Kanic said:
Futuristic said:
Difference. She's the First. She's the Founder. She's his predecessor. He's differing to her as a sign of respect. She's not actually calling any shots or making any decisions; but he does act to seek her approval.
Exactly. My point being HE SHOULDN"T. He should tell her something like:"Times have changed and I know my family and this world better than you". According to that, it strikes to me as annoying that the one who came up with a strategy (without Makarov knowing a single thing) was Mavis. You wanna know what role I think both of them should have in this arc, the ones they had during Laxus' match against "alexei". In other words Makarov taking the initiative while Mavis compliments him on his skills as a Master. Not the other way arround.
I think the Fairy Members can convey that message well enough without him having to say it. Think about it - I highly doubt any member of Fairy Tail would take orders from Mavis without Makarov's consent or at least implied approval. If she told them to do something that went against what Makarov said or what they knew he'd want, none of them would listen to her.
None of them are treating her as if she's their leader - they're at most showing her respect as the first Master. None of their loyalties would shift away from Makarov - he's their 'Old Man' and she's just his senior.
If she tried to tell them to do something against what he thought was best for the guild, I also doubt Makarov would listen or even entertain the idea. He's showing her respect, but he also doesn't put her before the members of the guild that're there.
All this based on how the characters have been presented thus far. I don't see the problem