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“Of course”

I toe off my shoes, and we move to my bedroom where we strip down and pull on oversized sweatpants and worn T-shirts With the AC cranked up, the heat of the day res Dressed doe relocate to the kitchen The rust orange pumpkins that stand out on the black curtain and wall bor

der make me smile This is my happy space I poured a lot of myself into this home

“On a scale of buzzed to blitz what kind of Hurricanes are we athered up the rum, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice

“Somewhere in the middle I need to be able to tellany pain”

I measure out the syrup and le into the glass pitcher It’s going to be an interesting evening We break out the traditional Hurricane glasses and fill them to the brim The sweet concoction burns its way down my throat and settles in my belly

I lift the glass “Much better” Every queen needs a confidant Who better than my own cousin, best friend, and a future council es with her own training, and preparation for a change in station She can understandgoing? I feel like one of us is always running off and fulfilling i to-do lists”

“That’s because we are It’s no secret we’ve been shellacking on the concealer to prevent ourselves fro up fast I can only hope I’ll be ready It’s a lot to take in, and I know,” Fel holds up a hand, “I’ on your end?”

“A“What are your adjectives of choice?”

“Slow, boring, and all-consu more time with the elders than I ever wanted to” Fel rolls her eyes

“What do you talk about?” I ask, genuinely curious

“Rules Ethics Who’s who? Family histories, and how it affects their politics and relations to others on the council Yadda yadda yadda It’s a ement”

I grimace “I can relate I don’t envy you the one-on-one”

“Yes, because you at least have pretty scenery to observe,” Fel whines

“Trustit easy on me”