Valiant: Tales From The Archive

[CURSEd #20: Callsign]

Log Date: 10/6/12764

Data Sources: Darrow Bennion

Event Log: Darrow Bennion

CURSE HQ: Intelligence and Security Analytics Department

10:05am SGT

“There’s got to be something.” I say, pacing back and forth. “You don’t get as powerful as this guy was and not make waves. There’s got to be something about him somewhere, right? News articles, reports, hit and runs in frontier space, something! What about campaigns for political offices, have we checked that?”

“Not in recent decades. We have checked. If he has run for political office, it was well before the time that observers were recording the politics of the Maskling Republic.” SCION answers, his eyes following me as I pace back and forth. It’s somewhat unnerving, because it’s only his eyes that are following me, not the rest of his head. “You are certain that no other names were provided for this individual you encountered on your last assignment?”

“Well gee whiz SCION, it’s not like we were there to take census. I don’t even know if the spelling we gave you was correct. What were we supposed to do, ask him to take a break from beating us senseless so we could write down his name down on a napkin?” I huff, rubbing my forehead as I glare at the many holoscreens hovering in the secure room we’re in. “But yes, that’s all he gave us. Makalu. Nothing else. Ironfist tried to get more, but the Maskling was wise to that. He was intentionally vague about a lot of stuff, and straight-up told us he wasn’t going to monologue like a Saturday morning cartoon villain. The dude knows what he’s doing; he knows the usual tricks.”

“I will continue to mine the galaxynet for possible leads or connections, but the information you and Ironfist have provided is decidedly sparse.” SCION replies, his arms remaining clasped behind his back. “Through no fault of your own, I’m sure, but it nonetheless makes it difficult to provide meaningful analysis. It may be that this individual is an entirely new threat that has not been encountered before, and as a result has no prior history for us to study.”

“C’mon, SCION, you don’t really believe that, do you?” I say, giving him a flat look. “You of all people would never accept that someone like this doesn’t have some sort of digital footprint or background that we can investigate.”

SCION gives a small shrug. “I figured I would make an attempt to soothe your apparent agitation. You are correct, however; if this individual is as consequential as you and Ironfist think he is, then there is actionable intelligence about him somewhere out there. It is merely a matter of locating it. That, however, will take time when it comes to obscure figures. We will continue researching, but our focus will be on monitoring current events to see if this Maskling resurfaces. If he intends to use the relic, then there will likely be background chatter leading up to it, as there often is in the weeks prior to the use of a superweapon.”

“We can’t wait for that, though.” I protest. “Ironfist told me how dangerous this relic could be in the wrong—”

The hiss of the door opening draws our attention, and I glance around to see Kent jumping into the room… wearing only a pair of swim trunks, a beach towel, and goggles. He points at me as Whisper and Kwyn slip into the room. “Found ‘im! Lock ‘im down, girls!”

I stare at the two of them as they cross the room, swatting holoscreens out of the way as they go. “What?” I say, confused as Kwyn snags my arm and Whisper comes around behind me to start pushing me towards the door. “What’s… what’s going on? Am I missing something?”

“Well, if the event calendar for the Peacekeeper staff is any indication, then yes, you are currently missing the beach party scheduled for today. Graciously sponsored by the Vestkong business lobby.” SCION states drily. “Full catering provided on a private beach down on Sybione’s surface, as I understand. I believe jet skis, windsurfing, regular surfing, and paddleboarding were also on offer.”

“But— but the relic, the Masklings—” I protest as I’m corralled to the door.

“The galaxy’s problems aren’t going anywhere, Dare. They’ll be here when you get back.” Whisper says, pinching my butt. I let out a yelp and skip forward a little at that. “You need to get off the HQ and get some sunlight, fresh air, and free food. It’ll do you a world of good.”

“Besides, most of the Peacekeepers are going to be there.” Kwyn adds. “Including the ones that I’ve never met before. You and Whisper can introduce me to them.”

“Wait, if it’s a Peacekeeper event, why is Kent coming?” I protest.

“I’ll be there to provide quality assurance for the catering.” Kent says, waving me through the door. “I have to test the food and drinks to make sure they’re not poisoned. It’s dangerous times in the galaxy, y’know. Gotta make sure we’re keeping our guard up.”

“The only thing you need to be keeping up are your pants.” Whisper says to Kent as she continues steering me to the door. “C’mon Dare, let’s move it along. Funtimes commence now.”

“Okay, but— SCION— SCION, the intelligence gathering, Makalu—” I call over my shoulder as I’m being dragged through the door.

“I will see to it. If we uncover any salient intel within your security clearance, I will copy you on the report.” SCION replies. “Have a good day, Axiom.”

“Alright, he’s given you his word. C’mon, let’s go, big guy. You got swim trunks, right? If not, they’ve got branded ones provided by the business lobby that’s throwing the party. CURSE gave them our measurements and the lobby had swimwear tailored for all of us. You should see the surf bikini they made for Kwyn.”

“I— I mean, it’s nothing special, really…”

“She’s being modest. Trust me, she was burning up the rest of the beach like a solar flare. You should’ve seen the looks she was getting from Gossamer.”

“C’mon guys, do I really have to go? I was in the middle of something—”

“Attendance is mandatory! C’mon girls, let’s just take him straight to the skipper. If we let him go back to his room, he’s going to try to sneak away. It’s time to paaaaaahrtay!”

Event Log: Ilyana Kemaim

Sybione: Anamarat District

5:02pm SGT

“…so I’m sitting here thinking, holy shit. I’m gonna get killed by a thirty pounds’ worth of pirate squirrel with a gun fetish. This is not how I want to die.” Surge says, waving around his beer. “Like, I knew the squirrels from the Baron Clan were dangerous, but this? This is just ridiculous! They’re not even proper Halfies! They’re barely two feet tall, smaller than even the Viralix!”

“They are some dangerous little buggers.” Ironfist agrees, sipping something yellow out of a martini glass. In just his swim trunks, his busted physique is on display, which can be described as an absolute brick of green muscle. “There’s a reason they’re still around and raising hell. And I did tell you to be careful on that assignment.”

Headache snorts, leaning forward in her beach chair to spit a watermelon seed into the firepit we’re gathered around. “‘Careful’ isn’t in Surge’s vocabulary, Ironfist. There’s nothing between those ears but a little bit of extra electricity keeping the lights on.”

“I have very deep and complex thoughts, thank you very much.” Surge says, taking another swig of his beer and sticking his tongue out at Headache.

Headache grins behind her watermelon rind. “You wanna let me have a peek, then?”

Surge gives her a sharp look, pointing his beer at her. “You stay out of my head, you little gremlin.”

Headache just licks her lips, still smiling. “That’s what I thought.”

“So are you gonna finish telling us what happening with the squirrels?” Gossamer drawls from her reclined beach chair. For the party she decided to make a statement with a strappy black-and-purple bikini that shows off that elven figure, the long damn legs first and foremost. At the moment she’s chilling under her umbrella with her shades on, nursing her drink.

“We’re gettin’ there, we’re gettin’ there.” Surge says, motioning a slowing hand at her. “Anyway, my mind’s blank. I have no idea what to do in a situation like this, and I’m worried that if I let off a shockwave, it’s gonna set off the piles of explosives they’ve got us tied up in. But it’s better than nothing, and if I wait much longer, they’re going to finish tying us up with the detonation wire. So I’m about to give it a try when Onslaught finally wakes up, and the first thing she says when she opens her eyes is—” Surge swings his arm out of the side, motioning to… the empty space beside him. “…seriously? Where’d she wander off to?”

“That is actually a good point, where’d she wander off to?” Headache says, looking over her shoulder as everyone at the fire seems to perk up on realizing that we’ve lost track of Onslaught. “She was here, like, two minutes ago.”

“Prolly off gettin’ into trouble.” Gossamer says, sipping from the crazy straw winding out of her wine glass. “Tolja we shouldn’t have let her come planetside.”

“You’re prolly blowin’ it out of proportion.” says Ripple, a redheaded Venusian that’s tanning by the last light of the setting sun. She’s one of senior Peacekeepers that had been on long assignment until recently. From what I could tell, she’d been recalled once the Valiant had reclaimed a Bastion. We’d seen a lot more of her around the HQ in the last couple of months. “It’s a beach party. What sort of trouble is she going to get into? Going for a joyride on one of the jetskis?”

Dare, sitting on the beach towel next to me, sets down his fizzwater. “Wasn’t there supposed to be a fireworks show later tonight?” he asks.

I sit up at that, looking around. “Oh shit. There’s explosives on this beach. Guys, where are they storing the fireworks? If she finds them—”

Ironfist turns without another word, marching off across the beach. Gossamer waves a hand, reclining her head again. “The jolly green giant’s got it. Anyway, Surge. You gonna finish that story or what? I’m fallin’ asleep over here.”

Surge puffs out a breath. “Well, Onslaught was supposed to be the punchline, but I guess I’ll tell it for her. So she wakes up, and the first thing she does is start gushing over their guns! The whole nine yards. They’re talking about specs, models, custom mods, ammo types, everything under the sun. So while they’re hitting it off, I manage to get loose and tase the fuzzy little bugger senseless. After that, we went off to find the rest of the group, and disarm the mountain of explosives they’d piled under the stock exchange.”

Gossamer raises an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

Surge gives a helpless shrug. “Look, it’s funnier when Onslaught’s here to tell her part of the story, since she goes into crazy detail about her guns. She can tell you who made it, what year it was, what kind of ammo it uses, the sound it makes when it fires, on and on and on.” He flops down in a beach chair next to Headache, taking a swig of his beer. “All I know about guns is you point and pull the trigger. They don’t get me hot and bothered like they do for her.”

“Well, it was still a good story.” I say, raising my barbecue skewer towards Surge. “Thanks for sharing it with us.”

He waves off the compliment. “You don’t have to give me consolation compliments, I know the whole thing fell apart when Onslaught missed her cue. What about the rest of you? Any interesting assignments recently? Axiom, I heard that you and Ironfist had an interesting one.”

Dare shakes his head beside me. “I’d rather not. Wasn’t a fun one; we got our asses handed to us. Besides, this is a party; I’m sure you guys would prefer something that wouldn’t bring the mood down.” he says, sipping from his fizzwater and glancing at me. “What about you, Whisper? You and Kwyn went on an assignment a couple weeks back, right? How’d that turn out?”

I shrug. “We got the dude, but it was a complicated case. Some guy that was doin’ the wrong thing for the right reason and all that. Didn’t really feel good to put him away; y’all don’t wanna hear about that.” Tearing a chunk of grilled chicken off my skewer, I give a grin as I chew. “But y’all shoulda seen Dare when I brought his trainee back. Like a puppy when the owners come back from a grocery run.”

Dare instantly chokes on his fizzwater, hacking and coughing for air. “Whisper!” he wheezes, thumping his chest as he tries to cough up all the fizzwater that went down the wrong pipe. “C’mon, seriously?! In front of everyone else?!”

“That’s nothing new. Everyone knows Axiom’s gots the hots for his trainee.” Even though you can’t see Gossamer’s eyes behind her shades, you can hear the eyeroll in her voice. Turning in her chair, she motions to the ocean. “I mean, look at her. Who wouldn’t be hot and bothered by that?”

We all glance to see that Kwyn stalking through the shallows, surfboard tucked under one arm and water streaming down her cut physique. As we watch, she shakes her head back and forth like a wet wolf, her long white hair scattering arcs of water that sparkle in the light of the setting sun.

Surge’s jaw drops. “Goddamn, what are we doin’ here? Where’s the film crew? An entrance like that belongs in a movie!”

Dare, who’s turned so red it looks like he’s got sunburn, mutters Shit under his breath, trying to twist to his feet as he pivots in the direction of the catering tables. I reach up, snagging the waist of his trunks before he can make his escape. “Where d’ya think you’re goin’, buster?” I drawl as he yelps and sits back down on the beach towel to avoid having his trunks pulled down. “You’ll 1v1 Songbird, but a pretty girl has you runnin’ for the escape pods? Nuh uh. Not on my watch.”

Headache snickers. “Someone is smitten. I can feel the embarrassment from over here; you are just radiating mortification, kiddo.” Then her brow furrows, and she turns and socks Surge in the arm. “Oi! Eyes over here! Have a little respect and stop leching after someone else’s crush, ya cretin!”

“I wasn’t leching!” Surge protests, rubbing his arm. “I was just… appreciating the natural beauty of the… ocean scenery!”

Ripple snorts at that, while Gossamer folds one leg over the other. “I mean, fair’s fair.” Gossamer says, sipping from her crazy straw. “If Axe ain’t gonna make a move, he’s got no right to keep someone else from cashin’ that ass.”

“Axiom’s motives are decidedly more virtuous than those held by the rest of you at the moment.” Ironfist says as he returns, with Onslaught in a headlock. “If I catch any of you making passes at the rookie, we will be having words. I will not see her become a box on a bingo card that some of you are looking to check off.” He ends with a pointed look at Gossamer.

“Whatever.” Gossamer says, looking away even as the eyeroll in her voice comes through loud and clear.

“Let me go, you giant green lunk!” Onslaught seethes, entirely unconcerned with our relationship drama. “Gods have mercy, why are your muscles so big! Your arm is as big as my entire torso!”

“Where’d you find her?” I ask Ironfist as Dare chugs the rest of his fizzwater, trying to get his color under control before Kwyn arrives.

“I caught her snooping around the trucks that had the fireworks. I told the caterers to have the vehicles moved somewhere else until we were ready for the fireworks show.” Ironfist says, throwing Onslaught to the sand near the firepit. “Figured I’d err on the safe side.”

“Y’all are no fun.” Onslaught pouts, brushing sand off her arms. “I was just curious.”

“We’d rather not have your curiosity turn into a diplomatic incident.” Ironfist says, turning to greet Kwyn as she plants her surfboard in the sand after pulling off the strap. “How’s the water, rookie?”

“It’s goo—” Kwyn starts.

“WOOO! Man did you guys see that? We were tearing it up out there!” Prancing up behind Kwyn is Tictoc, a shorter Peacekeeper with short yellow hair and mismatched eyes. Rather than planting her surfboard, she just throws it down outright, shaking her head as she arrives and flinging water everywhere.

“Hey! Watch it!” Gossamer snaps, holding up a hand and tilting her wineglass so that it won’t catch any saltwater.

“Seriously, Tic?” Ripple drawls, pulling up her towel to block the spray. “There’s this neat invention called towels. You should check them out sometime.”

“Y’all weak.” Tictoc says, wiping some water away from her mouth. “Sprawled out on your beach chairs like dead cats. Have you even gotten in the water today, Gossamer?”

“Me ’n Dare hit the jetskis.” I say, tossing my empty skewer into the fire. “Saw Headache and Surge out windsurfing. And didn’t Ironfist and Ripple put together that sandcastle down by the water?”

“Group effort. Dare and Kwyn helped.” Ironfist says, holding out a fizzwater to Kwyn as she passes him on her way over to me and Dare. I scoot over, making room for her to sit down on the edge of her towel, which she does with a thankful smile. “The ocean’s reclaiming it now, but it was a pretty fine castle when the tide was lower.”

“You all seem to be having a good time.”

The voice from the dunes gets our attention, and most of us turn to see Tenji making her way down the boardwalk that cuts through the dune grass. Upon seeing the Administrator, the others raise their drinks or let out calls of greeting as she makes her way through the sand towards us, sporting modest shorts and a long, draping shirt, topped off with a floppy-brimmed beach hat to block out the last rays of the sun. She’s clearly not dressed for jumping in the water or prancing on the beach, and her hair is still bound back in that sensible ponytail. She’s still got her glasses on, but overall, her attire is a bit more relaxed than the uniform or business suits that we usually see her in.

“Administrator.” Ironfist says, lofting his glass towards her. “It’s a pleasure to have you join us. Was the Deputy Administrator unable to attend?”

“He declined the offer. He has an intense dislike of sand, apparently because it’s rough and coarse and gets everywhere.” Tenji explains as she arrives to the fireside. “How’s everyone doing? Good beach party?”

“It’s been great.” Headache sighs happily. “Getting a break from all the… everything that’s been happening in the galaxy.”

“A much needed respite.” Ironfist agrees.

“Food’s pretty good.” I say, snagging Dare’s unfinished skewer and biting one of the grilled pineapple chunks off of it. “Surprised more people aren’t drunk, to be honest.”

“Kent’s drunk.” Dare points out, nodding to a lump underneath a beach towel, atop another beach towel. He’d passed out earlier, and we’d thrown a towel over him to keep him from getting sunburned.

“Can’t go surfin’ when you’re drunk!” Tictoc chirps, toweling off her hair. “Kinda need your sense of balance for that.”

“It’s good to hear you’ve all been enjoying yourselves. I’ll make sure to let the business lobby know that you all enjoyed the experience.” Tenji says, sizing up the towel-covered lump that is Kent. I can tell she’s going over the Peacekeeper roster in her head and realizing that a ‘Kent’ is not among CURSE’s elite ranks. Evidently she decides not to act on it right now, returning her attention to the group and to Kwyn in particular. “Kwyn, this is your first company party with your fellow Peacekeepers. Did you get to meet everyone?”

“I did. It’s been good to get everyone together.” Kwyn says, combing a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. “Especially since I don’t see some of them often.”

“Agreed.” Tenji says, sizing up our gathering. “Even now, there are still a lot of Peacekeepers out on various assignments. Try as we might, it’s just not possible to get everyone in the same place with the way the galaxy currently is. In a more peaceful time, it would’ve been possible. But we’ll make the best of what we can do.” She reaches up, catching a can of hard lemonade that Gossamer’s tossed to her. Giving the top a couple flicks, she cracks it open with a soft hiss. “And since most of the Peacekeepers are here, I figured now would be a good time to discuss your callsign. I believe you’ve earned one, given how far you’ve come and how much you’ve contributed to CURSE over the past year.”

Kwyn’s not the only one that perks up at that. “Oh damn, are we voting on a callsign? Today is a special day!” Surge says, straightening up in his beach chair.

“Seriously?” Gossamer drawls. “Back in my day…”

“Oh hushit, Goss.” I scoff at her. “Back in your day they let practically anyone become a Challenger, so you’ve got no room to talk. Remember Laughing Alice?”

“Based on what I’ve seen and heard, I believe Kwyn’s earned it.” Ironfist says, shooting Onslaught a warning look as she tries to pull one of the logs out of the firepit. “Did the administration have any callsigns in mind?”

“I composed a list with input from our personnel resources and field ops departments.” Tenji says, sipping from her drink. “But I gave it some thought, and I figured — we are all here, and we are a team at the end of the day. So I decided I’d ask you all for suggestions on what her callsign should be.”

There’s some hooting and hollering at that, and I’m one of those that’s making noise as I elbow Kwyn. “How about that, Junior! We get to pick your callsign!”

Kwyn colors a little, giving a nervous smile; it’s clear she’s not used to being the center of attention. “Thanks, guys. Didn’t know it would happen this soon.”

“Don’t thank us just yet.” Tictoc giggles. “Maybe we could call her Snowball with that pretty head of hair?”

“Serious suggestions only.” Tenji clarifies. “Mind that this is going to be how she’s identified in all promotional materials and media campaigns. Her callsign should say something about her, just as your callsigns say something about each of you.”

“Call ‘er Big Dog.” Onslaught says from where she’s trying to dig under the rim of the firepit. “‘Cause of that bigass ghost wolf she can call up on the turn of a time.”

“We’re not gonna call her Big Dog.” Headache says, rolling her eyes. “Her summon is a good starting point, though. How about Ghostwolf?”

“She can actually summon more than just one spirit wolf.” I add at this point. “She can summon a whole pack of them, all normal-sized. Pretty good at tracking people down, too. Maybe we can call her Apex, since wolves are usually at the top of the food chain?”

“She’s definitely at the top of the food chain, with that bigass summon she’s got.” Surge remarks. “I’d say Top Dog, but y’all were looking for serious suggestions…”

“How about Little Wolf?” Dare suggests suddenly.

“Did you not hear the part about serious suggestions?” Gossamer says flatly.

“I am being serious. It’s a purposeful misnomer.” Dare replies quickly. “It references her capabilities, but leaves their scale in question. Some will be fooled; those that know the truth will see the joke. And the name has a friendly dimension. Headache, Ironfist, Onslaught — those are all aggressive callsigns. Little Wolf is a little more… welcoming. Or at least ambiguous.”

“I like that one.” Kwyn blurts out abruptly. “Little Wolf.”

“Really?” Tenji remarks, looking a little surprised.

“You’re not just sayin’ that because he trained you, are you?” Tictoc says, raising an eyebrow.

“No, but he’s right.” Kwyn says quickly. “It’s a less aggressive callsign. It’s a little softer.”

“She does have a point.” Headache muses. “We’re sorta in a public relations battle with the Valiant right now. Softening up CURSE’s image might broaden our appeal.”

“It has… a certain charm to it.” Ironfist agrees slowly. “The more I think about it, the more it grows on me. I like Dare’s suggestion.”

Tenji nods, looking around at the gathered Peacekeepers. “Seems to me that there’s a clear preference. Is anyone opposed to Little Wolf?”

I stretch my arms over my head. “I mean, I thought Apex was pretty cool, but I guess I can get behind Little Wolf.” I say, elbowing Dare with a playful grin, then looking to Kwyn. “Little Wolf. It’s cute. Just like you, some might say.”

Kwyn turns bright red at that, and I feel Dare tug on one of my locks of hair. “Don’t torment her, you little gremlin.” he chides.

“I would’ve preferred Apex, but if we’re leaning into friendly angle, I suppose Little Wolf will do.” Gossamer says, reclining her head and settling her wine glass aside. “Wake me up when it’s time for fireworks.”

“Me ’n Surge are down with Little Wolf.” Headache decides.

Surge glances at Headache. “Wait, we are?… oh. Oh! Okay yeah, we’re down with Little Wolf.”

“Works for me.” Tictoc says, rooting around in one of the coolers for a drink.

“Sounds like a majority to me, then.” Tenji says, turning to smile at Kwyn. “Welcome to the squad, Little Wolf.”

Kwyn looks at once pleased and embarrassed by that, returning an abashed smile. “Thanks, guys. I’ll do my best to… do my best, I guess.”

“We know you will.” Ironfist says, raising his glass to her. “And I’m looking forward to seeing you excel, as I know you will. Since we’re all here, why don’t we get a group picture while we’re at it?”

“Excellent idea, Ironfist.” Tenji say, motioning her attendant over. “Everyone together, on this side of the fire! That way we can get the ocean in the background.”

“Ah, if you insist.” I say, limbering to my feet and then helping Dare and Kwyn up as the others start to stand as well. Gossamer’s the only one that doesn’t move, and Tictoc takes notice as the rest of us move over to one side of the firepit.

“C’mon Gossamer, get up! You have to be in the picture too!”

“So help me Belanus, I will bury you in the rising tide if you touch me, Tictoc.”

“You’ll have to catch me first! Here, I’ll help you get up!”

“FLLAGHRGHAAA THAT’S COLD— oh you’re in for it now, you pixie-ass maniac!”

Event Log: Darrow Bennion

Sybione: Anamarat District

7:22pm SGT

“You know, on some worlds, they say that if the sun sets over the ocean, there’s supposed to be this flash of green light right as it dips beneath the horizon.” Whisper says, taking another swig from her drink.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.” I say, rolling my own drink between my fingers. We’re both sitting in beach chairs, facing towards the ocean; the party is starting to wind down to evening activities. “Something about atmospheric physics—”

“Oh c’mon, Dare. You’re takin’ the magic out of it.” Whisper gripes. “Don’t try to explain it, just let it be mysterious. None of this photon-scattering, gravitational lensing, light-bending holly jolly nonsense. Just let it be the mysterious flash at the end of the day.”

I shrug. “Hey, point the finger at science, not me. I don’t make the laws of the universe; I just had them beaten into my head at school.”

“Don’t I know it.” Whisper sighs. “Nothing destroys a rainbow like knowing how it’s created. And finding out you can do it with something as simple as a garden hose and a little bit of daylight.” After a moment, she looks at me. “Was it worth it?”

“Was what worth it?” I ask, sipping from my drink.

“Us dragging you down here. Forcing you to drop work and come to the party.”

I look around. Many of the others are around the firepit, either roasting s’mores or chowing down on Venusian burgers, brats, and beer; Kent is conscious again and raiding the coolers for alcoholic drinks he can take back with him and hoard; Tenji has staked out a chair for herself among the Peacekeepers in one of the rare instances I’ve seen her relaxing and socializing. It’s an idyllic scene, and one I can’t really argue with.

“Yeah. It was worth it.” I admit. “It’s nice to get away from the HQ. See real skies, ocean, sand, real land and geography.” After another moment of reflection, I add, “The socializing was nice too. Just the whole fact that I didn’t have to think about work, or any of the rest of the problems in the galaxy right now. It was nice to just get away from it all for a bit.”

“Good. You were a little obsessed over after your last assignment.” Whisper says, folding one leg over the other. “And that’s not an invitation to talk about it, by the way. Just leave it alone for now and enjoy the party. Speaking of which, you look good in the trunks and rashguard the business lobby provided.”

I look down, tugging at the rashguard. “Yeah. They’re nice material. It was really generous of them to provide custom-tailored swim clothes; I’m sure it can’t have been cheap.”

Whisper snorts. “It wouldn’t have been cheap, but the cost is probably more than offset by the fact that we’ve parked ourselves around Sybione and all the businesses that make up the business lobby just got a big new customer. That’s basically what all this is — the business lobby’s rewarding us for bringing business and prestige to the Vestkong System.”

I wrinkle my nose at that. “Yeah, I know. Honestly, it sounds dangerously close to a bribe, if you ask me.”

“Dare, please.” Whisper scoffs. “Bribes happen before you do something nice for someone. When it happens after they’ve made profit, it’s called a kickback.”

I give her a flat look. “Like that’s so much better.”

Whisper grins at me. “You got to see Kwyn in a two-piece swimsuit though, so it was worth it, right?”

“Oh, knock it off, you saucy cat!” I say, shoving her chair enough to rock it.

“I’d like to thank our sponsors today for giving us the opportunity to see the new recruit rock that hot bod…”

“You really are evil, you know that?” I mutter, smiling even as I shake my head. Taking another sip from my drink, I look around the beach to see if Kwyn’s near enough to have heard our conversation; it looks like she’s over at one of the picnic tables close to the firepit, checking her phone. “…she does look really good in a swimsuit.”

“Aaaayyyyy, I knew it.” Whisper crows, taking another swig of her drink. “Did you see her shredding it out on the waves earlier? You should’ve gone out there and joined her.”

“I don’t know how to surf.” I say, shaking my head.

“That’s perfect! You should ask her to teach you sometime!”

I narrow my eyes at her. “I know what you’re gettin’ at, and I’m not gonna do it.”

“Oh c’mahn, Dare! It’d be a perfect date night idea!” Whisper cajoles. “All this time, it’s been you teaching her stuff. If you show her that you’re interested in letting her teach you something, it’ll make her feel… well, special. Complimented. She’ll feel more like your equal, instead of your trainee. And that’ll get rid of that awkward student-teacher dynamic that’s keeping the two of you apart!”

“You and I both know that’s not the reason she’s turned me down.” I say, rolling my eyes and taking a swig of my drink.

Whisper sighs. “Yeah, she told me during the assignment where we were paired up. I nosed around a bit. Guess you weren’t making up that bit about her being interested in someone else at CURSE.”

I glance at her, somewhat concerned that maybe Whisper’s been nosing around on my behalf without telling me. “Did she tell you?”

“Who it was? Nah. She clammed up when I went sniffing for names.” Whisper says, shaking her head. “I wanted to press it, but I left it alone. Had to focus on the assignment and all that.”

“Yeah, fair.” I say, tapping my drink against the arm of my chair. “Honestly, I think I’m better off not knowing. It’ll be harder to brush off if I can put a face to this person she’s interested in.”

Whisper mulls that over, then: “If you knew who it was, you could go duel them for Kwyn’s affection.”

“Whisper. Seriously? We’re in the modern era.” I say incredulously. “You don’t earn brownie points with women by clobbering the people they’re interested in. That’s medieval and industrial-era nonsense. Besides, what if the person Kwyn’s interested in is a woman? It’s gonna look even worse.”

“What’s that mean? You don’t think a woman could give you a fair fight?”

“Alright, I’m walking that back, I know where you’re taking this—”

“Nah, square up. I’m a woman, we can settle this right now.”

“Yes, but you’re also wereckanan.”

“Yeah? And?”

“And wereckanan are stronger than humans!”

“Pff, it’s just a marginal strength difference.”

“Well it doesn’t feel marginal when you’re pinning me down.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve sparred. You wanna give it a try, see if the whole ‘being a woman’ thing balances out the ‘being a wereckanan’ thing?”

“That’s not how I meant it, and you know that.”

Whisper grins. “Yeah, I know. But I like tormenting you.” She takes another swig of her drink, looking around the beach again, then flicks her fingers against my arm. “Eh. Take a look.”

I follow her gaze over to Kwyn, who’s still staring at her phone, but with her lips drawn into a tight line now. When she goes to lock the screen and starts to stand up, both Whisper and I turn our heads back to the ocean so we won’t get caught staring, and stay facing that way, quietly sipping on our drinks for a few minutes until we see Kwyn in our peripheral vision, making her way towards the dunes on the edge of the beach.

“She got some news she didn’t like.” Whisper murmurs.

“Yeah, I figured, based on that expression.” I agree, watching as Kwyn starts into the dunes that border some of the grassy cliffs against the water. “Hope it’s nothing too major.”

“Why don’t you go find out?” Whisper suggests.

I grimace. “What, like she’ll want to talk to me about her personal problems?”

“Dare, she likes you.” Whisper says. “Maybe not as much as she likes that other person in CURSE, but she does like you. She literally told me that. Straight to my face on the assignment we were on. And that’s probably because you’re a good friend to her. Just because she’s interested in someone else doesn’t mean she can’t like you as well. So yeah, she may want to talk to you about her personal problems. She might even appreciate having someone to vent to.”

I stare at Whisper for a moment. “…she told you that? Unprompted?”

“Ah, well, not exactly unprompted.” Whisper equivocates. “Might’ve come up in wandering conversation.”

“God, you tried to get her to go out with me, didn’t you.” I groan.

“I didn’t! I just asked! I was curious about if she would still turn you down!” Whisper protests. “I’m on your side, Dare. Have a little faith in me, yeah?”

“Look, I just don’t want her to feel awkward around me, y’know?” I say, slouching in my beach chair a little. “Like, I’d think twice about spending time around someone if I knew that all their friends were going to try to pressure us into a relationship. I don’t want something like that to happen to Kwyn.”

“Yeah… okay, fair.” Whisper concedes. “I’ll dial it back. But I do think you should go talk to her, see what’s going on and if she’s okay. Give it like, ten minutes, so it doesn’t seem like we’re hounding her. Enough time for her to try and process.”

I sigh. “Ten minutes?”

“Yeah. Ten minutes. Unless you can’t stand being around me that long.”

I snort. “I might be the only one besides Kent that can put up with you for that long.”

Whisper grins. “And that’s only because he wants a shot at getting in my pants.”

“At this point I think he’s doing it for the joke. He has to know he doesn’t stand a chance; I don’t even think he’s even serious about it anymore.”

“Yeah. He knows he’s not on the list of people I’d like in my pants.”

“Oh, you’ve got a list, do you.”

“I’ve got a list. It’s not a long one. Don’t you have a list?”

“Not as such, no.”

“Pity. You should make one so I can see what type of people you’re into.”

“Is that the point of the list?”

“Well, that and fantasizing. And idle conversation.”

“Alright then. Who’s on your list?”

“Mm-mm! Nope. I don’t share my list until you make your own list and share it.”

“I see how it is. Gonna drag me down in the mud with you?”

“It’s fun down here.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“Besides, I know who’s on your list already.”

“Don’t…”

“Lookin’ for those Little Wolf snuggles.”

“Stahp! God, now you’ve made it weird!”

“There’s nothing weird about wanting to give a cute girl the snugs.”

“It is when she’s your coworker! And your trainee!”

“Pah, we’ve already had this conversation. Our line of work doesn’t give us the same relationship opportunities that normal people have. Nothing weird about wanting to snug a cute coworker when they’re one of the few people you see and hang out with regularly.”

“Yeah, I guess.” I concede, glancing in the direction that Kwyn went. “Ten minutes?”

“Ten minutes. We can sit and watch the ocean while you wait.” Whisper says, sipping from her drink. “Enjoy the warm sand in your toes.”

“Aight.”

We settle into the comfortable silence with that, watching the waves lap at the shore, with the glow of the sunset clouds bouncing off the rippled water. The water’s calmer now than it was in the afternoon; there’s no more big waves to be caught and ridden, and the wind’s no longer strong enough for any windsurfing. The murmur of the other Peacekeepers socializing drifts over from the firepit, occasionally broken by a spike in laughter when a joke is told. It isn’t anything special, but the normalcy is what makes it nice. Our lives are rarely normal, so a chance to experience ‘normal’ is a welcome gift.

“Alright.” I eventually say, checking the time on my phone. I’m still a little reluctant, but I know that Whisper won’t let me slide on this. “I’m gonna go do it. Wish me luck.”

“Just be natural.” Whisper advises as I stand up. “Don’t be awkward about it; just let it flow, you know?”

I give her a look as I start walking. “Flow? What’s that even supposed to mean?”

“You’ll know. Just let it flow, Dare.”

I roll my eyes and just keep walking, finding the set of prints Kwyn left behind in the sand, and starting to follow them. They stay along the dunes for a while before delving into them, though mostly to cut across them on their way towards the grassy cliffs. As I come out of them onto the other side, the ground starts to grow firmer, and the tracks slowly disappear into the grass going up the hill. It occurs to me that I might not be able to find Kwyn if she wandered too far, so I pick up the pace a bit, walking faster and hoping that I’ll be able to catch up to her. I shouldn’t have worried though — as soon as I crest the edge of the hill, I see her familiar splash of white hair sitting over near the edge of the cliff.

Slowing up, I start over towards her, clearing my throat so I can try to get her attention without startling her. She straightens up, whipping around to glance over her shoulder, wiping her nose as she does so. “I’m not intruding, am I?” I ask.

“No, no, you’re fine.” she says, rubbing her eyes. She’s got one of the thin beach shawls provided by the business lobby wrapped around her shoulders. “Sorry. Just needed a little bit of alone time.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” I say, sitting next to her. “I don’t think the others have noticed you’re gone; they’re either too drunk or too busy trying to tell the biggest fishing story.”

She nods, glancing at her phone and lowering it again. “It’s been a nice day.” she says.

“It has.” I agree, folding my arms around my knees before going on. “Is everything okay? It looks like you got some news you didn’t like.”

A sigh is her answer; she looks back down the hill at the beach where the others are, as if thinking about what to say. “It’s stupid, I really shouldn’t… honestly I should’ve just left my phone with my stuff, not paid attention to it. If I’d found out later I could’ve had my pity party then, instead of now.” She looks at me. “You won’t tell anyone?”

I give it a moment, thinking about what could’ve gotten her this upset. “Is it about your guy friend out in… where was it again?”

“Steinhjerte System. Yeah, it’s him.” she says, looking back out to the ocean. “He messaged me to let me know he’d have a new mailing address since he was moving in with his best friend.”

I have to take another moment to absorb that, to read between the lines and figure out what I’m supposed to be hearing. “Is this best friend a… girl, by chance?”

She nods, folding her arms on her knees again.

“And you think it’s… more than just best friends.” I venture carefully.

“I haven’t asked. I don’t want to ask. It’d be kinda nosy to ask. But I’m not stupid, Dare; I can read between the lines, hear what isn’t being said.” Kwyn says miserably. “I mean, who moves in with their best friend since childhood that just happens to be someone they talk to every day and always confide in and…” She stops herself, taking a deep breath as she rubs one of her eyes. “…sorry. I’m sorry, I just… you probably don’t want to hear this.”

“It’s fine.” I say quickly. “I’m here to listen. If you want to talk about this, get it off your chest, go ahead. I’ll listen.”

“I know you will.” she says softly. “It’s not you, it’s me that I’m mad at. I should be past this by now; it shouldn’t bother me this much. I’ve known for a while now that he doesn’t care about me the same way I care about him, and yet I keep finding myself here. Still caring even when I know I shouldn’t, when I know I should’ve let go and moved on long ago. Every time I tell myself this is it, this is the time I let go. But I can’t bring myself to unfriend him or block him. I don’t even have a reason to, because it’s not like he’s a bad person. He’s perfectly decent; he’s nice, but gods, if it doesn’t stab a little deeper every time I hear that he’s seeing someone else.”

I listen to all that, not yet saying anything to it because I don’t have an answer. It’s not an easy situation she’s presented, and I’m not exactly a relationship counselor. My mind climbs over possible solutions — recommending she just block him without explanation, or asking her about that other person at CURSE that she’s interested in — but those don’t seem like good answers or solutions to the situation. Taking a moment to think about how to approach it, I turn away from the external factors to the core itself: Kwyn.

“Kwyn, you… like having connections with people. Or want a specific connection with one person in particular. Right?” I ask hesitantly.

Her tawny eyes flit to me; I can already see the gears turning in her head as her thoughts turn to introspection, reflection on herself. “I… suppose so, yes.” she sniffs, clearly thinking about it. “I… don’t like being alone, but I’ve always been kinda awkward, not great at socializing.”

“You see pretty okay around people to me.” I say, surprised. “Everybody likes you.”

She winces. “I— people like me because I look good and I don’t say a lot. I’m bad at holding good conversations. Bad at starting conversations. Even when I’m with you and Whisper and Kent, I spend most of my time just being there listening to you three banter. And it’s not because I don’t have anything to say, or don’t want to say anything, but there’s a lot of stuff going on up in my head, and I have to sort through it and figure out what to say, what’s right to say. I could never say the right stuff when I was younger — all the stuff I said, try to contribute to a conversation, always came out random, at least to other people, even though it made sense in my head. And people would always give me looks, and I just… stopped participating in conversations.” She’s quiet a moment, then suddenly: “Like this! You asked me a question about my desire for connections and social relationships and I went on some tangent about how my head doesn’t work right and I’m bad at conversations! And the answer is yes, I do want connections and relationships, but I’m just… not… good at creating them.”

Even though I need a moment to soak all of that in, the pieces are already starting to click together. It’s starting to make sense now, why Kwyn feels like she’s there but always in the background of a given conversation. Thinking back through all of my interactions with her, all the times we’ve been together as a group, the way she always seemed shy to the conversation — it’s all starting to come into focus.

“It’s okay.” I say after a moment, looking at her. “I’m glad you told me. I didn’t know; I thought you were just shy.” I pause for a moment, gathering my thoughts. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you should sell yourself short — you seem to do okay in one-on-one conversations. Group conversations, you’re a little quieter, but that’s okay.”

“One-on-ones are easier.” she says, looking down at her folded arms. “There’s less people; it’s easier to focus, keep the conversation on track and keep my mind from straying. And yeah, I do want connections; I want a connection, I guess, a relationship with someone I can care about and lean on and…” She rubs a hand against her face. “Sorry. This is stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” I say, shrugging. “I mean, it sounds cheesy to admit it. But a lot of people do want relationships. They want someone they can come back to, someone they can care about, someone that cares about them, someone they can develop a close bond with… a lot of people crave it. There’s nothing wrong with wanting something like that.” I take a moment to gather my thoughts and some courage, then: “I get pangs like that from time to time. I just… want someone. Want to curl up next to someone, want someone to hold me, and just be emotionally close to. So I get it. I understand why you want that, why you don’t block that friend of yours even though you know you should. It’s because some part of your brain says maybe, maybe one day, he could be that person that you could curl up next to, if you just wait long enough.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.” Kwyn says, her shoulders slumping. “Even though I know better, I just can’t… and it’s stupid, there’s someone here at CURSE but I can’t get up the courage to ask her, and then you, you’re a great friend, would probably be a good boyfriend, but I’m stuck on this other person, and then I’m supposed to be a Peacekeeper on top of all this, best of the best, an elite operative, and I should have my shit together, and I don’t! People expect me to make good decisions and I can’t even figure out what I want.” She runs her hands through her hair, eyes squeezed shut. “My head’s a goddamn mess. I shouldn’t be here with the rest of you.”

“Kwyn, none of us have it figured out.” I say gently. “What you see from the others, that’s what they choose to show to everyone else. And there’s even less that we show to the public. It’s just layers of curated images we show to different groups of people. I can promise you that things look different behind the scenes. Gossamer’s got problems she doesn’t like talking about because she doesn’t like admitting weakness. Ironfist maintains the front that he does because he believes he has to set an example for others. Whisper disobeys orders and acts cool about it, but deep down she’s concerned about it because she doesn’t want to get kicked out. She’s estranged from her family, so CURSE is home for her… such as it is. You’re not the only one that’s a mess. We’re all messes, and we’re doing our best to manage it while still doing our jobs. You’re not alone, I promise.”

She presses her lips together. “It feels like it sometimes.”

I take that in, then after a few seconds, start to get to my feet, offering my hand out to her. “C’mon. Let’s go get some slushees.”

She stares up at me. “What?”

“This might be a private beach, but there’s a small waterfront town right on the other side of the cliff.” I say, tilting my head in that direction. “Beachfronts always have nice little shops and restaurants. Let’s go prowl the boardwalk and get a couple slushees.”

“But the others—”

“I’ll text Whisper and let her know what we’re doing so they don’t send out a search party. If any of the others ask, she’ll tell them we took a walk and we’ll be back.” I say, keeping my hand held out to her. “Whisper and I go way back. She knows how to cover for us; she’s a good friend.”

After a moment, she reaches up and takes my hand, and I pull her up. As she gathers her beach wrap around her shoulders, I start walking, and soon enough she’s keeping pace beside me as we make our way along the cliff’s edge in the deepening night. Every fifty yards or so, there are little markers warning us to stay away from the very edge of the cliff, since the rock there is unstable and has a tendency to calve off over time.

“I’m sorry, Dare.” Kwyn says as the lights of the waterfront town start to come into view.

I glance over at her. “What for?”

“I’m doing the same thing to you that my friend over in Steinhjerte is doing to me.” she says, shaking her head. “Ignoring what I’ve got while pining over something that I can’t have, or something I’m not brave enough to chase after. I should know better; I know how much this sucks because he’s doing this to me. Yet here I am, doing the exact same thing to you.”

I take a moment to process that. “Yeah, I guess. But I know you’re not doing it on purpose, and if you can’t control how your heart feels.” As the ground starts to slope down beneath our feet, I tuck my hands in my pockets. “None of us can. If we could, life would be a lot easier. We could just tell our hearts who to love, and we’d never have to wander around like fools trying to find someone we like, someone that actually likes us back.”

“I wish it was easy as that.” Kwyn says as we tramp down the hill towards where the boardwalk picks up on the beach. “Or… well. I wish it was the way it is in movies and holos. Where the main character just comes across the one, and even if it’s a bumpy ride getting there, you know that the happy ending is locked in. But it’s not like that in real life.”

I nod wistfully. “Yeah. In real life, your one true love doesn’t just fall into your lap. You actually have to get out there and look for them.” I wince a little as we step onto the boardwalk, and I realize I’m barefoot. A little shiver goes up my spine at memories of splinters picked up from beach boardwalks in the past. “And honestly, it’s so…” I trail off, trying to find the right word.

“It’s time-consuming!” Kwyn says, almost indignantly. “Gods, it just takes so much… everything! You have to find time to go out to places, and have energy to socialize with people, and keep your guard up the whole time because there’s gonna be people that turn you down, and you’re also gonna be turning people down, and you can’t ever be vulnerable because someone might pounce on that, and you have to always keep an eye out for creeps and red flags and it’s such a goddamn pain in the ass!”

The vehemence of her outburst is almost startling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kwyn take such a strong opinion of something, but… “…yeah, actually. You’re right. It’s a chore to put yourself out there and try to find someone. And all the rules and the games—”

“The signals, oh my god, the signals are a nightmare!” Kwyn says, latching onto that next. “Like, you’re expected to be able to read someone’s body language to figure out whether they’re into you, and pick up on all the subtle cues they’re dropping, like you’re Vice and Virtue! I don’t go to a social event to cosplay a detective, you know?”

“Really makes you wonder what goes on in the heads of people that manage to take people home from parties and meetups.” I muse as we start passing all the little shops and stands attached to the boardwalk. “Do they really form connections with other people that quickly?”

“No, they just wanna get some.” Kwyn says. “I want to be judgy, but honestly I can’t blame them. I mean, who hasn’t wanted to take someone home and get wild and reckless and just have a good roll in the sheets without thinking about the consequences or what other people will think?”

I raise an eyebrow at her. “…maybe you’re projecting your own desires?”

Kwyn stares at me a moment, then breaks into a grin, giving me a shove. “Oh, shut up, I know you’ve felt the same way! Guys are all sorts of horny!”

I snort at that. “What, and women aren’t?”

“No, we’re sensitive and sentimental creatures that are pure and innocent.” Facetious, obviously.

“Okay then. How do you explain Whisper, then?” I counter.

We manage to hold straight faces for a moment before busting into laughter that melts into giggles over time. We’re still chuckling a little when we reach the Slushee Shack and order our slushees, and even afterwards, a snicker seeps in here and there. As we wander away, finding a bench to sit down at, Kwyn seems to be in a better mood than she was earlier.

“You know, I think you might be able to see more stars if they didn’t have so many lights on the waterfront.” Kwyn remarks, staring out across the ocean and sipping from her slushee. “It’s a pity. I hear the galaxy, at least as you can see it from Sybione, is beautiful.”

“It’s better over in Praelion District, which is in the other hemisphere. You can see one of the nearby nebula from there.” I say, stirring my straw around in my slushee. Cherry lime on the bottom, strawberry lemonade on the top. “But it’s winter over on that side of the planet. Sitting outside watching the sky in that weather wouldn’t be any fun.”

“Could probably be fun if you were dressed up warm with some hot cocoa.” Kwyn offers. She takes a long sip from her slushee, then asks: “Hey Dare? How did you and Whisper get to be such good friends?”

I glance at her. “Me ’n Whisper? Huh… it just kinda happened, I guess? I mean, Whisper was my instructor when I was a recruit, and then she was my mentor when I got promoted to Peacekeeper, and we’ve just known each other for so long that it just… turned into what it is today. If you know someone for long enough, and spend a bunch of time around them, you just kinda get to know them well enough that it’s hard not to be good friends with them. So… time, I guess? It’s just a matter of spending a lot of time around someone else.”

“Yeah. I guess that makes sense.” Kwyn says, nodding. “I get jealous of the two of you sometimes. You’re just so close to each other, I thought you two were a thing the first time I saw you two in the same place. But you two are just really good friends. Sometimes I just wish I had what you two have.”

I think about that, then shrug. “I mean, you can have that. Just spend more time with us; none of us are gonna mind. You’re part of our group, and Kent and Whisper wouldn’t complain about having you around more.”

Kwyn snorts at that. “I don’t think so. Whatever you’ve got with Whisper, I don’t think it’s something that can reproduced with some other person.”

I give a shrug at that. “I mean, we’re just friends.”

Kwyn gives me a look, but doesn’t say anything more, staring back out across the waves rushing up on the shore. With the sun down, the water’s gone from a steely blue to an indigo black, much less friendly than it was during the day. I have a feeling it’d look a little better with some moonlight sprinkled on it, but I think Sybione’s moons are on the other side of the planet right now.

“Honestly, today was going pretty great before I got that message.” Kwyn says eventually. “I got to have fun, and relax, and get to know everyone else a little better… and I got my callsign.” She looks at me. “Thanks for suggesting that name. I liked it more than anything else that was suggested.”

“I mean, it was nothing major, I was just putting in my two cents…” I say, trying to shrug it off modestly.

“Maybe. But it meant a lot to me.” she says, stirring her slushee around. “I don’t want people to be scared of me. I want to be someone that gives people hope. I know I’ve got big powers, but I want to use them to keep people safe. You always see people making lists of who’s the biggest or strongest or most dangerous Peacekeeper, but I don’t want to be any of those things. I want to be the Peacekeeper that people feel safe with.”

“Well, I can promise you there is plenty of room for you to be that Peacekeeper.” I say, leaning back against the bench. “Nobody’s gonna compete with you for that spot, and if that’s the kind of Peacekeeper you want to be, you’re free to carve out that reputation for yourself, and no one’s gonna try to take that from you.”

“Yeah, I guess you all have your own things already.” Kwyn chuckles a little. “The sneaky one, that’s Whisper… and Gossamer, I guess…”

“Headache’s the psi guy.”

“Yup. And Surge is the cool lightning dude.”

“Ironfist is the bruiser.”

“Nazka is the scary one.”

“And Onslaught’s the gal with the unhealthy gun obsesssion.”

“Gods, I’m surprised the administration hasn’t kicked her out yet.”

“Don’t tell her this, but honestly, I think she’s gonna get herself killed before the administration gets around to giving her the boot.”

“I know I shouldn’t, but… I kind of agree.”

A booming pop draws our attention; both of us look to the side to see orange streaks expanding away from a point in the sky. There’s another explosion, this time with red streaks, and it’s pretty clear that it’s coming from over the cliff, where the private beach is. “Looks like they’ve started shooting off the fireworks.” I say, sipping from my slushee.

“Onslaught must happy. This is probably her favorite part of the night.” Kwyn says as more colored explosions start popping over the cliff. After a moment, she slumps to the side, letting her head thump against my shoulder. “I’m sorry about being a shitty friend, Dare. I know you like me, but I still lean on you, confide in you about my relationship problems, even knowing how you feel about me…”

I’m quiet for a moment, then reach out with my free hand and pat her knee. “It’s okay. Life is complicated. We just do the best with it that we can. It’s not like I have any room to talk; you’re my trainee. I shouldn’t have taken that kind of interest in you, but here I am. We’re both doing things we probably shouldn’t.” I take another sip from my slushee, then go on. “I’ll be what you need me to be. And if you need me to be a friend, and nothing more than that, that’s what I’ll be.”

She turns her head a little, pressing her forehead against my shoulder. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Little Wolf.” I say, switching hands with my slushee so I can reach up and ruffle her hair. “Anything for you.”

She chuckles a little at that, then turns her head back to watching the fireworks over the cliff. We both go back to sipping our slushees as we watch the show, and even though I want to feel bitter about this, so close and yet so far from something I want, I can’t bring myself to do so. I’m just happy to be spending time with someone that I care about.

And it may not last for very long, but that’s okay.