There was a quiet knock on the door of Meg and Jo's room.

Wearing matching night shirts, Jo lying on Meg's chest under their comforter, Jo and Meg stirred and looked at the door. It was the day after Meg's ordeal with the cybot, and another job had come in. But their target would not be available until after dark, so Sei had told the girls to get some more naps after breakfast. Meg spied her clock: It was almost noon.

She called, "Come in."

The door slid open and Sei cautiously stepped in. She was wearing a skimpy blue bathrobe that barely went past her hips and she'd let her hair down. "Excuse me," she said, "but do still have that scented bubble bath? I just realized I ran out."

"Sure…" Meg said groggily. "It's on the shelf behind you."

"Thanks." Sei took the bottle, tip-toed out (as if they weren't already awake), and closed the door. Meg shrugged, gave Jo a quick kiss on the forehead, and settled back.

Jo mumbled, "She shaved her legs."

"Mmm?"

"Sei. She shaved her legs."

"Oh. I noticed." Meg hugged Jo a little tighter as both girls relaxed.

Meg and Jo opened their eyes.

Meg and Jo looked at each other.

Meg and Jo chorused, "She shaved her legs?"

Meg and Jo got out of bed, left their room, and Meg knocked on the bathroom door. "Sei? Can we come in for a second?"

"Sure."

Sei was lounging in the tub, bubbles up to her shoulders, a glass of white wine at her elbow, reading a tablet in a water proof case.

Meg asked, "What are you reading? Anything more on the job?"

"No, I'm memorizing the floor plan of the Love and Happy Culinary Design School. What do you want?"

"Love and…" Meg said. "Oh, uh, Jo and I were wondering, did you shave your legs today?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Meg! I don't interrogate you about your personal hygiene. But if you must know, I felt like being…smooth today. I do tend to let it go longer than I should and decided to rectify it."

"So…you shaved…other places?"

"Of course. Wouldn't you?"

"Uh, depends…Are you feeling all right, Sei?"

Sei looked at Meg as if she'd grown a second head. "Meg, what are you getting at? Honestly, I don't see why it's any business of yours. I could enforce a stricter dress code so that we're not all half naked, but no, I leave some things up to you. It's none of my business. Understand?"

"Yes, uh…never mind. Sorry." She and Jo started to turn away.

"Oh, Meg," Sei said, "can I ask you your opinion on something?"

Meg turned back. "Sure. What?"

Sei was totally deadpan, as if she was asking about a stock market quotation: "To your knowledge, do teenage boys prefer breasts, buttocks, or legs?"

"Wh…what do you mean, Sei?"

"What I mean, Meg, is that when a boy your age or slightly older looks at a woman, do they prefer breasts, butts, or legs? As a general rule?"

"Uhh…."

"Or is it a matter of personal preference and you can't make a broad generalization?"

Jo looked at Sei, then turned to Meg, her look silently saying, 'This was your stupid idea. You deal with it.' Then she went back to her and Meg's room.

Meg turned back to Sei, who was waiting for an answer.

"Uh…" Meg stammered. "I really don't know, Sei, uh, I'm not even sure how to-"

"All right. Never mind. Any questions about your job tonight?"

"No."

"Good. Rest until 1500."

Meg got back into bed and Jo rolled her head onto Meg's chest.

Meg mumbled, "Jo, next time I have a bright idea, smack me."

Jo nodded. "Oh, Meg, before I forget, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What's a lesbian, and what does it have to do with my using your boobs as pillows?"

"Um, I'll explain that some other time."

"That's what you say every time I ask you."

/

/

When the girls got up, they dressed and ate leftovers from the night before. Meg had to admit to herself, again, that Kyo was a good cook, but probably not up to what they hoped for.

They were almost finished eating when Sei came out of her room.

"Oh, Meg, Jo, good," she said as she put on the second earring. "I have to run an errand downtown, and since I don't have time to do that and get back here and bring you in for the job, I will drop you two off downtown and complete my business. So I've put extra money on your debit cards. You'll be able to have some free time and get something to eat before you start the job."

Jo and Meg assented. Sei nodded and headed back to the bathroom.

Meg frowned. They had never done business like this before. She went back to the bathroom, Jo and Amy behind her. They found Sei touching up her makeup and scrutinizing herself in the mirror.

Sei said, "Yes?"

"Just wondering-" Meg broke off as she sniffed the air. "Are you wearing Passion Flower?"

"Yes," Sei said.

Meg smiled and nodded. "Oh. I get it now. You have a date - a little quickie before we get down to business tonight. Must be someone special to rate scented bubble bath and Passion Flower. Who is it? We won't tell."

Sei looked at Meg as if she had grown three heads and five arms. "Meg, I have no idea what you are talking about. This is strictly business."

"Monkey business."

"Meg! …. Fine. You might as well know. After I drop off you and Jo, I am going to retrieve our chef."

"What chef?"

"Kyohei."

"Wh… the kid form yesterday? But he quit."

"I did not receive a letter of resignation."

"There was the note that said 'goodbye.'"

"All right then. I have not accepted his letter of resignation. Therefore, he is still in my employ. Therefore I am going to retrieve him."

"When did you hire him?"

"I asked him to work for us and he said he would."

"Wait…you mean you're getting all dolled up to tell THE COOK he hasn't really quit!?"

"Meg, you run your household, and I will run mine. I do not see your problem. I wish my new employee to be happy here, so of course, I mean to give him a favorable impression of his employer and his place of employment."

"That's not 'favorable impression,' Sei; that's 'come hither.'"

"Meg! Do you want to know anything pertinent to the job tonight?"

"No."

"Good." Satisfied with her appearance, Sei turned off the light, put on her coat, and went past the girls. "Finish gearing up. I'll be waiting at the car."

After Sei had left the trailer, Amy said, "Well, the good news is that when we're arrested for kidnapping, the three of us should be able to get tried as juveniles and get decent plea bargains."

/

/

After Jo and Meg had dinner, they took a cab to the block where their quarry had been sighted. When she called to check in on her cell phone, she learned Sei had returned with Kyo. And then Meg realized she had lost an ally in her quest to get rid of Kyo: He'd baked cookies at school, brought them along - maybe hoping producing junk food would get him fired? - and Amy loved them.

"They're almost too good," Amy said. "If you guys aren't back soon, they might be gone."

"You're kidding," Meg said. "They taste ok?" But she really thought: 'You're kidding. Have you forgot we tired to scare this guy off?'

"Yeah," Amy said. "They rock!"

Meg thought, 'Might as well accept it: We have a new chef to stay.' She said: "Well, leave me at least one, ok?"

"Maybe, if you're lucky."

"Y'know, you'll get fat if you eat enough of those."

"Then I guess you must have eaten a whole batch."

"Ha ha. Very funny." 'Well, we have new chef,' Meg thought, 'and Sei doesn't want to let go of him. Fine. Hell, maybe when Sei turns back into an ogre, Kyo will have a friend he won't mind sacrificing to the greater good.'

/

/

More than once during the job, Meg thought, 'Ok, do I do this to myself? Get myself in these situations where I have to be rescued?'

She'd ended up on a train with their target, Wong, being a captive of RAPT, and then Wong's twin brother believing she wanted to kill him. And Wong turning into monster. And the train on a collision course with a RAPT facility so he could get revenge against RAPT. And kill anyone around like Meg.

And Jo had to rescue her. Again.

When she woke up in Django's hand, she was grateful, but in the back of her mind she thought, 'Maybe this is getting ridiculous.'

Back in the trailer, with Kyo's rice and dumplings in front of her, Meg almost didn't feel like eating.

Almost.

She sighed, unwrapped the food, and tried the rice. "Well," she said, "I'll say this for him - he knows how to make me feel better."

Jo said, "So we keep him around?"

"Yeah, Jo." They still had the problem of Sei's moods to deal with, but at least they had a new chef.

Sei came down the steps from the cockpit. "Jo, I have Kyohei on the phone. He says you were involved in the shootout where is scooter was blown up. Is that true?"

"Not really sure," Jo said. "I do kind of get tunnel vision, but I remember something blowing up. He sure it was me?"

"Guns, underwear, and a glowing tattoo. Sounds like you."

"Then it was me. Tell him I'm sorry."

Sei turned back to the phone. "She says she's sorry. And I will meet you at the dealership tomorrow. 'Bye-eye." She hung up.

Meg asked, "Dealership?"

"Yes. Someone I employ is responsible for the loss of his property. I am going to make the first payment on the replacement. I think it's only fare."

"Ok, Sei, but … word to the wise: Don't wear Passion Flower."

"Meg!"

"Fine."