#and the tenrou group disappearing really hit him hard and made him withdraw

[resolvebound]

@quiiscnt im taking the opportunity to do 3 😅 so here's #3/3

Send ⭐ for a sample of a new muse I am thinking of writing // accepting

Distracted in thought, Max tapped the end of his pen to his notebook in a mindless beat, eyes not really registering his surroundings (which was perhaps a dangerous thing to do, considering he was at the bar within Fairy Tail’s guildhall). The hall was a bit emptier than usual however, so his chances of being accidentally struck or pulled into a brawl were rather low. Somehow, that thought wasn’t particularly comforting. Brawls or general rowdiness, it didn’t matter, he just preferred the lively noise and energy of having everyone around. Because there had been long years of quiet.

Even before the Tenrou team had disappeared, he’d never been one to enjoy silence or solitude, he’d always fared best when there was someone to talk to after all. Those years without them, with the remaining members slowly dwindling away or worse, losing their own spark, it hadn’t been easy. And it reminded him too much of his own childhood. Lonely days with no one to talk to, or to even exist around him, no company at all.

Frowning at his line of thought, he rubbed a hand over his face as if to scrub some clarity into his mind. He sighed and turned his attention back to his notebook, eyes skimming over what was written. He had a few ideas down so far, social events that would bring in both some money and extra cheer, yet he hoped to come up with something truly exciting, something that would bring everyone together. Maybe even involving the other guilds?

His mind churned with possibilities, creating and discarding, sifting through them like sand through his fingertips. It was just as he was thinking that perhaps he’d best throw ideas around with someone else, that he became aware of a presence drawing near. As his eyes found them, a smile jumped to his lips.

“Mira, perfect timing,” he said, “Do you have a minute?”

He’d worked closely with her in past years to arrange events, always finding her input and help most useful. During her long years of absence, he’d found himself somewhat stepping into her shoes in terms of running the organizational side of things for the guild. Responsible for recording what jobs had come in (not that there’d been many...) and who had taken them up, along with taking care of most of the paperwork that came with managing a guild. Sometimes Laki, and the others that had remained, still told him whenever they’d taken a job, a habit that hadn’t yet been broken. And he didn’t mind it one bit.

As Mirajane smiled and took a seat beside him, he pushed his notebook towards her.

“I’m trying to come up with a new event,” he explained, excitement beginning to build, “It’s been a while and I think we could all do with a bit of fun, don’t you? I think a little game or competition could be fun, but we all know how those can get…destructive if certain people are involved. But maybe a scavenger hunt of some kind?”

He paused a moment, intending on waiting for her input, yet it occurred to him that they hadn’t caught up in a little while. With a sheepish tinge to his expression, he added, “Sorry, I’m jumping right into things. I haven’t even asked you how you are…So…how are you? How’s your project coming along? Wait, and last time we talked, you were having trouble with your neighbour, how’s that going? I had issues with mine just yesterday, he has this really annoying little dog-”