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

Much to Pacifica’s distress, they couldn’t stay in the arcade all day if they wanted to make it to Lutera within any reasonable timeframe. “At least I have them.” The otter frowned at the many cards she had managed to collect in the little time they had spent at the arcade.

“For the love of the Seven Sages you spent a hundred notes on those,” Shouri grumbled, staring at the dozens of micro-transactions on his banking app. “You better not lose them,” he warned.

“They’re my precious friends! I would never!” The water element cried out, hugging her bundle of cards tightly.

Taika shook her head but smiled all the same. Pacifica was passionate if nothing else and it was something Taika could appreciate about her dear friend.

Moving right along, the group continued their trek toward the towering pillar in the sky. As they made their way through Naiza, Shouri took note of a couple of interesting structural decisions.

The buildings, while tall, weren’t skyscraper height. He guessed this was simply due to Lutera sapping the area of resources, though he couldn’t account for why they didn’t just import the necessary materials from Luna or other Kalanichan cities.

Secondly, and more interestingly, was the shade. The buildings appeared to be constructed in such a manner to maximize the amount of light being blocked by the overhangs and canopies that extended well into the street.

Not that he particularly minded, in the last few months of travel he had become more of a night owl himself. He stole a gaze to Taika, a slight pang in his heart as he was reminded of the cloudless day his Lunar had been afflicted with only a week ago.

Other lunars passing by similarly kept to the shaded areas – they knew better than to allow themselves over-exposure. A simple adaption for them living on the Riterran surface.

“Sho.” Taika tugged on his sleeve. “Ho fame,” she whined.

Rebecca opened her mouth to remark about the lunar fox’s persistent hunger but snapped her jaw shut. It was Taika’s birthday after all.

“Let’s check out a local place,” Pacifica suggested as Taika’s eyes locked on a M’kroc’s.

“Good idea, that’ll make it more special.” Shouri placed a hand on his hungry fox’s shoulder.

They walked a bit further and found a restaurant called “The General Spore”. A warm savory scent filled the air as they passed by the small shop.

“That.” Taika made her decision.

With the lunch choice made, the quartet entered the tiny restaurant and were quickly seated.

“Oh, I get it,” Shouri spoke up as the group looked over their menus.

“Mushroom-themed restaurant has a mushroom-themed menu, who knew?” Rebecca commented.

“Hrm…” Pacifica furrowed her brows as she scrutinized the menu.

“Pizza.” Taika decided almost instantly.

“Yeah, I could go for some pizza.” Shouri set his menu down.

“Sounds good to me,” Rebecca agreed.

“Uhhh yeah, sure,” Pacifica chuckled nervously.

The server Resonator came and took their order before leaving the quartet to wait for their meal. The group of four didn’t have much to talk about until they showed up.

Three small Resonators entered the establishment. They stood about half the height of Shouri and Pacifica, but where other Resonators had horns, wings, or tails, these odd creatures bore mushrooms that sprouted straight from their moss-like hair that adorned the tops of their heads. The odd trio walked through and into the back kitchen area as if they owned the place. Rebecca raised a brow, turning back to see if she could catch sight of the strange creatures again.

“Those were Resonators,” she frowned.

“Oh yeah. They are Sphonpais – one of the mirage Resonators species,” Shouri told them. “Never seen them in person myself,” he added.

“They’re lunar,” Rebecca noted the same elemental feeling from them as their own lunar element.

“Yep.” Shouri nodded. “I’m actually surprised to see any here, they’re hated even more than lunars normally are on Riterra,” he explained.

“Why?” Pacifica asked, similarly turned around in her chair like Rebecca. “They seemed pretty happy to be here.”

Shouri hummed, his lips curling down. “Well, besides being lunar-element, they’re also the only known predators of Scherzando,” he revealed.

“Wh-what?” The three girls turned to Shouri, eyes wide.

“Yeah. Sphonpais are unique in that they can eat Scherzando. The more they hunt the more mushrooms sprout from their heads. That’s probably why the stuff on this menu is so cheap – it’s all mushroom based and they get to eat while making money from Scherzando hunts on top of being able to sell the fruits of the labor.”

It was at that moment their pizza was delivered to their table and they began eating.

As they ate the curious Resonators looked around the small restaurant. Despite the area it was in and how small the building itself was, everything was top class – the seats were comfortable, the tables free from any damage or staining; large, brand-new televisions hung proudly on the walls and were playing live Resonator battles from the Kalanichi Nationals. It was all top-notch as if they opened yesterday. What’s more, now that the lunch rush was on, every seat in the house had someone sitting in it.

Not only was everything so meticulously kept, but they were popular to boot.

“Sho, what even is a Mirage Resonator? I’ve never heard of that before,” Taika questioned in between bites of her food.

Shouri polished off the slice he was eating before resuming his explanation. “Hoo boy, okay, so there are four ‘rarities’ of Resonators. Common, Noble, Mirage, Ethereal. Common Resonators are like you and Pacifica, just normal Resonators with no special traits or lineages”

Rebecca huffed, knowing what was next.

“Next is Noble Resonators, so common species of Resonator but with strong bloodlines or lineages.” Shouri averted his gaze. “So like Rebecca.”

Taika and Pacifica nodded. Rebecca hugged herself, trembling at the labeling.

Shouri scooted closer to Rebecca, rubbing her shoulder. “Mirage Resonators are extremely rare species of Resonators. In fact, there’s one species per element. Golems, Mermaids, Zalavan, Sprites, Dinosaurians, Fairies, and Sphonpais. Fire, Water, Nature, Lightning, Earth, Solar, and Lunar respectively,” he continued.

“Wait, so that Zino guy is a mirage Resonator?” Pacifica asked.

“Yep.” Shouri nodded in the affirmative.

“Why are Ethereals classed with the other three though? I thought they were immortals,” Taika wondered, eying the remaining couple of pieces of the pie.

“They are,” Shouri replied, motioning for the fox to polish off the remaining ‘zza. “Ethereals are named individuals, so they’re the rarest and most powerful of all Resonators. There’s only one Blaze Lyre out there for example. Most Maestros who have Ethereals lay low, you get a giant target painted on your back when the public finds out you have one on your team,” he told his trio. “Not much modern information on them as a result,” he said with a shrug.

It was at that point in the conversation that the crowd by the bar grew rowdy, cheers rising as one of the battles on the TVs intensified.

“Damn they’re loud,” Rebecca grumbled, folding her ears back to filter out the noise.

“Just a bit, let me see if I can get our check, keep eating.”

While Shouri was off fighting the crowds, Pacifica was slowly picking at her pizza. A small pile of mushrooms had accumulated just under a napkin the otter had shuffled onto her plate.

“Are you going to eat those Paci?” Taika asked attention locked on the discarded fungi.

“Go ahead.” Pacifica pushed the plate over, which was quickly cleaned by the hungry fox.

“You could have just asked for something else,” Rebecca whispered to Pacifica.

“It’s not my day, I didn’t want to raise a stink,” The otter whispered back.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “If you insist.”

Shouri returned to the table, sliding a tuner back on his side. “We good to go?” he asked the table.

“Si!”

“Yeah.”

“Yep!”

“Wooahhhh…” Astonished gasps escaped the lips of the four tourists as they stood in the shadow of the Lutera Space Elevator.

“C-cold.” Pacifica trembled as a sharp gust of wind chilled the group.

“Let’s get inside.” Shouri motioned to one of the many entranceways that dotted the base of the tower.

As a major travel hub, there were plenty of people coming and going. Surprisingly, the mix was quite healthy: many different Maestros with a wide variety of different Resonators of all kinds made their way in and out of the structure. Despite how free-flowing the foot traffic was from the structure, security was exceptionally tight – several guards stood at the ready by the entranceways, eyeing the masses as they went about their days. The most glaring thing about the security detail was the pistols they all carried on their person.

Thankfully, Shouri and company weren’t there to cause trouble, so they easily entered the building without attracting any attention. Finally inside, they could behold the majesty of the only way to leave Riterra. It was not as grandiose as they had imagined, bearing a resemblance to a typical airport, with departure and arrival boards showing when certain gates were coming and going.

“Oh ugh, my stomach.” Pacifica dropped her head.

“What’s wrong?” Shouri asked.

“Looked up.” She shook her head, keeping her gaze firmly on the ground.

Shouri did exactly that. It was like staring into a hole in the sky, as the walkways circled the inside of the tower, seeming to up forever until it became an undistinguishable black point. Various signs and billboards hung proudly advertising all kinds of goods and services, most of which could be found within the tower itself if their claims were to be believed.

“Hey guys! Come check this out!” Rebecca shouted waving for her friends.

Shouri, Taika, and Pacifica convened where their group’s fire element had wandered off to. “Look look!” Rebecca excitedly pointed to a large electronic sign. The first floor was the actual spaceport itself, but the next hundred floors were a mixture of industrial, commercial, and residential areas.

“Wow… you can just straight up live in here,” Pacifica gasped in awe.

“There’s even a few MA Offices, too,” Shouri noted, touching the map which changed the listing to show all the Maestro Affairs Offices within the tower.

“They have parks here!” Taika noted.

Once more, Shouri craned his neck skyward. There were so many people wandering around, with no end in sight – just how many people called this elevator home?

“Sho!” Taika squeaked, tugging his sleeve.

“Hm?” He flinched as her arm whipped in front of his face to point to one of the electronic billboards hanging above.

Currently being displayed was an ad for a new cigarette brand specially grown on Luna that gave a taste that was “out of this world”.

“I uh, didn’t know you had an interest in smoking?” Shouri offered.

“Che?” Taika watched in horror as the ad changed yet again to something entirely unrelated. “Ah! Non!” she cried out.

“What was it then?” Pacifica asked.

“It was a bookstore.” Taika frowned. Her gaze was transfixed on the sign, hoping the ad she saw would return, to no avail.

“Was it one of these?” Shouri pointed to the large map screen they were monopolizing, having searched for bookstores. Taika scoured the list, trying desperately to recall the name.

“Ah! This one!” She tapped the screen by accident, having only intended to point at it. The map zoomed out and back in, displaying where the shop was and providing further information.

Blue Moon Books

Tier 40 – Floor 2

Located in Tier 40, Blue Moon Books is the largest independent bookstore in Lutera. Whether you are looking for fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, or Lunar texts, you will find something to suit your taste and interest at Blue Moon. You can also enjoy a cup of coffee and a pastry at the Sky Flower Cafe, or attend one of the many events and signings hosted by the bookstore. Blue Moon Books is open from 10 AM to 9 PM Monday to Saturday, and from 12 PM to 5 PM on Sunday. For more information, visit our website.

Shouri naturally finished reading the blurb first. Of note, one particular item caught his interest. “I think it’s worth a visit.” His eyes fell on the floor number once more: Floor 2. Looking around the floor just above them, there didn’t appear to be any shops above them, it was all office space and administrative stuff from what he could make out and signboards. This clearly was not the second floor the map referred to.

“Let’s try to find it,” he told the group, who nodded in agreement.

After wandering around the first floor aimlessly, the quartet returned to the map board that initiated this romp through capitalist hell. They patiently waited their turn before interrogating the piece of technology.

“Alright, where the hell is this?” Shouri tapped through the interface before coming upon the information they sought.

“Oh…”

As it turned out, the non-elevator parts of Lutera were normal sky-scraper-like structures, that much they had known. However, these structures were broken up into “Tiers” with each one comprising five floors each.

Blue Moon Books was on the second floor of Tier 40 – one hundred and ninety-seven stories into the sky.

“That’s… really high.” Pacifica trembled, having paled upon the revelation of exactly where they needed to go.

“Would be a hell of a fall,” Rebecca commented flatly.

“Why did you say that?!” Pacifica hissed, glaring at her fellow Resonator.

Taika wilted. “We don’t have to-”

“NO!” Came the three shouts of her friends, startling the birthday girl.

“You want to go, so we’re going,” Rebecca asserted.

“It’ll be fine, this place is supposed to be super safe right?” Pacifica chuckled nervously, speaking for herself rather than Taika.

“Wouldn’t be much of a birthday if we didn’t take you anywhere you wanted to go, now would it?” Shouri smiled.

The lunar fox’s bottom lip trembled while her eyes shimmered – these people were simply too much.

“Woaaaahhhh…” For the second time today, astonished gasps escaped the group as they ascended the nearly two hundred stories to their destination.

Well, that was, except Pacifica who was firmly facing away from the large window that made up a decent chunk of the elevator. “How is this safe?” she hissed quietly, doing her darndest to not have a complete meltdown. The speed they were ascending at, this feeling in her gut, it was all so unnatural. Humans, Resonators, neither were meant to go this high into the sky. Sage Cielto would surely strike them down for their hubris.

“Paci.”

The otter jumped and shrieked at the sudden hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?!” Shouri grabbed her shoulders, trying to steady her.

She had turned to face him and noticed the clouds below them. “NOO!!” she cried, grabbing her Maestro and clinging to him for dear life, her tears soaking his shirt.

Shouri held her tightly, stroking her hair. “Shh shh shh shh, it’s okay Paci, it’s okay.”

Taika once more wilted, this was something she had wanted, but in doing so she had upset Pacifica.

The sensitive otter peeked over Shouri’s shoulder, tears streaming down her face. “N-no Taika.” Pacifica’s voice cracked as she spoke. “I-it’s your day, don’t worry about me please…” she whimpered.

This was of little consolation to Taika who remained silent, gaze lowered.

Pacifica trembled, still gripping Shouri’s shirt. She pushed the boy, remaining attached to him. The sudden movement told him exactly what his otter wanted. The pair shuffled back, and before Taika knew it, she had been incorporated into their embrace.

“Hrmph.” Rebecca turned away.

Not even she could escape Pacifica’s sense though, and Rebecca soon found herself in the middle of her trio of friends. “I didn’t say I wanted this!” she cried out, though her wagging tail betrayed her.

BEEP

“Now arriving in Tier Forty, Floor Two,” the electronic voice spoke from above.

Tshhhhh

The elevator door opened and several people were waiting to go down. Seeing a Maestro holding his three Resonators raised some eyebrows, and caused Shouri’s to descend into a glare.

“What?!” he barked, causing the onlookers to flinch from the sudden shouting. However, they continued to stare. “Take a picture it lasts longer!” Shouri snapped at the looky-loos. Finally, they averted their gazes.

“Come on girls, we’re holding up the line,” his voice flipped to that gentle tone that made the trio swoon.

Ditching the elevator, the quartet began to wander the 197th floor of the Lutera Space Elevator. There were all kinds of little shops they passed by. Several Resonator apparel shops all in a row, a candle shop, a jewelry store, collectibles, a toy store, and an electronics store were some of the vendors they passed by as the group took in the sights.

Well-maintained greenery lined the walkways, with a small squad of workers taking care of the maintenance; trimming off dead leaves and branches while checking the soil for water content and adjusting it accordingly.

There was no way to accidentally fall off the tower from the inside as there were thick, clear walls barring the way to the central shaft. However, to help with the general airflow in the tower itself, various bits of plant life were installed into the walls adding that smidgeon of greenery to break up the steel greys that would make up the tower otherwise.

Just like on the streets of Naiza proper, there were a healthy number of Lunar elements wandering about, chit-chatting with one another and just enjoying the day; many of whom didn’t appear to be in the company of a Maestro.

“Lots of strays,” Taika noted.

“Self-owned looks like.” Rebecca pointed to a couple of lunars with their own tuners on their hips.

“Maybe it’s just easier to live like that on Luna,” Pacifica guessed.

“Dunno.” Shouri shrugged. The itchy curiosity was getting to him; however, he knew trying to look it up would be fruitless – info on lunar Resonators, culture or otherwise, just wasn’t readily available.

Speaking of information, they arrived at their destination: Blue Moon Books.

“Here we are, let’s take a look.” Shouri gestured to the entranceway.

Blue Moon Books was a much larger storefront than their contemporaries. It was bright, with many shelves lined with books, separated into sections and genres. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the right of the entranceway where a small café was located. Despite how many people were walking around, it was as quiet as a library. Even with the people wandering, there were an equal number of those sitting around, reading.

“Come on.” Shouri motioned for his trio to follow.

In the four went, on a journey of discovery!

Rebecca stuck with Shouri while Pacifica and Taika let their curiosity get the better of them and wandered off for other ventures.

“What are you looking for bossman?” Rebecca asked as she followed behind her Maestro. They were in the non-fiction section; very specifically reference books.

“This place is a bookstore chain specifically from Luna – they don’t have any Riterran stores outside of the few in here,” he told her.

Rebecca stood impressed. “How did you-?” He flashed her tuner back at her where he had been looking at the chain’s website. “Ah, dumb question,” she conceded. “But that doesn’t answer my first question,” she pointed out.

“If this is a bookstore from Luna, I’m betting they have-” Shouri cut himself off, yanking a particular book off the shelf. “-this.”

“Chandra Nikini’s Lunar Resonator Field Guide 2018 Edition”

“Oh!” Rebecca gasped.

Immediately Shouri flipped it open, scanning through the spells and their effects. “This is interesting,” he commented.

“What’s that?” Rebecca peered over his shoulder.

“This is written for both Maestros and Resonators – it has information for Maestros such as applicable modifiers, but also it has detailed explanations for Resonators who may be using Rubato crystals for their spell casting,” he explained.

The Maestro hummed in thought. “Luna has almost an overabundance of Rubato crystals. They must be extraordinarily cheap if this information is just readily available up there,” he mused.

“Not sure how I feel about that,” Rebecca commented.

“Why’s that?” Shouri raised a brow, regarding his Resonator.

“Not that I’ve tried crystals, but Maestro’s rhythm just feels better.”

Shouri simply stared, and after a moment Rebecca realized what she had said. “Er! I mean-!” she stammered; her face rapidly reddening.

“It’s okay Rebby, you’re entitled to your opinions.” Shouri grinned, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

“G-get off!” she yelped, pushing her Maestro away in a vain attempt to save face.

Shouri flipped back to the information he wanted at that moment and resumed his studies. After getting over herself, Rebecca joined him, once more peering over his shoulder to do so.

She looked into his deep blue eyes and felt a surge of emotion. He was the Maestro she had been dreaming of, the one who made her heart skip a beat. He smiled and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. She felt his warm breath on her neck, sending shivers down her spine. He whispered in her ear, "You are the most beautiful fox I have ever seen. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" She gasped and nodded, tears of joy streaming down her face. He kissed her softly, then passionately, as fireworks exploded in the sky. They were in love, and nothing could tear them apart.

“Heyyyy Taika!” Pacifica’s sudden call startled Taika, who shrieked in surprise and threw the book she had been reading into the air.

The poor startled fox stood there in the middle of the romance section, eyes wide, face red, tail puffed out, and struggled to catch her breath. “Ma che vuoi!?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low after disturbing the tranquility.

Disregarding the elevated heart rate she caused, Pacifica approached her fellow Resonator, carrying a book of her own. “Look at this cool book I found on shipwrecks!” She opened it up without waiting for a response from Taika. “See I found the shipwreck Dad and I found in the Seirra Islands, the anchor that I was showing you at my parents’ place. Apparently, it was from a merchant ship carrying gold doubloons to the Lyberteran west coast! Isn’t that cool?!” Pacifica struggled to contain her excitement.

“The coolest,” Taika grumbled as flatly as she could muster. She turned around and located the book she had thrown, gently scooping it up and dusting it off.

“But wait, it gets better!” Pacifica cared not for Taika’s disinterest and rambled on anyway. “They had been attacked by pirates! But not just any pirates but sky-”

“Taika! Pacifica!” Rebecca suddenly broke up the riveting conversation, breathing hard as she stood at the end of the aisle.

“Rebby?” Pacifica raised a brow.

“What’s the rush?” Taika asked.

“It’s Sho!” the fire element cried out in a panic. “Come quick!” she shouted before darting off.

Pacifica and Taika shared an uneasy glance, before following in Rebecca’s footsteps.

They caught a glimpse of Rebecca’s tail as she turned the corner into the reference books section.

As soon as Pacifica laid eyes on Shouri, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening. Taika too stopped, but only because of the expression on his face.

The lunar Resonator field guide lay on the ground, while Shouri stood there with a wide-eyed, blank expression on his face. Taika’s tuner was in his left hand, and he was gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white.

“Sho! Sho! Come on, this isn’t funny!” Rebecca shook him, but he remained dead to the world, wide-eyed and unmoving.

After a moment, Taika’s brows descended into a glare. “Move Rebby.” She stepped up, her eyes glowing with blue, determined rhythm. Rebecca heeded her fellow Resonator’s demand, stepping aside.

Taika grabbed Shouri’s hands, focusing her entire self on him. “Sho, speak to me,” she addressed him calmly.

“Mila,” he said shakily. “They found Mila.”