Another chapter! I am so sorry updates are slow, but between trying to get some content out for the holidays and planning the next chapter, which by the way is going to start the romance aspect of this book, I have been struggling with writing. But, I love this book, and I am glad others do too! So with that, thank you for the reviews, and I am so excited for you guys to read this chapter!
Three hours into their train ride had came to a halt once they arrived at their station. With an obnoxious whistle that rattled their train cart, almost causing a half-conscious Droy to topple out of his seat with an equally tired Jet following closely behind, had them debarking the train in haste. At least, only she and her teammates were in a hurry to wrap up their journey from Clover, scurrying past the crowds that littered the station to make way for the exit; all the while Lucy followed behind in slow, easy steps, not letting the pushy crowd rid of her pleasant smile. \
It was odd to see Lucy seemingly at peace in such a busy area, especially with how renowned she was for being snappy towards those who were unapologetically rude.
Levy didn't have time to dwell on her friend's odd behavior, in turn, her attention was solely focused on not dislocating her arm with how heavy her luggage was. For some reason, before they left the train compartment in the rush they were in, she forgot to ask for help on carrying the tomes that took up the once-empty space in the bright yellow suitcase. The weight didn't let up as they finally made it out of the bustling area, or when they began making their way towards the guild. If anything, with a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead, she ignored the tugging of her arm in favor of something that had her mind reeling in confusion.
Yesterday, all together felt like a distant dream. She almost wished it was one too.
The job had gone so well that nothing, not even the boundless chores given could dampen the mood, could ruin the somewhat peace the temporary team had made. That was until that woman showed up and began whispering in a hidden undertone that set off Levy's alarm bells. That she had stepped aside from helping Droy get Jet out of the lamp and instead eavesdropped on the harshly spoken words directed towards her friend. More alarm came when an enchanted ring came in a hushed whisper, almost missing it if not for having a steady eye on the woman. Fear sprang in her, and in a fearful state, chose to remain hidden even as the woman vanished.
The guilt that now lingered in her tenfolded at the thought. She could've done something!
After the fact, even as Lucy brushed it off as if it was nothing and went back to cleaning up the place, had Levy thinking over the words in a mantra. It was the obvious first step to figure out whatever was said, and as the day wore on into night was when Levy slipped out to the Clover Library in search of answers. It was then that Levy felt helpless.
She easily found the right tombs, the ones she held within her luggage as if a following reassurance to bring back home, and had read through them and understood them down to each sentence. But, as she sat back in an almost horrified horror, she was at a true loss. None of it made sense.
Levy knew that she was smart, and while at times she was pushed to unseen limits, she never was known to give up in the face of danger. At least, until her best friend was somehow in the middle of every disaster plot, and her mind would reel in terror of every possibility. Of every possible death that could take Lucy away, of every minute of pain that her friend went through at the hands of evil, of every single second that Levy couldn't do anything but stand to the side and let the others rescue the day once again.
It was a built-in fear from Phantom Lord, and would possibly never go away. She knew that, yet it always seemed to rattle her when the time came to face it all over again.
In that instance, as her swollen tired eyes stared at the tomb that she had then frustratingly pushed to the side, the fear that webbed in her only spoke. That, now that she figured out the translation, she was screwed. That there was no going back, and the danger was back once again to rear its ugly head.
It was all still so unclear though, even when she went back to read it over, and for a third time for good measure, had her still looking through it in an uncomfortable confusion. The translation was there in plain sight, yet still so unclear that none of it made sense. That there had to be more.
It took her another four hours, with the sun peeking into the windows of the hidden library corner that she found a more round answer. The tombs she found in the forbidden magic section told the small truth of the words, a possible motive, but still so unclear that Levy hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.
This woman had something against celestial mages, and even more so celestial spirits.
Whoever this woman was, she was a danger. And not only was she a danger to Lucy, but to the Celestial Realm as well. It was all the fuel she needed to leave the library, not without the tombs, as she scurried the streets to their hotel to quickly pack up their things and book them for the nearest train station.
Even as she sat across from Lucy, who still was in a tired but blissful cluelessness, she couldn't muster up the courage to tell her of the findings she found. She could only wring her hands together anxiously, fighting down the almost stinging bile that rose in her throat as the train had trudged its way back to their town.
She felt pathetic that even on their walk back towards the guild, she still couldn't gather the courage to tell her friend.
What sort of friend was she if she couldn't even tell her best friend she might be in danger?
Her brown eyes watched as the blond, who walked in front now, still in her unaware bliss, walked with a pep in her step. Lucy's blond hair would swish with each step, even as it was tied into a high ponytail that framed her face, and still so unaware.
It was eating at her now, and with the worried glances that both Jet and Droy were giving her, it was only soon that they would hound her for answers. Yet, still, out of fear, she continued walking in silence in hopes that something would relieve her of this burden.
It wasn't until the streets became denser in crowds that had Lucy faltering in her steps, and knowingly, was where the guild was coming up.
"Ne, Levy-chan," Lucy began, her voice thick in worry, cutting through her clouded thoughts, causing the bluenette's head to snap up. Lucy looked over her shoulder to face her. "Are you okay? You've been silent since this morning."
"Huh?" Levy started, before hastily rushing out, "Oh! Yes! I am, I'm just… a bit tired is all."
Lucy's face showed her obvious disbelief at the lie, a worried frown now in place, "Are you sure?"
Levy faltered at the expectant gaze Lucy held on her.
While the urge to spill everything she felt almost overwhelmed her, she knew better than to be irrational. She needed to think everything over, to get another, and much wiser, pair of eyes to guide her on what to do. Levy had to will herself to silence the near-deafening urge to yap everything to her friend.
As the silence ensued, so did Lucy's gaze become analytical as she searched for the truth in Levy's avoidant eyes.
Before Lucy could get her answer, Jet, who both girls had forgotten about, stepped into her view. With a smooth, although a-bit unsure tone, he said, "She's fine Lu. You know if something was wrong we would take care of her."
"Yeah, Lucy," Droy pipped up from the very back of the group, "Levy-chan would tell us if she wasn't feeling good." He nodded to himself in a self-reassurance before pointing out. "You seem tired yourself."
Lucy set her unimpressed stare onto Jet, who weakly grinned at her, then to Droy who looked down the road with a self-conscious mumble.
"I am," Lucy admitted, before glancing down at her keyring. Two new wooden gate keys stared back at her. She still needed to unpack her luggage and make contracts with her new spirits, and with one last worried look at Levy, who held a soft smile towards her, had her faltering in her resolve. There was something Levy was hiding, and while she worried for her friend, Lucy knew not to push it.
Levy would come to her when she was ready to.
With that last thought, and seeing everyone sporting their own reassuring smile, she sighed in defeat, "Alright. I think I'll head home before heading to the guild for a much-needed nap. Will you guys be at the guild?"
Levy, who kept silent, leaped up at the opportunity. It would be much easier if Lucy wasn't in the guild while she tried to figure everything out.
In a rush, she breathed out, "Of course Lu-chan!"
Lucy rolled her suitcase closer to her before heading off for her apartment and waving goodbye to her once-temporary team. "I'll see you guys later then!"
"See you later Lucy!" Jet called out with a grin.
"Bye, Lucy!" Droy said, giving a friendly wave before turning back to Levy.
Levy only waved and watched as Lucy turned the corner of the street before breathing out a relieved sigh.
She hated seeing how much she worried Lucy, and now that the girl was gone, her teammates set their own expectant gazes toward her. It was only a matter of time before one of them would say something about her odd behavior.
"Soo..." Jet started, crossing his arms over his chest. Lucy was far gone by now. "What was that about?"
"Yeah Levy, you've been acting weird since last night," Droy called out, his own frown protruding on his face.
Levy sighed before gesturing for them to follow her. They could walk and talk now that Lucy was out of ear shot.
As they made way for the guild, the looming presence of the wooden building became clearer as they walked through the streets, was when she breathed out, "A woman came into the magic shop yesterday; it was when Jet got stuck in the lamp and we tried getting him out." The sounds of Droy's snickers made her pause. It was followed by the incoherent grumbles from Jet, but, she chose to continue with her explanation, "For some reason I had a bad feeling, and it looks like with my research that I was right." She turned the corner, with her friends trailing behind her. "It seems that the woman was looking into the history of celestial magic, more importantly on celestial spirits."
"Celestial spirits?" Jet parroted, before asking, "What's so wrong with that?"
Levy huffed, "Nothing is. The problem is how this lady worded it."
Jet and Droy sent each other unsure glances. Both remained silent, and Levy took it as a sign for her to continue. "She was looking for books that had information on the travesties caused by celestial spirits."
"Travisities?" Droy squeaked, looking fearful.
"That doesn't make any sense though. I thought Lucy said the key holder is the one who commands spirits to do things like that."
"I know, and even more odd was that after she said that a weird voice began speaking in this chant." Levy could now see the guild getting closer with each step they took, so she knew to begin wrapping up her brief explanation. "It was like her voice was everywhere all at once. I was confused about what she said, and when I went to the library, I fully translated the chant…"
"Well, what did she say, Levy? It had to be pretty serious if it has you this shaken up." Jet asked, his voice constrained with an anxious hilt.
Droy hesitated before saying, "Yeah Levy, we want to help protect Lucy too."
Levy, who continued to lead the way, looked back at her teammates. Her eyes softened, an understanding coming to her at the sight of them looking so worried. Just as she cared for Lucy, her teammates did as well, and while she wanted to not burden them with something that could be chalked up to be potentially nothing, it wasn't right for her to keep them in the dark. So, as she turned to pay attention to where they were walking, she took in a deep breath. Then, she said, "She said 'o único espírito abbandonato' meaning the forbidden spirit and then 'preciso de você' which roughly translates to I need you."
"What does that even mean?" Jet questioned.
An eerie silence fell over the group. Levy didn't know what else to say, and her friends seemed to be mulling over her words.
It wasn't until Droy, who fumbled with his backpack's strap, whispered, "What do we do?"
She didn't know what to say, or what to do, and it only frustrated her further. She knew they had to go to master, that much was obvious, but after?
Levy was stuck on that part. There wasn't much they could do if master told them to back off.
"We go to master, he'll know what to do." Jet answered for her to Droy, before turning to her, "He will help Lucy, I know he will. Master has never let us down before."
With a hesitant nod, and a small smile lifting her lips, she let Jet take the lead in moving their group to the guild.
As they sprinted to the guild, all the while lugging their luggage, the smile that lit up Levy's face became a determined one. She knew she was willing to protect her friend, and with the help of her team, Levy knew it could be done.
She wouldn't chance Lucy's life. She wouldn't let her best friend down.
After nearly tearing the guild doors from its hinges, and startling their master enough that he now wiped the beer spilt all over him with a recurring grumble, she gave him the same brief explanation that she had given Droy and Jet. She spoke in haste, not willing to let another moment pass by.
Now, as they waited in silence for him to mull the information over, had Levy shifting in anticipation. It didn't help that the whole guild watched them warily, and the fact that them knowing was definitely not a part of her plan. She had to restrain herself from face-palming herself.
Great Levy, now everyone knows besides Lucy. This is becoming a bigger mess than I anticipated…
"Well this is certainly interesting news," Makarov mused, wrinkling his mustache. "Our dear Lucy is in another disaster plot I see!"
Levy could only gape at him in shock. How could their master be so … carefree?!
Frozen, all she could do was listen to the outraged cries from her fellow guildmates at his reaction. At least, in the face of it all, that she wasn't the only one confused.
From his spot on top of the bar, he stood up to look over the now-building crowd, seeing the shocked faces looking at him in a confused horror. He didn't leave them waiting for long before he let out a hearty chuckle, "My children, we must believe in our nakama and their strengths."
"Master!" Erza cried out, her eyes wide in fear. Fear for her friend, fear for her sister, the fear that latched itself to her enough to warrant another outraged cry. "Lucy could be in danger as we speak!"
"That is why we will also keep a watchful eye on her." Makarov began, his eyes softening at the justified concern they showed. "I know Team Natsu has set up a system for Lucy to work with others for her training, and we will continue this, but we will also take this as a warning to be wary." Still, concern still hovered over the crowd surrounding him, and he took it as a sign to continue, "This is the best solution for Lucy. It is what she would want us to do, to trust in her strength, and in our strength to help her."
This, along with the confident smile that he wore, helped calm the guild into a mellow. Everyone still held anxiety for the future, but as the worried murmurs turned into more cheerful conversations, the guild was back to what it once was.
That was till Gray, who contemplated over their master's words, curiously asked to the now dwindling crowd, "Well, who is with her next?"
Erza, who stood beside him requiped the list into her hand, and stated, "The Thunder God Tribe will be next."
Makarov hummed to himself at the news. He watched with a careful eye at the team who perked up at the news.
Sitting at the bar, and near to where he sat on the bartop, his grandson grunted to the now watchful crowd. "Well take care of Blondie." The wary glares made him sigh with an annoyed grunt. His eyes locked onto the pitying mage sitting beside him. "Right, Freed?"
"Yes, we will ensure Miss Lucy's safety during the duration she is partnered with us." Freed assured, his face in a stoic slant. He made no move to speak more, instead turning to the now lukewarm tea waiting for him and slowly sipping at it.
Makarov took it as a sign to make his next move, and with a jump off the bartop, looked up towards Levy. "Now that it is settled, you and I will inform Lucy of this matter."
Levy nodded meekly. Both made haste on their way out of the guild and into the awaiting streets in quick steps.
As both continued to Lucy's apartment, they missed the almost sparsely shared look between each dragon slayer in the guild hall. Something was coming, and none of them were ready for it.
It was after a batch of freshly brewed tea that Lucy found herself staring at the newest additions to her spirit family.
With hair as fair as a dove, hair that was an almost transparent brown that fell in loose curls to frame the spirit's of the dove, Columba. Small feathers littered the pale skin of her neck, along with the back of her arms to reveal longer, functional wings. Swooping to a v-neck with flowy sleeves, a cream-colored dress covered her body and bare feet. Peeking out below her collarbone was the symbol of the dove. With a slight slant, her body was flushed against the chair's cushion from where she sat across from Lucy.
Sitting with her head shyly hung, Columba gently blew at her own cup of tea. With a timid smile, she pondered out loud, "The King, you say? I haven't heard much about the disarray the realm is in from my small pond, have you Lupus?"
Next to her in his own lounge chair, Lupus, the wolf constellation, paused in pouring out his own cup of tea at the awaiting gazes set on him. The large man was hunched over in the small chair, with a wild black mane that hid a matching pair of fluffy ears that sat on top of tan skin littered with freckles and eye-catching ruby eyes. He wore a fuzzy maroon sweater, one that was clearly made by Aries, that was hidden under a black trench coat, beyond-repair ripped jeans, and worn-out combat boots. It all masked the small wag of a fluffy tail as Lucy's curious eyes landed on him.
Shooting Columba an annoyed scowl, he rumbled out an annoyed 'no' before stirring his tea and ignoring the rest of the spirits that watched him.
Lucy stifled her giggle at the sight. The awkward man was too adorable when flustered!
"Well that was useless," Cygnus, from her right, groaned from his sprawled-out spot. His lax form was taking up the majority of the small couch, with Lucy in the smack middle between him and Loke, who kept his grumblings about the spirit to himself.
As her eyes caught Cygnus sifting his fingers through his hair with a tired sigh, a frown marred onto her lips at the sight. The spirit, as well as Fornax who had taken his place on her bed burrito-fied, were beyond exhausted lately. Both had matching sporting eyebags, along with tight scowls and grumpy attitudes that had raised alarm in her. If it wasn't for her also being exhausted, then she would have already talked to them about it, but seeing their eyes that almost pleaded with her to not ask, she kept her worries to herself. At least until something else raised an alarm, Lucy would let her spirit handle whatever it was that was affecting their moods.
Loke, who kept a keen eye on her, rounded on Cygnus at the sight of her frown. "See what you're doing?! You made my princess upset!" Loke hissed in Cygnus's face. The other spirit only spared him a short look, accompanied by an annoyed eye roll, before continuing with removing the remaining knots in his hair.
Lucy held in the laugh that wanted to burst out at the sight of Loke bristling in rage from being ignored, watching as he leaned further into Cygnus's face to snarl angrily. "You will not ignore me! You made my princess upset, and that is an unforgivable crime in itself, and -!"
"Or…" Lupus drawled, an annoyed tick to his eye. "You both can shut up. I don't understand how any of you can be so annoying this early."
"Lupus is right you guys." Lucy started with a drawn-out sigh, before pausing at the offended gasp that took over Loke's distraught voice, "No, not about you two being annoying. Though you both are too much sometimes…" Another offended gasp from Loke and a chuckle from Cygnus had her sighing once again. "We need to figure this out, and arguing will get us nowhere."
Loke huffed, then scooted away from Cygnus to the far corner of the couch. Cygnus, now left alone, took the opportunity to spread out and place his stretched legs onto Lucy's lap with a cheeky grin. Lucy only knew it was a matter of time before they were at it again.
With a wary, and tired smile towards the two amused spirits sitting across from her, Lucy rubbed at her eyes to rid of the exhaustion that encrusted them. Her mind was everywhere all at once, and it was getting exhausting. It was still confused from the mission and with Levy's behavior, and hazy from the early train ride home, and all of it just seemed like too much to deal with as her while loveable; crazy spirits created chaos. She still needed to make contracts with her new spirits and to take a hopefully long nap before heading to the guild for the day.
At the reminder, Lucy finished off her tea before softly placing it onto the coffee table to clean up later and set her eyes on the small group. Everyone was looking at her expectantly. Taking the unvoiced cue, Lucy began explaining, "While we might not have a clear idea as to what is going on in the Celestial Realm; we at least now know that either the chaos is being secluded into one area, or that only spirits contracted to me are the only one's being affected by it. At least now this gives us a somewhat clearer idea of what's going on."
Each spirit nodded, all still silent and deep in thought.
Columba, perched on the chair with one leg slung over the other, pursed her lips in thought. Then, her eyes alit, an idea coming to mind that she quickly voiced, "Do you perhaps think it has something to do with 'stardress' Leo spoke of?"
"Huh. I haven't thought of that." Lucy said to herself. "That actually might be true."
Lucy sunk into the couch, letting her thoughts whirl and toy with the idea. It would explain as to why only her spirits were in the midst of the chaos, and a reasonable enough explanation for why the King had been so silent. But, as her eyes narrowed on the small string that stuck out of the couch cushion, she couldn't figure out why.
Why was her magic causing this?
The question felt heavy in her mind, causing her to groan as she rubbed her face in frustration. Why couldn't anything be simple anymore?!
Loke, who fell into the same silence as the others from Columba's suggestion, felt a snarl curl at his lips. He turned to face the dove spirit, seeing as she seemed also indifferent to his glare, as he growled out, "Are you suggesting that Lucy is the reason that the Celestial Realm is in shambles right now?!"
"What?" Columba cried, before huffing and crossing her arms, "That is not what I said at all."
"It sounds exactly like what you said!" Loke shouted, standing up from the couch to glare down at the ruffled woman.
Taken aback, Columba shrunk in her seat away from the angry spirit. Her eyes, which normally a soft, gentle blue, were casted to the side to avoid the snarling face that inched closer to her.
"Chill out, Loke." Lucy snapped at him, shaken from her distracted gaze. "Sit down and let Columba explain. I'm sure that's not what she meant, right Columba?" Lucy looked at the shrunken spirit, who hesitantly nodded at her words. "See? Let her explain before getting so riled up, stupid lion."
"I was only pointing out the convenience of it. It started around the time Lucy started training her magic," Columba said, her lips in a potent frown. She reached out to pat down the ruffled-up feathers that lathered her neck. Lucy frowned at the sight, quickly sending Loke an exasperated look.
He sighed a mumbled out 'I'm sorry' and sat back on the couch. His ears perched down to lay flat against his head, the small tufts of fluff more exposed now as Lucy had to hold herself back from petting them.
As much as she wanted to, Loke was still in trouble for scaring her new spirit.
"She might be onto something." Lupus interrupted her thoughts. "With the more she uses this magic, it seems to have a direct effect on the lands," Lupus said with an indifferent shrug. Then, his eyes shot towards the window, face scrunched in confusion.
Loke also whipped towards the window, his ears now perched up.
Before she could find the words to question them, an 'Oi Luce!" shouted from nearby. Lucy slumped further into her seat with a tired sigh. Of course, he would show up, she should've known better.
While she loved her best friend to death, he had one of the worst tendencies to come at the wrong times. And at that moment, as she watched her spirits all watch curiously while looking between her and the window, she wanted to groan in defeat. The telltale sound of flip-flops smacking against concrete becoming louder was her only warning before a head of pink popped up from the window seal.
Quickly hopping into the apartment, jumping over Fronax's still-asleep bundle of blankets, and rushing up to the sitting group did Natsu brightened up.
"Hey Luce! I came here as soon as I could once I saw Levy come into the guild- is that your new spirit she was talking about?!" He pointed at Lupus who balked in confusion. "Oi, you! Fight me! You look strong! And you!" He then turned his gaze onto Cygnus, who watched in silence with an annoyed tick to his lip that was easily ignored by the boy. "You're next after Wolfie, you hear me?! You owe me a rematch!"
With a shit-eating grin spreading on his once frown, Cygnus took Natsu's bait as he began to crack his knuckles and a proud huff escaped his chest, "Bring it on pyro, at least this time I can drag your ass down a couple of pegs."
Wearing a matching grin, Lupus stood up with a wolfish shake before flexing. Towering over Natsu now, he casted a glance toward Lucy who rolled her eyes at the scene before meeting his gaze. Sending her a charming wink, and a quick flex of his bicep, he goaded, "You're on little dragon. Maybe I can impress my Princess over here once I put you in your place."
Natsu's face fell at the spirits' words. Lupus still was looking at Lucy, who flushed at his words as she turned to avoid his gaze with a soft retort. His lips turned into a snarl at the sight, heat flashing through him in a quick moment, and in the next moment, he was in Lupus's face with an enraged growl rumbling out. A flash of blue corrupted green, a speckle of gold coming after as his fire overtook him.
Lucy shrieked in surprise as she watched Natsu tackle her spirit onto the floor. "Natsu! Lupus! You idiots! Quit it before you burn my apartment down!
Rolling over the other, snarling at each other as they tried to clock the other, Lucy growled as she tried breaking them up. Quickly going into her Taurus Stardress to pry the two apart, she couldn't help but notice the mass amount of strength she gained. With a small mental note to thank Taurus, and to Capricorn for the training, Lucy still struggled to break them apart.
None noticed the flames that licked at Natsu's arm trickle onto Columba's dress, nor the sizzling smell that came with burnt fabric till a shriek of panic rang in the air. As if a beckon, everyone looked up to see Columba patting at her legs frantically.
"My leg!" She shrieked, smacking at her leg. "It's on fire! You ruffians set my dress on fire!"
With her own shriek, Lucy jumped over the rolling duo to help pat down the fire eating at the dress. With Loke joining them to help contain the fire, it was a conjoined panic shared between the three of them. Terrified, she grabbed onto the forgotten tea and tossed it onto the dress, seeing the flames die out with a relieved sigh.
The once flowy, cream-colored dress was now charred, some eaten up by the flames as it now exposed more of Columba's leg. Tears welled in the spirits' eyes at the tragedy of her clothes.
"Oh shit." Loke breathed. "You two are fucked."
Lucy sent them a withering glare before turning to Columba with a soft smile. Taking a small, trembling hand into hers, she looked into Columba's eyes and sighed, "Go back to the Celestial Realm, Columba. We can make our contract later after you heal."
"No- no, it's okay. I want to make our contract," Columba sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. "Then I'll go home if you don't mind."
"Whatever you want is fine with me," Lucy said as she went to her desk for the notepad that purposefully stood out. Grabbing the notepad, then a glittery pen, Lucy called Columaba over. "Let's get started then. What is your magic, Columba?"
"I use peace magic, as well as healing magic." Columba started, a small smile wafting on her features as she continued. "I'm good at both offensive and defensive, but I prefer staying by your side if that's all right." She paused, thinking to herself, before she said, "I would like to say I am a pretty good flyer, and that my dove form could be useful sometimes."
"That sounds wonderful," Lucy awed, before scribbling everything down. "What about days that you're available?"
"I'm available on weekdays, and weekends if the situation calls for it. I prefer being summoned in the daylight or in nature." Columba stated. Her eyes peaked towards Natsu, then to Lupus, before looking back at Lucy. "Is that all?"
"Yeah. I'll summon you if I need to know anything else. You go rest up, okay?" Lucy said with a worried smile, watching as Columba only nodded and vanished back into the spirit realm in a large burst of sparkles.
Silence ensued in the apartment, with none being brave enough to say anything.
In the next breath, she rounded on the two still bumbling on her apartment floor. "What the hell you two! I can't believe you guys!"
"Well technically - " Lupus began, only to be stopped by Lucy's glare.
"No! I don't want to hear technicallys or even excuses! Both of you should know better!" Lucy yelled with a wave of her hands. "You will both apologize to her the next time you see her, and that is final."
Natsu nodded, a pout to his lips as he drooped down further into his spot. Beside him, Lupus followed suit, his ears and tail flattened at her scolding.
Pinching her nose as she breathed in a deep sigh, Lucy tiredly began, "Now, Lupus, would you like to make a contract now, or later? I still need to get some rest before I go to the guild."
Before Lupus could speak, Natsu's voice drowned out his.
"What about me Luce?!" Natsu whined, seeing as she pointedly ignored him.
"You can go home, or the guild, right now I don't care. I just need time alone, Natsu." She sighed at the puppy look he gave her. His lip protruded, eyes watery, and his eyes acast as he looked hurt. In her mind, she wanted to forgive him instantly. It made her feel horrible to see him look so beat up, and as she tried fighting herself, once his lip quivered was when she found herself squatting in front of him and taking his hands into hers. "Natsu, I'm just upset right now. You hurt one of my spirits, and you could have really hurt her even more than a small burn."
"But she can heal," he whimpered, his eyes stuck on their intertwined hands.
"That doesn't mean she can't feel pain though. She's just as human as you and I are." She paused to breathe, trying to rid of the upset look Columba had when she left from her mind. "I'm not mad at you, or at Lupus, but I need both of you to think about your actions. What if she did get hurt Natsu?"
"She would've been burnt," Natsu drooped further down at his answer.
"Exactly, and I want both you and my spirits to get along." She said with a soft smile. Natsu, while dense, always was quick to catch onto her points when she settled down to explain everything. At that moment, his eyes looked up to hers, seeing the beautiful green shine with guilt. So she continued in a soft tone, "You're my best friend, Natsu. I just want you to treat my spirits the same you do with everyone in the guild."
Natsu oohed but stayed silent. She took it as him understanding, and moved to get up when he squeezed their hands.
"I'm sorry, Luce."
"I know you are Natsu, and I forgive you," Lucy said, her eyes crinkling. "Just remember to apologize to Columba if you see her, okay?"
"Yeah," Natsu sniffed, letting go of her hands to stand up. "I'll remember, I promise."
"Good, now out. I still need to finish up making contracts and I desperately need a nap." Lucy said as she pushed him towards the door, quickly opening it for him. She tapped her foot on the floor repeatedly with a teasing grin.
He snorted, rolling his eyes as he grumbled out passed her, "Yeah, yeah, I'm going Luce."
"I'll see you later, dork," she called out to his retreating form. She saw him wave, then backed away and closed the door. Once closed, she leaned against the door with a soft bonk, groaning right after. Now that one troublemaker was out of the house, she had to deal with the other troublemaker.
"Your useless Nax." Cygnus snorted from his spot on the couch.
Lucy gave her own snort in amusement. "Understatement of the century, really."
Moving away from the door to sit back onto the couch, she watched as the bundle in the bed only groaned in retaliation before going back to sleep. Rolling her eyes, she lolled her head to the side to look at Loke with a pleading look, "Can you turn on the heater for Nax?"
"Anything for you my princess!" Loke shouted in a leap, moving off the side to toy with the heater. After watching him struggle as he pressed at the buttons, she shrugged to herself. He can handle it. I hope…
Then, moving her gaze onto Lupus, she asked, "So Lupus, what were you saying before Natsu interrupted you?"
Faltering, Lupus who still remained in the same spot as before, said, "I would like to make my contract with you now princess, if you would still like to?"
Lucy smiled at his words. "Of course Lupus, I would love to make a contract with you."
His frown upturned into a grin, his tail giving a slight wag from under his coat. "Thank you, princess. I won't let you down, I swear it." With one hand, he ruffled with the messy mop of hair on his head as he carried on, "I use moon magic, where my spells heavily rely on having moonlight to help power my attacks. I'm great at hunting, but with my other form I'm much better at it." He looked at her expectantly for permission to continue.
"Other form? Columba also mentioned having another form but I had no idea on what she meant." Lucy asked as she thought back to earlier. She didn't get a chance to question him anymore as Lupus was encompassed in a brilliant light, causing her to look away from the brightness, before looking back once the room dimmed down to reveal a wolf in Lupus's spot.
With a dark black mane that looked too fluffy for her to not touch, and large enough to be larger than her couch was Lupus's shaking excited form.
"Oh my…" Lucy started, her hand going to her heart before she squealed in delight. Jumping across the coffee table, being careful to not break the tea set she still had on it, she stood in front of Lupus before holding her hand out. She waited in bated breath as he curiously leaned in, sniffing at her hand, before gently putting his snout into her palm.
Containing an excited squeal, she held herself still as Lupus ran his face across her hand. He moved his snout across her palm, up to his forehead then to his ears. She awed at the softness that was his fur, letting her fingers numbly feel the inky strands. "So soft…"
"Thank you, princess," Lupus said telepathically, watching as her eyes alit in recognition.
"You can only speak in my mind?" Lucy asked, feeling him nod into her hand. She mentally remembered to write that down. "That's amazing Lupus. You have an amazing ability with a cute form to match!"
He turned so her hand faced his nose, then licked her hand with an excited yelp. She giggled at the doggish smile he gave her.
"While this is oh-so-adorable, and I would hate to ruin the moment," Loke drawled from his corner, still messing with the thermostat, "Lupus still hurt Columba."
Lucy sighed at this. While she wanted to scold Loke for ruining a contract-making moment, he was still right about Lupus. Looking at Lupus, seeing him draw back a bit, her gaze softened.
"That is true. You did hurt Columba," Lucy wavered at the doggy pout she received.
"Oi! Don't give her that look, Lupus, while it might work on her, it ain't gonna work on us." Cygnus scolded from the couch. He gave Lupus a pointed look and a crack of his knuckles, mimicking what happened moments before with Natsu.
"Enough you guys." Lucy gave each a silencing glower before turning to point at each of them. "Lupus, you need to also apologize to Columba and to think about your surroundings next time. And Loke and Cygnus, you two quit scolding him. You both would have also taken Natsu's bait and would have done the same thing. If Fornax was awake, he would have to!" She cried to herself.
Why did she have to have such destructive spirits?!
Once each spirit gave her a nod, a rather lackluster one as each glared at one another, she moved to the couch with a tired sigh. She wanted a nap, preferably on her bed, but as Nax comfortably snored on it, still bundled up in all of her blankets; she moved to get more comfortable.
A blanket was draped over her, one thick enough that she realized Aries made it, as a soft voice cooed to her, "Get some rest princess."
Soon, four brilliant flashes came and went, and she was all alone as sleep drew her in.
Out in the open window, down the street was where a lit-up orb poured magic into it. Swirling around it was a dark blue mist that clouded the alleyway to a blinding darkness, masking a cloaked figure who looked into it with a curious gaze. With trembling hands, the figure squatted down to lean against the wall, waiting till the orb finally lit up to show a sleeping blond beauty appearing in a hazy image.
The woman smirked to herself as she watched the blond snore softly to herself.
Pouring more magic into it, the orb's mirage went back to show the blond, Lucy, show up in her apartment before summoning her spirits. As each one showed up, with new faces the viewer had expected, did her smirk grow brighter.
Then, the fire dragon appeared, halting her breath. Not long after, a familiar blue shine overtook his eyes. It almost hurt to smirk this hard as the slayer lunged at the wolf constellation with an enraged snarl.
It seemed the fire dragon was another Lucy's one.
"Perfect." She muttered to herself. "All is falling to plan."
She watched the fight be broken up, the dove spirit leaving before Lucy scolded the two who sat dejected on her floor. Soon, the fire dragon left, then the other four spirits. The orb's glow dimmed once it showed Lucy asleep once again, causing her to put the glass orb into her satchel and heave up to stand. She cast her gaze towards the open window of Lucy's apartment, keeping her gaze there as if waiting for something.
Soon, her plan would fall into place. She just needed to set up the next step, and with the thought had her turning to run along the allies branches toward the train station.
Soon Lucy, and then you'll be mine. Just you wait…