The Master was in his personal room, most likely going over paperwork from the Council. Despite the fact that he was not among the others, though, we had to walk through the crowd of wizards in the common area in order to get to his quarters. They were all together drinking, talking, and even picking friendly fights with each other. As soon as they saw us, though, I felt eyes on our backs and heard speculative words mumbled. Despite this, I kept my eyes straight forward. I could not bring myself to look at them. Not until I was a part of them.
"You guys don't have anything to worry about, the master is great! I'd be really surprised if he said anything but yes," Lucy reassured us. I looked at her and smiled nervously. It had been a long time since I had felt nervous, and feeling so twice in one day was way more than was needed.
"Here we are," Erza spoke. "I will go in with you all. Grey, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, you stay out here."
"Why do I have to miss out?! I was there, too! What if Gramps needs my opinion?!" Natsu argued. I could practically see steam rolling off of him until Darren leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Natsu instantly perked up and ran off at a speed that even Darren would find hard to match.
"I'll take the cat off your hands," Grey smirked. I looked down at Happy, fast asleep and content as he could be. Reluctantly, I handed him over. At some point, I had to get a companion of my own like that. My weakness for anything with fur was too much for me to handle sometimes.
"Shall we?" Erza questioned as she opened the door and waved for us to enter. My team all shifted their eyes to me to enter first. I looked around at them, disheveled from the woods but eager to see what the outcome of this adventure would be. I commanded myself to stand a little straighter, smoothed my shirt down, and entered the master's chambers.
When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the sunset radiating throughout the room through a large window. In front of it was where the master stood, gazing out into the glow. The window was the main focal point of the room, nothing else was really extravagant. A bed, small table, and a desk full of papers, a few chairs, along with a few other small items were the only pieces of furniture in the room.
"Master, we have a few people that would like to join the guild," Erza's voice broke the silence. Makarov turned around and faced us, his eyes glistening with intrigue.
Master Makarov was a small, older man. His mustache and what he had left of his hair was pure white, now whether it was because of age of because of stress was beyond me. His eyes were tender and kind, but there was also immense power and experience. He walked closer and looked me straight in the eyes. At first, they squinted in speculation, but then he looked as though he had just found the answer he was looking for in my hazel eyes. The master looked at the four others, up at Erza, and smiled.
"Erza, will you take these four and introduce them to the rest of the guild? Have Mira get them drinks and food. I'd like to have a talk with this young woman here, if you please," Makarov's aged voice spoke with a certain youthful excitement. Erza nodded and ushered my team back out of the room. Yolric gave me a look of reassurance and a nod before being the last one to leave the room. I couldn't help but grin as the door shut.
"That young man has quite an effect on you, doesn't he?" Makarov spoke again. I looked back at him and smiled.
"He's my fiancée... Well... Sort of. Not really," I rambled. The master smiled as my face turned red from a combination of happiness and embarrassment.
"Right. That makes sense. What is your name, Child?" Makarov questioned, walking over to a chair and pulling it over for me to sit in. I happily obliged, considering I had not sat down in what felt like forever.
"Juniper Lex. I am a Forge God Slayer."
"And you're not from around here, are you, June?"
"No, Master."
"Neither is your team?"
"No, Master."
"I thought so. Now, why don't you tell me your story? The real one. If you are to be one of my children, I need you to be truthful to me. Whether or not you decide to tell the others is your decision, but I need to know what brings you here and if you are genuine."
I sat in the padded arm chair, stunned that he was able to sense so much about us without even a second glance. Makarov hopped onto the desk and sat, papers rustling underneath him. He looked at me and patiently waited for a response that I could never give. I sat, looking down, embarrassed that I had not been able to keep the past hidden for more than five minutes.
"P-please, Master... Trust that we are as genuine as they come. We have been traveling months in order to come to this guild. I cannot tell you everything, but I can tell you what is necessary. I-I'm not doing this for me... I'm doing this for Yolric, Darren, Vanya, and Xavier. They have spent the past five years keeping me away from harm, and now I have to do the same for them. I can't... I can't do this alone... We have to stop running. If we keep going like this... I..."
"It's okay, Child," Makarov interrupted. I looked up at him with teary eyes. "I've heard all I need to. I cannot let children go back out into a world where they feel unsafe. I do not know what you are running from, but that doesn't matter now. If the time comes that we have to fight, we will. You are all safe here with us. You are among friends." As he finished, he smiled down at me. I could feel myself begin to shake with relief. A wide smile spread across my face.
The master jumped down from the table and pulled out what looked like a stamp from his coat pocket. He looked upon my scarred shoulder and then up to my cheek with a puzzled look. "Don't let your past hold you back now. You have a brighter future ahead of you," he spoke wisely. With that, he stamped my shoulder with a dark red Fairy Tail emblem outlined in grey. As soon as he did, most of the scar disappeared. I felt my shoulder in disbelief, letting out a girlish giggle as I did.
"I'll set up your friends, too. Right now, I have a little request for you. There's a couple of wizards that I know are rearing to take you on. Would you mind indulging them, June?"
"I'd be honored, Master Makarov."