#Sorano Hotel

[takashiredux]

SORANO Entrance SORANO HOTEL, Tokyo, Japan, May 3, 2024

[dragongodryss]

Based on this tweet

Sting was in trouble. He had thought it was funny when his friends, who had never met his cat, assumed Lector was his boyfriend. Now that he had been invited to Natsu's wedding, on the other side of the country, he felt otherwise.

He had, at first, considered coming clean, but that would be embarrassing. He couldn't decline the invitation either, since he hadn't seen Natsu in nearly two years. In short, he was fucked. Or rather, he wasn't. If he was, he might have someone he could try to convince to go with him.

He had been putting it off for a month, and now he only had a week left to find both a fake boyfriend who was willing to answer to the name Lector, and a cat sitter.

There was no putting it off any longer, so he called his friend, Yukino, to ask for advice. Maybe he could convince her to watch Lector for him.

"Hello Sting! I was just going to call you. You're coming to Lucy's wedding too, right?" Yukino said cheerfully. Damn it. He forgot that she was friends with Natsu's fiancée.

"Yeah, about that... You know Lector, my cat? Natsu assumed I was talking about a boyfriend, and he kinda wants to meet him at the wedding, to make sure he's not a jerk or whatever. So I need a cat sitter and someone who's willing to take a train ride across the country with a complete stranger and can be trained to answer to 'Lector' in a week." Sting decided to rip off the band-aid. Yukino wouldn't rat him out.

"Oh my god, that's hilarious! I'm writing a song about it. Natsu and Lucy can play it at the reception." Yukino's himbo boyfriend, Orga, mocked him. Sting had forgotten that Yukino usually had her phone on speaker, for some reason. Orga would absolutely rat him out, and as he would be attending as Yukino's +1, there would be no stopping him.

"No you won't, Orga. No. We'll negotiate later, I'm helping Sting avoid the consequences of his actions right now." She was his best friend for a reason, and that reason was that she was the best. "Now: Why exactly did you think any of this was a good idea?"

"Well, it was funny at first, and then I'd kept up the lie for three months and I realized I was in too deep." Sting admitted. Yukino sighed.

"And at no point in the three months after that did you think to ask for help?" Yukino chided him.

"Nope."

"Of course not. Do you have 20 thousand jewel?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"Alright. You'll be at the party for a day, plus two days for traveling. All expenses at the hotel will be paid, and I assume you're willing to pay for both of your train tickets?" Yukino asked.

"Yeah, sounds right." Sting confirmed.

"Okay. Sorano could use some more money, so she'd probably watch your cats and-"

"Wait, cats?"

"Yeah. One of my coworkers owes me a favor, and he needs a break from work anyway, so I could probably convince him if I told him I found a place for his cat to stay." His amazing friend told him.

"You're the best!"

*

Who would have known having Yukino cover his shift so he could take Frosch to the vet would have such devastating consquences?

Rogue wondered how his life had reached this point. He was sitting opposite someone he'd met only once, inside a train headed to the other side of the country, to a wedding for people he had never heard of.

Not an ideal situation, but aside from Frosch, Yukino was his only friend and she had made arrangements for Frosch, so he had agreed. It was a free vacation, anyway. Not to mention the guy was good looking.

"So, Lector, what do you do for a living?" His fake boyfriend, Sting, asked him. Rogue really could have done without the fake name, especially in private, but he wouldn't be able to answer to it without practice.

"The same as Yukino. We're both nurses." Rogue answered. It took him a moment to realize that he ought to ask Sting the same. "You?"

"I'm a graphic designer. Okay, more things we really need to know: Ages, have we ever been arrested, how did we meet? I'll start: I'm twenty six and I've been arrested twice." Sting told him.

"What for?"

"I'll tell you when you answer."

"Fine, I'm twenty six, and I haven't been arrested yet. Now should I regret agreeing to this?" Rogue asked.

"Trespassing and accessory to second degree arson. I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. It's been like, ten years. And the second one was Natsu's fault." Sting defended himself.

"The groom?"

"Yeah, that's the guy. He wants to meet you to make sure you're not a jerk." Sting explained.

"What have you told him about Lector?" Rogue steered the conversation back on track.

"Oh, usual cat things: He steals my food, he wants cuddles, he charges around the house at 3am, he's adorable, I keep losing staring contests to him, he bites me." Sting seemed to realize how badly awry things had gone before they had even reached the venue. "Well that's going to be awkward."

"You don't say."

*

"We should practice the whole couple thing." Sting suggested a few hours later over lunch. Rogue looked up from his sandwich, over to Sting and reached out, grabbing some of his fake boyfriend's M&Ms before focusing on his sandwich again.

"Well that's a start, but I was thinking more along the lines of PDA and establishing boundaries." Sting clarified. Honestly, staring at Sting wouldn't be too hard, and as demonstrated, stealing his food was entirely within the realms of Rogue's capabilities. The rest, however... Rogue nodded.

"Ideally, we'd hug a bunch and maybe kiss a couple of times to really sell it, but we can say you're shy around strangers if you really don't want to." Sting explained.

"No, that seems fine." Rogue accepted.

"Okay, now we need to practice." Sting said. Rogue froze for a moment. Once he realized what Sting meant, he nodded. He knew damn well he'd slip up in front of everyone if he didn't practice.

Sting leaned over the table and pecked him on the lips. It felt fine, almost like it was something he normally did, at first, but then he felt his face heat up suddenly. Sting pulled away.

"Sorry, I panicked." Rogue apologized swiftly.

"No, it's fine, I barely noticed. It went better than I expected." Sting reassured him. "They'll never notice."

*

It was mid afternoon when they arrived at their station in the middle of nowhere, and only a short walk to the hotel from there. Rogue offered to carry some of Stings luggage, as he had brought fewer things. Sting's face flushed when Rogue's hand touched his. He'd have to get that under control. Did he regret packing half his wardrobe, or was it a blessing? Who knew? Sting certainly didn't.

"It's a nice venue." Rogue noted, looking around as they cleared the gates. There were tons of different flowers in lots of colors, and what Sting was pretty sure was a hedge maze. Hopefully, Natsu would know better than to start a fire at his own wedding. The hotel was an old castle, with large glass windows. Another easily breakable thing. Either Natsu had really changed in the last two years, or Lucy wasn't as much of a genius as her loving fiancée insisted. It was nice nonetheless.

"It's really big." Sting realized, as he spoke, how many people would be present to witness it if things went wrong.

"Don't get lost." Rogue joked.

"Sting! There you are!" Natsu came running out the door towards them, high-fiving Sting when he reached them. "I thought you were going to bail on me."

"Never. I wouldn't miss this for the world." Sting promised.

"I'd kick your ass if you did. Speaking of which, is this the Lector you were talking about?" Natsu asked, turning to Rogue. Sting grinned awkwardly.

"Yeah, that's my boyfriend. R-Lector, this is my childhood friend Natsu, he's the groom. Natsu, this is my boyfriend Lector." Sweating, Sting made the introductions.

"Nice meeting ya! How'd you meet?" Natsu asked Rogue. Stings eyes widened. Fuck. They hadn't prepared this.

"Frosch, my cat, learned how to open doors, and I forgot to lock the front door. Sting helped me look for her for hours, so I invited him out for coffee once we found her." Rogue answered excitedly. "Do you want to see a picture of her? I have pictures of her."

"Sure. Let's see her." Natsu agreed. Rogue's face lit up as he pulled out his phone.

"She's sweet, yeah." Natsu admitted. "Do you want to see Happy? He's our ring-bearer."

*

The first hurdle had been overcome minimal difficultly, so Sting was in high spirits when they reached the hotel room.

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but he was somehow surprised to find that there was only one bed, albeit a large one.

"I can take the couch if you want." He offered when Rogue entered.

"No, I think it's fine. The bed's pretty big." Rogue said casually. Well if he didn't mind, Sting sure as hell didn't. He dropped his stuff on the floor and flopped onto the bed. Rogue put his own stuff down more carefully before sitting down beside him.

"Didn't think it would go so well. I'm not sure what I was worried about." Sting admitted, letting out a sigh he hadn't known he was holding in.

"Don't jinx it. Honey." Rogue deadpanned, before letting his face break into a smile. It took Sting a moment to realize he was staring.

*

Despite his warning, Rogue was feeling pretty confident when he and Sting went downstairs for the rehearsal dinner. Gray, the best man, had let them know there was no need to dress up, so Rogue was wearing a red turtleneck sweater and black jeans. Sting, who seemed hellbent on making Natsu regret allowing the policy to be so vague, was wearing leather trousers and a rainbow crop-top.

"Aren't you worried you'll outshine the groom?" Rogue asked him.

"If Natsu was worried about that, he wouldn't have invited me." Sting boasted. Rogue decided to take his word for it.

They entered the dining hall when it almost full, Sting having insisted on being fashionably late. Perhaps that was a blessing, because that was the only reason Rogue had noticed Gajeel, his older cousin, before Gajeel noticed him.

"Sting, don't panic, but my cousin is here and he knows damn well my name isn't Lector." Rogue whispered hurriedly.

"Okay, okay. Don't panic. Maybe he won't notice you. We're not in the wedding party anyway, so show me who it is and we'll avoid them." Sting whispered back.

They took their assigned places, on the same side of the room as Gajeel, though a little further away from the main table, as Gajeel's wife, Levy, was sitting beside the bride. Oh. Yeah. Levy had mentioned at New Years that she would be maid of honor in her best friend's wedding. If Rogue had known it was this wedding, he would have refused Yukino's request. Speaking of Yukino, his coworker was making her way to their table with her boyfriend.

"So how is it going? Anyone suspect anything?" She asked.

"Shhh!" Sting looked around quickly.

"Don't worry. I asked Lucy to make sure we were the only ones at this table." She reassured him, though it didn't seem to work-

"She's going to know somethings up!" Sting insisted.

"Serves you right. Now how are things going with Lector." Yukino's boyfriend asked, winking at Rogue.

"Terribly, considering his cousin is married to the maid of honor." Sting hissed.

Rogue checked out of the conversation, watching Gajeel like a hawk. When desert rolled around, his cousin finally noticed him. Rogue shook his head faintly. Not now.

To his relief, Gajeel took the hint and dinner went off without a hitch.

Rogue waited just outside the door to the dining hall for him, to save him the trouble of looking and minimizing the risk of being exposed.

"Hey Rogue! Why didn't you say you were coming here? We could've driven you." Gajeel asked him when he came out, Levy in tow.

"It's complicated. Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Rogue looked around in a panic, worried Gajeel's loud voice would carry through the hallways.

In the garden, Gajeel resumed his line of questioning.

"So what's up, kid? Do I need to kick someone's ass?"

"No! Nothing like that. A friend of mine messed up and told his friend he had a boyfriend, so I'm helping him out. I didn't know this was your friend's wedding. Can you just call me Lector until this is over?" Rogue asked.

"Oh. You're the cat boy!" Levy exclaimed. Gajeel looked like he was about to explode with laughter.

"I'm sorry, what?" Rogue asked.

"Oh, Natsu wanted help figuring out what the deal with his friend's boyfriend was, so he asked us about it. We started calling you cat boy because it seemed like his friend was describing a cat." Levy explained.

"I wonder why."

*

The ceremony passed by quite normally, with only one accidental fire, which wasn't Natsu's fault.

Sting felt gorgeous in his light gray tuxedo and sky blue shirt, which was secretly a button-down crop-top, but he was having trouble keeping his eyes off his date, who looked dashing in a black suit and red shirt. Despite his prior warning to Sting not to outshine the groom, Rogue had decided to put his hair in a ponytail, which Sting forgave because he looked hot.

The reception promised to be a party to remember, being in the castle grounds, with every kind of food imaginable and ample space to dance.

Sting cheered when Natsu and Lucy finished their first dance, which prompted several others to cheer alongside him.

The music continued, and Sting offered his hand to Rogue. Rogue took it, smiling softly.

"Just so you know, honey, I can't dance for shit." Rogue warned him.

"Like we need to be good at it. It's pretty much just spinning anyway." Sting told him, taking the lead.

They might not have been the best dancers, but no one could beat them at spinning, Sting was sure of that. No one could match them with how majestic they were. He didn't know how many songs had passed when they stopped for a drink, just that they were out of breath.

As he unbuttoned the jacket to reveal his secret crop-top, Rogue leaned against him casually, and Sting realized that by this time tomorrow, it would be over, and the knowledge crashed over him like a tidal wave.

"Oh, I love this song! Do you want to go dance again?" Rogue exclaimed. Sting knew the song. It was 'All or Nothing' by Theory of a Deadman.

He took Rogue's hand again as they started to spin, looking into Rogue's eyes. He didn't want to let go. As the song ended, Sting made his choice.

"Hey, Rogue? I don't know if you're even into guys, but I enjoyed hanging out with you, and I wanted to know if you wanted to try going out for real sometime." He confessed. Rogue smiled that beautiful smile again.

"That depends entirely on if or not I'll have to go by Lector every time we visit your friends." He answered teasingly.

"No- nah, you don't. I'll come clean. I'll text Natsu on our way home." Sting promised.

"Then I'd love to." Rogue said.

"Alright, then would you like to go out for coffee on Wednesday? There's a coffee shop near the hospital that sells really good cinnamon rolls." Sting suggested.

"That sounds wonderful."

*

On the train ride home, Sting tried to work up the nerve to call Natsu, who would be leaving on his honeymoon tomorrow.

"Do it. Do it. You've got this." Rogue chanted in the seat beside him, in the most monotone voice he could muster.

Emboldened, Sting instead opted for text to the group chat, with basically everyone he knew from his hometown.

Lucy, Natsu, Levy, Gray, Wendy, Cana, Mira, Elfman, Lisanna, Laxus, Lyon and several others.

Sting: Hey guys. I just wanted to come clean. The Lector I kept telling you about was my cat. The guy I brought is actually called Rogue.

Cana: Hah! I knew you couldn't get a boyfriend.

Natsu: Yeah, Yukino told us as soon as you told her.

Sting looked at Rogue in horror. Rogue looked stunned for a moment, but started chuckling. He took Sting's phone.

"Sting": Levy, did you know?

Levy: Yeah. We just wanted to see how far Sting would go.

Sting took his phone back from Rogue.

Sting: You guys are the worst.

Sting: And joke's on you, Cana, I asked Rogue out and he said yes.

"Levy": You get Rogue on the phone right now. We need to talk.

Levy: Sorry, Gajeel took my phone.

Sting put his phone away.

"Should I be worried?" He asked Rogue.

"I'd say no, but that would be a lie." Rogue answered. "If worst comes to worst, we can blame Yukino."

[sorano-and-the-hazbin-cast]

Hello there everyone! Its the mod of this blog here to give you a bit of information!

Sorano’s text will look like this

Charlies will be like this

Vaggies will be like this

Angel Dusts will be like this

Lucifers will be like this

Husks will be like this

Alastors will be like this

Nifftys will be like this

Now that thats out of the way, heres the au information!

Sorano is a fish-like sinner, who ends up hearing about the Hazbin Hotel through charlie singing in the street after the extermination. He doesnt think much of it at first but a few months after the battle against the exorcists, he decides to give redemption a try. He hasnt done anything too bad in a while and he thinks he can do it. So he goes to the Hotel. Charlie, being her usual self lets him in cheerfully.

After about a month of him living there is when this blog takes place!

So, go wild and ask all the questions you want!!

[captainclaudeandthehiddenlogs]

Heyyia Claude! 🥰

Ho bisogno de tu ayuda con una mia fic...Qual è per te la città più romantica della Toscana? E che tipo di attività possiamo fare allí?

Better ask first someone native then go look in articles or something...Seems more legit that way! :D

[Ignore the obvious Spanish I left there... 🤭]

Ciao! 🥰

Coucou, Red! Merci de ton patience 🩷 et pour ton ask!

I'm going to answer in English, maybe it can be useful for other people as well! I'm always happy to talk about my region, i love it so much, so thank you again for asking my recs!

I think it depends a lot on the vibes that you are looking for. I will give you an overview of different options, i hope that they can be inspiring. If there's something you like, i can go more into detail! Let me know if i can be of help with anything!

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If you and your characters love art, Florence is an amazing city.

(Duomo di Firenze, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, credits pic)

Its art, history and architecture are extraordinary. The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) is an absolute must if you love Renaissance. A great way to admire Botticelli, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Tiziano's art, in one museum.

Moreover, you can walk around Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), where you can see the Cathedral built by Brunelleschi, Giotto's Campanile and the Baptistery, and Piazza della Signoria, where you can find Palazzo Vecchio, David by Michelangelo and Loggia dei Lanzi, and admire their masterpieces for free. 🏛️

You could also visit the Boboli Gardens, where you can enjoy the Italian garden style, created by the Medici family, that became a model for many European courts.

And a night at the theatre could be a great idea for a date! At Teatro Verdi, for example, there's plenty of different shows!

Obviously, these are just some ideas.

By the way, if i have to be honest, i love Florence, and i always gaze in awe at the beauty of its monuments ...but it's also a little chaotic for my taste. Sooo, maybe for a romantic getaway I would choose something else. (It depends on what you like!)

(Boboli Gardens, credits pic)

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For something more adventurous, what about Grotta del Vento? It's a beautiful system of caves in the Apuan Alps (Garfagnana), with stalactites and stalagmites. Its karst environment is unique and fascinating. 🦇

(credits pic)

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A Tuscanian city that I love is Lucca.

I adore walking along the old city walls (you can go there by bike too!): a panoramic walkway overlooking the city that conceals secret passages, hideaways and ramparts. Their secular trees make the view magic in every season. In autumn, foliage is beautiful! 🍂

(credits pic)

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If you and your characters love the sea and the story is set in summer, you could take into consideration a mini cruise in the Tuscan Archipelago. In one or two days, you can explore some of its islands, like Giglio, Elba, Giannutri. Swimming there is beautiful. If you don't like the idea of spending time on a boat, the coasts of Monte Argentario are wonderful too! 🌊

(Isola del Giglio, credits pic)

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There could be less activities than in bigger cities, but I think you could also go for a romantic getaway in one (or more) of our hill towns. Great view, amazing food, and an enchanting experience! And it feels more intimate than in the main cities. Monteriggioni, Cortona, Pienza, San Gimignano, Volterra... The atmosphere is so poetic...And you can spend some time in the surrounding countryside, idyllic!

(Eremo Le Celle, Cortona, credits pic)

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For a lovey-dovey day, you could write about a day at the thermal springs! There's plenty of thermal baths in Tuscany, and there are usually hotels and spas where you can have lunch, sleep, have a couples massage and enjoy the hot springs. Rapolano, Sassetta, Sorano, Montecatini,... In Tuscany you can find lots of thermal springs, so you could also have a day at the thermal baths and one in a nearby town.

(Terme di Sassetta, credits pic)

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Wherever your characters go, I think food play a big role if you want them to enjoy their Tuscan trip to the full.

Pasta is always delicious. There are lots of different types of pasta, for example pici and pappardelle (long pasta), tortelli (filled pasta, the filling depending on where you are: for example in Maremma they are filled with ricotta and spinach, in Mugello they are filled with potatoes), topini (small lumps of dough made with potatoes, flour and eggs). Pasta is our first course, in Italy it's not served as a side dish for meat or fish.

(Warning: I'm going to talk about meat dishes. If this makes you uncomfortable, skip until 🌱)

Pasta may be served with ragù (Bolognese sauce, a meat-based sauce), ragù and aglione (aglione is a delicate type of garlic), melted butter and sage, mushrooms, or tomato sauce. 🍝

(Pappardelle al ragù, credits pic)

Before pasta, as an appetizer, you may have cured meats (salame, prosciutto, finocchiona, lardo di Colonnata,...), cheese (various types of pecorino), coccoli (lumps of fried dough) and crostini (slices of bread served with ragù, mushrooms, fegatini which is a sauce made of chicken liver, or other sauces...).

(Traditional Antipasto Toscano - Tuscan appetizers, credits pic)

I don't live by the sea, so i know meat dishes better 😅 As second course, a Bistecca alla Fiorentina or a Tagliata di Manzo (beefsteaks - rare is the perfect way to have them but i get it that it's not to everyone's taste) may be perfect. 🥩

(I also enjoy pizza so much, and you can eat it everywhere in Tuscany, but the foods i've written about are more traditional)

🌱

If your characters enjoy drinking, Tuscany is famous for its wines (like Chianti Classico, Morellino di Scansano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri Sassicaia). Desserts go well with vinsanto (a dessert wine). 🍷

For dessert, you might go for cantuccini (almond biscuits) with vinsanto (we dip them in the wine). If the story is set during Christmas holidays, ricciarelli (almond and sugar biscuits) and panforte (a dessert with almonds and candied fruits) are some of our traditional desserts.

(Cantuccini and vinsanto, credits pic)

You may have coffee after the dessert. And, after generous meals, ammazzacaffè (a small glass of liqueur) too. General recommendation for your characters (and for tourists visiting Italy): it's better not to ask for a cappuccino during lunch or dinner (please 🩷)!

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I hope this is useful, sorry it took me some time, and please, let me know if i can help you somehow! Je suis si heureuse que tu es en train d'écrire une fanfiction qui se déroule en Toscane 🩷🩷🩷 Je te fais de gros bisous, bonne soirée et joyeuses Pâques 🌷🐰🐣

~ Claude ~

[isabellafoster13]

WARNING: TALK OF CHARACTER DEATH!

Chapter Thirty-Nine: That's Not How You Heal from Grief

Lucy looked up to find Rufus standing in front of her, smiling down as he waited for her answer. She nodded, mustering a small smile as she did so, and watched him sit next to her. "Here to convince me to side with you?" She questioned her friend quietly. 

Rufus chuckled before answering, "no, not at all. I know that it won't do much besides stress you out more." 

Lucy hugged herself and looked at him. "Why are you here then?" 

Rufus stared out in front of himself, observing something that wasn't there. "Just wanted to provide you with some company, and make sure you return to the hotel safely." 

"What are Freed and Midnight doing?" 

"Getting all of us food." 

Lucy nodded before returning her gaze to her lap. She felt uncomfortable. Why did she feel uncomfortable? Maybe it was because of the argument she had witnessed just a few hours ago, the final decision weighing upon her. Maybe it was because of the memories of Aquarius that were resurfacing again, making her miss her first friend more than she had before. Or, maybe she just didn't want company at the moment, not even from a good friend. She didn't voice this to Rufus, though, preferring to simply accept his company and push down the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing. 

A few moments of silence passed before Rufus spoke, his tone soft, "I didn't mean to place a lot of pressure on you." 

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't you or the others who placed pressure on me, it's the weight of the decision itself. This is such an important mission, and really any decision can put its success in jeopardy." 

Rufus nodded, his gaze falling to the ground. "I understand. This is a lot for one person to take on." He then looked at Lucy, drawing her attention. She was a bit comforted by his small smile.  "However, you must remember that you are a member of Fairy Tail. You and your guildmates have accomplished many things, and overcome many obstacles. You defeated the Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, Tartaros, and have done many more impressive and seemingly impossible things. If anyone can save the Celestial Spirit World, it's you, Lucy." 

Lucy felt her cheeks warm a little at his words. She moved her head so that her face was angled away from his sight, hoping that she hadn't noticed her blush. A small smile crept upon her face as she spoke, "thanks, Rufus. That actually helped a bit." That was the truth. His words really did make her feel better, if a little bit. 

A short period of silence passed again before Lucy hesitantly asked, "did Nyx really let you go?" 

Rufus nodded. "He came down and told me that you, Freed, and Midnight were there to rescue me. He said that he had to go with Terra and Lust, but he would try to find us. Then, he gave me the book and left." 

Lucy nodded. She chewed down on her bottom lip as she thought to herself. From what Rufus had said when the question of whether they should trust Nyx or not came up, she couldn't get out of her head just how much Rufus seemed to be convinced that Nyx really did want to help them. Rufus was a smart man, one of the smartest members of Sabortooth. If he didn't see any indication of Nyx lying, or if he is so sure that they should trust Nyx, then maybe Nyx was being genuine. Then again, Freed and Midnight were very smart themselves, and not easily fooled, even though Rufus isn't either. However, neither of them spoke with Nyx. 

Lucy rubbed her temples with her fingers. She could feel a headache coming on already. She dropped her hands into her lap. She looked over at Rufus, observing how he seemed to be staring off into space, lost in thought. As she observed him, her eyes ended up landing on his red and gold mask. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember having ever seen Rufus' face without it. 

She remembered having asked Yukino and Sorano if they had seen his face without his mask: 

Yukino and Sorano looked at Lucy with widened eyes. The three young women were sitting at one of the tables in the Fairy Tail guildhall. Sabertooth had come by for a visit, resulting in a few fights and some lighthearted competitions. Lucy sat across from her two friends, sipping on her favorite flavor of milkshake. 

She looked at the surprised expressions on the sisters' faces, eyebrow raised. "What? It's just a question." 

The pair of sisters were silent for a few more moments before grins broke onto their faces. Lucy paled a little and her lifted eyebrow fell. She knew, right at that moment, she had made a mistake. 

"Why do you want to know?" Yukino questioned, her tone teasing. 

Lucy felt her cheeks warm a little and she exclaimed, "i-it's not like that! I was just wondering!" 

Sorano cooed, "are you sure you aren't interested in him?" 

Lucy's blush deepened. "N-no! Not all! I've never seen Rufus without his mask, so I was wondering what he looked like! And if there's a certain reason he wears his mask constantly!" 

Yukino and Sorano laughed, both taking great enjoyment out of their friend's embarrassment. Lucy could only drop her head onto the table, an attempt to hide her red face from anybody who may look over. 

Once the sisters' laughter died, Sorano spoke, no longer teasing, "we've never really seen his face either. We also don't know why he always wears a mask." 

Lucy lifted her head to look at the pair as Yukino nodded, adding, "we've wondered the same thing, but we never asked...in case it's a sore spot." 

Lucy straightened in her seat and nodded in understanding. She looked back over at Rufus, who was talking to Levy. She understood Yukino and Sorano's reasoning, but she couldn't help but wonder, was there anything under Rufus' mask? She turned back to her friends and moved on to another topic. Maybe one day she'll be able to ask him herself. 

Lucy stared down at her still-bandaged hands in her lap, tears welling up in her eyes, a few of which slipped down her cheeks, as a result of the memory. She sniffled and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. 

"Lucy, are you alright?" The man beside her asked. 

She looked over to see Rufus staring at her with worry in his green eyes. She took a breath and looked back down at her hands, answering, "just...just remembered a conversation I had with Yukino and Sorano." 

She looked back at him to see that he was nodding with understanding. Rufus then said, his voice low, "the same thing happened to me while I was in that basement." 

Lucy gave him a sad smile. "I'm not surprised that you haven't moved on yet. You might have been closer to both of them than I was." 

She watched as Rufus looked at the ground and sighed. "If I'm being honest, I was expecting to be over their deaths by now." 

Lucy's smile dropped at that. She hadn't expected him to say that. She furrowed her brow in confusion and questioned, "what do you mean?" 

Rufus was silent for several moments. Lucy fidgeted with her hands, being careful to not aggravate her still-healing, fingernail-less fingers. Worry swirled in her gut as she was about to ask him again when he finally spoke, "I just thought that I would have moved on by now." 

Lucy murmured, "I don't think it's even been two months." 

"And I was expecting to be over their deaths by now." Lucy gave a small flinch at his hard tone. Before she could even think of something to say, Rufus stood up, informing her, "it's getting late. Freed and Midnight will be worried if we don't get back soon." 

Lucy stood up as well and looked at the sky, just now realizing that the sun had disappeared, the moon now rising. It wasn't quite dark, but it would be long until it was. She watched as Rufus began walking away. She was still confused about what he had meant. She was also worried. Did he really think that two months was enough time to "get over" the deaths of two close friends? Moving on its own, her bandaged hand shot out to grasp Rufus' sleeve, stopping him, even though he didn't turn around to look at her. 

Lucy opened her mouth, but closed it when no words came out. What was she supposed to say? All she could do was stare at her friend's back, knowing that she had to say something, but not knowing what exactly she should say. 

Why did Rufus say that? Surely, he knew that grief was a lengthy process, oftentimes not even having an exact end. Now that she thought about it, she didn't think she had ever seen him show any amount of grief over Yukino's and Sorano's deaths. Never even heard about it. She at least heard from Erik that Midnight was devastated over Sorano's death. Was Rufus even grieving properly? Did he know how to? 

Rufus' low, solemn voice broke her out of her thoughts, "'time heals all wounds.' Isn't that the saying? I don't understand why it hasn't worked yet." 

Lucy was silent for a few more moments before she finally spoke, her voice far too weak for her liking, "that's not how you heal from grief." 

Rufus finally turned around to face her. She looked up at him, seeing that tears were brimming his green eyes. He asked, his voice just as weak as hers, "then how do I heal? I've never experienced a loss like this. How do I get over them? How do I stop this pain?" 

Lucy felt tears burn her eyes as she responded in a whisper, "not by repressing your emotions. Not by focusing on other things to keep yourself from thinking about them. Rufus, losing two close friends is not something you can simply move on from. It's not even something that you will completely recover from, probably. Forgoing the grieving process is not good, or healthy. You can't deny yourself the time to grieve your friends." 

She stepped closer to the man, slowly wrapping her arms around him so as to give him enough time to pull away if he didn't want a hug. When Rufus did not resist, she pulled him into a tight embrace, her tears now slipping down her cheeks. She felt her throat tighten and she sniffled a few times before she spoke again, her low voice strained, "I'll always be here for you, Rufus. You're my friend. I love you a lot. I don't want to see you hurt. You need to allow yourself to grieve properly. Only then will you start to truly heal." 

When Rufus was silent and didn't move for several moments, Lucy began to worry that she had done or said something wrong, crossed a line that she should have known not to cross. She was just about to pull away and attempt to correct her mistake, when she felt Rufus wrap his arms around her, pressing her body against his more as her buried his face into her hair. Lucy tightened her hold on him when she felt his body tremble, his shoulder shuddering occasionally. It didn't take her long to realize that he was crying. Finally crying for the friends he had lost. 

As Lucy's tears continued to fall and she struggled to hold herself together for her friend, she wondered to herself: wasn't she doing the same thing that Rufus had been? Or at least, wasn't that what she was attempting to do? When had she taken the time to properly cry and grieve for her dead friends? She had been so focused on her mission, and on trying to not fall apart from the memories and self-hatred that had been plaguing her. Was she a hypocrite, giving her friend advice that she, herself, was not able to follow? 

As Lucy's crying escalated to quiet sobs, burying her face into Rufus' chest. 

Lucy stepped into the hotel room, Rufus following close behind her. As soon as she took a few steps into the room, her shoulders were clutched in a tight hold, causing her to look up in surprise. Her brown eyes met sea-green ones and the owner of those eyes spoke, his voice heavy with a sort of mixture of worry and relief, "Lucy, where were you? I was about to go looking for you! Do you not realize what could have happened to you? It's not safe to be out at night, especially considering the current circumstances we've found ourselves in!" 

Lucy mustered a comforting smile as she placed one hand over Freed's mouth, silencing him. "I'm fine, Freed, I promise." 

"But-"

"I understand your worry, and I appreciate it, but I'm fine. I've returned. You don't need to worry anymore." 

She watched as Freed pursed his lips as he stared back at her, his eyebrows pinched together in still-present worry. After several seconds, he retracted his hands from her shoulders and stepped away, muttering an apology. She patted his shoulder before walking further into the room, stopping at the bed and sitting on it. 

She looked over at the other bed, seeing that Rufus was laying on it, on his back. He stared blankly up at the ceiling. A twinge of pain shot through her heart at the sight and the corners of her lips pulled down into a frown. Not wanting to make herself cry again by remembering what happened barely even an hour ago, she looked to the front of the room, seeing that Midnight was sitting at the table, which Freed stood beside. Both men were staring expectantly at her. 

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What?" 

Midnight answered, "have you made a decision yet? We need to decide on something before we leave tomorrow so that we can properly plan our next steps." 

Lucy nodded and looked down at her lap. She had been dreading sharing her decision with Freed and Midnight, afraid that they would get angry with her. Knowing that she couldn't delay her announcement for much longer, she took a deep breath and raised her head. All eyes were on her, even Rufus', which she could already feel on her without needing to look at him. 

She took a few more moments to steel her nerves before speaking, "I've decided that we should give Nyx a chance." When Midnight and Freed both opened their mouths to speak, Lucy continued, "I don't think that we should trust, at least not yet. He has information on Terra, Lust, and their mission that we need. He can be very useful. We should give him a chance to prove he was being honest." 

Midnight and Freed were both silent for some time. The former leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the drawn curtains in front of the window, while the latter leaned against the table that he stood next to, his arms also crossed over his chest as he stared at Lucy intently, as if analyzing her. 

Lucy had begun to shift uncomfortably when the silence was finally broken by Freed, "we can't change your mind, can we?" 

Lucy shook her head and stared back at him with what she hoped was a steadfast look on her face. A period of silence followed before Freed sighed, "alright, I may not like your decision, but I'll accept it nevertheless." 

Midnight nodded, his eyes still locked on the drawn curtains. "agreed." 

Lucy released a quiet breath of relief. She wasn't particularly confident in her decision, nor was she sure if it would end well for them, but she did know that she needed to know, not only the extent of what Starfall was, but who exactly Terra, Lust, and Nyx were. She had to know who they were and why they were doing any of this. She had questions, and she needed answers. She just wished that the only source of these answers wasn't the man who had tortured her. 

[chidoroki]

Fairy Tail: 100 Year Quest EP2

aka: under the sea

The hotel receptionist is just as odd as I remember him to be.

It’s funny how Gray is the only one totally baffled about the underwater town full of wish while everyone else is completely chill and enjoying themselves.

Juvia and Gajeel gonna lose their minds over this Touka mystery.

Yukino and Sorano.. Agria. They probably always had a last name but it seems new to me.

Jellal!! As well as Sting and Rogue! I missed these boys!

Pfft Jellal getting flustered the moment Minerva brings up Erza.

“What am I supposed to do?! My swimsuit is gone.” “Why don’t you change into the Celestial clothes?” Natsu having a bright idea for once.

“You’re right! Hey, why are you pulling it?!” “Just because.” And there goes the praise..

Crank that classic Fairy Tail theme louder!!

Wait, wasn’t Carla’s guild mark on her back? Why does it show on her arm suddenly? I know I’m forgetful but certainly not blind to have not noticed it before since it’s not supposed to be there.

God they all look so silly transformed as fish.

Right right, the woman trapped in the cage. Bad news indeed. Yes. But who voices her and why do I kinda love it?

So Kiria shares a va with Emma from Tokyo Revengers but that’s not why it felt familiar, nor Arrow from Fire Force. Maybe because of Natasha from HSR but that would be weird since I don’t listen to the JA dub. Hmmm.

“The fifth generation of Dragon Slayers, who gained powers by devouring dragons.” Yeah you crazy. The fact there’s a whole guild made up of these psycho is wild.

Yeah, good save Gray but ice alone wouldn’t stop the woman who could cut through anything.

“Who’s being loud in my sea?” Why you always gotta show up, say one line and have the ep end before we could see more of your pretty face?

[caikot]

明日は立川 GREEN HOOP MARKET これまで三日間開催でしたが、今回は土曜日のみです🎪 一日にぎゅっと集めてお届けします。 雪の結晶を思わせる北欧のニット、春の気配を感じるチロルスカート🌼先日ご紹介したスーベニアスカーフもたくさん caikotはブース14 cafe Sestinaさんの前です。 先日SORANO HOTELのレストランでランチを食べたのですが、これがびっくり美味しくて🥺一品一品に工夫が凝らされていて感動しました！ ちょっとご褒美なランチの後、PLAYミュージアムも覗いて、と、一日楽しめます。 10時よりお待ちしてます〜！ https://www.instagram.com/p/CnWTsh7P4qH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[pedalfar-personal]

明けましておめでとうございます。ちょっと富士山が近くに見える場所で元旦を過ごしています。 (Sorano Hotel （ソラノホテル）) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm3bToiyMcG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[karmatrendz]

Sorano Hotel by Curiosity

Sorano Hotel by Curiosity

Text description provided by the architects. SORANO HOTEL is one of main facilities in new-born urban development in Tachikawa city, 30 minutes away from Shinjuku, Tokyo. With the concept of “Wellbeing”, the hotel suggests us a new holiday style, “Wellbeing short trip”, offering health conscious activities. Located in the area adjacent of renown National Park, the luscious green and amazing view…

[plum-japonais]

Sorano Hotel, Tokyo

via instagram @nanami311_

[boxbusiness]

Could you talk about Gachi and Emiyo(?) Of your aquatic OCs?

Really surprised you're interested in my Aquatic folk, but it it makes me happy nonetheless~ :) (Link) I do daydream of properly organizing them one day >>"

So let's talk about Sachi first~ Iwrotethe's'likea'g'andwastoolazytorewriteitsorryXP

So this is the Gator family in town. Soren is albino and married to Sachi and they are the parents to four daughters, Suzu, Shiori, Sen, and Sorano. Now... I've joked about this with my friend who has the other half of the towns people as their ocs, but Sachi passed away and I said she was turned into a gator skin handbag by the Yakuza group~ I only joked about it Idk if that's going to be her actual cause of death, but she has passed.

Now let's talk about Emiyo~ Her family is a little complicated...

Emiyo (Flashlight Fish) is married to Ezume (Gulper Eel) and have two angler fish sons, Eiko the oldest and Eijiro the youngest. Eiko is married to Chihiro the Angel Fish and have a Koi fish son, Seiichi, while Eijiro was married to Rin the Sea Angel and have a Red-Lipped Batfish son, Tomichi. Emiyo and Ezume are retired rich folk. They own a famous resort/hotel chain which their sons now run.

Soooo yeah Hope that's what ya wanted to know~

[shiningxfates]

             Independent & Semi-Selective Multimuse penned by Sorano. Features muses from BNHA/MHA, Miraculous Ladybug, She-Ra, Persona, Hazbin Hotel, video games and older animes.  Darker themes, NSFW, and angst will be present. All types of ships friendly. 

                                      ♡ Muses || Guidelines ♡

[fantasyandromancelover]

Fairy Tail Hotel

So this is a parody of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss where the roles are played by the characters from Fairy Tail although I couldn't find someone for all the roles because I don't know enough about them. Now I know the cannon ships of each shows and I respect the creator's decision for those ships and I have no intention of trying to convince her to change it but my preferred ships are Charlie x Alastor, Angel Dust x Vaggie, and Moxxie x Millie. No disrespect to the creator or those who disagree but that's how I feel. And if someone has anything negative to say about it well...You'd be wasting your time because I live in America and I have freedom of belief and opinion.

Princess Charlotte "Charlie" Mange - Juvia Lockser

Vagatha "Vaggie" - Lucy Heartfilia

Anthony "Angel Dust" - Natsu Dragneel

Alastor - Gray Fullbuster

Niffty - Lisanna Strauss

Husk - Gajeel Redfox

Katie Killjoy - Minerva Orland

Tom Trench - Rogue Cheney

Sir Pentious - Jose Porla

Cherri Bomb - Cana Alberona

Razzle and Dazzle - Panther Lily and Frosch

Fat Nuggets - Happy

Molly - Mirajane Strauss

Arackniss - Sting Eucliffe

Henroin - Gildarts Clive

Travis - Macbeth

Seviathan Von Eldritch - Lyon Vastia

Helsa Von Eldritch - Ulter Milkovich

King Lucifer Mange - Zeref Dragneel

Queen Lilith Mange - Mavis Vermillion

Vox - Invel Yura

Valentino - Mard Geer

Velvet - Brandish

Rosie - Levy Mcgarden

Blitzo - Laxus Dreyar

Moxxie - Jellal Fernandes

Millie - Erza Scarlet

Loona - Kagura Mikazuchi

Stolas - Freed Justine

Stella - Sorano

Octavia - Meredy

[isabellafoster13]

WARNING: MENTIONS OF TORTURE AND REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Decisions, Decisions

"We should give him a chance," Rufus argued for the umpteenth, looking between Freed and Midnight as the three of them stood in the middle of the hotel room that their small group had gotten for the night. 

Midnight shook his head, "there's too much of a risk. What if it's a trick? He could just be trying to get us to trust him so he could kill Lucy, and maybe the rest of us, while we sleep." 

Rufus argued back, "we don't need to trust him. All we need to do is hear him out, at the very least." 

Freed countered, crossing his arms over his chest, "I agree with Midnight. We don't even need him."

Rufus turned to Freed, his eyes narrowed into a glare, "don't need him? He knows his comrades well enough to know how to capture them. He also knows more than we do about Starfall." 

Midnight sighed and closed his eyes as he stuffed his hands into his coat pocket. "We don't need to know anything about any of them, or a bunch of information about Starfall. We just need to collect as many keys as we can before they do, and then capture them so we can take their keys and throw them into the Magic Council's prison." 

Rufus turned his gaze onto Midnight. "It would help us in convincing the Magic Council of their crimes. It'll also help with figuring out who they are and why they are doing this, for their trial. Starfall is something that the Magic Council needs to know about." 

Freed was the one who responded, "We can gather information about them once we capture them, something with Starfall. We do not need Nyx." 

Rufus questioned, his voice softened noticeably, "and what about Nyx? Why should he be given a serious punishment when he had a change of heart and didn't take part in the worst of their crimes? If anything, he's more of an unwilling accomplice." 

Midnight groaned, opening his eyes to stare at Rufus in disbelief. "Rufus, don't tell me you're actually convinced that he's innocent in all of the." 

Rufus shook his head. "Not innocent, just not as bad as Terra and Lust." 

Freed questioned, "so what? Do you believe him when he said that he never wanted to do any of this? That he truly does want to help us?" 

Rufus responded softly, "isn't it possible?" He then added, his voice a bit louder, "maybe it's true. I'm not saying that we should unwaveringly trust him, I just think that we should consider that he could have been genuine and hear his out." 

Midnight almost yelled, "he tortured Lucy almost to death! He allowed Yukino, Sorano, and the Queen to be tortured to death! He kidnapped and tortured you-" 

Rufus snapped back, "and you tried to destroy the world twice, tried to kill Lucy and her friends during both of those attempts, and tried to use Lucy as a sacrifice!" 

Midnight's eyes widened and he flinched away, albeit slightly. He looked taken aback as anger continued to swim in his red eyes.

Rufus added, his voice quieter, but still stern, "you have no right to speak on his crimes when you've done worse!" 

Lucy, having spent the entire argument looking through the book that Rufus had gotten from Nyx, looked up at Rufus' outburst. She jumped off of the table that she was sitting on, placing the closed book on it next to her. She raised her hands in a placating manner and spoke in a calm and stern tone, "let's calm down. We can't afford to fight." 

The three men looked at her for a few moments before Rufus took a step away from Midnight, responding with a much calmer tone, "you're right, I apologize." 

Lucy nodded. She looked between the three men as she spoke again, "I understand where you are all coming from. Midnight, Freed, your worries are perfectly understandable. Nyx could be trying to trick us with the intention to harm us. However, Rufus is right in that it's possible that Nyx is being truthful." She dropped her hands and stared down at her feet, continuing, "Nyx was the one who tortured me. Terra and Lust never laid a finger on me, only ridiculed me whenever I was in my cell." As memories of her torture began to flood into her mind, tears burned her eyes. She screwed her eyes shut and forced herself to continue, "something that I remember well was the look on Nyx's face whenever he would torture me. He looked like he was uncomfortable but was trying to hide it. It seemed like he didn't actually like doing it. He didn't torture me nearly as badly as Terra and Lust tortured Yukino, Sorano, and Hisui." 

Rufus spoke, his own tone low and eyes cast downward, "that's how he looked the few times he waterboarded me, and when he was in the basement whenever Terra would visit." 

Lucy looked at Rufus, noticing that he cringed a little when he mentioned Terra's visits. She nodded and looked at Freed and Midnight. "The possibility of Nyx being genuine in his claims of wanting to help can't be denied." 

Freed questioned, "so then, what should we do, Lucy? I'll go with whatever you decide." 

Lucy looked back down at the floor. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Acknowledging that Nyx could be telling the truth was one thing, but actually giving him any amount of trust was a different thing...something that she wasn't sure she could do. 

She looked back at the table that she had been sitting on previously. Next to the closed book were the silver keys that Freed, Rufus, and Midnight had gotten for her at la Cour de Velours. She had yet to make contracts with her new spirits. She sighed and turned back to her friends, answering, "give me some time to think about it. I'm going to leave so I can make my new contracts alone." 

Without waiting for an answer from her friends, she picked up the keys and left the hotel room, making her way to the park that sat in the middle of the large town. 

Lucy sat on the edge of a fountain, which rested in the middle of the park. She watched the centerpiece in silence. It was a stone statue of a young woman clothed in flowing robes. She held a water jug above her head, from which three streams of water strongly flowed. Her stone face was set in a serious expression as she stared ahead. 

The sight of the statue reminded Lucy of the time she and Natsu took Asuka on a small job to earn some money. Aquarius hadn't been pleased about having to act as the fountain, but went with it when Asuka remarked upon how pretty she was. 

Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. It was one of her fondest, seeing Aquarius actually show an emotion besides anger, even if it was only when a child called her pretty. She turned away from the fountain and stared down at the keys in her hands. Her heart suddenly felt heavy and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She quickly wiped the tears away and ignored the heavy feeling in her heart, knowing that Aquarius wouldn't like seeing her like this. Her talk with Scorpio helped her to remember that. 

Taking a deep breath, she raised one of the keys and looked it over. The blade wasn't particularly special, as far as gate keys went, while the bow was of a rabbit head with perked ears. She pointed the blade of the key and called out, "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the Hare: Lepus!" 

In an instant, Lepus stood a few feet in front of Lucy. The celestial spirit took the form of a short, teenage girl. She was dressed in a black leotard with hot pink accents, and hot pink flats on her feet. Her hair was white, which contrasted with her brown skin. Her eyes were a bright blue color. On her head was a headband with black and white rabbit ears attached. Lucy was quite sure that her outfit even had a cotton tail on the back. 

Lepus gasped at the sight of Lucy and bounced forward, taking the blonde's hands into her own and pulling her up into a tight hug. Lucy yelped at the sudden action, but allowed it, nonetheless. When Lepus rested her head against Lucy's breasts, the celestial wizard chuckled. "I guess I don't have to ask if you want to make a contract with me." 

Lepus shook her head before she pulled away and took a couple of steps back. She clasped her hands behind her back and beamed, "I've waited so long for you to get my key, Princess! I was scared that one of them would get it first, but I knew that you would get it eventually!" Her voice was high-pitched, not in an annoying way, but rather, in an adorable way. 

Lucy smiled down at her, feeling her heart warm a little at how happy the small spirit seemed to be. "I'm glad I got your key too." She sat back down before she asked, "what can you do?" 

Lepus' smile widened into a grin as she exclaimed happily, "I'm a really, really, really fast runner! I can outrun the fasts person in your guild, promise! I'm also really, really, really good at espionage! I can turn into a rabbit, so I can spy on anybody without being noticed! And, and," she lifted one of her feet to rest on the fountain beside Lucy. The blonde observed the leg that was offered to her to look at, noticing that Lepus' legs were surprisingly muscular. "I have really, really, really strong legs! My kicks can break down any kind of wall or door!" 

Lucy smiled up at the spirit. "That's amazing!" When Lepus retracted her leg, Lucy continued, "what days can I summon you on?" 

Lepus answered with a small hop, "any day except for Saturdays and Sundays!" 

Lucy nodded. She stood up and opened her arms, silently offering a final hug. Lepus leaped into her arms, giving her a tight embrace. Upon pulling away, she said goodbye and returned to the Celestial Spirit World. 

Lucy requipped her new key to join the others before she picked up another key and looked it over. The blade resembled the feather of a peacock and the bow was shaped like a peacock with its tail feathers spread, small gems decorating the the tail, blue and green in color. She pointed the key and called out, "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the Peacock: Pavo!" 

With a flash of silver light, a tall, young woman stood in front of Lucy. Her skin was pale and her blue hair was pulled into a high bun, a peacock feather clipped to it. She was dressed in clothing that was reminiscent of a ballerina, a blue leotard, and a wide tutu skirt that was patterned like the tail feathers of a peacock. Encasing her long legs were green leggings and on her feet were black ballet shoes. In her hand was a folding hand fan, also stylized to resemble the tail feathers of a peacock. Her green eyes stared at Lucy without much emotion, her pretty face expressing just as much emotion. 

Lucy smiled, greeting the spirit, "hello, Pavo. I'm Lucy. I was wondering if you'd like to make a contract with me?" 

Pavo answered coolly, "I don't have much of a choice." 

Lucy hesitated at her response, but quickly continued, "what can you do?" 

Pavo answered, holding up her fan, "my fan produces feathers in an assortment of colors. Each color has a different effect. the blues create cold attacks, the greens create a blinding fog, the whites create a shield or barrier, the blacks create nullify attacks by engulfing them, and the tans create sand attacks." 

Lucy's smile got a bit bigger. "That's very useful!" 

Pavo nodded her head. "Yes. I am one of the more powerful silver-keyed celestial spirits." 

"I can see why." Lucy stuffed her bandaged hands into her pockets and asked, "what days can I summon you?" 

Pavo's answer came with no wait, "any day that does not fall within the first week of each month." 

Lucy nodded, committing the agreement to memory. She then said, her voice soft and kind, "I'm happy to be working with you, Pavo. Welcome to the family." 

Pavo gave a small curtsy as she responded, "I look forward to your next summoning of me, Miss Lucy." She then straightened and disappeared with a flash of light. 

Lucy gave a small sigh, hoping that she would eventually be able to get Pavo to open up a bit. She turned back around and picked up the third key. She looked down at the silver key and its design. The blade didn't resemble anything of note, but the bow was circular with a green shield on it, and blue gems dotting the edges. She smiled down at the key and raised it. "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the Shield Constellation: Scutum!" 

Within a few seconds, a celestial spirit that looked like the stereotypical knight in shining armor appeared. Lucy was only able to take in their armor-clad form when the spirit dropped to one knee, kneeling before her as though she were royalty. Feeling her face heat up in embarrassment at the sudden action, she stuttered out, "um...h-hello, Scutum. I'm Lucy. Would you like to make a contract with me?" Her embarrassed smile felt a little strained and she hoped that it wasn't visible. 

Scutum, clothed in shining steel armor that covered every part of their body and a green shield on their back, responded, head still bowed, "greetings, My Lady. I am honored to be your spirit. I pledge to you my service and protection for as long as my key is in your possession." 

The celestial spirit's voice was deep, telling Lucy that Scutum was a male spirit. She nodded at the acceptance of her offer. She reached down and took Scutum's arm into hers, gently urging him to stand. Once he followed her silent order, though, with slight hesitance that Lucy ignored, the blonde spoke, "what can you do?" 

Scutum answered, "as a defense-oriented celestial spirit, I am capable of shielding you and your allies from any type of attack, no matter how strong. It is my sworn duty to protect my keyholder and their allies. You will always be safe whenever you summon me, My Lady, this I swear to you." 

Lucy smiled up at him. She kind of liked having such a devoted spirit, though she also hoped that she would be able to get him to show more emotions and relax, if a little bit. She enjoyed seeing her spirits have fun and be themselves, wanting them to be free of celestial wizards who would abuse them, along with the fear that would accompany such a thing. 

"What days can I summon you on?" 

"Whenever you need my services, I will be there at your every call." 

Lucy nodded. The contract-making ended when she thanked Scutum, welcomed him into the family, and watched as he bowed to her before disappearing. She turned around to pick up the last key. She looked over the key's design. The keyblade appeared to be frozen, with three icicles hanging from it. The circular bow had a sparkling river designed on it. 

She raised the key and called from the last time that evening, "I connect to the World of Celestial Spirits! Heed my call and pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the River Constellation: Eridanus!" 

A bright flash of silver light signaled the arrival of the celestial spirit. Lucy held the key to her chest as she gazed upon the young woman who appeared. Eridanus was tall, with a curvaceous figure and a beautiful face. Her white hair was low, braided bun, a few curled strands framing her face. Her eyes were an icy blue color that sent a shiver down Lucy's spine, and her skin was pale. Light blue eyeshadow was dusted around her eyes and on her lips was a clear lipgloss that made her plump lips shimmer in the light of the setting sun. She was dressed in a floor-length, sheath gown. It was pale blue in color and had a frost-like design running up the skit before it faded upon reaching the bottom of her bodice. The sleeves were mesh and off the shoulder, reaching her elbows. Her elbow-length gloves were white. Around her neck was a light blue chocker that had a white, icicle-shaped crystal hanging from it. 

Eridanus curtsied to Lucy and bowed her head as she spoke, "greeting, Lady Lucy. I've heard much about you. It is a pleasure to serve as your celestial spirit." She then straightened and raised her head, a warm smile on her face and a softened look in her eyes. 

Lucy snapped out of her stupor, having been taken by her new spirit's elegant appearance. She smiled back and responded, "I'm happy to meet you too, Eridanus. Um...you've heard about me? I hope that what you heard wasn't too bad." 

Eridanus raised a hand to rest over her mouth as she gave a light laugh. Lucy was nothing short of memorized. Even Eridanus' laughter was elegant. "I assure you, My Lady, everything that your spirits have told me was good, very good. Even Aquarius has told me good things about you." 

Lucy felt her heart clench and warm at the same time upon hearing that. "She did?" A hopeful smile found its way to her face and her grip on the key in her hands tightened. 

Eridanus nodded with a lovely smile gracing her face in return. "Yes. Aquarius would mask her compliments of you with complaints, but it's not difficult for me to see through her words and into what she really means." 

Lucy gave a silent sigh, bowing her head to look at the ground. A feeling of happiness washed over her. She wasn't sure why, but hearing that Aquarius spoke positively of her, even if the comments were masked as insults, made her feel rather happy. She then looked back up at Eridanus and asked, "what can you do?" 

Eridanus folded her hands in front of herself and answered, her voice so calm and serene that it probably could make Lucy forget her worries, if for only a short while, "I am specialized in Ice Magic, this being regular Ice Magic and Ice-Make Magic. Though, I must note that while am powerful in terms of magic, like Pavo, I am one of the more powerful silver-keyed celestial spirits, I am afraid that I do not have much talent when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Physical fights are not something I can do much in."

Lucy shook her head and offered a reassuring smile, "that's alright! Your power is still very useful and I have plenty of spirits who can take care of physical fights." 

Eridanus nodded her head once, seemingly in acceptance at the attempted reassurance. Lucy next asked, "what days can I summon you on?" 

"Any day you wish, My Lady, I am always free to offer you my services." 

Lucy nodded. After thanking Eridanus and welcoming her into the family, she watched as the celestial spirit disappeared in a flurry of sparkles. She requipped her remaining keys to join all the rest of her keys. She then sat back down on the fountain's edge, her mind drifting to the argument that had taken place just a couple of hours ago. 

She still wasn't sure what they should do. She knew that Nyx could be tricking them. If that was the case, then things could get bad very quickly. However, he would also serve as an important source of information. To be honest, Lucy was torn between the two options. 

As her mind dwelled on the situation, a familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts, "mind if I join you?"