Jaylee and Lancer ran, or tried to.

“Oh, no you don’t!” the well-dressed man said. He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing through the air like the piercing howl of a wolf pining for the moon.

Silt and sand split beneath Jaylee and Lancer’s feet, making way for rocks and boulders. The boulders leapt skyward, divided, and formed into earthen bars while the rocks acted as connectors holding the bars into a cage shape. The whole thing crashed to the ground, trapping them inside.

“Take care of their friends,” the man said.

The lady frowned. “Don’t patronize me, Albedo. It’s already done.”

Jaylee screamed for help. Lancer did a little less than that, looking towards the carriage Mr. Ellis and Jared were fixing. They continued their task, oblivious, Rei sitting in the passenger section doing schoolwork.

Wonderful, he thought.

Albedo and the woman approached their prisoners, him smug and her curious.

“What do you want?” Jaylee asked. “Why are you doing this?”

Albedo chuckled. “We wanted test subjects, but you’ve rather ruined that, haven’t you?”

“You should’ve let him love you, dear,” the lady said.

“No–” Jaylee’s lip quivered. She shook, scared, but stood her ground. “I don’t want it like that.”

“Oh? An idealist?” The lady sighed. “Tell me, what’s the difference? Love is nonsense in the first place. Why not add more? If he loves you or if scents in the air nibble at synapses in his brain that tell him he does, it’s the same in the end. A feeling is a feeling. It isn’t as if he’s unwilling if that’s what he feels.”

“You’re wrong,” Jaylee said, squaring her shoulders.

“Isabelle, really, you’re arguing with a child. What is she, fifteen, sixteen? Can we hurry this up?”

“Go, then. Fetch the moonstone pearl and we’ll tweak their sensations and send them to Garde with a sample of the moonstruck elixir.” Isabelle waved her hand dismissively.

“Moonstone pearl?” Jaylee asked, confused. “That’s a myth.”

“You think so? Shall I show you it? Use it to make you fall madly in love with me? Have you writhing on the ground, begging for my affection?” Albedo grinned, falling to one knee in a mock declaration of love. “Oh, how sweet. I should enjoy that, having a little pet follow me around. Perhaps I’d throw you a bone if I felt my blood stirring, too. God knows Isabelle’s a prude, so it could provide necessary entertainment.”

Lancer gritted his teeth. He’d remained silent, but this was too much. Perhaps he didn’t find Jaylee attractive in the way she wanted, but he wouldn’t allow some arrogant jerk to bewitch her into loving him. After feeling identical emotions, though minimized, he knew the aftereffects were distressing. If this man did that to Jaylee, heightened, when she freed herself from it who knew what she’d do.

Jaylee was too nice, too soft. It would break her.

“Jaylee, I’ll get us out of this,” Lancer said, having no idea how to do that.

“Oh, will you?”

A rock sprouted from the ground and slammed into Lancer’s back. The earthen bars split, enough to allow him passage, and the force threw him onto the ground at Albedo’s feet. As quick as that, the cage reformed to contain Jaylee.

“I think,” Albedo said, “I’d rather not dampen my suit, nor does the prospect of stripping and taking a dip in ice-cold water entice me. You–” He patted Lancer’s head. “–shall do it for me.”

Isabelle watched, her interest piqued. “Albedo, you’re ruining their lover’s catalyst. It’s amusing watching them act valiant. A few more steps and they’d jump into each other’s arms without need of my assistance.”

“Why would I want that? It’ll make the girl more difficult to spherebind.”

Lancer raised his head, stared Albedo in the eyes. “What makes you think I’ll help?”

Albedo burst into laughter. His cackle caused the earth to ripple beneath Lancer’s feet. “Because, my boy, if you don’t, your friend is in for a world of trouble. You see the bars she’s in?”

Lancer glanced towards the cage, confused.

“For every minute you dally, I’ll shrink the cage by half. I’d say she has three minutes until there’s no room to move. Four minutes until bones break. I’d hop to it if I were you.”

Isabelle smirked, though the look in her eyes looked less than pleased at Albedo’s crass torture. “He really will,” she said.

The rock bars of the cage shivered, tightening a miniscule amount, as if to show Albedo meant business.

“Right. Step to.”

The ground beneath Lancer erupted, tilting into the shape of a ramp and sliding him into the reservoir.

“I wouldn’t think about escaping,” Isabelle said when Lancer burst from the water, gasping for air. “I’ll know if you leave the water. Be a good boy and fetch us the moonstone pearl. Maybe I’ll make you my pet so you can remain with your little girlfriend. How about that?”

Lancer paid them no heed, didn’t care. He needed to find that pearl, the stone from Jaylee’s fable, or they were in a lot of trouble. Escape plans could come later.

He sucked in air, swallowing hard, then sucked in more. Holding his breath, Lancer dove into the reservoir’s depths.

How was he supposed to find this thing? Jaylee mentioned the middle of the lake and he hoped her myth held some truth, because with only three minutes he didn’t have time to spare.

“Lancer? Why aren’t you sitting?”

Why wasn’t he sitting? What a question. First, he had no idea why they’d ran to the lake, and second he felt uncomfortable being alone with Jaylee. He wasn’t good at this, didn’t know how to approach it. He knew some guys dated girls at school but he never really understood it. The whole idea seemed awkward.

“I thought I’d stretch a little,” he said.

“Oh.” Jaylee sounded disappointed. “Alright.”

The water was nice, though. Nothing like the lake near their village. It seemed uniform, more accurate somehow, like someone had decided a lake should exist, cut out a piece of the ground, and then filled it up. The water left a large, wet circle in the middle of the grasslands and imprinted the image of an oasis sanctuary, minus the whole desert deal. At the opposing end of the lake someone had erected a way station of sorts between the junction of the lake and the stream that fed it.

“There’s a story to this place, you know?” Jaylee said, still sitting, watching him over her shoulder.

Fine, fine. He would sit. Taking his place next to her like she obviously wanted, he said, “Oh yeah?”

She beamed, pleased like no other. “Yes! It’s an old story, so probably not true, but it’s a nice.”

Lancer nodded, listening. When Jaylee reached for his arm and scooted closer, laying her head on his shoulder, he let her. Something inside of him felt befuddled, like he should protest, but the words eluded him.

“Ancient people used to believe sphereshifting was a gift from the gods, and that each god controlled a sphere element. They thought this place was home to the water sphere god, because of how perfect it looks. They called it the reservoir,” she said. “Supposedly during a full moon, the god plucked a piece of the moon out of the sky and drop it into the middle of the lake. That’s why the moon becomes smaller at night afterwards. Whomever took the piece would have good luck, especially in love and romance. That’s where the term moonstruck comes from. Isn’t that neat?”

Lancer listened, to be sure, but he had a sudden undeniable urge to lean over, tilt Jaylee’s head just so, and kiss the corner of her lips to see what would happen. If she consented, kissed back? He’d kiss the center of her lips and progress from there.

She looked at him. He leaned forwards. Her eyes narrowed. He began his plan.

The plan stopped before it started, Jaylee jumping up, frowning. Lancer felt odd, muddled. Why was she angry? Don’t worry, he thought, I’ll kiss it better. Come to me.

“Serious?” Jaylee huffed. “This is ridiculous. The first chance I get alone with you and maybe for my first kiss and you’re spherebound.”

Lancer only half heard her, his intent focused on her delightfully pink and plush lips. Her brow furrowed, frustrated and concerned. He would clear that look right away, bring her happiness and delight.

Jaylee shoved him away when he tried to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her into a kiss. “Just stay still a second, Lancer. Let me fix this.”

He sat. He would do this another way. Poetry? All girls loved poetry, right?

“Oh Jaylee,” he said. “Your lips are fluffy and pink. In love with you, I am, I think. No, not think, I know! Your skin is white like fresh–”

Jaylee spent the time during his poetics adding water from the reservoir to a blue-green cordial in a vial she pulled from her pants pocket. Placing her finger against the crystal of the vial, a lavender whorl slipped from her fingertip and swirled through the liquid. Before he could finish his poem, she splashed the mix in his face.

“–Snow,” he said, the word falling flat.

Lancer frowned. He wasn’t so upset at her splashing a potion in his face, oh no. But was he really just reciting a poem? To Jaylee of all people? What the heck, had he seriously sat on the bank of the reservoir and let her rest her head on his shoulder?

And he’d contemplated kissing her. Not just contemplated, but had wanted to with the utmost urgency. Weird.

“I really liked your poem?” Jaylee said, hopeful. “Do you want to sit together again?”

“What just happened?” he asked.

“Bravo!” a voice boomed from behind. “I do say, that’s a wonderful trick. The girl countered it so simply, though. You’ll fix that, won’t you?”

Lancer spun around, looking for the voice’s source. A lithe man in a fancy suit, handkerchief in his coat pocket, white gloves on his hands, clapped. Next to him stood a younger lady in an antiquated patterned dress with a shawl draped across her shoulders that flowed to her knees.

“An unforeseen circumstance,” the lady said. “Pheromone permutation isn’t common knowledge, though she seems adept. I assure you the final result’s effects won’t be abolished as easily. It worked on you, didn’t it?”

“Jaylee?” Lancer said.

She joined him, standing by his side. Her hand sought his, but not out of any romantic ideality. “Lancer, we need to get out of here.”