NationStates Jolt Archive

Federal Department of Internal Affairs, Marshall Island

Ikumi Koyama, the head of Internal Affairs, yawned softly and took another sip of her coffee as she went through the paperwork the Tsarainese government had sent over; carefully sorted personal histories and files. Most were staggering and slightly worrying in their completeness; family, blood type, height, weight and everything else she'd have expected, but also full medical histories, personal habits, even little things like eating habits and timekeeping carefully noted. Each was attached to a somewhat less exhaustive report with the Federal flag on it; their assigned family, a 'buddy' of sorts to help them get settled in. They'd been assured nothing compelled them to stay in the home they'd been assigned after they got settled, though all the families chosen seemed pleasant.

Ikumi smiled, flipping through the next set. Really, her signature was just a formality now, since her department had dealt with all the arrangements like informing families and sorting out temporary Citizen Cards. She ran a hand through her long auburn hair absent-mindedly, tracing her fingertips around one of her short antlers as she read, blinking and smiling broadly, 'That's going to be a fun little family...'

It pained her a little that they'd tried to stay with species nearer to human; there weren't many families with Nagas or Cervidine in them on the lists she'd been given and, while she understood the thinking behind it, as a Cervidine herself it still felt unpleasant. Still, it couldn't be helped, and hopefully once they got over the initial culture shock of moving from a nation with one sentient species to one with more than ten, they'd be happy to associate with people regardless of what they looked like.

That's how it had been back when, two generations ago, her grandmother, a factory foreman, had moved from Lanfor City to Marshall Island; and here she was now as head of the entire Department of Internal Affairs. That had to mean something. She smiled to herself, 'Yes, they'll be fine.'

She checked over the file one last time, reading aloud to keep herself awake, 'Kata and Sferan arKuin...With Reika Izumi, Sakura Shima, Maya Shitow...One-Oh-Four Westward Drive.' She signed it carefully, glancing over at the rest of the files before shaking her head and curling up in her chair to sleep. They could wait one more day.

Over Marshall Island, GMC Military Arms

After some time in the air, flight ET-348-907 dropped beneath the clouds, opening up an expanse of glittering ocean and, in the distance, the green smudge of land.

"We've descended to comply with ISON civil aviation regulations," the pilot told them, "Ensuring you a very good view of Marshall Island as we come in. Please don't be alarmed."

Kata's English wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to follow what he said. Sferan had a functional knowledge of the language on his DNI, and needed no assistance.

As they got closer to the island, the white tails of ship's wake resolved into vessels; tankers, freighters, liners, warships. Quite a lot of warships, actually, full of the engineering optimism which characterised Federal ships; the confidence that any problem could be overcome, expressed in steel and alloy.

Then they were passing a rocky shore, and above it an endless plain of roads, rails, concrete, tarmac; the Independent Strategic Orbital Network which ringed the island. Bunkers, airfields, an artillery piece which put Maraldi's Morningstars to shame; that must be the Eye of God.

"Wow," she breathed, pressing her face against the glass, but the Eye was soon past, the shore approaching again. A bay, a harbour, a city.

"Hammer Bay," Sferan said, consulting his guidebook. It sprawled around the harbour, all smokestacks and towers; as if someone had taken Deep Tsarai or Nova Reio and deposited it on the surface. More warships sat at anchor here, and Kata recognised the shapes of the supercruisers Yui and Rei, ships dwarfing anything Tsaraine had ever put into service in air, sea, or space.

That too passed, giving way to snow-dusted farmland, and then to hills. A winding squiggle below them Sferan identified as George Road, crossing the spine of Marshall Island. And then Marshall City itself came into view.

It looks even bigger than it does in photographs, Kata thought, spotting factories, parks, and a great many towers. JC Denton International was a flat expanse, growing bigger as they descended, and at this altitude hovering dots became flying cars, with conventional wheeled vehicles below them. What wonders!

A thunk as the flaps folded down and the landing gear extended ("Is that meant to happen?" she asked Sferan, who assured her it was), and then suddenly the plane was on the ground, the engines howling as it pulled to a stop. They were in GMC.

Later...

Rei was sitting on herself.

Rei, Yui's sister, was the second Supercruiser built by GMC, and her avatar was giving some of the crew fits by sitting on the edge of the deck. She hummed softly as she gazed down to the water, trying to see if there were any fish swimming near her hull. She'd had to modify her fishing pole a little bit so that the line could actually meet the surface of the water.

She'd rather enjoyed the project, actually, probably an artifact of the fact that her primary personality programing had been done by the Hack; Anesca PHALANX, to be exact. Leave it to the Hack to have an AI program an AI. The rumor was that Alysa Anderson had come up with the idea after one of her wives got her fantastically drunk, but everyone always tended to deny that.

She glanced up as her radar system picked up an incoming plane; nothing out of the ordinary, really, planes came in all the time, and her radar picked them up all the time. This time, however, her records told her that this plane was, aparently, full of Tsarainese citizens on their way in as part of a cultural exchange. She giggled softly. If what she heard about Tsaraine was accurate, those poor bastards were in for record-breaking levels of culture shock.

"That's too good to miss!"

She hopped to her feet, sending a quick message to Alsvid that she might be late for dinner as she went to fetch her little hoverbike. She lifted off, bypassing most the normal travel lanes, taking a short cut, loving the feel of the wind in her hair. As she made her way to the airport, she sent a quick post-script to Alsvid, inviting her to come along if she could get away.

JC Denton International Airport

Even before stepping off the aircraft, Kata got a little taste of the difference between her old home and her new one. She'd never have seen a civilian airport with such extensive antiaircraft systems before, but then looking over at the SDF hangars where black-painted fighters were being serviced, she'd quickly realise this wasn't a wholly civilian airport, either.

Inside the main terminal building, Reika studied the sign she'd been given, smiling at Sakura, 'You know, I still think this is going to turn out to say we're idiots rather than their names.'

Sakura giggled, 'You never did trust anything you couldn't read...' she flicked her ears as the tannoy announced another flight coming in, 'Erm...ET-348-907...' she repeated it several times while looking for the letter they'd been sent. Back home everything was still a little chaotic after their move from Hammer Bay; it was a little confusing living in a house with the same name and number in a different city, though Rei was settling in nicely.

Sakura was glad, in fact; Marshall City was closer to Maya's family, and while it was a set of flats rather than their old semi-detached single, Louise and Kari from across the hall were already good friends. They'd been more than happy to look after Rei while Reika, Maya and Sakura went to pick up Kata and Sferan.

Maya sat by Reika, a little nervous and wondering if it had been the right choice to wear the small black strapless eyepatch she had on to cover up her missing eye. The three Nekos were certainly interesting to look at; Maya a slightly-built brown tabby, her hair long and black; Reika a stronger build but smaller, her fur medium-dark brown with black stripes and her hair short and orange-red, as always, tied with a white silk ribbon. Sakura was the tallest of the three, a beautiful white-black-brown tortoiseshell with medium length red-brown hair. Sakura wore a dress, the other two content with jeans and t-shirts.

Sakura smiled triumphantly as she finally fished out a folded note, 'Ah, here: Kata and Sferan arKuin, coming in on Flight ET-348-907...' she smiled, 'Right, this is them, then.'

Reika held up the sign, which, she'd been told, had their names written on it in their own language. She grinned, 'If they start laughing, I'm killing whoever wrote it.'

JC Denton International Airport

On the ground they were passed through customs with suprising efficiency; Kata kept wondering where all the rest of the forms they had to fill out were, but the customs naga explained they'd already filled everything out. How did GMC run on so little data? It was a mystery.

The arrivals hall was crowded and bewildering, filled with every species common to Marshall Island and many she couldn't recognise - there was an elf, and that was a segonune, but what was the six-legged furry blue thing, or the creature which looked like a giant armadillo?

In all that, there wasn't sight nor sign of the people they were supposed to be meeting. Kata pulled out the form with their photographs on it (Neko mugshots seemed as terrible as human ones, a universal standard), looking around.

"I don't think they're here, Sferan."

"Nonsense, they've got to be about here somewhere. I hope."

JC Denton International Airport

Rei, not to be confused with Reika's daughter, skipped past security with little effort. A brief flash of her ID was more than enough for the guards to let her go into the terminal. After all, if you trusted her with one of the largest naval vessels in the world, you could trust her to wander about an airport. Besides, if she wanted to blow something up, her main gun certainly had enough range that she wouldn't need to be anywhere near the airport.

She glanced at a couple moniters as she made her way through the terminal, looking to see where the passengers would be. It had taken her a little while to get here, and she hoped that she wasn't too late.

She dodged a couple skycaps, and looked around, "Now where could they be...?"

The airport

Maya yawned softly, glancing over to Sakura, 'Are you sure this is the right flight for them? Nobody's come over yet...'

Sakura nodded, shifting position on the chair a little to accommodate her tail more comfortably, 'Well, that's what the letter said...I hope they're not lost or anything...'

Reika smiled, still holding up the sign, 'I think I see someone over there...'

You know where.

"I think that may be them over there."

Kata looked; at this distance, the sign Sferan indicated could have been Mongolian, Manchurian, or any of a half-dozen other vertical scripts. It might be Sekhel, though, and she peered shortsightedly at it.

"I think it is," she replied, "Or at least someone's got a sign with Sekhel on it. Let's go look."

Closer to, the sign resolved to spell Kata arKuin and Sferan arKuin; they were in the right place, at least. The bearers of the sign appeared to be a trio of neko women, surely the three they'd been told to expect.

The government had printed a leaflet on the species of Marshall Island, and in any case there were plenty of nekos about, so their species didn't come as a suprise. They were the first Kata had looked at closely, however. Short hair on their bodies, but normal hair on their heads, through which cat-ears protruded, and cat-eyes. Cat-tails, too ... Kata realised she was staring, and stopped. On pale Ktrazirha skin her blush must be clearly evident.

"Um, hello," she said, suddenly nervous (what if these happened to be the wrong people?). "I'm Kata arKuin, and this is my cousin Sferan ... are you Reika Izumi and Sakura Shima and Maya Shitow?"

Rei smiled a little, witnessing the first contact, a parallel that caused her no small amount of amusement. The Tsarainese were hardly a primitive people, but their government didn't allow much in the way of freedoms. What would these two think the first time they saw a larger Federation family? Three adults was one thing and easy enough to get used to, but what about a family stuck with a grouping of eight or nine adults? Or when they saw complicated mixes of lesbians and bisexuals and their husbands?

She couldn't help but giggle at the thought.

She didn't want to disturb them, but she kind of wanted to meet the new arrivals, they certainly looked nice enough.

Reika smiled brightly, hopping up and offering her hand, 'Yes, that's us.' She had a couple of medals pinned to her t-shirt near the collar, the shirt itself black with the Gulf & Bradley logo on one sleeve. Of them, the most noteworthy was an intricate but rather plain-looking bronze cross with a dark red ribbon, a bar halfway up the ribbon; the Gehart Cross, highest military honour in the Federation.

Maya purred, standing too, 'You two must be tired...Do you want a hand with your stuff?'

Sferan took the proffered hand and shook it carefully; shaking hands was a custom foreign to Tsaraine, and he didn't want to risk doing anything wrong at this early date. Kata bowed politely, in the Tsarainese fashion.

"Um, yes. Please," she replied, "I don't know where to find it in all this airport."

Rexy scanned the clouds above and the sea below, the roaring thrumm of her single engine P-51 Mustang drowning out the world. At any other time, it would have been soothing, but now it only made her all the more nervous. She knew he was out her, somewhere, and damned if she wasn’t going to find him before he found her!

“I see you, Rexy…” The voice was playful and mocking, the sinister laughter following it only adding to Rexy’s tension.

“Shit…”

He saw her. She didn’t see him. That usually meant instantaneous death in this particular sort of duel. She had to find him… fast! But before she could finish another thought, he revealed himself, a towering black shape bursting from the water before her. Her tiny prop-plane peeling away frantically to dodge the massive submarine as gravity took hold, and it fell from its breach, sending a towering spray of ocean into the sky! Rexy swore again as she darted in and out of the spray, the tiny droplets of water covering her windshield. Fortunately, her engine managed to cope with the deluge of water. Stalling now would mean instant death. Not that it mattered. If the submarine did what she thought it would, she was toast anyways.

She sent the plane into a rapid spiraling climb and looked over her shoulder. Under normal circumstances, what she was about to see would be an incredible sight. But she’d seen it before…
Just as she predicted, the hull of the submarine split into four sections lengthwise, and unfolded like a flower, mechanical arms and turrets swinging into position along their multiple articulation points. Within 5 seconds, the submarine had become a towering, hovering, death robot. Rexy had no chance. David had her this time…

“Die!” He shouted, just as a storm of bullets, artillery shells, plasma fire, and a swat from the robot’s giant hand rained down on Rexy’s hapless plane, shredding it to bits in an instant.

________________________________________________________________

Onboard Solontian private executive transport “Eos”, over international waters approaching Marshall Island.

“Goddamnit, Dave! You said you weren’t going to play as Cross Sinker anymore!” Rexy Oakwood whined, the screen on her handheld game reading “Game Over! Player 2 Wins!” The slim 20 year old tanukune girl crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at the 11 year old human boy beside her.

“It’s not my fault you consistently pick the Mustang, sis! Besides, everyone knows submarines are the coolest things ever!” Dave replied, grinning like the little bastard he was. And Rexy pouted some more. To which Dave continued to smile. This continued for about 5 more seconds before Rexy broke down and playfully mussed up his ear-length brown hair.

“Hey, Dave. Wanna hear an interesting statistic?” She asked, and he nodded. “Nine out of ten Solontian immigrants prefer using handheld games, as opposed to being smacked in the head by them.” She continued.

“Please bite, please bite, please bite…” she pleaded to herself silently, and sure enough, David obliged.

“Who’s the tenth?” He asked unwittingly, and not a half second later, regretted it as her big sister bapped him on the forehead with his own Koshiro Portable Entertainment System. “Hey!” he protested, but it couldn’t stop his blond sister from giggling. That was the second time he’d fallen for that joke…

“THAT was for picking Cross Sinker when you said you’d dogfight me.” She retorted, still chuckling.

“Pffft. Yeah right. You’re just mad that my sub totally pwned your supposedly ‘superior’ fighter plane. ‘Gee! I’m fighting a submarine! Maybe I should fly REALLY close to the ocean so I can see it better!’ Next time, respect the awesome power of teh sub!” Now David was mocking her. For Rexy, this was inexcusable, and a quick noogie rectified the situation henceforth.

“Yeah, you and your fascination with subs. Y’know, I heard GMC has a lot of super high-tech subs. Maybe we’ll get a chance to see one while we’re here!” She said. Dave’s eyes lit up, the noogie forgotten. Ever since Rexy had started her major in history at university, she’d be bringing texts and ancient movies home to her little brother David, mostly old films about battles and campaigns in the great wars of the 20’th century. Das Boot had been his favorite by far, having memorized almost every significant line in the movie, but he gobbled up every bit of knowledge he could get about Earth’s navies and subs, ancient and modern. Naturally, when his big sister told him they’d get a chance to go there and see Earth for themselves, he’d practically leapt through the ceiling. He even stopped feeling depressed about their parents…

“Look,” Rexy said, pointing out the window. Despite the seatbelt sign still being on, David unbuckled himself from the plush leather seat and clambered over onto her lap, looking out the window of the interior lounge of the corporate yacht. The ocean flashed by not 20 feet below them as they descended, and further out, they could see Marshall island itself, its green forests drawing a line between the sheer grey cliffs on the sea and the overcast afternoon sky. As the Eos touched down in the sea, Rexy wrapped her furred arms around her brother, keeping him from falling into the seat in front of him as the white spray of ocean kicked up around the hull of the ship.

“C’mon sis. Let’s go see from the deck!” David pleaded, having already climbed out of her arms and tugging her out of her seat. With little hesitation, she acquiesced, unbuckling herself, scooping her brother up in her arms, and sitting him atop her shoulders. They passed the other families who’d been selected for the interstellar cultural exchange program as they walked towards the rear airlock: a mother and father with their 3 preteen children, all of them kitsune; a middle-aged neko man and his human wife, holding hands as they looked out the window; and a family of two parents and four children, aged 5 or 6 to late teens, whose species were too varied for Rexy to bother identifying at the moment. With eager anticipation, they cycled the airlock and stepped out onto the executive yacht’s side deck, the cold air biting at Rexy’s cheeks.

“Nothing like the tropical environment of Waterfront. I’m glad I reminded David to pack his coats…”

They looked back to the island they were bound for, the ship rocking on the gentle seas as the wake extended out behind them. From even this distance, Rexy could see the massive cannons of Marshall Island’s Independent Strategic Orbital Network. The place was a fortress, just like the guidebook had mentioned. But, that was no different from Waterfront or Narshe. It was just a lot more visible here.

“Rexy, check it out!” Dave said excitedly, pointing to the island. Squinting her eyes, Rexy could see the outlines of truly massive warships. David would be thrilled if he could get a decent look at those naval beasts.

“This is it, Dave. We’re in GMC.” She said, giving his hand a squeeze. And as the prospect of a brand new experience on Earth lay before them, they smiled.

Official Government Vessel Kash'ha, en route to Marshall City, over Marshall Island

Two days aboard the Kash'ha as it ambled from Tsaraine to GMC had served to clarify nothing at all, to Rene's great frustration. How was she going to broach this? What was she going to say? This sort of thing simply Did Not Happen in proper society.

Scowling, she threw the latest book against the wall, where it failed to make a satisfying thump. They were useless, entirely the same despite changes of name or setting; woman meets man (and it was always a man, despite four hundred years of fairly liberal legislation in that regard), woman survives the whole lengthy Tsarainese courtship process, man and women live happily ever after off in the sunset.

As research material, romance novels were paltry fare. As literary fodder, well, the information that the Ascendancy employed people to write this stuff in this day and age had been a suprise. But what else was there? For all the effort Tsaraine apparently put into producing the things, they had yet to write a helpful guide on how to discuss complicated situations with foreigners. Diplomatic manuals aside; those assumed that nobody would be stupid enough to get into this sort of situation. She'd looked.

And she was beginning to despise heroines; they blundered from mishap to accident and always ended up happy at the end. Everything was straightforward for heroines. Heroines never lay awake at nights considering the political ramifications of it all!

The first step had been easy; contacting Elisa, arranging a time and a place. She'd spent the time since then trying to work out what she was going to say to Elisa, with markedly less success. Emotion and reason each pointed a different course, and they were pulling her apart.

OOC: This follows on from something which was planned but never actually got written, due to Iuthia's thread falling flat. It's culture shock of a different stripe.

Rei was about to walk up to the Federal/Tsarainese party when her systems picked up something much more interesting. She turned and walked over to one of the large, bowed windows and peered out. It took a moment to notice, but with the help of her larger vessel-self, she was able to figure out its approach angle, and thus see it as soon as her far less remarkable eyes could pick it up.

She accessed her database, realising that it was also from Tsaraine, but carried a much more important guest. She frowned slightly, wondering why Rene was en route to Marshall Island. After a little bit of digging, she realised that there was a mild problem here: Rene was coming here to meet with Elisa (some official thing, probably), but Elisa wasn't actually here. She was back in Tindalos on business, and unable to be here. She frowned, looking around the terminal, There's nobody here to greet them...

Chewing on her lip a little, she sent Alsvid yet another message (cancelling again), and looked to see where the Tsarainese delegation would be arriving. She wasn't really the right person to perform diplomatic duties, but she was the only one here. She turned and made her way down the terminal, trying to figure out what on Earth she'd say.

Rene supposed the Federation was used to airships, with it's Air Destroyers and Battleships, or possibly they were all too busy to stop; whatever the reason, the Kash'ha's descent didn't seem to attract much in the way of attention.

"You seem nervous," Ktoriach commented, and Rene scowled; she'd thought her self-control was better than that. But her operations commandant was perceptive; she was nervous.

"I'm sure your buisness will work out," he continued. "Things usually do."

Like the rest of them, he had little idea why she was actually here (or at least she hadn't told him. He was perceptive, and might have figured it out). But she was heartened by his reassurances all the same.

They left the gallery windows and made their way to the exit ramp, with the small Security detail fanning out before them. There seemed to be only one person awaiting them, and her stomach lurched as she realised as it wasn't Elisa.

Then she felt relieved; despite the time she'd had to think on it, she still had no idea what to say to Elisa. What had happened meant everything, meant nothing, simultaneously.

I hope she's not there waiting, she thought, Not yet.

Delaying the inevitable? Maybe she should have written a letter. Maybe she should have let it lie.

Rene and Ktoriach were greeted by a slightly flustered sixteen-year-old wearing a naval Captain's uniform. She had long purple hair tied back in a pony-tail, and she had yellow eyes; standard for a Federation avatar. She smiled a weakly, looking a little nervous.

"Um... hi. Er... Elisa - I mean, Speaker Day was called away on business, so... um... I'm here to welcome you to Marshall Island." She frowned a little, "It's something of a SNAFU, I guess, but she should be back tomorrow." She blinked as if remembering something, "Oh, my name's Rei, by the way." She giggled softly, "You might have seen me out in the bay..." She smiled a little, bilocation always amused her, "I'm Supercruiser SC-00 Rei." She grinned a little, "I'm the Hack one."

"Oh. I see."

"Called away on buisness"? What does that mean? Why didn't you tell me? Are you trying to tell me something?

"I'm pleased to meet you, then," Rene continued, trying to think. "I suppose we'll wait at the embassy until she arrives, then ... I don't suppose you could inform her, when she returns?"

Rei blinked and looked even more worried, "Please don't be mad... apparently she left right away, and didn't have time to tell anyone. I had to search some logs to find out." She looked around, afraid that she's attracting a scene, "But... I was able to get in contact with her while you were taxiing in."

She smiled a little, "She promises she'll be here tomorrow, if that's okay." She blinked as if remembering something, "Oh, and she said that someone wanted to meet with you tonight, if that's okay. Um... her name's... Kara?"

The airport

Reika smiled to Kata, 'Right, baggage should be thisaway...' she lead them past a couple of restaurants and shops to the baggage conveyor, which appears to have been designed not to bash things about enough that they might as well have dropped them out of the plane. Reika smiled, 'Ok, you got your airline ticket or some ID?'

Navy Special Projects Division R&D labs seven, Comberth Harbour

Alsvid frowned slightly, folding her dress back up and slipping it back into the drawer. She never minded when Rei cancelled on her, but it was a little short notice to call off a dinner date. She smiled as one of her birds hopped onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek, 'Well, guess it's a night of videos for you guys tonight...'

Maruyama family florist, Marshall City

Kara Dimitriev sighed gently, running her hand over the lilacs in front of her. She'd thought it would be a good idea to pick up a gift for Arkhora Seingult, but found herself unable to work out what she wanted her gift to say. 'I love you?' 'Can we still be friends?' 'I'm sorry?'

Kara was a diminutive young woman, a mere five-foot-two, her short, dark grey hair framing pretty red eyes and a shy smile. Since it was a pleasantly warm day, she'd gone out in the sequinned jeans Elisa had bought her, alone with a loose white T-shirt with 'Ultima Ratio' printed on the front in black. The flower shop was in an alley off the main road, a small business run by a Kitsune family, a couple of children occasionally visible playing behind the counter.

The manager stepped over, laying a hand on Kara's shoulder and making her jump a little, 'I'm sorry...You've been here for half an hour. Is this for someone special?'

Kara glanced down. Yes, she was supposed to be mute, but that was only when she was close to Elisa, and this was so, so very important...Well, it wasn't as if a girl with a Eurusean accent buying flowers was worthy of comment, surely?

'Um...I think so...That is, I hope so.' She smiled awkwardly. 'I just want something that will make her smile, really.'

The manager nodded, 'I think I have just the thing...Wait there.' She stepped away for a moment, returning with a bunch of twelve long-stemmed white roses tied with a red silk bow. 'There...Think she'll like that?'

Kara smiled brightly and nodded, 'Oh yes...It's perfect. Thank you so much!'

The manager giggled, 'Oh, don't thank me, hon, it's fine.'

"I'm not mad at you," Rene replied, biting off the girl she'd been about to add. "Our meeting can be rescheduled."

And hopefully an extra day will give me time to think what to tell her.

"Kara?"

The name brought back memories, what little Rene could remember from the night of the Lord-General's wedding in Iuthia, and she exerted her will to allow not a trace of a blush presence on her cheeks.

"That is acceptable," she said, cutting off any hint of her emotional state. "You may tell Kara I shall expect her, then."

Ktoriach called the Embassy, and arranged a limousine to pick them up. The staff had not expected them until later tonight, but they coped admirably; Rene made a note to commend whichever staff-commandant was responsible for that.

The embassy itself was a grandiose, outsized romantic dream of a First Dominion palace, complete with spires and secluded attic rooms; they'd lodged her in one of the guest rooms of the South wing, overlooking Grey Park. It was pleasant enough, as such things went.

Through the early afternoon she browsed the library shelves, picking over books of history, political theory, biography, waiting for Kara to arrive.

Kara. Whatever was she to say to Kara?

JC Denton International Airport

"Somewhere ..."

Kata rummaged in the pockets of her coat, looking for appropriate material. "I don't suppose my ID card will do, it's in Sekhel ... here it is!"

She produced a rather battered airline ticket from the depths of her pockets and straightened it out.

Rei smiled, looking to relax a little bit. The fact that she was the AI for one of the largest sea-faring vessels in the world certainly seemed odd, considering her avatar's personality. Then again, the chance of her going nuts and shelling some poor coastal city seemed highly unlikely. "I'll let her know, and I'm so sorry that this got all messed up."

She started to say something else, but it was clear that Rene had no interest in saying anything else. Instead she mumbled another apology and made herself scarce.

She wandered about the airport a little more, but the group she'd been watching were already gone, which left her with a lot of nothing to do. She thought about heading to Comberth Harbour, but then she realised that she had canceled the past several dinner dates with Alsvid. "Oh dear..." She opted, instead, to head back to her ship to try and figure out how to make it up to the older-yet-younger Cervidine.
-----

The Pinnacle Restaurant; Tindalos Megalopolis; The Hack

Elisa sighed softly. She enjoyed the Pinnacle, sure, but she really wished she hadn't had to come on over, especially on such short notice. She had fully intended to be at JC Denton for Rene's arrival. She had actually been on her way over when she received a call, stating that she needed to come all the way over to Tindalos.

She was becoming even more of a regular at the Pinnacle; between coming here just to come here, coming here with Faye, Sarah or Kara (or any combination thereof), and now coming here for meetings with her contacts in the Daughters, she was beginning to wonder if she was here more than her office.

"I really don't see why this couldn't have waited, or been done some other way, you know." She was pleased to be a member of the Daughters, but at times, their timing really, really sucked.

The airport

Sakura smiled at Kata, 'Ok...With the ticket you put your thumb right there and then place it into the reader that way. Should sent the right stuff out from the sorting room after that.' She grinned as the conveyor overhead started up, Kata and Sferan's luggage coming down onto the circular conveyor in front of them after a few minutes.

Reika smiled, hefting one of the suitcases, 'Right...Car's outside.' She smiled cheerily, 'Welcome home.'

Tsarainese embassy, evening, a couple of hours later

Kara held the bunch of roses close as she waited for the guards at the gate box to finish checking her Federal ID over. She'd been told there'd be a lot of checks, though she was most worried about the arch-shaped scanner she'd have to step through to get inside; while she hoped that Rene would trust that she meant no harm, they'd certainly realise that Kara was, well...

'Ok, everything checks out, Ms. Dimitriev. If you'd just step into the scanner and stand still please?'

Kara hopped up onto the platform and closed her eyes, holding the flowers in both hands. The guard would see it all; her bones being made of composite armour, nervous system almost totally rebuilt for greater reaction speed, everything.

The man frowned, looking again at her ID card, hand twitching towards the taser on his belt. He turned to his companion, talking quietly and indicating the screens. Finally one of them picked up the phone and spoke into it briefly, the other turning to Kara.

'Don't worry, Ms. Dimitriev - they've put us on hold. Shouldn't be a moment.'

Kara swallowed hard, keeping her eyes closed, whispering, 'Please still trust me, Rene...'

She blinked as the guard who wasn't on the phone tapped her arm. 'Well,' he said, 'You're good to go on through.'

JC Denton International Airport

"Thankyou," Kata replied, smiling, and ventured to hug Reika. You couldn't do that back in Tsaraine, but GMC was a more tactile society. Sferan looked scandalised; he wasn't about to hug anybody.

Tsarainese Embassy

The main doors of the Embassy were shut against the evening chill, but a smaller side door stood open, leading into the reception hall. At this time of day the hall was mostly empty, and one of the receptionists stood up to greet Kara as she entered.

"Good evening," she said, smiling (and her English betrayed only the merest hint of a Sekhel accent), "You must be Ms. Dimitriev? Follow me, please - the Arkhora is waiting."

It might look rustic on the outside, but the interior of the Embassy was modern; Kara was led along corridors painted in muted shades and up several flights of stairs to a hallway running down one of the high attic spaces. The receptionist knocked on a door much the same as many others, and a muffled "Come in!" issued from inside; Rene's voice.

The room beyond was a triangular section of the roof space, enlarged by dormer windows overlooking the grounds, occupied by large armchairs and a sofa upholstered in fine leather.

Rene sat opposite the door, a book in one hand; she put it down as Kara entered, folding her hands in her lap. Her fingers twitched nervously.

"Good evening," she said quietly, "Please take a seat."

Tsarainese embassy

Kara listened to the soft sounds of her footsteps on the carpet as she followed the receptionist, so nervous she was on the edge of simply breaking down and crying. She held on to the thought that Rene would have turned her away at the gate if she hated her, but she still felt sick with worry as she stepped into Rene's suite.

She managed a fragile smile as Rene asked her to sit, offering the roses, 'Um, good evening, Arkhora Seingult...I...Um...I hope you like roses...'

104 Westward Drive, Marshall City, a little later

It was a little later in the evening that they finally got back; Reika had taken a rather scenic route home, pointing out things like Maiden's Tower to Kata as they drove, Kata actually paying more attention to the majestic sunset than the buildings and parks. To her, what seemed most strange about her new home was the near-omnipresent military hardware; she'd often notice black-painted SDF tanks or soldiers in uniform, and while she'd expected that from what she'd read it was still a little jarring to see it.

The warm day had given way to a gentle snow, the silvery clouds surrounding a starry sky and a rising full moon. In the distance, Kata could still see the red anti-collision lights of the mile-high Maiden's Tower blinking in the growing darkness.

The house itself was fairly plain-looking building looking a lot like an apartment block, a simple rectangle with the corners cut off. It was fairly short, at most three stories tall, with a well-kept garden around it as if it was simply a very large family house.

Inside, the communal area had the usual bank of letterboxes before the second door, followed by a communal hallway with a wide staircase sporting oddly tall handrails at the far end. Some of the doors leading off the communal area were ajar or even open. A couple of little Segonune girls looked curiously up at Kata from where they were lying on the floor drawing with crayons; one smiled, 'Um, hiya. Are you the lady from Sir Ian?'

The other stood up too, giggling and holding her sister's arm, 'Is Sir Ian far away? Did you have to travel a lot?'

Reika smiled, 'Um, these are Yuki and Haruka.' She turned to them, 'You two know better than to ask a lot of questions as soon as someone comes in, ne?' The two nodded, looking disappointed, 'Sorry, auntie Reika.'

Tsarainese Embassy

"They're beautiful, thankyou," Rene replied, smiling back as she accepted the flowers. "Call me Rene, please - "Arkhora Seingult" makes me feel old."

She sounds more nervous than me, Rene realised, and wondered why. Is she scared? Surely not of me?

Were she Orthodox, the colour of these flowers might have been rather an ill omen, but Kara could hardly have known that; and they were beautiful. She set them down carefully, and turned back to Kara.

"Uh ..." pleasantries fled her, leaving her at a loss; what was she going to say?

104 Westward Drive

The interior of the house wasn't too dissimilar to a housing block back in Tsaraine, insofar as it had apartments clustered around a central area; but you wouldn't find children playing on the floor in Tsaraine, and definitely not Segonune.

"It's okay," she told Reika, hunkering down to see the children eye-to-eye. "Hiya!" she replied, "Yes, I'm from Tsaraine. It is not so far away, by aeroplane."

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara blushed, smiling, 'Thank you...I hoped you'd like them, Rene.' She sat down, folding her hands in her lap, 'I wanted to...um...' she sighed gently, at a loss for words too. She sniffled, wiping her eyes, 'I wanted to say if I did anything to upset you I'm sorry.'

She looked up, her red eyes shiny with tears, 'I...' she sobbed softly, '...Please don't hate me.'

104 Westward Drive

Yuki gave Kata a bright smile and cuddled her legs, 'You're a nice lady!' Reika giggled, 'Ok, you two want to get your daddy to help us with these suitcases?'

The two girls nodded, scampering upstairs, a tall, rather strongly-built Segonune man following them back down holding a pipe in one hand. He grinned as he noticed Kata and Sferan, 'Evening there...Right, you'll be wanting a hand getting all these things up to your new place, ne? You've got number 12, it's on the second floor...Any of these cases fragile?' he blinked, 'Oh, rude of me...Jin Sugimoto, I take it you've already met my daughters Yuki and Haruka?'

Tsarainese Embassy

"Upset me? Hate you?"

She felt suprise, wondered how to deal with this, had no idea. On impulse, Rene reached across to take her hands, holding them gently; an unwonted familiarity, that, one no Tsarainese would have allowed, and she felt uncomfortable doing it - but it was, perhaps, the right thing to do.

"Kara," she said, "Believe me, you have done nothing at all to upset me - certainly you've given me no reason to hate you. All is well. All is well."

104 Westward Drive

How sweet, Kata thought.

"Good evening!" Sferan replied, "The second floor? It's most appreciated then, sir ... anything breakable? I don't think so ..."

"Only the stuff in the red case," Kata said. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sugimoto - yes, they're good children."

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara sniffled, smiling gently and holding Rene's hands, looking up into her eyes, 'I'm so glad you wanted to see me again.' She sighed softly, withdrawing one hand for a moment and pulling the back of her jeans down a little so she could uncoil her slender black tail from around her waist.

'I'm sure you been wanting to ask me about this....?'

104 Westward Drive

Jin smiled broadly, laying his pipe down on top of the soil in a plant pot nearby and rubbing his hands together, 'Right then...Which one's heaviest?' He easily picked up the one Reika indicated, 'Right...Right this way if you're following.' He led them upstairs to one of the houses with the door open. Most of the essentials were already there, along with a surprising number of the non-essentials.

Jin smiled, 'Have a look around for gift tags on this...Some of it's from us to say welcome.' He grinned, setting the case down carefully, 'I'm upstairs, by the way, number fifteen.'

Penthouse Suite; Gibson Tower; Tindalos; the Hack

"You sure I'm not bothering you?"

Yuri laughed softly, "For the fifth time, Rei-chan, you aren't." The Neko powerbroker was relaxing on her couch, her phone sitting on the table, using a wireless headset. She'd been looking out the window when Rei called; from her penthouse in the Gibson Tower, she could see Chiba. With binoculars, she could even see her old suite in the Corporate Spire. "Like I said, Megumi and Ella are asleep in the other room. I was just fooling around online."

"So I did interrupt you."

"No, hon. It was just this silly game called Feifdom of Hatred, it's fine, hon. What's bothering you?" Yuri had met Rei at the dedication cerimony for the Supercruiser. While she wasn't a government official, the fact that she had been instrumental in the construction of Tindalos, and her relationship with Elisa meant that she was on pretty much any guest list that existed. She had become fast friends with the shy little avatar, and was almost like an adopted mother. She wasn't sure if she had 'adopted' Rei, or vice versa, but the two shared a close bond and often talked at least once a week.

"Well, I'm afraid Alsvid hates me..."

"What?" Yuri blinked in surprise. She was used to Rei's insecurities, but this was new, "Why on earth would she hate you, Rei-chan?"

"Well, I had to cancell our date tonight..."

"It happens, I'm sure she understands."

"Yeah, but I realised that... um... I've kinda done that for our last five or six dates..."

"Oh, honey..." She heard Rei sniffling on the other end of the phone.

"She's gonna think that I'm avoiding her, and she's gonna leave me so that I can't leave her!"

Yuri bit back a giggle. She knew that Rei was distressed, but the logical leaps she was making were still mildly amusing. Of course, Yuri had always been very confident, always positive of what she wanted and how to get it, so she had a little trouble relating. "Honey, honey... calm down. She doesn't hate you, and she doesn't think you're avoiding her. She understands that things come up, you're fretting over nothing."

"But..."

"Okay, how about this? How about you show her how much you love her?"

"Um... how...?"

"Well, remember that dress she got you for your birthday? The pretty black one that you like so much?"

"Uh-huh..."

Yuri smiled a little. Rei was still sniffling, but not as much -- Progress! "Well, find it and put it on. Buy her some live flowers or something; I know she likes plants as much as you do. After that, go over there and talk to her." She glanced at a little clock on her entertainment center, quickly doing the conversion in her head, "It's not that late, actually. You could probably still take her to dinner. Or even fix her something."

"I dunno... what if she-"

"Rei," Yuri's voice hardened ever so slightly, "You remember Evam?"

"Um... yes?" The confusion in Rei's voice was evident. If nothing else, it distracted her from worrying.

"One of the first things he tought me was that you should never plot out a conversation before you have it. You'll probably plan it all wrong, and then you'll be all flustered for the conversation. Take part in the conversation that's happening, not the one you thought up, okay?"

"Oh... okay..."

"Good." She smiled again, speaking in soothing tones, "Trust me, Rei-chan: Alsvid loves you very much. She's probably just disappointed that your date was cancelled. I can't imagine that she'd be mad at you. Just go over there and talk to her, 'kay?"

"Okay... thank you, Yuri-sama."

"Of course, honey. Let me know how it goes, and I'll try to come out sometime soon for a visit. With both of you." She smiled, talking with Rei for a little while longer before eventually hanging up.

She took off the headset and smiled a little. Poor Rei... cute lil' thing...

"Momma?"

Yuri looked over, smiling as her daughter stepped into the livingroom. The little Neko yawned dramatically, blinking her eyes cutely at her mother. Yuri smiled, walking over and pickin her up, "What are you doing up, Ella-chan?"

The little kit purred, snuggling Yuri, "Missed you..."

Yuri smiled, walking to the bedroom, "Okay, honey. I was going to go to bed anyway." She kissed her daughter on the forehead, smiling when she realised that Ella had fallen asleep in her arms.


Outside Alsvid's Quarters; Navy Special Projects Division R&D labs seven; Comberth Harbour; GMC

Rei shifted nervously, just down the hall from Alsvid's room. Getting here had been no problem; she had full clearance, after all. It was getting up the nerve to actually knock on the door the was holding her back. She had a large bouquet of flowers with a balloon coming up from the middle that had "I'm Sorry" written in large, friendly letters. In her other hand was a back full of pasta, sauce, and all the things necessary to make a rather nice dinner. She was wearing the dress that Yuri had suggested, and had spent longer making herself look presentable than every before in her life.

Still, she was terrified that Alsvid would just slam the door in her face.

She swallowed heavily, trying to think of how Yuri would act, and attempting to draw strength and confidence from that. She thought about turning back, but the thought of leaving through security still carrying everything filled her with even more dread. She'd feel like an absolute idiot. Actually, she was starting to feel pretty damn silly just standing in the hallway. Taking a deep breath she walked up and knocked on the door.

Tsarainese Embassy

Rene stiffened for a moment as Kara's hand went to her waistband - what is the woman doing? - but it was nothing to be worried about. She'd seen Kara's tail before, after all.

"I did some research, after ... afterwards," she replied (she had difficulty framing verbally the, the event which had led to all this, and was frustrated with herself for that). "It doesn't bother me."

Not nearly so much as the fact that you have more augments than an entire squad of Enhanced Warfare Agents, she didn't add. Kara was clearly quite fragile, and so sweet she was impossible not to like; she didn't want to upset her.

104 Westward Drive

"Oh!"

Kata was dumbfounded by their generosity in supplying all this; in Tsaraine, nobody would have thought to (but then, in Tsaraine such things were supplied by the government. Maybe this was their way of coping with a lack in that regard, some kind of gift economy?).

"This is, this is very kind of you all," she replied finally, "I truly don't know what to say. Thank you so much!"

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara blushed and smiled, bringing her hand back up to hold Rene's, 'You know...And you still wanted to see me?' she wiped her eyes, 'Rene...Thank you for trusting me. Thank you so much.' she blushed a little more, whispering 'You're beautiful' in Eurusean.

She blushed softly as she tried to think of how to bring up the other subject. She swallowed, 'Erm...I wanted to talk to you about...Err...' she blushed more deeply, her pale skin emphasising it, '...About what happened.' She looked up into Rene's eyes again, her own eyes pleading, desperately wanting her to say something positive about what they'd shared that night.

104 Westward Drive

Reika smiled as she saw Kata's expression and realised what she must be thinking, 'A fair bit of this is your state allowance, it's not all gifts...Like Jin said, look for gift tags on things. If you need to borrow anything, we're right next door, number eleven.'

Sakura nodded, 'If you're not busy, I'm making dinner in a couple hours' time, I'd be honoured if you'd stop by.' She stepped aside as Jin carefully laid the red case of fragile things on the table.

'Right, that's the last of your things. You have a good evening.'

Alsvid's Quarters; Navy Special Projects Division R&D labs seven; Comberth Harbour; GMC

Alsvid blinked at the sight of Rei looking ready to burst into tears. As she often did around the house, she was wearing a khaki vest top and her pyjama trousers, 'Hiya, hon...' she smiled understandingly, 'Thank you.'

Rei held out the flowers, trying to get her voice to work. She managed to stammer out, 'I... I'm sorry Alsvid, I didn't mean to cancel, it's just that something came up and I didn't know what to do so I had to do something...' She was starting to show her Hacker roots, mainly babbling very, very quickly while hoping she stumbled into the right thing to say.

Alsvid smiled, setting the flowers down for a moment, then stepping forward and kissing her. She smiled more gently as she pulled back, 'You always worry too much.'

Tsarainese Embassy

"What reason could I have to distrust you?" Rene asked. Surely all this self-doubt can't be due to me? There has to be some reason to this.

"That's ... why I'm here," she replied. She didn't mention that she'd intended to talk to Elisa, that Kara's arrival was entirely unexpected. "Look. What happened was ... an aberrance." She didn't say a mistake. "I shouldn't have drunk so much, and maybe Elisa shouldn't have encouraged me ... but no blame can attach to you through my, my ..." Carelessness? Lack of sense?

"None of it is your fault, Kara. And for what it's worth, I did enjoy myself."

104 Westward Drive

"Thank you," Kata repeated, "Thank you all. The honour would be ours."

"Most definitely," Sferan echoed, "We would be most honoured.

"That was good of them," he said, when the Federals had left. "Good people."

The fact that they looked nothing like the sort of people you'd find in Tsaraine didn't matter a whit; they were certainly friendlier than many Tsarainese.

"They are," Kata agreed. "I think we'll enjoy it here."

She put down her cases and looked about, taking in the apartment. Was this ordainary or extraordainary for Federal work?

Hammer Bay; GMC. Dusk

The Eos looked extraordinarily out of place in Hammer Bay, a fact that had gradually dawned on Rexy the closer the vessel drew to the ferry wharf. Dwarfed by the monstrously huge GMC vessels, the smooth lines and sleek curves of the tiny triple-hulled Solontian private yacht provided a stark contrast to the utilitarian military ships in the bay as well as to the prolific smokestacks and warehouse of the industrial harbour. Her little brother didn’t seem to notice, apparently too enamored with the GMC supercruisers sitting at anchor across the bay, but Rexy was growing uneasy for the first time since they departed from Waterfront the previous day. She didn’t know why, but there, at the end of her trip, she felt more like an outsider than ever. It was ridiculous, she told herself. Everyone on the yacht had been told their hosts were of a very hospitable and unprejudiced sort, but for some reason, Rexy just couldn’t help it…
Being amongst the first Tanukune to visit a nation that lacked ANY members of that particular species didn’t do much to ease her sudden anxiety, but she took solace in the fact that her human brother was too excited and hyperactive to feel out of place.

“C’mere, you little mutant. We’re almost at the pier.” She said, grabbing him by the hood of his jacket and dragging him back inside the cabin of the yacht. It’d be a pity to come all this way and forget their bags.

It wasn’t long before the Eos slowed to a halt next to the ferry wharf and extended a ramp from the side deck. With a plodding pace, the Solontian families disembarked onto terra firma. The parents of the multi-species family carried their sleeping children in their arms, and Rexy couldn’t really blame them. It had been a long trip, and the time difference would take a little getting used to. After all, back in Waterfront, it was early morning, whereas on Marshall Island, the sun was just beginning to dip towards the horizon.

Rexy had been assured someone would be waiting to greet them at the wharf. And so, after Rexy and David had disembarked, they stood on the wharf, bags in hand, and looked for those that had waited for them.

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara sighed gently at Rene's question, 'Back where I come from people don't tend to trust people like me...I guess I'm not used to people being as kind as you or Elisa or Faye. I'm sorry.'

She blushed softly at Rene's final comment, whispering, 'I enjoyed it too.' She smiled shyly, looking into Rene's eyes again. 'You're beautiful.'

104 Westward Drive

Kata's new home was spacious and pleasantly furnished; most of the furniture was wood-finished, and there was currently a certain show-home like feel to the place; it was arranged, not lived in. There were three bedrooms, two with en-suite bathrooms with single beds and a spare with a double. Each bedroom had a large walk-in wardrobe, a desk and chair and a chest of drawers; on Kata's bed were spread out a few books: a telephone directory, some maps, her college literature and a few guides to Federal culture and tourist maps.

On the dining room wall was an extremely impressive painting of the twenty-mile Silver Bridge at sunset, signed 'Elisa Embersby' by the artist and with a tag hanging from it noting it was from Reika's family. Most of the other gifts were a little smaller: things like a sandwich toaster on the side in the kitchen, a somewhat better television in the lounge than her Entitlement form had noted...Down to two pairs of slippers with a little card from Yuki and Haruka that said 'Hi people from Sir Ian' in crayon.

As a mixed-species block, each bathroom had, in addition to the expected fittings, a shower-sized dryer cubicle next to the shower itself. Otherwise, they were fairly unspectacular and utilitarian.

Two walls of the lounge were variable-transparency glass, looking out onto a small balcony with a good view out over the nearby park; the park was dominated by a large lake, surrounded by open grass with the occasional tree. Kata was surprised to find there was a proper fireplace by one wall, despite there being a perfectly good boiler and central heating system. The three-piece suite there was leather, with a couple of bookshelves along one wall and a table. The TV, disc player, VCR and sound system were arranged in one corner, the single-speaker surround sound system already set up by someone according to the note on it.

The last room, aside from a few cupboards that didn't really count, was the study; there was a large desk with a computer, another one for writing, a sofa and a couple of cupboards and bookcases against the walls. Somebody had left a hand-written list of useful telephone numbers on the writing desk, along with the instruction manuals for the various appliances in the house.

A couple of hours later, there was a knock at the door.

Navy Special Projects Division R&D labs seven, Comberth Harbour

Rei smiled shyly up at Alsvid, 'You don't hate me?'

Alsvid looked into her eyes, stroking her hair gently, 'How could I ever hate you?'

Rei blushed faintly, 'Because I keep cancelling...?' She sniffled, 'Because I'm nervy and worthless?'

Alsvid sighed, 'Come inside, honey, you look exhausted. I'll get you some coffee.'

Red nodded, following Alsvid inside and setting her bag down. 'Um... I...' She looked down at the bag, 'I was gonna offer dinner, but...'

Alsvid turned, touching a finger to Rei's lips, 'It's ok, I was just about to cook anyway. You sit down and relax, put a movie on that you like and calm down a bit.' she smiled, cuddling Rei gently, 'You're the most special person I've ever met, and a few missed dates don't change that one bit.'

Rei started to protest, but thought better of it; she was really too drained to make a ham sandwich, let alone dinner. She wrapped both arms around Alsvid, softly whispering further apologies. Alsvid smiled, still gently stroking her hair, 'I'm happy that I ever met you, Rei. There's nothing to apologise for.'

Rei nodded, 'Oh... okay...' She eventually released Alsvid, 'Um... probably should put that stuff in the fridge, I guess...'

Alsvid smiled, 'Well, you've always liked my cooking before...I'm willing to give it a try if you're willing to eat it, hon. Now, you sit and keep my birds company, I'll be right back...You like yours with milk, don't you?'

Rei nodded, 'Okay, Alsvid....That would be wonderful.' She smiled as a bird she knew was named Vangelis landed on her shoulder, and gently stroked the bird's feathers.

Vangelis chirped happily and snuggled against her hair; the little white bird was always the first to hop onto Rei's shoulder. Alsvid returned a few minutes later with a cup of coffee in a mug with the Navy logo on it.

Rei smiled at the bird and accepted the coffee from Alsvid, 'Thank you.' She took a sip, 'Mmm... perfect.'

Alsvid smiled, sitting on the arm of the sofa next to her, 'There you are. Seeing you smile is all I need.'

Hammer Bay

Madoka Akashi smiled as she noticed Rexy walking away from the yacht looking around; it has started raining as the boat had finished docking, occasional heavy rolls of thunder sounding out in the distance. The tall, white-furred Kitsune woman glanced again at the note she'd been sent, before waving, 'Rexy Oakwood?' she stepped over, realising the girl hadn't bought an umbrella of her own and handing hers over, 'Heya...You're Rexy Oakwood, yes?'

She smiled, ignoring the rain as it got heavier, drumming against the boat hull and hissing softly as it splashed in the water nearby. 'I'm Madoka Akashi, nice to meet you.'

Closer up, it could be seen that Madoka was wearing a dark-coloured sleeveless shirt, a shoulder holster visible under the waistcoat she wore over it. Glancing down, she wore an obviously old pair of blue jeans with the knees worn out, with slip-on shoes to protect the pads of her slightly paw-like feet.

She smiled, 'Ok...Let's not stand out in the rain all night, hm? Welcome to Marshall Island.' She didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the rain as she waved towards a pathway leading off the dock, 'Car's that way, want me to carry anything?'

Apartment 12, 104 Westward Drive

They're treating us far too well, Kata thought, as she put away her clothes. Is there a catch somewhere?

But when she considered it, it wasn't all that much more than what one got in Tsaraine; it was the space which made the difference, and the wood. The Ascendancy had little of either.

When the knock came at the door she was at it only a moment before Sferan, and opened it with a cheery smile.

Tsarainese Embassy

Rene shifted uncomfortably, at a loss for words.

That's why she's nervy, she realised, She's head-over-heels. Struck with a passion. Besotted. Oh dear.

"Thank you," she managed finally, "Nobody's said that to me for ... quite a while."

Nigh twice the time she's been alive, I'd guess. They warned me about the side-effects of rejuv, but they never mentioned this! God Above, what am I going to say?

"Kara, you're sweet and pretty and I do believe I like you ... but."

That but stuck in her teeth, suprisingly hard to say.

"But ... you've met me twice, Kara. There can't be surety in that."

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara blushed gently, 'I...I was sure from the first time you kissed me.' She held Rene's hands just a little tighter, 'I love you.'

104 Westward Drive

Maya was standing at the door, still in her jeans and t-shirt, wearing a smaller white eyepatch rather than the black one she had before. She smiled, 'Um, hi. Everything ok? If you still want to share dinner, Sakura says to come on over.'

Tsarainese Embassy

Oh dear, Rene thought again, blushing brighter than Kara (and all the self-control she had couldn't stop it; she burned the brighter from the embarrassment of that).

Surely she'd done this before, back in her youth; what had she said then? She was afraid she'd been much less diplomatic back then, as the Lord Protector's scion.

And Kara was psychic, the old hocus-pocus real after all in the Federation; she might well know her well enough already to be able to say those three words in perfect honesty. Rene could tell she didn't lie; Kara believed it, that was sure. As for herself ... it was much too soon to say.

"I know," Rene replied finally. "But this - all this is ... much too fast, in Tsaraine."

104 Westward Drive

"Yes, everything is fine!" Kata replied, "Only I can't seem to find the proof-of-receipt forms for all this ... yes, dinner would be wonderful. Thank you."

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara nodded softly, still holding Rene's hands, 'Then please...Tell me how I should go on from here, Rene.'

104 Westward Drive

Maya's reaction would be to blink were she to still have two eyes; 'Proof of receipt? Um...There's nothing like that...Should there be?' She smiled, 'Anyway, I'm sure Reika would know about anything like that; come on over.'

The house the three shared was almost the same as Kata's, with the rooms laid out a little differently only because of the layout of the building. It seemed they'd only just moved in themselves; there were still a few cardboard boxes of stuff around yet to be unpacked. Reika was sitting on the sofa in the lounge, a young Neko girl curled up half-asleep in her lap, purring contentedly.

Reika smiled, 'I'm glad you could make it, dinner's almost done. Sit down, please...You both look exhausted.'

Navy Special Projects Division R&D labs seven, Comberth Harbour

Rei blushed softly, "You're too good to me..."

Alsvid shook her head, touching Rei's hand, "You deserve all the love I can give you."

Rei blushed deeply, looking down into her coffee shyly, "Um... thank you... I'm sorry I keep messing up..."

The Cervidine smiled, "So other things came up...It doesn't mean you've stopped loving me. And it certainly doesn't change who you are."

Rei set down her mug and huged Alsvid tightly, "I was afraid you'd think that I was avoiding you."

Alsvid smiled and giggled, "I know you'd never do that."

Rei blushed a little, "You also know that I'm a worthless nervy thing..."

Alsvid smiled, "The second part, maybe. I wouldn't love a woman who was worthless, would I?"

Rei blushed even more, snuggling closely and whispering, "Thank you."

Alsvid smiled, "Ok...I'll get you a blanket, you get settled there." She smiled, "And you look beautiful in that dress."

Rei smiled shyly, "Really? I really like it."

Alsvid smiled, "Me too."

Rei sat up straighter and gave Alsvid a little kiss, "Thank you."


Elisa's Apartment, Corporate Spire, Chiba City, The Hack

The apartment was nice, to be sure, but it wasn't anything like Yuri had lived in. This was considerably smaller, and not at the top of the tower. It wasn't that Elisa couldn't afford a penthouse, she simply didn't want one. She had simpler tastes, and always viewed this as her second home. Her primary home was whereever Sarah was.

She yawned, turning out the lights and heading for bed. She would have liked to have been able to meet with Rene, but she'd just gotten back from Tindalos, and it was far too late to try and go to Marshall Island. Besides, if Rene had any sense, she'd be in bed by now.

As she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling -- it was always hard to sleep alone -- she found herself wondering what Rene wanted to talk to her about. Actually, she didn't spend too long wondering, she had a pretty good idea why. They'd never really had a chance to talk after the wedding in Iuthy, and having a hangover while trying to figure out a foursome would have to be more than a little difficult. Especially considering how repressed Tsaraine seemed to be.

She sighed, rolling onto her side and trying to figure out what she was feeling as well. The night was a little blurry as she'd had quite a bit to drink before she decided to chat up Rene. Still, their communications since then had been perfectly amicable, so Rene bore her no ill will, which was something.

But Elisa still wasn't sure what her feelings toward Rene were. The woman was certainly nice, fun to talk to, attractive and all of that, but there were a lot of charming and attractive women out there, and Elisa didn't intend to be with all of them. She supposed she'd have to wait until morning to get things sorted out. She frowned a little. If she was this conflicted about what had happened she could only imagine how poor Kara was feeling.

104 Westward Drive

"It has been a long day," Sferan admitted, "Even if Tsaraine is further West - the time zones may mean Marshall Island is two hours ahead*, but we have still been awake quite a while."

OOC: *Number pulled from ass-space, but it will serve as well as any. This makes Marshall City and Deep Tsarai about as far apart as Perth and Sydney, or London and Constantinople.

Tsarainese Embassy

I should have forseen that one, she thought, and wondered how to explain the whole elaborate process to Kara. The One Hundred and Eight Proper Steps were somewhat fluid, somewhat murky, entirely complex. And far more important than marriage, in the avowedly secular Ascendancy.

"Uh," Rene said. "Don't laugh, but there's a book. I don't know who translated it into English, or what a copy was doing in the Embassy library, but you're welcome to it. More than welcome to it."

It lay on the coffee table nearby; she picked it up and handed it to Kara. It wasn't much to look at; a small book bound in blue leather, a little dog-eared, the type poorly set. The One Hundred and Eight Proper Steps: A Guide to Tsarainese Ettiquette was embossed on the spine.

Hammer Bay

“Oh, it’s quite alright, Miss Akashi. I’ll manage” Rexy said nervously, not wanting to impose any further as she took the offered umbrella in one hand. It wasn’t just the anxiety of entering a new country-- “Planet” she mentally corrected herself-- that was getting to her this time. She’d always been nervous meeting new people. Still, Rexy was impressed with Madoka’s little act of kindness in offering the umbrella. It was pouring out, and Rexy had gotten moderately soaked already, but Madoka was getting absolutely drenched and didn’t seem to mind in the least.

“Tough woman. I suppose that’s a good sign.” Rexy thought to herself as she struggled with the three heavy drab green duffel bags that held their needed possessions, leaving David to cope only with his backpack.

“Here, lemme give you a hand with those.” Madoka said, moving forward to assist the obviously encumbered Tanukune girl, relieving her of two of the bags despite Rexy’s protests of not wanting to be a burden to her host. “Don’t be silly,” Madoka laughed. “I’m happy to help.”

"Curse my weak-kneed social anxiety…” Rexy thought again, blushing as Madoka led the two Solontians away from the wharf to a parked car.

“Thank you very much for coming to meet us, Miss Akashi.” Rexy said nervously as she sidled into the passenger seat of the old car.

Madoka smiled, “Well, it wouldn't have been much of a welcome if I hadn't, would it?” she ran a hand through her soaked white hair, “Could you pass me the towel on the back seat?”

”David?” Rexy asked, but just as she turned around in her seat, the towel smacked into her face and draped itself over her head. “Incoming!” David added, almost as an afterthought, laughing to himself. Silently vowing to mete out swift sisterly revenge as soon as they were alone, Rexy handed the towel to Madoka.

Madoka dried herself off a little, draping the towel over her shoulders afterwards, “Ah, lil' better...You two have a good trip?”

“It was a good trip, actually. It's the first time either of us have ever left our hometown. And to come so far...” Rexy smiled and looked out the window at the pouring rain outside, yawning lightly. “Long flight, though...”

Madoka nodded, frowning a little as she got drips from her hair on the dashboard, “Unless there's anything to stay for, want to go home?”

“Well, everything we brought with us is in those bags, so... yeah. We'd love to. And, thank you again for helping me carry those things.” Rexy added sincerely.

Madoka giggled, “Oh, don't mention it.” She started up the car.

“Where are David and I going to be staying? The Solont Immigration Bureau was supposed to tell us, but the email just said it had been arranged, and didn't tell us anything.” Rexy said, still a little nervous. “They're about as new at this as we are, I think...” she added.

Madoka blinked, “Oh...You should have got the paperwork about your accommodation through before you left...It's apartment 58 in a high-rise in Marshall City, right next door to me.”

Rexy looked over to Madoka and smiled. “I guess that means we'll be becoming friends, then.”

Madoka smiled warmly, “I hope so, yes. Otherwise I'll be taking you two for dinner on the way for nothing, ne?” she giggled.

“Dinner? Sweet! I'm famished.” David piped in enthusiastically. “Thank you, Miss Akashi,” Rexy said, smiling. “It's been a while since we last ate.”

Madoka flicked through a few choices in her head, before giving up, “What sort of food do you like?”

”Oh, I'll eat pretty much anything.” Rexy said. Despite the supposedly small cultural disparity between Solont and Earth, Rexy hadn't the faintest idea what her options were. Fortunately, David was decisive enough to speak up. “How about something meaty!” He said, placing a special emphasis on that final word. Rexy giggled. “David loves meat. I doubt he's ever had a vegetarian meal in his life.”

Madoka smiled, “Either of you had a pizza before?” Rexy shook her head. “Then I know a great place that’s on the way,” Madoka added, grinning broadly.

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara yawned softly as she took the book from Rene, blinking, 'It's getting late...Rene?' she smiled shyly, holding her hands, 'Can I show you something?'

Rene stiffened for a moment - Whatever is she suggesting? - but surely she didn't mean anything like that. 'Certainly,' she replied.

Kara nodded, standing and leading Rene out onto the balcony, holding one of her hands and looking up at the sky; a ring of silver-grey clouds encircled the two full moons, the night sky studded with glittering stars and flakes of snow. The park below them was already covered in a thin layer of white, the whole city quiet and lights slowly winking out on the sides of the skyscrapers a little way beyond the park.

Standing on the balcony, Kara felt like this perfect night was there just for Rene and her, and hoped Rene would enjoy the view. She smiled softly, the light from the moon reflecting a little oddly from the tapetum lucidum in her red eyes. 'I saw it on the way in ... isn't it a beautiful night?'

'It is,' Rene replied, . And it must be years since I last looked at it ... whyever did I stop? 'It wasn't there, during the Obsidian Years,' she said, absentmindedly aloud. At Kara's enquiring look, she explained; 'Back when the surface was irradiated, we were all underground to avoid the radiation. And the atomic decay of the glass gave off a light of it's own, drowning out the stars ... it would have been pretty, if it wasn't so lethal...Still, that's over now.'

Kara nodded, 'I read a little about Tsaraine's history...' she stood there silently, unsure if saying anything more would upset Rene.

'Interesting reading?' Rene asked. 'There is a Chinese curse - 'May you live in interesting times'. My ancestors created them.'

Kara sighed, 'I'm glad it all worked out in the end ... It must have been terrible.'

'For a time,' Rene replied. 'It is better now than it was under the Obsidian, and better in some ways than it was under the Commonwealth. We do well enough now.'

Kara smiled, looking up at her, 'Thank you for tonight, Rene.'

Once again Rene had difficulty putting her thoughts to words, and what she arrived at was woefully inadequate. 'I could hardly not talk to you, Kara. The ... the situation needed resolving. Needs resolving. I am glad we talked.'

Kara smiled, yawning sleepily, 'I'm glad I ever met you.'

Rene nodded, uncomfortable; Kara was in love, but it was much too early to tell. She didn't want to upset Kara, who was sweet and good-natured ... certainly she deserved someone to love.

Kara looked out over the sleeping city again, trying to resist doing what she'd do with Elisa or Faye; it seemed too early to hug Rene or rest her head on her side. Instead, she just held her hand, hoping it wasn't too cold for her.

'Goodnight, Kara,' Rene said finally. 'Have you got accomodation in the city? I can certainly get the staff to open a guest suite for you here, if not.'

Kara smiled shyly, 'I was, um...Hoping I could stay with you, if it's not any trouble?' She shook her head at Rene's expression, looking a little put-out but understanding, 'I ought to read this book before anything else?'

'Yes,' Rene replied. 'It wouldn't be ... right,' she said lamely, well aware how stuffy she must sound; but tradition was tradition, and the Steps furnished time to consider a relationship. Time was what she needed.

Kara nodded, 'I understand, Rene.' she yawned, fluttering her eyes a little, 'I think I really should be getting to sleep...I'll see you in the morning?' she paused, 'Who should I ask about bedclothes?'

'They should be provided, if the staff is all it's supposed to be.' Back inside and along the hall, Rene opened a second door nearby, opening onto a similarly appointed suite. 'This should do, I hope,' Rene said.

Kara smiled and nodded, 'Thank you, this is perfect.' she sat down on the sofa, 'Good night, Rene.'

'Good night, Kara,' Rene repeated. 'Sleep well.'

Kara listened to Rene's retreating footsteps, waiting for the sound of her door closing. After a little longer, she gathered up the duvet from the bed, slipping outside and laying it down on the floor beside the door to Rene's suite.

Kara sighed gently; she was content to forsake a bed and take a couple of spare duvets to sleep in the hallway outside Rene's room. It still made her feel a little sad that Rene hadn't wanted her to stay, but she understood. She yawned again, slipping the book Rene had given her out of her pocket as she slipped off her shoes. She reached up to put it on the table beside her, then paused.

She flipped through it carefully, idly wondering which step holding hands came at to see how far she had left to go before she had proven her worth to Rene. She flipped pages for quite a while, finally reaching step twenty-eight with a happy smile, whispering 'Oh Rene...You do love me...' as she placed the book down beside her and curled up under the second duvet.

104 Westward Drive

Reika smiled, 'Well, we won't keep you long; it's almost ready now.'

The little tabby girl curled up in her lap yawned, blinking sleepily. Her yellow-green eyes studied Kata and Sferan for a moment, before glancing up at Reika. The girl's voice was very quiet; she sounded almost frightened. 'Momma...Who are they?'

Reika smiled, 'These are our new neighbours, Kata and Sferan, from Tsaraine. They're nice people. Kata, Sferan, this is our little Rei.'

Rei purred as Reika tickled her ear, Maya continuing, 'We've had her for a couple of months now...She's just a little shy around strangers.'

Reika grinned, 'And she should have been in bed an hour ago, shouldn't you?'

Rei mewled plaintively, Reika smiling, 'Now hon, you know that doesn't work. Come on.' She stood up, holding Rei in her arms, 'I'll be back in just a moment.'

Maya smiled nervously, feeling a little tired to be making conversation. Behind her the light gleamed off a glass frame holding an impressive set of medals, divided into three sets of decreasing size.

'One Stop' service station, off Victory Road, North of Hammer Bay

As they made their way North through the snake's nest of motorways and interchanges the rain gave way to snow, which was settling on the pavements beside the roads by the time they made it to the service stop. Madoka smiled as she stepped out, looking up at the specks of white snow caught in the bright halos of the streetlamps, and murmured 'At least I'm not on Blanstead Moor' quietly to herself.

She glanced back, smiling, 'Come on, the train doesn't get here for a while yet.' She pointed over to a nearby train station and freight depot, a large train visible through the drifting snow. A pair of massive locomotives sat at the front, painted black and bearing the Gulf & Bradley logo; behind them stretched a long line of carriages, first passengers, then two-level car-transporting carriages, and finally a line of five flatbeds with tanks secured to them with hauser cables. She grinned, 'It'll be like that one...It's a fairly long trip home, so you two can catch up on some sleep, ne?'

The services were near the train station; behind them, Victory Road stretched off into the distance; this late at night, most of the vehicles on the road were long-haul trucks. As they walked closer to the station, the two dark shapes of the locomotives resolved themselves into strangely old-fashioned looking engines with long boilers, and complex piston sets and connecting rods running to the three drive wheels on each side.

Madoka led them over to the service stop's Hackburger restaurant, smiling as she sat down with them, 'Right then...' she tapped the centre of the table twice, a holographic menu appearing in the air over the middle of the table as she selected their meal as 'Hanshiro Special.'

The pizza was soon laid out in the middle of the table, pre-cut. Madoka smiled, 'It's five cheese, ham, spicy beef, three kinds of pepperoni, sausage and a special blend of herbs...' she spotted Rexy's nervous look, and nodded understandingly, 'It's ok, you just use your hands.' She picked up a slice, 'Like that.'

Navy Special Projects Division R&D labs seven, Comberth Harbour

Alsvid giggled, taking Rei's bag of food into the kitchen and getting started cooking. As she did, she quietly hummed Rei's favourite tune, a couple of her birds settling on her shoulders and on top of the cupboards nearby.

Rei slipped off her shoes, curling her legs under herself on the sofa. She nuzzled Vangelis a little, listening to Alsvid hum and smiling softly. Alsvid eventually returned with a plate of steaming spaghetti in each hand, still humming.

Rei smiled, accepting the plate from Alsvid, 'Mmm... this looks great.' She giggled, 'Probably a good thing you cooked, I'm terrible at it.'

Alsvid shook her head, 'You're good when you relax, honey...' she set her plate down on a side-table, 'Now, let me see if I've got any wine left...'

Rei giggled and set down her empty coffee cup. She smiled, 'Yuri was right...'

Alsvid grinned, returning with a bottle and two glasses, 'She usually is. What about?'

Rei waved her hand vaguely, 'All this. She said I was being silly and that I should come over.' She giggled, 'She suggested that I cook for you, but probably figured you would anyway.'

Alsvid smiled, handing Rei a glass of red wine, 'Well, I'm glad you listened to her.'

Rei accepted it, smiling shyly, 'She'll probably call me tomorrow to make sure I did.' She took a sip of her wine and smiled, 'Oh, and she says she'll be in country next week.'

'Good, it'll be nice to see her again.'

Rei drank some more of her wine, sighing happily and finally looking relaxed, 'Mmm... this is nice...'

Alsvid smiled, 'Dinner ok?'

Rei nodded quickly, 'Oh, just wonderful. Thank you, honey.'

Tsarainese Embassy

In her bedroom across the hall, Rene lay in bed and stared sleepless at the ceiling. Streetlight and moonlight filtered through the curtains, and now and then a car passed softly through the snow outside, but the embassy district was quiet; that wasn't what was keeping her awake.

God Above, what am I doing? What am I going to do? Giving the book to Kara was precipitate ... wasn't it? She's in love, and I am not. I don't think so, at least. I shouldn't have brought her hopes up like that. Whatever can she see in me?

It was tinged with the bizzare, that was certain. A foreign intelligence agent assigned to guard an allied leader and a rejuvenated aristocrat-turned-pilot-turned-ruler ...

If nothing else, she's less than half my age!

Such thoughts did not lead to easy sleep, but eventually she reached it. Rene dreamed of people and places she'd left behind decades ago, dead or destroyed in the Obsidian Event, and when she woke it was not comfortably.

She exited her suite bleary-eyed and yawning, she tripped across an unexpected obstruction in the doorway.

"Ainra eka Ruki! I'm sorry ... Kara, whatever are you doing outside my door?"

104 Westward Drive

"Cute," Sferan commented. "You mentioned you had had her only a few months - she is adopted, then? I'm sorry if it's not proper to ask ..."

I don't think the little one is only a few months old.

104 Westward Drive

Maya smiled softly, nodding, 'She was orphaned in the war...Reika's looked after her since then, we finally got all the adoption paperwork sorted through last month.'

Maya's pet kitten took the opportunity to pounce up into Kata's lap. Sakura smiled as she came in from the kitchen, holding a couple of plates of steaming chilli lasagne and setting them down for Kata and Sferan, 'Don't wait up for everyone to get started, eat up...Want something to drink?'

Tsarainese Embassy, morning

Kara yawned, rubbing her eyes sleepily and looking confused, 'Wanted to be nearer to you...' she yawned again, 'Is that bad?' she blinked, suddenly awake, and realising Rene had just tripped over her, 'Oh my...I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?'

104 Westward Drive

"Oh," Sferan said. There didn't seem much to say to that without sounding trite; the war hadn't received much attention from the national press in Tsaraine, but these days you could get stuff routed from the Most Glorious Hack without much trouble, and from what he'd read the nationalist rebellion in Grafton's Isle had been unpleasant to say the least.

Barring a few skirmishes during the Obsidian Years, Tsaraine hadn't had a war on home soil since the resounding defeat of the Canales invasion decades ago.

Kata looked down at the kitten in her lap.

"How sweet!" she exclaimed, and giggled when it extended a rough tongue to lick her fingertips. "What's her name?

"Oh, thank-you," she continued, smiling at Sakura, "It looks wonderful. Um ... just water, thank-you."

Sferan nodded in agreement.

Tsarainese Embassy

"I'm fine!" Rene replied, dusting herself off. "It's ... a little odd."

Actually, it's a lot odd ... you certainly are devoted, Kara. God Above, I don't deserve this!

104 Westward Drive

Maya blinked, then giggled, 'You know, I've never thought to name her...She answers to 'cat' or 'kitty,' so I just call her Cat. You can give her a name yourself and see if she likes it, I guess.'

Sakura returned with a tray with a couple of glasses of water, along with what appeared to be a pint glass of beer. She laid down the plates on the tray, one in Maya's lap, one on her side-table and the other on the opposite side of the sofa, calling out 'Reika-chan? Dinner!' quietly enough not to wake Rei if she was sleeping.

Sakura sat, giving Maya a hug before retrieving her plate, Maya purring happily. Sakura smiled, 'Like it? It's a family recipe...Though we're a lil' better known for our ramen.' she purred cheerfully, 'That's part of why we moved here, I'm taking over the family business.'

Tsarainese Embassy

Kara smiled shyly, smoothing her hair a little self-consciously, 'I'm sorry.' She said again eventually, giving Rene an adorable please-don't-yell-at-me look.

104 Westward Drive

"I see," Kata replied. "Well, Cat, I think you'd better get off my lap now, I need to eat. Shoo!"

The kitten seemed positively disinterested in moving, and she picked it up to deposit it safely on the floor.

"You make ... ramen, then? As in a factory, or a restaurant? I'm sorry, I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to pasta."

Tsarainese Embassy

"No, it's not a problem!" Rene exclaimed, "I just wasn't expecting you to be there. I'd have let you crash on the couch if I'd known."

104 Westward Drive

Sakura smiled cheerfully, 'It's a restaurant, been in my family for generations...Mom was always trying to get me to quit SFAT and take over from her.' She touched her waist, and continued, 'Well, since I got myself shot up in the war, and with a little girl to take care of...Guess something gentler is best.' She giggles, 'I must be getting old already.'

Reika sat back down next to Sakura, purring softly, 'I hope you like that painting...Wasn't sure if it would appeal, but everyone likes sunsets, right?'

Tsarainese embassy

Kara smiled brightly, 'Really?' she stood up, brushing herself down, 'I should have asked...I just wanted to be somewhere nearer to you...' she looked at her feet, 'I'm sorry...I must've given you the wrong idea. I didn't want to rush things.'

104 Westward Drive

"Ah." Kata nodded, unsure how to reply. It wasn't often that you saw small children, or pregnant women, in Tsaraine; during the last couple of years the government had gone from a one-child policy to a half-a-child policy - every second couple applying, decided by lottery - and so most everyone who wanted children had emigrated outsystem, or was planning to.

"I hope to try your ramen one day, then."

"The bridge?" Sferan nodded. "Yes, it's very nice. As is this lasagne, actually."

Tsarainese Embassy

Rene nodded, acknowledging that; likely Kara didn't want to put pressure on her. She could make a reasonable guess about Kara's own wants.

"It's okay, really," she said, once again at a loss for words. All this lay on the periphery of her experience, and she'd forgotten most of it in the Obsidian Years. "Uh ... I think the staff can probably find some fresh clothes for you, if you'd like."

104 Westward Drive

Reika smiled brightly, 'I'm glad you approve.' she started on her lasagne, purring, 'And yes, Sakura's a wonderful cook.'

Sakura smiled, 'Of course, it'll be Izumi Ramen by the time I take over, if we can ever get a church sorted out that's good for a Christian, an athiest and a Makotian...' she giggled, 'That sounds like that start of a joke, doesn't it?'

Sferan laughed. 'It does rather.'

Maya yawned, laying down her empty plate and curling up next to Sakura with her head in her lap, purring contentedly, Sakura absent-mindedly stroking her hair as she laid down her own plate.

'It's very good pasta,' Kata said, echoing her cousin. The kitten jumped up to her lap again but she deposited it firmly on Sferan's, and stood to gather up the plates. 'Where do I put these?'

Sakura smiled, realising Maya was already asleep and raising a finger to her lips, whispering 'Oh...Just the side table will be fine, I'll clear up after you go.'

'Oh! Thank you ... we'd best be going, then. Thank you very much for the meal, and the company, and for everything you've done.' Sferan stood and added a polite bow to Kata's words, rendered odd by the kitten in his hands.

Reika giggled, setting her plate down to one side for a moment and taking Cat back from Sferan. 'You're welcome to come over any time if you need anything or just want to talk...Should probably put you two on the list of invites for our wedding now, too.' She bowed in return, looking equally silly, 'Have a good night's sleep, the both of you.'

'Thank you,' Kata repeated, 'Very much.'

They went back down the hall to Number Twelve. 'Good people,' Sferan commented, and Kata nodded. Her cousin had been nearly silent most of the evening, but he had the better English - what was going on there?

I'll have to ask him in the morning, she thought - it was much too late now. 'G'night!' she mumbled to him, heading to bed, and was rewarded with an equally muffled 'Good night' from the other room.

Back at number eleven, Sakura carried Maya back to their bedroom and laid her down on the bed, giving the younger woman a little kiss on her forehead as she pulled the covers over her. She smiled as Reika sat down and unwrapped her headband, 'Right...You get off to sleep, honey, I'll get the dishes sorted out.' She leaned over and gave Reika a kiss too.

Reika nodded, yawning herself, 'They seemed nice enough...I hope things go ok for them.'

Tsarainese embassy

Kara smiled shyly, blushing a little, 'If that's ok...I don't want to be a bother or anything.' She resisted her natural urge to hug Rene for being so kind to her, settling for a respectful little bow. 'Is there somewhere I could take a shower?'

Tsarainese Embassy

"There ought to be one in your suite," Rene replied, nodding to the door across the hall.

While Kara was showering, she contacted the staff, and by the time the Eurusean emerged they had left a neat pile of clothing. The usual sober cut and somber colours of Tsarainese garb, to be sure (the Embassy did not regularly provide clothing for foreigners, after all), but well enough made, and it fit.

I found her on a night of fire and noise
Wild bells rang in a wild sky
I knew from that moment on
I'll love her till the day that I died
~ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "Do You Love Me, Part 1"

"You know, we can get you a jet..."

Elisa sighed, shifting her phone from one ear to the other, once again thinking it was high time she simply got an internal one, "Look, I'm not going to waste time and money like that, Shino. Besides, the train's fast enough. Hell, it's faster."

"Well, yeah... but it's public transportation!"

"We all have to suffer, hon." She laughed softly as she hurried down the stairs to the subway. "You're more of a capitalist than I am."

"Just be careful, okay? Considering..."

"Shino," She stopped rushing for a moment as she talked into her phone, "Listen to me: what happened to me at Workhoven isn't going to happen again. You know Faye won't let that sort of thing happen again, and any local problem I can solve myself."

His chuckle came through the earpiece clearly, "Fine, fine... I'm acting like a wife. I'll see you when you get back, okay?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then, love ya."

"Love you too. Take care."

Elisa smiled to herself, snapping the phone shut and slipping it into her pocket. She'd been a little surprized at how hard Shino had taken the assassination attempt. Back then, he'd just been one of several people working in her office, they had barely even talked. It wasn't until later that they had discovered their mutual interest in each other. She smiled a little; it was yet another thing that she owed Faye. She's was an insightful one, alright.

Still, no time to waste with warm fuzzies. She needed to get over Tsarainese embassy. She adjusted her bag slightly and made her way across the platform and through the turnstile -- tokens or cards long since done away with since the advent of biometrics. She hopped onto the lazily floating train just before the doors closed. Not recognizing anyone in her car, she simple took her seat and relaxed, thankful for the time to think.

After sensing that everyone had taken a seat, the train slowly moved forward into the airlock for the vaccuum tube. Once the lock was drained of atmosphere, the other doors opened and the train started moving, slowly at first, but the speed quickly building, faster and faster. Soon it was going far faster than any train, and then far faster than the jet Shino had told Elisa to take. The supersonic train raced silently along the tunnel connecting the Hack and GMC, one of their more ambitious projects.

Elisa glanced up at the little map at the front of the car, seeing that they were now racing under the ocean, at a speed of, well, she'd rather not know, in all honesty. She still couldn't believe how fast the train had originally gone, to say nothing of the constant upgrades. Someone -- Jakob? -- had told her that the system was pretty much at its peak level of performance. Going much faster on either end would result in people being thrown forward or back, depending on inertia. Of course, mach one had been more than fast enough for Elisa's tastes which is why she pointedly avoided looking at the spedometer.

Her time to ponder her situation was quickly exhausted as the train pulled into the stop on the GMC side far faster than she had expected. She sighed softly, shuffling off the train like any other commuter. She was mildly amused at just how common it had become to live in one nation and work in the other, despite being separated by hundreds of miles. The train may have been dreamed up when some R&D folk were drunk, but it worked like a charm and had long since paid for itself. She hopped into a cab outside the station, and directed the driver to the embassy, leaning back in her seat, still wondering about the upcoming meeting.

Before she knew it, they were there. Bloody hover cars... no traffic jams, no stalling... Another quick press of her thumb to another smooth panal, and the cab was paid for. There was a little keypad for her to add on a tip, which she did before slipping out and watching it drive away. She frowned slightly, deciding that she hadn't planned this out very well. Taking a cab wasn't exactly dignified, either. Ah well, it was too late now. Closing her eyes briefly, she walked up to the security guard, "Hello, Speaker Day here to see..." she paused as she desperatly tried to remember Rene's title, "Arkhora Seingult."

104 Westward Drive

As Kata opened the door the next morning she found herself looking down at three little Cervidine girls playfully arguing over the right way to resolve a three-person game of scissors / paper / stone. The oldest smiled brightly as she looked up at Kata, taking a flower from behind her ear and offering it, 'Hiya. Happy Thursday, lady.'

Kata blinked, surprised; it was much too early in the morning to be receiving flowers. 'Um, thank you,' she replied, 'I hope it will be a happy Thursday for you too.'

The girl smiled and giggled, 'Momma says it's never the wrong time to be given a flower.' She stood up, her hooves clicking gently against the tiled floor, 'I'm Tameki Matsuo, these are my friends Mitsuki and Nayoko Kichida. You're the new people from, um, Saaar-Ayné?' she pronounced it slowly, hoping she could impress Kata by getting it right.

'Yes, I'm from Tsaraine,' Kata said, enunciating it with equal care; the Federals seemed to have trouble with Tsarainese words, which was fair enough - she had trouble with English ones. 'I'm Kata arKuin, my cousin is Sferan arKuin, but he is still asleep. You're right, it is a very nice flower.'

Tameki looked a little put out by not getting it right, but smiled again, 'Momma likes having flowers around the house...She's teaching me how to make them grow.' She sighed, 'It's difficult...Mine aren't so good.'

An older Cervidine woman in a dressing gown walked over from the stairwell, pulling the cord on it tight and yawning, then blinking and hurrying over. For a Cervidine, she was fairly small, a little over five-and-a-half feet tall, her short, dark brown hair still messy; it was apparent she'd just woken up herself. She bowed gently to Kata, 'I'm sorry...Did my girls wake you up?'

Kata bowed politely in reply, using the gradation traditionally assigned to strangers of unknown rank. 'I was already awake, thank-you, esen. Kata arKuin ... Tameki has given me a flower.'

The Cervidine woman smiled weakly, 'Oh...I have no manners. Ayuka Kichida...I left you a vase on the table in the lounge.' She smiled shyly, 'I made it myself, I hope it's ok.' She didn't note how long it had taken her to arrange the various red flowers in it to look just right.

'Pleased to meet you.' Kata smiled in return. 'It is a very nice vase.' She didn't note what those red flowers would signify if given by a Tsarainese person; so far they were avoiding cultural insult quite nicely.

Ayuka smiled, still looking a little worried, 'I really hoped you'd like it...I was afraid you might think it was silly or not like the arrangement or, um...' One of her daughters tapped her leg gently, 'She said she liked it, momma.'

Ayuka blushed a little, 'Well, erm...That's good, then.' She pulled a pair of glasses from her pocket, slipping them on and blinking a few times, 'We're downstairs, by the way, number four...Me and my wife Midori.'

Ayuka blinked and then relaxed as a taller Cervidine laid her hands on her shoulders, smiling. The taller woman wore a black navy dress uniform with red and silver highlights, and stood a good foot taller than Ayuka, her long light brown hair tied back in a ponytail, the rest tucked under her officer's cap. She kept one hand on Ayuka's shoulder, saluting with the other, 'Captain Midori Kichida of the home fleet's battleship Thiassi, at your service.'

Kata saluted back awkwardly (she was a civilian, and not even a member of the Homeguard) in the Tsarainese fashion, right fist on chest. 'Pleased to meet you, Captain Kichida.'

She grinned, 'Midori, please...I'm not on duty yet.' She glanced at her children, Mitsuki and Nayoko sitting up attentively, 'Now, you two be good and don't be any trouble for this nice lady.' They nodded quickly, Midori smiling, 'I'll talk to her again later...If you've been good I'll take you to the funfair, 'k?'

Mitsuki smiled brightly, 'Yay!'

Midori grinned, 'Ok...' she leaned down, kissing Ayuka gently for a moment and the smiling, 'And you stop worrying about things.' She smiled, hugging Ayuka, 'Say...Kata, isn't it? Have you ever been bowling?'

'Bowling?' Kata blinked. 'I'm sorry, I don't understand ... all our bowls are very good?'

Midori stifled a giggle, 'Ah...How to explain it.' She paused, 'It's a game, you take a ball and throw it at a set of pins to try to knock them down.' She blinked and smiled, 'That really doesn't do it justice at all...If you've got a free evening I can show you.'

'Oh!' Kata exclaimed, blushing furiously. 'Um. That would be nice?'

Midori smiled, 'There's a place right near the funfair...I can get a few friends together in short order, I'm sure. Ok, I'll look forward to it.' She smiled, glancing at Tameki, 'Your mom should be over to pick you up before then, unless you want to call her to stay over for it?'

Tameki smiled, 'That'd be ok?'

Midori stepped over to her and ruffled her hair, 'Sure, why not?' she smiled at Kata, 'Tameki here goes to school with my twins, if you were wondering.' She blinked, 'And I should get going.' She kissed Ayuka again, 'Have a good day, sweetheart.' Ayuka smiled and waved, then turned to Kata, 'Um...Do you have anything planned for the rest of today?'

'I don't think so,' Kata replied. 'Just some things to unpack, really.'

Ayuka smiled shyly, 'Well...Um...I was planning to go out to the National Gardens with these three...You're welcome to come along too, if you'd like.' She blushed a little, realising she was standing in front of a near-stranger in a dressing gown, 'Anyway...I should probably get dressed.'

'That's very kind of you,' Kata said. 'I'd be honoured.'

Ayuka nodded, 'Well, have a good morning until I see you again, then.' She blinked, 'Um...I mean...I hope it's good after that too...'

Kata laughed, unable to contain her merriment. 'I'm sure it will be, thank-you.'

Ayuka blushed a little, bowing and heading back down to her house.

Tsarainese Embassy

"Good morning, Speaker." The embassy guard gave her the ninety-degree bow for foreign dignitaries. "Regulations say I have to ask you for identification, esen. Thank-you."

He ran the card through a slot in the machinery of his post, and handed it back.

"That's all, Speaker. You can step right through now. Have a very good morning."

---

After Kara had left, Rene had made her way to a local florist to buy flowers for Elisa, which now sat in her lap, their scent permeating the room. She'd put Kara's bouquet in a vase, where it blended in nicely with the cream of the walls.

"Come in!" she called, as someone tapped on the door. It opened to reveal a uniformed staffer, followed by Elisa Day. The staffer slipped away, leaving Elisa framed in the doorway.

"Elisa," she said, and once again words fled her mind. "I bought you flowers."

'One Stop' service station, off Victory Road, North of Hammer Bay


It was a textbook example of contrast. One the left sat Rexy, daintily and cautiously picking up the deliciously greasy pizza slice with two hands and cautiously nibbling on the pointed end, a chunk of pepperoni severed into her mouth between her teeth. On the right was the younger Oakwood, his head tilted back, holding the pizza slice above his head and sliding it into his hungry maw before a surreptitious kick under the table from his sister corrected his errant ways. Despite their differences in eating habit, they could both agree.

”This is delicious!” they both exclaimed simultaneously, the tone and inflection of their voices matching perfectly. But despite the pizza’s flavor, David couldn’t take his mind off what he’d seen the most of since entering the country. “Miss Madoka, is there always so much military hardware moving around?”

'Isn't it like that where you come from?' Madoka asked.

'Well, yeah. But the army tends to be real subtle about it back home' Rexy piped in. 'I mean, aside from the space fleet, whose equipment is too big to miss, we hardly see anything.'

'Rezy, you've talked enough. It's MY turn to talk with our host.' David said in mocking indignance.

Madoka smiled cheerfully, 'There's enough of me to go around, I'm sure.' she giggled, 'Well, with ISON there's a lot of material that needs moving around to depots, the coastal installations...Always something going on somewhere out there.'

"Hm. ISON." David said, pondering what the acronym could mean, trying out a few combinations of words in his head before giving up. "Anyways, yeah. The Mountanan provincial government is always shipping hardware around, but most civilians never see it move. Only the big stuff, like ship hulls, since those are so big. 'ey! My turn!" David snapped, bringing a finger to Rexy's open mouth before she could even make a sound.

Madoka smiled and tilted her head, 'Something else?'

"Pardon my asking," David said, exercising his rarely seen manners, "But what does ISON stand for?"

Madoka smiled, 'Independant Strategic Orbital Network.' she grinned, 'That's orbital as in around the island rather than the planet, mind.'

"Wow! So it rings the entire island? Like, continuous? No breaks?" The young boy asked, clearly interested.

Madoka nodded, 'No breaks at all...Even when there's a river, the transport systems go over it and they dig in emplacements either side. Silver Bridge is part of ISON, you've probably seen a picture of that.'

Rexy nodded, but lets her brother continue. "Yeah, we have. I have to admit, ISON is pretty impressive. Not as--" David winced a little and cut himself off, his sister's heel planted firmly into his foot. She could read him like a book, and the last thing Rexy wanted was to offend their host by having her little brother make an unfair comparison between ISON and Neo Greizon.

Madoka giggled softly to herself, taking another bite from her slice of pizza, 'They tell you anything much about my family, or just send the form telling you who I am?'

'Oh, just the information about you." Rexy said, laughing nervously. "Like I said, the immigration department's gotten pretty sloppy with 70 years of inactivity. But in any case, won't you tell us about your family. I didn't know you had a husband." she said, her ears tilted forwards. David nodded as well, resigned to being mild mannered for the duration.

Madoka smiled, 'A husband and a pair of charming wives...You'll get to meet them once we get off the train.'

Rexy cocked her head to the side, drawing a blank expression for a moment as she registered Madoka's words. "Oooooh yeeaaahh. I totally forgot about the different marriage practices here." the young tanukune girl said, yawning. "I must be more tired than I thought. It's not like me to forget something like that."

Madoka smiled, 'Well, plenty of time to sleep on the train. You guys finished eating?'

They both nodded, their plates empty. "I can't wait to meet your family..." Rexy said, yawning as she stood.

Madoka smiled, checking her train tickets, 'Ok...Looks like second passenger car, got us a first class cabin with some beds.'

'Wow! I hope that didn't set you back too far." David said, suddenly sounding almost as tired as his sibling. Rexy took the opportunity to ruffle his hair a little. He could be a considerate and sweet kid sometimes...

Madoka smiled, 'Ah, you're guests, don't worry about it.' she smiled at Rexy, 'You look really tired...Want me to carry you?'

Despite her cheeks being completely covered in ebony fur, Rexy still managed to blush a deep red at Madoka's offer. "N-no thanks. I'll be fine." She said nervously.

Madoka grinned, 'Ah, was always doing that for my sister when she got tired...Didn't mean anything by it.'

"No, it's not that, it's just.... nevermind." She said, shaking her head and letting her nervous smile creep back on to her face.

Madoka cocked her head a little, then smiled, 'Well, it doesn't matter. Don't want you feeling uncomfortable...Come on, this way.' She sighed softly to herself, Is she nervous because I told her about my wives? No...Couldn't be.

"Right" Without missing a beat, Rexy put an arm around her brothers shoulders and led him on, following closely behind Madoka. I guess I wasn't wrong in my initial assessment. Rexy thought to herself. Madoka is a strong woman...

Tsarainese Embassy

Elisa smiled at Rene, stepping into the room, wearing a rather modest business suit and skirt combination, much like she usually did for official functions or press conferences. It was considerably less flattering than what she had been wearing the last time she and Rene met face to face -- back on That Day -- but this was clearly more professional.

She walked over to Rene, picking up the flowers and breathing in their scent before setting them down and regarding Rene, "Thank you, Rene; they're lovely." She thought about giving Rene a hug, but didn't want to make the other woman uncomfortable. Instead she nerviously brushed her hair back a little, "Um... I heard you wanted to see me?"

It was certainly a difficult position to be in. She knew that their night together had been fueled by alcohol and Elisa's sense of adventure, and she wasn't quite sure about Rene's feelings about the whole thing. She knew that Rene had enjoyed herself (Elisa had made sure of that), but people often had very different thoughts once the passion and sweat had cooled, and the alcohol had been metabolized. She certainly hoped that Rene wasn't mad at her. Politics aside, she'd feel simply awful if that was the case.

Tsarainese Embassy

"Yes." Rene paused, gathering her thoughts. "Please sit down.

"You need to understand that in Tsaraine ... what we did ... is simply not done, is tantamount to insanity. I don't mean ... I mean ..."

She blushed.

"Three people - people I'd only met in any way other than professionally that day, if I'd met them at all ... that is crazy.

"At first I was embarrassed - I left very quickly in the morning, if you remember. Then I was angry - at myself, for being so stupid, and then at you, for getting me drunk in the first place. But then I realised that crazy or no, I had ... quite enjoyed it."

Her hands twisted together in her lap, rubbing together nervously.

"That wasn't anything I would ever have expected before ... and then we talked during that buisness with the TESEC, and I thought that it would be best to talk to you about it ... though I didn't know what to say to you. I still don't ... but here I am."

Elisa blinked and sat down a little stunned. She had half expected something like this, but she hadn't expected Rene to be so blunt. She'd expected a little bit of awkward small talk followed by some good old fashioned beating around the bush, and then, eventually, making their way to the subject at hand. Maybe.

This was a surprise, especially the thought that she had made Rene hate her. That was the last thing she had intended. Sure, there were cultural differences between the Hack and Tsaraine, but she hadn't realised just how wide the gulf was. She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as she thought about this and some of the fallout from her night with Kayla (of course, that was mostly because she had supposedly died). She sighed. Maybe she was just a walking curse, screwing up the lives of everyone around her.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, fighting to put her thoughts into words, "I... I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you, and I didn't realise that..." she paused, not wanting to sound like she was trying to shift the blame, "I don't know what to say either, Rene." She sighed, "I wasn't trying to seduce you, and I wasn't just trying for a one-night stand. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but..." She frowned a little, "It's hard to explain, but I feel very close to you, and that was probably what prompted me back at the wedding." She laughed weakly, "Three at once was probably a bad idea, yeah... "

It was hard for her to explain how she was feeling; she was so used to being with psychics -- Sarah, Faye, Kara -- they all knew what ti was like to feel an instant, unexplainable connection. Of course, the free views of the Federation probably had something to do with it too. She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, "I don't really know what to say, except that I don't regret what happened, just... maybe... how it came about. I'd... I'd like to see you again on a personal level, but I'll understand if you don't." She mentally kicked herself for saying that, after all, Rene had said she enjoyed the night, but it just seemed to be something that had to be said. Of course, she certainly hoped that she and Rene could get to know each other better, but it wasn't soley up to her.

Rene's hands twisted together nervously.

"I ... I would like that, Elisa. Whether there could be ... anything more I don't know yet. But I'd like that a lot."

OOC: Argh, le short.

Elisa stayed quiet for a minute before she realised that Rene wasn't going to add anything else. She sighed softly, remembering that Tsaraine was completely different and alien to any society she was familiar with. The pitfalls of collectivism. At least she wasn't hated, she supposed that was a start.

She wasn't sure where to go from here. Rene had almost severed further discussion, which made things exceptionally awkward. Should she just leave? She found herself getting frustrated. Rene had enjoyed the night, but because of cultural mores, she was almost wanting to erase that night. How does one start a relationship forgetting any of that had happened? Was it worth feeling like she was smashing her head into a wall?

"So... now what? I'm not all that familiar with... ah... formal courting. Does my assistant call yours? Do I slay a dragon?" She smiled a little, not trying to be snarky, more attempting to lighten the mood ever so slightly.

"No, no dragons." Rene smiled weakly. "I had a book on it, actually ..."

She fidgeted uncomfortably, and found herself blushing.

"When I was young I didn't much care about any of this ... anything went, when I was just the Lord Protector's niece. But I'm more sensible now ... and I've never done this before myself. I'm playing this by ear, Elisa.

"But I don't think that I want another courtship ... just yet. Kara was here earlier, I gave the book on that to her - she was ready to put her heart at my feet in any case. If you want to do that I will not reject you ... but I'm not sure I know you well enough, just yet. I'll tell you, when I'm ready to take that step.

"I'm sorry, I'm not making much sense, am I? Please don't think I'm turning you away, Elisa, that's the last thing I want to do. I like you a great deal. But I don't want to do anything too fast."

OOC: I deserved that, leaving you with so little to work with! Hopefully this one is better, given the time it took to write. Like Rene, all this is purely by ear, and I do occasionally misunderstand or misrepresent things grievously ... if I do that here, please tell me!

It was like a kick to the gut. At first, all she heard was 'I don't think I want another courtship...' She bit back forming tears, wondering how she could leave without utterly embarassing herself. She just wanted to melt into a little pool and slink away. It might have been a golden toe, but it was still rejection.

At this point, however, she realised that Rene had kept talking after the world ended. She stammered a little, trying to remember what was said. Rene's words slowly trickled through the gloom, and she gradually realised the totality of Rene's comments. "I... I think I understand..." She blinked away nascent tears and nodded slowly, "I'm sorry... I'm being an idiot here." She wiped her eyes and sighed, "Thank you for being so honest.

"You see, my wives are all psychic: Sarah, Kara and Faye. I'm not used to dealing with someone who doesn't know me intimately from the start. I'd... I'd like to share my feelings with you, but I'm just afraid I'll confuse the issue even more." She sighed, "So, I'll just say that I very much want to be with you, and will do whatever is required... even if it means... just, um..." Her run of words dried up and she just sort of shrugged weakly. How could you say 'suppress my own wishes and desires and just be a friend until you figure out what you want' without sounding unbelievably mean and bitchy?

"Oh."

God Above, Rene thought, No wonder this is such a calamity! To know if someone was appropriate ... small wonder Federal society is so open - their risks are so much lower!

"Thankyou, Elisa. I'm sorry I can't be so sure - we Tsarainese are no telepaths. I'm still getting used to the concept in practice ... and thankyou for your generosity. I want to be sure that what I'm doing is the right thing - for you as well as me. Please tell me what you're feeling, Elisa - this isn't just about me. I truly don't want to upset you, or push you into anything."

Elisa frowned a little, looking down at the floor, trying to figure out how to put it into words. It was so much easier to just share. She looked back at Rene, "Well... frustration, currently. It's hard to put into words, but..." She sighed, "I guess... I guess that I'm afraid things have been ruined between us because of that night.

"I know this must sound weird, since it seems like I barely know you, but... er... during certain... ah... activities, a psychic can really get to know someone, which is probably why I feel so close to you. And why Kara does too, I'm sure. I don't care about... physical things right now, but I don't want to just walk out of here and never interact with you outside of governmental messages. I also don't want to just be a friend though, which puts us in a confusing place, I guess."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at Rene and continuing, "If this means letting you get to know me through more traditional means, then I'm okay with that, I just don't want this to end. Especially not like this." She sighed, "If we were both Federals, I'd probably just share with you how I felt, but I think that might muddy things more in this case." Of course, she wished Rene would go back to how she, aparently, used to be and ignore cultural mores, but she knew that would be a little too selfish.

Rene paused to gather her thoughts and quell a recurring blush.

"Nothing has been ruined, Elisa. On the contrary, we have the beginnings of ... of something here, and I don't want to end it any more than you do.

"As you said, though, it's confusing - there's no word for it in Sekhel, and none that I know of in English ... and I'm sorry I'm not psychic, to make this easier for you.

"But I would definitely like to be your friend - I'm not sure yet about being your partner - I guess we're in the grey area between. I really don't know how to proceed from there, but I'm more than willing to try."

Elisa smiled sadly, "That's what I figured." She sighed, "The gray area is the problem, don't you see? But... If you only want to be friends, that's fine. I'm sorry to have bothered you." She really wasn't sure what else she could say. It certainly seemed like Rene was just trying to spare her feelings; how on earth could she proceed like this? She knew exactly how she felt and Rene knew how she felt, but Rene seemed confused as to her own feelings. If Rene didn't want another courtship and didn't want to eschew the mores of Tsarainese society, that looked rather like leaving Elisa as a one night stand. The whole thing struck Elisa as wanting to follow a third path when only two existed.

"Elisa, you are not bothering me." God Above, do ordainary people have such trouble in these matters, or is it me? "Look, I think we're having trouble communicating here - you've said you don't want to be "just a friend", but what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to be "just a friend" either.

"You've said you don't care about "physical things", and I've explained that right now I truly don't know whether I want that or not - I've been thinking about it for a while and all I know is that I don't know enough to decide yet. If that's the problem here then I'm sorry about that."

Calm down, Rene, you're starting to sound snappish.

"Please," she continued, more gently, "All I'm asking is a little time."

Elisa blushed as Rene chastised her, feeling like an idiot; even though she realised that Rene was being as gentle as possible. She nodded, smiling weakly, "I'm sorry... other things have been... difficult... and I guess I'm just all out of sorts."

She tried to figure out where she stood; it was a position she wasn't familiar with. She had always known if someone was 'right' or not. She took a couple breaths to calm herself and try to figure out where everything stood.

Rene wanted more than just a friend. Good.
Rene didn't know how much more she wanted. Not good.
Rene wasn't sure about a physical relationship. Understandable.
Rene didn't want a second courtship. Confusing.

Could be worse...

She looked up at Rene, having calmed down and no longer looking like an emotional maniac. She smiled weakly and brushed her hair from her face, "Okay... I think I'm done with the hysterics, and I'm sorry about that. I don't want you to think I'm a nutcase who falls apart every ten minutes." She paused a moment before continuing, "I... I think I see what you're saying... I can give you time." Her voice cut off without finishing her thought. She just didn't have the nerve right now to ask about dinner.

"Elisa, there is no risk whatsoever of me thinking you're a nutcase. We may have started a bit shakily, but that's no kind of prediction for the future."

She smiled gently. "Thank-you. Uh ... how ... I mean where ... I mean ..." Rene fumbled for words, trying to put her thoughts in order. "We should start somewhere, I think. Uh. I'm not making much sense, am I? What I'm trying to say is ... would you like to go to dinner with me?"

OOC: OMG OOC information abuse! Fie upon ye, Tsaraine, for such perfidy! :P

Elisa smiled at Rene, looking a little guilty, but rather happy, "Thank you... again." She laughed softly, "You must be wondering about me... the first time we met, I was half-drunk and now I'm falling apart in your office."

Her face brightened considerably at Rene's suggestion. Rene wasn't psychic, but she might as well have been with such a thought. She smiled inwardly, wondering if, perhaps, she had projected her desires a little. At any rate, it was the best idea she'd heard in awhile and she nodded happily, "I think that would be wonderful." She smiled across the desk, "I know a couple nice places we could go." She giggled softly, "And despite rumors to the contrary, the Federation does have clothing manditory restaurants."




One might think I put her thoughts there on purpose ;)

"I think we were both falling apart a little," Rene replied, "But that's all cleared up now, I hope."

She felt doubly relieved - first, that Elisa had accepted, and second, that certain stereotypes weren't entirely true - not that she'd expected them to be, but you never really knew, with Federals ...

"Thank goodness for that!" she said, laughing a little nervously. "Wherever you select is fine, then ... so should I meet you there, or will you send a vehicle around, or ..."

She trailed off, the point across.

OOC: Sneaky sneaky Hack! Small note to point out that it is still morning; unless they plan to have a really long meal, there's liable to be a gap there. Though we can skip it easily enough.

Elisa smiled happily for the first time during the meeting. She closed her eyes a moment, running through all the appropriate places she could think of, finally settling on a nice Italian place run by a friendly Neko. She keyed up her wireless connection to the Hack's Neural Network -- connecting to it was at times spotty in GMC, but this area had already been set up. She made a reservation for two at seven, private booth.

She smiled at Rene, "Well, I set up a reservation for seven o'clock, which means... um..." She looked at her watch, "Means... I've got... ten hours." She frowned a little, mentally searching for something. She didn't really want to leave, but she was running low on ideas. Somehow going to the zoo didn't seem quite right.

104 Westward Drive

Maya smiled brightly as she saw Kata, 'Morning, you sleep well?' she brushed a hand through her hair, purring at the warm sun coming in through the communal area's skylight, 'Ayuka told us you'd be going out to the National Gardens with her and her girls, so I guess I'll have to wait my turn to show you around the city.' She smiled cheerfully, 'Have a nice morning.'

A few minutes later, her phone rang, Ayuka's quiet, nervous voice on the other end, 'Um, hiya...If you're not busy you can come downstairs now, I've left the door open for you...Just come right on in.'

Downstairs, Ayuka's door was indeed open for Kara; inside awaited another cosy and well lived-in home, with a few toys scattered around the floor here and there. Pride of place in the hallway was given to a large painting of a Cervidine woman on the edge of old age, her fur greying a little, standing in a beautiful winter landscape in a billowing black kimono-like robe, covered in intricate white symbols. Her right hand rested on two black-handled swords in a belt around her waist, her left raised, with a small white bird perched on her fingertips.

Ayuka was in the next room, the living room, knelt in front of a small shrine in one corner with her hands folded in her lap, softly whispering with her eyes closed. On the table in front of her was a small carved wooden box, above it a little figure of a young Cervidine girl in elaborate robes sitting, her expression sympathetic and curious at the same time.

Ayuka finished after a moment, bowing her head gently and placing a small pottery figure into the box, closing the lid, then turning, starting a little, 'Oh, Kata...' she blushed, 'I didn't realise you'd come down right away...Was I ignoring you? I'm sorry...'

122 Madison Street, Marshall City

The house that Elisa had arranged to Faye's wife June to stay in was a little plain, but it suited the needs of their little family. Right now, Faye was sitting on the sofa with Kara in her lap, reading the Steps over her shoulder and shaking her head every so often.

'Have t' say I'm curious as t' how these people lasted this long...' Faye muttered. 'So, which stage d'ya think yerself is at?'

Kara sighed softly, 'I'm really not sure...I suppose about here?'

Faye read, shaking her head, 'A gift of a rare an' beautiful flower tha' one must labour t' find?' she shrugs, 'Any ideas for tha'?'

Kara nodded, 'Well, one.'

Faye blinked at her thoughts, 'Honey, isn't it a mite early t' be climbing a fecking mountain fer tha' lass?'

Kara shook her head, 'I just...I want her to see how much I love her, that's all.' She sniffled softly, 'I wish I could just share it with her...'

Faye sighed, 'Well, be that as it may, I'm going t' have a word wi' Miss Seingult meself.' She shook her head, 'No, not that kind o' word, don't look at me like that.'

Kara gave Faye as stern a look as she could, 'Be nice, Faye.'

Faye smiled, 'Ah, I'll even pay for dinner fer the lass if it makes yerself feel better. Guess I'll see you when y' get back?'

Kara nodded, standing up, 'Wish me luck?'

Faye kissed her, 'You've never needed luck, Kara.'

Same location, a few hours later

Faye sat at her typewriter, rubbing her eyes as she looked at the words in front of her, trying to make the tone of the letter as reassuring as possible. The last thing she wanted was for Rene to think she had another potential girlfriend, after all.

To Arkhora Rene Seingult, Tsarainese Embassy:

Regarding a few matters that concern me about a conversation with my wife Kara, I'd like the chance to speak to you somewhere private over dinner; if you have any preference, I'll be glad to accommodate it. Rest assured I only wish to be sure Kara is happy in this matter.

~ Faye Elizabeth Madigan, Director of Intelligence, Eurusean Union.

She sighed softly, signing the envelope with her name and position too and lying back in her chair. Even with all the enhancements, the time difference between Eurusea and GMC was a little much at times.

St. Mark's Station, off Victory Road, North of Hammer Bay

Madoka lifted the last of Rexy's cases into the overhead rack as the train began to move, glad she'd paid for a first-class cabin with a couple of bunkbeds, since Rexy in particular looked absolutely shattered. She smiled gently, 'You look like you could use some sleep, Rexy...'

Rexy nodded to Madoka, her eyes already half-lidded, but a weak smile on her face. 'Y'know... you're absolutely right, Miss Madoka. Sleep is exactly what I need. How about you, Dave?' Rexy said, but the young human had already collapsed onto one of the bunks and was snoring lightly, still wearing his bulky backpack.

Madoka smiled, 'Sweet dreams, then...I'm just going to step outside for a smoke, 'k?'

Rexy nodded sleepily, and carefully removed David's backpack, being careful not to wake him as she drew a blanket it over him, in act that, had Madoka seen, would've struck her as being particularly motherly. And with that, Rexy climbed into her own bunk and bid goodnight to Madoka, flashing her a winning smile before closing her eyes.

Madoka smiled as she stepped outside into the hallway, patting her pockets for her pack of Fine Number Sixes, retrieving one and her lighter as she sat down in front of the window, looking up at the stars as the valleys and trees flashed by. Mentally, she was kicking herself, Damn it, Madoka, you're not a schoolgirl anymore...You'll just scare her acting like this.

She sighed softly. Rexy was beautiful, certainly, and seemed quite charming, but she shouldn't be feeling this way, not as a married woman with two wives and a husband wait for her back home. But...

...But there was something about Rexy she wanted to be close to. She exhaled, letting coils of silver-edged smoke fill the air above her as they weaved a path to the extractor, You've fallen in love again, you idiot. She smiled, glancing out the window at the moonlit outer wall of Cruik Fortress as the train passed it.

Tsarainese Embassy

"We have ten hours," Rene replied. "If you'd like to, um ... get something to eat, or catch a movie, or such ... I really don't know what there is to do here. I don't get out of Deep Tsarai often."

104 Westward Drive

"I will!" Kata told Maya, before heading back inside. Sferan had finally emerged, wearing a rather discoloured dressing-gown; the thing was getting worn, but he refused to get a new one. Her cousin had a real problem with economy sometimes, in that he never threw anything out - he actually collected paperclips, just in case they were needed.

"G'morning," he said blearily. "Y'know, I really wish you'd look slightly less alive before ten AM."

Kata poked her tongue out at him; it was like Sferan had a hangover every day, the way he was in the mornings! She refused to indulge him.

"We've been invited to go to the park with one of the neighbours," she told him. "Well, I've been invited, but I'm sure you'd be welcome too."

Sferan blinked. "Kata, there's still boxes everywhere! We can't live in boxes!"

"Nutter." She smiled fondly - he was family, for all his faults. You had to love family.

The phone rang a minute later, and she spent a frustrating few seconds trying to figure out how it worked - you'd think telephones would be the same everywhere, but the ones in the Federation seemed decidedly odd.*

"Hello? Oh, hi Ayuka ... um, okay?"

Kata entered Ayuka's apartment quietly, unable to shake the feeling that she was creeping in; There seemed to be nobody about.

The painting caught her eye, of course - it dominated the hallway, and she wasn't sure if it was just a painting or something else - it had rather the look of an icon to it.

She heard someone in the next room, and stepped through, stopping in the doorway when she spotted Ayuka. She didn't know anything about this religion, didn't want to intrude on anything profane, but didn't want to interrupt either. So she hovered uncertainly in the doorway until Ayuka finished.

"No, I'm sorry," she replied hurriedly, "I didn't mean to intrude and, er, I didn't want to interrupt you ... should I come back later?"

OOC:
*This is random fluff. I don't know what Tsarainese telephones are like at all, or how you can have a different telephone, but that's fluff for you.

Elisa smiled happily, managing to avoid giggling like a school-girl, but she was happy Rene wasn't just humoring her. While she tried to keep from using her psychic abilities, she couldn't help be get a general feeling. Federation psychics didn't run around ripping thoughts from people's minds, but they would frequently get feelings or snippets of emotions; especially when they were around someone they cared about.

Of course, two psychics made the effect even stronger, which was why Elisa was so close to Sarah, Faye, and Kara. When only one was psychic, the effect could still be very strong, like when Elisa was with June.

Or Rene.

"Well..." Elisa thought for a moment, using the verbal pause to stall a fraction of a second, "There's plenty to do, really. If you like, there's a nice little cafe not too far from here, walking distance if you like. We could get some coffee or tea, and maybe something light to munch on and then see a movie." She smiled, "There's a cute little romantic comedy I've been wanting to see." She shrugged a little, "Or, you know... whatever kind of movie you like..." She coughed softly, "Then... um... just make sure we're back in time for us to get ready?" She smiled happily, looking down at herself, "I'm not really dressed for the restaurant I had in mind, so I'd need to change." Clearly she had a nice restaurant in mind, as she was already dressed nice enough for most any place.

"That sounds wonderful," Rene replied, smiling. A romantic comedy wasn't exactly "her" sort of movie - well, it hadn't been, back when she'd seen movies often. Then had come the Obsidian Event, after which there simply wasn't time ... and even when the crisis itself had ended, she'd remained buried in her work. It had seemed an easier prospect than restarting her life again.

She supposed she had Elisa to thank for breaking her out of that rut, however unorthodox her methods had been, and added a soft "Thank you" to her words.

Elisa was hardly dressed informally, which meant either some place truly high-end or something else entirely; Rene squashed the latter thought ruthlessly. Just a friend? You're deceiving yourself, Rene, and you know it.

As for her own wardrobe ... well, she hadn't expected to be going anywhere, and her clothes ran naturally to somber tones, but she thought she could find something to suit.

"Well, ah - shall we go, then?"

Elisa blushed softly as she couldn't help be pick up on Rene's concerns, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! It's not one of those restaurants, I promise." She grinned a little, "While I wouldn't have any objections, er... um... I mean," she shook her head, "I want to treat you, it's a nice place, and everyone will be clothed, I promise." She smiled weakly and looked around nervously, "Um... yeah."

She smiled, "Sorry, guess I'm just a little nervous; it's been awhile since I've been in a situation like this..." She looked around, "Er, yeah. Guess we should go."

-----

Uncle P's Cafe was a weird blend that could only have been imported to GMC from the Hack. It looked to be a traditional French cafe', but it also had a decidedly Italian feel to it, ala' the Dominion. It was decidedly odd to see the proprietor, aptly named Uncle P, talking to his staff in French-accented Italian.

Elisa just shrugged a little, "No, I can't explain it, but the coffee's great, and the food's to die for." She laughed a little, "Just smile, nod, and enjoy. Nobody gets it, really." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Personally, I think he was hit in the head when he was younger..."

Warrens, Level 53; Chiba City; The Hack

You stand before your maker
In a state of shame
Because your robes are covered in mud
While you kneel at the feet
Of a woman of the street
The gutters will run with blood
They will run with blood!
~Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "City of Refuge"

Helle sighed as she made her way down the hallway to her far-too-small apartment; this was no place to try and raise a family, but she wasn't able to afford anything better. It wasn't as bad as the level she used to live on – before – but it was still a far cry from the so-called nice levels: gang warfare was too common to be safe, and the only thing that made her feel vaguely safe was the fact that she was a massive Black Wolfen, nearly large enough that she was occasionally mistaken for actually being a Dire. 53 wasn't deep enough for the Wolfen gangs to hold sway, so she was easily the biggest thing around. She wouldn't intimidate someone with a big gun or hopped up on drugs, but most of the petty criminals and muggers were willing to wait for easier prey. She was more worried about her daughters; they hadn't hit their growth spurts yet, so they were little more than small balls of fluff. Being criminally cute was certainly amusing – and let them get away with most anything – but it made them easy targets. They didn't have their teeth, their strength, nor their growl. Granted, in a few years, little Mildri would be fearsome; Helle's smallest took after her late other-mother, who was a Dire.

With a soft growl of frustration, Helle slipped her key into the deadbolt (biometrics, while common above, was far too expensive for a Warrens-dweller) and unlocked her door, slipping inside and promptly relocking it, including the chain and a second deadbolt that couldn't be unlocked from the outside. Her daughters were napping on the couch, curled up in each others' arms, so she silently made her way to the small kitchenette and put the groceries away. She sighed again as she looked in the refrigerator, there never seemed to be enough food: Wolfen, especially pups, needed a lot of protein, and tofu just wasn't palatable to a borderline carnivorous species. Of course, she might not have much of a choice before too long. She closed the door – can't be wasting electricity, mind – and went back to the small living room where her daughter was asleep.

Daughter?

With an almost comical growl, Eldrid, leaped from behind a chair and tackled Helle's leg, playfully gnawing and growling squeakily. Helle laughed and scooped her daughter up, hugging her, "No ambushing your mother, honey."

"Aww…" Eldrid pouted cutely, giving another high-pitched growl, "I need the practice!"

"Practice?"

Eldrid nodded firmly, her little jaw set with determination, "I'm gonna get big an' tough an' get the Bad Men."

"Bad men?"

"Uh-huh. The ones that took mommy away."

Helle sat down in her chair, holding the young Wolfen, "Oh, honey… don't say things like that. It won't bring her back, and I don't want to see you hurt…" She didn't mention that Eldrid couldn't get back at the men who had killed her lovely Asdis.


My kill-hand is called E.V.I.L.
Wears a wedding band that's G.O.O.D.
'Tis a long-suffering shackle
Collaring all that rebel blood.
~Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "Mercy Seat"

They had been saving for years, and putting off having the children they had both desperately wanted. Both women knew that bringing children into a place like the Warrens would be akin to a mortal sin. They had saved every chit they possible could, cutting corners whenever possible; a tactic that included living close to ten levels lower than they needed to. The goal was to save up enough money to get them a jump on an apartment in the teens, maybe even in the single digits. With both their incomes, they could afford children, the timing would just be close, and money would be tight, but it would be worth it.

They had originally been intending to get the new place before going to the clinic, but Asdis had been put up for promotion. With her higher salary, they could easily reach their goals, and might even have enough so that Helle could quit her job as a waitress and be with the girls all day. After years of putting everything off and squeezing blood from a stone, they decided to splurge. Of course, for them splurging was still pretty conservative: a matinee show (with additional 10% off coupon), dinner at an 'upscale' diner (upscale meaning the staff didn't wear paper hats), and a trip to the clinic. The next day, they were going to go apartment hunting.

It all came crashing down on the walk back from the clinic. As they stepped off the elevator at their floor, happily hugging each other while slowly walking towards their apartment, they heard the distinct sound of a shotgun being racked. Before they even had time to react, several more figures stepped out from hiding. The gang of Elves were all armed in various ways, ranging from lengths of chain to the shotgun being held by the apparent leader. It would have been a risky gamble, Wolfen were powerfully strong, but the Elves had the drop and had weapons. Time seemed to slow down for Helle; she was more frightened than she'd even been in her life. She vaguely remembered Asdis moving to protect her and the leader raising the gun demanding their money. Asdis had laughed, pointing out that if they had money, they sure as shit wouldn't be living this deep in the Warrens. The Elves were a little taken aback by the giant Dire who, much like her ancestors, was fiercely protective. Helle remembered trying to get Asdis to back down and to just give what little they had, wanting to go home and forget all about this, but Asdis would have nothing of it. "Nobody threatens my Helle," Asdis had growled, straightening her legs and rising to her full height, towering over everyone in the hallway, even the long limbed Elves.

She didn't remember what happened next, but the investigator had later told her what everyone figured was the case.

When nobody backed down, Asdis lunched towards the Elf with the shotgun. The Elf, having been nervous about just such an eventuality, had been ready and pulled the trigger. The slug hit Asdis in the soft tissue right above the breast bone, or – as she would later be told – the suprasternal notch. The investigator was reasonably sure that Asdis had connected with the Elf (nearly knocking his head off) before she had collapsed and bled out rapidly, struggling for breath. With Asdis receiving a mortal wound, and only one wound, the rest of the carnage could only be attributed to Helle; the Elven blood soaking her fur, especially on her left hand, supported this theory. Apparently, in a fit of rage, Helle had attacked the remaining gang members and had quite literally ripped them limb from limb. The officers that arrived on the scene were horrified at what they saw: a dead Dire in a pool of blood, a barely alive Black nearly comatose, and the scattered remains of about ten Elves in various states of dismemberment.

While she was never convicted for a crime, it was ruled both a crime of passion and self defense, she did almost lose her daughter. One of the Elves had stabbed her in the stomach and nicked her uterus, had she been further along in her pregnancy or if his attack had been slightly lower, she would have lost her girl. It wasn't until a check-up after she had finally been discharged from the hospital that she learned she was pregnant with twins.

The whole event had left her shattered emotionally and she plunged into a deep depression, during which her wedding band (silver because they couldn't afford anything nicer) tarnished. Her friends told her that it wasn't right and that with a little polish it would have its luster back, but she didn't feel worthy. She had lost her wife, almost lost her unborn daughters, and had become a mass murderer. Even if the state said it was okay, she couldn't move on.


You better run You better run and run and run
You better run You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
~Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "City of Refuge"

Her daughters were her life; everything she did was for them. She took the savings that she and Asdis had accumulated and got the apartment they were in now. The dreams of owning their own place were destroyed; without Asdis' extra income, she could never afford to get out of the Warrens, but she could improve a little. While she was still able to, she took as many extra shifts as work would let her, and she bent over backwards to be as friendly and accommodating as possible to maximize her tips. On the little free time she allowed for herself, she studied the operation of civilian MAC frames, focusing on the ultra-heavies that, while still designed for a human, were also perfect for a Wolfen. Given that they operated by effectively multiplying the strength of the user, a Wolfen would be able to lift dramatically more than a human operator. She passed her certification test on her first try, but was soon unable to much of any work because her daughters were due.

In a rare blessing by fate, the birth had no complications and she gave birth to what amounted to fraternal twins. Since they were conceived via a clinic, they were both female, but one was a Dire pup, the other a Black pup. She named the Black Eldrid, which meant 'fiery spirit' in the old language as a memorial to her late wife's protection and passionate nature. The Dire pup was named Mildri, which meant 'mild and lovely', a strange appellation for a Dire, but Helle was moved by the fact that Mildri was quiet and introverted even as a newborn pup. Despite the fact that she would likely grow up to be even larger than Helle, she was always quiet, never crying or mewling for attention. As the girls grew older, they lived up to their names. Eldrid was always highly competitive while Mildri would frequently hide behind her sister when meeting strangers. Helle had no doubts that, given the chance, Eldrid would indeed grow up to get the 'Bad Men'.

Indeed, she feared it. She would have nightmares that Eldrid would grow up and join a gang only to meet a violent death before her time. She could protect her daughters now, but she wouldn't be able to forever, and all too soon Eldrid's burning passions would lead her down a dark and deadly path. This, coupled with Helle's dwindling finances, and the utter lack of jobs to take advantage of her newly learned skills painted a grim picture for the future. She carried on as best she could, but she knew she was sinking quickly.

Later that night, after she had managed to calm Eldrid down and carried her pups to bed, she found herself in the small living room, staring at a bottle of wine. She and Asdis had bought it that night as part of their celebration, and she had kept it ever since. Originally, she hadn't wanted to risk further injury to her unborn daughters, but over the past few years she hadn't even thought about it. Eldrid's plans troubled her and that, coupled with her financial situation, plunged her into the depths of despair, but she just couldn't bring herself to open the bottle. It was supposed to have been used in a time of pure joy, and to drink it now would profane her memories of Asdis.

She put the bottle away and picked up the remains of the Sunday paper; she wasn't willing to spend the money for one every day, so she bought Sunday's to at least try and keep up with the world. She sadly flipped through the want ads in a vain attempt to find a docks job when she paused on a large full page ad from GMC of all places. She wasn't familiar with Emerald Park, but she knew it couldn't be worse than the Warrens, and they were willing to help pay relocation costs for dock workers. With great trepidation, fully expecting to be trampled by life once again, she dialed the provided number, "Hi… um… my name's Helle Tovedóttir, and I saw your ad…"

The closest one came to an ethnic café in Tsaraine proper was Dish #14, Khao pad khai with soya "rice", which was avaliable as a staple at most cafetarias, although Maraldi's shellfish-heavy diet was almost an ethnic cusine in it's own right, and the extrasolar colonies were anybody's guess these days after Markhreif arTaelkh's economic reforms on Tenebris.

Rene had some misgivings about those reforms, but Elisa was saying something - it was time to stop waffling about in her head.

She smiled. "Good coffee is truly a blessing - it's been said that we Tsarainese are to coffee what the Chinese are to tea. Or it was said, before the Obsidian Event - it's taken a while to reestablish the trade routes, and coffee plants don't grow well in hydroponics. For thirty years I had to had to survive on synthetic coffee!"

Rene made a face, partly in rememberance of the vile brew, and partly because the passage of all that time made her feel old. And partly because she was babbling a little. She didn't wish Elisa to think her a flake - usually she had much better selfcontrol than this.

It's been what, fifty years or so since I last dated? Ainra eka Ruki, I truly am woefully out of practice.

"We don't have many cafés like this in Tsaraine," she said - well, to be technical there weren't any - "What would you recommend?"