**WARNING: Be prepared for the waterworks. This chapter contains the death of a character(s).**
"Man, this has been a wonderful evening." Melody mentioned as she leaned back in her chair with her glass in hand.
The frail woman had an amazing time chatting with her new friend Remi. Her plus one was a unique character as well. Never before had she met someone so into the submissive lifestyle. Melody lost track of how many times Virgo asked to be punished throughout their evening. Melody noticed it began making her boyfriend a little uncomfortable. However, he brushed it off like a champ!
After Rhythm cooked dinner for the three ladies, he retired to his bedroom. This allowed the three to engage in conversation. Remi's friend, Virgo, was a delight to be around. She was extremely insightful, and Melody could see how Remi and her became such good friends.
"So… Do you know anything about this boy Remi's been talking about?" Melody asks the Maiden with a curious glance. "She barely talks about him. However, when he gets brought up, her face gets all red. Just like that!" The frail woman pointed towards Remi's features, noticing the heat on her cheeks.
"He can be a hot head." Virgo mentioned with a laugh. "He's a good guy though."
"Do you know his name?! She won't even tell me!"
"Now that is the one thing she has kept secret from me." The maiden gave her friend a glare, pretending to be angry at her. "She's been talking about this guy for years, and yet I still don't know his name."
"Come on! You know how it is.." Remi shrugged as she tried to control the blushing on her face to no avail. "I'm just being cautious."
"Sometimes you need to throw caution to the wind!" Melody declared excitedly.
Suddenly, There was a loud bang towards the back end of the home. Remi stood immediately and looked around the room.
"We need to go." The Maiden looked towards the Celestial mage. Virgo could hear the footsteps of five men coming into the home. As she glanced around, it was then she noticed the perimeter was surrounded as well. Had they become so engrossed in conversation that their guards fell?
"Wha-" Rhythm came out of his bedroom. Before he could finish his sentence, the young man was shot by the men in black that began storming the room.
"Put your hands up where I can see them!"
"NOOO!" Melody screamed as she ran towards her boyfriend.
The Celestial mage was quick to react, reaching for her keys and her friend. However, the men in front of her perceived that as a threat. One pointed a gun in her direction. Before Remi could make another move, she was being encased by a wooden box. Instinctively, the young woman pulled Melody close to her and closed her eyes.
It took several moments for anything to happen. Lucy felt as though minutes, if not hours were passing by. After some time, the group fell onto the ground with a thud.
With a clever maneuver on Virgo's part, she was able to change Lucy's clothing along with Melody's to the Celestial garb they must wear in their realm. Horologium showed up in an attempt to keep the women safe. The moment they appeared in the Celestial Spirit Realm, he popped out of sight. This left Virgo with Lucy and Melody.
I know I heard two shots… Maybe even three. Virgo's mind immediately started to race. As the Maiden began to assess the two women, her eyes widened.
"Melody!" The Celestial mage screamed, looking at the bloody clothes she wore. A large stain was forming on the right side of her abdomen.
"Oh no…" Immediately the Maiden got to work, calling out for her older brother's assistance. "Big Brother Leo! I know you can hear me! I NEED HELP!"
The frail woman coughed, blood coming up and covering her mouth. A small trail continued down her chin, dribbling onto her clothing and chest.
"This place is beautiful…" Melody's voice was quiet as she gazed at the beautiful scenery around her. She could feel her extremities becoming colder. However, she was in such a breathtaking place, she didn't care at the moment. "It's so serene."
"Shhh… Save your strength. We're going to get you some help." Lucy held the frail woman in her arms, watching as Virgo was frantically doing anything and everything she could.
"Tell me…" Ignoring the request, Melody continued to speak, her voice getting softer. "Have you brought your man here? I bet he loves it. I'm glad I got to see it before-"
"He does, Mel." Tears were flooding the Celestial Mage's eyes as she interrupted her friend. "Now stop talking, you need all the strength-"
"I bet he misses you." Melody's lips curled down, turning into a frown as she felt the saltiness of tears once again sting her eyes.. "I miss Rhythm..I wish he was here."
"Please.." The Celestial mage begged. "Sweetie, I need you to-"
"D-do you have a blanket? It's getting cold."
Lucy quickly took her coat off, wrapping it around her shoulders. She noticed her friend had stopped shaking. The young woman looked towards the Maiden, a frantic look on her features.
Virgo was doing her best to aid Melody. However, the internal damage was too great...
"Please…" The frail woman clutched onto Lucy, looking into her eyes desperately.
"What is it? I'll do anything."
"Make sure he knows how you feel….."Each word became harder to speak as Melody's vision began to slowly fade." You don't want your loved ones…... To go without telling them how much you love-"
The frail woman's breath ceased, leaving the two in deafening silence. The only sound that could be heard were the sounds of footsteps running towards them.
"Mel? No… No no no…." Lucy held her friend close to her, feeling her body go numb as she began to shake.
Virgo reached up, placing two index fingers on Melody's neck. "Princess...I'm so sorry.."
"NOOOOO!" The Celestial Mage howled into the air, letting out a scream of despair. "NO she can't die! Not after all she's been fighting!"
The Maiden quickly pulled Lucy towards her, embracing her tightly. As the Celestial Spirit looked up, she noted her big brother standing there in shocked silence.
It took Loki a few moments to assess and take in the situation. Glancing at the young woman on the ground, he walked towards her, noticing a bullet wound to her abdomen. It wasn't often their foes would use weapons like this. However, Leo knew of some entities that possessed such an arsenal.
"Are you hurt, Lucy?'' was the only question on his mind. The Lion noticed she had blood on her body. However, it wasn't determined whether it was her own or not. There was a mark on her arm.
The Maiden was so concerned about Lucy's friend, she didn't even think to check her for wounds. Quickly pulling away from the Celestial Mage, Virgo noticed blood on the outside of Lucy's left arm. As she began to examine it, the Maiden realized one of the bullets grazed her friend. "I need to get this bandaged."
"I'll b-be fine V-"
"You're not calling the shots right now." The Maiden insisted, locking eyes with her friend. "These last few months, you've tried to take care of yourself. Now, you need to let us take over, Princess."
"You're staying here until you're ready to go back to Magnolia." Loki said gently from behind the two ladies.
"W-What are we going to-" Lucy was a complete mess, her words barely choking out. The young woman pointed to her lifeless friend on the ground, unable to speak.
"We're going to give her a proper burial." The Lion ran his hands over the Celestial Mage's back soothingly. "Melody's going to get the ceremony she deserves."
"You guys are gonna love this!"
The moment of truth had finally arrived. The Drip scheme had caused enough of a stir around Fiore that it was getting the higher-ups' attention. Master Hades asked a couple of his right hand men to examine Dico's base of operations. Being a member of Grimoire Heart for eighteen months has been the most adventure he's seen in his life.
Slowly, he's been moving up the ranks. The dark wizard has been busy with the several projects going on in his life. He worked at Royal Tree, along with creating 'party enhancers', and taking side jobs from Grimoire Heart. It wasn't until recently that the guild started becoming more interested in Dico's work. In addition to loving the affect it has on the community, many of the wizards in the guild also participated in Drip.
As the trio approached the home, the dark wizard could tell that something wasn't right. Dico immediately stopped in his tracks. Looking towards the house, he noticed the front door had been opened.
"Something wrong?" Capricorn asked curiously.
"Keep quiet." Dico glared at the two with him as they quickly walked up to the front door. "Someone's been here." The dark mage whispered. Peering into the windows, he didn't immediately see anyone in the home. Dico kept his steps light as he crept through the open door.
There was one thing that was hard to ignore, and that was the smell. The rotting stench was unlike anything Dico had ever inhaled. Only one thing topped it, and it was the week old corpse he found in a lake. The smell stayed with him for years afterwards, he would still occasionally catch a whiff of it in the air.
Maybe we finally caught that rat that's been eating the fucking wires! Dico concluded.
From a first glance, there were a few things out of place. The dark mage walked up to the dinner table, where food still sat. He felt a piece of the meat, noticing it was cold. However, it wasn't the source of the awful stench.
"Uh… D did you know this guy?"
Dico looked towards Kawazu's voice, noticing his confused face. As he made his way to his guild mate, the dark mage observed a body on the floor. He recognized it as Rhythm, the guy that he basically paid to watch the place.
What the fuck is going on here?! Did Melody get hurt too? The dark mage's thoughts began to spiral out of control. Immediately, Dico ran to the back of the house. The door that is normally locked, was wide open. The room was completely bare, much to the dark mage's surprise.
"Everything's… Gone?' In a state of utter disbelief, the dark mage sat on the carpeted floor. His jaw was slack, mouth hanging open as he continued to look around the room.
"What the hell, D?" Kawazu raised a brow.
"Yeah, I thought you had something to show us."
"Will you just shut the fuck up for a minute!" Dico screamed, raising a fist in the air. The dark mage was having a tough time wrapping his head around this. Ever since that one girl came into the picture at Royal Tree, he started getting weird vibes. He even contemplated moving his operation to the other side of town.
When Remi showed up at the house with Melody, Dico wasn't sure if he could trust her. The girl had nark written all over her features. However, Mel trusted her and in the moment that was enough. The dark mage realized how much he revealed to her.
As the Dark wizard continued to look around the home, he noticed a small blood trail in the hallway. It was about five drops before it completely disappeared. Dico knew someone else was in the home. However, he was unsure how they escaped without getting shot like Rhythm.
At least that bitch isn't a problem anymore… Jay said he fired her. Thinking back to their conversation a couple of days ago, Dico found it a little strange that Royal Tree's owner just let that bit of info slip. The other 'coincidence' that occurred was Jay's dinner invitation on that same night.
Did he take me out for a bar crawl, just to take the fucking equipment when I wouldn't be there? I need to find Melody and that girl. They're the only way I can get my answers now.
"Look, the boss isn't going to-" Capricorn began, but was interrupted.
"Didn't I say, shut the fuck up." Dico leapt from his position, turning to face the two he came with. "Someone came in here and stole all of my equipment!"
Both wizards gasped in shock.
"Who knew about this operation?" The Goat questioned.
"It was on a need to know basis… Regardless, whoever did this is going to pay."