I have no excuses.

*throws chapter and crab scuttles away*

"Are you going to knock or just stand there like a gaping fool?" A smooth, scathing voice snarked from behind her.

"Uh, right." Lucy mumbled, squaring her shoulders and knocking like she probably should have done at least three minutes sooner. She couldn't exactly help it, though. The Mountain Village Historical Research Facility was nothing like she thought it would be.

Well, she hadn't really put any thought into what it would look like, but she certainly didn't expect…this.

It was pink.

All of it.

The shutters were bejeweled, the windows a pink stained glass, and the outside paneling was a bright vivid hot pink. With glitter. It was so…much…that it was almost hypnotizing.

Lahar wasn't faring much better, at least internally. He hadn't the slightest inclination of why a sane person would decorate their place of business so…flamboyantly. And as the door in front of the blond opened, he concluded that they were, in fact, not sane at all.

"Hi hi hi! How can I help you, lovelies?" A small woman trilled, practically bouncing in place.

Shaking off her stupor, the Celestial mage threw on a bright smile, raising her hand to show her pink guild mark. "Hello! We are the Fairy Tail mages that responded to your request."

The short woman's large brown eyes blew wide, her bouncing picking up speed. "Why yes yes yes come in! I have been waiting for your arrival. I hope the travel delays weren't too much of an inconvenience for you, lovelies." With surprising strength the small woman grabbed both of their arms and dragged them inside the vivid structure. "Now I am a very very very busy woman you see, so I will get straight to the point of the matter."

Lahar grunted as he was practically thrown into a plush magenta armchair. The interior of the building was just as outlandish as the exterior, more pinks and purples, with splashes of blue thrown about with absolutely no rhyme or reason.

Sliding his glasses back up his nose, he sat up straighter in his seat and stole a quick glance at his temporary partner. She sat perfectly straight, legs crossed at the ankles, a polite smile on her face.

So the girl had manners. Interesting.

"My name is Sophie and I am the head researcher around here." She said, hopping up into her own chair and tucking her shoulder length raven hair behind her ears. "Here are all the details you need, including a map of the area. The entrance to the temple was found by my excavation team way way way down deep in what we believe was some sort of underground society. It's all so fascinating and wonderful, and as much as I'd like to get right in there right now, we have no way of knowing if any danger waits behind those doors." Sophie explained, handing Lucy a stack of papers.

The paper was pink, she really shouldn't have been surprised.

"Now what we think this lovely structure is, is a temple worshiping an ancient god. Which god? We have no clue. We also don't know if there are traps, or creatures, or anything really. You won't be alone, however. My team is down there daily, taking samples of basically everything we can get our hands on."

Lahar was confused, though. "Excuse me, Sophie. But the request said we were to find the temple. Are you saying that it has already been found?"

Sophie turned to look at him, as if noticing him for the first time. Her cheeks turned pink, and she leaned forward in her seat. "Yes yes yes, you see we kept digging around while you were making your way here. I would have told you sooner but I had no way of getting in touch with you. The job has changed, you see. I ask that you please explore the temple. Give it a sweep before my team and I start exploring it ourselves."

Lucy cleared her throat delicately, thoroughly miffed. "It is against guild-to-client regulation to change the job itself after mages have already been assigned to the task." She said, matter-of-factly.

Sophie ducked her head. "I am very very very sorry. I am well aware of that rule, so I have arranged for your reward to be doubled. Is that acceptable compensation for this inconvenience?" She asked, glancing between the two hopefully.

Rent. Sweet Mavis the rent money! Lucy thought to herself excitedly.

Nodding enthusiastically, Lucy stood to shake the small woman's hand. "That is absolutely acceptable! We will take tonight to prepare and set out bright and early in the morning."

With a girlish squeal, Sophie ushered them out of the facility as quickly as she had dragged them into it. "Wonderful wonderful, absolutely wonderful! Bye now!"

And the hot pink door slammed in their faces.

With a nervous laugh, Lucy looked up to see how her new partner was faring.

"You ready for this, Lahar?" She asked.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Lahar nearly rolled his eyes as he turned to walk back to the inn. "Leave it to you to pick a job that has the strangest requestor."

The blond laughed from behind him. "Believe it or not, I've had stranger."

The green-haired man stopped walking when he realized that she sounded a good bit behind him. Turning, he found he was correct in his assumption, as she was still standing at the end of the pathway they had just come down.

"Why on Earthland are you still standing there? I am tired and simply famished… and why are you laughing?" He groused.

Amber eyes sparkled with mirth as his travel companion pointed down the cobblestone path in the opposite direction he was traveling.

"The Inn is that way."

Her laughter followed him the entirety of their journey back.

{}{}{}{}

Lucy sighed, combing the last few strands of wet hair, before putting it back in her toiletry bag.

She was not prepared to share a bed. Why did she have to suggest that in the first place? Why did she always have to get herself into these situations?"

"Why me…" she whined, allowing herself a moment to sulk at her own idiocy.

Squaring her shoulders, she met her own eyes in the reflection of the still partially fogged up bathroom mirror.

"Okay, Lucy. You got yourself into this, you already offered to share, so you can't change your mind now. It's not like he is going to try anything. That stick is so far up his pooper it'll be a miracle if he can sleep in any position besides flat on his back. Oh crap I hope he can't hear me talking to myself in here." She slapped her cheeks. "Get ahold of yourself!"

She could do this, right?

Lahar wasn't doing much better in keeping his nerves together. He had wanted a shower but he decided that it would be much easier for the both of them if he just got under the covers and feigned sleep. Much less awkwardness if they don't even look at each other, right? That was his theory at least, so he did just that.

Quickly changing into his sleep pants and a loose shirt, he folded his dirty clothes, brushed his hair, and climbed into bed.

He had just pulled his arm back from placing his glasses on the nightstand next to him when the bathroom door opened, steam billowing out into the room.

Lahar stayed as still and relaxed as he could under the sheets, listening to the soft footsteps padding across the room.

"Huh, must have been more tired than I thought. Oh well." He heard her whisper to herself. "Stop talking to yourself for the love of Mavis!"

Lunacy. Complete and utter lunacy. Still, his shoulders started to shake against his will, a single chuckle escaping the stronghold of his emotions. He was starting to think this lunacy was contagious. Once again, he found himself laughing at something absolutely ridiculous this insane little fairy had done.

Lunacy.

"Oh sorry, Lahar. Did I wake you?" A bashful sounding Lucy said, the bed dipping next to him.

With a sigh, he responded, not even opening his eyes. "I hadn't fallen asleep yet. Now if you are done conversing with yourself, I would like to at some point in the near future."

Silence met him, and he smiled triumphantly. He finally got to embarrass her back after that humiliating repeat of directional obliviousness. It was so unlike him, but with this victory, he could sleep peacefully, this awkwardness all but forgotten.

{}{}{}{}

A fist to the face had Lucy waking with a start.

"What the crap?" She asked herself groggily, opening her eyes to find the room still completely dark. "Ow…"

Squinting to her bedmate beside her, she was able to make out his features from the glow of the lacrima clock on the small table next to the bed. It was still in the early hours of the morning, barely even past midnight.

But besides that…

Lahar was sleeping like a damn starfish! One leg was thrown over hers along with an arm over her face, and his head smooshed into his pillow. He snored away, blissfully unaware of his breach of her personal space.

"Uhhhh…" She grumbled, removing his arm from her face, only for it to come flinging back with a resounding smack.

"You have got to be kidding me." She growled under her breath. "Nope. Absolutely not." Uncaring that she was still talking to herself, an idea popped into her head.

Cackling as quietly as she could, she positioned her feet against him and pushed.

The rune mage groaned from his new place on the ground, but didn't wake.

With an evil grin, Lucy curled up under the covers. Just as she was about to close her eyes, she started feeling a little bad about leaving him with nothing down there.

Chucking a pillow haphazardly over the edge of the bed, she sighed and snuggled back into the blankets. Much better.

Trying my best guys! Crossing my fingers that I'm back for good this time.

Love, lovely.

:)