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

A soft light filtered through the curtains, gently drawing Taika from her slumber. Slowly the lids of her eyes rose, a warmth surrounding her from both sides. Shouri and Pacifica encased her in a cocoon of friendship, their arms wrapped around her, their breaths tickling her neck and ears. The vixen smiled, feeling a lump in her throat. She wanted to cry, not from sadness but from joy. She had never felt so safe and happy in her life, as she did in that moment, with the people who meant the world to her.

“Adoro questo...” she cooed contentedly before slipping back to sleep for another couple of hours.

Next up, a pair of green eyes slowly opened. He was met by a pair of blue eyes returning his groggy gaze. “Morning,” Pacifica whispered with a warm smile. Though her eyes widened as Shouri tightened his grip around her (and by proxy Taika)

“I’m sorry for worrying you both,” he breathed out.

“Thank you for joining us though.” Pacifica maintained her grateful grin.

“Colazione per favore,” Taika suddenly spoke up from between the pair.

Pacifica couldn’t help herself and giggled. “Sure Taika, we’ll go get breakfast.” She looked to Shouri. The Maestro shook his head. They were both consistent, he could count on that.

To appease the hungry fox, Pacifica and Shouri slipped out of bed and got ready to go. Before they left the room, Pacifica took Shouri’s hand and gripped it tightly. Shouri looked at her. “I’m here. So is Taika,” she quietly reminded him.

Inhaling deeply, the Maestro held it for a moment before releasing it. “Right, let’s go get breakfast.”

They took to the courtyard, swiftly crossing the dew-sodden grass, being careful to stay out of the way of the Resonator groundskeeper who were trimming the grass. However, upon entering Building B their morning took a turn for the worse.

And it all started with a shout.

“USELESS!”

Furthermore, it was unfortunate for the source of the voice that the Maestro and his otter recognized it.

Poor Pacifica just didn’t have enough strength to keep hold of her Maestro as he slipped out of her grasp. He stormed down the casting range just shy of a run, drawn by the commotion. Shouri tore back the privacy curtain to find Rebecca on the ground and Lyle looming over her, hand cocked back, red tuner gripped like a weapon.

“JUST DO AS YOU’RE TOLD AND CAST THE SPELL!”

Before Lyle could consider striking the cowering fox girl, Shouri seized the other man by the collar and spun him around. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Shouri hissed, keeping his voice low but venomous. Pacifica caught up and grabbed Shouri’s shoulders in case he tried to do something rash – but she wasn’t confident she’d be able to stop him.

Lyle was ready to throw hands; however, the nearly murderous air about the other Maestro caused him to back down as a sudden surge of fear hit him. “You think I’m such a third-rate Maestro, but I’m doing what needs to be done,” he said through a forced smile, edging away from Shouri.

Loathingly studying Lyle for a moment, his gaze shifted to Rebecca. “Has he hit you?” he asked, his tone softening for her. She quickly shook her head.

Shouri exhaled sharply through his nostrils. Brushing Pacifica’s hands off of his shoulders, he turned his back to Lyle. “I know what bugs me about you,” he spoke up. “You’re the kind of guy who thinks he can buy his way to the top.”

“Hah? What do you know? Some no-name Maestro who thinks he’s better than everyone.” Lyle had regained his composure it seemed.

Much to Pacifica’s surprise, Shouri didn’t take the provocation. He merely shook his head. “No, I’d say I’m not that strong of a Maestro.” Turning his head back, Shouri smirked at Lyle. “But I know for sure I’m better than you.” And with that, he dropped the proverbial mic and walked away. Lyle shouted a few choice insults, but by that point, Shouri had stopped caring and continued to walk on, Pacifica in tow.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Pacifica asked as they waited in line for their food.

“Yeah.” The Maestro nodded. “That boy makes my blood boil, but I’m only one person. There are countless numbers of dickheads like him out there. I can’t change the world by myself.” There was a pause as Shouri considered his words. “Getting arrested for assault definitely won’t change any minds either,” he chuckled.

“True, true.” Pacifica nodded.

“Besides, I doubt you’d want to go find another Maestro because I went and got my license revoked or something stupid like that,” Shouri added.

She elbowed him. “Yeah, you’d give poor Taika a heart attack.”

“Right, so no fist-fighting Maestros, I promise.” Shouri held a hand over his heart and raised the other.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Pacifica tittered.

Returning to the room, Taika noticed Shouri seemed to be in better spirits, much to her relief. They ate breakfast and chatted as normal, which only further elevated Taika’s mood.

“Oh!” Shouri suddenly exclaimed.

“What’s up Sho?” Pacifica asked before shoving her last piece of toast in her mouth.

Shouri could barely contain his excitement as he swiveled the black tuner he was holding towards his friends. “We got paid!”

Balance

4535♪

The two Resonators' eyes lit up upon seeing the number, gasping in disbelief at the staggering number on the screen.

“That’s so much money!” Taika squealed.

“We earned that Taika!” Pacifica shook her fellow Resonator, gesturing at the tuner.

“What do you two think about taking a small cruise?” Shouri suggested. The pair of Resonators lit up once more, (Pacifica doubly so) at the prospect of a boat ride. “We have the money and I think after the last few days, we could stand to take a little vacation,” he proposed.

“Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!” Pacifica was practically shaking with excitement.

“It sounds nice.” Taika was excited but not nearly as much as her watery counterpart.

With their approvals on the table, Shouri turned his attention to the web browser on his tuner. “Alright then girls, let’s get planning.”

The rest of the day was spent getting their itinerary together for their pleasure cruise. They would leave tomorrow afternoon and would be on the water for several days, taking a trip down the river that led to a port on the ocean.

Altogether it cost them 400 notes: 200 for Shouri and then 100 each for Pacifica and Taika. After making their reservation, they took their time browsing the site and pointing out all the little events they could participate in while on their trip.

“Ah, I can’t wait.” Pacifica stretched out.

It was now evening, and the group was pleased with their selection for their mini-vacation. “You two wanna work tonight?” Shouri asked.

The two Resonators exchanged a glance. Their trip was in the afternoon. They’d have plenty of time to sleep before they had to be at the docks. It was a smaller port off of the Corhia River. It was a bit of a walk through a small forest just outside the city limits to get there, but they were all in fantastic shape and none of them minded the distance.

With all of that in mind, they did want to see the big number go up a bit more before they spent a chunk of it on their trip. “Hmmm, I don’t mind,” Taika spoke her mind first.

“Maybe after this morning’s ‘talk’, he won’t show up,” Pacifica chimed in.

“Hopefully.” Shouri rolled his eyes. He wasn’t going to get worked up about it again. He was just one guy, and he certainly didn’t have enough sway to deal with the Lyles of the world.

Their destiny was decided, and the trio got ready to go. A quick stop by the cafeteria for dinner and then they made their way to the hunter base camp.

It was shaping up to be a pretty average night all in all. They waited in line as usual, got their assignment, and headed up to the foothills to convene with the main group. Taika cast Rilevare l'intenzione to update everyone’s maps with the initial Scherzando positions and they were off.

The night continued to be fairly mundane and boring. They teamed up with another Maestro and their Resonator and let them handle most of the actual fighting while providing support. While they did want money, they didn’t want to be completely exhausted before their trip tomorrow.

A boring night. Exactly what they wanted.

Too bad the relative peace wouldn’t last.

“Hmmm...” Shouri furrowed his brow, studying the tuner. He had the map up and was scrutinizing the latest update. The Scherzando’s movements were beginning to converge around a point. A point marked by an ally group. “Hey, Taika.” Shouri motioned to his fox girl, keeping his eyes glued to the map.

“Y-yes Sho?” She perked up, having been called upon.

“Rilevare l'intenzione, Rubato. Update the map two or three times,” he requested.

“Right.” She slowly nodded.

Pacifica looked between Shouri and Taika, brows raised with concern.

Shouri watched the updates roll in as Taika cast the solicited spell, paling as he only watched the situation deteriorate on the “radar”. The Maestro looked up from the tuner towards the direction where the “storm” was developing. “Fuck!” he cursed. “Let’s go! One of the other groups is being encircled!”

With a desperate burst of speed, Shouri and his Resonators raced towards the crumbling line of defense, where the air was filled with the agonized cries of the ensnared. They skidded to a halt at the edge of the carnage, their eyes widening in terror at the sight of the horde of abominations that had overrun the hunters. There were Scherzando of all shapes and sizes, some winged beasts to cover the air, others with more candid shapes, all with a savage hunger for rhythm. They kept their prey completely encircled and trapped like some kind of living fog. The silhouettes of the Maestros and their Resonators could just barely be made out within the chaos of the situation. Shouri felt a wave of rage and despair wash over him, knowing that they had no choice but to plunge into this hellish fray – he wasn’t going to let anyone die on his watch.

“Let’s break in!” Shouri told his Resonators. Taika and Pacifica readied themselves – so much for a peaceful night.

“Luce Lunare, Rubato! Ghiacciolo, Rubato!”

Ice and Lunar spells began chipping away at the beasts who were attempting to feast on the hunters-turned-prey at the center of the mob. It was a desperate assault from both Taika and Pacifica, but even with their spells culling the numbers of beasts, they weren’t even an afterthought; the Scherzando continued their assault.

Shouri ground his teeth in frustration, even feeling his rhythm rapidly deplete, he didn’t want to just throw in the towel. “Taika! Pacifica! Focus your spells on one point! Let’s open up a hole for them to escape!” he commanded.

“Yes, Sho!” the two girls shouted.

Focusing their spells on the spot closest to them, the Ice and Lunar attacks eventually culled enough of the shadowy creatures to provide an avenue of escape. As soon as that hole opened up in the swarm, a pair of bodies flew out.

Liza and Lyle. As soon as the opening had formed, Liza capitalized on it and got herself and her Maestro out of there.

Shouri regarded the two with some contempt; of course, Lyle put himself over everyone else. It was at that moment a realization hit Shouri. “Wait...” He noticed someone missing. “Where’s Rebecca?!” he shouted at Lyle, who was tending to an open wound on his arm.

“Doing her job!” Lyle screamed back, his voice cracking with fear. “God what a nightmare, fuck this! This is not worth it!” And with that brave proclamation, Lyle straight up left the scene. Liza remained for a moment longer before following her own Maestro.

Shouri gulped a pang of guilt and dread in his chest. That girl had been left alone in there. He clenched his jaw and peered into the swarm of beasts. The tide had turned in their favor somewhat, but there were still too many Scherzando to fight off. He could see the Maestros and their Resonators still trapped inside putting up a brave defense, but Rebecca remained nowhere to be seen.

Without another word, he bolted into the storm. Taika and Pacifica saw their Maestro run in and ran after him without a second thought. “SHO!” they cried out, throwing as many spells as they could create to protect their precious Maestro.

Rushing in he found the remaining Maestros pinned down, their own Resonators trying to keep the rabid beasts at bay. There were several members of the original group Lyle was in who had been injured, while the remaining able-bodied fighters attempted to protect them. Rebecca was on the ground some distance away, separated from the group; her feet significantly charred. She was cowering, trembling, crying – awaiting her demise.

A hawk-shaped Scherzando swooped down to snatch up the easy prey. Rebecca locked up and could only close her eyes, awaiting her demise. It was so cold, so dark. Was she already dead? What a pitiful end. Why did she have to live this life? The life of an object. Had she ever truly known love?

Not at all. How miserably pathetic.

...

But suddenly it was warm, so very warm.

“Lanciafiamme, Forte!”

She didn’t think – she just acted. Thrusting her hands out, a stream of flames erupted from her palms like a literal fire hose, engulfing several feisty Scherzando.

Finally coming out of her panic-induced black-out she felt a hand on her back and a soothing warmth practically on top of her.

It was that Maestro with the green jacket! “Bolide, Piano!” he suddenly commanded her. She didn’t fight it and just took his rhythm in. She shot a large fireball, protecting one of the other Maestros from a Scherzando that was about to go in for the kill.

“Anello di Fuoco, Tenuto! Concentrate on making a line between our group and the Scherzando!”

All Rebecca had to do was focus on his words and his rhythm guided her. It was so much easier this way. Sure enough, a ring of fire sprouted up between the Scherzando and the trapped Maestros and Resonators. “Hold on!” Before she could question his actions, Rebecca found herself in his arms. “Cortina Fumogena, Allegro! Spread the smoke on the outer edges so we can all get out of here.”

She nodded and did what was asked of her. Thick, ashy smoke billowed from her hands, which she was able to spread along the fire line she had created. Looking up, she noticed the Maestro’s hair rapidly greying. His water and lunar Resonators were still actively casting spells - this Maestro was strong. Most of all she got the sense that he... cared?

What was this? Her heart was racing, butterflies in her stomach, perhaps even weak knees (though she was currently still being carried, so the verdict was out on that one). She curled up and rested her head against his chest. He was so warm, so very warm; she found herself helplessly intoxicated by it.

“Ah...” She smiled, tears streaming down her face. This is what happiness felt like, huh?

It wasn’t long before help arrived, relieving Shouri and his worn-out Resonators from duty. There was still the matter of Rebecca however.

She had passed out from exhaustion and her legs looked much more burnt upon closer inspection. The diagnosis from the emergency medical techs who had arrived on site also didn’t promote confidence. Thankfully there was already a transport chartered to take the injured away, so Shouri left her in their care.

There was one more thing he needed to do though. Despite having used so much rhythm that his hair was now almost entirely white, he pressed onward, walking without a waver in his step. Pacifica and Taika hesitantly followed, wondering what was about to happen.

“HEY!”

Unfortunately for Lyle, Shouri easily located him still at the hunter base camp, getting treated for his injuries. Shouri’s two Resonators wanted to stop their Maestro from doing anything rash, but in the same respect, they had watched Rebecca’s Maestro just straight-up abandon her to save his own skin. And as a result, their Maestro put himself (as well as themselves) in danger.

Lyle had very little sympathy from anyone involved.

“What the fuck do you want?!” Lyle barked back, tearing himself away from the medical tent to confront the other Maestro.

“What the fuck yourself? You fucking abandoned her! If I didn’t run in there, she would be dead right now!” Shouri roared his counterpart, earning many stares from the other Maestros and their Resonators around. His dragon-girl looked away shrinking a bit to avoid the eyes on her.

“It’s her fault for not living up to her name! Some Renard she was!”

It was taking everything in Shouri’s power to not brutalize this man, but he held back – he had a goal with this confrontation.

“How much did you pay for her?” Shouri asked evenly.

“3000 notes, and what a waste-”

“3500, cash right now,” Shouri cut him off. Taika and Pacifica gasped.

Lyle closed his mouth, disarmed by the sudden offer. “What?” He blinked, unsure if he understood what Shouri was getting at.

“I want to buy Rebecca off of you. 3500 right now,” Shouri clarified.

The fire Maestro studied Shouri’s expression for a moment. “You serious?”

Taika and Pacifica looked at their Maestro, wondering the same thing.

“3500,” Shouri repeated – apparently, he was serious.

The current owner of Rebecca furrowed his brows, thinking it through. Liza offered him no input, she just stared blankly, still attempting to avoid the gazes of the group. After mulling it over for a moment or two, Lyle conceded the point: “Fine fine. Waste of my time anyways, at least this way I can make a profit.”

Pacifica and Taika watched in horror as their Maestro took on a third Resonator, and all of the hard work they had done in fighting the big Scherzando vanished in a poof of smoke.

The trio remained quiet as they walked back to the MA Office. Taika and Pacifica processing what had transpired, while Shouri silently kept the lead, Rebecca’s fiery red tuner now safely in his possession.

They arrived back at the MA Office roughly around midnight or so. Shouri walked up to the front desk and rang the bell. The graveyard shift attendant came up to the desk. “How can I help you?” they asked.

“Can you take me to see my Resonator? She should have been brought here.” He slid Rebecca’s tuner across the counter.

“Certainly, right this way.”