Holly sat in one of Artemis' many guest rooms. The bed was some incredibly high-count Egyptian-weave nightmare on a ridiculously soft mattress. The walls were covered in a pleasant beige wallpaper with some undoubtedly expensive paintings and tasteful wood paneling breaking up the monotony.

The elf sat by the window on a stool, feeding Nopal some fruit. It was open, and a breeze came in, ruffling the gossamer inner curtains. Gods, Artemis had two sets of curtains to a window.

Normally, Holly would be weary of sitting so close to a window, even somewhere as isolated as Fowl Manor. One clear picture and there was the risk the People's cover would be blown wide-open. But right now? It's not like the internet was up, and even if it was, the humans had more important things to deal with.

All of that was courtesy of a pixie whom Holly was currently tormenting. Relatively speaking. She was holding a piece of watermelon, dangling it just out of the clone's reach. Nopal was nipping at it. After struggling in vain for several more seconds, she collapsed, her neck muscles not accustomed to the strain.

"Holly," she whined, panting slightly. "I want the watermelon."

"Since you asked so nicely," the elf relented. She popped the red cube into Nopal's mouth, who chewed it with vigor. She had done so with just about everything in the large salad bowl that Holly had carried in. Butler had prepared it in the kitchen, though when Holly had gone to retrieve it, she could read the manservant's ill grace from the way that he nearly sliced through the cutting board.

She was probably going to have to talk to him. And Artemis. Holly sighed. She didn't know herself why she was doing this. But it was difficult to reconcile the image of the cackling Opal Koboi who shot lightning bolts and nearly blew a hole in the crust in an effort to expose the People with the pixie before her.

She contented herself with offering Nopal a cucumber slice, which the pixie greedily devoured.

"Don't you ever get full?" Holly asked, glancing at the now mostly empty bowl. The elf guessed she could probably make it about half-way through the massive helping before being too full to eat another leaf. Mulch could probably finish the whole thing in several bites, but as that would involve eating fruit and vegetables, he'd probably pass on it.

"I haven't gotten full yet," Nopal answered, "so I don't know. I need to eat more to find out. Eating is very fun, though."

Holly couldn't help but laugh at that. Nopal rewarded her with a soft giggle. Holly being happy was always a fun thing for Nopal. It was a good look on her.

For Holly, it was endlessly fascinating what Nopal—or at least how Opal was playing the character of Nopal—knew and what she didn't. Artemis had run some tests earlier and shown her old parts of a disassembled LEP helmet. Nopal was able to identify every single piece and what it did. Holly didn't even know the helmet had all those functions. Then the pixie would say something along the lines of "eating is fun."

She hadn't even asked to take off the straitjacket at any point. Of course, if she did, that would have made Holly instantly suspicious, not to mention the fact that if Holly had even thought about taking off the restraints Artemis and Butler would have had collective aneurysms. Still, it seemed Nopal didn't even have a conception that she could have the straitjacket taken off.

"Say, Nopal."

"Yes, Holly?"

"Are you uncomfortable at all? Do you need anything?" she probed.

Nopal thought about this. She had a blanket, a soft bed, and food. It was good food. She had some wounds in her tongue and mouth where she had repeatedly bit herself figuring out how to chew, but she wasn't going to complain about that. She couldn't move, but then again, that wasn't all that unusual. All in all, she felt quite satisfied.

"Nothing," Nopal eventually answered. "I'm perfectly content."

Huh, Holly mused. How serene.

"Well, maybe later if you pass Arty and the big man's tests we'll let you out of..." Holly gestured towards Nopal's straitjacket, "this."

Nopal cocked her head, a polite smile of perfect confusion on her face.

"Why remove the straitjacket? It is okay if I don't move."

Holly felt mildly disturbed by that. There was a specter of her old claustrophobia sneaking in, she knew that. But she thought again about Nopal's life, how it was unasked and unwanted. How the pixie saw nothing wrong with being bound like a lunatic. Her stomach twisted.

Holly shook her head and ran a hand through the pixie's hair. It was grimy and tangled. She had to admit, if Opal was tricking her, and a small, dark part of her did think that, contrary to what Artemis and Butler might think, then she might just kill the fairy in front of her.

In the moment though, she watched Nopal's expression as the simple physical contact melted her. Holly's fingers left the pixie's skin and she whimpered.

"Holly, you asked me if I needed anything, right? I did not want anything when you asked me, but now I have something I want." The words came out in a rush, as if Holly's touch had broken fourth a dam.

Holly quirked an eyebrow, interested.

"And what would that be?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Please," Nopal gasped, "please touch my forehead again. Your fingers are very warm, and it was my favorite when I was in the incubator."

The elf froze. Gods. She wanted so desperately to believe. Yet the pragmatic part of her brain whispered to her, coming from the very dark recesses where she didn't like to go. You may have to kill her.

I know, d'arvit, she hissed at herself. But look at her!

Holly reached out her calloused, nut-brown fingers and gently laid them on Nopal's forehead. She made a sound of delight and nuzzled the digits. There was a desperation to it, like how a kitten clings to their mother. Nopal had waited so very long for this.

For a long time, neither said anything, basking in the moment. Nopal had to break contact after a while though. Her neck couldn't quite support itself fully, and she dutifully laid her head back on a plush pillow. She had a silly smile sprawled over her delicate features.

"Warm," the clone said simply.

Holly rested her cheek against her palm. She sat there, just looking, as Nopal drifted peacefully off to sleep.