8/23 - Selena's castle - afternoon

Proxy is juggling a stone in his hands while sitting on the ground. I’m sitting at a table in Selena’s courtyard. I’m sitting across from Selena sipping tea from a rather elegant teacup. We came here with Quincy, as well as Nunnalé, who forced herself on coming with us. Selena finally put her teacup down with a flourish.

"That doll truly makes dull tea," she bitterly commented.

"Excuse me, but can we. . .?”

"Yes, yes, we may continue with our conversation, child."

So far we were discussing things that happened to me using Source this far. She was willing to tell me where I went wrong in my usage during the battle with the archer in the dead trees. Right now, I want to get to the main topic at hand, something crucial. . .

"Please, I want you to teach me how to use my Source better," I plead.

"I decline.”

"Why?"

"I gave you material on what Source is. If you carefully analyze the material you'll come to an understanding of how to use your attribute. I made sure to give you a book on that and nothing more."

I went quiet for a second, taking a moment to build up some courage. Breaking the news won't be fun.

"Selena. . .about that book you gave me, it's gone."

"Excuse me?"

"They burned up."

"How," Selena inquired, breaking her lady-like composure.

"Somebody attacked our camp and the books happened to be caught in the fire."

Selena is visibly frustrated, however, despite her frustration she takes up her tea again, trying to regain her composure.

"I am so sorry!"

She sighs to herself. "I guess I can't fault you for an unforeseen event. Very well, I'll teach you something."

I stand up straight, giving her my undivided attention. She raises both her hands.

“If I clap my hands what came from it?"

A riddle? It isn't too hard to figure out what would happen, but she said what would come from it, so.

"You would've put your hands together," Proxy answers.

"Please allow the people with a modicum of a brain cell to speak.”

"You runt!"

"Sound," I answer.

"Yes, the sound would've been produced from my clap. It would echo throughout the area like a ripple that echoes through water after a pebble enters it. For a better example, visualize what flows through your body?"

"Blood?"

"You truly are a bright example of your world's youth."

"What about me," Proxy asks.

"The less said about the unfortunate, the better."

"What does that even mean?"

"Nothing, simply ignore me."

As Proxy got up from the ground to get an answer out of her, Selena teleports him somewhere else.

"Where did you move him?"

"Don't worry about him. Richard, my book was burned while under your care."

"I thought you forgave that?"

"I can say it wasn't your fault but I must have compensation."

"Um, I don't have anything of worth on me."

"Oh, is that so, whatever shall you do then?"

Crap, I'm in between a rock and a hard place, what am I going to do? Selena is looking at me, she doesn't look furious, but I can't tell if she’s just hiding it extremely well, or she's not at all. Either way, she is expecting me to give her something, something I don't have.

"Um, I..."

"Alas, you probably don't have anything to give, then I'll pardon you, but I won't teach you anything about proper Source control."

"Are you kidding me, but without you, I might never be able to control it properly."

"Not my problem, you should've read the contents of my book with thorough eyes."

I want to complain that it wasn't fair but that would be falling on deft ears. Selena is the only one who could teach me anything about how to use my powers. Nunnalé was a no go since she doesn't know how to help humans control theirs; she said she can just do it like it's another muscle in her body. The only Source user I know is Legion, and I have no idea where he's at. There was nothing else to be gained talking here, I might as well give up for the day.

"Okay, I guess that's fair, even if it wasn't my fault, that book were in my care."

I got up from my seat, pushing it in. "Thank you for the tea."

"Wait, child. . ."

I stop next to her as she calls me.

"Have you ever felt Source before?"

"Before coming to this world, never."

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"Odd, even if you never used it before you would at least have a modicum of awareness of it," Selena mumbled to herself.

". . .I have been able to feel how people feel though, and I don't mean by reading their faces and body language, I mean like having a hint of what someone means behind their words."

"Not by tone?"

"No, like, a feeling that I pick up."

Selena goes back to mumbling to herself again. "Richard, by chance: do you have an item on you that emits Source?"

"Huh?"

"Do you?"

"I don't think I do."

"I see, well, in that case, ignore that stray thought." She hops out of the chair, gently pushing it in. "Well then, I hope this concludes any questions you may have for today?"

"It does. However, I need to ask: what can I give you as compensation?"

"It should be easy, but do tell, why are you desperate? You have the doll with you, so you wouldn't need to learn how to use Source."

"That's true, but Nunnalé isn't immortal nor invincible, she can be wounded and so can I and Proxy. If I could make better use of my power, I'll be able to prevent something like that."

Selena smirks as if she is pleased by my response. "Is that so? I guess I can't fault you for thinking in such a manner."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Guardians usually are kind spirits that wish to protect those around themselves, even if it means risking death," Selena explains.

"So attributes are related to personality types?"

"It's simpler to identify a person's character based on their attributes. For example, Elemental Prime users will be stronger with the element they affinity with the most, however, if they were to have fire as their affinity, then that tells me they're a strong spirited person, energetic about their pursuits. Some would call them as wild as the fire in their hearts."

Sounds a bit like Proxy.

"What's my affinity?"

"Since you picked up healing rather than enhancing or detection, despite your handicap I'd say it's healing. It's only an assumption when using someone's attribute as a way to identify them as a person, so it's not a 100% guarantee. On the matter of your Source, if you're forcing it to work, that means you learning anything else besides healing will be difficult in your current state."

"How so?"

"First of all, Guardians can enhance their body parts to make it stronger than usual, however, you won't be able to make full use of it or your healing; whenever you heal it will be at a snail's pace when in actuality you should be able to heal much faster since you have a good quality of Source."

"Quality?"

"Ah, I would tell you, but compensation awaits me."

Yep, this will definitely be a problem if I don't pay her back somehow. In that case, I'll just have to ask what she wants and-

"HEY!"

A loud voice booms from the back-end of the courtyard. It’s Proxy and he looks like he’s out for blood.

"Oh my, you look like a rabid cur"

"I'll show you a cur, get over here, you loli!"

She teleports off her seat. She is standing on Proxy's head. "My, my, your head makes for an excellent place to stand, though a bit light."

"Why you little!" Proxy flips backward to kick Selena but she teleports before his feet left the ground. She moves to the entrance of the courtyard into the castle. "Get back here, you runt!"

Proxy jumps over the table after Selena, who decided to play cat mouse with him. I sigh to myself, annoyed that Proxy just interrupted our conversation. No point in complaining about it now, might as well go and get everyone else and call it a day. Quincy is probably in the library with Nunnalé. He wanted to read up on any information about the grimoire, Nunnalé suggested that she help him. Ever since he's taken up an interest in the book, he's been researching history on it nonstop. However, there are times when he gives up only to go back to it again, but only to give up again. Honestly, I can't tell it's just a form of rest or he's just fickle?

While I cut through from the hallway into the lounge area, I take notice of a wooden cabinet. The wood is finely crafted, the edges were perfectly symmetrically, the corners look particularly shaved as to not be too sharp, and the glass was as clean as snow. The cups inside piqued my interest. They were neatly put next to one another, their designs are interesting, some having flower patterns, others having artistic designs as the cups themselves take on different shapes. Selena must be an avid collector of these types of cups. . . Wait a second!

An imaginary lightbulb went off in my head as my echo went throughout the castle. I have an idea as to how I can pay her back. "THAT'S IT!"

Kingdom of humans - afternoon

We are currently roaming around the kingdom streets, up in the more fancy section of town. Richard brought us to search through the town for a store that sold teacups. So far, we have found zero candidates for Richard's interests. Quincy was helping with the evaluations as to whether the cups were great or not. We just got through with our fifth store so far. I yawn as I grow bored with this.

"Can we go home already," I ask Richard.

"Come on, we only have three more left."

"Three more!? Gah, we'll never get done with this!"

"Have patience, the next two we're going to are close to each other," Quincy assures me.

"But you guys take forever to get through with them."

"Just hang in there, okay,"

Richard says like a mother trying to calm their kid.

"Yeah, yeah. . ."

As we walked on, my eyes were caught on how the people dressed all fancy, some were getting ornaments ready. I wasn't paying attention to it before but some stores were closing early up here; everyone at the lower level was getting their booths ready in the plaza.

"What's going on with everyone up here and down on the lower level?"

"Tonight is the anniversary festival: it always happens on the 23 of the 8th Imperial numbers. During that time, people of the lower part of the kingdom close their shops early and spend time with friends and family alike, partying, eating, and drinking to their heart's content," Quincy explains as if reading off a passage from a book.

"That sounds like a fun time," I reply.

"Yes, but the nobles have their own party. Any highly regarded business owner, as well as respected merchants from outside the kingdom, are allowed to attend," Quincy adds on.

"How is the noble party?"

"I wouldn't know, I don't have a way to get in there. Albeit, Crow did invite me at one point while he was a doctor of the kingdom, but I never took him up on it. Looking back on it now, I should've gone."

"Wanted to party hard?"

"No, I would've been able to go into the castle library."

"Seriously?"

". . .I wonder what I could've taken before getting caught?"

"Dude, you would've been caught for a pretty stupid reason, and that's saying something coming from me."

"It's not like I wouldn't have an exit strategy, besides, would you not do the same for an object of interest?"

"But I'm not a thief."

After half an hour, we finally got through with the last three stores. We were back at the steps for the lower level and the upper floor to the castle.

"Finally, we're done!" I stretch my arms toward the sky.

"We found nothing." Richard sighs in defeat with his shoulders hanging low.

"Master Richard, are you sure that we didn't find the right one? I shall go back and purchase it if you'd like?"

"No, it's cool, I'm sure."

This was a waste, we circled the whole damn place and got nothing to show for it. I wonder if I can find a weapons shop out here seeing how I wasn't able to find the sword I got when Cade and I took down a bandit camp together for the first time. After our fight with Cade, I went back with Nunnalé to get my stuff but their hideout was abandoned, their stuff was all gone, no weapons nor supplies were left behind. However, my jacket was still there, it was neatly folded up and the rips made in it were stitched up. Despite our opposition to each other they still cared to treat it well, expecting me to find it. Wearing it now made me feel a bit bad about how things turned out but that doesn't mean I regret saving Marie; I just wished we could've talked it out is all.

"Hm?"

As my eyes wander I take notice of something near the stairs to the kingdom. Walking over to it, it was a signpost that said, "7th-anniversary Festival Ball competition reward". Looking at the bottom part of the pamphlet, I saw a detailed drawing of a cup, it was no ordinary cup, IT WAS A TEACUP! This wasn't a waste after all.

"Hey guys, come here. I think I found our cup."