Claire glanced up and around at the half-emptied plaza. Briar quietly sat down on the bench next to her, then she dispersed her invisibility when Claire conveniently was looking the other way. Having decided to trust Claire for the time being, Briar decided to meet her the way she used to meet with the orphanage children. ‘Operation Meeting-Objective: Sunshine’ was now a go.

“You know, most people who come here look awful exited, or at least cheerful. If they’re not, then they’ve either lost something, or they had bad luck. Want some?” Briar asked, holding out a box of skewered meat to Claire, who was now staring at Briar dumbly.

Then realization dawned on her and she almost stood up-if not for Briar placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hold on a minute. I don’t want another stampede to happen like the last one. I had more than enough of escaping for one day, thank you.” Briar pointed out, and patted the bench.

“We’re fine if we stay relatively still. But, if you go and make a fuss, then I’ll have to run again.” She added. “Mind telling me what’s eating at you?”

Claire noticed that she had been about to cause a scene, and calmed herself.

“Ah, right.” Claire said, accepting one of the meat skewers out of politeness. “I’ve actually also been looking for you.”

Briar looked at Claire, and wrapped her arms around herself-staring at Claire with a look of absolute horror as she teased. “Don’t tell me, you want to marry me, too!?”

“What! N-no way! I’m not looking for you b-because of that!” Claire replied, flustered.

Briar couldn’t help but laugh. “Ahahaha! Your face was the absolute best there! Sorry, that joke was probably in bad taste.” Briar shrugged. “I’ve just had so many suitors stalking me, that it seems I’ll be hearing ‘Marry me’ echo in my ears for the next five months!”

Claire chuckled.

“Ah, there’s a smile! Good! My father always told me that the best thing a girl can wear is a smile, so it must be true.” Briar said, glancing up at the sunlight dancing through a nearby tree. “Don’t you think so?” She asked Claire.

“Well, I’m not too sure your father and my father think alike.” Claire said. “According to my father, a smile is a woman’s armor. While men win battles with swords, women win battles behind smiling faces. At least, that’s what I’ve found to be so. My cousins’ smiles are scary.”

Briar eyed Claire, doubtfully. “But that makes a smile nothing more than a mask! Surely, you don’t think that there aren’t any genuine smiles left?”

“That may be so, but haven’t you ever thought a person was scary even while they were smiling?” Claire asked pointedly.

“I don’t think so-no-wait…” Briar remembered her mother’s Asura face. “Ah. It seems I have. Mom is scary when she’s mad.”

Claire inclined her head. “See? What did I tell you-”

“But! That is not a smile! That is something else disguised as a smile!” Briar said pointedly. “Smiles come when you genuinely feel joy or happiness from the bottom of your heart. If they are not accompanied by joy or happiness, then they simply cannot be smiles!” She struck her fist on her open palm decisively, and nodded her head. “Henceforth, all other smiles shall be dubbed ‘pseudo-smiles’!”

Claire looked at Briar in astonishment. Suddenly she imagined Briar standing before the assembly of court ladies, declaring confidently. ‘Wearing nothing but pseudo-smiles and throwing about pseudo-pleasantries all day: henceforth, you all shall be dubbed as pseudo-court ladies!’ while pointing at them. The ladies, so shocked by the event, would fall to the ground in a dead fake-faint, the fake smiles wiped from their faces.

“Pfft!” A small laugh escaped her mouth, which she tried to contain, but soon bubbles of laughter burst out of her mouth uncontrollably.

“What? Why are you laughing! I was serious!” Briar said, looking confused, which only sent Claire into another round of laughter, to the point where tears began to come out of her eyes.

“That was the first good laugh I’ve had in a while!” Claire sighed happily, wiping a tear from her eye. It was true. Princesses were not really allowed to laugh out loud like that. The only exception was the courtly tittering and snickering that the Court Ladies deemed fashionable.

Briar eyed her, in fake resentment. “Seriously! I try to discuss something, and here you are just laughing without a care in the world! Perhaps I should leave, after all.” She pretended to sulk.

“Ah, my apologies. My mind went off on a tangent, there.” Claire replied.

“Well, that’s fine, I guess. I can remember going off on a few laughable tangents myself while looking at the Mayor during one of his insufferably long speeches.” Briar said, describing him. “He looked like an old bald tanuki with grey whiskers.”

Claire laughed again at the mental image.

“So cheerful now, I wonder what it was that made you look so glum to begin with…” Briar noted, wonderingly.

“Ah. Do you p-perhaps know who I am?” Claire asked, hesitantly.

Briar widened her eyes. “Do you mean you don’t know who you are!? If that’s true, you need to see a doctor!” She acted flurried, as if she didn’t know quite what to do first.

Claire giggled. “No, that’s fine. I know who I am. I was just wondering if you remember meeting me a while ago.”

“Of course, I do.” Briar said, bringing her fist up to her heart. “You’re the Rococco Miss, right? Sorry I couldn’t stay and trade pointers with you, but I truly had an urgent need to be somewhere at the time.”

“You’re not mad at me for saying those things?” Claire asked.

“Hmm? What things?” Briar asked.

“No, never mind then.” Claire smiled ruefully as she stood up. “But, my name isn’t ‘Rococco Miss’! It’s Claire! Princess Claire Marchand of Marchand Kingdom.” She curtseyed, dipping her head a bit, as she introduced herself.

“Hmm…I may not be well versed in the art of royal etiquette, but shouldn’t princesses not lower their heads so easily before others?” Briar asked, with a troubled expression.

“Not to anyone except for people they hold in high esteem, and those above their rank, yes.” Claire replied. “Since you have bested me in battle, it is allowed between us fellow magicians.”

Briar rubbed the bridge of her nose “I’m flattered, really. But can you not do that again? It feels really weird.” While it was true that Briar was eager to become the strongest, she wasn’t really used to people paying her respect. Moreover, if Claire truly was intent upon becoming her friend, then small things like courtesies could be dispensed with and forgotten.

“Where I come from, greetings are done this way.” Briar said, standing up and holding out her hand. She grabbed Clare’s and gave it a good hearty shake. “Nice to meet you, Claire! I’m Briar! Briar Rose of Grayelle Kingdom, at your service~!”

“Ah, so you’re in service to Grayelle’s King, I take it?” Claire asked, noting her introduction was done in military style. Usually, a person introduces themselves by their house, or their family name. If they introduced themselves by their country, then that meant that they were someone in service to the king.

“Well, I am a title-bearer, as well as an owner of Rose Mansion, although I haven’t been back for quite a while.” Briar sighed as she sat back down. “It’s not like I’m trying to hide it or anything.” Moreover, the way I obtained the title was done using magic, so even if they investigate, it’ll still come up in accordance to my character.

“But still, to become a title bearer and mansion owner at such a young age, is rather surprising!” Claire exclaimed.

Briar scratched her head. “I don’t know. It’s more of a pain, really. I mean, I’d rather be traveling than stay for court functions in Grayelle.”

“Oh, you like travelling?” Claire asked.

“Yeah!” Briar said, looking up at the sky. “One of these days, I’ll just up and leave, and explore all the corners of the earth!” Then she looked sideways at Claire and joked. “And if there are no corners, then I’ll make doubly sure not to miss anything!”

“Oh, you’ve heard about that theory? It’s become quite the rage in my kingdom. The idea that the world we live on is round is quite the novel idea.” Claire agreed.

No, you’re supposed to catch my desire to travel and ask me if I want to visit…. Briar wanted to tell her, but she couldn’t make things too obvious.

“That gives me an idea!” Claire clapped her hands together. “You want to travel, right? Why don’t you start your trip in my kingdom? We could show you our kingdom’s specialties, and I could show you the sights in the capital city!” Then she paused, and looked away.

“Or…maybe you could come by and visit later…” She said, remembering something.

“What? You invite me, and then you put off my visit indefinitely without my say?” Briar laughed. “What is it? Does the king have something against foreign magicians?”

“No, it’s not that.” Claire said, politely.

Briar raised an eyebrow and took on a stubborn face. “Claire, if you don’t tell me, then I’ll assume that you actually don’t want me to come to your kingdom at all.”

“Wha- no that’s not it!” Claire retorted.

“Then spill it out. What’s the problem?” Briar did her best stubborn impression.

“Well…” Claire began.

------------

“So, if you can’t get three first-rank master class magicians under eighteen years old, then they can just grab the land for themselves!?” Briar asked, frowning. “That’s just bullying! Why did you agree to that?”

“Well, our kingdom has always had a lot of magically gifted people, so we figured it wouldn’t be too hard to find some people who would be willing.” Clare said.

“But?” Briar asked.

“But, for some reason, they’re all away from the kingdom at this time. Even those who were close to breaking into first rank master class ended up disappearing.” Claire sighed.

“That smells of something truly sinister.” Briar noted. “Do you think these magicians are being ‘courteously hosted’ in said neighboring kingdom? Sounds like the typical evil villains.”

“We don’t know.” Claire said. “We don’t know if they won’t suddenly come out into the open with them as hostages, mid-contest, either.”

“Full time villains, even! Is their aim truly just the lands, though? They aren’t eyeing your enchanted items?’ Briar asked.

“Not so far as I know, but I wouldn’t put it past them.” Claire sighed. “And that is why I’m here at the Ten-Year Student Contest: to look for some magicians who might help me out.”

“Then, why didn’t you ask me?” Briar asked.

“Because…I want to be friends with you.” Claire said. “I don’t want you to misunderstand my intentions. Yes, I’m here to find magicians, but that is separate from my desire to be friends.”

“Well, do you know what I say to that?” Briar asked.

“What?” Claire asked.

“I say that if you don’t let me in on this, then I’ll be quite upset! Count me in!” Briar said, determined.

“B-but.” Claire stuttered.

“‘But’, what? What’s the problem?” Briar asked.

“What about your brother? Don’t you have to ask him?” Claire asked. Briar smacked her forehead.

“Right! I forgot! Don’t worry, though! If I really want to do something, then my brother can’t stop me! I’ll convince him, though. Worst case scenario is that I leave here without telling him about it.” Briar laughed.

“Um…I kind of already told him about it when I was looking for you, earlier.” Claire confessed, a small blush on her face. “But, it’s really strange how you two are both named ‘Briar’. You’d think that they would at least give you a different name from your brother.”

“Really? I like my name, and my brother does, too. We both wouldn’t have it any other way.” Briar said.

Then, all of a sudden, someone else recognized her.

“Hey isn’t that Briar?”

“But, didn’t she run away already?”

“But it really does look like her!”

“Uh-oh! Discovered again!” Briar leapt to her feet. “I gotta go! Talk to you later!” She rushed off as a crowd of people once more chased after her.

“WAIT, BRIAR!”

“CATCH HER!”

“MARRY ME!”

“So persistent! Why don’t you just give it a rest!?” Briar complained.

It’s time to use that new magic I learned earlier! Briar thought to herself as she jumped up, landing on an invisible platform in the air.

“What!” The chasing crowds exclaimed as they looked up at her. “Everyone! Thank you for your support! But I’m afraid I must decline your invitations: I don’t have time to wait; I don’t want to be caught by anyone; And I have absolutely no plans to marry! So, with that, please stop chasing me! Those who persist, I can’t guarantee what Madame Rothema will do to you.”

“She’s worried about us, how touching!” A noble wiped a tear away with a handkerchief.

“Rothema’s the real villain, keeping her from us!” another person yelled.

“I don’t care what Rothema will do! I’ll only do what I want to do!” Another stubborn suitor called out.

Sensing the magicians in the crowds begin to cast their spells, Briar grinned cheekily.

“Toodle-doo, then~!”

She jumped, forming magic platforms in the air with a kind of trampoline effect to them which launched her further up into the air. She jumped continuously, dodging immobilizing spells from the crowds below. They could appear anywhere around her, at any angle. Horizontal, vertical, at an angle, Briar was in full control of where these platforms appeared.

She easily rose up higher and higher until she cleared the height of the stadium, and disappeared behind the wall as she landed in the stands.

Claire watched her as she pulled off her great escape. “She’s really quite active for a magician. Is it because of her brother, I wonder?”