Fire and Gold (Nalu)

Chapter 12 ~ Hide

Once step. Two steps. Three steps. Four.

Just keep walking. Don't stop. Don't attract attention. Mind your own business.

Rapid-fire thoughts bruised the two wizard's heads as they sauntered through the village.

Don't make eye contact. Keep your head down. Keep your eyes to the floor. Don't stop walking. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four. Left leg, right leg, left leg, right leg.

A loud yelp followed by numerous dulled thumps came from across the street, a slight flit of the eye let Lucy know the situation. A weary, thin old man had ever so slightly bumped into one of the soldiers standing guard in the middle of the walkway. The result wasn't pretty.

She felt her anger beginning to flare, how dare they treat people like this? Who gave them the right?
"Don't." Muttered a voice beside her.

Natsu had discreetly clasped onto the side of her top, balling it into a fist. He held it with just enough tension that she couldn't try to walk towards the unfolding commotion.
"We can't," he hissed, "the minute one of them recognises us we'll be surrounded before we can even think to act."

Her brows crinkled and she stole her eyes from the scene with a small, unsure nod. Natsu let go of her top and instead rested his hand against the small of her back, guiding her forward as he stroked it with his thumb.
He wanted nothing more than to jump in there and help too but, they just couldn't afford it. It was too risky. He wasn't willing to put Lucy into that much danger again.

The only word that could possibly describe this village is... derelict. In fact, it was much like the village they'd seen back in Aster. Malignant weeds and vines crawling up broken houses, roads and pathways mere dirt and pebbles on the ground, even the people. Skinny, tired, ghostlike even. And none of them made a sound. Sure they could, Natsu and Lucy had just bore witness to that, but they didn't. Fear? Perhaps it's a rule that they don't speak? Or maybe, they're just too tired to talk to each other. Their bodies too worn to partake in an unneeded pleasure such as speaking.

"Where d'you reckon's most likely to have a map?" Natsu whispered, pulling Lucy slightly closer to him.
"...Not a clue. I can't even tell what half of these buildings are supposed to be." She answered truthfully with a sigh, "why can't anything just be easy?"
He lightly chuckled beside her, "it wouldn't be us if it was easy."

She looked down to her feet, she had to agree. Nothing about the past few weeks has been easy. She tried to imagine being in this situation without Natsu beside her, how far would she have gotten before she was dead on the ground and rotting? Actually, she'd probably still be wasting away in that prison, marking days as they passed just as Ada had done. A little shudder ran through her at the thought.

Suddenly, Natsu pulled her to a halt, the hand on her back going deadly still.
She looked up to him, he'd frozen in place, pupils dilated and shoulders stiff, looking straight ahead.

She followed his gaze, without her know-so they'd wandered into what looked like the town centre. At least 13 or 14 soldiers were gathered there holding up wanted posters of theirs and Ada's faces, forcefully checking the appearance of every single person that tried to pass by.

Each soldier had a baton, a small magic sceptre and a whip attached to their belts, demonstrating the power they had over both them and the rest of the village.

"Are they really that desperate to find us? Why?" Natsu quietly muttered with a frown.
"You did blast a hole through their prison wall, free another inmate and injure a load of soldiers Natsu. Not to mention we both collectively fucked up one of their squadron leaders." Lucy said back, giving him the side eye.
"I mean, yeah but... there must be something else. There must be."