Sugar and Spice

Lexi♡: Mitty, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean what I said. You were helping in your own way and I was too stupid to see it. I just wanted a bit of comfort and was mad I didn't get it from you. It's not your fault. The fever just made me completely crazy. Please text me, I want to talk.

***

Lexi♡: I shouldn't blame the fever. It's entirely my fault. Please, I'm sorry.

***

Lexi♡: Are you okay?

She hates me she hates me I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry she has every right to hate me I'm a selfish worthless prick I'm sorry Mitty I'm sorry.

***

The night continued to spin, the walls bending into each other, the blackness swirling into a hot vortex that pulled Alexis up, up, up, before slamming her back onto her bed. A river of dark lava lapped at her duvet, trying to grab her legs and pull her down into its boiling black depths. Beneath her covers she swam in simmering water, sweat pouring from her ragged, shivering body that burned and froze at the flick of a switch.

Any time she tried to lift her head, hammers pounded into her skull, forcing her to sink into the cloud that threatened to swallow her. With every swallow a sea of needles pricked her throat. Her fuzzy tongue swept over the parched desert of her mouth in an attempt to find moisture.

Thoughts upon thoughts drilled into her brain, warring for attention, layering over each other and melding into a cacophony of indistinct noise. She begged them to stop, for everything to stop. She needed Mitty--no, that wasn't right. She needed sleep.

She continued floating in the galaxy of her room, begging sleep to take her.

***

Lexi♡: I just wanted to say thank you for what you did yesterday. I feel a little better. I hope you're okay.

Alexis sat up from the stew that was her bed, her pyjamas plastered to her body thanks to dried sweat. She should really try showering now that she could actually move without collapsing. She'd been awake for a few hours and was able to perform her basic morning rituals, but breakfast and proper hygiene still eluded her. Her stomach grumbled for attention.

The room didn't spin when she stood up, and the ache in her skull subsided after downing a glass of water. In its place however was a sharp pain in her throat each time she swallowed, and her nose started dripping.

I haven't had a cold this nasty in years, she thought as she drew back her curtains, letting sunlight filter into the room. She stood in the warm rays for a moment, watching healthy students trudge through the field towards class. Figures I'd get it before the Viewing.

She sighed heavily. The Firestar Viewing was tomorrow, and with the way things were looking, she definitely wouldn't be well enough to go outside in the cold. The dull ache in her chest throbbed at the thought. Doesn't matter. If Mitty wanted to go before, she definitely doesn't now. Not with me.

If she pushed Mitty away forever because of her own idiocy, she wouldn't forgive herself. She'll reply. She has to reply. She just needs time to cool off, that's all.

She glanced at her silent phone on the table and sighed.

She tiptoed past the clothes on her floor to the bathroom to shower, trying to push away the quiet fear that threatened to grow with each minute her phone stayed quiet. I'm not alone, it'll be okay, we'll apologise and go back to how we were. She shuddered in front of the shower, hugging her body. I can't be alone again…

She moved on autopilot while she kept herself occupied with thoughts of what she was once again missing. Firestars filled her head with orange and red, the joy of those far away echoing in the background. Mitty should've been among them.

Her eyes flew open as the soothing cool water soaked her fur.

Does Mitty have someone else to go with?

This entire time, like the selfish person she was, Alexis had only been thinking of how this affected her, when Mitty might also be alone on her last Viewing as a student.

Oh, no, this won't do. There has to be someone Mitty can go with! She can't spend the Viewing alone!

She showered with purpose now, taking only a moment to relish the cold water washing the stress and sweat off her body, before slipping her clothes on as quickly as her fatigue and light-headedness would allow. She made herself a quick breakfast of porridge and took out her phone.

No reply.

She hates me--

Alexis growled at herself, throwing the thought aside. There would be time for self-pity later, if Mitty truly ignored her.

Lexi♡: Do you have someone else to celebrate the Viewing with?

She ate her sweet banana and oat mush while waiting for a reply. There was no guarantee Mitty would even respond, especially considering how invasive it might sound to someone as guarded as her, but Alexis had nothing else to do but wait. Oh, and blow her nose multiple times.

While scraping the bowl clean with her spoon, her phone chimed.

Mitty: no. I wanted to go with you.

Alexis stared at the message. Was her fever back, was she hallucinating again? She didn't feel feverish... She rubbed her eyes, shook her head; the message was still there.

Guilt stabbed her chest. Now that there was no fever to cloud her judgement, she knew Mitty was telling the truth. Mitty might not be earnest face to face, but her texts never lied. Alexis groaned. How could she think Mitty didn't care? How could she call her that foul word?

While she thought how to respond, wondering if she should apologise again, Mitty continued.

Mitty: glad you're feeling better. and it wasn't a problem. I couldn't let you stay in class like that.

Alexis sighed. She doesn't hate me… She started shaking, but not from a fever. Relief racked her tired body, staining her cheeks with tears. She shut her eyes to stop them watering. We're okay. We'll be okay. She wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Gosh, the fever really had made her weak. Who cried from relief?

Lexi♡: thank you. Again, I'm really sorry for what I said yesterday. I was wrong.

Mitty: no, you were right. I'm sorry.

Alexis' eyes widened. Okay, now she had to be hallucinating again. Why was Mitty sorry?

Mitty: it's like you said, you were sick and wanted comfort but I was too scared to give it.

Lexi♡: But that was no reason for me to lash out at you!

Mitty: dude you were sick and frustrated, I get it.

Mitty: I mean yes it sucked but you were right to call me out

Mitty: I would've said so sooner but I needed time to think. So I'm sorry for not replying.

Why was Mitty placing the blame on herself? That wasn't right. Alexis had messed up, it was her fault!

Lexi♡: But I knew how hard it was for you and I demanded it anyway.

Mitty: that's not unreasonable. Normal people can comfort others easily

Lexi♡: Yes, but I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable, especially for my sake.

Mitty: okay but you're missing something important here

Lexi♡: Yes?

Mitty: I want to be uncomfortable

Mitty: for your sake

Okay, she'd passed out from the fever and was dreaming. That had to be it. There was no other explanation for why Mitty was saying this. Alexis pinched her arm, flinched; no, not dreaming. She sniffed, unable to tell if it was from the cold or something else.

Lexi♡: Really?

Mitty: yeah but you don't have to make a big thing out of it

Lexi♡: Mitty…

Mitty: shut up no

Lexi♡: MITTY…

Mitty: NO STOP

Lexi♡: MITTY THAT'S THE SWEETEST THING ANYONE'S EVER SAID TO ME

Alexis took out a tissue and blew her nose, blinking the tears from her eyes. She cares about me! The thought brought a fresh bout of tears blurring her vision as her heart swelled. Gosh, what a rollercoaster the day was, and it had barely started. It was a bit much for her frail body.

Mitty: shush already

Lexi♡: Okay, but don't think this distracted me from the original issue. I still shouldn't have said what I said, at least not in that way.

Mitty: that's true, calling me a pussy was a dick move even if it was deserved

Lexi♡: It wasn't.

Mitty: I didn't know you could say such bad words.

Mitty: should I tell ur mummy on u

Lexi♡: No!

Alexis grumbled and pressed her head against the table. Mitty kept deflecting her apology, but perhaps that was for the best at this point. She couldn't say sorry anymore without coming off desperate. But even if Mitty did forgive her, she couldn’t forgive herself.

"Call me a pussy again, dickhead."

She could've called Mitty anything else, but instead she'd chosen the word she knew cut deep. Only jerks did that.

But at least Mitty was joking around. As nice as it was, it was also a reminder of what Alexis was missing. She followed the sun's rays to the medicine sitting on the table, lit up like some mocking spotlight.

Lexi♡: So… are you doing anything for the Viewing at all? I feel bad I can't go with you.

Mitty: hm…

Lexi♡: Hm?

Mitty: hold on

Mitty: I'll tell u once I'm sure

Lexi♡: Sure? So you are doing something?

Mitty: :)

Lexi♡: Mitty?

After waiting a few minutes without a reply, Alexis sighed and put her phone away. It wasn't like Mitty to be cryptic. It set Alexis on edge. Dang it, now she was curious! What was Mitty doing? What was with the smiling emoticon? Agh, Mitty, you can't just say that and leave!

Well, nothing for it but to continue with her day. Not much of a day to continue with since she was stuck at home, but… She looked around her mess of a room. Clothes on the floor, empty containers on the counter. She could at least clean it up a little. If Mitty dropped by again once this was over, she shouldn't have to visit a hovel.

"Right, let's do it!" Alexis stood up, a bit too quickly judging by the room spinning a little. "Oops." She rubbed her head. "Let's do it… slowly!"

***

Alexis nursed her tired body in the cosy little window nook in her apartment. Pillows kept her company on the seat, nestled beside and against her. She leaned back against the wall, watching the pink clouds drifting lazily over the blue sky. She had her window open so the cool evening breeze caressed her face, bringing with it the earthy scent of the damp field. The sound of students chatting and cheering filled the air as they trudged through the orange and green grass, heading home after their lectures.

They sound happier than usual, Alexis thought as she rubbed her limp arm. Then again, it is Friday.

She'd spent most of the day cleaning her apartment, which provided a thankful distraction from the fact that tomorrow was the Viewing. Where she'd been filled with satisfaction at her aching body signalling a fruitful day's work, now she was back to brooding, and the ache became tiresome.

She glanced at the phone in her lap, which had been silent since Mitty texted her that morning. I hope she's okay. Alexis had been in suspense for the first few hours after the text, but now she didn't have it in her to be curious anymore, lest she overheat from stress. She could only wonder why Mitty had not responded, and hope it was for benign reasons.

She looked out the window again, watching students kick up the orange leaves that had almost taken over the field. The characteristic russet bark of Firestar trees lined the outside, ripe with fiery-coloured leaves ready to fall. By tomorrow, the field would be packed with people eating and drinking beneath the trees and watching the Firestars fly.

Alexis sighed, hugging one of the pillows in the nook. She would have to think of something to do tomorrow evening to distract her. Moping was a desirable pastime, but she didn't need to feel more pathetic than she already was.

Oh, I should write.

Her phone chimed, making her jump.

Mitty: hey hi hello I am back

Lexi♡: Lol you okay? You kind of disappeared.

Mitty: some of us still gotta go uni

Mitty: :P

Lexi♡: Oh, right, of course, sorry!

Mitty: dw, I did have to check something as well so

Lexi♡: Oh, what?

Mitty: if you could see the Firestars from your window

Lexi♡: Yes, I can. I didn't think I should make myself feel worse by watching them, though.

Mitty: right…

Alexis wiped her nose with a tissue. If Mitty thought she was going to watch the Firestars alone, she was wrong. It was an event to be shared; doing it alone was just sad. Never mind that she had done that the past two years.

Mitty: what if we watched them together?

Lexi♡: But you were right, I won't be well enough by tomorrow.

Mitty: we don't have to be together like… physically

Lexi♡: Um?

Mitty: well…

Alexis hugged her pillow again, curious about where Mitty was going with this.

Mitty: what if we

Alexis raised her eyebrow after several moments of no follow-up. She smiled. It was obvious Mitty was trying; she'd wait.

Mitty: what if we watched them together in a call?

Oh! Alexis sat up sharply. That's a thing, isn't it? Her tail wagged against the wall.

Lexi♡: That sounds interesting! How would we do it?

Mitty: so you don't think it's stupid

Lexi♡: No, I think that's a lovely idea! :D

Mitty: okay, good

Mitty: so I can see some Firestar trees from my room, you can see some from yours

Mitty: we call each other and just watch them together

Mitty: I'd go to the ones by your apartment but I think it's gonna be busy and I'd rather not be alone there

Mitty: also you're sick so I can't like. Be in your apartment with you

Lexi♡: Of course, I understand.

Alexis mulled Mitty's idea over. It sounded ideal. They'd be watching different Firestars, but they could still spend time together, even if it wasn't physically. It might be nice hearing Mitty; that way, Alexis could pretend she was close. Yes, this could work!

Lexi♡: Then let's do it!

Mitty: you really want to?

Lexi♡: Yes yes yes please

Mitty: lol

Mitty: glad you're such a fan of the idea

Lexi♡: It's very good, you're so smart to think of it!

Mitty: haha shut up

Lexi♡: :)

Mitty: so we're on? For tomorrow evening?

Lexi♡: Yes.

Alexis giggled into the pillow, her tail wagging rapidly. She wouldn't be alone for her last Viewing after all, and neither would Mitty! They could still watch it together! Alexis would have liked to have Mitty close, but this was still an excellent alternative. So long as they could spend their last Viewing as students together in some way, everything would be fine.

We're okay. We'll be okay.

***

The evening was slow to fall the next day, since Alexis had nothing to busy herself with. She'd written the next chapter of her assignment and managed to study for a few hours before her nose started dripping on her textbook, at which point she declared enough was enough. If her nose was telling her she'd learned all she could about narrative voice in classic literature and how it related to the Shadow Mage War, who was she to argue?

Her fever hadn't returned; a good sign. It seemed she'd ridden out the worst of her cold, and now she was just left with a runny nose and sore throat. She could live with that. She might have even chanced going outside today if Mitty hadn't been so adamant she stay indoors. I'll get better sooner if I rest, she thought. But she could hear people outside laughing as they got ready for tonight, and their voices called to her like sirens, tempting her to step outside, Five minutes, just five minutes…

She stood firm, however, and her patience was rewarded with an orange and pink sky signalling the sun's descent. Her room steadily dimmed as the sunlight waned, and once it got dark enough to need artificial illumination (she didn't turn her lights on, it would ruin the effect), she knew it was time.

The upbeat pop music she'd left on in the background for most of the day suddenly changed to a more specific pop song, and Alexis almost tripped over her table in her rush to answer her phone. "Hello?" she said, trying to steady her breathing and heart.

"Hi," answered Mitty. Her voice was oddly quiet.

Alexis tilted her head. "You okay?"

"Yes."

Alexis gestured with her hand for elaboration before remembering Mitty couldn't see her. "You sure? You sound kind of subdued. Like, more than usual."

"I'm n--ugh," Mitty groaned before quickly adding, "that wasn't me in pain, that was frustration."

Alexis winced. "Oh, no, did I upset you again? I'm--"

"No." Mitty's voice grew sharp. "No pointless apologising, not tonight. Besides, it's not your fault."

Alexis made her way to her window nook lined with comfy pillows, a bowl of sweets resting on the windowsill. "If you're sure," she said, nestling herself among the pillows. In the steadily darkening night, she could make out little lamps beneath the trees and the shapes of many Vistians sitting amongst each other. The field itself was mostly an empty sea of dark orange, save for some stragglers heading for the trees.

"I'm sure," Mitty replied. "It's just… this is new to me. I'm not really sure how to… go about this."

"But you suggested it!" Alexis said.

"Yeah, but I've never done this for a Viewing. Just small events with friends. This is different…" Her voice grew quiet before trailing off.

Alexis hugged a pillow to her chest, trying to suppress a giggle. "Aw, Mitty, are you shy?"

"Shut up, no!"

Alexis bit her lip to stop from laughing. She's adorable. "It's okay, I don't really know what to do either. I mean, I've been to Viewings with my friends before, but…" She watched two figures enjoying a picnic together beneath a tree. "... Not with only one person."

She hadn't considered it until now, as she watched the couple eating together and heard the faint whispers of Mitty's breath in her ear. This… this was intimate. She didn't have to shout over friends to be heard, didn't have the presence of other people to cushion the pressure.

It was just her and Mitty, watching the sunset together.

"So…" Mitty mumbled.

"So!" Alexis said.

Oh, no. Not dead air!

"Um… how was your day?" Mitty asked.

"Oh, you know, I got some studying done." The pressure weighed on Alexis like a boulder, trying to trap her tongue beneath the rocks. She had to find something, anything to talk about. "So did you know that the popularisation of first person viewpoints in stories was a direct result of journals being published right after the Shadow Mage War?"

Oh, dear Vacerus.

"I… didn't know that," said Mitty slowly.

Please follow that up with something!

She didn't.

Alexis groaned quietly enough for Mitty not to hear. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk? The Viewing shouldn't be any different from a normal event, and normally, it wasn't. But this was something else! Why was Mitty breathing so loud? Why could Alexis hear every tiny shuffle of movement on Mitty's end?

The sun sank as the two sat in silence, every so often trying to engage in conversations ranging from today's weather, to next week's weather, to next month's potential weather, that all went nowhere. Night had officially fallen and Alexis' bowl, now bathed in the silver light of the moon, sat half empty on the sill. There wasn't much else to do but eat.

"I'm sorry," said Mitty suddenly, after Alexis had watched a group sing a classic rock song off-key.

"For what?" she asked, unsure what there was to apologise for but grateful they were talking at all.

"Should I not have done this? We're kind of just sitting here and not really… doing anything."

"No! It was a good idea." Alexis pressed her pillow against her chest. "I just don't know what to say."

"Me neither."

Was Alexis just a bad conversationalist? That was a very likely possibility; she didn't really need an intimate event to get tongue-tied. But now more than ever her failure danced in her face, and she couldn't stop it. "Do you think this would've happened even in person?"

A chuckle. "Yeah. I dunno if you noticed, but I'm not exactly a talk show host."

"We have that in common." Alexis smiled wryly.

Wait.

In common…

"I've got it!" Alexis clicked her fingers.

"Uh, what?"

I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. The thing that had gotten Mitty and Alexis to talk in the first place… it was perfect. Nothing got Mitty to talk faster than this.

Outside, the trees started to glow as the leaves lit up in a burning orange, and the groups below let out a cheer.

"If there were Firestar Viewings in Cherry Moon, who do you think Cherry would go with?" Alexis asked.

"Wh--" Alexis could hear Mitty's blink. "Um."

"I mean, she'd obviously go with Vanilla and her other friends but, would it be like a big group, or would they split off into their own things?" Alexis pressed.

A breath as Mitty finally found her footing. "She'd go with Jackal, obviously."

Alexis smiled. "Just her and Jackal?"

The faint sound of crackling reached her ears as the first of the Firestars broke off the trees. She looked down to see the star-shaped leaves catch fire and flit about on the wind to the applause of the viewers below.

"Well I mean, everyone would be there too," Mitty replied, "but she and Jackal would break off from the group and find their own place."

"On purpose? I can't imagine Cherry leaving her friends behind."

"No, no, something happens and she gets split from them with just Jackal for company."

Alexis grinned cheekily. "Sounds like you've thought a lot about this."

"No I haven't."

"Hm? So if I were to log into your computer, I wouldn't find a folder of Cherry and Jackal fanfiction with this scenario being one of--"

"No you wouldn't because I don't write fanfiction, shut up!"

Alexis couldn't stop the laughter escaping her this time, flowing like a dam had been broken. She wasn't really the type to tease, but Mitty made it so easy, and her reactions were adorable to boot. She knew by now, roughly at least, when Mitty was actually upset, and the little lilt in her voice suggested suppressed laughter rather than real anger.

"Even so, I'd read that, even if you didn't write it." Alexis sank into her pillows, her body finally going limp with relaxation.

"Who knew you could be mean," Mitty mumbled.

"I have my moments."

"It's interesting. Not a side I thought I'd see."

"I could say the same to you. When we first met, I couldn't have imagined us watching the Firestars together."

Stars of flame floated up to Alexis' window like petals caught in a breeze. The navy sky tinted orange with flying Firestars, illuminating the field and the campus in a comforting honey glow. It was as if the sun was setting all over again, and the dragon deities took a brush to the canvas that was the great Vistian sky, painting it in shades of gold, of rose, of magenta, gracing the world with their mastery for one beautiful night. This was the time when strife ceased for the stars, as everyone came together to celebrate each other, and the world on which they lived.

A blanket of peace settled over Alexis; she felt it keenly, from her head to her tail, and if she were to be crude, she’d call it an anaesthetic; to be cruder still, drunkenness. She now knew why so many indulged in alcohol while celebrating the Viewing, yet she’d not had a drop.

Was Mitty her alcohol? Was that crude?

“Neither could I. I wasn’t exactly planning on doing the Viewing this year,” replied Mitty.

“Do you usually?” Alexis asked.

“Not for a while," Mitty murmured. "Not since my parents split up."

"Oh."

A silence, no less tense than the one before but twice as heavy, filled the distance between them. What was Alexis to say? Mitty didn't want sympathy, not if as much time passed as she'd said. Unless she wanted to reopen an old wound, of course.

Providing the wound had ever closed.

"But hey, that's not important now," said Mitty after a minute.

Alexis wanted to agree, if not for the overly casual tone and the speed in which Mitty had spoken, as if to derail a hurtling train. Those were clues enough that this train needed to stay on its track, crash be damned.

"So what would your parents do for the Viewing?" she asked.

"I said that's not--" There was that automatic response so typical of Mitty. Then, "Why do you want to know?"

"You're my friend. I want to know more about you."

The Firestars continued their dance in the sky, flying on a breeze that wasn't there, floating like fireflies towards the heavens. Warm amber descended on the field, akin to looking through tinted sunglasses. The groups gathered beneath the trees had since quieted as they watched the show, leaving Alexis to listen to Mitty's breathing. Where it had thundered in her ear before, it was so quiet, now.

As if Mitty was afraid to breathe.

"We'd do what every family does, I guess," she said, and when she spoke, it was Alexis’ turn to hold her breath. "Have a picnic under a tree, play games, you know."

"Yeah, my family did that too," Alexis replied. "Then when I'd go with my friends, some of them would drink, but I always declined."

"Not a drinker?"

"Nah."

"Neither am I. My mother was, though."

"Ah."

"It's okay, she was away enough that I didn't really see it."

"Away?"

"On business, she said."

"Was it really?"

"It was another name for him."

"Ah."

The faintest scent of smoke from the stars filtered through Alexis' window, but it was familiar, comforting; a barbeque rather than open flames.

"She wasn't always like that," said Mitty. "My dad liked to gamble. Got into debt. Irresponsibility's a big turn off in a marriage, I hear."

"Yeah."

"What she did sucks, but I understand, now."

Alexis hugged her pillow.

"But we could put all that aside for the Viewing," said Mitty. "I didn't feel like a bad kid for once, because my parents weren't fighting. The Viewing lets you ignore things, y'know? We could pretend we were normal; happy. And for one night a year, we were."

"You weren't a bad kid," said Alexis, and she spoke with such conviction that if she’d ordered it to, the ground would part for her.

"How d'you know?"

"You weren't responsible for your parents' bad marriage."

"Hm, I guess? But you don't feel that way when you're a kid. You don't know what's really going on. All you see is your parents fighting all the time, and you think, well, they must've been happy before they had you otherwise they wouldn't have gotten together in the first place, right?"

Alexis didn't have an answer for that. She swam in a sea of uncertainties with only platitudes as her lifebuoy. All she could do was feel for her friend, her tongue refusing to form words because it knew nothing she could say would fix anything. Now more than ever she wished Mitty was in the room with her, for what she could not say, she could express, and Mitty really needed a hug right now.

"But hey, it all worked out, kind of. I stopped being a crybaby, became independent, and here I am." Mitty tried to push cheer into her voice. "I mean it wasn't easy, but life isn't supposed to be, is it?"

"That's what they say, yeah." Alexis dug her fingers into the soft cotton of her pillow. "But you shouldn't have had to go through that."

"It's fine. Once I toughened up, scaring the shit out of bullies got a lot easier."

"You were bullied?"

"Oh, yeah. I was a lot more open and girly when I was a kid, and some assholes really didn't like that, so… yeah."

Alexis barely held back a groan. That explained a lot, actually. It was no wonder Mitty was so guarded, and it shone a spotlight on this entire conversation; heck, this entire situation. The importance of it was certainly not lost on Alexis now, as she watched the stars of fire fly towards the clouds with her friend's voice in her ear.

"Thanks for telling me all this," she murmured.

"We're friends, yeah?"

"But you didn't have to say anything."

"I wanted to."

"I want to be uncomfortable, for your sake."

Alexis smiled, resting her chin on her pillow. "Well, it's appreciated. I feel closer to you now."

"Aw, come on, you don't actually have to say that!"

"Is it embarrassing for you?" Alexis giggled.

"Ye--n--shut up!"

Alexis imagined Mitty's red face on the other end and laughed into her pillow. "You are so cute."

Shit.

Shit!

Alexis begged for her death to be quick.

Then;

"You're cuter now shut up."

Well.

Tonight just could not get any weirder.

In a good way.

Alexis wanted so badly to capitalise on this opening, but she felt she'd already pushed her luck with that accidental compliment. So she said, "Thank you. Now because you said so, I'm not speaking for the rest of tonight."

"Now wait, I didn't mean--"

Alexis' laughter drowned Mitty out.

"Oh, ha, ha." Alexis could practically hear Mitty's eyes rolling. "You really are cheeky, aren't you?"

"I guess you bring it out of me." Alexis quieted to a giggle. "So, what do the Firestars look like where you are?"

"They're Firestars, they look the same everywhere, don't they?"

"Yes, but I want to imagine it."

"Fine. I can see them in the distance, but I don't really have any trees that close to my house. They look like fireflies from here. And I can hear people singing. It feels pretty festive."

"Good," said Alexis. "So is it a good Viewing for you?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yes."

Neither of them said why. They both knew. Besides, Alexis figured Mitty couldn't take any more embarrassment tonight.

They continued to talk as the night wore on, about inconsequential things that would be forgotten as soon as they were spoken, about Cherry Moon, about life, just enjoying each other's company, while the Firestars lit up the sky.

 It was their last Viewing before graduation, and Alexis could say without a doubt it was the best one she'd ever had.