I hope everyone is staying safe during this pandemic! Remember to practice social distancing and avoid leaving your house unless absolutely necessary; if you do have to leave, wear a mask! This chapter was fun to write and I hope you enjoy. :)

WARNING: There is a very, very brief reference to sexual content near the end of this chapter; it is not explicit but if you are sensitive to such content please be cautious.

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"Rayla, can you let them in?" Claudia's voice was muffled through the closed door of her dorm. "I'm in the middle of foiling my hair."

What an... odd activity to be engaged in. Callum didn't hear anyone answer, but a few seconds later the door swung open.

"Aw, if it isn't my two favorite losers," Rayla teased, a smirk dancing on her lips as she leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest. "A prince and his royal guard."

"Excuse you, but I'm not just any prince! I am a mage," Callum protested in mock-offense as Rayla stepped aside to allow himself and Soren to enter.

Rayla rolled her eyes. "No need to shout at me, you big dummy." She closed the door before throwing him a sly wink. "No one likes a loud mage."

Callum decided the most appropriate response to her comment was to remain silent and not respond at all while pretending his face wasn't any more red than usual.

"Alright," Claudia said as she stepped out of the bathroom with silver foil holding a section of her hair that framed her face, somehow taking control of both the room and the conversation in only one word. "Here's the game plan, ladies and Rayla." That earned a snort from her brother. "Callum and Soren, you guys can change in the bedroom, since Rayla and I currently have the bathroom on lockdown."

"No, you have the bathroom on lockdown," Rayla said with an amused grin. "I'm just there in the background, dancing to ABBA."

"No complaining, missy - I left you eight inches of counter space, just like we agreed." Claudia returned her attention to Callum and Soren. "Once we're ready, we'll help you... fine tune your costumes, because Lord knows you probably need the assistance."

Although Claudia was pointing at the both of them, Callum had a gut feeling her comment was directed specifically to him. And this feeling was more justified than not, because he did have an embarrassing track record of basically... tagging along while Ezran, Claudia, and Soren went all out with costumes for Halloween.

Well, embarrassing as it was to admit it, this time really wasn't going to be terribly different. Not that he hadn't put effort in, because he had - which was a first - but both his time and his budget were limited. He would normally have asked Claudia for help beforehand, but since she was insistent they keep their costumes secret from each other until the day of the party, there wasn't much he could do on that front.

But, to give himself some credit, his costume was a little better than usual. He'd genuinely put thought into most of his outfit.

Upon not receiving any questions from them, Claudia and Rayla locked themselves in the bathroom, now blasting something that sounded suspiciously like "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Soren started playing what Callum recognized to be the Skyrim soundtrack in response. Siblings were weird.

(Right. Because he and Ezran definitely weren't weird.)

Callum shut the bedroom door before he started changing. His costume consisted of a pretty fancy sleeveless red top with shiny gold thread, and his trusty red scarf on top. He planned to keep his jacket with him in case he got cold. He was wearing cargo pants only because he'd wanted to stuff his pockets with neat little trinkets, which he'd done. Mostly.

One of those trinkets was a small bottle of silver-blue paint and a brush. Upon retrieving those from the pocket on the side of his left thigh, Callum positioned himself in front of the mirror in the bedroom and carefully began to paint symbols on his arms.

"Oh, I dig that," Soren said when he noticed what Callum was doing, though Callum couldn't help but cringe at his friend's older slang. "Do those symbols mean anything?"

"Well, according to the Internet, they're ancient Draconic," he explained. "Apparently it used to be the universal language of Xadia before the clans split up into the six groups they are now. Fun fact: ancient Draconic has many similarities in pronunciation to Latin, though it has a completely different alphabet. Even Xadia couldn't escape Roman influence."

Soren laughed. "Sounds about right. So... what do those words mean, then?"

"Manus, pluma, volantis," Callum read, the words feeling surprisingly natural on his tongue. "A loose translation is 'hand, wing, flying'." He paused before adding, "A very loose translation. I've decided to pretend it's some kind of flying spell, which is why I painted it on my arms." And also because his arms were the only place he could paint it where it wouldn't look terrible.

Soren whistled. "That's pretty cool." He then returned his attention to his own costume, carefully pulling what looked to be a chestplate over his head.

Callum finished up the final symbol on his arm before wiping up the paintbrush with a tissue to the best of his ability and returning both it and the closed container of paint to his pocket. He then retrieved a gold crown from his satchel. He was quite proud of how earlier that day he had successfully convinced Ezran to let him borrow this circlet, which Harrow had gifted his brother last Halloween. Ezran had laughed when Callum tried it on, not because it looked bad, but because the only reason it fit, quote, "your giant head", was because it had to be big enough to fit over Ezran's hair.

Callum knew Ezran was right - well, maybe not about the size of his head - but that fact had not stopped him from chasing his little brother around the house for practically a half hour in retaliation.

"That crown looks good on you," Soren commented as he adjusted the strap on the side of his chestplate to fit him better. "Makes you look like less of a freshman."

"Oh, ha ha," Callum said, rolling his eyes. He paused. "Thanks."

Soren chuckled. "You're welcome."

Callum put his satchel back on across his body, being careful not to brush the still-drying paint on his arms. His sketchbook had been dubbed a spellbook for that night only. He noticed in the mirror that Soren had remained true to his word and gotten a sword to complete his royal guard costume. For a plastic sword, Callum had to admit that it looked pretty real.

(He didn't really want to consider the possibility that it might be.)

"I hope you know that Claudia isn't going to be pleased with your costume," Soren pointed out, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest. "There's a 90% chance she's going to strangle you, and a 50/50 chance that she'll succeed."

"But I actually tried this year!" Callum protested. He hesitated before correcting himself. "Well, comparatively."

Soren snorted. "That's what I thought."

Callum sighed as he pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves that he'd almost forgotten in his bag. "Yeah, I know. Maybe she'll have mercy because she knows I'm an unwilling attendee of this party?"

"Is it too pessimistic to say that I'm doubtful?"

Callum opened his mouth to answer, but before he could get a word out he was interrupted by an almost unfortunately familiar voice.

"Callum! Are you kidding me?"

Yeah, no mercy.

Claudia facepalmed, an action he hadn't seen her perform since 9th grade. He felt a little bad that he was the one to drive her to such a low.

"You are so lucky I expected you to half-ass this," she said. "Come here."

"But I didn't half-ass it!" he protested as he followed her back into the main room. "I just don't have the same budget or the overly-intense dedication that you do." And he also hadn't gone shopping until two days before, but she didn't need to know that."

He had to admit that Claudia's costume looked awesome. She was in a floor-length black gown with gold and white thread decorating the bodice, with a folded white section falling down the middle of the dress, just below her waist. The feathery-looking shoulder pads were an... interesting choice. A choice he could respect because of its boldness, if nothing else. The tinfoil in her hair had been removed to reveal a white streak that neatly framed the left side of her face.

She didn't just look like a dark mage - she looked like a powerful dark mage.

"Here," she said, opening a closet and grabbing a small crystal orb that she then handed to him. "This is an elemental stone."

"Primal stone!" Rayla called from afar. Probably the bathroom.

"Primal stone," Claudia corrected herself, tapping the sphere. "You can pick it to represent whatever element you want. Water, earth, sky, fire - all that jazz."

Callum studied the orb. It looked a bit cloudy inside, plus the markings he'd painted on his arms had to do with the sky and flying, so... "Storm stone."

Claudia laughed. "Oh, you and your unnecessary alliteration. I love it. Storm stone!" She then reached into a pocket on her dress that Callum hadn't realized was there. "Also..." She pulled out a sheet of paper. "Rayla and I - well, mostly Rayla - made a list of some 'spells' that you can whip out at the party for dramatic effect."

Callum accepted the paper, skimming through some of the words. "Fulminis sounds pretty cool," he admitted. "Aspiro, too." He paused. "Er, what language is this?"

"Ancient Draconic, just transliterated to the Latin alphabet," Rayla called, her voice echoing slightly from having to travel through the hall. "Or at least a dialect of it. I only know a few root words, so I had to call Ethari for help - you're welcome."

Her pointed tone indicated that she wanted her efforts recognized, which Callum would have done even without the prodding. "Thank you!" he called back. "And thank Ethari for me, too!"

"Y'know," Soren said, leaning over Callum's shoulder to look at the paper and startling him. "That looks a lot like Latin."

Callum rolled his eyes at his friend's comment, knowing very well Soren had pointed it out only because he himself had done so minutes earlier.

"Oh, shut it," Rayla grumbled. Apparently she'd heard his comment, too. "They're both Indo-European or whatever. Close enough."

"Ooh, and Rayla brought a cool object-thingy for you, too!" Claudia said, snapping her fingers as the thought occurred to her. "Before I forget..." She dragged him back into the bedroom. "Rayla, where'd you put that cube?"

"Should be on my bed!"

"Got it!" She grabbed a small wooden cube off of Rayla's pillow and handed it to Callum. "It was made in Xadia. Each side represents, uh, an element or something -"

"Each side represents one of the primal sources," Rayla interrupted as she entered the bedroom and plucked the cube out of Callum's hands, giving Claudia an amused smile. "It's related to ancient Xadian folklore. Long ago, they believed that each clan had an innate connection to one of these sources. And before you ask, yes, that is why my last name is Moonshadow, and no, I don't know what the 'shadow' part is from."

Callum managed to bite back a laugh at her comments. "Right. Got it."

"This cube was actually a gift from my parents. Before they… left," she continued. Her pause was nearly imperceptible, and Callum almost wondered if he'd imagined it. "A little reminder that they'd always be with me, because the primal sources are always around me." She placed the cube in Callum's palm, gently closing his hand around it. "Perfect trinket for a mage."

At first, Callum found himself at a loss for words. Despite having Big Feelings Time all through his childhood, he'd still never been particularly skilled at articulating his emotions. Drawing was easy - talking was hard. "Thank you," he finally managed to say. "This is - this is really kind of you." He offered her a tentative smile, pretending not to notice and definitely not minding that she didn't take her hand off of his.

Claudia cleared her throat in what sounded to Callum like the most obnoxious manner she could muster, causing Rayla to immediately step away from him. "Anyways," she said pointedly, though she had a smug grin on her face, "Rayla, your costume looks fantastic!"

Rayla seemed to recover from whatever embarrassment had overcome her, taking another step back in order to spin around on her back heel. "Thank you!" she said, beaming. "It's an old Moonshadow military uniform! Runaan tailored it to fit me back in Silvergrove. I was supposed to wear it for some event-thing he had planned, but my acceptance into this exchange program changed all that and for some reason I chose to pack it before I left."

"Well, I am beyond glad you did, because it looks a-freakin-mazing!" Claudia said excitedly. "At last, someone who puts as much effort into costumes as I do."

Callum himself could hardly believe the level of detail in her costume. The fitted, dark green uniform really did resemble something that could have been worn in the military, and her navy armguards and thigh-high boots really nailed the fantasy aspect. The horns on her head - presumably elven horns, since she was supposed to be an elf - seemed to be carved out of real wood. He wasn't sure how she'd secured them. Not that it mattered - they didn't fall off when she'd spun, which meant they were clearly fine. The purple paint beneath her eyes was a nice touch.

He couldn't help but notice that it matched the streaks in her hair.

"I am Rayla Moonshadow," Rayla said with a cheeky grin and a grand bow, "elven assassin and bodyguard to the royal Prince Callum of Katolis. Anyone who dares to harm him must be prepared to go through my swords." Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she pulled out two switchblades, flipping between a sharp hook and a jagged-edged dagger.

"Whoa," Soren said, taking a step back in a mixture of shock and awe. "Are you even allowed to have those on campus?" His tone was definitely more of admiration than it was reprimanding, not that this was a surprise to anyone.

"Probably not," Rayla admitted, flipping the blades back into their... er, sheaths? "But I listed them as martial arts equipment, and the school has yet to contact me about what exactly I meant by that."

"You know, when you told us that you studied martial arts, I thought you were talking about karate or Tae Kwon Do or something," Callum commented. "Not that you were a literal ninja."

Rayla shrugged, though the pink tint to her face suggested that she was flattered by his words. "Runaan is a firm believer in the importance of versatility in both training and weapons."

"Were you going to bring those as props?" Claudia asked. "Because while I totally support that action, I also don't want you to go to jail. I mean, I'd totally bail you out, but my dad would probably be pissed."

"Oh, no," Rayla said with a laugh, tossing the blades onto her bed. "I don't think these would go over well with the party guests."

"Maybe not, but Felix would love it," Soren pointed out. "He's a sucker for a girl who could cut his head off."

His comment caused everyone in the room to wince.

"Geez, Sor-bear," Claudia groaned, shaking her head. "Next time just say he wants to get pegged."

Soren wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Gross. No thanks."

"How is beheading less gross?!" She held up her hands to stop him from answering. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

Callum, having long since decided to tune out the siblings' disaster of a conversation, noticed that Rayla had a purple pendant hanging on a bronze cord around her neck. Her hand drifted up to hold it every now and then.

"Anyways," Soren said, clapping his hands together. "Are we ready to go? We can all ride in my car - save the environment a little bit."

"Whoo!" Claudia cheered. "Yeah. Go green."

They all left the dorm and piled into Soren's car, Claudia calling shotgun and leaving Callum and Rayla together in the backseat. Maybe it was a coincidence, but knowing Claudia, probably not.

"So," Callum said after a few minutes, scooting closer to his friend so she could hear him over Claudia and Soren's loud, off-key singing of 9 to 5. "What's your pendant mean?"

Rayla instinctively reached up to touch her necklace. "It's a moonstone. Ethari gave it to me before I came to Katolis." Her fingers traced the edge of the pendant, and she sighed. "I actually... wasn't on the best terms with a lot of people in my town when I left. I think it was his way of reminding me that I would always be welcomed home."

Callum frowned, his brow furrowing in concern. "Why? What happened?"

Rayla shrugged. "Nothing. It doesn't matter now."

"No. Whatever it is made you upset, right? Of course it matters." He paused before hastily adding, "But if you don't want to talk about it I completely understand. I don't want to overstep."

Rayla stared at him for a moment. Then her gaze softened. "You're too sweet for your own good, Callum."

"Someone in our friend group has to be."

She snorted at that. "How humble." Her face returned to its earlier, more solemn expression. "My parents were... bodyguards, in a sense, for these Xadian diplomats that were descended from Draconian royals, if you can believe it. And they... didn't really die in a plane crash." She exhaled heavily. "Long story short, something happened that got those diplomats killed. Something that could have been prevented by my parents, supposedly. But since they weren't able to - since they failed to save the diplomats..." She shrugged. "In the eyes of the Moonshadow clan, my parents were traitors. Cowards. Maybe they ran away. Maybe they gave up. Whatever happened, they've been... blacklisted in the Silvergrove. Ghosted. Because of that, most people don't look too favorably on me, either."

"But that's not fair!" Callum couldn't stop himself from blurting out, having to raise his voice to be heard over Soren and Claudia, who had now switched to singing Something Rotten's "God I Hate Shakespeare". "You shouldn't - you can't be held accountable for your parents' actions, good or bad!"

Rayla shrugged again. "I told you. Xadia can be a bit old-fashioned."

Callum grabbed Rayla's hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "You don't deserve to be treated like that, Rayla. I know you know that, but I'm - I'll keep reminding you. You aren't at fault for something just because you're related to the people involved."

Rayla looked like she wanted to argue with him, but she must have realized that he wasn't going to back down, because she then pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

Callum, initially startled, soon found himself returning her tight embrace. Her hair smelled like lavender - which he only noticed because some of her hair had fallen into his face. He wasn't a creep.

It was a good thing Rayla couldn't read his thoughts. How humiliating.

"Thank you," she murmured. "For listening."

Callum smiled, relaxing into the hug. "You don't have to thank me, Rayla."

She pulled away, and her hands moved to rest on top of his. "I know."

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You know what this means - next chapter is the party! It is admittedly a shorter chapter, but it is nonetheless an important chapter. Revelations will occur. That is all I shall say. I hope to post that chapter in two weeks, and then I will be taking a short break because of my AP exams (but there should still be at least one other chapter posted during the month of May). Again, I hope you're all doing well! Thank you so much for reading!