Larrikan is considerably out of sorts by what happened and the reaction to his light dust. Kawaii, exhausted, collapses into Sakura’s arms.
Larrikan looks up at Sakura and tells her, “I don’t know what happend, Sakura. I was playing, and then I was just walking and it was just fine, and here we all are.”
The others talk about camp, and watches, while Larrikan stares at nothing. Finally he says, “Music. It was music, wasn’t it?”
Kerry, who remained unaffected, tells him, “It most certainly was, Larrikan. Flutes, they sounded like.”
Larrikan says, “Flutes. Wasn’t my people.” He looks up and says, unhappily, “I’m sorry. They distracted me, and I didn’t do anything about it. If I’d have noticed it, I could have spun a protective song. Instead… they caught us.” He looks around, ears drooping, “I’m not quite sure who, either.”
Vash stops Larrikan from berating himself, and tells him, “Your energy’s better spent thinking about how to get us home, all right?”
Larrikan still looks glum, but nods to Vash and begins thinking about that different problem.
Hotspur feeds the group a light meal, conserving rations.
Annifred, Douglas, and Vash go out into the darkness to reconnoiter.
While the scouts are out, Larrikan thinks about what happened. That would never have happened six years go. It was a neophyte mistake, and could have gotten them all killed. As Sakura cuddle sand dozes against him, he watches her sleep and thinks about how much has changed since he started magic practice. He sits up most of the night, wondering if he’s still a Shy Folk, if he can’t travel, or if he ahs failed and become something different. It worries him.
The next day, the group finds the trail and picks up the pace a little. They make it back to the light, safety, warmth, and companionship of the Silver Egg just before dusk.
In the morning Aykuh asks the visiting crew members for help preparing for the Gather. She explains what the Gather is, and they all pitch in to help.
Larrikan has his own work for the Gather. As a grounds maintainer, he works on the peace, safety, and order spells around the University. As a mage, he helps with the magelights for the dance floor. And, as a fiddler, he helps plan the music. The last gets him a little friendly ribbing about having abandoned the band for some vixen, but he knows the humans well enough to understand it is good-natured teasing, and that they approve.
The day before the Gather, Larrikan manages to make it to the Silver Egg to see Sakura. Aykuh has asked the vixen to braid rowan tokens of protection, and the foreign vixen is working diligently on that task. Larrikan joins her, and helps, as it is something he can do almost in his sleep.
Larrikan has just asked Sakura if she will attend the Gather with him, and has just begun to bask in her acceptance when a foxish voice calls out from the door, “Larrikan!”