Round 182

The shed door creaks open, revealing two uniformed security officers. Their flashlights sweep across the cluttered space, momentarily blinding Jeane and Silra.

"Everything okay in here?" one guard calls out, his voice echoing slightly in the confined space.

Jeane's shield magic flickers ominously, the spell's integrity already compromised by her failing body. She forces a sweet smile, teeth chattering audibly despite the heat output from her spell. "Oh thank you so much for checking on us!" she says, her voice dripping with saccharine gratitude. "We were just trying to get warm after falling in the water."

Inside, she's seething. The guards had already checked on them twice now—each time bringing more unwanted attention and making it harder for her to maintain the shield magic while maintaining her dignity.

"Thirty seconds? Try thirty minutes before I lose control of this spell," she hisses under her breath, her crimson eyes locked onto Silra's teal ones in a silent plea for help.