"Gajeel?"
"Yes, Lily?"
"Why exactly are we here again?" The feline–in his small form–peered out over the edge of where they stood. It wasn't solid ground, and it wasn't part of a building. Instead, it was a magnificent airship docked in its port. The side they peered out from was a steep cliff downwards. Gajeel rested himself against one of the railings on the ship and sighed.
"Didn't I explain to ya before? I took a job as a bodyguard. This is where we're guarding."
"...Oh a ship. A flying ship, nonetheless."
"Yeah. What's the problem?"
Lily sighed. "Gajeel, normally I don't ask this of you, because I respect you, but did you hit your head on something recently?"
"Hey! I'm perfectly fine! Ain't hit nothing that couldn't take it at least." He seemed genuinely disgruntled at the fact that Lily asked if he was right in the head. Then again, he did tend to get more emotional around the Exceed. Lily refrained from sighing again.
"Very well. Then may I ask why you would take a job in which the location of guarding people is the same place where you'll be ill the entire time?"
At this, Gajeel laughed. "Oh, Lily, is that what you were concerned about? No problemo then! Let me explain the plan...
"So, when the thing's moving and we gotta be on the clock, you just use your wings to keep me off the ship! And if anything happens we just slam right into the suckers at mach speed!"
"Wait, wait. Your entire plan is to use my Aera to keep yourself off the ship so you don't throw up?" Lily threw up his tiny paws in disbelief. "Gajeel, surely you don't think I can sustain it for the length of the whole night!"
The dragonslayer tilted his head downwards. "Well, then just half the time, maybe I can keep just one foot on the ship while you rest?"
"What on Earthland would that accomplish?!" The Exceed groaned. "Besides me being exhausted from trying to keep you up on a moving, flying airship, what if they need more than one person to fight? You'll be puking in no time if I drop you!"
Gajeel sniffed disdainfully. "We don't need both of us. I mean we do but…we're working together! That makes us twice as strong!"
"That's not how math works. Not to belittle our teamwork, but I'd rather not have to babysit you if you get knocked to the floor of the ship and deal with whatever enemies at the same time! You just can't handle vehicles Gajeel."
His partner folded his arms and grumbled. To any normal person, it would look like Gajeel was planning a murder. To Pantherlily, it was merely sulking. The tiny exceed shook his head at the childishness his partner was displaying.
"Well, we'll just have to back out. It won't look good on the guild's reputation, …but it'll be worse if we…what are you doing?" Pantherlily watched as Gajeel began furiously hopping up and down on the main deck of the ship. The airship shuddered ever so slightly with the power behind the jumps.
"Proving. That. I. Can. Handle. It!"
"Gajeel, no! You'll break somet–"
The dragonslayer took a deep breath before soaring into the air with a jump, doing a forward somersault, and landing with a mighty BOOM. The entire airship trembled from the jump. Then, an ominous creak echoed
"...Ok, but that was a pretty sick flip don't you think–"
The airship gave a mighty groan before quickly slipping away from its docking station and down the cliff below. Lily zoomed over to Gajeel, wings activated, and promptly scooped him up and off the airship as it tumbled down the sheer side of the cliff. The two watched in silence as the ship disappeared into the depths, and tried hard not to think of the horrible crashing sounds that followed.
"..."
"..."
A screech of another kind soon followed. "My ship!" the owner cried and dropped to his knees, for the moment unaware of the two people right in front of him. His eyes went blank as he saw his pride and joy literally slip from his fingers.
Gajeel drew his eyes to Pantherlily and signaled to fly him away. Oh no. He wasn't getting away that easily. Instead, he dropped him off right in front of the man, despite his hissed protests. Gajeel reluctantly coughed to get his attention, even though he still didn't even turn around to look at him. "So, about the ship. My bad, really. But hey, at least no one's on board, and the cargo could still be salvaged."
Just then, a mighty explosion filled the cliffs below. And the man's eyes went even more dead than before. Gajeel looked up at Pantherlily and shrugged.
The Exceed resisted the urge to take his partner and throw him off the cliff as well.
A/N: In case the theme of these first interludes were forgotten; they're all based on DnD experiences I've had. Well, this one I wasn't playing in when it happened, but I sure wish I was.