“Uhg!” Colette groaned as she fell face-first onto a mattress.

  THWACK!

  A telekinetically controlled feather duster whipped across the young woman’s back.

  “Ow!” Colette cried out.

  “Alzati!” Taika barked.

  “I’m up! I’m up!” the girl rolled off the side of the bed and crumbled onto the ground.

  “We didn’t do that much,” Pacifica noted. “She might be even more out of shape than Sho,” tittered the otter.

  “Why doesn’t Shouri have to do this?” whined Colette, poking her head over the mattress to glare at the two bossy Resonators.

  “Sho does laundry, the dishes, and cooks when Taika isn’t feeling well or is busy,” Pacifica informed the other Maestro.

  “He also said he’d vacuum the guest rooms once we have these cleaned up,” Taika boasted.

  Colette couldn’t argue with that, so she slinked back down, hiding under the bed’s horizon.

  “Sho and Rebby are back!” Taika exclaimed suddenly bounding from the room.

  “Oh! Wait for me!” Pacifica wasn’t far behind her foxy companion.

  The auburn Maestro stared at the open door. “à deux is weird,” she decided.

  When Colette excused herself from the spare room, she found the car was just rolling up; with Shouri and Rebecca in the front seats as usual and their three passengers in the back.

  “They knew he was coming from so far away?” questioned the scholar, pulling her tuner from her skirt to jot some quick notes. “I don’t think I saw Taika’s ears perk up, so they must have felt him rhythmically,” she mused.

  “It isn’t too unusual for higher tempo pairings to be able to sense one another from great distances. Especially considering their current levels of tempo,” Colette continued as she slowly trotted down the steps.

  Speaking of tempo.

  “Colette.”

  Her own Resonator greeted her.

  “Kaira.”

  “I got our food. I’ll put it away.”

  “Okay.”

  The jackal rushed off, carrying a couple of paper bags into their room. Something wasn’t right, that much Colette was aware of, but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was making her feel this way. So, she did the healthy thing and ignored it.

  It was probably nothing, perhaps some aches and pains from cleaning? Probably.

  KNOCK KNOCK

  Afternoon had given way to the veil of evening, the star-studded blanket of the night resting over the sky. Kaira looked up from her book, and Colette stared back expectedly. The jackal suppressed the sigh in her chest and snapped her book shut.

  254, she memorized the page she was on as she strode to the door.

  Who waited outside disarmed the earth element. “Pacifica,” she let out a small gasp.

  “Sho wants you two on hunt duty with us tonight. Vince and Mila get the night off,” the otter informed them.

  “Okay!” Colette held a thumbs up, deep in concentration on her computer.

  “Let’s talk,” Pacifica mouthed to the Resonator.

  Kaira dropped her gaze, her eyes flicking back and forth as she dredged up an excuse. “Uh, Colette I’m going to go look at the washer and dryer.”

  A simple wave gave the canine her freedom.

  The door closed behind the Resonator and the pair began to walk. They did as Kaira had suggested they would, walking through the office and into the back room with the laundry equipment.

  “Ohhh…” Pacifica suddenly broke their silent appreciation of the appliances.

  “I can’t hide from you, can I?” questioned the jackal.

  “Not at all, but you’re not trying.”

  “I am not.”

  “Do you love her?”

  “Well of course I do I’m-”

  “No, I mean do you love her as a woman?”

  Kaira’s gut instinct was to refuse the otter’s judgmental gaze. “I’m… not allowed to feel this way,” she spoke through her teeth.

  Pacifica sighed, the disappointment escaping her lips. “I was lucky enough to be able to pick my Maestro, but not everyone is as fortunate as me, I get that,” the otter paused, considering her words. “You can make the most of your time with her though.”

  The conflicted girl allowed her frustration to seep into her expression, baring fangs at the weakness that welled up in herself. “She will never see me as a partner, just a convenience.”

  “Try harder.”

  Kaira snapped, the sand from her bag whipping out and striking at the otter. A simple head tilt was enough to evade the sudden assault.

  “Seriously. You’ve thrown in the towel before the game has even started. You know as well as I do Colette isn’t the best at reading hints. You need to go on the attack if you want her to notice you,” said Pacifica.

  “You don’t understand!” Kaira barked.

  “Yes, I do,” Pacifica’s even tone opposed Kaira’s harsh growl.

  “You don’t!”

  “I told you, I do.”

  “You don’t! You get to love your Maestro as equals, I will NEVER have that with Colette!”

  Even with the snarl, her tone only conveyed part of her feelings as the frustration boiled over and raced down her cheeks. “I can’t… not as a tool. I’m only by her side because I’m useful.”

  Pacifica sighed, cracked her knuckles, and whipped her hand across Kaira’s face. Earth’s raging sand fell to the ground limp as its’ owner stood in shock, holding the stinging skin.

  “Shut the fuck up and listen,” said the otter with a smile. “Colette is thicker than a stack of bricks, you can’t expect her to jump into your arms. You need to be proactive with her. Nothing will change without action.”

  The water element walked to the door. She turned her head back and grinned brightly at her fellow Resonator. “That’s why we’re here after all, for people like you.” The otter’s luster only grew as more of her pearly whites became visible. “Get greedy, she’s your Maestro.”

  At that moment, Kaira understood.

  These people weren’t simply radiant, they were dazzling; brighter than the stars glittering above and they would sweep the whole world up in their brilliance if given the opportunity.

  Miro was a curious little fox. He found himself thrust into Maestro society and stood in a world entirely foreign to his forefathers. They would certainly call him any number of hateful words.

  But he loved his Maestro and Resonator friends. They accepted him as just another person in their circle of trust.

  Even a magnificent man like Elijah taught him much about the world of the surface, Colette exchanged theories of rhythm, and Shouri fought for him like a brother.

  The toxic warmth radiated from Shouri and passed to his Resonators was something that his brethren would fear, but Miro did not. He stood in constant awe of the love exchanged between the four who shared their lives. It was something he wanted to watch grow and mature and he thanked the Divines daily that he was allowed to live in this era – an era where a Natural could be on friendly terms with the Maestros and Resonators that shared this planet with them.

  Even as he prepared for the night’s festivities, he thought himself blessed. Those versed well in magic earned themselves positions in high society in Subterris. As such, the teaching of spellcraft was kept tight and secretive. Money was the only way to unlock that knowledge – to keep the status symbol elusive.

  Yet here, so many willingly share their secrets for no cost.

  Even in the few short months he had left home, Miro was stronger. He knew the pup of a year ago would crumble under what he was capable of now.

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  And he was nowhere close to his peak.

  For that, he stepped out into the night, to refine his technique with his dear Maestro friends and their loyal Resonators.

  He found his guildmaster waiting with the trio of Resonators he called his partners. They were in a deep discussion about something. The fox always had to focus to translate the Maelish so he could understand it, but upon tuning in-

  “They’re really in New Draxgow tonight?” asked Rebecca.

  “Yeah, she really wanted to try one of those underground hunts, so she picked a connecting flight with a long layover so she could participate,” Shouri told the group.

  “Dang, I wanted to try one of those too,” said the fire elemental.

  “Buonasera a tutti!” Miro waved to the group.

  Taika bristled up at the Natural’s presence but kept the growling to herself.

  The others meanwhile greeted the fox boy with a wave. “How are you holding up?” Shouri asked.

  “Good good! I tried the frozen hamburger you had suggested at the store and it was good!” Miro’s tail wagged at the memory of the substitute meat sandwich he had for dinner.

  “I’m glad.” Shouri smiled back. He took inventory of the gathered group. “We’re just waiting on Colette and Kaira before we get started,” the Maestro told the group.

  “Si! Sounds good!” Miro beamed.

  “Is Miro going to get paid per kill like we do?” Pacifica inquired of her Maestro.

  “Yeah, I had it cleared with Cheryth. Since he’s a member of our guild his funds will be sent to the guild treasury until we get him a bank account proper – a task for later,” Shouri explained.

  Miro nodded in the affirmative. Maestro society did have contingencies for Naturals wanting to integrate into the world at large; a fact Miro was pleased to hear. It was a little surprising to him that more Naturals hadn’t taken this opportunity before him. There was so much to see and do outside of the little towns and cities they occupied. The world was vast and so full of new things to learn.

  Then again, he did understand there was the ever-present element of danger involved with their existence in the public. He had earned his fair share of weird looks – he wasn’t an idiot. His small stature probably made strangers think him cute rather than a threat, for that he thanked the Divines once more. A larger framed Natural may have earned all sorts of infamy had they tried to pull off the same stunts he had. It’s easy to seem aggressive when you’re so much bigger than your contemporaries.

  Or at least that was the theory Miro had settled on.

  “There they are.” Rebecca pointed behind Miro. Colette and Kaira approached the group, ready to tackle the night.

  “Alright, let’s get moving,” Shouri declared.

  Miro followed along with the group, listening as Shouri doled out instructions to the seven-strong group. It was down to Miro and Colette to handle the majority of the Scherzando. Rebecca was to be on nature watch, given both Kaira and Miro were weak to that element. Pacifica was going to back up Rebecca in her endeavors.

  And Taika… she was to stick with Shouri and stay exclusively with him.

  The fox boy let out a small sigh. He had seen it all before. The girl’s Naturalian was her native tongue – it wasn’t by her Resonator skill she could speak the language. Most likely she was picked up by Naturals before Shouri ever got her.

  What he felt from her… the fear and hatred of his entire race was deeply ingrained in her.

  Miro couldn’t blame the poor Resonator – he knew the cruelties of his brethren. Skilled Maestros like Shouri earned respect and fear from Naturals. Resonators, despite being the harbingers of the powerful magics that the Naturals feared, were treated as accessories, or worse.

  In all the wonder and majesty in the world, there were the unsavory elements. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow, or something like that.

  The fox boy took in a lungful of air through his snout, running his paws down its length to focus. “Un Diamante Grezzo,” came the mental chant. He channeled the rhythm in his body, his paws gaining a glow. He knelt and struck into the ground below, in his grasp the rough texture of a rock formed. Pulling his prize from the depths of Riterra, he held it up and crushed it in his paw, a crystalline glow showering him in its magics.

  “Fortuna!” the fox declared joyously as he felt the effect of the spell kick in. His rhythm brimmed with power now – a boost to his damage for sure.

  “Oh, he used Un Diamante Grezzo,” Rebecca noted.

  “What’s that one do?” Pacifica asked.

  “Basically you play lottery with the ground, it can give you all kinds of different buffs, but they come at random. Feels like he may have gotten the attack boost,” said the fire element.

  Miro nodded heartily, beaming at his good fortunes.

  “There you have it,” Rebecca chuckled.

  The fox took in the surrounding fields. It was nice out, not too cold, his fur and clothes kept him nice and toasty. He did note his fellow earth element also seemed unbothered by the slight chill in the air. The same couldn’t be said for her Maestro, however.

  “It’s so cold, what the heck?” Colette muttered.

  Having bare skin as the humans did was so inconvenient in Miro’s mind. Then again, they also only had a little bit of hair to deal with. There were trade-offs, he decided.

  Miro came to focus as the first Scherzando of the evening came into view. It was a decently sized creature; a shadow called a squirrel that stood about half his height. And the good luck continued, as the distinct buzz of the lightning element coursed through the Scherzando. It took notice of Miro, but it was too late.

  As he extended his paw, rhythm gathered in the Natural, “Tempesta di Sabbia.” At the speed of thought, he sand-blasted the creature, easily wiping it out. The poor thing never stood a chance.

  He smirked as he heard an impressed whistle from Rebecca.

  Dare he think it? This was fun.

  The night was peaceful. There weren’t too many Scherzando milling out, none even coming close to getting the better of them.

  Which was a good thing as the strong stoicism of Kaira had cracked – the guardian jackal was wavering. Her thoughts were a vortex of unease and uncertainty.

  Her sand ended up doing some heavy lifting this evening. She was slow on the uptake with spells she received. Though Colette ended up taking the blame for her failures, with Rebecca even calling out the Maestro several times.

  No, Kaira was better than this, she knew that. She had a weak Maestro; it was as simple as that. Kaira’s selection and purchase was intentional – her life’s mission was to protect this young woman. Kaira knew better and yet she allowed herself to falter, to give into the darkness in her heart.

  Even so, Shouri’s Resonators and Miro made up for her weakness in spades.

  What was worse was Colette didn’t see anything wrong with Kaira’s performance. Every slow casting and missed opportunity that Kaira easily spotted, Colette overlooked.

  It wasn’t Colette’s fault, it was hers.

  “That’s all everyone! Let’s head back!”

  Already?

  No, it had been several hours and there were no more Scherzando in the area. Work was done for the night.

  “Finally! Let’s go!” Colette’s voice always drew Kaira to attention. She dutifully followed along behind her Maestro.

  These feelings would soon pass, she knew that much. The status quo would return to normal, whether she wanted it to or not.

  Why did the creeping sense of dread say otherwise?