The day had thankfully come to an end. Though they were happy the customers had left, there was still plenty to do. Today’s stampede of tourists made their everyday foot traffic look trivial. The year before was busy, that was for sure, but it was a trickle compared to this. The shelves told the tale. Many of them lay bare, picked clean by the horde. 

Now, an hour after closing, the lobby was cleaned up and officially shut down for the night. Sandra left with Bastion in tow, exhausted but excited for the new slate of recipes she wanted to try out on tomorrow’s crowd. Gonzi had left too, though closer to the actual closing, and no one was in the business of telling the boss what to do. Well, other than Sandra. 

Isabella was one of the last remaining in the lobby. She was tucked under the counter, gathering her belongings along with a few ‘purchases’ made during the day. As she stood up, the familiar ding of an arriving elevator car caused her ears to twitch. 

“Hey, do you know where Lily is?’ Danniel asked as he stepped into the lobby. He watched as Isabella’s head rose out from behind the counter.

“Like seriously?” Isabella asked. 

“Yes, seriously.” Danniel watched as Isabella began loading her items onto the counter. 

Isabella paused and stared at Danniel. She rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth before hissing, “I swear you two are starting to rub off on each other. Didn’t she ask you where you two would be training today a thousand times? Think.” 

“Testing floor, got it. Was that so hard?” Danniel snapped back.  

“Ask stupid questions, moptop. Speaking of stupid questions, when are you going to try again with Lily? Absolute stellar case of cold feet when Kisa showed up by the way.”

Danniel grunted as the bat took the expected jab at the still-fresh wound. Looking away, he shrugged and spoke while trying to hide the obvious discomfort, “Eh, I don’t know. If he’s still around, maybe it’s not the right time. Plus, I’m going to start training her in magic. It may be best to complicate things. 

“Well, when you decide to pull your tail from around your leg, let me know. ‘Till then, I’ve got somewhere to be,” Isabella said while collecting the last of her belongings. The bat left the counter and headed to the door, stopping by Danniel to give him a few discomforting pats on the arm while shaking her head, “Night, coward.” 

And with that, Isabella disappeared into the opening night market along Groppler Street.

The wolf couldn’t do much more than grimace at Isabella’s words. His mood didn’t linger long as he remembered that someone was waiting for him. The ride from the lobby down was only a few minutes, but felt much longer. He couldn’t get over the doubt, both as a teacher in and of itself, but also teaching a Quila. Now, the wolf was quite adept at magic. Even from a young age, Danniel had very little issue weaving Magis energy. However, knowing something and teaching something are two very different things. 

Not to mention, he was teaching Lily. A Quila, for whatever that meant. Before recently, he didn’t even know they were real. Danniel only knew them as fairy tales. Myths. Things thought up by desperate people stuck in the midst of war and suffering. Stories of power meant to give hope in the bleakest of times. 

Yet Lily wasn’t a myth. She was a real person, just as confused as he was. 

The elevator finally arrived on the next-to-last floor of Starlight, and Danniel stepped off. As soon as he was out of the car, Danniel could hear something strange. He couldn’t make it out, but as he moved down the hall, it became clearer. 

There in the lobby before a set of large double doors was Lily. Since he was still unnoticed, Danniel watched as Lily was deep in a fantasy. She was thrusting her hands out in random directions while making sound effects. 

“Fwoosh!” went Lily while making a sweeping motion. Then, noticing that an invisible horde of enemies surrounded her, she crossed her arms across her chest and let out a dramatic laugh. “Fools! You have fallen right into my trap. Behold my fire spin!” 

With a flourish, Lily unfolded her arms while starting a dramatic spin. From her palms, she imagined a mighty burst of fire shooting forth and incinerating all that stood before her. The heroic fantasy came to an abrupt end as Lily saw that she wasn’t alone anymore. The sight of Danniel stifling a laugh caused Lily to jump mid-spin. What started as a triumphant victory ended with the rabbit losing her balance and falling to the floor with an unceremonious thump. Quickly, she got back to her feet as Danniel approached, failing to hold back a brief bit of laughter. 

“H-how much did you see?” Lily asked sheepishly while dusting herself off. 

“Eh, not too much. Your twirl could use a little work, though,” Danniel answered, trying to keep the smile from getting too big. After a deep breath and resetting himself, he gave Lily a quick once-over. With a raised eyebrow, danniel asked, “So did you bring your training gear?”

“Um, was I supposed to?”

“I’m sure I said to, but it’s fine. Today won’t be too strenuous, but you will need some workout gear at the very least. Stay here, I’ll get changed, and we can get started.” 

As she watched Danniel disappear, Lily’s mind wandered back to her grandmother. Lilac had barely left her mind. She had said ‘Kpuar Dej’ countless times in her childhood, and Lily never once took notice. Yet now, it felt like the gears of her life lurched forward every time someone mentioned it. She needed her Grandmother’s advice now more than ever. 

A thing that was well beyond Lily’s reach now. The only thing that she had left now was her memory. There was, however, someone who carried Lilac’s memory better than anyone. That was her grandfather, Flake. The old buck was just as in love with her today as he was when they first met. Though she hadn’t been back home in years, Lily was sure that he had kept her effects just as she left them. Partially out of respect and, according to him, “In case she ever wanted to come back for a sit.” 

“I’m going to have to back, aren’t I?” Lily grumbled as the thought settled in. Back to Emerald Vale. Back Home. 

“Alright, ready,” The voice of Danniel snapped Lily out of her trance, looking at a training-ready wolf stepping out of the locker room.