Vernie and I made our way through the winding corridors of the palace, trying our best to stay out of the way of all the servants sprinting through the halls. The air was heavy with tension and muffled shouts in anticipation of the special blessings and grand banquet that would commence in a few hours.

I whispered to Vernie, trying to keep my voice low amidst the chaos, "I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now," gesturing towards an attendant who was being reprimanded for not being appropriately dressed.

"Yeah, you're right. They're pretty filthy," she remarked quietly, glancing down at his feet.

I exhaled loudly. "No, I mean, I'm glad I'm not him!"

Vernie scratched her head. "Oh. Well, this banquet's a big deal. You ready for it?"

"Uh… Sure, I'm always ready to eat." I shrugged nonchalantly.

She shot me a skeptical look before sighing softly. "You'll be lucky to get dinner down before midnight."

"Wait, why can't I just eat during the banquet?"

"You're going to be expected to talk with the attendees. You know, say something meaningful? Assure them that the light has returned to pierce the darkness?"

I groaned inwardly at the thought of making small talk with strangers all night.

"But I don't really know anyone…" I trailed off, hoping it would get me a pass.

"Trust me, everyone is going to want to talk to you," Vernie replied, nodding sagely. "Just keep Relias close by. He'll help you out if they start making inappropriate propositions."

Inappropriate… propositions…

My mind flashed back to last night's dream, where I had felt disgusted by some of the bolder interactions with nobles from what seemed like a lifetime ago. "Ugh..."

"Don't go anywhere without one of us by your side for the rest of the night, okay?" Vernie's tone was serious.

"Yeah…" I agreed, thinking it to be sound advice.

As we climbed up a narrow staircase, the sound of our footsteps echoed ominously through the otherwise empty space. Finally, we emerged onto the battlements, just behind a corner where Aleph and Tetora had sat and leaned against each other, engaged in deep conversation.

"We only have tonight and tomorrow left to talk with him," Aleph said in a serious tone. "I want to hear more about these annual contributions to the Wastelands before we leave for the holy city."

Vernie started toward them, but I grabbed her shoulder and motioned for her to stay behind the wall with me.

"You're better at talking with people," Tetora admitted, his ears flicking forward. "You should do it without me."

"You won't be my witness?" Aleph asked, sounding a bit startled. "I was counting on you to—"

Tetora sighed and put his head down on Aleph's shoulder. "My Taurus, you know better than this. You need someone else from the party whose character could not be questioned. Someone who wouldn't ever dare eavesdrop on her companions, right, Captain?"

Of course, he knew we were there. He probably heard us before we even hit the stairs.

"Well… at least someone who wouldn't eavesdrop and then gossip about it, anyway," I mumbled as we joined them.

"Little Dragon," Aleph greeted me, looking slightly embarrassed. Tetora, however, seemed rather proud of himself, curled around Aleph's side, his tail lashing back and forth with playful pauses.

"Sneaking away for snuggles again," Vernie clucked her tongue. "I'm so jealous!"

"It's the ears…" I agreed. "I want to fluff them too."

"Disallowed!" Aleph objected loudly and cleared his throat. Tetora doesn't like that."

"Maybe I was talking about yours?" I chuckled, watching him turn even more red.

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Aleph lowered his head, hiding his eyes from my gaze. "You came here for a reason, I assume?"

I absentmindedly leaned against the same stone merlon as in my previous dream about Oliver. "Yeah, I—" I stopped, suddenly aware of everything the battlements overlooked. We're...pretty high up, aren't we?" I couldn't believe I had once considered jumping from here just to escape for a moment. What made me so sure I wouldn't get hurt?

Tetora slowly untangled himself from Aleph and stood up. "Over there," he commanded, pointing towards the southeast. "If you look closely, you can see something sparkling between those two mountains. That's Chairo."

I squinted, making out a glimmer in the distance nestled between the valleys. "What causes it to shine like that?"

"It's the magic barriers," Tetora replied. "When they're functioning properly, anyway."

"That's something, at least," I mused, mesmerized by the pulsing light that seemed almost alive. Whatever Amos had accomplished didn't involve dropping Chairo's primary defenses. "So, about the two actors who portrayed you guys in the play…"

Tetora's disdain was evident as he scrunched his nose in distaste. "What about them?"

Maybe I could appeal to Aleph instead.

"I would like you to talk to them," I replied, turning to Aleph.

However, he stood up quickly, swift in his refusal. "I have no desire to do so," he stated firmly.

I stared at Aleph in surprise, not expecting such an instantaneous rejection. "Is it because they dressed up as hybrids?" I asked, trying to understand.

"My reasoning is complicated," Aleph sighed, his face contorting into a frown. "You would not understand."

"Not if you don't explain it to me, no," I admitted, perhaps a little unfairly. "I haven't suffered such prejudice like you have. But I would ask you to reconsider my request. I'm not making any assertions that it will be easy to talk to them, either. They want to talk to the King about making it easier for real hybrids to grace the stage, but they're afraid their words won't matter."

"There is no law against hiring hybrids," Tetora objected. "It's simply employers choosing not to do so!"

Aleph's scowl, however, subsided somewhat. "You said make it easier. What did they say was hard?"

"Mmm…" I frowned, trying to recall their exact words. "They said their hybrid friends fear retaliation for displaying their talents…"

Aleph and Tetora shared a knowing glance, speaking volumes to each other without saying a word. Eventually, Tetora snorted in frustration. "Why must everything be so complicated? I'd rather just fight our enemies head-on!"

"But we must first determine who our true enemies are," Aleph confessed with an exasperated sigh before wrapping an arm around Tetora. "I don't believe you're wrong, my dear one. We've encountered many who will go to great lengths to avoid working with hybrids. But there are also more sinister forces at play here. Shouldn't we target them all in our grand plans?"

"Your grand plan," Tetora corrected sullenly. "You would be more successful in becoming Councilman without me—"

Aleph sharply inhaled through his nose before letting out a snort of frustration. "I will not do this without you, so I will abandon that part of the plan if you are uncomfortable with it."

"What? Why would you do something so foolish?!" Tetora snapped, shoving him lightly. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and—"

"I do not need to be a Councilman to fight," Aleph asserted, folding his arms. "However, I do need you."

Tetora turned away before finally muttering, "I'm not… going anywhere..."

Vernie, who had been uncharacteristically minding her own business, spoke up sharply. "Now kiss and make up!"

We all turned to stare at her condescendingly.

"What?" she replied innocently. "I'm bored! You're taking too long to follow the Captain's orders, so you might at least entertain me while you come up with more foolish excuses!"

"I didn't exactly give them an order," I admitted, scratching my cheek nervously. "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure my idea is the right one, so I won't force you."

Aleph glanced back and forth between us momentarily before letting out a decisive snort. "I'd rather talk to those people than deal with Vernie when she gets like this…"

Tetora seemed to agree as he followed him toward the stairs, but not before giving me a playful wink.

Once they were out of sight, I turned to Vernie.

She started fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "Now, before you say anything..."

"Good job," I interrupted with a smile, trying to put her at ease. "I appreciate it. I know we're far from any solutions… but they seemed to be the first humans we've encountered who are just as uncomfortable with the situation as we are."

Vernie's grin broke through for a brief moment before turning serious once again. "Now, how do I fix whatever's happening between you and Nora?"

"Nothing is g-going on!" I stammered. It's just that she and Relias should get to know each other better. I don't... want to interfere with that."

"No," Vernie shook her head firmly. "No, that doesn't appraise. You are trying to sell me fake merchandise."

I grimaced, knowing she wouldn't let it go that easily. "Just don't worry about it, okay? It's just me. I'll handle it."

"You got 48 hours," Vernie declared. "After that… and then I'll get involved. Understood?"

A slight headache began to form between my eyes. "Seriously… Everyone always tells me what to do and when to do it. You're not my boss."

"You did say we all have to get along…" she reminded with a mischievous wag of her finger. "That includes you, too!"

I can get along just fine if I ignore the problem... right? Okay no, even I don't believe that one.

Frantic footsteps echoed from the stairwell, heralding the arrival of an out-of-breath attendant. "I finally found you two!" he huffed, leaning heavily against the cool stone wall for support.

"What now?" I asked warily, bracing myself for whatever complication, great or small, awaited us next.

"It's the dressmaker," the attendant panted, still trying to catch his breath. "She's been awaiting your arrival!"

I did a double-take. "The what?"

Vernie cackled. "Oh, this I have to see!"