“So it’s just supposed to… y’know, work?” Bella asks, staring up at the giant lion.

Hannah, beside her, shrugs. “That’s what Jade did.”

Bella looks at her with a nonplused expression. “You named your lion?”

Hannah crosses her arms. “If I have to be the Green Paladin, I’m naming him.”

Her friend looks skyward. “I’d rather be dealing with Georgie right now.”

“Georgie is on Earth. We are not.”

“Sadly.”

“When was the last time you ate?”

Hannah yelps, spinning to face Hayley whose hands are on her hips, looking very upset with the Green Paladin.

“Uh, this morning?”

“No you didn’t.” She points down the hall. “To the kitchen.”

Hannah groans but does as told.

Hannah parries the strike, ducking as Bailey takes another swing. She strikes forward next, a glancing blow that Bailey effectively rolls out from under. They both get several feet between them and catch their breath.

Then Bailey’s bayard powers down and Hannah drops her sword.

“Hungry?” Bailey asks.

“Starving.”

“So have you heard about that new broom back on Earth?” Hannah asks, sitting next to Stacey as she scrolls through Timbr.

Stacey looks at her, raising an eyebrow. “No?”

Hannah smiles, so wide her eyes scrunch in the corners, what bit of hazel eye you see laughing back. “It’s sweeping the nation.”

Stacey’s laughter can be heard through the castle and Hannah feels very proud of herself.

“How do you work all this?”

Amber startles at the question, looking from the panel she’d been fixing, to the Green Paladin. In a rare display, she’s dressed in the dark wash jeans, purple tank top, and black, frilled bra she’d joined the team in. Her considerably longer-than-starting-out hair had lost its brown dye and was pinned back with little braids Noemi had undoubtedly made.

“It’s pretty damn hard.” Amber says. “Takes more than a few tics to get everything in order.”

“Can you show me?”

Amber can’t help her smile. “Of course! I’m always willing to share my knowledge of the castle!”

Hannah grins at the adviser.

Now to tag the ones involved!