Lucy was tired.
Her feet hurt. Her back hurt. Her head hurt, and worst of all, she hadn't slept since the night before last because of all the craziness. What of her beauty sleep? First, the party run by that fake Salamander that had almost gotten her kidnapped and sold, and then, all the running from the police just to make it to the train station in time (seriously – how had they not caught her and Natsu? They weren't exactly discrete, especially with the trail of fire he left in his wake and the loudmouthed blue cat flying after them).
But finally, she was here: her dream, the reason she had almost gotten kidnapped, the reason she had run away from home in the first place – Fairy Tail.
The guild hall stood tall and imposing among the short, quaint buildings that lined the streets of Magnolia, like it had been built to shout, "I'm here!"
Lucy supposed that it matched the guild's impressive reputation. She had been reading about them for ages, of course, just like any dedicated Fairy Tail fan. There were so many people that she wanted to meet. She'd met one already — the REAL Salamander, Natsu Dragneel, who had led her here — but there were so many popular names floating around the guild that she was almost afraid to meet them.
How would they react to a nobody like her asking to join the guild? Did she need to worry about that, too?
But she was already here. There was no turning back, not after she'd come so far already. It was either this or return back to her father's suffocating mansion, and between those two options, there was definitely one she preferred.
Lucy followed Natsu and Happy into the guild.
... and immediately, the pink haired boy launched himself at a man dressed in a skintight suit, fist engulfed in that beautiful flame that had saved her the night before.
Before Lucy could even react, Natsu was roaring all sorts of things: "Igneel wasn't there!"/"You sent me that far on just a rumor?" and a couple of other phrases that were lost to the noise of the guild.
To say Lucy was astonished would be putting it extremely lightly.
She knew Natsu was a hothead, but this was entirely too much. Shocked from her stupor, the blonde moved to try to pull Natsu off of the other man, but someone got there first: a black haired man who... was lacking a shirt. And pants. And anything that would normally go underneath that.
An involuntary squeal let itself out of her mouth as she threw herself backwards.
The black haired man slammed his fist into Natsu, and started an all out brawl.
"Well, that's Fairy Tail for 'ya!" Proclaimed Happy, as though this was the most normal thing in the world.
"Don't you 'that's Fairy Tail' me!" Lucy squealed again as a chair — no, a whole bench — was launched away from the dust cloud kicked up by the fight. More and more people joined in until it seemed everyone who had been inside the building had started throwing punches.
Or ice. Or magic cards. Or smoke. Whatever magic appealed to them most.
Lucy couldn't even keep up with all the people inside whom she recognized from newspaper or magazine articles. And they were ALL fighting each other like it was nothing.
"That's just how Fairy Tail is, yanno?" Happy explained. "Did you think any guild that let someone like Natsu in would be normal?"
That was true, Lucy thought. It certainly would be on brand for the dragon slayer boy.
"A bunch of brutes, the lot of them," came a silky-smooth voice from a nearby bench that, surprisingly, had not yet been engulfed. She looked that way to see a familiar looking man.
He had light brown hair that framed his face messily, yet somehow looked natural on him, along with a thick jacket (in this summer heat?) and baggy cargo pants.
Lucy wasn't sure whether to agree with him or not. Would it be insulting his guild if she did?
He stood, and she realized that he was quite a bit taller than her.
"I assure you, I'm nothing like them, princess," he said. Lucy was mesmerized by his voice, but, remembering what had happened last night, she felt wary of handsome men, an involuntary chill making its way through her spine.
"Come on, Loke, don't flirt with her yet. Natsu will get mad," Happy, her savior, chided the man.
Loke? As in THE Loke who had been ranked among the top ten bachelors in all of Fiore multiple times? He certainly looked the part - painstakingly beautiful in a way that didn't make him look like he spent ages on his appearance, yet refined in a way that meant it wouldn't surprise her if he did. Lucy surely would have been mesmerized if not for last night.
She took a step back, keys jangling at her side at the sudden movement.
Loke's eyes trailed down to what made the noise, and, as though she had hit him, he flinched. If Lucy didn't know any better, she'd say that terror flashed in his eyes before he put his hands up to keep the distance between them.
"Ah, er, sorry, I, uh, -"
And just like that, the eloquently speaking man turned into a stuttering mess.
Loke took a step back, bumped into someone behind him, and was dragged into the brawl behind him.
"Wow, Lucy, how'd you do that? I knew you looked scary, but not that scary," Happy cooed. She wanted to turn around and give the blue cat a good smack for the snide comment, but she was just as confused as he was.
"C'mon over here, Lucy, it's at least a little calmer," the cat suggested a moment later as they were both sprinkled with shards of ice. That black haired man from earlier had attempted to trap Natsu within a pillar of ice, only for the hothead to break it into pieces with his bare hands.
(Was it odd that Natsu looked the happiest when he was fighting?)
Lucy followed him over towards the bar area where she'd see the one lady using card magic, the keg she'd been drinking from sitting lonely on the floor. Unlike the rest of the guild, the bar emitted a sort of sacred vibe; it was cleaner than the rest of the guild, and no one seemed to dare to get near it even with the nearby chaos. It felt like a breath of fresh air in Lucy's lungs; the main guild hall smelled a bit like sweat, men, and food, while the bar just carried the soothing scent of beer and the ocean.
The ocean? Inside? Lucy supposed it must have just meant that the food was fresh.
The bar was unoccupied, save for a man slumped on one of the stools at the very end of the bar, past the keg. Lucy wasn't even sure if he was alive; his back was arched and upper body tossed haphazardly on the counter while his hands lay at his sides, making his spine appear rigid. She couldn't make out much of his finer details because his face was turned away, but a mess of blue hair was sprawled out behind him — and it was a lot of hair. It was probably even longer than hers.
"Mira! Mira!" Exclaimed Happy as soon as his voice could be made out above the clamor. "This is Lucy!" He put one tiny, blue paw on her shoulder as though to push her forward.
Behind the bar was the most beautiful woman that Lucy had ever seen — well, after her late mother, that was. The lady had silvery-white hair that glistened even in the chaotic light of guild, and on her face was an unbothered, peaceful smile that even made Lucy forget that the hall was a war zone at the moment. It was as though an angel had descended from the heavens to deliver Lucy from the cacophony behind her.
"Oh?" Said the woman - Mira, Lucy presumed - with a cocked head.
"I'm Lucy," Lucy introduced without trying to stutter. Mira... Mira... where had she heard that name before?
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mira said with a smile. "You may have just heard, but my name is Mirajane Strauss. Feel free to call me Mira, though." Even her way of speaking was eloquent. Was this the only normal person in Fairy Tail? She seemed like just a barkeep, though.
Lucy's brain finally stopped thinking of the beauty of the woman in front of her and returned to what she'd said: Mirajane Strauss. Of course. It all clicked. Mirajane Stauss, the famous model that Sorcerer Weekly often hired to pose for them. It made sense, seeing how beautiful the woman in front of her was.
"Earth to Lucy," Happy droned, snickering. "You don't want Natsu to think that you've ditched him for Mira, do you?"
Lucy ignored the implications of the cat's comment.
"Right – don't you have to stop them?" she asked somewhat desperately. Not that she thought that the beautiful woman in front of them could really do anything.
"Don't worry about it. This kind of thing happens all the time," Mira said with a wink.
And there went any ideas Lucy had about a peaceful guild. Well, at least it would probably be more interesting this way? An image of a guild full of Natsu appeared in her head.
("Where'd my pants go?" Lucy heard that naked guy from before shout loudly, followed by a loud chorus of "You never had any!" from the people around him. Yep, it seemed that the pantslessness, too, was a normal occurrence.)
"It sure is... lively..." She finally grimaced. Would she be okay in a guild like this?
"This may be getting a bit too intense though," Mira admitted. Lucy had to wonder where exactly the line was drawn, because the ground underfoot rumbled with such a ferocity that Lucy was almost worried the floor would collapse under the weight of the clashing guild.
A chill went down Lucy's spine, and suddenly, a new voice broke above the rest; the guild hall rumbled even more intensely as something slammed down towards the ground. The lights became muted as though it had become night within the building.
"It's too damn loud!" Cried the newcomer. "Cut it out, you fools!"
The lights didn't get dimmer, Lucy realized. Something was blocking them. Something huge. A hulking figure had jumped down from the second floor, smashing anyone unlucky enough to be below him. The guild went silent.
How the hell did he fit through the door? Was all Lucy could think.
"Oh, Master, you were here?" Mira asked calmly.
Master? Lucy was sure that her eyes would come out of her head if she stared at the large man; he towered over everyone, his head easily clearing the bannister on the second floor. A man like that was the master of Fairy Tail? He was terrifying. Probably even more scary than Aquarius had ever been.
The guild paused for a moment longer before someone — Natsu, of course — broke the silence with a haughty laugh, hands on his hips and chest puffed out.
"You guys all got scared! That makes me the wi-"
Thunk! The master moved his foot to squish Natsu and cut him off.
(Surely the pink haired boy would be okay, right? He hadn't just been crushed to death?)
"Hmm?" The giant rumbled. "A newcomer?"
Lucy felt a second chill go down her back. Suddenly, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to join the guild; surely this giant man wouldn't be mad at her for interrupting his guild?
He stared at her for a moment longer. A surge of magic, a blink later, and the giant was gone, replaced with an old man that barely went up to her knees.
"Nice to meet you," was all he said, before jumping back up to the banister that he'd only just leapt off of.
Lucy didn't miss the way that the guild master stumbled over the railing.
"You've done it again, you fools! Look at these documents I've received from the council," the master hissed towards the gathered guild members. Even though he was short, the guild gave him their full attention - most did of them, at least; Natsu was still laying on the ground recovering from being squished.
Lucy was at least a little bit familiar with the Magic Council. They came up in a lot of newspaper articles about mage guilds. Apparently, it was that organization that managed all of them, and it was likely that, based on the chaos that had happened in Hargeon, the Council was not a fan of Fairy Tail.
"Gray! You took out the smuggling operation like you were supposed to, but then walked around naked afterwards. And then you stole someone's laundry! Elfman! You had an escort mission with a VIP, but you assaulted them during the mission! Kana, drinking fifteen barrels of alcohol and charging it to the council. Loke, flirting with council member Reiji's granddaughter. And Natsu..."
He trailed off gravely for a moment, eyes searching for the dragon slayer. The master hadn't even realized that Natsu had been crushed under his foot just moments ago until his face trained on the still-dizzy-looking man laying on the ground.
"You destroyed the Devon family, but also destroyed seven houses that belong to townspeople. AND leveled a historic clock tower. You burned down a church in Freesia. Damaged parts of Lupinus Castle. Nazuna Ravine observatory collapsed and has to halt operations. Destroyed half of Hargeon's port..."
He spoke so darkly that Lucy felt another shiver go down her spine.
"Guys, the council members are mad at me all the time... But to hell with the Magic Council!" The stack of complaints in his hand burst into flame, and he tossed them downwards towards Natsu, who caught them in his mouth like a dog.
""The power to overcome reasoning comes from reasoning. Magic is not a miracle. When the 'spirit' flows within us and the 'spirit' flow in nature connects, they will form an embodiment for the first time. You need a lot of strong will and concentration for that. If you worry about the magic council, your magic will never improve.
"Do what you think is right! That is the way of Fairy Tail mages!" He finished loudly. The guild went up in cheers around Lucy. People threw up whatever they were holding - beer mugs, a chair, a hat, whatever. Lucy could tell that they held a lot of respect for the guild master. It was certainly a lot more respect than they held for the laws and the magic council.
Suddenly, the chaos of the guild made a lot more sense. Especially when the guild master was explicitly encouraging it.
The master made his way back down to the bar and ordered "the most alcoholic drink they had," then sat down on a stool.
"Sit, sit," he gestured towards Lucy. She took his invitation hesitantly, but took it she did, asking Mira just for a glass of water. Her bank account was bare enough to not risk a nice drink, no matter how refreshing it may have seemed.
"Thank you," she offered, unsure if she was thanking Mira for the drink or the master for letting her sit down.
"After all that, you still want to join? You'll be dealing with these brats every day," the master asked.
It didn't take more than a moment of hesitation for Lucy – sure, it was crazy and hectic, but she had thought the same of Natsu immediately after meeting him. She'd even told him so, and yet he'd still come back to save her. She was sure that the guild was full of all sorts of nice people, even if, at the surface, they appeared completely and utterly insane.
Besides, she wasn't one to back down after coming this far.
"Alright. Mira, if you would."
And just like that, Lucy was a member of Fairy Tail. The process was surprisingly easy; just a little stamp on the back of her right hand, and she was suddenly a member of the most famous (hectic) guild in Fiore.
The guild master, who had introduced himself as Makarov Dreyar, downed two glasses of beer in quick succession, then asked for a third before he'd even set down the glass of a second. It seemed on brand for him. Lucy probably would also be an alcoholic if she had to deal with people like Natsu on a daily basis – which she probably would soon.
"Hmm?" Came a low hum from the man at the end of the counter. She had almost forgotten about him; he was sitting there like a lump of arms and legs while Makarov had been shouting at all of them, so Lucy had almost thought him to be inert. Or dead.
"Finally awake?" Asked Mira of the man, who finally had sat up.
His sitting height revealed him to be much larger and taller than both Master – obviously – and Lucy. He may have even been taller than Mira was standing while he remained sitting down.
Lucy got a look at his face while he did a sweep of the counter.
He looked sleepy. Lucy found that she doubted he was truly asleep, but his face still had that kind of loose look that you got when you weren't aware enough to tense the muscles in your face quite yet. Lucy thought she could even see a thin line of drool coming from the corners of his mouth.
The man had a fairly androgynous face, but somehow, Lucy still got the vibe that he was male, even with the long, girl-like hair that he had styled into a low ponytail. He was mildly intimidating due to his height, but his face looked soft.
He wore a short sleeved, black turtleneck up to his chin that was tight against his body, revealing what was probably a layer of muscle underneath. On top of that was a white, long sleeved jacket that looked either incredibly soft, or like that material was made out of the same as that of a towel – Lucy couldn't quite tell.
His eyes passed over Lucy, then found Mira.
"Yeah," was all he said, eyes hazy.
What the heck? So he was actually sleeping during all of that? And he didn't even seem surprised in the least to see her.
"I had a dream that the guild got in trouble again, and Master started lecturing us until he got bored. And then he went on his usual rant about magic and the council," said the sleepy man.
Thwap! Master's fist had enlarged itself to the gigantic size from before and pounded itself right onto the sleepy man's head.
But all he said was, "Ouch."
"So you were awake. What do I keep you around for if you're not going to keep those brats in line?" the Master asked.
The blue-haired man kept a hand on top of his head to prevent himself from being hit again – or maybe just to ease the pain a little bit. Lucy couldn't imagine it didn't hurt, even if he hardly flinched at all.
"For my wonderful personality?" He suggested, bracing himself for another hit that never came. Master Makarov was too busy losing himself in his third beer of the hour.
"Lucy," Mira called her attention away from the man. "This is Mercury. He's a useless man who does nothing but hang around the guild."
"Hey, hey," the man – Mercury – interjected. "Don't go telling her that. I'm on break."
Mira raised an eyebrow, "And how long has that break been going on?"
He had no answer or retort for that, mouth opening, then closing in defeat. With a forlorn sigh, he turned his attention to Lucy, reached directly in front of Master Makarov's face (even though doing so left his arm at a weird angle; it appeared as though he just meant to put his arm in front of Master's eyes), and offered his hand for a handshake.
Lucy was as hesitant to accept it as she was Loke's, but at least this man didn't seem to be a womanizer.
"My name is Mercury. You can call me Merc, or Yuri, if that sounds cooler. I'm ninety-seven years old, and I primarily use water magic. It's nice to meet you, Lucy."
It took Lucy a moment to register what he'd even said. His name was normal, as was his introduction as a mage – but, did he just say he was ninety seven years old? He didn't look a day over twenty five, and even that was pushing it.
She couldn't tell if he was being serious, lying, or joking.
"If you're wondering whether what he says is true, it is," Mira answered as though reading Lucy's mind.
"Why does no one ever believe me?" Mercury groaned. He sat back on his stool like it was a throne, closing his eyes and throwing his head back like Lucy's doubt was a personal insult.
Makarov, looking entirely exasperated as though he'd been through this several times before, exclaimed, "You look like you can be my grandchild, you fool. Nobody's going to believe you if it sounds like such an obvious lie!"
"Then… how can I convince people?" Mercury almost looked… hurt. Like a child who'd been scolded.
"You can start off with –"
"Now, Master," Mira chided, replacing Makarov's glass with one filled with water, "he's just trying to rile you up. Hasn't he done this enough times that you're used to it?"
"I – you – Merc!"
(Master had not, apparently, gotten used to it yet, and Mercury hadn't gotten tired of it either if the way he threw his head back with a laugh was any indication.)
Lucy couldn't tell if Mercury was ridiculously strong or if he lacked a sense of danger. The way he provoked Makarov was just like Natsu provoked – well, anyone. By being dense (either intentionally or not). The two started to squabble – squabble – as though they'd entered their own little world, and Lucy, Mira, and Happy were gone.
"They're still at it, huh?" Happy said. It really said something when the cat looked exasperated at the situation.
"You're telling me this is normal too?"
She could believe Natsu and everyone getting into fights was an everyday occurrence, but to get into arguments with the guildmaster?
"Yep! Mercury's really old, so he knew Master Makarov when he was little."
"And Master Makarov is – like that," Lucy said, not knowing how to call him a 'shriveled up old man without being rude, "and Mercury looks like he just stepped out of the newest cover of Sorcerer Magazine?"
Mira laughed quietly, ignoring the bickering men entirely. "Don't let him hear you say that, Lucy, or you're going to inflate his ego even further."
"Too late," cut in Mercury. He had his hand on top of Makarov's head, pushing the man away like a toddler. "My ego's already larger than you can handle."
"Yeah, well, screw you," Makarov hissed, apparently trying to ignore Mercury entirely.
"Any bigger, and Mercury's head is gonna blow up!" Happy said, apparently just wanting to insert himself into the conversation as much as possible.
"Yeah, yeah, my ego's huge – don't you have to go make sure Natsu doesn't steal your fish or something?"
"Gosh, you're right!" And just like that, the little blue cat was off to harass Natsu instead of the four of them.
Lucy couldn't tell if Happy was predictably dumb or if Mercury just had experience; hearing that he was apparently almost a hundred years old, she predicted it was the latter.
"To answer your question though, Lucy," Mira said, leaning forward, "there's a real reason why Mercury looks so young." Her eyes flicked towards the blue-haired man as though asking for permission.
He shrugged, "You and Master have both given your seal of approval, so I don't mind if you tell her. You're both much better judges of character than me."
The way that he emphasized 'much' made Lucy believe there was a story behind that, but she didn't pry.
"You'd be a better judge of character if you stopped relying on Mira to do it for you," Makarov grumbled, thus starting another argument between the two of them.
The Celestial Spirit mage wasn't sure if she wanted to be privy to any sort of secret belonging to a person she just met. Then again, it seemed rather important to Mercury – to the poin that he'd tell a near stranger.
"Well then," Mira leaned in even closer, "Mercury doesn't like to be the one to tell people this, but he's not human."
Lucy paused. The gears turned.
"What?!"
She'd heard of intelligent species other than humans before. Most were belligerent and the target of some less than savory rumors, usually more myth than true, and Lucy had never actually seen one before. In fact, she doubted that any truly existed.
If something had the intelligence to rival humans, wouldn't they be seen as equals in society? Wouldn't they be… more prevalent? Not just a fairy tale?
But there wasn't an ounce of doubt in Mira's eyes.
"So you believe him, right?" Lucy asked. It was a dumb question; Mira looked like her resolve was solid and there was nothing that could change her mind.
"Of course. He's Fairy Tail.'