Clop-Clop-Clop

Soft footsteps make their way thought the dimly lit beach house

Strum-Strum-Strum♪

At that same moment in the main room of the house a person sits strumming away earnestly at a guitar

Clop-Clop-Clop-Clop

Strum-Strum-Strum♪

The two separate noises intertwine–

“–Lyra?”

“Yeah, yeah I know I haven’t been home in same days is that what you’re going to say?” the girl keeps walking past Kage

“Last time I saw you was last weekend at that party,

And no, I was not going to say that,” Kage replies

“I’ve been busy as usual,” Lyra voices now faintly coming from the direction of the kitchen

…….

…….

…….

…….

“So, what, have you just been here all week trying to become a musician?” Lyra reenters the room with an ice-cream container,

“That isn’t what I’m doing,” Kage explains clutching on to a sleek bass guitar that collapses back into a glove-like device on his hand, which then reforms itself into a familiar bow.

“You learnt a new trick?” Lyra raises her eyebrows mildly amused as she slums down on a couch near Kage

“Not a trick a new schematic for me to transform my Tielium into”

“I don’t know what any of that means, but ‘hooray’ for you I guess,

Why a guitar though Kage?”

“I didn’t have much options, this is an older models to the ones produced now, and I didn’t feel like a harp was practical”

“No I mean why an instrument in the first place, its not a weapon

You’re still going to have to shoot your arrows in a fight,”

“Hmm

You will see soon,” Kage shrugs

“Being secretive for no reason,” Lyra groans half cheerfully lapping away at a spoonful of ice-cream

“Speak for yourself Lyra

Aren’t you the one going around as fairy” Kage brings up jokingly

“Ok,” Lyra monotones not falling for Kage’s attempt to bait her into talking

“I’m just saying you have secrets as well”

“Well, if you must know it isn’t a secret and frankly, I don’t care who does or doesn’t know, do you expect me to just have a sit down with you and catch you up on everything?”

“I mean we are now.”

“………” Lyra does not respond to this instead eating a scoop of ice-cream she then silently twirls the spoon around pondering something

“The short version is that I want to kill that bastard who took Karina’s and my parents’ lives

That’s all.”

“Don’t you at least want to find out your brother’s intentions?” Suggests Kage,

“Back when I saw Elven—the prince—Omari’s memories Brandon carried him to the exact same house that I have my first few memories in

After that we heard that he now has both Ice and fire magic from Shiki sir in Bakufu.

Don’t you want to know how he managed to obtain fire?”

“I don’t care about that shit Kage

Feel free to peer into the memories of his corpse after I’m done with him if you want answers,”

“Ok, lets talk about something else,” Kage says sensing the girl becoming heated

“Your magic, you told me it evolved right?”

“When did I say that?”

“At the party,”

“Of course it was then

Did we do anything naughty after?”

“No,”

“Unlucky I guess,

For you I mean not me,”

“Ok.” Kage replies uninterestedly

“You want to see something Kage?”

“….”

Before Kage can respond Lyra is already taking off her shirt

“What do you think”? She turns her back to him

After getting burnt off by the foundation ray from the mechs and then having her spine shattered atop the mountain back on third ring, Lyra had got it repaired by YRG cybernetics a subsidiary company of the UCA government that deals with robotics technology

……..

Kage watches silently, no skin, just a cold steel plate built hideously into the girls back.

…….

“You already know I used to have snow magic but it isn’t that anymore,” Lyra turns conjuring a sparkling ball of magic in her hand

“What do you call it now?” Kage stares curiously

“Nothing, I don’t think I can count as snow anymore

More of dust if anything,

So, cold dust I guess,”

“……

Lyra…” Kage hesitates then continues

“Remember when you first showed me your magic and I said it was somewhat beautiful?”

“No” Lyra blatantly lies

“When I saw the snow back then I thought it to be like uncut gems, back then however it was still soft as snow,

Now, they snow has hardened into diamonds,

How about Diamond Dust?

Is that not what your magic has become?”

……

After eating another scoop of ice cream and twirling the spoon around for a bit,

Lyra replies;

“Sounds stupid but I like it.

And by the way Kage

Don’t get it twisted I still haven’t fully forgiven you for being an evil fuck to me,”

“Hey, I already tol—"

—Strep-Strep-Strep-Strep

As Kage opens his mouth to protest the pair are interrupted by another set of footsteps…

“Is Apollo here—am I interrupting something?” Himari strides into the house, as she notices the Kage and the shirtless Lyra she stops,

“He has been spending time training on the military compound” explains Kage,

“If he’s not there he’s is out umm doing stuff,”

“If you are referring to him being the ‘messiah’ vigilante, I am aware of it,” states Himari

“Who do you think put him up to it,

It’s a two-man operation,”

“A pointless operation if you ask me,” comments Lyra putting her shirt back on

“You are already a fed why waste time taking down petty criminals at night.”

“You obviously now nothing about the crime world of our ring,” sighs Himari

“Petty criminals are a rare occurrence in this day and age,

I like working with the government but even I have to admit they don’t care about crime unless it jeopardizes their public image,

Almost all crimes that take place are organized occurrences, and most of the time the nearby police stations are paid off, or simply don’t care enough to do anything,

Besides that, we have pirates like Kage, which are the only criminals the government actively tries to get rid of,”

“It is a Friday night and you are here talking about crime statistics,” this time it’s Lyra’s turn to sigh

“Your not even that boring of A person Ms. Nara,

We’ve seen you how you can be after that party,”

“How I can be?

What did I do?”

“You were really noisy” Kage chimes in

Lyra and Kage exchange glances…

“What does that mean?” Himari presses

“So, what do you need to see Apollo for?” Kage changes the subject

“What do you think pirate?

Obviously it is to discus the matter of Madvillainy,”

“Speaking of th—” Kage starts

“Nahh you are stepping on my toes a little too much” Lyra speaks over him

“Pardon?”

“The frickin Holy Diver incident, those were my guys you took out back there”

“That was you!?” Himari and Kage exclaim

“I am handling the Caribbean situation tell the government or whoever back off

I swore I had this chat with that official Stanton before,”

“I know that people in the Caribbean look up to you as a deity known as the snow fairy but I didn’t know you were actually calling shots,” muses Himari

“Yeah, well I didn’t know you could moan so loudly till last weekend,” yawns Lyra, proceeding to indulge into her ice-cream

“You want some?”

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” The young woman rubs her eyes half stressed and ashamed,

“Ok, well don’t,” Lyra taps the empty space on the couch next to her, which Himari slumps into

“You know, things are not always so black and white as you make them out to be Ms. Nara,” Lyra passes the ice-cream to her,

“You think I don’t know that?

I am the youngest of five, my older sister, not the one who you saw at the party,

She is currently doing time in prison

One of my older brothers is in the military and the other is a shut in,”

“And you’re a workaholic?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard already that my father was one of the soldiers killed by some people from the pirates ring.” Himari gestures to Kage

“As a child losing the only person who gave me attention at that time really traumatized me,

I’ve gotten over it now, but it already too late, I’ve been working this hard my entire life,

Only thing I can do is go harder,”

“Yeah well I got an even worse story so I can’t say I give a fuck about anything you just said,” Lyra shrugs

“Sounds tame if you ask me,”

“I’ve heard from Apollo how awful you two had the past decade,” so I don’t blame you for that reaction Himari says surprisingly understanding

“Ms. Nara,” Kage cuts in

“I know you still feel suspicion and resentment towards me because my apparent past affiliations, but I can assure you that I on your side and will try my best to assist with anything you need,”

“Mmmm

Sounds pretty convincing pirate,

But you see I’ve done my research on you,

I know how good your manipulation skills are,” Himari sounding unconvinced

“You are right, Kage is really a master manipulator now that I think about it,” Lyra adding fuel to the fire

“He had me fooled when we first met and when I least expected tossed me to my death,”

“I–” Kage begins

“–I’m never dropping this Kage,” Lyra tosses her spoon at Kage

“Don’t worry Himari he came back crying to me after saying how it wasn’t him,

I realized he was a troubled person so I let it slide, this once”

“That isn’t what happened,” disputes Kage

“That’s how I remember it” Lyra motions for Kage to send back her spoon,

“Now go play your uranium guitar or whatever,”

“Tielium”

“Fitting that you would have that old tielium,” Himari speaks up

“Is there a problem with it?” Inquires Kage

“No, but I’m guessing you don’t know the history,”

“MF already told me about Dr. Einstein if that’s what you’re referring to”

“Daniel is fan boy,

The old doctor wasn’t as much of a genius that people like to make it out to be,

He brilliant to an extent,

Dr. Einstein is actually the first person from this ring to ever go to the first ring,

That is where he got the ideas for tielium and ways to use foundation energy in the first place.

That’s why I said it was fitting you have it,

Your one of them from the first ring,

So, in a way, the technology of the first ring found its way back to one of its people.”