Makina was extremely pleased with the things she had recently purchased with the substantial amount of gold she had found hidden in Cross's room. Her favorite of these items was a long winter coat. Beautifully crafted from some material or another, she honestly hadn’t paid the shopkeeper that much attention, it hung down almost to her ankles, with a large hood lined with the softest fur that Makina had ever felt. She had no doubt it was for this reason that it was so extraordinary expensive.

It was the perfect coat, fitting her like a glove without even needing the barest need of alterations. And, as Servilia put it, the shimmery blue fabric made her eyes shine like diamonds, which was just an added bonus.

The timing could not have been any better, as only three days after purchasing it did a thick winter wind blow through the Kingdom of Voy, announcing that fall had come to an end with winter nipping at its heels. Of course, this was of no surprise to Makina. She had long felt the change in the winds.

It was going to be a cold and bitter winter.

Makina couldn't be happier.

Bundled up in her coat, Makina stood outside of the guildhall and let the winter wind wash across her face. She couldn't hide her smile as she lifted up a slender arm. The air shimmered around her hand for a moment before a small, misty creature came into view. Makina lifted up her other hand and stroked the small fox-like creature gently with a single finger. It let out a whistling purr and quickly scrambled its way up her arm and onto her shoulder to nuzzle against her cheek.

"Hello Tilki," Makina said softly. "It has been a long time. You've grown fat."

Tilki chittered lightly in her ear and Makina laughed.

"I am glad to see you too." She tilted her head as the spirit continued to squeak at her. "No, I don't think I will be leaving here for a while. The people here have been very kind to me, and I would like to at least repay that somewhat before I leave. Aria told me I need to learn to live amongst humans to become a better Spirit Goddess. I’m still not quite sure what she meant, but I believe I am starting to understand, at least somewhat.”

Tilki moved to the top of her head, tittering all the way.

Makina nodded. "Yes, everything seems to be fine for now. The rift between humans and nature has closed somewhat. Though, I'm sure things in the God's realm are still turbulent."

Tilki sighed and Makina reached up to remove him from her head. She held him up easily in her arms and smiled.

"Do not fret. My family can take care of it. You just need to worry about keeping people safe in the coming winter. It's going to be a cold one. Go on, do your job properly, but be sure to visit again soon."

Tilki licked her hand before wiggling free of Makina's grasp and bounding off through the sky. Makina watched him go, his body fading away into the very winds themselves, the smile never leaving her face.

"What are you doing out here, Maki?" Lexi asked as she walked up, her scarf pulled tight to her face against the cold.

"Enjoying the weather," Makina said as she stared at Lexi.

"What?" Lexi asked, peering at Makina from under her hood.

Makina shook her head and looked back up towards the sky. Lexi shrugged and made her way into the building. Makina waited until the door clicked shut to let out a content sigh.

"I am glad you are home," Makina said softly before she turned towards the door. Her hand paused on the handle and she took in a deep breath. "Now you just have to come home too."

xXx

"Pirate, huh?" Romeo said as he rolled a bomb back and forth across the table. Lexi watched it with a wary eye. Romeo followed her gaze and shook his head. "Don't worry, this one is just a model. Going to start working with magic soon.”

"I see," Lexi said. "Yes, it was a pirate. I dealt with him."

Romeo leaned in close and grinned. "So you're saying… you captured his booty?"

On the other side of the table Banksy let out a pained groan.

"Oh fuck you, that was funny," Romeo snapped.

Servilia walked up to the table and tapped Romeo on the head with a folder. "It was an attempt. I will give you that much."

"I still say it was funny.”

"Lexi," Servilia opened the file and pulled out a small envelope. "This is your pay for the bounty. I took the liberty of adding in the bounty's increase, along with the gift from the Romiatii government."

Lexi took the envelope and silently pocketed the payment without counting the money.

"Hey!" Banksy and Romeo shot up from their chairs.

"That's not fair," Banksy cried.

"Yeah, we like, saved people," Romeo said. "How come our pay got cut instead of doubled?"

"Triple. Lexi's pay was tripled," Servilia corrected. "And there was a very specific difference in the request that Lexi just completed and what you two did. Lexi's request was an actual request. It was a request that was given, by the government, and accepted, by me. You two simply went gallivanting off because a pretty girl smiled at you. You also allowed her to escape with what amounts to a possible weapon of mass destruction. You are lucky that a pay cut is the only punishment that you received. Are we clear on that?"

As Servilia spoke the two boys slowly lowered back into their chairs. She fixed each of them with a scorching glare at them as she finished speaking. When neither Banksy nor Romeo showed any signs of arguing she smiled.

"But," Servilia relented. "You did do a good job. Which is why you got any payment at all. Now, be happy with what you have and stop complaining or I'll fine you."

Banksy's eyes went wide. "You can do that?"

Servilia leaned down towards him and fixed her blue eyes onto his. "Would you like to find out, Nathan?"

Banksy was only able to hold her gaze for a few seconds before he blushed looked away. "No… no Ma'am."

"Good," Servilia straightened back up. "Lexi, another thing. Someone is here to see you. He's waiting by the front."

Lexi looked up at Servilia. "A client?"

"Close," Servilia said. "I wouldn't keep him waiting. You don't want to be rude."

Lexi gave Servilia another questioning look before pushing up from the table. She followed Servilia to the front and fixed her eyes on the dark-skinned man who was waiting with a large bouquet of flowers and an easy smile.

"Lexi, this is Sammir," Servilia said. "He is the man you rescued from Atlas's ship."

"I remember.".

"I had hoped I wouldn't be so easily forgotten," Sammir held out the flowers towards Lexi. She hesitated for a moment before accepting them. Now empty-handed, Sammir took a step back and bowed deeply. "Forgive me for being so presumptuous as to find your place of employment. I simply could not get you off my mind since that day. I felt compelled to come and thank you again, in person."

"Oh," Lexi looked down at the flowers, unsure what to say. "It was nothing."

"I would hardly say it was nothing!" Sammir shook his head. "I understand bounty hunting is a very competitive line of business. You risked losing your target to save me. Not everyone would do that for a stranger."

"Lives are more important than reputation.”

"That is good to hear." Sammir smiled. "Well, I'm sure this seems very sudden, but I have another more personal reason for seeking you out. You see, I am very interested in you, Miss. Lexi, and I would very much like to get to know you better. However, I do realize that this may be an inopportune moment for you as I came unannounced, or you may simply have no desire to speak with me. However, if you do wish it, and I very much hope that you do, I would like to take you out for dinner this evening. I am staying at a hotel not far from here. If you would allow it, I will return here later to escort you.”

"Oh." Lexi looked at Servilia who was doing a poor job at concealing her amused smile. Sammir waited patiently as Lexi's eyes dropped back down to the flowers.

“Oh, my, I’ve gotten so far ahead of myself.” Sammir hastily took a step back. “I don’t mean to put you on the spot like this. Please, forgive my rudeness and disregard my request. I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course I should have sent a letter ahead. Again, forgive me.”

“Wait,” Lexi brought her eyes up from the flowers just as Sammir was reaching for the door. She gave a small nod, more to herself than to him. “I suppose… I suppose dinner would be… fine.”

"Oh, that is wonderful! I will see you tonight, then." Sammir beamed before giving a low bow and excusing himself out the door.

Servilia was on Lexi almost as soon as the door clicked shut.

"Alexis, you didn't mention you made such an impression on the man you rescued," Servilia teased, leaning into Lexi's personal space. “And what a handsome man at that.”

"I didn't," Lexi said as she attempted to slide away, but Servilia stayed beside her.

"You must have, considering he put in the effort to find you," Servilia said. "Though, admittedly with his family's connections it probably wasn't overly difficult, but still, to come this far to ask you out on a date? That's commitment."

"What's this about a date? Who? You Servilia?" Romeo asked, appearing suddenly with a mischievous glint in his eye. Banksy followed after him, his eyes glancing to Servilia.

"Alexis, actually!” Servilia’s smile was nothing short of radiant.

Banksy let out a near silent sigh of relief as Romeo lifted up a finger to his chin. "Lexi, huh?

"Yes," Servilia said. "I wonder what she is going to wear, don’t you?"

"Something white would look nice, maybe a dress," Romeo said, taking a step back and studying Lexi closely. "It's getting cold out though, so a jacket would be necessary. Though if she doesn't bring one and instead wears a light shawl or something, then she can get him to give him his jacket. It's a good test of character. Though Lexi is one of those independent types, so maybe pants. Either way you’d want to make sure to show off your legs, but keep it classy, obviously. Hmmm, maybe something with ruffles? Or would lace be better… Both might be a touch overkill.”

All eyes turned to Romeo.

"What?" Romeo shrugged. "I've been on a lot of dates and my mother is a fashion designer in Dumas. I know what I'm talking about. Lexi's dark hair and eyes would contrast nicely with a lighter color. Plus, white is the color of innocence and virtue, which makes it an ideal color for a first date."

"Who are you?" Banksy said as he shook his head.

"Look, I know what I'm talking about, alright?" Romeo said loudly. "If everyone here listened to me, we'd all be in relationships."

"Romeo, you do realize you're not currently in a relationship, don't you?" Banksy sighed.

"Details," Romeo said with the wave of his hand.

As Romeo and Banksy continued to bicker, Lexi tried to slide away, but Servilia was faster.

"So, Alexis," Servilia's grin greatly reminded Lexi of the cat that ate the canary. "Do you need help preparing for your date?"

Lexi sighed behind her scarf. It didn't matter what she said now, Servilia had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time and there was no way Lexi was escaping the older girls grasp now. She gave a small nod and allowed herself to be pulled away by Servilia.

Romeo and Banksy watched them go. Romeo threw an arm around Banksy's shoulder and wiped a fake tear away. "She's growing up so fast, Banksy. Our little leader is going to be an adult soon."

Before Banksy could push Romeo's arm away, Romeo was struck by a solid ball of shadow that thumped against his chest with impressive force. The impact lifted him off the ground and sent him crashing against the wall. With a grunt he slid to the floor and looked up, dazed, at the stairs. Lexi glared at him with her hand extended and another ball of shadow ready to throw. Romeo wisely chose to keep his mouth shut and after a moment Lexi continued up the stairs after Servilia.

"You really are an idiot," Banksy sighed as he reached down and helped pull Romeo up from the ground.

"Ah, but this is exciting," Romeo wheezed as he gingerly pressed against his bruised chest. "Come on, you know you're interested in what is going to happen."

"Of course I am," Banksy said. "But I'm not dumb enough to say that loud enough for Lexi to hear."

"You're not really living if there isn't some danger in your life," Romeo grinned. "Now, there's only one thing left to do. I think you know what I'm talking about."

Banksy stared at Romeo for a long before letting out a heavy sigh and nodding. "Yeah, I know."

"Perfect!" Romeo cackled as he headed up to his room. "I've got some things to grab before he gets back."

Banksy watched him go with a shake of his head before reaching up and running his hand through his curly hair. "I wonder what Cross is gonna say?"

xXx

Just as the sun began to droop low in the sky and an evening chill settled across the city, Sammir arrived at the guild. Before he could begin to reach out his hand to open the door, the doors were wrenched opened to reveal the grim-faced pair of Banksy and Romeo

"Oh, hello gentlemen," Sammir greeted. He gave them polite smiles that neither returned.

"Come on in," Romeo said as he reached out and grabbed Sammir by the front of his golden robes. He roughly dragged the noble into the guild and marched him to a table. With a small shove he pushed Sammir into a chair.

Sammir swallowed hard and tried another polite smile. "You two must be guildmates of Lexi. My name is Sammir and—"

"We know who you are, and why you're here," Banksy said as he sat down across from Sammir.

"That's exactly why we wanted to talk to you," Romeo said as he slammed his hand down on the table and leaned down towards Sammir. "You see, Lexi is important to us."

"A guild is like a family," Banksy continued. "Lexi's an important member of that family. She's the leader of our little team, you understand? We would do anything to protect her, and anyone who hurt her…"

"I believe I understand," Sammir said with a small nod. "I would like to assure you, on my honor as a noble of Rom—"

"A noble?" Romeo said suddenly. His brow furrowed as his expression grew more serious. Sparks danced around his fingers before he gave Sammir a dark grin. "That's even better actually."

"It…it is?" Sammir asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Yeah, that makes it a lot simpler, really." Romeo said. "See, I'm from a noble family too, from Dumas. So if you hurt Lexi, I can just challenge you to a duel. That way, it can be completely legal for me to break every singe bone in your body. You could almost say I would be honor bound to do so.”

Sammir's eyes widened and he looked to Banksy for support. "I…"

"Don't worry," Banksy said. "I wouldn't break your legs or anything."

Sammir relaxed as Romeo stepped back. "I am glad to hear that.”

"Nah, I'd probably lock you in a magical safe then break the lock. Maybe I'd bury it then. Maybe I forget where. Maybe you'd get out. Or maybe you wouldn’t. Wouldn't matter if I got caught either. I can break out of any jail cell."

Sammir went pale.

"That means he can also get into any door, no matter how good the lock, and even if he can't pick the lock," Romeo held up his fist and lightening danced across his skin. "I can break it down. You understand me?"

"What are you two doing?" Lexi asked as she appeared behind Romeo.

Banksy and Romeo quickly matched Sammir's pale state.

"Oh, Lexi," Romeo said, trying to keep his voice nonchalant as he spun around. "We were just… I mean… Wow you wore the white dress. It looks great, doesn't it Banksy? See, I told you. Didn’t wear the push up though, huh?"

"Leave. Both of you. Now."

The boys didn't have to be told twice as they bolt from the table and took up a safer position behind Servilia, who was waiting by the stairs. In silence they watched as Sammir and Lexi exited the guildhall.

Romeo waited until the doors had closed and Lexi was well out of earshot before letting out a grunt. "I changed my mind. I'm against this. I don't like him."

"Why not?" Servilia asked, surprised. The expression was mirrored on Banksy's face.

"Yeah," Banksy said. "I mean, he seemed nice enough, even though we pretty much threatened to kill him and all."

"He's a noble," Romeo said.

"You're a noble." Banksy pointed out.

"Yeah, so I know what they are like," Romeo said before he turned away.

"His family are all high ranking military officials, he will get along fine with Alexis, I'm sure. You know, Romeo, not all nobles are bad. There are many upstanding examples that we know personally," Servilia tutted as she headed to her desk to get back to work.

"I know," Romeo frowned. "But a lot of us are."