Lucy's mouth hung open so wide Cobra was tempted to stick something inside. The only thing preventing him was his own shock. He'd never seen this person before, but he recognized her soul well enough. Done up in a blue oriental dress, with dark hair in buns on her head, and twin braids running past her shoulders stood Minerva Orland of Sabertooth. Her narrow eyes were even sharper than Sorano's. Her appearance reminded him of rich, noble ladies he occasionally saw when infiltrating dealers' houses. They gave off a certain natural haughtiness that made them inherently hard to stand, even if they were beautiful.
Although…the person standing before them looked rather subdued. "Humbled" would have been his first word, but there was a feeling even beyond that. He just couldn't quite place it…
"H-Hello Minerva," Lucy said. "What are you doing so far from Sabertooth?"
Minerva cocked her head. "I've been staying here the past few days. I'm going back today after I retrieve some items for the guild." She held a basket in one of her hands. Shopping all the way out here for her guild? It was a bit odd, even if– like Lucy said–this was a busy merchant town. "I haven't seen you in quite some time Lucy."
This made Lucy pause. "…I haven't seen you in a while either, Minerva. How have you been?"
They began engaging in small talk, about the weather, their recent guild missions, and things going on around the city. Cobra realized he needed to seize upon this chance to examine Minerva before she left and Lucy hounded him again about Sorano. He turned his ears inward and began listening to the Minerva beneath the surface.