Rumors ran rampant in Whisterial as time passed in artificial silence.

Anyone capable of following the whispers on the wind could hear the tides of war rumbling in the distance. Apprentices were shuffled out the door of the tower to receive heavier, faster education. Licensing exams were held in smaller intervals, with mostly no complaints from the overworked mages.

"This isn't fair."

The tired declaration was met with utter silence.

Noa didn't even bother to lift his eyes from the book spread across their shared cafe table. When the seconds continued to tick by without even a hint that her friend was considering acknowledging Rena had spoken, she groaned. Her head fell atop her notebook in a perfectly justified show of dramatics. Mana swirled around her, the resulting breeze ruffling the feather of the quill tucked in her fingers.

All motivation to continue writing had vanished from her mind, so she released the quill as it trembled. A twirl of her finger, and another flash of mana--intentional, this time--sent it spinning through the air. Much to her disappointment, Noa calmly ducked at the last second, causing the projectile to miss his head entirely.

"You can't say I'm wrong," she grumbled.

With a heavy sigh, her friend finally lifted his violet eyes. "It isn't as if he had a choice in the matter. Sir Ophir--"

"Ophir. He said to stop with all the 'sir' stuff, remember?" Rena interrupted. Noa frowned, prompting her to continue in a teasing tone. "Especially you--oh, how did that maid say it...Young Lord Noa."

A bright flush crept across his cheeks. "That--Regardless of title, Ophir doesn't have the ability to refuse a summons. And General Allura had to send someone. Your team is best equipped."

"That's not what I'm complaining about," she retorted with a wave of her hand. As Noa raised a brow, obviously prompting her to continue, Rena lifted her head, before dropping it in the palm of her free hand. "Us getting sent out was never a question. The moment we passed the exam our names were on the list. Good little boys and girls not yet utterly sworn into the tower, but strong enough to kill a man will always be the first ones stuck in an imperial battalion. We're just lucky our rank disqualifies us as canon fodder."

Noa grimaced. "What are you upset about, then?"

"Ophir should be the one telling Sorrel he's gotta leave his cute little sister."

"They're not siblings. And, he was going to. I'm the one who pointed out I already had plans with y--" Noa began, then cut off as something behind her seemed to catch his eye. "Is that Sorrel?"

Rena twisted around her seat. Unease chilled her chest as she spotted her teammate weaving through the crowded street. Exertion had his face even paler than usual, and as she watched he paused to bury his mouth in his elbow. Before the thought had fully crossed her mind, Rena was on her feet and crossing the street to join him.

Sorrel in a coughing fit was no uncommon sight. Her friend was ill more often than he wasn't. Still, the situation only tangled that chilling feeling deeper into her insides.

"You alright?" she called.

He lifted his head, eyes skimming first her, then Noa.

"I--" he cut off with another cough. Rena pursed her lips as Noa spun around, heading back towards their table.

"I'll grab water."

"No--it's--I'm fine," Sorrel managed. "Just forgot my medicine."

"Sorrel," Noa groaned. Still, he stopped walking, instead returning to Rena's side.

"You should go back hom--" she began.

"No time," Sorrel interrupted. "I can't find her."

Rena tensed. There was only one person he wouldn't mention by name, but would be searching for so frantically. "Where have you looked?"

"About everywhere I can think of. It's not like her to suddenly disappear. I mean--she's done it before, but that was odd--she usually doesn't even move without someone asking her to!"

She exchanged a look with Noa. While Sorrel hadn't shared any details about what was going on with the elemental, it was obvious that she wasn't just a family friend like the cover story. A family friend wouldn't have turned up little more than skin and bones and refuse to talk or think on her own. If she had disappeared...

There was a chance it could be serious.

"Let's split up," Noa suggested, before pointing down the street. "I'll head this way. You double back towards your house, see if she just got lost and decided to retrace her steps. Take your pills while you're there. Rena can head towards the tower. Between the three of us we should be able to find some trace of her mana signature--it's pretty distinctive. We'll meet back at the tower in thirty minutes. If we haven't found her by then we'll report it to your mother. She would be training with her apprentices at this time of day, right?"

Panic fell away from Sorrel's expression as Noa's plan seemed to register in his mind and he nodded a silent confirmation. The whole situation reminded Rena how despite her earlier complaints, she could see why Ophir had agreed to let Noa share the bad news. Their friend resembled his mother in all the right ways.

When he spoke, people listened. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Noa would inherit the tower one day.

Well, him or Aarin.

"Let's go."

Following Noa's order, Rena turned in the direction of the tower. A quick shift of mana to her feet allowed her to propel herself to the top of the cafe. Between branches and rooftops, she quickly covered ground.

Unease crept into her mind as wave after wave of carefully released mana revealed no sign of the girl's familiar signature. It wasn't until she was within blocks of the tower that she gave up and dropped back to street level. The heavy shielding enchanted into the tower's bricks would block any level of mana sensing that a mage of her grade could manage.

Gods, she wished the kid had a name. Searching for her would make the search so much easier if Rena could just call for her.

It was another reason Rena knew the tale Sorrel had told them was fake.

The sort of parents who didn't name their kid weren't the kind Sorrel's parents would be friends with. She'd tried to question him about the matter on their last mission. Her teammate had shrugged, saying that at first his parents hadn't wanted to push her too far. They'd thought that trying to name her might feel like they were forcing her to accept them. Then, later, when she was comfortable and potentially ready for the next step, his mother had decided to do some research before suggesting something.

'She wants the name to fit,' he'd explained. 'She bought a book about famous elementals and everything. Wants something inspirational, I guess. Dad laughed, but he must agree with Mom, 'cause he told me to be patient and stop bugging them.'

Rena's fears fell apart the second the tower came into few.

Standing three feet in front of a vaguely familiar mage and his canine familiar, expression blank as ever, was the girl. Wind tossed her hair around her thin frame, leaving little doubt in Rena's mind as to why she hadn't used smoke to slip past the obviously irate mage.

"As I've sai--"

"Hey!" Rena called out, then flushed as only the giant, russet wolf seemed to pay her greeting any mind. She didn't back down, however, and closed the little distance left between her and the girl's side. "Sorrel's looking for you."

The elemental glanced at her, finally seeming to notice Rena's arrival, before shrugging and looking back to the mage.

He sighed. "You know the kid?"

"She's Camilla and Rhom's ward," she answered. "You know--the Lunas family."

Understanding filled his eyes, followed by deepened irritation. "The one she brings around on occasion?"

Sorrel hadn't told her about that, but she nodded anyway. It wasn't as if Camilla would be dragging around any other non-tower kids.

"If she had just told us she wanted to see Mage Camilla..." the man practically growled in exasperation. The wolf at his side shifted its feet, teeth bared.

Rena took a step forward, shifting her body between the girl and the mage. She didn't expect anyone of the tower would attack an unarmed civilian, but there were always exceptions to common sense. He rolled his eyes.

"Mage Camilla left for the training grounds over an hour ago. Her team was with her, so she probably won't be back today," he paused, before frowning at the girl. "Besides, even if she hadn't, I still can't just let a civilian in. I would think any kid of Mage Camilla's would know that."

"It's complicated," Rena hedged, before digging into the pouch at her waist.

It took a moment, but she managed to locate her pocket watch and shove mana into it. The face shifted from the time to a compass, with hers spinning pointlessly. Hopefully, her teammate would recognize the signal for what it was--a sign she'd found the kid. The others--well, they could worry for a bit.

"Complicated or not, there's rules," the man continued. "From the sounds of it, Sorrel was supposed to be watching her, right? Tell him to keep a handle on the brat from now on. Or else I won't be so patient next time."

Irritation swelled in Rena's chest. "You're acting like she's some massive intruder. The kid's nine, tops. Back off, will ya?"

"Gods," he swore, before looking to his companion. "This is why I don't like dealing with the apprentices."

The wolf snarled, in what might have been agreement. Rena took a step forward, hand falling to her pouch. "What the actual f--"

"Rena!" Sorrel called, cutting her off.

'That was fast.' She spun to face the noise and was relieved by the sight of her teammate running up the street. He paused to catch his breath, eyes scanning their small group.

"...you didn't find her?"

"Huh? She's right--" Rena began, then froze as her eyes scanned the otherwise empty path. Her gaze jumped to the tower just as the door clicked shut. "...oh."

Sorrel, seeming to catch on within the second, swore and took off after her. The swearing mage did the same, wolf at his heels. Groaning, Rena followed.

꧁༺ ༻꧂

"So, despite your status, I've orders to hold you back until--"

"You can't go in there!"

Allura paused, her eyes turning to her office door with interest. A second after the panicked shout, smoke billowed into the room from beneath the doorframe. It swirled in place, before reforming into the familiar, crimson-haired elemental. The second recognition settled into her mind, her momentary irritation faded into curious amusement.

The door burst open behind her. Sorrel burst through, followed by an irate Beiran. His companion skidded to a stop at his heels just as Rena flew into his back. Allura raised the mission file in her hands as to conceal the curl of her lips.

"Uh, oh--um, sorry!" Sorrel stammered. He bowed as his entire face flushed. "I--she's hard to catch!"

The general chuckled. Rather than reply as the others--elemental excluded--eached dipped into flustered bows, she turned her gaze to Aarin. The boy had already tugged his hood down, magic rippling in place. Whatever he thought on the issue was hidden in the shadows.

"You'll understand if I take this first, won't you?" she asked.

For a moment, he gave no indication of an answer, before slowly inclining his head. She smiled and turned her attention back to the group. Sorrel's hand laid on the back of the girl's neck, having seemingly pressed her into a copied bow as he whispered in her ear. Smoke curled around her feet, but much to Allura's surprise, she'd made no move to push away from him.

Leaning forward in her seat, the general studied the girl as the child's eyes skipped between Allura and Aarin. Her hair nearly concealed her expression, but Allura could make out enough of it to understand that if Sorrel wasn't urging her to behave, she would have likely been staring at Aarin alone.

'Did she recognize him?' Allura couldn't help but wonder. From the healers' reports, she had been under the impression that the child had been too sick at the time to remember anything of the short time she'd traveled with the boy after he'd dealt with her guardians. But, if they were wrong...

Was it fascination or resentment that fed her gaze?

Sorrel cleared his throat. "I'll take her back home. You--that's--you can go back to--please don't mind us."

"I told her she wasn't allowed in!" Beiran declared. "The girl ignored my orders."

Allura sighed, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. "By being here, aren't you leaving the door unguarded, Mage Beiran?"

The man paled. Without argument, he turned on his heel and left the office, wolf at his side. That matter dealt with, she returned her gaze to Sorrel.

"Stay. I would hear what she intended."

"I--she still doesn't speak, General."

"Is that so?" Allura looked to the girl. "Then, perhaps this is the time. What did you mean with this, child?"

She straightened from her bow, but said nothing. The other two apprentices followed suit when Allura didn't scold her, taking it as a sign they were allowed to stand. As the silence extended, Sorrel shifted uneasily from one foot to another, obviously uncomfortable. Rena looked to have edged closer to the door.

"Do you know what this place is?" she settled for asking the girl.

She nodded, before looking at Sorrel. He stiffened and straightened his posture. Allura gestured for him to speak.

"I explained the tower to her before I left for our last mission," he said. "I don't know if Mom said anything more. But, I gave her the basic details. About how we train here and how it's the center of magic."

The general hummed thoughtfully, laying her file back on her desk. As she templed her fingers, her attention settled on the child once more. After a full minute of silence, a suspicion unfurled in her thoughts. She laughed.

"I see. Is that really what you want?"

The child gave an impatient nod. She glanced at Sorrel, before copying his posture, clasping her hands behind her back and straightening. Allura raised a hand to conceal her heightened amusement as Sorrel glanced between them, obviously at a loss.

"You'll be older than everyone in your class," she continued. "It might be difficult to make friends."

Disbelief flooded the apprentices' expressions as Aarin's hands curled into fists at his sides. Allura noted the reaction with interest, wondering what about the girl had potentially provoked his irritation at the idea of her joining them.

The look she received from the child herself seemed to question if Allura was done speaking yet. Once again, she found herself laughing. Her mind turned to the reports the couple had sent after the girl was placed in their care. Nothing in it was worrying. In fact, it all seemed to back her initial impression that the child was merely a victim of circumstance.

And, if she wasn't, where better to keep an eye on her than in the center of Allura's influence?

"I'm not against it," she mused aloud. "But, there are certain procedures that have to come before you could be admitted. Your mana must be tested and your attributes documented. We will also need to evaluate your level of education. If you cannot pass the tests, your qualification would be in danger. Are you certain?"

Silence followed. This one Allura refused to break herself. The tension in the room only grew as minutes ticked by without either side backing down.

Then, eventually, the girl dropped her hands.

"Y-yes."

Her voice was hoarse from disuse. The single word caused it to crack in the center, giving a tremble to her otherwise confident tone.

It was the softest, and simplest of words.

But--it was enough. Allura smiled.

"Then, so be it. I will submit the papers and contact your guardians. Meanwhile, you have a single task. One more important than the tests that lay ahead.

"You need a name."