"P-Princess Endorsi!"

It was hardly more than a stammered whisper, and any ordinary Regular wouldn't have heard it over the splashing and shouting in the pools. However, an ordinary Regular wouldn't have been asked to play volleyball, give a signature, bless a child, or whatever else this new person wanted.

Endorsi didn't even bother to slow. After the incessant interviews, which she had forcibly ended, she really wasn't in the mood to deal with any more losers — not that she ever was. Instead, she kept walking, her smile never faltering.

After all, she had someone to meet.

Another Regular called her name, but she hardly noticed. Still walking, she lowered her sunglasses and glanced at the sparkling waters. The pools were crowded with Regulars, and she gave them an empty smile and a cheery wave before popping her sunglasses back in place. If she ever made eye contact, the fan always came begging for an autograph.

She sighed, picked up the pace, and continued searching the crowds for a familiar face.

Then she noticed the Regular on the other side of the wave pool. He was slight, roughly her height and rather unassuming, but something about him drew her gaze. His long black ponytail swayed as he talked with someone — a teammate? — and it was hard not to notice how the lounge chairs around him were conspicuously empty.

Viole, she thought, her bland smile wavering. That man there, clothed all in black, was the Slayer Candidate. While he wasn't as imposing as she'd expected, it would be foolish to underestimate him. Already, he was drawing the attention of the crowd, the imagination of the viewers. She might be blessed with the ability to turn heads, but he was notorious for his ability to remove them.

And one day, she would have to fight him. After all, that was what it meant to be a Princess of Jahad: FUG was the enemy, and this Slayer Candidate was her target.

"Y'know," a familiar, somewhat sarcastic voice said, "if that guy seems familiar, well, that's because he is."

Endorsi glanced to her left, unsurprised to find Lauroe and Shibisu. After all, that was the reason she'd walked all this way. Lauroe was passed out on the ground, and next to him, lounging in a beach chair and sipping a piña colada, was Shibisu. She sniffed. He had some nerve, relaxing by the pool and making the Princess of Jahad come to him.

With a tap of her foot, he flipped out of the chair, spilling his drink perfectly in the middle of his white shirt.

She smiled. She did so love symmetry.

"Again?" He picked himself off the floor, wringing out his shirt and muttering something about Anaak having already bullied him, but Endorsi couldn't care less.

"That's hardly a way to speak to a Princess." With a smirk, she took his seat in the lounge chair. "So, who's that guy?"

Shibsu sighed as he settled himself on the edge of Lauroe's blanket. "Well… This might not be the best place to say it, but…" He managed a fairly covert glance to the side. "It's a friend from Evankhell. Someone we knew very well."

There were very few people who Endorsi counted as friends.

Her eyes widened. "Viole… Viole is that guy?" Glancing across the pool deck again, she reassessed the Slayer Candidate. Although there were physical similarities, it was hard to believe the innocent boy who'd stumbled his way through the Floor of Tests could have grown into such a cold-blooded killer. If that was Bam, really Bam… for him to have joined FUG, become their Slayer Candidate, and amassed such a terrible reputation, how much had he changed?

And how much would she regret those changes?

"Yeah, he's that guy," Shibisu repeated. "Maybe if you hadn't spent the entire night away from the team, we could've briefed you."

She chose to ignore the complaint. "Speaking of last night, what happened? Is our team really that weak without me?"

"Uhm, what makes you think we fought? For all you know, we might've had a peaceful meeting where they agreed to help—"

"Oh, please." With an unladylike snort, she said, "I have a princess's intuition."

"Like with Bong Bong." Shibisu chuckled. "But anyways, our team's not weak. They're just insanely strong now, especially B— Viole. Especially Viole." After a rueful shake of his head, a signature grin lit his face. "But I have a new plan."

Endorsi raised an eyebrow.

"So here's what we'll do…" He leaned forward, then whispered, "We'll convince Rachel, and we both know how important she is to him. It should bring him to our side, or at least make him hesitate."

"I see… and you want me to come along and help convince Rachel," she finished. With a sigh, she pushed her sunglasses up. "You tell me, Shibisu — why would a Princess of Jahad risk her reputation by visiting a member of FUG?"

Shibisu got to his feet, then performed an over exaggerated bow, offering his hand like a hero from the movies. "I don't know," he said, "but wouldn't the princess like to learn about a friend she hasn't seen in seven years?"

She narrowed her eyes, then got to her feet, pointedly snubbing the proffered hand. As much as she hated to admit it, Bam still mattered to her. Even though he'd abandoned them all to chase after a weak, powerless girl, Endorsi still wanted to see him again.

With a wry smile, she wondered if he found what he was looking for.

"Alright," she said, "Where is she?"

Shibisu grinned, then started walking towards the elevator. "She's alone in a store called ArchiEagle. Third floor, item shops."

She nodded, but made no move to follow. Instead, she concentrated.

"Are you coming?" When Shibisu turned back, the pink light was just enveloping her, and she watched him slowly realize the situation and start running toward the stairs. "Cra—"

FLASH.

After a burst of pink light, she was knee-deep in an enormous fountain. A quick glance at her pocket told her she was on the third floor and two shops away from ArchiEagle — that wasn't too bad. Using Bong Bong had been a bit of a risk, anyways; it'd been pure guesswork whether she'd end up in a wall or not. (Although honestly, the wall would've taken more damage).

She stepped out of the fountain, frowning a bit when her shoes squelched against the cobblestones. She'd need a disguise. Even if the crowd was currently ignoring her, it was only a matter of time before someone recognized the Endorsi Jahad. She glanced around, then giggled. If these are item shops, she thought, looking at the sparkly handbags and high heels, the Workshop has a very loose definition of 'item'.

A few strategic purchases later, Endorsi was almost unrecognizable. A frumpy violet dress obscured her form, and she sported a large hat. Only her sunglasses and flip-flops were the same; hypothetically, someone could recognize her nail polish, but that was a risk she'd just have to take.

Pulling her hat down, she strolled towards the ArchiEagle. The polished glass storefront held a few mannequins and a couple outfits, but honestly, it was all a bit tacky.

However, the tackiest outfit was being worn by a real person. Well, Endorsi thought, pushing the door open and scowling at the chime, arguably, she's the fakest person I know.

Near the back wall, far away from the windows and changing rooms, was a blonde girl wearing a red shirt and khaki shorts. The warm colors completely washed out her complexion, but when she moved to pick out a yellow and blue polka dot dress, Endorsi intervened. "Look, Rachel," she said with a sigh, "Why don't you just stick to your brown cloak?"

Rachel paused. "Endorsi. What a surprise." She scowled. "That disguise isn't fooling me, so why don't you take off the sunglasses?"

With a mocking grin, Endorsi did just that; now, for the first time in seven years, they were looking each other in the eye, and neither seemed particularly pleased. Unsurprising, she thought, stifling another sigh. Although Shibisu thought they were friends, he couldn't be further from the truth. She smiled without a trace of warmth. "Well, Rachel, no one has realized what you did all those years ago… except me."

Rachel was dead silent. Her face betrayed nothing.

"Oh, so you'll play dumb? Don't be like that…" Endorsi leaned closer, then whispered, "I know you used Hatz's death to manipulate Bam into leaving us."

Rachel didn't say a word, but the corner of her mouth twitched.

"No defense?" Endorsi took a step back. "I thought that after all this time, you would've come up with an excuse." She snorted. "Maybe you would've said that your leg hurt or something." After tugging a mint-green dress off the rack, she glanced around. Although she was itching to teach Rachel a lesson, she couldn't ruin her reputation.

Thankfully, the store wasn't particularly busy. A few attendants were gossiping near the register, and a customer was stepping into the changing room, but no one was watching. Endorsi sighed, shifting the dress in her arms, and as she turned away, Rachel spoke. "So the princess who has everything is jealous of me? Over Bam?" Rachel's laugh was empty. "How does it feel not to get everything you want, huh?"

"I assume it's how you feel all the time," she snapped. "It's a shame though. I've been waiting to confront you for years, but you're as useless as you always were." She tossed the dress aside, then turned away, a small smile forming as she shouted, "I'm leaving!"

Then she spun, faster than any eye could follow, and punched Rachel right across the face. No one could have seen it coming, and at most they'd have only seen a blur of motion. With luck, no one caught that on camera and Rachel would be—

She glanced back.

Rachel was completely fine?

"Attacking first?" Rachel stood there, arms crossed, grinning. "A punch like that c-couldn't touch me. I guess you're not as strong as you thought, Princess Endorsi of Jahad."

Red tinted Endorsi's vision, but she snipped off her emotions. The situation was getting complicated, and getting emotional wouldn't help. "What did you do?" she said quietly, leaning closer to examine Rachel's face. "How did you…"

Her face was untouched. While Endorsi hadn't punched with her full strength — murdering another Regular outside a test always raised awkward questions — there should have at least been a bruise. Endorsi pursed her lips. Was this what Shibisu meant when he said that Bam's team had gotten insanely strong? Perhaps she should try again…

Before Endorsi could move (and before Rachel could answer), Shibisu skidded through the store and leapt between them. "R-Rachel!" he panted, "D-Don't listen to her! You'll really benefit if we help each other out." He sucked in a breath, then added, "Listen—"

"No, I don't think I will." Rachel grabbed the polka-dot dress, then spat, "You want to 'help each other out'? Yeah, right. I wasn't born yesterday. You just want to use me."

Shibisu began to respond, but Endorsi shoved him aside. "Use you?" she snapped. "Cut the bullshit. I'd only use something powerful."

Rachel glared back, her pocket materializing next to her. It chimed, the dress glowed green, and Endorsi rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you bought it," she said, gesturing at the polka-dot monstrosity. "You really are hopeless."

"But between the two of us, who has Bam's attention?" Rachel smirked, then slid the dress into a shopping bag. "I should get going… my team's waiting for me."

As she walked away, bag in hand, Endorsi scowled at her back. Something's going on, she thought, there's no way Rachel could have gotten that powerful—

Shibisu sighed. "You just had to ruin the plan."

Endorsi snorted. "It ruined itself." When she noticed his flushed face, she added, "You should exercise more, Tracksuit."

He squawked, but then the door opened with a cheerful jingle and Rachel called, "I can't wait to fight you again. Properly. After all, I want people watching when I beat you."

The door shut with a quiet thud.

Rachel walked away, her back straight as she joined the crowd of Regulars wandering the streets. To any outsider, she would have seemed confident, except for her hands. No matter how hard she tried, her hands wouldn't stop trembling. Holy shit.

At first, she'd been sure that Endorsi knew. It hadn't been clear what she knew, but if Endorsi had known about any of the deals… But there's no way she could know.

So a Princess of Jahad just tried to kill her. On a hunch.

She stepped into an elevator, her grip on the bag tightening. The power in that punch… She swallowed, hard. Endorsi wanted me dead, I'm sure of it. The Blood Tamara had saved her. No, she amended, I saved myself. If she hadn't shot Nebo, if she hadn't convinced the team to let her keep it, she might have died in that store.

A few seconds later, she got off the elevator. The first floor was a familiar sight, and she made her way back to her room without an issue, hardly noticing the other Regulars walking by. Instead, she was lost in her thoughts, remembering the sweet light of jealousy in Endorsi's eyes.

It felt good having something a Princess of Jahad wanted, even if Rachel didn't value it all that much.

When she opened the door to her team's rooms, it was chaos. Wangnan was complaining about having to babysit Miseng to anyone in earshot, since apparently Goseng didn't like pool parties. Rachel grimaced, dropping off her new dress and grabbing her brown cloak as quickly as possible. Although she'd never admit it, she was glad that Yeon didn't pass: it was nice, having her own room.

After making a hasty escape, she breathed a sigh of relief. Now, she couldn't be pressured into taking care of Miseng. Not that she could, though — she had a meeting to attend. Pulling her cloak around her, she set off for the elevators.

This meeting… Hwaryun had told her to find Madoroku. Apparently, she was supposed to test that chatting bot that Miseng was always using. Rachel squared her shoulders. Just relax, she told herself, they can't hurt you or experiment on you. Her lips curled into a rueful smile. It's nothing that FUG hasn't already done.

And it wasn't like she had a choice, anyways.

Her heartbeat slowed to its normal pace. When the elevator reached the third floor and its doors slid open, she stepped out. She was back at the mall again. This time, though, instead of heading toward the item shops, she made her way down a dimly lit hallway. Officially, this was the way to the 'Acorn Workshop'; unofficially, it led to the Archimedes' research lab.

Slowly, the shouts and conversations of the other Regulars faded. Soon enough, the only sound was her footsteps against the metal floor, and when she reached the two doors opposite the 'Acorn Workshop', she tapped a blue button.

The door clanked open, revealing a long dark stairwell. Rachel swallowed. Stay calm, she thought. I just need to play along, for now. Hand clutching the railing, she carefully walked down into the depths of the Archimedes. When she reached another door, it was locked but opened easily with the key that Hwaryun had given her.

Blinding white light pierced the darkness, leaving Rachel blinking. After the musty stairwell, the lab was almost too pure, too sterile, too blank. Nonetheless, she walked in. Her steps echoed strangely and her coarse brown cloak rustled too loudly for her liking, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Wasn't someone supposed to meet me by now?

Something shuffled behind her. "He-he-hellooo…"

She turned, then took an automatic step back. He was… no, it was about her height, but its head was wrapped in leaking bandages. Crude doodles and a blue hood partially covered the bandages, but they did absolutely nothing to help — it was almost funny.

Until it hobbled towards her. "Look, a little rat has stumbled in."

She gritted her teeth. "S-Stay back!" With a whoosh, golden lighthouses appeared between them.

The creature paused, but somehow she knew it wasn't because of her — there was someone behind her. This wild hunch was abruptly proven right when a gloved hand gripped her shoulder.

Rachel tensed, then whipped around, pushing the hand off her shoulder. "I don't know who you are, but I need to meet someone," she said, staring at him defiantly.

The man was tall, wearing a sharp black suit and a red helmet. "I am that person," he said, executing a shallow bow, and somehow, Rachel knew he was smiling. "You shouldn't bother our guest, #196."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. With the helmet, he could be anyone… even if he sounded familiar, he was probably a nutjob like that creature. "So, who are you?"

The man chuckled. "Funk, at your service. Mr. Madoroku couldn't come today — he is a very busy man."

#196 started laughing, and this man, Funk, glanced at him. "Miss, unless you want to stay here with him, please come with me." He offered his arm to her, and after a brief hesitation, she took it.

#196 was still giggling as they walked away, but when yet another elevator's door closed around her, Rachel cleared her throat. "So, what exactly am I doing here? I wasn't ever given the specifics." She could feel her stomach lurch, and it wasn't just because of the descending elevator.

"Well…" Funk hummed for a second, then answered. "This is a top secret project involving Emily the i— the chatting bot. We, er, the researchers, wanted to test the effects of an Irregular on the chatting bot."

She stiffened. "Funk, I don't know where you heard that, but the only Irregular is a boy named—"

Funk laughed, but it was as convincing as a canned laugh track. "No need to worry, Miss Rachel, FUG told us about your situation, so we'll keep it a secret." He leaned forward, then in an almost-undertone added, "After all, it would be disastrous if the Great Teacher's replacement learned about you…"

"Okay…" She let herself relax a bit, then sighed. "So all I have to do is use Emily?"

"Indeed." Funk held up a finger. "Nothing should be too funky!"

It was hard to resist rolling her eyes. Ha Jinsung had been bad enough — if she ever heard another dad joke or corny pun again, it would be too soon.

Luckily, the elevator was slowing. Soon enough, the doors slid open and Rachel forgot her irritation. This place… there was no way it could fit in the Archimedes. It was like a huge underground cavern. It was almost as large as Bam's cave, but that was where the similarities ended: instead of looming stalagmites and ever-present silence, researchers in white coats bustled about, chatting quietly with one another.

All the researchers' activity centered around one enormous egg. On its surface, labelled in giant letters, was one word: Emily.

Rachel swallowed, hard. One thing was certain — Funk was lying. There was no way the popular chatting bot was the only thing inside that giant egg. What else could it do? Was she supposed to hatch it, or something? She glanced at him, then at the scientists, then frowned. It was too late to make a break for it — for all she knew, that creature was still lurking in the halls. Instead, she squared her shoulders. "Excuse me," she interrupted, pointing at the egg, "am I going to operate that thing?"

"Why, of course!" Funk lifted both his arms, then shouted, "With you here, we should be able to make very interesting discoveries!"

A couple scientists looked over, and Rachel swallowed a groan. Working with him, with these people, and with that egg — Emily — was going to be exhausting. It wasn't fair that everyone else got to play around in the pool while she participated in this sick science experiment.

The thought of #196 still sent chills down her spine.

Nevertheless, she had to hide a smile when she accepted a glass vial from a nameless researcher. This was the Workshop Battle, where everyone had a price and a plan, and this was part of the price she had to pay. Soon enough, her plan would be set in motion and her 'curse' removed. She just had to play along with FUG for a little longer.

She was so close to freedom.

The session with Emily finished peacefully, and as far as Rachel could tell, nothing had happened to her. She shuffled her feet a little, then sighed. The glass elevator was whishing her down to the first floor when she caught a glimpse of Endorsi and Bam near the hot springs.

They weren't talking — in fact, it looked like Bam hadn't even noticed her yet — but Endorsi was pacing about in a different (yet still terrible) disguise.

Endorsi… She placed a hand on the cool glass of the elevator, then curled it into a fist. She never learns. Bam isn't someone you want to be friends with.

Although it was getting warm, Endorsi kept walking in circles. Constant movement was required if she didn't want to draw a crowd, even if she was wearing a disguise. She pulled the baseball cap lower, frowning when it mussed her hair. Perhaps a grey sweater and a cap wasn't the wisest choice, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

If she was right, the 'Slayer Candidate' would approach her soon enough.

She scanned the nearby Regulars, then pushed her sunglasses up a little higher. While she didn't want to meet Bam, at the same time… she did. It definitely wasn't because she missed him, though. She just wanted to know Rachel's secret power. After all, she was Princess Endorsi Jahad. Why would she be thinking about some Regular she met on the second floor?

She was passing by a peculiar shinueh sculpture for the third time (and seriously considering leaving), when someone tapped her shoulder. As she turned, her eyes narrowed — only a handful of Regulars on the ship were gutsy enough to touch her, and only one of them had that feeling of shinsu — and sure enough, she found Bam, smiling that same innocent smile from the Floor of Tests.

"Hello, Ms. Endorsi!" he said, his bangs shifting slightly, revealing bright golden eyes.

Those eyes… she thought, and she almost smiled back. Instead, though, she batted his hand away. "Hello? That's all you can say?" While most people would've only seen the long ponytail, there were deeper differences. Already, she'd noted his stance, the new light in his eyes, the quality to his shinsu… and of course, the fact that Khun wasn't with him. Still, she thought, this whole thing was probably his scheme, written on a neat little sheet of paper… but that script is about to change. Before Bam could answer, she sighed. "Why are you here, again?"

"I—" Bam's smile faltered. "I came here to see my friend." He fidgeted with his shirt for a moment, then earnestly met her eyes. "I haven't seen you for seven years."

"Oh? And I wonder why we haven't seen each other for so long." She let a cold, cruel smile curl her lips. "And I don't know if we were ever friends, if you could abandon us like that."

"No, we were." Bam seemed certain. "And Endorsi, I think we'll still be friends if we can just talk a little more."

She tilted her head, twirling her hair around her finger before saying, "Ten to one, we won't be friends even if we talk together for, say, thirty more minutes."

"…Are you confusing me with Khun? I don't gamble, not with my friendship."

"Just accept the gamble, jeez. You're in FUG, you have unlimited money, so use it." When Bam didn't respond, Endorsi rolled her eyes. "Look, the only way you'll mend your precious friendship is through this gamble, alright?"

He sighed. "Alright. I'll bet… a thousand points."

She snorted. "A bit cheap, but I'll take it." Without warning, she grabbed Bam's wrist. While he may not have noticed the paparazzi gathering around them, she was always aware, just like how most Regulars were aware of flies buzzing around their heads. After pulling him forwards, just enough that he stumbled, she activated Bong Bong.

Wind rushed in their ears, pink light flashed in their eyes, and then they were standing in a snug cavern. It was the perfect place for a clandestine meeting. Water rushed over the mouth of the cave, refracting the light and masking the sound. They'd landed on a thin ledge overlooking a shallow pool, and thanks to the curtain of water, any recording devices would have a hard time.

That was good, since she was already in enough heat from Anaak. If she added the Slayer Candidate into the mix, there was no telling what her sisters might do.

"Well," she said, settling on the mossy ledge and dipping her feet in the pool. "Isn't this romantic." If Bam hadn't heard the sarcasm, her next words cleared up any misunderstanding: "Your thirty minutes start now. Convince me that you deserve to be my friend."

Bam was silent.

The waterfall shimmered, Endorsi kicked her feet in the pool, water trickled down the cave walls, but Bam still didn't answer.

She crossed her arms and tsked, but he didn't seem to notice.

Finally, he leaned against the cave wall and closed his eyes. "I… I never thought about the people I was leaving behind." His voice quavered, and when Endorsi glanced over, her eyes widened. Bam, the boy who'd become a Slayer Candidate, had tears in his eyes. "Rachel… she used to leave me behind, too. It… It was the worst feeling, like I wasn't good enough, or I wasn't important enough." Endorsi tried to speak, tried to protest that she was definitely good enough, but Bam ploughed on. "So, Endorsi, I- I'm sorry. You are important to me, and I should have never left you behind."

For a moment, all was quiet, except the splashing of the waterfall. Then Endorsi flicked her hand, sending a bit of water at Bam. "Great speech, but why should I care? Even if I'm important to you, what's in it for me?" She grinned easily, but her eyes were trained on Bam.

"Well…" He wiped the water off his face, then sighed. "Do you have anyone by your side?"

She snorted. "Of course, I have my team... what a dumb question. You're worse than the reporters."

He slowly shook his head. "Not your team," he said, completely ignoring the insult. "I meant, like friends."

"I don't need friends," she snapped. Technically, she had Anaak, but that didn't really count — Anaak was more like an annoying little sister than a friend. "Didn't you know? A Princess of Jahad doesn't have friends."

"I'm a FUG Slayer Candidate, but I still have lots of friends."

"Well, I've told you before," she huffed, feeling an uneasy weight settling in her stomach, "I don't mind being alone." The words sounded false even to her own ears. She twisted back to look at him. "It doesn't bother me, why don't you understand that?"

His eyes were a soft gold in the dim light, and he looked at her sadly before sighing. "So you're still lonely." He paused, then shook his head again. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone."

"I'm sorry too." She looked away. But it's not your fault, Bam. I blamed you, but it wasn't really your fault.

He nodded, then slowly made his way over. Once he was sitting next to her, dangling his feet in the water too, he spoke. Each word was hesitant, as though the situation were unstable and a single word could make their fragile peace come crashing down. "Miss Endorsi," he said with an uncertain smile, "I- I'll be your friend again, if you let me."

Silence.

Then she returned his smile, a small and unknown feeling bubbling up inside her. Bam, she thought, in the end, you haven't changed at all.

Sitting there in the cave, the waterfall before them, the moss soft beneath them, the quiet and comfortable silence around them… she tried to memorize the moment, for it might not happen again. Sooner or later, the Tower would change him. And when it did… would she be there to help him through?

She glanced at Bam again, then sighed and swung her legs in the water. "It'll be difficult for us to be friends as long as Shibisu is trying to make the deal with Repelista. He and Anaak are working to honor Hatz's memory…"

"…but they're trying to help someone who's dead." Bam looked out at the waterfall, then muttered, "I'm trying to protect the people I still have."

Endorsi didn't speak, just nodded. Then she got up. "If you need help, call me."

She was just activating for Bong Bong when Bam reached out and took her hand. "So… are we friends?" he asked.

She smiled. "Well, if I said yes, I would have to pay you for winning. So I'll settle for not saying 'no'." As she stepped away, she let go of his hand and ruefully shook her head. I knew it would turn out this way. I guess in the end… I haven't changed either.

The last thing she saw before disappearing into the pink light was Bam's smile.