Loch remained silent until their destination came into view. Partially due to the presence of others, no doubt, but, more than that, he had an obvious desire to think things over. No real surprise there- that was how he worked. At the very least, it was now the quiet consideration that was his calling card.

  "What are you planning on making?"

  "Why? You worried?"

  "Of course I am."

  Lorel laughed. "How was I supposed to know you were so terribly bad with spice?"

  "By asking."

  "Where's the fun in that?" Seeing people's reactions to reactions was half of it.

  "You and I have very different ideas of fun."

  He laughed again. "Maybe." Then paused. Is this right? Lorel closed his eyes for a brief moment, falling still as his feet touched the ground and the crowd surged forth. Some jostled him, but most split, falling into two streams as they passed around him.

  It felt odd, to stand there, in their midst, and know that their lives would change tonight- and irrevocably so. Why so sudden? It was the question he'd mulled over on their trip back. Not the inevitability of war. That, at least, was anything but. It was just as he'd told Loch; their education never shied away from speaking of the ever-present, looming shadow.

  The simplest answer- and the one he thought most likely- was that it wasn't sudden. It just looked that way. Which made sense. Something like this would undoubtedly have been discussed behind the scenes before now. And, truthfully, he'd noticed a change in his father's attitude in the past few months.

  Not quite paranoia or nervousness, but a sort of... Stiffness, that anyone else would have missed. As it was, Lorel was fairly sure it had been going on for a lot longer. His father was rarely home; and even the little time he spent there had diminished- another reason for his suspicion.

  It's not like there's a proper way to inform your country's people of inevitable destruction. All Loch's father could do was get the word out. And, from the sound of it, that was exactly the plan. Still. It was the source of yet another odd feeling. Not even overnight, but a few minutes. That was how long it would take for all their lives to be upturned.

  Lorel shook his head, opening his eyes to find Loch looking at him, an expression of slight amusement on his face. "What?" He asked, resuming his stride.

  Loch shook his own in return. "Nothing," he said, falling into rhythm with Lorel's stride. "It's relieving to see you worry, you know."

  "Shouldn't it do the opposite?"

  "Maybe. Maybe not." He paused, clearly considering his next words. "How do you think you look to other people?"

  "Is that a serious question?"

  "Yes."

  "Hmm..." Lorel took a moment to think. "I'm self-aware enough to realize that I'm probably pretty annoying."

  "You think?"

  He laughed. "Yes, I do think. Do you want more than that?"

  "Yes."

  "Hmm..." Lorel took another moment. "I don't really know how to answer that," he said. "Honestly. I am how I am because I like being this way. I'm just grateful that you've stuck around for so long."

  "What about Arel and Sela?"

  "Of course I'm grateful for them. But I've known you for longer. Besides," he snorted, "it's not like I was the one so opposed to making friends. You really made them work for it."

  "I was not opposed to making friends."

  "You're right. Between the two of us, you are definitely better suited to making friends. Totally. Especially when you say things like why are you talking like we're already friends? Absolutely. Best introduction I've ever seen."

  Loch's face visibly reddened. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

  "Nope."

  "I still have the same mindset, you know. Things haven't changed that much."

  "So what has changed, exactly?"

  "Now I can articulate things better."

  "Uh huh. How many times have you told me this, now?"

  "Probably hundreds."

  "And has it changed anything?"

  "No."

  "That's right. So you better learn to live with my relentless teasing."

  He sighed. "Right."

  "Anyways, what's that got to do with what you were saying?"

  His blue gaze turned withering. "You were the one who changed the subject, not me."

  "Drat, you noticed."

  "I look up to you, you know."

  "Now why would you do that?"

  "Good question," Loch answered dryly. "Every second we spend together has me second guessing myself."

  "And yet you stick around anyways."

  "I do," he nodded. "And that's why. Everyone..." Loch trailed off for a moment. "I think, deep down, most people know who they are. They're just afraid to show it. Afraid that people won't like who they really are. So they change. Not entirely... Just bits and pieces.

  But if you keep... Changing things, at what point are you a different person entirely? All the things dad dragged me to as a kid... I felt like I needed to be someone else. That's why I was always so mad."

  Lorel nodded. "Those days are behind you now. Things are better now, aren't they?"

  "They were," Loch said tersely. "Before this morning."

  "Fair enough."

  "You might not see it this way, but we look at you and see confidence. In yourself. Who you are. It's inspiring."

  "You're making me blush." That, for once, was not a joke.

  "Good. You deserve to feel embarrassed every once in a while."

  "Not fair."

  "Nothing's ever fair." Loch chuckled. "Honestly, a big part of me was wondering how you'd react to the news."

  "Does that mean you were considering telling me from the get-go?"

  "Yes."

  "You admitted that pretty easily."

  "I also thought you'd figure it out."

  "That's sweet of you. So? How did you think I'd react?"

  "I thought you might just laugh it off as always, then move on like nothing happened."

  "I don't get it. Shouldn't my apparent worries be less reassuring?"

  "If I was worried about violence, sure."

  "That's not what you're worried about?"

  "Of course I'm worried about that."

  "Then...?"

  "Some small part of me worried that that worry was unfounded."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Just a small part?"

  "Sometimes the smallest part is the loudest."

  "It must've been really loud."

  "Believe me, it was."

  "Enough to drown out the voice of war?"

  "... Maybe just a little."

  Lorel laughed. "Good to know. As for your original question..." He adjusted the bag's strap. "I don't remember what it's called. Thinly sliced meat cooked in boiling broth. The veggies go in, too. Adds more flavor. I didn't feel like going up and down again, so no noodles."

  "Just the broth? Nothing else?"

  "... Maybe a small assortment of spices."

  "I hope you don't mean literal spice."

  "None at all?"

  "None."

  "Fine."

  "Good."

  He noticed a slight hesitation in Loch's step. "Tomorrow morning. Promise. Besides, I'm sure Lani will have something to say about whatever happens tonight."

  "Alright."

  "And I'm sure Aria is looking forward to seeing you."

  "Uh huh. You told her I was coming?"

  "Mhm. Whether or not she chose to believe me is another story." Lorel paused. "Bah. It's not as fun if you don't get all red."

  "If only I was better at controlling my reactions."

  "I like you the way you are. I look up to you too, you know." Those words came easily. There was no embarrassment in acknowledging it.

  "Even though I've never won against you?"

  "Of course. You're smarter than me. Some things are just beyond my understanding. But not yours. And... I trust you. Maybe more than myself. If we had to make a decision, I'll always trust you to make the right decision. Even if I have a different opinion."

  Loch frowned at that. "You shouldn't just write your own off like that."

  Lorel shrugged. "That's just how it is. Besides, it's a hypothetical." He stopped in front of the door, reaching out to slide it open. There was a dull click as it unlocked. "Ready?"

  "For what, exactly?"

  He shrugged again. "Who knows?" And then slid the door open. "Aria! I'm back!"

  "Lorel?" His sister's voice came from the right, where her room was. "What happened to school?"

  "I got permission to leave early!" Lorel lowered his voice as he stepped in.

  Aria was seated on the couch, with a neat stack of papers in her lap. She was still dressed casually; in the same white t-shirt and pair of shorts from morning. The lack of color made her bright pink hair stand out even more than usual.

  "Did you bring...?" She trailed off as Loch stepped in. "Hi, Loch." Her voice wasn't quite panicked, but there was a noticeable waver to it. Even if only for a split second.

  He nodded in response. "Hi."

  Lorel sighed. "Just kiss already."

  Aria set down the paper in her hand, replacing it with another from her stack. "I'm sorry you had to deal with him on the way here."

  Loch laughed. "Just on the way here? I have to deal with him every day."

  "Hey. I don't force you to stick around."

  "No, you don't. That doesn't make you any easier to deal with."

  "Right." Lorel stepped towards the kitchen, opening the fridge and stowing the food there. "I hope you're good with beef and vegetables. You'll have to be, unless you feel like cooking."

  "That sounds great."

  "Compared to what you've been eating, I'm sure it will be."

  "How exactly do you plan on cooking all of that in the broth?" Loch interjected.

  "A little bit at a time. I'm going to cut it up really thin."

  "Don't tell me you're-"

  "That's exactly what I'm going to do. Feel free to close your eyes if you'd like to retain your plausible deniability. Wait- why do you care? Aren't we about to go out and break the rules anyways?"

  "You're better off not fighting it," Aria said, joining them in the kitchen. "He'll never change until he's forced to."

  Loch nodded. "I agree."

  "Hey. I'm right here."

  They responded at the same time. "We know."

  "See? Just kiss already." Lorel paused. "Bah. Neither of you are reacting. You're no fun. By the way, are we telling her?"

  "Telling me what?"

  "Well, now we have to tell her," Loch answered dryly. "It's fine. I expected you to, anyways."

  "Tell me what?" Aria repeated.

  "It finally happened. War is coming. Announcement tonight. Fate uncertain," Lorel answered.

  "Didn't you just scold me for dropping it on Sela and Arel like that?"

  "Yeah, but this is different. She's my sister. If I'm not causing her existential dread with my every breath, I'm not doing my job." Lorel paused, looking Aria up and down. "You seem to be taking this rather well."

  "... Are you serious?"

  "Yes. But if you want details, you'd have to ask Loch." He pointed to the blue-eyed boy. "I didn't really care for them."

  "Typical."

  "Again. You seem to be taking this rather well."

  "And you're not?"

  "I'm me. You're you."

  "Well..." Aria trailed off with a sigh. "I thought something was up. Some things seemed to be getting pushed through a bit too quickly. And, little things here and there. Whispers. It all adds up." Her eyes flicked to Lorel. "Add in everything that happened yesterday, and it's pretty obvious."

  "Right. Were you ever going to tell me?"

  She shrugged. "They were just rumors. Not much substance. I'm pretty sure most of them started spreading after people started noticing the same things I did. The military did its job well."

  "Hm."

  "And you?" She asked. "You both seem awfully calm, all things considered."

  "I got advice from someone else. Speaking of which, we're going to see them tomorrow morning. You should come with us."

  Aria arched one eyebrow. "Is it this Lani person you keep telling me about?"

  "Yes."

  "Sure. I'd like to meet her at least once." She paused. "You know how absurd it feels to have such... Normal plans considering what you just said?"

  "So would she. And yes, I'm aware."

  "Uh huh." She looked at Loch. "I take it you two have already talked about it."

  He nodded once. "Some. Not a lot. He was trying to talk me through it."

  "Then I'll just wait. No point in working myself over something that hasn't happened yet. I take it there will be more information released alongside... Whatever this is."

  "It's just... A warning," Loch answered quietly. "A state of raised awareness. It could still be some time until anything really happens, but..."

  "Something will happen," Aria finished.

  He nodded again.

  "Lovely."

  "Quite." Lorel clapped his hands once, drawing both their attention. "Anyways!" He addressed Loch. "Still feeling up for a little action?"

  "If you are."

  His sister groaned. "Don't tell me you two are doing this again."

  "We're just going to fight until Loch admits defeat."

  "What makes you think that I'll be the one to lose?"

  "That's true. We might tie again."

  "Already with the provocations?"

  "You know it. Do you want to watch?" That question, of course, was directed at Aria.

  "Might as well," she answered, sounding somewhat amused. "Watching you two try to kill each other is always an... interesting sight, if nothing else."

  "We're not trying to kill each other."

  "Really? Could've fooled me."

  "That's part of the fun." Lorel opened the back door as he spoke, stepping back outside. "I think you're right, though. The military's probably going to be on edge. Even if they don't come here, we should keep things small."

  Loch set his briefcase down before following. "I don't think I'm the one you should be worrying about."

  "Yeah, you're probably right."

  Aria followed just a step behind. "I would try to talk you out of this, but I get the feeling it'd be useless."

  "And you're definitely right about that."

  After just a few more steps, the city's edge took on that familiar downward slope. A few more minutes, and they reached the water's edge. It was easy to forget the sheer size of the structure they lived on. Its rim stretched as far as the eye could see, and then even further than that. And, of course, it made the ocean beyond look even larger. An endless horizon of nothing but water, reaching out in every direction.

  The sight, usually calming, was now sobering. It was difficult not to wonder whether it would change in the near future; whether explosions would break the even horizon. Whether debris would eventually litter the pristine waters.

  "Any ground rules? I don't want you-"

  "- Complaining after I lose, I know," Loch finished, completely unbothered by the stream of water that rushed at him. It stopped just an arm's length away from striking him.

  "Hey! You're learning. But, you know, you still have a bad habit of-" Lorel rushed forward, shoving his friend's torso. "... Focusing too much on one thing," he finished, watching as Loch fell back into the ocean.

  He surfaced just a moment later, completely unperturbed. "You're just as childish as ever."

  Lorel grinned. "Maybe a little. How far out should we go?"

  "If we're keeping it small, we don't need to go too far out." He paused. "But it's you, so we'll probably have to go a bit further out."

  "You understand me so well."

  "You decide the boundary, then. I'll join you in a moment."

  Loch nodded, then dived again, clothes and all.

  "Hey," Lorel said, once certain his friend was out of earshot. "I need you to promise me something."

  Aria looked at him suspiciously. "Promise what?"

  "That no matter what happens in the future, you won't hate Loch."

  Her expression changed to one of confusion. "Why would I-"

  "Because I made him promise me something."

  "What?"

  "That if he has to choose between me and you, he'll choose you."

  "What?! Why would-"

  "Because it's the choice I would make," Lorel cut her off, more forcefully than he'd intended. "Because it's the choice I would make," he repeated, more gently than before. "That's all that matters."

  "You know that I feel the same way, right?" Aria asked quietly. She stared at him, her blue-green eyes an odd mixture of gratitude and anger. "This isn't fair."

  "No," he agreed. "It's not. Perks of getting to him first. Sorry, sis. You'll just have to deal with it."

  "Hmmm." She turned back towards the ocean. "Sometimes I wish you'd have more faith in me."

  "Meaning...?"

  "He's my friend, too, you know. Probably my closest one after you. Even if you tease us relentlessly. I wouldn't hate him... Especially not knowing what you just told me." She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was hardly above a whisper. "Do you really think things will come to that?"

  Lorel shook his head. "No. But I'll tell you what I told him. I think not planning for the possibility would be stupid. It's war. Who knows what things will happen?" He stepped out onto the water, willing it to hold his weight as he turned back to face his sister. "As long as you understand, it's fine."

  "It would take me time to get over it," Aria said softly. "But I wouldn't hate him."

  "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

  She waved him off. "Go on. Just don't hurt each other."

  "Never would," he said earnestly. "At least, not on purpose."

  "Reassuring."

  It took Lorel just a few minutes to reach Loch.

  His friend stood languidly, controlling a small stream of water that slipped through his fingers, up his arm, and down a single leg. "What were you two talking about?"

  "I told her about the promise you made me."

  "Ah." He seemed unsurprised.

  "Don't worry. She won't hate you if it comes down to it. Maybe just for a little."

  "... I'm glad to hear that." Loch flicked his wrist, letting the small stream fall back down. His clothes were still soaking wet. "Both sides?"

  "You betcha. How much?"

  He reached out with one hand, palm upturned. A set of small streams raised down from the water below, coalescing into a perfect sphere atop it, roughly twice the size as his head. "This much?"

  Lorel snorted. "Too little. Way too little." He mirrored the action, forming his own nearly twice the size- and then two more. "This much, at least."

  "What happened to keeping things small?"

  "This is small."

  "You and I have very different ideas of small."

  "Maybe. But we've had enough practice in the facility." He grasped them in his mind's eye, turning them in a slow circle. "But we've had enough practice in the facility. I'd rather try other things."

  "Always something new with you."

  "You'd win every time, otherwise."

  "Right." Loch shuffled his feet, causing a number of faint ripples to undulate out from beneath him. "No limit below?"

  "No limit below. How long did you want to go at it?"

  He frowned. "Do you have to say it like that?"

  "Yes. Precisely because of that right there."

  "I didn't have a specific timeframe in mind. Just... Until my mind settles. Just remember-"

  "To keep everything blunt. I know."

  "Then..." Loch took a breath, closing his dark blue eyes and reopening them a moment later. "Ready when you are."