Chapter 19

Ariel stepped into the base, noticing that nothing had changed since her departure. Taylor and Leroy were still on the couch, as far from each other as possible. Mandy remained in her armchair; however, Mr. Warner (probably at Mandy's prompting) now sat beside her, looking rather disappointed not to be hovering over her. John was no longer seated; instead, he stood at the only window in the room. Upon hearing Ariel enter, he turned away from the view outside and smiled at her.

Ariel took her usual chair while Max headed to his computer chair, and Jasper positioned himself before them all. His dark eyes shifted from Taylor to Mandy.

"How are you both feeling?" he asked.

Taylor glared back, adjusting the ice pack on her head.

"At least now I know what's going on. How could you send me there again? Look what happened!"

Jasper sighed, muttering under his breath, "It's not my fault you're so vain..."

"What did you say?!" Taylor snapped, growing more agitated. Jasper turned to Mandy pointedly, but she avoided his gaze.

"Are you angry at me too for asking you to investigate the Hall of Mirrors?"

Mandy's brilliant blue eyes finally met his.

"No- no, of course not. I agreed to it, didn't I? I just wonder... well, I assume you've just returned from the hall, but I wasn't asked to go. Do you think I'm no longer competent enough to investigate? I assure you I'm fine and unshaken by my experience—"

Jasper interrupted her gently. "Makenzie, it's not about competence but capability. In your current state, I couldn't ask you to join us. Next time, of course, I'll expect you to participate fully."

Relief washed over Mandy's face as she smiled. Across the room, Ariel felt nauseous at Mandy's seemingly endless manipulations.

"If everyone feels up to it, we should head back to the Inn," Jasper suggested. Silent nods followed as they all stood up.

"Yes, good idea," Mr. Warner agreed, getting up and extending a hand towards Mandy (which she completely ignored). "The festival starts in a few hours; do you have your stories ready?"

Leroy paused halfway to the door as John loitered near Mandy's chair, just in case she needed help standing up. They exchanged glances.

"Well," Leroy replied sarcastically, "between performing exorcisms all day and being hypnotized by a cursed mirror, I couldn't find the time..."

"But—" Mr. Warner began before Jasper cut him off with a raised hand.

"Don't worry Mr. Warner; it's all taken care of. We will have plays written for your festival."

Mr. Warner shut his mouth and nodded approvingly, but Leroy wasn't convinced. He opened his mouth to object, only to close it again at a significant glance from Jasper.

"He better handle this..." muttered the monk.

At that moment, Ariel noticed Max lingering behind, appearing to print something out. She raised an eyebrow,

Their stories maybe?

"Ariel, what happened to your hair?" Taylor's voice suddenly inquired as Ariel entered the hall, with Mandy, Mr. Warner, and John following closely. Ariel grimaced, remembering her hair was in a messy half ponytail—she probably looked ridiculous.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said nonchalantly, then with a quick glance at Mandy added, "Just something Jasper wanted me to do..." almost as an afterthought.

Ariel smirked at the look on the medium's face and moved ahead of them.

Mandy isn't the only one who can play this game.

Ariel reached the theater entrance first and came to an uncertain stop. Moments later, the group she had left behind rejoined her along with Jasper and Max. Everyone looked around expectantly, unsure who should make the first move. Confused by the hesitation, Mr. Warner glanced from one person to another waiting for someone to explain. When nobody did, he sighed impatiently and marched toward the theater doors. Making a show of holding one open, he looked pointedly at Mandy,

"After you," he prompted when she didn't move. Mandy seemed to be pointedly ignoring him; she had no intention of being escorted by Mr. Warner—her focus was entirely on Jasper. Subtly as she could manage, the medium began inching closer to Jasper, who was absorbed in examining and occasionally touching the door frame's woodwork.

Ariel noticed immediately what Mandy was up to.

Oh no you don't!

Determined not to be outdone, Ariel gritted her teeth and swiftly but discreetly slipped past Taylor towards Jasper. She had nearly squeezed by Leroy while half listening to Mr. Warner's frustrated questions about why everyone was standing still when a strong hand gripped her shoulder. Ariel gasped in surprise and glanced up to find Leroy smirking down at her.

"Come on Ariel, Jasper can wait," he whispered with a wink.

Casting one last glare in Mandy's direction, Ariel sighed in defeat and let Leroy guide her towards the doors.

As they approached a bewildered-looking Mr. Warner, dread churned in Ariel's stomach despite Leroy's previous help giving her some solace last time around. Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Leroy gave her shoulder one final reassuring squeeze before they both stepped past the playwright and through the doors together.

"Mandy, what's the meaning of this, aren't you coming too?" Mr. Warner implored helplessly, as Taylor, following Leroy's lead, walked out the door. Max trailed behind with Jasper, lost in thought, exiting more quickly than Mandy could request his help. With a slight frown, she watched him go and only then heard Mr. Warner's pleas, realizing she was one of the few remaining.

"Are you feeling unwell?" John asked, stepping towards her attentively. The frown vanished from Mandy's face; she straightened up and tried to regain her composure.

"I'm fine, I was just... thinking," she replied once she'd collected herself again. John nodded approvingly.

"Good. We should probably follow them then," he suggested, moving towards the doors.

"Mandy, are you sure you're alright? Come along, I'll take you to my place so you can freshen up before the festival starts," Mr. Warner insisted, moving from his position at the door to offer her his arm. But before he could close the distance, Mandy impulsively grabbed John's arm and led him through the door. Standing at the top of the stairs, she released his arm and gave him a kind smile.

"Thank you for your help," she said carefully, though her eyes conveyed a serious message beneath her smile. John gathered himself quickly enough to respond,

"You're very welcome, anytime."

Mr. Warner looked between them in confusion but then relaxed and crossed over to Mandy's side with a bright smile.

"Oh, if I had known you offered your help first, I would never have stepped in after you—my mistake," he said good-naturedly to John. "Shall we go then? We'll catch up with you later," he assured John as he took Mandy's arm and led her down the stairs.

"See you at the festival," John agreed, watching them depart.

At the bottom of the stairs, it seemed to John that Mandy glanced up at him briefly before looking away again as their eyes met. The priest blinked puzzledly—could he have imagined it?

"John!" Ariel called from a few yards away; she had been watching and waiting with Leroy for him to come down. Shaking off his thoughts, John smiled and called back to her as he quickly descended the stairs.

Ariel looked at John curiously as he joined them. She was more than happy (delighted actually) to see Mandy leave with Mr. Warner, but beneath John's smile, she sensed an air of sobriety about him. They all walked in comfortable silence for some time until a loud growl from Leroy's stomach broke it.

"Man, I can't wait to get back to the Inn; I'm starved," Leroy moaned, clutching his empty stomach.

"I know," John agreed with a grin. "Maybe with Ariel's help we could have a feast again?"