"Ael," Rid squeaked. "Are you absolutely sure this is necessary?"

"Yes," the songweaver said as she studied the movie setup with an expert eye. "We need to recreate the fight with Kromede as accurately as we can. That means setting up the background to be as close as we can get it to the original battle."

"Are we doing comedy? I'm pretty sure you weren't signed up for comedy, unless you count watching us get our feathers handed to us from a hundred or so artistic angles as drama." Rid strained under the weight of the boulder he was trying unsuccessfully to move. "And even accounting for that, I am pretty sure the correct terminology is "dramedy" with a heavy helping of slapstick and," he strained against the rock, "-a lot of pain. Self deprecating humor. Screaming. Some yelling. Poetic irony. Are you really really absolutely sure this is necessary?"

"Yeah, absolutely sure," Ael repeated, scribbling notes into her memo pad. She jabbed her pen at an imposing rock formation. "Next could you get that big column up next to where the talking mirror is standing? Thanks."

"I'll try my best. I am not strong. Behold, my glorious noodle arms." He waved his limp limbs around to demonstrate. The boulder he had been holding up fell over with a crash.

Ael sighed. "You have an earth spirit, Rid."

"Todd!" Rid exclaimed, his face suddenly guilt-stricken. "How could I have forgotten him like that? He must have felt so lonely, so betrayed…"

He summoned Todd and threw himself onto the spirit, bluthering apologies. Todd, who looked like he had just woken up from a nap, fell back asleep once he observed that nothing worth being awake for was happening nearby.

Ael folded her arms and reminded the distracted spiritmaster of what the pet had been summoned to do in the first place.

"Oh, right-Todd, can you move that rock column about twelve meters to the left? Yes, exactly like that, right next to the shiny mirror with the sunny disposition-"

"You make an ugly Kromede," the mirror sneered.

"I know," Rid muttered miserably.

"Rid?" Ael broke in, "Now can you try and lure a couple of the inferno spirits this way? I need to see what kind of lighting they create in a group. They might throw off the cameras if we don't check now."

Rid sighed and started jogging towards the nearest pod of fiery spirits. With her eye for quality and scary attention to detail, Ael's film was going to be a masterpiece, no doubt about it. Still, he didn't fancy being chased again. Maybe he could bribe the spirits with koa logs. Fire spirits loved koa logs.

"Express delivery, akakakak!"

Before he had a chance to bribe anything, an express courier tumbled out of the air, a shimmering portal fading away behind it. The shugo picked itself up off the ground and dusted off its knees.

"Never get used to that, nyerk." The courier fumbled in its pack and pulled out a scroll, squinting to read the handwriting on the outside. "You are Irideon with an i, correct? Hard to tell with all the loops, akakakakak."

Rid nodded vigorously, bounding forward. "Yes, yes, that's me. I don't think it ever starts with any other letter, but there's a first time for everything."

The express courier handed him the letter. "If daeva could sign here, nyerk."

Rid scribbled his name on the line, then tore into the letter.

Deer Ridd:

Cud u plz com 2 my studeo? Its urjint. I ned help!

~ Tophis xoxoxo

Ael was suddenly at his shoulder, peering over. "Whatcha got?"

Rid showed her the letter. "It's from Tophis. She lives in the studio across the hall. Sorcerer, wears frilly skirts and changes her hair color every time we see her? It's been a pinkish orange lately. She writes a lot of really confusing books."

Ael nodded. "I think we've met. Everything in her studio is pink or polka dotted, right?" She waved her hand. "Go ahead. I have everything handled here. One of my legion mates just got off, so I'll still have help. You'd better go see her and make sure there isn't anything wrong."

-x—

When Rid showed up, he was wearing...something horrific.

"Don't you have to have, like, boobs to wear that?" Toph pointed at his outfit, a form-fitting imitation of Kromede's famously revealing asmodian armor.

"Yes…" Rid replied rather miserably.

"Like, if you wanted to wear drag, you know I could have totally helped you out, right? You'd look much better with a sweetheart neckline or a seductive slipped shoulder. Though," she rubbed her chin, eyeing the fashion monstrosity in front of her. "I definitely think you should go for the classic "good girl" style. That sexy vamp look totally doesn't suit you at all."

"Thanks for the offer," Rid replied. "But Ael just needed to see if the colors worked well with the lighting. The first costume she ordered looked purple in the caves and it was all wrong, so we tried to see if this one was better but when we held it up it was just flat, so she decided that it was best if she saw it on a person and she couldn't see it unless it was on someone else. It wouldn't have done any good for Bob to wear it since he's all lumpy, and I couldn't coax Moxie to put it on. Something about spirits not wearing clothes."

It sounded like the competition really had all her bases covered. Toph was going to have to put her all into this if she wanted to win.

Rid cleared his throat. "So, what was the emergency? You don't look like you're in danger. I was kind of worried that you'd been eaten by a guestbloom or sucked into a portal or-"

"So," Toph interrupted quickly, "I like, decided to enter that film contest that you were talking about! Have you heard of my new saga, 12 Way Luv?"

To her delight, Rid nodded. "Ael's read Free Passhun cover to cover twice. She says it's pure, inimitable gold. Her friends can hardly believe it's real. They had a big argument about it."

Toph beamed. She always loved hearing good things from her readers. But as much as she liked feedback from her fans, there was another matter of business to attend to. "So, like, I was thinking it would make a really good screenplay. And I was wondering if you could-,"

"Sorry," Rid said, raising his hands immediately and stepping back. "I can't. Conflict of interest, I'm afraid- it's bad enough that I'm helping Ael when I might be entering myself. I can't do it in good conscience; besides, I would only be dead weight on your project. You're very kind, and generous, cheery, popular, and have good taste in curtains and upholstery- very nice atmosphere you have going in here, by the way, the pastel is very suiting. I'm sure you have plenty of friends who would be willing to help you out. Why not ask one of them?"

"I did," Toph sighed. "They're all busy with orders and stuff. Defending Elysea, fighting the Balaur, that kind of thing."

"What about Elisa?"

Toph made a face at the thought. "Blu and I don't really get along anymore, y'know? She like, went behind my back and was stealing my stories. I don't really want to get into that mess again. It was messing up my life irl. Like, I'll be friends with her, but I don't want her working with my writing anymore."

Her friend chewed his lip. "Well, most of my friends-they're not really my friends, they're Ael's friends and I just know them- they're busy doing important stuff and yelling at each other. But I think I might know someone. He was sort of a mentor of mine through the Orichalchum Key before the whole thing with the war and the stigma phobia-,"

Toph's heart fluttered with hope.

"-but he's kind of broken, so you might have to repeat things a few times and remind him to focus sometimes. He's really nice, he-"

"That's great! He sounds perfect, I like, can't wait! Just tell him to meet me here in my studio, okay? Thanks so much for the help, FloofySpiritCutie!"

"Who?"

"Bye, Rid!"

Knowing her neighbor could stick around chatting for awhile, Toph shoved a manuscript of The Wite Lotis into his hands, gave him a peck on the cheek, and herded the confused spiritmaster toward the relationship crystal. They could hang out and socialize some other time. After all, she had a meeting to prepare for.

-x—

"So like, I'm entered into this film contest and I need a super cool beta. Have you ever heard of the saga, 12 Way Luv?"

"Yes."

Toph beamed, leaning forward onto the edge of her table as her prospective beta blinked owlishly. "No. Way. So, what do you think of it? Have you read it?"

"Yes," the ginger ranger seated across her repeated, fiddling with his fork. "I've read it. I think it's okay. I don't agree with," he paused, slowly lifting his cup and taking a long, slow sip of tea before slowly setting it down again. "I don't agree with LifeLight. Between them, LightLife is the only one that sense to me."

"Oh…" Toph shrugged. "I think it's the best way. Though I ship LifeDeath more. I just think that Ariel wouldn't want to lead Elysea and a relationship, you know?

The ranger nodded again. "I understand. I am still not sure I would agree." He stared off into the distance as though there was not a pastel pink polka-dotted wallpaper in the way. "I don't really follow the Seraphims anymore. I sold all my armor."

This statement didn't entirely make sense to Tophis, but she figured that since he had been Rid's mentor at one point, he was bound to be a little weird anyway.

"So like, are you interested?"

The daeva set his cup down, thinking. Toph held her breath as she waited for a response.

"This is a nice table," he answered finally.

Now it was Toph's turn to blink. "Um, thanks? It's a betua table I constructed in this like, class in Sanctum."

"Though," the ranger continued, "It could use more candles."

"I-I have a whole bunch of candles in storage," Toph said, in a voice that was both confused and slightly nervous. "Like, those are romantic, I guess." Clearing her throat and gathering her wits about her, she decided to change the subject. "So what's your name? I'm Tophis, by the way. I totally didn't get yours, like, I am so sorry."

"It's okay," the ranger said, pushing his fork around his teacup. The screeching noise it made as it scraped across the ceramic hung in the air like a cloud of awkwardness between them. The other daeva seemed oblivious to its presence.

"So...what's your name, hon?" Tophis asked again, squirming. She wasn't used to feeling awkward. This was her turf, talking to people was her specialty. This ranger was even harder to talk to than Genmaicha, and all she did was play that shugo game the whole time. The sorcerer chewed her lip.

"Aerydin," the ranger answered at last. Toph waited for him to offer up more information about himself, but he did not.

"Why don't I read a passage from my latest story to you, Aer? I would totally love it if I could incorporate some of it into my script, you know? It's LifeDeath, so like, it will totally be a dramatic sequel to Buturflys Bownd and A Litely Tuch."

Aerydin didn't respond, so she took that as a yes and pulled her manuscript of Kis ov Dethfrom the table side cabinet.

"I'm gonna start with the author's note, okay? It makes it easier to understand, plus this is, like, a work in progress so it isn't that long yet."

She cleared her throat again and began,

Kis ov Deth

By Hot4uCutie

AN: So liek tis storee iz abut Tiniel an her HAWT leder soot an stuff. Alzo i jus got my constrictin lisens frum santrim! It wuznt ezzy but i craftid nekkid wit ful divine powr an totaly passt! I gat lik supper exited an had to celebrat with an updatte 4 u guz! Get reddy 4 sum sexxy sinning! ;) xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Ladee Trinel wuz flyign in te Abiss. Hur wignz wur blak as nite in asmodie an had sharp tips that wur relly gud 4 killign bad balur an sum relly bad Elyos like Leffarests. Her har wuz blak as nite also an was curld like, totelly pretty an kin ov sexie wich went gud wit her tall sexxy kinda dominetrixy blak boots an tite lether suit.

She wuz geting revenj bcuz sum meen dragin cam an killd hur partnur in huntin balor. Sudinly hur gurlfrend Yustel apeerd! She wor sexxy lether glovs, fishnet stokigns, a short lethur minishirt an a corset. It looks liek kromedes armor but also liek sexy an liek not asmodoin. It wuz lik hur dress in Leder an Lief but mor lacy.

"Trinel, u r so dark an cold toard ur enemis! I am in luv wit u!"

"Butt," Rtiniel cryd. "We r Elyos an Asmodain. We kinnot b in Luv her. And I hav a secrit."

Then Trinell turnd in2 a super hott! VAMPIR! (AN i no sum vampers r uglie but Trinel iz totaly wowza liek hot balar chik but wit mor darker colurs an sexier skurt an this sort uv boob windo that makes Yustieel blushh becuz th ats supur cyute.)

"I hav been cursd!" She sad sadlee. "i mist b a vampir 4ever! We cannot b in luv tis way"

"I am ledy uv Lyfe," Yusteil sad huskelee. "I kin brake te curs. We mist mak out an ten te curs will b brokin."

An then she grabed Trinel sexxilee an mad out wit her an Trinel kist bak.

Toph stopped reading and looked at Aerydin. "So, what do you think?"

The ranger stared into his tea. "I think the vampire plot is good. But I think that Triniel should have a competing love interest. To make it more," he paused to take a sip of tea. "To make it more conflicted."

Toph tapped her quill on her chin thoughtfully; unfortunately, her eyes were already alight with ideas that the world could have done without.

"So like, she and Azphel could have sort of crushes on each other, and Azphel thinks that the vampire curse is like, totally attractive, and Yustiel also thinks that like, Azphel's kinda hot but she's mad because she doesn't want him to be in love with Triniel and oh my Aion, you're amazing Aere-...what's your name again?"

"Aerydin," the ranger corrected expressionlessly. "But it's clear that Azphel and Zikel are fighting over Fregion and Meslamtaeda's love. Meslamtaeda secretly loves Tiamat. Fregion loves Ereshkigal and is having a trist with Lady Ariel. Ariel thinks Fregion is serious and wants to move forward, but Bakarma wants to keep them apart."

It was an interesting dynamic, and one Toph would have to think more on later. "But like, that's for my next story. Ariel and Azphel's stories aren't until after Sheilded Luv and Buturflys Bownd.They're going to be like, the last books in the series."

Aerydin made a face that looked akin to one someone might make if they had to fight one too many clod worms. "It is needed in the final script."

Already Tophis was one step ahead of him. With no extra fanfare, she pulled a log of parchment from her cube and dropped it on her table with a heavy thump. Her favorite quill was readied, poised to start creating her masterpiece.

"Aeroden," the sorceress said with a smile that had ""let's get dangerous" written all over it, "I think this is like, the start of a really nice partnership."

In accordance with his behavior so far, Aerydin didn't smile, or even look at her. He continued staring at the wall. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he took a sip of tea.

They had a lot to do.