Chapter 35 - Aurora Avian

Erebus's smirk deepens at the sight of Ace working to control her temper before he makes another dry comment to needle her on purpose—he's bored and this is a source of entertainment after all. 

"You know what you really need?" he says, pushing himself off the wall to saunter over. "Some of Maya's firepower. That fox's strength and anger are enough to burn that whole village down... Maybe she could teach you how to breathe fire while you're at it—"

Ace snaps immediately. "Shut up."

Erebus's smirk deepens as he watches Ace bristle, clearly enjoying the way she reacts. He tilts his head slightly and adds in a casual tone.  

"What I meant is... Maya is nearby." He flicks a glance toward the window where distant footsteps can be heard—likely her approaching. "Might be useful to have someone who actually knows how to handle firepower on our side when those bandits show up." 

Ace glares at him but doesn’t argue further. Instead, she mutters under her breath, "Fine. But if you keep running your mouth like this, I'm throwing you out of that window myself."

Erebus hums in feigned consideration while fighting back an amused smirk. His arms remain folded while he regards Ace with an expression that barely betrays his own enjoyment of her anger.

"Tempting," he agrees, his tone taking on a faintly mocking lilt once more, "But I'll pass. I prefer staying on the ground, thanks."

The sound of footsteps grows louder, followed by Maya calling out."Is everything okay in here??"  

Ace sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Yeah. Just great."

Then, a door creaked open, revealing a young figure with blonde hair, wearing glasses. Her fiery-orange garment was adorned with flaming patterns and with pouches and tools attached to her belt. Her bunny ears twitch as her eyes widen after walking in to find Ace and Erebus in the room together. The air feels heavy, a familiar tension hanging between the two despite their outwardly calm appearances. 

"Am I..." She glances back and forth between them, a puzzled frown on her face. "Did I interrupt something?"

Ace sighs and shakes her head while Erebus simply shrugs lazily, arms still folded, and that usual deadpan expression on his face. "No," Ace says quickly, shooting Erebus a pointed look. "He was just leaving." 

Erebus rolls his eyes faintly, an unimpressed smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he rises from the wall. "Fine, fine, I'll get out of your tail. I have better things to do anyway~" 

He makes a show of dusting himself off before giving Maya a mocking salute. "Later, bunny girl."

Maya’s bunny ears twitch in irritation as Erebus saunters past her, but she quickly schools her expression into something neutral—though the tiny flicker of flames dancing at her fingertips betrays just how much his words annoyed her. 

"Rude," she mutters under her breath before turning back to Ace with a softer look. "So… what were you two arguing about?"  

Ace scoffs and leans against the desk, crossing arms over chest defiantly. "Nothing important. Just him being insufferable as usual."

Maya sighs in what seems like a combination of amusement and resignation before approaching. She takes a seat on the edge of the desk, watching Ace keenly as if to assess if she's alright. 

"Yeah, that sounds like Erebus," she says, "Sometimes I swear he does it just to get a reaction out of us. He's like a child, despite his age."

Ace scoffs faintly and rolls eyes again before muttering, "A spoiled child."

Maya lets out a soft, almost sympathetic chuckle at Ace’s comment. She tilts her head slightly, watching the way Ace’s fingers tap restlessly against her own arm—telltale signs of lingering frustration.  

"You know," she muses, "If you ever need an excuse to throw him through a wall… I wouldn't mind helping." A tiny spark flickers in her palm for emphasis. 

Ace glances down at the flame with faint amusement before shaking head again and sighing through nose, because no matter how tempting it is to yeet Erebus into next week—it would probably just make things worse, though the ghost of a smirk tugs at her lips as the idea of throwing someone through a wall comes to mind—whether that's Erebus or the idiots outside. 

"...Let's save that for the bandits," she mutters. "Erebus can wait. Though... that's only if you get past your old man first."

Maya blinks twice at the mention of the bandits, "Them again?..." But as soon as she heard the mention of her father, she frowned faintly and groaned quietly. "Ugh, right… He'll probably have a fit about me running around and fighting again."

Maya shakes her head, frustration creeping into her tone. "He's worried about me getting hurt or doing something stupid. Like I can't handle a few idiot humans..." Her jaw sets stubbornly, a spark of determination shining in her gaze.

Maya then signs before speaking once more "Like I get that my dad treats me more like a delicate flower than the warrior we both know I am, but I'm not a little kid anymore."

Ace snorts at that—a soft scoff that borders on a laugh. "Delicate flower," she echoes, glancing over. "Yeah right. More like a wildfire."

Ace watches the exchange with a hint of amusement—almost finding a strange familiarity in watching someone else struggle with overprotectiveness and stubbornness.

"Can he really stop you though?" she asks bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

Maya sighs, her expression shifting from frustrated to determined. She crosses her arms over her chest and squares her shoulders—a stance that suggests she's steeling herself for a fight. 

"You know what?" she says firmly, "I'll handle him. I'll get him to see that I can handle myself, and then no one will be stopping me or you from dealing with those stupid bandits."

Ace quirks an eyebrow, a mix of surprise and respect in her pink gaze. "You sure?"

Maya takes a deep breath, her jaw setting in a stubborn line.

"Yes!," she grumbles, pushing herself up. "I'm going to convince him. That I'm perfectly capable of kicking ass on my own… And then I'm coming to help whip those bandits' asses, even if it pisses him off."

Ace watches with a faint look of satisfaction as Maya stands up and squares her shoulders. She nods faintly, impressed by the determination in her eyes. 

"About time," she mutters, "Don't keep us waiting too long, because those idiots aren't gonna wait forever."

Maya simply smiled agreeably and waved before turning on her heel and striding out. The sound of her footsteps and the swish of her tail fade down the stairs attached to the treehouse, leaving Ace standing there alone. 

Ace finds herself lying down on her bed, and sighs as she gazes up at the plank coverings, ceiling — simply lost in thought.

"Mother... Father..."

Mean while in another forest.

The aurora-like bird tilts its head curiously at May. 

May doesn't hesitate—she scoops up another handful of feed and holds it out toward the creature with an encouraging little wiggle of her fingers. "C'mere, pretty thing," she coos softly as if this isn’t a wild animal that could easily peck her eyes out. 

May gasps, a grin spreading across her face as the bird cautiously pecks at the offered feed. Her expression is one of sheer delight—she's utterly enchanted by this impossible creature now perched just a couple of feet away from her.  

She stays absolutely still, barely even daring to breathe too suddenly, and just watches this little miracle of nature feed from her palm.

With a soft, shaky exhale, May reaches out with a shaky, almost reverent motion and very slowly touches the top of the bird's head like it's the greatest gift she's ever been given.  

The bird startles slightly at the sudden contact, its feathers flaring out — but instead of fleeing, it merely blinks up at May with what almost seems like curiosity.  

May freezes mid-pet, her eyes widening as she realizes the creature isn’t bolting, or pecking her fingers off. Slowly… ever so slowly… she resumes stroking its head again. This time? The aurora-bird leans into her touch just a little—its tiny body practically vibrating with something between wariness and reluctant pleasure.

Just as May starts to relax into the moment, a voice breaks through the quiet of the afternoon to disrupt the magic—her mother's voice calling out from the house nearby. "May, have you seen Yasu around?"  

She pulls back, turning her head towards the house with a flicker of guilt, she's supposed to be keeping an eye out. "No, why?" she calls back, careful to keep from startling the bird perched on the fence.

May can't bring herself to be upset—not with this miraculous bird still sitting just a few inches away from her palm, feathers rippling like miniature auroras with every slight movement… so she turns back with an eager grin, waving her other hand for her mother to come see.  

"Look! I found this bird," she calls out, her voice tinged with excitement like she's probably never seen anything like this before. "It's so pretty and so so soft, momma!"

Her mother's expression is skeptical at first as she steps over to see what her daughter's found, one eyebrow raised. "Pretty?" she repeats as if that's the last thing she'd expected. Then she catches sight of the bird on the fence and her eyes widen in disbelief. "Well, I'll be… I've never thought I'd get to see it in person."

Hilda's gaze softens, a fond smile playing at the corners of her lips as she continues to study the bird. "You've found a rare creature indeed," she says quietly. "This is an Aurora Avian."

She glances down at May then, her expression a curious blend of awe and curiosity. "They're said to be connected to the auroras themselves."

"Auroras?..." May repeats and looks up at her, eyes wide and pleading. "Can I keep it, please?"  

Hilda lets out a little huff, shooting her a look that's half amused and half exasperated. "May," she starts with that tone that suggests she's heard this request a thousand times before. "It's a wild animal, sweetie. We can't just—"

Hilda's head snaps up as the figure approaches—her expression shifting from exasperated mother to wary resident in an instant.  

The man is unmistakably the village chief: a chubby, short fellow with a full beard and mustache that seem almost too perfectly groomed for someone who presumably has more important things to do than primp himself daily. He wears heavy robes dyed deep red, the kind meant for ceremony rather than comfort, belted tightly around his middle with dark trimmed buckles clinking as he moves.

His eyes land on Hilda first before flicking over May—and then down at their mysterious feathered guest perched nearby.