Lucy was walking in circles, she wasn't really sure where to go. She was standing in Autumn City near the borders of Seven and Bosco and trying her damndest to follow the subtle soft pull of a key.
Partridge had been an eye opener, learning a keybound spirit could dwell within something other than the carried key. Not that she thought her spirits lived in their keys...that was ridiculous...just, she hadn't thought they could be bound to Earthland in anything else.
"It's not that strange." Loke said as they had been travelling to Autumn City when she'd felt the pull and...successfully scried for the location and gotten Autumn City.
That event had had her dancing around the table in the Bickslows dinning room while Hestor had rubbed the bridge of his nose letting out a long suffering sigh and Bickslows babies had squealed and zinged around knocking things over whileZen had stood by Bickslow in the kitchen watching in amusement and Vander had caught Lucy up and danced with her while Grey and Natsu had...almost started to dance then broken into a fight and Evergreen had turned them to stone.
"I did it...I did it...that little stone danced just right for me...ohhh Jingle bells jingle bells!..." She started singing, Vander joining in, Hestor putting his hands over his ears giving them withering looks while Kaleb dodged them and sat by his husband handing him a coffee mug.
It had been a really good morning, and Lucy had thoroughly enjoyed showing Hestor she could in fact scry...after about 100 million failed attempts it felt like BUT, she had not gone running off half cocked with no information and no real idea where she was going...like...she usually did. With Natsu burning things, Gray freezing things and Erza knocking their heads together along the way...ok...maybe her former methods really hadn't been ideal...or safe...or really even sane.
They had gotten onto the train for Autumn City only a couple of hours later and discussed her new contract with "Partridge." Natsu freezing and looking a little haunted every time the spirit was mentioned.
"It's not uncommon really for spirits to have another path to the mortal realms, alot of us Like being down here." Leo had said lightly as he'd...sat in a seat beside Abraxes...the two leering at the waitress in the dining car on the train.
"So spirits find other things to...what...attach to?" Lucy asked, kicking Leos shin when wagged his eyebrows at the waitress.
Leo had rubbed his shin given Lucy a mildly annoyed look and nodded "Well yeah...sometimes mistaken for enchanted relics or haunted items…" he said "We need a path, and Partridge has his through that ornament and...an immortal Pear tree."
Lucy had blinked "Immortal?!"
This said as Hestor had narrowed his eyes on Abraxes as the demon had smirked at Leo and escorted the waitress into the kitchen.
"That is unsanitary…" Hestor said in a warning tone.
Then a small altercation had ensued when Abraxes had apparently been about to get somewhere with the waitress and Hestor had smugly shut his gate. A minute later Abraxes had forced his way back through
"Wet blanket." he'd snapped.
"You can't have sex where peoples food is prepared." Hestor had snapped back.
"You and Kaleb had sex by the coffee machine last night." Abraxes had smirked and everyone had stared at Hestor...who was unfazed.
"Places of worship are perfectly acceptable locations for rapture." Hestors smirked
Abraxes had held up a finger and had no retort that came before Hestor slammed his gate shut again.
Their conversation had sort of devolved from there. Bickslow informing Kaleb he'd be cleaning the kitchen when they got back. Kaleb...grinning and informing his brother he would if he could get Natsu and Gray off the island long enough. Natsu and Gray had both blinked innocently.
"I need to renovate my kitchen...the only person who is supposed to be having sex there is me damn it…" Bickslow had grumbled.
Now Lucy was walking in circles around Autumn City's casino drive. It was great she had scried the city the key was in….not so great that city was three times larger than Crocus stretching into both Seven and Bosco.
"Just...focus." Hestor had told her as he and Kaleb had opted to go into a cafe and leave Lucy to it. The issue was, there were so many people and so many places and the pull was so...gentle.
She huffed, Natsu and Gray were checking out the casinos with Bickslow and Vander, Erza was doing some shopping...throwing up her hands she turned into one of the Casinos and smiled faintly at the lights and bright music, the smell of the buffet hitting her and her stomach growled at her reminding her she had eaten all of nothing this morning before starting to search and had been walking around leaving Hestor and Kaleb first at a pretty garden restaurant and now at a cafe...so...they were eating lunch now and she hadn't had so much as a cup of coffee.
Grumbling she followed her nose and smiled as the host led her to a seat, thinking maybe she should go back to where Hestor and Kaleb had stopped to eat but then deciding no...she sent a message to Erza that she'd found a good buffet, did NOT send one to Natsu since he had devastated a few buffets in the time she'd known him and she did not want to deal with that. Sitting down she ordered some coffee and juice and accepted a plate and went to load it up noticing the Christmas tree not far from one of the grand buffet tables.
"A waffle?" She asked one of the cooks and He smiled "Just 5 minutes and I'll have one fresh for you." The man said, pouring batter into a hot iron and Lucy nodded, leaving her plate with him and turning to admire the at least 30 foot tall Christmas tree.
She was looking at a shining star ornament when she felt it...that...tug...the little tug on her magic that said KEY.
Turning she scanned the room and froze when a pair of showgirls walked by all in white feathered skimpy costumes. Both were tan and just...stunning in heels that made Lucy dizzy just looking at them with more sequins and crystals on them than the Christmas tree behind her.
"Meow…" she felt Leo come out and glared, swatting at him and as she took a step forward...both women froze and stared at her...then...as one...they slowly raised their feathered arms and she heard Leo "Oh…..shit…"
Before Lucy could blink the showgirls had dived on Leo and were...screeching and beating on the spirit "...had enough of lecherous...handsy...CATS to last another thousand years!" One of them said and Lucy stared...bird like...they were like...birds...and they were...fighting with….her were starting to move as the fight picked up and food started getting involved and Lucy finally called in Virgo "Virgo….help Leo! He's not…." She stopped as she was about to shout at the women that Leo wasn't that bad but...well...honestly he really was and claiming he wasn't would have been dishonest and she felt the pull from...the women and wasn't 100% sure? But...maybe they were the key she was after? Who said "another thousand years" in reference to their patience really?
Virgo appeared and Lucy dodged a thrown carafe of hot coffee that had just ricocheted off Leos forehead...the spirit staggering and yelping when one of the women pinned him to the ground and got his hands wedged into the center of his back.
"We do NOT play with CATS!" She snapped
The other looked at Lucy "Is he with you?" she demanded and Lucy blinked...looking at the probably hundreds of eyes on them and smiled "I...well...technically I hold his key? And hers." She quickly pointed to Virgo who was standing admiring the hold the woman had on Leo.
"Her take down was highly effective Princess...noteworthy was the use of hooking her heel in big brothers instep so he lost his balance…" Virgo said and the women both smiled then.
"Well...you have other women though? Not more cats?" The one holding Leo asked.
"Y...yes, yes I do...no more cats...just him." Lucy nodded and the spirits stood, shaking out their feathers, the one on Loke puting a sharp heel in his back as she stepped to Lucy and Virgo.
"Really we so prefer a female holder or at least someone who doesn't have Cat spirits...but...since you have women spirits and he's your only Cat?" She smiled and shook Lucys hand.
"We're the Turtle Dove twins...specialists in hand to hand combat and…" She glared at Leo who was groaning on the floor whimpering.
"We do not tolerate cheeky cats."
"Two...Turtle doves….and a Partridge...in a Pear Tree…." Lucy said staring at the women.
Both beamed "You know Partridge?! I thought I felt his fine feathers about you!" The second twin grinned and placed a silvery key with two doves on the head in her hand.