[3-A] Title: Melt It!

"I hear her mom's a thief!"

The speaker was a local boy, big for his age, with short brown hair and a permanent sneer. Yang had never bothered learning his name. Instead, she called him 'Pig,' after the way he snorted when he laughed. His indigo eyes glittered cruelly as he shoved her.

Yang stumbled backwards, but she didn't fall. She glared at him and said nothing.

"My uncle says she kills people," another boy added. His ridiculous mohawk bobbed up and down as he jabbed a finger at her.

The blue-haired boy behind her snickered, but his hands were shaking. "She's feral, that's what she is. She came from the forest and had a freak for a daughter." Yang growled at him, and for a second he was cowed—it helped that he was a few inches shorter than her. Then he remembered he wasn't alone and gave her a push towards one of the others.

The last boy just stood there, smirking. His eyes narrowed in a permanent squint, something Yang had used to taunt him back last week. That had been the only time he'd picked on her directly, and she'd learned that he was the strongest.

Fighting back was probably a bad idea—Yang wasn't stupid, she knew there were four of them and they'd win. But then one of them yanked her hair, and she stopped caring. When she whirled around, she noticed it was the idiot with the mohawk. Her fist connected with his jaw and he crumpled. The others made startled noises, but she'd already ducked through the space where he had been and bolted.

"Get her!" shouted Pig, but he was slow and she had a head start.

Yang relished the feeling of her boots pounding the sidewalk, the crunch of snow underfoot. It didn't take long for her to outdistance most of the boys.

Most. The blond one with the squint was keeping up. Yang was tempted to just fight him. Probably she'd win—her uncle had taught her a lot—but she wasn't sure. The bully knew how to fight too, and when you were both twelve being ten months older made a big difference. Even if she won, she'd come home bruised and he'd start the fight again tomorrow.

She veered off towards the woods instead. If she could jump the fence, she might lose him. If she made it to the trees, she definitely would. She knew the forest better than all the other kids combined.

By the time Yang ran out of sidewalk and was slogging through the snow on the outskirts of town, he was almost on her. She scooped up a ball of snow and flung it. It hit him right in the face.

He swore at her as she reached the fence and climbed to the top. Yang laughed, made a rude gesture at him (she'd learned that from her uncle, too), and dropped to the other side. She landed in a roll and popped to her feet, covered in melting snow. The boy went sulking back to his stupid friends.

"Eat that!" she whooped.

Yang soon left the fence behind. Her home was way off in the woods, so she'd have to cross all the fields outside of town to get there. Sometimes she wished she could have grown up in the town like a normal girl. She was an only child, so it got lonely without any friends, but her classmates were jerks anyway. Better to be alone than hang out with Pig and his cronies.

She kicked at the snow, enjoying the way it puffed up in little white clouds. Just as she looked up to see how far she had to go, she spotted a small figure standing in the middle of the field. When she got closer, she realized it wasn't a person like she'd thought, not exactly—it was the sculpture of one, a young girl made of clear blue ice. Yang circled her, taking in the way every frill of her dress had been painstakingly carved. She poked the statue's cheek. It was smooth, and cold as ice. Obviously.

Her posture was bizarre. She was leaning forward, reaching out with her left hand as if to grab something out of the air. Her expression was somewhere between shock and panic, and more than a little creepy. Yang followed her gaze and found something half buried in the snow. Kneeling down, she picked up a silver looking crown. On a whim, she put it on the statue. It fit perfectly.

Yang circled around again, marveling at the carver's skill. They had even shaped each strand of hair, blowing in the breeze—

Wait. What?

She squinted at the sculpture's ponytail. She wasn't seeing things—there were hairs moving. As soon as she noticed it, she realized that there was color leeching into the statue as well. Mostly the color white. This thing was waking up.

"Um," she squeaked, as the girl's mouth twitched. The... melting, or whatever it was, accelerated until her dress flowed around her and her chest rose and fell, taking in the crisp winter air. She took a wobbly step, made a noise in the back of her throat, and tipped over.

Yang, acting on instincts she didn't even know she had, reached out and caught her. It wasn't hard—she was strong for her age and size, and this girl would weigh maybe ninety pounds soaking wet.

The second the strange girl touched her arms, she flinched away as if burned. Shoving Yang hard in the gut, she sent both of them toppling into the snow.

Yang sat up and spat out snow and grass. "What was that for?"

The other girl had landed more gracefully, but her hair was full of snow. It wasn't melting. "You were manhandling me," she snapped.

Yang was tempted to call her an ingrate, a word she'd learned last week from her mother. Instead she rolled to her feet and reached out to help the girl up. "I'm Yang. What's your name?"

The ex-statue narrowed her eyes, staring at Yang's hand like it was covered in wasps. She got up on her own, folded her arms, and said, "Weiss."

"Nice to meet you." Yang did know how to be polite, whatever her teachers said.

"...Likewise."

"Are you a snowman?" She knew how to be polite... she just didn't always see the point.

Weiss scowled at her.

"I mean, do you always hang around in fields, or...?"

"Do you always poke people when you meet them?"

Yang flushed. "Hey, I didn't know you were alive!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Most statues don't start moving. How was I supposed to know you would?"

"I— You— Ugh."

I win.

"So, what are you doing here?" Yang asked, glancing around the empty field.

"None of your business!"

"Sorry. I just meant, um... maybe I could help?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes like she was trying to melt her with a glare—which would've been kind of ironic—then deflated.

"I'm... looking for my sister."

"What, is she missing?"

"No. Or, well... I don't know where she is, but she left on purpose."

"That sounds pretty missing to me."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "The point is, I need to find her. And to do that I have to get home."

"Where's home?"

"The North Pole."

There was an awkward silence. Weiss fidgeted in place, and Yang went cross-eyed trying process what she'd just said. It went in through her ears just fine, but when she tried to make sense of it all she came up with was a polar bear in a knitted sweater.

"The North Pole," she repeated dumbly. "Like, with Santa—"

"Yes!" Weiss snapped. "Do you want to help me, or not?"

"And, like... elves?"

"Obviously."

"Right, duh. Except... they're not real?" Yang said hesitantly. Suddenly her third grade teacher didn't seem like such an expert. It probably had something to do with the ice sculpture coming to life.

Weiss crossed her arms and glared.

"But... really? The North Pole? Like with polar bears and penguins and—"

"There aren't penguins, you buffoon. Those live in Antarctica, on the opposite side of the planet."

Yang blinked. "Yeah, 'cause out of everything I just said, that was the crazy part."

"Ugh!" Weiss threw her hands up, exasperated.

"So... you actually want to go to the North Pole."

"Yes."

That couldn't possibly work. They were both kids, there was no way they could go to the ends of the earth without so much as a permission slip. Then again, the easiest way to find out...

"I'll go with you," she decided. "I mean, if you want me to."

Weiss stared at her. "You're serious."

"Yep!"

"Are all humans this impulsive?"

"Nah, I'm just that awesome!" Her grin wavered a bit under Weiss' incredulous stare.

"Well, I suppose I am having some trouble navigating your human transportation."

"Need a ticket, huh?"

"Apparently." Weiss made a face. "I didn't know you had to pay, so... I just walked onto the ship."

"You were a stowaway? I totally want to try that!"

"No! I was almost cornered by a pair of guards, and they kept shouting about giving me a rest." A horrified expression flashed across her face. "Did they mean rest, as in dead?"

Yang tried not to laugh—she really, really did. But it was a losing battle, and it wasn't like being bent double with a fist in her mouth was better, so she just went with it.

"Are you mocking me?!"

"Hah, no! I mean... heh, it's kind of funny."

"If you think near death experiences are amusing, then—"

"They weren't going to attack you! They were police, they probably would've just called your parents or something."

"Called my parents?!" Weiss yelped, like that was somehow even worse.

"Yeah, um... look, I can pay for the tickets," Yang said, "and I'll help you keep up with our human customs. Deal?"

"What do you get out of this?"

"Adventure!" Yang spread her arms and struck a pose.

Weiss looked unconvinced.

"Okay... um..." Yang tried to think of what to ask for and had a flash of inspiration. "I want proof!"

"Excuse me?"

"I want to meet an elf. 'Cause... my parents and my teachers and pretty much everyone at school keeps telling me they don't exist." Yang decided not to mention that she'd never really believed in Santa when she was little—her mother had been quick to tell her he wasn't real, and there hadn't been any presents or a tree to put them under.

Weiss rolled her eyes. Yang, struck by a sudden mischievous urge—something that tended to give her teachers premature grey hairs—grabbed her by the wrist and sprinted off through the snow. She shrieked, dug in her heels, and yanked the hand away.

"What?" Yang called out playfully. "Don't you want to get going?"

"Don't touch me," Weiss snapped.

"Oh. Um... sorry."

They walked for almost ten minutes before Weiss broke the silence. "Where are we going, anyway? Is this north?"

Yang stopped, looked around, and grinned sheepishly. "Actually..."

A twitch began in Weiss' left eye. "You don't know, do you?"

"Nope!"

"What kind of guide doesn't know where they're going?!"

"I do too know where we're going!" she protested. "I just... haven't been walking in that direction."

"So turn around."

"Okay! To the train station!"

The station was where Yang had first arrived in Vale when she was five. She'd been so excited she'd jumped off the train while it was still moving and sprained her ankle. Since then she hadn't needed to go there much, but she'd always loved the place. It was probably the hustle and bustle, the way everyone was ready to go somewhere and do something. She was in her element here, ready to take on the world.

Weiss looked like she might throw up.

"Can we get on the train now?" she asked, glaring at a commuter that bumped her elbow as he walked by.

"First we have to find one that's going north," Yang said. "By... um... asking someone?"

"I'm starting to think I'd be better off on my own."

"Hey! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even know this place existed!"

"I suppose that's—" Weiss made an odd croaking sound in the back of her throat. "Look at that!" she said with false cheer, then reached out and dragged Yang bodily across the station.

"What are you doing?" Weiss glanced behind them frantically, then ducked her head as if to hide behind a magazine stand.

"Nothing!" She grabbed the nearest issue and buried her face in it. It was an architecture magazine, and probably dense enough to bend light. Yang tried to figure out what had scared her, but before she could Weiss took off again. She finally stopped a few minutes later, behind one of the waiting trains.

"What's going on?"

Weiss glanced warily over her shoulder and whispered, "It's the White Fang."

"Um... what's the White Fang?"

"My father's workers. At least... they used to be. They want—" She looked around again, leaned in closer, and tapped the crown on her head. "This."

"Why would they want your crown?"

"It's a tiara," Weiss snapped. "And why do you think? It's a powerful artifact!"

"Well, yeah." It was a bit dainty for Yang's taste, but she had seen it breathe life into an ice statue. "It just seems like it's kinda... specific."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "That's not all it does."

"Okay... what else does it do? Wait, does it shoot lasers?!"

"What? No! It... well... um... I don't exactly know," she admitted. "But I heard my father talking about it, and he doesn't need it for the same reason I do."

"Why not?"

"He's not made of ice," Weiss said, as if that was obvious.

"Okay, sure." Thinking of the talk she'd had with her uncle, Yang wondered how that would even work. Then she violently derailed that train of thought. "What do we do about the guys that are after you, then? I mean, are they going to try to steal it?"

Weiss shifted uncomfortably. "They, um... they sort of want to kill me."

Holding her hands up and frantically making a time-out sign, Yang edged away from Weiss before she remembered she had her back to a wall. "Hang on. Whoa. I did not sign up to fight murderers!"

"We aren't going to fight them!" Weiss hissed. "Don't be idiotic."

Yang laughed. "Okay, sure. What do we do then, oh glorious leader?"

"We run. Obviously. And keep an eye out for them."

"What do they look like?"

"They wear white masks, with some red markings on them. And their leader..." Weiss winced. "Red hair, and horns on his head."

"Wha—horns?"

"Yes, now let's go!"

Yang had to jog to keep up as Weiss disappeared into the crowd. When she managed to catch up, she grabbed the other girl's hand and ignored her dirty look. The last thing she wanted was for them to get separated and fall into the clutches of some terrifying horned monster.

They walked like that for a while, with Yang doing her best to steer them towards the ticket sales booth. Then Weiss whispered, "They've seen us."

"What?" Yang scanned the faces of the crowd around them, but couldn't see anyone in a mask. "Where?" she murmured.

"Right behind us." Weiss tugged her forcefully around a corner. "Come on, we have to—"

"Schnee!"

Yang had been expecting a low, gravelly sort of voice. She only realized the high-pitched squeak was addressing them when Weiss pulled on her arm.

She still couldn't see them—mostly because she was looking for someone who was at least six feet tall. Her gaze panned down, and down... until it rested on a masked man. He had horns curving up from his spiky red hair, and that kind of fit the image Yang had of him. He was also about three feet tall and shaped like a cherub—rounded cheeks, pointy ears, and everything.

He's actually kinda cute, she thought.

At least, he was until he drew a blood-red sword nearly as long as he was tall. A pair of bodyguards fanned out on either side of him. The one on the right was huge by comparison—he came up to about Yang's shoulder—and held a revving chainsaw. The one on his left was an unarmed thug who had decided to wear a pair of round glasses over his mask.

"Um..." Yang wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or scream. She glanced around, but the crowd of adults kept bustling around them like nothing was happening. No help there, then.

"What do you want?" Weiss asked haughtily. The hand Yang was holding was shaking.

"What's ours," the leader squeaked. "Freedom for our brothers and sisters!" He stepped forward, dragging the tip of his sword against the ground so that it screeched ominously. Then he pointed at Weiss' tiara. "Hand it over."

"No."

A wide, toothy smile crept across his face. "Good."

"Run!" Yang really didn't need to be told twice. Or once. The biggest one charging at them with a chainsaw was enough for her to want to be anywhere else.

They fled into the crowd. Weiss weaved back and forth between commuters at random, but the White Fang were gaining on them. If they were going to get away, they had to stop going in circles.

Before she could figure out how, the leader got ahead of them and blocked their way. She lost her grip on Weiss' wrist, and the second they were separated he cut her off. The other two were behind Yang. Chainsaw looked like he couldn't wait to slice her in half. Glasses had pulled a knife during the chase.

"Stop now, or I kill the human!" Horns leveled his sword at her kneecaps. Weiss hesitated, then turned around with her hands raised. Yang, for her part, couldn't look away from the red blade. It was easily the most intimidating thing about him.

"You're mine, now." A menacing grin spread across Horns' face as he spoke. His head wasn't turned so that Weiss could see it, probably because that would make holding Yang hostage kind of hard, but she figured he looked creepy in profile too.

"I won't give it to you."

He glared at her. "Then we'll just have to start removing limbs until—"

The second his head turned away from her, Yang took a running jump. One of her feet clipped his forehead. She stumbled when she landed, then sprinted into the crowd. Finally she spotted a sign for "An Exploration of the Great North," and made a beeline for it.

The departure time on the sign was just five minutes away. All she had to do was stall until she saw the doors closing, and then...

The train started to move.

"Oh, come on!" Yang pushed herself to run faster. A stout woman walked right into her path, pulling a rolling suitcase on behind her. She had two options. She could slow down and go around, or...

Yang sped up. Without stopping to think, she vaulted over the suitcase and hit the ground running, pulling a surprised Weiss behind her. Only the last few cars were left in the station, now. She realized all of a sudden that this, this right here, was the coolest thing she had ever done.

Or it was the coolest thing until she actually caught up to the train. Yang took a flying leap and latched onto a small railing. Her feet were swept out from underneath her. She hung from one hand, reached out with the other to grab Weiss. With a final heave, she dragged the pair of them up onto the floor of the car.

After that, she spent a long time lying on her back and feeling like a cooked noodle.

"That," Yang wheezed, "was... awesome."

"I'm glad someone thinks so."

"Hey, I never signed for this White Gang stuff."

"White Fang."

"Whatever!"

"It's not like I wanted them to chase me, either."

"Who exactly are they, anyway?" Yang asked. "I mean... they didn't look human."

"They're elves."

Yang felt her eye twitch. "Aren't elves supposed to be merry?"

"Most of them are. But they're... well, they're angry about their working conditions. My father said they couldn't have a union, so they made their own."

"Your father," Yang repeated. "He's in charge of the elves."

"Of course."

"Like... their boss."

"That is what being in charge means."

"So, there's nobody above him."

"No! I've already told you twice!"

"Your dad is Santa Claus?!" Yang shouted, leaping to her feet and jabbing an accusatory finger at Weiss. She nodded like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"That's not his name. Just his job."

"But—but—why the heck did you leave home if you live with Santa?!"

Weiss flinched, then turned to stare out at the rolling landscape behind them. "He isn't like your stories."

There was a thick, loaded silence, before she spoke up again. "Besides, I didn't leave. I just... wanted to see what the south was like." She reached up and touched the tiara.

"Okay." Yang glanced at Weiss' headpiece. "Where'd you get that thing, anyway?"

"My sister."

"She gave it to you?"

Being as pale as Weiss was made for some pretty awesome blushes. "Not... exactly."

Cackling, Yang clapped her on the shoulder. "I can't believe you were a stowaway and a thief this whole time!"

"I'm giving it back! I just... needed to go somewhere else for a while."

Yang stopped laughing and smiled warmly. "Me too." They sat together in comfortable silence until her teeth were chattering, then took shelter in one of the cars.

Most of their journey was spent starting out the window at the landscape—and, for a really memorable few hours, oceanscape. Yang tried and failed to resist pressing her face against the glass. They started to snap at each other as it got later, then fell asleep on the floor of the car. They woke up when the train slowed to a halt.

Yang's heart swelled. This was it—the real adventure!

The two of them soon emerged, squinting, into the freezing air. Yang was wearing her warmest winter coat and scarf, but she was already shivering. Weiss didn't seem to notice the cold, even though her legs were bare.

"So, w-where to now?" Yang tried to be cheerful, but the wind felt like it was blowing right through her.

"North."

"You suck, you know that?" Yang followed her anyway. The station disappeared behind them, and Weiss got tenser with every step.

"You okay?" Yang poked her shoulder. Weiss flinched, then glared at her.

"Stop doing that. I'm trying to listen."

"Listen to what?"

Before Weiss could reply, there was a tinny shout and someone—something—jumped out from behind a tumble of rocks. It was a real-life nutcracker, complete with the clacking jaw, bushy mustache, and a hat over two feet tall. It did not look friendly.

"Oh..."

"Miss Schnee," the guard said, snapping a hand up in a stiff salute. "Come with us."

"Um..." Weiss backed up a step. "Of course! I just have an errand to run, if you'll excuse—"

"Now, please," added another voice. They whirled and saw two more nutcrackers coming up from behind them. A chill went down Yang's back—they had dolls' eyes, flat and dead.

"We will be taking that," the first nutcracker said, stretching out a wooden hand and pointing at the tiara. Weiss took off in a dead sprint.

Cursing, Yang tried to follow, but the snow slowed her down. "I hate the north!" she shouted, slipping and sliding down a low hill. At some point her legs got out from under her and she wiped out in a huge snowdrift. Weiss pulled her upright, glancing fearfully over her shoulder at the nutcrackers.

The two of them plowed on. Yang could feel the bottoms of her jeans getting damp and sticking to her calves. The cold seeped right down to her bones.

Weiss grabbed her by her scarf and led her down a smaller path to the side of the main road. The steady crunching of snow changed into sharp cracking sounds. The pine trees disappeared, and they were running across windswept crags of pale blue ice. She'd never seen a glacier before, but this was definitely what she would have pictured.

In less than a minute, Weiss yanked her off-course again. And instead of just grabbing her hand like a normal person, she went for her scarf. Again. Yang made a pointed choking sound as she was led behind a massive ice boulder. For an instant, they were hidden from their pursuers—and Weiss vanished.

Yang wondering if she'd lost the tiara again and blended into the background, until a slim hand tapped her boot. Weiss had slid into a crevasse, and was now staring up at her impatiently. "This way, before they see."

She jumped down without a moments' hesitation, and soon they were walking in the dark down a tunnel that was even colder than outside, which Yang hadn't thought was possible.

"This is the passage I took when I left," Weiss whispered.

"Did you at least have a flashlight or something?" Yang asked, as she tripped over a snag in the floor for what felt like the hundredth time.

"It's not that far." That wasn't really an answer, but the air was finally getting warmer and Yang decided not to complain. Eventually the tunnel ended in what looked a lot like a broom closet.

"Really?" she said, amused. "Your secret tunnel leads to a—"

"It was built a long time ago, okay?"

"Back when secret passages were all the rage?"

Weiss glared at her. Then she opened the door, which shut Yang up immediately. She'd always imagined the north pole as a homey log-cabin that smelled like fresh-baked cookies. This was nothing like that. It was a castle—a pristine, airy castle that smelled like the inside of a freezer. It was cold, too, though not as bad as outside.

"This is your house?"

"Yes," Weiss whispered back. "Keep your voice down. We have to find—"

There was a polite cough from around the corner. Weiss pulled her behind a nearby suit of armor. Yang tried to follow, but there wasn't enough room for both of them. A lone figure walked past them and stopped, peering intently at them over a tray of tea and cookies. He was tall and willowy, with oiled blond hair and a metal wind-up key sticking out of his back.

"Miss Schnee?" Weiss winced, then stepped out of hiding. A placid smile spread across his face as he put down the tray and saluted. "How might I be of service?"

"I need to find Winter." The footman made an apologetic noise.

"Unfortunately, Miss Schnee is not on the premises at the moment. She may return soon, if you would like me to take a message—"

"No!" Weiss blurted. "No, thank you."

The servant bowed so low his nose almost touched the floor. "Of course." His unctuous smile was getting creepy.

Weiss seemed to agree—she backed up and glanced around. Wooden footsteps could be heard. Within seconds, they were surrounded by more nutcrackers, each standing to attention. Yang slipped between a pair of them, dragging Weiss behind her.

They ran, and at first it seemed like Weiss was taking turns at random, just like at the train station. Then she lost half the guards by leading them down a narrow hallway ending in a staircase and sliding down the banister.

But half the group of nutcrackers still left them with four to deal with, and they were fast when they weren't bogged down by snow. Three of them backed Yang into corner and leered down at her. Well, they weren't leering—they were staring at her with the same blank expression they always wore, which was worse.

One of them tried to grab her and stumbled when Weiss shoved it. While it was off-balance, Yang kicked it in the shin as hard as she could. As it fell, it made a final grab for Weiss—and snagged the tiara.

A bewildered look froze on her face. She was leaning forward, both arms outstretched, and started to tip over. Yang caught her before she could hit the ground and bolted for the nearest door. It was barely half as tall as she was, but the nutcrackers moved to block her, and that meant it was an escape route.

Plus it was only about six feet away, which was important since she was dragging a delicate statue that now weighed more than she did. While being chased. Yang threw it open just as the guards caught up to her and sprinted through.

When the ground disappeared from under her, she realized she might have made a mistake. Her stomach flipped as she slid down a narrow chute. She did her best to cushion the Weissicle with her body as they slammed against the walls, because bruises would heal and being shattered into a million bits probably wouldn't.

They landed painfully (for Yang, at least) in a scrap heap. She'd managed not to smash her head or her passenger, and soon struggled to her feet. Loud thumps and clangs came from the chute, and with a surge of panicked energy she dragged Weiss behind a mountain of trash and pulled a frayed blanket over her.

She turned around, and suddenly she was staring directly into the lifeless button eyes of a scruffy teddy bear. Yang had to stuff a hand in her own mouth to muffle first one scream, then another when she realized the bear was moving. It cocked its head and waved an arm at her. She had no idea what else to do, so she waved back.

As stealthily as she could, Yang circled back around the trash pile to take a peek at the guards. They were spreading out, and she could see the silver tiara in the hands of the nearest one. She gathered her courage and snuck up behind it. It walked stiffly, and only noticed her when she jumped on its back and snatched the headpiece.

It stumbled. She jumped off and landed in a crouch, clutching the precious artifact in both hands. The nutcracker had already raised the alarm, and two more of them were running toward her. When she tried to dodge past them she felt a wooden hand close around her arm.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the teddy bear from before standing on a broken microwave, staring at her. She rolled the tiara towards it. It landed in a pile of junk with a muted clink, while Yang blocked the guards' view of it with her body.

"No!" she shouted. "I need to put that tiara on the ice statue!" Yang's acting skills may have needed some work.

The nutcracker hefted her into the air, then grunted in surprise when it realized she wasn't holding the diadem. "Ha! You think you can find it? I threw it as hard as I could, that way!" She pointed dramatically in the opposite direction.

The guards weren't quite as dumb as they looked. They searched the area, but when they didn't find it right away the leader gestured for them to stop. "Bring her in, we'll find Miss Schnee and the artifact later." It lifted Yang easily, even though she kept kicking it in the chest. It bore the abuse with a long-suffering sigh.

Behind them, a fuzzy head poked up from behind a broken tea set. Yang really hoped it was smart enough to understand what she'd just asked.

...And that it wasn't as murderous as it looked. 'Living doll' wasn't the kind of thing you wanted within ten miles of you, let alone something to count on in a crisis.