“Do you have anything appropriate to wear?” All of them were eating lunch in the park. Everyone was sitting on the grass, popping fruit into their mouths or taking bites of bread.

Except Rowena.

Over the past week, Rowena had steadily transformed into a ball of stress barely held together in the shape of a person. Even though the ball wasn’t for a few weeks, it was already starting to weigh her down to a concerning level.

Currently, she was pacing, paper in hand, asking everyone about what clothing they had. The responses weren’t promising.

“I’ve got two sets of clothes I switch between and wash every now and then.” Theo admitted. Even though he was used to the...strong smells of the outskirts, he was still very thankful for action magic and the way it made cleaning much easier.

Rowena threw her arms out, gesticulating wildly. “But you’re The Dancing Wind’s student! They are known for their style and sense and suits! Surely they’ve discussed fashion with you!”

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to look in her direction. “…They’ve never actually talked about fashion to me.” Theo admitted.

Rowena was unnervingly quiet, face stuck in a purgatory of silent screaming. After a few more laps, she slowed down, taking shaky breaths.

“I wear the robes appropriate for my role.” Francis added, before returning to his silence. Rowena stopped pacing to look at what he wore, before shaking her head and resuming her steady march in a perimeter around the group.

Theo’s answer had set the standard so disastrously low that she no longer expected anything from them. After Francis, the others were more comfortable adding their own opinion.

“I just wear my leathers. Easy, less to worry about, keeps me protected.” Jenny stretched and flexed, inching slightly in Theo’s direction. “Could do with an inspection sometime.”

The rest of the responses were similar. Either they wore what was required, or what was practical, or they didn’t have enough to make those choices in the first place.

Eventually, Rowena stopped pacing, having now worn a noticeable circle of trampled grass into the park. She clapped her hands together (almost in prayer). “Okay. I believe I have a solution that will still be presentable.”

Slowly, Rowena returned to the prim and proper person they all knew and loved (some more than others), and while there was still some flames of mania floating in her eyes, the discovery of a potential solution had tempered it.

“There will be a uniform. This way we have a guaranteed standard.” Murmurs of agreement found themselves travelling among the group. “They will be tailor-made to fit perfectly, just like how the event will run.” And the veneer that Rowena was hiding behind cracked once more.

“I’m looking forward to…getting to know people.” If Theo had been paying attention to what was occurring gradually and gradually closer to where he sat (as Jenny made every excuse possible to move next to him), he might have seen a flirty wink sent in his direction.

Unfortunately (for Jenny, but fortunately for him), he was too focused on worrying over Rowena’s health to even consider that.

“Can we keep the uniform after we’re done? It’s gonna be the fanciest thing I own!” Finn didn’t make that any easier, frustrating her once more. Rowena let out a strangled noise, before bee-lining for Finn, hands outstretched and ready to grab a neck.

---

“Hello Chris!” Theo made his way into the kaleidoscopic shop once more, absentmindedly taking in the shapes of all the potions he passed by, reading their descriptions as he strolled to the counter. Potion of flight, potion of night vision, elixir of truth…

He leaned on the counter as he waited for Chris to come out, looking at all the kinds of bottles on display. It was a habit by this point to see how the prices fluctuated based on material availability and utility in the current context. He hadn’t figured out why certain things changed price, but he was being entertained at least.

The Glass Stopper seemed to shine in a different light to Theo, after his trip into the College of Prayers. It was rather reminiscent, and he wondered if there was a connection there.

“How’s things?” Chris came out, arms full of material, sweating and swearing under his breath. His eyes flicked up and saw Theo. He jumped and eagerly put his load down.

“Theo! Does The Dancing Wind have an order to make? Are they back from Etol?” There was a desperation that tinged his voice that Theo wasn’t familiar (or comfortable) with. He was on edge.

Theo was confused why he was so interested in news about Sparrow. Sure, a paying customer is a paying customer, but normally when Theo came in for a chat, Chris was happy to indulge in gossip and casual conversation with no need for him to buy anything. This felt pointed.

“No, I’ve heard no news about how their trip is going. I hope they’re having a good enough time.” Theo shrugged, wondering if he was noticing things or just becoming too paranoid.

“Are you okay?” Theo directly asked another question.

Chris warred internally about whether or not to drop the charade. After enough time for an (internal) regime change and a country to be couped, he deflated.

“There’s more security around. Union City isn’t as safe as it used to be. Stay safe.” And with that, Chris unceremoniously pushed Theo out the door, shutting (and locking) the door behind him.

What struck Theo as the oddest thing about that (admittedly entirely odd) exchange was the way it ended.

Chris never turned down an opportunity to chat.

---

It might have been Chris making him more paranoid, or being more mindful of the cityscapes at night.

Either way, he seemed to notice more guards milling about and “hiding” than he last recalled.

He was even stopped at the gate out of the city.

“Halt citizen. What is your business outside of Union City?” Theo was asked by a couple of guards he didn’t recognise, wearing decent armour.

“I’m going to the Guild of Magic.” The one with a notepad looked at him with scrutiny and soon he was being asked question after question, being interrogated.

Eventually, they let him go with an apology (but not before wasting enough time that the position of the sun had changed). “We’re on high alert. There’s reports of suspicious activity all over. Stay safe.” And finally, Theo was let go and made his way to the Guild.

He was starting to worry about what was going on. While The Woods were familiar enough to Theo for its presence to be comforting instead of unnerving and intimidating, he still kept his guard up, looking all around and watching out for fast movements in the trees.

When he made it to the Guild building, he audibly exhaled in relief as he stepped through the doors. Inside, the mood wasn’t much better. It was tense, Eva at the bar, and everyone else eyeing each other warily.

Immediately, all eyes turned to him. Theo felt like he just walked in on an argument he wasn’t supposed to hear. Trying to shake off the nerves, he slowly sat down in front of Eva, who was the only person who didn’t look wary, just grim.

Theo didn’t speak for a moment, until Eva placed a beer in front of him. He cracked a wan, weary smile, and took a swig. As it settled in his gut, he thought about what had been going on, and tried to not feel paranoid about something.

“Hey Eva, what’s been happening? It feels like half the city is on edge.” A scoff left the mouth of an eavesdropper, who turned their attention away.

Eva replied, continuing to wipe down the mug in her hands without pausing. “They found an undercover agent. From Etol.”

Theo thought back to the potions at The Glass Stopper.

Flight, night vision, truth.

All useful in locating and interrogating a spy.