After everything that’d happened in the last twenty-four hours, the adults agreed they could use a drink and some relaxation at the tavern.

Sitting at a large table with everyone else, Emelri had her hand under her chin as she stared at a tall man at the bar with a chiseled jaw and big muscles.

“A bit too old for you, don’t you think?” Toulou said before sipping from a tankard.

She jumped slightly. “Huh? Oh, I know, but look how attractive he is.” She sighed. “Wish I was older.”

“You like that type of man?” Pepin asked, pushing some flatbread into his mouth, something hesitant in his eyes.

“Uh, I don’t really have a type. Never courted anyone.”

“Well, yeah, you’re like ten years old,” Zuri said, shaking their head.

“No courting,” Jacques snapped, then he snatched Toulou’s drink out of their hand. “And you. You’re not old enough to drink.”

The eldest cried out in protest, slamming a fist on the table. “Hey! I’m just as much an adult as you guys!”

“Keep dreaming buddy.” He handed the drink off to Andre who began downing it, no questions asked.

They glared at him. “You know I have my own money? I can just come here whenever I want and buy my own alcohol.”

“True, but s’not gonna happen while I’m around.”

“Pfft!” They would have protested more, but Zuri discreetly got their attention, eyes flicking down to their own tankard as they pushed it forward slightly.

Considering the silent offer, they decided to drop the matter.

“So, the magic flying ship...” Emelri began, looking at Jacques as she said it. “Can we see it?”

Pepin perked up at that, nodding hastily in agreement.

Adrian answered instead. “It’s hidden on the outskirts of New Minoka surrounded by another one of those invisible force fields since it doesn’t really fit in town. It’s not exactly something we can access quickly or easily.”

“Oh.”

“We do have an energy crystal powered speeder we uncovered from the sand dunes a few months ago though.”

Her jaw dropped. “Really?”

“They’re very fast,” Zuri chimed in.

“I see you, Zuri!” Jacques scolded, catching the inventor halfway through slipping their drink to Toulou.

They stuck their tongue out at him. “Can’t you go one moment without yelling at someone? Anyway, the speeder will react to your magic, or in my case, my artificial magic. You should really try them out before you leave.”

“We can try them out after dinner—” Adrian began but his partner cut him off.

“I don’t think so. I won’t condone something risky like that.” Frustration crossed the blond’s face.

“Oh, please,” Emelri begged. “I want to see them work! I know Pep does too.”

“No way,” Jacques said firmly. “Not happening.”

“I’ll show you three then,” Adrian declared, challenging the shorter man with just his eyebrows. “Unless, of course, you’re going to stop me, Jacques.”

“Tssk. Sweetheart, we make decisions together—”

“Do we?”

He blinked. “Uh, yes. Aren’t you being a bit—”

“A bit what, Jacques?” he snapped, and everyone quieted. “It’s clear you don’t give a damn about my input. You never have.”

“What? That’s not true!”

“Then you’ll be fine with the decision I’ve made for the both of us.”

He exhaled quickly. “That’s not fair. Adrian—”

“You won’t come to terms with me, so I won’t come to terms with you. I’m tired of having this conversation. When I was just a group member and you were the leader, it was fine for me to just follow orders, but now that we’re partners it doesn’t make sense anymore. You won’t even give me a chance to voice my opinion.”

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He opened and closed his mouth. “You’re not exactly giving me a chance either. I’m absolutely not allowing a bunch of kids—”

“Like it’s solely your allowance to give.” He scoffed, then shook his head. “Forget it.” Taking up his tankard, he finished it off and set it down harshly before getting up. “I’ll be at the house when you’re done stroking ego.”

“Adrian!”

The furious blond was already out the door, leaving the group in shocked silence.

Jacques stared at the exit for maybe a second before breathing out a soft, “Shit,” then getting up and going after him.

Once he’d left, everyone at the table looked around at each other.

“For the record, that’s not how they usually are,” Zuri stated before taking a swig of their drink. “Just thought you all should know.”

Those remaining at the tavern conversed for a bit longer before Andre was paying the bill.

“This is insane,” Zuri said once the black man had returned. “Jacques has covered the tab for years now. Never thought I’d see the day...”

“I’m gonna head back,” Andre said, hovering by the table. “It’s getting late.”

“I’m going to stay longer,” Toulou said, finally able to drink their alcohol in peace. “I don’t exactly want to be around while those two are arguing.”

“I’d agree with you, but I’m so tired,” Zuri said, standing as well. “I don’t think Jacques would be happy if we left you three here.”

“It’s not like he’s our guardian,” Toulou spat. “He’s made that very clear. I’ll do as I please.”

“I want to stay a bit longer as well,” Emelri said, and Pepin nodded in agreement. “I don’t want to leave Toulou all alone.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“We’re a team though. We stick together.” The eldest blinked at her. “So, you two can go back to the house.” She looked back at the adults. “We’ve been on our own this long.”

Zuri looked between the three of them, then sighed. “Well, alright. Just don’t tell Jacques we allowed this.”

“We won’t.”

The teens walked three abreast down the poorly lit sidewalk.

“When do you think they’ll find us a new home?” Emelri asked after a while.

Toulou breathed out a sigh. “With the way things are going, I’d say sooner than later. We’d be better off on our own at that point.”

Pepin kicked a rock. “They seem to really like us, though. Even Jacques.”

“I know. I don’t know why he’s so against it.”

“He did say he was scared of being a parent because of how his own father was,” Emelri said.

“When did he say that?”

She stiffened. “Oh, I don’t quite remember. It must have been when he was in the kitchen, and you were still in the living room.” She cleared her throat, and Pepin shot her a weary look.

“Well, that makes sense then,” Toulou said, not noticing the hesitancy between them, “though, he did seem to enjoy teaching us. He’s properly fucked up, like all adults. I swear, I won’t be like that when I’m older.”

She gave them an unimpressed look. “I thought you were an adult? Isn’t that what you’re always saying?”

“I am. It’s just—”

They all halted in their tracks. A stranger with cherry red hair and a crimson face mask with a black fox painted over it stood in their path.

“Thought I sensed a magic user,” the man said, a knife drawn and some kind of strange gray stone in the other hand.

Toulou pushed the other two behind them as they stepped forward. “I suggest you keep walking. We’re not looking for trouble.”

He chuckled. “A magic user not wanting to cause trouble? Somehow, I doubt that.”

“We don’t know what you’re talking about. Let us pass.”

“One of you is reacting to my Teptrite.” He ran a thumb over the stone. “Come forward, magic user, whoever you are, and your regular friends get to live. Don’t make me use this.”

Before Toulou could reply, Emelri scoffed at him, saying confidently, “You don’t want to mess with us. We’ll all three take you on right now!”

He laughed. “As you wish.” Lifting the knife, Toulou moved forward to stop him, but it was too late as he struck the Teptrite with the blade.

Both Toulou and Pepin collapsed to their knees, their faces twisted in pain. Emelri looked between them in shock.

The man stepped forward. “Two magic users? Oh, this is too much.”

“What did you do to them?” she yelled, her voice wavering. “Stay back!” As he closed in, adrenaline kicked in and she unsheathed a knife from Toulou’s hip and pointed it at the assailant. “I’m warning you.” Her hands trembled and her heart pounded in her chest.

He laughed again. “Oh, this is rich. You’ve never met a Spiller, have you?”

She frowned. “I’ve met plenty. Don’t test me.”

Swinging the knife flashily, she watched as the man easily dodged. Expecting this, she used her shell to disappear right as he swung his own knife in reply. Blinking, he looked around. She hurriedly plunged her knife into his back but missed and gashed down the side of his arm instead.

Crying out, he dropped the Teptrite. As soon as he did, Toulou and Pepin exhaled, able to move again. Before Emelri could really process what she’d just done, the man got a hold of her arm, and she screamed as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her side.

“Emelri!” Toulou cried.

Looking down, she saw nothing due to the invisibility of the pendant save for occasional drips of blood that fell to the ground. She wasn’t sure exactly what’d happened as she crumpled. Weakly turning her shell necklace, she reappeared. Pepin’s hands were on her then. That’s when she heard a concise, wet slice of flesh and the sound of deadweight hitting the ground.

Glancing over in a daze, she saw the Spiller not too far away with a dagger plunged into his heart, his dead eyes staring at her.

“What did I tell you about just jumping into things with no sense of self-preservation?” Toulou reprimanded, and she barely registered the voice as she was picked up.

“Y-you... killed a Spiller...” she managed, a dopey grin appearing on her face. “That’s craaaazy!”

“Toulou, what do we do?” Pepin cried.

“We need to get her to Jacques.”

They sprinted down the street, and Emelri’s head lulled against Toulou’s shoulder as her strength began to leave her. She hadn’t thought she’d been hurt that badly. Why was she so tired all of a sudden?

Brown eyes wandered from Toulou’s intense face down to her own torso. Even in her hazy state, some horrible realization shot through her as she stared at the dagger still in her chest and the crimson staining her entire lower half. She’d never seen so much blood before. Was that really all from her?

Before she could really process the extent of her injury, her world faded into darkness.