Assistance from the engie bots allowed Darkernis to continue his progress on healing Azide while ensuring that Azide was stable. Attacks for Azide became incredibly hard to induce or give into, as Azide remained balanced due to the engie bot's labor and the improvements that were made to his mind. Regardless, Azide immediately sealed off the gates to his mind once he had awoken. Never had the girl minded Azide sealing off his thoughts from her, as she believed that Azide deserved at least some privacy at all times. In contrast, Darkflame constantly worried of how Azide kept his thoughts from the girl, or how Azide was more at home with allowing Darkernis of all others to peer in his thoughts. Nevertheless, everyone was still relatively thankful that Azide had finally truly begun to recover. Of course, close moments still happened, but they never resulted in an attack, as Darkflame always nipped the strain at the bud before it could grow into something unnerving. Every time things appeared to be picking up, the others mused, it was only moments before chaos struck again. A pattern such as this plagued the girl long before Azide existed, and even longer before her fated day of meeting Darkflame for the first time. Life always seemed to feign being on the bright side before swiftly rescinding the offer and spitting whoever it was dealing with it in the face with acid, or at least that was how it felt for the groups surrounding the girl. Strong will and hope was all that drove the girl to continue searching for a way to solve her problems with Azide with her faithful allies and companions behind her; they kept the wheel turning.

One hurdle during Azide's recovery was a competition that the girl had signed up for several months ago was merely a few days away after the fiasco that was the visit. New life experiences had been the girl's desires when she spoke to her beloved Cyber Security teacher, Mr. Bain at the very last moment she was allowed to participate in what was known as the regionals competition. Before, she had been hesitant due to her anxiety of losing along with the negative memory of the required competition of locals where every student in the club the girl joined was required to compete. Unlike locals, the girl saw areas where she knew she would perform much better in rather than IT services or quiz bowl, as the girl remembered being naturally gifted in extemporaneous speaking despite being one of the least social students on the entire campus. Customer service was also an enticing option to her, as the girl had always found pleasure in assisting people and she had always received compliments about her generally polite nature in public areas, or whenever she sets herself after others when it came to regular days in school. Confidence had still been set more in her speaking abilities rather than customer service abilities, as customer service was merely the second of the two options she had to pick out of the plethora of categories and skill contests for regionals. Life experience was well-worth the fear and possible mishaps to the girl when she first chose her options; it was months before Azide had begun experiencing serious emotional instability and attacks. Panic attacks were what plagued the trio during the time of locals, but Azide had never been able to successfully take control during that time, thus gave the girl plenty of reason to outweigh what could possibly go wrong. Present day, the girl became fraught with worry about Azide with regionals merely two days around the corner, but she kept her head held high in the face of uncertainty, as she knew there was no going back.

Nothing was allowed to go wrong with regionals in terms of Azide, else the trio could be exposed in public, which the girl had sensational daydreams of her being ripped out of control during her contest, helplessly watching as the judges stand back in utter dread while watching the girl transform into a Dragon. So many things could go wrong, so fast in the girl's mind, but she knew that Azide had been getting better, allowing her to be slightly more courageous with her choices. Support from Darkflame and the others had also gave her encouragement, which pushed her to continue training in hopes of being at least relatively successful in her first time in a real competition. Tension and anxiety of course instilled her, but that had always been the case when it came to important or eventful days outside of her quaint home. Placing in second or even in first in either of her categories would utterly shock the girl, thus she barely had any hopes of winning, but intended to have fun no matter what she placed in. Unlike Azide, the guardian encouraged the girl's adventurous nature while Azide was nearly paralyzed at the thought of him having an attack because of how delicate the situation was for him and the pressure of not letting things go wrong. To the group's knowledge, the day at regionals is supposed to last several hours from the morning to early in the afternoon thanks to waiting times and introductions, but the girl had a feeling she would be able to use her phone while in line for her respective contests-- allowing her to request for Darkflame's aid if needed.

During school on the same day in her final class, the girl had been conversing with Darkflame while waiting for Mr. Bain to move to the next slide on notes that were projected on several wall monitors and a large screen that was placed in the front of the room, or when he was not able to see the screen of the girl's laptop. Mentioning and discussing regionals had caused Azide to become pensive, even commenting, "Regionals bothers me," when Darkflame explained what he was going to do in response if Azide had an attack. Without much thought at all, the girl proposed, "Okay, I have a plan I pulled outta my ass..."

"Oh?" Darkflame's curiosity spiked.

"I'm gonna let Azide speak with you in an attempt to vent to you while I take back control when I have to take notes or Mr. Bain is breathing down my neck. Does that sound good?" the girl asked for confirmation.

Swiftly, Darkflame agreed, "Let's do it."

Similar to the time Azide first took full control, he simply was handed control of the girl's arms whenever it was safe for Azide to access the chatting app on the girl's computer while the girl continued to take notes whenever needed. For the girl, she began to felt Azide's presence fill her arms while her's went missing, and she viewed him hastily type out his sentences without using the girl's pinkies consciously due to usually not having five digits. Azide taking control of the girl's arms allowed her to feel his tension and nervousness, which did cause her to be slightly worried herself. Once Mr. Bain was unable to see the girl's screen, Azide began to type, "Is this truly a planned out idea...?"

Within seconds, Darkflame responded, "It was apparently ripped from an anus, so I don't know."

Waiting a few more seconds, Azide noted, "That is unsettling."

"I mean, it sounds like a good idea," Darkflame muttered in text form.

"What good would this even do when I risk her being caught?" Azide doubted the safety of him going onto the application during class.

Interrupting Azide, the girl spontaneously blurted, "Oh fuck, one of the other teachers taking us to regionals is here.

I've GOTTA ask her about what I should do.

Which reminds me, I have to go to another meeting today."

"Thought so," Darkflame sighed.

Accidentally beginning a call by tapping an unknown button along with writing notes, the girl eventually illustrated, "Okay, fuck.

I pressed a button and it started a call for some reason.

I SWEAR I DID NOT CLICK THE CALL ICON.

What button even was that?!

Azide just wanted to type how the room began to smell like food."

"Bacon, specifically," Azide's mouth began to drool slightly.

After complaining about the smell causing her to be nauseous, the girl's worry for Azide began to worsen; she requested, "How's Azide?"

"Azide seems really nervous, worse than you," tensions began to rise when Darkflame confirmed Azide's nervousness.

Mere minutes of complaining and aggravation passed until the girl asked again, "How's Azide now?"

"Severely annoyed," Darkflame stated.

Little to no things were said alongside the general banter and complaints about the girl's students, as the girl toiled and Azide vented his frustrations and emotions with Darkflame. All else seemed to be like a normal day once more, but the clock ticked with sluggishness as a result. Thursday had struck once again on the first of February, all her classes from before already endeavored and handled. To the present day, the girl still continued to despise Thursdays more than the most hated day of the week: Mondays. Cyber Security was the only class the girl did not find more dull than usual on Thursdays since Mr. Bain ensured that the note taking sessions were lively with his life stories and plentiful shouting; it was always Mr. Bain's heartiness that lit up the girl's day. As a result, she never disliked the length of her final class for the day unless the class was left to their own devices such as working on labs or projects. Anticipated by almost every student in the class, a large and lasting beep could be heard throughout the campus grounds; school had finally ended for the day.

Closing her laptop and stacking her chair, the girl began to walk out the class once it hit 3:07 on the clock. Walking along blissfully with Azide trailing behind her, a flash of memory struck her. Today was the birthday of one of the girl's closest friends, Ricky. Due to her mother's short-term memory loss, this was the girl's last chance to buy Ricky his present; the girl decided to remind her mother once she arrived at the car. Slamming the door shut after cramming her rolling back into the foot space in the front seat, the girl reminded, "Hey, mom, I need to get Ricky his present today, remember? Y'know, it's his birthday?" The girl's mother realized after spacing out for a moment, "Oh, yeah! Sorry, honey, I forgot." Change of plans inbound, the girl's mother made a stop to the local gaming store so her daughter could complete her quest for the day. From plushies to the newest games, the girl adored shopping there, as it had a bit of everything for nearly every type of gamer. Myriads of shelves can be seen on the walls with games for every current console, wall-mounted screens were playing game review videos on the latest products, and a few people were spotted in front of the checkout counter. Games were not on the girl's shopping list, as she did not know which games Ricky had or would even like, thus she decided to explore the quaint shop for something more physical and nostalgic. Christmas time, she had gotten him a mug with art from one of his favorite game series, and she had gotten him shot glasses for Ricky's previous birthday from a game series she knew he held close, thus she planned to pick something less glassy. Early in her expedition, the girl spotted a black dinosaur plushie ensconced on a low-hanging shelf from a game series she and Ricky both had bittersweet memories over-- especially from a racing spin-off of the series; that plushie became her first option if she did not find anything more fitting. Socks of the form of Ricky's own guardian were later spotted bear the back of the store, but the girl's logic had spoken to her, "Who the fuck buys their friend socks for their fucking birthday?" Knowing Ricky, he would have burned the socks anyway if she decided to give him that.

Inspection of the store had finished when the girl was unable to find anything that matched Ricky’s interests or the girl’s price range; the girl began to grow impatient while waiting for her mother. Portraying the opposite, the girl's mother was browsing the sparse amount of shirts the store sold on their own tower-like displays and found a shirt to her liking. The shirt was from a show Ricky enjoyed, but the girl believed the plushie to be a better option regardless since it was more a of a shared memory between them instead of a memory that only Ricky held fondly. One last lap around the store was made, just in case the girl missed something. She decided to call it a shopping day well done and strided over the the cashier; her mother eventually joined her. Bright and bubbly like all the staff in the store, the cashier offered plenty of deals and asked for the girl’s number to hand her points with her purchase since she was a pro member. On the counter, the girl spotted a plushie preorder option from one of her favorite game series; her mother allowed her to preorder the plushie by depositing five dollars into the total amount; it was expected to be in stock in the next month and a half. In addition to Ricky’s present, the girl purchased a keychain and a cup from the same series the plushie she preordered originated. Carrying her purchases instead of using a bag, the girl alongside her mother strolled out the store and began to make their way to Ricky’s dwelling.

Seated in a peaceful neighborhood known as Henson Ranch, the sun glistened above the trees on a chilly, yet crisp afternoon. Pensiveness flowed into the girl while stepping in front of the door and ringing the doorbell while holding the plushie behind her back. Waiting was not an issue, as Ricky’s grandmother opened the door and welcomed, “Oh, hey there! Are you here to see Ricky?”

“Yeah, it’s his birthday, so I wanted to get him something,” the girl explained in a shy manner.

“Alright, I’ll call him down,” Ricky’s grandmother paused to take a deep breath and called, “RICKY! Your friend’s here!”

Gliding down the stairs, Ricky came down to see his friend with something behind her back; he greeted, “Oh, hey.”

“Guess what I got you?” the girl’s tone rose with excitement and hidden anxiety.

“More shot glasses?” Ricky guessed.

“Nope,” she whipped out the plushie from behind her back.

“YES!” Ricky accepted the plushie and was quite satisfied with his friend’s choice in birthday presents.

“We were just going to have some pizza for Ricky’s birthday,” Ricky’s grandmother butted in, then added, “If you’d like to join us.”

“I’ll have to ask my mom real quick,” the girl admitted; she had honestly hoped to join them instead of having to deal with her mother for the night.

Nodding her head, she bounded back to her mother’s car and inquired, “Hey, mom, can I spend the rest of the day with Ricky’s since it’s his birthday?”

Surprisingly, her mother replied, “Sure, I don’t care! Just make sure to text me when you’re heading home, alright?”

“Alright,” the girl curtly responded, then bounced back into Ricky’s house.

“Looks like I can stay for a bit,” the girl happily informed.

“Well, come on in!” Ricky’s grandmother allowed the girl inside of the warm, two-story house that she knew and envied.

“YEET!” Ricky shouted while leading the girl to the room she envied most in his home, the kitchen; she adored the coloring and sleek style of it compared to her kitchen at home. Next to the counter, the pair sat on the stool for the countertop table, excited that they finally had been able to see each other again that was not just over the internet. Ricky hit play on a video he had been watching, particularly a movie that the pair had watched together on the day of its release in theaters. Pizza was placed on the counter; half of the pizza was without cheese due to Ricky’s lactose intolerance while the other was plain cheese. Grabbing a well-wished for slice of cheese pizza, the girl exchanged laughter and banter while the two of them dined on pizza. Unlike the girl, Ricky was not exactly the quickest eater while the girl was known for vacuuming up food on her plate; time sauntered by as a result while the girl waited for Ricky to finish eating. Sooner or later, Ricky’s hankering for pizza was quenched after a few slices, thus the two decided to hop upstairs to lounge in Ricky’s room.

Up until around six or seven in the evening, Ricky showed off games to the girl while she spectated. The guardian appeared midway through the fun on Ricky’s bed to greet him and wish him a happy birthday; he even held up a small potion glass with a ribbon tied around it. Immediately, the seven-foot tall Dragon was shooed off of Ricky’s bed as usual, as Ricky made many remarks of how ridiculous it was for a real life Dragon to be sitting on his bed, and also fearing that his flaming arms and legs would light his bed on fire with what were referred to as “phantom flames”. Meanwhile, Ricky’s guardian, Ryuk was dancing with a party hat atop his spiky mountain of hair while moving his arms up and down while clutching a brilliantly red apple in both hands. While chuckling at Ryuk’s dance moves, the girl had her guardian loiter near the back of the cramped room next to Ricky’s shelf where he had placed the girl’s gift. Night began to settle in without the quartet even realizing it due to how much fun they were having, which caused the girl to beam with glee that she could make one of her closest friend’s birthday all the better instead of him being on his own with his family. Being prepared with her usual devices in her old wolf hat that was a multi-purpose piece of clothing, the girl checked her phone every now and again to see if Darkflame wished to join in on the fun. For a small amount of the time, Darkflame was able to join the others within a voice call on Ricky’s computer, but he was unable to stay the entire time for the usual reason, his father. Nonetheless, they all delighted in the night until it was finally time to have some cake. Ryuk along with the girl’s guardian remained in Ricky’s room to avoid being spotted, which Ricky and the girl swiftly, yet cautiously slid downstairs and back to the kitchen.

Right besides the open kitchen area, Ricky’s grandparents were laid out on the two couches in the living area, relaxing to the evening news on their wall-mounted flat screen TV. Ricky’s grandmother pried open the fridge to reveal a chocolate on chocolate cake with pudding instead of frosting, which explained why it was settled in the fridge instead of just the counter; the two were famished for the delicious cake set in front of them. Before serving up a slice, Ricky’s grandmother ensured that the girl was okay with pudding as frosting, which she simply replied, “Oh, that’s completely fine by me!” Candles were dug into the cake’s soft surface; Ricky was allowed to light the candles on his own instead of his grandmother aiding him. Just like every normal birthday, the usual birthday song was sung; Ricky’s grandmother took a photo of Ricky and the girl; Ricky had felt embarrassment flow through him while the girl attempted to partially hide her face by looking away at the probing light of the camera. Against the usual trend, Ricky decided upon a smaller slice of cake compared to the girl despite his commonly black hole-like stomach size. Cake eating was pleasant on its own while the duo continued to laugh and chat, even the girl answering Darkflame’s call on her phone when Ricky’s grandparents were within earshot; Ricky was rather astonished that the girl had the gall to blatantly answer her phone in front of elders like that, but she had proven to not care by answering Darkflame’s calls during lunch at school as well. Loosening up around Ricky’s abode was a simple task for the girl without the ever-impending threat of Azide having an attack due to her mother; she could tell Azide was more at ease compared to when his carrier’s mother is a wall away.

In the midst of dining on cake, the girl decided to strike up a conversation with Ricky’s grandmother about the topic of her mother attempting to take her away from her only real-life friends. To begin the conversation, the girl brought out, “Hey, Diane, my mom proposed to that guy on the internet, right?” she took a deep breath and sighed, “They haven’t dated at all in person.”

“Oh?” Diane’s interest piqued, she replied, “I thought they had dated in person before…”

“Nope,” the girl curtly denied; she added, “This is yet another fucking reason why she’s hit a new low.”

Diane let out a disappointed sigh and reaffirmed, “Well, your mother’s found someone in her life, honey.”

“Uh, are you serious right now?” the girl questioned, “She’s gone through so many damn relationships thinking she’s fucking found the right man, but guess what? She never has and I doubt she will at the rate she’s going.”

“It’s hard for a man to break a seasoned woman’s heart after so many hardships,” Diane explained, “This man your mother is marrying cracked her hardened exterior.”

Anxiety and franticness began to catch up to the girl as she spouted, “I’m going to fucking go insane if I’m left with her and that dude all-a-fucking-lone!” taking a deep breath before continuing, “I’m already fucking damn-well sick of her mental and emotional abuse this has caused on top of all her previous shit.”

“You’re free to stay here if you need to get away from her for a bit; I won’t tell anyone what you’ve told me,” Diane assured the girl that her tirade was safe.

Attesting his grandmother’s statement, Ricky verified, “Yeah, nana isn’t the kind to snitch like that.”

“She caused the worst fucking Christmas in my damn life, split her fucking family apart, and is abusing me because I don’t want to leave my damn life here; she always has a few days of emotional and mental abuse every few months or so,” she described, “This has been the worst fucking bout yet.”

“I know it’s hard,” Diane sympathised, “but trust me, she’s doing it for your sake; your future.”

“Thanks, but this situation is fucking ridiculous to me; fucking breaking everything just because she flaunted to another man to try and date without even fucking saying anything to her own fucking daughter. Ha, and she said she gives a damn about what I think. Well, this is an obvious example that she doesn’t. Oh, wait,” the girl resumed her diatribe, “that’s yet another fucking empty promise slash lie in the giant novel that’s the shit my mother tells me!”

Pending during the conversation, Ricky remained quiet while his grandmother included, “Well, again, I’m not going to tell your mother about this. Everyone needs a break every now and again.”

“Diane… There’s no point in me taking a break from my mother, it doesn’t do anything, as she never fucking stays away for long enough at all, and then the ball just speeds right back up again,” the girl confided.

“C’mon,” Ricky motioned, “let’s just go back up to my room.”

Disapproving how the conversation went embittered and lit her utter contempt for her mother once again, but the girl let out a sigh and abided by her friends words by muttering, “Yeah, I need to go calm down.”

Rage once again became laughter once the pair returned to their guardians; both the girl’s guardian and Ryuk had been listening by both of them casting spells that allowed to hear through the ears of the two, an incredibly common ability for guardians to have in their arsenal. Amid the merriment of the four, Ricky’s door was suddenly pried open while the girl had happened to be standing where the door moves back when pulled open, forcing her to be trapped behind Ricky’s door and stuck by Ricky’s bed. Ricky’s sister began to sing the happy birthday song with someone else the girl did not recognize while actively recording Ricky’s unamused, bewildered reaction; the girl was mixed with annoyance and enjoyment at Ricky being horribly embarrassed by his sister right in front of her. What felt much longer in the girl’s perspective, Ricky’s sister finally ended her recording and noticed the girl behind the door, which she exclaimed, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice you there!”

“It’s fine,” the girl assured.

“Anyway,” Ricky’s sister moved on, “guess what time it is, Ricky?”

Unassuming of what it would be, Ricky flatly asked, “What?”

“Time for your birthday punches, silly!” his sister teased while she began to count, “One… two… three…” as she continuously punched him in the shoulder area until the fifteenth punch.

Giggles poured out of the girl’s mouth, as she continued to watch Ricky being punched by his sister in a joking manner; Ricky began to nurse his shoulder once his sister ended her punching streak. Ricky’s sister then turned to the girl and asked her what time she would like to be taken home, the girl pondered for a few seconds and stated, “Eight-thirty should be fine.”

“Alright, make sure to pack up your stuff when the time comes,” Ricky’s sister remarked as her and the person the girl did not recognize strolled out of Ricky’s room and into her room next door.

Video games continued to be played and shouts were heard from Ricky’s room once more until the girl received a text from her mother; the girl answered in the most bland way possible and informed her mother of when she would be arriving home. Quickly after her text, the girl already realized that it was time to leave after what only seemed like an hour to her. Belongings, as few as there were, were placed back within the pockets of the girl’s worn amalgamation of a silver-furred wolf hat that could be a scarf, hat, mittens, and two satchels at once. The guardian assisted as he could while having the girl remember her phone charger and other devices she brought along with her until he was sure that everything she needed was in her hat. Stealthily, the girl scooped up a quarter she saw on the floor and stashed it into her hat along with her other things. She believed that not only would Ricky not notice it being gone, but believed she was in more need of it than him due to him actually being handed an allowance while the girl had never had an allowance in her life. Situated by the door, Ricky’s sister and the other person with her were waiting for the girl and Ricky to hop down the stairs for them to take the girl home; Ricky’s sister ordered Ricky to join them to take the girl home as a way of thanking her for being there for his birthday.

A full moon could be seen, shimmering down upon the suburbs of the streets of Woodland while a red car mosied down the roads, the moonlight reflecting off of its polished, metallic surface. Intense music could be heard blaring within the vehicle, as four teens conversed on their journey to the girl’s abode. There was not another car in sight on the road despite it still being relatively early in the night; Friday would most likely warrant more activity amongst Woodland’s simple citizens. For most of the short commute home, the girl mainly took in the rare opportunity of getting to view a full moon that was not just in a video game; the way it rotated around the earth to where it faced it in the same direction endlessly always fascinated her to where she hoped she could remember the moon forever. Daydreaming and imagining scenes unfold before here was a common trait of the girl’s mind, which Azide had to endure. Even while her eyes are open, the girl decided to reminisce about Azide-related things even though she was mere minutes away from home.

Usually when she is framed in Azide’s mind, she would stay with him by placing herself like a ghost in the physical world and comfort him to the best of her ability if he was having a rough time or just came out of an attack. Then at other, more peaceful times, she would entertain herself by immersing herself in this miniature world she conjured. Cradled in a valley, a palace was seated at the back of the valley along with a village she designed with houses for each element from this story she had been making. No citizens could be discovered upon entering, as the girl was alone, but she had been able to craft a living space for herself within the palace. Hallways, throne room, watchtowers, bathroom, gaming room, bedroom, living room/waiting room, entrance, and the dining room/kitchen combo made up the girl’s rather single-sized palace, as no-one else expectedly lived with her. On occasion, her guardian phased into this mental landscape to spend time with the girl while Azide was able to relax and enjoy himself while he could in the physical plane; he usually attended to increasing the realism of the area while the girl was asleep-- especially altering the quality of the large, umbrella-like trees along with a few pines that populated the valley. Dug in front of the palace courtyard, a lake spanned out to where one cannot see the shore; a stone path that acted as the roads to the small village encompassed it. Waves of serenity were felt as the girl’s imagined form sat on the lush grass and gazed at the bright, day sky, but then she had been swiftly interrupted.

Bumping up next to the girl’s residence, she realized that it was finally time to part ways with Ricky, yet she confirmed to him that she would be online for a few more hours into the night. Hints of sadness could be seen on the girl’s face, as she waved good-bye once she stepped up to her door, and Ricky along with the others departed before the girl even managed to step inside. To the girl and Azide’s pleasure, the girl’s mother had not returned from what she had went out to do; the guardian uncloaked himself at the nonexistent sight of the girl’s mother. Her computer beckoned her, as the girl flung herself into her room, ready to let out a howl of laughter and screaming without her witch for a mom moping about her room. Hours and hours of the night were spent online until around two in the morning; the girl muttered her temporary farewells to Darkflame and his group members as always. “Holy shit, this day didn’t fucking suck like I thought it would,” the girl noted aloud to the others before adding, “Welp, it’s about time I actually let myself pass out now.” Azide decided to lay next to her; the guardian once again teleported into the girl’s mind to work on improvements; the large monitor was left on like usual. Darkness and well-earned rest enveloped the girl before her mother had even arrived home to see if her daughter listened.