Hello! Here with a new chapter, so hopefully you all enjoy it! Which, you know, is hard to tell when nobody tells me anything... (give sad puppy eyes). Anyhow! Three more canon character show up, no spoiler warnings needed with them, so there's one worry out of the way!
Review Response: Dear Wandering Mage011, hi there! Thank you for reviewing and for the compliment! I'm glad you like this story! Bickslow doesn't get much attention outside of Bixanna stories does he? At least, I've had a lot of trouble finding stories featuring him outside those. Hope you like this new chapter as well!
Author's Note: So, the new canon characters that show up in this chapter should really need no introduction, but I'll give one anyway. Please welcome Makarov the San-Daime Master of Fairy Tail, Porlyusica the misanthropic wonder-medic, and Macao the ... well, just Macao I guess. He doesn't really have a distinctive moniker yet does he? Anyway, on with the story!
Chapter Four: Rescue From Aternum
Mest watched a multitude of emotions wrestle with each other behind the girl's eyes and felt the urge to punch someone rise up very strongly within him. No child should be out on the streets without a home. No child should be so small and obviously underfed. No child should feel the need to shield her sick sibling with her body as if expecting an attack. No child should look at someone who wanted to help her with such paranoid, old eyes. Maybe that's because no one else has ever tried to help her. Or her friend.
Something in him stomach flipped at that thought. He was only in Aternum by happenstance, a whim that had caused him to teleport across the border of Fiore and Bosco to visit a famous tourist sight despite it not being a festival week. If he hadn't come along to help, what would have happened to the little girl and her ill friend? Because I will help, even if I have to forcibly teleport them back to Fiore to do it.
Taking a deep breath to ensure none of his anger would leak through and frighten the girl, he said softly, "Let me help you … please."
Hazel eyes stared into his, as if trying to see beyond them and into his very soul. Her teeth worried her bottom lip silently, head tilted to study him and inadvertently revealing the ugly scar running across her throat. Anger spiked through him again as he suddenly got a suspicion on why she hadn't spoken to him at all. His suspicion and plans for revenge on whoever inflicted such a scar were pushed aside as, with a hesitance that was heartbreaking, the girl nodded.
He smiled down at her, "Good. Uh … are you sure there's no hospital nearby I can take you? I'll pay for it…" The girl's face immediately morphed into a scowl as she shook her head vehemently. Seeing his confused expression, she pointed a shaking hand at the sick boy's forehead. Mest came further into the room to get a better look at what she was pointing at. He blinked when he spotted the dark blue stick-figure tattoo displayed prominently on the feverish forehead. He glanced at the little girl again, puzzled, "Uh…."
She glared at him in a way clearly conveyed to him what her opinion on his intelligence level was. She looked around the belfry for a moment before giving a inaudible sigh and pointing first at the stick-figure tattoo, then at the long scar running across her throat. She repeated the motion a few times and then looked at him expectantly.
Mest tried to put together what she meant and came up mostly blank, "You … got the scar the same time he go the tattoo? What does that have to do with the hospital?" She shook her head and he tried again, "That thing is a scar? But it's colored, it can't be a scar." She shook her head again and Mest sighed with impatience, "I don't think your friend has time for charades right now, so we should just get going. I'm going to pick him up now, you'll follow me, right?"
The girl nodded and watched warily as he carefully bundled the feverish boy and his ratty blanket into his arms. He grunted slightly at the child's weight even though he suspected that it was far less than it should have been. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the girl carefully gather up two tiki dolls and an antique book before following him down the stairs and out of the abandoned church.
The old, partially rotted wooden doors were standing open, just as he'd left them when he'd wandered in, and Mest wasted no time in exiting the old building and making for a more populated section of Aternum. The girl followed on his heels, looking increasingly nervous, then outright horrified as Mest approached the first civilian to cross their path. Ignoring her insistent tugging on his shirt temporarily, he hurried over to the well-to-do man, "Sumimasen! This boy needs a doctor right away, which way is the nearest hospital?"
The man stepped toward him, an expression on concern on his face, "Oh, it's-" The man's expression suddenly faltered when he caught sight of the boy's face and then he physically recoiled, "The demon!"
Mest blinked, "Excuse me?"
The man pointed a shaking figure at the sick boy in Mest's arms and hissed, "No doctor will even touch that … that demon! It is a soul-stealer! You should put it back where you found it and pray it finally dies!" A low hissing sound drew both of their attention down to the girl by Mest's leg. Her teeth were bared at the man like a dog, one hand clutching the tiki dolls and book to her chest and the other fisted firmly in the lower back of Mest's shirt. Her expression was filled with a knowing, an utter loathing, that no person should be able to convey, especially not a child.
The man bared his teeth back at her even as he back up even more, his shouting beginning to attract the attention of the other passersby, "The tainted child! The one the demon corrupted! Get away! Get away monster!"
Mest felt his temper explode, "How dare you call her that? Call either of them that? They're just kids!"
The man stared unreadably at Mest, "Those things are not children! They are plagues upon our town that you would do well to avoid before they irrevocably taint you as well!"
Mest's outraged reply got stuck in his throat when he realized that they were surrounded by a crowd of Aternum citizens … all of whom were nodding and grumbling in agreement with the man who had spoken so cruelly. He looked around, searching the crowd for a single face, a single sign that the entire town wasn't hateful and against two homeless little children. However, he saw nothing but the same opinion, the same belief as the first man reflected in each face and voice.
A wordless snarl of rage exploded from his throat as he protectively held the boy closer to his chest, of all the-! Something unrepeatable and not fit for the ears of the little girl by his side rippled from between his clenched teeth and with a surge of magic power and a snap of focus, he teleported all three of them, leaving Bosco and its city of Aternum behind.
The world around him blurred for a moment as his anger and magic power carried him much farther than he normally would have pushed it, transporting him to the one place his subconscious registered as an absolute safe haven. He stumbled a bit as he landed. The enormous magic drain from crossing hundreds of miles in a handful of seconds, coupled with the weight of the boy in his arms and girl still firmly clinging to the bottom of his shirt all trying to knock him over. Barely regaining his feet, Mest panted heavily and shook himself, he still needed to get the boy to a doctor. Considering what I just saw and heard from those … people, both of them should probably see a doctor, actually.
Straightening up, Mest glanced down at the girl to see if she'd passed out from the teleport. Some of his "passengers" did that their first and second times. Granted, those were usually the civilian ones, but she was a malnourished child, so it was definitely a possibility. Probably should have thought of that before I teleported. Still, it had either been leave or start trying to punch the daylights out of every sneering face there despite the boy in his arms.
The girl looked decidedly dazed. Her dirt-darkened skin looked decidedly pale under the grime and her eyes were unfocused as she slumped on the ground next to him. Her hand that fisted in the fabric of his shirt caused her to lean against him in an effort to stay semi-upright. Mest staggered a bit as she did so before regaining his balance and saying, "Hey, hey are you okay? You aren't going to pass out are you? Sorry I didn't give you a little more warning, but I thought we should get out of there fast." Before I caused an international incident. The Master might actually have kittens this time if I did that.
The girl blinked slowly and looked up at him groggily. Blinking one more time, she then promptly passed out, inadvertently dragging him down with her. Mest yelped as he fell backward, his lungs deflating with a whoosh as he hit the hard cobblestones of Magnolia's roads with the boy on top of him. Ow…
He lay there for a few minutes, gasping for air and trying to shake off the fatigue of stretching his magic power a bit too far, ignoring the curious glances passersby gave him. Eventually, a shadow fell over him and he squinted up at the outline of one of the guild's older members, "Oi, … Mest wasn't it? You okay? Who're the kids?"
Mest sat up slowly with a grunt, still keeping a firm grip on the shivering yet sweating child in his arms, "The kids … they need a doctor. Right now, the boy has a really high fever and the girl…" He thought about the scar on her throat and the stick-figure tattoo on the boy. He remembered how the girl's answer to his question about a doctor in Aternum had been a vehement shake of the head and a pointing session at both unusual markings. He also remembered the hateful loathing of the townspeople and a bit of bile rose in his throat as his active imagination finally put the pieces together. Swallowing down the bile, he hissed, "The people of their hometown-"
He shook his head to clear it of those thoughts, later. That doesn't matter right now. "Just … can you help me carry them? They're both in a bad way and I overused my magic just now."
The fellow guild member, Macao if he remembered right, immediately nodded and took the boy from his arms, "Yikes! He's burning up! Where did you find him?"
Mest gently picked up the girl and they started hurrying toward the hospital, "Tell you later, let's just go."
Beeping. Insistent, low volume beeping that was steadily driving her nuts as she became increasingly aware of it. As if in response to her growing irritation, it increased in pitch and frequency and succeeded in dragging her further out of blissful oblivion. Blearily, Rihanna stirred, tilting her head from one side to the other before daring to crack open her eyes. She slammed them shut a moment later when light slipped through the cracks and stabbed her unprepared pupils mercilessly.
No… a childish part of her whined mentally, unable even try groaning it out loud, wanna sleep some more… "So, you finally decide to wake up? Good, I was starting to think that idiot boy had broken something when he teleported you. Honestly, what was he thinking? Teleporting two sick, malnourished children without warning hundreds of miles in one go? This is why I hate associating with such an idiot race…"
Who? The voice finally registered as adult, cranky, and unfamiliar and Rihanna's eyes snapped open. Squinting against the light, she sat up straight and recoiled from the direction the voice had come from, adult-yelling-chasing-hurting-don't-trust-! The surface underneath her suddenly ceased to exist and she fell onto the unforgiving floor with a pained exhale and a rapid increase in the beeping that had awoken her.
Squinting and panting, Rihanna crawled backwards, trying to distance herself from the stranger in the room until she could determine who it was and what their intentions were. The back of her head promptly smacked against something when she went too far and she doubled over, clutching her head in an effort to make the room stop spinning. Somewhere above and in front of her, someone sighed and muttered, "Sonna mendoi kodomo…"
Who? Shakily, Rihanna looked up a little bit. Dark red shoes peeked out from a long red skirt no more than a foot or so away from her. Rihanna jerked her gaze upward, resisting the urge to scoot backward for fear of hitting her head again. Stern red eyes set in an aged face and framed by cherry-blossom pink hair stared back at her. Rihanna let out a hiccup of air in an instinctive yet silent squeak as her memories finally came crashing back to her and she realized that she was now, somehow, in the presence of the infamous Porlyusica.
Porlyusica raised one thin eyebrow briefly before returning to a stern yet neutral expression, "And what gave you the idea that falling out of a perfectly good bed was a worthwhile endeavor?" The older woman's tone was scolding, yet no where near as biting as Rihanna had expected it to be. Blinking once at Porlyusica's words, Rihanna looked around the room to discover that she had indeed fallen out of a bed that was just one in a row of beds in a large room.
The room smelled of disinfectant, but it didn't look like a hospital. The walls were a mix of stone and wood, with large windows on one end to let daylight stream in and a door on the other side that presumably led to the rest of the building. It looked more like a dormitory of some kind than anything else Rihanna could think of. Where? What? "You are in the private infirmary of the Fiore guild Fairy Tail. You and your friend were brought here after getting treatment in the hospital for malnourishment and several other problems. You've been unconscious from shock, malnourishment, and magic drain for a few days. Wakarimasu ka?"
Rihanna looked back at Porlyusica and nodded slowly before part of her words fully sank in and Rihanna scrambled to her feet, looking around frantically. Bickslow! Where-? Her panicky search came to a quick end when she turned fully around and realized that the thing she'd hit her head against earlier was Bickslow's bed. Ignoring Porlyusica for a moment, Rihanna scrambled up onto Bickslow's bed, reaching out to hold his limp hand as she scanned his sleeping form worriedly.
His hand was cooler, not overly hot like it had been last time she'd held it, and his breathing was much steadier and more peaceful. His face was relaxed, showing the innocence of his age, and his skin and hair were truly clean for the first time Rihanna could remember. Pappa and Pippi were next to against each other on the nightstand, seemingly in the dormant state they always fell into when Bickslow was truly asleep. Attached to his right wrist was some kind of metal bracelet and on the right side of his bed was what looked like a vitals monitor.
"Your friend is fine now, he's just resting." Rihanna looked over at Porlyusica, who had spoken in a surprisingly gentle tone. As Rihanna locked gazes with the aged Fairy Tail medical advisor, she was surprised to see that the elder woman's expression had softened somewhat. Porlyusica tilted her head slightly as she held out a hand toward Rihanna, but didn't attempt to touch her, "I need to remove the monitoring bracelet from your wrist. You don't need it now that you're clearly awake and moving."
Rihanna glanced down at her right wrist, startled to realize that there was a bracelet attached to her wrist identical in appearance to Bickslow's. So that's what it's for, it's how the vitals monitor receives data. So Fiore has wireless? Who knew? Looking back up at Porlyusica, Rihanna slowly held out her wrist, suppressing the urge to shy away when the larger hands touched her wrist and arm.
Inwardly, Rihanna scolded herself for tensing at the minimal contact, you're an adult, not a traumatized puppy! She isn't going to hurt you, she's just an old woman who serves as Fairy Tail's misanthropic medic. She isn't going to drag you off somewhere and throw you in a dark room- Rihanna cut off that line of thought pointedly and focused on watching Porlyusica remove the device from her wrist.
If Porlyusica had noticed the tensing and aborted shying away motion, she didn't show it. She simply unbuckled the device and set it aside on the nightstand next to Pappa and Pippi before turning back to Rihanna, "Can you write, child?"
Rihanna considered the question, I can write in english, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to tell her that. Japanese is the dominant language here and the only times I've seen english letters used is for Levy's magic spells or really big, fancy signs. If those letters are only used for magic spells, then how could I explain my knowing them? How would they even react? What if it's a bad thing?
Paranoia warred with her desire to believe the best of Porlyusica based on her memories of the woman from the series. Paranoia and the uncomfortable knowledge that she was in this world now and Porlyusica was not a character of a T.V. series who would react in a scripted way caused her to shrug and shake her head, hoping Porlyusica didn't notice the pause between the question and answer.
The pinkette narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't call Rihanna on her answer. Instead, she changed the subject, "The Master of Fairy Tail wishes to speak to you. Do you feel well enough to see him? Or would you rather wait until your friend wakes up?"
Rihanna immediately pointed at Bickslow to indicate she wanted to wait until the boy had woken up before facing the friendly, deceptively silly yet venerable Makarov. Porlyusica nodded, surprising Rihanna with her lack of need for clarification, "Very well. I will bring something for you to eat while you wait. Don't leave the room and don't make any trouble."
Rihanna nodded obediently as Porlyusica swept out of the room, leaving Rihanna feeling vaguely unbalanced and confused. Everything was happening too fast and … easy somehow. She expected more trouble after what the past three years in Earthland had been like. Porlyusica had been very … peaceful. Exasperated and stern, yes, but nowhere near the cranky old lady who threatened people with brooms just for being human and in her enormous, forest-sized personal space bubble.
Maybe because I'm her patient? Then again, she slapped an unconscious Makarov when he was her patient. So maybe she has a tiny soft spot for little kids? Huh… Rihanna mused over that line of thought and several other random strands of contemplation to keep herself calm as she sat on Bickslow's bed, waiting for him to wake up. Porlyusica returned with some light soup and gloriously fresh bread that Rihanna had to restrain herself from wolfing down under the medic's watchful gaze.
Once she was done eating the biggest, freshest meal she'd had in a long, long time, Rihanna took advantage of her smaller size and curled up on Bickslow's bed. Gently, she clasped his left hand with her own, lying by his left side to avoid bumping the wrist monitor on his right. Her thoughts flitted this way and that, wondering how they'd suddenly gone from Aternum to Magnolia, considering what they'd do now, remembering her old life…
She hadn't realized she'd dozed off until Bickslow grunted and shifted, moving the hand trapped between her palm and her cheek as he came back to consciousness. Rihanna immediately sat up and crawled forward to lean over Bickslow's face, agitatedly looking for a sign that he was really waking up.
Bickslow's red eyes blinked open once, twice, then he jerked away from her with a yelp and a flash of glowing green irises. Rihanna pulled away as a precaution against forehead-to-forehead collisions. She'd experienced those before and they weren't anywhere near as funny, or painless, as the cartoons made them out to be. Bickslow stared dazedly at her for a few seconds before his eyes went wide, "Imōto!" Something on the nightstand clattered as his two dolls suddenly surged back to life, chanting the word in squeaky voices as they started zipping around her head hysterically.
Rihanna instinctively covered her head with her hands in case Pippi misjudged the distance and smacked into her head like it sometimes did. The dizzying loop-de-loops and squeaking eventually slowed to a stop as Bickslow took in his unfamiliar surroundings. He tensed warily when he spotted Porlyusica watching the scene from the other end of the room with a vaguely exasperated expression. Rihanna gave a tiny hiccup of air in surprised when Bickslow tugged her closer to his chest and snarled at Porlyusica, "Who're you? Where are we? What do you want with us?"
Pappa and Pippi slid into a defensive formation above Bickslow's head, chanting in a way that was probably supposed to be menacing, "Nani ka? Nani ka?"
Porlyusica looked distinctly unimpressed as she responded, "I am Porlyusica, medical advisor to the Fairy Tail Guild. You are currently in Magnolia, a town in the country of Fiore. You were brought here for medical treatment by one of the Fairy Tail mages after he found the girl trying to steal soup for you."
Bickslow looked stunned about that for a moment before glancing sharply at Rihanna, "That true, Wren?" Rihanna nodded, then pointed at Porlyusica with a smile and pattern of three whistles in an ascending scale. It was one of the signals they'd developed to communicate around Rihanna's muteness. It was actually the signal for when she spotted something extra nice to steal, but she figured Bickslow would be smart enough to cut out the "to steal" part when it involved a person and leave behind the "extra nice".
Bickslow gave Rihanna a blink before turning his gaze back to Porlyusica, his expression suspicious but considering, "Imōto says you're nice. Why?"
Porlyusica raised a slender eyebrow, "Does she now? Well, I have no idea what gave her that impression. I only volunteered to take care of you while you were recovering so that you wouldn't wake up in an unfamiliar hospital. I only made sure your … sister wasn't about to come down with the same sickness as you or worse. I only stayed in this human infested city for two days, away from my quiet home and garden to make sure you would both wake up and be healthy. I only used my special herbs to ensure your recovery was swifter and more comfortable than it normally would be. Nothing more than that." Her sarcasm was about as dull as a freshly sharpened carving knife and Bickslow actually looked sheepish by the end of it as well as completely baffled.
"Well, why would you do all that? What do you want from us in return?" His expression took a darker tone and his eyes flickered ominously to green, "If you're trying to make us your slaves out of a debt-!"
A new voice interrupted Bickslow, "No one is a slave here, child, and no one ever will be." Rihanna stiffened instantly, heart jumping into her throat briefly. It was an old voice, warm and gentle, yet slightly rough and rolling. It sent chills of nostalgia rolling down her spine and she knew without a doubt who it was even before she turned to look.
Walking into the infirmary, expression serious yet kind, was Makarov Dreyar. Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail, member of the Ten Wizard Saints, grandfather of Laxus, and father figure of ninety percent of the main cast. He was by far one of the most legendary, powerful, and crucial figures in the entire Fairy Tail plotline.
Yet, despite all that, the first thought that popped into Rihanna's head upon seeing him was, holy Pantherlilies he's shorter than I am. Her unabashed staring went uncontested for the moment as Makarov turned serious eyes on Bickslow, "Fiore is not like Bosco, child, slavery is illegal here. More than that, the building in which you stand belongs to the Fairy Tail guild, and freedom is as integral, as crucial, to each and every one of us as our beating hearts and the air we breathe. We do not take that from anyone, just as we do not let anyone take that from us."
Bickslow had gone very still, his stiff body posture and the frozen posture of his dolls indicating that Makarov had both surprised and, grudgingly, impressed him. Bickslow swallowed slightly before asking, "W-who are you?"
Makarov came closer, his eyes sweeping over the two of them without judgement or scorn, his lips twitching into a gentle smile, "My name is Makarov Dreyar, I am the Master of the Fairy Tail guild."
Rihanna could tell without looking that Bickslow was frowning, "I thought you said there were no slaves here. How can you be a master if no one's a slave?"
Makarov hummed faintly and cocked his head to one side, "There are sometimes many meanings to a single word, the word master included. As Master of a guild, I am its leader, its protector, and the teacher of those who are under my care. All of the guild members are my children, just as I am their devoted parent. By holding the title 'Master of Fairy Tail', I take on the responsibility of watching over, teaching, defending, and disciplining all those who come under my wing."
His gaze swung away from them, staring at the window absently as he continued speaking, the conviction and honesty in his voice rattling Rihanna to her core despite already knowing what kind of things he believed in, "By holding that title, I accept that should a member of Fairy Tail do wrong to another person, I must be the one to punish them, no matter who they may be or how it pains my heart to do so. Should they be threatened, I must be the one to defend them, no matter if the price for their safety is my own life. I am called Master, yes, but in truth, I am only a shoulder on which to lean on and an example from which to learn."
His gaze, old and wise yet not threatening despite its depth, returned to them, "And if you wish it, I would like very much to be those things for you two as well."
Bickslow stared disbelievingly at Makarov, trying to wrap his brain around the … the utterly impossible nonsense the tiny adult had just spouted. An adult caring for children? Taking care of them? Supporting and teaching them like a parent? All that stuff about caring and love and support didn't come anywhere near the things he associated with the word "parent". Or the word "adult" for that matter. On top of all that, he had just offered to … let them into his guild?
Bickslow bared his teeth and stuck out his tongue in a contemptuous smile to hide the raw, vulnerable chord the speech and offer had struck in him, "Join your guild? Are you crazy, old man? No one wants us, we're cursed. Even people who want to use us are too afraid to come near us, and you should be too!"
The old man just raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What kind of curse?"
Bickslow glared, letting his eyes shine with the power that had both saved him and cursed him for the majority of his life, "This kind, old man. I can see your soul, I could even take it if I wanted. I can make you do anything I want you to and all I'd have to do is look you in the eyes for a second. Wren here could freeze you and blow you up at the same time just by glaring at you."
Wren was nudging him, hissing quietly through her teeth in the way she did when she wanted him to shut up, but he refused to do so. He refused to get his hopes up about the pretty words people spoke before they realized who he was. Before they recognized the brand on his face. He would face their scorn and unveil their lies as fast as possible so that Wren and he could hurry up and escape.
The old woman, the one Wren had called extra nice, suddenly spoke up, "Don't be stupid. You have an eye magic, not a curse. It's a genetic condition, usually triggered by reaching a certain developmental stage, but also triggered by some kind of shocking or traumatic event. Probably the latter judging by your sister's and your age."
Bickslow turned his head to stare at her, thoughts tumbling together at her words and her colors. They were truth colors, colors of someone who was stating facts or an honest opinion without caring who it offended. He'd seen those colors often enough when people called him a demon, but they'd usually been mixed with large doses of fear colors and hate colors. To see them all by themselves was … unnerving.
The old man spoke again, seemingly unperturbed by Bickslow's words, "Being able to do things other cannot is not a curse. Neither is being able to see things they don't, or hear things they can't. It just means you have a talent that others do not possess. A talent that must be nurtured and trained until it blooms into its full potential."
Bickslow watched the old man intently as he spoke, scanning every flicker of color, every impression and whisper, growing more confused and hopeful against his will the longer he stared. The old man was like no one he'd ever seen before, with colors that were warm like the sun and strong as a summer thunderstorm. Orange fire of conviction danced and intertwined with the white-blue of truth and a deep forest green color he had only ever seen directed his way when it belonged to Wren.
It was the color that danced through her when she hugged him after a particularly nasty insult had been thrown his way, the color that flared brilliantly when she smiled at him and treated him like he was someone amazing and not cursed. It hit him that he didn't even have a name for that color. He didn't know what it was. But he wanted, so very desperately, to see more of it. To learn what it was. To see it directed his way as much as possible and to learn how to give that color to someone else in return.
To give it like this strange old man was doing, despite seeing Bickslow's eyes and hearing about his power. Bickslow's hands were shaking as he looked down at Wren, unsure what to do or say and looking instinctively to the only other person in the world he trusted, "What … what do you think, Imōto?"
Wren's colors flickered and twisted rapidly as she stared back at him thoughtfully, the sunshine yellow of her excitement coiling around that mysterious forest green and sparking with the purple of contemplation. Her colors suddenly settled and were lit with a orange brilliance as she smiled at him, pointed at the old man, and gave three ascending whistles. She followed the whistles by pointing her index finger at the ceiling and spinning it in a circle, one slow descending whistle leaving her lips before she turned to face the old man and beamed at him with a vigorous nod.
The signal for something extra nice, the signal to follow, and a smile at the man who was so different from any adult Bickslow had ever met. He knew what she was saying, just as clearly as if she'd been able to use words to convey it, "He's extra nice, I think we should follow him."
Bickslow looked down at the bedcovers thoughtfully. Wren was … unusual, even by his standards. He knew she was much smarter than any other kid her age, she had an underlying color of wisdom he'd only ever seen in some adults. Also, she knew things he didn't, he could see it in her eyes when she watched people. She saw things that even his eyes couldn't see, or at least, couldn't understand. She did not give an opinion lightly, and he had never seen her give her trust to anyone so quickly. Even Bickslow had had to work for her complete and total trust.
So if she gave it to the old man so freely, so eagerly, without any doubt … Bickslow looked over the bed and down at the old- at Makarov, and offered a tentative nod, "Okay … I'll give you a chance. We'll join your guild."
Makarov's face bloomed into a huge, toothy smile that almost screwed the man's eyes shut with its intensity, "Then welcome to Fairy Tail!"
Japanese translations: 1. "Sumimasen" = "Excuse me?"
2. "Sonna mendoi kodomo..." = "Such a troublesome child..."
3. "Wakarimasu ka?" = "Understood?"
4. "Imōto" = "Little Sister"