Crystal Folly

Arrival of the Others

Ender didn't have to look for Johann very long, as he was waiting in front of one of the bathroom doors in his cat form. "Johann, we gotta go," Ender said when he saw him. "Can this wait until about an hour from now?"

"You know how I feel about that, Ender," Johann retorted, then his glare dissipated. "Fine, we'll go now. Happy?" He led them back to the front door where Arthur, Taylor, and Stella were waiting.

"Not as happy as I am to get back to the others, I think Luna wants to talk about something," came his brother's response. "I got a weird message from her earlier, something about new magic. I'll let you know later." They walked out and were greeted by Taylor, who was waiting for them with her arms crossed.

"So, Johann, what would you have done if I'd let loose that secret?" she asked, knowing that it would be a terrible idea.

He thought about it for a few seconds before he gave his response. "Milo would've tried to kill you, and we most likely wouldn't have been able to stop him." She blinked, her face now full of worry. "You should know by now that's an incredibly sensitive thing to talk about. If you want to do that, wait until later when we know you better."

Arthur had just managed to get outside when Johann had finished talking. He was tempted to question it, but let it go, as he'd heard enough to assume what they were discussing. Stella was close behind, tapping Ender's ear to let him know she wanted somewhere to sit. "Everyone here and accounted for?" He counted to five, then shouted, "Let's go!"

An hour after they left, Stella began to fall asleep on Ender's back. He noticed this and he coiled his tail around her to keep her from falling off of him. She rubbed him behind his ears as a way of showing thanks before finally resting.

Her hands feel...softer than usual, Ender thought as he leaped over a small chasm. Maybe it has something to do with the magic this specific bond brings to elves that my blood mother told me about.

"Ender," Johann called out, "don't overexert yourself. If you see something you don't think you can make it past, wake Stella up before you do anything stupid." He seemed to know that Ender would try to do anything to keep her from waking up for an obstacle.

"Don't forget how much more mobility I have in this form, Johann," Ender replied. "I should be able to get around pretty much anything without needing a boost."

"Whatever you say, dude. Just don't forget, okay?" Johann didn't forget to remind him of that option whenever he needed it, even though he could lift them both of them if it was needed. Within another hour, they could see the station. "We're almost there, guys! The train station is just ahead!" Johann called out. He knew that Ender had seen it before he had, but his brother wouldn't do anything more to tire himself out.

"So, how'd it go?" Sadie asked after they arrived.

"It started great, but we kinda got attacked by an ice dragon on the way there," Ender answered. "I'll explain later though, right now we should find somewhere to sleep." Everyone agreed, so they went to a hotel they've been to before.

"Hello, welcome to -" the front desk person was saying before he looked up at the group. "Oh, it's you guys! Thought you'd all show up again this year. So how are we doing the rooms this time?" He seemed interested in helping them decide how many rooms they'd need, seeing how it varied every time.

There was a small group discussion before an answer came forth. "We'll need four rooms, three for two people," Sadie answered. "Or is there a smaller option for all of us, Caroa?"

He was surprised she even remembered his name. "Well, there is a suite open with five beds and a room next-door with three. Would that work? It'd be free of charge for you guys, of course," he informed.

"That'll work. Thanks, Caroa," Ender replied. "Can you have someone lead us to them, though? It's been a long day and my memory is not at its best right now."

"Sure. Sylvia, can you take these fine guests to their rooms?" Caroa called. His assistant ran over after she finished cleaning a table.

"It's a pleasure having you here again, guys!" she told them all. "Come on, let's get you to your rooms so you can get some rest." They followed her, knowing they could trust her to not make any wrong turns on the way there. When they got to the suite, they gasped at how amazing it was. Arguments began over who would get to stay in it, but Stella broke it up.

"Alright, guys, how about this? Whoever the first five people to say 'me' gets to spend the night in the room tonight. The other three have to be in the other room. Sound fair?" She proposed this idea knowing it was risking spending the night apart from Ender, but she went with it.

"Sounds pretty good, Stella," Johann replied.

"I guess I'll count down so that it's fair," Sylvia interrupted. "Sorry, Johann, if you were still trying to say something."

"Nah, it's fine," came his response.

"Okay. Three, two one..."

Stella, Ender, Milo, Luna, and Johann said "me" first, so they were allowed the suite for the night. Arthur, Sadie, and Taylor had to share the room next door.

"Well, three of us will be in that room tomorrow night, so don't feel too bad," Milo told Sadie.

"It's been settled then. See you in the morning!" Sylvia announced before heading back to her previous post. The group of five went into the suite and almost immediately got in the beds. There were four queen size beds and one king-size bed. Milo took the king-size bed, which happened to be the closest to the window and farther apart from everyone else. Stella and Ender got in beds right next to each other on the opposite side as Johann and Luna.

"Don't play around too much, guys. I don't wanna hear any nonsense going on," Milo told them. "And don't tear up the sheets, Ender, these are probably really expensive."

"Don't worry, I won't," Ender replied. He yawned as he said this, nearly at his tether's end for the day. "Goodnight, Stella," he whispered before kissing her. They all drifted into sleep, each one of them having a great dream... or a horrible nightmare.