The ceremony was over, and the sounds of laughter and the clanking of dishes had died down throughout the hall. Furna carefully weaved through the mess of tables as she tried not to drop her collection of treats that she had pulled from the remaining dessert stand.

“Ugh, I’m so hungry,” Furna whined as she flopped back into her seat next to Terrain and Sky. The night had dragged on, with greetings and speeches lasting far longer than anticipated.

Terrain offered her a sympathetic look as he picked up a stray piece of candy that had tumbled off her plate. “Formalities are important, Furna. Everyone in this room is someone you'll have to work with one day.”

After placing the candy back on her plate, Terrain glanced over her sugary feast and raised an eyebrow. “Also, isn’t it a bit late for so many sweets?”

“But it’s a celebration,” she quickly snapped back, already expecting Terrain to comment on her mountain of goodies.

Sky pouted, resting her head in her hand as she leaned against the table. “This doesn’t feel like a ceremony,” she grumbled. “Where’s the crowd, the fanfare, the roaring excitement? We didn’t even get to see the princess.”

Furna frowned, thinking about everyone she had been looking forward to inviting. “Yeah, we couldn’t even invite friends”.

 “Unfortunately, the Princess doesn’t want outsiders”, a voice cut in.

The Elemelons peered over to see the M.C. from the opening ceremony making her way towards them. Only this time, she was equipped with a clipboard and had a friendly smile on her face.

“Oh, it’s Tempest,” Terrain remarked as she stopped at their table.

 “I just came to drop these off,” Tempest replied as she swiftly flicked through her clipboard and tugged four surprisingly neat sheets out of the pile.

“It’s just some admin stuff,” she added, handing the papers over to Sky.

Sky passed them around- first to Terrain, then to Furna. The transaction stopped. Furna held the last two sheets, wondering if there had been a mistake.

“Oh, right. Pip left early.”

“I guess I’ll give it to him tomorrow,” she said, folding the papers and stuffing them in her bag.

Bzz, bzz, bzz. A soft vibration came from Tempest’s ear.

“One moment”, she uttered, pausing to listen to her earpiece.

Faint, frustrated voices crackled into her ear as her gaze shifted to the balcony where the princess had sat during the ceremony. Even if it was just a second, her expression turned cold.

Tempest turned back to the group with what felt like a forced smile.

“Sorry, but I’ll need to get going,” she said. “Congratulations on your inauguration and good luck in The Trials.”

Before another word could be said, Tempest flew off, her cape waving behind her.

Thud! Terrain and Furna whipped their head in Sky’s direction.

“Gah, The Trials!” Sky exclaimed, her head sunken against the table like a sack of rocks.

Terrain gently rested his hand on her head. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Plus, it’s just to test your skills; it’s not like you won’t be an Elemelon,” Furna barged in, a face full of sweets.

Sky sprouted up in defence. “But the whole thing is broadcasted to the public. If you mess up, everyone will see.”

“Gah,” Sky grumbled, rubbing her forehead in frustration. “I’m going back to the hangout. I’ll see you later.”

Like that, Sky flew off, sending a cloud of napkins to dance and twirl in the air.

Furna and Terrain watched as the fluttery reminisce of Sky’s path trickled back down.

“Well, isn’t she excited?” Terrain finally said.

With a stretch, he got up and began collecting the clutter of napkins that were now scattered across the table.  

“Let’s get going. We’ll need to be at our best for tomorrow.”

Furna agreed and joined him in clearing the table.