At the boba shop, the girls were talking with each other.
"So… Who are the other Guardians?" Dee questioned, taking a sip of her tea.
"There are currently ten of us, but so far, four are missing. The Earth, Fire, Electricity, Ice and Metal ones. And it is our job to find them." Cecilia explained.
"I thought there were only five elements on Earth..." Dee muttered.
"Maybe, but there are so many other elements in the world." Cecilia added.
"Why is the straw so big?" Ursa asked, looking at the straw in her drink that was almost the same size as their head.
"It's for the aesthetic." Harley said.
"Actually-" Dee wanted to correct her, but she decided to bite her tongue. "Oh whatever…" she waved a hand.
"But… I can't use this straw!" Ursa complained.
"Can I help you with anything else?" a girl asked, walking up to them. She had short blonde hair, and was wearing a waitress uniform.
"Oh… hey Stella." Dee said.
"Delilah!" the blonde haired girl, Stella, cheered out happily. "I missed you." She gave Dee a short hug.
"Yeah, me too."
Cecilia pointed at the windows. "Those flowers are beautiful!"
"Oh, thank you! I grew them out," Stella expressed, pointing at the plants. "I have been gardening since I was a child."
"That's beautiful…" Harley mumbled.
"Guys, this is Stella, she's a family friend." Dee introduced, and pointed a hand at Stella.
"Wait…" Cecilia whispered, her eyes narrowing as she leaned in close to Stella. "You said you grew these? From seeds?"
"Yes, most of them," Stella said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "They grow really fast when I'm around. I have won so many competitions with my flowers."
"That could only mean one thing…" Harley whispered to Cecilia.
Dee immediately felt a small bit of panic in her heart. She looked at Ursa, who was currently trying to climb the side of a boba cup.
"I… No. She can't be a Guardian… I've known her for years…" Dee said in a hushed tone. "If she is one, then that means I-"
"But her heart's energies," Ursa hissed, abandoning the cup and tumbling onto the table. "It's earthy. It's rich. It smells like… moss and herbs…"
"Uhm… what's that?" Stella asked, pointing a finger at Ursa.
"Oh them? That's just my uh… very weird bird I found! Yup, she was just lying in the streets, all alone." Dee quickly explained, trying hard not to panic.
"That's an extremely weird bird…" Stella expressed again. "They're crystal like and blue!"
"They're from… Australia!" added Harley, trying to act smooth and calm.
"That place gets weirder… I swear…" Stella mumbled. "Can I get you anything else?"
"I want cake." Ursa said, with a serious look in their eyes.
"Ursa! You're not helping your case and disguise!" yelled Dee, and started to panic.
"They can… talk?"
"Obviousy! I'm a Celestial Guard!" Ursa stated proudly, and looked up dramatically at the ceiling.
"There's… nothing up there…" Cecilia pointed out.
"Well… uhm… I'll… go get that thing a cake…" Stella walked to the kitchen of the restaurant.
Harley slapped Ursa. "You dummy! We could have been caught! We're lucky she's blonde!"
"You just insulted two percent of the population." Dee commented, shaking her head.
"Sorry!" Harley replied instantly, and sat back down.
"Dude, that's not a good thing to say." Cecilia mentioned.
"Can we focus?" Cecilia hissed, leaning over the table. "Stella just admitted plants grow faster when she's around. She has 'earthy' energy. Dee, she's the Earth Guardian. It's sitting right there in front of us, probably next to the cheesecake!"
"But… she couldn't even harm a fly! She can't be a Guardian!" Dee tried explaining, and rubbed her temples, the condensation from her cold cup making her palms slick. "She's a waitress. She likes gardening. My mom literally buys her begonias every Mother's Day."
"You're acting like a protective dragon." Harley commented with a smug smile.
"I would like to see the dragon," Ursa chimed in. "Can you do the fire breath?"
"Not helping, Ursa!" the three girls shouted in unison.
Before they could argue further, the swinging kitchen doors creaked open. Stella walked out, balancing a small ceramic plate with a slice of cake. She looked dazed, her brow furrowed as if she were trying to solve a complex math equation in her head.
"Okay," Stella said, setting the plate down in front of the sapphire-colored 'bird.' "Here is the cake. And... I've been thinking. Australia is very far away. Do all their birds have a round body?"
"They're a very specific breed," Harley blurted out, a small blush appearing on her face.
Stella laughed at that, and walked away to the windows, she reached out her hand to the flowers. As she moved, the drooping petals of a daisy suddenly rose up.
"There, it's beautiful again!" Stella cheered happily, and walked away.
"I... can't believe it..." Dee muttered, her eyes widening as she shook her head in disbelief. "I'm so confused..."
"Me too, but the point is, we need to tell her that she is one of us! And then, we would only have to find the other three!" Cecilia explained.
"But she's normal," Dee whispered, watching her friend take an order from a grumpy businessman. "She spends her weekends pressing flowers and watching documentaries about bees. She's not a warrior."
"Neither were you a few days ago," Harley pointed out, poking at a stray boba with her straw. "You were just a girl who liked DVDs and had a messy room. Now you're shooting lasers at Void Walkers."
Dee slumped in her chair. "This is getting complicated. How are we supposed to tell her? 'Hey Stella, forget the petunias, you need to use your flower power to fight the son of a Void Queen'?"
"We have to be subtle," Cecilia suggested. "We can't just blurt it out. If she hasn't awakened yet, a sudden shock will backfire. We need to monitor her."
"I'm great at monitoring!" Ursa muffled, finally swallowing the boba pearl. "I can hide in her flower pots! I'll be the Guardian of Lilypads!"
"You will do no such things. No spy missions." Dee muttered.
Ursa sighed dramatically. "Fine…"
"Look, Dee. The Earth element usually manifests in the guardian with the kindest spirit," Cecilia explained.
Ursa had finally managed to pull a single boba pearl out of the cup and hugged it like a teddy bear. "And I'm telling you, her aura is practically glowing green like this pearl! It's undeniable."
"But she doesn't have a necklace or a bracelet," Dee pointed out. "I didn't get my powers until Ursa literally fell on my head."
"The charms appear when the Void makes its first move against the host," Harley explained, her expression turning serious. "If Falcon or his minions realize who she is before she transforms, she's a sitting duck. We have to trigger her awakening."
"Absolutely not!" Dee stood up. "I am not putting Stella in deathly danger just to see if she can grow a giant beanstalk to hit monsters with."
"Dee, it's not about choice," Cecilia said softly, reaching out to touch Dee's arm. "Amentia and her soldiers are already looking for the other four. If we don't help her find her power, she won't be able to defend herself when they come."
The bell above the shop door rang out. Dee turned her head and saw a man with red hair, in a blue pullover suit walk in.
"Oh wow. Do you know him?" Harley asked.
"He goes to my school…" Dee replied, looking at the man.
The guy looked behind him, and noticed Dee. "Oh, hey Dee. Long time no see." he said, walking over to the girls.
"H-hey! Yeah! I… uhm…" Dee tried to talk, but she cleared her throat before things could get any more awkward. "Hi, Callum..."
Callum laughed a little. "You're always like this, it's... fun... Well, it's always nice talking with you. But I have to go."
With that, he walked away. Dee shook her head to make the blush on her face disappear.
"Oooooh~"
"Shut up, girls!"
"Never," Harley laughed.
"That was adorable." Cecilia added.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Ursa asked.
"What?! No! He is not!" Dee quickly said. A bit too quickly.
Ursa nodded their head with a knowing smile. "Uh-huh."
"He really isn't!" Dee stated loudly. Then covered her mouth.
"Awkward... people are staring at us…" Harley whistled, as Dee covered her face in embarrassment, her face still as red as a tomato.
"Ugh..." Dee grumbled.
"Don't be embarrassed. It's adorable!" Cecilia said, trying to cheer her new friend up.
Dee looked at Cecilia, and her face fell onto the table.
"I take that as a 'leave me alone...'" Cecilia assessed, and walked away.