Chapter 11 - Pietri

Morning rose, and with it, so did Holly. The nurse from yesterday entered the room, finding her patient leaning on the windowsill, staring out at the vista of the city below.

“You’re up early,” noted the attending Resonator, who urged the little zalavan to sit on the side of the bed.
“I wanted to see the sunrise!” Holly giggled.
“Oh honey, you’re on the wrong side of the building for that,” the nurse tousled the plant girl’s grassy hair.

“It’s still pretty!” Holly asserted playfully.
“It is a pretty nice mornin’ isn’t it, sugar?” The cow Resonator unwrapped the bandages around the patient’s injured leg.

Holly watched with great interest, unsure of what to expect. It wasn’t much, quite boring really. Just her foot, no lacerations, no protruding bone. Just a bit sore.

“Yeah, that looks right as sunshine. We’ll get one more good heal done and you’ll be on your way,” said the bovine.

“Okay!” Holly beamed as her nurse took her leave to get the doctor.

Alone again, the smile faded from the girl’s lips. She was in a city now, but that begged the question: what now? She had no clue what to do, which was a major issue since she was probably less than an hour away from being set loose in a Riterran city. For some reason, the words “MA Office” had stuck in her head. She didn’t know what that was, but her rescuers had mentioned wanting to bring her to one.

Though, they did make the assumption she had a Maestro.

Suddenly Holly had a lot of questions, the chief among them being: “Where the hell am I?” she vocalized that thought. This was most certainly a hospital. Much more high-tech than the one in Inverna. A lot more machinery with devices she knew not the functions of. A strange dark rectangle hung opposite her bed, its purpose a mystery to the zalavan.

“Oh Holly, what have you gotten yourself into?” chuckled the nature element wearily.

After a bit, the doctor finally made his appearance. He was an older human, bearing a tuner on his white lab coat. “Ah, glad to see you awake. We don’t get many zalavan here in Pietri, but you’ve gotta be the cream of the crop,” said the doctor as he knelt next to the bed. He lifted Holly’s foot and held it gently. “Tell me if it hurts,” he instructed.

“I will!” Holly chirped as the doctor began feeling the bones in her feet. Almost immediately his warning came to pass. “Ow!” she yelped; it did hurt right in the middle of the top of her foot, that must have been where the root got her – how ironic that a child of nature itself was bested by one of her greatest allies.

“Hm, that’s what I thought.” The doctor touched the tuner on his lapel. “La Bella Vita, Moderato Tutti; that should get this patched right up.”

Holly raised a brow. Tutti? She wasn’t familiar with that spell modifier. The cow made her way around to the opposite side of the doctor and held out her hands. They glowed with a warm light that eased the remaining pain out of the young zalavan’s ailing foot.

She surmised that the tutti modifier must turn the inward healing of La Bella Vita outwards, enabling a Resonator to heal another utilizing healing magic.

Now why didn’t any zalavan doctors ever use it? Maybe they did and she just never noticed it before? It was quite possible. Holly very rarely visited the doctor as a child, she was always at the peak of health. That did raise a new question, however.

“Do you see a lot of zalavan here?” wondered Holly aloud.

“Your kind are quite rare, and those without a Maestro are even rarer. It’s quite fortunate that the young man who brought you here was so charitable. MA Offices wouldn’t take care of a stray like you,” said the doctor.

Holly smiled, pretending she was accepting of the explanation. In her head, however, the gears were turning and it wasn’t good. A few key details stuck out. Maestroless Resonators were called “strays”. A strange word. Also, there was the implication that her rescuer paid for or otherwise compensated the hospital for their treatment of her. And lastly, the MA Offices wouldn’t accept her for care without having a Maestro?

There was a growing sense of dread festering in the young girl’s mind. How… did Riterrans treat Resonators?

---

The scent that wafted from her clothes was strong. It was like a faux fruity scent, but at least they felt clean. Even better than she had ever remembered them feeling in the past. Her seed collection was safely in her breast pocket, so she had that going for her too.

Boots on, she was ready to head out.

Walking down the hospital wing she found it was mostly Maestros, humans their species was called. The only Resonators she saw were all workers. Mostly nurses and janitorial staff. Grunt work jobs basically. The rank of doctor was exclusively filled by Maestros.

The world of Riterra was bright. They paid much more reverence to light than Inverna did. The halls of the hospital were so luminous it almost stung poor Holly’s eyes to take in their majesty. The shiny white floors and walls did not help in this matter. But before long she was freed onto the streets of Pietri.

There was so much to see and do, but there was one thing Holly had to get secured first: lodging. She figured the first place to investigate would be one of those MA Offices. At least if nothing else but to sate her curiosity. Her eyes expanded to their maximum width as she stood outside the hospital. It was so much. With an entire new city to explore, the sensory overload was too much, hitting her all at once. She stood frozen for a moment, unable to process what exactly she was looking at. Sure, she had lived in Inverna, a nice-sized city her whole life, and she beheld the majesty of Pietri from her hospital window.

But actually standing in it? It was overwhelming. She got to see a real-life car, something only described to her in books. They were big and moved around the streets with ease. Buildings were decorated with all kinds of lights, looking far more futuristic than she had expected, and the people walked around like this wasn't the most extraordinary thing they had ever seen.

Holly shook her head. No, she was the weird one here. This wasn't impressive. To these Riterrans, this was mundane, average, expected even. If this was the kind of world she was to live in for the rest of her days, she needed to acclimate and fast.

For that, she made like a city girl and hit the streets. Even so, her eyes glowed with curious yellow rhythm. Her head helplessly drifted from sight to sight. A shop sold the latest fashion styles, another front offered home goods, and a bakery put up fresh food with an aroma to die for.

And all around her were her contemporaries: Resonators. If she wasn't already drowning in stimuli, her sixth sense, her rhythm ensured she'd never know peace.

Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Solar, Nature. All but Lunar existed in a simple five-minute walk down the streets. And each one was a visual delight. A woman with large scaly wings, a man bearing horns, a child with a long fluffy tail; there wasn't a direction she could look without seeing a fellow Resonator. The tuners the Maestros carried were also color-coordinated with their linked partners.

Fire to red, Water to blue, Lightning to yellow, Earth to brown, Solar to white, and… Nature to green. Holly couldn't help but smile, staring at the green device carried by a passerby. It was beautiful to her. To think such a lovely shade existed was a wonderful discovery – and to have it be the flagship color of her element earned a small tinge of pride in the zalavan.

Eventually, her legs protested the directionless saunter through town and she took a seat on a bench to catch her breath. Sitting opposite of her on the bench was an older man.

“Excuse me?” asked Holly of her fellow seatmate.
“Eh? Whassat Missy? “ asked the human.
“Where is the MA Office?” was her inquiry.
“Oh, poor little lass, got lost from yer Maestro didjya?” the man chuckled. He was wrong, but Holly didn't feel the need to correct him. He pointed further down the pathway, toward an intersection. “Head just down the street here, take a left at the light, can't miss it.”

“Thank you!” The good little berry tree remembered her manners as she hopped back to her feet. With a renewed vigor she followed the directions of the kind old man and turned the corner as instructed. “Woah…”

She had to give him credit: she most certainly did not miss it.

The first thing she got to learn was what the MA stood for.

“Maestro Affairs Office
-West Pietri Branch-”

A big stone sign posted outside the property informed her as much. A sidewalk led the way to the front door of the main building, of which there were four total on the large property. As she strode up to the glass doors, her curiosity continued to run amok. Perfectly manicured grass, kept at the optimal height, Resonators and their Maestros relaxing in the warmth of the morning sun, trees trimmed to perfect health and presentation.

Was this paradise? It sure felt like it.

The zalavan winced as the glass doors parted for her, the chill from inside the building washing over her, startling her from how sudden the gusts had struck her.

Holly couldn't help the pivoting of her neck as she walked up to the front desk. Everything here was so interesting and new! The main desk was centered perfectly opposite the front door, there were two more paths she could take - one on the left and right.

Besides those walkways that led deeper into the building, the room she stood in appeared to be some kind of lobby or even a common room? There were several couches, chairs, and tables around where Maestros and Resonators alike sat, idly spending the morning either in silence or conversation depending on the group. The strange, flat grey rectangles she saw in the hospital could glow, it turned out, and they displayed all kinds of things on them. She wanted to watch and see what they would show next, but she just barely reined in her curiosity to focus on the mission.

Staffed at the front counter was a Maestro and Resonator pair. The Resonator was another bovine species, just like the nurse at the hospital. The Maestro on the other hand took care of the greeting. Both wore the same kind of formal uniform she expected of an employee of such an establishment. Pinned to both of the attendants' lapels were badges bearing the mark “MA”.

They studied the little Resonator looking up at them. After a moment of staring down Holly, the Maestro spoke. “Welcome to the West Pietri Maestro Affairs Office, how can we help you today?” they asked with such practice it made Holly wonder how many times a day they spoke those words.

“I uh…” Holly faltered. She didn't know what she was doing. “I got taken by some bad men and I'm away from home now, so I was wondering if there was anywhere I could stay?” The direct approach would hopefully at least get a conversation started. Emphasis on hopefully.

“Ah, okay.” The Maestro turned to a smaller grey rectangle, the sounds of unfamiliar clacking gracing Holly's hearing. She wished she was just a bit taller so she could see what the attendant was doing. “What's your Maestro's name?” asked the attendant.

“Oh!” Holly exclaimed without realizing it. There was that sense of dread again. “I uh… don't have one,” she admitted quietly.

The two manning the counter exchanged a glance. “You… don't have a Maestro?” the cow Resonator repeated.

“I don't,” Holly replied, keeping her voice low. She couldn't help the worry that rose on her brows. The way they reacted didn't sound good.

“Excuse us.”

And then Holly was left alone at the front counter. She could practically feel the eyes on the back of her head. She reached into her jacket and drew up four cacao beans – she didn’t think anyone would be brazen enough to try anything in public like this, but after the last time she got clubbed in the back of the head she wasn’t about to take any chances.

A new figure came from the back, taking the two attendants place at the front counter. The way they held themselves reminded Holly of her seed-sowing teacher – strict, firm, authoritative.

“How can we help you?” they asked.
“C-can I have a place to sleep?” Holly asked sheepishly.

A tense silence followed, the managerial figure pushing their glasses up as they studied the meek little houseplant that stood before them.

“Follow me.”

Holly gulped.

---

The zalavan looked around the small office she had been brought to. There wasn’t much to it if she was being honest. A desk, some strange thin box on top of it with a clacking thing, some windows on the outside wall. Kinda sterile in the nature element’s opinion.

“We can’t provide you lodging without a Maestro,” began the manager.
“But why?” asked Holly, tilting her head.
“This is a Maestro Affairs Office, we serve Maestros exclusively. If we provided rooms to every Resonator off the street there would be no room for the Maestros and their Resonators.”

The explanation was as cold and sterile as the room they were sitting in. Holly’s curiosity itched furiously and demanded she ask: “But why?”

“Maestros perform an invaluable service for the people of Riterra in the removal of Scherzando. We have these centers open so they do not have to fear the lack of lodging anywhere on the planet.”

Holly nodded slowly. “But I can also get rid of Scherzando. Does that mean I can get a room?” came the next logical question.

“No,” the reply was sharp and curt, practiced even.

This was all very discouraging to the little plant, where was she going to sleep tonight? Outdoors seemed like a frightening proposition given the Scherzando and people who prowled around at night.

“Where am I going to sleep?” she voiced her concern.
“There are plenty of hotels here,” the manager pointed out.

Holly lit up. “They’ll let me have a room?!” she asked. Why didn’t they lead with that?!
“Sure, there are some hotels here with fairly accommodating prices,” the manager replied.

And there was the catch. “I need money?” came the next dreaded question from the plant.
“Of course.”
“Where can I get money?”

“Get a job,” another curt, utilitarian reply.

Holly was growing weary of this person. They sure did have all the answers, none of which helped. “Fine, can I be paid if I get rid of Scherzando?” the zalavan snarked, her irritation at the non-answers allowing the mask to slip ever so slightly.

The office manager adjusted their glasses, remaining quiet for a moment. They turned to the weird box and started making a bunch of clacking noises. “Do you have the capability to cast attack and support magic?” they asked.

Holly’s irritated train of thought was derailed by the sudden question. “Yes! I have lots of seeds, I can do plenty of magic!” replied the zalavan.

More clacking as the office manager pored over the strange rectangle. Holly could see the glow of light reflected off their glasses. She really needed to understand what this technology was, as it was clearly a big facet of Riterran life.

Next, she knew, the previously curt manager had opened their desk drawer, taking a moment to rifle through what was stored in there. “Here it is.” They pulled out a box and opened it up, retrieving what appeared to be a clear bracelet-like thing from it. They set it on a thing that made a strange chime.

Holly cursed her lack of knowledge regarding Riterran processes and customs. All of this stuff that was happening was so beyond her it was hard to know if something good was happening or not.

“Put this on your wrist.”

The clear bracelet was pushed over to the zalavan. It was made of plastic with a weird capsule-like charm that connected the two ends. She pushed her hand through it, thankfully her hand was big enough that it stayed on her wrist without fear of it falling off. Her eyes widened at what happened next.

The bracelet began to turn green like the nature element tuner she had seen earlier. “What is this?” asked Holly.

“Typically, we issue these to Naturals who wish to integrate into society as hunters, but there are no rules against a Resonator doing the same. This will enable you to participate in hunts for Scherzando and be paid compensation for them. While you are on hunts you are to listen to the hunting leader. Your pay will come automatically to that watch and you can tap it on any payment device to process payments, such as paying for a hotel room.”

Holly nodded. She had read about Naturals before – fully scaled or furred bipeds, like if a Resonator had its animalistic parts covering its whole body. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen a single Natural around. Only Maestros and their Resonators...

Either way, it sounded as if she had just been handed something incredible.

“Scherzando hunts happen at night. You will need to register for each hunt you go on. Simply present that watch to the registration personnel on site and they will handle the rest. Any other questions?”

“Uh…” Holly stared at the device adorning her wrist, the words lost as they reached her lips. Finally, she found some. “No, thank you very much.”
“Of course, thank you for your service.”

Holly didn't quite understand what the manager meant by that, but her chest swelled with pride regardless.