A pleasant buzz sparked beneath Sia's skin that had nothing to do with the alcohol in her hands and everything to do with the proud smile Sera had worn while nominating her. The fact that she'd worked hard on improving her magic in the three years since she'd joined the guild was true. Creating a strength for herself that no one could dispute had always been her goal. And while she hadn't reached that level, she knew she'd made a significant leap in that direction.

But, still, the nomination meant someone else thought the same--and that was as overwhelming as it was gratifying. Just the potential positive publicity alone was thrilling. Making a name for herself would change things. Famous mages almost always held more power than the nobodies, even if their magic wasn't especially unique.

"Hey, Valentina," Cross called out.

The buzz turned to sparks. Sera winced. To Sia's credit, she didn't immediately smother Cross' insufferable smile beneath the weight of her magic. It pricked at her fingers, however, begging her to have less self control that she did.

"Cross," Sera sighed.

"Do you have to?" Sia demanded.

Cross scratched the side of his face, the uneasy flick of his tail betraying the vein of awareness that laid beneath his relaxed posture. His expression, however, remained as smug as ever.

"Well, it's your name, ain't it?" he asked. "You looked so lost in thought, I figured it might be the only thing that could get your attention. What, should I have said Pri--"

Sera flicked her hand, a quiet murmur on her lips. Magic shimmered in the air, before root-like ropes leapt from the sparks. Within the second, Cross was indignantly tugging at his new gag. Whatever he'd planned on saying looked long forgotten as he shot Sera a look. She ignored him.

"Don't let him bother you," Sera reassured her.

A weight seemed to dissipate from the room as the uneasy force of Sia's emotions physically lifted from the room. Sia clicked her tongue, annoyed at the loss of control.

'What would father say?' she berated herself. 'I had better control than this when I was an apprentice.'

"He's an idiot," Sera continued. "You know that."

She sighed. Her hands cupped her glass as she dropped her gaze to the alcohol. "I know. It's j--"

"Sia!"

She jumped and nearly dropped her glass. Sky's voice was as equally welcome as it was unwelcome in that moment. It was an escape, but Skylark was difficult to deal with at the best of times. It wasn't that her ego bothered Sia--it would be hypocritical for her to dislike someone for being proud of their skills--it was the showy aspect of her personality that caused her discomfort. Sky seemed to be in constant need of an audience, as if using her magic without someone looking her way would kill her.

Even now, the woman had thrown on the flashiest cloak Sia had ever seen. The swirling red-and-gold patterns clashed with the sky-blue shade of her skin, creating an odd, eye-catching effect. Sia could only feel grateful that she knew the moment someone pointed it out, Sky would likely ditch it in favor of her usual skin-tight, all black outfits.

Sia sat her glass to the side, apprehension falling away as her eyes skipped past the flashy cloak to the people standing alongside Sky. Hawthorne, Gideon, Ilias, Rhett, and Kier had all lined up, each looking about as enthusiastic about being there as she felt at being called. Well, the first three did. Rhett and Kier appeared to be having a conversation amongst themselves, of which the only words Sia could pick out were, "Waverly," and, "food poisoning."

Had Cross been right about the concrete?

"Get over here," Sky called, breaking into her thoughts. "Bring Oren and that idiot with you."

"Oren's not over here," she pointed out.

Sky gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Yeah, well, find him then."

She sighed. There was no point in arguing over such a minor detail, so instead of pointing out how ridiculous the request was, she downed the rest of her drink and skimmed the guild with her eyes. Thankfully, Oren must have been within earshot of the conversation, because she could already spot him dipping through the crowded guild to reach the others.

Cross, his mouth freed, leapt from his barstool without further prompting. His hand shoved hair away from his face as he tossed a "hurt" expression Sky's way.

"That's too cruel," he complained. "At least call me the cute idiot!"

"That's the part that bothered him?" Sera wondered.

Sia shrugged and slid from her own stool. "It's Cross."

And in Starry Rose, that was all the explanation anyone ever needed for the demon.

When Sia reached the group, Sky's eyes swept over them critically, before she nodded. "Listen up, kids--"

"You're not that much older than us, Sky."

"--we're going to split into groups to train! I've got some challenging jobs in here," she continued, ignoring the interruption as she waved a stack of papers through the air. "And we're going to take them on before the games start."

"Why am I a part of this?" Oren questioned sourly. "I'm not in the games."

"Reserves!" Sky answered immediately. Her grin was an irritating level of smug. "Not everyone can be as great as me, you know. Someone's bound to get hurt--"

"Rhett won't," Kier refuted. "He's too good."

"--so we need you guys to be ready. The more the better, who knows what the games will hold."

"We're going to die," Ilias mumbled.

"Before you ask, I'm going to take an S-Class job so I can't join you. What better way to work and train at the same time than to take a job befitting my level?"

Sia could have sworn that someone mumbled that the only thing great about Sky was her ego, but it was so quiet she wasn't certain.

"I'll leave these behind for you," she continued. "Most of these are time sensitive, so it'd be a good idea to team up and depart within the day. Between me and Gideon, we made sure the jobs were just the right level of challenging, so don't worry. No one will die."

Sia hadn't been until that moment.

"Waverly is coming as well," Hawthorne added as he edged away from Cross. "At least, Kier said she agreed to the nomination when they spoke yesterday."

Kier tore his attention away from Rhett long enough to mutter an agreement, before launching into another hushed discussion. No doubt, the three of them would partner up together. Kier wouldn't let it be any other way, and Rhett had a habit of giving into what the elf wanted as long as it wasn't unreasonable.

"You ready, Thorne?" Sky questioned, dropping an arm over his shoulder that Hawthorne immediately recoiled from. She took it in stride, even seeming to ignore his red face as she tossed all but one of the jobs onto a table behind her and waved a singular sheet in his face. "Look, isn't this perfect?"

Hawthorne eyed the sheet. "It's S-Rank."

"See? Perfect! You and me. Just wait, I'll whip you into S-Rank shape in no time..."

Sia tuned out Sky's voice as she began a long-winded explanation of why exactly Hawthorne had to come with her. In the end, the important part was that Sky intended to take an S-Rank job. The rest of them would be idiots to follow her--if she would even let them.

She swept her eyes over the rest of the group Sky had called together. Lock wasn't present, but that wasn't really a surprise. Varya had likely set aside something special for him, or perhaps they had gone off to train together. Regardless, sticking someone like him with the rest of them would only be holding him back in the long run.

In the end, only her, Oren, Gideon, Cross, and Ilias were left without a clear team. Seeming to come to the same conclusion, the other three members of her "team" were eyeing where Cross had abandoned his dignity and began begging Sky to allow him to join them. He was immediately rejected, of course, which left him with only Hawthorne to persuade. The other man quickly dodged him with the excuse of needing to pack.

What a functional team they would make.

"We're doomed," Ilias mumbled.

For once, Sia couldn't help but agree with his pessimism.

Oren, to his credit, didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, his expression pinched in a predictable way, silently echoing their opinions. Gideon sighed and stepped over to where Kier had collected the job papers and begun reading them aloud for Rhett. It only seemed to take Gideon a moment to find the paper he was looking for, before he turned to rejoin them. Oren intercepted him with a grumbled complaint about how it better be worth the money this time.

"It's an extermination request," Gideon explained. "There's a valley about three, four days' travel from Wisteria that sends these out once a month. They're constantly plagued by monsters that roam out of a forest further in."

Confusion flitted through her chest. Oren, seeming to have similar questions, cocked a brow.

"Wouldn't it be easier to take them out all at once?" he asked.

Gideon shook his head. "The locals are against harming the creatures without reason. So, they request that their numbers be culled to keep the local ecosystem from being ruined, but nothing more."

His explanation--when combined with the traveling distance--drew a village to the forefront of Sia's mind. She remembered sitting on her lap as her father patiently explained how they must never harm Aether's creatures, otherwise they risked upsetting his slumber.

Only the corruption was allowed to be culled endlessly.

Gideon's continued explanation glossed over her ears as she mentally calculated, and recalculated, the distance between the mouth of the valley and her own hometown. 'It should be fine.'

"You're talking about Solaris, right?"

Gideon paused. "You've been there?"

"Once or twice," she agreed, then hesitated before continuing. If Gideon had done the job before, it was unlikely she knew anything important that he wasn't already aware of. Keeping silent would be fine. "When are we leaving?"

Gideon turned thoughtful as his eyes fell to the sheet in his hands once again.

"Tomorrow would be best," he decided. "Early morning. The job itself usually takes about a week, and with the travel there and back amounting to another week, it's best we start sooner rather than later to ensure we have enough time to handle any complications."

"We just got back," Oren complained, irritation dripping from his tone.

"Sounds great," Sia interrupted. "I'm going to head home to unpack and...repack. See you then?"

With a wave, she extracted herself from the conversation and started for the exit. Predictably, the others barely seemed to notice given Oren had launched into a series of questions about why they couldn't wait a few days, with Gideon patiently reasoning through his complaints. She made sure to wave at Seraphina as she reached the door, knowing the woman would never let her live it down if she left without saying anything.

The moment she was outside, her smile slipped. Memories flickered through her mind as she began the slow trek back to her apartment, each step sending another wave of unpleasant memory to the forefront of her thoughts.

Solaris...it would be fine.

It'd been too long. She was a different person.

The scared little girl who had fled the valley was long gone, and she wouldn't be returning, regardless of if Sia was recognized or not.

༺♥༻❀༺♥༻

With the morning came a renewed smile. The uneasiness of the night before felt like a distant memory before the beauty of the wisteria at dawn. Well, that and the fact she'd spent the night before pouring over her maps to reassure herself that yes, Solaris was distant enough that as long as she made reasonable suggestions about their hunting paths, there was no real danger.

By the time she arrived at the guild, Oren was already waiting. Despite his protests the night before, his back rested against the wall as if he had been there for ages. His red eyes were shut, giving her a moment to study her friend without risking his ire. The smudges beneath his eyes were as dark as ever, almost seeming to mirror the black of his unkempt hair. Seeming to feel her gaze, he tensed, but didn't bother to open his lids.

"The others here?" she asked.

He shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"

Sia gave up on the line of questioning, knowing she wouldn't get anywhere with Oren at this hour. He was the sort of person who had no civil words before noon--if ever. Instead of pushing him, she settled her back against the wall just close enough that their shoulders could brush should they want it. Her bag went to her feet. He didn't open his eyes, but he didn't move away, either. The silence that followed felt like every other early-hour meeting they'd had--quiet, and comforting.

Gideon was the next to arrive, his soft brown hair blowing around his heart-shaped face as a result of the faint breeze sweeping past the guild. Sia raised her hand in greeting and he simply nodded in turn. His violin case was grasped lightly in one of his hands, a satchel bag hanging off of his opposing shoulder.

"The others?" he asked.

Sia shrugged. "You know them."

"I do," Gideon sighed.

"By the way," Sia began, hesitation making her pause for a moment before she continued. "I wanted to make a few suggestions. I'm familiar with the area, and..."

The rest of the time they spent waiting for the others was filled with pleasant conversation about the best roads to follow. Oren would pitch in occasionally--usually with a grumbled complaint about something they'd said--but, for the most part, he simply listened. Ilias arrived at the exact time they'd been scheduled to depart, a sullen expression on his face. Obviously, he still hadn't aligned himself with the idea that they really were going to participate in the games and that he really had been labeled a reserve member.

It was a full half-hour before Cross showed. Oren shot the demon an expression that would have killed someone with less self-assurance. In turn, Cross simply grinned as they loaded their things onto the transportation they'd hired.

"Sorry, sorry." He jumped onto the front seat of the carriage. "It takes time to look this good, you know?"

"We're going to fail," Ilias added, climbing inside.

"Looks like it," Oren agreed.

"Don't be so hasty," Sia scolded. "Even if he is an idiot, he'll at least work as a decent shield."

Gideon shook his head, joining them and shutting the door behind the group. The carriage almost instantly jolted into action. Sia swore, barely keeping herself in her seat.

"Cross!" she complained.

"Does he even know how to drive?" Ilias demanded.

"Gods. Even I could do better," Oren cursed.

Gideon sighed.

It was going to be a very long trip.