The rush of adrenaline was still fizzling through Rhett's veins as he and Waverly were ushered along with the rest of the (conscious) contestants from their game to the main stadium, where the day's closing ceremony and announcements for the duels would take place. Waverly had yet to let go of his hand, and he was grateful for it—the crush of bodies around them made it difficult for him to thread his winds through the space and get a clear picture of their path, or the placement of the other adventurers for that matter.

His breathing came a little easier as they emerged from their hallway into the arena and his winds could freely map the layout of the place, picking out obstacles and bodies alike. The din of the crowd would've taken him off his feet if he hadn't experienced it already this morning, but now it was more thrilling than it was overwhelming. Rhett had proven—to himself, to his guild, to the kingdom—that he deserved to be here as a competitor. And he was sure they'd netted Starry Rose enough points to qualify for the duels.

The real question was who'd be competing alongside them.

As the last of their numbers filtered into the stadium, Rhett reached out with his magic in an attempt to locate their wayward teammates. Most, if not all, of them would have traveled down from the stands together, their own games long finished. Other people were breaking off into their respective teams, which made it easier to sweep past them after coming up short on identifying features. After a moment, he concentrated on lifting his winds off the ground, trying to single out the tallest among them—Lock and Hawthorne were both above average height, but Cross would stand out by several inches.

Lo and behold, he found Cross first, and unless Rhett was mistaken, he had Lock at his side, taking a fair amount of Cross' weight. Rhett didn't catch everything that went on with their game, but Waverly did mention something about Cross breaking out magic she'd never seen him use before; that, coupled with Cross' habit of overexerting himself, would explain the uneven edge to his normally loping gait.

Rhett was about to raise a hand to get their attention, but he heard Hawthorne call out, "There they are!" and the Roses were suddenly surrounding them, their voices overlapping as they congratulated Rhett and Waverly and playfully shit-talked one another. Sky and Sia were apparently continuing an argument from earlier regarding their own game, with Gideon and Hawthorne notably refraining from voicing any of their own opinions; Lock steadied Cross, who tried valiantly to rally himself by asking Waverly about the trick she'd pulled with the climbing wall. Predictably, Waverly's answers were succinct and to the point, and clearly lacking the bravado Cross was going for, but Cross was tired enough he didn't prod much for more details.

Rhett let their voices wash over him, pleased they were together again and in relatively good spirits. He'd come into the tourney not knowing what to expect, only knowing his guild was at a disadvantage and that their reputation—mangled as it already was on a good day—was on the line, that they would need to excel in order to shut down the critics who believed them to be a nuisance to the adventuring world and nothing more. But, as always, his guildmates were ready to go above and beyond not only for themselves but for each other, and here they were, exhausted and ecstatic after the first day of the tourney.

Just this once, Rhett wished he could see the looks on the faces of everyone who'd questioned Starry Rose's right to be here.

Around him, his team quieted down as the general hum of the stadium dulled to a faint murmur, before even that dissipated into silence. Rhett remembered this, and he wasn't surprised when the voice of the crown prince resonated throughout the arena.

He was, however, confused as to why Waverly's hand tensed in his, her body going taut where it was pressed lightly against his side. Had she reacted this way when the prince appeared this morning? He'd been too absorbed in his own nerves to focus on the physical reactions of his teammates, so it was entirely possible he'd missed it. Possible, and understandable; still, a kernel of guilt wedged itself between his ribs at the thought that he'd neglected his team, even for a moment.

"—draws to a close, I'd like to thank every guild and independent adventurer who traveled all this way to participate in the King's Tourney," the prince was saying when Rhett consciously tuned back in. "As you know, only four of the eight participating teams will continue to the individual duels. For those who did not make the cut, you're free to remain as spectators or start the journey home. We hope you enjoy your stay in Isyana regardless."

"Who wouldn't want to stay?" Hawthorne wondered, his voice soft so as not to carry beyond their teammates.

"Kind of humiliating," Sia replied, "to sit around and watch the teams who kicked you from the tourney move on without you."

Rhett hummed thoughtfully. "I don't know," he said. "Wouldn't you want to make sure those teams were actually worthy of beating you, and that it wasn't just a fluke? I think I'd like that confirmation."

Gideon hushed them, his hand slicing down in a gesture Rhett assumed was meant to be somewhat menacing, given the subtle reactions it got from Hawthorne and Sia. The movement was sharp and cutting, but the physicality of it was lost on Rhett.

Just as well, though, as the prince was readying himself to announce the four teams that would compete in the duels.

"We've tallied up the points earned in each game, and while it was a close call in some cases, these four teams have shown themselves to be the best of the best. In no particular order, the teams moving onto the next round are Polar Fox—"

No surprise there. Aside from the drake fights, the Foxes dominated, earning spots in the top five of each game and first in two of them.

"—the Celestials—"

Cross perked up at that, nudging Lock. Atlas, Rhett figured; he hadn't caught what team he was representing in the game but if Cross was this excited in the state he was in, it only made sense.

"—the Adventurer's Coalition—"

Rhett heard Sia breathe out a quiet sigh, as though relieved. That was less clear-cut—it was possible she knew someone on the team, like Cross, but she hadn't said anything about it that Rhett was aware of. Then again, she wasn't very open about her past with any of them, save Oren, and who knew how much she really told him. Rhett couldn't blame her, but he also couldn't deny it made him curious.

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"—and Starry Rose!"

A little thrill of excitement shot through Rhett as the crowd erupted with applause once again. It wasn't for them—or, not solely for them, anyway, it was for the announcement of the competing teams as a whole, but that made no difference to his heart, which pounded furiously inside his chest. Every inch of him was coiled tight with an anticipatory sort of tension—they'd made it to the second round, and from here on out, they would be fighting alone.

It wasn't a concept Rhett had dealt with much in time as an adventurer with Starry Rose. Lock had recruited him when he was sixteen and while the man himself couldn't always be around to accompany Rhett on jobs, he'd made sure other reliable guild members were here to show him the ropes. He'd spent a lot of time with Hawthorne and Gideon in the beginning, and when Kier came along he practically became his exclusive partner when he wasn't off with Waverly.

Rhett reflexively tightened his grip on Waverly's hand, fingers curling into the back of her palm. They'd gotten through the obstacle course together, but who knew if they'd both make it past their first duels?

Could Rhett win without the support of his guildmates?

"We'll conduct the first round of duels tomorrow. The process for selecting matchups is random, and until the start of the round you won't know who your opponent is. I suggest getting some rest," the prince said, with a smile audible in his voice, much to the enthusiastic encouragement of the crowd. "I know I'll be taking time to recover from all of today's excitement."

With that, Rhett supposed the prince took his leave, as attendants appeared in nearby doorways to prompt them all to exit the arena. Waverly kept her grip on his hand as they followed their guildmates out, Rhett letting himself narrow his focus to their group rather than keeping track of the other teams in their vicinity. He could lower his guard with everyone surrounding him and Waverly guiding his steps.

He found that as comforting as he did disconcerting.

That doesn't really bode well for my chances in the duels...

They returned to the room they'd started the day in and Rhett happily collected his few possessions from the magically-sealed cubby hole while his guildmates did the same.

"Rhett."

Hawthorne's voice registered at the same time his presence at Rhett's side did, and Rhett stilled, his hands frozen in the act of undoing the clasp of the bracelet he hadn't wanted to lose doing the games. He let it dangle from his fingers as he angled himself to face Hawthorne, a slight smile already tugging at his mouth. Even with a few inches between them Rhett could feel the warmth radiating from Hawthorne, and as tired as he was it was hard to keep himself from leaning into it. Hawthorne wouldn't appreciate the unexpected contact, though, which was what gave Rhett the strength to keep himself in check.

"What can I do for you?" he asked. It wasn't rare for Hawthorne to seek him out, necessarily, but it wasn't as common an occurrence as it was a few years ago. Most of Rhett's time was occupied by Kier these days—which, now that he thought about it, was a little ridiculous. He considered Hawthorne a good friend, if not an especially close one; he'd just been so caught up with Kier and the helpless anxiety he felt regarding their relationship that he'd let himself drift away from the people who'd introduced him to Starry Rose. He'd have to fix that once the tourney was through.

"No, no, I just wanted to check in," Hawthorne said, with a fleeting touch to Rhett's shoulder, his fingers lingering for a heartbeat before he pulled them back to settle on his hip. It was sad, when Rhett let himself think about it, that Hawthorne very clearly wanted to be an affectionate person, but physically couldn't handle it with most people. He was glad that Gideon and Ilias, at least, had learned how to navigate Hawthorne's anxieties enough to comfort him at times. "That last obstacle... that Fox shouldn't have taken a gamble like that when she threw her ax. She could've killed you and Waverly."

Oh. That...was true. It hadn't hit Rhett in the moment how close they'd come to losing a limb (or worse), everything overshadowed by the shock of Waverly's wings and the euphoria of their double-win. Even now he couldn't quite bring forth the terror he should've felt, or the anger towards the renegade Fox that would've been expected. He was alive, and really, that was all he needed right now. Waverly hadn't seemed especially shaken by the near-death experience, either, but then, Rhett didn't think he'd ever seen her rattled.

Apart from whatever was going on when the prince showed up.

But that wasn't anything Hawthorne needed to hear.

"I'm alright," Rhett promised, letting his smile soften with his sincerity. "Neither of us were hurt."

He felt Hawthorne shift his weight, feet shuffling a little. "Yeah, but..." He paused, then sighed, a quiet exhale that Rhett thought carried more weight than it should. That was Hawthorne, though; ever one to bear more than his fair share of responsibility. "That's good," he said at last. "But don't hesitate to—"

"Rhetty!"

"Sir! This area is for competitors only!"

"Oh, jeez," Hawthorne muttered, his voice undercut with a laugh. Another light touch to Rhett's arm — maybe a confirmation that he was really as alright as he claimed? Or a physical reminder that Hawthorne wasn't simply running off. "I'll make myself scarce, but let me know if you need anything, 'kay?"

Rhett managed a nod before his winds alerted him (with half a second to spare) that Kier had flung himself at him the moment he was within hugging distance. Kier's arms wrapped around his neck as he leaned a fair amount of his weight into Rhett's chest, and Rhett automatically returned the embrace, linking his hands together at the small of Kier's back as a laugh escaped him.

"Rhetty!" Kier pulled back enough that he could (presumably) meet Rhett's eyes. "You were amazing! A total badass! Everyone freaked out when you destroyed the glass bridge thing and the Celestial jerks dropped like stones, it was insane."

Rhett's cheeks warmed at the praise even as he fought the urge to deny that he'd done very much to contribute to their win. He had helped, and while it was Waverly's wings that saved them at the end, he'd given her the winds necessary to get them to the platform. And he did take Inan and Atlas out of first and second place—that was an accomplishment he could be proud of.

"I'm just happy we were able to place," Rhett said, truthfully. "But thank you, Kier. Did you, um..." Gods, he didn't want to make this awkward, but it was — strange, that Kier was latched onto him when Waverly was so close. Only a dozen feet away, by Rhett's estimate. "Did you congratulate Waverly, too?"

He hadn't, of course; he'd barreled into the room and ran full tilt at Rhett without sparing their guildmates so much as a glance. Kier leaned further back from Rhett, hands restlessly smoothing down Rhett's shoulders.

"Oh," he said, in a tone of voice that suggested he'd sound surprised if he let himself. Rhett knew the ins and outs of Kier's voice too well to be fooled, though. "Nope. Let me do that right now. Thanks for the reminder, Rhetty!"

With that, he detached himself from Rhett and hurried over to where Waverly was standing with Lock and Cross. Rhett withdrew his winds, tucking them close to himself so that he wouldn't inadvertently spy on their conversation, then turned so he could catch up with Hawthorne, Gideon, and Sia, all of whom were making their way towards the exit, chatting about where they should go for their celebration dinner (the first of many, hopefully).

Hawthorne noticed Rhett first and made space between himself and Gideon so Rhett could walk with them, not missing a beat as he asked if Rhett had a preference for anything special tonight. He didn't, and said as much; Sia chimed in immediately that it needed to be within walking distance of the inn, as she didn't think some of them (Cross) had it in them to trek long distance after dinner. That limited their options, according to Gideon, but it technically made it simpler to choose. Not that that shortened the debate any.

The others would catch up with them in a moment, Kier included. Rhett didn't know exactly what he wanted to say to him, or to Waverly for that matter, but he was glad he had at least a bit of time to get his thoughts together. For now, though, he brushed shoulders with his guildmates and smiled at their bickering, shoving down thoughts of Kier and the duels into a quiet, untouched corner of his mind.

They could wait until dinner was finished.