“We just told you all about the war yesterday, and now you’re just...” Petra the fairy said, gesturing vaguely in his direction.

  Unfortunately for her, her movements were rather comical in her position. Wingless as she was, she was nestled in the pocket of the teenager’s plain hoodie. Daniel took another bite of Lasagna, chewing slowly before swallowing.

  “Well, what should I be doing, then?” He asked.

  “You should be... I don’t know,” Petra began, holding her head. “Making plans? Gathering information? We’re in the middle of a war here!”

  Daniel considered that for a moment.

  “Are you going to pay for my TV, then?”

  The teenager and the fairy both flinched, and he sighed.

  “Well sorry for not being enthused about this. I have a lot of things to do, and a lot to pay for.”

  The fairy grabbed her hair in frustration.

  “Don’t you get it? We’re deciding the ruler of the galaxy. The galaxy!”

  “You say that, but I’m not planning to participate anyway.”

  She opened her mouth to retort, before closing it a few times.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” She finally managed.

  Daniel shrugged.

  “It sounds like a big pain.” He said flatly. “What do I get out of helping someone become the galactic empress, anyway?”

  “Anything you want. They’ll have entire planets at your fingertips, they can do anything. What else do you need?” She hissed.

  “I already have everything I need.”

  The fairy and the teenager glanced around at his living space. It was a rather small apartment, and Daniel was making the most out of it. There wasn’t really any room for a dining table, so Daniel was seated at the kitchen counter. The living room was squashed close by, and it didn’t really stretch much farther than that, with just enough space for a bathroom and bedroom. The walls were barren of any decoration, and there were disorganized piles of things tucked into disorganized shelves here and there.

  “Mister, I think you should aim a bit higher.” The teenager ventured.

  “AN-Y-WAY,” Petra interrupted. “Participating isn’t your choice. This thing has already marked you as a partner. People will end up knocking on your door, whether you like it or not.”

  Daniel looked at where his front door used to be. He had to admit she had a point there.

  “Say, I’ve been meaning to ask, what is a partner, anyway? Couldn't you just do this solo?”

  “Of course not.” The fairy retorted. “Every contestant needs a partner. We use the rings to link up with a local representative, and then we can fight. Everyone knows that.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Ok,” Daniel said slowly. “But why do you need a partner?”

  “I, uh... I don’t know.”

  "What do you mean you don’t know?” Daniel said, frowning.

  “Look, they didn’t give me a lot of time, okay!?” She shot back, flustered. “They just landed their ship, gave us the ring, and told me to get ready in 3 days!”

  “Alright, alright. Still, you said that it...” He waved his hands in the direction of the creature, still eating its prawns. “Was pretty hard to find, right?”

  “Uh, yeah?”

  “And look at it, does it look like it’s in any state to fight a war?”

  It had just finished eating the last prawn, and was listlessly cleaning itself with its forelegs.

  “I guess not...?” The teenager responded.

  “How the heck are we supposed to know!?” The fairy asked.

  “Anyway, I really don’t have the time to deal with this right now. Besides, I only have your word for this whole war thing in the first place.”

  “You don’t watch the news?” The teenager asked incredulously. “There’re unexplained incidents everywhere. People are already fighting all over the place.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  The teenager and the fairy stared at him, but Daniel didn’t really have anything else to say. He wasn’t participating in their games, and that was that. So, they stood there for a while in silence as Daniel chewed his lasagna. Suddenly, the teenager spoke up.

  “Um, Mister, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure, what is it?” Daniel said after a gulp.

  “...What’s your name?”

  Daniel blinked. Now that he thought about it, he’d never introduced himself, had he? And he hadn’t heard the teenager introduce himself either.

  “Daniel. What’s your name?” He asked.

  “Uh, Michael.”

  “I see,” he said, nodding. “Nice to meet you.”

  The teenager gave him an awkward look, but Daniel figured they were thinking the same thing - It was a bit late for that, wasn’t it? But better late than never, in his opinion. Honestly, he felt a little bad for the brown-haired youth. It was clear that his heart wasn’t in it, as much as his companion’s was, at least.

  “Don’t you have to go to school, Michael?”

  “Oh, we’re in school holidays, actually.”

  “What, already? Hm...” Daniel hummed. Had it been that long?

  “Don’t you at least have to let your parents know where you are?”

  “Uh, no, not really.”

  Well, it seemed that parents were a little looser with this kind of thing these days. The young man frowned as he wondered what happened to the days of stranger danger. This wouldn’t do. Daniel looked around, spotting a stack of business cards he’d forgotten on the counter. He’d had those made a long time ago in a bid to look more professional. It hadn’t worked out as well as he’d hoped.

  “Got a phone, Michael?”

  “Huh? Yeah, of course.”

  “Then make sure you call before you come over next time.” He said, sliding the business card over the counter. “And if you’re in trouble... I might be able to do something.”

  The teenager caught it, squinting to look at the tiny print.

  “Daniel J... Thistlewitz?” He sounded out.

  “That’s me.” Daniel said, nodding. “Now, would you mind getting out of my house? I have a dinner to finish.”

  ----

  Daniel threw the dirty tray into the trash and began washing his cutlery. Even now, he was thinking of what he had to do tomorrow. There were emails to be sent, people to follow up with, landlords to be called... So much time and so little to do. He cleanly and decisively erased all thoughts of the Princess War from his mind.Even then, the storm of things to do threatened to overwhelm him. The young man sighed and looked down at the creature. Although he couldn’t say what was ailing the creature, he had a vested interest in fixing it, for his own sake if nothing else.

  “What’s up with you?” He said in lamentation.

  The creature ignored him, and instead began shaking gently. Daniel looked on, concerned, as the shaking grew stronger. He quickly reached for his phone, but when he thought about who to call, he froze. Should he call an ambulance, a vet, or the exterminator?

  Heedless of his concerns, the creature trembled even more, legs skittering against the tile floor, before abruptly, with a burst of sticky fluid, a translucent pair of wings shot out from its back. The harsh artificial light illuminated the wings from every angle, breaking up into distinct hues as it followed the veins. The creature gently flapped them in the air, scattering the light into a rainbow sheen.

  Daniel stared on in awe. Nonplussed, the creature shook itself off and began cleaning the sticky liquid from itself with its forelegs.

  “Huh.” Daniel said after a while.

  Well, that explained some things.