"This place is really, really large… so we're going to fight here?" Linda asked, her eyes sweeping over the arena.
"Yeah… it's enormous," Celia replied, a nervous edge to her voice. "I'm going to be nervous. I hope I can handle the crowd watching me fight."
"Don't be nervous," Nolan said firmly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be."
Celia nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, racing toward them across the arena floor.
"Nolan! Nolan!"
Nolan turned slightly and caught sight of Alaric sprinting toward them. His expression tightened. Let's pretend we didn't see him, he thought quickly. He subtly turned his face away. Celia and Linda mirrored his action, averting their gaze.
As Alaric reached them, slightly out of breath, he exclaimed, "I was calling you! You didn't even hear me!"
