#diteline

Dite laughed. “I’m not hearing a no.”

“Oh! Of course not! I’d go anywhere with you!”

“Anywhere?”

“Anywhere!”

“The mall.”

“Yep!”

“Hmm. Hell?”

“We’ve visited your mom there countless times!”

“The ends of the Earth?!”

“Would be a delight with you.”

Dite tapped her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes lit up.

“Oh! I got it! Garbage dump.”

Jacqueline's sharp inhale was more than enough for Dite to grin in triumph.

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Jacqueline looked genuinely torn. Grimacing after what looked like a very hard battle of thoughts with herself, she sighed. “For you, yes. But I’d bring nose plugs. And a mask. And maybe like, douse myself in air freshener or something. I know tomato juice works with skunks, but is it the same for garbage stench? Because if it is, we’d have to stock up on that before going anywhere near a literal, actual, garbage dump.”

Dite giggled, hand in front of her mouth. “Well! We’ll stick to the fair today. Sound good?”

“Better than a dump, that’s for sure. Will you win me a prize?”

“I’ll win you ALL the prizes. Or one really big giant huge one! Even if I have to stab a guy to do so. And I will stab if necessary. And slash, and poke, and prod, and hack—”

Her fingers hovered over her charm bracelet as she listed every possible bodily injury she could inflict quickly and easily, poking the corresponding charm as she went.

Jacqueline smiled, turning back to the hall and heading upstairs. I am so in love, yes, yes, yes, she thought, grabbing the baluster and swinging around it, launching herself up the stairs as Dite flew alongside her.

“—and bludgeon, if necessary.”

“I don’t think it’ll come to...any of that, but I’ll keep it in mind. When did you want to go?”

“Oh! Like right now,” Dite landed on the landing, her wings folding back into their heart-shaped resting point. “I’m already dressed to go and everything!”

Stopping at the base of the twirly stairs up to her room, Jacqueline happily took a minute to check Dite out. The goddess spread her arms, gesturing to her outfit. She wore a pink shirt that resembled her usual stola, and a pair of dark denim shorts. She was wearing one of those visor hats, a ribbon keeping it taught against her head, tucked neatly under her ponytail, complete with the heart shaped sunglasses Jacqueline had gotten her. (The moment she’d seen them, she’d thought Dite would love these. She needs them. I need to get them for her. And she had done just that! And, sure enough, Dite loved them. That thought alone gave the sprite a bit of a prideful blush).

“And you look hella good.”

Now it was Dite’s turn to colour. She grinned, hands immediately moving to her cheeks as she flushed hard.

“I—you. Oh, you stop that! I’m all flustered now!”

“You fluster me all the time!” With a satisfied grin, Jacqueline grabbed the railing, heading upstairs. “At least let me return the favour once and a while.”

Giggling, Dite shot up, wings pushing her off the ground and twirling around her as she torpedoed directly up to the third floor. She landed beside Jacqueline right as the sprite hit the landing, wings furling out, hands on her hips. Jacqueline headed to the rooms on the left, Dite following close to keep up with her GRILFRIEND! Which was such a nice thing to finally be able to say and made her grin AGAIN and flush even DARKER in excitement.

Distracted by thoughts of love (a frequent happenstance in Dite’s day to day operations), by the time she floated into Jacqueline’s room (plopping herself gracefully on the bed, legs folded, wings happy to idle once more), Jacqueline was deep in the closet, chucking rejected outfits over her shoulder and out the door, clothes pooling on the floor in front of it.

“No, not this…too professional…not breathable. Ugh, need to refreeze that one…DITE.”

“No need to shout! I’m right here.”

Jacqueline poked her head out of the closet, blinking. “Oh! You’re closer than I thought. Great! I don’t know what to wear.” She moaned, quite over-the-top, as she dragged her fingers down her face.

Dite giggled. “How about a sundress? Ou! The blue one!”

Jacqueline straightened, looking at Dite with a sly smile. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“Hehe. It’s got a square, lowish neckline! White bodice, with a blue striped skirt that does that poof thing you like. It’s very fifties, very pin-up.”

“Oh!” she disappeared into the closet, coming back out with the exact dress Dite had described. “This one?”

“Yep! That’s the one! And don’t forget a hat! We’re in the south, it’s the start of the summer, and you know how your aunt is. Plus, your healthy layer of ice won’t be around while I’m around and you get so cranky when the top of your head is too hot.”

Jacqueline pouted, grabbing a light blue and white sunhat out of her closet regardless. “I’m not that bad.”

“Yes you are. You don’t like the heat at all! It’s a good thing you don’t burn easily, that’d be unbearable~!” Feigning a swoon, Dite fell back on the bed, placing a hand on her forehead.

Grinning, Jacqueline ran for the bed and jumped, finding herself right in Dite’s arms as the goddess grabbed her midair and flipped them, Jacqueline landing face up on the bed.

“Awh, boo. I thought I had you that time!”

“Unfortunately for you, my reflexes are TOO FAST and my dramatics are not as distracting as yours! I have high perception.”

Jacqueline grinned, the big ear-to-ear grin that Dite was so very fond of. “Well. I am very trapped and ready to go. Shall we? I want a big plushy. I’m talking. HUGE.” She wiggled her arms out from under Dite, raising them up and spreading them very far apart. “GIGANTIC HUMONGOUS.”

Dite laughed, ducking out of the way of Jacqueline’s flailing arms. “I will get you your plushy! Don’t you worry your little head off, blue eyes.” The goddess booped Jacqueline’s nose, pleased as the flush returned. Hehe! We’re even, she thought, sliding off the bed and tucking one hand under Jacqueline's back, the other one weaving behind her knees.

“Are we flying? Or shall I poof us both—oh! Whoa! Okay! That answers that question!”

Jacqueline flailed, grabbing her hat as Dite scooped her into her arms bridal style. She wove through the bedroom, hopped over the couch in the sitting room, and with a running start she flew out the balcony doors (Jacqueline quickly magic-ing them open), heading right for the Southern Province.

🏹️🩷🩵❄️

The fair itself was usually open year-round. As Spring gave way to Summer, it would shut down, reopening on the Summer Solstice to kick off Summer’s Summer Solstice Beach Bash.

At least, that was the tradition.

The truth of the matter was this: Summer was the least traditional of the seasons and used the solstice as more of a deadline, so to speak. If the weather was nicer prior to the solstice and the refresh work was done before then and if she was “feelin’ it” (direct quote), Summer would usually open the fairground early.

That’s (part of) what made the Summer Fair so special!

The coasters and rides were spruced up, new ones taking up residence where old ones used to reside. (Brought down after they’d run their course, but never gone for long! They’d come back in a year or two or five newly improved!)

Magibeans came from all over the country (and yes, the world too), to fill the Food Pavilion with dishes old and new, bringing local specialties from near and afar for the people of Crystal Springs to try en masse: entrées and desserts, snacks and other goodies—and lots of fried things. There was no shortage of deep fried anything thanks to Dinah’s Deep-Fried Delights. (Sponsors of that particular portion of the event, Dinah’s slogan had always been we’ll deep fry anything! And that’s exactly what they did and why they’d been in business for many, many centuries).

The games were reset and refreshed, pavilions renovated and reopened, booths moved and shifted, attractions added and taken out, and once all the work was complete—on top of essential maintenance, of course—the fair would reopen with a BANG (quite literally. The south had a penchant for pyrotechnics, after all) and the Summer Solstice Beach Bash would begin in earnest, leading up to the Solstice itself, the day celebrated with a beachside party that spanned the entire coast of the province.

Dite landed right in front of the tall, waving palm trees that bordered the entrance to the fairgrounds. Boardwalk stretched ahead of them, paths twisting up and down the foothills and off to the beach, leading to rides and games and all sorts of fairground delights. She placed Jacqueline down gently, the people flocking in greeting the Legates politely while giving Dite's wings a wide berth.

Dite wished them well in love and life, the magibeans delighted to get the blessing of Cupid’s Legate. It had been an interesting thing she’d discovered when her Legate-y career had begun, and she’d nearly poked an eye or two out running into magibeans on the job who were literally seeking her out FOR a blessing! She’d quickly adjusted, wishing them well before they could interrupt her work, which had curbed the casualties quite a bit.

She laughed behind her hand as Jacqueline straightened her dress, placing her hat on her head as kids hopped around her, practically demanding snow. Pulling her shades down her nose and staring down at the kids in amused unamusement, she rested her hands on her hips.

“Do you know how much trouble I’d be in if I made it snow right here, right now?”

The kids laughed harder, shaking their heads and stomping their feet in excitement.

“Unbelievable!” And, pushing her shades back up her nose with a finger, she flicked her hand, fluffy clouds brewing above the kids. Snow began to fall right on top of them.

They squealed in excitement, jumping around and hopping about as snowflakes landed on their hats.

“I’m so sorry, Legate Frost, they—”

Jacqueline laughed. “Don’t even worry about it!” Waving her hand, a blanket of snow formed in thin air and fell around (and on top of!) them, the kids wasting no time in making snowballs and throwing them at one another. She winked. “I get that a lot.”

Laughing as Dite grabbed the sprite’s hand and whisked her towards the entrance, the guardian thanked her, waving them off. Dangling behind Dite, Jacqueline returned the gesture in kind as more kids threw themselves into the snow pile, much to the goddess’s delight.

“I love watching you work.”

“And I think it’s very sweet that you give every single one of them your blessing.”

“Awh, well, you know me! I love love.”

Jacqueline smiled. “Yeah you do. Sorry, I forgot to ask—all good to go? Wings okay?”

Frowning for a moment, Dite stopped (Jacqueline taking the opportunity to straighten herself out), stretched her wings, and shook them out before letting them rest behind her.

“Mm yep! I think so. They’re behaving!”

“For now.”

Dite giggled. “Let’s hope they keep it up! I have a huge list of rides to go on, so they better be behaving.”

“Ugh. Rides.”

“I have some Jacqueline friendly ones, too! I’m accommodating.”

Settling into step beside her, Jacqueline squeezed the goddess’s hand. “You are the sweetest person, did you know that?”

“I did. Someone tells me all the time!”

Jacqueline cackled, picking up her pace and running into the fair, hand-in-hand with Dite.

🏹️🩷🩵❄️

Dite went on every single fast paced, scary looking, incredibly tall ride at least twice.

Jacqueline had tried to join her on some of the rides. She really, really did.

But after the fourth very fast (albeit tame) coaster, her stomach had reminded her unpleasantly about her accursed motion sickness, and fighting back a wave of nausea she’d stumbled down the boardwalk to the beach, Dite half-carrying her to the ocean, the cold water doing wonders for the sprite.

Grounded, Jacqueline watched dutifully from the sidelines, snapping photos between licks of cold confectionery, waving every time Dite whooshed by, her hands in the air.

When her stomach had finally recovered (several ice cream cones and popsicles later, somehow), Dite dragged her to the tame, cutesy rides, the pair of them taking silly photos on the carousel, absolutely whaling on one another in the bumper cars, and spinning so many different carts on the various scramblers Jacqueline nearly got sick all over again.

After dizzily stumbling across the park, they got the new high score in the interactive shooting-the-enemies rides, survived the haunted house ride, and had gone on so many log rides that Jacqueline was starting to crystallize a bit.

“Want to hang out on the beach and dry a little bit? Or melt, in this case.”

“Nah. This is a vibe. I’m kind of digging it, you know? Now I’m sparkling.”

Dite laughed, about to say something when her breath caught in her throat.

“Oh!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

She was squeaking. Making absolutely unintelligible noises Jacqueline thought could only be expressed with very specific emote icons that had yet to be invented.

“Looklooklook! Eee! It’s a TUNNEL of LOVE!”

Sure enough, right in front of them was a giant, pinkish-reddish-purplish dark ride. It was adorned with hearts and little cherubs, the carts two seaters and heart shaped, floating through the water in the ride.

“Those things are REAL?!”

Dite laughed, pulling her girlfriend towards the ride. “Of course! And a magnet for romance. And…other things. Which is a weird choice! Definitely a yum for some that is an ick for me. It’s not very private or nice, y’know? Plus, Eros only knows how unsanitary they are given what has been known to go on in them.”

“So we’re skipping it, then?”

“WHAT?! Of COURSE not! It’s an amusement park staple, Jacqueline!” Dite laughed to herself, clambering into the boat. “Did you know, seventy-two percent of first kisses happen on these things?”

“Really? Oh, thank you.”

Dite smiled, hoisting Jacqueline into their little boat. “No problem. And I don’t understand why. Like, I get the theming behind it? But it just doesn’t seem romantic, you know?”

“That’s more your area of expertise, hun—whoa! Thanks babe.”

“No problem!” Dite held onto the sprite’s arm until she was properly seated. “You looked like you were about to fall again.”

“Yeah. That last spiny boy really did a number on me.”

“That’s all right, sweets! I’ve got you.”

“Thank goodness for that.”

Giggling softly and kissing her cheek, Dite settled in (giving her wings a moment to get comfortable as well) and pulled the bar down, the little boat launching and setting off into the tunnel.

“I mean, this tunnel of love is very nice,” Dite continued, lifting an arm as Jacqueline curled up alongside her. Snuggling up into her side, Jacqueline was more than happy to feel Dite push her closer as they drifted along the track. “The water is fresh! No weird animatronics, and my dad wouldn’t hate the littler cherubic portrayals outside. All good things! The plants are real, too, and from all over the world, it looks like!”

“Aunt Summer loves fresh flora and fauna from all over the place! I think that’s how Spring doesn’t get on her nerves. They bond about it.”

“Awh, that’s cute! It pays off, because like, this would be an ideal place for a kiss, y’know?”

“Oh?” Jacqueline glanced over, glad Dite couldn’t see the very red flush creeping onto her face (and hoping she didn’t notice the squeaky octave she was at).

“Yeah! But not like, ideal ideal. This is number three on my list of places to kiss at a fair, specifically.”

“Only three?”

“Yep!”

“What’s number one?” Jacqueline found herself asking, curious for completely unrelated reasons, no, seriously, don’t look at her like that! “Actually, hold on. Places to kiss at a fair? Not in general?”

“Yeah! I have lots of first kiss lists! Kissing lists in general! Based on location, time of year, season, even—"

“What managed to push a tunnel of love ride down to number three? I’d have thought it’d be like, number one on the fairground list what with the theming.”

“And you thought wrong!” Dite was chipper as they turned a corner into complete darkness, their clothes suddenly fluorescent as the ride went glow-in-the-dark. “Here’s the thing.”

Jacqueline was mildly intrigued. Her stomach fluttered. At least, she thought it was her stomach. She was, after all, queasy. But then she thought of kissing. And of Dite. And, well, maybe it wasn’t just the multiple spinning rides in a row. The Tunnel of Love being a number three began to make more sense as they drifted through it, gimmicks and all, and Jacqueline found herself unable to NOT think about what the number one spot would be. Unfortunately for her, before she even got to learn number one, Dite had a LOT to say about number two.

“—and that’s why upside down on any pendulum ride is number two on the list,” Dite wrapped up as their boat made it back to the loading dock.

“That beat out a tunnel of love? I’m…honestly surprised, but then again, it’s very you, isn’t it?”

Dite laughed as the bar popped up, stepping out and offering Jacqueline a hand. “Exactly! Don’t tell me Tunnel of Love is higher on your list.”

Jacqueline smiled, watching her step carefully as she braced herself on the sides of the cart, happy to grab Dite’s hand and be on steady ground again. “I never really thought about it, to be honest.”

“WHAT?!”

“What?! I mean, romance isn’t really my forte, nor is it in my job description.”

“I beg to differ! I think you are very romantic." Fluttering, Dite placed one long, soft finger on the tip of Jacqueline's nose. “Boop!”

Jacqueline smiled, tip of her nose tingling with the ghost of her soft touch as Dite drew her finger away and landed, smiling fondly at the sprite. “Well, that’s sweet of you to think.”

“It’s true! You’re very good at romantic food dates, you know.”

“Probably because I like food very much. Speaking of which! I’m starved.”

“After all that ice cream?”

“Of course! It melts, Dite! It doesn’t give me nutrients at all.”

Dite laughed. “I don't think that's how that works.”

“Whatever the case! Let's go get some food!”

🏹️🩷🩵❄️

The Food Pavilion was bustling. Magibeans and magihumans from all over were going booth to booth, chatting up a storm and laughing as they sampled food and sipped various drinks, punches, juices, and—when someone burped sparkles to resounding applause—concoctions!

Hand in hand, Dite and Jacqueline laughed, cheering on the glitter burps as they went booth to booth themselves. Unable to make a concrete decision, they picked a little bit of everything, swapping snacks from one another’s plates and clearing them fast as they rounded the corner to the dessert section. Some foods were hits; some were misses. Some very big misses. But both women enjoyed themselves, happy to while away the daylight hours in each other’s company.

Dusk was finally beginning to fall, the fair slowly lighting up as they left the Food Festival and entered the game alley.

“...so elephant ears is like, a completely new turn of phrase for me. But like,” Jacqueline paused, lifting a heavily cinnamon-sugared piece of flat, fried dough off her plate. “I can see it.” Shrugging, she took a huge bite out of it, sugar crystals flying, and placed it back down on the plate. “I call them beaver tails. That’s what they’re usually called in Canada, at least! At Blue Mountain, they have a Beaver Tail shack like, right at the peak of one set of runs. Divine. There is nothing like having a beaver tail in the freezing cold while strapped to a pair of skis! We’ll have to go next winter!”

“Oh, I’d love that! It’s been DECADES since I did a winter sport! This one time, I—” Dite stopped abruptly, tensing suddenly. Jacqueline had reached out and grabbed her arm tightly, her fingers really squeezing. “What? What’s going on, what’s—”

“AH DITE LOOKLOOKLOOK!”

Slowly removing her free hand from her charm bracelet, Dite followed Jacqueline's finger.

“IT’S A GIANT POLAR BEAR! AH!” She squeezed tightly once more, grabbing the goddess's arm with both hands and looking up at her very, very seriously.

“Yes?”

“I need it. Can you win it for me?”

Dite relaxed, resting her hand on top of both of Jacqueline's. “Of course I can! I did promise!" Tapping the side of her cheek, she frowned. "Hopefully it’s a game I’m good at.”

“You? Not good at something? The absurdity of that suggestion!”

Dite laughed. “Oh, stop that, you! It happens.”

“Well, in the unlikely event that it does, we can always steal it.”

“Jacqueline!” Fake indignant, Dite hid her little laugh behind her hand.

“What?! You said we’d stab if we needed to earlier! I’m just making sure that’s still on the table!”

“Let’s see what we’re working with first, okay?”

Jacqueline tilted her head back, a look of distaste plastered onto her face. “Ugh. Fine.”

Giggling, Dite pulled Jacqueline gently alongside her until they hit a wall of people. Somewhere beyond the crowd, a bell was ringing. The crowd roared; then a dull smack resounded. A slide-whistle sound followed, and the crowd would tense, and tense, until suddenly they’d all drop the tension and groan, as though someone had come close to a goal and not gotten it.

It sounded familiar, Dite thought, as she pat Jacqueline's arm and let go, standing on tiptoes to see over the crowd. It wasn’t until she began to hover (the breeze from her wings clearing the space around them) that she was able to see what game she’d have to destroy to get her girlfriend the fluffiest, biggest stuffed polar bear she’d ever seen in her life.

She grinned.

“I can’t see anything,” Jacqueline complained. “And there’s BARELY a north wind! What're we working with here?”

Dite landed, still grinning ear-to-ear. “You are so small.”

“I am AWARE, thanks.”

“Small and CUTE.”

“Dite! I’m trying to be indignant! Stop flustering me while I moan and groan about being short to a person who is like, a giant compared to my me, outside of full goddess form.”

“But it’s cute when you do that!”

Jacqueline flushed. “Goddess above. Stop that!”

“Never! Now, want to hear about what we need to do to win that bear?”

“Of COURSE! Who do we have to fight for it?!”

“Summer.”

Jacqueline blanched. “Ah, frostbite. I can’t beat her! She's way stronger than me and freezing her would not work what with the being the literal season and all. I don't stand a chance!”

“But I do! Remember?" Dite flexed. "Super strong girlfriend? Who promised she’d win you a prize?”

“I did request that, didn’t I?”

“Mhmm!”

“And you did promise, didn’t you?”

“Yep!”

“I got a little overexcited. My bad.”

“Well, let’s go get the deets! Maybe you’ll want to give it a shot?”

“Against Aunt Summer?! HA! We’ll see about that.” She stuck out her hand. “Take me away! Let’s go see what exactly it is...”

Grabbing Jacqueline's hand, Dite skirted around the edge of the crowd until they got to the front. Summer stood tall beside a strength testing game, hands on her hips as she watched the next poor unfortunate soul give the game a whirl. They hefted the hammer (staggering back a bit) and swung, hitting the base with a decent thwack!

The crowd gasped. Summer looked impressed. The slide whistle sound started up again, the marker climbing higher, and higher, and higher, until—SPLAT.

“Ou. Just missed it, Maisie! Better luck next time, girl.”

“I am small but MIGHTY!” The brownie flexed; the crowd gave her a round of applause as she scampered off, disappearing into it.

“SO! Who’s NEXT! Who thinks they can outmatch ME!?”

The crowd cheered as a dwarf stepped forward, flexing and smirking, winking as the crowd cheered him on. He stuck out a finger, pointing right at the season.

“My run next, your Sunniness!”

“Hammer’s yours!”

“Oh, please! Ladies first.”

“If you insist!”

The crowd oh’d. Jacqueline snorted. She nudged Dite, only to see the goddess’s attention drawn elsewhere.

“Dite?”

“Found an employee! Come on!”

Whisked away once more, Jacqueline bounced along behind Dite until they came to a stop, below a younger looking fairy. He lay on his belly as he floated in midair, watching the festivities with satisfaction.

“Excuse me!”

His eyes drifted downwards. “Well, look at that! We’ve got ourselves some Legates! Care to play against Summer herself?!”

“If that’s what’s gonna get me that GIANT POLAR BEAR then YES. I need it. It’s very important we get it. What’s the task.”

“Well that’s easy!” The fae sat up, still in midair, speaking in a way that made Jacqueline think this was going to be very not easy. “You’ve just gotta beat Summer herself at the high striker!”

Behind them, the bell dinged. Summer's arms shot up, still holding the hammer, as the crowd went wild. Irritation leaked through the dwarf’s determined facade.

“It’s only one gold for three tries...”

A golden coin glinted in the fairway lights. “Here you go! I’ll give it a go!” Smiling sweetly, Dite tilted her head, ponytail bobbing, looking the picture of innocence.

“That's the spirit!" The fae caught the coin, flipping it in midair. It disappeared before he could call heads or tails, the small bag at his side clinking.

“Hehe. Yay~! Now step aside! I’m about to win me a girlfriend worthy polar bear!”

“Whoa! We got ourselves an eager beaver here!” The fae floated up, hovering above the crowd. “Magibeans and magihumans! We got ourselves a new contender! You ready, your sunniness?”

Summer hefted the hammer. “I was FORMED READY! Who thinks they can take me down NOW?!”

“I do!”

The crowd cleared, Dite fluttering through politely. “Hi Summer!”

Summer briefly blinked in surprise before her face lit up, her ponytail burning brighter as she tossed her head back and laughed. “Well hello Dite! Woo! Looks like we got ourselves a real challenge here, magifolk! Round seven hundred and fifty-two: season versus goddess.”

“And this goddess is in it to win it! My girlfriend needs a big, stuffed, polar bear!”

Behind Dite, the crowd hopped back, rubbing their arms, teeth chattering.

“Outta my WAY please and THANK YOU—Hi Aunt Summer!”

“Hi Jacqueline!” Shifting her weight and dropping the hammer to the ground, Summer leaned on the handle, free hand on her hip. “Dite. I hope you know that just because you’re doing this for my niece, it does NOT mean I’ll go easy on you."

“Oh, Summer, I wouldn’t dream of it! After all, I won’t be going easy on you.”

The crowd oh’d. Summer looked delighted. “Haha! The Goddess of Pleasure, everyone! So, who’s first, hun?”

“Oh, you’ve got the hammer! You can go first. Unless we can bring our own? Because I do have one on hand!”

“Ha! No need for that! Let’s do this. Best two out of three.”

“Got it!”

Nodding, Summer straightened, gripping the hammer once again. She swung, hitting the base with a hefty thunk, the bell sounding off a hearty ding seconds later. The striker lit up; lights flashed and the crowd cheered as the bells at the top sounded off, lights rushing about in a myriad of colours as the striker sunk back down to the base.

“Oh, stop it y’all. You’ve seen me do this exact thing over seven hundred times!”

The crowd cheered harder. Some magifolk started stomping their feet. Summer laughed, giving a little bow.

“HA! Alright, alright! Give it a rest, guys. Dite?” Hefting the hammer over her shoulders and giving it a little spin, she grabbed the head in one hand, offering the goddess the shaft. “Hammer’s yours.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

She grabbed the handle, twirling it just as exuberantly as Summer had. Grinning ear to ear, she let it rest across her shoulders, holding it one handed as she sized up the striker.

“She gets three tries, by the way!”

“Ou, spicy. You can take ‘em all in one go, hun.”

“Thank you, your Sunniness! But…I think I’ll only be needing the one,” Dite winked.

“Really now?”

“Mhmm!”

She pulled the hammer off her shoulders, both hands on the base as she pulled back and swung with a battle cry that had made amazonian warriors proud.

The puck went flying. It shot up to the bell in seconds, and kept going, the bell knocking into the crowd as the puck soared high into the air above them.

“Op! My bad! Just a sec.”

Flashing Summer a smile, Dite torpedoed up (hammer still in hand) and raced to grab the puck, shooting back down in seconds.

“I got it!”

There was a beat of silence before the crowd collectively lost their shit.

Summer screamed in excitement. “You did that! Holy sunbeams!” tossing the hammer to the side, Summer grabbed Dite’s hand and held it up. “LADIES AND GENTS! GIVE IT UP FOR THE GODDESS OF PLEASURE, LEGATE CUPID, MY NIECE IN LAW—DITE!”

“FROST YEAH! GIVE ME THAT FROSTING POLAR BEAR!”

Stunned in shock, the fairy that had explained the game to them grabbed the giant polar bear, passing it down to Jacqueline’s chilly little grabby hands.

“HAH! THANK YOU! DITE! DITE, LOOK!”

The crowd was still screaming. Phones and portable crystal balls were out, people freaking out and filming the remnants of the game, sneaking selfies with the season and the goddess. Smirking and flipping the bird as she ran past some of the secret selfie takers, Jacqueline came to a slippery halt beside Dite, polar bear briefly ruffling one of her wings as she spoke very quickly to Aunt Summer.

“—I’m so sorry about the damage, I didn’t mean to break it at all! I hadn't intended to, it was just trash talk, honest! I can pay for that, or miracle it right back to the way it should be, or—”

“It’s okay! Dite! Calm down, girl.” Summer grabbed her other hand, bringing both arms down and folding their hands together. “I have been stuck at this sunburnt game for hours. I’m starved. I’ve been DYING to hit up the food court but people just kept on challenging me! Thank YOU for obliterating the thing so I can go have some food! We can fix this in no time at all.”

“Are you sure? I can just—”

“Positive! Go enjoy your evening with my niece. And your giant polar bear.”

“Hehe.” Jacqueline squished it, peeking around it. “I’m gonna call it Ice Bear.”

“Awh, like in We Bare Bears?”

“Yeah! He’s my fave. Maybe I’ll get this guy a little axe! Did you see that, Aunt Summer? She BROKE the GAME!”

“I KNOW!”

“SHE’S THE BEST!”

“Damn straight! You take good care of her, Jacqueline. She’s a keeper,” Aunt Summer winked.

“Not if I take care of her first!” Grinning, Dite scooped Jacqueline up, polar bear and all, and fled the scene of the crime.

“Dite that was AWESOME!” perfectly content being carried around bridal style with a giant polar bear stuffy, Jacqueline grinned up at her partner, kissing her cheek. “Thank you.”

“Awh, you’re welcome, sweets!” she kissed the top of her head—hard to do when wearing a sunhat and carrying a polar bear, they both learnt. Giggling, Dite placed her down, bringing her in close and whisking off her hat to plant the kiss proper.

“Mwah.”

Jacqueline could feel the snow evaporating right off her head. “Careful! I put my sunnies on the hat.”

“I know! I have them right here.” With a flourish, she put the hat back on Jacqueline’s head, glasses in hand. “I know where these should go. Boop! Now he looks like you.”

Flipping the giant polar bear around, Jacqueline snorted. Ice Bear was wearing her sunglasses. Maybe even better than her.

“Hehe, I love when you snort. It's cute! Cutie. I am so in love with you!”

“Well that makes two of us. I mean like, I love you too. Not my me. I DO LOVE MY ME, But I meant, like—”

A soft breath on her cheek; even softer lips pressing into it. The smell of strawberries. A warm tingle as the heat from the kiss lingered well after Dite had let go.

“I know, Jacqueline.”

“Okay. Cool. Good. Great.” Holy Hedone, her cheek was hot. “WHAT are we breaking next?!”

“Nothing! It was an accident!”

“A HAPPY accident! It was FUN! We should do another one. On purpose. Is Aunt Summer perhaps trapped again?”

Dite laughed. “How about instead of destroying a game, we find one that involves breaking things instead?”

“FROST yeah! I love breaking things. I think it's about my turn to win you a prize. Chose! What do you want?”

“Let’s see what they’ve got!”

And so the pair made their way from game to game, the fair lighting up as dusk turned into twilight. The game hosts shouted into the crowd, voices overlapping amongst the laughter and cheering surrounding them as the pile of stuffies in Dite’s arms grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger, a silly looking duck plushie landing on the top of the pile, just about obscuring Dite’s face.

“I, uh...I think that’s more than enough stuffies, Jacquie.”

“Hmm? Oh! Haha, whoops. I can hold that one.”

She took the duck back, somehow managing to wedge it between herself and Ice Bear.

“Thanks babes. I really appreciate all the little victories you’ve swung tonight, but um…I think I’m GOOD on stuffies.”

“Listen. Listen. I hear you. But consider this. My dad gave me a thing for this exact kind of scenario ages ago…” patting her skirt pocket as Ice Bear teetered precariously in a one-handed grip, the strange duck squashed to oblivion, Jacqueline pulled out a small, itty-bitty bag. “Ta-da! It’s like my mom’s basket! Lemme just…”

Biting down on one of the drawstrings, Jacqueline used her free hand to open the pouch up. Victorious, she looped the string around her finger, holding it open in front of Dite. “Just bring the pile near the bag and watch!”

Dite did just that and slowly, the stuffies floated out of her arms and swirled into the bag, disappearing into the glowing recesses of it. Finally, the very last one floated into the bag, Dite saving the duck from its squished hellscape and popping it in behind a pink toad looking…thing.

“There we go!” Jacqueline pulled the drawstrings taught, sliding the bag back in her pocket. “Now we can get even MORE stuffies!”

“Jacqueline!” Dite laughed. “I have so many! I can carpet my room at home with them! How about instead,” she grabbed Jacqueline’s hands, pulling her in close and squeezing them between hers, “we go find a place for dinner? My treat!”

“What? No fair! It’s always your treat, when is it my turn?!”

“You can cover the next one!”

“That’s what you said last time!”

“Tell you what. I’ll cover you…and you can cover Ice Bear, since he’ll need a seat all to himself.”

Jacqueline giggled. “Promise you let me cover the next one.”

“Sure! Of course! But ONLY IF we go to one of the beachside grills! I think I’ve had enough carnival food for today.”

Jacqueline smiled. She let out another little giggle. “Hehe. Okay.”

“C’mon, let’s head out! We can cut through the attractions section. I bet it looks as pretty as you do, all lit up tonight.”

Dite grabbed Jacqueline’s hand, tugging her forward and watching surreptitiously as the flush crept into her cheeks. She grinned successfully when Jacqueline made one of those strange little spluttery noises again, unable to form a coherent thought for the briefest of moments.

“Dite! You—ah! Stop it. Am I really glowing?”

“Oh! I must be losing my touch! That was a quick recovery.”

“Dite! Hehe.”

“But yes, you are glowing! You’re still all crystally from the log rides. I knew we should’ve gone to the beach and dried up a bit.”

Jacqueline pulled her closer. Nudging Dite’s arm, she stood up on tiptoe, Dite tilting her head as she realized Jacqueline was going in for a whisper.

“I did it on purpose. Remember?”

Dite smiled, eyes crinkling shut as she laughed. “You’re so silly.”

Jacqueline laughed too, dropping back to the flats of her feet. “Could you imagine if I wasn’t?”

“I don’t even want to!”

“Exactly! Oh, Dite look! You’re so right. Look how everything is lit up and glowing!”

They stopped at the top of the amusement rides section, staring down the corridor. The cutesy rides were lit up, sparkling into the night. String lights hung across the walkway, kids on the shoulders of adults hanging little summer themed ornaments between each bulb. Roller coasters raced past high above them, the lit-up carts a streak of light in the night. And at the very top of it all stood the giant Ferris wheel, lit up for the night and slowly bringing people up to look out over the sea.

“Oh, I didn’t even think to bring an ornament—”

“I did!”

With a grin, Dite whipped up a glowing pink hand. Ribbon around her finger, the ornament swayed briefly—two little hearts, stacked on top of one another.

“You think of EVERYTHING, don’t you?”

Dite winked. “You don’t even know."

Laughing, Jacqueline grabbed the ornament, looking up at Dite suspiciously.

She blinked, eyes wide. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” Jacqueline spoke softly, a sly smile on her face. “C’mon. Let’s give this baby some colour.”

They made their way down the lane until they reached a booth surrounded by people with a bunch of colouring implements. As soon as a space cleared, the pair squeezed in (Ice Bear and all), and moments later the wooden hearts had colour. A light pink heart stacked on top of a light blue heart, doused in purple glitter.

“I love the glitter!”

“I’m not even done yet!” Reaching up, Jacqueline poked the hearts with a glowing finger. Frost swirled to life, cracking as it coated the ornament, the usual swirls looking just a little heart like.

“Okay. Now I’m done! We can hang it up.”

“And I see a perfect hook right by one of the lights! Up we go!”

Dite’s wings unfurled. She scooped up Jacqueline in one hand, soaring almost to the end of the lane way and hovering right below one of the golden hooks beside the sparkling lights.

“Together?”

Jacqueline tucked her finger into the ribbon alongside Dite’s.

“Together.”

With matching soft smiles, the pair of them reached up together, hooking their ornament on the string. It twirled, the lights on either side twinkling, the frost coating it shimmering in the light.

“Oh. It's beautiful. You do such lovely work.”

“Oh, it’s just. It’s a lil’ touch of frost it’s, it’s nothing really, I—”

“Shh.” Dite giggled as Jacqueline flushed, looking cross eyed at the finger the goddess had put on her lips. “It’s not nothing. Not to me it’s not.”

“You’re so—ahhh! Stop it, you!”

“NEVER. Wanna go on the Ferris wheel?”

“Hmm?” Jacqueline blinked, colouring deeper. She looked behind them (at the wheel) and the back in front of her (at a literal goddess of a woman who had just flustered the sleet out of her and did this on a regular basis) and then seemed to sort of come to.

“Oh. OH! Ferris wheel! Yes! I do! Absolutely. I would be down for that. I’d love it.”

“Even with all the spinning?”

Jacqueline looked over at the slowly spinning wheel (stopping occasionally to let people on and off) and laughed. “I’m sure my delicate stomach can survive that level of intensity.”

“Yay! Let’s GO!”

Dite flew forward, Jacqueline throwing her arms around her shoulders, holding on to the goddess tightly. Giggling, Dite brought them both down at the back of the line, letting Jacqueline slide out of her arms.

“Down you go!”

“Thank you.”

“Is Ice Bear coming with us?”

“Hmm.” Squinting at the bear briefly, Jacqueline nodded, grabbing the bag from her pocket and whooshing the giant polar bear inside with the others. Pulling the drawstrings taught, she whisked it into her pocket just in time for them to board a cart of their own.

They sat down, the attendant holding the cart steady as they settled in, pushing the bar and locking it in place. Slowly, the wheel started back up again.

“Whew. I’m bushed. What a day.”

Dite cracked her back, her wings stretching and laying down behind them both. “I know! So much fun!”

“I know! And now we get to sit back and enjoy the view.” Leaning over the protective bar, Jacqueline smiled out at the arctic sea. In the distance, icebergs floated by quietly, the water and sky stretching on and on until they blended together, the stars sparkling in the water as they were in the sky.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Dite watched Jacqueline, sighing contently. “Yeah. It really is.”

“You know what would really hit?”

“If it was a fireworks night?”

“Yeah! And I actually think it is! Look at the beach.”

Their cart crested the top, dropping back down and coming to a stop as people loaded and unloaded. People were settling down on the beach, looking up at the sky expectantly. The wheel started up again, seats swaying as the rotation continued.

“Oh, that’s PERFECT!” Dite’s eyes shone as she clasped her hands together excitedly, wings giving a little flutter behind her. “Shame we won’t get to see the fireworks show from the very tippy top! Wouldn’t that be just lovely?”

Jacqueline straightened up. She looked over the bar. Then over the sides of the cart. Then down at the control panel. Then back down the sides of the cart.

“It would be, wouldn’t it?”

With a cute devilish smirk, Jacqueline leaned back as the cart dropped from the top once more, surreptitiously placing a glowing hand just outside it. Dite could hear cracking right under them and across, stretching all the way down the closest support pole, until suddenly, there was a fizz and a POP!

The cart crested, reaching the top of the Ferris Wheel as the entire operation came to a swaying halt.

“Oh dear. Oh my. It looks like we’re stuck!”

“Oh no!” Dite threw her hand on her forehead, looking off in the distance with a sly smile. “What a shame.”

SKREEE! BOOM! FLASH! BANG. POPPOPPOPPOP!

“And look at that! The fireworks are starting!”

“How serendipitous!”

“Someone out there must really love you, Dite.”

“I’m inclined to agree, except I don't think they are out there. I think they are directly beside me.”

Jacqueline giggled, smiling up at the goddess. The fireworks flashed, the colours lighting her face up—oranges and yellows and purples and blues and pinks and reds—Dite’s heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. The moment she'd been waiting for had arrived; she reached out, grabbing Jacqueline’s face between both her hands.

The sprite blinked. Successfully thrown off, she looked at Dite curiously, the soft pads of her pink, manicured fingers rubbing her cheeks softly. Her own heart began to flutter as she gazed into Dite’s warm brown eyes, fireworks cracking behind her (as they always should be, Jacqueline thought, stomach fluttering about now too), and the most brilliant smile spread across her face.

“This.”

“What?”

“This is number one.”

And before Jacqueline could blink, Dite’s lips pressed against hers, and Jacqueline was gone.

Her lips were soft, brushing against Jacqueline’s delicately, but lightly. She felt herself grow limp as Dite’s hands caressed her face, warm, and soft, the briefest hint of icing sugar still on her lips. Her heart soared, and Jacqueline smiled into the kiss as she threw her arms over Dite’s shoulders and kissed back, crushing Dite’s lips as the fireworks exploded above them, faster and louder. The brims of their hats pushed up as Jacqueline pressed up against her almost greedily, only pulling away when she needed to catch her breath.

She felt warm all over. If there was any snow left in her hair, it was long gone now. Jacqueline was surprised the wheel was still frozen in place; below her, through the rush of the blood pumping through her veins and the quick breathing of the both of them and the ringing in her ears and the butterflies in her stomach, she could hear someone calling for a melting. All she could think was, there’s no need! I have been successfully melted!

She snorted. Her smile grew larger and she found herself giggling, then laughing as she pulled Dite closer, hugging her tightly.

Just as warm and flushed, Dite squished her back, laughing as well. Joy bubbled up; she was grinning like a madwoman, her wings standing on end.

“Oh! Oh, wow! That was…you’ve been planning this all day, haven’t you.”

“From the MOMENT I left home, yes! Ah! I’m so excited I pulled it off! Yay~!”

Jacqueline smiled, tilting her head. “I knew it.”

“You are a big, slushy liar! You had no idea!”

“No! I had some idea! Like. Before we hung the thing. I was getting suspicious.”

Dite laughed, gazing into Jacqueline’s eyes and tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Mm. I don’t believe that for a second.”

“I love you. I love you a lot. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do! And I love you too. You know that, right?”

Jacqueline giggled. “I do, yes. Very much so. Is this a thing we’re doing now?”

“What?”

“Kissing?”

“Yes! If you’d like, of course.”

“Oh you KNOW I’d like. It’s okay with you? You like?”

“I! Love kisses!”

“My turn, then!”

And this time, Jacqueline pulled Dite in confidently, locking lips once more. Harder, but tender still. More ferocity this time, but slow as their lips explored one another, lingering, tasting, hands roving as the fireworks swelled and their cheeks burnt, smiles slipping through and shaping their kiss. Dite’s hands tangled in Jacqueline’s hair as they broke apart, Jacqueline gasping for breath once more, flushed, lips parted and looking plump.

“Being kissed suits you.”

“Dite! If you make me blush any more I am going to straight up turn into a summer sprite. You make me feel…impossible things.” Jacqueline smiled softly, grabbing Dite’s hands tightly and looking at her with a soft, flushed, smile. “And I love it. I love you.”

“Awh. I love you, too! Even if you did suddenly turn into a summer sprite. Mwah!”

It was a quick brush, right on the very top of her head, and Jacqueline’s heart still fluttered, her stomach still tingled, and she had no idea what to do except for squish Dite’s hands even tighter.

“So this is number one?”

“Duh! Ferris wheel? Fireworks? Can’t go wrong there.”

Jacqueline laughed. “You are the expert.”

“I know!”

They came together naturally, snuggling up in the cart as the grand finale lit up the skies around them, finishing with a dazzling array of summer-shaped explosions. A cheer started by the beach, working its way up into the fairgrounds and right to the Ferris wheel. Below them, people began moving, making their way into the lines and off to the various amenities, magibeans with young children heading to the exit. Out on the beach, lights began to appear as music started up, dancing beginning in earnest, the Ferris wheel staying perfectly in place.

“Hmm. I think maybe I did not think this through.”

“Oh?”

Jacqueline nodded. “We are still very much stuck.”

Dite glanced down at the controls. The tech looked bewildered as an elf with a toolbox got to work, a fire sprite shaking out their hands and lighting them up, beginning the weighty task of thawing the sudden ice.

“Huh. So it seems.”

“We may be up here for a while.”

“Hmm…” Dite tapped her chin for a moment, looking down at Jacqueline with a sly smile. She snaked her hand around the sprite, resting it on her lower back and pulling her in closer.

“I think I’m fine with that.”

Jacqueline laughed, the flush on her cheeks deepening once more as they leaned into one another yet again, eyes locked on each other's lips.

@kscribbs sent me the meme on insta like. two months ago and FIRST OFF, post looking it up, HOW DID I MISS THIS ONE! Secondly, we are now two for two with old memes in these scrimbles, lmao!

The lesbian pride flag is Dite's favourite of the lgbtqia plus flags! She likes pink very very much, you see :)

Her winter jacket is based on this pin. Fun fact! Dite actually has a pinterest board! Not sure if I've ever shared it? I haven't updated it in YEARS lol, now all that shit's mixed into my TO DRAW tag which I will be attempting to tackle ah, next year, lol.

okokok I've been thinking about this sketch ALL WEEK and FINALLY did it last night and I think I MAY colour it and line it, but the sketch is so good I am TERRIFIED I may fuck it up when doing so &&& this is my newest sketchbook and it's great with my markers, but I've YET to test it properly with a full ass doodle so like. TAKE MY SKETCH! TAKE IT!

Jacqueline looked thoughtful for a moment, shrugging. "You could say that, yeah. That and being like, way too small to go to important meetings like that on my own."

"You’re still small."

Snow hit her leg; she laughed, grabbing what she could before it melted and plopping it right on the sprite's head.

The sprite laughed, grinning up at the goddess beside her. A big, toothy grin that stretched from ear to ear. She lifted her hand, a pile of snow appearing in her palm, and plopped it on top of her head.

"Plop!" she said, still wearing that goofy  grin.

Dite laughed. "Is that even comfortable?"

"Is for me! Cold doesn't bug me at all," she said with a warm smile, the snow already melting down her back.

"You’re so silly. And goofy! I like that a lot! I like that I got to meet this side of you. You’re always so…reserved during summits, and during our legate meetings, you’re not as reserved but you’re still a little. Y'know. Cautious, I guess. But here, as we've been hanging out and learning and vacationing sort of, it's this whole new you I've met! But like, it's not a new you. I think it actually is you and you’re very careful to guard your you. What I'm trying to say is, I think you're the most fun person I have ever met and I cannot express enough how much it means to me that you shared yourself with me!"

Jacqueline blinked, feeling her face getting very hot as she flushed. AGAIN. What was it about this girl that made her get all blushy and uncomfortably warm? She felt like she was gonna burst into flames.

"Oh, I've flustered you again, haven't I? I'm sorry."

"It’s okay! I'm not very…I don’t really…um. I don’t have a lot of friends? Most of them have died because, y'know, humans and stuff," she scratched the back of her neck, frowning thoughtfully. "I think that takes a toll after a while, you know? And it gets easier, but also…it doesn't. And I'm not. I don't. It's. Hmm. I don’t have a bad rep, but I'm kinda stuck under a not so great one and a lot of magibeans tend to uh, assume the worst. But you…you don't! You didn't. There's only been one other person in my life who's done that, and it still kinda throws me off every so often."

"Oh?" Dite asked, trying to ignore the little itty bitty pang of jealousy that suddenly turned up. "Who's that?"

"Bernard? Santa's arch elf?"

"Oh! He's nice! I like him," she said with a fond smile. "You're friends?"

"I think so! I'd say we hang out a lot but like, mostly I go bother him when I'm feeling down or something crazy happens that I'm too afraid to tell my parents about," she said, pulling her legs up and hugging them. "He's always been very sweet and nice with me, and lately he's been snarky and I'm kind of liking it, actually! It's different! More fun."

Dite was relieved to feel it wasn't in a like-like way (pros to being Cupid's Legate and also daughter, she suspected). "Banter's fun."

"It kind of is!"

In the distance, the clatter of swords on shields rang out. The waves kept crashing, seagulls squawking high above them.

"Why are you alone?" she asked, pulling up her own legs.

"What do you mean?"

Dite let out a puff of air, her breath blowing a stray hair off her face. "They didn't tell us what happened. Just that something had happened, and we wouldn't be seeing you for a bit. Then you came back from your recovery, and you were alone. Forgive me if I'm crossing boundaries; I don’t mean to. And maybe I'm way off base with where we're at, and I shouldn't ask at all! But I'm gonna. The question I wanted to ask you was about all…that. What happened?"

Somehow, the sprite managed to make herself even tinier. She hugged her legs tighter, burrowing her nose between her knees. She looked so sad; so hurt.

Dite immediately felt a pang of regret.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked! I didn’t mean to ruin the mood."

"Oh, it's okay," Jacqueline replied. "You didn't bring down the mood." She shifted her head, forehead still on her arms, but eyes looking right into Dite's now. "My brother left."

"Oh," Dite said.

"Yeah. From what I've been told, it was probably a long time coming. Nobody thought it'd be as…explosive as it was, though. He got into a big fight with our Dad, and our Mom had to separate them. Elements went flying. Stuff was freezing. He whipped up this MAHOOSIVE storm," she leaned back, throwing her arms to the sides, palms out. "It tanked all of Crystal Springs for like, a week. Transportation was out all around."

"That must've been scary."

"I imagine it was. You see, um. I was a little bit unconscious. A lot maybe."

"Oh?"

"If you hear about what happened the day he left, everyone will tell you about the big old storm. It was bad! Ice storms are the nastiest. They freeze everything all while causing whiteout conditions. You can't see or go anywhere and the wind makes drifts and it's sucky conditions all around."

"Even for someone like you?"

"Actually they're kinda fun for someone like me. But this one wasn't. They talk about the storm all the time; and there were a couple of casualties. They were all healed, of course," she added quickly, sticking out a hand as if to reassure.

"Of course. The Springs."

Her fingers curled in; she brought her hand right back to her side. "Right. Yes. The Springs. Healed them. Once they were accessible, of course. And most everyone was able to handle their injuries until then."

"Nobody died."

"Somebody almost did."

"Who?"

Jacqueline looked over at Dite, a tinge of fear in her eyes.

"You?!"

She nodded.

"Oh no," Dite said, breathlessly. She put her hand up to her mouth, eyes wide and watery.

"Are you crying?"

"Not yet," she blubbered. "What happened? Are you okay?  You almost died?!"

"Not yet," she repeated with a laugh, pulling her hair forward. She reached up, her fingers gently making their way through the braid and taking it apart. It was already falling; her hair did not like staying back. "I got caught in the crossfire."

"You went after him?"

She nodded. "I was small, you know? I had no idea what was going on but I knew that sometimes he'd do bad things. And it seemed like this was one of those times. It got really loud downstairs and he was late for our snow date so I went to see what was happening and found the downstairs hall an absolute ice rink, and Mom and Dad in the kitchen, hurt. Not moving. Awake! Talking, but stuck. My brother left. I followed him out. Words were said, and he hurt me."

"Not with words."

"No. I mean they hurt too, of course. But no." She sighed, her hand absentmindedly drifting to her midsection. "They've taught us about all sorts of weaponry here. Your bracelet is so full of charms now," she pointed to it, Dite lifting her wrist. The charms clinked together. "But they haven't taught us about one of the most dangerous weapons. Ice. I can shape it into anything," she said, a glowing palm coming up.

In it, a solid cube appeared. "I can make it round. Square. Soft. Hard..." As she spoke, the ice in her palm shifted, matching the shapes she was listing, and then the textures. "Sharp."

In her hand, the ice shifted; it poked outwards, growing sharp. "And if it's sharp enough, and thrown with enough force, well…"

Lifting her arm the way they had been taught with the javelins just last week, she launched the icicle. It hit the ground with a sharp shtick, sticking itself deep into the sand. It twanged, briefly shuddering before stilling and beginning to melt.

"He stabbed you."

"Three times."

"Oh god."

"I know. One minute I was looking up at him, telling him not to go, not to leave me. The next, a glow; then something sharp, and then everything went black. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the Springs, looking into my mom's eyes. I've never heard her sob the way she did when I woke up. I've also never been squished as hard as I was by her after that."

Dite giggled. Her eyes widened. "Oh! I'm so sorry I should not have laughed--"

"It’s okay. I like your laugh. And it is kind of funny. The squishy bit, not the stabby bit."

"No, that's not funny at all!"

"I've got some sick scars now," she said. "You've seen them, I'm sure."

"I had noticed them, yeah. Gosh, I'm so sorry, Jacqueline. That's…a lot. And you were so small!"

"Apparently I still am," she joked, a thumb idly flicking away the wet under her eyes.

"You may be tiny but you are so, so tall to me. I mean, to go through all that, and do everything you've done to get here to this point? To survive? That's amazing."

"You think?"

"I know."

The lapsed into silence again. Dite's right wing hovered above Jacqueline, the goddess thoughtful.

"Do you miss him?"

Jacqueline stilled.

Dite glanced her way, concerned she had maybe turned herself to ice. But she hadn’t! She had just stopped idly swaying. Tears filled her eyes, trailing down her cheeks.

"So much," she admitted, the rest of the words smothered under a sob that clawed its way up her throat.

Dite's wing fell, encompassing the sprite and pulling her close. She shuffled in the sand, moving closer to Jacqueline and throwing her arms around her, bringing her in tightly. She did what her Mom did whenever Dite felt down; rubbed her back gently. Kept her wings around them. Murmured nice things in her ear like there there, let it all out. That's it. You'll feel better after a good cry, and so on.

The sprite uncurled, burying herself in Dite's chest plate. Droplets of wet began to appear in the sand around them, the poor thing shaking with how hard she was crying.

She didn't know how long they sat there. How long she held her little buddy. A silly little name that Jacqueline had laughed at, but now, Dite was thinking, maybe wasn't really...accurate? Appropriate? Whatever the word, it didn't feel right anymore.

The sun began to set, the glow of dusk reflecting in the sea. At some point as the sun went down, Jacqueline's shudders slowed, until finally she lifted her head off the chest plate. She sniffled, curling up against Dite's side until she could rest her head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. That was embarrassing. I didn't think I'd…gah! I'm sorry!"

"Don’t be! I asked. I'm sorry for bringing it up. I should've been a bit more tactful, maybe. I didn’t realize how traumatic…"

"Nobody does. Nobody ever asked. And nobody's really explained things to me, either."

"Is that why the wall?"

She nodded against her arm. "It's easier to interact with other magibeans if I keep myself on my toes. Easier to not get hurt if I shrug it off and carry on."

"Armour."

"Yeah. Speaking of…sorry about yours. It’s covered in Jacqueline gobber. I can buff it out."

Dite laughed. "It’s okay! Really," she said, squishing the sprite's shoulders in a very feathery side hug. "Thank you for telling me. I know you said you have Bernard, but if you ever want a change of pace, you can come to me, if you'd like."

"…would I get hugs like this?"

"Oh my gods absoLUTELY! I love hugs! And you seem like you need them."

Jacqueline snorted, snot going flying. "Oh, that was gross! Ew! Sorry!"

Dite laughed. "Snots happen."

"Thank you for asking," Jacqueline said, adjusting herself to sit more comfortably alongside Dite.

"Thank you for telling."

"Thank you for listening."