Despite Santa's efforts, it seems I still own nothing. Sorry folks.

Segment 17:

Interludes and Departures

Summary:

Everyone assembles in Cape Town to discuss the next move for the rebellion, but the surprise comes with the arrival of Dorothy, Relena, and the alive and well Neo-Queen Serenity. After a few tearful reunions, Relena explains how she has signed a new law that allows the development of military weapons. With the legal barrier gone, Setsuna assigns Dorothy and Quatre to oversee the development of Anti-Leute technology, including the anti-Chimaera "Pegasus" battleships. Ami and the Marquises decide to resume the search for Eljira's base while Trowa and Lady Une resume the search for the Kentauros institute. Rini, Hotaru, and Wufei join forces to work on preventing future Leute attacks, and Mariemaia, Duo, and Heero collaborate on gathering intelligence. Relena makes the ultimate contradiction to herself when she agrees to aid Sally and Venli in raising an army, leaving Rei alone to rescue the captive Minako. As a final motion, Setsuna dubs the entire movement "Operation Daybreak."

Setsuna stood in the empty boardroom, only moments before bustling with plans and whispers. But all were gone now. Some, like Trowa and Lady Une, had gone directly to the airport or spaceport, anxious to get started on their own part. Others, like the members of Red Delta, had returned to their hotels to further plan. She was alone though, with duties delegated and her role all but played. A part of her suggested returning home to spend a little more time with her son, but the deity of responsibility that dwelt in the confines of her soul told her that was not possible. Setsuna sighed. If it had been up to her, she would have picked a different part to play in the drama that was unfolding. A part that was not the Merlin, the Gandalf, the old wise person who would guide just so far before leaving the young heroes to finish the story. And yet, there was no other part for her to play. Her time had passed a long time ago, when the air was still pure, and people kept their feet firmly planted on the ground and left the skies and waters for the gods alone.

Setsuna felt very, very old.

The others, even the Senshi, were still young. They had lived a few millenniums between incarnations, true, but even then their souls slept for several times the number they had seen. And how many had she seen? Since the world's birth, however many that may be. It was hard to look at them all, all fearing that their world would come to an end. And the worst part was that she was forbidden to tell them it was. The world had ended hundreds of times. After wars, after disasters, after the gods threw all that could be thrown in the universe at the world. But even when the world ends, life goes on. It was a basic principle of all things; life, energy, matter, none of it could be lost or gained. Only changed in form. And that is what would happen. And they would go on. That was the bargain she made at the beginning of this incarnation, the birth of Setsuna Meioh; she would die, they would live. A dark messiah who would claim a bloodline and the lives of thousands of people so that the world would indeed go on.

She would miss them. She would miss the inner Senshi, Rei and Ami and Minako, and she was already missing Makoto. She would miss the outer Senshi, her sisters and daughter who had loved her for their entire lives, in all incarnations. She would miss Serenity, and Endymion and especially Rini, all of whom had accepted her guidance and counsel without a second thought.

But the people of this new age had earned her love and respect also. Mariemaia, with her energy and cunning and courage in the face of danger. She wished she could see the path the young emissary would walk, but it was still foggy. Whatever it was, Setsuna was sure it would involve Duo Maxwell, that devil with a heart of gold. And his friend, Heero. Would his soul ever know peace? Would his heart ever know love? She would have to pray for him. Perhaps Relena could give him what he needed, perhaps not. She would have to see. Maybe they would have a love like Trowa and Lady Une, undying and unbreakable, strength-giving and life-giving. If Heero and Relena could not have a love like that, she hoped Sally and a certain Russian could. The bonds between them were small still, but strong. That was a road she could see. There would be sorrow, but joy too, and many, many fond memories. Hopefully, Wufei would not be too left out. It all depended on whether the stubborn man would decide to listen to his own heart when the time came. And Quatre…well, she would pray for Quatre too. For his frailties and the forgiveness that he deserved, would deserve, so much. And most of all, she would miss Jabreel, and mourn for the cruelty and the limitation of the time they had.

They all represented something to her. Purity, adulteration, love, anger, justice, sadness, life, and death. She had known many in her lifetime, but none had been like the group she was now turning loose. She would not forget them, none of them. Setsuna prayed they would not forget her.

"Setsuna?" a clear voice asked. The ivy haired woman turned to see Serenity standing in the doorway.

"Your Highness…" she bowed. "I'd thought you'd gone ahead."

The blond girl shook her head. "No. Dorothy offered, but I wanted to wait for you. And you don't need to call me 'Your Highness', you know. We've known each other for…well, for a really long time, Setsuna. I'm still just Serenity," she paused, and shook her head. "No, not even Serenity. Usagi, Setsuna. If you're going to call me anything, call me Usagi."

"As you wish," she inclined her head respectfully.

The younger woman pouted. "Now stop it, Setsuna," she clucked like a mother hen. "I don't know what's got you so upset, but certainly straining with pointless protocol isn't helping."

"It's no trouble," Setsuna murmured. "But if you dislike it…"

"I do. So knock it off!" Usagi huffed, trying to seem angry. But the laughter in her eyes betrayed her, and soon both females were smiling and laughing. Setsuna's chuckles were softer, but there was a serene joy in them nonetheless.

Still giggling, the Dowager Queen of Crystal Tokyo threw her arms around the noticeably taller woman's waist and laid her head against her chest. "I've missed you so much, Setsuna-chan. When you first went away, I wondered how I would survive without you, without your help. But you're here now. Just like old times."

Her smile fading, Setsuna rested her hands on Usagi's head. "Not quite, Usagi-chan. But close. Tell me," she reached down and tipped the younger woman's face up. "What did you do after Crystal Tokyo fell? After you sent everyone away? Where did you go? What did you see?"

"Everything," Usagi answered quietly. "At first, I thought I'd made a terrible mistake. I was all alone, and I was scared. I couldn't even be with Endymion and Rini, because if all of us were ever caught at the same time, there would be no hope for taking back the throne. So about two years after we disbanded, I sat Rini down and told her she needed to get out in the world, to see its sights, meet its people. She would have to know them someday when she became queen," she let out a little chuckle. "She wouldn't leave at first. But eventually…she agreed. I don't know where she went. I only heard from her once or twice after that."

"What of Endymion?" Setsuna continued.

"He was harder to get rid of. Dear, sweet Endymion," she smiled as though recalling a wonderful dream. "He wouldn't leave my side. Refused to. Not until I told him that the Leute had found us."

"What?"

Usagi held up a hand in reassurance. "It wasn't true, of course. Well, not completely true. At that point, I was starting to get a little paranoid, I'll admit. I was convinced that if we were not all completely separated, they would hunt us down one by one and eliminate us. Either way, Endymion did leave. I cried for days after he did, but I don't really know if they were tears of joy or sorrow."

Setsuna touched her shoulder. "Do you think, perhaps, that after so many years surrounded by the same people, a person starts to yearn for solitude?"

"Maybe. That would explain why I wanted to be alone," she smiled weakly. "And it was all right for the first couple hundred years. That was when I saw things, did things. Oh Setsuna, I did things I had only dreamed about as a child. I saw the wonders of the world, I stood at the top and bottom of the world, lived in all of the famous cities and wastelands…ate every single food known to man," she winked. Setsuna smiled back.

"But after a while," Usagi went on, "I wanted things back the way they were. I wanted my family, and my friends. And I missed the power too, I'm not ashamed to admit it. But there was no way to get it all back as quickly as I had lost it all. By then, people were starting to move into space. For all I know some of you were living on colonies. I couldn't find you all. That was when I began to understand."

"Understand what?"

She smiled sadly. "It will never come back. There will never be another Crystal Tokyo. Am I right, Setsuna? Or have you seen the past in the future?"

Pausing, Setsuna took the queen back into her arms and held her close. "It was an age of beauty and peace. And it will not be the last one this world will ever see. But…you are correct. Crystal Tokyo is buried in the sands of time, and no good will come to try and dig it up again."

Tears glistened in Usagi's eyes, but she wiped them away. "Well, good," she smiled through her sadness. "I don't think Rini would make a very good queen, to be honest. And I blame you, Setsuna Meioh, for making my daughter into a rootless, wild little mole!"

"I do my best," she answered, smiling.

Usagi sniffed, still feigning resentment . "Well, at least she's in good company with Hotaru, right? And that Mariemaia girl? She seems nice. Girl-next-door-type."

At that, Setsuna could no longer hold back the laughter. Pulling on her jacket, she put an arm around the former queen.

"I've missed you, Usagi."

"I missed you too, Setsuna."

Someone was knocking on the door. Dorothy looked up from her magazine, and nodded to the maid to let the person in. She blinked in surprise when Quatre walked into her hotel room lobby.

"Why, Quatre! How nice to see you!" she smiled. "Come in, come in."

His face was solemn as he stepped forward. "I don't have much time, Dorothy. But I needed to talk to you. About the operation."

She held up her hands. "Sorry dear. I told you, besides sending a check for whatever amount of money you think you need, I'm not getting involved."

"Why not?" he pressed.

"It's not my concern any more. There are forces at work here I don't want to tangle with, so I won't," Dorothy walked over to the picture window overlooking the street below. "I don't have a death wish, Quatre. If I did, you would have found me strung up from the ceiling the day you left."

He ignored the comment. "None of your concern? Doesn't the safety of the world concern you?"

Dorothy crossed the room and sat down on the overstuffed couch. "Not particularly. I highly doubt the Leute will be able to wipe out ten billion people," she answered, raising her hand to examine her nails. "And besides that, we're overdue for a good war. The citizens of the world are getting lazy and fat off of such peace. The battle will eliminate the weak, and leave those that truly deserve to live in this world on top, and wiser in the ways of the universe."

"If we do nothing, Dorothy, it won't be a war. It will be a massacre," Quatre pointed out.

"But we're not doing nothing, are we? You're using Romefeller money to build plants to manufacture weapons, aren't you? And others are doing their part as well. My God, Quatre, even Relena swallowed enough of her pride to start rallying an army. How can you say we are doing nothing?" she looked at him.

Quatre's fist clenched, and he could not answer.

Dorothy grinned wickedly, then stood up in a languid, feline manner, and strode over to him. "If you ask me, Quatre, you don't give a damn whether I do this or not. I can see it in your eyes. You're still afraid of me, aren't you? You were always afraid. But that's okay. I always was one for the soft, sensitive types. Even if they are the ones most likely to die on the battlefield," she traced a finger up his chest. "No, Quatre. Afraid of me as you are, you're afraid of being alone even more. Tell me, is it a scar left over from watching your father and beloved older sister die? Or maybe you were babied too much by that aunt of yours. Well, whatever the reason, you're going to have to grow up sometime, Quatre."

She paused, and walked back to the window, then pointed down at the sidewalk where Rei stood, waiting where she and Quatre had agreed to meet after the discussion. "That slut is quite a bit older than you, Quatre. She's probably used to having men in her bed, not frightened little boys. Don't disappoint her now."

Her head jerked back suddenly. She tried to turn around, but found that Quatre had her by her long hair. His usually gentle blue eyes were now the color of a flame's belly, hot blue and angry.

"It's one thing to waste my time with petty insults, Dorothy Catalonia. But do not speak of Rei Hino as such. Or I swear to Allah, I will make hell seem like a paradise to you. Do you understand what I'm saying, Dorothy?"

She only smiled, then grabbed his wrist and dug her nails in deep enough to draw blood and make him release her. Once he had, she returned to her couch and resumed reading her magazine. "What do you know? You do have a nerve to touch. I'll remember that." She glanced up at him and waved towards the door. "A pleasure seeing you as always, Quatre. You know the way out, don't you? Of course. I'll send you a check for a couple million in a few days all right? Good bye."

He was already gone.

Rei stared up at the fading blue between the glistening skyscrapers, deep in thought. The afternoon was vanishing into the warm late summer evening. How strange it seemed, when it was only early March. But it was nice to be away from the chill temperatures and sudden rains she had grown accustomed to for the past century. Not that they ever let her outside in March. She could remember the times before then though, when she lived in Japan, and China for a short time. A shiver ran down her spine. Back then, she would complain every day about the weather. But it was a paradise compared to her home…no hospital…no prison, in America.

She wondered what Minako's prison was like. Was she on Earth? If so, was it warm there? Late summer, like South Africa? Or was winter just starting to die, with spring's birth following closely? Perhaps she was on a colony, where seasons didn't matter? Well, wherever she was, Rei hoped she wasn't suffering too much.

A tap on the shoulder broke her out of her reverie. Old fighting instincts kicking in, she whirled around and grabbed her "attacker's" wrist, even though she knew who it was a moment after the touch. Smirking at the bewildered Quatre, she released him.

"You're early," she commented.

"Not as early as you," he replied. "I thought I would be the one waiting here."

Rei shrugged. "The shopping wasn't as good as I'd hoped. I don't want to spend any more of your money anyways."

"It's no trouble," Quatre answered.

She tilted her head and looked at him. Something was wrong. He seemed distracted, even a little angry. Usually, he was one of the most congenial, open people she had ever known. But he was very quiet now, far more reserved than she liked.

"Did everything go all right with you and her?" Rei asked, glancing up towards the hotel's windows, searching for a glimpse of the woman who had brought Serenity back. Dorothy? Is that the name Quatre had mentioned to her? Yes, it must have been. Come to think of it, that was another time she could sense unease about him, when he had mentioned that her family owned Saint Teresa's. Well, she certainly couldn't blame him. Although she was grateful to the wealthy businesswoman for looking after Serenity so well, she had a nasty aura that reeked of ill will and general disgust.

"It went…as expected," Quatre answered, not looking at her as they walked down the street to their own hotel.

"I see…" Rei replied, then looked straight ahead. "I don't like her. Even if she did bring Serenity back to us. I don't like her at all."

Quatre looked at her and smiled in a way that a parent smiles at a child proclaiming hatred for a storybook villain. "Very few people do like her. I did at one time but…"

Interest sparked in Rei's eyes. "But…?" she pressed on.

He sighed. "It's a long story, Rei. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Please? It might make you feel better," Rei suggested.

Quatre shook his head. "It's nothing bad, really. Just a little…embarrassing…"

She touched his shoulder. "Do you really think I would think any less of you for something that's "a little embarrassing"? Quatre…" she stopped and stared at him seriously. "You saved my life. You brought me out of that hell and accepted me into yourworld without a second thought. I owe you so much, I don't know how I could even begin to repay you. If you think I'm going to laugh or something, you're dead wrong. Unless, of course, you want me to laugh…" she smiled slightly, but he didn't smile back. Rei sighed. "All right, I'll drop it. It's not my business anyways."

She turned and started to walk again, but she stopped when her companion spoke.

"She's my wife."

All the color disappeared from Rei's face. She couldn't even turn to face him. "What?" she whispered.

"My ex-wife. We've been divorced for a few years now," Quatre said quickly.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. That was a little better. But still…Quatre, married to Dorothy, of all people?

"We were eighteen. We had been seeing each other regularly ever since the war ended, considering our families the two most powerful in the colonies. We were young and stupid, especially me," he smiled slightly. "I am the worst judge of character you will ever meet, Rei. Haruka says it's a curse that I always see the good in people instead of their true natures. So that was how I ended up married to Dorothy."

The shock started to fade with his explanation. "So…how long were you married?"

"About three years. We never had any children, and we had both signed several agreements so we left with what we brought. Except those three years of course," Quatre sighed. "I wonder sometimes, what was worse. The marriage, or the divorce? Or the situation now?"

Rei smirked. "Well, that last one I can help you with, if you like. If you ever need me to bail you out…"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, Rei. That's fine. She's only human, after all."

"Never underestimate humans, Quatre," she said seriously. "Because it's humans that are going to save this world."

Nodding in agreement, he reached over and took her hand. "Yes. Humans. And you, Rei. And you."

"Well gentlemen, I'd say we have quite a situation on our hands," Mariemaia commented as the three sat around the table of the fancy restaurant. Both she and Heero had wanted to get a start on work, but Duo insisted they eat first. Mariemaia had agreed, under the conditions the braided man pay, and the two of them had convinced the reluctant Heero to join them. With a little of Mariemaia's persuading, a little of Duo's bribery, and a little of Heero's death threats, they had managed to get a private table on the restaurant's roof. They were alone (minus the periodically appearing waiter), and there was no way to hear them above the noise of the traffic on the street below. Besides that, they were seated around the table in such a way that none would miss it if a Leute or two tried to sneak up on them.

Heero took a sip of wine then looked at the younger girl. "It's not so difficult. The Leute obviously have a very good intelligence system if they've been this efficient at tracking us. All we have to do is find a way into it and destroy it."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "You mind explaining how one goes about destroying an intelligence system?"

"Simple," Mariemaia answered. "Infiltrate, throw in a little false info to mess up their operations, then take down the key players and their replacements." She paused and tapped her chin in thought. "What would be really convenient is a computer network that could be hacked into from a normal computer. Hell, even something we could try and get at in a building wouldn't be so bad. But if they have all this advanced technology…"

"Then they probably don't even operate on a platform that can be accessed over the net," Heero finished. "So if we could find the base of operations…"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. That's Zechs and Noin's job isn't it? Finding the HQ?" Duo asked.

"That's the Leute's HQ, not their intelligence base. They're looking for their president's house, we're looking for their ESIA building. Understand?" Mariemaia gave him a patronizing grin.

He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something rude back, but Heero cut him off with a gunshot over his head. Duo and Mariemaia stood up quickly, just in time to see a pair of Leute climb over the edge of the building.

"What the hell? How did they get up here?" she cried, whipping her nunchaku out of her purse and falling into a battle stance.

"Suction cups?" Duo suggested, then pulled out a gun of his own, aimed, and fired. But these would-be assassins were every bit as agile as their forebears, and easily rolled out of the way. One, armed with a glass shard studded whip, went for the magenta-haired girl while the other, drawing a pair of old fashioned pistols cowboy-style, turned to the men.

Mariemaia grunted as she struggled to approach her attacker, but the whip was like lightening, and it was all she could do to avoid being hit. She couldn't expect help from either Heero or Duo; she was still at a close enough range to the Leute that if it should duck she would take the bullet instead. Thinking quickly and making a risky gamble, she slowly began to twirl her nunchaku. Flashing an empty smile, her opponent's whip wrapped around the smooth wooden handle and yanked the weapon away, sending it flailing off the side of the building. But as the whip curled backwards, Mariemaia darted forward, grabbed the Leute's wrist and bit into it, snatching it away and throwing it too into the alley below. With no weapons left, the two began to grapple.

Meanwhile, Duo and Heero were shooting at their Leute from behind their overturned table. Like the wrestling match going on a few feet away from them, it was mostly a stalemate. A stalemate that needed to be ended quickly.

Duo looked at Mariemaia, who was now pinned beneath the Leute and was struggling to free herself. His glance shot back to Heero, then to the Leute still crouched behind a table of its own. An idea formed. A reckless, stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless.

"Hey, Heero?" he said.

"What?" the other man responded, shooting towards the other table.

"If I get shot, just take Maia and go, okay? I'll let the guys downstairs take me to the hospital," Duo explained.

"Whatever you say," Heero answered, not looking at him.

Getting to his feet but still crouching low, Duo counted to three in his head…

One…two…three!

…And sprang towards the Leute wrestling Mariemaia. Sure enough as he expected, there was another shot from the armed Leute's gun, and he was certain he heard a bullet whiz past his head. But it missed, and he landed on top of the other Leute. Pulling it backwards and putting it in a headlock, he put his gun to its head and pulled the trigger. An eruption of emerald liquid showered over the roof.

Then it was silent.

Standing up and wiping himself off, Duo reached down to help up the bewildered Mariemaia, then looked over to where Heero was emerging from behind the table. The other Leute was drenched in the same emerald fluid, Leute blood.

But wait…he had seen Leute blood before. It wasn't green. It was bruise violet.

"What the hell is this stuff?" he reached down and smelled it. Smelled like blood. Felt sticky like blood. It was definitely blood. But green?

"Are you guys okay?" Mariemaia asked.

Heero nodded. "You?"

"A little bruised, but fine, for the most part," she frowned when she looked at the bodies of the dead Leute. "Their blood's green. What's with that?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out," Heero walked over and picked up one of the white linen napkins from a neighboring table that had fallen over, then dipped it in the pool of green blood.

Duo looked down the street suddenly, then back at them. "Okay then. Well, that's all the CSI we're going to play right now, folks. Because if you listen, you'll hear the sirens coming and we don't really have an explanation for the trashed roof and the two dead kids on it, so if you don't mind dining and dashing…"

They nodded in agreement, then darted down the fire escape and disappeared into the alley.

Ami awoke early the next morning to the sound of a light knocking on the door to her hotel room. Yawning, standing up and throwing a robe on, she walked to the door and opened it, only to come face to face with Lucrezia Marquise.

"Oh…sorry, did I wake you?" the pretty woman smiled sheepishly.

Ami shook her head. "No, I should be getting up anyways. Come in, come in." She walked to the coffeemaker and started the pot, then sat down on her bed. "Was there something you wanted to discuss about the mission, Mrs. Marquise?"

"Please, Lucrezia," she held up her hand, then smirked. "I'm actually used by going by just my last name, but considering that Zechs and I are working together in this instance, Lucrezia will be fine."

"All right then. You can call me Ami as well," the Senshi replied.

"Yes…Ami…" Lucrezia replied, trying the name out. "Well anyways, we wanted to go over a few details on our plan of action with you. Unfortunately, it seems Heero, Duo, and Mariemaia got into a little trouble with a pair of Leute assassins last night, and he's currently trying to arrange for them to get out of the country. I think we should do the same."

"Logical enough. Where do you plan on going?" Ami asked.

"I'd like to stop in Japan for a day or two. My mother lives in Osaka and I have some extra research stored at her house. We've gathered enough information to believe the Leute's base is located on one of the colonies or a selected list of satellites—"

"No. Not a colony," Ami shook her head.

Lucrezia frowned. "Not a colony?"

"Of course not. A satellite, maybe, but…" she sighed. "When I was…at their headquarters, it was located on L2, posing as a hospital. When that cover blew, all of us knew it."

"Us?"

"The Senshi," Ami smiled sadly. "I'm afraid that we are their enemies. To them, the rest of the world is just a minor annoyance to be exterminated. I'm sure that everyone who is now involved with Operation Daybreak is viewed as a threat now, but I think they will always have the most hatred for Serenity and the others."

Lucrezia touched her shoulder reassuringly. "We will stand and fight next to you when the day comes that we must fight, Sailor Mercury. I swear it."

She cocked her head slightly, but said nothing. It was the first time she had been addressed as Sailor Mercury by someone other than a Leute in…well, centuries. And unlike when Wufei had accused her of being the Senshi of Water, she took strength in it.

"Lucrezia…I was never a fighter. Even with the other Senshi, I was the weakest. I'm not a soldier, I'm a strategist. I will do my best to fight with you and your husband, but I would ask that you rely on my experience in other areas on this mission."

The indigo haired woman nodded in understanding. "Sally said you were the smartest person alive. And that was before she knew about your past."

Ami blushed profusely at the compliment as Lucrezia stood up to leave.

"I'll let you shower and get something to eat. If you could come by our room in about an hour…"

"Of course. I'll be there," the short woman answered.

Her companion touched the doorknob, then looked back at her. "Ami…did we ever meet before? It's strange, but I feel as though I know you…"

Ami hesitated. She wondered if the question would come up. "Your maiden name is Noin, isn't it?"

"Yes…"

"Your grandfather was Admiral Robert Noin of the Alliance?"

"Yes! But how did you know?"

She sighed. "I was married to him for a short time. But when the Leute started getting too close, I had to leave him."

"My grandfather…" Lucrezia blinked in surprise, then narrowed her eyes. "He told me you died. That you drowned yourself."

"It was the only way I could keep him safe! If the Leute found him, they would torture him until he told them where I was!" Ami cried, then took a deep breath. "It was hard for both of us, I know. But life went on. He married your grandmother, and had your father. You know where it goes from there."

"I remember him talking about you," she replied, thinking back on it. "I had found a picture of you two together…"

"Is he still alive?" Ami asked quietly.

Lucrezia shook her head sadly. "No. I'm afraid he died when I was sixteen."

"I see…your grandfather was a good man. A very good man. I would sometimes come to South Africa to check in on him," she chuckled softly. "Robert and I would see each other on the street and he would look at me with such familiarity. But by then, he was several years older, I still looked the same. I suppose he thought it was just a ghost, or a trick of the light. He never spoke to me. Not once."

"Did you speak to him?"

"I couldn't. I was still paranoid by the idea that the Leute would find him."

"I see…"

There was silence as the two women looked at each other. Finally, Lucrezia let out a relieved sounding laugh.

"Well, I guess it truly is a small world," she commented.

Ami stared at her in confusion. "You're not…surprised? Upset?"

"No! Why should I be? I've seen things far stranger since this whole thing began," Lucrezia answered. "And why would I be upset to find out I'll be working with a woman my grandfather thought so highly?" Her manner shifted from lighthearted to respectful. "A woman who gave up her happiness to protect him?"

"You're taking this better than I had hoped," Ami replied.

She laughed again. "I'll see you in a while, Ami." With that, she walked out the door.

Author's Note:

This chapter written for Transcendent, without whose prodding this chapter probably would not have gotten finished.