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

“Woahhhh…”

Two gasps of astonishment came from the first-class seats as two foxes piled around a small plane window. The massive continent to the south of Unis-Résonne, known as Kalanichi, had been pretty boring to look at from the plane. A lot of what they had been passing over was just plain desert with no interesting landmarks.

However, as they drew closer to their destination and the scenery below began to change, forests and mountains began to overtake the previous savannahs and deserts, finally ending with civilization.

But that wasn’t why the girls verbalized their surprise. No, it was because of the massive structure in the center of the splash of civilization.

A massive rod of steel seemingly pierced the very Riterran crust itself and stretched up further than the girls could manage to see from their limited vantage point. The tower seemed as if it went on forever, but they couldn’t be sure. Even at night it was visible to them, lit with a countless number of lights that made it seem like a galaxy of stars had descended onto the planet.

“Sho, what is THAT?!” Taika turned to her Maestro, who was still seated, peacefully reading on his tuner, Pacifica was seated next to him, her face in her own tuner with some kind of mobile game.

Shouri looked up from his studies and smiled warmly at his traveling companions who stared back eagerly awaiting his answer. He knew exactly what they were looking at, it was the only thing in this area that could elicit such awe. “That is the Lutera Space Elevator.”

“Space… elevator?” Taika tilted her head, understanding the individual words but not their meaning when put together. Rebecca shared in her companion’s confusion.

“It’s for transporting people, goods, and materials to and from space. There’s a very healthy trading relationship between Luna and Riterra. We provide them goods that are much easier to be produced down here on the surface such as foodstuffs, and they provide Riterra the rich abundance of Rubato crystals that are easily mined from underneath the moon’s surface,” the Maestro explained.

“Does that mean we’re going to see other lunar Resonators?” Rebecca pondered aloud.

Shouri nodded in the affirmative. “Tons. Naiza has a huge population of Lunar Resonators.”

Taika had gone quiet, she stared at her own hands. They had only met exactly one other lunar Resonator in all their travels. And now they were going to a place with “tons” of them. Would she even fit in with other lunars? It was a stressful prospect.

The plane landed easily and they disembarked. Retrieving their things from the baggage claim, Taika took up her medical bag, and Pacifica was elected the new holder of their other bag that Taika had previously carried for them.

Finally, after twelve hours of flying, they had arrived. Naiza was a massive city, the bright billboards, advertisements, and open storefronts illuminating the night. Of course, the Lutera space elevator towered over the entire city, slicing the skyline in twain as it pierced the very cosmos with its unending height. Shouri checked his tuner noting it was roughly around nine or so at night. They had gotten up at about four in the morning to prepare for their trip.

Needless to say, they were exhausted. What was worse was Elijah was expecting them at the stadium at four in the morning tomorrow.

“That man is gonna kill us.” Shouri slumped over, the exhaustion overriding his excitement of being in a new city.

“Yeah-” Pacifica yawned loudly, stretching as she did so. “-could use a nap right about now.” She rubbed her eyes.

“Thank god we’re in a fancy-ass hotel so we can get some room service delivered.” Shouri motioned for his Resonators to follow as he set the map on one of his tuners to guide them to said hotel. As they walked along though, their curiosity ran amok; their neck muscles getting an excellent workout from the range of motion exerted on them.

The city was bustling even late at night. It was nice and cool out, but not cold out. A nice comfortable temperature which probably helped with encouraging the foot traffic. Electronic billboards highlighting the many businesses and services in the area illuminated their travel through the concrete jungle.

Many Maestros and their Resonators walked the streets just as Shouri’s group was. Especially given the tournament starting tomorrow the crowds were certainly denser than usual.

“Hm?” Rebecca suddenly whipped her head about, ears twitching. “You hear that Taika?” she asked her fellow canine.

Taika nodded in the affirmative. “Si. Sounds like a battle.”

“Maybe there’s court nearby,” Shouri pondered aloud.

“Can we look? It’s right ahead,” Rebecca asked, pointing to a small crowd gathered around some tall chain-link fences just down the street.

Shouri yawned. “Yeah, we can take a peek since it’s on the way.”

The quartet continued their trek through the city, eventually spotting the source of the commotion on the other side of the street. A small battle court surrounded by a tall chain-link fence, illuminated by a couple of floodlights. Gathered around the fence was a crowd of spectators, observing the goings-on contained within the steel cage. Shouri and company crossed the street so they could see what the hubbub was about. Thankfully, not too many people were gathered so they could get front-row seats to the action.

A male Maestro was up against a blonde-haired woman. The man had two roughed-up Resonators sitting on the bench behind him.

At the woman’s side stood a brunet-haired cat-girl, her arms folded across her chest wearing a smug smirk. Opposite the cat was a dragon with impressive black wings and a tail complete with some scary-looking horns, his red eyes locked onto the battle currently unfolding.

Finally, two combatants stood in the center of the field; one was a large Resonator, a bear, like Saul; this one was of the earth attribute. The bear was the man’s final Resonator choice, while the woman’s was a small humanoid creature of some kind. Though, they bore no apparent Resonator features, appearing as if they were a human or a Maestro, though it was as if their skin was made of sand. Their red hair instantly made one assume a fire element.

“Woah… it’s a team battle,” Rebecca immediately noted.

“That’s surprising,” Shouri commented.

“Why’s that?” Taika asked.

“It’s the day before a major tournament, you want to save your strength and not risk any of your fighters getting injured,” Shouri replied. He hummed in thought, stroking his chin. “Then again, with her squad maybe she doesn’t need to worry about that,” he mused.

“Lanciafiamme, Fortissimo!”

“Bontà della Protezione Della Terra, Tenuto!”

By the time the earth bear began casting his spell, the mysterious fire Resonator had already extended a palm out and up, firing a cannonball of fire at its opponent.

“What?” Rebecca went wide-eyed, along with Shouri.

“What? What is it?” Pacifica looked between her friends and the battle.

“Basic spells are shaped based on your attribute,” Shouri began. Pacifica and Taika both nodded, knowing that fact from their own basic spells.

“I don’t recognize what attribute that dude is.” Rebecca studied the strange creature further. “Their rhythm is kind of weird now that I’m feeling it,” she mumbled to herself. “It’s… kinda like those two…” Rebecca whispered further, thinking of Whistler and Vail – Ilea Vim’s strange assistants.

Back with the battle, the bear was helpless to dodge the attack, having committed to trying to cast their spell. They tanked the blow but were interrupted from their own spellcasting, wasting their Maestro’s rhythm.

“Tch!” the male Maestro clicked his tongue in frustration.

“I venti che battono il sahara!”

“Bolide, Fortissimo!”

Rebecca shook her head. “It’s over,” she decided. “Let’s get going.”

“Huh?” Once more Taika and Pacifica were confused.

“Let’s walk and talk.” Rebecca waved her fellow Resonators to follow.

Shouri stole one last glance at the battlefield where the same scene repeated as before: the earth Resonator was interrupted from their spellcasting by the fire Resonator.

“How do you know it was over?” Pacifica asked as they continued their trek to the hotel.

“Simple: earth spells are slow.” Rebecca shrugged.

“More like wordy.” Shouri rolled his eyes.

“Oh?” Pacifica pondered that thought.

“Oh!” Taika exclaimed. “The bear wasn’t getting the rhythm until the Maestro finished saying the spell.” the lunar fox voiced her realization.

“Right. Fire spells have nice short readings, so a well-trained fire Resonator can get their spells out first, giving them an advantage. The trade-off is typically most duelists will use earth-shielding as their pairing so they have higher defenses to better tank hits while spellcasting,” Rebecca explained. “The first spell he tried to cast encases the Resonator in rock or dirt armor to increase their defenses further. It’s a good strategy since Earth-element spells also hit hard when they land. Winning a battle of attrition is easy, especially with the second spell he tried to cast which summons a sandstorm to the battlefield,” the fire-fox continued.

“I’d imagine in a sandstorm, fire spells are dampened too?” Pacifica guessed.

“Yeah, the sandstorm weather dampens non-earth, non-nature spells which just helps earth Resonators deal with their opponents,” Shouri chimed in. “That woman knew all this though. She specifically used quick spells to rack on the damage.”

“I think she was aiming for general disruption,” Rebecca hypothesized. “Whoever she is, she’s got top-level battle sense. Both of her other Resonators didn’t have a scratch on them.”

Shouri hummed and nodded. “That’s what duelists look like,” he told Taika and Pacifica.

The two uninitiated Resonators didn’t have anything else to say on the matter. It was a night and day difference from what they were used to, even knowing Rebecca who has presumably gone through similar training to those Resonators they saw.

And they were about to spend the next week watching and healing these monsters.

Arriving at the hotel, Shouri and his merry band of tailed maidens were immediately in awe. “I mean… I knew we’d be in the lap of luxury, but I guess I didn’t know what that really meant,” the Maestro commented as they found their way onto the property. His Resonators could do nothing but nod in agreement as they stuck close behind him.

Shouri double-checked the reservation he was given, noting it matched the name of the hotel illuminated proudly on the front of the tower ahead of them.

“Fairingway” read the sign

“Villas Fairingway – 1 Maestro 3 Resonators 12/7/2018 – 23/7/2018” was displayed on the tuner.

“Is this it, Sho?” Taika finally found her voice.

A good question, one which Shouri wondered himself. On three sides they had the building and its attached amenities. The splash of a pool in the distance caused the water element of their group to perk up and tremble with excitement. The idle chatter of patrons from above gently cascaded down to them. The shrubbery was manicured to perfection with a small fountain directly in front of them to compliment it. Hesitantly, the under-dressed quartet stepped further into the property, earning the stink eye from several guards posted by the door, their Resonators unseen but surely nearby in case of emergency.

The lobby itself was marvelous, with marble floors, priceless paintings adorning the walls, and statues from famous artists standing proudly. The Resonator Bell-boys pushed large carts filled with suitcases for other guests around the lobby, causing Shouri and Co to stop several times lest they cause an accident. Several maids, both Maestro and Resonator alike, made sure any dirt or dust only stayed for minutes at most.

The whole operation made the MA Offices they stayed in previously look like run-down homeless shelters by comparison.

Shouri uneasily made his way to the front desk. “H-hello,” the boy squeaked, his hand reaching back for Taika’s. His duet partner reciprocated and grabbed her Maestro’s hand, pushing all of her strong rhythm towards him. Even in the back he could see several other attendants taking phone calls and doing general office work.

His focus was drawn to the main attendant, a Maestro with a trio of tuners affixed to their side - blue, green, and white. “Can I help you?” The attendant was certainly looking down on the group, their gaze judgmentally locked on the lunar that was polluting their lobby.

“I have a reservation.” Shouri pushed Rebecca’s tuner forward, not wanting to cause a scene by using Taika’s.

The clerk took up the device and examined the reservation displayed on the screen. With their other hand, they quickly entered the reservation number into their system. Their eyes went wide. The clerk returned to the red tuner in their grasp, navigating the menus to confirm the accuracy of the reservation. Shouri squeezed Taika’s hand nervously, she squeezed back in reassurance.

The attendant calmed themselves, taking in a deep breath before sliding the red tuner back to its owner. “You are checked in Mister Tomoshibi. You will be in the Presidential suite. Scan your tuner in the elevator and it will automatically take you to your floor,” the attendant informed them with a courteous smile. “The butler will inform you of the rest of the amenities of the suite. Please enjoy your stay.”

Shouri shuddered. Despite the kind tone they were receiving, there was a certain look in the attendant’s eyes that bore through him – it wasn’t just him though. Taika had shuffled behind him, keeping a vice grip on his hand as she tried to make herself appear smaller than she was. “Th-thank you.” Snatching up Rebecca’s tuner, Shouri quickly guided his squad away from the gaze of the hypercritical employee.

“Are you okay Sho?” Pacifica took the non-Taika’d hand of her Maestro.

“Just the way they looked at me and Taika… reminded me of my parents,” he muttered, Taika nodding in agreement.

“It’s okay, Rebby and I are here for you,” Pacifica said softly while giving his hand a re-affirming squeeze. “And we’re going to have a blast in this suite! Come on, let’s go check it out!”

Shouri and Taika managed to crack a smile. At least they weren’t alone this time.

“Uhhhh, are we SURE we got the right room?” Rebecca questioned.

The suite they stepped into was the size of a large house. The patterned marble floors were polished to a shine. In fact, from what they could see everything around them was maintained to an impeccable level of cleanliness. With the entry to the room, a man stepped out, dressed in a black suit with two similarly dressed Resonators behind him, a pair of cat-maids. The aforementioned butler, Shouri assumed.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. You are Master Tomoshibi, yes?” they asked.

“I am. These are my Resonators.” Shouri motioned behind him.

“Taika.”

“I’m Pacifica!”

“Rebecca.”

The butler bowed. “I am Alfred Belvedere; I will be serving you for the duration of your stay.” The man motioned to the pair of maids behind him. “They are Irene and Sophia, they are the housekeepers - please inform them of any spills or messes.”

Rebecca studied the two cats for a moment - both water element. Probably used their water magic to help clean carpets and the like, she figured.

With their introduction out it the way, the housekeepers curtsied and vanished into the suite, most likely to finish some last-minute touch-ups for their new tenants.

Alfred turned his back to the guests under his charge. “Allow me to take you on a tour of our facilities.”

And what a tour it was! It was a ten-minute walk around the entire suite as Alfred showed the travelers all of the accommodations at their disposal, which included:

-Two parlor rooms, flanking either side of the front door

-Two bathrooms (one with a small hot tub)

-An office/study

-4 Bedrooms, each with a king-sized bed and a large flat-screen TV

-Two dining rooms (one formal, one informal)

-A large, fully stocked kitchen

-Three living rooms/lounge areas, (one formal, one informal, and one with a fully stocked bar and fireplace)

-Rooftop access to a patio area which housed a full hot tub

“Holy shit.” Shouri sat on one of the benches that was in an adjoining hallway.

“I can’t believe this place is so big it winded Sho,” Rebecca commented, impressed.

“That’s not a high bar,” the Maestro snarked back, whilst Taika sat by his side, rubbing his back.

Alfred stood to the side, waiting patiently. “Mr. Belvedere,” Shouri called out to the butler.

“Yes Master Tomoshibi?”

“Can we still get dinner?” the Maestro inquired.

“Of course. Shall I retrieve the menu?”

“If you would.”

And with that, the butler took his leave.

“Sho, can I go soak in the hot tub?” Pacifica kept glancing at the nearby stairwell, struggling to stay still.

“Not before we order dinner.” Shouri shook his head.

“Just get me whatever fish dish they have I don’t care.” The otter was now jogging in place, ready to bolt up the nearby stairs.

“Paci no, I’m not-”

“Thanks, Sho! Let me know when dinner’s here!”

And Pacifica was gone, surprising no one.

“God damn it,” Shouri sighed, leaning back against the wall behind him. “I should let her have it. She deserves some quality water time,” he decided. “Come on, let’s go find somewhere to relax ourselves.”