Sunny let out a long sigh, the early morning air holding the slight chill of spring. Like Somnambula's front yard, the mansion's back yard was dotted with elaborate onyx statues covered with intricate glowing symbols. The only major difference was the massive jade swimming pool that took up a quarter of its space. She watched listlessly as four serpent heads made of the same stone continuously vomited crystal clear water into the pool from each corner, her vape pen twirling slowly between her fingers.
She took a hit, the slight sting of tobacco and bittersweet tingle of rose petals the only thing helping her keep her frayed nerves together. She found herself needing to rely on her vice a lot more these days, a fact that she was less than proud of, but couldn't bring herself to actively stave off. At the very least, she held enough of a grip on it that she was able to keep her mother from finding out. A rueful smile formed on her lips as she imagined how Cinch would react if she knew about her ugly habit.
A literally steamy chuckle slipped past her lips, the girl studying her pen with a spiteful air of casual interest.
"You know that's bad for you, right?" a familiar tomboyish voice said from her right.
On cue, Indigo stepped fully out of the mansion's massive crystal back door. Sunny offered the girl a bored side-eye that was almost as strong as the disapproving frown Indigo gave her. She rolled her eyes before shifting her focus back to the pool.
"I will let you know when I start to care," Sunny huffed, taking a drag.
Indigo crossed her arms, but kept her scowling lips sealed on the matter.
A stiff silence formed between them, neither of them ready or willing to interact unless pressed. The stalemate slowly started to eat away at their patience, a tapping finger from Indigo and slight eye twitch from Sunny serving as their own pressure meters. The tipping point came when Sunny tried to take a hit from her pen, only to find that it had run out.
"Shouldn't you be training right now?" she snipped, pocketing her vape.
"Had to take a break," Indigo grumbled. "Damn thing is a pain in the ass to use."
Sunny let out a rueful chuckle at that.
"Yes, Mithril can be a very difficult weapon to master. Lord knows how many times that unwieldy mess raised my blood pressure ."
"So there are a few things even you can't do?" Indigo huffed.
Sunny aimed a sharp glare at her and coldly said, "At least when I fail, I know it was because I was lacking in some way, not because I was holding myself back."
"What are you getting at?" she frowned, letting her hands fall to her sides with tight fists.
"Oh please," Sunny sighed, rolling her eyes as she stood to face her fully. "Do you think I am blind? You moved from the bottom of the school's ranking to the top ten three months into our freshmen year. I have seen just how diligent of a student you are and know that you should be in a much higher rank among the Elites. At the very least, you should be number five or four, yet you hold yourself back. Why?"
Indigo's fists shook, a venomous scowl spreading across her face as she stared Sunny down. Sunny's face was frustratingly blank, the girl seemingly waiting for an answer to her question. That was something that Indigo always hated about her. On the few occasions they had to meet at school, Sunny always carried herself in such a prim and calm manner. Always cold and always calculated, like some sort of robot or doll. Aside from the back-and-forth at Sugar's house, Indigo had never seen her express any real emotions.
Forcing down her anger, she bitterly answered.
"You wouldn't get it."
"Try me," she pressed, crossing her arms.
She let out an irate growl and spat, "Why the hell should I tell you?"
Sunny met the girl's ire with her usual blank mask, only for a small compassionate smile to slowly form a moment later.
The shift stunned Indigo so deeply that she barely reacted when Sunny gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"If you do not want to talk about it, then so be it. just know that I will listen if you change your mind later down the line."
"Uh, right, thanks," she blinked, staring dumbly at the girl.
Sunny nodded, dawned her usual stoic expression, and let her hand fall back to her side. Seeing little point in continuing, Sunny started to make her way towards the mansion's doors. Before she could do more than touch the handle, a hesitant call from Indigo made her pause.
"Yes?" she asked, still staring at the door.
Indigo opened her mouth, but her tongue felt like it was glued to the bottom of her mouth. Frustration, confusion, and worry ran laps in her too quickly for her to find her words. Sunny patiently waited for her to find her voice. When the sporty teen eventually succeeded, she forced out a question that made her stomach lurch.
"Why are you acting like this?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, her grip tightening on the door nob.
"Don't give me that crap," she frowned, taking a step towards her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Sunny kept her back to Indigo, a faint trembling lip slipping past her schooled expression.
Taking a breath to steady herself, she said, "When you are ready to answer my question, I will answer yours."
"But-" she started, only to stop dead when Sunny suddenly turned to face her.
The girl's posture was straight, her expression intense, and gaze as sharp as a freshly bladed sword. Indigo instinctively straightened out, her jaw snapping shut with an audible clack.
"Until that day comes, all I care about is getting you and the rest of your motley crew of misfits into proper fighting form. I have a Wraith to kill, two girls to save, and I refuse to let anyone die along the way! If that rambling blue and purple gecko says that you and your friends are the keys to completing that goal, then so be it!"
Sunny closed the gap between them, a familiar cold smile spread across her face as she stared searing holes into Indigo's eyes.
"Too bad for you, being a human means that you will have to work twice as hard to keep up with everyone. If you apply yourself just as much in training as you do in class, I will personally break you in half, put you back together, and do it again as many times as it takes to knock that habit out of you. Do. You. Understand?"
Indigo nodded frantically, her whole body shaking.
"Good," Sunny chirped, taking a step back with a much more friendly smile. "Now that, that is out of the way, what do you say we stop by the dinning room for some lunch?"
"S-Sure," she gulped. "Sounds good to me."
Trailing behind the prim teen, a single shuddering thought ran through her as they crossed the threshold.
Yup. She's definitely Cinch's daughter.
***
If there were two things Stygian took his time to savor, it was solitude and silence. Both were extreme rarities for Gifted, given the way their lives tended to go. For the lower-power or non-combatant Gifted, this was not necessarily the case, but for the few at his and his family's level, peace was almost a myth.
For Stygian, these rare moments were spent enjoying a simple cup of tea with a good gothic fantasy novel. In an odd twist of fate, Somnambula's library fit his tastes quite well. The black marble walls and glowing symbols created a somber atmosphere that eased his tired mind while the smell of the tall oak shelves that lined the high walls settled his heart. The tall arched windows that lined the wall opposite of the room's equally massive polished oak double doors filled the massive rectangular room with just enough light to keep the dark from preventing him from reading. That, and the glowing crystal flower that dominated most of the room's vaulted ceiling, a feature that most of the rooms sported in one form or another.
Setting his cup down on a black polished table, he leaned back in his ornate ebon chair and closed his eyes.
"Nice, huh?" Scathex said, the demon's chuckle echoing in the back of his mind.
Stygian nodded, a small smile gracing his lips.
"I wonder how many more moments we're gonna have like this."
"Not nearly enough," he huffed, his smile turning rueful.
He sensed the demon nod at that, the two of them on the same page for once.
"Things are gonna get complicated soon," the summon sighed.
Stygian nodded.
"Belfry is going to be a difficult hunt."
Scathex chuckled at that, then said, "Understatement of the year, but that's not what I was talking about."
Faint confusion slid across the teen's face.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, c'mon! I know you're not that stupid," he cackled.
Growing frustrated with his summon's games, he mentally urged it to get to the point.
Scathex let out an irate groan.
"For the love of- I'M TALKING ABOUT YOUR DATE THIS WEEKEND!"
He let out a tired sigh.
"I have already told you; I am not going on a date. Lightning and I are simply going to spend some time together at the movies. Nothing more. Nothing less."
In a puff of black smoke, a deadpanning black viper appeared on the table.
"For someone who spends so much time reading books, you sure as hell suck at seeing the print in people."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked, raising a brow at the demon.
Scathex sighed, shaking his head in exasperation and softly muttering some less then flattering things under his breath.
"Let me spell it out for you. She. L-I-K-E-S. You."
"Of course she likes me," he frowned. "She wouldn't want to spend time with me if she didn't."
Scathex stared blankly at him, the sheer obliviousness of what he had just heard enough to freeze his mind like an old desktop. When he managed to reboot it, a frustrated growl and several latin swears where shouted to the sky. Stygian took in the reaction with even more confusion, then shrugged as he went back to reading his book.
At least, he tried to get back into his book.
While his summon continued to softly rant to himself, the gothic teen's mind started to drift to his new friend. Admittedly, he did find her rather annoying at the start, but that slowly shifted as they spent more and more time together. While he wasn't much of a sports fan, he could admire her dedication and passion in that particular topic. In spite of her not coming from a powerful family or having gone through the same kind of training that he had, he respected how she pushed herself to keep up with him on his hiking trips. Knowing that she was a fellow Gifted certainly made things easier for him as well, even if her Aether felt different from most of his kind. Most importantly of all, spending time with her made him feel...normal. That, and various other things that he didn't quite have the words to describe yet.
What are these feelings? he thought with a frown.
His musings broke when he was hit by a faint floral scent. Scathex noticed as well, rolling his eyes as he turned into mist and flew into Stygian's shadow. Letting out a sigh, he marked his page, placed his book on the table, and turned in his seat towards the library's doors with a dull frown. A minute later, they burst open with a loud bang as a brightly smiling blue woman made her entrence.
She wore a simple sleeveless green sundress with a skirt that went just past her knees and emphasized her full hourglass figure. She also wore a matching pair of sandals that lightly clacked on the tiled floor with each step she took into the room. Her two-toned burgundy long hair was done up in a tight beehive-style bun with a couple flower pins run through it. A lively aura surrounded her in an almost literal sense with a smile that shined almost as brightly as her wide teal eyes.
Said eyes quickly scanned the room before they locked straight onto Stygian.
"There's my little sweetie," the woman giggled, a thick cajun accent rolling off of her tongue.
Stygian had just enough time to let out a sigh before the woman closed the distance and tried to hug all of the rest of his breath out of him.
"Hello, big sister Meadowbrook," he wheezed.
He sucked in some air when Meadowbrook pulled out of the hug.
With a raised brow and crooked smirk, she said, "None of that former stuff with me, honey. You know that."
"And I said not to crush me," he stated flatly.
She just chuckled and pulled him into a much softer hug.
"I know, sugar. Just missed you, is all."
"Right," he sighed, leaning into the embrace with a faint smile. "I missed you too."
The two stayed like that for a few solid minutes before taking a couple seats at Stygian's table.
"I take it your hunt went well," Stygian stated, giving his sister his full attention.
"Better than I thought it would," she winked. "Ever since rumors about Lily's death got around, a lot of Newborns and Archwraiths have been acting up."
"That is strange," he frowned, crossing his arms in thought. "I know Lily was the strongest of her type, but I fail to see how her death would cause such a reaction."
"I don't get it either," she shrugged. "Just so long as the higher-level Wraiths don't get stirred up, I don't have too much to complain about."
"Agreed," he nodded.
We have enough on our plate as it is.
"But that's not all that important," Meadow smirked, propping her head on the table with her hand. "A little birdie told me that my baby brother is sweet on someone."
A deep glare crossed Stygian's face, making Meadow's smirk grow a bit more pointed.
"We are just friends," he flatly stated. "Nothing more. Nothing less."
"Right," she giggled. "Whatever you say, sugar."
"What is that supposed to mean?' he asked, quirking a brow.
"Nothing, really," she shrugged, leaning smugly back in her seat as she cheekily added, "Just that, in all of the ten years I raised you, you've never brought a friend with you on our family hiking trips."
"I invited Sour and Sunny, haven't I?" he asked, a faint blush creeping past his indifferent mask.
"Family friends don't count, sugar," she giggled, playfully drumming her fingers on the table.
He looked away with a frustrated frown.
Meadowbrook's smile softened.
Reaching across the table, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
"It's alright to be happy, Stygian. You don't need to keep people at a distance all of the time."
"I am fine," he frowned, meeting her gaze head on.
"Are you sure?" she pressed, a worried frown replacing her smile.
He gave her a firm nod, absolutely no hesitation or doubt present in his features.
She met his gaze with equal strength for a few long minutes, then relented with a defeated sigh.
"Alright," she said with a rueful chuckle. "Just promise me that you'll let things happen with this girl. If not for my sake, than for our mom and dad's."
"I plan to," he nodded, a hint of confusion crossing his face.
Before he could add to that, his phone started to wring. The second he saw the number on the screen, he tried to cancel it and shove the device back into his pocket. He never go the chance before a pink cloud of sweet-smelling mist yanked it out of his hand. His heart sank into his gut when the cloud placed the phone in his viciously grinning sister's open hand.
With one flick of a finger, she answered the call and brought the phone to her ear.
Oh,God, take me now, he thought slumping in his seat with an agonized groan.
***
Sour considered herself to be a rather adaptive person. Being a human raised by Gifted, that was a feature that quickly became a prerequisite. In less then a month, that particular ability was pushed to its ultimate extreme. Within that time, she befriended the person she saw as an enemy, sheltered a Wraith in her home, and had a moment with one of the girls that almost pushed her over the edge. Now, she was walking through her home with that very same girl, having a casual talk about a game that she was borderline obsessed with.
"I don't get it," Sour frowned, rounding a corner into another hall. "I mean, how can a game that's all about rolling dice and pretending to be a wizard be all that fun?"
"You don't have to be a wizard," Lemon snorted, rolling her eyes as she followed her. "You can be, a bunch of other things."
"Oh yeah? Then what are you?" Sour pressed.
"A human bard," Lemon smiled, puffing out her chest in pride.
"So, you play songs? How does that help in fighting monsters?"
"That's not all my girl does," Lemon huffed. "She's good at charming, illusions, and a little bit of healing and buffing."
"A support character then," Sour nodded. "What about Indigo?"
"Human rogue."
"So, a thief?" she blinked.
"Sort've," she shrugged. "Indigo made her into a kind've Robin Hood-type that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty."
"I see," Sour nodded. "What about Twilight and Petal? I can only imagine what kind of characters those two would come up with."
"You have no idea," Lemon sighed. "Well, Twi went with a really antisocial elf sorceress and Petal made a strict pacifist cleric."
Sour stopped, a look of confusion stamped across her face as she tried to process that. She tried again, but still failed to grasp what she had been told. It was after the fifth attempt that she noticed the maroon hand waving in front of her face.
"Are you okay?" Lemon asked, worry clear on her face.
"Y-Yeah," Sour stammered, shaking the shock out of her head. "I'm just having a hard time imagining someone like Petal being a pacifist."
"Yeah, I get what you mean," she chuckled. "She's rough, but she's got a real sweet side to her if you stick around long enough to see it."
"If you say so," Sour shrugged.
Lemon let out a chuckle at that, teasing a small shy smile out of her host before they resumed their march. After walking a few more minutes in awkward silence, Sour managed to stumble out another quick question.
"So, if I were to give this, Dungeons and Dragons thing a try, what kind of character do you think would be a good fit for me?"
Lemon gave her a knowing smile and said, "Dude, you'd do really well as a ranger or druid. Heck, Sugar would probably let you do both if you ask nicely enough. As for race, I think you'd get a kick out of being an elf or eladrin."
"What's an eladrin?" she asked, raising a brow.
"They're fae that can change their forms based on their emotions," Lemon said, then flinched as she sheepishly added, "I, uh, guess you can...kind've relate."
Sour ruefully chuckled at that.
"Sounds like a good fit though," she nodded, then hastily stated, "N-Not that I'd want to play in the first place. Sounds way to dorky for me."
"Right," Lemon chuckled. "Whatever you say, Sour."
Sour crossed her arms and looked away with a huff, hiding a small blush. Lemon rolled her eyes, remembering a similar conversation a few years back with Indigo. As yet another awkward silence fell between them, Lemon mulled over what kind of characters she thought the rest of her new party would go for. While Sunny was a bit hard for her to place, she thought a tiefling or revenant warlock would be a good fit for Stygian. Between his emo-goth style and the kind of gift he had, she was sure he would've loved to go for something a bit more on the grim side of things.
Before she could fully settle on what Sunny would like, a light tug on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Wha?" she blinked, looking around.
"We're here," Sour gulped, letting go of her new companion.
Quickly regaining her bearings, Lemon turned to face the door, Sour stood in front of. Sure enough, she felt the faint traces of Twilight and Petal's auras on the other side. More importantly, she could hear talking on the other side. Letting out a relieved sigh, she let a bright smile grace her lips as she threw the door open and marched into the room beyond. Twilight's head snapped towards her from her seat by Petal's bed the second the door slammed into the wall next to it, panic briefly flashing across her face before an annoyed frown took its place. At the same time, Petal let out a startled yelp and jumped out of the bed, assuming a fighting stance the second her feet hit the floor. Lemon laughed at that, marching towards them with a nervous Sour not far behind.
"You trying to give me a fucking heart attack?!" Petal barked, stance dropped and hand placed over her chest.
"Good to see you up and moving, dude," Lemon chuckled, pulling the disguised Wraith into a tight hug and ignoring her ire. "Really shook me up bad, y'know?"
Petal looked like she was about throw some snark, but stopped herself when a hint of bitter fear touched her tongue. Letting out a tired sigh, she reluctantly returned the hug. Sour watched the exchange for a moment before kneeling down to Twilight's side.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing a hand on the lavender girl's forehead and examining her eyes. "Still dizzy? Are you feeling hungry yet?"
"I'm fine," Twilight awkwardly sputtered, gently removing Sour's hand and moving her back. "I think I've adapted to your mother's Aether now."
"That's good," she sighed. "And your appetite?"
Twilight's stomach decided to answer that question for her, earning a small blush from her and some chuckles from the other girls in the room.
"Well," Sour smiled, "dinner should be ready in a couple hours, but I could probably get you something to hold you over if you want."
"N-No. I can wait," Twilight stammered, looking down at her lap and playing with her hands to hide her blush.
"Just give her an apple or something," Petal frowned, finally managing to pull out of Lemon's hug. "If she's been by my side as long as she said she was, than she needs at least that much."
"Petal!" Twilight wined, aiming a glare at the Wraith.
"Just cuz I can go a while without eating doesn't mean you can," she added, crossing her arms.
"I can wait a couple hours," Twilight huffed, standing up to meet her friend's gaze. "It's the polite thing to do."
Petal let out an annoyed groan at that.
"Seriously? You've skipped like, what, three meals? Between that and not getting a lot of sleep, I'm surprised you're still standing right now!"
"I had a nap," she muttered looking away.
"Two hours of sleep don't mean shit and you know it," Petal growled, pointing at her for emphasis.
"I can send a maid to get her a sandwich or something," Sour blinked, raising a hand. "It wouldn't be that big of a deal."
"Do it!" Petal barked.
"Don't!" Twilight cried. "I said I can wait, so I'll wait!"
Petal let out a frustrated growl, then yelled, "QUEEN DAMNIT, SPARKY!"
The sound of someone clearing their throat cut the growing tension before it could burst. Turning to its source, they saw a nonplused Sunny standing by the still-open door holding what looked like a small plate of cookies. Standing next to her was a ragged-looking Indigo holding a similar plate that she was ravenously emptying.
"Are we interrupting something?" she asked.
"No!" Twilight huffed.
"We're trying to talk Twi into eating something and she's being, like, super stubborn about it." Lemon sighed.
"Traitor!" Twilight cried, pointing an accusatory finger at the rocker.
"Well, good thing I planned ahead," Sunny stated, closing the distance between her and the lavender teen.
She casually plucked a cookie off of the tray and, before anyone could react, shoved it into Twilight's mouth.
"Eat now, complain later," she smiled, letting go of the sweet.
Twilight looked as though she was going to complain, only for that to shift to astonishment the second the cookie's taste hit her. Sunny giggled at the girl's reaction before slowly letting it turn into an unsure frown when she shifted her attention towards Petal. Said Wraith plucked a cookie of her own off of the plate and took a cautious bite.
"Holy shit!" she blinked, practically inhaling the rest of her treat.
"That's what I said," Indigo cheered around a mouthful. "Sunny's a pretty damn good baker."
"She baked these?" Lemon asked, taking a cookie. "I didn't know you could do that."
"I didn't know Wraiths could eat normal food." Sunny blinked, staring at Petal.
"We don't get anything from it, but we can," Petal shrugged, taking another cookie from the plate. "Don't know why we can, but I'm not complaining."
"Interesting," Sunny mused. "I wonder what other quirks your kind have in common with humans."
"Sparky's got a few notes if you're curious," she chuckled. "If you've got a few hours to spare, she can fill you in on that stuff. She'll probably give you a test afterwards, so watch out for that."
"Hey!" Twilight squawked , face a burning pout. "I'm not that bad!"
"You kind've are," Lemon chuckled, raising a hand to get everyone's attention.
"Whatever," she mumbled, taking a bitter bite out of her snack.
"I wouldn't mind joining that lecture," a familiar monotone female voice said.
Everyone turned towards the door.
Sugar Coat stood at the doorway, Dagon sitting on her shoulder with his usual smirk as he studied the group. Sunny and Sour tensed, but showed no other signs of discomfort at the girl's presence while the rest of the girl's in the room gave the three girls nervous looks. Sugar let out a dejected sigh, then slowly approached the group. Once she closed the distance, she took a cookie for herself and one for Dagon, then took a seat on the bed.
"H-Hey Sugar. How've you been?" Indigo nervously asked, taking a seat next to her.
"I have been better," she stated, pointing at her cookie as she added, "This is really good."
"I am glad to know that my skills are up to your standards," Sunny frowned, a hint of venom trickling into her tone.
"I deserved that," Sugar sighed.
Sunny reared back at that, eyes wide with shock from that sudden admission. She wasn't the only one; equally shocked expressions flashing across everyone's faces. Sunny was the first to recover, aiming a raised brow and frown at the spirit sitting on the girl's shoulder. Dagon shook his head, gesturing that he had no involvement in this matter. Sunny doubted that, but mentally decided to shelve that inquiry for a later date.
Before she could comment further, Sugar cut her off at the pass.
"I am sorry for what I said yesterday."
Again, everyone froze.
Again, Sunny was the first to recover.
"I...accept your apology," she stammered out, still shaken by this sudden turn. "I would also like to apologize for my actions. What I said that day was out of line, even if I was not in the best of states."
"Agreed," Sugar nodded.
An awkward silence settled between the two. One that none of the girl's in the room knew how to break with any real tact. Sour looked back and forth between the two girls in confusion for a few seconds before she finally cut the tension.
"Did I miss something?"
Both girl's gave her awkward glances.
"What?" Sour pressed.
"I will....tell you later," Sunny sighed. "Just know that my mouth got the better of me."
"Mine too," Sugar mumbled.
Before the conversation could get any more awkward, the door to the room slammed shut. Everyone jumped, then tuned their attention to the door to see Stygian holding it shut with his back. The goth boy was soaked in a cold sweat and panting, his hair a mess and eyes wide with panic.
Taking a few quick steps away from the door, he pointed at it and barked, "Bind."
A second later, several shadowy chains covered the door from every conceivable angle.
Letting out a relieved sigh, he turned towards the stunned group of girls.
"Uh....the fuck just happened?" Petal asked.
"Meadowbrook?" Sunny asked.
"Meadowbrook," he nodded, staggering towards them.
"Who or what is a Meadowbrook?" Sugar asked, ignoring Dagon's laughter.
"Stygian's older sister-slash-mother," Sour chuckled.
"...I don't get it," Indigo stated, looking back and forth between Sunny and Sour.
"She is a.....very motherly woman," Sunny giggled, earning a small glare from her friend.
"How bad are we talking?" Indigo asked.
"In a word; suffocating!" Stygian's shadow barked.
Twilight's party stared down at his shadow with shock or confusion, while Sunny's group just nodded in agreement.
"What got her going this time?" Sour asked, rolling her eyes.
"She found out about Lightning," he deadpanned.
Sour cringed while Sunny sported a small smirk.
"Shall I have her fitted for a wedding dress?" Sunny asked, barely holding back a giggle.
"Shut up," he growled, then turned towards Petal and stiffly asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Still a little woozy, but I'll live," she shrugged, snagging another cookie. "Thanks for not murdering me in my sleep, by the way."
"You're welcome," he frowned. "You....can eat human food?"
Petal rolled her eyes at that.
"Ask Sparky about that. She's got fliers printed in her lab."
Everyone, sans Petal and Stygian, laughed at that.
"I...do not get it," he blinked, looking around.
"Sounds like something Lightning should help you with," Sour smirked.
Scathex burst out laughing at that, rippling Stygian's shadow like a puddle of disturbed water.
"Anyway," he snapped, stomping on his shadow and earning a pained bark from it. "Are there any other things of interest beyond my friendships?"
Sunny and Sugar traded questioning looks.
"Well....Sugar and I seem to have come to an....agreement of sorts," Sunny allowed.
Sugar nodded, looking just as uncomfortable as Sunny.
"I see," he nodded, studying the two girls. "Hopefully that can last. At least until Belfry is dealt with. Is there anything else?"
Everyone nodded, only for Lemon's hand to shoot up in the air.
"Sour totally wants to play D&D!" she cried, an impish smile spread wide across her face.
Everyone blinked at that, then locked eyes onto a shocked Sour.
"Really?" Sugar asked, genuine intrigue slipping past her stoic mask.
Sour did a perfect impression of a fish, then slowly turned and pointed towards Lemon.
"Twilight's right," she sweetly said, then bitterly growled, "You are a traitor!"
Lemon just rested her hands behind her head and stuck her tongue out at her, a shameless smile still fixed onto her face.