Love Against All Odds

Chapter 8 : Audience

March 20th, X524 (10:30 AM)
'Lamia' Beverage and teashop

"Oobachan, where're you? can I get three fried chicken legs?" A guy in his early twenties, named Bickslow Seth, asked jokingly as he entered the shop, followed by his girlfriend Evergreen Maple. Bickslow's attire consisted of a blue shirt covered by a black cape which was held by an emblem, and extremely baggy loose dark pants and black boots. His blue short hair was slicked backwards. His magic was Seith Magic, which trapped the wandering souls inside the objects and manipulate them. Bickslow was the newly appointed detective of the Magnolia Crime Division.

      An old woman around sixty-five years old, clad in a red cloak over her purple dress, stood in front of Bickslow, and smacked his right hand with her long wooden hand fan. A loud sharp sound broke the small room's silence and Bickslow screamed 'Ahh' painfully.

"How many times did I tell you, I Ooba Babasaama, never sell meat in my shop. You annoying kid." Oobachan was the owner of Lamia beverage shop, the place where Prince Laxus and his friends usually hung out.

"Oobachan, calm down please," Evergreen said, "He is just joking and you know that, Oobachan." Evergreen was 20-year-old and had long curly light brown hair. Her outfit was a revealing short green dress and brown leggings. She was the only daughter of a wealthy businessman, and most importantly, she was like a human information bank; she knew every information of people all over Magnolia.

"Yeah, you're so mean, Oobachan," Bickslow whimpered in pain as he touched his right hand dramatically. Evergreen glared at her boyfriend, "I told you not to tease Oobachan but you won't listen to me."

"Because it's lunchtime now," the guy replied quickly, "And she never cooked the meals for .."

"Stop talking kid," Oobachan shouted, "Go upstairs right now before I hit you again."

"Yes Ma'am," Evergreen smiled apologetically as she dragged her boyfriend upstairs to meet her friends.

• • • • •

"Got hit by a wooden fan, ain't you?" Cana asked amusingly as she looked at the couple who entered the room. Her dark brown hair was tied into a high ponytail, and she was wearing a white shirt and black capri pants. Cana Alberona Clive was a 19-year-old young lady of Alber Clan and she could perform various kinds of magic with her magic cards.

"It served him right. Last time, he was hit with a broom, and before that, Oobachan spun him around for five minutes with her magic. Yet, he still asked for trouble." A 24-year-old Bacchus Groh grinned before he drank a cup of water. [A/N: Excuse me, no alcohol right now] Bacchus's outfit was simple; a blue T-shirt, dark blue baggy pants, and black boots. His straight black hair was gathered on the back of his head and tied in a bun with a white cloth. He was very good in melee combat, one of the disciples of Lord Gildarts Clive.

"Well it was funny though," the seith mage retorted as he sat on one of the chairs, and Evergreen sat beside him. "Where's Freed?" He asked Prince Laxus.

"I told him to do something," Laxus replied, "Bicks, are Garou Knights still in prison?" The blond-haired prince asked, leading their conversation into a serious one. "Yeah, I guarded the prison the whole night, but no one came to rescue them. Seemed like their superiors didn't care about them," Bickslow replied.

"It's not the old man's order. If he ordered the Garou Knights, he would have gotten them out of prison immediately to make us pissed off," Laxus explained his option.

"To tell the truth, I really admire the Lords and Madam Irene," Evergreen said, "They hate the King but they attended the court meeting everyday."

"If they don't do it, the court affairs will be worse than now," Bacchus sighed, "Majesty Makarov's supporters are more powerful than Ivan Dreyar but still can't remove him from position.. how frustrating."