Rose stood up early. She didn't need lots of sleep. She prepared a simple breakfast and set the table. Levy just needed to take the drinks from the fridge and bake an egg if she wished.
She left a note on the table saying she suddenly felt like doing a mission. It was kind of true, although there was no request. This was her own mission.
She took pen and paper and start to walk through the city of magnolia soon after.
'Do you know Levy?', she asked shopkeepers and strangers on the street. Not many people knew about Rose so it was easier to ask these questions. Rose was more to herself. Surely people heard about her, but they didn't know her face.
'Levy-chan?', the lady from the convenient store said. 'Who doesn't know Levy?'
'Do you know her boyfriend?'
'No, I didn't know she had a boyfriend. Is it Jet, or perhaps Droy?'
'How about that Gajeel guy she talks about sometimes?', the shopkeepers husband pitched in from a distance.
'What do you know about Gajeel?', Rose walked up to the man. He knew more.
'Not much really. Heard they had a fight, but they made up'.
'How long is Gajeel living here?', she insisted to know.
'Why do you want to know?', the man was suspicious.
Rose avoided eye contact, she hadn't thought about an answer before. She couldn't really tell them that she wanted to assure herself that Levy was dating the right man. There was a high chance that they would tell her little sister later on about it. She noticed a magazine on the selves. 'I'm from the weekly sorcerer', she lied.
'Sorry, but I don't answer to the press. You should talk to him if you want answers', the conversation ended like that. Another reason not to trust Gajeel. They seemed open when Levy was the topic.
Rose didn't give up easily and continued to ask people about it. All of them gave simple answers like: 'he is the dragon slayer of Fairy Tail'.
'He has those nasty eyes'.
'I've heard he composes his own songs. I wonder if he is famous'.
No one could tell her real details until she walked into an arcade. She talked to the salesman at the ticket counter when a girl around seventeen interrupted.
'Black steel Gajeel?', she showed interest. 'Isn't he together with Levy Mcgarden?'
'Just a little', Rose admitted reluctant. She had heard the nickname one time before. She had paid no attention to it. But this girl named him with a grudge that she could only wonder if there rested a history on that nickname. She took another look at the girl.
Seventeen years. Brown hair tied in a high bun. The contrast with her blue eyes made her a beautiful girl if she would pay more attention to her appearance.
Her clothes didn't really fit and a quickly slopped-on rouge only worsened her look. She would look better if she kept her natural beauty or took some effort to apply the makeup.
Her game-themed clothes gave Rose the impression that this girl spend most of her time here in the arcade playing games.
'Why are you asking about him?', she narrowed her eyes and placed her hands in her side.
Here came Rose's newest lie: 'I'd like hire him for a job'.
'What job and why are you asking us and not him?', she was right to distrust Rose. She didn't blame the girl.
'Just one day in construction. Isn't he an iron dragon slayer?'
'He is... So that leaves the other question: why don't you ask him?'
'I can't find him. I asked around and heard that he is a busy man. I don't want to waste his time'.
'You ARE wasting your time. As if a tough man like him would like to help out. He isn't really the type to help people out'.
'Really? But isn't he a member of Fairy Tail. Aren't they the ones to help?'
'We don't always need mages for help', she pouted. '...And I especially don't need help from snobby mages and criminals'.
'Criminals?'
'Or ex-criminals. They are all acting high and mighty there but half of them committed a crime. And yet people adore them, it's not fair!'
'Like?'
'Are you a terror-tourist?', a rare name given to the people who visit places where disasters took place. It gave Rose an unsettling feeling to be called this way.
'Of course not'.
'You may be one, not that I care. But to answer your question; the grandson of their guild master tried to take over the guild by force. He didn't mind threatening our lives', she leaned closer. 'But that's a secret'.
'Laxus did?', Rose wondered out loud. She had heard about it before.
'And that Gray-guy murdered his own teacher when he was young', the girl continued her rant. Rose had heard about that before. Not many people knew about it, besides it wasn't murder. It was a miscalculation of the situation made when he was a child. He blamed himself enough already... she did too. But in the end he turned out to be a pretty decent guy.
'Bisca was quick to draw out her gun when she was younger. I never saw her, but I've heard stories. And then there is that Gajeel of yours, one of the worst'.
'Worst? How come?'
'I'm sure you can still find damage at the ocean', she pointed towards a general direction. 'He, Juvia and their crew crashed in and were ready to destroy Fairy Tail and everything around it. Not even sure, but I heard that their only reason was to kidnap this Lucy-girl. Everyone ignores that it ever happened, so that's all I know'.
Rose was stunned. She had to confirm this. She could ask Lucy about it. 'Thank you', she stood up and walked away.
The girl yelled behind her: 'I don't care how nice and friendly they look! Don't trust them, Rose Mcgarden!'
Rose shot her head towards her. But the gamer girl had her eyes averted. Perhaps she was more known in the town than Rose thought.
---
Gajeel looked up from his plate when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Levy standing there.
'Hey, I'm coming in', she gave him a quick hug.
'Sure', he led her towards the living room where he crashed on the sofa. He reached for the last sandwich on his plate. Levy sat on a little edge that was left over.
'I think I made a mistake', she said.
'About?'
'Don't be mad', she began carefully. 'But I think Rose is still suspicious'.
'How?'
'She asked how we met and I just couldn't answer her'.
'Couldn't you just lie?', he growled while thinking.
'I can't. I just can't', she shook her head.
'Don't start crying about it... It's not like I care if she knows or not'.
'I'm not going to cry! But I screwed up within a day!', Levy complained.
Gajeel didn't really know what to say, but offered her a place in his arms to overthink what happened. They laid both on the sofa for a while. The subconscious mumbling gradually got less and less loud. Levy started to play with his hair by the time she had calmed down.
'I just want you two to get together. But I guess that is never going to happen'.
'I don't know shrimp. Maybe'.
'I hope so', she sighed.
They relaxed some more till later that day. They were doing mostly nothing as Levy started picking up books that were scattered around the house. She ended up reading one.
There was a knock on the door just before dinner.
'I swear if it's that cat again', Gajeel complained and walked to the door. 'I told him to use the backdoor'.
Levy chuckled and continued reading. 'Ahh Gajeel, is Levy here?', it was Lucy.
The script mage looked up from her book and stood up when her friend entered the room. 'You're not planning to eat here, or are you?', Gajeel growled.
'No, but thanks', Lucy smiled, but only for a moment. She looked serious the moment she crossed eyes with Levy. She walked up to her and took her hands. 'Rose asked me about Gajeel. I think she knows'.
'About Phantom Lord?', Levy asked, but she knew that this was the case. There was nothing else at the moment to raise this kind of panic. Lucy tried her best to find Levy, there had to be a reason for that.
Lucy nodded and waited a response. 'What did she say?', the bluenette wondered.
'She asked how you two met and where. She knew already I think'.
Levy became pale. 'Gajeel!?', she yelled. He came quickly.
'What?'
'Rose knows. She knows about Phantom'.
'So what?'
'She won't allow me to be with you', she was crying for the first time that day. Gajeel cursed mentally. He didn't want to say it out loud. But to him it was clear that was all Rose's fault that Levy had to cry. He wouldn't even lift a finger against her, he already made that mistake once and he didn't want to do that ever again. So why did she make Levy feel like this, only because they couldn't settle this?
'Let me talk to her', Levy straightened her back. She didn't cry anymore. She whipped away the tear stains. She wanted to end this.
'You've already tried', Lucy reminded her.
'Not face to face about what I want'.
'I don't know... She was really upset about the news. I don't think she is going to listen'.
'I'm sure I can show her tha-'.
'No', Gajeel boomed his voice. 'I'm going to talk to her'.
'You?', Lucy yelped. 'She will attack you before you can say a word. And you're not really the one with a silk voice'.
'A what?'
'Silk voice.. You know, never mind. How do you plan to get near her?', Lucy tried to reason this time.
Gajeel looked at Levy. 'We can always do a body switch again'.