After a long talk with both of her spirits, and a little bit of 'punishment', Lucy was feeling a little more relieved. The young woman took a deep breath, attempting to start their conversation over. "Virgo, I am so thankful that you were thinking of me. I do miss my family. However, it's safer for everyone if I don't have contact with them for a while."
"But, Princess!" The Maiden interrupted, getting worked up. "All they're doing is treating you like a regular worker. If they truly wanted you to catch the bad guys, they would've let you have full access to their facility. I think they're just looking for someone to fill their roster."
The Celestial Mage sighed softly. "I understand where you're coming from, Virgo. However, they are still my client. I can't break the contract or else I could lose my reward money. Then, this whole mission would be for nothing. I can't allow that to happen."
"But-"
"No, buts." Lucy gave her a stern look. "It doesn't matter if they're stringing me along. At this point, I'm invested. I want to see this through to make sure that Melody isn't caught in the crossfire. She's a great girl that got dealt a bad hand."
"Princess… She could be involved in all of this." Virgo pleaded.
"Sister's right." Loki mentioned.
"She might be…" Lucy sighed. "But, I have a strong feeling she's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Anyway, that's not what we were talking about."
"We know it was wrong to take your belongings without your permission." The Maiden looked at the floor. "We just wanted your friends to know you were okay. They worry just as much as you do."
"They even wrote you back." Leo chimed in, a smile on his features.
"Really?" Lucy could feel a smile creep onto her lips.
Virgo nodded excitedly, looking towards her brother. "Yep! Both of them did." First, the pink haired spirit pulled out a letter, handing it to her quickly. "I was able to retrieve them on one occasion when I was dropping off your rent. This one is from your blue haired friend!"
Taking the envelope from the Celestial Spirit, Lucy examined it for some time. For some reason, part of her wanted to keep it closed. Opening the envelope would only open the poor woman up for heartache. She missed her friend, Levy, dearly.
Lucy felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes from the moment she began reading.
It's not the same without you here! The hall is definitely quieter without you around. I miss going to your apartment to have girls nights. It seems like forever since we've been able to sit and chat about what's been going on in our lives.
Since you aren't here to share in the gossip, I thought I should bring it to you!
The water woman's life has become more cold lately! I've noticed the two of them getting closer over the last few weeks. While she seems to be a little too much, her partner's doing his best to be a good sport about it. They've been doing gigs together for the last two days.
Scarlet Maiden has been up to her usual escapades. Terrorizing the boys the only way she knows how XD. She talks about you often, about your adventures together. Everyone here misses you terribly, and can't wait for you to come home! We know work is important, so make it quick!
Things are finally starting to look up for me! I'm finally going to work with Black Steele, just the two of us! Although it can be a little quiet and awkward at times, I'm learning so much about him. He's been helping me become stronger for the Spectacular Trip coming up.
I really hope you'll be home in time to participate. I'd love to have you as my partner, or even fighting against you for the goal! Think about the new places we could visit with the new gigs!
Until we meet again!
"Lucy, are you okay?" Leo asked, noticing she'd closed the letter.
"Yeah." The Celestial Mage sniffled. "I'm just homesick is all."
"Well, maybe this next one will help, Princess." Virgo grinned happily.
As the young wizard opened the next letter, she noticed the scratchy penmanship. Tears overflowed, knowing exactly who it was from.
I can't count how many pieces of paper I've trashed trying to write this apology to you. Millions of scenarios have run through my mind, thinking of how I could've done it differently. However, I know I can't change the past. The only thing I can do is hope for the future.
I've held my feelings in for too long. That night we shared together was everything I've been dreaming of.
From the moment you left, I haven't been the same person. It feels as though a piece of my heart is somewhere in Fiore, and I don't know where to look for it. I'll admit, I haven't been taking care of myself like I've needed to. It took me weeks just to get out of bed. It wasn't until I went to your apartment, reading the letter you left for me, that I started to turn around.
Without you at my side, it feels as if my life has no purpose. After some time, I realized if you're out there getting stronger, then I could do the same! You're out there, becoming the best you can be, the least I can do is the same.
When we meet again, the adventures we'll go on will be even more awesome than before!
I wish you the best on your travels. Even though I can't be there with you physically, I'm thinking of you every single moment you're gone. Please take the scarf to remind you of home whenever you need.
You make the most mundane task an adventure. I can't wait until you're home once again.
Be safe.
The Celestial Mage immediately froze. Scarf… There's no way..
"There was something else.." Loki mentioned, pulling a white scarf from his jacket.
Lucy's eyes widened, tears coming down like an overflowing faucet. The young wizard reached for the scarf, clutching it close to her face. She took deep breaths, the scent of her Dragon Slayer immediately relaxing her.
It took several minutes for the Celestial mage to come back to reality. Lucy couldn't believe Natsu would part with his scarf like that. She'd never seen him without it. He must really think I'm special to give me this scarf.
"Princess?"
"I'm okay." Lucy's voice was soft as she held onto the garment for dear life. "Just happy to have this. I'm going to treasure it."
The sun was peeking through patches of clouds on this beautiful Friday afternoon. The Celestial Mage looked through the window in the processing area, smiling at the amount of wildlife surrounding the building. It was a wonderful scene to look at as she worked.
Remi was thankful it was the last work day of the week. Normally, this job isn't super taxing on her. However, with the increased demand of Melody's products, the two ladies have been working non-stop to get the orders filled. If things were to continue in this manner, Jestine would have to hire two employees just for Melody.
While the Celestial Mage was thankful for the generous compensation she received, she wanted to go back to her other life. With the money that she's gotten from this mission, The young woman didn't have to worry about rent or any bill for the next year!
However, it didn't mean anything if she wasn't in Magnolia with her family.
"Do you have any siblings?" Melody inquired as she stirred the contents of her copper pan. The two girls seemed to always be talking. However, the young woman felt like she barely knew her assistant. Remi never talked about any sort of family, or friends for that matter.
"Yeah," The young woman nodded, preparing the molds for Melody. Remi became quiet as she began to talk about her 'family'. She'd rehearsed the story millions of times. However, wth the girl in front of her, she felt bad for withholding true information. "I have two."
"What are they like?" Melody smiled.
Remi chuckled. "My older sister is a little rough around the edges. She would always break up the fights." The young woman giggled. "We're so scared of her, the second she raises her voice, everything stops. She acts tough all of the time, but deep down I know she truly cares. My younger sibling is a bit of a bookworm. She's always reading something, or writing her own creative stories."
Melody nodded. "They sound like a fun bunch!" She mentioned as she poured the molten gummy mixture into the pouring machines. The two ladies were silent for a few moments. Each of them concentrating on the task at hand.
Melody was the first to break the silence. "Do you have any plans this weekend?" The frail woman asked curiously. She was hand pouring gummies into molds as she chatted with her friend. "I'd hate to hear you're going to be stuck in your hotel again."
"I wasn't stuck there last weekend!" Remi mentioned. "I went out with a couple of friends."
The Celestial Mage trained for a majority of her weekend with Virgo and Leo. The trio went to the woods surrounding the town, going on a long hike. After they reach the top of a plateau miles from civilization, The Celestial Mage practiced her hand to hand skills with her Spirits. She's been getting stronger every time the three of them spar.
"When are you going to get a place? I know of some good apartments, and they weren't asking too much for rent."
Remi shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about it. "I'm actually getting a really good deal at the hotel. While it's not ideal, I like all the amenities I'm getting for what I pay. If that ever changes, or if my situation changed, I'd probably think about it."
"That makes sense." Melody nodded before she started concentrating on the task in front of her.
After some time, the young woman turned her head towards her coworker. "If you'd like to do something this weekend, I'd be up for it." Remi grinned. "I've been around town, but I don't really know the fun places to hang out. There's so many restaurants downtown, I could eat out for a month and still not try every place."
"I'd love to." Melody smiled happily. "I know some great places to get some grub. We can check out all the places Rhythm says are too girly! They have an underground arts district we can go to."
"That sounds amazing!" The Celestial mage grinned.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the Processing room door. A man with a purple shirt and black slacks entered the room. There wasn't a speck of hair on his head, except for his dark blonde eyebrows. His polo was tight-fitting, showing off his muscles. The man wore a neutral scowl on his face, something that was extremely off-putting to Remi. Looking at her companion, she noticed Melody all but froze.
Jestine trailed behind the man, trying her best to catch her breath as she all but bolted through the door.
"Remi?" His voice was commanding, leaving the Celestial mage uneasy.
"Yes." The young woman gave him a kind smile as she set down her gummy depositor. "It's nice to meet you. I presume you're the owner of this place."
The man raised a brow, a small smirk appeared on his features. "My name's Jay. If you have a moment, I'd like to speak to you in my office."
"Of course!" Remi nodded as she walked around the table, following the two of them out of the room. The trio was completely silent as they walked through the facility. The Celestial mage noticed a complete change in the demeanor of the workers. When she walked through the halls with Jay, everyone made sure to stay quiet and out of the way.
Thankfully it didn't take long to get to the owner's office. Once Jay opened his office door, he motioned for the two ladies to sit down. Jestine took a seat beside Remi, looking at her with a reassuring smile.
"I'm glad we got to sit down and finally chat. My right hand tells me that you're an excellent worker." Jay pointed to the redhead next to Remi. "After observing my employees, have you found out any information?"
"I've been able to rule out several of the employees after working here for several weeks. However, I feel that I'm not much closer to solving this issue."
"What do you mean?" The look on the owner's face changed to a defensive demeanor.
Remi took a breath, realizing she probably set him off. "I would love to work in the flower room. In my opinion, that's where the root of the problem lies. No one else that I've been in contact with has given me any indication they took the equipment."
"Is there a reason that you haven't been?" Jay seemed confused, and a little frustrated. "You've been here for several weeks. I'm not paying you to just work like the rest of my crew."
The Celestial Mage raised her brows, unsure of where this attitude was coming from. "I'm not sure, Jay. I was asked by your manager to work with the production crew for almost five weeks. Then, I'm moved into processing for nearly three." Remi let out an exasperated sigh, trying her best to remain calm.
"I hate to be blunt, but I felt like my time was being wasted just as much as yours. I have a family I need to get back to. However, this job is very important to me. I'll be working in the flower room first thing Monday morning."
Remi stood from her seat. "Are we done here? I have a job to do."
"How dare you talk-" Jestine stood from her seat, but was cut off by Jay raising his hand.
"Sounds good. I'm sorry for any confusion." The owner gave the red-headed woman a glare. "I didn't realize you'd been instructed to do anything other than your job. It was presented to me as though you were timid about moving around the production space."
"No sir." The Celestial mage shook her head. "I knew the problem was going to be in the flower room in week two. However, I was instructed to not mention anything since the both of you know the person on a personal level. I was told the issue would be handled by Jestine."
Remi noticed Jestine's face was a stark white color, her fingers were gripping onto the chair she sat in. It looks like Virgo was right afterall… Jestine just wanted me here because I'm a hard worker. The boss wanted me to do my job and execute it quickly.
"If that's the case, I believe we're done here." Jay nodded as he gestured towards the door. "You may show yourself out."
The Celestial mage nodded and turned on her heel, walking quickly out the door. As she did so, she overheard Jay speaking to his manager.
"Jestine, sit back down. I think we have a few things to discuss..."