"It's okay." Aideen touched her hand to Elodie's snout. "You keep getting stuck in dragon form, don't you?"

"I don't know why!" Elodie groaned. "I was just so frustrated, I think it triggered it."

"It's okay, these things happen," Aideen said soothingly. "It's not your fault. This was supposed to be a safe town for us."

"Maybe we should've been relocated after all."

Aideen focused on transferring her energy, her magic to Elodie, who reappeared in human form in a flash of light.

"Thanks," Elodie said, straightening out her tunic. "We'd better get moving. I don't think Kira actually knows what she's doing with the bows."

"You can string a longbow?" Galileo's eyebrows nearly shot up into his blonde hair.

"I told you I went to a few Ren Faires," Kira said. "It's because I usually win these bow-stringing contests. Goes straight to my college fund."

"We need to go out on a date sometime," Galileo said, a dreamy look in his eye.

"After all this is over," Kira agreed. "Now come on, let's get on the porch. Paladins aren't exactly known for taking no as an answer."

They walked out onto the porch just as the Paladins rolled up in their car, and spilled out.

"House is full," Brad called out. "No room, sorry."

"We're not here on party business," said the girl with gray eyes and blonde hair. "I'm Diana Harrison. We're looking for Elodie Durand, and the government records say this is her residence."

"You are stalking us!" Elodie cried as she and Aideen came up behind Kira and Galileo.

"What the Hell?" Kira wrinkled her nose in disgust. 

"It's unfortunate, but necessary." Diana looked to Kira. "I suggest you put down that longbow. We don't need to make this harder."

"You're the ones who brought weapons," Aideen reminded them.

"Elaine?" A boy in a leather jacket called out, confused.

Diana elbowed him in the ribs. "It's Aideen Wentworth, Ansel. Have you been seeing her?"

Ansel turned red, saying nothing, just as Aideen did.

"Look, that's beside the point," Diana said, seeming desperate to gain control of the situation. "And you're the ones who were violent first."

"What's she talking about?" Galileo asked, noticing how Diana's eyes went straight to Kira.

"I didn't mean to breathe fire at you, and I apologized!" Kira's amber eyes flashed a golden color in rage. 

"And you chased me with knives down a hallway at Skycroft!" Elodie pulled an arrow from her quiver around her waist. "What exactly do you consider violent?"

"That was just a precaution," Diana said. "If the three of you come with us, we won't have to keep doing this."

"What exactly would you do to my little sister?" Brad demanded, crossing his arms over his chest, careful not to shift the bandages to the mummy costume. 

"We'd do what your mom did to you and tried to do to Elodie," Diana said. "Make it so you weren't dragons anymore."

"What?" Brad stumbled back.

"Why?" Aideen was aghast.

"The dragons cannot come back." Ansel's voice was pleading, his navy eyes going straight to Elodie. "Please, you have to understand, they bring destruction and greed in their wake."

"I don't believe you," Aideen said, otherwise as still as a statue. 

"Yeah, I think you'd kill us if we went with you," Kira added. Galileo put an arm around her, not much of an armor, more of a psychological defense than anything else. But one she appreciated nonetheless. 

She set down the longbow, an idea sparking into her head. She stepped forward, outstretching a hand.

"If you really just want to prevent dragon destruction maybe we can—"

Right as she approached Diana, the blonde swung her sword, leaving a gash in Kira's cardigan, right over her stomach.

Kira screamed a curse word as she dropped to her knees.

"Kira!"

Galileo had dropped to his knees beside her, Elodie and Aideen hovering above.

"You need to get off of my property before I call the cops," Brad snarled. "Go!"

"It's not worth it," Ansel said, tugging at the sleeve of Diana's leather jacket.

"No, it's not." There was regret in her gray eyes. Even though it was too late for things like that. The Paladins retreated into their car, as quickly as they came. Kira looked at the red spreading onto her costume.

"I liked this set," she pouted. "It was book accurate."

"We need to get her to the hospital," Elodie said. "Party's over."

"No, I know how to fix this," Aideen said. "It's going to sting a little."

She blew a small bit of fire out, cupping into her hands. She twisted it with her hands, creating a small shape, not one that Kira recognized. She then held it up to Kira's stomach, prying away her hands.

Kira gasped— it burned. But when she looked back, the skin on her stomach had knitted back together seamlessly. No proof of anything.

"Are you sure that got everything?" Kira asked.

"Yeah," Aideen said with a curt nod. "I've been studying Grandmother's old spellbooks."

"I think I'd still feel safer getting a CAT scan, just to make sure my liver's not still bleeding." Kira stood, feeling shaky. "I'll call my dads. But thanks, Aideen."

"You're welcome."