"Right, let's go home," Aleck suggested, scratching the back of his head. "We go back to training tomorrow. The Bean Festival's around the corner, so is the cooking contest."
"Agreed," Beau said, recalling their training a while ago. "To think that the bean toss practice a while ago almost escalated into something serious."
The tension that had been simmering between Zann and Leonel last night finally boiled over.
What had started as subtle jabs during practice was now bubbling into something neither of them could contain.
It began with a single spark — Zann snapping after Leonel landed a hit on Aranea with a pink bean during training.
"That was a cheap shot," Zann said, tossing a green bean into the basket with more force than necessary.
Leonel didn't even glance up from his own pile. "It's called strategy. You wouldn't get it."
Zann barked a laugh, short and sharp. "Strategy? Please. That was you aiming where you shouldn't."
