With the little bit of belongings she had she followed the mages to Magnolia. A magnificent little town that was like a breath of fresh air for a Plant mage. All kinds of foliage decorated the area, a nice river flowed with a bridge. Yanina was surprised she's never taken a job here. Maybe if she had she would have joined Fairy Tail sooner.
"Welcome to Magnolia, Yanina!" Lucy whirled around with a big gesture, waving towards a few males in a boat who were sailing past. They called out her name, which made Yanina wonder if everyone in town knew them.
"It's beautiful," Yanina smiled slightly. Happy had been taking a nap on her head the entire train ride and she didn't mind. She was growing fond of the Exceed.
Carla was resting in Wendy's arms, looking quite content with herself. "I thought so too when we first came here," she admitted with a sigh. Wendy beamed at the Exceed, her eyes bright.
"It's home," Wendy agreed with a bounce in her step. She was happy to be home, and ready to see the guild. Even though they were truly only away for a few days.
"Trust me, you'll love it here!" Natsu grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and jerking Happy awake. The Exceed whined about being woken up, but activated his wings so he could float beside his friends.
Yanina giggled at the energy Natsu gave, the sparkle in his eyes showing the love he had for this place. "I'll take your word for it," she promised, earning a beaming smile from the fire mage.
She had a feeling that this was going to be a great new start for her.
No more would she have to figure out her sleeping arrangements. She could find a place here, near the guild and be able to go on jobs without worry. No more would she have to worry about where she was going to find her next meal. She could just buy her own food and fix herself something. It was a breath of relief for the young mage, and while she did love the roaming lifestyle of being able to go where she pleased - it was also nice knowing that she would be able to have her own home and be able to do whatever she wanted.
Suddenly a big building came into view. She could immediately tell this was the guild building, since the name of the guild was on top of the door in flashing letters. It was a beautiful building, and she could already feel the welcoming atmosphere of the guild.
"Whoa," she breathed out loud, in awe.
Beside her Lucy giggled, a knowing look on her face. "I know," she agreed, her bright brown eyes bright. "When I first came here I was in the same state. Actually, Natsu was the one that found me and brought me here." Yanina turned to Natsu who was beaming, proud that he brought another person to their new home.
"I've actually never been this close to a guild building before," Yanina admitted bashfully. "I've been traveling my entire life. So this is all new to me." She wasn't the only traveling mage, though she knew a lot of them weren't like her either. She didn't commit crimes, and she didn't steal to make a living. She lived a honest life.
"Well being in a guild is a lot like having a family," Wendy was the one who spoke up, "You won't be alone like you would when traveling." That gnawing ache appeared in Yanina's chest. Yeah, she knew about loneliness but she thought that was what she deserved after getting kicked out of her families home.
Lucy saw the far away look in her eyes and frowned before beaming. "They're all friendly! You'll like them, trust me!" Reaching over Lucy patted her shoulder in comfort, making Yanina smile at her softly. Though that wasn't the reason why she was quiet, it did make her feel better. She had never been with a big group of mages, so this would be a new experience for her.
"WE'RE HOME!" Natsu yelled, slamming the door open. There were choruses of 'welcome backs' from all around the guild. The warmth inside made Yanina's heart flutter as Lucy grabbed a hold of her wrist, pulling her towards the bar where a pretty white-haired mage was making drinks.
"Mirajane, this is Yanina! She would like to join the guild!" Lucy glanced over to the Plant mage excitedly who just blushed at the bold greeting, though the barmaid just beamed at the young girl.
"Oh really? You guys brought home another one?" Though there was happiness showing in the platinum blonds eyes as she ducked under the bar, disappearing for a few moments before popping back up again - this time with a stamp in her hand. Wendy stood on the other side of Yanina, a big grin on her face as she glanced between the stamp and to the young wizard getting her guild mark for the first time. "What color and where?" Mirajane asked sweetly as she came from around the bar.
Yanina blinked at that. She didn't think she could choose where she wanted it and what color. Pausing for a moment, she thought of the perfect color and spot. Pulling down the left side of her sweater, she revealed her shoulder blade. "Here in forest green, please," and with that the stamp was on. A surge of magical energy flowed through her that she never experienced before, and for once she felt like she had a home.
"It looks so good!" Wendy praised, clapping her hands gleefully. Yanina blushed at the sudden compliment, giving the younger girl a bashful smile. A brawl had begun in the middle of the guild - with Natsu and Gray in it, along with some other members that Yanina obviously didn't know. Wendy followed her gaze towards the ruckus, giggling when she saw what she was watching. "Yeah, you'll get used to that. There's a brawl here everyday." She stated in amusement.
"Children, all of them." Carla huffed, standing on the bar beside Wendy. Yanina hadn't even realized she had been there. Another quiet Exceed stood beside her with a passive look on it's face - black with a few scars on it's body. It must have been through a lot to have garnered all of those scars. "This is Pantherlily, he's also an Exceed as you might have guessed. This is the girl who helped Happy and I get free." Carla introduced, a fond smile on her face already.
Pantherlily bowed his head slightly in a sign of respect, "welcome to the guild." His voice was deep, and he seemed much more mature though Yanina knew not to judge a book by it's cover.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Yanina Maraz," she introduced herself, shaking the feline's paw. This was weird. It was a nice weird, but it was still weird. Something she would have to get used to.
"So what magic do you use?" Wendy asked as they settled at the bar, staying away from the guild brawl. Lucy was on her other side as well holding a weird looking creature in her arms that was shaking - with a lollipop in it's mouth.
Grinning she decided to demonstrate. Holding out her left palm she created a pink tulip. Wendy's eyes lit up in awe as she plucked the flower from her hand. "Plant mage," she told her, handing the small girl the flower. "A lot of the time I am called an Earth mage, but in reality I am a Plant mage. I mostly use Plant based spells." She explained in the easiest way possible. Plant magic didn't have to be complicated.
"I bet your magic is beautiful!" Lucy sighed, going into dreamland. Yanina blushed at that, not having expected her magic to be called beautiful. While she was biased, she had to agree that it was one of the more beautiful magics out there. As well though not every magic has been explored to the T. "I'm a Celestial Spirit mage myself!" She stated proudly, holding up a set of keys. Yanina had noticed them dangling from her belt but didn't realize what they were. She just thought they were some sort of decoration she liked to sport.
"Those are rare," Yanina casually commented. This was the first time she's met a Celestial Spirit mage. She'd never had the privilege of fighting one during her travels and that was really how she met people.
"I'm a Wind Dragon Slayer!" Wendy spoke up giddily, "we have other dragon slayers here as well! Natsu, Gajeel and Laxus are all dragon slayers with different magics!" She seemed proud to be a part of that and that made Yanina smile warmly.
"The last two are a bit on the grouchy side but don't let them scare you, they're big teddy bears!" Yanina jumped at the sudden new voice, whirling her head around to see another blue haired girl standing next to Lucy. "Hi, I'm Levy McGarden. I saw you perform your flower spell, it was super pretty! Plant magic has always been one of my favorites." She sat on the other side of Lucy, wanting to join in on the conversation of getting to know her. "How did you find Team Natsu anyway?" Now everyone's eyes were on her who was at the table, overhearing the conversation.
"Well... I was in Clover supposed to be looking for a little girl who I babysit from time to time," she stated, swirling some of her lavender colored hair around her fingers. "Happy got captured by her when I found her in the park." She giggled at the memory, making Lucy giggle as well. "Then I had another job and somehow met up with them again. I guess you can say it was fate that brought us together."
"Very well said, young lady." An elderly mans voice intercepted, causing all the girls to turn towards the voice. A small man stood before her, his graying-almost white hair sticking out. He had a wise look to him, like he had seen a lot in his time. "I am Makarov, the Master of the guild. I just wanted to come meet the new member. You seem wise for your young age," he commented, though he didn't mean that in a bad way. Just something that he noticed while watching the young ladies chat.
"I've had a lot of time to think..." Yanina trailed off with a shrug. Being alone most of the time meant that she had the time to herself to think about things. Sometimes it was a blessing but other times it was a curse.
"I see. Well I hope you like it here and remember, you can always be yourself. No matter what the circumstances. Look at the idiots over there," Master flipped his thumb over his shoulder, an annoyed expression on his face - though Yanina could tell that he didn't mind. "Mirajane! A beer please!" He called towards the barmaid, who's eyes lit up.
"Coming up Master!" She called after sweetly. Master Makarov turned to give Yanina a wink before walking over to a group of older guys sitting at a corner of the bar.
Yeah, Yanina had a feeling she'd like it here.