Suddenly he thought of one. "Did you ever ask Mirajane about the guy from yesterday?"
Lucy's face twisted into a grimace and for a moment Cobra felt a spike of anxiety from her. An…unpleasant memory lurked in the back of Lucy's mind at the mention of Mirajane and he had the unfortunate ability to feel it even as he tried desperately to shut it out. In a snap, it was gone, and Lucy's face was back to normal. She sighed.
"No, I didn't see her yesterday, so I couldn't ask her. Sorry." From the tone of her voice, he wasn't sure she totally meant it. Of course, he would know for certain if he just…
He stopped himself from shaking his head physically, instead giving a curt nod. "I can always ask her about it too…whenever that demon decides to pay a visit." He thought it strange that she hadn't stopped by even yesterday to check on them. Lucy nodded as if the responsibility of asking was no longer on her. "Anyway, I'll go with you. I'll hang back and just keep watch for anyone shady around." Despite the awkwardness, Cobra knew it would be worse for him right now if he was completely alone. Better to be around strangers to keep his mind off other things.
Lucy stiffened at his and shook her head. "I'll be fine, it's just a quick run down to the market and back. It'll only take a minute." Abruptly, she moved as if to pull him inside. At her sudden motion, he involuntarily flinched. Lucy froze and instead turned so that he could slip past her. He obliged, slowly. Cobra's keen eye remained trained on her; unconsciously watching for movements. Although she hardly blinked in his direction as he entered.
"I'll be right back," she called. The door closed behind him and she was gone.
Cobra's head swam in muddy water as he moved to the back room.