The walk into town started off innocently enough. Ciara, despite her reputation for being intimidating and stoic, seemed surprisingly curious about every little thing. This led to a lot of unexpected hilarity.
As we strolled down the cobbled main street, Zaya took it upon herself to act as the self-appointed tour guide.
"To your left, behold the legendary 'Half-Baked Bakery,' home of the infamous exploding eclairs," she said, gesturing dramatically toward a quaint shop with pastel awnings.
Ciara raised an eyebrow. "Exploding eclairs?"
"They're supposed to be filled with cream," I explained, stifling a laugh, "but apparently, the baker experimented with some kind of fizzy filling last year, and—boom."
Lise chimed in, grinning. "They were banned for six months. A shame, really. I kind of wanted to try one."
Ciara gave her a skeptical look. "Only you would willingly eat a potential pastry grenade."
"You don't know what you're missing," Lise replied with mock indignation.
Further along, Zaya stopped in front of a small stall with vibrant scarves fluttering in the breeze. "This is where I get all my cool accessories," she said, flipping the edge of her jacket collar for effect.
Ciara squinted at the stall. "Are those actual enchantments, or are you just drawn to shiny things?"
"Both," Zaya admitted, unapologetically.
Ciara's deadpan response—"That checks out"—sent us all into fits of laughter.
As we moved deeper into the bustling town, Ciara began to pepper us with more questions. "So, what's the most chaotic thing that's happened here?" she asked, her tone casual, though her eyes sparkled with intrigue.
Lise snorted. "Aside from rogue demons? There was the time the potion shop owner accidentally turned half the student body into frogs."
"Oh, don't remind me," I groaned, recalling that particular incident vividly. "I spent three hours hopping around the courtyard before the antidote kicked in."
Ciara actually laughed—a deep, rich sound that caught us all off guard. "I wish I'd been there for that."
"You and me both," Zaya agreed. "Eileen made the cutest little frog."
I shot her a glare. "Don't make me set your jacket on fire."
She held up her hands in mock surrender, still grinning. "Noted."
As we continued, Ciara's interest shifted to the various shops and their quirky offerings. One particularly bizarre stop was a store filled entirely with enchanted knick-knacks.
Lise picked up a mirror that exaggerated your facial expressions to cartoonish levels, while Zaya discovered a pen that wrote in sparkles, much to her delight.
"Can I just say," Ciara began, watching Zaya doodle glowing stars on a scrap of paper, "this place is both absurd and amazing."
"That's pretty much the whole vibe of this town," I said, shrugging. "You get used to it."
By the time we reached the central square, Ciara had amassed an assortment of random items she insisted were "souvenirs."
Among them was a wind-up dragon toy that breathed tiny puffs of smoke and a hat that, when worn, made your voice echo dramatically.
"Are you sure you need that?" Lise asked, eyeing the dragon.
Ciara smirked. "Need is a strong word."
The real hilarity came when we passed a street performer demonstrating some flashy magic tricks. Zaya, ever competitive, couldn't resist showing off her own shadow manipulation skills.
This resulted in an impromptu duel between her and the performer, which ended with both of them tumbling into a fountain, much to Ciara's amusement.
"That was… impressive," Ciara said, barely containing her laughter as Zaya emerged, dripping wet but grinning triumphantly.
"I'll take that as a win," Zaya replied, shaking water everywhere.
After that, we decided it was time for a break. We found a small café with outdoor seating and ordered some drinks. Ciara, to my surprise, seemed genuinely interested in hearing more about life at the university.
"So," she said, leaning back in her chair, "how's the food?"
"Surprisingly good, except on mystery meat day," I said. "Then it's best to stick to salads."
"Noted." She sipped her drink thoughtfully before turning her attention to Lise. "And the social scene? I imagine it gets... interesting."
Lise smirked. "Let's just say there's never a dull moment."
Zaya, who had finally stopped dripping, added, "Especially when Sapphire's around."
That earned a chuckle from Ciara. "She does seem... memorable."
Eventually, we resumed our walk, wandering through a park filled with vibrant magical flora. Ciara paused to examine a tree with glowing blue leaves, her expression thoughtful. "You all make it sound like this place is some kind of chaotic paradise."
"That's a pretty accurate description," I said.
"And yet, you're all still alive. Impressive."
As we rounded a corner, the faint sound of music and laughter reached our ears. We followed it to discover an arcade, its neon lights flashing invitingly.
Ciara stopped, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Let's play."
The arcade was alive with flashing lights, a cacophony of sounds from games beeping, buzzing, and cheering, and a mix of excited chatter and laughter from groups of students.
As we stepped inside, the vibrant energy was contagious, and even Ciara's usual stoic demeanor softened into an intrigued expression.
Zaya clapped her hands together. "Alright, who's ready to get their butt kicked at skee-ball?"
Lise grinned. "Not a chance. I was practically born to dominate at arcade games."
"Oh, this I've got to see," I said, smirking as I grabbed a handful of tokens.
We split up, each gravitating toward different games. Lise, ever confident, made a beeline for the basketball hoops. I trailed behind, curious to see if her self-proclaimed skills matched her bravado. The game began, and within seconds, it became abundantly clear: Lise was terrible.
She threw the basketballs with such wild force that they ricocheted off the rim, nearly hitting other players. After her third miss in a row, I couldn't hold back my laughter.
"Are you trying to score points or start a riot?" I teased, clutching my sides.
"Shut up!" Lise barked, her face turning red as she tried again, only to send the ball careening off to the side.
Even Zaya couldn't resist chiming in. "Wow, I think you're setting a record for *worst* score ever."
"Alright, alright," Lise muttered, glaring at the scoreboard. "Maybe basketball isn't my thing."
I snorted. "Understatement of the year."
We wandered further into the arcade, trying our hands at different games. I crushed everyone at air hockey, which only fueled Lise's competitive streak as she tried, and failed, to beat me at every game we played.
Meanwhile, Zaya was having the time of her life obliterating enemies in a shooter game, and Ciara hovered nearby, quietly observing the chaos.
At one point, a woman with striking features and a confident smile approached Ciara. She leaned against the game Ciara was casually playing a claw machine and gave her a flirtatious grin. "I couldn't help but notice you. Care to grab a drink after this?"
Ciara didn't even glance at her. With an almost dismissive wave of her hand, she replied, "Not interested."
The woman, clearly not used to rejection, hesitated before trying again. "Oh, come on. Just one drink?"
Ciara's tone was sharp but calm. "No. Move along."
As the woman huffed and walked away, Zaya let out a low whistle. "Wow, that was brutal. Usually, you'd be all over that."
Ciara shrugged, her expression unbothered. "People change."
"Do they, though?" Zaya said, raising an eyebrow. "Because last I checked, you were the reigning queen of one-night stands. You've broken more hearts than I can count."
I glanced at Ciara, curious to see how she'd respond. Instead of getting defensive, she gave a small, knowing smile.
"Fair point," she admitted. "But that's the old me."
"The *old* you?" Zaya repeated, her tone skeptical. "So what, you're a saint now?"
Ciara rolled her eyes. "Hardly. But I do have a girlfriend."
That caught all of us off guard. "Wait, what?" Zaya blurted. "Since when?"
"Since a few months ago," Ciara said, her voice softening slightly. "Her name's Aeliana."
Zaya's jaw dropped. "You—Ciara, the woman who swore she'd never settle down—have a girlfriend? And you didn't tell me?"
Ciara shrugged again. "It didn't come up."
Lise, who had been quietly watching, let out a low whistle. "Aeliana must be something special."
"She is," Ciara said, a rare, genuine smile crossing her face. "And I'm going to propose to her."
The weight of her words hung in the air, stunning all of us into silence.
Zaya froze mid-step, her eyes going wide as she processed what Ciara had just said. "Wait a minute. Aeliana? As in Grandma's assistant? The hot one with the glasses who's always super serious and doesn't have time for anyone?"
Ciara smirked, clearly enjoying Zaya's reaction. "That would be the one."
Zaya blinked rapidly, then pointed a finger at her sister. "You mean to tell me that her, the woman who once refused to even look up from her clipboard while I was talking agreed to date you? The same Ciara who used to flirt with anything that breathed?"
"Sounds about right," Ciara said casually, inspecting her nails like it was no big deal.
"That's—how is that even possible? She was *always* shutting people down! Grandma's assistant was like an anti-flirting machine. I didn't think she even *liked* people!"
Lise and I burst out laughing at Zaya's disbelief. "Maybe Ciara's charm is stronger than we thought," I teased.
"Oh, please," Zaya muttered. "It's not charm; it's sorcery. Aeliana must've hit her head or something."
Ciara chuckled, a glint of pride in her eyes. "She didn't need convincing. She just saw the real me."
Zaya snorted. "Yeah, right. This I *have* to see."