Conflict!

"So how have you girls been handling this exam?" Sophie asked curiously.

"I hate this stupid desert," Qiana groaned as she took a small piece of cloth from her pocket to wipe away the sweat on her brow.

"It's too damn hot. The sand gets everywhere, and we keep getting attacked by mechanical dogs every fucking hour."

Perhaps the only positive from this whole stupid test was the private time that she had spent alone with Astrid.

Not that Qiana would ever admit this.

"We encountered an ambush yesterday when several of those dogs buried themselves under the sand," Cleo remarked.

"Really? How many did you kill?" Astrid's eyes sparkled as she pestered Cleo for more details.

It was under this lighthearted atmosphere of telling jokes and stories that the girls travelled closer and closer to the oasis.

Sophie was glad to spend some more time with her friends.