The next morning, Prelinsa ate breakfast with Missus B, during the third day of a break from work. Their residence was not located on Castle Hill, unlike the old one. Instead, it was located close to the northern edge of White Blossom Fortress. During the rebuilding after the Battle of Pyrus, Rensa had moved all residences away from Castle Hill – even the ones for prestigious individuals – because she saw the hill as a big, obvious target for enemies.
Prelinsa’s phone rang.
Prelinsa swallowed what she was currently eating.
“Sorry, mom. It’s Mira,” Prelinsa said, looking at it. “You know she’s going to keep calling until I pick this up.”
Missus B. laughed. “Don’t mind me! You do what you have to.”
Prelinsa picked up the phone.
“Hey. Linsa?” Mirabelle asked. She sounded quite worried, which was very rare for the upbeat lycan.
“What’s up, Mira?”
“Have you seen Cammy lately?”
Prelinsa frowned. “Like two weeks ago? Why?”
“She’s been in a really nasty mood lately, and won’t talk to me. I think she’s avoiding me on purpose. I don’t know what to do about it, so I thought I’d ask to see if you could do an… intervention or something.”
“Why me?” Prelinsa asked.
“You’re one of the best people I know at dealing with her. Sometimes, you deal with her better than I do.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do. But if she’s avoiding you, then she might avoid me, too,” Prelinsa pointed out.
“Yeah, that’s the one thing I’m worried about. I’m hoping that’s not the case, though. Just keep an eye out, okay? I’m really worried about her at this point.”
“Right.”
“Thanks. Since we’re already talking, do you want to hang out? Maybe go spar for a bit? We can continue chatting about Cammy afterwards.”
“Sure thing.”
“Meet me in Five West!”
“Alright. Talk to you later.”
Prelinsa hung up.
“Sounded important,” Missus B. commented, looking more serious than usual.
“Yeah. I hope it’s not too big a deal.”
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Prelinsa arrived in Training Field Five West. Mirabelle was already there, doing some warm-up stretches. With her summer workout clothes, one could see that her body was more muscular than Camilla’s, but still not bulky – again, just extremely toned. It was a practice of the Leclercs to prioritize low weight and mobility, not just strength. Raw physical strength was considered secondary to the power afforded by magic.
“Hey!” Mirabelle said, noticing Prelinsa and standing up fully.
“Hey,” said Prelinsa, looking up at Mirabelle. The lycan was very tall, though not quite as tall as Rupeth or Elder Lumio.
“Let me finish this up and put on my armor, okay?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
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“Begin!” An impromptu referee called out.
Mirabelle, armored up and in her dire wolf form, fired upon Prelinsa with bolts of water. These were met with blasts of phoenixfire from Prelinsa, which easily overpowered and evaporated Mirabelle’s attacks. But Mirabelle was already moving. With the help of mana crystals set in her armor, she coated herself in copious amounts of water and blasted herself forwards.
Six years ago, a mage casting so much magic while moving at high speed was something that wouldn’t have been easy to do. After all, mana was traditionally pulled in from underground. However, mana crystals allowed one to sidestep this limitation. It wasn’t limitless energy, like a Silvermoon using the Primordial Fires, but it was enough to change the dynamics of all other fights.
Mirabelle closed the gap incredibly quickly as Prelinsa continued to blast away and evaporate her makeshift water armor. In only a split second, she was in striking distance. But Prelinsa was ready for her, and her speed and reflexes were just better. She sidestepped and swung her katana, cutting through the water and lightly bonking Mirabelle on the helmet with a splash. The big lycan skidded to a halt, turning to face Prelinsa. She was ready to keep going, but…
“Cease! That’s a knockout! Winner, Dame Prelinsa!” The referee declared.
Mirabelle took a few seconds to shift back into her earfolk form, standing and raising her visor. Meanwhile, Prelinsa sheathed her sword. The two bowed, then approached to shake hands.
“Aw, you got me again,” Mirabelle grinned. “And you were going easy, too! Silvermoons are crazy.”
“I think it’s crazier that you’re able to keep up at all,” Prelinsa remarked. “Rensa’s trick hasn’t worked on you in years. You’re closing the gap way too fast.”
After her loss to Prelinsa in a tournament several years ago, Mirabelle had continued to improve. With the Ocean’s Blessing as her path of magic, she would never compete with a Phoenix Knight’s sheer speed and power. But her natural talent was the real deal – she was more talented in a fight than most people Prelinsa had ever seen. Talent-wise, she might even be on Rupeth’s level.
“I’ve been practicing a bunch! Can’t let the Silvermoons get all the glory, can I?” Mirabelle quipped.
“Guess not.”
Mirabelle bounced on her heels, taking a fighting stance. “Come on, let’s keep going! I can do this all day.”
“Sure, I can go for some more.”
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In the end, they kept going at it until lunchtime.
“Cease!” The impromptu referee declared.
Prelinsa withdrew from Mirabelle, sheathed her sword again, and bowed. At some point, they’d both lost count of how many rounds they had.
Mirabelle shifted back to her earfolk form again, going from all fours to sitting on the ground. She took deep breaths, blowing out of her mouth a couple of times. She pulled her helmet off, sweat dripping from her brow.
“Oof! As always… you’re tough to keep up with!” She said between breaths.
Prelinsa offered her a hand, which Mirabelle took to pull herself back up.
“You’re tough, too,” she remarked. “I think most people would’ve given up after the first… fifteen or twenty tries? Not sure.”
Prelinsa wasn’t physically or mentally tired, but Mirabelle had a level of boundless mental energy that was challenging to keep pace with. She also mixed up her movements a lot, trying different tactics to get past Prelinsa.
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“Thanks!” Mirabelle paused. “That was a compliment, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. No offense, but sometimes it’s hard to tell with you. Also, some people don’t like that I try so hard, you know? They’re like, ooooh, it’s Mirabelle, the try-hard. Always trying to win fights she can’t win. So annoying.”
Prelinsa smirked. “Nah, I think that’s one of your good points,” she replied. “Sure, you like winning. But even when you lose, you’re still putting on a smile, and trying to improve yourself. I think that’s really admirable.”
Mirabelle put on a goofy grin. “Aw, thank you! If it weren’t for Cammy having a thing for you, I’d probably ask you out right about now.”
“Yeah, sorry. The door’s closed,” Prelinsa said dryly. “Anyway, lunch?”
“Sure!”
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The two got food, and sat at a table in a plaza. They finished eating pretty quickly – Mirabelle especially, since she was hungry from her workout. Crowds wandered around them, heading to and from work. A black cat watched them from a tree, looking like a little void cloud with eyes.
“So, about Cammy,” the lycan began, sort of uncomfortably.
“Yeah?” Prelinsa said.
Mirabelle put a hand to her head. “I really hope she’s okay. The last time I saw her, she was in a super bad mood. She screamed at me about how our parents and I ruined her by encouraging her to become a Silvermoon.”
Prelinsa frowned. “That… doesn’t sound like Cammy,” she commented. Camilla was sharp-tongued, but she loved her family. She also usually kept herself level enough to avoid saying things that she would regret later.
“I don’t think she meant it, but it still hurt a lot,” Mirabelle said sadly, her ears drooping. “I’m guessing it has something to do with what Princess Corynn told her.”
Prelinsa nodded. “She spoke with me about Silvermoons, too. When we last met.”
Mirabelle looked surprised. “Oh, really? She didn’t say anything about that to me. What did you talk about?”
“Well…” Prelinsa said. She looked for the right words for a few moments. “We realized that she probably can’t learn the Path of the Phoenix the way she is, because she’s too attached to people. She loves you too much to leave you behind.”
Mirabelle sighed deeply, and looked up at the sky. “Yeah. That checks out,” she said. “I feel bad. Our parents and I did encourage her to become a Silvermoon.”
“But why did you encourage her?” Prelinsa asked. That was the more important question.
Mirabelle tilted her head back and looked at Prelinsa. “Uh. I’m gonna ramble for a bit, okay?”
“Sure.”
Mirabelle paused. “So… Cammy looks like that, right? With the floppy ears and everything?”
“Mhm,” Prelinsa replied.
“Yeah. You know the story. When Cammy was little, other kids used to bully her all the time. She grew attached to me because I protected her from the bullies. One day, Cammy had this idea that if she learned the Path of the Phoenix and became a Silvermoon, she could become strong and people would respect her, just like Elder Kirith. Our parents and I knew it was a pipe dream, but we all encouraged her anyway. We wanted to be supportive of Cammy during such a tough time.”
Her ears drooped, and she looked uncomfortable again.
“But at some point, she lost sight of why she wanted to be a Silvermoon. It wasn’t just about strength and respect anymore. It became part of who she was,” she continued. “It was super unhealthy for her. By the time we stopped encouraging her, it was too late. It became this obsession.” She clenched her fists, doing the Camilla Thing briefly. “It was such a big deal that when you showed up, she was furious. She wanted to take it out on you right away, but we all stopped her. We told her what a bad idea it was. You believe me, right?”
“Yeah, I believe you. Cammy told me that, too.”
“Yeah. But in the end, Cammy slipped out and fought you anyway,” Mirabelle finished. “Do you have any idea how upset she was after that? She was crying her heart out, saying that she didn’t like a proper Phoenix Warrior. You wouldn’t know it by the next day, though – she cleaned up real fast. Anyway, that’s what happened, and that’s why Cammy’s the way she is now.”
“Well, it sounds like it’s not really your fault,” Prelinsa said. “You just wanted to cheer Cammy up by encouraging her as a kid. You didn’t know she would end up this way. I don’t see how this is your fault.”
Mirabelle gave a crooked smile. “Thanks.”
“Want to walk off the food for a bit? After that, we can go for some more spars.”
“Sound good to me!” The idea of sparring more helped cheer Mirabelle up.
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The sparring went by in what felt like the blink of an eye. Mirabelle was not able to defeat Prelinsa unless she deliberately went very easy. But that wasn’t Mirabelle’s style – she wanted to force Prelinsa into pulling out more cards. So according to her, she didn’t win any of their spars.
After they were done, Prelinsa said her goodbyes, and made her way back home for the night.
“I’m home!” She called out, opening the door to the Brunswick residence.
“Welcome back, kiddo! How was your day out?” Missus B. asked, while cooking dinner.
“Tiring. I still can’t believe how much energy Mira’s got.”
“Did ya have any important talks, though?”
“Yeah. I’ll go shower first, then I’ll tell you over dinner.”
After her shower, Prelinsa explained everything that had happened over the dinner table. Missus B. nodded, listening along patiently and occasionally asking for clarification.
“Sounds like no one’s really ta blame here,” she agreed, once Prelinsa had finished. “Just do what ya can for your friends, alright?”
“Yeah.”
“I really do hope Cammy’s alright, though. She’s a nice girl. I can see why ya fell for her.”
“Huh. I didn’t know I was still that easy to read,” Prelinsa commented.
“Hah! You’ve gotten better at hiding what you feel,” Missus B. remarked. “But ya can’t hide from this ol’ cat lady! How long do ya think I’ve known ya for, kiddo? As far as I’m concerned, ya still wear yer feelings on yer sleeve.”
Prelinsa gave her a wry smile.
“That’s true.”
“Now, eat up!” Missus B. said. “Can’t go worrying on an empty stomach, yeah? I’m sure Cammy’s still in White Blossom Fortress. The guards will make sure she doesn’t leave. She’ll be just fine.”
Prelinsa nodded, taking a spoonful of her soup.