Elayra’s brows rose at Ghent’s inquiry and amazed excitement about her pack. Apparently, Earth lacked a similar convince.
	“Mary [i]who?[/i]” she snapped, angling herself so there was a little extra space between her and Ghent. She huffed a sigh at his further questions. “The enchantment on it to make it lighter has started to wear off. But it’s only a portion of the weight it should be. Thankfully, the Curse didn’t effect [i]all[/i] items with preexisting enchantments. But good luck finding one.” She snorted.
	Elayra only shook her head at the question of food and walked just to his left, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Noticing him keeping tentatively close to her, she glanced up at the small rain guard.
	She took a breath, moving more of her focus to the shield than necessary to maintain it, then muttered a simple, “[i]Extendo,[/i]” as she waved her hand toward it and Ghent.
	At the order, the shield glittered and expanded with the motion of her hand to hover over the both of them.
	[b]“Want to know what I think?”[/b]
	“Would my saying ‘no’ prevent you from telling me?” she grumbled. But, alas, he continued regardless.
	Her brows furrowed, and she turned her head toward him. “You think I’m [i]what?[/i]” She let out a single chuckle through her nose at his reason for his diagnoses. “Or maybe you’re just extra annoying in the mornings.”
	She eyed him as he reached back to a pouch in his pack, and pulled out what looked like a colorful envelope with the word, “Skittles” on one side. She watched him curiously as he tore the pack open, then handed it to her. She hesitated.
	“Taste the…” Slowly, she took the pack, glancing between it and the sidewalk ahead of them, watching for anyone else who may cross their path, be they from Earth or Wonderland. “So, people here have managed to discover and bottle the ‘taste of a rainbow,’ yet don’t have magic?” she asked dubiously, watching him as he used the convex candies to aid in describing a bullet.
	“Hopefully we won’t have to find out,” she offered at his conclusion. [i]And hopefully Drust hasn’t had any problems with them,[/i] she added to herself, concern for her guardian flashing in her eyes. There was no telling what, if anything, had been waiting for him on the other side of the portal. Had the Shadowmire already returned to the Sorceress? Could she have already sent others to find them? Would she and Ghent find Drust waiting for them, safe in Wonderland, or the Red Queen herself?
	Elayra scowled and looked to the side, trying to dispel the thoughts as her regret of having to hide her weapons deepened.
	“Here,” she said gruffly, handing the pack back to Ghent. The car following them went unnoticed, the rumble of its engine overpowered by distance and the pattering rain. “Save your rations. I have my own if I need them.”