After the intense meeting with Makarov, Blake felt a strange mixture of immense relief and caution. He was officially a member of Fairy Tail, and his dangerous secret was safe, for now, in the care of the Master.
He made his way back down to the main hall, where the party was still raging. The noise, the music, the flying tankards—it was glorious chaos.
"Blake! Over here!" a loud, cheerful voice called out.
Laxus Dreyar waved him over to a table that miraculously hadn't been smashed yet. The blonde youth had a giant mug of what looked like juice, and his grin was infectious.
Blake joined him, sitting across from the future Thunder God. "Quite the welcoming party," Blake said, taking a sip of the drink Maria had left for him earlier.
Laxus laughed, the sound booming. "You haven't seen anything yet! Wait till a brawl starts." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Seriously, though, you were wild when fighting grandpa. Whatis that black stuff on your hands?"
Blake just shrugged, keeping his promise to Makarov. "It helps increase physical power, that's all. I'm still figuring it out."
"Well, whatever it is, keep practicing it! You're gonna be strong, Blake. A great addition to the guild!" Laxus clapped him on the shoulder.
They spent the next hour or so partying together—dodging stray chairs and mugs, laughing at the antics of Macao and Wakaba (who were now arguing loudly over their lost bets), and getting used to the overwhelming energy of the guild.
As the party began to wind down in the late afternoon, Blake realized he desperately needed to address his wardrobe.
"Hey, Laxus," Blake called over the music. "Listen, do you know a clothing store nearby. All I own are these," he gestured to his plain white t-shirt and brown shorts. "I need to look like a civilian, not a particularly feral woods sprite."
Laxus raised an eyebrow. "I know a few places in Magnolia and can show you around."
Blake asked with a smile. "So will you join me for shopping?"
Laxus grumbled, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Ugh, fine. But I'm not carrying anything frilly."
They left the guild hall together and headed towards the central shopping district of Magnolia. They went into one of the largest garment shops.
An hour later, they came out of the shop looking like two exhausted pack mules. Blake, despite his small size, was carrying a ridiculously huge sack of clothes slung over his back. He had spent exactly 50,000 Jewels on clothes.
Blake had changed immediately. He now wore a bright yellow button-up shirt (short-sleeved, for ease of movement) and comfortable, black cargo three-quarter shorts.
Laxus, meanwhile, was grumbling loudly behind him, carrying a much smaller, but still cumbersome, sack of clothes.
"I shouldn't have agreed to come in the first place," Laxus muttered darkly. "This is worse than a three-day escort mission. I swear, you bought enough shirts to clothe the entire eastern continent."
Blake turned, his new yellow shirt bright against the afternoon light. "Come on, Laxus, don't be a sour puss," he teased. "Look at it this way: utility and fashion. Now that we've finished the hard part, let's celebrate. We'll drop these at my room, and then we're getting ice cream."
Laxus's grumbling subsided slightly at the mention of the frozen treat.
They first went to Fairy Hills, where Blake was shown his small, secure room in the men's quarters. He quickly dumped his bags, and then they headed back out. After enjoying a massive scoop of ice cream each, Laxus showed him around Magnolia, pointing out landmarks, popular mage spots, and, most importantly, the cheapest places to get repairs done after a guild brawl.
That night, Blake slept in a proper bed for the first time in two and a half years. The mattress was soft, the pillows were plush, and the quiet security of Fairy Hills was absolute bliss. He fell into a deep, comfortable sleep, the kind of rest only achieved after years of sleeping on moss and dirt.
The next day, Blake woke up refreshed. He followed his ingrained training routine, quickly freshening up, and then picked out his outfit for the day: a simple, dark black t-shirt and clean, white shorts. Practicality was key.
He made his way back to the guild hall, which, miraculously, was mostly intact after the previous day's celebrations. He quickly spotted Laxus.
"Laxus! Time to earn our keep," Blake announced. "Let's find a quest."
Laxus grinned, already energized. "Took you long enough! I was starting to think you were going to lounge around and just count your new clothes."
They headed over to the guild request board. The array of quests was bewildering, ranging from A-Class requests to simple retrieval jobs.
They looked for a while before Laxus pointed to a lower-tier flyer. "This one's easy. It's a C-Rank quest, local, simple. Gotta find some rare herbs for an apothecary shop right here in Magnolia. It'll be a quick Jewel boost."
"Perfect," Blake agreed. "Let's do it."
They took the flyer to Maria. She smiled, stamping the request with the guild's approval. "Stay safe, boys. And don't break anything on the way."
They headed out immediately, going to the forested area just outside Magnolia's city limits. Blake, with his sharpened Observation Haki and years of practical forest experience, led the search. It took them three hours of methodical searching, with Blake using his keen senses to track the faint magical signature of the herbs, before they were successful.
Quest complete, they quickly collected the reward money from the grateful apothecary.
They returned to the guild hall, heading straight to the bar. "Maria! Two orange juices, please!" Laxus requested, plopping down on a stool.
As they were having a casual chat about how Blake had spent the last two years in the forest, A stern voice cut through the background noise of the guild.
"Laxus!"
Laxus flinched visibly, his cheerful demeanor instantly replaced by a look of annoyance and resignation. "Oh, no. He's back."
Blake turned to see who it was. Standing near the entrance was a tall, sharp-featured man with dark hair and a thin mustache. Blake immediately recognized him: Ivan Dreyar, Laxus's estranged and manipulative father.
Laxus let out a low grumble. "Great. Just great." He pushed his juice away. "I gotta go, Blake. He takes me out for 'special' magic practice." He gave Blake a look of deep frustration. "He was out on a quest yesterday, that's why I was able to party all day."
Laxus reluctantly walked towards his father, who gave Blake a brief, dismissive glance before leading Laxus out of the hall.
Blake watched them go, his expression hardening slightly. Ivan Dreyar. The cancer of the guild, already poisoning the well.
He turned back to Maria, who was wiping down the counter, her expression sympathetic. "Maria, who was that man who called Laxus?" Blake asked, pretending ignorance.
Maria sighed softly. "That was Ivan. He's Laxus's father." She paused, her voice dropping. "He… he's a difficult man. He's always pushing Laxus too hard, and he doesn't seem to care much for the guild's way of life. Makarov worries about them."
Blake simply nodded, his face unreadable. He knew the path Ivan was trying to set Laxus on, and he knew he had a long, hard job ahead of him if he wanted to keep his new friend on the side of light.
"Thanks, Maria," Blake said quietly. He took a long sip of his orange juice, the sweetness unable to cut through the sudden, bitter taste of potential darkness.