was still under him.

She threw her head back to flop on the bed to try to gather enough gumption to move his massive body off of hers. Wouldn't you know it, the gods must have been smiling on her because the moment she leaned up on her elbows, Kaleb rolled right off her body to lay on his stomach.

The breath of relief she let out felt monumental as she snuck away to change for bed. Pausing to look back at her slumbering beauty, she moved to take his boots off before proceeding to the bathroom.

She wasn't so surprised to see the drowsy ears of her goddaughter out of bed to greet her at the doorway. She slept like a brick but only when she slept next to someone so Lucy just scooped her up and carried her sleepy form to her bed where the mass of handsome Boscan must have flipped back to where he was on his back.

Her voice was faint and ethereal as she laid the already in the beginnings of sleep child between her and Kaleb, "Goodnight, kit-kat. Sweet dreams."

When the older blonde finally settled and Tsukiya had cuddled into her chest, she let sleep take her.

xXxXxXxXx

Farron was impressed. He would have to have been blind to not see the chemistry between Lucy and his closest brother but he had to admit, standing here in the doorway looking over the overwhelmingly sweet scene of the trio of blondes in a very cozy cuddle session, they looked like naturals. And would you look at that, he just so happened to have been taking pictures of the sunrise to capture the moment.

When Kaleb finally cracked his eye open, his older brother had practically crawled into bed with them. He was already out of sorts waking up in Lucy's room, in Lucy's bed, wrapped around Lucy and Lucy's goddaughter. Everything he was perfectly happy about save the last. The last threw a wrench into his thought process.

"Fare."

His Sound Mage brother all but sing-songed back to his grumble, "Yes, little bro?"

"Get out."

"Right, right." He took pictures continuously as he backed out of the room. "Breakfast is made and I need you to make sure Lucy gets a proper gown for the party."

His hand that was currently resting against the bare skin of her back came up to rub the side of his face.

He felt a dainty hand wrap around his wrist before sliding up to pull his hand down and back to it's prior resting place. Meeting her heavy-lidded gaze quizzically, the unpredictable woman smiled at him before nuzzling back into the muscle of his arm and falling back asleep. He quickly followed suit in a rare moment of laziness.

The second time he woke, the Kitsune Mage had very obviously needed to use the restroom as she squirmed practically on top of his stomach. She was tugging at his sleeve vigorously and as if on autopilot, the Mindbender scooped her up, walked them to the bathroom, helped her through the process, washed her hands and laid back down in bed.

Tsukiya was giggling as she tumbled around the soft mattress while Lucy sat up and stretched, the tight material of her soft t-shirt leaving little to the imagination as she did. Her voice was drawn and dazed and her faintly glowing eyes were glazed with sleep, "Mornin' Kaleb. Thanks for taking care of Kiya."

"Thanks for not leaving me out in that field."

Her laughter was soft as she moved to get up for the day, "Yeah, well wherever you were stuck, so was I and it was getting a little nippy out."

Kaleb was perfectly content to stay lounged back on the bed while the Kitsune child used his body like a jungle gym, especially when the very flexible Celestial Mage started to go through an impressive yogic stretching session.

"I heard I have to get a D-R-E-S-S today. Is that for the send off?" She sounded as if she hadn't just rolled out of bed and started bending her body like a pretzel, casual and unfazed.

He brought a hand up to his hair and cringed. Not only had he kept it in the tangled, sweaty mess from the fight but it had loosened in his sleep. He had a very real need for a shower. "Yes, and I should clarify that Farron said G-O-W-N, as in extremely formal. This was originally to be a celebration for the growing relations between our countries with the hopes of having an ambassador. There will be a lot of prominent families from both Bosco and Fiore."

"Peachy. I've always loved stuffy parties where my dress was so tight I couldn't eat or breath and the company had sticks so far up their backsides, I caught glimpses of them when they opened their mouths wide enough to let the full brunt of their egos out." Her arms had raised above her head as she balanced effortlessly on the ball of her foot.

"Not sure that's the best mindset to go into this, fatina." Tsukiya had crawled onto his lap and requested his hands as she faced Lucy and mimicked her moves with the Mindbender's assistance.

Closing her eyes a moment, she inhaled deeply before releasing the breath and the pose slowly. "I know, Loke and I just had the whole 'too young to be bitter' conversation. On the plus side, I haven't been to see Madam Larue in ages. I hope she still has that shop on Main."

When she finally noticed she had a student, Lucy bent backwards until her palms were flat on the carpet in a backbend before kicking her feet up and balancing in a handstand. Looking back, she rolled onto the floor at the sight of Tsukiya upside-down with her tail swishing to help her 'balance' while Kaleb held her feet for her.

When the hulking man lifted her from his stomach, she tried to twist to glare at him but couldn't get her body around so she settled on hitting him with her tail before disappearing altogether.

He had to admit, he wasn't expecting that as he set the child down carefully before watching her footsteps toddle to the end of the bed, sliding to the floor and reappearing on Lucy's back.

The blonde gave him a devious smirk before turning her head to address the little girl, "Ready for breakfast, fox baby?"

The pair was about out the doorway before she called back over her shoulder, "You'll have plenty of time to shower while we make the cinnamon buns but between you and me, the tousled look is pretty S-E-X-Y." Her lilting laughter followed her down the hall before fading into quiet babbling with her goddaughter.

For some inane reason, his father popped into his head. Arman Pradesh is going to fall in love with her which meant she was going to be around and that meant she would at the very least meet both Cristoff and Vander. Kaleb knew the blonde was exactly his younger brother's type and for the first time in his life, that unsettled him. He definitely needed a shower.

Lucy had already pulled on the floral apron Farron had worn earlier on and Tsukiya had asked Virgo for her own which the pinkette was more than happy to oblige with a flowered apron of her own. They were dancing to softly playing string music when he finally entered the kitchen, the smell of cinnamon buns filling the house and the sound of a faint melody being sung underbreath with perfect pitch.

Waiting until the song was over before clearing his throat, Tsukiya's eyes brightened before motioning to be let down. The moment her bare feet hit the ground, she was off like a flash back into the living room and disappearing from view.

Having showered and put on clean clothes, he felt much better and was ready for whatever weirdness the blonde ladies in his life attracted as he crossed the kitchen to pour himself some coffee, noticing she had already poured herself two cups.

Her silky tresses were falling down her back as her tie loosened from the movements of her stirring the frosting and in an effort to push them back out of her face, she brushed them back only to put a line of frosting across her cheek before focusing back on the task at hand. "Be surprised, okay?"

His brows were about to furrow when she nodded back towards the living room and the Kitsune Mage and he made the connection. The hulking Guildmaster waited patiently for his favorite child to pop out from wherever she was hiding so he could be play the part of scared damsel.

Which he did skeptically well at as Lucy pulled the buns from the oven as unbridled girly giggles rang through the kitchen and Kaleb slumped to the floor. The Kitsune Mage quickly crawled on his chest as the victor, claiming her trophy.

They ambled through their breakfasts before Lucy finally told the little girl that they were going to go dress shopping and peals of excited screams echoed off every surface of the house.

Which continued as Lucy left the exuberant child to the platinum-haired Adonis so she could shower and change for the day.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"No, I'm thinking...uuhmmm, white. Yes, white. Like the foam of the sea." Madam Larue was an eccentric woman getting up in years with more screws loose than tight, but she was a genius with fabric. Savant really, as she hobbled around the workshop she had cleared completely when Lucy's golden gaze met hers.

She rubbed the back of her head as she looked genuinely over the whole process as yet another swath of white-ish fabric was thrown over her body adorned only in the set of nude lingerie Madam Larue picked from the many Virgo brought out. It was a low-back smooth corset with high-waisted panties, cutouts lined all but the very back and the front to keep everything smooth beneath the fabric of her hopefully soon-to-be dress. "Don't you think a white dress is a little...momentous for a diplomatic dinner?"

"Nonsense, child. I see you in white, sheer and soft. Swaying in the breeze like wheatstock."

Kaleb raised a brow at the elderly woman's words before looking back at Lucy and mouthing, Like wheatstock.

She gave him a playful scolding look before a wide embroidered ribbon came down to wrap around the layers upon layers of fabric to make it poof just below her waist. The grunt and glare aimed at the seamstress were very genuine however, as Madam Larue's surprisingly strong arms tightened the ribbon before stepping back and taking the sight in.

Kaleb thought it looked like a hot mess and from the serious look on Tsukiya's face, she agreed with him.

Suddenly, Lucy was standing on the pedestal in the middle of the room in nothing except her underwear as Madam Larue croaked back at them with a pile of fabric in her arms, "Out. I'll have it ready in two days."

In a golden flash, Lucy had pulled a dress from the Spirit World and was quickly tugging the dark floral cotton tank dress over her head before pulling a wide belt out and tightening the lacing over her midsection to cinch her perfect hourglass waist as the excess fabric pooled around her legs and feet. Piling half her endless white-gold hair in a heap before clipping it in place, she took the two foot drop with ease before taking the Fox Mage's hand and leaving the shop, Kaleb's frame close behind the pair as he had to consciously keep his jaw closed after the display of superhero costume change.

The next two days went by in a hurry between Tsukiya and Lucy's endless amount of energy and Kaleb and Lucy's now regular sparring session. Lucy had dropped off the ball of giggles at Haru's and was currently on her way to get her dress which she would then take to the castle to get ready with Princess Hisui.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Farron had quickly excused himself from the bone dry conversation they were trapped in with a Fioran paper company owner and a man who owned a series of small bookstores like the skilled diplomat he was to wait at the bottom of the massive stone staircase at the back of the Lily Ballroom. Kaleb hadn't been so lucky as he tried to stay as politely quiet as he could manage, engaging the two men who had more in common with cardboard than himself as little as possible. His lithe fingers grabbed another flute of champagne from a passing wait staff member before the hall went silent and Princess Hisui was announced. The green-haired royal was radiant as ever in a deep emerald ball gown with white fur trim around her neckline in a way that tastefully accentuated her womanly form as a subdued smile spread across her face. Farron met her at the bottom of the railing and escorted her to wait on the dance floor.

Knowing this was where he came in, the Guildmaster downed the rest of his drink and excused himself to make his way to the place his elder brother just left at the bottom of the grand staircase, his presence drawing the gaze of many a party-goer as his expertly built body weaved through the crowd.

The loud, reverberating voice of the announcer called most of the attention back to the empty space at the top of the steps, a spotlight ready and shining. "Now presenting,the First Official Ambassador for Fiore and Liaison appointed by Princess Hisui and King Tomo between the royal family and the Boscan government, Ambassador and Chief Liaison Lucy Heartfilia."

The collective gasps and whispers that rang through the crowd was a mix of jealous venom and genuine awe of her beauty as she stood at the landing of the stairs in a pure white gown that held an ethereal otherworldly quality as the feather-light layers of gossamer white split as she descended the steps, her golden heels flashing and drawing attention to the faint glint of her tattoos covering the tanned and shapely curve of her legs as she went but what was the most catching, what really captured the timeless beauty of the Celestial Light Mage was the unadulterated look of happiness etched onto her gorgeous face. Her hair was pulled back in a wispy curled tangle to contrast the heavy-handed smokey eye that made the pale golden glow of her eyes glimmer as brightly as her stars seemed to preen under the attention.

Taking Kaleb's offered arm quickly, Lucy's voice was teasing and much to the older mage's surprise, much closer to his ear than before, leaving him to feel the heat of her breath slip down the collar of his crisp white formalwear, "Do you think it's the dress?"

He let out a few quiet chuckles as the impossibly beautiful couple made their way to the dance floor to start the evening's festivities.

As the orchestra started playing, her partner swept her out as if to display the gilded beauty before he brought her into his body, not caring about leaving any amount of respectable distance between them, and started the steps of a tradition waltz as the first couple to move.

"I would have wore my Knight armor if I'd known I'd be dancing with a goddess." His voice was low and teasing as his lavender eyes shined with mirth, the conversation affecting the smooth movements of their dance none.

A perfectly arched brow raised at the bold flirtation. "A goddess am I? Goddess of what exactly?" She was trying to not be obscene as she shamelessly felt the toned muscle of his shoulder under her hand and sighed internally at the hardened feel of it. She knew the kind of dedication required to build muscles like that and the strength and stamina that came with them had her core quivering. It had been much too long since she got any and it was starting to affect her mental processes.

"Unpredictability and spontaneity." It was a statement but the question of her words was caught by blonde despite her distracted thoughts and twirling headspace.

She thought for a moment before offering slyly, her approval of his words obvious from the devious quality of her quirked smile, "Sounds like a boring way to say mischief and mayhem."

The silky strands of his hair, which where loose but smoothed back from his face with one of his circlet-like pieces of jewelry, shined with luster as he shook his head, his grip tightening over hers minutely. His velvety voice was light with an air of play that suited him far more than the stern look that usually adorned his face while in the castle, "Remind me to never be in a room alone with you and Van."

"I am really excited to meet this mysterious younger Pradesh. We seem to be cut from the same cloth, he and I." After seeing three of the seven Pradesh brood, she had extremely high hopes for the remaining five.

His laughter rumbled through his chest and straight to her core in a way that made her acutely aware of every single connection between the two unlikely mages, both physical and otherwise. "For your sake, I hope that's not true."

"Excuse me, may I cut in?" The voice was heavily accented and lilting, drawing his vowels out just enough cock her head to the side in confusion before suddenly, she was being dipped and her mystery foreigner was a blur.

Lucy was breathless and giggling as she clutched the fabric of his jacket. "Kaleb! Give a girl a warning!"

Finally upright, she felt light and bubbly as she made eye contact with an admittedly striking man, the man who she presumed just asked for the dance. The thing that made Lucy inhale much too sharp of a breath was the alarming amount of gaudy baubles covering every inch of his persons. Swallowing the choking laughter threatening to bubble from her throat, she looked to her Mindbender pleading for help.

With only the small knowing smile as his tell, his measured silky voice sounded, "Lord Kinsley, I wasn't aware you were attending the festivities."

"And miss the coming out of Lady Ambassador Heartfilia? Nonsense."

"It's quite the trek from Royal Palace. Weather's usually picking up about this time."

"True. Tell me, how is the royal family of Bosco? I hear your Princess is quite a handful." The snide look on the lord's face had Kaleb's hand tightening where it still rested at her hip.

It was in that moment that she realized two things: one, she really liked the way she felt being held by such a capable and powerful man and two, these two men knew each other. Looking between the two as they continue their barely civil back and forth, she openly laughed at the males. With a wipe of her eye, she gave Kaleb's chest a few pats with her free hand, her voice lilting and playful, "Pardon me but I am parched and I've got a date to go pick up. Be back in a flash, Guildmaster," and with a cheeky wink, she was gone. Leaving behind one suddenly very in tune Pradesh and one very confused Lord of Iceburg.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Kit-kat, are you ready?" The blonde crooned lazily from where she splayed across the chaise in one of the castle's guestrooms.

Haru's scolding voice came from the bathroom, "Lucy, I cannot believe you actually left your own party. You are missing it for no reason. I could have just dropped her off-"

"Miss Haru, I'm taking your daughter now and you should make your way to the party when you're finished." Her voice was stern but her golden eyes shined with mirth as she scooped the little giggling Kitsune Mage up before kissing the older woman's cheek and stepping back through her gate.

The instant the Tsukiya turned her head and took in the enchanting, fairy-tale atmosphere, her eyes went googly, melting into Lucy as her eyes stayed peeled to take everything in. It was one of the Celestial Mage's favorite things about her goddaughter, her insatiable need to take it all in. It would take her the whole evening to formulate her opinion and talk, which was perfectly fine with her. She was more than content to spend the rest of the night spinning her little princess around under the twinkling lights.

That is until the Fox Mage spotted one platinum blonde pretty boy in his formalwear and aggressively pointed in his direction until her guardian obliged and made her move to cross the ballroom.

This went horribly for the pair. Every three steps someone was calling Lucy's name or asking a million questions about Tsukiya, if she was her daughter, would this put a damper on the budding romance possibilities, was the illegitimate child a love child from a different country. They were lucky she was in a good mood, taking everything in stride like a true diplomat before practically lunging and grabbing the Mindbenders arm. "Wait! Don't go anywhere just yet, I have someone very eager to dance with you."

It was a good thing Kaleb was a Mindbender or Tsukiya would have taken a very long fall but her flying leap was caught and the two were twirling around the dance floor before Lucy could even let out a panicked huff.

In the rare moment of peace, the rest of the noise and bodies surrounding her faded and she focused on the look of delight, ears perky and tail swishing in time beneath her dress, on Tsukiya's face and the inhuman beauty of her soon to be official guildmaster. Thankfully, she would have months travelling with Farron for her training before she even had to think about joining the ranks of the White Sea. She had time to enjoy her freedom for just a little bit longer and she damn well would enjoy it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Groans sounded from where she had flopped face down on her bed. She had been with Fare for eight months. Eight months. She loved the Sound Mage, she respected him and the good work he does and she just adored getting to see the amazing man he was out of the spotlight but he was rigid with her education. Realistically, she felt like she was made for the work. It was the horrible lulls in between when they got to get things done that made her want to Lucy-kick every man with jowls that hung lower than their dicks. Instead, she was smiling and making small talk. Small talk. It was only the meetings that she felt trapped. They had finally made it back to Bosco after a solid two weeks of meetings delegating between the landowners in Fiore and the airship companies for ideal land to build the first port. Those stuffy asshats were so excited to hear what Farron had to say but when she made a suggestion, they gave polite nods while the 'real' ambassador built off her ideas to come to a perfect compromise. The blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes at the irritating memory.

She was thankful to be in her spacey loft, face deep in the plush fluff of her comforter and not trapped in one of Boscos infamous airships with people less interesting than the dust that gathered in the holds. Lucy wanted to sleep for a week and then run for another week straight. Just to see if her legs still worked in more than just a sitting or standing capacity. Toeing off her boots while inhaling the scent of something other than musty, stale meeting-room air, she felt the familiar twinge of her magic that marked the inevitable arrival of her favorite guildmaster. Her lips split into a wide smile at the thought before pushing her body up, knowing she had just enough time to strip out of her well-traveled disgusting leather and into a loose silky sarong from Enca with the traditional floral print and a cropped tank top before she heard knocking at her door. It always made her laugh the rare few times she and Fare had time enough to come back to their home city because even though Kaleb had a key to her apartment, he always knocked and always waited until she opened the door to let him in. It was an old-fashioned notion that made her inner romantic swoon while tying back the top of her unruly head of hair.

Eight months is a long time. In that stretch of time, you can almost make a human and in that time, Lucy had zero interactions with the opposite sex. Or her own sex. Or anyone at all. To say she was pent up sexually would be an extreme understatement. For whatever reason, only one man has starred in her wet dreams and fantasies alike and he was most decidedly not a viable option. Yet here she was, practically vibrating with excitement because he insisted on coming over with dinner and wine. Sounded like a date to the blonde and frankly, she liked it that way. She just didn't know if he did.

Finally opening the door, she took in the sight of the towering, devastatingly handsome blond carrying far too many bags for a simple dinner date. Her voice faltered a little as he walked passed her and into her kitchen but brightened after shutting the door and padding behind him with a look of sheer joy on her face. "I hope you plan on making a lot of food because I'm starving."

His velvety chuckle rang through her and almost instantly, she felt like she had been given a breath of fresh air for the first time since leaving Fiore. "Don't worry, fatina, I've got all your favorites."

Her eyes went wide as she melted against his body in a dramatic show of both appreciation and impatience, her voice drawn, "From that bistro in the arts quarter?"

He repeated her mockingly with a sly smile curling his lips as he started unpacking container after container, "From that bistro in the arts quarter."

Unabashedly, she wrapped her arms around his body from behind, her chin pressing into the cut muscle of his back at the drastic height difference. "You are totally worth every bit of your Wizard Saint title, sir. Bravo. The people's hero for sure."

The sun had been just setting when she first came back to her apartment and as she went through the usual routine of going through her luggage and now it was firmly over the horizon, the pair had eaten through most of the food, all the dessert and all the wine Kaleb had brought.

She had meandered her way back through the open layout of her loft, one of her secret stash bottles of scotch tucked under her arm and two low tumblers in her hand as she spoke coyly to the Mindbender lounged back over her couch, his eyes on the view of the city before turning to meet her lightly glowing gaze from the night sky and her lowered inhibition. "What has my illustrious guildmaster been up to while I've been working my youth away?"

Her tone had dipped but stayed playful as she settled next to him. They were both dancing around their attraction and they knew it. His words were flirty and her actions were coquettish. They were cuddled on her loveseat, for Mavis' sake, and Kaleb himself took up most of the couch anyway so even if she didn't want to be cuddled next to him, they wouldn't have had a choice in the matter anyway.

Her thoughts were centered on trying to get through the next six months with Kaleb. It was the Mindbender who initially soothed the Magic Council and their lack of faith in an Independent Mage becoming ambassador and it was Kaleb's promise to personally bring her into the fold of the White Sea that kept them from tearing the whole thing apart from the beginning.

As she leaned forward to pour them their drinks, her grip on the bottle tightened enough that her knuckles turned white and before she had even registered her own emotions, a hand wrapped around her own to take the glass from her in a gentle but unstoppable motion.

She went doe-eyed at the simple contact as Kaleb's smooth as sin voice answered her forgotten question, "While you've been away, I've been dealing with the seamless inclusion of the former Fairy Tail mage and Heartfilia Heiress to the Sea. The rest of your guildmates have been chomping at the bit to meet you but the Princess, well she's being more of a handful than usual."

This time, Lucy's face twisted into a weird mix of anger and disappointment as she asked hotly from her misinterpretation of his vague words, "What do you mean the princess is being more-"

"Not your princess, fatina, mine. Bosco's Princess doesn't like threats to her things and while she has to remain within the code of the Immaculate Light to keep her status but that doesn't mean there aren't loopholes." In a careless, tipsy slip, the Wizard Saint ran his knuckles down the side of her face to the skin just below her jawline to draw a low purr of approval from the blond.

Her own drop in guard had her leaning into the touch as she answered in a haze, "Will I have to meet this princess? Because she sounds horrible and I don't do well around horrible people. I have a tendency of telling them how I feel."

Chuckling at both the metal image of Lucy meeting the tricksy royal and the genuine amusement the Celestial Mage pulled from him, he answered with an easy, "Not yet. She'll without a doubt summon you at the earliest possible time but fortunately, I've filled both our schedules with enough bullshit that she'd have to wait a year to even get a hold of the guild directly."

A slow curling satisfied smile split her lips before breathing out, "Won't that make things hard for you, Guildmaster?"

Granting her a casual shrug, his response wasn't a lie but the last thing he wanted to discuss right now was the princess and her insatiable vendetta against his family, "Undoubtedly but she has plenty to keep her busy in the meantime."

She gave vague noises of acknowledgment before taking the tumbler he offered, taking a sip and standing to stretch her back, the absent action pulling scenes from the morning in Crocus to show how limber her body was even at its worst point. It was only a few moments of comfortable silence before a playful spark lit in her eyes and she sent Kaleb another of her coy smiles over her shoulder, "Escort me to the balcony, good sir knight, I want to show you something." Something she had actually been content to keep to herself until a sudden change of heart just moments before.

Distracted by the golden glow of skin stretched over a capable, built body, he gave a dull nod of his head before downing the rest of his glass, watching her sway out into the cool air, pouring himself another, downing that glass and following after with a certain sense of rare apprehension and uncertainty in anything. It was exhilarating to have found someone so in tune with themselves, they rarely had to put any thought in their words and actions to give him a break after months of the relentless barrage that was his magic.

While she was trying to keep her hormones in check, he had spent the last eight months attempting to satiate his usual incredibly high sex drive with partner after partner only to realize that no matter who spent the night with, he always dreamt of tangled blonde hair and golden tattooed skin and it had driven him to the point of giving into the reckless desire. He even spent time trying to talk it through with Van and even his youngest brother thought it best to just get it out of the way and move on.

They were both adults with needs that didn't need to get in the way of either of their responsibilities. Neither would get any real flack from the Boscan side of things but the Fioran side would surely see the interaction inappropriate. Which meant keeping things enough under wraps enough that Fiore remained ignorant.

This was all banking on the feeling being mutual of course.

While Kaleb took his time to follow, Lucy was having a mental conversation with the spirits of her life.

Are you clinically insane, woman? He's a Wizard Saint, Master of your new guild, Master and wielder of Immaculate Light and not to put too fine of point on it, he's a member of the family currently putting their name on the line for you.

The worried ramblings of her neurotic and panicky Lion Spirit had her eyes rolling as she responded easily, and I'm a grown adult woman who is capable of making decisions with the possible consequences in mind. I'm not asking Kaleb to marry me; I'm just...going to open up a bit.

This time it was the smooth and snide tone of Cetus that took it upon himself to let his opinion be known. I'm actually a huge fan of this. The Mindbender is a powerful, level-headed man and I'm beyond excited to watch you try and keep it in your pants.

No, no, no, no. All pants will stay on. Where is Virgo when I need a chastity belt?

Again, the panicky tone that could only be the Leader of the Zodiac filled her headspace before she shot back, Enough! This is ridiculous. All I'm doing is going someplace a little more comfortable and private.

Lucy could hear Cetus' eyes rolling as he countered apathetically, Right because the privacy of your own home isn't quite enough, before all remnants of her spirits left her thoughts and she felt warmth across her shoulders in the form of Kaleb's sweatshirt.

His distinct voice quickly followed the sensation like the first resounding chord of a symphony, "You've picked a cool night for stargazing."

Her body turned to face the towering mage, the glow of her eyes making the emotion they held near blinding as bubbling optimism and hope shined through, almost like a physical blow to the seasoned fighter to answer him cryptically, "Not where we're going…"

Before Kaleb could put a stop to the blonde's adventurous nature, she was tugging him through her gate before the pair stepped out to the warm unfamiliar breeze that smelled like the ocean and strangely of a sweet floral scent the Mindbender couldn't place.

Lucy took in the tropical air through her nose, admiring the fruity undertones mostly masked by the combined scents of hibiscus and the moon-loving jasmine native to her tropical paradise. It took only a moment before she pulled on his fingers with her own in a loose grip towards the sounds of waves.

"Where are we right now?"

The question wasn't urgent or pressing, more so filled with a wonder Lucy recognized in herself. Kaleb held the same wanderlust she did and it made her heart flutter at the possibility of showing him something new.

Pulling through the last bit of foliage before answering, the celestial beauty waited the crystal clear waters were visible, her stars shining so brightly from the lack of light pollution that they could see the bottom of the sea even though the sun had long since set here. "We're on an island off the main shores of Enca. Unnamed and undiscovered thanks to Aquarius' spirit."

Kaleb waited patiently for her to continue, pulling his hand from hers to replace it low on her back to earn a soft smile from the tough mage.

"I happened to wash up on it back in the beginnings of my one woman traveling circus and it sort of became this...sanctuary for me. I always loved the beach but after Aquarius and everything with Fairy Tail, I started to resent it." Her own chuckles interrupted before she could continue, walking away from his gentle touch and towards the water as she pulled at the light material of her skirt to wade into the still warm water. "But the first ride I hitched turned out to be a bust and it was jump off or deal with handsy seamen for a month and I chose jump. I hadn't figured out how to gate-hop from water yet and was desperate for land when I woke up here and it felt like, not home but something better almost." Her gaze turned dewy as she turned to coax the wildly overdressed man towards her with her outstretched hand while the other did a shoddy job at keeping her skirt from the waves, "It's not much but it's just right, you know?"

His words came out regardless of his usual mental filters, "Untouched and pure. A rare thing in this world," which apparently was the right thing to say as he watched her soft smile grow and change into the brilliant, megawatt smile that could easily be the end of him one day.

The overwhelming heat that started spreading from his chest through the rest of his body seemed to have a plan of its own as he bent to roll the ends of his pants and pull his socks from his feet to join the wild woman, his words once again getting away from him thanks to the way she looked like a dream under the moonlight and his gross overconfidence in his bodies tolerance after so much booze in such a short time, "I've been thinking about you, fatina."

Unsurprised by his words thanks to her lack of belief in any real romantic feelings coming from Kaleb himself, she teased back with a saucy cock of her hips, "Have you now? Only naughty thoughts I hope."

In an even more uncharacteristic show of silence, Kaleb only responded with a devious grin of his own before joining her out in the gentle waves, his eyes focused upwards to miss the open admiration on her face.

They stayed like that, admiring the waves and the stars alike, for a few minutes before Lucy's lilting voice spoke up the same time Kaleb steeled his nerves and decided to just fuck it and take her hand to pull her into his chest. The end result a hilarious muffle of the Celestial Mage's watered down feelings while the Pradesh's magic read into the truth behind her unspoken but honest thoughts, leaving the two to their own realizations.

Lucy now fully understanding that trying to keep from feeling something deeper for Kaleb was futile while he came to know that his pining was not one-sided and more than reciprocated by the unique woman that seemed to unknowingly hold sway over him.

Just as he was about to pull back to look down at Lucy, she pulled back with a look of angry confusion that stunned him so much into his own spiral of foreign confused emotion since his magic had never been wrong before and it really looked like she did not like what was happening.

Again, her drastic change in mood cut off his attempt to get anything out as she let out an almost petulant groan as her head fell backwards before rolling down, her voice a low, irritated growl, "I have a visitor coming to my door at an ungodly hour and we have to get back pronto but let's put a serious, bright flashy bookmark on the mood because I am a huge fan. Very interested."

In the moment she stopped to take a breath, he found himself once again being tugged away by the gilded fairy of a woman through what was rapidly becoming more and more familiar sensation of gate-hopping until he was left staring down at the sand trail suddenly formed directly in front of her door, the faint remnants of the scent of the night-blooming flowers of Lucy's private island clinging to them.

As if that wasn't enough, when he lifted his head, taking keen notes on the fact that their fingers were still tangled together before refocusing on the face he least suspected in front of Lucy's door in the middle of the night.

His brows furrowed out of annoyance as he tried to keep from reaching out and smacking his youngest brother upside his smug face.

Seemingly already ahead of him, Lucy immediately started poking the foreign mages sculpted chest hotly through the soft leather covering it, her own irritation hard to miss as she laid into the unsuspecting attractive stranger, "Who in the fresh, fiery hell do you think you are coming here in the middle of night? How did you get passed Mr P?" Taking a moment to take in the quality of the leather under her finger and then the seamless, perfect fit of it, her head tilted curiously as she dropped Kaleb's hand in favor of tracing over the impossible piece of clothing out of wondrous appreciation for some good quality leather. Her words were excitable and earnest as she walked around his lithe body, his arms raising out of her way with a victorious smile on his lips as she did, "And where in the fuck did you find this beautiful piece of perfection?"

Giving his platinum goody-good brother a shit-eating, knowing grin, Vander temporarily ignored the stunning beauty feeling him up to offer a bland, "Kaleb," to his guildmaster and brother.

Before Kaleb rolled his eyes and countered equally as dry if not drier than the desert in a drought, "Vander."

Slightly annoyed at being ignored but mostly just antsy to find out where this guy got his armor made, she interjected helpfully, "And I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you, Vander. I've heard so much about you but before we get to that, I need you to tell me about this calamity covering your chest. I'm incredibly jealous and also confused." Finally stepping back to pull her hands from their wandering, much to Kaleb's very new and uncomfortable relief, to go back to her thoughtful contemplation from beside him, a hand bracing her other elbow while cradling her chin.

After another breath of silence, her neck craned up to ask, her light voice quizzical, "It would have to be magically manifested to be that well made and seamless, but what kind of magic could have that level of accuracy?"

Mumbling under her breath as she turned away from the two men to go about her musings, both Pradesh men watched in mild humor as she went through her own inner monologue while pacing, "Some sort of creation magic? Textile magic? No, that wouldn't cover leather. It would have to be some sort of specialized re-quip magic, but that wouldn't explain the seamless, flawless fit…"

In a pause in thought, she looked over her shoulder at the two males elbowing each other in a testosterone fueled show of brotherly affection before casually waving them over, "Why are you guys standing in the doorway? Come in already."

Before Vander could crane his neck up and call dibs, Kaleb gave the Shadowquip a deadpan look before immediately cutting the thought off, "No. Off limits."

The Mindbender cringed internally at Vander's smooth, annoyingly wise retort, "Oooo, is she now? Does she know that?"

As if it wasn't enough that the Celestial Mage just let the last human in all of Bosco he wanted to see in this particular moment of his life, he had to sit and watch as the two kindred souls quite literally bonded over everything for the next hour and a half before Vander turned towards the Mindbender with a lazy twist of his torso to get to the reason he came to Lucy's place in the first place, "Oh right, so the reason I'm here is because you've been requested by the Princess again and for some reason, not a soul alive has been able to get a hold of you for the passed few hours."

"As much as I look forward to my time with the Princess, I'm off the hook for the next six months I have Lucy. Before you give me shit for pushing her off on Cris or Fare, Cris is over with Dad and Farron leaves to meet them in the morning, where you are supposed to guard our big brother from harm. I wouldn't leave any of you to deal with her in my stead."

Sensing the tone of the relationship they had with the princess of Bosco, Lucy sat up from where she half-slumped over on the modern cube armchair across from Vander to walk into her bedroom without explanation.

Unfortunately, that left him to Vander's company and Vander's company alone.

"So what would happen if I happened to trip and end up inside her? Would you put me in timeout, big bro?"

As if on impulse when dealing with the Shadowquip, Kaleb's demeanor morphed into that of an overworked father on 'vacation' with his small children except there was only one, he wasn't anyone's father and Vander was more like a bitch in heat. "Get out, Vander."

He stuck his tongue out in a childish play at dancing on his older brothers last nerve before countering the demand easily as he leaned further back into the cushion of Lucy's still-new couch in a display of ease despite having only been here for less than two hours, "Not your house, not your call."

"Don't you have somewhere to be? Someone to fuck?"

Letting out devious laughter before pulling a blanket from the back of the couch, cozying in then putting his hands behind his head and scoffing out mirthfully, "Oho, do you really want me to answer that because I feel like you know I'm just going to poke the bear til it wakes up in a rage and then disappear from the repercussions of my reckless and immature actions with a cackle on my lips and a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart."

For the first time in a long time, Kaleb put some authority into his voice while it was directed at one of his family, "Seriously, dude. I need you to leave."

Hearing the foreign tone behind his words, the young mage's deep wine eyes shined with concern as he asked earnestly, "I mean, sure but are you okay? I get it, she's a fucking peach but you're brooding and it's pretty trippy for me."

His hand ran down his face as he started to feel the hangover take hold in his head, his voice even but drawn, "I have a few thoughts on the subject but for now, I just need time to figure it out."

As if her timing could have gotten any more perfect, a yawn cut through the words just as she was about to say them, only coming to hear the end of Kaleb's words.

Being the lady killer he was, Van stood to take Lucy's hand and press a chaste kiss to the back of her knuckles before giving a devilish smile to the sleepily smiling blonde and disappearing into the shadows completely.

"That's a neat party trick." Giving a mild shrug from where she stood in her Plue pajama set, Lucy's voice was lacking in the curiosity she actually held for Vander's magic.

"One I particularly loathe," was his tired response as his headache quickly multiplied and he felt the control of his magic falter to send a wave of sharp pain from the unfiltered thoughts surrounding him.

Giving into the pull to touch the platinum Adonis and ease the unnatural lines of discomfort around the young features of his face, Lucy's hands went to his length of hair to slowly unbind it and run her fingers through it in easy soothing motions, her voice a gentle hum to drown out the world outside the apartment, "You know my bedroom is a dark, cold cave with a nice firm but soft memory mattress and it's the perfect environment for easing the pain of a killer hangover, developing or otherwise."

Closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation of her nails running over his scalp, he gave a faint nod of his head as response, not wanting to get up and have her stop her ministrations but liking the sound of being in Lucy's bed. He rarely had time for the type of calm warmth the Celestial Light Mage was currently washing over his mind and he wanted to enjoy it for as long as he could.

As she gave him another of her effortless smiles while tracing down his arm to take his hand and lead him to her bedroom, he couldn't help but enjoy the feel of her hand weighing in his and the silent habitual way she walked on the balls of her bare feet like the nymphs and fairies from the bedtime stories their father would tell them as children. She was mystical and enchanting in the way her body moved. The graceful bounce to her gate to the easy sway of her toned hips all the way up to the pale golden glow of her unmistakably warm eyes, the corners of them marked with the permanent smile lines from a lifetime of happy memories and genuine smiles.

He wordlessly let her pull his shirt from his body, finishing when she couldn't reach anymore and chuckling as her hands preoccupied themselves with getting his pants off. She just shot him a cheeky grin from below as she lightly smacked his calf to get him to lift his foot so she could pull the first leg off before moving on to the other leg and going through the same motions.

Standing just a few inches away from Kaleb, Lucy let out a low wolf whistle and teased playfully, "My, my, guildmaster, aren't you a tasty musclebound treat?" Her grin was wolfish to match the hungry gleam in her eye and Kaleb actually felt the blood rush away from his brain straight to his stirring member. Oddly enough, the sensation actually dulled the pain of his head to the point he didn't notice it at all in favor of focusing on keeping somewhat respectable until they had a real conversation about just what they expected from each other. Separately their positions made any relationship they found themselves in harder than most, but the way their positions were connected made their relationship specifically one that would require a great deal of communication. He had never had to have a conversation with anyone about being in a relationship before and he was not looking forward to breaking that winning streak.

A soft hand ran along the sharp angle of his jawline to distract him from himself and he near instantly closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

"Let's get to sleep before you think yourself to death," was all she spoke as she coaxed him under the incredibly comfortable bedspread after pulling them back and crawling up under herself, her hands itching to feel the bulky muscle that covered his huge frame as she shamelessly looked over every sharply defined part of his physique.

He found himself perfectly at ease with the way she never hid her intentions from anyone and smiled at her deviously innocent thoughts set on exploration and cuddling him well into tomorrow.

XxXxXxXxXxX

In an unfortunate twist of events for the pair of slumbering blondes, the ruthless country of Pergrande had other plans for the following day which is how the two barely had enough time to pack after receiving the call that both were required to attend an emergency war summit to determine whether or not the unchecked attacks on both Iceberg along the northern border and Sin along the southern were enough to warrant action against the powerhouse of a militarized government. Pergrande was a cesspool of roving bands of marauders in the countryside, slavers along the borders and cities run by a harsh caste system and the infamous berserkers of Pergrandes army. It was not Lucy's favorite place to be.

In fact, she was looking forward to the summit aspect since they were holding it in Iceberg's capital Reykjavik and she had never been there herself. The cold had never really been her favorite and the weather throughout Iceberg was harsh and unpredictable at the best of times. It was why the country as a whole mostly ran as independent smaller governments rather than one large centralized one. The Lord in charge of Reykjavik was none other than Lord Kinsley and his family was hosting the summit at their manor.

Thankfully for Lucy and Kaleb alike, Lucy had been called to the summit as Fiore's only ambassador and diplomat available and Kaleb was to be her bodyguard since he was more than qualified for the job and the two were supposed to stay together by order of both their governments as one of the stipulations to keep her in check by someone accountable and responsible. A laughable notion to the Mindbender since he was actually slightly irritated by yet another interruption to get in the way of getting on even footing with the brazen powerhouse of a woman.

He never sulked. He was a grown adult with the understanding that life goes by easier when you don't dwell on the shit that gets handed to you but he was already starting to feel the effects of his magic and they had only been in the air for fourteen hours.

Rubbing circles over his temples as he rolled his shoulders to flex the muscle beneath his full set of armor, Kaleb shook the thought of it in favor of focusing on the reason he was on the ship in the first place. He was unsurprised to hear her softly singing to herself, thoughts only on the melody falling from her lips and the bracing cold breezes occasionally coming to possess her beaded locks of hair and wield the deadly whips against her to pull near maniacal cackles from her. They really should be heading to their cabins since they would arrive tomorrow evening just in time for the opening ceremony. The practical part of him frankly didn't understand the need for such pomp and circumstance when they were dealing with something as serious as declaring war, especially when it was your country and your people at the end of the enemies sword.

But that's why Farron was the son to follow in Arman's footsteps and Kaleb ran the most successfully running guild in Ishgar.

Lucy on the other hand, was having a grand ol' time on the deck of the airship carrying her further into the touch and go country that was Iceberg and it's patches of rolling green hillsides and sharp frozen wastes. It was wild and beautiful, almost enough to make her regret not braving the tempestuous climate on her walk about the continent. Not to mention this was the kind of tough situation she wanted to dive headfirst into for the sake of the innocent Pergrande citizens potentially caught in the crossfire while they held the meeting but the bully of a sham they called government over them which was the root of the cause of all the conflicts Pergrande racked up over the years. The thought of getting to be a mage again made her star-ridden jewels and piercings hum with anticipation. Something that gave her a near overwhelming burst of energy within the limited space of the luxury airship chartered especially for her.

Buzzing with her overcharged magic, she rubbing the backs of her arms before giving the landscape one last fond look and heading back to her room to if Kaleb was up for some friendly light-hearted one-on-one hand-to-hand sparring with a skip to her deft, light-footed steps.

The two met few turns closer to Lucy's side of the ship in a quick exchange as the smaller of the two floated along the swirling carpeted halls, her bare feet dancing along the sweeping patterns as her eyes closed to follow music only she could hear.

Her voice was bright in contrast to the dark clouds blocking out any light the moon was trying to provide them. "Fancy meeting you here, Knight McBodyguard. I was hoping you'd maybe be up for some hand-to-hand," turning around to throw a few quick punches as she continued to effortlessly follow the swirls, "nothing too serious or heavy, I just need to work out some steam or I'll never be able to sleep." Her arms shot out on either side as if she were balancing one hundred feet in the air instead of on the secure craftsmanship of the Boscan airship, Kruphix, and her expectant eyes stayed anchored to his in ways that pulled at the same restless nature he had as a result of his magic that had her wanting to hit something. She was lucky he reveled in the unexpected since he rarely knew the feeling and she was a near constant source of it.

Her energy was infectious as he felt the tendrils of her magic stoke his to life and his blood flooded his muscle enough his wrists started twisting as his hand flexed and fisted to try and quell it until they were standing at her room. Falling back on manners that were more reflexive than consciously done, he waited until she spin around and opened the door herself, making a note of the fact that she hadn't locked her door at all.

Unable to let it slide for longer than the time it took him to follow her as she stretched her arms above her head of unruly, wind-tossed hair and walked into the room far enough for him to shut the door behind him, his voice was deeper than he meant as he admonished her careless behavior, "As the guy in charge of your safety, I would really appreciate it if you actually locked your room when you left. Do you know how much of a rookie mistake that is?"

Her brow furrowed as a genuine bemusement took hold on her distinctly beautiful face. Her hands were tangled in her curls trying to tame them enough to keep them out of her face well enough for the spar she confidently believed was going to happen as she spoke at a slow measured pace. "Uh, no? I didn't? As long as I have the key of whatever I'm trying to open it, my magic will mimic it perfectly and open whatever it is I'm trying to get in to. I've been working on memorizing the way it feels to be able to open any lock but it seemed kind of nefarious so I don't do it very often."

Happy with her answer, Kaleb had to stretch the muscle of his neck to ease the adrenaline pumping through his system to try and at least wait until she was ready before swinging at her. It took a lot of proof on the small woman's part to get him to do full-force close-quarter sparring with her but when she finally did, they went to a ring and had the proper equipment to protect both of them. It was by far one of the most erotic and electrifying experiences of his life.

"Why do I feel like you're some vigilante and I'm just along for the ride?"

She sent him a cheeky wink over her shoulder from where she had turned to face the opposite side of the room to rummage through her bag to find a sports bra. With a cheerful 'ah ha!', she pulled the lightweight hunter green racerback out, loosened the lacing of her usual leather armor enough to slide it down the gilded map of the stars that covered her skin and pull the material of her top over her head to settle over her chest. Having come loose from the tight elastic band, her hair cascaded down her back to sway back and forth from pulling it from where it was trapped.

The scene felt like slow motion for the Mindbender helplessly caught in her mesmerizing actions. He had waited months to be able to figure out the pull he had for her to learn she felt it to and then not be able to do anything about it. His desire only grew hotter and more prevalent as she undid the lacing of her tight leather pants and slide them over her curvy legs, the material so well-made she had to wiggle to get them completely off to reveal a tight pair of black boyshorts. The way the material flexed with the hard-earned muscle of her ass and legs hardly covered her backside and the thickness of her capable thighs had the short hem bunched up before she mindlessly ran her fingers under her underwear turned workout gear to pull them down to a more comfortable level.

Kaleb's armor felt three sized too small as her taloned finger ran across the hard curve of her buttcheek and then room felt at least seventy degrees hotter when her final tug revealed the barest flash of her smooth core. He was going to lose it pretty soon if he didn't get the heavier plates of his pristine black and gold armor off.

Lucy let out an impish chuckle as she bounded across the room, her chest bouncing despite the tight bra meant to hold them down, to chastise him playfully, "Still in all the gear? Tch, what am I gonna do with you," before her deft hands were finding all the buckles and clasps needed to take the complex pieces off so quickly, he was having to try and catch them as they fell towards the floor.

He managed to hold his tongue until her wandering hands started on the buckles and clasps of his thigh plates. There was only so much even a man of his standard could take afterall. "Lucy, I really think we should have a brief discussion before we blur the lines anymore than we already have."

Without stopping her ministrations and unfazed by the close proximity to his hidden hardening length since she hadn't the slightest clue it existed at the moment, her response was through clenched jaw as she worked at a particularly tight buckle near the apex of his hips, "What's there to talk about? We are two consenting adults and I am well aware of the possible repercussions of my decisions."

Giving a bland noise of approval, half in question at the ease of which that went and half by great effort on his part since the back of her hand was just ghosting over the most sensitive part of his body. Closing his eyes and taking a breath, his voice came out tight for a whole other reason than Lucy's, "Are you sure you're really taking everything into account?"

"Pfft, I thought we already had this discussion. I mean, I know we don't have the gloves or the mouth guards like last time but I have wraps and your a big brawny tough guy who can take a punch. I highly doubt you'll hurt me."

Funny she should mention his ability to take a punch because her words felt like one straight to his gut. She was talking about the fight and he was talking about starting something with her at the base level that he needed a physical relationship as soon as possible or he would completely lose every working brain cell he had.

Feeling the last of his armor fall free, he opened his eyes to see the Celestial beauty ogling him in the tight black sleeveless shirt and leggings he wore under his armor with her hand on her cocked hip, she saucily tossed to no one in particular, "Though I sure wouldn't mind if you tried, huney."

"We are not on the same page fatina. I'm not talking about fighting," was his velvety deep response as recognition lit in her golden eyes and he stood amazed as they flared with desire enough to rival his own, her stance dropping into one he had never seen her use, one that almost looked like a form of taekwondo.

The husky, smokey tone of her voice served to spark a unquenchable thirst in the older mage to find out how she sounded in the throes of her climax. "I've been looking forward to finishing this conversation so much, I already know exactly what I want to say," she started bouncing from foot to foot in a impatient show before licking her lips and speaking frankly, "I haven't hidden my attraction to you from the beginning but as you are aware, Fiore has a very traditionalist view on the sort of relations I want to have with you and I've thought about it a lot."

A beat that felt like it dragged for hours passed before her posture relaxed a little and her smile grew more affectionate than coy, her voice still holding that smokey tinge that made his knees tremble in a wave of a different kind of attraction he never felt before. "When I was with Fare, all I could think about was how much I needed a release for the build up of everyday and the only thing that made it fractionally better was you. I don't think I could ever get enough of being near you."

In a rare moment of vulnerability, a blush spread across her face as she added quietly, "I haven't been able to sleep with anyone in months and I'm dying a little bit. Especially since you're so frustratingly perfect in every way."

Her head had lowered to count the individual strands of the plush carpet that ran throughout her little suite until she heard Kaleb move towards her and her head snapped up just in time to be caught, utterly and irrevocably caught by the Wizard Saint. He was cupping either side of her face making her feel deliciously out of control as his mouth met hers in a surprisingly slow, passionate kiss that had her grasping at the clothes covering his sides.

Just in time to leave her breathless and pleasantly off-kilter, his voice washed through her like a sip of aged bourbon, "I have so much to tell you, fatina," before his lips and hands moved lower to burn trails across her skin, "but for now, let me show you how much I've wanted you."

The feel of his fingers under her top sent chills down her spine as she pulled the top from her frame completely before tugging at the hem of his undershirt.

He let her work the tight material for as long as he could before he had to pull back from where he had been sucking on the patch of skin just off the hollow of her throat to peel the shirt off completely with a simple tug before his hands were wrapping around her hips, his thumbs teasing the curve of her back before sliding the last bit of clothing from her downright sinful body to leave her bare, every scar, freckle and piercing on display for him.

Needing relief from the ache in his pants, he cupped himself over his clothing. The action pulled a low moan from his lips as he watched her follow his lead and pull the waist of both his remaining layers down, bending at the waist to put her ass on display in a coy move that had his cock twitching, pre-cum beaded at the tip of his length.

Another throaty moan escaped his throat as her featherlight touch teased at the sensitive skin of his head with slick pad of thumb, her other hand wrapping around his base to test the waters of what grip he seemed to like to best.

"Will you please hold my hair back? I don't really want anything to get in my way and you're a lot of man to play with."

Her sultry tone and the breath dancing over the wet skin had another tremor radiating from his knees as he carefully held her length of hair in one of his hands and focused on staying upright while she was ducked her head to run her tongue along the base of his throbbing cock all the way to the tip only to stop and swirl under the tip in teasing flicks.

Lucy gave him a few seconds of relief from her teasing while she pulled away to lick her lips before swallowing and giving him a wink. The feel of her perfect pout wrapped around his cock as she started a slow, easy pace to take him inch by inch, her tongue making passes in time with her steady bobbing, made him feel like he was somehow blessed by the goddess worshipping at his feet with the rare gift of catching her attention. The feel of her low hum vibrating from where he was grazing the back of her throat resonated all the way through to his core forcing his grip on her hair to tighten in response to earn a muffled moan from the blonde at the rough treatment.

Somehow he knew without a doubt that he would never hear anything more extraordinary than the myriad of sound he would pull from her tonight and the thought grew into a near impossible itch to start right in that moment. He could honestly say he had never felt pleasure this mind-numbing from any of the trained Boscans he's had in his life but he was desperate to taste her swollen lips, even if that meant pulling her up and away from him to get her on the bed.

Catching her before she start another of her slow descents to sheathe him completely in her mouth, he was a little startled by her compliance to his sudden release of her hair in favor of pulling her upright and cradling the base of her neck to expose her neck. An airy melodic sigh from her pliant frame filled him with fresh fire as he lifted her to his chest, her legs anchored low around his hips to keep her drenched core pressed against the slick of his cock to keep him climber higher in to ecstasy.

Snaking a hand around the back of her knee to brace her to him as he sat on the edge of her bed, she effortlessly used her other leg to raise her body to align herself with him just as his tongue teased at one of her pierced rosy buds in languid circles before he flicked at it playfully. Her breathing hitched as a flash of carnal need clenched her walls just in time for her to drop her weight on his member.

Her neck craned back at the delightful feeling of being stretched so tightly around him but Kaleb remained unsatisfied with lull in friction. He craved her in an all-consuming way that had his vision going white with arousal and his thoughts solely focused on making her reach a peak so high, the crash will leave her wanting more of something only he could give her.

Flipping the two over so she was on the flat of her back, he heard her wanton whimpers before her voice slithered over the shell of his ear, breathy and tight, as her heavy-lidded eyes blinked up at him, "Wait, I want you to take me from behind. Let me get ready for you."

It was all he could do to let her up enough to flip over but he was incredibly thankful he complied to her request. The unbidden view of her glistening center nestled beneath her the taut muscle of her ass had him questioning just what was stopping him from taking her sooner.

Running his palms over the smooth curve of her backside, he pulled her apart just enough to make her lift her hips higher to run the tip of his cock along her lips to pull a keening impatient cry from her. The noise wearing away the last bit of restraint the insatiable man had in him before plunging as deep into her depths as he could, pulling nearly completely from her and repeating the motion.

Each stroke sent a warmth through her senses, setting a wildfire off from low in her abdomen to pull his name from her first in hushed, near silent pleas like prayers but as his thrusts grew harder, sharper, so did her pleas until she was practically screaming his name loud enough to make her throat raw.

He didn't know how long they kept building their pleasure but in an instant, her walls clamped down around him in wave after wave to try and get him to stop moving but his own release was on the cusp of crashing through them so he kept pumping in and out of her until her cries grew desperate and choppy, her motions jerky as she tried to ride out the rapturous euphoria they were currently suspended in.

More than just their bodies natural reaction to each other was taking placing in those timeless moments of blinding pleasure. Not only had Lucy's magic tangled with his so thoroughly and completely that there would always be remnants of it in the Wizard Saint's but her golden soul recognized Kaleb's as it's perfect match.

Lucy had unknowingly found her soulmate in the second oldest Pradesh.

Of course she was just trying to keep from collapsing completely from how little energy she had left in her limbs after such an amazing round of sex. She was still trying to get functionality back into her body when the heel of Kaleb's palm worked up the sharp angle of her back to ease her from him and help her turn over.

One arm was laying over her ribs while the other stretched lazily above her head before her eyes met his and her hands immediately moved to take his hair from the half-tail he put his platinum length of hair in and run her fingers along his scalp as she hummed contentedly up at him.

She was sure the wide smile pulling at his lips would start to hurt soon when he finally braced his weight on his elbow and forearm to take her lips in an unhurried, exploratory kiss, his tongue darting along her lips as if he was mapping the curve of them.

Lucy couldn't remember the last time she made out with another human but the tender way his hand traced over the planes of her body and the fact the he was hands down the best kisser she ever had the pleasure of coming across had her feeling the lost thrill of a real spark.

With every intention of telling Kaleb how much she wanted to see where this could go, even going so boldly as to wanting the security of monogamy between them. For the first time in a long time, she wanted someone to walk alongside her and he earned the trust she had no excuse to keep from him.

But she was worried he might misconstrue her as the controlling type seeing as how he was Boscan and they had an incredibly lax position on sexuality and relationships.

Thankful for his Mindreader magic and the fact that she didn't need to say anything for him to understand, his voice was reassuring as he soothed over her mildly anxious thoughts with every kiss across the freckles of her face, "I'm yours, fatina, don't worry. Whatever you need from me, it's all yours."

The devotion dripping from his words made her chest heave from the physical impact they had within her. Her arms wound around his neck in an embrace meant to show him how much his honest whispered admission resonated within her as she peppered his temple with what felt like hundreds of pecks. It was all she could manage as he held her until the emotion ebbed into a soft sense of security and wonder.

Being the gentleman he was, he pulled from her to press another lingering kiss to the ends of Aquarius' constellation just above her temple to let her know he would be right back after he cleaned up.

The happily spent blonde gave drawn nods to the handsome mage as she stayed spread across the dirty bedspread, the position stirring his appetite once more before he disappeared into her private bathroom.

By the time he finished, she had fallen into a light sleep in the exact position he left her in which gave him the perfect opportunity really taste his personal goddess but her sleep-ridden voice sounded before he could put all his weight on the mattress.

"Come sleep for a few hours, beefcake."

His rich laughter filled her as a goofy crooked grin formed on her still-swollen lips as he moved to lay next to her on his back. His velvety voice was teasing as she shimmied her way back on top of his build chest to lay her head in the dip of his shoulder, "I think that's the first time someone's called me that."

Her indignant scoff was followed with an easy, "Maybe to your face, guildmaster."

Shaking his head at her sure statement, he traced patterns of the bob-tailed panther he himself had tattooed into his body to show his Clan Lukera origins over the supple skin of her back, sending goosebumps across the surface of her body.

It wasn't long before the lullaby she was humming under her breath sent them into a deep sleep. The heavy weight of his arm on her back as he shamelessly palmed her ass made her breathe out one last dreamy sigh before succumbing to the black blurring the edges of her mind.

Sometime between the two falling asleep the first time and the the sun coming up, Kaleb had woken from a very stimulating dream about Lucy and just couldn't stop himself from trying to finish out scene to the end which was how Lucy woke up to find his glorious head of white-blond hair buried between her legs, tongue fucking her so expertly that she managed to actually wake up just in time to ride out the uncontrollable waves of another orgasm.

Not ready to quit after the toe-curling climax and unwilling to be bested by her personal adonis, her leg settled up over his shoulder as she twisted her hips to the side and pulled him up with enough force to have him take her in a rough motion that had her nearly in tears at the deep angle their position produced.

By the time she hit her fourth orgasm, she felt like putty in Kaleb's capable hands with plenty of time before landing to get another solid block of sleep cuddled with her extremely diligent bodyguard and the only thought on Kaleb's mind was enjoying these moments of peace with his brilliant woman before all hell broke loose at Lord Kinsley's summit.

---

~Think I have my next multi-chappie after the dramatic conclusion of Steps?

WHAT DID YOU THINK VANEY DARLING?!

Okay okay, tune in tomorrow for the next installment of Pradesh Week *mwauh mwuah* ~