Melissa lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the last day kept shifting through her mind. Discovering her identity as a girl had felt more like a revelation than a true surprise - a puzzle piece she’d always known was missing had simply clicked into place.

Realizing she was the heroine… She was still trying to process what that meant, exactly. In a way, it didn’t change anything at all. Her goal was still to defeat Sorissa; to do so, she still had to gather the Lunargent Scale, and the mythical weapon known as Quecaw.

Everything had changed, though. If Melissa was the heroine, then she couldn’t afford to rely on the power of her companions as she had so far. She needed to learn how to fight, how to use magic, and how to stand on her own two legs. Otherwise, she’d never be able to take Sorissa’s head.

Can I really kill someone, though? Melissa asked herself. She’d pledged herself toward Lonna’s cause, knowing full well Lonna wanted from her. Although she’d tried her hardest not to dwell on it, she’d known from the start that her mission was to kill someone.

The problem was that the queen was no longer just an abstract figure in Melissa’s mind. She was a mother. Lonna’s mother. How could Melissa kill Lonna’s mom? Even if Lonna herself seemed to want it, Melissa was scared that Lonna would change her mind once she saw her parent’s bloody corpse.

Melissa had chosen to fight Sorissa for four reasons. 

The first was to get back her old body, now a moot point.

The second reason was that she’d wanted to go back home - but while Melissa hadn’t exactly stopped yearning for the safety and comfort of her old world, she wasn’t sure that going back in her current body was really an option. She had no identification, for one thing. No way to explain where she’d been. It was possible her fingerprints had remained the same but, even if she managed to convince people that she and David were one and the same, she'd be hard pressed to explain how her body had changed so drastically. If she wasn’t willing to turn back, then going home might be out of the question.

The third reason she’d had for taking this mission was to save this queendom from its ruler. That desire hadn’t changed. She’d seen what the town of Ife had been reduced to under Sorissa’s reign, and while she understood that Liliath’s feelings toward Sorissa were mixed, nothing in the countess’s story had convinced Melissa that Sorissa was a good ruler. She needed to be deposed.

Did she need to be killed, though? If she could be defeated, if she could be made to abdicate, if the throne could be passed to someone else… Wouldn’t that be enough?

The fourth reason Melissa had accepted this mission was because she’d wanted to see Lonna’s smile.

It wasn’t enough to make the queendom safe for people at large. While she did want this to be a world where people could laugh, Melissa really and truly wanted it to be a place where Lonna could hum. Sing, even, if she wanted to.

Melissa knew she was missing a lot of information. She didn’t know what had driven Lonna to stand against her own mother. She recognized that Lonna was hated, but she didn’t really know why. Because of her mother? Because she was half dragon? Perhaps both.

Regardless, Melissa could tell that Lonna had suffered. Yet still she stood against her mother. Whatever she had or hadn’t done to deserve the people’s hate, she was standing with them against her own mom. Melissa didn’t want to trample on that sacrifice, but... She didn’t want Lonna to sacrifice her own smile for the sake of everyone else’s

There’s too much I don’t know… Melissa complained, internally, to herself. What drove Sorissa toward evil? What caused the rift between the princess and the queen? Would the people be satisfied with Sorissa’s imprisonment, or was her head on a pike truly the only option before them? The only one who could give her clarity was Lonna. There was no point in turning things over and over in her head without asking Lonna what she thought. Melissa knew that.

Really, she should go to Lonna’s room and ask the girl directly. That was the only way she’d be able to put the questions to rest. Melissa knew that, too.

Melissa also knew that she wasn’t ready to face the girl again, just yet. Not so soon after that kiss.

She could still feel the sensation of Lonna’s lips against hers. Soft and sweet, yet filled with so much desperate need. It had felt nice, but at the same time it had terrified Melissa beyond belief.

Melissa had only just found out that she was a girl. She didn’t know Lonna that well, didn’t know herself that well, and she was apparently on a mission to kill Lonna’s mother. There was a lot she needed to sort out and she really hadn’t been expecting the kiss. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t enjoyed it, and she’d definitely appreciated it, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for a romantic relationship. With anyone. Not yet.

The moment she’d tried to express that, though, Lonna had shut down. The feeling of rejection had been clearly written in her eyes. The pain and hurt on her features had caused Melissa to stutter and stammer as she tried to explain, and though Lonna had claimed everything was fine when they parted, Melissa knew that wasn’t really the case.

It didn’t change things. Everything Melissa had said was true. She really wasn’t ready for a relationship. She really was interested in getting to know Lonna a bit better. Maybe they could even  go on a date, if Melissa truly did end up sticking around. But a kiss? This early? She wasn’t ready.

She wasn’t.

“So much for protecting Lonna’s smile, though...” Melissa sighed, flopping onto her side without lifting her head from her hands.

She stayed in that position until she fell asleep.

***

Using one hand to rub the sleep from her eyes, Lonna stretched her other arm toward the ceiling. It was a slow, lazy awakening, reminiscent of days long gone. That, and the sheer softness of the bed, brought back memories Lonna wished would stay buried. 

“You slept in,” Talith remarked. He was by the room’s only exit, with one heavy clay hand directly pressed against the wooden door as if to keep it from being opened. Actually, Lonna was pretty sure that was exactly what he had in mind.

“Sorry for making you keep watch,” Lonna said. While her brother didn’t need sleep, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t grow bored keeping an eye on her all night. “You could have woken me up, though.”

“I would have, if anyone actually bothered coming to the door,” Talith admitted, shrugging one of his round, rock-like shoulder joints. “Guess the countess didn’t mind you sleeping in.”

“Princess perk,” Lonna responded, dryly. “Or maybe the servants are still arguing over who has to deal with the dragon.”

“Someone’s bitter,” Talith remarked, raising one side of his monobrow. “Your night out went badly?”

“I wouldn’t say it went badly, exactly…” Lonna admitted, scratching at the back of her neck. “I got a good reminder of how the world sees me, is all.”

Between Tabitha and the orphans, the last twenty four hours had really driven home what the denizens of this world thought of her, and it wasn’t pretty.

The runaway princess. The half-dragon disaster. If she was only Sorissa’s daughter, there might have been some hope of changing public opinion. It might have been possible to convince the masses to judge her as a separate person. But nobody was going to trust a half-dragon. Nobody was going to give a chance to one of those beasts, who had once enslaved all the sapient species of this continent.

Well. What of it? Lonna thought to herself. At the end of the day, none of this was news to Lonna. Yes, it was a bit hard seeing her inner thoughts so brutally confirmed, but it was nothing she hadn’t already known. She could handle it.

“So it went that bad?” Talith asked, removing his hand from the door and walking toward Lonna. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I told you, it wasn’t… all bad,” Lonna muttered, reaching down to the floor to grab her green cloak. “I talked to a couple kids. Found out how people are talking about me. Apparently I eat naughty children, among other things.”

“Lonna…” Talith lifted a hand toward her, but then hesitated, unsure of what to say.

“It’s fine, Talith. I’m used to it. I’m ‘the runaway princess’ after all.” She flashed Talith a smile, reaching into her cloak as she did so and drawing out two bits of twine. These she used to tie her red hair into two buns, forming one around each of the two brown antler-nubs that marked her dragon heritage.

“...I’m going to go see Melissa,” Lonna declared, walking past Talith and toward the door. “Assuming I can get someone to show me the way, anyhow.” 

“Really?” Talith again lifted one side of his monobrow. “You aren’t going to try and kiss her again, are you?”

“Of course not,” Lonna denied. “She’s made it pretty damn clear she isn’t into me, after all.” 

That wasn’t exactly what Melissa had said, and Lonna knew it. It was only that Melissa wasn’t quite ready to think about romance, not that she had no romantic interest in Lonna. Still, it was of cold comfort to Lonna, who knew that Melissa intended to leave this world behind.

Talith, for his part, looked as if he wanted to say something. His mouth opened, and closed, but, in the end, the only thing that escaped his throat was a sigh. 

“...Don’t look at me like that,” Lonna muttered, pulling the door open. “I’m fine. Honest.”

Talith looked like he wanted to argue, more, but stopped himself when he saw the maid standing in front of their door.

She was a harpy; specifically one with brown hawk wings stretching behind her back. She had black hair, cut at shoulder length, and golden eyes that seemed as cold as the metal they resembled. She was standing in front of the door as if she’d been waiting there for it to open, and she lowered herself into a curtsy the moment it did so. 

“Princess Lonna,” the maid said, dropping her black skirts and straightening stiffly upright. “Countess Liliath would like to formally request your presence for breakfast. Also invited is the heroine, known as Melissa.”

“Sorry, but I make a habit of skipping any meals my brother isn’t invited to,” Lonna informed the maid.

“Your.. brother?” The maid glanced at Talith, still inside the room, then nodded. “Then if the countess were to include another place at the table, you would come?”

“Maybe,” Lonna agreed. “Why don’t you go ask your mistress, while I go see the heroine? Meet me there in, say, twenty minutes?”

“I am supposed to take you directly to the countess,” the maid protested. “I’m sure if your brother were to follow, however-”

“Are maids really supposed to be making those kinds of decisions?” Lonna interrupted, cocking an eyebrow. “You might get in trouble with the countess if you don’t do everything by the book, you know.”

“My mistress cares for results first and foremost,” the maid declared, with confidence in her voice. “If the two of you would kindly follow me?”

Lonna glanced at Talith, who only shrugged his broad shoulders. It didn’t seem like the lapsi had any ideas on how to get out of this. Or maybe he simply saw no reason to get out of it? The countess wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable, and going along with her wishes was probably the easiest way to meet up with Melissa. With that in mind, it was actually pretty obvious what Lonna needed to do.

“Sorry,” she declared, without the slightest hint of guilt in her voice, “but I’m going to have to turn you down. I want to have a private talk with the heroine before breakfast. How about you lead me there, and we’ll head to the countess together after a little chat?”

Lonna had no reason for going against the countess. She had plenty of reason to follow the countess, actually. Whether it was to meet up with Melissa, to avoid offense, or just for the sake of securing the countess’s good mood, there were a lot of merits to doing what the maid asked.

Still, Lonna refused to do what was asked. She didn’t have a single good reason for doing so, but she did have a single, overwhelming, bad reason for her decision: she was in a horrible mood, and she felt like being contrary.

Faced with this needless needling, the maid stared at Lonna for several moments before dropping into another curtsy.

“If that is what the princess wishes,” the maid declared, “then it will be my honor to see to it. Shall I lead you to the heroine?”

“Quickly, if you don’t mind.” Lonna lazily laced her fingers behind her head as she spoke, a languid smile on her lips. “We wouldn’t wanna keep the countess waiting too long, after all.”

“Of course, Princess. I will be sure to let my mistress know of your concern for her schedule.” The maid curtsied, again, and turned. Without so much as a glance behind her shoulder, she started to walk swiftly down the hallway.

Lonna hurried after. Hurried being a keyword, as the maid’s long legs allowed her to set a fast pace without seeming the slightest bit rushed, herself. Lonna, struggling to keep up on her shorter legs, stubbornly refused to ask the maid to slow down. In her mind, she had entered a sort of battle with the harpy maid and it could only end in either utter victory or crushing defeat.

Eventually, after leading Lonna through a series of hallways, the maid came to a halt. Lonna, who’d practically been forced to start jogging in order to keep up with the woman’s walking pace, stopped as well. Somewhat grateful for the break, but trying not to show it, Lonna took a moment to study the area they’d found themselves in.

They were some distance away from Lonna’s room. She was pretty sure the maid had made the route needlessly complicated, either to keep Lonna from memorizing the route or to sadistically force Lonna into walking a longer distance. Perhaps both? Lonna couldn’t rule anything out. The fact that her room wasn’t next door to Melissa’s in the first place was suspicious, too.

It was possible that the countess was simply treating them differently due to their different stations. It wouldn’t have technically been inappropriate for the countess to stuff Melissa in a servant’s quarters, or some such. The lush brown carpet under their feet, the fancy vase against the wall, and the painting of a former count set between two nearby doors, seemed to indicate that this area was at least as fancy as the area where Lonna was housed, though. If not more so…

So why were Lonna and Melissa separated? Perhaps to keep them from slipping away, together, during the night? Lonna knew that the countess didn’t get along with Sorissa, but she couldn’t help but be suspicious of the woman’s motivations all the same. She still remembered what the countess had said, when they first arrived, after all. If Liliath became convinced that Lonna and Melissa were more a threat to the populace than Sorissa, herself, they’d be turned over to the queen in a heartbeat. Lonna was sure of it.

If she found out that Melissa had turned down Lonna’s initial attempt at romance, would that shift the countess’s thinking? Would she realize that the future she wanted, with Lonna as the queen and Melissa as her princess consort, was too far fetched to come about? Would she turn on them? If so, they might be in trouble. Lonna still wasn’t at full capacity when it came to her magic - she had gathered maybe a third of her breath back, thanks to food and sunlight. 

That was more than enough to blow the manor to smithereens, but doing so while also protecting Talith and Melissa from the flames would be a bit of a stretch. If she had a better grasp of spellcraft, she’d have more options - custom, written spells were by far the most efficient way to use one one’s Breath, after all… But wishing for what couldn’t be was pointless. Lonna had only raw power at her disposal, not intricate spell weavings.

With that in mind, Lonna’s power was probably best kept as a deterrent, at least until she’d gotten more of her breath back. Actually, if things got bad enough that they needed to escape in a rush, wouldn’t it be best to just destroy walls in a straight line until they found their way out? In which case she didn’t really need to worry about memorizing the layout of this place. 

Though. Come to think of it…

“Why’d we stop?” Lonna asked her guide. She’d assumed they were at the destination, or practically so, but the maid had yet to indicate a room. In fact, she had been standing stock still for the last minute or so, arms at her side, palms flat against her thighs, a patient expression on her face.

“I thought that you would wish to regain your composure, after the long walk here, before greeting the heroine,” the maid explained. “It wouldn’t do if a potential suitor saw you flustered and out of breath, Princess.”

“You…” Lonna’s teeth ground against each other, a physical representation of Lonna’s self restraint. If her lips were closed, she could neither breathe fire nor utter a spell. She could still gather light, of course, but she tried very hard not to think about blasting super-concentrated light at the woman who’d put her in this position before expressing concern. Was her love life just a joke to the people in this manor?

“You seem to have murder in your eyes, Princess.” The maid tilted her head to one side as she spoke, and she tapped a finger against the upper corner of her mouth. “Are you the sort to take it out on me? Perhaps you’ll ask to have me tormented on the dinner table? I have been wondering how many of your mother’s proclivities you share…”

“Do not call that woman my mother!” Lonna snapped. For a moment, the room grew noticeably dimmer, as bright light gathered in Lonna’s hands. Then, slowly, the light began to fade again. “I am not Sorissa.”

“...So you’re fine with being accused of vile behaviors, but being compared to the queen is a line too far? You certainly are troublesome, aren’t you, Princess?”

“Yeah, I get it. I’m the tiny terror who’s going to gnaw off your limbs and burn your bones, right? Think of me you wish. But whatever crimes you think I’ve committed, or will commit, they belong to me and me alone. They’re completely separate from Sorissa being my… Creator.” Lonna looked away as she spoke the last word, not quite able to meet the maid’s eyes. She knew as well as anyone that she couldn’t separate herself entirely from Sorissa. All the same, she didn’t want to recognize the woman as her mother. 

“I see, I see,” the maid murmured, before dropping into another curtsy. “It was rude of me to test you like that. My father often told me that I mustn't judge people on their parentage, but considering the nature of your parents I had to wonder just what sort of daughter they had managed to raise. I’m sure they’d be disappointed to know they didn’t raise a monster.”

“I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me, or trying to get me to rip your throat out,” Lonna complained, gnashing her teeth together. “Who the hell do you even think you are?”

“Ah. Perhaps I should have led with that? My father is Baron Schmell. I am his first daughter, Marindell, but since I was born of a commitment ceremony I am sadly bereft of titles. Hence my placement in this manor as a maid, as it would happen.”

“Barn Schmell?” Lonna tried to remember if she’d ever been to the man’s estate. Her life had been a flurry of visits to various estates, back then, but baron’s were low enough in the pecking order that they likely hadn’t warranted a direct visit. Even if they had, they wouldn’t have bothered to introduce Lonna to this girl, who’d been born outside a proper noble marriage contract. 

“We’ve never met, Princess,” Marindell said, as if reading Lonna’s mind. “My father has done his best to keep out of your - out of Sorissa’s sight.”

“Seems a shame to undo all that work by putting yourself on my bad side,” Lonna pointed out.

“But you are not the queen, Princess,” Marindell countered. “And I can’t help but think it’ll be a blessing, being known by you. If not now, then one day.”

“Known for raising the tree's own thorn in my side, you mean,” Lonna groused. “Fine. You’ve made sure I’ll remember Baron Schmell’s name. And given me time to catch my breath. Now tell me how to get to Melissa?”

“It’s just around this corner,” Marindell promised, leading Lonna around the corner.

Lonna stared after her a moment, memorizing every detail of the girl from behind, before following. She would remember Baron Schmell - but only through his connection to Marindell.

It wasn’t every day Lonna met a girl with so little fear.

***

Melissa woke, stirred by a gentle beam of light that shone through her unshuttered window. She moved quickly, from there, swinging her feet down off the bed and reaching for her shoes. 

The dirty white sneakers were the only clothes left to her from before the transformation, and Melissa took a moment to appreciate the fact that her shoe size hadn’t changed too much in the transformation. She wasn’t strictly opposed to getting a good pair of boots, but she was fairly sure that medieval footwear wouldn’t have the same level of arch support as her own sneakers. 

Well, feet were the one thing Clatarra hadn’t measured, so Melissa was fairly sure it wasn’t a problem. Though, thinking of Clatarra, hadn’t the girl given her something? Something for Lonna…?

“That’s right…” Melissa murmured. “The spell. To stop Lonna’s mom from… spying… on her…” A slow flush crept across Melissa’s cheeks, upon realizing she’d forgotten something so important. She hadn’t had pockets, so if memory served…

Blushing, faintly, Melissa reached into her cleavage, and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. The spell was written on it, multiple symbols connected by a circle of ink. Melissa wasn’t really sure how to read it, but Clatarra had claimed it would shield Lonna from spying for a day, each time she cast it. Considering Lonna didn’t even think it was possible for her to be spied on, didn’t that make this a really precious piece of parchment?

“And I just stuck it in my cleavage like it was nothing…” Melissa rubbed the back of her head, trying to hide her embarrassment. There was really nothing to be done for it, though. Between realizing she was a girl, and getting kissed, it had totally slipped from her thoughts.

“W-well, guess I better tell Lonna about it…” Attempting to laugh off her mistake, Melissa reached for the doorknob, and pulled the door open.

Standing on the other side was Lonna, her fist raised as if to knock. Melissa and her blinked in surprise at each other, both of them taking a hurried step back upon making eye contact, and glancing away from each other. If they’d bothered to look at one another’s faces, they might have noticed that they were both blushing.

After a few moments of awkward fidgeting, during which Melissa wound hair around her finger while Lonna squeezed lightly at her own arm, it was Melissa who broke the silence.

“Lonna… About the kiss, I-”

“It’s fine,” Lonna interrupted. “I just got caught up in the moment.”

“Are you sure?” Melissa tried to search Lonna’s eyes, but Lonna stubbornly refused to meet her gaze. “Lonna. I wasn’t trying to reject you. You know that, right? I just need some time to sort out what I’m feeling.”

“I said I get it, alright?” she did meet Melissa’s gaze with those words. There was anger in her eyes, and hurt.

Melissa knew she had caused that hurt. She wasn’t sure what she could do to get rid of it, though. She simply, truly, wasn ‘t ready to start dating as a girl yet.

“I get it,” Lonna muttered, again, looking at the ground. “I understand. So I need you to understand that getting turned down is gonna hurt for a while, alright? And having you walk on eggshells around me is just gonna hurt more. So… Just… pretend like nothing’s the matter, for a while, would you?”

“Just… Pretend?” Melissa parroted back.

“That’s right,” Lonna confirmed. “Just until we can put things behind us for real. It’s not like we can stop spending time together, or wait it out. The only thing we can do is pretend it doesn’t bother us until it really doesn’t. And by then, who knows? Maybe you’ll be back on your world!”

“I’m… Not sure I want to go back to my old world, actually…” Melissa looked away from Lonna as she admitted this, choosing to study the brown carpet beneath their feet. “I don’t want to change my body, anymore, which means it would be kind of complicated to go back… I do still want to defeat Sorissa, for everyone’s sake - and I want to use her library to look into how to send a letter home. But. I don’t think I want to go back myself…”

“Is that so?” It was difficult to read the emotions in Lonna’s voice. Her face was a carefully composed mask of neutrality, as well.

“I… After everything is done. I was hoping we could go on a date,” Melissa admitted, scratching at the back of her neck. “If that’s something you still want, I mean?”

“...You should be careful about giving people false hopes, you know,” Lonna warned. There was a lonely wistfulness in her voice, an ache that caused Melissa to unconsciously reach toward Lonna, before dropping her hand. There was nothing she could do. Nothing she could say, beyond what she’d already said. It was the only offer she had to make, and if Lonna didn’t believe it was possible, then…

To Melissa’s surprise, however, Lonna looked up at her with a bright smile on her lips. It didn’t seem fake, at least to Melissa. 

“Alright,” Lonna declared. “I’ll work you to the bone to make that future a reality! Me and you, kissing beneath the moonlight. Keep that goal in mind and keep working hard!”

“A-alright,” Melissa promised. “I’ll work hard for a future where you can smile like that, all the time.”

“Uh-huh. As long as you’re working to beat Sorissa, I guess I don’t have any complaints. Your promise isn’t what I came here to collect, though - the countess wants to see us both.”

“Liliath wants to see me?” Melissa asked, surprised.

“...Liliath, huh?” Lonna narrowed her eyes, faintly. “You’re getting pretty close to her, aren’t you? I thought you were of common birth, but you don’t seem to think anything about getting close to royalty.”

“Well, we didn’t really have much in the way of royalty where I’m from,” Melissa admitted. “So I guess I just don’t take the whole thing that seriously? I can try to be more formal, if you want. Princess.”

“Don’t call me that,” Lonna warned, scowling. “It makes me see like I’m nothing more than my title. Which I didn’t exactly ask for, for the record.”

“Sorry,” Melissa apologized, nervously wrapping a bit of hair around her index finger. “I’m… Honestly, I’m still not entirely sure what to make of everything,” she admitted. “There’s so much I don’t know about you. I can tell that things must have been hard on you, but other than that… Everything is a mystery.”

“Well, maybe I can remove some of that mystery after breakfast,” Lonna suggested. “When we don’t have anyone waiting. And when we hopefully have less of an audience…”

“An audience?” Melissa asked. She hadn’t been aware of anyone but the two of them.

At the question, however, Lona sighed and pushed the door further open. Behind her were a black haired harpy maid, and Joanie the rabbit sapphi.

“Yup yup,” Joanie interjected. “I’ll be guiding you to the countess’s chamber this morning. Guard and guide, I’m earning my keep this week. If you’ll follow me?”

“I, as well, will be guiding you,” the maid declared, dropping into a curtsy. “My name is Marindell; a pleasure to meet you, heroine.” 

“Wait a second,” Melissa protested, holding up a hand. “I just got up. My brain’s not even fully functional, yet. And…” Wasn’t she forgetting something? That’s right! “I had something to give to Lonna!”

“Something to give me?” Lonna frowned faintly at this news, glancing behind her at the company who’d come with them. “Is it okay to talk about in front of company?”

“Well… I don’t think waiting is a great idea,” Melissa confessed. “It’s uh… It’s sort of. A spell?” Melissa explained, holding out the parchment. “Clatarra - that is, the tailor’s daughter? - she told me it would shield you from a spying spell? Which is apparently on you. ...She gave it to me, yesterday, actually, but after everything that happened I kind of forgot about it.”

“A spying spell?” Lonna asked, skeptically. “Give it here.”

Since Melissa was still holding onto the spell, she simply lifted the parchment up for Lonna to take. Lonna did so, taking it somewhat brusquely and unfolding the parchment. 

Scanning the spell, Lonna turned the square of paper from side to side. As she did so, the annoyed scowl slipped from her face, replaced by a look of abject horror.

Finally, after returning the parchment to its original position, Lonna slammed the spell against the door. The topmost symbol on the circle lit up, as she did so, the light traveling through the circle of ink to ignite every other symbol on the page. When the last symbol lit up, and the circle completed, there was a flash of light so bright that Melissa was forced to look away.

This process repeated itself four more times, before Lonna eventually folded up the paper, and put it in her pouch. “That tree-forsaken…” Lonna muttered to herself. “She better not have been spying on me last night, or… branch and root, I’ll kill her myself!”

“What happened last night?” Joanie asked, curious.

“None of your business,” Lonna snapped, before seeming to think better of it. “I mean… It was something personal, is all.” Melissa was sure of it, this time: Lonna was blushing.

Melissa decided not to comment on it, though, since she was blushing, too. She’d just realized that Sorissa might have seen their kiss.

“Well,” Lonna declared, “now that that little issue is taken care of - shall we go see what the countess wants?”

“Taken care of?” Melissa repeated, barely able to believe what she was hearing. “Isn’t it really bad if Sorissa was spying on us this whole time? Like. Won’t she know what we’re after? And where we are right now? And… Everything?”

“You don’t need to tell me what it means,” Lonna grumbled, glaring at Melissa. “If this is real, every bit of freedom I’ve ever had was just some sick joke from Sorissa. When I think about the fact that she might have been watching me, all this time… It makes my skin crawl. It makes it feel like everything I’ve ever done was just some bit of naughtiness Sorissa let me get away with… Which is why I don’t believe for a second that this so-called spying spell spell is real. I mean, I’ve never even heard of a spell like that, before, and some woman you randomly met happened to know of it? No way.”

“Then why’d you cast the spell?” Melissa asked, confused.

“Because it’s harmless to take precautions,” Lonna told her. “...I mean, as long as you didn’t pay for it. You didn’t pay for that, did you?”

“I didn’t pay for it,” Melissa confirmed. “She uh. Also said it’s only good for a day? So you’ll need to recast it tomorrow.”

“Hah. You’ll be lucky if I’m not taking this spell out hourly. The idea of being watched is so horrifying I want to crawl in a hole and die. But if Sorissa could spy on me, there’s no way any of us would be free right now. So it’s probably fine.”

“I… Guess that makes sense,” Melissa admitted, idly tugging at the hair she’d wrapped around her finger. “Clatarra seemed pretty convincing, though.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I’ll say this much - the spellcraft on this thing is good. I saw runes from the sapphi, the lamia, the magi, and the dragons on this thing. Not that I know what most of them mean, but… Just looking at it, it’s practically on par with Sorissa’s work. Are you sure the girl who did this was just a tailor’s daughter?”

“Pretty sure, yeah,” Melissa confirmed. “I mean, the only reason she even did this was so that I’d let her take my measurements.”

“...Seriously?” Lonna shook her head. “Well, whatever. A polished turd is still crap, in the end. Now come on, the countess is waiting.”

Lonna smiled brightly as she spoke, but Melissa couldn’t help but notice Lonna’s hand slipping back into the pouch. Melissa pretended not to see the flash of light that emanated from Lonna’s bag right after, though.

(Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! Depression has been an uphill battle, of late, but I'm proud to have gotten this out <3)