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

Blue eyes fluttered open as Taika returned to the waking world on this Friday morning. Their usual arrangement had persisted - both herself and Pacifica hugging their Maestro from either side, whilst holding hands to keep him in place. Being so close to not one but two people was nice, she couldn’t help tearing up from just how happy she was.

It didn’t take too long for Shouri and Pacifica to rise from their slumber as well. There was a bit of a tussle as the two Resonators wanted to remain in bed for a bit longer and enjoy their Maestro’s warmth; however, the Maestro in question protested, as nature was calling.

With that out of the way, it was time for breakfast. As had become the norm, Shouri and Pacifica went to fetch breakfast while Taika had control of the room.

“What are we going to do about getting more people for this hunt?” Pacifica wondered aloud as they trod across the dew-sodden grass to building B.

“Good fucking question,” the Maestro grumbled.

“Let me give it a shot,” requested the otter.

“Go nuts,” he replied, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. He knew inaction wasn’t really an option if they did want to take it down, but in the same respect talking to people (especially without Taika’s rhythm pushing him forward) was a monumental task.

Pacifica was no slouch herself, though, and immediately attacked the first person they saw as soon as they walked in.

“Hey!” she shouted.

“Oh hi, can I help you?” the poor random Maestro Pacifica flagged down asked.

“There’s a Big Scherzando in the mountains north of here, wanna hunt it with us?” the otter just laid it out.

“Uhh, no thanks, sorry.” And with that, they rushed away lest they be forced to continue the conversation.

“That could have gone better,” Shouri noted.

“It’s okay, they were just probably busy, we’ll get the next one.” Pacifica waved off the negativity, searching for their next hapless victim.

And then Pacifica made a name for herself, bothering nearly every Maestro they came across with the same request. Not one even entertained her request. It was all quick denials followed by them shuffling off before she could protest.

“COWARDS! THEY’RE ALL COWARDS!” Pacifica shouted at the early morning sun as they returned to their room with breakfast being their consolation prize. “I DON’T EVEN HAVE A FORTE SPELL YET AND THEY’RE ALL THROWING IN THE TOWEL!” she roared in Shouri’s general direction.

Shouri was discouraged by their lack of progress in recruiting people for their cause. Nobody wanted to help? He understood Cera’s irritability last night with the whole situation. Adding it up, it made sense. A social butterfly like him being unable to get any other people on his side for this Scherzando subjugation certainly spoke volumes of the task they had to accomplish.

“I guess we’ll update Taika on our progress,” Shouri mumbled.

“HA. HAHA. UPDATE, SURE.” The water Resonator was still on her angry tirade; even the patient saint that was Pacifica had a breaking point.

Black fox ears wilted immediately. “N-not a single person?” Taika asked for clarification on their report.

“Not a fucking single one! Cowards, the lot of them!” the otter continued her earlier verbal onslaught of the Maestros she had spoken with this morning. She glanced at Shouri, who had finished breakfast while she had made her report.

She jumped onto him, sitting on his lap while supporting herself by wrapping her arm around his neck. “Not like our Maestro, the bravest of them all,” she commended Shouri’s commitment to the cause.

“Hardly - If we can’t get more people, we’re not going. I dunno how hard Cera can carry us against a big Scherzando,” Shouri said, shooting a bit of an annoyed glance at the clingy otter.

“H-how strong are they really? They can’t be that bad.” Pacifica chuckled, though there was more nervousness than bravado in her words.

“They’re horribly strong. When they say big, they’re not kidding. I’ve read they can be upwards of fifty feet tall.” Shouri kept his gaze firmly trained down as he spoke. “It usually takes a team of four powerful Maestros to beat them. We’re like half a Maestro in that count.” He gritted his teeth in frustration.

Both Resonators wilted, Pacifica to the point where she slid off their Maestro’s lap and onto the floor. “I don’t want more people getting hurt,” Pacifica muttered.

“It’s not fair,” Taika whispered, fists balled up tight and trembling from emotion.

Shouri’s eyes fell onto the article he was reading on Pacifica’s tuner.

“20 dead from Big Scherzando – No help in sight”

“I know girls; I don’t want anyone else to have to die over inaction.” He was just as exasperated as his two Resonators. “Maybe Cera will find someone?” he offered, with the slightest bit of hope in his voice.

Pacifica sighed. “I really hope so Sho.” She stood up. “I dunno what to even do.” Falling back onto the loveseat she had previously occupied she slumped forward. “I don’t like feeling useless.”

She had spoken their collective thoughts aloud and as such silenced the room. They were still rookies, just starting, and yet they aimed much higher than their weight class. None of them wanted to just give up.

“I wish other people actually gave a shit,” Shouri grumbled, slouching further in his seat. Taika and Pacifica slowly nodded in agreement.

The remainder of the day was spent trying to relax. They couldn’t do anything about the Scherzando situation at the moment. Stressing out about it wouldn’t help.

Unfortunately, it hung over them like a bad odor.

Shouri tried to turn his brain off by watching television in bed most of the day.

Taika moved about the room, sitting in various chairs and on the bed, using her bound tuner to catch up on some reading.

Pacifica took no less than twelve baths, sitting with Shouri for small periods before ultimately locking herself back up in the bathroom for another bath.

By the time night arrived, they were all mentally exhausted.

“We should at least let Cera know about this morning,” Shouri spoke up for the first time in hours.

Taika yawned, blinking several times and trying to shake off the impending headache. “Do we have to go out?” She rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake.

“This sucks,” Pacifica groused, folding her arms across her chest.

None of them wanted to do much of anything, especially leave the room. They all had spent the day stewing in their emotions and came out worse for wear. Even the usually upbeat Pacifica was just tired and angry now.

But they trudged out anyway, they felt they at least owed that much to Cera. “We can stop for ice cream or something on the way back,” Shouri suggested as they walked down the beach walk that led to the hunt site. The two girls perked up.

“Really Sho?!”

“Davvero Sho?!”

Their excited cries from behind him brought a small smile back to his face. “Yeah. Could use a pick-me-up right now,” he told them. The two girls' excited giggling behind him was worth its weight in gold, and it was probably less than ten notes anyway; a wise investment.

Though the corners of his lips descended as they reached their destination. The momentary distraction from their troubles came to an abrupt end. They’d have to find Cera before they could leave. The trio walked around for a bit, taking in the sights as usual. Life went on as other Maestros and their Resonators kept up their usual routine, either ignorant of the crisis at hand or actively choosing to disregard it as a problem. Shouri and co didn’t forget their mission though: they were on the lookout for Cera.

“How are we even going to find him?” Pacifica questioned.

“Good question.” Shouri pondered that thought.

“We should look for Saul,” Taika suggested.

“Oh, good idea! That dude is massive!” The otter nodded.

And so they kept their sights trained up, looking for the massive nature element that towered over any crowd. Unfortunately, this only led to them wandering around aimlessly, hoping they would get lucky and just happen upon the landmark of a bear.

“Wait, I got another idea,” Shouri suddenly uttered, changing directions much to the confusion of his Resonators who had stuck close to their Maestro.

Making their way back to the entrance, Shouri led them to the line with the other Maestros waiting to register for the night’s festivities.

“What are we doing Sho?” Taika questioned, puzzled by her Maestro’s actions.

“I thought we weren’t hunting tonight,” Pacifica chimed in, just as confused as her lunar counterpart.

“It’s simple-” Before he could elaborate, it was their turn.

“Tuners,” the attendant requested as usual.

The Maestro didn’t turn over the devices, however. “Actually, I came to make an inquiry,” he began, “Is Cera here tonight? His Resonator is a Nature-element Bear named Saul.”

Much to Shouri’s surprise, the clerk manning the booth processed his request. “No sir, Cera isn’t registered tonight.” There was a hum and a frown. “That is pretty unusual. Wonder if he’s under the weather,” they pondered aloud.

Shouri too, found himself concerned by that news. “Thanks.”

He turned to Pacifica and Taika who both wore their worry openly. They quietly shuffled out of line to allow the next person to register. Before the trio had a chance to figure out what to do next, they were met with a sudden voice directed at them.

“Hoh? What’s this?”

There was a small group of Maestros who had been loitering near the registration booth and had eavesdropped on Shouri’s conversation with the registrar. “Did Cera sucker you into caring about his little hunt in the mountains?” one of them asked with a smug smirk.

That struck a chord. Pacifica and Shouri immediately glared daggers at these Maestros. “People are dying!” Pacifica growled.

“Well, of course, that’s natural.” One of the other Maestros shrugged.

“It’s their own fault they weren’t strong enough,” another chuckled.

“Shoulda pulled their weight, they’d have strong Resonators if they did,” yet another offered their input, shaking their head pitying the fallen.

With that the other group walked away, laughing about the whole affair. Shouri opened his mouth to give them a piece of his mind; Pacifica was right behind him, ready to throw hands.

“Ok, credo che abbiamo finito qui.”

Suddenly Shouri and Pacifica were both pulled back by the scruff of their jacket and vest respectively.

“But!” The two immediately went to voice their protests. Taika raised a single finger to silence them. “You’re in over your heads,” Taika told them.

Pacifica in particular seemed more affected by those words. She let out a sigh, cracking a smile. “What the heck am I doing? This isn’t like me.” She grabbed Shouri’s hand, and then Taika’s. “Etude for our rhythm, ice cream for our stomachs, let’s go,” she decided.

Shouri himself exhaled sharply through his nostrils, also relaxing. Taika and Pacifica were right. There wasn’t any need to pick fights with the naysayers. They knew in their hearts what they were doing was right. They didn’t need validation from some randos that happened to be passing by.

Taking their leave, they made their way back into town and located a small ice cream shop just off the beach. Walking in, the trio looked around in awe. A Maestro stood behind the counter, ready to take their order, while a pair of water Resonators were utilizing ice magic to chill a new batch of product. What's more, the list of flavors was beyond extensive with so many varieties the trio had never heard of. Thankfully given it was peak hunting hours, there were very few other patrons so they had all the time in the world to make their decisions.

“You two know what you want?” Shouri asked after some time.

“Yeah!” Pacifica said eagerly.

“I think so.” Taika nodded.

Finally, they approached the counter proper to place their order.

“Blue moon,” Taika requested.

“Mango!” Pacifica declared.

“Hmmm... matcha,” Shouri decided.

One payment later, the trio took a seat and waited for their orders. As their cold treats were prepared, a certain voice got their attention. “Oh, it’s you three.” Recognizing the owner of said voice, they found themselves in the company of Makani and his nightingale Resonator, Ryn whom they had met a couple of days prior.

“Makani, right?” Shouri asked.

“I’m honored that you remember me.” The man chuckled.

The lunar bird that followed him about wore a frown directed at the group seated before them. “What’s up?” she asked suddenly, earning four pairs of eyes on her.

“What do you mean?” Shouri asked.

The bird-girl hummed in thought for a moment. “It feels like y'all are here for a pick-me-up. Did something happen?”

The trio of Shouri, Pacifica, and Taika exchanged glances. “Yeah, you could say that,” Pacifica spoke up, frowning bitterly.

“People are mean,” Taika added in.

“Ah, people are going to be that way, as sad as it is to say. Rynda and I deal with that all the time.” Makani shrugged, adding in a weary sigh. Though his analysis of the situation was a bit off, which his Resonator sought to correct:

“It’s not about her being a Lunar, is it?”

“Hmm?” Maestro looked to the Resonator, raising a brow.

The bird turned to her keeper. “Something else is bugging them, Maki.”

“Oh yeah?”

Before recounting the events of the last couple of days, Shouri and his Resonators got their order. They explained the situation with the Big Scherzando to Makani and Rynda. The other lunar pair remained quiet, taking in the whole of the story they were being told.

After Shouri and Co expressed the dire nature of the matter, Makani leaned back in his seat. “That is a bit of a bummer yeah,” he finally spoke up. The pilot-clad Maestro shot a sidelong glance at his partner in crime. He noticed she had hung onto every word of their story. “You wanna help them don’t you Ryn?”

“Well of course I do! People are getting hurt!” the bird chirped loudly.

“And there you have it,” Makani said with a snicker.

“Eh?” The trio sitting across from the lunar pair gawked at the pair in confusion.

“We’ll help you all out,” Makani clarified.

“Damn straight!” Rynda barked, slamming the table.

Before Shouri and his Resonators could even react to the offer, the pilot spoke further: “How’s tomorrow night sound?”

Looks were exchanged between Shouri, Taika, and Pacifica. “Not that we’re not grateful for your help, but I feel like we need more people than this?” Pacifica frowned.

The lunar Maestro stroked his chin, thinking that over. “Hmmm, I think I’ve seen that Cera guy around. I think we’re good with just you guys, us, and him,” he spoke his mind.

Shouri tried to cut in: “But-!” However, Makani motioned for silence.

“Trust me, we got this. Four Resonators and three Maestros should be enough to tackle this one. If I pegged that guy’s strength down right you all could’ve handled it on your own. It might have been rough, but I don’t doubt you would have come out on top.”

“But so many other people have been hurt and killed by it!” Taika protested. “We’re not that strong.” Her ears folded back.

Shaking his head, Makani rose from his seat. Rynda, catching what her Maestro was doing, similarly stood up. “See, the difference between you three and other Maestros and Resonators is that you care.” His voice lowered. “That’s not normal.” The tone in his voice as he spoke those three words was grim, almost as if he was revealing a dark secret to the world.

“Anyways, I’ll see you all tomorrow night!”

“See you later!”

And with that, the two left the trio to their thoughts.

Pacifica braved speaking first. “Are we weird Sho?” she muttered. Taika frowned, lowering her head.

“If we are, I don’t want to be normal," declared the Maestro.

The following morning, Pacifica slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on Shouri’s arm, with her own arm around the back of his head. Her other hand was linked with Taika’s who slept peacefully on the other side of their Maestro.

Was this weird?

Was this... wrong?

Her parents came to mind – Pacifica herself was the result of a Maestro and their Resonator deciding to have a child; was that wrong too?

Was... she wrong? Was her entire existence a blemish on reality? It was terrible to consider. The possibility that there were people out there who considered her entire life a mistake.

Shouri’s words from less than eight hours prior rang in her head: “If we are, I don’t want to be normal.”

No wonder no other Maestros meshed with her. She was looking for something rare. It was one thing for a Maestro to say they cared about their Resonators. At face value, sure they cared. They cared as much as one did for their home, car, or other worldly possessions.

Like an object.

Resonators were things to most Maestros.

But... what made Shouri, Makani, and her mother different? She could sense from the way Makani spoke yesterday, he saw Rynda not as a thing, but as another person.

There was another part of it though. He seemed to be implying that because of this mindset, they’d be able to take on a Big Scherzando with ease? How did that make any sense?

She squeezed Taika’s hand tightly and curled her hand around Shouri’s head. She liked this. Why do other Resonators settle for less?

“Pacifica?” Taika whispering her name snapped the otter out of her thoughts. “Good morning Taika.” She smiled at her foxy counterpart. “Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“Yeah.” A groggy smile warmed the otter’s heart.

“Okay, girls.” Shouri yawned as they sat around the breakfast table in their room. “I think we should take it easy today,” he announced to the two Resonators. They both nodded slowly. “Usual afternoon nap before we head out to find Cera.”

“Sounds good!” The two girls beamed.

Taika went back to eating breakfast, but Pacifica took pause. The corners of her lips fell as she cast her gaze towards her half-eaten breakfast.

“Actually... Sho?” Pacifica spoke up.

“What’s up?”

“I wanna call my mom. Can we go to the phones?”

“Sure, Taika you wanna come with?” Shouri looked to the Lunar Resonator.

She frowned, looking between Shouri and Pacifica. Looking her water counterpart in the eyes told her everything she needed to know. Shaking her head, she smiled. “No, I’ll stay here. Call me if you need me.” The fox reclined back in her seat, taking possession of the television remote.

Shouri didn’t get it, but if both of them were fine with it, he’d see Pacifica to their destination. Leaving the room, he walked in silence with his otter until they reached the common room where the video phones were. It was early enough that nobody else was hanging around.

“Can I have you wait here Sho?” Pacifica suddenly requested. “I want to talk to my folks in private.”

He considered her ask, giving it thought before speaking up. “Sure, I’m right here if you need me, just shout.”

“Thank you.”

Stepping into the common room proper, Pacifica made her way over to one of the computers. She easily pulled up the phone application and quickly typed in her mom’s phone number. Though her finger hung over the call button. In her head, she mulled over what exactly she wanted to say. Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled and finally pressed call.

And after ringing for several seconds, it connected.

“Hello, my little otter!” her mother answered the phone with the same pep as usual, earning a smile. At least she could count on her mother’s consistency if nothing else.

“Hey Mom, do you have a sec?”

“Yeah honey, what’s up?”

The water Resonator considered her words. “Is it wrong to have feelings for my Maestro?” she hesitantly inquired of her mother.

A look of surprise washed over the older woman’s face. This didn’t last long, and Priscilla cracked a smile. “Ah, your father was the same way.” She shrugged.

“Huh?” Pacifica tilted her head.

“Jack, your father, was head over heels for me right from the jump.”

“And what about you?”

“I was fond of him of course, but I also had two other Resonators to take care of at the time.”

Pacifica gulped. “So, why dad then?”

“He made it clear to me from the get-go that he wanted something more. The other two didn’t.” There was a fondness to her voice. “Also he has a hell of a-”

“OKAY, I DON’T NEED TO KNOW THAT MUCH,” Pacifica loudly cut her mother off, for the sake of her mental image of her parents.

The woman couldn’t help but titter at her daughter’s embarrassment. “Why do you ask though?”

Again, Pacifica took a moment to pick her words. “Are we weird?” She looked the image of her mother on the screen square in the eyes. “Is it weird to love your Maestro as a person?” She fought the tears that wanted to spill.

“Who cares?” Priscilla shrugged once more. “You already knew that though.”

“Eh?”

“I know that’s not the real reason you’re calling me.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Pacifica averted her gaze.

Priscilla smirked, her eyes glowing a vibrant red. “You may be an otter because of your father, but you got my rhythm, and I can read you like a book.”

After a moment of awkward shuffling, Pacifica finally spoke her mind: “Maybe I love her too. I don’t want her to go away if I chase him,” she admitted. “I don’t want to break what we’ve only just started.” The otter trembled.

Elderly nodding met the drama unfolding in the common room. “People come, people go; it’s the way life works honey.”

Pacifica remained quiet, head lowered – that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. It had only been just over a week, but she wanted this wonderful dream to last forever. This was where she belonged, she could feel it. “But where’s the rule that says you can’t be as greedy as you want?” The otter jolted up at that comment. “You have one life to live baby, don’t sweat the details. If you all are happy and aren’t hurting anyone, what right does anyone have to judge?”

Wiping her tears away, Pacifica’s confident smile returned to her lips. “Thanks, Mom.”

“You good?” Shouri asked as Pacifica returned to him.

“Yeah.” She nodded. There was a noticeable change in her disposition. Her cheeriness had returned it seemed. It was a bit infectious, as Shouri found himself smiling back at her. “Wait.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“I decided I’m gonna stick with you until you’re sick of me – and even then, they’re gonna have to drag me away kicking and screaming. No matter what happens you won’t be rid of me that easily,” she whispered.

Shouri stood there; awe-struck by the voice in his ear. He relaxed and returned her hug. “Really? What did I do to deserve such loyal Resonators? I’m not that special.”