NOTE: This has been on the back-burner for awhile. Thought I'd polish this up and post it before my hard drive would burn up.
It was another day at Fairy Tail.
Natsu and Grey started off the morning with a brawl that quickly escalated into a multi-sided free-for-all. Lucy and Levy kept to themselves with their milkshakes, books, and news (gossip) of the day. Juvia, as always, fawned over the unchanging object of her eternal affection as Erza stepped in to restore order. At the bar, Mirajane catered to the ever stoic Laxus, his ever loyal Thunder Legion, and the ever alcoholic Cana. All the while, Master Makarov remained atop the bannister overseeing the whole hall with the same lackadaisical response (or lack thereof) to the day's shenanigans as the benevolent First Master Mavis drifted by his side.
Yes, it was indeed another normal day at the Fairy Tail.
That was until the doors creaked open and a guest staggered in. He remained unnoticed save for both guild masters who remained deceptively impassive. The man's gait showed how much he had been drinking though the boxy device cleverly concealed behind his crimson cloak was enough of a warning for them.
"Whoa! Hey, buddy," Macao called out after he nearly bumped into him. "Easy there."
"Haven't seen you around these parts," remarked Wakaba. "Welcome to Fairy Tail. Anything you need help with?"
"Wha...?" the man slurred as he wobbled backwards to support himself on an overturned table.
"Seems like you've been hitting the bottle too hard," Macao said, gesturing to help their visitor right himself. "Sit down, man. You're gonna trip."
Unsurprisingly, the unconscious body of Elfman flew right into Mister Conbolt who had bent down to pull up an overturned chair. Oddly, the visitor had slumped back to avoid being collateral with Wakaba taking his unfortunate place.
Makarov noted that stroke of luck from his perch while Mavis remained nonchalantly jubilant.
The guest had sighted the bar and was now determined to cross the guild to get there. That meant having to go directly through the dozen-man free-for-all raging in the center of the hall. By this point, his movement had caught the attention of those unaffected by the sidelines: Lucy, Levy, Wendy, Carla, and Romeo. The small group had silenced their chatter and were actively observing him as he unassumingly crossed the threshold of safety.
"Excuse me, sir! Wait! You're going to get—"
The man did not hear Laki calling out to him. He entered the dust cloud and everyone else thought he wouldn't make it. That was until the brawl took on an unusual turn.
Natsu slipped on spilled liquor, missed Grey with his flaming fist, and ended up hitting his head on the table knocking him out cold. Grey, for his part cackled before the chair he was standing on broke. He tried to compensate his fall by leaning forward except that meant his chin connected with Erza's armored back, knocking the redhead off-balance before she could rip Vijeeter a new one, and sending her crashing into another person, ending her and three other people's involvement in the fight.
This continued in rapid succession, happening all around the cloaked individual who, despite his clear inebriety, meandered through unbelievably unscathed.
"Hello and welcome to Fairy Tail!" Mirajane greeted.
"Fairy Tail, huh," the stranger wheezed and his scented breath was enough to snatch the attention of the six other people sharing the bar. "Thought fairies didn't have tails..."
"That's the conundrum now, isn't it," the white-haired demon of a bartender answered cheerily.
A burp. "Whiskey?"
"Coming right up."
The man slumped slightly in his seat as every pairs of conscious eyes centered on him. His black messy hair, his shaggy white coat, the strange object hidden under his mantle...
Not to mention the dozen or so unconscious human bodies piled up behind him—Erza included!—that had been the unfortunate result of a today's melee. A brawl that he inattentively breezed through, too drunk to care. Strangely enough, it dawned on them a moment later that there was no clear victor (which was uncommon) with Erza out cold (a rarity). All through a chain of coincidences that would have anyone screaming foul.
From above, Makarov silently studied the man. Mavis's giggling broke him out of his train of thought.
"He never changes."
"You know him?" the old man asked the spirit.
"Not personally. But Gildarts does."
And the mage himself appeared in the doorway after another long mission. After an enthusiastic welcoming from those who were still conscious, he strode to the bar and—to the surprise of many—clapped the guest on his shoulder and said, "Guess I didn't have to hold your hand this time, Qrow."
"I'm not that drunk...yet," Qrow retorted as Mirajane laid out a glass and a bottle of Whiskey.
"You know him?" Laxus asked with a raised brow.
"Met him recently," Gildarts admitted with a laugh. "Nimble bastard."
"Likewise, ass wipe," Qrow jabbed, downing a shot. "This place kinda reminds me of...home...in a way."
"Well, you're welcome to stay," the one-armed mage declared. Much to the astonishment of everyone else on the ground floor.
Makarov dropped from his perch and presented himself to the two grizzled men. "This is Fairy Tail, young man. I am sure you've received enough of a welcome. I am the current guild master, Makarov Dreyar."
Qrow swiveled on his stool and swirled his second shot before emptying it. "Old man...you run a full house."
"Not the first time I've received that compliment."
"So what brings you here, Mister Crow?" Mirajane asked, her warm smile remaining firmly etched onto her cheeks.
"Weird to be named after a bird if you ask me," mumbled Cana.
"Y'know. Just looking for a place to kick back and knock down a few. Been on the road for too long."
"You need help with anything?" Bickslow interjected, his 'babies' echoing his query.
"We may have a bar," Freed added, "and we are generous with our provisions however we—"
Qrow waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Gildarts told me to drop by here in case things go south. Not like I'll be lodging in with anyone."
"Destination in mind?" Evergreen inquired.
The man winked at her then laughed when she scowled back. "I can't tell you, doll. It's between me and my boss."
"We offer a variety of services," Mirajane injected, her disarming charm working its full effect. "We have a board over there where you can pin up any requests."
Qrow smiled at her then set down his glass. "Services, eh? Say you and me try that out."
Gildarts chuckled while Makarov raised his brow when the remaining half of the guild was about ready to converge on the drunk for his comment. Laxus channelled enough lightning to sizzle a live bird while Mirajane revealed that wicked glint in her eye that cowed whole troupes of grizzled fighters.
"You might want to rephrase that, Mister Bird," the lightning dragon slayer seethed.
Qrow only laughed, unfazed by the blades that were most definitely inches from shaving a few centimeters off his stubble. "You said 'services.' What was I supposed to think?"
"We're not Blue Pegasus, pal," growled Bickslow.
"Really? Well, I thought most guilds worked that way." Hiccup. "Well..."
"You may want to stand back, old man. This'll be good," Gildarts advised. Makarov narrowed his gaze as he shuffled a few steps behind.
"You better not have brought me a madman," he warned.
"He's not mad. He's just drunk."
True to form, Qrow drunkenly wove out of the Thunder Legion's stranglehold and was already standing behind them, his hand behind his back.
Laxus caught the movement and, though reserved, decided to meet the challenge. He turned quick and was met with a massive blade that soon after extended into a mechanical scythe. Some jaws dropped, others curved in response to a challenge.
It was an interesting exchange of magic, skill, and steel. Qrow was impressively agile, his inebriety either evaporated or synchronizing with his movements, and he danced around the swipes, grapples, and lightning strikes of his foes. It had been a while since the Thunder Legion was this hard pressed to so much as land a hit but it was also very eye-catching that Laxus and company were constantly handicapped by conveniently scattered debris, slippery floors, and complete misses.
"Talk about unlucky," Gildarts mused from afar as the fight raged and receded into a frustrating chase for the mages of Fairy Tail.
"I seriously doubt any luck's involved," Makarov countered. "There's something about him that I still can't put my finger on." Even Natsu, if he was awake, could see that something was amiss what with how four skilled and powerful mages, one of whom was S-class, was so mindbogglingly misfortunate in this fight.
"Entertaining to watch," Mavis remarked.
The old man had to admit that this was at least something different for today. Qrow had absorbed some hits, shrugged them off, and kept up the charade. Interesting how his clothes were as resilient as his skin—the few cuts that Bickslow and Freed managed to score on him failed to draw blood, let alone leave any mark.
Their drunken guest was masterful in his display. Until he leapt behind the curtains of the stage. Evergreen tore them off only for a black corvid to whip past her cheek, flutter up the rafters, and land on one of the beams overhead.
"Where is he!?"
"He cannot possibly have just simply vanished!"
"Sneaky bastard."
"Ugh, repulsive! I was slapped by a bird!"
The avian cawed in mocking reply then flew over to the bar, landing on Cana's hand, and dipping its beak into her tankard.
"Hey! Get your own beer!" she barked as she tried to wave it away.
The bird squawked at her before hopping across the bar top towards Mirajane who had held a vested interest in it since it appeared. She beamed at it, cooing, "Aren't you a naughty stray."
Before it could move its beak, she slammed large bird cage over it. It was a rattling surprise for the animal. And to everyone else for the bird was swallowed in a thick puff of smoke. Then the frames bent to accommodate the full-grown human male known as Qrow Branwen.
"Good one, doll," he smirked from inside his cramped cage.
"So he can transform," Makarov muttered, not once moving from his perch.
"Not in the way transformation magic works, old man," Gildarts replied.
"There better be a good reason why you invited him to the guild hall if he's going to be this of a nuisance without joining."
The larger man shrugged. "Eh, I needed someone who could keep up with me."
"Besides," Mavis added optimistically. "I wouldn't mind having him around."
ORIGINALLY DRAFTED: September 20, 2018
LAST EDITED: December 4, 2018
INITIALLY UPLOADED: December 4, 2018