Ben loved Tobei. He was one of Ben’s closest friends. They’d survived the Farm together, they’d survived a war together, they’d survived being fugitives from the crown together. He’d do anything for Tobei. And right now Tobei was the last person Ben wanted to see.

He’d spent the last hour or so preparing his famous hangover meal, nearly dropped the heavy tray three times trying to get it safely down out of the branches, and made it back to the clearing with the stream to see—

Jac sat on the edge of her crater, leaning back on her hands so that Ben could see every muscle beneath the sun-kissed skin of her shoulders, with her legs dangling into the crater. And standing between her legs, grinning down at her with his best charming smile, wearing a pile of the vines Ben had grown on his head like a wig, was Tobei.

“What do you think?”

Flat, Jac said, “Green’s not your color.”

“Sweet shit.” Tobei flipped the vines behind his shoulder with one hand. “There’s not one color that looks bad on me.”

Jac turned her head away as if uninterested, but Ben could see a begrudging smirk on her face. Until she caught sight of Ben.

A jolt ran through him and he had to resist the urge to camouflage himself into the forest behind him. Then, she smiled. At him.

Jac reached up and gripped the top of Tobei’s head, vines included, then shoved him under the canopy of leaves so she could swing her legs around and stand. Then, she strode toward Ben and he became very aware that he had absolutely no thoughts in his entire head. He just stood there.

“Ben.”

“Yes,” he said immediately.

She stopped in front of him and gave him a once-over. He had never been so aware of his own body. Was he standing normally? It didn’t feel like it. Finally, her eyes of liquid gold came to rest on his, and she gestured over her shoulder toward the tree Tobei was fighting his way out of.

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“You did that?”

Face burning like he was the one who’d been out in the sun all day, Ben replied, “Yes.”

Slowly, that full, two-toned smile returned. “It’s beautiful.”

“I … didn’t want you to get sunburned.” Mother Light, that smile could melt the strongest metal. It could light the darkest night. And she was giving it to him.

“Actually,” she said, “I grew up in the Sunlit Forest. I don’t burn.”

Ben said, “Oh.”

“So what you’re saying,” Tobei sauntered up to them, carefully picking bits of leaf and vine from his dark locks, “is that the name I guessed for your family’s home was right on.”

Jac gave him a glance and a vague, “Mm,” before asking Ben, “What’s this?”

Ben remembered suddenly that he was holding a tray of food. He blinked and said, “Food.”

“She can see that, brother,” Tobei said.

“I can smell it,” Jac said kindly. “It smells amazing.”

“It’s for you.”

“Hangover breakfast!” Tobei said once he was finally done with his hair. “Ah, thanks, brother, this is perfect!” He reached for the tray.

Ben jerked it away—too hard. The glass of peppermint iced tea wobbled, and in trying to save it Ben overcorrected the tray’s balance and the other dishes slid over the edge of the tray—

Ben closed his eyes and waited for a crash that never came.

“Mother Dark, Bennen,” Tobei said. “I was joking.”

Ben opened his eyes to see the dishes safely returning to their tray with a gentle clatter, directed by a smooth wave of Tobei’s hand. The only thing that had been lost was half the cup of iced tea.

“Hangover breakfast,” Jac said. “For me?”

“Yes.”

She grinned. “You’re sweet.”

Ben couldn't hear Tobei’s little exasperated sound, nor his, “You’re welcome, by the way,” over the buzzing in his head.