"Think about it," Carmen began, a smile of confidence on her face. "Yes, Frigid is the most dangerous place, but it's also the most important one to help. We have an opportunity to not only save a World Core, but also prevent a worldwide catastrophe. If we can quell the dragon within the biggest volcano, we'll save not only Frigid, but potentially the entire world. And besides..."

Noelle gave her a look of disbelief, knowing where this was going.

"Besides what?" Alice asked curiously.

"Besides," Carmen said, mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Dragons are cool.”

At that, a chorus of groans and rolled eyes echoed through the room.

"Oh jeez, you're only saying that because of the damn dragon, aren'tcha?" Rachel exasperated, shaking her head.

Carmen just chuckled. "You got me."

Noelle just pinched the bridge of her nose, a clear sign of an impending headache.

"Noelleee~" Carmen whined, dramatically pouting. "It's a friggin’ dragon, can you blame me?”

Noelle just huffed, refusing to look at her.

The girls exchanged amused glances, half-amused by Carmen's shameless dragon obsession.

"So, it's decided then?" Alice asked with a sigh. "We're heading to Frigid first?”

"Looks like it," Noelle relented, her annoyance with the decision evident.

Carmen, on the other hand, was practically glowing with excitement. "Let's go!!!! You guys better send me HUNDREDS of pics of the dragon when y'all get back, or else!”

The girls chuckled, knowing that Carmen would undoubtedly be disappointed with the lack of dragon pictures when they returned.

"We'll do our best," Rachel replied, humor lacing her voice.

Carmen whined again. "You're all just terrible. No dragon pics..."

"Anyways," Noelle cut in, redirecting the conversation back to the task at hand. "We need to start preparing for our trip to Frigid. It's going to be our biggest challenge yet.”

"Great," Rachel muttered, already feeling the heat in her imagination. "So we get to battle a dragon while simultaneously being roasted like potatoes on a grill, sounds fun...”

"Well, at least it'll probably get you a nice tan?" Carmen suggested, attempting to look on the bright side of the situation.

Noelle rolled her eyes. "Right. That's what we're worried about. A decent tan.”

Alice chuckled, amused at Carmen's optimism in the face of such adversity.

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"Welp, if nothing else, at least we'll be coming home with some great campfire stories," she joked, though there was a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

"Yeah! And imagine the bragging rights!" Carmen added, clearly not understanding the seriousness of the situation.

Noelle, on the other hand, was not amused. "We're not going there for bragging rights. We're going there to save the World Core and prevent a potentially catastrophic disaster. Got it?”

The other Ephemeral girls nodded, their expressions serious once again. They knew Noelle was right. This wasn't about glory or thrills. It was about saving lives and preventing a disaster.

Rachel, however, couldn't help but add a bit of her own humor. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it. Save the world, don't get sunburned. Got it. All I care about is how I'm going to be sweating bullets the whole damn time."

"Don't worry," Noelle assured. "I'll be sure to bring plenty of towels and deodorant, especially for me. I...can't handle heat so well…”

That statement got the girls snickering, the image of a sweaty and irritated Noelle too hilarious to ignore. Meanwhile, Rachel gave Noelle a sharp glare at her mention of deodorant, her brow raised.

"...You better not have bad B.O., goddammit.”

The others chuckled at the exchange, while Carmen chimed in, "What, you don't want to have a sweaty, steaming, and clingy body all up on ya, Rachel? Not even a little bit?"

Rachel looked at Carmen with a disgusted expression. "Hell no. Y'all can try it, but you'll get knocked out in a split second.”

Carmen chuckled as she dramatically raised her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, no touchy-touchy with Rachel when it's hot. I'll keep that in mind for future reference."

Noelle, meanwhile, was still slightly embarrassed by the teasing. "You all are ridiculous. I don't sweat that much, you know. But I'll still do my part and shower every chance I get."

"I said," Rachel said to her coldly. "Six feet.”

"Hey now," Zalgo piped up, an amused grin on her face. "I actually think the heat would be a perfect excuse for us to shower together, don't you guys think?"

The other girls choked or sputtered at that, especially Noelle, while Carmen laughed heartily. Meanwhile, Rachel looked disgusted.

"What?! No! Hell, no!"

Carmen snickered, nudging Rachel with an elbow. "Oh come on, Rach," she teased. "It wouldn't be THAT bad, wouldn't it now?”

Rachel's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious?! You want me to SHARE a shower with them?! That's just...no way in hell!"

Carmen let out another laugh, clearly enjoying herself in the midst of the banter. "Why not? It's practical, right? And hey, you could save water by showering together! It's environmentally friendly and all that."

Noelle rolled her eyes, clearly not amused by the conversation taking such a...unseemly turn.

"Oh my gosh," Rachel groaned, her head in her hands. "You're all absolutely ridiculous. I am *not* showering with any of you. Period."

Alice chuckled at the exchange, enjoying the banter but clearly siding with Rachel on this issue. Meanwhile, Carmen was not about to give up, enjoying the reactions too much.

"Come on, Rach," she teased. "Don't be such a prude. It'd be a bonding experience, a team-building exercise, just like I taught you before. Void Magic works best when bonds are tight and strong.”

"This is not the kind of bonding I have in mind!" Rachel protested, still reeling in disbelief. "Besides, it's not even about that, it's about being comfortable. And I would be the furthest thing from comfortable with...that kind of team-building exercise."

Noelle just facepalmed, embarrassed by the direction the conversation had taken. But Carmen was not deterred, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Don't knock it till you try it, Rach. You might surprise yourself.”

Rachel's face flushed with even more annoyance and embarrassment at Carmen's words. Desperate to change the subject, she went back on track to the original task at hand. "So…ANYWAYS, we have some World Core and dragon-saving business to handle. It's best if we hurry.”

Carmen pouted, her fun banter shot down. "Aww, come on, that was getting good. Fine, fine. Back to the saving-the-world business."

Noelle chuckled, happy to divert the conversation from the...unusual territory it had been heading towards. "Thank the gods. Yes, let's focus on saving Frigid and avoiding any…unnecessary team bonding activities.”

The girls laughed at that, the previous tension disappearing and the mood lightening up once more.

"Alright, back to business," Rachel said, a hint of relief in her voice. "What do we need to prepare for Frigid?"

Noelle, back in her more serious, analytical mode, brought up a point. "We need to make sure we pack the right gear. Proper clothing, sun protection, water, and portable sources of light, just to name a few basics. We also need to consider what kind of terrain we'll be dealing with and how to handle the potential dragon.”

Alice, the ever-pragmatic one, added her own concerns. "We also need to consider how to handle the heat. Temperature tolerance and the ability to stay hydrated will be crucial. And we should be prepared for the possibility of the dragon being...unfriendly.”

"You mean the dragon trying to eat or burn ya to a crisp, right?" Carmen asked jokingly.

"Yes," Alice answered seriously. "A big, potentially dangerous dragon breathing fire at you is a serious threat. I doubt it'll take kindly to a bunch of humans marching into its home."

"So it's settled," Noelle concluded. "We'll be leaving shortly.”

The girls nodded in agreement. The task ahead of them was no small feat, but they were determined to save the World Core in Frigid.

Carmen, ever the adventurous one, couldn't help but add a final comment. "This is gonna be epic. A dragon, a bunch of ladies on a mission... It's like some high-fantasy novel coming to life.”

Rachel rolled her eyes at Carmen's comment. "Or a disaster waiting to happen if that dragon is as unfriendly as we suspect."

“Ah shush, just gimme the dragon pics when y'all get back,” Carmen shot back.

Noelle chuckled at the banter, already mentally preparing for the challenges ahead. "Either way, it's gonna be a harrowing trip.”

The Ephemerals and Noelle shared nervous but determined smiles. Their journey to Frigid was going to be a dangerous and intense one—but if anyone could handle it, it was these four young women.

"To Frigid, then," Rachel said, her voice firm. "Let's go kick some fiery dragon butt.”