Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
August 1, x791.
"Hey, Alfonzo." Mavis, sitting at the bar on the first floor of the guild hall, called out over the usual ruckus of the Fairy Tail guild after seeing Alfonzo come down from training. "You got a request."
Meanwhile, Alfonzo, just after stepping out of the elevator with Elicia and Mirajane, turned to look at Mavis. When he did, he saw her waving a request sheet over her head in his direction.
"You better go see what the Master needs." Mirajane said with her usual pleasant smile on her face. "If it's a quest just for you, it might be something important."
"Or it might just be Yajima again." Elicia added. "He calls for Fonzie every time he comes up with anew recipe."
"Who knows." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "I'm betting it's Yajima, though. I mean, he didn't even come out to say hi when Lici, Amar'e, and I showed up at his restaurant a couple of days ago."
Both giving understanding nods, Elicia and Mirajane took turns pecking Alfonzo on his cheeks before they moved through the guild hall to join the others at their usual table. Meanwhile, Alfonzo made his way over to Mavis to see what this quest was about.
"Who's it from?" Alfonzo asked as he arrived at the bar. He then took a seat next to Mavis and held out his hand. "I bet it's Yajima again."
"Good thing I have no intention of taking that bet." Mavis replied with a smile. "But this time, it's not for taste testing. Instead, he needs an extra chef. He wants you to bring along another waitress, too. Two, if possible, though."
Hearing that, Alfonzo raised an eyebrow. Then, he looked down to read the request. And just like Mavis said, he was requesting Alfonzo to work in his restaurant as a chef for a VIP guest and their entourage. He also wanted Alfonzo to bring one or two female wizards to act as both wait staff and security.
"Interesting." Alfonzo murmured to himself. "I've never received a quest like this one before. And it's actually S-Rank. The people he's hosting must really be hot shit, huh?"
"Sounds like it." Mavis replied. "So, are you gonna take the request?"
"Of course, I am." Alfonzo replied casually. "The real question is... who should I take with me. The best options would be Lici and Ur if we're only talking about strength. But Ur is off the table, immediately. If any of the guests get handsy, she'd just freeze them, no questions asked."
"Yeah, I could see that..." Mavis said, a hint of dread making its way into her expression.
"Lici's out, too." Alfonzo said while shaking his head. "Amar'e's birthday is less than two weeks away. And nothing is gonna tear her away from the preparations."
"That's true, too." Mavis replied. "Erza's out on a quest, too. So, she's out of the running."
"Yeah, and Mira's supposed to be going on a quest with Elfman and Lisanna." Alfonzo said. "That's most of the strongest women in the guild who can't go."
"What about... No, never mind." Mavis said while shaking her head. "There's no way Irene would ever act as a waitress."
"Even if she was willing, I would never ask her." Alfonzo said while shivering. "Just imagining her in a setting like that is kind of terrifying."
"Agreed." Mavis replied with a strong nod. She then raised her head towards the ceiling in thought and started tapping her chin with an index finger. "Then... What about Brandish? She's pretty strong."
"I'm sure she'd just say it was troublesome." Alfonzo said. "But I guess it won't hurt to ask. I might even be able to turn it into a date afterwards. I mean, I haven't really taken her on one since we confirmed our relationship."
"Well, I'm sure if you lead with that, she'll agree." Mavis said with a smile as she nudged Alfonzo with her shoulder.
"But if I do that, bringing another girl will be kinda awkward, won't it?' Alfonzo asked with a shrug.
"Not if it's Lucy." Mavis said. "I'm sure she'll understand. Besides, why can't you just take both of them on a date together?"
Hearing that, Alfonzo's eyes widened. He then looked at Mavis with an amazed gaze.
"Master Mavis, are you a genius?" Alfonzo asked. "Because it's a date, I never even considered doing it with more than one. You know, I've always tried to make whoever I'm on a date with feel special."
"And why can't you make them both feel special?" Mavis asked while tilting her head in curiosity.
Naturally, Alfonzo did not have a response to that. Although this would not be the first time he went out with more than one of the women he was in a relationship with at the same time, he had never called it a date before. But like Mavis said, why does a date only have to be between himself and one of the ladies?
"Right." Alfonzo said as he stood up from the bar stool. "I'll go ask them if they want to go. Thanks, Master Mavis."
With that, Alfonzo turned around and made his way over to where his group usually sat. Meanwhile, Mavis smiled and gave a little wave. Then, she turned back towards the bar and let out a sigh.
"How long has it been since I was last on a date." Mavis muttered to herself as she rested her face in her palms. "I can still remember the first date I went on with Zeref all those years ago."
Shaking her head with a smile on her face, Mavis turned back to reading through the request sheets that had been delivered today.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo was approaching the table where he usually sat with his friends and lovers.
"So, what kind of quest was it?" Elicia asked curiously as she leaned towards Alfonzo. "Was it from Yajima again?"
"Yeah." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "But not as a taste tester. Instead, I'll be a cook."
Hearing that, many of those sitting at the table had their eyes light up.
"Now that I think about it, I need to take a trip to Hargeon." Kouta said as he adjusted his glasses. "Maybe I'll stop by 8-Island while I'm there."
"Do you even know what day Alfonzo is going?' Alzack asked while rolling his eyes. "Besides, Me, you, and Rika are supposed to be leaving on a quest tomorrow, remember?"
"Oh, right." Kouta replied, his mood falling visibly.
"*Sigh* I'm sorry I have to leave all the quests to the three of you." Bisca said in a slightly disappointed tone.
"Don't say that, Love." Alzack said with a doting smile. "You're pregnant. We can't have you doing anything that might endanger the baby, right?"
"I know... But still." Bisca said, clearly missing the thrill of taking quests.
"Just let it go, Bisca." Elicia said with a smile. "It's better this way. Besides, you can still train. Just don't overdo it."
"Yeah, I know." Bisca replied.
"I don't know why you're acting like that." Mirajane said with a smile. "Personally, I loved having Alfonzo pamper me the whole time I was pregnant."
"Well, he can afford to do that." Alzack said while smiling wryly. "I'm not that rich. I have to still make money the old-fashioned way."
"It's okay, Babe." Bisca said with a loving smile as she cupped Alzack's face between her hands. "I know just how hard you're working for me and the baby."
"I knew you'd understand, Bisca." Alzack said with a smile.
With that, the two stared into each other's eyes for a long while, a pink-colored atmosphere surrounding them.
"This happened a lot before when Alzack finally confessed." Lucy said while shaking her head. "But now that Bisca's pregnant, it feels like there's a pink dome following them everywhere they go."
"I know what you mean." Rika said with a grin. "I'm just glad we don't have to deal with it on quests. Otherwise, we might start failing them because they slip into their own world at the wrong time."
"Do you really think they'd do that?" Kouta asked curiously.
"Of course they wouldn't." Alfonzo said with a smile. "They're both professionals. They knww exactly when they can and can't act like this."
In response, everyone who had grown up with Alzack and Bisca nodded their heads. A moment later, Mirajane turned her attention back to Alfonzo.
"So, you're gonna be cooking at Yajima's restaurant this time, huh?" Mirajane asked with a curious smile on her face. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, isn't it, like, some kind of conflict of interest or something?" Marin added. "What, with you owning your own restaurant, too."
"It could be." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But I can keep the two separate. Besides, I have no intention of fucking shit up at Yajima's place."
"I guess." Marin said with a shrug of her own. "So, when are you leaving? It won't get in the way of Amar'e's birthday party, will it?"
Immediately after Marin asked her question, Alfonzo felt an intense stare fall upon him. And he knew that if his answer did not satisfy the owner of his stare, he would have hell to pay in the coming days.
"Nah." Alfonzo replied casually. "I only have to cook for one night, three days from now, for a group of VIPs. So, I should have plenty of time to help with the prep for the party."
As Alfonzo's words ended, the owner of the piercing stare, Elicia, softened her gaze and nodded in satisfaction. Though, because he did not intend to be away for too long, he paid her little mind. Instead, he turned his attention to Lucy and Brandish, the latter of whom had not spoken since he arrived at the table.
"By the way, Lucy, Brandish, wanna come with me on this quest?" Alfonzo asked with a smile. "Yajima needs a couple of waitresses to help serve the VIPs and act as extra security."
"Extra security?" Lucy asked. "Just who is he serving?"
"No idea." Alfonzo replied. "Probably won't find out until we talk to Yajima. But since it's an S-Class quest, their probably pretty important."
"I'll pass." Brandish said in her usual, lazy, tone. "Being a waitress sounds like it would be too troublesome."
"I expected you to say that." Alfonzo replied with a nod. He then turned back to Lucy. "So, what about you, Lucy?"
"Um... Well, I don't really have anything else to do." Lucy said after thinking for a moment. "So, I guess I'll go. This will look good for me, too. With enough S-Class quests, I might get another S-Class nomination at the end of the year."
"Probably." Alfonzo replied with another nod. "More important than that, once the quest is done, we can spend some time together. Maybe have a date."
Alfonzo then glanced at Brandish with an expression of feigned regret.
"I actually wanted to take the both of you out." Alfonzo said while shaking his head. "But since Brandish doesn't wanna go, it will just be me and you, Lucy."
Immediately, almost everyone at the table noticed the subtle manipulation Alfonzo was employing. Everyone except for Brandish, that is.
*Bang!*
"Fine, I'll go." Brandish said, her tone filled with more energy than most of the wizards present had ever heard as she slammed her hands on top of the table. She then turned her head away, her cheeks a light shade of red after realizing that everyone was staring at her. "I mean, if you need the extra help, it's my duty to help my guild mate and b-b-boyfriend with his quest."
Smiling expressions that all but exclaimed how cute Brandish was surrounded Brandish after her declaration. And as she looked around at all those smiles, Brandish's face reddened even further. Then, unable to handle them, Brandish stood up before quickly walking away.
"I'll be ready to go on time." Brandish said without looking back. "So, you better not be late."
After that, Brandish walked through the guild hall's sliding doors without waiting for a reply.
"Well, that was fun." Alfonzo said while smiling happily.
"Why hasn't she already moved in with you yet?" Laki asked curiously.
"Because her lease isn't up." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "She doesn't wanna pay the fee."
"I guess that makes sense." Laki said in an understanding tone. "If she lived in Fairy Hills, she wouldn't have to worry about that."
"Well, not everyone wants to pay 200,000 Jewels a month, either." Lucy said. "That's why I never lived there."
"Well, you would have been kicked out pretty quickly if you did." Elicia pointed out. "Always teaming up with Natsu really puts a damper on your income, doesn't it?"
"*Sigh* Tell me about it." Lisanna said while shaking her head. "If Natsu, Miyako, and I didn't live out on the town's outskirts, in a house Natsu built himself, we would never be able to afford rent, either."
Everyone at the table could only look at Lisanna with sympathy. Even so, they all spent the rest of the day as they would any other. And like that, the next few days passed quickly, and Alfonzo, Lucy, and Brandish headed to Hargeon in the S 600 to take on Yajima's S-Class quest.