Living on Amber Island as opposed to Magnolia was, to say the least, strange for Illya to handle. The bustling towns and festivals of Magnolia was now replaced by the admittedly slightly dour air of the island. The constant taste of the sea breeze was, to say the least, a pleasant change towards Illya, as was the very symbolism of living on the island. No more Fairy Tail, no more clinging to those past hopes, now she was a member of Dies Irae. She could finally fulfill her wish. She could destroy those guilds that destroyed her. But she was not powerful enough, not by a long shot.
She was so weak, in fact, that she believed herself to be unable to fight in a true sense. As humiliating as some may find it, Illya was almost used to having to beg for a job, especially from her earlier days awake. She had begged Mister Weiss, no, Mister
von Weiss, to let her be the greeter for new ships that would be arriving with recruits to Amber Island. Until she could handle herself in a fight, she would refuse to sit around and simply do nothing. She needed to provide some sort of assistance to the island, and even if it was something so simple as being a receptionist, it was no different to her jobs in Magnolia.
This was a strange day, to say the least. Where most ledgers of the incoming ships merely held the business dealings of incoming and outgoing goods, there was a big headline at the top of the ledger on this particular day.
Incoming Recruits
At seeing this, Illya nearly jumped out of her chair, waking Yemaya from her rest. Before even explaining, she hastily threw her uniform on and made sure she looked as good as possible. This was her chance to prove her worth to the guild that had accepted her so suddenly.
We do not even know when the ship is arriving.Illya stopped at Yemaya's observation. It was true. The ship had an estimated time, though it was quite the range. Nonetheless, she quickly bounced back from her realization and continued throwing her uniform on. Even if it took a few hours, Illya could at least perform a little concert for the dockworkers. Ever since she gained the ability to use her instrumental requips, she was used to the impromptu concerts. She had made it a habit, almost a routine: seven o'clock in the evening, every day, like clockwork. She would requip an instrument near the arches to the guild hall and begin playing a concert. Some days, she would get some people stop to listen. Others, it was little more than a public practice. She did not mind, though. Even if no one said it, she was confident that it at least provided something to the guild as a whole. Could have just been a boost in morale, could have just been making a single employee in the grand hall that little bit happier on a poor day, it did not matter. She helped someone out, right?
And now, she was hoping to prove her worth in a situation where failure was an option. As she raced to the dock, her heart pounded. What if she flubbed it? What if she said something wrong? What if the new recruit was scared away by her? Yemaya did her best to assuage the God Slayer's fears, but Illya continued racing on towards the dock nonetheless. Luckily enough for her, she did not seem to have to wait long for the ship to arrive. In fact, the ship was just beginning to dock when Illya arrived. She took her breaths quietly, hoping to at least appear prepared while she would introduce herself to the new recruit. No, new
recruits. There were three of them present. From simply flying into the island unannounced to now having three people come in the conventional way. It was a change of pace for the girl, but she was always up for a challenge.
You're forgetting that the Ambassador wished for you to greet the recruits at the Grand Hall, not the docks.Illya stood in silence, still smiling for a moment. All at once, the realization caught up with her as she sprinted back to the Grand Hall, hoping that she would not be noticed. Yemaya followed along closely, telling Illya that Yemaya was trying to tell Illya that very fact the entire time that she raced to the docks.
Luckily, Illya managed to reach the Grand Hall and rest up before the trio arrived. The two in front seemed chipper enough to join, the man especially, but the third one that lagged behind seemed more...exasperated?
"Hello! Welcome to Amber Island! I'm supposing you're the new recruits for Dies Irae? Let's see...looks like we have all three present, but one of you is catching up a bit, it seems. Now then...I'm assuming you're Miss Emma Titan? Pleasure to meet you. Now, as for you other two, I'm not quite certain on the details behind you, but if I remember the picture, you're Mister William Everett, are you not? And that would make you Sage Dreyer, right?" The lagging man finally caught up with the other two as Illya guessed the name.
"I'm Illya Pegasus. The Ambassadors, Miss 7 and Mister Weiss-" She coughed.
"Mister von Weiss, have a few things they need to take care of, but one of them will be able to help you get your initiation fully underway once they're ready. Until then, I hope that I can answer any questions that you might have about us, or at least I can maybe provide a bit of entertainment? I'm pretty good with instruments and singing, and I've even done a bit of acting on the side as well, but that's really neither here nor there, but maybe just talking would be a bit better to handle? Right? I've already told you a bit about myself, but I think it would be awesome to get to know you guys a bit better as well while we wait, right? I mean, I'm a bit new myself so I think it would be so awesome to learn all about fellow newbies like me and find out what you're all capable of. Oh, right! Capabilities! Magic! All that! What do you guys have for your magics? Maybe....oooh, maybe one of you is one of those people that can shapeshift their bodies to look different! What was it called again..? Sorry! I'm a bit new to magic myself. Oh! Right! Myself! I'm a God Slayer, I guess? I'm not really sure what it means but it's all good, right?" She slapped her cheeks.
"Focus, Illya! This is about meeting the newbies, not talking about yourself! Right! So, you three! How was your trip? If I'm remembering correctly, the weather's been nice the past few days, so you probably haven't had much trouble with sea sickness or all that, but if you did, then I'm sure I can heal you right up! Oh, if that's okay with you of course! Wouldn't want to just impose my own healing on you guys, though I hope you don't need it. W-wait, not like that. Uh...I mean I hope your trip was safe and sturdy enough that you didn't get sick! I'd hate to see you newbies get sick and-"Yemaya sighed, pausing Illya's train of thought. She then spoke to the group as a whole.
"I very much apologize for the child's...erratic behavior. She has bouts of enthusiasm like this, and she never stops talking. Please, if you are so willing, it would be lovely if you would tell us about yourselves. That is the crux of what Illya is trying to say."Illya smiled, patting Yemaya on the head.
"Aww, thanks Yemaya! Oh, right! This is Yemaya! She's-"Yemaya said nothing, merely glaring at her ward. Illya stopped talking, and focused her efforts on listening instead to the three newcomers.