“Huh, so it is,” Rebecca mumbled to herself, browsing the news on her tuner.

The rest of the room was up and preparing for their day bright and early on the eighth of September. Shouri had the bathroom at the moment, Taika sat on the bed brushing her tail, and Pacifica was tying her hair up, while Rebecca herself sat on the couch.

“What’s that?” Pacifica asked, the closest to the already ready fox.

“It’s Remembrance Day today,” Rebecca said, flashing her tuner screen showing the date and time.

“Oh wow, is it that late in the year already?” the otter gasped.

Taika overheard the chatter of her fellow Resonators and decided to chime in. “What’s Remembrance Day?” She figured it was yet another Maestro observation, but was curious all the same.

“It’s Sage Seres’ holiday,” Rebecca started.

“Usually just a day off to meet up with friends, especially people you haven’t met up with for a while and remember the good ol’ times,” Pacifica elaborated.

Taika frowned. All her friends were present and they didn’t really have “good ol’ times” to recount. Sure, she’d been with Shouri for five full months now, but that was hardly enough time to get nostalgic over.

“I’m more concerned with where we’re going,” Pacifica spoke up, taking a seat on the couch next to Rebecca.

“Hm?” the fire element raised a brow.

“Vienna doesn’t like us, like at all,” started the otter.

Taika nodded – the lyrebird hadn’t exactly been trying to hide it even as far back as their time atop Mt. Sinchero.

“Going to Vienna’s sister’s place and knowing that their dad works for Ilea Vim. It just feels a bit intimidating,” the water element admitted.

“It’ll be fine,” Rebecca said.

“You think so?”

“If Sho comes out and says we're not going, then I’m wrong,” asserted the Renard.

Pacifica hummed in thought.

“I agree with Rebby,” Taika chimed in. “Sho is careful with us, not himself, but us. I’d also be worried if he told us to stay here and he go alone. If he’s willing to take us with then he must think it's safe,” the lunar fox laid out her thinking.

That was enough to ameliorate the concerned otter. “Yeah, you’re both right, thanks.”

“So we’re ready to get going then?” Shouri asked, suddenly behind the chatty gossips.

Pacifica jumped and squeaked in fright, while Taika giggled, having heard their Maestro approach.

“I’d say so.” Rebecca got to her feet.

“Ready Sho!” Taika chirped.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Pacifica said, still trying to calm herself from being spooked.

“Let’s get this the hell over with!” declared the Maestro as flatly as possible

----------------------------------------

The streets of Quiretteh were quieter than the day prior. The ancient city felt sleepy, somber even. The cafes and shops open and bustling with foot traffic yesterday were abandoned, big CLOSED signs hanging in their doors.

A few Maestros and their Resonators milled about, keeping to themselves. The energy the city exerted less than twenty-four hours ago was arrested and locked away.

Shouri and his trio kept the peace, huddling close as they walked, not wanting to disturb the natural order the city had fallen under.

Taika looked around; her ears flattened. She opened her mouth, testing the tempers of her voice before finally speaking. “Is… Remembrance Day always liked this?” whispered the fox, unfamiliar with the holiday.

“Yeah, a lot of people use the day to rest and sleep in,” said Rebecca.

“And spend time with family, right?” questioned the lunar element.

“Right. That’s probably where all these people are going,” the fire fox replied motioning to the others that were out and about.

Even the sky seemed to follow the mood of the day, with dark clouds threatening showers at any moment. The distinct scent of petrichor carried on the cool winds blowing down the streets.

“Let’s not get rained on girls – this way,” Shouri said, urging the trio behind him to pick up the pace. They stopped in front of a building, constructed in brick just like the surrounding ones. A small wrought iron gate stood between the street and a brick patio.

Shouri glanced between one of his tuners and the building before him.

“Is this it?” Taika asked.

The Maestro furrowed his brows, humming in thought. 233 was displayed proudly on the little number sign hanging on the fence.

“Looks like it,” he finally confirmed, sliding the tuner back to its spot on his waist. He approached the gate and undid the latch, letting himself in.

“Uh, is he supposed to be doing that?” Pacifica whispered to the two foxes.

“Dunno,” Taika replied.

“Let’s make sure he doesn’t get blasted,” Rebecca urged her fellow Resonators to follow along.

Shouri knocked on the door. The four intruders waited in hushed anticipation. They weren’t even sure who exactly would answer the door. They just knew Vienna’s sister was supposed to be here, and that Vienna said she would meet them there.

The click of the latch sliding away tensed the three Resonators as they readied themselves for anything. However, their preparation didn’t survive contact with the presence who answered the door.

“Wh-who are you?” a shrill voice asked.

None of the quartet had an answer at first, trying to figure out what exactly was standing in front of them.

A small girl, roughly Taika’s height from head to toe hid behind the door. The fair maiden was clad in browns, a fluffy jacket and skirt combo in one shade, her darker brown leggings contrasting, while her long boots were more of a tan color that matched what sat atop her head.

Two long, slender appendages crowned the girl, folded at the halfway mark. A soft fur coated the twin lengths, with a lighter shade on the inside.

“A rabbit?” Taika mumbled, remembering the figure from the Canolapra museum.

“She’s… not lunar…” Rebecca’s eyes widened.

“I thought they were all lunars?” Pacifica shook her head.

“Who are you?” repeated the mystery creature.

“I’m Shouri. We’re looking for Vienna,” he replied.

The girl perked up. “Oh! You’re different from how I imagined you!” She looked the boy up and down and cracked a smile. “Come in! Please!” The girl stepped aside allowing the guests into her home.

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It was smaller than it looked. There was no foyer or entrance space, as soon as they stepped in they were greeted with the primary living space where a small dining table and couch sat. A thin wood staircase went up to a loft with another couch and a television.

“You can sit here.” The hostess motioned to the downstairs couch and chairs.

There was a bit of a quiet argument about sitting arrangements. Ultimately, Shouri and Taika shared the two-person couch while Rebecca and Pacifica got seats at the table.

“Can I get you anything? Water?” asked the girl.

“Uh, water would be cool,” Pacifica hesitantly requested.

“Sure!” the brown-clad girl stepped off into the kitchen connected to the tiny living room, drawing some cups from the cabinets to fill.

“So uhh… miss…?” Pacifica furrowed her brows, trying to decide how to address their host.

“Althea, I usually go by Ally,” answered the hostess.

“Right, Ally. Are you Vienna’s sister?” guessed Pacifica.

Ally hung her head for a moment, glaring at the water. “No, I am not,” she said curtly. “That child is our Maestro’s biological sister.”

The way Ally had said that told Pacifica everything she needed to know about how she felt about the lyrebird.

“So I have to know,” Shouri began as Ally returned with the cups of water. “Are you a Rabbit, or…?” The Maestro scanned the girl up and down. He spotted a big puffball of a tail behind her as she set the glasses down on coasters.

“A relative – I’m a hare,” she replied.

Rebecca scanned the girl up and down. “Null element, right?”

“Yes.” Ally nodded.

“I’ve never heard of hares before,” noted the battle expert.

Pacifica jumped, her eyes catching on the hare in question.

“As far as Luna is concerned, we’re birth defects and are usually uh… taken care of.”

The room fell to a grim silence. Shouri’s expression fouled, turning to a bitter scowl. Taika lowered her head, linking her hand with her Maestro’s; while Pacifica sat there mouth agape unsure what to say.

“Are there hare Naturals?” Rebecca asked.

“Not to my knowledge,” Ally replied.

Rebecca snorted sharply. “I see,” she decided.

An awkward silence followed as Ally looked around quickly. Thankfully Shouri was the one to break the tension in the room.

“Can we meet your Maestro?” he asked.

“Yes, she’s speaking with that child right now, I’ll see if they’re done,” Ally told them before rushing away.

As soon as Ally was out of earshot Pacifica leaned into the group. “She does NOT like Vienna,” whispered the otter.

“Can you blame her?” Rebecca grumbled.

Taika shook her head.

“If she spent more time not manipulating everyone around her maybe she’d have some real friends,” Shouri said, rolling his eyes.

The three girls nodded in agreement with their Maestro.

They didn’t sit alone for too long as the door opened and the actual residents of the apartment approached their guests. The two Resonator girls were familiar, Ally and Vienna. The Maestro of the two, however, was a new face.

It was easy to guess she was the mystery “sister” Vienna spoke of – they appeared biologically related, with the same tanned skin, and very similar frames, though what they inherited from their parents varied. Obviously, Vienna had her feathery tail held proud and high behind her, but outside of that, the other woman’s hair was a darker red, bordering on brown, which matched her eyes.

Vienna’s yellow eyes on the other hand scanned the three intruding Resonators, the ire boiling behind them.

“This is my sister, Faith. Faith, this is Shouri who I’ve been with for the last few months,” Vienna said, bridging the gap between the two groups.

Faith looked the other Maestro over. “I see,” was her response.

“Charmed,” Shouri replied flatly, raising his brows as he did so.

“My condolences,” Ally mumbled in Shouri’s direction.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” Shouri said, grabbing Taika’s hand for rhythmic support. “First, you take her back.” He all but forced the clear tuner back to its proper owner.

“I thought you took her in?” Faith furrowed her brows but still took the tuner back all the same.

“Not at all, she forced herself on me,” he stated.

Faith shot the lyrebird a quizzical side-eye. Ally wrinkled her nose as her brows snapped to a sharp glare.

“The other thing is she was saying your dad is one of Ilea’s enforcers or whatever?” Shouri asked.

What followed was a loud, dramatic exhale. Faith leaned back against the wall pinching the bridge of her nose. “Yeah. Dad’s his chief of security or whatever bullshit title he made up,” admitted the woman. “Here’s the skinny of it kid, Ilea is a monster, full stop,” Faith started. “If I didn’t rescue Althea from him, she’d have ended up in a million pieces. He doesn’t have a shred of humanity. The man simply looks at everything as data points to be studied.”

Shouri grunted and nodded. “Sounds about right. He’s mucking around with Feroce, not too surprising that he’d want to tear into some wetware to find out how it ticks,” he commented.

Faith grunted and nodded. “Ally being a very rare Resonator species put her at the top of his list, same as Vienna,” revealed the Maestro.

Another thoughtful hum and nod from Shouri. “Yeah, again, not surprising in the slightest.

“So what’s your skin in the game?” Faith asked.

“I want that bastard to stop. He’s hurt a lot of people close to me and I’m gonna make him quit no matter what,” Shouri spoke with determination.

The other Maestro watched a flicker of blue invade the yellow rhythm in her counterpart’s eyes. “You’re serious then?” she asked.

“Deadly.” Shouri motioned to Vienna. “Wouldn’t have put up with her shit if I wasn’t,” he added.

Ally spoke up at this point. “I think we should tell him, Faith.”

The woman groaned, running a hand back through her hair. “Yeah, I guess so,” she grumbled.

“Tell us what?” Pacifica asked.

“What happened to our parents, and what Ilea Vim really is,” Faith said.