The Greenjacket Compound is quite evocative of them. Scrappy, eccentric, but resilient. They have set up their base of operations in a dismal, abandoned warehouse on the riverside. Apparently it was used for livestock a century ago before people decided the streets of cities would be more pleasant without pigs and chickens roaming around. Given the Greenjackets are both butchers and livestock both, I have an unpleasant feeling that this is somehow appropriate…

At least it’s spacious, they'd set up quarters for the few hundred remaining Leather Fanatics, and still had room for an armory, a kitchen... A commissary... And this nice little infirmary, where Xena is now patiently removing bullets from Katarina's body, examining the flesh behind every bullet closely. It appears that any excuse to examine your... ‘Associate and research project' is a good one. Not that Katarina seems to mind, sleeping like a rock upon the operating table. Whatever 'chemical solution' Xena put in her looks like it works a treat...

I wonder if Katarina dreams? I wonder if there’s a chemical solution to dreams. I wonder if Xena would be willing to share it with me after the week we've had.

Xena looks tired. Which would be understandable if she had ever looked tired before in the entire time I'd known her. She takes drinks from one of the non-descript flasks on her hip pretty frequently as she tries to muster the focus to gently extract lead balls from Katarina...

Maybe her previous patient had something to do with this, the one surviving Greenjacket from our foray into the Gallery. While Xena had been able to salvage her cheek somewhat, the girl's left hand had to be entirely amputated. Which she seemed surprisingly ambivalent about... Until Xena had refused her request that it be eaten as quickly as possible. The Greenjacket became quite irate after that, insisting that this part of her body rejoin the circle of life at the earliest opportunity, without delay. Xena, understandably, was more than a little hesitant to feed anyone the 'recently chemically melted' meat in case of any residue, or in case whatever caused that fire had more absurd properties we didn't know about.

Eventually they reached a compromise. The Greenjackets would wash the hand extensively, then use it for soup stock... A compromise that seemed to satisfy the Greenjacket but displease Xena more than she let on. Today simply had not been a good day for the poor girl... Which is why I sat here in the infirmary, watching her work. I’m not sure if my presence is in any way helping but I feel too indebted to do nothing.

Xena removes what must have been the twentieth bullet, wipes some sweat from her brow... And then turns her attention to me of all people. "... Okay, answer me honestly. What was that kiss about this morning?"

... After the day she’s had, she still remembers breakfast? I'd probably have forgotten the whole thing myself if even one more atrocity happened today. I’m surprised that the normally so focused Xena would carry something from that long ago.

I feel a small impact as a musket ball is flicked lazily into my shoulder from across the room, and I realize I haven't answered yet. "Uhhh, well... You saved my life. That's the rule, isn't it? You're supposed to kiss your friends if they save your life and it's normal? I mean, I kissed Pasche when she saved me from that officer in that Meat Commissary, right?"

"... You sound flustered."

... I absolutely sounded flustered. "N... No-"

Another musket ball, this one hits my stomach. "No, bad. Be honest."

Is she aiming for my forehead? "... Maybe? I mean, it shouldn't be all that flustering, it's just the rules! Kisses are usually super intense romantic things, I couldn't just get away with kissing someone who wasn't Her Majesty, it'd be blasphemous! And I'm a good girl, I'd never be blasphemous, so therefore there has to be some reason why the thing I did was okay. Working back from that, I figured out the rule. And since you saved my life, well... Consistency meant I was supposed to kiss you."

"Consistency..." She spends a moment in thought, before flicking another ball at me, which hits the wall behind me. "And yet, you don’t kiss everyone who saves your life, right? A great many people have, you are a general after all. But you reserve your affections for certain people. I wonder why that might be, Serena.”

“I… Wait a second, that’s not-“

“Didn’t Malmo technically save your life, valiantly holding off the Teutons at Canstatt? You’d never kiss him the way you kissed me, would you?”

“That’s simply not fair!”

“Those are the rules you told me you had. It’s not my fault if you broke them… It’s not my fault if there’s some other reason you wanted to kiss me.”

There’s an awkward silence after that, as I stew on Xena's observations about my conduct... I have to admit, I want to show affection to my friends more than some other folks the rule might leave me indebted to. My friends are precious to me, and they’re also vital to both my war efforts and my survival off the battlefield. I liked being affectionate with Lazierte, our hand holding, our occasional sharp cuddles... That kiss on my cheek that I still have not gotten an explanation for. I want to be affectionate with all my friends in the same way, it feels right. But friends aren't meant to be 'romantic' together, that’s supposed to be for the special someone in your life, and I have a goddess as the special someone in mine! ... Maybe Xena’s critique comes from her not wanting her friend Serena to be affectionate with her? ... Are we even friends?

"Xena, are we friends?"

"... I don't know.” Xena seems conflicted, before simply shrugging. “I'd have to do some more research on the topic to be sure."

"Would you like to be?"

"We're collaborators. That I understand... Besides, you're dodging the major question."

"I... What am I dodging now?!"

"Katarina saved your life today. Are you going to kiss her then? For consistency?"

"... Are Katarina and I friends?"

"I think she thinks so. So clearly she's done her research- Wait-"

I struggle to my feet and shamble over. Looking down upon the sleeping form of Katarina, deathly still and not breathing, she has a bizarre beauty about her... And I give her a kiss... I get a taste of whatever that 'anesthetic' stuff Xena put in her is. It tastes sweet... It makes me feel a little dizzy.

Katarina's eyes open, and she smiles... A rather sad little smile. Clearly the day's events still weigh on her, but she is trying to be enthusiastic about... Anything. She asks Xena something in German, and Xena responds in kind, which elicits a slightly forced giggle from Katarina, accompanied by an almost sing-songy bit of foreign nonsense.

"Xena... Translate?"

Xena herself gives a sad chuckle, patting Katarina's head. "She said that she's fighting for your money but will happily take kisses as performance bonuses."

"Ah... Hehe..." Now it’s my turn for the sad laugh, but it doesn't feel as bitter as I expected... Possibly because it is shared. "Well, I guess now she knows the rules."

"She knows your stupid, inconsistent rules, maybe, but apparently not mine! I put enough anesthetic in her to knock out an entire family! A big one! Like mine used to be!" Xena pouts, before relaying the message to Katarina in German.

"Ah. Sorry." Katarina gives an apologetic look before going right back to 'sleep' in an instant, still as a corpse again.

"... Are you sure she's actually capable of sleep?" I reach over and tickle under one of Katarina's armpits, which gets a giggle out of the girl before she tries to emulate a corpse again. "If she can't even be forced into it..."

"... Serena, I'd prefer you not speculate as to the physicality of my... Associate and research subject. It might upset her."

"So, I should question you, just not question your research subjects?"

"... I suppose you 'should' upset me, and risk upsetting her... But please don't."

"Xena… I think we ARE friends. I don't read many books or do much ‘research’, but I think we are. And friends shouldn't upset one another, that's another of my rules... With that in mind I'm going to choose to trust you with Katarina, and her body, and I'll stop speculating."

"... Thank you. Serena..." Xena reaches down and tries to take another drink from her flask, only to find it empty. "... First time in four years... Serena, as your doctor I absolutely should not ask this of you, but as your friend... I want to trust you."

"What is it, Xena?"

"There's a grove of Leather nearby, I have to assume they'll have fruit trees. I'm going to need an apple, or rather, its seeds, to make more of my sleep cure. Do you think you can pick one for me without reopening your wounds, or being attacked by terrorists, or something equally dire?"

"... I will try my best to walk down the street and back without getting into a life-or-death struggle with random ruffians."

"I hope you're being sarcastic and that it will not in fact be difficult to avoid being assaulted for five solitary minutes... I'd send Pasche with you, but she's sleeping after her treatment. And the day she's had."

"Y... Yeah. I think I'd prefer to go alone in any case. Have some time to think about things."

"Well, you of all people have a lot of thinking to do, Serena."

"Xena!"

I stick out my tongue at her, but she isn’t wrong. Pasche was going to die in that fire, just to stay by my side, and now I have to decide how to feel about that... I stop by where she’s sleeping in the Greenjacket barracks, and find that her sleep is sound and deep. It’s hard to believe she almost burned to death in what might be the most horrifying conflagration in all of recorded history... She’s not sleeping in her armor, and that makes it clear to see that her treatments are going rather well. Already her form is quite different from the one I shared a bath with. Maybe I should tell her that she's changing. Maybe that'll convince her not to kill herself in my name at any given opportunity…

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I take her saber from where it leans against her bed, figuring I shouldn’t go on this fruit-picking mission unarmed, just in case of random ruffians. I doubt I can put up much of a fight with my wounds, but maybe I can at least intimidate? ... Or maybe I just want part of Pasche with me, part of her that can't die. I consider taking her armor too, but it’s nowhere to be seen-

Or so I thought, it quickly becomes apparent that the Greenjackets are using it as a ball in some kind of high stakes game of catch... These people are bizarre. A whistle sounds and the one holding the ‘ball’ quickly returns the armor to Pasche's bedside, while the rest of the Greenjackets make their way to the kitchen... It must’ve been dinner time. The Greenjacket returning Pasche's armor gives me a look, before gesturing towards the kitchen, as if inviting me to join them. I shake my head, and she looks rather disappointed before making her own way over...

Did I just get asked out on a date? By a German? To eat human flesh? Today just keeps happening…

I make my way out of the Greenjacket compound, and find the entrance practically besieged by stray cats, all forming a crowd in front of the building... What are they all doing here? Am I going to have to tiptoe past precious little kitties just to acquire a single apple?

One of the Greenjackets, a short woman wearing a blood-stained apron which absolutely clashes with her uniform, brings out some bowls full of soup and places them on the ground for the cats, who quickly rush forward to eat their fill. The Germans are feeding the local cats! ... With human meat... I’m not sure how to feel about that.

The cook, whose apron has what I have to assume is a German pun lovingly embroidered upon it, offers me the final bowl. I shake my head once again, and she places it on the ground for the last of the cats who haven't had their fill… I want to be as far away from this place as possible for at least as long as this errand will take, so I get to walking. Xena said I had a lot of thinking to do, but not this much thinking! Honestly, maybe some non-thinking would do me some good, some time to simply be a person again…

The streets are practically deserted on my walk. It seems that the third time’s the charm with random mass violence on the streets of Alesia and most folks are staying firmly inside their homes. Probably smart, but part of me worries if that is somehow part of a certain someone's plan. A certain pretentious someone, who can apparently stop bullets in mid-air, use a gun to fly, start fires that melt stone and burn humans to less than ash... And seemed pretty confident they could survive a fall from that high up. And who is now factoring me into their plans…

No. That’s thinking, I’m not supposed to be thinking, I’m supposed to be... Being normal! Walking around, not thinking about conspiracies or goddesses or friendly affections or the woman who seems determined to die for me. Being. Normal!

... Being normal is hard. The world is simply too big, people are simply too complex, and goddesses are simply too all-encompassing. I haven’t the slightest clue how everyone does this all day, pretending that everything is okay, allowing themselves to be exploited or killed by enforced ignorance. Surely it’s exhausting to think about nothing!

Eventually I find the grove and start making my way through to try and find an apple tree that hasn't been picked clean yet... And I find one. Auguste and Celeste are beneath it. Auguste is holding some flowers... And the two are being held at gunpoint by a trio of ruffians... I'd laugh, but that would give away my position, and I suspect I will have to intervene so I approach as quietly as I can.

Auguste has his hands raised, trying to de-escalate the situation. "Think about this logically, what you're about to do is murder! Whatever cause you're fighting for, it won't be well served by the public seeing its supporters going around killing dissenting voices, right?"

"Not my cause, not my concern. Someone rich simply wants you dead, that's just the way of things." The ringleader, a bald man who looks almost like they could be one of Katarina's littler siblings, seems to be having no de-escalation today.

"So what? You'll be a disposable pawn for money? What good will it do you when you're sacrificed to Steel?"

"Been sacrificed once before. I earned my freedom by being good at what I do. If they try to put me before a firing squad I’ll earn my freedom again."

My eyes drift over to Celeste a moment, who is looking for an opening to run, or to attack these people, or do anything but try to reason with these ruffians... I sneak my way closer still, I'll give her a chance, even if it kills me.

"If you've been sacrificed before, then surely you know what a terrible thing death is, right? How awful it feels to kill someone? Why subject yourself to this if you've been given a second chance?"

"Death's a commodity, nothing more than that."

"H... How can you believe such a thing?!"

"Because I've seen enough of it."

He’s going to see just a little bit more of it, but not in the way he thinks. I’m close enough now, I grit my teeth and charge three steps before plunging the saber into the man's back. He’s dead in an instant, his body sliding off the blade without any resistance, much to the horror of his two flunkies. They turn their attention my way, and the closest one brings his gun around to fire upon me...

But his aim is knocked off course by Celeste grabbing his wrist and pulling it to the ground, the bullet embedding itself in the lush grass of the grove of Leather. I slash the man's throat before he can regain his bearings. He doesn't die nearly as quickly as his former boss, but he’s no longer a threat, clutching his neck in his final moments as he tries desperately to stop the bleeding.

The third man has a sword, and swings at me with an inexpert blow, clearly a novice fencer... Still, he's caught me off guard, in a bad situation, and it’s all I can do to parry the blow.

I feel my chest wound reopen at the impact. Even if this man can't make a good sword stroke to save his life, he can overpower a teenager with multiple wounds that he's taken by surprise... At least I can stand my ground a little longer, give Auguste and Celeste time to flee. They'll live, I'll at least achieve something. And there are worse places to die than a grove of the Goddess of Death, right? ... Will the Greenjackets eat me too?

I close my eyes, the thought unsettles me, to the point where I simply can't look my own death in the face... But suddenly, the force against me ceases. I open my eyes, the pathetic swordsman is on the ground, clearly unconscious. And Auguste has formed a fist in his other hand. He's saved me? ... He and Celeste in fact, if she hadn't moved that one man's gun then I would already be dead right now. Oh dear.

Auguste seems to be grappling with dark thoughts of his own, looking down upon the head goon with some measure of compassion... And some measure of disdain. "... They couldn't be reasoned with. It wouldn't matter what I said, he'd have killed us both all the same. Why couldn't they simply listen?"

I sheathe the saber... And start clutching my chest, this has been rough on my wounds. "... That's just what some people consider normal. Not thinking, and not listening. I don't know how they do it, but some people are simply determined not to listen to reason."

Auguste takes on my words and simply processes them for a moment, seriously considering them... Before realizing that I am in fact quite hurt and rushing over to offer me a shoulder to lean on. "... You've saved our lives, Serena."

Celeste rushes over to do the same but can't resist the urge to turn the whole thing into an excited, awkward hug. "You... You're a hero! You really are!"

She smells nice, oh no... She saved my life; I’m supposed to kiss her. I saved her life, if my rules hold then she’s supposed to kiss me... If we’re friends at least, and she seems to be pretty friendly right now. I want to kiss her I want to kiss her I want to kiss her I-

I need to get these Velvet thoughts out of my head before Auguste punches me too. "... What are you two doing here? The streets aren't safe."

Auguste looks down and waves the flowers still in his hand. "It's... It's my fault. After the fiasco with the speech, and seeing how you and your men managed to save so many innocent people... I had the sudden urge to see my daughter again."

"... Your daughter? But I thought you didn’t have-" I realize in a hurry that I am in fact in a grove of Leather, and that I should shut right the heck up before I say anything else insensitive.

"Not anymore anyway..." Celeste doesn't let up her hug, but it’s certainly lacking enthusiasm now. "She died when she was two. She caught a fever, and this was five years ago, our lives had only just begun and... We didn't have money for medicine. So, she died."

"Oh... Oh... I'm... I'm so sorry for your loss-"

"It's a common story in Alesia. Nothing noteworthy here... Auguste got the worst of it in honesty, the poor man. He ran from Cotton priest to Cotton priest, pleading and begging for our daughter to be treated, and getting turned away every time."

Auguste recoils just a little at the memory, before giving a nod. "Seeing the indifferent faces of unfeeling priests and priestesses, seeing how a society could simply let a child die when they had the means to cure her... That's what made us join the Humanist Salon in the first place. We realized our story was a common one, and we sought the means to author a different ending for all of them."

... I honestly feel the need to give Auguste a hug at this point, he’s having difficulty not weeping. "... Which tree is she buried under? I'm sure she'll appreciate the flowers."

Auguste gestures towards the apple tree, the very same one I was planning to pick from. Which threatens to make things awkward once I do what I came here for... At least I can wait until Auguste does what he came here to do, placing the flowers before the tree, sighing to force back a sob.

"We'll always love you, Selene. And we'll always regret that we never got to know the woman you would have become."

Even Celeste looks like she’s going to cry. I turn and hold her with my good arm as tight as I can. As agonizingly painful as this is with my wound, and as agonizingly pleasant as it feels to be against her, she seems like she needs this embrace.

I simply need to not think for a minute and allow myself to be a comfort. She clearly appreciates the gesture, even if it isn't quite enough to keep the tears from her eyes, leading to her burying her face into my good shoulder to cry... It’s a feeling similar to when I was sitting with Queen Katje rather than with my goddess, Her Majesty. Someone so high above me becoming a human... And a human I want. This is dangerous, this is horrifying, I want to kiss her.

Auguste eventually breaks the silence by taking Celeste off my hands, holding her himself, which allows me to slip away and bleed in peace without the constant temptation. "... What are you doing out, Serena? You said it yourself; the streets are dangerous. And your wound seems to have reopened in that fighting... I can't imagine you know anyone in Alesia who has died, and if you did you'd have brought flowers, rather than a saber."

I swallow, it’s time for the incredibly awkward part of saving Auguste and Celeste's lives. "... I'm here to get an apple for Xena. I brought the saber just in case it was literally impossible to go outside in this city without being in mortal peril, and it turns out I was entirely right to be concerned."

"Ah... Well... I'm sure Selene wouldn't mind you taking an apple or two. I honestly think the two of you would have gotten along well."

"I'll be sure to be respectful." I try to smile, before limping over to the tree, reaching up for the lowest-hanging fruit, not sure my wounds will allow much more than that. "... Thank you, Selene. It was a pleasure to meet you."

This provokes some manner of smile out of Auguste and Celeste, watching me thank their dead child for an apple... Celeste even approaches me from behind, patting my head. "Hehe... We should head back home, shouldn't we? Before we have to deal with yet another mess like this. You've been a hero enough today; I think you should get some rest."

I'd love that... I really would. "I still have to get Xena her apple seeds. Otherwise she might fall asleep, and she seems very against that idea."

"... But sleep is normal?"

"Xena isn't."

Celeste looks at me a moment, before chuckling under her breath, genuinely a little amused.

"I got that impression... Okay, deliver her an apple. Just, come home right afterward. Alive, preferably without any new wounds."

"It's a promise." It’s my fourth such promise and counting... "As nice as it is to have everyone dote upon me, I'd really prefer not to worry you all."

"Hehe, you hardly have to get shot to be doted on by that crowd. Or by me."

Oh no, oh gods, I want to kiss her! Mercifully, she withdraws back to her husband, gives me a wave, and makes their way back home with him. And I make my stumbling, limping way back to the Greenjacket compound to give Xena her apple, and maybe get my wound looked at. I return... And I find Xena fast asleep, being held by a very awake, and still bullet-riddled Katarina.

"Shhh." She smiles at me, before gesturing to the unconscious girl in her arms. "Sleeping."

I nod, gently putting the apple down on a nearby table where I’m sure she'll see it... She honestly doesn't look that much different asleep than she does awake, which is slightly concerning but at least she’s having some rest… And now no one's going to be looking at my wound. I sigh, steal some bandages, try to remember even half of what Xena told Theophania to do at the breakfast table, and patch myself up in amateur fashion. It still hurts, but I figure I might be able to make it back to the Rosierte family home now... Which seems to be my home now, at least in Alesia.

It feels like I’m part of the family.