Chapter 19

Magnolia

"So, this is where the Fairy Tail guild is?" Asked Lucy as she, Naestra, Arahan, Natsu, and Happy traveled through the streets of Magnolia. They just came from Hargeon town and were now taking Lucy to the guildhall so that she can become an official member of Fairy Tail. The young teen was excited at the prospect of becoming a true member of Fairy Tail and it was something that was much needed after what happened at Hargeon town.

With the death of Bora and with nothing found on the ship leading to the Dreadwaters, the Twilight Sisters had to tell the mayor of the city that they couldn't save his people and that they were unable to find a way to prevent future kidnappings. The best, they said, was to have the military monitor Hargeon town at all times until the sisters, or someone else can find a way to stop them. The mayor was distraught to hear all this but did what the sisters asked him. Since then, military battalions have moved in and Hargeon became more akin to a military base than a civilian port city. Many of the citizenries were chaffed at such military presence, but the mayor and many of his advisors believed this to be the best course of action to protect their people. Both Natsu and Lucy didn't like it but nonetheless complied with what Naestra and Arahan suggested to the mayor, though the decision caused the train ride home to be quiet, contrary to what normally would have happened with Natsu around.

Now, with all that past them, at least for now, the atmosphere around the group has become much livelier and that was something Naestra can appreciate.

"So, I just have to say I'd like to join and that's it?" Asked Lucy, still not believing it was that easy to get into Fairy Tail.

"Yes." Said Naestra, repeating her answer to what Lucy asked during the train ride here. "All you need to do is ask and the master will allow you to join the guild. He's accepting of people joining the guild, no matter their background or what magic they have."

"Wow." Said Lucy. "Your guild is cool. Like really cool. I'm glad that I choose your guild over the Phantom Lord guild because you guys are just so much cooler." Upon hearing the Phantom Lord guild, Natsu yelled out.

"What! You actually considered going to Phantom!" Yelled Natsu with bulged eyes. Upon hearing Lucy say yes, Natsu spoke up. "C'mon, those guys are total losers compared to Fairy Tail. Why would you ever want to join them over Fairy Tail?"

"Well, I was just branching out my choices, you know." Said Lucy. "It's a good thing to do in case I never get to join my dream guild." As the two argued over this, Naestra recalled the Phantom Lord guild, the self-proclaimed rivals of Fairy Tail.

Truth be told, it shouldn't really be classified as a guild in Naestra's eyes. It would be more appropriate to call them an organization with how many bases of operation and members they had, far exceeding the numbers of members of other guilds today. What they lack in quality, they certainly made up for in quantity.

Both Naestra and Arahan encountered members of Phantom Lord on jobs and neither found any of them to be impressive. Most of their members it seemed, baring their elite wizards, were nothing to be of note. They can cast basic spells and whatnot, but nothing that really made them a challenge to the Sisters. In fact, Arahan found them so weak and pitiful that she directly told Makarov how such a weak guild can ever hope to beat them in battle. To which Makarov said they don't. They just don't. Although that will never happen because wars between guilds have been outlawed since the Second Trade War over ninety years go and no one wanted to incur the wrath of the Magic Council, the governing entity of all magic in the world. And that was something Makarov didn't want along with the Phantom Lord guild master, Jose Porla. Still, Naestra worried that it may happen, especially since she learned how the rivalry came to be, which was over a drunken Makarov beating up a drunken Jose for badmouthing Fairy Tail over a bragging contest during a Guild Master meeting, much to her and Arahan's annoyance, and how Jose took it all, having never come to a Guild Master meeting ever since and becoming a recluse as a result.

Her thoughts were taken away from Phantom Lord when they reached the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Entering the Guild Hall, everyone could see that the place was as rowdy as ever.

Fights were occurring everywhere, causing damage to the guildhall. Those that weren't fighting were either minding their own business, servicing other guild members, or were watching the brawls happening, taking bets on who would win said brawls as well.

Upon seeing the brawls, Natsu smiled and got excited. That smile, however, quickly went away when he spotted the person that gave him bad info about Igneel.

"Hey, Natsu." Said the man as he looked at the pink-haired Dragon Slayer as he approached him. "How'd that hunt for Igneel go?" He got his answer when Natsu kicked him straight in the face, sending him crashing into a table that was fortunately unoccupied.

"That answers your question?" Asked Natsu before yelling. "That info you gave me was totally bogus!" The kicked Fairy Tail member then got up and glared at Natsu.

"Hey man, I was just trying to help!" Snapped the Fairy Tail member as he glared at Natsu, angry that he kicked him. "I heard a rumor and I decided to pass it on to you! If this is how you treat people who give you info, then good luck ever finding Igneel!"

"It was just a rumor!?" Yelled Natsu incredulously. "Why the heck didn't you tell me it was just a rumor!?"

"You want to fight!?" Yelled the Fairy Tail member instead of answering. The answer he got sent him flying across the Guild Hall, crashing into many tables, and sending people flying.

"Oh no." Said Arahan as she saw this. Realizing what would happen if she didn't intervene before she dashed over to Natsu and sent him crashing into the floor. She then proceeded to twist his arms quite painfully, making Natsu cry out in pain. "There is not going to be any brawling at this very moment." She then glared at everyone else, causing them all to shiver in fear. "That goes for the rest of you. We have a new recruit and I'm not going to have her first day be started out with a brawl. Is that understood, you idiotic man-child's!?" Shivering in fear, most of the Fairy Tail members nodded at that while a few braver ones complained, though they quickly shut up when Arahan looked towards them.

"Ah come on." Complained Natsu through the pain, catching Arahan's attention. "A brawl should be done on her first day. It's a Fairy Tail tradition. Besides, they happen so often here that she should get used to them, right?"

"While I do agree they happen every now and then." Said Naestra. "Often when Erza, Arahan, or I am around, we should give her at least one day without the usual…liveliness this guild is known for." She then addressed the rest of the guild. "You can all go back to your usual liveliness when we officially inducted this young lady," She then waved to Lucy, causing her to blush at the attention she was now receiving. "Into the guild. But for now, please try to refrain from starting any fights. If you cannot refrain from doing so, then please try to keep it as nondestructive as possible." With that, Naestra walked towards the bar to get Lucy registered within Fairy Tail. Arahan, meanwhile, was holding Natsu in place so he didn't go off and start a brawl. Again.

"Are you ready to be inducted into this guild?" Asked Naestra as both she and Lucy walked towards the bar.

"Yes, ma'am!" Said Lucy with confidence. "I'm certain that this is the right path for me." Naestra couldn't help but smile at that.

"Then let us get you underway." Said Naestra before addressing the bar maiden. "Mirajane, can you please help me register this young lady into the guild." Upon hearing that name, Lucy gasped out loud as she saw Mirajane turn towards them from the various beers and alcohols on display to give them a big smile.

"Oh my gosh! Mirajane!" Squealed Lucy as her eyes glittered upon seeing the white-haired beauty.

Mirajane had changed much since Lisanna's death. For the better in Naestra's mind. No longer was she the disrespectful girl that she used to be. Now she was a kind, compassionate, and supportive figure for Fairy Tail. Much like Naestra. At first, people were shocked to see such a radical change with Mirajane, but later on, grew to love it. In many ways, Mirajane became a mini-Naestra or something similar. And boy do they need more of those in this guild.

Naestra, while supportive of the change, at first worried that Mirajane was changing herself for the sake of change, but soon realized that the change was genuine and that Mirajane truly did change because she truly desired to be a better person, both for the guild and her friends. And that was something that Naestra respected. Although, she would have liked Mirajane to refrain from being shown in Sorcerer Weekly in such revealing attire for money.

"Really?" Asked Mirajane as she looked at Lucy with a smile. "Well, let me just get the stamp and we can be done in a flash." As Mirajane looked for the guild stamping tool, Lucy was in awe of Mirajane's beauty. Her long white hair and beautiful dress showing her curvy figure well. She had it all. Oh how Lucy wanted to become her friend so much.

Soon, Mirajane got the stamping tool and asked where Lucy wanted her guild mark to be placed.

"Right here." Said Lucy, showing the back of her right hand. "Can I have it in pink?"

"Of course." Said Mirajane before pressing the magical item on Lucy's requested hand. Soon the tool glowed in color before it was removed, revealing a pink variant of the Fairy Tail guild symbol.

"Congratulations." Said Mirajane as Lucy looked at her symbol in awe. "You're now an honorary member of Fairy Tail." Lucy then squealed in joy before rushing off to show Natsu and Arahan her guild mark. Once she was gone, Naestra looked at Mirajane.

"How has the guild been since we departed?" Asked Naestra as she talked to her former apprentice. Now that Mirajane was a grown woman, she didn't need guidance from Naestra anymore. Although she still kept an eye on Mirajane and Elfman from time to time, she stopped guiding or teaching them life lessons. They are adults now and no longer need her guidance.

"Rowdy as ever." Said Mirajane with a smile. "Fortunately, I've been able to keep them from getting too crazy. Although we still get complaints from other towns for our…destructive tendencies on the job."

"That is to be expected." Said Naestra, knowing that was the case. Although guild brawls have stopped a bit since Naestra and Arahan joined, complaints still arrived from the Magic Council and other towns regarding Fairy Tail's conduct on the job. This is largely due to Arahan and Naestra not being present to stop other Fairy Tail members from going overboard in their magical usage, which leads to massive property damage, hence the complaints.

Although both elves would like the entire guild to stop just destructive tendencies, they were just two people. They can't be everywhere at once. Mirajane and Erza tried their best to help them, but they were four people against dozens of trigger-happy mages. What can you do?

"Yeah." Said Mirajane with a smile. "Though you can reel it in a bit, you can't really stop the rowdiness that is Fairy Tail."

"Perhaps." Said Naestra as she saw Arahan let go of Natsu, giving him a warning, before leaving him alone to talk to Lucy. As the blond-haired teen was talking with Natsu, Naestra asked Mirajane a question. "No one is pestering you to go on a job again, correct? I would hate to hear that you injured someone just because they wished to go on a job with you."

That was another thing that changed with Mirajane. At first, she had lost access to her magic since Lisanna's death. Makarov attributed this to emotional stress, which can lead to one being cut off from their magic. This can be fixed, he claimed, but only through hard work and determination. Fortunately, Naestra was there to help Mirajane regain her magic. It took years, but Naestra was able to help Mirajane regain her magic, much to Elfman's and Mirajane's joy. To celebrate, Mirajane went on a job with Elfman and Naestra. A relatively easy job with modest pay, but that job would become her last job for Fairy Tail. Or rather for jobs placed on the job board.

The job was successful with no destruction done on any civil property, much to the joy of those that sent the job in the first place, but during the whole thing, Mirajane just stayed bored. She longer had the thrill or joy she once had when doing jobs with Elfman or Naestra. She even no longer held any joy when attempting to brawl with Erza. If anything, she just grew tired from attempting to start anything with the scarlet-haired girl or empty when doing jobs. She asked both Makarov and Naestra about this and the two explained to the girl that, perhaps because of Lisanna's death, she no longer felt she had a place to do job requests anymore. And that she outgrew her, somewhat childish, rivalry with Erza. They then suggested that, if she felt bored or empty from doing such jobs, then perhaps she can find work as a bartender in Fairy Tail or something else. The bartender that had been present when Naestra and Arahan joined Fairy Tail was forced to leave the guild on account of her family moving to Crocus, the capital city of Fiore. Thus, people were doing rotational shifts to man the bar until they could find a replacement. Mirajane, out of curiosity, agreed. To her amazement, however, she found happiness and purpose again in being a bartender/waitress for the guild. Because of this, she signed up as a full-time bartender/waitress for the guild.

Although Arahan scoffed at this, finding it pointless and a waste of talent, Naestra approved of it. If it made Mirajane happy, then who was she to deny her what her former apprentice wanted in life. Plus, since she still had her magic, she could keep the guild in line whenever Erza, Naestra, or Arahan were out for either jobs or other activities. Thus, Mirajane became a full-time waitress/bartender for Fairy Tail. Elfman protested it a bit but soon accepted it when Mirajane talked to him. He claimed it was unmanly for a brother to deny their sister what they wanted in life. She also frequently became a swimsuit model for Sorcerer Weekly, much to Elfman's horror.

With all that being said, because of her powerful magic, some members of Fairy Tail had tried to convince her to tag along with them on jobs in order to make them easier and allow them to see just how powerful she really was now that she retired from going out on field jobs. Every time, Mirajane refused, saying her place was now being a bartender. Some were stubborn, however, and often Elfman had to be the one to forcibly make them stop, much to his joy as it showed off his manliness.

"Unfortunately, yes." Said Mirajane as she looked at Naestra with an embarrassed look. "Even more unfortunate, Elfman knocked two guys unconscious for attempting to force me to go on a job with them. He claimed it was him being manly and looking out for his sister, but I scolded him for knocking them out. They're in the hospital now as we speak." Naestra couldn't help but sigh a bit at that.

"Your brother's obsession with his physique, both physically and mentally, as well as him shouting it out is quite…exhausting Mirajane." Said Naestra as she spotted Elfman proclaiming him a man and whatnot.

"Yeah." Agreed Mirajane. "Also embarrassing. Sometimes I wonder if I should muzzle him for a day so he wouldn't annoy someone and cause a brawl as a consequence."

"That is a possibility." Said Naestra before changing the subject. "As much as I wish to continue conversing with you, Mirajane, I need to speak to the master. Do you know where he is?"

"He's in his office." Said Mirajane. "He just got a huge stack of paperwork today. I don't think you need to guess what it is." Naestra nodded at that before leaving to speak to Makarov regarding the Dreadwaters and Hargeon. He needed to know along with the entire Magic community regarding the Dreadwaters.

Although she has little knowledge on how the Dreadwaters operate in this world, only knowing that they take small amounts of people at a time, she hoped Makarov could shed some light on the Dreadwaters. The old human has seen much in his time. Even if he didn't see or heard of the Dreadwaters, he could help find some information regarding them. He had connections with the other guilds. If nothing else, he needed to know that they failed in their latest job. Better it be her than some random stranger.

As she walked to Makarov's office, she wondered if she should tell him about her and her sisters' secret. That their elves and not humans. She was sure that Makarov would understand why she and Arahan kept such a secret from the guild for so long and that he'll protect them from any repercussions for revealing their true race. He wasn't a vain or greedy man. He was responsible, protective, and perhaps most importantly, honest. She knew that her sister would protest at revealing their secret, but if there was one human that she can trust that wasn't her son, it was Makarov.

Eventually, she reached Makarov's office. After knocking and hearing Makarov give her permission to enter, she opened the door, revealing Makarov frowning over a piece of paper.

"Naestra!" Said Makarov with a smile as she entered his office. "It's good to see you. I trust the guild hasn't spontaneously exploded while I was here reading all these complaints."

"No Arahan is keeping everyone from brawling." Said Naestra as she found a seat to sit down on.

"Much as I disapprove of her attitude, I can't deny that she is quite handy in getting everyone to calm down." Said Makarov. "Honestly, the guild's treasury is holding strong now that we don't have to keep paying people to repair the damages that we do to our own guildhall." Naestra couldn't help but smile at that. "Much as I enjoy seeing you, Naestra, I have the feeling that this isn't a social visit."

"No, it isn't." Said Naestra with a frown. "We failed in our latest mission, Makarov. The town of Hargeon is now under military surveillance in order to stop the spree of disappearances. It was under our suggestion."

"Hm." Said Makarov as he heard all this. "While I don't like to hear that, if both you and Arahan suggested it, then I trust that you both know what you're doing. I am surprised, however, that you didn't manage to complete the mission. This is the first time ever that you two couldn't complete a job. I take it there's more to that job than we all initially thought."

"Yes." Said Naestra before bringing out a piece of paper from her person and revealing it to Makarov. It was a piece of paper containing the symbol of the Dreadwaters. "My sister and I have reason to believe that the people behind the kidnappings use this symbol. Do you recognize it?" Upon seeing that symbol, Makarov frowned and sighed.

"As much as I hate to admit it, yes, I do." Said Makarov before telling her a story that he never told anyone before.