“Winter!” Summer gasped as she tried to pull herself to her feet. “N-no, stop that! Leave her alone!”

 

But the Desire ignored her. Completely. The silver woman just took a moment to appreciate the new sculpture, before nodding and walking away – not even glancing back towards the weakened Serenity.

 

“H-hey!” The brunette tried to take a step forwards, but nearly fell straight back down to her knees. “Come back here! Don’t you dare-!”

 

No good. PaperPleaser had apparently decided she had more important things to do than fight a Serenity who could barely stand. Summer was left where she was, staring at the lewd fountain that used to be her friend.

 

Then an arm wrapped around her, shouldering her weight. “Here, let me help. I know how much Pheonix takes out of you.”

 

The Serenity blinked, looking down to find Spring at her side, fretting. The blonde had a hand hovering over the taller woman’s chest, golden light shining in her palm, healing magic seeping into her. Warmth spread back through her limbs, the energy she’d lost starting to recover.

 

“I’m sorry,” Summer slumped. “I… I wanted…”

 

“Hey.” The shorter blonde smacked her friend with the back of her palm, before resuming her healing. “It’s okay. The rule is once we win and she goes back to normal, we’re going to tease her for getting taken out first, alright?”

 

The brunette couldn’t help the snort of laughter at that. “That’s a rule?”

 

“Totally.” Spring nodded. “Why do you think we still bring up your goth phase?”

 

“Oh you little…” They had been relentless about the goth thing! She tried to straighten up to turn to face her friend, but a grunt and a stumble put an end to the attempt.

 

The blonde winced. “Right. You’re still going to need a bit to recover. Sorry, my healing isn’t strong enough to fix you up entirely.”

 

Summer groaned, but nodded. “Yeah, no, that’s okay. I did it to myself – drained my power supply to try and end things quick. Going to need a bit to draw in more.”

 

“Yep.” Spring patted her on the back, using the chance to lean her friend against a nearby wall and slip away from her, clapping her hands. “So, here’s the plan! I’m going to fight her, and you’re going to do the Serenity Seal. Got it?”

 

“What?” The brunette blinked. “But-!”

 

“I know, I know.” Of the Seasons, Spring had the lowest combat capability. Winter was more experienced and Summer was a powerhouse, so maybe that was to be expected, but the green Serenity’s abilities just weren’t very damaging. As part of a team, her support skills were top tier, but on her own she didn’t have a chance without a green environment around her, and her in this mall there was nothing even close. They both knew it. “But we can’t let her rampage unopposed, and you’re in no state to fight her head on. I’m going to get you an opening, okay? I’m counting on you to make the most of it.”

 

Summer was having none of it, shaking her head firmly – but that didn’t mean much when her friend simply stepped back out of her reach and started running after the Desire. “Spring! Spring, come back here!”

 

But she just waved her ribbon in a cheeky salute. “See you at the sealing!”

 

And the brunette was left on the sidelines, desperately trying to recover her strength as fast as she could…

 

-

 

Make no mistake. Spring knew she was screwed. She’d fought Desires solo before, and it had always been a disaster. Her plants were too slow to be effective, her attacks too weak. But every Serenity had a duty, and she wasn’t about to shirk hers. She’d been watching the way PaperPleaser fought against Winter and Summer, watching for her chance to strike – and while said chance hadn’t ultimately arrived, she’d gotten a pretty good impression of what this Desire was capable of.

 

Her mind raced. Could she make use of that? Maybe. She had some ideas – but there was no way they could work, was there?

 

There was only one way to find out.

 

She gave Winter an embarrassed nod as she ran past her, trying not to look anywhere she was sure her friend didn’t want her to see (though she took enough of a glance to have plenty of material for blackmail later). Then she focused. She needed to find the Desire and try to contain her long enough for Summer to get back in the fight. So where…?

 

It wasn’t all that difficult to work out, once she looked. The mall was a lot emptier now. Most of the crowds were gone, having made good use of the opportunity the Serenity fight had provided to escape. PaperPleaser could only have entered a certain number of store fronts in the time she’d had – and Spring remembered that she was supposed to be on her coffee break.

 

There was only one coffee place in view. A quaint looking café, with a roped off area outside for outside seating – most of which had been knocked down as people fled. Inside, Spring could see a warm, almost rustic looking wooden counter, along side high seats for customers – and, examining the menu, a silver Desire.

 

“Perhaps I will try the double shot espresso today,” she was muttering as the blonde Serenity stepped inside – despite the fact that there was plainly no one else here, the workers all long evacuated. “It feels like it has been that kind of morning.”

 

… Spring wasn’t sure how she even intended to drink it. She didn’t have a mouth! But that kind of question would have to wait for another day.

 

“Hold it right there!” Okay, the smart thing to do would have been to just attack and try to score a surprise hit, but… Look, some things didn’t always come naturally to a person. In this case, blasting her enemy’s unaware back just felt wrong. Serenities were supposed to be proud and noble, weren’t they? She might need to work on that later. “You’ve gone far enough!”

 

Surprisingly, the Desire didn’t seem unhappy to see her. “Oh good,” the silver woman said as she turned around, label maker clicking. “I was wondering when the server would arrive.”

 

“Oh, you’re looking to make an order?” Spring grinned, clasping her hands as they began to glow green. “Then I recommend that you try tasting defeat, to go!” Haha, quip! “Verdant Seed!”

 

She threw her hands out, a lancing line of green light shooting towards the Desire at the counter – but PaperPleaser swivelled around the attack, dodging it with seeming ease. “Tch. So messy. Very well – I can correct you as well.”

 

“Oh yeah?” The blonde held her hands apart on either side of her, both still glowing green. “Let’s see how that goes for you.”

 

Okay. Bluffed confidence aside, she hadn’t just jumped in here to hope for the best. She’d thought about this (quickly). She’d analysed her enemy. She had a plan.

 

Now she just had to pray she could pull it off.

 

She dodged to her left, into the store, as the Desire fired a pair of labels at her, returning fire with a shot of green. Said shot of green came nowhere close to hitting her opponent, but hey, it kept things interesting. Just had to keep moving…

 

So, analysis. PaperPleaser had four arms. The upper two were normal-ish human arms, with human hands – complete with opposable thumbs, mankind’s greatest achievement. The lower two, meanwhile, ended in an ‘Approved’ stamp on the right, and a label maker/gun on the left. Those were her main weapons. The stamp seemed to boost the power of her labels when she combined them, but it was probably plenty dangerous enough on its own, while the label maker fired out transformative stickers with impressive range.

 

But her speed wasn’t amazing. Her labels took time to make, and could be deflected – that was what Winter and Summer had been doing before things got messy. Keep the Desire off balance, stop her from writing up more labels, and keep out of range of her counter attacks.

 

Spring couldn’t do any of that. But she had some ideas. The important thing was that if she could somehow deal with those four arms, then maybe she could do this after all…

 

That was so much easier said than done, though, as she was reminded when PaperPleaser lunged at her, her stamp swinging through the air. Spring yelped and tried to jump away, only to collide with a table and go rolling instead. “Gah!”

 

“Making such a mess…” The Desire hissed. “Have you no thought for the people who have to tidy up after you?”

 

“Ex-Excuse me?!” The blonde hoisted herself back to her feet. “You think I’m making a mess? You’re the one changing everything!”

 

“I am improving things,” the silver woman said with a shake of her head and a click of her label maker. “Once I am done, everything will be much more organized.”

 

“Okay but no one wants- Gah!” Spring threw herself to the side as she dodged another shot, returning another in kind. “Verdant Seed!”

 

This green beam came closer, but still fired harmlessly over the Desire’s shoulder, leaving nothing but a green patch on the far wall.

 

“This is what I get for trying to talk to monsters,” she muttered, drawing her ribbon. “Alright then. Let’s do this!” Weapon lashing, she jumped into the fray.

 

… It went about as well as anyone expected. PaperPleaser parried her ribbon with one silver hand, swiping at her with stamp and label maker both, leaving her desperately trying to duck and weave around her. She got lucky – managing to block the label shot with her ribbon hilt – but the stamp came way too close for comfort, leaving little droplets of ink splattered across her chest from the close call.

 

In the end, all she accomplished was circling her opponent for a bit, before having to retreat again. But fortunately, that was exactly what she’d been aiming for.

 

“Verdant Seed!” She yelled again, firing for a fourth time. And like the other three, this shot came nowhere close to its target. But it was only this time that the Desire realised she might not have been aiming for her.

 

“Wait.” The silver head turned, noticing at last the four patches of green she was stood directly in the centre of. “What have you-?”

 

Spring didn’t let her finish. “CANOPY LABRYNTH!” She slammed her hands together, green light shining around her as she threw all of her power into this.

 

From each green patch dotted around the café there was a sudden rumble, as four massive vines burst out of the walls, slamming inwards on the target placed perfectly between them. Each one shot out, seizing a silver arm and binding around it, hoisting the Desire up into the air. One, two, three, four! Four arms, locked down!

 

“Got you!” The blonde snarled, keeping her hands clasped. This technique, using Canopy against a resisting target, required her full concentration to keep it up – but it had worked! She had her! She’d planned it, and it had worked!

 

Honestly, it was a minor miracle. She couldn’t have done this, rigged her surroundings into a trap, if they were outside. Her vines didn’t have that much in the way of control – they needed direct lines at their target. To do this, she’d needed tight, close quarters. A small space – like a store.

 

It was like Winter was always saying! Observe your surroundings, and make them work for you! Ha, she couldn’t wait to tell her! Once Summer arrived with the Serenity Seal, their leader would turn back to normal, and hell yeah she was going to spend all week bragging about this~

 

Of course, right now, the only ‘person’ she could share the moment with was PaperPleaser, who didn’t seem to understand how cool this was. She was just struggling, trying to pull her arms free. Her feet would wiggle every now and then. “… Irritating.”

 

“Oh, is that it? Irritating?” Spring tried not to sound too exhausted, even if she was breathing hard. Keeping this technique up was a strain, but it was one she could bear. “Come on, you can do better than that. It’s okay, I totally understand how much it sucks to lose to me~”

 

… It… It probably said a lot about her self confidence that she’d put it like that, didn’t it?

 

But the Desire just shrugged. “No. It is fine. I am good at cutting through red tape. Or green tape, I suppose.”

 

Spring blinked. “What?”

 

It was sudden. The entire situation changed in the space of a heartbeat. One moment, the silver woman was being held up in the air by four vines, and the next she was landing on the floor with a heavy thud, the vines falling in pieces all around her.

 

Stunned, the blonde found herself stuck in place, slowly recovering from the snap-back as her technique failed without warning. All she could do was stare at her freed opponent, trying to work out how she’d done it. How- How had she broken her trap…?

 

“If it is any consolation,” the Desire said, tilting her head and rolling her arms. “I do not believe it ‘sucks’ at all to lose to me.”

 

That- Wait, what? One, two, three, four… five?! She had five…?

 

Yes. The Desire had sprouted a fifth arm. And like arms three and four, this one ended in a device, rather than a hand. In this case, her new appendage was what looked like an integrated pair of scissors, gleamingly sharp. Was that… Oh.

 

Yes. Too late, she remembered – Vagrants grew stronger the more people they transformed… And nothing gave them power like transforming a Serenity. Defeating Winter had given her all of the energy she needed to counter Spring’s trap.

 

Too late, because the realisation froze her in place just long enough for the Desire to rush her.

 

This time she didn’t have time to react. She felt the stamp slam into her, right over the chest, a new label pressed into her uniform. She felt the Desire flowing into her. She felt herself start to change.

 

But… But her plan had… Her plan had wor.k..e…d…!

 

Her eyes crossed, face turning red as her mind filled with static, drowning out all of her thoughts. The shock at her defeat, her confusion at how it had happened, her disappointment at her loss, all of it flushed straight out of her head, no longer needed for her new role in life. A trace of drool began to build on her lips as the pleasure began to build.

 

Naturally, with the power of Desire flowing in through her chest, it was her chest that responded first, rapidly starting to balloon up beneath her top, stretching the white fabric quickly to breaking point. But since the label – which read ‘Jubblies’ - was stuck to said top, that too quickly began to adjust to the times. It began to shrink, green trim and shoulder pads melding with the rest of her uniform as it turned into a white cotton crop top, just stretchy enough to contain her now massive boobs.

 

The label merged together with the cloth just in time to spread across the titanic shelf beneath her cleavage window – out of which popped a little pocket notebook, complete with pencil for taking down orders. ‘Jubblies’, it read, loud and proud, as what was left of her sleeves and gloves vanished completely, leaving nothing but a white crop-top.

 

Her skirt was shrinking too, hugging around her hips and stretching around her thighs as they began to inflate, her ass rushing to put on enough pounds to match her tits. Soon, green had faded to washed blue, the material changing into worn, frayed denim as her skirt became a tight pair of shorts wrapped about an incredibly heavy booty. Even further south, at the bottom of a long and smooth pair of legs, her boots were turning into heeled shoes more suitable for long days on her feet.

 

Finally, as the rest of her body completed its transformation into a short stack of eager curves, the blonde’s hair lifted itself up, lengthening as it twisted itself into a long pair of twin tails on either side of her head. They gave her a nice and bouncy look, just like the rest of her, as everything settled into place.

 

“There.” PaperPleaser nodded, looking over her work with no small degree of satisfaction. “Now could you please get me my double espresso.”

 

“Sure thing, hun!” The new server giggled and nodded, skipping away to fetch her newest customer their order – changes seeping into the floor and walls around her as she went. Cheap furniture replaced artistic décor, and beer taps installed themselves behind the counter as the store morphed from coffee joint to diner - with the name ‘Jubblies’ printing itself proudly over the door…

 

-

 

No…

 

Not in time. She hadn’t been in time.

 

Summer slumped against the wall, staring the new mall diner. Through the windows, she’d been able to see how the fight was going. For a moment, she actually thought Spring had pulled it off! She’d tried to hobble over – even in this state, surely she could deliver the seal against a bound opponent, right? But before she could…

 

A weakened fist punched stone and failed to leave even a hair of a crack. The brunette growled, infuriated by her drained strength. Surely it should have come back by now?

 

… Well, it didn’t matter. If she was the last one standing, then stand she would. She didn’t care if she couldn’t throw a fireball or a punch. She had to get in there! She had to fight the Desire back, or else-!

 

Fingers hooked her by the collar and yanked back, sending crashing down on her behind.

 

“The fact that I, a civilian, just managed to physically overpower you in any way means that you aren’t ready to go head-to-head with a Desire, no matter how much you want to.” An all too familiar voice spoke down to her.

 

Summer’s eyes flashed as she looked up. “You.”

 

“Me.” Miss Ashley Morgan stood over her, hands casually slid into her suit pockets. “Take a breath, Summer. The Desire isn’t going anywhere yet. From everything I’ve heard over your comms…” She brushed a hand through her pink hair, tapping against her own communicator. “She’ll be waiting for a few minutes to enjoy her coffee. You may as well use the time to try and recover.”

 

The Serenity’s jaw dropped. How did this woman make something so insane sound so logical? “But I- I need to get out there! I have to-!”

 

“You need to rest and recover,” Morgan interrupted firmly. “If you go in as you are now, you’ll just end up another waitress or decoration. Rest. Get your energy back. I’ll let you know when she’s on the move again.”

 

Summer wanted to argue… But she didn’t have the strength. That kinda made the woman’s point for her, really. Sighing, she slumped against the wall again, closing her eyes. “I guess things are going pretty badly if our examiner’s jumping in to try and save our hides.”

 

“That’s not why I’m here.”

 

Huh? Frowning, she opened her eyes again, looking up. “It’s not?”

 

Morgan shook her head, pink hair shimmying. “No. I mean… There’s not much I can actually do against a Desire.” For a moment, she sounded bitter. Or… pained? “I’m just a civilian.” Then the moment passed. “Actually, I was hoping Spring’s plan would work. She almost pulled it off. Clever girl. I think you might be selling her short.”

 

Summer snorted, nodding as she closed her eyes again. “Probably. She’s kinda hard to encourage. Really down on herself. Not in the same way Winter is, though – it’s harder to…” What was she saying?! She wasn’t going to trust this stranger with her private thoughts on her friends! “… Never mind. So why are you here then?”

 

The assessor glanced at her, eyes flicking between the downed Serenity and the diner. “I wanted to ask you something.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Mm.” Morgan nodded. “Why did you do it?

 

The Serenity blinked, completely thrown. “What? Do what?”

 

“You broke formation.” The woman tilted her head. “I was watching. You charged the Desire and Winter wasn’t expecting it. It went badly. I want to know why.”

 

Oh. That. Oof, of all the things… “I- I thought it’d work. I thought I could…!”

 

“Mm.” The older woman hummed for a second, then shook her head. “No.”

 

What? “No? What do you mean no?”

 

“I mean no.” She said it as though it was the simplest thing in the world. “I don’t believe you. Try again.”

 

Summer squinted up at her. “The fu-?”

 

“Try. Again.” Morgan interrupted, tone still firm. “I’m still your assessor, this is on the test.”

 

The Serenity’s jaw dropped. “Now? You’re pulling this bullshit now?!”

 

“Answer the question, Rosa.”

 

Her name, her actual name, was like a bucket of ice-cold water thrown directly into her face. It was an uncomfortable word, like it didn’t fit right in her head to hear it. It shocked her just enough to prompt an honest answer. “… I wanted to take the Desire down as quickly as possible, okay?” Her teeth ground as she looked away, shame at the memory burning in her brain.

 

But Morgan didn’t let off. “Why?”

 

Summer’s head snapped up to glare. “Seriously?”

 

“Seriously. No one was in direct danger. You had the situation contained.” The assessor’s eyes met hers without flinching. She saw nothing but calm in those serene pools. “Despite the rough start, your team rallied perfectly. 95% odds, that Desire wouldn’t have lasted another five minutes. So why? What was the rush?”

 

She… Why had she been in such a hurry? “… I…”

 

Morgan looked back to the diner, though her attention remained on the Serenity. “Yes?”

 

“… I wanted to help Winter.” Summer allowed the words out of her mouth in the same way a dog allowed their owner to take a ball from theirs. “She was blaming herself for something that wasn’t her fault. I know how that kind of guilt eats at you. I didn’t want her to feel like that a second longer than she had to.”

 

Yeah. It was that simple. She’d fucked up because she wanted her friend to stop feeling so bad. Yeah, that had turned out great, hadn’t it?

 

“Ah.” The pink haired woman nodded, as if that was somehow the answer she’d been expecting all along. “I see.”

 

“Yeah. Well.” The Serenity rubbed at her face, trying to gather the strength to stand. She felt stronger than she had at the start of this talk. Maybe now she could get back to the fight. “In any case-”

 

“Why do you feel guilty, Rosa?” Morgan’s question cut through her like Winter’s sword.

 

Stunned, Summer could only look up at her. “What?”

 

Morgan’s gaze met hers square. “You said you know what guilt feels like. Know it well enough to ruin a combat strategy in order to spare your friend its grip. How do you know it so well?”

 

… How dare she. How dare she. “Fuck off!” She snarled. “You know why!”

 

But the assessor still refused to flinch. “Answer the question, Serenity.”

 

Summer was about to explode. “Because of Mary! Duh! Obviously!” She glared, her eyes spitting pure venom at the woman who dared dredge this all up. “Because what happened to her-!”

 

“Was not your fault.”

 

Summer’s rage stumbled. Confusion clouded her anger. “What?”

 

Morgan tilted her head. “Mary was the Desire that attacked that night at the arena, correct?”

 

The brunette nodded mutely.

 

“And you think her corruption was your fault? What, because you won the game?”

 

Summer gaped at her. It was such a ridiculous question, it actually took her a moment to answer – as if someone had just asked her to explain why 1 plus 1 equalled 2. “B-Because I humiliated her! I, I, I played around her like she wasn’t even there! I didn’t let her score a shot! She was the only one on the other team who was even in our league, and I…”

 

“And you played the game you were supposed to play with her.” Again, Morgan’s words cut through everything.

 

The brunette didn’t know how to answer her. She just sat there, stammering for a second, before pulling herself together. “… I should have thrown. I should have just lost. If I had, then… Then she…”

 

“Then she still would have become a Desire.”

 

What? “No!” Summer shot to her feet, eyes shining with desperate refusal. “No, she-!”

 

“I saw the picture.” Morgan shrugged, still watching the diner. “Seeing that makes it easy to understand why you’d blame yourself…”

 

That stupid picture. Taken just after the game, the moment that she’d offered Mary her hand for a good match – and Mary had slapped her in the face. Just looking at it brought the ringing back to her ears.

 

“But the transformation is something that builds up over months – over years.” The older woman continued. “A single bad night isn’t enough to trigger anything on its own. Desire, the yearning to force the world around you to bend to your will… She didn’t find that power the night you won your game against her. It was there, growing inside her, long before.”

 

It… It wasn’t just that night? No… No, of course it hadn’t been. But even so… “That… That’s even worse, somehow…”

 

“Mm.” The assessor nodded in muted agreement. “Understand, Rosa - There were people who should have helped her. People who should have looked out for her. People who should have saved her. Her coach. Her teammates. Her friends.” She glanced across just long enough to meet the Serenity’s eyes. “Not her rival on the opposite team.”

 

“… I… Still…” It wasn’t that simple…

 

“Rosa- No. Summer.” Morgan turned to face her directly. “I’ve studied the records of your past fights.”

 

That got an irritated snort as Summer folded her arms. “So much for not reading my file, huh?”

 

But the woman shook her head. “Your file isn’t the only source of information out there. People like to watch Serenities. You have your fair share of fans out there.” The pinkette paused, and then shrugged. “And a few more fans who prefer the forms you’ve taken after Desires have gotten hold of you.

 

Summer’s cheeks turned as red as her skirt. “I- I probably didn’t need to hear-”

 

“I’ve noticed a pattern, Summer.” She fixed her with a piercing gaze. “A pattern where you seek the first opportunity in every fight to put yourself in the most dangerous position you can. If there’s a sacrifice to be made, you insist that it must be you. It’s a worrying trend.”

 

“What?” The Serenity looked away, the blush still not fully off her face, denial not nearly as strong as she wanted it to be. “No I don’t…”

 

“No?” Morgan pulled a hand out of her pockets and began counting off on her fingers. “Against the circus Desire, you ran off on your own into her territory to rescue civilians who didn’t even exist. Against the robot Desire, you hurled yourself into a pod filled with transformative goo.”

 

“H-hey, I- I didn’t have a choice, that one-!”

 

“And against her,” Miss Morgan nodded towards the silver woman in the diner. “You used yourself to body lock the Desire personally. You knew how big the risk was that you’d get corrupted in the meantime. You offered no defence.”

 

“I… That…” Now the Serenity was stammering, trying to think of a way to argue, but drawing a complete blank. She was just trying to do the right thing, wasn’t she…?

 

Well, the assessor didn’t seem to think so. “I can only see two reasons for this, Summer. One – that you have some kind of fetish for being transformed into a Desire’s minion-”

 

“NO!” It was a loud yell, but the red-faced Summer absolutely didn’t care. “No, no, absolutely not, no.”

 

Morgan shrugged, continuing. “Or two – some part of you thinks you deserve to be punished. That you should always be the one to sacrifice herself before the others, no matter what they might think about your decision.”

 

Summer’s mouth hung open, awaiting a response that just wasn’t in her. She wanted to answer. She wanted to refute. But the words… They wouldn’t come.

 

“And if that is the case, Summer…” The older woman finished, her voice taking on an uncharacteristic gentleness. “If you’re trying to punish yourself for what happened… Please, don’t. You don’t deserve that guilt – and your friends don’t deserve having to deal with your death wish.”

 

That… She’d never… She’d never thought about it like that. Had she really been so selfish? Had she been endangering her friends, just because she couldn’t forgive herself for-? How many times had she tried to tell Winter that it wasn’t her fault? Had she been ignoring her own advice? This- She needed to think about this, she couldn’t just- Mary was too big of a deal to just-!

 

A hand clapped on her shoulder, Morgan leaning in to whisper next to her ear .”But if it is the fetish thing, we can find a healthier way for you to-”

 

“No! Thank you.” The Serenity snapped away from her, biting each word out and shivering at the thought. “Ugh. Oh god.”

 

The assessor smirked. “… How are you feeling?”

 

“…Better.” She really did. Her limbs were moving. The fire in her chest was burning. Her power responded eagerly to her call. She punched her fist into her palm, grinning as she felt how much force she could generate now. “Yeah, okay. My strength’s coming back.”

 

“Good.” Morgan nodded, looking back to the diner. “Perfect timing. It looks like your target is just about finished with her coffee.”

 

Summer peered around her. Yes, the silver Desire was setting down her empty drink. How had she- never mind, not important. “You want me to fight her?”

 

The woman made a considerate noise, pressing a finger against her cheek. “I don’t think you have much chance of performing a broad seal over the mall now, so… Let me put it this way, Summer.” She met her gaze once more. “You say you want to help Winter overcome the guilt for her mistakes? Tonight, the only true mistake she may have made is saving you over saving herself.” Harsh. Summer couldn’t argue, though. “But if you correct that – if you take the Desire down – then she made the correct decision after all. Do you understand what I am saying?”

 

… Oh yes. She understood. “Crystal clear. You’re a bitch, you know that?”

 

Morgan gave her one last shrug as she turned and walked away. “So I’ve been told.”

 

Hmph. Wow. The Serenity shook her head. Okay, maybe she could grow to like this woman after all. But that would come later. First, she had a Desire to defeat.

 

Summer flexed her neck, stretching her fingers. “Alright then. Desire hunting season, part two.”

 

-

 

PaperPleaser emerged from the diner with an approving nod. Yes, this was much better. The décor was a bit of a mismatch for the surroundings, but what mattered was efficiency, and this place served far more options than just a simple coffee joint.

 

“You have a good day now hun!” The bouncy blonde waitress called from behind the counter as she waved her off. “Drop by any time!”

 

Yes. Much better.

 

It would have been even more so if the red Serenity was not waiting for her outside. Hadn’t she already dealt with her? Or was that the blue one? It was kind of hard to keep track. “Must you people continue to make such a mess of things?”

 

“I dunno, lady.” Summer unfolded her arms. “Does it look like we’ve made everything right around here yet?”

 

Such nonsense. “Making things right? I’m working on that. Soon, this entire city will function with speed and efficiency. Once I’m done with my work shift, I will make it a priority.”

 

“…” The brunette tilted her head. “Your work shift? Really? You’re still on that?”

 

“Of course.” The five-armed Desire nodded primly. “My lunch break is over. If you would get out of my way, I will be returning to my office now. I have responsibilities to keep there.”

 

A frown worked its way over Summers lips. “… Look, I’m sorry, lady, but you’re well past that. You know you’re a Desire now, right?”

 

“Of course.” Why ask about something so obvious. “I am what I am. I see no reason why that changes anything.”

 

“Ha.” The Serenity shook her head. “Of course you don’t. There’s never any point in trying to talk with one of you. I don’t know why I… Well, whatever.” She straightened up, eyes firm. “Desire – whatever your name is-”

 

“PaperPleaser.”

 

“Pap- What, really?” The Desire nodded. “Okay. PaperPleaser. Your office building is under a Serenity Seal. You won’t be able to get back in.”

 

What? N-no, that couldn’t… “You’re lying.”

 

“Do I look like I’m lying?” Summer refused to flinch under the silver woman’s gaze. No. No, she did not look like she was lying.

 

PaperPleaser snarled, taking a step forwards. “Why would you do this?” She’d never missed a day of work in her life! Her record of attendance was spotless, even back in school! She- She had no idea how you were supposed to handle something like this. Would- Would it go on her file? Would she get arrested?! No, no, she had to get back to work!

 

“Because Serenities exist to protect humanity from its most destructive desires - like you.” Summer’s fists rose, a red glow crackling around her knuckles. “And that’s just what we’re going to do!”

 

It was hard to say which of them jumped first. One moment both women stood facing each other, completely still, the total focus of one another’s awareness. The tension between them was practically solid, nothing could move to interfere. And then the next they were on top of one another, red fists swinging, silver blades scything.

 

Shockwaves crashed through the air. The windows of the diner, and down three stores on either side of it, shattered. The floor cracked, crumbling under the weight of their blows. This fight wasn’t like the others. Unlike the green one, though, the red Serenity could fight. Unlike the blue one, the red Serenity took her challenges head on. And unlike any encounter before, the silver Desire found herself being matched blow for blow.

 

It didn’t matter what she did! Her label maker was deflected. Her stamp was used as leverage to twist her body into a throw. Her normal hands did nothing. Even her latest upgrade, her scissors, couldn’t land a decisive blow – and they were more for cutting paper than people, anyway…

 

Five arms should have been enough to give her an advantage, but somehow that just wasn’t happening. Summer was meeting her, matching her, at every clash. Not by enough to gain an advantage, but the Desire could feel herself being locked into a stalemate. Was that what this was? Were they trying to stall her? Were they trying to make her even later than she already was?!

She was already starting to panic. Then it got worse.

 

“Hey, wanna know something cool?” The brunette grinned at her, locking arms in the middle of their fight. “Even if you beat me here and now, it’s too late! That Seal is going nowhere! You’re gunna get fired for sure~”

 

“You bitch!” Papers had never felt this kind of intense loathing before. Her neat and organised life had never allowed for it. No, she’d never needed it. Even Ted- Tina hadn’t generated this much hatred in her. She needed this woman, this creature, this monster to suffer! Turn her into, into a paving slab to be stepped on! Into an office chair to be sat in! Into a screen saver to be played with on slow days!

 

And yet, the rage wasn’t making her stronger. If anything, it was working against her. Her attacks were growing wild, uncoordinated, chaotic. The Serenity was dealing with each one more easily than the last, slowly starting to push forward – to push PaperPleaser back. Somehow… Somehow she was starting to lose.

 

Summer knew it, too. The brunette just grinned at her, face to face. Utter confidence. She knew she was winning.

 

But PaperPleaser had a trick up her silver sleeve. She could feel it. She could feel the power bubbling within. The power to grow, to evolve, to become stronger. The power she’d used to grow her fifth arm, her scissor arm, when she’d beaten the blue Serenity. The power she’d gained again when she defeated the green one.

 

It was there. Bubbling inside of her. Begging to be used. Brimming with potential to turn into this Serenity’s defeat.

 

If PaperPleaser could have smiled, perhaps her smirk would have warned her opponent. But, oh dear, this poor schedule destroying slut had no idea what was coming! Too bad~

 

So when the Desire jumped back from the fight, up to the door of the diner, she was sure it was a surprise move. It certainly gave her the space she needed. “Enough of this! You’ve delayed me enough already, Serenity. No more.”

 

“Oh?” That did, at least, seem to get Summer’s attention. The brunette was frowning, her defences high. “You know what? Yeah. Sure. This has gone on for long enough.” The red glow around her fists flickered and winked out, replaced with shining white light. “Let’s finish this, one way or another.”

 

PaperPleaser eyed that white light with instinctive wariness. She knew what it was without ever needing to be told. Serenity Seal. The light of defeat for a Desire. The truest enemy her kind had ever known.

 

… Well, it meant nothing now. No, she wasn’t afraid. She’d already won! The power inside her surged, a new arm sprouting out from her back, right next to her fifth, and sliding around her side, just over her expansive silver cleavage. And at the end of it was a new device. A polaroid camera.

 

Summer’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Like it?” The Desire was almost dancing. “It’ll be a great help for giving out new IDs. But why explain when I can demonstrate! Say cheese~”

 

The camera whirred, and almost instantly spat out the new photo. PaperPleaser caught it in one of her human hands, waving it triumphantly. “No more need to tag people with labels from afar. No more limitations on the range of my stamp. I can just take a picture, and apply it all to that instead! This is just. So. Efficient!” She was practically cackling as her arms spun around her – a new label printing, her stamp inking up. “I think I’ll make you my little digital assistant. Make you keep my files in order and search the internet for new templates, that kind of thing. Oh, you’re going to be adorable – I’ll click on you all the time~!”

 

“Yeah?” The Serenity glared. “I’m warning you now – I’m not very organised.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry.” The Desire laughed. “I’m good at fixing that.”

 

The two stared at each other.

 

Nothing happened.

 

PaperPleaser couldn’t blink, but her surprise was palpable. “What? Why aren’t you…?”

 

“What can I tell you?” Summer shrugged as the white glow around her fist intensified. “Maybe I’m just not very photogenic.”

 

Not very…? The Desire looked down. There, beneath her stamp, beneath her label, preserved in glossy 3 x 4, was… Nothing. There was no picture. Just a whited out, overexposed photo.

 

“Or!” The Serenity continued, her voice fast and unbelievably chipper. “Maybe I’ve just spent enough time being hassled by paparazzi that I practically dream of ways to screw them over! Like, say, hitting their cameras with quick solar flashes so their photos get bleached to hell~ What do you think?”

 

“I…” Stunned, PaperPleaser looked up – only to find a shining Summer right in front of her, fist pulled back.

 

“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “Time’s up. Serenity SEAL!”

 

The light connected, slamming straight into the silver Desire, piercing her defences in an instant. There was nothing she could do to fight it. Serenity washed over her, and she found herself sinking into contented peace.

 

-

 

Summer sighed with relief, leaning against the diner door frame – no, the coffee café door frame, as the Desire’s core dropped to the floor. It looked like a silver ‘Approved’ stamp, but she wasn’t about the take a closer look. She needed a moment – pushing that hard after only just recovering had been rough.

 

But it had been worth it. Already the changes that PaperPleaser had made to the mall were beginning to reverse. That wasn’t always a smooth process, but it looked like they’d managed to handle the Desire before-Oof!

 

“You did it!” The red Serenity was almost swept off her feet by a sudden delighted tackle from the one in green. Spring was hugging her side tight, a proud smile on her face.

 

The taller heroine laughed. “Hey, hey, easy there,” she said, sliding her hand around her friend’s shoulders – partially so she didn’t need to lean on the door anymore, but mostly to return the hug. “We did it, remember.”

 

Spring’s face fell. “I wish. I tried, but there really wasn’t anything I could do against her. In the end, it was all down to you. But, I mean, hey!” She tried to perk up. “I got a really good view of the fight! You were incredible! I could never-!”

 

“Spring.” Summer stopped her, laying a hand on the shorter woman’s head and ruffling her blonde hair fondly. “You were awesome. You nearly took her down. You would have soloed her if it wasn’t for my screw up. And if you hadn’t held her off, I wouldn’t have had time to recover. You did good.”

 

Her words really drew the shorter Serenity up short. “You really think so?”

 

The brunette nodded. “Yeah. You got unlucky at the end. Hell, the only reason the same didn’t happen to me is because she tried something I had a counter for. And if I hadn’t seen her grow a new arm against you, I wouldn’t have known something like it was coming.” She shook the smaller woman’s shoulder. “You got me the win. Okay?”

 

Spring blushed, but nodded. “Okay. We did it together. All three of us.”

 

“Right.” They smiled at one another – and then looked down as Summer accidentally kicked something. At their feet, the silver stamp lay waiting. Dormant – but under the right circumstances, still dangerous.

 

The brunette sighed. “We should probably…”

 

“Absolute Tomb!” Before she could finish, a cold wind whipped up around the stamp, sealing it up inside a block of ice. The two Serenities looked up to see the spell’s origin – the extended hand of their blue haired leader, looking just as she was supposed to – her figure restored, her uniform repaired, the curse of stone banished completely. “I got it.”

 

It was hard to say who called out louder. “Winter!”

 

“Hey girls. I-Gah!”

 

A Serenity might remain standing when tackled by a single member of their fellows, but getting tackled by two is far too much to resist. All three of them went over in a happy heap, Summer and Spring wrapping their leader up in relieved hugs. And, sighing with amusement, it wasn’t long before Winter returned the favour.

 

“Sorry I bowed out early,” she said, eyes turning downcast for a moment. But she shook it off, too proud of her team’s win to stay morose for long. “You’ll have to fill me in on what I missed!”

 

Naturally, Summer wasn’t having it at all. “You moron,” she grumbled as the three got back to their feet, still firmly locked in their hug. The brunette buried her face in her leader’s shoulder. “What the hell did you think you were doing? You don’t have to save my dumb ass from my own screwups.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Winter just rolled her eyes, her voice exasperated. “Seriously? As if you wouldn’t do the same for me in a heartbeat.”

 

God damnit. Summer closed her eyes, trying not to smile. “You don’t know that.”

 

“I’m afraid I really do.”

 

And that was it. There was no arguing with her. No getting her to see sense. Winter could be so stubborn about these things. Oh well.

 

“Hey…” Taking a breath, the brunette finally pulled back from the hug. “Thanks. For saving me.”

 

“Of course.” Winter just nodded with a shrug. “Any time.”

 

Then Spring chirped up. “And you rocked the mermaid look!”

 

Instantly, their leader’s calm and proud bearing faltered, the slightest traces of a blush warming her cheeks. “Ah. Um. Aha… Maybe we don’t need to-”

 

“Don’t be silly!” Summer was right back in there, looping an arm around her friend’s shoulders as she went in for the kill. “You really livened the place up! Brought the whole mall together! You know, I bet when they repair that fountain, they’re going to remodel it in your honour.”

 

The two Serenities could feel their leader try to hide her tremble. “I… No, that… They wouldn’t, would they?”

 

“Are you kidding? I bet the Foundation would sponsor it!” Spring was nodding along. “You know how desperate they are for good PR. A monument to how the Serenities saved the mall? They’re all over it.”

 

Winter’s eyes had taken a very fixed kind of glaze. She didn’t seem to be blinking.

 

“Just imagine – if they take good care of it, polish it up every month or so, they could keep that thing running for years. Decades of shoppers, all getting to enjoy your rainbow spewing tits~”

 

The blunette swallowed, closing her eyes and taking a breath. “How long is this going to be a thing?”

 

Summer raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you ask if I was going to a goth poetry jam just yesterday?”

 

“Ah.” And that was the end of her protests. She just sighed, gathering up the block of ice that contained the defeated Desire core with a nod. “Alright, alright. I suppose it could be worse. At least Miss Morgan didn’t see- The test!”

 

Winter froze, the block of ice slipping from her hands (Spring caught it). For a moment, it seemed like she’d been turned to stone again.

 

Summer just rolled her eyes, slapping her friend on the back. “Relax. We won! Everything turned out fine in the end.”

 

“But! We! I! But! They!” Oh god, you would never recognise the cool and calm leader of the Serenity Seasons in this woman right now. You could almost see the tears building in her eyes.

 

“Relax. Seriously, relax.” The brunette gave her leader a nudge. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

 

“Yeah.” Spring nodded, offering the ice cube back, trying not to shiver. “Come on. Let’s just get out of here.”

 

The three linked hands, their power starting to build. The fight was over. Their job was done. In a flash of light, they vanished, the three of them teleporting away, ready to return to their regular, civilian lives.

 

They left only a few words, echoing in their wake.

 

“It was just one fight against a Desire – which we won. How bad can it be?”

 

-

 

“You three are completely unqualified.” Ashley slapped her report down on the table in front of them. “There’s no way that the three of you should be entrusted with a small county, let alone a city. It’s entirely beyond your capabilities.”

 

It was lunch, the next day, back at the private room where they’d held their first proper meeting, and the groaning sound that Sophia made as she collapsed onto the table was hard to describe. A sort of cross between the collapse of an ancient tree, and a rusty door hinge being forced to move for the first time in years.

 

Rosa, though, was far more ready to fight the charges. “What the hell! We won that fight! Beyond our capabilities my ass!”

 

“Oh really?” The pink haired woman leafed open the report, running a finger down her typed-up notes. “Even putting aside your slow assessment of your target and your use of the Serenity Seal barrier somehow missing the Desire completely…” She looked up at the three of them – none would meet her gaze. “Then you, Rosa, let your emotions cloud your judgement and got your team leader taken out in the process. You,” she said, turning to Sophia, “sacrificed yourself to save someone who had just made themselves unable to fight, thus removing your most experienced fighter and leader, who your team depends on, for practically nothing. And you…” She looked to Lexi, who shrank back nervously. “You underestimated your opponent and forgot a basic fact about Desires, which cost you a fight you otherwise should have won. Do I need to keep going?”

 

“…” There was a tension that ran through the room, gathering over the meeting like a storm cloud trying to break, but unable to find the right spark to light the skies. None of the Serenities could answer her, even though all of them wanted to.

 

So Ashley kept talking instead. “It’s emotionality, inexperience, and luck. And girls, you cannot rely on luck in this business. You just can’t. There’s too much at stake.”

 

The blonde was studying her shoes. The blunette was trying to sink through the table. And the brunette…

 

“It came out okay in the end though, didn’t it?”

 

… Had her arms folded, still stubbornly trying to fight on.

 

“Did it?” The assessor sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Dozens of people transformed. Lives disrupted. An entire business corrupted, HQ is going to be dealing with that for weeks, trying to find out if the Desire left any victims we don’t know about. And the damages, the insurance claims alone – that fountain is not going to be cheap to fix…!”

 

An odd look crossed the former sports star’s face. “Well we do have a fix for tha-Mmph!”

 

Ashley pretended she didn’t see anything as a very highly emotional Sophia tackled Rosa out of her seat. Kind of an impressive move, actually, Rosa was no lightweight. But no, instead, she just focused on Lexi, who remained her favourite, as the other two rolled around on the floor.

 

“So, that’s it then?” The blonde tried to look up at her for a moment, before her eyes rooted themselves back to her shoes, her hands twisting together in her lap. “We can’t be Serenities anymore? We’re… We’re not a team anymore?”

 

The sound of rolling came to a deathly halt. Lexi’s voice was on the verge of breaking completely, tears gathering beneath her glasses.

 

But Ashley shook her head. “No. No, that’s… That’s not what I’m saying.”

 

“Wha-f?” A muffled voice called from the floor, before, with some hasty scrambling, the seats across the table were once again filled with Serenities, Sophia staring at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

“Yeah, cus, no offense,” Rosa said, not really meaning the ‘no offense’ part at all. “But it absolutely sounded like what you were saying.”

 

Lexi nodded in agreement.

 

“…” The pink haired woman glanced away. She had worded it dramatically – because she needed to make her point. A point these three needed to understand. “I gave you my assessment of your abilities, and it stands. But as things are right now… Girls, there isn’t anyone who can replace you as Sapphire City’s guardians.”

 

Lexi and Rosa just blinked at her in confusion, not understanding. But Sophia – the daughter of a Serenity – looked outright horrified. “No one…? But that’s… That’s not possible…”

 

“I wish it wasn’t.” Ashley nodded, still looking away. “The fact of the matter is that the Foundation is currently strained to breaking point. Things are starting to give way all over. You three are all that we can spare for this city.”

 

The tension in the room had been replaced with a chill. She could tell she had the girl’s full attention.

 

“I don’t understand.” Lexi was the one who spoke up. “What are you talking about? No one’s said anything about this to us…”

 

“No. Because that’s how bad it’s gotten.” The assessor leaned back in her chair. “If things were working well, you would all have mentors, experienced mentors – not just Serenity Winter, but Serenities who have been on the job for years, for decades, who could teach you everything they know. Serenities wise enough to identify a Desire from just one look at their minions, Serenities strong enough to beat ‘PaperPleaser’ and her like in one blow – without Serenity Seal.”

 

Now it was Rosa’s turn to look stunned. “Serenities can be that strong?”

 

“Oh yeah.” She laughed. “I know you think you’re hot shit, kid, but you should ask your friend there some of what she saw with the Saviours.”

 

Blonde and brunette turned to their leader in the middle, whose lips were folded in thought. “I… Yeah. Serenity Chorus could sense everyone in the entire city all at once – pick out a Desire from miles away. Serenity Knight could tank a shell from a tank without flinching. Serenity Hero nearly knocked a building over by accident once.”

 

The former sports star’s jaw had dropped. Oh, had she thought all of those rumours of what Serenities were capable of were just made up? Ahh, kids…

 

“Right.” Anyway. “So as much as I wish I had the power to force the three of you into remedial training, to give you the education you’ve been denied so that you could one day be ready to actually take on the responsibilities you’ve been given… There’s just no way of making that happen.”

 

“Why?”

 

Ashley blinked at Lexi. “Huh?”

 

“Why can’t you? Where is everyone?”

 

Oh. Right. That was the natural question, wasn’t it? Unfortunately…

 

“Classified,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t- Even what I do know, I can’t tell you. The Foundation’s keeping it on lockdown. None of you are to share any of this with anyone, you understand me?”

 

There was a series of slow nods from the other side of the table. That wasn’t a problem, at least. Serenities knew the importance of secrecy.

 

“So, what do we do about it?” Rosa was the one who asked, the other two lost in thought – though they were clearly still listening.

 

A sigh. “For the moment, we leave it to the foundation. They’re dealing with it. They’ll figure it out. But for now… You have your city to look after. That’s where your focus needs to be.”

 

“But you said-”

 

“What I said – earlier, yesterday – was that I’m here to help you.” She took a breath as all three of them looked at her in confusion. “You’re underqualified, inexperienced, and you rely on far too much luck… But you do have potential. You won the fight yesterday. You can win more. With training, actual training, I believe you really could be the Serenities your city needs you to be. And right now, for the moment, I’m guess I’m the best trainer that the Foundation can spare.” Ashley looked all three of them in the eye. “If you’ll have me, of course.

 

She offered her hand across the table.

 

The Serenities looked at one another, conducting a quick and silent conversation that the pink haired woman couldn’t quite decipher. She didn’t know them well enough for that – not like they knew each other. But she could tell enough to see that Rosa wasn’t too keen on the idea, while Lexi seemed more open.

 

In the end, it looked like it came down to Sophia’s choice – who, after a moment’s thought, reached out, and clasped the older woman’s hand in her own.

 

They shook. “We’d be honoured to learn what you’d teach us, Miss Morgan.”

 

Ashley smiled. “Let’s see what we can do, kids.”

 

-

 

Across town, another meeting was taking place – this one far less formal.

 

“So, what, we’re just stuck with her?” Gemma whispered, peering around the corner and staring at Heartman and Manhart’s newest addition to the secretary pool.

 

“Pretty much.” Josephine, her fellow accountant, was paying more attention to the coffee machine, urging it to finish distilling her needed caffeine. “The Serenities said she’s been added to the queue for purification, but it’s a long line. Could be months before someone could be out to see her- hi- them. In the meantime, they said she’s safe to just… leave be.”

 

“Huh.” Gemma was still staring at Tina, watching her merrily typing away at the front desk “Weird that she didn’t turn back when everyone else did though, right?”

 

“Yeah, I thought so, but apparently it’s more common than you’d think.” Ding! Aha! Coffee~ Yes, oh sweet, dark temptress, at last they were parted no longer. “If a Desire really puts some effort into the change, it sticks even after they get defeated.”

 

“Oh. Well. Guess I can’t really blame Maisy for that.”

 

“Right? Poor girl.”

 

The two sighed, Jo taking a short sip before blowing on her Styrofoam cup. Gemma was still watching, though. Now Tina was leaning up over her desk to help give someone directions. Good lord, how had she fit those things inside her top? “I guess she is a pretty good intern. But what’d his dad say?”

 

“Mr. Heartman?” Jo snorted. “I called him to let him know. He said, and I quote, ‘sounds about right’.”

 

“Oof.” Mr Heartman had never been one to mince words. “Well… I hope he’s learned something by the time they turn him back.”

 

“Oh yeah. But no rush. He totally deserves some time on the bottom rung after what he did to Maisy.”

 

“Yeah.” Gemma was still watching. A rising blush was starting to make its way up her face as she saw the intern lean over the printer, ass pushed high up in the air as she tried to work out how to make it print. “No rush at all…”

 

-

 

- Seven Months Ago –

 

It was two days before she could see her star striker again.

 

Two days filled with chaos, interviews, and unending stacks of paperwork. There were a lot of forms to fill in when this sort of thing happened, she had discovered. Just one of many things she’d always hoped she’d never have to learn about.

 

Of course, Rosa wasn’t the only one who needed a visit. The entire team… What was left of the team… All of them would need checking in on. But Rosa had suffered the worst. She’d been right in the middle of it all. And not just during the actual event. If the paparazzi had been a pain to Cathleen, then they must have been relentless for the striker.

 

So honestly, when she knocked on the girl’s dorm room door, she wasn’t sure she was going to get an answer. Honestly, if Rosa was smart, she’d probably already gone to ground.

 

But, to her surprise, the door swung open, revealing…

 

“Hey Coach.”

 

Cathleen wasn’t sure what she’d expected. Bags under the eyes? Slumped posture? A look of barely hidden despair? Rosa had lost- Well, she’d lost more than anyone that night. And the pictures had been everywhere.

 

So she hadn’t been expecting this. Calm. Resolute. It was almost like the past week hadn’t even happened.

 

Almost.

 

But the girl in front of her wasn’t the one she’d sent out to the game that night. A coach had to know her team better than that. Rosa Haywood had talked tough, but she’d back down if you made it clear you weren’t intimidated. This girl…

 

There was no flash of uncertainty in her eyes now. No self-doubt or hesitation. Instead, there was steel in her gaze. A purpose. Unyielding determination.

 

It wasn’t the kind of look that belonged on her face. Cathleen tried not to let on how much it worried her. “Haywood. How’ve you been?”

 

The brunette sighed, leaning back against her doorframe. “That’s all anyone seems to want to ask me these days.”

 

Well, there was a reason for that – but it was pretty clear that neither of them actually wanted to talk about it. Just like neither of them wanted to talk about Rosa wearing her hair up in a spikey ponytail now, rather than down in a long braid like she used to. Even now, some wounds were too raw.

 

So instead, the coach changed the subject, her eyes flicking past her star athlete, over towards the half-packed suitcases on her bed. “Going somewhere?”

 

“Oh. Yeah.” Rosa glanced back, before nodding. “I’m, uh. I’m moving in with my dad. He lives over in Sapphire city. Though that it might make some sense to get away from… all this.” She waved a hand in the air.

 

So she was getting out of the spotlight after all. Cathleen wished she could say it was the wrong choice. She really did. But maybe this was for the best. Maybe some time away would help. Maybe it would soften the look in her eyes. “It’ll be a shame to lose you for the team.”

 

Rosa snorted. “I think we both knew that was going to happen.” And for a moment, just for a moment, the old Rosa, plain as day. A flicker of all the exhaustion, confusion, and pain that the coach had expected to find on the other side of this door. “I don’t think I can even look at the court now. The thought of playing again…” Then she shook herself, and the steel was back. “I think my Strikeshot days are done, Coach. Maybe I’ll take up another sport for my cardio. I hear Volleyball is pretty popular over in Sapphire. Might try that.”

 

Oof. That was- Yeah, no, this was what she’d expected. Cathleen had desperately hoped to head this off, to convince her star student not to waste all of her talent over- over one bad game. But it sounded like Rosa had already made up her mind.

 

Still. She had to try. “Look, I know you feel like this now, but one day, all of this… It’ll all be behind you, kid. You’ll feel better. And when you do… You’ll wanna play again. The game’s in your soul, Haywood. You know it was well as I do.”

 

“Do I? I thought I did…” The brunette sighed, shrugging as she shook her head. “Now I’m thinking I didn’t know so much after all.” She looked up, eyes hard. “I won’t be playing again, coach. Not ever.”

 

… No. There was no getting through to her now. That was clear. The only hope was that some time away really would help her clear her head. “Alright. Alright, I understand. But… Look, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”

 

Rosa nodded. “Of course.” They both knew she was just humouring her.

 

Damnit. “… Just don’t do anything stupid, Haywood.”

 

“You know me, Coach. Would I do something stupid?”

 

… No. No, she doesn’t know Rosa. Not anymore. She came here to help one of her students, but she got here far, far too late. The fact that it might have been too late from the very beginning was no comfort at all.

 

“I’ll see when you’re ready to come back, kid.”

 

“Sorry, coach.” And for a moment the brunette did seem genuine, apologetic, but with true finality to them. “I wish- I wish…” She couldn’t finish. “Yeah. Good luck finding your next star. They’ll be lucky to have you.”

 

It was a nice thing to say. It might have even be true. Right now, Cathleen wasn’t feeling it.

 

But as she turned to leave, her eye caught a flash of light. A bracelet on Rosa’s wrist. A new one – one with a yellow gem set in it.

 

It shouldn’t have meant anything. It was just a gold chain. But Rosa had never worn casual jewellery before. Nights out with the girls were one thing, but she’d always made such a fuss about how that stuff ‘got in the way’ during normal hours. It was something that the coach remembered from endless gossip overheard in the locker room.

 

Just another change. Like Rosa’s eyes. Like her hair. It didn’t have to mean anything more than that. So then, why did the sight of a bracelet make her heart plumet through her shoes…?

 

A thought seized her. An errant grab at her heart that made her turn back, stop the door from closing entirely. Something that she had to say, no matter how much she didn’t want to, no matter how much she knew her star couldn’t hear her.

 

“Rosa.” She took a breath. Those cold eyes were staring back at her, blank, through the crack in the door. “Rosa, it wasn’t your fault. I need you to know that. What happened to your sister wasn’t your-”

 

“Gnight coach.” The door slammed shut. Even a strong woman like Cathleen couldn’t do much to hold it open against a star like Haywood. Just like there wasn’t much she could do to get her words through the girl‘s grief.

 

For a moment, she still considered trying. Thought about kicking the door down. Thought about screaming in Rosa’s face until she heard her, until she understood…

 

But no. It wouldn’t work. This… This was beyond Cathleen Weller. There was no more she could do. She just had to hope that someday, maybe, someone would manage to succeed where she had failed.

 

With downcast eyes and a mind far too clouded by thoughts of darkness, the coach walked out of the dorm as quickly as she’d arrived.

 

The next day, Rosa was gone.