Things could always be worse, Eliza supposed, but they could always stand to be better as well.

She understood why there was a bit of a reserved atmosphere on the Avenger. Events lately hadn't been pretty, and she was with them in feeling a sense of foreboding about upcoming ones. There had been confirmed sightings of a UFO launch, and the Bridge team was getting headway into actively tracking the thing. Hopefully that would put them two steps ahead of it, but they'd had close calls in the past. Thinking about the Avenger getting downed, the thought that she could be so close to being taken again... suffice to say, she was right there with her soldiers in not feeling the cheeriest about events.

But that didn't mean she couldn't do anything about it. Her duties as Commander, and decency as a person, extended to trying to help the atmosphere out. It wasn't good to just disappear up into her quarters and wait the intervening time out. She had soldiers to see to. That line of thinking was taking her down the halls of her ship, walking by herself. Most people seemed to be sticking to their areas today, leaving her with practically nobody to run into on her walk.

Well, at least it meant that she arrived at the door to the Commons rather quickly. Taking a calming breath and readjusting her amp, she opened the door.

"Hey, Chief!"

She smiled as Pattie called out to her, walking into the room. The Commons were fairly populated with her human soldiers, most of them congregated around the larger table in the room. The Tailors had seen to getting more of the bean bags distributed, and the soldiers she knew would appreciate them the most were appropriately seated on them. Pattie, Benald, Sherry, March, Banel, and Herod were the ones immediately seated at the table, looking like they were in the middle of a card game. A few more of her soldiers were scattered here and there.

Eliza grabbed a free chair and brought it up to the table as Benald and Herod parted to make room for her. "Hey, everyone. Pattie looking at people's cards?"

"Guh!" Pattie slapped her cards on the table in flusterment—face up. She quickly tried to rectify that as she went on. "Chief, please! They don't gotta know that."

"Oh, trust me, she's trying." Sherry smiled. "She's not subtle about it, and she's so bad at it that it hardly matters."

"Hey!"

Eliza laughed. "Pattie, you really gotta just focus on the game."

"I am! Just, in a different way."

"Enough of Pats trying to be a dirty cheat." Benald set his cards face down, gesturing to Eliza. "What brings you around, Chief? Just looking to hang out?"

"Pretty much." She could tell the mood of the Commons had been a little reserved before, but now it had perked up slightly. "Gap in the schedule, nobody yelling at me for a bit, yadda yadda. You guys know the drill."

"From how much you come around here," Banel jokingly muttered, "I'd think you like us."

Eliza shook her head. "Where the hell did you get that idea, Banel?"

"Hard to say. Maybe I'm going crazy."

"You and everyone else here," Herod replied after taking a sip of his drink.

"Hey, Eliza." March leaned over on the table. "How're your psionics treating you? No... outbursts? Would hate to see you in the Infirmary again."

She shook her head. "No outbursts. The gauntlets and Jax's training have gone over well in that aspect. I know everyone was a little shaky on him continuing to train me after the initial incident, but that really was a one-off thing. I can't say any of us could've predicted what I had under the hood."

"Fair enough," Arsozu chipped up from the side. "But can you blame us for being a little wary? You're kind of a big deal, E."

"I know," she softly returned, "and I'm certainly not blaming you for being wary. Just so long as nobody took anything out on him." He'd already gotten enough shit from Mordenna that day. Poor man didn't need anyone else being harsh on him, especially with all the pains he took in making sure it didn't happen again.

"Well, Commander, if you taught me one thing..." Benald gestured vaguely. "It's learning to forgive. It was pretty obvious then that the boss wasn't a fan of what he just did. Plus, everyone could see him avoiding you afterwards. Wasn't a stretch to say he wasn't happy with himself about it either."

Eliza still hurt to think that he could've been so afraid of her in that instance. She sighed, dragging her braid over her shoulder and stroking it. "Yeah. I'm glad Mordenna sorted out that mess. Jax didn't deserve having to walk on this ship, fearing the consequences. I think he got enough of that with the Elders."

There were some solemn nods at the table—but what concerned Eliza was that Pattie seemed to be deep in thought. Benald must've caught it too, because when she opened her mouth to speak, he was already on her. "Pats I know that look on your face. What kind of question are you about to ask."

"It's related!"

"How related."

"Like, really related."

Eliza rolled her eyes playfully, chuckling. "Oh, let her ask. You know I love Pattie's questions."

"For better and for worse," Sherry muttered.

Now that she was cleared to speak, Pattie did. "Um, on the topic of the boss, Chief. Do you, uh, like him?"

Eliza blinked. The room had fallen to a hush. "Of course I like him, Pattie, I wouldn't have invited him onto the ship otherwise. Have—have I been giving off the impression that I don't?"

Benald made cutting gestures across his throat, but Pattie charged on regardless. "No! I mean, like—do you love him?"

Oh.

Eliza paused, momentarily robbed of words. Well, yes. She loved Jax, very much so. She loved him as a friend, someone who she considered herself close to. But what Pattie was undoubtedly asking about, and what she also felt... did she deny it? Did she deny it to this room and have it reach Jax's ears? Even if she outright said she wouldn't answer the question, that was a concerning response to eventually reach him in any case. What did she do? These were her soldiers, they didn't need to know her problems. But, yet... as she looked out at them, she considered how she'd heard nearly all of them out on their own issues, and offered them a listening ear far before the Chosen ever came. These were soldiers whose comrades died serving her, some whose deaths she couldn't prevent. Yet they were here, willing to listen to her.

At her silence, Banel eased a hand on her shoulder. "—you don't have to answer, Eliza. But if you want to, we'll listen."

They would, wouldn't they? Eliza sighed, kneading her forehead. "... I'm swearing you all to silence. What I say does not leave this room without my permission, do you all understand me?"

Agreement rang around the room. She even spotted Pattie and Benald crossing their hearts. Was she really going to say this? Hadn't she resolved long ago to not involve one of her soldiers in her romantic troubles, let alone nearly all of them? You opening up more does not stop at the Chosen, or Bradford. You have taken everyone else's problems for so long—why don't they hear some of yours?

She didn't know where that little thought came from, but it certainly gave her the courage to say what she did next. "... the answer... the answer is yes. I do love him, definitely in the way you're asking about. But—" Eliza said, seeing some sort of commotion about to break out, "I have deliberately not said anything up until this point. Firstly, as you all know, we're at war. I've... I've worried about trying to also manage a relationship along with everything else. That's why I haven't even given the idea of talking to him or anyone else about it."

"'Anyone else?'" She did not like where that was going. Sherry leaned over on the table. "Do you mean us, or...?"

"You guys, certainly. And..." Eliza sunk her head into her hand. Why was she about to say this? "There's—there's others, as well. Other people I'm in love with that could not possibly accept my feelings. The other Chosen, my three head of staff..." Even as Eliza was sure that she shouldn't be speaking any of it, the need to vent completely eclipsed the secrecy about it she'd held up until now. "None of them have even come forward if they have any feelings, and they've had plenty of time to do so. I'm at war, I'm the figurehead of the largest force fighting for humanity's freedom—I'm practically unreachable! Even if they've expressed interest, I'm—" Not scared. Couldn't say she was scared. "—I'm certain that just... now isn't the time. Some of them—the Rulers—I know they'd like to, but we're just getting started out and... and..."

Eliza was keenly aware of everything she'd just said. She trailed off, further burying her head in her hands. Why did she do this? What was venting like this accomplishing? She never should have even bothered.

"Hey, Eliza." Banel's hand was still on her shoulder. "It's alright. It sounds like you've been sitting on all this for a while, and... I can't imagine what that must've been doing to you."

"Yeah," Benald softly concurred. "Makes me feel kinda bad for trying to shush Pats, considering we know that... uh."

Eliza gently raised her head, looking at Benald. "'K-know that' what?"

Benald rubbed at his mouth, looking around the room. There seemed to be something everyone was holding back on. That was, until Arsozu rolled his eyes and opened his mouth. "Commander, the last thing I want to do is tread on your toes because you're clearly distressed, but if no one's going to say it, I will—Mordenna, at least, is in love with you."

That statement hit her like a punch to the gut. It left her speechless, looking over at him dumbly. Sensing the need to elaborate, he went on. "Look. I may be avoiding the guy but even I can see that he's pretty head over heels for you. The way he looks at you, all the nicknames he gives you—we only get like, one out him, and how many does he use on you?"

Well, yes, he did, but... there couldn't be any possible way. Even as she was about to deny it, Sherry was the next to speak. "I, hm. I had honestly promised Sammy I wouldn't tell about this, but I think it's something you need to know, Liz. We all know Sammy can sense emotions, of course, and one day after he came back from visiting Fal-Mai, he... he confessed something. He confessed that at one point, Fal-Mai had been speaking about you, and he got what was definitely a feeling of love out of her. Romantic, definitely. Plus, hm." She covered her mouth. "Didn't you and her share a bed for the night once...?"

But... that was just because Fal-Mai needed someone to sleep with. It wasn't like that. Even still people went on, with Benald next. "To add on that, it's pretty obvious the boss is in love with you. He handles you like fine china whenever the two of you are training and he frets over you like a house husband."

"And there was that time..." Pattie snapped her fingers. "Um, when you and the other Templars were getting that Relevant—"

"Revenant," Benald helpfully corrected.

"—that thing out of him. We'd been talking to Marlene after that and..."

"Wasn't it you he called out for, Chief?"

He did. The first thing Jax had done, when that flash of light had gone off and they'd all been blown away from him... her name was the first thing to leave his mouth. She'd gone to him very quickly after that. So, did the Chosen really...?

"On top of that," Herod went on, "I... I think most of us just assumed you and Bradford were a thing? I mean, Eliza. We've all seen the exchanges between the two of you. The two of you look and act like you've been married for twenty years. I'm starting to think there's plenty of people around here who would be more than happy to return your feelings."

"And even off the ship," Arsozu muttered. "The Reapers are pretty sure you're playing games with Volk at this point, with how much you play off him trying to get in your pants."

Eliza pressed a hand to her forehead. "I thought he was joking," she weakly rationalized, everything starting to make far more sense in hindsight.

"Commander."

Yeah, perhaps she earned that gentle admonishment. Eliza sighed deeply again, giving up on trying to explain away everything the soldiers were saying. But... that left her to try to face what that all meant. Plenty of the people she loved, plenty of the people she thought she'd be left pining for until the day she died... there was the chance that they felt the same? A chance. Nothing concrete. That was true. "—but I. I don't even know for sure. Even the ones I think I know, I... maybe it's not...? And all of them...?

"The Rulers are all a thing together, ain't they? Polyamory ain't off the table if your heartthrobs are willing. Plus, well, we're here, ain't we?" Benald gestured to her. "Make use of what you've got, Commander, you're used to that. I wouldn't mind hitting the boss up and asking him. Hopefully he takes us seriously."

Sherry shrugged. "I can go find Fal-Mai, or at least, I can ask for some help finding her. She seems to have a few usual haunts."

Banel's mouth settled into a line. "I know Mordenna isn't feeling the best right now... so probably wise that I'm the one to ask him."

"We'll heckle Bradford," Herod assured. "Probably a few other people in the betting pool, too."

Eliza paused. "... betting pool?"

Several heated glances were thrown Herod's way, and he stuttered. "I... uh, I mean. That's... what we called the people who, uh..."

"For Christ's sake," Arsozu muttered, "Commander, we had a betting pool on you and a circle of people who very clearly wanted to confess to you and who was gonna do it first."

"Wait." March looked around. "If... if this is how we're handling it. If they all get with her, isn't the one who confesses first the one who wins?"

A silence fell over the room once more as Eliza was once again at a loss for words. So many consecutive gut punches, some good, some bad, some just mystifying.

"Tell you one thing!" Benald shot up from his chair and Pattie legged it after him. "I'm not losing my bet on the boss! C'mon, Pats!"

Arsozu sprinted out after him as more motion burst out in the Commons. "Fuck it, where's the Resistance Ring?!"

"Fal-Mai!" Sherry got out of her chair as well, and March shook her head, going after her. "You've gotta be around here somewhere!"

Many other soldiers followed like that, positively draining from the room. Soon, there was nobody left but Banel, watching the entirety of the Commons leave. Seeing Eliza's stunned state, he rubbed her shoulder. "Fair chance that even the people who betted on Mordenna aren't going to approach him like this, so I'll handle that nice and easy. Isn't a race, after all. You take it easy right here, ok, Eliza?"

She muttered something in affirmative as Banel got up, moseying out of the room. She could not even fathom what the next hour was going to be like...


Oh, this couldn't be good.

Jax was in the middle of discussing with Demeter and Hestia in their little "shop" over the merits of making clothing for Lucifer when the door opened and the other Twins busted in, with Benald first and Pattie hot on his toes. "Boss!" Goodness. He'd never heard Benald so animated. "Question for you and we are being dead serious."

Tellingly, that only made Jax expect a joke. He rolled his eyes. "I suppose I can humor a joke."

"Hm." Lucifer, currently in some scrap material that passed for a scarf, rubbed his chin. "—they look serious, Jax."

"As serious as it gets!" Pattie slammed her hands on one of the tables, causing Demeter to go "watch the needles!" "Boss, do you like the Chief?!"

Jax snorted. "Of course. I would not follow Eliza for this long whilst I despised her very being."

"No, boss—ugh." Benald pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We're losing time here, Ben!"

"Then you handle it!"

"Ok!" She jabbed a finger at Jax. "Jax, Eliza loves you! Like, romantically! Do you love her like that back?"

There... there was no way. Jax sighed, more than a touch of bitterness to it. "—I can take a joke, you two, but I'd ask you not to make light of such a thing with me. There are better practical jokes to play."

"Boss, please, we're being serious!"

Jax scoffed. "Excuse me if I cannot take that itself seriously."

"Jax, please." Lucifer floated down to more of their height. "Pattie, Benald. I will ask you to calm down and be completely honest—is this some sort of well-meaning joke?"

Benald took a deep breath in and sighed it out. "No. No, it ain't a joke. Pats and I have word from the woman herself that she's romantically interested in the boss and just hasn't come forward with it because she thinks there's no way he'll like her back."

She... she was having those doubts, as well? Something in his mind continued to decry what they were saying as some mean teasing, but since Lucifer genuinely believed them, a large part of him was starting to, as well. Jax turned to fully face them. "Truly...?"

"Yeah." Pattie shoved her hands in her pockets. "She, like, loves a lot of people. Romantically. You're one of 'em, boss."

He blinked. "Who are the others, if—if you know?"

Benald counted off on his fingers. "Just from what we gathered? Hm, Mordenna, Fal-Mai, Bradford, probably Lily and Tygan, the Rulers, and that's just what we know."

Once again, Jax moved back to pessimism. There was no way that he, alone, could be selected among that group. Bradford had all of them beat out by a country mile. He sighed once more. "—and I suppose I will have to suffer knowing she will choose just one of many, which assuredly won't be me?"

"Hey, I'm the one who told her that it doesn't have to be like..." Benald rubbed his chin. "Damn it, I know the opposite term but the other version of it ain't coming to mind. Uh, opposite of polyamorous."

"Monogamous?"

"There you go, boss. Suffice to say, if Eliza considered the Rulers—all of them—as viable romantic targets, I'm sure she'd be fine with something like that provided all parties involved were ok with it."

So, he could...? That would be a lot of parties to share Eliza with. Not sharing, he reprimanded himself with. It would be her choice. We're happy enough to have her as a friend. Just...

That brought the question of Lucifer, as well. Jax looked to him, though he already knew what his stance was. If Eliza could not love both him and Lucifer, perhaps it was never meant to be, as much as even considering that hurt. Still, they both seemed to know that Eliza would take readily to Lucifer in such a context.

This... was all something that needed to be talked about. He looked to his tailors. "Hestia, Demeter, do you mind if I step out?"

The two of them were excitedly grinning. Demeter grabbed his hand. "We'll get a suit tailored for you, so you can look your best!"

"The Holy Father must look appropriately for having his affections returned," Hestia concurred, starting to grab materials. "We'd been meditating on doing so for a while, so this is a wonderful chance!"

"Tailors, please," he muttered without heat. Ok. Yeah. He'd like to be in a suit when he started properly... dating, perhaps? He felt like he knew Eliza so much, already. They'd done plenty of talking in the training sessions, to the point where he intimately knew Eliza's view on many subjects.

"Time's a-wasting, boss!" Pattie snatched his hand, trying and failing to pull him out of his seat. "C'mon!"

He and Lucifer exchanged a fortifying look, and he nodded, getting up. No time like the present. Time to discuss this.


Who would willingly seek out the Assassin? Sherry and March, as it turned out.

Fal-Mai had been meditating in her room, some incense she'd sourced from Jax burning gently. Her legs were crossed and her head was inclined... and of course, Rosetta was snuggled up in her lap. Perhaps it was only a fragment of her personality through the arm, but she appreciated the little companion all the same. It brought a nicer feeling to her meditation.

A nice feeling that was quickly dashed when she heard her name in the hall. "Fal-Mai! Are you in your room?"

That was Sherry. Odd—they'd spoken in passing before, so Fal-Mai couldn't believe she was seeking her out for companionship. Something must've been wrong. Rosetta skittered from her lap and onto her shoulder as she got up, opening the door and sticking her head out. "Sherry? Is everything alright?"

Sherry and March were coming down the hallway, with the former in front. She came to a stop in front of Fal-Mai. "—well there's not really an emergency going on, but there's a matter that needs your attention." She crossed her arms. "First of all, Fal-Mai. You feel strongly about the Commander, right?"

Well, yes. She did. She did in a lot of ways—but Fal-Mai had a sinking feeling in her gut that told her that Sherry was asking about a specific one. "... I do feel strongly about the Commander. What is your point?"

Sherry seemed to realize she'd asked a bad question, as when she paused, March stepped forth. "We're not here to antagonize you, Fal-Mai. It's genuinely something you might want to hear about. I'll come out with it plain; Eliza's in love with you."

What.

No, this—this had to be a joke. But it didn't sound like one. Every joke she'd heard before had a certain tone of voice to it, or the mood was different, or it was prefaced like one. March said she was being genuine, and somehow this was making her feel more anxious than if it had been a joke. Fal-Mai found herself at a loss for words, simply dumbly staring at her.

"... uh." Sherry looked to March. "Honey, I think that might've needed a little bit more leadup?"

"I'm not dancing around the issue that much, it's bound to incite some sort of misunderstanding."

"But, I mean, look at her!"

Fal-Mai finally regained her words, deciding to believe March's. "Where is she."

"Commons. You might want to hear—"

Didn't matter to Fal-Mai. She slipped into her cloak, running down the hallway. This was it. This was her chance...!


Bradford would've never wanted the events of the past twenty years to happen—but at least he was making the most of it.

For one, the stars had aligned and Tygan had finally deigned to drag himself out of his laboratory. Then the planets did the same thing and he'd caught Lily in the hall and summarily dragged her to the Bridge as they were talking. It had been a while since all three of them had just caught up since Eliza's after-birthday party, and he'd genuinely missed talking to them.

The topic had wandered to what Bradford had argued was the turning point of this whole year that hadn't been picking the Commander back up—getting the Chosen on their side. "Felt like yesterday that they were hunting us for sport," he muttered. "Now they're all cozy on the ship."

Tygan—just in his sweater for now—took a sip of his coffee. "I suppose Mordenna got that tour of the Avenger he was always speaking about."

"Or at least the Workshop." Lily was leaning on the railing around the Hologlobe. "But honestly? I'm still kinda... getting used to it, in some ways. Every time that Mordenna comes up with an angle to a project that I'd never even thought of before, I always get this thought in the back of my mind—what if Eliza never bothered?"

"She was well within her rights to finish them off for good," Tygan began, "but I think we are all better for her discretion. The Chosen themselves, especially."

"Yeah." Bradford rubbed at his mouth. "It had been easy to just think of them as another one of the Elders' goons before, well. Everything we know now came out. About the only one who seemed even remotely upset about his situation was Mordenna, and..."

"It was easier to just pin that on him being a loose cannon." Lily pressed her mouth in a line. "I know I did. Couldn't have even guessed what they'd gone through..."

"The Elders' capacity for horrifying cruelty continues to both amaze and cease being surprising in the slightest." That statement, Bradford could get behind. It was all absolutely terrible to consider—but coming from the Elders, it was nothing new. "Was it really any doubt that they would also be such wanting parents?"

"Hardly," Bradford grumbled. "I just... never would've imagined how much it would've affected them." His mind went to a slightly happier tangent. "Or how much they'd get along once you took the Elders out of the immediate situation. Almost makes me think that the Elders could take a page out of their book. Almost."

"I don't think even 'almost' cuts it, Bradford." Lily threw out a hand. "Unless we get some crazy revelation, I'm pretty sure the Elders are doing the things they can because they can. Outside of the whole body-degeneracy thing, and all. Plus, well, they're horrible people in general. Still, speaking of the Elders, I've managed to get the finishing touches going on the modified Skulljack. Should work on Codices just fine, or at least Wiki thinks so."

Tygan drank more of his coffee. "I've also taken pains to ensure it will interface with the psionic network correctly to draw out any detail possible—and perhaps anything that might be relevant for us to pull. It's been shown that Codices will spring to the defense of the Network before. Instead of trying to prevent that, I've tried to make it so that we will be forewarned of such a thing, and know what to expect. It was the easier option out of the two, considering the rush order." He then went "ah," seeming to remember something. "Slightly leaping back to the Chosen—any progress on the Keystone?"

"'Keystone?'" Bradford eyed them both. "Just what are you two up to?"

"Well..." Lily stood up. "It's what we're calling the replacement for Mordenna's eye. It's not exactly hard to see that he's been really beating himself up over losing it. So, for all of the work he's done for us, we supposed we could put our backs into making sure he gets something just as good, if not better, back. I've been in charge of sourcing materials and getting specs drawn up while Tygan consulted his file regarding what the Elders did for his Sight."

"We don't have access to one of the alien strains used," Tygan went on, "but traces of Gatekeeper seemed to be contributing most of the specifics. I still have enough genetic material from them on hand to do that much."

"And I'll be handling kitting it out with other functions and to compensate for what else he might be missing."

Bradford nodded. "Good to hear, you two. You've got my full permission to pour resources into it, and prioritize it if need be. With the Skulljack finished, we don't have much to focus on outside of getting our ground defenses shored up, right?"

"Right." Lily took her datapad off of her belt and unclipped her stylus from it, tapping the screen. "I've been working on that while I've had the chance, as well. The turrets have all been calibrated and with a little modification, I've also adjusted two of them to be able to use modified munitions. I focused on AP and Bluescreen rounds, considering those are probably the two things we have to worry about approaching the Avenger the most—heavily-armored targets, and robots to a lesser extent. Things that can't be put down with just a bullet or two."

"I've been trying to maintain some protocols on my end, too." Bradford crossed his arms. "With luck, it'll never come to pass, but I've drawn up plans to turn the Avenger into a gauntlet. We'll send out who we can on the ground, but the rest will be taking up positions throughout the Avenger, all the way up to the Commander's Quarters. We'll maintain chokepoints and fight to the last."

Tygan's expression turned slightly hard. "And if all else fails...?"

Bradford sighed, rubbing at his mouth again. "Eliza's determined to make sure she never falls into ADVENT's hands again." She was... very certain she would quicker put a bullet into her head the moment they got close to her quarters than entertain the idea of her and Bradford doing a last stand. He understood where it came from, but... it worried him, it did. "I'm thinking of alternatives, however. As long as Eliza's alive, she can rekindle XCOM from whatever ashes it gets burned to. Jax has teleportation powers, maybe he can—"

Bradford would've gone on, but the door to the Bridge opened, and footsteps moved towards him. He turned his head, and a group of soldiers led by Herod greeted him. He raised his eyebrows. "Ok—what did you guys do?"

"Nothing, sir—well." Herod rubbed the back of his head. "Ok, that's not exactly the truth. But I don't think we necessarily did something bad." His eyes swept over to Tygan and Lily as well. "We, uh. We've got a question for you guys."

Mary stepped out from behind him. "We... might have gotten some knowledge recently. Some juicy knowledge at that. Can we ask you guys a question without you guys assuming it's a joke or anything?"

Bradford absolutely did not like where this was going. They were likely trying to confirm or deny some stupid rumor that would leave him shaking his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. Well, they seemed serious and genuine about it. Might as well humor them and get to the bottom of things. "I'm all ears, I suppose. Tygan, Lily?"

"Dunno what you're about to ask," Lily muttered, "but something tells me it's going to be a hell of a question."

"Might as well clear up any potential misunderstandings." Tygan gestured to Herod. "Go right ahead."

"Alright, fantastic." Herod wrung his hands together. "So, we... we might have gotten it on very good, very true knowledge—and with permission to say so—that the Commander... that Eliza..."

"Christ's sake," Clint muttered, shouldering past him. "I'll do it. Central, Doctor, Shen—you three are the object of the Commander's affections along with a few others. She's paralyzed with fear on two notions—one, that she's certain none of you share her feelings, and two, she thinks shacking up with just one of you is the only option and that some sort of open relationship can't be managed. I think that's bullshit on all accounts, so care to either confirm or deny?"

Well, Bradford felt like he'd just gotten kicked right in the lungs, and judging by the silence, apparently Tygan and Lily felt much of the same. He didn't know how they felt, but he... he could hardly believe it. Eliza loved him back? He'd always told himself that it couldn't happen—she was his commanding officer and she always had more pressing things to worry about, besides. There was also the notion that she... might not want to be with someone who saw her for who she got turned into twenty years ago. He'd always gotten that kind of implication. But... if the soldiers weren't talking out of their asses...

After a moment, he decided on a response. "—if this is your guys' idea of a joke, I'm sentencing you all to a lifetime of getting your asses kicked by me. But, just in the case that you're being entirely serious... what do you think we should do?"

Herod held up his hands. "Not a joke, we promise. And if you three choose to believe us... she's in the Commons, and I'm pretty sure she's waiting on any sort of response. If you don't want to return your feelings, you should at least tell her, maybe pull her to the side?"

Bradford looked them in the eye. "So she sent you all to ask?"

"Uh, not really." Mary scratched her head. "We're kinda doing this because we got tired of you all dancing around your feelings?"

Well, if he didn't feel called out right now... he turned to Lily and Tygan. Tygan's expression was unreadable, and Lily was biting her knuckle, looking away. Them, too? Potentially others, it sounded like? Bradford had always wanted Eliza to be happy as could be managed. It definitely was outside of the scope of any relationship he had in the past, but... if all parties were fine with it, and it could be reasonably worked out, he wouldn't mind something open.

He looked back to Herod. "Alright. But you're in for it if this all turns out to be a joke. I'm giving you the chance to back out now and just be due for getting chewed out." When Herod shook his head, Bradford supposed that all notions that it could be a joke were out. The soldiers could be practical jokers, but they'd never go this far trying to sell one. "Just checking. Move, then, and I don't want to see any of you in the Commons. This is a private matter between all involved and you all have already gotten involved enough."

"Of course. We'll leave it to you guys."

Speaking of "you guys." Bradford turned back around, where Lily and Tygan hadn't moved from their spots. Judging by their hesitation... they must've also been in love with Eliza. Or were paralyzed with social anxiety over the fact that they didn't and would have to reject her, he could see either one happening with those two. Still, best they got it over with. "C'mon, you two. The Commander's waiting."

That seemed to snap the two of them out of their stupor, with Lily being the first to move, Tygan lagging behind her. Bradford turned towards the door once more, walking out, with the sound of Lily following him at least. Time to face the music.


Managing relations with the other factions was tricky business, but even Volk would say he was stumped at the moment.

He was tapping his fingers as he looked at some digital correspondence from Betos, head rested on his other hand. Skirmishers tended to be the literal sort, this much he knew by dealing with them long enough—without trying to "deal with them" permanently, of course. He'd moved past trying to kill them out of malice just before Elena had been making a sport out of tonsil hockey with Mox. Now it was just trying to kill them out of fatherly protectiveness.

Still, knowing that they tended to be literal, he really didn't know what Betos was trying to communicate here.

"'Recent developments have led to me needing to meet with you in person. I will arrange for the transportation. Please be ready for a brawl.'" He rubbed his forehead, sighing. "The hell you trying to communicate, hot stuff?" He was glad he was alone. If anyone caught wind he was lusting after Betos, he'd get ribbed endlessly about how "Dragunova was doing it before it was cool." He could hear his wolves' mocking voices now. "Is there someone following you? Do I need to mobilize people to move out? Are you just looking to hand me my ass? At least I wouldn't be complaining about that last one." Volk liked to tousle, he would admit. If that was what Betos was wanting, he just wished she wasn't being so damn cryptic about it.

He was entertaining contacting her to see what exactly she wanted, but that seemed like some sort of admission of not knowing exactly what she was on about—weakness, in his eyes. Well, if it was urgent, she would've sent him a direct transmission. Must've been a personal fight that she was wanting. "Fine by me," he muttered. "Wonder how many cheeky grabs I can sneak in." Speaking of being cheeky, he wondered how much more outright flirting with Geist he could fit in before the other party told him to stop entirely. It seemed like he didn't have any inclination to stop him. Was this game of chicken going to end in the bedroom? "Fine by me. Geist may be hard to work with but he's a hot piece of—"

The beeping of an incoming call interrupted his thoughts, and he groaned. Said groan was swiftly silenced as he realized the source of the call was from the Avenger. Was this about that UFO they sighted? Volk sat up and tied his hair back, hitting the accept button.

He was mildly amused to find Arsozu instead of Eliza on the other side. "Wukong, you sneaky bastard. You miss me enough to call?"

"Not in a million years, old man. Besides, I have more important business." He leaned forward, hands planted on the table. "Look, we all joked about the fact that Eliza was just fucking with you and blowing off all your flirting, right? As it turns out the woman's just hilariously blind. Romantically, anyway. She likes you, Volk, and thought you were the one fucking with her."

Oh goddamnit, of course. Volk groaned, smacking his forehead. "I was making multiple propositions every time she came to roost and she still thought I was being a joker? If I didn't love that woman so much I'd call her a fucking idiot to her face, but I do, so I'll call her an adorable idiot." Maybe if he'd been more forward...? But at that point he was certain he was going into the "unwanted advances" territory. Volk was many things, but disrespectful of potential partners he was not. He'd like to think so, anyway. "How'd you find this out?"

"By her confessing in what seemed to be, uh, a genuine moment of anguish? She looked pretty beat up about the whole deal. Think there was more going on there than just her being an idiot. Kept going on about how there was 'no way' anyone she loved could love her like that back."

Hm. That was mildly more concerning. He let his hand drop, thinking on it. Obliviousness was one thing, but combined with feeling like you could never be loved? "Poor girl," he muttered. "I was giving her shit earlier, but it makes a bit more sense that would be the case, as well. I rescind some of my teasing, at least." Still, there was something else that stuck out at Volk in that statement. "—'anyone' she loved?"

"Yeah. Girl's got like, ten different crushes." Arsozu shrugged. "Ben suggested an open relationship and she seemed. Well. Open to the idea of it."

Made enough sense by Volk. Most of his wolves practiced that in some form—love was a little freer in the Reapers. He didn't mind that sort of arrangement. "Who else is in this little circle of love?"

"Bradford, definitely. Maybe Tygan and Lily? Apparently the Rulers were making moves she knew about. And, uh, the Chosen."

"Rat bastard," Volk muttered, referring to Mordenna. "How am I not surprised?" Back when he was Tomko, the Hunter was a real hopeless romantic. Someone like Eliza probably turned him on to no end. Maybe if they were a little less acquainted, that might give him pause on the whole open relationship thing. But at this point... Mordenna would take good care of Eliza when he wasn't around. Through their talks, he got that much. "—and how many people do you think are returning this?"

"Fuck, just about all of them that we know of. The Chosen are so in love with Eliza it isn't funny, and Bradford at least looks at her like a lost puppy. The Rulers, definitely. Anyone else, well. We're about to find out. The Bone Pool's about to collapse and I need to like, get you on a datapad and run you in there."

Volk scoffed. "Since when am I responsible for you winning a bet?"

"You act like you don't want to stick your tongue down her throat, old man. Do you want to return her feelings, or what?"

Well, Wukong had him there. He sighed. "Fine. Get me on a datapad and I'll try to kiss her through the screen."

"Ha, ha." Arsozu picked up a pad, then stared at it. "... how do I do this?"

Volk massaged his forehead. Great. This was going to be fun.


Engineering right now was the worst.

Mordenna had been trying on and off for a few days to work like he used to. He spitballed ideas on his new eye but just thinking on it made him loathe the whole event. He desperately wanted that project done, but he'd never gotten around to asking Lily for help because... it felt like something he should be handling on his own. He was the one who lost it, after all. It was on him to replace it.

So at the moment, and with the Skulljack completed thanks to his daughter's help, Mordenna was focusing on other things. Vix's bow was one of them, and he was getting a few solid ideas for it. Quite solid, even—at the moment, he was working on the scope itself, having it suspended on a clamp made of his nanos. Thankfully, he remembered the whole process of downsizing an Elerium Core enough to have it power the scope. Managing the visualization for potential arrow drop had been an afternoon well spent, as well as the other visualizers in that simulation.

Or, at least, he was trying to work on it. He squinted for what had to be the hundredth time that work session, moving his head again. Getting a sense for micro-distances was hell without as much depth perception as he used to have. This was careful work, too, so messing up wasn't exactly high on his agenda. Vix was out exploring the ship after a little encouragement on his end, so it was just him in the Workshop at the moment.

Well. Him and Julian. "This may be somewhat hard to believe, but I don't mean to be insensitive with my next question—were you really able to work on such a small scale before with just your two eyes?"

For lack of companionship, he'd let Julian out of his secured server and into his SPARK to play—after double-checking the security protocols. Julian was more than happy to get back into his physical body on the promise that he'd keep Mordenna company. Mordenna had given him some physical blueprints to gawk at and ask questions about, and he'd lapsed into a bit of silence before asking that question.

Even if Julian had made it clear he didn't mean to offend, Mordenna was better about giving people the benefit of the doubt nowadays, anyway. Besides, he was in a bit of a better mood, today. "Yep. Old man did something right. There were still distances that I'd need something like a magnifying glass for, but those were hilariously tiny." He "hmm"ed, moving to get another angle on the part he was tweaking. "I might need one here in a minute."

"That a command?"

"Only if you want it to be," Mordenna muttered. "I just got you out here for companionship, and to let you walk around. You're not exactly my servant at the moment."

"Hm." He could hear Julian moving a bit closer. He was lighter on his feet than earlier when Mordenna had kindly asked him to stop stomping. Julian was pretty easy to work with, he didn't know what everyone else was complaining about. "Forgive me if that's not exactly the response I was expecting out of you."

"Don't blame you." Mordenna sat up and faced him, giving his eye a break for the moment. "The last time we were fighting together, I wasn't exactly the best person. Still can't claim I am now, but I've been getting better about it."

"The Hunter, a better person," Julian mused. "What has the world come to."

"Tell me about it. I'm surprised blood isn't raining from the sky or whatever. Only took Liz the Wonder Commander to sort things out."

Julian scoffed, stalking off and gesturing as he continued to speak. "'Wonder Commander.' You say that like she's some extraordinary superhero, uplifting the downtrodden."

"Well, yeah. She is. She's got superpowers and is fighting for Earth's future. That's kind of as superheroic as it gets."

Mordenna got the feeling that if Julian had articulated eyes, he'd roll them. "Fair, but I find her wanting in some aspects. How far does her charity extend? Does she consider AI as part of her jurisdiction?"

"Schro, Wiki, SYN to some extent—"

"Oh don't mention that pampered bag of bolts around me!" Julian spread his arms out indignantly. "Not only does he get the body that father made for me, he gets to parade around the Avenger all he wants while I'm stuck in some filing system! Where is the empathy for my plight, locked away where I'm not a nuisance, only brought out when the 'good' robot is out of commission?!"

Julian was starting to sound concerningly hurt by the end. Mordenna had empathy of his own for his situation, and he sighed. "Yeah, that's not exactly fair. Coming from a former—well, lesser asshole myself, have you ever shown signs of wanting to get better?"

Julian dropped his hands. "Do you think anyone would listen to me? Do you think anyone would take me seriously? I'm a joke, Hunter. A walking punchline. A brilliant AI forced to oversee a facility for fifteen years, endure ADVENT, watch my father die. Demoted to a remote server and having my one surviving family forcibly change me to be more 'helpful.' I'm 'unhinged,' Hunter. But can you blame me?"

Honestly, no. Mordenna couldn't. He knew he'd be a little nutty, coming out on the other side of that. His mouth pressed into a line, a twinge of melancholy hitting him. "No, not really. So we should definitely work on the rest of the ship taking you seriously."

He gave a digital sigh. "Well, good luck on that one. Sister has everyone convinced I'm just some nutty AI that will run this ship into the ocean given any amount of control. Maybe at one point she would be right—but do you ever wonder if she stopped to think why I'm this way? Do you?" His head turned to the side. "I do, sometimes. I spend some processing power on it, but never come away with a satisfying answer. Either she did and she's doing this to me anyway, or she hasn't and that's the kind of person in charge of me essentially living or dying. And yet, if the latter is the case, she's taken some strange form of pity on me."

Mordenna had heard Lily agonize over Julian a few times. It was true that Julian was definitely a threat back then—all he needed to see was the mountains of derelict, bullet-riddled MEC bodies and the splashes of blood at the tower. But hell, Mordenna himself had done worse. Fifteen years in the can for the both of you, and you're arguably the morally worse of the two. Julian acts on protocols he's had to develop to stay alive. You could've at least decided to be less brutal. Yet he's the one who hasn't even been offered the chance—even after his fundamentals were changed.

The Hunter got up, approaching Julian. Julian backed up a little. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Hugging you."

"Oh." Julian paused. "Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. You've been through a lot, Julian, and it's bullshit that I'm the one who got the chance to reform out of the two of us. I've got empathy for your situation and I want to express solidarity while comforting you at the same time. Hugs are good for that and I don't give a fuck if you're a robot. Still got sensors, haven't you?"

"What has gotten into you?" Julian asked incredulously... but he'd stopped backing up. "First you want my companionship, then you don't order me around and make a complete mockery of me, then this?! This is absurd! Who do you think you are?"

Mordenna looked him dead in his LEDs. "Hunter Mordenna, done with fifteen years of dealing with ADVENT and trying to grow into the better person I always could be. Now, let me ask properly—may I hug you?"

Julian lapsed into silence, regarding him. Mordenna could swear he could hear some cooling fans kick on as time went on. At this point he was just offering the option—he understood if not everyone was—

Oof, ow, ouch, his ribs, ow. Julian had surged forward and wrapped him into a bearhug. It had been a while, but Mordenna was properly reminded of how brittle he really was. Still, he returned the hug, patting Julian on the back. "—excellent start," he strained, "just a little less pressure."

Julian eased his arms a little and Mordenna felt like he could breathe again. At that point, the two shared a few silent moments. Julian said nothing, and with no breathing to go off of, Mordenna couldn't precisely guess his current state. Still, he was the one who initiated the hug when it was clear that Mordenna was being serious about it. Hopefully this was as therapeutic for Julian as it had become for him.

Eventually, Julian let go of Mordenna, looking away. "If anyone asks," he quickly said, "that never happened."

"Your secret's safe with me," Mordenna assured, his mood already a little more improved. "And if I have any say in it, you're going to be hanging around with me in the Workshop more often. Mind if I introduce you to my daughter when she gets back."

"Oh, Vix? We know each other. She talks to me sometimes when she's not with you."

If Julian was expecting Mordenna to feel scandalized or something of the sort, he felt nothing such. "Good! I'm glad she's already made the attempt to reach out to you. You two can just hang out physically as I work, then."

"Speaking of working..." Julian looked back to him, then the scope he had been working on. "I might have some ideas for that, if you'll have me. It's not like I had much else to do other than think on potential additions when she brought it up."

"Sure thing! Could always use another perspective." Mordenna began to walk back to his bench. "Just what were you—"

The door to the Workshop opened, with Banel stepping in. Mordenna raised an eyebrow as he approached. "Afternoon, Bane. The hell brings you down here?"

"I do have some business," he began, "but I'll get around to it in due time." He stopped when he was just at Mordenna's table, giving Julian a nod. "Afternoon, Julian, nice to see you out and about."

"Good whatever time it is on the Avenger." Julian turned to face him. "Usually you humans don't stop by here much. What gives?"

"Like I said, some business, but I wanted to check up on things, too." Banel gestured to the scope. "How's that going?"

"Good enough." Mordenna plopped back down on his bench. "Wish I still had depth perception, would make it a little easier to deal with. But, whatever, it's going, and I'll be onto the main body of the bow eventually." He crossed his legs. "Still, what's that business you're here for? Might as well handle it quickly."

He nodded, leaning on the table. "Fair enough. I'm going to give this a little bit of lead up, and it's related to the business—how are you feeling, Hunter?"

This was suspicious. Mordenna squinted at him, but supposed he'd be honest. "—better than normal, at least. Engineering does make me feel better when it's not frustrating me. What's going on? Where's the fire?"

Banel chuckled. "No fire, just wanted to make sure I wasn't really bothering you. Now. Assuming I'm not interrupting anything... I have something to tell you that might be news to you."

Where in the everloving hell was he going with this? At least he had Mordenna's attention. He gestured to the soldier. "For christ's sake, out with it. You're killing me here."

"Alright." Banel looked at him seriously. "I'm not pulling any sort of joke with my next sentence, and you can take it to my grave—Eliza is in love with you."

Mordenna stared at him for a moment. Then he burst out laughing. "Jesus! Here I thought I was gonna have to worry over something. That's a hell of a joke there, Banel, and I like you enough to tell you to never make it again instead of just decking you. God, you'd better be glad I'm in such a good mood."

"What did I say, Mordenna? I'm being completely serious." Banel then proceeded to recap the events that led up to Eliza's supposed confession, eventually getting around to an interesting part. "... and you're not the only one. She's got enough love in her for you, your siblings, the three head staff, and the Rulers, apparently. I honestly think that some form of open relationship could be swung if all interested parties sat down and talked about it. And, judging by the way things are going... everyone's about to converge in the Commons."

Mordenna was having a hell of a time thinking through all that. No part of him was really putting up a fuss over the notion of an open relationship with Eliza—mostly because he knew a lot of her supposed heartthrobs personally and knew that they would take good care of her, especially his siblings. It also made him feel better about the notion of just one of them getting to be in a relationship with her—this meant that they'd all "be" with her a little less often than just getting her all to one of themselves, but this meant that there wouldn't be any sour feelings about the deal. He'd still see Eliza, still chat with her casually. But if they ended up with a rotating days system with them specifically hanging out on certain days, it didn't mean he'd just be unable to see her. Hell, maybe it'd be fun to tease them in passing about it. He just... he just supposed the hardest part to come to grips with was the fact that Eliza did love him back like he loved her.

Maybe Banel really was lying to him. Maybe this was all some sort of elaborate trick. It was certainly what his more sour side wanted to believe—but he'd moved past a majority of that. He was willing to believe Banel at face value. In that case... he smiled gently. "—thanks. Thanks for telling me. She's over in the Commons, right?"

"Sure is. Might wanna make your way over there soonish."

He nodded... but then looked back over to Julian, who had remained silent in the whole situation. He did just make a promise to Julian to start helping him out. He didn't really want to leave him behind on the first day. Granted, what was about to happen was really important to Mordenna... but maybe someone else could have the first day with Eliza? That made sense to him. "Hey, Julian. Do you mind if I get that straightened out? I'll come right back and hang out again."

"Oh, please, don't let me keep you from the love of your life," he snarked, but definitely without as much bite as he was known for.

"I have multiple loves in my life, and one of them is being a better person. Provided nothing stops me on the way, I want to assure Liz I'm in love with her and then come back here. I can always hang out with her later, but I don't want to get you started on this and then just goof off. Got me?"

Julian looked back at him. "—fine. I suppose."

Mordenna nodded again, getting up. "Thanks again, Banel." With that, he moved on out, his heart singing as hard as it had ever.


Eliza knew keenly that she was at ground zero for the events that were about to unfold.

Paralyzed at thinking on all of the possibilities, she had been left in just around the same position she'd started waiting in—leaned over the table with her head supported by one of her hands. What was she supposed to do in this situation? She was thinking of pacing, but somehow getting up felt like it would make everything boil over and become unbearable. Surely she should make herself presentable to the people that were about to mob her, but... she was too consumed thinking on what all would happen. While Benald brought up a good point—she could see herself being in some sort of open or polyamorous relationship—she was thinking on the logisitics of one so large. She'd give credit to her commanding prowess, but this was more than ten people to romantically juggle, assuming they all accepted her feelings. Everyone has different levels of needs, she reasoned. You don't have to spend time with everyone all at one time. Of course, there's always a rotating days system. Eliza was just... afraid. She had always been afraid of one thing or another. She didn't want to add one more fear—and yet here they were, about to be upon it.

Eliza added another hand to her head. She so, so desperately hoped she would be able to put the effort in to make this work out. On the flip side of her fear was her hope. To have all of her love reciprocated, to be able to express the full extent of what she felt for them, that was something she longed for, just as much as she had longed for all of them. Thinking of being with them, making their days a little brighter, listening to them and being able to share herself as well... it cushioned the fear. It made her want to put in the work to make it happen. She just... hoped. She was afraid, yet hopeful. Hopeful, yet afraid.

The door opening was enough to make Eliza jump in her tense state, and she'd be embarrassed to admit she yelped. When she turned around, the person in the door was Fal-Mai, looking a little out of breath. She quickly stepped into the room, falling to one knee in front of Eliza. "—is... is it true?" Her eyes were wide and full of a vulnerable hope. "D-do you... do you love me, Eliza?"

In just that second, in hearing Fal-Mai's voice so full of guarded joy, Eliza's worries almost completely melted away. Almost. She tried her best to not look affronted or anything of the like. "Did they tell you the whole story? Did they let you know I love other people just as well?"

The look in Fal-Mai's eyes dulled a little. "They... I... I left before they could. Does that mean...?"

Driven to comfort Fal-Mai—and to make this work, of course—Eliza took one of her hands, smiling at her. "It means that, so long as everyone is willing, I don't have to be just one person's partner. Is that alright?"

Eliza was fearful for a second that saying that had chased Fal-Mai off... but Fal-Mai gained a certain look in her eyes. "... do my brothers rank among those that you love?"

This... felt like it wasn't going to end well. "Yes."

Of course, Eliza was happy to be proven wrong. Fal-Mai smiled warmly. "Good. It is as they deserve, and I am happy to be considered loved by you along with them. Th-that said, can I—?"

They were interrupted by the door opening once again. Jax was shooing Benald and Pattie off—who took one look in the room and groaned for some reason. Still, they walked away, and Jax entered. "I see I am not the first. I take it the news is true, Eliza...?"

Looked like this was going to be happening a few times more. She nodded. "It is. And I want to be with as many of you as possible, if you'll have me."

"That's hardly a question," he shot back, Lucifer excitedly manifesting and hanging off of his shoulder as he approached, kneeling next to her. "Of course. There is hardly another partner of yours I would raise an objection to—I will only have problems with them if they cause trouble for you."

"You and everyone else, hopefully," Eliza said, extending a hand to rest on his shoulder. Her eyes met with Lucifer's. "And I take it Lucifer is along for the ride? An extension of you is more than welcome to me."

If Lucifer had a mouth, he'd be grinning ear to ear. As it stood, his eyes did much of the smiling. "I'm—oh Mother I'm so happy right now. Jax, we did it. You did it."

"Of course you did," Fal-Mai concurred. "I had no doubts that you, among the three of us, would at least end up with Eliza. You are, in a word, likeable."

"Please, sister," he softly replied, "you are far more suited for Eliza. Just look at you, on one knee as if already intending to propose."

Fal-Mai lit up orange and looked away, stuttering. Eliza laughed, her heart full as the situation surrounded her. Two so far. She hoped, hoped, and hoped that more would follow.

Indeed, more did. In the door stepped Bradford, followed closely by Lily and Tygan. Oh, Bradford. She didn't know why this didn't happen sooner. Except she did and was mentally kicking herself over not recognizing it sooner. He looked between the two Chosen at her sides. "All this time," he muttered. "All this time, I was convinced..."

"All this time," she echoed. "We all loved each other, didn't we?"

As the three of them approached, Jax and Fal-Mai reluctantly backed off. "To be fair," Bradford continued, "I'm... not the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Doesn't help that you're the Commander," Lily added emphatically, gesturing to her. "I think we all thought that you, well, had other things to think about."

"I can multitask," she softly protested.

Tygan set his coffee down, kneeling. "I mean this as best as possible, Commander, and I'm willing to exclude myself if not—do you think you can handle so many partners?"

Eliza reached out, easing her hand on Tygan's shoulder. "I'm willing to make it work. I'm willing to work for it, because I do love all of you. It's just a matter of who else is willing to work with me, and I'll respect it if that's too much for some people." It wouldn't feel nice, but Eliza wasn't about to demand for them to jump into a relationship like that. "So don't go throwing yourself out just yet, Tygan. I know that's just par for the course for you, but... it hurts me to see."

Tygan's expression budged and he looked away. "Trust me, Eliza, I... I want to be with you. As much as anyone else. Just... I would like to clear some things in private."

"That I can do," she softly assured, looking to Bradford and Lily. "What about you two?"

"Naturally I'm gonna want to help you make this work," Bradford said, getting on her eye level. "Because... damn it, Eliza, I love you. And I feel like I'll always be your second in command, in a way. So let me help out with making this work. Seeing you happy makes me happy."

"I want to clear some things too, but... that comes later." Lily joined everyone else in kneeling. "I—I'm just happy that this is real. That I wasn't wishing for something impossible."

"Hardly anything's impossible around here," Eliza said with warmth to her voice. "All started with me coming back from the dead, remember?"

As Lily laughed, a new visitor arrived. It was Arsozu, clutching a datapad. "—goddamnit! Which one of you got here first?"

Fal-Mai blinked. "I did?"

Arsozu swore again. "I'm—you know what, whatever. I'm here to deliver the old man. Commander, you've got someone who wants to see you."

"Hand the datapad here," Bradford said, holding out his hand. "And let us have some privacy."

Arsozu nodded, giving him the device but grumbling as he walked back out of the room. Bradford looked at the pad, then turned it at Eliza. Volk was on the other side, sitting at his desk. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me, Liz," he began. "All this time you thought I was fucking with you? Me?"

Oh, she didn't need to be reminded. Eliza felt heat rise to her face. "I thought you were doing it to spite Mordenna!"

"I can multitask!" He groaned. "Yes, Eliza, I love you, and I'm not joking with you or exclusively doing it to annoy Mordenna. The next time you touch down here, it's you, me, my bed, and I'm—"

"Ok, that's enough," Bradford said, thankfully hitting the mute button before Volk got graphic. "Honestly, Liz, while I'm not going to be as profane about it, I do have to wonder how long you were in love with all of us and not saying anything."

Eliza looked away, embarrassed. "Uh... with you, it might've started around First Contact..."

"Eliza!"

"Look, I didn't want to risk what I already had with you guys!" Even as Eliza was trying to be light about defending herself, she figured she could be truthful, too. "I loved you all in a different way before it was romantic. I loved being with you guys and hearing you talk, loved being able to speak my mind. You guys have been the best friends I could ask for, and I didn't want to abandon all of that by trying to take it a step further. Admittedly, I'm... I'm a little love blind. Romantic love blind."

"The woman with love-based psionics can't read romantic love," Jax gently teased. "Then again, I should not be throwing stones in my glass mansion. I had always thought you couldn't love a Chosen in such a way."

"My love is rated E for everyone," she snarked. "And hey, having the love psionics doesn't give me complete mastery over said thing."

Volk was waving his hands, leading Eliza to tapping the unmute button. "If anything, it's hilarious, even if it was agonizing as hell to deal with. It's part of your charm, Liz. You've got everything else figured out, so watching you flub the partner deal this hard is funny."

She sighed. "Well, while you're endlessly teasing me, can I ask if you're alright with being in a relationship like this?"

"Sure. Seen plenty of my wolves down here pull it off and they don't have nearly the experience that you do." Volk gestured at the screen. "My understanding is that it's gonna be some of your own staff, the Rulers, and the Chosen? Nobody there I really object to, save maybe Mordenna but that's more on rivalry grounds."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Everyone looked up as the door opened once more, Mordenna on the other side. He looked like he was in quite the good mood, and he chuckled as he entered the room. "Well, well, well. What fools we've all been."

"Mordenna, you lovesick bastard." Volk motioned to be turned towards him, and Bradford obliged. "To be fair, here, Liz is as blind as a bat."

"Hey, that's my girl you're talking about," Mordenna protested, jabbing a finger at the datapad. "... that's, uh. That alright to say, Liz?"

Eliza laughed. "As long as you're good with the terms of the relationship."

"Pft, what am I, picky? In all seriousness, yes, Eliza. I'm perfectly happy with it." Though his smile wasn't as soft as it could get in private, it was damn close. "I'm just thrilled beyond belief to be with you."

She chuckled again for a moment before something hit her. "Wait, uh... I don't think any of my soldiers told the Rulers...?"

"Oh, they were on their way to doing that." Mordenna jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I saw Mary and a few other goons on my way here. They were heading over to the Workshop in a bit of a hurry, something about 'winning a bet.'"

Right, that. By common reasoning, anyone who had bet on Fal-Mai would've been the winners of that particular game. Eliza was still mildly miffed over the fact that all of the soldiers had noticed and, instead of telling her, had elected to place bets on the whole affair. They'd get a semi-stern talking to at some point. Still, mostly everyone was here. "Alright. I think we can start making plans on how we're going to handle this, if that's alright?"

"Sounds reasonable to me," Bradford agreed. "The Rulers likely know what they're doing with stuff like this, so at the moment I think we can start spitballing."

"Honestly, I've already got some ideas." Mordenna squatted. "Rotating days system makes the most sense to me, at that point it'd just be figuring out the order." Great minds thought alike, she supposed, and him basically being imprinted on hers didn't help. "Although, I've got a request to make with that—I'd like to go second at the most. I can go later."

She blinked. With recent events, she had supposed that Mordenna would want to be first. "Certainly, but... may I ask why?"

"Sure. I've got a buddy to help out back in the Workshop and I don't want to keep him waiting for too long. I wanted to tell you that—that I..." He swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck. "That I love you. There. Said it. And that I'm fine with that sort of relationship with you. I trust the other people you're in love with and I'm sure they love you just as much as I do."

"Sappy fool," Volk teased.

"Shut it, old man. But, yes. That's my reasoning."

Eliza nodded. "Of course, and... I'm glad to hear all of that. I love you too." She chuckled. "I love all of you."

"Love you too, Liz," Bradford grumbled, "even if you're a little blind."

"Hey."

"I love you more than life itself," Jax followed with a smile on his face, "but perhaps he has a point about all of us."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it!"

"I love you, Eliza." Fal-Mai's hand sought for her shoulder and squeezed. "I am sure I can be safely called as blind as you."

"Self deprecation does not mean you are teasing me any less."

"Liz, I think it's impossible for me to not love you," Lily began, "but can you blame me for thinking you were a little out of my league?"

"Yes, absolutely, I'm a total goober."

As Lily laughed, Tygan rolled his eyes. "And it is precisely for that reason that I am inclined to love you, Eliza. You are a breath of fresh air among more poe-faced situations."

"Glad to hear it, even if I think Mordenna qualifies more as the jester of the Avenger."

"Got that right." Volk crossed his arms. "And since everyone is being sappy, I'll say this—I love you because you could kick my ass in a fight, honey."

"Damn right and I'll do it if given half the chance. You have so much to answer for."

"He sure as hell does!" Mordenna poked the screen, which caused the list of options to show up. "You, me, the Pit, old man. I'll kick your ass first."

"As if."

"As so!"

Sensing a back-and-forth brewing, Eliza rolled her eyes. "Alright, we're getting off topic. It seems like a rotating schedule might be the best method, unless anyone else has other ideas?" Nobody answered when prompted, so Eliza moved on. "Ok. That just leaves the question of how we order this."

"To be honest," Volk began, "it sounds like you've been blue balling Bradford for the longest."

"Volikov!" Despite Bradford protests and Volk's crassness, well, yes. That was objectively the case.

"I've got a point, y'know. I just think it's fair that he gets the first day in paradise starting tomorrow, I would imagine. Give Eliza one more day of being a bachelor." He grinned. "Myself second, of course."

"Oh, Volk, I don't know if I can manage that many frequent landings..."

"Don't have to land here, and I can be a little flexible." Volk's face got a little more softly serious. "I've handled weeks away from you before, Eliza. I wouldn't ask you to put yourself in danger to see me. Not seriously, anyway. Drop me a call sometimes, hell, the regular check ins we do will work. I'd just like it if Mordenna didn't butt in this time."

Mordenna rolled his eyes. "You had it coming—"

Yet again, the door opened, and sure enough it was the Rulers. Celosia ducked under the door with her compatriots. She smiled at Eliza. "Seems you all have things under control, hm?"

"Didn't fully intend to start without you," Eliza assured. "We were just trying to figure out how we'd work this."

"With a group this large, probably better to have a rotation," Shazara-Ta suggested, slithering out from behind Celosia.

Mordenna nodded. "We'd come to an agreement on that. At this point it's just a matter of what the order is."

"Right." Eliza looked around. "Any bright ideas?"

The inhabitants of the room looked at each other, silently asking if anyone had any particular reservations. It was Fal-Mai who spoke up. "—if nobody else would so like to take the chance, I shall—I would like to go second, after Bradford."

"And I after her," Jax followed.

"If it's first come, first serve," Lily said, "then mind if I go next?"

Eliza nodded. "It's up to you guys, so... Bradford, Fal-Mai, Jax, Lily. Who's next?"

"I think five days will be a good focus time for me." Mordenna half-raised his hand. "I'll hang with you after Lily."

Tygan gently cleared his throat. "And I, after him."

Rodin chuckled. "That just leaves us afterwards, does it not? Eliza, you are free to come down to our abode and spend a day with us after that."

She raised an eyebrow. "Just one day, or?"

Vel'kiin said something that Celosia translated. "We're all roughly in the same area, she says. Most of the time, anyhow. And we have each other, after all—you would probably be well served to just have a singular day to us."

Huh. That cut it down to... "A weekly schedule, roundabout, not including Volk here since he's a special case." Still, how to handle that? "When we land at the Reapers' hideout, how do you think we should handle that?"

Volk chuckled. "Honestly, if it's Bradford's day, the both of you can come into my tent. I wouldn't mind."

Bradford's face scrunched up. "Volk."

"Hey, if you don't swing that way, tell me and I'll stop."

Tellingly, Bradford said nothing. Eliza chuckled. "Fantastic, but what about everyone else?

"Hm. Honestly, I wouldn't mind just having you spend the night with me, in that case—and if you're over for multiple days, it only has to be one designated lovers can have you for the rest of the day. Until the day comes that I can finally tell these pups to fend for themselves, I'm fine just spending a night in paradise with you."

"Sappy fool," Mordenna shot back at him.

"Shut it, pup."

"Fine, if you insist." Mordenna stood up. "I'm... I'm honestly really glad we got all this straightened out. But. if we had... mind if I head back over to the Workshop? Things to do, and all."

Eliza nodded. "Of course. See you, Mordenna."

He offered a wave, stepping around the Rulers. Tygan stood up, with Lily shortly after him. "Lily and I have projects to see to that we would like completed as soon as possible. Please be well, Commander, we shall see you soon."

Eliza smiled at them, reaching out and squeezing their hands, with them returning the gesture as they left. Celosia and her group approached. "We shall be where we always are—save for me, occasionally. I think I might bother Tygan for a few things now, in fact." She turned back towards her lovers. "Is that alright?"

"Of course, love." Rodin patted her shoulder. "Just be safe—we might escort you there, hm?"

She laughed. "Fine. Until then, Eliza."

"Until then."

Eliza could see a pattern forming. Jax took Eliza's hand and ever so gently kissed it, making her heart flutter. "I cannot stay long, either. The tailors will be ecstatic to hear of this and will assuredly want to make me some impressive outfits. Perhaps I can put in a good word for some of your own?"

"Sweaters," she requested. "Maybe some mildly fancy tank tops...?"

Jax laughed, standing up. "That I can see about. Sister? I'm sure they will wish to do the same for you."

Fal-Mai nodded, taking Eliza's hand again. "I... I cannot tell you how excited I am. I—I love you, Eliza, and I can't wait."

She practically bounced to her feet, and before they left, Lucifer floated down and nuzzled her. "I'm looking forward to it all," he murmured. "I'm glad we're all so happy."

With that, they left, leaving Bradford and Volk. Volk sighed. "Well, I've got other things to handle today, unfortunately. I'll be seeing you soon, Liz. Take care of yourself, ok?"

"Ok," she returned.

Volk smiled at her once more, reaching over on his desk. The screen darkened, and Bradford lowered the datapad. "—I'll get this back over to Wukong and give you the rest of the day off, alright?"

"Alright. And... ask about that betting thing that was going on."

Bradford narrowed his eyes. "What."

Oh, boy. Eliza chuckled. "Well, the soldiers admitted that they were running a betting pool in who would confess to me first, or vice versa. I guess anyone who bet on Fal-Mai won."

"For the love of..." Bradford groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm gonna kill all of them, Liz. It's what I'm going to do. Stop me."

"Mmm... I'll think about it?"

That got him to laugh, and as he looked at Eliza, his eyes were so soft, softer than they had been in years. "... took us this long. Has this all made us so cynical that we couldn't believe it?"

"Maybe." She took one of his hands, eyes darting away for a moment before they locked with his. "And... and maybe, tomorrow, I can really get into why I held off. We'll talk to each other more about ourselves more, and... I promise to get into more of what's bothering me. Ok?"

Bradford smiled, gently putting the datapad on the floor and moving closer, his fingers lacing between hers. "Ok. I... I love you, Eliza. Always have. Always will."

She smiled right back, and in that moment of shining hope, of a feeling of joy deep inside of her, she leaned forward. Her and Bradford's lips met and she kissed him, pulling away after a few seconds. "I love you too, Bradford. Always have. Always will."

Bradford looked stunned, but recovered afterwards, chuckling even as some color tinged his face. "—warn me next time, Liz. Not that I'm complaining it happened. Thank you." He then cleared his throat. "But, right. Your day off." He picked up the datapad with one hand, but it was clear that he was reluctant to leave Eliza's side. "Just... take it easy today. You and I will get into it tomorrow, and maybe be the couple everyone else thought we were, right?"

"Right. You take it easy, too." She patted the back of his hand. "No need for you to work yourself into the ground as well."

"Pot, stop calling me black," he muttered, finally pulling his hand away. "Still, point taken. Take care of yourself, Liz."

"Take care."

Bradford then left the room, leaving silence in his wake. Eliza was left to sit there, love glowing in her chest. She... she did it. All of them, she was with all of them. They could make it all work.

Underneath all that love... there was a tangible feeling of hope. She felt like she had two people's worth of it inside of her, radiating and making the future seem bright. Things will get better, as they always have, a rather loud thought went. They always will. She agreed with that.

Eliza grinned. "Took me long enough, huh."