In the end, Morgan put the Shadow cloak into her inventory and I agreed that if there was no other way they’d let Kenji go I’d be his babysitter while he scouted the dungeon.

  We weren’t in any particular hurry so Morgan suggested taking our time going back. That suited me fine, I wanted to chat up as many beastfolk as I could in the hopes of triggering the dungeon quest. Alas, even though we met a whole lot of very friendly people, and both got propositioned a number of times, no quest flag was triggered.

  We did get a bit sidetracked when Morgan saw an apothecary and dragged me in to check it out for any rare potion ingredients, and after she spent what seemed an eternity talking alchemy with the proprietors I ended up having to drag her out with the promise that we’d come back someday soon.

  It was very late afternoon by the time we made it back to the teleportation circle in the beastfolk town.

  “Are you coming back to the city?” Morgan said as we approached it.

  “Nah, I’m gonna head to the elves and spend the night there.”

  “Oh. That’s a nice place you’ve got there. Very cozy. I can see why you stay there so often, but doesn’t it get lonely?”

  ”Lonely? Never really thought about it. I spend a lot of time by myself so it doesn’t bother me. Plus, there are the elves. Petal is around a lot, always checking on me, and Sigrid comes to exercise with me every morning, so…”

  “Ah. Guess you’re not needing company then.”

  I responded with a shrug. We walked in silence for a while and when I looked over at her I saw she’d been staring at me. “Okay,” she said. “What’s got you so distracted?”

  “Am I that obvious? No, don’t answer that, you’ll just tease me. Honestly, I’m thinking about your brother.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “I admit I was hurt when Arthur told me not to tag along on the Shadow Dungeon raid.” She was about to interject something but I raised my finger to shush her. “I figured it was something you’d all decided. It hurt when Galahad accused me of being a selfish asshole today too, and it hurt even more when I realized it was not a group decision and that the whole team must’ve been thinking what a jerk I am the entire time. But I want you to know it’s okay. I really do get it. I don’t like it, and I liked even less the way it was done, but I get it.”

  “Don’t hate Arthur,” she said. “He doesn’t really understand the effect he has on other people’s feelings. I’ve watched him break countless hearts with what looked like cold indifference, but the truth is I think he just doesn’t consider how others feel. Sometimes I wonder if he realizes other people have feelings.”

  “I wonder if you're confusing inconsiderate with oblivious, but basically you’re saying that Arthur does what’s best for him. I suppose he and Jane make a good couple, then,” I said, only hearing how bitter that sounded after it had come out.

  Neither of us said anything until we were standing next to the circle. ”That’s over now, you know,” she said.

  “So I’ve heard. They still seem pretty close to me, though. She was sitting next to him that whole meeting, as usual.”

  “Only in the Cartesian sense. You’re awful at reading body language.”

  “Did I miss something?”

  That made her laugh and she leaned forward to put her hand on my chest. “Daniel, you miss everything.”

  “I’ve heard that too,” I said. “Could you maybe spell it out for me?”

  She exhaled and shook her head, letting her hand drop and taking a step back. “Trust me, that wouldn’t be doing either of us any favors.”

  I was still trying to decipher this when she stepped into the circle, turned to wave at me and thank me for a lovely day, then teleported away.

  After she was gone I shrugged and stepped into the circle myself. Morgan was probably trying to tell me something there but I saw no sense in trying to fathom what that might’ve been. If it was really important she would’ve just come right out and said it, right?

  The next moment I appeared in the elf village and was immediately greeted by the sight of Sigrid and Jane chatting with Petal just outside the teleportation circle. Both of their backs were to me, but even from the rear there was no mistaking who it was. They were dressed casually and for some reason they were both carrying small duffel bags. Petal was facing me and waved when she saw me, effectively ruining my plan to sneak past them to my tree house unnoticed, so I waved back and went over to join them.

  “What are you two doing here?” I said as I approached them from behind.

  “Hello to you too,” Sigrid said, then turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw me. “Hello!”

  “About time you got here,” Jane said. “I’m here to collect on your promise.” Uh oh. Promise? Did I promise her something? “You know, for the sleepover?”

  “Seriously?” I said.

  “Geez, don’t look so excited,” Jane said.

  “I’m here to keep her out of trouble,” Sigrid said. “Or maybe it’s to keep you out of trouble, I’m not sure yet.”

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  Jane chuckled. “Yeah, but who’s going to keep you out of trouble? I mean, if he stays looking like—” Whatever Jane was about to say was cut off when Sigrid elbowed her in the ribs. “Ow! Okay fine, I won’t mention it. I wish you’d stayed home but noooooo, you had to tag along.”

  Was it just me, or were none of the women I knew making any sense today?

  “I was never promised a sleepover,” Petal said, and I couldn’t tell if she was complaining or teasing.

  “Maybe you’re not dropping enough hints,” Sigrid said.

  “I was unaware it was an option,” Petal said.

  Jane’s mane of red hair rippled as she shook her head. “Hints don’t work with this guy, you gotta take the initiative,” she said. “And even then he probably won’t get it.”

  “I’m right here,” I said.

  Jane grabbed my hand and started dragging me toward my house. “You’d better have something yummy to whip up for us. I’m famished.”

  “Guess we’re going. See you later, Petal,” Sigrid said.

  “Have a fun sleepover,” Petal sighed, waving.

  When we got to my place, Jane dumped her duffel inside the door and flopped onto the sofa. Now it was Sigrid’s turn to shake her head as she picked up Jane’s bag and started toward my bedroom.

  “The guest room’s over there,” I said, making my way to the kitchen.

  “I know,” Sigrid said and continued into my room, placing both bags neatly beside the bed. Then she went to the dining table and grabbed a chair, dragging it closer to the kitchen before sitting down and watching me rummage around for ingredients.

  I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. “You’re being weird, Sigrid,” I said.

  “No I’m not,” she said.

  Jane started snickering over on the sofa. I ignored her.

  “Seriously, why are you watching me like this?”

  “Do I need a reason?” Sigrid said.

  “Must be full moons tonight,” I said. “First Morgan, now you. Nobody’s making any sense.”

  “Speaking of,” Jane said, lounging on her back, “how’d your strategy session go?” She made air quotes around the word strategy. “You two sure were gone a long time. Where were you?”

  “We went to the beastfolk lands,” I said. “Any objections to curry?”

  Jane sat up. “Beastfolk?”

  “Yeah, you know, like Shannon.”

  “Ohhhhh. Was it nice?”

  “Yeah. The locals showed us around a bit and then we went and had a picnic overlooking the sea and strategized. Is that a yes or a no to curry?”

  “Picnic by the sea?” Jane said. I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell by the tone she was scowling.

  “That sounds lovely,” Sigrid said. “And romantic.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, right. Although we did get hit on a lot. The beastfolk aren’t fond of humans, but boy do they love elves.”

  “You don’t say,” Sigrid said. She was still staring at me and it was making me very self-conscious.

  I turned to her and waved the knife I’d been using to cut up some vegetables. “Seriously, Sigrid. You’re freaking me out. Why are you...ohhhh. Of course.” I reached up with my free hand and felt my ear. Yup, still pointy. I’d totally forgotten I looked like an elf. I also hadn’t stopped sharing my power with Morgan and wondered if she had remembered to switch back to human.

  “Darn it. You’re gonna change back now, aren’t you?” Sigrid said with an adorable pout.

  “Tell you what,” I said. “I’ll stay an elf if you stop staring at me.”

  “That’s not fair,” Sigrid said. “How can I stop staring if you’re still an elf?”

  “You never took me on a picnic,” Jane grumbled.

  “Ask Arthur,” I blurted. Sigrid coughed and shook her head at me while making a back and forth cutting motion across her throat with her hand, but I ignored her and kept talking. I hadn’t forgotten Jane’s complicity in the whole excluding me from the dungeon raid thing and some of the raw emotion I’d kept shoved down was forcing its way out. “You guys seem to do whatever the other one wants, after all.”

  Sigrid leaned back in her chair. “Hooboy, here we go.”

  Jane got up from the sofa and slowly made her way over to the kitchen. I kept my attention on the vegetables I was chopping and ignored her as came up beside me.

  “I guess I deserved that,” she said with uncharacteristic meekness.

  I hung my head and sighed, resting the knife on the cutting board. “No you didn’t,” I said. “I’m sorry, Jane. I didn’t mean that.”

  “Yes you did,” she said. “And I’m the one who’s sorry. For what it’s worth, I did try to dissuade him from asking you not to come.”

  “You mean telling me not to.” Guess I was more bitter than I thought. The vitriol kept spewing out on its own accord.

  “I’m sorry, Daniel,” Jane said. When I didn’t respond she put her hand under my chin and turned my face toward her. “Look at me and listen, okay? Hear me. I made a mistake and I’m sorry.”

  I looked into her eyes and saw that she was being honest. She really was sorry. Or she was a better actor than I’d thought.

  The conversation could’ve ended there. Should’ve ended there. But the emotions were too raw and hadn’t finished bursting out apparently.

  “That’s what hurt the most, you know,” I said before I even knew I was speaking. “I can handle Arthur prioritizing the team before me. I can handle Galahad thinking I’m an asshole. But you, Jane...”

  I could feel a lump in my throat forming and wasn’t sure I could say anything more without my voice breaking. I turned away and went back to chopping. I could feel the way my face must’ve looked, and I did not want her to see it.

  “Daniel, I...”

  “You should tell him, Jane,” Sigrid said, getting up and joining us in the kitchen.

  “Tell me what?” I said, attacking a pepper.

  “About Arthur,” Sigrid said, gently reaching out and taking my knife hand in hers. “Let me do that before you slice a finger off.”

  “It’s fine,” I said, pulling my hand free and going back to violently eviscerating the pepper. “I’ll just heal it back on if I do. What about Arthur?”

  Jane sighed. “We had a fight. A big one.”

  “What about?” I said.

  “About you, actually,” Jane said.

  “What about me?” Why couldn’t I stop snapping at her?

  Jane took a deep breath. “Arthur wasn’t happy that I was spending time with you.”

  “Why would he care? It’s only me.”

  “Exactly. It’s you.”

  “You’re gonna have to spell it out for him, Jane,” Sigrid said. “Too dense, remember?”

  Jane sighed again. “Arthur is very jealous of you, Daniel.”

  I stopped chopping. “That’s crazy town. Why would Arthur be jealous of anyone, let alone me? He’s the one people are jealous of.” Me included, if I’m being honest, for several reasons.

  Jane reached out and grabbed my chin again, not nearly as gently as last time, and forced me to look at her. “You are such an idiot.”

  “Hopeless,” Sigrid said, leaning her head on my shoulder and rubbing my arm. “Just plain hopeless.”