"Whatcha workin' on?"

Kira jumped when she heard Ailsa's voice from overhead, nearly slamming her head into the other woman's chin. Luckily, Ailsa's reflexes were better than hers, and the Dwarf managed to avoid taking a hit to the face. A few papers, dislodged by the sudden flurry of activity, evaded pillars of books stacked haphazardly on Kira's dorm table to flutter gently toward the floor.

"How did... My door was..." Kira mumbled, scrambling to grab the fallen papers.

"Mentor access, kiddo. So long as it be daylight hours, Mentors - capitalized M fer bein' official, like - get free entry ta their student's quarters. So we can drag ya ta trainin' sessions if need be." Ailsa grinned when Kira gave a soft derisive snort. As much as Kira disliked running the obstacle course with Ailsa, she knew it was because she didn't have the stamina yet to run it with ease. Every day it felt like she could last a bit longer before her lungs felt ready to collapse, and the steady progress felt good even if the fatigue afterward didn't.

'It seems irresponsible, with the world as it is now, to be capable of training and getting stronger, and just... Choosing not to. Even Ribbon does what she can to get stronger in her own way...' Kira sighed inwardly, smoothing the fallen papers against the table to ease out a few wrinkles they obtained from the landing. Out loud, she said: "Was reading while waiting for you. Studying. But then I got ideas, so I'm drawing designs."

"Designs? What fer?"

"My grimoire," Kira grinned, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She fell asleep the night before dreaming of various iterations her grimoire might take, and though she did her best to focus in lessons the next day, she couldn't help but keep wondering what form it would have. She rushed right home once lessons were over and locked herself in the dorm while Brigit and Ribbon, befuddled and amused, went to prepare for the Dungeon training on their own.

"Excited about it, eh?"

"Yeah! Um, I figured it'll take awhile to customize it... Since it's a high level skill? It was supposed to take a bunch of mana to start and I kind of cheated through that, but I'm pretty sure with the way magic seems to work that it'll also cost a lot to modify since the skill itself is high level... So I was coming up with some basic designs to start for the Hidden form, and then I can work from there to slowly shape it into something else. Uh... I just dunno what yet though... So I was drawing? To figure it out... I had some ideas but I keep getting distracted thinking of how pretty Vanessa's grimoire was and then I just draw a bunch of flowers..."

Ailsa grinned, pulling an almost comically thick book from her inventory and adding it to Kira's already impressive literature piles. "Speaking of, this book be a gift from me Nessie. 'An Illustrated Guide to Exotic Flora, Magical and Mundane, and the Many Methods By Which They Can Be Found and Cultivated' by Grand Botanist Valeria Thornweaver. Helluva mouthful..."

"Oh!" Kira grinned, snatching the book off the pile and nearly grunting from the exertion of moving the heavy tome. "Big boy."

"Yeah, it be fully illustrated. Color images, detailed dissections of plants. Buncha science homework ta my eyes, but Nessie likes it. She be keepin' a signed copy inna framed case in her work office, like. Daft woman..." Ailsa muttered, the affectionate grin on her face contradicting her gentle mockery. "Figured ya might wanna start readin' it durin' breaks in the Dungeon. By the way, Nessie wanted me ta ask... When's yer birthday?"

Kira hugged the book to her chest and frowned, knitting her brows together thoughtfully. "My... Birthday?"

"Aye. The wife likes ta cook a special meal on birthdays, so she wants ta know when ta expect yers. Nothin' fancy, even meetin' ya once be enough ta tell ye ain't the type ta like the big fuss parties, aye?"

"Mm, yeah..." Sighing with relief, Kira nodded. "I don't... mind parties. I just... Mmm. Don't wanna be in... the middle? The spotlight, I guess. Everyone staring, up close and... Nn-nn. I don't like that. But a dinner with everyone... sounds nice."

"Thank ya fer tellin' me, we'll make sure ta remember it fer ya. So when be yer day, then?"

"Ah... Summer. Um... August. August 21st. I dunno if the calendar's still the same though... My System clock says it's May 14th, so my birthday's in... a little over three months."

"If it ain't the same, it be Translatin' fine. August 21st, huh? Nice warm day, just afore harvests start. Weather be fine and clear but prone ta sudden storms and high winds... Born in the night hours, were ye?"

"How'd you know?"

Ailsa chuckled. "Just dumb old Dwarvish horoscope nonsense, don't be mindin' me none. Can't imagine ye knew the weather on yer birthday, but..."

"Storming."

The Dwarf paused, the sudden quiet shift of Kira's voice to something softer setting off a warning bell in the back of her mind. "Aye?"

Kira flinched inwardly, and tried hard not to let anything show on her face. "It was raining. A lot. Big summer storm. Lightning, hurricane winds... Not like I personally remember, but my..." She paused, hesitating, but even as she decided not to finish that sentence, it came spilling out past her tongue before she could bite it back. She resolved merely to control the pitch of her voice, to let the words spill forth without letting them shake and rattle with suppressed emotion. "That woman, my... birth mother used to complain saying it was an omen of how much bad luck I'd be. Sometimes when it rained, she'd talk about how it was my fault. If she was in a bad mood, she'd even wish... that she left me outside, back then."

The unspoken but strongly implicated words hung heavy between them. Though Kira's voice was steady under her careful control, with her body language held in tight reign, what she said was enough for Ailsa to pull up a chair and lay a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Oh, kiddo... I'm real sorry, I didn't mean ta be bringin' bad memories back again."

Kira shook her head, and her faintly forlorn expression turned warm. "Nn-nn. It's okay. I have a lot of bad memories, it's hard to avoid them all. Trust me, I've... I've tried. And... maybe it's petty, but... the rain always made me happy, because it made that woman think of me? Even if it was in a bad way, I still...

"That woman hated the rain, and blamed me for it. I later learned that didn't make sense, of course the rain wasn't my fault... When I was younger though, I kind of believed it. But she was reminded I existed when it rained, she had to think of me. So I was glad.

"Then she was gone from my life, and I found other reasons to like the rain. I met the Hawthornes on a stormy day, too!" Kira paused again, rubbing the back of her neck, expression turning apologetic. "Sorry. It's just... been a long time, since I thought of all that. So it kind of... fell out of me."

"Don't be sorry, Kira. I'm glad ye shared that with me, thank ye. If'n it be makin' ye feel better ta let it out, then go ahead. Send me a message any time ye wanna talk about anythin', if I ain't here in person ta do so. Aye?"

"Aye..."

"But ye know... Storm's be one of the most auspicious signs fer Dwarf horoscopes."

"What?" Kira glanced up, her expression turning skeptical.

"Aye! Summer storms, at least. Winter storms not so much, but that be a different animal entirely. Summer storms are bringers of change, and they be comin' with water and wind ta fields that be parched under summer heat. A storm at the tail end of summer, when the soil be threatenin' ta crack and the air shimmers with the promise of fire? Right about then, a summer storm's the biggest blessin' of them all."

"Oh... That makes sense. I never thought of that..." The way Ailsa spoke about summer storms, with genuine enthusiasm and awe, brought a smile back to Kira's face.

No doubt mistaking the girl's sudden good cheer for a faked affectation based on misunderstanding her own intentions, Ailsa huffed and crossed her arms, looking a bit sulky. "Ye can even ask me Pappy if'n ye don't believe me. I ain't just humorin' ye, ye know! Heck, ask any Dwarf ye want. Summer storms are auspicious. Just like gentle misty rains in spring, or warm sunny days in winter."

"I believe you. Any lucky weather for autumn?"

"Aye, we call 'em soft winds. Not warm or cool, barely strong enough ta shake loose some leaves. Chasin' away fog and frost, but not warm enough ta chase winter back. Late winters tend ta ruin plantin' schedules, and messes up the next year, like. Late winters be just as bad as early ones, see."

"Do Dwarves do a lot of farming? I kinda thought... You all lived underground..."

"Pffft! Underground? Whatever made ye think that?"

"Er, well..." Kira looked bashful, but the curiosity and amusement sparkling in Ailsa's eyes encouraged her to keep going. "In my time, dwarves were like... Mythological? And they were master artisans who kept mostly to themselves and lived in the depths of mountains. They smelted legendary metals and forged them into weapons and armor, and rarely bothered venturing toward the surface."

"Pahahaha, what's that!?" Ailsa doubled over laughing, smacking a hand against her knee. "Ye... Ye thinkin' we be Trolls!?"

"Trolls!?"

"Aye!" Ailsa giggled, smothering the sound behind one hand to compose herself. "Many Dwarves be legendary craftfolk true enough, but most of us be farmers! Trolls be lookin' similar to Dwarves, aye, both bein' stocky sorts with enviable beards and musculature, but they be havin' long tufted tails and floppy ears. And while Dwarves have metallic tints ta their skin, like me own bronze? Trolls are more... Rocky. Stone and crystal, like."

"Oh... That's neat."

"Aye, they dig up ores and gems that they trade ta Dwarves since we tend ta occupy the same ranges, but though we both be mountain dwellers and friends besides, we're different folk entirely. Now, I think we been jawwin' fer long enough. I'll tell ya more about Dwarves and Trolls another time! We should get goin'."

"Okay." Kira nodded, sweeping all the books and loose papers into her inventory for later perusal. As the faint lavender particles faded away leaving only an empty dining table in their wake, Ailsa stood and patted Kira on the shoulder again.

"Right, let's go collect yer Teammates."

"You want me to... What?"

Kira stared, incredulous, at Ailsa's wide and almost predatory grin, made all the more sinister and intimidating by the blue glow of nearby Safirite. Kira kept her hands in her pockets, ignoring her own greedy impulse to pinch more of the pretty crystal for her collection.

"B-but! Y-you can't p-possibly think... S-she couldn't actually..." Ribbon stammered, willing herself to raise her voice even as her small body trembled. Brigit struggled silently between her deep admiration and respect for Ailsa, and her desire to protect Kira, visibly conflicted.

The girl in question, however, felt more bemused than alarmed or afraid. "I thought... I've been practicing to..."

"We been havin' ye practicin' ta hold back yer ability in front of other folk, aye. And I'm sure yer doin' a fine job, kiddo! But yer Teammates here, they need ta see what ye can do fer real. Not just a glimpse, not just raw stats or a single impressive spell, not just a story of ye clearin' the first Floor alone, but ta actually watch it happen fer themselves. If'n they know intimately what yer capable of, they can relax in combat knowin' ye got their backs."

"W-we already-"

"I know yer startin' ta trust each other," Ailsa said quickly, cutting off Ribbon before the little Kobold worked herself up into a misunderstanding. "Or at the very least, ye like each other enough ta work together, and do so pretty well since ye cleared the first Floor as an underleveled three person Team against Variants. Ye did great, but... Well...

"Again, it's one thing ta hear the stories, it's another ta see it yerself. Considerin' the focus of yer trainin', I'm willin' ta bet me gauntlets neither of ye seen Kira goin' all out instead of pullin' her punches, while she been standin' in the back watchin' both of ye do yer best. Ye need ta know just how much yer able ta rely on her as well."

Embarrassed, Kira covered her face with both hands to avoid meeting the guilty gazes of her friends. She could tell by the looks in their eyes, they were already won over by Ailsa's argument. "Is it... Really important?"

"It is. Ye need ta know everyone's limits whether yer in a Party or in a Team. What they can do, what they can't. The most and the least. Yer strengths be just as important as yer weaknesses, and vice versa! So before we be headin' ta the second Floor together, Kira's gonna clear the way through the first by her lonesome. And we'll be watchin' here in the Sanctuary."

After a moment of hesitation, Kira asked: "The Boss?"

"Aye, even the Boss."

"N-now see here!" Despite the stammering, it was actually Brigit who spoke up rather than Ribbon, clenching both fists at her sides. Apparently, her desire to protect won out over respect for her idol. "Mrs. Reid, you can't possibly think Kira actually stands a chance by herself against a Floor Boss?!"

Ailsa directed her answering smirk toward Kira. "What do ye think, kiddo? Think ye can handle the Boss yerself?"

"Mrs. Reid-"

"Yeah."

Brigit stuttered to a stop, her protests halted by Kira's matter-of-fact response, but then she collected her thoughts and tried a different tactic. "Kira! Last time, wasn't Mrs. Reid tanking for you?"

"Mhm."

"She won't be there this time to draw its attention for you!"

"Mm."

"There's a seven level difference between you and the Boss! If that thing hits you-"

"I know," Kira said softly, giving a slight nod, but she met Brigit's anxious golden gaze with her own steady blue one. Seeing the Drakke protest so violently against the attempt made her realize that Ailsa was right - her friends didn't truly understand what she could do. Their desire to protect her caused a flower of warmth to bloom in her chest, but at the same time an unfamiliar, colder emotion scratched away at that warm flower's delicate petals.

'I need to know my limits if I want to contribute in the future.' Kira thought, resisting the urge to shove her hands in her pockets even further. She didn't want to look nervous and worry her friends more, not when Brigit was stifling her admiration for Ailsa to try and argue a way around the Dwarf's decision. 'Everyone's been so nice, and done so much to give me a helping hand in getting stronger and learning more about the world. I want to survive, I want to get strong, I want to pay back their kindness! Which means... I can't run from challenges like this just because it's scary. I can be afraid, but... I can't run.'

Struggling for a few moments to find the right words, Kira eventually settled on a simple: "I want to try, Brigit."

Brigit stared at Kira's face searchingly for even longer than it took for Kira to finish her thoughts, apparently going off on an inner monologue of her own. Once she came to a conclusion the Drakke sighed, shoulders slumping in resignation, and gently pat Kira's head. "Alright. Good luck, Kira."

"D-do your b-best!" Ribbon chimed in, clenching her little paws in what she hoped was an encouraging gesture. Her knees were shaking, but her fluffy tail did a hopeful wag as Kira smiled at her friends and mentor in turn, then walked out of the Sanctuary.