Slimantha stretched her arms and bent over. Sunlight cascaded down upon her. A soft breeze rustled the long locks of her brown hair. Her black shoes pressed down into the lush green grass of Spider-Lily Park. She straightened up and lowered her arms. Overhead, many crows flew, the faint sound of their flapping in the air. An occasional caw sounded out from above.

Black stood beside Slimantha, the cat woman’s black feline tail swishing. Black smiled in the sunlight. She glanced at Slimantha and then at the many crows flying overhead. She blinked. Her tail swished. There were so many crows up there. She blinked again.

Mimi stood a bit behind Slimantha and Black. Her golden eyes were on the overhead crows. A pout showed on her face. She huffed and turned her face away from the crows. Then her gaze softened. She yawned and then stretched her arms. She bent over, continuing to stretch.

Samuel glanced at the stretching Mimi. A soft blush spread across his face, and he promptly averted his gaze. His blue eyes went to the nearby pond. He blinked. Three white ducks floated upon the pond’s surface. The three fowl stared back at him. He took a step back and blinked again. Was he really being stared down by three ducks?

As Mimi continued her stretches, Slimantha glanced at Samuel and then at the ducks floating upon the pond. She blinked and then glanced at Black. Black’s lovely brown eyes went from the three ducks to Slimantha, and the two women shared a smile. Then Black nudged the still-stretching Mimi.

Mimi blinked and straightened up. Her beautiful golden eyes went to the pond and the three white ducks floating upon the pond’s surface. “Please say those ducks are not with the crows,” she said. She puffed her cheeks out and then glanced down.

Slimantha’s beautiful brown eyes went back to the three white ducks. “I’ll go have a talk with them,” she said. Then she stepped up to the pond’s edge. “Oh great ducks of the pond, please bestow your ducky wisdom upon me.” She clasped her hands together and gave a bow. Then she gave a friendly smile. “You aren’t with the crows, are you?”

The center duck glanced at the duck to its right and then at the duck to its left. Its black eyes then went to Slimantha, and a sound—a sound that sounded very much like a laugh—came from its bill. It quacked.

Slimantha blinked. “I see,” she said and then turned to Samuel, Mimi, and Black. Her beautiful brown eyes met with Mimi’s golden eyes. “The duck says they are not with the crows.” She then turned back to the ducks. The center duck quacked at her again. “Help?” She brought her right hand to her chin for a moment. Then she turned back to Mimi. The two women’s eyes met once more. “They want to help with the crow thing. Should we accept?” Then she blinked and brought her right hand back to her chin. “Wait. Does this count as a fighting-fire-with-fire kind of thing?”

“Well”—Mimi crossed her arms, her golden eyes still on Slimantha’s brown eyes—“I guess it does have somewhat of a fighting-fire-with-fire feel to it.” She glanced to the three ducks. The ducks floated patiently upon the pond, waiting upon an answer. Mimi’s eyes went back to Slimantha, and she lowered her arms. She flashed the slime summoner a friendly smile. “Latril does have a lot of crows. Tell them Bleakfyre accepts their aid.”

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Slimantha smiled and then turned back to the pond. Her beautiful brown eyes went to the three white ducks. “Bleakfyre accepts your aid,” she said. “Happy to be working with you.” She smiled again.

The center duck gave a quick nod. Then that duck promptly vanished into the pond. Slimantha blinked. Her beautiful brown eyes went to the rightmost of the two remaining ducks. Then that duck vanished into the pond as well. Slimantha blinked again. She turned to the final duck. For a time, slime summoner and duck just stared at one another. Then that last duck disappeared into the water just as the others had. Slimantha was left at the pond’s edge, now with no ducks to look at. She pouted.

A certain witch, Black, walked up beside Slimantha, coming to a stop at Slimantha’s left. “Well, that was odd,” Black said. Her black cat tail swished behind her. She peered into the pond.

Slimantha crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out. “Why offer aid if you are just going to disappear into a pond?” she said. “One out of three. Bad aid.” Then she blinked and lowered her arms. “Wait. What is in the pond?” She leaned a little closer to the pond. “What if the pond is not just a pond?” She hinged at her hips, putting her face even closer to the pond’s surface. “Maybe we should try jumping in.”

“I am so not jumping in there,” Mimi said. The golden woman stepped up to Slimantha’s right and bent over. She too peered into the pond. Then she straightened up and looked at Slimantha. “Besides, I’m not wearing a swimsuit and neither are you.”

“Swimsuit?” Slimantha said, straightening up. She glanced down at her red short-sleeved crop-top, brown pants, and black shoes. “Well, I guess I am, in fact, not wearing a bikini.” Her beautiful brown eyes then went to Mimi and met the mimic’s beautiful golden eyes. “It is just water though. I say we jump in anyway.”

Mimi puffed her cheeks out. “Once more, I am so not jumping in there.” She turned away from Slimantha with a huff. “Go get yourself soggy. See if I care.”

Black headed over to Samuel and gave him a little nudge. “What do you think of the thought of Slimantha in a bikini?” she said. She smiled upon seeing Samuel’s face redden. “How about Slimantha and Mimi in bikini’s?” The petite cat woman got up on her tip-toes to get her lips closer to Samuel’s right ear. “They both have great bodies, don’t they?” she whispered. Samuel’s face turned even redder. She pulled back and snickered.

“C-Can you knock that off?” Samuel said, his blue eyes pleading. His face was still quite red.

“Oh.” Black flashed him a lovely smile. “What about the thought of me in a bikini then?” She struck a pose. Samuel swiftly averted his gaze. She snickered again and then moved back into Samuel’s gaze. “Relax. I’m just having a little fun with you.” She pressed a little closer to him. Her black feline tail swished behind her.

Slimantha glanced back at the pond. She brought her right hand back to her chin. Then she lowered her right hand. “I still think something is down there,” she said. She turned her beautiful brown eyes away from the pond and to Mimi. “I guess I won’t jump in though.” She smiled. Then she glanced down at her own left pocket. “Actually, I’m still out of cheese sandwich.”

“Oh, right,” Mimi said, a sweatdrop running down her right cheek. “You still want to get a cheese sandwich, don’t you?”

“Actually”—Black stepped away from Samuel and up to Mimi—“I still want a milkshake myself.” The petite cat woman gave a friendly smile to Mimi, who promptly facepalmed.

Mimi lowered her right hand from her face and sighed. “I guess we’ll stop for food then,” she said. “Is Bill’s Diner OK?” She got a series of nods from the others. “Bill’s Diner it is then.”