Assurance

          The city of Soluna floated like a dream above the Earth, it's soft pastel lights twinkling gently as night dissipated into dawn. Bit by bit, the city woke, starting from the curved glass walkways reflecting off the pink and purple hues of light, to the cascading bioluminescent plants, as if the city were gently breathing on its own. The night air warmed, soon accompanied by the gentle hum of city life. In harmony together, in all its facets, Soluna sung a shared melody. 

          Mayu shifted in her bed as her familiar, Luma, stirred, the small bell on her collar chiming softly to welcome the day ahead. Mayu winced and yawned, her hair a fluffy bed head of cotton candy pink with a striking black stripe of bangs pointing to her nose. Mayu stretched out her toes and yawned, "Good morning, Luma". Luma grinned through closed eyes, floating above Mayu.

          Mayu stepped onto the balcony of her modest, high-floored apartment, and looked down at the city. Luma meowed in assurance, as if to say she could feel another good day about to start. Mayu peered into Luma's pink cat eyes "Time for another big day." She took a deep breath inward, placing her hands on her heart. "I am ready to bring in all I've got", she declared, abruptly shifting with speed back into her apartment. Gaining momentum, she moved through her morning routine, brushing her hair, neatly putting on her Heart Harmony uniform, and straightening her bow. 

          Mayu worked as a Harmony Technician, specializing in strengthening the bond between humans and their familiars. Mayu was a hard worker, but it never felt burdensome as she became so enveloped by her fascination with familiars and passion for building understanding that helping humans enhance their bonds felt like a joy. 

          Mayu sipped her perfectly brewed Genmaicha tea, prepared by Luma. Mayu smelled the earthy tones of the roasted rice and felt soothed by the refreshing green color, and feeling of warmth as her hands held the glass cup. Mayu's blue eyes widened as she bit into her strawberry jelly croissant. She took the speed train, which followed a circular network throughout Soluna, propelled by gravity on all sides, soaring through the center of the clear tunnels. 

          Mayu arrives at her destination and knocked on the door of a small house, overgrown with roses covering the outer walls. A young artist slowly opened the door, his parrot-like familiar perched on his head. Aoto, dressed in a patchwork of colorful mismatched clothing, smiled shyly, "You must be Mayu. Thank you for coming. I'm Aoto, and this here is Mumu." 

          Mayu sat where Aoto hesitantly directed her, gesturing toward a cushioned sofa. "Well, I just... hm, where to start?" he began nervously. Mayu smiled in assurance, echoing the sense of security she felt from Luma earlier that morning.

          "I don't know what happened first. I think it was my fault. I've sunk deep into a creative block, and ever since, I just don't connect with Mumu the way I used to." Mumu's feathers shifted as Aoto looked down at the floor. 

          "Sometimes we look for connection when we have lost it within ourselves," Mayu began.  "Our familiars cannot connect when our door is closed. It's not that the bond between a human and their familiar is ever the single or underlying reason behind emotional dissatisfaction, but rather that a human must open their heart to allow for understanding to begin." 

           Mumu and Aoto raised their chins, re-establishing eye contact with Mayu.

          "Mumu and I have always been a good pair," Aoto said. "He was perceptive, and I was quiet. It felt like he always knew the right way to connect with me, even when I had always felt cut-off from others. Even as a child, when life is supposed to be magical, I struggled. Sometimes in this world where everything is at peace, I struggle to find my soul, to dig deep without struggles, to connect to something that would really propel my artwork to the next level." 

          "Sounds like a lot of pressure you have put on yourself," Mayu replied. 
Mumu cooed, as if to laugh in agreement. 

          Aoto paused, although he was already silent. He gazed at Mumu and gulped, preparing to let something out that he wasn’t sure he had the words to describe. “I’m sorry. I feel like you always brought me up, and now I’m looking for something even more, even when I can’t imagine how much lower I could have been,” Aoto admitted. Mumu pecked gently at Aoto’s head, rejecting his statement.

           Mayu appeared momentarily drawn in by Aoto’s words, feeling herself pulled into the darkness of dealing with his own faults. Then, she placed her hands together, recalling something her grandmother used to say. “Sometimes, instead of saying sorry for being a burden, we can learn to say thank you to those who stick by our side,” Mayu stated from memory, channeling the words and feeling wrapped in memories of oatmeal mornings, rainy days, and her grandmother’s worn, familiar smile.

          Mayu had been raised by her grandmother and often channeled her and other important memories of people who inspired her values. She allowed her emotions to sink into memories of lavender soap baths and waiting for her grandmother to finish cooking veggie potato cream soups.

           Aoto slowed down, a cool air seeming to clear his heated mind of his confessions.
 “I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere,” he muttered.

           “Truth always has a way of coming through somehow, doesn’t it?” Mayu chuckled.

          “I wanted to ask you because I noticed some responses from Mumu as you were sharing,” Mayu suggested, prompting Aoto to consider his familiar’s emotional response to his self-criticisms. Mumu chirped loudly, with an air of confidence, excited to be noticed and anticipating Aoto to reconsider his self-deprecating stance.

“I just don’t want him to feel responsible. He was paired with someone whose only complaint is not being able to dig deeply into themselves, due to taking the steadiness of life for granted,” Aoto remarked. Mayu nodded, strongly understanding Aoto’s predicament, while noticing Mumu's feathers were ruffling up.