There is no hemming or umming or erring from the girl named Yue (the Sun Farmer) when the topic of allowances comes up. And maybe that's a bad sign? That, for all her simple country girl opinions and antics she takes what is offered to her without so much as blushing. That, perhaps, at her core lies something privileged and spoiled, who expects some manner of good things and luck to fall into her lap so that she doesn't even question when it happens? It might be that she is secretly a creature of greed, and not even so secretly anymore!

But, Rose from the River? If you doubted how she felt about it... no, if you doubted how she felt about [i]you?[/i] That is to say, if any lingering corner of your heart or even an entire beating chamber still held on to the idea that she thought of you as some sort of monster? Well, I guess it's understandable. It's difficult to shake first impressions, y'know? But still, if you [i]did[/i] think that, then it must've been really surprising when she threw her arms around you and wrapped you in that hug, huh? 

She's not a shy hugger, not in the slightest bitty bit. She pretty much just chucks herself right into your arms and squeezes as hard as her scrawny little ones will let her. And when she lets go, the only emotion on her face is joy. The sparkle in her eyes, the smile on her face? The giddy laughter rushing from her lips? I'm no expert on economics or anything, but that's worth at least an earring. Right? 

Yue leaps as she darts toward the market on legs as light as air, as Hyra darts about her like a protective silvery moon because oh! Oh gosh! Oh gosh and gosh and goshies! To have a treasure! To have a real and actual treasure that's hers to trade for something even brighter! She's never held anything like this before! And, and Yue's no expert on economics either, but she's pretty sure as she clutches the bit of jewelry in her palm that she's holding a decision that's worth more than her entire house. After all, even by the standards of her little village her house is not especially big. It's sturdy and cozy and safe, just you say it's not, but it's not made of any kind of fancy materials like the swordmaiden's shrine, and everything in it is so old even GranGran must've inherited it from somebody.

But these? But these? These things for sale? This stuff is nothing less than a bunch of miracles! Plus one extra one which nobody's even selling, and that's the magic of getting to shop in a market in the first place. Market days are always special, y'know? Even when they're homey and simple ones where nobody is selling anything more amazing than a bale of rice. It's hard to get a lot of purchasing done when most of what you've got to trade is sunlight, 'cause most folks say they've got no use for it 'cept what comes down natural from the sky, right? It's hard to convince them all the time that a little warmth and comfort is worth their weavings or their produce or their spices. But, even still... market days are fun! It's the adventure of browsing goods! It's the fun of learning what each person thought would represent them best! It's getting to look at treasures, big ones or small, that don't just grow in fields for her to pluck them or swim in ponds for her to catch. A market day where she doesn't buy a single thing is still as much fun as she could ask for.

And this time the treasures are so big she can barely wrap her brain around them! And this time when she holds out her hand and asks for what she can have for what's inside, people actually gesture at wares and say "These ones, love!"

You say that she can buy no more than one of these amazeful things? No no no no, friend, you've got it backwards! She can buy [i]any[/i] one of these! She's so excited she can't keep the smile on her face tamped down enough to even remember the word haggle, much less attempt it! 

This is a decision that will follow her for her entire life, don't doubt it. She smiles fondly at the ribbon when it ties itself into just the most precious bow in the world, and caresses the jar with her fingertips even though the seller grouses and says something about being more careful with the merchandise please. What a pretty thing! What an awesome weapon! With this she could do [i]so many[/i] party tricks she'd never need to pay for another dinner again! Or she could even master it and be the kind of warrior that got to pick and choose how and when she fought and finished her opponents. People would speak of her in hushed whispers and admire the grace of her battles, and when she wasn't using it for that wouldn't it make just the most [i]darling[/i] accessory?

But she lets it go. She hasn't even mastered the sword yet, sillyhead! How's she gonna go and boast about picking up Assault Ribbons before she's even proved she can handle a real blade? Besides, the duel is not about fancy tricks and weapons. The duel is about the duel. And if she wanted it for a pet, well, she's already got one of those and she's the very bestest best girl anybody could ask for! Besides which, Kat was very much not a fan of snakes, and never showed much skill at knowing for sure which things were snakes and which were simply snake-adjacent. Always with her frightened little yips screaming, "It's not snake time! It's not!" So she knew in her heart that she was not the home this little cutie was looking for, or needed. Still, she slips a sun bead into the jar before she walks away, so that the ribbon wouldn't think anything silly like that it hadn't done a good enough job.

And the envelope looks fancier than anything she can remember seeing in her life. Well, 'cepting the dress she's got on, or a plum tree in full blossom, or the light bending into rainbows in the misty spray at the bottom of the waterfalls, but, like... stuff what people'd call for sale? This is definitely the fanciest. It's so fancy she can't even figure out what it means. Well like, she knows the stories about Princess Kikil. Or at least she knows a couple of them. Enough to know the name and the reputation that comes with it. So she definitely understands what sorts of incredible adventures an invitation like this must promise! After all, what could be more adventure...y than a daring raid against an invincible fortress and proving her skill by making off with the treasures inside of it?

But when she holds it in her hand, she winds up shaking her head and lets it go. Because when she tries to imagine what it might be like... she can't do it. What even really is a website, anyway? Plus, even if it's not as dangerous as a sword fight with an angry princess (and who's to say it isn't?!), isn't it still the same as challenging one to her face? And isn't that, um, y'know, blindly terrifying? Sure she could ask Chen for help but... mmm, no. No. She'd rather ask Chen for help learning to paint, or with tidying up her hair a bit or, or... um, something proper adventurey, but in a more wind-in-your-face kinda way, right? Something like this doesn't belong with her. She'd feel stupid just staring at it and wondering how to get started. But before she passes it by, she leaves three entire sunbeads with the vendor. T-to... to thank them for trusting her to touch something so valuable with her own bare hand.

But a magic spell? A way to learn to run and leap and jump and maybe even fly like Hyra can? Her eyes start watering when she thinks about it, and her heart patters fondly with something like nostalgia at the idea that she could maybe, possibly, if she worked really hard at it and didn't give up, become somebody that people like her would point at and call a magician. Would it be hard? Of course! Would it take her forever to figure it out? Probably! If she even could! But even still, it called to her in a way none of the other treasures did. She looks down at Hyra, and instantly understands why.

Her vision is full of waterfalls high above the serene surface of the lake. They always are, almost no matter what she tries to think about. It'd be like trying to imagine the earth without grasses or trees or fish. Impossible. Just a fact of life, y'know? So it's the water that she sees, and her reflection barely noticeable as she soars above it. She's running, like in a song. She's laughing and leaping and soaring through the air, and she's chasing something... someone silvery and beautiful and worth racing after across the entire world, even if it took her whole life to catch up. To chase her moon? To not need Hyra or anybody else to carry her just to let her stay close? To... to make it [i]real[/i], to even just get to stand in place and see just one more incredible thing before it all had to stop? That's worth more than thirty of her house, she's pretty darned sure.

She offers Rosie's allowance over without so much as a whisper of a second thought. Her hand trembles when she reaches for the scroll. 

"One magic, please!"