The following Saturday comes an event I have been excited for and dreading in equal measure for the past year. Or, well, that's how I felt about the concept, at least. I haven't had many opportunities to go to parties, and sort of put them off whenever I did. But not this time! I don't really feel like I have any choice.
It's Eden Sinclaire's nineteenth birthday!
Regular girls like me don't get invited to that sort of thing, you know? But I suppose I'm not exactly a regular girl anymore, am I? Just like with the first movie night, Asha and I will be arriving together, but this time it won't be an ambush, I won't be overdressed, and there's going to be a lot of civilians at the party, too, so no Knight talk. The dress code said to wear something 'casual yet stylish,' which leaves a lot of options open. Personally, I opted for a pair of tight jeans, white sneakers - no socks of course, and a white turtleneck halter top. My hair's done up in a curly tail at the back, I'm only wearing a necklace and a small purse as accessories, and my makeup is pretty light, only marking up my eyebrows, mascara and a subtle pink on my lips. Asha has similarly gone for something very casual, just a pair of jeans and a tight black top, with her hair done up in the usual curly bun, but with a light streak of gold to her makeup that really makes the brown in her eyes pop. Her dad drops us off and says he'll be back to pick us up at eleven, which is perfect for me.
The party isn't at Eden's place, but she's rented out a small concert hall near the center of the city. Stuff like that becomes more feasible when you're earning modeling money and have strings and favors to pull, I suppose. It's one of those places that, on a Saturday night, would usually host fairly well-known bands or little mini festivals with many local underground bands. The outside is an unassuming, squat brick building with a large entrance pointing toward the street and a smaller entrance with a heavier door at the back. Above the door hangs a sign made of metal and neon tubing proclaiming the concert hall's name to be 'Golden Rhythms'. There's already a small throng of people standing around outside, each with a pink paper band around their wrists to easily identify them as valid guests. They're all in good spirits, laughing with each other at a joke the tall man among them made while we were still out of earshot. A couple of them are smoking, and all of them have a drink in their hands. At the door we're greeted by two large men in well-tailored suits. One of them holds up a hand and the other smiles, saying "Names, if you please, ladies?"
"Asha Kennedy."
"Destiny Drake," we respond quickly, and the guy with the clipboard nods at his friend one time when he finds Asha on the list, before he goes back to searching. "Uh, my name might be near the bottom-" I try to add helpfully, and he flips to the last of three pages before he finds me.
"Written by hand, too. Only one," he comments and nods at his friend once more, who then asks us each in turn to hold out our wrists to receive our paper bands. Ours aren't pink, but golden. "VIP access. Lets you get into the backstage area. Now, quick reminder: Venue rules say no outside beverages are allowed and smoking has to be done outside. Bar's open until 10. Have fun, ladies." He does a little bow and steps aside, letting us walk past him. I give them both a little smile as we pass. They seem nice and professional.
The space is wide open, enough to almost look bigger on the inside. At the far end, opposite the entrance, is an elevated stage, on which a local band is already playing some soft rock at a volume low enough to allow for conversation, and for a good dozen meters in front of them is an open space for dancing, currently unoccupied, ringed with standing tables, many of which have already been taken up by couples or friend groups. The western wall is taken up by the bar, which is staffed by the venue's own personnel, while the eastern one is covered in signed posters from bands that have played here and later made it big. A place with quite a bit of history, it would seem. At the bar I spot Faye and Ida standing in line, probably hoping to score drinks. They too are wearing the golden wristbands that'll let them backstage. Ida's that weird age where she's allowed to drink in public but still can't buy her own, so I assume Faye's there to help with that issue. She gives a small wave and a smile in our direction, and I also feel a warm sensation in my mind, like an embrace of sorts, which I do my best to return along with the wave. Ida's usual school girl-core style has made way for a somewhat modest knee-length dress in a cornflower blue color that perfectly compliments her eyes, sheer stockings and a very cute pair of kitten heels. She looks stunning in that innocent way she pulls off almost naturally, but especially so next to Faye, who may have misunderstood the dress code. The oldest member of our squad is wearing a black halterneck top that shows off all her generous curves and a pair of shorts that probably couldn't be any shorter and still be called decent. Her hair's been curled a little extra and done into a loose braid. She also looks stunning, but in a different way. She's too distracted by flirting a little with the bartender to notice us, so at Asha's urging I just follow her toward the door leading backstage. We flash our wristbands and the third bouncer opens for us.
"I told you to just dress however you want," comes Eden's voice, drifting around the corner as we head down the corridor leading to the room way in the back. "The dress code isn't for you all, just for everyone else."
"Right, sure, but I still want to fit in when I go out there, right?" Ayame's response sounds both annoyed and angry, but I sense it's not aimed at our host, and as we turn the corner, I think I know why. The fiery Knight is in a black cocktail dress that doesn't look at home in her own wardrobe, so I'm guessing she borrowed it from her mother. It still looks great on her, though, with the slip down the skirt and showing off one of her shoulders and leaving both her arms free. It's a little overdressed, but it looks both elegant and rather sexy on her. Still, really not something I'd ever have expected her to wear, which probably accounts for the discomfort.
But what really steals my breath is Eden herself. Being who she is, and the host of the evening on top, I had expected her to stand out. She's wearing a damn suit! The pants are perfectly tailored and the jacket's been cropped just above her tailbone to show off everything beneath. The salmon colored shirt underneath is buttoned only far enough to not show off her underwear, and her hair's been tied up a little to give her a sort of business casual vibe that absolutely works for her. The makeup is overstated in a way you couldn't really get away outside of a party setting, and is the only thing aside from her figure that marks out her femininity. If I didn't already have essentially two crushes on this woman, I would have one now for sure. My feet feel like cinder blocks and my mouth is dry. I'm already telling myself to stop being weird when Asha's elbow pokes my ribs and forces me out of my stunned state. "Hey you two~" my friend exclaims and heads into the room ahead of me, giving them both a hug. "You both look stunning! That dress is snatched as fuck, A~" I'm happy for her distraction and quickly head in after her, smiling sheepishly.
I can barely take my eyes off Eden long enough to greet Ayame. "The neckline really shows off your clavicle well." I try to compliment her on a feature she doesn't seem to be embarrassed about, and it seems to work when she stops fidgeting and smiles softly back at me. Maybe it'll also help to ask more about something that's not about her looks. "I'm realizing it's the first time I'm properly seeing your arms... Do you practice anything other than soccer?"
"Uh, yeah, fencing. Just amateur stuff at school," she explains with a subtle smile.
"Oh like with rapiers and stuff? You gotta show me a few moves some time! I could probably use some pointers on how to fight with my needle, right?" I'm mostly saying it to help Ayame feel more comfortable tonight, but thinking about it, that might actually be useful in the long run, and our second-in-command seems to have be relaxed her guard quite a bit already, so mission success on both counts! I then turn to Eden, who's smirking at me, and I already know she noticed the way I feel about seeing her in a suit. I'm probably not the first to feel that way either.
"Hey Destiny! I wasn't sure you'd come, sorry for the last-minute invite," she says and gives me a small, friendly hug. She smells like oranges and vanilla. "I had to add you to the guest list manually earlier. A+ on the outfit, by the way! But maybe I should expect that of a fellow fashionista?" She winks at me and takes a step back to give my outfit a proper look.
"You look really good in a suit," I manage to mutter at her. "I mean, I should've figured, but I never thought I'd see it."
The night starts for real when the Knights and I are assembled in the VIP area, each with a drink in hand. Asha got a pink lemonade cocktail for me and a beer for herself. Ayame and Ida are both drinking pi?a coladas, Faye also has a beer, and the star of the night is sipping on a mai tai. It's just the six of us in here at the moment. A couple of Eden's closest civilian friends and her mother also have access to the VIP area, of course, but they left a few minutes ago to go hang out with some of their other friends. The invitation explicitly told us to not bring any presents, so none of us did, but being gathered in a circle like this, sitting or leaning on various walls or furniture. I have to admit it feels amazing to know I'm part of an inner circle like this, whether my membership is entirely legitimate or not.
Eden taps the side of her glass with a painted nail, which makes the scattered conversations the rest of us were having quiet down. "I know I told you all Knight business was going to be off the table tonight, but since it's just the six of us here right now, I figured I'd take the chance to say a few words. We've been together a little over two years now most of us, and it's been a wonder to me. Yes, we've had some tough times, some close calls and grueling training sessions. Some of us have even had some trouble outside our lives as Knights-" At that she looks over at Ida, who looks both dejected and appreciative. I already know how she relied on the Knights during a tough time. "- But through it all, we've stood by each other's sides, we've supported each other. I don't remember a time in my life when I had another friend group I would actually do literally anything for. I love you girls." I can't help but feel like I'm intruding, because there's no way I'm included in this speech, but right as I think she's about to finish and call for a toast, she looks directly at me and gestures with her glass. "And now there's six of us. We gave you a hard time, Destiny, and only Asha really gave you a shot at first, but I hope we've been making up for that. You've certainly proven yourself since you first got your powers. Welcome to the Celestial Knights." She smiles and winks, raising her glass finally. "Cheers! Now get out there and mingle. You're going to make me look like a codependent loser."
We finish toasting and chatter a little bit more among ourselves before we slowly begin filing out into the general area. I don't know anyone here aside from the Knights, but I came here determined to be sociable and turn on extrovert mode for a little while, so after going to the bar and refreshing my drink, I turn and take a look around. Not immediately spotting anyone that catches my interest, I opt to walk to an unoccupied standing table and lean on it with my drink in hand, watching the current local band play something slightly more up-tempo than when Asha and I arrived. It's actually surprisingly good, with a strange grungy vibe, and the lead singer, a cute guy in a fishnet top and very skinny jeans, has a nice gruffness to his singing voice. I pull out my phone to note down their name, so I can find them online when I get back home, and when I look back up, I notice that my table is being approached by two men, probably in their early twenties. The taller man is blonde and has a full beard going on, well-groomed, too, while his friend has brown hair and no beard, but I like that he's closer to my height. They're both wearing nice slacks and dress shirts that have the top couple of buttons open, with sneakers that look to be well taken care of. Not exactly exciting outfits, and I already know how I'd give each of them fashion advice, but in a basic sense, it works for them. I smile and tip my drink to them as they put their beers down on my table, feeling awkward and unsure what to say. "How come someone like you are all alone at a party like this?" the blonde guy asks, leaning in a little to be able to speak more softly and still be heard over the music.
"Pretty exclusive guest list, you know? Most everyone here's a known face in the industry, but we haven't seen you before." The brunette is already moving to the side of the table, where he'll be closer to me. "Not that we'd mind seeing more of you, though." I have to admit a part of me finds the situation beyond thrilling. Attractive guys paying this sort of attention to me hasn't happened much before, but another part of me instinctively looks for faces I recognize in the crowd around me, just in case. I quickly spot Asha dancing with a guy, and Eden chatting with someone up behind the stage.
"Oh, I'm Eden's friend," I say with a smile and lift up my wrist to show off the golden band.
"You know the birthday girl, of course! Did she invite you to a shoot yet? Bet you'd look good in something tight." They're taking turns talking to me and asking questions, which is quickly becoming a little confusing.
"Oh, no, I'm not a model," I giggle a little, both flattered and nervous.
"Could've fooled me. But I suppose maybe the mainstream industry isn't quite ready for girls like you yet." That comment is like a glass of cold water in the face. I can't quite place it, but there's something wrong, and now I notice the blonde guy's also moved around to the side of the table, opposite his buddy.
"I- What's that supposed to mean?" I have a feeling exactly what he means, and a hostility I haven't felt in at least a year rears its head in the back of my mind. The brunette guy must have clocked it, judging from the way he leans away a little and chuckles nervously.
"Hey, come on, it's not like that, I mean-" But before he can continue whatever excuse he was about to make gets lost when someone grabs my arm from behind and pulls on me hard.
"Hey, Destiny, I got something you need to see!" It's Ayame, quickly dragging me away and towards the bar, leaving my drink behind. Both out of surprise and wanting to get away from those guys, I don't do anything to resist. When we're far enough away, I stop walking and turn to face her.
"Uh, hey, what's up?"
"You didn't look comfortable with those douche bags double teaming you, so I decided to get you out," she says with a shrug. "Couldn't tell if they'd put something in your drink, so I decided it was best to just leave it behind." I feel a little confused and surprised by the fact that Ayame, of all the Knights, is my rescuer. I'm pretty sure I kept a good eye on my drink, but I have to admit they were good at distracting me.
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"Thank you," I say sincerely with a slight bow of my head and squeeze her bicep awkwardly. She obviously thinks that was a weird move too, judging by the grimace she pulls. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little shocked. I've been trying, really, but I got the feeling you still don't like me."
"I'm... Coming around. Look, just say thank you and come fencing with me some time. Don't make it a whole thing." She's facing away, refusing to let me look into her eyes.
"Deal. Thank you." She nods and walks away into the crowd, leaving me at the bar, staring after her. The guys have left the table I was at, my drink still sitting lonely where it was. Thinking about Ayame's words, I turn around and order a new one from the bartender instead. She's probably been to more of these than I have, and it doesn't hurt to be careful either way.
A little later in the evening, I find myself somehow caught up in a small dream scenario. Though I haven't seen their faces before, the names of the three older women before me - Antoinette Paquet, Olive Bourreau and Roxanne Arthur - are very familiar to me. They're the three founders and now various chiefs at Aurore, one of the most popular design firms to have established themselves in recent years. I know one of their biggest offices is in the city and that Eden has worked with them, so I guess it makes sense to see them on the guest list here too, but I was still surprised when I asked their names and recognized them. We've probably been talking for an hour, mostly me asking about the intimate details of kicking a brand off from the ground like that and their design process, but the conversation has also fallen on my own interests and the ideas I have. "So yeah, it's mostly dresses and tops. I still haven't quite figured out how to set pants apart from the masses," I explain, flipping through some pictures on my phone to show them some of the designs I've got in a folder.
"Pretty good stuff. No formal education you said?" Antoinette's French accent might be interpreted by some as condescending by default, but she sounds actually curious to me. She's a tall brunette, whose understanding of the word casual apparently equals sundress, despite the fall season. But I suppose the indoor space is plenty hot enough for it anyway.
"Y- Yeah. I was hoping to study fashion next year."
"Good idea. You've got some good instincts, but there's some minor errors you wouldn't catch without that education. And it'll help you design for the future." I nod, opening my mouth to thank her for her compliments, but right then my phone starts buzzing and Jeanette's face pops up on the screen.
"Fuck- I- Sorry, I need to take this, it might be important. So sorry, maybe we can talk later?" Roxanne nods and pats my shoulder with empathy.
"Oh, to be young once more," she says with a little grin. The redhead is a striking woman, older than her co-chiefs, but the casual suit she's wearing makes her seem younger. "When the time comes, get our number from Eden. Let's talk."
"Oh- wow, yeah okay! Uh- have a good night!" I wave a little awkwardly at them and hurry outside to take the call in a slightly less noisy environment. "Jeanette? I'm so happy you called! I've missed you these past few weeks." She hasn't texted me back since that day I had to cancel our plans after training with Destiny, and has even been avoiding me at school. She also cancelled Sunday dinner at The Hangout a couple of times, leaving just Asha and I to keep that tradition alive, though both turned into hanging out with some of the other Knights instead.
"Yeah. Sorry about that, uh. I've been in a pretty bad spot lately."
"Fuck, Jeanette, I wish I'd known. You know I'd have dropped everything to be with you if you need?" I walk a little further away from the party as the potential heaviness of the conversation dawns on me. "Anything you wanna talk about?"
"Well, Des, you've just seemed so busy lately, you know. I don't know what's going on, but you're always doing something."
"I- I know. I wish- It's complicated," is all I can say, already feeling the pit in my stomach of guilt churning and digging an even deeper hole in my soul. "I wish I could explain."
"Since when is there anything we can't talk about Des?" I hesitate. Maybe I can just tell her. Jeanette can keep a secret. She's never told anyone about any of the things I wanted her to keep secret. Not even Asha. The pause drags on for a little too long and she sighs. "Well if you don't wanna tell me, I guess I'm just gonna go back to my shitty life, thanks."
"Jeanette, wait!" I yell into the phone, feeling relief when I don't hear her hang up just yet. She doesn't speak either, though. "I- I want to tell you. But it's not over-the-phone news. Wh-where are you? Sounds like you need a friend right now. Are you at home?"
"N-No, I'm- Things are really bad at home right now." I start to ask her to give me a location so I can get to her as fast as possible. I'm even prepared to transform and fly there, but before I get a word out, I hear a voice from behind me, near the venue's entrance.
"Hey Blueberry! We never finished our chat! C'mere, get a drink with us~!" It's the blonde man from earlier, still accompanied by his shorter friend.
"Who's that? Are you at a party?" Jeanette sounds distraught on top of the melancholy I heard in her voice before.
"Y-Yes, but that doesn't matter-"
"Without me? Why wasn't I invited?"
"W-Well, it's kinda exclusive-" I start explaining already feeling despair spiral in the back of my brain.
"Yeah, I get it. Have fun, Destiny."
Beep, beep, beep.
Before I can get another word out, she hangs up and I feel a whole ocean of mixed emotions swirl inside me, but one among them quickly bubbles to the surface. Anger. Rage. At the two men who've been weirdly haunting me tonight. I whip around to face them as they approach, and the smug grins on their faces turns the fire inside me up to eleven. "Come on, girlie, we just wanna talk! Andrew here loves girls with a little extra like you~" It's the blonde guy again, gesturing to his friend.
"One more fucking word and I drive a needle through your eye." I'm whispering - hissing - my words at them, each syllable dripping with venom and anger I haven't felt ever before. The severity of my reaction makes them hesitate and take a step back.
"Woah, hey, hold on," Andrew says, holding up his hands, in protest. "I really just think you're cute!" My fists ball up and I can feel my entire body shaking. I take a step forward and look Andrew directly in the eye, making him back up another step. His taller, blonde friend sees one of the bouncers at the entrance has noticed something's going on and grabs Andrew's shoulder.
"Forget it man, not worth it. Why do you always gotta pick the crazy ones?" They turn around and leave me to my own devices. The bouncer takes a few steps closer to check on me.
"You okay ma'am? Do I need to call anybody?"
"N- No, I'm good. I need to call my friend though. Sorry for the bother," I call back, feeling the anger start to dissipate and give way to that pit of fear and despair again as quickly as it'd risen in the first place. I hurry to turn around and call Jeanette, but she doesn't pick up, and after three tries, I get an error message telling me her phone is out of service right now. Panicking a little bit, I hurry inside to find Asha, who comes outside with me and tries calling a couple of times too, but also winds up getting the same error message.
"Sorry Des. I don't think she wants to talk to anyone right now. You know how she gets."
"Sure, but you didn't hear her. She really sounded like she was going to hurt herself or something." I'm hugging my own arms and feeling cold, even more so than the night air should make me. "We don't even know where she is!"
"Exactly. We have no way to contact her and no way to find her. And it sounds like hitting up her parents wouldn't be a good idea either. So what do you want us to do about it? Can you use your powers to track her down?"
"I don't know, I don't think so? Th-The city's big and I can't sort the threads from each other that easily. I'm just frustrated, I feel like it's my fault!"
"I get it, Des, I do. I'm worried for her too. We'll send her a text to let her know we care and wanna talk, then find her and check in at school on Monday, yeah?"
"Yeah."
We do just those things, texting Jeanette short messages each that we care about her and want to hear back from her as soon as possible. At my suggestion, we also call a hotline and give them her number, explaining she's not taking either of our calls but maybe she'll take theirs. The kind-sounding man on the other end of the line assures us he'll personally try calling her every thirty minutes for the next few hours. It doesn't settle me entirely, but Asha's right that we can't do much more right now.
With how the rest of the night's been going, I opt against trying to be social with anyone I don't know until it's time to leave. Asha is understanding and hangs out with me, explaining the situation to the guy she's otherwise been dancing with a lot. He understands, gives her a kiss on the cheek and they exchange numbers before he joins a group I'm assuming are his friends. I get a few more drinks, happy to feel a buzz to take my mind off things a little after the third cocktail of the evening. We make a little small talk; I ask about that guy she was with, and apparently it's someone she's been flirting a little with at some of Eden's other parties since she started inviting the Knights, which I suppose makes sense. Ida joins us, too, after a little while. She seems to understand something's up, but is content to just try and chatter about everything between heaven and earth. We take up space at one of the tables around the dancing area, and as the night goes on and company and alcohol slowly lift my spirits, I start being able to enjoy the music again. The final band to take the stage presents themselves as Heart Noir before they start playing some slow, dance friendly rock. As one would probably have guessed, the more the night progressed, the more crowded the dance floor, and with this band, it's no different. I've never been much of a dancer, though, so I just stand back at the table and sway slowly from side to side as I urge Asha to get one last dance with that cute guy she obviously is into. Off to my side, I hear someone ask "May I have this dance?" and I look over to see Eden extending a hand toward me. Immediately, my belly is a mess of chaos and butterflies and my cheeks feel like they're burning. Can I really allow myself to enjoy the rest of the night, considering what went down earlier? I want to be there in case Jeanette or the guy at the hotline calls.
"I- Uh- I can't really dance," I try to excuse myself, but the gorgeous model simply shakes her head with a giggle and takes my arm, dragging me onto the dance floor.
"Sure you can! Anyone can dance." The crowd parts a little for us, probably since it's Eden I'm with, and she's not only semi-famous, but also the birthday girl. The few stares we get embarrass me a little, enough that I almost feel like hiding, but Eden just keeps leading us a little closer to the stage until she finds a spot she likes. "Just put your hands on my hips and follow my lead~" She sounds a little teasing, but I can't blame her too much; I probably would be too in her stead. When I hesitate, she takes my hands and places them on her hips like she instructed, before placing her own arms around my neck, making us step a little closer to each other. She starts to sway from side to side, slowly turning us in a circle as we step around each other. One of her hands plays a little with the hair on my neck. She stage-whispers, just loud enough for me to hear, but I doubt anyone else does. "See? That's not so bad is it?"
"I-I'm just trying not to step on your feet," I respond back, also trying to stage-whisper.
"You're doing good so far. Here, get a little closer." One of her hands moves down to the small of my back and pushes gently until I feel her thighs and hips against mine. The breath catches in my throat and I start convincing myself this must be a dream. "There. Feel how my hips move? Just follow that." I do. I very much feel her hips, and for a bit I can hardly think about anything else, but I do what I can to just follow her lead.
We dance for a bit, letting one, then two songs pass. By the end of the second one, Eden's head is resting on my shoulder and I've let my own hands slip around to rest on her back so we're sort of hugging. I've mostly forgotten any embarrassment I felt at my lack of skill and other people staring. Only Eden and the music really matter in this moment. In the back of my mind I'm vaguely aware that it's probably almost time to leave, but I don't want this to end just yet. "I don't know what I did to make this happen, but it's been nice," I whisper, then feel a little movement from her as she chuckles and lifts her head back up to look at me.
"Silly Destiny. I already told you, I just like cute girls." Her right hand comes around to my face and caresses my cheek for a second. We stare into each other's eyes, smiling. Whether it's the moment, the alcohol, the song or a combination of the three doing it, it only feels natural for me to start leaning in. Eden does the same, and in the next moment our lips touch. Hers are soft and pliable, tasting like both the cherry lip gloss and remnants of her favorite drink. Her top lip slips between mine, causing me to part and invite her in a little, only to feel the tip of her tongue flick against me. My heart is hammering in my chest, blood rushing in my ears so much I almost can't hear the music as we sway and let ourselves meld with each other. Her right hand moves back to cup my head, and both mine start sliding further down her back almost instinctively, only to be met by her left one, gripping me and hauling me back up. "Not quite yet," she breaks the kiss briefly to teasingly whisper at me.
"Sorry," I groan and mentally scold myself before throwing myself back into the unexpected makeout session. I'm not sure how long passes. It could be five seconds or five minutes, but when the song ends, we part and look at each other, still in each other's arms. People around us are pretending they haven't noticed, but it's so obvious everyone else has been staring and the embarrassment I felt before comes rushing back in. "Guess the party's over?" I gesture at the band, which is already packing up their personal gear, with a sideways nod and smile sheepishly.
"Guess so. It was pretty nice, though." Eden seems as reluctant to let go as I am. "Maybe we could do it again some time?"
"I'd like that." We squeeze each other one last time, and I think I feel a moment perfect for a quick little kiss, but before I can lean in, I'm cut off by Asha yelling my name from the sidelines.
"YO DES! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE GIRL, WE'RE LEAVING!" Both Eden and I burst into a quick little laugh and finally part from each other completely. As awkward as I always am, I bid her a good night by curtsying, to which she responds by chuckling and bowing.
"Goodnight, Destiny. See you Saturday for movie night~"
I join Asha and we get our jackets from the wardrobe, then walk out toward the nearby road where Asha's dad should be waiting for us. "So. You and Eden, huh?" She asks with a knowing grin.
"N- No, it probably doesn't mean anything. We're drunk. There was a mood."
"Uh-huh. If you say so."
"What?"
"Don't mind me, I'm just hoping this means the two of you can stop texting me about each other and making eyes at each other on movie nights. Seriously, it's like watching two lovesick puppies dancing around each other, and it's been going on for like two months already!" I stop dead in my tracks and reach out to grab Asha's sleeve, stopping her as well.
"Seriously? Eden's been texting you about me? Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't tell her anything either! I can keep a secret, you know that!"
"I- Yeah, of course. Should I text her?"
"Maybe wait at least until lunch tomorrow, Des. Give her a chance to process too."
"Good call."
We get into her dad's car, not saying anything more about that particular incident at the end of the night, nor do we mention the guy Asha's been flirting with, but we tell her dad about almost everything else that happened at the party.
At home, I tell Chibi Destiny about everything before going to bed too. She listens eagerly, having wanted to go to the party too, but also seeing the logic in Squires not being allowed at a semi-public event like that. When I get to the part about Jeanette, I check my phone again, feeling my stomach sink when there's still no messages from her. Destiny looks at me and says "Don't worry. No harm has come to her tonight. Jeanette will be at school on Monday." I breathe a sigh of relief.
"How do you know?" I ask, and she reaches out a hand, laying it on mine, while gesturing at the air with the other. Over the past couple of training sessions, we've figured out how to share our view of the tapestry that is fate. She's still a lot better at navigating it than me, and indicates a strand connected to me and traces a hand along it.
"Follow that." I do as told, and before I see it connecting to her, I realize she's right. That's one of Jeanette's threads, and it still stretches into the future. There's some distortion on it I can't remember having seen before, but tiredness and alcohol make it difficult to make out the intricacies of that, and before I can really ask my Squire about it, I feel myself dozing off, still dressed for the party, so we decide to give it a closer look at a later date.
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