VERiTY (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

42. Fateful Day.

AN: I know it's said that Natsu just didn't learn how to read properly despite Anna's efforts to teach him, but I like to think that Fiore's Language in general changed over the centuries, (as they do,) so Natsu just genuinely had a culture shock on the new writing and speaking systems, which led him to need to relearn most of it.

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"Huh? Someone's asking to borrow Aries until the end of the week?"

It was midway through their photoshoot, when they were taking some candids while Eir took a break, that Master Bob told him about it.

Karen was brooding a little, but she didn't seem too frustrated. Her keyholder was oddly missing a golden key today-- she would usually pose with it, that was how proud she was of Aries, but today she didn't-- and now he understood why.

"Yes, it's apparently an emergency of some sort," Master Bob explained. "Usually these cases would be unheard of, but..."

Karen murmured something indecipherable into her non-alcoholic cocktail, then lifted her head to sigh.

"Well, she seemed like a nice person. She was so sincere and stuff..." she looked away, "I don't think it was just for posterity or something, I mean, it's got to be something desperate for her to come all the way down here. She seemed like an honest person, she said she would even compensate for the jobs I couldn't take in the meanwhile."

Well, that certainly sounded much too good to be true.

Borrowing keys, huh.

Celestial Keys were certainly rare, so collecting the whole set of golden keys would be a collector's wet dream. Eir didn't like the idea at all, but if Karen said it was fine...

"Well, I also summoned Old Man Crux just to ask if I should, and he said I can trust her. So..." Karen mulled, "I guess it's fine. If Aries is injured in any way when she comes home-- or if she doesn't-- I'm going to kick my way into her house, richie rich or not!"

Eir chuckled at that. The sight of Karen punching her way into an expensive establishment demanding for the master of the house was a very amusing scene to imagine. In fact, it was full of unprecedented internet comedy potential, but he would really rather she not.

"Alright, but bring me along too," he said, and Karen definitely agreed.

But something was odd.

Crux approved of whatever this was? Was the woman actually collecting those keys for something important, then?

(Karen had only gotten that Southern Cross' key recently, but they all knew how knowledgeable that old man was. If he really said they could trust this woman, whoever she is...)

"...what was this woman's name?"

"Hmm? Ah," Karen turned to him, "Layla! Layla... Heartfilia, I think."

He froze.

Eir doesn't know a lot about this world, but he does know that last name, at the very least.