CHAPTER FIVE: UNDER WRAPS.

"Did you just-?"

"KAIRA! IT'S STARTING TO SNOW!!" Sienna's annoyed voice pierced through the door.

"I GOT IT!!" Kaira replied, then turned to the obnoxious bird.

"Look, do you want to go out there? Because I don't, and I'm too lazy to deal with having to explain why I chose this guild." She pointed at night gladiolus on the form, and for a second, it felt almost as though she was nagging the bird. "So just give me a feather, maybe go fetch me some ink, I sign this bad boy, and off you go!"

The bird didn't reply. All it did was step back from Kaira.

"Come on! You know this is like a family decision, it might take hours, and then you'll have to stay by my side as we finalize and preview all the guilds…" That was a lie, of course.

Sienna had told her beforehand that she was raising an independent being, which meant that she always let Kaira make the tough calls, especially those whose repercussions were unknown.

Truthfully, Kaira was just lazy. Sienna had bought two quills and a fountain pen for her, but she had lost the pen and the quills…well she sat on one and then spilt soup on the other, it was a long and tragic tale. She was everything but careful, and she had wholeheartedly accepted that.

If she were to go out there and start ransacking the trash container for a willowed peacock feather, Sienna might straight-up hurt her, emotionally...and well…physically.

Bullying the bird was the best option. Besides, it wouldn't need its feathers after it teleports, right...Too soon?

"Come on, just one…I'll fetch the ink myself." Kaira bargained, and as if realizing that the struggle was futile, the bird raised its wing to its beak and pulled out a feather.

"Oh, my Goodness! You are a clever bird! That Augustine guy really knows how to train you guys, huh?" The bird placed the feather aside and, without warning, lunged forward towards the back of Kaira's hand. The bird used its beak and sliced her hand.

"OW! SON OF A B-!"

"KAIRA!!" Sienna's voice grew impatient.

"What the hell, you little gangster?! I was just starting to like you, and now I want to kill you!" she examined her wound, it bled, but now that the initial shock had subsided, she realized that she wasn't in any pain.

"What the-?" she flexed her hand, "How come I'm not in any pain…do you come with painkillers, little guy?" she asked the bird that had returned to its original place by the washbasin. The bird took the feather it had removed by its beak and moved closer to the edge.

"OH! For me? You want me to sign in blood? Isn't that a bit extreme?"

The bird tilted its head again then Kaira sighed.

"Then again, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Kaira tried to retrieve the feather in the bird's mouth, but at the last moment, the bird spat it, and the feather narrowly missed her hand.

The feather drifted slowly to the ground, and Kaira watched in confusion as she followed its movements hoping that it was some sort of 'bird's plan.'  When nothing else happened after the feather had landed, she lifted her gaze to meet the birds hoping it would bless her with understanding, but instead, the bird's face spelt out. 'Pick it up, Bitch.'

"This fucking-,"

A loud knock interrupted her.

"Kaira, I swear to God if you are pooping in there!"

-What the hell was she saying!!? There are guests!- Kaira's face burned. -Sienna is the worst!!-

She picked up the fallen feather and used it to collect some of her blood.

She then used the blood to check, 'Night Gladiolus’, then signed the presented line in her blood before promptly returning the paper to its container. The minute she did, it shrunk as if confirming her fear: Once you had selected a guild, you could not change your choice.

Kaira tied the tube to the bird's leg, and as if the bird was saying goodbye, it nodded once to her then vanished into thin air leaving behind a trail of black mist. The ‘pen’ that she had held in her hand vanished, as well as, the cut that the bird had inflicted.

It was an odd feeling, having something vanish from the palm of your hands. As if it was never there. Something that you had clung to.

Kaira flexed her hand, letting the feeling of emptiness settle in her stomach.

The bird did not leave any proof of its existence aside from rumours. Was that sad? Kaira wasn’t sure.

"Wait!! I was supposed to get even with you, you fucking bird!!"

The door to the bathroom opened, and Sienna stood angry at the entrance.

"Do you just want me to hurt you or…?" she asked fuming.

"I'm going! I'm going!" Kaira slipped past Sienna, who had purposefully used her body, to block the doorway.

"What the hell were you doing?" Sienna asked.

"Choosing a guild!" Kaira responded as she tied her hair into a ponytail with a white ribbon that she had pulled from her pocket.

"Why didn't you choose from the living room?"

"Lay off, will you? I'm groggy, and I just want to enjoy my last day here, thanks to 'someone,'" Kaira mouthed 'you' at Sienna then continued. "Without thinking of treason!"

"Fine, fine fair enough." Sienna sighed as though she was disappointed.

"Why, was there a particular guild you wanted me to choose?" Kaira asked as she grabbed her brown fur coat from the rack by the door. She passed a large black coat that had been next to hers to Spade.

"I'm guessing that this is yours?" She asked Spade.

"Yeah,' Spade replied.

"Not really, but..." Sienna continued. "Never mind."

Kaira could read her emotions and find out how she truly felt, but, according to Sienna, that was 'invading one's privacy' and for friendship to be established, one needed to trust that things would work out. Because of that reason, Kaira hardly ever read the emotions of those closest to her, without a good reason, or their consent.

"You sure?" Kaira asked as she opened the door letting cold air seep into the cabin.

"I wasn't, but now I am. You'll be fine wherever you go," Sienna said, smiling, the doubt that had clouded her face eased from her features.

"You know, Spade's also joining a guild." Sienna chimed.

"Really? C'mon, let's head to the storage as you tell me about yourself." Kaira said to Spade then led him outside and slammed the door behind them.

Sienna gazed at the petite figure that was shivering from the cold next to her.

"You want to stand near the oven as we get the stew ready?"

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Haru asked.

"Well, yeah…they are just going to get wood," Sienna replied nonchalantly.

"No, I mean, in Dia."

"I didn't think your brother would willingly go into a weaker guild," Sienna replied, gently, drawing her attention to something else.

"Well, he has always wanted to join a guild…but I think I just held him back so-,"

"You know that's not true, right?"

Haru bit her lip then smiled, and as she did, her eyes glassed over, and her brows quivered.

It was heartbreaking for Sienna to see the overly affectionate and loving Haru make that expression.

"Let's get the food ready, shall we?" Haru said in a voice that mocked the existence of joy.

*THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE KAIRA HAD WOKEN UP.*

"Spade, Haru!" Sienna opened the door to grant her two guests entrance to the cabin, "Happy Sundath!"

The two had almost the same eyes, Sienna noticed, but beyond that, The siblings bore no other resemblance.

It was well past sundown, but still, the sky remained pink. A small black bird flew around Spade, causing the tall auburn-haired boy to sigh. After they had relayed a similar 'Happy Sundath!' greeting, the two guests walked into the well-lit cabin.

"Thank you for having us," Haru said as they both removed their heavy coats, hanging them on the rack and then placing their bags next to the door.

"Nonsense, you are always welcome here!"

Spade eyed Sienna warily, and she smirked. He was clearly smarter than she had pegged him to be.

"Right. Shall we get right to it then?" Spade asked.

"What! no tea?" Haru pouted then looked around the room. Her red eyes lit up when she spotted Kaira sprawled on the couch. "Wow! Is she sleeping?"

"Yes, we'd better leave her be, she's quite exhausted," Sienna added before Haru pounced on the sleeping Kaira as she usually did when they met.

"Oh, boo! Will she wake up soon? Kaira is always such fun!"

"Yes, she will. Come in, sit, let's talk. I'll get the tea." Sienna offered.

"No, both of you talk first, and then I'll get tea." Haru volunteered.

"Oh, thank you, Haru." Sienna smiled warmly at her.

Haru walked to the adjacent kitchen and began to prepare the tea, as Sienna and Spade moved to the living area.

"So, I signed the documents," Spade said cooly.

"I know, I noticed the piette," Sienna added, challenging him to say more.

"Will you keep your end of the deal?" He asked.

Sienna had learned a few things several months ago. One, Haru had a brother, and two, that Haru's brother had always wanted to join a guild, but he also could never bring himself to leave his little sister. This tied perfectly to Sienna's plan.

Sienna had caught wind of some disturbing movements but could not bring herself to let Kaira follow her blindly into hot lava. She needed Kaira to know the world before being forced to make a cruel choice without prior knowledge. An old acquaintance of Sienna had suggested guilds. Still, two problems interfered with that idea, one being, Kaira had the emotional intelligence of an ant, so Sienna understood rather quickly that if she were to be left alone, she would quickly get swept up by the ideas of those around her. Just like she had been swept up by hers when she had been younger.

Kaira needed a tether to reality, someone she could drop her guard around and someone who would ask her how she felt as often as possible to remind her that she had ideas and emotions too.

Maybe it was due to her ability, but Kaira often confused her emotions with those around her. As a child, she had simply mimicked Sienna's emotions, and it wasn't until years later that Sienna realized that Kaira had never known how she felt about anything as well as when exactly her powers had manifested.

The other issue was: Sienna had no idea who Kaira was, or what her actual age is. Sienna had approximated her age as fifteen, but she had never really been certain about anything concerning Kaira's existence.

Sienna wasn't sure how the whip-test would go, but she had decided to ignore this worry because life was one problem at a time.