“Currently,” Arietta muttered. Maeve ignored the negativity.
The roomwasperfect, it was comfortable and perfectly magical, the ideal place for questionable spellwork and emotional support snacks. Plus, the chairs had been a victory.
The boys had carried them down after what had become an embarrassingly competitive argument involving measurements, magical leverage, and Dave insisting at one point that “pivoting was a legitimate strategy”.
In exchange they had claimed one of the spare guest rooms upstairs as a “man cave.”
The girls had agreed immediately, mostly because watching the males attempt to bond was deeply entertaining. Maeve still hadn’t recovered from the sight of Blackbeard the ghost pirate, Justin the warlock, and Brutas all trying to figure out Mario Kart together. The amount of shouting had been genuinely impressive.
“The ghost cheats,” Isabeau said suddenly.
Maeve blinked. “What?”
“In Mario Kart. Blackbeard absolutely cheats.”
“He’s dead,” Arietta pointed out.
“Exactly. Unfair advantage.”
Maeve considered this seriously.
“Fair point that.”
Silence settled comfortably after that, broken only by the soft bubbling of the magical pool nearby. Maeve stretched slightly in her chair, expression softening as her thoughts drifted back to the current drama of Krakens Hollow.
“To be fair,” she said eventually, “I like Edith.”
Arietta nodded immediately.
“Same.”
Isabeau hummed in agreement.
“She’s got bite,” she added.
Maeve grinned slightly. “She bit Bas once.”
“He deserved it.”
“He usually does.”
Arietta’s expression softened thoughtfully. “She’s clearly been through something,” she said quietly.
The humour faded slightly, because yes, that much was obvious now. The fear they had seen in Edith hadn’t been small or recent.
Maeve curled one leg beneath herself, frowning. “She definitely hasn’t told us everything.”
“No,” Arietta agreed. “But honestly? I don’t think she knows how to.”
Isabeau sighed dramatically. “Trauma,” she declared. “Ruins everything.”
Maeve snorted softly but she understood some secrets became survival, and that was a hard skill to unlearn. Still, despite everything, despite the hiding and the panic and the apparently surprise-human situation, Maeve trusted Jessica’s instincts.
If Jessica trusted Edith, then Maeve would too. It was as simple as that.
“She stayed small to protect herself,” Arietta said quietly. “That’s… sad.”
Maeve nodded slowly. “But very dragon.”
