Master Makarov helped me off of the large bed. My head rang all over again as I stood for the first time, When my knees buckled, a large hand caught me by the small of my back. I turned to see the enormous hand connecting to Master's normal arm.

Magic again.

I leaned against the headboard for a moment, watching as his hand shrank back down to size and he looked at me cautiously.

"I can call the medics and get you some pain killers." He kindly suggested, "You must have quite the headache." I smiled softly.

"That would be nice. Surprisingly enough, I'm okay for now." I replied and he nodded, taking my reply at face value. My senses had finally settled, or rather I was getting used to my surroundings. I made a mental note to focus on certain things at a time to keep them that way.

"I'll go fetch Lucy. When you're ready, she can bring you to the guild hall." He said, turning to leave. My eyes widened and I gulped.

"It isn't too early?" I asked quietly in concern. He stopped and turned back to me, "I don't know anyone there... Won't they be... apprehensive to me?"

Just as Master believed, wouldn't his followers think me a threat? Who in their right mind would accept a complete stranger into their home? Their famous home? One which aims to protect the world?

But Master Makarov chuckled easily, "Nonsense, dear. My children love new friends." He said, and walked out of the room without a second thought. I sighed, a wave of nervousness rushing through me at the thought of being enveloped by more strangers.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. I focused on the feeling of Lucy's hardwood floors under my feet. There was something shaky disturbing me from under the flooring: a dull rippling deep underground. I could hear the sound of a loud horn and clanking metal, far away but practically right beside me. I knew I was feeling the rush of a train. I forced my attention to the direct feeling of the floor so my mind wouldn't unravel again.

I kept walking aimlessly until I was standing in Lucy's kitchen. I blinked slowly at the items within it: a deep glossy sink, a rack for drying plates and cups, some cabinets hovering over her counter and stationed below it, a refrigerator, and a few pans settled on the stovetop.

Before I could fall into the loud humming of her refrigerator, I heard heavy footsteps approaching me. I looked up to see Lucy standing at the entrance of the kitchen. She wasn't a large girl at all, so it amused me how loud her steps were. She made each one count.

"Hey," She greeted me and I smiled softly to her, "Why don't we get you into some day clothes?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at her suggestion before looking down to acknowledge the pajamas I was wearing: a soft pink tank top and some light blue bottoms. I chuckled slightly before looking back to her and nodding. She clapped her hands happily and guided me to her bathroom.

The room was large enough for one girl to walk around in. There was a deep rectangular bath with a shower head connected, a toilet, and another deep sink embedded in a long counter. The mirror ran from one end of the counter to the other and reached the top of the ceiling. Thus, my reflection was the first thing I saw when we entered the bathroom.

I was... pretty. Surprisingly so.

I had a heart-shaped face and a petite, but curvy figure. I was much slimmer than Lucy; her figure was gorgeous, like that of an hourglass. My complexion was a good couple of shades darker than Lucy's ivory skin-tone, and I had a heart-shaped birthmark on the left side of my neck. Interesting.

My hair was a dark chocolate color. My eyes were also brown like Lucy's, but not as dark. Almost russet colored. My thick, straight hair stopped just under my chest, and I had bangs that almost reached my eyes.

All that said, I was not completely grown. I could only guess how old I was. Definitely a teenager, but nothing indicated where I specifically lied on the spectrum. Somewhere in there.

"Do you want to wash up? Or would you like to just change?" Lucy asked, pulling me out of my thoughts, "They gave you a sponge bath last night, so it's up to you."

I blinked thoughtfully. A bath would be nice. I was also willing to take any chance to stall my inevitable introduction to Fairy Tail. As exciting as it was to think of joining a group of magic users, it was nerve wrecking considering how quickly everything was happening.

"Could I take a bath?" I asked softly and Lucy nodded sweetly.

"I'll go grab an outfit for you. Take your time." She said, pulling a washcloth and towel from under her sink for me to use. I thanked her and she left the bathroom right after.

I was grateful for the straightforward dials of her bathtub. It would have been extremely embarrassing to have to ask Lucy to run the bath for me.

Once I got the water to a desired warmth, I stripped from my pajamas and climbed in. The water sent shocks all across my body and I sighed in delight. It felt absolutely amazing, as though my skin opened up and breathed. My headache went away, and I was curious as to how my senses were suddenly focused on nothing but the water.

The way it gleamed in the bathroom light, the sound of the drops escaping the faucet and connecting to the rest of the bath, the smooth almost silky feeling of it on my skin like it was another layer of me, and the clear smell of it did not escape me. I cupped my hands together and filled them with water before splashing my face. Was I dehydrated? It made no sense why I was so euphoric.

With my mind finally clear, I was able to think of what was happening.

I was about to get dressed and go out into a world I had fell into from the sky. I was going to meet however many people in a guild who all used magic. Apparently, I used it too, and I was going to join them all.

I sighed, trying again for the millionth time to remember the slightest thing.

The sound of water dripping from the faucet put me in a trance, and eventually I huffed in dismay of not getting anything new.

This world was already strange. Couldn't I at least have had an idea of what it was like where I came from? What I was like?

I bit my lip before grabbing the wash cloth Lucy gave me and the soap that sat on the side of the tub. My hair was soaked at that point and stuck to my back as I washed my body. It almost felt like I was becoming a new person in the process.

So, in that moment, I decided I would push forward before looking back.

~~~

Lucy returned as I sat on her toilet seat wrapped in a towel and watching my bath water drain. We smiled at one another shyly before she gave me a lavender and blue colored dress with no sleeves and a V-shaped neckline.

She blow dried and combed my now wavy hair, and helped me into the dress. My stature was a bit wobbly, but she lent me her shoulder to balance myself. I thanked her for it.

"So, what happened with Master Makarov?" She asked as we slid on shoes and headed for her apartment's front door. I shrugged.

"He was a little wary of me at first, but he invited me to join your guild." I smiled, "I accepted."

"Wow, Jay, that's amazing!" Lucy cheesed, grabbing my hand as we exited her apartment and walked down the stairs of her building. "Don't be nervous or anything, you'll love it in Fairy Tail." She promised, "I can't think of a better place to improve your magic abilities and find work."

"Speaking of which," I started before we stepped out of her building, "What magic can you do?" I asked and Lucy smiled.

"Well there are two types of magic usage: holder-type and caster-type." She explained, opening the door and unleashing the brightness of the outside world. I shut my eyes immediately and grimaced.

I felt her hand touch my shoulder before I blinked repeatedly and focused on her. The brightness dulled slightly. I was getting the hang of this.

"You okay?" She asked softly, and I blinked hard as I nodded. When I opened my eyes again, the light was contained. Lucy smiled.

"Holder-type magic is used through special items owned by a wizard." She continued, "It doesn't come from within the wizard like caster-type magic does. I'm what you call a Celestial Spirit Wizard. I use these bad boys," She pulled out a brown pouch from her waist belt and opened it to reveal ten gold keys and five silver ones, "With these keys, I can summon spirits from a place called the Celestial Spirit World."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Celestial...?"

She nodded, "As in outer space." I looked to the sky as she continued, "Stars and suns and planets and stuff like that. The spirits linked to these keys represent star constellations." She pointed to her gold keys and I brought my gaze back to her, "These gold ones are for Zodiac Spirits. I have ten of the twelve. They help me primarily in combat." She pointed to her silver keys, "These silver ones are for other Constellation Spirits. They help with day to day tasks."

I stared at her keys, nodding and pretending to know exactly what she was talking about. I was in awe, mainly eyeing the gold keys. The "Zodiac" ones. I rose an eyebrow.

"Where are the other two gold keys?" I asked, remembering her saying she had ten of the twelve. A soft grin spread across her face.

"My friend Yukino has them." She replied, "She's a Celestial Spirit Wizard too, but she works in another guild in Fiore."

"So... technically... you stand as the most powerful Celestial Spirit Wizard?" I asked and she nodded modestly.

"I guess you could say that." She said, "Everyone who practices this magic wants to get their hands on these." She said, and we started walking slowly away from her apartment building, "Too bad though," She chuckled, "Once you make a contract with a Celestial Spirit, no one else can use the key that summons them."

I nodded at the new knowledge, "And what was that other type of magic again?"

"Caster-type magic?" She asked and I nodded in recognition, "Yeah, that's the badass type. I can't do anything magic without my keys and other items, but caster-type mages can wield magic on their own."

"Hm." I hummed, my eyes wide in shock, "Will I meet anyone like that?"

"Absolutely," Lucy nodded, attaching her brown pouch back to her waist belt, "We have plenty of them... You might be a caster-type mage yourself."

I gasped lightly and she laughed at my facial expression, "Did anyone mention what I can do? Does anyone know?"

Lucy blinked, a nervous smile spreading on her lips, "Not... that I know of."

I squinted my eyes at her, "Really now?" I asked warily and she shrugged it off. I didn't press her, but my mind was racing in suspicion. What was she not telling me?

We walked in silence for a moment as I thought of all the possibilities of what I could do. I had only experienced a "speckle" of magic from Master Makarov, so I was extremely curious to know what else could be done.

"Lucy?" I mumbled, and she looked at me, "Could you... summon one? A spirit? I would like to know what your magic... looks like... if that makes any sense." I said and she smiled warmly.

"Of course," She replied, pulling her key pouch from her waist belt again, "Which one would you like to see?"

I looked at her array of keys and my eyes were glued to her gold ones. They landed on a key that had a symbol resembling an M with an extra hump. I pointed to it.

Lucy grinned before pulling it off her key hook, "This might be a bit bright for ya." She said, winking at me before pointing the key in front of her, "Open!" A blast of bright yellow light came from the key, and the sound of a chime echoed in response to Lucy's voice. The sound of sparkles and flutters enveloped me as well, "Gate of the Maiden... Virgo!"

White light spread throughout the yellow, and I closed my eyes. When I opened them, a woman with a bonnet, short pink hair, bright blue eyes, and maid clothes was standing in front of us. I gasped, involuntarily stepping back a pace as my eyes widened. Lucy chuckled as my eyes trailed over the new woman, and I stared in confusion at the shackles on her hands. I grimaced.

"You summoned me, Princess?" The woman said in a calm, obedient voice. I looked at Lucy is shock, almost disgust. Were all of her spirits like this? Prisoners?

"Princess is what she calls me." Lucy whispered and shrugged.

"Why is she in chains?" I asked uncomfortably. Lucy's eyes widened and her eyes glanced from the woman's wrists and back to my face. She shrugged again.

"I don't really know." She said genuinely, "None of the others are, and I don't condone treating spirits like slaves." Her tone was disgusted like my expression, "They're my family."

The love in her voice was almost palpable, and my unease was automatically diminished.

"Virgo here was one of the first spirits I got. She's always had a how-you-say... kinkiness about her." Lucy said, a drop of sweat forming on her nervous face.

"Kinkiness?" I asked, looking at the patient spirit woman.

"Yeah," Lucy replied, not explaining anything further, "Virgo, this is my new friend, Jay. She wanted to see a Celestial Spirit."

Virgo looked at me, and I slouched from the intensity of her eyes, "Would the new friend of the princess like to punish me?" She asked in a surprisingly calm tone. My eyes widened at her and Lucy laughed.

"Uh no... I'm-I'm good." I replied, and Lucy snorted at my reaction, "But it was nice meeting you... Virgo." I replied in embarrassment.

"It was nice meeting you too. Goodbye." And with that, she disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. Lucy looked at me.

"See what I mean?" She chuckled, continuing towards the guild. I chuckled and followed after her.

As strange as the encounter was, it was utterly amazing! A woman literally fabricated out of thin air. I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there.

"What other things can you guys do?" I asked eagerly, "What other kind of wizards are there? How many work in Fairy Tail?"

"Too many to count to be honest with you." Lucy chuckled and shook her head wearily, "But don't worry, you'll meet all of them today and get to see plenty of different magic users." She promised, and both my excitement and anxiety grew.

After a few more minutes, we made it to a large, beautiful building with an entry arch reading Fairy Tail. I sighed. Though I was a magic user myself, I had no idea where to begin with all of this. And I was about to walk into a building full of experienced wizards. The ones I'd met so far seemed friendly, but what about the others? Were they as nice and welcoming as Lucy and Makarov led on, or were they just sugarcoating their guild mates' reactions to a newcomer?

My ears were already aware of the noise going on within the guild building. Between all of the many voices, either quiet or yelling, I didn't know what to focus on first. To make things stranger, the outside of the building was ridiculously peaceful.

We walked down the pathway leading to the front door, the sound of ruckus much louder up close. Lucy looked at me and smiled, "Welcome home." She pushed the door open, and the first thing I saw was a room filled with people, chatter, and the sound of laughter.

My heart stopped as I took in the grandeur of the large building; it was two stories with dark hardwood floors, marble tabletops, and wooden barrels situated in every corner. The splendor of the place seemed irrelevant to the many wizards inside of it... or at least, they had gotten over it a long time ago. Lucy pulled me further into the room by the wrist, and I ignored the overwhelming sensation of my senses; there were too many things around me to focus on just one.

The only relaxed person in the guild beside Lucy and myself was a bartending woman in the back. She stood cleaning glasses behind the long bar with a sweet smile on her face. Her long white hair pooled to her waist and was clipped back from her face, and her ocean blue eyes gleamed with kindness as she cleaned the guild's dishes with care.

My attention was torn from the beautiful girl as Lucy closed the guild's doors behind us. The noise alarmed my ears, and was loud enough to grab the attention of most of the guild members. Soon, the whole room went silent and my heart stopped. Lucy looked around shyly before her eyes settled on a certain table that held a black-haired guy and a woman with deep red-colored hair. The guy was shirtless, and the woman wore armor.

I looked at Lucy with wide nervous eyes, noting her expression was disappointed. Her eyes trailed along the guild, my heart pounding mercilessly as the people stared on. Lucy sighed and made an unsatisfied straight face. Who was she looking for?

She shrugged slightly and looked at me with a now encouraging smile, "Everyone," She called out, "This is Jay. Our new member."

Suddenly, everyone seated stood up and everyone standing jumped up. All I could hear was cheering and uproar. I covered my ears, my eyes wide in shock as the members of Fairy Tail rushed to me and Lucy.

There was not one disapproving face in the crowd. Everyone was so excited, and smiles were all I could make out. Before I knew it, I was lifted up by the crowd of people, and I looked around in a panic. As I was passed around the crowd, I looked back to see Lucy smiling widely at me.

"Welcome to the guild, kid!" Someone said.

"We've been waiting for you!" Said another.

"Such a beauty!"

"It's nice to meet you, sweetheart!"

After a few seconds, I heard something knocking on wood, and tilted my head to the sound. No one else heard it, and my eyes trailed the room to find where it was coming from. Eventually, I found the maker of the sound: Makarov.

He was standing on a box on the second floor and his enlarged palm was knocking on the railing of the upstairs balcony. I blinked, hearing the chatter of the Fairy Tail guild slowly die down. They all turned to acknowledge the master calling for attention, and I was placed on my feet in the middle of the room.

"That's enough, brats!" Makarov called seriously, though a smile was spread across his face. The guild was quiet again, "Don't crowd the girl too much, she has a head injury!"

I chuckled involuntarily, and Makarov's gaze fell to my face before he descended the stairs and approached me.

"How do you feel, dear?" He asked kindly, and I smiled softly.

"I'm okay. Just... a little overwhelmed." I said, and I heard a few laughs behind me. They weren't mocking though. They were genuine.

"Yeah, that tends to happen with newcomers." I heard from the table Lucy looked at before. The guy with the black hair had spoken. He stood up, and it took a lot not to ogle at the exposed muscle of his arms and chest. He had some symbol painted in dark blue on his chest, but before I could make it out, Makarov grabbed my attention again.

"You'll get used to it if you decide to stay." He said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a small glass bottle full of little red balls, "Here are those pain killers we discussed."

I nodded in appreciation, "Thank you, Master."

Another round of cheering commenced and everyone continued on with what they were doing before. Master Makarov smiled apologetically to me, "No problem at all. Make yourself at home."

Lucy made her way through the crowd and grabbed my hand, "You hungry? Mirajane can fix you up anything."

I smiled and she led me to the bar with the white-haired girl.

The woman watched as we approached with a sweet smile, "Howdy there, Jay. I'm Mirajane Strauss, an S-Class wizard here in Fairy Tail." She said in a soft, high pitched voice. She extended her hand across the bar for me to shake. Her smile was gentle and contagious, and she made me feel more comfortable for the moment.

"It's nice to meet you." I replied, "What's an S-Class wizard?"

"It's the highest ranking for a wizard in a guild." Lucy answered, and Mirajane nodded, "S-Class wizards are only second to the guild master."

"Wow." I gasped. I didn't know the extent of Makarov's abilities, but his energy alone gave off a lot of power, "Are you one too?"

"Uh-" Lucy started.

"Not yet." Mirajane grinned, interjecting and causing Lucy to smile in appreciation, "At the moment, we only have four S-Class mages. We had a fifth, but he left the guild some years ago."

"Ah." I nodded, trying to hide my shock of how few of them there were. Just how hard was it to earn that ranking?

"So, I notice Natsu and the others aren't back yet?" Lucy said suddenly, and I looked at her and Mirajane in confusion.

"Not yet. We're expecting them back tomorrow though." The platinum girl replied.

"Who's missing?" I asked curiously.

"Our Dragon Slayors." Lucy replied and my eyebrows furrowed, "They went on a specific job right after you showed up. Knowing them, I thought they'd finish it in a day, but I guess it was a harder job than expected." She got lost in thought.

"That or they caused more damage than usual and it's taking forever for them to fix it." Mirajane laughed and Lucy chuckled.

"What's a Dragon Slayor?" I asked curiously.

"Caster-type wizards." Lucy replied, "They're raised and trained by dragons to wield their magic. Their sole purpose in this life is be able to defeat dragons."

I paused to absorb her information. I furrowed my eyebrows and licked my lips, "They're taught by dragons to kill other dragons?"

"Essentially." Mirajane said, "The dragons that taught them favored humanity over their own species, especially since they viewed their human students as their own children."

I propped my elbows on the bar's surface and leaned my chin on my knuckles. I hummed for her to continue.

"We have four Dragons Slayors in Fairy Tail. Three of them were taught and raised by dragons while one of them was enhanced. He uses the same mechanics as the others, but he's one of our four S-Class mages." She explained and my eyes widened. I was suddenly very eager to meet these fantastical people.

"How about you give her an emblem now, Mira? She still has a lot of people to meet." Lucy suggested and Mirajane put down her dishes and nodded.

"Follow me, sweet-pea." She said and I nodded before following her gorgeous figure to the end of the bar. She had me sit on a stool while she rummaged through a lower cabinet. She then pulled out a weird mechanism that had the same symbol etched on to it as the one from the black-haired guy's chest.

I rose an eyebrow.

"Do you have a favorite color?" She asked and I tilted my head in thought. My eyes fell to the pretty dress Lucy lent me and were trained on the color of the torso. I looked back to Mirajane.

"Purple." I said and she smiled before adjusting the mechanism. It started to glow a purple shade that was a few shades darker than the one in my dress.

"Are you positive you would like to stay with Fairy Tail?" Mirajane asked, and I blushed before nodding uneasily. Where else was I going to go? I wanted to say.

What was she going to do?

"This emblem will let people know what guild you belong to. So, if you get into trouble, or get lost, they'll know where to send you." She said holding the stamp casually. Was it going to hurt? "This being the best guild in Fiore, this emblem will also grant you immunity in certain situations, or at least help you get off on a warning and whatnot. You'll also be permitted to certain things just from being a Fairy Tail mage." She said optimistically.

I looked at her glowing stamp, "Will... Will it hurt?"

She chuckled lightly, "Not a bit. Where would you like it?"

I didn't know why, but something told me to get it on my right shoulder. It was as if I knew exactly where the strange emblem belonged. Before staying on the thought for too long, I nodded to Mirajane with certainty, "On my right shoulder, please." I said.

She giggled and carefully pressed the stamp to my right shoulder. I felt slight tingles on my skin and my eyes widened as the stamp shined brightly before she removed it. In its place was a purple Fairy Tail guild emblem. From the new angle, I was able to make out part of the shape of it—it was bird-like with a spread wing, a lowered head, and a long pointed tail.

"You are now a member of Fairy Tail!" Mirajane exclaimed and I blushed as everyone within hearing range cheered again. Others raised their wooden mugs with smiles on their faces.

I was... happy. Strangely so.

I couldn't put words to the calm and excited feeling that erupted in my heart.