“Shall we go over the plan again?” Morgana whispered. Yorick cleared his throat.
“Actually, I was thinking we could change it.”
“How’s that?”
“I think we need a lookout. Someone to stay at the party whilst the rest of us go looking for information. Someone who can alert us if there’s trouble, or if Nephrine leaves too.”
Morgana nodded. “It’s not a bad idea. Are you volunteering?”
“As long as he doesn’t get drunk and serenade them,” Calamity said, and the others laughed. But Yorick didn’t. He just shook his head.
“Actually, I think it should be Eden.”
Yorick had been concerned about Eden since their conversation on the stake-out. As much as he’d grown to like her, she had proven to be a bit erratic. And maybe Laszlo’s reading had gotten into his head, but there wasn’t room for unexpected consequences.
Eden narrowed her eyes at him. “Why’s that?”
He shrugged as casually as possible. “I just think it makes the most sense.”
“I don’t know,” Morgana said. “I think Eden’s knowledge of astral materials could come in handy.”
“This is about the guard, isn’t it?” Eden asked, catching Yorick’s eye. “Or the cleric.”
He sighed. “It’s notnotabout that.”
“Here we go again,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, covering her crystal pendant. “I don’t know how many times I can apologise before you get over it.”
“You can apologise,” Yorick said, keeping his voice as level as possible to avoid attention from the partygoers swirling around them, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re reckless. And you heard Laszlo. That’ll have consequences you haven’t accounted for.”
Eden smirked. “Oh yeah? You wanna talk about Laszlo’s reading? Because I’m not the one whose card said I was a literal spy.”
“You know that’s not how that works, Eden.”
“Then stop holding mine against me!”
Yorick huffed a cruel laugh. “I’m not. I’m going purely based on your actions.”
She flung her arms out to her sides. “So that’s it? You don’t trust me. Not now, not ever. No matter what I do.”
“I didn’t say that,” Yorick admitted. “I just don’t think we’re there yet, and this is too important.”
“You don’t think I know that?”
Yorick sighed. “It’s not personal, Eden. It’s about the mission.”
“Feels pretty personal from where I’m standing. If you don’t want me in the party, you should just say it.” It took her gesturing to Yorick’s friends for him to realise she didn’t mean the ball, but rather the adventuring party.
Yorick’s face fell. “Eden, that’s not what I?—”
“Forget it,” she said, smoothing her gown. “Message received, loud and clear. I’ll be your lookout, and you can all go complete the mission without me.”
“Eden, wait—” But Eden had already been absorbed into the crowd.
Yorick looked around at the rest of the party, who stared wide-eyed at one another, avoiding his gaze. They began to filter away one by one, headed in the direction of the library Yorick and Eden had found during their reconnaissance mission.
“Calamity,” he said, as the last of his friends lingered.
“I get it,” she said. “Your name is Proudhollow. But that doesn’t mean you can let your pride hurt the people that care about you.”
