where: haversham’s boutique who: babs davenport (@backmaskcd)

Reyna came into town with only two weeks worth of clothes, so she naturally found the place in town that sold clothing as soon as possible. It was a little soggy, and it was clear that some of the merchandise had been ruined as there wasn’t a lot on display currently, with a lot of bare spots. Still, she was pleasantly surprised by how nice the clothes were. She was kind of expecting overalls and t-shirts.

She reached for a cute plaid skirt at the same time as someone else, quickly snatching it up before the other could. “Sorry, but I definitely saw this first.”

However, while at work she often passed Monty in the halls, and of course she sat with him during their council meetings. She just never really sought him out. And she specifically wasn’t seeking him out when she stepped out of the bathroom with red eyes, wiping the few stubborn tears from the corners of them, and stepped directly into his chest. 

“Monty! Where did you come from?” she asked, quickly pasting a smile on her face. “Have you developed teleportation powers somehow?”

where: bucky’s diner who: rhett meyer ( @cryptidkeepp )

After they were interrupted at the lake, Reyna looked for Rhett in town, having been rather surprised by his presence and wanting to catch up. She reached out via mail (since there weren’t any phones to text) and asked him if he wanted to meet up at the diner, on this date, at this time.

Reyna sat in a booth, shifting nervously, hoping he would show.

where: idk, whatever makes the most sense who: art mcvries (@thirtecnth)

“Excuse me, I know you don’t I?” Reyna asked the tall man in front of her. It took her a moment, as it had been years since she’d been in Hollywood and a part of the mainstream media scene. “Oh! You’re Archibald McVries! We hung out at a few after parties, right?”

She stepped into the room in a haze of flowery perfume, every strand of hair shiny and in place, every piece of clothing fitting and flattering. She carried herself like a queen, so was it really a surprise that she called herself Reyna? Not at all.

Mara felt like an awkward gazelle instantly. “He-hello! Welcome to the Children of the Moon. Our meeting isn’t set to start for another hour . . .”

“Oh I’m not here for that,” Reyna said dismissively, waving her hand. “I came to talk to you. You’re the youngest priestess Faerune has had for quite some time, aren’t you?”

“Yes . . .” Mara cut herself off before she said ‘your majesty.’ It was on the tip of her tongue, but that was silly and inappropriate.

“I hear you’re quite good at enchantments.”

Where did she hear that? Mara felt her cheeks grow warm. “I think I’m alright,” she said, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

“Well, I hope you’re better than just ‘alright,’” Reyna said, and pulled a sword out from nowhere.

Mara’s eyes widened, and she took a small step back. Was she about to get murdered?

“I need you to enchant this for me,” Reyna said, calm as ever. “I need it to be powerful enough to kill a faerie. Quite an old faerie.”

Mara stared in horror and disbelief. She glanced around quickly, but there was nobody else around. They were alone. “You can’t be serious,” she hissed at Reyna.

“Oh, I’m extremely serious,” Reyna said, not a speck of amusement on her face. “I did my research. I know your family died in the earthquake. I know your best friend and her daughter are stuck outside the walls. You’ve been keeping your head down, but I know you don’t want certain people to remain in certain positions. I won’t involve you in anything else. I just need this enchanted. Will you do it?”

Mara looked down at the sword, swallowing hard. She’d never seen one this close before. It was a simple weapon: no frills or engravings or gold in the hilt. It was a soldier’s weapon, not a queen’s. Mara wondered where Reyna had gotten it.

She wanted to say no. It was too dangerous, and Mara wasn’t a hero. She wasn’t brave and responsible like her sister. She wasn’t wise and powerful like her father, or helpful and kind like her mother. She was the wild child, the mistake, the drug addict. Despite trying to pull herself together for her new position, a part of her feared that’s what she always would be. She wasn’t the right person for this, and she could feel herself getting ready to tell Reyna just that.

But then she thought of Daniel and Terezia and little Rowan. She was unable to help them in any way that mattered. She had to watch, helpless, as Daniel drank himself to death, heartbroken and alone. She could only wonder if Terezia and Rowan were safe on the other side, if they were alive at all.

If doing this, helping Reyna, allowed Daniel and Terezia and Rowan to be reunited, then maybe all the pain would’ve been worth it. Maybe then she’d feel like she’d actually done some good in her life, something useful. If she could make her best friends happy again, wouldn’t that be worth the risk?

Mara inhaled sharply and reached out to take the sword from Reyna. “I’ll do it.”

Reyna smiled. “Thank you. You’re going to save us all, Xiomara Garcia Álvarez.”

“Check out my channel at queenshit on YouTube! My merch line is hashtag-queenshit and I’m on all the social media,” she said, holding her card out to the woman walking by, repeating what she’d said over what felt like the past five hours.

Today, though, she lingered by Olive’s door.

“You know, I see you every day in here or in the meeting room, but I don’t think we’ve ever done anything just us gals. Do you like manicures?”