Fifth Moon, Third Moon Day

  “Class 1 is back already,” Vanita said in surprise, causing Aida and Lily to whip their heads around.

  Sure enough, the five students were traipsing through the entrance of the dining hall, looking distinctly exhausted.

  “It would probably be a bad idea to ask if they want to do a picnic right now, huh?” Lily joked weakly. Aida and Vanita nodded mutely.

  Class 1 had been out on an especially long assignment the past two star cycles, causing them to miss their picnic on the first rest day of the month.

  Aida stood up. “Should we go say hello to them, at least?”

  Taking their trays with them, the three girls returned their eating utensils before meeting with their friends in the food ordering line.

  “How did your visit to south Wyndia go?” Vanita asked as Sue flashed them a smile, blinking through her tiredness.

  “Not fruitful at all,” Levi interrupted as Caleb gave him a disapproving look. “Obviously.”

  “No casualties?” Aida asked alertly.

  “Nothing major,” Caleb replied, shaking his head. “We were with the Gullbeaks, so we’ve had support.”

  “Shoots, so that’s another two star cycles with nothing to show for it,” Lily said sadly. Sue smiled as she ruffled Lily’s hair.

  “Not necessarily. We mostly spent time scouting and talking with the Sundry Plains Adventurers. They’re also noticing odd monster migration and behavior patterns, so the Gullbeaks and Border Strongholders were making preparations to head into the Plains for a more cooperative expedition.”

  “This is turning into an international affair?” Vanita asked in a hushed voice, her fingers pressed against her lips.

  That can’t be good. Aida glanced at Ezra and Lara for their reactions, though they were both carefully stoic. Ezra’s stoicism was expected, but Lara seemed more withdrawn than anything else; not paying any attention to what they were discussing.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure how this is going to play out,” Levi said, shaking his head. “On the one hand, it’s always good to have more allies. On the other, if its influence is spreading so far, what does that mean about the nature of the beast?”

  “Hey kids, come place your orders first before continuing your conversation,” Nolem called from the counter. Wordlessly, Ezra moved around the cluster to the counter, followed by Lara just a second later. Sue, Caleb, and Levi walked a little slower, keeping the conversation going.

  “Are Ezra and Lara okay?” Aida asked quietly.

  “Oh yeah, just being their usual talkative selves,” Levi said carelessly.

  “Ezra hasn’t been up to anything weird?” Aida asked, giving Levi a hard look. He returned an insolent gaze before thawing.

  “No, he’s been taking care of himself.”

  “He’s more cautious now,” Caleb added helpfully. “He makes sure we’re all prepared with a plan of action before beginning our mission, whereas before he’d leave us to our own devices.”

  “That’s right. If he hadn't insisted time and again that he didn’t want to be leader, I would have voted him as the leader,” Levi said airily. Beyond Levi’s form, Aida saw an unpleasant shudder run through Ezra’s shoulders as he heard Levi’s words.

  The conversation stalled as Nolem quickly took the remaining Class 1 students’ orders, leaving Aida balancing precariously on the balls of her feet as she decided whether or not to approach Ezra.

  Vanita finally nudged Aida surreptitiously towards Ezra, stepping into her space so that Aida was effectively excised from the small conversational circle that consisted of Levi, Caleb, Sue, Lily, and Vanita.

  Hesitantly, Aida slipped towards Ezra, standing next to him.

  “How have you been?” Aida asked quietly, trying to keep her voice low enough so that Lara couldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation. The girl was standing in front of them, staring forward blankly.

  “…I have been well. And yourself?” Ezra’s words were choppy, hesitant.

  “I’ve been good!” Aida tried to inject a note of encouragement in her voice. “I’ve been busy crafting supplies for Healer Bokar.”

  Ezra nodded, but continued to avoid her gaze.

  “…How has your meditation training been going?”

  “I have been following Professor Bruce’s instructions explicitly.” Ezra finally glanced at Aida out of the corner of his eye. “Please do not worry. I’m not taking any unnecessary risks.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Aida bit her lip as she nodded slightly. Before she could think of what else to say, Ezra stepped forward to receive his breakfast tray from Nolem, departing without another word.

  Aida stared blankly forward, dimly aware that she was being just like Lara in front of her. Getting flat out rejected in conversation.

  Remembering she still hadn’t met her quota of poison pellets, thanks to Healer Vega’s rude interruption yesterday, Aida bade her friends farewell. She looked forward to the peace and quiet in the greenhouse, where she knew what she had to do, and didn’t have to worry about social interactions.

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  “Wow, you guys have really made this place your own,” Sue marveled as she slipped through the canvas flaps. Aida smiled as her friends made their way through the rows of plants Lily had grown, as she gave a running commentary on what each plant was and what they used it for. Even Levi was looking impressed.

  “And this is Aida’s own brewing section,” Lily announced, framing Aida with outstretched arms.

  “How come Aida doesn’t have any helpers with brewing the way the Earth students do?” Caleb asked curiously. He leaned down to peer at the thick glass cauldron and funnel Aida was working out of, rapping the pot with an appreciative knuckle.

  “We don’t get enough raw materials with long prep time to justify having a whole team,” Aida said as she continued working. “So all available students are dedicated to Healer Luk’s healing potion team.”

  “Aida has literally become Maglica’s poison specialist,” Lily said with pride. She clapped her hands together. “It’s too bad you guys missed the showdown with Healer Vega yesterday!”

  “Healer Vega? What happened?” Sue demanded, zipping over to them from where she had been admiring a hot pink mushroom cluster with Vanita.

  “It was completely unexpected,” Vanita agreed happily, joining the group in front of Aida’s cauldron. “I was so inspired watching Aida conduct herself.”

  “Stop it,” Aida said in embarrassment. “Talk elsewhere, you guys are bothering me.”

  “Oho, this sounds like it promises to be a good story,” Levi chuckled, sitting on an upturned bucket Aida normally used to soak ingredients in. “Go on, tell us what happened.”

  Aida shook her head ruefully as she carefully set down the remaining tail of stomach lining, heaving the full crate of poison pellets over to the wall where she stored completed orders. She hammered a wooden lid over the crate to securely seal it, then pulled out an empty crate to bring back to her brewing station.

  Sue was cackling at Lily’s emotive performance of Vega’s helpless outrage as she received no support from the student audience during yesterday’s debacle, while Levi looked delighted.

  “Great job, Aida. I knew you had it in you to show Healer Vega!” Sue pumped her arm in the air.

  “It sounded like you didn’t even need to try in order to embarrass her either!” Levi applauded. “The most satisfying victory.”

  “Do you think Healer Vega will leave Aida alone now?” Caleb asked worriedly. “I imagine she would be even more upset after that - especially since Aida mana blasted her?”

  “Oh, I bet blasting her felt so good,” Sue sighed. She brightened, giving Aida an impish smile. “I didn’t think you had it in you!”

  “I would have left her alone if she didn’t destroy my equipment,” Aida said indignantly.

  “I can’t imagine Vega would try to corner Aida again,” Levi said to Caleb. “She would be extremely foolish if she didn’t realize Aida rebuffed her entirely on her own this time - especially since all the students just went right back to work after witnessing her get thrown out of the greenhouse.”

  “And you told Kozu about how she interfered with your job, right?” Vanita asked Aida. Aida nodded.

  “Yes, he said he’ll make sure Bokar and Luk know in case they wonder why we’re behind schedule.” She thought for a moment before grinning. “He didn’t hide his annoyance at all, though, so she’s probably on thinner ice than just messing up at the clinic.”

  That kicked off a conversation about what they learned from Myk yesterday. Levi seemed especially interested in Teena Vega’s descent into outright infamy, though he added no new insights to what Myk had shared.

  Sue began speculating with Lily and Vanita about Vega’s next move, the girls’ voices falling into a hum that made it easy for Aida to focus on her repetitive task of creating poison pellets. Twist. Snip. Twist. Snip. Twist.

  “—Fire Festival?”

  “That’s right! Caleb and I were thinking of going to Buddington Town’s festival. What about you guys?” The wheedling in Sue’s voice pulled Aida out of her reverie. Lily turned to Vanita with a gleeful look.

  Vanita herself had adopted a closed off expression, though her cheeks were beginning to redden.

  “Yeah, what were your plans for the Fire Festival?” Lily asked Vanita pointedly. Sue winked at Aida when she looked over. Aida sighed. Of course. The bet.

  “Well - I was thinking I would go to the festival at Shale Port,” Vanita mumbled. Caleb nodded, accepting her answer, while Levi looked curiously between the girls, noticing a silent conversation happening.

  “Who are you going with?” Lily asked immediately after, unable to keep her smugness restrained. Vanita finally failed to keep her blush contained, turning completely pink. She mumbled incoherently.

  “Who?” Sue asked keenly. Vanita cleared her throat.

  “Abedi Bellow,” she said with dignity. Silence loomed between them all for one startled moment, punctuated by Aida’s steady snip. Snip. Snip.

  “I didn’t even realize you two talked,” Aida finally said, grinning slightly as she kept her eyes on her work. The cauldron was almost empty.

  “We don’t - not really.” Vanita shriveled under everyone’s gaze. “I just asked him.”

  “Why? Do you even like him?” Levi asked in disbelief.

  “He’s been kind - from our few interactions,” Vanita said miserably. Only Lily looked gleeful.

  “Don’t listen to her - she’s had a crush on him since second year.” Lily leaned back with her arms behind her head, utterly satisfied. “I’m proud of you, Vanita.”

  “Good for you,” Caleb said encouragingly. “It must have been hard to ask him.” Vanita gave him a watery smile, but immediately shriveled into herself again.

  “What are your plans for the Festival?” Sue asked Lily. Lily beamed.

  “I’ll also be at Shale Port! Edward Sparks asked me to go - as friends.” Lily let out a giggle, whipping a pink flower out from behind her back and tucking it into Vanita’s hair. “We’re going to make sure Vanita and Abedi have a good time.”

  “Well, what about you?” Levi looked over to Aida. His words were jaunty, but his eyes were wary. “What are your plans for the Fire Festival?”