Raya leaned against the wall of the hallway, her arms crossed and her fingers tapping against her forearm. Her brow creased, her mouth twisting into a frown as her magic wavered around her, just enough to be noticeable. She sighed and pushed away from the wall, keeping her arms crossed as she began to pace in front of the meeting room door.

She heard Namaari coming down the hallway but didn't look up, biting down on her lower lip as her eyes stayed on the floor. Namaari stopped near her, waiting for a moment before gently touching Raya's arm. "You okay?" she asked, ducking her head to see Raya's face.

Raya's frown deepened and tried to keep pacing, stopping when Namaari took her hand. She exhaled sharply, gesturing toward the door with her free hand. "Not really. Our parents wouldn't ask to meet with us this early unless it was about something important. And probably bad news."

Namaari nodded, weaving her fingers between Raya's. "That's true. But I know we can face anything as long as we do it together."

Raya laughed softly, shaking her head. "And you called me a sap."

"Am I wrong, though?"

A smile flitted across Raya's face as she squeezed Namaari's hand. "No. You're right." She turned to face the door of the meeting room, letting out a deep breath as she squared her shoulders. "We can do this together." Then she pushed the door open before she could change her mind.

Inside the meeting room, Benja and Virana were seated on the other side of a circular table. Raya noted with a sinking feeling in her stomach that this was the same room where they had spoken about Bayani after the anniversary party. She swallowed, tilting her chin up and trying to ignore the tension gathering in her shoulders. "Good morning, Ba, Chief Virana," she said, nodding toward each of them.

"Good morning, you two," Benja said. He was smiling at them, but there was worry in his eyes. "Have you been enjoying your time together these last few days?"

"We have," Namaari said, turning to look at Raya with a smile. When she looked back at Benja, her face became more serious. "But with all due respect, we'd like to know why you called us here this morning."

Benja sighed, his face falling into almost a frown. "Yes, of course." He paused, his eyes moving between the two of them several times before he spoke again. "I'm sorry to say that we have bad news for you."

Virana leaned forward to slide a piece of paper toward the other side of the table. "This was found in the city's market this morning. It's a recruitment poster for a group called Spirit."

Namaari reached for the paper, holding it up so she and Raya could read it. Raya swallowed thickly, her grip on Namaari's hand tightening as she skimmed over the words. "So, Spirit, they're…they want revenge on us for bringing back the Druun. And all the suffering they caused." She dropped her eyes to the floor, leaning into Namaari as her head spun.

"And Bayani is their leader," Namaari said. She gave Raya a worried glance before looking back at their parents. "How much support do Bayani and his group really have?"

Virana opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again, pressing her lips together in a thin line before she spoke. "More than we would like."

Namaari nodded, looking down at the poster again and she chewed on her lower lip. "Do you think they'll try to do anything? Maybe during the festival tomorrow?"

Banja's jaw tensed as he nodded. "That's what we're worried about."

Virana folded her hands on the table in front of her, still studying Raya and Namaari carefully. "Chief Benja and I both agree that canceling tomorrow's festivities will draw too much attention to Spirit's activities. We're going to assign each of you a guard to help keep you safe during the festival. We also want you to train to get better control of the shield your magic creates."

"We've already spoken with Sisu and she's agreed to help after this meeting," Benja added.

Namaari slowly set the poster back on the table, taking a deep breath before she nodded slowly. "Raya and I can face whatever comes next." She turned to look at Raya, squeezing her hand when their eyes met. "Together." She waited until Raya gave her a hesitant smile before looking back at their parents.

Virana's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly and Benja leaned back in his chair with a small smile on his face. "That's good to hear," Virana said. "We were worried this news might make your magic volatile again, but it seems much more stable. We'd still like you to practice with Sisu, but it seems like you can rely on your magic to keep you safe."

Benja regarded them warmly, a smile spreading on his face. "On a happier note, I've invited your friends Tong, Boun, and Noi to join you at the festival. I know they'll be happy to see you both."

Raya released Namaari's hand and hurried around the table, running into Benja's open arms. She held him tightly, her hands bunching up the fabric of his shirt.

"You'll be okay, dewdrop," Benja said, rubbing slow circles on her back. After a few seconds, he pulled back from the hug, holding Raya at arm's length. "Just stick with the guards and your firefly, and you'll be alright."

Raya exhaled slowly. "Right. Yeah, you're right. Thank you for telling us what was going on and coming up with a plan. I think we're ready to go meet Sisu now."

Benja nodded and tapped the end of her nose with one of his fingers before letting her go. She gave him one last grateful smile before moving back to Namaari, taking her hand before heading out the door.

Once they were in the hallway, Namaari stopped, pulling Raya to a halt as well. Raya spun around to face her, concern creasing her brow. "What's wrong?" she asked, bringing her hand up to rest on Namaari's cheek.

Namaari opened her mouth to respond, then sighed instead, dropping her gaze to the floow. "It's…I just…I'm nervous."

Raya put her hand under Namaari's chin, lifting her face until their eyes met. "We can take whatever Spirit throws at us, as long as we're together. Just like you said."

Namaari shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek. "No, that's not…I'm worried about spending time with your friends."

"Wait, so we might get attacked by an angry mob seeking revenge but you're anxious about hanging out with my friends?"

"I know it's silly, but I can't help it." Namaari winced and looked back at the floor as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I know what to do if someone tries to stab me. Making friends is a lot more complicated."

Raya gave her a soft smile, rubbing her thumb across Namaari's cheek. "I'll be with you the whole time. You don't have to do that part alone either."

Namaari's eyes flicked back up to Raya's, holding her gaze for a few seconds before she returned the smile. "Yes. You're right. Thank you." She took a deep breath, then jerked her head toward the end of the hallway. "We should go meet Sisudatu, if you're ready."

Raya's smile grew wider, leaning forward to kiss Namaari's cheek before leading her down the hallway.

Raya closed her eyes, letting out a long, slow breath. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees surrounding them, carrying the scent of the flowers that filled the garden. She did her best to push those details out of her mind, focusing instead on the gentle tension of the magic surrounding her. Letting out another breath, she released some of that tension, repeating this process until the air around her grew still. Opening her eyes, she looked down at herself, grinning when she saw no trace of the magic shield.

Sisu matched her smile, clapping her talons together. "Nice work! I knew you could do it. Now, this time, let's try…"

Sisu continued to speak, but Raya found her eyes drawn just over her shoulder to where Namaari was meditating on the other side of the garden. Namaar's eyes were closed, her face completely relaxed. The light of her magic grew and faded around her with each breath she took, throwing light and then shadow across her features in a way that made Raya's breath catch in her throat. She barely registered it as her magic surged back around her in full force.

"Hey, hey!" Sisu said, waving a talon in front of Raya's face. "Focus!"

Raya's eyes snapped back to Sisu, blushing slightly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, I just…"

"Yes, I know you think Namaari is very pretty." Sisu said, holding her face in her talons and fluttering her eyelashes. Then she leaned forward, making Raya lean back as she poked a talon at her chest. "But it's not going to be pretty if you get stabbed. You've got to focus."

"Right, sorry." Raya said, giving her a sheepish smile as she took a step back. "I'll focus this time, I promise. What's next?"

Sisu crossed her arms, squinting at Raya as she tapped her chin with a talon. "Let's try lowering your shield again and don't bring it back until I tell you to."

Raya closed her eyes for a second time, repeating the same process as before, letting her magic dissipate with every exhale. After a moment, her eyes fluttered open and were immediately drawn back to Namaari.

Sisu let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her snout as Raya's magic blazed around her again. "Okay, wow. You really are just hopelessly in love, aren't you?" She crossed her arms, drumming her talons against her scales. "I guess if you get attacked, just keep looking at each other and…" Sisu trailed off, rolling her eyes when she noticed that Raya's attention was again drifting back to Namaari. She laughed softly, patting Raya's shoulder with her talon. "It doesn't seem like that'll be a problem. I think you can control your shield well enough, just stick together and you should be okay."

Raya brought a hand up to rest on Sisu's talon. "Thanks, for the help. I feel a bit better about it now."

"You're welcome." Sisu gave her a warm smile before jerking a talon over her shoulder toward Namaari. "Now, I'll get out of your way so you can get back what you really want to focus on. And I'm going to focus on sneaking some snacks from the kitchen."

Raya blushed but gave Sisu a grateful look before hurrying to join Namaari on the other side of the garden.