Oren did not get seated with Sia on the train the next morning, which absolutely heralded the kind of day he was going to have.

Oren had come up from his room beneath the guild to find Sera in the process of handing out tickets, and when she'd given Oren his she'd made sure to tack on that the seating arrangements were non-negotiable. Which didn't stop him from trying to barter his way into Sia's compartment, but that effort met with a swift death the moment someone (Cross) accused him of having feelings, because he'd had to shut that shit down immediately.

So it was in no way his fault that he got stuck in the train car that already housed Rhett, Waverly, and the annoying third to their ridiculous love triangle. Not that Rhett was really involved in anything right now; Waverly, apparently still suffering ill effects from the concrete she'd eaten weeks ago, was curled up on the bench seat, half-sprawled across Kier, who carded his hands through her hair and spoke softly to her in hushed tones.

Rhett, on the other hand, sat next to Oren on the opposite bench, passing his fingers over the raised lettering of a book he'd pulled out minutes after the train departed from the station, his sightless gaze settled slightly to the left of the window on Oren's other side.

Oren was so, so very uncomfortable.

He didn't pretend to understand why Rhett or Waverly put up with Kier's mood swings, and he flat out refused to care why they were apparently content to more or less be ignored when he wasn't in their particular mode. Waverly at least had the excuse of underdeveloped social skills; for all Oren knew, she thought the whole thing was normal.

Rhett, though. Rhett made no sense.

Oren groaned quietly into his shoulder, tucked as far into the corner of the seat as he could get without becoming one with the window pane. This had been going on for hours. He wasn't surprised, only irritated, but seeing as that was his near-constant state of being, no one attempted to ease his suffering. He didn't mind Rhett, really; the man was always polite to him, and friendly enough when they somehow found themselves in conversations. Waverly, too, he could deal with, seeing as she barely spoke to anyone that wasn't Kier and that suited Oren fine. But Kier... Gods, Oren couldn't stand him.

When he finally mustered the courage (and patience) to look up, Kier was looking down warmly at Waverly, who had evidently fallen asleep. Rhett's focus hadn't left his book; he passed his fingers over the raised letters with surprising speed, mouthing along with whatever he was reading. Oren thought it was an unconscious act, and didn't comment on it. But every so often he'd pause, fingers curling up into his palm. He'd bite his lip, looking on the verge of speaking up, and then the moment would pass and he'd exhale, shaking his head as he resumed reading.

Oren almost wished he'd say something, because it was getting painful to watch, and Kier never so much as glanced in Rhett's direction. The tension was stifling, and yet everyone but Oren seemed utterly unaffected by it. Which was infuriating, so much so that Oren was back to considering the merits of just - leaving. Finding an open spot in literally any other compartment and hunkering down until they reached the capital. Lock and Varya would be together, and that wasn't a bad combination, all things considered, but then there was the chance that Sky was with them. Hawthorne, Gideon, and Sage were another option, but Sky could also be there, and really it was not worth the risk to Oren's sanity to play that guessing game.

He managed to content himself by staring out the window at the passing scenery - a blur of greens and browns and blues, interspersed with the more violent colors of towns and people and civilization in general. He missed Wisteria, he missed Starry Rose, and not for the first time he wondered why he was even coming along to the tourney. He wasn't participating, and he'd hardly be the first choice if they needed a backup. Really, he could have remained behind with the other disinterested members and watched for news of how his guild did when compared to more famous powerhouses, and whatever the hell Polar Fox was.

Sia'd told him about how strange Cross had seemed about the mysterious guild, though he'd bluntly asked her why she cared to explain the situation to him when he could and would do nothing about it; she'd rolled her eyes and smacked his arm, but hadn't pressed the issue.

But there was no use dwelling on that, or his unhappiness at being shepherded along for the ride to Isyana. He had more important matters to attend to, anyway - like how he was going to survive another four hours trapped in a confined space with the subjects of Starry Rose's most anticlimactic romantic drama.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kier finally lift his head. His eyes flitted over Rhett, catching the flex of his fingers this time, and his expression turned pensive.

"Rhett," he said, and Rhett nearly jumped in his seat, startled by the sudden use of his name. His fingers twitched atop the braille. "What is it you're reading? I'm curious, since it's had you enthralled for a while now."

Oren watched as Rhett's violet eyes flicked to Kier, as if he could see the almost unreadable expression the green-haired mage wore and wasn't very impressed by it. Unlike Oren, though, Rhett smiled.

"It's a book of short stories," he explained, leaving his thumb between the pages to mark his pace as he lifted the book so the cover and spine were visible to Kier. The man's expression didn't soften the way it would if he were in Rhett mode, but he did look at least mildly interested in what Rhett had to say, so that was... something. Scraps, as far as Oren was concerned, but no one was asking him, so he kept the contemptuous thought to himself. "There's a lot of variety, so it's hard to get bored of it."

"Do you have a favorite?"

Rhett pursed his lips, tapping out a rhythmless beat on the cover of the book, now half-closed in his lap again. "Ah... yes, I do. There's this one about a man who comes back from war to visit his old family home, empty now that his parents passed and... well, that's a spoiler, but I've read it twice already, to be honest. It's a little sadder than what I normally go for, but like I said, the variety has been nice."

Kier's hands didn't stop their absent ministrations in Waverly's hair, though his eyes were fixed on Rhett and they didn't wander as the violet-eyed man spoke. He hummed in acknowledgement when Rhett was finished, and Oren fully expected him to leave it at that and return to the suffocating silence they'd all been trapped in. Except he didn't. Kier adjusted himself in his seat, smoothing a hand down to rest on Waverly's back, and the movement caused Waverly to stir slightly, her eyes opening to slits.

"Would you mind reading to us?" Kier asked.

Rhett blinked. "Oh. I can, but..."

The unspoken why really grated on Oren's nerves.

Kier shrugged lightly. "Something to pass the time. That, and you have a nice voice." Rhett's eyebrows shot up as color rose in his cheeks. When he didn't respond for a moment, Kier went on to say, "If you'd rather not..."

"No," Rhett interrupted, "no, I really don't mind. Just let me..."

His careful, nimble fingers worked their way back to the beginning of his novel. With another half-fond, half-curious look at Keir, he began reading aloud, quiet enough that he wasn't a nuisance to Oren, which actually bothered him to an extent. Sometimes Rhett was too considerate for his own good.

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"The old house hadn't changed since the last time he'd visited, however many years ago that was..."

Oren decided to tune it out. Rhett's voice was actually quite soothing, and hearing him read was more than just a little enjoyable; that was the problem, though, as Oren wasn't interested in falling asleep before they reached Eloserin's capital. He'd been on the cusp of nodding off for most of the ride, thanks to his late-night training with Sia, and while he'd mostly been teasing, he really didn't want Cross to come barreling in while Oren was vulnerable. Gods knew what kind of prank he'd pull just to get a reaction out of Oren...

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you asked), all possibility of sleep dissipated the moment the sliding door of the car was thrown open, and in crashed a familiar blue-haired girl, whose smile radiated with energy and enthusiasm, the likes of which could rival caffeine for how jittery they instantly made Oren; he practically shrunk back into his seat, as if he could somehow merge with the soft vinyl and hide from Nova.

Today was really not his lucky day.

Oren couldn't even remember the last time he'd had what one could possibly call a lucky day.

Regardless, this wasn't one of them.

"Ori! Found ya!"

"Who are you again?"

Nova's grin only widened as she bounced inside the car, either forgetting to close the door behind her or simply not caring enough to do so. She squeezed herself onto the seat in between Oren and Rhett, rubbing shoulders and entirely too close for comfort. She was like that with everyone, and the guild had figured that she'd never properly learned the concept of personal space.

"Ori, ya gotta come with me! There's this sweet, sweet family a few cars down and the babies are crying their tiny little heads off 'cause it's just the mom, right, and she can't hold all three of them at once, so I thought, I know the perfect guy for the job! And I ran right over here, so you gotta come with me, come on, you can copy the momma and bounce a baby and we'll make everyone's day a little brighter!"

Without pausing for breath, she suddenly swiveled in her seat, twisting round to nudge playfully at Rhett and wave to Kier and Waverly, neither of whom had originally looked up at her entrance. Now Rhett smiled at Nova while Kier merely nodded, so used to her antics that they could carry on as if nothing had changed.

"Hey, Rhett, Keir! Ooh, Waverly, hi! Master's got something for you, for the icky nausea, I'll grab it in a sec!"

Oren's brow drew together in a sharp V as he considered that Varya had had the forethought to bring medicinal plants with her. He'd had it in his head that Varya was just absent-minded enough to have forgotten her usual assortment of herbs. Then again, he had seen Lock toting around several clay pots filled to the brim with soil, so perhaps she'd thought ahead so she could produce fresh herbs for anyone who needed them.

That, or Lock thought of it himself (and that really seemed the more likely option).

"Anyway, Ori!"

And her attention was back to him. Lovely.

"Please? Pleeeaaaase come help? I'll run errands for you when we get back, or do some chores, or hell, I'll give ya a kiss or something--"

He drew the line there, and Oren physically held up his hand to stop Nova from going any further with that particular thought. Scowling, he scooted to the very edge of his seat, until he pressed flush against the window.

"I. Don't. Want. Anything," he said through clenched teeth, careful to emphasize the final word.

"So you'll do it for free? I knew ya were a good guy, Ori, ya just don't-"

"I'm not helping you."

"Aw, why? I'm-"

"Annoying, that's what. I don't know this woman, and her kids aren't my problem. Stop asking."

It had more to do with the fact that Oren's magical reserves hadn't recovered in the scant hours between actually going to sleep last night and waking up early this morning to get on the road. But Nova didn't need to know that; she'd ruin his reputation as a grade-A asshole at the speed of sound and then she'd never stop hounding him.

Nova screwed her face up in thought, lips pursed and forehead drawn with wrinkles. She wasn't often struck speechless, and not for very long, whatever the case, but from time to time she became thoughtful, so much so that she consciously flipped the switch that connected to her brain-to-mouth filter. She never stopped moving, even while silent; her foot tapped rhythmically against the floor, her fingers bounced on her knee. He thought even her eyes were moving, darting around the small car, flitting rapidly over the expansive window and the paisley-toned walls and the car's occupants.

"Well, alrighty then, if that's how ya feel, Ori. But if you change your mind, just give me a shout and I'll come running!"

Nova nodded decisively, as if the matter were solved, and moved to stand from her seat. Oren certainly wasn't going to stop her. But she paused for a moment as a large, furry blur suddenly rocketed past their car, followed shortly by Ilias, frantic and disheveled in his haste.

"Minny! Come back! I didn't- I didn't mean to summon you! Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

Oren didn't so much as bat an eye as he heard a number of shrill screams echoing down from the adjoining hallway. A starry-furred bear running rampant through a train car would generally elicit such a response. The Roses had seen it too many times before, though; Minny (Mina, to be precise) was an excitable familiar who relished every chance they got to visit the mortal world; how Ilias "accidentally" summoned her, though, was something of a mystery, one that Oren didn't care enough to solve.

Just another day with the members of Starry Rose...

༺♥༻❀༺♥༻

"Wow... Isyana is beautiful..."

Oren glanced sideways at Sia, who he'd met up with the moment they'd left the train. He'd be on his own more as the tourney progressed, since she was competing, so he was making use of her grounding presence while he had it.

"Beautiful? Looks pretentious to me."

"Maybe. But it looks nice, all the decorations up for the tourney."

She had a point there, he supposed. All manner of festive decor had been thrown up for the occasion, with garland strung above and between shopfronts and homes alike. Banners depicting the royal family's crest were everywhere, too, and street performers stood on nearly every corner, musicians and faux magicians captivating visitors. It was colorful, downright vibrant - and it honestly hurt his eyes.

He and Sia followed the rest of the present guild members to their inn. Pleasant conversation filtered through their ranks, though Oren paid more attention to Gideon, who was chatting with Hawthorne and Sage, unsurprisingly.

"There aren't very many rules to the tourney, as far as I've gathered from the rulebook Sera had."

"Really? I would have thought they'd be a little more... uptight about things? I mean, given all the high-profile guilds who enter this thing every year..."

"I know. I was surprised myself. But the rules are fairly basic. Masters can't participate, and if you aren't affiliated with a guild you have to align yourself temporarily with your team. Those without guild markers aren't allowed to compete"

"The second part... isn't that obvious?"

"I would have thought so, but apparently they thought it prudent to include. Also, we won't have much warning about the games we're competing in. A few hours notice at most."

"Ooh, that's mysterious!" Sage chimed in, spinning on her heel so that she could face the boys while they walked. "I wonder what that's about... Maybe they wanna keep everyone on their toes?"

"Likely it's to keep people from cheating. You can't prepare much in advance with only a few hours' warning, realistically speaking," Gideon mused.

Oren frowned, mulling that over. While he agreed with Gideon that it was probably a decent deterrent for cheaters, it still seemed unfair. Though he supposed his guild wasn't known for getting antsy before the big moment; rather, most of them jumped headfirst into danger without any prompting whatsoever. This actually seemed right up their alley. Or, well, Sky's, at least. Lock would be able to adapt to whatever challenge he was meant to join in on, as wold Gideon, and Rhett was nearly as flexible if he found the confidence. Cross was Cross, and nothing further needed to be said on the matter. Sia... she was a bit more worrying, as was Hawthorne. Both of them were skilled fighters, but that didn't necessarily translate well into other aspects of competition, and if something unexpected was thrown at them, some strange game they hadn't considered before...

Ugh. He really was spending too much time with Ilias. What did he even care?

"Excited, Oren?" Sia asked, half-smiling as she looked up at him.

He raised a brow, as if to ask what about his current demeanor screamed excitement. But he bit his tongue. He knew Sia well enough to recognize the hint of nervousness in her even voice.

"Very," he replied dryly, taking a moment to stretch out his arms above his head, stifling a yawn.

He wasn't sure what he was going to be doing for the duration of the tourney, if he had to sit in the stands with the other non-participating members of Starry Rose, or if he was free to do as he wished; either way, he just hoped he could rest for a while. His sleeping pattern was erratic at the best of times, but the past few days had been particularly grueling for him.

"Well, the first game is coming up," Sia went on, ignoring the sarcastic edge to his voice. "I wonder what it'll be..."

"Something stupid, probably."

"Probably," Sia agreed with a small smile curving her lips.

"...You'll do fine, whatever it is," he added, flicking her another glance. "You're strong."

"Thanks for the reminder, Oren."

"Don't mention it."

As soon as they got to the inn, Oren was locking himself in his room (with or without Sia present) and sleeping for the next twelve hours. All the excitement was really getting to him, and if he didn't get some rest soon, Sia's predictions about him ripping someone's head off wouldn't be all that farfetched.