Reach Your Dreams

"Here you are. Menocept you ordered two days ago." Emma placed the box in Timothy's hands, who reached inside his wallet, ready to pay, "No need. It's on the house. I hope your friend gets better." Timothy didn't expect such politeness from her and emerged muddled. He knew Emma was virtually Chiaki's second mother, but despite that, he assumed he would have to pay for the package.

"Are you sure, Emma? Isn't this medication expensive?" She placed her hands on her waistline and replied with a chuckle, "It's not *that* expensive. It's one of the least pricey because it's the most bought product. Besides, I don't sell medicine for profit. I do it to help people. And I'm my own manager, so it's no trouble."

He thanked her, crowding the wallet he bought from a different market into his pockets, and smiled, "I guess I'll notify Ayuka that she didn't need to share the money with me. I think some of it will come in handy since her doctor instructed her to rest and be prudent about how much she works out her body. Besides, Chiaki already returned to Kate's uncle." He was carefully holding the medication after he raised his look onto Emma.

"That reminds me. Where are you scheduled to go? And will you at least attend the celebration this evening?" Timothy paused momentarily. He had never heard of a carnival in Acropolis and begged to ask, "I don't know where I'll go. I might board the PTS and see where the wind takes me. Kate's uncle claimed I'm not needed to train with her anymore. Apparently, Chiaki demonstrated she's now qualified to reach her potential. And about that festival. What's it about?"

Timothy sat down, accepting the glass of Cranberry Wonder — cranberry juice — Emma gave him to listen to her, "It's a festival to honor the birth of goddess of water Phalris. It's a yearly ceremony at the end of the year. Everyone attends this festival. And if you're blessed, you might even see her in person. Though, she hasn't shown up since ten years ago. She prefers to eye it hidden." After sipping some juice, he leaned on the backseat, "The goddess of water named Phalris... I haven't witnessed any deities other than Etuna, the goddess of lightning."

His sudden mentioning startled Emma, knowing the gods of the Vast Expanse rarely showed up in front of mortals, "Impressive. To see divine entities is like a long-awaited dream coming true. Phalris is a goddess in the guardianship of two different countries; the Distant Refuge on which we are now and Geyser Island. People at Geyser Island are usually the ones to witness the goddess in person rather often. People here on the Distant Refuge are sequestered from her — in a good way, luckily. I wish I could hear her melody and see her dance one last time in person. I'd be endowed too."

Timothy crossed his arms, glancing at her silently, intrigued more about the Vast Expanse's divine lives. "And Erembour said that deities loathe the human race; this proves it otherwise. Thanks for the information, Emma. I think I'll take you up on that offer. I'd love to see the festival myself. I'll even invite my friends to attend it too. But I really have to hurry and bring the Menocept to Kate. She's likely drained of energy." He sprang to his feet and hurried toward the door, "Of course. Make sure she doesn't overwork her body. She should *solely* consume the medicine when she's terribly tired. No more than that, alright?"

-

Timothy entered the apartment and walked inside Kheer's living room, where Tarot zoned out on the couch with peaches on his tummy. He had his view obscured by the dome bandana and snored.

Alpha had her feet on the table and looked bored and unamused, disputing with Kheer, "I know I invited you to stay at my place, but I never permitted you to keep your feet on the table!" Alpha paid no attention to Kheer and pretended she was napping, "I know you're awake!"

"Kheer!" Timothy's voice resonated throughout the room, pulling Kheer's awareness and Alpha, who darted at him with only one eye open. "I got the medicine for Kate. Is she in her room?" He hung his jacket on the clothes rack, removed his shoes, and stepped ahead to the countertop.

Kheer yanked his arms onto his chest, "She's in the bedroom, indeed. But I'm not exactly sure what she's up to. If I'm honest, she's been in the room for quite some time. She didn't even eat breakfast. I tried checking on her, but she didn't open the door. She said she was busy."

Timothy was obliged to investigate Aurora's strange behavior.

He moved up to the next level, expecting to find the same answer as Kheer. He opened the door without reluctance and then promptly became aware of a surprising occurrence.

Aurora was immobile as she lay on the floor, eyes closed and unresponsive. He swiftly raced over to her and knelt close to her, placing his palm on the top of her chest as he observed a number of books and pencils lying next to her head. "Kate, can you hear me?" Without saying anything, Timothy recognized that by studying and engaging in other activities she was supposed to be careful about, she had overloaded her body and mind to the point of passing out, "Damn it, Kate. I told you so many times to watch yourself!"

He threw the medication on the bed before taking Aurora in his arms and setting her down on the bed's mattress. He draped a blanket over her and placed a soft pillow beneath her head.

He took her school supplies and thoroughly cleaned them. He took the medication and read the directions on how to take it properly, which is how he discovered the solution. He slowly raised the back of her head and slipped what appeared to be a pinkish pill into her mouth, enabling her to swallow it down her throat.

He saw that she had homework in one of her notebooks, so he had a look at it and reasoned, "It can't be that hard..." He quickly took the pen and got to work on her schoolwork so she wouldn't have to push herself any harder than she already had to.

-

The time elapsed for several hours, and then the evening arrived. After completing the assignment they were given by Kheer, Trinity, and Cassidy returned and gradually made themselves comfortable in his living room. "It's kinda strange to see Tim without Ayuka, you know? She obviously went back to that "lukewarm" island." In response, Cassidy crossed her arms angrily and grumbled with boredom. "You're just jealous you couldn't go with her, Cass." Trinity sniggered, teasing and vexing Cassidy, pushing her to become furious, "That's not true!"

With no sense of humor, Timothy said, "Enough, you two!" His sisters were startled and frightened by his sudden yell. Timothy never expressed anger against them, "You don't have to make fun of one another all the time. Get dressed. We'll attend the yearly festival. The same goes for Kheer and Alpha. I'll go check on Kate and ask her to come along."

Alpha interrupted him after witnessing him striding toward the stairs, "Whoa! Who said I'll go with you?" Timothy goggled at her with a grave countenance, "Hush! You don't have a choice." He grabbed the handrail and ascended the stairs, "Gee, what in the hell's name is wrong with him?"

He seized the doorknob and hurriedly opened it, startling Aurora as she struggled to put on her daily clothes while still partially naked. After showing her panties, she expressed regret, "Drop your books, Kate, and get ready. We're attending the festival."

"Do you know how to knock on the door!?" She quickly buttoned up her jeans. Sloppily, Timothy bridged his arms. "What? It's only threads, after all. Nothing about that is shameful."

She breathed and inhaled with an unimpressed expression before asking, "What festival?" As Timothy passed her, he grabbed her diary, opened it, and practically pounded the paper in her face. "The festival honoring the goddess. You were never able to see it. Despite your passion, your parents didn't let you."

In a composed yet irritated manner, Aurora flailed her arm while holding her notebook and swiveling it behind her hip, "Could you stop reading everything I write down in my notebook? Some solitude would be nice too." Incredulous, Timothy blinked and cocked his head to the side.

"But I thought you didn't care anymore. I already have the access to your notebook, so why are you getting bitter at me for something like that? You already know, even if you hide something from me, I'm *still* gonna figure it out and do whatever it brings to make one of your urges a reality, starting with today's festival."

Aurora reddened into her face, slapping the diary on the desk, "Fine, if that's what you want, then why don't you go and buy me some brand new clothes? If you're so "eager" to do it!" She became shushed, seeing Timothy tugging out a bag from behind his back, "Here you go." She became motionless as if she got paralyzed by electricity, her right eye twitching from disoriented thoughts, "The clothes weren't very expensive, but I managed to find the garments' perfect size for you."

Out of thin air, she became somewhat furious, "I was kidding! Why are you doing everything I say? Don't you understand? You've already done enough for me! You kept your promise, and I... what did I do? I got caught and nearly died. And, of course, you and your friends saved me again. I want to do something *for* you and not you always doing things for me. I didn't even thank you suitably, and you're still going at it."

Aurora became quieted and soothed by Timothy as he drew out a brown jacket and a grey pullover. He even pulled out a brand-new camera. "Your other camera got destroyed when we jumped into the ocean. I remember you loved taking photos of civilization, nature, and different sceneries. It might not feel the same to the touch. But, this way, you can at least keep your hobby. And the clothes are flawless for you. Just like your heart." She blinked a bunch of times, flabbergasted and speechless, "If you want to do something for me, then please, come with us to the festival and freshen up a little. I want you to see the festival you always dreamed of, and today is that once-a-year day. You've been overworking your body. Can you do that for me?"

To be continued...