Job: The Fourth Musketeer

It seemed time was only going fantastically for two members of the powerful Legal Guild, Blue Pegasus. Seitenshi Ayato had taken a job sheet off the board in the guild hall, and within mere minutes, received cooperation from Elizabeth Silvershield to complete the task together. Ayato needed to prepare for this job more than usual, however, as it was his first time in Earthland, generally. Strangely enough, actually, the time in which he received his passport and this job sheet were a mere two days apart. On the contrary, aside from even this important matter, Ayato needed to complete his morning routine, first.

To do so, Ayato woke up at eight in the morning, and touched his alarm lacrima to stop its annoying sound from rambling onwards- at least before he would set it, once more. Ayato then proceeded to the washroom, where he removed his clothes and undergarments, and took a quick shower. Ayato never appreciated standing under a hose for so long, anyways. It seemed stereotypical for a male, after all. After he was done with this task, specifically, Ayato opened the shower door and grabbed a towel, where he then dried himself off, and slipped into a robe. Ayato had paranoia in the morning, for some odd reason. Since the morning was when people would wake up, Ayato was always worried that one day, he would escape the shower, only for somebody to see him naked from the distant window in his bedroom. Oh, how he hated where that window was positioned. Not to mention Ayato lived on a king's sized bed, which meant if he ever invited an attractive woman over, there could be the possibility of a stalker outdoors. Realistically, however, such a thing was bound to never happen anymore, for the only neighbors in this part of Clover Town were forced to move due to illegal fishing. Yes, this only seemed like a minor crime, though the town was too small to handle so many wrongful acts, and there were other settlements just across the sea- even the bay, perhaps.

Ayato continued his morning routine by dressing himself, then moving into the kitchen, where he ate cereal, a bagel, an orange, and drank some milk. This, surprisingly, was only the minor breakfast according to Ayato's common appetite. Ayato paced himself quickly to cleanse himself more by brushing his teeth to the point of having pearly whites, and flossing to rid of the bacteria, in between- the rinsing, after. Finally, Ayato collected the job details, his book and sword, along with his jacket. This was all he had for jobs, honestly, which was a shame. His two most important items didn't cooperate with others, after all, which was ultimately a disadvantage in Ayato's mind. All that was to come forth after this was the presence of Elizabeth, which was scheduled approximately twenty minutes after the completion of Ayato's morning routine. That's right. A letter had been left at the end of Ayato's important meeting with Elizabeth, detailing his home address, along with a description of his magic. Ayato chose to write his magic down for Elizabeth as he felt she deserved it as his teammate. It was also a benefit for when the two would eventually meet the threats of Minstrel. Sure, the two were in Clover Town during this time, but they had to get to Minstrel early and already prepared to deal with the monsters, should they arrive unexpectedly.

Ayato sighed in relief and moved towards the front door whilst he heard a knock in the distance. Responding to the knock, Ayato saw exactly who he expected: Elizabeth. However, it seemed she had a companion, which made Ayato a bit curious; he had never seen the little guy before. "Nice to see you, Elizabeth!" Ayato greeted as he gave her a quick, yet warm hug. Before she went missing, Ayato's mother taught him to hug women, particularly because they deserved it. Women were human beings too, and affectionate ones, at that. Ayato's mother also told him to find a fine, intelligent lady one day, but that could wait. After the hug, Ayato knelt down so he could see Catsu eye-to-eye. "Liz never told me she had a friend coming along." Ayato remarked, "Well, I hope I can be your second. I'm sure all three of us will have some fun in Minstrel, right?" Ayato stood up and looked at Elizabeth with a slight blush visible on his face during the last statement. It was true that missions were important, and a lot of work was required to complete them, but one coud also enjoy doing work, or at least celebrate afterwards. "Anyways buddy, my name is Ayato." He introduced, "What's your name?" The blush swiftly faded at this point. Ayato had no idea why it appeared in the first place, anyway.

Soon after this introduction, Ayato gave Elizabeth a boat and train pass he had hidden in his pocket. "Welcome to the team, by the way." Ayato mentioned, "Now let's get going." Ayato turned around, closed his door, then locked it with a security lacrima. Though the house was small, and very old-fashioned, it was heavenly in Ayato's eyes. He wouldn't tell Elizabeth until later on in their friendship, but this house shared a lot of history with him, and was much better in the inside than the outside. "First comes the Train Station in the town, then a boat two miles away after the train hits its final stop." Ayato stated, "Worst-case scenario, we still make it on time for the mission; best-case scenario, we have tons of time for leisure." Again, Ayato wanted to ensure Elizabeth and Catsu were at least confident while the mission went on. He was confident this mission would be a piece of cake for Elizabeth, while he may have some struggles to get over. However, Ayato was also prepared for a challenge.

"An Exceed, huh?" Ayato commented before he saw Elizabeth push the poor guy off her shoulder. It was funny to watch as it seemed the two had a complicated, yet loving relationship. It also seemed as though Elizabeth knew everything about this Exceed, while the Exceed knew everything about Elizabeth; they were partners. "It's unfortunate that I know nothing about your kind, but I'm sure I will someday." Ayato promised. He looked up at Elizabeth with an even brighter smile. Maybe he was making too big of an impression now. Albeit, he just wanted to try making new friends, and Catsu seemed nice, despite not being human.

"In case you two need anything about the job, I have it all right here." Ayato remarked, revealing the mission profile he held in his jacket. Ayato always seemed one step ahead of the situation, though he couldn't guarantee this in the future, when the three would encounter the threats of this job; the monsters of Minstrel. Ayato proceeded to follow Elizabeth and Catsu, headed for the Train Station. It sure took awhile, which is why Ayato looked through some other documents on the way. "Do you know anything about Minstrel?" Ayato asked Elizabeth randomly. He wanted to slap himself for being so sudden, but he was curious. Albeit, while the walk to the Train Station wasn't that far away, it was best to mention anything else important, at this time.

Five Minutes Later

The three arrived at the Train Station, where they stood awaiting the train specified on their tickets. Ayato felt even more curious as he wondered how strong Elizabeth actually was. Sure, he could've made estimates or predictions, but nothing could be proven about Elizabeth until Ayato actually saw it, himself. He assumed Elizabeth was thinking the same way about him, too. In less than a minute after their arrival, the desired train arrived. Ayato invited the other two to get on first, then stepped inside the train, himself. He sat with his team in a booth nearby, where there was a lot of space and privacy. It seemed others were not as busy as they moved into the lounge, where one didn't have to worry about time. As Ayato said, only the worse-case scenario would make the three just on time for their mission, otherwise they had time for leisure. "I can't wait to see your magic in action!" Ayato remarked towards Elizabeth. He then looked at Catsu, who seemed to be communicating the least. "Catsu, I'll make sure you get your fair share of credit too. Elizabeth is the leader, so I'm sure she'll be the big shot when the time comes." Ayato commented, laughing softly. It was true. He was a bit intimidated by God Slayers, and yet again wondered just how high and mighty Elizabeth was. He also wanted to see what Catsu could offer. However, that all had to wait while the three travelled upon the train. Unfortunately, they had every stop to pass.

Ayato tried to listen to the words Elizabeth had to offer, but stumbled upon what she had to say first as one word came up: sister. Ayato never had a sister or brother before, and felt alone as a child. He looked over to Elizabeth while she spoke, and blushed a bit. Who was he kidding? Just by being his teammate, Ayato considers her something similar to a sister, already. The two had gotten along rather quickly, after all, and affectionate towards each other in such a short matter of time. "Exploring Minstrel should be interesting for us both then." Ayato remarked. Ayato felt honoured to visit Earthland. It was rumoured to be a lot more appealing than Clover Town. Not only that, but Minstrel, specifically, was a rich place, and the three had accommodations to an estate once they arrived. Of course, when Ayato discussed the job with the profiler, he was threatened to succeed in the mission. If he couldn't, he would be charged for the estate, which would probably keep him in Minstrel working for the rest of his life.

The first stop had been reached, yet only a few left the train for this designated area. As he thought of how long the train ride would be, Ayato began to feel sleepy. He fell asleep quickly, faster than it would've taken to respond to Elizabeth's question. Naturally, Ayato dozed off to rest his head on Elizabeth's shoulder, the job profile coincidentally fell from his jacket and onto Elizabeth's lap. He felt so comfortable for some reason. He didn't mean to sleep in this position, but now that he slept like this, Ayato felt like he landed on something soft, and so he was able to dream.

While Ayato was asleep, he dreamt of how the mission could potentially start and end; the real fight. Ayato saw himself use his link of spells. They looked so cool from a third-person view, especially against the demonspawn in this mission. However, while the spotlight seemed focused on him, a powerful new force violently erupted, and in an instant, the monsters were obliterated. Smoke from the explosion filled the area, though while Ayato still dreamt of this fight, inside of this smoke was the lively Elizabeth, with her companion, Catsu. Ayato smiled warmly and blushed a bit. Thanks to his dream, Ayato felt a lot more confidence about the brawl he was really going to participate in.

Ayato kept sleeping delightfully until he felt a sudden push against his body. He figured it was time to get up, yet while he began opening his eyes, he felt somebody poking him. He grabbed that person's hand, and looked at the person to identify who she was; he was still half-asleep. "Thank you, Liz." Ayato remarked with gratitude, smiling lightly until he got up, pulling Elizabeth up with him. While he, Elizabeth and Catsu had all reached the final stop, Ayato noticed that they were the only three left on the train, and the driver was yelling rudely at them to get off. Without a response to the driver, Ayato held Elizabeth's hand with Catsu on his teammate's shoulder, and walked off the train. There, he released Elizabeth's hand, and watched as the train took off. The station here was completely deserted, which made Ayato want to scout the area. He looked behind himself, however, and noticed that beneath this station, there was a boat running through the sea, and heading near their stop. Watching this train, Ayato took Elizabeth's hand again, and ran down a wheelchair-accessible ramp to quickly get to the ground level of this unknown town. "To the boat!" Ayato cheered happily, dashing with Elizabeth towards the dock. He truly was having fun, at this point.

When the two arrived at the dock, Ayato had yet to realize he was still hanging onto Elizabeth's hand. He walked gently onto the boat people with the other two. People were smiling at the three, possibly due to their guild symbols. Otherwise, Ayato looked over, and finally noticed his grasp on Elizabeth's hand- that must've been it. Once again, Ayato let go of Elizabeth's hand, and gestured her to the First-Class area of this boat, where no-one else sat, and where the three were invited on this boat to sit due to the mission instructor. Ayato felt really excited, during the time, though on the outside, one could only see that he was happy. "So this is our first mission, huh?" Ayato commented, looking over to Elizabeth, "I'm excited." Ayato watched as the boat started to run while the three were seated firmly. The three were also offered food and drinks of their choice while they travelled to Minstrel. Generally, Ayato felt touched.

Ayato noticed that while the three were seated in the boat, Elizabeth still awfully silent. He wondered why she kept her eyes closed whilst the three were headed for Minstrel; the most luxurious town in Earthland. Ayato was offered some drinks and food. Some of the drinks were alcoholic as it seemed the waiter knew what age the two were, while others were healthier, and generally, more refreshing. The food, however, looked like a meal. Ayato figured the time on this boat would be even longer than the train ride, and so he ordered some carbonara pasta with bacon while the three awaited their destination. Additionally, to be polite, Ayato asked that the waiter come by again shortly in case Elizabeth felt in the mood to eat or drink. She seemed deep in thought, anyway. "Are you okay?" Ayato asked. Ayato desired nothing more than food, and so he did not give the waiter any request for beverages. However, he wondered if Elizabeth had an appetite, at this point, but wanted to make sure she was in a good state beforehand. "Here, I ordered pasta. Why don't you share it with me?" Ayato suggested. It then came upon Ayato that he was being too straightforward, and giving too many hints that he liked Elizabeth. He had grown into it very quickly, which he could not help. Unfortunately, he needed to know how Elizabeth felt first.

While the boat kept moving, Ayato wondered just how beautiful Minstrel would be. He had never been anywhere in Earthland before, yet here he was, his first voyage to the most expensive part of the land. Not only that, but the three were fortunate enough to be assigned an estate to settle in before (if possible), and after their mission. This is ultimately what kept Ayato ecstatic for this trip, while he remained curious of what the other two thought. Of course, then he saw that Catsu was still lively, and was probably needy of some food, himself. He recalled the fact that Catsu was an Exceed, and so he thought about what this species enjoyed eating. This is when he suddenly called the waiter back. "Uh...weird question, but, have you ever seen an Exceed before?" Ayato asked, hiding Catsu. The waiter nodded, surprisingly, and questioned Ayato, wondering why he would ask such a question. "We are supposedly visiting an Exceed in Minstrel, who is to assist us. We wanted to give him a gift as a sign of thanks, and so we asked his owner what he likes to eat. Do you have any recommendations." It was then an eavesdropping chef came with some expensive fish, and handed it over to Ayato, immediately. The waiter laughed from Ayato's reaction, then left the three alone- well, two were only seen from the waiter's perspective.

Ayato handed Catsu the fish, and hoped he enjoyed it. "Here, eat this. If the waiter returns to see that the food vanished, I have another lie to tell." Ayato stated. He gently pet Catsu on the head before he looked back out the window. Everything up on this First Class floor seemed so quiet while the staff members were absent; soundless, completely. Ayato most certainly enjoyed this moment, and so he silently awaited his carbonara pasta, along with the lively Elizabeth, who hopefully wished to join them in their feast. Ayato looked at the time while he had the chance, and watched as it seemed that, no matter what, the three would embrace the best-case scenario, and have a good amount of time for leisure, even once they would be in Minstrel. This would mean the three would have time to settle into their estate, and get more prepared for their mission. As much as Ayato wanted to have fun, he also wanted to get through these future threats with ease.

Ayato looked over to Elizabeth when he saw a hand pass with the corner of his eye. It seemed she was fixing her hair again, which, though it seemed typical for Elizabeth, meant that she was fine. In fact, she even said it, herself. "Well, if you want to eat something with us, I ordered a carbonara pasta, and Catsu has some fish." Ayato remarked. He paused for a bit and looked out the window once more. Dolphins were popping out of the ocean Ayato and his team were passing. They seemed so happy, which only made Ayato smile, as well. They were so peaceful, just as this cruise lacked any noise, at all. He looked back to Elizabeth and saw her grinning. "You seem to be in a good mood." Ayato commented, "We have plenty of things to do in Minstrel aside from the mission. Anything in mind?"

After Ayato asked his question, he went back to watching over Catsu. He seemed to be enjoying the fish quite well. As a matter of fact, ever since he had received the fish, Catsu hadn't said a single word. It seemed he was just that impressed with his meal. Ayato sighed before his meal came. He gestured the server to give two forks; not just one. He then handed a fork over to Elizabeth. "Try some!" He advised with a cheerful tone, "You're enjoy it, I promise!" Ayato used some built-in tables the seats had to properly rest his dish, then took a few bites of the pasta, enough to already consume half of the meal, itself. He then slid it over to Elizabeth. "I leave the rest to you." Ayato concluded, "Feel free to order some more food, despite whether or not you like the pasta. I'm going to rest until the boat stops." And with this, Ayato pulled out a blanket and pillow from under his seat- another First Class feature- and positioned them comfortably for him to doze off. He left his head upright upon the pillow, and the blanket softly over his whole body before Ayato finally closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Ayato felt a hand push his shoulder, which caused him to wake up slowly. "Minstrel? Already?" Ayato commented before a warm smile appeared on his face. He picked up Catsu and rested him on his shoulder. "I hope he doesn't mind waking up on me, for once." Ayato remarked, "Anyways, thanks for waking me up! Let's move!" Ayato walked ahead of Elizabeth this time, proving that he wasn't so clingy as to hold onto her hand every time they needed to go somewhere. He was glad, however, to see her so happy. The three, altogether, were currently in Minstrel: the richest area to settle in Earthland. The food, drink and sleeping supplies were left behind him; all used for various purposes, of course, but not to the fullest extent. While he was about to get off the boat, he slipped a decent bag of jewels out of his pocket and gave it to the captain. "Thanks for the ride!" Ayato mentioned with excitement. It was now time for the three to enjoy themselves momentarily in this rich settlement.

Two Hours Later

The three found their estate while they all held luggage. Ayato proceeded into the estate first, and looked around. First, he went upstairs, where he saw some luxurious bathrooms and two bedrooms set for a king and queen. "Convenient!" Ayato commented, "Liz! Come upstairs and pick your room!" Ayato left his bag of luggage on the top floor with a lock attached so even a thief couldn't get into it. The lock was magically enhanced so only its holder could even get it to move. He ran downstairs again, where he wished to see the living room, dining room and kitchen. It turned out that the living room was like a huge entertainment center, with loads of lacrimas set in different corners, ready to be pulled for different purposes. The most expensive furniture Ayato could've ever imagined was also set in all three rooms while he had the time to visit them all. The dining room was almost like one you would see in a palace, though after what Ayato heard from Elizabeth about missions, he assumed the three wouldn't need this room, anyway. This caused him to ignore the kitchen, and proceed further into the basement. This is where he met the ultimate training arena. "Amazing!" Ayato cheered, "Liz, you have to check this out, too!" Ayato saw that the most advanced training systems were equipped everywhere in this training arena. These training systems were perfectly immune to everything so that nothing in the basement would break. The walls and ceiling in the basement were also magically enhanced titanium, meaning that no matter what, any action the three could possibly cause in the basement would not affect anything else in the estate.

Ayato finally proceeded back to the top floor, where he could be seen in his happiest mood, yet. "This is the life!" Ayato concluded joyfully.

Ayato continued to examine the luxurious estate the two were in until he heard Elizabeth ask him a question he didn't want to hear, though he knew he'd have to hear it eventually. He sighed, then walked downstairs, on the same level as Elizabeth, during this time. He saw her swinging her sword around in a skillful manner. He smiled gently then looked directly into Elizabeth's eyes. "Might as well talk to her early, huh?" Ayato figured, "I suppose we can go now." Ayato pulled out his sword, then calmly clashed it with Elizabeth's, similar to the way people celebrate a day of drinking with beer glasses. Catsu was still with him on his shoulders while he opened the door for the three to leave, then locked the door behind them.

While the three were now outside of the estate, it was time to see the client. "Not much of a walk from here." Ayato clarified, "Let me know if you see anything suspicious before, during, or after this mission." Ayato looked back to Elizabeth and gave her a thumbs-up and a grin. This was to indicate that he trusted her, and had her back, generally. Both were members of Blue Pegasus, anyway, and had to take care of each other. He looked over to Catsu, who was just as concentrated as he and Elizabeth on the mission. "We're going to have a good time, pal. No worries." Ayato confirmed. Before he wished to talk any further, however, he already caught sight of the client. Actually, he should say clients; three Musketeers: Atha, Atma and Portha.

Ayato stopped before them while the three had arrived in Lebeque Town, and saw that they were indeed assigned assistance from these three. "Oh my, look at who we have here!" Atha remarked, getting dangerously close to Ayato with an impressive grin on her face. Ayato never expected the Musketeers to be so flirtatious. He then saw Atma approach Catsu, and stare at him with awe. "This cat is so cute, I could just eat him up." Atma confessed. Ayato blushed quite a bit in response to the two Musketeers' impressions before he saw Potsha approach Elizabeth. She get dangerously close to her, as well. "H-Hello! I'm Seitenshi Ayato, and these are my friends: Elizabeth and Catsu! Nice to meet you three!" Ayato greeted. It was then Portha looked at him with a wide smile on her face. "Just friends, huh? Does that mean I have a chance with her?" Portha commented curiously. Atha and Atma simultaneously got closer to Ayato and Catsu before Ayato blushed heavily.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?!" Ayato thought to himself.