This chapter was a little too much fun to write.

As a bit of forewarning - this story is going to get a little ridiculous. Because why not.

The bar was still fairly empty when Jellal finally got off work. Still having some things to finish up, Lucy had urged him to go ahead and save them seats – but it was looking like that wouldn't have been necessary after all. The two kept some odd hours, which meant that they were often off work at strange times. Most people were probably not quite off work just yet. It would fill up in a couple of hours though, Jellal judged, so he made sure to take off his jacket and set it down on one stool while he occupied the one beside it.

Spotting him, the bartender soon made his way over to the man. "What can I get you?" the nondescript man asked. Jellal liked to try to remember faces, but he had a feeling that this man's would be one he'd forget almost immediately, no matter how hard he tried.

"What do you have on tap?" inquired Jellal. After the bartender had finished relaying the choices to him, he ordered one and watched as the man left to ready the drink.

In his pocket, his phone buzzed. Withdrawing it from his pocket, Jellal raised an eyebrow at the lit-up name on the screen. He took a deep breath – centering himself – and then hit Talk, raising the phone to his ear. "Hello, Erza," he greeted, as calmly as he could. Although he hadn't even drunk anything yet, his stomach was queasy, twisting up into nervous knots the likes of which a balloon artist would envy.

"Jellal!" his ex said on the other end, her smile clear in her voice. He had always been able to tell when she was, somehow. It had been fun to brag about when they were dating, but now it was a painful drag on his heart. "Did you check your mail today? I sent you something."

"Yeah," he told her. A cold beer, condensation already beading on the glass mug, appeared beside him, and he smiled up at the bartender in thanks. He tried to put a smile into his voice as well for Erza. "I got the wedding invitation."

There was a brief silence between them, only the sounds of their breathing coming through the phone. Behind him, Jellal heard a couple more people enter the bar, but he didn't turn around to see if Lucy was among their number. He was pretty visible from where he was seated, so she shouldn't have any trouble finding him when she eventually showed up.

"So?" Erza finally asked when she could no longer stand the quiet between them.

"So… what?"

"Are you coming or not?"

"Oh, yes. Of course I'm coming," Jellal responded. "I've already asked my boss for the time off, and he agreed. I shouldn't have any problem making it."

"That's good." She breathed the words out in what Jellal could only interpret as a sigh of relief.

Pulling out a napkin from the nearby dispenser and a pen from his pocket, Jellal asked, "Where are you registered, by the way?" Awkwardly, he balanced his phone between his ear and his shoulder, needing both hands to write and keep the napkin steady as Erza gave him the place. "Okay, got it. Thanks."

"So how was work?"

The segue was easy, and the common phrase caught Jellal by surprise. It wasn't so much the words themselves, but the way that Erza had said it. Like she was genuinely interested in the answer, and not just making polite conversation. In the beginning of their relationship, they'd asked it of each other often. Towards the end… they hadn't said it at all. When was it that they'd stopped wanting to know how the other's day had been? When had they lost interest in each other's lives?

"Jellal?" Erza asked, when he hadn't answered her question, caught in the memories as he was. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." Clearing his throat, he mustered up an excuse. "I'm sorry, I'm at a bar right now. I'm meeting a work friend for drinks. Can I call you back later?" Guilt rose up in his gut at the deception, even though it wasn't a complete falsehood. Lucy was his friend, and they were meeting for drinks. She just hadn't arrived yet, is all.

"Oh!" Her voice sounded surprised, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. This is a bit unusual for you."

Did she think he didn't have any friends outside their shared circle? Then again, Lucy was technically her friend as well, so maybe he didn't. Mild annoyance swept away most of the guilt he felt at ending the call. "Is it?" he asked her, unable to fully keep his emotions out of his voice.

"…I didn't mean it like that," she replied, after a moment's pause. "And you know it. I just meant that you never talked much about your job with me, or any of your coworkers. So I was surprised a little that you'd mention them now."

"Anyway, I'll call you back later, Erza."

She didn't pursue it further. "Alright. Goodbye, Jellal."

"Goodbye." He ended the call, and then set the phone down on the bar counter instead of returning it to his pocket. For the next ten minutes, he nursed his beer in silence and watched a basketball game on the television. He had no idea who was playing, but one side was certainly getting destroyed rather soundly. Now there was a group of people whose lives were – for the moment, anyway – just as unpleasant as his.

When it cut to commercial, Jellal opened the web browser on his phone and entered the URL written on his napkin. "I'm a glutton for punishment," he grumbled to himself, looking over the list of things Erza and Macbeth had registered for their happy wedded life to come. Pots and pans, towels and bedsheets, a toaster, plates and bowls… all of the normal things, Jellal supposed. But then there were a few decidedly odd items listed as well, such as a full set of medieval armor. Jellal wondered just what kind of store sold both household furnishings andantiquities. And furthermore, did Erza – because Macbeth was definitely not the type – really expect anyone to buy that for her as a gift? That was asking way too much of people's budgets.

"How little money can I spend without being rudely cheap?" Jellal questioned aloud.

"That's the true dilemma, isn't it."

Jellal glanced up, a smile spreading across his face as Lucy pointed to the stool with his coat on it. "Is this seat taken, stranger?" she asked, a spark of mischief in her gaze.

"Sorry," he told her. "Meeting a friend after work. You'll have to try elsewhere." He gestured towards the largely vacant bar. "Looks like you can have your pick of the real estate."

Lucy shook with restrained laughter, and Jellal moved his coat to the back of his own barstool. "Glad you could join me," he told her as she sat down. "Caught up on the paperwork?"

The blonde woman nodded and winced. "Needed to update a few of the databases too, unfortunately."

"Good recordkeeping is the cost of good science."

"I know, but why can't it be more enjoyable?"

Their banter was cut short by the arrival of the bartender. Once Lucy was finished ordering her drink, she turned back to Jellal. "Was that the wedding registry you were looking at earlier?"

With a nod, as he was mid-sip and couldn't speak, Jellal slid the napkin with the URL on it over to Lucy. He waited as she tapped out the information into her phone at a rapid fire pace he wasn't entirely sure was human. She scrolled quickly through the list. They were both used to having to read data readouts on the fly, so Jellal had no doubt that she was processing everything she was seeing.

The phone's screen suddenly stopped, Lucy's thumb pressed into the glass. "A suit of armor?" Lucy uttered incredulously, her brow furrowed and her mouth hanging open slightly. "Really, Erza? Really?"

"My thoughts exactly."

Lucy sighed heavily, and thanked the bartender as he presented her drink. "It's a good thing I'm in a bar, because I think I need a drink after seeing that."

It might have been the beer, or maybe the residues of his frustration with his ex, or the friendly atmosphere drinking with Lucy brought out, but Jellal suddenly had a burst of inspiration. He clicked his own phone open again – the screen having gone dark – and he stared at the suit of armor.

"Uh oh," Lucy said, leaning in close to him. "I can see your wheels turning. What's on your mind?"

Jellal licked his lips, his throat suddenly a little dry. "What if… What if we got her the armor. How do you think she would react?"

His coworker considered it for a long moment. "She'd be over the moon, of course."

"But what about Macbeth?" pressed Jellal.

Lucy's eyes widened, and a wicked smile spread across her face. "If we each pay for half, we could make this happen. I'd be willing to spend that much for this." She lightly punched his shoulder. "You, sir, are horrible. Torturing your ex's beau like this. I'm in."

Jellal had no idea just what Macbeth had done to earn this enthusiasm from Lucy, but he was definitely not going to complain about it.