Beholden | NaLu |

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The music was blaring and people were dancing. Somewhere in a corner, Lucy Heartfilia sat on a stool, holding a cocktail glass in one hand and clutching her head with another.

The loud noise was causing her to have a severe headache. And she could feel the dizziness from the alcohol kicking in.

Oh well, that's what she gets for being a light drinker.

She set her glass aside and finally got up, slinging her bag over her shoulders.

"Well, I'll be going now!" She announced.

"Whaa-! Already? C'mon stay a bit longer!" Cana whined.

"Nah, it's getting pretty late. And it's a Wednesday night. Besides I've got to go feed Plue."

"Hmph! Party pooper." Cana muttered darkly under her breath.

"Lu-chan, you sure you'd be okay with only this? It's really cold outside y'know? You could wait for a little while longer and then haul a cab with me!" Levy suggested, while she skeptically eyed Lucy's casual work clothes.

"Well, I would've been better dressed if you wouldn't have just dragged me over here directly from work." Lucy jokingly reminded. "And.. you become a giggling, out of control mess, when you're drunk Levy." She finished with a laugh.

"Hmph! I do not!" Levy huffed.

"Do too!"

"Anyway....you sure you'll be fine?"

"Yeah! Besides it's just a 10 minute walk from here. It'll be fine!"

"If you say so." Erza said.

"Be careful okay? Message us once you reach home."

"For sure, Juvia! Anyway, you all enjoy and have a blast, 'kay? And Cana, congratulations once again!"

"You can count on that!" Cana winked. "But just a 'congratulations' wouldn't suffice Heartfilia. I need you to be my drinking partner the next time we meet. And I won't take a 'no'!"

"What was this then?" Lucy asked, surprised. The girls had all been spontaneously dragged to the Rosemary bar by Cana earlier that evening, who announced that she finally got promoted to her dream post at work.

"Just a warm up." The brunette smirked.

Lucy chuckled and waved them all a goodbye.

"Don't drink too much okay? You all still have work tomorrow!"

The warmth and comfort of Rosemary's disappeared as soon as she stepped outside, only to be replaced by a chilly breeze. She shivered, pulling her thin white cardigan closer to her chest, in a futile attempt to warm herself up.

"Levy was right. It's hella cold out here. Better be quick."

Lucy began her walk home, taking long strides to be quick. With each passing moment outside, she realised how much she had actually underestimated the September weather.

She walked through the lit streets of Magnolia, her mind preoccupied with the never ending ideas for her latest story. She was so lost in her own world, that she didn't even realise that she was almost home.

Her mind wandering off to La-La-Land and her consciousness being barely there with her, she experienced the worst scare of her life when a loud voice was suddenly heard from inside the alley just a little while away from her apartment.

Lucy cautiously neared it, craning her neck and squinting her eyes to get a better look ahead. It wasn't a very dark alley, but it wasn't the best lit too.