Ch. 18

The following morning I awoke and looked at my clock which read 7:00 AM. I felt too comfortable laying in bed and was tempted to go back to sleep, but I didn't want to risk sleeping in. Thus I arose sluggishly, made my bed, took a quick shower, and hauled my suitcase to my car after getting dressed. I decided to give each Meister a call and make sure they got to the airport by 10. I was already on the road when Tsubaki messaged me requesting that I give her and Black-Star a ride. I obliged and arrived outside their place honking the horn to signal my arrival. They then stepped outside each carrying two suitcases. Once their luggage was loaded in my car, they sat in their respected seats with Black-Star sprawled out taking up the entire backseat again while Tsubaki rode upfront. Before we drove towards the airport I passed by the academy to pick up Crona who was standing all alone near the base of the steps. I noticed he didn't have any luggage as he walked over to my car clutching his left arm and scooted himself inside despite Black-Star selfishly hoarding most of the space. The ride was fairly silent, so I broke the ice as I adjusted my rear-view mirror making eye contact with Crona and asked, "So Crona, I see you packed rather light for this trip. If you don't mind me asking, why is that?" He stared down at his shoes as he muttered meekly, "I-I don't have m-much clothes. Only my robe a jogging suit, and a w-white suit." I continued driving as I asked, "Would you like some help in picking out more clothes when we arrive down there?" He looked up and asked with evident surprise along with a hint of anxiety, "R-really? B-but I've only ever been s-shopping w-with Liz and Patty, and I don't know how to deal with picking new c-clothes." Tsubaki and I grinned kindheartedly as she then reassured the timid Meister riding with us, "It's alright Crona. We'll all help you pick out some clothes and put together a couple outfits. Isn't that right, Black-Star?" Black-Star didn't respond for sometime until I threw an empty soda can at his head. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes and asked groggily, "W-what's up? Are we there yet?" I deadpanned briefly but said, "Not yet, but quickly: just say yes." He blinked in confusion but looked at the threatening glare I gave him, and scoffed as he mumbled, "Yeah, yeah sure whatever. Now don't bother me until we get there. A god still needs his beauty sleep, you know." At that Crona smiled and allowed himself to relax into his seat as he muttered a barely audible "Thank you."

We arrived at the airport and saw the others had already arrived and were inside. Maka and Soul sat together chitchatting at the cafe sipping on their frapuccinos, while Patty sat on the lobby floor humming and coloring into her coloring book, with a box of crayons and animal crackers next to her. Tsubaki, Black-Star, Crona and I joined Kid who stood by the luggage counter face-palming as Liz barked orders at a poor airport employee hauling a cart containing mounting stacks of bags and suitcases. "Hey! Be very careful with those! You hear me!? Those bags contain clothes, makeup and shoes worth more than you'll ever make! So help me if you break or drop anything, I swear you'll be very sorry!" This miserable soul looked like he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown as trails of sweat and tears poured down his pimply face. After miraculously heaving the cart over to the counter, he took off screaming and running for the hills despite his employers' protests. We watched the spectacle from start to finish but decided refrain from commenting lest we incur the wrath of the eldest Thompson. Acquiring tickets for the flight was child's play and so we sat by the terminal until it was time to board.

The flight from Death City to McAllen Texas was thankfully uneventful, and upon landing at the airport, we gathered our luggage and walked over to a car rental booth where I acquired a spacious SUV. All our bags went into the back, and we got in. I sat in the driver seat wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses, a cigarette in my mouth, while Crona sat up front and everyone else sat in the 2 rows of seats behind us. As I drove, Maka asked from the backseat if I knew where I was going. I peeked at her from my rear-view mirror and joyfully replied, "Yep. I've been here before, so getting around won't be a problem." Soul glanced out the window and asked while smirking, "What's with people in all the cowboy getup? They do know we're in the 21st century right?" I frowned at Soul's snide remark and sternly warned him, "Some of the locals here take pride in their history and culture. We're outsiders here, so please keep any comments and remarks to yourself, unless you want to get pummeled by an angry mob." Soul grinned but said nothing, as I steered the conversation towards a different direction. "Anyway, you guys hungry?" Everyone perked at my mention of food nodding ecstatically, and I chuckled as I said, "You're in for a real treat then, because I'm taking y'all to Whataburger."

We pulled into a parking space next to a building with a triangle shaped, orange and white-striped rooftop. Next to the building stood a large sign with a flared letter "W" and underneath it read "Whataburger" which boldly indicated we arrived at our destination. Everyone got out of the car and walked inside as I followed behind the group. The others scoured at the menu deciding on their orders while I merrily walked up to the counter and ordered a "Triple Meat Whataburger" with toasted buns, bacon, jalapeños, mayo, and barbecue sauce, large fries, drink, and a box of "Whatachick'n" strips with Texas toast a cup of white gravy on the side, and another batch of fries. The lady behind the counter asked me, "Will that be all, hun'?" I shook my head and stepped aside as each team member placed their orders. Once everyone ordered the now overwhelmed cashier said, "Your total comes to $149.98 cents." I handed her a matte black card which she swiped, handed me the receipt and 4 striped and numbered table tents. We sat down together and waited anxiously for our food to arrive. Soon another lady came carrying a tray with ketchup, salt, pepper, napkins, and other condiments asking us to help ourselves to the contents within. I took several packs of their spicy ketchup, some packets of pepper, while the others emptied her tray. As we waited for our meals to arrive; Kid took note of the number painted on his table tent. He gasped while holding it up with utmost care and nearly began to weep. I sweat dropped and asked what the big deal was, to which he fervently asked, "Do you not understand the significance of the number printed on here? It's the number 8! The most symmetrical number in the entire numerical system!" I was at a loss for words while others groaned or laughed at his eccentricity. He hunched over, meticulously scouring the restaurant as he rapidly tucked the tent into his inner jacket pocket mumbling about not being able to leave without it. Not long after 4 employees made their way carrying multiple trays with our orders, and handed us our meals.

Once my meal sat in front of me I looked down and stared in awe at my juicy, towering, bulky burger, my crispy chicken strips, two batches of golden french-fries, flaky Texas toast, and cup of steaming white gravy. Unable to contain my excitement no longer, I dug into my feast as others watched on with awe and evident disgust. Liz smirked at my lack of civility in devouring my burger and asked while nibbling on hers, "Geez, hungry much, Vlad?" I said nothing in reply while taking large bites and groaning as I savored my meal. Once my burger was completely gone, I took lofty gulps of my soda and unleashed an echoing belch that turned all eyes in our general direction. Amongst our group there were three reactions; embarrassment, laughter, or simply ignoring my primitive dining habits. Everyone enjoyed their meals and unanimously agreed that Texas knows how to make good burgers. We made every bite count until I realized that I had gone through both batches of french fries. I started stealthily snaking some of Soul's fries, but upon being caught he hissed at me to stop to which I ruefully conceded. I was about to accept defeat until Tsubaki tapped me on the shoulder and graciously offered me her remaining fries. I thanked her, albeit sheepishly, and helped myself in clearing the tray as Patty dipped her remaining chicken strips in ketchup while singing: "When you're on a chicken-bender, grab a box of chicken tenders! Bawk-ba-gawk!" Kid and Liz sighed at the younger sister's bizarre mealtime antics while Maka, Soul and I merely laughed.

About 15 minutes later we all trudged outside and back to the car feeling oafish. Everyone reluctantly buckled into their seats as we drove towards a shopping plaza. During our meal I let the gang know that we'd have to make a quick detour before our mission officially began to which they agreed; upon hearing it related to Crona. There were a handful of shops that catered to multiple fashion styles and we stopped inside each one to put together various outfits for our timid and kindhearted friend. He was initially hesitant to follow us inside each store, but with enough moral support, encouragement, and in drastic cases: pushing and pulling, we were able to load his arms with an array of clothes. Soul, Kid, the Thompsons, Maka, Black-Star and Tsubaki, and I succeeded in compiling multiple outfits in different styles which we found satisfactory and weren't too overbearing for Crona. His first of two outfits were Soul's and Black-Star's compilations. The first one he walked out of the dressing room in consisted of lightly torn jeans, a pair of black and white sneakers, band t-shirt, black and white pinstriped zip-up hoodie, and they suggested he tie his hair into a small ponytail which he did. As he stepped out of the dressing room, the others including myself nodded silently agreeing that Black-Star's and Soul's collaboration was successful, but I heard something that caught my attention. It was a faintly audible gasp, and I looked over to see Patty Thompson desperately trying and failing to hide her blushing. Apparently I wasn't the only one who caught it, because Kid did as well. Yet he remained stoic merely raising an eyebrow, and putting his hands behind his back while smirking. Each of us contributed towards the clothing choices we deemed suitable for Crona and with each one, the myriad of reactions from Patty remained consistent. However the outfit that got the strongest reaction from her was when Crona came out of the dressing room in a new suit.

When he first saw what types of clothes I chose and held out in front of him, he seemed confused and stammered, "B-but I already h-have a suit Vlad. I don't know how to deal with finding or wearing another one. W-what if it's ugly? I don't t-think I can deal with disapproval. A-and why do I n-need another suit?" I put a hand on his shoulder, gave him a sincere smile and said to him, "Trust me, I'd never embarrass you on purpose. You're gonna look amazing. You have my word. Besides, what if we go to a dance or party? You wouldn't wanna go wearing just a shirt and jeans. Would you?" The suit was, to some degree, kind of like my magnum opus. He stepped out in a white button up shirt, black necktie which I did for him in an Eldredge Knot, black slacks, matching jacket with a white folded handkerchief tucked inside the pocket, both a black leather belt along with a pair matching suspenders. Nearly every set of eyes bulged at Crona's transformation and I was relishing in my triumph. All agreed that he looked amazing, and after all compliments subsided, I asked Crona to follow me back into the dressing room. I had him remove the jacket, which he did, folded his sleeves just below his elbows and gave him a violet slim fitting waistcoat which he put on without complaint. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled at his new look. The only buzz-kill came from Ragnarok when he sneered: "only chumps wear monkey suits like that, he looks like a butler or a stuck-up waiter at a French restaurant" and "to save whatever shred of dignity he has left" by ripping off those ugly rags and get back into his robe immediately. Crona seemed conflicted up until I walked over and nailed Ragnarok with a right haymaker. He in return screeched and complained how unfair it was that not only did he have a wimpy Meister, an ugly cow, but now he had a dumb edgy goat all teaming up against him. He whinged until he gave up and merged back into Crona's blood, which was our cue to step out to show the others his formal variation. Once more the reactions were overwhelmingly positive form everyone, including Patty who was really struggling to conceal her budding attraction. Liz looked over at her sister and asked if there was something wrong, to which she frantically stammered while awkwardly laughing; "Y-yeah, big sis! Of course! W-why would there be?"

After an hour spent shopping for our black-blooded friend, we loaded his new clothes into the trunk, and at long last departed towards the border. The drive was silent up until arriving at the first checkpoint. I rolled down my window and before anyone could speak or make a sound; I handed the armed guard $50 in Death Notes which he eagerly accepted and guided us to proceed with excessive enthusiasm.

We proceeded onward to the next checkpoint where even more heavily armed guards awaited us. I gave every Meister and Weapon a gravely glare indicating they remain silent as I spoke to the soldier approaching our vehicle. After rolling the window down, I greeted him in his native language, "Buenos dias." The soldier was baffled briefly before responding, "Buenos dias, que es tu asunto aqui en Mexico?" I offered him my DWMA identification card and responded, "Estamos aqui para cumplir un mision en favor de La Muerte." He nodded as he walked towards his group showing the others my ID while Crona and the other Meisters anxiously waited alongside myself for a few minutes. The soldier with my ID card in hand returned it to me, as he then said, "Muchas gracias, bienvenido a Mexico." He then opened the gate and guided us forward.

Once we were past the final barrier, I sighed in relief. Maka then asked, "What was all that about, Vlad?" I locked eyes with her from the rear view mirror as I replied, "We're in the clear. They know now of our mission and have allowed us entry into the country. Now remember; we're guests here. So please try to be courteous and avoid getting into trouble." Everyone else said nothing, only nodding silently which helped ease my nerves as I then said, "Whatever the case, welcome to Mexico everybody."

Translations:

Good afternoon

What is your business here in Mexico

We're here to complete a mission on Lord Death's behalf

Thank you very much, welcome to Mexico.