MEGAN. ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL.
Evan stumbled to a stop, looking at Chris with concern. “Um? Is uh that so?” came his eloquent reply. Megan, Ryan, and Angie all stopped with them.
“Yeah, guy, probably. I’d bet word is already starting to get around that you were out with me, so we need to get our story firmed up. How much did you say when you were being treated last night?”
“Oh man,” Evan said, shaking his head, “I just said I didn’t really remember the Beast or the fight at all really. Not true—things are just a little fuzzy, as it was very fast. But memory loss is such a common post-symptom after having a TBI healed by a healing potion, I figured I could get away with it. I kinda want to just stick to not remembering. Gods, you really think it’s going to be getting around already?”
“Guy,” Chris said. It sounded good natured, the nicest way he could say that, and the charming sigh he let out after saying the word was the nicest possible sigh. “You, by our account, went hunting with me last night. Hopefully everyone bought it, and no one comes along to fine us for you not wearing any wards. So yeah. I think the news that I brought you out with me hunting will probably get back to the kids of anyone who works at the BA or the cleaners by this morning. Will be the talk of the school already, I'd wager. At least our class, but come on.”
Poor Evan looked absolutely stricken. “Oh Evan, don’t worry!” Megan said, giving him her most reassuring smile. “You’ll be fine! We’ll make sure of it.”
“G-great,” Evan said. “Um. Surely it won’t be out already...”
“Come on, December,” Angie scoffed. “You know how Cleaners’ kids are. You are one.”
Evan did that thing where he would go totally still when confronted with incontrovertible, obvious evidence in favor of something he didn’t want to be true, a behavior which Megan had all but forgotten about. “Shiiiiiiiit,” he said, when he snapped out of it, putting one hand over his eyes.
Megan couldn’t help giggling, because Ryan and Angie certainly didn’t stop their laughter, and Chris joined in too. It wasn’t long that they laughed, but it was so good.
Chris clapped Evan on the shoulder. “Come on, guy, it’ll be okay. Like Megan said, we’ll look out for you. Angie and Ryan’ll be fine, you just gotta worry about yourself. Let’s get walking.”
“Ev, we also got you,” Ryan said, grinning. “Don’t you worry.”
“Ehnn,” Evan vocalized as he stumbled into motion again. He did not seem reassured, and Ryan’s grin wasn’t entirely reassuring, but as long as he wasn’t going to flip out and try to get himself killed again, Megan was satisfied. He’d get used to being, well, treated like a hunter if he kept doing it. Probably.
“And don’t even get me started on when they see you shoot,” Chris said, eyes bright.
Evan sort of scrunched his face up in quiet misery.
They walked in silence for a little bit, then Chris said, “Hey, we’re a party now, right? I mean, I know Megan’s sort of on trial here—” Megan flinched at this—“but I like you all and want to hang out with you guys, and there’s our whole birthday connection thing.” He looked at them all with hope in his eyes, and gods damn but they were beautiful.
“Yeah man,” Evan said.
“I would like that,” Angie said.
Ryan said, “Obviously we are, my dude. Megan’s going to prove herself by being chill and everything’s going to work out.” He grinned at Megan, and despite still feeling like a piece of shit, Megan found herself grinning back.
EVAN. ALMOST TIME FOR SCHOOL.
Evan smiled in spite of himself at Megan’s grin. He said, “When we were walking home from the hospital last night, Chris and I discussed that we’re gonna need a name if we’re going to be a party. I thought this morning that the best choice is probably the Nineteens, don’t you think?”
“Ahhhh!” Megan squealed cutely. “That’s what Angie called us yesterday!”
“Oh man, I also thought of that this morning!” Chris said. “Wild!”
“My guys, it’s the obvious choice,” Ryan said dryly.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Megan said, “Lauren’s going to be annoyed with us. She doesn’t think you should be allowed to call yourself a party with a name and shit unless you’re an actual hunting party.”
“Who gives a flying fuck?” Ryan responded.
“Lauren must spend a lot of time being annoyed,” Chris commented, which made Evan grin. “Besides, we are a hunting party. At least a couple of us.”
“Sure, I guess,” Megan said, sounding less happy than a second before. She looked at Evan. “Are you really going to keep…?”
“Of course,” Evan said.
Evan saw fear in Megan’s eyes before she looked away. “Of course you are.”
“We’ll be together,” Chris said with total confidence. “We’ll be safer than I’ve been on any solo patrol I’ve gone on, and that’s been plenty. Don’t worry about Evan, Megan. He’ll be great.”
“I’m going to need to wait until my hip’s healed anyway,” Evan said, making a face to express his annoyance with that, not that anyone was paying more attention to him than to where they were going. They were coming right up on the tram stop where Evan had waited to meet Ryan and Angie the day before, only instead he’d met Angie and Ryan and Megan as well, which had thrown him off balance all day. It’d been weird, then good, then weird, then confusing, and then infuriating and… But Chris seemed really cool. Weirdly cool, for a guy from a family where everyone else was a Light Bearer and he wasn’t.
But maybe that had something to do with it. A dragon gave him the sword, Chris had said. Evan examined Chris, whose attention was for sure more on Megan than on where they were going. His (unfairbullshit) eyes were shining, and he barely took them off her.
Evan wondered when he’d been given Dyrnwyn.
“Yeah, that’s probably just as well,” Chris said, addressing Evan. “We’re going to need to get you equipped properly. I can’t fucking believe you shot that well without any charms or anything.” He eyed Evan for a moment before his attention wandered back to Megan again. They’d not really been walking in a structured way, with who was next to who as they walked changing as they made their way toward school, and at the moment Megan, Ryan, and Angie were a few paces ahead of Chris and Evan. Chris’s eyes were on her butt as he said to Evan, “Do you have any charms at all?”
“Not really,” Evan said, picking up the pace a touch as they stepped over the tracks. “There’s a good strength charm, but everything else was ruined.”
“Mmm,” Chris replied, as they caught up with the other three, now that there was room again. “Useful for recoil control, maybe. Carry something bigger than an eleven nine.”
Evan did not want to use it. Evan didn’t even really want to think about why he didn’t want to use it.
“Whazzat?” Angie asked, looking at Chris. Ange to the rescue, with any luck. Evan would cross that bridge when Chris forced him to.
“Evan and charms. He needs ‘em,” Chris said.
“We can make that happen,” Angie said. “My mum’s an enchanter and runs a shop. ‘Swhy I got the knack, or I guess we have the same knack.”
“Hells yes,” Chris said. “Friends and family discounts?”
“Only on junk we make ourselves,” she replied. “Not for other people’s goods.”
“Ah, well, can’t have everything,” Chris replied. “Still, an enchanter as part of the team. And a conjurer.” It was in the tone of voice of someone musing, an impression he confirmed for Evan by continuing, “And a gunslinger,” which was praise enough to make Evan blush, at least a little.
“And a... “ he frowned at Ryan. “Tech guy? Who knows about magic? Expert. An expert.” Ryan grinned the grin of a gambler with a whole pile of aces up his sleeve and a real good exit strategy, though Evan didn’t know if Chris would recognize it as such. “And…” his eyes returned to Megan.
“And what am I?” Megan asked. She seemed pretty subdued, but Evan had just chewed her out. She ought to be subdued.
“I don’t know, Megs,” he replied, using the nickname as if he’d used it for years, and flashing Megan a wry smile while he was at it—she got pink in response. Evan carefully did not snicker. “I’m not quite sure how you fit into the team yet. What are your extracurriculars?”
A less than happy expression flashed across Megan’s face when Chris said “team.” She was not thrilled about the idea of them hunting. Well. She’d have to get used to it.
“Well,” Megan said, sounding like she was trying to keep her voice chipper but not entirely succeeding, “I mostly did stuff with the choir in middle school, except when I was one of the managers for the Tourney team in eighth grade. I was thinking about joining the Show Choir before school started.”
She looked downward, frowning, presumably at her legs through her skirt. “Though I worry the choreography might be beyond me.”
“You sing! That’s awesome,” Chris said, grinning at her. Then he continued with, “But I’m not sure how that would be applicable to hunting, unless you start getting bardic on us,” Chris said, tipping his head back a bit to look up at the morning sky, still in tones of musing. “Maybe—”
Angie said, “Heads up, incoming,” indicating something ahead of them with a jerk of her head.
They’d just entered the last normal block before the avenue split into several of the paths winding through Persephone’s campus. Evan had been focused on their conversation, and had not quite realized they were as close to school as they in fact were. Up ahead, leaving campus proper and walking toward the five Nineteens were “Katier” Ryuyama and Beth Mishra.
Further past them, underneath a Japanese maple near the edge of campus, stood Lauren Bakili and Nisha Twighs, watching.
“Oh,” Megan said, looking at her approaching friends with uncertainty. She glanced between Angie and Chris, then looked at Evan. “Evan…?” she said, a questioning lilt to his name telling Evan what she wanted.
“I’m not going to flip out,” Evan said, maybe more quietly and downbeat than he intended. He was still tired, and he didn’t know if he was telling the truth. He didn’t know how he was going to react to this because he didn’t know what “this” was yet.
He was about to see, he supposed.