"The time will pass away. You can either spend it creating the life you want, or spend it living the life you don't want. The choice is yours."

Perenciet tocher.

Experience teaches.

It lay, proud, on the single placard that marked the building, written in swirling script just below the words, 'Fairy Tail.' Ebony ink entwined in elaborately exquisite tracings across a thick wooden board, claiming the surrounding grounds.

The place certainly did seem like it came out of a storybook.

The guild stood two stories tall, excluding the tower that danced up from the center. The entrance was the most overwhelming, as the stone tower, complete with a bell, seemed to glower down at me from its place among the clouds. A wrought iron fence twisted around the guild and surrounding land, and elaborate stone carvings topped the rooves. Crimson banners bearing the Fairy Tail insignia were everywhere, hanging from open windows and flourishing balconies and great terraces. The effect was quite flashy, something I hadn't expected to begin with. Most guilds were far smaller—a building or two—and even the guilds of more renown were only so large.

This was simply ridiculous.

I moved forward and cast a glance around the courtyard. Blushing pink verbenas waved at me as I passed them by. A group of people sat chatting in a corner of the lawn, and fruity laugher spilled from the lips of buxom girl. With a haphazard tug, I pulled the hood lower on my brow in an attempt to shield my face from the blinding sun. Another blistering summer day.

Gravel munched gratefully at my boots as I strode onto the premises. The sweet crunch of the pathway under my feet mingled with the shouts and laughter of passersby from nearby streets to create a melody that only I would ever hear. I licked my lips and glanced around; the courtyard was empty.

Perhaps it was a sign. Perhaps I should've turned back. I knew I should've, but I knew I didn't want to. Even though I told myself that my pilgrimage to the guild was made purely out of curiosity. Even though I told myself it was foolish—that it wouldn't work.

I had to see it for myself, and then I could decide.

Within seconds I'd arrived at a large wooden gate inlaid within a wall of solid stone. There was a distinct moment of hesitation, in which my hand froze halfway to the gargantuan metal handle, and I found myself stopping. You're making a mistake, I thought, and I was. I turned to leave.

But there was still that voice telling me to go on. And though my better judgement told me to stop, my curiosity couldn't go unquenched. Curiosity, indeed, may have killed the cat, but satisfaction always brought him back.

I threw open the doors, my cloak billowing around me as I did so, and with my chin held high I strode in. At first there was no notice of my presence; everyone kept milling about as they'd been before. The clanking of glasses and the rumble of chatter echoed around what must've been Fairy Tail's guild hall. Loud guffaws erupted from somewhere off to my right. A mammoth of a man was slapping someone much smaller on the back, a mug of ale in his other hand. The scraping of a chair against stone floor screeched to my left. A bandaged figure shuffled across the hall several yards in front of me.

Not until I was halfway across the threshold did I hear the din of conversation quieting. A few curious heads turned, and I received an assortment of cautious and inquisitive stares. . I glanced up, and there was an exquisite sloping ceiling, great wooden struts and beams crisscrossing the rafters. Clay reds and chestnut tans and fox browns swirled around me. Splatters of color popped up by my side, a woman's emerald scarf, my own turquoise tunic.

My boots padded quietly across the floor, striking a soft, staconic symphony. The hum of conversation lulled in the background, and the splintering chink of glass against glass sang my melody. My gaze swam lower, now observing the people. A few curious heads turned, and one pale woman fixed me with a cold stare. I lifted my chin, my eyes flashing. She frowned.

My eyes landed on who I'd been searching for, a petite, dwarf-like man with great tufts of white hair shooting out from the sides of his balding scalp. Makarov. He sat atop the bar's counter, his expression a wrinkled picture of warmth but his eyes sharp and vigilant. The old codger was alert, and his gaze followed my movements with attentive prudence. I stopped before him, and he leaned forward to get a better look at me. I pressed my lips together and tightened my fists.

"You're Makarov Dreyar," I stated. He inclined his head and nodded.

"Indeed I am. And you are?"

"Alexandria," I blurted, and for once I'd told the truth. "My name is Alexandria Douglais."

"What brings you here, Young Alexandria?"

My response was automatic, "I'm looking to join a guild."

"And so you picked Fairy Tail?

"I heard great things about you," I replied. "Some terrible things too, of course, but that can't be helped."

"Are you a mage?"

"I know a little magic, yes."

He frowned and observed me carefully. "You sure you know what you're getting into?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"And what's with your clothing?" The guild master asked, his features close. There that question was again. I glanced away, shrugging. It took me a moment to realize that my hood was still on. Old habits died hard, I suppose.

"Keeps the sun out of my eyes."

"Well we're indoors now," Makarov remarked, and the command was obvious in his tone.

"Right." My hands paused halfway to their destination, and Makarov caught the brief, though blatant, hesitation. Force of habit. I slipped my fingers around the thin fabric of the hood, and with a rough tug I pulled it from my face. Unruly strands of static ridden hair spilled out around me, and for a moment he observed my face. I took in a cautious breath, and then another, and Makarov's thoughtful expression deepened. His eyes roved back and forth over my features, up and down me, side to side, even above my head to observe… well who knows. I lifted my chin. Why was he hesitating? Were guilds normally this decisive?

It felt like minutes, though in reality it couldn't have been more than a few seconds.

I glanced around the enormous room once again. The spicy scent of brandy mixed with sweat, something sweet, and aging wood tickled my nose. More laughter erupted from behind me. I kicked at the stone floor with the toe of my boot, receiving a pleasant scraping sound in return.

I blinked and Makarov was smiling at me.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, then, Alexandria Douglais."

My brows pressed together, "Just like that then? No other questions or paperwork or-"

"Well..." he started and there was a thoughtful pause as Makarov rubbed an arthritic finger over the stubble that covered his sagging chin, "there's one form—Magic Council usually butts in and wants me to have new recruits fill it out—but you can figure that out later. I wouldn't want to burden you with things like that on your first day."

"But aren't things like that meant for your first day?"

My incredulousness was met by a hearty chuckle.

"Nonsense! All you need right now is your guild mark." He reassured me with a sly grin. "So where do you want it? Maybe your hip? Thigh? I know several young ladies have wanted to have one on-"

"My neck would be nice," I interjected.

"Are you sure? You could always have a nice one right on your-"

"My neck," I repeated, and he chortled.

"Alright, Reedus!" Makarov shouted, and with a slight wave of his hand, a giant man appeared. He dwarfed me in all aspects of height and weight—and I wasn't a short woman. However, this man was practically wider than I was tall. Perhaps he'd eaten a whale. Or a number of small children.

Reedus cradled a stamp in his hand that dripped with a dark shade of ink. He motioned for me to turn my head, and I did so, pulling my hair aside. Reedus pushed the stamp down against the back of my neck, and before I even had the sensation of wet ink—the tattoo was dry. I released the fistfuls of my hair and, out of curiosity, pressed my hand against the skin at the nape of my neck. There was nothing—just smooth skin. I turned my attention back to the guild master.

"Would you mind letting me have the form now anyways?" I asked, my features impassive as I stared at the man. "If I have to fill it out I might as well get it over with, I wouldn't want to hinder myself from going on any jobs."

Makarov nodded. "Of course. Here, I think I have one in my..." He paused, sticking a miniature hand into his pocket and rooting around until he finally found what he was look for. After a moment he produced a small, crumpled up paper which he held up with a smile.

"Thanks," I said in a rather skeptical tone, and I plucked the questionably stained form from his hand.

"Give it to me before you go on your first job," he said.

I nodded and offered a, "I will," and I turned from the senile old man, my attention sweeping around the guild hall to examine its occupants The people were so happy, laughing, and joking, and smiling with their companions. They reveled in their company and stories, and a lazy buzz of noise bumbled through the expansive room. One man swung a child on his shoulders, and the youth squealed in delight. A woman next to him—perhaps his wife—shook her head, and the process repeated itself again.

Across the room, a young woman watched me with wary eyes. Pale and pretty: button nose, pink skin, freckles decorating her body like stars. Atop her head was a bewitching mass of hair the color of fire—the angry red of a sunset. After offering her a distasteful glare, the woman looked away, feigning indifference.

I slid down into an empty booth, spread the form out in front of me, and peered down at it in distaste. The wrinkles and stains in the paper vaguely reminded me of the guild master's own face.

"You're going to need something to write with you know,"

I glanced up and was rewarded with the image of a young woman staring down at me. She was a pixie of a girl, with a shock of cerulean hair and a smile so bright that it was a miracle I hadn't been blinded in the first place.

She spoke again, "My name is Levy, and lucky for you I happen to have a pen on me today."

Levy slid into the booth across from me, the same sprightly smile plastered onto her face. Her thin fingers squirmed as she held out the writing utensil.

"Thanks," I replied, and I took the pen. She laughed lightly. Bells. Her laugh chimed like dozens of tinkling bells. My eyes returned to the form.

Her voice interrupted, "So you're Alexandria, huh?" The question was rhetorical, and she plowed on. "I like it. Alexandria's a nice, healthy name. Quite pretty too. Although... I think I'll call you Xandria, if that's alright with you." I had to pause a moment to see if she was joking.

She wasn't.

I gave Levy a slight, albeit awkward smile, hoping that she didn't expect me to tell her that she too had a nice, healthy name. She seemed reasonably pleased, so I let my gaze slip down. The words on the parchment swirled in front of my eyes. Strict lines, standing rigid at attention, marched into place. Hunchback symbols slothed to their homes. Curves and edges and swirls aligned, and I read the first word.

NAME:

My answer was scribbled and quick. Xandria Douglais. I liked the sound of that. Xandria. It seemed fitting. The font was hideous; I had terrible handwriting.

"So what brings you to Fairy Tail?" A singsongy voice interrupted.

"Hmm?" I glanced up, pushing a few stray strands of hair behind my ear as I did so.

"I asked what brings you to Fairy Tail." She echoed, and I blinked.

"Oh," I paused, "well," I paused again, "I wanted to join a guild."

"So why join Fairy Tail?"

Levy certainly did ask a lot of questions.

I shrugged. "Nice location."

"You didn't look anywhere else?"

"I thought about Phantom Lord once or twice, but it was too big and I heard that they disbanded about a month ago. So now I'm here."

Her eyebrows lifted, "That's ironic. Two of Phantom Lord's former members are actually mages here now." She paused and pointed across the room. "That one over there, with the great bush of hair, that's Gajeel. I'm sure you've heard of him—what with him being the Iron Dragon and all."

She glanced at me with an expectant smile, but all I could offer her in return was a haphazard shrug.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Really? Where were you before this? Locked up in some tower?" She added with a laugh. I pursed my lips.

"I didn't go out much."

I returned a purposeful gaze to my paper, ignoring whatever it was Levy said in response, and began to read again.

AGE:

I jotted down 21 in the blank next to it. My eyes moved to the next question.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A GUILD BEFORE?

I bit my lip. My eyes darted to the next question.

IF SO WHICH GUILD?

My arm snaked around to the back of my neck, and I rubbed a hand over the new guild mark. My eyes continued to scan over the questions, and after a moment I answered an unflinching NO to the first, lying. I skipped the second question, and recalled that I was being watched by none other than the observant Levy.

"What?" I demanded, and my eyes flashed in challenge. Levy shrank back, obviously unappreciative of my change in temperament.

"Nothing." She squeaked, and with great self-control I refrained from rolling my eyes. Levy looked like she'd been kicked, and after another hesitant moment I released a small sigh and placed the pen on the table. With a tentative stare she observed me, and I felt a slight tear in my chest. She was being friendly, and maybe I thought I didn't need friends. Maybe I believed I couldn't afford the luxury that was trusting people. But I could be civil. I could be kind. Couldn't I?

"Listen, I didn't mean to snap…" I began, looking back at her with as much sincerity as I could muster.

"You're fine, honestly I understand."

Perhaps I'd misinterpreted her earlier emotions.

"You sure?" I asked, and she nodded. "Right then."

I was about to glance down to the paperwork again when she spoke.

"So you've never been in a guild before?"

I frowned, "What makes you think that?"

"I can just tell." She stated. "I'm good at reading people, you know. Well that and the fact that you wrote it on your paper there."

There was a mischievous glint in her eye that I hadn't noticed before. It was a look I appreciated.

Levy was smart.

I cracked a grin and tucked away the papers I'd been writing on, "You're rather talkative, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am."

"Well, since you seem so adamant about chatting with me, how about you start by telling me about the guild?"

"Really?" blurted Levy, enthusiasm dancing across her face in a way that almost made me regret asking her. "But where to begin? There's so much I could tell you… and what about-"

"Just point at someone and start talking."

Her smile faltered, "But doesn't that seem a bit drab?"

I rolled my eyes, "I doubt anything you say could be considered drab." Levy perked right up.

"Alright; over there's Erza." She was pointing to the pale girl. Her clothing clashed brilliantly with her hair.

"The one in the armor?"

"Yeah. She's amazing."

"Because…?"

"Because she's extraordinarily talented and extremely beautiful," Levy replied, sounding miffed. "She's the strongest mage in our guild, you know? Garnered quite the reputation for herself too, lots of folks across the country view her as something of a hero."

"Whatis her magic anyways?" I inquired, my eyes sliding over Erza's figure.

"You've never heard of her?" Levy inquired, and I could hear the surprise evident in her tone. I cast a sideways glance in her direction.

"I lived under a rock, remember."

She gave a light laugh and spoke again, "Erza's a master of reequip magic and sword magic."

"Don't loads of people use that though?"

"Erza has over 100 different forms of armor and over 200 different types of weapons that she can switch back and forth between in seconds."

My eyebrows ascended, "Impressive."

"You should see her in action," Levy gushed, continuing her spiel. "She's one of the strongest people I've ever met; I bet she could wipe out an army with one punch. Stronger even than Natsu, maybe Gajeel, and they're both Dragon Slayers which makes-"

"Did you say dragon slayer?" I interjected "You have those here?"

"Well yeah. Why? Don't tell me you've never heard of one-"

"Obviously I've heard of dragon slayers before," I retorted. "I've just never met one."

"I guess that's understandable, they're not all that common."

"What's their magic like?"

Levy considered my question before she replied, "It's hard to describe, really, not to mention that both Natsu and Gajeel use different styles; even the elements they use are different."

There was a pause in which I caught her gaze slipping away to another mage, the dark, pierced man who'd eyed me earlier. Levy's expression grew thoughtful—distant—and I studied her. She was small, certainly, but it was obvious that she was as smart as a whip, and intelligence could more than make up for stature. She had to be a mage (she was in a wizard's guild after all), and she had to have some level of skill—Fairy Tail was well known for its talent. But there was no way she possessed extraordinary power; she viewed Erza and the dragon slayers with too much reverence.

"Well, what about you?" I asked, and Levy turned her head to face me.

"Hmm?"

"What kind of magic do you use?"

"Oh me? Nothing special; nothing like dragon slayer magic."

"Well what is it?" I pressed, and she shrugged.

"Solid Script, a form of letter magic," said Levy. "Personally I find it very incredibly interesting; it allows me to literally use words to fight."

I lifted a brow and echoed her words, "Literally use words to fight?"

"Hold on let me think of an example…" she paused, and it was delightful to watch the thoughts pass over her face. Consideration, contemplation, and concentration adorned her pixie-like features as her cognitive process unfolded before my eyes.

She brightened, her eyes alit with an idea of some sort, "Right, so imagine if I were to write out, or in my case, cast the word fire." I hummed in acknowledgement, and Levy continued, "The physical letters (and they're larger, about the size of a pineapple) would actually take the form of fire and each letter would burn in flames. Essentially I'd set whatever my target was on fire."

"You know I've always liked letter magic; gives a whole new meaning to the whole 'the pen is mightier than the sword' thing, don't you think?"

"Exactly!" She paused, "It's wonderful that you mention that though, because that's how I've always thought of letter magic. Most people discount letter magic as if it's nothing, though."

I grinned, "Would you say they… write it off?"

Levy snorted, and I returned the grin.

"Yes, they do… Actually I was just-"

She was cut off by the abrupt rumbling of my stomach, which howled at me from its position beneath my cloak. I could feel it snapping in frustration as Levy widened her eyes in surprise.

"Oh my, it's already one," she blurted, and I shrugged.

"So?"

"So it's time for lunch."

There was a resonating bang as Levy attempted to jump from her seat, but resulted in crashing her knee against the underside of the table. A sharp gasp of pain escaped her lips, and a gasp of surprise escaped my own.

"Are you alright?" I asked, and Levy nodded through a grimace.

She rose again, this time avoiding crashing into any unsuspecting furniture, and spoke, "I was just going to ask if you'd like to accompany me to lunch." I considered her offer, but midway through my musing Levy leaned across the table and grabbed for my hands. My brows came together.

"What?"

Levy tugged on my limbs, but still I did not move.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" said Levy, her tone a huff and her lips a pout. "I'm trying to get you to move your butt!"

I begrudgingly complied, "I never said I was going with you to lunch though."

"You're going. My treat."

"I—no. Levy you don't have to."

She offered me a gentle smile. "But I want to. Consider it my welcome. Unless…" She moved so that she could get a proper grip on my arm. "You already have plans?"

I considered lying, but decided that I couldn't.

"No, I don't."

"Right then, we're going."

Levy dragged me through the guild and out onto the crowded streets of Magnolia, tripping several times on my cloak in the process.

~Levy's POV~

We sat across from one another at a small table in one of the most wonderful places in Magnolia, maybe in the world; Yoshiko Ume. The waiter was taking a bit longer than either of us would've liked, but Xandria used the opportunity to pick up a rather pleasant banter and through her efforts and my own we were both thoroughly entertained.

I won't pretend like I didn't notice her trying to pick my brain, though. The action was subtle but still apparent enough for me to take notice of it. I assumed she was simply curious, but something still seemed slightly off about her—something I remained unable to place my finger on. Still, she was amiable company, and kept me occupied with the occasional good-natured joke or off-handed comment.

As I had earlier suspected, Xandria did possess a few qualities that reminded me of Erza, but there was also a much larger part of her that made me see pieces of a younger, wilder Mirajane in her—which I admit slightly scared me. In truth I probably needed to stop comparing her to the people at the guild, as she wasn't really that much like any of them, and my imagination was simply getting the better of me, as it typically did. But it was hard for someone like me not to formulate all kinds of stories and backgrounds for everyone. In my mind, everyone was a potential character. In the end we were all just stories.

Xandria and I had talked about a vast array of mindless things, such as the weather, or a few strange habits of people in the guild, and as time passed I could tell that she was growing distracted. She still tried though, and had nodded in a present, albeit slightly absent-minded manner as I filled her in on some of the latest fashions (her ridiculous cloak certainly wasn't doing her any favors, not that it was my business, though). She paid me more a bit more mind after I started gushing about Lucy, the utter goddess of fashion, but the disinterest was still painfully obvious. I'd made sure to avoid any big topics though, such as the fighting festival that the Raijinshu Tribe had recently held during the Harvest Festival, or any other recent conflicts. I wouldn't want to scare her away as soon as she came.

Regrettably big, substantial, and/or scary topics seemed to be the only thing she was interested in.

I was in the middle of discussing the differences between fire magic and lava magic when she interrupted me.

"So what do you know about a man named Laxus?" She asked, her tone and features suggesting that she hadn't listened to a word that I'd been saying. I looked up, surprise fliting across my features as she said his name. She'd been waiting to interrupt.

"How do you know about-"

"I met him while I was traveling here and he seemed..." Xandria paused, her hand settling underneath her chin, "exceedingly confused, excessively gruff, and incredibly arrogant. Not to mention brooding, emotional, and annoying. I had questions about the guild, but he wouldn't answer me, so naturally I've gotta find out exactly what happened with him."

"You really want to know?"

"Would I be asking if I didn't?"

"Laxus was expelled."

"Expelled? Why?"

"Because he tried to turn all of Fairy Tail against one another in an attempt to start a civil war within our guild. He wanted us to compete to find out who exactly was strongest so that we could throw out everyone who didn't fit his criteria."

"You're kidding right?"

"No," I stated. "And just wait, it gets worse. Obviously we stopped him; everyone fought back. But Laxus didn't appreciate our actions, and he set up a giant circle of lacrima around Magnolia that would've destroyed the town and everyone in it. Luckily Gajeel and Natsu were able to come through and stop him. Honestly I don't think that he-"

Xandria had grown uncannily quiet. "He was going to destroy the town?"

"He said he was, but I don't think that –"

She cut me off again. "And you just let him walk free?"

"He was expelled," I repeated. "Look, what he did was wrong, but I do think that he felt really bad about it all. And aside from that he didn't actually end up hurting anyone aside from Natsu and Gajeel, save for a few bruises and a little emotional scarring here and there."

"He said he got what he deserved, and he obviously felt bad about it," said Xandria. "But," She continued, always with the catch. "I can't help but thinking; he deserved a hell of a lot worse. Where I come from…" she hesitated. "I wasn't raised to tolerate that sort of behavior."

I frowned, "Xandria, we took away from him something he values more than his own life; if anything I think that he deserved a lot less. I grew up with the guy, and believe me when I say that he loved Fairy Tail and everyone in it. He had a rough childhood, and I'm not trying to make excuses, but he's my family, and even though he made a mistake he deserves to be forgiven." I shook my head. "He deserves a second chance."

"You have to draw the line somewhere," She announced, folding her arms atop the table. "Even with family. If he was aiming to kill it doesn't matter whether or not he failed."

"Let's agree to disagree then," I muttered, quite miffed at her attitude. She didn't know the first thing about Laxus, and she had no right to act like she understood the situation.

An audible sigh came from her side of the table, and I glanced up as Xandria leaned back in her seat.

"The world needs more people like you, Levy. You've got a good heart and an optimistic mind; I could only dream of possessing two things like that," She stated, her features softening somewhat. "Don't let me make you feel bad about that."

I gave her an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, but really there's no reason to say something like that. I'm sure you-"

I was interrupted by the arrival of our lunch.

"For the two ladies." Our waiter announced, placing the plates atop our table with a flourish. I smiled the warmest smile I could muster and inclined my head. Xandria was too focused on her food to pay him any mind.

We both dove in; chowing down until finally we slumped back in our seats, our stomach filled to the point of bursting. And suddenly she smiled at me, her mouth curling into a wry grin as she placed a thousand jewel down on the table, enough to pay for her meal, a perhaps a bit of mine. Her eyes flashed, daring me to protest.

"Let's do it again sometime," Xandria announced and rose abruptly from her chair. She turned, and with one last wave over her shoulder, the young woman walked away, calling out one final time. "See you around!"

I was left speechless, staring at the space she had once occupied in shock.