The Hellhound's Return

I was originally going to skip this episode. It's too much of a filler for me, but it invested into a subplot line that could change the outcome of future stories in this series.

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"So Leanbow is preventing the Master from rising?" Black Lance asked.

"Yes, but he isn't working alone," said Sculpin. "The Lake of Lament showed two significant magical signatures."

"Do we know who is assisting him?" Itassis asked.

Sculpin shook his head. "Nor do we know where they are hiding," he admitted. "We must find out."

"But how?" Black Lance asked.

"I have a plan," said Sculpin, chuckling darkly. "We shall see to it that Leanbow and his hidden accomplice fall before the day is through."

~X~

Kali looked up as Maddie and Vida sidled up either side of her at the cash register. "Uh-oh," she mumbled, looking back at the account booklet. "When you two get that look in your eyes, it usually means I'm in trouble."

"We just wanted to know if you're okay," said Maddie. "We heard that you moved out of Nick's sister's."

"Yep," Kali nodded.

"You're staying at Root core?" Vida asked.

Again, Kali nodded.

"What's it like?" Maddie asked.

Kali shrugged. "It's like camping, just without the tent and supplies," she said. "Daggeron's pretty good company; he knows when to leave me alone and when to distract me."

"This is all because you have feelings for both Nick and Xander?" Vida asked.

Kali sighed. She should've guessed that the conversation wasn't just about her current living quarters. It was obvious the strain that her current relationship status was putting on the team, and she should've seen it coming that Maddie, Chip, and Vida would soon get involved.

"We don't mean to pry," said Maddie.

"Yes, we do!" Vida said.

Maddie shot her sister a warning look and Kali laughed.

"It's okay, Maddie," Kali said, shaking her head. "I should've expected this. Am I going to get a conversation with Chip, too?"

"Chip's much too scared to approach you," said Vida, shaking her head. "He's waiting on our report."

Kali rolled her eyes. "Then I'll tell you what I told them," she said. "I am confused about what has happened, what has been said, and I need time to process everything. It's not fair on Xander if I'm living with Nick, and I can't process my feelings for Nick if he's only a few feet away from me at night. This way, I am fair to both of them and myself.

"Sounds like a reasonable decision," said Maddie. "But, I didn't come over here to know all that. I genuinely wanted to make sure you were okay. You're looking a little sad."

"I'm mad at myself," Kali admitted.

Maddie cocked her head to the side.

"I know at the end of all this, I'm going to need to make a decision and choose between Xander and Nick," said Kali. "Which means, I'm going to end up hurting one of them."

Vida nodded. "That usually happens, yeah," she said.

Maddie shot her sister a second warning look.