Warm, so warm. That’s what Rebecca felt on the first morning of August as she returned to the waking world. It was still early; the twilight of dawn only dimly illuminating the room. Rebecca was curled up and nestled against Shouri’s back and she couldn’t be happier. Taika had the distinct luxury of being Shouri’s plush toy last night.
He came back an emotional wreck. The three girls understood why as soon as he explained his plan.
None of them expected Shouri to give up Mila so easily. The three Resonators were ready for Shouri to beg them to accept her into the party. But no, he kept his word to them: he instead found a new Maestro for her almost immediately.
Partnering Mila up with Vince was one of the best things Shouri could have done for the two of them too. Vince needed a strong Resonator, and by Rebecca’s admission, Mila was a hell of a strong cat. She could be world-class talent if her skills were properly trained. As for Vince himself well…
Cecil’s tragic end probably turned Vince’s mindset more towards Shouri’s point of view, as horrible as it was.
Dismissing that dark thought, the fire fox counted her blessings that Lyle was an idiot and Feroce clouded the victim’s mind. A fully realized Mila seemed like a frightening prospect – that one fight with her pushed Rebecca to her limit. Her upgrades across all of her spells after that battle spoke to how much the fire fox had been pushed.
Speaking of frightening prospects…
What were they going to do about Taika?
She didn’t have control of her ad-Lib. It made her a huge liability. Pacifica and Rebecca tried to keep the newly awakened telekinetic in line but none of them knew what to expect, leading to so much damage in the Naiza MA Office.
It started with a door knob, Taika tore one off when just trying to open the door normally. Then a faucet, again trying to use it and pulling it off instead. A coffee machine in the common room got thrown down the hall. The list went on.
The staff was understanding at first but as the damage piled up, they had to start charging. With Taika being Shouri’s Resonator, his account started taking hits.
Eventually, Taika just slept, too depressed to stay awake.
Rebecca quietly sighed. What a mess they were in. There were plenty of fire trainers around to teach Fire Elements how to control their powers. Lunars though… that was going to be a tough ask.
The fire fox rubbed her Maestro’s back. It was so nice for her mind to be clear again. Before she realized it, she had slinked her arms around him, holding him from behind. A pleasured, yet quiet breath escaped her lips. This was bliss, this was heaven.
The next time Rebecca’s eyes opened, some time had passed – the room was bright, the full morning sun lighting the room proper.
“Mmm… morning,” Rebecca said through a yawn.
“Morning Rebecca,” Shouri whispered.
“Guess we should wake up Taika,” Pacifica chimed in.
The three sat up, eyes focused on the remaining member of their party. The lunar fox slowly slunk under the covers.
“Come on Taika, let’s go get breakfast,” Pacifica urged.
“Mmmrgh.” The Taika-shaped lump curled in on itself.
“Come on Taika, I’m hungry,” Rebecca complained.
Pacifica and Rebecca continued trying to coax the fox out from under the sheets until finally, Shouri spoke up.
“Can you two leave the room?”
“Huh?”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Taika alone about all of this, do a lap around the office and we should be good.” Shouri requested of the others.
Fire and Water exchanged a glance and came to a silent agreement.
“Fine fine.” Pacifica shrugged.
“One lap,” Rebecca warned.
The two quickly put on their shoes and left the room.
Shouri let out a short breath, thankful they didn’t raise more of a stink. Though he had a sneaking suspicion they’d be pulling him aside later on for some of their own “alone time”.
With that matter settled, he could focus on the problem at hand: Taika. Shouri had a little playbook written in his mind on how to deal with his trio’s stubbornness. It was time to bust out the moves.
In one solid motion, Shouri threw up the blanket, laid down, and draped it over the two of them.
“Sho!” Taika squeaked in surprise.
“Morning sunshine.” He grinned.
Before she could figure out what was happening, Shouri had pulled her close, tangling his legs up in hers and slipping an arm around the small of her back. “Sh-sho?!” she whimpered. The tips of their noses touched as his breath washed over her.
“Shhh…”
Her eyes widened as their lips met. So this was happening. Slowly the vixen’s eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around him. The stress fading in an instant. Their lips smacked and he pulled slightly away. “Talk to me,” he spoke gently.
“I’m sorry Sho…” The guilt came back. “I can’t control my powers and- mmmrph!” she was cut off with another kiss.
“Didn’t I say we were going to figure this out?” he reminded her.
“Si, ma pero-!” And yet a third meeting of the lips cut her off.
“But nothing. Stop worrying about it.” Shouri held her tighter. “You’ve stood by me through all of my bullshit. There’s nothing that’s going to make me abandon you.”
The poor frightened fox trembled, tears flowing freely. She buried herself into his shoulder and allowed the stress to flow freely.
Shouri smiled, stroking her hair and allowing her to cry. This is where he belonged and it brought him relief.
----------------------------------------
“Hmmm…” Shouri hummed in thought as they ate breakfast. In front of him was the Lunar Resonator Field Guide alongside his plate of food. Taika had a more normal plate of food for her typical meals, so the alone time did the trick.
“What’s up bossman?” Rebecca asked, peering over his shoulder along with her toast.
“We can at least relieve some of the outbursts by just letting her drain her rhythm,” he mused as his eyes darted up and down the page. He grunted upon reaching a certain line. “Training varies from Resonator to Resonator and professional help is highly recommended,” the Maestro read aloud.
Another grunt of frustration. “Would fucking help if we were on Luna,” he grumbled.
“Speaking of Luna, were we going to meet up with Emily today?” Pacifica asked.
“Yeah, probably. Think she’s still asleep though, not answering my texts.” Shouri double-checked his tuner in case he missed the notification. Unfortunately not, as his messages sat unread.
“In the meantime, I think I have an idea on how to safely discharge some of Taika’s rhythm to keep her stable.” Shouri flipped the book closed to finish his meal.
With breakfast complete the quartet made their way into the casting range. It was mid-morning but even with this being the singular MA Office in the town, there weren’t many other Maestros about. At least, there weren’t many braving the heat to sling spells on the range.
All the better since that would mean fewer people to give them the stink eye after they unleashed some “unpleasant” lunar magic.
“So my plan,” Shouri began once the four were huddled up in the privacy of their selected booth. “Is to just let Taika go wild in here. The walls are reinforced with Vatonium, so even if its Resonator rhythm going amuck, it should absorb it and keep everything and everyone else safe,” he reasoned out.
“Oh duh, why didn’t we think of that sooner?” Rebecca smacked her head.
“Well to be fair we didn’t know we could ease her burden by letting some excess rhythm out,” Pacifica said, rubbing Taika’s shoulders.
The lunar in question nodded slowly. Shouri placed a hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. “This is also a good time for you to try and get a grip on your new powers,” he advised. “Since we’re in a safe space, you can try some stuff.”
Taika pursed her lips and gulped. “S-si…” she spoke quietly. Stepping away from her friends, she took her place at the casting point. Another gulp as she stared down the target at the end of the lane.
What should she even do?
Focus on her powers. That was obviously the first step. It was only after she learned what Volontà Estesa was that she realized she had been leaning on these powers of hers all her life. Her strength that betrayed her frame, the physical feats she had pulled off, they were things that came from this ad-Lib without her even realizing it.
If it came down to it… she could use this power to protect Shouri. If she could properly use it, he never would have been taken. She could have easily beaten Whistler. It would have been as simple as crushing an egg.
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Perhaps she could have even rid herself of her “caretakers” years ago…
Perhaps…
“TAIKA!”
“CHE?!”
The fox snapped out of her thoughts. Down the lane, the target had been torn to shreds. Shouri was by her side, hands firmly grasped around her shoulders while he himself was worse for wear.
Rebecca and Pacifica were nowhere to be seen.
“Wh-what happened?” The Lunar asked fearfully.
“You kinda shot us from the booth,” Shouri quietly admitted.
“A little warning would have been nice,” Rebecca grumbled, dusting herself off.
“Leave it alone Rebby, she’s still trying to figure this out,” Pacifica chided the fire fox. “I didn’t know how to swim when I was born and you certainly couldn’t control your fire when you got your ad-Lib. The difference is, we both had trainers for our skills, she doesn’t.” Pacifica reminded her fellow Resonator.
Rebecca clicked her tongue. “Yeah, I know that!” The grumpy Resonator folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not mad at Taika,” she admitted quietly enough so only the other fox could hear.
Taika let out a sigh, slumping her shoulders. She did feel better after… whatever it was she did. Less bloated or something like that.
“You good?” Shouri queried. Taika nodded quickly. “Good.” The Maestro smiled. “Finally got a response from Emily, so let’s go see what she has to say,” he told the group while waving a tuner.
----------------------------------------
“Sorry Shouri, I don’t know of any Lunar-element trainers down here,” Emily led with the bad news.
The eight-strong group all packed into Emily’s room at the MA Office. It was a bit stuffy in the room with the two Maestros and six Resonators (two of whom were of the fire element). Shouri’s group occupied the couch and recliners, while Emily’s group sat on the bed (minus Soot who stood in the corner like a smiling piece of furniture).
“There’s probably someone in Naiza that can train her. That place has always been the Lunar safe haven, at least in Kalanichi,” Ritika added in.
Shouri and his Resonators remained quiet. It was what they had all feared.
“Wh-what about Al?” Pacifica spoke up.
“Huh? Me?” The Lunar dragon sat up straight upon being addressed. “I dunno which ad-Lib I even got,” he quietly admitted.
“Damn,” Shouri cursed. “I didn’t think it’d be easy, but I was hoping to have some kind of lead.” The Maestro sighed dramatically as he was known to do. He reclined back on the couch, rubbing Taika’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be messy, but I’ll have to get some literature on training Volontà Estesa and just do it myself.”
It was upon mention of the specific ad-Lib needing training that Soot stepped out of his corner and made his way over to his Maestro. Soot tapped his own head twice with the tips of his fingers in a flat shape.
Emily stared at the golem for a moment, trying to make sure she understood his signing. “Wait, what do you know?” she questioned.
He began to sign again, starting with a closed fist and thumb out he tapped his lips twice before stacking several signs back-to-back. Emily studied what he was signing to her.
“Personal… T R A I N E R? Wait you know someone who can train Taika?” Emily gasped.
“What? Really!?” Ritika gasped.
The Golem nodded, pleased his message was conveyed.
“Who is it? Where?” Emily asked.
Once more the Golem began signing, his Maestro watching the rapid hand signs carefully. She shook her head and grunted in frustration. “Wait, one more time?” she requested.
“He said Sarayul,” Rebecca spoke up.
“Huh?” Everyone turned to the fire fox.
“He signed out S A R A Y U L, spells Sarayul,” Rebecca told the group, performing each sign as she called out the letters.
Pacifica raised a brow. She couldn’t understand Maelish sign language like she could Naturallian – Cunei’s grace didn’t seem to count it as a language for their understanding. So how did Rebecca know sign language then?
Shouri frowned and hummed in thought, more curious about the name of this mysterious trainer. “That name sounds really familiar,” he mused, pulling a tuner from his side in response.
“Where can we find this Sarayul?” Emily asked her Resonator.
The golem pondered that inquiry for a moment before resuming signing two fists, tapping one on the other then raising them while opening them.
“Mountain?” Emily guessed.
Soot nodded and continued, once more stacking signs one after the other to spell out the proper name.
“S I N C H E R O,” Emily spoke aloud for the non-signers.
“Mount Sinchero? Where’s that?” Rebecca raised a brow.
“Montagna Sinchero… That’s in Unis-Résonne.” Taika mumbled, shuddering at the thought of returning to that continent.
Shouri sat up in realization. “OH! DUH!” He exclaimed.
“Huh? What?” All attention turned on the loud Maestro.
“Sarayul is a very famous Ethereal – he lived about 800 years ago now? While he was alive, he famously conquered most of Nabhon and began to attack Unis-Résonne. Details of his death aren’t clear, but he was discovered to be residing on Mount Sinchero a couple hundred years ago,” Shouri explained.
“So, he’s a famous war general like the Noble Swords then?” Rebecca questioned.
“Er… no, well yes, but that’s not what he’s famous for.” Shouri rolled his head trying to think about how to phrase what he wanted to say next.
“Why is he famous then?” Pacifica asked.
Shouri grunted and hummed for a moment longer before he came out and said it: “Fucking.”
The room was silenced.
“Uhhh, excuse me?” Emily finally broke the veil of shock cast over the room.
“Fucking what?” Rebecca asked.
“Women,” Shouri replied simply. “Lots of women,” he continued. “Thousands.”
“Uhhh…”
“Nearly every modern, Riterran-born Lunar Resonator and roughly one percent of all other Resonators can trace their lineage back to him. That’s how many children he sired during his lifetime as a mortal,” Shouri revealed to the rest of the room.
Taika picked up on something he said. “That means he’s a Lunar element himself?” she guessed.
“You got it.” Shouri pointed to her in the affirmative.
Soot nodded with a pleased smile as well, seemingly thankful he didn’t have to fully explain the connection.
“Mount Sinchero is the tallest mountain in the Schietto Mountain chain,” Emily read off from one of her tuners. “Sounds like a crazy climb.” She glanced up from her screen at the other Maestro.
“Well, a nearly millennia-old Ethereal would be one hell of a trainer,” Shouri mused, reclining back on the couch. “And it’s the summer, so it’s not like we’re going to be fighting blizzard conditions up there,” he continued to ponder aloud.
“Will he even train Taika?” Rebecca questioned.
Soot held up his index fingers, then lowered his hands, curling the outstretched fingers before opening his hands and flattening them out, parallel to the ground.
“He says there’s a test,” Emily translated.
Without being addressed any further, Soot pointed at Shouri.
Shouri raised a brow, unsure if he understood the implication. “Sarayul will test me? Not Taika?” he guessed.
The golem nodded in the affirmative.
“Hrm…”
This would be tough, possibly dangerous. He was willing to do it – it would be for Taika. Not just for her peace of mind, but to help her grow. Full control of her telekinesis would be a future boon not just in battle but her everyday life.
It wasn’t his decision to make alone.
“Taika, Pacifica, Rebecca – how do you feel? Should we try?” He asked the trio who would be embarking on this perilous adventure with him.
“Traveling into the mountains to meet a reclusive Lunar master? That shit rocks! It’ll be like being in one of those crazy martial arts movies!” Rebecca exclaimed.
“I said I would support Taika and Rebby, so I’m not gonna back down,” Pacifica said adamantly. “Though being that high up is gonna be kinda scary,” she muttered as an aside.
Everyone looked to Taika. The lunar in question had her head lowered and she slowly shook it. “Non… not for me,” she mumbled sadly.
Rebecca audibly groaned, rolling her eyes. Shouri motioned for her silence.
“Taika.” He gently lifted her head, turning her gaze towards him. “All three of us want to help you. We want to see you get control over this. But you also have to want it.” Shouri took a breath. “So, I’m going to ask you one more time and be honest this time: Do you want to go see if Sarayul will train you?”
Taika’s lip quivered as she fought the building tears. These people were way too much. “S-si…” She finally allowed the truth to slip through.
Shouri smiled and hugged the honest fox. “Then it’s settled. Next stop: Mt. Sinchero.”