RIMA

The warm, comforting dark behind shut eyelids was abruptly shattered as piercing shafts of sunlight cut into her dreams. Rima stirred, rolling over to bury her head into one of the fluffy white pillows that festooned the bed. There, the soft texture lulled her back into slumber, prompting pleasant dreams. And then, on the brink of deep sleep, the chattering of a myriad of birds disturbed her, followed by a growl emanating from her stomach.

The druid groaned drowsily, desiring only to return to sleep even as she accepted that such a feat would have been impossible. Blinking and squinting in the morning light, Rima threw a glare towards the opposing window, whose sheer white curtains did little to blunt the force of the sun. The shadowy form of a bird streaked past and she sighed. Normally, the birds were the first to rouse her. Today, it was the sun. She preferred the dreary, rainy mornings when both birds and sun were quiet and she could drowse to her heart's content.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Rima saw that Senri, too, had been forced to wake by the impatient morning. He had rolled over onto his stomach, arms around his head in an attempt to block out the light and birdsong. Scooting closer, she pressed her face into his side, wrapping her left arm around his waist. He hated the mornings just as much as she did, though she envied him at times for his ability to fall back asleep no matter the circumstances. Whether he fell back asleep or not, getting out of bed each day was undoubtedly the longest part of their morning routine. After a moment, she heard a stifled yawn from beneath Senri's arms before he slowly rolled over onto his back. Rima repositioned herself, laying her head against his chest, and felt the gentle brush of his fingers running through her hair.

For a while, the pair remained in bed in a nest of sheets and pillows of assorted sizes. Rima turned lazy blue eyes to the wall that faced the bed, where a giant pale rectangle of blank space greeted her. Once, this had been Sawako Touma's bedchamber and there, against that wall, had hung a life-size painting of the same marble young man who played piano in the entryway of the manor. The druid had not enjoyed sleeping across from those painted, watching eyes, and had disposed of the artwork within the first few days after she and Senri had acquired the manor.

A low rumble harmonized with the birds outside. "I'm hungry," the golden-haired mage mumbled, disgruntled, against the seer's skin.

Senri shifted, sitting up and removing her arm before silently exiting the room. Rima curled up again in the center of the mattress, more than content to remain exactly where she was. Her mind was still fogged with traces of sleep. She was a little more tired than usual today, after renewing all the runes that she had drawn around the manor. There was the curse to keep dust away, the curse that kept insects and animals away, the charm that preserved the manor itself, and of course, most importantly of all, the spell that hid the manor from all unwanted visitors. That one was both the most draining and the most vital.

The door swung open and Senri returned, expression sleepy and mahogany hair still tousled from sleep. He returned to the bed, opening a bundle of cloth in his lap to reveal two breakfast buns. Finally Rima used a small bit of her energy to sit up, leaning against the seer's side as she selected her bun and took a bite. When it came to fruits and vegetables, Rima was able to use her magic to find or grow them easily enough. However, she and Senri had to cook a large portion of their food, even if it was simple to obtain the ingredients. She had baked these two or three days ago and, thanks to her preservation spells, they had stayed fresh. Most spells she and Senri cast together, since combining their magical abilities usually facilitated the process tenfold, though she maintained them alone. Senri's magic was different from hers and his visions were sometimes exhausting. Neither of them wanted to risk the integrity of their runes, so Senri's power was not tied to them directly.

Finishing her bun and licking her fingers clean, the druid stretched, at last leaving the sanctuary of the bed to find clothes for the day. Senri was close behind her, rummaging through the trunk at the foot of the bed. Sawako Touma had left them with a large closet and several different chests and wardrobes, so they had no shortage of storage space in the room. Occasionally, Rima forgot where she stowed things, though neither she nor Senri occupied even half the available space in the room. It all seemed rather excessive, though neither of them could complain about their quality of life.

Once the two mages were dressed, they headed outside, towards the edge of the manor grounds where they practiced their magic. As they passed the stables and the practice yard, Rima noted that once again the two royals were already awake. She knew Zero didn't consider himself a royal, but regardless of his preference his lineage still qualified him as one. She paused, hand moving to her hip as she observed them. The pair had requested to stay at the manor for a short time to train the princess, which Rima had agreed to even if she thought the endeavor rather hopeless. Yuki had displayed an appalling amount of enthusiasm for learning the sword. More than Rima found necessary, especially given the quantity of physical energy such an activity required. The tiny brunette girl was learning from her scary knight quickly enough, she supposed, though if the mage had to summarize her skill at the moment it would have been: terrible.

"That's a perfect swing...for killing a chicken," Zero informed his pupil, whom he parried easily. At the moment, they were using practice swords that they had found in the guards' rooms in the manor. There had been other equipment there, such as armor and polishing kits, which they hadn't made use of so far.

Yuki, determined to be better, waited this time for Zero's attack. Her mouth was set in a straight line, eyebrows pinched together stubbornly. She held the practice sword with more confidence than she had days ago. Her stance was decent, her grip good, and her ambition high, but despite her efforts she had not come even close to mastering the techniques needed to wield a blade.

"I'm attacking your left," the knight told her, purposely sweeping around to the right, instead. The wooden sword knocked against her side and she made a sound of frustration. "My words lied," Zero said with far more patience than Rima would have had. "My eyes and my arm shouted out the truth, but you were not seeing."

Rima turned away from the scene, continuing past until she and Senri reached a thin tendril of the bog that curled around a sparse glen of skeletal, mossy trees. Rima had once cleansed the water here, though the effect had not been permanent. She did not wish to maintain such a thing, nor to disrupt the balance of the ecosystem. Currently, she was attempting to gain enough proficiency to manipulate elements other than the one for which she had an affinity: lightning. Of course, as a druid she could control at a basic level most aspects of nature, but at an advanced level she could use only one. If she truly wished to be powerful, she would have to master more than just lightning.

Senri, however, was not a druid. His magic was more potent and rarer, even strange. It was difficult for him to practice this magic unless an animal wandered by, though he always accompanied her. Although she wasn't sure of the proper name for it, Rima always considered Senri's magic to be blood magic, as he was able to directly manipulate either his own blood or the blood of others. She had seen him clot a wound or burst the jugular of a passing crocodylus. His power was both terrifying and useful, as neither of them ever had to go out of their way to hunt supper.

Stepping forward to the edge of the water, Rima concentrated her thoughts on the liquid before her. The whole body of water was still too much for her, so she narrowed her focus to a single droplet. She always began small and then gradually worked her way upwards in difficulty. Water was conducive to lightning. Therefore, logically, water should be conducive to her as well. Slowly, under the pressure of the magic she exerted upon it, the droplet rose in the air, quivering. She summoned it to her, feeling it slide against her palm and between her fingers before she sent it flying back into the depths of the brackish brook.

The next steps were ones she was all-too-familiar with. She had been practicing this magic for weeks now. She began with several more droplets, increasing the amount of water each time. When the amount was conservative, enough to fill a glass or a bowl, she was able to wield it. When the amount was greater, the liquid slipped out of her grasp, dissolving back into a mess of particles over which she had no control. Today, she hoped the result would be different. She wanted to improve, to have something to show for her efforts.

Rima shut her eyes, summoning all of her energy as she grasped at the mass of water that stood before her. She wanted it to move, if not outside of its natural boundaries, then at least within them. If she could just manage to create a current, or a whirlpool, or something... Scowling, she mentally prodded at the water, at first suggestively, then forcefully. For a moment, a mere cluster of seconds, she could feel the liquid stir sluggishly, as though a great beast were waking within its depths. And then, as quickly as she had sensed it, the sensation faded, and the waters grew dead and still once again.

Flustered, the druid flung her right hand out violently, spewing lightning towards the trees beyond the water. Immediately, the smell of singed wood filled her nostrils as a fresh set of scorch marks scarred the trunks of the unfortunate trees. She stomped her foot. She had been working up to this for months now, and yet the magic continued to defy her.

"I don't think that's what people mean when they say to gather firewood...," Senri remarked dryly, expression deadpan.

"I'll do it," she replied, more to herself than to him.

He only nodded, perhaps more confident in her abilities than she was. Then he stood from where he had been sitting atop a dead, fallen tree, brushing off his pants and gesturing towards the manor with a tilt of his head. Rima blinked, glancing upwards towards the sun. Already, the hot, yellow globe had risen above their heads. The magic had taken far longer today than she had realized. And still, she had accomplished nothing. Nothing at all.

Sighing, she nodded, following the seer back towards the manor. Zero and Yuki had paused to take a break now, both drinking from the canteens Senri had provided them and both sweating profusely in the afternoon heat. Rima, like Senri, wasn't particularly bothered by the sun since she was able to regulate her body temperature magically, though she understood their discomfort.

Although the seer continued back to the manor, Rima stopped near to the knight, contemplative. From the time of his arrival, Zero had never ceased to be wary of the mages. Perhaps he was merely over-cautious, or perhaps his distrust ran deeper. Certainly, mistrust of magic was a long-standing tradition in the Nine Kingdoms, from the time that the Kiryuus had ruled until now. After all, she, Senri, and her people were forced to live in hiding to escape the fear that their magic instilled. If it were not for the kindness and generosity of King Kaien, the druids would have faced persecution and slaughter. It was a debt that she and Senri continued to repay.

Although he was no longer alive, it seemed clear that Kaien had entrusted the future of the kingdoms to Yuki and to Zero. Rima had brought them here, revealed the items that Kaien had left for them, and given them a place to stay. It was poor recompense for the debt the mages owed the former king, though there was also not much more she could think to do for the time being. Although...she and Senri had perhaps discovered another, more significant way to repay their debt. However, beginning such a quest would require much more preparation and research...

Folding her arms, the druid again regarded the silver-haired knight standing a foot or two away from her. From the dark tint of his gaze, she had a feeling he was brooding. He had been brooding ever since the day of his arrival, since Yuki had begun pushing him to take the throne. She wasn't sure if he was always broody or not, but perhaps he just needed a nudge.

"You are still preoccupied with the truth Kaien shared with you," she commented, immediately catching his attention.

He did not respond immediately, and his hesitation confirmed her guess. In that space, the lines of his bones against his skin began to sharpen into hard angles and tension. His eyebrows beat together, his knuckles clenched tightly around the handle of the practice sword, and his violet eyes had taken on a hard glint that alerted her to a torrent of his pent-up emotions and thoughts.

"Sometimes a person has to choose," she murmured detachedly, "Sometimes the world forces his hand. If a man knows what he is and remains true to himself, the choice is no choice at all." She wasn't particularly interested whether he wanted the throne or not. She was only mildly interested in how her cryptic words affected him. Although, of course, she also would abide by the promise that she had made to King Kaien to aide Yuki and Zero in whatever way she was able.

She was met with hostility. He refused the very possibility of her words, twisting slightly away from her to reflect his attitude. Very quietly, so quietly she wasn't sure she had heard it at all, a low voice said in an undertone, "I'm not a king. I was a pit fighter."

Rima shot blue eyes into the violet ones across from her. The expression he gave her was intimidating. Honestly, if he did decide to pursue the throne, he probably didn't need to push hard to gain the support of noble houses. His face alone would scare them into submission...

One golden eyebrow arced upward. "If you're worried about how the public would receive a slave rising to lordship... Well, aren't you already a knight? But even so...never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you."

Pit fighter or not, she was sure his past mattered little. Royal blood was royal blood, no matter how diluted it had become. The nobles might object at first, but she knew that the capital was ready for a change. The citizens had become restless. They disliked this Kaname Kuran. If Zero and Yuki played their cards right, they could gain the support of the people.

Rima turned on her heel, making a beeline for the manor and leaving Zero wordlessly. It was nearly lunch time and afterwards she planned to retreat back to the tangle of sheets on that feather-soft mattress for an afternoon nap. Already, her body longed to lie there and drift off back into sweet dreams, head cushioned against a pillow to which clung the faint scent of perfume and Senri.

For a moment, she paused in the doorway to the manor, eyes flicking back towards the royals. Before she and Senri had taken this manor, life had been very different for them. Before Kaien, it had been even more so. She did not want to leave the sanctuary they had made for themselves here. But, even as she thought this, she knew that the decision had already been made. They would leave this place for a while and complete their promise.

Resigned, she headed for the kitchen. Her empty stomach demanded sustenance before she engaged in any more heavy thoughts.


AN: Rima joins the narrating club! Hmm, what kind of quest will they undertake? Also I know Rima wants to master other elements but she's pretty powerful already... Imagine being able to make your life so comfortable that easily. I'm jealous...