Chapter 3

Lucy regarded the man before her. He was standing stiff as a board, his knuckles already white as they clutched tightly on the Miniature Communications Lacrima. He was adamant, refusing to meet her eyes. At that moment, she understood. No matter how much she pesters Laxus to give her an answer, he would not budge. Instead, she nodded weakly, and said, "Come on," before marching out of the room.

She stopped when she was able to exit the door, and glanced back at Laxus. His expression was a certain mixture of anger, confusion, and bewilderment yet with lingering traces of relief and gratitude. Lucy held the door wider for him as if to reiterate her earlier decision to accompany him to whatever place this may be without badgering him for information that he may not be ready to share.

Laxus, after a seemingly infinite amount of seconds, followed her to the hallways. He strode purposefully, passing her by, and continuing on along the length of the hall. Lucy clicked the lock, shut the door, and followed Laxus. She still has the keys for both of their rooms in the pockets of her shorts. She half ran until she was able to catch up behind him.

When Laxus jogged down the stairs, Lucy did too. And while Laxus immediately opened the main doors of the inn to signal a carriage, she stopped at the concierge's desk, briefly making a plausible excuse to the scheduled employee, that Laxus Dreyar and Lucy Heartfilia will be leaving the inn for the day as they have a 'prior engagement with a client.' Once done, Lucy followed her tall companion outside, their carriage already prepared. She used her hands to cover her hair from getting drenched by the still pouring rain.

And as per their silent agreement, Lucy kept her silence. She is, after all, a Celestial Spirit Mage, and will always abide by her promises - verbal or not. Lucy then turned her attention to the glass window, the heavy drops of the rain making a mesmerizing splash of patterns on the glass. The window has begun to gather some windshield fog caused by the condensation of the air inside. Unconsciously - like she has been hypnotized - she lifted her right index finger to trace abstract shapes on the surface.

Thud.

The carriage rocked, waking Lucy from her stupor. The carriage's wheels must have hit a random stone on the pavement. Belatedly, she realized that her companion is a Dragon Slayer Mage, and a powerful one at that. That can only mean one thing.

Motion sickness

Tentatively, she peeked at him. Laxus wore the same stoic expression. He was sitting with his legs spread wide, elbows resting against his thighs. His body hunched forward, while his hands clasped together in such a taut grip that Lucy could see veins straining to burst. Laxus' head bowed, eyes downcast, and his jaws set firmly. Laxus's left eye twitched and his shoulders flinched when the carriage rocked minutely. Adding to all of that, beads of water dropped from the strands of his hair, drenching the floor covers of the carriage. In fact, Laxus' whole person was soaked to the bone. His clothes stuck to his skin, and his trademark billowing cloak was a sopping mess.

Lucy began feeling for her Celestial Spirit Gate Keys using her hands to no avail. She sighed. She must have left them in her own room. At her movements, Laxus raised his head to stare at her. His face bore a confused expression. Lucy gestured for him to wait, and he raised a strained eyebrow.

Lucy closed her eyes and concentrated. She only had limited practice doing this kind of Magic. That, and it really was quite a chore to learn another kind of Magic to supplement her at a time she has already specialized. She sighed, feeling her brows knitting in concentration.

Please work, she pleaded before she waved her hand in a circular motion. She could feel something spark from her core, and she could feel something materialize between her thumb and index finger. She opened her eyes to see her success, exhaling both because of the strain of using a Magic she is not too familiar with and of the pleasant surprise of her triumph.

In her hand, she now holds the Golden Celestial Spirit Gate Key of The Twins - Gemini.

"How?" Laxus asked, incredulous yet curious at the same time...or as incredulous and curious as he could manage given the motion sickness he was currently suffering from.

"I asked Erza to teach me a little bit of Requip Magic," she explained.

"Ha!" Laxus guffawed for the first time since they left the inn. "You really are a fucking genius," he grinned through the pained expression.

Lucy felt another wave of warmth on her neck. She shook her head to dispel the growing embarrassment. It was not meant to be that big of a deal, that Laxus would have to praise her. She just merely asked Erza to teach her a bit of the Requip Magic in order to store her Keys in a way that they would not be easily taken; thus, rendering Lucy defenseless.

After that, Lucy also looked for a backup plan wherein, should her Keys go missing or have been forcibly taken away from her, she can just summon them back to her side. That was how she was able to summon her Keys this time, despite the fact that the Keys are not in the separate space conjured by the Requip Magic. Lucy mentally shivered, remembering the number of weeks of research that she had toiled, only to find that the Linking Magic she was searching all those times was Meredy's personal brand, Maguilty Sense. So, with that, she just asked the Independent Mage under the guise of a mission, to link her Keys to the separate space of the Requip Magic, and to her.

Lucy glanced back at Laxus, and she could see how he is enduring the motion sickness yet was still adamant in waiting for her response. Lucy decided to tell him the story at a later date since this is not the time to make idle chit-chat. She smiled before holding out the Key.

"Gemini," she said, opting not to use the full incantation since her contract with The Twins does not necessitate it anymore. In a flash of soft golden light, the summoned Celestial Spirit appeared. The blue-colored small creatures possessing antennas hovered in the space between Lucy and Laxus. Their small beady eyes stared at her, waiting for her command like children waiting for their mother's words of praise.

Laxus watched as the two separate spirits seemed to nod their head toward Lucy. It was apparent that there was no outward exchange of words between them. This can only mean that Lucy shared a Telepathic Link with the Spirits she summoned, or even all of her contracted Spirits in general. The two held their miniature hands together, and a mist burst forth. It hindered his vision momentarily before it dissipated. In their place, stood their petite, dark blue-haired Sky Dragon Slayer - Wendy Marvell.

"Gemini-Wendy will be casting a spell. I'll explain later before The Twins also suffer the motion sickness from copying Wendy," Lucy quickly said.

Gemini-Wendy immediately moved, generating a twinkling light blue sphere of energy between their hands. They held their hands out, placing their palms on both sides of Laxus' head. Then, they cast the name of the spell, "Troia X Re-raise."

Lucy waved the Key once again, and in another flash of soft golden light, Gemini-Wendy poofed out of existence. Along with it, the Key also dissipated. She then faced the man, asking, "How is it?"

It took him a moment to realize that everything seemed crystal clear. Laxus could now clearly hear the pitter-pattering sound of the heavy downpour. He could also hear the slight whine of the wheel as it hit the cobblestoned street. His sense of smell has regained its sharpness, acutely aware of the damp smell he and Lucy are emitting. In spite of that, he can still sense the faint fragrance of berries and vanilla. Most of all, he cannot feel the churning in his stomach. Gone also was the threatening rising bile in his throat. His throbbing headache also seemed to have snapped itself out of reality. Clearly, his motion sickness was gone along with his hangover. In short, he felt fine.

"Fit as a fucking fiddle," he smirked. "Thanks, Lucy."

"Although, I have to warn you," Lucy immediately added. "Gemini-Wendy cast two simultaneous Spells: Troia and Re-raise. Though Troia is long-lasting, its effects are only temporary and, if cast continuously, it will become useless. This means the Spell would hold until we reach whatever destination we may be going to but only for the set duration. Re-raise, on the other hand, is a supportive Spell that allows the user to prevent any bodily anomalies inflicted upon them from taking effect. So, you're not actually permanently cured of your motion sickness, but since your hangover is counted as a bodily anomaly, I can assure you that there are no more sudden bursts of headaches."

Laxus nodded in understanding. "Then why send the Spirit away immediately?"

"Ah, that. The user cannot cast Troia on themselves, or if they are also suffering from the same motion sickness. And since Gemi and Mini copied Wendy, a Sky Dragon Slayer Mage that cannot heal herself, and also suffers the same affliction…I had to work quickly," Lucy smiled.

"St. Asceplius Medical Center," Laxus said.

"Huh?"

"We're going to St. Asceplius Medical Center," Laxus repeated.

"Oh," Lucy whispered. She waited for him to continue his sentence but he has already turned his attention to the window near him. He propped his chin on his palm, intent on staring at the dark surroundings outside their carriage. Lucy decided not to bother him anymore.

Instead, she focused on thinking of ways to escape their current drenched state. Should she summon Virgo to procure clothes for both of them? That would mean that she and Laxus will be changing their clothes in the same narrow space with nothing blocking their wandering eyes from enjoying some sort of voyeurism. Lucy cannot allow that. After a few more minutes of contemplation, she has decided on a course of action. She whispered, "Star Dress: Aquarius Form."

That got Laxus' attention once again, and he glanced at her. Lucy's body was enveloped by shimmering glitters of soft golden light. In a matter of seconds, her drenched clothes were replaced by her trademark bikini. She is now wearing a bikini top that sports a zigzag design. Frilled, dark sleeves are secured around her upper arm by a ribbon. She also wore a frilled, dark miniskirt, and around it is another ribbon that is tied in a bow to keep it secure. Her footwear was a pair of brown sandals. Lucy's hair was tied up in pigtails, while an M-shaped tattoo adorns her collarbone. Her whole body was also noticeably drier compared to what it was a while ago.

And it is also quite evident that Laxus is openly gawking. He mentally slapped himself. He looked away. Thankfully, he was able to recover from the daze before Lucy could glance his way.

"Laxus," she called out, and he fixed his attention on her face. The Celestial Spirit Mage continued, "I will be removing the water particles drenching your body. Please stay still."

"Whatever you wish, Princess," Laxus sent her a wicked grin.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Heartfilia and all that," Lucy brushed the teasing off. She closed her eyes momentarily, and in a swift wave of her hand to her right, water droplets began floating around - from Laxus' clothes, as well as from the wet parts of the carriage's interior - and gathered towards Lucy's outstretched hand. The water droplets converged into a huge blob of water, not unlike a crystal ball. Quickly, Lucy opened the carriage doors and dumped the water outside.

"Well…that was useful," Laxus opined, feeling the comfortable dryness and warmth spreading across his body. Now, that was more like it. He immediately brushed his hair with his hands, making sure that the tips jut upward. He looked at Lucy, waiting for her snarky comeback, but she kept her silence, only staring outside the window, still wearing her bikini. "Well, Lucy?"

"Well, what?" She asked back, looking at him again.

"Your turn. You're drenched too," Laxus shot her a puzzled look.

"Ah. I'm dry now because I changed into a Star Dress, but I can't use that precise Water Magic if I'm not wearing this. If I deactivate this Spell, I'll return to my drenched clothes," she explained with an awkward chuckle.

"Oh," Laxus mouthed. He was about to point out that she should just change into a more comfortable Star Dress, but seeing her effectively concealed grimace and labored exhale made him refrain. Although he may not be a Sensor-type Mage, he can roughly guess that Lucy has already exhausted her Ethernano due to the succession of Spells she has cast.

'But ain't Lucy has more than enough Magic Power, enough to make a huge number of copies, and cast that batshit crazy high-tier spell Gottfried on her own?' Laxus' mind suggested, remembering how his blonde companion practically decimated, pulverized, and utterly destroyed that Fifth Generation Dragon Slayer Lady. 'Kiria, was it?'

Laxus stopped himself from these speculations as he saw Lucy shudder. She was hugging herself, making sure to rub her palms against the bare skin of her arms. He took off his coat, moved towards the blonde, and draped it over her shoulder.

"Wha-"

"As thanks," Laxus shrugged.

"Thank you too," Lucy squeaked, burying herself in his coat.

Cute. Laxus made an effort to look away to avoid Lucy's all too innocent eyes, and all too amazing smile. Instead, he grunted an affirmative response.

The carriage immediately stopped, sending both of them forward with its inertia. Thankfully, both of them were able to hold on to something.

Because come on, it would be far too stereotypical for her to open her eyes to see that Laxus was lying on top of her.