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When the sun rose over their castle, it bled into everything. It colored the entire world faintly pink, or orange, or whatever color it was supposed to be. Marica couldn't really care what the color was, as long as it was beautiful and as long as she could be up here, in that strange tree that had so suddenly appeared one day in their castle's midst. Well, a bit more had changed than that, but the tree was in many ways the best addition.
It was so quiet.
It was so strange to think about how far their company had come in so short a time. It seemed like just yesterday that they had found these ruins and began to settle, and now both the castle and the company had grown. It was almost a shock at how silent the world was right now. Perhaps she had just gotten used to the daily hustle and bustle that came with a huge company. There was always something going on - mischief that people were up to, or chatter, or a mission to go on. But right now? It was just her and the sunrise.
Well, until a familiar voice began to yell from somewhere behind her.
"Marica? Mariiiica! You weren't in your room this morning 'n apparently there's a big new mission starting up today! Mariiiica! You here?"
She looked behind her. "Fried, it's early. Can you just calm down for a sec? I'm up here."
Fried grinned a little. His smile was toothy, and friendly, and his eyes crinkled up when he managed it. "I didn't think you'd actually be up there."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because ... I dunno! Lee always seemed more of the quiet introspective type than you, or somethin' —"
She glared back at Fried. "Hey, Fried."
"What?" He grinned again.
"... Stop smiling like that, it makes it really hard to stay mad at you."
The boy faked a grimace, furrowing his eyebrows and trying his best to look stern. "Is this bettter, Marica?" He faked a deep voice. "Can you be angry at me properly now that I'm all serious lookin'?"
She smiled at him a little, pulling herself up from her seated position. "It's even worse when you're fake serious like that!"
"Sooo you aren't mad anymore?"
She sighed a little. "Yeah, Fried, I'm not mad anymore. Anyways, even if a new mission was supposed to go out today, that doesn't really explain how you managed to get up so early."
"Apparently it's one of those really long ones ..."
Marica sighed a little. "Well, guess I better ask Naomi about it, then! She'll know exactly what we have to do. You're coming right, Fried?"
He faked a look of offense. "Of course I'm coming, I'm like —"
"Practically the second lieutenant, I know. Fried, you gave yourself that title. I was just asking because I didn't want you to think I was forcing you into it or something like that."
"Well y' aren't. Go talk to Naomi. I'll get Lee 'n Jade too, unless y' wanted to bring other people with you."
She paused as she made her way back to the base of the branch, where the entrance to the rest of the castle was.
"First I'll see what the mission is. You can wake them up though, if you want."
And thus, the day began.
When Marica got down to the first floor foyer, Naomi was just setting herself up for the day.
"My, Marica, you're up early. Did Fried tell you about the new mission?"
"Uh yeah, that's actually why I came down here ..."
"Well, I have the list with me right now, so if you guys finish it today you might be able to finish it good and early! Maybe you'll even finish today, mm? It's pretty easy, you just have to polish that tablet!"
"The tablet ... ? You mean, the one with all our names on it? Is she going to be supervising us? That woman."
"Mm, no, I don't think she will be! She'll just come by at the end and make sure you guys did a good job of it, I think. That's what she told me anyways when she came by this morning. So get your group together and head downstairs!" Naomi winked at Marica a little. "I heard the reward for this one was super good, too!"
"But you can't tell us, right?"
"Yep! You're exactly right, Marica. Just get down there and show that tablet who's boss! You might even learn something!"
Marica nodded as she started walking toward the stairs to the lowest level. "Sure, sure."
The Stone Tablet Room was eerily silent. Even Lee, usually the most talkative of their group, took to silently polishing one of the corners of the giant tablet that contained the names of everyone who was staying at the castle, with space for a lot more.
Marica had decided to set up a ladder so that she could reach the very top of the stone, where there were three simple words inscribed.
"Tenkai Star: Marica."
She still wasn't exactly sure what it meant to be the Tenkai Star, except that it had something to do with leading this crazy group of people into battle. That it had something to do with the entirety of fate, with the entirety of the world as they knew it, not to mention the Infinity.
She briefly wondered if this is what happened to Sieg and his friends as well. Whether they also had a tablet like this somewhere deep in their castle. As she polished, and stared at the rest of those names, and a lot of titles with no names beside them yet, she continued to reflect on just how strange this world had become in such a short space of time.
But she wouldn't trade it for anything.
After what might have been an hour or more, Fried whistled from below. "Hey, Marica! Marica! You've been polishing that spot for an hour! We're done!"
"H- huh? Oh ..." She stopped and stared at her now very shiny name. "Hold on, just a second."
She traced the name one last time with her finger, not caring if she smudged her polishing job. Hopefully that woman would forgive her for it.
"Marica? Come on, you'll mess it up! Just polish that up and then we can head back up and eat a good dinner!"
She sighed, relieved, and polished it one last time before descending the later.
"Sorry, guys. I should have been paying better attention."
Fried smiled, again. "That's what your second in command is for."
For once, Marica didn't even roll her eyes. "You know, I think you're right."