December 30th, 1205

8:02 pm

Lost Eden was, predictably, packed. Old friends catching up, young people enjoying their vacation from school, winners and losers from the first day of New Year's horse races drinking their winnings or sorrows away. So many patrons it had to be a fire hazard. Contributing to the crowd were two Jaegers, one Bracer, a major, and a music teacher.

The waitress walked up to their table carrying their first round of drinks. "I have a barley stout," she said.

"Right here." Sara lifted her finger.

"A raspberry malt."

"Thanks," said Fiona.

"Soda."

"That'd be mine," Xeno said as he took the bottle.

"Double rum and cola with lime."

"Thank you," said Leonidas.

"Then the wheat ale must be yours," said the waitress as she put the final drink in front of Neithardt. He nodded as she straightened up and flashed the table a service smile. "Let me know if I can get you anything else."

"Could I get another beer?" Sara asked, holding out an empty glass. "Actually, better make it a few more."

The waitress nodded. "Of course." She took it and walked back into the crowd.

Fiona frowned at her friend.

Sara tsked and tilted her head. "C'mon, don't give me that; you know I can handle it," she said. "And I've earned it. I spent the last two years looking after a fluctuating number of babies, let me live a little."

"If you collapse," said Neithardt as he sipped his drink. "I will not carry you."

Sara scoffed. "Like I would let you. Remember what happened last time?"

Neithardt looked away while Fiona lightly giggled.

"That sounds like a story," said Xeno. "Feel like sharing?"

"Not particularly," said Neithardt. Sara, evidently, disagreed.

"Major Honor and Dignity over here saw me wobbling a little and decided, in his whiskey-fueled wisdom, that it was just too dangerous for lil ol' me to walk back. Tried to pick me up and fell flat on his ass."

"Really now?" Xeno leaned onto his palm and mischievously grinned.

"That was a long time ago," Fiona said, trying to help Neithardt save face.

Sara scoffed. She looked like she had a retort but her attention was diverted by the waitress returning with two pitchers full of dark, heady stout.

"I see the bartender remembers you," said Neithardt.

"Of course he does," Sara proudly said as she poured herself a pint. "Who could ever forget me?"

"I'm sure his children thank you for funding their education."

"Sorry, not everyone starts seeing double after half a shot."

Neithardt glared at her. He finished the rest of his beer and poured himself another from the second pitcher.

"Aww, did someone's pride get stung?" Sara taunted.

"So," Fiona said to Xeno and Leonidas, trying to cut off the brewing conflict. "When did you two meet Fie?"

"Fie joined Zephyr just over eleven years ago," said Leonidas.

"Yeah," said Xeno. "I was the newbie so I got stuck babysitting whenever the boss was busy. This guy," he thumbed at Leonidas, "kept hovering around to make sure I didn't screw her up too badly."

"Well you did a great job, both of you," Fiona said with a smile. "Fie is a wonderful young lady."

Sara nearly snorted into her beer. "Hey, don't give them all the credit. I've been taking care of her for the last two years."

"A fact for which we are deeply grateful," said Leonidas. "On behalf of all of Zephyr, thank you."

"Pfft," Sara waved him off. "Anyways, we're up to 'wonderful young lady' from 'potential Elliot heartbreaker'?" she teasingly asked Fiona.

Fiona blushed. "Yes, well," she said as she carefully avoided looking at Xeno and Leonidas.

Xeno leaned back and laughed. "So it's a family thing, huh?" he said.

"We had much the same reaction in our first encounter with your brother," said Leonidas. "He swiftly convinced us otherwise, just as Fie did you."

"Yeah. Plus, killing him wouldn't be worth the angry Fie."

Fiona giggled despite herself. "But you'd be fine with the angry General Craig?"

"Eh, we could take him."

"What about the angry Fiona Craig?"

"Now, that one I'm less sure about." Xeno flashed a smile.

"Where is your dad anyways?" asked Sara. "I'm surprised I haven't seen him yet."

"You know Papa, he won't leave until everyone else can," said Fiona. Xeno quirked up an eyebrow but said nothing.

"The general is renowned for the love he engenders from his men," said Leonidas. "It will be an honor to meet him. As it is to meet you, Major Neithardt. "

Neithardt warily looked at Leonidas while he poured himself another pint. "Thank you," he said. "You will understand if I can not say the same."

"Understand, yes."

Sara tsked as she shook out the last drops of a pitcher into her glass. "Never thought I'd agree with you on something, Neithardt. I don't know how Fie can still want to be around you two after you attacked her twice."

"We had accepted a contract and it was our duty to fulfill it, regardless of personal connections," said Leonidas. "Fie understood that, just as you do being a Jaeger yourself."

"No, I'm a Bracer. I was a Jaeger."

"Nevertheless, I am sure you would not be drinking with us if you truly did not understand."

Sara glowered at him as she finished off the last of her beer and reached for Neithardt's pitcher only to find it just as empty. She gave the major a quick side-eye before speaking. "You're just lucky you didn't hurt her. Well, more than you already did."

Leonidas hung his head and heavily sighed. "It was a difficult decision, but the right one."

"Having Fie around would have just made things harder," Xeno added.

Sara raised her hand to cut him off. "Look," she said. "I wasn't there for the build-up. I don't know what happened or why you did it and frankly, I don't care. Because I was there in the aftermath, listening to a little girl hold back tears while she told me that her family had all left her. I can't say if you did the right thing or not but I can say, with certainty, that you are assholes. And I need more alcohol."

The waitress came over. Leonidas and Fiona got refills, Sara got a fifth of vodka, and Xeno got fries. Sara's first shot was halfway to her lips when she noticed Neithardt pouring himself one.

"You're really determined to keep up with me, huh?" she said with a half-lidded smirk before downing her shot. "Maybe you should leave this to the masters."

Neithardt hmphed and drank his first as well, albeit slightly slower than she had.

"See?" she said as she pointed at him with her shot glass. "No response. Too afraid of what will come out of his mouth."

"A fear you clearly don't share, Sara," Neithardt said with a glare.

"Wow, my first name? You must be even more messed up than I thought," Sara said with a chuckle. "Fiona, you really need to work on his competitiveness. You know, he made every boy in my class swim until they almost drowned because he heard they had gotten beaten by some of the girls? Fie and a girl on the actual swim team for that matter."

"Oh really?" Fiona said, looking over at Neithardt.

"...They needed the extra training," he muttered.

"What was it you said?" Sara said after another shot. "'For the sake of masculinity the world over'?"

"Oh really," Fiona said with an impressively dangerous smile.

"..." Neithardt took a second shot. Even through the alcohol he could read Fiona's expression loud and clear.

"See? Clammed up. What'd I tell you." Satisfied she had won that exchange, Sara's attention turned to Xeno's fries. She reached for one, only to find the plate sliding away as her fingers inched closer. "Jerk," she said with a petulant pout.

Xeno smirked. "Weren't you taught that it's rude to take someone's things without asking?"

Sara rolled her eyes so hard she made herself dizzy. Or maybe that was the alcohol. "May I please h- Nope. Nope, can't do it. Looks like you're all the potato I'm getting tonight," she said to the rapidly emptying vodka bottle.

Leonidas bent forward and squinted slightly. "According to the label, this was made from wheat," he said.

Sara threw her hands up. "Well then I guess I'm getting no potato! Aidios, this is Livli all over again," she muttered.

"There were potatoes in the soup we had for dinner," Fiona helpfully reminded her.

"...Oh yeah."

"What happened in Livli?" Fiona asked.

"I did a job there when I was still in the Northern Jaegers," Sara explained. "There was a food shortage, well, more so than usual. Things got… complicated. Rather not talk about it."

When Leonidas stared off into space, it made one fear for the moon. "What is it you do, Fiona?" he asked, bringing his attention to her. "I'm curious what sort of complications can arise in your business."

"Nothing as dramatic as you all, I'm afraid," she said. "I'm just a music teacher. Sometimes I fill in for bands I know when they have a member who's sick or something." Fiona brightened. "So I guess complications give me my business."

"I see. That is not entirely dissimilar to our line of work."

Xeno chuckled. "Yeah. We make complicated situations simpler."

"Lethally," Sara muttered.

"We do more than just killings," Leonidas said.

Xeno nodded. "I got hired to re-shingle a guy's roof once. I have no idea why he came to me or why he thought I could do it, but there you go."

"Wow," said Fiona. "Could you?"

"Nope! But two point one billion mira is a great motivator to learn."

Sara's jaw fell open and even Neithardt paused mid-shot to look Xeno. "Two point on- there had to be something more going on!" Sara protested.

Xeno shrugged. "Probably."

"Didn't you look into it?!"

"Nope. I did the job, I got the money, and I never looked back."

Sara looked at him in confounded befuddlement. "Two point one billion," she mouthed.

Fiona looked at him, hiding her emotions only slightly better. "What did you do with it?"

"I put it into my retirement fund. Well, most of it." Xeno smiled in a way that made the people at the table curious what he had spent the rest on while also being certain they didn't want to know. He laughed at the look on their faces. "I love telling that story."

"...What about you, Leonidas?" Fiona asked. "Any favorite stories?"

"Not particularly," he said. "I once got hired to take a manuscript from Crossbell to Arteria and then gifted an advance copy of Gambler Jack II as a bonus. That was a pleasant surprise."

"I never got bonuses when I was a Jaeger," Sara said.

"Definitely don't come as often as I'd like," said Xeno. "What about you, Major? You ever get a little extra?"

"No," Neithardt said, focusing on not slurring.

"Lame. Not even for the holidays?"

Neithardt glared at him, the effect diminished slightly by his head wobbling. "Protecting the people of Ero- Erebonya is its own reward."

Xeno gave a condescending look over his spectacles before going back to his fries.

"Of course you don't get it, Jaeger," said Neithardt.

"My students make me things sometimes," Fiona said, cutting off an argument before it could start. "One of them made me this." She rolled up her sleeve and showed the table an inch-thick bracelet made of green and orange wool.

"Aww, my students never gave me anything," said Sara, looking at it with playful envy. "Well, I'm pretty sure Elliot's gonna give me a niece one day."

Fiona kept looking at her bracelet but her mind seemed elsewhere. "You really think they'll stay together?"

Sara hummed with glee. "It would take something pre~tty horrible to break them up," she said. "It's amazing, I haven't seen a look like the one Elliot has around her since you met-" She cut herself off and looked across the table at the pair of Jaegers like she had momentarily forgotten they were there. "Someone who isn't here right now. Definitely."

"Nice save," said Xeno.

Sara let out a sharp "Shh!" like a librarian aggressively shushing someone. "You know nothing."

Neithardt attempted to bring another shot to his lips, his fifth of the night, but paused when he realized he had spilled some down his front. He put the glass back down. His chair screeched across the floor as he pushed it back from the table to rise.

"It would be pru… pru… I'm done," he said.

"Aww, does Neithardt need to go night night?" Sara taunted him before downing another vodka shot.

He clenched the table to hold himself steady enough to properly glare at her, reaching out to finish that fifth shot. Out the corner of his blurry eyes, he could see a gentle frown cross the face of his beloved. Priorities won out and he pulled his hand back.

"Good night, Fiona," he said.

"Are you sure you'll be fine getting back to your hotel on your own?" she asked, already rising. "Here, I'll go with you."

"I will be fine," he said. "See?" He held his hand up and slowly touched his thumb to each fingertip in turn. "Someone will have to carry Sara home when the inevitable happens."

"And whas that supposed to mean?" Sara protested, her words slurring into each other.

Fiona pursed her lips together and looked between the two of them with concern.

Leonidas spoke up. "By chance, is your hotel in Garnier district?"

"What's it to you?" replied Neithardt.

"Yes, it is," said Fiona at the same time.

"So is mine," said Leonidas. "My vision is starting to blur. Could I, as a citizen of Erebonia, request your aid in a safe return?"

Fiona watched Neithardt's values battle before her eyes. She sighed with relief as duty won out over personal dislike.

"Very well," Neithardt said, looking like he had just bit into a lemon. "Let's go." He turned on his heel and started making his way to the front door, occasionally stumbling but never falling.

"Thank you, Leonidas," Fiona said with a smile.

He nodded as he stood. "It was nice speaking with you, Purple Lightning-"

Sara cut him off. "That's Ms. Valestein to you," she slurred.

"My apologies. It was nice speaking with you, Ms. Valestein. And to you as well, Fiona. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night."

"Likewise," Fiona said. "I'll see you at the dinner."

"Don't let him barf on you, buddy," said Xeno. "I don't need that smell in our suite."

Leonidas cracked a smile before turning and heading after the swaying Major, carefully positioning himself to be able to catch the man should he fall.

"Yay, more not-potato for me," Sara said in a singsong voice before she drank directly from the vodka bottle.

"Sara," Fiona said, almost pleadingly.

"What? I'm not sharing it with anyone anymore," she explained. "It's safe."

Fiona sighed and shook her head.

Sara took another swig. As she lowered the bottle, she noticed Fiona's glass was empty. "Looks like you're running dry. I'll call the waitress over," she said, lifting her hand.

"That's okay," said Fiona. "I've had enough for the night."

"Aw, come on. My treat."

"Really, Sara, it's fine," Fiona said, her voice firm. "I'm good."

Sara's arm went down with a huff. Her gaze found Xeno, idly rubbing off the damp label on his long finished bottle of soda. "What about you? You haven't had a drop all night."

Xeno lifted the glass soda bottle by the neck and gave it a little twirl, showing that it was empty.

Sara scoffed. "You know what I mean. What, trying to impress the future in-laws?"

"I don't drink around people I don't fully trust," he said. "No offense, Fiona."

"None taken."

"I don't trust you far as I could throw you," Sara said. "And I'm still drinking." To prove her point she took another long draught from her rapidly emptying bottle.

Fiona gently reprimanded her. "Sara, stop it." She looked to Xeno. "I am surprised you stayed, though."

Xeno shrugged. "This seemed like more fun than walking Leonidas and a drunk major home. Why? You want me to leave?"

"Oh no, not at all," she said, holding up her hands. "I was just surprised. I appreciate you staying."

Xeno's response was cut off by a hiccup from Sara.

"You know, Fiona," she said. "You are- You are so nice. To everyone. Even this guy. He's done terrible things."

Fiona shrugged. "Last time I was nice to someone who did terrible things I got a best friend out of it."

"I had stopped. He's still going. He was working with the people who kidnapped you last year, you know?"

"It's true," said Xeno. "Once I leave Heimdallr, I'm going off to do all kinds of horrible deeds."

Fiona nodded. "I know. Elliot warned me when he asked if he could invite you and Leonidas. But you don't grow up in the capital as the daughter of Craig the Red and not learn that the world is complicated. I don't know what you've done or will do or why or what rules or boundaries you have, but I trust my brother and he trusts Fie and she trusts you and that's good enough for me."

"I don' trust you," said Sara.

"So I've heard," said Xeno, leaning on his palm and giving her a little smile.

Sara carried on like he hadn't spoken. "You wouldn't even give a poor hungry woman a fry."

"All you have to do is ask," Xeno pointed out.

"Pshhh. Details, details. I am hungry and fryless."

"I could order you fries," Fiona offered.

"I don't want that many," said Sara.

Fiona giggled and shook her head. "Xeno, may I please have some of your fries?"

"Go ahead," he said. Fiona took a small handful of the food and put it on a clean napkin. She slid it over to Sara.

"Thanks," muttered Sara. She began to slowly eat, washing down each bite with more alcohol. "I'm still hungry though."

"Well if you want more, you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Not that hungry." She looked up at Xeno and narrowed her eyes best she could in her current state. "Something tells me I don't wanna be in your debt even a little."

Xeno nodded. "Smart something. I wouldn't give you more anyways. The rest of these are mine." He picked up the three remaining fries and ate them.

"Just for that, you're not getting any of my vodka," Sara said, sticking her tongue out at him as she protectively held the bottle to her chest.

"You were really gonna offer me some?" he asked in a playful way that made it clear he knew the answer was no.

"If you asked nicely, maybe. But definitely not now."

"You've already drank most of it anyways."

"Yeah, and no way you're getting the last shot." Sara tried to put the bottle down on the table but didn't lay the base flat. It nearly tipped over before Xeno caught it, setting it upright.

"Maybe you've had too much," he said, smirking. His hand remained around the neck.

"Maybe you need to respe- respect your elders," slurred Sara. "You… fucking whippersnapper."

Xeno tittered, bemused. "How old are you?"

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age?"

"Not when she's trying to pull rank."

"Pfft. 'm twenty-six." She put her hand on the bottle's body and tries to pull it back but couldn't quite get the grip strength.

"Hah, twenty-seven, gotcha beat. And as the oldest person at this table," said Xeno as he pulled the bottle out of her reach. "I am making an executive decision and cutting you off."

"I agree, I think you've had enough," said Fiona.

"I'm fine!" Sara protested. "I can take… way more!"

Xeno raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Prove it. Stand up."

"...No."

"And why not?"

"Don' wanna."

"Yeah, I think you're done for the night."

Sara pouted and turned to her best friend. "Fionaaa," she whined.

"Tell you what," said Fiona. "Close your eyes for twenty seconds and then I'll ask him to give you more. I'll even drink some with you."

"Promise?"

Fiona nodded.

"Mmkay." Sara closed her eyes.

Fiona started counting. "One. Two. Three. Fo-"

"I think she's out," said Xeno.

Thud.

"Yep, definitely out."

Fiona sighed and moved her hand out from under Sara's head, where she had put it to deaden the impact with the table. "I'm sorry, she doesn't normally get this bad," she said as she shook the sting out.

"Eh. I kinda don't blame her. I love Fie but I can't imagine being the only one taking care of her for two years."

Fiona sighed again. "I think it's more than that," she muttered.

"Huh?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I hate to impose on you, but could I ask you for help in getting her back to my house?"

"Hmmm." Xeno thought for a bit, looking between Fiona and the passed-out Sara. "Eh, sure. Why not." He reached into one of his jacket pockets and pulled out a wallet, putting down enough to cover their bill and tip.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," protested Fiona.

"It's fine. I'm sure you'd have done the same if I hadn't done it first."

"...Maybe."

"Uh-huh," he said as he carefully slid her out of the chair and onto his back. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as he stood up, leaning against him as he carried her piggy-back. "And I don't want to be in your debt anymore than this one wanted to be in mine."

Fiona lead them through what remained of the crowd, parting a path to the front door and fresh air. "You're quite good at that," she said as they exited to the street. "Do you do this often?"

"What, wrangle drunk girls? Not since my days at the academy."

"You went to school?"

"You sound so surprised."

Fiona blushed. "I didn't-"

Xeno chuckled. "It's fine. You're kind of right, anyways. I realized pretty quickly it wasn't for me and quit halfway through the second year."

"Is that when you became a Jaeger?"

"A bit afterwards, but yeah."

"Why- Oh, we need to make a left here," Fiona said.

Xeno turned on his heel and followed her. "What about you," he asked. "How'd you end up in all this? Jaeger-come-Bracer best friend, and a secret military boyfriend."

Fiona smiled somewhat. "You've heard about that?"

"Hard not to, to be honest. Juicy gossip travels far and fast."

"So it does," Fiona mused. "I met Sara around seven years ago. She had just become a bracer and was assigned to the hall near my house. I brought her a pie and a tray of pasta as housewarming presents and we've been friends ever since"

"Sounds about right. And?"

Fiona's eyes darted around the empty streets. "Is anyone else around that can hear us?"

"Nope."

"Can I trust you?"

"With the secret or that I'm telling the truth?" he asked.

"Both."

"We are definitely not gonna be overheard. And as for the secret… Well, let's put it this way; nobody who would be willing to pay me enough to spill secrets would give a damn about this one."

Maybe it was the light buzz from her drinks. Maybe it was how matter-of-factly he gave the limits of how much she could trust him. Maybe it was just the thrill of finally being able to tell someone new. "I have been dating Major Neithardt for a little over four years now." Aidios, that felt so good to say out loud.

"We met when I was putting flyers out in the fortress for a concert I was part of in Celdic." She couldn't stop herself, it was like a dam burst.

"Really? They just let you advertise on a military base like that?"

"Not exactly. But if I happened to take the chance while I was nearby to visit my father and on the way out happened to stop by the rest area and the shop and just happened to leave some flyers laying around that I had forgotten about, no one was gonna put up much of a fuss."

"Shrewd."

Fiona smiled. "Thank you. Gerhard was drinking a coffee in the shop and he saw me leaving the flyers and told me I had forgotten something. I went over to get them and I told him about the show. I realized he was a little nervous, he told me later that he'd actually just been transferred not too long ago, so I suggested that maybe going would help him unwind. He took a flyer and I left."

"Did you take the rest of them with you?"

"Now that you mention it, I think I forgot them again. Silly me."

"Mmm. So, love at first sight?"

"Not quite. He came to the show and, at the end, thanked me for telling him about it. I gave him a PO box he could write too and I would tell him about other shows I was doing nearby. While that happened, we started talking more and more. I didn't find out until later that my father was actually the direct superior he complained about and not a couple rungs above him."

"Cute."

"Not entirely. I was actually dating someone else at the time, but I broke up with them before anything untoward happened."

Xeno laughed. "I'm starting to understand how you and her," he bounced just enough to make Sara grumble a little and tighten her arms around him. "Became such fast friends."

Fiona giggled. "I'll take that as a compliment." Her gaze swept over Sara. She was snoring between Xeno's shoulder blades. "She's really very nice when you get to know her."

"You mean she's like this with everyone when she meets them and not just me?" he said, bemused.

"Well, no. She usually likes people when she meets them, but, well…"

"I didn't exactly leave the best of first impressions."

"No, not exactly," said Fiona. "But I think she'll warm up to you."

"Really?"

"Really. Sara likes people who are direct, who can stand up to her challenging them and even win sometimes. And, even if she doesn't like you, she's a great person to have around."

"I can see that," Xeno said with a gesture at the dead weight on his shoulders.

"She's not normally… this bad."

"But close?"

Fiona sighed. "Sometimes. But she does know when to not be. It-," Fiona sighed again. "It is a problem though."

"A lot of Jaegers have her problem."

"Not you though. Or Leonidas."

"Yeah, the boss kept everyone from getting too crazy. Especially when Fie came around."

"That's good."

They walked the next few blocks in silence.

"Do you like it?" Fiona asked. "Being a Jaeger."

Xeno tilted his head slightly in lieu of a shrug that might have lead to a vomiting passenger. "Not really. It's a decent job though. I don't dislike it."

"Why did you become one?"

"It seemed like the best way to make the most money as fast as possible."

"Even though its so dangerous?"

"All the high-paying jobs that don't involve working your way up some corporate ladder are dangerous. You know how high the fatality rate is for crab fishermen up north?"

"So that's really the only reason? Just the money? Why?" Fiona had a thought. "Does it have to do with that retirement fund you mentioned?"

"Bingo," said Xeno. "Make enough money to never have to work again and retire young enough to enjoy all the free time. I'm not that far off either, maybe four or five more years."

"Wow."

Another silence fell upon them.

"What are you going to do?"

"Huh?"

"With all the free time. What are you rushing towards retirement for?"

"Oh. No, I don't have any plans," said Xeno. "The whole point is to be able to not have to worry about that type of thing."

"What? What will you do all day?"

"Whatever I want."

9:58 pm

"Wait, don't knock; I have a key," said Fiona as she dug through her pocket.

"I wasn't going to knock," said Xeno.

"Well don't break my lock either. A-ha!" She pulled out a ring with a little rubber dog hanging off of it along with a few keys, one of which was used to open the door. "Okay," she whispered. She walked over to the couch and stripped it of all but one of its throw pillows. "Put her down over here. You know the recovery position?"

"Yeah," said Xeno, only to be shushed by Fiona.

"I don't know if my dad is back yet and I don't want to wake him up," she explained. "Please whisper."

Xeno gave her a thumbs up.

"Thank you. I'm going to go wake up Elliot, could you put her in the position while I do?"

Another thumbs up.

"Great!" Fiona gave him a nod and softly went upstairs. Xeno carefully slid Sara off of his back and put her on her left side before arranging her as he had thousands of comrades and clients who were drunk or worse.

His hostess was back by his side shortly. "Elliot will be down in a bit."

"I didn't even hear you knock."

"I didn't need to, there's a grate in the hall that connects to his room."

"Handy."

In contrast to Fiona's light, careful gait, the house was soon echoing with the sounds of heavy footsteps.

Extremely heavy footsteps.

Unusually heavy footsteps.

Elliot was not that heavy.

Xeno quickly got mentally prepared to meet Craig the Red, only to turn around and see a very cranky seventeen year old rubbing his eyes, carrying his equally cranky girlfriend on his back and a green staff in his hand. Not included: shirt, or pants. Thankfully included: boxers.

Elliot let out a big yawn. "Fiona you owe me big t- Eep!" Elliot yelped and hid around the corner from which he'd emerged. "You didn't tell me there was a guest!"

"I'm sorry," she said with an apologetic grimace. "I didn't think you'd come down like this."

"You know this is how I sleep!" he hissed at her, his face bright red.

"I told you Sara was here," she said, trying to offer a token defense.

"I lived with Sara for nearly a year, she's different!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Hey, Fie," Xeno said with a light wave.

"Sup," Fie mumbled out sleepily.

"If you'd like," he said, turning his gaze to Elliot, "I could turn around and cover my eyes."

"Thank you," Elliot squeaked. Xeno chuckled and did just that.

Elliot cleared his throat and stepped into the room, standing just in front of Sara. He lifted his staff as high as he could with Fie's arms on his shoulders and began casting an art.

"Recuria!" he said, unleashing the energy directly at Sara. Fiona felt her light buzz leave her.

Sara shifted, mmming and rrring as she moved into a more comfortable position before opening her eyes. She saw the assembled crowd before her and sheepishly grinned. "Uhh, hey guys."

Fie shot her a sleepy glare and pout. "You interrupted cuddle time."

Sara laughed awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Mmm."

"Fiona, did you carry me back?" Sara asked, trying to change the focus as she sat up.

"Not this time."

"Yo," Xeno said, waving behind himself.

Sara glared at his back and opened her mouth to say something, but it was cut off by a pained groan. "Oh, my head."

"Recuria kept it from getting any worse and stopped you from being unconscious. It didn't fix any damage already done."

"I know how it works Elliot, I'm the one who taught- Oooh." Sara groaned and flopped onto the couch.

"On that note, I should probably leave," said Xeno.

"Thank you for all your help," said Fiona.

"No problem. See you tomorrow Fie."

"Yeah," Fie lifted her hand for a little wave that Xeno didn't see. "See ya."

Xeno left and Sara got back to a sitting position. She tried to stand but Fiona firmly pressed on her shoulder to keep her down. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To bed?"

"Absolutely not, you're staying here."

Sara groaned for a reason that had nothing to do with her throbbing head. "Fiona, I don't wanna bug you. It's just a few doors down."

"That'll make it easy for you to go back in the morning. But you're sleeping here tonight."

"It's not that bad, really."

"Sara."

"...Fine." Sara grumbled and laid back down.

"Good. I'll go get you a blanket."

"Can I go back to bed now?" Elliot asked.

"Oh, yes. Of course. Thank you for your help."

"Thanks," Sara mumbled.

"You're welcome," Elliot said as he went back up the stairs. His bedroom door closed much louder than necessary.

"Here," Fiona said as she put a comforter over Sara. "Good?"

Sara nodded. "Hey, Fiona?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

Fiona sighed and gave her a smile. "What are friends for?"