Most of the Foxes didn't need to be told twice. Dan and Matt hurried to find a volleyball team. Aaron and Nicky tugged their dates toward the dance floor. Allison was starting to look a little unsteady on her feet, so Renee ushered her off the court for a quick break. That left Neil, Andrew, and Kevin standing alone. Wymack eyed them.

"You miss that one and need to hear it again?"

"Oh, Coach." Andrew tossed his hands up in a helpless shrug. "You can't even imagine how much fun we are having right now. It's overwhelming. Give us a minute to catch our breaths before our hearts explode in our chest."

"You have thirty seconds."

Kevin waited only another twenty before setting off with Andrew and Neil behind him. He made a slow circuit of the court, seeking out every team save the Ravens. It didn't matter what athletes honestly thought of the Foxes; Kevin could bring almost any conversation to a grinding halt when he walked up. Kevin didn't go out of his way to be polite, but he kept most of his condescension in check. Neil ended up shaking more hands than he wanted to. Only a couple people tried to shake Andrew's hand. Andrew stared them down with a smile until they gave up.

It wasn't fun, but it was interesting, and with Kevin in the mix some of the athletes got worked up. Neil didn't realize how much time they'd spent talking about past games and some of the better professional leagues until he turned and saw Allison in his peripheral vision. A glance at his watch showed they'd been making rounds for almost two hours now. The event would close in an hour in preparation for a long day tomorrow.

Neil looked up at Allison again. She stood frozen on the edge of the dance floor, hands limp at her side and half-turned toward the court. Not completely frozen, Neil noticed a second later, because her head was moving as she followed something's progress. He turned and scanned the crowd in search of whatever had caught her interest.

It took him only a few seconds to realize the Ravens were coming. The entire team was crossing the court toward Kevin, walking in V formation like a flock of birds going south.

"Andrew," Neil said.

"Oh, finally," Andrew said, stepping up alongside Neil. "Kevin, look. We have company."

"Excuse me," Kevin said to the Breckenridge Jackals they'd been chatting up.

Neil heard the strain in his voice and hoped the Jackals hadn't. Kevin moved up on Andrew's other side. Neil buried his hands in his pockets to hide his white-knuckled fists. Riko stopped further away than Neil thought he would, but Neil understood a moment later. The rest of the Ravens kept going, flipping their V until they'd trapped the three Foxes between them. Neil looked at faces down the line and waited for someone to make a move.