Sundance caught Eve the morning of the magic show, standing over the kitchen sink with a bowl of cereal, trying to avoid conversation. Avoid him, probably.

"Hi Eve!" he chirped.

"Hi Sundance," she greeted cordially.

"There's this magic show today and Fuuma has tickets. I was wondering if you were interested–"

"I'm busy, thanks. Feel free to join them, though."

"Busy doing what?"

"Adult stuff."

Sundance blanched. "Seriously, Eve."

"Seriously, Sundance."

Sundance considered ending their conversation there, finally understanding what Sindri went through with her, but he had a motive this time. "Also, I've been meaning to tell you something," he continued. Eve didn't respond. She stood facing the counter, unanswering. Cryptic. "We haven't trained in a while and I wanted to battle Chainz and Ishimaru. Like, a test-battle. Plus, Chainz says I can't beat him and I obviously can–"

"What would be the point of that?"

"W-What?"

Eve grimaced. "Battling. This wasteful little training battle you're talking about. Tell me the point of it right now."

"Eve…but we need to train."

"No, we don't! We're fine."

"And I've been wanting to battle Chainz," he added, sheepish.

"Well, I haven't. Getting my ass kicked isn't exactly on my agenda."

"What…what? That's not what this is about."

"Coming from you, that's ironic. Plus, I would assume when you battle someone, they should be on your level. Unfortunately, Chainz isn't on yours."

Sundance sputtered unintelligibly for a moment. When he regained himself, he felt oddly calm. "I just told you, it's not about that. It's a..." Sundance said, changing the subject abruptly. "If you never wanted to be included in this battle, why did you accept me into your house? Into your life? And tell me you were going to be my partner?"

Eve sighed. Loudly. "Stop, Sundance. I am your partner. You're taking things out of proportion."

"What is it, then, Eve?!"

Eve flung the cereal bowl she was holding into the sink. Sundance vaguely heard something smash. "Do I have to dumb it down any further? They are better than us, Sundance! Everyone is better than us! Don't you understand? I'm not going to sit and lose a battle for…I refuse to be humiliated any longer!"

"Hey, hey, what's going on?"

Sindri must've taken a midday nap. He stumbled out of his room, startled by the sound of a one-sided argument. He glanced between Eve and Sundance, trying to correct his glasses. "Is everything–"

"Everything's fine," she answered, cutting through his sentence methodically and passing her brother with the same silence. A door slammed.

Sindri glanced into the sink, gritting his teeth, lifting a chunk of the bowl of Eve unknowingly shattered. "Yeesh," was all he said.

Sundance wanted to continue the conversation–inquire her about her imaginary plans–but he headed into the living room, annoyed.

"These are horrible seats." Phil deadpanned. "Ouch! What the hell, Resh–oh, I mean…thank you, Fuuma."

"Of course!" she trilled, bouncing comically in her seat. The lights had not yet dimmed. The audience was full of chatter. "Has anyone ever been to a magic show? I haven't. I'm so excited. I read Demi is doing her last shows in Japan before travelling to America and Asia to continue the rest of her tour!"

"It's just magic," Resh deadpanned.

"Easy for you to say." Phil responded drily.

Kyo stretched and yawned. "Someone's been uncharacteristically down," he noted. "Still traumatized by the whole Ophelia nonsense?"

"I'm not traumatized–"

"Oh! Well, I see, this is obviously not a coincidence."

Phil pressed his face into his lap. "Tell me this isn't happening."

Lilja and Viola approached their seats. Lilja crossed her hands in front of her and grinned crudely. She was wearing a purple dress with a dramatic tulle skirt, opera gloves, and boots covered in fringe. Her eyelids silvery and sparkly and her mouth painted with a sleek, shining purple tar. Phil decided to simply ignore them, instead of offering them the conversation they were vying for.

"As we are finally back in Japan, I finally feel like myself again. The Ophelia nonsense dampened my mood as well. Mind if we sit? I've been awaiting comedic magic myself." Lilja insisted, taking the seat beside Phil.

"These are assigned seats."

"Well, no one has claimed these yet. Phone security, then."

Resh shrieked in wordless amazement as the lights begun to dim, announcing the start of the performance. A turntable rose from beneath the stage, containing a table covered in a striped sheet, a sleek baton, and the presence of two girls: a teenager with abnormally blonde hair, hazel-colored eyes, and a vicarious demeanor. The girl beside her was considerably younger and wilder in appearance, having pink hair with a bunny-eared headband and blue-green eyes.

"Hi everyone!" the blonde chirped, waving at the wild crowd. "My name's Demetria, but please call me Demi. Formalities are for the elderly, and this is my lovely, pinkette assistant, Vivi. Welcome to our show!"

The crowd roared and Phil was tempted to cover his ears. Or leave. The fans were in full-force, those including Fuuma and Superbia. Resh, however, had become peculiarly silent.

"Let's present our first trick, shall we?" Demi announced, lifting a tophat from behind the table, which seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Phil rolled his eyes. How choreographed.

"She's going to make a rabbit appear out of that hat, I bet…"

"I'm going to make a rabbit appear from this hat!"

The crowd oohed and aahed, as if Demi's revelation included something genuinely fascinating. Phil watched with a hand on his chin. Demi pranced behind the table with a twirl and a mysterious chant. "Delona!"

A rabbit pounced out of the hat, fluffy ears and all. The crowd roared continuously, applauding. Shrieking. Conspicuously, Vivi had vanished. Her disappearance did not go unnoticed by a certain few.

Lilja raised her eyebrows. "Awfully specific magician chant, wouldn't you agree?"

Phil narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

"Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn it–"

Eve slammed the textbook closed and flung it at the wall, then grabbed her phone. She'd previously deleted all her contacts in a rage. She didn't want to risk calling anyone (mainly, Caleb), although she remembered his number by heart, so she was in metaphorical hell either way. And for a moment, she stared at her phone and was tempted to dial him, but he probably didn't have his phone and he didn't care to answer her calls anymore. She chose someone else.

"Uh…um, hi. Sloane, right?"

"That's me. Hey, I recognize your voice! Eve, you sound different over the phone. Peppier? Preppier? My SAT vocabulary is failing me. Still studying?"

"Unfortunately," she muttered, placing the call on-speaker to hold her forehead with both hands. "I feel like shit. I think I have to skip the party."

"What? No! Why?"

"Sloane–I…ugh, I'm sorry, I'm such a downer. You wouldn't understand."

"What–what–"

Eve felt worse. If that was humanely possible. "Goddamn it, I should've texted you. Yeah, sorry, I can't go. Bye." she said, finally dropping the call.

Sloane immediately called back. Eve stared at the phone, then re-answered. "Are you okay?" Sloane asked before she could respond. She sounded legitimately concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry for overreacting…but I'm fine, I swear. Why wouldn't I be?" Eve countered.

A brief silence claimed the air. Sloane released a breath. "Okay," she said. "That's, like, your eighth sorry of this three-minute conversation."

Eve released a weak, dry laugh. "I think it's been more like two. I dropped this call once already."

Sloane giggled merrily. "Wanna skip the party?"

"I didn't think ice cream was the solution."

Sloane rolled her eyes and snorted, flipping her hair. It was styled the same as yesterday. Ferocious, raucous curls. "Ice cream is the solution to every problem. Who even are you? Let's sit on the curb. Come on."

Eve acknowledged the curbside blankly as Sloane plunked onto the sidewalk, crossing her legs. Her ice cream–even with the amount of napkins she was holding–was melting in the sun and she was struggling to contain it. When Eve didn't sit beside her, Sloane raised her eyebrows, bemused.

"Too good for the street or something?"

Eve sighed and sat beside her. She barely touched her ice cream. Children on scooters skated by. A nearby lawn was rinsed in a revolving sprinkler.

"How are you, Eve?"

"How are you, Sloane?"

"Answering a question with a question. Slick," Sloane countered. "How's the studying going?"

"Didn't I answer this already?"

"Honestly, I don't know what else to ask you. Do you have a job? Hobbies? Estranged friends? A boyfriend?"

"None of the–estranged friends? What the hell? That's a little specific, don't you think?" Eve said, laughing quietly. Sloane laughed, too. "None of the above. I hate people, and I'm sure the feeling's mutual."

"Nail-biter?" Sloane continued, gesturing to Eve's hand. She didn't say it meanly, more like an observation. "And what do you have there? A wrist tattoo? Looks like you hide it with makeup or something. How come?"

"Since when did this become all about me? Sheesh," Eve said, hiding her wrist. "Because a fifteen-year old Eve was stupid."

"Hasn't this always been all about you? Kidding, kidding," Sloane answered to Eve's menacing glare. "I'll give you a run-through of my life. I live and work in Nagoya, but haven't I told you that already? My friends and I met in Tokyo, then we headed off to a dance academy in Nagoya and decided to stay there forever. I broke my hip, which is why I no longer dance. I helped raise my boss's children - even though three of them are in college - and my immediate family still lives in Tokyo, which is why I sometimes still swing by. My boyfriend recently dumped me, or rather, I dumped him. Long story. We were together ten years."

"As if my life could get any shittier," Eve muttered, switching the melting cone to her other hand. "You've literally done it all. My life is boring in comparison. How old are you, by the way?"

"Don't boost my ego, Evey. Twenty-one. You?"

"Oh my God, I thought you were my age…"

"Wow, that's flattering," Sloane said, laughing again. She flipped her hair theatrically. "I can still pass for a high school student. My parents must be proud."

"I can't believe your parents let you date when you were that young. My father…well, long story, but he didn't react well," Eve noted.

Sloane bumped Eve's shoulder with hers. "If it makes you feel better, mine didn't either."

"When do you head back to Nagoya?"

"Tomorrow."

"Hmm…"

"I meant to ask earlier: Are you okay?"

Weirdly, Eve's heart skipped. She hesitated. Nearly didn't reply at all. "Um, yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"When you called me earlier, you sounded a little…off. I mean, I'm not judging. You sound fine now. Maybe it's not my place to say, and maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Aah, never mind," Sloane explained, glancing away hastily. "I like your sunglasses."

Eve shook her head, insistent. "No, yeah…I'm fine, really. Just a little stressed. I didn't mean to freak you out." she continued, sighing. "Some days are just harder. Somedays, I just–I wish I could–"

"Do you ever wish you could back to the beginning?"

"Wha…what do you mean?"

Caleb looked away, embarrassed. "Never mind."

Sloane smacked Eve's arm lightheartedly. "So what is it?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Ugh, you're lame," she answered, rolling her eyes and snatching the half-melted sugar cone from Eve's hand. "And if you're not going to eat this, lemme have it. I love these."

Eve stared at the neighboring houses for a single moment. "So you wanna go for that party, after all?"

"Wait, what?"

"Wasn't that amazing?"

"It was alright," Phil dismissed as they exited the theater with a troupe of fans. Near the side-door, a gaggle of fangirls awaited, giggling and conversating. Resh backtracked a few steps behind Phil. "Trying to overhear their conversation or something?"

"They're waiting for their prized idol, Demetria the Wonderful. Or was it, prettiful? I forget. Leave them be," Lilja prodded.

"You're still here?"

Kyo sighed. "Phil…"

Resh smiled thankfully. "I'm glad it's not only me having to silence him."

They were silenced by a chorus of girlish shrieking. Demi and her assistant, Vivi, stepped outside to greet their fans. Vivi watched authoritatively from the door as Demi signed autographs, posed for photos. Offered them brief conversation. The fangirls headed onto the street, bidding giggly goodbyes to Demi and Vivi.

Resh approached them bravely. Demi faced her approaching figure. Vivi's eyes clicked to her–expressionless–but she remained where she was. She whispered something to Demi, who nodded.

"Resh?" Phil asked again, sounding confused.

Phil ran over to Resh. Everyone remained where they were. Lilja and Kyo shared a glance, the latter of whom shrugged. Fuuma and Superbia looked concerned.

"I already know you're a mamodo, I could smell your scent from " Resh informed, glancing over Demi's shoulder to glower at Vivi. "So."

"So." Demi said.

"So." Vivi said.

"So?" Phil repeated, obviously confused.

Resh reached into her dress pocket and retrieved the pamphlet from the show, shoving it into Demi's surprised hands. "Can I get your autograph?" she requested gleefully.

Demi blinked, glancing at the pamphlet. "Uh, sure."

Phil nearly collapsed. "Jeez, Resh..."

"There you guys are!"

Everyone turned to acknowledge the return of Demi and Vivi. They were dressed more leisurely: leggings and sneakers. Phil grimaced, instead. "Ugh, what are you doing back? Don't you have a horde of fangirls to console?"

"Over and done with, thankfully," she replied airfully. Kyo snickered in the background. "You discovered Vivi's mamodo background fairly quickly. I was wondering if you were interested in a battle?"

Resh looked about to answer, but Phil waved them off. "Thanks, but no thanks." he said. "Battling someone not exactly on our level has never been on my to-do list."

Vivi released a surprised, offended laugh. "Not exactly on your level?"

Resh raised her hands, compliant. "His words not mine."

Demi shrugged. "Hey, it's all innocent fun," she answered. "If you wanna prove your worth, retrieve your book and let's go."

"They're obviously not going anywhere," Kyo informed, shrugging aimlessly to prove his point.

"He's not wrong," Demi responded, tilting her head at an angle.

"Hey, guys! What did I miss?"

Sundance ran over to the group, sans Eve. Fuuma squealed at the sight of him. Resh, Superbia, Viola, and Kyo greeted him with bright smiles. On the other hand, Phil grimaced darkly. "Sundance, it's so great to see you again!"

"Looks like we have an official officiator," Lilja noted at the bubbly sight of Sundance. "Aren't you avoiding something important, Phil?"

"Against the guise of peer pressure," he muttered, sighing as he retrieved Resh's book out of his bag. "We obviously can't battle in the middle of the park. Let's find somewhere secluded."

I haven't written in Demi and Vivi's voice in a while, so it's hard trying to not confuse them with the voice of another character. Demi and Vivi are bubbly beings, the opposite of a certain character of mine, but it's fun to write someone with less drama for a bit. Eve is heading off with Sloane. But where? Sundance has gone off to witness a casual battle between Demi/Vivi and Resh/Phil. How will their battle fare? And does this mark the beginning of their separation? Stay tuned!