All That Glitters Is Not Jewelry

Walking into Hargeon Town for the first time in months, Leona took a look around. It was still as busy as ever. Now that Jacob Goodnight was no longer terrorizing the town, Hargeon had recovered some of its vitality. Another serial killer would eventually take his place, but Leona would defeat them just like she had defeated Jacob. Today her job was not to hunt killers, but instead hunt a different kind of quarry.

Leona had been given the job of looking for the missing jewelry of a wealthy man's wife. He believed that it had been misplaced while the pair were on vacation in Hargeon Town. However, the blonde would not be working alone. Her partner was a mage from Fairy Tail named Naomi Hana. Leona had never seen or heard of Naomi before, so the blonde knew nothing about her partner except that she was from Fairy Tail.

Wearing an olive green t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts with boots, Leona wore her backpack and Argent Gloves. The overlapping metal plates of the gloves shimmered in the sunlight, making her stand out in a crowd. Before she started talking with the locals, she had to find Naomi and meet up with her. But where to begin looking for Naomi?

Maybe a local restaurant or tavern would be a good place to start. It was early afternoon, after all. Leona took out her canteen and took a drink of water. She then put it away and began walking towards a tavern she had spotted. It looked a lot like the one in which the blonde had encountered Leila Vergious a lifetime ago.

Its name was The Galloping Mare. Leona did not remember the name of the establishment in which she had met Leila, but this could have been it. The midday sun was getting to be a bit much, even for a former desert dweller. She stood outside just under the red canvas awning and waited for Naomi to appear.

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"FIRST JOB, FIRST JOB, FIRST JOB, FIRST JOOOOOOOOB!!!!!"

These words were yelled with an excited tone from the girl rushing down the street towards the location that they were supposed to meet. They, being Naomi - the frantically rushing young teen who was late, mostly due to buying what she thought was a cute hat along the way - and some mage that the young girl had never heard of before, named Leona. Naomi was bursting with joy, since she never saw a live mage in action, nor has she ever been on a job before. This would be a match made in heaven for her, but the problem was that the inexperienced mage-to-be was already making a fool of herself by being late.

"Heh, all pilots start like this, right? The hero makes a fool of themselves on the first episode, but then becomes the hero everyone knows and loves them for! Wait... Kuso, that's usually reserved for male leads..."

Naomi turned a corner, and saw a young woman who clearly stood out from the rest. Not because of her looks, but because of the aura around her. It was much, much larger than Naomi's, especially since the girl didn't even finish learning her own magic yet. She couldn't tell how relatively large the mage's power was, but compared to Naomi she was staring a goddess in the face.

"Ah, of course! The character that protects the weak protagonist until they become strong enough to turn the tables. Mhm."

The girl in the hat mumbled to herself. She nodded her head, with a look of almost triumph. Naomi walked over and cleared her throat, and gave a polite wave.

"Uh... Sumimasen, but... You wouldn't happen to be Leona of Silver Wolf, would you?"
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Leona blinked as a young woman in a large gray hat waved at her and asked if she was Leona of Silver Wolf. The stranger had long black hair that covered one eye. The one eye that was visible was green, but that was not her most noticeable characteristic. The young woman had a dark bag under the eye like she did not get very much sleep. Her magic signature was also very small, so she must have been a newly recruited mage.

However, experience had taught the blonde that appearances could be deceiving. Eero might have had conflicts with his other self and self-esteem issues, but when push came to shove he could step up and save the day. Quill might have been a boisterous young man with no filter to his thoughts, but he was adept at the complex art of creating synths, as his growing retinue of synthetic young women demonstrated. Desmond could come off as a proud man and a braggart, but he proved that he could back up his self-proclaimed research prowess with a succinct yet informative report on a magic sword he had forwarded to her a couple of weeks ago. Naomi would likely show that she too could do more than her appearance suggested she was capable of doing.

"Yes, I'm Leona Jarnefeldt of Silver Wolf." Leona replied in the affirmative, showing the guild tattoo on her right shoulder to Naomi as proof of her claim. Once she was sure that Naomi had seen it, Leona covered it again. She then spoke to the novice mage.

"I've been thinking about where we need to start looking for a lead. The back alleys usually have people who know things, but they're in a seedy part of town. That means we may have to fight our way out of trouble if the local thugs come after us." Leona said to Naomi. She hoped the mage was up for a meeting with unsavory characters. Leona was ready for a fight, but she was not sure about Naomi.

"If you have any ideas, I'm all ears." Leona said to her. Just because the blonde was a higher-ranked mage did not mean that she was automatically right. Leona was just as prone to mistakes in judgment as the next person and dismissing Naomi's ideas simply because she was a weaker mage was a bad idea. Being open-minded and willing to compromise with others was never a bad thing. Besides, the blonde needed to exercise her mind as much as she did her muscles.

[Word Count: 426] [Total Word Count: 758/2,000]

OH DEAR KAMI THIS LADY IS FOR REAL!!!

Having just recently started learning magic, and not being experienced in it at all, Naomi doubted that she got the right person. But, once the blonde mage showed off her guild tattoo, Leona had to stop herself from fawning and drooling over it, and just cleared her throat once again to stop herself. Her mind began to fantasize, but she put the brakes on that quickly.

"G-G-Great to meet you Leona! I-I-I'm Naomi. Alth-though you probably already knew that though huh?"

Naomi gave an obviously nervous laugh with a wipe to a bead of sweat that went down her head. Afterward, she began mentally battling herself.

Come on, Naomi. Don't screw up! This is a mage - a LEGIT MAGE! She already probably thinks you're a dumb and weak mage, so you can't screw this one up! You've gotta see those awesome powers in action!

Her mental struggle was interrupted by Leona mentioning combat. Naomi was confident in her ability to fight. She studied under the great masters of the anime with the blonde aliens who scream a lot, that ninja one where the main character wants for everyone to "believe it," and the edgy one with the masks... She was definitely ready!

"I think that's a great idea! You can obviously kick a lot of butt, and I know my way around a fight or two. But if push comes to shove, we can just run away or convince them to join our side by exposing the light in their souls."

However, even though she already agreed with Leona's plan, Naomi felt obligated to provide an idea. Otherwise she would look like some sort of accessory in a job that Leona could do by herself. She definitely didn't want that, at all. So, the young mage had to think. She bit on her thumb, and imagined she was the world's best detective. The one that could catch a mass murderer without even revealing his name or face. How would he go about this... How would he make short work of these senseless stealing street urchins.

"Also, if that doesn't work, we could always use a bait? If the jewelry is truly stolen, then the thief would likely not stop stealing after only one offense right? We just have to get some jewelry stolen!"

Perfect.
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Leona started thinking about which seedy part of town to travel to first. The docks were always an option. Plenty of rough types gathered there and one of them was bound to know something. There was also the back alleys, as she had first suggested. Rough types gathered there too, but Leona did not want to get Naomi in over her head right away.

She had considered asking around at the taverns. They tended to be a good source of information because people of all backgrounds gathered there. It was also a common practice for people with questionably legal business interests to have a lookout or spy stationed in every tavern to keep them informed of the activities of the town guard or curious outsiders. Leona was banking on that being the case. If anyone with information came to her, she would not have to travel around the whole of Hargeon Town looking for them.

"OK Naomi, I think we should start our search in the taverns. We might be able to find someone willing to talk to us about the missing jewelry. If they won't say anything, they might be able to point us towards someone who will talk about it." Leona informed Naomi. The latter made a case for a good backup plan. If they could not find an informant, they would use something valuable as bait. Leona had just the thing. One of her Argent Gloves should be more than valuable enough to serve as bait.

"Using something as bait's a good backup plan, Naomi. I'll use one of my Argent Gloves as bait. That should get any thief's attention." Leona complimented the novice, raising her gloved left hand to show off the shimmering metal plates and the ruby in the middle of the glove. Aside from its monetary value, it also had considerable practical value. It could enable the wearer to lift up to twenty tons of weight without breaking a sweat.

"Whenever you're ready, we'll go inside." Leona said to Naomi. She hoped that her idea would not backfire on them. They were about to find out if the blonde had made a good plan or not.

[Word Count: 362] [Total Word Count: 1,120/2,000]

Naomi almost wanted to facepalm at how simple that solution was, and yet she couldn't think of it herself! Of course bars and taverns would be a great place of information, and the girl just completely overthought it. These feelings of stupidity and her self doubt were crushed immediately when Leona raised her glove, and told Naomi that her plan wasn't a piece of cow dung like she thought it was. The novice mage perked up and thrust her arm backwards with a mental "YES!" going off. An experienced mage complimented her! Awesome!

""Thank you so much! The glove looks super valuable!"

It took much longer to calm down her high this time as Naomi shook herself off after 2 whole minutes, and nodded to Leona.

"Gomen... I'm ready now!"

Naomi was hyped, pumped, and was definitely ready. She opened the door to the tavern and stood tall (or as tall as you can stand when you're as short as she is) and put her hands to her hips. Like a hunter, she scanned the room of all of her prey. The giant, gruff men compared to her didn't even notice her, until a man in shaded glasses walked over to the young girl and folded his arms.

"You can't be in here, Missy."

Heh, a simple obstical. He won't stop me when I tell him-

"I don't care whatever business you have here, you're not gettin' in."

As if reading her mind, Naomi was shut down immediately.

"Guh! I have urgent bus-"

"N. O. Listen to me. Get out."

The bouncer didn't seem to notice Leona as he was focused on the grumbling teen who threw her arms down in frustration and gave him a terribly intense glare from her one visible eye.
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I deserve death for making you wait so long

Leona was pleased that Naomi showed some self-confidence. She was not a licensed therapist, but she would help people whenever she could. As Silver Wolf's Guild Ace, she had a particular incentive to help Naomi. Fairy Tail was her guild's ally and any mistreatment of Naomi would get back to Fairy Tail, who might pull the plug on the partnership. Besides, Leona was not in the business of abusing new mages because they could become powerful enemies down the road.

Leona confidently entered the tavern but noticed that the bouncer stopped Naomi. That was upsetting, but the blonde had no time to spare arguing with the bouncer. The jewelry might be up for sale and time was of the essence.

Leona looked at the emblem of a white horse in mid-gallop placed on a green background. The emblem was displayed on a large, prominent rectangular sign behind the bar. The bar itself was made of mahogany and featured all kinds of alcohol in eye-catching bottles. Sitting at the bar was a mix of normal people and seedy types, including a few sailors. This was just the place to begin looking.

She politely asked some of the patrons sitting on bar stools and nursing drinks of various kinds who to talk to about missing jewelry. Their answer was quick and unanimous... a guy named Fast Eddie. When she inquired as to where Fast Eddie could be found, they went quiet and shooed her away. Leona was baffled as to their sudden silence. Still, she did not question it and left them alone to avoid any trouble.

She had just finished thanking an old man with black-rimmed glasses and a brown business suit for his "help" when he called her back to his booth. The blonde turned and spun on her heels. Did he have anything new to say?

"Hey sweet cheeks, I can tell you where he is. Lean closer." He said to her. Leona leaned down and he went wordless as his face turned red. Leona looked at him and instantly made the connection just as a hand touched her backside and started rubbing.

Leona blushed furiously as she suddenly stood up. That old guy was a pervert looking for an easy way to grope her! She was about to storm away when he said something to her.

"Look sweet cheeks, I'm sorry. An old guy like me doesn't get much action, if you catch my meaning. If you don't make a scene, I'll tell you where to look." He said apologetically. Leona frowned but kept quiet. She was going to take one for the team.

"OK, I won't make a scene. Tell me." Leona stated firmly.

"I have some... friends who do things of questionable legality. They tell me that he hangs out at the docks, but he also hangs out in the alleys behind taverns or behind the Lamia Scale Guild Hall. He moves around a lot to stay ahead of the police. I can't tell you any more without outing them, so you'll have to look around." He said to her. Leona was not sure if he was telling the truth, but she had no other choice. She would trust him.

"Thanks Mister." Leona said to him before turning and leaving the booth behind. She felt him taking a long look at her backside. What a pervert. Still, his info was worth checking out. It was not like the pair was swimming in leads.

"Sorry about that, Naomi. I've got some info to go on. I'm wait for you outside." Leona stated to her companion. She looked indignant that the bouncer had denied her entry. Leona could not blame her. Hopefully Naomi would not be treated so brusquely during the rest of the job.

[Word Count: 627] [Total Word Count: 1,747/2,000]

"...how many times do I have to tell you-"

"And how many times do I have to tell YOU!? I'm on a mission-"

"-to go sleuthing around the bar looking for some missing jewelry. I heard you the first 100 times!"

The man did something that Naomi wasn't expecting. He just sighed, apparently giving up. Naomi smirked, and nodded with confidence. She closed her eyes and began walking forward, only to feel the floor steadily getting further away. Was the floor sinking... or...

It all happened in an instant. Naomi's eyes widened as she was sent flying, mostly due to her size, and landed flat on her bum on the pavement. The bouncer just tossed her out, LITERALLY! He didn't want to do this to a minor, for the sake of public reputation, but apparently the man thought he had no other choice. So, he just did what he would do to any drunkard who wouldn't know when he reached his limit - force 'em to get out.

"AND STAY OUT!!!"

The bouncer adjusted his shades, and resumed his position, leaving Naomi sitting on the ground. The young girl's entire face was covered by her hair as she looked down at the ground. Teardrops fell down onto her pants, and she sniffled a bit, attracting a little attention from the people around her. It was all too embarassing! She just wanted to complete a mission, and yet she couldn't have any of it! Why did that stupid bouncer have to-

No... This isn't it! I can't have my first job be done for me. I will have my spotlight!

Wiping her eyes, Naomi stood up and scanned the area. Then, after grabbing what she wanted - a simple tree branch that was light enough to carry - she walked back up to the bouncer.

"Let me in, or I'll be forced to make you let me in."

The bouncer didn't budge, and didn't even seem to take Naomi seriously.

"FINE THEN!"

Naomi began focusing her magic into the tree branch, her breathing becoming much harsher. She wasn't used to doing this, so she didn't even know if she was doing it right. The branch seemed to be radiating some sort of heat, however, so she assumed that she wasn't being a complete failure.

"HYAAAAAAH!!!!"

Naomi swung at the man, who just caught the branch in his hand. It didn't affect him at all, and he wasn't even a mage! Swiping the branch from the girl, this time he pushed her. The end result was the same, however, as Naomi felt the pain in her lower body resurge as she hit the ground.

"Sonna... Bakana..."

The girl began to cry once again, shielding her face and quietly muttering whimpers to herself. How could this be it!? It was... so terrible...

"It's almost like... not every character... has to be the end all be all of awesomeness... or something..."

She sobbed, until the novice heard footsteps coming from the entrance. Naomi quickly stood up, and tried her hardest (which wasn't that hard) to hide her previously crying state. She wiped her eyes, but tears still rested in them, and her breathing was still broken and quick.

"I-It's okay L-Leona! No problem! If my magic was approved, it'd be so much different!"

Naomi shook off that last part and wiped her eyes again, knowing that this woman couldn't understand the godly dialect Naomi could speak in.

"I-I mean... *sniff*... I will be able to do more later! I swear!"
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Leona was confused. Naomi was upset about the ejection by the bouncer... that was completely understandable. What was less understandable was the part about her magic not being approved and some words in a language the blonde did not understand. What did that mean? She did not know.

"Sorry about that, Naomi. I'll let you take the lead for this next part." Leona said to her partner. She felt bad about leaving the smaller mage behind to canvass The Galloping Mare for information. As compensation for that slip-up, she would let Naomi take the lead for the harbor search.

"I learned that they guy we're looking for goes by the name of Fast Eddie. He tends to hang around the docks of Hargeon Town. I also learned a couple of other locations to check in case he isn't there, but I believe that we should check the docks first so we can cross it off our list if he's not here." Leona informed the Fairy Tail mage. Now she would allow Naomi a chance to show what she could do. The younger mage was energetic and eager to do her share on the job.

"OK, Naomi. You take the lead here. I'll follow you and jump in if there's trouble." Leona ceded control of this part to Naomi. The blonde would hang back and try not to overshadow her partner, but if a fight broke out Leona would definitely jump in. She would not let Naomi come to harm if she could help it.

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"I can... Take the lead?"

Naomi was struck with massive amounts of disbelief. She widened her sobbing eye once Leona mentioned that the younger, much more inexperienced mage was going to be leading her in the next part. This was... Unbelievable! Naomi assumed it was some sort of test, proving her worth on the job since she was too young to be let in a bar, and thus was practically useless for what seemed like the first half of the job.

"I-I would be honored! Thanks so much."

Naomi listened in on what she had to say about their guy, Fast Eddie. A dockroamer, or some other places were given - obviously to make the search a little harder on the two mages. She thought about going to the docks for a minute. It seemed like an obvious trap, right? But Leona was the one to make the call, and Naomi couldn't disagree right? But... Wasn't that the whole point of putting her in the lead? After a battle with herself, Naomi sighed and nodded, regaining her confidence. She wiped her eyes and began walking towards the docks.

"To the docks, then! ...wait a second... Did you ever learn what he looks like? How can we find him if we don't know what he looks like without making it obvious that we're hunting him down?"

Naomi put her thumb to her chin while she walked, speaking her concerns to her companion. She didn't have any sort of mind powers, and Naomi was pretty confident that Leona didn't either... So this would be tough. The two couldn't ask who Fast Eddie was, since that'd seem way too suspicious. However, they couldn't go around grasping at straws. Their only hope was to coincidentally come across some shady stuff in action, unless Leona had a different plan in mind.
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"Unfortunately I couldn't learn what he looked like. All the patrons I asked wouldn't tell me his appearance. They shooed me away before I could get any more information." Leona told her colleague. Naomi had raised a good point. Maybe she should have pressed that old pervert for a little more information before leaving The Galloping Mare. Oh well. They would just have to keep going and think on their feet.

"Maybe we should look for some sketchy types. They tend to know what's going on in the underground scene. We can claim that I'm looking to sell my Argent Gloves because they're hot, but that could bring the town guard down on us." Leona gave an idea but just as quickly listed a downside. That would be a last resort. Then another idea related to money came to mind.

"If all else fails, we can just check the back alleys. My source said to also look behind Lamia Scale's guild hall. But our guy moves around a lot, so we'll have to keep an ear out for his name." Leona suggested.

"For now I think we should start at the lower docks." The blonde said to Naomi. That was where the former encountered Jacob Goodnight. Some sketchy stuff still had to be going on there. That made it a good place to start.

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A lack of a face to match the name was troubling, but that never stopped heroes before! They could still get this job done, it'd just be a bit more difficult than they originally intended, but the two of them would still prevail!

"That does make sense, criminals may give out info for one another, but they never fully out their allies... At least not the real loyal ones. Yeah, I agree, let's start with the lower docks!"

Eager to continue on with the job, Naomi rushed forward without even looking back once at her ally, eventually making it to the docks. There, she saw normal Hargeon activity - people trading goods, tourists sightseeing, etc. This was the upper docks, however, and all of the heavy shady business would be down below. A crime underground, literally! The excitement could literally be felt from Naomi as she looked around, studying the people who were going to and coming from below the docks. Most seemed like simple fishermen and women, but wouldn't that be what criminals want them to think they were? It was like a big game of reverse psychology, and Naomi was not about to lose!

Hmm... No one looks bad from here. I must continue on!

She mentally monologued, then turned back to her partner to be sure that she was still following.
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WC Met

Leona kept quiet as she watched Naomi take the lead. The Fairy Tail mage's energy and enthusiasm appeared to have no limits. She eagerly seized the lead and almost literally ran with it. Leona walked briskly to keep up, following her colleague to the lower docks of Hargeon Town. The blonde recalled traces of the life-or-death battle with Jacob Goodnight from months ago.

It felt strange going back to the docks after that pivotal moment in her life, but she was back at the scene of the fight. She remembered hanging upside down by her feet as Jacob approached her with a butcher knife and killing intent so strong that it was palpable. The Sword of the Goddess was the weapon that saved Leona's life and gave her victory over Jacob. If Leona had not been blessed with her particular power set, there was a good chance she would have become just another statistic instead of becoming a member of Silver Wolf.

The blonde shook off the memories and followed Naomi to the lower docks. The mage was watching to make sure that Leona was still following her. Leona confirmed that she was in fact following Naomi.

"I'm right here. You're doing fine. I'll be right behind you." Leona assured her companion with a wave, staying a respectful distance away. She would stick close by in case some of the local toughs got any ideas. Naomi was smaller, lighter, and did not have her magic yet, so she was counting on Leona for protection.

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Leona was still on Naomi's tail, which was good news to the young mage. Once Leona shot the affirmative to Naomi, the former once again thrust her fist in glee when she heard that she was "doing fine." Getting complimented by Leona was making her day, and although it didn't take much more than a nighttime of anime to make her day, this was so much better to Naomi. The action, the feeling of being on a job, this was all too unreal to her. So, she went on to continue her search, as she couldn't disappoint Leona now.

After doing a bit of searching, Naomi came across a couple that appeared to be doing a bit of a shady deal. It was two men, one holding a briefcase while the other had something concealed in a lot of cloths. They were surrounded by other, larger men who all seemed to be scanning the area for anyone looking to infringe on their privacy. Naomi wanted to walk up there and make her claim to fame, but instead she made the reasonable desicion of waiting for what Leona wanted to do.

Leona followed her colleague until they came across a sketchy-looking meeting between two individuals. One of them held a briefcase. The other held something concealed under cloths. To add to the sketchiness, there were four burly men keeping a watch over the meeting, ready to deal with any interlopers. Naomi paused and looked like she was waiting for instructions from Leona.

Leona was tempted to take over, but that would be unfair to Naomi. Naomi was diligent and trying her best, so the blonde had to show faith in her and let the Fairy Tail mage do the talking. But how could Leona give the advice without talking down to her?

"OK Naomi, here's the deal. Tell them that we're looking for a jewelry dealer named Eddie. Tell them that we don't care about what they're doing. All we want is to know where Eddie can be found." Leona coached Naomi. It was not the most sophisticated plan, but it was all the blonde could come up with. She was not a spellbinding orator or a planner, so she did the best she could with what she had. Leona was confident that Naomi could get the job done.

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"Mm."

Naomi understood what Leona was telling her. All she had to do was play it cool, don't seem suspicious, and just ask if they knew anyone named Eddie. As long as she could keep her cool, there wouldn't be any problems. So, she nodded, and nervously walked over to two of the big men that surrounded the obviously shady deal. She was obviously halted, with a gruff "you can't be around here" coming from the one who halted her.

"Uh, sorry! I was just uh, wondering if you knew someone named Eddie?"

"Nah kid, no one comes to mind."

"Are you sure...? I heard he'd be around here..."

"Nope. Never heard of no Eddie. Now beat it, kid."

Just as the man stepped to push Naomi out of the way, she saw it. It was the necklace that they were looking for! Or rather, she assumed it was. The letter from the wealthy man said it was a golden necklace with a large red ruby in it, and that necklace fit the description! So, that meant that that guy must be the man they were looking for. So, Naomi quickly bolted past the large man, and stood in front of the one with the necklace. She pointed at him with a fierce glare on her face, with her other hand resting on her hips.

"I've got ya, Fast Eddie! Hand over the necklace and no one will have to get hu-HEYYYYYYYYYY"

Naomi found herself being lifted up off the ground again, and she began flailing about.

"...Who the hell is Fast Eddie!?"

"You mean that criminal that's goin' around stealing stuff?"

"Wait... wait a second... oh-my-goodness-are-you-kidding-me-right-now..."

The man with the necklace put his hands to his temples, as though he came to a serious revelation. He shook his head, and just muttered something along the lines of "I'll deal with it later," then resumed his deal while Naomi continued to fight off the body guard's grip, and still failing.

Leona calmly watched as Naomi went to speak to the men. Everything appeared to be going smoothy at first, then things took a turn for the worse. Naomi saw a golden necklace with a large ruby being exchanged and leapt to the conclusion that one of the men was Fast Eddie. Unfortunately for her, one of the bodyguards scooped up the smaller mage and was holding her. This situation necessitated a direct intervention.

"Looks like we've got another one. This one could be trouble. She's got some kinda armor." One of the men said before advancing towards her. Leona raised her hands in a "I don't want trouble" gesture and stopped where she was. She then spoke to them.

"Look, guys. I'm a mage on a job. I'm looking for stolen jewelry. All I want to know is where Fast Eddie is." Leona told the gathering. She then presented her guild tattoo as proof of her being a mage. Tattoos were everywhere in the world, but mages had special ones that made them stand out from the crowd. The necklace-holding man made a hand gesture that meant "stand down." The bodyguards stood down.

The man holding the bundle in a cloth sighed impatiently. He then unveiled what was beneath the bundle. It was a blue-and-white vase with an intricate floral pattern that was rather old and thus of great value.

"I'm trading this jeweled necklace to my friend here. He's a dealer in antique pottery, but I just can't go to his shop because my wife goes there every day. If I tried to buy it for her birthday, she'd see me. I want the vase to be a surprise." The man explained. He even produced paperwork for the vase. So this particular deal was a legitimate transaction.

"Look, we've got a deal to do here, so if I tell you where Fast Eddie is, will you leave us alone?" The necklace-holding man asked.

"Sure. All I want is to know where he is. That's all." Leona replied in the affirmative.

"I don't deal with him personally 'cause I'm a legitimate businessman. But I have friends who hear things on the street. Anyway, you can find him behind Lamia Scale's guild hall. He likes to hang out there a lot." The necklace-holding man told them.

"We'll be on our way then. Thanks guys." Leona thanked the two men before starting to walk away. The man holding Naomi looked towards the men, who motioned to him to let her go. He obliged and she was lowered to the ground. Leona hoped that she would not antagonize them any further.

"C'mon. Let's go to Lamia Scale guild hall." Leona said to Naomi.

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(I deserve death for making you wait this long, sorry >.<)

"ONORE! ONORE ONORE ONORE ONORE!!!!"

Naomi flailed about and yelled at the second giant today to lift her off the ground by her collar, watching as Leona assessed the situation. Why was it that no one ever took her seriously! Was it because she was short? A weak mage? A teen? It made no sense why everyone just took a single look at her and didn't bother to show her respect as another individual! And don't get her started on the-

Wait, was she getting lowered?

Noticing that the ground was finally beneath her feet once again - or rather that the ground was finally touching her feet once again - Naomi gave him a look that said "I WANT TO DESTROY YOU!!!," but instead of doing so, she just turned around and walked along with Leona to the Lamia Scale guild hall as she said.

"Stupid giants..."

She murmured to herself while they walked, not noticing the time fly by as they seemed to come up to the Lamia Scale guild hall in seconds to her. Was she really grumbling for that long? Well, regardless, she saw someone leaning against the back wall for a second, whom soon turned and identified the two visitors. Not seeming to think them to be threats, he made a gesture seeming to call the two girls up to him, which Naomi did promptly.

"What's up, ladies? Need somethin'?"

"Are you Fast Eddie?"

Naomi was taking this one slow, she wasn't being utterly aggresive like she had been the past 2 times they wanted leads, so she had to try something different. Maybe this would work.

"I dunno. Maybe. What's it to ya, kid?"

"I was... uh... looking to buy some stuff?"

"...you don't seem like the 'cop' type, pipsqueak, but the chick with the tits does. She a cop?"

"Chick with the... Oh her! Uh, no, we're just looking to get some ordering done."

Eddie shifted his weight, a much more serious look on his face appeared. It seemed like he was very serious when it came to business.

"Ordering what, kid? I don't think I carry anything a little girl would want or need. Unless you're looking for something a bit more... adult? Something your mom wouldn't want you to have?"

He gave a wink and a nudge, but nothing more than a question mark appeared over Naomi's head.

"Huh? What do you me-"

Beet red. Her face was redder than the freshest of apples.

"NOOO!!! I'm just, uh... looking for some jewlery? Know where I can find any?"

"Jewlery? I mean, I just got a 'new shipment' of some stuff, so to speak, but there's a finder's fee for shipping and handling, on top of the cost for the jewles 'emself."

"Sounds great! But uh, can't we pick it up ourselves?"

"Sure, but lemme see the cash. No address until you've paid up. It'll be little over a hundred k. Diamonds are expensive, y'know."

Naomi nodded, and fished around for as much money as she could muster, and then presented it to him.

"All I have is this much... could I possibly pay it off at a later date?"

"Hmmm.... Installments come with a hefty bit of interest, but sure. I'll have some of my men stop by every month to pick up the rest in payments. And you do not wanna know what'll happen if you're late on any payments, little missy."

Naomi once again nodded.

"Go to the Sons of Hermes pawn shop. There, tell them that Eddie promised you the newest shipment. They'll make you sign for it, and then you'll have your stuff. Understand?"

For the last time, Naomi nodded.

"Now don't show up here for at least another month. Repeated customers have to wait that long."

"Okay, but can I say one last thing?"

"What, kid? I'm waiting for more customers, so make it fast."

"Diamonds are forever! And you know what should also be forever? Scum like you's jail sentence! MAGIKARU... PAAANCHI"

She ran forward, preparing to punch the man, whom began to block his face. However, that wasn't even the attack. Naomi's fist unclenched, and her foot flung itself up, straight into the man's crotch. He screeched so loud that the birds began flying away in the area, and fell to his knees, dropping the money that Naomi just provided to him. Naomi fell over, completely exhausted from the burst of magical energy that she just used. She never used that spell before, at least not more than in practice, so actually accomplishing it on a job instantly drained her. She just lay there on the ground, huffing and puffing, nearly wanting to pass out,while Fast Eddie held his groin and contemplated whether or not he'll ever have children, completely unable to move. Naomi just thought to herself about how awesome the line she just used was, but also how to make it better next time.

Leona was surprised by Naomi's take-charge attitude and the finish to the conversation with Fast Eddie. Afterwards Naomi nearly passed out from the effort, so it was up to the blonde to carry her the rest of the way... literally. The Fairy Tail mage was hefted onto Leona's shoulders and carried piggyback style. After a half-hour search the Sons of Hermes pawnshop was located. This was it... they would find out if Fast Eddie's info was good.

-Inside the Sons of Hermes-

"What can I do for you?" A balding middle-aged man with a thick brown mustache asked. He wore a shopkeeper's apron and wore a plastered smile. On the apron was a golden winged helmet that was presumably the shop logo.

"We're here to pick up the latest shipment of diamonds. Eddie promised us the shipment." Leona said, recalling the shifty informant's instructions. The man nodded and went in the back. Leona went and sat Naomi in a chair because carrying her the whole time would have been awkward. Minutes passed. Leona started to worry.

The shopkeeper and a dozen of his friends emerged from the back, carrying 2x4 planks and metal pipes. The keeper himself wielded a mace. They had been found out!

"My friends saw you two snooping around Hargeon Town. You shoulda never come here. But it's too late to run now!" The shopkeeper said menacingly. Leona put herself between Naomi and the thugs.

"Who said we were gonna run?" Leona asked pointedly.

"GET THEM!" The man instructed before the dozen rushed towards her. Leona simply lifted a hand and used a Wind Blast spell to knock them out with effortless ease. The shopkeeper swore at the uselessness of his hired goons.

"You can't get good help these days..." He lamented before rushing at her and swinging downward. Leona blocked the attack with her left Argent Glove, causing the man to gasp. He then punched her in the stomach. Leona responded with a Mach Straight to the face, knocking him back.

"What... what are you? Who sent you?" He asked. He hurriedly picked up the mace and began blindly swinging at her. Leona took a hit to the leg but retaliated with a swift kick to the hand, knocking the weapon away from him. He raised his hands in surrender.

"What do you want? Do you want the diamonds? Take 'em! Take 'em all!" He pleaded. Suddenly the town guard came bursting in. Leona raised her hands.

"I took it! I TOOK THE JEWELRY! I'VE BEEN DEALING IN STOLEN GOODS! ALL THE EVIDENCE IS IN THE BACK!" He shouted. Both Leona and the officers were stunned. He crawled over to the lead officer, a red-haired man, and clung to his feet. Leona kept her hands up because it might be a stunt to get her arrested too.

"You... you're the Rising Star named Leona Jarnefeldt, right?" The lead officer asked.

"Yes, Officer. The job notice's in my pocket. I'm here on behalf of the Penobscott family..." Leona started before the officer held up a hand to silence her.

"Don't worry. You and your friend aren't under arrest. We've been hearing rumors of a pawn shop dealing in stolen goods but couldn't get any proof. Now we've got all the proof we need to put him away." The officer explained. Two more officers began hauling folders full of papers out of the dimly lit back office.

"What about the necklace we've been sent to retrieve?" Leona asked.

"Normally we'd keep it as evidence, but since we've got so much evidence of his other dealings, you can take it back to the Penobscotts." The officer informed her before finding the necklace and handing it over. Leona held it up and looked it over. It was perfectly intact.

"What about your friend?" The officer asked.

"Naomi? She's kinda tired but otherwise OK. I'll take her back to her guild, then I'll deliver it to the Penobscotts." Leona answered. The officer nodded and Leona put Naomi on her back. The pair left the pawnshop with the necklace securely in Leona's backpack. The job was complete.

[Word Count: 685]
[Total Word Count: 3,902/2,000]