She knew that, if there really was a problem, it would only come about because of a self-fulfilling prophecy; that, as long as she did nothing and didn’t worry about it, then everything would be okay, if anything were to ever go wrong in the first place. Yet still she worried. She couldn’t help but wonder why she’d never gone over there, when she could recall going there for most other festivals.

The thought haunted the back of her mind all up until the day of the festival itself. When the day came, all she could do was tell herself to go on as normal, and she’ll see if there were any particular reasons none of them were there that day…

“Are you ready?” she prompted gently, her hand hovering over the door.

Astyu was still fumbling with the chain on his belt, but he answered with a soft mhm. As soon as he snapped it into place, he rushed up to be by her side, and the two of them left the estate together.

He was always a shy kid, but that demeanor tended to give away to his curiosity whenever they went out for a festival. She was able to see parts of him that he normally only showed when they were alone—the behaviors of any normal kid… though still one who tended to stay close to her.

“Where do you want to go first?” Eme asked as soon as they got to the center of town. From here, it was fairly easy to see all of the different kinds of stalls each street was lined with.

Astyu glanced at each of the streets, undoubtedly weighing all of his options and fully aware of the places he definitely wanted to go. After a moment, he pointed to one of them. “That one. It looks like they’ve got games…”

She started leading the way there. “Do you think you want to try any of them?”

“Maybe…”

“Would you like one of the prizes?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them yet.”

“Well, if you decide you do, I’ll help you out.”

“No.”

“Hm?”

“I want to try all on my own.”

“Oh, that’s alright, too. I’ll still have to pay for it, though, if that’s alright with you?”

He nodded.

It seemed that a lot of the games had been placed down this street, though very few of them seemed to spark Astyu’s curiosity. There were a few of them that he gave passing glances to; otherwise, he walked to a certain one with confidence. The prizes—several different kinds of plushies—must’ve been really appealing to him, because he didn’t even hide behind her on his way up to the attendant.

“I want to try to get that,” he explained, pointing to a turtle plush. “Can I, please?”

The attendant gave him a wide smile. “Of course, dear! I’ll just need one copper from you or your mum.”

Eme pulled one out from her small bag and placed it on the counter.

The attendant nodded her thanks, took the coin, and began sharing the rules with Astyu. Eme had, honestly, intended to watch, but she soon got distracted by another mother-son duo coming up to say hello.

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“Good evening, Eme!” Ms. Kadnekh called cheerfully. Her first name was something Eme could never remember, and it always felt too awkward to ask. “It’s nice to see the two of you out and about. It feels nearly impossible to catch a moment to chat nowadays!”

Eme offered a small smile. “It certainly does feel like that, doesn’t it? Well, it’s nice to see you and your son now. Ragnis has grown a lot since the last time I saw him.”

“And so is little Astyu! If you weren’t with him, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to recognize him.” Ms. Kadnekh moved so that she could give him a smile, too, but the boy was now far too invested in the game. She let out a chuckle. “I suppose he’s busy right now, though. Probably best not to interrupt him.”

Ragnis tugged on his mother’s sleeve. “Ma, you said we were going to go to the town square! I helped put up the banners! I want you to see them!”

“That’s my cue to go, then,” Ms. Kadnekh decided. “Hopefully we’ll see you later, Eme!”

Eme nodded. As they left and she turned her attention back to Astyu, any of her previous apprehension began to disappear. This festival was just like any other. It almost felt silly that she’d worried so much about it before…

…

Near the end of the night, she realized that she naturally never went to the street. And, just as she was about to tell Astyu it was time to come home, she caught sight of Jasmin, Kiara, and Brynn.

Jasmin noticed the two of them first and gestured them over. “Good evening, Eme and Astyu.” Noticing the little turtle plush Astyu was now holding, she knelt down and gave him a soft smile. “Oh, did you get a prize tonight?”

“Mhm! All by myself!” Astyu puffed his chest out in pride, though he pulled the plush close to him. “But it’s all mine, so I don’t want anyone else to take it. Please.”

“He actually got it on his first try,” Eme said. “I was a little surprised, it wasn’t really the easiest game…”

“I got it through hard work and determination!” he declared. “You said I could do anything like that. And I did!”

Brynn ruined the moment by bluntly saying, “We’ve got more important things to do than listen to the kid, I think. Can we skip to the part where we talk about why we’re all actually here?”

“I suddenly feel like we should listen to more of his stories, just to spite you,” Kiara remarked. “There’s more to life than whatever ends you’re trying to meet with your magic. We should be enjoying these little moments, not trying to brush them all off.”

Brynn shrugged. If there was one thing Eme was certain about her, it was that Brynn wasn’t one to care about the little things. All she wanted was to see how far her magic could take her, what she’d be able to accomplish if she just pushed the boundaries a little bit harder; for that reason, Eme had always been wary around her. Astyu had never been fond of her anyway.

“I suppose she still has a point,” Jasmin said. “I’m sure Astyu’s had a big and exciting day, he’s probably ready to head to bed soon. Eme, would the two of you like to come back to the cabin with us? I’d like to talk.”

“Couldn’t we just head back to the estate?” Eme prompted. “Astyu would probably be more comfortable in his own bed…” She added after a moment, “Besides, woods aren’t exactly the best place to be in the middle of the night. The estate will also be easier to accommodate everyone, so that you won’t have to travel back in the dark.”

“Let’s just say you’ve spent a long time accommodating us,” Kiara said. “For once, we want to accommodate you. The cabin’s a lot more spacious than you might think it is, it’ll have no problem giving us all room for the night. I’m sure Brynn is going to be leaving as soon as we’re done, anyway.”

“Of course I am,” Brynn muttered. “I’m not staying in an old cabin in the woods. That just sounds like a recipe for disaster. I’d much rather take my comfortable apartment, thank you.”

Deciding to ignore the comment, Eme decided, “I’ll let Astyu make the call. Whatever you want to talk about can probably wait until tomorrow, right? I don’t want him to be uncomfortable.” She looked at him and prompted, “So, what do you think, dear? Would you like to spend a night with Jasmin and Kiara?”

He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I’m just tired. I don’t care where we go, if I can sleep…”

“Seems like things are settled, then.” Jasmin gestured for the others to follow her. “It’s not too much, really—but I’m sure you’ll all be excited to hear it.”

And quite the excitement it was, indeed, once it became time for Jasmin to tell them.

She was confident enough in what they were able to do that she felt like they were mere weeks away from a major breakthrough. With only a little bit more time, they could practice Mávri Mageía freely without fear of all of its consequences.

Eme hadn’t thought about it too much during the conversation. Rather, all of its meaning and implications came to her as she tried to sleep—all of the things she could do, the love that might not be too far from reigniting…