The moment the Elder expels an incredibly powerful aura wave, shooting through everyone's bodies like a riptide, all but a few of us glow light pink. Some are faint, others bright.

I have no glow.

Everyone who's glow is dim begins to walk until it grows brighter. This seems to be how everyone finds who they're in love with; the glow brightens the closer they are to them.

I notice Night and Cleo are both glowing brightly beside me. I guess Cleo was right after all. But why did she have to get so stereotypically bratty about it?

"Nightwing! Oh, I knew it!" Cleo smiles, nuzzling Night. Night seems shocked, but begins to nuzzle her back. I smile at them through their rose-tinted auras. "Congrats, guys."

Night smiles at me, but then pauses. "Oh, you... weren't affected..." he realises. "I'm sorry." "Don't be, I don't mind," I shrug. "Rule number two, remember? Just means it's working out."

"You go by rule number two?" Zephyr asks, surprised. His glow is faint, but doesn't seem to be getting brighter any time soon. Perhaps his love was unrequited... poor guy.

"Just makes it easier not to hurt anyone," I state. "Oh..." is all he half-heartedly replies with.

"Vex, I already told you; you can get close to us," Night assures me with a gentle, almost hopeful smile. "Don't push us away, we're your friends. You can't hurt us."

"Thanks, but I'll be gone soon, anyway. Best not to get too attached right before leaving, makes it that much easier... though I have to admit, it's close."

Night's about to say more, but Cleo distracts him by nuzzling him again. "Nightwing, why don't we go somewhere more... private?" She suggests in a sultry tone. Ugh, gross.

"Oh, uh, sure," Night agrees. "See you lovebirds later, I guess," I chuckle, then fly off.

When I get back to where I've been staying throughout my time here, I finally stop hiding my aura, letting the dark blue out.

What's going on with me?

~•~

This is odd...

Night and Cleo are outside arguing, which is what woke me up. Cleo's glowing a bright white, showing her anger, though I also detect a hint of betrayal and jealousy. Wow, what did Night do?

"It's not my fault! How could I possibly have done this?!"

"You lead me on, you monster! How dare you?!"

"I never tried to! I'm sorry, I genuinely thought that-!"

"Save it, Nightwing!"

Cleo storms off in a huff, leaving Night to sigh and watch her go. He then shakes his head and walks off. Curious, I decide to follow him, wanting to make sure he's okay... fine, and find out what else is going on here, happy?

I'm certain he's aware of my presence, but he doesn't acknowledge me, just keeps walking until he reaches a training area. He begins expertly blasting at targets and stuff with his eyes closed, a lot like how I do my own training.

I let him take out his frustrations on inanimate objects, impressed by his skill. He's definitely got experience and the raw talent to back it up. Still, I do see his manoeuvres could be a little neater, even if they're executed well enough to work.

Eventually he stops, panting as he catches his breath. He turns to look at me. Not saying anything. Just making 100% sure I'm aware I haven't gone unnoticed.

"You're good," I compliment. "Do you train often?" "Usually just when I feel like it," he replies, voice a little flat. "It's good for stress relief."

"Don't I know it," I agree. "If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears. Don't feel like you have to keep it to yourself."

He considers a minute, then starts walking, using his tail to gesture for me to follow. I do so, staying beside him. I note that he hides his aura again.

"Last night... after you left... my glow dimmed. I walked Cleo home so we could have that 'alone time' she wanted, and... it was dim, but hers was still bright. She likes me, but... I like someone else."

I look at him in surprise. "Seriously? Wow... that must've been difficult for you both." "Yeah," he sighs, looking down. "But... can you keep a secret?" "Of course," I nod, wondering what he has to say.

"Honestly... I kind of knew I didn't like her. When we were together at the festival and we both started glowing around each other, I didn't really understand. I like her, but just as a friend, you know? I didn't think I felt that way towards her. But she looked happy and I guess it wasn't the worst thing, so I figured 'hey, if this is really how I feel, what's there to understand?' and just went with it... and then... when we found out I actually liked someone else nearby, it kinda felt... good? Like I knew I didn't want to be with Cleo... you probably think this sounds horrible or something..."

"No, of course not," I shake my head. "I understand how you're feeling. There's someone here for you, Night. They probably just got discouraged when they saw you and Cleo and left. That's why you didn't meet them."

"You think so?" He asks, looking me in the eyes. "I know so," I smile slightly. "Trust me."

He smiled back, a genuine smile. "Thanks, Vex. That means a lot coming from you."

"No problem," I chuckle. "Now if you're still in the mood for it, I can help you train, if you'd like. I'm still a training instructor, after all."

"No rest for the wicked, I guess," he laughs, turning to head back to the training area. "Why don't we go against each other?"

"Powers or just hand-to-hand?" I ask. "Hm... just hand-to-hand for now," he replies. "Since you haven't completed the rituals and all, it'd be a little unfair for me to go against you with my powers."

"If you say so," I shrug as we take our positions, ready to fight.