A young woman stared at a mirror. The woman that was reflected back to her bore a long face with a rounded jaw, somewhat chubby cheeks, a flat nose, and small rounded lips. Her light blue eyes were large and she had smooth eyebrows like brush strokes. Her red hair was shoulder-length, straight, and neatly braided. This young woman was Brenna “Brandy” Kane.

“Mhm...I’m not breaking out am I?...No, that's just a boogie someone flicked onto the mirror. Gross...” she muttered.

Brandy had stopped to use the bathroom. She didn’t actually “need” to use the bathroom, though. Actually, she’d found in recent months, outside of urinating every so often, and the passage of gas from either opening, her body’s production of waste materials had gone way down. Maybe alarmingly down. According to Josephine that was normal for cultivators, especially body cultivators, whose biological mechanisms would vastly improve in their ability to utilize and break substances down, as part of their journey towards becoming a near-perfect machine. Brandy was in the bathroom because she needed to use the mirror. She’d forgotten the one she normally carried in her satchel at home, and she wanted to make sure that she looked alright.

Brandy was on her way to meet her friends. They didn’t meet outside of school often, but as their time at the Winthrop-Carlyle Academy and College was rapidly coming to an end, Eva suggested that they all go out and do something to celebrate. Brandy washed her hands even though they weren’t dirty, because it felt weird to be in a restroom and not do so. Then she checked her hair and the small touches of make-up she’d put on before leaving the house. She looked at the white sweater, gray blouse, black dress pants, and black slippers she was wearing and decided that she looked okay. Giving herself a small pep talk before heading out.

*************************************************************************************************************

“...H-, Hi,” said Brandy. After entering the restaurant her friends had agreed to meet-up in. A restaurant that according to Eva was supposed to be trending, and certainly did seem to be almost overfull from what Brandy could see. The congestion and the sheer amount of people, making the introverted psychic almost want to run away.

“Oh, hello,” said Nala.

Nala Odom was short. Her build was average but decently fit, with creamy brown skin. Nala had a threatening air about her. Her face was lean, with a flat nose, and thin lips. Her brown eyes were sharp and bright. Her dark brown hair was shoulder length and curly, and was slick. She wore a leather jacket with spikes on the shoulders.

“Is Eva here?” said Brandy. Pulling up a seat for herself, so she could settle down at the table.

“Nah, you know how she can be? The chick set the plans, and chose the place, and insisted we all be here...so naturally, the girl herself wouldn’t be here on time…” groused Nala. The warm, light, smile that she wore mismatched her grumbling words.

“Heh...That’s Eva for you,” said Brandy. Smiling as well, remembering more than a few times where she’d swept up into her friends' pace only to have to end up doing a lot of the follow-up work to make Eva’s schemes come together.

The conversation sort of died at that point. After a couple of years of continued interaction, it would be fair to say that Nala and Brandy had moved past merely being friends of a friend, to actually being friends in truth, but there was still a great deal of awkwardness between them. It was just down to chemistry. Without Eva, there were good odds that neither Brandy nor Nala would have ever interacted. Their entirely separate kinds of people, with almost entirely separate interests. Eva was part of the very slim area of things where their interests intersected.

Of course, uncomfortable silences were uncomfortable, so both girls felt at least a little bit compelled to try and keep the conversation alive, lest the mood for their little outing be ruined.

“So,... hot day isn’t it?” said Nala. Her cool, sharp, demeanor hiding the inward cringe she felt from defaulting to that most lazy of topics, the weather.

“Y-, Yeah...You can really tell summer’s soon to arrive in good old Coron-Glaw,” said Brandy. Chuckling, and not really sure what it was she was laughing about.

“Hey, bitches!” came a boisterous voice. Drawing both women’s attention and filling their hearts with extreme relief at not having to continue this painful conversation.

“Sorry, I’m late. My hair appointment took too long, and then I ran into Sarah, the TA from our Advanced Metaphysics course...Naturally, I had to work her over to see if I could sus anything out regarding our upcoming exams,” said Eva Rutledge.

Eva was a tall, muscular, young woman, with a bold, bodacious, and almost thuggish demeanor. Her roguish-charisma allowed her to pull off a certain hot-blooded, yet cool, aesthetic. Like a disaffected Genki girl who was on a cigarette break. She had a slender face with a square jaw, a straight nose, pointed ears, defined cheekbones, and puffy lips. She had a pair of cute little tusks that she had to fill to keep them from getting a little too long. Her dark green eyes were narrow, and she had bushy eyebrows. Her black hair was shoulder length and straight, and for once wasn’t worn in pigtails. Instead, her hair was curled, and bound, and in an elegant braid.

“About time you got here,” said Nala.

“Hey, Eva,” said Brandy.

“So, did you guys order yet?”

“Of course, we didn’t order. We were waiting for you! Didn’t you say we were all going to be trying that super-sized “peanut-butter caramel sundae group challenge”- thing?” said Nala.

“Right! How could I forget!?” said Eva. Tossing her purse onto the table and made her way over to the counter so she could let the staff know that they’d be trying the restaurant’s dessert challenge.

The Desert Challenge entailed three or fewer people consuming a stack of eight pancakes, each pancake was roughly the size of a large pizza, and made extra fluffy. The pancakes were topped by a full three gallons of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, flavored ice-cream. The ice cream was topped with a pound of melted peanut butter, caramel syrup, peanut brittle, sprinkles, and chocolate chips. As well as roughly two cups of whipped cream.

Once the food arrived, the women got to work. The desert itself was actually a bit pricey, and even if none of them were actually afraid of the cost, no one liked losing. However, there was a reason victory only halved the price of the meal instead of making it free. It didn’t take much time for the three young ladies to finish the food in front of them. All three young women were elites, and the metabolism and appetites of elites were famous within Velena-Rana, and beyond.

“Phew...I didn’t think I was going to make it,” said Eva. Happily packing away the commemorative t-shirts she’d won in her purse, after taking a quick pic for her social media feed.

“Me neither…I don’t think I ever want to see another pancake in my life…” said Nala. Sighing as she sat back in her seat.

“Excuse, could I get this burger medium-rare?” said Brandy. Talking to one of the wait-staff.

“The fuck?! You can still eat?!” said Eva.

“How?!” said Nala. Looking mortified.

Brandy blushed. Aware that Jospehine’s influence on her had made her habits and appetites a bit abnormal.

“...I...I guess I was just really hungry,” said Brandy.

“Tch...I’ll say. You’re the reason we won that challenge,” said Nala. Rolling her eyes.

“So, ladies...Our final graduation’s just a little ways away...Then we’ll be leaving Winthrop-Carlyle for good...What are your plans?” said Eva. Taking a sip of the black coffee that sat in front of her.

“I’ve got a gig at a decent company lined up…” said Nala. Languidly leaning back in her chair.

“The main branch of the Rutledge Clan decided to finally say howdy to us commoners, and I guess I’ll be living with my cousins for a bit…” said Eva. Her full chest held out in pride.

“I...I’ll probably stick with the store I’m currently working at,” said Brandy.

“You know...You’ve told me a thousand times about that shop, but I still can’t quite wrap my head around what exactly they do…Or like what you do at the shop,” said Eva.

“Well, it’s honestly not that complicated, it's just-...” said Brandy.

Brandy’s words were cut-off by the sound of an explosion and the sounds of concrete and glass being torn apart. Several figures in body armor and escargots came through one of the walls, the front entrance, and the skylight of the restaurant. People screamed and ran for cover.

Brandy and her friends would have run too, but they quickly found themselves being fenced in. Making it clear that the armed strangers were there for one of them. Brandy used her telekinesis to block a massive burst of high-powered scattershot that would have hit Nala. The large holes the bullets tore through the entire building showed exactly how much force was behind them. Brandy then had to create a second shield that was barely able to stop the fireball that was sent flying towards Brandy herself. The impact of the exploding fireball, blew away an entire side-wall of the building, sending concrete, rebar, and plaster flying everywhere.

Eva brought out a large hand-cannon and started firing at the attackers. Each shot Eva fired sounded like thunder, as her hand-cannon fired out ping-pong-sized balls of partially molten lead. Nala pulled a collapsible mage’s staff out of her purse and began casting spells that created sharp and thorny brambles and chains to trip their attackers up. The chains and brambles constrict their targets like angry snakes.

Brandy decided to stop playing around, and activated her own escargot. Accidentally interrupting the flow of the fight, by startling Eva and Nala. The powered armor slid over Eva’s clothes, bulking up her figure as it boosted her powers. Giving her the extra oomph needed to run forward and engage the enemy at a closer range. Brandy aimed to protect her unarmored. friends by playing tank.

“Damn, girl!... That’s a finnnneee piece of tech, right there!” said Eva.

“Ngh...Fight now! Ogle later,” snapped Nala. Quickly recovering from her own stunned state in time, to divert a laser with a defense-ward.

Brandy brought out her puppets and war-dolls and unleashed them on the attackers. With the puppets, Brandy and her friends were easily able to slay and subdue the attackers long enough for Eva and Nala to call the police, while Brandy called her bosses for back-up. Ellis appeared before the police did. The shopkeeper showed up, looking extremely concerned. Eva and Nala were stunned stupid yet again, but this time, it was because in his haste, Ellis had forgotten to put on his facade of normalcy.

Ellis quickly took a look at the scene. Sweeping the area with his senses.

“Sorry for bothering you, boss,” said Brandy. Suddenly interested in her shoes.

“No...It was no bother at all...Honestly, Brandy, it’s looking like I should be the one who should be apologizing to you,” said Ellis. Running his hands through his full pink locks.

“Huh?... Why?” said Brandy.

“They tried to stick to using generic tech, and gear, but all the men are very clearly from the Violet Empire…” said Ellis. Sweeping the area with his data-analysis.

“Ah...You mean those guys that tried to attack your mother?” said Brandy. Quickly understanding.

“Yes...I didn’t expect that they’d change their target to me...and I certainly didn’t think that they’d target you as well…” said Ellis. Quietly canceling and erasing the call that Eva and Nala made to the police. Instead of summoning his pawns to have them carry away the living attackers and the dead attackers’ corpses.

“I truly am sorry about this, ladies. Thank you for fighting alongside Brandy, and in general, thank you for being Our Ms. Kane’s friend…”

“Um...Like, don’t mention it,” said a blushing Nala.

“Please, feel free to stop by our shop sometime...I’d be happy to compensate you for your efforts and for the risk you’ve been exposed to...Alternatively, if you’d like I can transfer your choice of credits, or resources for whatever form of cultivation you practice,” said Ellis.

“Uh...That’s...That’s okay...Thanks. We’re Brandy’s friends. It’s no big deal...Plus, er...I kind of thought that it might have been some folks that my clan was beefing with...so honestly, it’d be hypocritical of me to make a big deal about this, or whatever…” said Eva. Shaking her head.

“Still...I can’t thank you enough,” said Ellis. Sighing and smiling, before vanishing like a dream in the daytime. The girl’s blinked and they realized, with a sense of wonder, fear, and confusion, that aside from their own unholstered, and unsheathed, weapons, there was no sign that there’d been any fighting in the restaurant, and a few confused customers and staff were in fact already starting to trickle back inside.