Clarita nodded and kicked off her sandals, leaving them in the sand. He followed suit.

Burning sand met his soles with the fury of a thousand suns. Mouse jumped and high-footed in place. Agony awaited every footfall, burning, wild heat that penetrated straight through his feet to his bones.

“What is it?” Clarita asked.

She has paw pads and furred feet, dammit! It’s not fair! “Er, hot, it’s a bit hot, do you mind…”

Clarita chuckled. “Not at all.”

Mouse sprinted toward the cooler, wet sand, high-stepping all the way there. A wave washed in, pushing foam up the sand. Cool water swirled around his ankles and dug a hole at his heels as it retreated. He sighed, relieved. Thank goodness.

“Hey, give it back! I found that shell!” Gawain screeched from behind him.

Mouse whirled. A pack of goblins rushed at him, all yellowed claws and snaggly teeth, Gawain a mess of orange in their midst. Mouse jumped out of their way, and they rushed past into the surf. Water flew as the goblins fought. He backed away, wary of the spray. Best if I stay dry.

A void opened up under his heel. He toppled backward. Arms flailing, he reached for something, anything. His hand closed on something soft, and he stopped himself from plopping into the sand.

“Well, that’s a way to say hello,” Brittany said.

Mouse looked up. His hand firmly grasped her black leather bikini’d chest.

“Er--sorry, I’m so sorry--” He let go, and immediately started to fall again.

Brittany reached out and caught him by the shoulderblades. Effortlessly, she pushed him back upright. The whole time, she stared across the beach at something far away, a longing look in her eyes. “I don’t mind. I only wish Clarita would be so straightforward…”

Mouse cleared his throat. He leveled Brittany with a look. “I had to put in a lot of effort to invite every princess, so it didn’t stink too much of a date.”

“But I wanted it to stink of a date. I dressed up and everything,” Brittany muttered, gesturing at her tiny black bikini. Gold bands festooned her bare arms biceps, and a gold snake wound around her thigh.

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Mouse shook his head. “Brittany, listen. You can’t start from flirting. She’s still mourning. Start from being friends. Work up from there.”

Brittany sighed. “Fine, fine. I did ask for your advice. I suppose I should take it.”

“Milady,” a scratchy voice whispered.

Mouse turned. An undead stood at Brittany’s elbow, offering a whip. Aside from deathly pale skin and her hair, split half-black, half-white down the center of her scalp, she could have passed for human. The white hair hung in her face, hiding her left eye.

The wind stirred, brushing her hair back to reveal white bone. Down the center line of her face, exactly where her hair changed color, her face twisted into stark white bone. She caught Mouse looking and shook her head, hiding the skull behind a sheaf of white hair.

“Oh, thank you,” Brittany said.

Dragging his eyes off the attendant, Mouse gave her a look. “What’s that for?”

Brittany shrugged and gestured down at herself, draping the whip aggressively in one hand. “Completing the look?”

Mouse snatched it away from her and stuffed it down his skirt. “No. Brittany, no. Can you try not to sabotage yourself for ten seconds?”

“Sabotage? How?” Brittany demanded.

“If you don’t know…” Mouse sighed. “Look, just… be normal. Can you handle that much?”

“Mouse!” Clarita called.

He gave Brittany a fierce look. She shrugged and put her palms out. Mouse pressed his lips together. There’s no hope.

He jogged over to Clarita. “Yes?”

“I hope this isn’t another poorly thought out attempt to get me and Brittany back together,” she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Hardly. I simply thought all the princesses could have a lovely day at the beach together. How could I leave out Brittany?” He gestured at the beach. As they watched, a princess arrived from the sky, folding feathery white wings close to her back.

“You also wrote the invitation? Did the calligraphy in rose red and dotted all the i’s with hearts? Sealed the ink with a kiss?”

What the hell, Brittany. Mouse grimaced. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea Brittany did that. I, er, I let her invite you after she begged for the honor, but…”

Clarita sighed. “I still came, so I suppose I should be prepared. What is that stuffed down your skirt, anyways?”

Mouse glanced down. The whip! “Er, aha, nothing. Just, uh, just…”

“A little toy for the two of us, isn’t that right, Mouse?” Spar drawled, drooping an arm over Mouse’s shoulders. He wore a netting sleeveless shirt in blue and matching swimtrunks.

“Shut up, Spar,” Mouse grumbled, pushing the whip out of sight.

Spar grinned and winked at Clarita. “Just a little joke, a little joke.” He stood off Mouse and wandered off down the beach.

Clarita stared after him. “A little joke?”

“Don’t worry about it. He’s… an interesting guy.” Mouse gazed around the beach, taking it all in. The waves crashed. The wind surged. He almost expected to hear the whoosh and thump in his ears, but the sound remained steady. Nothing distorted it. Pure, clear, quiet. He breathed out, and felt tension he hadn’t known coiled inside him leave his body.

Clarita sighed out beside him, quiet as ever, but peaceful in a way he hadn’t often seen her. “Isn’t this beautiful? This--”

“Ah, hey! Watch out!”

A brightly-colored ball dropped out of the air toward Clarita’s head. Mouse reached out to pull her aside.