AN: Apologies for the short chapter this time around. I just felt like writing something a bit more pleasant this time, even though Chapter 9 was like that, too.
Please note that this is NOT intended as a romantic thing. I've been curious about Sucy and Diana's friendship in my fic, especially since I've hinted at a rocky past between them in earlier chapters. They both also happen to be my favourite LWA characters, so it's a little bit self-indulgent in that regard. You can interpret this however you want, but the intent is for their interactions here to be purely platonic.
Finally, I might slow down chapter production a little bit. I cranked out a ton of chapters in the last month or so, and it's been fun, but I don't want to burn myself out. I really enjoy writing this fic, and I don't intend to stop. Maybe I'll start another LWA fic at some point to give myself something else to think about, who knows?

The streets of Blytonbury were alive with faces. People were out enjoying their weekend, and many of them were garbed in that familiar Luna Nova witch uniform.

Sucy couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic as she watched the students from her former school go by. She stood underneath a tree on the side of the street, idly twirling a mushroom between her fingers and scanning the crowd for certain faces.

After some time, amidst the crowd, she spotted the top of a familiar head - one with green highlights in it. She called to get the owner's attention, and Diana broke through the crowd to meet her.

"Sucy!" Diana greeted her. "I was beginning to think you were late."

"Well, I'm here," Sucy replied, gesturing to herself. "But Akko and Lotte aren't."

Looking left and right, Diana confirmed this.

"That's odd… I hope they're okay."

"Akko told me she had some errands to run first. I guess Lotte's just tagging along." Sucy pocketed the mushroom from earlier and exhaled.

Diana folded her arms and stood a little awkwardly, gazing off to the side.

"Nice weather today."

"Mm-hm."

Sucy scratched her head and buried that hand in her pocket again. For some reason, the minutes began to drag out as the two stood and watched the crowd go by, hoping to catch a glimpse of their remaining two friends.

"Oh, yeah," Sucy said abruptly, startling Diana a bit. "Sorry for, uh, threatening to infect you with a parasitic mushroom."

Diana laughed nervously. "N-No, it's alright! Just the result of a misunderstanding, is all."

She tried to smile at Sucy, but Sucy wasn't returning it.

"You're terrified of me, aren't you?"

"Pardon?"

Sucy repeated her question flatly, and Diana became flustered.

"W-Well, there are certain things you're capable of that elude even me." Diana took a breath and steadied her voice as she met Sucy's piercing gaze. "I know you have a good heart, but I can't help but feel a little uneasy around you sometimes."

Sucy exhaled sharply through her nose.

"That's okay," she grumbled. "I expect it by now."

"But when I have thoughts like that, I remember how close you are with Akko and Lotte. If they're both comfortable around you, I don't see why I shouldn't be."

"You're gonna trust Akko's judgement?" Sucy scoffed, and Diana's face fell a bit.

"W-Well, I…"

"But thank you," she said. "I appreciate that."

Sucy smiled genuinely at Diana, and Diana returned it with relief.

"And, uh, just know I don't hate you," Sucy continued, playing with her hands and avoiding Diana's eyes. "Akko trusts you, so, y'know…"

Patiently, Diana waited for the rest of the sentence.

"...we're friends. Ugh, it's too early for this crap!"

Diana chuckled as Sucy covered her face with her hands.

"Thank you, Sucy."

From behind her hands, Sucy mumbled something vaguely affirmative.

Maybe half an hour had passed, and the two witches had relocated to a bench not far away from the tree that they were standing under. Diana was seated on the bench, while Sucy leaned on its backrest.

"I hate cooking," Sucy observed, continuing a conversation they had just been having. "It's like potion brewing if it sucked."

"What, because you can't poison anybody with it?" Diana quipped.

"Oh, I can. Unfortunately, I only ever have to cook for people I care about."

"Aww, you care about your friends. That's sweet."

"Shut it."

Diana giggled softly to herself and gazed at the sky as Sucy stared blankly ahead. Time wasn't dragging on as slowly as it had been, but the minutes still seemed to crawl on by.

"Where the hell are they?!" Sucy demanded, pulling out her wand. "I'm calling them."

Diana leaned over to get closer to Sucy's wand as she began attempting to contact Akko. After a moment, she answered.

"Hey, Sucy!"

"Hi. Diana and I are already here, what's going on?"

Over in the grocery store, Akko and Lotte found themselves standing at the end of a very long line.

"We're, uh, gonna be a while," Akko said.

"Sorry, you guys!" Lotte apologised frantically. "It's really busy at the store, the laundry took forever to finish, Jasminka fell asleep in the hallway, and-!"

"Hey," Sucy stopped her. "Chill out, it's fine."

Lotte took a breath as Akko scratched her head.

"Yeah. Hope Diana isn't giving you a hard time, Sucy!" she joked, and Diana scoffed.

"I've done nothing but lecture her since I got here."

"That's my girl!" Akko exclaimed, and Sucy feigned laughter. The faint sounds of grocery store chatter and the beeping of the registers were audible through the wand.

"Well, I'd love to continue, but my wand's running out of battery…" Akko sighed. "We'll be there soon, I promise!"

"See you guys!" Lotte called, and they disconnected, leaving Sucy and Diana on their own again.

The crowd was beginning to thin out a little bit, though it was still afternoon. A little breeze began to pick up, and Diana adjusted a lock of her hair after it was blown out of position.

As they continued waiting, a group of their fellow students caught their eyes.

"Is that Hannah…?" Sucy asked incredulously, squinting at the group. Upon noticing them, Jasminka and Constanze waved hello as Amanda and Hannah just kept looking forward and heading onward.

"Seems she's found some new friends," Diana mused, sighing wistfully.

"They're a match made in hell. Can't wait to see how this plays out, huh?"

Sucy cackled to herself, but Diana still seemed rather solemn.

"Ah, come on," Sucy said. "They both suck. They aren't worth your concern."

"I know, but I spent so long considering both Hannah and Amanda my friends. I can't believe they'd turn on me like that."

"Well, I guess Amanda tried to apologise."

"Sure, but I know for certain she hasn't changed," Diana stated firmly. "I'm not willing to accept someone's apology if they aren't going to stand by it."

Despite her sleepy blinking, Sucy was listening to her, nodding slowly in affirmation.

"When Barbara apologised to me, I was apprehensive. But now I trust her because she's proven that she isn't like Hannah."

"True," Sucy uttered. "And when Akko apologises for saying stupid things, I can still trust her because she means well. Even though she'll probably say something stupid again."

Diana giggled softly. "Isn't she the cutest?"

"'Cute' is a strong word," Sucy said flatly. "I'd say 'insufferable'."

"Watch your mouth, I know illusion magic."

Diana winked at Sucy, who rolled her eyes.

It was starting to get late. The sunset bathed the scenery in a soft orange glow, and Akko and Lotte were still nowhere to be seen.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Diana remarked. Sucy, however, didn't respond, prompting Diana to turn to her with concern.

"Everything okay?" she asked. Hanging her head, Sucy sighed.

"I knew this'd happen."

"What do you mean?"

"If they didn't want to hang out with me, they could've just told me."

"Oh, Sucy…" Diana uttered. "It isn't like that at all. Do you really think they dislike you?"

Sucy put a hand to her face and didn't say anything for a moment.

"If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to tell me."

"N-No, it's okay," Sucy mumbled. "I can't shake the feeling that they're gonna leave me someday."

"Akko always talks about you. She loves you and Lotte with everything she has. If she ever intentionally abandoned you, it'd be a surprise to me, as well."

With a hand over her mouth, Sucy cleared her throat.

"Besides," Diana continued, "I'm still here, aren't I? I've enjoyed spending the day with you, even though it didn't go as planned."

Sucy laughed softly and leaned back onto the bench.

"Thanks. You don't make terrible company, yourself."

Diana laid a hand on Sucy's shoulder, making her instinctively jolt away. Diana jerked her hand back immediately.

"Oh, s-sorry!"

"It's okay… can you do that again?"

Hesitantly, Diana placed her hand on Sucy's shoulder again, and this time she didn't react. Something about the gentle touch was oddly comforting.

After a moment, Diana extended her other arm and offered Sucy a hug. She accepted it without hesitation.

BUZZ!

"Akko."

Sucy held her wand up as she and Diana huddled around it. Its tip glowed a light blue colour, illuminating their faces in the night.

"S-Sucy! Diana!" Akko called. "We're so sorry, we got stuck! The errands took forever!"

"We had to go back to our dorm," Lotte added. "Sorry… we might have to do this another time."

Diana and Sucy looked at each other knowingly.

"That's okay," Diana said calmly. "I had plenty of time to lecture Sucy about her posture."

"Yeah, and Diana has no idea about the poison she's finding in her dinner tonight," Sucy retorted. Akko seemed rather pleased that they looked to be getting along fine.

"I guess we'll see you later, then!" she said, and Lotte echoed her sentiment as the call disconnected.

Blytonbury's streets were nowhere near as busy as they had been earlier. Many of the storefronts along the street had begun closing, though the volume from within a nearby pub steadily increased.

Streetlamps began to activate, casting the street in harsh white and yellow lights. The sudden brightness made Sucy squint with agitation.

"It's getting late," Diana observed. "Let's go home."

After standing up and stretching her arms out while yawning, Sucy retrieved their brooms from underneath the bench and passed Diana hers. They took off and headed for the Leyline terminal, satisfied with their day.