Rio puffed on a bidi as she and Hank walked side by side, with Bumbles leading the way. Since Leanne wasn't around to scold her, Rio lit a second smoke right after her first. Hank loped along with his fingertips in his pockets, almost taking two steps for every three of hers.

"Rio-san?" he asked while watching her blow smoke. "What's going on?"

"With us?" she asked back, distracted.

"With the world. With wars in Asia and Africa. With Australia going isolationist." He sighed. "With planes falling on us from the sky."

A shudder roared through Rio. "I've watched it grow for years, since before the very beginning."

"How?"

"As a sōpurando owner, I pick my clientele. I kept watch on many RMers, making sure to help the good." She eyed him up. "When you're naked, you see much."

"What did you do with the bad ones?"

"I killed them," she said, expressing no feeling.

"I don't believe you," he shot back.

Rio hid behind oily smoke. "Hai. You are almost right. When I want someone dead, I do things that cause Death. I stick hopeless thoughts in their head. Feed them fear. Make them feel regret." She stopped walking to flick the butt of her second bidi into the gutter. "Sometimes I sic other RMers on them. Make bad guys kill bad guys."

He bent low to get her to look at him. "Was it hard?" he asked. "Did it hurt?"

Rio talked to her bidi in the gutter. "Hank-sama, it was awful. I begged God for scraps of mercy, feeling dirty and always unwell. I cherished each blessing he gave, being sure to show thanks. I made acts of kindness seem huge, and the evil I saw very small."

She succumbed to his gaze, and lifted her eyes from the gutter. The lasers in them smoldered, unable to light due to wetness.

Oh! To be held! To be naked and in bed with you!

Bumbles raced ahead. Hank resumed their walk.

"It is hard," he agreed. "It's like, I feel I have to do something, but what can I do?"

"My sweet. Start by forgiving me."

"I do. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was! I know… it felt good. I wanted you to die!"

"Rio-chan!"

"I hadn't killed in ages!"

He whirled to confront her. "You lie to me again. You made it easy to stop you."

God is great! Please consume me!

Rio stuttered, her words faltering. "I…ano. Nanimo. Wa kinishinai."

"Yes, you do care." Hank threatened to hold her temples "Tell me what you're hiding."

She relented, clutching at his arm, his shoulders, anything. She clambored up him as if she were drowning. "You just don't get it, do you? It's like you never will! Goshujin! You're enormous! The whole world fits in you!"

Hank stared at her calmly. "I don't like it when you act crazy."

Rio wanted to grovel to prove her point. She wished she could crawl into his skin, to find comfort again in his depth, so much so that Bumbles yipped and ran around her in circles.

Instead she searched for a park bench. "Dōzo," she said. "Please sit."

She fingered the pack of bidis in the pocket of her blazer. "When I attacked you," she said, "rage had eaten me. I wanted you to suffer."

Hank began believing her. "What made you want that?"

"I went looking for bad guys to kill."

"Leanne and the soda truck," Hank said, understanding. "Fuji and Miss Warugi."

"Not just that. Not just them." She paused, her head hung low. "They want us dead and they're winning. I want them to die first!"

She grew silent. "Bad guys suck," Hank said to break it.

Rio admired his smooth white face. Hers looked like broken china, abandoned and unloved on the floor. He reached for her hand in sympathy but she pulled it away, speaking in a voice never smaller.

"This man—the bad guy I killed was so hateful. One second with him in my head filled me with his filth. I thought I'd drowned in sewage. I had died, like a zombie, a corpse."

She cried.

"I fought against it so hard! I used his own hate against him and killed him. It felt good! He had died! My world had turned black."

She now wailed.

"I couldn't help it! Oh God, my sweet! I really tried! I thought maybe if I ran away, I'd go somewhere far and kill myself. I'd do it where no one would find me, to die useless and alone."

She stood up and bowed before Hank, to honor him and show him deference. She removed her glasses so her tears could fall unhindered at his feet.

"I heard your call when boarding the plane," she said to his boots. "I felt the real me return just a bit, so I ran to you as fast as I could."

"You ran?"

She peeked up from her bow with a tear-stained smile. "Hai. From the airport. All the way."

He grinned. "You have lots of stamina."

"It helps when you hate cars."

Hank stood and used a finger to flick away her last tear. Then, with the cuff of his sleeve, he wiped her face so they could hug.

"Do you think you brought down that plane?" he asked quietly, her face pressed against his soft shirt.

Rio screamed, muffled by the fabric. "I don't know! Maybe! Maybe it was you! Maybe Anna!" She knew she was acting irrationally. "I'm not the brightest tool in my shed! It's not like I can know everything!"

He stifled a laugh over her latest mashed metaphor. "What?" she asked, trying to laugh along. "Reality Making is hard."

"I thought you prevented Realities."

"Whatever. It's hard."

Hank and Bumbles gave Rio time to compose herself. She straightened her blazer and skirt.

"We need to swing by Aika's," Hank said while waiting. "I have to pick up the shirt Anna bought. I accidentally left it there."

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Rio regarded Hank curiously. "You mean my Leanne?" she asked, naming the shirt's actual buyer.

He gulped. "Ah… Yeah."

Rio started walking towards home. She pulled out a bidi to smoke.

"Iie iie," she said, disagreeing. "We'll see another Dreamwatcher. One I like better."

"Okay," he said. "Who?"

Rio ignored Hank, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "She lives far away. We need Milton's car."

"The one Anna chose? The Bentley?"

"Will you please shut up about her? It's bad enough we need a car. Don't remind me why we have it."

After another minute, Rio was moving so fast that Hank had to jog to keep up. "I'd rather walk there myself," she said, noticing his labored gait. "But you might croak from the effort."

"Hey! I like walking as much as you!"

Rio picked up the pace. "Hai. Then let's go. She lives outside town."

Hank soon puffed on his breath, unable to keep up. "Uh… Maybe we should take the car."

"Hai."

"What's her name, anyway?"

"Odeya."

"Oh. That's interesting."

Rio looked up at Hank, delving into his mind. "It is ancient, just like yours. It means Kami ni kansha. Thanks be to God."

The woman who opened the door was anything but pretty. She wasn't unattractive however. She had the sort of looks that were intriguing because they were unique.

"Sensai," Rio said to Odeya while bowing. "This is Hank-sama, a good friend."

Odeya spoke with confidence. "A new friend," she corrected.

Rio agreed while still bowing. "Hai. A very new good friend."

Odeya separated the couple by escorting Rio in first, leaving Hank in the doorway. She placed Rio in a spot where she could watch her stalk him. After turning to again face Hank, Odeya looked upon him the way a praying mantis might look upon her soon-to-be headless mate, mandibles crunching his skull.

He sized her up too. Black hair shaded metallic gray fell in kinked waves past her shoulders, expressing Mediterranean heritage. Downy hair also covered her arms. With these hairs colored the same olive brown as her skin, they could only be seen when Odeya was backlit. She made sure such was the case. While a window behind her let in sunlight, the resultant glow surrounded her with an aura.

Hank made the aura glorious, as Odeya's downy hairs all stood on end. Her legs were set apart by a splay of flat hips, and the light shone down there too, endless, like a diamond. She made her diamond sparkle by approaching slowly, until she was one breath away.

She was dressed in the style of a Buddhist warrior, though gossamer in her portrayal. The civara she wore was made of airy cotton, cut both deep and wide. It sported diagonal stripes of gray and white, ending with sleeves at her elbows and tapers at her knees. A loose-fitting woman's waistcoat lay over the civara, with a floral pattern on its right side. The outfit showcased the black leggings she wore, and an uncharacteristic pair of four-inch spiked platform heels.

She pondered Hank's existence. "Hmm," she said, sounding disheartened. "I don't think I can take you."

For warmth, Odeya had a casu cowl wrapped around her neck, knit from yarn thin as spider silk, twisted in the colors of burgundy and magenta. Large golden grape cluster earrings rested lightly upon it.

"Excuse me?" he asked as they stared.

"You won't be any good," she said, blowing air at him through her nostrils. "You know. In the end. And I don't have the time!"

"Sensai," Rio said, being nice. "Do not belittle Hank-sama."

Odeya smiled, practically laughing. "Of course! Where are my manners? Come in! Do come in!"

With a gentle hand on the back of Hank's arm, Odeya led him into her home. Even so, her fingernails pricked as she placed him next to Rio. She then resumed ignoring him.

"Honeypot!" Odeya said to Rio. "Where have you been? You don't visit, you don't call." She walked away, dismissing both her guests with a flick of her hand. "Oy!" she exclaimed. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother."

Odeya left the room, disappearing into the kitchen. As she did, Hank whispered to Rio, sounding slightly irked.

"She calls you Honey, too?"

"Shush!" Rio whispered back. "Do not notice. She reads minds just like you."

"Ha!" came a laugh from the kitchen.

"Fine," Rio corrected, still whispering. "Even better than you."

"We shall have coffee or tea, but not both," Odeya announced, still out of sight from her guests. "And have you children had lunch? Or even any meal at all?" She waited the least amount of time necessary to give the appearance of being polite. "Come here! Let me feed you!"

Rio responded dutifully. She took a step towards the kitchen before realizing Hank wasn't following. With fury, she let him have it with the laser guided missiles from her eyes.

If you are ever a mouse, now's the time!

Hank set his jaw, but obeyed. In the kitchen, Odeya fussed as if preparing food. But the room already was brimming, laden with heavenly treats.

"Tea it is!" Odeya announced, smiling ear to ear, and despite her guests having not said a word.

Rio stood with her hands folded and her eyes on the food. To keep from getting glared at by either woman, Hank stood much the same way, although his fingertips were tucked lazily in the pockets of his jeans.

"Sit! Sit!" Odeya demanded, gesturing at the chairs. Hank moved towards one that faced the wall, but Odeya intervened. "No no!" she scolded in motherly tones, taking long strides to stop him.

She placed him in a chair at one end of the table, facing her chair at the other, before seating Rio between them in the one facing the wall. Once done, she tapped her chin with her index finger while staring intensely at Hank.

"Oh, I do like this one," she said to Rio as an aside, who kept her eyes down and her hands in her lap. "He's much better than the fat one."

"Milton?" Hank asked, staring back.

"I know his name," Odeya snarked. To Rio again, she asked, "What good is this one for?"

"He is goshujin-sama, Sensai. The one I'm looking for."

"Ha!"

"I think," Rio qualified, rolling her eyes with a loll of her head.

"I think the tea is ready," Hank said, defending Rio by changing the subject.

Odeya sprang into action. "You will have black tea with honey!"

"You like honey in your tea?" Hank asked Rio quietly.

"Yes."

"I like mine just black," Odeya said to no one in particular. "You should know that by now."

"Uh-huh," Hank said as he watched Odeya prepare the tea, mesmerized by her sharp movements.

"Now have something to eat!" she said with cheer.

Hank looked at the many choices. "Whatever you're having is fine."

"Ha! No it's not. Never mind."

After serving her guests two huge cups of tea, and pouring one for herself, Odeya sat down and shoved a bowl of warm cinnamon matzah brei across the table at Hank. Two small bowls hung on the larger one, one containing apple jelly and the other, raspberry jam. Hank moved the treat closer to Rio when he noticed her licking her lips. She glanced at Odeya, who smiled and nodded approvingly.

Rio picked up a piece of brei and dipped it in the jelly. "Oh Honey," Odeya scolded. "Use a spoon."

"Yes," Rio said, obeying.

Hank pursed his lips before trying a piece of brei with a dab of raspberry jam. "That's delicious!" he exclaimed as he gobbled it up. "What is it?"

"Ha! It's a breakfast I make with eggs and almonds." Odeya waved her hand at the bowl. "Eat! Eat!"

As her guests ate, Odeya watched Hank's every move. He found it easy somehow, to stare into her eyes. They were her softest feature, and the color of iced coffee, with flecks of cream crowding the pupils. He admired them, as well as her perfectly coiffed, arched eyebrows.

----------------------------------------

image [https://i.imgur.com/K1MJExs.jpg]

----------------------------------------

It seemed like she never blinked. "Hashem, look upon thee with thine holy eyes," she said, praying during a particularly long stare down with Hank.

He blinked. Rio stopped chewing and looked up from the table, food unswallowed in her mouth.

"I beg your pardon?" Hank asked Odeya.

"Have you ever perjured?" she asked back. "Borne false witness to God?"

"Ah… no. I don't think so."

"Stolen or committed adultery?"

Hank grit his teeth and went back to staring.

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

Rio banged her fists on the table, ending the staring contest. "Stop it," she said with firmness.

Odeya relented, and resumed smiling and waving her hands. "Oh, you're right, of course," she said. "Sometimes I am dreadful. But be advised," she continued, staring one more time at Hank. "The day is coming for us to be judged. Good and bad will be sorted, and those who have sinned shall suffer."

"I doubt that," Hank murmured to himself.

"Hmm. Perhaps. But do you also doubt good behavior gets rewarded?"

"I think good behavior is its own reward."

"Ha!" Odeya said loudly, agreeing with Hank and startling Rio. "That is right! I told you I like this one best! Our most precious gift is ourselves. When we embrace others with kindness, they open for us like a flower."

"Odeya, please," Hank said as Rio hung her head. "We've had a very bad day."

"Would you shout down Peter as he renounces his Savior, or reach out and lift up his head, and by that act, show forgiveness?"

Hank screwed up his face in confusion. "And you like her better than Aika?" he asked Rio.

Rio nodded as she kept her eyes low. "Hai."

Odeya rose and approached to freshen the tea in their cups. After spooning in some honey, she placed one hand on Rio's shoulder while stirring Hank's tea with the other.

"Honeypot," Odeya said to Rio with love. "Eat. You don't take care of yourself on your own."

"You're right," Rio said as she nibbled.

Odeya placed Hank's spoon on a saucer, then placed that hand on his shoulder. "And that is why you are better," she said to him. "You take care of her."

"Thank you," Hank said.

"Be quiet," Odeya scolded. "I'm listening."

"Uh… what?"

"Sha shtil."

Odeya squeezed Hank's shoulder, pricking him again with her nails. While keeping a hand on each of their shoulders, she closed her eyes and lowered herself to her haunches, until her head was at their eye level.

"Si qua est virtus," she said, praying again. "Si qua est laus, gloria ad personam."

"Amen," Rio said as if she understood Latin. "Glory be to us all."

Odeya rose to her full height, well over six feet when the platform heels were included. "You have the same heart," she said to Rio while smiling and patting her shoulder. "I can hear it. Thub-dub." Odeya patted Hank's shoulder next, turning her head back and forth between them."Thub-dub. Thub-dub. Thub-dub."

"Ah…" Hank said, growing uncomfortable.

Odeya patted them both one more time before returning to her place at the table. She reached for the matzah brei and dipped a piece in the jam.

"This is a very good thing," she said of their hearts as she ate.