● BLACK ▪ BLUE● ¤Gruvia¤

°18°

Lockser Manor
She couldn't get out of bed. No, not at all. If her feet touched the ground, she was sure she'd shatter, and no one would be able to repair her. She thought of a nursery rhyme she read once, one that had gone something like Humpty Dumpty had a great fall... All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again. It felt silly to admit to herself, but Juvia felt like Humpty Dumpty waiting to happen.

Juvia looked out the window and blinked, observing the steady rainfall. It had been raining for two days straight, but she was certain it was not her own rain. Her own rain didn't feel like this, didn't feel so natural and light. Her own rain carried worry and fear with it. It wasn't this stuff, this cleansing rain that the earth adored and worshiped.

"Juvia! Honey, are you alright?" It was Gran, knocking on the shut door and shouting in, worried as always.

Juvia rubbed her eyes and flipped over in the bed, staring at the door and blue-green walls. "Juvia is feeling better," she lied. She hoped her grandmother wouldn't send Carolina to look at her again. That would be the worst.

"Can I come in?"

"... Yes."

Marina walked in, crinkling her nose at the smell. "Juvia, it smells awful in here! You need to take a bath and let someone do your laundry."

The rain woman looked at her grandmother, struggling to sit up in bed. "Okay. Juvia will do her own laundry. Best to do something productive..."

"When was the last time you got out of bed?" Gran demanded, hand on her hip, the other still on the doorknob.

"Two days ago."

"That long? Oh, Juvia, maybe we should take you to a doctor."

"No, it's okay." Juvia swung her legs out of bed, cautiously putting her small feet on the floor. Careful. Careful. Don't put too much weight on, you'll break...

Amazingly, she didn't shatter on impact.

"Okay... I'll make sure the laundry room is empty for you. Now, go take a bath! You smell revolting."

"Yes, Gran." She shuffled past, making for the bathroom. She sniffed herself, then scrunched up her nose. Yeah, she did smell pretty bad.

The water provided some relief to her, and lifted her spirits for a little while. She got out and dried herself off, toweling her cerulean hair and milky skin. Juvia spread a hand across the fogged up mirror, displaying her reflection.

She looked different. Her skin was more gray than white, her cheeks were sunken in, and her eyes were dull. Dull like they had been in her Phantom days. Biting the inside of her cheek, Juvia slipped on a short red dress.

Laundry time.

Boredly and tiredly, she washed all of her dresses and blouses, throwing them in a laundry basket. With a brief look outside, she deduced that the rain would stop soon, and she'd be able to hang-dry her clothing. The dryer was full, after all, and maybe stringing up all of the things would energize her.

But she doubted it.

The rain did indeed stop five minutes later. Juvia balanced the basket against her hip and swung the door open, taking a step out into the damp air. With a wave of her hand, she dispelled the remaining dampness around the clearing, making it plenty dry and toasty enough for drying clothes. She strung up blouse after blouse and plenty of dresses too, ignoring everything else but the whistling air.