Sakuya set down the cup in front of Patchouli. She was glad that things were settled so quickly between the two.

"Are you sure it's wise to stay here like this?"

Patchouli grinned, "I suppose a wonderful side-effect of all this is that you've become a bit more bold in your remonstrations, Sakuya."

Sakuya paused, looking over Patchouli quizzically for the longest time. Why would she say such a thing after something like this?

In response, Patchouli 'changed topics', "Say, did you read that book I suggested you?"

"Oh, some time ago back when you suggested. It surprised me that he left after being married for so long..."

Sakuya froze, her brain at once giving a completely different conspiratorial view of what had happened between Patchouli and Remilia; and she slowly craned her neck in fear to the slight, anemic girl sitting beside her. It was not long before that fear turned to an anger similar to that which arose in Sakuya during her remonstration against Remilia.

She gritted her teeth, "You masterminded her masterminding you! Moreover, you made me a pawn in your little game!"

She paused, letting the realization sink in to herself first, before hissing, "Why?"

However, to Sakuya's surprise, Patchouli did not become defensive as Remilia did, but rather became slightly depressed when she responded.

"Because this is the only means I have to 'talk' to her."

Sakuya's anger quickly gave way to confusion.

Patchouli explained, "It's due to Remi's power. When you control fate for centuries at a time, you have no idea whether someone is actually saying something to you, or whether you're making them say something to you. The line between puppet and person begins to blur. Actual conversation frequently becomes impossible."

She sighed, "It took me all too long to recognize that..."

After an awkward silence, she continued, "If I want to so much as tell her that I like her dress I need to go through cockamamie schemes like this. Over the years Remi has become far too paranoid to accept even a simple complement."

She turned to face Sakuya in order to explain the phenomenon further, "Her superiority complex comes really as a result of a low self-esteem. The low self-esteem comes as a result of her powers. Because fate is so easily manipulated from her perspective, she does not know whether what she has done is really her doing. It seems to be odd reasoning, since, after all, isn't she the one who controls fate anyways? But, Sakuya, if you had a machine that did your job for you, how confident would you be in your skills? In retaining your place?"

Sakuya shook her head, "Not very, I guess, but aren't you dodging the question?"

Patchouli brought a finger up to the air, "Don't worry, I'm getting to it."

She brought it down again, "And don't let her fool you. She is an impeccable actress. She is much more paranoid than she lets on."

She emphasized this point, looking straight at Sakuya to make sure she understood, "Remi is much more paranoid than she lets on. Not because of a Sword of Damocles as one might think from our dealings with the Belmonts and the Inquisition and the Czar and the Nazis and the KGB and Pol Pot's men &c., but out of necessity due to the lack of empathy that her powers of fate have necessitated. She has relied on her powers to such an extent that it makes it impossible for her to have the ability to trust."

She paused a bit before continuing her story, "Thus my 'intelligence' is not due to my effort, but out of necessity as well. In short, I did this because I had something very important to tell her. Something that I'm sure she already knew, since I have said it outright. But I've always put off trying to truly say it to her in the manner I just described until now."

Patchouli's reason gave Sakuya ample reason to calm down, "Then, what did you 'say' to her?"

Patchouli got up and turned her back to Sakuya before she could show her reaction, and replied in a slightly higher pitched yet diminished voice, "Oh come now Sakuya, isn't that plainly obvious by now?"

She walked off into the stacks, trying to hide her plainly evident embarrassment.

Sakuya, in turn, stood back and smiled.

I suppose I can forgive her on this one.