The Beautiful Ones, Still Angry Fast

The kingdom of Eldoria, much like a particularly sparkly teacup, had settled back into its usual shape after the rather tumultuous affair of the Crown’s Comeback. Lin and Feng, having navigated treacherous landscapes, outwitted grumpy gnomes, and even managed to avoid being permanently pickled by a disgruntled sorceress, were, for all intents and purposes, home. Sheng, too, was home, or at least, she was back in their shared chamber, perched on her usual spot by the window, humming a tune that was suspiciously jaunty for someone who had been… well, wherever it was she had been.

Life, as it tends to do when it’s not being actively derailed by magical mishaps or the sheer force of feminine fury, began to stitch itself back together. Mornings in the Royal Academy started with the familiar clatter of their satchels and the even more familiar, almost comforting, rumble of Lin’s pre-coffee grumbles. Feng, ever the pragmatist, would simply nudge Lin’s elbow with a barely perceptible smirk, while Sheng would offer an unsolicited, and often wildly inaccurate, weather forecast.

“It’s going to be a day of sunshine and rainbows, with a slight chance of… exploding cupcakes!” Sheng declared one Tuesday morning, her eyes twinkling with an almost manic glee.