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“Uh,whatis that voice?” Nathan blurts out.

“I’m getting into character!”

He looks at the other guys in mock confusion. “I’m sorry, are we in a Charles Dickens novel? Good day, guv’nor! Need your chimney swept?” He mimes tipping his hat to me.

I bristle and roll my eyes. Honestly, I was pulling the voice from Eliza’s father in the movie version ofMy Fair Lady.I love doing a Cockney accent. “I thought this was my character and I could play her how I want?”

Lucas nods seriously. “It is.”

“I think it’s really great, Riley,” John says. “I’m glad you’re getting into it. Or do you have a character name we should be using?”

I consider for a second and then put my hands out. “I am Elphaba,” I announce, thinking of the famous lead character fromWicked.

“Good morning to you, Elphaba,” John replies. “I am Vafir, an evocation wizard.”

“I’m a dwarf ranger by the name of Spruce Wayne.” Anthony bows deeply and grins. “Don’t let the termdwarfconfuse you, though. I may be short in stature, but I’m larger than life in heart. And other things.”

Nathan and John groan. I laugh and nod approvingly. “Wow, good to know. And I love the name.” I turn to Nathan, who says, “I’m a half-elf paladin. I go by Sol Juur.”

I squint at him. “Soldier? What kind of name is that?”

“An amazing name, thank you very much. And it’s not Soldier, it’s Sol Juur.” He points down to where he’s written his character’s name. “First name Sol, last name Juur. As a paladin, I’m a warrior of the sun deity. Sun, Sol—get it? But I also fight and protect the party, so I’m a soldier—Sol Juur.” He grins widely, much too pleased with himself.

“Uh…cool.” I still don’t really know what paladins are, but at least I can appreciate the attention to detail.

Lucas clears his throat to get our attention. “You all realize that this girl is friendly and could add new energy to the group. You need to decide if you’re going to invite her to join your party.”

John—Vafir—turns to me with a discerning gaze. “We don’t need a song right now, Elphaba, but we could use help with a quest. Are you up for it?”

“Will there be singing and dancing?” I ask.

“I’m always up for a song,” Anthony replies. “And I’m eager to get out of this town and away from the crowds. Your singing can keep me company in the evenings.” He flashes me a grin.

“I’m not convinced,” Nathan says, his voice harder than usual. “The smaller our party is, the stealthier we can be. Abard could announce our presence to others if she’s singing all the time.” He cuts his eyes to me. “Particularly one who doesn’t seem to recognize the gravity of the quest we’re on. This isn’t a game.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Isn’t everything in life a game?”

Lucas and Anthony both laugh.

“Maybe to you, but not to me.”

“Be reasonable, Sol,” John says. “A bard could be useful when we get to the ancient city. The sword is most likely under lock and key and her powers could help us with that. Especially since we can’t rely on our rogue to do it.”

Nathan frowns but doesn’t give in. Well, fine. I look down at my character sheet—I’ll make him relent.

I turn to Lucas. “I’d like to use my persuasive powers to convince Nathan. I mean, Sol Juur.”

His eyes widen. “Um…you can try using one of your spells on him.”

“Try to calm his emotions,” Anthony says with a wink, and points to a spell in the book.

Nathan shakes his head. “Hold on, you’re not supposed to cast spells on your own party members.”

“Well, I’mnota party member yet because you’re being stubborn. So I’m using a spell. How do I do it?” I lift my chin defiantly, glad that Sophia isn’t here tonight so I don’t have to pretend to like Nathan when he’s being annoying.

“Technically, you would speak and gesture to cast the spell, but it’s also fine to just say you’re casting it,” Lucas explains.

“Actually…I have a better idea,” I reply.