He said it so casually, made his demands sound so matter-of-factly. I don't even think they were demands, he was just asking. It was the bluntness, the inflexible hardness to his words that made it demanding, and solely due to that no one felt like contending.

No one dumb enough anyway…

"Nick," I took back the form, took back the pen, sliding both back to my side of the desk. "Back off already."

To speak to him, I'd have to look up. To level with him face-to-face, I'd have to tiptoe. I was never more aware of his humongous stature than right there and then.

I just didn't care.

"I'll back off, once you make me back off," He replied, looking down, crouching down. "So far, nothing you've done has given me any reason to stop. I won't stop. You never do anything."

"You're trying to prove something here, what is it?" I asked, placing both my hands flat on the table. "That you're a far better guy than I'll ever be? You're gonna prove it to her here and now by showing me up at this event?"

"There's nothing to prove," He said. "I am better than you."

"Sure you are…"

Nick ignored that. "If anything, you're the one that needs to prove himself."

"That's a nice sentiment. Here's mine - I don't need to prove anything to you."

"Not to me," He corrected. "To her."

His stare denoted mine to follow his, and so I did, to one of the thrones perched up high, to where one of the princesses' sat, facing the crowd with a wide smile that seemingly felt so strain.

"Prove that you're worth all this effort," He continued. "Prove it was worth becoming a first-time host just so that she could get you premium access to a convention that you probably could never afford in the first place. Prove it was worth the money and time she poured into this one day, to ensure that this one day even happened, just so she could have this one moment with you."

She became a host just for me? She invested in this convention just for me? All that effort, just for me? I… I didn't even know… she didn't even say...

Nick took a breath that could be easily heard, and I whirled around back towards him. I saw a peculiar look in his eyes that showed for just a moment… a look I couldn't even begin to describe.

"In other words," That look was gone, and his usual stoicness reemerged. "Prove that she was right for choosing you."

I felt something flare up inside me, a hot bubbly surge shooting through my chest and all the way to my head. I didn't know what it was. I was beginning to realize I haven't been knowing a lot of things lately.

"She is right," I said in a low voice.

"Is she? Then why is she forcing that smile up there? Why does she even have to put herself up there in the first place?"

"It's complicated, Nick."

"Not from where I'm standing."

"Well, I'm sure from where you're looking, the view is much clearer up there," I said, trying to wane this sweltering sensation inside me. "But down here, things are a little bit murkier."

"You don't deserve her."

"And you do?"

"At least more than you, at least I did something, unlike you who's done absolutely nothing," He said, heaving heavily, like a giant dragon flaring its nostrils. "And that, more than anything else, I can absolutely say for certain."

At that precise moment, there was a yelp, a shriek, and a loud collective gasp of surprise, as a resounding crash echoed atop the floorboards. A swirl of papers slowly fluttering to the ground, and the clatter of a pen bouncing twice.

The table collapsed, on the floor, flat, in a clutter of wood and paper. My hands remained hovering where they were, and dispersing through my palms was a peculiar feeling… a pressure intangible, invisible… and for some reason, that mounting sensation inside me dwindled somewhat slightly.

I'll just assume the table legs were a little brittle, hence the collapse. After all, that's the normal assumption to make when one does… as Ria would say.

'Wrong," I muttered, my gaze never once straying from his.

Nick eyed the broken desk, an inkling of surprise appearing briefly, before it disappeared with a blink.

"Then like I said," He replied. "Prove it."

And with that, he spun away, started walking large distancing steps that creaked the floorboards, then right before he disappeared into the loitering idling crowd, he spoke again out loud, in that same matter-of-fact voice, asking, demanding…

"Do something."

I watched him go, and I wasn't proud of it, but I was pissed… and I was even more pissed at the fact that it wasn't even him I was pissed at. I was pissed at myself because I couldn't even say anything that could refute him because he was absolutely right.

All this time, I've just been reacting and reacting, but never doing. Something I didn't want, something I did want, I was never firm on anything. For everything, I just stood there, stupidly nodded my head and just let myself get swept along like a piece of plank floating out in sea.

Maybe if I weren't so damn docile all the damn time, I wouldn't even be here in this situation right now. Leon would have backed away, Nick would have too.

They saw me the same way I see myself every day - weak, pathetic… someone who would rather let others take the helm, while I sit back and do the bare minimum… and they took advantage of that, and now here we were.

To summarize, I had a spine, but just no backbone. And honestly, they've been right all along so far… but not for long.

If there was any indicator that something could change, it just happened right then… Nick just showed me. It was the first time he's ever walked away from me instead of the other way round… and usually, he'd been staring at me go.

Now, for the first time, I was the one doing the staring. I decided there's going to be a lot of first times from here on out too…

There was a raspy croak that abruptly broke the quiet, and the Hunter turned to me, his lips parted wide open. "The fuck... was that all about, dude?"

I shook my head, crouched down, and began clearing up the stray pieces of paper nearest towards me. "Nothing."

"It was a pretty tense nothing, if you ask me," remarked The Vampire, before clicking his tongue and sounding a weary sigh. "All the tables in the building and somehow we got the one that's on the verge of collapse. Thank the Divines, it didn't fall our way instead. Look, never mind the mess, we'll clean it up ourselves."

Though he says that, the only one to actually come crouching down alongside me was The Witch herself, the rigid expression on her face half-shrouded by a downcasted gaze.

"I'm sorry about my little brother," She muttered, her cheeks lightly flushed. "He's usually not this way. I swear he's nicer than this normally."

"Little brother…" I muttered a little amused, handing her the pages I've sorted thus far. "Not so little, if you ask me."

She took my pile, adding it to hers, all while shaking her head in five-second intervals. "It's just when it comes to Amanda, he's… he can get passionate. Now you throw the boyfriend into a mix and he's just… something else, speaking of which - !"

The Witch snapped her eyes upwards, her expression unveiled to reveal a gaping teeth-baring smile, and unblinking eyes, sparkling wide with delight and surprise.

"You're the boyfriend?! This whole time?! Is this true?! You're the one she put herself up there as a grand prize for?! The one she's been neglecting her hostesses duties for today?! The one she's been threatening to quit her role over for if she didn't get her way?! You?! Of all people, I never - "

"Would have thought?" I said, eyebrows raised, standing up to my feet once more, giving another fleeting glance towards the princess on her throne. "Yeah… same."

"That aside," The Wizard crossed his arms, his lips thinning in contemplation. "What do we suppose we do about Nick now? Do we really let him compete after all?"

"You heard his argument," The Hunter flung an arm, melting into his seat. "Can't really argue he did a lot for us too. If he wants in that bad, then I suppose - "

"No!" The Witch shot up, a glare slanting her brows sharp. "We keep breaking the rules, what's the point of even having them? Before we know it, we have accusations of planting staff members in events to rig the outcome lining our doorsteps."

"Yes, but - " The Vampire began, but was immediately interrupted as well. But it wasn't the Witch, it wasn't any one of them talking over one another like they always do.

It was me.

"Let him compete," I said. "No one's gonna cry over a rule broken once or twice if my experience in the library is anything to go by."

"Then you're gonna have to square up against him too," The Witch pointed out, "He's a big guy, and since you're the boyfriend… he's not going to go easy on you, you know?"

"If he wants to break me, then let him break me," I said, waving it off. "Bear in mind, it's not like I'm just gonna let him."

The Hunter gave a snort. "You're… small."

"I'm more durable than I look," I nodded my head at him, the many tinkling bells chiming along in agreement. "Trust me."

"Alright, fine, it's your funeral," The Witch exclaimed, setting the bundle of papers aside. "Amanda already broke the rules once… like you said, a second won't matter."

There was a murmur of agreement from her peers, and she sealed the deal with a firm clap of her hands.

"Very well, Nick would be allowed to participate," She proclaimed, reverting back her mystical, playful tone once more. "Now it's your turn, dear Jester. Pick a side, write your name, and soon we'll - "

"Oh yeah, about that," I interjected, keeping my tone blunt, casual, and yet very, very firm… then with a click of a pen between my fingers, asked, "Do you mind breaking the rules again for a third time?"