And We Failed Spectacularly
Back at the guild hall, Mira spotted "Levy" first.
"There you are! You're late for the girls' brunch!"
Freed paled. "I am?"
"Oh yes," Mira chirped. "You promised to read that smutty romance novel out loud again. The one with the shirtless merman!"
Freed stared. "The shirtless… what?"
Ten minutes later, he was seated at a tea table with Lucy, Cana, and Juvia. A book in hand. Every eye on him.
He flipped a page, stared blankly at the paragraph, and mumbled, "…his slicked chest glistened under the moonlight as she reached for his..."
"Levy..." Lucy blinked. "You okay?"
He coughed. "Uhh...pearl. She reached for his pearl necklace."
Cana narrowed her eyes. "You hate this book."
Juvia leaned in with a dreamy sigh. "Levy is… different today."
Freed smiled, stiff and unconvincing. "New skincare routine?"
Meanwhile, Levy (in Freed's body) was being pestered by Macao about an unstable enchantment.
"You're the rune expert," he grumbled. "Come fix the mess!"
She tried to walk confidently through the guild hall but her boots were two sizes too big and the long coat dragged behind her like a cape.
When she reached the warded hallway, she squinted at the glowing runes.
"…Yup," she said, hands on hips. "Definitely… doing the glowy rune thing."
Macao frowned. "That doesn't sound like you."
"I mean...I'm just being casual! Totally got it under control."
She poked the rune.
It exploded in blue sparks and temporarily blinded everyone in a ten-meter radius.
Crap
Gathering at the counter, Mira, Lucy, and Macao were all whispering.
Erza raised an eyebrow at both of them.
And Natsu asked, "Why does Freed smell like Levy perfume?"
They ran out of the guild so fast, they knocked over a fruit cart.
~ To be Continued ~