[color=fff79a]"We'll take you to the garage,"[/color] said Ayem, slipping easily back into conversation. For someone so conspicuous, she made a good job of standing aside. [color=fff79a]"Have you ever been through a carwash?"[/color]

As Mary kept up her usual running commentary, Ayem rolled her wrists for Grazia's benefit, then sheathed her hands to offer one to the stranger. [color=fff79a]"Ayem Moestadja- Glad you like them. Yours, too. Sorry about Mary here. I just picked her up."[/color] Off the street, of course. That was sufficient explanation for most people when it came to weird companions.

[color=fff79a][i]Pink hair,[/i][/color] she noted along with that thought. [color=fff79a][i]Pink hair. Acne. Glasses. False teeth. A man named Atticus.[/i][/color] A set of clues. There was always a set of clues.

Still, whatever breed of spirit Mary was, she clearly had powerful constancy. She was quite possibly even corporeal, given that the pink-haired newcomer had reacted so quickly.

[color=fff79a]"We'll be on our way,"[/color] dipped Ayem in a slight bow. [color=fff79a]"Unless you'd like to... Help out."[/color]