"Come on, don't you think you're being a little paranoid?" asked Levy, yawning. "No, I can just feel it in my gut. It's making me uneasy. I need your help". Levy sat bolt upright. "Wow, you've never asked me for help on a mission before", she said. "We're a team. Of course I'm going to need your help". "Okay, what do you need?" "Well, they seem to be speaking a language I have never heard. Is there a way you can try to translate it?" he asked. "Well, I can cast a camouflage rune and we can follow them from a distance", said Levy, closing her eyes and thinking. "Yes, and I can repeat what they're saying and you can translate it", he said. Levy beamed. "What happened to you?" asked Gajeel. "Not only do we make a great couple, we also make a great team!". Gajeel smiled. "Of course we do". Levy grabbed a piece of paper and her Light Pen, and they both headed out.
"So where are they?", she asked. Gajeel closed his eyes and tried to see if he could catch a whiff of their trail. "This way", he said, taking Levy's hand and leading her ahead. The sun had begun to set and the day was getting dimmer by the minute. "The night will give us better cover", said Levy, "Lily would've enjoyed this. When is he due back from Edolas?" "I have no idea", said Gajeel, scratching his chin. They walked on for about twenty minutes, when Gajeel suddenly stopped. "There they are", he said under his breath. Levy promptly took out her Light Pen and cast the camouflage rune. The two men were standing under a tree in the market, whispering among themselves. Gajeel used his sharp hearing and repeated everything they were saying to Levy, who began scribbling on her piece of paper. The one with his back to them was looking at something in his hands, but they couldn't make out what it was. After a while, he seemed convinced and said something to the other one, who nodded and headed off. The first one lingered for a while and set off too, albeit in the opposite direction.
"That's weird, why are they separating?", wondered Gajeel. "Should we follow them? If we split up we can keep an eye on both of them", asked Levy. "No, let's keep together", said Gajeel. Levy breathed a sigh of relief. "I was hoping you would say that", she said sheepishly. Gajeel grinned. "Come on, give yourself some credit. You would be able to handle yourself in a fight", he said, "Did you get all they said?" "I did, but it's not a language I can translate off the top of my head. I'm going to need to refer to the couple of books I brought from the guild, back at the inn", she said. "Should we follow them?", said Gajeel, looking longingly in the direction of the first man. "No", said Levy firmly, "Let's get back to the inn and translate this. That way we'll know for sure what they're up to". Gajeel groaned. "You win, shrimp. Let's head back".
Gajeel carefully surveyed the surrounding area and made sure there was no one in sight. When he was convinced, he gave Levy the thumbs up and she undid the runes she had cast. It was close to midnight now, and night had fallen completely. They walked back to the inn, entered their room and Levy got straight down to the translation. "I thought you were going to that tomorrow morning", said Gajeel. "Well, if you're right and they really are up to something, the sooner we know what it is, the better", said Levy, all business-like. "Well, I'm going to sleep", he said. Levy smirked. "Big surprise", she muttered. "You're one to talk. You slept in the afternoon, while I was strolling around the island", Gajeel remarked. Levy elbowed him. Gajeel grinned. "Anyway, carry on. I'm off to bed".
Gajeel's sleep was punctuated by dreams. He kept imagining various scenarios of what the two men could be up to. Many theories came to mind, but none concrete enough to warrant action. He secretly hoped he would get to fight them. It was a long time since he was in a real battle, and he was beginning to get rusty (pun intended). There was also the matter of the unease he kept feeling when he caught their scent? What was that feeling? He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Was it déjà vu? Had he met them before? Something about them seemed familiar, almost comfortable. No, that couldn't be it. Dragon slayers never forgot scents, and he would know right away if he'd met them before. He got the vague feeling that something was moving near him. He couldn't make out what. He then realized someone was trying to wake him up. He opened his eyes to find Levy shaking him vigorously. "What's going on?", he asked groggily. "I finished translating what they were saying", she said. He was jolted awake. "And?", he asked eagerly. She swallowed. "You were right. They are up to something for sure".
"What do you mean? Why're you so scared? What were they saying?", he asked, pulling her into a cuddle to calm her down. "Oh my, you're shaking", he said. "They're after the document", she said. "The one you gave Adam?" asked Gajeel. "Yes. They were saying, um-". She hesitated. "What is it? It's me. You can tell me anything", he said, seriously worried now. Tears started flowing down her face. "They were saying, 'the girl delivered the document to the Taylors. Now we need to decide how to get our hands on it'. Then, the second guy said, 'Who's the other guy who came with her? You said she would come alone. This is going to be difficult'. 'Don't worry, we have a contingency plan. We will deal with both of them. For now, we need to see if we can find a way to get our hands on that document'. Then they both took off", she looked up at him, and said, "Why are you smiling?" "I will finally get to bash someone's head in!" "That's what you got from that?!", Levy shrieked, "They're after the document, and they're going to get rid of me once they get it!" She buried her head in her hands and started crying.
Suddenly, Gajeel's soothing voice cut through to her. "Hey shrimp, look at me". She looked up at him. "Remember what I said when I proposed we take this mission together? I'm your bodyguard. I ain't gonna let anything happen to you. That, I promise. We're a team. We'll deal with this. We're from Fairy Tail, after all. That's what we do". Levy calmed down a little at this. "What about the Taylors? What will those two do to them?" "Nothing tonight". "How do you know that?" "Because if they were going to do something, they would've gone in that direction together, but they went their own ways after the meeting, and none of them went in the direction of the Taylors' house", he said. "How about this? We'll go to their place first thing in the morning and warn them". "Okay", Levy squeaked. "Come now, get some rest". Saying so, he pulled her into his cuddle again, and drew the blanket over them.