The Skull Hidden in the Sand

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A/N: Aras's profile page, part two!

"Man, I still can't believe Aras was a girl this whole time." Natsu said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." The greeter answered, placing their drinks in front of them.

"Thank you." Erza said, taking her water.

"I suspected something was off." Levy said, drinking her tea without looking up from her book.

"Really? What was it?" Lucy asked.

"It wasn't anything in particular. Just a feeling."

"Hmph. How'd you figure it out, Lil?" Gajeel grumped.

Lily swallowed a mouthful of kiwi juice before answering. "The way she walked. Men's center of gravity is higher than women's, so we carry ourselves differently."

"Really? You caught that?" Aras asked in surprise. "I thought I did a good job carrying myself like a man."

"You did. But you went back to your natural walking style when you were intensely focused on something else. I think the first time I noticed was the pool incident."

"Just from that you figured out she was a girl?" Romeo asked in admiration.

A tiniest bit of pink appeared on the exceed's cheek. "Ah, well no. After she fell in the pool by the waterfall, her wet garments made seeing the shape of...certain, uh, anatomical features easier."

"Ah." Levy said. The others nodded their understanding, but Romeo, Wendy, Natsu, and Happy still looked confused.

"I don't get it." Natsu complained.

"Her wet shirt made it easier to tell she had boobs." Gray said bluntly.

"G-Gray!"

"How dare you use such language in front of children?!"

"Charla, please..."

"Um, beloved, perhaps a biiiiiit more tact was in order?"

"I-It's fine." Aras protested, her cheeks pink.

"Is someone insulting my Master?!" A voice snarled from behind them.

"ACK!! What're you doing here?!" Gray yelped.

"Working, obviously." The shapeshifter snorted. She was wearing a server's uniform and carrying two trays of food. "Speaking of which, here's your order."

"Lunch! It's looks yummy!" Happy giggled, digging into his fish.

"Since when did you work here? I thought you worked at that flower shop." Lucy asked.

"Oh, I do. But I did make a bit of a mess here, so I'm working for free until the damage is paid for. Working two jobs is no picnic, but it's a fair punishment, so I'm not complaining."

"Emily's glaring at you." Aras interjected quietly, glancing a few tables over.

"Is she? She's been quite the slavemaster. She probably thinks I'm going to steal her beloved Aras away. I wonder what she'd do if I told her Master was female~?" Giggling, the shapeshifter sauntered off.

Aras groaned. "So much for peace and quiet." Wendy patted her arm sympathetically.

"Hard to believe our vacation's almost over." Jellal said with a sigh.

"Is it? Man, with everything going on, I lost track of the days."

"So, have any of you picked partners for tonight?" Aras asked curiously.

"Tonight? What's going on tonight?"

"It's the annual summer festival." Aras explained. "I'm surprised you didn't know about it. There're fliers everywhere." She pulled one out of her pocket and placed it on the table. The Fairies looked it over. "The Lodge is having a party and there'll be festivities in town."

"Wow. It looks fun~!"

"So this is the festival I've heard so much about."

"Aw, if I'd have known, I would've brought an outfit!"

"Looks stupid." Gajeel grumped. "Glad I don't gotta go."

"But you might." Jellal said quietly.

"Why?" Gajeel asked. Jellal shot a look at Romeo, who looked excited.

"That's right. Me and Wendy never did use our thing from the Scavenger Hunt, did we? What do you think Wendy?"

"I love it!" She squealed excitedly.

"Wait, hold on. Ya mean-?"

"All of you here have to attend the festival tonight!" Romeo declared.

"R-Romeo-kun, that might not be the best idea..." Juvia said slowly.

"What, you don't want to go with me?" Gray fake-pouted.

"Juvia would never say such a thing!" Juvia shrieked, glomping onto Gray's arm. "It's just that... Well, Juvia can't speak for the others, but Juvia didn't exactly come prepared for this."

"Not to worry~!" Mira giggled, popping out of nowhere. "I'll handle everything~!" She sang, trotting away.

"...well then..."

"Do we hafta go?" Gajeel complained.

"Yep! Since we won the Scavenger Hunt, you have to do what we say and we say that you're going to the party tonight!" Wendy said happily.

Gajeel groaned. There was a crackling of a lacrima and Aras sighed. "There's trouble in the kitchen and I bet I know the cause. Excuse me." Aras excused herself and walked away. Once she was gone, Jellal sneakily pulled down his mask and began to eat feverishly.

Sorry it's short. I'm not feeling my best. I planned all along to have Wendy and Romeo use their Scavenger Hunt privilege for this. >:3 Anyway, enjoy!