Goldsmile Entertainment

Hey, My name is "Demi" and I am the owner, founder, head writer and sole full time member of GoldSmile Entertainment. I don't exist anywhere else on this site and I would really like it if you didn't explore that claim. I write and am currently somewhere I can't quite pinpoint. Don't think about it too much, it doesn't make sense to me either. 

[outsidewolves]

[goldsmile-ent]

I feel like a dog pretending to be a wolf most days.

[goldsmile-ent]

Artisan Hearts Update

Chapter 3 is done, rewrite-wise. Gonna start Chapter 4 today while prepping for the snowstorm. After some rereading, its the one I'm the most excited to get to. It introduces Dante to Liro and has some fun interaction with the brothers.

Been rethinking the story's structure, so hopefully what comes out is better than the original stream of thought this story was. Also, due to a recent, disappointing encounter, I am gonna have start bugging people for some stuff. Not gonna say what exactly because the bots are always lurking.

[goldsmile-ent]

Okay so I'm back...seems like I have reason to use my account

Oh sweet fuck, I own a tumblr domain too...

Anyway, I'm here now so...yeah

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 16

Behind Isabella was a large wolf. He stood quite a bit taller than the others in the room. Only Gonzi and Sandra were at eye level with him. His stone grey fur gave his muscular form the appearance that he was carved from stone. He wore a black t-shirt with a dark green bandana tied around his neck. His blue jeans were pale, with a tear over the right knee.  

“Kisa! You came!” Lily lit up and ran over to the grey wolf, giving him a big hug. 

Danniel had planned this night in his head for weeks now. The worst thing he could have foreseen was Lily saying no. Out of the multiple outcomes that had played in his head, none of them saw Kisa in front of him. He wasn’t sure if it was the natural disgust Kisa inspired in him or that voice from somewhere inside telling him the presence was an ill omen. Whatever it was, Danniel decided at that moment that the time wasn’t right. With a simple suck of his teeth, he left his usual spot to retrieve something to drink. Hopefully, there was something strong enough to wash the bitter taste that filled his mouth. 

Lily buried her face into Kisa’s chest. The spark of joy faded rather quickly when something grabbed her attention. It was the same perfume she had smelled on him the weeks before being kicked from her former band. 

“So, how’s Phoebe?” Lily asked while pulling away from the hug.

“I wish I knew,” Kisa said with a shrug. She blew up on me again last week. Now, she refuses to even talk to me.”

“Oh?” Lily said while tilting her head slightly, “Why what happened?” 

“She was being controlling and doesn’t like me hanging out with friends. You know how she is,” Kisa responded. 

 Lily nodded while forcing a smile. She almost immediately recognized his tone of voice. Kisa lied as easily as he drew breath. It felt like everything out of his mouth was never a hundred percent true. There were some days when Lily wasn’t sure that his name was actually Kisa or that her own name was, in fact, Lily.  It was clear Kisa still thought she wasn’t up on his ways—the fact he could still lie to her face without a hint of hesitation. The sensation was both familiar and intensely annoying.   As she listened to her, Lily fought the urge to ask how he smelled so freshly of her if they hadn’t seen each other in a week.

“Right. Well, she has nothing to worry about with me. We are just friends, right?” Lily said. Her tone made it clear that she wasn’t asking and was looking for simple and direct clarification.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,”

“Good. I’m kinda looking at someone, and I don’t want Pheobe…” The rabbit paused for a few seconds and stared at Kisa, unblinking, “to mess things up. Now, come on, I want to introduce you to my friends.”  

As Lily led Kisa into the Cafe, Isabella strolled up to Danny. He was sipping on a cup of wine while scrolling on his phone. She strode up and stood there in silence beside him. As she pulled her own phone out, Isabella could feel the wolf staring holes into the top of her head. When she heard a soft huff from the wolf, Isabella rolled her eyes and looked up at him.

“Like, do you have a problem?” Isabella asked. 

“Did you know he was coming?” Danniel whispered back. 

“Did I know he was invited? Yeah, of course. Did I think he would show?” Isabella paused as she looked up and saw Lily and Kisa departing from Sandra and Bastion. The two were on their way to Danny and herself. She looked back at Danny and gave him a shrug, “Sometimes, you call it wrong.” 

“So,” Lily dragged Kisa up to her two co-workers. Isabella turned her attention to her phone as the two wolves locked eyes, “This is Isabella. I think you met her at the door. And this,” Lily started as she turned her attention to Danniel but was interrupted by her guest.

“Oh, I know who this is,” Kisa said as he stepped around Lily. He loomed over Danniel and glared down at him. “This is the guy who broke my nose.” 

Lily’s gasp was loud enough to draw the attention of the other attendants. The sight of the hulking Kisa staring daggers down at Danniel drew concern from the store owners. However, Danniel did not share this feeling. Instead, his expression was unimpressed, his exposed eye half-lidded and aimed back at Kisa. 

“I feel like Danniel might be easier to say,” Danniel spoke with a tone as disinterested as his expression.

Lily forced her way between the two wolves and moved them apart to a more manageable distance. “Okay, when did this happen?” 

“Six months ago. After you left the studio.” Danniel answered. 

“What is wrong with you?!” Lily snapped at him

“Wait, what?” Danniel stuttered. “Why are you mad at me? He dumped you and kicked you out of your own band? How am I the bad guy?” 

“I don’t need you to punch people when something bad happens to me!” Lily said with a stomp of her foot. 

Kisa leaned closer, trying to close the distance Lily created. His eyes narrowed with a smug grin stretching across his maw. “Good because he and I have something to discuss.”

Danniel had the same thought and moved closer, his hands balled tight into fists, “About how to break your nose again?”  

 Before the two could go any further, a large hand came to rest on each of the wolves’ chests. Gonzi forced the two apart with ease and turned his attention to Lily. Kisa stumbled back while Danny found himself pinned to the wall.

“You.” Gonzi pointed at Lily before pointing out the cafe’s entrance. “Get him out of here. You.” The horse turned his attention to Danniel, whose eye stayed locked on the chuckling Kisa, “Get your ass in my office.  Thorne. Giant. Move.” 

Lily did as she was told, dragging Kisa out of the store by the wrist. Once the door was closed, Gonzi dropped his arm and let Danniel lift himself off the wall before he left without speaking another word. As soon as he heard the door of his office close, Gonzi slumped his shoulders with a sigh of relief. He limped over to the cake to grab one of the remaining pieces of Sandra’s cake and one of the boxes containing the meatballs before he flopped down in a nearby chair. 

“Sandra, are these your sister’s recipe?” Gonzi asked before popping a meatball into his mouth. 

“Aye. What are you going to do about that little scene?” Sandra asked 

Gonzi laughed before gobbling down the other two meatballs. After stifling a burp, he cleared his throat and answered, “Nothing. Lily will get rid of her friend, and Twelve will cool off in the office. Now, I’m going to eat this cake before they clean up and get out. Blessed spread, by the way, Sandra.” The horse punctuated his statement by scoping a forkful of cake into his mouth and washing it down with a swig of juice. 

*******

The cleanup was quiet and quick, with most of the leftovers going home with the Starlight employees. Any scraps, including paper plates and bamboo utensils, were thrown into Sandra’s compost. Bastion and Sandra were the first out, followed by Gonzi and Isabella. That left only Danniel and Lily. Lily had seen Isabella off with most of the leftovers and now waiting for Danniel. 

When he finally stepped through the doorway, Danniel was met with a furious rabbit with her new guitar strapped to her back. The wolf wordlessly turned and locked the door. Danniel could see Lily’s reflection in the store window. Unfortunately, her expression had remained unchanged. Her brow was furrowed, and her eyes were shining with rage. Her arms were crossed, and her foot rapidly tapped the cobblestone street. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m not sorry,” Danniel confessed. 

“The fuck is wrong with you?!” Lily snapped again.  Danniel turned to face Lily, his expression matching her own. It was bad enough that Kisa showed up and ruined the evening. Now, he was being yelled at for something absolutely earned in Danniel’s mind. 

“Again, how am I the bad guy? He’s a jackass anyway,” Danniel answered.

“You are unbelievable,” Lily growled. 

Lily turned on her heel in a huff and started toward the train station. Danniel followed her down the path in tense silence. She kept staring forward but eventually started glancing over her shoulder back at him. From what Lily could see, he was lost in thought while looking to the side. When Danniel turned back forward as they rounded a corner, Lily did the same. “What…happened exactly? With Kisa and the nose thing?”

“It happened when you left the studio. I was mad. You never painted the best picture of him, but I mean, him breaking up with you and kicking you out of the band at the same time,” Danniel paused to suck his teeth. Clearly, what came next wasn’t something he was completely proud of. “I just lost my head. I asked him the name of the new girl in the band. In my head, if he told me that name you mentioned-” 

“Phoebe?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, her. If he said Phoebe, I was going do… Well, I was going to do something.” Danniel said with a shrug. 

Lily shook her head as she figured out where Danniel was going next with his retelling. Punching out someone in the name of a hurt friend wasn’t uncommon for Lily. Growing up, she was a scrapper, which was still true as an adult. Now, with a chance to digest what was said, Lily felt a little hypocritical for giving Danny grief about socking Kisa. There was no shortage of moments during their relationship that inspired similar thoughts in her. 

“And you decided to punch him in the nose?” Lily looked back at Danniel.

“I actually missed. My punch was a little high, hence the broken nose. The aim was to screw up his singing by swelling his jaw.  Though honestly, the whole moment was kind of a blur now. There’s a chance he may remember more than I would. 

The two reached the platform as the train to Dustburrow was announced over the intercom.  Stopping near a set of benches under the train schedule board, Lily grabbed Danniel’s hands and looked up at him slightly pleadingly. 

“Alright, I know you don’t like Kisa, and you were just being a good friend. That being said, I want to see if Kisa and I can still be friends. That means, for now, you have to be nice to him. That means no fighting. Promise me you are going to be on your best behavior.”

Danniel let out a frustrated groan as Lily’s train pulled in. He rolled his eyes and felt Lily grip his hands tighter. When he looked back to her, the rabbit’s pleading gaze had gained a furrowed brow and a slight pout. 

“Lily…” Danniel groaned.

“Promise!” Lily demanded. 

“Fine…” said the wolf as he cast his eyes away. 

"Thank you! You're the best!" Lily hugged him tight before dashing between the closing train doors. 

As Danniel watched Lily disappear into the distance, a sense of relief began to settle onto the wolf. Though the night's end was rocky, a simple conversation had brought things to a somewhat positive ending. The relief was short-lived as the feeling of a heavy arm draping across his shoulders pulled him back into reality. His eyes darted to the side and spotted a familiar shade of stone gray. On his other side, the head of Kisa came close to his own, his maw curled up into a smile.” 

“You really are,” Kisa said mockingly. He was quickly removed from Danniel’s shoulder when the wolf’ swatted Kisa away. 

“By the elders; how many times am I going to see you tonight?!” Danniel snapped. 

Kisa laughed at Danniel’s outburst while holding his hands up in a sign of non-aggression. “Hey, hey, hey. Calm down, kin. I’m not here to start a fight. I wasn’t even here for you. I was here for the rabbit.” He dropped his hands and stepped closer, never breaking eye contact, “yet once again, you’re in the way.” 

“Listen, kin, it's been a long night. If you have something you need to say, make it quick,” Danniel said while gesturing Kisa to hurry up. 

“Oh, I do. She’s told me a lot about you and I do appreciate you being a good friend and everything. Great look and all but I need you to keep your distance. The rabbit is mine.” Kisa ordered while looming over Danniel once again. 

“Not that I know what you’re talking about, but that’s not going to happen. Plus, you dumped her. I was there.” 

“Changed my mind. Back off, or I will gladly make you back off.” 

Danniel let out a quick dismissive laugh as the ringed gauntlet on his hand began to glow with its soft purple light. “I swear I will do far worse than just break your nose.” 

"But I thought you promised Lily you would play nice?" Kisa growled back in wolven. Both Danniel's jaw and hand relaxed at the remark. A fit of mocking laughter erupted from Kisa while Danny took a step back. Kisa wiped away a tear before letting out a heavy sigh. 

"You heard that?" Asked Danny.

"Yeah, I did, and, again,  I absolutely dig the good guy schtick you got going on. Lily needs a friend like you. I, on the other hand, would rather you back off and stop hovering around my rabbit." 

"Get bent.”

“I don’t think you understand, but you will. Don’t worry.”  Kisa chuckled while glancing around, "Oh, and I just thought of something. Lily said you couldn't put your hands on me. She never said anything about-" Kisa, without warning, swung and landed a hook to the stomach. The force knocked the wind out of the wolf, leaving Danny doubled over. Grasping his victim by the hair, Kisa threw the other wolf to the floor. "Putting my hands on you!" Taking a long step, Kisa drilled the end of his boot directly into the already wounded gut. An accompanying gasp escaped from Danny's muzzle as his boot made contact. Standing over Danny, Kisa looked around again to ensure they were still alone. The smile returned as the wolf put his heel against Danniel’s face. 

"Asshole," Danniel growled from under Kisa's heel. 

"Hmm, fair." Kisa nodded, dragging his heel across Danny's face and focusing on the schedule board. "Oh, and this doesn't make up for the nose thing." 

“Pulling into platform A: Express line to Harvestvale.”  was called over the intercom. 

“Lucky me, I can still get home. Thanks for a fun night. Hands off Lily.” Kisa called back as he boarded the mostly empty train car. 

As Kisa’s train disappeared into the night, Danniel rolled onto his back while catching his breath. After a few deep breaths, he sat up and collected himself. Another train pulled into the station, and he finally reached his feet as he was joined by the last trainload coming in from Nightgarden. Wordless, the defeated wolf mixed with the crowd, leaving the station with his ego bruised and his tail between his legs. 

End of StarLight: Opening act

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 15

Lily walked back into the main lobby of Starlight and found it, thankfully, empty. The garbage run she had just completed was the most peaceful part of the day. While she didn’t have any idea where Isabella disappeared off to, Lily was pretty confident Danniel was doing his final patrol of the store. It was common for someone to get too lost in a book in the Shifting Lounge or miss the closing call over the intercoms while perusing the shelves, so the final sweep of the store served to gather any stragglers lingering about. 

Closing the door behind her, Lily followed the sound of voices into the cafe. She was just in time to see Sandra disappear into the back, leaving Bastion alone. Lily stepped softly up behind the bear tending to a small platter of fruits and cheese. Just as he went to throw a piece of melon into his maw, Bastion caught a glimpse of a hand slipping away with a piece of cheddar. 

“Bloody bells,” Bastion called out in shock as he finally spotted Lily. He flinched hard, dropping the fruit as he clenched his chest. Lily just casually ate the small chunk of cheese while looking up at the bear. It was almost as if his reaction didn’t register with her. Instead, she plucked a few more pieces from the platter and held them in her other hand, serving as a makeshift bowl. 

“Hey, new guy. So, how you liking it here?” Lily asked while popping another piece of cheese in her mouth. 

“I’d like it a bit more if you wore a bell. Otherwise, it's not too bad for a first day. It's nice to see Danniel again, too. It’s been a while.” Bastion answered while catching his breath.

“You know Danny?” 

“Aye. Being as close as our families are, I saw him plenty growing up.” 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Lily grabbed a napkin and put the handful on it. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment before looking back at Bastion. Though his eyebrow was raised, he nodded to her question. “That thing on your mom’s eye patch. What is that?” 

“Oh, my ma’s colors? That was her last unit. Mr. Collins and Danniel’s pa were in it too. Ma was never big on her time in it. She probably talked ya bleedin’ ear off about her time in the Grande Hordes.”

“No clue what you’re talking about. Most of the time, she talks about growing up on the farm or her hunting trips.” Lily informed. She watched as the mention of his mother’s hunting trips caused Bastion to tense up. Behind his glasses, the bear’s gaze turned blank as his focus became locked on the far into the distance. 

Lily turned to see what Bastion was looking at but only saw the dark lobby. She turned back to find Bastion had fallen silent with a look of sheer horror plastered across his face. She stood on her toes and waved a hand in front of his face. That was followed up with a few snaps. When neither got a response, she returned to the table and her waiting napkin. She plucked a block of cheese and hurled it right at his face. 

 “Where’d you go?” Lily asked before eyeballing the spread.   

“Oh, thistles. Apologies. Ma’s hunting trips are,” Bastion paused as the color faded from his face. “Harrowing.” 

Before Bastion slipped into another fear-filled memory, two quick whistles drew his and Lily’s attention. Entering the cafe were Danniel and Isabella. Danniel was the one who whistled, and it was meant for the bear. He greeted Lily but moved past her and headed to the kitchen with Bastion in tow. As the two disappeared into the back, Isabella distracted Lily while grabbing a berry. 

“Hey, Esmerelda left you something. Like, I’ve got it up front,” Isabella directed, heading back toward the cafe entrance.

“Really? Like what, a bag of wasps?” Lily said, following her out into the lobby and behind the counter. 

“Um…no. Doubt she’s gonna propose to you, Lil.” 

“Wait, what?” Lily came to a stop as Isabella ducked down. 

Isabella pulled a small cloth sack from a compartment under the counter. She removed a leather-bound book and a small paper-wrapped object bound in twine from inside. Isabella handed over the items, though she didn’t release the book right away. Instead, she observed what happened when Lily touched it. Just like earlier that day, the surface began to heat up. The heat’s growth was far less gradual this time. In the blink of an eye, her fingertips felt a sharp stinging heat. Thankfully, the book soon slipped from her hand as Lily excitedly looked the items over. 

“You want to tie a bat down, give ‘em a bag of wasps,” Isabella answered. “Hate to break it to ya, but you’re not her type. She’s turned off by the ‘You being alive’ thing.” 

Lily snickered as she put the paper on the counter and looked the book over. The leather was pitch black, and impressions of feathers decora the cover. She turned to the bat with a smirk, “Surely the Goddess has forsaken me. I was sure that crotchety corpse was my soulmate. So, what exactly did she leave me?” 

“Esmerelda didn’t tell me much. She just gave me the note, the book, and nothing else. I just had to get it to you.” Isabella shrugged.

Lily groaned as she moved from the book to the paper-bound object. A quick tug on the twine undid the knot and found a small booklet wrapped in the paper. Said paper had a note scribbled on it. The writing bordered on chicken scratch and barely legible, but as it looked like Isabella’s, Lily could make it out. 

“Long ear,” Lily read aloud. She rolled her eyes at the opening before continuing, “You’re a Quila. Congratulations. Inside this note is a Quili translation guide. The book is a Quili spell book. This is my only spare. Those two words will open it. Wait until you are out of the store. Good luck.” 

Lily dropped the note and turned back to the book. Like the one they delivered earlier, this book, too, had a locking latch holding it close. She thought about speaking the two words again but hesitated. If the bat said to wait, Lily thought it might be best to heed the expert’s warning. 

“Oh, Lily!” Sandra sang as she stepped out of the kitchen. In her hands was the white cake box, the warning conspicuously X’d out, with a knife and paper plates on top. Both Lily and Isabella returned to Starlight’s cafe. Upon seeing the box, The rabbit broke away and hurried to the bear’s side. 

“It’s beautiful,” Lily whispered, staring at the box. 

“Winter’s grace, child, you haven’t even seen what’s inside.” Sandra moved the items off the box, shaking her head after setting it down. 

Lily looked up at Sandra, exasperation clear on the rabbit’s face. “Look, I have been through a lot. A lot for even Starlight. The only thing that will make up for it is inside that box. So please let me have this, Mama Bear.” 

Sandra couldn’t help but see the rabbit’s point of view. That and Lily did behave herself. Well, for the most part. Though she couldn’t pin anything on her, Sandra could have sworn she caught Lily peeking through the door before the book delivery.

“Alright, alright, I figure letting you have the first slice is only natural.” Sandra relented. 

Opening the box, Lily finally saw what was inside, and it was as impressive as she had hoped. Inside was a two-layered blessing in the form of a cake. The frosting was silky and snow white, with thin slices of apples spaced evenly along the sides. Along the top were more apples. There were quarter slices with slices of blueberries between them. The creation was completed with a healthy drizzle of honey along the top. 

“Sweet blessed goddess,” Lily whispered, almost prayer-like, “I give thanks for this sign of your eternal love. Your instrument has made this day good. Amen.” 

“So that sounds like you like it?” Sandra said with a laugh.  

“Absolutely. I hope you are about to slice it because I’m about three seconds from just biting the thing.” Lily said while slowly leaning closer to the confection. 

Sandra hooked a finger into the collar of Lily’s shirt and pulled her away from the table. The rabbit huffed and watched as Sandra grabbed a plate and the knife. The blade slid effortlessly through the cake, revealing the golden brown insides. The sweet aroma of cinnamon and apple filled Lily’s nose when her slice was brought close. The first bite was worth the all-day wait. It contained chunks of carrots and apples nestled in a light cinnamon cloud. The rabbit wiped away a tear while she savored the payoff for the day leading.

Isabella dug into her slice while Sandra prepped a few more. As Sandra got around to enjoying her handy work, Bastion stepped out of the back with a collection of beverages. Behind him was Danniel. He was carrying a small sack of cups and a paper bag with a few containers peeking from the top. The group, sans Lily, Isabella, and the now-arriving Gonzi, finished setting up two tables for the event. Danniel pulled the containers from the bag and laid them on the table next to the one sporting the cake. Inside the boxes were sets of three large meatballs complete with light brown gravy and a bamboo toothpick to eat them with. Beside them were bowls containing small assorted containers of candied berries and fresh chocolate puff pastries.

Lily watched as Danniel, after dropping off the food, returned to the back. She tried to go back to her cake, but the rabbit couldn’t shake her interest in what Danny was up to. There was an urge to follow Danniel to see what he was doing. Unfortunately, Sandra and Lily had come to an agreement shortly after joining up with Starlight. Lily would keep her perpetually hungry self out of the food prep area during work hours, and Sandra wouldn’t get angry. Lily wasn’t really interested in what a furious version of Sandra looked like. She was taller and larger than Lily by a good bit. That and her readily available knives were enough reasons to stay out. 

Eventually, Gonzi cleared his throat. He was sitting in a chair retrieved from one of the tables in the center of the cafe. The horse had, like Lily, already cleared a plate of cake. His metal leg creaked as he made it back to his feet. 

“So, Thorne.” The gravelly words grabbed Lily’s attention as well as the others gathered in the cafe, “I would like to say thank you for sticking around for a year. It has been an interesting time. There may have been a few headaches, some arguments, late clock-ins, you don’t listen very well, oh and-” 

“You are supposed to be saying nice things, Gonzi.” Sandra reminded him. Though her words were said in her usual cheery tone, the quickly sharpening smile on the bear’s face belied her true feelings. 

“I was getting there.” Gonzi responded as he got off the chair and headed toward the remaining cake, “As I was saying, despite a few problems here and there, we do appreciate you sticking with us at Starlight. I can say there are perks to having you around. First and foremost, Sandra’s cake output has tripled since you joined us.” The horse completed his remark with a smirk while holding up his second slice of cake. His smirk expanded to a proud smile while Sandra stared daggers at him. 

Lily smiled in return. It was rare to see. Gonzi was always a bit of a stick in the mud, and smiling was only really seen when new stock came in. It wasn’t like this one. This was the rare one Lily loved seeing. Sandra was the one who could get him there, for good or ill. It went both ways between the two. They bickered like an old married couple about minor details around the store but always served as a unified force for Starlight’s best interest. It was clear that they shared a level of respect only obtainable through years of friendship.

“But in all seriousness,” Gonzi grabbed another prepped slice and offered it to the rabbit of the hour, “There are a lot of good to having you around. Though I would never admit it during working hours, I appreciate you for sticking around, and we hope you stick around a while longer.

“Aww, thanks, Gonzi. That means a lot.” Lily beamed while taking the offering from her boss.

“It’s Mr.- Gonzi started before Sandra jokingly hit him in the arm. 

“Would you let it go? It’s her night. If you must pull rank, save it for tomorrow.” Sandra chastised Gonzi.

Gonzi paused before shaking his head. “Fine. Just tonight. Anyway, there is one more thing we’re going to give you—the actual thank-you gift. Danniel!” the horse called back toward the kitchen. 

Lily turned to the kitchen door just in time to see Danniel walk out with a long black box tucked under his arm. She watched as the wolf passed by her, instantly following Danniel closely while trying her best to figure out what it was. Paying more attention to the object than the person carrying it, Lily found herself running into Danniel when he came to a stop. Thankfully, though she stumbled back after making contact, Lily was able to recover and keep the slice from sliding off the plate. She moved around Danniel and looked at the box.

She read the swishy, silvery word with increasingly widening eyes. 

“Like, ta-dah,” Isabella said flatly while half-heartedly waving her hand over the box. 

A sharp gasp escaped from Lily as she finished reading. She repeatedly whispered, ‘No way,’ as her hands ran across the cover. Lily looked at the others gathered around her before returning to the gift. Through her excitement, Lily’s shaking hands made it hard to grip the edge of the box.

“Goddess’ blessing,” Lily said while whipping away a tear, “How did y’all know?” 

“Call it a hunch,” Sandra spoke up. The others shared in a disorganized yet knowing chuckle. 

After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Lily opened what her friends were so kind to get her. The cover slipped off quite easily. And there, inside the solid black box, sat a single-neck guitar nestled in a luxurious black velvet lining. The solid body was in the shape of an arrow point and sported a coat of glittery orange paint. A black pickguard along the upper point sported a few dials. She ran her fingers along the wooden body and down the crystalline strings stretched down the fretboard. Gingerly, Lily removed it from the box and sat with it resting across her lap.

“Um, there’s no jack,” Lily paused as her hand patted down the lower prong of the body, “Speaking of which, did you guys bring an amp? I don’t have mine. Anymore, I mean.”

 Danniel pulled the manual from inside the box and flipped it open to an earmarked page. He folded it back and offered it to her. “This is made for battlefield use. The amp is, for lack of a better term, built in. It has a lock similar to the one in the front counter. Says here to hold your hand over the bridge and focus your energy.” 

Lily took the manual from Danniel and skimmed over the instructions. There, in plain text, was what Danniel had said, plus a lot more. The lock used magical energy as an initial power source. It also served to turn the instrument from its ‘electric’ guitar setting to an alternative bass setting. Any additional energy was drawn through the secondary ports—those being through the fretboard and its six strings of spun glass.

“Says here it can channel magical energy,” Lily said while looking up from the booklet. 

“That’s right,” Gonzi said while puffing out his chest, “I’ve got a friend and former squadmate who works for BardTec. What you have there was made to the standards of Admiral Dorothee Spanghero’s Combat Troupe. Had it built that way due to what Clovis told me. Didn’t take your magic into account. Happy accident, I suppose.”

“Wait, what did you tell him?” Lily asked, looking at Isabella. 

“That you broke the last one over some dude’s head or whatever,” she said while grabbing another piece of cake.

“Oh, right,” Lily said sheepishly. Wordlessly, she changed the subject back to the instrument in her lap. She placed the manual on the table behind her and closed her eyes. She did as the manual instructed and placed her hand just over the instrument,  focusing on the moving parts inside. 

When the energy moved from her fingertips this time, it felt different. This morning, What had felt like a numb, slightly tingling sensation felt soft and warm. It was akin to the sensation of holding her hand at the flame of a dying campfire. The energy spread through her skin and up through her fur, eventually winding its way into the instrument proper. In her mind, she saw a simple ring lock buried inside the guitar’s solid wood body. With a bit of focus, her wisps of magic grabbed hold of the switch and turned it from off to its first setting. From deep in the body, a familiar hum could be heard. 

“By the goddess, the amp’s inside,” Lily remarked. She lifted the instrument and held it up to one of her ears. Though she couldn’t pinpoint where exactly the sound was coming from, it was undoubtedly there. She brought it back down and started to fiddle with the tuning pegs at the top of the bridge. The Cafe soon became filled with the sounds of uneven plunks and growls while Lily tuned the instrument for its first play. It wasn’t long before Lily felt the strings were set and ready for a test run. 

Her hands moved into position and began to test the instrument’s scales. Lily felt like the guitar was made for her as her hand slid down the fretboard. She closed her eyes and let her hand dance while her claws plucked away. The sound was growly and low with a hint of reverb.

Lily’s coworkers watched as she expertly played her new instrument, ending its maiden voyage with a few angry-sounding chords. When Lily opened her eyes, her friends greeted her with one last gift for the night. This one was a round of applause. Scanning the crowd, Lily found herself stopping on Danniel’s reaction. If she had played for him before, Lily couldn’t tell. He looked impressed, stunned even. Something about it caused her cheeks to warm. Lily had to make sure to play some more for him. The mixture of pride from the response to her playing and the pang in Lily’s chest Danny caused the rabbit to beam. 

“Well,” Gonzi’s heavy hand fell onto Lily’s shoulder and interrupted her train of thought. “Sounds like a good investment there. No playing during work hours.” The subsequent groan from his employee drew a deep belly laugh from the horse as he limped back to his chair.  

Isabella broke away from the crowd and approached Danniel. She fished out a wooden box with an eye covered in its face from inside her pocket. She popped the lid open and pulled one of the cigarettes from inside. “Stepping out. Craving some fresh air.” 

“Fresh air, huh?” Danniel remarked while gesturing at the cigarette held between her fingers. 

“Like, mind your business. When you gonna jump?” Isabella tapped the box against the heel of her hand, causing a single match to slip out. 

Danniel stopped and looked up to see what Lily was currently doing. She was chatting with Sandra while digging into her third piece of cake. The rabbit must have felt someone was looking at her because she turned towards him. Lily smiled at him after downing a mouthful of Sanda’s cake. Danniel’s tail began to sway gently as the smile hit him. 

“Now, actually. Wish me luck.” Danniel answered while he gestured toward his usual spot near the entrance of Sandra’s cafe. Lily tilted her head before nodding to him. 

“You’ll need it. Don’t choke.” Isabella said mockingly before making her way to the door. 

As Isabella left him, Lily strode up to Danniel. She finished the last piece of cake before pitching the plate into a nearby bin. The two walked back to the wolf’s usual spot as Lily glanced back at the guitar, which she had returned to its box. 

“So it looks like you dig the guitar?” Danniel asked, having caught her looking back at it. 

“She’s a beaut, isn’t she?” Lily beamed. She looked closely at her claws and huffed, “Ah shoot. Chipped a claw on the strings. Eh, no biggie. Did you need something?”

Danniel froze for a moment as he looked into Lily’s eyes. He took a deep breath and nodded. When the wolf spoke, his words came out shaky, “Um, yeah. There’s been something I’ve been wanting to ask you. You see- ”

The sound of the bell over the front door interrupted Danniel’s train of thought. He thought it was Isabella stepping out, but the subsequent exchange with someone caused concern. The other voice was smooth and melodic with a baritone tenor. Though it didn’t ring a bell for Danniel, it did for Lily. Her thoughts were confirmed when she saw Isabella walking back with someone behind her. 

“Like, Lily. Someone’s here for you,” called Isabella. 

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 14

“And then you woke up on the floor.” Danniel said, wrapping up his story.

Lily stared wide-eyed at Danniel as he finished his tale. He had her attention the entire time he spoke. Occasionally, she stole glances at the crystal in her hand before focusing on Danniel’s exposed eye once again. Once he was done, she rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling. 

“So, that was a lot. I have no clue what any of that means. Or what it has to do with this.” Lily held up the crystal and slowly turned it in her hand. 

“That is your marker stone. It contains the first drop of your magic and is kind of a mage multitool. If you use magic, you have one.” Danniel watched as Lily popped up, sitting upright,  and turned to face him. Her ears were straight up and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. The rabbit’s nose twitched as her hand gripped the crystal tightly. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Lily’s foot was rapidly tapping on the floor. 

“But I have one.” Lily spoke in a soft roar, her excitement barely contained. 

“Aye?” 

“So do I have…” 

“Yes. Fire, to be exact. Saw it with my own eye.” 

The rabbit hopped off the bench, standing directly over Danniel. The crystal was clutched close to her chest and her maw was curled up into a wide but nervous smile. Danniel leaned back a bit as Lily loomed over him. 

“So, that brings me to-” 

“Will you teach me how to use magic?!” Lily fired off. Her eyes silently pleaded with him to grant her request. Danniel looked at Lily in stunned silence. The rapid-fire question caught him off-guard and the longer he took to answer, the closer Lily leaned. 

“Fine. I’ll teach you.” Danniel said with a nod. He watched as Lily let out a sudden loud cheer while jumping a few inches off the ground. She bounced a few times before dropping down onto the wolf for a tight hug. He patted her on the back before she hopped back to her feet. He accepted a hand to get back to his own feet. “So how are you feeling?”

“I'll live. Head hurts but everything else is still ticking. Not that I'm in a rush to get back topside or anything. Where's your marker thingy?” 

“I kinda can't show you. A fun thing about marker stones is that you can change them into anything you want. I'll show you how to do it when we get started.” Danniel said while starting back to the elevator. He didn't get more than a couple steps away before he felt Lily grab his wrist. 

“Come on, I wanna know.” Lily pulled gently on Danniel’s arm. 

“Only if we can head up afterwards.” 

“Fine.” Lily released Danniel's wrist and crossed her arms. “Now let me see.” Danniel nodded and leaned down slightly. Lily leaned back slightly in response and watched his mouth open. In the middle of the wolf’s tongue was a barbell piercing. Two brilliant sapphires sat at either end of a dark purple metal bar. She found herself leaning forward to get a better look at the piercing but they gradually drifted to Danniel’s sharp teeth 

“Annnd when did you get that?” Lily asked, her eyes turning back to the piercing one last time. 

“Always had it.” Danniel stood back up and headed back toward the elevator. 

Lily’s face curled up in confusion at his claim, though she didn’t spend too much time thinking as she moved to catch up to him. As the two stepped onto the elevator, she kept looking at the side of Danniel’s mouth.

“How have I never seen that before?” she finally spoke as the car began to ascend. 

“Well, how often do you look at my maw?” Danniel asked while removing his phone. 

As his attention was on his phone, Danniel was unaware of the expression that shot across Lily’s face. Often would be the honest answer. it was a feature she enjoyed not only on Danniel but on wolves in general, the sharp teeth in particular. His were special, though. His smile had a habit of always making her feel better. His voice’s usual calm tone and his measured way of speaking were the fastest way to keep her from losing her temper. A few customers still have all their teeth, thanks to Danny’s voice.  

“N-not that often, I guess. Weird place to keep it.” 

“Eh, it's good to keep it handy..” Danniel said with a smile, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Besides, it's simple enough to change it back. Watch.” The wolf took a deep breath and blew out a chain of shimmering bubbles. They flew and swirled into a tight column. After a quick flash of light, Danniel reached out to catch a falling dark purple crystal and offered the crystal to her. She held it close to her eyes and, unlike her own, saw nothing but solid purple. 

“How come yours doesn’t light up like mine does?” Lily spoke, sounding a little disappointed.

Danniel reached up and partially covered the light orb in the elevator ceiling. As the light was mostly snuffed out, the surface of the geode began to change. In the dimmed light, Lily could see what looked like an endless sea of stars twinkling through clouds of interstellar dust. She gasped and marveled at the display before turning her attention back to him. 

What Lily saw when looking at the wolf made her forget whatever she had to say. In the darkness, Danniel’s exposed eye twinkled just like his marker stone. The formerly dark blue now shined a deep purple with dots of light glowing in them. 

“Pretty…” whispered Lily 

“What?” Danniel spoke, his hand sliding off of the orb. 

“Your,” Lily stared before trailing off again. Her eyes shifted from him back to the crystal. Thinking quickly, she offered it back to its owner while flashing a smile, “Marker thing. It looks pretty.” 

Danniel thanked her before snapping his fingers. A spritz of mist erupted from the crystal as the marker stone popped like a bubble. The particles hung around Lily’s now empty hand for a moment before drifting back toward the wolf’s muzzle. He inhaled the vapors through his nose and mouth and made a soft clicking sound with his tongue. 

“There.” Danniel said while sticking out his tongue once again. 

“Show me how to do that.” 

“In a bit. Lets get topside first.” 

Lily huffed in resignation while slipping her marker stone into her pocket. The two fell silent while the car continued to climb. After a minute or two of quiet, a ding sounded as the elevator passed through the featureless shaft and continued up through the floors of Starlight.

“Main store and Cafe.” spoke a voice through the elevator speaker.

 When the doors opened, the sound of customer chatter stampeded over the shared silence. The two moved quickly down the hall to find a long line coiling around the displays and ending close to the front door. The two found that only Isabella was behind the counter, with Gonzi nowhere to be seen. She finished up with a customer and caught a glimpse of the two in the corner of her eye. The bat’s head snapped around and silently stared at Lily. 

“Ah crap, I know that look,” Lily whispered. She looked up at Danniel, the light in her eyes dimming slightly in fear. “Promise to show me how to make the stone do that changing thing.”  The wolf simply nodded and watched as Lily hurried behind the counter under the unbroken gaze. 

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 13

A booming sound rang out and took the lights with it. The walls and floor shook violently as items fell from the shelves. Danniel braced himself as best he could as everything shuttered around him. When the shaking stopped, the panicked wolf called out for Lily and got no response. As he called for Lily again, a soft glow from the right side of the room started to show. Turning to face it, he was greeted by a strange sight. The purple gem on the featureless black door emitted a pulsing dim light with shimmering runes dancing around it. Danniel tilted his head while moving closer to it. Before he could get too close, he could hear Lily muttering something. The lights turned back on just then. After a quick examination of the room, a few things had fallen to the floor, but nothing was broken. He turned his attention to the still muttering Lily. 

Lily’s expression was completely vacant. Her head was laid to the side, and her shoulders were slumped. Her arms hung limp while her fingers spasmed and twitched. The rabbit’s mouth whispered nonstop. Danniel moved closer to try to make it out and felt the air get warmer. A few steps away from the rabbit, the air around her was visibly shimmering. 

“Alright, this is new,” Danniel whispered as he got close to her. He found himself recoiling as the next segment of incomprehensible whispering came with licks of flames shooting from her nose and mouth. Then, without warning, the whispering stopped, and a light sprung to life behind her eyes. They glowed as if a flame was burning inside her pale orange eyes while they locked onto Danniel. Though they had moved, the pair were still as vacant as a doll's eyes.

“Li…lac…” Lily spoke as her head slumped forward. Her body followed as she started to lean. 

Reflexively, Danniel stepped back forward to catch her. Though she was mentally vacant, her body moved and put a foot out to stop her fall. Danniel, despite the intensifying heat Lily’s body was giving off, caught her by the shoulders. Alongside the heat, Danniel’s grip could feel motion coming from within the rabbit’s body. For lack of a better term, the rabbit was vibrating. Small pulses with a second or two between them echoed from somewhere within her. 

“Lily?” Danniel asked, leaning close. 

“vuk viri̊gyoar…” The rabbit answered while thick black clouds spilled from Lily’s mouth and nose. Before Danniel could process what he saw, he watched as Lily’s maw fell open. A snow-white fire erupted seconds later, clipping Danniel above his right eye. Thankfully, the flame only made contact with the wolf’s thick locks, though a small flame sprung from where it made contact. Danniel stumbled back in a panic and quickly patted it out.  Though it was gone in a matter of seconds, there were some effects.  The dreads obscuring that part of his face were badly burned, and as he pulled his hand away, a handful of formerly attached locks fell from his face to the ground.

Danniel returned his attention to Lily and, unsurprisingly, saw a concerning sight. Lily was still spewing fire from her maw, and the pillar of flame was hitting the ceiling. Though he was unsure of the actual temperature, judging by the expanding scorch marking and now cracking wood, it had to be intense. From around the apex of the flame, the smoke clung to the stone and formed creeping tendrils that slithered among the constellations. 

Between the flame, rabbit, and still glowing jewel, Danniel could do very little to make sense of his current situation. As his mind started to race, a buzz from his pocket became a welcome distraction. After retrieving his phone, Danniel found Gonzi asking what was taking so long. Danniel opened the message and started to type a response but paused. A quick change of mind caused him to take a picture of the fire-spouting rabbit and send it off with a simple, ‘This.’ 

While awaiting his boss's reply, he turned back to Lily. Thankfully, she was standing stock still. From her mouth was the same alabaster pillar that was now starting to crack the stone above their heads. While studying the flame and the rabbit it was currently spewing from, Danniel noticed that the sphere of heat around Lily was still growing in range and intensity. From where he stood, the heat was nearly unbearable and quickly worsening. 

“Think, damn it,” Danny thought aloud. A fire extinguisher was nearby, but Danniel was unsure of its usefulness against magical fire. That left magic as the only recourse. He took a few steps back, outside the heat bubble, and aimed his ringed gauntlet at the Lily. The bands spun and clicked into place while sporting a new set of runes carved into them. 

“Null Sombre,” the wolf called as a large magical circle appeared over Lily's forehead. 

With a snap of Danny's fingers, the flame erupting from Lily’s maw stopped. Her eyes blinked away their glow as her body went limp. Again, working on instinct, Danniel darted to catch the falling rabbit. As soon as her body came in contact with his, the searing heat radiating off of Lily’s body caused him to tense in shock. While trying his best to maintain composure, Danniel lowered her to the floor before stepping a few feet back. 

Danniel looked over at the unconscious rabbit as his boss finally got back to him. A few quick-fire messages flashed across the screen upon checking his phone. 

“What?!” 

“Is that why the power went out?” 

“I’m coming down. Don’t move! I’m bringing Isabella.”

It wasn't long before the elevator doors opened, and out marched Gonzi. When he exited the hallway and entered the basement proper, the horse was greeted by the sight of Danniel leaning over a sphere of water floating close to the ground. Getting even closer, he saw that Lily was floating inside. From her fur, thin lines of constant bubbles drifted from all over her body to the surface. Though her mouth was moving, no bubbles of air came out. 

“And what's this?” Gonzi asked as he stood over the wolf. 

“It was the only thing I could think of to do. I knocked her out with a stun spell, and this water keeps her cool.” 

“Cool? You are going to explain that to me, Eleven.” 

“I would if I could, sir, but I haven't got the foggiest idea of what's happening. All I know is she spit fire, and her body feels hot. Anything else beyond that is up to the elders.” Danniel adjusted his ring-clad hand, which rested atop the water. As he looked up at the horse, Danny spotted Isabella stepping out from behind Gonzi before moving close to the orb. 

“You said, like, her body is hot?” Asked Isabella as she rested her hand on the water. Danny nodded and unknowingly caused a shudder to run down her spine. “How hot?” 

He opened his mouth to speak, but he lifted his hand instead. When the wolf’s hand left the surface, the orb of water was gone in a puff of burning hot steam. The instant burst of heat caused the three to recoil. The formally cool space was suddenly sweltering. Though the water was cleared out due to the rabbit’s rising body heat, Lily remained suspended in the spot the bubble had held her in. With the water cleared away, the rabbit’s twitching hands and fingers could move with more freedom. So much so that their movement now threw runes into the air around them. 

“Hell, Danniel!! Contain her!” Gonzi yelled while turning away from the blazing heat. 

Danniel clapped his hands together before folding his hands into his index thumbs, fingers, and thumbs into a triangle. He whispered, “Aquiou,” and a blue orb of light formed in the middle of his fingers. It flew through the shimmering air and positioned itself over Lily’s forehead. Danniel held his hand out, and a massive orb of water appeared around Lily again. The room soon returned to its previous temperature, though slightly more humid. 

“I have to keep pumping mana into it. It isn’t much so that I won’t run out of mana anytime soon, but I can’t do it forever.” Danniel sat beside the bubble, dragging his hand down its surface. 

Isabella watched the floating rabbit with growing discomfort. She returned to the water and looked at Lily's still-moving mouth. The exchange at the old bat’s door replayed in her head. It was a warning. Something about an elementless rabbit set off Esmeralda’s alarms, but, as usual, she was illusive about why. The only thing that she would tell Isabella was to inform her if anything ‘untoward’ happened. 

“Clovis,” Gonzi called the bat’s name, which caused her to tense up. “You’ve been with Thorne all day. Did anything seem off with her?”

Isabella stayed quiet for a moment before letting out a sustained groan. “Like, yeah. You better get the old woman here. The whole book run was weird and-” 

“And she spoke Quili?” Danniel cut in. Isabella looked at him before rolling his eyes.

“She said something? She couldn’t keep a secret if you paid her. Yeah, she said her family knew it or something. The book was strange, too. Every time she touched it, it warmed up, and the old woman freaked out when Lily said she couldn’t use magic. Screw it, she’d rather hear from me anyway,” Isabella returned to the elevator while pulling out her phone. 

*******

The elevator bell dinged roughly a half hour late. Sandra was out the door before the two had fully opened. She made haste while moving through the basement and made a beeline to Danniel and the water containing Lily. The other passengers, Isabella and Sandra, stepped off with far less urgency. As Isabella joined a panicked Sandra being filled in by Danniel filled her in on the goings-on, Esmerelda slowly approached Gonzi.

“Gonzi, why didn't you think to tell me about the long ear without elemental magic?” Esmerelda hissed while watching the orb of water. 

“Why would I?” Gonzi asked.

“Does the word Quila mean anything to you, you blasted war beast?!” the words slipped out of through Esmerelda’s clenched teeth. The horse cocked his head slightly while shooting the bat with a confused look. The bat lifted the cane off the ground and wound back, lining up the rough amber top at Gonzi’s metal leg. After quickly moving her head, she brought it down flush on his forearm. This drew a few neighed profanities from Gonzi while gripping the place of impact. Bringing the cane back to the ground, She cleared her throat and spoke again in a hushed tone. “What about Kino Grimhart? What about that?” 

Though her voice was low, it was just loud enough to catch Danniel and Isabella’s attention. They shot a look at Gonzi, expressions all showing worry at the mention of the name. As the horse looked back at Esmerelda, Danny and Isabella side-eyed each other. 

“Yeah, I know who Kino is,” Gonzi spoke normally. “What does that have to do with the girl?”

“Because the invoked worm food was a Quila. Based on what the runt told me and the fact she is running a fever in the triple digits, you have been employing a potential fiery apocalypse.” 

“Clovis, did you bring Esmerelda here for a reason, or did you intend her to yell and hit me all day?” 

Isabella turned to the grumpy bat and fired off a round of clicks and chirps while gesturing toward the orb. Esmerelda fired back more of their sounds before the two quickly devolved into what sounded like a heated argument. Eventually, Esmerelda fell silent before giving Isabella a sour scoff. 

Esmerelda took her sweet time walking over to the water-bound rabbit, playing up her weak hip to justify her slow walking speed. While Danniel paid her no mind, Isabella made her unhappiness clear with narrowed eyes and a bitter frown. Of course, this only made Esmerelda smile and slow down a little more while passing directly in front of Isabella. 

Once Esmerelda had finally made her way to the containment bubble, she snapped her fingers, and the sound of a rattle filled the air. The solid stone floor directly behind her began to crack and emit an eerie grin light. The cracks quickly broke open into a sizable rift that billowed smoke matching the color that filled the room. From the rift rose a massive chest made of wood and gold. Once completely free, the rift disappeared as quickly as it had come. She turned around and smacked the top of the chest with her cane, which caused it to split in half. The lid split in two and slid open. Among the contents of the strange chest were multiple shelves and racks containing crystals, dried plants, scrolls, and a plethora of books. She ran a bony finger along said books before stopping and removing one with a sky-blue cover.  

Turning back to Lily, Esmerelda flipped open the book and leisurely leafed through the book. She stopped several times, thinking she had found what she sought. Yet, each time, further reading would have her flipping further into the tome. Eventually, the bat found what she was looking for 

“Bella, make yourself useful and get me a chunk of quartz, a vial of sunflower oil, and my container of cinnamon.” Esmerelda began to trace the designs from the page in the air, leaving dark green lines of light behind. Isabella rolled her eyes before moving to the chest and retrieving the ingredients and a small bowl. Though she was quick with grabbing the items, Isabella had to wait while Esmerelda finished tracing the magic sigils. From there, she poured the oil into the bowl and dumped cinnamon on top. Esmerelda mixed the two with the piece of rough quartz until the bowl began to emit smoke. 

The bat retraced the pattern from the book, an eight-point star with a circle in the space in the center, this time with the crystal. The design appeared over the bubble of water in the same green light as before. Once she had completed the design, the color shifted to pale orange, with the quartz doing the same. It drifted from her hand and positioned itself in the center. Danniel felt his arm tense up as the light from his rings grew brighter. The bands themselves began to spin while runes shifted and changed at random.

“What are you doing?” Danniel growled while pushing more magic into the orb. He could feel the temperature of the water suddenly spike. He watched as a line of pale orange light lifted out of Lily’s chest and into the crystal. A second and third line came from the rabbit’s mouth and forehead. Once all three had broken the surface, the faint smell of cinnamon filled the air. Eventually, the lines reached the crystal and were absorbed. It shifted into a prism and emitted an orange glow. The temperature started to drop again as the last traces of light left the bubble for the crystal. 

“Stop your yelping, child. I needed a containment field to complete the rabbit’s realignment. Now, the long ear won’t go boom.” Esmerelda answered while mimicking an explosion with her hands and saying, ‘Boom.’ The bat turned and snapped her fingers again. The chest returned to its original form before splitting down the middle. It churned, popped, and clicked before splitting in half and revealing a large cushioned seat with a tall wooden, cushioned back. She gingerly lowered herself onto the chair before tapping it with her cane. The wooden chest-turned chair rumbled and sprouted metal spider legs that lifted her off the ground. “You are welcome, by the way. Oh, and you can stop feeding energy but don’t break it. It’ll stifle the shockwaves of that spell she’s casting.” 

Danniel didn’t say anything but, instead, slowly lifted his hand from the water’s surface. Unlike the last time, the orb held its form. He stood up and finally let out a sigh of relief. “So, now what?” 

“We wait until she wakes up. Now, hurry up and grab that crystal before it falls into the water.” 

Danniel rolled his eyes as he reached up to the geode just as the sigil faded away. When his hand grabbed hold of it, he immediately recoiled in pain. What Esmerelda had failed to let him know was that quartz was blazing hot. The flinch and subsequent yelp drew a mocking laugh from the bat while Danniel simply growled. 

“Still hot, I see.” Esmerelda guffawed before pulling a black handkerchief from inside her long sleeve. She cast Shovi and brought it to the cloth, which she wrapped around it and stuffed under her headwrap. 

The spider legs creaked back to Gonzi while Danniel and Isabella moved to the opposite side of the room, closer to the hall, back to the elevators. Sandra was the only one stuck close to the water, watching the unconscious rabbit closely. About thirty minutes later, a loud gurgle emitted from the sphere before it ruptured and dropped the rabbit back to the floor. 

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 12

The first thing Lily saw when her eyes opened was the basement ceiling. It was smooth and flat, with constellations carved into it. Just north of the constellation known as the 'Eye of Glotai' was something she had never seen before. It looked like a scorch mark. It was large enough that she would have noticed it when entering the basement. The mark was pitch black and appeared to have burrowed into the rock. She was sure it wasn't there when the lights went out and couldn't imagine what could have made it. 

That's when the second realization hit her: She was on the floor. Now, Lily was sure she was standing up when everything went dark. If anything, she wasn't touching the ground when she was…wherever she was. 

The last and certainly least favorite of Lily's discoveries upon waking happened as she lifted her arm from the floor beside her. Lily came to find she was completely soaked. Sitting up, she looked around and found herself lying in the middle of a large puddle on the cold stone floor. 

"Lily!" popped Sandra as she kneeled over the soaked rabbit. She placed a paw on Lily's forehead and asked, "How you faring, dearie?" 

"H-hey Sandra. I'm…" Lily trailed off while trying to piece things together. The bear pulled her hand from Lily's forehead and retrieved a small vial of glittery gold liquid from a pouch on her hip. Lily's eyes moved from the vial up to Sandra's eyepatch as Sandra offered it to her. She studied the sun design and compared it to the one she saw on Esmerelda's hand. From there, she began to think about the delivery and finally to the two words that opened the book. Those two words also took the lights out. After a frustrated sigh, she closed her eyes and started talking again. "I'm fine. Few questions, though."

"Yes?" responded Sandra as Lily finally took the vial from her hand. 

"Why am I on the floor? Also, do you know why I'm wet?" 

Before Lily could get an answer from Sandra, approaching footsteps drew her attention away. Turning to face them, Lily saw Gonzi and someone unfamiliar approach. It was a bat. An older woman whose wrinkled face was curled into a scowl. She wore a simple, long-sleeved gray tunic with a long navy blue skirt. The old woman's snow-white locks were mostly contained in an ornate headscarf with a few strands spilling out. Her posture was hunched, with all her weight focused on the simple wooden cane. A bony hand gripped the bulb of amber attached to the top of the walking aide, and there, on the back of it, Lily saw a familiar design. 

"Danniel can answer that." Gonzi stopped beside Sandra. He motioned to the bat beside him, who was removing a glowing orange crystal from out of her billowing sleeve. "Thorne, this is Esmerelda.

The bat stepped closer as Sandra helped Lily to her feet. She looked Lily from head to toe before giving a dismissive scoff. The noise drew a look of disgust from Lily. Esmerelda, without warning, drove her cane into the floor and caused everyone close to her to jump from the subsequent loud clack. The bat broke out into obnoxious laughter at the collective reaction. After catching her breath, Esmerelda poked the crystal into the rabbit's chest. 

"Here. Take this." spoke the bat. 

Lily took the crystal from Esmerelda's hand and looked it over. It was an eight-sided prism that measured a few inches in length. Holding it closer to her face, something came into view. The simple orange glow gave way to the sight of an active lava flow. Every face showed the same sight of molten earth moving at a glacial pace. 

"Um, thanks? What is it?" Lily asked, pulling the crystal away from her face. 

"Do you know nothing, rabbit?" Esmerelda hissed, "It's your blasted marker stone. To think a simple creature like you has so much power is very disappointing." 

Lily's head cocked back in disgust at the bat's sharp tongue. She took a deep breath, ready to fling a few obscenities at the old woman, but stopped as the gem's warmth grew in her hand. "Wait, power?"

"Of course, that's what you heard. Power hungry, like the rest of your kind. It seems the divine picked another idiot to be a Quila. Goodie." groaned Esmerelda.

"Quila?" 

"Your echoing is exhausting, child." Esmerelda sighed before snapping her fingers. An out-of-place wooden chest sat on the other side of the room, near the entrance to the hallway. With the snap of her thin fingers, the chest stirred to life, and eight metal spider legs emerged from underneath it. It hurried over to Esmerelda, splitting in half to reveal a large cushioned seat. Once it had reached her, she flopped back into the chair before it lifted her up off the floor and slightly above Lily's perked-up ears. "Now tell me, where do you hail from?"

"Why?" Lily eyed the contraption while taking a step back. 

"Because I thought you would be smart enough to answer a question when asked. Now, again, where did you spawn, long ear?" 

Lily's jaw was clenched tight as she looked up at the glaring bat. Her hands were balled tight into fists, with enough grip to risk cracking the prism in her hand. Her eyes cut over to Gonzi, who was looking back at her. His face was its usual wall of grumpy granite, but she could see what was behind it. It was the look he gave her when the horse had to get between a customer and herself. Like a general silently telling a recruit to 'stand down' lest face repercussions. She sucked her teeth and returned her gaze back to Esmerelda. 

"First of all, my name isn't 'Long Ear,'" Lily spat while slipping the marker stone into her pocket. "It's Lily, and I'm from Emerald Vale, out in Dawn Valley." 

“Emereld Vale, you say?” Esmeralda leaned back in her chair, a look of concern moving across her face. "And your surname? Gonzi said it was Mud or Turnip or something."

Lily inhaled through her nose and opened her mouth, ready to tear into the old bat before the sound of a throat clearing halted the incoming tirade. Both Lily and Esmerelda turned their attention to Danniel. 

"It's Thorne, Syr Ashcrim." spoke the wolf. Danniel was standing on the other side of the room alongside Isabella. For once, Isabella's face wasn't locked on her phone. Instead, she was looking at Lily. The bat's flat expression was cracked, and wisps of unease showed. Danniel's appearance had changed as well. The thick black locks that usually obscured his left eye were missing. Now, as plain as day, she could see a pool of cold blue water staring back at her. 

"Oh." Lily mouthed as she focused on Danniel. 

"I don't remember asking you, Twleve, but thank you." snarled Esmereleda. The metal legs abruptly carried her away from Lily and up to Gonzi. "Get Eleven and Arlet on the phone, now. We need to figure out what to do next. This and knowing that vermin Grimhart is out of his cage doesn't fill me with ease." 

"Agreed. Best to take this in my office. Sandra, you too." Gonzi said while motioning to the elevators.  

"Um, hold on, Gonzi," Sandra spoke up as she rested a paw on Lily's shoulder, the rabbit sipping from the vial, "What about Lily? Should we take her to the medics?" 

"Would you stop mothering the long ear and come on, Shinecrest? We don't have time for your bleeding heart." Esmerelda snapped over her shoulder as she and Gonzi made their way to the elevator. 

Sandra gritted her teeth at the bat's remark. The bear's narrowing eyes were doing their best to burn a hole through the wood holding up the cushioned seat and through Esmerelda. It was clear that Esmerelda's charms brought the normally placid Sandra to a boiling point similar to the one that Lily had found herself at. Esmerelda's remarks toward Lily didn't help matters. 

Speaking of, Lily was looking at Sandra with concern. Her normally pleasant demeanor was replaced with a rarely-seen anger. It was so rare Lily couldn't recall seeing her like this. Stirring beneath the floor pulled the rabbit's attention downward. Near Sandra's feet, burly vines began to punch through the unbroken stone. The air around Sandra's tightly clenched fists shimmered as green flecks of light. 

"Whoa…" Lily whispered while taking a step away. 

Sandra felt Lily step away and glanced over at the retreating rabbit. Her expression switched from anger to apprehension before glancing back at Gonzi and Esmerelda. The pair had already reached the elevator and waited for the car to arrive. Turning back to Lily, she followed the rabbit's gaze to the plant life. The bear closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. 

"Thistles. Horrid little woman." Sandra growled low. Opening her eye once again, Sandra spoke, trying her best to keep the frustration out of her speech, "Are you okay, dearie?" Lily furiously nodded her head while holding the empty vial to Sandra. One of the vines retrieved the vial before it disappeared into the ground. Sandra nodded back, and with that, She finally left the rabbit and joined the two waiting inside the elevator car. 

Just as the elevator door began to close, one of Gonzi's large hands grabbed hold of the door, forcing it to open back up. "We open in ten minutes." 

"Like, I'll be up," Isabella called back. Her answer was enough for Gonzi to release the door and leave them alone. When the elevator dinged, Isabella made a beeline to Lily and grabbed the rabbit by the shoulders, "What did you do?" 

"How do you know I did something?" Lily recoiled. 

"Because you've been causing weird stuff to happen all day. What. Did. You. Do?" 

The rabbit's shoulders slouched under the tightening grip of the bat, "I'm…not entirely sure." 

"Of course," Isabella said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, recoup, and come up when you're ready. We can reschedule the after-work thing if you-"

"Oh no, no, no," Lily protested, holding her hands out, "A bit of lost consciousness isn't worth delaying that cake. Only the Goddess herself could keep me away from that thing." the rabbit's words caused Isabella to simply shake her head. 

As the bat's head shook, Lily watched Danniel approach. Now closer, she could get a better look at the exposed space where his dreads once were. Looking at the strangely lightless eye, Lily noticed two marks on Danniel's face. They were scars, or more than likely parts of scars, just above Danniel's eyebrow and along his cheekbone. Scars were pretty standard with the wolf. Several smaller ones dotted his arms and upper back, but none were north of his neck, as far as Lily could remember. 

"Alright, fine. Like, I'll tell Sandra." Isabella said while dropping her hands from Lily's shoulders and pointing to the marker stone in Lily's hand. "Let me see that." 

"Hey, Dreads," Lily spoke while handing the stone over. When the wolf turned to look at her, she pointed to her left eye.  

"Hmm?" Danniel answered with a slight tilt of the head. He lifted his hand, mirroring Lily. Once his fingers came into view, he figured out what she was hinting at. With a roll of his eye, he said, "Oh. That's a long story." 

"Here," Isabella grabbed Lily's hand and placed the marker stone inside. After ensuring the crystal was firmly in her grasp, she said, "I'm going up. Stop doing weird stuff. It's getting old." 

With her final remark, Isabella gave Lily's head a reassuring, if not a little aggressive, pat before heading back to the elevator. Once she was gone, Danniel made his way over to Lily. She returned to the bench and sprawled out on the cold stone surface. The rabbit laid an arm across her eyes as the wolf squatted beside her. 

"So…" Danniel started but trailed off, unsure where to start. "How ya feeling?"

Lily's mouth curled into a frown at his question. Lily's head throbbed, and her throat felt like the Tequi dessert in the dry season. The elixir Sandra had given her only seemed to lessen the headache, though it didn't dampen it for long. She moved her arm, exposing a single eye. This was the closest the wolf had been to her since she had woken up, close enough to smell his usual scent of sandalwood. Weirdly enough, she could swear that she could also smell burnt hair. 

That cold blue eye caught her attention before Lily spotted something. It was the dreads over the wolf's exposed face or what was left of them, anyway. They were missing. That much was clear. Yet, up close, they didn't look cut. More frayed. As if they burned, almost. As the new question entered her already exhausted mind, Lily moved the arm back over her eye as the throbbing returned. 

"Cold. Confused. Hungry. I feel a lot. Gonzi said you know what happened." 

Danniel nodded while he shifted from squatting to sitting on his knees. He lifted a hand and positioned it over her chest. The ring gauntlet began to glow as a pillar of water droplets began to pull from her body and up into his palm. Droplets turned to thin bands that gathered in the wolf's palm while the damp feeling left the rabbit's fur and clothes. Eventually, the wolf had an orb of water in his grasp, and the rabbit felt completely dry. 

Lily moved her arm down to see the water vanish in a glittering bubble burst. She laid on her side and gave the wolf a weary look. "So dreads, when you gonna explain what happened to your hair?" 

"It was…" Danniel looked at the crystal that was poking out of her other hand. "You, actually."

"Bull." Lily scoffed. "Really? What happened?" 

Her reaction caused Danniel to sigh as he looked up at the scorch mark on the ceiling. She followed him and looked at the black burn on the stone. 

"What? Are you saying that I did that too?" 

"Aye." 

"But…" Lily sat up completely and stared, confused, at Danniel." I would need magic to do that. Like fire magic." As she stared wide-eyed at the wolf, she could feel the crystal gripped in her hand grow hot. 

"Yeah, about that. It might be easier to just tell you what happened. Might make more sense that way." Danniel got off the floor and moved to the puddle where Lily had woken up. His rings began to glow as the water began to lift into the air. "So you said those words, and the lights went out..."   

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 11

Lily and Isabella returned to a far busier Starlight. The lobby was populated by a double-digit amount of customers checking out the merchandise. Sandra’s cafe was mostly full with the day’s lunch rush. At the front counter, Gonzi was servicing a line of customers led by a rabbit and her pile of items. The bell over the front door immediately drew the horse’s attention to the pair. 

“Clovis.” Gonzi barked while motioning to the spot beside him. Isabella understood his single-word command and shoved the bag into Lily’s chest before hurrying to join her boss. The horse turned his attention to Lily, who was already rummaging through the bag. “Thorne.” It was as if she didn’t hear him. He called her name again as she pulled out a jar of carrot juice from the bag. His irritated tone grabbed her attention and made her drop her drink into the bag. 

“Yeah?”

“We got a delivery.” The horse pointed at the stack of three boxes close to the Cafe’s entranceway. “Take those down to the basement and get back up here.

Lily groaned with a roll of her eyes. “C’mon, I just got back.” While she protested, Danniel stepped out of the cafe. The wolf popped the last piece of a pastry into his maw and whispered a quick thanks while he rummaged through the bag. She opened her mouth to offer further complaint but thought of a question after glancing at Danny. “Hey, can Danny help me?”

“Pardon?” Danny stopped just as he pulled his drink from inside. 

“Sure. Whatever, just get it done.”

“Sweet. Thanks, Gonzi.” Lily moved past the boxes to the corner booth just inside the cafe. It was the spot Danniel called his station. She dropped the bag and drink there and waited for him to catch up. Danniel did the same while aiming his narrowed eyes at her. She simply gave the wolf a sarcastic smile in return. 

After the wolf dropped off his bottle of black mango soda, the two moved to the packages. Lily grabbed the top and smallest of the three boxes and looked at Danniel expectedly. He eyeballed the two left behind. They were both larger and undoubtedly heavier than the one Lily picked up. A quick cast of Lovis on the bottom box brought them up and into his waiting hands. Once he had a secure grip on the boxes, Danniel led the way down to the elevators. 

After hitting the basement button with her elbow, Lily silently stood beside Danniel and watched as the numbers ticked down the lower they moved. Once the display showed five, it held on that number despite continuing to fall. There was a massive gap between the fifth floor and the basement. Something about the long shaft always made Lily feel uneasy. The windows only showed unbroken earth, and felt like she was falling into an abyss. With the wolf by her side, that sense of worry was lessened somewhat. 

A few minutes had passed before Lily decided she was rather tired of the quiet. She glanced up at Danniel from the corner of her eye. What wasn’t covered in his long dreadlocks looked almost blank. It was hard to guess what was happening in his head, but Lily wanted to pull him out. The rabbit started to rock back on her heel while humming some tune she made up. She eventually started to rock up on her toe and sucking her teeth. Something about that last sound drew Danny’s attention to her. As soon as Lily saw Danny’s head snapped to look at her, she quickly turned her gaze straight forward. 

“You know,” The rabbit started while standing still again. “You would’ve helped even if Gonzi didn’t make you.” 

“If you knew that, why didn’t you just ask me?” 

“We were already talking. Plus, I wanted to tell you about what happened when we dropped the book off. Apparently, I know Quila.” 

As the elevator car came to a stop, Danniel’s expression changed from annoyance to confusion. He watched the rabbit as she hurried out of the elevator and into the hallway to the basement proper. Moss-colored walls sported ornate wooden shelves. Along the cobblestone floor were matching free-standing wooden shelves. They were stocked with some of Starlight’s usual fare and a few items they just couldn’t move. Under the shelves were numerous paper-filed boxes. Dates and titles were scribbled in black ink. Things like ‘Sales,’ ‘Inbound,’ and ‘Damage Reports’ were among the records stored here in the basement. A few feet above their heads hung lamps that contained floating orbs of bright white light. Specks of dust drifted on the stale and slightly moist air.

The room always bothered Lily. Out of all the rooms in Starlight’s pocket dimension, this was the only one that gave her the creeps. It never really made sense to her. Most days, like today, the count of the shelves on the floor and along the walls appeared normal. Then there were the weird days. Sometimes, the room would sport a single shelf and cabinet. Others would see a room two to three times its usual size with enough shelves and cabinets to put a warehouse to shame. The one thing that always stayed constant about the room, no matter how big or small, was the second doorway. It was on the room's right wall and looked less like a door and more like a void cut out of the painted wall. Though it looked like a missing space, there was certainly something there. The rabbit’s curiosity got the better of her the last time she was down here. When she built the nerve to touch it, Lily found it was as cold as a starless winter night.  It was made of some kind of stone that absorbed any trace of light that touched its surface. The only detail that would reveal its existence was a purple diamond-shaped crystal near the top.   

The pair walked through the single room of the basement to the back wall. Lily slowed a bit to let Danniel take the lead. She watched as he moved toward a large pair of sapphire-eyed gargoyle statues. The cold gem eyes followed Danniel as he moved between them. Putting down his boxes first, Lily followed up and sat hers on top. Once done, she walked backward, not taking her eyes off the two stone figures. Once the rabbit saw the blue crystals fall dim, she let a sigh of relief before turning her attention back to Danniel. 

“Alright, did you say back there?” Danniel asked, clearly confused.

“First, let me back up and tell you what happened.” Lily went on to recap the day’s events in breathless detail. That was until she reached the part of the story where the book opened. When she tried to recall the words, it felt as if a hole was punched in her memory. The wolf spoke up in the subsequent pause caused by Lily trying to remember the words. 

“Wait, are you saying that you spoke Quili?”

“No, dreads, Quila.”

“Qui-LI,” Danniel spoke with extra emphasis on the last syllable,” is the language. Qui-LA are the people. Either way, how would you know about that?”

“My grandparents. Pawpaw was an archaeologist, and Mawmaw was into fables and stories. They gave me a music box as a kid, and apparently, they got it to work with Quila. Uh, Quili. Whatever you call that noise.” Lily found a dusty bench nearby and sat down while scratching her head. 

“So,” Danniel crossed his arms as he stepped away from the statues, “you just have a scrap of a dead language rolling around in your head?” The rabbit gave him a shrug. He stayed quiet for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. “I want to say I'm surprised, but it's you. So…” 

“It was the darndest thing, too. I swear Mawmaw was whispering right in my ears when I tried remembering it. That reminds me, I gotta call my folks.” 

“I’ll remind you after the party. Now, come on, we need to get back to the lobby. I’m sure Gonzi wants to get back to his office.” Danniel turned and started back to the elevator. 

Lily hopped up off the bench, making sounds of protest while moving toward the wolf. “Hold up, I’m trying to remember those words.” Her words brought Danny to a halt. The rabbit’s eyes moved around the room while she symbolically searched her mind for the two words of Quili. Eventually, she looked back at the wolf and could only shrug. “Crap, I forgot it. Give me a second.” Lily ran through the day’s events while placing her hands on her hips. Tapping her foot, Lily again got hung up and couldn’t recall her grandmother’s words. 

“Lily, if we don’t get back up there soon, Gonzi’s gonna come down and drag us upstairs personally. Would you come on?” Danniel asked, annoyed. 

“Maybe you can be patient and let me think?” Lily snapped back. As the rabbit continued to think, Danniel sighed and glanced at the time on his phone. Just then, something Lily said popped into his head. He reminded her that thinking of someone made remembering those words easier. Just the simple thought of her grandmother brought them to her almost immediately. ”Got it.”

“Well?”

“It was Kpuar Dej!” Lily answered proudly. 

The pride was short-lived, however. As soon as she spoke the two words, a deep booming sound rang out from the direction of the black door. As the walls shook, the orbs that lit the basement flickered and fell dark. The sound not only took the light but any other sound along with it. In a flash, the room quickly became black and featureless. 

“Danny?” Lily called out. No reply. She called again, a hint of fear peaking in her voice. Once again, nothing. Taking a few steps forward, she reached for where she last saw the wolf and found nothing. Dread now crept up the rabbit's spine. She took a few steps back and sat where she thought the bench was, only to come crashing to the floor. 

That's when she noticed it. Her body was still completely visible against the inky blackness. The rabbit examined herself and saw that she could see herself and nothing else. It was as if she was cut out of the darkness itself. 

The dread only intensified as the formally silent space began to fill with sound. Lily scrambled to her feet and looked around the void for the sound’s source. The voices crept out of the darkness and spoke a tongue Lily didn’t know. They started as whispers trickling in like water through a cracked pipe. It increased in volume quickly and echoed off invisible walls. It took no time at all for the noise to overwhelm Lily. She clasped her hands over her ears. Pinning them down to her head, the rabbit shrunk into herself as a sharp pain swelled in her head. 

A spark of heat awoke deep within Lily's chest. Her panicked breathing caused the warmth to grow. With each inhale, the heat swelled. On each exhale, sparks and smoke billowed from her mouth and nose. Lily’s throat felt like the chimney to the live furnace taking up residence in her chest.  

Then, the deep and bassy tone bellowed from the darkness again. The swirling storm of sound immediately fell silent in its wake. Along with the voices, the single note snuffed out the heat that burned in Lily’s chest. After a few moments of nervous waiting, Lily slowly uncovered her ears to test the new silence. To her relief, she found the only sound she could hear was her heartbeat in her ears.  

The newfound silence ended as abruptly as it had started, though the sound that replaced it was far more pleasant. It was a soft hum that came from somewhere off in the void. Turning towards the source of the hum, something finally appeared in the dark. She couldn’t distinguish what it was but could see large, ethereal bands of white light drifting around it.

Lily found herself drawn to the object. Something about it eased the rabbit’s mind. Moving closer to it, she could discern more detail. Come to find, it was an ornate windchime. Though she couldn’t see anything holding it up, it remained frozen in the air. The main body was roughly the size of an orange. A string connected to a colorful wooden tag ran from inside the hollow sphere. Etched into the wood was a gradient resembling a horizon at dusk. A simple white circle at the bottom of the tag completed the design. 

The deep tone sounded again after Lily had closed some of the distance between where she was and the ornament. The noise caused Lily to jump in fright before frantically looking around the void, turning her back to the strange object. 

“Okay, what is going on?!”  Lily shouted into the darkness while stomping her foot. Another scan of her surroundings provided nothing new. It was just her and the strange wind chime, alone in this space. She couldn’t bring herself to move any closer to it. It was clear to the rabbit that it was more than just an ornament. ‘What it was?’ was not a question Lily could answer, so keeping distance between herself and it seemed like a wise idea. 

Then, another sensation caught Lily’s attention. This one was a smell. The moment it hit her nose, Lily’s eyes began to water. It was the scent of the lilac flower. Along with the smell came the return of the chime’s hum. Behind the hum came the words from before. Instead of loud and omnipresent, they came in softly and from a single direction. Less ethereal and more familiar. As Lily looked back to the chime, what she saw caused her mouth to fall open.

There, in the chime’s glow, stood Lily's grandmother. Lilac was a stout elderly doe. She stood with her head bowed and hands folded together in front of her mouth. Her fur was a faded mixture of orange and black, and her silver-gray hair was tied up in a tight bun. Thin vines were woven into the bun, and a bright red bloom sat atop it. She wore a green and black short-sleeve flannel shirt and a pair of high-waisted pants, the same outfit Lily last saw her in. 

As burning tears ran down Lily's cheeks, Lilac lifted her head and held her arms out wide. From behind her spectacles, tears were rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. When the older rabbit spoke, her voice came out warm and comforting. 

"Muh lil sprout."

Without a second thought, Lily ran toward the chime and Lilac. Was it real? Was it some kind of trick from the void? The answer didn’t matter to Lily. Thankfully, she had enough wits about her to slow her pace so as not to run over the old doe. Throwing her arms around Lilac, Lily openly and loudly wept into her grandmother's shoulder. She could feel a hand softly stroking the back of her head while stifling a few sniffles of their own. A nonstop stream of 'I missed you so much!' and 'I'm so sorry!' were poured into the plaid shirt but were nearly incomprehensible thanks to Lily's sobbing. Eventually, the older rabbit pulled her granddaughter from her shoulder and looked her in the eye. 

“I missed you, sweetpea, but I need ya to focus.” She peered into a pair of bloodshot eyes. She listened to the sniffles and hiccups from a granddaughter trying to regain her composure. Lilac took a moment to study Lily’s face. It had been a year since she had last seen it. Lilac hoped it wouldn’t be in tears again, but just seeing it now was more than enough after this long. 

“Focus? O-on what?” 

“We only have a little time. Your realignment is almost complete.”  

“My realignme…” Lily interrupted, “What are you talking about? Where are we?” 

Before Lily could get a response, the deep tone sounded again. This time, the source was clear. Slowly, with a returning sense of confusion, she turned her attention to where the force came from. The metal body of the strange chime that hung above her and her grandmother’s heads was still vibrating as the tag remained completely motionless. She mouthed a slow, ‘What the?’ just as the change that rode on the tail of the boom took hold. Gently, Lily’s feet drifted from what could be considered the floor of this endless void. Whatever force was lifting her also drew her backward and away from Lilac. A panicked stream of ‘No’s’ soon followed as her paws grasped at her grandmother. 

Much to her shock, Lilac did nothing to stop Lily. The only thing she did was smile. That sweet smile painted every memory of warm summer nights and rowdy family get-togethers. The one she saw after every fight with her folks or nasty breakup. A smile that Lily swore she hadn’t seen in what had felt like an eternity. It was a sight that meant, ‘I love you, and it’s going to be okay.’  

“Please no…” Lily whispered. 

Lilac raised her hand and spoke. These words were not in Commontongue or Lupia, the rabbit’s native language. No, this was Quili. Lily was sure of it. The elderly rabbit said a single line, her voice booming through the dark. 

“r̊a niḩ kpuar ik mi̊b’aar fuu mi̊shúkparoún suu”

And the chime sounded again. Releasing its deep, otherworldly tone. Lily could feel this one down to her soul. Unable to move, each cell violently erupted with sharp, prickly heat. It bounced and echoed between atoms and radiated up and out of her skin and fur. Just as the last burst from the chime ended, she heard and felt the orb go off again. When it hit her floating body, it repeated the process of sending a wave of heat from her most basic building blocks into the air around her. This time, she felt that some of the warmth lingered in her body. Again, the chime sounded, and more heat burst forth. Over and over, the chime repeated this process, and over and over, Lily burned hotter. It soon became all-consuming. Each breath in only caused it to grow, and each exhale pushed out a fresh lick of flame. 

“I’ll see you soon, muh lil sprout,” Lilac called to Lily before uttering one final phrase. With it, she left and took the void and everything in it with her. 

“vuk viri̊gyoar!”

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 10

A soft breeze rustled through the tree branches. The afternoon air came in cool and light. It carried the smell of sea salt up through the docks and up to the residents living on the forested crags of upper Aldcrest. Alas, to Lily and Isabella, it did little to move the quickly intensifying smell of sulfur. The freshly opened book was emitting the scent, and it was getting stronger by the second. The word ‘crap’ fell out of Lily’s mouth as she held the book at arm’s length. Turning to face her friend for some kind of direction, the look of stunned horror only did the opposite. Though she couldn’t see the bat’s eyes, the reflective lenses blocking them, the visible eyebrows hanging over them did little to settle her nerves. 

“W-what do I do?” Lily’s ears stood straight up as her eyes sat as wide as dinner plates.  

“Like, I don’t even know what you did,” Isabella responded, a bump of worry in her voice that only inspired more trepidation. The bat snatched the book from Lily’s hands but immediately dropped it with a yelp. The book was searing hot. Before, it felt like it had sat in the sun for a few hours. Now, the book felt fresh out of an active oven. The bat looked at her hands, expecting minor burns, but found nothing amiss. They were fine, if not a little moist from Lily’s sweaty palms.

Lily didn’t move to pick it up. Any distance between her and the weird tome felt like a good thing. Continuing that train of thought, Lily stepped back and tried her best to collect her thoughts. Isabella wasted no time retrieving the book and shoved the book into her chest. 

“Close. It.” Isabella growled

“You know I would love to, but-” 

“Then do it. Esmeralda is going to freak if I hand over an open book.” As Lily stammered for a response, Isabella could feel the book growing warmer. With a bit of a push, the bat’s fingers left its cover just as the heat became too much. 

Lily stumbled back a little before pulling the book from her chest. She looked at the runes that marked the cover. Since its opening, the runes had started to change. They were plain white originally, but now the white was replaced with black. Not black as in color but black as in void. The markings now looked like windows. Through them, flames could be seen dancing and writhing behind the cover. 

“I-I don’t know how Izzy! I just said some noise, and it opened. What do you want from me?” 

“I want you to close it. Like…just…” The bat stopped mid-sentence as her words failed her. In the end, she ended it with a frustrated groan. It was bad enough that it was taking as long as it was. Handing an ancient spellbook reeking of brimstone would get her chewed out even worse. This wasn’t the first book Isabella was tasked with dropping off during her tenure with Starlight. Not a single one had been opened, and Isabella would be more than happy never to see another one open after today. 

Isabella ran a hand through her curly white locks before an idea struck her. “Hold on.” she spoke, hope sparking in the flat delivery, “that noise you said. Like, if that opened it, then it should close it. 

The look of worry was quickly replaced with an apprehensive relief. It was the first option the pair had found, and, honestly, it made sense. Looking at the cover, Lily took a deep breath and held the book at arm’s length. Watching the flames dance, that relief quickly faded back into worry once again. After a few agonizingly long seconds, the breath slipped from her nostrils, along with a whispered confession at the end. 

“Nope. Got nothing.” Lily admitted while dropping both her head and arms. 

“Lily,” Isabella placed her hands on Lily’s cheeks and looked right into the rabbit’s orange eyes, “If you don’t fix this, you aren’t getting that bottle of Sharpshooter I saved for tonight.” Lily’s worry switched to disappointment. Her ears flopped back, and her mouth fell open in stunned silence. 

“Oh, come on! That’s not fair,” claimed the rabbit,  complete with a stomp of her foot.

“Open book, closed bottle. Simple as that.” 

Lily laid her head back and let out a loud, slightly overdramatic groan. Dropping it back down, she gave out a few frustrated okays while looking at the book again. Rummaging through her admittedly unorganized mental database, Lily thought the words would have to come easy. She just said them and felt them on the tip of her tongue. Yet, as another soft breeze came off the beach below, the only sound she could find was consistent static. 

“Come on…” Lily whispered as she pressed the book against her forehead. She repeated the two words while tapping the strangely warm book against her forehead. Nothing. Not a single hint of the three syllables could be found. 

What did come to mind, however, was the thought of her grandparents. The whole reason Lily found herself in this situation was due to a gift they had given her. Her grandfather, Juniper, was an archeologist who frequented the valley where Lily would be born. He was always jolly with a story to tell from his time in the Honor Guard and ruin diving. He stayed because a mystic doe named Lilac managed to capture his heart. Lilac went on to become Lily’s grandmother. She was the sweetest person Lily had ever known. The old woman loved all of her grandchildren but spoiled Lily absolutely rotten. A walking encyclopedia of myths and fables of the valley’s past with a lesson for almost any situation. To Lily, Sandra and Lilac had much in common, even down to the love of baking.

Her racing mind came to rest on a single memory. It was summer, and a particularly rough thunderstorm had rolled in. The wind outside whistled, and the windows shook as the lightning struck. A much younger Lily sat in her grandmother’s lap. She was holding a music box that was just wrapping up its song. Lily asked Lilac to make it go one more time. Of course, Lilac agreed and spoke a string of words that caused the box to open again. It was a moment Lily had thought about countless times during countless storms. The rabbit’s heartbeat began to slow as she could swear she could smell Lilac’s naturally earthy scent. 

As another breeze wrapped around the two, Lily heard something. It was her grandmother’s voice, as clear as it was in the memory. The phrase that brought the music box to life repeated in her mind, with the last two words sticking out. 

The words ‘Kpuar Dej’ came from her mouth and were followed by a soft click. The sharp inhale Lily pulled through her nose lacked any trace of sulfur. She pulled the book away from her forehead and saw the markings had returned to their original white coloring. Giving the book a shake, she found the book was, once again, locked. 

“I did it,” Lily whispered. She repeated the declaration as a proud shout while holding the book over her head.

“Hey,” Isabella spoke, snapping her fingers, “Celebrate later. Give it here.”

Of course, Lily was more than happy to hand the troublesome thing over. She jutted the book into Isabella’s waiting hand. The bat wasted no time heading down the path once she had the parcel in her hand. Isabella had prepped herself for any heat from the book and moved to hide any response. It was there but far less than expected. Any that was there faded quickly, so quickly that the scaled cover was ice cold in seconds. 

While maintaining the list of questions Isabella was making in her head, she hurried down the remainder of the path and up towards their destination. They didn’t share words during the rest of their trip. Enough had happened that both parties just wanted the cursed thing gone. 

The path emptied out near the entrance of a large cave mouth. Near the opening, the bare trees stood out with their lack of foilage compared to their verdant neighbors. Above their heads, along the cave entrance, were seemingly random collections of bones and leaves bound and hung by twine. Lily didn’t know their purpose, but their presence made her uneasy all the same. The natural formation only went in a few hundred feet before hitting a massive wall of solid granite. Out of the featureless stone poked out part of a house. Well, ‘house’ may be a bit generous. It was more the front facade of a shed. It comprised a rough tin roof with walls made of rough wood planks.  A solid, almost pristine, steel door appeared to be the only visible way in. Before crossing into the cave mouth and under the hanging bones, Isabella stopped walking and placed a hand out to halt Lily. 

“Alright, not a word of this to Esmeralda. Just hang back and try to avoid eye contact. Like, she probably won’t even speak to you. I’ll give her the book. I make some small talk. We leave. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Lily said with a nod. 

Together, the two ventured into the cave, with Lily stopping halfway between the entrance and the featureless steel door. Isabella stepped forward and placed a hand on the center and, after a second, a mighty gong sounded from somewhere beyond the stone. The noise caused Lily to flinch while Isabella was unphased. Once the powerful sound faded into nothingness, Isabella pulled her hand away, and a thin line appeared in the metal door near eye level. It was roughly a foot in length and slid apart wide enough to reveal a pair of glaring eyes. 

“You are late.” hissed whoever was on the other side of the door. 

“Apologizes, Lady Esmeralda. Blame the runner.” 

“Useless Lot.” The eyes moved over to Lily. She watched the rabbit scan the hanging things at the cave entrance.” Who’s that?”

“That’s Lily. Like, she works with me at Starlight.”

“Ah yes, Gonzi did mention something about a rabbit. Hey, Long ear..”

Hearing the raspy voice address her snapped Lily out of the vacant staring she was doing. She looked back at the slit in the door and the unfriendly eyes. “Yeah?”

“Don’t move; I’m about to open the door. Try anything stupid, and you won’t walk out of here.” A hole opened near chest height, and a slender grey-furred hand supporting multiple rings reached out. 

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Lily responded, staring back at the glaring eyes. “Can’t do much from over here. No magic.” 

While reaching out for the book, Lily’s comment made Esmeralda pause. The eyes lingered on Lily, their gaze only adding to the unease, before darting back to Isabella. A flurry of rapid clicks and growls followed in a language Lily couldn’t understand. Isabella responded in kind, paused, and added a few more clicks along with a mention of Gonzi’s name. A moment of silence proceeded Esmeralda snatching the book out of the bat’s hand. The hand and book disappeared into the door, with the circle vanishing once they were out of sight. 

“So…we good?” Lily whispered. She watched as Isabella stood motionless. After a bit, the circle reappeared, and Esmerlda’s hand slid back out. In her bony hand was a glass case containing a deck of cards. The rabbit listened to more of the bat’s native tongue and understood absolutely none. While eavesdropping, something about the hand caught her attention. 

In the ash gray fur was a marking. It was a circle cast in red with arrows matching the arrows matching the four cardinal directions. The circle in the center was split into five equal sections, with the top fifth being filled. Though she never thought about it before, it was a symbol she had seen as recently as that morning on Sandra. It sat upon her eyepatch, but her filled part was at the bottom left.

Before Lily could dwell longer on the symbol, Esmerelda’s hand disappeared into the hole, and Isabella returned to the rabbit’s side. Without a word, Isabella stuffed the card box into Lily’s satchel before starting back down the stairs. The rabbit raced down the stairs past the bat, who was already pulling her phone out. 

“So, everything good?” Lily asked, waiting for Isabella to catch up. 

The bat silently joined her friend at the bottom of the stairs. She took her time to type out one more message before putting the device away and responding, “Yeah, Esmerelda doesn’t like you.” 

“What? Why?!” 

A smirk appeared on Isabella’s face before making her way down the path back towards the fork. ”Trust, that’s not a bad thing. She hates most people. Like, I think she only dislikes you because we’re cool.” Isabella’s words caused Lily’s head to tilt in confusion. 

As the fork came back into sight, Lily retrieved the caramel corn from her pouch. Unrolling the crumpled-up end of the small paper bag, the rabbit cleared her throat to get her friend’s attention.  A quick twitch of Isabella’s ears informed Lily they were listening. 

“So, Gonzi’s not gonna hear about this, right?” 

“Like I would sure as hell hope not. Not sure who would tell ‘em.” Isabella stuck her hand down into Lily’s bag and retrieved a fist full of caramel corn. Lily didn’t stop Isabella from helping herself and grabbed a handful once she was finished.

The rest of the walk back was uneventful. Lily spent most of it thinking about the book and its rune-covered lock. 

‘What did those words mean?’ 

‘Were those words?’ 

‘Why did I hear them in Mawmaw’s voice?’

Even more would have bubbled up from the still anxious mind, but the loud snapping of bat fingers in Lily’s face pulled her back out. When she joined Isabella back in reality, the two stood before a Golden Leaf. Holding up her phone, a message from Danniel asked for a soda, and the bat offered to treat her. A way to thank you for such an…interesting delivery.  

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 9

"Alright, where are they?" Danniel whispered to Isabella. They were alone, Lily was out helping a customer, but the wolf kept his voice low. She had a way of appearing when you least expected it. Even in a hushed tone,  his impatience was clear. While Isabella rang up a customer, Danniel stood to the side of the counter with his arms crossed. Starlight's delivery, according to Isabella's contact, was projected in by eight o'clock, an hour after the store's opening. Checking his phone, Danniel could see that it was currently half past ten.

"Like, would you ease up?" Isabella groaned. She rolled her eyes before scanning the people milling about, “Can you please go bother someone else? They'll show when they show.” Her usual deadpan expression cracked slightly as her maw curled into a smirk, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to call you when Lil gets back." 

"No clue why you would have to."

“Sure you don't, pup.You're just lucky the girl's clueless. Now could you move? I don't want you scaring the guy off. You look too law-abiding." 

"You have yet to explain what that means, by the way," Danniel remarked, crossing his arms. 

"Yeah, cool, shut up." Isabella raised her hand as she focused on someone posted near the entrance. A bat, like herself, had entered the store about ten minutes prior and only moved a few feet inside. Isabella had noticed him as soon as he walked in; his short, dyed blue hair was hard to miss, but she wasn't quite sure what his deal was. His smokey gray fur lay under a black button-up shirt and gray pants with a gold chain running from his belt to something in his right pocket. Across his chest was a strap that held a leather bag against his back. Though reflective sunglasses obscured his eyes, it was pretty clear he was stealing glances at the front counter.

Danniel, following Isabella's line of sight, came to see the same bat milling about near one of the displays. It took him a moment before the visitor's identity came to him. "Wait, is that Butch?" He watched as the bat flinched, hearing his name called. 

"Uh-huh. Guess what Bonna said was true." Isabella said with a nod. She snapped her fingers to get Butch's attention and called to him, "Are you the runner, Butch?" 

Butch responded by ripping his sunglasses off and staring brass-colored daggers at the deadpan woman. He motioned towards her as if he was waiting for Isabella to do something. Much to the bat's frustration, she simply blinked and shrugged. This caused Butch to slap his palm over his face in anger. After dragging his hand down his face, he growled at Isabella, "Are you for real?"

"Do you have the book or not?"

"Do the greeting!" Butch hissed.

“No. Book.” 

“Tartus, woman. Do the greeting.” 

"Okay, Isabella," Danniel jumped in, his tone clearly out of patience, "I don't want to get involved in your business, but we have a schedule. So, please just do whatever greeting he's talking about so we can get this moving." The gritting of Isabella's teeth was almost audible over her annoyed groaning. He watched as the bat's head snapped to look at him. Eyes narrowed into slits; the bat clicked at him in her native tongue of Chiro. He had no clue what the flurry of clicks and growls meant, but it was clear it wasn't friendly. Glancing over at the delivery bat, his wide-eyed expression pretty much confirmed it. 

When she was done speaking at Danniel, Isabella looked at Butch. Taking two of her fingers, she knocked her knuckles on the countertop before holding her hand towards him. As he approached, a sigil appeared in her palm. It was a key with three teeth at the end of the blade. At the top of the blade sat an open eye wreathed in flames. 

"Greetings, Tomerunner Bellton," Isabella spoke with a hint of positivity, dropping it instantly as Butched reached the counter. "I can't believe you made me do that." 

"And greetings to you, Speaker Clovis." Butch chirped, barely containing his excitement. He straightened up and presented his palm to Isabella, flashing his own palm. His symbol was a simple, open scroll with a long ribbon encircling it. With a big smile, He pulled the bag from his back and began rummaging around inside. After a bit of blind digging, Butch removed the day’s delivery. It was a simple book. Its cover was smooth, featureless, and made of thick black wood. A flap covered the rightmost third of the exterior and was held in place by a metal circle at the center. 

Isabella snatched the book from his hand before giving it a once over. "And the receipt?" After reaching back into his bag, the delivery boy nodded and retrieved a parchment scroll. The off-yellow paper was held shut by a clean white ribbon. Upon offering it to her, she grabbed the other end, and the ribbon started to flutter. Its once-white color shifted to a sickly gray. The only remains of its former self was the copy of Isabella's marking on the end of the ribbon. 

"My first official delivery," Butch said, eyes full of pride. "Would have been done sooner if someone did the greeting right. Anyway, I have some other news but um," Butch gestured, motioning towards the wolf. "Hey." Isabella snapped her fingers at Danniel, getting his attention in the form of an annoyed glare. "Shoo. I need to talk business." She accompanied the command with a wave of her hand. He nodded, saying that he would go get Gonzi to watch the front. Once the two were alone, she leaned forward and waited for the news.

Butch did the same, glancing around before starting. "So, this place is owned by the Wolshires, right?”

"Yeah, why?" 

"Well, I overheard some intel guys squawking while picking up today's drops. It hasn't hit the papers yet, but there was some kind of attack on Blackhollow prison. A bunch of guys came up missing. Grimhart's one of em, from what I hear." 

Isabella's eyes went from half-lidded to quarter-lidded as she heard the name. That name, or more the person behind it, was no friend of the store. She didn't have any personal experience with them, all of the knowledge being second-hand. Gonzi and Sandra did, however, and their tales of him were harrowing. Supposedly, Grimhart was responsible for destroying the second and fourth versions of the store. The fact they were no longer in containment was more than enough reason for alarm. 

"Anyone manage to get eyes on them?" 

"Nope." Butch shook his head. "His Speaker went quiet around the time it happened. Wager is that they were behind the whole thing. I would say check The Rumor Mill and let your bosses know." 

"Guy's not gonna show his face here fresh out of a cell. I'll tell them later." 

Butch shrugged while putting the receipt back in his pouch. After returning it to his back, the bat slipped his sunglasses back on and pulled his phone from his pocket. The gold chain running from his belt was now revealed to connect to his device's protective case. "Personally, I wouldn't wait, but then again, he's not coming for me. Well, I got a few more stops in Aldcrest, so I'm getting moving. Oh, and Bonna said to call her." He got a simple nod from Isabella before turning to head out. Just as he reached the door, Lily strolled back behind the counter, her eyes drawn to the book sitting on the counter.    

"Was that Butch?" The rabbit asked as she picked up their parcel. 

"Uh-huh, We were his first delivery. Get your bag; We'll leave when Danny gets back." 

"Wait," Lily looked up from the book to the bat, "Why didn't Butch just take the book to your person? That seems like it would be easier." 

"Esmeralda doesn't trust runners or really anyone. Working intel for the royal houses will do that to you.” 

As Lily returned her attention to the book, Isabella took the chance to take Butch's advice. Part of her didn't want to believe what he said. Blackhallow was a maximum security prison, and Grimhart was serving the second year of a fifteen-year sentence. In a heist that turned bad, the criminal left a wake of destruction that took a bystander's life. 

An escape like that would send the ever-chattering Speaker Corps into an uproar. Information travels fast, and a Speaker like herself would turn to their Rumor Mill at a time like this. This rumor mill was less symbolic and more an application. After a few taps, the bat's phone screen flickered and changed into a featureless white void. On it appeared a question mark. Isabella held her hand over the screen and made her Speaker marking reappear. The phone chimed as the question mark was replaced with an exclamation point. The screen flickered again and was replaced by a collection of links and messages. None of that mattered to her right now. What did matter was the red bar running at the top of the screen, sporting scrolling white text. 

It read, '"Attention! Confirmed Blackhallow prison attack, Guildcoucil Order Level 0: Do not interact with any Black tier clients until further notice. Please halt all activity on current black tier contracts not currently in transit.'

For those who ran in the bat's circles, Black tier clients are the worst of the worst, but they did pay the most. Fallen royals and crime lords usually got this rating. Picking up a black-tier contract more than likely involved something illegal. Certain guild masters would work with these types while accepting all risks involved. 

"Shit." The bat whispered before putting the phone away. Lily didn't hear her as she focused on clicking her satchel to her hip. Just then, Danniel returned with the pair's replacement. Gonzi stood a foot taller than the wolf. Despite his age, he was able to maintain his military physique. Though a bit of a gut was the only concession he made to time. His perfectly maintained coat was black as night. His mane was cut short, and its natural brick-red color had faded into a reddish-silver. He wore razor-creased slacks and a tucked-in polo shirt. As he approached the counter, the sound of clicking gears in his metal right leg could be heard. 

"Alright, get moving." The warhorse grunted.

"Hey Gonzi," Lily spoke up.

"Chief," Isabella said with a nod.

"By the elders, Thorne, would it kill you to address me properly?"

Lily shrugged, "Maybe. I don't get why you make such a big deal about it. Izzy never does it." 

"She does address me properly. Rank or title. You know the rules. Anyway," His attention shifted to the bat, "Tell Esmeralda that we moved card night to Thursday." She nodded, and with that, the pair started on their way. 

As they passed one of the large windows of Starlight, Lily took a glance back at the pair behind the counter. She caught the wolf looking at her. Even with his hair covering his eyes, she knew when they were on her. The rabbit gave him a quick wave and smile. When he gave one in return, Lily could feel her cheeks start to warm. Her pace slowed slightly but speed up once she had noticed the bat's growing lead. "If you're done flirting with the girl, we need to discuss the plan," Gonzi spoke as he leaned on the counter. The wolf nodded and turned to face him, giving his full attention. "The guy from the Founder's Day committee is gonna be here soon. I need you back before they leave, am I understood." 

"Of course, It shouldn't take too long. Just gotta make sure they can't see me." 

"And the chime?" 

"Sealed. I'm assuming you spoke to Eleven?" Danniel rolled his eyes as he walked away from the horse. Standing on the opposite side of the counter, the wolf faced his boss again, annoyance clear on his face. "I'll tell you the same thing I told him: Last year was a fluke. It won't happen again. Oh, and before I forget, Esmerelda needs to check the stand. Those cracks around the base are starting to worry me." With that warning, Danniel made his way out as well. The horse responded with a huff through his nose as a customer approached the front desk.  

****

Lily and Isabella strolled leisurely down a sun-soaked path overlooking the shimmering waters of Aldcrest Bay. Isabella ran her hand along the wooden railing that separated the two from the steep cliff edge. Lily walked next to her on the inside of the path. She casually munched away on a bag of caramel corn while enjoying the sunshine. Overhead, seagulls flew and drifted on the warm air currents. A few had taken note of the pair, more so the treat the rabbit was eating, and began trailing the group. 

"So, Bestie," Lily stepped closer to Isabella until her shoulder made contact with the bat's, "Can I ask you something?" 

"Hmm?" Isabella responded while returning the bump. 

"How did you talk Gonzi into letting me tag along on this drop-off? He always tells me no." 

Isabella dropped her hand from the railing before sliding both hands into her pockets. "Some suit from the Founder's Day committee is coming by. Said if we put our best foot forward, we can get on the featured businesses list. Of course, you know when he says 'Best foot forward,' he means-"

"Deal with it directly so we don't screw it up. Yeah yeah yeah. Gonzi's kind of an ass. You think he would have some faith in us." Lily scoffed before throwing a few kernels of corn into her mouth.

"He only hired other people because he was sick of dealing with the customers. Like, that's a sign he has at least a little faith. Besides, schmoozing is lame. I'm sure he would rather me get special stock, and you throw out assholes."

"Guess you're right." The rabbit shrugged as they reached the top of the cliff path. It split, going right and left. Going forward wasn't an option anymore as before them stood a stretch of dense forest. Beyond the oak trees, a cluster of buildings could be seen but no direct path existed.. She looked at Isabella and followed her down the right path. 

As Lily followed Isabella down the red brick path, she thought about their delivery. Pulling the book from her pouch, Lily examined it and found it wholly unremarkable. All the trouble everyone was going through to deliver it seemed really silly.. The only thing of interest was the metal circle that held the tome closed. 

While the pair began to round a turn, they reached a thinner section of the oak canopy. Through narrow gaps, rays of sunlight illuminated the shady thoroughfare. The tome's cover began to shimmer while crossing through a rather large break. 

"Whoa..." Lily whispered, stopping suddenly, "Um, Izzy! The book's doing something!"

Hearing her name, Isabella stopped and returned to her friend. Looking at the book, she watched the runic markings burn themselves into the leather binding. Seeing the worried look on Lily's face, she thought it best to try to calm the rabbit's worries. The bat pulled the book from her hands and moved it back into the shade. As the sun left its face, the cover returned to its featureless state. 

While watching the runes disappear, something caught Isabella's attention. The book was warm to the touch. It might have been a warm summer day, but this was abnormally warm. Like it was sitting in direct sunlight for a few hours, not a few moments. 

"It's written in sun ink," informed Isabella as the last of the markings faded from view. "Pretty typical for Quila Spellbooks." 

"Quila? Are you making stuff up again?" Lily asked, crossing her arms. 

"No, I learned my lesson from the marionette incident. Sun ink, it's an ancient magic thing. It only appears in the presence of sunlight or someone with a fire core." 

Isabella offered the book back to Lily, but Lily waited. She watched closely as the markings returned. The wonder that showed on her face quickly shifted to confusion. 

"Okay, but what does it say?" Lily asks while taking the book back. She stood in a patch of sunlight, and the longer she stood there, the more of the unintelligible markings came into view. Eventually, new markings stopped appearing. She studied them now that they were on full display. The runes emanated out from around the silver lock and formed  nine half-circles. Three evenly spaced and unique markings along the outermost band completed the runes' sun-like design. The shimmering sigils covered the left two-thirds of the cover. 

"Couldn't tell ya; Quila's a dead people with a dead tongue. Esmerelda's one of the few people who can speak it. The old woman's mad about the stuff, like totally obsessed. Now move; we're late enough." 

With that, the two started walking again with Lily taking up the rear. The rabbit's gaze was affixed to the book and the fading and reappearing runes on its cover. She would look up occasionally to make sure the way was clear, but her attention was focused on the book.

The canopy overhead began to recede along the outer edge of the path. Noticing this, Lily moved out into the uninterrupted sunlight. "You know, I think I've seen these before."  

"Sure, Lil,"

"I'm serious. There was something my grandpa gave me. Had markings just like these." Lily stopped walking and held the book closer to her face. The metal circle that held the book closed started to sparkle and shimmer. The binding began to show its set of runic markings. It sported ten sigils. Ten very familiar sigils. "They were…it was um…" She pulled the book away from her face and furrowed her brow. 

The rabbit fell quiet again. The markings on the circle made her think of her grandfather. Being the granddaughter of an archeologist meant Lily was never lacking in interesting and unique gifts. One had markings similar to the ones on the book. No, after a closer look, Lily recognized them exactly. All brain power was diverted to digging through the deep recesses of her memory. 

Having not heard footsteps behind her for a few seconds, Isabella looked over her shoulder and spotted Lily standing still once again. She turned around and glared at the rabbit through her sunglasses. Esmeralda was the last person she wanted to keep waiting. The old woman was about as trusting as she was patient, and they were already taking longer than Isabella intended. This being the second time the rabbit halted their progress, Isabella was starting to lose her cool. 

"Like, would you come on?" 

"Just a sec. It's on the tip of my tongue."

"Lily!" 

As Isabella approached, Lily focused as best she could. Just as Isabella closed the distance between the two, the words finally formed. Without a second thought, Lily proudly called them out.

"Kpuar Dej." 

A soft click drew the pair's attention to their parcel. The circular lock had cleanly split in two, and the flap on the front cover began to lift with the air suddenly smelling of sulfur.

[goldsmile-ent]

I swear to god, I am going to make the universe notice me!

Hi, I'm Demi.

Notice me, you cold, unfeeling fucking void. I will carve my name in the fucking antimatter if I have to get someone to notice me! By the beak of wise Thoth, I will get someone to read my shit!

Anyway, what are we doing for plotober? I'm still gonna be doing the November writing challenge aka NaNoWriMo (I know some people don't like calling it that due to the organization being full of creeps) but I started a little late on it.

Any groups doing things? I don't know how to talk to people. They scare me.

Sorry for being overdramatic.

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 8

Danniel lay awake in bed. In the dark, he could hear the soft lapping of the waves on the shore. Off in the distance, calling horns announced the arrival of the day's first ships. He didn't know what time it was but figured his alarm hadn't gone off yet. His phone screen read, '5:30 a.m.' Thirty minutes before he needed to be up. Since it wasn't likely Danniel wasn't going back to sleep, he disabled the alarm and started his day. 

Today was special, hence why sleep didn't come easily last night. Lily made good on her promise that night at the train station a year ago. Starlight seemed to be a natural fit despite her lack of magical ability. She wasn't always on time, and her work ethic could use some improvement, yet she had found a pretty welcoming environment. Her co-workers decided to have a get-together after work to say thanks for sticking around for an entire year.

After washing down a quick breakfast of fried eggs and toast with cold green tea, Danniel hopped into the shower. Now fully awake, the wolf stood in front of his steam-covered mirror. As he ran his hand across it, Lily's most recent critique of his hair played in his head. One of the things Danniel learned about her over the last year was that she was persistent. Persistent to the point of madness in some cases. One of those was his hair. Though it came up a lot, he had learned how to talk her off the point. A piece of candy usually did the trick, but a steady stream of 'drop it' would suffice if he lacked sweets.  

"Maybe today?" Danniel thought as he pulled his hair from in front of his eyes. In the mirror, he imagined his friend's reaction to seeing what lay underneath. With a groan of uncertainty, the wolf dropped his dreads back down. "Nope, not today." 

Back into his bedroom, the wolf threw on a white button-up shirt and black jeans while glancing at his phone. Seeing that he was making good time, Danniel walked into his living room and up to his couch. There, in the dark, lay the real reason for today's party. It was a black, mostly featureless box that took up most of the couch. Along the bottom, in a swishy cursive font, the words' Impact Burning V Custom' were spelled out in silver. 

Despite her best efforts, Lily found her beloved Songbird was beyond repair. Getting anything close to Songbird's quality and craftsmanship was well outside her budget. Due to the lack of an instrument, the rabbit had taken to moping over open guitar magazines during the workday. Lily's whining about her inability to do her favorite thing had worn on the nerves of everyone. So, when Danny pitched the idea of surprising Lily with this guitar, their agreement was both instant and unanimous.

While looking down at the box, A faint tune caused Danniel's ears to perk up. He couldn't make out the sound, but he figured it was his phone since it was coming from his bedroom. Returning to his nightstand, the name flashing across the screen drew a groan. 'XI - Headache' was listed on the screen, the words appearing over a purple kite. The sound he heard was a delicate classical piece filled with harps and flutes, which served as a ringtone.   

"Morning, father," Danniel answered. 

"Son." A voice spoke, burly and deep. "How nice of you to be up early on the day of the ritual. Certainly a first. You have completed the rites, correct? We don't want a repeat of last year." 

"Yes, for the millionth time. Everything else is done short of the seal. On schedule, might I add? Your reminders are unneeded." 

"They clearly are, Twelve. Last year reminded me of that. You’ve grown complacent."

Danniel closed his eyes tight, letting out a low groan. "Wonderful chat, father. I will let Gonzi know you called. Elder's blessings." 

With that, Danniel immediately hung up the phone and barked a few wolven profanities to his now-absent father. A heavy sigh slipped from his maw while he reexamined the screen. It was now a quarter past seven and close enough to Danniel's usual departure time. Dropping the phone into his pocket, he grabbed his security jacket and headed out the front door. 

Then, as his feet crossed the threshold, Danniel paused as a thought struck him. There was one thing Danny had forgotten, distracted by his father's call. Turning around, he made a beeline back to his bedroom. The wolf retrieved a plain metal case from the single drawer of his nightstand. A crest was emblazoned on the surface. A purple kite was the base, and on it, a clawed hand reached up to a string of three stars. The words ‘We'll have peace, or we'll bring oblivion' were written on the ribbon that ran along the bottom.

He popped it open and revealed the ringed gauntlet sitting inside. Danniel removed it and affixed it to his right hand. Once on, each ring began to emit a soft purple light as they locked into place. When the light faded, each pristine gold band sported a unique rune. With everything in place, Danniel finally left his home and made his way to work. 

Everyone at Starlight was excited, Danniel more than anyone. The wolf found a fast friend in the new girl. Though unexpected, Danny found they shared common ground on multiple things. From similar tastes in movies and music to more than a few shared interests, it didn't take long before Danniel and his new co-worker spent time outside work. Be it for a couple of drinks or a live show in Aldcrest. Isabella would make it a trio fairly often, but the two were just as comfortable alone. Recently, the rabbit started crashing at his apartment beginning on a Friday and heading home the following Monday after work. Danniel only lived two blocks from Starlight, and it made hanging out over the weekends easier. As the year passed, the feelings of friendship grew into something stronger. She made him feel warmth in a way he hadn't in quite some time. 

Unfortunately, there was an obstacle. It was wolf-shaped and named Kisa. He was Lily's mate when she joined the staff of Starlight. Danniel was quite aware of how unfaithful and shifty Kisa was but never did more than show empathy for his friend. He certainly didn't like the guy, but interfering in someone else's relationship didn't sit well with Danny. Instead, he only served as a shoulder to cry on and an ear to vent to. No, Isabella served as the Kisa-bashing half of Lily's circle. Their venting sessions tended to involve far more booze, though.  

That changed about six months ago. At the same time, Kisa kicked her out of their band and broke up with her. His reasoning was, what good was a guitarist who had no guitar? Conveniently, the new guitarist would be filling in for Lily in their relationship as well. Danniel was present when this happened, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

Today marked six months after the breakup. To Danniel, it seemed like the right time to let Lily know how he felt. The risk of getting rejected was present and weighed heavily on his mind. Yet, from the wolf's perspective, the worst she could say was no. At the end of the day, he was just happy having Lily in his life. If that meant she was never more than his friend, that would be more than enough. 

Danniel turned the corner onto Gropple street and fished his keyring from inside his jacket pocket. As he reached the front door, a commotion from the other end of the street drew his attention. The sound of clattering, assorted clicks, and growls could be heard. The wolf let off an exasperated sigh as the sound of someone repeatedly saying 'Sorry' got closer and closer.

"Sorry, Mrs. Triagl! Oh, um, I'll pay for that." Lily shouted as she came, stumbling backward, into view. She stood a head shorter than the wolf and wore a black tee shirt and dark blue jeans. Her outfit was nothing out of the norm. Yet today, something stood out. Usually, Lily's black hair sported colored bangs. Now, as Lily started towards Starlight, Danniel saw a band of pink adorning her edges. The two exchanged waves as the rabbit made her way down the sidewalk.

"And she made it on time today. Looks like I owe Gonzi twenty credits." Danniel remarked as Lily strolled up. 

Lily sarcastically gasped and punched the wolf in the arm, "I can't believe you have such little faith in me. I'm hurt." 

"Sure you are. C'mon, let's get inside." 

Lily rushed past Danniel into the still-dark store. As he went to follow her, the sound of a clearing throat drew his attention behind him. There stood Isabella. She, like Lily, stood a head shorter than Danniel and was a few inches shorter than the rabbit. She wore a white long-sleeve shirt with alternating black and white stripes starting halfway down her upper arm. Navy blue slacks completed the ensemble. Her sudden appearance made Danniel jump slightly. 

"Like, where is it?" Isabella whispered before taking a sip of her coffee. 

"It's back at my place. It'd be hard to hide it when we get here at the same time." Danniel whispered back. The wolf could see his reflection in her sunglasses as she looked at him. The bat shrugged and walked inside, her white hair bouncing. 

Danniel followed her inside and up to the front counter. There, he found Lily sitting on it. Her feet swung while nonchalantly glancing around the store. When the wolf stood before her, her pale orange eyes trained on him as a smirk grew on her face. 

"Move," Danniel ordered, crossing his arms. 

"Why? Am I in the way?" 

"I need to unbind the store. Move your tail or I'll move it for you."

Lily cocked her head back slightly while raising an eyebrow. Eyeing up the wolf, she scoffed and spat back, "And I'll bite you if you try." 

Danniel sighed and rolled his eyes. The rabbit leaned forward. It was like she knew exactly what the wolf was about to say. 

"What do you want?" 

"Let me unbind the store!" Lily fired off, clearly having her request prepared. 

"Oh, absolutely not. Do you remember what happened last time you tried? I had to unlock the whole store by hand. Try again." 

"Come on, Danny, please? That was forever ago. I should totally get another chance." 

"Forever ago? That was two weeks ago. No."

Danniel waited for the rabbit to move, but instead, he watched as Lily's expression shifted from annoyed to sad. His resistance took a hit when the rabbit cast her eyes down and dropped her shoulders. Danny's defense crumbled completely when Lily let out a heavy sigh. 

"Fine..." 

Lily laughed and hopped off the counter. She thanked Danniel with a hug around the torso while Isabella shook her head. "You won't regret this, man." 

"Did you, like, leave your spine back at your apartment too?" Isabella teased as she walked behind the pair. Now out of the direct sunlight, Isabella removed her sunglasses and hung them on the collar of her sweater.  

"Shut up." Danniel hissed as he moved beside Lily. "Focus and take your time. You have been practicing with those puzzle boxes, right?

"Yeah, of course I have," Lily said proudly. Her claim was valid, technically. The whole truth was that she had only practiced the night before. Lily hadn't touched them since overloading the binding lock two weeks prior. That was until she hatched the plan for this morning. Getting Danny to do what she said was the easy part. The actual lock was another, more concerning issue. To prepare, Lily practiced late into the night and managed to solve a single one. All failures were subsequently pitched at walls after having to restart them one too many times. 

She cracked her knuckles and positioned her hand over the counter. Before she could focus on the lock, Danniel grabbed Lily's wrist. 

"Excuse you?" Lily growled. 

"This goes wrong, and you are unlocking everything. Got it?" 

"Got it."  

Danniel's grasp lingered for a bit before he released her. She closed her eyes and focused. As her mind settled, Lily could feel faint wisps of invisible energy rise from beneath the mahogany. The wisps, once unseen, ignited and formed visible bands of pale orange light around her knuckles. They shimmered and crackled as Lily focused on the warm sensation flowing through her hand. 

Lily took one last deep breath before speaking the words she had heard Danniel recite every morning for the past year.

"Breath zayfv hent lon mornri blonf. Sien lon blessid slumbill ailn unnbind starlight, brysh vi harmonva."

Behind her closed eyes formed the image of a large metallic cube floating in a starry void. The box clicked and buzzed before it split into two halves. Another round of noises and the two halves split equally again. After dividing one last time, the final count of cubes was eight. On each side of each cube were patterns carved into them. 

She spun the eight almost identical cubes in the void until she found matching sides. Once a matching pair was found, they slammed together and formed new bands of grooves and designs. Eventually, after a bit of shifting and turning, all eight were one smooth and pristine cube once more. 

Gripping her hand tightly, the bands of light shattered, and the store remained silent for a moment. A pit of dread began to form in Lily's stomach before, in a flash, the store sprung to life. Starlight clicked and popped and shook awake; a very proud and happy rabbit was the reason for it. 

With saxophone music playing through the store speakers, Lily spun around on her heel to face her co-workers. Isabella was clapping softly on the heel of her hand while Danniel looked at her with his arms crossed. He smiled warmly while Lily bounced on her toes and smiled from ear to ear. 

"Good job, Lily. I shouldn't have doubted you." spoke the wolf. 

"You're damn right you shouldn't have. Maybe you'll teach me some actual magic, now." 

"We'll see. I'm going on patrol." Danniel said while walking away from his co-workers.

"Oh, I've heard that before! I'll break you soon, Fila." Lily called after him, watching him turn the corner while waving her off. 

The ringing of the bell above the front door marked the next arrival. An older female bear stepped through the doorway, holding multiple paper bags in either hand. Her fur was a faded brown, barely lighter than gingerbread. She wore a pair of black pants and a forest green blouse. Her face, like every morning, was curled up into a room-warming smile. It only got brighter when her one good eye fell upon Lily. Her other eye, or where it should be, was covered by a leather eyepatch. 

"G'Mornin', ladies." Sandra sang as she stepped inside.

"And good morning to you, mama bear." Lily sang back in return. Isabella didn't say anything to Sandra. Instead, she gave a polite wave while shipping her cooling coffee. 

As Sandra hustled inside, someone was following close behind. It was another bear. He stood taller than Sandra but only a negligible amount. The bear shared fur color with the woman in front of him, yet he was a few shades darker. Dark brown hair stuck out of a gray flat cap atop his head. A pair of thin-rimmed glasses sat on his nose, allowing his hazel eyes to examine the store. His clothing was slightly more professional looking than those already there. He wore an open navy blue chef's coat, a clean white tee shirt underneath, and navy blue slacks on his legs. In his hands was a large white cake box. The front panel had 'For Lily. Don't let her near this before closing!!!" written on it in black marker. A little rabbit head had been drawn beside the three exclamation points.

"Like, um, Sandra, who's that?" Isabella asked while gesturing at the person behind her. 

"Hmm?" the bear glanced over her shoulder at her follower. The two stopped walking once inside. Her eyes lit up as she looked back at the counter. "Ope, rose petals, I must have forgotten. Ladies, this is my pride and joy. Introduce yourself, honeycomb."   

He cleared his throat before speaking, his brogue accent similar to the person who introduced him. "No, yeah. I'm Bastion. I'll be joinin' my ma at the Cafe. I'm excited to work with all of ya." 

As he finished talking, Bastion noticed something had changed. When he came in, he saw a rabbit and a bat standing behind the counter. Now there was only the bat. He scanned the room and couldn't find the missing employee. That was until he heard soft sniffing by his side.

"Bastion, ten o'clock," Sandra spoke while pointing at the box. He panned down and found the missing rabbit. She had taken an interest in the box he was carrying. 

Lily's eyes were locked on the container since Bastion had walked in the door. She hoped that Sandra would make something special for her one-year anniversary, seeing as the party was initially the bear's idea. The rabbit barely registered the holder's name, with her focus giving her tunnel vision. As Bastion introduced himself, Lily moved quickly towards the box and almost immediately caught a whiff of cinnamon and carrots. 

Following the 'Lily Defense plan’ the Shinecrests' had formulated the night prior, Bastion simply hoisted the box high over his head. Standing just over six feet tall, he could easily keep it out of the rabbit's reach. 

"Sorry, Lily, but you are goin' to have to wait until tonight for it." The older Shinecrest while moving closer to the rabbit. 

"Come on, Sandra. It smells delicious. Let me get a taste." Lily's eyes stay fixed on the out-of-reach box. 

"Oh my, no. Though, I do have something to tide ya over." Sandra put one of the handfuls of bags down and dug around in one of the bags in her other hand. She pulled her hand out and provided something attached to a lollipop stick to the rabbit. Said offering was wrapped in parchment paper. "Courtesy of my baby boy." 

Lily eyed the treat while glancing at the box Bastion kept out of her grasp. While whatever was inside the box was tempting, Sandra's offering would require much less work, and her sweet tooth was already calling to her. The rabbit agreed and took the candy from Sandra. Removing the paper, she saw that the stick led to what looked like a crystal carrot. Giving it a quick sniff, Lily found that it smelled of cinnamon too. Immediately curious, Lily shoved the candy into her mouth. 

"Hmm, it tastes like honey carrot pie," Lily remarked after pulling the candy out of her mouth. She points the lollipop at Sandra's son, eyes taking one last look at the box. "I'll leave you alone for now, but I'll want more of these. Later." The rabbit turned on her heel, shoving the candy back into her maw, and hurried after Isabella, who was heading back to the supply closet. 

Bastion lowered the box as his mother retrieved her bags. He kept locked step with Sandra as they headed through the Cafe and into the kitchen. "So, that rabbit. Lily, right? Scary little thing." 

"Aye, but only when you get between her and anythin' sweet. She's plenty harmless otherwise." Sandra put down the bags and quickly made her way to a door towards the back of her kitchen. Past a pair of standing freezers sat a metal door with a blank name plate slot near the top. She touched it and, around her finger, formed a circle of green light. Sliding her finger up to the top of the ring, the door chimed, and a card slid into the empty slot. It read, 'Store room' and was immediately replaced with 'Oven room' while her finger moved a quarter to the right. "Pay her no mind. Though keep an eye on the door, she doesn't give up easy." 

Bastion nodded and turned back to the box only to see Lily. She had crept into the kitchen and was just shy of lifting the lid. The rabbit flinched and stared daggers at the bear as he lifted the hidden treat out of reach yet again. 

"On with you, now," Bastion ordered. Lily could only huff in frustration before retreating out of the kitchen. Quickly he moved to Sandra, the box still held slightly above his head in case the rabbit changed her mind. "Little terror she is." 

"Oh, stop." Sandra laughed as the card for 'Dry storage' slid into place. Pulling her hand away, the circle of light vanished, and the metal door fell into the floor. It opened to a room with walls lined with wooden shelves. On them were jars containing jellies and jams from countless fruits. "You can leave it here. When you put that down, grab me a few jars of Mudberry and Fireberry. Goin' to make some jelly muffins." 

And with that, Sandra returned to the bags. From which she pulled multiple tubs of chilled dough she had made the night before. The bear smiled as she got to work prepping food for her hungry customers and co-workers. 

"It's goin' to be a good day," Sandra thought as her work day began. 

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 7

The day had come to an end, and Starlight now sat dark. As Danniel locked the front door, Lily and Isabella exchanged phones and put their numbers in the other's device. After swapping them back, Isabella said her goodbyes and left the rabbit and wolf alone. 

"Heck of a day, huh?" Danniel spoke as he turned to face Lily. 

"Certainly wasn't boring," Lily gave her phone one last look before putting it away. A brief flash of sadness ran across her face before it returned to its previous upbeat, if not a bit tired, expression. "Would you believe it's only my second worst' first day?"

"Getting robbed doesn't top your list?"

“Nope,” Lily said with a shake of her head. “I’m still employed, and this place isn’t infested with dagger mites. A little bit of armed robbery is nothing.” The rabbit shifted her gaze down to the end of the street. There sat a grassy roundabout built around a fountain. From its center rose a brick clock tower. Standing around thirty feet in the air, the tower was topped by four illuminated clock faces. As the faces rolled over to seven, a bell from within the structure began to sound.

"Hmm. You take the train, right?." Danniel asked as the bell rang another six times. Lily looked back at him and nodded. "Well, I'm thirsty, and there's a Golden Leaf on the way to the train station. How about we walk together?" He got a shrug as a response, and the two started down the sidewalk.

The unlit wicks atop the lamps of the ornate street lights sparked to life as night began to settle in. They illuminated the darkening streets of Aldcrest as the twin crescent moons grew brighter overhead. The cobblestone streets were mostly empty, short of the stray bus or delivery vehicle. The citizens of the port town strolled the sidewalks, some visiting the restaurants and bars while others stopped and listened to street musicians or grabbed a bite from street vendors. 

"That was an impressive kick you did earlier," Danniel remarked after a bit of walking. 

The rabbit spun around and gave a proud grin while she walked backward. "It was pretty cool, wasn't it? That worm deserved it, calling me something as horrible as that.” Danniel laughed and agreed. She was informed It wasn’t the first time the store had been robbed, but the ending was certainly different. 

Lily maintained her pace while walking in reverse, disregarding the people behind her. Her attention was on the hair curtain in front of the wolf's face. Lily's eyes narrowed the longer she stared at him. Then, without warning, Lily stopped dead in her tracks. Since he was already watching her, the wolf was able to stop just short of running into her.  

"Why do you wear your hair like that? How can you see anything?" Lily asked while pointing at his face.

"Why did you just stop like that? I almost ran into you." Danniel snapped, taking a few steps back. 

"Because I wanted to. Now answer the question." 

The wolf stammered out of a mixture of frustration and confusion. He shook his head and sighed before giving her an answer. “I can see just fine. I don’t really have a reason for wearing it like this; I just do. Why?”

"I don't like it. You have nice eyes, and you shouldn't hide them."

“Noted.” was all Danniel could think to say back to her. Without another word back to him, the rabbit turned and started walking forward again. He didn’t join her immediately, instead watching his co-worker in confused silence. Eventually, the wolf started walking again and, with his longer stride, caught up without issue.

The pair stopped again as they turned the corner from Gropple to Amberdust. They were greeted by a gentle swaying sign above their heads. It was made of dark wood and hung from a metal bar. 'Goldenleaf' was spelled out in painted white letters. Under the sign floated a slowly spinning golden maple leaf. The door to the establishment slid open with a 'Ding dong' playing through a gently buzzing speaker. Once the sound ended, a bouncy pop song started again mid-lyric. To the left of the entrance was a uniformed male rabbit behind a waist-high counter. Above his head was a menu split into three categories: 'Hot drinks' to the right, 'Cold drinks' in the middle, and 'Food' on the left. On the right side of the store were three sets of booths. All three sat empty. 

"Hey, Cecil." Danny greeted the worker while he approached the counter. 

"Sup, Danny. What can I get you?" 

"Hmm, a black mango juice for me and uh," Danniel glanced over his shoulder to Lily. She scanned the menu for things she would get with her first paycheck. "Hey." 

"Hmm?" Lily looked back at Danniel. 

"Do you want something?" 

"Oh, I'm broke." 

"That's not what I asked. It's my treat."

Lily stepped closer to the counter to get a better look at the menu. "Um, a black mango juice and a spicy cucumber wrap. If that's cool?" 

The wolf nodded and paid for the items. Cecil headed through a nearby doorway behind the counter. He quickly returned with a glass bottle and a paper bag. Danny took the bottle and Lily the bag. Danniel said goodbye to the clerk before the two headed back out. They walked in silence until the train station came into view. Lily cleared her throat as she stopped walking at the base of the short set of stairs that led to the train platform.

"So, thanks for, well, dinner. I'll pay you back eventually." Lily said, gesturing with the bag. She glanced up at a large screen near the stairs that showed the times for the incoming trains.

 At the top of the listings was 'Dustburrow' with 'Estimated arrival time: 10 minutes' listed beside it. 

Danniel shook his head while opening the bottle of juice. "Don't worry about it. It was like fifteen credits." The wolf took a swig and almost immediately muffled a burp. 

Lily snickered at the burp before fishing out her own bottle from the bag with her free hand. She gripped the cap between her teeth and twisted the bottle. Spitting the removed cap into the bag, the rabbit tipped the bottle and chugged half its contents. "Oh, that's good. So, Dreads, what do I have to do to get you to teach me some of that magic?

"Well, if you come back tomorrow, we can talk."

"What, you think I'm not coming back?" She asked before taking another swig of black mango juice. 

"Well, working at Starlight is a bit intense. It's not meant for everybody. You would be surprised how many people don't come back after their first day. Just something I’m used to seeing. " Danniel said with a shrug.  

Just then, speakers on the platform sprung to life and announced, 'The train to Dustburrow will be arriving shortly at platform B.' Lily hurried onto the platform with Danniel close behind. Once at the platform, she finished the bottle and pitched it into a nearby trash can. 

“Listen. I got to hang out with a weird bat girl, snack on some of Sandra's cookies, watch you cast weird magic at a dude with a knife, and then I got to drop kick said knife-wielding dude. Let's not mention that I'm getting paid three times what my last regular job paid. I'd be crazy not to come back." Lily said excitedly, her eyes lighting up as she spoke. As she finished, the train to Dustburrow pulled into the station. While the door slid open, Lily flashed Danniel a smile while offering him her fist. “So, see you tomorrow then?”

"Understood," Danniel bumped her fist with his own, "No promises on the magic thing, though." He flashed her a smile before watching Lily vanish onto the train. He stepped back and watched as she moved to the rear of the car. As it pulled away, the two waved to each other until his new coworker was entirely out of sight. 

Now alone, the wolf stared at where he last saw the rabbit. Her eyes were stuck in his head. Something about them stayed with him. The way they lit up while talking about her first day caused his cheeks to warm. While walking down the stairs and off the train platform, a sinking feeling began to settle in. Danniel took a deep breath and sighed, looking up at the twin moons high overhead. 

Danniel hoped Lily would show up tomorrow. She seemed like a good fit for Starlight. 

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 6

Lily’s first day started off busy. 

The customers were, for the most part, friendly and usually gone after a few words. Any questions the customers had were directed to the more knowledgeable Isabella. Lily used any downtime to take notes on anything that sounded interesting. The list grew throughout the morning and quickly. Eventually, her notes took up multiple pages and changed from simply interesting to anything that sounded borderline made up. 

The bat glanced over at the unguarded sheets while Lily handled the last customer on her own. Isabella did her best to make out what her co-worker had jotted down but found the rabbit's handwriting hard to make out. While trying to figure out what was written, she missed Lily finishing up the transaction. A panicked gasp alerted Isabella that she had been found out. Moving her gaze from the paper to her now-lunging Lily, Isabella moved just a little faster and yanked the paper off the counter. 

“Like, what’s this?” Isabella asked while trying to get a better look. 

“It’s mine is what it is and I would like it back, thank you.” Lily snapped, grabbing at the paper.  Isabella did her best to evade the rabbit’s grasp while trying to read but after a few seconds of frantic flailing, Lily retrieved her notes. 

“Quite the list you got there. I tried to read it, but you write in scribbles. So, like, explain.” 

Lily gave her partially crumpled paper a look to check for any damage.“They’re notes. Mostly things that sounded like complete nonsense. Like, what the hell is, um,“ she paused to look them over, tapping the paper once she found her pick, “Here! What in the goddess’ name is ‘Aetheral imbibitions’?”

“It’s, like, magic booze. Monks mostly brewed it in the past, but a bunch of distillers and brewers tried their hand at it. It turned into a pretty competitive scene. Think potions that can get you sloshed.” The words ‘ magic booze’ caused Lily’s ears to perk up. Seeing her new co-worker’s reaction drew a raised eyebrow from Isabella along with a smirk. “You like the juice?” 

“I’ve been known to knock back a few. Wouldn’t mind getting my paws on that Aetheral imbibidy-whatever though.” 

“I might, like, know a guy. Good for jadeleaf, too, if that’s your thing.” 

“Oh, that is absolutely my thing. I feel like a chunk of my first paycheck is going to you.” 

Isabella laughed as she walked around the counter. As she started towards Sandra’s cafe, a book dropped by a careless customer caught her eye. The bat aimed her hand at the discarded item without missing a step. In passing, a circle formed around the middle of the book. The leather-bound tome hovered off the floor before it flew into her open hand. In one fluid motion, Isabella moved her hand and placed it back on a bookshelf in passing. 

“Did you just use that spell thing?” Lily asked, her head slightly tilted, “I didn’t hear you say the spell name.”  

“Aye. Reciting spell names is, like, more of a beginner’s thing. After a while, just the motion is more than enough. Practice while I go bug Sandra for some coffee.” 

“Oh! Oh! Three creams and five sugars for me. Please and thank you.”

As the clock hit one, the initial rush of customers had slowed to a trickle. Before too long, it was uncommon to see more than three customers inside the store; even then, they usually didn’t buy anything. Lily and Isabella used the downtime to examine the list of topics Lily had jotted down. Much to the rabbit’s disappointment, many of the more fantastical sounding ones turned out to be relatively mundane. Things like ‘Complex Ignio theory’ and ‘Aquis display’ were actually ‘How does fire make you feel?’ and ‘Competitive water dancing.’ respectively. 

With an annoyed groan, Lily scratched out another letdown before moving on to the next one. “You are really good at making magic sound lame, lady.” The rabbit grumbled while her eyes read the next entry. "One more, one more. Alright, what’s ‘Astral pet husbandry’?”

“Lily, meet Apep.” Isabella lifted her left arm, presenting it to Lily. On the back of her hand was the head of a snake, etched in white to stand out against the bat’s black fur. The marking continued down her wrist and coiled up her forearm, disappearing under her elbow-length sleeve. 

As Lily leaned closer to examine the design, Isabella ran her fingers down the head of the snake. She watched as the etching shimmered. The eyes on the tattoo, once closed, opened and emitted a soft red glow. Her head snapped back as the snake began to stir and shift. A faint hissing sound could be heard right before the marking disappeared up Isabella’s elbow-length sleeve. The hissing grew louder as the glowing intensified. The hissing faded as the hem of the sleeve began to rise. From under it poked a semi-translucent snake head. The eyes, bright red, were the only parts of the snake that seemed to be completely solid while the rest was a cloudy gray vapor held together by a thin layer of glassy ‘skin.’ Its eyes stayed focused on the rabbit while it started to slither out and up onto Isabella’s shoulders. Once the reptile’s tail was clear from the shirt, Apep’s body lay loosely coiled around the bat’s neck like a scaly scarf.     

“Wh-wh-wh-” Lily stammered, unable to formulate words. 

“‘Astral animal husbandry. It's how you, like, take care of arcane animals. This is Apep. He’s a Ghost venom snake and my familiar. Don’t get too close, though; he will bite.” The bat warned while scratching under the snake’s chin. The accompanying happy hiss drew an uncomfortable shudder from the observing rabbit. 

“Wow, from disappointing to terrifying.” Lily spat out while taking a step back. “You can just summon a snake from your arm?” 

“You never know when you need your familiar. It just so happens he makes a good lookout when I want to nap under the counter. I was joking about the biting thing. He’s actually quite friendly. Apep,” The hand the snake sprang from snapped, “Here.” 

The snake obeyed the order and slipped down Isabella’s arm. Its body coiled around Isabella’s forearm with its head resting on her open hand. The ghostly snake flicked its tongue at Lily while those red eyes never broke from her. Though the creature showed no hint of aggression, Lily’s expression showed nothing but fear. 

“I know it’s supposed to be cute, but no.” 

The rabbit took another step back. Lily watched as Isabella brought Apep’s head toward her muzzle. Giving her familiar a peck between the eyes, Apep sank back into Isabella's jet-black fur. Once its pale form had completely gone, the original marking reappeared on its owner’s arm.   

“Better?” Isabella asked while examining her marking. 

“Would you be mad if I said yes?” Lily responded, her body slowly relaxing now that the reptile was gone. The bat snorted, the question catching her off guard.  Isabella turned away while trying to compose herself. Lily took a moment to fold up and stash her list of topics. While she was interested in the rest of the magical subjects, she feared the next thing could summon wasps or bring about a thunderstorm. 

Isabella confirmed it was fine and wasn’t the first time she had gotten such a response. With the store empty, the bat hoisted herself onto the counter before pulling out her phone. Tapping the screen a few times, Isabella showed it to Lily. “This is his true form back at my place.” 

On the phone was a video showing a massive semi-translucent snake lying coiled on an equally large bean bag chair. The size of the reptile filled the rabbit with a new emotion. It was like all-consuming fear if that fear’s own survival instinct was kicking in. Lily’s hands clenched into tight fists as a sudden urge to fight just the image of the reptile consumed her. The only thing that stopped Lily from needing to replace Isabella’s phone was the bell ringing over the entrance. 

“Um, pardon me?” A male bear spoke as he entered Starlight, a few more customers walking in behind him. He stepped towards the front counter as Isabella hopped off the counter. “Got an order for ‘Isabella.’” 

She hurried around the counter to meet the delivery guy, mouth watering at the smell of her order. While Isabella was busy with the bear, a customer approached Lily. It was a male opossum who kept his head low. He only raised his head to look around as if he was searching for something. 

“Hey there.” He spoke in a nasally tone. “Awesome store you got here. Listen. I’m shopping for a friend. They gave me this list of stuff, and I’m hoping you can help me.”  The gray opossum placed a piece of paper on the front counter and slid it over to Lily. 

Picking it up, Lily read the words on the paper to herself. It said, ‘This is a robbery. Keep quiet, and no one gets hurt. Give me the chime.’ She looked up from the note and up to the creature that gave it to her. His eyes were fixed on her, silently waiting for her response.  

“I’m sorry, man, but I don’t think we sell chimes,” Lily said while reading over the note again. Isabella returned to her side, putting the bags of food behind the counter on the floor. “Hey, Isabella?”

“Yeah?” 

“Do we sell chimes? This guy gave me a note saying something about a chime. Oh, and,” Lily trailed off as she, with Isabella glancing over her shoulder, read the note one more time. The words ‘This is a robbery.’ had finally clicked inside the rabbit’s head. “Ah hell, this guy is robbing us.” 

Lily’s words were loud enough to draw the attention of those nearby. The thief started to panic and, with his plan of a quick and quiet job having now fallen through, tried his best to play damage control. He leaned over the counter and shushed her. 

“Don’t shush me.” Lily snapped back, her expression a mix of confusion and disgust.

“Listen, you stupid hare.” he hissed back, “Shut your mouth and hand over the damn chime!” 

A sudden hush fell over the store as the word ‘hare’ was shouted. The thief looked around and saw every customer in the store was now very aware of his presence. The sound of hands slamming down on the counter caused him to spin back around. What he saw when facing forward was Lily leaning halfway over the counter. Her ears were straight up, and her eyes were dilated. 

“What did you just call me?” Lily’s eyes narrowed as she spoke through gritted teeth. 

A lump was caught in the thief’s throat as his situation continued to worsen. The thief started to think dropping a slur wasn’t the right way to de-escalate the situation. His regret, mixed with the dread caused by the rabbit’s furious gaze, caused him to shrink back a bit. 

“Stop making a scene.” The thief started again, finding his nerve, “I’m only going to say this one more time. Hand over the chime and the money.”  

Lily’s claws dragged across the wood of the counter as she tried to calm herself. It didn’t take much to trigger Lily’s temper, and being called something as offensive as ‘Hare’ was more than reason enough to lay someone out. The only thing stopping her from flying across the counter was knowing how much she needed this job. Though, if this opossum mentioned anything about a chime one more time, she intended to deny responsibility for her actions. 

“Third floor: lobby,” announced the elevator speaker. Danniel typed away on his phone as the car came to a stop. The wolf put his phone away and began to make his way through the opening doors. His own day had been relatively quiet, something more unusual for him than what you would see working the front counter, but trekking the surprisingly large store multiple times that day had worn him out. As the smell of freshly baked coffee cake filled his nose, the phone Danniel had put away buzzed in his pocket. He stopped and pulled his phone back out. Checking the screen, he saw a new text message from Isabella. He opened it and started worrying immediately. Her message simply read, ‘Issue up front. Chime related.’ 

“Great,” grumbled Danniel as he hurried to the front. As he got closer to the lobby, he heard the shouting match being had. Coming around the corner, he saw an opossum being shouted at by the new girl. Danniel moved, unnoticed, closer to the counter. When he saw Lily grab hold of the opossum’s collar, he promptly cleared his throat. 

The sound drew the attention of the furious rabbit and the opossum. Lily’s expression softened somewhat upon seeing him, but it turned just as sour when the thief broke free of her grasp. “Lovely timing you got there, Dreads. Could you please handle this guy?” 

“Is there a problem, sir?” Danniel asked while eyeing the opossum. 

“You’re damn right there’s a problem,” Lily answered on the thief's behalf. “This piece of mud called me a hare because we don’t sell chimes. Oh, and he’s robbing us.” 

“Just hand over the chime, man. Hopefully, you can follow orders better than the mouthy hare over there.” Pulling a hand from his pocket, a ring of yellow light formed around the opossum’s wrist. From between the fingers of the clenched fist formed, thin, razor-sharp blades that ran a few inches in length. 

“Sorry, man, but the rabbit was right. We don’t sell chimes. Strongly recommend you stop asking about it.” Danny spoke, unfazed by the blades. 

The opossum gritted his teeth at the wolf’s denial, finally sick of the runaround the staff gave him. His own temper was getting the best of him and thought hurling a bit of magic would make his intentions a bit clearer. Lily was his first choice as she had given him the most trouble, but something about the wolf gave him a bit of pause. While sizing up Danniel, his eyes grew wide at the sight of the pendant hanging around the wolf’s neck. It was a kite shape with a claw reaching up to three stars. The metal crest was made of silver, and everything around the design was made of precisely cut purple jewels. 

“Actually,” the opossum spoke, taking a step back while keeping an eye on the wolf, "leaving may be a good idea. Does anyone have the time?" 

"It's, like, like a quarter past five," Isabella answered without looking up from her phone. 

The opossum lifted his arm and hurled the three crystal blades at Danniel while stepping back further to create space between the two. The wolf snapped his fingers, and the shards crashed into a shimmering wall of light. Before the opossum could summon another set of crystal blades, Danniel jutted his ring-covered right hand towards him with all his index and middle finger up. The gold rings shined bright, and a lilac orb of light erupted from his palm. It streaked through the air, and the baseball-sized mass landed flush against the thief’s chest. 

“Formation Vela.” Danniel whispered while relaxing his hand. The light in the rings on his fingers faded as the runes on the bands shimmered and shifted. Once the markings had finished changing, the magical glow began again. “Velorum.” Extending his fingers toward the opossum, an unseen wall of force slammed into the thief and sent him flying into a nearby bookshelf. Bouncing off it, he and some of the bottles sitting on them came crashing to the floor. 

Danniel, Lily, and Isabella watch the opossum's body for any sign of motion. After a tense few moments, the trio shared a sigh of relief as he lay there unmoving. The wolf then turned to the two women behind the counter. Isabella was utterly unfazed by the spell-slinging, her attention already back to her cell phone. 

Lily’s focus was still on the opossum. She leaned over the counter, still glaring at his unconscious form. Instead of the grimace the rabbit sported before, her mouth was curled into a smirk. Looking at the slur-throwing jerk knocked out on the floor warmed her heart. 

“Good job, Dreads. Little less worried about the security after that little show.” Lily said while stepping back from the counter.

“Thanks, I guess. Now, did I hear you say something about a chime?”

Lily went on to catch up Danniel on the events of the altercation while shoving the guy’s note across the counter. Again, she got confirmation that Starlight did not, in fact, sell chimes. The new girl was confused about why he would ask such a thing, but the wolf couldn’t provide a solid reason, instead just suggesting the guy was a nutjob and trying to change the subject. 

The two’s chatting and the bat’s phone kept them from noticing the opossum's stirring. Now, with only a headache to show for his troubles, the opossum decided someone had to pay for the day's annoyances. He tried his best to get back to his feet while avoiding both the halo of glass around him and the group’s attention. Despite the opossum’s best efforts, he was spotted by Isabella. The bat reacted quickly and shouted to the wolf just in time for him to react to another barrage of crystal shards. 

Without a chance to prep another ward spell, Danniel could only raise his arms in front of his face. The three pieces of crystal embedded themselves in his forearm as the opossum sprang to his feet. Drawing a knife from a sheath on his hip, the would-be thief rushed the security guard. As he moved in front of the counter, a shout brought the charge to an immediate halt. 

“Hey, jerk-ass!” was the last thing the opossum heard before he felt two feet smashing against the side of his head. Lily had bounded over the counter and used her powerful legs to deliver a dropkick to the thief. She landed on the other side of the counter while the thief dropped to the floor, out cold. “How's that for a flippin’ hare?!” Lily shouted after scrambling over to the opossum, getting in his face. 

Danniel pulled the shards from his arm and moved quickly to bind the thief’s hands, learning from the first time. He had to move between the opossum and rabbit as the new girl continued insulting the unconscious man while slipping a few blatant threats just in case he was still awake. It wasn’t long before the Honor guard arrived to apprehend the thief while getting statements from the staff as well as the few customers who were said to witness the scuffle. Customers stayed pretty light for the rest of the day, but Lily stayed worked up for the remainder of the shift. 

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 5

"Okay, newbie," Sandra excitedly started as Lily moved behind the counter, "Are you ready to start your shift?"

"Eh, not sure. As I told whats-his-face, I’m not the most well-versed in magic. He said it wasn't that big of a deal, but a second opinion would be appreciated."

"Danniel was telling the truth, but I have no doubt you'll learn magic working here. To start, what's your element?"

Lily tilted her head at the bear's question. "Element? The wolf asked me the same thing. No clue what that means."

Sandra and Isabella shared a concerned look, which caused Lily to tense up. The bear crossed her arms while looking back at the rabbit. "Your element. The energy your magic radiates."

"Yeah, the thing is, the only magic I've used is stage magic. The spells were based on chord progression and tempo. We don't need to know much more than how to play."

"Weird. Like, I never met someone who didn't know their element." Isabella spoke up.

"Is that bad? What's yours?" Lily asked, turning to look at her.

"Wind." Answered the bat.

"Mines earth, and don't worry, sweetheart. It's not a big deal; we'll help you find out. You don't need it for the utility spells we use around here. I'd love to show you, but I need to start cooking. Izzy, can you show her those spells? They are super simple."

"Like, of course, Sandra."

"Wonderful. Lily, you've got this. I will be in the cafe if you need me. Gonzi is probably in his office. Everything else, Isabella and Danniel should be able to answer." With that, the bear left the pair behind.

“Alright, this’ll be quick,” Isabella said as she pointed at a box of books. Lily leaned forward and paid every bit of attention she could. "It’s a pretty simple spell that we use to move and grab stuff. Now hold your hand out and repeat after me."

"After me," Lily whispered while she aimed her hand at the same box.

Isabella stifled a laugh before continuing. "Right. So focus and, like, say Lovis." With the word spoken, a thin circle of light surrounded the box and floated slightly above the countertop. The bat lifted her hand, and the box followed it effortlessly. She glanced over and saw the almost unblinking gaze of her new co-worker, the amazement clear on Lily's face. "and when you want to end it, simply close your hand."

Lily watched the box slowly drift back to the counter as Isabella clenched her hand into a tight fist. The bat stepped aside, and Lily quickly stood in front of the box of books. Holding her hand out, the rabbit took a deep breath and repeated the phrase,

"Lovis."

Much to Ms. Thorne's dismay, nothing happened. She tried again, this time saying the command a bit more forcefully, yet the outcome remained the same.

"Oh, come on!" Lily barked as her arm dropped. The frustrated rabbit threw back her head to let out an annoyed groan. "You said this would be easy."

"Like, it is. Try again. Just focus." Isabella said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The rabbit looked at the bat and then back to the box. Reassuming the position, Lily closed her eyes and breathed deeply before repeating the phrase one more time.

This time, it felt different. A sensation washed over the hand aimed at the box. It was a gentle tingling sensation that started at the tips of Lily’s fingers. It crept down her fingers, intensifying as it engulfed her palm. Once the feeling moved to her wrist, a weight pulled her hand down slightly. Though unexpected, Lily’s focus held fast as her arm tensed up.

"Did I do it?" Lily asked, too nervous to open her eyes.

"Aye." Isabella confirmed.

Lily’s eyes opened quickly to see that she was telling the truth. A smile stretched across her face as the rabbit started to bounce on her toes. The bouncing stopped as the rabbit remembered something. Recalling Isabella's example, Lily moved her hand to the right. Bouncing began again as a soft squeal of joy came from the excited rabbit as the box levitated.

"I did it." Lily chirped while she looked at her co-worker. She returned her attention to the box while swinging her hand from side to side. From there, the pleased rabbit decided to step her newly acquired skill by moving in a figure-eight motion.

"Like, good job. Can you do it again?" Isabella asked as she fiddled with the register.

Lily moved her left hand back to its starting position and closed it into a tight fist. Once the thin ring of light completely faded, the rabbit opened her hand and aimed her palm at her target.

"Let's see," Lily said confidently. "Lovis!" This time, the spell went off perfectly. The circle reappeared and lifted the box slightly into the air. This success caused Lily to hop in joy, letting out a little squeak as she moved an inch or two into the air.

"See, easy. Now, come back here, and I will show you the next spell," instructed Isabella as she pulled a notepad from under the counter and slipped it onto a satchel on her hips while moving further into the store. Lily closed her hand and followed the bat further back into the store.

The pair eventually found themselves in a small storage closet. Isabella reached up and turned on the light that hung above their head. On the walls were shelves dotted with assorted cleaning supplies. Beneath the shelves sat the expected supplies, like a broom and mop and an old locked chest.

"Okay, this just looks like a broom closet," Lily remarked while scanning the room's contents.

"That's, like, because it is. The spell is tied to it." The bat stepped inside the room and closed the door most of the way. Pulling it back open, Isabella handed over a keychain with four charms. Each charm corresponded to one of the items except the last one, which was a simple square. "This is yours."

Lily took it from her hand and played with the charm that looked like a mop and bucket. "Um, okay. It's cute, but I don't see how it's magic."

Isabella pulled her own set from the satchel on her hip. She looked at the charms before picking the broom. After giving it a quick squeeze, the keyring and charms started to glow and change. From behind the bat, a similar glow shined from within the broom closet. As the light in the closet faded, the mass in the bat's hand shifted into a broom.

"That's how. Saves time on cleaning up."

"Wow…"Lily said, her voice tainted with a hint of sarcasm, "what a lame use for magic."

Isabella chuckled at the remark while grabbing hold of the broom. "Yeah, it's not all flashy. Trust, you'll grow to appreciate it. Something always breaks or falls over or explodes around here." She lets it drop down a bit, letting it slide before grasping it near the top. Under her thumb was a rune carved into the wooden shaft. She gave it a tap, and the item glowed again, quickly returning to its original keychain form.

"Hold on, explode? It's a book store, right?"

Isabella laughed again while closing the closet door and putting her charms away. She didn't respond right away. Instead, she headed back to the front desk while pulling out her phone. Of course, Lily followed her while eagerly waiting for a response. "When you work around magic, you expect some hazards. Plus, there is a testing chamber on the bottom floor. If I remember correctly, this is the…" Isabella paused to think. She also used the pause to take a quick sip of her coffee. "third or fourth version of the store. I'll have to ask Danny when he comes back."

"You two said this was a nice place to work."

"It is. Like, it's not like we deal with big things all the time. I've only seen one big thing in the six months I've worked here. So, chill."

You know you and dreads are terrible at making me feel less concerned." Lily remarked.

"Well, just give it time, and you'll see there's nothing to worry about." Isabella took another sip just as the first customer came through the door. Isabella gave the customer a nod and greeted them with, "Welcome to Starlight. Like, how can I help you?."

[goldsmile-ent]

Starlight Opening Act Ch. 4

In Lily's dark bedroom, the clock's display rolled over to "4:00 a.m." It rang but the sound didn't last long as she shot up to meet the morning. The nerves of starting a new job made sleep almost impossible the night before. What sleep she did get was uneasy, full of tossing and turning. Thorne's first act of the morning was getting her feet tangled in her blanket and falling out of bed, landing on her face. Her next move was angrily grumbling profanities into her bedroom floor. After fighting out of the tangled sheets, Lily continued the string of expletives while hurrying to the bathroom. Clearly, Lily was not concerned about waking up her bedmate. Well, she would be if Kisa had bothered to show up, once again breaking his promise to come home. 

Though he flaked, it barely registered in her mind. Instead, Lily had spent the forty-eight hours since the interview brushing up on as much magical information as possible. Well, that was the original plan. Shame to say that everything she found was too dry to hold onto her already short attention span. So, what was meant to be an intense cramming session became binge-watching her favorite show for the millionth time. Now, while staring into the mirror, the sandy blonde-furred rabbit tried her best to recall any scrap of arcane knowledge hiding in her head.  Regrettably, there was none to be found. 

"How did I waste the entire weekend?" Lily reprimanded her reflection with worry evident in her voice. After letting out a heavy sigh and giving her short black locks a quick run-through with her brush, Lily gave her mirror a look of resignation. "Well, Goddess bless me, I suppose."

The morning train ride was uneventful though it felt shorter than it had the past two weeks. While she sat in the train car, Lily flipped through as many pages of magical information as she could load on her phone. Unfortunately, possibly due to the rabbit’s panicked stats, very little took hold.  As quickly as her eyes took in the information on a website, it almost immediately fell out of her head. Upon hearing the train conductor read off South Aldcrest station, Lily gave up and stuffed the device back in her pocket.    

The air was humid and carried a wisp of salt from the ocean. The sound of far-off boat horns and the caws of seagulls played alongside trucks rolling down old cobblestone streets, bringing goods to the businesses of Aldcrest. Lily darted and slid past her fellow commuters as she tried to get to Starlight on time. Though there was plenty of time, Lily wanted to do everything she could to make an excellent first-day impression. 

As Lily rounded the corner onto Gropple Lane, the rabbit was greeted by the sight of Danniel in front of Starlight. The wolf was unlocking the door as she called a greeting to him. Danny returned the greeting with a nod. 

Starlight Magical and Literature Supply sat nestled between two other, unconnected buildings. It stood out as compared to its bland-looking neighbors. The front sported two large windows with the store’s name etched onto them. Dark purple wood encased the glass and formed the frame around Starlight’s front doors. The doors were made of the same material aside from the center of frosted glass. Above the doorway hung a twelve-piece tin wind chime. While it swayed and sang in the morning breeze, a pair of metal orbs orbited the trinket. One was made of gold and about the size of a baseball while the other sphere, roughly the size of a golfball, was made of silver.

"So, are you ready for your first day?" Danniel asked while stepping inside the store, the new girl following close behind.  

"No, actually," Lily answered while catching her breath.

"Oh? Is everything okay?" 

"I have to be honest with you, Dreads. Magic isn't something I know much about."  It was never really a subject Lily ever took much interest in. Growing up, no one in Emera Va messed with magic; those who did were primarily farmers and laborers. Her time in school was no help, but that was due to Lily’s love of goofing off in anything other than music classes. 

"And?" Danniel continued. 

"Seems like that would be important. You know plenty about magic, right?" Lily stayed close behind Danniel as he walked deeper into Starlight. 

"Well, no, you don’t need to know much about magic to work here. Isabella is pretty knowledgeable, though. Either way, customers usually know what they are looking for so I doubt you’ll get many questions. It's a great place to learn if you're interested." Danniel answered as he stopped behind the front desk. "One sec, I need to unbind the store."

"Huh?" 

"Just watch." Danny lifted his right hand over the wooden countertop. Once over the center, the wolf spoke a string of words in a language Lily didn't recognize. The words echoed as they left his mouth. The set of golden rings, one on each of his fingers, began to emit white light. As Danniel continued, an intricate design spread from end to end across the countertop. The markings gave off the same white light as the rings. When the complete design was revealed, he clenched his fist and the store sprung to life. Every light in the store simultaneously switched on while the various closed shutters flung open. The symphony of clicks caused by Starlight's many doors unlocking was nearly drowned out by the smooth jazz that began to play through the store's sound system. As he pulled his hand away, the glowing from Starlight’s front desk and Danniel’s rings faded in unison. 

"Whoa," Lily whispered in wonder as the mage stirred the sleeping Starlight. 

"That is unbinding the store. Extra layer of security. As for your question, yes, I know a lot about magic. Proud Alumni of Moonris Academy." 

"Any chance you could teach me some spells?" Lily asked as she resumed following Danniel further into the store.

"Sorry, but teaching isn’t my strong suit. Though I can point you in the right direction. Do you know what your element is?" Danniel stopped walking at a pair of elevator doors. 

"Hold on, why does this place have an elevator? It's like a single story." 

Danniel chuckled as he pressed a button on the panel beside the elevator. "Starlight has five floors, six if you count the basement. Why wouldn't we have an elevator?"

"No fucking way," Lily remarked, her voice slightly louder than it should be. 

"What? Also, language." 

"I've been past this place countless times, and there is no way in hell this place is five stories tall."

"You are overthinking it. We can talk about it later. I need to start my patrol." 

"Oh no, you don't," Lily spoke as she grabbed hold of the security guard's tail. The wolf let out a yelp as he was led back through the store and out the front door. As the two cleared the threshold, they barely missed the arriving Isabella. Stopping on the sidewalk, the rabbit finally released Danniel before facing and pointing at Starlight. "Alright, how in the name of the Goddess do you explain five floors inside that?" 

"Okay, first of all, don't touch my tail," Danny snapped at Lily while turning to face her. "Secondly, it has six stories, and third-" 

"It's, like, a pocket dimension." Isabella interrupted Danniel before taking a sip of her coffee. 

"Come again?" Lily turned her attention to the bat. 

"Pocket dimension. Like, it's kind of trippy." 

"What she said," Danny motioned toward Isabella as she strolled into Starlight. " Is there anything else you want to know, or can I go now?" the wolf continued, a hint of frustration clear in his voice.  

"I guess not. Isabella seems more helpful, anyway." Lily answered while heading back inside. 

Danniel stared at Lily as she joined Isabella, mouth hanging slightly agape. The wolf tried to find a response but lost his train of thought as Sandra arrived. The pair shared a greeting while he continued the door open. As Sandra followed the others, Danniel headed back towards the elevators. He paused for a moment to glance back at Lily. Giving a shrug, Danniel returned to the elevators so he could finally get back to his patrol. 

"I hope she doesn't make grabbing my tail a thing," Danniel muttered while he stepped onto the elevator. He rested his back against the wall with arms crossed. "I get enough of that will Azela."