Never Give Up

FAIRY TAIL GUILD

It was a bustling evening at Magnolia. People gathered to witness the opening night of the Strauss's bar.

Outside the said place, a big tarpaulin has been plastered to announce the date and time of the event (8pm). A flower stand was placed on both ends of the entrance and a big ribbon was blocking its way.

On the inside, Mira and her workers are busy tidying up the place. Her neighbors (particularly her friends' parents) offered to help, which she gladly accepted. They managed to finished at exactly 7pm, which gives them plenty of time to freshen up.

20 minutes before 8, Mira gathered her employees for final orientation.
While Mira is busy, the others are chatting on one table at the corner.

Ur was ranting about her earlier encounter with her youngest child. The rest of the group laughed as they listened to her story.

"You should get used to it by now, Ur." Wakaba exclaimed. "These boys will never quit fighting, especially Gray and Natsu. I'm afraid they're a hopeless case."

"I know. But, it still get on my nerves when I see him all messed up." Ur said. "Anyway, in a matter of time, Macao will be joining the club as well."

Macao looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't your boy grown attached to Natsu? It'll be a matter of time before you see him coming home with a black eye." Ur said.

Macao groaned which made the others laugh. "Don't remind me."

Igneel defended Natsu. "I know my boy can be handful at times, but he's a nice kid." He said.

They all nodded in agreement. "That's why I'm fond of Natsu, despite him being a 'rascal'." Macao said which made Igneel smile.

"We are all fond of your boy, Igneel." Jude chimed in. "Actually... all our kids are nice. I like how we all seemed like a family in our neighborhood." He added.

"Yeah, a one big 'happy family'." Makarov exclaimed. "Let's cheers for having wonderful kids." He said while raising his bottle of beer.

They all stared at him and looked at the beer in his hand.

"Where did you get that?" Silver asked Makarov.

"From the bar, of course." Makarov said nonchalantly as he sipped his beer.

Jude sighed and removed the beer from his father-in-law. "We're not allowed to drink until the bar officially opens, dad."

Makarov pouted. "Don't be a party pooper, Jude. It's just one bottle." Makarov said as he snatched the beer back.

"Give it back." Jude said as he tried to grab the bottle, but Makarov refused to give it to him. The others watched the two amusedly. "Come on, dad. Stop acting like a child."

"You're the childish one here!" Makarov said angrily. He stood up and wiggled his butt in front of him and stucked his tongue out.

Jude went furiously red and was about to snapped him when Mira intervened. "It's okay, uncle. I got this." Mira said while smiling at Jude. Jude mouthed a "thanks" to her.

"Gramps, I have reserved a whole bunch of drinks for you later. You don't want to spoil it with just a bottle of beer, won't you?" Mira said.

Makarov contemplated for a moment. "Oh, alright!" He finally said as he handed the bottle to Mira.

Mira smiled gratefully as she grabbed the beer. "Thanks, gramps. I promise it'll be worth it."

Makarov beamed in delight. "Okay, dear. But promise you won't give a single drop to my son-in-law?" He said childishly which made everyone burst into laughter.