The rest of the afternoon at the Gullbeaks’ Headquarters was more relaxed once everyone departed for their duties. Kuri offered to give Aida a tour around the HQ building and neighborhood, introducing her to the local businesses the Gullbeaks maintained relationships with.
Just as Aida thought, their headquarters used to be a tavern with an inn above it. But as Buddington Town grew, expanding away from the district the tavern was at, fewer and fewer people came to stay at the inn or dine at the tavern - especially since the more humble food stalls next to the tavern offered more affordable dining options, and the newer districts had more comfortable inns.
The tavern was already closed when the Gullbeaks finally approached the owner about leasing the space, so they were able to acquire it easily. “Not to stoke our own fire, but we’re the reason why this district is revitalizing,” Kuri said proudly. She pointed at some of the more run-down looking businesses that had construction materials around them; clearly undergoing some remodeling. “Knowing that one of the more prolific Adventuring companies has settled in this area is encouraging the local families who are staying here to open up businesses that help supply us with gear. It’s great for all of us, because they don’t have to spend as much time and baen traveling to another district for work.”
Everyone they passed smiled and greeted Kuri, who greeted them back with a bright smile and affable words. Their friendliness extended to Aida, asking after her, and inviting her to visit when she was next in the area again. Several food stall owners even pressed small snacks upon her, insisting that a young practitioner like her needed all the food she could get.
As much as Aida appreciated the free food and kindness from literal strangers, she couldn’t help but wonder if these people were only friendly because of her association with Kuri and the Gullbeaks, or because they were trying to curry favor with a Maglica student. Is this why Teena hates me?
“Let’s head back to HQ,” Kuri decided. “There’s another exercise I want to show you.”
They ambled back towards the tavern, chatting idly about life as an Adventurer.
“I really do believe in our mission,” Kuri said wistfully. “I mean, I can’t say for certain, since I’ve been with the Gullbeaks ever since we first started working - but I feel like we’re the only company where every member really stays plugged in with the neighborhood and our roots, you know?”
“I bet,” Aida said softly. She hadn’t met with any other Adventuring companies yet, but she could imagine what Kuri was saying - the Gullbeaks were the hardy startup, not yet corrupted by shareholders who demanded profit above all else. They only had their neighborhood to look after, allowing for a synergistic relationship between the locals and the company. “You’ve all been working for so long as such a small company. How do you not burn out?”
Kuri made a thoughtful noise, turning the corner so they could see the tavern across the street. She slowed, the arm linked through Aida’s arm dragging her to a halt. “It’s not easy,” she said softly. Her sharp blue eyes stared unwaveringly at the tavern. “Especially as the main attacker on the team at first. You know we only hired Lula recently?”
Aida nodded, remembering Lula’s words during lunch.
“…It was a struggle,” Kuri said baldly. “We needed to make baen - startup costs, you know, and we had to go to the more pricey districts to replenish our supplies in the beginning - so we worked way more than we rested.” Her eyes were unfocused now, looking deep back into her memories.
“I’m not saying nobody else worked hard,” Kuri said quickly, squeezing Aida’s arm. “But…with how small my mana pool was, I got drained a lot faster than everybody else. And everyone really did try to support me…but that just made me feel…guilty, you know? Like, if I were stronger, or had more mana…” she drifted off, her voice wavering.
Uncertain what to do, Aida threaded her arm out from Kuri’s loose grasp, and put her arm around the young woman’s shoulders in a gentle hug. “Hey, at least you made it here now. And you’re really strong! I don’t think anyone would have known you have a ‘small’ mana pool if you didn’t tell me.”
Kuri gave Aida a tremulous smile, leaning lightly against Aida’s side. “Thanks, I keep making you comfort me - it should be the other way around! I just wanted to let you know it is possible to get your mana pool to a functional size. I’ll show you when we get back to HQ!”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The two of them piled into Kuri’s room, a small domicile that could only fit a single bed, a desk, and a dresser. Kuri’s room was cluttered, reminding Aida of a girl with a lot of memories - colorful memorabilia hanging from walls and on all available surfaces, along with a more serious-looking wall with pictures and scribbles that Kuri casually said served as reminders and critical lessons learned.
Seated on Kuri’s bed, Aida watched as Kuri dug through her drawers, trying to find the equipment she needed for the exercise.
“Do you still do this exercise?”
Kuri sighed as she continued rummaging. “I should do this more often - there’s no downside, you know? But it’s boring - it’s just a grind. Ah!”
Kuri brandished a massive red cluster. Doing a tiny skip in the cramped space, Kuri thumped next to Aida on the bed, holding the uncut gem out. “Here, take this: it’s a low-grade mana battery, but it works great for this exercise.”
Receiving the raw crystal with both hands, Aida looked at Kuri questioningly. She nodded importantly.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“A high-grade battery makes it easier for you to store your mana into it - more efficient in mana transfer, you know? But a low-grade battery depends on you. If your mana isn’t clean enough, then you’ll lose a lot of mana to the environment.”
Pressing her lips together, Aida tried feeding her mana into the rock. This was the first time she had interacted with a low-quality mana battery, and now she fully appreciated why Vanita’s secret family technique was so coveted. With the little fire gem in the statue Vanita had grown, it sucked in mana greedily, easily. With this mineral, she felt like she was just washing mana over it. All the impurities in the stone - the hardened sand, rock bases, other materials she couldn’t make out - interfered with her mana flow.
“Remember to filter your mana,” Kuri chided her gently. “Just like when you transferred mana from water to wood.”
Closing her eyes, Aida tried to remember how it felt when she had severed her mana from herself. Being aware it was there, but not putting too much awareness onto it. She felt the smooth edges of the rock’s natural facets, as well as the rough points where the mineral was splintered from its cluster.
She was also dimly aware of Kuri next to her: her quiet, steady breathing as she watched Aida perform this exercise; her chest rising and falling in slow breaths. Unconsciously, she felt herself match Kuri’s breathing rhythm: deep breath in, expanding the lungs, then expanding the diaphragm fully, holding it for a beat, then slowly releasing the breath.
Aida opened her eyes, blinking warily at Kuri. “How much time passed?”
“About a quarter hour?” Kuri tilted her head at Aida, a small smile on her face. “How do you feel?”
“A bit light-headed,” Aida confessed, setting the mana battery down in her lap. Remembering what she had been doing, she raised the battery again, looking at it in wonder. It wasn’t much, but the battery had a faint glow. “I did it!”
“That you did!” Kuri said eagerly. “Awesome, you did great at purifying your mana! Now this next part is the easy part: wait for your mana to replenish itself, and when it’s full, draw this mana back into you.” Kuri placed a gentle finger on the battery.
“Won’t that take hours?” Aida asked uncertainly. “Or are you saying I should Mana Cycle in between…”
Kuri smiled knowingly at Aida. “You see now why I said it was a grind?”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After a rambunctious dinner with the Gullbeaks that night, Aida sat outside in the tavern’s courtyard with the mana battery. Kuri had to replenish her supplies, so left Aida to her own devices as she ran some last-minute errands.
“Everyone else will be around, so don’t be shy if you need to ask for help!” Kuri had told Aida before departing.
Aida fingered the battery, feeling the mana’s faint swirls inside its rough exterior. Fortunately, her Mana Cycling (Lv11) was high enough level that she was able to passively recover a significant portion of her mana since the unfortunate attack in the morning. She had been actively Mana Cycling through dinner, and was most of the way recovered.
“Hey, mind if I join you?”
Aida glanced up, startled. She hadn’t even noticed Yoon approach. “Yes, of course.”
Yoon pulled up a rickety stool next to Aida’s equally suspect chair, looking up at the moon rising in the night sky. They sat in companionable silence, Aida still Circulating as she waited for Yoon to speak.
Yoon was calm; self-assured, with a kind eye that never missed anybody’s discomfort, no matter how fleeting. If Aida had to guess, she was likely the mother figure in the Gullbeaks.
“How are you doing?” Yoon finally asked.
“I’m fine,” Aida murmured back. “…Thanks again for letting me stay with you guys.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Yoon said, waving her hand dismissively. “We have plenty of space. Anyway, I wanted to ask you…” she turned on her seat, glancing at Aida with those knowing green eyes. “…what you thought about the exercise you and Arryn did today. Your honest thoughts.”
Aida blinked. “It’s…hard.” Yoon nodded, encouraging Aida to elaborate. “I mean…I see the value of it, no question. I just…” Aida felt her inner walls crumble as Yoon’s green eyes glowed in the rising moonlight. Despite her being a stranger, Aida felt like she could confide in her. Yoon was far enough removed from Aida’s regular circle that she didn’t have to worry about rumors spreading, and she also had the air of understanding and respecting privacy. Aida’s insecurities spilled out.
“It’s really frustrating. I know it’s unreasonable to expect myself to do well on an exercise the first time I try it out, and it’s difficult enough that everyone else has warned me that it’s hard - but I still wonder, if Sue was the one who came here today and was presented with this exercise…” The rest of Aida’s words shriveled in her throat as soon as she realized what she had just said. I don't think I'm supposed to show weakness...
Yoon reached towards Aida, placing her hand on her shoulder gently. “I understand. Kuri told us some of her observations about you at school,” she said quietly. “Nothing bad, I assure you - but she did mention that your closest friends are all in Class 1, and…I can imagine that there is some comparison there, despite the best intentions.”
Aida nodded silently, focusing on the mana battery. Maybe I can do the next part of the exercise now.
“You know, Tyda has the same struggles as you,” Yoon said softly. She began rubbing Aida’s shoulder in gentle circles, drawing Aida’s attention away from the rock. “I don’t normally like to apply stereotypes, but you two really do embody the Water trait of…trying to fulfill all your perceived obligations.”
Aida blinked, looking back towards Yoon. She smiled, embarrassed. “I mean, it’s not a bad thing, at all. It’s just…it can hold you back, if you’re not careful.” Yoon considered, glancing back towards the tavern entrance to ensure no one else was approaching.
“I’ll use Tyda as an example, because we’ve been together for so long. He’s never been weak - none of us are, let’s be clear - but he’s always been so focused on his weaknesses, that he’ll overlook his own strengths. Which makes sense - in order to live a happy life, we must strive to achieve balance.” Yoon sighed, her comforting rubbing stalling. “At the cost of his own happiness, and maybe even the expense of growing upon his own natural strengths…he strives to shore up his weaknesses. And…perception of strength and weakness is relative.”
Yoon pulled her hand back from Aida, leaning forward so that her elbows rested on her knees. She seemed to be talking to the moon, which was now completely in the sky. “When you’re surrounded by people equally as capable as you, even when their strengths are in other areas, it’s easy to lose confidence in yourself. Especially when you only notice your weaknesses - you don’t realize that your strengths can compensate for areas you’re lacking in - because it’s impossible to be perfect.” Yoon flashed a melancholy smile at Aida. “I’m seeing some of that in you.”