“Okay!” Dr. Myrden said, clapping his hands together and looking over the assembled crowd. “Looks like I'm going to have to completely change my training strategy. But before we do that, how long have you all been traveling?”

“Forever on that giant duck,” Evan groaned.

“In that case everyone rest,” Dr. Myrden said. “We can start training for real tomorrow. For tonight...I think this is a good opportunity for a campfire.”

“Make curry!” Jenny said excitedly.

“I dunno if...” Kyle began, but Jenny cut him off.

“Like on all those anime we watched!” Jenny stared up at him with wide, sparkling eyes.

“But...” Kyle started. “But we...none of us...”

Jenny just stood there and sparkled.

“Don't think I don't know you're doing this on purpose,” Kyle said.

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Are you using your magic to make your eyes extra sparkly?”

“Maybe.”

“Ugh, fine. Hey, everybody...who's up for an anime style curry cookout?”

“I'm fine with it,” Travis shrugged. “I almost crashed into a grease puddle on the ground earlier, so just about anything is fine with me today.”

“I have never tried cooking curry,” Ammeline said. “But my culinary talents know no bounds! Follow me, and I will help you all produce a curry worthy of the greatest restaurants in the world!”

“Are you really a good cook?” Jenny asked, with wide eyes.

“A family like yours doesn't have a chef?” Eric asked, through slitted eyes.

“Only for special occasions!” Ammeline said proudly. “I have honed the art of cooking to...an...art form! Ahahahahahaha!”

“Amazing,” Goldie shook her head. “She just powered right through and went for it.”

“Don't you have a cook?” Eric asked. “You're rich too, right?”

“Not that kind of rich,” Goldie said. “But we do eat out a lot.”

“Excuse me,” Dr. Myrden said. “This is my cabin. Isn't anyone going to ask me about the food plans?”

“Do you have an enormous pot!?” Jenny asked hopefully, her eyes sparkling.

“The young man is right you are definitely using magic to make your eyes extra sparkly,” Dr. Myrden sighed. “But fine. I'm going to go get started on your training plans for the morning, I've got several more people to plan for now. Tanya knows where everything is.”

“But you're going to eat with us,” Tanya said. “Right?”

“Of course. You'd come and curse me if I didn't.”

“Alright,” Tanya said. “Trevor, come help me with the pans.”

“Why me?” Trevor asked.

“Because you have the most super strength out of everyone here.”

“Oh,” Trevor nodded. “I suppose that's true.”

Betty reached out and put her hand on Trevor's shoulder.

“Trevor,” she said. “I know our relationship is in its early stages, but I do believe I would be upset should you be getting cooking materials with Tanya and had lust overcome you.”

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“What?” Trevor blinked at her.

“It is certainly similar to situations I have seen in a great many stories. She may be too short to reach a pot or pan on a high shelf, so you will come to help her, your chest pressing against your back and your genitals...”

“What are you...no!” Trevor said. “I am not going back there to have some kind of porno meetup with Tanya!”

“And what if lust should overcome her?” Betty asked. “You will be close together, and your genitals...”

“Stop talking about my genitals!”

“But I enjoy the topic,” Betty said. “You have very impressive genitals. I am fond of them.”

“You haven't even seen my genitals!”

“I have seen the bulge they form in your athletic pants on multiple occasions. It was not the only or primary reason I agreed to go to the dance with you, but honesty compels me to admit it was a factor. You will be alone with Tanya, and in such close proximity to you genitals...”

Trevor grabbed Betty's shoulder and pulled her in for a kiss. The rest of the camp, who had ignored the conversation as Betty's usual off kilter blithering, stopped and stared. The kiss lasted for a long, long time. When they finally broke apart, Betty was flushed and breathless, more color in her cheeks than the rest of them had ever seen.

“Get this straight,” Trevor said. “I'm dating you, okay? You. I'm not going to lose control and grab Tanya. Tanya isn't going to lose control and grab me. Because she's your friend, and I'm your boyfriend, and I have no intention of letting lust overcome me with anyone but you. Alright? So don't worry about it.”

“Oh,” Betty said. “Yes. Okay. I believe I understand.”

“Good,” Trevor said, giving her another peck on the cheek. “I'll be right back with the pots and things.”

Trevor and Tanya walked off into the cabin.

“I am feeling unwell,” Betty said. “Light headed. I am going to sit down...”

Betty sat down on a log and drifted off into some fantasy land of her own. Eric, meanwhile, turned his attention to Kyle.

“You!” Evan said, running up to him. “Weren't content being lovey dovey back in town? Had to go off to a secret love next in the woods?”

“Your heart wasn't in that one,” Kyle sighed.

“Nah it wasn't,” Evan admitted with a grin. “Good to see you again, buddy.”

“Good to see you too,” Kyle said. “I guess we should get a campfire started? Those of us with super strength, I mean.”

“Anime curry cookout!” Jenny cheered, leaping into the air with her arms raised.

A short while later, there was a campfire flickering in a pit they'd put together under Ammeline's instruction. To Kyle's surprise she actually seemed to know quite a bit about putting together a campfire. Of course she insisted she knew a lot about everything,so it was kind of hard to tell when she knew what she was talking about and just being obnoxious.

The evening had been spent mostly cutting vegetables, but now Ammeline was standing over the pot stirring the curry, glaring at it with a critical eye almost as if it had offended her. Kyle was sitting against a log near the campfire, Jenny's head resting on his chest.

“What are you thinking about?” Jenny asked.

“I was hoping Ammeline's as good a cook as she thinks she is or we're going to have stomach cramps during training tomorrow.”

“I heard that!” Ammeline called back. “My curry will be legendary! Worthy of a princess! You will all grovel for the chance to eat more of my wondrous cooking, and I will....oops! No! Stop!”

She hurriedly turned her attention to something in the pout, and Kyle chuckled. He settled back into silence for a while.

“This is nice,” Jenny said.

“It is,” he said, squeezing her around the waist.

“I don't just mean us,” Jenny said. “I mean all of this. All of them. It didn't feel right, when we were off on our own. It's good to have everyone around.”

Kyle looked around the campfire. Betty and Trevor were across the way, in much the same position as Kyle and Jenny. Betty was talking seriously about something, and Trevor had a big goofy smile on his face. Kyle wondered idly if whatever Betty was talking about was dirty, or at least included the phrase “lust overcome you.” Moonlight was beside them, stretched out on the dirt and basking in the heat from the fire.

Turning to the other side of the fire was Goldie and Eric. A very...different couple. They weren't cuddled up, it was more like Evan was trying to sort of ooze over Goldie. She was pushing him away...but not very hard, Kyle noticed, and every time he was about to give up she did something to goad him on again.

Tanya was away from the fire, deep in conversation with her father. Kyle could catch a word now and then, things like “elemental power” and “focus control,” so he assumed that tomorrow's training was being sorted out in detail.

“It is nice,” he said. “And you got your curry cookout.”

“Well not yet,” Jenny said. “Not until Ammeline says the curry is ready.”

“And I guess I'm getting my full on anime training arc,” Kyle sighed. “Always wanted to try one of those. I wonder if I'll have to stand under a waterfall?”

“Oh I've seen that!” She said. “And some of the wizard-hermits used to do that too, back in Uzbedi. Ancient Uzbedi I mean. I dunno how useful it is for training. But are there any waterfalls around here?”

“Guess I'll find out,” Kyle sighed. “You know what the only problem with tonight is?”

“What's that?” Jenny asked.

“It's too peaceful,” Kyle said. “If I were watching this in a show, I'd know for SURE villains were about to start causing a mess, any minute now....”

They lay in silence together. No evil chose to appear, and they settled back into comfortable quiet as the curry was made.

But Kevin couldn't shake the feeling that at the far end of all this peace, something horrible was about to happen.