It wasn't the most glamorous, or even the most exciting job, but it at least gave Hayate peace. Peace away from people, who he never failed to be awkward around, even when he was trying to be smooth.
Filing books away and sorting them by author, title, and genre. Boring work to most, but it was mindless and kind of soothing in its own way. And sometimes, he came across a title he didn't recognize that looked rather interesting--that he could set aside for later.
Balancing on a ladder with a cart full of books beneath him, Hayate was dutifully working, whistling to himself without even thinking. It was a quiet afternoon; not many people were visiting the grand library at the moment, probably outside enjoying the sunny, cool, and not-too-humid day. Gross. His colleagues had teased him before for preferring a musty library to fresh air and sunlight, but sunlight just lead to sunburns and he fancied himself more of a night owl, anyway. Besides, daytime was when all the people were about, and there was always someone who wanted him to kiss their child's forehead or mumble some blessing, like it made a difference.
Hmph.
Reaching for a shelf above his head, balancing carefully on the ladder's top step and conscious of the way it swayed dangerously as he shifted his weight, Hayate frowned when he found the shelf impacted. Ugh. Time to shift some books around to make more room, which was going to right annoying! Shaking his head, he started to spine some of the faced out books on a lower shelf so he could shift them over, and as he shoved them over, a cloud of dust rose from the shelf. Right into his face. Of course.
Hayate waved it away, but he'd already inhaled some--and he had little time to prepare, no warning tickle, before a bellowing sneeze made his whole body jerk.
The ladder wobbled, just enough to pitch him off balance, and with a yelp he grabbed at the shelf--and his weight was enough to dislodge it.
Down he went, falling hard, along with a shelf full of books that cascaded over him like a waterfall.
"This. Is. So. Boring."
"Shhh." Risa hushed Ori as they followed their father through the temple grounds, shooting a wary glance at the man's stiff back. "You're supposed to be learning," she hissed at her brother, tugging absently on the sleeve of her outer robe in an old, nervous habit that she was entirely unconscious of.
Ori made a disgruntled sound and rolled his eyes. "Learning what? How to get passed through the whole clergy before we can actually talk to someone?"
She cuffed his shoulder lightly, frowning. "Don't be rude. This is a sacred place."
"Listen to your sister," Kenta said without bothering to look back over his shoulder. Both Risa and Ori tensed. "Ori, walk with me," their father continued after a moment, and Rise winced, mouthing Play nice at her brother as he reluctantly increased his pace to walk beside the taller man.
Kenta and Ori had been...somewhat contentious of late. Their mother blamed it on regular growing pains--the boy was fifteen now, becoming a man, and still figuring out what that meant in their household--but Risa felt like--like there was maybe something more. Once it became clear that Risa's skills were more of an artistic nature, shaping jewels and wire into something lovely but not so skilled at selling that lovely thing, Kenta had begun expecting Ori to take over the more financial side of the business; but making him his official apprentice seemed to have...shifted something.
And asking for a blessing on that apprenticeship? That was hardly necessary. It felt like Kenta was testing her brother somehow, but she didn't know how. Or what to do.
Their father lowered his voice as Ori caught up with him, and she slowed her pace slightly, knowing the conversation wasn't for her. She tried to distract herself by taking in the quiet beauty of the temple. The peace of the place, serene, unchanging--
Crash!
Oh dear. That...sounded like a problem.
Without thinking, Risa took off toward the noise, following the muffled sound of...a large amount of somethings hitting the floor to the temple library and finding a knocked-over bookshelf and veritable mountain of scrolls and tomes scattered over the floor. She pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes wide, as she took in the chaos.
"Oh goodness--"
Wait.
Was someone under there?!
"Oh my--! Hold on, I'll help!" she called to the figure half buried in leather and paper, dropping to her knees so she could start digging through the pile of books.
That...really hurt.
For a moment, Hayate lay there dazed and aching. The fall had been okay; he'd managed to land mostly on his feet before landing on his rear, so it saved his tail bone. But there hadn't been much to be done about the cascade of books pelting and burying him.
The corner of one of them had hit him in the head, right above his right eyebrow, leaving a stinging and throbbing mess. He blinked, feeling warm stickiness trickling down his face, and groaned. Wouldn't be the first time a book had come for his blood. At least it wasn't another paper cut. Those were somehow worse but--oh no was he bleeding on the books?!
With a grunt and a wheeze, he flailed helplessly, feeling utterly ridiculous, as he tried to get out from under the mess burying him without bleeding on the precious tomes, his heart in his throat when he thought of how badly some of those tomes had landed! He didn't want to think about the ones that had landed face down and open, pages splayed and crumpled! He clapped a hand to the cut, doing his best to staunch it so it didn't drip, and used his free hand to start carefully pushing books off of himself, one at a time, resigned to the fact that he would be here forever.
Then came a voice, shocked at first and then offering help.
And Hayate wanted to die.
"I-it's quite alright!" he choked out, positively mortified that there HAD been a witness, but it was too late. A cute girl around his age dropped down beside him and started to help dig him out, and his face went dark with mortification. "A-ah, you don't have to--BE CAREFUL WITH THAT!" he barked, pointing when she handled one book in particular more roughly than he liked. And for him, anything above "cradling like a baby" was too rough. "That's a timeless classic!"
She didn't want to be rude, but, well... "It doesn't look alright," Risa protested as she grabbed one of the heavier tomes and moved to put it aside--then abruptly froze as she was reprimanded quite sharply.
She nearly dropped the book in her surprise, though luckily had the presence of mind to keep her grip on it--even if that grip was holding the book by its back cover. But she hadn't exactly been thinking of proper handling when she was trying to dig this person out of a pile of books!
Caught somewhere between embarrassed and indignant, she quickly adjusted her hold so that she was cradling the book to her chest as she--much more carefully--moved a stack of scrolls aside before laying it down next to them. "I'm--forgive me," she muttered on reflex. "I didn't mean to--I just thought I should, um..."
She trailed off, staring at the librarian as they both just...sat there in the hurricane aftermath of historical texts. Now that she got a good look at him, she realized he wasn't that much older than her--for some reason she'd assumed someone working in the library of the Temple would be, if not ancient, at least old. But this young man was just that, a young man... And a not unappealing one. Oh dear.
Say something, say something, say something!
"I-I'm Risa," she stammered out, louder than she intended, then: "Oh goddess, you're bleeding!"
She winced.
Well. That was something
Hayate had been told on multiple occasions that his people skills...had room for improvement.
He wouldn't deny that. He much preferred a simple life keeping to himself, reading and organizing books and staying out of trouble, over things like...shiver...socializing.
So when the girl sputtered and apologized, he took a deep breath and reminded himself to have patience with the plebs. Besides, she had corrected her mistake. And she was trying to be useful, even if he would prefer not to have an audience. Just let him slink away to lick his wounds and nurse his shame in private!
"It's...it's fine," he finally managed to say, still flushed deeply and not quite able to meet her eyes. "Just be gentle. They're worth more than I am—there's only one copy of many of these! Uh. Anyway." He cleared his throat and carefully moved a couple more books aside, freeing his chest enough that he felt okay to sit up. "Er...ah, goddess this is so awkward. Ah, right. Risa, I'm Hayate. Resident librarian. Well, one of them. And yes...yes I am most definitely bleeding. Thank you. You have a keen eye, stellar observation."
He winced, not quite meaning that to come out as cranky as it did. "Sorry."
"I'm sorry," Risa murmured, almost reflexively, as she--much more carefully--helped him move several more books aside before he sat up. She knew it was his job, but for some reason the Big Sister instinct took over and she gave him a concerned sort of frown as she said softly, "There's only one copy of you, too."
It just slipped out, she couldn't help it. She didn't mean to sound overly like a mother hen, but being Ori's older sibling just...bled into everything she did, it seemed.
When he introduced himself, she latched onto the shift gratefully. Once he was upright, she dropped into a low bow--which was a little awkward, what with them both being on the floor. She was essentially prostrating herself among the books.
Which, luckily, meant he didn't see the face she pulled when he seemed to snip at her about her--admittedly obvious--observation that he was bleeding. But then he was apologizing, and she lifted herself back up, eyebrows raised.
"That's alright," she assured with a soft smile. "I--I was startled, I'm sure you knew that you're--anyway." She cleared her throat and moved a few more books aside before rising to her feet. She reached a hand down to him, offering to help him up. "Hayate? That sounds...familiar. I'm sorry, I know we've never met before, I just..."
Oh no she didn't.
If Hayate's cheeks could get any hotter, they did when she pulled out the "only one copy of you" line. Oh, this was just the worst, being fussed over like this when he really wanted to be invisible after his epic fumble, and he kind of wished the books had just smashed him! Except not, because then they would be all encrusted with...well...human mush.
Somehow, he valiantly resisted the urge to sink back down among the books.
And then she was bowing! And in his frazzled state, he realized he had forgotten basic manners as well. Blast it! Awkwardly, he managed to do his best version of a seated bow, with one hand still clasped to his forehead.
At least she seemed a little awkward, too?
Or was she just scared?
He had been snappy at her...
Oh goddess, how did people people?
"Ah, yes. Well, it might sound familiar because I'm kind of a big deal around these parts." There was obvious sarcasm in his voice, and with a wince he clarified, "Er. Not really! Just, you know, I wouldn't be surprised. I've been here a while."
He was desperately trying not to hint at why she might know of him. Please, please, please don't connect the dots. Maybe it made him an awful person, but he was so not in the mood for blessings and nonsense.
He managed to get his legs free enough that he could carefully get his legs under him and rise into a crouch—or almost rise. His robes tangled around his legs and with an "oof!" he fell right back into his rear. Inima help him.
Been here a while?
Well, that made a certain amount of sense, she supposed; her family weren't exactly frequent visitors to the temple, but they weren't strangers either. She must have heard the name in passing--judging by the almost grouchy sarcasm in his voice when he said he was a "big deal", it was entirely possible.
"That must be it," she agreed politely, though she knew she was going to be trying to place the name for the rest of the day. When he started to get to his feet and then abruptly went back down, she darted forward automatically, trying to grab his arm to help keep him upright.
Too late.
"Oof!"
She went down with him into the pile of books--thank the goddess not on him, that would have been a brand of mortifying that she couldn't even process--but still close enough that she worried her elbow might have jabbed his ribs as she tried to roll away.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she babbled, face hot, as she tried to scramble away and up but found herself stymied by the sheer plethora of the written word that surrounded them. Trying to avoid harming the books and get to her feet at the same time, she overbalanced and toppled backward.
Directly across Hayate's lap.
Oh sweet goddess end me now.
"I'm sorry!" she squeaked, shoving away--heedless of the books this time because damnit this could not get more awkward and she would pay the Temple back for any damages herself just to Not Be Here Anymore. "Oh goddess I am so sorry, I didn't mean--are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
She managed to stagger to her feet and turned to face him again, though she couldn't make herself meet his eyes, her blush now spreading from her forehead to her collar.
AAAAAAHHHH!
That was the sound currently going through Hayate's brain when Risa fell into his lap.
It was his fault, he supposed. This entire disaster boiled down to being his fault. His fault for not being mindful of dust. His fault for doing the thing he had always been told not to do--specifically, standing on the top rung of a ladder. His fault for taking all those books down with him, and his fault for getting caught up in his robes and going back down. Everything had been just one giant chain reaction culminating in a girl falling down with him--and then, even worse, falling onto him. Into his lap.
The girl reacted before he did, because he had frozen up in silent, blushing horror while his mind screeched silently. Fortunately, where Hayate was Freeze, Risa was Flight, and she managed to launch herself off of him with lightning speed while his brain was still trying to figure out what he had done to deserve this day. What kind of monster had he been in his past life to have earned this moment in this life?
"I-I-I'm--I'm okay! I'm--ahhh! The books! I told you to be careful!" he managed to sputter out, and with some difficulty, he managed to scramble up to his feet before backing up a few paces--away from her and around the messy pile of books--as though they might get tangled together again somehow. He started to reach for some of the books she had shoved aside so carelessly, but froze when he caught a glimpse of his bloodied hand. ARGH. "Really! I'm alright. Never better! I--"
Plop.
A big fat droplet of blood rolled off his eyebrow and dripped down onto his chest. He clapped his hand back to his eye again, scowling, because of course any head wound, no matter how minor, just had to be a bleeder and he knew he must look like a horror show. "I did a fabulous job hurting myself all on my own, thank you."
Risa winced, still not able to fully look at him, with her hands fluttering awkwardly as she tried to decide which was more imperative--helping to tidy the books whose disarray was clearly so distressing to him, or trying to get him some real help.
The scarlet stain dripping down onto his chest made the decision for her. "Oh, goodness." She bit her lip, glanced down at her hem, then took a breath and lifted up the outer layer of her robe--revealing delicate embroidery on her ankle-length skirt--to tear a long strip of fabric free. Then she forced herself to meet his eyes. Trying to sound like this wasn't one of the most spectacularly embarrassing experiences of her life, and heroically ignoring the heat in her face, she said, "Here, let me--can I?"
She held up the makeshift bandage with one hand and gestured vaguely toward his wound with the other. Trying for a something close to a smile, which she worried was probably more of an embarrassed grimace, she offered, "I can at least help stop the bleeding. Then you can set your books to rights without worrying about, er, dripping on them."
She had seen the way he snatched his own bloodied hand back, and while she thought he should be more worried about seeing a healer, clearly he was more concerned with his paper charges. And it was hardly her place to tell a member of the temple what he needed to be doing, right?
"And once that's done, we really should get you to see a healer."
...So much for that.
Well hey, she wasn't telling him what to do. Just...suggesting.
Wait.
Had she said "we?" Oh— Damn Ori and his constant scrapes instilling an instinctive if-you-don't-tell-mum-I-will-yes-it-is-a-big-deal-you-are-bleeding impulse.
The moment it was out of her mouth and she actually heard it, realized she couldn't swallow it back, her blush ramped up a few degrees as it registered just how far she may be stepping over her bounds. Wide-eyed, she added hurriedly, "You know, if—if you need to?" It was meant to be a statement, but the uncertain lilt to her voice turned it into a question.
This was so mortifying. Hayate wished more than anything that he could scamper away to his private quarters here in the temple and escape this entire stupid day, but he had a job to do and an audience, and he didn't want to be rude. Ha! Inima help him. He was bleeding from his head and yet the fear of being rude overrode everything else!
That and the books.
To make matters worse, however, Risa went and tore some of her clothing to make a makeshift bandage for him?! Hayate stared, a little horrified that she would damage her clothes for him, but he had been too slow to stop her and the damage was done. And then she was motioning him over--oh dear, no, please. She wasn't honestly offering to doctor him up herself?!
"I-it's not so bad I'll need a healer, I don't think!" he managed to sputter. "And you really didn't have to tear your skirt for me! I--" He sucked in a breath. "Head injuries bleed a lot. It looks worse than it feels. It's just a nick, surely. Not a huge concern." Except he couldn't actually see it, of course, and that book had clocked him pretty good. Ughhh. He paused, and on second thought he took his hand away and stepped a little closer to her, allowing her to see it.
"...Right? It's not that bad, is it?"
With a small huff that might have been the beginning of a laugh, Risa told him (gently, but firmly) "I'm well aware of how much head injuries bleed. If you had my little brother, it certainly gives one occasion to learn." As he stepped closer, she reached up to begin dabbing at the blood that was streaking down the side of his face, trying to get a look at the cut itself under all that.
She hissed in quiet sympathy and pulled her lips into a brief, tight line. "Well, it's certainly more than a nick," she murmured as she got a better look at the cut. "But it doesn't look too bad. You shouldn't need it stitched, at any rate." With a shrug and a small smile, she added, "Though you should take that with a grain of salt, and see a real healer, just to be sure. Er, here."
He was just a bit taller than her, so at least she didn't have to go up on her toes to loop the strip of fabric around his head and tie it off carefully. "There." She stepped back. "It's no replacement for a real bandage, but it should at least stop the bleeding for a while." With another little careful smile, she added in a slightly softer voice, "And...they're just clothes. It's really no bother. I'd rather rip my skirt than stand here and watch you bleed." She glanced around them and added in a vague attempt at a joke, "Especially not on the books."
Oh, he felt positively absurd, standing there with a piece of a girl's dress tied around his head. Hayate could feel his cheeks burning, and still wondered if he could summon the earth to swallow him if he prayed just a little harder. It wasn't too late! The offer was still on the table! Fresh librarian meat, nom nom, nice and gamey!
Pushing his spectacles up higher on his nose, quite impressed and more than a little amused that they had not only escaped damage but somehow stayed on through this all, he snorted. "Right. Definitely not on the books. Er...thanks, in any case. Ah, I think I probably have it from here?"
Please go, please leave him to his shame. He could tidy up the area and lick his wounds in peace and definitely not be able to fall asleep for days without replaying this whole interaction in his head. Bending down, he picked up a book and gently brushed off the cover, and couldn't help but laugh softly as he scanned the mess. This was going to take forever...
"I'm sure you have other things to do, right? I don't imagine you came here just to rescue me."
"Oh—oh right, of course, I'll...leave you be." She dipped into another bow, quicker than the first though as deep as she could manage. "It was an honor to meet you, Hayate. And...I'm sorry about the books—"
"Risa!"
Her brother's voice snapped her upright, and she spun to find both her father and Ori in the doorway to the library. Her brother was staring wide-eyed at the mess around the librarian and Risa, while her father was focused solely on the librarian himself.
"Father!" She fluttered her hands awkwardly, not sure what to do and feeling suddenly very out of place—even more than she had been. "Ah, I'm sorry I ran off before, I heard a noise and..."
"Master Hayate?" Kenta didn't even seem to hear his daughter, still looking at the librarian. "Forgive me, but...did I hear my daughter correctly? You are young Master Hayate?"
Risa blinked, then frowned, looking back and forth between the two men. Why did her father care who the temple librarian was?
Oh, Inima really had it out for him today. Hayate froze in place, watching his peaceful, quiet day go up in flames. This section was a mess, his head hurt, and now this project would be delayed even further on top of the project he had been working on before this disaster.
It was an effort not to deflate.
"That...that is indeed me," he said slowly, working hard to keep the disappointment and budding dread out of his voice. Please don't make him kiss a baby. Please don't make him kiss a baby. His eyes darted around, spotting no babies, thank the Goddess, but there was a younger kid.
Please no.
He bowed respectfully, shooting Risa a look as he rose—a look that screamed 'help' with his eyes, not that he was sure how she could help. She had gotten this ball rolling in the first place and this was her father! He was doomed.
"How may I be of assistance?" he said, looking up to the man and keeping his expression smooth.
"Master Hayate." Kenta bowed swiftly, keeping his head low for a good long breath before rising again. A sharp look in Ori's direction assured that his son did the same. "We came to the temple today to seek your blessing."
Risa frowned. What? Yes, of course she knew why they were here, but surely—
She quite abruptly remembered just why Hayate's name had sounded familiar to her.
Oh dear Goddess.
She had fallen on him!!!
"B-but—you're a librarian!" she exclaimed, entirely without thinking, as she stared at Hayate with wide eyes. Then she caught his look, actually saw the expression, and suddenly found herself saying, "I mean, ahm, you're...you're the librarian."
Her father stared at her as though she'd grown a second head. She felt herself blushing, but pushed on, "That is—what I mean is—he must be a different Hayate, mustn't he?" she put forward in a desperate and not very convincing bid to be helpful.
Kenta looked slowly from her to the librarian. "I...forgive me, young master, is there another Hayate living on temple grounds?"
Well. She'd tried.
She gave the librarian—Hayate, she couldn't believe she was such an idiot—an apologetic look.
Noooooooo...!
Hayate smiled and hoped it didn't look as pained as he felt. "I am the only Hayate on the premises, yes," he said, putting on the air of formality that was expected of him now that the cat was out of the bag. He hated it, though. He hated how Risa was acting all different now, horrified over his status rather than his head wound. Sure, the entire situation with the books and the bleeding and the falling atop him was mortifying, but at least it had been mortifying for completely normal reasons: because she was a pretty girl falling atop a bleeding man who had destroyed a section of library. That would be awkward for anyone!
Judging by the expression on her face, the deep blush, and the desperation to seek out a different Hayate, he had no doubt she was now viewing that entire interaction through a brand new lens. He hated the awkwardness, but he much preferred its earlier version, the version where he hadn't been important at all.
He drew a slow breath in through his nose. "Hayate the Yozin, correct?" he decided to clarify, just in case. He slid a look to Risa, and the corner of his lips twitched into a half smile. "And yes, I am a librarian. You're correct again. One of many. I need more hands to tend to this place on my own."
Right. He cleared his throat.
"I would be honored to give you my blessing, if you'll come closer." This was so awkward. "May I ask if it's for good health, prosperity, luck, or anything specific? I can keep it broad, or I can tailor it to what you need most now."
He flicked a glance toward Risa, another thought striking him. She was marrying age. Oh Goddess. Please don't be another one of those, the ones wanting him to bless their children so ensure a good match or some such nonsense.
Despite the intense awkwardness of the situation, Risa found herself starting to smile back when he gave her that little half-twitch of his lips, instinctively trying to smooth over what she could of the situation.
But, of course, he father stepped forward, nudging Ori pointedly in the back to get him to sulk along, and explained, "My son is beginning his apprenticeship. We had hoped to seek your blessing to ensure as best we can that the experience brings him knowledge and prosperity." He gave Ori a quick look and nodded slightly in Hayate's direction.
"Erm, hello?" Risa's brother glanced up from another quick bow, then suddenly squinted. "Wait a second...is that...?"
He looked from Hayate's makeshift bandage to his sister, and Risa quickly tried to move her robe to hide her torn hem, shaking her head at Ori frantically. The boy blinked owlishly, then muttered, "Um...never mind? I mean--"
He winced as Kenta shot him a hard look, and amended somewhat churlishly, "I would be...very grateful to receive your blessing, Master Hayate."
Why did parents do this to their children? The boy certainly looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. Really, the only one who looked pleased to be here was their father! But that was none of his business, so Hayate beckoned the child closer, doing his best to look all regal and stuff despite being surrounded by absolute chaos.
"Hello," he answered back warmly, and bent down to be more on the kid's level—but froze for a moment when he saw the child's eyes move to his head, a spark of recognition there as he squinted.
Oh no...
Despite himself, he felt another blush rising to his cheeks and spreading down his neck. Right. He was wearing a piece of Risa's robe. With her father right there. Uhhhh. Luckily, the crisis was averted—for now, her father speaking up and getting things back on track—but Hayate felt no less tense. Little brothers had a tendency to torture their siblings, after all.
"Of course. I'd be happy to bless the boy."
Knowledge and prosperity. Right...
He flicked a look to Risa, and fought to keep his expression smooth. This whole song and dance was embarrassing at the best of times, but for some reason it was even worse in front of her now.
He focused back on the boy. "Bow your head," he instructed, and placed his right hand atop his head before he spoke his blessing over him in Old Thanati, resisting the urge to rush through it. Risa and her family would likely understand the words, roughly at least. The words were archaic but close enough to the modern version, spoken only in rituals and mantras these days and rarely even then. He imparted his own blessing upon the boy and implored Inima to do the same, and through it all he felt like a fraud. He had no magic, no special holy powers. He was just a guy saying a bunch of stuff in a dead tongue.
When he was done, he slid his hand away and took a step back. "Study hard and you'll do well. The blessing is just a tool, but you still need to do the work."
Ori was quite clearly doing his best not to fidget through the whole process, feet shuffling occasionally. Kenta's frown deepened as he watched his son, but he did not seem inclined to cause a scene about it. Not here, anyway.
Risa listened to the blessing, half of her just feeling incredibly awakened about the entire affair—dear sweet Goddess, she still couldn't believe she'd fallen on him! And—oh end her now, she'd told him "There's only one copy of you, too." Ohhhhhh, he must think she was such a ditzy, sanctimonious—
The other half of her brain was actually engaged interestedly in the blessing itself. She'd studied Old Thanati, though of course not to the extent that a priestess or other temple official would. It was fascinating to hear it spoken by someone with any real confidence.
Ori nodded quickly when the blessing was over, straightening up and tugging at the sleeves of his shirt. "Right. Of course. Thanks."
Kenta cleared his throat and Ori winced. "I mean—thank you very much, Master Hayate. Of course I will do my best under my own power, as well, thank you."
Kenta sniffed and nodded, then gave the librarian another deep bow. "Our deepest gratitude, Master Hayate. We will trouble you no further." He glanced around at the mess still surrounding his daughter and Hayate, then asked delicately, "Shall we send a few temple servants here before we depart? I apologize for any...distraction from your duties my daughter may have given you."
Risa's turn to receive a hard look from her father. She started to open her mouth automatically to deny...well, just deny, really. She'd only been trying to help! But her father's expression quelled any words she might have said; she bowed her head quickly, eyes fixed in her feet.
"My apologies, Master Hayate," she murmured, face hot. Oh Goddess, please don't let me start crying. That was always what happened when her farther reprimanded her, especially in public—she couldn't help it, it was an entirely automatic reaction. She drew in careful breaths in an effort to control the response.
There wasn't a whole lot of speaking going on, but the pointed looks and winces and glances exchanged between them all told a greater story. Hayate pressed his lips together, holding his tongue. He had only known the man for a few minutes, if that, and already he was no large fan of their father.
Worse yet, had he...had he just inadvertently gotten Risa into trouble?
The words were calm, but the man's expression was hard. And there was no missing the flush in Risa's cheeks or the way that look silenced her like a slap. Distraction from his duties? That she had caused? Now wait a minute...!
"Your daughter was actually helping me." It wasn't his place to interfere in family matters, and this was none of his business, and he was in no great hurry to spend more time around a source of great embarrassment—he would much prefer to skitter off to be alone in his comfort zone now! And yet he spoke before he could stop himself, a coil of guilt tightening in his belly. It wasn't fair for her to get in trouble only because she'd wanted to help!
"Without even knowing who I was, she came to my aid when I fumbled." He looked over at her and motioned her to rise. "Lift your head, Risa," he said gently, forgetting his previous mortification as fresh irritation bubbled beneath the surface. Despite it, he was careful to keep his voice level and face smooth. "You should be proud of your daughter's selflessness, not ashamed."
Kenta seemed momentarily taken aback at Hayate's correction of his assumption, but clearly the man had practice in keeping his expression neutral. "I...see." He dipped his head respectfully. "My apologies for the assumption; I only wished to ensure my children had not disturbed your day too much."
Risa thought that was a little rich, coming from the man who'd specifically dragged Ori to the temple to receive a blessing from someone who, she knew now, clearly had other things to be doing with his day. But of course she couldn't say that--she could barely think it without a new flush rising to her cheeks.
Though part of that flush might have been from the suddenly soft way Hayate addressed her. She lifted her head when he bade her, looking up at him with wide eyes for a moment before she nodded quickly and straightened out of her bow. "I... Thank you, Master Hayate," she murmured, sounding mildly stunned. Her stomach was uncomfortably tight, but suddenly she wasn't so sure that was from embarrassment at her father's reprimand. And--and she wasn't convinced it was a bad kind of discomfort either. It was...new.
"You speak wisely, of course," Kenta said with another respectful nod. "Risa has always been a helpful girl."
Ori, not so well practiced at hiding his emotions as their father, pulled a brief face that displayed exactly what he thought about Kenta's abrupt change in tone. Risa caught her brother's eye and shook her head minutely: Not worth it.
"Thank you for your time today, Master Hayate," Kenta continued, "We will leave you to your work." He turned to sweep from the library, beckoning for his children to follow. Ori slouched after him, with another quick nod in Hayate's direction, and Rise moved to bring up the rear--then she hesitated.
Turning back to the librarian, she started automatically, "It was an honor..."
She paused, reconsidered, then said in a slower, softer voice, "It was--it was really nice to meet you...Hayate." Her stomach flipped nervously as she dropped the honorific; but he'd introduced himself to her without it, and so she thought...maybe he didn't really care for it all that much. At least not when he was working as a librarian.
She did give him another quick bow before she scurried after her family, but her tiny smile somehow spoke volumes of the gratitude she couldn't properly express in the moment. Gratitude that had nothing to do with his blessing.
"It was really nice to meet you...Hayate."
The words tumbled in his head as Hayate watched them go. And that parting smile. That smile.
Hayate didn't know why that smile lingered in his mind's eye, or why her words stuck with him. But as he retreated into the library to clean up the mess and finish his duties, he couldn't stop thinking about their strange interaction and that...that it had been kind of nice.
Nice? What a strange thought. The whole thing had been obnoxious! He had created more work for himself, embarrassed himself before an audience, had a girl all up in his space, and then gotten said girl in and out of trouble in the span of minutes. He should have hated all that nonsense, and in the moment it had been humiliating, and yet...looking back...he could feel only a strange sense of fondness. Her gratitude. The way she chose to say his name and not just his title.
She saw him.
Oh, you're reading far too much into this, you fool.
Yet as much as he would fiercely deny it, for that brief span of time, Risa had given him something he hadn't known he'd been missing: normalcy and, though awkwardly, some sort of kinship. She hadn't known who he was when she first helped him, and knowing who he was hadn't changed her treatment of him.
It was annoying...and it was nice.
And when Hayate washed up after a day of work and settled down for bed in the monastery just behind the library, he couldn't help but smile wryly as he unwrapped the bloodied cloth from his head.
Fool girl.
She didn't know why she'd done it. Why she'd stayed up until nearly dawn with a jeweler's knife in her hand, sitting hunched at her workbench in the back of the shop and working by candlelight rather than simply igniting a proper lamp; her father had been in high spirits by the time they'd returned to the house, all his irritation forgotten in the wake of Hayate's blessing, but she didn't want to risk igniting his temper. Technically there was nothing wrong with her staying up late to work, but...well, she didn't want to invite questions about it.
Because frankly, she couldn't answer any. Even standing at the entrance to the temple the next day, a small, wrapped package clutched tightly in her hands, she couldn't answer why she was here. There was certainly gratitude, that was part of it, of course. Hayate didn't have to defend her against her father the way he had, and...yes, she wanted to thank him for it.
But—but she also just couldn't get the whole interaction out of her head. How peevish he'd been at first, how...well, how awkward. Nearly as awkward as she'd been. Nothing like what she would have expected from someone of his station.
And then the way the energy in the room had changed when her father and brother appeared. Like there was a sudden weight on Hayate's shoulders, something worse than an entire shelf's worth of library tomes collapsing on him. She still felt oddly guilty about it, about the way his whole demeanor had changed.
That's all this is, she told herself as she began making her way carefully to the temple library. I just...want to say thank you. And to apologize. That's all.
Because if it was anything other than that, if there was any sort of—of friendly impulse, or something like kindship, that would be nothing but sheer arrogance on her part. Presumption.
So she was just here to say thank you, and apologize. Nothing else.
It was strange, but as Hayate went about his routine the next day, he couldn't quite shake the memory of earlier events. It clung to him like some sort of fine film: the injustice that girl had endured in such a short interaction, and he knew well that despite his intervention, she still had to go home and live with that man. Might he have made the situation worse by speaking up? He may have embarrassed her father, and he might take it out on her later.
Ugh. Hayate carefully rolled up the old scroll he had just finished transcribing onto a fresh sheet of parchment and returned it to its proper place on a freshly dusted shelf. This was why he worked with books and not people. Books were straightforward and didn't talk back or take things the wrong way. You read them and learned and that was that.
People, though. Navigating social situations was like playing a strategy game where everyone knew the rules except for him.
He raked his hands through his hair, wincing a little as he pulled a bit on his scalp and made the healing wound above his eyebrow sting, and he couldn't help but snort at the memory of all their dumb flailing. Her genuine concern and kindness, his fumbling snappishness. He hadn't been very nice, had he...?
Returning to the table he had been working at, he gathered up the pile of books he had borrowed from another scholar to use as reference, and headed for the library doors, balancing them as best as he could while barely able to see over the pile.
Ah, well, he thought as he opened the doors and stepped out. Not like I'll see her again anytime soon--
"WAH!"
His body collided with something solid but also soft and the books flew into the air with the rustle of thousands of pages. NOOOO! Hayate screamed in his head, because he had landed so hard on his ass that it had knocked out all the air he needed to yell it out loud. The books had barely settled in a pile all around him when his eyes locked on the source of this issue.
"You!" he gasped, pointing.
Noooooooo...
Risa could only stanned there in stunned, mildly incredulous silence as the books rained down around them. Again.
Goddess preserve me. Was this some sort of divine test? Or just a big cosmic joke? Far be it from her to deny anyone their pleasures, but if Inima could perhaps redirect her attention to someone else, anyone else, she would certainly appreciate it.
There was a very long, suffocating moment where Risa just stared down at the collapsed librarian, wide-eyed, and he stared back. Then he pointed at her, gasping, and she suddenly dropped to her knees.
"Oh sweet watching Goddess I am so so sorry," she exclaimed breathlessly as she started trying to gather up the stack of books--carefully. If yesterday had taught her anything, it was that Hayate cared little enough for his own comfort so long as his paper charges were cared for. "I didn't mean to--I swear, I'm not doing this on purpose, I just wanted to--I thought, maybe..."
She swallowed, feeling her cheeks flush as she bit her lip. She couldn't say it. Just trying to form the words in her mouth rather than her mind made her realize how silly she was being--and now she'd interrupted his work again, and--and dear sweet stars she should just turn tail now and head home with whatever scraps of dignity she could claw off the temple floor.
She was so caught up in her spiraling thoughts that she didn't actually realize that she had dropped the wrapped package she'd been holding in amongst the books when Hayate ran into her.
Hayate opened and closed his mouth like a fish, groping for words and deciding they were the wrong words each time. He drew in a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes. No no no, do not say the first thing that comes to mind! Because the first things that came to mind were cranky and unfair and not representative of how he truly felt, and it wasn't like she meant to be in his path. Even before she started breathlessly apologizing, Hayate knew that if anything, this was his fault for being in a rush and not paying attention to where he was going and that his irritation was at the situation, not her--she just happened to be a convenient target.
But sweet Inima, what were the chances that it would be her again, two days in a row, under such similar circumstances?!
With a long-suffering sigh, he shifted onto his knees to help gather up the books, shooing her with a hand to indicate he could take over. "You must be an entropymancer to have this kind of luck," he said at last, then shot a look at her, frowning. "You needn't grovel and apologize so much. You're far too awkward for me to think you'd do something like this maliciously."
...Oops. That came out...a little wrong. Hayate froze for a moment, then cleared his throat awkwardly (pot, meet the kettle) and quickly continued gathering his books. Except when he lifted one book, he spotted something amongst the pile that wasn't his.
Plucking up the package, he held it out to her. "This yours?"
"Oh no."
Risa's cheeks darkened another shade and she had to fight the urge to just curl up in a ball with an embarrassed groan. "I-I mean yes, that--I brought that. With me. But it's not mine. I mean, I made it, so in that sense it's mine, but it's not--I didn't...I thought..."
She swallowed, closed her eyes, and just accepted that she would remember this moment with mortification for the rest of her natural life. "I wanted...to give you something. To say thank you. For yesterday."
Determinedly, she continued to carefully stack books. It was easier to talk if she wasn't looking at him while she did it. "I noticed that, um, that bracelet you wear, and I thought you might like--I'm sorry, it was silly." She waved a hand at the box he held--which if he opened, contained a pair of jade earrings much like the bone set he already wore, but with a delicately carved lotus relief to match the charm on his silver bracelet.
It was Hayate's turn to flush several shades darker as he stared at the little box with wide eyes and growing realization. The girl's words were all over the place, but he got the gist of it.
A thank you gift. For speaking up yesterday.
She had noticed his bracelet.
"Oh...uh..." Clearing his throat, Hayate set down the books he'd gathered up in one arm so he could focus on opening the box, his nimble fingers suddenly feeling thick and fumbling. And then his breath caught as he saw what it contained:
Jade earrings with a lotus relief that matched the charm on his bracelet. She had more than noticed what he wore--she had noted the fine details. And a jade pair! That was expensive!
Hayate's jaw dropped, hidden behind the hand he clapped to his mouth in surprise, and much to his horror he felt his face heat until it burned. Shaking his head quickly, he held the box back out to her. "I-I couldn't!" he said. "That's--that's a small fortune, I--you didn't have to--!" Ahh! Now it was his turn to be tongue-tied!
"Oh, no no, please!" Risa set her own armload of books aside to gently press the box back toward him. "R-really, it's not like--I mean, I m-made them, so it didn't cost me anything more than a late night," she tried to joke, then winced. Was that disrespectful? She wasn't sure if it made her seem cheap, like the idea of the gift had only been palatable to her as long as it didn't put her out any coin.
"Please," she said again, a little quieter, with her eyes downcast, "I...would really like you to have them. You didn't have to--" She swallowed, bit her lip, huffed, then continued, "You didn't have to speak up for me yesterday like you did. I mean, of course your blessing is so deeply appreciated, by our whole family!" she added hurriedly, cheeks dark as she reached up to absently tug at a lock of hair. "But I...no one--no one has ever done something like that before. For me..."
She swallowed again and looked away, rubbing her palms nervously along her thighs where she knelt, up and down the length of her skirt until the fabric bunched. "I know it's silly," she mumbled, unable to look him in the eye, "but I really--I wanted you to know how much I...appreciated it."
She glanced at the mess of books around them and groaned quietly. "And I did not want to make your work day more difficult."
For what he did?! He barely did a thing! Certainly nothing that warranted an expensive gift like this! All he did was say some mumbo jumbo words over the kid and tell her father to chill, more or less! That's all!
And yet there she went, saying those stunning words: "No one has ever done something like that before. For me..."
Hayate's eyes went wide and he flailed his hands in panic. "I-it was nothing! Really!" he choked, and winced as soon as the words tumbled out because clearly it was something to her. And the implication was as embarrassing as it was saddening, because it was such a simple, basic kindness. Had her own family failed to show that to her? Well...he hadn't been long in her family's presence, but her father certainly didn't seem the warm, affectionate sort and Risa's reaction to his reprimand had been so flinching. Hayate might prefer books to company in most cases, but being reserved in social settings meant he had plenty of time to observe. Risa and her father hadn't needed to exchange words; their expressions and body language (not to mention her brother's reactions) said plenty about their dynamic.
"I-I mean! Ah! That sounded wrong, apologies, I mean to say...uh..." Nervously, he pushed his glasses further up on his nose even though they needed no adjusting, and since that wasn't satisfying enough, he took to playing with a lock of his hair--mimicking Risa without even realizing it. "It's...it's fine, really. I couldn't not speak up. How could I stay silent and let you take the fall for my clumsiness? That wouldn't be right. I--"
He looked back at the box. Refusing again would be rude after she had insisted--and after she had made them for him! Stayed up late at night to finish them! He was fumbling along awkwardly, not quite sure what to say, and bit his lip to stop from babbling more idiocy. Breathe. In and out. Clear the mind. Think.
He let out a breath and, after a moment's hesitation, took the box. "Th-thank you." And then he added, a little under his breath and without looking at her. "It's not silly, either. It's...it's very thoughtful and...um...they're quite beautiful."
He couldn't not speak up, he said. As though hundreds of people every minute of every day simply didn't speak up. Maybe she was--okay, she knew she was overly sensitive to this sort of thing. She never doubted that her father wanted the best for her, that he loved her, he just...wasn't always good at showing it. And he didn't seem to realize how much wariness his strict mannerisms had instilled in his children.
But it was obvious that other people realized. Every so often they'd be out, or dealing with a particular customer, and she would make a mistake, and Kenta would snap at her--and she would see in the stranger's eyes that they thought he was being overly harsh. But no one ever said anything, because that wouldn't be proper, it would be overstepping, it wasn't their place.
It occurred to her that Hayate meant it: he couldn't not speak up. And he didn't even realize how extraordinary that idea was to her.
Still a little flushed, she smiled when he finally accepted the box. The expression changed something in her face, smoothing the nervous edges and even turning her embarrassed blush into something softer. "You're welcome," she told him genuinely. "I--I'm glad you like them."
The heat in her cheeks did ramp back up a bit and she added, slipping back toward her initial awkward nervousness, "And, ah, thank you." Any artist enjoyed being told their work was beautiful, and she was hardly so arrogant as to think she was the exception.
Still, the compliment combined with his own quiet, nervous energy had her stammering again as she gestured to the books around them. "C-can I help you with these?" It was her fault he'd dropped them, after all.
Hayate's shoulders slouched in defeat at her offer. He wanted to say no. He wanted to slink away in embarrassment and hide amongst his responsibilities. And yet, for the life of him...he couldn't say the words. Maybe it was the gift making him feel obligated in some strange way. Maybe it was him just wanting to give her the chance to make herself feel better by helping.
It wasn't either of those things, but that's what he told himself.
"You know what? Yes. Yes, you can help," he said tiredly, and he scooped up two books and handed them to her, while he scooped up the remaining stack of five. "I borrowed these and I need to return them, and they'll be safer in two sets of arms than one, especially considering my current curse of clumsiness." He slid a pointed look at her. "Which seems to have a source."
But even as he said it, his lips quirked up a little.
Risa perked up immediately when he handed her the books, quickly standing and cradling them to her chest.
"O-oh, I'm so--" She automatically stared to apologize before she caught the way his mouth quirked up as he said it. Her cheeks flushed, but her own lips twitched into half a smile in response.
"Perhaps I'm whatever the opposite of a lucky charm is," she chuckled, self-deprecating but somehow lighthearted. She let herself fall into step beside him as they started to walk through the temple grounds. "Now, if only I could make it happen on command rather than cursing whatever poor soul I happen to literally run into..."
"Entropymancy," Hayate said, peering around his stack of books at Risa. "That's what it's called when you can do it on command. Entropy is decay, and luck is just the decay of probability. It's an entire classification of magic that's--" He stopped himself short, realizing he was likely to go on a tangent, and tangents could be quite embarrassing. Especially when the other party had zero interest in what you had to say and you had little ability to tell when they had zoned out.
"I'm not sure where I was going with that. Point is, who knows? Being the opposite of a good luck charm...it's really not as crazy an idea as it might sound. Not that that's the case with you. Your timing is just..." He stopped himself, searching for a word that wouldn't sound offensive.
"...incredible. Maybe even kind of lucky, depending on your point of view? Anyway, follow me. We don't have far to go, it's just on the other end of the monastery."
She blinked, not expecting a real, thoughtful answer to her off-hand joke. A thoughtful and clearly well-researched answer. She listened intently as Hayate began to explain that entropymancy was in fact its own class of magic.
But then he stopped abruptly--so abruptly that she almost missed a step, not realizing herself the amount of attention she'd been giving him. "Lucky," she repeated with a quiet laugh. "Can't say that's something I've been called often, despite my mother's expectations."
She picked up her pace a bit to make sure she wasn't lagging behind him, btu she didn't quite have the confidence to walk properly side by side. After a moment of hesitation, she asked quietly, "Do you...know anything else about entropymancy? Or, um, other magical classifications?"
She'd actually been interested in what had sounded something like the beginning of an academic lecture, but she wasn't sure if it might be considered rude to ask him to repeat himself in the hope of learning more as they walked.
Risa's question drew a surprised laugh out of Hayate--the first laugh he had uttered around her. "Are you sure you want the answer?" he asked, swinging to look at her, since she wasn't quite keeping up. Maybe he was walking too quickly; he tended to scurry wherever he was going because he liked to be efficient and waste little time, but he slowed a little to give her a chance to pull up next to him.
"What I mean is...you may want to refine your question a little, because that's many hours worth of material right there. There are so, so many classifications and schools of magic, not all of them known. I haven't a lick of magical talent myself, but I have a surface understanding of many types. Did you have something specific in mind?"
Oh, yeah, this was right up his alley.
Hoping she wasn't reading the slight slowing of his gait incorrectly, Risa lengthened her stride slightly so she was walking alongside him properly. "I do! Want the answer, I mean--" She cut herself off and chuckled a little sheepishly before clarifying, "I find most magical theory fascinating, but I suppose I have a certain interest in...the more ephemeral, I suppose. Magic that doesn't impact the physical."
Like her own. But that was a sensitive subject at the best of times--and she never used her earth affinity, so what did it matter, right?
Shrugging a bit, she added with a small smile in his direction, "I mean, if you don't mind sharing what you've read, I'd love to hear more. Once my father realized I had something of a knack for jeweling, he encouraged me to focus my energy on that. I don't have much more than a very basic scope of knowledge when it comes to magical theory."
"Ah, well, let's see," Hayate said, frowning in thought, his feet carrying him where he needed to go out of sheer force of habit—which was good, because he had stopped paying attention to their destination.
"As I said, I'm not the most read on these subjects, some of my colleagues would know more, but entropymancy...you may have heard it before as the gift our Seam Rippers have. They play a very important role here in helping with fermentation and fertilization, since our climate doesn't exactly produce the best soil for farming. They help keep us fed, and their partners keep them in check because in the wrong hands, a gift of decay could be...problematic, to say the least. The stuff about luck I mentioned? Unfortunately, that's about the extent of my knowledge. I'm not quite sure about the mechanisms of it. Then you mentioned ephemeral magic. Seam Menders would fall under that likely, they're the checks and balances to the Rippers. Soul Speaking is definitely not physical, nor divination...those are all matters that extend beyond our world into wherever it is the dead go. Speakers and diviners merely find the places where the veil between the two is thinnest and bridge the gap, inviting our ancestors to talk—or, in the case of the diviners, they read the threads of fate Inima weaves, I suppose."
He paused, realizing he had been talking for a while and not quite sure if he had actually, ahem, answered anything for her. He cleared his throat.
"I really only know that much because there's so many among my caste who have those gifts. And other magics, well, I suppose I shouldn't really speak on the forbidden ones. The Serenians for example deal with...eugh...a lot of glamours and fae cantrips for example—that is not to be messed with. That's a good way to be lost and never found again."
Risa was so intent on the impromptu lecture that she didn't realize she'd been trusting his sense of direction entirely until he paused for a moment and she found that she had no idea how they'd gotten to this section of the temple.
She decided not to give it much thought--she'd been following him this far, after all, may as well commit. She nodded emphatically at his assessment of Serenian magics. "My mother used to tell Ori and me mainland stories of disobedient children who were vanished in by the fae," she said with a small shudder. "I know she just wanted to make sure we behaved--and she always made it sound like something that happened over there, but..." She shrugged with a slightly self-conscious little smile. "Sometimes if I think about it too hard it still makes me nervous."
She paused a moment, then chuckled quietly and added, "Granted, my mother tells some fairly unbelievable stories about my own birth. I think she just likes to be dramatic."
The moment the words were out of her mouth her eyes widened and she pressed her lips together tightly. While that wasn't necessarily a disrespectful thing to say of one's parents, it struck her that it wasn't exactly polite either. Especially not to someone she really barely knew.
She cleared her throat quickly. "Well, ah, thank you! That was...very interesting. How often do you find yourself exposed to magical study?" She cocked her head at him a bit. "I mean, is it part of your duties here? Or more...coincidental? If I can ask," she added hurriedly, not wanting to overstep.
I think she just likes to be dramatic.
Hayate's head whipped around to stare at Risa in genuine surprise—shock, even!—that the shy, bumbling girl would speak of her own mother so frankly, so disrespectfully! Her! It wasn't an insult exactly but it was more than he expected to hear coming from her and, quite frankly, he wasn't really used to such talk. He couldn't even fathom saying such a thing about his own parents!
He blinked at her, eyebrows raised—and then, suddenly, he snorted.
The sound surprised even him, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. It wasn't even that funny! It was just so brazen, so surprising coming from her of all people. But suddenly he was fighting back laughter, amused at her frankness, embarrassed at his own loud snort, and the combination of the two only amused him all the more.
He cleared his throat loudly, swallowing down the giggles (Inima help him, perhaps he was just sleep deprived) and rolled his shoulders back as though that would help him regain his composure.
"Ah. Yes. Right. Ahem, I get exposed often enough, but it's more coincidental. Like when I'm organizing manuscripts and books and scrolls and such, but it's not really part of my area of research. Just a passing curiosity really. Now you," he said, pointing at her, the amusement not quite faded.
"What's this about your birth?"
Risa felt her face heating yet again as Hayate had to cover his mouth to muffle a laugh. Goddess, she couldn't believe she'd just said that--to her brother, maybe, but to a near-stranger?
Thankfully, Hayate seemed more amused than offended by her outspokenness. She'd just have to be more careful with her tongue. She "mmm"ed quietly at his answer, unable to keep herself from thinking wistfully about what a nice perk to a job that would be.
She loved her work--genuinely--and she was good at it. But there was a certain pressure that came with crafting her pieces that often left her more tired at the end of a day than she should be. She couldn't help wondering what it might be like to be able to indulge "passing curiosity" while she worked.
Like when she'd made the earrings; because they hadn't been for a shop patron, she'd allowed herself to be freer, looser with the design than she would have been normally. It had been...nice. Relaxing, even.
"Hm?" Oh. Her birth. Right.
She half-sighed, half-laughed and shook her head slightly. "It's nothing, really. A story my mother used to tell me--she swears it's true, but, well..." She chuckled a little sheepishly and shrugged. "According to her, just before I was born, she...found this injured rabbit. Not far from the temple actually. She took it back home and nursed it, then let it go when it was well again." Another little shrug and a self-conscious chuckle. "As far as I know, that part's all true, and relatively normal. My father confirms it. But she says the night she released it, the rabbit came back to her in a dream, and offered her a--a gift for helping it. I was her first child, and she wanted me to be exceptional. So that's what she asked for, and this dream-rabbit said that would be her reward."
She glanced up at him bashfully and shrugged again. "She's, ah, very adamant that the dream meant something. But, well...I mean, I'm hardly anything exceptional. So."
What a strange tale.
Hayate listened to her story, an eyebrow cocked curiously because...well, it was so odd. A dream rabbit bestowing gifts, of all the things. The skeptic in him wanted to say it was just a dream and dreams didn't really mean much, but that wasn't true. They meant something to the person that had it and they could read any meaning they liked into it.
But something about it was niggling his brain,
something that told him it wasn't quite true. Wasn't there a story about something like that? Hmm. Maybe. But he'd read a lot of tales and rabbits were always popular folklore figures across cultures.
"Mm, I wouldn't say that," he said when she claimed to not be exceptional. "You've got exceptional luck, it seems, whether bad or good, and rabbits are supposed to be lucky. Then again, sometimes bad luck turns out to be good luck, you just can't see the future to know how the chain of events it kicks off turns out, if that makes sense. Still, that's not a bad animal guide to have, if that's what that is. Rabbits are survivors, tricksters, quick and elegant and cunning. They're prosperous and...well...all that," he said, trailing off awkwardly as he realized he had once more begun to ramble.
"...I'm not actually sure where I was going with that," he said, for at least the second time that day. "Ah. Well, we're almost there! See that door there at the end?" He jerked his chin toward the end of the monastery. "Think you can give it a good knock or kick? Jin should be expecting me but I don't want to spook her."