José finished taking everyone’s orders and slipped away again. Tyler rubbed his temples, staring at the table. “Right.” He glanced again at the door, assuring they had privacy before pulling out his phone. “So, to drive home what we’re up against, we’ll go through what happened this last week.” He tapped a few things on his phone, then held up one finger. “Creatures can now hurt us, and if someone with gray marks gets hurt, one mark turns into a wound. The wounds are not deep, more like scratches. But they will undoubtably get deeper as time goes on.” Tyler glanced at Rafael. “How’s your shadow lycros scratches?”

“Fine. Practically healed at this point.”

Tyler glanced at Evelyn. “And your scratch?”

“Same.”

“Alright.” Tyler lifted a second finger. “Pippa has made herself known, and is charming Emma. Emma, for those that don’t know, was Derek’s girlfriend for… a week? Is that how long you were dating?”

Derek absently took a drink of soda before setting it down, swallowing. “Yep.”

Mr. Anderson raised an eyebrow at him. Derek's smile was overenthusiastic. Rafael rubbed his forehead. Guilt trickled into Alejandra’s stomach. Everyone gave Derek a hard time for dating someone for a week, but it was the same time she and Nick were dating. Even less, if she was being honest.

“And third.” Tyler raised a third finger. “Mr. Stower is trying to attend CCNC club while being charmed as Akshi. What his motivations are currently, we don’t know, but the whole thing is dangerous. Possibly attempt to bring more creatures to earth. Señora Florez believes that more kids in CCNC club would help.”

Señora Florez nodded. “If we can make sure Mr. Stower and Emma are not in the same campaign, that would ease my fears. Mr. Anderson has a plan to kick Mr. Stower out if necessary, but we need more students.”

“What we need is to cut off the ability Pippa and Akshi have to charm people of this world,” Clarissa said, before turning toward Calawit. “Isn’t there a way?”

“Depends. Akshi? It will be nearly impossible to keep that snake from charming who he wants. Especially earthlings. Because they can’t see us, they’re surprisingly easy to manipulate if you have the desire to.”

No one said anything for a few beats after Calawit’s information.

“To be clear…” Milo said.

“I’ve done nothing to these earthlings,” Calawit said, brushing her hand toward Alejandra’s table. “I’m not the manipulative sort.”

“Alright, well, explain to me the two differences.” Señora Florez turned to face Calawit. “On the one hand, you have Mr. Stower, who Akshi is always hanging around. We’ve discovered if one of us is talking to the vice principal, Akshi has to remain near in order to make sure nothing slips. And yet with Emma, I’ve only seen a few instances when Pippa is around her and her eyes are glowing red.”

“Is Pippa really that much stronger than Akshi?” Ezekiel asked.

Milo nodded, but Calawit shook her head. “No. It’s the desire level of the person being charmed. It seems clear to me that this Mr. Stower has a personality shift whenever Akshi isn’t charming him. Whereas Pippa perhaps doesn’t need such a tight hold in order to… what is it this girl wants to do?”

“Uh, as far as we can tell, ruin Derek’s life with petty revenge for making a fool out of her,” Tyler said.

Everyone’s gaze landed on Derek, who had his soda glass up against his forehead, his face was far more alarmed as he stared at nothing.

“Seems like an interesting girl you picked up and then dropped on the side of the road there,” Calawit said.

Derek made a noise of equal parts terror, desperation, and fear. José walked in with two plates of nachos, setting it on the table. When he left again, Señora Florez picked up one of the plates and set it on the table for the characters.

Grizzizzik chuckled as he reached for a chip. “That Derek kid acts more and more like you, Milo.” He turned his snake eyes toward Milo. The mana fusor, too, had a far off, terrified look.

Hraktar patted Milo on the shoulder. “You alright?”

“No. Pippa’s terrifying, and I cannot trust myself around that woman.”

“So, I think I missed something here,” Rafael said. “How did Milo even meet Pippa?”

“Were you there when Pippa Calypso was part of the group?” Evelyn asked.

“Um… no.” Rafael did not look at her.

“Grizzizzik was imprisoned when…” Clarissa trailed off as Grizzizzik made a series of noises before motioning with his hand, pretending to cut his neck before glancing at Ezekiel. The cleric was happily looking at the view of the desert. Alejandra understood the hesitancy. Grizzizzik was often thrown in prison in many towns, and Milo often got him back out using his disguises and his status as a private investigator. Though no one ever told Ezekiel.

“I saw Pippa imprisoned in the cell house in a town. I used my alter ego, Inspector Recker, and got her out of prison. We… dated soon after,” Milo said.

Grizzizzik folded his arms. “That’s because the only way he can get a girl is with his corrupted ring of charisma.”

“I’m a total catch, even as myself.” Milo sounded like he was trying too hard to convince himself.

Hraktar patted his head, which made Milo’s head bop every time. “Yes, you are.”

Alejandra leaned over to her brother and dropped to a whisper. “Milo’s ring of charisma gives him a crazy bonus if he also pairs it with disguise self. He uses it a lot to get Grizzizzik out of jail whenever he’s arrested for doing stupid rogue things. He and Pippa were in opposite jail cells when Milo freed them both.”

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“Why doesn’t he always have that persona if it gives him such an excellent boost?” Hazel asked.

“Because if he stays in it for a long time, he forgets himself. In that session, we nearly lost Milo because he kept up Inspector Recker’s persona for too long to impress her. Only Pippa pulled him out, except we didn’t realize she was evil at the time. We’re pretty sure if he uses that persona again, he’ll lose himself completely,” Alejandra said.

Hazel raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Milo. “This game can be dangerous.”

“You’re just figuring that out?” Rafael asked.

Señora Florez again turned toward Calawit. “I know there’s no charm to protect Mr. Stower entirely from Akshi, but could there possibly be a charm or artifact that can protect him for the hour or two while we have CCNC club?”

Calawit closed one eye. “Possibly. As long as you write exactly how I write it and don’t deviate one inch from the inscription.”

Señora Florez nodded. “We will take anything we can get. If we have that charm and a room full of students, we could foil their plan for a bit.”

“So… more student involvement in an after-school club? That’s struggling with its attendance already?” Mr. Anderson asked.

There was a pause as everyone thought. José came in with some helpers to dish out the food, giving everyone time to think. Alejandra said her thanks to the helpers. Señora Florez gave her husband a quick kiss as they left, and Alejandra took a bite of her burrito. Whatever secret sauce he put in it was to die for.

Derek placed his glass back down, a small smile on his face. “Got it.”

Mr. Anderson glanced at him. “Seriously?”

“Yes. Hazel Jones?” Derek asked.

Hazel was gathering some of her salad on a broken piece of tostada shell when she looked up at Derek. “Yes?”

“What measures would need to be in place for you to attend the CCNC after-school club?” Derek asked.

Hazel frowned. “I can’t do anything after school because of cheer. But… if it was before school, I could.”

“Seven in the morning?” Mr. Anderson glanced at Derek. “You expect teenagers to wake up before seven in the morning to attend a CCNC club?”

“If Hazel Jones will be there, you’ve all but guaranteed a dramatic increase of attendance.” Derek then glanced at Evelyn. “Could you make it at seven in the morning?”

Evelyn nodded. “I think I could. And, honestly, if we get it that early, I could give my dad a reason to have Nick drive me there, and then he can attend too. We just don’t have to tell my dad he’s part of it.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’d be great.” Derek didn’t sound nearly as interested in Nick being there, even though it made Alejandra’s cheeks burn. “What about those two other cheerleaders you were showing the game to?”

“We could ask them,” Hazel said.

Derek tapped the table. “Then that’s our answer.” He said nothing more, picking up his fork and knife and cutting into his enchilada.

Evelyn blinked a few times. “Care to elaborate?”

Derek took a bite. “I just did. Hazel Jones and three of her cheerleading friends are attending CCNC club. In two weeks, CCNC club will have at least twenty-five members. I give my word as President.”

Evelyn looked as though she was resisting the desire to roll her eyes, but she didn’t disagree with him, either. Hazel was still confused and bowed her head toward Rafael enough to give them some privacy. “Why does he call me Hazel Jones?”

Rafael made that face where he pretended he didn’t know, when he actually did. Hazel hadn’t been around him long enough to tell the difference and shrugged, returning to her tostada salad.

Alejandra tried to take small bites, but so far, no one was involving her in the conversation, and she was perfectly happy to focus her attention on the burrito.

“That solves that,” Tyler said.

“Does it?” Hazel asked.

“Yep. Sure, it doesn’t solve the injuries issue, but if we have something to keep Akshi and Pippa from the room, and Mr. Stower and Emma on different campaigns. I feel confident about that plan,” Tyler said.

Quetzal rubbed against Alejandra’s leg, and she gathered the extra ground beef before dropping it near him. He chirped in excitement, diving for it.

“And what’s this about injuries?” Señora Florez asked. “I don’t like the sound of that at all. You’re a bunch of teenagers. You shouldn’t be getting into fights.”

“I agree,” Mr. Anderson said.

“You’re all children from my perspective,” Calawit called from the other table.

Rafael snorted at that.

“We’re not fighting, it’s… sometimes the creatures get too close to us,” Derek said.

“You can roll from a distance. Can’t you do that the whole time they’re here?” Mr. Anderson asked.

Tyler sighed, defeated. “It’s what we’re doing next week when we steal something from Akshi. But… I don’t think we can do that every time.”

“Why not?” Señora Florez asked.

“Because…” Tyler trailed off, staring ahead. “Because…”

“Have you even tried it?” Mr. Anderson asked.

Tyler winced. “I mean, Nick’s practically done that for a month.”

“I enjoy being there with Princess Clarissa,” Evelyn said. “I know I’ve been apart for a bit this month, but I miss it.”

Señora Florez furrowed her brow, watching all of them. “But is it worth it? Come on, everyone. You’ve got to think of your safety.” Her eyes drifted to the grey mark on Tyler’s neck.

Calawit drained her glass, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “If you want, you can watch them fight. There’re about four undead creatures outside your town limits, then you can decide.”

Everyone turned to look at Calawit.

“I’m sorry, what?” Señora Florez asked.

The sorcerer gestured over her shoulder. “They reek. Like, really bad. I could sense them once they entered. Good thing this food is so good, or I’d have lost my appetite.”

“Wait, are you talking about the ghoul that attacked me?” Hazel asked.

“That must have been the fifth creature I sensed die. Good going, girl,” Calawit said.

Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. I didn’t kill it. Ezekiel did.”

Calawit glanced at the cleric. “Well, that’s not nearly as impressive.”

“You sense these monsters?” Mr. Anderson asked.

“The undead, yes. Especially these creatures. They stink, and they shuffled way too close to my tent last night.”

Rafael glanced at Hazel, then at Tyler. “We’ve got to get rid of them before we have another incident.”

“I agree.” Tyler’s gaze bounced between Mr. Anderson and Señora Florez. “Do you want to come along to see what happens?”

“I don’t like this,” Señora Florez said.

“Finish dinner first. Those creatures will still be there when you’re done. They’re stupid.” Calawit took a huge bite of a chip loaded with shredded beef.

Mr. Anderson glanced at Tyler. “I don’t mean to step on anyone’s toes. I just want to make sure everyone else is safe.”

“They are. As long as we stay in the bubble. As long as there are more characters fighting the creatures. The creatures are more likely to focus on the characters than on us. You’ll see,” Tyler said, finishing his dinner.

Mr. Anderson sighed, then returned to his food.

“Calawit, you’re not coming with us, are you?” Alejandra asked, as Quetzal finished eating the meat.

“No. I can watch your little drake for you.” It was all the invitation Quetzal needed as he bounded over to the gnome woman. “Yes, yes, we’ll see what organizing we can get done in the shop. No! This is my chip. Get your own!”

“Are we sure that’s a good idea? That drake saved our asses last time,” Milo said.

Alejandra couldn’t help it and glared at Milo. “Yes, it’s a good idea to leave him somewhere safe. He’s a baby.”

Milo shrugged as he offered a loaded chip toward Quetzal on the table. “Alright.” The drake was more than happy to eat the food offered.

“You needed a baby to save you?” Grizzizzik asked, his voice almost dull.

“You know what?” Milo said before eating another chip and never finishing his sentence.

“Oh, wait.” Calawit sat up. “I guess they’re ambling around because they’ve turned some earth creatures and are learning how to control them.”

Tyler choked on his horchata and spun around. “What!”

Calawit blinked. “What part didn’t you understand?”

Tyler rubbed his forehead. “Okay. This is fine. Everyone… finish up now. We need to check this out.”