Clare ran excitedly through the forest. Today was a great day.
Out of nowhere a blur of motion and she was tackled to the ground. She errupted into a fit of giggles. "Okay, get off, Nick!"
Nick laughed and took the flag from her hip.
"I win this round," he said with a triumphant grin.
Out of the trees, Madison and Chip emerged. Each were flagless.
"We tried," Chip said with false regret.
It was a fun game they played. Capture the Flag, but with combat. Not serious combat, and more of a stategic game, but it was still to mix it up. It also served as training, which is why Udonna always ended up refereeing and the two knights ended up competetively playing.
This time, the Blue Team was Leanbow, Clare, Chip, and Madison. The Red Team was Daggeron, Nick, Vida, and Xander.
As evidenced, the Red Team won.
This was because all the Blue Team players were out, not so much because the flag had been captured by either side. Chip looked like he had been caught in a twister (which he partially was) and Maddie had twigs and sticks and leaves in her hair and caught in her clothes. To be fair, Nick had been nearly elecrocuted when he tried to cross the boundary, and Xander didn't want to be attacked so he defended the flag. (He did a crap job though. It was almost taken 3 times by Chip.)
Leanbow and Daggeron emerged from the woods, followed by Vida and Xander, all laughing.
"It's been a good game," Xander commented. The weather above was beginning to sour and Vida frowned. "But we've only played three games," she began to complain.
"Don't worry," Madison replied, "you can always beat us tomorrow."
"Work, remember." Xander loved being the voice of reason. Especially because he was manager.
"Spoilsport," Nick said.
A crack of thunder came from the distance and the rangers ran inside hastily.
Clare laughed and followed behind, noting the state of disarray she appeared in. No matter. Daggeron walked beside her, the two of them slightly ahead of Leanbow and Udonna, who seemed to be having a moment.
"You look happy," Daggeron noted.
Clare just beamed. "I am. I'm surrounded by people I love."
"That's good," he said with a smile.
"Clare!" It was Chip once they had all gotten inside. He must have conjured a garuda blanket because he looked very comfortable, snuggled up on a sofa. Clare sat next to him and pulled up her quilt. (According to Udonna it was made by her grandmother with help from her mother.)
"We're thinking about playing a game," Xander told her, handing her a cup of hot chocolate, without the whipped cream of course.
"What game?"
Vida smiled mischeviously. "It's called Never Have I Dared," she explained. "It's a cross between Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare."
"I haven't played either of those."
"You've been missing out," Chip said, excitedly.
"How do you play?"
"Someone will ask a question and everyone will have to say if they've done it or not. If you don't want to say, you have to do a dare. You hold you hand in a closed fist if you don't want to answer."
"That sounds difficult, Vida."
"It's not. It's fun. Here, Maddie, you start."
Maddie cleared her throat as all the younger rangers gathered in a circle.
"Never have I ever kissed someone in high school."
Vida, Madison, Xander, and Nick raised their hands. Clare had never been to high school and Chip hadn't really had anyone interested in him.
"Okay," Xander said. "Never have I ever kissed a frog."
Only Madison raised her hand. She glared at him, but then smiled remembering it was Daggeron. (Not that she was interested in him. Just that she liked his company.)
"Never have I ever," Clare began, but she couldn't quite think of anything. "Um- never have I ever blown up a potion."
She raised her hand. And so did everyone else.
With a suprised sound, and widened eyes, she remarked, "really?"
Nick laughed. "We've all done it. We were all novice wizards and witches once."
That made Clare feel better. She mentally hugged herself and moved on.
"Never have I ever-" Nick didn't get to finish.
"What are you all playing," came Daggeron's voice. He, Leanbow, and Udonna came with what was presumed to be tea. The circle of young adults grinned up at them, almost inviting them to play. It wasn't a likely chance, but they could try.
"We're playing Never Have I Dared."
"Never heard of it, Chip," Leanbow admitted. "I was always playing chess at your age."
"And always losing," Daggeron noted.
"To you," Nick asked.
"No. To his wife," Udonna said proudly. If Udonna had ever entered a chess competition, she would have won all the prizes.
"Well," Xander began, "could we persuade you to play?"
"How do you play," asked Leanbow.
Vida explained the game to them and they all agreed, a little reluctantly, to play.
"Never have I ever," Nick began again, "had a spell backfire me into a tree."
There was a snort from Chip and his hand shot up. Xander, Vida, Leanbow, and Daggeron raised their hands. Leanbow nudged Udonna, but she just replied with, "never a tree. Yes to a wall, the ground, and a lake, but never a tree."
Nick's eyebrow went up. "You fell into a lake?"
"Yes. Many years ago. Caught a cold as well," she admitted.
The group seemed to find that extremely funny but decided not to further comment.
"Never have I ever... beat Leanbow in a battle."
Daggeon's hand went up, as did Nick's, but the rest kind of fell a little silent. There was a reason that Leanbow was the greatest warrior in recent history.
"Never have I ever," started Vida, "hmmmm... Never have I ever eaten a poison berry."
"Berries, or all fruit," asked Chip.
"All fruit," Vida corrected.
Chip held out a fist, as did Xander. Clare's hand was raised shyly, as was Nick's and Daggeron's.
"Dare time," Vida said, grinning with false malice. "What shall we have you do."
"No streaking," Chip said, remembering a time in high school where she had suggested such a thing.
"Fine."
"How about drinking one of Maddie's potions," suggested Nick.
"My potions aren't meant to be a punishment," she argued.
"But they're very inaccurate."
Maddie conceeded to that point.
"Alright. What potion," asked Vida.
"What about a transfiguration potion. They have to have animal ears."
Xander snorted, but accepted his fate. After a moment of searching for them, Nick produced some potions from the cupboard and handed a vial to each of them. They were labeled for transfiguration with some grease pencil.
In the end, Chip had rabbit ears and Xander didn't seem to have an affect. Until... he started talking with an English accent.
"What on earth," he started but never finished.
A blush crossed Madison's face. "This wasn't supposed to happen."
"No, I figured," he said annoyed.
Clare tried to take the spell off, but to no avail. Udonna was about to, but Leanbow stopped her. "I like him this way. Let's leave him."
There was a death glare shot, but nothing much else was said. It was just stated that Xander would be turned back after the game.
"Never have I ever won flags?" It was Daggeron.
Everyone raised their hand besides Madison. She had never won a game, but then again, she usually sat out.
Leanbow: "Never have I ever fought a minotaur?"
Everyone raised their hands besides Udonna.
Udonna: "Never have I ever tripped while doing a fight pose?"
Everyone glanced at Chip, amused. He blushed. "It was one time!"
"It was more than once," Nick said.
In the end they played 3 rounds. Udonna and Leanbow left the game after the second round. Daggeron admitted to having a crush on Niella once, Xander admitted to hating sushi, Madison recalled a time when Vida pushed her in a pond with frogs in it, and Nick admitted to having a chocolate addiction.
It was a day of laughter as the thunder went on outside, the rain pouring, and the laughs kept coming. Eventually they had to go home, but Nick decided to stay at Rootcore.
Clare smiled at her family and eventually helped Daggeron move the chairs back to their rightful places.
"An interesting game," he noted.
"Yes, I'd agree," she replied. "Do you really hate brussel sprouts?"
"Can't stand the things. Gross."
"What about with salt?''
"Still can't do it. Niella ruined them for me. Couldn't cook them all the way. Gross, but I accepted her invitations to dinner, so I couldn't refuse.
The rest of the day passed lazily. Clare spent it smiling, reflecting on her good fortune. There wasn't much else to say. On days like this, she felt happy.