Between cotton candy and a soft place

"You said two weeks!"

This time, Zia really was angry. She was sulking so much and refused to get out of her rooms ever since she knew I was going through the portal with Jade in tow. Like now, I had been talking to her through the door.

Well, with me and Jade leaving the Lair, it would mean she lost her two friends, and the tower would go back to how it was before I arrived--which, according to her, was boring. I remembered how it was after my only friend in the past, that author girl died, so I understood her a little bit.

"But it's not like I go far? You can just visit me through the portal?" I reasoned with her. "I will leave my communication orb here, so you can call me whenever."

"But you won't be physically here!" she argued. "What...what if I want to talk with you in the middle of the night? What if I want to discuss something after dinner--you won't even be here during dinner! I'm going to have to eat alone again!"