Under a New Light

Afternoon 3 of the Moonlight Festival

The streets of West Cirque were alive, pulsing with energy. Vendors lined the roads, their voices rising in a chaotic symphony as they tried to out-shout one another.

"Moon glasses for sale!"

"Moon-themed salt shakers—limited time only!"

"Front-row seats to the moon's blessing! Half-price!"

They might as well have been trying to sell the sky itself. I rolled my eyes. If you leaned out the window far enough, you'd probably get the same view for free and without the headache.

After buying a crescent moon salt shaker, we wandered off to a quieter corner. Or, well, as quiet as West Cirque ever gets.

Korra plopped onto the cobblestones beside me, staring at my white strands, while eating a grilled fish. Her own mint-green hair swayed in the breeze, catching the faint glow of morning light.

"Shiori," she said, her tone uncharacteristically serious. "We need to figure out why your hair's gone white. This could be... bad, nya!"

"Wrong," I said, shaking her off. "What's more important is figuring out who attacked you last night, why they did it, and how to stop it from happening again."

Her ears twitched in irritation. "I wish you'd stop worrying about me. So a bus gets thrown at you once~ big deal. That's just Cirque life, baby~!"

I glared at her. "I've lived here all my life, and I've never had a bus thrown at me. You've been here a week."

She laughed, as carefree as ever. "C'mon, Shiori, relax. That beastman was huge! The authorities will take care of him eventually, right?"

Her confidence was maddening, and yet... I wanted to believe her. But the knot in my stomach told a different story.

"I just don't get how something that big could vanish so quickly," I muttered, more to myself than her.

Korra's ears perked up, her grin returning in full force. "Shiori... you're about to call me a genius."

"I don't think I would ever use that word to describe you, but fine, let's hear it."

She leaned in dramatically, lowering her voice. "What if it wasn't a beastman at all? What if it was... a werewolf?"

"A werewolf? That's just an urban legend beastmen tell themselves to feel special—like there's some mythical savior who'll rise up and tip the balance of power."

Sure. But why wait for the three full moons if it's just a story?"

Her words hung in the air, heavier than I expected.

As ridiculous as it sounded, there was a strange logic to what she was saying. The timing of the attack was too deliberate, too... specific. If Korra were being targeted, why not ambush her alone in the forest, away from witnesses? Why risk attacking in a crowded area, where Cirque hunters could retaliate? Plus the moonlight only illuminates the area, so you lose the element of surprise. There are too many missing clues. But one thing is for certain, I still have alot of work to do before leaving this city…

♢ ♢ ♢

We wandered into the ruins of Rockaburger City or what was left of it. The restaurant's walls were intact, but the roof was gone, leaving a jagged frame that opened up to the sky. The sunlight shined through, highlighting the damage like a cruel spotlight.

Despite the ruin, there was something oddly inviting about the place. The open roof made it a perfect spot to watch the three moons during tonight's festival. I could already imagine people gathering here, hoping for a romantic seat in front of the celestial wonder. But instead of hopeful faces, I saw them… my old coworkers.

The beastmen I used to share shifts with moved like shadows in the debris, their fur caked in dirt, their clothes torn and tattered. Their hands, raw and trembling, dragged broken tiles and rubble into neat piles, only for more debris to tumble from above. Their movements were mechanical, like they were running on the last fumes of exhaustion.

I hesitated at the entrance. "Hello... everyone."

The first to notice me was a towering panda-eared man with arms like tree trunks. His head snapped up, his eyes widening in recognition. "Shiori?"

"Yeah," I muttered, unsure of what else to say.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded, engulfed in a strange group hug.

"You look so different!"

"We were worried sick about you!"

"Why are your eyes blue now?"

A deer-eared woman, who's name I sadly never bothered to remember, spoke up, her voice gentle but urgent. "The owner thinks you're dead! You should probably leave town while he still thinks that."

"Boris thinks i'm dead… Wait that means my debt is wiped clean!" I blinked, realizing, "Wait, but why are you all still working? Clearing rubble isn't exactly in the job description."

The panda beastman's expression darkened. "The job is whatever they say it is."

My stomach twisted. The urge to flee was overwhelming. I needed to get Korra out of here, away from this crumbling mess before we made things worse. Sure, they had it hard now, but if another bus… or worse came flying through this place, it wouldn't just be rubble they were clearing. I ran through escape plans in my mind. We'd alternate our sleep shifts, maybe move to another district altogether. But my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of scraping chairs.

I turned to find Korra sitting in the middle of the restaurant floor. Cross-legged. Unmoving.

"What the heckle are you doing?" I asked, panic rising in my chest.

She grinned up at me. "Isn't it obvious? I'm taking a stand, or rather, a sit!"

"Korra, we need to leave. Now!"

Her mint-green hair caught the light as she tilted her head. "And leave them behind? Is that the kind of angel you want to be? The kind that abandons those in need?"

Her words stung, sharper than I wanted to admit. "They have their own battle we have ours!" I snapped, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her up. "Come on! Their finances will be just fine without us! That isn't our fight!"

Korra didn't budge. Her voice rose, defiant. "Every fight is our fight. Don't you get it? Every challenge, every hardship; that's how we grow! And I'm not abandoning these people just because it's easier to run. I'll stay here until you figure out a way to solve this issue."

"You came to this town to find another angel, we need to move onto the next chapter of our lives."

Her grin widened, sharp teeth glinting in the jagged sunlight. "My chapter isn't over until I say it's over!"

I groaned, my patience unraveling. "You realize we are being chased by a monster right?"

"Yeah! You can take care of him too!"

"Great," I muttered. "That somehow makes it worse."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. I needed to lay things out in a way even Korra would understand.

"You know the Moonlight Festival is tonight, right? The final one?"

"Of course," she said, nodding.

"Seeing all three moons is supposed to be a blessing. Don't you want to be a part of that?"

She smiled. "I can see them just fine from here."

"You really think I can do this...? Don't you?"

Korra's grin widened. "I wouldn't be a good senpai if I didn't trust my junior."

"Worst case scenario, the wolf kills us both and these people end up dead or jobless."

"Yeah, that'd be bad. Guess you better get started, then!"

I groaned, throwing my hands up. "God, I hate people like you. Always wanting to do the right thing and leaving it to the smart ones to figure out."

"There's no one else I'd trust with this."

"Fine, I'll save this dumb restaurant. Then I'll save you!"

As if on cue, my hair began to grow longer, the strands bleaching into white before my eyes.

Korra beamed, settling deeper into her cross-legged seat. "I'll be waiting."