Mason Keeily had only worked for Sorcerer's Weekly for one week when he got his first major assignment.
"Fairy Tail?" He asked, peering at the notes his editor handed him. "The strongest guild in Fiore!"
His editor, Agamemnon Tarly, chuckled. "I thought you'd be excited."
"Of course I am!" Mason said. This was a major opportunity for the young reporter. "What's the angle?"
"We like to check in on our popular guilds – see how things are developing, relationships changing, that sort of thing. Find out what kind of people the members are really like."
"Got it," Mason said, scribbling down some notes. "I'll head to Magnolia straight away!"
As he walked out the door, another reporter came up to Agamemnon. "Sir…don't you think one of the more veteran reporters should handle that?"
He grinned without teeth. "I want to see what this kid is made of."
"Whoa…" Mason was standing before the Fairy Tail guild hall, staring up at the massive building before him.
"Um…can I help you?" A small girl with blue hair had come up from behind.
"Oh, sorry," he said, hastily stepping out of the way. "I'm Mason with Sorcerer's Weekly." He reached out his hand to shake.
"I'm Levy," she said. Mason remembered there was an S-class candidate named Levy McGarden – this must be her. She also reached out to shake, but before they touched, Mason felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"The hell are you?" A deep voice said. Mason felt a chill of foreboding. Slowly he turned and looked up.
The most terrifying face he'd ever seen was staring down at him. Dark red eyes bore into him from below eyebrows that were made with piercings instead of hair. Sharp canines seemed to snarl out of the mouth, and a mane of dark hair created the look of a vicious animal.
"Stop it Gajeel," Levy McGarden said, glaring at the beastly man. Mason wondered faintly if she had a death wish. But to his great surprise the man released him.
"Just lookin' out for you, shrimp," he grumbled as he ambled off.
Mason felt the terror ebb slowly out of his body. Once his head was clear, he realized that man must be Gajeel Redfox, one of Fairy Tail's famous dragonslayers. "Shit, I should have asked for an interview," he scolded himself.
Levy McGarden chuckled. "I don't think you'd get anywhere with that one. Why don't you come inside and meet everyone else? I'll introduce you."
Mason smiled gratefully. Gajeel was scary, but that was probably leftover from his Phantom Lord days. He couldn't imagine the rest of Fairy Tail being anything but welcoming.
"Asshole!" Mason ducked as a boy with pink hair jumped over him, cursing at a half-naked raven haired boy. He deduced the pair must be Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster.
"Moron!" Gray Fullbuster shouted back, catching Natsu's fist and throwing him back. Mason watched in amazement as Natsu landed effortlessly on the second floor balcony and jumped back at Gray.
"Th-that's incredible!" he said, pointing. "Do you think they'll do an interview?"
Levy pursed her lips. "Probably not together…"
"Not unless Erza gets back sometime soon," a blonde girl in a short skirt had come up behind. "Hi Levy-chan!"
"Lu-chan!" Levy smiled at the girl. Mason noted a keychain hanging from her belt and determined this must be the Celestial Spirit Mage Lucy Heartfilia.
Lucy smiled at Mason and extended her hand. "I'm Lucy," she said. "Are you the reporter from Sorcerer's Weekly?"
"Uh-yeah…" Mason couldn't help but be distracted by her cleavage, for her clothes were leaving little to the imagination. Suddenly he heard a poofing noise, and instead of a pretty blonde girl he was staring into very pissed off eyes behind tinted glasses.
"Why are you staring at my owner's chest?" A young man with orange hair asked, poking him in the chest. "Only I get to stare at her chest."
"Uh-I-um…" Mason didn't know what to say. "Your owner?" This had to be one of the celestial spirits.
Before the man responded, another poof occurred, and he was once again staring at the pretty blonde. The girl was holding a gold key in from of her and looked just as pissed as the man had been.
"I swear, the nerve of that guy!" She said to Levy, walking away from Mason and leaving him wondering if she was talking about him or the spirit.
"Wait – I was hoping for an interview!" He called after her, raising his notebook. She glanced back at him and rolled her eyes. He definitely just blew it.
Sighing, he slid onto a bar stool.
"What'll it be?" He looked up to see the most stunning bartender he'd ever seen.
"Mirajane Strauss!" he said immediately. He knew her on sight – just like every young man in Fiore.
She smiled. "Are you the reporter from Sorcerer's Weekly?" He nodded. "Shouldn't you be interviewing someone then?" She asked.
His face dropped. "Well – I wanted to interview Natsu and Gray, but Lucy said they wouldn't agree unless Erza was around, and I was going to ask Lucy, but she got upset when I stared at her chest – but can you blame me?"
Mirajane laughed. It was a pretty sound, like a breeze through wind chimes. "Lucy's shy," she said simply.
Mason wondered if that was true, given her reputation for winding up scantily clad by the end of missions, but he decided it would be rude to ask. "Would you be willing to do an interview?" He asked.
"Oh, I don't know…" Mira said, looking uncertain. "I don't really do that anymore."
Mason's face fell. "I understand…"
"What's your angle?" She asked, handing him a milkshake. "On the house," she added when he went for his wallet.
"Thanks," he said, thinking to himself that Mira was just as kind as he'd imagined. "I'm trying to work on a profile piece – learn exactly what kind of people Fairy Tail mages are."
Her eyes sparkled. "I can tell you that," she said. "Fairy Tail is made up of the kindness, bravest, most loyal people I have the honor of knowing." She smiled.
He smiled back and sipped his milkshake. "Can you tell me any stories to illustrate what you mean?"
Mira looked thoughtful, tapping the bar with her perfectly manicured finger.
"Erza's a perfect example," she said after a moment. "She once told someone impersonating a Fairy Tail mage 'This seal we've carved into ourselves isn't merely decoration. It's proof of our bond as a family.'"
Mason scribbled the quote down frantically. "That's awesome!" He said sincerely.
"You forgot to mention the part where she slammed a giant sword through a table and between my legs," A green haired woman sitting a few stools over piped in.
Mason turned. "Eh?"
The woman moved over. "I'm Bisca," she said, extending her hand. "And Erza said that to me. After she slapped me across the room."
Mason started to sweat. "Oh….that sounds…"
"Terrifying," Bisca said cheerfully. "But Erza certainly made her point."
Mira giggled and nodded. "I forgot about that part."
"Erza would kill for Fairy Tail," Bisca said brightly. Mason started sweating harder.
"And Natsu once beat a slave trader within an inch of his life for claiming to be Fairy Tail's Salamander," Bisca told Mason. "That's how Lucy wound up joining."
"There have been many times Natsu almost has killed for Fairy Tail," Mira said seriously.
"And Gray once told Juvia 'it doesn't matter if you're a woman or even a child, I don't go easy on anyone that hurts my nakama,'" Mira imitated a deep baritone in an attempt to mimic Gray.
"Gray is the one that you'd call if you'd already killed for Fairy Tail and needed help hiding the body," Mira said.
"Okay…" Mason said, unsure of how to make note of that. "So Erza, Natsu and Gray are quite…"
"Passionate," Mira offered helpfully. "They're just passionate."
"Also protective," Bisca added, smiling.
"Got it," Mason said, writing the words in all caps. "What other words would you use to describe them?"
Mira and Bisca looked at each other then spoke together. "Gray's an exhibitionist."
"HUH?" Mason had heard the ice alchemist was quirky but he hadn't expected the man's closest nakama to be so blunt about it.
"Isn't it obvious?" Mira asked, pointing out the raven-haired boy, who was chasing after Natsu buck-naked.
"I guess…" Mason said. "What other words would you use to describe Natsu?"
Again, the two woman glanced at each other and spoke in unison. "Simple-minded."
"Eh?"
"Maybe not simple-minded so much as easily distracted…"
"Oh…" Mason wrote it down, feeling deflated. "What about Erza?"
"Hmm…" The women seemed to ponder this.
All three of them turned as the doors opened and a stunning redhead clad in armor entered the guild. This was of course, the Erza Scarlet
Mason jumped up, bowing to Mira and Bisca. "Thanks for all your help!" he said quickly. "But my editor will kill me if I don't get an interview with Erza!"
"Good luck!" The woman smiled and waved at him.
Mason hurried toward Erza, but as luck would have it, he tripped on his way.
"Waaaahhhh," he shouted as he reeled out of control toward a table that Lucy and Levy were sitting at. He came to a stop when his face met Lucy's full chest.
"Mmmmph!" He made unintelligible noises and waved his arms around helplessly, trying to get free. Unable to see, he reached forward, grabbing her thigh.
"PERVERT!" Lucy shrieked, shoving him away dramatically. He fell to the floor, and when he looked up, he understood how the pretty blonde earned the nickname Apocalypse Lucy.
"I'm sorry – I didn't mean –" Before Mason could explain himself, a flaming foot sent him across the floor.
"Ahhhhh!" He shouted. As he went flying he could make out the sight of Natsu standing next to Lucy. This time he slammed into a wall. He instinctively ran his hands down his body to check for injuries, and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he was just bruising.
But when he looked up he was met with an icy fist. "Ow!"
"Who the hell is this guy?" Gray Fullbuster asked as he glowered at him.
"Calm down, Natsu, Gray," Erza ordered, approaching Mason. He thought he was saved, until the strongest female mage in Fairy Tail grabbed him by the hair and forced him on his feet.
"Just what are you thinking, molesting a Fairy Tail mage in our own guild hall?" She asked evenly.
"This is a misunderstanding," Mason tried to explain, looking around for Mira and Bisca for help, but all he could see was a see of angry faces. With a jerk of her hand, Erza threw him back on the floor.
"Ugh," he groaned. The floor was hard and cold on his face. He blinked a few times, and saw two other sets of feet approach.
As he stared up from the floor at Erza Scarlet, Titania, Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander, and Gray Fullbuster (who for some unfathomable reason had no nickname) just one thought came to mind.
"These guys are Fairy Tail's ultra-powerful delinquents!" He thought, tears forming in his eyes. "And they're going to kick my ass!"