"…Welcome back, Macbeth." Jellal's voice tightened. Cobra whipped around to see a smug-looking Macbeth staring down at him. "And why exactly shouldn't I go?"
Macbeth's look turned to one of surprise. Fake surprise at least. "Jellal, you really don't trust us, do you? Even after Cobra here has been patrolling extra early in the morning to make sure the rest of us could spend some time relaxing for once?" He gave a knowing smile at Cobra, who finally felt the puzzle pieces of the last few days slowly slide into place. He gave a quick nod at the others, while also giving Macbeth a side-long glare. The reflector mage ignored his look.
"Well, I do appreciate that. We all do, of course. But he may need extra backup. We're not entirely sure what or who is over there, so it makes sense not to go it alone–"
"Ah, and what happens if it does turn out to be nothing, hmm? You think of all people, Cobra would be the one you want with you when those love doctors begin hounding you about your love life?"
At this, Jellal's face turned a slightly darker shade. He mumbled something about scarlet and started to retort, but Cobra followed up before he could. "Jellal, I've been in that area plenty of times the past couple of days. I haven't seen anything more suspicious than any other alleyway in this town. If it makes you sleep better at night I can always go in a little earlier tomorrow to make sure. If I'm not back by the night then, well, that's on me."