Chapter 218 - 198 - Deep Intoxication
Pacifica trudged into the dining room on the morning of the tenth to find her Maestro already in conversation with Captain Wik.
"You meant thaw," he said.
"What? No, dethaw it," the elder otter furrowed her brow.
"No no, the word thaw is to bring something from a cold or frozen state to a melted or warmed state. By adding the prefix 'de' to the word 'thaw', you imply that you're removing thawing, ergo you're freezing it."
Taika and Rebecca hummed in thought, processing the idea.
"Yes, but language evolves. If I get enough people to associate dethaw with the act of melting something, it'll become the new definition, playboy," the elder otter challenged with a smirk.
Shouri shrugged. "You got me there."
"Can that really happen?" Taika asked.
"What?" Shouri looked to his lunar element.
"Words just changing what they mean? That seems weird."
"Sure, it happens all the time. For example, what does the word 'awful' mean to you?"
Rebecca and Taika exchanged a perplexed glance. "Well, it means something extremely bad right?" Taika offered.
"Right, now it does," Shouri said with a knowing smile. "Awful used to mean 'full of awe', or otherwise something impressive, such as the awful Sages – they weren't being referred to as being bad people but awe-inspiring figures due to how powerful they were," he explained.
The two vixens couldn't help but clap at the mini-etymology lesson they just received. Captain Wik just shook her head and shrugged.
It wasn't long before Shouri, Taika, and Rebecca were off on their next adventure for the day. Though, today's assignment left a lot to be desired in the… anything department.
They had just been told to go to the docks on the eastern coast and "you'll know" what the assignment was.
Shouri didn't like it, he hummed and hawed over how to action the suspiciously vague request. Something didn't sit right with him about the whole affair. The past few days were innocuous. Taking care of some kids, helping out a short-handed restaurant, and even being general-purpose couriers. These were all things that Wikolia did around these parts, but now couldn't since she was busy training Pacifica.
She got around, that much was certain. Perhaps that's why she was left alone – she was such a pillar of the community if anyone tried to go after her they would earn the ire of an entire settlement's worth of people.
"I think this is it." Rebecca's voice snapped the boy from his musings. The parking lot for the docks was a bit out of the way from the actual destination – they had to walk the remaining stretch. Not that it was a problem, it just meant they would lose their ability to make a fast getaway. Well, faster getaway – between Lento rank Famiglio Incendio and his Resonators' base speed, they could outpace most average people.
Hopefully, they wouldn't need to retreat in a hurry.
The trio stood outside the fences, looking in. It sure was a port, they noted to themselves. Though, unlike the nice, touristy port they arrived at, this one lacked the festive cheer of Salegio City. To call it rough would be underselling it – the southern port of the island was well-aged, like a storied tool. It showed its grit by remaining strong and functional despite how neglected the surrounding infrastructure was. Machinery moved large shipping containers about, stowing them away in the large warehouses that bordered the coast.
Rebecca and Taika suddenly perked up. "Sho!" the two vixens called to their Maestro.
"Something is going on that way!" Taika pointed down the length of the fence.
"Sounds like a fight," Rebecca added, tension in her posture.
Shouri nodded. "Let's get closer." Before they did, however, he passed a hand over Taika's tuner. "Rilevare l'intenzione, Rubato; Ricerca Vitale, Rubato."
Taika nodded, the pair of identification spells linking up with her. "I got an idea," said the lunar element. She motioned for the others to follow along and led the way. Rebecca took the rear, keeping her ears out for anything suspicious while Taika focused on her spells.
They drew closer to whatever skirmish was underway in the nearby warehouse.
"Here's my idea: Sho, watch my tuner," she requested.
He didn't question it, pulling hers from his side.
Taika counted off beads, testing… something before shaking her head and adding another bead to the clump. This continued until there were ten total beads in a little ball floating away from their owner.
With a mental command, the beads flew over the fence and slunk through a broken window into the building.
Almost immediately information began to flow across Shouri's tuner as Taika's Ricerca Vitale began to take effect.