Dear Readers,

I'm just gonna leave this here... and go work on posting the next one...

Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, Desna owns the Pradesh Characters, and my beta (GoddessxNyte2) is the greatest person ever.

Enjoy!

"You can't be serious. We've been stuck in the world's coldest fucking country for the last five months, and we are finally warming up as we approach the border with a country with a normal, bearable climate, and now you're telling me you want to instead enter the country unanimously voted 'most likely to imprison, rape, and breed any woman in it's borders' by its peers every year for the last century?"

"...yes."

"No."

"Erik…"

"Let me repeat. No. No fucking way."

Lucy grumbled something about stubborn dragons. Erik heard it all clearly, like he did most everything, and he glared at her in response.

"'Phemus, there's not a chance in hell I'm letting you go into that country."

"My spirits all agree. Whatever has been agitating my magic, for the last four months, is in there. I don't know why, but I know I have to go."

Erik pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why did I have to claim the most ridiculous mage in the universe as my Kin?"

Lucy pinched his arm, "Because you're lucky as fuck, and you also got the most amazing kin in the universe. You're welcome for that, by the way."

Frustration rising, Erik resorted to violence.

He pulled the hair tie from the high ponytail she was wearing, and before she had enough time to do more than rub at the pulled hairs on her scalp, the poison slayer flicked the band at her face.

"..."

"..."

"You're the worst," Erik informed her.

"What?! You're the one who just fucked up my hair!"

Kaleb raised an eyebrow.

"So, finally have a free moment, do you?"

Vander strolled in to his brother's office and plopped himself into the nearest chair, exhausted. His long dark, red-streaked hair was disheveled and his red eyes, normally energetic and mischievous were blank, dark circles under them, "Yeah, yeah. You said you needed a favor?"

"I needed the favor five months ago. Where have you been? Dad's been worried, and Bix is here, wondering if he'd get to see you before he took off back to Fiore. He's been home for over a year and his team has been asking him to return," Kaleb told him, brows furrowed in concern.

Van waved him off, "I talked to Bix already. Promised I'd go to Fiore and visit since I missed so much time with him while he was here," some of his trademark playfulness entering his eyes for the first time, "There's bound to be a few repressed ladies… or gentlemen… that need my expertise over there."

Kaleb rolled his eyes at the thoughts running through his brother's head, "Careful with that, little brother."

Vander just smirked.

"Are you really up for that favor I needed?" Kaleb inquired, not wanting to tire his brother even further.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm officially on leave for the next month, Presca's holed up with an injury so I've got some freedom. What do you need?"

Kaleb put his elbows on his desk and rested his chin on his hands, regarding his brother critically, "You remember that celestial mage from Bix's guild that apparently went dark?"

"Lucy Heartfilia? Isn't that the girl you've been failing to track down for the last eight months? Yeah," Vander leaned back in his chair, putting his hands casually behind his head, "I know who you're talking about. Apparently, she's hot. You saying I get to go meet up with her?"

"Unlikely," Kaleb said dismissively, "But possibly. I need you to head to Pergrande and take a look. It's the only place she hasn't had any sightings, so while it's a long shot, it's worth checking in to see if she's there."

Vander shrugged, grinning, "I can do that. A bit low on Magic right now, but I can head out tomorrow."

"That works. Thank you," Kaleb said, pulling up his Celestial Mage Tracker on his lacrima feed, "Oh, and if you do happen to find her, please, don't sleep with her. She's a dark mage."

"...yeah, I can't promise that."

Another heavy sigh, "I know… was worth a try."