Really sorry about the wait, but, yknow, life...

I can't promise chapter 8 will come any faster but I hope it will

Chapter 7: A shopping trip

"Be careful, Stella" Aisha grumbled as a piece of fabric tumbled onto her face. She ripped it off and held up the bright green mini skirt, eyeing it skeptically. She wasn't opposed to skirts, but this was just garish. When she'd accepted to go shopping and let Stella help her put together a new wardrobe, Bloom had told her Stella was basically a bratty doll – some Earth reference that Aisha hadn't caught; something about a passion for fashion, that much she remembered. Bloom's musings had clearly set Aisha's expectations too high because she was finding herself increasingly opposed to Stella's choices.

Before she could voice her opinion on the skirt, another piece came flying over the dressing room door. Aisha managed to catch this one and held it up to examine. It was a simple cropped tank top in the same neon green. "Am I supposed to wear these together?"

"Yes. It's monochromatic. Very in right now" came Stella's voice over the door. "Then, once you've tried those on, try these."

A khaki mini skirt and light purple tank top came flying at her. She tossed the monochrome look to the ground and picked up the other two, finding them to be much more to her liking, much more to her comfort level. Aisha had never been one to stand out, and she wasn't used to receiving any amount of attention – especially the amount she would get for the neon look. It didn't matter if it did look great on her, she would spend the whole time in it increasingly uncomfortable.

"Oh, and these!"

"Stella, don't bury her under clothes" Aisha heard Musa laugh. She opened the dressing room door just as a pair of corduroy pants and a blue shirt came tumbling down where she'd stood. The store Stella had chosen was a high-end boutique with a waiting room outside the dressing room doors – a huge difference from the private tailors rooms she was used to. The waiting room had high ceilings and an ornate – albeit fake-looking – chandelier. Plush baby pink and light blue couches filled the space, accompanied by a self-serve cucumber and lemon water station at the far end of the room. Her friends – were they friends or had she been imposed on them? – sat around the room, heads turning towards her as she stepped out.

"I like it. It seems very you" Flora commented, receiving nods of agreement from the other four. Aisha looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She'd never bought anything off the rack before – everything she owned back home was tailor-made – but she was surprised to find that the outfit fit her perfectly. The straps on the crop top didn't accentuate her wide shoulders and it slimmed down her waist in the right spots. The skirt fit her wide hips and ass without looking like it was enormous in the thigh area. Maybe off-the-rack wasn't so bad; her mother had always said clothes wasn't made for tall, athletic bodies like hers, but maybe her mother was wrong about this too.

"I'm really looking forward to this year" she heard Flora say as she closed the dressing room door. She bent down and picked up the neon ensemble, throwing it back over the door. Stella mumbled something about Aisha not even having tried it on.

"I was told by some third years that it's particularly challenging" Aisha commented through the door, refusing to acknowledge Stella's complaints. She'd been in the library on Friday, taking out a few books to study and hopefully make sure she wasn't missing any information that her classmates had learned last year when some third years started talking to her. She hadn't cared for them; they struck her as holier-than-thou types, but she would take any tips or hints about surviving Alfea's curriculum.

"Was war not challenging enough? Now they want us to die from stress too?" Stella grumbled as she threw open the dressing room door. Aisha found herself wide eyed in her bra and underwear while Stella smiled at her like an excited puppy. She had gotten into the habit of not locking the door properly since she was in and out so much, a habit she was starting to regret. "I just found the most perfect dress."

"Stella!" Aisha pushed the blonde out and pulled the door shut, locking it.

"Stella, you can't go barging into change rooms" Musa scolded with a laugh, as Stella threw the neon look back over the door, insisting Aisha at least give it a shot. There was no way she would like the look – the idea of being so attention grabbing horrified her – but Stella didn't seem to be letting up so she begrudgingly picked it up and started putting it on.

"I hope it isn't too challenging. I feel like I'm already falling behind in half of my classes" Bloom was saying as Aisha, head barely poking out of the tight neon top, had to dodge a mauve dress that Stella threw over the door.

"For someone who scolds us when we put her clothes on the floor, she sure does not seem the care about being careful with these clothes" Tecna commented, causing Musa to laugh loudly as Stella grumbled some more.

"I'm sure it isn't that bad, sweetie. You just need to buckle down and take your studies seriously. I can be your study buddy if you want."

"It's not just that, Flora. I feel like my abilities aren't up to par. Last year I felt so freaking powerful and now... I don't know... it's like I'm that weak little Earth girl who was brand new to this world all over again."

"I believe your expectations may have been set too high. It makes sense that..." Tecna trailed off when Stella squealed in delight as Aisha stepped out

"I... I'm not convinced." Aisha stared at herself in the mirror, tugging at the uncomfortably short neon skirt. She spun around to see the back of the dress mere inches from leaving her ass hanging out.

Stella came up behind her, resting her hands on Aisha's shoulder and peaking her head over Aisha's shoulder. The blonde gave her a bright smile in the mirror and forced her to turn towards the group. Aisha shot them a pleading look, hoping that they wouldn't agree with Stella. Her position in this group was already so uncertain, she didn't dare go against the blonde and jeopardize it. She liked these girls. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Bloom, Tecna or Stella much, but Flora and Musa had quickly become some of her favourite people. She knew Flora liked her – the brunette made so much effort to make her feel welcomed, it would be impossible to think otherwise. Musa, she wasn't too sure about, but she wanted Musa to like her too, that she was certain of. And Musa was close to Stella, so maybe she wouldn't like Aisha going against her friend.

The group contemplated the dress silently for a moment. Musa was the first to speak, her brows furrowed uncertainly. "It's a bit..."

"Loud" Tecna finished Musa's thought. The musical fairy nodded in agreement while Flora tried her hardest to find something nice to say. She came up with green is certainly Aisha's colour.

"It's a no from me too" Bloom said, shaking her head.

"Oh boo. Fine."

"What do you mean it makes sense?" Bloom questioned, returning to the previous subject, as Aisha stepped back into the changing room, making sure to lock the door lest Stella barge in again.

"Well, you may have an incredibly powerful magical source, but that does not mean you do not need to train your powers. What you had last year was likely an adrenaline-fueled power burst. It is not a sustainable way to use your magic and will, I assume, leave you feeling weaker and less powerful than properly trained magic."

"You'll figure it out, sweetie. You just need to keep working at it."

"I guess..." Bloom sighed. Aisha felt for Bloom. Both of them were trying to find their way at Alfea – albeit in very different ways – and it seemed like everything they did was wrong. Aisha tried so hard to be part of the group she'd been thrust into but there was always some reference or inside joke that she would be left out of. "It just seems like everyone else is leagues ahead of me."

"Well, that's hardly fair." Stella approached the cabin, throwing a pair of shorts and a jacket over the top of the door. "We've lived with magic our whole lives; you only learned it even existed last year. That's hardly comparable."

"Stella's right, B. You're doing great for someone that only learned about magic a year ago."

"It's just so discouraging to be back to mediocre at it after the ridiculous amount of power I felt while fighting Icy."

"Maybe you should join the magical fighting cages" Stella jested. At least, Aisha hoped it was in jest.

"Is that a real thing?"

"It is -"

"And she's not joining them" Floras snapped, cutting Musa off.

"I'm not saying I want her to! Just that if fighting is what she thinks gets her blood pumping, she should find fights."

"I don't. I really don't."

Aisha stepped out in a pair of cargo pants and a cropped t-shirt. It was, by far, the most comfortable thing she'd ever worn, and she was starting to understand why some girls preferred to be in pants. She'd spent her entire life in dresses. Even on days where she wasn't expected to see anyone, all she had to choose from were dresses. Maybe she'd have to fight to incorporate some pants in her daily wardrobe at home too. Musa gave her a thumbs up and a huge grin that had Aisha grinning too, while Flora commented on how comfortable she seemed.

"Cargo pants? I don't know..." Stella mumbled, stepping closer to turn Aisha around on herself and inspect the pants.

"Stella, you gave her the pants" Musa reminded her sharply.

"I like them."

"Me too" Aisha agreed with Bloom, deciding that she was buying them regardless of Stella's opinions.

"Well, okay."

Flora tucked her wallet into her purse, stepping aside to let the man behind her get to the cash. She walked the length of the counter and joined Aisha in waiting for their food. Stella had insisted on taking a break to eat, but they couldn't agree on a restaurant, so they'd ended up at the Magix Mall food court. Flora had had trouble choosing between the almost sixty restaurants, so when Aisha had enthusiastically commented on a new Androsi restaurant's menu, Flora had decided that now would be a great time to try Androsi food for the first time.

"This whole menu sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it. You'll have to try some too and let me know if it's actually good.

"I... uh... I couldn't help but notice that you seemed quite... intrigued by Helia..." Aisha said, ignoring that Flora had just spoken.

"Huh?" Flora's brain ran in circles trying to come up with a deflection, only to come up empty. "I don't... know what you mean."

"Oh, no?"

Flora shook her head, suddenly finding the menu she'd already read very interesting. She didn't want it getting to Stella that Flora may have been a teensy tiny little bit very much like-she'd-been-hit-by-a-train smitten with Helia. She knew the blonde meant well, but after how pushy Stella had been with Musa last year about Riven and then Devin, Flora didn't think she wanted Stella sticking her nose in the miniscule – yet huge – crush she had on Helia.

"I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about" Aisha shrugged, completely unaware that she'd basically read Flora's mind. She snuck a quick glance at the Androsi princess as both of their trays came up. Aisha seemed completely casual – not at all like she was searching for something to gossip about. Or if she was, she was incredibly talented at hiding it. Flora decided to take a chance, her gut told her Aisha would keep her word.

"It's silly, though. I won't ever see him again." Flora put her tray down and pulled up a chair next to Aisha. She pulled her phone out and took a picture of the nearest restaurant, sending it to their group chat so the others could find them.

"You don't know that."

"Don't I? Under what circumstances would I see him?" Flora took a bite of the rice on her plate. They had been flavored with some ingredient she hadn't recognised that Aisha had explained was a mushroom native to Andros. It was delicious.

"I don't know" Aisha shrugged, reaching over to take a bite of her rice and nodding her approval. "But I'm sure we could figure something out."

"Figure something out?"

"Like... accidentally run into him?"

Clementine had done that more than once with Arturo. She would drag Flora to 'hang out' near the grocery store that he worked at so that they could 'bump into him' at the end of his shift. It had always gone well for Clementine, so maybe... "Okay, but you really can't tell Stella. Or Bloom. She'll tell Stella."

Aisha questioned why Flora was so opposed to Stella knowing about her crush on Helia, so Flora explained Stella's meddling in Musa's love life and how adamant the blonde had been on setting them up. "I don't really want a boyfriend-"

"Unless it's Helia."

"I came to Alfea to study. Helia just... showed up. Nevermind, it's silly. I don't know anything about him."

"About who?" Stella asked as she and Bloom joined them. Flora blurted out Riven's name. She'd been thinking of what to say if any of the girls joined them while they were taking. She'd settled on the specialist, figuring that he was secretive enough that the girls would buy that Aisha had asked what his deal was.

"Why would you want to talk about that jackass when there are so many more interesting subjects?"

Bloom rolled her eyes at Stella as she tucked their bags under the table. They pulled their chairs out. The blonde wasted no time in diving in to the plate in front of her. "I'm just saying," she continued, wiping sauce from her chin. "We could talk about... I don't know. War? Famine? The economy? That atrocious skirt Amaryl wore yesterday?"

Musa and Tecna finally joined them, the latter giving Stella the most perplexed look. Flora held back a laugh as Musa wondered aloud why Stella would want to talk about any of those first three suggestions.

"Where should we go next?" Bloom diverted the girls' attention and Flora could have kissed her. If either of the girls questioned why Stella was suggesting new topics, then they'd revert to talking about Riven – or, more generally, boys – and someone else might mention that they noticed Flora turn the same colour as Musa's Winx form while they were talking to Helia.

"Aisha will need shoes" Stella replied before anyone else could make a suggestion.

"I have a pair of sneakers, so I'm good."

" A pair?!" Stella dropped her fork, shaking her head in disapproval "How could you possibly think a single pair of shoes is enough. And sneakers at that."

"They're comfortable?"

"Makes sense to me."

Stella picked her fork up, glaring at Musa. "Of course it does. You wear the same pair of sneakers every day."

"Yeah, they're comfortable" Musa shrugged.

"I can see the benefit of having a variety of footwear choices."

"Thank you, Tecna!"

"I do need new flats..." Flora had made the terrible mistake of wearing her favourite flats to the greenroom on a planting day and somehow ended up with mud caked onto the bottom of her shoes. Stella smiled victoriously.

Stella dropped the twelve bags onto her bed, followed very shortly by her body. She knew the shopping trip had been to replenish Aisha's wardrobe, but she didn't see the harm in adding a few (dozen) items to her own. Bloom may have admonished her for buying stuff she didn't need, but Bloom didn't get that the life of a princess was filled with events and meetings and photo-ops, and that every single one of the moments required a new outfit. And God forbid she be seen in the same thing twice, not her, not Princess Stella of Solaria.

After resting a few moments, Stella forced herself up to start putting away her new clothes and accessories. It was only as she finished meticulously sorting her jewelry – it was one of the few things she was meticulous about - by style, then by metal, then by jewel that she noticed she had two missed calls from Brandon.

"Hey" he greeted warmly and her heart melted. She was already in a fantastic mood from such a successful shopping trip (for Aisha of course), but his voice always managed to bring her up even higher.

"Hi smoochy. What's up?"

"Smoochy?"

"I'm tired, okay?" Stella grumbled playfully as she pulled out a box and tossed the bag onto the floor. "Besides, it's not wrong. You do smooch a lot. And very well too."

"I know."

Stella rolled her eyes at the smug tone of his voice. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to here your voice."

"You heard my voice yesterday" she laughed. "Not that I blame you. I do have a beautiful voice."

"The most beautiful. And yesterday was a whole 24 hours ago!" Stella smiled into the phone as she hung up a shimmery gold mini dress. Maybe she and Brandon could go dancing, that would give her a reason to wear it. Or she could just wear it to class. Musa would have some snarky remark, but in Stella's opinion it was impossible to be overdressed. "Besides I'm gonna need to commit it to memory in the next 48 hours."

"My voice? Why?"

"To stay sane. We found out today that we leave in two days for a ten-day training mission."

Stella stared at the gold dress sadly. So much for dancing this week. "Ten days…?"

"I know, princess. It fucking sucks, but it'll be over before we know it. Once I'm back, we can do whatever you want."

She took a seat on the ottoman in her mezzanine closet and kicked around the dirty clothes on the floor, staring at them wistfully as Brandon rattled off the things they could do once he got back. Logically, she knew that when she'd started dating a soldier-in-training, there would be periods where he'd be away. She just hadn't expected it to be so soon after they'd been back together. And as painful as the summer was, at least they could talk on the phone or holochat. Now there was nothing. "When do you get back?"

"October 13th."

"Okay, so then I'm reserving you for the 14th."

"We can hang out on the 13th. We'll be getting back through the night of the 12th/13th."

Stella paused, considering the offer. It would mean seeing Brandon sooner but… "No, the 14th is fine. You'll need to rest after a whole week and a half in training mode."

"I love you."

"I love you too" Stella giggled. She kicked the clothes away and made her way down the stairs. Brandon insisted he loved her more as she flopped onto her bed, kicking off her sandals and snuggling into her pillows. "You're wrong, but that's okay. So what's the training mission? Is it at least something interesting?"

"Wilderness survival training."

"So… you're going camping?" She couldn't think of anything worse. Even something like last year where they'd had to deliver the troll that they'd captured on Earth would have been more interesting – and less miserable - than camping.

"I have a feeling that whatever they're gonna put us through is gonna make camping seem glamorous."

"You poor thing. Can't you just, I don't know, opt out? Just be like thanks but no."

Brandon laughed. Stella rolled onto her stomach, the bags she'd left laying on the bed toppling onto the floor, followed very shortly by the blanket she hadn't bothered to fix that morning.

"Unfortunately not, it's mandatory for all third years."

"Oh boo."

"Yeah. I'm not looking forward to ten days in Linphea's Salvahe Forest with Riven and Sky."

"Let me guess, they're about two minutes from tearing each other to shreds?"

"How did you know?"

"Just a hunch." It seemed like Riven and Sky were constantly seconds away from punching each other. And then there were moments when they seemed to be friends. She didn't know how Brandon and Timmy put up with the emotional whiplash. Having any two of the girls be like that with each other would drive her up the wall.

"I just really hope they can put aside whatever bullshit they're fighting about so we can, you know, live, survive, make it home."

"… good luck" Stella scoffed. "Considering Riven is just generally disagreeable as a person, I don't see that happening, but luckily for you I'm not a fortune teller."

"I'm not convinced it's that, actually."

"What do you mean? You don't think Riven is a colossal asshole? Have we met the same person?"

"I think it's a bit more complex than that. I don't have to know much about him other than he's on a scholarship to know that he doesn't come from money. Neither do I, so he doesn't bother me too much. Timmy comes from money, but he's such a lovable guy that even Riven can't hate him. Plus, having been Timmy's roommate, he knows how hard Timmy works to stay at Red Fountain, especially when it comes to the more physical classes. Sky, though… Sky has a way of making everything seem easy. I know Sky's life is not as easy as Riven thinks it is, but I get the feeling he resents that Sky's had every opportunity given to him solely because of the family he happened to be born into. And, I know fuck all about Riven's family or life before Red Fountain – he never talks about it – but-"

"Never?" Stella interrupted. There was no way Riven had never mentioned a single thing about his home life. Some offhanded comment about something or other relating to a family member, a memory that he'd been reminded of, something he'd learned as a kid.

"Never." Brandon emphasized. "We don't even know the guy's birthday."

"Have you tried asking?"

"Of course I have. Sky and I harassed him about it for months first year. Anyways, I just think he resents Sky for something he had no control over or say in."

"So he's jealous."

"Yes and no. I think it's a bit more complicated than flat out jealousy."

Well whatever it is, it still doesn't excuse his being a dick." Outside of her door, she could hear Musa strumming her guitar in the common room while Tecna and Flora discussed Palladium's assignment. She loved Musa dearly, but what the girl had ever seen in Riven still baffled her. She reached over to her bedside table where the picture Timmy had taken of the girls at the end of year dance sat beside one of her and Brandon cuddled up in the grass. She looked at Musa in the picture, remembering the way the girls eyes had continuously trailed over to Riven. Stella hoped sincerely that whatever feelings she'd had for the brute had faded through the summer.

"No, but it at least makes it more understandable."

"I guess…" Stella sighed, putting the picture back in its spot. "What do you want to do when you get back?"

"Whatever you want"

"No, but what do you want?"

"Honestly, probably to take it easy. I'll still be sore and tired from the week so staying it, maybe watching a movie or something sounds like it would be nice."

"Sure! Whatever you want. If you're nice, I might even give you a massage."

"Might?"

"We'll see how I feel" she giggled, knowing full well she would happily be giving him a massage if it meant getting her hands on him.

"If I give you one then can I get one?"

"Brandon, if you give me a massage you can get anything you want."

"I'll hold you to that"

"Oh... and here I was hoping you would hold me to you" Stella replied playfully, an eager smile growing on her face.

"I can do that too"

Bloom took several deep breaths, followed by several more. She raised her fist, lowered it and took several more deep breaths. She spun on her heel, walked halfway down the hall and then turned around and walked back. Her fist was poised to knock when the door swung open.

"Bloom?" Professor Avalon looked down at her with surprised eyes, but a welcoming smile.

"Hi professor!"

Avalon invited her in, motioning for her to take a seat in the dark blue chair across from his desk. He apologised for the mess, claiming he was still getting organised, and prompting Bloom to look around and take in the stacks of books piled onto every surface except the actual bookshelf. She picked up the nearest book and flipped it over. The Mind and its subconscious by Dr. Rickard Sessinty. Could be interesting… She flipped open the book, skimming through the index.

"I just haven't had the time to get any organising done… I've been trying to perfect a spell that would create a short-term duplicate of myself, but so far it's been unsuccessful. I'll just have to organise the office myself" he chuckled.

"I could help you."

Avalon smiled as he finished up clearing off what has formerly been a mountain of papers on his desk. "That's very sweet of you to offer," he said, taking his seat, "but I couldn't possibly ask you to do that."

"I'm offering. Besides, I, well…" Bloom took another deep breath. If she didn't ask, she'd never get anywhere. "I sort of have something to ask you…"

He nodded encouragingly, resting his elbows on the desk and propping his chin on his intertwined hands in attention. Bloom took another deep breath – she'd taken so many at this point, she was convinced that she would just start breathing like that naturally. Before she could chicken out, Bloom began explaining last year's adventures and how she'd discovered that she was Domino's lost princess Maud. Avalon nodded, mentioning that he had been informed of her recent revelations. "I imagine it must all be very overwhelming."

"A bit" she replied honestly, happy to have some empathy. It wasn't that her friends hadn't been supportive about her discovering her origins, it just felt like none of them really cared to help her discover more than where she'd come from. There was so much she still wanted to know about the people that had been in her life, who they were, what they believed, what Domino was like, what it's citizens did and how they lived. She wanted more than what history books could offer.

"I see. And you believe I can help you with this?" Avalon questioned once she'd explained that she wanted to learn about her family.

"You mentioned something in your first class about hypnotherapy and," she flashed the book in her hand, "hidden memories. It got me thinking… that maybe… well…"

"You're hoping to uncover some buried memories."

Bloom smiled widely, thankful that Avalon understood what she was getting at. She had been thinking it over for weeks now, since that very first class. She hadn't told any of the girls – or Sky – for worry that they'd think she was taking things too far. She could hear them telling her that it was too far of a stretch to be worth the effort in the back of her mind.

"It's a very complicated task, but I suppose there's no harm in trying."

"Really?!" Bloom shouted much louder than she'd anticipated, jumping out of her seat. She calmed herself and sat back down, folding her hands over her lap. "You'll help me?"

"Of course. As an educator, I've sworn to myself to do everything in my power to help my students get to know themselves and grow as people. And as a seeker of knowledge, this is a wonderful opportunity to apply some advanced magical theories to a real life situation. It's a win-win."

He requested a few days to put together a plan of attack, which Bloom happily granted. She'd give him all month if he was still willing to be help her. Bloom left feeling much more excited than she had since the beginning of the school year. Could Avalon be the key to learning about her family and their – her – people?

As she approached her dorm, her phone started to ring. She answered it without even looking at the screen. Sky's voice greeted her warmly. He'd texted her last night, something about a mission or a training session, she couldn't remember anymore. What she did know was that he'd be gone for a week and a half, something that she was not looking forward to.

"Are you all ready to go?"

"I am…"

"Are you not looking forward to ten whole days in the woods with the guys?"

"You make it sound like it's a trip, not a training mission" Sky scoffed. "It wouldn't be so bad if Riven wasn't already being a dick."

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Riven had a tendency to be… difficult, sure, but he wouldn't start shit just for the sake of it, would he? Bloom didn't think so. He lashed out, yeah, but from the few conversations – actual genuine conversations – he seemed like a nice guy. Besides, Musa and Flora seemed to like him and she trusted their judgment.

"Timmy got him to shut up, but I have a feeling it's going to be ten days of this. I don't know what I did to him, but it's like everything I do pisses him off."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"That won't help. Riven doesn't talk things through. He'll just keep being a jerk."

Bloom sighed as Kiko crawled into her lap and she started to pet him. She didn't know what to tell Sky. She had no idea why Riven disliked him so much. She knew that sometimes Sky tended to be a little too idealistic, which was something that she liked about him, but she could see how it could get on someone's nerves. Especially when that someone was more pessimistic like Riven. "I'm sure that once you're in the woods and having to work together, it'll work itself out" she tried.

"Your optimism is appreciated."

"But not shared, I gather?"

"Not really" he sighed. "How's your day going?"

"Oh, um, great actually. I haven't really mentioned this to anyone, but I had this idea that Professor Avalon might be able to help me unlock some old memories about my birth parents, and I spoke to him about it today and he agreed to help!"

"Oh… that's great." Sky tried to force his enthusiasm and that just made his response sound even faker. Bloom furrowed her brows, pausing the absent-minded petting.

"Is it?" She asked skeptically, resuming her petting as Kiko pushed himself against her hand.

"Yeah…"

"Really? Cause you sound like I just told you I was dying" Bloom accused. Outside her bedroom door, she heard Musa and Tecna enter talking about something that she couldn't quite make out. From the way Tecna rambled on, Bloom gathered that she was excited about something. Unlike Sky who couldn't be bothered to be excited for her.

"No, Bloom. I want you to know more about your birth family, but –"

"But?!"

"Can we please talk about this when I get back?" he begged. "I really don't want to fight."

"We're not fighting. I'm just trying to figure out why you're not happy that I found someone willing – and capable – of helping me learn more about my family."

"I am happy!"

"Could've fooled me."

"Bloom, please. Can we just drop this?"

"Fine. Guess that means I can drop this call then." Bloom snapped her phone shut and laid down on the bed. Kiko hopped off her lap and made his way up to her face and sniffed around. He curled himself into her hair, face resting on the arm she'd dropped above her head.

She really thought Sky would be supportive of her; that's what boyfriends were supposed to do. Why he wasn't supportive was beyond her, she just knew he wasn't – his tone had made that plenty obvious – and that pissed her off. If the roles were reversed, she would be endlessly supportive of him. Whatever, she thought to herself, rolling over to pet Kiko some more, he'd have a whole week and a half in the woods to think about why he was wrong. Hopefully, when he came back, he'd be apologizing.

Tecna sat in the common room of a random dorm in Red Fountain. It occurred to her as she watched the three boys argue over which game to play that maybe she shouldn't have come alone. Red Fountains students were supposed to act with honour, she told herself, pushing away the voice that reminded her that she'd ended up in the dorm of three random boys that she barely knew by herself.

"Why don't we let Tecna decide" Red suggested, "she's our guest."

The two others agreed, turning to her and starting in on the reasons their chosen games were the best. When they'd invited her to a gaming session – something that had come as a surprise to her despite their saying they would – she'd expected that they'd already have a game chosen. Instead she'd arrived to shouting so loud it could be heard through the door and playing peacemaker between them. It was just like being with Musa and Stella, she thought with a sigh.

She chose a game – Red's pick. He turned to the others and flipped them off with a cheeky grin. "I knew you had good taste" he told her as Scar begrudgingly popped the game in.

"Questionable if she's willingly hanging out with you two" Scar chuckled.

"She's hanging out with you too, fuckface."

Red laughed at Grizz's retort while Scar grumbled to himself. The boys took their seats around the room – Red sitting beside her while Scar took the single-seater and Grizz installed himself on the floor between them.

As the other two selected their players, Red leaned over to the smorgasbord of junk food that had been set on the table that Stella and Bloom would have devoured in minutes. "Grizz's mom works in events. He's pretty anal about making sure we have a proper spread" Red explained between bites of chip.

"Yes, I have heard that poor menu selections can impact an event quite negatively." Specifically she'd listened to Stella drone on for close to thirty minutes about the garbage menu at some ball she'd gone to over the summer, interspersed with commentary on the outfits of people she'd never heard of.

"Menus can make or break an event" Grizz pitched his voice higher, presumably imitating his mother.

"I did not realise that this would be considered an event. I would have dressed more appropriately." Tecna looked down at the slacks she wore – not one of her worst pairs, but far from a nice pair. She'd worn sneakers and a tank top with them. What did it mean that she could hear Stella scolding her outfit choice in the back of her mind?

"It's not. You look fine" Red assured.

"Any get-together is an event" Grizz countered.

"Fine. What a compliment. You look lovely, Tecna." Scar smiled as he spoke, shaking his head gently. "Now can you two pick your damn players so we can get this show on the road?"

How often she'd beat them surprised the boys. Not her, though. Tecna had chosen Red's game because she knew it well. And she liked to win. The boys revered her for kicking their asses (as they should, she could hear Musa saying) and she lapped up their praises happily.

What she learned about the guys – her new friends, perhaps – surprised her a fair bit. Grizz, at his mother's behest it appeared – knew how to arrange bouquets. He even offered to prepare one for her for the day of the rose. She refused. Flowers were not a proper gift on Zenith. Red, despite what his pale complexion would have you believe, was native to Solaria. His opinion of Stella prior to the war changed drastically when he saw her fighting side by side with the students and working in the cafeteria. Scar was a trained dancer – ballroom mainly, though he had taken the odd hip hop and tap class.

What surprised her the most was how comfortable she felt around them. Maybe it was a shared trauma that made her feel at ease or maybe it was that they were so incredibly welcoming and genuine. Whatever it was, she hoped they liked her enough to invite her over again. Maybe she could finally make her first friends that hadn't been assigned to her.