It was late in the evening on the event's last day when Phedre finally found time to visit the Crystal Hearts Gallery. She had intended to come the prior weekend but family responsibilities took precedence over the simple wants of normalcy and time to decompress from the hecticness of daily demands.

The line was short and when it came to her turn the ticket saleswoman smiled kindly and in a sweet voice asked, “Ticket for one? Or are you waiting for someone?”

Phedre shook her head, “No, the gentleman I had invited was unavailable to come today.” For a fleeting moment, she had considered reaching out to Zac but with the time that had passed she had instead sent Isaac a message. Unfortunately, he was on base all weekend and unable to leave. Although, she suspected if the Negaverse called, he’d be granted permission.

A small shrug as a soft sigh escaped through parted lips, but she smiled nonetheless, “I’ll just have to make sure I plan better next time.”

“I’m sure there will be another event here soon,” the saleswoman offered in kind and entered something into the tablet she was holding onto. “That’ll be $50 please.” Steep price for some but to her, it was a drop in the bucket considering she’d been to events that cost much more than this.

Phedre held her credit card against the microchip reader and once it beeped, and was handed her ticket and a pamphlet with a list of vendors and activities, she put her wallet back into her purse and stepped inside the venue where many people walked hand in hand with their partners or in small groups.

Had she been powered, it would have been easy to coerce someone into being her arm candy for the evening. Sweet promises, tender kisses, and a little magic to make the evening feel less lonely. But that would require more effort and energy than she had time or care for. Perhaps she could pick her target from the crowd and do some energy gathering once the event was closed for the night. Catch someone leaving alone and fill her quota off someone with a broken or injured heart.

Cruel? Maybe…

But as Meridiana, she could certainly help one or two people forget their sadness for the night.

As she continued toward the Crystal Garden she caught the aroma of fresh brewed coffee as she passed near the Event Hall and found herself not just craving something warm to drink, but to hold onto instead of her purse strap. “Never too late,” she commented to herself at the thought of getting a grande latte in the evening. Caffeine doesn’t affect me the same way it does most people anyway. Rarely did it feel like a burst of energy suddenly hit her, if anything it often made her feel sleepy. But, decaf might not be a bad idea.

There were multiple lines to choose from, most had some sort of bakery good or sugary confections. And while raspberry brownies sounded absolutely delectable she got in line for the Nekosuke Cafe figuring that in place of a warm hand to hold onto, a cup of coffee would have to do.