The evening air carried the scent of salt and smoke as the last rays of sunlight bled into twilight. Strings of paper lanterns crisscrossed above the natural amphitheater, their warm glow casting dancing shadows across the sea of faces below. The rockface behind the stage caught the light and scattered it back in soft echoes, while sparklers shot up from the stage's edges, trailing golden sparks that faded into the darkening sky.
Vesta Lavana stood at center stage, her rainbow hair shimmering with each movement, her bright violet eyes blazing with the fire of a performer who had found her crowd. The guitar Mikasi hummed in her hands, its strings vibrating with the residual energy of the song she had just finished. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, a wide grin spreading across her face as the crowd hollered and stomped their feet.
"THANK YOU!" Vesta shouted, her voice echoing off the rockface. "YOU'VE BEEN AMAZING!"
The crowd—a sea of Minks and fallen Sky People—cheered back, their faces lit with joy. Children bounced on their parents' shoulders. Young couples swayed together. Even the most stoic warriors found their feet tapping to the rhythm.
Then the crowd went silent.
Vesta blinked, her grin faltering as she noticed the shift in energy. Her head swiveled, and she found herself face to face with a towering olive baboon Mink in flowing robes of charcoal and crimson. Two disciples flanked him, their expressions cold and unyielding.
Vesta waved, her voice bright with the cheerful obliviousness. "Oh! Hey, baboon mink guy!"
Amos Baboto's dark, almost black eyes narrowed. His voice boomed across the silenced amphitheater. "I am not here for your music, girl!"
He spun, his arm sweeping in a dramatic arc toward the crowd. "I am here for the people! To protect them from what is coming!"
Vesta's head tilted, her brow furrowing with genuine confusion. "What is coming?"
She looked up, scanning the sky with theatrical intensity. "I don't see anything?" She turned back to Amos, her expression one of innocent bewilderment. "I don't think anything is coming."
Amos's jaw flexed, his knuckles whitening around his staff. He gestured sharply at Disciple Boku Gems and Disciple Yalan Neeahl. "Get her."
Vesta blinked, pointing a finger at her chest with flat confusion. "Me?"
---
The crowd watched in stunned silence as the standoff unfolded on stage.
High above, in a private booth carved into the rockface, the royal family and their guests observed the scene. King Volt Ostara leaned forward, his hazel eyes fixed on the stage. Prince Nadir Ostara bounced in his seat, his blue-gold eyes blazing with panicked urgency. Princess Vihaan Ostara clutched her fluffy tail, her pale blue eyes wide with worry.
Queen Amaris Ostara sat beside her husband, her spotted kodkod coat dark with tension. Gaon Tote sat beside her, his weathered face etched with lines telling the story of a fallen people. General Nyx Parn and General Tora Afar flanked the booth, their dark eyes fixed on the stage with the flat assessment of soldiers.
Marya sat in the corner of the booth, her leather jacket open over her casual shirt, her golden eyes fixed on the stage with the flat amusement. She sipped her wine with the casual ease of someone watching entertainment. Galit sat beside her, his emerald eyes fixed on his tactical slate, his stylus moving in quick, precise strokes as he worked on calculations.
Prince Nadir leaned over the railing, pointing. "Father, we have to do something!"
Everyone looked to Marya. She took another sip of her wine, her golden eyes fixed on the stage. "She is fine. She can handle it."
Princess Vihaan's voice was barely a whisper, her tail clutched tight against her chest. "But Mr. Amos is mean and scary."
Nyx leaned in, his voice a low murmur in Marya's ear. "Are you sure? We can—"
Marya nodded, her voice flat with casual certainty. "Positive."
Gaon, brow lifted, "You appear to be very confident."
Marya placed her wine glass down, flicking her wrist. "Just watch."
Her eyes slid over the crowd, and her lips curved into a smirk when she spotted Atlas being led off by Acco. She murmured to herself, "I wonder what he will do..."
Galit glanced at her, following her gaze. He replied with practical curiosity. "Do you think he is staying?"
Marya rested her chin on a bent elbow, with casual indifference. "I don't know."
Galit smirked. "He can be replaced."
Marya glanced up at him. "Yes, but—"
Galit shrugged. "It wouldn't be a great loss."
Marya's head whipped around when she heard Vesta make a dramatic strike of Mikasi's guitar strings.
---
On stage, the sound of the guitar was a thunderclap that shattered the tension. The concert grounds filled with dancing coyotes—dozens of them, their forms made of shimmering light and sound, their movements synchronized to the rhythm of Vesta's music. They poured across the stage like a tide of mischief, their eyes gleaming with the playful chaos of the trickster god Huehuecoyotl.
Vesta's voice boomed over the mic, with theatrical confidence. "I don't think so, my baboon man!"
The crowd roared.
The dancing coyotes swarmed Amos and his disciples. One coyote leaped onto Disciple Boku Gems's shoulders, its paws batting at his horns with the playful aggression of a cat tormenting a mouse. Another coyote wrapped itself around Disciple Yalan Neeahl's legs, its movements so fluid that the tall nyala Mink stumbled, his arms pinwheeling as he tried to maintain his balance.
Amos swung his staff, but the coyotes were too fast. They dodged and weaved, their forms dissolving and reforming around his attacks. One coyote grabbed the hem of his robe and tugged, sending him stumbling forward. Another coyote danced between his legs, tripping him with the precision of a professional dancer.
The crowd howled with laughter as the coyotes performed a synchronized dance routine that ended with all three intruders being lifted off their feet. The coyotes carried them through the air, their forms shimmering with the light of Mikasi's magic, and deposited them outside the concert grounds with the gentle firmness of a bouncer escorting troublemakers.
Amos landed in a heap, his robes twisted, his dignity in tatters. Disciple Boku Gems and Disciple Yalan Neeahl landed beside him, their expressions shifting from cold authority to bewildered humiliation.
Vesta turned to the crowd, her voice bright with theatrical joy. "Now, back to having fun!"
The crowd hooted and hollered, their earlier fear replaced by the reckless joy of a community that had just witnessed the impossible.
---
In the booth, Queen Amaris Ostara, Gaon Tote, General Nyx Parn, General Tora Afar, and King Volt Ostara exchanged pleased, entertained looks. The tension that had gripped them moments before had dissolved into something lighter, warmer.
Nyx's voice was flat with the dry humor. "Will he ever learn?"
Tora replied with a grin. "No. He doesn't know how to take a hint."
Everyone's heads turned when Aurélie and Jannali stepped into the booth, both of them holding packages wrapped in cloth. Aurélie's silver hair caught the lantern light, and her steel-gray eyes fixed on Kink Volt. Jannali's afro was tucked beneath her headscarf, and her brown eyes gleamed with the mischievous warmth as she focused on Gaon Tote.
Aurélie stood in front of King Volt and Jannali stood in front of Gaon Tote.
Volt raised a brow as he shifted in his seat. "What is this?"
Marya swirled the wine in her glass. "A gift."
Aurélie spread her arms, opening up the cloth to reveal a flag. The symbol of the Red Hair Emperor Shanks blazed against the fabric, its colors bold and unmistakable.
Nyx's eyes narrowed as he recognized the Jolly Roger. "That is the flag of the Red Hair Emperor."
Marya nodded, placing her glass down. "That is correct. It is a new world, and no one knows what is to come."
She turned to Gaon, her voice dropping to a more serious register. "As you search for a new home for your people—" She turned to King Volt. "And you preserve the home of yours—you are both welcome to fly his flag for protection from those who may want to take what is not theirs."
She paused. "Just know, if you fly his flag, he will visit and want to drink your sake."
Prince Nadir's eyes bulged, with breathless excitement, he pointed. "Is that a real pirate flag?"
Princess Vihaan peeked out from behind her brother, her voice barely a whisper. "It looks scary."
Volt looked at Marya, lips pressed. "Thank you for this, but I am confident we are capable of—"
Marya waved a hand, interrupting him. "You do not have to fly it if you don't want to. Just know that your island is no longer as concealed as it once was. Should you need additional support, all you have to do is call."
Volt nodded. "I will take that into consideration." He gestured for Nyx to take the flag.
Gaon took the flag from Jannali, his weathered hands gentle on the fabric. With quiet gratitude. "This is a new world for me and my people. It is good to know we have formidable allies we can rely on."
Galit added. "Just let us know where you finally land."
Gaon nodded. "Thank you, friends."
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