"Mm..."
"If we don't hurry up and find a job that pays well, we'll run out of food money soon..."
"Exactly!"
"Happy's going to run out of fish soon, too!"
"Even though we can stay at the guild without paying rent, we still have to spend money on food and drinks..."
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"Sigh..."
"You and Happy have it easy, at least. Annie and I live in that big house, so I'm the one under pressure!"
"Next month, I'm going to be in trouble with rent and all my other expenses. I really have to figure something out soon."
"Come to think of it..."
"Letting that little girl make two million J so easily was way too generous!"
"I'm not waiting around for you guys. I need to get to work!"
Today, after spending some time making noise in the bar-like hall at the Fairy Tail guild, Lucy saw Natsu and Happy sprawled over a table, drinking themselves into oblivion and looking utterly miserable, with no sign of perking up. Unwilling to keep drifting along like them, she shot the two of them a resentful look, then walked over to the guild's request board and began examining the motley assortment of jobs posted there.
They'd been waiting here for ages, and Erza—the one Gray had mentioned earlier—still hadn't come back. Lucy wasn't going to waste any more time. She had to find a job that paid decently today so she could maintain her comfortable lifestyle.
"Honestly..."
"Was teaming up with Natsu really a mistake? If I'd known things would turn out like this, I should've formed a blonde squad with little Annie..."
"Sheesh!"
Lucy looked at her useless partner, then glanced toward the bar. A little girl was chatting and laughing with Mirajane while eating expensive desserts, without a care