Angela Ding

Today, however, the everyday tension and imperious aura was softer. It was almost as if a warm, kind wind had blown through the first district. Carrying through the neat streets and between the large stalls in the bazaar before gently fading away, was a merry tune. Any passersby traveling anywhere near the central plaza would notice that there was a large crowd standing in a circle and steadily growing. As people trickled in, adding to the volume of the impromptu gathering, it became clearer and clearer who the center of the attention was.

“Well, well...seems like we’ve got a surprisingly large crowd, big bro,” a young blonde boy holding a wooden flute grinned, taking a break from his playing and directing his question at the other blonde boy a little ways away.

“Mhm…” the older boy agreed, eyes closed as he moved in time with the jaunty music he was playing on his fiddle. “I’m surprised, too, but the real question is...are they here for us? Or are they here for her?” Here, he opened his eyes and directed his pale icy gaze at the whirl of scarlet in front of them. Not too far in front of the two brothers was another figure. Her movement was a little too much for the average person to track with the naked eye, however, it was still quite a sight to see. Hardly distinguishable from the crimson swathes of cloth engulfing her, was a girl. It was clear that she was dancing in time to the music created by her siblings. Step, step, one, two, one two, spin around, and do it all again. Everything from the flick of her white blonde hair, to the delicate impact of her hand on the worn tambourine she was holding, to the steady rhythm of the heels of her boots on the stones of the street suggested that she had been doing this for awhile. Her dancing, though not professional, per se, was a bright, whimsy execution of motion that made everyone from the spritely children to the stiff elderly want to jump into the circle and move with her. The bouncy, quirky harmony created by the relationships between the thin, wiry sound of the fiddle, the smooth, chipper voice of the flute, and the steady jingle of the tambourine was contagious. Soon enough, the main plaza of the first district was filled with a warm and joyous atmosphere. Juxtaposed against the domineering aesthetic of their surroundings, the trio of young musicians was truly stunning and together, they shone like a beacon, drawing in the surrounding passersby like a moth drawn to a flame.

A little ways outside of the steadily growing ring of spectators, two people passed by. As the two walked past, the little girl- who appeared to be the younger of the two- stopped in her tracks to take in the sight before her eyes. The older one of the two- a boy- halted in his stride as well upon noticing that she had stopped her forward motion.

“Hey, why’d you stop walking?” the boy asked, frowning slightly as he returned to the little girl’s side. “Rinka...Mom’s going to get upset if I don’t get you back before I have to return to the Academy.” The little girl pouted before turning back to the large crowd forming a little ways away from her.

“I know, Mikage!” She chirped, eyes fixated on the crowd. “But, I just want to see what’s going on over there! It looks like something interesting!” Then, as if to prove her point, she started hopping up and down in a valiant effort to see past the adults in front of her. The one called Mikage blinked, amber eyes furrowing in as he gave a defeated sigh.

“Fine, we can go take a look, but only a quick one, okay? Then I need to take you back home,” he said, face breaking into a soft smile.

“Really?” Rinka gasped, eyes lighting up like saucers at his admission. “You’re the best big brother ever!” With that, she launched herself at her brother, almost knocking the wind out of him as she latched onto his waist in an overjoyed hug.

“Oof! Okay, okay, let’s hurry and go look!” Mikage laughed good-naturedly. “Here, I’ll put you on my shoulders so you can see, okay?” With an ecstatic nod from his little sister, Mikage hoisted her small frame onto his shoulders, putting her just above everyone else’s heads.

“Wow! It’s so high up!” His little sister laughed brightly, placing her small hands in her older brother’s blonde hair in an attempt to stabilize herself.

“Hey, hey! Don’t pull while you’re up there!” He chided her, unable to keep a smile from stretching across his face.

“I’m sorry, big brother,” she apologized sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it, just be careful,” Mikage instructed her carefully, much like how a mother would to her child. “Also, you’re going to have to do be me a favor while you’re up there.”

“A favor?”

“Mhm...I can’t really see what’s going on when you’re on my shoulders like this.”

“Isn’t that because you’re kind of short, big brother?”

“Hey!” Mikage threw a disapproving look up at his younger sister. “It’s too dangerous to push to the front with you in tow. Also, I’m not that short! I’m 5’ 6’!” Rinka laughed happily before turning her gaze back to the scene in front of her.

“Okay, big brother, I won’t make fun of you anymore. I know you’re big and strong- that’s why you decided to go to school at the Military Academy!” Rinka exclaimed proudly. Mikage pursed his lips.

“Thanks, but I would much rather be spending time with you and Kohaku.”

“Aww, big brother, you’re so nice! Kohaku and I miss you a lot, but...we know you’re doing super important things for our family. That’s why I’ll tell you what’s going on!” Mikage laughed at his little sister’s frank admission.

“Okay, Rinka. Now tell your big brother what’s going on in the middle of this gigantic circle.” Rinka nodded firmly, eyes determined as she resolved to do her best to give her brother a good description of what was going on.

“Well...there’re...three people in the middle. One boy, one girl, and...and...another boy, I think? The first boy is playing a violin and the other boy is playing a flute. It’s a really happy song!”

“Oh yeah? What about the girl?” Mikage encouraged his little sister, letting the fun, earthy song envelop his person as he began swaying slightly. “What’s she doing? Is she pretty? What does she look like?” After throwing some questions to prompt Rinka, Mikage felt her shift a little on his shoulders as she leaned forward a little more.

“Um...can we get a little closer, big brother? We’re a little too far for me to tell you anything specific,” Rinka asked.

“Hm? Oh, sure, I’ll try- hold onto me real tight, okay?” With that, Mikage pushed his way closer to the front,taking care not to send his little sister toppling off his shoulders. Whether it was just because he was closer, or maybe because people in the front were noticeably shorter than the ones at the back, he could finally see most of what was going on at the center.

“Well, Rinka?” He prompted her, looking up at her.

“Right! Hm...well the girl is dancing. It’s kind of hard to see her, but I think she has a tambourine in her hands.”

“I see…” Mikage hummed, telling his sister that he was listening and wanted her to go on.

“Umm...ohhh~ she has really pretty blonde hair! It’s almost white! Oh! And she has a really big, shiny flower in her hair.”

“Oh?” He perked up, transferring his weight to the balls of his feet as he tried to get a closer look at the trio without destabilizing Rinka. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain considering all he managed was a brief glance at the three musicians: a tall, slender blonde boy with the violin, a shorter, slight blonde boy with the flute, and a couple of long, blonde strands of the girl’s hair. Within seconds, his view was obscured as the spectators in front of him began to move in time to the sudden jump in the music. He cursed inwardly, but then gave up, closing his eyes and letting himself ride the waves of the score.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a final flourish, the musicians put down their instruments. From the audience, cries of despair bubbled up as they realized that their entertainment had finally come to an end. As the crowd watched, the two blonde boys stepped forward to line up with their sister, forming an even line across the front of the spectators.

“Thank you!” they said in unison. “...For coming to support us!” With that, the three of them bowed deeply. A round of applause started, rising in volume as more and more of the audience lent their hands to the rabble to show their appreciation for the young and unexpected performers. The three musicians straightened back up and shared a smiling look between themselves before returning their attention to their numerous spectators. With a nod, the oldest boy stepped forward as if preparing to speak.

“For your precious time, we, the Ayers family, would like to extend our gratitude,” he announced, mouth breaking into a delicate smile. The audience murmured amongst themselves- this boy’s speech was not that of a rag-tag nomadic musician struggling to survive, but the jargon of an educated, eloquent person of the gentry.

“Wow, he’s like a prince, don’tcha think, big bro?” Rinka whispered to her brother.

“Mm,” Mikage nodded before returning his attention back to the performers.

“We are eternally grateful for your support, but if you will allow us to steal just a little more from you...” The boy smiled in a teasing manner, garnering a couple of shrieks from some of the female crowd.

“If you would be willing to donate just a couple of yuus, it would really help us out!” the younger one quipped, picking up from where his elder brother left off. “We’re trying to help out our family back home, so anything would help!” He smiled brightly, eyes sparkling with anticipation and hope. His pure smile was enough to melt the hearts the parents and grandparents in the crowd.

“Please continue to support us. We love to perform for all of you and we would love to keep doing so in the future!” The girl chipped in, finishing off their pitch.

“Once again, thank you for having us!” The three Ayers bowed deeply once more and the crowd broke into a large smattering of applause once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the crowd began to disperse, the three siblings collected themselves and conglomerated behind the older brother’s open violin case.

“Well, I’m glad that went well,” the oldest brother said, taking a deep breath in relief.

“Yeah, I can’t believe that many people showed up!” the youngest one grinned, packing away his wooden flute carefully. “But then again, Mitsue, I think that most of the girls were here for you.” Mitsue frowned as he plucked at his violin strings nonchalantly.

“Oh, come on, Yuki. You’re giving me too much credit .I think Maiko had a hand in bringing in the boys, though,” Mitsue said, casting a teasing look at his younger sister.

“Well...I guess that’s true. I am the only girl between the three of us,” She said, pursing her lips as she wrapped a thin, crimson shawl around her shoulders before grinning at her younger brother. “But...that’s arguable, considering the amount of people who mistake Yuki for a girl.”

“Hey!” Naoyuki snapped, putting his hands on his hips in defiance as Mitsue and Maiko burst into laughter. “I’m just hitting my stride! I’ll be taller than Mitsue before you know it!” With a sniff, he snapped his head to one side in a gesture of irritation.

“You keep telling yourself that, Yuki,” Mitsue snickered, covering his mouth delicately to hide the massive grin spreading across his face.

“Aw, stop giving him a hard time, Mitsue!” Maiko chided, lightly smacking her older brother on the arm. Yuki snorted as Mitsue winced ever so slightly. Soon, the three were in fits of good-natured laughter.

“Um...excuse me?” Another voice interrupted their incessant giggling, taking them all by surprise. The trio turned to see who the newcomer was.

“Oh, hello,” Mitsue greeted the new boy, regaining his composure. “How can I help you?” At this point, the boy with the peculiar x-shaped scar on his right cheek turned his gaze to something, or rather, someone, behind him.

“Well, Rinka?” He coaxed softly. “Why don’t you show these three people what you found?” After a moment’s hesitation, a small girl peeked out from behind his legs. Her eyes widened as she saw who her brother was talking to. As she tried to retreat, her big brother stopped her, giving her a small frown and kneeled in front of her.

“Hey...didn’t you want to give the girl something?” He whispered to Rinka. “Now’s your chance!”

“I...I know, but I’m scared, Mikage…” Rinka murmured back, twiddling her fingers.

“Don’t be- I’ll be right here,” Mikage smiled gently, taking one of her small hands in his.

“O-Okay…” Rinka stammered.

“Remember what I said? If you’re nervous, first…”

“...Take a deep breath.”

“Good, you got it!” Rinka grinned proudly before returning her attention back to the three strangers waiting for her to speak. She took a deep breath and shuffled forward ever so slightly. not letting go of her big brother’s hand.

“Here!” She chirped, summoning her courage and holding out one of her tiny hands. “You dropped this, pretty lady!”

“Go ahead, don’t be shy, Yuki,” Mitsue muttered to his younger brother. Naoyuki’s face immediately fell into an irked line before he elbowed his older brother in the ribs- hard.

“Oof!” Mitsue gasped. “Hey- Maiko! Gah...why don’t you…” Maiko rolled her eyes before stepping out from her position from behind her brothers.

“Hello, so what’s your name?” Maiko smiled sweetly as she kneeled in front of Rinka. “What’s this?”

“Your hair clip,” Rinka responded stoutly. Maiko blinked and looked at the rose-shaped ornament in her hand.

“Oh…” She took the clip from Rinka’s trembling hand and looked at it. “Thank you...I didn’t even notice I dropped it.” Rinka beamed, looking significantly happier (and a tad more smug) than she had been several moments ago.

“Is there anything else you would like to tell the pretty lady, Rinka?” Mikage asked his little sister meaningfully, casting a sidelong glance at Maiko.

“Yes! Your dancing was really pretty! You looked like a flower princess!” Rinka told Maiko excitably. Maiko laughed lightly.

“Oh really? Well, this flower princess has a lot of other flowers she can wear, so…” Here, she handed the hairclip to Rinka. “Why don’t you take this, as a gift for returning it to me.” Rinka’s amber eyes widened, glowing with anticipation.

“Can I really have it?” She breathed, face turning pink with excitement.

“Mhm,” Maiko nodded, smiling. “That way, you can be a flower princess, too.”

“Th-thank you!” Rinka took the hairclip, cradling it in her hands like precious treasure. Mikage smiled at his sister.

“Here, why don’t you put it on right now? Then you can show Mom when we get back home,” he told her, fastening the flower right above her left ear. “There. Mom will be so surprised!” Rinka nodded ecstatically before taking off towards her home.

“C’mon, big brother! Let’s go show her now!” She exclaimed happily.

“O-oi! Rinka! Wait up!” Mikage shouted after his little sister as she skipped joyously across the plaza. “Sheesh…” He sighed in exasperation.

“She’s a lovely girl,” a quiet voice interrupted his train of thought. Mikage glanced at the owner of the voice.

“Oh...thank you...she’s a bit of handful though,” Mikage laughed, smiling sheepishly at Maiko.

“She’s definitely energetic- not unlike Naoyuki over there,” Maiko gave a noncommittal jerk of her head towards her youngest brother, who was currently playing what looked like a strange game of tag with their oldest brother in the background.

“I can’t deny that,” Mikage laughed cheerfully. “But your brothers are pretty talented. I wish I could play an instrument like they can.” “Oh please, I’m sure your skills lie elsewhere,” Maiko laughed, placing a hand over her mouth. “That’s the Barsburg Military Academy uniform, isn’t it?” She pointed at what Mikage was wearing.

“Well…” Mikage started, turning pink as she studied him from head to toe very carefully, a pondering expression on her face.

“Can’t be more than a cadet…” She cut across him, talking almost more to herself than to him. Mikage laughed awkwardly.

“Maybe try not to sound so disappointed?” He mumbled, face scrunched up in a sheepish expression.

“Oh, I’m really sorry!” Maiko gasped, immediately apologizing. “I didn’t mean- well, I- it wasn’t on purpose...” As her speech started hitching and trailing off, Mikage couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s no problem! Don’t worry about it too much! I was just surprised,” He explained himself. “But you’re pretty knowledgeable. I mean no offense, but you didn’t strike me as a military buff or anything.”

“Oh, I don’t blame you. I’m dressed like this and I’m a street performer. It’s a pretty weird combination,” She gestured at herself here. “But..believe it or not, my family had ties to the Barsburg military.”

“Really? And ‘had’..?” Mikage asked, thoroughly intrigued.

“Yeah…my father-” Maiko never got to finish for she was interrupted by a faraway cry.

“Mikage!” Rinka was shouting from her position several feet away from the two of them. “We need to get home! It’s almost dinner time!”

“Ah! You’re right!” Mikage gasped, stumbling after his younger sister who was already flying across the plaza. “Oi! Rinka!” With a long-suffering sigh, Mikage took off.

“Bye…” Maiko trailed off, raising a half-hearted hand up in farewell. “It’s a shame…”

“What’s a shame, Maiko?” Mitsue asked, coming up behind her, having escaped the wrath of Naoyuki.

“Nothing...just...he really was quite handsome,” she smiled innocently at her older brother. Mitsue raised an eyebrow. Maiko shook her head as if to say, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Hey, guys? I’m getting kind of hungry,” Naoyuki grumbled, coming over to where his older siblings were. “We should probably go find dinner.”

“Good idea, Yuki,” Mitsue nodded, closing his violin case (which was now full of yuus). “Looks like we made a decent amount of money. We should portion it out, so we can send some back to Mom and Dad.” As the three siblings came to an agreement and were just starting to head off, an unexpected voice stopped them.

“Hey! Wait!” The three of them turned around in surprise.

“You…” Maiko blinked as Mikage came running back towards them. “Shouldn’t you be chasing after little Rinka?” Mikage came to a halt before them, his heavy breathing denoting that he had overexerted himself returning to them.

“Yeah...yeah…don’t worry...she’s waiting,” He said between breaths.

“Um...are you alright?” Naoyuki chimed in, concern painting his voice. Mikage took a deep breath before straightening back up.

“Yeah! I’m fine! I just wanted to ask: how long are you guys going to be in District 1?” He asked. Mitsue, Maiko, and Naoyuki shared a look before turning back to him.

“Not sure, but definitely at least a week,” Mitsue told him. “Why?”

“Well, Renka really liked your performance, so I told her we would come see you again over the weekend,” he told them, scratching his head.

“Oh, okay. Well, we’ll most definitely be around here,” Mitsue contemplated, staring at the golden sky.

“Yeah, just follow the music!” Naoyuki interjected, grinning toothily.

“Great!” Mikage grinned back. “Well, I’ll definitely come see you!” Then, his gaze traveled over to Maiko. “Then you can finish telling me about your father.” Maiko blinked, hesitating before nodding eagerly, turning slightly pink in the cheeks. Thank the King of Heaven that the plaza was being painted orange and red with the sunset.

“Well...see you!” With that, Mikage turned on his heels and jogged back towards where Rinka was waiting. As the three of them watched the siblings disappear behind a passing crowd, Mitsue clucked his tongue.

“Well, well, looks like you’ve got yourself a secret admirer, Maiko,” He smiled, casting a knowing gaze at his younger sister. Maiko looked down at her feet.