Erza helped Lucy with her outfit for the date. They didn't take too much time on the decision. It more was about pumping Lucy up to go in the first place. What it came down to was servicing the rebellion more than anything else—this was their first true opportunity to learn about the Empire and their Dragon Slayers in particular.
Though she didn't say it officially, Lucy did know that Erza had scattered the rest of her friends around the city to help watch over Lucy. They were at different places, seeing the sights, and getting to know the town while also monitoring for Lucy, as they had no idea where the date was going to end up. Erza promised to still tail Lucy, but the more backup the better.
They'd send a message: the Empire wasn't the only one to have people everywhere.
She emerged from her hotel room in a fitted midi dress ruffled from the torso down, her gloves changed to more formal white ones to still hide her guild mark. Her hair was still up in a side ponytail. Per her request, she wore flats. Erza even handed her a purse where she could put her Celestial Keys. Lucy held it such that a purse-snatcher would have a tough time stealing it off of her.
"Okay," she said as she stood in front of Wendy, Erza, and Carla. "I'm ready, I guess."
"You look great!" Wendy exclaimed.
"You fit the part of a proud Fiore woman," Carla said.
"Indeed," Erza said. "You clean up nicely, Lucy."
"Thanks," Lucy said, brushing some hair out of her face. "Wish I could go out on the town with you guys instead."
"We'll have that opportunity," Erza said. "Hopefully."
Curfew applied to anyone who wasn't a direct part of the Empire. Lucy prayed that Axel would take that into consideration and not keep Lucy out longer. Her friends were stubborn enough that they'd stick around past curfew and risk getting in trouble just to make sure Lucy was safe.
The clock was ticking. They had their chance to run and passed it by.
This was for the rebellion. For Hisui. For Fairy Tail.
"Let's go," Lucy said and nodded to Erza.
The two walked together for a while until Erza branched off, whispering that she would be nearby the entire time. Lucy strode alone down the streets of Clover Town, watching the town that had such incredible potential for fun and festivities get slowly dwindled as the sun faded to nothing more than buildings for people enslaved to an oppressive regime to sleep in. Some places were open, sure, filled with the raucous laughter of Imperials, or their stern voices as they demanded more food or drink.
She stopped at the double doors of the arena. They were slightly open. Was she supposed to go in? No. Axel said to wait for her. So, she held her posture, trying to see through some shadows if Erza lingered or not. But it was hard to see. Maybe one of her friends was also nearby in the shadows.
Lucy almost laughed at the thought of Natsu trying to put on some sort of performance of hiding. Erza probably just sent him off in town in search of desserts for her—if he knew it was to keep Lucy safe, Natsu would've just tagged along on the date.
Clattering footsteps from within the arena lobby caught Lucy's attention. She turned her head slowly toward Axel, who wore a fine Imperial uniform. He flattened it out. His shoes were shined. So, Lucy wasn't the only one taking this seriously.
Axel paused, sucking in a breath when he saw Lucy. She accepted that. Enemy or not, it was flattering to be reminded she was still pretty. Didn't mean she wouldn't kick him in the junk if he tried anything.
"You're incredible," Axel said.
"Where are we headed tonight?" Lucy asked.
"Eager to get going?"
"Curious."
Axel gestured. He offered his arm and Lucy started in the direction they were going toward. The thought of his touch, however slight, made her skin crawl.
Axel guided her through the town without much of a word. He got several nods from guards and other well-dressed officials. They appeared to lack some of the garb he had, easily signifying his higher places than theirs. He was only just a step below the Dragon Division Captain, so he had to hold great regard among the other Imperials.
They turned yet another corner.
"Something I noticed," he finally said after a while. Lucy realized that he was only slightly taller than her. "You didn't use any magic in the Games earlier today. You are a wizard, right? You're not just sneaking in to see how you'll fare?"
"I do have magic," Lucy said.
Axel nodded. "What kind?"
"Celestial Spirit Magic," Lucy said. That was fine to admit, as she'd done as much when she entered the tournament.
"Ah," Axel said with a nod. "So you're that Ashley girl, then? You'll have to forgive me, I had to look over the names of all the wizards in our competition. I realized I hadn't gotten your name. I was too enamored simply by your appearance."
"I'm that Ashley girl," Lucy said with a nod.
"Where'd you learn Celestial Spirit Magic? It's not too common anymore. You must've had your keys from before the Empire."
"I did," Lucy said. "I got them from my mother. She loved Celestial Spirits and before she passed away modified all the contracts she had with them to pass to me."
"I'm sorry to hear that. It's a beautiful thing she did." Axel snapped his fingers. "I know. Before dinner, we can go purchase some more keys. I believe there's a stop here. It's nothing too impressive, perhaps some of the weaker Silver Keys."
"Oh," Lucy said, waving her hands. "No, no, that's okay. It would be too much work to get new contracts established, and I may not even be able to use them for the Games tomorrow, after all."
"Then when the contest is over. It'll be my treat."
Axel grinned. It was almost handsome. But it was, in truth, startling genuine. He wanted to give Lucy this gift. He wanted…Lucy to be happy. Lucy made no expression besides a quick grin at him in appreciation.
The true reason Lucy could not get any more keys was a simple one: what if a Spirit recognized her? She was known among the Celestial Spirits. They would blab her true name on accident.
"Then, if you're a Celestial Spirit Wizard," Axel said, "what do you think of the Zodiac keys? Would you ever wish to own one?"
"Oh, it'd be something special if I did," Lucy said.
"A shame several of them were lost," Axel said. They stopped at an intersection while several horse-drawn carriages, as well as a few Magic Vehicles, passed. They were near a small square, where, on the other side, there were multiple restaurants. "I'm sure they'll resurface eventually."
"Sure," Lucy said.
"Do you mind showing me some of your keys? We have two Celestial Spirit Wizards in the Empire but they can't stand the sight of anyone seeing their keys." Axel's expression dropped. "Unless that really is some personal thing. I don't mean to push boundaries or anything, or…oh, never mind, forget I asked."
"No, it's no big deal," Lucy said and shuffled through her bag, discretely so as to not show off those missing Zodiac keys, and revealed Plue's key.
Axel didn't try to take it, but showed an interest in it, examining the key.
"Wow," Axel said. "It's beautiful. I can see why they were valued so highly."
"Are they not anymore?"
"Well," Axel said, resting his hands on his hips. "I'll be honest. I'm not too sure what the price is anymore. The only ones who can buy them are people within the Empire, and I've never really had the need to buy one. I'm sure Yukino or Sorano would snatch them up if they had any care to do…well if they cared to do anything."
Axel waved his hands. Lucy raised an eyebrow. Well, this was certainly proving quite the informative night, and she hadn't even wine and dined him yet.
"There I go, running my mouth," Axel said.
"It's interesting," Lucy said, "to hear so much about the Empire. T—to the rest of us, it's all one big mystery."
"You sound like a gossip writer."
"No. I'm a curious citizen. It makes you all much more real to the rest of us, I guess."
Axel smiled. "Come on, then. I'll show you how an Imperial eats, then."
They crossed the street with ease, despite the oncoming traffic. Everyone stopped for Axel. People stepped out of his way. And when they arrived at the restaurant, all the clientele there, even if they were only partway through their meal, left. Only the restaurant staff remained, and they quickly set out table dressing and wine for Axel and Lucy, who sat at the dead center of the restaurant.
Lucy stole a glance at the food prices before the menus were absconded. Her eyes almost fell out of her head. She'd pay less for a month's rent than what they were probably about to eat. But Axel didn't have a care in the world. He nodded to the nearby waitress and eased forward in his seat.
The staff came and dressed Lucy up with a napkin, gave her silverware, filled her glass, offered other flavors on top, and showed her several appetizer samplers. Dinner was already taken care of, apparently.
"Nothing but the finest," Axel said. "See what I mean that I could get you those keys?"
"This is so much," Lucy said. "For me?"
Axel raised a confused eyebrow. "A princess like you deserves to eat like this every day."
Once, Lucy would have swooned at that. She would have fallen into his arms and let him whisk her away to his palace, where she'd be dolled up and treated like royalty every waking hour of her life.
But it was impossible to look beyond the empty restaurant tables where people were once enjoying their meals and were forced out because of a bully trying to impress someone he probably saw as little more than a fine piece of meat.
"Let me ask something that may be pushing a boundary, then," Lucy said. "How does a gentleman like yourself not already have someone in his life?"
"A girlfriend?" Axel asked. "I've had a few. They just haven't worked out, I guess. Most of them are vain, hanging onto me for my status. But I'm able to suss them out eventually."
Is that why you just stole me from my friends? Lucy wondered. Because I wasn't showing any interest in you and all of a sudden you thought you could take me away?
"But you?" Axel asked, gesturing at Lucy. "How have you not already gotten with someone, too? No boyfriends? Come on."
"Pickings are scarce," she said, and that was basically the truth.
Axel eased in his seat, holding his wine glass with a firm yet gentle grip. "Then perhaps this is the change in fortune we've been looking for."
Candlelight from around flickered at the return of the wait staff. Lucy said nothing while the first course of food landed in front of them. Axel's eyes burned for her, it was all too obvious and quite creepy.
She let them eat for a moment in silence before meeting his eyes again. This guy didn't seem too hesitant about sharing secrets. And there was one question present at the front of her mind.
"Before the Empire," Lucy said. "It was my understanding, although I don't really know much about them, that there was only one Dragon Slayer. Some guy from a guild."
"Natsu Dragneel," Axel said with a nod. "And he wasn't the only one. Gajeel Redfox. Wendy Marvell. Sting Eucliffe, and Rogue Cheney, though I'm sure you're familiar with those other two. Oh, and, obviously, God Serena, but…" Axel smiled at that.
"What?" Lucy asked.
"It's not necessarily public knowledge," Axel said, "about what happened to him. But, let's just say that it's through him that I'm in the position that got me here."
Lucy met his gaze. That wasn't going to be enough. She knew about God Serena—the strongest wizard in Ishgar. What had the Empire done to him?
"Well, we're not in a public conversation," Lucy said, dropping her voice a bit. "This is private. You can tell me."
She took a slow bite of food. Axel set his jaw, raised his eyebrows, and shook his head.
"He," Axel said, then took a long sip of wine, "wasn't a true Dragon Slayer. He once had eight Dragon Slayer lacrima, formed from the hearts of dragons killed hundreds of years ago in the original Dragon King Festival, buried in his body. He was powerful, but he was only one man. That power wasn't enough for our Emperor, so he destroyed God Serena. He had to use the lacrima, then, somehow.
"Only one of them was handed out, and it was after General Zash Caine was able to find the Dragon Cry weapon. He got the Purgatory Dragon Slayer lacrima. The other seven were not handed out to other wizards in the Empire, as they all had their specialties already. No, they deserved to go to the most loyal followers and the greatest warriors. The ones who proved they could take on the mantle of that power."
He set his silverware down for a second, lost in a blissful memory. Then he continued, "So it was a tournament not unlike this one. It was a massive battle Royale, all taking place at the stadium in Crocus. Where better to bestow the power of the dragons, right? Well, by the end of it, there was me and six others who got the lacrima. It was all random, too."
"What was it like? To get the lacrima put inside you?"
Axel took a bite of food. "Liberating."
Lucy felt a chill run through her body. Something about his voice, his words, and his calm demeanor…
"Interesting," she said after a moment.
"And to be honest, it took a long time for me to even notice what the power could really do for me," Axel said, examining his hand as diamonds flaked over it, glistening like dragon scales. "Captain Sting and Captain Rogue were excellent at showing me what it the lacrima was capable of." He eyed Lucy. "For the sake of possibly fighting your friends, or yourself, I'll keep those abilities secret."
"Fair enough," Lucy said. "Though, I did show you one of my keys."
"One of your powerful ones?"
"Who knows?"
Axel sneered. "It wasn't a Zodiac key so I'm not afraid of it. Not that I really would be, anyway." He sighed, setting his hand down. "The tournament is little more than an exercise and test in our ability to stay in shape, those of us in the Dragon Division."
"You're that confident?"
"Who is going to beat me?"
Lucy bit her tongue from claiming that it seemed like Erza and Elfman were able to get through Axel, but, there were different circumstances there than with a one-on-one fight.
"Now if one of my other Generals, or Captain Sting, were involved? That's a different story."
The plates were exchanged for the next course, an incredible display of food whose smells matched what'd been put in front of Lucy. She held back the salvia building in her mouth. Even her father would never have a meal this fancy in front of her.
The ogling and sight of it all blanked her mind of whatever question came next. At Axel's suggestion, they dug into their meal.
Perhaps it was the food, the drinks, or just the lack of any other Imperial presence, but Lucy allowed Axel to enjoy pleasantries with her. He asked about her interests and her family life. Some about her friends, though they quickly bounced away from the topic and back to just being about Lucy. He expressed interest in her writing, even joking she could become a scribe for the Twilight Division if she applied and got his recommendation.
Outside of Levy, Lucy hardly ever spoke about that sort of thing to other people. Everyone in Fairy Tail cared, of course, but everyone was also just as occupied with doing their jobs and living their own lives.
He spoke kindly, if a bit blunt. He tried a few jokes with her but didn't seem the comedic type, more the kind to caress your heart with sweet words, of which he had several for Lucy and her appearance, of course.
They finished dessert and sat in silence for a moment while the candle wax dripped onto the exquisite linens. Curfew had to have come and gone already, yet there the two were, alone. Not a guard in sight. Not a friend in sight, either.
Her questions from before caught up to her. She swirled her finger around the wine glass.
"How did you find out about this tournament?" Lucy asked. "The one where you got your powers?"
"Like everyone else who participated," Axel said. "We were all soldiers, at the time. Just spearmen, swordsman, what have you. When the Emperor announced the opportunity to join the Dragon Division by way of Dragon Slayer powers, it was free rein."
"What was enlisting like?"
Axel laughed. "I wasn't enlisted. Enlistment is a new thing, Ashley. I was conscripted, like everyone else." Axel grasped his wine glass. "I was just some yeoman in Stella when the Empire finally came around there after obliterating Bosco. They swept me up, along with all the others, and I was one of the survivors of our training. But through that, when I came out, I found myself with the strength that I always yearned for: the power to get out from under the heel of Stella."
"Even though the Empire consumed Stella?"
"And who serves the Empire now?" Axel asked. "Me. Willingly, wholeheartedly, because it is only through the Empire that I've gotten the strength I always wanted and can have the life that I was due. Sonya, Animus, they were wretches. Forgetful, horrible leaders who had no regard for their finest and most loyal subjects. Well, once loyal. I was the first to open the door to the Emperor when he approached the throne room to take Queen Sonya for his own."
"So you betrayed your country?"
"No," Axel said. "Because my country was dead. What was there left to betray? I served my new Empire. And look how I've been rewarded."
Axel finished his drink and set his glass down. He stood. Lucy followed.
For every kind word he shared with her, one dripping in malice followed. There was a world, perhaps, where Axel was kind and gentle and sweet, and knew how to use his abilities for good and to serve the people of the Empire.
But, the empty restaurant told Lucy all she needed to know. There was Axel. There were the people Axel regarded as worth his time. And then, there was everyone else.
"You need to get back," Axel said. "Even under my jurisdiction, you'd get in trouble now that curfew is about to be up. Unless you were to come—"
"I do need to get back," Lucy said with a smile. "My friends will be wondering where I've gone, and I have to get ready for the contest tomorrow."
Axel nodded, stepping close. He smelled clean.
"Then good night, Ashley."
He leaned in. Lucy, reflexively, stepped back and his reflexes were faster to catch the small of her back, holding her as if in a dance.
"I'm sorry," Lucy said. "I just…that's not something I do after just one date."
Axel slid his hand around Lucy's back, accidentally shuffling her purse out of place. Lucy secured it.
"Apologies for being so forward," he said and returned her to standing at full height. "But I have to ask you out again. Tomorrow night? We can walk, this time, and not be in a stuffy place."
Lucy almost said no right away, almost rejected him. But he'd been a wellspring of information, valuable knowledge. She knew the secrets of the Dragon Slayers, she knew another of their names, and she knew that Axel was a talker.
"Yeah," she said. "Sure."
"Good," Axel said and stepped away. "I'll see to it that the guards bring you home safely, then."
Lucy nodded. Axel winked at her, then slunk through the depths of the restaurant, disappearing in the back. Soldiers approached. Lucy sighed, a weight relieved from her shoulders to finally be done, and allowed the soldiers to guide her back to the hotel.
Yukino strummed her fingers on the soft cushion, turning off the viewing lacrima that held perfect sight of the restaurant while Axel stepped away from Lucy.
"You may go now," Yukino said, waving the young waitress from her side. Violet. Axel's former girlfriend, a former lover completely devoted to him, who had been forced to be the waitress for Axel and his current girlfriend.
Axel emerged, catching a quick glimpse of Violet scampering away. She was to be sent back to the Capital where she'd continue to serve the Twilight Division. Axel felt he owed her that much before she was inevitably killed for the knowledge he'd given her.
"Looks like you had fun," Yukino said.
Axel nodded. "Another date tomorrow."
"Good." Yukino stood. "Stay with this one. She's important. A Celestial Spirit Wizard isn't one to be overlooked. There were few enough of us before the Empire."
"I know," Axel said. "But she's good, too. I imagine, after a while, I may learn just how good."
Yukino held her hand out. The quicker she was done with this business the better.
"And?" Yukino asked. "Don't tell me I sat through all of that for nothing."
Axel eased his hand forward and placed in Yukino's hand a golden key that he'd swindled after failing to secure a kiss.
The Key of the Goat, Capricorn.
"I'd like you to find out," Yukino said as she pocketed the key, "what else this one is hiding. Keep her alive until I say so. Got it?"
Axel nodded. "I'd be more than happy to. I think she and I have a bright future ahead of us."
