Leif had read the phrase "their eyes lit up" in numerous texts over the course of his life, but he'd only borne witness to it in the eyes of those striving for a challenge. Vidrid's eyes reminded him of the dull, barren branches of towering trees during Ambertide before the cold cusp of Whitewane could blanket them in snow. Yet, with sheer determination sparking something in Vidrid's gaze, it was as though Bloomspell arrived and those withered branches burst to life with luscious verdant leaves. 

The urge to ruffle his hair itched at Leif's palm but he tucked his hand into his pocket to avoid reaching out on impulse. After making a show of clearing his voice, he folded his arms and asked, "Have you seen Mister Coltham Aldrich as of late?" 

Vidrid's expression smoothed out at the question and for a split second, Leif was plainly reminded of the horse handler. He shuffled from one foot to the other, sheepishly chuckling with a hand cupped around his nape. "Y'see, I owe him a bit of a debt and I've been looking everywhere for him," he explained. "I tried to pay him back earlier, but he wouldn't have it. So I thought I'd help him with the going-ons of today."

"I see," Vidrid murmured as he looked down. Leif strained to keep his smile despite the agitation scratching at his rib cage at the potential of another dead end. His eyebrows ticked up as he watched Vidrid pressed a hooked finger against his mouth, going perpetually still with thought. With how steadily he focused somewhere beneath their line of sight, Leif nearly wanted to follow his eyes in turn, but a cursory peek didn't reward him with a single thing.

It must all be in his head.

Watching the haggard young man's eyes dart about as if he were trying to see or read through something Leif could not brought a smile to his face. 

He's really the honest sort, isn't he? 

In no time at all, Vidrid gasped and met Leif's eyes with a wagging finger. "Mister Aldrich did pass by our shop before I'd left for the Steins," he blurted out, then scratched under his chin with a sidelong look. "Said something about refreshing himself at Coreborough's before taking to the dust, if I recall."

Leif closed his eyes as he imagined the humble shop and the route to arrive there. "Coreborough's, huh?" He hummed, opening his eyes with a smile before he clasped a hand atop Vidrid's shoulder and squeezed. "I really can't thank you enough."

Vidrid turned his head away in a poor attempt to hide the scarlet tinge in his cheeks. "I-It's only a direction," he dismissed with a shake of his head. "There's no telling whether he's still there or not." 

"Then I'd best get going," Leif patted his shoulder a few times before swinging his arm around his shoulders to wheel him around into the direction of the Twin Steins. Vidrid went still under his arm but looked up at him in awe, while Leif smiled in his face.  "Remember what I told you, see Marris and let her know I'll be taking on the job. Leave a note or what not for the meeting place, and I'll see to it before tomorrow's rest." 

With another pat on his shoulder, Leif withdrew his arm and tossed up his hand in a wave as he started across the plaza with renewed vigor. 

"S-Sir Leif!"

He glanced over his shoulder at the shout, and blinked at the sight of Vidrid with his hands cupped around his mouth. 

"Novarith is the name of our shop. I-if you'd be inclined, visit us sometime!"

Oh, look at this guy…

"Leave it with Marris," Leif called back with a light chuckle catching his words. He winked as he cupped his hand around his mouth and called, "'ve got a great deal on my mind and I don't want to forget something this important, alright?"

Vidrid's flustered expression brought a subtle smile to his face. Soon enough, he lost sight of him to where even a glance behind wouldn't chance him with a glimpse of the young man. Leif breathed an air of relief, and pressed on with the smell of morning dew trailing after him. When a stiffer breeze swept past and tousled Leif's hair, the beads and threads wound in his hair began to chime like wind bells. 

In the midst of it, he could hear the zephyrs' bickering and rolled his eyes fondly, pulling the threads of anemo scattered in the open air to his waiting hand. The zephyrs' bickering slowed and Leif could feel their eyes on him as he ran into a compacted alleyway. 

"Shining One, these ones haven't found scary one!" 

"Is Shining One sure scary one exists?"

In the alley's seclusion, Leif laughed freely as he leapt onto a haphazardly stacked tower of crates pressed closely to the wall of a neighboring building. "Of course he's real," he said as he curled his fingers around the swirling ball of anemo and tossed it ahead of him, leaping into the emerging updraft which propelled him high above the building's thatched roof. "There's no other sort like him!"

Leif flipped end over end with a beaming grin, grunting when his boots scuffed against the heather and water reeds as he scrambled for purchase. Once his head popped over the peak, he pulled himself up onto the high beam and sat down while shielding his eyes against the beaming sunlight.

The meandering streets opened up below him as the faces of passerby were glanced over in favor of examining storefronts. Colorful scarves tied to posts, and pinned in arches beneath signs, billowed with the ebbb and flows of the breeze. As he peered closer toward where the hustling clamor didn't quite reach, a quaint cottage caught his eye. Or rather,  it was the steer languidly grazing within a trough beside it. 

The zephyrs whizzed around his head, quizzically asking of Coltham's whereabouts and whether or not he was real. A warm breeze blew at Leif's hair as he reached up to the loc tucked behind his ear and slid off two golden beads threaded through it. Anemo sept into the wood, giving it a greenish tinge reminiscent of seagrass.  Leif held it between forefinger and thumb as he lifted it up, presenting it to the curling winds which settled as they observed his offering. 

"Listen, little ones. I'll give you this if you swear that you'll give a message to a woman with hair like mine bearing beads like this," he explained.  The beads rolled into the palm of his hand, swaying lightly until a small wind funnel lifted it out of his reach as he continued, "Let her know where I've gone - won't you?" 

"Shining One cannot give these ones all the pretty stones?"  One of the zephyrs pleaded, whilst the others' admiration dissolved into quarreling. 

Leif shook his head, resting his cheek against his fist, "The scales would be imbalanced if I did more than this, so you'l have to make do with what you have. I asked for two favors, and reward you all with two shines. Did you not say you were working together? Why would I reward you individually?"

The wind warmed with indignation and Leif smiled gently until the quarreling voices faded. The zephyr that'd spoken before harrumphed, "Then, these ones will aid Shining One and the shinies will be these ones' rewards. Shining One cannot give these one's shinies to fiery ones or any other ones. Swear it!"

So noisy, but if I don't swear it they'll get in my way until they're distracted. Besides, I don't have many of those to begin with. 

Solemnly, Leif raised his hand and the anemo from the wind tunnel pressed into his palm. His eyes slid shut as he guided his hand to his chest and pressed it firmly over his heart. The winds straining against his tightening grasp sept through his shirt and prickled his skin. He breathed in deeply to steady his heartbeat as It hammered against his ribs like the quick thumps of a rabbit's foot, unsure as all things were in the face of the archaic.

The zephyrs took their time stealing away the warmth from his skin until he could feel the biting cold of needling anemo moving about his flesh like quill to parchment, inscribing the promise into flesh. When the biting sensation dwindled, Leif exhaled through his mouth and brushed down his shirt. His tender skin twinging with pain when he brushed his hand over where the zephyrs' promise etched. Overhead, the spirits cheered for their gain and zipped away with promises to uphold their word. 

Once the presence of their numerous eyes dwindled and Leif was certain they'd gone, he let out a heavy, grating sigh. Spirits could be a temperamental bunch, and he hardly wished to make an enemy of the winds in this land. When he breathed in, the wind seemed fuller and it didn't take him long to gather his breaths before pushing up to his feet. 

"Alright, enough dawdling," Leif said aloud, taking a running jump off the roof's side. "Let's go see that ol' codger!" 

He loosed a high-pitched whistle called a large gust of wind to propel him higher in the sky. He sailed across the buildings and roads, honing in on the humble cottage as he flipped end over end to land on the roof's apex. The wind buffeting him drifted away once its purpose had been served, and Leif peered over the roof side at the steer. He turned his back, and shimmied back slightly to hook his tail around the wooden peg bereft of its lantern. 

A reflexive twitch of his tail told of how tightly it held onto the peg and Leif took a breath before letting himself fall backward. His tail curled in tighter to keep him from diving into a full descent, and bit by bit, he lowered himself with a curious hrm. 

The steer lifted its head, chewing languidly on the greens sticking out of its mouth. And as it turned its head, damp dark eyes met Leif's with a slight startle. Leif pressed a finger to his lips when he heard Coltham's grousing from inside. The windows were shuttered, but the ox's distress would've definitely lured those inside to come investigate. Leif shook his head vehemently, loosing his tail so he could flip down on his feet and come to the ox's side. 

"Easy there, friend," he crooned, rubbing the steer's nose until its heavy breaths evened out. The greens fell from its mouth as it nosed against Leif's hands then broke free to rub its head against his chest. Leif bit back a laugh, avoiding the horns threatening to skewer his shirt with how they tugged at the fabric. 

"I mean to repay a debt to your master, and I won't be able to go without hearing a well answer."

The ox pulled back its head once it was done rooting against his clothes, and Leif straightened his shirt with a scratch against its furry ears. "Wish me luck, won't you?" 

The ox's crooning followed him as he approached the storefront, wondering what face he would need to make for Coltham to take him on. While he had talked rather big to Zopha, the fact still remained that he was the one in debt to Coltham. Knowing his stubbornness in tradition, there was no telling whether the old codger would even accept his help. 

Maybe I can use that to my advantage though, Leif thought to himself as he curled his fingers around the wooden door handle. 

For a split second, he imagined Arus and the lack of clarity behind her words. Whether they were warning or command, he couldn't make heads or tails of. Nor did Marris and Zopha's chiding dwell deeper within him as he couldn't see far past the outlier of pedantry. After all, was it deceitful to work within the laws of the land?  

The door hinges creaked open soundlessly, but a bell chimed bringing the thoughts therein to a halt. 

"One moment, please!" A voice, far too light to have been Coltham's, called out. 

Leif heartily called back, "Take your time, ma'am!", and tucked his thumbs into his belt loops as he looked around.  

The inside of the shop was as quaint as its outer appearance suggested. Though the windows had been closed, sunlight peeked through the cracks in the shuttered slats, painting the walls in soft buttery hues. Leif scrubbed a finger under his nose as he passed by shelved walls to the left, housing a number of cooking herbs and spices as well as raw root vegetables. He picked up a satchet faintly smelling of heather and another of wildflowers, set inside of crates positioned in front of the window panels. 

Large cloth bags were positioned against the right wall, some filled with glistening rice grains, and stalks of wheat, as well as bushels of blushing red apples which drew his eye before he remembered himself. A silent thanks offered to Zopha for her graciousness in feeding him before sending him back into the world. If he hadn't eaten before, what sense of urgency might have been lost to appeasing his stomach. 

Leif crouched in front of a pyramid of thick, wooden barrels banded with iron when he heard familiar heavy footfalls paired with lighter ones. He lifted his head, and smiled at the woman approaching him. She looked around then lowered her gaze with a soft oh as their eyes met, a smile settling on her face.

"Well, if it isn't Mister Leif."