"Wait, wait, wait!" Mirajane called after him. "You haven't even seen the inside yet!"
Cobra snorted. Did she really take him walking away without a sound as a sign to keep trying? He should have known it would be like this, no way he was in his right mind to ever even think about accepting it. He'd get back before everyone headed to the guild and make up something as to why he was out so early in the morning. That, and scrub the memory of the whole building from his mind.
As he kept walking, he slowly blocked Mira's pleads from his mind. He attuned his ears to the outside, letting the noise of her voice gradually fade away…
I suppose it makes sense he wouldn't agree to it. The sign is pretty gaudy, even for Mira.
The stray thought floated through his mental barrier. He took a half-step.
I can't afford to quit though. I need the money. It'll be fine either way.
…
He stopped, then turned around slowly and pointed directly at Mira. "You're modifying that sign, or no deal."
"What's wrong with the sign-"
"Change. It. Or. Else."
"Oh…," she huffed and crossed her arms. "Alright. But I can't do it immediately. I can have it changed within a day or two."
"The sooner the better; you're on thin ice demon." He pretended not to see Lucy's faint smile as he stalked back over, feeling like a beaten dog given the smallest bone imaginable.
Mirajane also smiled. "Well, we can leave all other critiques until the end. Let's go where you'll be working now, shall we?"
A/N: How mean would it have been for me to come back and then end on that? Good thing Cobra's a bit of a sucker.