They left the store and drove home in record time—Kat didn't even pause whenever she greeted someone she knew. It didn't take long for Camilla to be forced onto the living room couch with some aspirin in one hand and a cup of water in the other. After giving Camilla strict instructions to rest and ordering Elsie to enforce those instructions, Kat hurried off to put the groceries away before busying herself in the garage that had been converted into a wood shop.

Once Elsie made sure Camilla took the aspirin, there was nothing better to do but wait until Kat gave them permission to do otherwise. Elsie found a movie playing on TV, thankfully not one of hers, and set the volume on low before settling herself into the recliner chair with her phone. Her mom would throw a fit if she caught Elsie sleeping on the job (wasn't it supposed to be Camilla that was watching Elsie?), so she needed all the help she could get to stay awake. She took her time scrolling through social media, searching for posts that caught her eye.

The first was from Jordan with a selfie of him and Minyoung in a car with burgers and fries on display between them, the iconic red and white wrapping clearly visible. Jordan had taken the photo from the passenger seat and was making a small heart shape with his index finger and thumb; Minyoung was focusing on driving in the background, possibly unaware that Jordan was taking a photo with him.

As Elsie added a "like" to the post, she noticed Mack had done the same. She wasn't sure when Jordan and Mack added each other, but Elsie made a mental note to question Jordan about it the next time they met up.

Mack's own post came up shortly after, showing him getting fitted for his For the World costume. As expected, Jordan had liked the post already, and Elsie added her own acknowledgement to it as well.

Further down was a video from Hitomi showing what looked to be a variation of Japan's guardian uniform getting destroyed by a group of scientists. Or, at least, they tried to destroy it, using things like knives and blowtorches, but the fabric stayed in relatively decent shape. Based on Hitomi's caption, it was a prototype uniform her company was working on that was designed to be resistant to mild attacks.

Elsie didn't know much about the science behind it, but it definitely looked impressive. Hundreds of thousands of other people seemed to agree, judging by the amount of likes it got. As Elsie was adding her own to the mix, she noticed that Camilla's was there as well.

Elsie had added Camilla as a friend on the site shortly after her rescue several years ago, and Camilla had returned the gesture. After their falling-out though, Elsie had since hidden Camilla's posts, not wanting to unfollow her completely out of concern of the public's inevitable scrutiny that would follow. Elsie hadn't known or cared if Camilla still followed her or if she ended up blocking her completely, but if Elsie could see her activity then Camilla must have just left things as they were.

As if expecting to find some explanation for this, Elsie snuck a glance at Camilla from her peripherals.

Camilla had seated herself on the far end of the couch so she could set her water glass on the side table, and she had one elbow on the arm rest so she could use that hand to prop her head up. Her gaze was fixed towards the quiet TV, but it was apparent that she wasn't actually watching it with the way her eyes kept drifting closed and snapping open again. At one point, she squeezed her eyes shut and used the hand that was holding her head up to gently massage the space between her pinched eyebrows.

"You can go to sleep, if you want," Elsie said before she could stop herself from willingly admitting to staring.

"No, it's fine," Camilla replied, sitting up straighter. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice Elsie's unintentional creepiness.

Camilla didn't look as fine as she claimed to be, but Elsie wasn't going to press her, and instead turned back to her phone. Curiosity got the better of her and she tapped on Camilla's username in Hitomi's post and navigated to her profile.

The aesthetic of it hadn't changed much from what she remembered from several years ago, and every picture still looked as perfect and fake as it did before. While other guardians like Hitomi and Mack had actual careers outside of their federal duties, Camilla was the Org's unofficial mascot and a social media "influencer." All that meant was she got paid to model sponsored products, edit the hell out of the pictures, and share them with her followers. In Elsie's opinion, it seemed like a perfectly fine hobby and a ridiculous career, but she was probably just biased and bitter.

After scrolling through some of Camilla's latest posts, Elsie could see the appeal of the whole industry. From Camilla's (and the Org's) perspective, it was a simple way to maintain the public's favor outside of her regular duties. From her followers' point of view, they got to see glimpses inside the personal life of an actual guardian, and it probably seemed as glamorous and fun as they thought it would be. As for the sponsors, they were able to get advertising and a few good words about their products from a popular and respected hero. Everybody won.

Camilla's latest post, for example, was sponsored by a travel product company, and her photo featured a couple items from their new line of luggage. She was standing in what looked to be an open-air waiting area of an airport with the wind blowing in her hair and airplanes taxied on the tarmac in the background. The rolling carry-on at her feet and the matching backpack slung over one of her shoulders seemed to be the primary reasons for the post, but her stylish outfit was probably what grabbed her followers' attention.

Camilla wore a sleek leather jacket opened over a cropped white shirt, along with slim, dark gray waist-high jeans and heeled, ankle-high black boots. She wore silver-framed aviators over her eyes and a fancy pair of black wireless headphones around her neck, similar to the one Jordan gave Elsie.

The look was definitely pleasing to the eyes, but Elsie couldn't imagine it was very comfortable, especially for a long plane ride. Regardless, Camilla really did look like a professional model and not at all like the tired-looking guardian struggling to stay awake on her family's old couch.

Elsie looked back at the timestamp on the post. Apparently, it was from a week ago, the day before Camilla replaced Amira and Quentin as Elsie's guards. And the location was tagged as Narita Airport in Tokyo. Had Camilla really flown back from Japan and immediately gotten assigned to another mission?

"When did you get back?" Elsie suddenly asked, sounding slightly more accusatory than she intended.

"Huh?" Camilla sounded and looked like she had been half-asleep.

"When did you get back from Japan?" Elsie held up her phone with Camilla's picture as explanation. "Was it right before you got assigned to me?"

Camilla blankly stared at the photo in silence for a moment. "I don't post those right away, you know," she eventually said. "It has to get approved by the Org first."

Elsie struggled to stifle a sigh. "You didn't answer the question," she pressed.

For a moment, Camilla looked down at Elsie's feet, then back towards the TV.

"Friday night," she finally answered.

"And they made you start watching me twenty-four hours later?"

If Camilla's experience had been anything like Elsie's, she would have spent her entire Saturday getting questioned at the Org's headquarters. And while it wasn't up to Elsie to decide guardian assignments, she still felt partially responsible for Camilla's hardships.

"I had plenty of time to rest in Japan," Camilla said, her calm voice sounding more accepting of the situation than Elsie felt.

"Resting and trying not to die are not the same thing," Elsie argued bitterly. She hadn't realized what she said until Camilla's eyes snapped towards her in shock.

"Who told you that?" Camilla asked sternly.

And yet again, Elsie's big mouth had gotten her into trouble. She didn't want to cause problems for Hitomi for telling Elsie confidential information, but Elsie couldn't lie to a direct question either.

"So it's true?" Elsie tried to redirect the conversation.

Camilla narrowed her eyes. "You didn't answer the question," she said, repeating Elsie's words.

"Guess I deserved that," Elsie muttered bitterly, then sighed. "Fine. I don't want to get her in trouble, but it was Hitomi."

Surprisingly, Camilla's face softened from stern anger to mild irritation, and she turned back to the TV.

"She wasn't supposed to say anything," Camilla quietly grumbled.

Elsie shrugged. "I'm glad she did, though. So don't be mad at her. She's just being a good friend."

Camilla still looked irritated when she said, "She's my cousin."

"Really?" Elsie said, shocked. She didn't mean to sound so surprised but the two guardians looked nothing alike. In fact, they were more like polar opposites in every way.

"My dad and her mom are first cousins," Camilla explained, sounding as if she had to explain this several times in the past. "We both use our mothers' surnames, if that's what you're confused about.

Elsie hadn't realized when her surprised expression turned to confusion. "No, it's nothing. It's just... that's a complicated family tree."

Camilla shrugged half-heartedly. "I only ever talk to Hitomi."

"Even from your mom's side?" Elsie asked.

From what she knew, Camilla's mom was relatively famous in the entertainment industry, but that was just about all she knew of the Wyatt matriarch.

It was the wrong thing to say, judging by Camilla's reaction. She had only been moving slightly as she fidgeted with a loose string on the couch's armrest, but she completely stilled at Elsie's words.

"No," Camilla finally answered after a few long, tense seconds. "I don't know any of them."

It wasn't a situation Elsie was used to, and all of her extended family gatherings would draw a crowd that neared one hundred. But she had enough sense to realize this was a sensitive subject, and Elsie searched her mind for a less controversial topic.

"That reminds me," Elsie said, remembering the "Japanese for Tourists" textbook Hitomi had delivered to her with the journal in the hospital. "Thanks for the gift, by the way. I haven't found a use for it yet, but I'm sure it'll come in handy in the future."

Elsie meant it to come off as sarcastic and comedic, so she was surprised to see Camilla's slightly embarrassed expression.

"That—" she began before clearing her throat and trying again. "I was delirious when I mentioned that. Just... don't think much of it."

Well, this was a first. Elsie had never seen Camilla embarrassed and shy before, and she couldn't resist pushing a little further.

"And what exactly did you tell her?" Elsie asked, making her words sound slightly accusatory.

"Nothing important," Camilla insisted, but her gaze was adamantly not going anywhere near Elsie.

"It must be," Elsie said.

Camilla sighed, irritated. "I don't really remember, okay? I mean... I think I might have mentioned that you do a lot of reading. For work. And that you're usually so disorganized that you think it's okay to use whatever trash is around you to save your place, and you could use something that's meant to, oh I don't know, actually mark where you leave off in a book, and I probably just asked if she could give you something that I had lying around since you could probably use it or something."

She sighed again. "I don't know why I did that, okay? Like I said, I was delirious. So don't ask."

Elsie was confused again. "Wait, you gave me the bookmark?"

Camilla looked at Elsie with the same amount of confusion until she seemed to piece everything together and sighed again.

"The Japanese textbook was Hitomi's idea," Camilla explained. "She thought it would be funny, after what happened with that drunk guy and his wallet. I didn't know about it until after I woke up."

"Huh," was all Elsie could say at first as she pieced together her newfound knowledge. The revelation was definitely not what she expected from either of the guardians, and she wasn't entirely sure what to do with that information yet. She also didn't know that Camilla had told Hitomi that story about their first interaction in Japan, but Elsie figured she could ask about it later.

"And why the flowers?" she asked instead.

Camilla grimaced. "You sure ask a lot of questions."

"What can I say? It's a gift." Elsie suddenly gasped in realization. "Are they camellias? Like your name? Sort of?"

"What?" Camilla looked at Elsie like she was crazy. Or an idiot. "No, they're... they're freesias. At least, that's what I was told."

Elsie hummed in understanding. "Well... thanks for thinking of me. And, of course, saving me."

Camilla was silent for a moment, her gaze on the floor between them, before she replied. "You saved me too." She looked up at Elsie. "Why did you?"

Elsie stared back at her in confusion. "You'd rather I let you die?"

Camilla sighed again—she was sighing more than Elsie had ever seen in one sitting.

"That's not what I meant. I—" She paused, her jaw shifting as she collected her thoughts. "I'll admit, my abilities are probably above the average meta-human. And... no offense, but you don't have any abilities."

"That's not a brag at all," Elsie said sarcastically.

Camilla ignored her. "All I'm saying is that the smart thing to do was to let me try and handle it instead of risking your own life to maybe help."

"Didn't you almost die yourself?" Elsie argued. "To 'maybe help'?"

"That was different." Camilla's stare had gone firm, as if her eyes were carefully analyzing Elsie's every move. "I was trained for that."

"You mean you were enlisted," Elsie said, remembering what Camilla had told her about guardians not having much of a choice in their occupation. "You were told to risk your life for others."

Camilla didn't have any reply for that, but her eyes were speaking a million words that Elsie couldn't interpret.

"Why did you save me?" Camilla repeated, her voice softer in both tone and volume this time.

"Because I wanted to," Elsie replied simply, because it really was just that simple. "You've saved my life... I don't know how many times. And I know you don't like me very much, but that didn't matter. It doesn't matter. You were always watching my back, or someone else's back, but no one was watching yours. You may be powerful, but you're not invincible. I figured... after everything you've done for me it was the least I could do.

"And yeah, maybe it does seem like a trade, me saving you because you've saved me," Elsie continued, remembering Camilla's anger over "bartering trust." "Maybe it was, and I wouldn't have bothered trying to save you if you hadn't done the same for me already. I'd like to say I'd still do the same thing, but who knows what either of us would've done if things were different?

"But that's how relationships work. And I'm not just talking about romantic relationships. Family, friendships, hell, even business transactions. If you think about it, the ones that work out the best are the ones where each party gives and takes what they think is right, and everyone agrees on that cost. And yeah, a lot of times, part of that cost is trust, but sometimes... people aren't going to trust you if you don't trust them."

Elsie hadn't meant to say so much, she didn't even know if what she said made sense, but there was no taking her words back now. On the bright side, Camilla didn't look like she was angered by Elsie's little monologue, at least, not yet.

"If you could go back to that moment, and you could choose between saving my life and protecting yourself, would you do the same thing?" Camilla asked.

It was almost the same question Elsie had asked Camilla a month ago. And Elsie knew exactly what her answer was in an instant.

"Definitely," Elsie replied without hesitation.

Camilla looked at Elsie for a while longer before shifting her gaze to her lap.

"I'm sorry," Camilla said, and the sudden change in conversation surprised Elsie. "About... well, a lot of things. But especially about the things I said to you a couple years ago. That... you didn't deserve that."

She had gone back to fidgeting with the loose string, and she paused before continuing.

"I was... I did trust you, back then. It probably didn't seem like it, but I really did. And it was wrong of me to belittle your feelings like that, to say that you only said those things because you wanted to use me. I never thought you were 'just like everybody else.' Okay, well, maybe I did at first, but after I got to know you... I trusted you. I trusted you, but I didn't want to. So I decided to play it safe, and... well, you know what happened.

"But..." Camilla sighed again. "I know now that I was wrong. Actually... I've probably known for a while, but... I thought I could just live with it—the feeling of missing what could've been."

She huffed out a small, self-deprecating laugh. "It was... well, it didn't work out so well. But it made me realize how wrong I was. That maybe, if there was anyone I should take a chance with, it was you. So... only if you want to, of course, I... I want to start over. I want to..." Camilla chewed her bottom lip nervously. "I want to try and be friends. For real."

Elsie was shocked, but only for a moment.

"Sure," she said, probably too casually for the topic at hand.

Camilla seemed to agree, and she narrowed her eyes at Elsie's quick acceptance. "Really?"

"What, you don't want me to agree?"

"No, that's not it," Camilla said hurriedly, and this nervous side of her was definitely an interesting development. "I just... I'm just surprised you agreed so easily."

Elsie shrugged. While she did have dozens of questions about Camilla's sudden change of heart, they could wait. "Like I said before, I don't hold grudges that often. I'll admit, I was pretty pissed off at you, but... whatever. I'm over it now."

Camilla looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am definitely, one hundred percent sure." Elsie sighed. "What, do we need to shake on it? Write up a contract? Or do you prefer blood pacts?"

"I'm good, thanks," Camilla said, then narrowed her eyes at Elsie. "You sure are dramatic, aren't you?"

"How do you think I got my first job?" Elsie said.

Camilla scoffed lightly, but she still looked a little uncomfortable as to what she should do next. Of course she wouldn't know what to do with a friend if her only friend was actually her cousin, Elsie thought. She stifled another sigh before getting to her feet.

"Is that seat taken?" she asked, pointing to the cushion on the opposite side of the couch from Camilla.

"No?" Camilla said, her confusion making her answer sound like a question.

Elsie nodded and sat down on the couch and put her sock-clad feet on the remaining cushion between them.

"I'm officially calling in my first favor of you as friends," Elsie said. "I really need a nap. But I can't do that if you're still awake. So please, for my sake, can you go to sleep?"

Camilla looked at her as if she was weird. "You want me to go to sleep just so you can?"

"Did I stutter?"

Camilla rolled her eyes and swung her own feet up onto the middle cushion, on the outside of Elsie's. Lucky for her, she was shorter, and her legs got to extend more without intruding into Elsie's facial space.

"Is that better?" Camilla said sarcastically.

"Not if you're still talking."

Camilla glared at her, but there wasn't much heat to it, especially with her tired eyes. "I'm guessing it's too late to call off this whole friend thing, isn't it?"

Elsie nodded. "You should've read the fine print. I can be a real pain in the ass."

Camilla huffed in annoyance, but Elsie could see the corners of her mouth move upwards into a slight smile.

"Go to sleep, Elsie."

"Good night, Camilla."

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