“So, who do you think’s gonna win this one?” Elza asked.
Rosaline leaned out past Tabbitha’s shoulder. She’d been hugging her in celebration since Tabbitha returned to the group, and there was zero chance that Tab could have enough control over her body to answer anything. Rosaline may have been small, but she was dense, and Tabbitha was ill-inclined to fight her. Even if it came down to magic, Rosa could utterly dominate Tab, and it’d be a cold day in hell before either challenged each other.
“Terry, duh,” Rosaline said. “She’s quick-witted, she’s more powerful than he is, and she’s a stone-cold piece of work.”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “What does that even mean?” He didn’t have anyone to back him up. Since Elza had returned, Francesca had kept her distance, and Gabriel had pulled Max aside, consoling him after his defeat. He tended to take failure poorly, though from what Alex could hear with his overdriven senses, Max was coping well.
“Let’s be honest, okay, Alexander?” Rosaline said.
Alexander wasn’t opposed to the concept. Rosaline was one of the few people in their year that he truly respected. While she wasn’t on the same skill level, exactly, as him, Francesca, or Elza, she always kept up academically, managed solid scores magically, and spent nearly as much time as Percy in managing her fellow students.
Alex, accordingly, nodded at her.
“Good. Teresa’s a mess, and Percy isn’t.”
Alex frowned. “Isn’t that a point towards Percy?”
Rosaline raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought you were supposed to be the best at this. Like, tactics, magic, all that stuff.”
“I am,” Alex said, suppressing the feeling of being insulted.
“Then,” Rosa said, “isn’t it obvious?” At the lack of response from Alex, she decided that it wasn’t, freeing Alex from the burden of admitting that he didn’t get what she was getting at. “He’s limited, mentally, by operating by the book, by what’s supposed to be done. She’s chaotic. Teresa’s going to do, well…”
Alex tried to finish the sentence - he liked being right. “Anything it takes to win?”
Rosaline smiled at him - a knowing sort of smile, though he didn’t know what it was he was supposed to know. “If she knew how to win, yeah. But she’s even worse for him. She’s going to do anything she thinks works. And, well, you wanna know a secret?” Rosaline said, leaning in. Alex had to bend over to meet her mouth with his ear.
“Yeah?” Alex said.
“She doesn’t think very much.”
“That’s…” Alex felt confused. “Not great for her?”
Rosaline smiled at him. “Nah, you know what that means?” She didn’t even wait for Alex to shake his head - though he did. “Percy can’t predict what she does.”
That didn’t sound right. “Tactically, that’s great, but… practically, I don’t know, Rosaline,” Alex said.
Rosaline shrugged. “I’ve been fighting with Teresa for years. What do you think of Percy? I’ve heard he’s really straight-laced. Kind of predictable.” Alex knew she’d outscored Percy in academics for the last, well, many years. Rosaline had the position of authority on intelligence.
Eric Pahaliah I, second-eldest of their Guardians, and caretaker of Teresa and Percy, announced the beginning of their duel.
Before Eric even finished his sentence, Teresa was charging.
Then, a strange thing happened. Percy dodged out of the way, after which he expected for Teresa to wheel around, and he could catch her off-guard while she changed directions. Teresa, however, didn’t. She just kept running forward until she disappeared into the trees on the far end of their section of the training grounds.
Percy looked to Instructor Leor. “Is she allowed to do that?”
Leor shrugged, and chuckled a little. “Run away? As long as she doesn’t leave the training facility, I don’t see a problem with it. Adapt.”
Percy was dumbfounded, but once he processed that yes, this was happening, he chased Teresa into the woods. He spent what felt like a half hour trying to find her, instead just hearing taunts and laughter.
Back with the students, Guardians, and for that matter, Instructor Leor, several minutes passed while they wondered just what was happening, until Percy emerged from the woods, Teresa’s bandanna in his left hand, and Teresa, held up by a handful of the upper back of her uniform, like a misbehaving kitten held by the scruff of her neck, in his right.