>>5823976“You know,” you told Zith-Zi after some thought, “some sight-seeing around town doesn’t sound so bad.”
“But you live here,” she pointed out, as if to a child.
“I don’t get out much,” you replied with a small half-smile and shrug. “Well, unless I’m exploring the steppe on potentially-lethal expeditions to recruit smelly bandits.”
“Pfft. Whatever, TIPS. Just don’t go getting idea. This ain’t no date, get me?”
“No kidding?” you asked her sarcastically. “Well then, I guess you won’t mind my bringing some friends along with us.”
“better not be big fucking NERDS like you, or I’m ditching you first chance I get,” she warned.
“What was that you say? ‘Don’t threaten a guy with a good time’?”
She punched your arm again. It was, you decided, well worthwhile.
You opted to invite all your closest friends: quirky and stingy Blanchette, cocky and straight-forward Efron, and Testa (who, you noted, had segued from her penchant for illusion into an affinity for especially-flashy attire and enchanted cosmetics). There was also Logan Pearce of COURSE, and he seemed grateful to be asked—not for his sake, but because it meant YOU were finally asking some time to do other than study and stress.
“Was beginning to think you were going to become a total basket-case like… Well...”
He trailed off politely, but you knew who Pearce meant. In spite of this, you ALSO invited Izirina Henzler. She proved the hardest sell, as well she might. You’d expected as much, based on the last time you had extricated Izzy from her isolation and dragged her along on such a gregarious get-together… And that was BEFROE she’d had a year to further entrench herself in arcane esoterica and her strange ideology of escapism. However, your mended friendship—and the intimation that Zith-Zi would be bringing a newly-rejuvenated Hirschel—was enough to sway her to your cause.
What you didn’t expect was that she would be so… Dolled up.
“Wh-what?” Izzy asked, anxious under your wide-eyed gaze. “It was Nicolette’s idea. She said that this was… How people did these things. Went out beyond the Initiates’ Village”
“Of course,” you groaned.