With no clear destination, we walked aimlessly down the street. The market was decorated with many colourful lanterns, 'Festival' signs, and grey banners. Many stands and stores offering large sales on special items.
Curious about the occasion, "What's all the decorations for?" I questioned.
Lavinia, seemingly in a daze, it was Leo who answered, "Decorations? You don't know. Ha, of course you don't know. There are more things you don't know than you do know. Sir Chiron should really take the time to—"
"Either answer the question or don't. Quit wasting time."
"We're stuck here for over 3 more hours, I can waste time all I want!" Leo looked at me, a smug expression on his face. Not reacting to him, he continued. "Fine, you're no fun. The decorations are for the Long Night Festival. You just missed it, being in a chrysalis or whatever."
"I haven't been in a chrysalis my whole life, and I've never heard of a festival before."
"Makes sense. It's mostly an Upper and Middle District thing."
"So, you dedicate a whole festival, requiring time and resources, to a yearly celestial occurrence? Not only that, the Long Night was over a week ago, why are the decorations still up?"
Instead of Leo answering, it was Lavinia, jumping in before Leo could open his mouth. "First of all, the festival is dedicated to the Dark Long Night, not just a 'celestial occurrence'. Second, the decorations are still up as per tradition. They are kept up 17 days after the Dark Night, to commemorate the 17 thousand who lost their life fighting the Shadow Beasts. Happy?!"
Stunned by her… outburst. "Y-yeah."
Put in an awkward silence, we continued to walk aimlessly throughout the market square.
"Damn, it's cold." Leo complained suddenly. Only to pull out a jacket from thin air a moment later.
Seeing him do this, my brain broke. "Where did you just pull that from?!"
Hearing my remark, Leo laughed to himself. "It's been a while since I saw you lose composure. I just pulled it from my Storage Mark."
"Storage Mark?" I repeated.
"Idiot…" Lavinia quipped.
Ignoring her, Leo explained, "It's a bit hard to explain without proper details, but the basic premise is that it's an operation on your Will that allows you to store physical objects inside it. Most high-ranking Holders get it, even some rich Voyagers. It's practically a necessity really. The average Voyager just gets a Spatial Ring, though." He finished. Pulling up his arm sleeve, exposing his forearm, he showed me a tattoo of a squiggly line. "The mark, or 'Anchor,' can be whatever you'd like. Mine's a music note." He pulled down his sleeve and threw on his coat.
Lavinia, with a loud sigh, showed me hers. "Hollow sun." She said simply.
I stared at it blankly, my attention focused elsewhere. "Fascinating…"
Lavinia is largely closed off. She sees me as an invader of her life, breaking the mold of her routine. I came from nowhere, and was introduced as above her. Flaunted by her father for my potential. Lord Elgin hasn't even known me a full week and already shows me more attention. She has responded in equal intensity, using it as a catalyst to ignore me.
"What's on your mind, Rin? More questions? I can practically hear your brain turning." Leo asked.
I passed my eyes over Leo quickly, swiftly locking them on Lavinia. "Lavinia… why do you hate me?"
Stopping mid-step, she looked at me with a pained, curious expression. "I don't hate you… I simply wish you didn't exist."
I know I should have ended it there, but I couldn't. "Wh—"
"Because you go against everything I've been working towards! You're slowing my progress."
"Me being here slows your progress?"
"YES!" She yelled out, grabbing the attention of everyone nearby. Judging, curious eyes turned. Mumbled, directed whispers were passed. It was as if our business became everyone else's. As if their lives were not interesting enough. Her… Lavinia, she made it hard not to notice her.
But I ignored them; all my attention was on the girl in front of me. A girl… who I'm seeing truly speak up for the first time.
Leo hastily erected a sound barrier.
Lavinia continued, "I have been working for so long! To get what I want! And you come and ruin it. He doesn't even look at me anymore."
Leo stepped closer, a sad look on his face. "Lavinia—"
She quickly turns around, eyeing Leo with hate. "It's your fault too, Leo!" She pauses before continuing sarcastically, "My amazing brother! The Prodigy! The fateful Grimwald!… That's all the instructors can talk about. I HATE it!" Bright tears mixed with her essence welled up in her eyes. I squinted, whether from their brightness or from dejection, I wasn't sure.
Her tears were dazzling, begging for attention, descending like a falling star before evaporating away.
"What do you want from me? To apologize?" Leo stepped even closer.
"I don't want anything from you! What I want… I'll get it my way. I'll make him see me, to really see me. I'll become even better than him. I'll keep training. Harder than you, or Rin, or anyone else. And in the end, you'll see too. I'll become the youngest ever to Master my Will, and show everyone that I'm capable too."
She stared at me, wide-eyed, reddened from the hot tears. Her lids singed from her own heat, unprotected by her essence. Her gaze kept darting between my two eyes, looking for any kind of solace.
But she couldn't get that here. Not from me.
So… she didn't try.
Stomping away, she slowly left my sight, blocked by the rushing of passersby. The only proof of her having been here was a thin trail of melted snow.
And the world fell a little darker.
Leo attempted to walk after her, but it was of no succor. Putting a hand on his shoulder, I stopped him. "Leave her be, Leo. She clearly wants to be left alone."
"That's my sister." He said back. His voice wavering.
"And her brother's not the one who can help her."
Without any form of acknowledgement, Leo's shoulders dropped in defeat.