10 • KITH ISSUE 03
Anzu cleared her throat. “I did, your excellency. But she’s the priestess, it would’ve never worked without—” “Indeed.” She leveled her gaze on Mireille. “You’re of-age, aren’t you? If you’re a priestess, you’ll soon take your rites.” Folding her hands in front of her, Mireille nodded bashfully. “This fall, your excellency.” “See if you can’t delay them a year or two.” The otherwise reserved judge spared Mireille a sly wink. “There’s no shortage of cooks who possess skill in the kitchen, but the same can’t be said of those who know its heart.” With graceful fingers, she deposited her coin by Anzu and Mireille’s dish. “What!?” screeched Teifou. Beside him, Rechant was still and silent as a statue, his sole response an almost imperceptible lift of a single plucked eyebrow. Even the announcer was gobsmacked. But, after a beat of hesitation, he shouted, “Then the winners of the 99th Annual Grand Bout are…Mireille Fontrese and Anzu Tet!” The crowd hurled dazzling handfuls of confetti towards the podium and beat their feet against the ground. Rechant sauntered casually towards the two of them. Anzu, however, had eyes only for Teifou. She made her way across the podium towards him, put a hand on her hip, and fixed him with a self-satisfied sneer. But her bravado faded quickly, in light of the heart stung look plastered across his meaty face, and so, she socked him firmly on the arm to draw his attention to her. “Chin up!” She said, steeling her confidence beneath the loom of his enormous body. “He’s not the only drop-dead gorgeous mage in the academy. He’s not even the only one in your class.” Embarrassment forced a fabricated glower out of Teifou. “You better watch your tongue, Tet.” With an instructive tilt of her head, Anzu indicated Mireille, who was trading bon mots with Rechant, her cheeks rosy as twin apples, and her long, fetching hair peppered with colorful confetti. “What, you’re the only dunce who ever suffered an unrequited love?”