"You're late!" Syrce confronted the pair as they came into the camp from the woods.
Noble looked up at the mid-afternoon sun.
"By a couple of minutes at most," Child of Promise responded, wiping her brow as she dismissed the outer layer of her armor. "We had a minor detour."
"Detour?" The Saint's grey eyes softened.
"We stumbled upon a turquoise monster not much smaller than our dragon friend over there. It decided we needed to be eliminated. Lucky for us, the beast wasn't too clever." Flint brushed off his hands. "It got a mouthful of ice and then got a belly full of steel—I mean my sword, not my brother."
Seeing Noble's amused expression, the man coughed at the end.
"While that is true, we had a little help from a most unexpected source. I am sorry that we were delayed." Child of Promise lowered her head humbly.
"You met a Turquoise One? And you are still in one piece?!" Syrce's eyes widened. "You are more fortunate than you know. We won't dwell on what happened. You are back. That is what matters. I trust everything is resolved now?"
"Almost." Noble glanced at the two approaching men.
Aether was wiping ink off his hands–he was still carrying out his duties as a scout and recording what he found. Roan held tight to the bucket of water he was carrying. They looked at her with expectant gazes.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment, Lady Syrce. I have to freshen up and take care of a last bit of business." Noble dipped her head.
"Hurry back! We should be hearing from my sister very soon!" The Saint squinted outside the camp.
Noble hadn't seen a caravan on their journey, but she hadn't exactly been looking either. After their chaotic encounter with the flying fiend and the unexpected rescue, they had sped to make it back before either the Saint or their cohort members could set out after them.
Had they passed an envoy?
"I'll be back. And when I come, I have a surprise." Noble added mysteriously.
"A surprise?" The Saint peeked at the other lady's hands for some clue.
"Yes. I will show you soon!" Child of Promise smiled. "Don't worry. I won't be long."
Tilting her head, Noble beckoned the three other Masters to join her.
The men silently followed her lead.
Together, they headed to the edge of the camp, where Roan offered the lady the water he was carrying. She scooped some out to drink and then splashed her face. After a moment of hesitation, Flint did the same.
"Thank you. It was very thoughtful of you to have some water ready for our return." Noble nudged her surly companion.
"Uh, yeah," he muttered loudly, but not ungraciously.
"Don't mention it. I know how tiring a long journey can be." Roan answered with a strained smile.
An awkward silence settled on the group.
Aether and Roan clearly wanted to know how things went, but Noble found herself unwilling to rile up Flint by portraying the events in an unflattering light. In the end, she cleared her throat.
"I believe Flint has something he would like to say to both of you," she urged.
"I do?" The man sighed. "Oh...I do."
He shifted on his feet, looking more uncomfortable than Noble had ever seen.
Flint coughed. "I know some things were said last night. I spoke some mean things, but in my defense, I was drunk with whatever juice Mirage's relic created, so really I can't be held accountable for what I said and did…"
Aether narrowed his gaze. "I would agree with you, but then we would both be wrong."
Noble coughed. This was not what they had practiced. Flint felt himself falling back into his old defensive habits.
"Fine, you aren't wrong. What happened is my fault, if only because I made the poor choices leading up to setting the world—and my cohort—on fire. I'm s—"
The word stuck in the man's throat like it was made of tar.
"I didn't catch that," Roan leaned in. "You are what?"
"Blast it, Roanie, give me a minute!" Flint boomed, causing the other three to take a step back.
"Take your time," Noble sent him a little positive emotion to offset his anxiety.
"I'm sorry." Flint blurted. "For what I said and did, and for what I am likely to say and do because I have the emotional patience of a honey badger." He pursed his lips at Noble. "There, you happy?!"
"I'm not sad." Child of Promise grinned. "How about you gentlemen?"
Roan tapped his chin. "I never thought I would see the day when one of those brothers admitted his mistake. Bel, are you sure that you aren't a sorceress like Syrce thinks?"
"I know some Names," Noble brushed back her hair. "But this character development is all Flint's."
Roan nodded, his eyes sparkling brighter than his scarf. "I accept your apology, Master Flint."
"You have too much of a bleeding heart not to…" Flint caught himself, "which I will not complain about."
"You really are trying. If not for the slip-up, I might have thought you had been replaced!" Roan laughed. "What do you think, Aether? Do you accept his apology?"
The young man rubbed his chin.
"Will you continue to name-call?"
"Come on, Your Highness. Of everyone's nicknames, yours is the most flattering." Flint frowned. "Nicknames are my passion. What's next? You are going to ask me to stop breathing?"
"Breathing is fine. As for the nickname." Aether crossed his arms. "I think I have a solution. If you wish to address me as a prince, then I believe it is only fair that you treat me as one."
"You mean grovel at your feet, and fetch you your dinner when you require it?" Flint clicked his tongue. "I'd rather die."
"I think Syrce did offer that today, if I am not mistaken," Aether looked at Noble.
"Yes, yes, she did." The lady nodded thoughtfully.
"Fine, I will lay off on the royal titles. Can I at least call you Star Boy?" The surly Master raised an eyebrow defiantly.
The youngest Master glanced at the sky, and a small smile came to his face.
"You know what? I don't mind that one so much. It's a deal."
The two men shook hands.
Aether furrowed his brow. "I only have one question. What's a honey badger?"
Roan laughed, patting the young man on the shoulder. "If you make the streaks in Flint's hair white instead of orange, and add hair over his whole body, you are pretty close to what a honey badger is like."
Aether tilted his head to one side, picturing the scene.
"Quite a vicious Nightmare Creature!"
"I can't tell if you're joking or not," Flint eyed him carefully.
Aether just smiled in response.
Noble coughed. "Well, now that everything is sorted, I think we'd better give Syrce the surprise."
With a smirk, she left behind the men and headed back to the impatient Saint.
"Well?" Syrce stepped out of the rut that she had worn in the ground.
"Most people handle waiting by distracting themselves," Noble teased, "not by creating a divot in the dirt with their pacing."
"Bel…" the Saint's grey eyes flashed.
Child of Promise nodded as she held up her hands. "The surprise, I know. As I said earlier, we had some unexpected help on our journey. With that in mind, there is someone I would like you to meet."
Bringing her fingers to her lips, Noble let out a long, high whistle.
A moment later, a Violet One lifted from its resting spot among the trees and landed in the camp.
Their guest had arrived.