=====

“----------------------------------------------------------nd what’s that been like?”

“…well, we’re not doing much these days…Faller allowed us to take some time off from our studies to recover.”

“And do you feel the time has helped you?”

“…a little.” Julia admitted, leaning over her seat while not really facing Ms Winters. “…I, uhh…still…need the gloves on…”

Winters watched as Julia struggled to make herself comfortable. “You can lie down on the couch, if you want. I can tell you’re still a bit nervous.”

“O-Oh.” Julia let out, jumping up a little and looking back, before facing Winters. “…i-if it’s alright, I might just stay like this.”

Winters nodded. “Okay. How’s your team been doing?”

“…good. Good.” Julia replied, rolling her hands around. “I think it’s a slow process, but they’re getting better. Essex has her prosthetic now, so she can at least train a little. Back to her routine, which is good. Keeps her out of her own head.”

Julia sat up a little. “Wess still needs time. It’s been the opposite with training on her end, but as she likes to state, she’s been through harder. I think she’s putting on a brave face for the rest of us. The few nights we’ve spent together, she’s been pretty pent u-“

“Julia?”

Julia blinked. “Yeah?”

“Did you notice you talked about your team’s recovery more than your own?”

Julia blinked again, before dipping her head down quietly and nervously running her gloves together. “…n-not really.”

Winters smiled a bit, before sitting forward. “You like taking care of others. This is a good thing, especially in your field, but on the flipside, that also sounds like you tend to reject help whenever it’s offered to you. Is this a fair assessment?”

“…I…think so, yeah.” Julia admitted, still running her gloves together.

“Are you worried about feeling like you’re a burden to the rest of your team?” Winters asked, as Julia’s eyes darted to the side.

“…p-part of me…yeah, that’s also true.” Julia agreed. “…I feel like if I put…p-pressure or…expectations on them, they’re more likely to…stop liking me, or not w-want anything to do with me.”

Winters wrote something down quickly. “Do you feel like this stems from worries you had growing up in a separated home?”

Julia finally lifted her head again to face Winters. “W-What do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve discussed how a lot of important people in your life, like your mother and sister, rarely saw you after the divorce. Perhaps part you is still blaming yourself and assessing your own behaviour so that ‘whatever you did to make them leave’ won’t happen again.” Winters explained.

Julia took a moment to process that. “…so I’m…governing myself?”

Winters laughed a little. “More like parenting yourself. Your mother wasn’t around for a lot of your formative years, and as you’ve mentioned, you found your father to be very haphazard, so in a way, you had to step up and become your own parent.”

“…w-wow…” Julia let out, running her gloves across her neck. “…I guess part of me kinda knew that but was…I dunno…pretending I didn’t?”

Winters smiled, as she glanced back at the clock again. “Well, I’ll give you some advice for now. Until our next session, if someone who cares about you offers to help you, you say yes, regardless of what it is. If it’s something too big or personal, don’t force yourself, but if you feel that impulse to say no, take a second, breathe, and go against your instincts. Trust is a two-way street, and right now, you’re not trusting the people close to you to know how to help you.”

Winters tapped her pen. “And from how much you talk about them, we both know they’re more than capable of that.”

Despite her rapid heartbeat at the suggestion, Julia found herself smiling a little, as Winters got up, before moving over to another chair.

“Alright. Now we’re going to do a little association game. What I want you to d-------------------”

=====

“Oooooooooooooooohhhhhhh…that’s so gooooooood…”

Sola let out a sigh of relief as Harley helped her lie down on the couch, stretching out of her recently healed up leg.

“I’m getting Pather a Bestalow gift…having that cast off is so nice…” Sola muttered, as Harley kissed her forehead.

“You’ve got too much energy to have one leg outta commission.” Harley insisted, tickling her playfully and getting a great laugh out, before heading to the kitchen. “You good with tacos tonight?”

“Tacos sound awesome!” Sola assured, getting comfortable, right as the front door opened up, with Julia slowly making her way in.

Sola’s relaxation was replaced with excitement, as she shot up from the couch. “Hey! How was it?”

“Uhh…good?” Julia stated, visibly exhausted. “She made a lot of good points, but I feel like garbage now…it just took so much outta me…”

“Oh. Well, get some rest. Harley’s making tacos if you feel up to it.” Sola offered, as Julia gave a weak thumbs up, before making a beeline straight for her room, right as Milo was exiting with a large box, nearly colliding with her.

“Sorry, sorry!” He let out, spinning around Julia, as she stumbled back. “Hold on!”

He dropped the box down, before happily facing Julia. “How was your first session? What’d you talk about?”

“…a lot.” Julia admitted, before peeking into her room and finding Percy coming out with more boxes. “What’re you guys doing?”

“We’re clearing some space. Since you guys are training a bit more now, Harley and Dulce borrowed some more equipment from your academy so you don’t have to leave home so much.” Milo explained, resting his hands on his hips. “Feels good making space like that.”

Percy came out right after, before noticing Julia and attempting to wave without dropping the box.

She let it down soon after and faced Julia again.

“…h-hi…” She managed, noticeable strain in her speech, as Julia found herself smiling again.

“So, did you talk about me at all?” Milo remarked, grinning proudly, as Julia started blushing, before quickly heading to her room. “What? What did I say?”

“Can you guys move the rest later? I just need some time after that session.” Julia asked, as Milo took on a more serious demeanour.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Rest up.” Milo said, as Julia closed the door behind her, while he rubbed his neck. “Is that a typical result of therapy?”

“I think so.” Sola suggested. “You get out a lot of heavy personal stuff, so you’d be pretty drained after it.”

“I just hope it helps her get back to her old chipper self.” Milo let out, clearly holding back a little sadness. “I hate seeing her skulk around…it’s like high school all over again…”

Milo sighed out, before heading to the kitchen to join in Harley’s cooking, as Sola watched him leave, then turned her attention back to Julia’s room, right as Percy started milling around in the storage boxes.

“She’s still so bummed.” Sola let out, sitting down with Percy and resting her head in her hands. “Like, I get it, but I wish there was something to make her happy again…being that sad all the time isn’t good for you…”

Percy pulled out a few plastic weapons and put them aside, before grabbing out some old photo albums and deciding to flip through them, silently chuckling to herself.

With no other ideas, Sola looked over to Percy and caught a glance of the photo album, specifically a photo of Julia and her sister Bell when they were younger. Bell was wearing a dress far too large for her and looked to be performing some kind of play, while Julia was laughing up a storm in the audience.

Suddenly, Sola’s eyes lit up, with a bit of electricity coming out of her hands, before she jumped up.

“That’s it!” She exclaimed, as Percy stared at her. “That’ll cheer her up! We can put on a kickass play full of all her friends with a bunch of stuff she likes! That’d cheer anyone up!”

Percy tilted her head. [Uhh…that’s a lot of effort to go to for something she liked when she was…]

She looked back down at the photo.

[…seven?] Percy pointed out, only for Sola to point right at her.

“I guarantee she’ll still like it! Humans are just built like that!” Sola insisted, before going to knock on Julia’s door and waiting.

After a solid thirty seconds, the door opened up, as Julia rubbed her eyes.

“What it is, Sola?”

“I wanna do something really nice and elaborate to cheer you up, but I can’t tell you what it is since it’s a secret!” Sola explained, miming a shooshing motion. “So get ready for something big a few nights from now!”

Julia could already hear alarm bells going off in her head, as she felt the need to step in. “Sola, you don…”

Suddenly, Ms Winters advice rang out to her, as she shut herself up.

“…umm…” Julia let out, before awkwardly pressing her fingers together. “…th-that would be…very nice, Sola. Yes.”

“Awesome! Okay, I’ll let you get back to some you-time.” Sola insisted, running back to Percy, as Julia closed the door behind her, before sinking down to the floor and letting out a nervous breath.

“…okay…that was…easy…super easy…” Julia let out, before letting out a weighty breath and grabbing her head. “…why was that so hard?”

———

It was quite the production.

Over the next few days, Sola put every amount of free time she could into building the infrastructure of the play, deliberately cordoning off parts of the lounge room and hiding things away in the shed to do so. And, with very willing help of Harley, Percy and Milo, and the less enthusiastic help of Wess and Essex, as well as a few personal calls, she made it happen, and on time too.

Julia had been instructed to stay in her room until seven when everything was ready. She still had no idea what Sola was putting together, which was admittedly stressing her out. She knew Sola at this point and trusted her deeply, but it still felt so alien to let this kind of thing happen.

She should’ve told me what it was. I could’ve helped her put it together. Julia worried, checking her tablet again for the time. Especially with the others helping her too. I don’t think she meant for me to feel left out.

Suddenly, a knock came through the door.

“We’re all set! Come on in!”

Julia stood up and let out a nervous breath, as she gripped the handle, before opening up to a very dressed-up darkened lounge room, with a few occupied chairs set out the front of a makeshift stage. The curtains were currently drawn, with slight movement seen behind them. She also spotted Nathaniel at the back of the room, holding what looked to be a flashlight, as he gave a nervous wave back to Julia.

Julia took a moment to take it all in, shocked at just how different this felt, right as Milo made his way over, before posing as an usher and indicating to the one empty seat.

“This way, my dear.” He played up, holding out his arm, as Julia jokingly took it, before heading to her seat.

“The show will begin shortly.” Sola announced from behind the curtain, peeking out slightly from behind it, as she watched Julia sit down.

Looking to her side, Julia noticed Dulce sitting beside her, as Dulce nodded to her.

“This is so wild. I’ve never been to a play before.” Dulce insisted, rubbing her hands together. “You ready?”

“M-Maybe.” Julia let out, before looking to her other side and being surprised to find Donovan sitting next to her. “Donovan?”

“Hey there, Alpine. How’re you holding up?” Donovan greeted, giving a small salute.

“U-Uhh, alright. What are you doing here?” Julia asked, as Donovan sunk into their seat.

“Sola said you needed some cheering up. I don’t know why she invited me for that, but I figured I’d come anyway. I’ve been meaning to come check on you when I had the free time, but you know me, I don’t really do free time.” Donovan clarified, before bumping Julia’s arm. “Does she usually go this all out?”

Julia found herself smiling. “Only when it counts.”

“The show’s starting now, so be quiet!” Sola announced, rushing behind the curtain again, as the audience got themselves ready, with Julia now noticing Milo beside the stage with a laptop and a couple props.

He pressed a few buttons, as a stock royal horn sound effect played. Suddenly, a spotlight from Nathaniel’s flashlight came on and pointed to the other side of the stage, where Joleicia stood behind a small podium with a script in her hand. She looked incredibly dignified and professional, only to break her demeanour near immediately to wave to Julia.

“Hi Julia!” She whispered, before snapping back to her attitude and reading from her script.

“…what makes a hero? Is it courage? Determination? Saving those in need? All of these things?” Joleicia read aloud. “Or perhaps…it’s as simple as luck.”

The curtains were pulled, revealing Sola in the middle of the stage, staring dramatically into the distance.

“This is Billie. Just your run-of-the-mill, nothing special kinda person. They’re not very strong, or fast, or even that smart, but they’ve got one thing that really makes them stand out…”

Out of nowhere, ‘Billie’ started waving their arms, before falling face first onto the ground.

“…they have the worst luck imaginable.”

Despite starting to get invested, seeing Sola fall over nearly made Julia get out of her seat to help her up, only for Sola to jump back up a second later and dust herself off.

Julia took a second to register she was fine, before sitting back down and insisting to herself she stop worrying.

“However, something even more unlucky was about to plague the world as we know it.”

Right above the stage, cackling could be heard from the distance, as the spotlight moved up to Harley, dressed in a massive robe with cardboard flames emerging from the back.

“Batharax, Lord of Woes, saw fit to terrorise the land which had only ever seen peace until now.”

“Pathetic insects!” ‘Batharax’ cackled. “I’ve cursed this land with bad vibes, and now you must all suffer in your misery! Hu hu hu! Come challenge me, if you can even be bothered!”

‘Batharax’ quickly hid away, as ‘Billie’ pumped their fist defiantly.

“Hearing such a decree, Billie couldn’t just sit by and let that happen. They had to do something about this menace. But what could they do?”

‘Billie’ looked deep in thought, before snapping their fingers.

“I may not be able to do much, but the least I can do is help!” ‘Billie’ decreed, pulling a sword from their side. “I’m coming for you, Batharax!”

Almost immediately after saying that, ‘Billie’ tripped over again, before dropping their sword, as Milo played a falling sound effect from the laptop, indicating it had dropped off a nearby cliff.

“Not again!” ‘Billie’ complained.

Julia chuckled at this, right as Dulce came back from the kitchen with some popcorn, handing some off to Julia.

“How long did it take Sola to write this?” Donovan questioned, as Julia simply shrugged, before turning her attention back to the stage.

“Billie knew they couldn’t do this alone. They needed help, especially if they wanted to stand a chance against Batharax and his minions.”

‘Billie’ started walking off to the right, looking around for any help at all, only to come up empty handed, before a loud voice boomed from off stage.

“HALT!”

‘Billie’ stopped dead in their tracks, as Wess marched onto stage, with Belvedere at her side, paired with a cheap approximation of armour.

Julia admittedly clapped when Wess come out, as Wess tried not to get distracted, even as she found herself blushing.

“I-I didn’t do anything!” ‘Billie’ cried.

“Who are you? What business do you have down these roads?” Wess asked, coming off as very serious and stout. “There’s been a strict decree to stay indoors. That villainous Batharax is going to catch you if you’re not careful.”

‘Billie’ turned around. “Then why are you out here?”

Wess straightened out, before holding out Belvedere.

“My name is Evangeline. I’m a royal knight that’s been sent on a quest to rid the land of Batharax before he can cause anymore harm.” ‘Evangeline’ explained. “Everyone of the royal family is too depressed to pass any decrees, and so the kingdom has grinded to a standstill. So I must set out to end this malaise.”

“But why aren’t you depressed too?” ‘Billie’ asked, looking over ‘Evangeline.’

“Justice refuses to make me depressed!” ‘Evangeline’ declared. “If there is evil in the world, then I won’t stop until it’s vanquished!”

“Well said!” ‘Billie’ agreed, putting their hands on their hips. “Well, I’m Billie, and I’m on the same quest as you!”

‘Evangeline’ looked over ‘Billie’ curiously, circling around them.

“…you don’t seem very exceptional.” ‘Evangeline’ deduced. “What makes you think you stand a chance against Batharax?”

“Because I have to!” ‘Billie’ insisted.

‘Evangeline’ folded her arms and gave a disapproving smirk.

“Well, we’ll just have to see how well that holds up.” ‘Evangeline’ stated, only to turn her head suddenly, staring off to the side.

Large stomping sounds came from the laptop, as ‘Billie’ and ‘Evangeline’ stepped back, before a massive leg made of ice came crashing down, shaking the ground with its stomp.

“WHAT…DO WE HAVE HERE?” Came a booming voice.

In came Chops, encased in a large block of ice in the shape of a monster, with very limited articulation, as ‘Evangeline’ grabbed her sword.

“I…AM THE ICE GOLEM. I HEARD YOU WERE CHALLENGING…BATHARAX.” It boomed, before lifting up a large arm. “IF YOU WISH…TO CHALLENGE HIM, YOU MUST GET PAST…ME!!!”

The ‘Golem’ slammed its arm down, as ‘Evangeline’ dodged out of the way, while ‘Billie’ hid away, cowering with their hands over their head. ‘Evangeline’ went in to strike, only for the sword to bounce off of the ice harmlessly.

“My attacks aren’t doing anything! The ice is too thick!” ‘Evangeline’ cried, as the ‘Golem’ laughed.

‘Billie’ glanced over at the golem again, before shooting up from the ground.

“Wait, Evangeline! Hold your sword up to the sun!” ‘Billie’ said, as Milo rushed behind the stage and held up a painted sun in the background.

‘Evangeline’ went along with it and held it up, before Milo added some sunrays coming off of the sword, as the ‘Golem’ began to melt.

“WHAT? MY DEFENCES!” The ‘Golem’ cried, with ‘Evangeline’ now landing a blow once most of the ice melted. “HOW…WAS I BESTED?!”

The ‘Golem’ slowly melted to a pile of mush, as Chops quickly hurried off stage, and ‘Evangeline’ let out a relieved sigh.

“That was some quick thinking, Billie.” She stated, helping ‘Billie’ up. “How did you think of that so fast?”

‘Billie’ rested their hands on their hips, before leaning into ‘Evangeline.’ “Ice melts. Everyone knows that!”

Julia laughed again, as Sola ‘subtly’ looked over to see if she was enjoying herself, smiling as she saw positive results.

“Ha ha ha! It seems we have…some competition!”

‘Billie’ and ‘Evangeline’ turned to the sky, as Saxin came down on a broomstick, dressed in robes and holding a crystal ball.

“My poor ice golem…you two…are responsible for slaying it!” Saxin decreed, as Julia immediately picked up on her…well, lacklustre acting abilities. “This is NOT the last of my creations, I assure you! I am…Batharax’s top minion! Trixis the Witch!”

“Stand down, Trixis!” ‘Evangeline’ exclaimed. “We defeated your golem with ease. I highly doub-“

“You DOUBT…ME?!” ‘Trixis’ hammed up, stepping over Wess’ line a little. “Well, knight…let’s see how you fair without…your companion!”

Suddenly, ‘Billie’ started spinning around in place, before getting whisked off the stage, with the same falling sound effect from earlier playing.

“Billie!” ‘Evangeline’ cried, before turning to Trixis again. “Damned witch! You shall rue this!”

“Oh, SHALL I? Well, Batharax sends his regards! Ha ha HA!” ‘Trixis’ laughed, before flying off, leaving ‘Evangeline’ all alone.

“Wherever you are, Billie, I shall save you! Count on it!” ‘Evangeline’ declared.

———

With our protagonists quickly whisked off backstage, Harley and Saxin went out on stage for a classic villain duologue. Sola fumbled into the backstage, quickly changing out of her outfit, before meeting up with Percy.

“How’s she liking it?” Sola let out, almost tripping over herself.

Percy gave two big thumbs up, as Sola peeked out of the curtain, watching Julia’s visibly happy face, following the action in front of her.

“…w-well…?” Percy managed, feeling some strain, as Sola put her foot down.

“That’s not overjoyed Julia, that’s okay Julia!” Sola insisted, as Percy stared at her in confusion.

[Isn’t okay Julia okay?]

Sola shook her head excessively. “I’ve gotta get her out of her funk with this play! And she’ll only do that if she’s howling with laughter, crying with honesty, and applauding with completeness!”

Sola slapped her hands together. “And if it’s got a bunch of things she likes!”

“Sola, I have some notes.” Wess interjected, changing her outfit as well, right as Sola grabbed a copy of the script and started scribbling. “First off, I feel the structures fairly deriva-“

“Not now! I’ve gotta make some changes!” Sola stated, as Wess pursed her lip, before turning to Percy.

“The director label’s certainly given her some attitude.” Wess remarked, as Percy smirked.

[Are you suggesting mutiny?] Percy joked, as Wess found herself chuckling.

“Umm…Sola?”

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Wess and Percy turned to Essex in the corner, nervously reading over her script again and again.

“…you know I’m not a good actor.” Essex explained, before getting up and walking over to Sola. “And I don’t believe I will do this character justice.”

Sola stopped, before facing her. “I thought you wanted to experience more of life and break out of your comfort zone?”

Essex paused for a second, considering the point, before Sola handed her another copy of the script.

“Well, don’t even worry! Forget the old character, I just whipped up a new one Julia’s gonna love!” Sola assured, only freaking out Essex more.

“W-Wha…h-how long until I am on stage?”

“A few minutes! I love you!” Sola insisted, as Essex was immediately flustered silent, before jumping into her new script, with Sola handing one to Wess.

“…Sola, this has no cohesion. It’s just events, one after the other.” Wess complained, only for Sola to grab Wess’ hands.

“Wess. Truly, does Julia care about good plot?”

Wess hid her face away. “…I wish she did more.”

“Then we’ll be fine!” Sola stated, only to hesitate handing a copy off to Percy. “…sorry, just a sec.”

Sola quickly pulled Wess aside out of earshot of Percy, as Percy elected not to remind them she could read lips.

“What is it?”

“Umm…” Sola let out. “Okay, I had an idea for a character, but everyone else has roles, so the only one who could play him is Percy.”

Wess blinked. “And?”

“And…he’s a funny mime who works for the royal family.” Sola explained, shrugging her shoulders. “I didn’t know if it was offensive or not, or if it was actually cool since who else would play the mim-“

Wess rested her hand on Sola’s back. “I think you’re overthinking this.”

“Am I?”

“You are. Here’s an idea.” Wess offered, moving Sola back to Percy. “How about asking her.”

Sola stood awkwardly in front of Percy, before sheepishly handing her a copy of the script.

“U-Uhh…so I thought of a funny character, but I didn’t know if it’d be cool to pitch to you…” Sola admitted. “He’s a mime, and he’s working for the royals. Since you’re really funny, I tho-“

Percy quickly held up a hand, shutting Sola up and making her think she crossed a line, only for Percy to raise her other hand, then move them to the sides, as she mimed an invisible box closing in around her.

She pantomimed slipping over as the box closed in, only to burst out from one side and roll out, before standing up and bowing.

[Of course I’ll play the mime! Who else would do it?] Percy assured, rustling Sola’s hair, as Sola started laughing.

“You’re right, I’ll shut up.” Sola said, only to catch the end of Harley and Saxin’s scene, before remembering she was still half-dressed. “We’re nearly up! Percy, I need you to run this script over to Nathaniel! I made a lot of changes to his stuff!”

Percy gave a quick salute, as Sola started getting dressed again.

“Places, people!”

———

“Do we actually know why Batharax is spreading bad vibes?” Donovan wondered, as Julia waved her hand.

“It’ll get explained later. Knowing Sola, she’ll think of something good.” Julia asked, as Donovan leaned back in their seat.

“But shouldn’t the bad vibes be effecting Billie a-“

“Shoosh!” Julia got out, right as Sola wandered back onto stage, holding a torch in one hand.

“H-Hello?” ‘Billie’ let out. “Where’d that witch knock me down to? I can’t see anything.”

‘Billie’ wandered around for a while, struggling to make out their surroundings, before resting their hand on their forehead.

“Wait, is that a light ahead?”

No light appeared, as Sola waited in place, looking to Nathaniel, who was feverishly reading the new copy of the script, now with far more for him to do.

Sola waited a second. “Wait, is that a LIGHT ahead?”

Nathaniel shook his head in disbelief.

“What the fuck is all this…?” He quietly let out, only for Sola to loudly clear her throat.

“WAIT, IS THAT A LIGHT AHEAD?”

Nathaniel slightly lifted his head, before realising everyone was staring right at him and panicking, grabbing the flashlight and pointing it.

He kept subtly reading the script with his free hand, as ‘Billie’ made their way across the stage, before emerging from the cave they were trapped in.

“Finally! I’m out!” ‘Billie’ declared, before staring around them. “But now I’m in the middle of nowhere! Evangeline’s nowhere to be seen!”

Before they could plan out their next move, some noises came from the cave behind them, only for Essex to emerge soon after.

“Th-Th-Thank you for…showing me the way out. I-I was trapped in there…for so l-long. I…” Essex started, only to realise Sola hadn’t given her character a new name. She pleadingly looked to Sola, who just raised her hands, insisting she go on. “…m-my name is…”

Essex tried her best.

“…Dessex.”

Essex took a brief glance at Julia, only to find Julia’s sympathetic gaze, as she gave a quick thumbs up, giving Essex a much-needed boost in confidence.

Essex took a beat, before raising her frying pan. “…I am a chef…who fights with cooking!”

Julia audibly gasped from the audience, before clapping in excitement.

“So cool!” She let out, as Donovan kept their comments to themself.

“A combat chef? Hell yeah.” Dulce remarked, grabbing a handful of popcorn, as Sola stepped forward.

“Wow, a chef!” ‘Billie’ let out, tapping their foot. “That’s certainly cool and all, and I’m glad you got out of there, but it doesn’t help me find my friend.”

“Your friend?” ‘Dessex’ asked, as ‘Billie’ nodded.

“We were separated by an evil witch, and now I don’t know where she is.” ‘Billie’ let out, before sighing. “But that’s typical for me. My luck’s the worst there is.”

‘Dessex’ stroked her chin, before snapping her fingers. “I may have an idea. One second.”

‘Billie’ watched as ‘Dessex’ went to work, grabbing her frying pan and walking off stage, as Milo scrambled to suddenly pull up various cooking sound effects from the laptop.

She walked back onto stage with a massive mound of cheese in hand.

“The smell of this limburger cheese should find its way to her.” ‘Dessex’ said, wafting the smell away. “And I make it in such a way that’s it’s irresistible.”

“That’s some quick thinking, Dessex!” ‘Billie’ cheered on, as some rustling noises came from the nearby bushes, only for ‘Evangeline’ to emerge soon after. “Evangeline!”

“Billie! There you are.” ‘Evangeline’ said, looking around. “I was drawn here by this strange scent of cheese.”

“That was from my new friend, Dessex!” ‘Billie’ announced, as Essex gave a somewhat out of character wave. “She’s a battle chef!”

“Dessex? Is that a family name?” Wess improvised, getting a lovely giggle from Julia in the audience, as Wess looked visibly proud of herself.

“Oh ho ho! L-Look who we have here!”

The trio looked off into the distance, right as Nathaniel jumped out onto stage, dressed in a massive robe covered in stars.

“This m-must be those adventurers that T-Trixis…warned me about!” Nathaniel managed, hiding his copy of the script inside the robe’s sleeve, before pointing at them. “What a m-motley crew! Or should I say…a not-ley…pee yew!”

Nathaniel snapped his fingers a few times, before Milo dropped some giant game pieces in the background, as Julia leaned forward in her seat excitedly.

“…okay, Nath, just a bit more…OH HO HO!” He bellowed, throwing his hands out. “I’m Rolos, Batharax’s th-third in command! And now…I have trapped you in my t-torturous board game! If you don’t make it out i-in time…you’ll be turned into my new pieces!!! Phew…okay…”

“Ha! Jokes on you, I love board games!” ‘Billie’ announced, as Julia let out a little audible cheer.

“Oh…” ‘Rolos’ said, before losing his page and flipping through it again in a panic. “…really?”

Milo handed ‘Rolos’ a massive dice from offstage.

“W-Whoever touches the board becomes part of the game and must roll t-to…to live!” ‘Rolos’ got out, holding up the dice. “But be careful! If you roll below a four, y-you’ll go backwards instead! Oh ho ho!”

The trio all zipped to their places, stuck perfectly still, as ‘Rolos’ chucked the dice up and down.

“H-However, since I don’t want the fun to end straight away, I-I’ll allow you to move one space ahead.” ‘Rolos’ declared, as they suddenly did so. “Now, let’s have some fun!...wait, there’s still more?”

“Billie, this isn’t good. No doubt he’s rigged the game in his favour.” ‘Evangeline’ insisted, as ‘Rolos’ wagged his finger.

“I…assure you, this is all very fair!” ‘Rolos’ advised, his eyes fully on the script now before throwing the dice to ‘Dessex.’ “No tricks! I play by the rules!”

Letting out a sigh, Dessex threw the dice, only for it to come up with a one.

“Oh, tough…luck! Looks l-like moving you ahead wasn’t that helpful! And j-just a reminder, if you leave the board backwards, that…counts as losing!” ‘Rolos’ teased, as ‘Dessex’ waved her frying pan at him.

“I can’t do a thing here. There are no ingredients on the board for me to use.” ‘Dessex’ explained, as ‘Evangeline’ threw the dice as well.

“Didn’t she make cheese out of thin air earlier?” Donovan questioned, only for Julia to shoosh them again, her attention fully on the play, as ‘Evangeline’ rolled another one.

“Wow, what a string of b-bad rolls! Sucks…to be you!” ‘Rolos’ said, as Nathaniel could feel himself sweating under the robes. “Just a bit more…”

“Bad rolls?” ‘Billie’ said, as they grabbed the dice. “…wait!”

‘Billie’ turned around, announcing to the others. “My bad luck! It’s effecting the dice! No matter what, it’s gonna roll a one!”

“Then there’s no way to win!” ‘Evangeline’ cried, gripping her sword handle. “This cannot be how our journey ends.”

“Is there any other option?” ‘Dessex’ asked, as ‘Rolos’ started laughing again.

“Oh ho ho! What a shame! That’s the game! Oh ho ho!”

‘Billie’ gripped the dice worriedly, before an idea popped in their mind.

“Wait, Rolos. You said whoever touches the board becomes part of the game, right?”

‘Rolos’ tilted his head. “Yeah?”

“And that you follow the rules no matter what?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Well, you’re touching the board right now!” ‘Billie’ declared, as ‘Rolos’ looked down at his feet, only to suddenly get whisked over to the first spot along with ‘Evangeline’ and ‘Dessex.’

“W-What?!” ‘Rolos’ let out, as ‘Billie’ chucked the dice and rolled a one, before handing it off to him. “B-But I only allowed YOU to move ahead! I’m starting from the first space!”

“Then I guess the dice will decide.” ‘Evangeline’ insisted, as ‘Rolos’ closed his eyes and rolled it, before it came up with a one again, throwing him back off the board and spinning away offstage.

The board pieces slowly disappeared, as Nathaniel silently slipped back behind the audience, sighing in relief as he no longer had to act.

“Leave it to Sola to give me such a meaty roll…” He muttered under his breath.

As the stage returned to normal, the adventurers realised they’d been sent to the outside of a dungeon in the middle of nowhere.

“Where are we now?” ‘Dessex’ remarked, as ‘Billie’ threw their hands up.

“Dammit! We must’ve been sent to Rolos’ lair after winning! Now we have no idea where the castle is and can’t find the royals!” ‘Billie’ complained, before some rustling came from behind a few rocks.

The trio turned, as outjumped Percy, dressed in black and white striped clothes and shaking off some ropes, before bowing to them energetically and politely.

“Rambit! What are you doing here?” ‘Evangeline’ stated, as ‘Billie’ looked up at her.

“You know him?”

‘Evangeline’ joined ‘Rambit’s’ side. “He’s the royal mime. He’s usually performing for them, but was captured by Batharax shortly before I left.”

‘Rambit’ rubbed his eyes comically, pretending to weep, as Julia started cracking up in the audience. Percy ran with this and started acting out a detailed rendition of how ‘Rambit’ was captured, despite it not being in the script.

“Wait!” ‘Billie’ exclaimed, as ‘Rambit’ held perfectly still. “If you were dragged straight here, do you know the way to the royal palace?”

‘Rambit’ gave a big thumbs up, as ‘Billie’ pumped their fist. “Great! Let’s go to the castle and make our appeal!”

“With all the kingdom’s strength united on our side, Batharax won’t stand a chance.” ‘Evangeline’ reasoned, holding up her sword. “Onward!”

“Let us set course! Several courses, in fact!” ‘Dessex’ added, holding up her frying pan.

‘Rambit’ looked around in confusion, before pulling out a rubber chicken to hold up, only to throw it away and high-five ‘Billie’ instead.

The adventurers started heading off, trekking the road down to the castle, before ‘Dessex’ started turning her head.

“Dessex…you’re quite the turncoat, aren’t you?”

‘Dessex’ glanced around in a panic, as the others kept walking ahead. “Who is that?”

“Don’t you remember your old bosses voice?” ‘Batharax’ cackled, before jumping out onto stage, accompanied by billowing smoke from backstage, creating a dreamlike haze. “It’s been some time since you were my personal chef.”

“I have left that past behind. I am acting on my own now.” ‘Dessex’ insisted, as Batharax started laughing again.

“And yet, you still cook. So who’s to say you’ve really changed?” Batharax declared, giving ‘Dessex’ pause for thought, as Sola frantically paced around backstage.

“Sola?” Wess said, coming back to join her, as Sola picked up the script again.

“It’s not there yet!” Sola insisted, waving it around. “This is good, but it can be better!”

Wess folded her arms. “Are you finally willing to take some of my writing advice?”

“What?” Sola let out. “No, I mean we should add more things in that Julia likes.”

“…oh.” Wess muttered, massaging her forehead. “You know there’s no harm in sticking to the existing script, right? Adding in surface level things for her to notice won’t chan…”

Wess trailed off once she noticed Sola was scribbling notes down again, before shaking her head.

“…I should stop pretending I’m too good for this.” Wess remarked, before Saxin and Lenin came out from Wess’ bedroom in different outfits, before looking like they’d been caught.

“Oh! You two are…” Saxin let out, before getting glares from Wess. “…r-right, we’re about to go on…”

“We were practicing lines.” Lenin excused, trying to hide the hickey on his neck. “With each other.”

Wess refused to say a word, as Sola noticed them excitedly.

“Great, you guys are here! What are more things Julia loves?” Sola asked, as Lenin scratched his chin.

“Uhh…good question.” Lenin thought over. “I’ve heard her mention that soap opera she likes a lot.”

“And musicals. She’s quite the fan of singing.” Saxin added, before her eyes lit up. “Wait, Sola! Can I have a solo? Please?”

“Uhuh…” Sola absentmindedly agreed, as Saxin cheered. “Now who’re gonna be the royals…”

Despite being behind her, Saxin raised her hand frantically, as Sola took a moment to turn around and notice.

“Oh! Oh! Can I be the princess too?” Saxin excitedly asked.

“Yeah, why not.” Sola assured, as Saxin started celebrating. “But you’re already playing Trixis, who’s trying to take the thrown for herself.”

Saxin was thrown off a bit, before coming up with an idea. “Can I be Trixis disguised as the princess, but I eventually turn good for the sake of love?”

Sola’s eyes widened, as she passed out her updated scripts. “Yes! Do that! That’s great!”

The couple gave them a read over, with Saxin dictating to herself as she read, only for Lenin’s face to go flush.

“…S-Sola.” Lenin let out, holding up his script.

“Yeah?”

“W-Why am I playing the prince?” Lenin managed, sweating a little, as Sola shrugged.

“I dunno. You look kinda princely.” Sola reasoned, before squinting her eyes, as Lenin hid his face away.

“Sola, I implore you, I will play literally anyone else. There has to be a character that’s not covered yet.” Lenin asked. “A jester? Is the jester a character?”

“No, the royals have a mime.” Sola said, shaking her head.

Lenin looked ever more stumped, before Saxin locked their arms together.

“Aww, but Leni dear, wouldn’t it be wonderful for us to play the prince and princess together? It wouldn’t be right otherwise.” Saxin insisted, leaning into him.

“You’re not helping…” Lenin muttered, before locking eyes with her sultry gaze and sighing out. “…can I at least be a marquess instead?”

Sola thought about it, before giving a thumbs up. “Yeah, that’s cool. And Saxin can be the…uhh…”

“Marchioness.” Lenin answered, only for Saxin to start pouting at him.

“That’s not nearly as fun as a princess…” Saxin bemoaned, before throwing her head back. “Oh well, I guess a thespian such as myself should take on any new challenge.”

“Like giving yourself a musical number?” Wess retorted, as Lenin admittedly laughed, before stopping himself after getting a glare from Saxin.

“…at the end of the day, you’ll always be one of my vassals. You can either reject that, or come home and remember where your allegiances truly lie. It’s up to you, Dessex.” ‘Batharax’ declared, before disappearing into the smoke, leaving ‘Dessex’ in a very conflicted state.

“Dessex? Are you coming?” ‘Billie’ called out from offstage.

“…right behind you!” ‘Dessex’ replied, before quickly following in the direction of the palace.

———

“Oh, the simple life of a doorman…I see so many come and go, only in my life for the briefest of moments, and yet, I’m not in theirs. A doorman. That’s all I am, all I can be, all I can aspire to. Who holds the door for me? What god declared it that the Marquess and Marchioness may indulge in the pleasures of life, waited on hand and foot, while we’re left to fend for the scraps? Who’s that waiting on them but me, and allies of a similar ilk? All stepping stones, unseen servants, for being unseen is our right, our duty…our simple lives…”

Slowly, Bell lifted her head, before acknowledging how much of the stage she was taking up and embarrassingly locking eyes with Julia, as she stepped back and cleared her throat.

“B-But you’re requesting passage?” She continued, as ‘Billie’ jumped forward.

“You bet! The Marquess and Marchioness have to hear us out so that we can stop Batharax!”

“…very well. Since you’re accompanied by knight Evangeline and the royal mime, you’ll be allowed to pass.” Bell quickly finished up, as the adventurers passed by. Julia started clapping in the audience as Bell exited the stage, right as Saxin and Lenin appeared on highchairs, donning lavish coats and crowns.

The stage was filled with all the previous ‘actors’ from the play now in fancy gowns and holding champagne flutes, gathered around them and murmuring amongst themselves, with Saxin and Lenin lazily lying about their thrones.

“Oh, my beaUTIful husband, I just can not…go on!” ‘The Marchioness’ bemoaned, throwing her hands out. “Will this malaise ever end?”

“Who cares…it won’t change anything anyway…” ‘The Marquess’ complained, as the party goers below them were in a similar state of mind. “We hardly have the energy to rule…why put ourselves out like that?”

“Leadership has lost ALL of its lustre.” ‘The Marchioness’ agreed, as the adventurers parsed their way through the crowd.

“This party isn’t very exciting.” ‘Dessex’ pointed out. “The entire room is drained of all energy.”

“I’ll say.” ‘Billie’ stated, before turning to ‘Evangeline’ behind them. “Hey, Eva? When we get a chance, can I tell you something…important?”

‘Evangeline’ stopped, as Sola was starting to go off script, which she theorised was some of her ‘soap opera edits’ coming through.

She glanced to Julia for a brief second. “Perhaps…this can wait until we’ve dealt with Batharax. Come on.”

‘Evangeline’ charged forward, cutting through the crowd, as ‘Billie’ hung behind.

“But it’s really important!”

“So important it can’t wait?”

“It probably shouldn’t wait!”

“Now’s not th-“

“Evangeline!”

“What?!” Wess yelled, before ‘Billie’ jumped back.

“Eva, you’re actually…” ‘Billie’ said, before facing the audience. “…my secret sister???”

The crowd around them gasped in shock, with ‘Rambit’ falling backward and pretending to faint at the news. Even Wess was thrown off, as having read the script ahead, she knew this wouldn’t play into anything.

Julia’s mouth hung open at the twist, lost for words at the shock of it.

“No way!” She let out, just a little too loud, eyes glued to the stage, as Donovan sunk into their seat, keeping their mouth shut.

“…well, at least she’s happy with it.” Donovan reasoned, just as Wess got her bearings back.

“…w-what?” She let out, before ‘The Marchioness’ spotted the adventurers amongst the now dispersed partygoers.

“Look, dear! Down there! It’s Evangeline and Billie!” She insisted.

‘The Marquess’ glanced down. “Evangeline! You’ve returned! Have you slain that vile Batharax yet?”

“…n-not yet, your lordship. We came in hopes of gathering the palaces resources to launch an all-out attack on his lands.” ‘Evangeline’ explained, trying to get back into character, as ‘The Marquess’ stroked his chin.

“A fair plan…one I simply couldn’t orchestrate.” ‘The Marquess’ admitted, falling back into his seat. “Can you do it for me? I feel no desire to get up and do things…”

“…of course, my lord.” ‘Evangeline’ obliged, only for ‘Billie’ to step forward suddenly, before pointing at ‘The Marchioness.’

“Wait! How did you know my name?”

She froze in place and waved her hand. “Y-You introduced yourself when you arrived. I r-remember greeting you enthusiastically.”

‘Dessex’ stepped forward too. “But you’re in a malaise! How could you do anything enthusiastically?”

‘The Marchioness’ started to sweat, as Julia excitedly clapped her hands.

She turned to Donovan beside her. “I knew there was a reason Saxin was playing two roles.”

“Fair catch.” Donovan noted, admittedly finding themselves enjoying it a little more, before realising they’d run out of popcorn. “Hey Dulce?”

“Already on it.” Dulce offered, jumping up and heading to the kitchen to grab some, right as ‘The Marchioness’ stepped down from her throne, before cackling wildly.

“…oh, and I was SO close to taking this throne for myself!” ‘The Marchioness’ gleefully laughed, before ‘The Marquess’ stepped down too.

“D-Dear? What’s the meaning of this? W-Why are you acting so strangely?”

‘The Marchioness’ turned back and smiled as a puff of smoke consumed her, before she performed a quick costume change into ‘Trixis.’

“Ha ha ha! You…fools!” ‘Trixis’ cried, as the partygoers started to panic. “I’ve been sneaking MY…WAY into the royal family, all under Batharax’s nose! Now it’s my time…to shine!”

‘Rambit’ slapped his hands on his cheeks with an audible pop, as ‘Evangeline’ drew out her sword.

“So working with Batharax was just to get to a position of power?”

“Yes! And to guarantee…I…wouldn’t be affected by the bad vibes! I can rule this WHOLE kingdom and kill that poor excuse of a wizard! Ha HA ha HA!” ‘Trixis’ let out.

“W-Wait, you were…never my wife?” ‘The Marquess’ let out, welling up with tears. “You were just using me?”

‘Trixis’ turned back to him.

“…no…unfortunately, there was…a part of the plan…I never considered.” ‘Trixis’ admitted, as ‘The Marquess’ shook his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you see? I HAVE fallen for you. Who I was may have been a lie…but my feelings weren’t.”

Suddenly, ‘Trixis’ walked to the front of the stage, hands to her chest, before letting out a quiet breath.

“I…was just a poor girl, watching from afar…oh, how much I envy, where the royals are…I tried to fit amongst them, but my guise was never strong…so all that I had left, was a saddened, sombre song…”

As Saxin took her place up on stage, clearly ready to sing as long as she wanted, Sola took the opportunity to slip off stage, before looking over at Julia and studying her expression.

She seemed really happy, her attention still on the play, before Sola spotted Dulce’s empty seat next to her.

Letting out an uneasy breath, Sola snuck over to the seat, silently sitting down, before Julia noticed she was there and turned her attention to her.

“Hey!” Julia let out, smiling proudly. “Did you do all this?”

“Uhh…yeah, pretty much.” Sola admitted, rubbing her neck. “I got help from everyone else, though. They really made it come together. Do you like it?”

“I love it!” Julia exclaimed, leaning closer to Sola. “This is so sweet of you.”

Sola blushed pretty hard, struggling to reply, as she huddled in with Julia, trying to keep their voices down. “W-Well…after the attack, we were all so bummed out, and even though the rest of us were kinda getting back into the swing of things, you were still so sad.”

Julia’s positive glow started to dissipate, as Sola played with her fingers.

“I…feel like a lot of the time, you don’t…want people helping you.” Sola admitted, as Julia’s face sunk a little. “It kinda surprised me when you said I could do this for you…”

“…that’s fair.” Julia confessed, nodding her head. “…I…I’ve been trying to be better about that. I like giving, but not really receiving, and…that’s not always gonna be a good option.”

Julia leaned back onto her chair a little, as Sola did the same. “…and…yeah, I’m still really…struggling with everything that went down. I keep trying to move on from it, but…then I look down at my gloves, and it all floods back…”

“…do you wanna try that Whil training I offered?” Sola asked, as Julia’s eyes widened. “I learned a lot from you and Essex about controlling Whils. I’m way better about using my Whil now, so I should do it for you in return.”

Julia felt shame starting to build up, and her natural impulse pushing against the offer, before taking a deep breathe and closing her eyes.

“…y-yes.” Julia let out, opening them back up. “Yeah, that’s a really good idea, Sola. Thank you.”

Julia dipped her head down, as Sola tried to follow her gaze. “And…sorry…for being so miserable these last few weeks. I can be a real pessimist at the worst of times…and that’s something else I’m still working on.”

Julia stared off into the distance, as Sola got comfortable again. “I used to be so unhappy back in high school. Nothing was working out, and the world just felt so horrible…but once I came to the academy, I really turned things around. You guys reminded me why I should be happy.”

Julia smiled a little.

“…I don’t try to be happy to ignore all the horrible things happening in the world. I’m happy in spite of them.” Julia admitted. “I know I can’t really fix the world, so the best I can do is make sure my world’s okay, and that the people that make it up are happy too.”

Julia quietly chuckled. “And I guess that means I can forget myself along the way. Oops.”

Sola laughed too. “Then I’ll just remind you when you forget. This part of your world really cares about you.”

Julia could feel her heart skip a beat, as Sola was flushed with embarrassment and avoided eye contact.

As they let the moment linger, their attention slowly drifted back to the play, as Saxin looked to be wrapping up her ballad. Julia then felt the sudden squeeze of Sola’s arms wrapping around her and cuddling up to her, pushing their chairs together.

Julia simply let it happen, leaning down to rest her head on Sola, as they held each other quietly, appreciating each other’s warmth, only to be snapped from their trance once Harley jumped back onto stage.

“SO…my most loyal minion, huh? Quite the betrayal!” ‘Batharax’ cackled, as smoke billowed in. “Hu hu hu! Pathetic insects, all of you!”

Sola’s eyes shot open, as she jumped out of her seat. “Wait, I’m up!”

“Break a leg!” Julia wished, as Sola gave a thumbs up, before running backstage and sidling up next to Wess.

“B-Batharax?!” ‘Trixis’ cried, huddling up to ‘The Marquess.’ “What are you DOING here?”

“Simple! I got sick and tired of waiting for the kingdom to collapse, so I’m gonna do things the old-fashioned way!” ‘Batharax’ clarified, as Milo washed the back of the stage with an orange light. “Fire and destruction! Hu hu hu!”

“Not so fast, Batharax!” ‘Billie’ cried, as ‘Batharax’ cackled again.

“Oh, you’re that little welp that’s been tagging along while your friends do everything! Isn’t that right?” ‘Batharax’ mocked.

‘Billie’ stayed quiet, remembering just how much their bad luck had really hindered them this whole journey, before ‘Evangeline’ stepped forward.

“It certainly isn’t! Without Billie’s creativity, that ice golem would’ve ended our journey, then and there!” She implored.

Clenching her fists, ‘Dessex’ stepped forward as well. “And we wouldn’t have defeated Rolos, or figured out Trixis’ ploy!”

‘Rambit’ stepped forward too, before flipping ‘Batharax’ off, as ‘Batharax’ just laughed again.

“But your luck! It’s only ever been a burden to you!”

“…maybe so.” ‘Billie’ started, before stepping forward. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t get better! My friends taught me that!”

‘Batharax’s’ smile disappeared, before he hurled a fireball at ‘Billie.’ ‘Evangeline’ just managed to swipe it away with her sword, before charging at ‘Batharax.’

“Wait, no!” ‘Billie’ cried out.

Before ‘Evangeline’ even got there, she tripped over one of the partygoers, who landed into another, and another, before knocking ‘Dessex’ over, dropping her frying pan, which landed on the ground in front of ‘Rambit.’

He stepped forward onto it, slipping and sliding around, before eventually falling forward and landing into a conveniently placed custard pie on the ground.

The room was dead silent in shock, before a booming and howling laughter came from ‘Batharax,’ who was having trouble standing while he gripped his stomach.

“That!...that was brilliant!…what comedic brilliance! I haven’t laughed like that in ages!” ‘Batharax’ admitted, wiping tears away.

“My bad luck!” ‘Billie’ let out, celebrating. “It finally did something kinda right!”

As ‘Batharax’ calmed down, now out of breath, ‘Billie’ scratched their chin.

“Wait…that laugh didn’t sound like your normal one.” ‘Billie’ pointed out.

“…well, no…it wouldn’t.” ‘Batharax’ said. “That was never my real laugh, I just pretended it was.”

‘Batharax’ looked down at the ground, as the fire in the background slowly died down.

“…I made up this laugh to hide how I was really feeling. I thought if people didn’t know how I was feeling, they wouldn’t worry about me.”

“Is that why you wanted to spread bad vibes around?” ‘Billie’ asked, as ‘Batharax’ nodded.

“I thought if I focused my attention on everyone else, I could stop thinking about myself and how bad I felt.” ‘Batharax’ admitted. “And Rolos and Trixis wouldn’t have to worry about me all the time…”

“Well…that’s the thing. If you’ve got people in your life that care about you…they’re gonna worry no matter what.” Sola said, quietly looking over to Julia. “And you don’t really get to say no to that. But distracting yourself only means the problems don’t go away.”

She rested a hand on ‘Batharax’s shoulder.

“Instead of making the world a worse place, try making your world a better one.”

Julia was starting to tear up in the audience, still smiling widely, as the fires on stage completely died out.

“…wow, you’ve given me a lot to think about.” ‘Batharax’ admitted, before turning to the crowd. “…because of these inspiring words, I’m calling off the war! I shall no longer torture this world anymore!”

“R-Really?” ‘The Marquess’ asked, before ‘Trixis’ stepped forward.

“Are you…still upset with me?”

‘Batharax’ smiled. “Do you truly love him?”

‘Trixis’ eye’s lit up. “More THAN anything!”

“Then why should I stand in the way of that?” ‘Batharax’ insisted, as ‘Trixis’ leaped into ‘The Marquess’ arms.”

“Trixis is hereby pardoned of her crimes! She’ll simply have to settle for being my wife.” ‘The Marquess’ offered, as Saxin quickly took the chance to kiss him passionately, as their characters slipped away with each second.

“Hey, this mime’s incredible!” The partygoer played by Chops remarked, as ‘Rambit’ started dancing out of nowhere. “These bad vibes are just lifting away like they were nothing!”

“…ait…wait, dear, please, there’s still…” Lenin managed to get out, before jumping up to face ‘Evangeline,’ trying to clean himself up as Saxin ducked away. “E-Evangeline, you’ve gone above and beyond in your journey. What’s say you take up the position of Knight of One?”

“I would be honoured, my lord.” ‘Evangeline’ replied, kneeling down to him, before he turned to ‘Dessex.’

“And we’ve been needing a royal chef for a long time.” ‘The Marquess’ offered. “If you feel up to it.”

‘Dessex’ quickly turned around and looked to ‘Batharax,’ who simply shrugged, as she smiled and nodded back to him.

“That just leaves Billie.” ‘The Marquess’ started, as ‘Billie’ stepped forward. “I think you’d make a great royal adv-“

“No thanks.”

‘The Marquess’ blinked. “What?”

“I’d rather go back to my simple little life.” ‘Billie’ said. “I never meant to change the world, but I guess I did anyway. And right now, that’s good enough for me.”

“…well, I can’t argue with that.” ‘The Marquess’ admitted. “I guess if that’s everything, tha-“

“Wait.” ‘Dessex’ interrupted, before turning to ‘Billie.’ “I…have never asked…what is your last name?”

Sola was a bit confused at the sudden offer, before putting two and two together and nodding happily. “My last name…well, it’s Ke-“

“Kessex?” ‘Dessex’ finished, as ‘Billie’ stepped back, before slapping their cheeks.

“Wait, does that mean I have…”

They turned to the audience.

“Two secret sisters?????”

The curtains were drawn right there, as Joleicia stepped out behind the podium again, her copy of the script covered in Sola’s rewrites and edits.

“…what makes a hero? Is it courage? Determination? Saving those in need? All of these things?” Joleicia read aloud. “Or perhaps…it’s just how one perceives themselves. Maybe a hero’s only as good as their world is. Or maybe…they can hope to make it better.”

The spotlight flicked off, as Donovan leaned back in their seat, having mostly been paying attention for the last act.

“Okay…that was a lot better than it had any right to be.” Donovan admitted, smirking to themself. “I’m impressed I enjoyed it.”

“Wait, did I miss the end?!” Dulce let out, running out of the kitchen with a burnt bowl of popcorn. “Dammit! Alright, someone recorded that, right?”

As one last hurrah, the curtains opened up again, as the cast stood out on stage, before taking a bow.

Julia stood up and clapped, tears still trailing down her face with a permanent smile that refused to move.

Donovan and Dulce joined along, with Sola taking centre stage and sharing another glance with Julia, both very happy with themselves.

Julia clapped again and again, waiting until the play finally came to a conclusion, and happy to stand on the sidelines and let herself be helped.