Hot and Cold

Wendy

~*****~

"Welcome! I'd be so happy to take your order!" Lucy chirps. I glance over and grimace.

"Do I have to wear this thing?" I ask irritably, my fingers tugging at the skirt on the dress we'd been made to wear.

Natsu grunted at me, his hands holding a tray full of food. "Yeah, we're working a job. Remember?"

"Yeah, and I'm all fine with that but..." I trail off, trying again to make my skirt longer. "I'm really uncomfortable in skirts like this..."

"You look great!" Natsu beams with a mouth full of food. "Besides, you said you owed us after goin' after that Dark Guild!"

I sigh outwardly and take the tray from him. "I'll got get more food." I mutter as I cautiously walk back to the kitchen. "Stop eating the food, that's the third plate you've eaten."

"Quit frowning, the uniforms aren't all that bad if you ask me." Gray mentions as he strides up to me with a tray of drinks.

"But you took yours off." I mutter.

"Don't you forget why we're doing this." Gray comments.

I grumble irritably. "Lucy needed her rent paid too, so it's not like it's entirely my fault..." I sigh.

"Would you quit bringing it up?" Lucy complained.

I sighed loudly again and walked off; my fingers completely attached to the front of my skirt.

"That's cool..." I hear Gray murmur.

"Eyes to yourself, Gray!" Ballad chanted. I hear a metallic thwack as I enter the kitchen.

After the shift ended, I was never going to part with my beloved fleeced lined pants ever again. I sighed in delight as I sat down besides the over gorged Natsu. "Top notch job today, kids!" Yajima cooed. "Got to say, I'm most pleasantly surprised by all your hard work. You're welcome here any time."

"Thank you." Erza smiled. "We've learned much from this experience."

"And what was that? You love clothes?" Happy muttered.

"Now I know how tired Mira must be after work," Gray sighed loudly.

"And how stuffed her belly must be." Natsu complained.

"I think that's just you, Natsu," I laugh. "She serves the food instead of eating it all."

"Well, that's her loss," Natsu groaned.

"And your weight gain." I hum as I pinch his side. "It's a good thing you can lose it fast, because you'd be less cute as a balloon."

"If I may ask you, sir, what is the state of the magic council these days?" Erza questions.

Yajima hummed. "Well, of course I stepped down some time ago."

"The magic council?!" Gray and Natsu exclaim.

I sigh through my nose. "Didn't you know that? Master Makarov mentions it quite frequently when he's completely wasted."

"After Zieg-- or wait, was his name Zellal?" Yajima trailed off.

"You mean Jellal?" Erza asked.

"Ah, yes. After he and that other interloper Ultear threw everything into disarray, I parted ways with the organization." Yajima explained. "I'm not usually one for gossip, but there have been rumors going around lately that a plan to reestablish the Magic Council is in the works. Our ignorance and misguided actions caused you a great deal of trouble. I am truly sorry."