Drip, drip, drip. The liquid seeped through the column at an alarmingly slow rate, thankfully signifying that the process was almost done.

Amelie sat in front of the column and stared. Please stop. Please be over soon.

Drip, drip, drip.

She lolled her head to one side and then the other with each slow drip, mimicking the movement of a Grandfather Clock.

"Just finish already!" she groaned at the offensive thing.

"A watched pot never boils," a voice called from the doorway. Cathy walked into the lab, her sensible making irksome squeaking noises on the linoleum floor. Amelie did not turn around to her, instead she shot one last glare at the column-that-never-ended.

Drip, squeak, squeak, drip, squeak.

It took all of Amelie's self control not to slap her hands over her ears. Instead she plastered a friendly smile on her face and turned to Cathy.

"How was your day?" Amelie asked politely.

"Oh it was fine. My new compound seems to be working well. I'd ask you, but I feel as though I already know the answer."

Amelie paused, surprised by Cathy's oddly pleasant response before replying. "My day was fine. I just hate running columns to be honest. I don't have the patience for it, clearly." She laughed.

"Really? I quite enjoy it to be frank," Cathy replied absent mindedly as she flipped through a lab notebook.

"What? You actually enjoy it?" Amelie spouted, appalled.

Cathy looked up and met her eyes. "No, that was a joke," she winked. Amelie almost gasped in shock at her boss's pleasant mood. Then "Unlike you, I have more than a teaspoon of patience to work with, so running columns really doesn't bother me, even if it's not my favorite thing."

There was the insensitive boss Amelie had come to expect.

"I guess I''m just finding this job to be different than I expected it to be," she replied softly.

Cathy simply tilted her head and flipped a page in the lab book. No comment on Amelie's strikingly truthful response.

"Well you could always quit. You're only twenty-one. You have time to figure out what you really want to do." She finally looked up from the lab book. "We all make mistakes in life, the important thing is being brave enough to admit you were wrong and change things."

Amelie had no response so she simply said "mmmm," in agreement and turned back to her column.

Cathy closed the lab book with a slap. "So. Are you staying?"

Amelie swiveled in her chair to face Cathy. "I don't know yet. Is that okay?"

"Sure. It's not my life," she turned to walk out of the lab, her sensible shoes squeaking again on the way out. Amelie turned back to her column and sighed. The squeaking stopped.

"You haven't been the worst employee ever, so I might not forgive you for leaving, but if this doesn't fit, and you stay, then you may not forgive yourself."

A ball was forming in Amelie's throat and she needed Cathy to leave before she totally lost it. "Okay," she said, her voice shaking.

The squeaking began again, but not towards the door. Cathy laid her hand on Amelie's shoulder. "Go home and think about things. I'll finish your column. You've stayed late a lot recently. And like I said, I really don't mind them."

Amelie did not need another invitation. She stood up and walked out of the lab. At the doorway she turned around abruptly to face Cathy. "Thank you," she said. Cathy nodded.

_____________

"Turn, turn, turn you stupid car!" Cassie squealed as she turned her whole body with the video-game controller, as if that would help the car in the TV turn faster.

Amelie's clutched her own controller tightly in her hands and followed Cassie's lead by leaning over to the left while she rolled the joystick left as well. The smile splattered on her face was more genuine than any she had shared in the past month.

Just one night with Brooks and Cassie had made Amelie breath easier. She had not felt so safe and relaxed in ages. Despite Adrien's methods being problematic, Amelie was glad that he had suggested she come here. She hadn't spent much time with anyone but Adrien recently and Brooks and Cassie were proving to be wonderful friends.

Brook's video game collection rivaled that of anyone she had ever met. He even had more than whole houses of boys she had known at college. His apartment was the opposite of what she imagined it would be like after attending Rentré school with Adrien. Aside from the shelf of meticulously lines up video games, and the couch she and Cassie currently sat on, Brooks' apartment was decorated from top to bottom.

He had movie posters scattered on the walls, books piled up in corners, and a whole table filled only with music boxes. Underneath the table sat three elegant digital cameras.

""Are you secretly a hoarder? She called to Brooks, who was in the kitchen fixing all three of them a simple dinner.

Brooks had chuckled and said "No. I just like to collect things. Objects in the human world have so many diverse purposes. There are so many inventions that are not even considered a problem in the Realms."

"Like what?" Amelie had pressed, desperate for any glimpse of life in the Realms.

"What I really miss about the Realms is the music. There are no recordings so I cannot bring the music with me when I travel. Asente I wish I could. There are some days when only the sound of Ed Ishantum crooning over a Stocen can make things better," he said, looking over at his gigantic speaker set.

"What's a stocen?" Amelie asked.

"Oh it's an instrument you don't have in the human world. Played well, the stocen is incredible. There honestly are no instruments that parallel the same kind of sound here," Cassie responded.

"It has to be played with both your hands and with magic. I can pluck a few tunes on it," said Brooks. He sat down next to them on the couch. "When you make it to Prost, I'll make sure to show you."

Amelie bit her lip. She wanted so badly to ask him to just take her some time.

"Anyway," said Brooks, "that's why I love music boxes. Humans thought of a way to bottle music and allow everyone, even people who cannot play it, to have the experience. Live music is a different experience than recorded, but there is something magical about being able to take a part of that experience with you back home, or open it on the train, or in the car."

"Interesting choice of words," Amelie said, smiling.

Brooks grinned. "I know. I meant to use the word magic. Part of me thinks that the only way that humans could have created things like the internet and cell phones is through magic."

Amelie smiled and shook her head. "Most of us think it's a bit of magic as well." Imagine combing magic and music. She could see the crystalline balls of water dance along to real music and lull the crowd into a kind of trance. "What are concerts like in the Realms?" she asked.

"Adrien never told you much about his and my schools days did he?" She shook her head. Brooks chuckled and leaned back into the couch. "He and I used to sneak out every year for Chambrayna. Well, I would sneak out and drag him with me. He doesn't care for music, but he never wanted me to go alone.

"The biggest festival took place three or four miles from the school so we had to run, but it was always worth it. It felt wrong being cooped up on festival when we were so close. Chambrayna marks the beginning of Spring in Moore and is a day filled with music, drinking, and dance.

"On that day there are tons of little organic concerts that spring up around the city. No one is ever officially scheduled, so the point of the day is to wonder and find a place that fills your soul. All of the most celebrated musicians will be there, but they don't need to fall into the rhythm of celebrity. They just start playing on the streets or in the grass and people will stop and the concert will begin.

"Most artists also have an orchestrator with them to provide magical manifestations of the music. Some will make sure that there is an area of darkness surrounding the musician so your other senses are deprived. Others will pump in different scents through the wind depending on the music's mood."

"Moore is known to be rather utilitarian as a Realm, but for Chambrayna and other holidays, they let their magic out to play," Cassie said dreamily. "I've never been, but Aria and I both aspire to visit the festival one day."

Amelie sank into the couch. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a city with music floating out from every corner and people who all had time to stop and simply listen. "God I would love to see that some day," she said wistfully. She felt a tear prickle in her eye and tried to shut down the flow of emotions.

Brooks must have seen the sorrow on her face for he laid his hand on top of hers and said "Let me talk to Adrien. I bet we can convince him that we should all go this year. You included." Amelie sniffed and nodded. He continued. "Together we can do it. I am a pro at convincing Adrien to get over the rules, and you are the only reason he ever broke them by himself."

Amelie let out a short laugh that sounded more like a gasp. "Was he a goody-two shoes as a kid?"

"Ugh yes. He just loved following the rules. Plus, magic comes really easily to him so he was always the perfect pupil. He was my best friend but Asante it drove me nuts sometimes how obsessed he was with being perfect," Brooks smiled. "Of course I was jealous. And once I learned that he snuck out to see you every year, I respected him much more." He turned to her and winked.

"But he always has been the model student that Moore wanted. He's a great guy, but you have to get him away from all the expectations of his parents and society first to get him to show you," Brooks said.

Cassie nodded. "You know I really disliked him at first. He was so serious all the time and was constantly making slightly judgmental comments about Prost not following regulations."

"—You don't follow regulations," Brooks cut in.

"Yes I know but that's beside the point. You at least had the curtesy to be nice and polite about it. I did not come to respect Adrien until you came around and I saw how much of a goofball he could be when he let go. It made me see that he might have, in his own strange way, been looking out for us with all of those comments."

"He does have an overprotective side. One that I've been trying to assuage," Amelie said. She regarded Brooks and Cassie. Both were listening attentively to her, their game controllers forgotten. Even though Brooks was Adrien's friend first, he seemed so kind and understanding, and like he wanted to be everyone's friend. "Can you guys keep this between us?" she asked.

They nodded.

Amelie believed them.

"I hate that I'm stuck here this weekend. It's been wonderful to get to know you, but the fact that Adrien refused to take me with him to Moore really hurts. It sometimes feels like he sees me like a child. Which doesn't make sense because Elves of both genders end up being strong and doing magic."

"That's not fair," said Brooks, "You are probably just as strong as him physically." Amelie smiled sadly.

"I'm not," she whispered, thinking of that night after Theo left. She had been unable to push him off of her. Maybe that proved that she did need protection if she couldn't even defend herself against someone who loved her.

"Have you told him how you feel?" asked Cassie. "Because as wrong as this may feel to you, sometimes boys have thick heads and need to be told when they are doing something wrong. Even Elven men have overprotective instincts. Oftentimes, it's nice for a partner to be protective, he may not realize it's a little too much."

Brooks nodded emphatically and Amelie cracked a smile, despite her distress.

"Yeah I have. Multiple times I've told him to stop treating me like a child. And it's like he hears that I'm speaking and that I'm upset, but doesn't understand what I am saying." She looked over at Brook's game collection, and absently admired that he had them organized by spine color. "I just want him to listen."

When Amelie looked back at her companions, she realized that they had been sharing a look. Some sort of silent conversation that she could not understand transpired. "You aren't going to tell him, are you?" she asked.

"No! No of course not," said Cassie. "I'm sorry you've been feeling this way. I wish I had known before. We'll help, try to make him see that you can be trusted. He does have a point about the Realms not being safe. Just until we know your true parentage, there is a small danger that you could be politically exploited."

"But, don't worry. I'm going to talk to him. I promise," said Brooks.

Cassie stood up and walked over to the TV. She picked up a remote and started fiddling with the controls. "You know that my partner, Aria, lives in Prost right?" Amelie nodded. "So she and I live separately for half of the year and then for the other half of the year, I go back to Prost and live with her." Cassie swirled the joystick of the controller around. Amelie knew all of this already and wasn't sure why Cassie was choosing to talk about something that clearly was troubling her so much.

"It's hard being away from her. I get lonely here, and I hate knowing that she does. It also is hard because she's a teacher, not a warrior like I am. So I naturally feel as thought I should try to protect her, and part of that means that I shouldn't leave her alone for months at a time."

Amelie crossed her legs on the couch. She saw where this conversation was going.

"But I do leave her. And she lets me leave. She worries for me to but she knows that this work makes me happy and fulfills me so she lets me go, every time. And every time I go home, we feel that loss, but it also makes it even more wonderful every time that I do go home. It makes our relationship even stronger to have these lives outside of each other and still trust one another with everything," Cassie concluded. She looked up from the video-game controller at Amelie who was silent on the couch, and allowed the words to reverberate in her ears.

She knew. Amelie knew, in that moment, what was happening with Adrien. The thoughts had been banging around in her head for weeks, but she had not wanted to listen.

"Okay," Amelie said. Ready to dismiss the conversation. There was nothing else to say. She felt awful spilling about her problems with Adrien to his best friend, even though Brooks looked ready to talk for hours. It felt wrong. She picked up her game controller and turned to Brooks. "Are you ready to lose in Super Mario Cart? We've been practicing!"

He froze for just one second and searched her face. Whatever he found appeased him for he picked up a discard controller and exclaimed "Oh you're on."