Phoenix Fire || Fairy Tail [1]

𝐢𝐯. 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝

"What were you doing in the woods?"

"I was attempting to have a peaceful, interruption-free trip to Magnolia, although that is clearly not what happened." Rose placed emphasis on 'attempting', a meaningful stare sent in Natsu's direction.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you visiting?" Erza asked. Rose felt a smile on her lips, although it (like most of her smiles) was fake. Erza seemed to be the most responsible out of the group, and also the weariest about her. The others, however, had seemingly no reservations despite the fact that Rose was technically a stranger. Hadn't their parents ever warned them about stranger danger?

"I'm not around from these parts – I came here to join a guild."

"Guild?! You mean, Fairy Tail?"

"That's the one."

◊

Rose stared at the guildhall, amazed at the sight.

It was old.

And dusty.

And a lot of the wooden planks which formed the outer wall had rotted away.

And it was set well away from the rest of the town.

It was nothing like what she had heard about Fairy Tail, but then again, she did have a tendency to drop off the map for months at a time. Any news about the guild had probably gone straight over her head. But that wasn't what was important; what was important that the guildhall looked like it would collapse at any second.

And yet, despite the termites devouring its walls, despite the faded, torn flags drooping from the flagpole and the weeds which had begun to encroach on the building... despite all that...

Something about the building seemed to emit a pleasant vibe. Even though it looked decrepit, Rose noticed a pile of wood stacked beside a nearby tree. She noticed the broom resting against the wall, the sheets pinned up on a clothesline to the side. The guild was falling apart – and yet the team she had met seemed to still have hope.

It was oddly refreshing.

A small, genuine smile found its way onto Rose's lips, even though it was hidden by her scarf. So this was Fairy Tail. The phoenix slayer sensed the confusion of Cylene, who was curled up in her arms – watching her worriedly.

"Come on, Rose!" Wendy called, her hand resting on the handles to the old double doors that were the entrance to the hall. A delicate push resulted in the doors flying open, squeaking ever so slightly.

Team Natsu relaxed when they stepped into the guild, their stances visibly loosening up. They seemed to be quite close to the other members of the guild, although Rose couldn't see anything from where she was outside the door.

"We're home!" Natsu announced, "and we have a potential member with us!"

Whispers travelled through the guildhall. It was obvious that they hadn't expected someone to want to join – not when they were in such a pitiful state.

"Who is it, Natsu?" someone asked, though Rose was unable to physically see them. Cylene had climbed onto her shoulder, and without anything to occupy her hands, she resorted to fiddling with the hem of her shirt. It was uncommon for the phoenix slayer to be this way, but this was the first time in a while that she would have to deal with a large group of people. It'd take a while to readjust.

Noticing the woman's reluctance, Lucy decided to take the initiative and grab her arm. Rose flinched away slightly at the unexpected contact, although the blonde didn't seem to notice as she pulled her into the guildhall.