Chapter 3

Iris thought Nox Turba was a noisy guild, but Fairy Tail took the cake. When the group walked in, so many people began to shout, asking questions, declaring that they wanted to test their strength, some even insulting the group. Iris was very confused and sort of scared.
"Don't worry," Wendy told her while taking Iris's hand. "They're quite rowdy, but they love each other really." Wendy gave another one of her adorable smiles, before beginning to walk again, Iris being forced to walk along with her.

As the group dispersed, Natsu going to take care of one of the challenges, Lucy trying to calm him down and Happy cheering overhead, Erza came to stand by Wendy and Iris. She smiled at Iris, who just looked at her. "Master will probably want to see you." Iris nodded and released Wendy's hand, giving a small wave as she followed Erza.

A small man sat at the bar area, Nox Turba didn't have one of those. The man wore and blue and orange, horned, stripy hat, with a matching jacket and white shirt with Fairy Tail's logo on.

"Master," Erza greeted.
"Hello Erza, how did your mission go?" He asked, placing his cup down for a moment.
"We apprehended the criminals. The Magic Council is dealing with them as we speak." Iris felt her throat ache and wanted to cry. They wouldn't be put to death or anything, right? They weren't that evil. "But we also acquired a new friend," Erza continued. She placed her hand on Iris's shoulder and pushed her forwards lightly.

"Hello, what's your name?" The man questioned kindly.
"Iris," she answered quietly, which also seemed odd to the man. Fairy Tail was a loud place, this girl would never be heard if she stays that quiet.
"Nice to meet you, Iris, now tell me, are you a wizard?"
Iris gulped, remembering all the times Lee warned her against telling people of her magic. Instead of answering, she shook her head no. The man nodded, before introducing himself, "I'm Makarov. Do you have anywhere to stay the night?"

"She can stay with me," Lucy offered, quickly joining the conversation. "I have space and it'd be nice to have some company."
"Would that be alright?" Makarov turned to Iris, who nodded. What choice did she really have?
"Come on then, we better get going. It's been a long day." Lucy grinned, before taking her hand. "See you tomorrow!" Then the two walked out the guild, beginning the trip back to Lucy's.
"I only have one bed, but I have plenty of quilts and the couch is comfy," Lucy informed her, before Iris couldn't reply, someone else did. "It really is," Natsu added.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted. "We're going to bed, go away."
"But I don't wanna," he whined. "I wanna get to know Iris more."
"Aye!"
Lucy sighed, "sorry, Iris." The girl shrugged, before they continued to Lucy's apartment. It was quite nice, a lot nicer than Iris's old room, and spacious. Lucy pulled a big pile of quilts and pillows from her cupboard and dropped them all on the floor.
"That's a lot of stuff," Natsu commented. "Why don't you ever bring that out when I stay over?"
"Because you aren't welcomed!" Lucy exclaimed. "Now leave, we want to go to bed!"
"Fine, fine, whatever," Natsu mumbled, turning to Iris. "I'll be here in the morning, alright? I wanna get to know you better." Iris nodded and Natsu left being as noisy as ever.

"He's such a pain," Lucy groaned. Iris smiled before picking up a blanket and tucking it into the couch. "I can do that!" Lucy insisted, trying to help.
"Don't worry; you've done so much already." Lucy really enjoyed talking to her, and she'd barely said anything. As Iris worked on making her bed, Lucy decided to ask her questions.
"So, you aren't a wizard, right?" Iris nodded, refusing to speak the lies. Shaking her head was bad enough. "Hmm, so you can't join the guild, that's a shame." Iris rubbed her left arm as Lucy said this, before sitting on what would be her bed for at least one night.

"You can stay here as long as you want," Lucy informed her. "You seem really nice. Do you have any pyjamas?" Iris nodded, motioning to the bag on the couch. "Right, the bathroom's through there so feel free to use it." Which Iris did, washing and changing into an old oversized t-shirt which served as a nighty.

Lucy grinned when she came out, already in her own night clothes. "I'll see you in the morning, yeah?" Iris nodded, before climbing into her bed. She closed her eyes, trying to give Lucy a hint without coming off as rude. Lucy got it, switching out the light before going to her own bed. Now Iris was alone and she was happy about it.

She pulled her left arm from under the quilt and pulled her sleeve up. On her arm, just before her elbow, was her guilds insignia; a black star with a crescent moon behind it. Every guild member had it in the same colour. Sometimes Iris wished it could have come in purple or yellow, but she never complained. It was a Dark Guild after all.

The mark had begun to fade and Iris knew it would never be bold again. It'd probably just fade and be like a scar. It'd stay there forever but wouldn't be that noticeable. Tears began to form in her eyes, so she closed them. She just couldn't cry; she wouldn't let herself. Why should she care about someone who clearly didn't care about her?

But… Iris sniffled, trying to keep it quiet. Lee had looked after her for as long as she could remember. He was her father figure and she knew he cared about her. One sob escaped her mouth, followed by a hiccup. Lucy's right there, she reminded herself. She couldn't break down sobbing, she wasn't completely alone. Lucy would be able to hear her no matter what.
Guess I'm pushing it away again…