Gosalyn had expected a lot of different reactions to her appearing with the Doctor on the battlefield. Surprise. Amusement. Maybe mild annoyance because of how extra it was.
But she had not accounted for the shock she now saw reflected in both Max and Negaduck's faces.
Panic started to set in, constricting her airway. Why were they so shocked to see her? Had she been gone longer than expected? The Doctor had promised they would come back to this specific moment. He'd said it would be like she'd never left.
A blur caught her eye and she shifted her gaze to find an endless mass of robots gathering on the horizon. Ana and Darkwarrior were standing in the front, both of them easy to find amongst the miles and miles of metal and chrome.
She had come back at the right time. She'd have to figure out why Max and Negaduck were reacting they way they were afterwards.
Right now, though.
Gosalyn stood straight as the Doctor threw open both doors of the TARDIS. She turned and called, "Showtime!" into the depths of the ship, her voice echoing down the endless halls and corridors.
Reaching back, she grabbed out an arrow and turned to face the battlefield once more. Aiming for Ana, she fired.
The arrow sailed perfectly toward its target, past the piles of broken and slaughtered robots. As it made contact, the net deployed, capturing not only Ana in its threads, but also Darkwarrior.
As they toppled to the ground, the robots started soaring towards her, some of the Posiverse chrome bots also taking flight with flames jetting out of their boots while the rest wheeled over their fallen brethren.
But Gosalyn hadn't come unprepared.
A horse cantered to Gosalyn's side and she glanced up.
Drake Cartwright peered down at her from the saddle with a smirk on his beak. "Need a ride?" he drawled, his blue eyes sparkling under his black Stetson and he leaned down, offering his hand.
Gosalyn grabbed ahold, climbing up onto the horse. Drake urged Sport, the sorrel thoroughbred, into a gallop and they tore onto the battlefield.
Readying another arrow, Gosalyn glanced backwards and couldn't suppress her grin as her army came pouring out of the TARDIS. Drake Mallards of all shapes and sizes from across the multiverse were spilling out of the spaceship that was bigger on the inside. A few Gosalyn's were amongst the ranks, a few Launchpad's and Max's. Even a Scrooge McDuck or two.
Here to do battle against the Posiverse.
"Everyone's comms are active," came Tony Mallard's voice in Gosalyn's ear. She looked up and there he was, a streak of red and gold armor glinting in the Christmas lights of St. Canard.
"Let's keep the chatter to a minimum," said Captain Launchpad Rogers.
"Cap's no fun," Tony muttered as he aimed his repulsors and took out two tanks and all the robots in between with one massive sweep. "What's a battle without witty banter and some mild flirting? Or, in my case, very aggressive flirting?"
"Tony."
"Yeah, yeah." Tony dodged a Darkwarrior robot deftly, hitting it with his repulsor and sending it careening down to the ground where a Drake, this one a dwarf from Middle Earth, dealt the final blow with his axe.
It must look weird, seeing all these universes colliding in one place.
Gosalyn and Drake were on a horse, shooting bots down from the skies with a bow and arrows. And they weren't the only ones on horseback, either; Dr. Indiana Jones was atop his own mount, brandishing a whip in his free hand. The group from Middle Earth were also riding horses, Drake the dwarf celebrating his first "kill" as his companions, an elven archer, a stealthy ranger, and a magic-wielding wizard directed their steeds out in a semi-circle to encompass a group of robots.
Most of Gosalyn's army, however, was running towards the opposition on their own two feet.
Drake Skywalker was wielding a lightsaber, his free hand manipulating the Force and taking out the bots that his lightsaber couldn't reach.
Captain Drake Sparrow was cutting down robot after robot with his rapier, his face warped into an expression of confusion.
Drake Potter shot off a few spells from his wand, felling a dozen robots with several careful flicks.
The Doctor stood beside the TARDIS and bent down to set something on the ground. He then drew out his sonic screwdriver, activated it, and waved it over the area. What had looked like a small action figure grew to its standard size within seconds: a full-sized dragon named Draco. Shaking himself like a dog after a bath, Draco took to the skies with a deafening roar, grabbing a tank in one of his claws as fire shot from his mouth, the flames enveloping a few more tanks and a slew of robots.
And there were more multiverse travelers in their army. Hundreds of them. Blurring together as they took to the battlefield and fought the invading Posiverse and Darkwarrior armies.
Gosalyn aimed her arrow at a black robot that was flying towards her and Drake, hitting it right between the eyes. The acid disintegrated its circuitry in seconds and it crashed to the ground. Sport reared and Drake leaned into the movement, holding onto the reins to keep his seat. Gosalyn had far less grace on horseback and gripped onto him desperately, nearly thrown off.
As Sport clattered back to the ground, shaking his head and prancing nervously, Gosalyn said, "I think I'll continue on foot."
Drake pat Sport on the neck, effectively calming the horse so Gosalyn could slide off. Grabbing a gun out of its holster, Drake brought the barrel to his hat in a salute before urging Sport onward and shooting more bots from the sky.
Gosalyn reached back for another arrow and nocked it, looking around for her next target.
Megavolt from the Duckvengers universe was doing a number on the flying bots, sending huge bolts of lightning straight through their armor, downing large groups at a time. Tony was shooting at the robots with his repulsors as Draco ripped more from the heavens, claws and teeth and fire easily overpowering them.
Okay, so maybe she'd gone a little overboard with how much help she'd brought back. But Ana had caught her unawares once; Gosalyn didn't want to underestimate her again.
She took aim and fired off an taser arrow at an incoming Darkwarrior bot, which jolted and spasmed before collapsing to the ground. Grabbing an exploding arrow, Gosalyn spun around and fired at a small cluster of robots that had broken free from the Middle Earth group and were attempting escape.
Reaching back for a new arrow, Gosalyn searched for Ana or Darkwarrior. Both were still tightly ensconced in the netting she'd trapped them in earlier, Ana screaming something into a radio and Darkwarrior merely watching the proceedings with mild interest. Gosalyn wasn't sure if his lack of fighting was a good or a bad thing, but it put her on edge.
A bot slammed into her side. She jammed a putty arrow into the neck of the thing as she fell. The gelatinous goo poured into and around the bot's armor, easily incapacitating it.
And it toppled over.
Right behind her.
She'd be crushed underneath the hull if she didn't roll away the second she hit the ground...
Something grabbed ahold of her right arm. Gripping her tight and yanking her away. She held on with equal ferocity to whatever it was as she was pulled away from the bot.
Stumbling slightly, she bumped into whatever had taken ahold of her, and once she regained her footing, she turned to look up at her savior.
And came face to face with Max, his spear cast aside as he held onto her.
God, it was good to see him again.
It had been so long and she'd ached at the loss of him.
Gosalyn smiled, opening her beak to say something super witty and romantic, but she never got the chance.
He wrapped his left arm around her, brought up his free hand to cup her cheek, and captured her in a kiss. She eagerly returned it, threading her fingers in his hair, and reveling at the nearness of him. How her body curved up into his.
Max pulled away, tears brimming in those big brown eyes. "I thought I'd lost you," he said softly, thumb skimming over her feathers.
Max's words from earlier echoed in her mind. "No, she— She's dead."
Why had he thought that?
The Doctor had brought her back on time.
The battle was still raging.
Not a single day had passed.
For them.
For her it had been well over a year, but time travel, you know.
No one should have been worried that she was gone. Sure, Ana had probably bragged about the attempted murder, but there hadn't been a body. She hadn't actually been murdered.
But the grip Max was holding her in was a little too tight. The way his eyes raked over her features, the tears now trekking down his cheeks, sent alarm bells clanging through her.
Something horrible must have happened to make him think he would never see her again.
But she could figure that out later.
Gosalyn smiled up at him gently. Rocking up on her toes to kiss his cheek, she ran her hand down the back of his neck, her fingers mingling with the base of his hair. "I'm right here."
Releasing a sound that was half sob, half whimper, Max wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, his grip around her ironclad. Gosalyn stroked his hair, her chin perched on his shoulder as she wrapped her other arm around him. She still had a hold on her bow, and it was now resting along Max's spine, but he didn't seem to care.
He held on to her, breathing deeply and caressing the small of her back.
Until a voice called, "Break it up, lovebirds."
Gosalyn detangled herself from Max and sent a smile up to Tony, who was hovering nearby, his visor retracted to show his face, which held none of the irritation that his voice did.
Max stepped back, slowly loosening his grip and looking up at the newcomer.
Tony squinted down at him. "You are new."
"Max," he said weakly, bringing up a hand to wipe away the tears on his cheeks.
"Ah," said Tony, his features softening further as he realized who, exactly, this was, "the famed Max Goof. I've heard mostly good things about you."
"They're all lies," Max said.
Tony barked a laugh before activating his helmet so it snapped firmly back in place. Through the voice modulator, he said, "Look alive, kids. We're not out of the woods yet," and kicked his repulsors into high gear, soaring back up into the sky.
Gosalyn looked up at Max. "You good?"
"Yeah. I mean, probably not," Max said, gazing down at her, eyes darting all over her face as if he was still trying to convince himself that she was here. "There was... I... I don't know?"
Gosalyn pulled him back into a hug, saying softly into his ear, "We can talk after."
"Good," Max said, his grip around her a little less desperate, less constricting. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for, like, three weeks."
"That's a whole 21 days."
A low laugh rumbled in his chest and he kissed her temple. "I might need longer."
Gosalyn leaned back, meeting his eyes, which were brighter than when she'd first seen him. Caressing his cheek, she said, "Whatever you need."
Over Max's shoulder, Gosalyn caught sight of a Darkwarrior bot flying towards them, laser gun lighting up in preparation to take its shot. But Gosalyn was faster, pulling out an arrow and gracefully side-stepping to shoot it. The robot spiraled out of the air and sailed over them. Max pulled her to the ground, his shield held up over their heads and they watched the Darkwarrior bot collide with three others in midair, all four of them crashing in a loud shriek of metal scraping against metal, and then tumbling to the ground in a heap of broken and bent frames.
"Four in one shot, that's not too bad," Max said.
"Not too bad," Gosalyn scoffed, spying Max's spear and reaching for it. As they stood, she tossed it to him, and he deftly caught it. "I bet I can take out more robots than you."
Max's eyes glinted, a familiar competitiveness descending on his features. "You're so on."
He took to the challenge with vigor, swinging his spear and shield around like they weighed nothing. Like taking out bots left and right wasn't even a challenge.
His training had really paid off. He was a fully fledged fighter now. Negaduck had worked wonders.
Thinking of Negaduck and her father — whom she hadn't seen yet, she realized in a panic — Gosalyn spun around to look for the familiar color schemes.
She did catch sight of some purple.
But it wasn't her father.
Darkwarrior Duck was now standing, a robot cutting away the netting that had encased him. Ana had scrambled to her feet and was still yelling into a radio as she wildly looked around the battlefield.
Gosalyn called, "Good luck, babe!" over her shoulder before taking off in a sprint to where Darkwarrior and Ana were standing.
It wasn't free and clear, the pathway to them. But Gosalyn had, unintentionally, participated in combat training over the course of the last time traveled year. She easily dodged, ducked, and shot arrows at anything that came remotely close to her or to others. There was even a totally cool move where she fired an arrow at a flying robot, dropped down to slide underneath it before it fell from the sky, and popped up onto her knees as she came to a stop, stabbing an arrow into another bot she came face to face with. Needless to say, it didn't take long to reach Darkwarrior and Ana.
The latter hadn't realized she was there. She was facing away from Gosalyn, looking between the ground and the sky, barking her orders.
The former, however, watched Gosalyn approach, his red eyes trained on her. He didn't even so much as twitch as she ran up. Didn't alert Ana. His eyes just flicked to Gosalyn's bow (where she had an arrow nocked), to Ana, and back up to Gosalyn's face.
And he nodded.
As if giving her permission to shoot Ana in the back. As if saying he wouldn't stop her from doing this terrible thing.
Blinking, Gosalyn pulled her arrow back and aimed it at Ana. "That whole trying to kill me thing was super uncool."
Ana stiffened and turned to face Gosalyn, her face twisted in fury.
Gosalyn aimed her arrow at Ana's chest as she maintained eye contact.
"I suspected you would be showing up again," Ana said, throwing the radio to the ground, the thing sinking into the dirt around the banks of the Bay. "Tell me, how did you manage to disappear out of thin air as you fell from the First National Bank? I had all of your weapons and supplies. Do you, somehow, possess magical powers as well? Because I cannot wrap my mind around how you managed to escape."
Gosalyn didn't say anything.
Didn't move an inch.
Just let the silence linger.
Ana's furious expression turned positively murderous as she took a step forward.
Darkwarrior grabbed her shoulder, holding her back.
Ana's glared up at Darkwarrior, her beak opening to emit a low snarl.
"Since I disappeared, there couldn't have been a body," Gosalyn said. "How did you get everyone to believe that I was dead?"
Ana looked back to Gosalyn, her anger causing her to shake, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Answer my question first."
After a beat, Gosalyn lowered her bow. Shifted her weapons to one hand. She reached down to one of the pouches sewn into the bottom strap of her quiver. Unzipping it, she pulled out the small multiverse transporter. The one Stellar had worn on his wrist like a watch. The one he had given to Gosalyn to hand over to Gyro in the hopes that the inventor could get him and Posiduck back home.
Gosalyn hadn't had the time to find Gyro.
And had stuffed it in her jeans pocket.
Then had gone straight into battle.
Gosalyn held up the transporter so Ana could see it.
Ana released another low growl and Darkwarrior's grip tightened on her shoulder.
Tucking the transporter away and zipping the pocket closed, Gosalyn said, "Your turn."
Ana scoffed, the sound harsh. "You think you're so unique that I couldn't find someone to resemble you in death? It's the holidays, this city is crawling with tourists. It was an annoyance, having to hunt someone down, drag them to the top of the Bank, and shove them off, but it was effective."
"You lied to us," said a new voice and Gosalyn had her arrow drawn and aimed at the newcomer within a heartbeat.
But it wasn't necessary.
Christine wasn't looking at Gosalyn. She was staring at Ana, who had turned to face her as well.
Christine stood there calmly, face serene despite the battle around her. "You promised no violence. Said we would bring order to this universe and nothing else."
Ana sneered. "Sometimes violence is necessary."
"It never is," said Christine firmly. "You broke your promise, not to mention the law, and we will be taking you into custody."
Ana laughed, a high tinny sound. "You can't hold me."
"I think you'll find we can," Christine said. "You're under arrest."
Darkwarrior grabbed a pair of handcuffs and wrestled them on Ana's wrists.
Ana's head swiveled to look at Darkwarrior. "Judas."
Darkwarrior stared her down, face impassive as he clicked the handcuffs closed. "You attempted to murder a Gosalyn. I hold no loyalty to you."
Ana looked between Christine and Darkwarrior as he led Ana away, her eyes bulging and a vein pulsing along her forehead.
Christine approached Gosalyn. "Do you think we can use the police station to hold her until we take her back to our universe?"
Gosalyn dropped her weapons to her side. "Probably. Do you need help?"
"Oh, I think we can manage. But if you could make sure we have a clear path to the station, it would be appreciated."
"Sure thing." Gosalyn saluted with her arrow.
"Thank you." Christine turned to follow Darkwarrior, hesitated, then turned back around to look at Gosalyn. "I am glad you're not dead."
Gosalyn smiled. "It looks like you're doing well with Darkwarrior."
Christine nodded. "I am."
"Are you happy?"
"I think so," Christine said, a faint line appearing between her brows. After a moment, she nodded again, the line disappearing. "Yes. I would say I am."
"That's all that matters." Gosalyn grinned. "Good luck with everything. Let me know if you ever need help."
"You do the same," Christine said with a smile of her own before she turned and followed Darkwarrior, who was marching Ana down the battlefield, a few Darkwarrior bots flanking them.
Reaching up to her comm unit, Gosalyn switched on her mic and said, "Darkwarrior and Christine are taking Ana to the police station. Don't attack them."
"I won't attack if they call off their robots," said a Drake. It was impossible to tell which one over the comm; there were so many and they all sounded similar.
"I think they already have," said another.
And it was true. The robots — what little remained — seemed to be shifting their focus. The Darkwarrior robots were flying in formation behind Darkwarrior and Christine. The Posiverse bots were the only ones putting up a fight, but there were so few now that they would easily be taken care of within the next few minutes.
"I'll escort them to the station," came Cap's voice, clear and direct as always. A few Drakes offered to do the same as two beeps sounded in Gosalyn's ear, requesting her to switch over to her private channel.
She did so and Tony asked, "Hey, kid, what's your 20?"
"I don't know," Gosalyn said, looking around and wondering which pile of robots or smoldering tank to give as landmarks. "Where Ana and Darkwarrior were. I'm closer to the Bridge than to the city."
"I see you," Tony said, soaring overhead and giving her a little wave. "Hang tight, I'm gonna send Darkwing and Negaduck your way. They're getting aggressive looking for you."
Yeah.
That made sense.
Because they had thought she'd died. There had been a body after all. Ana had successfully staged the whole thing and convinced them that Gosalyn was gone.
What they must have gone through in the wake of her "death" she couldn't imagine.
Max's reaction was making a lot more sense. She'd have to find him again and make sure he wasn't in shock.
"I'll stay put," Gosalyn said, tucking her arrow back into her quiver and pushing the button on her bow to collapse it. The string detached and coiled up, the two ends of the bow bending inwards to reduce the bow to a third of its length. Unbuckling her quiver, she set it on the ground and clipped her bow in place along its side. Standing straight, she left her weapons near her feet and waited.
Not for very long.
She saw her father first.
He emerged from between two large mounds of robots, dressed as Drake Mallard instead of in his Darkwing Duck regalia. Which was probably why she hadn't been able to find him earlier; she'd been looking for the trademarked purple suit.
Seeing him in his civilian outfit, as her father rather than as his heroic persona, caused tears to spring to her eyes.
She really was home.
Gosalyn sprinted towards him, blinking away the tears.
He swayed upon seeing her. For a terrifying moment, she thought he might collapse all together, but he kept his footing and leapt over heaps of destroyed robots, running towards her.
They met in the middle.
Drake slowed down as he got closer. Reached out and seized Gosalyn's face in his hands, his blue eyes raking over her features.
She smiled, tears cascading down her cheeks, which he wiped away.
Tears formed in his own eyes and Drake pulled her into a crushing hug, one arm tight around her shoulders and the other cradling the back of her head. Gosalyn snaked her arms around his waist, allowing him to tuck her head into the crook of his neck. Drake took a few deep shaking breaths, his arms trembling around her, before he finally released a sigh. All of his strength seemed to go with it, and he collapsed to the ground, pulling her with him.
Now kneeling on the ground, Gosalyn settled her weight fully against him and rested her ear on his chest over his erratically beating heart. Drake rearranged his grip and buried his face in her hair.
She closed her eyes, content to sit here for as long as he needed. Wrapped in the warmth of his arms, the familiar scent of his laundry soap lulled her into a sense of security she hadn't felt in the past 365 plus days.
Gosalyn needed this as much as he did.
If time passed, it wasn't in any sort of measurable amount.
But eventually, Gosalyn felt something there. Something hovering outside of her father's embrace. She opened her eyes.
To see Negaduck standing close, watching the two of them but not approaching.
He was so awkward. Always standing on the sidelines, always observing and only jumping in when it would benefit him best. Which was a great trait to have for a mastermind villain. And a very stilted trait for every day interactions.
She understood why he was that way. The circumstances in his life that had led him to believe that he wasn't wanted anywhere until he'd been invited, and maybe not even then.
But it didn't make him any less awkward.
She loved him for it.
Her heart surged at the sight of him and she smiled.
He released a breath, his shoulders relaxing.
And he smiled in return.
She had long ago grown used to seeing that soft expression, but it was jarring to see it in such a public place.
Stepping closer, Negaduck bent down and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "You ever die on me again, I swear I'll bring you back to life just so I can kill you myself."
Gosalyn's smile widened. "Double death is so much worse."
He barked a laugh and dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around her and, subsequently, around Drake. "Jesus, Baby Girl, I missed you."
Gosalyn's smile grew into a full grin as she settled into the sandwiched hug she found herself in, her father still clinging to her from one side and Negaduck enveloping her from the other.
Having this moment where she was held between the two, feeling their heartbeats and their steady warmth despite the winter chill, did more to welcome her back to her own universe than anything else could.
Seeing Max had been like getting her life back. Energizing. Exhilarating. Invigorating.
But this.
This was coming home. Safe. Snug. Secure.
Time, once again, became more of an idea than a construct, and she wasn't sure how much of it had ticked by before something buzzed in Negaduck's jacket.
He sighed heavily and sat back on his haunches. Drake stirred, resting his cheek atop Gosalyn's head as he watched Negaduck bring out a phone from one of the many pockets in his suit.
Pushing a few buttons, Negaduck held it out for all three of them to hear and said, "What?"
"Negaduck!" came the brogue of Scrooge McDuck, harsh on the phone's speaker. "S.H.U.S.H. just contacted us. It's not Gosalyn. The body of the girl they found at the bank, it isn't her." Negaduck met Drake's eyes as Scrooge continued, "She might… she could be…."
"She's just fine," Negaduck said, a small smile on his beak as looked at Gosalyn.
"Is she down there?" Scrooge asked, almost breathless. "Have you seen her?"
"Hi, Mr. McDuck," Gosalyn said, her father huffing a small laugh and squeezing her tighter.
"Oh, lass," Scrooge said, swallowing hard enough for all of them to hear. "'Tis good to hear your voice again."
"Thanks, sir."
"We'll meet you in the Tower soon," said Negaduck before hanging up the call and reaching out to caress Gosalyn's cheek. He got to his feet and Drake pressed a kiss on the top of Gosalyn's head before leaning back, his arms around her relaxing. She sat up and saw him smiling down at her. They stood at the same time.
Lyn, Posiduck, and Stellar were approaching, as well as about a dozen Drakes from all around the multiverse.
Tony landed beside them, the ground trembling slightly with the impact.
"Hail and well met, my dudes," he said, his voice modulated through his helmet. He turned to observe the battlefield, but stopped suddenly. "Woah." His helmet retracted and he seemed to be staring at Posiduck. "Looking for your treasure there, Blackbeard?"
"Why does everyone keep saying I look like a pirate?" Posiduck asked as Gosalyn snickered and Drake grinned. Negaduck crossed his arms over his chest, looking incredibly smug.
"You do look like a pirate!" exclaimed the Doctor, snapping his fingers as if he'd just figured out a piece to a complicated puzzle.
Lyn was also grinning, elbowing Stellar who was wearing a smile of his own. Max walked up, his spear and shield strapped to his back and Gosalyn's gear piled in his arms, grinning at Gosalyn.
Posiduck rolled his eyes and said, "Did I hear we were going to reconvene in the Tower? Because we should probably get over there."
"Aye, aye, Captain," said Tony with a salute.
Posiduck scowled and Tony said, "No, no it's okay. I can say that. I'm friends with a Captain."
"'Friends' is a loose term," Captain St. Canard — Launchpad Rogers — joked in his customary wry humor, walking up next to Tony and clapping him on the shoulder.
Launchpad — her Launchpad — scooped Gosalyn into a bone-crushing hug when he saw her, tears in his eyes.
Captain Drake Sparrow approached Posiduck, swaying close and slurring, "I think you look great, mate." He gave Posiduck a reassuring nod as he sheathed his cutlass.
Gosalyn smothered her laughter into Launchpad's chest as Posiduck looked down at his clothes, then to Captain Drake Sparrow, then back again.
"Well, now," said the Doctor, clapping his hands together as he looked at all the multiverse travelers around him. "Shall we reconvene back in the TARDIS?"
Everyone marched towards the TARDIS, talking amicably with one another.
Draco the dragon spread his wings, asking in his deep baritone, "Where is this Tower?"
Seeing Negaduck, her father, Launchpad, and Max all hesitate as a full grown dragon spoke to them, teeth glistening in the Christmas lights, Gosalyn stepped forward and pointed. "Second building in on the bridge."
Draco nodded and took to the skies, his huge wings flapping only a few times before he was airborne.
Launchpad, whose eyes were trained on Draco and his arm around Gosalyn's shoulders, said, "I can't wait to hear how you managed to find all these people, Gos."
Panic sliced through her at the thought of explaining not only her multi-universe travels, but her time travel as well. At seeing the dismay and pain descend on her father's features, watch Negaduck scowl and grow stiff, observe Max close off to process the fact that she had been gone an entire year in what had only been a few hours for them.
She smiled instead and grabbed her father's hand as they made their way to the TARDIS. "Once everyone's gone home, we'll pick a day and I'll tell you everything."
Drake squeezed her hand. Negaduck and Max nodded. Launchpad smiled.
She wouldn't, though.
Tell them everything.
Not even close to everything.
Just enough to sate their curiosity.
She'd worked with spies and con artists in a few of the worlds she'd visited. She was much better at lying now. Hopefully good enough to convince her family that this had all been an easy journey that hadn't been full of hardships or heartache at all.