Rated M
M is for MATURE, people.
If I can pretend to be, then you can too!

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! *sob* However sometimes I wonder if Mashima-sama used to follow me and my friends around to help him dream up a few of his characters!

At least let a girl dream!

You guys!

If I could find a way to EXPLAIN to you how much all your comments meant to me, I would—but I can't! The love you shared last chapter was my bread and butter, the cherry in my vodka! The fact that this chappie is already finished and out is all because of YOU! You were all just *tears up* so excited and happy that you literally became my muse and turned me into a writing machine! Seriously, the wind blew my power out last night and the thought of my laptop dying turned into one of the worst things that could possibly happen in that moment.

Ahem... what I'm trying to say is: THANK YOU! I'd lick all your faces again and again if I could just master the art of leaping through the computer screen.

Oh! And as for all my fellow mothers out there:

HAVE A HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

A Day on the Town

Soft voices purposefully whispering is what pulled heavy eyes open. Darkness faded into orange pedals that somehow smelled of a freshly sliced tangerine. The flowers were so soft too, she'd never felt this comfortable on the rather expensive bed she had back in her rooms. In no hurry to rise, eyes drifted past the flowers to seek out the whispers. There, at the edge of the tree line stood Gajeel, speaking with the Hatless Hatter. Their conversation did not sound as though either of them enjoyed it, however. She could not see Natsu's expression, but the March Hare did not look pleased. Then again, how many times did that grumpy man with the adorable rabbit ears actually look content? The man always seemed to be annoyed about something or another.

"They're talking about us." Came Jellal's whisper, far more quiet than the men farther off.

Lucy rolled onto her back to see Jellal sitting next to her, leaning against a tree with an arm propped up on a raised knee. His head was bent down and his eyes were closed, but he knew she'd heard him. In the same nearly inaudible volume, he continued. "They're debating whether to turn me into the Red Queen's custody."

Lucy's brow rose, curious as to how he didn't seem bothered by it. Her head rolled back to see them better, only to notice they'd stopped talking, and were watching the two of them. Natsu's eyes were piercing, watching her from over his shoulder like that. Goosebumps rose, betraying emotions she'd rather keep hidden. When he turned to approach them, Lucy noticed the tiny Levy mouse perched on his shoulder. Gajeel did not join them however, no, he let out a gruff and walked the other way, into the trees.

Natsu's advance stopped once he stood an arm's span away from the blonde, beginning to sit up. His face held no humor as his eyes remained locked on her and squatted down, still just... watching her.

It was Levy who spoke, "Morning Juicy." Chipper as always, the sweet thing.

"It's... uh, my name's still Lucy." She reminded Levy awkwardly, growing uncomfortable under Natsu's gaze.

Jellal rose to his feet then, and offered a hand to Lucy as well. "So I see you've all met already. That should make introductions easier at least."

Lucy felt far too... hmm... off, to accept Jellal's hand, but she rose too, whimpering ever so slightly when Natsu rose at the exact moment as her. Staying as close to her eye level as he could without hunching over, being nearly half a head taller than her.

"Well yea," Levy replied. "We made her an honorary member of the Mad Tea Party real soon after meeting her. She's just that great!"

"Oh I certainly agree," a fox-like smirk rose on the pirate next to her. "After all, the very morning after we met, I became her fiance."

Lucy nearly stumbled from surprise and rounded on him, yelling in a rather unlady-like way, "Wouldja stop introducing us like that?!"

Though her objection went rather unnoticed for at the same time, Levy cried out, "WHAT?!" And Natsu yelled out, "You're not her fiance! If anyone's her fiance, I'm her fiance!"

Then he quickly turned around and whispered to the mouse on his shoulder, "Yo Levy, what's a fiance?"

Levy shivered for a tick before whispering the answer into his ear.

"WHAT?!" Natsu's eyes lit up, fire definitely within them as he turned back on the -ahem- happy couple.

Levy squeaked and scrambled down, transforming back into her true form, both orange and blue ears angled down on her head. "Now, now, Natsu, you know how the queens feel about forest fires!"

"Yes," Jellal repeated. "I even have her father's blessing on the matter. I'm sure by now he already has many people planning out the ceremony, as it is custom for the bride's father to front the cost of the wedding."

"Jellal!" Lucy cried, as Natsu walked right into Time's face.

As they stared each other down, Natsu yelled out, "Changed my mind Metalhead. Let's take'im to Erza ourselves."

"'Bout damn time!" Gajeel was quick to respond, forming one of his arms into a shackle.

Levy tried to intervene at the same time Lucy laid a hand on Natsu's shoulder, causing him to jump back, right into the poor, peace-seeking blunette. The force of Natsu's jerk knocked her down, infuriating an already grumpy rabbit. In the blink of an eye, Natsu was apologizing and helping Levy back up, but it didn't matter to Gajeel. He stormed up and shoved the hatter back (into Jellal) and finished helping the mouse girl up himself, cursing. "Damn you Salamander! I don't know what your bug is but it better not involve the Dormouse again!"

"Gajeel Redfox!" Levy stomped, her tail twitching with annoyance. "Stop this right now! You saw that it was an accident so just settle down!"

"I..." Gajeel stammered, clearly being unaccustomed to such a stern voice coming out of such a tiny woman.

When Natsu had been shoved into Jellal, Jellal shielded himself with his arms, but Natsu had taken it as an opportunity to let off some steam and accidentally elbowed him in the nose... hard.

Lucy, who had noticed both these things happen, turned on Jellal and Natsu. "Natsu, stop it!"

"What! But he—"

Lucy cut him off when she then yelled at Time, "Jellal, cut it out too!" Then she turned back to Levy with a sigh, "When is Cana coming back?"

Levy frowned and shook her head, already tired again. "I dunno... maybe we should," she yawned, "brew some coffee?"

Lucy perked up, "You have coffee?"

"Mmhmm." Levy hummed happily, slinging an arm around Lucy and taking her in the direction of the table. Then she looked over her shoulder at Natsu, still giving Jellal the stinkeye. "Well come on Hatter! Dragon's fire makes the best brew!"

"Heh," Natsu smirked at Jellal, with nothing friendly about it at all and turned around, following the girls. "You know it does!"

Levy took them past the table to the spot where she and her friends had shared many fires. To Lucy, it was just a circle of stones with a bunch of cinders inside. She looked to Levy quizzically when all she did was motion to the circle, tea kettle in hand. Lucy stepped aside as Natsu came up and dumped several sticks into the firepit. "Umm... should I get more wood?" It didn't look like those would burn for long.

"Nah." Natsu's fang glimmered from under his smile as he knelt down while Lucy observed.

"Woah..." Lucy muttered to herself when he simply touched the tender that sparked an impressive fire. Suddenly, a few more things that had happened in this world made sense. "It was you!"

"Hmm?" Both Levy and Natsu asked from the fire.

Lucy continued, "Those crazy columns of fire! I've seen two of them now! Those were you!?"

"Uh huh..." Natsu agreed, not understanding how this had only just dawned on the girl.

"Well yea," The Dormouse piped up. "Didn't we tell you that Gaajie and Hatter here were dragons?"

Lucy grew anxious, "Well... yea... but I kinda thought it was more... a title than an actual... uh... power."

"Oh! Oh!" Levy jumped up cheerfully, "let's see Hatter's bigger form! Betcha he looks JUST like his dad!"

A sweatdrop grew on Lucy's brow. "Uh... no no... I'm fine... uh... he's fine... just like this."

Now hearing this come from his Juicy just had to be shared. Natsu yelled over his shoulder, "Heh, ya hear that, ya damn pocket watch? The Juicy said I was fine!"

This brought attention back to an unamused Jellal watching Gajeel close his shackle onto his wrist. Gajeel looked back at them, noticing the displeased looks from both the women. "...What?"

^.^

Neither the March Hare or the Hatter would agree to unchain Time, despite both the women's protest. So the remainder of the morning was spent with Jellal's wrist chained to a tree, while a Dormouse and a human girl shared their coffee with him. He certainly didn't seem too perturbed about this newfound captivity he found himself in. It had Lucy wondering about what sort of adventures he'd had while sailing the seas in Europe. Had he been captured before? Oh! Perhaps he was an expert lockpick? That's something a pirate might know, right? Most of the morning had been spent in silence, what with Levy sulking about her comrade's lack of hospitality, and Time not having ever been much for conversation anyway. And Lucy? Well how could she strike up a conversation with so much tension in the air? It didn't help that the two dragons—which apparently really were honest to god dragons—were circling about the clearing. Vultures ready to swoop down at the first sign of weakness.

"Hmm?" Jellal looked up and raised his hand, catching a small slip of paper riding a breeze down to him.

"What is that?" Lucy asked.

"A note..." Jellal answered with a growing frown. "It would seem that the Cheshire Cat will be running late."

"Really?" Levy asked while Lucy snatched the slip of paper from Time.

The words were scrawled in calligraphy with so many swirls, the tiny letters were difficult to make out. "Regretfully, prior engagements have run long. The Cheshire Cat in unable to entertain, indefinitely."

"Damn that cat..." Jellal muttered.

"So what..." Lucy frowned, "she's just going to avoid you now?"

"Possibly." Jellal thought aloud, "more likely, she's buying time. Trying to make me slip up. She only has to answer four questions I ask. It doesn't matter if I'm actually asking her or not. I wouldn't be surprised if she pops up to answer how the weather is, should I ask."

Levy looked between Lucy and Jellal, who both wore contemplative expressions. "That's our Cheshire Cat! Gotta love her, yeah?"

Jellal tossed his cup aside and stood, his chain rattling all the while. "Or skin her."

Levy squeaked at the frightening thought, and Lucy rose with Jellal. "So should we go find her?"

"Perhaps..." Jellal replied without concern, finally taking an inquisitive investigation of the iron cuff on his wrist. "though I suppose now would be the perfect time to settle our business, my darling."

"Hey!" Natsu yelled, from where he stood on the far side of the clearing. With a hand adjusting a hat he'd forgotten that wasn't there, he began pacing back up to them, his stride formidable.

Levy whimpered when she noticed that Gajeel was coming too, from their other side. The two of them had Jellal flanked.

"Exactly what business do you have with my plus one?" The Hatter all but growled.

Jellal's eyes darted to the side, also having noticed that Gajeel stood not far behind. "My fiance and I must to go into town. You see, I promised to buy—"

Both Lucy and Natsu yelled at him.

Lucy: "Good grief Jellal, would you just STAWP!?"

Natsu: "SHE AIN'T YOUR DAMN FIANCE!"

It was Levy's turn to stand, waving her hands entreatingly, "Now guys..."

Jellal stared at the cuff he wore as he spoke, "She is, actually."

"Mr. Fernandes!" Lucy pronounced his name clearly, "I need you to stop, now!"

Ocean blue eyes shifted to Lucy while Gajeel's shackle crumbled onto the ground as old, rusted refuse. "Very well, Darling. Shall we go then?"

"What, HEY!" The March Hare yelled, "where do you think you're goin?" Both his arms formed into more shackles.

"You think you're walkin' outta here, then you got another thing comin'!" Natsu growled, lighting up into a human flame.

"Unlike the Cheshire," Jellal started, still seeming unaffected by the dragons' advance, "I do not shirk my duties, and I have a promise to keep with Miss Heartfilia."

"I know!" Lucy perked up, stepping between a fiery dragon and the man who could control time. "Why don't I go get it?" She nodded to Natsu then pivoted to Jellal. "You mentioned that all we needed was one more ingredient, right? So why don't you just stay here and wait on Cana while I go and get it?"

"Not happening," Natsu declared.

"I doubt that's a very good idea," Time agreed.

Lucy let out an exhausted huff, "Well it's a better idea than standing here, watching the two of you try to kill each other!" At the sound of her frustration, Natsu's flames went out.

Levy sidestepped next to Lucy, "Why don't we all go?"

"And give Time here a chance to slip away?" Gajeel grunted, "Not a chance."

"Do you really think you can hold me?" Jellal countered with a raised brow.

"I know! I know!" Levy jumped up and down. "Why don't I take the Juicy to town?"

"I'll go." Natsu spoke assertively. "What is it you need?"

"It's not your concern, dragon." Jellal frowned at him.

Interrupting Natsu's newest retort, Lucy spoke loudly. "Well it's no great secret either!" Once again, the curve of Time's brow was straining her last nerve and without thinking, she grabbed the hatter's hand and stormed off. Stopping only slightly when Levy squeaked and pointed in the opposite direction, "Uh... town is that way."

Lucy let out an exhausted groan and turned around, flipping Natsu around too, who held his free hand over his head (because his head was typically crowned with a large hat). Then stomped off without another thought.

While Lucy dragged Natsu into the trees, Natsu's attention rested solely on the hand his Juicy held. They were touching. That was something he'd been unable to do since the first few days they'd met. He'd never stopped smelling her, and he'd seen her many, many times... but every time up until now, he'd never been able to grasp any part of her. Comprehending her as corporeal all of a sudden was proving difficult. He wanted to experiment. What did the skin he held in his grasp taste like? Would it be more or less rewarding than when he'd tasted her lips? ...Her tongue? Exactly how far could he push his limits before she turned insubstantial again? Once they cleared the trees to walk the hills, Natsu decided it best to start small and gave her hand a slight squeeze.

The experiment ended in complete failure, in his opinion, for his Juicy dropped his hand like a hot coal. He looked to her with a question in his eyes when Lucy sputtered out an apology.

"It's okay..." Natsu replied, taking note of her sudden, embarrassed mannerism. He then lowered his gaze back to his hand and squeezed it closed a couple times, reminiscing how it had felt pressed against hers. Then with a shake of his head, he looked back up to Lucy, who had a delicious tint of pink to her cheeks. "So what is it you need to get in Castle Town that's so important?"

Lucy gave him a blank stare.

…

"Damnit! I'm such an idiot!" Lucy cried, slamming a palm into her face. "I have no idea what I need to get!"

Natsu chuckled, which grew into a loud laugh, well, louder than Lucy thought necessary. "Oh stop it! It's not that funny!"

"It's pretty funny," Natsu laughed out.

Unable to help it, Lucy started to laugh too, after all, his laugh was pretty contagious.

Sharing a laugh with the human girl was more fun than Natsu had ever anticipated. So imagine his upset when the lady sighed, and started past him back downhill towards the trees. "Juice?" He queried, "where ya going?"

Lucy looked back at him with a tilt to her head, "To the forest? I need to ask Jellal what we need to get."

"Oh no you don't!" Natsu quickly swooped down to her, reclaimed her hand and pulled her away from the direction she headed. Though he quickly learned that that was not enough, so he pulled her even closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he guided her back toward town. His voice was low and charming as he said, "you won't be going anywhere near that guy again until I'm convinced that you'll be breaking off this crazy engagement he keeps talking about."

Keeping up with his rushed steps must be why she suddenly felt light-headed as she replied with an experimental, "And if I don't?"

Natsu stopped, looked deeply into her eyes, then without warning, dipped her down as though in a dance and whispered, "then you'll just have to deal with being stuck with me. Either way, it's a win win."

Lucy's heart was all a twitter (and here she'd thought that phrase was just something authors wrote in their stories when they wanted to sound clever), staring into eyes that had never looked more serpentine. What was a girl supposed to say to that? She needed to get her wits about her, but even as she tried, the blasted dragon touched noses with her, and all cognitive thought dissipated! Say something intelligible woman!

"I..."

Natsu smiled and scripted her with her next word. "Will..."

"Uh... will..."

"Break it off with TickTock."

"Break it o—oh Natsu get off of me!" Lucy spun out of his grasp and turned away, desperately trying to catch her breath. Gods what was this man doing to her? And why was it suddenly so cold?

It isn't cold at all... except that you just left the arms of a fire dragon... A chill went up her spine as the thought ran through her.

"Aww, come one Juice! You were so close!"

In her flustered state, Lucy slipped back into her propriety training. "Master Dragneel, I need to go back to Jellal."

"Sounds to me like you may want to... cuz' I'm not really seeing a need here." The Hatter quipped, complete with trademark smirk.

"Ugh!" Clearly all dragons had at least one thing in common. They all seemed to have a knack for driving her up a wall! "I don't want to, I need to! Rragh! And you don't know what I need!"

"I'm pretty sure I know whatcha need," Natsu replied, his sly grin curling higher up his cheeks.

"No you don't!" Lucy blurted.

"Course I do!" Natsu crossed the small gap between them and tapped her nose. "You need to get away for a bit. Grab some fresh air. And... maybe some breakfast."

"But..." Lucy's stubbornness faded. Was the Hatter inviting her to breakfast? Agreeing to dine with him sounded much better than any of the invitations she'd received from previous suitors. Suitor?

Natsu held out an arm for her. "Come on. Castle Town may be filled with stuffy old Reds, but I know a few places worth checkin' out."

With a sigh, Lucy took his arm but said, "Why does it feel like you're still just keeping me from going back?"

Natsu patted the sensuous hand she'd placed on his arm with a content smile as they continued their walk, "That one's simple... it's because I am."

Lucy tried to smile, but it came out as a nervous chuckle.

The walk did allow Lucy to clear her head, so long as she denied the memory of the man next to her holding her... and staring deeply into her eyes. How could eyes contain such a fire within them? For that matter, how in the world could fire (of all things) be so mesmerizing?

Fire was hot.
Fire burned.
Fire bad!
...Damnit!

But fire was also life.

Without fire, how would people cook?

We'd all have to go to the market for what...?
Fish popsicles?

The thought made her chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Natsu asked, already feeling humor from her mirth.

"Oh! Um... nothing. I just got lost in thought, is all." Lucy blushed.

Natsu's already present smile broadened and he raised her hand and spun her out in front of him, gaining a yelp for his efforts. He let her go, and was happy to see her continue to spin on her own. She must be feeling lighter already. "Becoming lost in your own thoughts is a grand adventure, isn't it?"

Lucy slowed and stopped, smiling back at him and had to agree. The two watched one another a moment longer before she asked, "So how much farther to, what was it again? Castle Town?"

"Aye, Castle Town." He nodded and stepped next to her and looked toward the farther hill. "About ten more minutes, so long as we keep up the pace. Though if we turn left up the next one, I could show you a lovely pond where the swans like to swim."

"It sounds lovely," Lucy admitted, "but I fear we really must press on."

Natsu pivoted to face her and bowed like the exemplary gentleman. "Very well." Upon straightening, he said more to himself than to her, "was worth a try," and started walking again. "This way then."

Lucy watched the back of his coat for a tick before following, adding another pro to her mental pros and cons list.

Pro: The sun. Without the sun there would literally be no life at all...

Natsu is like the sun.

Eventually, the two of them came up on a quaint town that was built under the shade of the Red Castle's eastern-most wall. The red tiled path split up into side walks that bordered a red paved road. Many of the buildings were made out of weather worn white bricks with magenta door frames and window sills, but others were built with more natural wooden shades or red bricks. The town seemed rather charming, actually, and Lucy stated it as such.

"Yea well, it's a far cry from what it used to be," Natsu frowned. "Before those royals broke apart, this place used to be a sprawling city and surrounded the castle for leagues. Now... it ain't much more than a shanty town."

"Clearly you've never been to London." Lucy said matter-of-factly.

Natsu raised a brow down at her, "That where you're from?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well I can't wait to visit," he stated, shifting his hands behind his back.

Lucy blushed at Natsu's desire to see her home, but then another thought stole the marvelous feeling away. "Yes, wonderful. Dive right back into my father's world. Where I'll be packed and shipped off to be the wife of some stranger."

Natsu stopped, which stopped her as well. With a curved finger, the Hatter lifted her lowered gaze to look at him, "Nobody's makin' ya say 'I do.' "

Quickly removing her chin from his warm finger to hide yet another blush, she cleared her throat. "Yes well... I believe you promised breakfast?"

Natsu looked about the town, taking note of how few people were out and about suspiciously. "Just down this way," and took her hand and dipped into one of the more narrow streets.

Peering through a few windows, Lucy noticed a shop that looked positively full of odds and ends.

"Hmm?" Natsu asked when Lucy started pulling him in, "I thought you were hungry."

"I am... but, there's something great in there, I just know it!"

Natsu chuckled and went along with it, intrigued by her sense of exploration.

But when they walked inside... Natsu had a different opinion. This place looked like the kind of shop where you'd more likely find a shrunken head than a proper tea set. Was this the sort of thing his Juice was into?

Lucy walked around, looking at all sorts of things. How fascinating it was that only the most basic items, such as bottles, jars, or toys were the only things she could even put a name to! Then, as she began exploring one of the many counters, "EEEEEEEEEE!"

Natsu flew around quick, rushing to her side, was she being attacked? "What? What is it?" He didn't see anything.

Snatching something off the counter, Lucy held it up between them. Natsu blinked at it, "A, a key?"

"It's a Nikora!" Lucy cried out in excitement, "I begged my father to get me one of these when I first started apprenticing as a summoner..." her mirth suddenly vanished like a snuffed flame, "but mom was already sick, and Father didn't see the point in buying a key with practically no use."

"No use?" Natsu bent down to take a much closer look at the key. How could a key not be useful? You never know, you might run into the lock that matches it some day.

"No use..." Lucy echoed slowly, setting the key back on the counter and traced long fingers over it before turning away.

Natsu continued looking at the key, beginning to wonder if it might jump or something, what with how well it had controlled her emotions the way that it had.

"Hatter? Mad Hatter, is that you? That really whatcha look like without that hat of yours?"

Lucy turned back around and Natsu looked up, then as he recognized the shopkeep, a smile curled onto his lips. "Mest Gryder, as I live and breath. How the hell are ya man?"

"Great! Great, well, considering, at least." The man replied. His black hair was just unkempt as Natsu's, and wore a red, belted robe.

"Considering what? I thought you went to the Whites, man! What are you doin' here?" Natsu asked.

"Well, I had, but I needed to get back, so Dad could finally retire, someone has to watch the shop."

"Oh yea... the Queen's mandate." Natsu shook his head with folded arms.

Mest nodded with a frown, "Queen's mandate."

Both men looked up when Lucy accidentally knocked a metal bell onto the ground while reaching for something else on the top of a shelf. "Oops... sorry, I'll get that!"

"No need." Mest replied, somehow already next to her, lifting the bell up off the floor. "You have a very discerning eye," he spoke smoothly, replacing the bell and grabbing the hand mirror she'd been reaching for. "A lovely antique, for such a lovely lady. Pre-Mavis, I believe."

"Pre-Mavis?" Lucy asked, not sure what he meant, but more interested in the beautiful silverwork bordering the mirror and its handle.

"Aye lass, you know, they say Mavis herself had a mirror just like that and—"

"Okay Mest," Natsu walked up and pulled Mest from Lucy, being sure to stand between them. "We don't need to hear your sales pitch. We were just heading out."

"Oh! But Natsu! You don't have even a single mirror at your camp!" Lucy persisted. "I'm not even sure Levy knows she's got blue hair!"

Natsu narrowed his eyes at her, knowing he was being played, yet already positive that he was willing to let her. Turning back to Mest, who had a smug smirk on his face, Natsu asked pensively, "How much?"

"A hundred crowns."

"WHAT?!"

"Well if you don't think the lady's beauty is worth that much... then I could always go and find—"

Natsu slapped a red coin into his hand, roughly half the size of his palm, shot him another glare and turned around; quickly ushering the blonde out of the store.

Lucy complied, wondering exactly what sort of currency that had been when Natsu stopped, right outside the shop doors. "Hang back a second, Juicy."

"Hmm?" Lucy looked back up at him with the question, but he'd already disappeared back into the store.

Mest lifted himself up from behind the counter as the Mad Hatter stormed up to him, slamming a flat palm on the counter. "You and I both know that shit wasn't pre-Mavis and if you ever try and pull crap like that with me OR her again, you're gonna be wishin' Erza knew that you first chose the Whites!"

"Uh yea... sorry about that man." Mest replied meekly.

As Natsu turned to leave, he hesitated and snatched the key Lucy had admired off the counter and tossed another glare at Mest, holding it up at him. "And I'm takin' this!"

As Natsu came back out the door again, Lucy blinked at him curiously "...Everything alright...?"

Natsu flashed her a debonair smile and swept her arm onto his, "Spectacular, my delectable plus one! Now let's be off to lunch." He continued as they strolled. "You're gonna love this place, Juicy. The couple that runs it make the best meat pie."

"Meat pie hmm? Not too breakfast-y."

"Aye," He agreed, looking up into the sky, "but seems like it's edgin' toward lunch time now."

"I suppose it is at that." Lucy accented.

The two of them kept walking down the sidewalk until he brought her to a sweet little building that looked more like a cottage than a shop resting at the end of the narrow street. She could see pink curtains hanging from the windows, and heard lively music playing within. Lucy instantly had a good feeling about this place. Natsu held the door for her and she ducked in the shorter than typical doorway to see a good sized living room—turned dining hall. The true dining room was right next to it, tiled instead of carpeted. The owner must have demolished the wall separating the two rooms to make one, much larger room for their patrons. And patrons they had! Nearly every table had at least one to three colorful characters sitting at it. The furniture was all made of wood, and there was a wooden bar area erected against the wall of the original dining area. The walls were decorated with giant portraits of the countryside and had a few rifles mounted under glass. It was just so... whimsical compared to the places her father had allowed her to dine.

"Excuse me, lady?" Someone pulled at her skirt.

A little girl, no older than six, wearing an over-sized wrangler hat was looking back up at her. "Will it just be the two of you?"

"No way..." The Hatter thought out loud, squatting down to get a closer look at the child. "Is that really you, Asuka?"

The little girl's eyes widened, and ran off calling, "Mommy, Mommy! The scary man knows my name!"

Lucy giggled, "Not too great with kids, are ya Natsu?"

"Aww..." Natsu stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "She doesn't remember me?"

A man's voice came from behind them, wheeling both Lucy and Natsu around. "Well how could she? She hasn't seen ya since she was two!" This man had short, black, groomed yet spiky hair and wore a brown poncho. As he tossed down a large brown sack he'd been carrying over his shoulder, Natsu greeted him warmly, "Damn Alzack, looks like the sprite's already done a number on you! Ya look like it's been more than ten years!"

"Hey now, Natsu!" Came a feminine voice from behind the bar, speaking just as friendly, "that's my husband you're talkin' about and I'll have you know that he's just as handsome now as the day I met him!"

"Bisca!" Natsu grinned, while Alzack slapped him on the back.

"Well come in! Come in!" Alzack escorted them to the bar, "you gonna introduce us to this new missy of yours or make her do it herself?"

"Of course!" Natsu wrapped an arm around Lucy as he said, "this scrumptious morsel is none other than the Juicy, newest member of the Mad Tea Party."

"Newest member huh?" Bisca set a small glass down for both of them and leaned elbows and forearms onto the counter to get a better look at Lucy, "do I smell nuptials in the air?"

This turned Lucy beet red, but Natsu reared his head back in a roar of victorious laughter. He didn't notice the knowing glance Bisca and Alzack gave each other before Bisca's eyes landed back on Lucy and gave her an all-knowing wink.

"My name is Lucy," the blonde added, getting annoyed by the Hatter's reaction.

"Well hey there, Lucy. My name's Bisca, and just between you and me, you might need a couple more of these to make it through a day on the town with our Mad Hatter here." She pushed the small glass closer to her.

Lucy immediately liked this woman, she gave off a sort of big sister vibe that the Heartfilia heir had never experienced before. So she took the shot glass, and downed it whole—and spluttered at the bitter, strong taste. "Oh man, what was that?"

"Gets better when the after taste hits." Bisca said, pushing another toward her and then sliding one over to Alzack as well. Lucy couldn't help but notice that he'd been talking to Natsu just as covertly as his wife had spoke to her.

Alzack raised his glass, prompting the others to do the same and cheered, "To old friends."

"And to new!" Bisca added.

Natsu also responded with a, "Here, here," before he drank.

"Mommy? Daddy?" The little girl intervened shyly, "I cleared off a table for them."

"Oh come now Asuka!" Alzack smiled warmly and hefted her up to get a better look at Lucy and Natsu. "Natsu here is an old friend of ours. He used to play with ya when you were little."

"Aye," Bisca smiled as well, "He's also the guy that made you that hat you're wearin'."

Asuka's face brightened astronomically, "Really?! Oh thank you Mr. Natsu! I wear it ALL the time!"

Once the hatter and human girl were finally led to their table, Lucy narrowed her eyes at the man sitting in front of her. Natsu's eyes rounded and asked, "What?"

"You said this place was full of 'stuffy reds' and yet since we got here, it seems like we've only run into friends of yours!"

"Who? Mest? Forget that guy! He's a grifter!"

"And this adorable family here?" Lucy cocked a brow at him.

"Who, them?" Natsu nudged his chin back at the bar. "Bisca and Alzack ain't Reds! They... they just got stuck here."

"Stuck?" Lucy paused, no longer willing to reprimand him. "What do you mean?"

Before answering, Natsu took a deep swig of the stein Bisca had sent him off with. "When the two queens split the kingdom, Erza, the Red Queen, kept the capitol side, where we are now. But when supporters of the White Queen started moving out of the capitol, Erza put a freeze on the town and erected these lame custom booths all round the border."

"Put a freeze?" Lucy asked.

Natsu sighed and leaned back. "The official name is called The Queen's mandate. Basically, it forbids the people from moving, starting a new business or closing down an old one. Queen Erza kept saying she wanted everything to stay just where it was for when her sister returned to the fold. When this new law was first introduced, the people were assured that it would be in affect only until the two sister's spat was settled. But... it's been years, and I mean years since then, and those two are no closer to working things out."

"How awful..." Lucy leaned back also.

"Didn't turn out all that bad for these guys though. It's actually kinda funny. The day the Queen's mandate went into effect, Alzack and Bisca there were doing some kinda one-time catering gig for a friend. But officials dubbed it a business, so they did the only thing they could do." Natsu raised both arms up, motioning to the room they sat in. "They changed their downstairs area into a restaurant."

"Still though..." Lucy grimaced, "seems like such a blatant abuse of power."

Bisca spoke up, having brought them their food, "Don't let the wrong ears hear ya say such things. Her Highness' temper is legendary."

Lucy tried to shrink into her chair, "Oh... apologies, Miss Bisca."

"Don't you worry your pretty head about it, Lucy." Bisca winked to her again. "Just be careful is all. Yall eat up now, ya hear?" Just before she left, she pulled out a box of matches, lit one, and tossed it onto Natsu's pie.

"YES!" Natsu exclaimed, picked up a chunk of fire and shoveled it into his mouth.

Lucy's fork fell from between her fingers, staring at the odd sight. "You... you eat fire?"

"I'll eat the pie too, but the fire's the best part!"

Trying to take Natsu's dietary preference in stride, Lucy began eating as well. The hatter had been right, these meat pies certainly were awesome. As she ate, something else occurred to her, "Hey... we didn't see a customs booth on our way in. Weren't we supposed to have checked in somewhere?"

"Please..." He snickered, "I know how to get around those things. Besides, the queen doesn't need to know everything."

The pair were feeling pretty good after a long and refreshing lunch. Once Asuka came by and collected their plates, Lucy leaned her chin onto weaved fingers. "So what are the queens fighting about anyway?"

Natsu shook his head. "There's way too many rumors out there to know which one might hold truth, and those two aren't about to spill. Only Mavis knows."

There that name was again! Lucy leaned forward, inevitably pulling Natsu's gaze downward for a tick—and perhaps a few tocks. "Ok... so who is Mavis?"

Natsu forced his eyes away from her bosom, back to her face, but that didn't help either. No, every part of the woman was Juicy. Silently blaming his more carnal desires on Bisca's brew, he threw himself to his feet. "That topic's way too heavy for such a light afternoon, why don't we go sight seeing instead?"

Lucy stood as well, growing used to almost never getting straight answers by now. However the liquor she'd been fed had other plans and her legs were unwilling to support her. Fortunately, Natsu had arms around her waist before she could even let out a squeal. With a mischievous smile, he said lowly, "Kinda sneaks up on you, yea?"

"Yea... um, yes..." Lucy agreed, flustered by the warm breath he spoke with.

"Wooooo! Great catch, Natsu!" Bisca applauded him from where she still stood at the bar.

"Oh gods..." Lucy whimpered, extremely embarrassed, "please get me out of here."

Her legs decided to work, if not completely properly, after the third try, and Lucy was probably more proud than she ought to be to have the ability to walk out of the restaurant on her own two feet. The two of them walked the town for a while longer, and stopped to rest against a rail that ran along a creek. The smell of water felt so refreshing after so many mingled scents from their stroll through market. In fact, this part of town bestowed a more peaceful aura than any of the other areas they'd visited. Though once the sun started its downward decline, Lucy (regrettably) suggested they head back.

"Can't do it," was the Mad Hatter's simple reply.

"What? Why?"

Natsu shrugged as though things weren't in his power to change at all, "You still haven't agreed to my terms."

"Wait," Lucy turned around to lean her back against the railing. "You're not still talking about the engagement, are you?"

"I positively am." Natsu agreed, still looking out at the water.

"Ugh!" Lucy gushed, "this is ridiculous!"

The gentle sound of sloshing water was the only reply she got for her outburst. After a lengthy moment of waiting for the hatter to say something, and getting nothing, Lucy spied him from the corner of her eyes.

He was still, keenly still, staring intently at the flowing water. She couldn't tell if he was thinking deeply or simply zoned out, but without realizing it, she took the opportunity to appreciate how incredibly handsome he looked in that moment. Salmon color hair wafting in the slight breeze, intense yellow, slitted eyes, and lips that never missed a chance to smile. Even now, those lips of his held a tiny upward curve to them. Her eyes moved down to his strong neck, and traveled over broad shoulders to appreciate the arm he did not hide within a coat sleeve. His physique was a far cry more impressive than any of the boys she'd seen growing up. Idly, she wondered if his body was as amazing as the torso she'd seen on Juvia's husband. Now that had been a sight to behold...

Pink blossomed over her cheeks as she began imagining Natsu with as little clothes as the Knight of Diamonds, blood began to boil and skin tingled... the feeling her body rewarded her imagination with was exquisite. Intoxicating...

The sound of a low chuckle spurred Lucy back to reality. When had she closed her eyes? Upon opening them, she was alarmed to find Natsu staring right back at her from where he still leaned over the rail. Fully red-faced now, it dawned on Lucy exactly how inappropriate her most recent thoughts had plummeted. Gods, what was wrong with her? Leaving the rail, Lucy quickly busied herself straightening skirts that had no need for it. "Very well then," she started, trying to pretend her mind hadn't wandered so far, "then I shall have to find the way back myself."

Casually, Natsu lifted himself off the railing, took the step needed to stand in front of her, then placed both his hands back on the railing, pinning her between it and him. Then, oh so casually, leaned forward more, pushing her against the bar. "Capturing damsels have never really been my thing," the hatter drawled, "but for you I guess I'm gonna have to make an exception."

Locked within his eyes again, Lucy tried to speak, but failed as she felt his chest against hers. He was unbelievably warm.

When she did not speak, Natsu lowered his head to her neck and smelled deeply. Then with his hot breath reaching all the way down her corset, he murmured thickly, "Come on Juice... there's no way you want to marry that guy."

Staring blankly into the now pink sky, Lucy responded between breaths of her own. "I don't. I don't want to marry him."

Was that... was that... teeth, scraping against the skin on her neck? It felt as though pins were poking her all along her spine!

In an alarmingly devilish way, her captor ventured, "What was that?"

"I..." Lucy gasped as she felt Natsu suddenly nibble her neck once, then twice. Her body grew so hot, so suddenly! "I swear it! I don't want him!"

And just like that, she was cold. Much too cold for a summer evening. Natsu had lifted himself back up to stare into her eyes again with a sinuous smirk, "There we go. Now was that so hard?" At the girl's silence, the Mad Hatter's brow rose. "So you gonna break it off?"

"I... I um, I already broke it off. Jellal knows it." Now if only she could figure out a way for her father to learn it.

Natsu released her and bellowed out a laugh, "And you tried not to tell me?! Ha ha! What a wonderful game you played! I love it!"

Jerking her head in at attempt to clear it, Lucy gawked at the mad man who'd successfully just driven her crazy. She wouldn't have defined what she'd done as a game; she would have simply called it being stubborn. No person, dragon or otherwise was going to force information out of her while calling her their captive.

Except... somehow that is exactly what had just happened. Hmm... was everyone here puppet masters? Lucy was going to have to step up her game if she wanted to stop being played.

Everyone enjoying themselves?

Seriphia
aka
Lick

*~.💘.~*