A/N: It's been a while since I posted here! I've been in a bit of a writer's slump, but I'm trying to pull myself out. Currently, Little Talks is my big project! Please forgive the awful title, but I'm really awful at naming things whoops.
Waking up in the morning is just flat-out bad. It's awful. Horrendous. Whoever it was that rang the work buzzer signaling for the morning shift of a nearby factory to start nearby was committing an awful sin to everyone still asleep.
The city of Magnolia was waking up, however, and so was a disgruntled young woman. She groaned and pulled the sheets over her head as clamor started to rise up from the streets to her window. Footsteps from outside her room's door indicated that other people in the quarters were waking up and making their way towards the bathroom or the bar downstairs or wherever their usual morning stop was. The girls giggled and men grumbled, sounds much too distracting for her to remain asleep.
With a hefty sigh she sat straight up in the bed, blankets floating up and falling back down as she did so. An enormous yawn pried her mouth open and she ran a hand through her hair that stuck straight up in the back. Another yawn came and she stretched out her legs and swung them out of the bed. The sun, newly hung in the sky, and the early-morning energy of the Magnolia inhabitants greeted her. Windows were opening and workers, small as ants from her floor, were running through the streets in fear of being late for work.
The young woman stuck out her tongue slightly and yanked strands of unruly brunette hair from her mouth. She stepped towards the window and swung the flower curtains closed and put her hands on her hips, relishing in the darker room. The sun was too cheerfully yellow for her.
"It's too damn early for this."
"Morning, Evergreen!"
"Guf'mournin'," she mumbled around her toothbrush as she walked down the stairs.
Lisanna was serving breakfast to those few in the bar. Some of them were prepped for the day, others were, like herself, still in pajamas and coats and had hair flying everywhere. Fairy Tail was simply an environment where nobody judged you early in the morning. Early in the morning was free game and you could look and act almost however you wanted. All would be forgotten by noon at the very latest.
"Would you like some?" Mirajane asked politely, offering her a plate of fried eggs and toast as she walked by.
Evergreen took it with a small sound of thanks, eyes still mostly closed and toothbrush hanging limply from the corner of her mouth. The seat next to Cana was empty and she plopped down there, pulling the toothbrush from her mouth and setting it aside. She had barely picked up her fork when Cana swiveled on the barstool to face her, with a cheek in her hand and wolf-grin on her face.
"Wh's up Alberona?" she grumbled.
Beads of water showered her face and she blinked, turning to see Cana flicking droplets from her glass towards her. She glared and put down her fork, more awake now, and pressed a napkin to her lips politely. Cana crossed her legs, baring a dangerous amount of leg in her colorful dress, and she ceased showering the fellow brunette with water.
"Mornin' bearcat!" she said, leaning back on the stool. "We got some business to talk about. Go on, put on your business face. … Yeah, that's the one!"
"This is what my face always looks like, Cana."
"That's because you've got a business sort-of face! That's what I like about ya!" She leaned forward and stool the crust off of one of Ever's pieces of toast. "Hear you got a big load to pick up today, eh?"
"Correct," she said, neatly placing egg on a piece of toast. "We're running low and our next self-made batch of bootleg isn't gonna be done for another week or two. Master wants the four of us to go pick up some booze. Unfortunately, it's… from a questionable supplier."
"Ain't any pickup gonna be from a shady group? I mean, they're illegally selling the booze, so that in-and-of itself is just shady, ain't it?"
"I mean 'questionable' as in 'violent.' If things don't go as properly planned, we probably aren't getting out without a few cuts and bruises."
Cana winced and waited for Ever to down a glass of juice. More people were streaming in, those who were fresh and ready for the day after freshening up. Levy and Natsu were talking excitedly about something while they waited in line for the Strauss Breakfast Special. Erza was, of course, letting everyone go in front of her like the well-mannered woman she was, and Gajeel and Gray seemed to be on the brink of an argument.
Peace was just not going to last for long once an argument broke out.
"I got a favor to ask of you."
Any favor asked by the notorious drinker Cana Alberona had to do with alcohol most certainly. It was always about getting a few personal bottles that she didn't have to share the with fatcats and other customers coming in for a drink. Cana slid a substantial amount of jewel bills across the bar towards her.
"I really need a couple bottles of the nicest wine they got, if they do have it." Cana had lowered her voice to something barely over a whisper. "If this ain't enough, could you pay for the rest? I swear I'll pay ya back soon as I got the funds. Tonights gonna be a big night here at the speakeasy so I'm sure to get some tips!"
"Why the wine?" Evergreen asked. She slid the jewel over by her toothbrush. "All you usually want is the same-old-same-old scotch."
"Well…"
An uncharacteristic blush stained her cheeks and she glanced away briefly. Ever then remembered that within the next couple of days probably, it would be Cana and Mira's three month anniversary. Three months wasn't that long, in her own opinion, but given how Mirajane had been chattering on cheerfully about it for the past week, it wasn't a surprise that Cana felt obligated to do something nice.
"Elfman and Lisanna promised to make us up a nice dinner, but I wanted to get some real nice drinks, y'know?" Cana whispered. "It's gonna be a surprise, so don't let slip nothin'. We got ourselves a deal, bearcat?"
"Fine, fine. I'm sure it'll be the cat's meow, Cana."
An even larger grin burst out over the young woman's face and her hand landed directly on top of Ever's head and began to ruffle her hair. "You're so cute, doll! I just knew you were a secret romantic at heart, stickin' your neck out for me so I can get my girl somethin' nice!"
"C-Cana, stop! This is a public place and I refused to be degraded like this!"
"Oi."
A large figure loomed over them and Cana released her with a fake groan of irritation. Laxus Dreyar took Ever a long, lingering look before turning to the colorful woman who was giggling merrily behind a hand. Freed and Bickslow flanked him in the back, Freed serious as usual and Bickslow leaning back and cracking jokes to Natsu at the table close behind him.
"I'd appreciate it if you left my team alone," Laxus said. "You're making her look soft and cuddly by rufflin' her like that."
"I'll leave the doll alone, tough guy. But you can't say she ain't soft and cuddly already. I mean, look at this face!"
Ever's face was captured between Cana's fingers and squished, merely a prop for her to poke fun at Laxus. She squirmed between the grip and turned her eyes coldly towards Laxus. He leaned in and separated the two women and cuffed Cana over the head gently.
"I said to leave my team alone. Squish 'er face again and I'll see you get no hooch for a week."
"Have fun with that. You can't keep it from the bartender, after all."
Cana began to ignore them as soon as Mirajane approached to take Ever's finished plate. Laxus began to guide her away and she leaned back and snatched up her toothbrush and Cana's jewel. Immediately, Bickslow swung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to ruffle her hair. She weakly protested.
"We get some real action today, baby!" he said. "Maybe we'll have'ta tussle with these fellas!"
"I'd rather not," Freed commented, glancing back at them. "The more we 'tussle,' the more attention we bring to our operation. Would you care to get caught by Ivan, Bickslow?"
With a pout Bickslow dropped his arm from his companion and glared straight ahead. "No. If we did get caught by that guy though, I'd give 'im a kick in his nuts!"
"Bickslow," Freed scolded, "that's no kind of language we use-"
"Me too," Laxus said, offering Bickslow his hand for a high-five.
"We're surrounded by uncouth idiots," Freed hissed to Evergreen.
"Oh, leave 'em be, bluenose. Men'll be men… That's just how it goes."
With a soft scoff and a straightening of his coat, Freed blushed slightly and walked forward to be by Laxus again. The three men chattered (or, rather, Bickslow chattered, Freed commented here and there, and Laxus mumbled) while Ever went up the stairs back towards the living quarters. More and more people were starting to get dressed and, as a proper lady, she refused to be the last one out of her pajamas. It was also going to be time to get to work soon, and you couldn't do that in cotton trousers and an overshirt. It simply wasn't done.
She had just opened up her closet when a knock on the door came and it opened. Levy stood in the doorway, smiling cheerfully while she waited for Evergreen to acknowledge her.
"Oi, Levy, black shirt or white shirt today?" she asked without a greeting, holding up either shirt in her hands.
"White! It's much more professional," Levy chirped. "I was just about to make a run to the dry-cleaners and was wondering if you had anything you needed taken care of." Levy turned her eyes away while Ever took off her overshirt and slid her arms into the button-up. Her fingers brushed against an old dark green greatcoat hanging on a vanity. "How about this? You're always wearing it, I'm sure it needs some professional washing!"
"Take it, but tell 'em to be very careful, if you don't mind. Also, toss me my suspenders over there."
"Is the coat important?" Levy asked as she folded the coat over her arm. "You've had it ever since you came here!"
"It's warm and stuff. I like it," was all she had to say. As soon as she opened up her drawer and pulled a small gun out, Levy began to step towards the door. "I'm not gonna shoot you. Relax, doll. Tried that one time and it didn't work out."
A nervous laugh tripped into the room. Levy's shoulders relaxed as Evergreen clipped the gun into the holder connected to her suspenders. It had been four months since the "episode," as it was frequently referred to by those in Fairy Tail, and she was surprised that the only time the girls flinched around her was when she had a gun in her hand. Once someone held you at gunpoint for a good three hours, you had the right to get sick simply by looking at them. You had to be a real big person to be able to smile at them and even do them favors.
Levy McGarden may have been tiny in stature, but she was one of the biggest people Ever had ever met.
"Go on, Levy. I hear you got a lot of books to sort out today. Go drop off all those clothes and get to it before tonight."
"O-okay! Be safe!"
The door slammed and Ever sighed while she adjusted the straps of her suspenders. Finding suspenders that fit over her chest was hard enough, and it seemed like she had to readjust them every time she put them on. She had neglected to do so once in the past and it had, embarrassingly enough, almost cost her her life. One strap had slid down her arm and surprised her enough that a rival gang member had almost put a bullet in her head while she wrestled for her gun.
Bickslow still didn't let her live it down.
Laxus opened the door of her room without bothering to knock. She jumped and turned towards him, quickly buttoning up her shirt while sputtering.
"Put on your coat and let's go. Master wants a quick word with us before we head out to pick up the shipment."
"Don't rush a lady while she gets ready. It's not polite," she snapped, whisking her coat over her shoulders.
"'It's not polite,'" Laxus mimicked in a high-pitched voice. He slapped her on the back when she passed through the door.
"That's not what I sound like!"
"Her voice is a little lower-pitched," Freed commented as they walked down the stairs. "More like"-He cleared his throat-"'it's not polite.'"
"You're making her sound like a man!" Laxus defended.
"You're making her sound like a small girl!" Freed snapped back.
The two bickered between each other as they walked towards the exit, catching bemused looks from others. A few snickers were shared behind hands. Evergreen lengthened her stride and made for the exit, embarrassed to the point that her cheeks were turning red. It wasn't often that Freed and Laxus had an argument, but when they did, it was always something perfectly embarrassing, like the two of them shouting "it's not polite" in different, high tones of voice. Embarrassing, embarrassing, utterly embarrassing.
"Hey, Ever, look-! Oh, there she goes."
A man the size of a mountain stepped out of the backdoor of the kitchen just when, unfortunately, Evergreen had taken a particularly wide stride. Her head whacked against the large crate he carried and she stumbled back, her feet moving out from under her, but he, on instinct most definitely, removed one hand from his load and grabbed her wrist. She was caught with complete ease and he only had to adjust his grip on the crate slightly.
"Y-you alright?"
And of course it was him. Elfman was looking at her with painfully worried eyes that seemed both out of place and at home on such a sharp face. Pressing her lips in irritation, she regained her footing and yanked her wrist out of his hand and moved around him. Ever stuffed her hands into her pockets and glared straight ahead.
"Fine, thanks. Watch where you're going next time."
"Hey, you're the one who ran into me!" he defended.
"Well, maybe if you weren't so large, there wouldn't be a problem!"
"If you weren't always in such a hurry-"
"If you-"
"No more fighting. Elfman, good to see you. Don't drop that." Laxus grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards the door while she still shouted.
Bickslow and Freed followed closely, attempting to hold in laughs. Their eyes were swimming with tears and their cheeks were puffed up smugly with the effort. It only threw gas onto her flames. She scowled so fiercely at them that they immediately swallowed their chortles and looked away awkwardly, though they still smirked.
The late spring air warmed them as they stepped outside. The street's crowd had thinned out with less workers bustling to their jobs. Vendors still sat on the side of the road, though, offering goods such as fresh fruits and loafs of foreign breads. The area where the speakeasy and living quarters was located just bordered the nicest part of the city, and many came to the area to sell their products to those on their way to work or who were out shopping.
"What's the master wanna talk about?" Bickslow said around a mouthful of apple. "Ain't we gonna see 'im tonight when business gets busy?"
"Apparently, Gramps needs to see us 'officially.' Some sort of secret thing that he doesn't want everyone to know right now." Laxus walked quickly. "I hear Erza and a few others like Natsu and Gajeel have been let in on it, too."
"So it's not quite common info," Freed affirmed.
The buildings were becoming taller and nicer, constructed with shining metal and smooth brick. The sidewalks were cleaner and couples walked arm-in-arm, window shopping mostly. Sleek automobiles drove past more frequently. Flower pots were planted outside every shop to give a hospitable, gentle feeling. Magnolia was fortunate, as a profitable place, to have most of the city be so clean and nice.
Unfortunately, however, the cost of having the majority of the city be proper and respectable was that the far off slums were dirtier and meaner. The deeper you went into the labyrinth, the more vicious people became and the more illegal activities took place. It was the kind of place that you certainly didn't want to be caught in at night; that is, if you couldn't defend yourself.
The doorman to a particularly fancy building bowed slightly and held the door open for them as they walked in. The lobby was carpeted with deep red velvet and sleek furniture decorated it, the highest standard of modern fashion. The lady sitting at the front desk smiled and stood as they approached.
"Mr. Dreyar is in his office waiting for you. Would you like an escort?"
"We're perfectly fine, thank you," Freed said as they walked past and into the elevator. "Please have a good day, ma'am."
Bickslow hummed loudly as they waited for the elevator to take them to the top floor. Freed tapped his foot and Laxus drummed his fingers against the wall, creating something of an awkward-noise-fueled symphony. When the elevator finally opened, Laxus all but shoved them out the door and towards his grandfather's office. He opened the door without even announcing himself, causing the old man at the desk to jump and frown at them.
"M-master!" Freed stammered out, clearly appalled at Laxus' rude entrance. "Good afternoon!"
"Kids." He cleared his throat and put down his papers. "I'm sorry to have called you here when you've got other business to attend to, but there is something rather important I have to share." He laced his shriveled fingers together while all four of them found a seat. "But first, how is the speakeasy doing? I haven't been there in a month due to work, but Erza tells me 'well,' though she's always overly enthusiastic about business."
"It's doing fine," Ever said, folding her hands in her lap. "Our attendance rates haven't gone down at all. If anything, they've increased."
"Only issue is we're runnin' low on hooch," Bickslow said, leaning forward in his elegant chair. "We're goin' to get the good stuff when this is done, just like ya asked, Mr. Big Cheese!"
"Bickslow," Makarov muttered. "I've told you to stop calling me 'Mr. Big Cheese.' What am I going to do with you?"
"Keep sending me out for the good action, that's what!" He tossed back his head and cackled. "Just don't toss me back out on the streets. I've got enemies there!"
"None of you are going back on the streets," Makarov affirmed with a warm smile, half-hidden behind his moustache. "What kind of father tosses his children out of his house and care?"
Laxus glared and cleared his throat. Makarov caught his expression and sighed, leaning back again.
"You were a troublesome exception. Any father would toss out his child who tries to kill the other children."
The blond gave a shrug, muttering something about the past being in the past, about how he was a jerk back then, and fell silent. Freed gave a nervous laugh, trying to ease up the tension, and Evergreen sighed at the complete idiocy in the room. Laxus was just lucky he was cute and someone she admired to the highest degree, or else she would've given him a good slap upside the head on a regular basis.
"What's this news?" Laxus asked, wandering about the office. He pulled books out from the shelves halfway and jammed them back in after flipping through them.
"Seeing as how you're the security force for the speakeasy, I decided you should know the information," Makarov started.
The old man hopped down from his chair with an envelope in hand. He slid it into Evergreen's hands and the three men crowded around her chair as she began to pull out the contents.
Makarov continued. "We've gotten word from Lamia that Tartaros may be active."
A chill shot up her spine as her eyes brushed over the pictures. Her fingers flicked through one after the other. Images of corpses lying in the streets took up some, the intercrossing hammers of the Tartaros symbol painted on the streets in a mixture of chalk and blood. Others were pictures of men dressed like black ink, Tartaros' signature lacky wardrobe, walking down alleys. There was another picture of a woman dressed in a deep red dress with a black military coat, a cloche hat pulled down low over her face. Black hair flowed out from the back of the hat, and the picture didn't capture her face.
"You think they'll come after us?" Bickslow said, sober and concerned. "We did take down Oracion and we've had Grimoire on the ropes for a while. They'd come at us for revenge, if anything."
"Tartaros generally has no direct target," Makarov reminded, sitting back down at his desk. "They're an embodiment of chaos itself. They never have specific targets unless they need to get rid of something. They simply stomp on whatever is in their way." In emphasis, Makarov slammed his fist down. The four of them jumped. "I'd say that so long as we don't get in their way, they won't harm us, but it feels wrong to let them do as they please."
"I'd suggest waiting for them to make a move, if they do," Laxus said. He plucked the photos out of Evergreen's fingers and held them to the light. "This could just be a hoax. Any common thug could paint the Tartaros symbol in blood to be 'edgy.'"
"Killing people to be 'edgy' seems to be an extreme," Freed mumbled.
Makarov laughed. "That's almost exactly what Erza said. In any case, I wouldn't want the three of you to worry." He nodded at Freed, Ever, and Bickslow. "I'd put Laxus and Erza, maybe even Mira, on the case if anything happened. They're our best after all."
Evergreen's muscles had gone tense and the tips of her fingers were numb as she clutched the arms of the chair. Her own breathing was all she could hear as the four men went on talking. Despair was clawing into her marrow, as it always did when she merely heard the very word "Tartaros." Freed's hand laid his hand over her own, taking notice of her tenseness.
The word would put any sane person on edge. It was considered an incredibly brutal and notorious mob, but some even went so far as to refer to them as a terrorist organization. They had been quiet for the past couple of years, but their crimes consisted of mass murder, the destruction of rich and noble families, arson on buildings full of civilians, the likes. Things that hardly anybody else could even stomach thinking of doing.
Makarov had finished during some point of her thinking. "You're all dismissed. Thank you for coming in, and please be safe when you go to pick up the shipment. You can use one of the company cars downstairs to haul it all back to the speakeasy."
"Thank you, sir," Freed said as he corralled the rest of them out. "We look forward to seeing you again at the speakeasy now that the busy month is over."
"I look forward to partying it up with all the pretty young girls!" he replied, puffing out his chest.
"Just make sure you don't break your hip in the process, old man," Laxus said.
A stapler went flying over their heads and they ran down the hall, pushing at each other.
"Get out of here, you disrespectful children!"
The buildings blocked out a good deal of the sun, leaving them mostly in shadows. The head bootlegger they found themselves faced with as they stepped out of the car was dressed in a gaudy canary yellow shirt and a light brown fedora. His lack of color coordination seemed to be making Freed sick. He turned his eyes away and squinted, as though he had gazed for too long at the sun. It was almost laughable at how sensitive he was to bad fashion. It was his kryptonite, an amusing one at that.
"God help that man," he hissed under his breath as they walked forward.
"You're late," the fashion disaster said as they walked forward. His stubble was unclean and disorderly and a cigar hung out of his mouth. He pulled it out and blew puffs of smoke in their direction. "Some business etiquette."
"Sorry. We had some stuff to do," Laxus said. He pulled a wad of jewel out of his pocket and offered it. "You got the hooch?"
"Sure," he said, gesturing broadly at the truck behind him. Two lackeys dramatically pulled back the cover, revealing multiple cases of moonshine. "All yours. But…"
"But?" Freed echoed, hands on his hips.
"I'm raisin' the fee by 500,000 jewel as a penalty for your tardiness."
"50,000!?" Ever exclaimed, stepping forward. "Outrageous!"
The bootlegger blew another plume of smoke into the air. Evergreen blinked and it seemed that the lackeys had been armed with guns in that split second. She could have sworn that they weren't armed before.
"Longer we stay 'ere, bigger the chance is we get caught. So, y'see, this is a small thing to ask," the fashion disaster said in a smug voice. "You refuse, these boys gun y'down."
Bickslow leaned forward and lifted a hand to whisper into Laxus' ear. "Boss, we didn't bring that kinda dough! What do we do?"
Laxus scowled and glared, shoving the jewel back into his coat pocket. "Look, we don't want any trouble. We're sorry for bein' late and we brought you the right amount of cash. Just hand over the moonshine or we'll leave without doing any business. Had an earful?"
The boss clicked his tongue thrice and wagged a beefy finger. "Now, sir, you can't just leave. Pay the extra to get the hooch, that's what I'm sayin' to ya. Don't do that, try to leave, and we blast your brains out." He put the same finger to the side of his head like a gun and made a slow exploding sound.
"Let's all be civil!" Freed said. He rushed to the middle and threw out his arms. "We fight, we could get the attention of the Bureau. Then nobody wins! Now, ple- Oh, Lord." Freed threw up his arms and moved back to stand by Laxus as the bootlegger pulled a gun out, aimed right at his throat. "How indecent."
Laxus crossed the distant in two lightning-fast strides and lifted the shorter man by his collar. "Don't pull a gun on my crew again. Point it at me, 's fine, but these three are off limits."
The bootlegger had a begrudging look of respect on his face, despite the fact that his toes were barely touching the ground and Laxus was very angry, very fearless, even though he had the barrel of a gun pressed against his abdomen. Ever pressed her lips, tucking her hand under her coat and gripping at the gun stored by her side. The lackeys had their guns pointed straight as Laxus as well. A single wrong move could result in a bloodbath. They had been stuck in this situation before, of course, but they never made it less tense, less frightening. It was hard to ever get over situations where lives were at stake.
She had to be faster than all of them.
"Put me down and my boys don't turn y'into swiss cheese, hot rod," the bootlegger said, patting Laxus' arm quickly. "Maybe we can come to a compromise."
Laxus dropped him with no amount of grace or care, taking a few steps back. The bootlegger fixed his canary shirt and readjusted his disastrous fedora. The lackeys lowered their guns quickly but held them at the ready, military-style almost.
"You got some sort of idea?" Laxus huffed. "I'm gettin' impatient."
After adjusting his tie, the bootlegger straightened up. "I'll take off the 50,000 if you give me somethin' else. That gal over there. Give me a chance with your moll, kid, and all is the bees knees."
Bickslow lifted a hand to his mouth and coughed into it, disguising a laugh. Freed flinched and squinted away again, while Laxus merely lifted an eyebrow. Evergreen shut her eyes and forced down the sneer that was tugging at her top lip. It wasn't unusual that she'd be constantly mistaken for "his girl." She'd been on plenty a business call where bootleggers brought their molls with them. Of course their situation wouldn't look much different- except for the fact that instead of the flapper dresses and short hair, she wore trousers and suspenders and kept her hair long and wild.
Laxus played along. "You wanna hit my girl?" He looked back at her, a sly glare in his eye and his sharp teeth showing as he grinned. "Whaddya say, doll?"
It was showtime: She put on her award-winning smile and clasped her hands primly in front of her, walking forward daintly. It wasn't ever that hard to fake a blush, so she wore one. She looked like a regular fatcat when she acted, bred good and clean and proper.
"Move them pretty gams quicker, doll," he said. Anger warmed her lower stomach. She was only a few feet away now. She was close enough to kick him where it hurt.
His arm snuck around her waist and he turned back to his crew. "Think she's a cute one, boys? Dunno how a shoddy pill like 'im got the likes of 'er."
Lower and lower his hand went, down towards inappropriate places. It was becoming harder to keep up her smile and she glanced back towards the three men. Laxus gave a shrug, Bickslow a thumbs up, and Freed nodded, looking almost guilty. If that wasn't her permission, nothing was.
The bootlegger howled out an expletive as she grabbed his arm and twisted it back to a painful angle. His cigar fell out of his mouth. The lackeys seemed to be dumbfounded for a second, giving her enough time to muster up all her strength and hurl him into them. They all three toppled to the ground, smashing against the truck. One took a wild shot that missed badly. He opened his eyes and took better aim, but before he pulled the trigger on her, a slim piece of metal flew through the air. It planted right below his thumb and he screamed, dropping the gun from the injured hand.
Freed was walking forward, slipping another knife between his fingers with expert precision and care. He looked more savage than gentlemanly and gentle whenever he held a weapon. Bickslow was at her side within a blink, a gun pointed down directly between the bootlegger's eyes, and Laxus merely kicked the other lackey with enough force to render him unconscious. With a fluid movement, her gun was in her hand and also aimed at the bootlegger.
His eyes were darting back and forth and beads of fat sweat slipped down and pooled in the crevice of his upper lip. He was stammering intelligently, nothing of surprise when you had the barrel of two guns pointed at your head.
"G-go on, I'm sorry, t-take it for half-price!" he stammered. "J-just don't kill me and my boys, I'm beggin'! I'm s-sorry I touched your g-gal!"
"Really sorry?" Ever asked, pressing down on the trigger for show.
"Real sorry!" he shrieked.
"What would your mother think?" she said, sliding the gun back in its holster beneath her coat. "Shameful."
"Ohhh, the ol' 'mother-guilt-trip,'" Bickslow said with a chuckle. "That's cold, baby. Ice cold."
Freed and Laxus had begun packing the alcohol into the back of their car. Ever went to help while Bickslow kept the gun pointed straight and true. The two lackeys were completely unconscious, one from the pain of the knife and the other from his massive headache. The bootlegger was stuttering out excuses to Bickslow and reasons as to why he should absolutely definitely certainly should not be shot.
"Hey, pikers!" she shouted back. "Got any good wine in the back of that truck?"
"J-just got in a case yesterday," he stammered. "Straight from the best cellar in Edolas! T-take it for free! My treat!"
The three men got into the car while she pulled out the entire case. With a look of disdain, she tossed Cana's jewel on him like confetti. "Just take your money. I'm an honest bootlegger and I pay my dues."
Laxus leaned out the car window while Freed started the car. "Thanks for the good clean business boys. Have a nice day."
The car drove off with the insane laughter of Bickslow trailing after.
Slang Used:
Bearcat- A feisty woman
Cat's meow- Cool, a good time
Bluenose- A prude person
"Had an earful?"- Understand?
Moll- A gangster/mobster's girl
Piker- A coward