19: A Break From The Action

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Punishment came and went, but to Morana's relief, it wasn't as bad. Makarov had her explain her situation to the guild, and after a well-thought-out conversation, she was let off the hook. The others, not so much. Natsu had gotten the guild in a personality body swap. It was a mess that was made out to be more dramatic than it needed to be.

After everything was settled, Morana was in her room at Erza's residence in Fairy Hills. It was a relatively peaceful night with no clouds in sight and stars shining in the endless void of space.

Morana's room was neat and didn't have many things: just a small bed and a dresser with a coat hanger. Simple and minimalist, Morana didn't own much of anything and didn't like buying things for herself except the essentials.

Laying in bed, Morana stared up at the white ceiling. She couldn't fall asleep that night. One could say the never-ending nightmares refuse her any rest. That was partially true. Morana had grown used to her nightmares and slept as she could. But that night, she felt restless. The events of Galuna Island played over and over in her mind. The thought of losing someone she trusted pulled at her heart, and she didn't understand why. She recalled what she told Gray; she considered him her friend and didn't want him to throw his life away.

A sigh left her lips as she sat up. She didn't want to be in bed, so she slipped out. She got changed and ready to leave, tied her scarf around her waist, and threw on her coat. It was quiet in Fairy Hills as Morana slipped out of the apartment complex. With her hands in her pockets, Morana enjoyed the cool breeze that blew through the quiet town.

There was a lot on her mind as she walked the empty streets of Magnolia. Her steady pace and slow breathing comforted her as she let her eyes wander around her. The architect of the townhouses and businesses helped alleviate her worries as she noted how people might live their lives in Magnolia. She soon came upon the Magnolia River, and the sounds of the rushing water soothed her. The sounds reminded her of when she was forced to live in the Magnolia Cave system underneath her feet. The river was muffled, but she could hear it. It was the only sound that soothed her during her hard life.

"Morana." A voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned around to see Natsu. He was still in his usual attire and held a blank expression.

"Natsu, what are you doing up so late?" Morana asked as she looked around the area. For one, she wasn't expecting the fire dragon to be awake, yet here he was.

"I could ask you the same thing. I was heading to Lucy's home to hang out." Natsu smiles as he points towards Lucy's apartment. Morana didn't realize she had stopped in front of Lucy's apartment.

"Do you know what privacy means?" Morana sighs as Natsu laughs.

"We're friends, are we not?" He gave her a comforting smile.

"Yeah, but some people want their space." She muttered as she continued her walk. Natsu must have noticed something was wrong as he held his hands behind his head and walked ahead of Morana. He had confused the ice dragon, who ended up walking alongside him.

Natsu was a chatty person, but tonight he wasn't. There was a comforting silence between the two dragon slayers as they walked around Magnolia. They walked around for hours that night, and the fire dragon realized that there was one area of the town that Morana was avoiding. He never asked her about it until they had stopped in front of the area. Morana peered down a small subdivision of tiny homes that sat on the outskirts of town.

"Natsu...did I do the right thing?" Morana asked him. He looked at her confused but saw a sad look in her eyes.

"Right thing for what?" He asked, not quite sure what she meant.

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