Seeing Shade still snapping the clasps shut, securing the armor's accessories to the inside of the case for easier storage, Ms. Meister asked again:
"Why put it back in the case? Aren't you going to put it on and try it?"
"There's no time, and armor isn't that important to me anyway. It would only hinder my agility."
Shade was not bragging. His body truly was remarkably reliable.
Ms. Meister smiled and stood behind him without saying anything more, watching as he closed the case again and then used a curtain to turn it back into a toy.
The toy case continued to glow. This time, Shade shrank it to its absolute limit, until one side was roughly the size of a fingernail:
"Sure enough, once it has elements, casting spells on it becomes much harder. How about hanging it around Little Mia's neck as a pendant?"
He gestured toward the cat's neck, and it immediately dodged away. It refused to wear any accessories at all, whether bells or little bow collars. For instance, Little Mia would absolutely never wear the pretty "Cat Lace Dress" that Megan and Audrey had worn when they first arrived in Moon Bay as Two-tailed Cats.
"What did you think of? Why are you smiling so happily?"
The brown-skinned lady asked again. Shade immediately shook his head, though he felt he could still make Little Mia try it someday. For example, when taking photographs for Miss Goode, he could find a way to make the cat wear that outfit.
He put the glowing armor into his pocket, then made a final confirmation with the prepared Grandma Sianode, Ms. Sandel, and Ms. Knight. The group of five officially set out.
Outside the Temple lay a vast desert beneath the moonlight. Sunlight had vanished, but a layer