Loggiavento was an interesting little settlement. Just from walking around, the weary group could tell this wasn't a place normal people lived. It had a storied charm, not unlike Quiretteh. But where the capital city exuded an ancient power, Loggiavento showed its roots in simplicity.

Clay and rock decorated the town, dyed red from the material. The homes, constructed from the surrounding clay and stone, were modern; with electricity and other contemporary amenities running through them.

The looks they got from the people around town were that of intrigue. "Hey!" one man shouted, flagging the tired travelers down. "Come have a bite to eat at my restaurant – my treat!" he offered before retreating into the building.

"I think we could use a rest, even if he makes us pay for the meal," Shouri told the group, who all silently agreed and followed their leader.

Inside the restaurant, they found a few other customers dining away, mainly local Maestros with their Resonators. As they sat down, the curious travelers noted the patronage partaking in the cuisine. There were several earth and fire elements, and even a water element enjoying meals with their Maestros.

"A bird, and a swine," Rebecca noted, studying the earth element's great wings, and the lunar pig that joined them.

"What's he?" Taika whispered, pointing to a water element near the back. He was slightly hunched over and had a stockier build, with strangely shaped fuzzy ears that graced the sides of his head.

"I think that's a camel," Rebecca whispered back. "Super, super high rhythm capacity and they have the rare ability to share their rhythm with anyone who touches them," she explained.

Right on cue, the camel man rose and sauntered over to the table. He was clearly getting up there in years, the age and wisdom that came with it clinging to his form. "You lot went through Ventallo, didn't ya?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, we did," Shouri replied.

"Thought so. Gotta respect a man who appreciates tradition." He offered a hand to the Maestro.

Shouri wiped his hands on his jacket before accepting the handshake, though the camel didn't release his grip on the Maestro's hand. Shouri couldn't help but flinch as he felt rhythm pour into him, easing his weariness.

"Wait-!" "You worked hard son, relax a little – you earned it," the elder camel chuckled knowingly, releasing his captive.

Shouri watched as the camel went around and restored their worn out party one by one. Even with how much rhythm the water element freely gave out, he never faltered and completed his task in just the same condition as when he started.

"Have a good meal folks, you did good out there," said the camel before he returned to his humble seat in the back.

"Nice guy," Zephyr commented. "Even topping us all off, dude still has a ton of rhythm left over," Rebecca informed the table.

Shouri hummed in thought and dropped a hand to his side. "Ricerca Vitale, Allegro," he called.

Taika nodded and turned back in her seat, studying the kind elder who shared his rhythm with them.

SUMMARY (Via Ricerca Vitale) MAESTRO Willka Ayma RESONATOR Bakr SPECIES Camel ELEMENT Water ATTRIBUTE Shielding RHYTHM 100% 214% STATUS Ready

"Oh wow." Shouri was taken aback by what he saw. The only time he had seen numbers over 100% was when Liza accidentally drank too much apple juice. Even then, she had difficulties controlling her body in such a state. Bakr, as the tuner helpfully named, had no such qualms.

"Oh wow," Rebecca repeated, having stolen a peek at the screen.

Curious gazes urged Shouri to share, and so the tuner made its way around the table. Needless to say, everyone was quite impressed by the rhythm capacity of the kind old camel that rest at the back of the establishment.

It was around that time when the man who had initially waved them down came to greet his guests.

Shouri took note of the blue tuner clipped to the man's coat pocket, piecing together that he must have been the "Willka Ayma" that Ricerca Vitale identified.

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Without a word, the restaurateur set glasses of fresh water out for his guests, alongside menus and several baskets of tortilla chips.

"Please take your time, relax my friends," said Willka as he departed from the table.

"This place is so friendly," Vince noted. "Yeah, crazy. When do they bust out the brooms and start swinging?" Mila said through a suspicious glance.

"Oh stop it." Pacifica waved off Mila's wariness. "It's like the camel guy said: they respect us," the otter informed the table. "Not entirely sure why," she added, quieter.

Shouri leaned back in his chair and considered the information he had available. "Bakr said we 'respected tradition'. That has to be it. Whatever 'it' is." He leaned forward and started typing away on his tuner.

"He said that after asking if we went through the cave," Rebecca pointed out. "Aha, here it is," Shouri said not a second later. "Apparently, people just don't go through Ventallo Cave these days. Most tourists that decide to come here, if at all, come via the plane service that flies in once weekly. Looks like passenger air fares are higher because of the limited seating," he explained as he skimmed the page.

"There's an airport here?" Vince questioned. "Supposedly. Usually, consumer goods get flown up here. Fresh fruits and vegetables, and other luxuries," Shouri noted. "Huh."

Willka returned to the table to see about taking orders and there was a sudden scramble for menus.

After the hungry group ate their fill, Willka found his way back to the table to check on his guests.

"How was everything?" he asked.

Several goods, greats, and wonderfuls followed with the travelers in total agreement about the quality of the food.

"I never asked, what brings you all to Loggiavento?" asked the restaurateur. "Oh, we were here to see Rose," Shouri said. He braced himself, expecting the worst. "Ah, Miss Rose. You can find her at the very north edge of town. She's in the spooky mansion, can't miss it," said the man without any fuss.

Shouri and the rest of the table exchanged perplexed glances. "Why would you just tell us?" uttered Vince without thinking.

"Miss Rose is an Ethereal. If you have malicious intentions, it would be best to send you straight to her. She'll dispose of your accordingly," said Willka, his tone grave. He brought his smile back. "I doubt you have any ill will towards her or this town, so I hope she can help you with whatever your concern is. Stop here on your way out – we'll treat you good," he said with a wave before going to tend to the other tables.

There was a brief moment of silence while the group digested what they were just told.

"The way he said it, this has happened before," Pacifica broke the silence. "It's not too surprising. People have tried their luck against Ethereals before, and it never goes well," Shouri said. "What do you mean?" asked Vince. "Ethereals aren't enforceable by law. They're not considered citizens of either Luna or Riterra, they just kind of exist on their own plane," he explained.

"Some Maestros have Ethereals, right?" asked Taika. "Right, any crimes committed by an Ethereal owned by a Maestro is the fault of the Maestro, and they are prosecuted under the full extent of the law," replied Shouri.

"The dead should not lead the living. Though we may still guide those who seek our wisdom," Rebecca recited. "It's something Sarayul said to me before. I think it's some kind of Ethereal creed," she clarified.

Shouri nodded, remembering similar words from Miro about how Naturals felt about Ethereals. The boy shook his head and rose. "Let's get going. We can meet Rose and figure out how to get this done," he announced to the table.

With that declaration, everyone stood and filed out of the restaurant.

"So, north he said, right?" Rebecca asked, adjusting the bag on her back. "Yeah, we 'can't miss it'," Pacifica said with a nod. "And it's 'spooky'," Taika chimed in.

They made their way north to the manor they were told about. The walk allowed them to take in more of the town. It appeared mostly residential, with many homes in the same clay bordered style as the rest. There was a small market in the distance where the locals gathered and went about their business. To the east they could even spot little caravans returning with harvested grains and vegetables. Perhaps the rocky outcropping led to some fertile land?

There was one thing that stuck out to the group as they walked however: it was how familiar the Maestros and their Resonators interacted. Tuners were present on every Maestro in their many colors. But rather than obediently following along as they had witnessed so many times in other Riterran cities, the Resonators walked comfortably in step with their Maestros, chatting with them much like Shouri did – as true equals.

"Oh," Shouri breathed out. It made sense to him now. He understood what kind of person Rose was before he even met her. Though, he was drawn from those thoughts by their arrival at the home of the reclusive Ethereal in question.

"Looks like someone put a haunted house out to dry," Mila commented as she looked over the building.

True to what they had been told, the manor was of an older design. Possibly hundreds of years old. It was difficult to tell. The building towered over them, imposing in its own right. It even appeared to be built into the rock, perhaps going even further into the mountain, but one couldn't tell from the front.

The group of seven stood in front of the imposing home for some time, all waiting for one of the others to offer themselves up to the spooky shack.

Finally, Shouri let out a big dramatic sigh and stepped forward. "Make the guy with discordant willpower do everything," he complained to himself as he approached the door. He didn't give himself time to get cold feet and tapped the door.

There was a tense silence, only the sounds of the three at Shouri's back broke the grip of quiet. Taika's beads rattled around her neck, the water in Pacifica's rear mounted water bottle sloshed at the ready, sparks arced from Rebecca's heels – the protective trio glared down the door, ready to strike if whatever awaited gave them reason to.

Vince was in awe at the three Resonators. They didn't have to be told what to do, they jumped to Shouri's defense in an instant. He looked to Mila who was flexing her fingers, sparks sputtering around her wrists. Even Zephyr glared down the door, gripping the edge of his jacket tightly. The boy couldn't help but smile. He idolized Shouri for a reason – he was correct. No other Maestro could claim such fierce loyalty from their Resonators. So much so, other Resonators were ready to jump to his defense.

Finally, the door swung open.

The occupant was not at eye level with Shouri. In fact, the little girl that answered the door was about half his height.

Back-length blonde hair rested against her long-sleeved red dress. Her complexion (or lack thereof) spoke to one who forsook the sun. She adjusted her glasses, looking up at the boy who stood on the doorstep.

Shouri barely managed to recover his nerve. "H-hello, we're looking for Rose."

"Hrmph," she appraised him, frowning. "Nice to meet you in the flesh Shouri," she looked around him, catching sight of the other Maestro. "Vince is here too, good. I need to give that boy a good wallop."

"Excuse me?" Shouri uttered. "How do you know who we are?" he asked.

The little girl flashed her pearly whites with a smug grin. "You can't hide anything from me – if you so much as breathe on a tuner, you're an open book. After all, I invented them," spoke Rose, the Ethereal of tuners.

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