Strangely, Liz and Ana joihem for lunormally Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan sat off in a er of the cafeteria, alone. Sometimes Liz would join them in css to chat or hang out, but not usually to eat, as she did now.

  She slid her tray onto their table with a big smile, and Ana followed a sed ter.

  “So!” Liz started the versation with. “Me and Ana have been talking. You three wanna make it official?”

  Which, of course, came as a surprise. Natalie had been pnning to broach the subject to Liz sometime today, but she had expected it to take some ving—not for Liz to e asking.

  “The team, right?” Best to make sure she wasn’t misinterpreting anything.

  “Yep! What else?”

  “It’s clear we work well together,” Ana said. “Most of the students worth f a group with had their teams pnned years in advahis five,” she waved around the table, “is one of the best that be made of ‘free agents’. So, it’s obvious we should work together.” Ana pursed her lips. “My other trials proved that.”

  Natalie agreed. The other members she, Jordan, and Sofia had trialed had been uninspiring.

  Though, one puzzle piece still o be slotted.

  Natalie, Jordan, and Sofia looked at Liz as one, all having the same thought. Maybe Ana and the three of them didn’t have better options, but her? Elizabeth Beaumon?

  Liz fidgeted uheir attention. “So,” she said. “It’s official, then? What should our team name be?”

  “Why not group with Johanna?” Natalie asked. Best to be direct. Though it was good for them, getting one of the best free-agent healers in their year, she wao know why. “Or anyone else your family put together?”

  “I have been curious as well,” Ana said.

  Liz sighed, shoulders slumping. “Well, first, because I like you all. Friends make good delving partners—you o trust each other with your life.”

  Natalie was fttered by that, especially the earness Liz said it with, but she khere was something more. “And?”

  “And … I’m tired of relying on my name,” Liz said. “I want to succeed on my ow. Obviously Johanna’s group is going to be one of the best of the year. But so we be!”

  “The nobodies,” Sofia said.

  Liz turned a distraught look her way. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “I’m not offended,” Sofia said. “But it’s literally how you meant it.”

  Liz seemed like she would protest further, then she hesitated. “I … guess that’s fair.”

  “We’re happy to have you oeam, either way,” Jordan said, sending a mildly reprimanding look Sofia’s way. Sofia shrugged in response.

  “And me?” Ana asked.

  Natalie and her friends shared a look. They’d already agreed Ana was better thaher mages they had trialed, so it didn’t need an explicit discussion. Plus, since she’d e with Liz, clearly they’d already talked it out themselves—and Liz wanted Ana oeam. Which was the slightest bit odd, in Natalie’s opinion, because it didn’t seem like the two girls meshed well. Liz seemed to be hyper sociable ahetid Ana, the ical opposite.

  “Seems like we have a squad, then,” Natalie said. “Though we all have aeam, tonight, don’t we?” It was the sed st day of the week, and, as the enterprising students they were, they’d arranged delves for each day. “Assuming we’re not ditg them, right?”

  “Right,” Liz said, “and I guess it’s bad form to not give them a real shot by agreeing beforehand, but …” she shrugged. “I doubt they’ll ge any of our minds. And I wao start talking about tomorrow’s delve.”

  Because tomorrow would be their first multi-day oheir first ‘real delve’, for a sense of the phrase. It would start after css, then bleed deep into the night, possibly into the m of week’s csses—so long as they returned in time. Curfew was suspended on the weekend so long as you were in the dungeon; the city remained off limits at night, but you could spend them camped in the dungeon without reprimand. Not the easiest thing to enforce, for obvious reasons, but still teically the rule.

  “Sure,” Natalie said. “What about it?”

  “We’ve got all our supplies sorted out?”

  “Well in advance, yeah.”

  “And we’ll be going straight through tomorrow and the ?”

  “That’s the pn. We’re hoping for a boss, I’m assuming.”

  Liz seemed satisfied at that, and she nodded in agreement. “A bit risky, but nobody’s ever gotten anywhere always taking the safe path. We’ll retreat if things get scary. You all have year sorted out?”

  “W on it,” Natalie said. “Stopping by a bcksmith after css today. Have enough ore and credits to ission something, finally. Rush order. Thinking breastpte and boots.” Sammy’s main suggestions. “Probably have my full set in time.”

  “That’s good,” Liz said. “Everyone else?”

  A colle of nods.

  “Perfect. ’t wait. It’s going to be fun.”

  Natalie agreed, though it was a bit amusing seeing Liz, the bubbly, i girl, excited for life-threatening adventures.

  A short lull settled over the table as they picked at their food.

  Sofia cleared her throat. “Not reted, but I have a small annou.”

  Everyouro her.

  “The semester’s first dueling tour is happening in three days,” she said. “Start of week. ’t do a nightly delve then. And I know everyone’s busy … but if you want to e watch?”

  Natalie stared at Sofia, or more specifically, the nervous looks the white-haired girl shot around the table. Was she being bashful?

  “Of course we’ll be there,” Jordan said.

  “I’ll try my best,” Liz replied brightly. “And don’t worry about not being able to delve. We don’t have to head out every day. Also, I didn’t know you were in the dueling club. If healers weren’t so useless, I might’ve joioo, but …” she ughed. “Well. You know.”

  Sofia’s tense posture rexed, and she smiled. Natalie tio be baffled at the insecurity that had been in her voice a moment earlier.

  “I wouldn’t say useless,” Sofia said. “Though maybe a full healer, like you …”

  “What would I do?” Liz said. “Buff them to death? Wouldn’t stand a ce.”

  Sofia covered a smile with her hand, and Natalie’s irritation spiked. Why was this girl so cute? It drove her insane.

  Blue eyes turo Natalie, a silent question.

  “Obviously I’m ing,” Natalie said. “Don’t be stupid.”

  Sofia blushed, then looked away. “Right.”

  Blushed??

  “Just cheg,” Sofia added.

  Jordan smiled at Natalie, and Natalie found herself immensely fused by the sequence of events.

  “And you, Ana?” Sofia asked. “I realize everyone has better things to be doing, but I’d like if you joined us, too.”

  “There’s value in analyzing the petition,” Ana said. “And I study in the downtime.”

  It was a rather ical acceptance, but Sofia smiled at that respooo.

  “It’s a pn, then.”