The moon cast a pale glow over Enohay's shrine district, the soft hum of nocturnal animals filling the night. Under the moon's glow, Himon and Liam strolled along the well-lit path leading to the chief and chiefess's hut, their conversation light and casual.

"You were really into that dance with Alexandra, huh?" Koul teased, a sly grin on his face as he nudged Liam with a comforting elbow.

Liam chuckled, running a hand through his hair, disheveling his bangs. "Honestly, I was afraid I looked a bit stupid out there. She has this way of making me forget how clumsy I can be."

Koul shook his head with a laugh. "Sounds 'bout right, love will do that to ya, har! And don't sell yourself short, from where I stood, you two looked great together! In fact, I'd say you almost gave me and Tawa a run for our money—almost!"

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Almost? Pfft," he asked, smirking, "I'd argue you two were the real spotlight of the event—that is, right after Chief Owain and Chiefess Tsubasa." Liam put a finger in the air as his eyes filled with wonder. "Did you see them? I swear, the way they moved together was almost hypnotic. You could just feel the trust—the love—between them."

Koul nodded. "Yeah, those two are something else. It's like they've been dancing together for centuries!"

As they neared Owain and Tsubasa's hut, Koul's expression then turned curious. "Speaking of the chief and chiefess—any idea why they called us here after we finished cleaning up?"

Liam shrugged. "Not a clue. Maybe they just want to congratulate us?"

"Maybe..." Koul said, though his tone betrayed a hint of doubt. He gestured to the hut's ornate double doors. "Guess we'll find out."

Before Koul knocked, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye: a wooden flute, like the ones his daughter made for the festival, sticking out of Liam's pocket. "Oy, ain't that a flute," Koul pointed, "did my little Mary give you that?"

Liam took out the flute and marvelled at it while responding. "Indeed, she did! Gotta say, Koul, your daughter is very creative and bright. I'd go as far as to say one of the best in Enohay—including adults! I even got a mini drum for Juin."

Hearing all of this, Koul couldn't stop the widest grin on his face before ruffling Liam's hair—like he was a quarter of his age. "My goddess, boy, you really have grown into a fine, respectful, and intelligent young man, eh? Donnel would be proud, let me tell ya!"

As Liam let the compliment sink in, a blush forming, Koul knocked on the hut's doors firmly, the sound echoing briefly. Almost immediately, Tsubasa's warm voice called from within. "Come in."

The two men exchanged glances before pushing the doors open. Inside, the glow of soft lantern light illuminated the modest but elegant interior. Owain sat at the low wooden table in a seiza position, a steaming cup of tea before him. Across the room, Tsubasa sat on the edge of her bed, engrossed in a book.

"Chief, Chiefess." Koul said, inclining his head respectfully. Liam followed suit.

"Good evening." Owain greeted them with a slight nod, his voice steady and welcoming.

Koul wasted no time. "Not to sound impatient, but why did you two call us? I hope you don't have any grievances about the festival."

Tsubasa smiled gently as she closed her book with a soft thud and set it aside. "The festival went wonderfully," she assured them, swinging her legs off the bed and standing, "in fact, we wanted to thank you both for your hard work. Without you two, it wouldn't have been as smooth and successful as it was."

Before either man could respond, Tsubasa's expression turned serious, her tone losing its warmth. "But that's not why we called you here. There's a more pressing issue that's been weighing on my, Owain's, and Yuyin Yono's minds for a while now."

Koul frowned, his posture straightening as he asked, "What kind of issue?"

Tsubasa's expression dropped a bit. "We haven't heard from Briarstone Village for a concerningly long time—almost a year, in fact."

Liam's eyes widened in shock. "A year? How is that even possible? I thought we had regular communication with them."

Koul, however, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You know...I did notice that too. It felt a bit weird, but I figured I was just overthinking things."

Owain chuckled, breaking the tension. "That's what makes you so sharp, Koul. Observant, charismatic—you'd make a fine chief someday."

Caught off guard, Koul blinked and rubbed the back of his head, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "Me? Chief? I'm cut out for a lot of things, but leading a whole village isn't one of them, Chief Owain."

Liam grinned and nodded. "I don't know about that, Koul. I think Chief Owain's onto something. You'd make a fine chief!"

Before Koul could retort, Tsubasa cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. "Let's focus, shall we? Briarstone Village has been one of our most vital allies. They're our main source of precious ores and weapons in exchange for the crops we provide. If their silence continues, Enohay could face real problems. We'll have no choice but to go out and find out what's going on."

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Liam tilted his head, his brow furrowed. "Do you want us to go now? Or sometime in the near future?"

Tsubasa shook her head. "The only two reasons we're not sending anyone out immediately are the approaching winter and the fact that Briarstone has been late in communicating before. We've decided to give them until the start of next summer. If we still don't hear anything, we'll send you, Koul, and two others to scout the situation."

Liam's jaw dropped as he stepped back. "M-Me?"

Tsubasa locked her hands with each other behind her back whilst puffing out her chest a bit. "Why not? You're one of our finest, Liam. Donnel would be so proud, you know?"

Koul puffed out his chest too, grinning at Liam knowing what he said mere moments ago. "See? She has a point, boy!" He bellowed out with pride before shrinking back a bit, repeating thoughtfully, "Though, two other men? Hmmm..."

Owain nodded, folding his hands in his lap. "We're still deciding who else to send. We can't risk sending all of our best men at once in case something happens here in Enohay. But at the same time, sending less experienced men would be dangerous."

Koul rubbed his chin, deep in thought. After a moment, he slammed a fist into his palm, his face lighting up. "I've got it!" He exclaimed, getting up in Liam's face, who stepped back in response. "We should bring Dama along!"

The room fell silent, and everyone stared at him in surprise.

Liam hesitated. "What? D-Dama? Are you sure about that, Koul?"

Owain raised an eyebrow. "Himon, I just mentioned we're not keen on sending less experienced men. Dama is still a boy."

Koul wagged his finger in the air, a sly grin on his face. "Not just a boy. He's thirteen, going on fourteen this year—that's practically the age when a boy starts becoming a man! And besides," he continued, nudging Liam's arm with his elbow, "think about it: This trip would give Dama valuable outside experience, and he'd have the chance to spend time with men who could teach him and give him advice about, you know, growing up. Navigating puberty and all that!"

Liam glanced at Owain, both men clearly pondering Koul's argument. The longer they thought about it, the more sense his words seemed to make.

But it was Tsubasa who spoke first. "I like the idea," she said, her lips curving into a faint smile, "I've actually been thinking about how to explain puberty—and, most likely, his sudden interest in girls—to Dama for a while now. But I've never found a way to do it without embarrassing both of us. Having Koul and Liam do it, as fellow boys, would be wonderful."

Koul smirked proudly, crossing his arms. "Even the chiefess agrees."

Liam sighed, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Alright, I'll admit, you've got a point. Hope he can handle a trip like that. Jaden would be my pick."

Koul shrugged, his grin widening. "Hey, what better way to teach him patience and discipline?" He said before bending down with his arms crossed, his grin now a full blown smile, fueled by mischief. "Speaking of...we should also bring Gus—now that boy needs some discipline!"

Tsubasa enthusiastically nodded with a mischievous smirk of her own. "Agreed, agreed."

Owain chuckled softly, shaking his head. "We'll finalize the team when the time comes. For now, let's hope Briarstone breaks their silence before summer. If not, you'll all have your work cut out for you."

At the same time, in Dama's cabin, it was quiet, the only sounds were the soft crackling of the fireplace and the occasional rustle of the trees outside. Moonlight streamed in through the window, mingling with the golden glow of the fire.

Dama lay in his bed, his single arm resting in an awkward position as Giona buried her face into his chest, her breath warm and steady against him. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, her slender fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt as if she feared he might disappear into thin air.

He tried to distract himself from the way her warmth seeped into him, thinking instead of how thankful he was when Koul told him he didn't need to help clean up the festival. He had offered, of course, but Koul waved him off with that ever-present grin of his. "In hindsight, I was pretty lucky, heh!"

At least he'd managed to help Ms. Kina pack up her booth earlier in the evening. The thought made him smile as he remembered she'd given him another basket of produce for his trouble, along with a freshly baked apple pie she'd made herself. His cheeks would redden also remembering that he demolished it in minutes since he hadn't eaten all day.

Then there was her patented back-crushing, suffocating hug—Kina Alder's specialty.

Dama chuckled softly as he trailed down memory lane, his chest spasming just slightly.

The sudden movement made Giona giggle, the sound muffled against him. It startled Dama, his train of thought derailing as he grew keenly aware of her closeness once again. His face flushed as she nestled even closer, her small frame pressing against him in a way that made it impossible to ignore her presence. "Is something wrong?" He whispered, his voice low and hesitant.

Giona shook her head, her giggles quieting as she moved her hands, exploring the curve of his back with an innocent curiosity to why she felt more warmth from Dama. The warmth between them seemed to grow, filling the cabin like an invisible blanket.

Dama groaned internally, closing his eyes as his embarrassment reached its peak. Should he tell her to stop? Part of him wanted to—but then there was another part, a confusing part, that didn't mind at all. In fact, that part liked it, and it had been growing stronger over the past few months, especially with how clingy Giona had been lately.

Then, Giona shifted, tilting her head to look up at him. Her blue eyes sparkled in the combined light of the fire and moon, and her lips curled into a small, shy smile. "Dama..." she said softly, her voice sweet and gentle.

"Y-Yes?" He stammered, caught off guard by the way she said his name.

"Thank...you," Giona murmured, her cheeks dusted with a faint pink as she looked at him earnestly.

Dama blinked, her words shocking him. "Did...did you learn that from Granny Tsu?"

Giona nodded, her expression softening further.

For a moment, Dama just stared at her, the tension in his body fading with each second. He smiled, his features relaxing as he shifted and wrapped his arm around her small frame.

Giona stiffened in surprise for a heartbeat before melting into his embrace, her grip on his shirt loosening as she let herself relax.

"You're welcome." Dama murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, and sweet as honey to Giona's ears. He rested his chin lightly on the top of her head, closing his eyes. "Goodnight, Giona."

She didn't respond with words, only a contented hum as her breathing slowed and steadied.

The room fell quiet once more, the firelight flickering softly against the walls as the moon watched over them from above. Mumu and Nini also watched them from the side, both snuggling with each other as their stitched features softened at Dama and Giona's embrace. Both vowed to protect them.

And just like that, summer had arrived.

-

Next: (Chapter 64) Mutual Meeting

Canonically Next: (Chapter 21) Another Fateful Encounter?

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