After helping Vivica clean up the common, Lina made her way to the library, hoping to find a good book to read for the rest of the evening. However, when she found Enkoro reading in the corner, she couldn't help but try and get close enough to see what he was reading.

```

Enkoro: Do you need assistance with something?

Lina: *hard gulp* N-no Enkoro-mu, I was just trying to see what you were reading.

Enkoro: Please drop the formal address. You'll find that no one here appreciates it. As for the book, it's simply an outer society code translation guide. As much as it shames me to admit, I seem to have forgotten much of it since I had it memorized from when I was a trainee.

Lina: *curious* S-should I be reading it also, as a trainee?

Enkoro: I recommend reading much of this library as a trainee, including this book. While it certainly hasn't come in much use to me, it's better safe than sorry. Furthermore, even with faded memories of it, I was still able to recognize the last part of Vivica's whistle pattern as a chewa time code.

Lina: C-chewa?

Enkoro: Indeed, it would seem Vivica may be one of the few people who can hear their long distance whistle calls that are usually too high pitched for us to hear.

Lina: *worried* What did the message say?

Enkoro: That I am not entirely sure of. Most of what she relayed isn't in this book. However, there is enough of it to validate my suspicions.

Lina: *worried stare*

Enkoro: There's likely nothing to worry about. Mirra has clearly already taken action, and felt as though it was of so little concern that she didn't pass along a message of any sort. That said, don't mistake such action as being acceptable. I will be sure to give her yet another stern lecture on the importance of proper protocol.

Lina: What would the proper protocol have been?

Enkoro: *raised eyebrow* I would have thought that was obvious. She should have told at least Yineh what was going on, so that she could report to me.

Lina: *nervous* U-understood.

Enkoro: Would you mind keeping this between us for now?

Lina: Why?

Enkoro: There's no point in worrying trainees unnecessarily.

Lina: *dumbfounded* Then why tell me in the first place!?

Enkoro: Because you seemed curious about what I was doing.

Lina: *panicked* I-I'm sorry.

Enkoro: You should never be sorry for your curiosity, embrace it, nurture it, and most important of all, never starve it.

Lina: *stunned* Doesn't that contradict the warning in the story about the blackbirds and the water mill?

Enkoro: That story isn't about stunting your curiosity, it's about taking proper caution. To summarize the story, something shiny is caught in the water wheel, and three black birds go to investigate. The first bird rushes in blindly and is drowned, the second bird pokes around the mechanisms and gets caught up in the gears; finally the third bird simply waits until the shiny thing comes loose then takes it to its nest. The third bird was no less curious than the other two, but it didn't allow its curiosity to place it in needless danger.

Lina: I was told the meaning of the story was to curb your curiosity, as anything worth knowing will come to you on its own.

Enkoro: *raised eyebrow* Interesting interpretation... Were you by chance raised in a more superstitious environment?

Lina: *hesitant* Average, I think?

Enkoro: *contemplative stare* I see. I'll take that into consideration in our future interactions.

Lina: *nervous utterance*

```

Enkoro pulled a nearby book off the shelf and held it out to Lina.

```

Enkoro: I would recommend this book.

```

Lina accepted the book from Enkoro.

```

Lina: The Seekers of the Stars, a series of short stories about legendary rammu throughout history.

Enkoro: There is a tad too much embellishment at times, however overall the stories are well abridged and despite what the synopsis may imply it's only about Ankarok region rammu, and therefore offers a rich overview of our regional history.

```

After thanking Enkoro for the book, Lina bowed, then made a hasty retreat from the library to the trainee quarters, where she found a note from Vivica on the board.

```

Note read aloud: Hey, Li-li, I got put on tower watch duty. Won't be around tonight. Miss you - Viv.

Lina: *blushing* She didn't have to add that last part ... but it's nice that she did. I wonder why no one else is here, though. There's no other messages on the board... wait shouldn't Yineh and Chyla be here having... *blushing heavily* I don't hear anything, though... *low whisper* Maybe they're just cuddling...

```

Remembering what Enkoro told her, Lina crept slowly up to Yineh's room doorway and moved her ear as close as possible without disturbing the covering, but heard nothing. Making her way to Chyla's, she did the same. However, this time she could clearly hear soft rustling.

Even though she couldn't see what was going on, Lina's body reacted intensely to every sound, no matter how subtle coming from the room as images raced through her mind.

Hearing the door to the trainee building open, Lina froze in place as she turned her head to meet Teran's gaze.

```

Teran: I doubt she'd mind if you bothered her.

Lina: *frozen in fear*

Teran: *dismissive chuckling* Don't mind me, I'm just here to put a couple of notes on the board.

```

Unable to do anything but stay frozen in place, Lina watched Teran place notes under Vivica's, Kion's, Yineh's, and Chyla's pins, then make his way back out of the building.

Once Teran was gone, Lina was able to move again. As she stood straight, she once more froze in place as Chyla's door covering flung open, revealing a perfectly combed and neatly dressed Chyla.

```

Chyla: Oh, it was you; I thought Yineh was finally here. Did you need something?

Lina: *blushing heavily* N-nee, b-but T-Teran just put a note under your pin.

Chyla: *excited* R~eally.

```

Lina stepped aside as Chyla skipped over to the board to look at the note.

```

Chyla: *pouting* In hindsight, I should have known it was work related. *playful giggle* Let my imagination get the better of me for a second.

Lina: I think I may know how you feel. *awkward laughter* If you don't mind, what does it say?

Chyla: Seems me and Ki-su are swapping mentors for a few days, so that Ki-su and Vi-su can take on an assignment together. *focused stare at the board* It doesn't look like either of their notes says what the assignment is, unfortunately.

Lina: Since it's Viv and Ki it must be something that requires actual skill.

Chyla: *fake pain* How could you Li-li? I thought we were friends now.

Lina: *panicked* I-I-I didn't-

Chyla: *dismissive wave* I was joking. I'm not delusional enough to think I'm more skilled than my little brother... at least when it comes to honor warrior things. Any~way you want to entertain me while I wait for Yineh? *seductive smile*

Lina: Oh, uhm, nee, I want to get some reading in before bed.

Chyla: *excited smile* I love story time. What are we reading?

Lina: Y-you want me to read it aloud to you!?

Chyla: If you want. Though, to be honest, I'm more used to being the one reading aloud to others. *playful smile*

```

Lina held out the book to Chyla.

```

Lina: *blushing heavily* I-I don't think I could handle reading aloud.

```

Chyla snatched the book from Lina's hand then ushered her over to the corner of the trainee common with the best reading lamp and comfiest cushions.

```

Chyla: Let's see here... *excited squee* This one sounds good, "The Great Healer's Shadow". *clears throat*

Book/Chyla: Amongst the Ankarok rammu, few are more well known than the solid black Ruonia Ruinka also known as the Great Healers Shadow, because she was the protector of the much loved Grigy-mu Mossca Elixcia. According to village rumors, Ruonia was rarely seen far from Mossca. Rather, she stayed her dedicated protector up until the day she passed, despite both herself and Mossca having been officially retired for several decades before her passing.

Chyla: Sounds like good workings for a romance story to me. *giggling*

Book/Chyla: Despite her fame, no one seems to know what happened to Ruonia after Mossca's passing. According to well-documented accounts by her friends, close associates, village guard, and active rammu at the time, it was as if she had simply vanished without a trace the night of Mossca's passing celebration.

Chyla: You know now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure even I've heard about Mossca before. *embarrassed chuckle* Of course, being the sister of an honor child, one would think I would know my brother's blood family better... *embarrassed fidgeting* *stunned*

Lina: Is something the matter?

Chyla: *stupefied* I... I'm Eldric's blood daughter... I just realized I'm reading about my own blood family. *dumbfounded* Airina's my first cousin...

Lina: Airina?

Chyla: Sorry, I'm getting to wrapped up in my own thoughts. Airina is Ankarok's Grigy-mu.

Lina: Jsha, I know who she is. So you're saying you're the daughter of an honor child?

Chyla: Yeah... and I'm realizing you don't usually hear much about the honor children's descendants. Which I guess makes sense. There's really nothing that special about me. That said, I'm being all weird about this because I didn't know I was the daughter of an honor child until the day I became a rammu. Which was a rather intense day, as you recall, and to be honest, I've yet to take any time to process the true meaning of what it means to be my father's daughter.

Lina: To be honest, I have no idea what that even means... I don't think I'm a good person to be talking to this about.

Chyla: *awkward laughter* No worries. *long deep breath* Back to the story!

```

Before Chyla could finish the next sentence, Yineh burst into the common and dragged her off to her room, leaving Lina alone with her book.