"How come there aren't any torches in here?" River asked, gasping as he stumbled a bit on a step.
"Tori said it's to deter people from coming down here," Maya explained, glancing back to make sure he was okay. "The dungeons are the coolest place in the entire castle. They've got video games from modern times, a pool table, air hockey, bean bags, a pantry of their own, and a huge bar that Tori runs." Maya paused. "Non-alcoholic drinks only, of course."
"Should've chosen a room down here," River sighed.
"Hey, the kitchens are cool too," Maya said, pretending to be offended as they got to the bottom of the stairs. Here there was a metal door illuminated by two torches on both sides of it, the flames from it glowing a unique shade of green.
"If you couldn't tell already, the dungeon folk have a flair for the dramatic," Maya continued, banging on the door with her hands.
Janix smiled.
"Want to borrow it when im done?" She asked.
"Sure." Aspen said, smiling.
The door opened ominously on their own, revealing a vast tavern-like room. A large fireplace that was the main source of light besides the candles on the tables was on the far side of the room, the flames flickering almost lazily.
To River's right was a bar that stretched the length of the entire wall, the shelves behind it filled with drinks, candy, and various snacks that were all sorted by which region of the world they've come from.
A 13 year old girl was the only one behind the bar, meticulously scrubbing at an ancient looking goblet. She paused for a moment and glanced up at the two of them, her dark brown eyes looking at him curiously.
"Hey Tori!" Maya called to her, waving in greeting as they both walked up to the bar.
Tori waved back before giving River a friendly smile.
"River, right? I'm Victoria, but you can call me Tori," she said to him. "Everyone else does."
"Nice to meet you," River replied, smiling back.
Aspen looked at Janix, who raised her eyebrows.
"Can you show me the dungeons?" Aspen asked.
Janix widened her eyes and shook her head. "No, but I can tell you how to get there." She said and then she did.
Once she was done, Aspen thanked her profusely and followed her directions and went into the dungeons, as she entered Maya and River had her back to her, and Aspen crept up behind River and grabbed him yelled "Rahhhh!" In an attempt to scare him.
Rover flinched and made a fist as he spun around, but he relaxed when he saw it was just Aspen.
"Oh hey," he said, unclenching his hand and chuckling. "You got me."
"Aspen!" Maya said happily. "So glad you could make it. This is Tori."
Tori gave Aspen a friendly wave before pulling two bottles filled with clear fizzy liquid out of an ice chest behind her.
"Want a drink?" She offered, pushing them towards Aspen and River.
"Hello, Tori." Aspen said, smiling and waving back.
She took the drink and sipped.
"What is this?" She asked.
"It's just Sprite," Tori shrugged. "I put sodas into fancy bottles for the aesthetic."
Aspen nodded.
"Seems fair." She said and giggled, taking a swallow and lowering her cup.
"What's your peculiarity?" River asked her curiously.
"Probability manipulation," the girl replied with a smile. "That's why I've been banned from playing on casino nights. I always win."
Aspen smiled.
"Is Casino night fun?" She asked curiously.
Maya nodded excitedly.
"Whoever can beat Mrs. Finch at a game gets to go to wherever in the world they want for a full day," she said eagerly.
Aspen sputtered and choked on her Sprite.
"Wherever in the world?" She said in disbelief. "Like literally anywhere?"
"Yep," Tori said. "However Mrs. Finch has me increase her probability of winning by like 95% so it's close to impossible. The last time someone won was around 50 years ago."
Aspen took a drink of her Sprite.
"This place is insane." She whispered mostly to herself.
"It's amazing, though," River replied, downing the rest of his Sprite.
Aspen nodded.
"Yes," she agreed "it is."
"Maya, have you taken the two of them to the library yet? Or the astronomy wing?" Tori asked, giving a satisfied nod at the glass she just cleaned.
"Not yet, but it was on my list," Maya replied, jumping over the bar counter and taking a Coca-Cola from one of the coolers.
Aspen scooted closer to River.
"Having fun?" She whispered.
"Of course," River responded, grinning happily at Aspen. "This is my home now. It'd suck if I didn't enjoy it."
Aspen nodded.
"I think Janix likes Maxwell a lot, I don't know who he is, but I'll know him from description because she's told me a lot about him." She told River. "Apparently he and another boy are like the groups designated heartthrobs of all the girls.
Tori grinned. "Oh yeah, Maxwell is hot. And he told me that he has a little crush on Janix too."
"Really?!?!" Maya gasped, giving a squeal of delight. "Those two will be so cute together!"
Aspen smiled.
"Wait till' I tell her." Aspen said quietly.
She grinned mischievously and finished her drink.
Tori and Maya both fangirled at the thought while River watched this exchange in amusement, feeling happy.
Aspen nudged him lightly and giggled.
"I mean, he is good looking, but sheesh." She said jokingly.
River chuckled, eyeing the sodas in the ice chest.
"Yeah," he said distractedly before putting a gloved hand out, concentrating his focus on one bottle.
He felt a very slight tug in his gut as his fingers twitched and the bottle flew out of the chest, landing in his hands. He smiled at it, the liquid inside fizzying more than usual at the sudden movement.
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