And the book says, 'We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us'.

- Jimmy Gator, "Magnolia"

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"Welcome to the Nos Astra Continental, sir. How may I help you?"

John handed a coin to the salarian behind the reception desk. "Do you have a sommelier that you can recommend? Preferably one that also deals in omni-tools with certain unique features."

The salarian looked a little puzzled, then nodded in comprehension. "Certainly, sir. I know just the place. I'll ring them up for you. I believe they can see you right away, if that is your preference."

John nodded. "That would be great, thanks. Oh, and do you also know of any good veterinary clinics in the area?"

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"Just to be clear, this does not count as me taking him for a walk." Persephone's face glowered as they made their way through a crowded boulevard in Nos Astra. She noted that their little trio was given a wide berth in spite of the crowding, most likely due to the big, toothy varren which trotted along between her and John Wick.

"Of course not!" John sounded far too cheerful to her dour mood. "I'm the one taking Errol for a walk to the V-E-T, and you're the one watching my back."

She gave him an exasperated look. "Really? You think you have to spell out certain words in his presence?"

"Yep. He's a smart cookie, aren't you Errol?"

Errol looked up and smiled at the mention of his name. John gave him a vigorous massage behind the ears, and the varren chuffed happily.

Persephone looked on in amazement as the fearsome figure of Baba Yaga began talking utter nonsense. "Who's my big boy? Lookit the big boy! Whooozabigfuzzywuzzy?"

"Right, I am officially ignoring you," she muttered. Mercifully, they reached the veterinary clinic before he could babble on much longer.

They walked through the sliding doors into a sunlit waiting area. It was still early in the morning, and the room was empty for the moment. The vet, a cheerful-looking human, bustled out from the back. He suddenly looked less cheerful when he laid eyes on Errol.

"Did it bite you? I can scan it for rabies and the rest."

John narrowed his eyes. "It is a he. And no, he didn't bite me, he's my pet. His name's Errol. I wanted him to get a check-up and whatever shots he needs."

The vet stared at John as if he'd grown a second head. "Shots."

"Yeah. I admit, I've never owned a varren before so I'm not sure what-all vaccinations they need."

The man stifled a laugh. "Sorry, but he's a varren. I could inject him with a pure strain of Hofdel Shaking-Fever and he'd shrug it off like a mild cold."

"That's a relief," said John. "So they don't really get sick?"

The vet shrugged. "Well, they can sometimes get a little skin condition called scale itch. But they only get that by fooling around with other varren. Has he been scratching himself excessively?"

John looked at Persephone as if seeking input. "I don't think so," he said. "But I just got him a little while ago."

The man sighed. He reached behind the front desk and retrieved a pair of chain-mail gloves. He pulled them on, and Persephone saw that the gloves covered his arms clear up to his shoulders. "All right, let me do a checkup on him. Um, does he bite?"

Persephone finally spoke up. "Surprisingly, no. Just move slowly."

Errol seemed a little unsure about the newcomer intruding into his personal space, but a murmured encouragement from John was enough to get him to settle down and let the vet look him over.

The man straightened up. "Good, no whitening of the scales or excessive shedding. He looks fine."

John smiled and called up his brand-new omni-tool to issue payment.

Persephone looked curiously at the man's gloves. "You seem well prepared. Do you get a lot of varren in here?"

The vet laughed. "No, actually." He waggled his armored fingers. "These are for all of the other weird pets that people bring in here. Plenty of fangs and talons to keep at bay."

She smiled. "What's the strangest thing you've seen?"

"Well, the oddest was when someone came in and tried to get me to register an elcor as their pet. I think it was some kind of tax dodge."

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Persephone caught a glimpse of purple skin behind them on the way back to the ship. It was a color she'd seen earlier, near the vet's office. "We've got a tail," she said casually.

The trio walked around a bend in the corridor. They were about half-way back to the ship, and the crowds had thinned to almost nothing.

"I saw," replied John. "It's T'Soni's receptionist, Nyxeris."

She gave a very un-asari like grunt. "Either Liara needs to get a more competent class of people, or she let herself be seen."

"I'm guessing the latter," he replied. "But I don't think it's nefarious. T'Soni's probably just checking that we're who we say we are. And she's letting us know that she's keeping tabs on us."

Persephone slightly shook her head. "Thinking is one thing, but we have to know." Privately, she wondered if Liara already had a picture of her. If so, maybe the best course of action would be to lay low on the Helen until they were well away from Illium. No, that was ridiculous. She was here to do a job, and she couldn't do that while squatting on board a ship.

"What do you suggest?" asked John.

"We split up," she replied. They turned another corner, and this corridor was deserted. "You head back to the Helen, and I'll double back and follow our little shadow. Then I can see if she's just keeping tabs on us or what."

John glanced at her. It was clear he knew something more was going on. Aloud, he said "And what if she follows you?"

"Well then we know who Liara's really interested in, don't we?"

"I don't like it."

She touched his forearm. "I can look after myself, John. I'll call you as soon as I can."

They came to a T-intersection. Persephone glanced behind her and didn't see Nyxeris, but she was sure the secretary was watching. Before John could object, she peeled off and headed down the corridor that led away from the docks. She ducked into a nearby alcove and waited, peeking out back towards the intersection.

John must have decided to play along, because he walked away from her with Errol padding alongside him. Persephone drew back into the alcove as she saw Nyxeris enter the intersection.

She drew her pistol and waited. This was the moment of truth. If Nyxeris followed John, then it was probably just Liara being cautious. If Nyxeris followed her, that was a whole other matter.

Persephone waited, breathing quietly. The stained walls of the corridor stood out under the harsh fluorescent lighting overhead, and the floor's concrete was worn in the center from decades of traffic.

She heard a soft step from just around the corner of her niche. Nyxeris glanced automatically into the alcove as she passed, and saw Persephone. Just as her eyes widened, Persephone pounced.

She grabbed the taller asari by the shoulder and jammed her gun under Nyxeris' jaw. "No noise, no sound," she grated, and pulled Nyxeris into the alcove with her. Then she pushed the purple asari against the far wall of the alcove, keeping her gun trained on her all the while. Liara's flunky was dressed in a simple blue dress which contrasted nicely with her skin.

For her part, Nyxeris kept her hands up and visible. Her eyes were wide and fearful, although Persephone figured she might just be a really good actor.

Persephone spoke quietly. "No loud yelling. I ask, you answer. Quietly. Nod if you understand."

Nyxeris nodded.

"Good. Were you sent to follow me specifically?"

The other asari nodded again.

Persephone gave a little sigh. "Damn it all. Listen, I don't want any trouble. I bear no ill will towards Liara T'Soni. I'm just here to do a job and that's it. I'll be gone from here soon enough. You go back and tell her that."

A soft voice sounded from just outside the alcove. "Why not tell me yourself?"

Persephone sagged. "Fuck, I must be getting rusty," she muttered. Then she gave Nyxeris a glare and motioned with her head. "Go on. Get lost."

The adjutant now looked much less frightened. She shrugged apologetically and walked off down the corridor.

Persephone gave a bigger sigh and holstered her gun. Then she stepped back out into the corridor and turned to face Liara. She made sure to keep her hands visible at her sides.

Liara mirrored her hands-by-her-sides posture. She wore a white suit trimmed with black, the same colors as Persephone's own skin-tight catsuit. "It's been a long time," said Liara with a smile. "I thought we could go out for some tea. And talk."

"Just talk?"

Liara nodded.

Persephone relaxed slightly. "Well, if we're going to have the conversation I think we are...we're going to need something stronger than tea."

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

Liara regarded the smaller asari slouching in the seat across from her. They'd found a bar which was open in the morning - this was Nos Astra, after all - and slipped the bartender a goodly amount of credits to leave the bottle on the table. The bartender got the hint and was scrupulously leaving them alone. Liara poured each of them a shot.

The other asari tossed hers back before Liara could even take a sip. Her violet eyes stared at Liara. "So, shoot. It's your meeting."

Liara smiled, trying to put her at ease. "I was happy to hear that you were alive, Maes-"

"No. That's not my name anymore. Call me Persephone."

"Just Persephone?"

"Just that." Persephone refilled her glass and this time sipped at it. "Why were you glad that I was alive?"

The broker's brow wrinkled in puzzlement. "Why wouldn't I be? I don't understand why you think I'm upset with you."

"I know you were fighting alongside that Spectre when he took down your mother on Noveria. I figure you didn't care for her much. And after all, I'd been off doing all of that wet-work for her."

Liara rubbed her crest. "You had sworn an oath to your Matriarch. You were doing what she asked you to do."

"She gave us a choice. Did you know that?"

The broker shook her head, and Persephone continued. "She gathered all of us together and told us about Saren, about his plans. Benezia thought she could steer him away from his goals and keep it from becoming a military matter. So she said she was going to join him, and then gave us all a choice. I didn't have to follow her. But I did."

"You trusted her completely. And I remember how she trusted you completely. She told me once that you were her most effective intelligence operative."

Persephone nodded, her eyes haunted. "I guess I was. Hell, I was the one who found out that crazy turian bastard was working with the geth." She drank the rest of her shot and poured another.

Liara remembered the carnage after the Noveria mission. "If anything, you should be angry with me. I helped kill your Matriarch, after all. Along with all of the commandos still with her. They were your friends."

Persephone shrugged, clearly not angry at all. "They made their choices. Same as me."

"I looked specifically for you, after it was all...over. But I didn't find your body. I thought you must have been killed sometime before Benezia reached Noveria."

The smaller asari looked up with surprise. "Why did you look for me?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Liara sighed. "You were kind to me when I was a child. That, and I loved the travel stories you told me." She smiled. "I guess the notion of travelling for a living is one of the things that drew me to archeology. As I said, I was happy to hear later on that you'd left her employ. That you were still alive."

Persephone looked away. "Thanks. I admit, my...association with your mother was fun for a long time. Before Saren. Before Benezia asked me to start doing more than just gathering intel."

Liara decided to take a chance, and reached across the small table. She gently gripped Persephone's hand. "I've heard about what she had you do. It wasn't your fault."

The other asari chuckled sadly. "You can say that all you like, but we both know differently. I wasn't anywhere near Saren's ship most of the time, so there wasn't any of that strange mind control stuff going on. It was me all the way. Following orders like an idiot."

Liara poured them each another shot. She didn't quite toss hers back, but she did drink it more quickly than before. "You did stop, though. You broke your ties with her before Noveria. That was also you, all the way."

"I didn't stop soon enough."

There was a silence while they both drank. Liara was about two shots behind Persephone, and she could feel her senses start to fuzz over. The little ex-commando must have been feeling it even more, but she wasn't showing it.

"So you're working with humans, now?" It wasn't much of a topic change, but it would hopefully turn the conversation into lighter areas.

Persephone smiled. "Well, my name was infamous all through of asari space. Nobody would have anything to do with me. Fortunately, the Organization didn't care. And they let me change my name."

"I have to admit, I'm a little surprised. I didn't picture you doing assassin-for-hire work."

The smaller asari laughed. "I wasn't. I was manning a hotel desk and running their security for a year or so, in an Earth city called Prague. It was nice, boring work." She shook her head. "But then I had to go and show initiative. Now I'm back out running around the galaxy. And bumping into old acquaintances." She gave Liara an ironic salute with her glass and drained it.

Liara wanted to ask more about her employers, but figured she'd done enough digging for now. At least they had cleared the air between them. She realized with some bemusement that her own glass was empty too. When did that happen?

Persephone refilled their glasses before Liara could beg off. Oh well, now that her glass was full again it would be a shame to waste good liquor.

"So how are you findin' the brokering?" asked Persephone. "That's a bit of a change from archeology."

Liara shrugged. "There's more overlap than you'd think. There's lots of tedium in both professions. A lot of digging through a mountain of material to get at the few little bits that mean something."

"Probably nice and boring, too. I heard all about the excitement you got into with wossname...Shepard."

"At the time, I didn't find it exciting. More like terrifying."

"I know the feeling. But one does kinda miss those times after they're gone, right?"

Liara nodded sheepishly.

Persephone looked down at her glass. "She loved you, you know. Benezia was distant a lot of the time. But she was that way with everybody."

"I know." Liara reached across again and gripped the smaller asari's hand. "She told me that she loved me, right before the end. My mother was so strong...she fought it. She fought a Reaper's hold on her mind, just to tell me how proud she was of me."

The smaller asari gave a nod. "She was a tough old broad, as the humans say."

"She called me Little Wing one last time." Liara felt tears start in her eyes. "But she wasn't strong enough. She attacked us, and we had to kill her."

Persephone squeezed Liara's hand back and peered closely at her. Liara realized that the little asari was a lot drunker than she'd let on. "You did what you could. Yer a good kid, Liara. I miss tellin' you all about my adventures. An' I'm glad you don't hate me."

The broker smiled through her tears. "I could never hate you, M...Persephone."

Persephone sniffed. "All right, enough of this weepy stuff. It's only ten in the morning an' I'm lit. Let's see if you remember that turian drinking song I taught you..."

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John sat in the co-pilot's seat and rubbed his beard. He was going to wait about ten more minutes before hitting the panic button. After they'd split up, he'd gotten a single message from Persephone telling him that she was fine, and that she'd contact him again in three hours.

That had been three hours ago. Right now, he was the only one in the Helen. The rest of the crew was taking the opportunity to stretch their legs. But they'd been told not to get too far, just in case Persephone ran into trouble. He rechecked everyone's position. If he called them now, they could assemble a strike team within twenty minutes...

His planning was cut short by movement outside the Helen's cockpit windows. Three figures made their way along the gangway towards the ship. An asari in a blue dress walked behind a pair of black-and-white figures which both swayed in an obviously drunken manner. As they got closer, he realized the trailing asari was Nyxeris. Persephone and Liara leaned on each other as they lurched towards the airlock.

He jogged back to the mess room and climbed the ladder into the main airlock. This was probably not a true problem, but he wanted to be ready just in case. He cracked open the outer airlock door and peered out, his pistol ready behind his back..

Persephone and Liara drew up next to the door. "Heya, Edward," said Persephone. She winked at him. "Sorry I'ma 'lil late. Lost track of time." She turned to Liara, who smiled fondly at her. "Thanks fer the drinks. I'm gonna go in and see if I can get him to fuck my brains out."

Liara laughed. "Good luck with that." She looked over at John and nodded. "Mr. Hadlock." She turned away and walked off beside Nyxeris. It was clear that the assistant was keeping Liara upright while they strode off.

Persephone wandered up to the outer airlock door. "Ya gonna let me in?"

John raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Is my virtue in jeopardy?"

"Oh hell yes."

He shrugged and opened the door fully. She all but spilled into the airlock and then shut the door firmly behind her.

"Damn kids," she muttered. "Got that high metabolishm working for them. I shoulda been able to drink her unner the table." She laughed. "But I did pretty good, all told."

John crossed his arms. "I sense there is something you're not telling me, Persephone."

"Yer a clever one, ain't ya?" She grinned and slid down the ladder.

He sighed and followed. Persephone was in the midst of rummaging through the storage lockers set into the mess room's wall. "First I need some food in me, I think. Ah!" She pulled out a pouch and set it in the wall-mounted oven to heat. She flopped bonelessly into a chair, and patted the one next to her. "Have a seat."

John resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he sat. "I'm not going to get too upset with you, but I was getting ready to sound the alarm."

She grinned at him. Her eyes were slightly unfocused. "Aww. It's sweet to know you care. Where is everybody?"

"It's a beautiful day. They're all taking advantage of it."

"Even your little buddy?"

"Errol's with Gabby and Camicia. He seems to have really taken a shine to Gabby."

"I hope you're not jealous," replied Persephone in an arch tone. The oven 'dinged' and she rose to retrieve her food. As she walked back to the table, she suddenly veered and settled herself in John's lap.

He resisted the urge to start in surprise. Persephone's eyes were just level with his, and her violet gaze stared in challenge at him as she began eating. She seemed to weigh nothing in his lap. This close to her, he could smell that pleasant floral scent again. Although right now that scent was overlaid with a healthy dose of alcohol vapor.

"Er, how much did you drink?" asked John. It was a struggle to keep his hands by his sides. He felt an overwhelming urge to reach up and caress her hip.

"Enough," she replied. "Enough to clear the air."

John thought for a bit. There was clearly some past between Liara and Persephone, but as long as it didn't cause problems he figured it was none of his business. "Good."

She chewed a mouthful of food and looked thoughtfully at him. "Just good? You're not going to ask about me and Liara?"

He gave a grim smile. "Given my past, I know the value of not digging too deep into other people's history."

"I can understand that." She swallowed the last mouthful of food and tossed the pouch and fork onto the table. Then she seemed to flow in his lap like liquid, and John suddenly felt her press more firmly against him. She now straddled him, and her face was inches from his. "So we've got the ship to ourselves. You wanna fool around?"

His hands seemed to move by themselves as they settled on her hips. Persephone purred and ground against him. "I guess you do," she said.

John shook his head. "Come on, Persephone. Not like this. You're drunk off your tits. Um, that's assuming you have tits..."

In response she rubbed her chest against his. His breath caught as he felt the diamond-hard nubs of her nipples through the layers of clothing that separated them. "You feel those?" she asked.

He could barely speak. "Oh, yeah."

Persephone pressed her forehead against his. "Yes, John, I'm drunk. And I know you want to be the chivalrous hero. But that isn't you. Just like I'm not the pure virtuous maiden. We're both dirty, right down to our boots. So let's be dirty together."

His hands roved higher, stroking up along her back. The feel of wiry muscle under her catsuit made his resolve crumble. "I just don't want to take advantage of you."

She brought her lips very close to his, separated by the barest millimeter. He could feel them brushing against his lips as she spoke. "I'm the one taking advantage here. I need someone to screw me and hold me close and make the world go away for a while."

He moved his lips forward that barest millimeter and kissed her.

Her mouth opened hungrily under his and her arms wrapped around his neck. John's reluctance was now swept away by the desire to explore her, to claim her. He moved a hand up and stroked the tendrils that swept off of her head. They were firmer than he expected, and the touch made Persephone moan into his mouth. He took that as a good sign and kept exploring with fingers and tongue. Her teeth were a little like a human's, mostly flat but with sharp canines in unexpected locations. Her tongue wrestled with his as he caressed her scalp. Persephone's hands moved back between them and began unbuttoning John's shirt. He slid his hands back down and gripped her rear, then reluctantly pulled his mouth away.

"How do I get this thing off of you?" he murmured.

She chuckled as she continued to unbutton him. "It's a one-piece. It pulls off." The asari slid her hands under his shirt, and the feel of her touching his bare skin made his head swim. She slowly stroked her palms against his flesh.

"Bed or table?" he growled. If she kept touching him like that, it was going to be table no matter what she said.

She leaned down and planted a kiss on his exposed chest. "Bed, please."

John stood as Persephone wrapped her legs and arms around him. Somehow he was able to stumble through the ship and reach his cabin. It didn't help that she was pulling his clothes off the whole time.

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Gabby slid down the ladder, followed by Errol. The varren was actually pretty adept at picking his way down a ladder, although he did keep looking back down at Gabby to make sure she was still there. Ever since their little dust-up in Engineering, the varren seemed to have designated himself as her protector.

Camicia followed the pair down. "I'm guessing Little Miss Not-A-Commando got back all right," she said.

Gabby looked around the mess. "I hope so, we didn't hear anything. Hmm. Somebody was a little messy." She picked up an empty food pouch from the table and tossed it in the recycler. "I thought John would be here. Maybe he's taking a nap?"

Camica gave a honking laugh. "I don't think so." She pointed at John's suit jacket, which lay crumpled on the floor next to the door to Engineering.

Gabby looked at it in puzzlement. "I don't get it. He's usually a lot neater than that...oh."

The turian sighed. "I guess we should go check, just to make sure they didn't hit their heads on a stanchion or something."

They followed a trail of discarded clothing which stretched through Engineering and along the rear corridor of the Helen. The pair collected it all as they went. And, sure enough, John's cabin door was firmly closed. The pair stopped a couple of meters away. The soundproofing wasn't perfect; definite moans of passion could be faintly heard through the door.

Errol peered around Gabby's leg with a curious expression. "Wirfl?"

"About goddamn time," muttered Gabby. She plonked the gathered pile of clothing down on the deck near the door. "Right, they're both accounted for and doing just fine. Now let's head back..."

"I'll give you a hundred credits if you go knock on that door," said Camica with an evil glint in her eye.

"Are you kidding, bird-brain? I wouldn't do it for a million."

"How about a billion? Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"I like having all of my blood inside my body, thank you very much. Let's go."

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John stroked Persephone's hip as she spooned against him. That had been interesting, to say the least. It almost reminded him of the first time he'd had sex, the fumbling exploration of an unfamiliar landscape. Persephone's body was a wonderful mixture of the familiar and the strange. She had been very patient in guiding him as he explored her with curious fingers and tongue. She was a mammal, as demonstrated by her glorious little breasts, and thus she had a birthing canal like a human female. But the erogenous zones down there were completely different. His exploration was rewarded as she shook against his face in orgasm.

For her part, the asari had clearly been 'around' human males before. She'd known exactly how to pleasure him, and had smiled with delight as he cried out. She kissed him deep as he climaxed in turn.

Now she stretched against him like a cat, and he stroked up along her front to cup her breast. He kissed the top of her head. "Are you ready for seconds?" he asked.

Persephone hummed with happiness at his touch. "You bet I am. Do you...do you want to try for more?"

"You mean Joining?" So far she'd kept the festivities purely physical, and it had already been amazing.

She turned over and snuggled against him as he held her. "I understand if you don't want to. You know, given what happened on Carcosa."

He squeezed her gently. "If it's you doing it, that makes all the difference. I'd be game for trying it out."

"Really?" She turned her head to look up at him. "You're not just saying that to make me happy?"

He smiled down at her. "Well, I guess you'll have to read my mind and find out."

She snickered. "It doesn't work quite like that. We'll go slowly, and start with the basic level only."

"What's that?"

Persephone pushed him over onto his back and straddled him. "I'll show you," she replied in a low voice. She rubbed her nethers against him as she traced her hands over his chest. His own hands reached up and gently massaged her firm, perky tits. It wasn't long before he was hard again. The asari reached down and guided him into her core. They both gasped as she impaled herself. Persephone let out a low chuckle. "Now, then," she said. She leaned over and took John's face in her hands. Her eyes began to dilate, wider and wider. As the black filled her violet gaze John had a brief moment of panic. This was too much like Batara...

But there was no buzzing this time, only a gentle warmth that embraced his mind the same way she physically embraced his member. His panic quieted, and he suddenly realized he could feel, second-hand, the tingle from her breasts as he manipulated them.

"Embrace eternity," she whispered, and then things got really freaky.

Wonderfully freaky.

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John found his hastily-discarded clothing now gathered in a pile outside of his cabin door. He was pretty sure he knew what that meant, and sighed internally. Hopefully the rest of the crew would be okay with this development. He brought it back into the cabin and smiled at the sight of the naked asari still stretched out on his bed.

She smiled back and rolled over, presenting her derriere to him.

"Are you trying for fifths?" he asked.

Persephone threw him a cocky grin over one shoulder. "Maybe." She looked at the pile of clothing in his hands. "Ah. I guess our fling has been discovered?"

He shrugged and placed the pile in a hamper. "I guess so." He paused. "Was it just a fling?"

Her face clouded a bit. "Poor choice of words, I guess. It wasn't the booze that made me jump you, if that's what you're thinking."

He sat on the bed next to her and smiled. "I'm glad for that. I'd hate to get a reputation as a slut." He traced a hand gently along her bare back.

Persephone purred. "Mmmm. Keep that up and I will insist on fifths. So I guess we're...together?"

John leaned over and kissed her forehead. "That's okay with you, right? I don't see how the crew would mind."

She rolled back over. "I'm good with it and then some. Cammy's going to be making all sorts of snarky comments, but she does that anyway."

John stood and pulled out one of the wall-mounted drawers, then began to dress himself. This time he was going casual, just sweatpants and a tee shirt.

"Do you mind if I borrow some clothes?" asked Persephone. "It seems someone went and ripped my catsuit."

He felt a little pang of alarm. "I did? I don't remember that. Did I hurt you?"

Persephone laughed. "I'm fine. You were just a little excited, is all. It's my fault for wearing something so hard to get off."

After a little more rummaging, John handed her another pair of sweatpants and a shirt. Both were comically large on Persephone, and she wound up rolling up the legs of the sweatpants.

"There," she said when she was done. "We look like twins, you know."

"I know. Shall we go face the music?" he asked with a smile.

"You know, half the time I have no idea what you humans are talking about. What music?"

They trouped back towards the mess, and stopped dead just inside the door. Sure enough, the rest of the crew were there. Errol sat up and gave a fanged smile when he saw John, but the rest of the crew sat at the table with crossed arms and stony faces. On Bast, the expression looked natural. But now even Mackie looked unimpressed.

"Um, hi," said Persphone uncertainly. "What's wrong?"

John also felt a little unease. Had he misjudged the crew's reaction that much?

Mackie slowly brought a little paper tube up to his lips and blew. The noisemaker unfurled and gave a loud squeaking buzz, and then everyone stood. The crew yelled and threw their hands forward in unison, the air now filled with confetti that slowly drifted down over the confused pair in the doorway.