Catalina was still in the pantry when I stepped in. It took a moment to locate her in the hurricane that was the cooking staff. They whirled around each other, navigating as if in a choreographed dance. The violet was standing at the counter with the head chef, Charkan. They were both chopping vegetables as the rest of the crew prepared dishes. I weaved through the others to approach the two.

"Hola, Catalina."

She looked up. She still seemed nervous, but wore a broad smile. "Hola."

I looked to Charkan. "How is she?"

He nodded. "As well as can be expected. You should really take her to the Infirmary. She needs to be looked over."

"I will soon. I was hoping to ask you a favor." He raised an eyebrow. "I was recently appointed to chair a new committee regarding placement and care of unexpected visitors while an exit option is researched. This looks like a good way for her to occupy her time."

He grinned. "I would love the help. She can come by any time."

"Excellent. I'll let you know if there's another violet who speaks Spanish. She could teach you some key phrases."

He cocked his head. "Violet?" Then he met our eyes in turn. "Ahh… Interesting. Yes, it would be useful to communicate in her own language, though for now we seem to do well using gestures."

"Thanks, Charkan. I'll take her to the Infirmary now." I nodded to Catalina, who followed me out of the Kitchen and through the Pantry. We mixed into the crowd, trying to pass the entryway to the grand staircase that would lead to the Infirmary. I was trying to keep an eye out for Darien when Catalina stopped short. When I looked back, she had turned away. Darien and the woman from before were walking toward us, though they hadn't seen us yet. Catalina jerked my arm, squeezing my hand tighter. She weaved us through the crowd, bending slightly. I copied her movements as she led us scurrying up the stairs. I pointed up to the next floor and she ran up the stairs with me in tow. She pushed me into the Infirmary, shutting the door behind us. "Eso estuvo cerca!"

I laughed. "I don't know what that means, but me too!"

"What is this?" Ewelein looked over from a bed.

"Ewelein, hello. This is Catalina. She's a recent visitor. There were …signs of abuse… from her captors."

"I see." She turned to Catalina. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

Catalina looked at me, then back at Ewelein. "Lo siento. No entiendo."

Ewelein's eyebrows shot up. "That is not Eldaryan."

I sighed. "It's a language from my realm. Unfortunately, I'm not too fluent in it."

Ewelein nodded. "I'll see what I can do. At least I can give her a complete examination. Have her sit on the cot for me."

"Uh… te sientas?" Catalina looked around and plopped down on the cot. "Bien. Yo soy … gosh … voy a ir?" She looked somewhat puzzled, then nodded. "I hope I said what I meant to. I've got to run and grab some food for myself. I'll be back as soon as I can."

I left the Infirmary to discover that a second room had been opened for a buffer-style meal. Visitors collected food before returning to the Dining Hall. I wasn't too keen on getting spotted by Darien or his crew, so I quickly made my way out after grabbing something portable. The rest of the afternoon was quite peaceful. I stayed with Catalina during her physical, trying to catch what she was saying. What started as nervous comments evolved into a kind of bored chattering. I couldn't understand most of what she was saying, but caught the meanings of some things.

She was a runner in school, apparently long-distance. She missed her little brother and dogs. And she mentioned tapas at least a dozen times. I asked Ewelein what kinds of food here were similar to shrimp, but she just wrinkled her nose and said, "Caterpillars?"

According the Ewelein's exam, Catalina had been neglected and treated roughly, but there were no signs of brutality. And from the way she was willing to open up to both Charkan and I, she must have been mostly comfortable with us. I gestured for her to follow me to the secondary hall, then led her to a room near mine. Elaine was already there, making the bed. "Hello, dear! Como estas?" She winked at me as the girl happily walked over and began chatting her up. "Don't give me that face. Kero found an old recording." She continued talking with Catalina as I smiled and left.

Nevra met me outside the door. He pushed me up against the wall and kissed me deeply. I kissed back a little before pushing him away. "What's this for?"

"You were right. I can't believe we put you in a cage. A hanging cage. Like you were a deviant Crowmero. Please forgive me." He kissed me again, and I held him tight this time.

I put my lips to his ear. "Come with me." I pulled him into my room, closing the door firmly behind us. I pushed him toward the bed, shrugging off the sheer black dress I had worn for the meeting. I kept the gold jewelry and red teddy on. Nevra kneeled at my feet, then removed the crystal-like shoes I had somehow managed to walk in all day. He peeled down the red thigh-highs, kissing my legs as he went. He picked me up and dropped me onto my bed, coming down also to lean over me. I turned my head and kissed his bicep, then took his hand in mine to kiss his fingers. He gasped as I took the top of one in my mouth and sucked gently. Nevra then pinned my other arm down and bit at my neck. I felt something warm pool down into my collarbone. "Are you drooling?"

He pulled back, a bit sheepishly. There was red around his mouth. "Oops."

I laughed and pulled him down with me. "What do you want?" He smirked, but said nothing. I got that sudden tightness in my chest that came with being summoned. The draw wasn't out of the room, though. It was just down the bed. I slid out of the jewelry, but kept the choker. He liked those. I removed my underwear and let my hair down, tickling his nose with it. He blew in my face, then rubbed his hands along my sides.

"I've been wanting you on top of me like this all day. That dress is such a tease."

I laughed again. "Like you have room to talk." We got his outfit off, then he positioned me so that I was straddling him.

"You're really amazing, you know that?" I felt my cheeks grow warm. "I don't think anyone short of Miiko can motivate the guard the way you did today. Your arrogance toward Darien and compassion toward the violet – I didn't expect those from you."

I kissed his lips. "I didn't expect it to affect you so much. But I'm glad that it did."

"You have an extraordinary effect on me. You have since you first spoke to me." He kissed my neck, still sore from the earlier bite. "I've wanted you to be mine since I saw that fire in your eyes. And now that I've seen it come through, I want to be yours." He slid me down onto his shaft. After the days of confusion and uncertainty, it felt calming to be back in bed together, where we fit together so well. But this time was different. It wasn't fast, or desperate. Least of all like the angsty fucking we did when we were still sizing each other up, as if sex were a competition. It wasn't needy either. I looked into his eyes, which were locked on mine, rather than my bouncing tits. I felt a change in our companionship.

"Are you sure you want to be mine. The hours are terrible. Nights and weekends, mostly."

"How is the pay?"

"Non-existent. You might as well be volunteering!"

"Any perks?"

"Two, but they aren't very big."

His gaze dropped to my chest. "Look perfect to me." He kissed each on the nipple. "Sounds like the job for me."

We stayed together all night, enjoying the alone time to relax after such a hectic weekend.

To celebrate my last day as his help, Nevra insisted on returning to his room after breakfast and "helping me clean." It was pretty clear after the first ten minutes that this was never really his plan.

"I've told you, you can't sit on the bed while I make it." I had been trying to coax him off the sheets while I attempted to straighten them out. Neither effort was successful.

"As you wish… help me up." I held my hand out, bracing my footing to pull him toward me. It wasn't enough to keep me standing when he grabbed my arm and dragged me onto the bed with him. He pulled me onto his chest and slid his hands up the back of the silly maid uniform. "I'll miss this," he said, grabbing my ass and rubbing my cleavage with his face. We were both giddy from the realizations of the weekend. Somehow, what we had seemed more real without the premise of servitude.

I huffed back. "I'm sure you've already put in an order with Alana for something with even less coverage."

"Of course not. Now that you're in the public sphere, you need some sophistication."

"Oh." I had expected some sort of half-dress, half-bustier.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind you becoming a wench or healer. I've discovered some of your 'nurse' uniforms. Very enticing. Must make Infirmary visits pleasant." He winked.

This took me aback. "How did you hear about sexy nurse outfits?" I didn't remember seeing any costume stores in the City of El.

He hesitated. "We pick up cultural elements on our recon missions. Some items are less …educationally-oriented… than others."

"You have dirty magazines?"

"We have multiple types of your literature."

My heart started pounding hard in my chest. "Books?" I had forgotten how much I missed reading my favorite novels before bed.

He smiled. "Talk to Ykhar. She keeps the archives." I nodded. "And see that you go through your wardrobe again. Elaine placed more pieces in there appropriate for public appearances. I'm sure you'll approve." I rolled my eyes.

He bit my neck, then whispered, "I thought we got rid of that nasty habit."

I giggled. "You can't tell me what to do. I'm not your chambermaid anymore!"

Nevra rolled me over and pinned me under him. He growled in my ear, "I thought you liked when I gave you orders."

"Now I get to obey them when I'm not trying to work."

He propped himself up and kissed my cheek. "Tonight, then."

I smiled. "Tonight."

I was sent on a wild goose chase to find Ykhar, but eventually found her in the forest. I was still wary of the woods outside of the city, but the trails were easy enough to follow.

She greeted me as we met on a path. "Hey, Ykhar. I had a question for you." I relayed what Nevra had said about the human realm literature collection, and asked about a few modern authors I liked.

"I can definitely check and let you know. Although if any of those authors write paranormal romance, you may need to read them in the archives." I asked why. "Some of the vampire stories inflated Nevra's ego insufferably. We just try to keep specific titles out of his attention."

I thanked her and asked that she have Elaine deliver any of the available books to my room.

I returned to my room after lunch to see what Alana had made to compliment my new duties as committee chair.

There were several new tops and bottoms in my dresser, of the same black/gold/red theme as my other formal and public clothes. They were old-fashioned looking without being modest. One shirt featured ruffled sleeves attached to gray mesh. The marriage of alluring and traditional elements illustrated how much of a genius Alana was at creating outfits that command attention and respect.

Hanging in my closet was a cape-like jacket. Blood red patches peeked out of underneath a sheer, black coat. I tried it on, and found the sharp silhouette made me appear to be some blood-sucking seductress. After yesterday, I was grateful to have something intimidating to hide in.

I had some free time before dinner was served, (Now that I was no longer attached to Nevra, I would eat with the other citizens who resided in HQ.) so I decided to explore the grounds a bit. I had heard of a beautiful waterfall by the gazebo, and was anxious to look around.

While I was searching, I found a cool marshy area with several fountain sculptures. One was a working piano. As water poured over the keys, notes would play dully – their sounds stifled by the flowers planted in the casing. The water then fell down, onto the pedals, causing the plinking notes to occasionally become long and drawn out. I saw on a rock close enough to be a stool and tapped at the keys, attempting to find some way to accompany the chorus in front of me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something more. I looked toward a large vase. I was alone, though I was certain I saw movement that way. I rose from the stool and kicked some of the water out of my shoes as I approached the other statue. As I moved, something darted behind a tree – again, so far back in my peripheral vision that I didn't catch more than a slight glimpse. I moved to check behind the tree when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. It covered my mouth after I began to scream.

"Quiet! Someone will think you're being kidnapped." My breath caught at Nevra's voice. "What are you doing, shrieking like that?"

"Why are you darting around, spying on me?!"

He huffed. "I just got here. I saw you looking around and thought you lost something." He had been on the opposite side of the garden from where I had seen the figure. I glanced back at the topiary, hoping to catch another glimpse of whatever had been hiding. "What are you even looking at?" Nevra put himself back into my view.

"I think I saw a ghost." He started laughing. "What, are you saying Lestat, that you don't have ghosts in this crazy fairy-tale world?"

"I assure you, they grace you with their presence much less often than you think." I thought back a few years to when I had just transferred to a new high school. I had thought there had been a ghost in the hallway, but it was just a student I hadn't yet met, leaving after band practice.

Nevra chuckled at my blush and pulled me in for a hug. "Don't feel bad. I'm sure you'll get to see on someday."

If all t took was a shadow to spook me, I wasn't sure I even wanted to see a real ghost.

I let him walk me back to the tower and direct me toward my new mess hall. There were almost a hundred creatures milling about as we arrived. "Have a nice time," Nevra said. "Introduce yourself to people."

"What if they don't want to talk to a human?" I wasn't sure how much fae blood was needed to really fit in, but I was sure from a glance around that room that I didn't meet the quota.

"They all saw you go from companion to revolutionary in a day. Whether or not they like your ancestry, they're definitely interested in who you are." He gave a small smile and nudged me through the entryway. As I walked toward the long table were others were gathering rationed items in another buffet, heads began to turn.

"Oh boy," I groaned.

But, one-by-one, as they turned to appraise me, they also turned away, back to their conversations. I sighed in relief and waited for my turn to dish up.

As I neared the end of the line, I heard my name called out. I turned to see a girl with long, ice-blue hair fallen haphazardly around a pair of grand antlers. "Bonjour."

"I remember you. From the meeting."

"It's nice to see you, again." She stuck her hand toward me. "Eve."

I shook her hand. "I guess you already know my name."

She nodded. "We all do. We are grateful you used your authority to help us, and we look forward to working with you on the committee."

"I'm glad to hear you will be serving with me."

She smiled. "Would you like to eat by us?" I followed her gaze to a table with other violet-eyed girls.

Dinner was fun. They all introduced themselves to me, but were understanding when I had trouble keeping track. "We're all still learning, too," one assured me. Having more than Nevra or Elaine to chat with was refreshing, as much as I loved the company of both. We giggled about the lack of privacy observed here – and confided in each other that the intimacy didn't bother us much, anymore. Eventually, the conversation turned to the things that we missed most from home. Some were common, such as the ability to stay current on a television series or lamenting having to miss a concert after buying the tickets. Others were geographically specific, like wanting to spend summer vacation with the family or missing the winter session starting. We all missed seeing friends and family and pets daily. Despite this, we somehow managed to stay positive.

We stayed until other staffers began cleaning. After dropping our plates by the washing window, Eve said, "We would love to see you at tomorrow's supper."

I nodded. "See you then." We parted ways, and I went up to the Library for my evening lesson.

Kero was startled to see me. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here for my lesson."

"Oh, well… I thought you have been informed. You are no longer required to complete your cultural lessons."

"Are you kidding?" How was I supposed to lead a committee if I didn't know everything about the realm in which is presided?

"I do not joke," he frowned. "You've gone as far as can be expected from a temporary visitor and you will soon have other duties during this time. You are free to come back with any questions you have have, but as you are no longer Nevra's pet, your cultural training is complete."

"Oh, thanks then. I'll be off…" I walked back down the grand staircase and through the secondary hallway to be room – still connected to Nevra's.

With nothing left to do for the day, I flopped onto my bed and heaved a sigh. I had traded a boring temporary position for something with excitement and the threat of permanence. Yet, I wasn't miserable. I wasn't guard material, but I could still help others in the safety of this tower, protected by those who cared for me. I was weary with the exhaustion that came with being away from home this long, but slightly energized by the knowledge that I was making something of myself. Isn't this what had worried me during that fateful walk in the woods weeks ago? I feared failing and not making it in the real world. I wasn't living in what I had previously considered the 'real world', but I had a job, a purpose, and even friends. I had somewhere I could belong and make home if I chose to.

I lay on my bed for some time, pondering these things. At one point, I heard the cry of a wolf. I rose from my bed and went to the window, searching for a dog on the grounds. What I saw was several small boys – with tails – playing in the gardens. As one would be taken down by another, he would howl. Then play resumed and he would chase down another.

A hundred feet behind them, a black figure darted from tree to tree, a cloak billowing behind him in the wind. I pressed my face up against the window, trying to see though the stained glass to discern any features I could that would reveal who this person was – and why he looked so familiar. I was considering returning to the garden to hunt down this being I kept seeing, when it looked right at me. Shocked, I couldn't move from the window. I thought to squint, looking for a face, but the low sun shone no light on the figure. It pointed at me, and I took a shaky breathe, trying to calm my trembling heart.

"You'll smudge the paint if you make a habit of that." I jumped, bumping my head against the glass. Nevra barked out a laugh.

"Gee, thanks," I mumbled, rubbing my head.

"What were you doing like that?" he asked.

I looked back to see him moving away from the small joined door to my side. He traced a faint rose-shaped imprint on my cheek. I wasn't in the mood to be teased about ghosts again, so I replied, "Watching the sunset."

He smiled, then pulled me onto my bed. I laid against him as we watched the pink-orange glow of the clouds fade, joining the dark blue hue of the sky. I was relieved to be out of site of the cloaked figure, but was sure it was still out there, waiting to spot me again. I fell asleep before the colors in the sky merged into one canvas of deep blue, dreaming of dark capes and being trapped in a swinging walls of metal I couldn't see.