“Splendid! We can finally go mooch off all that money your parents have!” Rowland declared jovially, almost as if being a leech were a noble ambition.

“So, what do we do?” Dennings asked.

“I need to know what your combat capabilities are,” Lucas replied.

“I can use this,” Dennings said, pulling out a large two-handed, double-edged sword. It was massive in proportion to her figure, akin to the ones that characters in ridiculous video games from the earlier days of MMOs used, and the blade was nearly the size of Dennings herself. It was as if the sword were built to kill horses or cut through solid plates of steel rather than function as a normal weapon. As she held it, however, it nearly seemed natural, and the only clumsy part of the image was the fact she looked to be wobbling backward as she did her best to maintain her balance while holding the gigantic blade in front of her. “I like to cut things with this, and I can spin really fast.”

“I see.” Lucas nodded. “What about you?”

“I can do this!” Rowland pulled out a goofy-looking, purple-crested scepter with more decorative jewels on it than a hip-hop artist’s neck piece. He then waved it at his arm and healed the injury. This, of course, caused Lucas’s eyes to practically pop out as he thought about the ramifications of instantaneously healing. Normally, even the best heals took over a second to finish channeling.

“Well, yeah, we should be fine,” Lucas said, nodding his approval. “Just keep your girl and me alive.”

“Like I’d ever let her get hurt. I learned to heal just for you, didn’t I, boo?”

Lucas felt a little nauseous as he watched the oblivious couple continue to absorb themselves in their public displays of affection. “If you don’t focus, I’m going to stab you myself,” Lucas grumbled.

“Ah!” the pair exclaimed together, shirking back.

“Don’t be so violent with your words,” Dennings cautioned. “Stab! So harsh. Please be considerate. We’re already in your care.”

“Right,” Rowland added. “We’ll do our best to stay alive, and I’ll definitely heal you, so please reconsider your tone.”

He’s right. My tone is much worse than usual, Lucas thought. I’m much more patient than this with most people. It’s not like I can do anything at the moment anyway. Then, as he watched them, he realized why he was so put off. This is what I had with Yu Hua. He had been this sickeningly affectionate, and seeing it in someone else just left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. The grapes were sourer than he could stomach. “Fine,” Lucas said. “When everyone gets here, I’ll explain our course of action.”