Shouri remembered the warning imparted on him by the Dallivan MA Office manager. He ignored it. Unlike Holly, who could be spotted by the plants adorning her head, there was nothing weird about Linh. Granted, he did bring Holly with him--he wasn't coming here without the company of his loyal plant.

She just put her hood up, easy enough to not draw suspicion.

Or at least they both hoped.

Unlike Holly, who had never seen a MA Office prior to her registration, Linh had no such curiosity. Instead, she just clung to to his jacket sleeve, her gaze directed forward.

Even without being properly linked to her yet, just the promise they would be connected made him privy to her emotional state.

Trepidation and nervousness radiated from the mermaid.

"Relax, you're just drawing more attention to yourself," whispered Holly.

"But what if--?" Linh cut herself off. She couldn't speak the fear that dwelt in her heart. As such, Shouri didn't know what was bothering her.

Perhaps she hadn't been entirely forthcoming about being abandoned? That was something that concerned him. What would realistically happen? Not much to him, at least. If Linh had a reason to run away from her previous Maestro it couldn't have been good. It wasn't like he or Holly could do anything in that instance, they'd just have to let Linh be taken back.

That made the bile in his gut rise in protest--what a horrible thought.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what came to pass, instead it was an entirely stupid scenario that ruined their day.

None of the trio noticed when that Maestro walked in. In fact, they never even found out the dude's name.

His face, they'd remember that for as long as they lived, despite how mundane and average he was. Mid, as one might say.

They most certainly remembered his drink order--four large orange sodas, all for him, naturally.

How did they learn of his drink selection?

Well, he ran into Linh, full force; spilling the sodas all over the incognito mermaid, the zalavan by her side, and the Maestro of the two.

Linh couldn't fight her magical anatomy and dropped to the ground on the spot, as her legs turned to a tail. She didn't know what to feel. It was mortifying being a fish out of water like she was, but even worse is she was completely soaked in sticky soda.

They also would remember his stupid, nasally voice, bellowing out "Woah! Is that a mermaid?!"

The trio were fairly certain they hated this nameless man.

If Holly had fire seeds, she'd have been able to dry Linh off to make their great escape. As it stood, the poor plant was in the same state as her mermaid counterpart, soaked and humiliated.

To make matters worse, the rest of the people lounging around the MA Office heard the very stupid man calling Linh out and rushed to see the mermaid.

"Fuck, we're so getting chewed out for this," Shouri grumbled. If he wasn't worried about Linh, he'd have throttled the very stupid man. Instead, he did something equally as dumb; he grabbed Linh's shoulder and cast.

"L'onda di Tempesta, Accelerando!"

Linh simply did as ordered of her, without a second thought. She took in the Maestro's intention and a river of water sprung up, causing the gathering crowd to dodge out of the way of the spell. Shouri grabbed Holly's hand and pulled her onto the high speed river-ride generated by one very distressed fish. The trio slammed through the door to the back offices, despite the shouts and protests of the staff to knock it off. They hit the wall with a wet smack, and Shouri scampered to the door to lock it and prevent any further gawking by the adoring public.

The boy allowed himself a short breath of relief.

"Uhhh… Sho…"

He didn't like the nervous inflection in Holly's voice, it made him tense where he stood. He didn't want his two loyal Resonators to face whatever awaited them alone. With a hard gulp, he slowly turned to face his fate.

Shouri Tomoshibi thought he knew anger. He felt a lot of it in his daily life. He's witnessed it on others (mainly his temperamental father.)

He knew not the rage of a wrathful office manager.

Not until today.

The three sat in temporary clothes, simple t-shirts and shorts while the MA Office manager gave them the third degree. The manager went on and on about reckless spellcasting, and bringing a mirage into the main lobby for registration.

Guilty as charged, the three just hung their heads and continuously mumbled apologies. Especially after Shouri tried to speak up and got reamed out harder for the effort.

Just saying sorry repeatedly was the only safe play.

Finally, they got all of their bottled up anger out of their system and asked the trio the question they had been waiting for.

"Why are you here?"

Shouri allowed a moment to pass before he lifted his head and spoke. "I wanted to register Linh," he motioned to the rueful mermaid to his right. "I didn't think we'd get assaulted by the entire M'krocs drive-through," he snarked quietly.

Holly covered her mouth as she snorted at her Maestro's joke.

The office manager huffed. "We could have done this at your home, you know," they pointed out.

Shouri knew this well, but in the brief reprieve from being chewed out, he formulated the perfect excuse.

"Well, she was abandoned by her previous Maestro and I wanted to make sure there would be no problems."

The office manager scrutinized the boy. It was quite hard to believe--someone just abandoning a mirage; not selling or trading it. When Shouri didn't immediately cave or come up with another excuse, the manager inquired further.

"Where is her tuner?"

That… was a good question. Holly and Shouri looked to the water element in between them, who refused the curious gazes.

"I… lost it," Linh admitted quietly. "When I jumped, I must have dropped it."

Shouri gripped the edges of his temporary shorts, as he found himself clenching his jaw tight. This all sounded beyond suspicious. Also, she jumped? He didn't like the implication of that.

Holly shared her Maestro's nervousness, he could feel it through their bond and he dare not call attention to it by looking at her.

The manager continued to scrutinize the three young adults before they turned to their computer. "What is your previous Maestro's name? If your story is true, the system will reflect his release of responsibility."

Linh continued to hang her head. She opened her mouth a few times, failing to give power to her voice. Finally, a name.

"Cameron Abedul."

That name earned pause from the office worker. "Zacara Academy's Cameron Abedul?" they questioned.

The mermaid flinched, but nodded quickly.

Some typing and clicking later, the manager raised a brow. "Well, isn't that interesting?" they mused aloud.

Shouri felt his heart drop. This was it, wasn't it? There was no way a second mirage would just fall into his lap like this. In their short time together he'd grown fond of the poor timid little fish, but it was a ridiculous prospect; not like Holly's situation. More than anything he was frustrated, Linh was driven to try to escape this horrible--

"Your story checks out." The office manager turned their screen towards the trio.

Linh - RITERRA RMS X RESONATOR Linh MAESTRO STRAY SPECIES Mermaid (Plakat Betta) ELEMENT Water ATTRIBUTE Deep RELEASED April 2nd, 2019

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Today was the sixth of April. Zacara Academy was deep in the southern hemisphere. Probably around a twelve hour flight via plane. How she ended up just a little north of Riva Moni in such a short time was honestly a miracle. Sage Marovo must have loved this girl.

That probably wasn't the full story, but Shouri counted his blessings that he was the one to find her.

"Since your original tuner was lost we will need to remove your current registration chip and re-issue it. This will wipe your records of ever belonging to Mister Abedul," the office manager explained.

For the first time, Linh looked up, the light in her eyes reignited as a hope she thought long lost filled her to the brim.

"Would you like to proceed?"

"Y-yes!"

Before she knew what happened, Linh was hugged from either side by Shouri and Holly, the two laughing with joy. Tears of relief streamed down the mermaid's face as she smiled brightly, enjoying the warmth and embrace of the two she was about to share her life with.

Their new life together wouldn't be official until the procedure was done.

"Oof, a chip replacement? This is gonna be rough," said the tuner technician, as he reviewed the order on a tablet.

"I-is it that bad?" Shouri questioned.

Linh stood in a Viva Unit, a machine meant for Resonator recovery and rehabilitation. It had yet to fill, so she maintained her human legs for the moment. Her long hair was tied up into a tight bun and different diodes were affixed to her body. The wires snaked under her clothes to monitor vital points in both her physical and magical anatomy.

The tech set down the tablet and began punching information into the Viva Unit's computer. "Let me put it this way kid, I can inject a chip and have the Resonator ready to go in twenty minutes," he paused and regarded the timid mermaid in the pod. "She'll be out the rest of the day. I'll give you the care instructions before you go."

Shouri raised a brow. "If it's that dangerous why isn't she being kept overnight?" he questioned.

"Oh she is--you're not allowed to leave the MA Office until tomorrow morning," he explained.

That gave Shouri some relief. The administration wasn't reckless enough to just let him take Linh home after such a serious operation.

Holly just needed a nap after her chip installation and she was fine. He feared what Linh would be like after her procedure.

Shouri stepped up to the pod and placed a hand on the glass. Linh reciprocated the gesture. Holly did the same, and Linh, too, rested a hand on the glass where Holly was.

"You sure you want stand right there, kid?" asked the tech.

"Why?" questioned Shouri back.

"Most Maestros don't like seeing this part; they say it's upsetting."

Shouri and Holly didn't like the blasé way the tech spoke of it, but more than that, they didn't like the warning.

The procedure began with liquid filling the chamber, and Linh's legs changed into their fishy form. It didn't earn any worry or surprise from the mermaid, and in fact, she mellowed out in the liquid. Shouri wondered if there was something in the solution that had relaxant properties. She kept her hands on the glass, which Shouri and Holly refused to release.

What happened next was… uncomfortable, to say the least. The machinery at the top of the tank began to move. Mechanical arms took hold of the beautiful mermaid, man-handling her like a slab of meat to lock her in place. From the position Shouri and Holly stood they couldn't see what exactly was happening, but they saw the result clearly. Linh jerked violently and the light in her eyes vanished. The red that began to seep into the liquid behind her head made the two who watched the procedure ill, as Linh's hands slipped off the glass and hung limp by her sides.

Holly looked to her Maestro, not wanting to watch any more, but he refused to avert his gaze. His disgust radiated like a beacon that was hard for the zalavan to ignore. If Shouri, and his negative willpower could muster up the courage to face this trial with Linh as best he could, surely she could too.

"This sucks," Holly mumbled.

"Toldjya," said the tuner tech. "Good on you for not losing your lunch. Makes my job easier," he added.

Shouri remained quiet, just keeping calm and focused on Linh. It'd be over soon and they would be together for real.

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