Ode to Moonlight《Kazuscara 》

Chapter 15: Humming Amidst Rocks

"Finally, you've arrived. You've kept me waiting for far too long, Kazuha."

The woman hopped off of the railing and landed on the cobblestone street quietly. Kazuha instinctively took a step back from her. 

"What do you want from me?" he said. 

"It's not what I want from you, it's what you want from me. Though, you don't even know it yet."

"What are you talking about? What could I possibly want from you?" 

A blue glow came from the woman's back as she waved her arm in front of her, making a circle of hydro appear. It had a weird pattern, with pictures and stars on it. The stars created what looked like a maple leaf constellation. 

'A vision user. This could be dangerous.' Kazuha thought as he prepared himself for a battle, in case the woman started one. 

"I already know three things I could give you. For example, you are looking for someone named...um one second..." She squinted at the circle in front of her and then continued, "Ah, right! Scaramouche! Or Kunikuzushi, as you like to call him. I could help you find him. For the right price, of course."

Kazuha scowled and responded while reaching for his sword, "What do you mean by 'help'? How do you know all of this?"

"Why do you have to make this so difficult?" The woman sighed, "My name is Mona Megistus. I practice astrology and hydromancy. I can find out anything and everything I want. If you accept my offer, I'll help you find Scaramouche, like I said before."

Kazuha relaxed slightly, but of course, still didn't trust the woman who called herself Mona. He crossed his arms and said, "And why did you approach me in an alleyway in the middle of the night? That's pretty suspicious, if you ask me."

Mona huffed and flipped her hair, then mumbled "Because it makes me look cool." Kazuha laughed. She got embarrassed and continued, "I-I mean, the hydro constellations glow in the dark so it looks intimidating, right? Anyways, do you want my help or not? I charge 20,000 mora a day for my services." 

Kazuha gaped, "20,000 mora? That's it, I'm leaving." He moved to turn away, but Mona quickly yelled, "Wait!"  

Kazuha raised an eyebrow at her, and she cleared her throat then continued speaking. 

"I... I suppose that might be a little too much." 

Kazuha laughed, "A little?" 

Mona looked away. The old wooden beams sure seemed quite interesting to her right now.

"200." she said plainly. 

"Alright then. We have a deal."

Mona smiled. "Great. Meet me back here again tomorrow before noon." 

Then a hydro bubble covered her and slowly expanded. When it finally popped, she was gone. Kazuha sighed, wondering what he had just gotten himself into. Well, at least he could find Kuni. Unless Mona was scamming him, but he doubted that. 

He went back to the Favonius headquarters. He told Lisa that he would be leaving the next day, then she gave him a room he could stay in for the night.  

It took him a long time to fall asleep, giving him only a couple hours of rest. He struggled to get up, the bed felt really warm and comforting in the cold night. 

He yawned and left his room while tying his hair into the same ponytail he always wore. The sun just barely touched the horizon, but some people were already up and working. He passed Albedo and Jean on the way out, and Lisa met him outside of the building.