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

4:38 AM 25/7/2018

Shouri stared at the tuner. He was awake, having spent almost eighteen hours sleeping. And he needed it. A huge battle into a kidnapping, then traversing the desert, and sleeping in some rock formation did a number on him.

But he felt good right now. A little sore, but nothing a nice hot shower couldn’t fix.

Speaking of heat, he turned the tuner to the body next to him. Orangish red hair, with that splash of yellow. A big fluffy fox tail with matching ears.

Shouri

Resonator: Vii (Rebecca)

Species: Demi-Human (Fox)

Element: Fire

Attribute: Null

Rhythm: 50%

Unfortunately, he had zero internet access here, and as such had no way of doing any meaningful research into what exactly Vii was. She wasn’t forthcoming with that information without a formal Resonator contract.

He was steadfast in refusing that offer. Unlike Liza, whom he had good ideas of possible new Maestros for her, Shouri had no idea who would be able to handle a Resonator like Vii. He figured as he learned more about her perhaps someone would come to mind.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Speaking of, Vii sat up, fully utilizing Rebecca’s voice just as she had done with her previous guises.

“Not after a day of it,” Shouri replied.

“I suppose that’s fair,” Vii grunted as she stretched out her new body. Her stolen ears flicked. “Sounds like our gracious host is awake,” she noted.

“Hm,” Shouri hummed.

The Maestro swung out of bed and made his way downstairs. Sure enough, the lights were on and he was greeted cheerfully upon reaching the ground floor.

“Buongiorno!” Miro exclaimed.

Shouri paused, his mouth agape for a moment before lowering his head.

“Ah! What is the matter?” Miro rushed over to the boy.

“Just one of my Resonators, she greets me that way in the morning,” Shouri mumbled.

“That one, Vii - she is not your Resonator?” the fox queried.

An uneasy glance was shot back up the stairs, Shouri considering his choice of words before answering. “In the traditional sense of me having her tuner, yes. But no, Vii is not my Resonator, we’re just traveling together.”

Miro nodded, thankfully understanding. “You say the one greets you in Naturana?” the earth-element realized.

Shouri nodded.

“Very odd,” Miro noted, stroking the bottom of his maw. “Resonators who speak Naturana are usually owned by Naturals,” he told the Maestro. “They are not treated good,” the fox grimaced.

Another nod from Shouri. “Based on the way she reacts to things and what she’s told me, I believe that.” He paused to mull over his thoughts. “Then again, I have met some Maestros who don’t treat them any better.”

The fox boy shook his head in pity. “People are mean,” he decided.

“Yeah, you got that right,” Shouri grumbled. However, finding some shared opinions with Miro did bring him some solace.

“Do you have any plans for today?” Miro questioned his guests over breakfast.

“No, ideally we spend today recovering before we head out again,” Vii spoke up, choosing her words carefully lest Shouri deny her the rhythm she desired.

“I hope that’s not a problem,” Shouri added.

Miro lit up. “Non! No problem at all! Stay as long as you are wanting to!”

Shouri counted his blessings that they had stumbled upon such a welcoming host.

Vii and Shouri sat on the couch in the living room and relaxed. Miro had an older box television, thankfully in color. The level of technology possessed by the citizens of Subterris felt like something out of a time capsule.

Unfortunately for Shouri, none of the channels were in Maelish. Every piece of programming was broadcast in Naturalian. Even with Vii translating for him, it got boring rather quickly. Sitting idle did nothing for his mental health.

He was wasting time here. He had to go back! He had to find them! He knew they were probably tearing apart Naiza looking for him!

“You should relax,” Vii spoke up suddenly.

“Ha?” He shot a glance at the Resonator by his side.

“We’ll get through Subterris and pop out at Alspo, which has plenty of MA Offices,” Vii told him. “You can call them from there,” she added with a huff.

The pair returned to silence, the television droning on in undecipherable Naturalian.

“Famiglio Incendio, Presto,” Shouri suddenly called out.

Vii jumped, not expecting the sudden spellcasting. She held out a hand and a small rhythm fox popped up in the living room.

“Why?” She asked.

“Famiglio Incendio, Presto,” the Maestro repeated.

“Ah! Why!?” she barked as she repeated the motions to summon a second fox.

Shouri however didn’t acknowledge her inquiry and called on a third, “Famiglio Incendio, Presto.”

“Fine! Fine! I get it!” the false fox shouted, bending to the Maestro’s command and creating yet another rhythm fox.

Miro returned sometime later bearing the weight of four bags of groceries. When he entered his home, however, the sight he found was perplexing.

Shouri stared blankly at the television which blared on in Naturalian. Vii sat next to him giggling to herself with a content expression on her face. Finally, there were a few dozen tiny foxes made of fire all around the home, playing with each other, sleeping, and doing all kinds of other leisure activities one would expect of a small animal.

“What is going on?” Miro raised a brow.

“She wanted rhythm.” Shouri motioned to Vii.

“It’s so gooood.” Vii continued to giggle.

The Natural fox decided it was best to leave this topic alone and stepped through his house to put away the food he had gotten.

“So, we’re going tomorrow morning then?” Shouri asked his couch mate.

“Even if we’re in a Natural Reservation it’s probably for the best to keep moving. If they can’t find your body, they’ll look for it.” Vii’s expression hardened. “We didn’t cover our tracks well either. Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re eventually able to trace our movements,” she added.

A pause. She was right and he hated that. Then again, he didn’t necessarily disagree with the idea of moving on. The faster they made it to Alspo the faster he could find out what happened to Taika and the others.

Not knowing was killing him. His rhythm pulsed hard whenever he thought about it. It was physically hurting him.

There was a sudden warmth on his forehead. Rebecca’s hand, at least the one Vii was borrowing. “Shh shhh…” The false fox imparted her rhythm upon him. Despite stealing Rebecca’s form, this rhythm provided via etude was wholly Vii’s.

She was a determined one. That’s what he got from her rhythm. Interestingly her emotion was the weak stave. She did have a bit of a mean streak, a lack of consideration for other’s feelings like Pacifica had.

That being said, Vii’s rhythm was extraordinarily powerful. It felt as though her using Taika, Pacifica, and Rebecca’s bodies was a detriment to her. They were holding her back, not the other way around.

Behind that mask, who was Vii really?

Shouri

Resonator: Vii (Taika)

Species: Demi-Human (Fox)

Element: Lunar

Attribute: Healing

Rhythm: 50%

Well, that certainly explained why Shouri could see better when he woke up. It was always a new experience every morning after checking the tuner.

Sure enough, it was Taika who lay next to him. Or at least her form.

Another interesting thing he considered: whatever process was facilitating this; her clothes were transforming too. He pinched the fabric of her jacket – it felt real enough, just like the genuine article.

And that was the terrifying part.

Every piece of this performance Vii was putting on was indistinguishable from the original. If not for his own rhythmic sense, he would have fallen for the dream, the illusion of Taika being with him.

Fully trusting her was never in the cards. Which was a shame – he could sense how open she was to his rhythm. It was even more than his trio was, and they were considered to be at à deux level of openness. They were being compared to ancient heroes, the first Maestros.

It was insane to consider there was something beyond that.

Either way, dwelling on it in bed wasn’t going to get him back to his trio. For that, he swung out of bed and prepared for the day ahead.

Shouri met Miro downstairs. “Good… Morning?” The Fox furrowed his brow as he spoke.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Shouri couldn’t help but smile warmly. Miro was already much higher than Vii on the “trust ladder”. The young Natural was intensely curious but also kept a respectable distance.

“I will make breakfast,” Miro informed the Maestro.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Shouri nodded.

After breakfast, Vii and Shouri prepared to depart. They stood at the door to give their farewells, Miro seeing them off. “Thank you for letting us stay here,” Shouri told the fox.

“Yeah,” Vii mumbled, averting her gaze.

“We’ll be on our way,” and with that Shouri and Vii took their leave.

However, they only got as far as the street corner when they heard a shout: “Aspetta!”

Miro ran up, satchel on his back. “Voglio andare con te!” he shouted, in between gasps for breath.

Vii went to translate, however, Shouri held up a hand to silence her. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Wait Shouri he-!”

“Wants to come with us, right?”

The Natural Fox nodded in the affirmative. Vii raised a brow. “How did you know?” she mumbled.

“Just a feeling,” Shouri chuckled. “That’s just how these things go,” he added with a shrug. The Maestro’s gaze shifted back to the awaiting fox-boy. “Are you sure? We’re kind of… popular people.”

Once more, Miro nodded. “What’s the phrase? I am orphan? Families very big, but I have no family. Nothing to keep me here,” he clumsily explained.

Shouri raised a brow.

“Naturals don’t leave home upon reaching adulthood like Maestros do,” Vii quietly advised. “A Natural with no support network is nearly unheard of,” she whispered. “Their society isn’t equipped to deal with someone like him.”

That bit of information hit hard. No wonder Miro approached them so readily – he must have seen a pair of lonely souls in an alien world and felt a sense of camaraderie, despite the racial difference. “Ah…” With that realization, Miro was pushed up another rung on Shouri’s “trust ladder”.

“Our goal is a human city – are you sure you want to come with us?” Shouri questioned.

Miro nodded. “I was telling you before I never seen Ritteran city. I am wanting to see one.”

Both Shouri and Vii hummed together, each considering the request. “I don’t know…” Vii spoke first.

“Okay.” Shouri however made a firmer decision, earning a glare from the Resonator of the party.

One which Shouri was all too happy to return. “Don’t be like that. Nobody would give us the time of day. At least this way we can just have Miro handle talking to other Naturals,” he explained his reasoning.

The fox beamed and struck his chest with his paw. “Certo, lascia fare a me!” He grinned, tail wagging joyously.

“I guess I’m in the minority,” Vii grumbled to herself.

Shouri rolled his eyes. He dropped a hand to his side, cupping the tuner at his waist. “Rilevare l'intenzione, Lento.”

Vii jumped, her bitter expression melting into pleasure. “Okay we can trust him…” she cooed while scanning their surroundings.

The strangest trio in years walked the streets of Subterris – A Maestro, a Resonator, and a Natural. The Maestro and Natural of the group spoke excitedly in Maelish. The Resonator kept quiet, but she maintained full alert.

As such they had a repelling effect on the other Naturals who called this underground paradise home.

It was surprising in all honesty. The entire place despite being deep within the Riterran crust still maintained daytime light. It was aided of course by the Rubato crystals that hung proudly from the ceiling of the structure. There was so much light pouring in that grass and trees could grow even in this odd environment.

They even passed a lake, which Miro informed them was filled by one of the aquifers flowing under the desert. He went on to explain how their entire underground civilization had essentially limitless water from a combination of the water elementalists and the abundant springs that decorated the underground city.

“Shouri,” Vii spoke up.

“What’s up?” Shouri pulled the tuner from his side, coming to a stop.

“We’re being tailed,” Vii informed the Maestro

“Figured, how many?” he shot back, scanning the map.

“Five.”

“Can you take them?”

The false fox scoffed. “Can I take them?” she repeated mockingly. “I don’t think you understand who I am.”

Miro glanced between man and fox-girl; his brows turned up with worry. “What is wrong?”

Shouri turned the tuner to their new companion, allowing him to read the map. “Red dots mean hostility towards me or Vii.”

Sure enough, there was a little cluster of red dots flashing down the street from them.

“What are the battle laws like here?” Shouri asked.

“Same as on the surface. Self-defense is acceptable,” Vii replied.

“I imagine they can just attack us though since we have the advantage,” the Maestro mused.

“Correct. Natural pride is a hell of a drug – should we best them even while they have a larger group they’ll likely retreat in shame. After all what thug would admit they had a numbers advantage and still lost?”

This earned a sharp chuckle from Shouri. “Of course, it’s always a show of power with these types.”

Miro gulped. What had he gotten himself into with these people? The aura of rhythm they were radiating was intense. Nothing like he had ever felt before.

But also…

His eyes glowed with yellow curiosity. This was all so interesting, his tail whipped back and forth with excitement. To see how a Maestro fought piqued wonder, despite how dangerous Maestros were said to be…

He wanted to bear witness to it with his own eyes.