Chapter 2: Friends

On their way to explore the dorms, Lucy received a call from Capricorn. She filled him in on her afternoon and let him know she would be exploring the dorms with Natsu. To her surprise, he knew him.

"It's been a while since I've seen him, but I am friends with his father. He's a good man," Capricorn said, fondness and respect in his voice.

"Well that's perfect so I guess I'm safe?" She joked, batting Natsu away when he protested. She omitted what Natsu told her about the charm spell, deciding that conversation would in person. "So you're good with waiting while I finish this quick tour?"

"Ah, yes, I wanted to apologize for my lateness. I was originally supposed to meet you after your ascension but I had to help set up the booths which set me behind."

"No worries, call me if you finish early and we'll wrap it up, thanks Capricorn!"

They said their goodbyes, and the pair continued their walk towards the west of campus.

House Aer was gorgeous. It was five stories made of sandstone with a black metal rooftop. There were rows of large arched windows on each floor. All the windows on the floors above the first had decorative Juliet balconies. The inside looked like a sunset in autumn. Golds, yellows, reds, and oranges decorated the space and contrasted beautifully with the dark tones of the exposed beams and wooden floors. Cozy worn couches were arranged in different areas. Two lacrima flat screens hung from opposite walls. They explored further into the building and found two separate courtyards were within its walls. The layout was a rectangular figure eight and not much different from Lucy's would-be dorm from home. The freshman rooms were located on the second floor.

"What's your room number again?" Happy asked while they walked down a long hall.

"2503," Lucy answered. "I think it's in this back hall. We need to take the left at the very end."

"I wanna see Natsu's room," he whined.

"Then why are you following me? This is my dorm, Natsu's is at the back of campus," Lucy informed him, rolling her eyes.

"Come on Happy, we agreed to see Lucy's first. We'll go to mine right after this and see which one is better," Natsu added. He had his hands behind his head while he walked next to them.

"I bet it's yours," Happy giggled. Lucy rolled her eyes in response.

They rounded the corner and found the second door on the right was 2503. There was no lock, just a gold handle. Lucy hadn't opened a magickally locked door before but Capricorn had explained it a few days back when unlocking his home. It didn't look difficult. Still, she was nervous. She placed her hand on the handle, thinking hard about it opening for her. Click, the handle moved. She could jump for joy.

Her room was cozy though plain since the blonded hadn't moved in yet, but still beautiful. She realized the large arched windows she could see outside were French glass doors. She opened it to see into the woods. Her balcony wasn't just for show! The breeze greeted her, warm and wonderful on her skin. A desk and chair were to the right of the balcony. Her bed was against the opposite wall with a small side table. Her closet spanned the wall to the left. A door to the right of the room led to her private bath.

"Niiice," Natsu said as he dropped onto the bed.

"It is nice, now get off my bed," Lucy snapped. She hadn't even laid on it yet.

"But it's soooo nice," Happy said as he climbed in after Natsu.

"You too, cat, get off!"

They finished their inspection and headed off to House Ignis. The dorm was similar to Lucy's in that it was a building with a squared figure 8 outline, allowing two courtyards, but where Lucy's was sandstone, wood, and sunset colors, House Ignis was made of large exposed uneven stones. The floors had rugs in the sitting areas. The colors were red, orange, and black with gold accents.

"Wow, this reminds me of a dark creepy castle," Lucy commented, wrapping her arms around herself.

"What are you talking about? This place is the coolest," Nastu said, practically giddy.

Lucy followed him and Happy as they continued their exploration of the student lounges. The windows were smaller here but there was enough light from the floating chandeliers holding fat wax candles. There was a charm, Lucy supposed. Hers just felt more comfortable. She wondered who had designed the dorms and why they were different in style.

Natsu's dorm was also on the second floor but it faced the courtyard. Similar to her room, he had a closet, a private bathroom, a nice-sized bed and a desk. He also had a fireplace. No balcony though, much to Happy's disappointment.

Lucy was listening to Natsu and Happy chat about some tournament-battle something when Natsu's phone began blaring.

"Hey, what's up? Oh, that's right. My bad, sorry, I lost track of time. No, I'll be on my way now. Can you order me the usual? Thanks, see ya in a bit." He placed his phone back in his pocket. Noticing the curiosity in Lucy's eyes, he explained before she could ask. "It's my dad. I'm supposed to meet him for dinner and he doesn't like to wait when he's hungry."

"Oh!" Lucy began, "No need to explain, I didn't mean to keep you."

Natsu waved her off. "Let me walk you back," he said as he headed to the door.

"Thanks," Lucy said simply, warmed by the offer.

Exhaustion hit Lucy like a ton of bricks once she and Capricorn got back to his place, but she needed to talk with him. She yawned while taking a seat at the kitchen island. Capricorn was preparing some hot tea for them both. It was dark out now; she had helped Capricorn and the others clean up the Crown once all the new students had left.

Lucy filled him on the details of her day. He congratulated her on her elements. She had a soft affinity for water and a strong one for air. His ears twitched in alarm when she shared what Natsu had told her.

"I'm sorry–I shouldn't have left you–"

"You have nothing to apologize for–"

"Still, I didn't think–"

"I wandered off. I even forgot to tell you at lunch. I would like to learn how to protect myself. Natsu made it sound like child's play."

He hesitated before answering. "Awareness is key to snapping out of those spells, being surprised or shocked is enough to get you out of the haze. Charm spells like that are illegal and cheaply put together, nothing compared to the real thing." He paused to take a sip of his mug. "Simply being aware that you're being lured weakens it, and a shock, like the fall you had then seeing an exceed for the first time, would snap it completely. You weren't aware of the type of charm so we were very lucky you ran into him."

"What did you mean by 'nothing compared to the real thing'?"

"Charm spells, like this one, are an imitation based on the magick of real fae like sirens, vampires, lamias, succubi for starters. Their charm spells are part of their base magick. No ascension is needed to unlock it when they mature. The charm spell used by that cretin is created via potion, which is poured into a drink, or a charm worn to make the wearer appear irresistible. A siren could sing or a vampire would look you in the eyes and compel you to jump off a bridge and you would do it–happily!–might I add. It would take a great amount of sheer will and power for you to break out of it, and depending on the power of the creature itself, it might be impossible. Your bump with Natsu wouldn't have broken that."

Lucy shivered. "And they're just allowed to do that? No one is stopping them?"

He shook his head. "They are not inherently evil due to their nature. That being said, we have laws to prevent anyone from being lured into harm against their will. We can't prohibit them from using their abilities either though. It's as much a defense mechanism as an offense attack. There's more to it than seduction and control. Also, we have magick for protection such as these"–he tapped his sunglasses– "Glasses will block any eye magick, but also any lures."

That made Lucy pause. "I haven't seen many others with sunglasses, or normal glasses now that I think about it."

"Attacks like that are rare, especially when many of us know how to break them. He must've been preying on the young ones, hoping their magick hadn't been activated yet. The cretin is off the streets thanks to Natsu. Brave kid. Reminds me of this father."

Lucy blinked. "Natsu only mentioned he was arrested, not that he was the one to do it."

"Sort of. He and another new student. I was debriefed on the incident during my work meeting this afternoon. They intercepted his attempt to attack another young girl, but got into a fight instead. That was the incident over the river we saw. They managed to bring him down, even though they were fighting amongst themselves. I had no idea you were almost a victim. I'm sorry, Lucy." He bowed in his seat. "I promise I will do better as your teacher and guardian."

"It's alright, I'm really okay," the blonde reassured him. She was stunned. Natsu hadn't mentioned he was the one who stopped the creep.

Capricorn nodded his acknowledgement. They sat in silence a long moment, both were lost in their thoughts. A yawn escaped Lucy.

"You should go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow." Capricorn said, getting up to stretch. He took the used cups to the sink.

Lucy heard the water running and the clink of ceramics. She thanked him and made her way upstairs.

Dreams plagued her that night, but in the morning she couldn't remember a single detail.

There was a snap! and the last of her suitcases appeared next to the bed. It was morning now, and Capricorn was helping Lucy move in. He'd snap a few of the dorm items at a time and helped set them up before snapping in more. The blonde didn't have much so they were done within an hour. The last of her belongings were her books, now neatly stacked by her desk, and her clothes. Which Lucy had insisted on putting up herself.

"Well, I think that's all for now. I need to get to my office and catch up on a few things," Capricorn said as he pretended to dust his hands off. "You'll be alright?"

Lucy wanted him to drop it but a protective streak ran through Capricorn, and she couldn't fault him for wanting to keep her safe. Besides, he wasn't taking her autonomy. "I'll be perfectly fine. Awareness, and I've got these now, thank you." She held up a pair of purple chic sunglasses. Capricorn had gifted her the pair after breakfast. She wondered when he had stepped out to buy them.

"Alright then, your classes officially start tomorrow. There's an icebreaker event in all of the dorms. They're usually held in the common areas. Might be fun to meet your fellow students. Please let me know if you need anything. Aquarius and I will make ourselves available as soon as possible, unless it's urgent, of course–"

He broke off as Lucy had rushed to hug him. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, returning it. She was so, so young, and for a moment, he pictured Layla when they'd first met. He cleared the building emotion from his throat. "You're most welcome."

Lucy took a step back, slightly embarrassed by her impulse. It's not like he was going to go away. He'd be her professor here after all, but still . . . she'd have the love back home from the staff, but they couldn't get her out–not in the way she wanted. It wasn't their fault and she'd never ask them to risk their livelihood, but none of them had ever offered either. It was nice to be worried for and cared for, without her freedom being the cost.

Capricorn cleared his throat again and smiled gently at her. "Well then, I'm off to work. I'll see you around." He gave her a slight nod, and took his leave from the room.

Lucy took her time with unpacking her clothes. She needed to find a way to thank Natsu for saving her. He didn't mention it so maybe he wasn't the type to flaunt his good deeds. Even so, she wanted to show her gratitude. She had worried at one point if she would be able to make friends, but that worry had eased away after yesterday. Maybe it was too early to call, but she felt they were friends.

She was almost done when she heard her phone chirp.

Mira: Throwing a party at House Aqua's pier this Friday. Starts at 11. See you there

It chirped again.

Mira: Btw I can't find you on any socials? Add me if you're on magebook or grimoire

It was followed by a sparkly heart and wink emoji.

This would be Lucy's first party, and it was in two days. She looked at the neat piles of clothes on the bed. She also didn't know any social media here. She finished putting her clothes away before settling down to do some research. How did someone research "how to be a normal college student in Earthland" though? She decided to start simple. She typed "magebook" in the search engine.

Eventually, Lucy was set up on Magebook and Grimoire. She added Mira, then Natsu, who was in Mira's friend list. Her stomach growled, and Lucy realized it was past noon. She wrapped up and made her way to the Crown.

Later that night, the blonde was fresh out of the bath and was mulling over her clothes for the next day. She was stuck between two skirts when she heard her phone chirp.

Natsu: You in your dorm?

Lucy: Yeah, why?

A knock against her french doors startled her. What in–

"It's me," came a muffled voice. "And Happy!"

Natsu?! Lucy rushed to the window, pulled back the curtains, and jumped. Happy was holding Natsu just outside the iron railing, wings fluttering to keep them steady.

Lucy rushed to open the doors. "Ohmygod what are you doing here? Why are you outside my window? How did you get here so fast?"

Happy dropped Natsu as soon as they were inside. He flew over to Lucy's bed before his wings vanished, and he dropped right onto the center.

"Explain yourselves," Lucy demanded, crossing her arms.

"We were bored and wanted to know if you were up for hanging out," Natsu said with all the ease of someone who didn't just fly through her window. He closed the glass doors behind him and made his way to plop on her bed next to the exceed.

"Aye!" Happy concurred.

"Can you two get off my bed? Sit in the chair or something," she pointed to her desk chair. "And you didn't answer my question, how did you get here so fast, and why outside of my window?"

"Happy can fly, it's faster than going through the maze indoors," Natsu laid fully back on her bed.

"I am going to literally kick you off my bed if you don't get off yourself," Lucy threatened.

Happy giggled, "In that towel? How risque."

Lucy looked down, realization dawning, a red blush creeping from her neck up to her forehead, as she remembered she was still in her bath towel.

"Ugh, you perverts! Close your eyes!" She snatched some pajamas from her closet and ran to her bathroom.

Once she was out, Natsu offered her some snacks to make up for the annoyance, but she turned him down. She was still upset he had barged in. He didn't seem to notice.

"Which classes do you have this semester?" he asked, tossing some fried snacks back. At least he had moved to her desk chair. Happy sat next to Lucy on the bed. Lucy pulled her schedule from the bookbag she'd packed earlier. She and Natsu shared a magick history class and a defense class. "What's your primordial form?" he asked.

Lucy hesitated. "I don't know," she said, unsure of herself. She hadn't asked Capricorn or Aquarius many questions about her parents after that first day. It's not that she didn't want to know about her mom or father, but just that she had so many questions. Would she feel better after having them all answered? What if they couldn't be answered? Would that feel worse? Besides, she had already received tons of information in recent days, she didn't think she could handle more without her brain having a meltdown. A little voice inside her whispered that wasn't the only reason. She ignored it.

"That happens sometimes. Hope it's not lame," he teased.

Lucy appreciated his teasing. It helped her feel normal. "Oh yeah, and what about you? You know what you are?"

To her surprise, he smirked. "A dragon," he answered with pride, and a bit of arrogance.

"A dragon? Like a real-life dragon?" she sputtered.

Natsu's grin widened, "Yep, a dragon. Pretty cool, huh?"

Lucy was so stunned she couldn't remember what joke she was going to crack. "Uh, yeah, that is actually. So what you can fly and breathe fire and stuff?"

"Pretty much, I'm still not as big as my dad but I'm sure I'll outgrow the old man soon enough."

"How big is your dad?"

"You've seen a bus right?"

Lucy nodded.

"He's a little bigger."

Lucy couldn't help but gape.

"Awesome, I know," he said, trying to sound casual, but he couldn't hide the boasting in his tone.

Lucy didn't reply. She'd only seen fawns like Capricorn, or other animal-like primordial forms. Nothing like a story-book creature such a dragon. "How does that work? How can you be the size of you like this"–she waved at him–"but then turn to the size of a bus?"

"I don't know. I never thought to ask."

Well, that tracked. They chatted more about classes and the upcoming party that weekend, and social media until it was late enough that Happy began yawning.

"Alright, looks like bedtime for you, little buddy," Natsu said, getting up from his chair. He stretched, his hands folded together reaching up for the ceiling. His shirt rose as he stretched, and Lucy could see he had abs under his shirt. She looked away quickly, a blush staining her cheeks.

He told her goodnight before he and Happy jumped out her window. Startled, Lucy ran behind him but he was fine. He had landed in a crouch and was straightening up. He looked back up and waved a final goodbye, Happy nestled in his other arm. Lucy waved back. She watched him walk towards House Ignis. Once he was out of sight, she shut the doors and headed to bed.

Belatedly, she realized she hadn't thanked him for saving her.

A/N: So sorry for the delay everyone. Lots of things came up these past few weeks preventing me from writing plus major writer's block for this first portion of setting up the characters. I ended up writing some of the later chapters to try to get over the block lol so those are partially done. I'm also working on the next chapter. Not much happened in this one, but I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you so much again to everyone who's interested in my story, and has followed, favorited, and reviewed. Til next time 3