This week's chapters have taken me a long time to write. I think it's because something awful is coming up soon, so it's a matter of properly setting that awful thing up. Someone better cry- that's all I'm saying.

Thank you for reading!

Something about being in a room full of strangers gave Anora anxiety. She couldn't imagine why; it's not like she could easily recall any incidents in her past that made her feel this way. Maybe she had a fear of being called out for something? It definitely felt like she was walking on pins and needles the moment their group of eight sat on the groom's side during the wedding proper. She didn't belong here. She didn't know anymore. Someone was going to find out that she had the least relation to Kadin Nyoka and tell her to get lost, or accuse her of wedding crashing, or maybe even…

"You alright?"

Ephemer's soft, hushed voice almost made Anora jump three feet in the air. He didn't need to talk so softly now; the wedding had already taken place and now the eight of them were at the reception. Anora looked over at him and nodded. She reached for his hand under the table and gave it a light squeeze. Ephemer gave a little squeeze back before the two of them turned their attention back to the others.

"So here's the deal," Ms. April told the headmasters as she reached for the open champagne bottle, pouring the drink into their glasses for them, "If all of us get absolutely plastered, I volunteer Anora as our designated driver. She seems responsible enough."

"Hey!" Ephemer almost immediately objected. "What about me?"

Ms. April looked at him. A wide, catlike grin was etched on her face now. "You bungee jumped off the gym building." she told him- her voice just as amused and mocking. "Your sense of responsibility got thrown way out the window after that little stunt."

Ephemer's ears and face quickly became a bright shade of red. "It was one time!" he insisted. "And I was bribed!"

That was when Gula let out a light chuckle before cutting in, "From where I was standing, it looked like you were having way too much fun up there if it was a bribe."

"C-can we talk about something else?"

"By all rights," Ms. April bemused, swirling her now filled champagne glass, "Anora should know this story. It was your crowning moment, after all."

Ephemer could only shake his head and try to hide his face from the others. He hated that he could hear Anora's light chuckles beside him. It was more unnerving hearing even Ira laugh at him too. After a while, their laughter died down enough that Ira started to get up from the table.

"I'm going to get some refreshments. Does anyone want something while I'm up?"

"Can I come with you?" Ava requested. "I wanted to see if they had any more of those little sandwiches."

Ira gave her a nod of agreement, helping her out of her seat, before the two of them headed toward the drink table. Conversation quickly started back up again between the remaining six of them. They didn't even particularly notice when the first dance started. What led them all to look over at the dance floor were the sounds of child-like giggles that rang through the reception hall. Ephemer was the first to look over.

Over on the dance floor was the wedding's flower girl, Vidia, dancing with her father, the groom, Kadin. The little girl happily danced with her much taller father- even if it was just a set of wiggles and laughter from the both of them. Ephemer gave them a small smile as he rested his head in his hand.

"I'd like to have kids." Ephemer wistfully sighed. Anora looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He only happened to notice it out of the corner of his eye.

"N-not now of course!" he quickly stammered, shaking his hands in defense. "Later! Much, much later! Like, after we graduate, later! I'm, like, the same age Ava was when she adopted me and I still don't know how she did it!"

"Smooth recovery there, slick." Gula couldn't help but add in. Ephemer did not hesitate to give the headmaster a rather cold glare.

"No one asked you." Ephemer hissed back with a prudent scrunch of his nose. "It's not like I'm harassing you for not marrying Ava off yet. You're just afraid of me calling you 'Papa', aren't you?"

"You will address me as 'Father', young man." Gula teasingly replied without a second guess.

The corner of Ephemer's mouth twitched before he insisted, "Papa Gula."

"Watch it- or I'll show you why your name means 'short-lived.'"

"You're not my real dad."

Upon finding she no longer wanted to hear this conversation, Invi started to get up from the table as well. "I'll be back soon." Invi told their group. "I need to give Kadin my congratulations."

She was grateful that no one really paid her any mind. Invi absently smoothed out her skirt as she walked toward Kadin and Vidia. Her heart clenched as she looked directly at the toddler while placing a hand on Kadin's shoulder. He looked up at her and grinned.

"Heya Invi!" he greeted, ceasing his dance with her daughter to shake Invi's hand. "So glad you decided to come. Saw that army you brought with you too- looks like some crowd. Practically a barrel of monkeys."

"You could say that." Invi politely agreed with a less than easy smile of her own. Her attention was diverted from Kadin when she felt something tugging at her skirt. She looked down and nearly paled at seeing Vidia look up at her with bright, wide eyes.

"Dance, dance, dance, dance!" little Vidia proclaimed, reaching her hands up at Invi. Almost immediately, Invi recoiled.

"O-oh no, I don't think I…"

"Come on, Invi," Kadin goaded, "Look at that little face. How could you resist it?"

Invi bit her tongue, trying to hold back some rather choice words to Kadin. She knew what he was doing. Rude. Despite her better judgments, though, Invi bent down to carefully pick the little girl up and started to do a light waltz with her. The toddler happily squealed in delight as Invi spun her around, occasionally pretending to dip her a little too.

Back at the table, the sweet display was being watched by one particularly nosey woman.

"Aced," Ms. April softly said, nudging the tall headmaster with her elbow, "Don't you think there's something… familiar about that little flower girl?"

Aced looked over at her, confused. "What do you mean?" he questioned. At first, Ms. April didn't seem to answer him. She leaned a bit closer before telling him;

"Look at her eyes."

"Her eyes?"

The tiny, older woman gave a solemn nod. "And maybe a bit of her nose and chin. Don't they remind you of someone else's?"

Aced still gave Ms. April a quizzical expression before looking back at Invi and Vidia. Since Invi was holding the child, it was much easier to see their profiles. He studied them for a moment before the resemblance clicked with him. Aced's eyes grew wide as he shot April a surprised look. She raised a knowing eyebrow in return before taking a rather long sip from her champagne glass.

. . .

Everyone but Anora decided to socialize in some capacity over the rest of the reception. Ira became the dedicated drink and snack getter, Ms. April had coaxed Aced into dancing more than once, Gula made small talk, Ephemer even managed to get locked into a conversation with some other boys his age, and Invi happened to find the bride to give her best wishes. As for Ava…

The rather short woman weaved in and out of the tables with excitement. Some of it disappeared when she realized that only April, Aced, Ephemer, and Anora were still sitting there.

"Guys!" Ava happily huffed as she tried to regain her breath. "They're about to toss the bouquet! Would anyone like to join me? April? Anora?"

"Thanks but no thanks, Ava." Ms. April brushed off with a wave of her hand. "I already know that I'm destined to be an old maid in some form or another. Don't need a bridal mosh pit to remind me of it."

"What about you, Anora?" Ava cheerfully asked. "You want to come with me?"

Her answer was in the form of a very fervent head shake and wide, terrified eyes. Understanding, but not quite realizing, the urgency, Ava gave a bright smile before heading on off.

"You don't want to join?" Ephemer teased Anora, giving her a little nudge. "I'm sure you'll make a great bride someday if you catch it. We can have a pretty awesome wedding, just like this one."

The face Anora gave Ephemer was a cross between confusion and bewilderment. She looked around the reception hall, and could almost feel her face pale over. There were so many people here. If she got married -to Ephemer or otherwise- it wouldn't be this big. Without meaning to, Anora gave a small grimace before quickly shaking her head. Ephemer's joking expression soon fell into one of almost disappointment. Did Anora not want to get married? A small thought flickered across his mind that he wasn't able to take care of her anyway, so how did it matter. But the corner of his mouth twitched- he wasn't ready to lose her. Not yet.

"Then how about a ring?" he then asked. "Just… I dunno, something to remind yourself of your loved one, and all?"

Anora gave Ephemer an odd little raise of her eyebrow. Before she could answer, the undeniable squeals coming from Ava diverted their attention. In however long their conversation lasted, the bouquet had been tossed and Ava had apparently caught it. She proudly waved the bundle of fake flowers in the air like a trophy. Gula, who was coming back to the table, let out a small chuckle as he sat down.

"Whelp, looks like my days as a single man are at an end." he teased- more to Ms. April and Aced than to the teenagers.

"I'd drink to that." April bemused, raising her champagne glass. Gula raised a bemused eyebrow at her before getting his own, their glasses clinking in agreement.

"Can I join in?" Aced nervously asked, raising his glass as well.

"You bet, teddy bear." Ms. April agreed with a grin just moments before clicking her glass against his. Aced had to move a bit to reach Gula's glass as well. The three adults tipped down their beverages with a single, unanimous gulp.

Ephemer watched them with a small raise of his eyebrow. He turned his gaze over to Anora -whose social energy meter was running low, so she was distracting herself by drawing little circles with her finger on the table cloth- and let out a small sigh. He could admit to not always being the smartest kid on campus, but he knew one thing; he wanted to be with Anora. He just had to make her a promise.

And he knew just what kind of promise he was going to give her too.