'Do you feel it? It's in the air, Cymbel. Once a year, the two sister moons shine together waxing full. And during this time all magic becomes more powerful. Look at the stars, aren't they beautiful? They're like diamonds on an endless sash of silk…'

It had been over a year since he had left Feeorin, for better or for worse. Away from anything familiar, with no one to help him he had to slowly learn on his own. It was difficult, and sometimes unrewarding. He was clumsy more than he was deft, tactless than tactful, more green than seasoned. After many months of wandering, sleeping without a roof over his head, and hiding himself away–he finally had his first stable job as an assistant in a florist's shop. Though he knew much about flowers, he knew little of how to trim them or arrange them. The first month after being hired his hands were in bandages every week from being pricked by thorns and needles. Every night when he returned to his weathered house outside the city he would gaze up at the moons as their light made evening as bright as day. 

There was always something comforting about moonlight. Maybe it was because he found it familiar; Feeorin was always in a dusky twilight. There were times when he was on the cusp of remembering, but stopped short and pushed them away. No, he shouldn't think about that place anymore. That wasn't home. Even though there were leaks and the boards were warped and uneven, he understood the phrase 'to make a house a home'. For centuries he had lived in opulence and luxury, with every thing he could ever want–except happiness. Jewels and fine silks couldn't replace the warmth of familial love, or security. In those years he had lived suffocating in a silver prison with bars made of gold. The gold was just a veneer, the real bars were iron. 

There wasn't much to reminisce about those bygone times. The only spot of joy in that perpetual overcast of oppression was his mother. His mother, Aurelie married Aloysius in an arranged marriage as all nobles did. But her love for him and the rest of her children was a genuine pearl in a court full of imitations. He was the last of seven sons, and she doted on him the most. It was also he that bore the strongest resemblance to her, following her untimely passing. He never did believe she died of natural causes. And with her gone, so vanished the last ray of hope in a world of despair. He had learned to bow his head and follow orders, smile when told, feign happiness, pretend to cry, and hold the tears in.

One day, he broke. In his first act of rebellion, he ran. He couldn't take it anymore. Dashing through the poisonous plants and trees like hounds were at his heels, looking back on that day he realized no one had ever chased after him. Aloysius Severyn Belerian had six more sons to uphold his name. It didn't matter if he lost one.

Nostalgia and memories brought him back when that time of year came again. As the harvest was ripening, business slowed. Hearing the events being hosted by one of the two deities on Parvpora, he went to see. He walked around the length of Jasumin Lake; the golden foliage was starting to match the world around it. Along the way he had found a few curious things. Strange stones humming with power, fragments of powerful arcane energy, and the mysterious symbol of the eye. This must have been like when the jeweled eggs had appeared. Little gifts for the denizens of the world from those who watched over them. Stooping carefully he picked up another rune lying in the grass. They were smooth and warm to the touch. Even if he couldn't utilize their power, he could always keep them as mementos.

Walking along he picked up more, as if following a trail. Come to think of it, these runes were awfully convenient in how close they were to each other… 

"HEY! You're moving the patterns!" A young voice surprised him, and he stood up and looked around. There was what looked to be a small child in white with a bag full of the runes, and a trail of them behind her. So that would explain why there were so many. "I'm sorry, I didn't know! I just saw them lying around, and thought they were awfully close together. I'll put them back!"

With her little arms crossed she pouted, puffing up her cheeks like a blowfish to display her displeasure. She had spent around an hour dropping the runes behind her to make her circles. Eventually halfway through she ditched the idea of making circles and decided to just make swirls instead, which were a lot easier. If you flew overhead, there would have been spirals of neatly arranged stones spreading out from where Myouga was standing. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!" The person who had been responsible for undoing her creative efforts began apologizing and kowtowing. Somehow that voice seemed familiar, but she couldn't figure out why. She shrugged and moved on. Stomping over to the kimono-clad man, she looked up at him from below and put her hands on her hips.

"…Ok, I forgive you. Hey are you collecting stones too? You've got a lot of the ones I only have a few of." She held up a fist full of runes to him. To most people they were coveted trinkets of power. But to Myouga, as was with most things, they were just nice paperweights and decor. She could fill a jar up with them and use them in place of river stones for her fake plants sitting on the counters of her living room. She sorted through them, and dropped the rarer designs through her magical mirror. Her pantry would be a mess when she returned home, but at least she didn't need to haul a bag of rocks while she scavenged the lakeside. 

"Aren't those runestones? Are you trying to use them for something, like a ritual?" The tall person asked. "Nope!" She replied confidently. "I'm not doing any of that. I'm making rock art!" The man looked confused, and she didn't get why. "Well it's not really, really rock art but it's fun." Myouga had never taken art classes, as she was terrible but she did read up on some of those things while she was a student in Iria. Then again she wasn't one to pay attention to the particulars unless it was work-related. When the man didn't ask any more questions, she resumed patching up the design with more stones and stared at the ground as she dropped them in place. She was going to make a flower next. Or should she make a shooting star? "Ooh another one!" She squealed, grabbing at the star fragment and stuffing it into her pocket. "If I get two more I'll have enough to make a garland to decorate the porch!"

The star fragments sure were pretty. They shifted different colors, and if you drilled holes into them you could make a fancy curtain of stringed crystals, or use them as decoration material. She'd never tried grinding it up, but she was sure it'd make the best paint for a cape. A cape that would change colors as it blew in the wind, perfect for mages who wanted to show off their style. She'd start with the first one, then see if anyone was interested in owning one for themselves. And if capes weren't their thing, why not drapes? They'd be the best curtains ever! Humming to herself loudly, she was busy thinking and working on her pattern.

"Rock art…" He found himself at a loss for words after that. So apparently she was without a care in the world, content to use magically imbued rune stones as pebbles. Cymbel was thrown off guard at her carefree attitude. Watching, she diligently took the runes and began placing them in a trail behind her, creating a line to connect the parts she had finished. A few minutes in she was distracted by a piece of stone that was purplish and iridescent. That brief interruption passed as she resumed her work, humming to herself. When she was finally done, she stood up and dusted off her hands looking on proudly. It was…decent. She then became bored, as shown by the ennui on her face and she began moving on to her next diversion.

While she ran this way and that, she unintentionally disturbed one of her swirls as she ran over it. He was thankful that in the end whatever she had been doing wasn't of great importance. Cymbel himself returned to what he had been doing before bumping into the girl. Keeping away from the rune stone patterns, he too began to search the fields of gold for any curiosities brought about by the waxing of the moons. A deep purple shard lying out in the open in the grass caught his attention, and as he took it in his hand there were portions that swirled emerald green and fuchsia. Putting it away, he walked carefully whilst keeping his gaze fixed onto the ground until a glint showed him where the next item was. Kneeling, he pushed aside leaves and roots to find some kind of amulet piece stylized in the shape of an eye from gold and other precious jewels. The eye itself was fully intact, but there were no marks of a hole to hang it from a chain nor connection points to other metal pieces.

To get a better look, he held it up to the sky so the sunlight would illuminate from behind. "It's surprisingly pristine. How in the stars did it come to land here?" He mused.

"I know, right? It's like it's never been damaged at allll!" The sudden voice from his left side made him jump, and he turned quickly to see the girl standing right next to him. "W-when did you?!" "A minute ago." "B-but how-" "I walk reaaaally quietly." "AHHHHH!!!!" He backed away nearly dropping the golden eye, still reeling from it all. The girl didn't seem too upset or bothered in the slightest. She was standing with her hands behind her back, grinning widely.

What a strange girl, he thought while freaking out over the fact she snuck up on him. Why did this feel familiar somehow? He was sure nothing of the sort had occurred to him as of late, but this same feeling of being led around in circles was unmistakable. The girl now was hopping from one foot to the other, swaying back and forth. Something he was positive he had seen somewhere else before.

She giggled when she made him jump after showing up right next to him when he wasn't looking. It was so funny to see how people reacted when they didn't expect it. She spied something shiny in his hands, and resisted the urge to leap at it. It was so glittery though… When he stopped screaming, she tilted her head back and forth trying to remember why she had thought he was familiar before. "Hm….you sound familiar but I can't think of where I remember you from. Oh you're from Ataiyo! Where do you live?" Jumping to the next topic she twirled in circles as she waited for him to reply. 

"I live a ways from Nisshoki. I'm not really sure exactly where it is, but there's a forest. It's inside but not too far in." That still wasn't ringing any bells, so Myouga went on to question two. "Mmm…so do I! My house's in a forest too! Is there bamboo around it?" He shook his head. "No, not particularly. I haven't seen much where my house is located." A swing and a miss. But she was getting warmer. That meant his house wasn't in Menomori at least. The Forest of Eyes was known for bamboo and fog, and he didn't say anything about either. "Ohhh so let's see…it's probably more to the southeast then. That's not close to where I live. There's more bamboo higher up the map, and it doesn't sound like you have problems with fog then." The scope was getting clearer, now to seal the deal.

"How long have you lived in Ataiyo? I've been here for forever, but my family lives here so that's kinda obvious." She was born and raised in Ataiyo, and proud of it. Since she wasn't home as often as before, she wasn't up-to-date on the newest arrivals and such. "I've not been there long. Less than a year, I think. I'm still getting used to the city and its districts. At times it's still easy to lose one's way." Tapping a finger on her chin she closed her eyes and thought. "So pretty new as new comes. Wow, I'm surprised I haven't seen you at all around those parts. I guess I must've been out on those days." She was running out of questions before she'd start reaching into prying territory, so she stopped there. All that asking and she didn't find much. Oh well, it was worth a shot. Rocking back and forth on her heels an idea clicked in her head. Wait, maybe…

"I'VE GOT IT!" She shouted, making the man jolt again. "What did you get? You mean it as a figure of speech or something literal?" He asked hesitantly. Whirling around she pointed straight at him with her index finger. "You! I know you! You're that one guy that one time where we did that at that one place!" He stared blankly at her. "…Excuse me? I don't quite follow what you're trying to say." She responded by shouting back: "Daifuku and taiyaki!"

He stared back at her in confusion, unsure of what those words were supposed to mean. The girl tried again. "Mochi!" Still nothing. "Red bean filling!" Again, still nothing. "Fish cakes!" Something half-buried in the back of his mind finally connected. "…Oh!" Of course–how could he have forgotten? Those fish-shaped sweet pastries with the sweetened red bean filling inside! He couldn't remember what daifuku was, but when she said those two words it was all coming back to him. "I remember now, it was sometime back in late Terra wasn't it? The cherry blossoms were blooming at the time and we went all around the city when you offered to show me some of the specialties."

The girl clapped her hands above her head in applause at his successful recall and spun in a circle, giving him a thumbs up. "Bingo and presto!" So that was why she had seemed so familiar. She had done the exact same thing before, when he was surveying the lacquer ware and tea pots. Who would have thought they'd meet again all the way out here in Jasumin, far from Ataiyo? The world certainly was a small place. "By the way, I forgot to ask earlier. Why are you here? I heard there were rumors of strange stones lying around in the plains so I came to see what they were about."

"I'm here for pretty much the same reason too! But I already know what they're for, so I'm just collecting some for my buddies and friends all over. Nick and Ange are busy so they can't really come, and since I'm free for the semester I can go wherever I want as long as I finish my paperwork. Which I already did, so here I am!" 

Cymbel raised his eyebrows at that. "Oh so you're already working! Pardon me but I didn't realize you were already… I thought you were much younger, in all due respect. You're already at a higher institution of learning and in the workforce too. I'm sure your friends will appreciate your thoughtfulness." Taking one of the runes he had picked up along the way he looked it over turning it in his hand. "So about these runes, what can one do with them? There's also these strange iridescent fragments and just now I had found this strange gold trinket."

Tossing a rune up into the air and catching it like a flipped coin, the girl explained. "It's a rune stone! Basically anything you can do with rune stones you can do with these ones too. They're special though, and are a lot more efficient in storing and releasing magic.They'd be ideal for high-precision experiments like alchemical infusion or catalyzing. Since they're so effective, you could use 'em to power small things or bigger things if you get more of 'em. For mages this is great high-quality stuff!" Half of what she said didn't make any sense to him and flew right over his head, but he nodded in agreement. "…I see." Sensing a bit of hesitation in his voice, she then added. "Well if you're not into that kinda stuff, you could just sell 'em I guess." 

"And what of the fragments?" He asked next. "Hmmm—I have no idea! But they change colors and look really pretty! They're definitely magical but I dunno what they do yet. I'll have to fiddle with them and see what makes them tick." Holding the strange golden eye he handed it to her. "What of this then? It reminds me of some kind of talisman or that sort of thing." She took it and juggled it in her hands, then turned it this way and that. "Ooh. Oooooh! Wow this is really cool! …I guess you could say that. There's a nugget of concentrated magic somewhere in this thing, but it's not coming out. Maybe I need to try some kind of procedure before it works. Here you go." She handed it back to him, and began scratching her chin. "I gotta get myself one of those sometime. They must be super rare. I've never seen one before you showed up."

Having had enough of idle tomfoolery for now, Myouga dusted herself off and began tromping towards the gazebo by the lake. All that walking and searching was working up her appetite, and it was the perfect time for an afternoon snack as a reward for being so productive. Looking back at the man, she asked him. "Wanna take a break from rune-hunting? I'm feeling kinda hungry and I don't work well when my stomach's empty. If you wanna come with, I've got my stuff set up in the gazebo that-a-way." She pointed over at the beautiful stone structure with stained glass. Not feeling like walking so much, she snapped her fingers and began teleporting ahead, a few paces at a time. Soon she as at the steps leading up to the covered benches and table within the gazebo and pulled out a magic mirror.

"Let's see, what do I have today… Hmm hmm hmm." Reaching her hand into the mirror's surface she began pulling things out. Tea cakes, sweet red bean cakes, flaky mung been cakes, dried persimmons powdered with sugar, pieces of almond nougat, savory flaky pastries, salted nuts, and rice crackers with seaweed. She'd have to make do without her usual tea or drink with her usual afternoon snack, but she wasn't one to complain. "Today looks like it'll be a good one~ So many choices to choose from today." Taking a sweet red bean cake first, she bit off half chewing with her mouth full. Grabbing a handful of salted nuts next she swallowed before stuffing more into her mouth. About ten minutes later the man from Ataiyo had caught up with her at the gazebo. Hearing footsteps she turned to wave at him, cheeks loaded like a chipmunk's. "Heey! Of'er here!" She said. It  was hard to hear what she was saying with her mouth half-full. Swallowing that bite of food she grinned and flailed her arm as if to beckon him to come over.

"I've got the snacks all set up! Take whatever you want, I got plenty back home! I've got all the bases covered today–salty and sweet! Well, except the drinks but I guess that'll have to be left out for now." When he took a seat on the bench across from her, she asked. "Want me to tell you some trivia about the snacks on the table? We can make it into a game! Get an answer right and you get to eat the whole thing, but get it wrong and you only get half. Deal?" 

The little girl began walking off, then suddenly vanished. "Wait–" He called out, stopping when he saw her small figure meters ahead from where she had been. Did she just travel forward in a blink of an eye? Teleportation magic… "Hold on, not so fast! Could you slow your pace just a bit?" He shouted as he began running. He grabbed his kimono's loose fabric and held it as he ran to prevent it from catching on anything. It was like a game of tag, except the person who was being chased was leagues ahead of the one who was 'it'. Cymbel ran as hard as he could, trying to keep the girl in sight. For someone with such a youthful appearance they certainly were rather skilled in the art of spell casting. Not even he could cast so quickly.

Panting and almost out of breath, he slowed down as he saw the gazebo in sight. Pacing himself, he returned his heart rate back to normal by the time he reached it. The girl was already sitting there, with a table full of treats and other snacks. Gleefully stuffing the food into her face, she caught wind of his arrival and waved enthusiastically. She then tried to talk to him while her mouth was still full, but he got the general gist of it. She was happy to see he decided to join her, and was giving a friendly greeting. "I've got the snacks all set up! Take whatever you want, I got plenty back home! I've got all the bases covered today–salty and sweet! Well, except the drinks but I guess that'll have to be left out for now." Sitting down on the bench opposite of her, he looked at the spread. There were some familiar things like the crackers, nougat, and red bean cakes, but there were many others he didn't know. Many of them were covered by a flaky crust, concealing whatever they had inside. Where did she manage to get all of these in such a short amount of time? Did she have a hidden stash nearby?

"If you say so…I guess I'll help myself then?" When she offered to tell him more about what they were eating, he nodded. The idea of playing a game wasn't so bad. It was rather fair by the terms. Regardless of your answer you could at least eat something while learning more about it. "Alright then, I'm ready to start. Should I pick the first item for you to ask me about?" She nodded taking another bite of her pastry. "Uh-huh!" Thinking hard, he looked at the table. What would be a good opening question? He settled on the mung bean cake–as it was the one he was least sure about. There was no way to 'lose' so he could afford to take a risk.

He picked the mung bean pastry, a good choice. It was simple but one of her favorites. "Alrighty! You've picked this one–a traditional favorite. Now here's your question! What is the filling of this pastry? Your choices for answers are: black sesame paste, mung bean paste, or peanuts." All of those fillings were used in traditional fare, so it'd be a tough call if he wasn't an expert connoisseur or a frequent buyer like she was. She didn't use red bean paste as an answer as he could see what snack she was eating. He mulled over the options and frowned, trying to ascertain which ones were wrong and which one was right. With the last bite of her red bean cake gone, she licked the crumbs off her fingers and wiped them on a napkin. 

"This is difficult…I've got a third of a chance at getting this right, so here goes. I'll choose 'black sesame paste'." It was wrong, but she grinned widely. "Good, good! Is that your final answer?" "Yes." He answered. "Congratulations!" She said, throwing up her hands in applause. "Your answer is…incorrect!" His expression went from relief to surprise in the matter of seconds. "W-what?" That little psych-out trick got them every time. Taking a clean napkin she broke the pastry in half, revealing the yellow-white sweet crumbly filling. "It's mung bean! Here's your half of the pastry." Scratching his head while still puzzled, he took the half closest to him and took a small bite. His eyes lit up as he tasted it. Myouga was satisfied seeing him enjoy the treat. And who wouldn't have? The flaky but crumbly exterior made perfect by dough and butter, the soft yet fine texture of the sweet bean paste. 

Polishing off her half in a matter of a few bites, she wiped her mouth of crumbs as she gave him the trivia on the dessert. "Didya know, mung beans sometimes can be used in ways other than cooking? People like using the shells to make pillows. They're lightweight and those pillows conform to the shape of your body thanks to the bean shells inside. They're also cooler than regular pillows too. Since they'll never lose their shape, you can use them for a long time."

He had gotten the first one wrong, but at least he was able to try the pastry he had been asked about. She broke it apart and he saw that indeed the filling wasn't sesame. When he tasted it, it was surprisingly sweet but not overwhelming. The filling was less sticky and drier than the red bean paste in the taiyaki, but the outer crust was crumbly and fine like shortbread. The girl finished hers faster than he did, and she proceeded to inform him on some other uses of mung beans. "Pillows made from bean shells, that's the first time I've never heard of it. They sound comfortable though."

It was time for his second choice. He picked the cakes covered in powdered sugar. It looked like something dried, but he couldn't tell what. It appeared to be a type of fruit and a large one. "This one." The girl proceeded to give the second question. "Ooh this one! Ok this'll be a little different. This is a dried fruit, but can you tell me what it is? Here's your choices: a peach, a persimmon, or a large plum." He was stumped. Which one was it? "May I take a look at it?" He asked. "Yeah go ahead, but don't pick it up." She said pushing the plate closer to his side of the table. Lifting up the plate he tried to figure out its identity beneath the powder coat it had on. "Want a hint? It's a fruit that you can find often in Ataiyo."

A fruit that was found in Ataiyo. That hint wasn't much help, as he knew peaches were grown there. Plums might be as well, and he had no idea what a persimmon looked like. The skin of the dried fruit was thick, so he ruled the plum out. That left the peach and the persimmon. Taking his chances, he decided to go with the opposite of what he was thinking. "I'll choose the persimmon." He had a fifty-fifty chance, so his odds should be better this time around. "Good answer!" She crowed. "Congratulations, 'cause you're right! You get the whole thing to yourself this time, lucky you!" 

She handed him the dried persimmon and watched him try it. It was a bit tough on the outside, as the skin of the fruit became a bit leathery in the drying process. The powdered sugar added to the sweetness. "It's good huh? Betcha never tried having these in cookies before! Now onto the trivia! Did you know there's actually two kinds of persimmons? There's the ones that are pointy and the ones that are flat like discs. The pointy ones have thinner skin and go bad really quickly, but the other flat type can be dried keeps longer. Their taste is kinda like something meaty, but with a hint of cinnamon." She made gestures as if imitating those caricatures of highbrow food critics, even doing the eye squint and affected accent.

Resting her head in her hands as she leaned on the table, she waited until he was done. "We've got a few more snacks left to go! You're doing great! One right out of two! That's half! So what'll it be?" Wiping the last bit of powdered sugar from his hands, he made his choice rather quickly. "The crackers there, they look interesting. Is that seaweed?"  "Oh good call! Yep, that's seaweed! Well now you know what that is I'll have to give you a brand-new question." Thinking for a few seconds she had what she was looking for. "Alllright! Now here's your third question! Sure the cracker's seaweed, but do you know what it's made of? Your answer choices are: rice, wheat, and millet. Take your time! There's no rush!" She was sure this would be an easy one. Observing the crackers, he covered his mouth with his hand as he pondered. "…It's rice isn't it? That's my guess." 

"You're on a roll! And you're right to boot! Yes, it's made of rice! That's why it has that crispiness and breaks really easily unlike other crackers. You get one whole cracker by default, but if you want more go ahead!" There was a whole plate of them, so there wasn't any point in being stingy. She did want to share them after all.