Pruned Trees Re-Sprout!! ~ Ragazza Volpe Magica ~

“What did you two do to get her a new spell?” Rebecca questioned the shady pair upon their return and the revelation of Taika’s addition to her spell list.

And they instantaneously made themselves even more suspicious with a cry of: “NOTHING!”

Pacifica and Rebecca exchanged glances, clearly not buying it. “So, what is this new spell?” The otter decided that prying was not exactly the best thing at the moment.

“This is one I’ve been interested in and I’m glad Taika has it now,” Shouri told the group. He mouthed the spell a couple of times before just calling it out: “Passo Silenzioso, Presto.”

Taika jumped, feeling the rhythm connect, but not much else. The connection ended shortly after with nothing else happening.

“Hrm?” Shouri frowned, looking at his tuner. He felt the rhythm drain from using the spell, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Uhhh, what was that it?” Rebecca raised a brow.

“I think?” Taika looked herself over. Nothing seemed different about her. That was a support spell, right?

“What did it do?” Pacifica asked.

Shouri furrowed his brow. Once more, the amazing documentation on lunar spell craft was biting them in the ass. “It’s supposed to let her turn into a shadow, whatever the fuck that means,” he grumbled.

Rebecca hummed in thought. “Yeah, I got nothing.”

Reaching out, Pacifica tapped Taika’s shoulder. “Seems pretty solid to me.”

“Oh! Maybe it’s like the shield spell!” Rebecca suddenly exclaimed.

“Which one?” Shouri looked to his trained combatant.

“Well, there’s a pretty popular shield spell, but it has two modes: one will keep it up for the Resonator to block attacks with but is an active drain. The other mode is the more skilled one and is more of an instant shield that will appear for only a couple of seconds before fading away,” Rebecca explained. “One of my former Maestros was good at using it and basically made the shielding Resonator untouchable while barely using his rhythm.”

Shouri stroked his chin in thought. “Hmmm…” he hummed. “Pacifica, try to touch Taika again when I call the spell.” He raised his tuner back up. “Passo Silenzioso, Presto.”

The otter girl reached out at this moment and was still able to touch the fox girl with no issue. “Hrm…” Shouri grunted in annoyance. “Rhythm is being taken, and the spell is working, but how does it work?”

He sat down to do some research, leaving his trio of Resonators to exchange glances and shrugs.

Later that night, Shouri sat in the common room of the MA Office. Nobody else was around, so he felt comfortable enough to do what he had come to do. Hovering over Aura’s number, he called her.

The ringer played for thirty seconds before asking for him to leave a voicemail.

Rather than leave a message, he hung up. “…why didn’t she pick up?” he mumbled, his expression clouding. Shouri intended to update Aura on what happened in Canolapra. The men that came after him.

But she didn’t pick up – if Aura was still in Lybertera it still should be early enough in the evening where she wouldn’t be asleep.

“Sho?” Pacifica came up behind the chair he was sitting in.

“Oh, Pacifica,” he mumbled, studying his tuner.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been gone for a bit. Got worried.” The otter walked around and sat on the arm of the chair.

The Maestro grunted, his lips dropping a bit further. “I called Aura to tell her about those guys that came after us. But she didn’t answer…” He hummed again in thought.

Pacifica reached out, wrapping an arm around him. “Maybe she already knows and is concerned about being watched too,” she offered.

“Maybe. I’ll sleep on it,” he decided.

“Good idea. Let’s go get some sleep.” Pacifica smiled, rubbing her Maestro’s shoulder.

Pacifica slowly opened her eyes. It was now the first day of July, and she found herself in her Maestro’s arms.

Bedtime last night was… strange. Despite what the obvious should have been with Taika taking her spot in Shouri’s arms after the whole traumatizing experience with the revelation of them being in Unis-Résonne, both man and fox refused.

They were both weirdly flustered about sleeping together, despite being in that arrangement many times before. No, in an even crazier twist, Taika slept behind Rebecca of all people. Something happened when they went out alone last night. They didn’t hate each other, in fact upon their return Pacifica could sense that Shouri and Taika were as close as ever. The previous guilt and animosity from the usage of the tuner’s override function were now water under the bridge.

What could have happened to not only put the past behind them but to calm Taika’s apprehension of being in Unis-Résonne?

It wasn’t too terribly long before the rest of the room awoke. “Kinda miss your bed, Paci.” Shouri chuckled as the second one to wake up.

“Yeah, definitely miss my black-out curtains,” the otter giggled.

Breaking free of Rebecca’s grip on him from behind, he and Pacifica got dressed and the two headed on out to grab breakfast for the sleeping foxes they left behind.

“Everything cool with Taika?” Pacifica inquired as they crossed the lawn to the building where the cafeteria was housed.

“Yeah, she forgave me.” he replied simply.

“That easy?” she questioned.

“Easy? Debatable.”

Pacifica wanted to pry more but knew better. Whatever had happened between them was deeply personal. It was while she was ruminating over his words that she caught it: his lip twitched, and he covered his mouth. Her heart began to race. He kissed Taika?! That was her assumption at least. That’s why they were being so weird! She didn’t know the specifics of what exactly transpired, but she at least had a working theory now.

The only thing now was to see how much Taika was willing to divulge.

After breakfast, the group went out to one of the fields on the campus to get some exercise and training in, but also to try and continue their quest to figure out what exactly Taika’s new spell did.

It was mid-morning, and most Maestros were wandering around, waking up from their late-night hunting shifts. The field was located on the edge of the campus, far from any buildings to prevent any collateral damage.

Pacifica pulled Taika back as they walked, slowing their pace.

“Hey, you alright?” the concerned otter asked.

“Si, I’m fine.” Taika fiddled with her jacket’s zipper a bit. “I’m sorry for freaking out,” she spoke shamefully.

“No apology needed! We were just worried about you.” Pacifica beamed brightly, patting her fellow Resonator on the back.

Taika caught her friend’s infectious smile.

“What about Sho?” Pacifica inquired.

“What about him?” Taika tilted her head.

“Is… everything okay between you two?”

“Si!”

“Good. You know, he was so torn up about it. He wouldn’t take his eyes off you or your tuner the entire flight.” Pacifica paused for a moment. “He was scared you wouldn’t wake up,” she revealed quietly.

The vixen nodded solemnly. Thinking back to last night… it was partly her fault. They were in an incredibly stressful situation, and she just lost her mind. In retrospect, Shouri would never take her back there. Especially with last night’s events – he proved his commitment to her in her eyes.

Unbeknownst to Taika, Pacifica caught the similar unconscious movements that Shouri had made this morning – Taika licked and pursed her lips, before covering her mouth with her hand and giggling a little bit.

Definitely a kiss.

Now that begged the question: if he was willing to kiss Taika, how could Pacifica herself get a slice of that pie?

“Alright girls, today we’re going to actually do some practice since it’s been a hot minute since we’ve actually done anything,” Shouri told his trio.

The Resonators were excited to sling some spells about, and Shouri was more than happy to provide the rhythm to do so.

“I think I want to work on my control a bit more,” Rebecca decided, regarding her heels with some thought.

“I see some target boards across the field, I’d like to practice my throws,” Pacifica chimed in.

“I don’t really have a choice, we’re going to figure out my spell, right?” Taika shrugged.

Shouri nodded, agreeing with his three Resonators' plans. “Idrante, Pianissimo Staccato,” he gave to Pacifica, who immediately ran off with a quick thanks to sharpen her accuracy,

Rebecca, needing no spell, went to find something to climb. “Come back if you need topped off!” the Maestro shouted to the fire fox, who acknowledged him with a wave.

This left Shouri and Taika alone. Their eyes met and quickly darted away from one another. “R-right, Passo Silenzioso, maybe it makes you hide in a shadow or something?” he suggested, trying to break up the sudden tense mood.

“M-maybe,” Taika mumbled.

And so, the curious pair scoured the field looking for a structure that had a shadow they could borrow. They eventually settled on some unoccupied trees surrounding the field. Rebecca was nearby, doing her own thing, but still a small distance away.

Taika stood within one of the tree’s shadows, making sure she was entirely covered within. “Ready.” She ground her feet into the dirt, bracing herself for her Maestro’s rhythm.

With a nod, Shouri raised the black tuner to chest level. Studying the highlighted spell for a moment, he regarded Taika with a similar determination. “Passo Silenzioso, Presto.”

Rhythm linked and passed from Maestro to Resonator; the transaction known as spellcasting was completed. They both just stood there, waiting for something to happen.

“Okay, this is pissing me off now,” Shouri grumbled. Taika allowed her shoulders to catch slack, audibly sighing.

“Are you okay?”

Shouri and Taika spun around to find a pair of girls standing there – a Maestro and her Resonator.

The Maestro, who had spoken up scanned the other pair, her inquisitive blue eyes taking in the odd couple. Her long red hair parted behind in a twin-tail style. Clad in a black button-up with a red top over it and a matching skirt, she was certainly dressed for the weather – even with her black leggings and shoes.

Her Resonator on the other hand seemed to contrast her Maestro’s fashion sense. Orange shorts, edged in dark browns, with a matching open vest and a white t-shirt under that. Her brown hair curled ever so slightly at the ends, causing them to poke out just a bit. What stuck out the most was the canine ears and tail which she wore at the alert.

“We’re fine,” Shouri replied. Taika hid herself ever so slightly behind her Maestro but kept a close eye on the sudden interlopers.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I just have never seen a lunar Resonator in real life before and I was curious,” the red-haired Maestro said. “I’m Colette.” She curtsied. “And this is my Resonator, Kaira.” The Maestro motioned to the canine-eared girl behind her.

“Shouri.”

“Taika.”

Colette smiled, looking between the other Maestro and his Resonator. Based on how comfortable he was with his Resonator and how defensively she positioned herself around him, it was obvious they were close, making the red-clad Maestro even more curious. “Could I perhaps check your tempo?” She suddenly requested.

“Excuse me?” Shouri raised a brow.

“Sorry, I’m a Rhythm studies major at Lyreann University. I’m researching Tempo and Etude specifically and I wanted to see what kind of tempo a Maestro with a lunar Resonator has,” she explained quickly.

Shouri and Taika exchanged a glance. The request seemed harmless enough. “How would you measure it?” he inquired hesitantly.

The student perked up. “Oh, it’s very simple!” Without giving it another thought, she rushed up and grabbed one of Shouri’s hands, and then grabbed one of Taika’s.

“See I’ve been trained to sense rhythm and-” Colette stopped mid-thought, her eyes widening. “-I…” She stared at the hands she had in her grasp in shock. “I, do this thing and…” she rambled out, not making much sense. She slowly shook her head, and in doing so, she caught sight of the other two tuners at Shouri’s waist.

“Colette.” Kaira stepped forward, pulling her Maestro away from the other two.

Colette muttered a couple of things under her breath, ending with: “Who are you?”

“Sho!” Pacifica and Rebecca joined the group, having noticed the sudden interlopers.

“Are you okay?” the otter asked.

“Who are they?” questioned the fire fox.

Colette’s eyes darted back to the trio of tuners at Shouri’s waist. Black, Blue, Red. Lunar, Water, Fire. The two additional girls that rushed up matched the two extra tuners. “Are they yours as well?” she questioned.

Shouri, still a bit unnerved at Colette’s reaction, hesitantly nodded.

Once more, in a total lack of personal space or boundaries, Colette stepped forward, taking hold of Shouri’s hand. In turn, she grabbed one of Pacifica’s hands, and then Rebecca’s in turn.

“What the…?” Colette resumed shaking her head. “How many years have you had these three?”

“About two to three months now," he replied truthfully.

“MONTHS?!” came the shriek.

Once more, Shouri and his Resonators exchanged nervous glances – what ill will had they wrought simply by existing now?

“Is there a problem with that?” Pacifica asked.

“I need to study you. Perhaps under a microscope.” Colette grabbed Shouri’s shoulders. “Your tempo with three Resonators is insane. I thought maybe you grew up with them, but if you’re telling the truth…” She released the boy and began to pace. “I need to study you,” she repeated.

“I think we need to go,” Shouri decided.

“We left the oven on,” Rebecca added.

“In Lybertera,” Pacifica chimed in.

“Non chiamarci, ti chiameremo noi,” Taika finished.

And with that, the quartet booked it away from the pushy academic as fast as they could.

“W-wait! This is for science!!” Colette cried out as she was thoroughly ditched.

“Why do we always attract the weirdos?” Shouri complained as they hid in their room in the MA Office.

“She was at least honest.” Pacifica shrugged, having been the fastest to claim the spot of sitting on Shouri’s lap.

“Her Resonator though…” Rebecca trailed off.

“What about her? Seemed like some kind of canine like us,” Taika recalled.

“Def a canine, but I couldn’t place the actual breed. Not a fox, or a wolf like Efigenious,” the fiery vixen pondered aloud.

“She was an earth, right?” Pacifica asked.

“Yeah. Something else I noticed, there was a little satchel at her waist, looked kind of heavy whatever it was,” Shouri pointed out.

Four hums of thought, harmonized in their curiosity.

The Maestro of the group shook his head. “I don’t think finding out more about that Resonator is worth putting the face time in with her Maestro though,” he decided.

“Agreed,” the trio of girls spoke up in unison.