Chapter 13 - How They Became Partners (2)
1377 Words
Compared to the first day, the young adult panda already looked much better. After being taken care of by the LOA veterinarians and the students, she was no longer skin and bones. Her wounds were almost completely healed, and some fur was starting to grow back in places that were injured. Plus, the treats Lunette gave to the panda everyday were very beneficial to its diet. The fruits she brought supplemented the panda’s bamboo diet with plenty of vitamins, and the spirit berries helped with recovering its spirit power. Spirit berries were beloved treats for all creatures that practice magic, whether they were people or beasts. The chestnut-sized berries were light ivory in color with a pale blue tinge. The more ripe it is, the more apparent the blue flush is. They are sweet and tangy, and contain small amounts of spirit energy. Eating them would help magic practitioners to replenish some of their spirit powers.
By the end of the month, both Savana and Lunette won over their targets. The panda looked at Lunette when she came by her platform on the last day of the Diversity Fellowship open house. She was glad that this human was persistent until the end. If she gave up on her part of the way, she would have resolutely told the LOA she decided to take her chances in the mountains on her own. The panda firmly grabbed the sleeve of Lunette’s uniform, and looked at her with steady eyes. She shook Lunette’s arms gently and called out to her in panda tongue.
“Mii mimimi miiiii,” the panda spoke softly.
“Are you willing to form a contract with me?” Lunette asked with a warm smile.
The panda nodded with a smile on her face and eyes that reciprocated the anticipating look on Lunette’s face. Lunette brought her over to the to the teachers’ station on the northern side of the atrium. The Academy’s teachers on duty and representatives from the LOA verified that both Lunette and the panda were willing to enter a contract willingly. After preparing the documents, both of them were asked to sign the agreement. Lunette used the pen, which was a magical device, so sign her name with her spirt power. The panda did the same with her paw.
“Do you ladies need someone to help you create the runes for the contract?” a fox eared lady from the LOA asked kindly. Lunette and the panda looked at each other for a second, before the panda shook her head.
“That won’t be necessary,” replied Lunette. She took the panda over to the white quartz like stone on a grey platform behind the teacher’s station. The large basin sized rock was a magic stone, which helped amplify magic, and effectively conduct magic power while creating runes.
Lunette took out a jade scroll and placed it on the white stone. Summoning her magic, she guided it into the jade scroll with her spirit energy, and started forming runes. In a flash of light, the line of runes formed a spiral and condensed into a bright white ball of light. The ball of light then split into two and shot into Lunette and the panda’s chests, right above their hearts.
Once the connection was formed, the two could communicate with their thoughts through their bond. This simplified the interactions between beast and contractor and got rid of the language barrier.
“Hi partner,” greeted Lunette with a grin. “I’m Lunette Liu. Looking forward to working with you.”
“Nice to meetcha,” the panda responded with a grin of her own. Then she rubbed the back of her head with one her paws while looking down and said, “Uhm…. I was separated from my parents since I was very young, so I don’t remember if they gave me a name. Then I was captured by animal traffickers, and passed through several families and clans after they became bored with me. I’ve had a few names over the course of my time with different groups…. but they were all really dumb names……. so I don’t want you to call me by those names……”
“Oh?” Lunette replied. “Then why don’t you give yourself a name?”
The panda’s eyes lit up, as she thought about Lunette’s suggestion. “Yeah! I’ll make my own name!”
“Any ideas in mind?”
“Hmmm…..”
“Well you can take your time.”
The two chattered as they headed to the atrium seats where Savana and her newly bonded partner were waiting. As they got near, they could hear the two bickering. Well, Savana was chattering away, while the little white snake was hissing back with his own retort.
Savana convinced the white water snake to pair up with her thanks to her shameless pestering. She spent hours talking to the water snake about the benefits of being her contractee. The snake often hid in the water when she came by, but was tempted out by the delicious treats she bought him. When Savana established a contract with the white water snake, she was in for a surprise. Once they were able to communicate directly, the white snake showed Savana the true meaning of being a prodigal child.
“Little snake,” chattered Savana, “aren’t you glad we are fellowship partners now? Isn’t it awesome? Quickly tell me your name.”
“Hmph,” the white snake scoffed. “Snake, snake, snake…. Is that the only thing you know how to say? Stupid human. This lord is not a silly snake.”
“For a snake that is not a snake, you sure look like snake,” Savana replied with a tilt of her head and curiosity in her eyes.
“You are a snake! Your head is a snake! Your whole family is a snake!” the white snake retorted back. “This honorable lord is a dragonling!”
“Oooooh, a dragonling,” said Savana, impressed. Then she tilted her head in confusion and asked “What’s a dragonling?”
“Dragonlings are the noblest beings after dragons,” the little snake shouted, irked. “This lord has the blood of dragons running though his veins!”
“Wow, the bloodline of a dragon…. but you’re not a dragon… so a dragon wannabe?” asked Savana. “Okay little dragon snake, what’s your name?”
“Argh!” the little dragon snake exclaimed. “Who is a dragon wannabe?! How dare you insinuate that this noble lord is an imitation?!”
“Since you are not telling me your name, does that mean you have not been named yet?” pondered Savana. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she continued speaking. “How about I give you a name? Hmmm….. How about Little White? Or Sir Python? Little Aqua?”
Savana could almost see imaginary steam coming out of the white dragon snake’s head, as he was trembling in anger after her suggestions. She was confused about his anger as she truly thought that those were good names for the little white dragon snake. “Oh well,” she thought to herself. “Whatever makes him happy then.”
“This lord is called Nimbus Etesia!” shouted the dragon snake in exasperation. “How can you have such poor tastes in choosing names?!”
“Hehehe,” Savana grinned. “I finally got your name!”
“Savana Yan! Consider yourself lucky that you are already my contractor,” Nimbus Etesia hissed with gritted teeth. “Anyone else would be dead by now if they annoy me like this.”
Lunette and the panda’s eyes met as they took a seat and quietly giggled on the side, while watching Savana and Nimbus’s exchange.
- Writer
