Sunlight's Canopy

Mariela: The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life (light novel series)

-Woke up underground 200 years late with Starbucks because she made a dumb mistake casting a spell. She’s decently used to culture shock at this point.

-For a long time, was the only surviving alchemist in her time period that had a pact with her ley line. She’s had to hide this fact to ensure her safety in the past, but now she’s cool with it.

-She wants to be your friend! Yes you! She will bake you cookies and heal your wounds. 

-An entrepreneur of sorts. A real workaholic when it comes to making up new items to sell.

-She doesn’t know how to fight for jack *! Please keep her safe.

The frantic explanations and histories spilled from Mariela forces Altair to a stop.  If there is one prominent fault in the conception of Lucent’s homunculi, it’s their very need to follow directions.  And in this case, this girl, this alchemist not from Lucent, has asked him to recall shared moments between them——don’t you remember?

He cants his head slowly, studying her with a seafoam eye as he tries to draw upon what frankly should have been impossible.  The homunculus has never set foot outside the border of this queendom;  they couldn’t have met outside of their first meeting on the fringe.  And yet, the retrospection strikes a heated match in his core.

“Gh——!”   Altair grasps his chest with an intensity as if struggling for air, his claws threatening to tear through the uniform.  The fragmented star there——his heart, mind, and self, all at once——aches with sudden recollection,  a pain beyond physical that clearly reflects on his expression.

How could these flooding memories, previously recorded with perfect integrity, have been lost?

“Mariela … I …”   he hesitates, cautiously managing two steps away from her.  Then slowly, Altair peels his hand away, leaving his shirt and tie disheveled in its wake.  “I’m sorry——It’s not you;  I … I don’t understand how I forgot.”

Perhaps it was an errant spell or a mishap with magic, a potion he unwittingly drank.  But neither would not explain why they are both within the walls of the land and atelier he was born.  His eye begins to roam over the streets, unfocused, as Mariela’s previous distraught bleeds into an eruption of wild emotions.

“We need to leave.  Go … very far ——  I can’t be here!”

Mariela held her breath in anticipation. She didn’t know anything about the magic that brought them here. She was just at the mercy of it. Her hand jolted with a start as Altair appeared to be in pain, but she continued to keep her distance. Finally when he seemed to remember, she let out the painful breath she had been holding in. It was a rush of relief. He did remember her. This was some kind of dream or illusion and not truly his past that she was rooted in. She could return to that world.

Mariela shook her head. It didn’t matter how he forgot, as long as he remembered her now. Maybe a scholar would have some ideas, but this simple-minded alchemist had no interest in making sense of it. She lurched forward without thinking and wrapped her arms behind his back, resting her head on his shoulder. She had no idea why he was so panicked, but at least there didn’t seem to be an imminent danger.

“Right now? Wh-why? Is someone after you?” But the sun was shining...and the city crowds seemed to be ebbing and flowing as normal. She tried to follow his gaze but it didn’t help. So what happened here to make him so spooked? Mariela pushed herself back upright and tried to steady Altair by holding his arms. 

Mariela’s grip halts him just as he wraps a clawed hand around the atelier’s gilded handle.  Altair stills with uncertainty, before turning his attention to the hand on his arm.  After that, he merely stares at the trembling curves of her fingers as the questions pass through him, seemingly unfiltered.  But then comes the inevitable cinch of his brows, a single green eye flicking upward to meet hers.

“I don’t … understand,”   Altair laments, a hand still clamped around the golden door.  “What are you … saying?”   An alchemist shouldn’t ask these things—these are rules drilled into their creations, even if it’s a fancy that might have crossed his mind once, twice.  Tools remain tools, weapons too.  And after a dizzying moment of detachment, he finally repeats the timeworn answer. 

“Homunculi don’t have —— we don’t want.  We only follow orders and duty.” … Right?

Nevertheless, the dots come together to paint an unfortunate realization:  this girl is no royal alchemist.  She is too … different, too kind.  Altair releases his grip from the handle and fully turns to Mariela, his expression hardening to unusual aggression.  Then, compelled by his responsibility as an Executor, he advances to corner the false alchemist toward a wall. 

“You … tricked me—you’re not an alchemist.  Who are you exactly?  Where did you come from?”

Mariela’s hands begin to shake as her companion’s tone changes. It sounds distrustful. It sounds like rejection. But she had to remind herself that this isn’t the Altair she knows that welcomes her back to the shop warmly. This Altair was not standing under the glass oculus, bright and early in the morning with sparkling eyes, impatient to show her the newest trinket that amazed him. That childlike wonder...she missed it.

“Hey!! I am an alchemist! Just...just not fr-from Lucent, okay?!” She stumbled over her words. “And I’m not a spy either--er--okay. I know how it sounds!” Fishy. Really fishy. Regroup, Mariela! 

She was backing up after he started cornering her. He could...actually be kind of scary, huh? It was easy to forget that he was a soldier.

“When we first met I asked if you would be my friend. We were at a food market, in some strange world. I promised you that I’d make you food with the power I had because you couldn’t eat what they were selling! Don’t you remember?” She was starting to sound desperate, moving her hands around erratically to illustrate her story. “Then you became my assistant in my shop, and...we started making other friends too!  We woke up someplace different and I thought I’d lost you but-- you were right there. You found me passed out on a bench covered in ivy in the cold and gave me your jacket!” she blabbered on.  

——Is that something you want?

The question swims in Altair’s mind as Mariela attends to the merchant.  And in its wake are a set of indistinguishable feelings that cannot be put to the name.  Of course, if there was a choice — any choice at all — he would refuse it.  But homunculi don’t get asked for their opinions, just as no one questions their tools before working. 

Mariela, as an alchemist, should already know that.

His eye unwittingly wanders toward her direction, quietly catching the baffling expectant look she wears.  Could a singular alchemist indeed be so different from the rest?  Altair tries to battle the urge to avoid that gaze and fails, maintaining a fixed stare with the russet cobblestones at his feet, even as their route resumes.  

“Why did you ask me that before?  Isn’t that a choice you make——”   He finally mutters after some time, tightening his grip around the golem’s heart that thrums with temptation.  “This luxury should not be given …”   Altair goes silent again, holding the rest of the words like lead in his mouth as the filigree entrance to the Lucent Atelier of Royal Alchemists comes into view.

The pull of magic and authority is irresistible, so much so the homunculus is compelled into a routinely distant poise.  

“We are here,”   he says, slowly.   “I believe we should part ways now?  I must return this core without further delay. ”

When Altair asks his question, Mariela looks to him like a deer in the headlights. She frowns and stares down at her feet, shuffling them across the ground uncomfortably. The alchemists had the power to free homunculi. Were they all just waiting around with the hope that they would be useful enough to become Doll-types? 

Mariela reaches out and catches her companion’s sleeve once they stop walking. Her eyes nervously dart over to the golden palace-looking atelier, leagues away in opulence and splendor from her own. She should feel at home here, surrounded by her peers in a place where medicine and magic came together. A place where her craft was revered. But...something about the gilded exterior weighed down her spirits. 

“W-wait-- don’t go yet! Altair...” Mariela closed her eyes tightly and eventually looked away with guilt. “I asked you that...because...because...I think that homunculi should be able to make their own choices...It shouldn’t be our decision. Is that so weird?” But how naiive or idealistic she must have sounded. There was no way that he wouldn’t know she was an imposter now.

Clearly overwhelmed, Mariela held onto his arm with more pressure. She had all the intimidation of a cornered hamster. “I’m serious. What...do you really want? Have you ever thought about it? If you could go anywhere...uhm...do anything?”

He weakly smiled at Mariela getting upset at him. Good, so she didn’t realize how he was calmed down by her story. Not that he truly believed Mariela’s optimistic moral of her story, but it was nice to have this kind of distraction in the situation they’re trapped in.

“No worries here, I won’t pity you, miss Mariela. Why should I? You seem to have not many regrets in your life!”

Unlike him, but he really didn’t want to tell her about all his misfortunes in his past. It wouldn’t help anyone in this situation either. His smile got more cramped up before he continued talking though. Leaving this room absolutely was not an option!

“Are you deaf? I think I already told you if we get out of here we walk into a group of people. Things would get too complicated from there on. Let’s just say…” A pause… maybe he really did have to remember the worst parts to help them out of here. This was the worst escape room puzzle yet! His fake smile fully vanishing now and turning to an upset frown.

“Grrh…! I… I didn’t survive the death game! My zero point zero percentage rate couldn’t have been more accurate! I’m not like you, Mariela. I wasn’t able to turn my destiny around! Even though I tried, I tried really hard! I have no idea why I’m even alive at this point. Maybe I just imagined dying before coming to the last place we were at or Chronolium. My wounds were healed and I just… got another chance after all of this…” 

Of course only his physical wounds were healed, but whatever. He was already grateful he got another shot at live. Maybe Mariela had a point though… He should at least try to be a little more trusting. It was one of his biggest regrets before he thought he was done for after all. And him admitting that fact in front of her was his first step of doing so.

“Go on, you can laugh at me if you want… Maybe that will be what finally brings an end to this nightmare.”

“Rrrrrrrrrggghhh. No I’m not! You can be a real piece of--” Mariela clenched her fists and mused in annoyance. She was just trying to get out of here! Sitting around doing nothing obviously wasn’t doing anything! What the heck was he hiding? Sure, everything was complicated but he could at least give her the highlights! 

“You...you didn’t survive?” Mariela took a step back. How could that be? He was right here in front of her now. It felt like a horrible prank. “What does that even mean?! Are you...are you some kind of undead now? That’s bananas. No way.” 

Mariela clutched the pin that held her cloak together.  Zombies were horrifying monsters that formed from the corpses of others. She’d seen them before, mutant decayed piles of flesh formed from fusing limbs and parts from different hosts that only wanted to kill. If Shin was a zombie he would be a monster, and wouldn’t be able to sit in Sunlight’s Canopy. So maybe he was close, but he didn’t really die at all. Death is the end. It was for Lynx. It was for all of her neighbors.

“I’m not gonna laugh at you right now. I mean, to me it sounds like you were saved by some kind of spirit that gave you a second chance at life. Maybe it saw something in you... maybe even something good, and the way to see you to safety was to bring you to another world. Even though I can make pacts with spirits...humans can’t really understand them.” 

Queen Endalsia had a deep love for flawed humanity and the inherent goodness of the whole of mankind. So much so that the monsters rebelled to gain the Queen’s power and favor again. The spirits must have seen something in Shin.

Giggling, Jangmi kicks out both her legs from under her. She spreads them out and wiggles her little toes, hands keeping her balanced upright from behind her. “That’s really awesome! Being a hero who helps others is honorable, I think. Sometime I wish I were born a boy so I could join my father.”

She watches Mariela lay on her back and she’s tempted to do the same, but decides against it.  “I find it so strange that in your world you don’t have the same constellations.” She muses, “But of course! For centuries the Baekho had a symbol known as ‘king’ on its forehead. Did you know, that the white tiger’s tail would turn white when it hit 500 years of age? AND it’s believed that the white tiger would ONLY appear when the emperor ruled or there was peace throughout the world. I hope that one day the world is clear of all the heartaches and that there is peace throughout the entire world.”

“There’s a lot of ways to be a hero. Even if you’re not fighting anything you can still be helpful to others. That’s what I think.” She couldn’t say much to console the girl about being born the way she was. It’s hard to fight against the rules that others make for you. Maybe Jangmi really would be an adventurer one day... in another place where she was allowed to be one.

“Ahaha yeah, It is kind of strange isn’t it?” So Jangmi was thinking of her like some kind of alien. At least that didn’t scare her! “So this white tiger is like a guardian to all the people here.” Mariela smiled up at the sky. “When you see him it means that the world is at peace, so you know that you will have brighter days ahead. Until you see him, you have to have hope that he’ll return.” 

It was a heartwarming allegory on the surface...but something about it made her feel sad. Where was the tiger when it was in hiding? Was it searching for the emperor, or protecting the people? Would there ever really be a time without heartaches?

sylvarantichosen​:

reipasento:

Sou did cringe a little at the memory of Colette and Mariela wanting to force a shirt on him that had the letters MILF on it. Luckily, before he could even comment on that, Altair came forth, greeting him all nicely.

“How you’re doing, Alatir? Hope miss Mariela doesn’t make you work too hard behind there?”

And like an evil spirit he just summoned by saying her name too many times, there she was in the back. And unlike the other two she seemed not too happy about his presence here.

“Hello, miss Mariela!” He waved at her with a fake smile. Knowing she knew exactly it wasn’t a genuine one as well. 

“Ahaha, how rude! I wouldn’t ever harass any of your employees!” Mariela herself however, was another story. “My bad, am I disturbing your business?” Another polite sounding question with some rather dissing intention behind it. Then when looking around the shop, it was pretty obvious that it wasn’t busy at the moment. 

“Oops, well! Hey, if you guys are bored, why don’t we play a game? Miss Mariela can join too once she’s done hiding behind that door for whatever reason.”

@sylvarantichosen

“Sou doesn’t harass us!” The accusation surprised Colette. When had he done that? It was strange seeing her look so gloomy.

“Oh, a game! That could be fun.” It was true that the shop was rather… empty at the moment. It wasn’t always like this, this time of day it was always a little slow. 

Colette turned towards the back where Mariela was still standing, peering apprehensively at the scene in front of her. Why was she nervous? Colette’s lower lip jutted out in a very slight pout. “Mariela, don’t you want to play, too? Altair, a game sounds fun, right?” She was already getting very excited at this idea. 

“I promise if a customer comes in while we’re playing, I’ll go and help them right away!”

@starsdevour​

Is there some kind of exchange he’s missing here, an enmity?  His eye looks between Sou and Mariela, brow creasing exponentially until Colette addresses him again.  But with games being set on the figurative table, maybe that was just an imaginary thing.

“Oh, a game does sound fun,”   he says.  It should be, right?  Frankly, Altair has not played many games before.   “What sort of game is it?”

Likewise, a helping hand will be given should a customer request assistance.  But for now, he offers his own hand toward Mariela.  “Please join us.”

@alchemistwhosurvived​

Mariela’s face gets a little red on account of holding her breath and her anger back from Shin. Of course he was disturbing her business, but for some reason her employees welcomed him with open arms. She scrunches her nose as if she had just smelled something bad, but lets out a deflated sigh when Altair stretches out his hand to her and Colette excitedly tries to convince her to stop working as well. A game did sound fun. She wasn’t really all that familiar with many games.

As if cautiously stepping into water, Mariela takes Altair’s hand. It would be rude not to, even if she was confused why she felt like she was being escorted to the ballroom again.

“Alright, if everyone else is, then I’ll play too.” Mariela tilts her head. “Doesn’t look like you’ve got any cards or anythin’ on you. Are we playin’ charades?”

“Mariela?”   For an instant, uncertainty fully flashes across his face.  The Alchemists would never forgo their honorifics for the usage of their names.  That establishes connection; feeling—— or so, it’s been rumored to.  But that alone allows a strange sensation to take root at his core.  Even the name sounds … familiar.

“… I did not know of an alchemy team without homunculi,”   Altair says, unfettered, as he marches on through a sunlit alley.  If this secluded formation was solely composed of humans, then it’s no wonder its existence would be unknown to a homunculus.  It would also explain the different uniform Mariela is wearing. 

“As an Executor-type homunculus, I only visit the atelier when authorized.  Or for calibrations and repairs.  Doll-type homunculi are used to assist with your formulas and tests.”   A fact that makes a metaphorical light bulb go off in his head: is this alchemist in need of a homunculus?  Has she selected him to become a Doll?  Altair drops his gaze onto the stone path.

“Lady Alchem—”   He starts, stops, and corrects himself before continuing.   “Mariela.  Am I to become…”   One, too.  The thought trails off, too harrowing to express aloud.  Yet, in his silence, another voice quickly raises for attention.

“Must be my lucky day to find a Royal Alchemist down this alley——”   A man sitting at his stall flags Mariela with a wave and a crafty smile.   “Come, try my latest creation!  My Ruby Tart won’t disappoint, and then you can put in a good word with the rest.”

Mariela swallowed a lump in her throat. She knew she was bound to say something wrong, and so she broke out into a cold sweat. She had to think about what she said next very carefully, but lying to him just made her feel so grimey. Maybe this time saying nothing was the best choice so she didn’t dig her grave any further.

What he said next only made her worry more. Calibrations and repairs...how was a homunculus repaired? What would happen if Altair ever got hurt? All this time she was thinking that maybe one of her potions would work on other types of organic matter...but what would happen if he could only be healed by technology? She knew nothing about that. Her head just kept on spinning and spinning. But then Altair tried asking her something, and she was so in her own thoughts that she barely heard him.

“Huh?” Mariela nervously fidgeted with her hands. What the heck was a Doll-type? Something about that sounded even worse than an Executor. It sounded...empty. “What do you think you’re going to become...? A Doll-type? Is that...something you want?”

But a voice down the street interrupted them before she could get an answer. “Lucky? Uh...being an alchemist isn’t so...” But she bit her lip. When she was growing up alchemists were a dime a dozen. It wasn’t until the Labyrinth City that she was rare and celebrated. Altair did always make it sound like Alchemists were really high in society.

Quick Mariela... you have to act important!

At like a bunch of aristocrats, Alice couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, he would hate you saying that,” she said, after taking a breath, “but yeah, kind of. Though I worked there as a maid, eventually… They let me live there because I had nowhere to stay, but I didn’t like just sitting around, you know?” From what she’d learned of Mariela living with here for a while, Alice felt that was something she’d understand.

“So, yup, that’s why. He’s… a little clingy.” For some reason.

“Oh, thanks! Yeah, I wanted something kind of gentle,” Alice said. That stark white color they were painting over was almost unsettling. 

Alice took a glance around the room and hummed in thought. “A couple of plants would be nice,” she decided. “Maybe something that’s a little low maintenance. I’m not really much of a gardener…” She didn’t want Mariela to give her something that Alice just wound up immediately killing. And also, she wanted to decorate her room a little, but she didn’t want to overdo it.

“Ohhh. Good thing I kept quiet then...” She’d have to keep that in mind, but he did dress like an aristocrat. Fashion was meant to make a statement about a person, and he definitely didn’t look like a commoner. “Heheh. Yeah I totally get what you mean. I get antsy when I’m not doing anything, but I guess all alchemists do. We were trained by working day and night...so...” Mariela lightly knocks herself on the head with her fist. “We don’t really know what to do with ourselves when we’re not making stuff.”

Mariela chose not to respond to that next part, instead looking away and giving her housemate a slightly awkward laugh. A little clingy didn’t seem to cover it. To Mariela it looked like he was in love with her. It was probably rude to ask if that was the case, though. If Captain Dick and Amber taught her anything, it’s that these things worked themselves out.

“Wow, really? Mariela, you’re amazing…!” Colette took a moment to admire the charm Mariela had made before putting it on. “Will any animal befriend us with this? I could make friends with dogs, and cats, these goats, and turtles…!” Already she was getting a little carried away.

She took a look at the herbs Mariela had with her and nodded. Colette understood the plan! Befriend some of the goats, get them to try Mariela’s grass that she’d brought, and throw one of their charms around one of the goats for Mariela to tame. Easy!

Colette took a few steps out toward some of the goats closest to where they’d been standing. A few heads looked up at her from their grazing as she spoke softly to them.

“Here, goats…! Come here, goats! Pspspspsps….” She knelt down a little and held out a hand to beckon them closer. “We have a treat for you…! Come and try it!”

“Whaaaa? It’s nothing, it’s nothing!” Mariela bashfully waves her hand. This kind of charm was easy-peasy. Sure you had to have a steady hand, but the lines were muuuch simpler than something like the suspended animation circle. Being praised did feel nice though...Mariela’s master only ever praised her once she’d finally mastered a really hard task. 

“Yeah the charm should work on a wide range of animals. The more aggressive they are the more resistance they might have, so I guess it really depends on how friendly this breed of mountain goat is! Yagu were kinda testy when they were out in the wild...but domesticated ones became real lazy.” 

Mariela watched in stunned silence as Colette walked out into the clearing. She wasn’t a strategist or anything, but maybe she was taking too direct of an approach. Ah well...Colette was taught by Professor Sage, right? What could go wrong?

Or so she thought, but as Colette approached the group of goats, they started digging their hooves into the dirt and grunting. Some further away started climbing their way up the hillside but three remained at pasture. Mariela jumped out from behind the tree and yelled.

Shin was almost surprised at how easily Mariela opened up like a book, telling him in most detail how she got to do what she was passionate about and how good it made her feel even to this day. It actually made him slightly chuckle, though of course she would most likely as him making fun of her, but it wasn’t really coming from a vile place this time.

He kinda could understand where her fascination came from. Being an alchemist, being able to create… it did sound quite mighty. Having power in any sense, must be a nice feeling, especially if you could be as confident in it as she was.

“Ah, I think I get it? Being able to succeed at something most people are really useless for, does feel quite rewarding…” Of course he was talking about his coding and hacking skills, but he didn’t really feel to flaunt this in front of her right now. Not that she would understand any of that anyways!

“I guess the gist of your little story is, that with willpower or whatever you can beat whatever any paper say, yeah? Well, I could tell you my side of how this story ended, because I actually remembered most part of it by now. Probably thanks to your rambling? But I’m not really eager to see you pity me, you know…”

He leaned against the next wall now, crossing his arms, hoping a gate or something would appear that could make them leave this place.

However… that wasn’t happening.

“Urghs, damn it, how much more does this stupid place want me to recall here? There’s no way I’m gonna relive it, especially not with someone else here…”

In the end it probably came down to him having to remember the way he died, the realization that all his efforts were for nothing… but even trying to do so felt really unpleasant. Especially because he’d rather swallow a thousand needles than getting emotional in front of Mariela. 

Almost nervously he adjusted his beanie a little: “Sorry, seems like you’re stuck here for a while longer… I try to repeat all the steps of what happened in my mind but… ughs, it’s… a real bother.”

Shin summed it up better than she could. She had a lot of heart but she wasn’t great at articulating things. She nodded, and then her surprise that they were actually connecting on something faded once he got snarky again. So she was rambling to him huh? Not a single point to be made, huh! Why did she even try with him? Maybe because she’s an idiot who doesn’t learn.

Why should she pity him when he’s such a jerk? It was called empathy anyway, but every time she got close she remembered that his shoes were not ones that she cared to walk in, ever. She was sure they were full of broken glass.

“I’d feel for you if you were capable of a genuine thank you, or like, shutting your mouth before you use it to tick me off. How much pride can a guy have? It was pride that made him ruin that moment, wasn’t it? The thought of him looking down on her made her skin crawl. “It’s mutual. You don’t pity me either okay? Ick. Gross.”

Oh, right, the coat.  Altair had already forgotten its weight over his shoulders and found himself accepting how it draped over hers.  Perhaps his worries are not worries at all, and why he cannot stray his attention away is because of this.  Together with Mariela’s flame-colored hair, it’s oddly pretty … in a familiar, misguided way.  Like an errant brushstroke that happens upon an artist’s finished piece yet adds to the picture rather than spoiling it.

Well, he should take it back now.

“Yes. Thank you.”   Altair nods and reaches for the uniform, closing his claws around its high collar.  He shrugs it on with practiced ease but pauses abruptly before the clasps at his waist.  Instead, the homunculus smooths a hand across the coat’s thick material;  it’s certainly never felt this warm before.

“… I would like to continue being your assistant, regardless of study,”   he continues, slowly turning his head up at the alchemist.  If she would truly have him, at least.  His purpose has changed— so many times now— it would be a blessing to finally anchor in a customary routine.  But first…

“But are you … really all right, Mariela?”   He steps closer, inquisitive.   “You seem … um, different.  Maybe upset?”   Was it something he said?

“N-no...I’m not upset.” Mariela shuffles her feet through the grass. But she couldn’t exactly explain why she was acting weird either. Altair wouldn’t have known why she was embarrassed, but now she had to scramble to make sure he knew she wasn’t hiding anything. When he stepped forward she couldn’t help but get more self conscious, though.

“I’m actually happy! Really happy!” she exclaims. She starts flailing her arms to illustrate her response. “I guess I’m still just a little out of it! My brain’s still all foggy from passing out! Ha...ha...that’s all.”

Yeah, right. Hopefully that was a suitable enough answer for him. It wasn’t entirely wrong either, even if she felt guilty for being evasive. “I uhm...I was really worried that you’d have changed your mind to go...do something else since we’re in a new place and all. I guess I didn’t really have anything to worry about.” Mariela scratched the back of her head. She really wasn’t doing herself any favors by talking so much. “But of course we can still study! And whip up a lot of cream--er--Potions.” 

“My friend’s mother uses plants as medicine. My friend’s name is Sora. She’s super duper nice.” One could say that her best friend was Sora. They did just about everything together. Jangmi is so fond of her. “I can ask Sora tomorrow morning if you could meet with her mother. I’m sure Ms. Han would be very happy.” 

Jangmi hugs her legs to her chest when Mariela takes her seat. She rests her chin on top of her knees and nods her head, “mhm. He does a lot of very important things.” She turns her gaze to Mariela, cheek now resting on her knee instead, “You have a king where you’re from, too?” Was he nice or was he mean like her king? 

“Ah!” She smiles and perks up, her gaze back on the stars, “I can.” She’s excited, “Father was just teaching me about the Baek-Ho. It’s one of the four symbols and it has 56 constellation and 301 stars! Isn’t that cool?”

“That...would be really great! Thanks.” She didn’t have the heart to tell her that she wouldn’t remember this conversation come tomorrow. It wasn’t as if she actually got thrown back into time...right? Time only ever went one way. She knew that well.

“Yeah...well...kind of. We have an Emperor actually, who is kind of like a King.” They were both one in the same to her, though. Some really powerful guy far away in the capital that didn’t really have much at all to do with Endalsia. “The Margrave though...he comes from a really famous family... his sons are heroes just like your dad. Both of them are heads of the military who helped save my city.”

Mariela tried following the direction of the girl’s gaze. She lies down in the grass, her smile wavering. Now that she really thought about it...it was sad to look up at a sky that looks unfamiliar to you. She felt a pang in her chest as she listened to Jangmi.

“Huh? Symphonizer?” She repeated in confusion, but it became quickly clear that Mariela never heard of a synthesizer before. That was only fair, after all… most of those potions were an unknown field for Kanade as well…

“What Appetite…?” Wait, what? Kanade blinked in confusion and had to pause before she could answer anything to Mariela’s question. Wait… did she think she meant food samples? Has she never been to a store and put on headphones to take a listen to some albums before purchasing them?

Wait, considering she was unfamiliar with headphones, this made only sense. Once she was done staring into space and collecting her thoughts, Kanade quickly shook her head.

“Oh, no no! Um, I meant like music samples! There are multiple headphones in the store, so you can listen to all different kinds of music to make it easier to decide what you’ll end up buying when visiting there. But um… if you’re hungry, I wouldn’t mind grabbing a snack after that as well.”

“Since you’ve never been to one, I want to take you there even more now. When are you free, Mariela?”

“Music samples...?” Weren’t those just like...sound? She had a lot to learn about this industry and the store that sells sounds. What Mariela was picturing was putting on a set of headphones and hearing the sounds of the city--cars honking, a dog’s squeaky toy. The rattle of a bean-filled gourd. That was kind of like a music sample, right? Once Mariela learned what a CD was, maybe she’d finally understand what Kanade meant.   The alchemist blinks to cut herself off from her imagination. She had been staring up at the sky for while.

“If I listen to the samples I can buy and take home the music...on one of those music players you have, right?  I don’t have to rent a band or anything...?” She was kind of understanding? It would take time. She did love the sound of snacks afterwards! That could get her to go just about anywhere.