A/N: As of now, I have only seen the first 22 episodes of Fairy Tail, which I do not own.
The man made himself as invisible as possible. He hunkered down as low as he could behind two large clay pots. The pots were topped with crates of fruit, apples, bananas, and pears; and created a hole large enough for him to look through but small enough that he could stare unflinchingly without attracting attention. The shopkeeper, who was only tolerating the man's rather intrusive nature because of a symbol he wore publicly, prodded the stranger sharply.
The man hunkered down lower, wincing as his shoulder blades practically scraped together. The girls were teenagers, younger than he'd been told. The first girl, who walked slightly in front of her counterpart, put her hands behind her head and rattled off a few words. The man was too far away to make out details, but he mentally noted her pale blue hair and orange and green outfit. He turned his attention to the second girl, clad in black and pink and sporting a long black ponytail. She shook her head slightly at the first girl's actions, then stopped suddenly. Her head swiveled in the man's general direction and he ducked beneath the peephole, even though he knew she couldn't possibly see him. When he looked up again, the girls had passed. He stood up slowly, thanked the vendor for his hospitality, and moved away.
"Mission confirmed. Targets right on schedule." He spoke to a nearby shadow. To an ordinary passerby, he looked like a crazy man talking to himself.
No one seemed to notice the shadow suddenly disappear.
"Damn, I'm hungry!"
The girl stretched her arms behind her head and silently asked the sky to start raining delicious food.
Her companion, feet dragging with obvious exhaustion behind her, rolled her eyes. "I told you not to eat everything we brought at once."
"I didn't! Well…for the first few meals. Besides, we only had, like, two grapes left!"
"We had three entire sandwiches…"
"Bahhh…"
The girls continued on in silence for a moment when suddenly one of them stopped and stared at a fruit stand.
The first girl put her hands on her stomach and smiled widely. "Breakfast!"
Her friend stared at the stand intensely. She could have sworn she'd felt eyes a moment ago…
"Rosaline? Hello?"
The girl waved a hand in front of her eyes, breaking her friend's concentration. "Sorry, but you know we don't have any money."
The girl pouted. "This place better have a five-star buffet."
"Oh, they will." Rosaline said quickly, partly to comfort her friend and partly to shut her up. She took once last glance at the vendor's stand before steadily guiding her friend through the market, listing off all the delicious foods she could think of.
The main floor of Fairy Tail, a wizard guild full of colorful characters, was buzzing with its usual antics. Several men and women were fighting, a good majority of the wizards were drinking or already intoxicated, identical emblems of every color of the rainbow were featured on numerous different body parts, and everyone seemed to have something to say.
"-and then I said-"
"-so I punched him-"
"He had these huge eyes, man!"
"What's on your face?"
No one would have noticed the two travel-weary girls enter the premises had one of them not shouted above all the noise. "HELLOOOOO, FAIRY TAIL!"
The guild members quieted down for a few moments and stared at the girls, but it did not take long for them to lose interest.
"Um, hello?" The girl didn't bother to shout this time, just stood in the doorway trying to figure out why she was being ignored.
The second girl had to speak louder than usual to be heard above the rabble. "Maybe we should just come back later?"
"Hi, can I help you?" a woman with silver hair and a kind-looking face approached them, clutching a large serving tray to her chest.
"Yeah, we want to join!" the first girl stated proudly.
"Oh, you're wizards? Master!" the girl's voice was clear as a bell, lost within moments to the chaos around them.
A few seconds later, the girls heard a sound like a missile being dropped from the ceiling, and instinctively looked up. The louder girl was suddenly taken down by a falling projectile who, upon closer inspection, she discovered to be a small elderly man.
"Master, maybe you should start taking the stairs…your landings aren't what they used to be." The silver-haired girl said a little sheepishly.
The old man scoffed. "Nonsense, it's not hurting anyone." He stood up, completely ignoring the girl crumpled on the floor who would no doubt be seeing stars for the next few minutes, and instead peered closely at the second girl. "Who are you?"
The girl unconsciously took a step back from his prying gaze. "Um, well…that's Iz, and I'm Rosaline. We're not from around here."
"Mmhm…" the old man scrutinized the unconscious figure and the nervous girl. "No."
He turned his back and began picking his way through the crowd. Iz sporadically regained life and hopped to her feet. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT OUR MAGIC IS!"
The old man turned around and gave her another cursory glance. "I don't need to know; I can already tell you two aren't Fairy Tail material. Perhaps another guild will take you in? Help yourself to a drink before you go, you two look like you could use one."
He disappeared into the crowd. Rosaline fought to restrain Iz, who looked downright murderous.
The silver-haired lady, who had vanished moments before, reappeared holding two tasty-looking drinks on the serving tray. Rosaline's mouth was as dry as parchment, but as she expected, Iz's pride was greater than her thirst. "We don't need any favors from you!"
She stormed out of the building, dragging Rosaline behind her, but did not flip the tray, which meant she'd appreciated the silver-haired woman's hospitality and did not want to cause her any trouble.
It took Iz quite a long time to deicide they were "far enough from that guild of idiots," which really meant she'd gotten them good and lost in unfamiliar territory.
The girls sat heavily on the ground, resting their aching feet.
"So…what now?" Rosaline asked, thinking longingly of a relaxing soak in a bathtub.
Iz was at a loss for words, which was never a good sign. Obviously she'd never considered the possibility of getting rejecting by Fairy Tail.
"Should we…look at another guild?" Rosaline asked cautiously, unsure of how Iz would react.
She considered the suggestion carefully and opened her mouth to speak. Then her attention shifted to something behind Rosaline.
A group of five mean-looking teenagers had surrounded a skinny blonde girl on a deserted street corner. Iz watched them carefully, narrowing her eyes when they began to throw things at the seemingly innocent blonde.
"Five on one?" Rosaline mused. She turned to consult her partner, but Iz was already up and moving towards the group.
"Hey!" she called, trying to turn their attention away from the girl so she could have a moment to escape.
Almost like they'd practiced, three of the teens turned their heads towards her, while two kept their eyes on the girl.
Fearless Iz marched straight up to one of the boys. "What are you doing?"
"None of your business, lady. Get lost."
"I'm hardly a 'lady.'" Iz said with a half-smile. "Look, I don't want any trouble. Just leave her alone and I won't report you."
"Get. Lost." The boy repeated, stepping closer to Iz and slipping a knife out of his pocket.
She tried another approach. "Leave and I won't have to hurt you. My friend and I are wizards." She gestured to Rosaline, who had appeared behind her a few moments before.
The boy eyed them up and down. "Guildless wizards, huh? Can't be very powerful then. And plus…" he pointed the blade of the knife at Iz's throat. "I don't think magic can heal wounds, can it?"
Iz kept her eyes on the blade. "Rosaline, go help her."
Rosaline nodded and stepped past the boy.
Iz looked innocently at the boy. "Do you mind if I take my headband off? It's a family heirloom, and I wouldn't want it to get all bloodied."
The boy wasn't stupid. "Don't move."
Before he had even responded, Iz had snatched the jeweled thing from her forehead and stood erect. Caught off guard, the boy watched as the small headband transformed into a long cane topped with a red jewel.
He composed himself quickly. "Cute. Going to a high-class party later?"
Iz smirked. "Now we're even. Weapon on weapon." And before he could object, she issued the first blow.
"Rosaline, is it?" the girl was tall, with dreadlocks and a menacing smile. When the wizard didn't respond, she continued talking. She walked around the girl in tight circles. A second girl and boy stood a short distance away, confident that blood was about to be shed. A skinny boy with a jagged scar across his face guarded the blonde girl in a corner.
"Pretty name. I'd tell you mine, but you're not really interested."
"We don't want any trouble. Just let the girl go."
"If you didn't want trouble, you wouldn't have come over here. You crave fights, all wizards do."
"Seems like you're not too keen on wizards."
The girl scoffed. "Stupid Fairy Tail practically runs this town. And they destroy more than they-" her eyes quickly darted to the right at the sudden flash of light. Noticing Iz's armed status, she glanced at the girl behind her. "Back him up." The girl eagerly moved to join the fight, producing a kitchen knife from her pocket.
Rosaline stared at the boy and the girl with the dreadlocks, who were eyeing her threateningly with rusty pieces of pipe in their hands. The young wizard took a few steps back, surprised to find herself back to back with Iz, whose own opponents were radiating bloodlust.
[A/N: Check out the song 'Fairy Tail Against Magic' on YouTube. It goes well with this part.]
"Be careful. I don't know where the nearest hospital is." Rosaline said firmly.
Iz tossed a lopsided grin over her shoulder. "That would be very unlucky."
The two leaped into action, proving to the teens very quickly that they were no strangers to hand-to-hand combat.
"What, a wizard who's too chicken to use magic?" The first boy huffed, slightly out of breath.
That was all the coaxing Iz needed. She raised her cane in the air, shouting, "Solar rain!" Then she spun the cane twice and struck the ground. The sky directly above them turned black for a moment, and tennis ball-sized flares started raining down, scorching whatever they touched.
Rosaline cartwheeled away from another swing, landing gracefully on her feet a few feet away. The girl with the dreadlocks wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Stand still and fight, wizard. Or do you even have magic?" She gave another wide swing, which Rosaline easily dodged.
Her male opponent was growing frustrated very quickly, desperately swinging the pipe her way. He accepted that she was quick and a good dodger, but for him to have missed every time…
"Why. Can't. I. Hit. You!" he shouted, taking a swing at her between every word.
"Not all magic is flashy and aggressive, you know." Rosaline offered, not sounding tired at all.
The boy stopped swinging and stared at her. His arms drooped, clutching the pipe. "You…you…"
The teens glanced up wildly at the pitch-black sky and ran in circles to avoid falling red orbs. Rosaline sighed and observed the red rain, which avoided her in a perfect circle. "But unfortunately, a lot of magic is flashy and aggressive…"
The boy frantically beat his sleeve, putting out the tiny flames that had erupted moments before. "You…if you think a few first-degree burns are gonna make us forget about her, you're…" he jumped back to avoid a gracefully falling red orb.
Iz sighed and stepped back. "This isn't even a challenge, and I'm tired, so I'm just gonna end it now." She shut her eyes and focused, bringing the cane across her chest and swinging it like a baseball bat. "Solar flare!"
Orange sparks fell from the jeweled end, and the sky once again flashed black.
"Is that all it does?" the boy asked warily, finally learning to be cautious of the wizard. He saw her grin a moment before a line of orange appeared in front of him and sent him flying backwards. Iz wheeled around and repeated the spell, sending the girl in the same path. Both slumped against the wall, unconscious.
Iz turned her focus to her partner, who was standing between the girl and boy looking bored. The teens were clearly frustrated and tired, but kept trying their best to land a blow on the Rosaline, who continued to gracefully dodge each attack.
Rosasline glanced up and, noticing Iz had finished her fight, bent down on one knee and touched one finger to the ground. To the teens, it was just another dodge, but Iz had seen the small green wizarding circle that had appeared.
Rosaline calmly stepped back and watched as one the boy stepped where her finger had just been. The bat lurched out, almost as if it were moving on its own, and knocked the girl across the head. Then it came full circle and hit the boy in the head, too. The teens fell to the ground in a heap.
Rosaline adjusted her skirt and stepped over the girl's unconscious form. "Enjoy the fight?"
Iz pouted. "No. Oh well, at least she's…okay?" The corner was empty. "I guess the guard ran off."
"And the girl did, too. Hope she got away okay."
"A thank you would have been nice." Iz grumbled, changing her cane back to a headband and placing the jeweled thing back on her forehead.
Rosaline sighed. "Iz-"
"I know, I know. We only use wizardy to help other people. It is our sacred duty, blah blah blah. I'm just saying, it wouldn't be so bad for them to grateful every once in a while."
The girls stepped back into the sunshine and Iz crossed her arms behind her head. "Wonder what they were picking on her for, anyway? Maybe we should have asked."
"Regardless of what she did, she should have gotten fair odds for the fight."
"Mmhm." Iz agreed. "I'm still starving."
"Me too."
They stared miserably at the hot sun. At least it had been shady on their makeshift battlefield. Rosaline stared back at their fighting ground, where several patches of earth were smoking and chunks of the wall were smoldering holes. "You should try being neater next time," she offered helpfully.
Iz glared at her.
"Hiyo!" The girls were approached by a man in a brightly colored button-up shirt. The shirt was covered with toucans, palm trees, and other assorted tropical-themed items, and was so loud that it seemed to shock both of them into silence. They were unable to focus on any other distinguishing features the man may've had.
Rosaline managed to gain her composure first, forcing her eyes to his face. "Can we help you?"
The man nodded eagerly. "Need you to come with me; Master wants to talk to you. It's not far."
The girls exchanged glances. Master?
"Where are we going?" Iz asked.
The man looked at her like she was daft. "Fairy Tail…where else?"
"Found them!" the man burst through the doors of the guild with no small amount of gusto, gesturing toward the girls like they were a display case in an expensive museum.
The silver-haired lady appeared, this time without her serving tray. Her clear voice rang out, "Oh, you're back!"
The girls, who were very tired, hungry, and sore, stood staring at the messy pub.
"I'm confused." Iz said matter-of-factly, and Rosaline nodded behind her.
"We heard how you saved that poor girl!" The silver-haired lady said with a smile.
The man with the blinding shirt tipped his hat in their direction. Iz hadn't even noticed he was wearing one. "That was very brave of you. You gals are alright."
"How did they-" Rosaline started to whisper.
"Eyes everywhere, girls. Always remember that." Another man who sat at the bar raised his drink in an apparent toast to their feat.
"Wait, so we're in Fairy Tail?!" Iz had apparently forgotten their previous rejection and her wounded pride.
The silver-haired lady nodded and smiled. She ducked behind the bar and produced a tray of stamps. "Would you like to make it official?"
A half hour later, the girls found themselves seated in easy chairs sipping delicious lemonade and devouring sandwiches.
Iz paused in her hearty consumption to admire the bold emblem that graced her right thigh. "So were those things like…tattoo stamps?"
Rosaline shrugged and bit into her sandwich. Iz was still wondering why she'd chosen to put her emblem over her left eye, but she had to admit it did look pretty badass. "It's a lot less painful that a real tattoo, I'll tell you that."
"Hmm." Iz mused, looking at the faded markings on her friend's arms. "Im considering getting a tattoo."
"No, you're not." Rosaline said sharply, sending her a piercing stare.
Iz withered under her gaze. "I was just kidding…I'm not stupid."
A girl dressed in red velvet slid into the easy chair next to Rosaline and considered Iz carefully. "Solar magic, huh?"
Iz was so busy wondering how the girl was wearing such heavy clothing in the heat that she waited too long to respond. "Oh, um. Yeah."
The girl narrowed her eyes speculatively. "Not from around here, right?"
Iz shook her head.
"Thought so." The girl started to say something, then stopped. Her eyes flicked toward Rosaline, who was watching the interaction with trepidation, to Iz, who was being forcibly casual.
"I'm Janelle." She said, and melted back into the crowd.
The girls sent each other looks, silently communicating for a moment before resuming their meal.
There would be time for discussion later.
A man clad in all black and a shorter, older man stood at the railing on the second floor, observing the chaos below them. Their attention was focused specifically on the two girls in the easy chairs, Fairy Tail's newest members.
"Those two are strong, eh?" the man in black asked.
Mr. Makarov nodded. "Very."
The man gave him a wry smile. "You never actually intended to turn them away, did you?"
Master raised his staff to cover his smirk. "Of course not. They're perfect for our guild- hot-headed, impulsive, but fiercely loyal to those they care about."
"Then why all the subterfuge? My back still hurts from hiding behind those pots for an hour."
"First of all, you're quite a baby. Second, they needed to prove their worth to themselves and to the other guild members. Look how they are already accepted now."
They watched the girls exchange greetings with nearby wizards, shaking hands and flashing smiles. Many demonstrations of magic erupted.
"So, this is a new form of Fairy Tail wizard hazing?" the man asked bluntly, causing the old man to seize up and fall to the ground in shock.
"It's not a college frat, Uriah! It's a simple way to help them fit in!"
Uriah shrugged. "Still seems like hazing to me…"
The old man shut his eyes and swung his staff, sending the man tumbling into the chaos below. He took one last look at the wild wizards and considered expending energy to calm them down.
In the end, he simply sighed and withdrew to the quieter rooms on the second floor.
Fairy Tail wizards were beyond controlling.
A/N: Pictures of Iz and Rosaline are on my profile if anyone is interested.