"I knew you'd brainwashed him!" Deldja shrieked, Flooze and her other followers halting just behind her as she took up the distance closest to Roxanne that she could manage without being too tempted to hit her then and there and seal her fate at the hands of the law.

"No one did any branwashing, Delja," Mace growled, holding out his arms to protect Roxanne from the gnashing teeth of the monster before them.

"That's exactly what you'd say if you were! Why would you be with her if you weren't!"

"Exactly why I'm with her now!" She took a step forward, and Mace bared his teeth threateningly. "You'd better stay back, Deldja. If you lay one hand on her, you'll be violating your parole."

"It's not against my parole to hit you," she returned.

"You have some kind of logic," Mace snorted, and here Roxanne realized that everyone was watching. "You're going to make me like you by hurting me? How does that work?"

"You'll thank me when you've come to your senses!"

"What makes you think I want to 'come to my senses?' And even if that happened—which it wouldn't—why do you think I'd like you when I've never liked you? What do you think I'd do? Turn on Roxanne?"

"Yes!" Deldja shouted, face purpling with rage. "She's brainwashed you, and you're too far under to see it!"

"Why on God's blue Cerul would you think she has the ability to brainwash others? If that was so, don't you think she'd have already brainwashed you into keeping her secret?"

"Her brother said—"

"Her brother said this," Neren sneered from the crowd, rolling his eyes and making his hands "talk" as he mimicked Deldja. "Her brother said that. Her brother knows everything even though he's a dope. Her brother, her brother, her brother. Why don't you just marry the kid, already? You clearly trust every single word that comes out of his mouth."

"You know, you don't actually have any siblings, Deldja," Nistrom remarked, startling Roxanne as she appeared behind the human. "But I've got three brothers, and you know, siblings will do just about anything to get another's goat, especially if it gets them somewhere they want to be. Reptung is an idiot. Roxanne is a human. You are a gullible hate-monger with a nice body. This equation is a very simple one you'd understand if you had just paid attention in First Year Mathematics, but you're only passing because your Clones back there let you cheat off them every chance you get."

Deldja looked somewhere between tears and a fit of rage, and, shaking, she did the stupidest thing imaginable.

She pounced.

The entire courtyard was suddenly deafening as the room transitioned from sound to silence, and while Nistrom and Gladivore pulled Roxanne away from the din to keep her safe while Gilda and Minion rushed to her side, Mace, Neren, Chirinisket, Lurey, Sincha, Chisna, Tralitarr, and Riven went tooth and nail against Deldja, her cronies, and their minions while the rest of the school gathered close to cheer for one side or another.

To Roxanne's surprise, most of them were still cheering for Mace.

"Are you all right, Mistress?" Gilda asked, pulling Roxanne close to her.

"Fine," Roxanne insisted, and though she didn't say the words, Gilda knew she was itching to jump in in her own defense. Gilda held her tighter in response. Being broken, it was the most she could do—but it did enough to constrain her Mistress.

No one noticed when the smaller of the planet's two moons drifted behind the other, too absorbed in the immediate conflict, which, for once, had no teachers involved to stop it midway—dances were not usually chaperoned, and were more exercises in independent socialization than anything else.

But everyone noticed when the moons went out for a brief few moments, leaving the night illuminated by nothing but the stars and plunging them all into an unnatural darkness from which all sound evacuated, and the sounds of conflict stopped.

It was not until the moons slid out from the shadow of Cerul and began to part paths in the night sky that Roxanne opened her eyes with some degree of hesitation to watch as the victors stood. When she saw them, she swallowed hard.

Pushed Gilda away.

And ran.

Author Comments:

DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNN!

SORRY FOR THE WAIT EVERYONE, REALLY, I TRULY AM SORRY! FORGIVE MEH! DDDDDDDDD''''''''''''''''''''':

School. School and homework and play and such. -.-

LIFE!

But no, I have not abandoned my sweet little innocent creation, and have no plans to. It simply might take me a while to get the chapters out, which stinks because I have them in my head. .

BUT MAYBE IF WE'RE LUCKY I'LL BE ABLE TO POP OUT ANOTHER CHAPTER BEFORE BEDTIME BECAUSE NO SCHOOL TOMORROW, CONFERENCE DAY AND ALL SO WOOT WOOT! :DDD

Again, thank you to all commenters/reviewers. You guys are awesome. YOU GUYS ARE WHAT MAKE ME WANT TO CONTINUE! :3

With love,

~Moony

:3

XDXD

PS. I am so sorry to everyone who has been looking forward to this for any length of time. I'M SORRY ELTHFRAE! So, so, so sorry.

And if this kind of gap in writing happens again, anyone and everyone who is a faithful reader (OMG, I HAVE FAITHFUL READERS! *Sobsob* **so happy**), feel free to ask me about it, because sometimes I need a kick in the pants to force myself to make time. :3

I LOVE YOU ALL! PEACE!