Percy stared into the mirror opposite her.

She’d just woken up, having spent another night in Essex’s bed in the study, before quickly getting changed into what she was used to and finding the outfit somewhat tight on her.

She tried loosening it where possible, inspecting where the problem areas might be, only to redefine it in her head as restricting, not tight.

Not what she really wanted anymore.

With a resigned sigh, she stepped out of the study, expecting to see most of the team up and about, getting ready for the day, only to realise it was already eleven and that she’d slept through most of the morning.

I’m still not used to that bed… Percy thought. Maybe I need Rosalind swearing next to me to sooth me to sleep?

Fortunately, the dorm wasn’t entirely empty, as Wess stepped out of the bathroom, having just dolled herself up with quite the lovely dress.

“Oh, Percy. Good…” Wess quickly went to check the clock. “Morning.”

[Are you heading out somewhere?] Percy asked, as Wess went to grab her purse.

“I’m heading out to Detu City with Saxin and Nathaniel.” Wess explained. “Seears is pretty light on work at the moment, and Saxin and I have been meaning to go clothes shopping. We’re dragging Nathaniel along in hopes of improving his wardrobe.”

Percy’s eyes lit up at the mention of clothes shopping, as she went to move her hands, only to stop herself suddenly, shying away from Wess.

Wess easily noticed, before sitting against the couch.

“Something the matter?”

Percy quietly shook her head, as Wess leaned forward.

“Would you like to come with us?”

Percy immediately started waving her hands, insisting she stay behind, as Wess rested her hands on her hips.

“You know, it might be smart to get a change of clothes. Wicker’s bound to recognise you if you’re wearing the same duds you did working under them.”

Percy froze stiff, finding no way to argue out of that, as Wess went for the door.

“It’s up to you. You’d hardly be an imposition, and it would be a good chance for us to get to know each other.” Wess suggested. “And seeing me unclothed is usually only a privilege Julia gets to enjoy, so you might want to take that chance while you have it.”

Percy’s embarrassment only furthered, as she closed into herself, leaving Wess somewhat disappointed as she exited, heading out into the hall to go and knock on Team Vanguard’s door.

“Coming! Coming!” Saxin cried out, before the door burst open to her. “Apologies. I misplaced my hairbrush and had the worst bundle of knots in my life, but don’t worry, it’s all been sorted.”

“Where was it hiding?” Wess asked, as Saxin quickly grabbed her bag.

“With Lenin’s things, next to out bed draw.” Saxin explained, as Wess cocked her head.

“…oh. I see.” Wess let out, as Saxin giggled to herself.

“You can get so caught up in the heat of the moment. Nathaniel? Are you ready?” Saxin called out, before he tentatively stepped out of the bathroom.

“H-Here I am, ready to be dressed.” He let out, trying to put on a brave face, as Saxin pressed her hands to his cheeks.

“No need to be nervous, dear. We’re all getting something, and updating one’s wardrobe can really change your outlook on life.” Saxin suggested, spinning back around, before staring past Wess. “Is she going to be joining us?”

Wess was briefly confused what she meant, only to meet her gaze and find Percy behind her, still fairly nervous, but with a reusable bag from the kitchen slung over her shoulder.

“…I suppose so.” Wess let out, facing Percy. “Feel like a little excursion?”

Percy simply nodded, scanning over Saxin and Nathaniel quickly as a precaution, before the group all left in the direction of the Flash-Rail station.

“Are any more of your delightful team planning on accompanying as well?” Saxin asked, as Wess shook her head.

“No, Harley and Sola are caught up on some personal business, and Julia’s interning with Cecil again.” Wess explained, as Saxin gave her a knowing look, before leaning closer so Percy couldn’t hear.

“Is she making much…progress?”

“…somewhat. Nothing definitive.” Wess clarified, pulling back out. “The fact she’s even doing this is still baffling. But that’s Julia. She sets her mind to things and sees them through to the end…”

———

“…this book is so boring.”

Julia finally dropped it, giving her eyes a rest and stretching her arms.

“They could really afford to spice up these pre-Wailing war history books. Too many words.” Julia remarked, rubbing her eyes, before opening it back up. “Back to the grind.”

Julia kept her hand rested on the library table, tapping her pen on her notepad as she read, before the sound of running in the hall nearly drew her attention away.

“Julia! Julia Julia!”

Julia heard Harley calling out to her, right as she ran inside, bolting up to her table, followed quickly by Sola.

“Julia, it’s bad!” Sola added, slamming her hands down. “It’s really bad!”

“Sola’s right, it’s so bad!” Harley agreed.

“So bad!”

“Stop saying it’s bad!” Julia insisted, standing up. “What happened?”

Harley touched her fingers together. “Well, you know that meeting Faller wanted regarding Percy’s stay…”

Harley stopped herself briefly. “…that we weren’t having?”

Julia nodded, as Sola grabbed her arms. “Someone might’ve caught us not having it.”

Julia’s eyes widened. “What? Who?”

“We didn’t get a good look. We saw them leave once we got out.” Sola admitted. “But they might’ve been listening at Faller’s door.”

“His assistant was on break, so that’s super likely.” Harley backed up, nodding.

“Okay.” Julia let out, stepping back. “And how…incriminating was the conversation?”

“I said Wicker’s name, like, five times.” Harley confessed, before hitting her head. “Six now.”

“Julia, we have to track them down!” Sola demanded, grabbing her arms again. “Bring them to justice! Faller can interrogate them for us!”

“Sola, relax.” Julia said, crouching down to meet her eye level. “Let’s think about this, alright?”

Julia scratched her chin. “If any normal person overhead a conversation like that, they probably wouldn’t be able to make much of it, would they? Like realistically, the name Wicker wouldn’t mean anything.”

“…true.” Harley said. “You need some context.”

“Right, so let’s think about who the worst people to overhear this would be and whittle it down from there.” Julia suggested, raising a finger. “Obvious first one; Cecil.”

Harley breathed in through her teeth. “Oh yeah, that’d be bad news.”

“But you can check him later today when you’re interning with him.” Sola noted, as Julia gave a thumbs up.

“We probably don’t have to worry about many other staff, or any first or second-year students. Most of the teams in our year are also out on their internships right now.” Julia thought through, lifting her head. “Which teams are on campus right now?”

“Well, there’s us and Vanguard.” Harley noted. “I think a couple members of Team Salvation…Team Exemplary, and…”

Harley’s gaze fixed for a moment, as a realisation hit. “Oh wait, I just remembered…”

———

“Wait, you saw what?”

“Nothing specific. But I’m curious.”

Baron wandered about Team Ferocity’s dorm, thinking to himself. “There was only so much I could hear through the door, but I think they were saying someone’s name a lot. Perkins and Wikstrom or something?”

Baron ran his thumb over his soul patch. “Something’s up with them.” Baron noted. “I’ve seen them enter Faller’s office way more than any other team recently. That, and they’re spending a lot of time with Ferris when they really don’t need to.”

“Who?” Duke asked from the couch.

Baron stared at him from the kitchen. “Team Valiant. Who else?”

Duke started to check out, going back to the TV, as Edward got up from his bed.

“Of course it’s them. What a bunch of…man, they suck.” Edward backed up, kicking his legs out. “Not surprised they’re acting like teachers pets now too.”

“It feels like it’s more than that.” Baron suggested, as Duke lifted his head up.

“Are you gonna go harass them again?”

Baron glared back at Duke. “Harass?”

“Yeah, give it a rest already.” Duke insisted, as Baron leaned against the kitchen counter.

“I don’t care that Wess was nice to you during the tournament. If they’re up to something, I wanna know.” Baron insisted, as Duke stood up to head to the kitchen.

“Why do you even care?” Duke asked, pushing past Baron.

“Goodie two shoes like them don’t try shit like this. If they’re sneaking off to do things, then it must be something personal and worth knowing.” Baron pointed out, moving to lean on the couch casually. “We already caught Julia skulking around in first year. What do they have that’s worth hiding?”

“Yeah, yeah! Probably, like…fucking…tea parties or something.” Edward attempted, only to get a lazy glare down from Baron.

Duke scoffed and grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge. “You just want blackmail for when you fight them next…”

“That’d be ideal too.” Baron admitted. “I can be multifaceted.”

“Says the guy wanting to fight them for like the fifth time…” Duke muttered, as Baron mostly just caught the tone of the statement and rolled his eyes.

“Oh! Can we do a stakeout, Baron? Catch ‘em in the act? Find out about who this Perkins person is?” Edward encouraged, sitting up from his bed, as Baron looked over to him for only a second.

“Sure. I don’t know what ‘act’ you think will happen, but we can attempt it.” Baron noted, grabbing his jacket. “You coming, Duke?”

Duke didn’t respond, instead choosing to walk back to the couch and turn the TV back up, as Baron waited a second, before leaning directly next to him ear.

“YOU COMING, DUKE?!”

“NO!” Duke yelled back, shoving him away. “I’m not…I’m not your tag along for your weird fixation.”

Baron shrugged. “Alright. Just wanted a reply.”

Edward happily hopped up from the bed, flipping off Duke as he excitedly left with Baron, leaving Duke alone in the dorm with his thoughts, a dangerous prospect indeed.

“…when’d Baron turn into such a dick?” Duke exclaimed aloud, only to think about it for more than five seconds. “…oh…right…nothing’s changed…”

Duke lowered his head.

“…nothing…”

~~~/\~~~/\~~~/\~~~

Essex found herself tossing and turning, struggling to keep still.

Her new bunking arrangements at the Aurora Venator agency were hard to get used to, especially without the rest of the team with her. In all this time, she’d never actually noticed how much she relied on Sola’s light snoring coming through the wall to help her nod off.

Maxie helped out somewhat, letting her cuddle up to something familiar and soft, as its slight scent lingered in the air, reminding her of the comforts of her makeshift home, and of…

…Julia…

As the strange realisation hit her, she shot up from her bed quickly, still a bit delirious from her lack of much sleep, before a sharp knock rang out from her door, as Riley’s voice called out from the hallway.

“Mornin’ Essex! Hope you slept well!” He let out. “Just a quick heads up, I’ll be heading out to run some errands for a while! You’ll wanna see Charles in his office to start your internship proper! Best of luck!”

Essex took a second to let her ears unblock as Riley’s footsteps headed out from the hallway. She eventually got up and changed into her suit, chucking off her Team Vivisect shirt, before grabbing her scythe and heading downstairs.

She was greeted by the agency entranceway again, before spotting the head office off to the side and beelining for it, gently knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

Essex opened it to find a fairly cozy office, filled to the brim with personal memorabilia and proud accomplishments lining the walls, and a fairly built man sitting at his desk, smoking a cigar while looking over some newspapers.

He lifted his eyes up for a second to see who it was, before realising it was Essex and giving her his attention. “You’re the intern student.”

“Aerlo Decali. My title is Essex.” Essex said, bowing, as Charles stood up and walked over to her, sticking his hand out.

“Charles Orother.” He greeted, as Essex firmly gripped his hand back. “I’m head of the agency here, but you know that already.”

He went to sit back down, before grabbing up his newspapers again, skimming the headlines. “You’re the one we scouted from VA, right?”

“The Venator Academy, yes.” Essex replied, as Charles pointed at her scythe.

“The one who sliced that Behemoth thing in half?”

Essex blinked. “Down the middle, not in half.”

Charles flexed out his newspaper. “You should tell people it was in half. That’s your first tip.”

Essex realised she’d forgotten her notepad in her room, but also realised she couldn’t really leave mid-conversation, as she stood awkwardly, hoping to retain as much as she could from memory alone.

“I was very impressed by your performance, especially since that was your orientation day. I did have one question, though.” Charles said, before pointing back at Essex. “What’s with the suit?”

Essex looked down at it, then back up at him. “Personal choice.”

Charles cracked a smile, before returning his attention to the headlines. “You probably noticed the blizzard on your trip here. Once Tea-“

Charles was thrown off by a sharp chill that carried through the room, before a knock came from his door, despite it already being open.

“Charlie? Is it cool to come in?” A man asked, draped in a massive, patterned coat.

“You’re fine. I was just catching up our intern on business here.” Charles explained, as the man and two women came inside, all just as rugged up as each other with similarly themed coats. “Essex, this is Nevando and Glace of Team Avalanche.”

Essex went to turn and face them, only to nearly trip over as she realised several huskies were running underneath her feet, shaking off snow and making themselves comfortable.

“Don’t worry, they’re ours. They help us scout things out during blizzards.” Nevando said, before proudly sticking out his hand. “You a fan of Team Avalanche?”

Essex didn’t know how to reply and simply blinked back at him, before he couldn’t help himself from laughing.

“I’m joshing. I don’t really care.” Nevando excused, pressing his thumb into his chest. “You probably know me though, right? I’m the one they always write about in the papers!”

“They write about all of us.” Glace intervened, stepping forward. “Nev, can you treat her normally? No doubt she’s exhausted from her trip here.”

“Come now, she’s a Venator. Nothing we can’t handle, right?” Nevando teased, nudging Essex’s side, before stepping over to Charles’ desk. “Alright, let’s talk shop.”

Essex stepped aside, letting them carry out their seemingly important chat, before noticing the huskies now staring at her, a few sniffing her hands and trying to jump up on her. The second, much younger woman that had come in giggled watching her, as Essex felt a bit put on the spot.

“Sillik and Hail are still scouting the border, while Veve’s assessing damage to the forest. No Wailing sighted as of yet, but the weather still hasn’t fully cleared up.” Nevando reported, his hands on the desk, as Charles leaned back into his chair.

“Any sight of the Slush Skulker?”

“It’s hard to find anything concrete out there, but we’ll head out over the next few days and place a couple traps. It’s not touching this place.”

“I should hope not.” Charles replied, getting comfortable. “Why don’t you bring out the rookie with you?”

Nevando spun around to face Essex and brief her on the situation, only to find Essex in the midst of playing with the huskies, expertly drawing their attention to a crumpled-up paper they’d confused for a ball, before chucking it out into the hall and watching them barrel out after it.

Waiting for them to bring it back, she only then realised the others were staring at her, as she found herself quickly getting embarrassed.

The second younger woman kept laughing, visibly enjoying herself, as Glace rolled her eyes and beckoned her out.

“Lev, come on, let’s leave the poor girl alone.” Glace stated, as Lev started following behind.

“Alright. No point dwelling.” She said, before waving to Essex. “May Whilit brighten your day.”

Once again, Essex found herself out of her element, just as Nevando suddenly rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey…feel like setting up some traps?” Nevando insisted, as Essex thought on it for a second, before nodding.

“That would be a rewarding learning experience.” Essex replied, as Nevando rested his other hand down.

“Great. Just great.” He assured, before stepping out as well. “Grab some breakfast. We’ll be heading out in about an hour, once most of the snow’s been taken care of by our pal, the sun.”

Nevando waited for a response, as Essex looked awkwardly to the side, unsure what to say.

“…thank you, sun.”

“Thank you indeed.” Nevando said, hopping out, as Charles got comfortable again.

Essex found herself awkwardly standing again, secretly hoping the huskies would come back, before turning to Charles reading in his chair.

“…may I a-“

“The kitchen’s behind the stairs. Just on the right.”

Essex nodded back to him. “Grela.” She left soon after, fortunate to have at least this brief moment to herself without so many new people.

———

Percy stared slack jawed at just how pretty Detu City looked whizzing by in the Flash-Rail. She hadn’t ridden many, often preferring to drive, but the new perspective certainly made her appreciate it more.

Once the Flash-Rail pulled into Detu Central, Saxin hopped out, dragging Nathaniel behind her and searching for the clothing shop.

“Come on, Nath, it’s just down this street.” Saxin beckoned, rising her eyebrows. “Time for your makeover.”

“…y-you actually scare me a lot.” Nathaniel admitted, only for his cries to fall on deaf ears, as Saxin pulled him into the massive crowd of people lining the streets.

“She truly carries on all by herself.” Wess noted, resting her hands on her hips, as Percy stepped out of the train to join her. “Ready to join them?”

Wess turned to find Percy nervously glancing around them, as the massive crowd of people started to surround them.

[I’m…pretty nervous coming back into the city.] Percy admitted, as Wess eyed her up.

She sympathised with Percy’s sheltered demeanour, before holding out her hand and closing the distance between them.

“Just stick close to me.” Wess encouraged, as Percy took a second to take in the gesture, before grabbing the hand and following behind Wess. “I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

Percy wanted to thank her, but since Wess was helping her through the massive crowd, she couldn’t find an appropriate time. Instead, she just allowed Wess to help her through, following closely behind Saxin and Nathaniel, before they arrived at a fairly large department store in Detu Central.

“We’re not going high fashion today, just a little cheaper.” Saxin explained, turning back to Wess and Percy. “Still quality, but cheaper.”

“A quality sentiment, Saxin.” Wess complimented, as Saxin waved her hand.

“Oh, stop it you.” Saxin cooed, before grabbing Nathaniel’s hand. “What’s say we get you out of that hoodie and into something nice?”

“C-Can we no-” Nathaniel let out, only to be whisked away by Saxin again, leaving Wess and Percy alone.

Percy followed Wess inside, watching as she effortlessly navigated past the main entrance and through the lines and lines of clothing.

“Did you have a particular style in mind?” Wess asked, looking back at Percy again. “Are we hoping for more along the lines of…”

She took a second to really take in Percy’s outfit.

“…chimney sweep, I suppose?”

Percy glared at her, before taking off her flat cap and scanning around the store.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“I can show you some styles I think you might like.” Wess said. “And hopefully, they’ll make it so you’re harder to spot for Wicker’s little goons. Just tell me if…”

Wess turned back to face Percy, before realising she wasn’t there anymore, as she looked around curiously.

“Percy?” Wess called out. “She shouldn’t be wandering off…”

Wess’ eye was drawn to a waving hand a few aisles down, before she noticed Percy perusing the…

“…oh.” Wess realised, stepping forward. “Oh…”

[I really like the look of these.] Percy noted, holding up a tropical shirt, which Wess noted was from the bargain bin.

“Do you?”

Percy nodded happily, holding the shirt to her. [It’s kinda fun, but breezy.]

“…right.” Wess said, going to pick up another. “I mean, I’ve never been a real fan of Welland fashion myself…”

Wess noticed Percy’s attention on herself in the mirror, checking herself out in each look.

“…but I’ve always made the point about style over fashion.” Wess clarified, joining Percy’s side behind her.

Percy looked back to Wess, before pulling the shirt back down. […I can go buy proper clothes, if you want. If these are too tacky.]

Wess noticed Percy’s expression and smiled. “Tacky’s a state of mind. It’s up to you, truly.”

Percy happily cheered, before grabbing a handful of shirts and hurrying over to the changing rooms, as Wess rolled her eyes and followed behind, chuckling at Percy’s endearing excitement.

———

“So you think there’s someone looking into us?”

“Maybe…we’ve just gotta be more careful from now on.” Julia explained, carrying on through the walkway surrounding the academy Spire, as Ferris nodded along. “I’m checking in on Cecil during my internship.”

“Good call…look at us.” Ferris remarked, bumping her side. “I guess we’re really working together at this point. You’re looking into Cecil and taking care of Percy, I’m out following up on Faller’s leads, we’re all running around looking for the big W’s operation.”

“O-Oh…” Julia realised, blushing slightly. “I guess so…”

“…if you want out, just say so.” Ferris noted, leaning into her. “I don’t want you cramping my style.”

“I…I think if we wanted out, we would’ve just…taken Faller’s advice last year.” Julia admitted, turning to her. “Let’s be honest, I kind of invited this.”

“Yeah, fair.” Ferris said, rubbing her neck. “Makes it a little less lonely…”

“I’m sorry?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Ferris muttered, as they continued their walk and talk, oblivious to the sets of eyes watching them carry on from the distance.

“See? That’s weird as shit.” Baron insisted, slapping Edward’s arm. “What do they have to talk about?”

“Uhh…I mean, Ferris is a teacher.” Edward suggested, awkwardly shrugging. “Maybe Julia’s talking with her about class work?”

Baron lowered his eyes. “…this is Ferris we’re talking about.”

Edward forced a smile. “Ah, fair, fair. When you’re right…”

Baron started to get up. “Come on, let’s get clo-“

“Boo, I’m a scary ghost!”

Edward jumped back immediately, holding out his hands in fear, as Baron slowly turned around to see Harley staring back at them, arms folded.

“Oh, blondie. I forgot you were still on campus.” Baron let out, leaning against the wall.

Harley nodded to Baron. “What’s up with you, dark and brooding? I thought you’d be doing an internship.”

“We decided to hang back. Didn’t really feel like it.” Baron said, cracking his neck. “We’ve already done plenty in our own time, so…”

“Nice humble brag.” Harley remarked, before looking to Edward. “So, why’re you snooping on Julia?”

“W-What? H-How do you know if th-that’s what we were doing?” Edward spat out, hurriedly standing back up and trying to lean on the wall too, before slipping. “Seems like…you were snooping on us!”

“I just got here.” Harley said, pursing her lips. “Well, we think someone’s been spying on our team, and I was just checking that it wasn’t you.”

“I’m not in the business of stalking.” Baron replied. “And even if I was, what would you have that’s worth listening in on?”

Harley squinted her eyes. “I don’t like your tone.”

“Ditto.” Baron stated, pointing to the training grounds. “Feel like settling this properly?”

“…gods, you’re desperate.” Harley let out, before grinning and walking away. “Nice try, but I’d rather keep my winning streak! Cause I won last time!”

Baron tried to hide his resentment, subtly clenching his fist.

“Oh yeah, and I forgot Essex kicked your ass too!” Harley added, turning back around. “Get good, scrub!”

Harley smugly left, leaving Baron to seethe, as Edward whistled out.

“Geez, real piece of work, that one.” Edward attempted. “Don’t listen to her, we both know who really won that fight, no matter what anyone sa-“

“Edward, shut up for two seconds.” Baron demanded, quickly getting his wish, before storming off. “Stakeout over. We need some hard proof.”

~~~/\~~~/\~~~/\~~~

Essex tightened her legs around the base of the tree, wrapping bits of string around various branches, before testing their tensity.

As she finished tying up a few, she heard a sharp whistle below her, before spotting Nevando at the base of the tree.

“You gettin’ the hang of it?” He called out, as she grabbed her scythe and scaled back down.

“This is relatively simple.” Essex reasoned, landing on the ground, while Nevando grabbed his chest.

“Youch. Don’t say that, this is the hardest part of the job!” Nevando joked, before staring off back at the tundra. “Well, we can’t be fighting Wailing all the time. Gotta find ways to keep busy.”

He pumped his fist proudly. “That’s why working with Aurora’s so useful. There’s plenty to do that’s not fighting around here. Most of our work’s prevention.”

Essex nodded in agreement, before Nevando started elbowing her arm.

“Did I sell you on the agency yet?” He insisted, as Essex backed away slightly.

“…keep…trying.” Essex played along, as Nevando smirked back to her.

“Gotcha. Gotta sweeten the deal more.” He stated, staring back at Glace in the trees too, tightening her own strings. “Glace! Tell Essex how interesting our work is!”

“No!” Glace quickly yelled back.

“See? She didn’t deny it.” Nevando said, before Essex stared out into the outstretched tundra as well.

“So these are to alert us if Wailing approach?” Essex asked.

Nevando nodded. “We usually don’t have to move them this far into the forest, but there’s been a problem Wailing recently. The Slush Skulker.”

Nevando moved his arm around Essex’s head and started wiggling his fingers in front of her face. “It’s this terrifying beast that uses the snow like its own private swimming pool. Blizzards draw it out, giving it a path directly to our agency. If it’s hiding in the Aishanara Forest, we wanna know before it’s too late.”

Essex backed away again, as Nevando spread his hands out. “We’ll be covering the ground with snares in the coming days to help in capturing it. Since you’re a Team Avalanche super fan, you probably know I’m the only member with a Whil.”

“…oh.” Essex replied, as Nevando nodded proudly.

“And it’s not a very useful one for combat.” Nevando admitted, pulling down his sleeve and showing a yellow glow on his skin. “Temperate Control. Stops me from feeling most of the cold around here. The coat’s mostly for branding at this point.”

“You feel like helping out, Nev?! Or are you just fine yukking it up with the intern?!” Glace yelled out, as Nevando jumped a bit.

“I’m buttering her up! You want her working here or not?” Nevando admitted, jumping up the trees himself to join her, as Essex decided she should get back to doing the same.

Before she could do so, she turned around to find the younger woman from earlier staring at her excitedly, sitting on a log and kicking her legs, a flower in her hair.

Essex froze on the spot, as she chuckled and stood up.

“You didn’t see me arrive, did you?”

Essex shook her head in agreement, as the woman placed a hand on her chest.

“This one is Lev.” She introduced. “I’m not part of Team Avalanche, if you were curious.”

She pointed up to Glace, frustratedly pulling Nevando up the tree. “Glace is my mother. It’s her week with me.”

Lev sighed out and lay back on the log. “But, as is usually the case, she’s busy. With work. Again.”

She turned over to face Essex again and smiled. “Whilit wouldn’t wallow though, so neither will I.”

Lev noticed Essex staring at the flower in her hair, before pulling it out and holding it. “Are you interested in it?”

Essex shook herself free. “…it is the Seishia flower.”

“Yes! As a clan member, I had a feeling you would recognise this. They’re used in Boncala Day celebrations, after all.” Lev explained. “It’s good to find someone else spiritually connected with the Old Gods!”

Lev leaned forward excitedly, her eyes lighting up. “So which is your chosen god of being? Mine is the ever-curious wandering Enprov!”

Essex showed her hands, before sitting down on a log across from her. “M-My apologies, I am not a practicer of the faith. I merely recognised the flower.”

“…oh.” Lev let out, losing some energy. “Of course…I was hoping since a lot of Segaru members are…”

Essex nodded. “I believe the Segaru Clan has its roots within Old Gods Worship. However, I do not personally believe in them.” Essex clarified. “My partner Sola does…and I still believe in acting morally just.”

“…well, that’s all anyone can ask for.” Lev pointed out, as she waved her hand. “As long as you embody their teachings, then there’s hardly an issue. Good virtues are universal, even if the entities behind them change.”

Lev thought for a second, before snickering. “I was about to make a joke about saving your soul, but I’m worried you would take it seriously.”

“…that is an accurate worry.” Essex remarked, getting another laugh from Lev.

“I want to encourage others to believe, but I’m not about to push my beliefs onto those who don’t want it.” Lev stated, nodding her head. “Whilit wouldn’t do that, so why should I?”

“I suppose.” Essex commented. “…if you would be willing, we can still talk, once I’m not working. If you would appreciate the companionship.”

Lev tilted her head. “Are you not enjoying Team Avalanche’s company?”

Essex shook her head, before looking back at them. “…I find it difficult to relate with most people, and they’re a great example of why.”

Lev chuckled. “I understand. I’ll try not to talk your ear off about the Old Gods, okay?”

“…and I will not bog you down with Venator talk.” Essex replied, getting a heartier laugh from Lev.

“That’s greatly appreciated, Essex.”

———

“Feel different?”

“…I’m sorry?”

“Does it feel different?” Cecil asked, nodding to the lab around them. “We’re usually busy in my office, so moving to the science department’s somewhat strange.”

“Oh, yeah, a little.” Julia admitted, as Cecil noticed the tone in her voice.

“Are you distracted by something?”

“…oh, no, not really.” Julia said, cleaning a few messy beakers in the lab sinks. “It’s just…I think someone’s been spying on my team recently.”

Cecil blinked. “Spying? What for?”

Julia shrugged. “I dunno. It’s not like we’re doing anything weird. We had to talk with Faller about some stuff, but I think they were listening at the door.”

Julia cautiously kept her eye on Cecil, reading his expression, as he scratched his chin.

“You think people would know better, especially after Faller found those listening devices over campus. You do something like that, you’re incriminating yourself.”

“…right, yeah.” Julia acknowledged, lowering her head again. “It’d be pretty dumb.”

…I guess he wouldn’t be that stupid. Julia admitted. He’d probably be caught on a security camera as well…

“If…you do find that person…” Cecil started, putting down his cleaning products. “I know a good method for dealing with problem people.”

Julia turned to face him, as Cecil laughed a little, circling his finger on the table. “I’ve found the best thing you can do is learn everything you can about them.”

Julia slightly froze at this comment despite herself, before Cecil noticed and panicked for a second.

“Not in a sinister way. Just…if someone’s being difficult, you have to assess their character.” Cecil clarified. “For example, we’ve had a lot of corporate spies trying to worm into EHM over the years to take specific design documents and earnings reports…it got exhausting dealing with them every time they cropped up. So, we came up with two methods.”

Cecil lifted a finger. “One. We leave them fake documents to find that give them exactly what they’re looking for. Our ‘top secret information,’ if you will. If they end up using them, then we’ll know who’s spying on us and can better avoid them in the future.”

Cecil lifted another and smiled. “And two. If they found the fake documents and realised they were easy bait, that’s when they’ve earned our respect. Instead of trying to trick them any further, we would invite them to meet with me and strike a deal.”

Julia blinked a few times as she took this in. “A deal?”

“Well, they saw through our ploy, so we give them a deal that benefits both parties. Often exchanging one trade secret for another.” Cecil confessed, visibly proud of himself. “Julia, the best way to deal with difficult people is to understand them. Assess the situation, come up with strategy and use what would be most effective. Trick the morons, indulge the worthy.”

Cecil settled himself, before snapping his fingers. “Like the Order of Proceeding for Venators. You don’t deal with every Wailing by punching them in the face. Each one takes a new approach.”

Julia nodded. “Right. Some methods are more…effective…”

He’s being really careful with his language… Julia noticed, as Cecil went back to wiping down his counters. If he wants to seem innocuous, he’s doing a remarkable job.

Once he had his back to her, Julia turned to look at him properly.

…maybe I should take his advice. Assess things, try to play him…

He hummed a little tune to himself, focused entirely on maintaining his clean lab.

…this might be my chance…let’s try what Percy mentioned.

Julia pretended to get back to work. “I don’t know how you clean this place by yourself. I bet everyone in the science department considers you head of the Organisation around here.”

Julia waited for a reaction, hoping to catch him with her wording, as Cecil kept his gaze on his cleaning, before waving his hand to acknowledge Julia’s comment.

“I’m sure their descriptions wouldn’t be that flattering. Let’s be honest, pencil-neck’s probably more likely.” Cecil remarked, chuckling a little, as Julia was ironically thrown off by his lack of being thrown off.

“Still, you could probably do things a lot q-Wicker with some more help.”

Julia watched as he turned his head up.

“I’m sorry?”

“Quicker. You could be quicker.”

“…I have a very particular way of taking care of things. I think more cooks in the kitchen would just get in the way.” Cecil confessed, giving a good-natured laugh. “How would you feel if another Venator team butted into one of your hunts?”

Despite struggling to interpret his expression, Julia found herself not wanting to push too hard. “Good call. I guess our work’s more similar than I realised.”

“In a lot of ways.” Cecil added, leaving Julia without much of a conclusion, just as she got a text on her tablet.

Harley [It’s definitely Team Ferocity. Caught them spying on you. Want me to rough them up?]

Julia thought for a second, before staring back at Cecil and responding.

Julia [I know how to deal with them. We’ll need Faller and Ferris’ help.]

Harley [Gotcha]

———

Wess, Saxin and Nathaniel were left a bit speechless.

“Umm…”

Percy posed a bit after exiting the changing room.

[Thoughts?]

“…the shirt’s fine, and it seems we’ve changed out the hat…” Wess noted, massaging her forehead. “…I’m sorry, where did you get those pants?”

Percy stared down at her checkered pants, completely mismatching her shirt. [The sleepwear section.]

…against all my better judgement… Wess thought, staring back at her. …I hate to say it, but she’s really pulling that look off.

“And this is your…first choice?” Saxin asked for clarity, getting a nod from Percy. “You’re sure you don’t want to try anything else?”

“I-I kinda liked it with the hat.” Nathaniel offered, as Wess and Saxin flailed their arms in protest toward him, while Percy stared down at the hat.

She turned around and pulled it back on, her outfit mismatching even more now, before spinning back to them.

[Good call, Nath! It’s better with that pop of brown.] Percy agreed, as Wess and Saxin sunk into their seats in frustration.

Percy obviously noticed, before signing to Wess.

[Do you not like the hat?] Percy asked a bit tentatively, as Wess sat back up casually and looked to Saxin briefly.

“…do you like it?”

Percy nodded happily.

“Then who cares what I think?” Wess said, as Percy let out a small sigh of relief, confusing Wess slightly.

“Talk about a rollercoaster…” Saxin let out, standing back up. “It’s about time I do some retail therapy of my own. Nath, since Lenin isn’t here, you get to carry bags for me.”

“G-Get to?” Nathaniel let out, as Saxin clapped her hands.

“Da doy! Let’s pretend it’s a team exercise.” Saxin joked, slinging her arm around him and waving back. “I’ll be back to give you girls a show!”

Wess chuckled to herself. “How giving.”

Wess turned back to find Percy checking her outfit again the mirror, a worried expression on her face, before seeing Wess in the reflection and jumping a little.

“You’re a very odd one, Percy.”

Percy stared back at Wess.

“You’re awfully opinionated, but you don’t like to disappoint people.” Wess noted. “It’s a unique and conflicting set of standards you’ve got there.”

Percy found herself blushing, as she gripped a few of the shirts she was planning to buy.

[…I didn’t get much of a say back with Wicker. He made sure of that…] Percy explained, joining Wess by sitting on the floor near her. [And I don’t know you, Team Valiant, or Vanguard very well either.]

Wess leaned down slightly. “I think Jules is the one who didn’t get much of a say. Percy, however, can finally be herself, whoever that may be.”

Wess let out a breath, before staring at the ceiling. “I was very much the same after coming to the academy. In Mareau, I was argumentative and frustrated, trying to do what I felt right even with resistance from every end. But after coming here…well, I was still that for a while.”

Percy silently laughed a little, as Wess rested her head on her hand. “But then the rest of the team really helped me come out of my shell. I wasn’t argumentative, I was opinionated, and proud of it. I could finally speak my mind without worrying that every word I said would have horrible repercussions.”

[…I wonder who Percy’s going to end up being.] Percy pondered, as Wess smiled, before casually touching her cheek.

“You know…” Wess started, staring off into the ceiling. “Back when I was a child, I heard this story of a great hero known as ‘Percival the Merciful.’”

Right as she said that, Percy began to sweat, as Wess kicked her legs. “She would defend those she could and made a point to fight off evil, but only if she ever had to. Often times, she’d avoid conflict all together, and most would berate her and call her a coward. ‘You’re just lazy!,’ they would cry. ‘Only wimps would run from a fight!’”

Wess leaned on the wall. “But Percival insisted that sometimes running from a fight was the best option, and that not every fight was worth shedding blood over. In all her bouts of glory, she would still take time to relax and be at peace with herself.”

Wess got up a little, as Percy tried to avoid looking at her.

“Now, it could be complete coincidence that you named yourself after her, and I could just be looking into things too much.” Wess played off. “And honestly, it’s none of my business if you knew that story before. But it certainly is an interesting connection…”

Wess grabbed a handful of the shirts, before pointing Percy in the direction of the register. “If you’re set on these, we might as well grab them now. Ideally, we should be heading back to the academy soon anyway. Shouldn’t risk keeping you out for too long.”

As Wess walked off, Percy instinctively reached for her pocket, grabbing some of the few capitals she managed to keep on her person, as Wess noticed and stopped her.

“Darling, please. I can cover this.” Wess insisted. “I’m treating you today.”

Percy went to shake her head, as Wess rolled her eyes and dragged her along to the register. “Nope, I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re letting me pay for this.”

Percy let herself be dragged, before finding her thoughts drifting back to their conversation.

She was right about being opinionated. Percy realised, grinning to herself. I think we’re gonna get along really well.

~~~/\~~~/\~~~/\~~~

It had been a few days since arriving, and Essex had already fallen into the routine of setting up traps with the rest of Team Avalanche. She rarely saw the other members outside of Nevando and Glace, but Lev still managed to keep her company.

Essex did her best to wrap up snares, trying to hide them in the snow cover that’d formed over the last week or so. Lev did her best to find this interesting, but couldn’t help trying to distract herself.

“Dum dum dum…dum dum dudum…you’re very natural when setting up those traps.” Lev remarked, wiggling her fingers. “Scarily natural.”

“…I have had to set these up before.” Essex clarified.

“As a clan member?” Lev asked, as Essex shook her head.

“…this was before the clan.” Essex admitted, wiping some sweat away. “Back when I was trapped within this forest.”

Lev tilted her head, as Essex kept her mind busy with trap setting.

“From what I remember…I was travelling with my family. We were traversing the forest, and as we did so, a storm started to form overhead.” Essex explained, tightening some more knots. “On top of that, we started to hear the noises of a Wailing approaching. In the rush to escape, I was left behind.”

Essex pulled herself up and stretched her back, as Lev silently watched her as she spoke. “I could not find my way out of the forest, so I was forced to take up shelter and learn to survive. Hunting, trapping and defending, all at the age of nine. It was only after a year of surviving that I was found by the Segaru Clan and was made a member.”

Lev briefly found herself lost for words. “…my deepest sympathies. I could never have assumed your history was so tragic.”

“…it is what it is.” Essex stated, facing her again. “We all improve and change with time.”

Lev smiled back at her. “You’re almost like a modern day Enprov yourself.”

Lev caught herself, before wagging her finger. “Oh, I promised not to talk your ear off.”

Essex raised her hand. “I will allow it…this time.”

“I’m very grateful.” Lev joked, before resettling. “Well, to not bore you with the details, but Enprov was the Old God blessed with humanities gift of growth, and with that growth came curiosity. It would wander Daysend endlessly, in search of things it didn’t know in order to better itself. Eventually…”

Lev splayed her hands out proudly. “It stumbled upon the Aishanara Forest, and captured by its endless beauty, it would wander around, enjoying the endless nature it held within. Some say it’s what allowed the forest to grow as massive as it is today.”

As Lev finished her story, she started to blush, before covering her mouth. “I’m sorry. Now that I’ve said the story out loud, I realised it’s not similar to your journey at all. Whoops, I really did talk your ear off.”

Essex sighed out. “No, I understand. Both of us grew due to our time in the forest.”

Essex thought on it a bit longer, before deliberately mimicking Wess by scratching her chin. “…and that…through dedication, we both found where we belonged. Enprov wanders the forest, I belong with my team.”

Lev kept blushing, as she covered her cheeks. “What a sweet sentiment. They must have really saved you.”

Essex kept to herself, hiding a sheepish smile, before hearing Nevando’s voice in the distance.

“ESSEX?! HOW GOES THOSE TRAPS?!”

Essex cupped her hand to speak.

“THEY…GOES GOOD!”

“GREAT! MEET BACK AT THE AGENCY FOR DINNER!”

Lev shook her head. “He has a walkie talkie. I swear, he’s choosing not to use it.”

Essex grabbed her scythe and double checked a couple of the traps, before looking back at Lev. “Thank you for accompanying me these past few days.”

Lev waved her hand. “I was mostly distracting myself. Though your company has also been very nice.”

Essex noticed the long walk back to the agency and turned to Lev somewhat sheepishly.

“…if you wish…since there’s a large distance to cover…” Essex started. “…you can tell me more about the Old Gods.”

Lev’s eyes lit up. “Of course I will! It would be my complete pleasure! I might as well give you a rundown of their origin, at least the one understood in most transla…”

…well. Essex thought. This is my bed. I will lie in it.

———

“Would you hurry it up, Duke? I can see you dragging your feet.”

“I don’t wanna be here.”

“Wet blanket! Wet blanket alert!” Edward hollered, turning back to Duke. “Where’s your sense of curiosity?”

Duke flipped him off, as the trio wandered in the direction of the east support tower, Baron visibly leading the charge.

“So? What’re you hoping to find?” Edward asked Baron, hopping beside him.

“I don’t really know. I just saw them huddling themselves near one of the spares rooms down here earlier today.” Baron explained. “But it could be something useful. Next time I fight Harley and Essex, I can hold it agai-“

“Next time?”

Baron and Edward turned back to a flabbergasted Duke, motionless in the hall, taking in what he’d heard.

“Baron, you lost to them. Get a new mode.” Duke insisted. “I don’t give a shit about Valiant, but it’s all you ever talk about these days. Stop dragging the rest of us into your personal beef.”

“Hey, what’s your malfunction?” Edward complained, attempting to step to him. “These guys kicked our asses. We want payback.”

“What about that person at the attack?” Duke mentioned, folding his arms, as Edward recoiled. “The one who gave you that scar.”

Edward stared down at the massive scar running over his chest, as Duke turned his attention to Baron.

“If payback’s so important, why didn’t we go find them?” Duke reasoned, causing Baron to wince. “They destroyed all three of us at the same time. Let’s go catch them and make it even.”

“…bold words.” Baron let out, waving his hand down the hall. “You still coming?”

Duke scoffed. “What’s wrong? Or do you know you couldn’t win in a fair fi-“

Baron quickly snapped his fingers, creating a small flame in front of Duke’s face, before snuffing it out and stepping forward.

“Listen, the attitude was fun, but you’re cutting it out.” Baron demanded. “We’re marching to that room to get whatever dirt we can. Feel free…to fuck off.”

Baron shoved his hands in his pockets and marched off, immediately followed by a fragile Edward, as Duke debated using this out, or sticking around and making sure Baron didn’t ruin their team’s chance at graduating by calling out Faller on something completely unfounded.

Despite his own wants, he followed quietly behind the duo, as they reached the room, a crudely made ‘do not disturb’ sign scribbled onto the front of the door.

Baron nodded his head to the knob, as Edward looked down and used his Whil to rearrange the insides of the lock, unlocking the door for them.

“Get ready for something juicy.” Edward exclaimed, as Baron pressed his ear to the door, trying to get a read on the conversation inside and mostly hearing idle murmuring, until he heard part of that word again.

“…icke…”

In an instant, he slammed the door open, ready to confront whatever was on the other side, only to be completely shocked at what he was seeing.

Team Valiant and Faller were all rugged up in blankets, huddled around a TV with controllers in their hands and snacks laid out around them, having built a little cushioned area for themselves.

As the door slammed open, Julia shot up from her seat excitedly, only to start panicking once she saw who it was.

“Oh no, you found us!” She let out, pressing her hands to her head. “We’re totally busted!”

“No! We were hiding it so well!” Faller backed up, slamming his hand down. “Dammit!”

Baron stood motionless, his mouth slightly open, as Edward burst in beside him. “That’s right! We know alllll about your…”

Edward finally got a good look at the room, as his energy slowly evaporated. “…wait, what’s going on?”

“Julia, don’t tell them about game night!” Harley demanded, before clamping her hands over her mouth. “Shit.”

“Hey, I grabbed the popcorn! Have we hit the Terminal Swamps yet?” Ferris called out, stepping past Baron and Edward and coming into the room, as Duke started peeking in as well. “And who invited Ferocity over?”

“U-Uhh…” Julia stammered, before giving up. “Alright fine, we’ll come clean.”

Julia sighed. “We’ve been having private game nights together. We took up Faller’s office and these unused rooms to hang out and eat snacks.”

“And play stuff! We’re working through some classic RPG’s at the moment!” Sola admitted, popping up from the blanket fort.

“Classic…?” Baron muttered, as Duke scoffed and finally left, feeling he’d seen enough.

“Even you two?” Edward asked, pointing to Faller and Ferris, as Faller pulled himself up.

“Oh, yes. I love…gaming. And games.” Faller said, before subtly looking down at the box art. “…we’re currently playing Rune Raiders 6: Treasures Untold…remastered. Classic indeed.”

“I still think the older textures had more charm.” Ferris added, turning back to the remaining members of Ferocity. “Rune Raider’s has a pretty infamous level curve, so we’re all teaming up to take on the grindier parts of the game.”

Baron kept staring, unsure how he should even react to what he was hearing, as Edward scratched his head.

Giving it a bit more thought, even looking back to see if Duke was still there, Edward leaned into Baron.

“H-Hey, Baron…? I-I’m just gonna head back to the dorm. I-If that’s…” Edward started, before realising Baron wasn’t acknowledging him and deciding to leave anyway.

“Yo Julia, chuck those barbeque chips my way!” Harley called out, as Julia easily did so, with most of the group getting back into their game, leaving Baron to awkwardly stand in the doorway, before folding his arms.

“…no…”

They all turned to him.

“I’m not buying this.”

Julia jolted in her seat, before patting the spot next to her. “Y-You can join us, if you really want. W-We don’t mind a bit of compan-“

“And for the record, Miss Ferris, the level curve is in Rune Raiders 5. 6 is actually known as the notoriously easy black sheep of the series.” Baron pointed out, stunning everyone present, as Ferris facepalmed.

“…alright fine, video games aren’t my strong suit. The research was a bit haphazard.” Ferris confessed.

“What’re you lying about?” Baron asked, refusing to budge, as everyone shared glances, before Julia stood back up and walked to the side of the room, beckoning Baron over.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you. The real truth is…” Julia prefaced, before scanning around them. “…we’ve…got someone staying with us. In our dorm.”

Julia touched her fingers together. “And we didn’t want to tell anyone since she’s not studying to be a Venator.”

Julia sighed out.

“…she’s my cousin, Percy.”

Baron raised an eyebrow, as he leaned back casually on the wall.

“…huh.”

“She’s from the Western Wayside, and she just got out of a tough situation.” Julia explained, dictating with her hands. “She was in with a really bad crowd, and we were worried she might be in danger.”

Julia subtly looked back at Faller and Ferris. “So Faller allowed her to stay with us so we could get her back on her feet. And…so I could make sure she stays out of trouble.”

Baron gave Julia a onceover, trying to read her body language as best he could.

“She’s really not a bad person, she just got mixed up with some messed up people.” Julia implored, getting closer. “There’s this thug called Slicker that’s had it out for her f-“

“Slicker?” Baron asked, tilting his head, as Julia nodded.

“Yeah, really scary guy. Faller heard he might’ve come over from the west and wanted to let us know.” Julia clarified, before getting closer. “You won’t tell anyone, will you? I don’t want her getting in danger again.”

Baron stared down at her, almost trying to sike her out as a last ditch effort, before scratching his neck.

He sighed deeply, almost like he was in pain.

“…yeah, sure. Couldn’t really care less now.” Baron noted.

Julia sighed out. “Thank you. We’re really grateful. I just want her to fix things up an-“

“Alright, I get it. You can cool it with the guilt fest.” Baron groaned, stepping back to the group. “I already said I didn’t care.”

Once he stepped away, Julia let out a real sigh, before joining up with the others again, just as Baron started speaking.

“Okay, Julia explained what was really up.” Baron prefaced, drawing worried expressions from the others. “And I could not give less of a damn.”

Relief washed over the room, as Baron rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

“Get better at sneaking. There’s bigger assholes out there with more prying eyes than me.” Baron advised, opening the door. “And keep better secrets.”

He closed the door behind him, as the group took a minute, before all turning to each other with sly grins and celebrating.

“Julia, it worked!” Harley exclaimed, sweeping her up into a hug. “Hook, line and sinker!”

“I-I’m just surprised he fell for it.” Julia let out, before Harley let her down. “Geez…I’m not a very good liar.”

“She said after lying perfectly!” Sola added, grabbing Julia in a hug as well. “That was clean!”

“Nicely done. One less problem element to worry about.” Ferris said, folding her arms.

“I never thought the student body could be an obstacle…” Faller admitted, shaking his head. “Regardless, thank you for bringing this to my attention. As long as you keep up appearances around him, he shouldn’t falter in his conclusion.”

“How’d you come up with the two-pronged lie idea?” Harley asked, as Julia scratched her cheek.

“W-Well, it’s a good way to deal with problem people. Trick the morons, indulge the worthy.” Julia confessed, grinning cautiously. “He thought he was being indulged, but it was all still a trick.”

Harley grinned and slapped her back happily, as Julia found herself shying away while the others revelled in their successful plan. The words Cecil had told her still played in her mind, giving her pause for thought on whether he was trying any of that on her.

Does Cecil think I’m a moron? Julia wondered, biting her lip. Does he think Florey’s one too? I guess a lie’s not so easily defined when you’re in his line of work. He must look at everyone as lesser…

Julia stared around at the others.

…maybe the next step is to finally earn Wicker’s respect.

———

“I’m impressed Faller wanted to go along with it. Part of me thought he’d turn his nose up at the idea.” Harley admitted, opening up the dorm door, only to find Wess huddled by the closed study door, tapping her foot.

Before they could say anything, Wess noticed them and threw her arms up, insisting they stay in place.

“Wait wait wait, hold on just a second. Percy! They’re here!” Wess called out, as a bit of shuffling came from the study.

“Did you have fun o-“ Julia asked, only to get shushed by Wess, right as the study door opened to Percy, dressed in her fresh clothing, a couple price tags still dangling off.

She was still visibly sheepish, trying to pose in a way that wasn’t embarrassing, as Julia and Sola immediately took to the new look.

“WHOA!!! YOU LOOK SO GOOD!!!” Sola exclaimed, pumping her fists and dancing.

“Wow, you’re really pulling that off.” Julia insisted, giving a thumbs up. “Must feel nice to get out of those old clothes.”

[You have no idea.] Percy replied, smiling as Sola started spinning her around, drawing Harley’s cautious eye.

“Okay…I’ll admit, the clothes look cool.” Harley stated, before pointing at Percy. “The rest of the team may like you, but I’m still watching you. I ain’t letting my guard down for a second.”

Sola pouted at her, as Percy’s eye drooped, visibly unimpressed with Harley’s attitude, as Julia took the chance to walk up to Wess.

“So she went with you to the city? How was she?” Julia quietly asked.

Wess stared back at Percy and thought for a moment, before nodding.

“She was Percy.”