Sorry I haven't updated in forever! But I was focusing on other stories for a while and I... kinda just lost track of time, I guess.... BUT LOOK AT THE AMAZING FANART ON THE SIDE! IT WAS MADE BY AyameUchiha18!

Winter's POV

I stretched my arms high above my head, thouroughly enjoying the distinct feeling of nearly every one of my vertibrate cracking back into place. It was a weird sensation that sent some seriously delightlful shivers down my spine. Good day so far, I had to say. Warm sun on my back, easy mission in my pocket, and Levy by my side to freak out over books.

I was almost glad I'd been pulled away for my possibly one-and-only chance to go on a mission with the one-and-only Erza Scarlet.

I exhaled slowly, busy grinning at the azure sky above us.

"You seem happy, Winter," Levy noted, skipping a little to keep up with my longer strides.

"Can't help it," I grinned. "I've never been on a mission with you guys," I added, casting a quick glance at Loke, who walked on Levy's other side. "Seems like it's gonna be fun for sure."

"It's good to know we can always count on you to be enthusiastic." Loke glanced at me, smiling his usual smile. "You'd make a cute cheerleader, Winter."

I waved the offer away breezily. "Sorry to disappoint, Loke, but that's not my style. You'd have a better chance of getting Luce into one of those flimsy outfits. And no," I continued, shaking a finger sternly, "that was not me giving you permission to fantasize about my sister in skimpy clothing."

His pink-dusted cheeks betrayed that cool smile of his, and Levy giggled, turned towards me so he wouldn't notice.

We'd arrived in Somnio a few hours prior to this little exchange. Somnio was a pretty town, petite but well-kept. The buildings were painted bright and cheery colors and the locals were friendly, from what I'd seen anyway. Friendly enough not to question the fact of why I'd been sleeping in Loke's arms even when we first entered town after hitching a ride. I fell asleep easy, what can I say? And if anyone's to blame, it was Loke. He could have easily woke me up or dropped me on my ass, but he didn't. So if his arms were sore it was in own damn fault.

I plucked our job request form from the back pocket of my jeans and carefully unfolded it, making sure to smooth out the wrinkles. Levy had picked out the job, but because of Jet and Droy's "condition" she asked Loke if he wanted a partner. I wasn't surprised to find out he accepted so easily (Levy's gorgeous) but I was a little thrown when I heard it was his idea to include me in their group. I woulda sworn it was Levy who put my name in the proverbial hat.

But hey, I wasn't complaining.

Levy read over my shoulder as I scanned the request again. Simple enough, really. We could knock it out by lunch if we got lucky. "So, since we're all aware of my lack of skill with direction" - Loke smirked - "someone else better know how to get to this guy's house, cause otherwise we're screwed."

"I've got it covered, Winter!" Levy chimed, slender fingers snatching the paper from me. She paused in walking, dragging me and Loke to a similar standstill, and looked up from the job to the streets of Somnia. She nodded after a few seconds and struck out walking again, down a sidestreet I definitely would have overlooked. I jogged to catch up with her.

"So, uh, how do you know where we're going again....?" I asked awkwardly. Levy was smart, smarter than me for damn sure, but she'd never been here before. I really didn't want to get lost.

"I memorized a map of Somnia on our way up here, while you were napping," Levy said casually, peeking around a corner. She smiled and turned in the opposite direction.

My mouth parted, but I couldn't say anything. She memorized an entire map just on the hour-long trip here? Whoa. I decided to just be silently in awe of the tiny bluenette.

Levy led us through the twists and turns of the town, confident in her ability to keep us from getting lost (a certainty, in my case, without help). I followed dutifully without any desire to take over whatsoever. No need for me to ruin our stay here before it ever really began. Plus, hey, I had Loke to keep my from getting bored. Teasing him was favorite new pastime. Every time I mentioned I joked about Luce sporting some revealing outfit, that (unbelievably) adorable pink coated his cheeks again. Either he was the pervert I thought him to be in the beginning, or he had a thing for my sis.

God, that would be bad. I mean, Lucy already has Natsu pining after her, she doesn't need another guy whose feelings she's oblivious too... Yeah. That was why the idea of Loke being in love with Lucy bothered me. Totally. I just didn't want to see my friend getting hurt. I'd feel the same way about Levy if she were ever in a similiar situation. Though, in her case, the feelings were way too obvious to begin with. She was never given a chance to be oblivious before those two idiots pounced on her. It was no wonder she'd rejected them (multiple times, if I'm correct).

The streets were barren as Levy continued our purposeful trek. I thought it was odd, if nothing else. As sleepy as this little town struck me, it had a decent-sized population, if that informational board on the way in was any indication (Loke had told me about it sometime after I woke up). There should have been a little more foot traffic than this. 

I narrowed my eyes in thought, watching the shadows of every alley we passed. Something about this town was off. My fingers grazed the job form I'd returned to my back pocket. If this was the biggest trouble in Somnia, no one should have been afraid to walk in the streets...

"Ah! There it is!" Levy's enthusiastic chirp startled me from my thoughts and I stumbled backwards - straight into Loke. He tensed at the contact (which only made me swallow uncomfortably) before relaxing and steadying me with two hands on my shoulders. 

"Still clumsy as ever, Winter," he teased, his words almost defiantly close to my ear, like he was proving something. Whether it to me or to himself, I wasn't really sure. "I thought you had to be lying when you said that your first day at the guild, but I guess I was wrong." 

I hmphed in annoyance. Yes, just point out all my flaws. You're as gentlemanly as Gray! And yet, I wasn't mad. Loke was too... sincere for that. Still, to keep up my reputation, I dramatically shrugged off his hands, spun around, and stuck my tongue out. "It's better than being a womanizer!"

As expected, he went as pink as Natsu's hair with that one. 

Secretly smiling, I hurried after Levy, too amused at Loke's reaction to even remotely feel like apoligizing.

Levy, who'd waited for me (giggling all the while) smiled when I approached and pulled open the door of the shop she'd announced as our destination. I let her in first, then impatiently waved my hand for Loke to go next. He snuck that boyish smile of his at me when he passed by, which honestly annoyed me as much as it made me want to grin back at him. He recovered from my teasing too fast!

The shop wasn't particularly special, which matched the vie of Somnia well enough. It sold magic trinkets, just like the one Lucy and I found when we first met Natsu. I browsed a shelf of magic-imbued lockets while Levy poked around for the owner of both the shop and the request. The lockets ranged from gold to bronze to pure stainless steel. Some captured memories, some shot out fireworks every time you opened them. The one that caught my interest was actually a charm bracelet with the ability to turn into a small knife when you squeezed the red jewel dangling from the silver band.

Unfortunately, I found this out by accident and neatly sliced into my finger when it transformed, which instantly reversed when I dropped the knife.

A pinprick of red sprang up from the shallow wound and tricked slowly down the length of my finger. I grimaced. Come on. I was just giving Loke more ammo! 

I hastily stuck the finger in my mouth, trying to ignore the metallic tang that pooled across my tongue. I'd had never a sensitive sense of taste, so the effect was somewhat muted, much to my relief. The taste of blood  irked me enough. 

I stepped around the row of shelves just as Levy backed out of a door towards the back of the shop. A man, neither young nor old-looking, was on her heels. Or toes, depending on how you looked at the situation, I guess. Black stubble lightly coated his face, from cheeks to chin, and heavy black brows furrowed above his sea-green eyes. His jet-black hair was tied back, besides a few loose strands that were swept away from his face. The apron he wore over his plain clothes was smudged with dust - I guessed he must have been cleaning in the back.

"You must be happy he's not an old pervert."

Loke had appeared at my back, probably hoping to startle me. Too bad for him he wasn't so light on his feet; I'd heard him come around the corner long before he reached me. So instead of letting out an embarrassing "Kyaaaaa!" I just smirked as I normally did. "You know it! But that's because I've got a young pervert with me already."

Loke sighed, tired with the joke, which wasn't really a joke. He was perverted, but hopefully not to the extent I imagined him to be. I smiled over my shoulder. "No worries, Loke, I'd pick you over that guy any day!" 

Loke didn't follow as I returned to Levy's side. I briefly wondered what he was doing, but then pushed the thought aside as I realized Levy was already deep in conversation with the man.

"--hasn't been seen in a few days," was where I came in, throuroughly perplexed. "Oh," the man said upon noticing me, "are you another member of Fairy Tail?"

"Mm hm, I'm Winter." I shook his large hand, bemused by just how my own hand was engulfed by his. "Your the one who sent us the request?"

His brow creased further, in what I thought was worry. Maybe... guilt? I brushed it off as a misunderstanding. For the time being, anyway. "Yes, I'm Lorenzo Black. I sent the request just last week. I'm surprised you Fairies came so quickly."

"Mr. Black was just telling me that the thief hasn't been spotted since he sent out the request," Levy told me, at the same moment Loke rejoined us, looking as cool and comfortable as I'd left him. I acknowledged him with a friendly smile before turning back to Lorenzo.

"You think he could have booked it?" I asked. Seeing his uncomprehending stare, I mentally face-palmed and tried again. "I mean, do you think there's any way this thief could have left town already? Maybe he found out about us coming and decided he didn't want to risk it?"

Lorenzo's hopeful chuckled sounded just the tiniest bit forced to me. "I sincerely hope so, Miss Mage," he smiled. I watched him nervously fidget with the hem of his apron from the corner of my eye. "That would solve all our problems! But... jus to be safe could you...?"

"That's what we're for, Mr. Black," Loke promised him with his usual grin. "Just leave everything to us. We'll check around town, make sure this guy is really gone. And if it he isn't, we'll fulfill the promise we made by accepting this request."

We should have left it at that, in my opinion. But really, it was all my fault we ended up staying. I'd spotted something with a familiar shine I couldn't resist, and I abruptly broke away from the conversation to inspect it. To fill the awkward hole created by my absence, Levy and Mr. Black began talking about the reward, modest though it was.

I crouched down in front of the counter, nose and palms pressed to the glass of the display case. Inside it were several fancy Keys.

Celestial Wizard + New Keys = Loss of reward money.

"Are those...C-Celestial Spirit Gate K-Keys?" Loke choked out from beside me. When he'd gotten there, I didn't know. I'd been too enthralled with the idea of making some new friends to notice him. In any case, I sighed obnoxiously and turned my head, meeting Loke's eyes.

"Nope," I grumbled, rocking back on my heels. "Just fakes."

This wasn't the first time Loke had been surprised by something I said about Keys. "Fake? You're sure?" he asked, taking a closer look at the case himself.

"Mm. Positive," I replied. Honestly. Getting my hopes up for nothing... "That Key there?" I blindly pointed at one of the Silver Keys modeled reverently on the velvet lining of the case. "It's the Gate of the Southern Cross Key, which summons Crux. I'd know," I added, "cause Luce and I have known him for a long time." My frown turned into a cheeky smile. "Plus, they're not giving off any warmth. Ya know, no spirit."

I think the pun might've made Loke reevaluate our friendship.

I chuckled despite the lame joke and stood. Loke followed my lead. "Sorry, I couldn't resist, I sw--"

The cry of "Papa!" effectively cut me off.

A girl rushed from the doorway Lorenzo and Levy had come from earlier, just managing not to forcefully tangle herself with said shop owner. She stumbled to a halt, her midnight-black hair flying as it fought to settle again around her waist. Lorenzo looked pained as he turned and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Ayah. .. what are you doing down here? I told you not to leave your room!"

Her eyes, the same beautiful green as Lorenzo's, shone with fear; clearly the girl wasn't used to being scolded by her father. Spoiled little... I tried to keep my bitter thoughts in check. Just... Her innocence ticked me off.

"I-I just... um..." She swallowed nervously, shaking her head as if to regain the courage it had taken her to come down here. "I heard the Fairies were here and, um, I...."

"She's just curious, Mr. Black."

Oh, of course Loke had to jump in and save the damsel in distress. I clenched my hands to relieve the tension I felt building in my muscles. But that was more obvious than the subtle scowl that twitched at the corner of my mouth, so I hid my hands by moodily crossing my arms. I didn't say anything - how could I, when Loke was just being nice - and just looked on as Loke came forward, arms spread in a welcoming gesture.

Levy peeked behind me at me and smiled sympathetically. Why she thought she had too, I didn't know, but I was grateful nonetheless.

"Um, y-yes, that's right," Ayah squeaked, ducking her head bashfully. Her face was red, too, so no wonder she chose to hide it from Loke. "I only.... I only wanted to see who you'd called to help, Papa!"

Damn him and his fangirls... Yeah.... I was having a hard time with the bitter thoughts.

Loke's charm was turned on high. He smiled and clapped Lorenzo on the shoulder, leaning just a little closer than the man probably thought was necessary. "And can I just say that you have a lovely daughter? You know, maybe instead of jewels as I reward, I could have a date with Ayah here instead--"

I promptly and eagerly smacked the back of Loke's head, knocking him flat on his stomach on the ground. I placed a heavy foot on his back as an added measure. "Sorry, he's an idiot," I apologized to a blushing Ayah and a somewhat flustered Lorenzo. Loke, still struck down by the blow, said nothing. But I heard Levy giggling in the background. "The reward is fine as it is. But I've got a question. This job... is it really just what you put on the request?"

This had been bothering me since I saw the empty streets. That feeling that nothing was quite right in this well-kept little town of Somnia. There was no way a simple thief could cause enough hysteria to clear the town of everyday citizens, whether they were shopping, chatting, or working. Sure, a few people might be uneasy to walk by themselves, but the whole town looking like its under lockdown? I was suspicious. And then there were the subtle quirks Lorenzo presented to me. He should have been relieved, having us here to get rid of the problem.

All I felt radiating from him was fear, pure and simple fear.

I could have been imagining it, seeing as how Levy and Loke hadn't said a word. Then I noticed the sweat dotting Lorenzo's brow. His eyes darted between Levy and I (obviously, he ignored Loke, who I hadn't let up off the floor quite yet), unsure and skittish.

I linked my hand behind my head and let out a comforting chuckle. Lorenzo's fitful stare focused solely on me; Ayah, too, turned to me as she stood behind her father, fingers curled into the back of his shirt. "Sorry, sorry, I meant no harm," I said with as much nonchalance as I could put into the words. "I just thought maybe you'd toned down how bad the guy was, maybe cause you don't have the money to pay for somebody worse? I promise, it's nothing. Like my friend said before, just leave it to us. Fairy Tail always follows through on its promises!"

I couldn't forget the look in Lorenzo's eyes. 

Whatever was going on here wasn't the petty squabble he'd made it out to be. 

So why the hell am I by myself? I thought, annoyed, as I shuffled through town, hands stuffed into my pockets. After getting a description of the thief, Loke (who'd avoided me since the "abuse" incident) and Levy thought it would be a good plan to split up, cover more ground. I had no solid reason to disagree.

Which brings us to the current situation.

I had the south side of town; Loke had taken the east and Levy the west. We'd decided that we'd all search the north side if we all came up empty after an hour or so. Course, the two questioned me about my suspicions. They wanted to make sure I was alright. I'd told them, "Alright? Does insane count as alright?" Convinced, oddly, they dropped the subject afterwards.

I didn't enjoy being the only one worried, but it wasn't like I wanted to force my worries onto Levy and Loke. This nervous tension I was feeling, this edgy feel to every light footstep I took... I didn't want them to struggle with it as well. What was the point? It wouldn't accomplish anything but troubling them. 

Probably, anyway.

A quiet noise from the alley I was walking past made me wrench my head around, eyes narrowed and searching. Something.... Did I imagine that too? I wondered bitterly, turning my eyes back to the path before me. Just what was going on here? Either I was crazier than even Lucy thought or...

The search was quiet and yielded nothing. I couldn't find a trace of any thief, or any townspeople, either, for that matter. The only things moving outside were me and the litter that drifted along with the encouraging wind urging it on. That's what I'd concluded, anyway, until a familiar jingle broke apart the silence.

My hand automatically snatched for my Keys, nervous fingers stiff with tension. Nothing by air brushed against my fingertips. I spun, with a half of me hoping I'd only dropped them, the other half fully aware of the reality.

The figure slinking away from me only confirmed.

"Hey, bastard!" I shouted. "Give me back my damn Keys before I kick your skinny ass!"

Their back stiffened but they never stopped. Actually, their pace just quickened, their feet hurrying away from me as fast as they could. I took off without hesitation, pushing against the ground to propel me forward. No one touched those Keys but me and Luce. Especially not some petty thief!

I was going to kill this guy before either Loke or Levy ever found out about him!