"Hey, Danny," I say as he enters the blocks room with Lucas, both of them with a bag slung over their shoulders, Lucas out of his uniform, but dressed in shorts and a tee rather than his normal clothes. "Did you make sure to let your work know you won't be in tomorrow? I forgot that we'd be too far away to get there in time unless we got pretty much no sleep tonight, but did remember to tell Melody."

I'm not used to having things that would interfere and the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Thankfully, Melody was understanding about that. How my life has changed lately… I went from either working, sleeping, or wandering around to actually having things that can prevent me from working. I went from having no friends to having a small group of them and reuniting with another.

I went from being incredibly timid about some things to, well, I'm butt-naked and sitting on a barrier with four other guys in front of me. I'll probably cling to my friends in the crowds of the festival, but it's still a huge difference in just two and a half weeks.

Had someone told me the morning the Patron sent me the notice that I'd be this comfortable this soon, I'd have probably blushed and either tried to escape the conversation or escape the situation itself.

Right now, the only person who makes me hesitant is Danny himself, and that's probably because he's the only one who hasn't already seen me in this state before and it isn't for training or because he walked in on me without knowing I was here.

Zane and Todd are both naked as well, meaning that only Lucas and Danny are dressed.

"Uh, yeah," Danny says as he realizes this about us. "Why is everyone naked?"

"Todd just finished sanitizing the room," I tell him. "I haven't been given my costume yet, and Todd had just undressed to change into his. Zane intentionally waited for you to arrive."

"Ah," he says.

"Like what you see?" Zane poses for him.

"Too male for me, sorry," Danny retorts, slinging off his bag and setting it on a bench. "We're changing in here, Lucas said?"

"Yeah," Lucas answers as he pulls off his bag and starts to undress. "The door's locked, so no one can walk in on us. Once we're near my apartment, I'll flash my stuff into it so we aren't carrying it around during the festival."

"And after the festival," Danny says. "We'll head to your apartment and spend the night there. There's room for five guys?"

"There's room for five guys on my bed," Lucas says. "And my apartment is much larger than that. The couch pulls out into a bed as well, so there's plenty of space for all five of us. I won't be there most of the night, anyway."

He fixes a stare on Zane.

"Hey!" Zane holds up his hands. "I'll look for your toys while you're gone, but that doesn't mean I'll play with them."

"He'll behave himself," I assure Lucas.

"Sure," Lucas mutters.

"Wait," Danny says. "Why won't you be there most of the night?"

"I'm a night person," Lucas explains. "I'll get home early in the morning and go to bed, but don't worry about me waking you up unless you're a light sleeper. Or if you're in my bed, you might wake up when I get in."

"You go out at night?" Danny asks. "Isn't that dangerous? I know you train people in powers, but-"

"I'm also a personal bodyguard," Lucas tells him. "Most of my powers are combat-focused and I'm well-trained in martial arts."

"Most?" Danny frowns. "You have more than one?"

"Most power users do," Lucas answers. "Most just haven't found them. Or are aware that they do."

"Like me," Zane says. "My family has apparently been stone elementals for generations. All we knew was that we can turn into stone versions of ourselves, but since coming here, I've learned I can actually sense stone, and with training, I'll even be able to manipulate it or turn myself into other types of stone."

"I can create a mist that cleans and sanitizes things," Todd tells him. "But I can also use a mist to move objects around."

"I can move through shadows," I tell him. "But I also become stronger when it's darker, and feel more energetic. Speaking of that, Lucas, where I am in comparison to average?"

"You received," Lucas says. "About a thirty-percent boost or so to your speed. Thirty to forty is average for a strength-in ability."

"So I'm average," I say.

"Yeah," he nods.

"Okay," I say. "Also, I can see pretty well in the dark. With training, we can all access a variety of other abilities, too, though it's something that usually takes time."

"Oh, cool," Danny says, then looks at Zane. "What are you supposed to be?"

Zane's pulled on a set of white clothes, including a white hoodie, and he's still hard from using his powers. Will that go down before we reach the festival? In addition to the set of white clothes, he has a pink quiver slung across his back, and a red bow with a white string in one hand. He's also wearing a pink wing.

That boy changed fast.

"I'm Cupid!" Zane grins.

Danny is probably the only one who didn't see that coming, and he has hung out with Zane before.

"Alright," I snort. "Now what I am going to be?"

"Did you bring it?" Zane asks Lucas, who's changed into a pair of light blue briefs rather than the boxer-briefs he'd had on before.

"Yeah," Lucas reaches into his bag. "How the hell did you know I had one?"

"I asked your grandpa if he had one we could borrow for Kieran's costume, and he said you did."

Lucas mutters something I don't catch beyond it being about his grandpa, then pulls out the item. It looks like a bodysuit, but it's almost completely clear and looks extremely thin.

"Uh-"

"Don't worry, it's not the outfit itself," Zane hands it to me. "I'll help you pull it on. Oh! Your erection's gone! Well, guess we don't have to worry about making sure it's pointed the right way to not be visible."

He must not have guessed at my excuse for using the bathroom before Todd joined us. There was no way in hell I was going to walk around with the boner for however long it lasted, now that I'm using my powers and becoming a more proper power user.

Zane helps me pull on the suit, and it really is tight against my skin, and did it just adjust itself to match my size? It's also completely clear now, too. I can feel it against my skin, but I can't see it at all. The suit goes from my ankles all the way to my neck, with sleeves all the way down to my wrists.

"What is this?" I ask.

"A special kind of suit," Lucas answers. "It's not a spellsuit, but it's still Patron-made. It adjusts its size to whoever is putting it on, and once it's zipped, it's completely invisible. From time to time, they show up, though there aren't any new ones from what I heard, they were all made a long time ago. My great-grandpa got one from the Patron before he stopped being a Sivalshi Guardian. The suit protects your body against the elements. I'd completely forgotten about it until Zane texted me this morning asking about it, the last time I wore it was when I was fifteen."

I rub my finger over it, feeling the smooth texture of it despite not seeing it. This is pretty neat, but what is its purpose and why am I wearing it? Hell, why does the Patron make these for people?

"If you get hard, it's going to be uncomfortable," Zane tells me. "Should've told you to make sure to take care of things extra-well while we waited, to decrease the odds, but-"

"I'll be fine," I roll my eyes. "So why am I wearing an invisible skinsuit? Because the fact that my dick's still visible tells me I'm not going to be going out in just this. The festival is kid-friendly. But I do feel like a bit's going to be exposed, considering you said it protects me against the weather."

"Yup!" Zane opens up his bag and pulls out a pair of green and black wings. "You're going to be a fairy!"

Five minutes later, I'm wearing a black loincloth, the fairy wings, and a pair of black leather boots with green leaf patterns on them. I've also had something added to my ears to make them slightly pointed, and glitter brushed onto my cheeks. The weird thing about the wings is that they stuck on to the suit, and according to Zane, there's no visible lines for it.

"A skinny fairy," I comment. "But a fairy."

"Yep!" Zane grins. "Though you aren't super-skinny anymore. Two weeks of eating right is starting to show its signs."

"It is?" I look down. "I'm not seeing a difference, though."

"You are," Lucas tells me. "You're no longer the worrying kind of skinny, and you don't look strange like that, though you'd probably look better wearing that a year from now, you keep up this diet and training program. Actually, you might look weird, being a fairy with killer abs."

"More fairies should have killer abs," Zane says. "Everyone ready?"

Lucas himself is dressed in a skintight suit as well, though his isn't invisible. The briefs must be to make his underwear less obvious in it. His skinsuit is a dark blue one, with golden streaks through it, and he's put on a dark blue wig, while wearing blue and black sneakers and gloves.

"Hey!" I recognize the outfit. "You're Zevimas!"

Zevimas is a vigilante who uses a whip that looks like a dark blue stream filled with stars. Lucas has a pretty good replica attempt at his spellsuit, though the vigilante also has a mask and cowl, like most… who are supported by the Patron, now that I think about it. He also wears boots and better gloves, too.

The wig itself is the common way of portraying Zevimas, rather than putting on a mask and cowl. Impersonating a vigilante can land someone in a lot of trouble. For warmth, I'll assume Lucas has another layer on under the costume, probably something thin but protective, like the invisible suit I'm wearing.

"Yeah," Lucas says. "You know his outfit? That's surprising, he's from the upper districts."

"Isn't he one of the ones you've mentioned as having met?" Danny asks.

"Yeah," I answer.

"You know Zevimas?" Lucas asks. "How?"

Because he was another classmate at my school, back when Isaac collapsed it. He never spoke with anyone, choosing to sit by himself and be by himself and only staring at people when they tried to talk with him. I'd thought he had died in the collapse, but a couple of months after Isaac made his debut as a vigilante, the vigilante Zevimas appeared and I recognized his ability. The fact that he wasn't much bigger tipped me off to it being him rather than someone else with the same power.

Especially since he has grown over the years.

That's now two of my former classmates who are vigilantes, and I'm possibly going to become a Sivalshi Guardian and vigilante, too. Was there something going on with my school, despite it being in the lower districts?

"I know a few vigilantes," I shrug. "Though it's more of 'have met' than 'know'. I saw Zevimas up-close a few years ago, and that's about it."

"Oh," he says.

I look over at Danny, who is dressed in a black suit with a red dress shirt underneath, his hair darkened and slicked back, his collar high. Easy to tell that he's a vampire, and his costume has got to be the cheapest one here. He probably found the stuff in a second-hand store.

Not that I'm criticizing him or anything – if Zane and Lucas hadn't worked together, mine would probably be even cheaper and more simple than Danny's.

Todd's costume, on the other hand, is a bit more… what? He's wearing a leather vest and leather pants, with matching boots, and a lion's head headpiece, though his face is visible. It's showing off his muscular arms, and he's not wearing any sleeves or gloves.

"Todd?" I raise an eyebrow. "No coat?"

"I might know someone who has one of those suits, too," he indicates me. "They let me borrow it tonight, under a few conditions."

"Alright," I say. "I think we're ready to head out, right?"

Everyone confirms we're ready, so we grab our bags and make our way out of the blocks room. Well, I try to grab my bag, but Zane grabs it first. Since it would be given to Lucas soon anyway, I let him carry it for now.

We probably make an interesting sight as we leave the center and walk to the festival. A fairy, a vampire, Cupid, a vigilante, and whatever Todd is supposed to be. But we aren't the only people in costumes I see, so my only real issue is how many people look over at us. Quite a few gazes settle on me, and I know it's because of how exposed I am.

This suit really is warm, though. Only my face and hands are cold, my breath fogging in the chilly air.

"Did you hear?" Zane asks. "Sivalshi has apparently begun to slow down. The danger must be over."

"He did?" Todd asks.

"Yeah," Danny says. "By about a mile a day. So instead of traveling twenty miles a day, we're traveling nineteen. They don't think the slowdown will last, Sivalshi is on track to navigate around an island and may have only slowed down as part of that."

"I just hope we're not in the winter zone too long," I say. "I don't have any heat in my apartment and while bundling up at night is nice, getting out of bed isn't."

"I'm sure you've having other issues, too," Zane pokes me in the side, causing me to pull away. "Hah! Knew you were ticklish!"

"I'm not, I just don't like being touched unexpectedly," I say.

"You know," Zane says. "Lucas and I wouldn't mind letting you stay the night at our places so that you can stay warm. It'd cut down the time you're walking after training, too. Even if you don't get the job, we'd be happy to have you around and warm. We are your friends, and we are concerned about you."

"You don't have any heat?" Danny asks. "Even my apartment has some, as little as it is right now."

"My apartment building doesn't have a heating system at all," I tell him. "That's part of why I've been able to afford it as much as I could since moving in."

"Sheesh," he says. "That's got to suck."

"You can stay at my place if you want," Lucas tells me. "I do have a second bed in the form of the pullout couch. Unlike Zane's, where it's either just his bed or a normal couch."

Zane and Lucas then get into a bickering match over whether or not I should stay at just one of theirs or if I should switch between the two, Danny seems amused by it, and Todd just shakes his head, stepping beside me now that Zane and Lucas are walking alongside each other.

"This is normal, right?" He asks. "Them arguing over what you should do?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Though the offer's tempting, to be honest. My apartment really doesn't have any heating system, so we're freezing in there. Cooking is proving a pain because of that. I'm mostly using the slow cooker and doing rice in a cooker I bought just for that because that's really the only way I can get the food to heat properly right now, but don't tell Lucas."

"I won't," he chuckles. "If you live with Zane, you'd have to deal with a horny guy wanting to snuggle you at night. If you live with Lucas, you'd probably have to deal with that, too, but you'd get food."

"If I took Zane up on the offer," I say. "His dad would probably let me use one of their spare apartments. However, I'd rather stay in my apartment for now specifically because they're both interested in me. If I move in with one, it might lead to problems while they try to figure things out. Dealing with the cold for a couple of more weeks won't be an issue."

"Okay," he says.

"So," Danny steps over to me, glancing at Lucas for a moment. "His great-grandpa was a Sivalshi Guardian? How much do you know about that? I think I know which one it was. Do you think he'd be upset with me asking about it?"

"Lucas hates the Patron," I say. "So yeah, he probably would be upset. I haven't gotten much out of him, and actually wanted to ask you what you knew."

"Well," he smiles. "They're probably going to argue for awhile based on what I've observed, and we have at least ten more minutes before we arrive at the festival. What do you want to know?"