Natsu Dragneel falls face-first.
The helmet on his head rebounds a little off the ground, hitting the pavement, making his sight blurry and the vile-acidic taste of vomit rush up his throat.
He feels the air knocked out of him. It is like someone threw a two-hundred-pound punching bag onto his back.
He coughs.
Someone moves on top of him. An elbow connecting with his spine causes him to yelp.
"Freeze. You're under rest." A male police officer spits into his ear. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…."
His helmet is ripped off his head, by an officer squatting in front of him Officer Droy. A fat ass who somehow managed to go from corrections to a full-fledged police officer by the look of his new uniform.
And where Droy usually was, Officer Jet wasn't too far.
By the bony feel of a man's body on top of his, Jet is his best guest.
His teeth begin to chatter.
Natsu feels something pulsating under his right eye.
"What the..." His tongue betrays him, and a tear escapes as he closes his eyes. Why is this happening? Calm down. He attempts to stop the heavy drumming from his heart. Gotta remain calm.
The smell of rotten eggs makes him open his eyes. He sees pea-soup green walls that look like they're sweating from the high humidity levels.
The corrections officer shoves the key in and unlocks the cell door with a creaking sound. "Boys, you have a new friend, this here is Natsu."
Three pairs scan him from top to bottom.
A tall and skeletal-looking inmate jumps down from the top bunk, with a limp he begins to circle him like a vulture flocking around a dead animal's carcass.
"Natsu here is very special," The officer slaps his shoulder and grips his collarbone with his hand. "He likes to play with children."
On cue, the other two inmates appear on his side.
"I didn't—."
The corrections officer slaps him twice on the shoulder, shoves him toward the three inmates, and takes his leave of the cell.
Natsu's eyes widen as they walk him into the corner, "That's not true—." His back meets the metal bars.
The officer closes the cell door behind himself, "Give our "special" friend here a warm Aster Town Penitentiary welcome."
"He's lying—."
The officer pulls him by the back of his collar, slamming his head into the bars, and whispers—spit into his ear, "That's what you get for beating on a cop. Have fun."
"This is a mistake—."
"We saw ya running Dragneel," Officer Jet's voice echoes as he tightens the cuffs on his hands, bringing him back to the present. His body shakes, as the metal digs into his skin around his wrists.
"I didn't it…." He cries. The smell of standing water invades his mind as pea-green soup appears in his vision. "I…."
"You're coming with—."
"No…." He coughs.
"Wait!" A woman yells. "You have the wrong person."
Natsu's heart quiets down, stopping at that moment.
"He's not the thief. That man is." She continues.
He looks up to look at the lady, his savior.
The sun shines bright behind her, not allowing him to get a good look at the woman except for her outline.
"Him?" Officer Jet grabs him by the collar lifting his head. Pointing at him as if he were trying to sell her the best cut of meat at the market.
"Yes. Him." She reiterates.
"You sure?"
"Positive." She crosses her arms.
"Okay then," Officer Jet unlocks the handcuffs and gets off him. "You're a…free to go…I guess?"
Fresh air rushes into his lungs. The drumming in his ears dies down. The smell of rotten eggs and the sight of pea-green walls melt away. His body stops shaking.
"Let's uhhh…get this guy to…the department Droy," Officer Jet scratches the back of his neck. "Dragneel. Ma'am." He awkwardly bows his head and walks off with his partner.
"Assholes." He whispers under his breath as he dusts himself off. "Those two are still…." He clicks his tongue. "Idiots."
"Thank you by the way"
He looks up to find a busty blonde with large black sunglasses standing in front of him. By the way, she dressed, smelled, and stood in her heels, he knew she was someone of money, status, and importance.
"Don't mention it," He could feel his cheeks starting to get warm. He rubs the back of his neck. "And thanks for uhh…." He combs his hair with his hand. "With the officers and…the you—"
She gives him a small encouraging smile to continue, "Yeah."
"I…"
He opens his mouth—
"Dragneel!" Officer Jet stomps across the street. Cars honking in all directions.
What now! He cracks his thumb from his tightly balled fist.
"Move your bike!"
Parking was the last thing on his mind when he decided to go after the purse snatcher. "I should…." Not knowing what else to say, he motions with his thumb to his motorcycle lying in the street. Shit. That's not good for his bike.
She nods.
He takes a deep breath and picks up his helmet from the ground. Better not be scratched. He tucks the thing under his arm and runs towards his bike.
Starting the engine Natsu looks over his shoulder to find the woman still standing where he left her, looking at him.
He gives her a small wave and drives off.
It was just like Gildarts described it, "Huge ass blue glass-lookin' skyscraper with a giant white "H" at the top of the building." It reminded him of one of those important-looking buildings that appeared in movies based on superhero manga. Just looking up at the building made his neck sore.
It did not matter that he had already been inside once two weeks ago to fill up paperwork for Human Resources, he still could not believe he was going to start working at a place like this.
Considering the type of people who work here he would not be surprised if they gave him a taser gun or a taser, maybe something cool like a ring with a hidden needle… or some other "cool" security guard gadget. Or they will keep it simple, and he'll have an earpiece to communicate with other security guards. Either way, it sounds a little cool.
Once inside the building, he first sees the turnstile-like ID badge reader security type of machinery, with three security guards dressed in an all-black uniform and vest.
"Move." A man with a briefcase pushes past him to go through the turnstile security thing. He watches as the man places his ID badge on the scanner thing and walks through to the other side.
The clicking and clacking of heels catch his attention, he turns to the sound of the noise. A group—a herd of women, maybe eight or ten of them dressed in business-like attire walked past him, all of them scanning their IDs to cross to the other side.
Shit. I don't have an ID thingy.
Maybe if he hides behind them, he could sneak to the other side. Natsu follows behind them closely, slightly bending his knees to blend in with their height.
A tap on the shoulder makes him turn around. Fuck!
He turns around carefully, finding himself eye to eye with a smiling orange-red-haired woman with pigtails, "Whatcha' doing?" she asks with childlike curiosity.
Before he could answer a woman dressed in a long black dress power walks to the other woman's side. "Juliet you're not supposed to run inside the building."
The woman named Juliet pouts, "Aww but I saw this man playing a game and I wanted to join him," She takes a step toward him and whispers, "Who are we hiding from?" She looks both ways.
The black-haired woman stares at him, "You don't work here…." She gives him a look over "Do you?
"Heine." Juliet puts her hands on her hips. "It's rude to assume the worst of others just because they have an unaesthetic hairstyle, scary-looking facial scars, horrible fashion sense." She lists with her fingers. "Not to mention the smell of a poor man's cologne. That would be terrible." She winks at him. "Right?"
The fuck. How am I supposed to answer? He knew he had dumb moments, though this woman had him beat across the board. He shakes his head. "I'm a new hire and I don't have an ID."
Juliet looks like she's trying to connect the dots in her head.
The woman named Heine pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, "Go to the booth, show them the new hire letter and they'll give you temporary ID."
"Thanks."
As he walks away from the two women, he can hear Juliet shout, "Let's play hide and go seek another time."
Getting a temporary ID from security was surprisingly easy. Taking the elevator to the 14th floor was not easy. Just the thought made his mouth water and not in the "Mira's famous blacked chicken with extra hot sauce" way. More like his toast from this morning was going to make a reappearance.
He checks the time on the phone. Running up seventeen flights of stairs in seven minutes was impossible.
As if some deity was mocking his pathetic existence, the elevator dings, and the doors slide open.
He cautiously enters the contraption. He presses the button to his desired floor. A flock of workers enters all at once, sandwiching him between the back of the elevator wall and a woman who reeks of an expensive flower-like perfume. Natsu could feel the color draining from his face, his mouth starting to salivate, and acid building up in the back of his throat.
"Floor number seven." The elevator announces.
Only the seventh floor! His stomach was starting to do a full-on Olympic routine. Screw this shit! Natsu pushes his way through to the front, running out of the elevator at full speed. "Sweet, holy ground!" He kneels on the ground, not caring about the scene he's causing. "Oh, holy ground that is—grounded!"
Someone clears their throat.
He looks in front of him, making eye contact with the receptionist behind the glass doors. An older lady who's giving him some type of weird look. She constipated?
Ten floors later, too late, he realizes that there is no air conditioning in the stairway. Drenched in sweat from head to toe, his clothes and the hair on his forehead stuck to him like a second skin.
Opening the door to the seventeenth floor he is hit with the cool air of air conditioning and bright lights as opposed to the muted low light of the staircase. Black circles dance in his eyes, trying to adjust to intense lighting hanging from the ceiling and the bright neon blue colored walls. The smell of the waiting room reminds him of the women's perfume section at the mall. Nice smell, but too much at once, confusing his nose.
"Hello," He pants, reading the name tag of the receptionist. How the hell do I pronounce that name? Might as well wing it. "Biscuit."
By the look on her face, her name was not Biscuit. "It's pronounced Bisca." She corrects.
"Sorry Bisque."
"Bisca," She repeats. "Do you have an appointment?"
"I'm supposed to be meeting with a Lucy Heart—. I can't pronounce the last name." Natsu takes a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and slides it to her. "Don't want to do something embarrassing like butcherin' it."
"Heartfilia."
"Yeah." He snaps his fingers. "Right Heartfilia."
"Would you please state your business?"
"New hire I guess?" He shrugs his shoulder. "I'm gonna—."
Bisca holds a finger up, shushing him. "…Yes Ms. Heartfilia…of course… you're welcome." She hung up the phone. "Someone will be here shortly to escort you. Please feel free to take a seat in the lobby."
"Sure." He stuffs his folded piece of paper back into his back pocket. Natsu takes a seat on the closest chair near the receptionist's desk, his eyes falling on the complimentary reading material on the tables. Women's magazines of all kinds, from gardening to fashion, to even Women's Health.
One caught his eye, one that happened to look the raciest of them all. A woman posing in nothing but a tiny red bikini. Yet it wasn't the woman that caught his attention, it was one of the article's taglines, "Ways to tame your naughty kitten. Page 32." It got him thinking about his cat Happy.
Page 32.
His eyes land on the first item on the list.
He feels his face turn hot and he quickly shuts the magazine. Tossing it back into its original pile. I am not going to use that thing on Happy. That device should only be used—
"Hello excuse me." A small and soft voice interrupts his train of thought.
He looks up, and a small pink-haired woman with a knee-length wool dress nervously stands in front of him.
"Yes!"
She jumps at the sound of his voice, "I—I—I'm sorry," She stutters, taking a few steps away from him. "I—I s—shouldn't h—have got—ten s—so close."
"My bad." He rubs the back of his neck. The first day and he was already screwing up. "Sorry, Ms. He—."
She shakes her head and waves her hands in front of herself, "I'm sorry f—or the c—confusion. I—I am not Ms. Heartfilia. I am A—Aries and I a—am here t—to escort you."
"Oh, then why didn't ya say so," He sighs in relief. "Ya got me good."
She bows her head, "I—I p—please forgive me Mr. Dragneel—."
"Call me Natsu." He stands up extending his hand towards her.
"O—oh of course M—Mr. Natsu Dragneel sir," She continues bowing her head. "T—the l—lack of manners which I have displayed a—are unbecoming—."
He shakes his head, "Nah that's weird just call me Natsu, none of that Mister or Sir type of crap."
"O—of c—course," she repeats, "I—I a—apologize for m—making you u—uncomfortable—."
"Don't sweat it." He playfully slaps her shoulder, causing her to flinch. "Now show me the way."
She nods her head vigorously, "Right this way."
He follows behind her, "So what kind of job ya do that requires you to "escort" people?"
They make a right down the long hallway, photos and giant blown-up magazine covers decorate the red walls. What is this place?
"I a—am s—secretary t—to the a—advertising d—director Mr. Lion."
That still didn't answer his question. "Oh." He looks to the walls hoping to find an answer.
The halls are long and there are many turns, it makes him feel like he's walking through a bright-colored maze. As they walked through the halls, Natsu noticed that there was something off, all the employees on the floor were women. Women walking in the halls. Women sitting in their cubicles. A women's restroom and across from that a lactation room…. he didn't know what it was, but it had a sign of a mother and baby, so it had to be women related…right?
"There's a lot of women here."
The pink-haired woman gives him an over-the-shoulder look, "Hmm."
Shit. He knew that look well enough thanks to his red-haired friend, that his comment was not taken well. He needs to say something, anything to clear the air, "Not that there's anything wrong with women. Women are nice. And uh smell nice too." He stuffs his hands in his pocket. "I like women—love them actually. Girl power." He raises a fist.
She pauses in front of the door. "I—s that why y—you chose to work here?"
This feels like a trick question. "Yup, absolutely, one hundred percent."
"Oh."
Crap, the way she answered does not sound good. "I feel—I believe that working here will… uh umm give me the chance to grow as a—." He tries to remember the words or phrases that he rehearsed with Erza this morning. "Better person in today's—modern— warfare."
"Warfare?" She turns around, this time facing him.
He nods. That sounds about right.
"Knock, knock."
"Door's open," Kagura answers from her desk.
Cana slides a cup of coffee onto her desk, "Don't say I never get you anything." She winks.
Kagura gives her a small smile, she takes the coffee cup into her hands, the promising warmth already making her feel warm inside, "What is this for?"
"Geez," She huffs, "I bring coffee she complains, I don't bring coffee she still complains. Nothing I do makes you happy," She takes a sip from her drink. "this is why I have given up doing nice things for people."
Kagura playfully rolls her eyes, "Thank you… Cana."
"You're welcome," She comes around the desk, leaning down and putting her chin on top of the other woman's head. Cana put on her best "woe is me" face, with hand gestures and all. "it's just a shame that with all the interviews, I was unable to file all those documents. She puts a hand to her heart. "Yet to you my dear sweet almost angelic, Kagura, you have earned a token of appreciation."
Kagura blushes, "Don't get me wrong, it's not like I was doing it for you."
"Oh, you." Cana pinches Kagura's cheeks. "You tsundere you. So feisty. So cute. And yet with Erza you proclaim your admiration for her aloud and call her big sis," She raises her eyebrows. "You know you can also call me big sis if you like."
"I…." Kagura shakes her head and clears her throat, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"And this is why it's super fun to pick on you." Cana baby talks to her. Making the other woman scoot her chair away from her.
"Don't you have work you should be doing?"
"Aww you care about me," She clasps her hands together. "You really care about me."
"Cana." Kagura clenches her jaw a little.
"I'm just fucking with you." Cana laughs as she leaves Kagura's office.
Her cell phone vibrates in her pocket.
A work email from Lucy Heartfilia, her name flashing on her screen.
Cana groans, not ready or wanting to write another incident report. Though the blonde woman is nice, she happens to have the worst luck with her assistants, all of them falling prey to Loke's advances.
Lucy H: Good morning, Cana, can you please send me a copy of Natsu Dragneel's resume as soon as possible I would like to review it before meeting with him shortly. Thank you.
Why does Lucy need Natsu's resume?
Her fingers fly across the keyboard. She pulls up the document. Her eyes widen. Natsu's personal information and a picture is attached to the application, but that is not his resume. "What the hell!"
"…this would be your desk." Aries straightens the keyboard, "and to the side from here is Ms. Heartfilia's office." She points to the black twin doors.
Natsu takes a seat at the corner desk, testing out the chair by turning. "Feels nice."
Aries nods. "Our e—employers are v—very considerate."
"You speak weird, you, okay?" He turns on his chair towards her. "You sick or somethin'?"
Aries gasps, "I," She takes a deep breath. "I—I stutter w—when I—I get n—nervous. I a—m—m sorry."
"Don't feel nervous around me. I know it's easier said than done." He leans back into his chair with his hands behind his head as he puts his feet on the desk. " But we are gonna be working together from now on, aren't we? So, try to relax."
She nods. "I will check if Ms. Heartfilia is in her office."
With the door closed behind her, Natsu straightens his clip-on tie. He pulls on it and the tie flies off the hook and lands on the floor away from the desk. "Shit!" He jumps out of his seat and kneels on the floor. Of course, the shitty eight-hundred-jewel excuse for a tie would give out before meeting the boss. It was the only thing he could buy on his own, without having to forgo another meal or worse borrow more money from his frenemy Gray Fullbuster. He hated asking for help and having to owe the Ice Princess. The asshole would never let him live it down.
His nephew takes a seat next to him on the sofa, "Uncle Natsu, Larcade needs new shoes." The seven-year-old hands him a toddler-size shoe.
"What's the…." His words die in his throat. The soles of the shoe are so worn out that a hole is about to form on the heel. He rubs his eyes. The guilt—the shame of not being able to provide for his family, makes him feel even more pathetic.
The need for a job outweighs his urge to rip the damn flimsy tie and call it a day.
His eyes land on something, a picture of a male model on the magazine cover.
He looks down at his clothes, then back to the model's.
I can make this work; he smirks to himself.
He rolls up the sleeves and unbuttons two buttons, opening it up a little to replicate the photo. Now, if only he had a pair of oval-rimmed glasses like the guy on the cover. Curse his good eyesight. He combs his hair with his hand and—
The door to the office opens, and his spine straightens up like a ruler.
"Ms. Heartfilia will see you now." Aries motions.
He swallows hard, I cannot screw this up. I will not.
The office looks like something out of a home décor catalog, with large glass windows overlooking the city, more magazine covers on one wall, and a large bookshelf taking up an entire wall filled with books and magazines. A red love seat with a small coffee table in front of it and a large black desk in the center of the room, with his new boss standing behind it.
Average height, a long curtain of gold-colored hair warm brown eyes. She wore a light brown turtleneck almost tan and a beige-colored skirt that went above her knees, the outfit hugging her hourglass figure like second skin.
To Natsu, she looks like a princess with the way she holds herself, like if she went to etiquette classes, most likely she did. Yet there was also this approachable air to her, or maybe he was thinking this way because she was smiling,
She looks familiar.
Crap, he'd been staring for too long. He clears his throat, "Hi—Hello I am—."
"Natsu Dragneel," She smiles. "We met a little while ago."
Where did they meet exactly? He would certainly remember someone who looked like her. She must have seen the confused look on his because she stifled a small laugh behind her hand. "I see you don't recognize me."
Damn him and his lousy memory, why couldn't he remember? "I umm." For the first time in a long while, he found himself speechless.
"You retrieved my bag this morning."
His eyes widen. She was the lady with the dark shades.
She nods, "Yes that was me."
Holy crap he'd said that out loud. "Sorry." He rubs the back of his neck. At that moment he was more concerned about not getting sent to jail. No, he shouldn't be thinking about that not when his new boss is standing in front of him.
"I don't believe I've properly introduced myself," She extends her hand. "I am Lucy Heartfilia and welcome to "The Source," a woman's fashion weekly magazine."
"Women's fashion." That explains all the magazine covers and womanly scents he smelled. Maybe the only men that work on this floor are security. Makes sense. "Nice."
"Please take a seat." She gestures. "If you don't mind before we get started, I have some questions I would like to ask because I must admit, I am impressed with your resume,"
"Really?" He feels his body relax a little.
"Yes," She looks up from the paper. "When we travel to Alikitasia for shows and events we usually need a translator, so to have a fluent Alikitasian speaker makes work easier. I know it is not stated in the application, but if I may, for how many years have you been speaking Alikitasian?"
"Since I was born, I'm actually from there."
"Native speaker, even better." She jots down. "Another thing that caught my attention was your WPM."
Did she mean miles per minute? He shrugs it off. "Well, I guess in this line of work the faster you are, the better you're at your job, right."
"Last question, I promise," She smiles. "What made you want to apply here?"
Is out of necessity a good reason?
"I guess…I mean—I feel like I could do a good job here and this seems like a good place for me. I did some uhh…research before coming here and I agree with…." He looks around the room for inspiration. He gets a chill up his spine. Erza's voice echoes in his mind, "The company motto." "The message that this company sends, because I feel…I could apply it…to—to my daily life." He hopes she doesn't ask him to recite the company's motto.
"Really?" She gives him a quizzical look.
He can't read her face, "Yeah one hundred percent."
"That is good to hear," she gives him a small smile. "We always need to help and support each other."
"Yup," He gives her a thumbs up, "Pick each other up when one of us falls."
"Absolutely," She writes a note down. "Do you have any questions for me?"
"Not right now, but if I think of anything I'll letcha' know."
"All right then. Let's get started."
"Hey open up." Gray knocks, more like kicks the door.
What the hell is the stripper doing here? Natsu opens the door ajar revealing the taller raven-haired man, who's carrying two boxes of pizza in his arms. At his feet is a six-pack of some kind of beer Gray enjoys.
"I'm letting ya in cuz' you brought food." Natsu takes the boxes. "So whatcha' ya doin' here? Did the modeling people finally realize that you're ugly as fuck."
"Fuck you," He sets the pack of beer on the table. "Erza called and said she needed me to do her a favor and go and pick up two pizzas. And to make sure that you don't eat all—."
Too late as Natsu was already finishing his third slice.
"Seriously," Gray facepalms. No wonder the older woman made him go and pick up the pies instead of ash for brains. "How did your first day of work go?"
"All right…kind of." He shrugs. "don't know."
"Your ass is getting canned." He laughs as he takes a sip from his beer.
Natsu socks the other man on the shoulder, causing him to choke on his drink. "Nothing like that. It just felt off…don't know. The boss made me do secretary work."
"Well with the pink hair, I'm not surprised." Gray smirks, "The guy saw you and thought that you were gay."
"It's salmon." Natsu corrects with a mouthful of his fifth slice of pizza. "and my boss is a chick."
Gray does a spit take "Shit!" He says in between laughs, "Even better. Probably thought ya looked weak and that you couldn't throw or take a punch. She must have thought that's she doing you a favor by keeping ya safe behind a desk."
Natsu gives him the middle finger.
"Hey fire fart, instead of getting dress pants you should've gotten a skirt."
"I applied to do security-ing." That sounds about right, "I thought I was gonna go in, get my badge, get the uniform, and start walking around, making sure that everything looked normal. Take a nap here and there." He takes a swing from his beer, "Instead, my ass was glued to my desk. I was scheduling appointments, answering, and receivin' calls, writing up documents, and running errands for her." He downs his drink, tossing the can into the trashcan and grabbing another beer, "I think I even made her coffee at one point. Luckily, I know how the office management shit works or else then and there I would've been canned."
"Did you put it on your resume?"
"Nah., can't tell the boss that I learned from working in the prison's library."
"So how-."
The knob on the door starts to turn, grabbing their attention.
"Natsu, Gray open the door." Their redheaded friend shouts.
"I have to take a dump." His nephew complains on the other side of the door.
Erza sighs, "That is not the way to ask—."
Natsu opens the door, his eight-year-old nephew August zipping past him.
Erza followed by Wendy and Larcade drop things off on the table. Larcade, the youngest of the three in height and age, struggles to place a bag of chips on the table that rivals him in size.
Natsu ruffles the two-year-old's blonde hair, as he takes the large bag of chips from him and places it on the table. "Thanks, buddy. High five."
Larcade gives him a toothy grin and high-fives him back.
"What's the occasion?" Gray divvies up the pizza slices onto plates for everyone.
"We're celebrating two things," Erza takes a seat. "Wendy earned student of the month, three times consecutively this year, and Natsu managed not to get fired on his first day—you did not get fired today—." She lowers her tone.
"Nope made it through today."
Erza clasps her hand in relief, "And that is why we're celebrating."
"Geez, how many times have you been let go on the first day?" Gray's mouth twists into a sardonic smile.
Natsu jumps up from his seat, "You wanna rep—." Erza sends him one of her famous glares, making him sit back down. , "I mean uhh…buzz off…Gray."
Erza nods approvingly, "You two should watch your language when we have four small eyes watching us."
Natsu snickers, "Four eyes."
"Idiot," Gray mutters his breath. "So, Wendy how does it feel to win student of the month three times in a row?"
The sixteen-year-old looks up from her phone, caught like a deer in headlights. "What?"
"Who ya texting?" Natsu quirks an eyebrow.
"Nobody." The blue-haired teen hides her phone under the table.
"It's gotta be someone important if you're texting at the dinner table," The thirty-one-year-old continues teasing. "It's a guy, isn't it? Is it your boyfriend?"
Wendy's face turns the color of the pepperoni on her plate. "No."
"Wendy's got a boyfriend," Natsu says in a sing-songy tone.
"I do not."
"What's his name?"
"Natsu."
"Is it the kid with the big ass nose that lives across from the hall?"
"No, it's—."
"Is it the tall kid from 2F who plays the tuba and—?"
"Natsu." The teen hides her face behind her hands.
"How about the—."
"Natsu that's enough." Erza puts a hand on Wendy's shoulder. "You need to learn to be considerate."
"All right, all right." Natsu crosses his arms. "Sorry, Wendy."
"How was everyone's day?" Erza looks around, everyone avoids looking at her except Larcade who is happily drinking his juice box. "I'll start then. I had a ten out of ten days. I woke up earlier than usual, made myself a delicious and hearty breakfast, and was able to present Wendy her award, while only having two students visit my office today. To continue having good days, I will strive to fully discipline the students at my school. Ensuring that they will be a grand representation of Magnolia Academy, nay, model citizens of Fiore."
Natsu and Gray simultaneously take a drink in honor of the poor souls who have Erza Scarlett as their school principal.
"Now I will choose who goes next," Erza looks in front of her, making eye contact with the pink-haired man who is stuffing his face with chips.
Natsu swallows hard, feeling the ridges of the potato chips scratch their way down his throat. "I had a weird day and my clip-on tie broke. I would rate my day as five out of ten."
"What do you think could have been done to make your day better?" Erza goes into counselor mode.
"If my clip-on tie didn't break….and other stuff…." He trails off.
"What can you do to make sure that tomorrow is a better day?" At some point, the redhead had put on her glasses and was currently writing down things on a napkin.
Natsu shrugs, not knowing how to answer the question, "I don't know. Get a better clip-on tie."
"That's good."
Gray looked between the two of them, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Now Gray," Erza turns to her right. "It is your turn, how was your day today?"
"Good." Erza motions him to continue, "I slept well. Got my hour workout in. Took some new headshots…. Do I have to rate my day?"
She nods, "The daily rating system was created by Dr. Quinton E. LaPorte, in hopes of learning skills such as self-praise, problem-solving, goal setting, setting realistic expectations, self-reflecting, and coping skills." She proudly explains. "After reading and practicing Dr. LaPorte's methodology myself, I decided to implement them into my environments."
"It's an eight out of ten days for me. I think I need to improve on—."
Erza raises her hand, motioning for him to stop, "According to Dr. LaPorte, if you rate your day higher than seven, it is considered a success. Thus, you don't need to set goals for improvement. However, you are asked to write down a list of things that were well executed to keep the consistency going for the days moving forward."
Natsu claps his hands together, "I think it's time to put Larcade to sleep." Looking at the blonde boy next to him like a saving grace.
"But I not sleepy."
He picks up the boy from his highchair, "I'll read ya a book."
"Okay."
Gray sends him a look, almost as if he were pleading for Natsu not to leave him alone with Erza who looks like she's ready to give a lecture about the doctor's many, many methodologies.
Natsu sticks out his tongue at Gray as he leaves the room.
In the three days of collaborating with her new secretary Natsu, to say Lucy was surprised and underwhelmed with his performance would be an understatement. For starters, she watched him through her window, unbeknownst to him, struggling to turn on the computer. At one point she could have sworn she saw him hit the screen as if that were supposed to work. Then there was using and creating events, the P.S., the schedule, and event planning software that the company used. Had Aries not intervened at one point she would have seen herself taking an unexpected and unplanned flight to Crocus in the middle of the night. If it weren't bad enough, his typing speed was on the slower side, opting to use his index fingers to type instead of the correct way. According to his resume, he should be tech-savvy. She didn't want to jump to conclusions like he exaggerated his skills or worse lied on his resume. Lastly, there was business jargon, she knows it's not everyone's cup of tea, but Natsu seemed completely lost. He kept giving her questionable looks as if she were speaking another language to him. All she can do is hope and it chalk it first day jitters.
Perhaps, if Aries brought him up to speed it would make him comfortable.
"Hold the elevator." Someone shouts.
Lucy puts her hands against the elevator doors, surprised that someone is willing to ride up with her. Since the initials of her last name are on the building, people tended to distance themselves from her or would turn like statues when she looked at them. "Cana?"
She recognizes one of the Human Resources ladies, running into the elevator and out of breath. She bends a little, resting her palms on her knees. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Cana looks up, "Ms. Lucy, it's you,"
Aside from the higher-ups and Levy, Cana was not intimidated by her. Then again, the brunette-haired woman gave off a vibe that she didn't scare easily.
"Good morning."
"Morning," Cana pants. "How are… you… doing?"
"Fine, thank you, and yourself?"
She exhales heavily, "Just out…of breath."
"I see." Lucy smiles politely.
Cana still trying to catch her breath, "How's…the new…secretary doing?"
"He's doing well."
"Natsu…right?" Cana turns to her.
She nods.
"So, he's doing well in the position."
"Yes."
"Fine, normal. Nothing out of the ordinary?"
Did Lucy hear her, correctly? "Excuse me?"
"I mean there is no conflict with his…." Cana looks at her as if waiting to complete her thought.
"Gender?" Are people still astonished at the thought of a male being a secretary to a woman? "I don't think a person's gender reflects their work quality."
"Of course not," She presses the button on her floor. "I'm just making sure that he is—that he is…exceeding…your expectations," Cana looks away. "That he is doing, exactly what he has been hired to do."
After an awkward silence, she continues, "You know, it's very common—normal, that some people when working together don't mesh well."
For Cana to act out of character, something has to give, "Is there something you're trying to tell me?"
She nods, "No—I." Cana's eyes widen, and she smiles to herself, "You caught me," She playfully holds her hands up. "I guess I shouldn't be telling you this but, Natsu is like a little brother to me. I just want to make sure that he is doing…a good job."
That makes sense. She's probably just nervous about her friend. Hopefully, it's not that she thinks that I'm a horrible boss because of my previous secretaries. No. I shouldn't think like that. "Of course. He did very well yesterday."
Cana sighs in relief, "That is great to hear. I was worried." Cana begins to play with her ID card around her neck. "Did you already send us the additional hiring documents; you know the ones that put him into the system."
"Yes, I even had Natsu deliver them to Kagura's office himself."
Cana's smile falters for a second, then quickly returns. If Lucy weren't watching her, she would have thought that the older woman almost seemed miffed. "You're very efficient."
"Thank you." She gives her a small smile.
The door opens on Cana's floor. "Well, this is me. Bye."
"Bye."
Cana leans her head against the now-closed elevator doors.
Lucy just had to be super good at her job. With the papers signed, she couldn't quietly transfer Natsu to security without Jude Heartfilia finding out. She can't afford a strike after she just cleared the two, which she had three weeks ago at the end of the company's fiscal year. Cana could already imagine the verbal lashing she'd receive from old man Heartfilia. She must do something. She needs to fix this, but how?
Steps coming from the stairwell, followed by some heavy breathing, make her lift her head.
What weirdo takes the stairs to the 12th floor?
Speak of the devil, Natsu Dragneel appears in the door frame, chugging a literal gallon of water. "Hey…Cana."
The usual hyperactive pink-haired man is drenched in sweat and looks pale as opposed to his healthy tan. "Are you okay?"
He sluggishly nods and pants, "I…just…ran up…twelve…flights…of stairs…."
She's too annoyed with the man to facepalm, "Why didn't you take the elevator?"
"Elevators." He holds his stomach, just the mere mention made his face turn paler. "Give me motion sickness."
Cana had heard of his infamous motion sickness, but she wasn't aware as to what degree was the severity. "oh."
"I'm gonna take five." He slides down against the wall and leans on the door frame in a sitting position.
Had he been doing security like was supposed to, he would be on the first floor and not have to look like he was going to pass out any minute.
If he leaves, he wouldn't be feeling like this.
Leave. LEAVE.
A Cheshire cat grin forms on her face.
"Thanks…a lot." He gives her a toothy grin.
"What?" Her mind was elsewhere. How could I get him to quit? What if I told the janitorial staff to lock the stairwell—then he'd be forced to ride the elevator, making him sick, he wouldn't be able to work thus he would be fired. She bites her thumb. No. They can't close the stairwell, that's against the fire code. There must be simpler of ways getting rid of him. I could get him fired…. No that'd be too much work and too messy for her liking. There was the option of talking to her father and having him find Natsu a better gig. No. That would make her break her five-minute rule of talking to Gildarts. I haven't reached that level of desperation. Yet.
"I don't how to say this without it sounding super sappy," He scratches the back of his neck. "You've saved my ass."
She understands his intent, but his choice of words makes her stifle a laugh.
"I've been applying and never hear back; on some rare occasions, I would land the job only to get fired on the spot. With how many times I've been fired, I know no one would give me the time of day or chance for an interview. I don't have any practical skills—." He lets out a small chuckle. "Now I'll have enough money to keep paying for Mavis's facility and take the kids out for ice cream or something. Payback the money that I've borrowed from the stripper and Erza. Do you know how many times I've had to borrow money from her, so much that I felt I was abusin'—. He shakes his head, "I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for allowing me the chance to prove to myself that I can keep a job and do well for my family." He smiles. "I owe you one, okay?" He gives her a thumbs up.
Instead of seeing the thirty-one-year-old, she sees him as the nine-year-old boy she met many years ago. Palms caked with dirt, both knees scraped, shoelaces untied, and his famous toothy grin.
Natsu runs up to her and presses his sweaty, albeit cool palm against her forehead. "You okay there Cana?"
"Fuck me." She groans. She was going to help the idiot.