She was watching him again.

Sorrel could feel the girl's eyes digging into his back. Somehow, he resisted the urge to turn around.

Perhaps if he didn't acknowledge her gaze she would step forward and summon his attention in another way. His mother had suggested they encourage her to interact with them in more direct manners. Giving in now would work against that.

So, he focused on shoving his things into his travel bag. First were all the normal items: clothing, a handful of throwing knives, a bag of enchanted marbles, and his medicine. Next came the more unique objects for this particular trip: a ring he'd forged with his father to resist the cold and a pair of light-enchanted gloves his mother would kill him if he left behind. The last time they'd traveled to the South Sorrel had come home ill. His mother had taken one look at him and threatened to talk to the general about his health if it happened again.

With war on the horizon, that sort of conversation could get him chained to a desk. So, he had to be careful. There was no way Sorrel was going to leave Rena and Doren alone when the time came.

By the time he finished packing, the girl had edged through the door frame, but no closer. Seeing nothing left to occupy him, Sorrel sighed and turned to face her. She instantly stilled and smoke began to form around her legs.

"You're fine," he said. "I don't care that you're here."

Her expression may have not changed, but he got the distinct impression she didn't believe him. Not wanting to startle her further, he dropped down next to his bag, hoping that if he was sitting he wouldn't be intimidating.

"Were you curious?" Sorrel asked.

Silence fell between them, and for a moment he thought she wasn't going to react at all, before, finally, she gave a shallow nod. Warmth settled into his chest. Slowly, it seemed, she was beginning to become comfortable around him.

"I'm packing for a mission," he explained. "Want to look?"

She lingered near the door for a few seconds after his offer, before slowly stepping across the room. The smoke faded with each foot she closed until she was next to him. He stayed carefully still as she peered into his bag, before looking to Sorrel and pointing at one of the marbles.

"Are you asking what it is?" he prompted.

She nodded again and Sorrel smiled.

"Glass is a good conduit for mana," he said. "We buy them from a craftsman in town, then I use Dad's enchantment circles to push different attributes of mana into them. It helps me with missions."

She wrinkled her nose, obviously not seeing the point. He couldn't blame her. Taking the time to do those sort of enchantments would seem inefficient to any normal mage. And as odd as it was that she had the knowledge to realize that, he was used to the reaction. So, he laughed.

"I said they help me. Most people don't need tools like these. Or, if they do use them, it's the exploding kind. Those red ones, there."

The girl stepped away from his bag as he pointed out the marble. He resisted the urge to laugh again, not sure how she'd take being teased. "They won't go off unless I inject mana into them. Don't worry."

She seemed to waver between trusting him or retreating further. Eventually, she moved forward again. Her eyes flicked over his bag, before she pointed to another marble. Pleased, he took the time to explain each color and the enchantments associated with them as she silently asked. It wasn't anything she needed to know, but the fact she'd shown any curiosity at all was a good enough reason.

It wasn't until they'd finished that Sorrel glanced at his pocket-watch. He winced.

"I'd love to show you the rest of it, but I've got to get going. Doren will never let me hear the end of it if he shows up to the meeting spot before I do."

She seemed to hesitate, before gesturing at his bags again. It took him a full minute of shuffling thoughts to figure out what she might mean.

"You want to know about the trip?" he guessed.

She nodded.

"Oh," he muttered, raising a hand to rub at his hair. He took another peek at his pocket watch, debating the matter, before dropping back onto the bed with a sigh. "Well, I guess that takes a bit of explaining. Or at least, it does depending on what you know."

She watched him for a moment, eyes flicking to the part of the bed where Sorrel sat, before taking a step towards the opposite end. In an unexpected mirror of his own choice, the girl turned her back to the mattress and hopped up. The sudden impact nearly knocked his bag off the edge, leaving her scrambling to grab it before it fell. Her usual impartial expression turned flustered, leaving Sorrel laughing as he helped readjust his things.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and perhaps a bit of irritation. Biting back his laughter took effort, as did suppressing the coughs that nearly followed it. He put his hands up soothingly.

"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't laughing at you, promise."

It wasn't a complete lie.

She crossed her arms, but didn't get back up. Sorrel grinned and tossed his pocket-watch atop his things. His mind spun to her previous question as he debated how much was appropriate to share. Well. It isn't as if anyone said I couldn't tell her.

"What do you know about the magic tower?" Sorrel asked. "Anything?"

She shook her head.

"Hm. I guess I'll just have to start earlier, then. Before you came here, did you know anything about Whistrial?"

Another negative. "Yezi?"

She tilted her head, considering, before giving a slow shake. It was baffling, but Sorrel simply reminded himself that he'd decided not to question it all. His parents would tell him when he was allowed to know and no sooner.

"Okay, well, Yezi is the country we live in. It's the origin of the Hanoai empire. The magic tower, that big black building Mom goes to all the time, is the center of magic in Yezi, and therefore, Hanoai. Whistrial was built up as a place for mages to live while working or learning at the tower. With me so far?"

He paused long enough for her to nod, then moved on.

"There are minor towers in other parts of the empire, but none of them are as big as this one, and they all answer to General Allura. Most of them specialize in some sort of magic, unlike ours.

"Anyways, those who qualify, meaning they've enough mana to become a mage, are welcome to test their innate power at the tower of their choice. It goes against the laws to turn someone away whatever their status. If they pass, they get to join the basic classes. I did that when I was nine, but some people come even younger if they're strong enough. That usually only happens with families that live here, though. Mom says it's 'cause most folks don't have the money to uproot their lives just 'cause of a big mana pool. That means they usually wait until the kid is old enough to attend on their own--"

Sorrel cut off with a cough, then longer as it pulled several more from his chest. She watched, patiently, as he took several deep breaths once finished, before continuing.

"Ugh. Anyways. Once you've turned twelve, you either get sent back home, or get invited to stay with the tower. Those who stay get to join a team, like me, and start taking missions and things like that. Just locally, of course. They can't send kids on the dangerous stuff. If you're any good at it, when you're fourteen you get to take your first licensing exam. After that your team can get called out for anything matching your level, 'cause you've officially become a member of the tower."

"That's what I'm heading out for. General Allura--she's the head of the tower, that's why we call her the general--gave us a mission. So, we're gonna go out and kick some ass. Or something. I don't know all the details yet." And couldn't share them even if he did.

Sorrel's cheer faltered as the girl frowned and kicked out her legs. Was she upset?

"Apprentices and active mages don't usually don't stay home this long," he added, scratching his cheek. "Ignoring the occasional injury or whatever, they've typically been sending my team out within two weeks of returning from a mission. I think we only stayed home this long because of you."

Her eyes refocused on him and--after a moment of staring--she reached up to tap his pocket watch.

"Oh, yeah, guess I really should get moving," Sorrel agreed and stood. He paused as she shook her head and tapped the pocket watch again, harder this time. He racked his mind for what she could mean. "What time is it?"

Another head shake. "How long will I be gone?"

She nodded.

"Oh." He frowned. "A month or so. Takes two weeks to reach where we've been sent."

She slid off his bed with a nod. And then, without giving him another look, she left his room. Baffled, Sorrel hurried to the doorway, and peeked out to see she'd already reached the stairs.

"Uh, bye, I guess!"

꧁༺ ༻꧂

The longer the girl stayed with them, the more certain Camilla became that she'd made the right choice in taking her in.

It felt as if they'd found the piece missing from their family. And whether he admitted it or not, she was certain Rhom felt the same. Otherwise, there was no way he would have agreed to bring the girl along with him to work after Allura cleared Camilla to take tower work once again. And while she agreed with the choice--being stuck within Whistrial had begun to make her anxious, especially with all the rumors circling--it made spending personal time with their charge harder.

In the end, it took Camilla an entire month to find a free evening. Which was why she was determined to make the best of it. The moment Rhom returned from work with the girl in tow, Camilla guided her back out into the village.

Their first stop was the toy shop. While she hadn't expected the excitement Sorrel had boasted at the girl's age, she had hoped the venture would result in something. Her heart ached when--instead of looking around--the child stayed at her side, seemingly disinterested in everything. In the end, she bought a mixture of plushes and simple games. The girl accepted the bag without protest, and off they set again.

"We'll buy something every time we come out," Camilla told her. "That way, you get something out of our trips as well."

Spoiling the child hardly seemed possible. If anything, she got the impression she would be the one getting more pleasure out of the purchases.

The girl tightened her grip on the bag's handle, before giving a nod of understanding.

Pleased, Camilla moved onto the next shop. Their evening continued in a quiet, comfortable manner and while most of the shops received the same reaction as the first, she was willing to take it as an accomplishment that there wasn't a moment that the girl's frame became encased in smoke.

It was the little things.

Slowly, it seemed, the girl was growing more confident. Perhaps she simply trusted that whatever happened, Camilla would be able to protect her. Or maybe she was just confident in her own abilities, whatever they were.

Their final stop was at a bookstore. There was one last detail concerning the child that was pressing on Camilla's heart.

"Oh, welcome, Madam!" the shopkeeper called as they entered.

Camilla returned the greeting as approached the counter, before pausing. The girl wasn't behind her. A quick study of the shop revealed that she'd lingered near the door, eyes caught by something outside. Camilla hesitated, before ultimately deciding to leave her be. She refocused her attention on the shopkeeper.

"Is my order in?" she asked.

"The Study of Elementals? Came this morning," the woman confirmed.

Within a few minutes, the package was paid for and in her hands. It felt heavier than she'd expected. Or, perhaps that was just the weight of the responsibility that fell between its pages.

Hopefully, by the end of the night, she'd find a name within the volume that the girl would like.

Thanking the shopkeeper, she tucked the package amongst the rest of her purchases, before turning to leave. She'd barely taken a step before fear froze her in place.

The girl was gone.