Makina glared at Lexi. In turn, Lexi promptly ignored the bratty young Goddess and continued to shuffle files around Servilia's desk. As the minutes dragged on, what little amount of patience Makina possessed began to wane and the temperature in the guild started to slowly drop. Lexi pulled her scarf up and over her face for warmth and continued working.

"I'm not leaving," Makina finally said.

"That's fine. I appreciate your company," Lexi replied without looking up.

Makina’s shoulders hunched and her face fell into a pout. "Servilia promised."

"And I am sure she will keep that promise when she returns."

"But that's not fair!" Makina stomped her foot. "Everyone gets to go out on jobs. Servilia and Banksy have yet to return. Romeo is gone. Cross is… I don't even know where that idiot is. Even you went after that pirate not long ago and came home with a lover."

"He is not my…!" Lexi flushed and cleared her throat. "Regardless of what everyone else is doing, Servilia put me in charge while she is gone."

"Then give me a job." Makina reached for the stack of requests only to have a black barrier rise up to block her hand. She frowned and flicked her finger against the shadow. It wavered but did not dispel. Makina's eyebrow rose in surprise for a moment. "You are growing stronger."

"Training will do that. You should consider trying it." Lexi sniffed. "Now, as for a job that is suited to your level of skill… I am afraid I am not sure what that would be?"

"How can that be? I am a divine being! There is no job that exceeds my skill level or ability." Makina bristled. "I am Makina, Spirit Goddess of the Northern Winter Winds and I demand that you give me a job."

Lexi stared at her for a long time before letting out a noise that was somewhere between a chuckle and a sigh. "Very well."

"Really?" Makina bounced up and down before regaining her composure. "I mean, of course. Now, what shall I be doing? Make sure it is fitting for one of my divine status."

"You can try out a couriering request," Lexi said as she pulled a sheet of paper from a binder and handed it to Makina. "You're to deliver a package to the city of Relon. It's only a few hours east of here."

Makina mulled the request over. "That doesn't sound very fitting at all. Cross is a courier, after all. I could complete that in a less than a day."

“Well yes, that would be expected.” Lexi pointed to a line on the request. "This particular request been put off for a while now because of the difficulty. The package has to be kept at a constant temperature or it will spoil. A rather cold temperature at that. Servilia was going to make Cross do it when he got back, but it might just be perfect for a Winter Goddess such as yourself."

"I see." Makina nodded. "Then I shall assist you simple mortals with this basic task since it is apparent that I am the only one capable of such a feat."

Lexi smiled behind her scarf and allowed Makina her small victory. "I do have one condition, however."

"Mmmmmmmm." Makina rolled her head around in thought. "Very well, what is this condition? Since I like you, I shall allow you this much."

"Take Lara with you.”

"Lara? Though I am not opposed to the idea, why?"

"It will be good for her to get out of town. She has been working far too much as of late, even Galen is starting to worry about her." Lexi shrugged. "Consider it an extension of the request."

"I see." Makina gave a thoughtful nod. "If that is the case, then I assume I will receive an extension to my compensation?"

Lexi's eyebrow went up. "You want to be paid to help a friend."

"Of course not! However, it is always prudent to ask for more and pay for less."

Lexi rested her chin on her hand. That line of thinking was familiar to her. "And who taught you that."

"Servilia."

"I thought so," Lexi laughed lightly. Servilia was famous, or perhaps infamous, depending on who you asked, for her ability to negotiate. She could squeeze blood from a stone then convince it to pay her for the privilege. "Very well. You'll be given a small travel stipend. Fair enough?"

"I suppose. Though I am not entirely pleased with the fact that it will be 'small'." Makina gave a tiny pout before thrusting her hand out. "Very well. I would like to begin now."

"You'll have to talk to Zachary. He's the one who has it."

"Zachary. The chef?" Makina tilted her head. "What exactly is this package?"

"Meat. Extremely expensive meat that only Zachary is capable of producing." Lexi cast a knowing eye on Makina. "Do not attempt to eat it."

"How dare you!" Makina turned away from the desk and stormed off. "Very well. I shall return shortly!"

xXx

Makina's tiny knees nearly buckled beneath the weight of the pack that Zachary strapped to her back. He gave it a hearty slap for good measure that sent her stumbling forward. She fixed him with an icy glare as soon as she regained her balance with a helping hand from Lara. It only succeeded in drawing a deep, booming laugh from the large man.

"This is difficult enough without your buffoonish attitude, you know," Makina huffed. "You should be grateful I am willing to lower myself to such a demeaning level just to help you mortals out with this simple task.

"Oh yeah?" Zachary rubbed his chin. "From what I hear you've been chomping at the bit to get a job. If you really don't want it though, I can just put that meat back in the freezer. I'm sure Servilia can find me someone else to deliver it. Come on, give the pack here."

"D-Don't bother." Makina shook her head and took a step back. "As I am already here, it… it would be a waste of time to not simply complete the job!"

"That's the spirit!" Zachary laughed. It seemed to make the very walls vibrate. "Now hurry on so you don't miss the next train. If you can make the delivery before tonight's dinner rush, I'll be sure to put in a good word. I'm sure Cross would be very impressed that you managed to complete your first couriering job on your very first try."

"Really?" Makina asked before suffering another bout of Zachary's booming laugh. She turned her nose up and away, in a poor attempt to hide blush that formed on her cheeks. "I do not care what that moron thinks. He is my servant. His praise for me means less than that of a dog."

"Of course it does." Zachary easily looked over Makina's head winked at Lara. She smiled. "Anyway, both you be on your way. And be careful. You may be a divine being and all, but the road can still be a dangerous place. Keep your wits about you."

"Courier Makina, package accepted. Estimated time of delivery: before dinner. Don't worry we can handle anything that comes our way," Makina said confidently. Unfortunately, her words were quickly offset by the fact that she almost toppled over again. She was saved by the quick reaction of Lara who moved to steady the young Goddess.

Makina didn't give Zachary the satisfaction of another glance as she stormed out of the building and towards the train station. Lara stayed diligently at her side, ready to assist at a moment’s notice.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Lara asked as Makina purchased their tickets and they boarded the train. "I mean. It's pretty far away."

"Nonsense! We aren’t even leaving the country." Makina rolled her eyes and took a seat. "If Cross can manage to do this then we can."

"I suppose," Lara said, but it was clear she was not completely convinced.

Makina patted her pack. "Besides, so long as I can use my magic, I can keep this meat at more than an adequate temperature. No one else at the guild could boast that ability. Do not worry so much. We will be in Relon in a few hours."

"Relon?" Lara's head snapped up.

"Relon."

"Are you sure?" Lara's eyes began to widen.

"Yes, Relon. Why? Do you know of it?"

Lara shook her head. "No… not really, but…"

"But what?" Makina sighed. Lara's inability to articulate could really wear on the nerves.

"But…" Lara frowned as the train lurched forward. "But this isn't the train for Relon. It's the train for Relin."

Makina yanked her ticket out of her pocket and scanned it, her eyes narrowing. "Relin."

"Relin," Lara repeated softly.

"This is completely unacceptable!" Makina yelped. She jumped up her seat only to fall back down from the weight of her pack. She wiggled free from the straps and bounced to her feet. "We have to get off, right now!"

"It's too late," Lara gave her a helpless look as they pulled out of the station. "The train won't stop until we reach Relin."

"And how far away is that?"

Lara looked out the window, refusing to make eye contact with the angry little Goddess. "Only two hours…. "

"Well… I suppose that isn't so-"

"Then two hours back," Lara nearly whispered.

Makina took in a deep breath and the windows of the train car began to frost over. "Very…. Very well. We shall… wait. As we have no other choice in the matter, it seems."

Lara nodded and settled in for the long train ride. Shockingly, Makina did not speak for the entire time, choosing instead to silently fume. At many points during the journey Lara considered saying something to break the ice, but she quickly realized that it would require a literal breaking of ice. The train car was almost completely iced over by the time they returned to town.

"Finally!" Makina jumped to her feet, breaking the spell and dispelling the ice that had formed. "Hurry Lara, we must catch the correct train this time!"

Lara nodded and bounced after Makina who tore through the station at a breakneck before coming to a skidding stop. Lara crashed into her and they both went tumbling to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Lara gasped as she sat up. "Makina?"

Makina didn't reply as she scrambled to her feet and took off in the opposite direction.

"Makina!" Lara cried as she chased after her. "That's the wrong way!"

"We forgot the meat!" Makina yelled back. "We have to get it before the train departs!"

"Oh no," Lara moaned.

"This is fine. We are fine! Lara, deal with this please" Makina said briskly as they reached the train. She brushed passed the ticket inspector, leaving Lara to explain the situation.

"I… you see, the meat… we just need to… I'm so sorry, sir," Lara wrung her hands as the ticket inspector stared down at her through his spectacles.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"You forgot something, I take it." He gave her a gentle smile. "That's not a problem. It happens."

"Thank you!" Lara said, bowing repeatedly. "I'm sorry. Really."

"Really. Don't worry about it. People forget things all the time. You couldn't even imagine the size of our lost and found," he laughed and shook his head just as Makina burst through the door, the pack securely strapped to her back.

"We must hurry!" Makina yelled as she took off again. Lara gave the inspector another apologetic look before following after Makina.

"We need to buy another ticket!" Lara called as Makina began to pull away.

"Must we?" Makina said, but she still altered her path and headed towards the ticket station.

Once armed with the correct tickets the two girls made their way to the proper train. Neither spoke until they finally slumped into their seats. Makina let out a heavy sigh and rubbed at her temples.

"This has been far too stressful for such a simple task," Makina grumbled.

"Train stations can be confusing. When I went to enroll in Verid, I got lost in the train station and nearly missed the train."

"I suppose it is difficult when you are not acquainted with the layout," Makina mused. "I will have to become more familiar with the area. I shall not make the same mistake twice!"

Lara smiled and relaxed into her seat. After a moment Makina did the same. It didn't take long for the two girls to fall fast asleep, their heads lightly resting against each other.

The train lurching to a sudden stop was a rude wakeup call, and one that sent Makina tumbling to the floor. She sat up with an indigent sniff and looked around in confusion.

"Where am I? This is not my bedroom," she yawned before her eyes fell on Lara who was unsteadily getting to her feet. "Lara…"

A light flicked on in the young goddess’s mind and she jumped up.

"The meat! What time is it?" Makina said as she secured the pack to her back.

"Uh…" Lara groggily looked up at car's clock. "We have… we have about an hour to complete the delivery."

"Good.” Makina nodded. "That should be more than enough time."

They exited the train with little trouble and were soon on the streets of Relon. It was only a few minutes into their walk that a new problem was discovered.

"Makina," Lara spoke gingerly. "Do you know where we are delivering the meat to?"

"A restaurant, of course."

"But… which one?"

"What do you mean which one? The one who placed the order, obviously."

"But… we didn't ask Zachary the name of the restaurant, did we?"

"Lara, don't be foolish. Do you really think I would be so thoughtless as to not…." Makina trailed off and reached up to rub her temple. "Actually, now that you mention it… perhaps I did not."

The two stood in absolute silence for almost a minute before Makina gave a curt nod and set off back towards the train station. Lara faltered for a moment before following after her.

"We… we don't have enough time to go back and ask, you know," Lara said.

"We do not. However, we do have more than enough time to simply ask the information desk for a list of restaurants," Makina said. "From there, it is a simple matter of process of elimination."

"Oh…" Lara nodded. "Good idea."

"I have nothing but." Makina stopped in front of the information desk and rapped on the counter with her knuckle. "Excuse me, I require information."

A thin woman with extremely curly hair and a large smile leaned over the desk. "Welcome to Relon! My name is Hilary. How may I assist you?"

"Yes, I need a list of restaurants that are in this city.”

"Oh, of course. Let me see.” Hilary reached under counter and produced a thick binder. "What sort of restaurant are you looking for?"

"One that is specialized in meat." Makina adjusted her pack. "How many are there?"

"Well… just about… fifty," Hilary smiled. Makina did not.

"Fifty! That is far too many. We will never be able to visit fifty in one night." Makina slammed her tiny hand on the desk.

"Well… we can probably eliminate any that are not open for dinner, right?" Lara offered. "And maybe only pick the…. The expensive ones? Because this meat is expensive, right?"

"Yes, very good thinking." Makina nodded. She turned back to Hilary. "Well then?"

"Hmmm…" Hilary ran her finger down the list. "Well, if we cross out those that don't stay open for dinner…. And if we pick only our nicest restaurants, then there are only four."

"Perfect! Direct me to the best one immediately!”

Hilary's smile never waved as she gave Makina and Lara the directions before sending them on their way. Only Lara was polite enough to thank the desk attendant.

"We do not have much time so we will have to hope that our first guess is the correct one," Makina said as she stormed through the streets. The sky was already growing dark and the lamps that lined the roads were beginning to illuminate.

"Now then, did that woman say to turn left or to turn right when we reached the fork?" Makina looked at Lara who gave a nervous shake of her head.

"I am… I am not entirely sure.”

"Are you two lost?" a young man stopped a few paces away from them and gave a friendly smile. "Looking for the inn?"

"No, we are looking for Gilno's. The restaurant," Makina said. "However, we are unsure of how to get there."

"Gilno's? Ah, you're real close!" He said. "All you need to do is head up this street here, then take a left right when you see the red brick building. If you run into the fountain, you've gone too far."

"Ah, thank you mortal.” Makina nodded. "Come Lara. We must hurry."

Lara nodded and scurried after Makina.

"Take a left at the red brick building… Take a left at the red brick building," Makina repeated as she followed the road. "Ah, there it is."

She took a hard left and suddenly found herself at the end of a deserted, dead-end road.

"Odd," she turned back to Lara. "He did say at the red brick building, did he not?"

Lara sniffed the air and a frown formed on her face. "Maybe… maybe he lied?"

"Why would he lie?"

Lara’s frown deepened and she turned around. "Because I think he wanted us to end up here."

Makina was going to ask what she meant when the man appeared at the end of the street with another at his side.

"Told you Tic!" He slapped his acquaintance on the back. "Two girls, and they must have money if they were heading to Gilno's."

"I do not have time for this!" Makina snapped. She stepped forward and fixed the men with a glare. "Move aside. Better yet, point us in the correct direction, then move aside.”

"Mouthy one," Tic, the larger of the two grunted before looking up. "You sure she had money Ima? She looks a little haggard."

"How rude!" Makina lifted her head high. "You obviously have no idea with whom you are speaking with.”

"Looks can be deceiving. Look, she speaks like a noble, don’t she, all bratty and what not?" Ima said as he moved forward. "Bet she has lots of money and nice things in that pack there. Don't you, little girl?"

"What I have is none of your business." Makina took a step back as the men began to encircle them. She felt Lara move closer until the girl was almost pressed into her back.

"Why don't you just hand the pack over, and your money, then we leave," Ima said with a diplomatic little bow. "We are just thieves. We have no intention of hurting anyone."

"But we have before," Tic added as he moved closer. "We didn't have that in mind, but they didn't cooperate."

"Makina." Lara began to shake.

"You are idiots and cowards," Makina snapped as Tic took another step towards her.

"Are we now?" Ima laughed, content to let Tic handle the dirty work.

"Yes. You are cowards for preying on what you consider a weak target, simply because you are larger than us, and you are idiots because you have no idea what kind of trouble is about to befall you!"

"I'm sure we will manage.”

"No, she's actually right for once." Cross appeared beside the mugger and threw an arm around his shoulder. He lifted up his hand and pointed at the two girls. "You might not have noticed it because of your big friend right there, but if he doesn't back up something bad is going to happen."

Ima jumped out from under Cross's arm and held up his fists. "Who the hell are you?

"Courier Cross, and actually I'm here to save you, not them," Cross sighed before once again pointing, this time at the ground. "It’s dark, so I’m not surprised you missed it, and like Makina said, you are kind of stupid, so I’m sure that isn’t helping, but the ground where your buddy is standing is almost covered in ice already.”

"What?" Tic looked down at his feet. Cross was right, the ground around him was covered with a thin sheen of freshly formed ice that was beginning to creep up his boots. He tried to kick it off, but it only formed again as soon as he put his foot down.

"That would be because she's annoyed." Cross flicked his finger towards Makina. "She isn't mad yet, though, which is good for you. If she were actually mad…"

"Magic." Ima took a step back and gaped at Makina. "You're a mage?"

"Goddess, actually," Makina sniffed. "And I am very much considering smiting you. Prostrate yourself. You are in the presence of the divine."

"Yeah, she isn't the one you should worry about," Cross said, a frown forming on his face. "See, she's too dumb to realize that this is still a dangerous situation. Her friend back there isn't, though. That is bad for you."

Cross's words piqued Makina's interest and she turned back to look at her friend. Her eyes widened in shock "Lara?"

Cross sighed, his hand coming up to rub at his temple. "See, that's what we call a succubus. One that is scared and not thinking clearly. That’s your fault. Understand?”

"What in the hells?" Ima breathed as he took an involuntary step back.

Where the timid Lara once stood was now the makings of a monster. Long, serrated nails stretched out from bony fingers that were far too long for the hands they were attached to. Her eyes had turned a bloody crimson and were set on Tic with what could only be described as a vicious hunger. She took a step towards him, her mouth opening far too wide to expose the razor-sharp fangs hidden beneath.

"You should both leave. Now," Cross said softly as he stepped forward and past Tic. The ice melted around his feet as he made his way towards the two girls. When Ima and Tic failed to move, he glanced over his shoulder. "Run now or die. Your choice. It won’t be a pleasant death."

They wisely chose to run, scrambling past each other as Lara let out a low growl and lunged towards them.

"Hey!" Cross threw his arm out and caught her around the waist.

An inhuman scream escaped her lips as she clawed the air after the muggers. He threw her back and she landed in a light crouch before slashing forward. Cross didn’t move and her claws hissed through the air a few inches in front of his face. Lara roared and repeated the action, but Cross still didn’t react.

Leaning forward, he looked into her eyes, but she gazed right through him, her long tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth and dripping saliva down to the grimy street.

“Lara…” Makina called out softly.

“She’s just scared.” Cross sighed and lifted up his hand. Lara’s eyes crossed as he placed his fingers between her eyes, and flicked her squarely on the forehead. "Calm down."

Lara flinched and fell backwards, landing on her butt with a soft thump. Her hair cascaded around her face and she sat very still for a long time. When she finally looked back up at Cross it was through her usual, shy eyes. Shy eyes that were wide and quickly filling with tears. Her hands covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped through her fingers. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Take a breath.” Cross dropped down to one knee in front of her. Without hesitation Lara threw herself into his chest, burying her face in his shirt and twisting her fingers against the fabric. Cross wrapped one arm loosely around her as she began to sob. He glanced at Makina. "Are you okay?”

"They were simple thieves. I could have dealt with them accordingly," Makina turned her nose up. "You needn't have intervened."

"That's what I was worried about.”

“Is she… is she okay?” Makina asked suddenly, unable to feign confidence any longer.

“Just scared.” Cross stood up, easily lifting Lara up in his arms. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just…. I thought…. They wanted to hurt Makina and I couldn't…." The words tumbled out of Lara’s mouth almost as fast as the tears from her eyes.

Cross smiled down at her. "Don't worry about it. You were just protecting yourself."

"But…" Lara looked up at Cross through blurred eyes. "I lost control."

"No, you didn’t.”

“I did!”

“You didn’t.”

“I would have hurt them. I know I would have. I…” Lara went silent as Cross deposited her onto a bench.

He took a knee in front of her and stared at her at length. The succubus only managed to hold his eye for a moment before her gaze fell firmly on her lap where her fingers were twisting back and forth.

“I couldn’t stop,” she whispered.

Cross let out a soft breath and lifted up his hand. Lara winced ever so slightly, her shoulders hunching inward as she sucked in a sharp breath, but he only dropped his hand lightly on her head, giving a gentle pat.

“You could have torn through me if you wanted, but you didn’t, did you? You didn’t attack Makina either. You were in control. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

"Is…” Lara looked up at him. “It is really okay?”

“It’s really okay. You did what any good friend would have done. Now why don’t we just stay here for a while longer?”

Lara stared at Cross for a moment longer before her hands came up to her face as she began to cry again with renewed vigor, though for an entirely new reason. With a bemused smile, Cross leaned back on his heels. Tilting his head back, he found Makina staring at him.

"What?"

Makina opened her mouth when Lara suddenly shot up from the bench.

"No!" Lara wiped at her face, though she did a poor job at removing the tears that continued to flow. "We… we have to make the delivery. Right Makina?"

She thrust out her hand towards Makina.

"R-right!" Makina reached out and took Lara’s hand firmly in hers. "Let's go! I'm sure I know the way now!"

Shaking his head with a small smile, Cross rose to his feet as well and followed after the two girls.

Though they did make a few missteps on the way there, the trio managed to reach the restaurant with only minutes to spare. Cross raised his eyebrow at the expression of relief that appeared on the faces of both Makina and Lara as the hostess nodded when they reported a special delivery from Zachary. When he asked, Makina responded with sullen silence, leaving Lara to explain.

"Oh." Cross ran a hand through his hair. "Well, didn't anyone give you a Phoenix Stone? Why didn't you just call them up and ask?"

"Phoenix stone…" Makina slowly reached into her pocket and pulled the small stone out.

The Goddess stared at the stone for a long time, blinking repeatedly, before a scream of frustration escaped from her lips and she stomped her foot repeatedly against the ground, tendrils of ice spreading out with each stomp.

Neither Cross, nor Lara could contain their laughter and were treated to an icy silence from Makina until long after they had boarded the train.

"So," Makina asked, shifting into a more comfortable position as Lara fell asleep and her head fell onto Makina's shoulder. "How did you know we were here?"

"Just a feeling," Cross said as he closed his eyes and leaned against the window. That was a lie. Kosu had told him to stop at this station on the way home in the most annoying way possible. He mentally added it to the list of things he had to thank her for.

That was going to be an unpleasant conversation.

Despite that, the thought brought a small smile to his face.

"…I see.”

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel Makina staring at him. "What?"

"You seem… different.”

"How so?"

"I am not sure. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but you are just… different."

Cross lazily opened one eye. "In a good way or a bad way?"

"That remains to be seen." Makina gave him a cheeky grin as she rested her head against Lara's and settled in for a quick nap.

An uneventful ride capped off the eventful day and faster than seemed possible they dropped Lara back off at her home and Makina and Cross were back at the guild.

"So-" Cross gave Makina a tired smile as he pushed into the building. "You completed your first job. That's better than I did, you know. We'll have to celebrate."

Makina beamed. "Of course. It wasn't a difficult task. Not for one such as myself."

"Yeah. Of course it wasn't," Cross sighed. He reached out and ruffled Makina's long hair before heading towards the stairs. Makina watched him go as she angrily tried to comb her hair back into place with her fingers. She paused as Cross turned back to look at her. "Still, you did good. I'm proud of you. You should be proud too. You're a real member of the guild now, Courier Makina."

He ascended the steps and left Makina alone. The young goddess did her best to sputter out a response, but when none came, she was left staring at the ground, a blush forming on her cheeks.

“Fine. I suppose you are different… in a good way."