(A/N: Alright now we get to the fun stuff! And by "fun," I mean platonic fluff that I got so embarrassed about, my hands shook while writing it l'D)

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I made my way to the clearing just minutes after 12:00, panting and sweating like a dog who'd been forced to run laps in the summer heat. Pausing to catch my breath, I looked around the area for Pearl, who should've already been posing under a waterfall or burning incense or something.

"Um… Mr. Apollo?"

"AH!" I yelped and turned around in surprise to see Pearl standing in front of me in full channeling gear (which actually looked simpler than her normal outfit) and holding a basket in front of her nervously.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry if I scared you!" she exclaimed. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, one of her many nervous ticks. She was always nervous, and easier to read than the open book I'd left lying on the desktop. Not that I really minded— readability was only a bad trait for a lawyer, which Pearl was not.

"No, you're fine," I said, adjusting my vest and straightening my posture. "You're here for your channeling training, right?"

"Um, yes, but…" She glanced behind me shyly. "Where's Mystic Maya?"

I paused and blinked in confusion. "Wait, didn't she tell you?"

The younger girl cocked her head. "Didn't tell me what?"

Great. Now I have to explain the situation, too.

"I guess she must've been in a big rush, then… I'm sorry, but Ms. Fey is currently on a train to Texas," I sighed.

"W-what?!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Yeah, it came as a bit of a shock to me, too… some murder case came up that Mr. Wright had to go solve, and apparently he wanted her help. She asked me to oversee your training in case something goes wrong," I explained in the best professional voice I could pull off.

"O-oh. Okay," she replied, in a badly covered and obviously disappointed voice. I felt bad for the girl: from the little I knew about her, she valued Ms. Fey's company very highly.

"Sorry I wasn't able to give you any warning," I apologized, "but I only just found out minutes ago." I paused, unsure of what to do next. "Do you need any help setting things up, or…?"

"Well… I suppose you could help me set up the candles," she replied, slowly gaining back a tone of confidence. "Here, just set these around the pond… um, as evenly spaced as you can, if that's okay." She pulled out several plain white candles from her basket and handed them to me gently, as if she were afraid she would break them.

"Sure thing," I replied, following her instructions. In the back of my mind, I wondered how accurate the book would prove to be when compared to an actual training session of a real spirit medium. I also made a mental note to memorize any differences Pearl's training showed from what I'd learned about training in Khura'in. I was still technically working as a Khura'in lawyer-slash-politician-slash-diplomat.

Several minutes later, after Pearl had lit the candles and showed me a spot to watch from, the training began. The spirit medium walked to a spot underneath the gentle waterfall, closed her eyes, and folded her hands into an odd (apparently traditional) pose. She seemed unfazed by the rush of cold water that streamed down her, even though I shivered at the mere thought of it. Her plain white robe was quickly soaked, as well as her loops of hair, which were pressed flat against her head by the constant stream of water. I watched her for several minutes, but she didn't stir, nor did she even once open her eyes. So soon, my gaze traveled to the area surrounding us, which consisted of several large, flat rocks (including the one I was sitting on) and a few healthy-looking trees. There was also the steady sound of flowing water, accompanied by the occasional rustling of the leaves on the trees as a light wind would blow past. I'd expected to be bored just sitting by, but the scenery was actually incredibly relaxing, and let my mind wander to other subjects besides my studies. I wondered briefly if Mr. Wright had ever helped Ms. Fey back in her training days, and if so, if he'd had a similar experience as me.

After what was probably a little less than an hour, Pearl suddenly bowed and stepped out from underneath the waterfall, opening her eyes.

"I've finished," she said, coming over in my direction. "I'm sorry if I made you wait long."

"No, it was all right," I reassured her. "Actually, it's quite beautiful out here. And I'm impressed how you didn't move the entire time!"

"I didn't?" Pearl asked, sounding rather surprised by the comment.

"Not while I was watching," I replied, shaking my head.

"Oh, that's such good news!" she exclaimed, folding her hands together in delight. "I usually have a bad habit of mumbling out loud while I speak to spirits, which isn't very professional… Oh, this is good news indeed!" She looked incredibly pleased with herself, but in a modest way that would make anyone happy about her accomplishment along with her.

"Well, congratulations," I replied with a smile, although I didn't fully understand what she meant by 'speaking with spirits'. "So… why do you think you were able to stay perfectly still this time?" I'd meant it as a positive remark on how long Pearl must have been training herself to get better, but instead she paused and considered my question carefully.

"A-actually… well, um, I think perhaps it was because you were here instead of Mystic Maya," she admitted, rather flustered.

"Me?" I asked in surprise. She didn't show any telltale signs that she was lying. "Why would I be a help? I know almost nothing about spirit channeling. I mean, I know how rituals are performed, but I don't have a lot of hands-on experience."

"That's just it," Pearl replied, a light blush adorning her cheeks. "See, I-I get kind of nervous when Mystic Maya is around, even though I'm supposed to concentrate. I just don't want to mess up in front of her. I didn't worry about you, though, because I thought you probably couldn't tell even if I did mess up. I suppose it helped me focus better."

"Oh… well then, I'm glad I was able to help, even if I didn't do anything," I laughed. "I'm still sorry about your cousin not being here, though. I know you really enjoy her company."

"Oh, I do!" Pearl exclaimed, walking over to the candles and starting to snuff them out by pinching on them. I wondered how she did that without hurting her fingers. "Mystic Maya is the friendliest, kindest person I know."

"You really look up to her, huh?" I asked, smirking slightly. Ms. Fey was slightly annoying to me, if I was completely honest, but seeing Pearl so happy about her was pretty adorable. Just talking about her made Pearl light up like the candles she gathered as she spoke.

"I admire her more than anybody else in the world," the girl sighed happily. "She's so talented… but so funny, too!" She giggled slightly as if remembering a joke her cousin had told her. "Oh, and she's always willing to help people, but she's also strong and stands up for herself… and to top it all off, now she's a master of spirit channeling! I want to be just like her when I grow up." She beamed as if she'd just won a medal, and her expression was far-off and dreamy.

"Wow," was all I could manage to say while stifling a laugh. I didn't think lowly of Pearl's admiration— in fact, it only made her more humble and likable. I simply didn't think Ms. Fey quite deserved all the praise she was being given.

"O-oh, I'm sorry if I was rambling," Pearl apologized, apparently picking up on my laughter. She hid part of her face with one of her hands and sighed happily. "I guess I've got quite the squish on Mystic Maya… I get carried away sometimes."

I cocked my head in confusion. "Squish?"

"Yea, a platonic crush… You know, like the one you have on Mr. Phoenix," Pearl said innocently.

"W-what?!" I exclaimed, suddenly feeling very defensive for no particular reason. "Okay, I don't know what you're talking about, but I definitely do not have a… 'squish' on Mr. Wright."

"Well, you look up to him, don't you?" Pearl asked.

"Of course. He's my mentor," I replied, fingering my badge.

"And you think him a good mentor?" the girl continued.

I nodded firmly and professionally. "I do."

"Why?" Pearl inquired.

"Well, he's smart," I started, "and extremely resourceful… and he's a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. Even I can't tell when he's bluffing, although he can read me like a book. Oh, and he's very good at teaching those traits to Athena and myself, which is important. That is, he's not only good at what he does, but he's good at teaching his skills to others, although of course nobody can really get close to his level. Still, his mentorship has taught me more than any book or college class ever has, and he's far kinder than either." I stifled a laugh thinking about some of my college professors. "He's not just kind to his workers, though, or even Trucy, who he cares about more than anything. I've seen him help complete strangers in their times of need, and go out of his way to do it! You'd think he would be chafed at the world by now because of how many people have mistreated him, but no, he just keeps on smiling and helping those in need. I've honestly never met anyone with half his mental strength, CERTAINLY not anybody who was so strong and so kind. If I could even be a fraction of the person he is now, I…"

My voice faltered as I noticed Pearl looking at me silently with a smug, triumphant grin on her face. "I… I'm rambling, aren't I?" I stammered.

"Just a bit," she giggled, putting her hand up to her mouth as if to contain her laughter. The tables had been turned.

I felt a warm heat rise up to my cheeks. "Okay, m-maybe I do have a… um… 'squish' on Mr. Wright."

"You think?" she asked, her innocent and kind laughter sounding rather evil and powerful.

"Augh." I buried my face in my hands as Pearl finished putting the candles in her basket.

"Don't worry about it," the girl replied. Her voice was still so young-sounding, sometimes I had trouble remembering she was actually 19. "So, um, Mr. Apollo… since Mystic Maya's going to be gone for a while, are you going to watch my training until she gets back?"

"That's what I was asked to do, and I intend to keep my word… even if I didn't really have a choice in making it," I laughed, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"I'll see you tomorrow," she replied with a bow, and started to walk away. Then, hesitating, she turned around and added, "Sorry if I overstepped my boundaries… it's just, I don't get to talk to many people who, you know… understand what I feel."

I paused, then shook my head. "No, it… it's okay. It was actually kind of nice to talk to you, too." I was thoroughly aware and thoroughly annoyed that the heat hadn't left my face yet.

Pearl's face contorted into a small, shy smile. "I'm glad to hear that." Then, after another pause, she repeated "See you tomorrow!" and sped down the path.

Tomorrow… yeah.

My time in Kurain Village had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.