Hot and Cold

Lucy's Relative

~*****~

"Her grave?" I hum curiously after Mira approaches Natsu and I.

"That's pretty morbid this early in the morning," Natsu mentions.

"Yeah, no kidding." I snort.

"Well, since Lisanna's still alive, it's pointless to have it up." Mira shrugs.

"And I'd rather not have to look at it again." Elfman adds.

Ballad grunts. "Then just go knock it over."

"That seems a bit harsh," Lisanna giggles.

"The church said the decision's up to us, so we have time to think it through." Elfman hums.

"Natsu will never take down the one we made." Happy chirps. "Right, ya big softie?"

"You just had to go and bring that up." Natsu grumbled, his cheeks flushing.

I giggle. "That's so sweet," I mention. Natsu grimaces and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Well, we could leave it as a monument to the day she came back home. Changing it might be a bit pricy. And don't you dare try to front the fees, Aria." Mira wagged her finger at me as I opened my mouth.

I pushed my lower lip out in irritation. Lisanna giggles again. "Speaking of the church, this is a special time for them, isn't it?" She mentions.

"Whaddya mean?" Natsu asks.

"The archbishop's coming to town, or something like that." Elfman states.

"Hold on, I've heard of him before!" Happy gasps. "It's kind of a big deal for him to come here! This Arch-fish-up guy comes into town every few years to perform a big, important ritual!"

"You got most of that right." Mira chuckles. "Throngs of people make pilgrimages from faraway lands just to catch a glimpse of him."

"Really? For one guy?" Natsu asked.

I sigh. "You seriously don't know anything," I comment.

"It's not like you pay attention!" Natsu retorts. I snort at him, causing his face to let off steam from the blast of cold air against his face.

Later that day, I hear Wendy mention something about one of the churches being burned down. "That's a sadistic hobby," Carla hums.

"No kidding," I snort.

Lucy suddenly gasps, peering closer at the newspaper in her hands. "I know him! He works for the council!" Lucy mentions.

I peer over her shoulder and hum. "Seven years and he hasn't stopped frowning," Happy mentions. "Natsu, look!"

"He's dead to the world, isn't he?" Romeo mentions as Natsu continues to snore away; face buried in my overcoat. I sigh irritably and try to pull it away from him again.

"Brain dead and oblivious is pretty much par for the course with him." Lucy mutters.

"I can't believe someone would set fire to churches. Times have changed." Happy sighed.

"I'm having trouble catching up with everything." Wendy sighs.

"Not to mention our seven-year cat nap destroyed my clairvoyance." Carla mentioned. "The future is nothing but fuzzy pictures to me now."

"That's not good," Wendy hums.

"It's quite annoying." Carla sighs.

"That's a weird smell," I comment as I pick up a new smell in the guild hall. Natsu's head snaps up, cracking against my chin. "Welcome to the world, sleeping beauty." I grimace as I rub at my chin and speak around my bitten tongue.