Yay! This story got two more reviews! (does the happy dance before settling down) ahem, anyway. Here is the next chapter and the introduction of several more canon characters. Hope you all enjoy!
Review Response: Dear Apple of Eris, hello! Thank you! I'll do my best!
Dear Wandering Mage011, hi! I wasn't really sure how else to describe what it's like to see with his eye magic and colors have more variety than other things I considered using. I can definitely see Wren visiting the Fairy Tail library a lot once she learns to read Japanese. There'd be no point going there at the moment because it would all be gibberish to her. Dabbling in different magics huh? (Lightbulb snaps on in head) I could work with that actually and you raise a very good point! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and I hope this one lives up to your expectations!
Author's Note: Hmm, nothing really to say except I had a lot of fun with my first attempt at capturing the chaos of the Fairy Tail Guild. Bar fights have always been fun to write for me, but magical bar fights are even better. Oh, the three canon characters introduced in this chapter are Macao (again), Wakaba, and Cana.
Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any references made in this story. The only things I own are my OCs and the plot.
Chapter Five: Of Guild Marks and Greetings
Porlyusica left a hour after Bickslow accepted Makarov's offer. She left behind several strict instructions on when Bickslow would be allowed to take missions and what things he should stay away from in order to avoid getting sick again. She also left behind a gruff, quiet apology that she could neither remove Bickslow's brand or fix Rihanna's voice.
Bickslow's brand was unremovable because had been made with some kind of magic dye Porlyusica was unfamiliar with and Rihanna's voice unsalvageable because of the thickness of the scar tissue running through her vocal folds. Porlyusica had gruffly told Rihanna that it was a miracle she was alive at all, even if the loss of her voice had been the necessary price to pay.
Bickslow had been angry, but Rihanna had just shrugged and pasted on a smile, trying to hide the disappointment she'd felt. It wasn't Porlyusica's fault after all and Rihanna supposed that even an eye-growing miracle worker like the cranky old healer had her limits.
However, several hours after Porlyusica had left, all of Rihanna's disappointment was forgotten. For one thing, she had finally been given the chance to scrub years worth of dirt and grime off of her skin and out of her hair, returning her curls to their proper honey golden hue. For another, their old rags had been disposed of and new clothes had been provided for them along with shoes for their previously bare feet. Rihanna was most pleased by that turn of events, especially with the practical, boyish clothing that she'd been given. A light blue T-shirt and tan cargo pants fit her personality much more than some kind of fluffy sundress after all.
But the best thing to happen, the thing that had driven away any last vestiges of disappointment over her mute status, was when Makarov had led them to his office and explained that they would need guild marks placed somewhere on their bodies so that the Fiore Magic Law Enforcement didn't mistake them for rogue mages. Bickslow had rebelled, but Rihanna had managed to quiet him by volunteering to go first in getting her mark.
Now, Rihanna stared down at the proud, iconic Fairy Tail mark on her left shoulder, trying and failing to fight down a grin at the sight of it. A pretty female mage in a hula skirt, who had introduced herself as Enno, smiled gently down at her, "There we go. You are now an official member of Fairy Tail." At those words, something giddy and hyper inside Rihanna begged for her to try squealing loudly despite the fact that she knew it was impossible.
Bickslow hovered by her side, fingers reaching out as if to brush the deep blue mark on her left shoulder, "Wren? You feelin' okay? It doesn't hurt you does it? It isn't doing anything to you is it?"
Rihanna shook her head and impulsively flung her arms around Bickslow in a hug, thoughts of the dangerous future far from her mind as her inner fangirl screamed, "I'm in Fairy Tail!" repeatedly. Pulling out of the hug, Rihanna beamed at Bickslow, silently trying to convey the sheer depths of her excitement and happiness.
Bickslow offered her a hesitant smile in return before turning to Makarov, "I guess that's a 'no'. Alright … where does mine go?"
Makarov, watching from where he was perched on his office desk, shrugged easily, "Anywhere you want, so long as it isn't inappropriate."
Bickslow scowled at the vagueness of the statement, staring down at his own skin uneasily as he contemplated. Rihanna felt her heart reach out to him yet again. After being branded by the people of Aternum, the thought of bearing another mark on his skin, willingly bearing one, had to be incredibly foreign and unnerving. Bickslow's contemplation stretched on and on until Rihanna wondered whether or not she should suggest something just to move things along.
However, just as she reached out to get Bickslow's attention, he looked up at Enno and stuck out his tongue, " 'Ere."
Enno blinked at him incredulously while Makarov just raised an eyebrow. Rihanna almost laughed at the look on Enno's face as she asked slowly, "Are you … sure? It won't come off unless you leave the guild, so you'll be stuck with it there."
Bickslow rolled his eyes and nodded firmly, sticking his tongue out farther, "Yeth, 'ow 'o i' alrea'y." Rihanna failed to bite back giggles at how ridiculous Bickslow sounded with his tongue stuck that far out, but if there was only one advantage to being mute, it was that people couldn't hear you laughing that them behind their backs while they did something silly.
Enno made a faint noise of doubt at Bickslow's choice, but reached for the magic stamp dyes anyway, "What color?"
Bickslow cocked his head to one side, an amusing sight considering his stuck out tongue, before lisping, " 'Ark 'lue."
Enno obediently reached for the dark blue dye pad, pressed the stamp firmly into the dye, then applied the magic mark to Bickslow's outstretched tongue. As soon as she finished pulling the stamp away, Bickslow retracted his tongue and smacked it against the roof of his mouth repeatedly, "Huh. I don't taste anything. My tongue just tingles a bit."
Makarov chuckled at that declaration, ignoring Enno's disapproving expression as she wiped the stamp clean of saliva and put it away, "That's because the dye is magic. No ink to taste, just a color imprint on the skin. Interesting choice of location, Bickslow, and welcome to your first day as an official Fairy Tail member."
Bickslow nodded slowly, "Yeah … thanks." Turning to Rihanna, he flashed his signature tongue grin, proudly displaying the Fairy Tail mark now on it, "Well? Wha' 'o 'hin'?"
In response to their master's eagerness, Pappa and Pippi chorused in time to their own enthusiastic bobbing, "What'd you think? What'd you think?" Rihanna slapped a hand over her own mouth to try to rein in her laughter at the sheer cuteness of little Bickslow and his first two babies proudly showing off his Fairy Tail mark. Aw… Finally getting the giggles under control, she nodded vigorously and gave Bickslow two thumbs up of approval. It was a very odd position to choose in her opinion, but she knew that it suited Bickslow's nature and that he no doubt had a reason for such an unusual choice.
Bickslow's tongue grin widened before he retracted his tongue back into his mouth and looked expectantly at Makarov. Makarov jumped down from his desk with a faint grunt and motioned for them to follow Enno and him, "Very good. Now that all that official business is over with, come with me to the guild hall."
Bickslow exchanged a glance with Rihanna as they obediently trailed after Makarov and the light-footed Enno, "Guild hall? What's that?"
Enno answered, seeming to be filling the role of the absent Mirajane, "The guild hall is the main part of the building, it's where all of our mages gather together to pick missions, grab something to eat or drink, or just hang out and talk. Or fight. The boys of the guild seem to think smashing chairs over each others heads is fun, so watch out."
Bickslow tilted his head back at the news, seemingly unsure of how to respond to the last part. Rihanna on the other hand, was admiring the hallways of her favorite building in any anime ever and musing over the absent Mirajane. Is Mirajane even a part of the guild yet? I know she joined young, but I don't know the exact year she joined. Come to think of it, I don't even know what year it is now. It isn't like I've got a calendar…
Her attention turned further inward as she walked alongside Bickslow, partially tuning out Enno, who was rambling on about how a Fiore guild worked, Rihanna already knew most of the rules anyway. I can't be anywhere near Lucy's arrival, Bickslow is only … eleven? Twelve? No, before she left, Porlyusica told us our ages, Bickslow's twelve and I'm six. Physically at least. Though how she knew our physical ages is a mystery to me. Must be one of those "crazy herbalist" secret techniques or something.
"Wren? Are you paying attention?" Rihanna looked up sheepishly at Enno's question, embarrassed to have been caught not listening. Rihanna shook her head minutely and bowed a bit at the waist in a silent apology. Enno smiled reassuringly at her, "I was telling you that children your age aren't allowed to take solo missions. You have to wait until you're at least eleven before you're allowed to take missions unaccompanied and even then, it's encouraged for you to have an older partner go with you. Do you understand?"
Rihanna nodded immediately. Eleven-year-olds are allowed to wander the countryside unattended? What is up with this country? Although, an eleven-year-old strong enough in magic to join a guild could probably handle your common thug or pedophile… It still sounds reckless to me though.
They reached a final door after having climbed down two staircases and walked down three hallways, Enno opening the door and stepping aside to reveal the guild hall beyond. Bickslow, who had taken Rihanna's hand at some point, led her inside, keeping her close as they took in the sights that greeted them.
It was, in a word, amazing. Or mind-blowing, but Rihanna was fairly certain that was two words and not one. It was not as big as the second and most famous of the Fairy Tail guild halls, this was the one that had existed before the Phantom Lord arc, but it was still very impressive. The high, arching ceiling was supported by several key pillars, in between which were long wooden tables and benches all in slightly haphazard rows.
Mages mingled in between tables, nursing tankards or leaning over to call to someone at another table for an opinion or comment. To her left was the bar and its request board, the bar currently being manned by an adult male she didn't know from the anime. Just behind and to one side of the bar and request board were stairs leading up to the second level which she knew contained a special area for S-Class mages and S-Class requests.
Most of the members she could see were ranging from teen to young adult, with a few older members here and there but no child-age members other than herself and Bickslow that she could see. Makarov and Enno led them over to the bar where Makarov laboriously climbed up onto the bar itself, beckoning Bickslow and Rihanna to follow. After much scrambling, internal swearing, and eventually being picked up to help her on her way, Rihanna was standing on top of the bar alongside Bickslow and Makarov.
The bartender didn't even look up from cleaning beer tankards until Makarov cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of the guild. At first, only a few members looked up at the sound, the rest not noticing in favor of a brewing scuffle on the far side of the hall. Makarov coughed louder than was polite, still trying to get everyone's attention without resorting to force. When that didn't work either and most attention remained on the now in-progress brawl across the room, Makarov's right eyelid twitched menacingly.
A huge fist rocketed past Rihanna, making her hiccup in surprise. It surged across the room, the tiny arm attached to the waist-sized fist stretching like elastic and successfully freaking her out before is sent the two original brawler's sprawling, "Oi! Pay attention you ungrateful scamps!"
The scuffle stopped and all eyes swung to Makarov obediently as his arm slowly retracted and his fist returned to normal size. Makarov eyed his now utterly silent guild balefully for a moment before his features relaxed and he shouted, "Everyone! These two are the siblings Bickslow," he motioned to the wide-eyed boy and his hovering dolls, "and Wren," Rihanna waved shyly, "they are now our newest members! Welcome them warmly and treat them well, yes?"
A loud chorus of agreement rose from all present and the bar was suddenly surrounded by curious mages. Two mages, who she belatedly recognized at Macao and Wakaba, managed to push their way to the fore. Macao looked Rihanna up and down thoughtfully before smiling, "You two are the kids Mest brought in, right? Nice to meet you properly at last. I'm Macao and this ugly idiot is Wakaba."
Wakaba scowled and nudged Macao with his shoulder, "Oi, look who's talking, Dateless!" Macao nudged him back and it looked as if the two supposedly mature adults would start a nudging war with each other when Mest pushed his way between them, a huge smile on his face, "Hey there, welcome to Fairy Tail! It's good to see you two up and about."
Bickslow, who was now glaring alternately at the table and the confusing mass of people who were neither afraid or scornful of him, shifted his gaze briefly to Mest, "Who're you?"
Mest blinked once, his smile never faltering as he answered easily, "I'm Mest, the mage who brought you two here." He shifted his gaze back to Rihanna, "So your name is Wren, huh? Pretty name." Rihanna dryly decided not to attempt contemplating on how she was now apparently stuck with the name "Wren" forever more. Instead, she pointed quietly at Bickslow and shrugged to indicate that it was his idea.
Bickslow was watching Mest with something akin to gratitude in his eyes, "Why'd you help us? How'd you even find us?"
Mest rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully, "Ah, well, Wren used her magic to steal my ramen and so I chased after her. I tracked her to the belfry and found her trying to wake you up and feed you so I put two and two together and, well, brought you here for medical treatment."
Bickslow started to bristle at the mention that Mest had chased Rihanna for any reason, but Rihanna patted his arm placatingly and he settled down again. Sitting cross-legged on the top of the bar, Bickslow found his attention dragged away from Mest by the questions of other eager guild members, namely the seeming unofficial spokesperson Macao, "So kids, what're your magics?"
Bickslow went very still, eyes widening in automatic fear while Pappa and Pippi squeaked wordlessly. Another guild member watched the two animate dolls as he answered Macao, "Isn't it obvious? He's using Seith Magic. Good at it too, if he's able to maintain two dolls at the same time while he's so young."
Macao nodded slowly, a slight frown on his face at being shown up by another member, "Alright. So what's yours, kiddo?" All eyes swung to Wren, who felt a moment of stage fright before brushing it off. You've been performing in front of crowds since before you were twelve, you can do this. Reaching out with a hand, Wren focused on the shadows cast by the bar and pulled on them. Velvet sensations slithered over her fingers and hand as she carefully coaxed a tendril of shadow into rising above the bar top. She twitched her fingers sideways, causing the shapeless tendril to wave in greeting.
Gasps, whistles, and even a clap or two of appreciation rose from the assembled Fairy Tail members, mutters of, "nice!" and "don't see that magic used too often…" floating to her ears. Wakaba raised an eyebrow at the demonstration as she released the shadow and it dropped back onto the floor, "Not bad. Not a very strong magic, but still."
Bickslow bristled and whirled on Wakaba, "My imōto's magic is plenty strong! Just what is your oh-so-powerful magic, huh?"
Wakaba raised his hands placatingly, "Whoa, take it easy. I wasn't insulting your imōto, I was just saying that Shadow Magic isn't the strongest of the magic types. It doesn't get used very often either."
Bickslow narrowed his eyes into a glare while Pappa and Pippi jeered at Wakaba. His next question came out as a defensive bark, "So what do you use?"
Macao interjected, slapping Wakaba on the back as he scoffed, "Like you've got any room to talk, Wakaba! You use Smoke Magic that can literally be blown away by a puff of wind!"
Wakaba actually pouted from around his pipe, "Hey now…"
Enno pushed her way into the conversation, making imperious shooing motions at everyone surrounding the bar, "Alright, alright, you've crowded the new members long enough. You'll overwhelm them at this rate. Be along with you now, all of you." Loud grumbles accompanied the subsequent dispersion of mages, Wakaba dragging an abruptly moon-eyed Macao away to a table while the latter sputtered something unintelligible in Enno's direction.
Rihanna rolled her eyes at Macao's actions, good grief. How old is he? Twenty? He should be able to talk to a girl he likes by now without sputtering like a fifteen-year-old with a crush. Bickslow gave a shy thanks to Enno, who simply smiled and moved to help the bartender serve new drinks. Makarov had miraculously disappeared during the first wave of inquisitive mages, so Rihanna felt no guilt in clambering down from the bar to have a look around. Bickslow followed her protectively, eyeing everyone in the guild with a mix of hope and caution that made her heart ache faintly.
"A-ano…" Rihanna looked to her left sharply at the new, high-pitched voice. The speaker was a little girl of about eight, with wavy brown hair and big purple-brown eyes that blinked hopefully at Rihanna. The girl was wearing a flower-print sundress and slip on shoes that matched the dress's primary color. Is that…? Rihanna cocked her head to one side inquisitively and the girl smiled as she stuck out a hand, "Ano, I'm Cana. Cana Alberona. It's nice to … to meet you and finally have someone in the guild closer to my age. Would you … like to be friends?"
Rihanna stared at Cana, then stared a little more. She was trying to somehow reconcile the image of beer-swigging, bikini-top wearing, self-confident Cana with the adorably shy little girl standing before her. Cana shifted nervously, her expression starting to fall, "I-if you don't want to be friends, I understand…"
Bickslow nudged Rihanna's back firmly, snapping her out of her daze, as he said, "Wren's mute, you really wanna be friends with a mute girl?" Rihanna shot Bickslow a withering glare at his tone while Cana, and several other not-so-subtly eavesdropping guild members, gasped at his revelation.
Cana flicked her gaze from Rihanna to Bickslow and back before her gaze settled on Rihanna's throat scar. Her hands flew up to her mouth in horror, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"
Bickslow was glaring at Cana, ignoring Rihanna's attempts to make him stop as he snarled suspiciously, "So now you don't wanna be friends with my sister just 'cause she's mute?"
Cana shook her head, "No, no! I mean- I do want to be her friend still! I just- I had no idea she couldn't-! I'm so sorry!" She ended her babble with a low bow at the waist, causing her ponytail to flop over her face.
Bickslow crossed his arms, "My sister doesn't need to be your- ite-e!" Rihanna slowly retracted her foot from its place on Bickslow's big toe, shooting him a look that promised far worse pain if he didn't shut up and butt out. Reaching out, Rihanna lightly tapped Cana's bowed head to get her attention. The girl straightened up automatically, her expression wobbling between hope and anxiety while her hand idly touched her hair where Rihanna had patted her.
Pointedly ignoring Bickslow's mumbled whines and protests at the toe-stomping treatment, Rihanna reached out a hand for Cana to shake, mouthing a silent "dōzo yoroshiku" as she did so. Cana blinked at her a few times before a smile blossomed across her face and she accepted Rihanna's hand and shook it eagerly, "Arigatō, Wren! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Rihanna just continued to smile back as she nodded agreeably, a more than tiny part of her squealing happily at being befriended by one of her favorite Fairy Tail female characters.
Releasing Rihanna's hand, Cana bounced a bit on her toes, "Do you want to play?" Rihanna considered that for a moment, also listening to Bickslow's vaguely overprotective grumbles for a few seconds before nodding, why not?
If anything, Cana's smile somehow grew bigger as she fearlessly took one of Rihanna's hands and led her toward an unoccupied table, all shyness gone, "Wonderful! Do you know Go Fish? Or Old Maid?"
Rihanna gave a silent giggle at the thought of child Cana playing card games with the cards she would later weaponize to great effect as an adult. She waited until Cana had sat them both down, one on either side of the table, and looked up at her again before responding. Holding up one finger, Rihanna nodded. Holding up two fingers, she shook her head.
To her credit, Cana gave her silent reply serious thought before tentatively offering a translation, "You … know one of them but not both?" Rihanna nodded patiently and then repeated her previous motions, trying to tell Cana that she knew Go Fish, but not Old Maid. Well, more like she could no longer remember the rules to Old Maid while she still retained a working knowledge of Go Fish.
Cana frowned, apparently not understanding what she meant this time, "Uh…" Rihanna heaved a mental sigh and resorted to a much less dignified charade. Holding her hands to her jawline, she mimed a fish breathing. From his position next to her, Bickslow huffed a laugh at her action, prompting a glare from the physically younger girl. Seeing the glare, Bickslow rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Since when do you know Go Fish, imōto? That's a little kids game anyway."
Rihanna deadpanned at him before pointedly staring at where he was sitting, then back at his face before raising an eyebrow. One, I learned when I was a kid living in Chicago. Two, I am physically a "little kid". Three, so are you! Besides that, what are you doing here? I thought you were pouting? Bickslow cocked his head, a faint frown on his face as he worked on deciphering her expressions. He had gotten very good at translating her facial and bodily cues, but sarcastic comments and other less blatant statements still took him some time to work out.
Cana interrupted his thoughts, her shoulders tense as she pulled out a pack of cards from her tiny yellow purse, "What's that got to do with anything? You're a kid too!" Her face suddenly took on a slightly devious air that gave Rihanna very strong deja vu, uh oh, the infamous Cana cunning emerges … and at such a young age too. Tossing her head slightly, Cana waved the pack of cards in Bickslow's general direction, "You're probably just sore that you aren't any good at it."
Bickslow bristled, "I'm plenty good at it! I'm way better than you are!"
Pappa and Pippi bounced bit in the air as they chanted, "Better than you! Better than you!"
Cana pursed her lips, eyes narrowing in a way that, when on the face of a woman and not a child, would have sent anyone with half a brain running, "Oh? Then how about you prove it?"
Bickslow's expression of smug superiority faltered and Rihanna failed to suppress a sigh as she rested her chin on her left hand to watch. She had never seen Bickslow give any indication of knowing how to play Go Fish in all the years she'd known him. Though that could have been because of their impoverished situation at the time, from the look on his face now, Rihanna highly doubted he even knew the first rule about Go Fish.
Her suspicion gained more weight when Bickslow snorted explosively and looked away, tugging at the brand new clothes Makarov had given him, "Don't wanna."
Cana's devious look deepened and she honed in on Bickslow in a manner reminiscent of a shark that had scented blood, "Come on, play against Wren and me. If you win, I'll give you a prize…"
Bickslow shot her a glance, curiosity peeked and Rihanna half hid her face in her palm at the utterly cliché child drama playing out in front of her. I thought Bickslow was too old for this kind of thing. Guess not. Bickslow crossed his arms over his chest, "…What kind of prize?"
Cana chewed her bottom lip before reaching into her little purse again and pulling out a handful of wrapped chocolate candies. Instantly, the Card Mage had both Bickslow's and Rihanna's undivided attention. Rihanna felt her mouth water just a little at the inconspicuous chocolate candies. She'd always had a bit of a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate. However, since she and Bickslow had barely managed to steal enough actual food to sustain themselves some days, she had not had any kind of sweet for a little over three years.
Cana smirked a bit at their attention, "You win and I'll give you these. They're Magnolia's speciality chocolates, made locally and only available in one candy store in all of Fiore. They're really good. I had to spend almost my entire allowance just to get these. So … what do you say?"
Chocolate. Real, actual, chocolate … want! Rihanna hastily debated the pros and cons of temporarily abandoning her maturity and suckering Bickslow into a game for the chocolates. She was fairly certain that if she got Bickslow to join and he really didn't know how to play Go Fish, Cana would consent to giving the chocolate to whoever won anyway and Rihanna figured that as an adult, she had a good chance of winning. Right?
On the other hand, she would inevitably be caught up in the childish … whatever-it-was currently going on between Cana and Bickslow. If she got caught up in it, she would no doubt be eventually dragged down to their maturity level and be given either a headache, a humiliation, or both.
But on the first hand … chocolate.
Making up her mind, Rihanna leaned over and tugged on Bickslow's sleeve frantically. The moment his eyes swung to lock with her's, she turned on her puppy eyes, looking at him with all of the pleading and adorable "little sister" vibes she could possibly scrape together. Bickslow swallowed hard, trying to pull his gaze away from Rihanna's but seemingly unable to. Slowly, Rihanna lifted her chin off of her hand and moved to clasp both hands just underneath her jaw pleadingly, trying to somehow beam the desire for chocolate into his head.
Finally, Bickslow huffed and turned to face Cana, "Fine. Set it up, and no skimping on the cards." Both girls beamed at him and Rihanna thought she heard a few "aw"s drift faintly through the guild. Cana divided the cards, which Rihanna was surprised to note were poker cards and not tarot, and expertly passed them among the three players.
Setting the rest of the cards in the center of the table, Cana cheerfully cried, "Alright! Let's 'Go Fish'!"
An hour or so later, Rihanna was happily rolling a chocolate on her tongue, savoring the dark, slowly melting sweet as much as possible while Bickslow and Cana had a loud, vibrant shouting match complete with waving arms and squeaking animate dolls.
Just as she had suspected, Bickslow had absolutely no clue how to play Go Fish and had thus lost the first game miserably. Angrily, he had demanded they play for best two out of three, to which Cana had confidently agreed. However, it was during the last two games that the tides had drastically turned. Because while Bickslow had no prior experience with the game Go Fish, he was a master of the most important skill a street orphan could learn next to stealing.
Namely, how to cheat like crazy and get away with it scot-free.
His endeavors at cheating, though Rihanna still wasn't sure how one cheated at Go Fish, had probably been helped immensely by the fact that he had two little tiki dolls with the ability to lazily drift past Cana's shoulder before drifting coincidentally past Bickslow's ear. Cana had caught on only after the end of the third game and only because Bickslow had seemingly gone from not knowing an eight of hearts from a six of diamonds to being a flawless winner. But, by the time she'd started making her accusations, Bickslow had cheerfully handed off all of the precious chocolates to Rihanna.
Rihanna idly rolled one of said chocolates on her tongue, the others nestled safely in the pockets of her new cargo pants. Was she willingly eating property which had technically been stolen? Yes. Did she feel any remorse whatsoever? No. Not at all.
Pippi suddenly got overactive and zipped forward to bounce off of Cana's head. Cana held the accosted spot, yelping loudly with pain, and Rihanna tensed, wondering if Bickslow had gone too far and was going to make Cana cry. But then Cana proved why she fit in so well with Natsu's generation of Fairy Tail by whipping her tarot deck out of her purse and starting to chase Bickslow around with a handful of magically charged cards.
Rihanna watched from her safe corner as Bickslow, in his hasty attempts to escape, scrambled over someone else's table, spilling beer and food everywhere. One of Cana's cards, a fire card apparently, missed Bickslow and landed on the spilled turkey, setting it cheerily aflame.
Leaping off of the table, Bickslow darted around a startled Wakaba's legs, screeching for Pappa to hit Cana as he did so. Pappa shot forward at Cana, who ducked at the last second so that Pappa went hurtling over her head and smacked between the unsuspecting legs of another male guild member, who promptly doubled over in agony, accidentally head-butting the person he'd been arguing with a moment before.
Unaware, or just not caring, of why he'd been so suddenly head-butted, the second man slugged the doubled-over first, who fell backwards onto the floor and tripped Enno, who then spilled her tray of beer so that the tankards somehow went flying an impressive distance of about twenty feet before spilling all of their contents.
Right on the flaming turkey Macao had been trying to put out.
It exploded brilliantly. Almost as brilliantly as Macao's vocabulary of unrepeatable words and phrases.
Rihanna blinked a few times as the guild dissolved into chaos all around her. Macao was jumping up and down, trying to put out the tiny fire on his left pant leg, Enno was shrieking for a fire-extinguisher, and the seeming only Water Mage present in the guild was being dragged into a brawl before he could finish his water spell and put out the merrily burning fire in the middle of the room.
Movement out of the corner of her eye dragged Rihanna's attention away from the fire and havoc in the main part of the hall to where Bickslow and Cana stood on a far table, watching the results of their accidents with identical looks of fascinated horror.
She watched as they looked from the fire and brawl to each other. Bickslow suddenly grinned and said something that had Cana chasing him anew … which then led to a lightning card temporarily paralyzing Makarov, the buff bartender crying over shattered bottles of vintage wine, and Bickslow accidentally figuring out that Pappa and Pippi could shoot lasers. The last of these events promptly led to the existence of three more fires and an impressive gouge mark in one of the walls.
Two hours after that, the fires had been put out, everyone had been lectured sternly over exercising restraint with their magic while in the guild building, and the bartender had been comforted with promises of replacement vintage wine. Rihanna wordlessly passed Cana and Bickslow a chocolate each, listening to Cana alternately chatter at her or get into a sniping war with Bickslow who was sitting on Rihanna's other side.
Rihanna had the sudden, unshakeable feeling that she had just witnessed the start of a relationship that would either be absolutely awesome, or earthshakingly horrible.
It would probably depend on who she asked.
Japanese Translations: "Imōto" = "Little sister"
"Ano" = I'm not sure on the exact definition actually, but it appears to be a way of attracting attention or stating hesitancy. Similar to "um" or "ahem".
"Dōzo Yorushiku" = "Nice to meet you"
"Yorushiku onegaishimasu" = More formal version of "Nice to meet you", similar to "Honor to make your acquaintance"