The sound that Redana makes is a breathless gust of wind, the fall of a hungry hawk, the mousegirl that finds the cheese. When she rushes forward into their midst, it is only her color that makes her distinct, the healthy glint of her wheat-gold hair— and the solidity of her build, a weight that seems to draw them all towards her. Half a dozen heroines of similar stature sit together in the shadow of the pavilion, and already a faint silver tea has been poured for the Imperial Princess. Come, Bella, if you dare, and sit surrounded by your girlfriend’s people.

“Of course! We’re the ones that are going to pass through,” Redana says, without a hint of irony; the bones of her mouth are a flash of clean white, solid as ice. “Our captain is the cleverest— no offense, Nobody— our champions the boldest, our cause the most righteous. Even if we break our arms in the process,” she says, nodding to Ortji, “we, [i]we[/i] are going to know victory.” She sips, and for a moment she’s actually serene, a warrior-queen surrounded by her peers. But she can’t stop her smile. She is life and death cupped in one hand; she has affirmed desire in the shadow of infinity. Her past lies behind her, notable only in how it allows her to recognize the notables assembled all about her, and the future is one shining ribbon-road that cuts through the awful Aphrodisian gash across the beautiful sky.

When she looks back to Bella, it is with implicit invitation. You deserve to be here, too, among the heroes, she almost says out loud, and the pat on the stone bench is impossible for any of them to miss. Come meet your peers, Bella, even if all of them barely come up to your shoulders. Here are champions that shucked their old selves, their old skins, their old names. Here are those who have gone through transformation and survived. Here are the blessed, and Bella—

You belong here, too, as much as Redana does. She will fight you if you dare to suggest otherwise, this girl who meets the impossible head-on, just like Sir Aeon, just like King Anjia. Bring the sharks, too, so Ikari may marvel at their softness and their innocent smiles.