Juvia's out shopping

Juvia's afternoon had been a delightful escapade through Shamballa. She had already perused the town's dining selections, went into a couple art galleries, and had taken a moment to enjoy the beautiful waterfront. But something was lacking. Her sweet Gray. She had pleaded with the other girls to let him join them but Erza had been very firm on the 'no boys rule' of this vacation. But as Juvia now found herself in the town's shopping district, an idea came to her. She began now wandering around with some direction, casually window shopping and occasionally going in to check the stores out. However, none of them seemed to have what she was looking for: a potential gift that she could bring back for Gray. Juvia really didn't have an idea of what she was looking for, but she knew it would dawn on her when she saw it.

"Ah, why must it be so hard to find the perfect gift for Gray?" whined Juvia to no one in particular as she entered the next shop.

"Hello? Can I help you?" spoke the young man in a crimson blazer behind the counter, wondering who this blue haired woman, who had just entered his shop, was speaking to.

"Oh, Juvia is just browsing for a gift."

The shop owner tilted his head at her referring to herself in third person.

"Alright, well just let me know if you need anything. Name's Axel."

The shop she had entered was almost like a toy shop. It was filled from wall to wall with cute plushies of animals and impressively detailed figurines of mages and monsters. But something caught her eye. In contrast to all the color, a plain black box with gold writing on it stood out to her. She got close to inspect it.

"Build Your Own Doll?" Juvia read out loud.

"Oh, that! Yes," Axel answered, having noticed that she seemed to be actually taking an interest in the product, and began rattling off his sales pitch. "It definitely makes for a great gift. It lets you make a realistic recreation of whomever you want. Really easy to customize too, and step by step instructions, so no need to be intimidated by the do-it-yourself part. And I've got nothing but positive feedback, mostly from girls who made dolls of themselves for their boyfriends-"

A lightbulb went off in Juvia's head.

"You mean, Juvia could make a doll of herself for Gray?" she asked with urgency.

"Don't know who that is- but Juvia sure can," the clerk answered playfully.

Juvia's eyes shone and her body shimmied at the thought.

"Then Gray could always have a Juvia with him, even when we're apart," she babbled excitedly.

"So I take it you'll want it?" Axel asked with a chuckle.

"Yes!" exclaimed Juvia.

And with that, Juvia purchased the doll making kit on the spot.

"Bye," waved Axel as she left his shop. "Hope you enjoy it, and hope to see you again!"

He couldn't suppress a mischievous grin once the door had closed. The trap had been set, all he had to was wait.

(Author's note: Another set up chapter, again like Erza, Juvia will be getting involved in some hypno hijinks soon enough. And funnily enough, theirs are the two routes I'm most excited for, tbf I like all the routes I'm setting up for this story, but Juvia and Erza's stuff was got me motivated to do this story.)