Namaari used her chopsticks to poke at the dumpling on her plate, frowning down at it. She knew her mother wouldn't approve of her playing with her food, but after her fight with Raya, her nausea was back in full force.

Virana sipped her tea from where she was seated on the opposite side of the table. "Are you not hungry, kitten?" she asked.

Namaari shrugged but didn't say anything. Her mother looked at her expectantly, and Namaari bit back a sigh before she answered. "No."

Virana watched her in silence for several more seconds before she spoke again. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes." Namaari said. She didn't offer anything else, just kept her eyes on the cold dumpling on her plate.

Virana laughed softly. "I feel like I'm talking to a grumpy teenager again. Do you want to talk about it, or would you like to keep sulking?"

Namaari's grip on her chopsticks tightened, but she managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Raya and I had a fight."

Virana hummed in acknowledgement and took another sip of her tea. "When did this happen?"

"About an hour ago."

"And what was the fight about?"

Namaari stabbed at the dumpling again, tearing open the side. Some of the filling spilled out onto the plate, and she began to push it around in circles with her chopsticks. "We figured out we have some kind of magic together. Sisu was trying to help us learn about it, but I said the wrong thing and Raya stormed off."

Virana looked surprised. "Magic? How interesting. What kind of magic?"

"I don't know. All we've been able to do so far is make a blue light. I'm not sure if it does anything else. Raya left before we could do much with it."

Virana's brow creased. "I'm surprised. I would have thought she would be more level-headed by now."

Namaari stilled, careful to keep her face neutral. "She has a good reason to be upset with me."

"Even so, a good leader knows they shouldn't give into their emotions."

Namaari slammed her chopsticks down on the table. "That's not what this is about!"

Virana slowly set down her teacup, regarding Namaari severely. "I know I've taught you better than this."

Namaari stood up, her hands balling into fists. "I don't know why I even bother trying to talk to you about things like this." She looked away from her mother, crossing her arms. "You never actually listen."

Virana sighed and slowly rose from her chair. "I'm going to assume this outburst is from your lack of sleep. We can continue this conversation later, when you're not so agitated."

Namaari stiffened, glaring down at the table in front of her. Virana moved to leave but stopped to lay a hand on Namaari's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Namaari's shoulders slumped, but she didn't say anything as her mother walked out of the room.

Raya knocked on the door to her father's guest room and entered without waiting for a response. Benja was sitting at a table near the window, watching something outside with a smile on his face. When she entered, his smile widened, then fell when he saw Raya's stormy expression.

"You look upset," Benja said, gesturing for her to sit in the chair across from him.

Raya sat down with a huff and crossed her arms. "I am upset."

Benja waited a moment to see if Raya would elaborate. When she didn't offer anything else, he asked softly, "What happened, dewdrop?"

Raya had to stop herself from flinching at her pet name. She let out a long, slow breath before she answered. "Namaari and I just figured out that we have some kind of magic together. Sisu said it's controlled by our relationship and our emotions."

"Magic, really?" Benja sat back in his chair, bringing a hand to his chin as he spoke. "That's wonderful. But that shouldn't be a problem, right? You and Namaari are friends now."

Raya's hands clenched in her lap, and she glowered down at them. "It's more complicated than that."

"I'm sure whatever differences you and Namaari have can be put aside so you can work together on this."

Raya let out an exasperated sigh. "This isn't just me being a petty child, Ba. I honestly don't know if I can trust her."

"Have you talked to her about this? If you give her a chance to explain, she might change your mind."

"It's not that simple."

Benja chuckled and reached across the table to lightly tap Raya's shoulder. "I think you'll find that it can be."

Raya moved away from the contact and scowled. "But it's not! She hurt me, she hurt you, and she hurt everybody else. I can't just let that go."

"You can't hold onto that bitterness forever."

"She hasn't given me a reason to let it go."

Benja pulled back to the other side of the table and sighed as he carefully folded his hands in his lap. "Working with the other nations was never going to be easy, dewdrop. But you have to remember that this is bigger than just you and Namaari, it's—"

"I can't take another lecture about peace and love and unity right now," Raya snapped, rising from her chair. "Forget I said anything. You just don't get it," she muttered as she headed for the door.