Tell me lies.

[Hysteria]

The air carried the sweet smell of jasmine. It danced across the nose, strumming each sent with its tantalising grasp. Behind the jasmine was the bitter tang of berries, propped up by fresh cinnamon and mint. It was as delightful as it was painful, because no matter how fast the tea store poured and brewed, the constant push of customers ensured a wait.

Talen had arrived about thirty minutes ago, and the tea had only just arrived. Talen was young; at least in image. His body was slim and small, barely thirteen years of age. His skin was ivory in colour, contrasting deeply with his black hair and cloths. Today his face was pensive, not just about the tea that he was concentrating on pouring without spilling, but also on the main reason he had come to this tea house. He was going to meet someone who he hoped would be able to help him with his personal search. That undeniable question we all ask, who am I?

The tea house was full, and the air carried with it the smells of a living and breathing town. Sea, salt, fish, mud, plants and even if you lucky maybe some fresh mountain air. The town was set on the boarder of Akashima and Corone proper. Despite its close ties with its bigger neighbour, it was distinctly of Akashima. Most of its trade came from fishing and rice, with even a little sake production.

Talen's interest was with this Akashima culture. He had been in correspondence with Luned about an ancient text that was rumoured to be held in a shrine high in the mountains between Akashima and Corone. Talen had originally thought of travelling to the shrine alone, but his limited knowledge of languages would have certainly been his downfall. He more than likely would have returned with a soup recipe rather than the answer to his existence. So Luned was the answer. She might not be able to translate the text there and then, but she was his best hope of securing the sacred knowledge. In return the shrine offered its own secrets to the Librarian.

Talen sipped the fresh tea, finally savouring the flavours that danced in the air. It was approaching he time that he and Luned had organised to meet. The pair had not met in person before, though their paths had come close a number of times. Talen thought that she had been suspicious of the boy she had only seen in the Cell, but his eagerness had worn her down.

[Luned]

There was that saying, Luned mused as she approached the tea shop, about having big shoes to fill. But Bleddyn’s weren’t just big –– they were cavernous, having contained well over a century of experience and discipline. She floundered in the wake of her mentor’s disappearance, eager to take his place but sorely lacking in the confidence to do so.

The scribe couldn’t deny that there was an element of deja vu to her exchange with Talen. She recalled Bleddyn’s first meeting with a young girl, when the old man recognized some mysterious marks on her skin; he knew who and what she was before the child did, herself. He didn’t need to ask to know the nightmares she had endured quietly as her abilities surfaced. He sensed her ghosts in how her skittish gaze haunted dark corners, in the way she felt things before she saw them. He shared his knowledge with her, helped her understand, and offered her the resources she needed to take control of her life. He had offered Resolve the confidence of her identity, and that was a priceless thing.

Luned knew she couldn’t be that person for Talen, but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying.

The front door opened with a floral waft of jasmine and Luned entered. She placed the boy immediately, recognizing that peculiar character from Resolve’s last round in the Cell. He concerned her then, and he concerned her now, even if his presence seemed far less ominous in the midst of this sunny and fragrant shop.

Luned strolled up to the table where Talen sipped his tea, sidestepping a distracted server, then tucked her skirt under her knees as she knelt on the cushion across from him. The pair could have almost been siblings with their pale skin and dark hair, bright eyes meeting similar blues through the haze that rose from the hot tea. She watched him as a scholar might approach an unfamiliar specimen while he reached out and poured her some refreshment.

She didn’t realize that she had been staring until the boy spoke with a little smile, breath stirring the steam over his cup which he held at his chin. “It should be aerated by now. You should drink it while it’s still warm.” He took a sip.

Despite all her knowledge and training, Luned wasn’t Bleddyn. She didn’t know what he was. What if she couldn’t help him?

Luned blinked and her hands drifted to the fastenings of her ocean-hued coat, which they pried open. “So, you’ve convinced me,” she said, slipping off the jacket and folding it across her lap. The blouse she wore underneath was suitably drab for a librarian. “I’m here. What now?”

[Hysteria]

A small smile and sip of tea. Talen’s eyes were calm, even longing as he stared through Luned. It was like he could use her as a prism to look through, a new perspective that he could use to find what he had lost. Of course he couldn’t, things were not quite so simple in practice. Instead he was left looking at someone with similar features as his own, or at least, similar to his facade of form.

“I was kind of hoping you’d tell me.” Talen’s eyes focused back on Luned’s. Part of him had hoped that there’d be a stroke of luck and she’d just blurt out his history now they were face to face. The small smile on Talen’s face was as much at his cruel fate as anything.

“But failing that, I suppose I have a lead. Are you familiar with the Akshima concept of an Oni?”

“A subset of Yōkai, a catch-all term for spirits or ghosts found here.” Said Luned, the knowledge flowed out of her like tea from a pot. “Are you saying you’re an Oni?”

“Wouldn’t that be simple?” Talen placed his cup down and rested back on his hands. “The shrine I spoke off is a short cart ride up the mountain. They have quite an extensive library, but one particular text there is called Kage no Oni-”

“Demon of Shadow” Interrupted Luned.

“Exactly.” Talen lowered his voice slightly and leaned in over the trails of steam rising from their table. “Now I don’t know if this demon is some spurned relation of mine, or something completely different, but if the book doesn’t tell us, it might give us a clue as to where we can find this Shadow Oni. In which case we have another lead.”

Talen lent back, while he didn’t want to advertise that he may be related to a shadow demon, the rest of their conversation was mundane. What he didn’t disclose to the librarian was the odd feeling he got from the shrine. Even this distance he could feel it magic clinging to him. It was heavy, like being surrounded by a fog. As of yet Talen didn’t know what to make of it, and didn’t want to risk Luned backing out. As of yet as he knew was that it was stopping him from teleporting directly to the shrine, but what else he didn’t know.