Fuuma shook Sundance's shoulder to grab his attention. She was bright. Giddy. "How are you, Sundance? How's Eve?" Which were two questions he was never fond of answering.

"Um, we're fine," he answered. He considered taking his book with him, but he couldn't find it. He wondered if Eve had taken it with her or hid it. "She's at home. Sick. A stomach bug, you know. And studying. She works hard."

Fuuma nodded appreciatively. Lilja watched the interaction with a different kind of interest. When Fuuma, Viola, and Superbia eased into conversation, Lilja fell into step behind Sundance. "Eve is sick in bed with stomach flu and studying? An awfully fine multitasker, she is," she answered coyly, like she wasn't looking for a response. Sundance turned away. "Last I saw of her, she was clutching her mentally ill lover to her chest as if he was breathing his last."

"Mentally ill?" Sundance parroted.

"Not a secret, Sundance. Don't look so dumbstruck," Lilja continued. "Your partner is one thing and it isn't a good secret-holder. Although, it has never been my business, Caleb and his illness has been talk of the town for quite some time, and your partner has been trying to disassociate herself from him and it."

Him and it. Sundance felt like he was associating with the enemy. He thought of Eve. How mad she would be. How hurt, but she was nowhere to be seen. Technically, this conversation wouldn't count. "She never told me–"

"Of course, she said nothing. Private matters are meant to remain private."

"Sometimes, I worry Eve is going to make me lose the battle for king," he confessed, staring at the dirt and grass and leaves. "She's–I don't know–stressed. In her words."

Lilja rolled her eyes, dismissive. "Overdramatic."

"I just have a feeling, we'll be battling, I will be, at least, and she won't wanna participate, and she'll just run off and my chance at king will be shot to hell." Sundance said with a lifelong sigh. "It's a horrible thought. I feel selfish for even thinking something like that."

"You're overthinking it, Sundance. Surely. Eve is the owner of your book," Lilja continued. "Whether she willingly prefers this battle for kingship, she has no choice but to read your book. Unless, she'd like to hand it to me, I'll gladly incinerate–oh gosh, relax!" Lilja shooed off his offended expression with a delightful wave. "As intolerable as she is, Eve is not stupid. Give her a moment. We all need one."

Sundance didn't nod because he didn't agree. He crossed his arms and anticipated the casual battle between Vivi and Resh with a stem of annoyance.

"Ringda!"

A glittering pink ring exploded near Resh's foot. She hadn't even had a moment to jump to evade it, but Demi and Vivi hadn't aimed to hit them.

"Hey!" Resh screamed, offended.

"Oh, calm down," Vivi said, waving a dismissive hand. "It didn't even hit you. I was testing my first spell."

Resh shrunk, embarrassed. "Yeah, but–"

Phil was muttering incoherently to himself. He lifted a handheld camera from his bag. "So not into this. So not into this, but I usually record our battles and others," he explained, lifting the camera in Kyo's direction. "Would you mind? Considering, you know?"

Kyo shook his head, taking it from his hand. "Yeah, no worries! What kind of model is this? Whoa, it flips outward, too!"

"That's what you get when you use your apartment money to buy a Nikon," Phil explained with an easeful smile. "The ON button is on the side. Are you girls ready?"

Demi was checking a pretend watch. "I'm sorry, what? We have a photoshoot to attend before five, so you better make this quick. Kidding!" she said with a batty wave. On the other hand, Phil and Resh looked bemused, considering they'd both been tricked by them before their battle had begun.

Phil deadpanned. "It's a wonder why you're not a comedian."

"I enjoy this bunch," Lilja commented.

"Me too!" Fuuma trilled.

"Tch, I don't," Phil muttered, opening Resh's book. "This battle can't end soon enough. Mirudo!"

Sloane strutted out of her room, twirling in a flouncy skirt and striking a pose. If it were possible, her curls appeared wilder. Eve raised an eyebrow. "Is this a great outfit or what? Come on."

"Your apartment's small," Eve noted, looking around.

"Tch, I'd like to see your shoebox-sized condo. Aren't you living with your brother? Just so you know, I live mostly in Nagoya. By the time I get back here, it's dusty."

"So judgmental," Eve dismissed. "I can hear you continuously repping Nagoya. Very subtle."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sloane continued, pouncing on Eve. "Don't spew your hatred of my hometown in this direction. Thank you kindly."

"You're so unnecessarily dramatic, but it's fine. Aren't you originally a native of Tokyo?"

"Dreadfully, unfortunately, yes. Like I said, do I look good or not: yes or yes?

"Can I pass on answering this question?"

"It's a yes or yes question, Eve."

"You look fine, but I feel like we're slowly losing basis for actual conversation."

"Wow, you're such a buzzkill. And just you know: you're not going to my brother's sashay in that horrific look. I mean, you have a great figure," Eve felt herself unconsciously blush at Sloane's offhand comment. "listen, jean cutoffs and a tank top don't work for every occasion. I brought two trunks with me, one for clothes, one for shoes. Come take a look. First things first, we have to straighten your hair into human decency."

"Wait, my hair? What's wrong with it?" Eve sputtered, examining a strand, oddly self-conscious.

"Weird enough, nothing. It's just a little ratty. Your whole appearance is, actually. You look like you need sleep, or something. What I wouldn't do to not have my hair is what I'm saying," Sloane answered flippantly. "The curls look gorgeous for a few minutes, but after seeing them every day, twenty-four hours, when you exit the shower and this is still a lion's mane, it's exhausting to manage."

Eve drifted her gaze nervously. "Well, I guess I could do something about myself."

"Our next spell, Ringda!"

"Um. Mirar."

"Can you please put more energy into your spells? You're such a downer," Demi groaned from across the dirt field, watching idly as Vivi dusted off her hands.

"Seeing as I refused to partake in this hapless battle to begin with, I'll have to say no," Phil deadpanned. "Resh, keep on the left field. Mirar!"

Vivi and Demi shared a bored sigh before Vivi swerved out of the way of a familiar mirror releasing a shining beam. Demi and Vivi shared another expressionless glance, the latter of whom shrugged. Since chanting Ringda earlier, they hadn't used another spell.

"This battle is boring," Superbia clarified.

"Tell me about it." Viola agreed with a grimace.

"Wow. One spell? Is that all you have?" Vivi said, lifting a hand under her chin to observe the length of the field.

Resh gnashed her teeth at Phil. "You're embarrassing me."

Phil acknowledged her laughably. "Embarrassing you?"

"Alright, we'll throw in another spell," Demi offered with a shrug. "Seeing as Phil refuses to even the playing field, we'll have to find some way to intensify this snoozefest."

Phil's brow furrowed quizzically. "How do you know my name?"

"Um, you told us?"

From behind the camera, Kyo burst into laughter.

"The third spell, Rinonaina!" Demi announced, the book in her hand glowing magnificently. An oversized baton materialized from the sky, twirling as it landed aimlessly in Vivi's hands. She pointed the end of it at them, like it was a telescope.

"A baton. Wow. How typical of a magician," Phil noticed, undeterred.

"Glad to see you're so unmoved." Demi said, but she appeared relatively composed. Relaxed. "Ready, Vivi?"

Vivi nodded, gesturing the baton in their direction. As she did, the end of it glowed a peculiar white and a sparkling pink beam shot from it, a spinning, spiraling burst of energy.

"Could really use a good defense spell right about now, Phil," Resh said through her teeth.

"Hold on, just a second–" Phil winced at the sight, returning to Resh's book for a spell. "Goddamn it, goddamn it," he swore. "The second spell, Mirudo!"

Resh raised another mirror from the dirt ground, larger than its predecessor, and it stood successfully, long enough to deflect Vivi's pink beam at them. Phil and Resh shared a collective sigh, but Vivi and Demi appeared unaffected. She raised the baton again, firing another beam to cancel out the incoming one, which dissolved into sparkles.

And in rapid succession, Vivi fired two beams of pink light at them. The oversized baton disappeared, then Vivi charged at them.

"Damn," Phil muttered, the book in his hand gleaming stronger. "I don't know if Mirudo will be able to contain that."

"It's okay, Phil. It will," Resh consoled, her hands glowing with the weight.

Miraculously, their mirror managed to contain Vivi's incoming beams, although it looked like it'd been through storm damage. Phil nearly sighed in relief until he remembered Vivi's lingering form.

"Great spell there," Vivi said from behind it, and Phil would be lying if he hadn't been holding his breath. "Believe me, all spells have flaws."

Thus, Vivi launched a spinning kick, destroying their mirror in one fell swoop. It dissipated, but not before spraying them in an onslaught of glittering glass shards. Resh shoved Phil aside, sending him stumbling, so she'd absorb the blunt of the damage. Either way, it was mostly nothing.

"Phil! Are you alright?" she screamed after him.

Phil raised his eyebrows. He may've had a cut or two, but it was nothing worthy of a shout. "No need for an ambulance here, thanks."

"What the hell was that?" Resh shouted over at Vivi and Demi. Vivi stood in front of them, hands crossed, whistling lowly. Destroying the mirror had still hurt her foot, it seemed. The beginning of a bruise bloomed on the front of her foot. Resh praised herself silently over that fact. Her mirrors couldn't be destroyed over practical maneuvers.

"Can we finally start this battle?" Vivi asked. "You can't be any bored than I am, honestly."

"This is a practice battle. Isn't that what you promised? You could've seriously hurt my–"

"Relax, I didn't mean to," Vivi responded, though she did appear apologetic at Resh's hurt expression. "You have to be prepared for anything. Look, I'll lead by example."

Vivi took Resh between her elbows and slammed her, facefirst, into the packed dirt floor.

Phil cringed. "Well, technically, she did say she was gonna lead by example…"

"Machine!"

"Sloane!"

"Your brother's name is Machine?" Eve repeated with a blink. She thought Sindri had it bad.

Sloane and her brother laughed. He placed an arm on her shoulder. And for a moment, Eve was jealous of their light, carefree relationship. These days, it was rare for she and Sindri to carry decent conversation.

"Nickname," he said. "Our surname is Machida. Strangely, it's only ever sat well with me. Big, bulky build, you know. Sloane did you no justice. You're stunning."

Eve hadn't partaken in a decent workout session in forever, so she highly doubted that, but she wouldn't exactly deny herself a compliment. She decided to pin her hair into a semi-undone bun, much to Sloane's dismay, and a maxi skirt and a crop top. "Oh gosh, thanks."

"Eve makes me wish I was a high schooler again," Sloane said, rolling her eyes at her own statement. "I'll regret saying that later, but seriously. I'm not trying to get all Clarice on her, and force her into obnoxiously girly outfits. Believe me, I'm still traumatized by my childhood."

"You're so Clarice."

So many names she didn't know. For once in her life, Eve wished she was drunk, so she wouldn't be obligated to remember them. Eve nodded along to a conversation about a new list of people she didn't know.

"No, I'm not!"

Machine was caught in a new conversation and Sloane grabbed her arm, leading her further through the marsh. Full of incomprehensible chatter, loud music. Laughter. "Eve, come on! You have to meet my brothers! I have, like, six more. By the way, Clarice is our stepmom. Crazy lady."

"Six brothers?"

"Yeah, can you believe it? Only girl, besides our mom, of course! Family full of boys. Seriously, my teen years were miserable."

"I still can't get over how we're not the same age."

Sloane winked, spinning in her step. "You'll have to get used to it, sometime. We're gonna be spending plenty of time together."

Sundance closed his eyes in a sneeze, but to his utmost shock, something burned him. He withdrew his hand from his mouth, gasping, shaking it raucously, and when he examined it, his entire palm glistened with a new burn. "What the hell?" he asked himself, more scared than shocked. "What is this?"

No one acknowledged him. Well, Fuuma. At the sight of his burned hand, she gasped and approached, taking his hand worriedly. "Oh God, what happened?" she asked, observing it closely. "I should have a tube of ointment in my bag. That looks horrifying. Are you okay?"

"I don't know," he said, and truly, he wasn't sure.

From a foot or so away, Lilja raised a hand to re-indicate her presence. "Considering your spells are acid-based, do you think that might have something to do with it?"

"But why would my spells ever start having an after-effect on me?" he asked, his voice raising by a terrified octave. He closed his burned hand into a fist, and forced himself to remain calm. Because that's exactly what it was. Nothing. "It's okay. It's fine…I'm sorry for acting out. It probably is nothing."

They nodded, but Sundance's newly burned hand throbbed. After a while, he managed to ignore it, refocusing in on the battle ahead.

He had thousands of other things to worry about, anyway.

"Who's phone is ringing?"

"I don't know!"

Sloane turned and saw it was Eve's phone. Again. On the screen, the name that filled it was Sindri. The phone stopped ringing and started again. She placed it in a plastic cup of warm beer and ran to find Eve, twirling in her haste. When she found Eve, she placed an arm around her shoulder, amidst conversation.

"Eve, come with me," Sloane said, leaning in close. In response, Eve leaned away.

"Where are you going?" Eve asked, facing away, mid-conversation. She was holding a cup of beer herself, but it appeared mostly full.

"It's a secret, come on, just come with me," Sloane persisted, tugging on her arm, like a child. Like Sundance.

Eve had no idea why she complied. She'd regret it one day, or maybe she wouldn't. She downed the rest of her beer, like a shot, then followed Sloane outside and said goodbye to hundreds of people she didn't know and probably wouldn't remember.

Eve and Sloane's friendship is one of my favorite things, so I'm looking forward to writing more of them together. Meanwhile, what's going on with Sundance? Phil and Resh & Demi and Vivi? Is Sundance doing the right thing by telling others about his insecurities? Why was his hand burned? How could Eve forget her phone? Travesties! Stay tuned!