Job: A Wrath like no other [Shining Ace & Alyia]

Alyia had felt the sudden absence on people around her and looked up. In front of her stood Ace. He was somewhat glowing. From where she sat on the ground he looked like an angel. She looked at his extended hand and hesitantly grasped it in her own. His hand was so big. Looking at Ace, Alyia smiled. It was not a smirk, it was a small smile that she rarely showed to anyone. With her hand in his she stood up and her hair followed her. Upon standing up Alyia looked around wondering where all the people that had been there before went.. There was a two meter radius around them that was people free. But suddenly the crowd started to fill in the circle making Alyia look up at Ace with pleading eyes. She didn’t know if she could get through this crowd without huddling up in a ball again. She needed out and she knew that Ace could get her out.

Alyia had looked up him and hesitantly grasped Ace's extended hand in her own, he then noticed that Alyia smiled as she looked at him. Ace just continued to smile back "You should smile more often, it's really pretty and rather charming. It suits you better than a smirk." Ace told her with her hand in his helping her as she stood up with her hair followed her. Upon standing up Alyia looked around wondering where all the people that had been there before went now seeing the two meter radius around them that had no people in it. "Well I know you don't like crowds so I thought you could do with some breathing space." He winked just as he saw that the crowd slowly started to fill in the circle making and that Alyia was looking up at Ace with pleading eyes. Ace sighed still smiling "Sorry for having to do this to you twice in one day Alyia." Ace said as he swept Alyia off her feet in a bridal fashion as he had done earlier before he leaped off the ground onto on top of a street light and from there onto the roof top of one of the buildings along the crowded shopping street he then lightly put Alyia down standing on her feet. "Are you okay?"

Alyia’s smile slid off of her face. That was the second time that someone had called her pretty due to her smile. Maybe they were right. But as Ace picked her up a smirk on his face the thought escaped her. With her hair flying behind them as he jumped to the building Alyia took a deep breath and sighed. The crowed as now below them and out of Alyia’s hair, literally. Reaching the top of the building Ace had put her down. As soon as she touched the ground with her feet Alyia looked to her hand where the necklace was. It was still there. ‘This thing had better be worth it,’ she thought as she glared at it. Hearing Ace’s question she looked away from the piece and up at him. “Better now,” she started. “I just dont do crowds. Or people for that matter.” She gave him a light smile. She was completely out of character, but this happened every time that she was stressed or was extremely tired. With a sigh she walked to the edge of the building and looked down. There was no way that she was going to go back down there.

Alyia’s smile was no where to be seen on her face once they reached the top of the building Ace had put her down on. Upon hearing ask if she was okay she looked up at him “Better now, I just dont do crowds. Or people for that matter.” She gave him a light smile, Ace sighed with relief though he could tell she was either stressed or tired as he watched her sigh as she walked to the edge of the building and looked down. After seeing what happened there was no way in hell that he was going to make her or let her go back down there now that the street and the crowd was out of her hair...literally. "Look if your stressed or tired you need to let me know. We got until tomorrow to finish the job so we have time to take a break." He gave her a small warm smile before turning to walked along the roof tops and after taking a few steps towards the direction of the chocolate shop and the engravers shop before turning back around to look at Alyia spinning on his heel "So you still coming? The chocolate is my treat by the way."

Alyia nodded her head when Ace had asked if she was coming and took off after him walking a few steps behind him. She was much better now acting almost like a kid which caused ask to laugh and failed at trying to hold it in as it ended up turning into a chuckle after walking along the roof tops hoping over the small gaps between the buildings every now and then. Soon they arrived at the end of the road or the side shopping street's rooftops Ace walked over to the edge to have a look at the main street into the plaza to check on the size of the crowd be being concerned for Alyia and found there where more people in the plaza then the side street but the people where spread out more leaving there being less of a crowd to the point where there where some patches with no people in it. He then saw the chocolate shop near by and the engravers a few door's down from it "So how do you want to get down the easy way or the hard way?" Ace said turning to her "Fair warning though the easy way require for me to carry you for about four seconds."

Alyia looked up at Ace and then down at the ground in question.Why had they stopped? She saw the chocolate shop down there and smiled, there was also very little amount of people around it. A weight lifted off of her shoulders, one she didn’t even know that she had there. The blonde lifted her gaze from the streets and looked up at Ace she really did want to get down there but she wasn’t sure that the easy way was what she wanted to do. Being picked up twice already that day had been enough. She really didn’t like being picked up, rather she disliked it with a passion. But her want for chocolate overpowered her hatred and not wanting to be picked up. “The easy way,” she said as she continued to look at Ace, “But no more picking me up after this, okay? It isn’t my exact favorite thing in the world.”

“The easy way,” Alyia said to him in response to his question as she continued to look at Ace, “But no more picking me up after this, okay? It isn’t my exact favorite thing in the world.” Ace began to laugh when Alyia told him that being picked up wasn't his most favourite thing in the world which he already kind of guessed after the first time "Don't worry I wasn't planning to I kinda figured out you didn't like it after I carried you over to the jewellery shop." Ace said smiling trying to stop himself from laughing and when he did he turned to her to look Alyia in the eyes "Beside I am usually able to tell what a lady likes." he said smiling mischievously whiling winking at her before gesturing to the way down. "You may like the hard way better then the easy way just to let you know because the hard way doesn't require for me to carry you but it does require for you to jump off this ledge onto the shop sign underneath. So are you sure you want me to carry you?"

Alyia froze at Ace's wink the only other person who had done that was her partner and even then she had the same reaction. With a shake of her head she knew at that point that she wasn't going to take the easy way down. Even if she had said that chocolate was worth it. Grumbling to herself she walked to the edge of the building and looked down. It actually wasn't that high off of the ground. She had jumped from trees taller than this and landed perfectly fine on the ground. Taking a quick look back at Ace she smirked. "I'm taking the hard way then." As soon as the words exited her mouth she jumped from the edge of the building down to the ground landing almost silently on the ground. She might have flashed several people on the way down but it was worth seeing the faces of the people that she scared as she landed on the ground. It wasn't everyday that you saw a girl jump from a building. Taking a look up at the building that she had just jumped from she waved just in case Ace was looking down at her.

Alyia froze at Ace's wink before she shook of her head and walked over to the edge of the roof grumbling and looked down before taking a quick look back at him smirking. "I'm taking the hard way then." As soon as the words exited her mouth she jumped from the edge of the building down Ace simply hopped off landing on the ground silently before Alyia jumped do to the fact that his magic increased his speed and that Alyia jumped off the ledge meaning she went up slightly before she went down unlike Ace who basically did a relaxed pencil dive off the ledge. Ace the walked over to Alyia who was looking up at the building that she had just jumped from, Ace looked up wondering what she was looking at "Umm Alyia what are you looking at...." Ace smiled a friendly sigh "Anyhow so do you want me to drop off the jewellery to get them engraved while you start looking at the chocolate picking out which one you want?"

Alyia spun around to look at the blonde who was now standing behind her. When had he gotten there? Before nodding at Ace’s question the blonde looked up and down at Ace to make sure that he was the real one. Was he the real Ace? Seeing the soft glow on him that was usually there Alyia was sure that it was the blond that she was going to work with today. “Go ahead and drop of the jewellery,” Alyia started, “I’ll be…” She pointed to the chocolate shop with a glint in her eyes. Not waiting for Ace to agree and leave she wandered over to the shop and looked in through the window. There were all kind of chocolate. Moving to the entrance the girl entered the store. The smell of sweet dark coloured candy filled her nose. Taking a breath in she stood only for a moment before walking over to the nearest display of chocolate.

It had taken all of ten minutes before Alyia had chosen three different types of chocolate. She had a white/milk chocolate swirl, a strawberry filled chocolate, and a dark hazelnut chocolate. She knew that Ace had said that he would buy the chocolates but she could not wait approaching the cashier Alyia placed the chocolates down on the counter.

Alyia spun around to look at before nodding at Ace’s question the blonde looked up and down at Ace to make sure that he was the real one which caused him to laugh "Yes it's me, hi Imma Ace!~" she then seemed to be convinced and responded to his earlier question “Go ahead and drop of the jewellery,” Alyia started handing him her piece, “I’ll be…” She pointed to the chocolate shop with a glint in her eyes "Gotcha see you in about ten minutes." and by the time she had finished talking she had wandered over to the shop and looked in through the window. Ace sighed as he smiled shaking his head he was really enjoying her company, he found her quite interesting. It took him about three minutes to cross the plaza to drop off the jewellery at the engravers and paid in advance for them both to have the same engraving which would read "To my beautiful wife, for our amazing twenty five years". Once that was done, paid for in advance and had been told to come back in about an hour and a half he walked back over to the chocolate shop and found Aaliyah waiting for him at the counter as he walked over he picked up two large bars of dark mint chocolate, a small box of truffles, a bar of dark hazelnut chocolate and a bar of milk chocolate with cookies in it.

Alyia had just pulled out her wallet when Ace had come up to the cash register himself, back from the engraving shop. Seeing him place down all of his chocolates Alyia could not believe how many he planned to buy. She knew that he liked chocolate but not that much. She looked at her own pile of chocolate and then back at Ace’s. Hers seemed nothing compared to his. Then again she liked to enjoy and savor every piece of chocolate that she ate. “That didn't take very long,” Alyia spoke to Ace. She put her wallet away and turned to face him. “How long until we have to go pick them up?” He blue eyes looking at the boy that she had been paired with today she raised a single eyebrow in question. It wasn’t that she wanted to get away, well maybe it was. There was just something about Ace that seemed to make people get along with him and Alyia didn't want that.

Alyia had just pulled out her wallet when Ace had arrived the cash register himself, as he placed down all of his chocolates next to Alyia's chocolate in two piles. "Remember this is my treat, I ain't letting you put any money into this purchase." Ace said commenting on Alyia's wallet. “That didn't take very long,” Alyia said to him as she put her wallet away which caused a faint smile to be on her face as she then turned to face him. “How long until we have to go pick them up?” She asked raising a single eyebrow as she asked her question, Ace sighed as he handed the cashier and asked for Alyia's to be put in a separate bag and for the box of truffles, one of the dark mint chocolate bars and the milk chocolate with cookies inside it to be wrapped up. "Your that keen to get rid of me huh? Looks like I made the right call of suggesting this engravers instead of going to the one a few stores down from the jewellery shop." Ace said as he handed Alyia her bag with her items, "I am suppose to go back and pick them up in about a hour and twenty five minutes now, unlike the other place which would have taken until tomorrow morning and I guessed you didn't want to see me two days in a row." Ace explain his theory as he chuckled softly though there was no happiness behind his laughter this time unlike the other times today, now it sounded more disheartened and nervous as he scratched the back of his head.

Alyia rolled her eyes at the blond boy’s comment. Okay so she did want to get away. But, who could blame her. She had already broken her promise to herself and she didn’t plan on doing it again. Taking the bag of chocolates from Ace she reached inside and pulled out the strawberry chocolate only to put it back in and pull out the white/milk chocolate swirl. She was going to save the strawberry one for later. She was glad that he had chosen the engravers that he did. She wouldn’t be able to be around him much longer before she would probably run away again, and she didn’t want to run away she wanted to finish this job and go home. “Great,” Alyia said not making a comment to the end of Ace’s sentence. She looked at him and saw the disheartened smile on his face. Maybe she was too hard. But, she had to be or else she would be vulnerable once again. Opening her chocolate and taking a small bite and tasting the chocolate on her tongue Alyia headed towards the front door of the shop and exited. What were they going to do for the next hour and twenty-five minutes?

Ace sighed as he jogged for a few seconds to catch up with Alyia, "Look feel free to consider this job finished for you." Ace said sounding friendly and understanding "We can part ways here, I'll hang around until the jewellery has finished being engraved, collect mine while telling the shop keeper to hold on to it under your name until you collect. Tomorrow I'll deliver mine to Mr. Spiff's balcony at 11am sharp and I'll make sure I am gone by 11:10am, then you could do the same and collect your reward from the man who hired us." Ace then took a deep breath after saying the previous in one go without pausing to breath once "That way you can finish the job without seeing my ugly mug and get away from me." He said chuckling still sounding disheartened "How does that sound to you?"

Alyia tried to hold in her laugh after hearing Ace's speech. Sure she wanted to get away from him, but she was working with him today. Unable to to hold herself back any longer Alyia burst out laughing. The sweet sound exiting her mouth. It was no giggle it was a full blown laugh. She wrapped up her white/milk swirl chocolate and covered her mouth. She did want to get away from Ace, but not that badly. Just enough that he wouldn't become something important to her. Looking at Ace and taking a deep breath trying to calm her laughter Alyia tried to speak, she failed miserably. Standing up straight she closed her eyes and took another deep breath. Letting it out she looked at Ace with her blue eyes. "It's not that I hate you and it's not I want to get away as fast as utterly possible. I just can't go and get another person close to me. I have one person already and they are enough to last me a lifetime." Alyia picked her chocolate back out of the back and took another bite before putting it back in. "Besides, we were told to do this together. I'm not backing out now, now that we are so close. Don't think that you can get rid of me so easily." Alyia turned to walk back down the street of Hargeon. "And you aren't ugly. I bet someone thinks that you are handsome."

Ace raised a single eyebrow as Alyia began making weird noises as if she was trying to hold in a laugh after hearing what he had said and sure enough a few seconds she burst out in laughter she had been unable to to hold back. Ace sighed a smile as Alyia had her full blown laugh until she covered her mouth, then looking at him and taking a deep breath trying to calm her laughter Alyia tried to speak though she failed miserably before standing up straight, closing her eyes and took another deep breath. Breathing out she looked at Ace with her blue eyes. "It's not that I hate you and it's not I want to get away as fast as utterly possible. I just can't go and get another person close to me. I have one person already and they are enough to last me a lifetime." Alyia picked her chocolate back out of the back and took another bite before putting it back in. "Besides, we were told to do this together. I'm not backing out now, now that we are so close. Don't think that you can get rid of me so easily." Alyia turned to walk back down the street of Hargeon. "And you aren't ugly. I bet someone thinks that you are handsome." Ace laughed half heartily smiling with his eyes looking off in a different direction avoiding eye contact with Alyia "Yea...that what I need...someone to think I am handsome..." he mumbled quietly in a sarcastic manner, but quickly looked back smiling at Alyia "Well any way were friends now right? After all I now you better then anybody in this plaza unless that one person you are close to is around which I doubt." Ace said smirking before he closed his eyes and continued talking "Look I ain't aiming to get close to you or nothing like take and I know you ain't looking to get close to me either but bonds between people make us stronger even if just a few, if people have people who can see past the false mask people and accept that person as their true self...how they really are, then you have people to fall back on if all hell breaks loose..." Ace spoke in a way that seemed almost wise a regal to the point a few people who had been passing bye stopped to listen to him, he opened his eyes and shook his head "Crap, its been a long time since I got all philological on someone like that...sorry...." He then looked at Alyia "So you okay with being friends?"

Alyia looked at Ace out of the corner of her eyes as he walked beside her talking about how people brought out the inner you and that there were different types of people in the world. She started to tune him out. She had heard this all before. It still didn’t change how she thought. There was only one person who could do that. “So you okay with being friends?” The question infiltrated her mind. Ace wanted to be her friend. Except she didn’t do friends. Never had and never will. Well, that’s what she thought, but a lot of things had been proven wrong for her lately. Turning her head so that she could look at Ace head on the blonde haired girl started to speak. “Ace, I don’t do friends. It is just a word that I don’t use to describe anyone. But, instead of friend you can be my acquaintance. I don’t talk to a lot of people so it is just as good as being a friend.” With that Alyia turned her vision back to the street that they were walking on. The street itself wasn’t very crowded but it was getting more and more with each step. Pausing in her step Alyia stopped moving. She reached into her bag and pulled out her swirl chocolate and took another bite. “Well, it only seems to get worse from here on out so I say that we call it a day.” Alyia looked up at the sun that was starting to set making the sky all rosey. “We can go our separate ways for now and sleep for the night and then meet at the engravers in the morning. I think I know which one you went to. Meet me there at 8am, that’s when it opens. There will be no crowd and it will be an easy pick up. They won’t mind holding on to the jewellery until tomorrow. From there we can drop it off on the porch and head home.” Alyia finished her idea ending her thoughts on heading home. She wanted to go home at the beginning of the day, but now she needed to be home. She missed it and all that came with it too much.

Ace though that Alyia looked at him rather strangely when he had asked if she was okay with the two of them being friends as if nobody had ever asked her that question before, well that what it seemed like to him. Turning her head so that she could look at him head on Alyia spoke telling him “Ace, I don’t do friends. It is just a word that I don’t use to describe anyone. But, instead of friend you can be my acquaintance. I don’t talk to a lot of people so it is just as good as being a friend.” With that being said Alyia turned back to the street that they were walking on she suddenly stopped moving and Ace kinda guessed what was she was going to say next “Well, it only seems to get worse from here on out so I say that we call it a day.” she told him looked up at the sun which was starting to set “We can go our separate ways for now and sleep for the night and then meet at the engravers in the morning. I think I know which one you went to. Meet me there at 8am, that’s when it opens. There will be no crowd and it will be an easy pick up. They won’t mind holding on to the jewellery until tomorrow. From there we can drop it off on the porch and head home.” Ace nodded in agreement "Sound like a plan, hey just to let you know you may call me an acquaintance but imam calling a friend after all you said the two are just as good when it comes to you." he spun on his heel to and took a steep in the opposite direction before turning back to Alyia "Hey are you going to be okay? you know with the crowds an all?"

Alyia almost growled when Ace called her a friend. She had told him that she did not call him that, but he had told her that he would call her one anyways. With a roll of her eyes she started away, but paused as she heard Ace ask her about the crowds. Alyia turned her head so that she looked at Ace. “I will be fine.” Alyia smirked and turned away from Ace. She looked at the crowd and he smirk faded. There was only one way to get around it. “I call upon the Flight of the Holy.” With the words wings of light sprouted from Alyia’s back. She hadn’t used this before due to the fact that she was supposed to be working with someone that day. But, now that she was alone she called upon the spell and flapped her wings once before rocketing into the sky. Looking down below her Alyia saw the faces of all the people that she had stood around before she took off into the air. They were priceless. With her smirk appearing on her face the blonde headed mage flew off to find a place to sleep.

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Alyia turned her head so that she looked at Ace in response to his question if that she would be okay with the crowds. “I will be fine.” She told him smirking and turned away from Ace, who shrugged and turned to walk off in the opposite direction while saying "Alright then see you tomorrow Alyia.". He turned to look back a few seconds later after hearing a lot of gasps to see Alyia rocketing into the sky thanks to having wings which looked like they were made of light coming from her back. Ace couldn't help but to smirk and laugh a little bit after seeing Alyia "For a girl who hates crowds she sure has a magic that can draw one." he said softly thinking to himself aloud "And there I was carrying her on two separate occasions today when she could have just flown away. Well I now feel like an idiot...but then again we are idiots a times it's just a part of being human....who am I talking to?" After realising he was talking to himself he walked off putting on his headphones to arrive at a local B&B where he was checked in.

***time-skip to next day out side engravers 07:55am***

Ace sat across from the engravers shop on a bench waiting for it to open and for Alyia with his rucksack placed at his feet along with a guitar case. As he sat there on the bench he spent his free time tuning his guitar altering hearing from his partner Stella who was doing a different that there was a music contest at one of the train stops on the way back to Magnolia Town.

It was 7:57 as Alyia reached the engravers. She had spent the night in a tree. It wasn't that she didn't have money to sleep in a hotel it was that she hadn't spent much time watching the night sky and she felt the need to do so. Yawning she looked around in search for Ace who had said that he would meet her there at 8:00 exactly so that they would be there when the shop opened. She was correct in saying that there would be very little people around. There were  only a couple people scattering the streets and some opening up their stores. Finally spotting the purple eyed bot sitting on a bench right outside of the engravers she walked over to him and stood right in front of him. "Morning." The single world exited her mouth directed at the boy sitting on the bench. "The shop should be opening at at any moment. Ready to grab and go?" Alyia hadn't yet eaten breakfast so she was starting to get hungry. Noticing this she looked at the street wondering if there was a place that they could go get breakfast. "After we pick up the pendants I'm going to go get breakfast. You can join me if you would like."

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"Morning." When Ace heard this single word the boy sitting on the bench looked up to see Alyia who had seemingly appeared from nowhere "The shop should be opening at at any moment. Ready to grab and go?" Ace had stopped singing under his breath and stopped playing his guitar mid strum "Mornin' Alyia," he said as he packed his guitar away seeing that the shop keeper had flipped the sign from open to close slinging his rucksack over his shoulder while he carried the guitar case in his left hand. He took a step towards the shop when Alyia spoke up a second time "After we pick up the pendants I'm going to go get breakfast. You can join me if you would like." Ace gave her a friendly smirked and a thumbs up "Sure sounds like a plan." Ace the collected the jewellery and handed Alyia's hers after he exited the shop, "So do you have a place to eat in mine or are we just going to start walking to Mr. Spiff's and find something along the way?"

Alyia took the black box from Ace as he handed it to her. "Yeah, that was what I was thinking. I haven't had breakfast yet and we have until 11:00 to drop of the jewelry." Alyia walked down the near empty streets of Hargeon. People were starting to become for frequent as time passed. Alyia looked from shop to shop trying to spot a place to eat when her nose picked up the smell of chocolate. Lifting her nose in the air she took a sniff around and tried to find where the smell was coming from. Turning her head to where she thought that the smell was coming from she spotted a bakery and there sitting in the windows was a chocolate croissant. Peeling away from where Ace was walking beside her she walked to the bakery and took another sniff of the chocolate filled air. It was better inside than outside. She walked over to the counter. "May I have a chocolate croissant?" Alyia asked as she could almost taste the chocolate pastry in her mouth. The person behind the counter took out a croissant and handed it to Alyia. Pulling out her wallet Alyia handed the person the money that is cost to buy the croissant and went back outside to see if she could find Ace, all the while munching on her chocolate croissant.

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