Macao stepped forward, speaking loud enough for the hall to hear. "I know we've talked about this already, but after today, I think it's fair to make it official."
The guild members paused, watching carefully.
He turned toward Teresa. "You've helped us, even though you owe us nothing. You've defended the town without asking for reward or favor."
Teresa tilted her head slightly but remained silent.
Macao continued, his voice steady. "We're not pushing you to join as a full member. But I'd like to offer you something nonetheless—recognition under the Fairy Tail emblem. You don't have to become a family. You don't have to sit at these tables with us every day. But while you walk through this world, carrying this mark means Magnolia—and Fairy Tail—acknowledge you."
The room remained respectfully quiet.
Teresa studied him for a long moment, her silver eyes unreadable. The offer was unusual. In her world, there had been no such things as guilds offering symbols of trust without demands. No such gestures without chains.
She glanced slowly around the room. They were watching her—not with expectation or pressure, but with a strange warmth. They were giving her permission to remain distant. And yet still protected.
"I will accept your emblem," she said finally. "But I seek no family, no bond beyond mutual respect. I am not one of you."
Macao nodded without hesitation. "Understood."
He gestured to Reedus, who eagerly fetched the emblem stamper. "Where would you like your mark?"
Teresa reached into her Requip space with a thought, and a shimmer of light brought forth her white battle cloak. She laid it across the nearby table.
"Here," she said softly, tapping the centre of the cloak.
Reedus carefully positioned the stamper. "What color?"
Teresa paused briefly. "Black."
The device pulsed briefly with magic, imprinting the Fairy Tail insignia—a sleek black crest—onto the white fabric. The contrast was sharp, unmistakable.
The mark gleamed under the hall's warm lights.
Macao smiled. "There. That's official now."
Romeo grinned brightly. "You're kind of one of us now! Sort of."
Teresa lifted the cloak and folded it over her arm. "It is... acceptable."
"Fair enough," Wakaba chuckled. "Don't worry. Fairy Tail's full of strange people. You fit right in by being different."
Later, as night fell, Teresa stood alone on the quiet balcony of the inn. The cloak, now bearing its black crest, rested over her shoulders once again. She let the fabric sway gently in the evening breeze.
Below, Magnolia still hummed with life. The streets pulsed with lights, music, and conversation.
This world was bright. Loud. Full.
And yet, she remained apart.
Her fingers lightly traced the new emblem on her cloak.
A symbol of belonging.
But not a bond.
She did not belong here—not in the way they did. She did not seek the chaos of their laughter, the closeness of their endless family bonds.
But she would watch over them. She would protect the peace they cherished, even as she remained distant from its warmth.
It was enough.
The faint smile touched her lips once more—quiet, calm, as it always had been.
The Faint Smile remained.