"When the cries of fair maidens ring out, we shall rise to the call..."

I giggled, recognizing the cadence of a boy who had... probably spent way too much time going to renaissance fairs.

"Hey Strawberry?" I grinned.

"Y-yeah? What's up, Lux?"

"How do you feel about... himbos?"

Her ears drooped as her red eyes lit up in curiosity. "Wh-what?"

"When the dark clouds gather on the horizon, we shall shine with the light of righteousness..." a deep baritone voice followed the first.

The silhouettes in front of us began to come into focus, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Correction, Strawberry..."

"And if the moon and stars are obscured by shadow, we shall light a path for those who cannot see!" a perky, boyish voice followed up.

"What the hell..." she muttered. "They're..."

I smirked. "Yep."

...

"Magical Himbos."

As the dust settled, the four of them posed dramatically, and I heard a couple of the girls giggling behind me.

The group was led by a tall, shirtless college-aged man of mixed Asian descent with black hair shaped in a tapered fade. He had deep blue eyes, glistening olive-colored skin, and an unfairly chiseled angular jawline.

He stood in front of the group with his chest and abs exposed, and a pair of gleaming metal gauntlets that went up to his elbows and emphasized his bulging biceps.

His swimming trunks somehow fluttered in the wind, no doubt an effect created by the cute fox boy by his side, as he posed with one finger up in the air.

He flashed a smile that sparkled against the afternoon sun that had me blushing immediately. "For as long as the world cries out for justice, our bodacious GAINS shall grant us the strength to stand up and deliver!"

I rolled my eyes, facepalming as he emphasized his muscles with a flex. His three companions followed suit, striking coordinated poses like they were on a bodybuilding stage.

"Braveheart Kraken!" the boy at the center called out, winking playfully at me. "Here to serve and protect."

The two boys to his left, right nodded, their voices taking on a dramatic cadence.

"Braveheart Sphinx, Keeper of Balance!" a young dark-skinned man roared in a baritone voice. He was the tallest and bulkiest of the group, with an Egyptian pharaoh-themed outfit was complemented by an ornate gold ankh and headdress that shielded him from the sun. He threw both arms out in a dramatic pose behind Kraken, creating a Y-shape in the formation.

"Braveheart Kitsune, pleased to meetcha!" a fox boy chirped as he winked and slid in front of Braveheart Kraken in a sideways resting pose. His long white hair flowed behind him, highlighted with gleams of silver that matched his eyes. He had red markings accenting his soft cheeks, and three bushy tails, each one with a mesmerizing sheen, swishing playfully as he moved.

The last of the group flapped his wings, floating above his teammates. He had a chiseled square jaw, deep green eyes, and shoulder-length blonde hair tight into a ponytail that seemed to glitter in the sunlight. He wore a set of thick Roman style plate armor that emphasized his defined pectorals and biceps.

"Ah, what a wondrous moment it is to gaze upon this fine crop of young proteges in need of guidance." The boy spoke with a Shakespearean cadence, folding his hands behind his back. "Thy stars glitter bright, and even the sun itself doth shine for our arrival! Braveheart Griffon, tis a delight!"

Braveheart Griffon raised a longsword in the air as he enunciated his name, which promptly erupted into flames.

"WE ARE THE BRAVEHEARTS!" the four boys roared in unison. Pyrotechnics and magical effects flickered all around me as the four of them posed heroically in front of us and smiling. Somehow, all four of their smiles manage to sparkle simultaneously.

There was an awkward beat.

Claw Strawberry gawked in confusion, tail held stiff in the air, as did the others.

Then, Claw Currant sneezed.

"OH MY GOD IT'S REALLY THEM!" Melania Auclair suddenly squealed, nearly bouncing in place as her cheeks flushed crimson.

I sighed, dispelling my barrier as the dust finished clearing, and everyone burst into applause.

The Bravehearts' fame was largely built around their image and presentation - but that didn't mean they were bad people or fake or anything.

Rather, from the two weeks I'd spent debriefing from the Refuge Zeta incident and learning the ropes with Twilight Aster, they'd shown themselves virtually incapable of anything but pure intentions. Braveheart Kraken had checked up on me multiple times, and Griffon had offered me advice on managing my time when planning my basic course work.

It was always just... so hard not to laugh at them and their antics when their kayfabe was on.

Twilight Aster considered themselves one of, if not the most capable prime-aged team in Kaleidoscope City and that was saying something.

Apparently the addition of Braveheart Kitsune had catapulted their team from just a talented group of rising stars to one of the most promising teams in generations. Aster's assessment was that they were pretty tough individually, but their teamwork, top-notch conditioning, coordination, and boundless charisma were what made them truly... amazing.

Braveheart Kitsune wrinkled his nose, looking around us. "Ugh. What happened here? We heard there was a big fight and some noise..."

The smell of barbecue sauce was still heavy in the air, and the other students with me were practically dripping in it.

I answered. "Well, a villainess from Pewterstone City showed up and started... just splashing everyone and everything with barbecue sauce using a massive cannon or something."

"How the hell did she even fit all that sauce in there?" Gear blinked, gesturing wildly around him.

Claw Strawberry shrugged. "Either way, we got caught in the crossfire. But Lux here managed to kick her ass out of the park."

The Bravehearts' eyes immediately flickered in interest, and Braveheart Kraken flashed me a grin and thumbs up.

"Well, it was more the other way around. But it seemed like she could feel the four of you coming and got out of here as soon as she could see you on the horizon." I explained.

"Tis an unfortunate turn of events that we did not have the chance to engage in glorious battle with this miscreant. Know that her fate will catch up to her, and we, the Bravehearts, shall be there to deliver sweet, sweet payback!"

I didn't even have to try to hold back my laughter this time. "Wow, I can already imagine how THAT battle would have gone down," I grinned.

The theatrics would have certainly blown out any cinematic production I could think of.

Braveheart Kraken nodded. "Still, if we've got a benny pulling a radical move on us, we've gotta be there to stop 'em. You newbies okay? It looks like all of you've been totally raked over."

He leaned forward, flexing his muscles as he studied the Knights of Summer Melody carefully. They were drenched in barbecue sauce and had been knocked unconscious earlier. My transformation had switched my ruined clothes out for my tailored costume, but I knew my clothes were still stored away in my Nexus device.

"Just a minor inconvenience," Yuzuki muttered, wrinkling his nose as he wiped at his tunic. "We're fine."

"Yeah, we're good too," Currant added. "It's just... a bit embarrassing."

"Well, if you want, I can probably soak off that sauce," Braveheart Kraken gently offered. "Your boy's got some rad skills just for that sort of thing. Like, I can literally make anything slide right off."

"Umm..." Scarlet Verne stared at him in disbelief. "That sounds kinda gross..."

He grinned, winking at her. "Don't worry, it's all good. I can do it from a distance. Like, no worries if you guys are super embarrassed or something. It's chill."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He stood back, holding his hands out in front of him and clapping them together.

"Alright, everybody other than these four. Stand back!"

I took a few steps back, smiling as I watched him concentrate.

"Hydro Art: Bitchin' Nugs!"

I blinked. Seriously? Bitchin' Nugs?

After a moment, a small orb of water began to form between his hands, rippling and swirling as it grew and condensed.

The group stared at him in confusion. Then, without warning, it shot out towards the Knights of Summer Melody, catching them in a wide blast.

They yelped as it washed over them, and I watched in amazement as the barbecue sauce sloughed off their bodies, pooling in a sticky puddle on the ground.

"Hey, check it out!" Kraken gestured, laughing as he pointed at their now clean clothes. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

Not only had he cleaned off the sticky, sauce-like substance, he'd also left them completely dry and spotless.

"I don't even see any stains on my coat!" Scarlet Verne marveled.

Claw Strawberry beamed. "That's so cool!"

She and Claw Currant looked at each other, and I saw the gears turning in their heads.

Braveheart Kitsune stepped forward, brushing his bangs back with a sly smile. "And since everyone here is looking pretty tired, I can whip up something to help with that."

He snapped his fingers, and a sparkling green sheen of light swept over us. My aches and pains vanished, and I suddenly felt as though I'd just taken a sip of the freshest, most energizing water.

Braveheart Griffon nodded, patting the fox boy's shoulder. "Thou art a most competent and steadfast young companion. Thine wit and compassion are to be commended."

"Thanks Griff!" Kitsune beamed. "That means a lot coming from you."

Braveheart Kraken stepped forward and stretched. "Alright, the stinky sauce is gone and Kitsune's healie-heal magic cleaned everyone up. Now, the question is - who are you newbies?"

He glanced at the group of junior knights in front of him, and I had a feeling that things were about to get really interesting.

Within moments, the two teams and Gear were engaged in an animated discussion, chattering excitedly and laughing as they introduced themselves.

I sat down with the two feline siblings as other students curiously poked their heads out from wherever they were hiding now that Eris was gone.

It was surprising how quickly they all bounced back and started up conversations, greeting each other.

"Well, that's a way to spend an afternoon," I muttered with a smile.

"Right?" Claw Strawberry chuckled, shaking her head as she watched Gear and the Bravehearts start comparing hobbies and activities. "Those boys, though. They're, um..."

She blushed, shaking her head as she giggled softly. "Um, I mean, don't they..."

"Absolutely hopeless," I finished. "Ridiculous and totally over the top. Just absolutely the worst. And the best."

And... well honestly...

Her ears twitched as her gaze darted from Kraken to the others, and I smirked as her tail curled up into a hook shape just like a curious cat.

"Kraken is totally her type," Currant suddenly whispered, bursting out with a loud laugh.

She yelped, blushing as she grabbed his arm and jerked him back. "N-no he's not!"

Currant leaned across Strawberry, "Aw, come on! Look at the way she's ogling him, she's clearly..."

"I-I can hear you!" She hissed, burying her face in his coat and pounding his chest as he cackled.

Braveheart Kitsune moved away from the group, practically skipping over to us with a sly smile.

"Hey hey! Mind if I join you guys?" He asked, sitting down in front of us and leaning forward with his ears perked up and wagging in excitement.

I felt my cheeks flush as the fox boy's bright silver eyes glittered, and his smile shone with an intense brightness that left me speechless.

Yup.

Completely hopeless.

Umm...

Crap. What do I say?

Claw Strawberry peered out from behind her brother, glaring at him, and then at me.

Then she noticed my completely failed efforts at focusing a poker face, and her eyes widened.

"Oh? Oh. Ooooooohhhhh!" She nudged me with her elbow, giggling as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Ugh, leave me alone..." I coughed, stretching.

"Sure!" Claw Strawberry answered before I could say anything. "She and Currant are fine with it too, right Lux?"

"Y-yeah," I sighed, embarrassed. "I am."

He tilted his head, looking slightly concerned and confused. Then, his eyes widened in realization. "Actually, are you alright? If I went overboard, I'm sorry. It's just I have a side effect where I over energize stuff without thinking, and it causes-"

"No, no. I'm fine!" I shook my head and chuckled. "Your spells are great. I was drained earlier, but that green wave you hit us with really fixed me up."

He winked at me, smiling brightly as he closed his eyes and huffed.

Dammit.

He has dimples.

Strawberry giggled, curling her hair. "Wow, um, that's super cool, Kitsune! You... wow."

Braveheart Kitsune shrugged. "Sorry, we should've gotten here faster. We got held up by Madame Mayhem and her goons downtown. That fight took way too long."

"I thought the call was for the Vicious Alliance?" I blinked.

He shook his head. "They're also involved. There's this whole mess with Red Masque going missing and everyone's scrambling to get their hands on whatever they can."

"Wait, what about the other teams who got went out? The Gems? The Garden girls? There were like seven teams that rushed out weren't there?" Strawberry asked.

"We volunteered to come back because my wind surfing gives us the fastest travel speed out of all the teams," Kitsune explained. "I mean, when Kraken heard there was trouble the second we left the campus unguarded he started tearing up yelling about how he had to protect his cute little underclassmen. Griffon and Sphinx had to hold him back from just jumping into the water alone."

"Aw," I grinned. "That's actually really sweet."

"Yeah, I know. Every day I thank whatever gods that might be out there that they took little ol' me in as part of their team."

I couldn't help but stare at him as he smiled ahead, his tails fanning playfully behind him.

"They treat me like a kid brother," he explained, blushing slightly. "It's kinda embarrassing but really, well, I wouldn't give them up for anything in the world. I don't have any brothers or sisters and my dad was always too busy working when I was a kid, so it's nice to have people who care about me like that."

His ears drooped slightly, and he bit his lips. My heart ached for him. I did have Al's family in my life, but I knew all too well what it was like to be mostly alone and not have any blood family to look out for you.

"Sorry, that's kinda depressing. Um, you guys have any siblings?" he asked quizzically, looking up at us.

"Yeah, we do. I've got a baby sister," Claw Currant answered, grabbing Strawberry and giving her a gentle noogie. "Isn't she pwwweeeecious?"

Strawberry bared her fangs at him. "I don't know you. I'm an only child."

"Pscht!" He grinned, leaning back. "Sure. Only child. You know, there was this on time—"

She glared at him, her tail stiffening. "Currant, if you don't shut up right now, I'm going to-"

"Oh, yeah, you're definitely the only one."

She threw a punch at him, and he caught it with a laugh.

Kitsune watched the two of them for a moment, his eyes wide with curiosity. Then he turned to me, tilting his head. "You don't have any siblings, Lux?"

"No, I'm an only child too," I answered, chuckling. "Grew up in Pewterstone with just my mom and me."

Except well...

There was the final message Arcadia Vox left me.

He nodded, resting his chin on his hands. "Guess we have that in common, just kinda inverted. My dad raised me alone too. It's cool having a team now, though."

"You guys sound like a tight-knit group," I said with a smile.

He nodded. "Yeah, we're like a family. Just a really weird and muscley one. Except for me on that last part, though. But I'll get there one day!"

His eyes sparkled as he smiled and flexed a single slender arm, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

Claw Strawberry giggled, and suddenly she had a smug, mischievous look on her face.

"So, how do you and Lux know each other? You two friends?" She asked slyly.

My cheeks flushed, and I glared at her.

He shrugged. "Well, we kinda rescued her during the Cataclysm when she was fighting on top of a roof of one of the mega bunkers built for supervillain attacks."

"By rescue, you mean surfing in on a tidal wave riding Kraken's shark familiars and screaming at the top of your lungs before carrying a giant interdimensional eldritch abomination away with a sharknado." I deadpanned.

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Sorry, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and we didn't have much time to plan it out."

I'd been on my last legs, completely out of energy and fighting desperately to shield a gravely wounded Albert from the monster when the Bravehearts had arrived. I could barely remember what happened after, except for Kitsune's warm, fluffy tails when he carried us to safety.

They were soft and comfortable. And just perfect for burying my face in as drifted off to sleep. And...

God dammit, be normal Sienna!

"I thought it was pretty cool," I chuckled. "Saved our butts, and I got to meet you guys. So it all worked out."

"You guys are so awesome," Strawberry squealed. "I heard about you guys by reputation but didn't know you were based out of the academy. It's amazing!"

Kitsune rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the others are going to graduate soon but I'm only in my second year, so I've still got a bit of time here. Still, they're like my brothers and I can't imagine leaving them."

I smiled, nodding. "That sounds like a beautiful bond. It's good to have people like that in your life."

"Yeah, it really is." He sighed. "And you, Lux? I know you took an emergency contract during the Cataclysm. Have you figured out your classes yet?"

"I've got a plan," I answered with a slight smile. "It's just, you know, a lot to get thrust into all this. I'm just trying to find my way around."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, I hope you find your way here. Hey, if you need any help, we should link up our Nexus profiles. You can add me on there if you want."

"I'd like that." I nodded, feeling a fluttering in my chest as he winked at me. "Let's link up later?"

He flashed a cute fanged smile. "Well, I guess I should go back to the team. Kraken's gonna want us to get some laps in later." He sighed, standing up. "But we'll talk again sometime, right?"

"Definitely," I smiled back. "You've been... a lifesaver. Literally."

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, we are supposed to be heroes after all."

"See ya, Kitsune. Keep up the good work!" Claw Strawberry chirped as he walked away, tails swishing behind him.

As he waved and moved back to the others, I felt a sense of disappointment.

I couldn't help but stare at him as he left, taking in every part of his cute, fluffy ears and tails as they moved.

Dammit, get a hold of yourself, Sienna!

Claw Strawberry looked at me, grinning as she wiggled her ears. "Oh my god."

I blinked at her. "Huh?"

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone about your crush," she said matter-of-factly. "Could have worse taste."

I scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She giggled, leaning back and resting her head on her hands. "Oh, I think you do."

Her tail curled up, and she gave me a sly look.

I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Really, you're gonna tease me about this?"

She shrugged. "Hey, it's cute. And he's nice. And you could have worse friends than the Bravehearts, so it's a win-win-win."

"I hate you," I muttered, hiding my face in my hands as she giggled. "You're the worst."

"Let's share Nexus profiles? Link up later?" She mimicked in a sing-song voice, poking my shoulder. "I can't even."

I glared at her, but couldn't help smiling as she burst out laughing.

"But let's swap ours too, okay? Friends?"

Her ears drooped back as she gave me the most watery, pleading eyes I'd ever seen.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Fine. Friends. But only because you're a persistent little shit."

"Yay!" She grinned. "I'm glad you're here, Lux. We're gonna have fun here, I can tell."

I smiled back. "Yeah. I hope so."

I was still unsure of myself and the path ahead of me, but maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

Truth be told, I didn't have a lot of female friends. The ones I did back in middle school were more like acquaintances, and Al was my only real friend for years.

So to have someone like Claw Strawberry come along and just hit it off with me, it made me feel warm and happy inside.

As the three of us chatted and swapped Nexus profiles, I couldn't help but smile.

The world had gone to shit over the past two weeks, and I was still just trying to find my footing.

But somehow, I felt like I'd be okay.