Sorrow is but a Seed (Orga x Rufus One Shot)

Final

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. All copyright belongs to their rightful owners.

Today, I expand my blindfold picnic au to Rufus and Orga. This is also a Living Feelings AU. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's when a character is tied to nature. When the character is happy, the flowers bloom, if they are sad, the leaves fall, and when you die, the forest is destroyed unless that lineage is passed on.

In this, Orga is the one tied to nature and Rufus is a librarian. I know it probably seems unlikely, but I had some fun writing this. I hope you guys like it, too. Drop a kudos and a comment to let me know ^^

"The forest keeps dying. Natsu said the rot has spread to the west now. The deer started migrating beyond what is safe to pursue. I fear what's going to become of our livelihood if we can't get enough skins and meat to last," Lucy said. The heavy books in her hand clattered on the table with a hefty thump.

Levy frowned and leaned back in her chair. "Yes, Gajeel told me the same thing earlier this morning," she added. "The Strauss siblings might be able to help since they all grow their own produce with plenty of extras. But, I'm not sure if we'll make money this year. Argh! It's so frustrating how much the rot has spread. Don't you think so, too, Rufus?"

The librarian tore his gaze from the computer screen and cocked his head toward the girls.

"The r-rot?" he stuttered. "What do you mean?" All of a sudden, Juvia popped out of nowhere and slammed her hands on his desk, leaning in close with wide eyes.

"You don't know what the rot is?!" she cried. "Seriously, do you not leave your house or something?" Rufus shrugged and saved the report he was working on. The conversation was turning in a direction he wasn't enjoying.

"I work in a library, and I love my job. I don't have a need to go out and get all dusty," he said in his defense. Juvia rolled her eyes, accompanied by a sigh as she walked back to the closest table and sat in between Lucy and Levi, a copy of the newest edition of the modeling catalog. Rufus had no doubt that it was due to Gray's feature for the top ten hottest men in Fiore. Somehow even a small village boy like him managed to catch the eye of the agency.

(Mirajane probably also pushed for his acceptance as she held seniority retired model status, but even Rufus wouldn't say that to Juvia's face.)

Levy swiveled her phone around and stuck it toward Rufus. He squinted at an image of what seemed to be a decaying forest. The trees and grass were browning and wilting, branches laid bare. Anyone with a brain cell could tell the forest was dead. If you so much as breathed on it, the remains would crumble into nothing.

"This is the forest a mile out from the village," she explained. "It used to be full of flowers and flourished with the best mushrooms, wild herbs, and natural remedies. It's also the best place to hunt for the highest quality venison and what most of the boys try to score."

"The boys as in the Dragon Slayers Hunter's Club, right?" Rufus asked. Levy nodded and continued.

"Last month, Cobra, Laxus, Sting, and Rogue went out on a trip and said the whole north and east side of the forest looked like that. And then yesterday, Gajeel and Natsu came back and said it had spread to the west. I suppose the good news is that it stops at the forest's edge. But, once it does die, we'll lose everything in it. We've relied so heavily on it, so it'll be hard to recover."

Rufus paled at the news.

"That's quite unfortunate to hear," Rufus muttered. "Perhaps we could bring it up with the council or work out a service trade with the surrounding villages or even the city. You're on the council, right, Lucy? Do you think you could propose it?"