Her nose itched and it was a struggle to fight back the sneeze that threatened as Amber picked through the baskets of dried herbs and ingredients in the herbalist’s shop.  She could feel Auntie Park’s dark, thoughtful eyes on her as she rifled through the selections, taking her time with each piece before she made her choice.

                With a huff, the elder woman finally spoke as she smacked the front of her brown skirt into order, “One would think you would have a knack for picking by now.”

                Amber’s lips curled up at the corners of and she simply swiped a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear so that it wouldn’t linger in her face.  “One would also think rushing picking ingredients for cooking or magic efforts might be a bad idea,” she quipped back with the familiar banter.

                “Cheeky little brat,” Auntie Park laughed outright, sauntering over with all the glee of a woman half her age.  “Oh, I do enjoy your visits, Amber,” she grinned, her surprisingly well cared for teeth framed by slightly chapped lips.  Brown hair stuck out at all angles from her hasty horsetail and various stains marred her fingertips and the fabric of her beige shirt, but she was all smiles.

                Amber raised one eyebrow in bemusement, picked up a dried stick of cinnamon, and chuckled, “You enjoy the money from my visits.”

                Auntie Park snorted in the back of , hands fluttering dismissively before she planted herself next to the shorter woman and looked over the selection in her basket with a thoughtful eye.  “I never said I didn’t.  A businesswoman doesn’t turn away money after all.”

                “See?” Amber pointed with the cinnamon stick before settling it in her basket next to the sage bundle and carefully packaged, ground worm root.  She squeaked when arms encircled her shoulders and gave her a big hug.  “Auntie…” she groaned with a playful roll of her eyes.

                “Oh hush,” the older woman chided, keeping her grip.  They weren’t related but Auntie Park had earned her title when she acted like an aunt to everyone that came into her store.  She just happened to favor Amber since the ‘poor dear had nothing but men around her.’

                “How am I supposed to finish shopping if you won’t let go?” Amber smiled plainly, allowing herself to enjoy the affection.  She pretended she didn’t like it, but in truth, it reminded her of her mother – and Auntie Park knew it; the two had been close friends after all.

                “Aish.  There’s time enough for that,” she smiled, letting go with one hand to trace too long bangs out of Amber’s face.  “Your father will miss you regardless and those boys are probably driving you half mad by now.  Irritating little buggers,” she winked, well aware of their antics and those of young men in general.

                “Auntie!” Amber gasped, delighted with her conversation.  “They’re… not that bad,” she admitted with a wrinkled nose and a reluctant smile.

                The look Auntie Park gave her clearly said she thought otherwise.  “Humph.  It wasn’t that long ago you came trudging through her all covered in muck from that mud root run of yours.”

                Automatically, Amber cringed and laughed.  “That was last summer,” she reminded the older woman.  “Your memory is getting as bad as my father’s,” she teased with a light nudge.

                Auntie Park let go and stepped back as if wounded, theatrically clutching her chest as she did so.  “To think I am being compared to Mage Kim now.”  She clicked her tongue behind her teeth and ducked around one of the shelves to return with a bundle of herbs.  “Memory weed,” she winked, picking through the packet and retrieving a couple handpicked pieces.  “I steep it every morning,” she explained, handing some to Amber deftly.  “Make sure your father tries it,” she insisted in a motherly fashion, keeping her finger pointed at the younger woman until she put the herbs in her basket as well.

                ‘He already has,’ Amber was tempted to say but she accepted the gift with a grateful nod.  Auntie Park was more understanding of her father’s eccentricities.  Some of the other villagers weren’t as prone to help in that manner.  “Thank you,” she bowed slightly, letting her eyes trail over the goods in the store.

                Row upon row of dried plants hung from the ceilings and along the walls while jars and vials of powdered or more, loose seasonings, reagents, and ingredients were crammed into every inch of shelf space.  Motes of dust danced in the rays of the sun that filtered through the open window.  It really did make her want to sneeze every time she came here but Auntie Park’s Earthy Ingredients was the place to go (nearby) if one wanted something for cooking, magic, medicine or anything similar.

                Sensing Amber’s readiness, the older woman meandered back to the front desk and waited patiently, her calm eyes observing the villagers outside before resting on her guest.  “What else is on the list for today, Amber?” she smiled, accepting the basket and searching through the selections to tally up the results.

                The young woman shrugged her shoulders and took a shallow breath.  “We’re running low on bread,” she mused thoughtfully.

                “Mr. Lee will be happy to see you,” Auntie murmured with a nod.

                “And those hungry boys have eaten through the meat again,” Amber rolled her eyes with a shake of her head.

                That brought a laugh and another comment, “We both know Youngwoon only looks grumpy when you show up.”

                “He’s happy because those two eat more than enough to make me come back every week,” she scoffed, waving her hand in mock annoyance.  “But even grumpy, he’s better company than the mayor,” Amber couldn’t help but add as she noticed the tall, handsome gentleman on the other side of the square.

                “Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?” Auntie Park teased with a light chuckle.

                “No,” Amber immediately denied as she turned away from the window.

                The shop owner hummed to herself and began writing on her receipt sheet.  “His daughters are lovely, to be fair.”  Amber’s mouth thinned slightly and she huffed again.  “And always interested in your boys,” she added with a knowing look.

                “They’re not my boys,” the younger woman retorted too quickly.

                “Your father’s, of course,” Auntie grinned, pushing the receipt with the total cost towards her.

                “Well they can have them,” Amber mumbled as she accepted the slip and frowned at it for a moment.  “This isn’t-”

                “Of course it is,” the older woman cut her off with a wink.  “I’m the owner aren’t I?”

                “Auntie,” she exhaled in a show of irritation, though they both knew she was quietly grateful.

                “Now off with you to the rest of your errands,” Auntie Park shooed after Amber handed over the appropriate coins.  “And come back to see me next week.  I do enjoy your visits.”

                “I still think you enjoy my money,” Amber teased with a playful show of her tongue.

                “Impudent little brat!”

                Amber laughed to herself as she fled the lighthearted tone.  Her mood immediately shifted when she happened to notice the trio of Chois they had just been discussing in the shop.  Young, pretty, and primped up with the best their father’s money could buy in such a small town, Victoria, Jinri, and Soojung were tall, thin, and… well, beautiful.  And they were infatuated with the Mage’s apprentices.

                Just as Amber made up her mind to try and avoid them, the youngest spotted her.  “Oh!  Amber!” she called in her annoyingly sweet voice.  As a group, the three, who were all around her age, picked up the hems of their finely woven dresses – one yellow, one red, and one blue – and minced over.  How they ran in heels was beyond Amber, but the action made their neatly coiffed hair bounce attractively and she wilted just a touch to know that hers would never do that.

                Putting on a falsely bright smile, Amber squared her shoulders and turned to meet the gaggle approaching her.  “Good morning ladies,” she smiled, offering a slight, awkward curtsy.  To their credit, they didn’t laugh at her attempt and simply swarmed around her with too much dainty energy.

                “Just you today?” Jinri asked gently, her full lips in a seeming permanent half-smile.

                “Like usual,” Amber nodded, feeling nervous and out of place in their midst.

                “When’s the next time that Changsun will help you with your errands?” Soojung inquired as she played with a strand of chocolate colored hair.

                “When my father decides to send him?” the shorter woman shrugged, eager to be free from their company.  They weren’t bad exactly, but she just didn’t like being around them.

                “How about Seungho?” Victoria practically purred with a pleasant voice that age had done wonders for.  As the eldest among them, she had grown up quite nicely and if she was any indication of what was to come, both Jinri and Soojung were going to be turning quite a few heads in the future.

                “Same,” Amber nodded matter of factly.  “You can always visit them,” she reminded with a glance towards the tower they could all see from town.

                The trio pouted at the suggestion and Soojung answered, “But it’s so far.”

                “And dusty,” Jinri added with a slight frown.

                It was a struggle not to snort at their answers.  “Well then,” Amber managed instead, ducking her head once.  “I’ll just be going now.  Can’t keep them waiting too long and all,” she murmured, already retreating.

                The trio shadowed her annoyingly.  “Oh!  Do tell Changsun I send my regards,” Soojung urged, laying an enviably soft hand upon Amber’s forearm.

                “And Seungho,” Victoria added on her other side while Jinri nodded in agreement, mostly just shadowing her sisters.

                “Sure,” Amber agreed, if only to get them to go away faster.  She jumped when the three giggled in high pitched delight and moved off as a group, chatting and laughing among themselves with backwards glances towards her.  She couldn’t help but feel they were also talking about her as well but it was a relief to simply be away from them.  With a shake of her head, Amber tweaked her considerably plainer, dark green dress, flung her dark brown hair over her shoulder, and marched on towards the baker’s.  Hyukjae would undoubtedly make her smile if nothing else.

                It was nearing midday by the time Amber finally managed to make her way back to the house with her basket filled with goods and another cloth sack slung over her shoulder.  Hyukjae had been very generous with the leftover bread and she grinned with the knowledge that he remembered her birthday.  The goofy blonde with a bright smile had even given her a small sweet for the occasion.  She couldn’t wait to eat it later.  But she had lunch to prepare first and she was already behind.

                She was startled from her thoughts when Seungho emerged from the tower doorway and spotted her first.  “Oh!  You’re back!” he beamed, hurrying to close the distance between them with legs that had grown in the past year.  At ten and four, he’d filled out further and lost more of the baby fat in his cheeks, giving him a more grown appearance.

                “Sorry,” she apologized as he got closer, juggling her supplies carefully.  “It took a little longer than usual.  The shopkeepers wanted to talk,” she laughed, handing the heavier basket to Seungho automatically.

                “And you didn’t?” he teased with a knowing smile.  They weren’t always the best company since most of what they talked about was magic.

                “Of course I did,” she confirmed with a nod.  Her smile wavered just a touch when she remembered her run in with the sisters earlier.  “Also, the Choi girls send their regards.”

                “Ah.  Run into them again did you?” he laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair, creating fuzzy strands that would take her effort to smooth out again.

                “Seungho!” she huffed, swatting at his hand while he fled indoors before she could hit him.  “You aggravating… boy!” she called when no other insult came to mind.

                “Man, thank you,” he shot back with a wink as he set the basket next to the counter at the rear of the house.

                “Not yet, you’re not,” she scoffed, smacking his back with an open palm as she got closer.

                “When then?” Seungho asked back, genuinely interested as he stood by her side and waited for an answer.

                Amber’s eyes flickered up to meet his, reminded yet again of their difference in height.  She frowned with a slight furrow to her brows and then raised a finger to tap him on the nose.  “When you start acting like one.”  Before she could see his reaction, she turned to unpack her goods, focusing on that task instead.

                Seungho groaned.  “You always say that but what does it even mean?” he asked, gesturing with his hands as he angled himself towards her.

                They both sighed when Changsun seemed to magically appear in the doorway long enough to hear the last part of their exchange.  “It means that you’ll never be a man,” he grinned cheekily, earning a look from both of them.  Amber eyed the bundle of cloth in his hands while Seungho grumbled under his breath.

                “You’re one to talk,” he shot back, standing upright and crossing his arms over his chest.

                “What do you mean?  Of course I’m a man,” Changsun flashed his trademark smile, dimples appearing in his cheeks as he stopped just short of the two.

                “Says the ‘man’ who comes to me to mend his clothes,” Amber muttered with a deadpan expression.  “I already told you, no.”

                “But…” he pouted, losing whatever charm he’d managed to hold onto.

                “Seungho can mend his clothes.  I don’t see why you can’t either,” she reminded with a glance at the slightly shorter of the two.

                “It’s not that hard, Changsun,” Seungho nodded in agreement.  “I can help you if you’d like?”

                Changsun frowned – it was closer to a pout really – and settled his best puppy dog eyes on the young woman.  “Amber…”

                “No.”  Seungho snorted.

                “I’ll teach you more sword fighting tonight,” he offered in a wheedling tone.

                That caught her attention and Amber’s hands stilled as she thought it over.  He’d given her some lessons already and she’d enjoyed them.  Not only that, but she wasn’t terrible with a weapon either.  With a slight narrowing of her eyes, Amber looked over her shoulder – up again, and pursed her lips.  “Deal.  But you’ve gotta help me with lunch,” she bargained shrewdly.

                “Done!”  “But I was going to help with lunch,” the pair spoke at the same time.

                Amber laughed at their response and didn’t even bother trying to suppress her smile.  “You can both help me with lunch then.  Go ahead and set the robe on the table.  We’ll get to it later,” she nodded before scooting over so Changsun could join them.  Immediately, he stepped up, pushing his sleeves back as he did so, and was just about to reach in when Amber stopped him.  “Hands.”

                “Oh.  Right,” Seungho caught on first, stepping outside to the washbasin.  Changsun groaned but didn’t complain as he followed suit.  “What next?” the stockier of the two asked eagerly, practically hovering over Amber’s shoulder as she continued sorting her goods from her run.

                “You can start washing and cutting the potatoes,” she nodded towards the rucksack filled with the vegetables.  “And Changsun, why don’t you chop onions?” she jerked her head towards the hanging line of them against the wall.

                “But they make me cry,” he whined while shuffling over to them anyway.

                “They make everyone cry,” she laughed back with a shake of her head.

                “Fine…” Changsun grumbled, snatching a well used board and throwing himself into a seat at the table with a couple of the items in hand.

                When Amber was done sorting, she stepped outside to wash her hands and then moved back in so she could start with the rest of the stew.  They’d gotten better about helping and as long as she didn’t ask them to do any of the actual cooking, nothing burned.  With a watchful eye, Seungho made short work of his task and Amber eventually took pity on the blurry eyed Changsun when he literally couldn’t see because he was crying too hard.

                “Why don’t you go check on my father?” she urged to give him a chance to collect himself.

                “Because he’ll just ask why I’m crying,” Changsun muttered, refusing to move from his chair while he wiped at his eyes.

                “You can tell him you were cutting onions,” Seungho winked with a nudge to his shoulder.

                “Men don’t cry,” he retorted with a sniffle that hardly helped his image.

                Both Amber and Seungho laughed lightly at the response and the latter volunteered instead.  “I’ll go get him.  Be back in a bit,” he grinned, brushing his hands off before he hurried out, shielding his eyes from the sun as he stepped out.  Idly, Amber wondered if Jongwoon remembered it was her birthday or not.

                When the slightly distracted Mage returned following Seungho, it didn’t seem as if he did and Amber had to stifle her disappointment.  Every year was hard to predict.  “Smells good,” he grinned from under the flop of his messy, black hair.  “How were the villagers?” Jongwoon asked, placing his hand on Amber’s shoulder in a tender gesture.

                “The same as usual,” Amber smiled, scrunching her face cutely when her father kissed the side of her head.  “Auntie Park sent some memory weed for you too,” she added with a nod towards the separated parcels resting on the drying racks.

                “Oh?  I thought she needed it more than me,” he winked, hovering when he didn’t appear to know quite what to do just yet.  Lunch wasn’t exactly ready and they were just waiting for it to finish.

                “Cups?” Amber prompted, her eyes settling on the wooden containers sitting nearby.

                “On it!” he cheered, gathering the four into his hands and rushing out to the rain barrel.  Changsun followed him since he was notoriously bad at carrying all four at once.

                Lunch was a pleasant affair with the boys talking about magic, as per usual.  Jongwoon did single Amber out to help him work on preparing a specific reagent concoction while his apprentices practiced their casting.  That was nice.  “It’s the one you showed me in the book the other day, right?” she prompted to make sure they were talking about the same thing.

                “Exactly!  It takes time and patience and these two are lacking,” he added in an offhand manner.  The words weren’t insulting exactly.  They were true.  Both Seungho and Changsun looked at each other sheepishly and shrugged with bemused smiles.  “Besides.  There’s a new spell they’re supposed to be working on anyway and I’ll be seeing both of you afterwards,” he pointed out.

                “Yes sir,” the pair murmured almost together with accepting shrugs.  That was normal enough.

                After, when they were finished and the table had been cleaned, Amber frowned at Changsun’s torn robe and set it aside.  She’d fix it later once he fulfilled his promise to practice sparring with her.  For now, there were several books she needed to look over to make sure she would know how to make the reagent her father wanted later.  Quite frankly, she was proud of being able to read, but goodness those texts were boring sometimes.

                Exhausted from the day, mentally and physically, Amber collapsed on her bed feeling battered and bruised.  Changsun hadn’t exactly gone easy on her with their sparring and while she appreciated that, it also hurt.  With a deep breath, she turned her head to the side and blinked at the picture of her mother.  The usual smile appeared on her face and she reached over to brush her fingers against the frame.

                “I know you wouldn’t like me learning to fight but I do,” she explained.  “I just wish you were still here to help me take care of the bruises.”  Her whole body ached and she knew she’d be sore in the morning.  Enough so that the prospect of getting up was actually daunting.  She wrinkled her nose and hissed preemptively.

                Before she could sit up though, a quiet knock sounded at her door.  “Amber?” her father’s subdued voice filtered through.

                “Yes?” she called back, reluctant to sit up.

                “May I come in?” he asked hesitantly.

                Stifling a groan, Amber bit her lip and hauled herself into a more appropriate pose before she answered, “Of course.”

                Quietly, the door creaked open and Jongwoon peeked his head in with a rather abashed expression on his face.  “Hey baby girl,” he smiled, slipping inside with one hand hidden behind his back.

                “What is it, father?” she asked with a curious smile on her face.

                “Your mother would have been mad at me today.  I forgot something very important, didn’t I?” he asked, shifting to take a seat on the bed next to his daughter.

                “Maybe,” Amber agreed with a small nod.

                “She was always good about remembering things,” Jongwoon sighed, letting his eyes settle on the same picture in the room.  He took Amber’s hand gently in his own and inhaled once.  “I’m still trying to figure out what happened-”

                “Don’t, father,” Amber interrupted him, holding his hand in both of hers.  “Not today.  Mom wouldn’t want that,” she promised with a light squeeze.

                He looked at her then with dark but clear eyes and gave a genuine smile.  Love shone bright in his face and he pulled his other hand free to extend his closed fist towards her.  “Open it,” he chuckled when she frowned at him in confusion.

                Laughing once, Amber hooked her fingertips under his and gently peeled back.  A small gasp escaped her lips as she laid eyes on a delicate, silver necklace coiled in his palm.  The thin chain failed to hide the intricately, wire wrapped, amethyst gemstone nestled within.  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, her fingertips barely touching the smooth metal.

                “Happy birthday,” he smiled, picking it up and holding it out to her in an obvious, helping gesture.  Amber turned her back to him and lifted her hair so he could attach the adornment around her neck.  The gem settled smooth and warm against her chest and she could feel a faint thrumming of power within it.

                “Thank you,” Amber beamed, staring at the necklace before she turned to give the same, wondrous smile to her father.  “I love it,” she promised as she leaned close to hug him tight.

                “I’m glad,” he whispered into her hair, cupping the back of her head with one hand while he held her tight with the other.  “It’s not much but it should bring you luck and protection,” he explained deftly.

                “Should?” she couldn’t help but tease as they separated.

                Jongwoon shrugged and laughed.  “Magic is sometimes fickle, but yes.  It should work just fine,” he winked, slightly ruining the moment by touching the top of her lip instead of tapping her on the nose.

                “Father!” she groaned, scrunching her face and sighing.

                “Sorry,” he apologized, clearly not, before standing up.  “I won’t keep you but I wanted to make sure I gave you that,” he nodded.

                “Thank you again,” Amber smiled, standing up with a wince to give him another hug.  She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling her hair warmly caress the other side of her face as she did so.

                “I love you, Amber,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

                “Love you too,” she responded, sniffling once as she stepped back to look into his face.

                “Now get some rest.  And tell your mother I said hi,” he winked, cupping her cheek with his palm tenderly.

                “Always,” Amber smiled, curling her fingers around the necklace.

                “Night baby girl.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jongwoon waved, awkwardly stepping back until he could pull the door open and sneak outside once more.

                “Night father,” Amber waved after him, flopping back down on the bed so that she could look at her mother’s picture one more time.  “Hear that, mother?  Father says hello.  You should be proud of him.  He did remember,” she grinned, kissing her fingertips and then pressing them against the frame lovingly.  “See you in the morning.”  With that, Amber snuggled into the top of her covers, closed her eyes, and happily went to sleep.

(a/n: And I'm back!  Sorry for the extended delay!  I was doing a fair bit of traveling and then getting ready for school.  The semester has just started but I found an evening to carve out some writing time and here it is!  Considering I've only gone over it once, it may be a bit rough but I do hope you enjoy.  Things should start picking up from here, now that we've essentially set the stage and all that good stuff.  The boys are certainly fun for me to write together at the moment and I'm looking forward to more myself!  Thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoyed!)