Aura watched as Panther disappeared into her shadow.
She immediately directed her attention down at her feet, recalling what Panther revealed earlier. So, when Panther emerged from Aura's shadow, Aura flipped high into the air, out of reach.
Panther only managed to grab a handful of nothing. Then Aura came crashing back down, stomping Panther face-first into the floor.
There was a loud THUD, so Aura hopped away and watched to be sure Panther was still conscious. She noticed Panther's fingers twitch, so she yelled,
"If you can still move, get up."
Panther's movements stopped, then she sank into the floor again. Aura kept her guard up, eyes on her shadow, when Panther appeared on her back. Panther locked her arms and legs around Aura.
"I can use any shadow, even the one cast by your lovely hair," she explained. Aura held her breath and struggled to tear Panther's arms away. "Just give up, and I'll let you go," Panther said, though she was having a hard time maintaining her grip.
Aura bent over backwards, slamming Panther into the ground.
The wind was knocked out of her, and she released Aura all at once.
Aura straightened out her clothes as soon as she was free, then faced Panther and resumed her combat stance.
"That was clever," she commented. Panther lay on her back, stunned for a moment before hopping back onto her feet.
She faltered slightly and winced but quickly pushed past it and lunged at Aura.
She unleashed a variety of attacks, alternating between jabs and kicks smoothly. Though Aura reacted by dodging or diverting every move Panther made.
Panther became more desperate, striking more aggressively but it didn't change anything.
Soon the assault did push Aura into the corner of the arena. Her back touched the barrier's edge and a glimmer of hope sparkled in Panther's eyes. That's when Aura inhaled deeply, then exhaled a white mist that filled the entire space around them.
Panther's next hit struck a tree; she was suddenly in the middle of a forest.
"Where am I?" she muttered, looking around, but Aura was nowhere to be found.
Her ankle was swollen and it hurt to stand, but she limped her way through the brush, trying to figure out where she was or how she got there.
It felt like an hour had passed before she saw an opening through the trees.
As soon as she stepped into the light, she saw Aura standing there. She was happy at first but was hit with confusion again when she saw Aura was in a wedding dress.
"... What the heck are you wearing?" she muttered, then Fenix popped up out of thin air. He was dressed in a suit, looking so handsome that Panther began blushing immediately, despite the bizarre scenario she was in. Her heart fluttered and she forced herself to avert her eyes.
"Oh good, you're here too... where are we?" Panther asked in relief, as she wearily plopped down onto the ground.
They both ignored her and started passionately making out. Panther retched and turned away,
"Can't y'all do that somewhere else? Or at least take me home first."
Her voice shook as she asked this, but they paid her no attention.
"Stop it..." she muttered, but their show of affection seemed to get more intense, with Fenix grabbing Aura's leg and pulling it up to his waist. "I said stop!" she shouted.
It hurt watching them and hurt even more being ignored. Though at this point her legs were in too much pain for her to even walk away. She needed these people to get her out of this strange place, but they wouldn't even acknowledge her. She felt trapped and it almost brought her to tears.
In reality she was quietly mumbling to herself on the arena floor, bloodshot eyes staring at the ceiling, and drooling.
Aura crouched down next to her and poked Panther's cheek, saying,
"Looks like I win."
Panther was only stuck in the illusion for a minute before Aura released her.
The very moment her mind was freed Panther inhaled sharply and her eyes darted around the room.
"How was your nap?" Aura asked, her voice sweet but her gaze was as cold as ice.
Panther was panting and still trying to process everything. It was several seconds later when she replied,
"That was... a dream?"
A few tears escaped Panther's eyes and she looked deeply relieved.
"It was most likely a nightmare," Aura replied, a smile gracing her lips.
Panther met Aura's eyes and a chill ran down her spine. "What exactly did you see?" Aura added. Instead of answering that question Panther stood up and said,
"You said you can't fully use your powers up here."
Aura shrugged and stood as well.
"That's true. That doesn't mean I'm completely powerless, though."
They stared at each other silently, but the tension broke when Fenix came over and hugged Aura.
"That was amazing, Aura; your fighting style is so beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off of you," he commented, with all of his focus on Aura alone.
"Yeah, that was fun to watch," Shade agreed as he waved goodbye to everyone and headed to the exit.
Fenix gently stroked Aura's cheek and she nuzzled into his hand. That's when Panther said,
"Yeah... you were incredible. I'll take my leave now."
She was limping as she walked away.
"I can heal you, before you go," Aura offered. Panther gritted her teeth at the thought then replied,
"No, you were already tired before the match. I'll just go to the infirmary."
Panther was the one who pressured Aura into this fight. It would be humiliating to accept her help, now.
It was difficult for Aura to resist healing her regardless, but Fenix yanked her attention back to him, with a hand under her chin.
"There's another room on the Thunderbird that I want to show you," he began, as he rested his forehead against hers. "I'll take you there, if you're willing."
The tips of their noses brushed slightly, and Aura's heart raced from the closeness.
"I'm willing," she muttered, then he leaned in and kissed her lips tenderly.
Veil led Flow down the hall to the right-wing section of the aircraft and knocked on a door.
The person who answered was an annoyed, tired-looking Vision. He had a pen in his hand and yawned before saying,
"What do you want?"
Veil brushed past him, with Flow in hand.
"We came to hang out," Veil answered. His older brother groaned and Flow sat down in a chair, feeling a bit confused about why they were there.
"Almost everyone else is coupled up on this trip instead of you. I thought you might be lonely," Veil added as he flopped down in the chair at Flow's side.
A vein bulged on Vision's forehead and he forced a smile.
"I'm fine," he remarked through gritted teeth. Veil looked down and spoke,
"... I didn't want to leave you alone. I'm making time for you because... you're important to me too."
It looked like Veil hated admitting this. He was scowling at the floor. Both Vision and Flow looked shocked. A little later Vision sighed and said,
"Fine, what do you want to do?"
Veil's expression brightened and he took off his backpack excitedly.
"There's this funny card game I wanted to try. It requires at least three players. I was thinking we could try it out until dinner time."
Vision's heart melted at the sight of Veil's enthusiasm, so he placed his pen down on a desk and sat across from Flow and his brother.
"Fine, how do you play?" Veil eagerly read the rules aloud.
Caster returned to his room to find Mirror sleeping in his bed. She was hugging a novel close as if it were a pillow.
He stood in the doorway, caught off guard, but pleased. After a moment's delay he locked his door then crouched down at her bedside.
"... You're such a ... troublemaker," he muttered fondly as he placed a hand on her cheek. He then pulled the comforter up over her shoulders and examined the book. It was a simple fiction romance novel. He smiled faintly as he placed it on his desk.
"... The first time I noticed her... she was reading something similar," he mumbled. Then he sat down and read through the first few chapters in silence.
Dinner time was announced over the intercom. The sound startled Mirror who sat up in a panic. Caster turned to her and smiled.
"You alright?" he asked, calmly. She blinked for a moment, still disoriented, then she turned to him and grinned.
"My love!" she shrieked, as she jumped from his bed and rushed over to hug him. He patted her back.
"Why didn't you wake me?" she added, suddenly annoyed. She pulled away and glared at him, pouting.
"You looked so peaceful," Caster replied.
"... you should have woken me," she muttered softly. She pressed her lips together and balled up her fists. Caster grabbed her hand, and when she met his eyes, he said,
"I felt blessed enough to find you in my room... I'll make sure to wake you up next time."
Her pulse quickened and her smile returned as she replied,
"Alright, it's a promise."
Caster nodded, then they both headed to the cafeteria.