This is a stupid idea.

The thought repeated itself in Lapis's mind as she stood at the edge of a shadowy alleyway, back leaned against the cold brick wall, arms crossed and trying very hard to look normal. The restaurant she lingered next to was sparsely filled with evening patrons, and shopkeepers up and down the street busied themselves closing up for the night. It would have been a quiet, ordinary night, but over the ambient sounds of villager chatter and wind through the trees, she could hear Zephyr's distant violin, mixed with the excited cheers of his audience. She was several streets away, far enough that she couldn't see the concert, but she wasn't interested in the performance. She was focused on what would happen after.

The night before, after watching Zephyr’s show, Lapis had spent hours tossing and turning in bed, thoughts swimming through her mind. One in particular was louder than the rest:

What if he’s a Mirage?

As much as Lapis didn’t want to admit it, the idea made sense. Zephyr had managed to slip away after his show without being seen, and had apparently done so consistently after all his shows, to the point even the die-hard fans who followed him from town to town had never even seen him off stage. Him being able to change his appearance would certainly make it easier to get around unseen. The longer she thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make.

And she hated it.

She had never met a Mirage—or at least, she didn’t think she had. Hard to know if the person in front of you is a shapeshifter unless you catch them in the act. Plus, they were so rare that many—even Lapis—doubted their existence. While the thought of someone being able to mimic her perfectly was alarming, that feeling was greatly outweighed by the annoyance she felt over the times customers had gotten worked into a frenzy over Mirage rumors. A number of customers had tried to get her and Agatha to learn secret code words and passphrases so they could be sure they weren’t imposters… as though anyone would be interested in killing the staff of a quaint but inconsequential tavern. Hells, Lapis thought, maybe it would be better if I DID get replaced. Maybe then the tavern would have a decent musician.

She shook her head and tried to push the thought back from the dark pit it came from, but the negative feeling still lingered. She thought back to what Agatha had said the day before about there being a potential Mirage-related murder just 2 nights before. Could Zephyr be related somehow? It didn't seem likely—Trilsboone was over a week away by carriage. The idea that he'd killed someone at a city that far north and immediately appeared in Emerald Cove seemed far-fetched at best. Still, she didn't want to let her guard down. Most people associated Mirages with murder, after all.

Down the street, a bright finishing note gave way to muffled cheers that rippled through the air. By the sound of the audience, Zephyr must have drawn in more than half the town. All of them watching him perform…

Lapis's chest tightened. The mere idea of that many eyes on her made her start sweating. While he had drawn in hundreds with ease, she struggled to play in front of a single room without freezing up. What did he have that she didn't?

No, that was the wrong question. The better one was "what did Lapis have that Zephyr didn't?", the answer being "crippling fear of performing in front of people", a burden she hadn't managed to shake despite months spent trying.

She sighed, leaning her head back against the alley wall, the chill of the brick keeping her grounded. If she had even a sliver of the stage presence Zephyr had, maybe she would be actually making progress as a musician instead of repeatedly fumbling her performances. She wanted to ask him how he did it, how he managed to thrive on stage even under so much scrutiny—but even if she did manage to talk to him, would he be willing to give her advice? And would it actually be helpful? Maybe she was better off just leaving him alone; surely he wouldn’t enjoy being pestered by a stranger.

Then again, the mystery of the blue glow around him still pulled at her, and Lapis knew that it would be stuck in her mind until she got answers.

She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. The mystery man had left the town square after the performance the night before via the north road—the one where she was currently lurking. If he left the same way tonight, she could wait for him to pass, follow behind him to avoid getting caught in the crowds again, and then... What? Confront him in the middle of the street? What was stopping him from just ignoring her and walking away? She could follow him in secret to find out what inn he was staying at, but what if he caught her following him? Would he report her to the guards as a stalker? As if the worst bard in Emerald Cove needed more bad press.

Lapis wished she had Dave to talk to, even if he couldn’t be of any real help. She had opted to leave him back at the tavern to avoid a repeat of the night before. Plus, while she hoped it would end up being an unnecessary precaution, he had a small part to play in her quest that night, and it involved him staying behind.

Several blocks away, Zephyr’s violin music came to a crescendo, the final song finished, and a wave of muffled but surprisingly loud cheers thundered down the road. Lapis tensed.

It was time.

It took a few minutes before concert-goers began to filter into the street—just a few at first, then more, until the street was flooded with people. Standing in her alleyway, Lapis poked her head out and scanned the crowds for any sign of the familiar blue glow. As groups begin to walk past her alleyway, tension rose within her.

What if he doesn't come this way? What if I lose him again? Dammit, I should have just watched from the square—

However, just as her thoughts began to bubble over, a flash of blue caught the corner of her eye. Just barely visible over the sea of faces, walking straight in her direction, was a mop of unruly black hair, and that familiar blue light. Lapis's heart jolted.

Now or never.

As she held her breath, trying not to draw attention, the mystery man sulked past her hiding place, and she caught a glance of his face for the first time—realizing how much younger he looked up close. Perhaps "mystery boy" was a more fitting title. He was several inches shorter than her, looked barely old enough to be out of school, and was so pale he looked sickly. His eyes were a bright, clear grey, but the dark shadows under them made him look surprisingly haggard. He paid her no mind as he passed where she was standing, and a few moments later, she stepped out of the alleyway to follow him.

Walking several paces behind him, she did her best to act natural and blend in with the crowd. She lived in this village, she was just taking an evening stroll. There was nothing strange or suspicious about her behavior at all.

Over time, the crowds began to thin as groups broke off from the main road and made their way back to their homes. Lapis stayed a distance from the mystery man, but kept her eyes on him, examining his hunched posture and ragged clothes. She started to wonder if her theory was flawed just from the way he carried himself. Surely someone as strong a performer as Zephyr would walk with a little more confidence, right?

Slowly, more and more people broke off from the crowd, and eventually, as they approached the northern edge of town, Lapis and the mystery man were some of the only people left on the street.

Taking a deep, nervous breath, Lapis quickened her pace, marching toward the mystery man. She pondered how she'd get his attention- calling out to him? Tapping his shoulder? Casually walking up next to him and starting a conversation? As she weighed her options, the man seemed to stiffen, and glanced over his shoulder. She caught a quick glimpse of his steely grey eyes before he turned back to the road and quickened his pace.

Lapis tried to keep up, taking longer strides to match his pace, but her target moved surprisingly quick for someone so short. He glanced back again, and broke into a jog. Was he... running from her?

"Um, wait!" she shouted without thinking. "Please, can I talk to-"

"Excuse me, miss?"

The deep, rumbling voice from directly behind her startled Lapis so badly she nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled around, ready to greet whoever had managed to sneak up so close behind her, but no one was there. She looked around frantically, but the street was empty—there were a few stragglers back the way she came, but no one was close enough to have been the voice she heard.

What? But who-

When she turned back around, the glowing man was gone.

Ugh… dammit!

She ran towards where he had just been standing, her eyes darting left and right searching for her target. Glancing down nearby side streets, she caught the barest glimpse of blue disappearing around a corner, and gave chase.

The street she emerged onto was narrower than the last, lined with shops that had closed for the night and dimly lit with amber-colored lightorbs. At first, she saw nothing, and worried she had lost her target. However, just up the street, a sliver of wavering blue stuck out from behind a tree. The man was well hidden—anyone else wouldn’t have spotted him, crouched in shadows in the evening dark, but the sapphire blue light surrounding him shone like a beacon, announcing his presence. Lapis took a breath and cautiously walked toward his hiding place.

“Um… Excuse me?” she called.

Startled, the man jumped to his feet and spun around to face her.

"Dammit, what?!" he jeered, his brows furrowed. He stood slightly hunched and wild-eyed, puffing himself up like a cornered animal. "What do you want? Why are you following me?"

"S-sorry!" she said. "I just, um, wanted to talk to you-"

"About what?" he spat.

"Um... Zephyr?" she said cautiously.

The man stared at her, surprised, then let out an annoyed groan. "Ugh, for the love of... Another of these. Look, Zephyr doesn't do meet-and-greets, he doesn't take fan mail, and no, I can't get you his autograph."

Lapis blinked. "Autograph?"

"I swear, I need to start putting that on the flyers," he mumbled under his breath. "There's at least one crazy fangirl in every village, but I figured this one was so small it would be fine.” He threw up his hands in annoyance. ”Guess not!"

"Fangirl? I'm not a-"

"Oh, sure you're not," he snarled. "Why were you following me, then? Hm? Go on."

Lapis stepped back, hands up in a mock surrender, having expected pushback but not this level of belligerence. "Um... I just had a question-"

"And you had to chase me down to ask it?"

"Er… Well-“

“Do you do this to everyone you want to talk to? Literally chase them through the streets at night just to ask questions—"

“Are you going to let me talk, or are you going to just be rude?” Lapis snapped. She regretted the words the instant she said them, but it seemed to work. The man stepped back in surprise, then shook his head, annoyed but no longer berating her, at least.

“Ugh, fine, whatever,” he groaned. “You have my attention, so get on with it.”