VERiTY (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

23. Side Quests.

"Holy crap, I can't find Sorcerer anywhere."

"Really, that's weird." Eir said, reading an issue of the magazine. Cana was sitting in his lap on the table, and he had a cookie in his mouth as they looked through the photo spreads together. "Oh look, Cana, you're in the corner of that picture."

"How the hell did you find one?" Wakaba swirled on them, "I get it now! It's because it's the Fantasia issue but for some reason YOU'RE IN THE SPOTLIGHT! Damn that Jason!"

Eir hummed.

"What's he so angry about?" he wondered.

Cana leaned over the table "Look, this entire page is dedicated to our float!"

Eir rested his elbow on the table and his cheek at the back of his hand. "Hm? There's confetti in your hair in this picture."

"Oh, there's a picture of me here too..." Cana turned with interest. Then she snaps, shoving her hand into Eir's face, "stop looking for me! Look at yourself! You're literally the main model of this issue but you're ignoring it!"

"Ah man, I wanna cut my hair."

"Don't change the subject!"

-

Gray and Laxus seemed to get along pretty well-- at least, outside of missions.

"He's in the way," Laxus said, promptly depositing a scratched-up Gray on the bench beside Eir.

Eir glanced over, eyes leaving his sword for a moment before going back to it. He was seated on a mat on the ground, cleaning the blade-- at the interruption, he set down the cotton and the cloth and sheathed the sword again.

"Mission didn't go well?" he asked.

And immediately, both of them exploded.

"He sent his thunder down right where I was!" Gray pointed sharply, "this is mutiny! Mutiny, I'm saying!!"

"I told him to stay at a range! But then he jumped into the fray!" Laxus yelled.

"I was dodging an attack, you ass!"

"That's why I told you to put up a damn shield!"

"They're not permanent! I don't have infinite magical power!"

Eir took a sip of his tea, wondering how to go about this problem. It's not like there would be an issue in the long term-- they just shouldn't join the same team, that's all.

"Then why don't we go on a mission together?" Eir suggested.

Immediately, they leapt.

"Together?!"

"Now?!"

"Wait!" Cana hopped at them, slamming her hands against the table, "no fair! If you're going with Eir, I'm going too!"

"No, it's crowded already!" Gray points at her, "we don't need a girl!"

"Better a girl than a stripper," Laxus muttered.

"Better a stripper than a comrade shooter, you rabid lightning bolt!" Gray yells.

"You sexist jerks!" Cana interrupts, "I'm strong too!"