"Gray, play me in cards."

"Cards?" He looked up from his food--some sort of chicken dish maybe?--and raised a brow at me. "Since when do you play cards?"

I shrugged as I slid into the chair across from him. The guild was in another uproar and my smile was as crooked and wild as the Cheshire cat's from that story Luce and I would always read as kids. Usually, I'd be up to picking a fight, but I'd decided against it. Still sore from my fight with Natsu. "I learned when I was little, and I was picking wallets clean real soon after." My crooked grin widened a fraction. "So, play me? I'm bored."

He pushed his emptied plate away (when he'd finished it, I didn't know) and linked his hands behind his head, eyeing me appraisingly. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to ruin your ego a little," he said at last.

I didn't have an answer for that. We all knew he was the one with the inflated ego from our last outing together. (Natsu had refused to speak to us about what happened, so the whole thing was pretty much dropped. I told Lucy the truth and she just looked at me and went to bed)

I flipped a crisp deck of cards from my jacket pocket and spread them across the table, blackjack-dealer style. I turned them over with another swipe of my hand; Gray looked mildly impressed. His eyes watched each movement of my hands as I flipped, shuffled and stacked the cards until I was satisfied. I drew exactly fourteen cards: seven for Gray, seven for me. I slid him his cards, picked mine up, studied them, then asked, while peeking over the cards' tops, "Got any threes?"

Gray's eyebrow rose as an immediate reaction. A second passed, then two. And then Gray was spluttering with laughter, showing zero composure as he nearly tipped his chair to the ground. I took the chance to peek at his cards and, seeing that he had two threes, stole them with a smirk of my own.

Gray calmed down. Eventually. And when that time came, he leaned forward in his chair, elbows propped up on the table, his head held in his hands. He eyed me through the black bangs that fell over his forehead. "Is this stupidity natural to you, or do you work to be more of a dumbass than Natsu?" he asked, only half teasing.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I grinned cheekily.

He sighed, resigned, and picked his cards back up. Noticing I'd already stolen his threes, he reached across the table and froze my juice solid. Frowning, I picked it up with careful fingers, wary of freezer-burning my pale skin, and tipped the glass upside-down; the drink stayed put. Icy fog curled off the surface of the glass and little ice crystals froze to my fingers when I forcefully tugged them from the glass' grip. This was kinda annoying, but I smiled nonetheless.

"Get me a spoon, Ice Prince," I ordered after five minutes of waiting for my drink to unfreeze.

"Why?" Gray asked, puzzled.

"Because I collect them," I deadpanned. "I've got exotic spoons from all over the world. Really interesting. I even have one from-- Why do you think? I need one if I'm gonna chip away at this." I indicated the glass by tapping my nails against it. The resulting clink-clink-clink made Gray crack a stupid smile.

"Forget it." I stood from my seat, making sure to place my cards facedown on the table. "I'll get it myself. Oh, and Gray?" I added over my shoulder as I started walking towards the bar. "You might wanna put on some clothes."

He started, looking down at his naked torso. I didn't see what happened to him, but I heard his chair scrape hard against the wood floor and his skidding footsteps, so I assumed he made some made dash for his clothes. I chuckled. Jeeze, and he called me a dumbass?

I leaned over the bar counter as Mira noticed me and came over. "What can I get you, Winter?" she chirped.

"A spoon, please."

"Sure thing!"

Mira didn't even ask why the only thing I wanted was a spoon, even though that had to be the most random request she'd gotten that day. Then again, this was Fairy Tail we're talking about...

Spoon in hand now, I headed back to my table to find Gray was back, but unfocused. He and Natsu had gotten into some kind of fight and were trying to knock each other unconscious. I sighed as I dropped back into my chair, feet kicked up on the scarred wooden table, arms folded lazily under my chest.

Lucy was watching the fight, too, though she was a hell of a lot less enthusiastic about it than I was. No one else was really paying attention, as this happened all the time. So it was just me, laughing every time one of them got nailed in the stomach, and Luce, shouting at them to stop being idiots.

But I got bored after a while. I mean, they were idiots, and the insults they were hurling were pretty lame about five minutes into the brawl. At one point, Gray called Natsu a "flaming piece of shit", which gave me a totally nasty mental image. I wrinkled my nose, shoving the thought to the back of my mind. I didn't even want to think about how awful that shit would smell.

Anyway, because of my sudden lack of interest, I lifted my hand and said, "Oi! Gray, outta the way!" before dropping an IRON down on the unsuspecting mages. Gray, heeding my call, rolled out of the way at the last second, leaving Natsu to take the brunt of the blow.

I accidentally cracked the guild's flooring. Oops.

Master wouldn't be pleased, but oh well, I'd deal with that later. Right then, I had a seriously ticked off flame mage to worry about.

"Winter!" he roared as he, once again, sent globs of molten iron flying in all directions. By now we had everyone's attentions. I smirked. I didn't love having an audience, but... I could work with this.

"Yeah? What's up?" I asked innocently.

"Why'd you warn Ice Princess and not me?!" he demanded, stalking towards me, fists clenched tightly at his sides. With the liquid iron running down his tan skin like sweat, he looked a little intimidating. But it was still Natsu, so there was no way I was backing down from this challenge.

"His actually rank is Ice Prince," I corrected as I set one foot against the edge of the table in preparation. Just as I'd expected, Natsu, eyes flaming, growled out a warning threat, then launched himself at me. Instinct kicked in and I shoved against the table, knocking my chair back as I threw out my arm behind me. My hand pressed to the floor and I flipped myself over and out of the way just as Natsu crashed into my table, shattering the poor thing into tiny little pieces.

Natsu recovered quickly and lunged for me. I definitely would have dodged it... had I not slipped on the shattered remains of my frozen juice and lost my balance.

"Dammit Gray!" I hissed as Natsu caught me by the collar and yanked me upright, his flaming fist cocked back. I think he'd found a new sparring partner in me, and the fact that I'd pissed him off by choosing Gray wasn't helping the situation. Could you blame me, though? I just happened to bond with Gray, cause Lucy already had Natsu.

She sorta needed him, whether she realized it or not.

"Drop her, Flame Brain!" I heard Gray shout. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him rising to his feet, sparkling ice crystals dancing around his clenched fists. Ugh. I didn't want to make the conflict worse. I could imagine Lucy scolding me for this. It was your fault, Winter! she'd say. It's because you don't when to quit something!

Huh. Loke had said something similar, hadn't he? Well, I did admit to being a stubborn bitch. No use going back on my word now.

"Nah, I'm good!" I called to Gray, slowly letting a grin flicker across my lips. Natsu's anger fizzled as he saw it, and a similar adrenaline-filled smile tugged at his lips. "Ready for a rematch, Pinky?"

"You're on, Wasabi!"

That little remark sent me anime falling, causing Natsu to drop me kinda harshly onto the ground. My back connected with the floor with a thud and a groan escaped me. Damn.

Natsu, all his previous anger forgotten now, crouched over me, head tilted to the side in concern. I tried to smile, started to, but was interrupted by someone crashing in through the guild doors, out of breath and sounding frantic as hell.

"Oh crap! Natsu! Gray!"

Gray, Lucy, Natsu and I turned out heads simultaneously. I blinked in surprise. So it was Loke who'd interrupted our fight? Wonder why he's so sweaty...

Loke took a moment to let our current situation sink in: Natsu, leaning completely over me while I was lying on my back on the rough guild floor. I flashed a cheeky grin. "You need something, Loke?" I asked casually.

He opened his mouth to say something, shut it, then shook his head. He looked away from me and focused instead on Natsu and Gray, who'd since come closer to offer me a hand.

"Erza's back!"

It was pretty hilarious how quickly the boys "lost" their animosity for each other. But Lucy tells me the most amusing thing about that day's events is how I acted. Heh. I guess it was pretty funny, but I hate myself for what I did. Ugh. Just... just read. I'll explain everything in black and white.

So. Back to what was going on:

The whole guild was thrown into a panic. People jumped up from their chairs, others cowered in fear. Natsu and Gray froze, their skin now slick with sweat. Really manly. There in no way acted like complete and total lame-ass losers. Nope. Never happened.

Oh I'm kidding myself, but you get the picture.

And me? What was I doing, you ask?

Well...

I watched as the beautiful redheaded mage sauntered in, carrying over her armored shoulder the horn of some humongous creature, decked out with beautifu designs that I knew I could never master. She rested the horn on the ground (shaking the guild's foundations) and placed her hands at her hips, surveying the guild through her slitted eyes, dark as night. Her scarlet-red hair fell about her shoulders, reflecting off the custom-made armor she'd received from Heart Kreuz. Just like in the pictures, she wore her pleated blue skirt and knee-high black boots.

My heart did jumping jacks, for God's sake.

"I'm back," Erza said calmly. "Is Master present at the moment?"

"Welcome back!" Mira called cheerfully. She was still behind the bar so she settled for waving at Erza's arrival. "Master's attending the regular meeting."

"I see..."

At this point, I'm ashamed to admit I still hadn't moved, that I was still crumbled on the ground like Lucy after being with Natsu and Happy for a full day. Natsu, though, had moved (more like he fell backwards) and was now sitting on his ass beside me. And Gray still stood frozen next to me. I'd never seen him this freaked out before.

Erza, casting another look around the guild, finally set eyes on me. She frowned thoughtfully and walked closer; her boots were soundless even on the creaky wooden floor. "Newcomer?" she guessed.

"U-Uh..." I couldn't form a sentence. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. In contrast, my heart was light as a goddamn feather, and pounding faster than Jet after drinking straight coffee. I swallowed thickly, loosening my tongue a bit. "I'm, uh, Winter." It's ridiculous just how small my voice came out.

I think Lucy's jaw hit the ground, she was so surprised. I never acted like this. Not even in the presence of Loke's fangirls. Speaking of, said mage was watching me intently, though he looked like he wanted to book it. He stood by the door, having been missed by Erza on her way into the guild.

"Winter." Erza nodded approvingly after a moment. "A nice name. So you are a new mage here at Fairy Tail?"

"Sure?" I squeaked out uncertainly. Now even Natsu and Gray were staring at me oddly. I couldn't help it! Sue me, alright? I was in the middle of an intense internal struggle. The battle wasn't going too well, either...

Erza held out her hand and I hesitantly took it. I don't think she meant to, but the force of her grip, coupled with the insanely strong gauntlets she wore, nearly broke my hand as she hauled me to my feet. Trying to shake it off, I hid the injured hand behind my back as she looked me up and down appraisingly.

"Well, welcome to Fairy Tail," she said at last, offering me a pleasant closed-eye smile. "My name is--"

"Erza Scarlet!"

"Oh, you recognize me?" Erza wondered, narrowing her eyes.

My head bobbed automatically. "Yeah, of course I do! You're Erza Scarlet! Titania! One of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages! You're my freaking idol!"

I'd lost the war, apparently.

"Winter, you know who she is?" Lucy asked. I didn't even bother looking at her; I was too engrossed in the fact that Erza Scarlet was standing in front of me. I was practically bouncing on the balls of my feet.

"Why don't you?" I retorted to Lucy, who flinched at the remark, then crossed her arms, grumbling something under her breath. "I mean, come on! She's like the most badass female mage out there! Scratch that. Screw gender, she is the most badass mage! She's the only female mage to ever be on the cover of Battle Mages Monthly more than ten freaking times. She's... she's... She's the goddamn Fairy Queen, the Dancing Demon! She's awesome!"

Silence. That's pretty much all I heard for the next few minutes. Everyone was staring at me, Erza included.

"...She's part of the reason Fairy Tail is such a kickass guild," I added quietly, finishing my rant.

More shocked silence. I scuffed my heel on the ground, staring at my battered sneakers. Oh God, just kill me, I cried silently. I've become my worst enemy! I promised myself I wouldn't be like this if I ever met her but I... I just couldn't keep it together. I've become a fangirl!

My ears were ringing; I really hated this silence. Was everyone that surprised at my outburst? I snuck a glance at Gray; his face was a stony mask, so I couldn't be sure what he thought of me after that. Natsu was simple to figure out: He thought I was insane, if the blank look he was giving me was anything to go by.

Lucy was struck speechless, back to making those weird noises that didn't even resemble words.

And Loke... I didn't even want to look in his direction. No reason to embarrass myself any further.

"Winter."

Erza's firm voice commanded me to lift my head, and I did so begrudgingly. I was wary of any sign of her averting my gaze, but she held it calmly. A small smile graced her lips. "Thank you for the kind words," she said, clapping me on the shoulder. A dull ache sent shockwaves through my body at the contact. Note to self: Buy metal gauntlets. "I'm happy to have such an enthusiastic mage working alongside me in Fairy Tail."

I nodded mutely, and she stepped past me, going to confront Natsu and Gray, who tensed up at her approach. I watched silently as they slung their arms over one another's shoulders, shaky smiles forced onto their faces. Even the cool-and-confident Gray was shaking like Happy on a sugar rush.

"H-Hey Erza," he stuttered. "W-We're being g-good friends to each other... as always...."

"Aye!" Natsu added in helpfully.

Despite myself, I couldn't help but cock a brow. Natsu's so scared he's turned into Happy?

Shaking off my fangirl episode as best I could, I inched around until I stood with Lucy and Mira. Mira handed me a drink (something Cana would have been proud of) and I downed it in a few gulps. My mind buzzed. Alright, I could get over what just happened. Maybe. If Lucy promises to never mention it again...

While Erza continued her conversation with the boys, Mira explained to us just how afraid they were of her.

"Natsu picked a fight with her before and got beaten up."

"Natsu?" I breathed. A hand unconsciously settled on my stomach; a guy who could do that much damage lost? I know what I said about Erza, but having experienced a personal fight with Natsu, I still found it hard to believe.

"And she found Gray walking around naked and beat him up too."

That one... doesn't surprise me.

"Loke was hitting on Erza and nearly got himself killed."

I can forgive that one. The girl's beautiful. If she wasn't so.... scary, everyone in this guild probably would've asked her out by now.

I tuned back into Erza's chat when I heard her say, "I need your help. You'll come with me, right?"

She turned away before they could say no (because they clearly wanted to) and walked deeper into the guild, while murmurs rose up all around the room. Natsu and Gray looked like they were ready to die.

I couldn't help my grin just then; it was ridiculous. These two were such babies, I swear!

I pushed off the bar and jogged over to Gray, where I proceeded to wrap my arms around his neck and hug him from behind. "You look kinda pissy," I said, flicking the side of his head. He slapped my hand away.

"You would too if you had to go on a job with this dumbass," Gray muttered, gesturing blindly at Natsu. I smothered a laugh as a I saw Natsu's attempt to get out of the job with Erza. He tore off his vest and scarf and dresses Luce in them, then styled her hair up to resemble his own. It wasn't working. At all. Not even a little.

"Idiot," I snickered, looking back at Gray; our noses nearly brushed, as he had turned his head to face me. "I've already gone out with Natsu. He's dumb, but he's reliable. Plus, you get a chance to work with Erza! You should be flipping out right now!"

"You wouldn't say that if you'd grown up with her," he snapped back. "She's... dangerous."

I frowned. Dangerous was a good thing in the world of mages, wasn't it? Maybe Gray meant it in a different way. In any case, I shrugged, resigned. "It's been a dream of mine to work with her," I admitted in a sigh. "Ever since Lucy started talking about joining Fairy Tail a year ago and I realized it was the same guild Titania belonged to. I realize she must have her faults, cause everyone does."

"You don't say," Gray muttered, reaching over to flick my own forehead. I tightened my grip around his neck, just enough that he felt the pressure of my forearms at his throat. He dropped his arm and scowled at me, albeit playfully. I didn't think you could make a scowl playful.

Gray Fullbuster, man of awesome contradictions.

"Anyway," I drawled, rolling my eyes, "what I mean is, despite her shortcomings, she's still an amazing fighter. I'd love to see her in action," I added wistfully.

"Wanna come?"

"Huh?" I perked up, inadvertently leaning closer to Gray. I failed to notice how close our faces were, but I wasn't bothered either way. "Don't kid with me, Fullbuster, or I'll convince Natsu you're in love with him."

Gray grimaced. "I wouldn't dare." Then he smirked, just slightly. "I'm being serious, anyway. I don't think the job would be so bad if you were there."

"I am pretty entertaining," I agreed slyly. His smirk just widened. "Alright, if you're serious... Hell yes! Of course I'm coming with! Fullbuster, I could kiss you right now!"

"I told you you'd succomb to my charms," he chuckled.

Just to spite him, I was prepared to slap him upside the head, but I was caught off guard when someone literally swept me off my feet and into their arms. Confused, I didn't fight back. I only tipped my head back to quirk a brow at my kidnapper's face.

"Sorry, Winter, we've got a job," Loke told me with one of his teasing smiles. I struck a blank face. He may have been his flirtatious, boyish self but... there was something in his voice.... like he was... broken.

"I'm here too!"

Distracted from my thoughts, I twisted around in Loke's arms and caught sight of Levy, walking beside us. My smile was immediate and fierce.

"Levy!" I greeted cheerfully. I hadn't seen her in the past few days, even though she'd promised there was a book she wanted to show me. "You're coming with us? What about Jet and Droy?"

Levy sighed as we walked. "They're both sick," she said, looking a bit defeated as her shoulders slumped forward.

"Lovesick, maybe," I chuckled quietly. I'd seen how they acted with the petite teen and believe me, they were both mad about her. I'd heard that Jet even had the second fastest rejection time from when he'd confessed his love for Levy.

Loke's breath warmed my ear as he leaned in to whisper, "Don't laugh. It's a really serious disease."

My brows rose. "Serious disease, huh?" I questioned. "Any cure for it?"

"Just one." Loke flashed me his flirtatious smile, leaving the question basically unanswered. I watched him for a moment, but gave up the stare as I noticed we were almost out the door.

I shifted in Loke's arms and peered over his shoulder; Gray was staring after us, a bemused yet amused smile curling his lips. It was then that I remembered what I was being taken away from.

"Wait, dammit! This means I can't go on the job with Titania!"