~*T*~

"I'm bored," Alec greeted them, "Can I help you destroy gangs?"

"I don't know, how would you help?"

"Fetch donuts and make coffee?"

"Sounds good, you're hired, how's 60 thou a year sound?"

"Aren't I already getting paid?"

"Yeah, but it's hard to have a car and rent a place on 24 thou a year."

"Yeah, that might be nice. Can you get me legal enough to drive?"

"Hmm," Luna thought a moment, "It'll take a bunch of lawyering."

"Take it out of my new wages."

Luna smiled, "I'll do that."

~*i*~

"Yeah, he appeared in front of me, handed me the note, and dissolved into ash," Yuubara said, a little shaken, "If he'd handed me a grenade I'd be dead."

"You probably would have had time to throw it."

"Not for sure, and not far enough."

"What's the note say?"

"Lung wants to discuss terms."

"For what?"

"His continued operations."

~*i*~

"Uahh," Anne sighed, "Time to make a new shell, already," she wiggled her finger into the small hole in the outermost plate, "How much more," she paused, "Worse? dangerous? do anti-armor weapons get?"

"Pretty fucking bad, freckles," Sophia sighed, taking off her mask.

"How much armor do I need?"

"If you're using mild steel? Another five layers and you might be safe from everything you couldn't see coming," she paused, "Well, laser-guided 155 rounds would probably kill you, but not puncture your shell."

"Oh, joy."

"Unless the Army's after you, or the air force, double your armor thickness and you should be safe from anything hand-held. Three-foot diameter EFP buried in the street, a couple thousand pounds of HE in the storm sewer, those'd kill you, but they'd be obvious, so Taylor should know about them before you're in danger."

"You say the sweetest, most comforting things, you know that?"

"Anything to get a kiss from a pretty girl with freckles."

"Yeah, right."

"Really."

Anne held out her index and middle fingers, "Lick."

She moaned as Sophia wrapped her tongue around them.

Sophia smiled back around her fingers.

~*i*~

Harry set the last cone on an orange X, looked around, and started back to where she'd parked, where Luna was leaning on the little blue car.

"She needs a name," she said, when she got to the car, looked up to the sky, "Is it going to rain?"

"Yeah, your Miata does need a name," Luna agreed, "And the rain'll hold off for a few hours."

Harry climbed inside, unzipped the back window, and laid it flat on the towel, then put another towel over it. She squirmed around, opened the latch on the passenger side, then the drivers, and folded the top back. She flipped open the lid for the center console, then pulled the lever for the trunk release. She closed the drivers side latch on her way to the trunk. The top boot is retrieved, the trunk closed again, and she folded the passenger side latch closed.

She installed the boot over the top, plastic channel at the back, and pull-to-release snaps to hold it down in the front.

Luna watched, smiling, "So you like her?"

Harry blinked, eyes shiny, "You gave her to me," she said, then grinned, "And she's very pretty."

"I'm glad," Luna said.

~*i*~

Harry watched the tach, 5,000 RPM, checked the course again, lot empty, and let the clutch out, Luna quiet in the passenger seat. The tires chirped, then the car surged forward, 2, 3, brake, left, gas, 3, brake, right, 2, gas, brake, left, gas . . .

"That was a lot of fun," Harry told Luna about thirty seconds later, "Thank you," and leaned in for a kiss.

~*i*~

"You ever wonder if Amy did something to you to make you like girls?" Anne carded her fingers through Sophia's wooly black hair.

"Nope," Sophia said, "Girls have been it for me since, like, I could walk. Taylor just showed me that the world wouldn't end if I actually admitted it."

"It's twenty-fucking-eleven, and you were worried about being gay?"

"Might not have been a Nazi, but I heard a lot of hostile-life-environment jokes in my neighborhood."

"I never liked anyone until after I met Amy, then, it's like, oh, her hair's gorgeous, I want to run my fingers through it. She's so pretty, I want to kiss her. He's kinda cute, could I get away with hugging him?" She paused, "I really like your hair better this way."

"It's such a bother, though. I hate washing it."

"Might be why some people go for dreadlocks," Anne said, "Could I wash it for you?"

"That's a bit past friends with benefits."

Anne met her gaze, "Would you be my girlfriend and let me wash your glorious afro?"

"Let me think about it."

Anne slumped, flopped over on the bed, crossed her arms over the covers, and pouted. Mightily.

"OK, I've thought about it, that sounds wonderful."

Anne kept pouting.

Sophia rolled over on top of her, braced her hands on either side of her shoulders, "Would you be my girlfriend, and help wash this kinky mess of hair you like?"

Anne's lips twitched, then she went back to pouting.

"Please?" Sophia asked, leaning in close, staring down into the other girl's bright green eyes, "Please?"

"OK," Anne said, then wrapped her arms around Sophia's neck to pull herself up for a kiss.

~*i*~

"Makoto," Harry said. He nodded decisively for emphasis.

"Oh?" Hermione asked, continuing to read her book.

"For the Miata."

"OK," Luna smiled, "Why?"

"It means sincerely, or something close to that," Harry answered.

"And?" Luna prompted.

Harry blushed just the tips of his ears turning pink, "Favorite Sailor Moon character."

"Why's that?" Hermione asked, closing her book around her fingers.

"Curly brown hair and green eyes? Tough but vulnerable?" the blush spread down his ears.

"Um?"

Harry looked down and away.

Luna looked at him a moment, then explained, "Your hair and his eyes? On a girl who needs only a tiny bit of looking after, who's growing up to be an independent person?"

Hermione's eyes widened, she smiled, and her cheeks tinged pink, "That's a nice thought."

Harry looked up, and smiled back.

~*T*~