For a moment, the two stood in a strange silence, with Cobra relishing the panicky look on Macbeth's face. Mirajane was frozen, but after a few seconds, her surprised face melted away to a smile that radiated sympathy. "Jellal made both of you come out so early? I'm sorry to hear that. It's been a rough morning for all of us. Even the weather seems against us today, doesn't it?"
Macbeth gulped, then nodded, slowly. Mirajane's smile seemed to hold him firmly in place, even though Cobra knew he must be desperate to leave. He resisted the urge to chuckle. Then, he cleared his throat to get back on track. "Was your 'rough morning' because of this thing?" He pointed at the building. Mirajane's smile vanished.
"Yes…I woke up this morning and went to the guildhall to prepare for the day. Master was there early, for once, and he started going on about strange rumors." She pursued her lips. "Normally I just nod along, or tease him about believing in them, but today…it was about the love doctor booth."
"What, wouldn't that be normal? About something like this?" Cobra gestured again as if to emphasize his point.
"They were…not what one would expect," Mirajane replied. "They said there was an odd magical presence around the building, and that some of the people leaving there are experiencing strange symptoms."
"Symptoms?" Macbeth piped up, surprising Cobra. "What sort of symptoms? Are they ill?"
Mirajane shook her head. "Not physically, it seems. They go about their days as normal, but there's just something off about them. I'm sorry, I tried to get Master to go into specifics, but he only repeated what he'd heard yesterday."