[b]Sagacious Crane![/b]

“What has she [i]done?[/i]” You glance from one to the other, this odd pair who happen to be on the road this morning. The incongruity of a Hymairean leading around an oddly familiar highlander hasn’t quite sunk in yet. You feel like you’ve seen her before. Tip of your tongue. Maybe if you hadn’t been chasing that ridiculous fox all night long, you would have remembered… the recollection slips away as you take another sip of tea. You have more important things to think about right now, after all.

“She is a barely civilized menace!” Your voice rises to a somewhat undignified squeak. “She has disrupted festivals, attacked Dominion soldiers, dumped priestesses in rivers, refused instruction, and— did I mention that she is assaulting Dominion patrols? If she is not brought to heel soon, she might convince the Red Wolf that we are not serious about peaceful coexistence!”

You push the teacup and saucer to one side so that you can lean forward. “And if the Dominion is convinced that we cannot live in peace with them, then they will invade in force. Do you think our knights can hold off an actual Dominion legion? I thought not.” (You are, of course, repeating the wisdom of your elders. But there is no shame in that; the elder priestesses have lived their whole lives in the pursuit of wisdom and noble service to the Sapphire Mother. One day you will be one of them, garlanded in sapphires, respected with a reverent hush whenever you enter a room.) “The longer she runs around doing whatever she pleases, the more risk she puts everyone in the Flower Kingdoms… into! You understand me, right, Giriel?”

It takes a moment to sink in.

“…Giriel!!” Your eyes shoot open as you finally place face to name. “Giri, darling, forgive me, I didn’t recognize the new… look!” Thank blossoms she can’t see the color rising to your cheeks as you look her over. “It’s certainly… you’re very… are you enjoying yourself?” What you are feeling is most certainly mot envy. That would be ridiculous. Why would you want to hold that leash, hmm?

[hr]

[b]Fengye![/b]

The Maid laughs. And in that laugh there is a faint echo of her former magnitude, her former glories. She pushes you back down onto the sled as if it is nothing. “That’s right. Cutie. That is your title from now on. Maybe I should even engrave it on a collar. To help you remember.”

“Oh, we can help with that,” says the N’yari looming out of the shadows of the trees. You recognize her as one of the raiders that Zhaojun tried to mobilize in her schemes— and that means she’s definitely not alone. The look on the Maid’s face is incredulous, but it’s clear that she has no idea how much trouble the two of you are in.

[hr]

[b]Kalaya![/b]

[i]Beneath the water lies my heart,
where I let it fall;
and though the banks echo my song,
I have lost it all.[/i]

[i]Dragonbreaker[/i] lies at the bottom of the Green River, pulled down by Dima’s jealous ex, the spirit of the river. She and Silver Currents knew each other so, so well— they were perfect dance partners.

Then Dima met the Red Wolf.

[i]And when I saw her locks of scarlet hair,
which shone like fire,
I, most wretched worm, most awful beast—
I knew desire.[/i]

She (in her own words) seduced a naïve, wide-eyed diplomat from the Dominion, who had no idea that she was on a relationship with Silver Currents. Then Silver Currents found out. Now there is no ship sailing up and down the Green River, keeping common folk safe from river dragons and bandits.

And now she is convinced that she might just be the worst person in the whole world.

But even so, she might be convinced by you, Kalaya-[i]phraya[/i], that she is not irredeemable. She’s not likely to believe awful stories about Agata directly, but perhaps you can convince her that making one mistake is something that can be fixed.

[hr]

[b]Han![/b]

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Lotus is the most innocent girl who’s ever lived. Just look at that innocent waggle of her shoulders. The way her eyes slide innocently across you. She’s just asking a question. “Sisters are always doing that sort of thing, after all, and it’s not like you couldn’t. If you wanted to. So is it that she was prettier than me, or is it that you’re… not into girls?”

Her grip tightens in a very casual way. And, you know, some people aren’t!

If you admit, very loudly, that you like pretty girls, that girls are pretty, and that Lotus is very definitely included in the context of girls who are also pretty, you may take a shiny XP.