<sup>For spring time, it was still considerably cool outside. Because Erin was tolerant of the cold, when she left her room, she left her jacket back at the inn. Today was Sunday, one of her days off, and she planned on taking full advantage of it. She might have recieved strange looks as she passed people on her way to the Starshell Cove... she was carrying in her left hand both a canister of gasoline (which she ordered through her store's new phone line) and a largely numbered pocketbook of matches; a small backpack was slung over her shoulder. Though she had intended to do this during winter time, Erin was going to build a bonfire; the reason she didn't do it during winter is because she didn't collect enough wood over the alotted time. But now that certainly wasn't the case: she had piles upon piles of branches and dried leaves, things that would burn easily. On her days off she took a couple hours to collect these things, and she hid them in a small cave she found by the ocean. It kept them sufficiently dry, out of the way, and made it easy to find when she came back to it.

When she arrived she removed her bag and sat it in the sand, along with the gasoline and matches, in the place she intended to build her fire. It took her a while to transport all the elements to her intended spot, and afterwards, she began to build with the branches. It would easily remind someone of Licoln Logs, the way she was stacking them and alternating them, to make sure they were very sturdy. She continued to build these logs and branches upward and upward. Erin proceeded to then scoop up the dried leaves, and dumped them inside of the shape. It took her a while to get them all off of the ground, and many of them soared with the wind and clung to various places on her; her hair, her shirt, jeans; there were even some tangled around the laces of her grey converse. Erin, however, did not notice this. Next was the gasoline. She opened it and sprinkled it all over her creation; on the logs, on the leaves. She sealed the cap since there was still some left, and placed it a few feet away from the stack. Stepping back to survey her handywork, she smiled. Sure, it wasn't as...aesthetically pleasing as her father's, but that wasn't really the point of bonfires, so she found herself not caring.

After deciding it was all level and sturdy enough, Erin picked up the pocketbook of matches, took a couple between her thumb and forefinger, and lit it. But the snow-haired girl let out a small gasp almost immediately afterwards. Apparently she had some gasoline on her hands that had attracted the flame; it burned her slightly. She instantly dropped the two matches, which were put out from the wind of soaring to the sand, and she made a fist, clenching it tightly, as if by squeezing it hard enough the burning would cease. It didn't, which really wasn't expected. Erin walked over to the ocean and kneeled, dipping her hands into the cold water. It made her skin burn more, so she quickly rinsed her hands of gasoline and made her way back to the matchbook to try again.</sup>

As Erin tried again, a small ball of light darted past her, glowing much too brightly for any firefly. After continuing for a bit, it floated upwards a bit, then shot out Shin, who landed gracefully on the sand. And by gracefully, I mean he yelped and landed on his butt. "Argh. That feeling of vertigo always confuses the landing." Shin said as he brushed the sand off his clothes. Today was one of his two days of the week, the other being Tuesday, so he was dressing normally in a pair of brown khakis, a t-shirt and a blue and silver vest. "Hmmmmn. As I thought. Even though it's spring, it still gets pretty cold here at night." Shin said to himself as he looked around. Just a little bit away from him, he saw someone familiar. It was...Wait, he couldn't remember her name. Oh wait, she visited his cafe, he was the one who let her into the village, she had a camera...Oh yes, her name was Erin, now he remembered. But what was she doing? A canister, wood, dry leaves and matches....A bonfire?

"Hmmm. I think some of the guys back home used to do this." Shin said as he walked over to where Erin was. "Hello again Erin. Need any help?" Shin said with a smile....Wait. She didn't know that he could start talking again. This might've come as a bit of a surprise to her.

<sup>The girl began to drag the matches along the rough surface on the package that would cause the small sticks to be set ablaze-- but she paused in the act, distracted by a sudden light source. A moving light source. It quickly flitted away from her vision, even though she quickly turned her head to see it. She stared a moment longer in the last place she saw it, but it seemed to be gone. It unsettled her slightly; was it there, or was it not? She definately saw it. So where was it? Better yet... what was it? Erin shook her head as she turned her attention back to the matches; she flicked her wrist and the matches end's were flaming red. She set them into a small gap inbetween branches, and slowly but surely it began to catch flame onto the rest of it. For good measure, Erin did this a couple more times, putting the matches in different places; even dropping some into the center of the shape, where the leaves were. Erin went and pulled out a book that was in the small backpack she brought, and began to fan the flames. It upset them, and caused them to dance more wildly, spreading and growing. Satisfied, she put her book back in the bag.

The sun was shining brightly when Erin had started all of this, but now it was dim as it descended; the color of the flames also tinted the sun and the sky around it. The sky is on fire. Erin stared dully into the flames, her arms limply by her side, the flickering orange flames reflecting in her grey eyes. Until now she hadn't realized how tired she was from the day, and carrying the logs to this location. And the warm didn't help her sleepiness. She was considering lying down in the sand-- in fact she moved a fraction of an inch to do so, when she heard an unfamiliar voice. It was unfamiliar to her, but apparently he knew her. "Hello again, Erin. Need any help?" It took her a moment to react; the warmth seemed to slow her mind and her body. But when she did react, the girl gasped and visibly tensed as she turned. Seeing that it was Shin, she relaxed herself, relieved. "Oh-- oh, hello. No, I'm done with it, actually, I--"

She returned his smile, but it quickly faded when a sudden realization hit her. He was speaking. Erin was by no means gullible-- but she took people's words for it. She trusted and believed most people until she was given a reason not to-- that was her policy. Naturally, with that sort of policy, you're bound to get some distruthful things...but this was a bit much. "Y-you, you--" Erin stammered, eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell, Shin!" If he was going to lie to her, why not do it well? They didn't see eachother often, it couldn't be that difficult to pretend he couldn't speak since their meetings were so few. And what kind of lie was that, anyway? Did it really even accomplish anything? What did he want? attention? pity? Erin suddenly threw the small pocketbook of matches at him as hard as she could, and it certainly didn't give her the effect she was hoping for. It simply made a clacking noise as it hit him square in the chest, and it fell to the ground by his feet. The thought occurred to her that he might think her to be over-reacting; but she never took to dishonesty well. She kept her gaze on him steady, waiting for some sort of explanation, as she fumed.</sup>

Yep. She was surprised. And angry. Very angry in fact. She threw something at him which fell harmlessly on the ground. Shin gave a sigh. "Same explanation as everyone. My being a mute was a mental problem caused by trauma. I just relearned how to speak about a week ago. Sorry if it disappoints you, but I have no intention of keeping silent for the rest of my life." Shin didn't really sound angry or annoyed since, well he was only slightly annoyed. Elizabeth also reacted the same way when he attempted to say a few words the second time they met, except she didn't throw something at him. It seemed to be a pack of matches, but that didn't really matter. He also noticed something wrong with Erin's finger. It was dark at night, but she was lit up by the large fire and he could faintly make out a small wound, maybe a burn or something on her finger.

"....You've got a small burn." Shin said, stating the rather obvious. He gave his right hand a flick and a small amount of green sparkles appeared around the burn, swirling a bit, then disappearing, the burn disappearing along with it.

<sup>Erin was instantly ashamed after she threw the matches at him. Yes, she let people how she was feeling-- but since when did her anger get the best of her like that? After trying to think of a single instance, she came up with nothing. She felt herself suddenly feeling sorry. Not because of her actions-- it felt kind of liberating to do what she did-- but because she would need those matches later on if the fire started to die down. She had no idea where they fell to, and would probably have one hell of a time trying to find it in the sand. He offered that explanation she stared him down for, and found herself responding with a quiet, "Oh." moments after he spoke. She found herself believing him... despite the fact that she didn't want to. What if he was lying, this time? How could one relearn to speak after being silent for so long? This time, Erin decided to put it out of her mind. If he told her that he taught himself to speak again, then that was it. He did, and she wouldn't question it.

Erin lifted her eyes to him when he stepped foward. "...You've got a small burn." She lifted her hand, looking at the burn for the first time. With all the ruckuss, she'd forgotten about it, but now the pain was clear to her, if not worse than it was before. "I'm--" She began. She was going to say that she was fine-- but she flinched from him slightly (she felt very foolish the moment she did) as he did some sort of small motion with his hand. Instantly, bright green shrouded her hand, and swirled delicately. Erin looked up to Shin with an alarmed look, wordlessly, then back down to her hand. By then, the color had disappated, but... so had the burn. The pain.

Once more, she looked wordlessly up to him. What had he done. No-- how would probably be a more appropriate question. She'd never experienced anything like this in her life. To be sure, she looked down at her hand again, turning it, examining the area it had covered just moments ago, from all different angles. It was gone. Gone. Not at all matching how she felt inwardly, she calmed her voice, kept the amazement, excitement out of it. "Shin," she began slowly. "How did you do that?" Thank-you's and I'm-sorry's would come later.</sup>

Shin gave a smile mysterious smile to Erin. "Probably exactly how you think I did." Shin said as he made a small motion with his hand. "Magic. More specifically, a healing spell. It's also how I arrived here, I'm sure. It's called a teleport spell, but I just appear as a little ball of light that zooms over to a specific area a little over that way." Shin said pointing at nearby caves. Magic was indeed very fun. He inwardly thanked the bookstore owner for keeping the books in shop, although it seemed that not many people knew about them. "Well, you get the picture. Lets just say I'm a bit more mysterious than you think? Or not." Shin ended with a small laugh.

"Anyways, I only know three spells. A healing spell, teleportation, though I don't think it really deserves it's name very much, and fireball." Shin said. He then stuck out his hand and a small ball of fire formed, about the size of a tennis ball. It then dissipated, leaving no trace of fire left over. "Pretty cool, no?"

<sup>The same moment Shin spoke it aloud, Erin whispered it: "...Magic." So, magic was a real thing. All the fairytales, stories, folklore that had gotten to her ears-- suddenly they didn't seem like silly tales or simply stories anymore. If magic was real, then what else, in those stories she had heard many times-- oh, and even the stories she'd yet to hear-- were real, true, tangible? It blew her mind. The snow-haired girl shook her head slowly, a crooked smile playing on her lips, at the sheer amazingness. Before any more incoherent thoughts could cross through her mind, he explained to her how he got here. He mentioned something about a ball of light; Erin perked instantly, no longer slouching. Perhaps-- He then gestured to the caves not too far off. The exact direction she had last seen the light source. "So that's what that was-- it was you!" The girl, frankly, seemed quite relieved. Perhaps because she had found evidence to something she could not explain; earlier she had thought maybe she was losing it. Having an explanation made her feel better, if anything, that she wasn't simply imagining these things. "Let's just say I'm a bit more mysterious than you think. Or not." He laughed, then, and so did Erin. Only in hindsight would she realize this, but her mood had changed quickly from placidity, anger, ashamed, and then astounded.

He continued to tell her about these spells: healing, teleportation, fireball. And, before she could even ask him to, he demonstrated. A bright ball of fire appeared suddenly in his hand, and she blinked, amazed, perhaps as a child would. Where were you when I was busy burning myself to get this fire started? Erin wondered with a laugh. It disappeared from his hand, and she immediately grabbed his hand, searching for signs of burns, injuries, or anything the fire would leave behind. There was nothing. "Pretty cool, no?" Erin let go of his hand, looking to him. "That, my friend," she began with a small laugh, "is an understatement."</sup>

Shin stood patiently as he let Erin take in the little magic lesson. She even examined his hand to see if the fireball left a trace, which it hadn't. "Well, I guess that explains that. Seems you did see me. Teleporting isn't as fun as it looks though. Huge sense of vertigo and it seems to like shooting me out flat on my butt, or my face." Shin said with a sigh. Indeed, it happened every time, and he couldn't practice it much since, well, teleporting to a fixed location was a bit troublesome, plus it took up his own energy to do so. "As great as magic is though, I think there are a couple things I need to make clear. Firstly, as far as I've seen, I haven't seen anyone else use magic. Second, I wasn't born with it. Actually, I only learned how to use it around a month ago, so I'm still a novice at it." Shin said with a sheepish grin. He had a okay control over what few magic spells he had though.

"Well, thats the gist of it...Oh, and also it takes energy to use it. Magic doesn't come from no where after all."

<sup>She listened as he spoke, nodding occassionally. "Maybe you'll get better at landing the more you do it," Erin offered with a small smile. At this time, she tried to imagine how it would feel. It seemed like it would be amazing-- but he said something about vertigo. And definately not a soft landing. Was there even a way to get better at landing? She wasn't sure. All she knew about magic is what he had already told her, which wasn't much. He had never seen anyone else use magic. Then how had he learned such things? He said he wasn't born with it-- then how? Not by spontaneity, surely... that seemed nearly impossible. But Erin was listening too raptly to ask him such a question. While he said he was still a novice, Erin almost rolled her cloud-grey eyes. So what if he was what he called a 'novice'-- he could perform magic! Not magic as in card tricks and so-called disappearing acts-- honest to goddess, magic!

"It also takes energy to use it. Magic doesn't come from nowhere, after all." Erin nodded... that made sense. She wondered how energy draining it was. It was probably alot, but she couldn't be sure. It was only an assumption. I mean, you're creating things out of nothing. "That's... amazing. Are you tired now? From teleporting, I mean?" ...not to mention healing and making a fire ball.

It wasn't until now that Erin realized she was still standing abnormally and probably obnoxiously close to Shin from inspecting his hands. Erin casually took a few steps back and made her way over to the fire, motioning for him to join her. She seated herself in the sand, and patted the ground to indicate he should sit if he felt so inclined. Hopefully he didn't mind the sand.</sup>

"Well...No, I'm not really tired. All of those are really basic spells, so they don't take up much energy. I think I have enough for about 5 more fireballs before I really start to feel the after effects." Shin said, estimating his left over energy. He could just slightly feel a bit of sluggishness, but it didn't feel that out of the ordinary for him. He nodded at Erin's gesture and walked over to the fire and sat down a small distance away from Erin. "Actually, only fireball and the healing spell takes energy. Teleporting just kinda gets you there without a price. I don't quite understand myself." Shin said with a shrug.

"Kinda cool to be different with this I guess, but it's kinda odd how some things turn out though. The first time I healed someone, they actually got angry at me. Not just that, but people's reactions to my suddenly being able to talk as well." Shin said with a sigh. Certainly, he could do things other people couldn't, but...."Just don't understand. What makes me happy makes other people angry and afraid. Guess thats human nature though. We're afraid of the unknown." Shin said as he laid down in the sand. A wry grin then formed on his face. "...And the former mute is rambling on. Sorry."

<sup>Erin was somewhat surprised to hear that he wasn't fatigued by these things. She was told that since they were basic spells, they didn't take up much energy. Although that seemed to be fact, Erin still thought that didn't seem right. Magic was magic-- it was unnatural, shouldn't it take a toll on your body? But she said nothing of this. There was a small pause where he sat down, and Erin took the moment to watch the fire. It was still a bit weak, not quite in full swing. Seeing this, she leaned foward from where she sat, scooped up some leaves, and stood, and dumped them in the center of the fire, quickly, as to not burn herself. Satisfied, she brushed off the leaves she found clinging to her shirt and jeans and seated herself in the sand again, where she sat before. Shin was speaking while she did this, and he now finished. In Erin's personal opinion, she thought it was perfectly natural to not understand these things. Afterall, it was magic, whose properties weren't really completely understood, either. She didn't voice these things, however.

"The first time I healed someone, they actually got angry at me. Not just that, but people's reactions to my suddenly being able to talk as well." A small blush crept onto her face at this. Again, she felt slightly ashamed by her prior actions; which seemed a bit foolish to her, because she couldn't go back in time to change it. But by his statement, she assumed his new ability to speak had something to do with magic. Did he use the heal spell on himself, and grant him the ability to speak? She opened her mouth to ask him this, but he continued on. "...just don't understand. What makes me happy makes other people angry and afraid. Guess that's human nature, though. We're afraid of the unknown."

He grinned, then said, "...and the former mute is rambling on. Sorry." She gave a small smile. and it hit her then what it must be like to be able to speak again. How truly horrible it would be to lose that simple ability that people daily took for granted, and how it must feel to have it back. If Erin lost her voice for years and years, and she got it back, she would never quit talking. "Talk as much as you want to, Shin. I like listening."

But back to what he said earlier. The unknown. It wasn't so much the unknown that she grew angry over... it was something else entirely. "Shin, I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier... I probably shouldn't have thrown those matches. But I think you've got it wrong." Since he was still lying down, she couldn't exactly meet his gaze as she would normally do if he were sitting up, so instead she continued to look at the fire, which she decided was burning perfectly right now. "I wasn't angry because you were speaking... in fact I'm inexplicably thrilled for you! That's so great. Really." Her tone changed from somewhat serious to completely giddy at this part, but it toned down a bit as she continued. It was an odd contrast. "I was angry because I thought you had lied to me about being a mute. I don't really... take to lying well." So there, that was out in the open. No, she couldn't take back what she had done, but she could change her future. To try and justify her actions, and to apologize.</sup>

"Well, I was never really blaming anyone." Shin said while shifting to a more comfortable position. "There isn't anyone in the world who takes lying well. Some take it worse than others, some take it much worse when it's by a person closer to them. Either way, I could understand why you reacted that way. Even my girlfriend kinda went hysterical the first time I spoke to her." He still kept the sheepish look on his face. Oh boy, did Elizabeth go hysterical. She thought he lied to her the entire time and that he was insane or something. It wasn't the best memories, but the change in relationship after wards was something he didn't expect at all. He loved her, and she loved him. "Well, actually, those were in different circumstances and we didn't know each other too well. I guess that one was kinda my fault."

<sup>Erin knew that perhaps he wasn't calling her out and blaming her in particular-- but it felt like it, anyhow. How could she not think that it was directed at her, after that small incident had just taken place? She had been focusing on it afterwards, too, so perhaps that's why she jumped so quickly to that assumption. He explained and made a simple statement: "There isn't anyone in the world who takes lying well." And that was probably true in a grande majority of cases. And the people who claimed it didn't bother them simply had to be putting on a front. Who liked being lied to? Erin certainly didn't. Exhibit A? just moments ago.

She felt a little better, hearing that she wasn't the only one who flipped out. Erin wouldn't exactly call her little show 'hysterical'-- but it was close enough to hysterically as she would probably get. At least she thought, anyway. She felt that her thoughts were becoming slightly redundant, so she posed herself a new topic to ponder over: his ability to speak. "When was the last time you spoke, Shin?" She wasn't exactly sure, but Erin knew it was years ago, from what he had told her. According to him it was due to some sort of trauma, a trauma of which Erin did not dare ask about. It was none of her business.

As the girl spoke and listened, she absently was cupping sand in her right hand as she leaned foward, scooping-- letting it sift through her fingers. Scooping-- letting it sift. Erin liked the sound it made, though it could barely be heard over the conversation and the quiet crackling of the large fire. With a half smile, she wondered if Shin was tired of talking about his new voice-- or would ever tire of it. If it had been Erin, she wasn't sure if she could ever tire of it. But then again, overexposure does create apathy.</sup>

"The last time?....Well, I can't exactly give you specifics on that. You see, since it was a mental problem, apparently my mind could over ride it just a little bit and I could say a few words. This didn't happen often though. As for the time that I lost the ability to speak consistently.... Shin trailed off. He checked his wristwatch which also had the year and month displayed. "....As of Winter 24th, it's been 8 years and I got my voice back, and I started being able to talk less than a month ago....It's really been a long time now that I think about it." Shin blew off the date of his accident like it was nothing, but...Winter 24th. That meant he lost his voice...On the Sacred Night. WOW that sucked.

"Well, I won't go into how it happened for now. Not the kinda story one should tell in front of a bonfire, so maybe another time."