ain't no sleep when the wicked play.

"Surely, you could look for the lip balm in a less dangerous way. Why are you balancing like that? You look like you're going to topple over onto your head. You know, you could just kneel on the ground and look, right?"

"No nuts or peanuts, right?" he asked, a small confirmation of accepting a plate if it didn't include his allergies.

"Great! Actually, I forgot something in my car. Let's just go by and grab that real quick," she said, heading in that direction first. She had everything set up already, so once they stopped at the car, she opened the passenger door and stepped back so Nova could see what was inside. It was the same setup as it had been for Aida, all perfectly arranged to surprise her best friend. The only difference was Nova's said maid-of-honor instead. "You have been my friend for nearly as long as I have known Erik, so it just made sense to me that you would be my maid-of-honor."

"Nat... what are you," Surprised, she was. "Oh wow. Maid-of-honor? Really?" she asked. "I... Natalie... of course I will, I'd be honored. Hell, I was already honored that you'll be my sister for real."

Jasper huffed a soft laugh, tipping her sunglasses down just enough to flash Sabrina a guilty-as-charged look. “Yeah… I said it. They were acting like I was gonna crumble if Sapphire sneezed wrong, so I reminded them I’m not made of porcelain. Maybe a little cold, but hey—accurate.”

"Of course you're not made of porcelain, your daughter has CF, if anything your stronger than half of parents I meet," Sabrina said. "I mean sometimes you gotta be cold to advocate for yourself and your daughter, too many people don't listen to women."

"Trust me, I've seen horrible parents, these aren't them, but sometimes you gotta let your child face the consequences of their actions. High school Volleyball is the safest place to do it, where it doesn't fully matter that I have to bar them from a game."

Xo raised her eyebrows at his words. "Well, it's starting to look like that anyway and I have been here for most of the time. So, I think that's going to happen unsupervised or not. Do you ever know how to fix it, or are you just hoping for the best and then we're going to have to call maintenance anyway to fix the break and whatever you broke even more?"

"That's wild. If you're going to cheat and throw your trouser snake at someone, pick someone you don't work with," she scoffed. Illiris rolled her eyes. "Because they're idiots and they think teacher is an all-encompassing term. That, and they're too self involved to give a shit about what your job actually is and to care for their kids properly. It's a sad world we live in, but it's filled with garbage parents. All we can do is hope that these kids turn out okay in spite of it."

"Fuck off, don't curtsy to me," she laughed. Catalina hated that more than words could truly express. "My eldest sister, maybe, but you don't have to for me, you weenie," she said. "What, a girl can't skulk around a tennis court for shits and giggles?" she asked. "Mm, a fucked a guy the other night who would not stop going on and on about tennis, so I thought I'd come see what the hype is."

"Okay, but I'm going to remember if anyone ever gets upset I don't curtsy," Sabrina replied. "On and on about tennis? Damn, tennis is most of my life, and I don't even bring it up in bed. What do you want to know?"

Gia tilted her head back with a groan that turned into a laugh, squinting up at her. “Oh great, an Olympian. You left that part out when you conned me into playing, you maniac.” She pushed herself up, dusting off her shorts with a grin that was equal parts defiant and fond. “Alright, Coach Gold Medal—if you’re offering lessons, I’ll take ‘em. Just don’t expect me to start wearing those tiny white skirts. I’ve got a reputation to protect.”

"Hey, I didn't con you, you wanted to play," Sabrina said. "I don't have to mention my medals every time I play. I mean, I am a tennis coach, so I would've inferenced that I'd be at least partially good. And you don't have to wear tiny white skirts, that's just like a school uniform thing usually now, or like at a private tennis club, they're just very practical compared to other things."

Kaisa had been in enough hospitals to know the rhythm of them. The way time got weird. The way fluorescent lights made everything feel too honest. The way nurses and techs moved like they were trying not to wake the building up. She sat on the edge of the ER bed anyway, hands folded tight in her lap like she could physically hold her body still through willpower alone. The tremor in her fingers came and went in small, humiliating pulses. Not dramatic. Not movie-worthy. Just enough to make her feel exposed. When the door opened, Kaisa’s gaze snapped up on instinct. The woman stepping in didn’t have that rushed, half-distracted energy most people carried in the ER. She looked… present. Like she actually planned on staying in the room long enough to hear an answer. Kaisa swallowed, forcing her shoulders to unclench. “Hi,” she said, voice softer than she meant it to be. Her accent still clung to certain vowels, especially when she was tired. Her eyes flicked briefly to Kira’s clipboard, then back up. Like she was bracing herself for the part where the woman’s expression changed. “I’m sorry, I know you’re probably slammed.” A beat. Her fingers tightened together again, knuckles whitening. “I just… I’m not here because I’m being dramatic. I’ve had this tremor all day, and it’s worse when I try to hold things. And I got really dizzy in the library and nearly went down.” Kaisa let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her gaze dropping to her hands like they’d betrayed her personally. “I have Huntington’s,” she added, quieter. More like a confession than a fact. “So… I’m trying not to spiral, but. I’m kind of spiraling.” @mcnstercus

"Hey, don't feel bad, that's why we're here sweetheart," Kira said, setting the chart down on the tray stand next to the bed, and grabbing an IV kit. "We can start with some IV fluids, and we'll get the neurologist down here to check you out. Are you on any medications right now to manage your symptoms?"

KJ hovered near the edge of the room for a moment, fingers curled around the strap of her bag like it was a lifeline. She’d told herself she was only at the tavern for food. That was it. Not to have a big emotional thing with Willa. Except… she’d been thinking. Thinking about the way her magic flickered when she got stressed. About the way her light felt wrong lately. About how she was a sun and moon fairy, yet still somehow felt like she didn’t belong fully anywhere. Not even in her own skin. But Willa was… Willa. The moon fairy clan leader. Someone who didn’t just have power, but held it like it was meant to be shared, meant to shelter. Kjor waited until the woman was near the counter again, then approached in the careful way she did everything, like she was afraid of taking up space on accident. “Hi,” she said softly, and then immediately smiled like she hadn’t just rehearsed that word in her head for ten minutes. “Um… Willa?” Her eyes lifted, catching the tavern light, dark and luminous like the sky right before dawn. “I’m sorry, I know you’re probably busy, and I can come back later, I just…” She exhaled, forcing herself to stop rambling. To not apologize her way out of the moment. “I was wondering if you had a second. To talk. Not about… anything dramatic.” KJ’s smile twitched, self-aware. “I just, uh... I think my magic’s acting up, and I don’t really know who to talk to about it.” @mcnstercus

When Willa saw KJ, she gave the other a small smile, wiping her hands on her towel after putting some food in the oven. "No, no, it's okay, I always have time to talk. What do you mean by magic's acting up?"

Savannah inched closer to Everett, "It's okay, I was only half asleep anyway," she said. She hesitating on touching him, wanting to offer a comforting touch, but not wanting him to feel more on edge in his heightened state. "Can I touch you?" she asked, a way to warn him, and a way to give him control. "Do you want to talk about it?'

"Lack of sleep? Damn, how many surgeries have you had this last week?" Mattie said with a raise of her eyebrows. "Usually I'm the one who is insanely tired." With her non-stop nightmares since being attacked, she doesn't remember the last time she got a good nights sleep. "I'm trying to diagnose a patient, and I'm at such a loss. I have been trying everything, and they're still slipping in and out of stable status. This is the current differential." She gave him her notes to see what she already rules out and what's left based on the patients symptoms and testing she already did.

"They just opened the patio, we should go out there," Kinsey said. "It's beautiful out, unless you're afraid of a little sun, Findlay."

Jasper leaned against the open trunk of her car, sunglasses pushed up into her hair, keys dangling from her fingers as she watched Sapphire and Shiloh sit cross-legged on the curb like they’d claimed it as sovereign territory. Both girls were deep in a whispered conversation that involved intense hand motions and at least one dramatic gasp. “Okay, I just need to know,” Jasper said, crouching down to their level, voice conspiratorial, “are we planning a tea party or a full-scale glitter uprising?” Sapphire looked up, beaming. “Both.” Jasper sighed, fond and doomed, then glanced up at Kira with a crooked smile. “Hi. I feel like we should probably exchange apologies in advance for whatever chaos this turns into.” @mcnstercus

"Oh don't worry, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be finding glitter in my house until the day I die already. Plus my first kid was a boy, there's no chaos I'm not ready for after that," Kira replied. "However, if it's not from Sapphire, you'll be finding glitter in your shoes for days from Shiloh."