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Dunia didn't stop walking.
She couldn't.
If she stopped, she might cry.
And if she cried, then this would become real.
Behind her, she heard Ren's voice.
"Dunia?"
Concerned.
Confused.
But she kept walking.
Then another voice cut through the air.
"Come on, let's celebrate!"
Oliwia.
A moment later, Dunia heard footsteps moving away from her instead of toward her.
The celebration resumed behind her.
And nobody followed.
At least, not immediately.
...
By the time Dunia finally stopped, she was deep in the forest.
Far enough away that the sounds of camp had disappeared completely.
She sank onto a fallen log.
For a while, she just stared at the ground.
The image wouldn't leave her head.
Ara kissing Nura.
The shock she'd felt.
The stupid hope she'd been carrying around.
She let out a shaky breath.
"Well done, Dunia."
Her voice sounded hollow.
"A professional witch who couldn't predict her own heartbreak."
A bitter laugh escaped her.
Then silence returned.
A twig snapped nearby.
Dunia looked up.
Someone was approaching through the trees.
For a second, her heart leapt.
Nura.
It wasn't Nura.
It was Gabby.
Gabby nearly jumped when she noticed Dunia staring at her.
"Oh!"
She pointed.
"You're the tarot girl."
Dunia blinked.
"The tarot girl?"
"Yeah!"
Gabby smiled.
"You do the cards."
"That's one way to describe it."
Gabby immediately seemed to realize something was wrong.
The smile faded.
"Oh."
The energetic tone disappeared from her voice.
"You look sad."
Dunia laughed weakly.
"Very observant."
Gabby shuffled awkwardly.
Usually she would've launched into a conversation immediately.
But she barely knew Dunia.
They'd never really talked.
"Can I sit here?"
Dunia shrugged.
"If you want."
Gabby sat down on the opposite end of the log.
A respectful distance away.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
Then Gabby blurted out:
"I saw the kiss."
Dunia closed her eyes.
Of course she had.
Gabby immediately winced.
"Sorry! That sounded bad."
"It's fine."
"No, it wasn't."
Gabby rubbed the back of her neck.
"I just mean... I noticed."
Dunia looked away.
The forest suddenly seemed very interesting.
Gabby stayed quiet for a moment.
Then she spoke again.
"You know... when Ellie and I first became friends, I thought she hated me."
That got Dunia's attention.
"What?"
Gabby nodded seriously.
"She didn't actually hate me."
"She's just kind of..." She paused. "Ellie-shaped."
Despite everything, Dunia let out a small laugh.
Gabby brightened slightly.
"See? Exactly."
She picked a leaf off her sleeve.
"Ellie's not super expressive. And she's really competitive. And sometimes she says things that sound mean."
"But she was nice to me."
Gabby's smile softened.
"And eventually I figured out that sometimes people care about you in ways that aren't obvious."
Dunia stared at the dirt.
"Nura isn't exactly known for being obvious."
"Exactly!"
Gabby pointed at her like she'd solved a mystery.
Then she paused.
"...Actually that's not good advice."
Dunia laughed again.
A little harder this time.
Gabby smiled.
"What I'm trying to say is that I don't know what Nura feels."
Neither did Dunia.
That was part of the problem.
Gabby's expression became gentler.
"But I know what it feels like to think someone doesn't care."
Dunia swallowed.
"And?"
Gabby thought for a moment.
Then smiled.
"Sometimes you're wrong."
The answer wasn't particularly profound.
Or magical.
Or comforting.
But it felt honest.
And somehow that helped more.
The two sat in silence for a while.
One heartbroken witch.
One activist with far too many pets.
Strangers, really.
But for the moment, neither seemed to mind the company.