“I think you’ve just found your Innate Element, Kirin.” Tulip’s words replayed in my head a handful of times, leaving me with some sort of confusion and understanding—One which almost nauseatingly overlapped with the excitement I felt in waves from Tulip.

  “My Innate Element is… seeing colors and getting some sort of feeling from them?” I vocalized my confusion.

  “It’s more than just that. But, you have to experiment to figure it out,” Tulip let out a soft sigh, a smile soon replacing it on her lips. “Think of it this way; I had no clue what my Innate Element was for years, for the longest time all I could do was slow things down. But, after I played with it enough and learnt what it was, I found that it was sort of like gravity.” Tulip explained, waving her hands emphatically as she did.

  “So, right now you just get some sort of weird empathic powers, but who knows how that will mix together with your natural electrical affinity?” Tulip added with a wide grin.

  “Right now what I need is to figure out how to turn it off…” I grumbled with dissatisfaction.

  “Is it that bad?” Tulip asked curiously.

  “The windows hurt to look at…” I answered with a disheartened sigh. During which Panna re-entered the room, a platter in hand alongside some steaming cups which let off a sweet aroma.

  “Thank you, Panna,” Tulip said with a soft smile.

  “Thank you,” I mirrored Tulip’s words. We both took our glasses, but I found myself staring at the platter again after a few moments of gently blowing the heat away from the tea. “Did you not make yourself a cup, Panna?” I asked curiously.

  “Oh course not—I can’t put myself on the same level as you two…” Panna said with a quick shake of her head. “I’m just a servant!” She proclaimed.

  “No, you’re not,” I disagreed with her. “I’m not ‘superior’ to you in any way. Tulip? Sure, she’s above us, but we’re both from the same places…” I tried to explain, though, Panna’s face just grew thick with worry.

  “Are you firing me?!” Panna exclaimed in fear.

  “No!” I stated quickly. “I just don’t want you to go around and act like you’re lesser than me.”

  “But—” Panna started, just to get cut off by Tulip.

  “Panna, while other people are around, it’s good for you to be a good ‘servant,’” Tulip started. Though, she quickly raised a hand, forcing the words I couldn’t even start mustering to die in my mouth. “But with me, or just Kirin around? You’re a friend already. Not a servant.” Tulip turned her face into a smile, aiming it at both Panna and myself.

  I had to let out a sigh, shaking my head a little. I turned, offering my cup towards Panna.

  “Take it, I’ll be fine, alright?” I said, finally getting Panna to take the cup. “And sit down, you don’t need to stand constantly either.” Panna was surrounded by fearful greens and blues for a few moments when I spoke, but when Tulip gave her a reassuring smile she relented. The greens and blues even began to fade into softer, comfortable yellows.

  “Hmm, say, Panna, what would you say about going out shopping?” Tulip asked with a mischievous smile.

  “A-Are you sure?—I don’t have anything to spend…” She mumbled hesitantly, the colors around her torn between a longing orange and worried blues as she went for a slight sip of her cup.

  “Oh?” Tulip’s tone turned sweet as honey, yet just as similarly, the colors surrounding her were a sharp and satisfied red while she sipped at her tea. “So, you’re telling me Kirin isn’t even paying you yet? I guess that just means we’ll all have to go out.”

  “Oh! That sounds fantastic!” Panna couldn’t help but cheer. Her bright colors so filled with sudden excitement that I had to look away.

  “This hardly sounds fair… I don’t even have money,” I grumbled. “And what part of ‘The windows hurt to look at’ did you miss?” I asked desperately. But, the mischievous golden color around Tulip was all too bright for me to get out of this.

  “Exposure therapy, I’m sure you’ll love it.” Tulip said with an all too satisfied smile. All I could do was try desperately to not scream at the injustice of it.

  “Maybe…

  A blindfold could help?” Panna said from the side, drawing both of our attention.

  “With what?” I asked quickly, my eyebrow raised.

  “The windows! If something hurts to look at, wouldn’t a blindfold help? Although… I don’t know how magic works, if you can see…” Panna trailed off, her tone quickly losing confidence.

  “Would that work?” Tulip asked with a raised brow. “Come to think of it… I wonder if that’s how Miss Nenema ‘sees’ despite being blind…” Tulip muttered under her breath.

  “I… don’t know.” As I spoke I looked around. Luckily, draped over the back of the couch was a knit blanket. I reached over and grabbed it, holding it up in front of my eyes.

  I could still see some, almost like my mind was inferring what should have been through nothing but a vague impression of presence. It was as if I saw a foggy outline of a person through a frost-covered window, one which I could recognize through just the impression of their colors.

  “Panna, you’re a genius!” I exclaimed, a broad smile covering my face.

  ‘I am?” Panna asked in shock. “Is this some weird magic thing?…” She added to her question.

  “No, this is just Kirin being weird.” Tulip said with a snicker.

  “Poke fun all you want, but you’re the one who’s helping me buy a blindfold.” I stated with a grin of my own as I returned the blanket to its position.

  “You’re lucky I have expendable funds…” Tulip sighed.

  Without much more delay we all stood up and got ready to leave the home for the markets. With an entire day to burn ahead of us, although, nearly the instant the door was opened I found myself regretting even being convinced to leave the safety of solid walls.

  Stepping outside of the door I was accosted by an onslaught of overwhelming colors. The entire town was alight with a thousand hues, each one trying to enforce a feeling upon me with such intensity that I physically recoiled away from the sight.

  “Ack!—” I cried out, trying to cover my eyes and look away from the intensity.

  “Miss Kirin!” Panna cried out in panic as I stumbled back from the sight. “Are you alright?” She asked quickly as she lay steadying hands on my shoulders.

  “Is it that intense?” Tulip asked with a raised brow, her tone more curious than concerned.

  “I’m…” I started, pausing the instant I tried opening my eyes again. “I’m fine, it’s just like… everywhere I look is like staring at the sun.” I spoke through clenched teeth as I forced my eyes open, taking in the bright lights that assaulted me from every direction.

  “I can just go and get something for you if you’d like.” Tulip made the offer, her tone sounding far more concerned now.

  “No—I need to try and work through it,” With a heavy sigh I steadied myself from Panna’s support. “This is just going to suck…” I grumbled as I turned my gaze down and away from the intense colors.

  “We’ll try and make it quick.” Tulip said with a reassuring tone.

  “Mhm! I’ll be here to help too!... However I can…” Panna said with a first burst of confidence that quickly faded away.

  “Thanks, both of you.” I groaned softly.

  Without any further discussion, Tulip lead the way into Arcadia—As always, with some destination in mind.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  —

  “Verdant!” Tassia exclaimed suddenly, shooting to her feet. “Flamewatch, close!”

  Tassia’s words made everyone gathered around the fire shoot to their feet. The guards were quick to draw their weapons, while Verdant took only a split second to start thinking.

  “Where are they, and how close, Tass?” Verdant spoke quickly, her voice a strange mixture between firm demands and gentle caring.

  “T-T-Towards the town—They’re coming right here! I… I can’t count, too much glare…” Tassia was speaking quickly, her voice betraying her barely held together anxiety. “A-About… Half a mile?... They’re coming quickly!” Tassia babbled out, her voice shaking on the brink of tears.

  “Shit…” Verdant cursed under her breath, her mind racing a mile a minute as she thought.

  “Do we fight them?” One of the three guards asked, their voice filled with nothing but loyalty.

  “No. We can’t afford to make any mistakes this close to the coast,” Verdant spoke quickly, but she was thinking even faster. “Tassia, keep this illusion up, but put a second one over us. All of you, stay close together, we’re making a break for the coast tonight.” Verdant’s orders were quick, but Tassia was already freezing up.

  “B-But… What if they see us again?” Tassia whimpered out, her gaze fell towards the snow-covered soil as she did.

  Verdant didn’t waste any time. She walked over to Tassia, her warm hands planting firmly upon the pale shoulders of the shorter woman, and in the instant she spoke, the royal demeanor Verdant put up was washed away.

  “Tassia, breathe, alright?” Verdant spoke softly. “You’ve gotten us this far, and there is no telling if you messed up. Believe in yourself and help us make this last step. Kay?” Verdant put as much reassurance in her words as she could manage, even managing to bring Tassia’s gaze upwards slowly.

  “A-Alright…” Tassia stammered, sniffling all the while.

  “Come on, I’ll carry you.” Verdant said, bringing a distinct sound of gasps from the guards. Gasps that lead to a deadly silence when Verdant turned around and picked Tassia up over her back.

  “Stay quiet and let's move, Tassia, all you need to worry about is keeping our illusions up.” Verdant ignored the stares her guards were giving her. She didn’t have the time to decipher them, nor did she have the time to acknowledge them.

  With nothing but silent affirmations, the small party began moving.

  —

  It was around half an hour later when my suffering was finally lessened. Tulip had been leading us on a winding path through Arcadia, curving around just about every street, major road and back road until we ended up in a strange district that bordered the wealthier and poorer regions of the city.

  Only when Tulip spoke after turning towards a building that looked exactly like any other did I know we had arrived.

  “We’re here.” Tulip spoke with a smile and pep in her step as she approached the door.

  “Yay…” I groaned out miserably while following her. “Did we really need to go so far for a blindfold?…” I whimpered out.

  My head was absolutely pounding. My body felt ready to explode in any number of emotions, varying from uncontrolled joy to furious hatred or overwhelming sadness. Every feeling of every person I glanced at washed over me, it almost felt like it had been growing more intense the longer we were in the city.

  “Not really, but I wanted to go somewhere that Panna could also get some things,” Tulip said with a teasing grin.

  “You didn’t need to!” Panna declared.

  “I didn’t need to, but I wanted to,” Tulip answered with a shrug. “Besides, Kirin survived and we’re here now. So let’s head on in.” Tulip added with a waving gesture, dragging both of us to follow behind her.

  The gentle ring of a bell greeted us when Tulip pressed the door open, a thankfully windowless room laying before the doorway. The immediate mental relief which I felt once stepping in couldn’t be understated.

  “Welcome!” A feminine voice called from the back. “I’ll be with you in just a moment!” She added after a moment.

  “Go ahead and look around Panna, don’t be afraid to ask if you’d like something made either.” Tulip said with a smile.

  “A-Alright…” Panna’s sounded reluctant, but she could barely hide the smile from her face or stop the swaying in her tail as she was given free range to go through and look at clothes.

  With my pounding head slowing abating, I found myself relaxing enough to start taking in the building I stood inside of.

  It was a rather small room and absolutely packed even despite that fact. The walls and much of the floor were lined with racks holding countless garments, most of which looked to be of an impressive make.

  The room itself was lit by a gently glowing lantern on the front counter, casting it all in a dim, but pleasant lighting. The floors were made of a rather well polished wood, giving the entire building a higher-class feeling without taking away the pleasant, almost homey nature of the interior.

  “Oh! Your Majesty, you’re back!” A feminine voice called from the doorway behind the counter.

  Looking over, I quickly took in the new face.

  She was relatively tall—Maybe a few inches taller than Tulip, with shoulder length brunette hair. She had glimmering, emerald green eyes, but beyond that she looked rather average. Certainly not someone I could have picked out of a crowd.

  “Miss Anne,” Tulip greeted Anne with a smile. “I’m just bringing some friends here—She could use a bit of help procuring a blindfold, Panna’s probably going to be buying a few things.” Tulip said quickly.

  “Oh! You’re Miss Kirin, right?” Anne asked with a smile. For a few moments a prideful and excited blue flared around her body.

  “Uhm… Yes?” I answered somewhat hesitantly.

  “Oh! Wonderful! What did you think of that dress I made for you?!” Anne asked quickly, her excited and pridefilled colors flaring even more intensely.

  I could only give Tulip a slight side-eye before sighing softly, drawing out a worried green from Anne before I spoke.

  “The dress is lovely,” I said quickly. “Though, to no fault of your own, I pray I’m never stuck in a situation where I have to wear it again.” I added with a sigh.

  “Oh my… Was the festival not enjoyable?” Anne asked worriedly.

  “I’m not a fan of crowds—That's sort of why I need the blindfold.” I answered.

  Anne gave Tulip a strange look that I couldn’t quite decipher. Even the swirling colors around Anne seemed to abate, almost as if hiding her emotions for the moment.

  “Weird magic things.” Tulip added with a shrug.

  “Ah,” Anne said with an understanding nod. “Well, please, back this way—I’ll help you pick out a cloth and get a piece cut for you.” Anne turned after she finished, heading back through the door she had first arrived through.

  “Go on,” Tulip said with a playful shove to my back. “She doesn’t bite.” She added with a giggle.

  Sighing softly, I started forwards and followed into the back of the store. Once I stepped through the swinging door I was quickly assaulted by an intense smell of aged fabrics, one which was somehow both overwhelming and greatly pleasing at the same time.

  Looking around, all I could see were wall-to-wall stacks of different colored linens and cloths. The singular room must’ve cost an unbelievable fortune for Anne to stockpile. Anne herself stood a little ways back from the door, near to a table with cloth-working items upon it.

  “Alright, so what are you needing for your blindfold?” Anne asked, her voice sounding rather soft.

  “Something durable and not ugly?” I asked uncertainly. “I don’t know how long I’m going to need it for, but I’d like for it to look decent and hold up to magicky things.” I added, using some awkward hand gestures as I spoke.

  “Durable and not ugly… Alright,” Anne said with a nod. Thoughtful greens started surrounding her as she muttered under her breath so quietly that I couldn’t quite hear her. “Blindfold or a full mask?” She asked after a moment's thought, her gaze turning inquisitive as she studied my face.

  “Just a blindfold—I don’t need a full mask.” I answered quickly.

  “Well, if you want my opinion, I would use some of my nicer red cloths. They won’t be the most durable, but I can cut a few out for you and they’ll look the best. Or I can also use some white ones if you’d like it to blend in with your hair.” Anne explained, while she did so she was already starting to grab some rolls of linens out from the shelves.

  “Maybe one or two of each? Knowing my magic I’ll probably be tearing them up…” I sighed out.

  “That’s fine. I’ll get these cut out quickly then be up front with you all.” Anne concluded.

  With a slight nod I turned, making my way back out from the strangely short interaction.

  “Done already?” Tulip asked when I stepped back out.

  “She just wanted to know what colors I’d like.” I shrugged.

  “Ah, well, I think Panna might be a little torn for decisions—Though it’s kind of cute to watch.” Tulip confessed with a slight giggle.

  “Oh?” I inquired with a curious grin.

  “They’re both so cute! I don’t know which one…” Panna whined from behind a shelf full of hats. When she stepped back around I couldn’t help but giggle, seeing her holding two nearly identical hats, with the only difference being the color of the decorative feather sticking out to the side.

  Panna continued to go over her dilemma for a few more minutes until Anne came out from the back with four lines of cloth, two red and two white in her hands. It only took a few more moments from there—Panna deciding on getting both hats—And Tulip paying before we were turning to leave.

  “Thanks again, Anne!” Tulip called with a wave over her shoulders.

  “Come again! You know I’ll always gladly make dresses for you all.” Anne called back.

  “Ready to go?” Tulip soon asked, looking expectantly at me.

  “Yeah… This is just going to take some getting used to.” I said with a sigh, pulling one of the white blindfolds over my eyes. The world didn’t quite go dark, but the countless colors certainly grew dimmer. Faint outlines were all I had to work with, leaving me hard pressed to try and guess at the depth or distance of objects. But, when the door opened, I was immediately relieved.

  It was still painful to look at the crowds, but it was substantially more manageable now.

  “Now, where should we head to next?” Tulip asked, her tone easily betraying her smile.

  “Some food maybe?” Panna offered.

  “Food sounds nice.” I agreed with a nod.

  “Then food it is.” Tulip declared before once more leading us off into the city.

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