Stormclouds were gathering later that night as Astra slipped into her new silk robe and hurried to the town center. As she walked, the runes enchanted onto her robe faintly glowed in the streetlight. She shivered slightly, for a cold wind was beginning to start up. Turning the corner onto the main road, she heard someone call out,

"Hey! Astra! Wait up!"

She stopped and waited as a small female archer ran up and hid behind her. "Quick! Cast something so he can't get to me!" She shrieked and ducked down as a much taller silhouette moved towards them, calling out,

"Sorcha! Where are you? Give it back!"

"Sight!"

A small ball of fire began to circle the young mage and the archer behind her, illuminating the area around them as the figure approached them.

"Who-" she stopped short as Conan emerged from the darkness, panting and looking annoyed. He squinted at her for a moment before looking away.

"Hi Astra. Could you turn that thing off? I can barely look at you while it's up. Oh, and…have you seen Sorcha anywhere?"

She smiled.

"No, I haven't. And I can barely see without this thing, so it's staying. Why do you need to find Sorcha? What'd she do this time?"

"She took-" he stopped. "It's no big deal. Nevermind. So um…you're headed over to the center right now?"

She began nodding, then slowly started shaking her head. "Well, I was. I just remembered, I left something at home though. So I need to go get it. From home, that is. Uh…yeah." She bit her lower lip. What the? I sound like such an idiot!

Conan shuffled his feet a little, and looked around. "Want me to walk you or anything?"

Weird. Why's he being so nice? Conan had never so much as lifted a finger to help her before. Usually he was too busy avoiding her; or, more recently, laughing at her and teasing her about things.

"Nah, that's okay. I'm good. Thanks for offering, though."

He nodded slowly. "Guess I'll see you there then." Turning, he waved and walked away.

Astra let out a big sigh. That was…weird. Although it would have been nice to walk with him… Her thoughts trailed off as Sorcha stood up and laughed.

"Heehee; I win again!" The young archer smirked, and began playing with the belt slung around her shoulder, used to carry her arrows. "Wanna see?"

The mage had to grin as Sorcha pulled a scroll from her pocket.

"You stole his mail?"

Sorcha tried not to laugh.

"No, I just…borrowed it. But look at it!"

Astra hesitated as she held the scroll. Surely it wasn't right…no, then again, this was Sorcha. As much as she loved to play her pranks, she would never intentionally harm someone. After all she thought, Sorcha is his adopted sister. At that, she opened the scroll and glanced down at the page.

The soft parchment was covered with drawings; people sitting together, laughing. Different handwritings filled the rest of the page:

"Conan! Send me a copy of these pictures already!"

"We need to get together again, and soon!"

"Hey, can't wait until next year. It was…absolutely amazing. Too bad you live so far away-come visit me sometime. Love and miss you too."

Her eyes fixed on the last comment, spinning through her head. Love and miss you too. There were several signatures on the bottom of the page, and she quickly scanned them to find the one whose handwriting matched the comment above; it was a girls writing, and easily stood out. Juliet, with a heart around it.

Astra looked up at Sorcha. "Dude…what is this?"

Sorcha grinned. "He's been exchanging pictures and drawings and letters and notes and stuff to all the friends he met in Comodo. He's obsessed with them. It's all he talks about." She made a face. "Comodo this, Music School that. It's starting to get a little old, but he seems to be pretty happy with it."

The mage looked down at the page again, staring at Juliet's name, before rolling it up and handing it back to Sorcha. "Interesting."

Sorcha grinned again and stuck it back in her pocket. "So…what did you need to get from home?"

Astra erupted into giggles.

"You idiot! I don't need to get anything from home…that was just to hide you, silly."

The streets rang with the pair's laughter as they headed towards town center.