"Levy! Levy! I found it! I guarantee you haven't--"

This would be where I smacked into a hard, muscled chest while racing into the guild. I bounced off the human blockade and fell back on my ass with a frustrated gasp.

"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my bruised nose.

"Whoa, are you ok?"

I looked up and pleasant closed eye smile filled my face. "Yeah, I'm good. Sorry for running into you and your entourage, Loke!" I said, hopping to my feet.

He blinked behind his shades. "Entourage...?" His gaze drifted over the two women clinging to him like nasty burrs and a sheepish smile formed on his lips.

I dusted myself off, completely oblivious to the jealous, homicidal leers I earned from the women. Loke and I hadn't spoken much since I first arrived here with Natsu and Lucy, except when he finally got around to asking my name. I'm glad he did, considering there was no way in hell I'd let him call me Duck.

However, the girls that were always with him saw me as a rival for God knows why. They saw Lucy as one too, even though she hadn't said two words to the guy. Surprisingly, they didn't react when the lovely Mira spoke with him, even though she was (honestly) ten times more attractive than Lucy and I. And Lucy admitted to it too!

"Well, I gotta go rub something in Levy's face, so I'll see you around?" I asked, speaking only to Loke. I'd be seeing those girls in my nightmares...

"I would hope to be able to see such a beautiful girl more often," he replied with a very charming grin. No joke. He very much pulled off the whole "knight in shining armor" image. Though knights hated mages so...

I didn't blush, because I took what he said as the ramblings of a guy who flirted with anything in a skirt (I wasn't wearing a skirt, because I never did. But even so). I didn't dislike Loke; far from it, actually. But considering he was such a "popular" guy with the ladies, I didn't feel like competing in any way, shape or form.

"Cheesy, but thanks," I said, giving a final grin before slipping around him and into the guild. I heard his groupies whimpering like whipped puppies as he walked away, upset I'd stolen his attention for a few measly minutes.

Gah! I hated fangirls!

I looked around the guild, my eyes lighting up when I spotted the petite teen sitting at the bar, Wind Glasses sitting propped up on her nose as she stared down at a leather-bound book. The pages turned at lightning-speed, and before I even reached the stool beside her, she'd snapped the book closed with a delighted grin.

"Levy!" I greeted, settling in my seat. She perked up, swiveling to face me with a friendly smile. Levy was a pretty young girl, who was age, with straight blue hair cut short at the top and longer on the bottom. She usually kept it tied with a bright yellow bandana that always made me smile upon seeing it. At the moment, she was dressed in a short orange-yellow dress with black leggings and red boots. The dress had a white bow on the front that connected to the halter-top type straps, and the sleeves hung solely off her arms, not connected to the dress at all.

"Hey, Winter!" she said, her hazel eyes sparkling.

"I got it," I said again, this time being able to finish without being interrupted by smashing into Loke. I held up a stack of papers in my hand, and she zeroed in on them instantly, sliding her Wind Glasses up onto her head. (Ok the real name for the glasses was something like Gale-Force Reading Glasses but that's too much of  hassle) "And if you tell me you've read this, I'm going to go join Cana in midday drinking to drown my sorrows."

"You found a book I haven't read?!" she asked excitedly, looking up at me expectantly with her hands clapsped together. I smiled and nodded.

In the few days Lucy and I had been at the guild, I'd made good friends with Levy McGarden, and the other members of her Shadow Gear team, Jet and Droy. I clicked with Levy more though, so I tended to not openly ask to hang out with the boys. And since Levy and I both loved reading, that was one of the things we tended to talk about the most. She'd shown me her room that she had in the guild's boarding house type thing (which I didn't tell Lucy about because it cost way too much for even one person), and it was packed with books. Almost wall-to-wall, really. So now, I'd made a game of trying to find a book she hadn't read before. Needless to  say, I'd failed miserably so far.

But I had come up with something she couldn't possibly have even set eyes on before, and I was confident I'd finally stumped her. I set the stack of papers down in front of her, and her eyes scanned the first page eagerly. When she beamed and set her glasses down again, I knew I'd won.

In less than five minutes, she'd read through the entire manuscript, looking quite dejected for having finished. She removed her glasses and placed them on top the papers, then turned to me. "This is amazing!" she gushed, making me smile a little smugly. Not for myself. No, the pride was reserved for my sister.

"Lucy'll be glad," I said, and Levy's eyes went wide. "It's Lucy's book?!" she asked. I nodded, then looked sheepishly down at the floor. "Actually," I said, "can you not tell her you read it? She might kill me!"

"Why? It's so good!"

"I know! I tried to tell her to let people read it more, but she'd worried it's horrible. No matter what I tell her, she's set on moping over her writing." I sighed and shook my head. My sister was insane about her writing. Once, I tried picking up the book to read the latest chapter she'd written, and she nearly tore my arm off trying to get it back. That was why I snuck a peek at it during the middle of the night when I knew she was asleep. I'd had to snatch this while she was in the shower just to bring it here.

I picked up the papers and straightened them, knocking them sideways on the wood to help me along. "She's way too self-conscious about her work," I said with a shrug. "If I could write like this, I'd be bragging all around town, rubbing it in people's faces." I paused, then smiled a little wickedly. "I'm kinda terrible."

 "So she doesn't know you have this right now?" Levy asked, tapping the papers with a perfectly manicured finger. I found it odd that a bunch of mages would care so much about their looks, but I didn't dislike them for it. It was definitely better than the pig-stye I was expecting. 

"Nope," I said, smiling awkwardly. "I should probably go and put this back before she notices, actually."

"Oh that reminds me. How's the new apartment?"

"Great," I said, grinning. Lucy and I had found it after we got back from the job to rescue Macao. it was only 70,000 jewels a month. A steal, really, considering there was two of us to pay the rent. "There isn't much there yet, but we love it. I kinda with it had come with furniture, but whatever. Anyway, she really will freak if she finds out I stol--er, borrowed her book. So I'll catch up with you later, okay?" 

I got up to leave, giving Levy a farewell hug, when Mira's sweet voice called me back. 

"Yeah, Mira?" I said, deciding to stuff the papers into the bag slung over my shoulder. It was a different one than my plain old travel bag, and I'd had Reedus, a rather rotund member of the guild, draw the Fairy Tail mark all over it in different colors. It was still a drawstring bag, because I didn't like clasps. 

"Master has a job he'd like you to do, as a sort of practice run," she said, setting a request paper down on the bar. Levy peered at it curiously, while I gave Mira a puzzled look. "He asked for me to do it specifically?" I wondered, tilting my head to the side.

"That's right," she smiled. 

My puzzlement turned to euphoria and I threw my hands behind my head, grinning triumphantly. "That's so cool!" I cheered, smiling just like Natsu. "I'll go get Lucy, and maybe ask Natsu and Happy. They'll be so--"

"Master already picked a partner for you, Winter," Mira said serenly, interrupting my ramblings. "Really?" I asked, blinking once or twice. "Is there a reason I can't choose who I go with? Cause if it's about being with my sister, I can ask Levy maybe--"

"Master said you were new," she said, once again cutting me off. I couldn't get mad, though, with those big blue eyes just staring at me like an adorable puppy. "And he wanted to see how you'd do without your sister, or Natsu even. And the person he chose hasn't been on a job in a while, so he wants to see if you two can work together."

"Ah... okay?" I said, blinking again. I thought it was weird how she kept avoiding saying the person's name, but I dismissed it easily. Maybe she didn't know. Or maybe she didn't like them...? Whatever the case, I was ready for a job. I felt kinda lazy for just hanging around the guild, talking with Levy or avoiding drinking contests with Cana. She wasn't going to stop till I was passed out in the gutters somewhere. "So who am I working with?" 

Mira opened her mouth to answer, but closed it in a smile that just made me frown. That is, until I felt someone walk up on my other side and lean casually against the bar. "Hey, Mira, you said Master had a job for me?"

"You too, Loke?" I asked, being the idiot that I was. He looked over at me and his smile widened, turning flirtatious in less than a second. I looked between him and Mira, and facepalmed as realization dawned on me. "You're my partner... Gotcha," I said, dragging my hand down my face in shame.

I was a little surprised to see that he didn't have his fangirls with him. For some reason, I had pictured them going on jobs with him, and completely getting in the way. Not that I thought about him a lot.... Wait, where the hell am I going with this ridiculous train of thought?! Anyway, I just assumed he'd left to take them home so he could actually take the job, or something along those lines. And I could breathe a silent sigh of relief because I wouldn't have to deal with them glaring at me anymore.

"So anyway, let's move away from me acting like my stereotypical hair color.... What's the job?" I leaned over the bartop to look at the request, with Levy was still studying with wide eyes, when I heard the familiar jangle of my Keys clanking against one another. I heard Loke's breath hitch in his throat, and I froze, wondering if I'd done something wrong. But when I looked over at him, he was twenty feet away, backed against a table that had apparently blocked his path.

"Loke?" I said, confused beyond human comprehension. 

"You... You're a Celestial Wizard?" he asked breathlessly. My hand unconsciously went for my three Keys. I still only had three, and so did Lucy. I'd forgotten to tell her to make a contract with Canis Minor.... But, ah! That wasn't the point!

"Both Lucy and I are," I said slowly, pushing off the bar to face him fully. "We made contracts with the same Spirits."

At this, he started in surprise, like he thought that was impossible. Alright, granted, I'd never heard of that being done before either, but it still didn't explain his weird reaction. He shook his head and backed farther into the table. "I'm sorry, but we can't be a team!" 

"Eh? What do you mean, we can't be a team? Do you....?" My gaze drifted down to my Keys. Whatever was up with him, it had started when he noticed them. They made him uncomfortable for some reason. Or at the very least, my being a Celestial Wizard did. "Alright then," I said, turning back to Mira. "Either you tell Master to pick another partner for Loke, or you"--I jabbed a finger in his direction without looking away from Mira--"give me five minutes. Which is it?"

Mira looked at Loke, still smiling. But I could see the concern in her eyes. Like Natsu told me, everyone in Fairy Tail... they were all nakamas. Even the newbies like me and Lucy. If something was troubling one of them, it bothered every other mage in the guild. "Loke?" she said, giving him the choice.

I drummed my fingers on the bar, sharing an uneasy look with Levy while I waited for response. I was on the verge of saying "Screw it" and just walking out of there to see if Natsu needed any help, when he spoke up in an awkward voice that just didn't suit him.

"Why do you need five minutes?"

"Hopefully, you won't freak out on me if you give me five minutes to leave and come back," I said, refusing to even glance in his direction. I hated making people scared of me. Lucy was the exception, because she wasn't actually afraid. She just thought I was insane most of the time. 

I looked to Mira, who smiled encouragingly, then to Levy. She gave me a nod and thumbs up, then gestured to the door. I sighed, kicked away from the bar, and sprinted from the guild, down the street and to the path that led to my apartment. 

The walk normally took about two minutes if I ran it, which was the norm for me. But since I gave myself five, I stopped my quick pace as I reached the canal, bordered on either side by stone walkways and a low stone wall to keep people from making unintended splashes. Feeling myself relax somewhat, I leaned over and placed both palms onto the wall before flipping myself completely upsidedown. I started to walk on my hands down the wall, grinning a little foolishly, my bag nearly falling over my head. 

"Hey, girl! That's dangerous!" a random fisherman called over to me from the boat he sailed down the canal with his friend. "That's worse than the other girl who just walks on the wall-- Hey! Isn't that you?"

"Must be my sister!" I called back in a laugh, feeling giddy from all the blood rushing to my head. That wasn't a normal reaction... was it?

I continued like this, glad I'd chosen something other than my jacket and cargo pants as a wardrobe choice today. I was wearing my favorite black tailored shorts, with bright yellow suspenders attached and pulled over my shoulders, along with a soft black tank with a skull and crossbones on it. Lucy really didn't care much for my fashion sense.

When I finally got too dizzy to walk straight, and feared I might slip and tumble into the canal, I flipped right side up, shook the slurred thoughts from my head, and made my way home.

I pushed open the door, which was surprisingly unlocked, and stumbled inside, not really prepared for what I would see. There was Lucy, standing in the middle of the room, in a towel, still dripping wet. And there was Natsu, seated on a chair, just grinning at her with Happy sitting on his head.

They both looked to me when I barged in, and I stood stone-still, not comprehending. Then a sly smile crept onto my lips and I winked at Lucy. "Sis! Good job! You got yourself a boyfriend! Aquarius will be so proud!"

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, cinching the towel tighter around herself while blushed furiously. Natsu gave me a blank look and Happy gasped. "She liiiikkkesss you, Natsu!" he sang, pointing to Lucy with both paws. Natsu scratched his head, looking back at Lucy. "Sorry," he said. "I'm not interested."

"NEITHER AM I!" Lucy practically screamed. 

"Denial, sis, you're in total denial," I said, in a tsking sort of tone. She glowered at me, looking as dangerous as a wet kitten. That's to say, not dangerous at all. 

"Anyway, I'll leave you two to do whatever you want in a minute," I said, my voice turning suggestive in an instant. "I just came to give you some things to hold for a while." I plucked my Keys from my belt loop and tossed them to her. She was so puzzled by my actions that she totally forgot about my hinting-at-stuff start and just caught my most precious items.

"Won't you be kinda defenseless without those?" Natsu asked. I shook my head, leaning back against the doorframe. "I'm not just a Celestial Wizard," I said. "I can use other types of magic. In fact, I think Levy uses the same kind of magic as me. I'll have to ask her again when I get back."

"Get back?" Lucy questioned, staring at the Keys in her hands.

"I'm going on a job Master assigned to me, and I can't bring my Keys with me. Don't ask why," I added, seeing Natsu and Happy getting ready to bombard me with questions. "I don't even know. All I do know is that my supposed partner doesn't get along well with Celestial Wizards."

"Oh that's Loke!" Happy said, and I shrugged helplessly.

"But seriously, no questions," I said, holding up a hand like that could physically force their words back. It worked, to my honest shock. Lucy clamped her mouth shut and nodded, giving me a smile.

Natsu spoke, but it wasn't a question, so I let him go. "Aw, I was going to ask you and Lucy to do a job with us!" he whined, slumping in his chair. "Now we can only take Lucy!"

"And why is that a bad thing?!"

I snickered softly, creeping over to Lucy's desk while she and Natsu argued. I swiftly dug her story from my bag and gently placed it back in its rightful place. And just like that, I was homefree, halfway out the door with a smug smile facing the world.

"Winter.... WHY ARE THESE PAPERS WRINKLED?!"

I yelped and ran, slamming the door shut behind me. Lucy was scary when I messed with her story.

I made it back to the guild with my inner clock just ticking past five minutes, breathing hard. I always ran faster when I had an angry Lucy to spur me on. Levy, Mira and Loke were still there, strangely still in the same spots and positions as before. I caught my breath first, then walked over to the bar and dropped onto a stool.

"I wouldn't mention that book to her for a while," I said to Levy, my head dropped onto the bar and covered with both arms. "She might send Cancer after you to give you one hell of a nasty haircut. That's not insulting him either, I swear. He's crazy with styling hair. Really good. But if Lucy asked him to.... Alright, let's just say there's a picture of me somewhere in which my hair looks like I was attacked by hedge clippers wielded by a blind man."

Levy and Mira giggled at the image I gave them, and I could only guess that it didn't look nearly as bad as the reality. 

"Oh damn!" I shot up in my seat, suddenly alert. "She has Aquarius now too! That's it, I'm not going anywhere near the water, I don't care if it means I have to take a thousand-mile detour. She still hasn't gotten over us letting that fake Salamader toss our Keys into the ocean! I'll be dead if she catches me!"

"Winter, the job...?" Levy said, waving the request in front of my face. I blinked, then sat back so she didn't give me a papercut on my eyes. I really didn't want to know how that would sting.

"Right, right," I said slowly, snatching the paper from her. Then I remembered the reason for my disappearing act and looked to Loke, waving the paper a bit as an invitation. His gaze slid down to my now unoccupied belt loop, and he seemed much too surprised to find that my Keys were missing.

"Gave em to Lucy," I said, answering his unasked question. "If they made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. But Luce will take good care of the Spirits we have contracts with, so I'm okay about not having them with me. Is that enough for you to take the job with me?"

He straightened up, no longer leaning on the tipping table, and slowly approached the bar, though I noted he was as far away from me as he could be while still looking at our job details. I inwardly sighed, but said nothing and joined him in finally discovering what we were meant to do in the first place.

"The client wants us... to find buried treasure?" I read aloud, brow furrowed. Slowly the words clicked into place in my mind, leaving me with probably the most childish grin ever given by a seventeen-year-old. Then again... how old was Natsu?

I threw my hands up in excitement, ready to cheer. But I ended up shifting my weight too much, and I tipped the stool back, slid off it, and crashed to the floor in a comedic flurry of limbs. "How can I be this uncoordinated?" I sighed loudly, rubbing the back of my head where a huge bump was quickly forming.

Mira and Levy laughed so hard, I thought they were going to stop breathing for a moment there. And even Loke cracked a smile, which my humiliation worth it. Definitely worth it.

"Alright, we're off!" I announced, scrambling to my feet, ever so gracefully, and taking the request off the bar. I started walking out the door, but froze midstep. I facepalmed before spinning around and stalking over to Loke. Before he could jump and run away, I pulled out the paper and shoved it in his face. "Do you know where this place is?" I asked sheepishly.

"Akane Beach...?" he read. I folded up the paper and placed it in my bag, looking up at Loke expectantly. He was sweating nervously just from being near a Celestial Wizard....

 I wonder what happened to make him like this.

"Yeah, uh, I know where it is," he said after a while of me just looking at him with a cocked eyebrow. I beamed. "Perfect, because I would have gotten us lost within the first five minutes of leaving Magnolia. All because Lucy refuses to by me a simple map."

"She won't let you get a map?" Levy asked, hand over her giggling mouth. I rolled my eyes. "Lucy hates walking, cause she's always wearing heels. We usually hitch a ride on a carriage or something, and tell the driver where to go. She thinks we have no need of maps," I grumbled. I pinched the bridge of my nose, muttering a foul word or two under my breath. Then I took a deep breath and threw another smile at Mira and Levy. "I'll see you guys when we get back!"

When I again started for the doors, Loke fell into step beside me... if beside me was equivilant to ten feet away. I did my best to ignore it and focused on weaving a route that led out of Magnolia. When Loke stopped and said I was going in the opposite direction (which only meant I was leaving through the wrong entrance. I'm not that navigation-impared.... I don't think that's the right way to say it, but oh well!) I just resigned to following behind.

I had a feeling this mission wasn't going to go all that great for me....