“Did I miss anything interesting?” He asked.

Crow took a seat beside him, shaking his head and leaning back with a groan.

“No. They’ve been at it since you first left, almost non stop.”

Deka Xenus planted herself down beside them, grinning conspiratorially as she cut in.

“And neither of us has been able to get a single word in edgewise since.” Her luminar’s frame still struck a childlike silhouette to the corner of Crow’s eye.

“We can hear you all, you know.” The Gemini snapped, muting them with her glare.

All but Unity.

“Excellent.” The artificial beamed. “Then it saves us the trouble of repeating ourselves. You’re both being loud and irritating, stop it.”

“We’re having a discussion.” Astra spoke up, taking a step towards the boy. Unity’s answer was a sneer.

“Oh, a discussion. Is that what we’re calling it? I wasn’t aware wailing babies had discussions with their mother’s tit to get milk.”

“Is there a point to this?” She hissed.

“Of course.” Unity smiled, sweetness leaving him sourer in its falsity. “The two of you aren’t discussing anything, you’re just hurling opinions at each other like darts. It’s tedious and achieving nothing but annoying everyone else.”

Silence fell like leaves, broken moments later by the Gemini.

“I don’t suppose you have an alternative, then?”

“A vote.” Said Deka, drawing all eyes to her. She looked from one set to another, suddenly withering. “Call it quaint if you want, but I see no simpler way of resolving this.”

“I agree with Deka.” Crow said, glancing at her and hurriedly adding. “Do you mind if I call you by your first name?”

She gave no protest, but Astra spoke before he could continue.

“Really, Crow?”

“Yes really.” He answered, feeling heat at his collar. “You’ve been at this for an hour, don’t say I’m impatient for not wanting to tolerate another.”

“I’m amazed you tolerated the first.” Unity cut in. “Isn’t there some sort of physical limitation to how much wailing the human body can withstand?”

None paid him heed.

“A vote seems undue, to me.” Said the Gemini. “Given how obvious our magic prowess is.”

“Oh, it’s obvious that what she wants is right.” Astra snapped. “How shocking. Well you heard her everyone, no need for any of us to give our input. The Gemini has it all worked out for us already.”

“Oh shut up girl.” The Jaean snapped. “Don’t pretend that my power is a matter of opinion.”

“Girl?” Astra asked, voice halfway between laughter and outrage. “I’m a year older than you are, you little-”

“A vote then.” Unity called out, unexpectedly loud and silencing both. “Since the children seem capable of no compromise.”

Astra and the Gemini’s eyes grew combative, and Crow hurriedly cut in.

“Right. How should we do this?”

“We’ve not even decided whether we’re doing it at all.” Astra snapped.

Unity turned to her, eyebrow arched.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“More than half your team wishes to vote, and those who don’t are the only ones content to argue for hours unending.”

She held his eye for just a moment, then gave a grunt with the trappings of acquiescence.

“You have a point. I don’t know why you insist on being such a cunt about it.”

The Gemini seemed for a second that she’d argue too, but fell silent. Unity smirked anew.

“Marvellous. Now then, to return to the previous question, how exactly are we going to go about handling our vote?”

“No need for anything fancy.” Astra said. “Just go around all five of us and vote for who we think should enter the task one at a time.”

“And no voting for ourselves. ” Said Deka.

She seemed blissfully oblivious to the dagger-point glares Astra and the Gemini shot her way.

“Wonderful.” Unity grinned. “Then let’s start with the bickerers and get things over with.”

Both girls scowled at him, then eyed one another in silence. After a few seconds, Astra spoke.

“I vote for the Gemini.” She said, almost reluctantly. It seemed to surprise all, none even half so much as Menza herself.

“I vote for Crow Tempora.” The Jaean growled. Crow stared at her. Before he could ask her to explain, Deka Xenus spoke up.

“I vote for the Gemini.” She said, then blanched at something. Crow realised after a second it was another of Astra’s glares. “Sorry…” The girl mumbled, not meeting his sister’s eye.

Heads turned to Unity, who shrugged.

“I don’t care in the slightest.” He said. “Just skip to Crow, I’ll go with whatever he does.”

Confusion and irritation wrinkled faces, and Crow found himself speaking quickly to avoid another round of arguing.

“I vote for…”

He hesitated, suddenly aware of how difficult the decision was. If Unity doubled his decision, Crow’s vote could bring the Gemini up to a majority of four. Or bring his sister up to match her with two. Instinct told him to nominate Astra, reason stayed his tongue.

Astra was his sister, and Crow knew better than any how she’d yearned to make herself the crux of Udrebam’s eye. But knowing what he did about the stage’s rules, it was all too clear to him that his team as a whole impacted the chances of its every individual member.

He needed credits to win the Eclipse’s Nectar. Tethered to a failing team, his chances to win them would suffer.

“I vote for the Gemini.” He said, glancing at Astra. His heart sank at the sight of her fury.

“Wonderful.” Came the Gemini’s clear, crystal voice. Happiness removed all bite from it. “Took us a while to get there, but it’s nice to see we’ve all settled on the only sensible choice.”

“And all it needed was for you and blondie to shut the fuck up.” Unity chipped in.

It was dark when Crow returned to his room, darker still by the time he was drawn from a seat by the knocking against his door. He moved to answer it, groggy from tiredness. In the dim light of the corridor outside, it took him several moments to recognise the boy standing on the other side.

“You.” He gasped, surprise bringing clarity to pierce his fatigue.

“Me.” The knocker confirmed, lips parting in a smile to reveal teeth just as sheet-white as Crow remembered. His grassy eyes sparkled, in spite of the dark.

“Rajah.” Crow said, digging the name from his memory. It wasn’t hard, the boy had made an unshakable impression.

“Oh you do remember me.” He grinned.

“I remember you kicking my arse upside down.” Crow shrugged.

“And how about when I told you we’d see each other again if you made it into the third stage?”

Crow thought back, finding a bell ringing dimly somewhere in the back of his mind.

“I think so.”

Rajah nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. Well, here I am. Sorry for the late hour. It took me a while to find you even after I got round to helping. The staff here aren’t very cooperative to Jyptians. Their fault, not mine.”

“Would you like to come in?” Crow asked, falling back on manners to abate his confusion.

“I don’t have time, and by the looks of things neither do you. I’m just here to extend an invitation. If you aren’t taking part in the first task next stage, and I assume you’re not, would you like to come and watch it with my team in our quarters?”

Crow paused, mulled the question over, finding himself too tired for it.

“This is… abrupt.” He managed.

“Feel free to decline. It just seemed like a convenient time to meet, since I assume you’d be watching it no matter what.”

Thinking for moments more, Crow slowly nodded.

“Yes.” He said. “I think I will.”

“Splendid.” The boy grinned. “I’ll see you there, then.”

They said their goodbyes before Rajah left at a brisk walk, leaving Crow still standing in the dooryway.

It only occurred to him then that he may have walked into some kind of trap.