Into the Depths

Chapter 7

Sometimes 'girl time' was well deserved. This? This was one of those times. Cotillion had ended without any fuss or fanfare and the group had split, the boys dragging Ben off for some 'guy time' and the girls dragging Mal and Evie off for a sleepover.

Apparently it was a well established Cotillion tradition. Evie was all for it but Mal was more than a little hesitant. She wasn't big on 'girl' things. Smoke bombs? Sword fights? That was more her area of expertise. Not hair braiding and makeovers.

Thankfully, Mal had forgotten just who was involved in this sleepover group. Lonnie, Macaria and Emma were no pampered princesses (even if Emma was a princess) and Rowyn and Robin wouldn't try to force makeovers on people.

"Okay, okay, I got one," Robin said, leaning on the four poster bed in her dorm. They were playing a game Emma had started called 'Would You Rather?' "Would you rather eat a bad apple and sleep for a week or break up with your prince?"

"Apple," Evie said instantly.

"Yeah, what she said," Mal nodded before chuckling. "Though I guess it would be 'king' in my case."

"Apple," Macaria said, shaking her head in amusement at her cousin's comment. "Just because I'm curious to see how it would affect someone who was part deity."

"Princes are overrated," Lonnie shook her head. "Besides, sleeping for a week means less time to train for Swords and Shields."

"Depends if I really liked the guy or if he was a political match," Rowyn said. "Then again, sleeping for a week might be a good way to break up with your prince if he was a more shallow type."

"Though I bet you'd pick 'apple' if the choice was that or breaking up with Conner," Robin teased.

"Shut up!" Rowyn glared but her red cheeks betrayed her.

"Conner?" Mal asked with a small chuckle. "Ben's former Tourney team mate?"

"The very same!" Robin nodded.

"Oh like you don't get doe eyed over William," Rowyn shot back at her sister, who shrugged but a faint blush came to her cheeks.

"Okay, both of you like someone on the Tourney team?" Mal asked. "Ben'll be happy. He keep saying that those boys need girlfriends so that they'll stop trying to pry into his dating life."

"Well Emir's covered with Emma," Evie spoke up. "Plus Akiho's now with Elle. Carlos is with Jane and Chad is in an on again off again relationship with Audrey. I *think* they might be getting close to on again but then again I don't really talk to Chad. Or Audrey."

"Okay as fascinating as this is and now the four of us and Jane will have to form a 'dating Tourney team members club', I believe it's my turn!" Emma chuckled. "Would you rather sing with a squirrel while you twirl or have a zit?"

"Zit."

"Zit."

"Zit."

"Zit."

"Squirrel."

"Come on you guys, what do you have against squirrels?" Emma asked with a small pout. "Only Macaria picked squirrel!"

Macaria shrugged. "I don't get zits. Again, part deity. Have you ever seen a God with acne?"

"Nothing against squirrels Emma," Mal said. "I don't twirl—tonight was an exception, not the rule. Plus, zits will go away at some point."

"If you're good enough at makeup, you can make the zit disappear while you have it," Evie nodded. "Besides I think Dude would chase away my dance partner."