Chapter Text
Lucy looked at the now completely empty apartment. She remembered when she first moved in. It was empty like this and she had been so excited to finally have some place call home. She set to working on her letter to her mother immediately, wanting to tell her all about her new home and the guild she joined. Now here she was, seven years later with the guild gone. She shut the door and went to the apartment across from hers, where her landlady lived. She took the key out of her bag and knocked lightly. The door swung open, revealing the portly woman with hair just as purple as Kinana's.
"All my stuff is out of the apartment now," she informed the woman, holding the key out to her. "And here is the key."
The woman took the key and said, "alright." Then she went into her own apartment, mumbling something about taking care. Lucy sighed and walked down the path she had walked down a million times to get to the guild.
Last night, after spending a while crying over Aquarius' key, she realized that she would get no where if she continued to dwell on the past. If everyone else could move on and walk down their own paths then she would too. If only she knew what that was then everything would be easier. Unfortunately, it wasn't like that.
A week later she found herself in Hargeon Port, looking at everyone who walked past, each were wearing smiles on their faces. Lucy smiled gently, the feeling of nostalgia starting to overwhelm her. This was the Port that started everything in her life. She walked down the street where she found Natsu and Happy sitting, recovering from Natsu's beat down with the crazed fangirls of the fake Salamander. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't thank the heavens above that they had met. Her life would've been so dull and she possibly would have been a slave. Actually, there wasn't a possibility of that. It would've happened.
"It's so cooooool!" She heard a familiar voice yell in excitement. It was Jason from Sorcerer Weekly. She turned around and found the man pointing a finger right at her. "You are from Fairy Tail, right? Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial Mage. I heard about how you saved everyone during the attack of Tartaros!"
She gave him a sad, crooked smile and waved to him. "It was nothing but I'm sure you've heard that Fairy Tail is gone now."
He kept that smile on his face, albeit it was a little sad, and nodded slightly. "Yeah, who hasn't heard? That is totally not cool," he paused, looking at her with confusion. "What are you doing here in Hargeon?"
She frowned upon the question. It was a question she didn't know the question too and it made her wonder what she truly was doing there.
The port was small and it was a spot for trading not wizards. The magic shop owner even told her that the town had at least a 10% wizard population and who knows what the percentage of that was now. She'd been in the seven year stasis after all. "I'm not entirely sure. I guess I'm trying to find my path to walk down like all the others that were in the guild are doing."
He nodded as if he understood her. She turned to leave when Jason raised his hand out to stop her. "Wait, Lucy! Would you mind posing for Sorcerer Weekly?"
Lucy stopped mid turn, glancing at him with wide eyes. Was he offering her a job? The hopeful look on his face said he was. She was suddenly remembering all the times she wished she could model for the famous magazine and how many times she tried. The last time she tried Natsu, Gray, and Erza wrecked the beach and the photographers never showed up. After that she just assumed that she was never meant to model. "Yes!" She grinned and then realized how eager that had sounded. She coughed before saying, " Oh-uh... I mean, yeah I can do that."
"That's so coooooooooool!" He yelled to the sky.
The third week of the month, she was doing her fifth photo shoot for the magazine and she was a little annoyed. The shoots were getting more and more ridiculous and she was tired of the cameras. She wondered how Mira could handle it. This photo shoot had her posing with an octopus and so far it wasn't keeping its tentacles to itself. Her body was covered in red circular marks that itched and the sun was beaming on her back, making her really hot. She scratched at them mercilessly before she walked up to Jason. "Can we take a break? I'm itchy and covered in marks."
"Sure thing, Lucy!" He grinned at her enthusiastically. "Take ten everybody!"
She walked to where the make up artists were in the grass and sat down in one of the chairs, still scratching. After she sat down she watched Jason talk with one of the photographers. Lucy always knew he was enthusiastic about his line of work, after all she had seen him in the guild a few times to interview the members, but seeing him actually in the work field was different. She'd seen more than his enthusiasm. She saw his dedication, hard work, and his abilities as a team player. He reminded her of a tamer Natsu. Way tamer.
He walked over to her as soon as he bid the guy farewell. He came to a stop in front of her, smiling like always. "How's the marks?"
"Getting better," she smiled back. It wasn't a lie. The marks were starting to fade and becoming less itchy, "but can we do without the octopus?"
He looked back at the beach, thoughtfully. A minute later he looked at her and nodded. "We have plenty of good shots with you and the octopus so we can do some without the octopus."
She let a relieved sigh out; a sigh she didn't know that she was holding in. She was just thankful that she didn't have to worry about her skin being sucked off her. That would've been so creepy and painful. Definitely painful. Soon enough the ten minute break was done and she stood up, shrugging off the white towel the artists had placed on her while they retouched her make up.
An hour went by and Lucy was definitely sure she didn't want to model anymore. It was so tiring just staying in one pose, smiling like an idiot until everyone thought the photo was good enough just for them to make her change the pose and start the gruelling process all over again.
"That was sooooo cooool. I should just make you my exclusive model!" Jason yelled at the end of the shoot. She finally dropped her aching arm and let herself sink into the sand. She didn't even care that it was wet and would probably chafe her later.
"About that... I was wondering something, " she said nervously. Jason looked over at her, an eyebrow raised in inquiry. She looked down at the sand and then back up at him, "Can I get a job that will allow me to write? With, you know, actual sentences?"
He blinked a couple times at the request then smiled, "I don't know if I have any jobs open but I'll see what I can do." He reached his hand out to her to help her up out of the sand. She looked at it, suddenly feeling as though she was in the grand magic games with Natsu in front of her, smiling down at her after her loss with Flare.
"Hey, save those tears for when we win. It'll make it a greater come back if we have zero points."
"Yeah. I'm all fired up now!"
She reached up and took his hand, allowing him to help her up. She smiled once she was on her feet. "Thanks, Jason. For everything."
"It's no problem," he grinned at her. "I'll get in contact with you about the job."
"Alright."
"See you later, Lucy."
"Yeah, see you later Jason."
The next day Jason showed up at her door, grinning with a camera in one hand and a Press badge in the other. She smiled as he handed over the items. "Come on, we have a job to do."
Dear mom,
I finally have a path to walk down. I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the loss of Fairy Tail but I can try. I wonder how everyone else is doing and what they are doing. The board I have up in my room gives me a good idea of what it is but there are some people I don't know about. Like Natsu and Happy. I hope they are okay and well. Tell dad that I said hi and that I love and miss him. Bye mom. I love you.
Lucy