Author's Note:
Hey guys! Sorry for the short chapter. For some reason, it was really hard to write this one. I couldn't get any ideas out, but I promise the next one will be better!
-BrielleXandY
I rolled my eyes and sat back down on the seat for the remaining time that we were going to be moving. Natsu leaned up to say something from his barf bag, but didn't make it very far until he was facedown once more. I was slightly grateful that he had motion sickness for the moment, because I was pretty sure he was also going to comment on it and make me feel even more embarrassed. "I promise you, I'm not looking for anything like that." I replied, hearing Gray grunt beside me before he opened his mouth to speak.
"Yeah, you better. Guild policy strictly says that you can't be in a relationship with a client, and even if you were in a relationship before the job went up, you can't do a job for the client and be paid for it." He replied, staring daggers at me. I sighed with exasperation. "Didn't I just say I wasn't looking for anything like that? I can't believe you don't trust me!" I huffed, crossing my arms and closing my eyes, trying to look as high and mighty as possible. Then one of the pins in my hair came loose, and I inhaled a small portion of hair into my nose.
Everyone laughed (except Natsu, of course; he was incapacitated) as I began sneezing and trying to find the pin on the ground at the same time. Lucy found it for me, and put my hair back into the right place. "That was the universe telling you not to talk back to us." Gildarts began before (mysteriously, of course, I don't know how such a thing might have occurred) a loud noise that only he could hear made his ears ring for the next few minutes. That shut him right up.
A few minutes of boredom passed until the butler walked in and escorted us all out of the carriage, after the Kingston's had all departed and were waiting for us. The three groups joined up, and then we dispersed into the city to look around, which I was way too excited for. We walked two paces behind him at first, but Quinton insisted that we stand on either side of him.
Quinton had to keep nudging me and telling me to act ladylike, because I was everywhere at once. At first, my shoes began to fall off because I kept trying to run around and get to vendors faster. He simply laughed and called me cute, which I shrugged off. About a quarter way through the outing, however, I gained my bearings and walked quietly while Quinton browsed the shops.
We walked quietly to the next shop, which held extravagant gowns, clothes, and anything else you can imagine. It was one of those rich people shops that I had never stepped foot into, and I was a bit intimidated by walking inside. How did people act in here? Quinton seemed almost at home, he acted as I did when I was in a magic shop. Abruptly turning to each of us, he waved his hand into the store. "Go ahead. Choose whatever you'd like. Nothing too outrageous, though." He warned, causing me to blink in confusion and turn my head slightly to the side. "Sorry, but I'm not sure what 'too outrageous' is to you. Everything in this store is worth more than I'll make in a year." I replied through the corner of my mouth, since someone was walking past us.
Gray and I both inspected him, waiting for something, anything battle-related to happen. Even though it was a nice gesture, I felt uncomfortable buying something with his money. It wasn't my money until they gave us the reward and all six of us split the earnings evenly. Realizing that I had lost focus on the man, I returned my gaze to him for a moment, just in time to see him slip a shiny piece of metal out of his pocket. Gray had been looking away to not seem suspicious. It was probably a knife, I realized. I needed to make sure that Gray got Quinton out of the shop so I could deal with the possible enemy.
"I had so much fun yesterday at the palace, it was so exhilarating! The roses in the garden made the aroma simply magical! It was like a Fairy Tail!" I began, turning to the two boys. 'Fairy Tail' had been our trigger phrase. If any of us said that, it was very crucial to get Quinton out of the general vicinity and into safety. Gray turned his head slowly to me, nodding accordingly and pointing to the shop across the hall. "You two go ahead and go that way. I'll meet up with you in a few minutes. Cadenc- Cadenza, I might need some assistance, I'll make sure you know if I need you." Gray started, nodding his head down the hall.
Putting on a mask of innocence, I nodded eagerly. Grabbing onto Quinton's arm, I began to giggle and pull him outside. "Come on! What're you waiting for, silly?" I asked, trying to get him out of there as soon as possible. Sparing a passing glance at Gray, I gave him a slight nod in an agreement. If I had to, I'd leave Quinton in a second to help Gray if he was in danger. Friends meant a lot more to me then being underpaid by a brat that thought he could buy us over with nice clothes from a store.
