Dimension 20: Fantasy High – The Seventh Player

by Yalamodo

In this retelling of the Fantasy High Campaign, a seventh player will be forced to admit that no one can stand alone. As Adaine and her new friends grow closer amid mystery and danger, can they learn not only to trust each other on the battlefield but off it as well? The same plot but with a new character to explore more complex aspects of relationships, platonic and romantic.

27. First Kisses and Last Words - Part 3

Chapter 13: First Kisses and Last Words – Part 3: Tension

Machaira hurt before she was properly awake. Her head throbbed to a slow, horrible beat, like some demonic drum whose low note resonated along a seam in her skull, building in pain and discomfort with each pondering strike. Machaira's low, complaining growl devolved to a whine as she cracked her eyes open, the faint slivers of light that pierced her vision amplifying each painful throb into a blow to the head. Attempting to focus on her surroundings quickened the drum beat: patterns, colors, and depth perception exacting a toll in the tapping rhythm that so tortured her. The pain oozed down into her stomach, and Machaira groaned, waves of nausea rolling over her in time to the infernal rhythm. The tabaxi retched as bile slithered up her throat, barely biting back the urge to vomit properly. Dehydration clawed at her muscles, leaving her weak and achy all over. Her keen nose wrinkled against the sour odors of old alcohol, sweat, and cigarette smoke. The bouquet of scents triggered another gurgling in her gut, intensifying the next wave of discomfort and warning her of the intestinal nightmares to come. Machaira parted her jaws, trying to take in some extra air without putting extra pressure on her digestive tract, and winced at the severe cotton mouth that shriveled her tongue.

Gods, she had forgotten how much hangovers sucked.

After a minute or two, the rogue did recognize a few unusual things. One, she was in a proper bed, which was not a good sign. Two, Machaira had removed her jacket and buried her face in it before going to sleep, which normally meant that the night had been especially depressing or painful. Her whole body was so sore it took the scout a hot minute to realize that, to her relieved surprise, she was otherwise fully clothed. Her nose twitched, processing the smells around her and forcing Machaira to squeeze her eyes against the ensuing ache behind her eyes. Most of the smells around her were of Fig, and the colors that occasionally filtered in through the gaps in her jacket suggested she was in Fig's room. Okay, so she hadn't fallen back on old habits.

But another, softer scent lay under the nearly overpowering reek of Fig's various drugs and Machaira's own sick odor, a scent that she sometimes picked up during her better dreams, one that always made her feel a little more grounded. Machaira winced internally first, then externally as the emotional wince triggered a stronger ripple of physical discomfort. Her tail twitched twice and lashed once, slithering over a pair of thin denim legs. Machaira's stomach sank and heaved as a familiar noise sounded just above the pounding of blood in her ears: the faint sigh of complaint that signaled Adaine coming out of her trance. Great, so Adaine had absolutely babysat her drunk ass last night, which meant Machaira had not only inconvenienced her best friend and revealed her embarrassingly low tolerance but probably gotten inappropriately touchy with her crush as well. The rogue tried to hold in a groan but wasn't entirely successful. Fig's thin, scratchy sheets rustled as the body sitting behind her stirred.

"Hey," Adaine murmured, voice thick with affection but pregnant with some emotion the scout wasn't cognizant enough to recognize. "How are you feeling?"

"Blech," Machaira gagged after thinking for a moment, during which her indecision redoubled the throbbing in her head, in turn triggering another surge of nausea. A small hand found its way to her shoulder and started to rub, each movement so gentle it was almost imperceptible. Adaine's thumb swept tiny arcs through the longer guard hairs on her shoulder blade, nestling into her downy under-fur until Machaira could feel the motion against her skin, soft enough not to aggravate her churning stomach. The scout sighed and leaned back into the touch.

"Did you get me in bed?" Machaira inquired.

"Uh, yeah. Do you not remember last night?"

"I, uh, up to a point, ahh." Machaira screwed up her eyes as her vision swam. The effort of trying to pull information from the alcohol-induced void sent another wave of pain through her skull. "I remember Seacas – urgh – castor Manor and, I think, a few pieces of Gorgug's date. I remember – urrrr – being at Basrar's anyway. But that's about it." She clenched her jaws against a long, ponderous stomach roll. "I, uh, really can't handle my drink."

"No kidding," Adaine sassed. Machaira choked down a sudden surge of bile and curled inward. Adaine winced sympathetically and pet the rogue with a flat hand. "I'm sorry, I know you're hurting."

"You're fine," Machaira groaned. "I, um, really appreciate you, you know, tucking me in. That was, uh, very sweet. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble?"

"You were, I mean, no, you didn't," Adaine stammered. Machaira tensed, then shivered at a muscular contraction rippling up her stomach and forced herself to pay attention despite the chunk bobbing back down her esophagus.

"I'm sorry if, uhg, gods, I'm sorry, I'm so gross right now."

"No, no, you're okay," Adaine assured her. "You're just – gods, you are such a lightweight." Machaira cringed, hating how pitiful she must look. "You did warn me, us, but still, you were out of it in no time. I mean, you're still a badass." The wizard added quickly, sensing that Machaira was closing up. "You're, like, the toughest girl I've ever met, and I know that you died – almost died yesterday, but you cannot be allowed to drink alone. In fact, I think I need to be your drinking partner from now one to make sure that I can – you are taken care of." Adaine cleared her throat, and the rogue could imagine her blush. "But, uh, no, you're kinda gross, but so am I, so it's all – you're fine. You're good." The diviner stopped talking all at once and removed her hand from Machaira's back, quickly pulling her legs together. Machaira took a deep a breath and forced herself to roll over, stomach gyrating separately from her body as she did so, until she had turned to face Adaine, who was, in fact, blushing.

"Thank you," Machaira moaned, trying to put some emotion into her voice. "I'm lucky to have you for a best friend. And you are not gross."

"Thanks," Adaine said sarcastically, a small, neat smile betraying the warmth beneath her aristocratic sass. Machaira started to smile back but broke off with a grimace as another echo of pain shivered through her head. Adaine's smile fell into a frown, and the diviner reached down to stroke her ears. Machaira felt herself melt under the tender care of her friend. She wanted nothing more than to pass out and sleep off her hangover next to Adaine, but something was off about her friend. There was a tension about Adaine, like the wizard was bracing herself for a difficult task. Machaira focused more intently on Adaine, but the spike in attention made her guts twist and vision swim.

"Did I, uh, you know, sometimes when I'm – buhhrrrgh – sorry, when I'm drunk, I tend to get a little, uh, handsy," Machaira stammered, cringing at her disgusting burp and the sheer awkwardness of what she was asking. "I, uh, hope I didn't, um, touch you too, too much." Adaine blushed, and Machaira screwed up her eyes, shoulders rolling in. Gods, she felt so dirty. If Machaira had actually made a move on Adaine last night, she'd have to somehow run down the stairs and out of the building like this. Fortunately, she would probably kill herself in the attempt.

"I, um, no, well, you didn't – not more than what was welcome," Adaine stuttered, face flushing with steadily deepening color. Machaira groaned, horror sending another surge of bile up her throat, and the scout curled into a ball, ears flat against her head and arms folded over her muzzle. Bast, please kill me, she thought. "No, hey – Machaira." Small hands tugged down on her arms and forced the tabaxi to look the high elf in the eyes. Adaine's face was set, determined even. "You didn't do anything I didn't want – or ask for. You just said some things that made me worry about you. In fact – do you think you could sit up for this?" Machaira felt herself shrink inward at the suggestion but did her best to oblige, forcing an arm under her body and pushing herself upright. She almost toppled over instantly, pitching forward across the bed as Fig's room spun around her. Her queasiness tripled, rendering the rogue functionally mute as she strained not to lose the meager contents of her stomach across the sheets. Adaine caught Machaira by the shoulder with a grunt, struggling to keep her from collapsing.

"Okay, I, urhhg, I'm listening," Machaira ground out, pulling free of the wizard's grip and propping her hands on her knees, legs crossed as she faced her crush, muzzle repeatedly threatening to tip toward the bed. She tried to speak but gagged instead as her stomach audibly gurgled, another mass of liquid making a half-hearted attempt at escape. Adaine's expression wavered.

"You really don't look good," Adaine told her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Machaira exhaled, working her jaw a bit to try and build some moisture in her mouth. "Just, bluh, really dizzy. But I'm here for you. What did you *gulp* want to talk about?" Adaine pursed her lips, some internal struggle playing out behind her eyes. Most people wouldn't have noticed, but Machaira had spent the better part of the school year studying Adaine's expression. She knew how to look past mask of high-elven composure and find what dwelled behind those clear, crystalline blue eyes. But right now, Machaira's brain was swimming so much that she could barely keep her head up. She was struggling to even see Adaine, let alone make an insight into her emotional distress.

"Come here," Adaine sighed, reaching out for Machaira. The tabaxi had the weirdest urge to flinch, some corpse of a memory spasming in the back of her mind. But that was stupid and would make Adaine worry, so she repressed the reaction and allowed herself to be pulled toward her crush. Adaine laid Machaira's head in her lap so that the rogue's broad skull was pressed snuggly against her stomach. Machaira curled herself to lie half on and half between Adaine's legs, and they wiggled against each other a bit until they had established a mutually comfortable position. The two girls had spent so much time holding each other that it felt perfectly natural, and Machaira could feel the tension drain out of both of them as they settled into one another. Adaine sighed ever so quietly and smiled, fingertips parting the tangled mess of Machaira's mane, nails gently dragging along the curve of her ear. Machaira offered Adaine a grateful smile in return, eyes partially closed. A heartfelt thank you rippled up from deep within her chest, stomach settling somewhat as she took comfort in the physical intimacy.

"Later, when you're feeling better, we need to have a talk," Adaine informed her. "A good talk," she clarified, sensing Machaira's instant trepidation. "It should be – will be a good talk, but one that we need to have, tonight at the latest, okay?"

"Okay," Machaira agreed eventually, once it became clear that Adaine expected a response. "I'm always available to talk to you about stuff. I, um, I hope I didn't do anything to, you know, offend you, did I?"

"No." Adaine replied firmly. "The opposite, really. I just, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for ages, and it can't wait any longer. But, well, you don't seem, you seem kinda out of it right now."

"Yeah," Machaira grunted, squinting against another tap of the drum on the inside of her skull. "That's, yeah. But, if you really want to – "

"No, I want you to be fully present for this," Adaine cut her off. "This is important. It's good, for both of us, I think – no, it is, definitely, good. For us." The other girl cleared her throat. "It will be a good and important talk," she declared, voice quiet but firm despite the red creeping down her neck. Machaira took a moment to collect her thoughts through the headache, then another moment to appreciate the spread of color across Adaine's cheeks and throat.

"Ach," Machaira coughed, tongue curling as her dry mouth choked her. As she tried to clear her throat, Machaira felt shriveled, both physically and emotionally. As much as she appreciated her friend's devotion right now, this was not how she wanted Adaine to see her, ever. But Machaira just had to get herself drunk and make an idiot of herself because that's what she did. Two years almost totally sober, and she went and fucked it up in front of the one of the only people whose opinion mattered to her. Then the tabaxi remembered that her whole party had probably seen her drunk, and she suddenly felt even smaller. Kristen would never let her live this down. Shit.

"Okay," Machaira finally managed to get out. "If it's important to you, it's important to me."

"I think it's important to both of us," Adaine rushed over the end of Machaira's sentence. "Oh, sorry."

"You're good," Machaira grunted, lips pulling back into a weak snarl as some distant door slammed, the sound reverberating in her sensitive ears. "You know I'll always make time for you, right? If there's ever something you feel you need to talk about, I'm right here whenever you're ready." It took Machaira about twice as long to say that as it should have, and she had to stop to hold in a burp towards the end, but Adaine still treated her to one of those small, bright smiles that made the tabaxi feel warm, feel important, feel… right in ways she wasn't intelligent enough to express.

"I know. You're always here when I need you." Adaine's voice, though still quiet, was stronger now, confident. Machaira could not help but smile at hearing the once meek mage speak with such certainty. A faint purr passed her lips, and Adaine's grin widened. Her fingers resumed their delightful ministrations, and part of Machaira felt as if she was being rewarded for her joy, for sharing it with the elf. Eyes fluttering closed, Machaira purred a little louder, and Adaine giggled, the almost musical sound soothing to Machaira's pounding head. Adaine's body shifted slightly, pulling Machaira further into her, encouraging the flow of affection between them as the tabaxi carefully slid an arm around her waist, holding her wizard close. Just my friend, Machaira chastised herself. Those were dangerous thoughts. The tabaxi was careful not to let her sudden distress show, though the wave of cold that thought carried caused her tail to briefly lash under the sheet. Machaira forced herself to push aside the ball of disappointment that dropped into her roiling stomach and tried her best to enjoy the admittedly lovely moment.

"What time is it?" Machaira asked.

"Five-thirty A.M.," Adaine replied after a moment. "We have a little bit before we need to get ready for school. You were tossing and turning for a while there, but I didn't think you'd wake up so early after last night."

"My, mmmuh, head hurt," she admitted, lip curling as someone shouted in orcish in the next room, hastening the tempo at which the damnable drum pounded inside her skull. "Gods, investigating today is going to suck so much."

"Kristen could probably fix you up," Adaine suggested. "Or Fig? Fig has to have a hangover cure with the way she drinks."

"Maybe," Machaira muttered, closing her eyes and trying to block out the very loud conversation across the wall. "We're lucky to have friends like them."

"Yeah we are," Adaine agreed, voice suddenly jumping in pitch and volume just enough to make her headache worse. "Have you ever thought about having a gi – more than friend? Like a person that you date?" The elf began her question with intent but quickly dissolved into stammers. Machaira's pounding brain was instantly swamped by her fantasies of Adaine, everything that kept her up at night, horny and disappointed with herself.

"I, uh, yes," the rogue admitted, voice quiet with shame, tensing as she tried to hide her discomfort.

"… cool," Adaine whispered hoarsely. The high elf gave herself a tiny shake and cleared her voice. "So what, what do you see when you, you think about that? Like, what does that look like to yo-ou." Had she been properly alert, Adaine's apprehension would have raised concerns about the diviner. However, with sixty-five percent of her brain power allocated toward being generally miserable, Machaira's remaining cognitive function was reduced a one long mental scream of gay panic. When Machaira finally collected herself enough to efocus on the room around her, she realized that her face was glowing like a Valentine and Adaine was still waiting for her answer, both of which prompted another few seconds of internal hysteria.

"I, uh, well, um…" Machaira tried to clear her throat and started to cough. Adaine rubbed her back, and Machaira's heart twisted at the salt in her wound. "I, I know it's – it's dumb. I see myself with – someone who, who just… who just likes me. Someone who I can be myself around. We could sit and talk and laugh and complain about our day or our homework or whatever and it's not forced because we just like to be together. And sometimes we go on an actual date, and I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm nervous and make an idiot of myself. But it's okay because we already like each other, so I'm not ruining anything. And at the end of the date we flirt and kiss and promise to see each other again soon and we're both nervous but mostly just happy to have spent the time together and maybe, maybe just a little bit giddy that we were on a date together in the first place."

"And sometimes we're busy doing other things apart from each other, and it's fine because we understand that we're separate people with separate interests and responsibilities. But we still talk about those things and make an effort to be involved in each other's stuff because it's important to them. We don't make a big deal about needing alone time or being busy because we still make time for each other, and we make a big deal about that time. And it's not that we're always doing something exciting or, uh, you know, couple-y. We just, just – we like to be together. We can just curl up together and watch something or read or go to, I don't know, the park or Basrar's and it doesn't matter. What matters is that we're there because we want to be with each other."

"I can always be there for you when you need me, and you don't have to feel alone or scared with your family anymore. I, I'd have a title, a girlfriend title, that explicitly says you are not alone. I can't stop you from getting overwhelmed now and again, but I can help those moments get rarer and rarer. I'd be right there, watching you grow into the strong, powerful wizard you are destined to become, that you already are inside. But sometimes… sometimes I need to be scared and weak and overwhelmed, and you're not ashamed of me. You don't… I don't get thrown away for being weak. You would hold me and say nice things to me and help me calm down, and you wouldn't call me pathetic. I could just – I could be me, and that wouldn't be a bad thing. I wouldn't lose you for it."

"Sometimes we'd make love, and whether we were rough or gentle it would still be fantastic because we'd be sweet to each other regardless. We'd hold and touch and kiss until we came, and I'd watch you unravel under me, have you cum for me until you were reduced to an exhausted, smiling heap before we snuggled together and whispered soft things into our embrace. I could fall asleep with you in my arms and know that I'm your lover and not your pet or your fuck buddy. I'd know that you'll still want me around just as much after you finish and when you wake up the next day. But most of the time we wouldn't need to screw because just being together would be enough. A touch here, a love bite there, a kiss that lasts a little too long, and then we'd go back to our cuddles in front of the movie or our ice cream or conversation or whatever because we're just happy to be… be with each other. That's the part I really want. And that's all we need to feel full and happy and cherished, to be together and know that we love and support each other."

Machaira finally stopped to breath, feeling the air catch sharply in her throat, eyes burning with emotion she was desperate to keep hidden. The rogue's voice, already scratchy from dehydration, had grown so rough that her words had begun to splinter before terror clamped her throat. The tabaxi feared if she spoke anymore, she might let her secret escape completely, if she had not already. Throughout her stuttering rantings, Machaira had curled further and further inward, as if her broad shoulders could shield her insecurity from prying eyes. She sighed, and the sound felt especially heavy in her pounding ears. She was so very, very tired: tired of keeping her emotions hidden, tired of feeling ashamed, and tired of holding this wedge between herself and Adaine. More than anything, she wanted to be able to sit with her friend, smile, and have everything be good again.

"So, so, why do you ask?" Machaira inquired, almost immediately regretting her question. She needed to turn the conversation around. "I mean, uh, what about you? Do you, you know, think about that?" Bile surged into Machaira's throat as a more powerful wave of nausea rolled over her, fear intensifying her hangover. She wasn't sure that she wanted the answer.

The diviner wiped at one eye and blinked, glancing up with a sniff before looking back down to Machaira with one of those small, neat smiles that never failed to melt the rogue's heart. Adaine slowly wrapped her arms around Machaira and bent over enough to give her a hug, careful not to squeeze too tightly, holding her close without restraining her. The high elf's long golden hair cascaded around Machaira's head, wreathing her in the smell of paper and magic and that unquantifiable essence that was Adaine herself. Small hands rubbed her arm even as a pair of gentle lips pressed against her temple.

"I think that's beautiful," Adaine murmured without breaking contact. "I wouldn't change a single thing."

"Fuck it. No fighting destiny, I guess." – Sklonda supporting Riz when her greatest fear comes to life.

"Guys, I broke the case, alright. My father told me about The Harpy, alright? And The Harpy, ah, dh, there's runes on the ship, alright?"

"Shh," Fig cut off the excited fighter. Fabian was the last to meet them in front of Aguefort that morning and had wasted no time in filling them in on what he had gleaned from Bill. Machaira winced, appreciating the bard's interruption for different reasons. Fig had cured her hangover shortly after Machaira's confusing, emotional conversation with Adaine; but Machaira still had a bit of a lingering headache. Kristen, for her part, somehow evaded a proper hangover, which made Machaira wonder whether she had gotten drunk on a 'date' with Tracker before or if she just had a better tolerance than Machaira. Regardless, Machaira wished they could speak a little more quietly.

"Fine," Fabian whispered. "There's runes on the ship, alright? And that means that the ship can't be seen by divination. So, ah, eh, nh, that's how it snuck by the oracle!"

"But have we thought if the ship's wealth is being laundered through the bank?" Fig proposed.

"Guys, I also found out some stuff," Riz announced, breaking his near-complete silence of the morning. "Turns out my dad was a super badass. He was kind of a special agent type guy. He was going in real deep. I found – his gun's really cool." The goblin slipped a midnight-black arquebus out of his suitcase, equipped with a silencer and a bandolier of glittering bullets. Machaira gave it a nod as Fig and Gorgug oooh'd at it. Personally, she didn't like arquebuses much, but the tabaxi would not deny the weapon's quality. "It's even more magic than my gun. Um, but anyway… um, apparently, I found some evidence – there was a false wall in my apartment. I guess we have a two-bedroom."

"I hope Gilear has one of those false walls," Fig murmured.

"So, I went in there, and I found my dad's desk," Riz continued. "And it turns out that The Harpy didn't really sink."

"That's what I said," Fabian grumbled, gesticulating wildly. "I said the exact same thing, and nobody cared."

"Right, but it's The Cerulean," Riz told him.

"The Cerulean was the ship that had the oracle in it," Adaine reminded them.

"Yeah, The Cerulean did sink," Fig agreed.

"The Cerulean – "

"Unless it didn't sink," Adaine rolled over Riz's rebuttal. Machaira's lips flicked upward as she watched the elf's brain ramp up. "And it had these runes of illusion on it, and it was just an illusion that it sank? And actually it's just sailing around. Why would they want – "

"That makes sense because everyone's been saying: why would an oracle get on a ship that was going to sink?" Fig took her turn to interject.

"Right, but why did they need an oracle?" Adaine pressed. "Except, maybe they need the oracle to stop the – "

"I found out something, too," Kristen piped up, looking around with a big smile. Adaine's expression fell into an unimpressed frown.

"Is it that you're gay," she stated dully.

"I think I might be gay," Kristen admitted giddily. While most of the group snickered at the cleric, Adaine seemed less than impressed. Machaira frowned. She could understand Adaine's desire to focus on the task at hand, but the diviner was normally more tolerant of their rascally human. Adaine rubbed the bridge of her nose and gave Machaira a brief look of tired exasperation. Machaira tried to give her a supportive, commiserating glance in return, and Adaine's grimace softened. Machaira bit her lip and hip-bumped Adaine before she could lose her nerve. Adaine treated her to a flicker of a smile and gently bumped her back, sending Machaira's heart racing.

"Okay, but really though," Kristen swept on over the acknowledging mumblings of the party. "I just wanna say something really quick. I'm a little hungover, and maybe this'll take me ten minutes to say." An undercurrent of magic began to thrum through her words, imparting a familiar tingling energy into Machaira's blood. Fig was already cackling, giddy with anticipation for another bizarre inspiring speech from their cleric. "I hope it doesn't take that long, but I just wanna say… ee are friends, and for a while – uh, you know what, the corn god was my religion, but now, seeing you guys as my friends, that's what I believe in. You guys were there with me through… from kisses to kiss. So many kisses! I can't sleep sometimes, I'm thinking about all the kisses: kisses to come, kisses that passed." Adaine's shoulders suddenly slumped. Machaira turned to the deflated high elf and offered her an inquiring frown. Adaine met her stare, and Machaira's breath caught in her throat at her crush's expression. "Just so many kisses, I'm drowning in kisses at this point: older people kisses, young people kisses – kisses for all of you!" Kristen swooped down to kiss Riz, who started back on impulse.

"That was my first kiss," Riz admitted, half laughing as he accepted this weird new reality.

"Well, I'm gay," Kristen reminded him. "So you're gonna have to talk about this in therapy later: how I set you up for failure." The human grinned and jumped up to smooch Gorgug before whirling onto Fig.

"Oooh, yeah," the tiefling laughed once Kristen broke away. Machaira hardly noticed the chaos around her. Adaine was still staring down at the rogue, clear blue eyes searching Machaira's amber ones, gaze alight with… desire, nervousness? Machaira wasn't sure, but her heart quickened as she held the wizard's stare. Adaine bit her lower lip and started to lean in when Kristen spun her around and kissed the diviner full on the lips for a solid two seconds. Machaira's brain shut down completely. Fig gaped, Riz and Fabian stiffened, and Gorgug leaned away. Kristen pulled away with a giggle, and Adaine took a step back, dumbfounded. Small, elegant lips – which Kristen had just kissed – parted and moved, but no sound came out.

"You love this," Kristen teased Fabian as she gave the fighter his kiss. Machaira didn't see his reaction. Her attention was rooted on Adaine, who was rapidly coming to terms with what had just happened and now regarded the tabaxi with a familiar panic, thin chest fluttering as hyperventilation set in. Machaira instinctively began to reach out for her when it finally clicked in her head: Kristen had just kissed Adaine. Kristen had just become Adaine's first kiss, right here, right now, while Machaira was standing maybe two feet away. Kristen Applebees had taken Adaine's first kiss in front of her, and Adaine was very clearly distraught over it. The scout was still reeling from the full breadth of the situation when a smiley Kristen, having kissed the rest of their party, turned Machaira around and leaned towards her. Machaira reacted on instinct, reaching out with a clawed hand to seize the human by the collar, holding her in place. Still focused on Adaine, Machaira felt a scorching rage build up from her stomach, mouth twisting into a snarl. The rogue regarded the cleric, her golden glare reflected in the other girl's confused green orbs. Fig shouted out a protest far too late as Machaira yanked Kristen down towards her maw.

Machaira kissed Kristen roughly, crashing their lips together and forcing the cleric's mouth open. The tabaxi grabbed Kristen's hair and pulled her into a position that was comfortable for Machaira but bent Kristen at an angle. The human stumbled, but Machaira did not allow her to break contact. Machaira immediately asserted her dominance over the other woman, inhaling to steal away Kristen's breath, then sharply biting the cleric's lip before forcing Kristen's mouth open with her tongue. Machaira did not otherwise touch Kristen, starving her of the myriad of stimuli that could satisfy the basic desires for intimacy and comfort. The entire exchange was a heated, aggressive expression of power, devoid of any tenderness. After the shock faded, Kristen rapidly fell into her imposed role of the sub and attempted to reciprocate, but Machaira would not permit the cleric release. The scout ripped Kristen away by the hair, employing her superior strength to hold the larger lesbian in place and slapping a wayward hand off of her hip. The kiss lasted for maybe a second or two, but Kristen was panting as if she had run a marathon. Savage vindication flooded the tabaxi at the other girl's wide-eyed stare of confusion, desire, and submission.

"That's how a real woman kisses," Machaira growled into her ear. Kristen tried to move back in, and Machaira held her still, fist clenched in tangled red locks. "You will never have that ever again. My kisses do not belong to you." Machaira shoved Kristen away, and cleric staggered back, eyes wide and lips bruised. A few drops of blood welled from where Machaira had cut the human on a fang, but Kristen didn't seem to notice. The other girl started to reach out with a hand but retracted it almost immediately, lust and subservience fighting across her face, wide eyes pleading for more. As many kisses as Kristen had accumulated lately, she was apparently still unprepared for such a visceral advance. Machaira pointedly turned away from the cleric, at once establishing her dominance and driving home the point that Kristen wasn't allowed to touch her.

The scout caught Adaine's eyes and immediately regretted her outburst. Desire, disbelief, and outrage fought for space across Adaine's expression. Amid the stunned laughter of their friends, Machaira flattened her ears and winced, unsure how to explain her logic in front of everyone. Kristen whimpered slightly and pinched her thigh, just as she had when the cheerleaders showed up to the party yesterday. The other girl then cradled the red mark on her hand where Machaira had slapped her, biting her bruised lip and rocking back and forth on her heels. Fig and Fabian erupted with another peal of laughter while Riz ground his palms into his eyes.

"Who do those kisses belong to?" Fig teased, and Machaira flushed, tail flailing around her calves.

"S-someone special," she replied without thinking, curling in on herself at once. Machaira clamped her jaws shut, face hot at her most recent series of blunders. Fig oooh'd a bit but didn't press the issue. Humiliated, Machaira looked away from the bard and found Adaine's gaze again. The wizard held Machaira's eyes for a long, hard moment before a grin broke across her face, dismay falling aside in favor of a fierce satisfaction. Adaine laughed, breathy and nervous, and the blush that tinted her cheeks at once confused and delighted the useless tabaxi.

"So, I had a – " Gorgug began.

"Did we deduce that The Cerulean is The Harpy?" Riz asked, continuing the tradition of interrupting each other. The group nodded and murmured their agreement, mercifully distracting the party from Machaira's embarrassment.

"And we believe it to be missing," Fig added.

"Or The Harpy used its illusory capabilities to become The Cerulean," Riz suggested, explaining what he had found of his dad's notes. "Also, Zayn and Biz were attacked at the same time. Coach Daybreak had help."

"So perhaps they are – perhaps the bank is bribing your dad because he knows it's still out there." The tiefling pointed at Fabian for context.

"I didn't want to say this, but it took another strong man beating the fuck out of someone…" Kristen, still recovering, looked to the fighter. "Do you think they convinced your dad to commit the other, like, rough up?"

"Mm, my father couldn't be beaten into anything," Fabian asserted. Fig straightened and raised her hand.

"Oh, I have something, two things." Gorgug spoke up suddenly, and Fig put her hand down. "I learned about, first, this thing called docking. I don't know; it's just very interesting." Adaine gasped, mouth twisting somewhere between a wide grin and dismayed frown, eyes alight and shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. Machaira beamed at the two adorable introverts. "Second, the more important thing, my parents are working on this big power source. Are we still looking for a power source or anything?"

"Oh, for the palimpsests," Adaine recalled, turning from Gorgug to Riz.

"We don't have the palimpsests though," Machaira reminded them.

"Well, Biz says he couldn't – " Fabian began.

"Wait, are they making it for the bank?" Kristen interjected.

"She said the arcade," Gorgug corrected. Machaira assumed he meant Wilma Thistlespring and instantly trusted the information. "But – "

"Or maybe they're making it for the bank," Fig restated, fingers roaming restlessly across her bass.

"Why are you so focused on the bank?" Machaira questioned. Before Fig could respond, Fabian stiffened, eyes widening and hand going for his sword. Machaira instinctively followed suit, eyes darting around for the source of his distress but finding nothing.

"There's trouble at the girl's house," Fabian announced.

"FUCK!" Kristen shouted, drawing a few startled looks from other students crossing the lawn.

"How do we get there, take the bus?" Adaine polled, keeping her voice crisp and clear amid the babble of swearing from their party.

"Go in a car?" Gorgug suggested.

"Run," Machaira offered.

"Gilear!" Riz said for some reason. Kristen slumped.

"Let's get Gilear to drive us in his – " The human began.

"Gilear!" Fig shouted back towards the parking lot. The tiefling charged towards her stepfather with the rest of the party in hot pursuit. Gilear stopped trying to adjust his toupee under the hair net and looked over towards the gang of teens. Some piece of cafeteria food Machaira couldn't identify was caught on the mesh, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Gilear, we need to borrow your car," Adaine requested in her best polite aristocrat tone.

"What?" Gilear frowned.

"Sorry, Lunch Lad," Fig amended, dipping her head and waving a hand. Riz slipped behind Gilear during the commotion and rapidly frisked the poor man.

"No, I can't go right now; I have to warm up the Hot Pockets." Their talented goblin backed away, Gilear's keys disappearing into his pocket, and gave the party a thumbs up.

"Oh, okay, well, then you keep doing your job, and thank you for everything you've done," Kristen said, tone lacking conviction as she scuffed the dust with a shoe.

"Thank you, so much," Adaine repeated.

"Very well," the sad wood elf relented, shoulders drooping.

"Gilear, sometimes I prefer you to Gorthalax," Fig declared. Of the three girls, Fig was by far the best at faking sincerity, but Gilear had seen through his step-daughter's lies before. The portly man pursed his lips and studied his stained uniform. Kristen took this as a cue to run.

"Gilear, you have an open hot pocket on your head," Gorgug informed the Lunch Lad.

"Gilear, I don't actually want you to be my fucking dad anymore," Riz informed him. The inquisitor had slipped back into the party with Gilear none the wiser for his theft. Machaira frowned. A hazy memory from last night nagged ar her, as if that statement had some kind of context.

"What?" Gilear looked from person to person, struggling to keep up with the disparate commentary.

"I don't want you to be my dad anymore," Riz repeated, staring Gilear dead in the eye.

"Hurtful." He replied flatly, giving the rogue a resigned nod. Adaine broke into snickers and pulled a warm stack of elven whey bread out of her bag. She always kept a stash of it on hand and had toasted it with cantrips on the bus ride to school less than ten minutes ago. The aromatic steam wafted around the group, pleasant even to Machaira's carnivorous senses and probably taunting to the malnourished wood elf. While Machaira felt that was a little mean, the high elf's delighted smile, happy just to be a part of the group activity, kindled a rush of warmth in the tabaxi.

"Everyone's introducing a different topic to me right now!" Gilear finally yelled, hands spread in a desperate gesture to stop. Fabian and Machaira's will power shattered, and both of them snorted loudly. Fig and Gorgug made a valiant effort to repress their smiles until they mistake of looking at each other. Riz slumped with an exhausted chuckle, but their wizard cracked the hardest. Adaine broke into peals of laughter, staggering back across the pavement and clutching Machaira's shoulder for support. The scout grabbed her hand and joined in her laughter, relieved to know that there was no animosity between them.

"I might be gay!" Kristen shouted from the other side of the parking lot, sprinting back to the group now that she realized no one had followed her.

"Oh my god," Gilear exclaimed, grasping his head and further mashing the hot pocket into his toupee.

"You said you were for sure," Riz accused as the cleric returned to their clusterfuck of a party.

"I mean…" Kristen looked up and spread her hands, a loopy smile spreading across her face. "I'm leaving my options open." She glanced sidelong at Machaira, who bared a few fangs and looked away in response.

"Okay, goodbye, Gilear," Riz laughed, saluting the frustrated elf. The goblin nodded back toward the school and began to walk away, motioning with a hand at his hip for the rest of them to follow.

"Are you still drunk from last night?" Gilear demanded of Kristen as the party walked off.

"No, I'm fine. I got some coffee – it was Irish." Kristen threw up a hand in a half shrug, Fig giggling behind her. "I'm not Irish. I thought it was funny." Gilear shook his head and plodded off toward the school. The party circled around as he vanished through the front doors and began to pile into his car. Fig took a moment to scan the grounds and scowled before hopping into the driver's seat. Fabian pushed Gorgug aside to secure shotgun, so the barbarian joined Riz and the lesbians in the back. Kristen claimed the right-side window, but Machaira wasn't too keen to sit next to her. Adaine seemed to share the sentiment as the wizard gestured for Gorgug to go next. The half-orc looked between the two remaining girls for a few seconds before hesitantly following their cues and hunching over in the middle seat. Riz started and hurried to join him, eventually squeezing himself into Kristen's lap. Machaira dithered, looking to Adaine, who waved a hand for her to proceed. Machaira bit the inside of her lip and ducked into the cramped space. The rogue had barely sat down when Adaine squeezed in and sat on her lap, shutting the door behind her. While Machaira rationalized that this was the most logical way to fit everyone, her heart still leapt into her throat when Adaine pulled the seatbelt around her, essentially strapping herself into Machaira's lap. Half of her whispered that Adaine wanted to sit like this while the more realistic part of her feared the high elf would pick up on her nervousness and start asking questions.

"Are you comfortable?" Adaine asked, glancing over her shoulder at the scout. Machaira nodded, and Adaine settled back against her, tilting her head to rest upon Machaira's shoulder and neck. The tabaxi cautiously hugged Adaine around the waist, and the diviner immediately took hold of her arms and smiled. Gilear's car was slow and constantly made some form of ticking or grinding noise as they drove. The AC was broken, and the windows couldn't open, so the crowded space heated rapidly. Fabian loudly demanded to know why everything Gilear touched was garbage, so Fig, whose fire resistance meant that she was the only person not covered in sweat, jerked the car to knock Fabian against the side and punished the rest of them by proxy.

Despite all of this, Machaira rather enjoyed the drive. As an elf, Adaine was the second-least sweaty person in the car, and her breath was pleasantly cool on Machaira's muzzle. The wizard absently played with the tabaxi's jacket and tail, reminding Machaira how close they still were. Machaira wiped her hands off on the seat, but only her right arm made it back to the embrace. Adaine's left hand ambushed Machaira's in the space between her leg and the door, forcibly interlacing their fingers and squeezing tightly. Machaira looked to her, wondering what was up with the diviner today, but Adaine merely smirked and closed her eyes. Since no one seemed to notice them, Machaira gave her a little squeeze in return. The high elf didn't say anything, but a delicate thumb began to trace patterns through the fine haze of fur over her knuckles and hand. Machaira felt her anxiety slip away and decided that Adaine knew what she was doing. The rogue tightened her one-arm hold on Adaine and dozed through the rest of the car ride, a faint purr fluttering in her chest.

The brief respite came to an abrupt end when Fig pulled up in front of Zelda's house. The Hangman idled on a smoldering battlefield that was once the front yard, covered in blood and surrounded by a bunch of shirtless tattooed satyrs, all of whom bore a twisted expression of rage. Dotting the yard lay the remains of what Machaira could only assume to be weird elemental creatures, smashed and torn beyond further identification. However, having fought similar conjurations less than twenty-four hours ago, Machaira had a pretty good mental picture to go off of. As she stepped out of the car into this scene of suburban slaughter, Machaira felt weirdly comfortable now that she was working with something quasi-familiar… which said nothing positive about her current mental state. Adaine and Riz swore aloud, but Fabian strode forward with his usual swagger.

"Hangman, Hangman," the fighter called. "What happened?"

"Master, these rad satyrs flipped out and killed all of these summoned beings here," the Hangman crowed, revving excitedly. One of the satyrs, more muscular and heavily decorated than the others, approached the teens, face set in a fierce glare. Machaira normally thought of satyrs as smaller humanoids, but this one stood over six feet tall, not counting the glossy horns that swept up from his curly brown and grey hair. Machaira instinctively moved closer to the front of the group as the satyr scanned them up and down.

"Hey, which one of you?" He demanded, sweeping a finger across their ranks. "Which one of you is – you are the boyfriend." The finger jabbed emphatically towards Gorgug. Riz caught Machaira's eye, and the rogues began to cautiously flank him, using their stealth training to position themselves without being super obvious. Fabian rested a casual hand on his rapier hilt and sauntered back to the group, loosely surrounding the satyr with their weapon fighters. Gorgug didn't notice their movements, seemingly too daunted by the satyr's address.

"I don't know if I'm her boyfriend," the barbarian protested quietly.

"Yes, that's him," Fabian contradicted, smiling even as his sword hand twitched. The satyr surged forward, faster than any of them expected, grabbed Gorgug's collar, and pulled him in for a kiss. The remaining teens stopped and stared, stunned, at the morning's seventh uninvited kiss, except for Fabian, who merely laughed. However, unlike Machaira's kiss, Zelda's father seemed to be welcoming Gorgug rather than dominating him. Though the kiss was firm and uncomfortably fervent, Zelda's father kept his lips shut and didn't twist the half-orc into an awkward position. When he broke away, the older man's face had traded the scowl for a smolder but retained his previous emotional intensity.

"I am the father of your woman," the satyr informed Gorgug, every sultry word dripping with masculine passion.

"Okay," the berserker agreed quickly, eyes wide on the other end of the satyr's muscular arm. Gorgug tried to say something else, but the words deteriorated into nervous mumblings.

"Was that your second kiss?" Fig asked Gorgug in a murmur. At once the party broke into giggles, Gorgug included.

"You're babbling," Riz teased the barbarian.

"Two kisses today," Kristen teased. Zelda's father was less amused.

"Someone put my girl in this ball," he told them angrily, holding up a crystal palimpsest in the hand that wasn't fisted around Gorgug's hoodie collar. Adaine gasped; Kristen swore loudly; Fig gaped; Riz put his head in his hand; Machaira hissed; Fabian scowled; and Gorgug stared dumbly at the rock that had become the bane of their collective existences.

" 'Kay, we have lost every other palimpsest," Kristen stated loudly. "We have to –"

"We can get her out," Riz told the satyr, who looked inquisitively about the group. Machaira hoped Kristen would have the sense to save that particular conversation for later. If this man thought that they were incompetent, he probably wouldn't let them take the palimpsest. Machaira didn't love their chances against Zelda's zealous kin.

"Yeah, we think we can get her out," Adaine assured him quickly, hands drawn up and in beneath her chin. The satyr glanced from goblin to high elf, eyes narrowed, and nodded slightly.

"You can get her out," he repeated, voice hushed. The battle dancer turned to Gorgug and jabbed with an index finger. "I trust you." He passed the palimpsest over to Gorgug, and Machaira wasn't sure whether to feel relieved at their luck or alarmed at how little it took for this guy to hand his daughter off to an unknown boy she'd gone on one date with. "When you get her out, you know what you must do." Fig instantly smirked.

"Uh, ah, ny, um, huh, yes, I do," Gorgug mumbled. Zelda's father continued to point at him, unblinking eyes demanding a more complete answer.

"I think he means the honorable thing to do is to marry her," Fig murmured to him.

"Oh." Gorgug scrunched up his face for a moment before looking back up at the satyr. The half-orc tried for a smile but only succeeded in looking uncomfortable. "I will – "

"What?" Zelda's father demanded, piercing gaze darting to Fig before returning to Gorgug. "No, we worship the god of wine and ecstasy."

"We have wine," Adaine informed him, smirking slightly now.

"Yeah, I have a bunch of fine elven wine," Fig assured him, pulling a bottle out of her bag for proof. The satyr's expression finally relaxed and fell into a smirk of his own. Machaira snorted and tried to minimize her grin, torn between amusement and disapproval for this style of parenting.

"Then you know what you must do," he told Gorgug.

"I have to get drunk with her?" Gorgug clarified, frowning at the shirtless man before him.

"That's a start, my man."

"Oh, okay," Gorgug acquiesced, shrinking inward.

"Oh my god," Fig breathed, grinning. Adaine smiled at Gorgug then threw a glance toward Machaira. The scout caught her eye, and both girls blushed. Machaira's gaze flicked between Adaine and the ground, yet Adaine's smirk only grew. The elf took a long step sideways to stand next to the scout, color deepening on her cheeks and mirth dancing in her eyes as she regarded the shorter girl. Machaira's tail skidded across the pavement, and the tabaxi quickly combed her claws through her mane a few times. Adaine's smile finally grew to show her teeth, and the wizard directed her focus back toward the conversation, every line of her body straight with triumph. Machaira exhaled sharply, suddenly very warm in her wyvern jacket.

"Very well, we will return to our home and continue to watch daytime television," Zelda's father declared.

"Is it cool if I have some of this punch?" Kristen asked. While everyone else was talking, the human had crossed the lawn to the only object left standing amid the scorched rubble: a folding table bearing a stack of cups and a glass bowl filled with dark purple/red liquid. Kristen hadn't waited for permission to take a drink, and a reddish film of fluid clung to her upper lip like a mustache.

"Oh, that is a religious hallucinogenic," Zelda's father explained. Riz dissolved into breathy laughter somewhere behind Machaira as Kristen cocked her head, wide grin frozen on her face.

"Oh…" Everyone continued to stare at the smiley cleric until she shrugged and took another sip. "It tastes good. There's some melon in it. I didn't expect that."

"You should apologize to her," Fig whispered to Machaira as Kristen downed her drink. Machaira started and stared at the bard. For once, Fig wasn't smiling. "That kiss was kind of funny, but you know you need to straighten that out, for her sake." Adaine scowled at the tiefling but didn't say anything as Kristen rejoined the group. As the satyrs went inside, Machaira bit the inside of her mouth. Fig was right. She needed to apologize to two people for that. Adaine wrinkled her nose and began casting a spell, which Machaira was pleased to recognize as Detect Magic. The diviner walked about the yard, studying the elemental remains, and her expression quickly fell into a confused and frustrated frown.

"How the hell?" She exclaimed softly. "This is Aelwyn." Machaira's hackles bristled.

"Did she get out of jail?" Gorgug asked. At once the entire party began talking over each other.

"Maybe Penelope is the one that's…" Riz started to talk over the din but trailed off, eyes narrowing.

"Wait," Fig gasped. "That – I bet Penelope is your sister. I bet your sister is disguised as Penelope, maybe."

"But she's in jail," Adaine protested, pouting as if she'd just had a talk with her parents.

"But she got out?" Gorgug clarified.

"I hate her so much," Adaine announced, scowling and balling her hands into fists. Machaira moved to stand near Adaine without touching her or boxing her in. The wizard glanced over, and Machaira sent her a tight-jawed but sympathetic expression. Frustration and support were difficult to express together, yet Adaine seemed to understand and lowered her fists a little.

"I also didn't tell you guys that Zayne and Biz were attacked at the exact same time," Riz said.

"No, you did," Machaira assured him.

"Yeah," Fabian nodded.

"That's what I was saying," Kristen reminded them, jabbing a thumb towards Fabian. "Do you think Bill Seacaster was the second attacker?"

"I don't think so," Adaine disagreed. "I think it was another –"

"Someone strong enough," Kristen interrupted, tilting her head toward Fabian.

"I think he's just muscle for something," Gorgug argued. Machaira wasn't sure if he was agreeing with Kristen or not. Fabian did his best to keep his expression blank, but his mouth pulled down at the corners the more they talked about his dad.

"I don't think Seacaster would beat up a child," Adaine stated, furrowing her brow. The wizard spoke quietly but clearly, and her voice cut through the general dissenting babble. "I think he wouldn't see it as an honorable fight."

"Seacaster also seems to be a more recent addition to this mystery, like Aelwyn claimed to be," Machaira added. "He told Fabian that he had a new job the second he accepted it, but that was after Daybreak died."

"We have to find Penelope." Fabian asserted. "We have to." Adaine's crystal pinged. The elf frowned and fished her crystal out of her pocket.

"My mom sent me a news article," she muttered, wincing as she looked about the party.

"It's probably about marriage," Kristen predicted quickly.

"Yeah, it's probably – just close it," Fig dismissed.

"What's it say?" Riz pressed. Adaine pressed her lips into a line, half-amused and half-embarrassed.

"Just check the headline," Machaira suggested quietly. Adaine huffed and clicked the link. The diviner's smile slipped away, replaced by stunned disbelief. Adaine glanced up, mouth open and moving, but it took her a few tries to get the words out.

"The government discovered that an elven strike team liberated a diplomatic family member from custody," Adaine told them quietly. "And Solace has declared war."

"That would be your sis-ter," Kristen sang, weaving a little as the punch kicked in.

"So, I think I maybe accidentally started a war," Adaine summarized, arching one eyebrow and sucking her lips into her mouth. Machaira shifted a little closer to Adaine, and the diviner rocked into her side for a brief moment before pulling back.

"That happened fast," Gorgug noted, more impressed than alarmed.

"Right!" Adaine complained.

"They broke her out," Riz murmured, frowning.

"Well, they want a war," Fig guessed.

"Should we just – "

"Let's just text Biz and see what he says we should do with the crystal?" Gorgug proposed, circling back to the original topic of conversation.

"Well, if there's a war, should I – "

"Should we pick a headquarters?" Kristen wondered aloud. "We don't have to go to school, right?"

"Yeah, no, I'm not going to fucking school," Adaine stated, glancing between her crystal and the party, clearly still thinking about her sister.

"Well if there's a war…" Riz trailed off to let the group giggle at Adaine's dismissive rage. "Should we call, should we find out – 'cause Aelwyn must have got out of jail. That's what it said, right? She broke free?" Fig muttered an assent.

"I know this is crazy, but I think Strongtower Luxury Apartments should be our main headquarters." Kristen couldn't even finish the sentence without cracking.

"Great." Adaine snapped, eyes narrowed. "Can we – can we, let's go, let's go to…" The wizard trailed off, fingers clutched around her crystal.

"We don't need a base," Machaira agreed. "We need to focus on the palimpsest and Aelwyn, who is not only free from jail but also free to wander around and kidnap people for some reason."

"I think – what we needed earlier and…" Gorgug hunched his shoulders and tried to collect himself. "We can ask Biz to see if this makes any sense." The half-orc waved his hands in a circle, visibly frustrated as the words refused to come to him. "And also I'm so stupid, so I don't even know what I'm talking about. But we need a – "

"We have the power source from your parents," Kristen interjected, pointing at the barbarian.

"Right," Gorgug muttered.

"You're not stupid," Machaira spoke up. "This is a taxing day for all of us, but we can manage. Let's start with what we know and contact Biz."

"Yeah, bring Biz to your parents' house, and we can start." Adaine affirmed quietly. Fig nodded.

"Okay, yeah," Gorgug murmured. "Let's go to my parents' house with Biz." As they all began to stuff themselves into the backseat, Riz delayed them to text Biz before he became wedged between Gorgug, Kristen, and Fabian, who of course reclined the shotgun seat as far back as possible. Fig proposed that their texts might get intercepted and it would be better to just go to his house. During this discussion, Machaira steeled herself and touched the back of Adaine's hand with a fingertip.

"Hey." The diviner turned and looked at her with those bright blue eyes. Sometimes her gaze was clouded and uncertain, but right now Adaine held an aura of intense focus. Her goals were as inevitable as the forward flow of time, and no one would stop her. Adaine was as beautiful as she was intimidating, and Machaira's breath caught in her throat for a minute.

"We're here with you," Machaira told her, hoping these were the right words. "You're our gold." Adaine smiled, and the warmth in her gaze filled the tabaxi with happy jitters. "Let's go spill your sister's blood." Adaine sat on Machaira's lap and, though this trip was much tenser than the previous one, the high elf took Machaira's hand again, and with her crush holding tightly to her, the rogue dared to hope that there was a light at the end of all of this.

Despite their declarations not to go to school today, it was only ten in the morning, and they had to go to Aguefort to pick up Biz. Riz snuck inside to find and retrieve the pixie. Machaira wanted to come with him in case anything happened, but Riz argued that Biz knew him the best and probably wouldn't ask any questions if the goblin came alone. They were right to trust the inquisitor's intuition, for it took Riz less than ten minutes to leave the car and return with the pixie in tow.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Biz greeted them cheerfully.

"Get in the car, Biz," Riz ordered, waving the pixie into the already crammed car.

"Okay." As the techie tried to buzz his way into the already over-flowing car, Fig and Adaine exchanged guarded looks and cautiously appraised Biz. While the pixie didn't notice their suspicion at his easy answer, Riz caught the girls' eyes and gave a discreet head shake. Fig and Adaine exchanged another look before inclining their heads.

"Alright, Biz, you check out," Riz assured the nerd.

"Sweet," Biz replied happily. Fabian reluctantly allowed Riz to sit on him to keep Biz out of the front, so the pixie tried to land in Adaine's lap, waggling his eyebrows as he approached. Adaine glared daggers, and Machaira snarled, tightening her hold on the diviner.

"This seat is full," Machaira told him.

"Oh, don't worry, you're not the seat I was looking at," Biz said, eyes fixed on Adaine. Machaira hissed, but Adaine didn't flinch.

"My seat is taken, Biz," The elf informed him, every word hard and cold as hail. Machaira immediately quieted, once again impressed by Adaine's tenacity. Apparently, some shred of her rejection penetrated his tiny brain because Biz smirked, shrugged, and flew to sit in Gorgug's lap instead, which the barbarian didn't seem too happy about himself. This was only a miniscule improvement since Biz was still right next to Adaine, but it was the best they were going to get. Machaira took a moment to both appreciate and lament how little her friend needed her these days. Riz shot the girls an apologetic look from the front seat. Kristen didn't seem to have a strong opinion on the techie's presence; she was too preoccupied trying to grab invisible shapes in the air as the hallucinogenic punch made itself known. Adaine spared Biz a final glower as she wormed backward into Machaira, dragging the scout's arm tighter around herself. Machaira adjusted her embrace into a more protective hold, and Adaine treated her to a grateful smile. Machaira pushed aside her inadequacy and focused on her pride in Adaine. The emotion must have shown through, for Adaine's face lit up, delighted to receive such a small piece of positive reinforcement.

To better ignore Biz, the wizard took out her crystal and opened the article her mother had sent her, reading highlights aloud to the car. Apparently, the declaration of war was an even bigger deal than they had first thought. The Solicians were more than a little alarmed by Fallinel's brazen use of military agents within their territory, and although the decision to go to war was almost universally agreed upon, the sudden prospect of fighting the powerful elven nation deeply disturbed the powers that be.

"I mean, it's insane that my parents would just text me an article to tell me this and not be like: You should come home." Adaine grumbled.

"Would you want to go home with them?" Machaira asked, stretching her head around Adaine's shoulder to look the high elf in the eye.

"Probably not, but it would just be nice if they at least acted like I was their kid once in a while," Adaine admitted quietly, staring down at her lap.

"Well, yeah, your whole family sucks," Machaira agreed.

"They are just the worst," Fabian seconded. Fig hummed an agreement.

"Honestly, it's kind of amazing that you turned out so awesome when you had so little to work with," Machaira continued, giving the diviner a squeeze. "You somehow managed to keep all the cool wizard pieces without the whole 'cold bitch' vibe the rest of them have. Pretty admirable when you think about it." Adaine smirked and nestled her fingers in Machaira's tail, other hand still skimming over the surface of her crystal.

"Yeah, screw your family," Fig echoed. "Come stay with me and Gilear."

"Roommates," Kristen cheered, head weaving in circles.

"Yeah, sure," Adaine approved easily. "Way better than living with my parents. Though, it would be nice to live somewhere a little less urban, too." Machaira caught her friend's eye, and her mouth went dry as she struggled to formulate a response. Fig cackled like a hyena.

"Well, if Milady is looking for a place to stay out of the hustle and bustle of the inner city, look no further than moi," Biz declared, leaning around Gorgug's arm to waggle his eyebrows and wink at Adaine. "There's always room for a fine damsel such as yourself in my basement." Adaine went from comfortably nestled in Machaira's limbs to tense and disgusted in seconds, face twisted with alarm and repulsion. Machaira could hear her own hackles bristling, and an instinctive growl rattled the loose plastic handles to the car doors. The tabaxi unsheathed the claws on her left hand and held them up between her crush and the senior. Oh, right, Biz was a senior while they were freshmen. Machaira had almost forgotten that little gem of context, but her snarl deepened at the recollection.

"No." Adaine stated with passion. "Just – do you remember what we talked about before, Biz? This is part of the problem. You cannot talk about bringing girls down into basements or call them damsels – "

"Can we look for more information?" Riz requested loudly, shooting Adaine a pointed but not unsympathetic look. "Like, what preceded this happening? Um, we see that she broke out of the jail cell, but –"

"She was broken out by an elven strike team," Fig clarified from the front seat, voice unusually tight. "That means that Fallinel sent a crew." Machaira understood why they were trying to divert conversation towards a safer topic. They still needed Biz to get Zelda out of the palimpsest, but that didn't make Machaira any less angry about how to pixie spoke to Adaine. Despite the fact that she had no claim to Adaine, no power over her, no desire to control her, and there was no reason for Biz to assume that Machaira had any feelings beyond friendship for the wizard… despite all of that, Machaira couldn't help the surge of territorial aggression that itched under her claws. Machaira had reluctantly conceded to let Biz's offense slide when Adaine forcibly wedged herself against Machaira's chest, trying to back them further into the corner somehow. The rogue bit back a grunt, wiggling her legs and arms to accommodate the diviner as she crushed herself into Machaira. Adaine hooked an arm around Machaira's shoulder and shot a surly look at the distracted techie, twisting sideways to put as much distance as possible between herself and Biz in the tiny space. Machaira acquiesced to her new, more squished position and swept aside Adaine's murmured apology, irritation lost in a rush of savage triumph, tail thumping into the side door as it tried to rise. Adaine continued to read the article from their defensive cuddle, revealing that Aelwyn has been remanded into elven custody.

"Remanded into elven custody," Adaine repeated under her breath. "I think she's just at home." The high elf crinkled her nose and frowned.

"Should we go to your house?" Riz asked hesitantly.

"I don't think we should go there," Gorgug said, shaking his head. Adaine pointed at the half-orc.

"No," she agreed. "Let's break out this pal – let's see if we can get this palimpsest…" Adaine trailed away, nerves starting to show again. Machaira gave her bicep a squeeze, and the wizard clasped Machaira's hand, drawing in a sharp breath through her nose.

"Ah, don't worry, Milady, I can work my magic on the palimpsest – to start with," Biz said, leering at Adaine and letting his eyes freely wander her figure just in case the innuendo wasn't obvious enough. Machaira hissed and tried to draw herself into an attack position, but the seatbelt kept her restrained, and Adaine's presence in front of her meant that Machaira had no room to maneuver or loosen it. Adaine sank her head into her hand and turned her covered face into Machaira's neck, body sagging with defeat. The scout tightened her protective embrace, trying to cover as much of Adaine as she could with her arms, almost shaking with frustration. Kristen chose that moment to cough up some punch-related spittle, and a rush of appreciation for their chaotic cleric swelled within Machaira as the Riz and Gorgug flipped out. Fortunately, they pulled up in front of the Thistlespring residence before the boys could fully recover. The welcome sight of the gnomish abode, decked out with the multitude of contraptions Machaira could still only wonder at, was partially obscured by a giant clockwork monstrosity of burnished metal, cables, and crystals. The entire device hummed slightly, sending tiny vibrations through Machaira's teeth. Biz temporarily forgot about Adaine, wide eyes undressing the machine instead.

"Oh, baby," he murmured lowly. "Huhuhuh, okay, daddy like. Ah, huhuh." Adaine stiffened, cheeks scrunching, and swallowed with a grimace. Machaira could smell the vomit on her breath. She couldn't blame her. The rogue gave Adaine a sympathetic look and a quick squeeze on the shoulder. Biz tried to climb over Adaine to get out, so Machaira thrust out a hand to stop him, shoving the pixie back until Adaine and herself climbed out first. It took a lot more self-control than Machaira liked not to cut the techie for ogling Adaine's butt as she left, though Machaira was just as drawn to the sight as Biz. You need to stop, she thought. You CANNOT act like Biz. Controlling herself got a lot easier when Gorgug accidently stepped on her tail getting out of the car.

"Sorry," he rushed, flinching away.

"… it's okay," she gasped, colored spots dancing behind her eyes as shocks of pain ran up her spine. Adaine started to move for her tail but stopped herself, blue eyes flitting from Machaira's face to her tail. The scout grunted and gave her a thumbs up, curling her tail around her leg. Bast, it wasn't even noon, and far too much had already happened today.

"Should one of us be spying on your house?" Kristen inquired of Gorgug, speech slurring a little. Fig perked up and squared her shoulders. The tiefling leapt out of the car to start strutting around the property like an eager German Shephard, which was a little funny since both Thistlesprings were out on the lawn and appeared fairly bewildered by the display. The little gnomes shook their heads and jogged over to the party, just as full of smiles and parental concern as the first time the party had come to the tree.

"Hey, bud, how's it going?" Digby Thistlespring greeted.

"Uh, kinda bad," Gorgug admitted. "Um, do you remember that girl I told you about?"

"Yeah."

"She's in here." Gorgug held up the palimpsest. His parents yelped. "She got stuck… some, some magic put her in here. But I think if we use the power source that you have here, we could maybe start to get her out." Biz, still staring at the device on the Thistlespring lawn, raised a finger and grinned.

"I've got an idea," he announced. "Check it out, we can't move this thing in a car, or I don't know if we can, but can you guys meet me tonight at the Elm Valley Mall? Because we could hook this bad boy up to the new arcade they're building there, and that's gonna power this bad boy up. We could get this fucking palimpsest cracked in no time with the amount of juice running into that place."

"But this was already going into the arcade, right?" Kristen clarified. The Thistlesprings nodded, and Biz beamed.

"Bingo fucking bango, guys," the pixie crowed. "Hacker, back at it again, wild!"

"That's weird," Kristen mumbled. Adaine, Fabian, and Machaira muttered agreements. Something seemed off here.

"Yeah, that's wild, Biz," Riz murmured, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, Biz," Adaine added, disgust put aside in favor of contemplation.

"That's kinda weird, though," Kristen repeated more loudly. "Why was it already going to the arcade? Is someone else trying to do something with these palimpsests?"

"We just gotta get her out, I think," Gorgug rebutted. Adaine murmured an agreement. "So let's just go."

"Well, we have to protect the palimpsest - " Fig began, still pacing around the yard.

"Yeah, definitely," Kristen groaned, wiping at her eyes and swaying a bit. Gorgug's parents looked at each other, looked at their son, looked back at each other, and smiled. Machaira wondered yet again why Gorgug was so focused on his birth parents when he had the most loving family imaginable right here.

"We already have a van to move it if you guys want," Wilma offered.

"Yeah, we'll load it," Adaine agreed, carefully studying the device before them.

"We'll accompany you to the old mall," Riz proposed, dark eyes peering at some equation that floated in his head.

"I'm gonna text Gilear and tell him that I'm still borrowing his car," Fig announced. Her crystal buzzed after only a twenty second delay. "Oh. Gilear's already made a few reports to the police. He says that, 'I should tell him these things in advance.' I'm going to tell him to call the pigs off." Riz protested amid the collective chuckles of the rest of the party. Machaira's initial grin only grew at the sound of Adaine's adorable giggles. Gods, I am absolutely pathetic, the tabaxi thought, mentally slapping herself.

Since the Thistlesprings weren't supposed to deliver their magical generator until after the mall closed that evening, they spent some time hanging out at the tree. Fig finally got her jam session with Wilma and Digby, and the three merry musicians treated them to a few hours of festive tunes. Riz took responsibility for Biz and kept the pixie distracted geeking out over the Tinkers' projects, so Biz was only able to creepily flirt with Adaine about a dozen times instead of constantly. Kristen went to the bathroom and returned with another three shots of gnomish whiskey in her system, providing further chaos for the event. Despite their situation, Machaira lost herself in the momentary bubble of peace, laughing and snacking with her friends throughout the impromptu party. When the Thistlesprings demanded that they dance to one especially upbeat rhythm, Machaira persuaded Fabian to be her partner, and the two cut an energetic swath across the yard as they spun and swayed about each other, Fig and Kristen quickly joining them. Gorgug, Riz, and Adaine declined but sang and laughed alongside.

For the most part, Adaine and Machaira did not speak or touch during this period, which Machaira only noticed when they were ready to go and Adaine sat next to her in the van. The high elf was a little breathless but full of smiles and deliberately pressed the side of her leg against Machaira's. The tabaxi bit her lip and ran her claws through her mane, drawing a giggle from Adaine as she buckled herself in, shoulder and arm lying against Machaira's side even though there was plenty of room to spread out. The rogue grinned and flexed her fingers, unsure what to do with herself. She hesitantly moved a hand towards Adaine and was immediately met with the diviner's soft palm sliding into her grasp, tightly interlocking their fingers. Machaira's tail spun like a panicking snake, but Adaine merely laughed again, temporarily releasing Machaira's hand to pull her tail into their laps and began petting the fluffy limb. Machaira's eyelids fluttered, a purr sparking in her chest, sending shivers throughout the van.

"Pardon me, madame, but it seems that this seat is available for yours truly, if it please Milady." Biz sat down on Adaine's other side, wiggling his eyebrows. The senior strapped himself in, which required him to fly up about a foot, smirked at the wizard, and winked. Adaine, good humor completely evaporated, visibly bit back a retort that might offend the still necessary techie and crossed her arms and legs. Machaira had already withdrawn her tail and hissed softly, amazed at how persistent and blind this very little man could be. Thankfully, the drive to the mall was short, so the two girls only had to endure ten minutes of Biz's misogyny, bristling every time he touched Adaine's thigh or shoulder. It was a testament to their growth into young women that they understood they would be forced to silently bear this treatment many more times in the future with little hope of convincing people to stop. Fig and Riz shot them sympathetic looks from the front and middle seats while Fabian and Gorgug shifted uncomfortably. Kristen didn't seem lucid enough to really notice. Despite the fact that Adaine refused the senior's every advance, Biz continued to labor under the belief that she wasn't actually saying no. Machaira suggested that he take Adaine's words at face value, but Biz completely ignored her, either because he was so oblivious that he actually hadn't heard her or because he just didn't care about what she had to say. Machaira never thought that she would feel small next to a pixie, but today was a day of many firsts. The scout's claws twitched in her lap, wishing that she could teach Biz a proper lesson in respect, but Adaine did not lash out, so Machaira restrained herself. The elf caught her frustrated gaze a few times and shared a look of sympathetic anger, but they knew better than to strike Biz before he had completed his usefulness. Machaira tried to impart solidarity with her expression, but, all in all, it was a very unhappy couple that slid out into the parking lot, Adaine grabbing her elbows while Machaira fumed at her side like a tawny shadow.

Wilma and Digby, who had agreed to let Fig drive the van while they took Gilear's car so their party could keep an eye on the power source, assured the teens that they would be perfectly fine installing the device on their own. With the power source taken care of, the party took advantage of their after-hours access to scout the mall. During this time, Machaira took a deep breath and slid in next to Kristen.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" Machaira asked lowly.

"Sure," Kristen replied loudly, stumbling over her staff. Machaira bit her lip and carefully took the cleric by the elbow, pulling them a few paces behind the group.

"Listen, about that kiss –"

"That was great," Kristen interrupted, giggling. "But don't worry, I won't ask for another one. Unless you're offering?" The tabaxi didn't miss the hope in her voice.

"No," Machaira said. "That's kind of what I want to talk about. I, uh, I shouldn't have kissed – I shouldn't have done what I did. It was a little mean and probably a little confusing –"

"I like girls," Kristen reminded her, lopsided grin dominating her face.

"I know," Machaira confirmed. "We all know. But, back there – what I did was dominant and aggressive and please stop making that face. Mmm, anyway, I shouldn't have kissed you like that because I, uh, don't like you, like-like you. I just don't. I like girls, too, but I don't like you. In that way. I, I was in a very bad mood, but that's not an excuse for how, the way – what I did. I shouldn't have kissed you like that."

"I liked it," Kristen promised. Machaira tried to withhold a shiver, but her tail still convulsed behind her.

"Well, you shouldn't have." Machaira said bluntly. "That was an angry, unkind thing for me to do. It was supposed to hurt you, and I'm sorry. I really am because I hate being treated like that. Clearly you feel differently, but I was still way out of line. Also, I don't want to kiss you anyway… in any way. Ever. So, I shouldn't have done that, and I'm not going to do it again. Um, so, uh, friends?"

"Hicc, friends," Kristen agreed, wrapping Machaira in an uncomfortably tight hug. Machaira gagged but reciprocated. When Kristen finally let go, the rest of the party was waiting for them. Machaira accepted their snickers with as much grace as she could muster, though she did appreciate Fig's approving nod.

"That was good of you," Adaine murmured, dropping back to walk next to her.

"Well, Fig had to tell me to do it," Machaira reminded her. "But she was right; I shouldn't have done that."

"Apologizing can be hard," Adaine remarked, lowering her voice. "I'm finding that out myself. I still think you taught her a lesson about how she treats people. Maybe. Hard to say"

"There's, um, someone else I need to apologize to about that incident," the tabaxi admitted, squaring her shoulders. Machaira had no idea how to apologize to Adaine without revealing why, but it felt very important that she try. As the scout gathered her courage, something clicked in Adaine's head, and her gaze went from curious to smugly vindicated in seconds.

"Hey guys, my parents are done," Gorgug hollered, waving his lit crystal.

"Let's do this later," Adaine suggested, voice so smooth it was almost a purr. "Tonight, after we free Zelda, I want to set aside a lot of time for us to talk, just the two of us, okay?" Machaira nodded, both excited and frightened by the prospect. Adaine ruffled her ears, nails caressing her jaw before resuming a mostly professional countenance, marred by only the hint of a grin. A very confused Machaira trotted behind her, blushing furiously and trying to exert some degree of control over her tail. The rogue had to refocus on their mission rather quickly as finding the arcade proved to be easy. Now that it had power, the massive outlet was full of flashing neon lights and sounds. Wilma and Digby stood outside the entrance, smiling fit to burst.

"Hey, uh, mom, dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I think… I'd like if you guys got outta here," Gorgug admitted. "We can handle it from here, I think." The megawatt smiles fell.

"O-okay, if you think that's wise, sure." Dibgy conceded.

"Biz, you got it, right?" Gorgug asked. The pixie sniffed.

"Uh, do I got it?" Biz began, cocky grin curling across his face.

"You got it, right." Gorgug demanded this time, flinty voice inviting no boasts. Riz immediately started laughing.

"Oh, yes, I got it, right," Biz agreed quickly. "Yeah for sure." Adaine scowled at the pixie, took out her crystal, and typed out an angry text. Machaira glanced over to see her send one word in response to her mom's article link: 'kay.

"Guys, Igottaslushie," Kristen announced, words running together as she held up a meter–long plastic cup full of icy green liquid.

"That's a margarita," Riz corrected her, frowning. "Who gave you a margarita?"

"What?" Kristen cackled, either already drunk or doing an excellent job of faking it. Machaira peered past her to a shitty tropical-themed bar in the food court, the only business that had liquid spilled over the counters. A fridge door hung open, unbound by the smashed lock that dangled from it, revealing a line of tall margaritas prepped for the next work day.

"It's war time, so I'm sure everything's looser now," Fabian dismissed with a hand wave. Gorgug murmured goodbye to his parents, holding out a hand to stop the party from entering the arcade until they had turned the corner and vanished out of view. For once, the barbarian led the party forward. The first room of the arcade was empty save for the rewards case, a single glass display box filled with prizes that formed the front desk and opened at the back into a wire wall-rack.

"Hey, Biz," Fig addressed the pixie calmly but without warmth, which was better than Machaira trusted herself to do.

"Yeah?"

"You got dark vision?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I do, too," Gorgug informed her, frowning.

"Me too," Adaine added, arms crossed. Kristen cast Detect Evil and Good, eyes glowing white with some form of divine power. The cleric stopped swaying and straightened, expression immediately sobering.

"Some of these games have, like, a faint malevolent presence," Kristen informed them, inebriated giggles vanishing as she pointed across the room. Fig resumed her 'German Shephard' attitude, while Adaine crouched down and peered around Kristen, following the human's gestures. As the diviner took a few tentative steps out into the main game room, Biz shot over her, flying right past one of the machines Kristen had pointed out. Machaira's hackles bristled when she saw the palimpsest in his hand. She knew they had brought Biz out here for this very purpose, so she shouldn't be this upset with him holding it, but she didn't like that he had it.

"Uh, hey, Riz, do you wanna give me a hand, dude?"

"Yep," Riz accepted, eyeing the pixie. As the Inquisitor followed Biz into the back, Machaira forced herself to suppress a shiver. They had cased the mall for an hour and seen no one, so why was she so certain that something was about to go wrong? Because something always goes wrong, her instincts whispered. There's no way we get this far without something getting in our way. It would break the pattern. The scout shook herself. Paranoia would get them nowhere. With a start, Machaira realized that Adaine had advanced further into the room and was bent over one of the games, fingertips hovering over the side of the console. The rogue quick-walked up to her side, loath to leave her crush isolated.

"There's malevolent – what are you seeing?" Kristen asked, coming up to join them. Machaira reluctantly moved back to give the casters room. Adaine glanced up, seeming to notice both girls for the first time.

"I, it, there's some kind of powerful magic on it – a conjuration charm," the wizard informed them, straightening. She began to hit buttons at random, face set in a concentrated frown. The game stayed dark until Adaine rolled a silver into it.

"Hi, I'm Katya," a half-orc girl announced on screen, smiling as she poised with her arms in a jogging position. Adaine turned wide, horrified eyes towards Kristen. "I'm here to chop!" Katya began to go through some exaggerated combat maneuvers, but Adaine had stopped watching.

"That's – isn't Katya one of the girls – " Adaine stammered. Kristen whirled and cast a muttered spell, summoning a giant, spectral cob of corn, which the human did not look happy about. A gunshot echoed from the back room, and Machaira's saber practically apparated into her hand. Cackles rose from around the arcade, and spectral nerds emerged from the games, the floor, and the ceilings. Machaira snarled and squared herself for a fight.

Something always goes wrong.