Traditional wooden beams towered to a high peaking point and supported the great and traditional building that seemed to shelter millions within its dim lighting and candle lit tables. The musky smell of wine and beer wafted along Lucy's nostrils. She was dragged up to the bar as Mavis dismissed Levy to comb the area for a table.
"Grandfather?! Mira?!" she shouted in a voice like bells, smiling reassuringly at Lucy she left her post at the bar stool adjacent to her blond companions own and disappeared into the darkness of the corridor hidden behind the bar. Almost as if a whistle had been sounded torrents of students of the male kind came storming towards her, bombarding her with questions
"Hey pretty, where you from?"
"Baby! there must be something wrong with my eyes! I cant take em' offa you!"
"Honey, come play with some real guys! we'll show you a good time!"
For a moment she was taken aback by all the sudden advances but after emergency adjustment that only ever seemed to kick in when she was unconsciously irritated she began to ready herself to rebuke the annoying and sexist jabs that continuously poked and prodded her.
"Leave her alone you dogs" a masculine voice seemed to mock with the sentence, a deep yet soft voice unravelled like finely woven Egyptian tapestries and patronised the collective of girl-hungry men. A male voice. Before she knew it the deck had cleared at the sound of the voice and she was completely free of antagonizing pests that had previously bothered her.
"Lu-Chan I came back with the drinks! Did Levy find a--" Mavis stopped mid-sentence seeing the scene laid out neatly before her. "Really boys? it was one girl- ONE FREAKIN' GIRL!!" she shouted the words, heaving heavily. wearing an uncute frown that seemed to crinkle her graceful demeanour into a ball of paper. The same male who had previously saved Lucy heaved a sigh then gently smiled, as if endeared. "Mavis, calm down." he said gently, reaching out a hand and ruffling her soft cornflower yellow tresses. "Laxus~!" A high stream of short shrieks and 'Geddoff!'s' ensued after that.
(I hadn't originally intended to change POVs but we will be doing so from here since writing from 3rd person is actually getting rather difficult, so adieu and enjoy Luce's POV!~)
Levy was sat in an heavily quilted, brown leather booth that had patchwork covers draped over the back. We all- including this big, bulky Laxus person- piled in and so began the idle chitter chatter that everyone so badly needed. "Laxus! When did you get back?" Levy grinned eagerly as her drink was set down affront her. "Like, literally an hour ago, I haven't stopped moving since. I'm fucking shattered" he sighed, tipping his head back and taking a big swig from the pint glass full of bubbling golden liquid he held.
"So, who's this little bella ragazza?" He asked humorously, reaching out to touch my shoulder and give it a friendly squeeze. "What's your name signora bionda?" I was, unfortunately, completely unsure of what language he was speaking. Italian? something like that maybe? "Err... I-il m-m-mio--" I struggled with the pronunciation as well as the language itself and stopped and blushed furiously as he laughed at my suffering. well then. "Signora you don't have to--" he was cut short as I angrily demanded he wait "Waittt! I can do this! err.. il mio-- n-nome(?) é Lucy. Yess! Yes?? it was a yes right?" I looked at the buff man who only smirked in amusement back and nodded. "e il mio nome é Laxus" he responded fluently 'and my name is Laxus'
He gave me a light-hearted smile, ruffled my hair (which strangely, felt quite nice) and then refocused his attention on Mavis. "Guess who I ran into on my way here?" he said, his tone strange. "A flying batshit? A dog eating a cow? A shop that gives out free laptops? come on Lax, narrow it down. The possibilities are endless." Mavis sarcastically mocked him and she swirled her straw around in her drink. "I saw Zer-chan, fresh from Puerto Rico, he's transferring back. Still pale as a ghost though mind you, mystifies me how that boy can stay as pale as that even in places like Spain." His speech seemed nostalgic and distant, like he was recalling a previous memory.
"Wait....what?"
"What do you mean, wait?"
"Zer-chan as in Zeref, Zeref Kurohana as in like, tall, black hair, dark browny-auburny eyes.... my Zer-chan?"
"Well.... yeah, unless since I was gone Zeref was brutally murdered and his identity was stolen by his killer, which I totally think is common"
"I'll be back soon okay?" small feet padded away at a quickening walk.
We're just gonna view things from Mavis' POV now~
Zeref.
Zeref was right under my nose, and I hadn't even known it.
"Zeref?!?!" I called repeatedly, all I could think of was finding him. "Zeref!!" I screamed again, eliciting stares from rude upper and underclassmen who just stared as if I were crazy. who cares, let them think what they want.
The winding streets led me to his old boarding house. Iris Lane. The stony steps were lined with bombeere irises, blooming greatly and vastly and spreading out along the barn conversion. The large wooden doors flew open as a strength i didnt know i had blew them apart, maybe it was the desperation, maybe the feeling that knowing that he was right there, underneath my nose. Maybe it was just because he had never given me an answer. This terrible clamour drew students from their rooms, Natsu peeked meekly from his room, his eyes half lidded, an almost visible stink lurching to freedom from his doorway, he must've been asleep. Next came Gray who walked out, shirtless with a scarecely clothed Juvia clinging to his muscled arm, only wearing a thin blue summer dress. Gajeel slinked out of the kitchen and met my eyes.
"Hes in his room, 12b"
My hair flew in the wind as i rapidly turned and padded as fast as i could up the stairs, almost tripping and falling over onto my face at one point. I ran past Natsu who followed me with his eyes, eyebrow quirked, obviously questioning my hurry. Then i pushed past Gray who seemed to understand what was going on and tried to slip sideways to present me with a path but only got in the way in turn. Juvia shouted after me angrily as i took a right turn, further in.
9c
10a
10b
10c
11a
11b
11c
12a
12b.
I stopped myself in front of his door, resting my hand on the brass handle. I watched the unmoving oak door with uncertainty, should i really go in? what would i even say to him? I realised the uncertainties that came flowing out without me meaning them to and steeled my resolve, throwing open the door.
His eyes snapped to me, his face visibly shocked, and watched me from the floor. Salty tears welling up in my eyes.
"Hi?"
