Jinny’s eyes went wide at Slade’s declaration. “Wait, you’re coming with me?” Her eyes sparkled with joy. “Yaay! That’s so awesome!”

She was relieved. While she was absolutely determined to make a friend, she wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen. After all, she didn’t have much experience in it. But if her uncle was right, there would be plenty of kids her age with similar views around. Not being thought of as weird was probably the first step. The rest she was just going to have to work out on her own.

“If you’re going to be a teacher, I don’t think the other kids know what they’re in for. You’re not the nice kind of teacher.” She was still smiling, though. Then she backtracked a bit, realizing she might have been insulting. “Not saying you’re mean. But when you spar with me… you kick my butt. A lot.” While she knew he wasn’t fighting her at anything near full strength, he never failed to take advantage of her mistakes. She had bruises to prove it. Jinny had lost over and over again. It was a frustrating not even to be able to land a proper strike. But she would, one day. She got faster and more adept with every fight.

“I have a question though.” She peered up at him curiously. “Is the fact that I’m adopted by you going to be a secret there? Or am I allowed to talk about it?” When she had taken her first steps into the underworld, there had been a rather frank discussion about enemies and danger. Considering where they were headed, she wasn’t sure if their connection would prove more dangerous than ever.