We slipped out early with Derwydd in tow, heading to Queen's Haven first to get Fyu. Then we scurried up into the Firelands, stopping at the camps to pick up the bounty quests, and then I used that special item we had been given to summon our dragon ally, Dracuoatlax. Derwydd was both very surprised to find out it was a dragon we had been referring to and yet also not in the least bit surprised that we had a dragon as an ally.

“You think you've heard every crazy rumor about the Silvernight Queens, and then they go and tame a dragon,” he quipped.

So then we split up, mostly. Ariana, Anhe, Belle, and I went with Dracuoatlax, and the others went with Fyu and the waggon. Let me just put it this way. Doing bounty quests with a dragon as your ally is like using a stack of dynamite to wipe out goldfish in a bowl. We were done far faster than our other team, but altogether we had netted another twenty-five thousand gold for expenses and a lot of good crafting materials. Our NPC staff had made plenty of pre-preparations for a jolly feast, as the butler put it, by the time we got back.

Fortunately, our guild hall was last on the list of party-crawling venues, mostly because we had the beachfront. So we didn't have to worry that night. Worry could wait for Sunday night insofar as we were concerned.

I won't go through all the details and all the parties, because there's just way too much to ever relate it in a succinct manner, but needless to say I think we all felt more exhausted from the after-parties than from the actual tournament event itself. I'm not sure I even remember half of it, but the one thing that stuck in my mind was the swimsuit fiasco that happened when we all got to Queen's Haven at the end of our crawl, and I'll be trying to forget that particular incident for the rest of my life, thank you very much.

Ehh. I mean, sure, in the end, it was all fun. And I hoped that we would all have as much of a blast with it next year. But when Monday morning came along, I was actually kind of glad for a change that I was waking up to go to school instead of a grueling, harrowing day at the arena. That was a novel feeling. So anyhow.

I stepped into the school with the strange feeling that I hadn't been inside the building for years. Other than that it was a normal Monday. Rachel arrived about a minute later than I did this time, gently plomping her head on my shoulder for a moment before getting her locker open to prepare for the day. We headed inside after both of us had done so, sitting down with a nearly simultaneous sigh.

“I never thought I'd be so glad to put this uniform on!” she whispered to me.

“Right?” I agreed. “I thought that bikini fiasco would be the end of--ahh... Lana, ah-heh,” I added, melting on to the desk.

“Pfft!” Rachel giggled softly. “Did you ever get it back?!” she asked as softly as she could, her face twitching with laughter. It took me a second to remember why she was asking that question.

“… Oh right, you and Andrea logged off early. Eh, Lysandra and Belle eventually took pity on me by the time most of the others had gone home or logged off... Mary seemed quite pleased with the whole thing.” I remarked with a wry sigh.

“Of course she did; she orchestrated it, remember?” Rachel smirked.

“Ahhh--!! Oh yeah... I'll have to pay her back for that someday...”

“Now, now. Better do it as Lana or you'll never hear the end of it.”

“True.” I agreed. The bell for class then rang, and we straightened up as Mr. Jones came in to start homeroom.

***

When the lunch hour released us from the morning's academic pursuits we made our way to the club room. Anhe and Mary were there already, the latter slyly smiling as we came in. Rachel smiled back; I'm not quite sure what kind of expression came over my face as we sat down, but it made the three of them giggle. The others came in shortly after, and we settled in to a companionable silence after greeting each other, focusing on our lunches for the first few minutes together.

“So what do you think the next competition is going to be like?” Ellie then asked us.

“Seems like it's going to be less violent and more economic; less violent, at least, but not devoid of it.” Thomas said.

“It's going to be like that game we played with Sean and Rachel earlier on Saturday, isn't it?” Andrea remarked.

“I think so,” he nodded back.

“And the Wildlands will probably be our 'board', so to speak,” I added.

“Agreed.” he returned.

“I hope we get to ally with other guilds; we're one of the smallest guilds, after all, with just eight people.” Rachel said.

“I think they're going to allow that for sure,” I replied, “But I think the scores or ratings will still be separate. We'll just be helping the others maintain their position and rank as they help us with ours. No team scores or anything like that. I think.”

“Hmm...” Anhe remarked softly. “I guess we already know one guild we can ally with.” she then said, smiling over at Andrea and Thomas.

“True!” Ellie grinned. “Still... we need to do some more leveling and resource gathering; I think the Firelands and the Wastes will be good for ores and metals or weird components, but the Tundralands have some nice timber.”

“I know Snow Dancer and Peaches, our guild leader, are planning on getting oak from Vinlandia for trade-cogs and caravels.” Thomas said.

“Ooh, nice. Hey, chief, what kind of ships are we gonna make?”

“Hrrmm...” I sighed thoughtfully, sitting back in the sofa as I pondered. “Definitely a trade ship or two... Northern Warriors might build longships, so we could take a cue from them and do the same, though it'd be nice to get a galleon going if we can...” I mused, speculating on the ships I knew that Anhe and I could get or would be able to get in a couple weeks, if we kept at it.

“We should set up a meeting with Gears and Wheels, see if they'll let us trade something for a cannon or so,” Mary suggested.

“Oh definitely.” I agreed.

“They'll probably stay ahead of the competition just by raking in profits from selling siege equipment, cannons, firearms, and other explosives.” Ellie noted.

“I can definitely see that,” Thomas said with a laugh.

“Hmm... we should try and find a commodity, too... I wonder what's in the Untold Deeps...” I pondered.

“Oooohh... nice idea.” Ellie nodded.

“Not a lot of people explore that place, from what I've read,” Andrea told us. “Do you know anything?” she turned to Thomas.

“Hmm... I know Mad Dog and Barbarianne have led parties down there, as well as Valkrysti; we ourselves were thinking of attempting it some time soon. Maybe we can team up and get a raid party going for it!” he said.

“Oh, sure,” I nodded back. “Dragonholt might be a good one to explore, also...”

“For sure.” Ellie nodded. “That's where we got the high-quality and rare metal for your new swords.” she continued with a low-key emphasis on the adjectives.

“Gyeek!” I started. “O-o-of course we'll go back there and get more so everyone else has better weapons!” I declared a moment later, and the others laughed heartily.

“Ahh, so much fun. But more importantly: Myanihia was a girl after all, huh?” Ellie then said as she got at least a bit more serious.

“Ah, oh, yeah,” I returned softly.

“Hmm...?” Mary gazed at me knowingly. “How long did you know before us?”

“Ahh...”

“D-don't be so hard on him, I was keeping it secret too!” Rachel piped up to save me.

“Huh?!”

“Rachel!!” Ellie and Andrea exclaimed at once, and my girlfriend gave them an apologetic smile.

“But she really liked confiding in you or something, didn't she?” Rachel then said as she turned to me.

“Ehh... more or less, yeah.”

“Heh. Well, there can't be any bigger whoppers beyond that, I guess.” Ellie remarked. My face twitched. “Eh?” the blonde girl said as she noticed. “D-don't tell me there's more!”

“Ahh...”

“There's more to it?!” Mary jumped in.

“Ah-heh-heh-heh...”

“Sean?” Anhe gently poked me.

“Thing is, she's Lysandra's twin half-sister.” I told them. I had never seen a room of people so dumbstruck (except for Rachel, who more or less knew already), and I had never heard a louder exclamation of confusion in response to a surprise revelation in my entire life thus far.

“HUH?!?!” the other five of them all but shouted at the same time.

“Give me a break,” I sighed as Rachel and I walked to class, Ellie having gone on ahead to grab something she'd forgotten from her locker. Rachel softly giggled.

“I wonder if we'll see Myanihia turn up again some day,” she then wondered.

“Maybe,” I replied. “Maybe.”

Afternoon classes passed by as swiftly as the morning ones had, and before I knew it I was on my way home again. They day I had somewhat looked forward to for once in my life had left me mentally exhausted -- and that was without the academic side of things in it.

I got home at the usual time, doing a few chores and then hurrying to meet up with Rachel in a video-call to do homework together. We made it through the assignments one by one, and then chatted idly for a few minutes before she had to go and help Andrea with making dinner. Thomas, it seemed, had swung by to visit for the occasion.

“You'll get to come over next time, I promise!” she smiled at me.

“No worries! Have fun, and I'll see you a bit later, hopefully.” I replied.

“Definitely!” she nodded, and the video-call ended. I went downstairs to have dinner, after which I performed dish duty before heading back upstairs to escape into Panarena.

***

“Oh, you're here,” Lysandra's voice greeted me a moment after I had materialized in Queen's Haven.

“Hey!” I said to her. “Anyone else on yet?”

“Belle's in town gathering some rare seeds for a pixie garden she wants to grow,” the older girl told me.

“Hmm? That sounds neat,” I replied.

“It'll certainly be cute,” Lysandra said with a soft laugh. She then curled her lower lip inwards, giving me an uncertain look.

“All okay?” I asked her.

“It's... there was some guild-mail that came. I can see the notification, even if I can't read it yet.” she told me.

“Hm? Oh, the one real-week probation,” I nodded.

“True... but it... felt...” the werewolf girl said to me uncertainly, a slight fidget in her stance. I decided to put her at ease--if I could--and looked at the inbox. Then I started.

“Ah--ahh...” my voice articulated in a semi-anxious tone.

“It's... from her, isn't it?” my companion asked me.

“Y-yeah.” I said after a moment. “She wants to talk to me, up on Pirate Isle.”

“I see. Did she...?”

“Nothing directly,” I softly replied. “She hopes you're well, but she wants to talk alone.”

“Figures.” the other girl said with a rueful grin.

“I'll tell her you're thinking about her.” I promised, and she nodded back.

“Do you have a tele--ah, wayport for Pirate Isle?” Lysandra asked.

“Yep, we grabbed it on our flight up to the Tournament.”

“Flight? Oh! The dragon,” she remembered with another laugh. “Should I tell the others to wait up?”

“Ehh, I'd like us all to go where we want tonight; looks like we have a lot of crafting to do, anyway. But if we need to bunch up for a resource run later that should be fine; I doubt I'll be spending long there.” I shrugged.

“Gotcha... hurry back.” she said with a smile, despite the forlorn note in her voice. I put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile, and then headed to the wayport, selecting Pirate Isle as my destination.

It was just as thematically Caribbean as I recalled from over a week ago. Of course, in game time, it had been over a month since my visit here. Kind of weird to think about it... which is why I probably shouldn't think about it at all, I reflected as I walked along the worn path that wound its way through the seaside town that we had visited on our way to Harmonia City. I was then accosted by an NPC messenger, who delivered a package to me and then ran off again.

“Hmm? What's this now?” I wondered curiously, opening the thing. “Hyeck?!” I almost jumped back. Inside was a skimpy piece of swimwear and a cheap teleport token, the kind that only works once and is set by a player for a specific destination. There was also a small note.

Humor me, please, it read.

“H-h-h-humor you?!” I quipped back to no one, clamping my hand over my mouth as soon as I realized I had. A couple players nearby laughed, and then with a sigh I ducked into an unused building to slip on the... string-kini, I guess it's called, and then activated the teleport crystal.

Feeling very self-conscious as I materialized, I suddenly realized that I was in a private resort not far from Turquoit. There was a beautiful wooden frigate out in a small bay towards the north, gently swaying in the breeze atop the aquamarine sea. On land, the private resort was designed to look like a cross between a Mediterranean villa and a Spanish Caribbean church. I looked around, espying the person I knew I would find lounging in the sun, an unusual look of contentment on her face. Or maybe it was becoming more normal for her now. Or, maybe this was just where she unveiled her deepest self.

“Looks good.” Myanihia remarked as she caught sight of me walking over to her in the red... garment?

“I-if you say so,” I returned, my cheeks coloring.

“See? We match.” she told me. It was more or less true. She was wearing a silver-colored one that nearly matched her hair.

“Is this your private house?” I then wondered.

“It is. My mother, who runs the company, offered me one gift in-game. I chose a house. This one.” she smiled. “It's soothing, isn't it?” she said, patting the seat beside her. I sat down, nodding in agreement. There was something about old-fashioned or archaic things that calmed me; steam-engine trains, wooden ships, castles -- you get the picture.

“You picked probably one of the nicest ones for sure,” I said.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“And one of the more expensive. It would have cost nine-million gold to get the normal way.” she told me.

“Hyeck!?” I nearly choked. Myanihia smiled, and calmly pulled up a menu, choosing a pink lemonade for herself before turning it my way. After a quick review, I settled on a fruit punch. The two drinks materialized, and she began happily and lazily sipping away as I idly took a sip of my own.

“Lysandra. She... was probably sad, that I wasn't ready, this time.” Myanihia then said.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “She's definitely thinking about you, hoping to turn things a more positive direction.”

“Mm.” the Snow Elf nodded back, a soft hint of sadness in the voice. I let a moment of silence pass, and then spoke again.

“So... is this, a small after-party of sorts?”

“Hm. Yes, I suppose it is. The victor, and the vanquished, not quite friends, no longer enemies.” she smiled.

“P-people who aren't quite f-friends d-d-d-don't send each other s-skimpy beach-wear,” I softly retorted as my cheeks turned red again, and Myanihia laughed merrily.

“I suppose you're right,” she grinned after a moment. “I will be your friend. Your friend in the shadows. My image... the person I was trying to be, I can understand now that closing people out, not trying to really understand them, was wrong. But I can still be Myanihia Black, the shadow of mystery.” she said in her calm, whispery voice.

“I want to be your friend, too. I want to make so many more friends,” I told her, gazing off into the distance as she looked over at me. “Even if some of us clash at first, I want to find the way that brings us together. It's a game, it's just a game; be who you want, forget other people's feelings. But not in this game. This one's different. It's connecting people, like never before, and I want to help it along as long as I'm here.” I said softly, reaching a hand out towards the horizon as if I was grabbing the future. “I never thought that way before... until I got here. I hope you can see it, too.”

“I do, Lana.” she replied to me with a soft smile. “Maybe... maybe one day, after... my sister and I, have talked a bit more, maybe then I will even join the Silvernight Queens as well. But for now... let me continue dismantling the faceless midnight at my own pace. And know that I will be there, to help you, before you even know you need me.” Myanihia said to me.

“Whatever helps you move forward.” I nodded back.

We sat together in silence for a few minutes after that, finishing off our drinks and gazing at the clouds that were slinking along in the sky like a herd of sheep waltzing through a dale. Myanihia then looked over at me again, a question in her eyes.

“Lana,” she spoke again, and I looked over at her, straw in mouth as I started on the last few ounces of my drink. “My sister... what... what did her kiss taste like?”

I choked, did a sort of spit-take, and coughed for several moments before finally recovering myself.

“W-w-w-w-where's that coming from?!” I squeaked.

“Ah! Sorry!” she then smiled cheekily. “I shouldn't ask you such things, when you're really with Ariana. Sorry, for inadvertently teasing you. You don't have to answer that one.” she patted my arm, and I affected a bemused expression, shrinking into the seat a bit.

Another moment of silence passed.

“… C-citrus. Like citrus.”

***

After my encounter--meeting? Peace-talk, perhaps?--with Myanihia, the two of us added each other as friends, and she graciously let me return to my normal clothes, donning her own mysterious robes again before leading me to Turquoit's wayport, where we parted ways amiably and I headed on back to Queen's Haven.

“Welcome back!” Ariana said as I arrived, giving me a hug. “How'd it go?” she then asked me in a softer voice.

“W-well, I guess we have a new friend. Sort of. More or less...” I replied.

“Hmm...?” my partner gazed at me with a puzzled smile.

“Sh-she's not easy.” I laughed with a wry smile.

“True.” Ari agreed, and we headed on into the manor. “Hmm... Ellie, Anhe, and Maryn went to the Firelands with Fyu for an all-nighter resource run, Heali went with Derwydd and Belle to do a quest for some rare books in the Grasslands of Inyan, and Lysandra's still here in the house.”

“Gotcha. Wanna grab her for an adventure or two?” I asked, and she nodded, smiling back at me.

“Of course!” she returned.

Lysandra smiled as we entered the main hall, and I slipped her a note from her sister that I had been sent back with. She read it, a soft smile coming to her face, and then brushed away the faint hint of tears that had tried to form.

“You okay?” I asked her.

“I'll be fine,” she smiled. “Where are we off to tonight?” she asked then.

“Hrrmm...” I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly realizing I hadn't thought that far ahead.

“You know,” Lysandra then said, “Lizzy mentioned you were gonna try and head into the Untold Deeps at some point. Do you know about the supposed secret stairwell to get down there?”

“Secret stairwell?” Ariana and I both repeated.

“There's nine proper entrances scattered across Panarena; four on our side, four in Onyxus, and one in the Borderlands. But on both sides there's a secret entrance that you can make use of by completing a secret quest in Harmonia City. According to rumor... tournament victors automatically clear the hidden requirements to activate the quest.” Lysandra told us.

“Ooh!” Ariana said with interest.

“That sounds like a nice--” I started, and then suddenly I remembered I was a victor of the tournament. “Oh, duh, that means I can get the quest, maybe!” I said as I snapped my fingers, and Ariana shook her head in amusement.

“It's only been a couple days and you've already forgotten you won the tournament?” she sighed.

“Pfft!” Lysandra softly guffawed. “You're definitely right about her!”

“Eh? Ehh??” I looked at both of them in turn with a puzzled expression.

“So adorkable!” the two of them chimed together, and I sighed wearily. I'll never hear the end of that word, will I?

Anyhow. A couple minutes later, we were geared up and on our way to Harmonia City via wayport. According to what Lysandra remembered from the rumor, the quest we were searching for was most likely going to be in the Barracks District, possibly the Market. We quickly scoured the latter, turning up nothing, and then made a more diligent search of the former, finding a likely candidate at the Head Barracks nearest to the Inner District.

The quest involved clearing a mysterious old series of subterranean passages that had been accidentally discovered near the borders of Kingsmark, Vinlandia, and the Mountains of Solitude. Our suspicions were confirmed when the quest-giver, one of the four captain-generals of the city, mentioned that only someone on the caliber of an undefeated hero or heroine who had overcome mighty opponents would be allowed to lead an investigation-slash-clearing of the strange passages.

As soon as we had accepted the quest, we headed back to the Market District and took the train down to the tri-regional border in question. We were underground for several long minutes, and then the train emerged from its own subterranean passage to an above-ground railway system.

“This is fun!” Ariana said as the train passed through the idyllic landscapes of Kingsmark at a considerably fast speed. “It feels so smooth, too, like the improved maglev-trains in Canada and Japan.”

“Nice,” I replied, and then noticed a menu. “Oh, cool!”

“One good meal covered by our ticket price, huh? Fair enough,” Lysandra said.

“Definitely.” Ari nodded. We selected our orders, and a few moments later one of the NPC waiters on the train arrived with our meals atop a push-cart, distributing them onto the table before us and then continuing on their way. The three of us eagerly dug in, happily enjoying the repasts now before us.

“Did you ever try out the Untold Deeps, Lysandra?” I asked after a moment.

“I haven't. It wasn't available during the beta test for exploring, though there was a lot of foreshadowing pointing towards its being a thing.” she replied.

“Huh,” I returned, taking a drink as I took in the words.

“And then when the game went live, I rushed through the Aldholt and then went to Yucu Plains before making my way north towards the Vales of Aergondi, questing as I went. I visited the Borderlands a couple times, taking one of the trains to get there, but I wandered around the Vales for the most part until the Tournament.” Lysandra recalled as we listened.

“What are the Vales like?” Ariana wondered.

“Hmm... thematically, the three major cities there are Victorian, but it's mostly populated by little farm hamlets. There's river vales, and vales without rivers, lots of forests, a few ridges, one lonely mountain, and a great lake in the middle of it all. The main city for the region sits on an island there; it's mostly populated by Elves, but the smaller towns have Humans or Dwarves, sometimes Fae-kin.” she recounted for us, a smile on her lips as she brought up the memories.

“We'll have to visit some day,” Ariana smiled.

“There's so much to go and visit, huh?” I remarked.

“Oh definitely.” the older girl nodded. “Though I heard Hollyland just west of it is getting one of the more intriguing quests for the Winter Holiday!”

“Ooh...!” Ari said with interest. “That reminds me, we have to go check Cedarville when the time comes and see if that was a Christmas quest as well,” she turned to me.

“Oh yeah!”

“Hmm? Ahh, the one cedar on the northwestern side of the town, huh?” Lysandra said with a faint grin.

“You know something about it?” Ari wondered.

“Oh, you'll see.” she said to us, still grinning. Ariana and I looked at each other.

Think she's bluffing?

Maybe, but I doubt it.

I wonder what it is!

I guess we'll see! Our wordless exchange played out in growing smiles, and we then returned our attention to food, Lysandra smiling brightly as she watched the two of us. Even more so than with Lizzy, Heali, or Maryn, I felt like I definitely had an older sister this time.

The train dropped us off at a way-station not far from the tri-regional border, where the three of us continued on foot towards the southwest. We passed through a guard-post that had been set up to keep an eye on the unearthed descent into the mysterious passages, gaining a set of ancient keys from one of the chief guards, and then continued on our way.

There was nothing unusual-looking about the newly excavated place that we could see, but the three of us could definitely sense something. An ancient door of stone sealed the actual passages themselves. I presumed one of the keys would open it. There were two statues on either side of the door, one of them resembling a knight and the other a mage. Some sort of hint, perhaps? Lysandra, who was just behind the two of us, then placed a firm hand on our shoulders to get us to stop.

“Sandra?” Ari asked, and the older girl began sniffing.

“Something's not right about those,” she said, her eyes gleaming. Ariana got her staff ready, and I drew out my bow.

“One of those mechanics, I guess. Let's just hope they're not invincible kill-alls.” I said as I activated Shadow Vision; I would have been surprised if not for Lysandra's sudden warning, but now I was definitely not surprised to see the two statues -- or guardians, perhaps, to be more accurate, outlined in enemy colors. “Left!” I cried out, readying my shot and firing at the mage.

“Right!” Ariana said as she cast a holy bolt towards the other. Lysandra drew out her sword, readying herself. Our apparent enemies woke up from their statuesque slumber, the mage casting spells towards me and the knight slowly advancing towards Ariana.

“Hyah!!” Lysandra shouted, rushing to engage the knight and turning him so Ari had a clear shot. She took advantage at once, redoubling her efforts to take the knight down while I kept the mage occupied.

It wasn't a difficult fight, and it was over in about five minutes, but the three of us knew that similar things were probably due to happen as we got further in. After defeating the two guardians, I tried the keys one by one, succeeding with the tenth. The door opened, and we headed on inside to begin our new adventure.

“Hahh...” I sighed about an hour of in-game time later, recovering my breath -- as were Lysandra and Ariana -- before we moved on.

We had been only too right about the statue mechanic. They were everywhere. Everywhere. You could barely turn a corner without finding another, and when Ariana used Mystic Vision-Seeing Eye combo to scan ahead, the three of us had let out a simultaneous sigh of weariness. But then Ariana herself suddenly noticed something, zeroing in on it.

“Oh, hey! A wayport!” she said.

“Heh? Really??” I wondered as I looked as well. “Nice!” I remarked, and I heard Lysandra sigh in relief.

“Right?” Ariana wryly grinned back to her.

“This is more difficult than I thought,” she said with a smile. “These guardians are getting tougher as we go on, as well.”

“I noticed that, too,” I agreed. “Let's just make it to the wayport this time, and we'll come back with some or all of the others for a next attempt.”

“Agreed.” she nodded.

“Definitely.” Ari also nodded.

“How far do you think?” I asked her.

“Hmm... not too far; given our battle pace, maybe twenty minutes or so?” she said in answer.

“Good enough,” I said, and we set off towards the wayport in question. Slowly but surely we made our way there, finding to our relief that it was indeed a save point for the area.

“It'll keep our progress, and no one else can reset it, so we can come back at any time.” I noted as I read the notification I received.

“But let's not wait too long to finish it.” Ariana smiled.

“Oh definitely. Let's try and get it by the end of the week, provided there's enough wayports for save points,” I replied.

“Should be.” she said.

“Let's get going; it's almost midnight, and it's still only Monday.” Lysandra said to us.

“Gotcha,” I agreed, and, after ensuring our progress had been saved, we returned to Queen's Haven for the time being.

The others were just returning from their own endeavors as well, burdened and weighted down with their gatherings. We helped them to carry in the surplus they had collected, and then gathered in the hall while Ari and Belle went to set some tea on for us

“So what did you three get into?” Lizzy asked me.

“We found a special quest to get into this secret passage-slash-dungeon place that leads to the Untold Deeps,” I replied.

“Sweet!” she replied enthusiastically.

“I remember one of our guildmates saying something about that,” Derwydd said. “You actually found it, then?”

“Apparently winning the tournament is a way to skip some of the prerequisites for it,” I nodded back.

“Ha, nice!” he grinned.

“Still...” I sighed, and Lysandra affected a wry smile.

“We probably didn't even get all that far, even after an hour and a half or so.” she said.

“We can all go together tomorrow night and clear it,” Healina smiled. “Tuesday will probably be the one day this week we can all definitely join. Wednesday, Der and I are going out, and of course Lizzy'll be working.”

“For the rest of the weeknights after it as well, and a full-night Saturday.” our smith nodded in affirmation. “But in exchange I get a lazy Sunday, so if you can do a couple more resource runs this week I can spend that whole day or so crafting!” she said with a wide grin.

“We'll see what we can do,” I smiled back as Ari and Belle returned with the tea.

“I might start working again as well, sooner or later,” the werewolf girl remarked. “What about you, Belle?”

“I've got plans, but nothing definite yet; it'll depend on how next semester goes for me,” our pixie replied.

“Gotcha.” the other girl nodded.

“Where are you planning to work? Or thinking about, even?” I asked Lysandra.

“Hmm...” she softly sighed, taking a sip of tea before answering. “I might take an apprenticeship related to my studies; or just do the barista thing.”

“No visiting her at work, for a couple more years anyway!” Ariana smirked, and we shared a laugh.

“Oh, Lana, Ari!” Anhe then broke in. “One night this week I want to take you somewhere in Xunapu, or maybe invite you over in real life, if you prefer?” she said to us.

“Hmm? Just us?” I wondered curiously.

“You will understand when we get there.” she smiled back. I thought about it for a moment, and then smiled.

“Sure, I can go,” I then nodded.

“Same!” Ari said.

“Hmm...?” Lizzy remarked with a semi-suspicious tone. “Ah, wait, I get it. Have fun!” she then beamed. Nonplussed by her reaction, I suddenly wondered where Anhe was going to take us later as the younger girl smiled back at Lizzy.

“Oh! Club business! Remember our visitation this weekend!” Healina then reminded us, and those of us who were going reaffirmed our attendance. Well, I didn't actually say anything, but Healina quietly fixed me with a gentle smile and I softly nodded back. She smiled, and then leaned onto Derwydd.

“You girls are tight, huh?” Belle smiled.

“And Derwydd, now. He's in our class and our club,” Maryn replied.

“Sounds fun!” the other girl said delightedly.

“It really is,” Maryn smiled back.

“Hm? Where you at a different school, Lana?” Belle suddenly wondered. I saw Healina softly jab Derwydd as he opened his mouth. A brief look of surprise crossed his face, but he smiled and said nothing.

“Ahh...” I began uncertainly.

“Aww, foo!” Belle sighed, jumping to her own conclusion the matter. “We'll all have to get together in real life some day, hopefully before you youngsters scatter to the four corners of the world!”

“We can try this summer! The six of us were already plotting out a vacation together anyway,” Healina said with a smile.

“Yay!” the little pixie cheered.

“Sounds like fun,” Lysandra smiled. “I honestly can't wait to see you all.” she said softly, her face almost glowing.

“Want to meet up sometime with me?” Belle asked her.

“Hm? Ahh, sure, if we can,” the other replied.

“We'll find out!” Belle smiled, writing a note and sending it her way. Lysandra smiled as she read it, writing one back. This little exchanged played back and forth a few more times, and then they smiled at each other, nodding.

“Ahh! It's almost one here!” Healina then noticed, jumping up out of her seat, as did the rest of us still in high school. Lysandra and Belle laughed with amusement, getting to their feet as well.

“See you all tomorrow!” the dark-haired girl said, logging out as we waved back.

“'Night kiddos!”

“'Night Belle!”

“Nite-nite!”

“See you soon!”

“Don't forget: club meeting tomorrow!”

“Yay! Homework help!”

“Good night!”

“See ya!”

We hurriedly exchanged these and a few other more personal farewells and good-nights, and then logged out to get some sleep. As I drifted off into slumber a few minutes later, I smiled. We were certainly heading off into new adventures: real or virtual, it didn't matter. As long as we were together, that was enough.