Chương 66: Serendipitous meetings

"It's you!" two voices called in unison, Kite speaking before even turning around. Young master Providence, or rather just Brilliant Bloom these days, looked abashed as the gazes of other patrons were leveled at them after their outburst, and didn't seem to know what to do with himself and the sudden attention. It had been a long time since Kite had seen the young man, let alone talked with him. Their last communication had been the letter he had received as the former initiate had left Gilded.

Making a snap decision, Kite strode over and sat down in the chair opposite the young man, who sat alone at a small table, while the other patrons quickly lost interest. Awkward silence reigned between them in the moment after Kite had sat down, and he decided to keep the momentum going.

"I do believe that fate had connected us more thoroughly than anyone might have known that day beneath the waterfall." Kite said, smiling in an attempt to break the tension.

"This is quite the coincidence. How have you been?" He had known that the young man had traveled to Bastion, but had not really thought more of it as it was a big city and Kite did not expect to actually run into the former young master.

"I-" his companion began, but paused to straighten slightly in order to regain a bit of dignity.

"I'll have you know that I have been well. Surprisingly so. The life of an outcast is not as… terrible… as I would have thought it to be."

"I'm glad to hear it, young ma-" Kite began, before stopping himself.

"You'll have to excuse me, but… what do you wish for me to call you now?"

"Brilliant Bloom is quite fine, although I would not mind just Bloom either. It would not do well for our karmic bond to demand formality from you." the young man said, seemingly finding it a bit hard to find the right balance of formality between them.

"Then please, call me Kite. After all, these days we are merely fellow adventurers." Kite responded in an attempt to give the former young scion some assistance in the unknown social landscape.

"Well then… Kite…" Bloom said, as if tasting the name.

"As I said, I have been quite well. This whole life has been liberating and the… gift… you sent me… It did change quite a lot."

"Oh? May I ask what you awakened with it?" Kite said, leaning forward with interest. Bloom seemed a bit taken aback at first, as it had apparently not been the question he had expected. Still, he collected himself and held out his hand, where small motes of shimmering light, almost like dust caught in the sunlight started to emerge, eventually forming the vague shape of a butterfly made from the glittering particles.

"This is Glitz." Bloom said as the familiar flapped its rather insubstantial wings, before flying up to rest in his hair almost like a ribbon of shining particles.

"While she looks small, I assure you that the growth aspect is there."

"She's beautiful." Kite said, admiring the creature.

"Which essence?"

"Dust, but I'd like to think that she took some aspects from light as well."

"I believe you are right." Kite agreed.

"And the name fits perfectly."

"Well, Felicity chided me for not naming her at once. Fortunately, she approved of the choice as well." Bloom said with a distracted look he seemed to remember something, only to quickly stiffen upon Kite's next question.

"Oh? And who's Felicity?" Over the next hour, Kite managed to tease and prod the young man's story out of him, Bloom's words coming in a steadily increasing stream after his initial floundering on how to treat Kite. He told him of his first few contracts as he had kept his head down and engaged in simple monster hunts while ignoring the jibes of other young members of the local sects.

Apparently, it had gone rather well as he had worked hard to afford his final few awakening stones, where the stone Kite sent him had become the final one needed to complete his power set. During this time, he had found himself talking more and more with one of the functionaries often manning the counters at the jobs hall, a young local woman named Night Sky Felicity, and she had both been the one to convince him to name his familiar and also the one to first ask him out.

"-so at first I didn't know if she'd like the poem as she was all silent, but then…" Bloom trailed off, idly touching his lips.

"Let us just say that she was clear in her approval."

"It does sound like life here has treated you rather well indeed." Kite said, giving the young man an encouraging smile.

"I will remain an honorable gentleman and not pry further, but from what you told me of her, it sounds like you will make many rivals cough blood in envy."

"As they should." Bloom agreed knowingly, having begun to make some of Kite's joking formality his own. Kite was struck with the difference between this meeting and their first, his mind's eye overlaying the overly prideful young master beneath the waterfall over the much more relaxed young man of the present. Circumstance and experience were indeed great harbingers of change. Feeling that the conversation had settled on a comfortable spot, Kite fed the last steamed bun to Glint before rising.

"I thank you for the pleasant conversation, but I have to be off. There are some errands I would like to do before I see if I can find my teacher at the inn where I was informed she would be staying."

"Ah, yes, the teacher you spoke off. You are fortunate indeed to find mentors even as an outcast. I will have to strive and emulate you in that regard as well." Bloom said, rising as well and giving a small bow.

"And do not think that I have forgotten the debt still unsettled between us. Brilliant Bloom may no longer be of the sects of the families, but he will still make sure that our karma is in balance in the end. But I do hope that you would still consider trading pointers with me in the future."

"That would be nice. You said you thought that you would be out on a contract for a week? How about the upcoming sixthday then?"

"A most excellent suggestion." Bloom said, and they discussed some more details before going their separate ways, the little butterfly still perched in her summoner's hair. Kite spent the rest of the morning exploring the city as he walked its curving avenues and took in the sights.

He spent more than an hour down at the harbor, taking in the vast quantities of water and the great ships that were being loaded or unloaded along the piers while Glint played in the bay, and eventually found his way to the Stormbringer's Perch, the inn at the First Step in which he was informed that Phiona Geller was staying.

It was a tall building constructed in a more foreign style with beams of wood crisscrossing the painted stone facade and the roof having more straight angles rather than the curvature typical of the local architecture. From the look of the clean and well kept building, it was probably on the pricier end of things, but as his mentor-to-be came from a quite famous family, Kite guessed that such expenses meant little to her. However, he had to leave with unfinished business.

The owner had been a bit suspicious at first when he came asking after young mistress Geller, but the documentation and contract Kite could show at least got him the answer that she was to return late this evening and that he should try again tomorrow. Kite left after leaving a message to be given to her upon return, informing that he would be back in the morning of the following day.

"I guess that this leaves me more time than expected." he mused to himself as he was once more walking up the stairs to the main thoroughfare. With his appointment in the evening he did not have the time to pick up any contracts outside of the city, and while some leisure would never hurt, his mind still itched for something more directed to spend his time on at the moment.

Casting an idle glance at where Glint floated happily beside him, he realized that he indeed had something he could do, and Kite started to climb the stairs with renewed purpose. After all, Bastion's branch of the Magic Society was bigger than the one back in Gilded. And so were its archives.

"Are you sure?" Braid asked his companion as Wander plopped down on her bed, sighing contentedly as she was chomping down on a piece of bread.

"Braid, I have investigated it from all angles I could. Simultaneously. From the smell, there is definitely blood cult activity here. You will probably want to take a look at the defensive array too~." The masked man seemed to think for a while before nodding.

"We'd better report it in and see if we can get dispensation to investigate further. Branch director Dobrazza should be amenable."

"Yes, I can see why Jarvan likes her. She's at least not averse to some action~."

"Bastion is still considered quite rural by the heartlands, so the Adventure Society hasn't got as many toes to trample here, at least not toes who matter." Braid said.

"And on another note, I think that your commission is almost finished."

"It is~?" Wander said, sitting bolt upright.

"Can I see? Can I try it on?"

"Quite soon. I just have the final touch which I need to procure from the trade pavilion. We might as well go up to the society campus now to accomplish both of our errands." His words had barely left his mouth before Wander was halfway out the door. Smiling beneath his mask at her eagerness, Braid followed.

"-and should you need any help, our junior archivists are at your disposal. You should be able to find them among the stacks." a Magic Society librarian explained to Kite as he was led into the huge library. Rows upon rows of shelves containing books, scrolls and even some etched plates of metal or stone filled the large chamber, and from what Kite had gathered there were several floors beneath which had been dug down into the stone beneath the city.

The whole place had the usual dry smell of dust and paper which Kite had previously associated with Auntie Crow's small study next to her workshop, at least before visiting the two Magic Society branches. Bastion's Magic Society had a bigger campus than the one Kite had seen before, where the complex sprawled along the northern parts of the Seventh Step.

Fortunately, gaining admission to the library had only incurred a small fee due to his Adventure Society membership, and the functionaries he had met so far had been polite and helpful.

"Is there anywhere I should begin if I want to find information about magical creatures?" Kite asked the man before he took his leave.

"Ah, yes. There is an extensive section two floors below. As I said, should you wish for assistance, please don't hesitate to call upon the junior staff."

"Thanks again for your assistance." Kite said with a polite bow, the man leaving him to his search. It was a calm and serene space, the visitors keeping quiet and to their own tasks. Kite navigated the corridors formed by the shelves, eventually finding a spiral staircase which took him two floors down, each floor being an equally large space, albeit without windows once he went below ground. There he quickly found the section aptly labeled 'Bestiary and monster studies'.

But the reason that it was easy to find was that it was quite extensive, encompassing almost half the floor.

"Well, it seems like we have our work cut out for us." he said, glancing at his two familiars which both hovered next to him. Glint looked enthusiastic, giving him an encouraging wiggle while Sage just seemed to gaze at its summoner for a little while before floating off.

"Well, at least there isn't much trouble it can cause here. Probably an interesting place for it, too." Kite mused while shaking his head. He began to try and map out the different sections and at least find the categories pertinent to his search. Even that task proved time consuming, but he did make some headway.

"Magical beasts; fauna and legend. This should be a place to start. Let us see if we can't find something about you here, Glint." The little carp had already floated away between two shelves, looking at the backs of books and the stashed scrolls in fascination. As Kite, after searching through an index, began to retrieve some volumes and started his perusal, she eventually lost interest and returned to her bottle for a nap.

It was easy to lose himself in the words, often accompanied by beautiful illustrations, and Kite was fascinated by the many kinds of magical beasts which made the world their home. Most lived in far off places, such as the gargantuan Mesa Tortoise whose shell was depicted as a small mountain of rust red stone with a flat top or the diminutive solar hummingbird barely the size of his thumb but apparently able to emit such a fierce heat that older specimens could bore through metal walls.

What did make him stop and make a double take was when he saw a familiar beast illustrated on a scroll. It was not a glittering pink carp, but something else he had seen with his own two eyes. It was a small feline creature, but instead of paws it had human hands and its tail was long and winding, covered in fur with a distinct golden luster that seemed to glimmer on the page.

"Gilded cat." Kite read aloud, recognizing the creature that he had met as a child on an excursion along with Auntie Dove. He had given it a berry and it had shown him a great place to play.

"And maybe also a treasure of another kind." he murmured, reaching inward with his mind to feel his looting power; the power which had been awakened from the very stone he had found that day. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Mystical and reclusive beast of Hua-Xi-" he read, "-the Gilded cat is known for its beautiful fur. No direct study of the beast has yet been performed in the kingdom as all scientific expeditions to reported sightings have yielded no result. All reports so far are from incidental encounters believed to be on the creature's term.

While this might discredit the existence of the species, the reports have been very similar even when the witnesses in question could have no discernible way of communicating said description to one another across time and space. As such, the beast's abilities and properties remain unknown. Many view them as a good omen and portent of greatness, but such claims have no way to be verified and are therefore likely to hail from the superstitions of the common people." he finished, nothing else written in the entry.

"Do you see this, Glint?" he asked, holding up the scroll for her to peek out from her bottle.

"I can't wait to tell auntie-""Eeeeeeek!" His demonstration was interrupted by the shriek of a person quickly followed by the sound of multiple books tumbling to the ground. Kite quickly rose to his feet, hurrying along the stacks to where he thought the commotion had come from. And since hitting bronze rank, his hearing was quite sharp.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to leave Sage to its own devices after all." he groaned, rounding a corner to find that his familiar was indeed floating in that particular corridor, while a pair of arms were flailing from beneath a small pile of books as the person did their best to extricate themselves. From the sleeves of dark blue robes, it was probably one of the archivists, and Kite could sense that the person was of normal rank with a single essence absorbed as he quickly made his way toward the mess.

"I am so sorry." he began as he reached down to grab the hands and assist the struggling archivist.

"I should really have kept my familiar with me. It just like exploring, and I-" he continued, but faltered as he realized that he recognized the person who he had just helped to their feet. Even as she was blinking away dust and moving locks of auburn hair away from her freckled face, memories from almost half a decade ago came crashing back. She was older now, having taken the step from teenager to young woman, but there was no denying that this was indeed her.

"B- Brook?" Kite stammered, dumbfounded. One part of his mind was left reeling while another couldn't help but ask the heavens if this was indeed the day of sudden and unexpected reunions with people he honestly had not expected to see again.

"Excuse me, benefactor, do I know youuuu…" she began, the last word fading down into a soft whistling as she blinked away the last of the dust and looked at him clearly for the first time. The silence stretched out between them, Kite getting a hint of the stark confusion of his childhood friend and first love before quickly retracting his aura. It did not feel right to force her emotions on display.

And nonetheless, he could read plenty from her face as the stark, dumbfounded incomprehension transitioned into her giving him a proper scan to her realizing that she was staring and ending up with a slow but distinct blush creeping up over her face.

"K-Kite?" she eventually managed to squeak.

"Is- it's… It's really you." The last part was a statement, not a question.

"But… how? Here? Why?" she floundered.

"I should ask you the same thing. You work for the Magic Society? That's amazing! Your family must be so proud." he said, feeling genuine pride and happiness for her while trying to shove down the rather pressing awkwardness as part of him truly did not know how to act. One part wanted to hug her, egged on by the emotionally wounded teenager in him which he thought was properly laid to rest.

The more reasonable part instead counseled caution and some neutrality, as many years had passed and reminded him that he knew nothing about her life nowadays. In the end, it became a kind of half-measure where he put a slightly awkward hand on her shoulder.

"It's… It's really good to see you again, Brook." he finally managed. True to her shy self, Brook blushed and looked down.

"Likewise, Kite." Silence once more reigned, and Kite felt himself grasping for a thread to push through these unknown waters he had been plunged into, in the hopes of finding a familiar shore. A lifeline appeared when he finally took in the pile of books on the floor.

"Heavens, look at the mess we created." he said, bending down and started to pick up the scrolls and tomes as he continued.

"I am truly sorry if Sage scared you. I shouldn't have let it wander where I could not see it. Or maybe wander is the wrong word. It mostly floats. As it has no legs." During his stressed rambling, he quickly leveraged his bronze rank speed to create stacks of books where it had once been just a messy pile before realizing that he had no clue whatsoever where the books would go.

All the while, Brook was staring at him, eyes slightly wide and seeming to remember to blink only once he looked up at her from where he knelt.

"I-" he began, when his mind found another familiar straw to grasp. Kite blinked, paused then began anew.

"Would it be too uncouth of me to ask for guidance from this fair and wise maiden, as I know not where these great tomes of knowledge are meant to find their rest?" It was a familiar kind of phrasing which they had used many times, Kite assuming the theatrical persona of the noble warrior-sage while styling her as the fair and wise maiden. Having been borne from their make-believe play during childhood, it had been a staple during their friendship and subsequent relationship.

And Fortune seemed to smile upon him, as the familiar phrasing worked. Brook's wide eyes softened as she smiled.

"Indeed, noble sage. It would be my pleasure."

"Yes, we will make sure that he gets the message the next time he visits here." the functionary of the Adventure Society confirmed.

"Thank you kindly." Peony replied, bowing politely to the woman before leaving the counter, allowing the line behind her to move forward. She left the building, a bit disappointed to not have found Kite but also not surprised. The adventurer probably had all kinds of errands and tasks to be about, and wouldn't just wait around the society campus all day. Still, Peony had a bit of a spring in her step as she started making her way back home.

After her talk with Sun the other night, the family had sat down in earnest to let her explain her idea, this time without her husband being obstructionate. He did still ask the questions he deemed pertinent, but they were all reasonable. In the end, they had all been in agreement, and Peony had dropped off a message with the society to relay to Kite, inviting him to another dinner two days from now to further discuss business arrangements.

Her cheerful mood lasted all the way to the second step, but it quickly soured when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Ah, if it isn't young mistress Peony. How nice to see you on this fine day!" The caller was a man around Peony's age, clad in stylish robes and with his brown hair combed back and kept in a neat bun. And he had apparently continued to nurse his growing goatee of a beard since Peony saw him last, and she begrudgingly had to admit that it suited him.

"Young master Stoic." she said, stiffening slightly yet gave him the shallow bow propriety demanded. Stoic Boar, oldest son of the main line of the crafter family, seemed to be in a cheerful mood even if the weather was rather drab. He was accompanied by one of their family guards, a bronze-ranker Peony recognized from earlier run-ins with the man. The woman still seemed to be good at pretending not to notice the conversation of her charge while still keeping a vigilant eye over their surroundings.

While the Stoics were not one of the great families, they were still influential enough and under the banner of a family which stood near the peak of the city, meaning that they were even able to keep three bronze-ranked guards on retainer.

"I do hope I am not interrupting? As I saw you alone, and were heading this very way myself, I thought that I might as well keep you company on the way. Maybe we might even discuss the offer that still remains pending between our families?" he asked, all smiles as he fell into stride beside her.

"You mean the offer that you still mean to force upon us?" Peony replied, having little patience for the charade.

"Please, mistress Peony, I still claim that you have misunderstood the situation. It is only the natural way of things that people go for the best offers, be it in quality or prices. And you could be part of that, as you do know that my family sees great potential in your work." Part of Peony wanted to rip the young man's lips from his face just to erase that knowing, smug smile. And while that more physical course of action was inadvisable, she couldn't keep herself from using the verbal one.

"I regret to inform you that the answer remains no, young master Stoic, and that my family is currently in serious talks with another party who will be able to provide a most beneficial deal. But do not worry, there is of course nothing we could ever do to rival the influence of the Stoics." she finished, giving him an obviously fake humble smile. Peony's day just got a little bit brighter as Stoic Boar's smile got a little more strained.

"Oh, how fortunate? And what might this opportunity be?"

"Unfortunately, this still remains business between my family and the party in question. While I ever enjoy our chats, I cannot divulge family trade secrets." Peony said, not showing even a sliver of regret.

"And I do believe that this is when we part ways, as I am almost home. Thank you, young master, for accompanying me." she finished, bowing again before striding off towards her family's small compound with the spring in her step having returned in full. Stoic Boar looked after the woman, his smile slipping slightly before turning into a thoughtful expression.

"It sounds like the waters are stirring around our little catch. This will have to be brought before the family. Is one of the other greater families making a move on our acquisition? If that is the case, we will need to know all that we can gather." he mused, before continuing along the street. Peony and her family business was as good as in the fold already, but apparently it looked like they still needed some time to be convinced. And that there might be some competition to dissuade.

"I… I think I found it!" Brook exclaimed as she held up an old scroll. Kite looked up from the bookshelf he had been perusing, and quickly joined her to see what she had found, Glint already doing excited circles around Brook. Sage had quickly tired of their search and once more floated off, Kite letting it do so since Brook had assured him that she would be the only one manning this section in the upcoming hours.

After pushing through the initial awkwardness, his childhood friend and former lover had gradually started to shed the most immediate shyness, and had even taken charge over the search once she had gotten to know Kite's reason for being there. It had been a level of initiative and passion Kite did not recognize from her during her youth, and he was happy to see that the books and all the knowledge within had helped her cultivate such a spark.

And it had definitely helped that she had been positively enchanted by Glint, taking every opportunity to praise and pet the preening carp. And apparently, Brook had now also found something which might indicate Glint's origin. When he arrived at her side, Kite saw that she had carefully rolled out a very old scroll. At the very top was an illustration in an antiquated style that definitely depicted a fish akin to Glint.

"Celestial carp." he read aloud as he saw the header, looking at Glint who had floated closer to her own likeness.

"Well, the resemblance is uncanny."

"The celestial carp are rare creatures of this continent, all said to hail from the offspring of the legendary river dragon emperor." Brook began reading.

"While they begin their lives as diminutive carp, they scour the waters of the streams and rivers for the scales of their ancestor, which is said to be resting in the source of all the rivers of the continent. By devouring the scales and absorbing the magic within, they are able to grow and even ascend through the ranks to eventually become mighty dragons of their own.

As the creatures are very rare, few have been properly cataloged, but they are said to possess the ability to create and manipulate bodies of water and their scales are renowned for their great luster and beauty. This has caused the celestial carp to sometimes be hunted by the vain or greedy."

"Wait, did you say 'dragon'? Glint, are you going to turn into a dragon?" Kite asked, looking at the hovering fish who regarded him as if it was the most obvious conclusion in the world.

"The rest is mostly some more pictures… And some poems." Brook said, skimming the rest of the scroll's contents.

"So it does not look like much more concrete facts, but it is to be expected from scrolls as old as this one. The scholarly method has advanced a lot in but the last decades, and this should be at least two centuries old from what I can tell from the style. I'm sorry that it wasn't of any more help" she finished, lowering her eyes while idly using her magic to smoothen out a minuscule tear in the paper of the scroll and sealing it to pristine condition.

Kite had been quite surprised when he had taken a proper look at Brook's aura only to realize that she had bonded to a single essence. Apparently, her induction as a junior archivist had given her the benefit of being given a paper essence upon signing on for a five year contract of service, and her lone ability was quite fitting for her role as it allowed her to manipulate, mend and restore paper to a great degree.

She did not have an aura sense or much control over it, however, and Kite had noticed that she seemed to know that the changes to him was more than just him maturing and growing up.

"No, Brook, this is great. Now we know what species Glint is. This is way more than I expected actually, and without your help I would still be looking way over there." he said, gesturing off to where he had begun his search.

"Truly, thank you." he finished, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. Only when he saw her blush did he realize that spending so much time around Dragonfly this last year had probably made him a little more casual with touch than he had been aware of.

"Oh, I'm sorry." he said, snatching his hand back.

"I didn't mean-""No." she interrupted him, shaking her head while still looking down.

"It's alright. It's just- you, appearing here. And you are an adventurer now, like you wanted to be when we were children. Don't you remember? All those times we played, you showing off something that Uncle Walker had taught you and Leaf would try to imitate you and inevitably end up crying from a bruised knee? And now, you have it; that life. And familiars. And you show up here." she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's- it's just a little overwhelming." As she said it, Kite could understand a bit of her perspective. Her life had probably been quite calm and orderly, while his had been the opposite. The training and the monsters. His companions. The jade-sky gate and the war. It was the mix of exciting and terrifying that he had somehow gotten more used to.

"Well, I can see that. Suddenly having a mystical being of symbols and snark floating behind you might not have been how you expected your day to go." he said a bit abashedly.

"And speaking of said symbol, I will have to see what I can find about Sage too. But another day. It might be best for you to get to process this all a bit." While she looked a bit relieved, he also glimpsed a troubled expression as well.

"But… You will come back?"

"If you want me to, I'd like to, yes. Or if you want to meet up somewhere else. I'm sure that Glint won't mind giving you a ride."

"I… I'd like that as well. Are you free sometime this seventhday? I have a day off so…"

"It would be the pleasure, nay, the honor of this warrior to meet the maiden most fair and wise in three days, so that you may lend me your counsel and I might in turn regale you with stories." he said, falling back into their little inside joke.

"And besides, from the paths we have chosen so far, I do believe that it is you who deserve to be called the sage." he finished. She blushed a bit further at that, but seemed happy as she showed him out while they finalized some plans to meet up at the end of the week. As Kite left, walking along the grounds of the Magic Society campus, he was once more struck with the oddity of fate and the paths of people intersecting.

When he arrived in Bastion, he had thought that it might be a rather simple stay of training and contracts while he widened his horizons. But barely a day into his stay, while he had yet to meet his trainer he had gotten involved in what would hopefully lead to a beneficial business arrangement and happened upon not one but two people from his past, reforging or redefining connections that he had thought lost.

"It might be time to find my way to Fortune's temple again." he mused.

"It seems like some more proper appreciation is in order." After purchasing dinner from a street vendor, Kite had taken some time to wander the steadily more busy evening streets of Bastion, eventually making his way back to the Adventure Society campus.

He took to waiting in the lobby for his assigned contact to come pick him up, meanwhile reading yet another pleasant surprise, as Peony had left a message for him explaining that the situation had been resolved and that he would be welcome to their house once more for another dinner and more proper talk of business. Unless he sent word otherwise, they would expect him the day after tomorrow.

"My schedule is turning out to be surprisingly full." he thought, but not getting further on his musings as he suddenly recognized a nearby aura which had made itself known. Looking down, Kite saw a brown rat which sat on its hind legs and looked up at him. And this time, it was wearing clothes. Something akin to combat leathers accentuated by a small cape now adorned the little animal, and when he looked around Kite could see a few others of the small critters, all identically dressed.

"Hi Kite~!" Wander squeaked at him in her familiar singsong voice.

"I'm glad that you are here to join us! How would you feel about storming a cellar of potential blood cultists~? Like, right now~?"