>>5825136“What thing?” you asked. “What, MUFFINS?”
Zith-Zi hastily ducked out of sight and, when she returned, you noted Hershy was nowhere in sight… But her bodice looked a little tighter than usual, and there was some subtle squirming that was decidedly not normal bust of bounce. Alas, you had no such option for the three-headed ‘natural chimera’ who was, admittedly, larger than even the largest breed of dog by now.
“But… I’m a mage!”
“Yes, I saw the pointy hats,” the pompous vendor said, dryly.
“He’s my familiar!”
“I don’t care how cozy you two are, you are NOT bringing a monster into this establishment!”
You frowned. There was nobody else who could supervise the chimera if you were all to the in the theatre. Muffins only listened to (or really TOLERATED) a handful of people, and that was only if you counted Zith-Zi, who he still occasionally made a lackadaisical attempt to eat. The other two whom he would reliably obey were Pearce and…
“It’s okay,” Izzy said quietly. “I can wait out here with Muffins.”
“No way!” said Efron.
“What’s even the point if—” Blanchette caught himself. “I mean… it would be a shame to miss your first play, right?”
“Smooth,” scoffed Pearce with a smirk. “I can do it.”
“B-but… But no!” whined Testa, clinging tighter to Pearce even as he gently tried to pry her iron grip from his arm.
“No,” Izirina Henzler insisted, her tone growing harder. “It has to be me.”
“What?” you balked. “What do you mean, it has—”
The Archmage’s Daughter met your eyes then, with that curious and almost cold-blooded look she sometimes had.
“I didn’t want to be at the BACK of the theatre, anyway,” she said.
After a moment, you nodded.
“Come on, guys… And Testa,” you said. “Let’s go!”
The protests from Izzy's two would-be suitors would not be quieted, but you dragged them kicking and screaming inside—with some help from Pearce and Zith-Zi. You all sat down, taking your seats towards the back of the theatre—as Iziirna had suggested.
