As soon as Tsukiko arrived back at Aurelia's shop, Lily tugged on her sleeve. "C'mon, Tsuki!"

"G-gimme a second!" Tsukiko almost fell over as she was dragged toward a door.

On the other side, Aurelia was sitting in the middle of a rather flat, plain place. As soon as Tsukiko looked around, she realized how far away she was from any sort of civilization. The place around her was vast and empty, but not completely featureless.

It was a hilly area, with a few round trees. Aurelia was planted on a park bench, across from an incredibly simple fountain.

There was a stone path around the fountain. It extended off into the infinite, disappearing into far, green distance.

The vast and wide grassy hills were too perfect. They weren't bumps, but huge waves of earth covered in swaying blades of beautiful grass.

Tsukiko looked into the distance and saw nothing. There were no cities, or villages, or even an end to the hills. They just went up and up, so far they formed the horizon.

A lamp post hung above from a pole next to the bench. There were two light bulbs in square glass cases. These provided most of the light, save for the big, white moon in the sky.

It seemed a bit strange. Tsukiko felt as if she remembered the place, but she wasn't quite sure from where. Maybe she had dreamt of it or had made it up in the middle of an idle daydream.

She stood in deep thought for a while, letting the gentle wind run past her face. It took her a bit to remember that her visit to the strange place had a purpose.

"Tsukiko?" Aurelia turned to wave.

"Uhmm." Tsuki kept scanning the vacuum as she sat down next to the blonde woman.

"Is everything alright?" Aurelia asked with a slight chuckle.

"It's night time. Is it safe out here?" Tsuki turned to the dim, stretched part of the concrete path.

"Everything is fine, trust me." Aurelia smiled.

Lily sat down, squeezing next to Tsukiko. "It's really pretty in the day!"

"How far do these paths go?" Tsuki mumbled.

"It is only an illusion. This place was built to look like it existed in its own world. There's something magical about this place. It seems deeply familiar, like a place almost everyone knows, but never visits. When I come here, it is to reminisce." Aurelia had an oddly somber and serious tone to her.

"Yeah, it feels so… cozy." Tsuki stared out into the distance.

"I think of it like an escape. It's very easy to forget what is happening around you when you come here. I think it is necessary for all people to have an escape. Even you stop to play video games from time to time." Aurelia smiled.

"Jeez, how do you know things like that?" Tsuki turned slightly red.

"Or why you forget your mission so easily when you are with your friends." Aurelia smiled.

"Yeah, I keep getting distracted." Tsuki frowned.

"No, no. That is precisely what you want to happen." Aurelia shook her head.

"Huh?"

"At times, love is like a candle. Let it cool, and it waxes over and becomes solid once more. Keep the flame lit, and progress is made."

"What's that have to do with me?" Tsukiko focused on her words.

"If you had abandoned everything and everyone to seek revenge on the man that hurt you, you would not be here now. How do you think Fumiko would have felt, had you left her behind in that hospital?" Aurelia seemed to glow with happiness.

"There's no way I was gonna leave her behind." Tsuki complained.

Aurelia changed the subject rather quickly. "Do you regret the path you have taken so far?"

"No, not at all." Tsuki lowered her head.

"Then let's continue like this." Aurelia sat closer to Tsukiko.

Tsuki hesitated, placing her hands on her knees. "Things are going fine, aren't they? What more advice could I need?"

"She'll be fine!" Lily proudly proclaimed.

Aurelia smiled. "Do you really think so?"

"I know Tsuki's strong enough to deal with whatever you throw at her!" Lily beamed.

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"Yeah, see?" Tsuki put an arm around Lily.

"Give yourself some credit as well, Lilith. You have learned well."

"Yeah, you're really bright for your age." Tsuki praised her.

"Thanks." Lily laughed.

"I almost feel a bit jealous." Tsuki's face went blank.

"Why?"

"Compared to you, I'm just a useless idiot. I'm only good for fighting." Tsuki sighed.

Aurelia snapped her fingers. "Play, Tsukiko."

A heavy looking wooden electronic keyboard appeared on a stand.

"Aurelia…"

"Play." Aurelia's voice was flat and cruel.

"You know I can't." Tsuki protested.

"Play." Lily grabbed Tsukiko's hand and placed it on the keys.

"Fine, fine." Tsukiko cracked her knuckles and started playing.

The song Tsuki played gave her a feeling of familiarity. She had definitely heard it before. It felt like something that she could never forget but struggled to remember.

It was difficult to play, or it would be for anyone learning the piano. Tsukiko had a complete grasp of it, somehow. It was as if the skills she had shown earlier on the grand piano were now permanently etched into her mind.

The keyboard itself was quite large, and she could almost feel the heft of it on the stand as she played. A metal engraved placard showed the name and model. It was a product of another decade and another era, but the sound still felt cozy and comfortable.

Each note sounded like a little wooden bell being struck, followed by a very gentle, grinding echo.

The surroundings, the sound and the music all went together. It felt like a moment that Aurelia had planned out and handcrafted. It was all perfect, enough to pull on Tsukiko's heart.

"Gymnopedie?" Aurelia watched the Knight's fingers.

"Yeah… I heard it somewhere once. I dunno how I did it…"

"See? You do know how to do stuff." Lily laid a hand on the keyboard.

"Yeah, but it feels wrong. I never practiced." Tsuki held her fingers over the keys.

"You never practiced to fight. You just fight to protect who you love. Likewise, you had to learn how to play the keyboard to express your emotions. We learn because we want to, but also because we have to." Aurelia spoke seriously.

"I only know these things cuz I had to learn 'em, Tsuki. My parents always traveled around, and I've lived all over the world. I know Japanese cuz I moved to Tokyo, but back home, I spoke French. If we stayed in England, I learned English." Lily's face expressed a very slight pain.

"That sounds kinda rough, Lily." Tsukiko laid her hand on the young girl's.

"Well, I never had to learn to fight like you did." Lily looked Tsuki in the eye.

Tsuki stared for a moment. "Still I can't imagine what your life has been like."

"That doesn't matter now. I finally have a home and a family." Lily smiled.

Tsuki teared up a bit. "Y-yeah."

"Are you okay?"

The Knight sniffed. "I just… Yeah, I'm fine."

"It is good to cry." Aurelia put her hand on Tsukiko's shoulder.

"Don't feel too bad about me, Tsuki. I'm happy now!" Lily glowed.

"It's good and bad, y'know. I feel happy cuz I'm here, but sad at what got me here. The bad leading to the good, but the bad still hurts." Tsuki coughed.

"So, why are you crying?" Aurelia nudged.

"I dunno, I'm just… emotional, I guess." Tsuki blinked over and over, trying to stop her tears.

Lily fiddled with her umbrella. "Life isn't worth living without sadness."

"…what?"

"If you were happy everyday, you would get bored. Like you said, the bad got us here, but everyone's happy now. Sure, I get worried when you go out to fight. Deep down though, I feel good knowing you're out there helping people."

"That's… really mature." Tsuki scratched her head.

"She understands it. You understand it too, deep down." Aurelia put a hand on Tsukiko's shoulder.

"Yeah. Fumi and I got closer when I was at my lowest point. Lily's here cuz her parents died." Tsukiko stared down at the rolling, grassy hills.

"So, why feel sad?" Lily smiled, the light of the bulbs above making her eyes sparkle.

"I can't ever be sad around you, c'mere." Tsuki's hand reached around Lily and pulled her close.

Lily squirmed. "Ahh, what're you doing?"

"Hugging you." Tsuki's smile broke through the dried tears.

Aurelia smiled too, laughing along. "See? Be happy, Tsukiko."

Lily squirmed in Tsukiko's hands. In retaliation, Tsukiko squeezed harder. She squeezed until Lilith's parasol fell to the ground. She pulled away slightly, leaning down to grab the ultramarine umbrella.

"What's so special about this thing?" Tsuki asked, her arm still squeezing the little French girl.

"What do you mean?" Aurelia asked innocently.

"It's huge, almost as tall as she is. It's built weird, and it's bright blue." Tsuki held it up, its bright blue color gleaming in the light of the light.

"She will grow, but the umbrella cannot. Why would I give her a gift if it could not last her forever?"

"It looks sorta Japanese, but… not." Tsuki stared up at it.

Aurelia nodded. "It looks quite unique. I would call it more of a mix of techniques. Whatever looked better, and whatever made it more durable. It is supposed to last her forever, you know."

Tsuki turned it in her hands, scanning it up and down. "It feels weird, like there's something more to it. How's she supposed to carry it around?"

Lily finally escaped, rolling off the bench and onto the grass. She grabbed the umbrella and shoved it into a pocket in her dress. The entire thing seemed to vanish. It was as if her dress was larger on the inside than on the outside.

"Like that." Aurelia looked at Tsukiko as if it was an obvious answer.

"…yep, why bother asking?" Tsuki leaned back.

"Shall we get going then?" Aurelia stood up.

"So soon?" Tsukiko stood up as well.

"Well, is there any reason for us to stay?"

"It's really calming here." Tsuki suggested.

"Well, then you can visit another time." Aurelia stood up.

"Another time?" Tsuki whined.

Aurelia pointed behind Tsukiko. She turned around and saw Lily yawning with her eyes half open.

"Let us return to the shop for now." Aurelia opened a door that hadn't been there before.

"Alright." The Third Knight grabbed Lily's hand. "C'mon let's go."