"Oh! Being forced to spend the afternoon with two lovely ladies how cruel you are Master" He joked and laughed at her pout at his use of the nick name. He offered an arm to each of the girls and continued. "Shall we be off ladies, the jewels won't spend themselves." And with that the girls paid their bill and made their way to see what Clover had to offer.

Loke was wrong to think he was getting off easy, so very, very wrong. Lucy and Cana were intent on dragging him into every clothing store that Clover had to offer, but that was to be expected. What he didn't expect however was the mental torture he had to endure. Neither of the women had outwardly spoke of a plan to conspire against him, but he was sure they had telepathically communicated to do just that.

The way they tried on outfit after skimpy outfit, twirling around and asking his opinion had him on edge for hours. Being presented with such a visible display of perfection without the ability to allow his other senses to indulge was terrible, added with the knowledge he had of what Lucy was wearing under the tight clothes she was trying on, his fingers were twitching to slide up her thigh at any given moment. It did not help matters in the slightest that Cana caught onto his lustful gaze and smirked at him. 'What is she up to' he thought to himself, 'that look spells nothing but trouble."

"Lu that skirt is cute but it might be too short for the club tonight, you know if you drop it low, you should do a test move." Cana said nonchalantly but never took her eyes of the playboy. "Oh your right, Cana, that could be embarrassing will you watch and let me know if you see anything?" Came Lucy's innocent reply, she really was dense sometimes that is exactly what Cana was counting on.

Lucy dropped low to the ground and bent over slightly as she worked her way back up, Loke's eyes were glued to her backside, he knew he shouldn't stare he was just asking to be kicked into the wall, but he was a man and who wouldn't want to see if her skirt was indeed a little too short. As she bent over a little more to get into a position to twerk her skirt hiked up ever so slightly on her perfectly rounded ass, and then he saw it, powder blue lace that he himself had picked out for her. It was too much, and blood started dripping from his nose. And with a strained grunt he got up to excuse himself. Lucy watched as he walked awkwardly out of the store, with no idea it was due to a certain tightening of his pants. "What's his problem?" she inquired. Cana just busted out laughing at the whole predicament, it really was just so amusing. "I think it's safe to say that skirt is too short Lu." With that statement comprehension dawned on the blonde and her face went red as she rushed into the changing room, Cana just laughed louder at her flustered friend.

After that they decided to take a break from shopping to get a light lunch, and to give Loke a break from his raging hormones. The three friends sat at a small café as they awaited their orders. Lucy was still red and couldn't quite meet her spirts gaze, and Cana was smug as always. With a sigh Loke decided to break the awkwardness, "Come on Princess are you just never going to look at me again, you do know I have seen you in far more compromising positions right?"

Lucy huffed and snapped her gaze up to him, "Like that makes it better." He chuckled slightly and decided to turn her rage to a different target, "Well at least this time I was the innocent bystander, it wasn't I who suggested that little move of yours, actually you could say that I was the real victim here. I was set up."

Lucy realized that for once the little perv was right, he hadn't instigated the incident nor did he offer a comment, or attempt to touch her, he had just excused himself from the awkwardness. Cana on the other hand was internally cursing the stupid playboy, she did not want to be on the receiving end of Lucy's wrath, especially since it had seemed that her friend had already forgot about her slip of the lip earlier this morning. Loke smirked as he saw the gears in the pretty little blonde's head turn and smugly turned to Cana 'That's right you drunk I'm as good as off the hook, you should know better than to play games.'

Cana glanced at the spirit thinking to herself 'Oh don't think your off the hook lion boy we have the rest of the afternoon for me to turn this around.' Their blonde companion noticed her friends in an intense glare off, clearly in the middle of a mental argument. She realized rather quickly that this was their game of pass the blame and decided to do the most devious thing that she could think of to them, and that was nothing. 'Okay Lucy just act sweet, like Mira sweet, they will be so worried with waiting for the shoe to drop that the rest of the afternoon will go smooth with them on their best behavior, there is always time to go Erza on them later."

So with a sickly sweet voice and smile placed on her lips she started, "Loke-kun, you are right you didn't do anything wrong, I am sorry I got mad at you can you forgive me?" She topped it off with batting her eye lashes. Loke visibly gulped at the honorific and tone that was oddly reminiscent of a silver haired demon he knew. 'Loke-kun? Well this can't be good." "N-nothing to forgive Princess, you didn't do anything wrong. Haha can we just forget this whole thing happened, we still need to find you an outfit for your date after all." 'That's it deflect and distract'

Cana was confused, she didn't pick up on what had Loke shaking in his boots she just noticed that her blonde haired friend was not having the reaction she would have thought. "What's up with you Lu, No Scary Lucy?" Lucy turned to her brunette friend and blinked innocently, "Now Cana-chan I have no idea what you are talking about, Loke is right let's just forget the whole thing, after all we do have more shopping to do."

That's when Cana realized it, her smile and her eyes did not match, her smile said sweet her eyes glinted of death, similar to how Mira's did when she cut her off for the night. 'Great so she isn't just learning from Erza but Mira now too, if this girl ever really gets over her insecurities she is going to be the scariest bitch in Fairy Tail. Best not push her too hard right now and keep an eye open.'

"Uh yeah sure Lu let's get going, like Loke said we have shopping to get to." With that the three companions paid and made their way down the street. Loke let Lucy get a little bit ahead of them before he made a grab for Cana's arm. Quietly he said to her, "Look Cana this side of Lucy is making me really uneasy, can we call a truce, maybe if we are on our best behavior she will think twice about whatever she is plotting."

Cana gave a small glance to the blonde that was just ahead skipping and whistling innocently, a little too innocently for comfort. "Ya I agree…." She drawled out slowly, "…and we really need to monitor her time with Mira and Erza." He nodded in agreement, the prospect of a merger in the attitudes of the two most fearsome women he knew wrapped up in a pretty blonde quick thinking package could mean nothing short of world domination, and he did not want to get on the wrong side of that.

Lucy however did hear the little exchange between her two friends and inwardly smirked 'It's almost too easy, this should be a peaceful rest of the day!' With that thought in mind she continued to skip and whistle all the way to the next shop.

After a couple more hours and uncountable dressing rooms later the trio was walking back to the inn, Loke awkwardly balancing several packages, with bags lining both of his arms. Seems Lucy was true to her word that she intended to utilize him as a pack mule, however he really wasn't that upset about it. It wasn't often that they got to hang out like this and even if it was punishment it was rather nice. 'Maybe I'll ask if I can accompany her shopping more often, perhaps if I ask to spend time with her rather than pop up when she is in a state of undress I may avoid a Lucy Kick.'

Lucy for her part was just pleased that her two friends were getting along and behaving themselves, it meant a lot less embarrassment on her part. She was actually in such a good mood that she decided to let them off the hook for their earlier transgressions, not that she was going to tell them that.

Cana was still apprehensive of the blonde, she never was the patient type and the suspense of waiting for the shit to hit the fan was making her uncomfortable. So when they all finally got back to the room she spoke up. "Ok Lucy, enough whatever your planning just get it over with I can't take it anymore, Lucy Kick us or something."

With a sigh Lucy realized that it was time to give up the ghost, she had her fun, her friends had been on egg shells since lunch after all. "It's already been done Cana."

With that simple reply both the card mage and lion spirt rose an eyebrow at their friend and in unison replied so eloquently with "Huh?" This response caused the Celestial Mage to giggle at their dumbfounded expressions.

"The best revenge I could think of was to make you think something was coming when it wasn't, oh your faces are priceless right now." Her tone full of mirth as she dug through her bags to find the outfit she had decided on for the night.

"So that whole scheme was an act to get us to be wary?" Loke inquired, thinking more on how world domination was definitely in this woman's grasp if she would ever be swayed to the dark.

"Yup" Lucy replied popping the 'p' "And it worked, we had a peaceful prank free afternoon." Cana just shook her head, they had been played, the little shit had played the two biggest players in the game. Oddly enough she was proud, maybe some of her had rubbed off on the little spitfire too, and oh if that wasn't a terrifying thought. But then again maybe she shouldn't have underestimated the girl in the first place, after all they were only on this little trip because she had already completely mind fucked her team.

"Lucy only use your powers for good and never evil okay, your ability to manipulate without the use of magic is dangerous." The card mage added to the conversation, the lion spirt just nodded his head in complete agreement. He had been around for more years than he could honestly count, and had not ever been so fooled into submission, Lucy had gotten exactly what she wanted from both of them with the mere bat of an eye and he was impressed.

"Where did you learn to be so devious Princess?" he quipped. Lucy just smirked and replied, "To know someone's weakness is strength." As if that made all the sense in the world. From the glances the two others shared showed that it did not. Lucy just shrugged deciding not to delve further into it, after all a good player never reveals their hand. She then made her way to the bathroom to change, but not before grabbing a new set of underwear, an action that didn't go unnoticed. Cana whistled "Oh don't want someone seeing your leo panties Lu, what do you have planned for the night."

"Sh-shut up Cana its nothing like what's going on in that perverted mind of yours, I just don't want panty lines is all, and a thong is better for that." She stuttered out as she slammed the door.

"I almost feel as if she thinks of me as a girl friend here, that she talks that openly about her underwear around me" Loke said a little put out, he had never felt so friend zoned by any girl before.

"No one thinks your girl Loke, she is just comfortable with you that's all, really the only person she speaks that way around is me. But don't worry you still get her flustered, if she thought of you as a non male she wouldn't have had trouble looking you in the eye earlier." Cana replied honestly, she knew that Lucy had no romantic attentions towards Loke but that didn't mean she was unaffected by him either, she saw the way she blushed when he would flirt with her.

Loke smiled at his guild mate, it made him feel a little better. He knew why Lucy wouldn't accept his advances but it was still a stroke to his ego to know that he could fluster the girl, and it also made him happy that other people recognized the level of comfort and trust they had in one another, he was her knight after all. 'Right the knight never does end up with the Princess, actually aren't knights supposed to be chased…' Loke blanched at his own thoughts.

"And besides your still joining me while our little Lucy embarks on her date, so you have some time to let your little lion out of the cage on some unsuspecting local who has far less wits than Lucy, Come to think of it, we never actually got to wing for each other, kind of a shame really." Cana mused.

"Your right, you will actually be way better than Gray, we can use the whole the whole have you met my friend he is a great guy bit, having a chick as a wing is instantly disarming." He said thoughtfully.

"Right and when I call over to you, I can slink over to the men of the group, since the little floosys will be ensnared by your charm, leaving more men for me. Actually maybe I can ask Lucy to borrow you more often, it seems that this will be mutually beneficial." Cana was picturing herself with a harem of boys ripe for the choosing.

"He isn't a toy to be borrowed Cana." Lucy huffed on her way out of the bathroom. "Sure he is Lu, you just don't like to share." She replied with a pout, Loke just chuckled.

"Loke can do whatever he likes, if he wants to go out on the town with you he can open his own gate, he will know if I need him, and it's not like he can get drunk anyway, at least not on Earthland drinks." Lucy once again huffed out, she didn't own him and she didn't like the implication that he had to ask her permission to hang out with his friends.

"Well Princess if I can do whatever I like…" he started but paused when she sent a glare his way, "No I wasn't going there Princess, I just wanted to tell you I rather enjoyed today and I would very much like if you would call on me to just hang out again."

"Hang out as in friends? No flirting?" she asked incredulously. He laughed, "Yes as friends, and I can't promise no flirting, but I can keep it mild, a tiger can't change his stripes after all."

"You're a lion." she deadpanned, but continued anyway "I would actually like that too Loke I had a lot of fun today as well, and you should pop by the guild more too, I know Gray misses hanging with you also." She said with a smile.

Cana decided now was a good time to speak up. "What do you mean you can't get drunk? You have never beat me at a drinking contest?" she was confused. Loke just smirked and replied "I didn't want to raise suspicions when I was hiding the fact I was a spirt I lost on purpose." Cana's eyes glinted "Ohhhh really, in that case you my dear Lion are going to win me some money off a certain Quatro Puppy mage the next time I run into him.

"Cana that's not really ethical." Lucy chimed in before Loke could agree. "He wanted me to bet you and I would have a threesome with him Lucy or did you forget?" Cana stated blandly. Lucy's eyes narrowed at being reminded of that little detail from the night before, "Nevermind take him for everything he is worth."

Loke chuckled at their antics, he had missed hanging out with his guild mates and was having a really good time. But as all good times must come to an end there was a knock at the door, he went to go answer it, but was all but knocked over by a frantic Lucy.

"I'll get it don't move and neither of you are to give him a hard time got it" She pinned them with a glare and they both nodded, while she absent mindedly fixed her hair. She opened the door to see Bickslow standing there again without his normal get up. She smiled and said a soft hello.

Bickslow took in the sight of her, he had been nervous on what to actually say when she opened the door but as if without his permission the words slipped out of his mouth. "Wow Lucy you look beautiful."

"Thanks" she replied but internally she was thinking 'He called me Lucy, I think that might be the first time I have heard him say my name.'