I've been posting this fic on AO3 for a while and realized I hadn't posted it here yet, so here it is! As always, enjoy reading and any favs and reviews are much appreciated!

Thanks to my friends Sam and Faithful Warrior for their help with editing.

The late-afternoon sun beat down on the courtyard. The air was still and heavy with Fang's usual summer humidity. Sweat trickled down Namaari's brow, but she forced herself to ignore it, refusing to take her eyes off of Raya and her sword. They both moved their feet carefully, deliberately matching each other's movements as they circled one another.

Namaari flipped the sword in her off hand, resetting her grip. "It's been a while, dep la," she said, tilting her head with a wicked smile. "I hope you haven't forgotten how to fight."

Raya scoffed and moved to hold her sword with both hands. "Hardly. Just waiting on you, Princess Undercut. Unless you're too scared to make the first move."

Namaari opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by an exasperated noise from her left.

"Can you two just fight already?" Boun asked, groaning as he ran his hands down his face. "All you're doing is talking. I want to see some action!"

Noi made an affirmative noise from where she was sitting in Tong's lap. "Fight, fight, fight!" she chanted, pumping her little fists in the air.

"I agree," Tong said, holding Noi as he bounced her on his knee. "Enough banter! Let's get on with it."

Sisu waved her hand dismissively from where she was lying on Tong's other side. She shifted on the cobblestones of the courtyard, trying to scratch an itchy scale in the center of her back. "You know those two," she said, yawning hugely. "All bark and no bite."

Namaari's eyes flicked back to Raya and, seeing that her attention was still on Sisu, lunged forward to attack. Raya parried the blow easily and ducked under a swipe from Namaari's second blade. Namaari followed the momentum of her swing, spinning away from Raya.

They paused, both of them breathing heavily as they waited to see who would make the next move. Raya broke the standoff first, swinging her sword at Namaari's shoulder with both hands. When Namaari's sword blocked hers, she twisted her blade, attempting to wrench the sword out of Namaari's hands. Namaari managed to keep her grip and forced the sword down, wincing as the metal ground against Raya's sword. She moved her other blade toward Raya's exposed side, but Raya released one hand from her weapon to grab Namaari's wrist, stopping the sword before it could reach her. Raya kept a hold of Namaari's forearm, her other hand still pressing her sword against Namaari's other blade. They both planted their feet and pushed, trying to throw the other off balance. Namaari leaned forward, baring her teeth as Raya glared back.

They held this position for a few seconds until Raya pulled away suddenly, letting Namaari's weight carry her toward the ground. Raya had a look of triumph on her face until Namaari dropped one of her swords and seized Raya's arm, pulling her down alongside her. They landed parallel to each other, raising their blades to the other's throat simultaneously.

Raya looked down at the sword point under her chin. "I think that's a draw, dep la."

"Don't tell me you're done already," Namaari said, smirking. "I was just getting started."

Raya laughed and rolled over, pushing herself up from the ground. Once she was standing, she sheathed her sword and offered a hand to pull Namaari up. "Not even close. But we do have to get ready. The party starts in a couple hours."

Namaari felt her stomach churn as Raya pulled her upright, but managed to keep the sneer on her face. "We'll have to continue this later, then. But don't keep me waiting too long."

Raya grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "Count on it."

Namaari reached down to retrieve the sword she had dropped, spinning it idly in her hand before sheathing both blades. "You sure you don't have time for one more bout?"

"Yeah, one more!" Boun cried. "I don't want to put those itchy clothes on yet either."

"This kid gets it," Namaari said, gesturing toward Boun. "You can't tell me you are that eager to get into your formal outfit."

"Oh, I definitely am not," Raya said. "But I don't want to risk missing any of the food."

Raya trotted over to where her friends were sitting, giving Boun a hug as he jumped up to meet her. Then she pulled him into a headlock and ruffled his hair as Tong, Noi, and Sisu watched, laughing along with them.

Namaari tucked her hair behind her ear, her eyes flicking between Raya and her friends. A moment later, she turned to walk out of the courtyard, her thumb toying with the hilt of one of her swords. Halfway down the hall to her room, she felt a hand slip into hers. She spun around, every muscle tense, until she saw Raya behind her.

"Hey, relax, it's just me," Raya said, squeezing Namaari's hand. "Are you okay? You seem, uh, tense."

Namaari gave Raya what she hoped looked like a genuine smile. "I'm just nervous about tonight."

Raya let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, me, too. I know it's a party, but it still sets my nerves on edge." She seemed to suddenly realize she was still holding Namaari's hand, releasing it quickly and clearing her throat. "I should, um, go get ready. I'll see you later. You know, at the party."

Raya spun around and hurried toward the guest wing of the palace a little bit too quickly. Namaari watched her go for a moment before heading to her own room.

Namaari paused in front of the mirror, tugging on the sleeves of her áo dài as she tried to move them to a more comfortable position. The dress was stunning, pure white with the intricately embroidered image of a blue dragon swirling across the front. The dragon itself was made of many rich shades of blue and trimmed with gold, though it still didn't quite live up to Sisu's magnificence in person.

Namaari sighed and gave up on adjusting her outfit. It wasn't going to feel comfortable no matter what she did. She bit down on her lower lip, worrying it between her teeth as she looked at her reflection. She still felt like a child in a costume, someone pretending to be more than they really are.

There was a knock at the door and Namaari jumped. She let out a deep breath, opening and closing her hands to force herself to relax. "Come in," she called softly once she had regained her composure.

Raya swung the door open and stepped inside just as Namaari turned to face her. Raya's eyes went wide for a second, her eyes moving up Namaari's body to land on her face.

There was a beat of silence that sent Namaari fiddling with her sleeves all over again. "Do I look okay?" she asked, her voice sounding more hesitant than she would have liked.

"Yes! I—I mean, you look great," Raya stammered, the slightest hint of a blush creeping up her cheeks. "You look good." Her eyes shifted away from Namaari and landed on the golden necklace of Sisu's image that was laying on the dresser. She moved to grab it and offered it to Namaari. "You're missing something, though."

Namaari smiled as Raya carefully set the pendant on her chest and fastened the clasp behind her neck. Namaari shivered as Raya's fingers brushed her skin, but Raya didn't seem to notice. She held the pendant in her hand, studying it for a moment before looking up at Raya.

Raya's brow was knitted with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. "You look really…sad." She moved to Namaari's side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gesturing wildly with her other hand. "But there's no need to be sad! This is a momentous day! The second anniversary of our defeat of the Druun and the reunification of Kumandra." Raya grinned when she saw a hint of a smile on Namaari's face. "And Fang gets to host this year. You can't tell me you're not even a little bit excited."

Namaari's face fell, and she looked away so Raya couldn't see her expression. "I just—"

There was a flurry of knocks at the door before it slammed open and Boun rushed inside. "Great, you're ready!" he yelled, grabbing Raya's hand and pulling her toward the door. "We need to hurry up and start eating. My mom added something special to our soup this year and we have to try it before they run out."

Raya shot an apologetic look over her shoulder as Boun led her through the door and out of sight.

Namaari sighed, then looked back at her reflection in the mirror. "I just don't really feel like I have anything to celebrate," she said softly. She frowned at her reflection, her hand coming up to touch the dragon pendant of her necklace. Taking one final deep breath, she turned and headed toward the door.