Taika brushed her tail using a telekinetically controlled brush as she thought about the whole situation.
It had only been an hour or two since Vienna revealed herself and told them about Ilea Vim as well as her connection to him. It was a lot to take in and consider. Ilea Vim’s near machine-like obsession with rhythm to the point where its rules and stipulations were meaningless. As well as Vienna’s father, the man they saw on the stage with the mad scientist that day in Lyreann Castle.
All with idle thoughts, Taika put some toothpaste on a toothbrush and began to clean her teeth. She was grateful for Sarayul’s tutelage, as simple tasks like this were as second nature to her now as moving her limbs. While her pearly whites were polished to a sheen, she considered Vienna’s stance.
The lyrebird still considered them weak. It was true that Rebecca hadn’t grown as much as Taika and Pacifica had during their stay with the lunar Ethereal, but it was more like they were catching up to her. Now two of the three members of their team could fight all on their own, surely that had to count for something?
But… when Taika tried to grab Vienna earlier, she was soundly rejected. At the end of the day, Volontà Estesa used strings of rhythm to bind and move things in the physical world. Any decently strong rhythm could disrupt it. There was a reason she was taught to use an object close to her rather than being taught how to just tear tuners out of people’s hands. There was enough rhythm going in and out of any tuner even at idle that grabbing it was impossible. She doubted she’d ever reach Sarayul’s level in her lifetime – 900 years was a hell of a long time to refine one’s technique.
That being said, in a pinch, she could grab her own tuner due to its connection to her scale (though she hoped she wouldn’t have to perform such a trick).
Washing her mouth out, Taika considered where Shouri stood in all this. He now had four Resonators, but none of them were mad at him. The blame lay solely on the woman who forced herself into his care.
And it was more than obvious to even Taika that he was not pleased about this arrangement. How he spoke to Vienna was much different than any other Resonator. He viewed her with the same level of annoyance he had displayed when Elijah asked him to do things. A chore, a bother, a nuisance.
She couldn’t blame him. Taika didn’t have a frame of reference on what being a Maestro was like, but she felt this situation was similar to what other Resonators went through – being forced to be with someone they didn’t necessarily care about; the feeling of powerlessness.
Oh, how Taika wanted to swing on this bitch.
But… Vienna viewed them as weak for a reason.
Taika didn’t have the formal training of Rebecca, nor the emotional sense of Pacifica, but what she did have was her gut. What her gut was telling her was Vienna was strong, frighteningly so.
It was almost insane to think Resonators could grow even stronger than where their group was now. Emily was a top-level battler, she made it to the top four in a national tournament, and she was afraid of the power and skill they had displayed.
What would Emily say when she saw Vienna fight? Would she lock up with fear? That level of power must be monstrous. Considering it further, Vienna had her ultimate spell; that must have been that huge hole they had walked by on the way to the hospital in Alspo.
What absurd power… Vienna didn’t deserve it, that’s what Taika decided.
----------------------------------------
Pacifica and Rebecca sat on the couch, Shouri between them. Vienna sat their opposite on one of the recliners, a leg propped up on her knee.
“Relax, I’m not interested in his body, I just want his rhythm.” Vienna smirked coyly at the trio.
“That’s ours also,” Rebecca growled.
“So back off,” Pacifica added in on the protest.
“They have a point,” Shouri agreed. “You’re the one that forced yourself on me.” His eyes narrowed, never leaving Vienna’s form. Rebecca and Pacifica both took satisfaction in their Maestro’s declaration, matching Vienna’s smug energy with a bit of their own.
Regardless, the Lyrebird was not perturbed. “And yet you have yet to make due on that promise of ‘leaving me in a field not knowing who you are’,” taunted the lyrebird.
“You’re useful,” said Shouri. “And I’m paying for your services with my rhythm. If you wish to remain employed, I suggest you watch your tone, Vienna.”
The smirks faded from Rebecca and Pacifica’s lips. It was so strange hearing Shouri speak so… utilitarian of a Resonator.
Pacifica could sense it from him; he wasn’t hiding it after all – Shouri really didn’t like Vienna.
“Fine fine, master,” Vienna said with a shrug, which only served to earn an annoyed grunt from her “employer”.
It was at this point Taika exited the bathroom, appropriately freshened up. She looked between the tense standoff between her friends and the invader. After getting her fill of shooting Vienna some dirty looks, she joined the trio on the couch.
“Now that the family is all here, let me cut to the chase,” Vienna started. “I looked into the people rich boy is eying, and it’s not looking good for you all.”
“That’s just your opinion,” Rebecca grumbled.
“You’re gonna tell me that Whistler was the weakest Resonator they have or something, right?” Shouri chimed in.
Vienna shook her head, ignoring Rebecca’s useless remark in favor of addressing Shouri’s more pertinent inquiry. “Not at all. In terms of raw power, Whistler sits comfortably at the top,” she paused, “but raw power isn’t everything when it comes to Resonator fights. Vail is a tricky opponent, maybe even cowardly depending on who you ask.”
Taika’s expression fouled, recalling the initial surprise bolt of lightning that led to her downfall previously.
“And then there’s him,” Vienna made a face none of the quartet had seen her make before. It was a bitter one – speaking of previous failures. “You’ve seen him already. The third bodyguard of his, my father.”
“Ah, there’s your motivation,” Shouri realized. Vienna nodded slowly, her gaze cast low.
“Yeah, motivation, good word,” Vienna mumbled. “He’s being tricked, I know he is. But he’s a terrifyingly strong Maestro. He could take any of the Grand Masters one-on-one with any Resonator. Though the Resonator surviving the encounter is another story entirely.”
The four on the couch remained silent.
“Cool, so now we know we’re totally outgunned here, ‘cause I doubt we just have to worry about Vail and your dad, right?” Shouri asked.
“Not at all. Ilea Vim likes collecting Resonators, but you already know that. There’s some documentation he has about a whole little system he developed to keep Resonators in stasis so he doesn’t have to bother with actually feeding and caring for them – not that I could find such a system anywhere when I went snooping, but who’s to say he didn’t build it for someone else?” the bird informed the group.
Pacifica squirmed in discomfort at that knowledge. Rebecca’s tail bristled, her teeth rolling across each other as her frustrated glare only sharpened.
Stolen novel; please report.
“As much as I want you to be my Maestro Shouri, I know you’re not up to the task of handling me,” Vienna suddenly said. “You were at full when I launched my Ultimate back in Alspo. If we had a protracted series of fights before getting to my dad or Vail, you might very well bite it on the spot if we tried to pull such a stunt again,” explained the lyrebird.
“What the hell do we do? This is sounding more hopeless by the minute,” said Shouri.
“Our best course of action is to find my sister,” Vienna finally smirked again.
“Another Lyrebird?” questioned the Maestro.
“No, Faith is my actual Maestro.”
----------------------------------------
As much as the girls wanted her gone, Vienna was staying the night.
“Are you sure this is a good idea Sho?” Pacifica asked as they made their way to the cafeteria to pick up dinner for the evening.
“What? Trusting Vienna?” Shouri questioned back.
“No, leaving her with Taika and Rebby.”
“I didn’t.”
“Huh?”
“She’s right behind us.”
Despite Shouri throwing a thumb over his shoulder, when Pacifica whipped around there was no one there.
“But-”
“She’s there. She doesn’t trust you and haunts me as a result,” Shouri said with a grimace. “Gonna need to get me an exorcist,” he grumbled.
Pacifica stole one more peek at the empty air behind them but decided to trust her Maestro’s word on this and kept close to him.
The otter kept her social sense sharp. No one could sense Vienna. Not the Resonators on duty serving them food, not their Maestro chefs, and not the menagerie of hunters and duelists who filled the mess hall.
Vienna really was like a ghost. It was frankly rather frightening for the otter to know that her every move was being scrutinized by someone so powerful. Pacifica’s shoulders were stiff, her movements shaky as the thought of Vienna’s judgmental gaze bore down on her.
“Hey.”
“EEP!” The otter squeaked, earning many more eyes on her than a pair of lyrebird’s.
“Ignore her. She’s just judgy,” said Shouri
Pacifica slowly nodded, trying to calm herself – was this their life now? She couldn’t say she was a fan.
----------------------------------------
Dinner was always one of Taika’s favorite times of the day. Especially when Shouri was the one to deliver the goods. However, this evening was an exception to that rule, as her beloved Maestro and ottery friend returned with the unwanted hanger-on, Vienna.
Five take-out boxes were set down on the coffee table, allowing everyone to grab their share. One box too many in Taika’s eyes.
She tried not to be this spiteful and bitter, but everything about the lyrebird rubbed the lunar fox the wrong way. Every little thing Vienna said or did only served to irk Taika.
While focusing on eating, Taika extended a tendril of her telekinesis out, testing the waters of what she could do and reach. It was a common exercise she practiced in secret. Today’s practice was petty in nature. She probed the space around Vienna, attempting to gauge exactly how far her bubble of rhythm extended out.
Turns out pretty far. Vienna was in the kitchen, eating on her own away from the rest of the family. A distance Taika could reach. Normally that is. Vienna’s rhythm bubble encompassed the kitchen and bar attached to it, denying any attempts at penetrating the airspace of the surrounding area.
“Nice try,” Vienna mumbled, loud enough for only Taika to catch it.
“Tch,” the vixen clicked her tongue but arrested her rage when a hand touched her thigh.
Rebecca shook her head.
With an indignant snort, Taika decided to let it go, for now.
----------------------------------------
Rebecca dried her hair off after her nice boiling shower. It was the only way she or any fire element could clean themselves. The restorative heat outpaced any harm that the water could cause to her inner flames.
However, that wasn’t what was stealing the Renard’s focus. No, it was that bitch outside the door.
Little did the lyrebird know, her little trick was starting to unravel. Now that Rebecca was aware of the mechanics of the mysterious Null element, she could split the threads that made up her disguises.
It wasn’t perfect, but she could tease the connection between herself and Shouri, and in doing so it revealed the weak tempo between the lyrebird and Maestro. She dedicated the entire evening to studying the lyrebird’s rhythm while in her various states.
And that was enough. That’s all it took for Rebecca to be able to sniff her out, even while invisible or otherwise.
That was only one problem. The major hurdle to overcoming Vienna as a fighter was her combat skills. From Rebecca’s observation, she was overly relaxed around the three of them. The fire element didn’t think they were the strongest in the world, but their little trifecta was starting to push the boundaries of true strength. That didn’t even faze the imposter in the slightest. Vienna regarded them as mere nuisances. Like minor Scherzando that could be crushed with as much effort as it took one to lift their foot.
Or at least that’s how Rebecca read the situation. It was frustrating.
But something Taika had said long ago brought the fox some solace.
“So we can get much much stronger then? Like they are?”
Most assuredly. They would get stronger until Vienna was the small one. Until she wasn’t worth the effort. If no one else thought so, Rebecca would see to it herself.
----------------------------------------
“Do you just have to be as unlikable as possible?” Shouri asked as he filled a cup with ice in the common room. Vienna was right behind him, wearing Taika’s visage as her current disguise.
“I don’t see what I’ve done wrong Mae-strooo~” sang the lyrebird. “If my mere presence puts them that much on edge it just proves my point – they’re weak,” she stated.
Shouri turned to face the false fox. An exchange of glares followed before Vienna huffed and broke the volley.
“You know I’m right, otherwise, I’d be in that field somewhere,” she asserted.
“Don’t test me Vienna,” responded Shouri.
“Of course Maeeee-stro!” another taunting sing of her stolen voice merely served to irritate the boy.
“Seriously, you don’t have to be abrasive with everyone. Have you tried making friends with anyone in your life?” Shouri leaned back against the ice machine, sipping his water while the false Lunar element mulled that over.
After a moment she spoke, “People like me don’t get the luxury of having friends,” she started. “We don’t get loved ones. We get people who are useful. You’re useful to me, so you get privileged knowledge.”
Shouri considered her choice of words before responding in kind. “Somehow I doubt that.”
She smirked. “Do you now? Well, do a little bit of research on Allucinazione di Massa and get back to me about how I’d be treated. I’m the last one for a reason.”
The boy pushed himself up and crushed the empty cup in hand. “Seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy,” he grunted.
Vienna remained as Shouri walked away.
“Maybe it is, but when I have cold hard evidence that says otherwise, it’s hard to dispute,” she whispered once he was out of earshot.