Airys stopped short and crossed her arms, bowed her head and a wave motion stirred her hair. She frowned furiously, having processed Natsume's response for less than a microsecond, she shared the doubt beyond just having it on her face:
"Wish it?" she sighed herself. "Surely she will say something like that I have to keep trying and have faith that I will achieve it" thought pedantically. "At this rate they won't help me"
Natsume, catching Airys's intention, mini pouted.
"Shouldn't you know what I mean?" she spat with a scowl of arrogance directed at Airys's hair. "Or did you 'dye' yourself without even knowing?" she emphasized.
"E-eh…?"
"I mean the legend, the legend of the three D's" clarified Natsume.
Airys stopped to think for a minute, the only legend that had to do with her hair was that of the chosen one, three D? That doesn't sound like...
"Ah" recalled the origin of the legend. "The Lady, the Dragon, and the Demon?"
"What other legend do you know with more than one major D?"
"B-but they have different versions, which one do you mean?" She excused herself. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell her that Seng hasn't explained much to me for some reason..."
"Oh yeah? I've only heard of one."
"Who dyed his hair here?" Airys gave a superior smile. "Please don't ask me anything!" she screamed inside herself, scared to death.
Natsume repeated the pout from earlier with greater intensity.
"Okay," Hearing that Airys let out a soulful sigh. "I mean the story where the lady asks for the power of the dragons."
"Ah that…" Airys cursed that in the city near her home they wouldn't talk about it, at least not the youngsters. "Where does she end up making a deal with the Demon?"
"Yes, what matters is that in that story it is the Lady's desire that she ends up getting them to obtain the power of the dragons, although she was deceived." She placed her hand on Airys's shoulder. "You should try to wish for a specific resonance"
"Wait." Airys glanced at Seng as she asked her question. "Can you pick your own resonance? Did you do that?"
Seng's ear stretched out like a pair of binoculars in her direction. He had been very clear about it; resonances are something natural that we have from the beginning of existence. There are no ways to change them, max you can achieve is "improving" them. That is the only true theory —for him —the others are people's delusions.
"Exactly" Natsume replied, and with it; oh boy, Seng's silence was desired like never in Airys life.
"Hahaha" Seng started with a laugh, closing the distance between them. "Are you sure? Didn't it turn out to be a resonance that 'just happened' to meet your need?"
Perhaps it was because of Seng's tone, or perhaps because of the attitude, but Airys watched as Natsume got worse than the day they met.
"Of course I'm sure!" she exclaimed. "How am I going to be lying?"
"Don't get me wrong" Seng said with a condescending grin. "But if that were possible, there would be more than a few like you."
"But I'm telling you that I did it! Isn't that proof?"
"Well, when was it? Do you have any reliable evidence or witnesses who saw you throughout the discovery process/"
"Development" Natsume interrupted with his arms crossed.
"'Development" of your resonance? " Seng corrected reluctantly.
"No, but that doesn't matter, I tell you that I did decide."
Seng gave a tiny laugh again.
"If that were possible, there would be more people stating that they chose which resonance to have."
"And how do you think there will be if they make everyone believe that it can't be done? Airys can try and prove it!"
"Hahaha, I assure you that is not why it is not possible."
"And why would that be?"
"Because I tried, and it didn't work," Seng revealed, leaving Airys and Layd wide-eyed who had shut up pending the fight. "Not that I wanted to create ice." He waved his hands, dropping icy bits along the way.
Natsume thought for a second. That statement was good enough to crumble her argument, yet she didn't give up at all.
"And how do I know you did well?" She mimicked, no, made a far more arrogant grin than Seng's, shattering his security for an instant and causing Layd to sit back to watch as Airys covered her mouth to contain her laughter.
"Well, it's my word against yours. And I don't have to prove anything, but you" he argued against him quickly, clinging to his ego.
Natsume and Seng leaned closer and locked glances with fury. Neither of them noticed, both had fervently insulted the other's belief. A severe blow to Seng's ego. A flat dismissal of Natsume's dedication. A couple of idiots, unable to put themselves in the shoes of the other, abortions in their reason, their motive, their logic.
From that moment on, the two started a heated discussion that led nowhere. For a few minutes it was entertaining, but as time passed Airys both Layd got tired of hearing the screams of both.
At one point Seng used his sound resonance to make Natsume "speechless", and this didn't hesitate to take advantage of his injuries to use her speed and kick him in the shin for it.
"How childish you are!" Natsume yelled.
"Me?! You kicked me!" Seng roared, rubbing his leg.
Their circus lasted so long that their plan to separate by leaving the mountain was masterfully ignored and they ended up walking in the direction Natsume had planned for hours and hours until night fell.
Airys and Layd covered their ears, to no avail. Then they decided to let them go further, a couple of meters that with the screams and the increase in intensity became dozens. That silly debate left them both extremely annoyed, it was the first time that Layd had heard Natsume speak so loudly and the first that Airys had witnessed a screech louder than hers.
If it weren't for the cloud geese —beautiful creatures that leapt from cloud to cloud, leaving a trail of white, red, and black as they leapt from cloud to cloud —that day would have been a nightmare of irretrievable time.
"Who cares?" Airys muttered, almost a hundred yards from that pair, still hearing them.