She paused her speech to gaze from one bed to the next and from chair to chair. Everyone was unsurprisingly quiet in this moment, even the angry ones. “I’m going to start interviews tomorrow,” Fifer said. “So be prepared to show me and the others that you can be trusted.” She turned to go. “Now, get some sleep. We can all use it.”

Especially Fifer. She was feeling exhaustion set in, but she still had a few things to do before she could rest. And part of her didn’t want to rest, because that would just open her mind up to spin around all the problems with Artimé, with Thisbe, and with herself. At least for the moment she could cast those aside. Being busy had its advantages.

The crew of statues fixing the mansion continued to work while Fifer went upstairs to expand the hallways and add new apartments for all of their guests. By the time she finished showing their Grimere friends where they would sleep, she was exhausted and ready to collapse. She went straight to her room and found Thisbe there already, unpacking her things in the bedroom.

“Oh,” said Fifer. “Hi.”

“You moved me back in,” said Thisbe, looking up. “I tried the other room—the one you threw all my junk in front of last time I was home—but the door didn’t know me anymore.”

“Yeah… I didn’t want all of your stuff to sit out in the hallway forever after you left without telling me.”

Thisbe pressed her lips together and sat on her bed. “I see.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Do you have anything else you’d like to say?”

Fifer sighed. She knew she shouldn’t start this right now when she was tired. That was never a good idea. But she’d been feeling bad for so long that it just came out. “I feel like you intentionally misunderstood me.”

“What? When? Today?”

“No, not today. Right before you left. You kept finding things to get offended about as you walked around here with your… your attitude. Like you were more important because you had a mission in the land of the dragons, and I was just being silly because I believe people need fun in their lives. And water. Remember that time you yelled at me because I said people should have canteens, of all things?”

Thisbe burrowed her fists into her eyes. She could feel a quick anger rise inside her. “You were being selfish.” She let out an exasperated breath, overwhelmed with all of the misunderstandings and how to address them. “Look, we’re both exhausted. Can we talk about this later?”

Fifer clenched her teeth and nodded primly. “Are you staying here? In this room?”

“May I, please, your head mageship?” Thisbe said sarcastically.

“Are you jealous of my position?” asked Fifer, narrowing her eyes. “You said you didn’t want it!”

“No, of course not!” yelled Thisbe, throwing her hands up in frustration. “It seems like a terrible job, if you ask me. All I was saying is that this is still my room too, isn’t it? Besides, I figured you’d be the one to move out.”