The door to the guest room where the other girls were had two knights in front of it, with two more at either end of the hall. Maria supposed that given the fiancées of two princes were inside, as well as the daughter of the prime minister, it wasn't excessive. All the knights turned to look at her as she approached, staring at the blood.

Maria nodded genially to them. "Good evening," she said.

Eventually the knights knocked on the door after the squire identified her, and the door opened a crack. An eye looked out, took one look at her, and slammed the door shut. Maria stared at it, bemused.

"Who was at the door, Mary?" she heard a muffled voice ask.

"Some suspicious person," probably Lady Hunt said.

Maria turned to the knights. "Can we knock again?"

With an air of patient amusement, the knight knocked again.

This time the door opened all the way. A perambulatory eggplant with Katarina's face greeted her with a smile. "Lady Maria! Did you see a suspicious person around? Mary said she saw one– OH MY GOSH, YOU'RE COVERED IN BLOOD! Are you all right? Ah, a doctor! We need a doctor!"

"It's not my blood, Lady Katarina," Maria said. "May I come in?"

"Oh, that's a relief," Katarina sighed. "Well, if you're here I guess the suspicious person must have gone away. Come on in, they sent hot water for the bath." She looked out at the hall and nodded at the knights. "Good night Galad, Gawyne, Lan, Rand, Ingtar, Hurin and… I'm sorry, you must be a new squire, I don't know you."

"…" the squire looked crestfallen.

"Oh, right, good night Jenny," Katarina said cheerfully.

Maria looked around at knights, who'd all nodded at a particular name. They looked completely alike. One of them met her gaze and sort of shrugged. Maria supposed that was all the answer she was getting.

She stepped into the guest room to find everyone seated on the carpet on the floor, leaning on pillows and cushions pilfered from the bed and sofa and wearing various kinds of nights gowns and… vegetable themed full body suits? Maria stared at Lady Hunt, who appeared to be wearing a carrot-themed… garment, and Sophia, who was apparently a spring onion. Diana, Lady Langdoor, Lady Redmane and Lady Tucker of the remaining student council all wore more conventional sleepwear, though in Lady Tucker's case it seemed to be of less fine weave than the others. Anne Shelley the other girls servants, and a pair of castle servant all stood discreetly along one wall, in case their ladies needed something, save for Lady Tucker. She was the only one besides Maria who lacked a lady's maid due to her family's circumstances. All in all it was a very private, intimate setting

"Everyone's here!" Katarina the eggplant said enthusiastically.

"Lady Maria, are you all right?" Sophia gasped as she saw the blood on Maria's clothes. The maids gasped as well.

"I'm fine," Maria said, careful to avoid the carpet. Carefully, she took off her coat and handed it to one of the castle servants, who eyed the blood, then the apparent lack of wounds on Maria. "Have this laundered and ready by morning."

"Yes, your ladyship," she said, while the other servant readied the bath.

"If you'll excuse me ladies, I need to perform ablutions," Maria said.

So saying, she went to her bags, took out some rags and tools, and began cleaning her gun and saber.

There was a brief silence as the others stared at her.

"Yep, that seems about right for Maria's priorities," Sophia said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"What happened, Lady Maria?" Diana said as Maria cleaned the barrel. "Was the intruder caught?"

"Unfortunately not," Maria said. "The intruder incapacitated several Royal Guards before making her escape using the cover of darkness to hide. The knights are searching, but I'm afraid the trail might be lost."

"And the blood? On you, I mean," Lady Hunt said warily.

"I encountered the intruder, and attempted to subdue her, but she managed to escape," Maria said. "Hence her blood on me."

"Oh no!" Katarina said. "Is she going to be all right?"

"Probably," Maria sighed. "She stole Black Lifegems, so she should be able to heal her wounds."

There was a gasp from all except Katarina, who only tilted her head.

"The fiend!" Lady Redmane said indignantly. Maria recalled she had a sister who'd died of a childhood illness. It was not unlikely Lady Redmane had a memorial at her home where her sister's Lifegem was enshrined. "I hope they catch her soon!"

Maria found that unlikely. Dark Magic was very convenient for not getting caught.

"Um, well, at least everything is all right now," Katarina said. "And that we could still have our sleepover!"

"Speaking of continuing events," Maria said, "is there any word on Vice-Director Walt?"

"Eh, sorry Maria," Sophia said. "He said he'll be stuck checking all the other guests and using his Light Magic."

Maria sighed in disappointment. "A pity…"

"Um… so! How did you like the nightflowers tonight?" Sophia chirped to desperately change the subject.

As Maria continued cleaning her weapons, forced conversation became true gossiping as people allowed themselves to be distracted, which was easy since Katarina was already in a base state of distracted and the room simply followed her cue. When that was finished, she went to take a bath.

Bathed and free of blood (sigh), she changed into her sleepwear and finally went to join the others at the carpet. Seating herself comfortably and leaning back on the bed, one knee raised.

There was a lull in the conversation and everyone trailed off, starring at her. Well, except for those who did the exact opposite and stared at anything but her. Maria checked herself over, but she was sure she'd managed to get all the blood off, especially from her hair. Blood tasted wonderful, but it was terrible when it dried on hair.

"""…"""

"Fine, I'll say it," Lady Hunt said. "Lady Campbell, why are you naked?"

"I thought we were supposed to wear our sleepwear during a sleepover?" Maria said.

"Yes, but that still doesn't explain why you're naked," Lady Hunt said.

"I sleep in the nude," Maria said, wondering what was so hard to understand about this.

There was a moment's pause.

"Don't you have a nightgown?" Lady Landoor asked. "At all?"

"Not since I was ten and decided my room was too hot to sleep in while wearing anything," Maria said.

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Maria said, rising.

"NO!" everyone cried, even the servants.

Lady Hunt grabbed the comforter on the bed and threw it over Maria. "Put that on," she said as she rose and headed towards the door. "Are you decent?"

"I'm sitting naked under a blanket," Maria said, who hadn't moved since the blanket had dropped on her like a net.

"That's probably the best we could hope for," Lady Hunt said, and opened the door a crack. "Yes? Oh, Lady Selena! What a surprise!"

"Good evening Lady Hunt," came Lady Berg's voice. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I came to check if you were all right. There something about Lady Maria walking around covered in blood?"

"Selena!" Katarina cried. "Wanna join our sleepover?"

There was a pause. "That's not anything, um…"

"No, it's basically a late-night private tea party until morning in our sleeping clothes," Lady Hunt said quickly. "It was Katarina's idea."

"Ah, that explains it. Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose…"

"It's fine!' Katarina called. "The more friends the better!"

Maria coughed under her blanket. "Won't she need her nightclothes?"

She heard the door opening and someone, probably Lady Berg, entering. "Oh, that's all right, I'll have one of the servants fetch the nightgown I keep in the castle, it shouldn't take long."

There was an awkward pause as everyone, including Lady Berg, seemed to realized what she'd just said.

"Nothing scandalous! I have a guest room reserved for when I stay too late to go back to my manor!" Lady Berg said, sounding briefly like the old, insecure Lady Berg. "Uh, who is that under a blanket? And why do they have a blanket covering them?"

Maria pushed off the blanket, revealing herself. "It's only me, Lady Berg."

"Lady Campbell!" Lady Berg stared at her, and bloodtinge covered her face. "W-why are you naked? I thought this wasn't anything, um…"

"The specified mode of dress was sleepwear," Maria explained. "I sleep in the nude."

"Oh," Lady Berg said, seeming to think it over. "I suppose that… explains it?"

"Don't worry Maria, you didn't know any better," Katarina said. "Tell you what, I'll have pajamas made for you that you can wear for our next sleepover. In fact, I'll make one for everyone! How do you feel about being a radish?"

Maria considered it. "I have no feelings for or against being a radish," she said.

"I'm fine being anything you want me to be, Lady Katarina!" Lady Tucker said.

Maria was glad they no longer attended school together, that was the sort of language that might lead to Lady Hunt hiring assassins after you. And Ginger Tucker was too nice of a girl to die like that.