Kouichi led the way through the darkened hallway, using his sharp ears to check for the night watchmen as he, Izumi, Takuya and Kouji crept towards Goodwinson's old apartments. Being discovered sneaking about was not a position that he wanted to be discovered in, as it would no doubt damage their position as ambassadors. He froze as he heard footsteps approaching, causing Izumi to run into his back.

"What? What is it?" she asked quietly.

Kouichi tilted his head to try to pin down where the sound was coming from. "Someone is coming."

Izumi moved past him, and led them quickly to a staircase, which she climbed up far enough that the group was hidden from the oncoming person.

Kouichi closed his eyes as the person passed, focusing on his magic and the impressions in the world around him. As always, he could feel Kouji brush back lightly, checking that Kouichi was not trying to get his attention, then went back to his attentive state, a small amount of unfocused worry topmost in his mind. Izumi and Takuya were both worried, and Kouichi tuned them out, focusing on the figure passing by. This mind was focused and calm, and reminded Kouichi of a pond or lake, still on the surface, but deep. Kouichi tried to delve further, but the mind was too still for him to make much progress. As a last chance he projected is own image to them, raising an inquiry from Kouji as he caught it, and a bolt of hatred and purpose from the mind, before it continued along the corridor and out of Kouichi's easy range.

//Kouichi? What is it?//

Kouichi sorted through what he'd perceived briefly before answering. //I think it was Honoured-Joshua. Someone wanting to check up on us, or find our location.//

//Think he'll find us missing?//

//How?// asked Kouichi. //You bolted the door, right? He'll think we're still inside, he doesn't know how far your magic goes.// He opened his eyes and listened carefully. //You hear anything?//

Kouji shook his head. "He's gone." He led them back down the stairs. "Where now Izumi?"

"Not much further. Take a right a little way down here."

Kouji nodded, and took point, leading the way down the hallway, moving silently until they reached a large door with herbs tied in bundles around the frame. "Guess this is it. Protection charms everywhere."

Izumi wrinkled her nose. "It smells."

Kouji shrugged. "What about getting the door open?"

Izumi reached into her belt pouch and withdrew a set of keys. "This will take a while. I don't know which one it is."

Kouichi frowned, then pointed to one. "It's that one. There's magic on both the lock and that key. I'm guessing it's to prevent the lock being broken another way."

Izumi looked surprised, but tried the key Kouichi had indicated in the lock. It turned, and the door opened. "You really can see magic? Like what?"

Kouichi shrugged. "A glowing cloud, I guess. This is more of that strange high magic, Kouji. How can a human have magic?" He pushed the door open, then looked around. "Looks normal enough."

Izumi shook her head, entering behind him. "This is his receiving room. He wouldn't keep anything incriminating here." She started to look around, then shook her head. "It's been cleared out by the servants. We probably won't find anything."

Takuya walked around the room, then paused as he neared one of the doors. There was an uncomfortable prickling on the nape of his neck, like the calm before a thunderstorm starts. "Kouichi? Do you see anything about this door? It feels kinda like those collars did."

Kouichi moved to look at the door. "I don't see anything, but I think there's something behind it. I feel… something…" He tried the handle, but it wouldn't open the door. "Strange, there's no lock."

Izumi looked puzzled. "Then why won't it open? Junpei said that there was only one lock to Goodwinson's apartments." She rested her hand on it. "And I don't feel anything weird."

Kouji shrugged. "Maybe it's a magic lock." He put a glowing hand to the frame, and white strands of his magic slid into the cracks as he shut his eyes. "There's magic holding the door to the frame." He started to glow more brightly, then stopped and pulled his hand away. "I think I got it."

Izumi pushed the door open, and entered the room, before giving a little squeak.

Kouichi followed her, then winced slightly. "Ow, that's bright."

Kouji lent tiredly against the doorframe. "Are you okay? There must be a lot of magic in here to make my head buzz like this."

Takuya touched Kouji's arm. "Are you okay? I've never seen your magic tire you out."

Kouji looked at him, then brushed his hand over Takuya's lightly. "I'm fine. It was just a heavy duty spell on the door and I didn't undo it, just smashed it."

Takuya nodded, then moved into the room to look around. It seemed like there were hundreds of mystical-looking items and jars of herbs lining the shelves lining the wall. Things that to him looked more at home in a witch's hut gleamed on the shelves, and the air seemed full of energy. He moved to the table in the centre of the room, and started leafing through the books left open like they were expecting the mage's imminent return.

Izumi started leafing through the books too, then looked out the window. "Seems like he had a bird's eye view of you when you were kept outside. This window overlooks the courtyard."

Kouichi looked interested. "So you think he was spying on us?"

Kouji looked at objects on the desk, knowing that he couldn't help Takuya and Izumi with the mage's notes. "Almost certainly. He was fascinated by our magic, but maybe he didn't want to interfere in our teaching Takuya." He frowned at a blank space on the otherwise cluttered desk. "Strange." He brushed his hand against the space, and then recoiled as if receiving a shock, shaking his hand out. "Kouichi, what about here? It's like there's residual magic left here."

Kouichi shook his head. "I can't see anything at the moment, Kouji. It's too bright, I'm blinded." He moved his hand over the blank spot. "There must've been an object of great power here."

Takuya did the same and made a face. "Feels like all my hair is standing on end."

Kouji tugged something from a shelf, then took Kouichi's arm, leading him out the room. "What do you see?"

Kouichi took the jar, and turned it in his hands a few times. "Strange. I have a theory, but it'll take a day or so to prove."

Takuya joined them. "Well I don't think we'll learn much. Those books are like demon records, and folklore."

Izumi nodded. "Reference books. He may have had a diary or record book, but it would take a long time to find it, and even longer if he kept it hidden like I think he would." She took a pot and wedged the door open. "I'll keep searching while you're gone. We need evidence of Joshua's collaboration and how they managed to start that fire. I'm sure Junpei will help by asking the servants, but unless we leave soon the watch may catch us."

Kouichi nodded. "It would be difficult to explain to Honoured-Elbert why we've come here to accuse his son."

Izumi nodded. "Let's get out of here. This place is creepy in the dark." She led the way back to the main hallway, then on to their chambers.

Kouji placed a glowing hand at the door, drawing on his magic and winding it around the door's deadbolt. He latched his magic around it, drawing the bolt back out of the doorframe, and unlocking the door. "Done." He pushed the door open, and entered, followed by a worried Takuya.

Kouichi hesitated in the doorway, and turned to Izumi. "Izumi… Thank you for helping us, but don't feel that you have to keep helping. You've got your position here at court to think of."

Izumi moved closer. "I don't want to turn a blind eye to things wrong with the world, Kouichi. I'll keep searching for what's going on here while you're gone." She sighed. "I guess you're only here a few days."

Kouichi nodded. "We'll leave the day after tomorrow. We need to find gifts for the council, and we need to do a few other things."

Izumi smiled, then leant up and kissed him.

Kouichi froze, and pushed her back gently. "Izumi, you're my friend, and I care about you, but not in this way. You see me as strange and unusual, a way to defy your teacher in secret, but you don't care for me in true love. We are both too young for that." He reached into his belt pouch, and withdrew the handkerchief that Izumi had given him when they left the castle. "You should take this back. I'm not your sweetheart out on some grand adventure."

Izumi pushed it back towards him. "Keep it, as my friend, if that is what you wish. I'll wait for your return all the same."

Kouichi smiled and nodded. "Okay." He withdrew back into his rooms.

Izumi waited for the door to close before kicking the wall in frustration.

"Lady Izumi, that is not how a lady should behave in rejection, nor should she be making such advances at this hour of the night."

Izumi spun to find Tomoko watching her from further down the corridor. "Uh…" She curtsied quickly, then cursed herself for not remembering the shirt and britches she wore. "I just wanted to talk with my friends for a while."

"Elves do not make good lovers," scolded Tomoko, folding her arms. "The minstrels of the court make them into a noble-sounding people, but they are cold, uncaring, and consider us as lower creatures, like we do cattle and beasts of burden." She moved closer and put a hand on Izumi's shoulder, steering her away, back to her own apartments. "Stay away from them, and do not fall in love, because it will only be a spell designed to confuse you. They are immortal, so our lives are just playthings to them."

Izumi looked at her, letting herself be dragged. "How can you think that? No one in this kingdom has spoken to elves except in torture chambers and prison cells! These are the first elves to talk to us properly, and to be willing to teach us their ways. You're judging them so harshly for people you don't know!"

They reached Izumi's rooms, and Tomoko paused. "Get to bed. Tomorrow you have a tapestry to finish." She shut the door on Izumi.

******************************

"Kouji?" asked Takuya, hovering in Kouji's room's doorway.

Kouji opened his eyes, and looked over at Takuya from where he was sat cross-legged on his bed. "What is it, Takuya? I get the feeling that you want to talk."

Takuya moved closer, and sat facing him. "I've not seen you use your magic so much in a long time, and I remember now how tired it makes you. I just wanted to see if you're okay."

Kouji smiled slightly. "It's okay. I do feel tired, but it will pass."

Takuya leaned forwards, reaching out with a hand to stroke Kouji's cheek, but Kouji withdrew back. "What is it, Kouji?"

Kouji shook his head. "I'm returning home, and have no hope of welcome. You will not be welcomed either, and I don't know if I want to draw you closer to cause you more pain when we find the village again."

Takuya moved forwards again, this time stroking Kouji's face. "I don't care too much about what others think any more. We're going there in service of the king, and I am looking forwards to learning about where you come from, why you are how you are."

Kouji sighed. "Takuya… You need to know something about Kouichi and I…" He shifted uncomfortably. "We are called 'Flowers of Snow' by our people, for the tiny white bells that come when the snow melts, that die before spring even starts. They call us that because we will die before our time, not long after we reach our adulthood, they believe."

Takuya just looked at him. "Why? Are you sick?"

"We are seen that way. Impure, corrupt, and fading." He sighed. "Takuya… We are not like the other people of the trees you will meet. Kouichi and I are not of pure blood. Our mother was a human woman."

"What?!" Takuya blinked a few times, trying to process the information. "You… You're half human? An elf and a human have fallen in love before we did, we're not the first?"

Kouji looked down. "The second, as far as we know. Kouichi and I are the only ones, and we've never fit properly into our world. They may not even listen to us because of this."

Takuya smiled. "Then I'll make them listen. If the humans can forgive your elven part, surely they can forgive your human part."

Kouji looked at him. "You have so much faith in a people you know so little about. I pray they see it as wisdom, and not the foolhardiness of youth."

Takuya smiled. "Did you think I'd hate you for this? Feel repulsed that you have the blood of two peoples? I didn't love you for your elven heritage, I love you for you." He took Kouji's hand gently. "And I can't see what makes you human, it may all be in your head."

Kouji shook his head. "You'll see soon enough."