Jade’s wounds were mostly healed but her right hip and shoulder still throbbed with a dull ache. The meeting with the treefolk was in a couple days, but she hadn’t mentioned it to Zagreus because he had enough going on already.

She headed for Karimere’s room. By the time she got to the hall she felt Zagreus in the area of the elevator that came to her level. Lilithana and the teleporter room were in different directions. So he was coming to see Rimmer first. She closed her eyes took a breath. She thought. Don’t get mad at him. I told him to do it. Then went into her room.

She tried to keep her focus off his presence while he was alone with Rimmer, and failed completely at ignoring them. But she was relieved when they only talked.

As he left, he paused in front of Jade’s door.

She tried to sound calm as she sent. *Keep walking. I will go take care of Cinder in less than an hour.*

He continued, without a word.

Jade entered Karimere’s room and could tell by her movements that she was still recovering. It was subtle, but it was there.

The purple haired susneran was standing with her back to the door. She poked away at a tablet with her eyes scanned the wall of monitors.

Jade had never bothered to learn what the work entailed, but Rimmer had barely stopped to eat or bathe since she got out of the tank. The scent of smokeleaf in the room only meant that Rimmer had pretended to be relaxing when she knew Zagreus was coming.

“Do you need something?” Rimmer stated flatly, and didn’t look back.

“You look tired. You should rest.”

“I have too much work to do. I will rest when everyone is back on their feet.”

“How about taking an hour to rest this afternoon? I will give you a massage.”

“I will be caught up in a few days. Then I will rest, I promise.”

Rimmer took a step to the left then kicked a wad of white cloth across the floor without even stopping to acknowledge it. It was a torn up white dress.

Jade knew that Karimere had torn it up in frustration after he left. She would never let anyone see her that vulnerable and uncontrolled. But Jade also realized the dress meant Karimere still wanted him. Jade did her best to bury the mix of feelings that caused. She walked closer and firmly said. “Karimere.”

“Yes?” The purple haired goddess stopped and turned.

“I…” Jade knew her lover was exhausted but seeing the weariness up close made Jade’s heart ache. All the will to confront Rimmer about their relationship vanished in an instant. Jade hugged her tight. “I missed you. I am worried about you.”

Rimmer froze. “I, um… appreciate your concern.”

“You are supposed to hug me back and say, ‘sorry for making you worry’.” Jade grumbled.

The tablet disappeared then she awkwardly patted Jade’s back and said, “Sorry for making you worry.”

“Thank you.” Jade whispered then she let her go. “You really don’t know how to deal with someone being concerned about you, do you?”

“Most are concerned if I am alive or not. And the vast majority of those are disappointed to find out that I still draw breath.”

Jade sighed and looked into Rimmer’s purple eyes. She wanted to forget everything and run away with her. But the thing she would be running away from was Karimere herself and her obsession with the stupid mission.

“Was there something specific you needed?”

“I… um… When will you have some time for me?”

“I am not sure. But the sooner you let me get back to work, the sooner I can make time for you.”

Jade nodded and left before her mouth made things worse.

Somewhere down one of the empty halls, Jade leaned against the wall and covered herself with illusions. That hid her from any incidental cameras or microphones.

She swore and screamed and let out every frustration she could. Then she sighed, spun and slowly banged her head against the wall. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…” This continued for several minutes. When she stopped she was no closer to a solution. “Does she even care about me at all?”

“Have you tried talking to her?” A voice said.

Jade screamed and spun. She had a dagger in her hand and swung.

Lilithana caught her arm, “It seems your combat training is effective. Nice response time.”

Jade despawned her weapon, leaned against the wall, crossed her arms and glared.

“I did not mean to scare you to death.” Lilithana bowed.

“You held a grudge, from when I was ten.”

Lilithana gave a hint of a smile. “I still remember that event. But that does not address why you are hiding in the halls, and banging your head on the wall.”

“I was going to talk to Cinder but I needed a moment away from the cameras. What are you doing sneaking into my illusion? How did you even find me? Did I screw up again?”

“You illusion was perfect but I know the layout of these corridors well.”

“Do you need something?” Jade huffed.

“He-who-shall-not-be-named is looking for me. I am frustrated with him for using a god favor against me. Maybe I will be calmer if he takes some time to find me.”

“Maybe.”

Lilithana took a deep breath and went to alive mode. “I don’t know why I stopped here. Maybe I wanted to talk to somebody. I can’t talk to Cinder or him right now, and Karimere ordered me not to contact her unless it was mission critical.”

“I don’t know how much help I can be, but I will listen.”

“I am worried that he might be upset with me. I have been quite, confused with some of his actions lately.”

“Have you tried talking to him?”

The Goddess of Death bowed. “I see we are both incompetent when it comes to matters of love.”

Jade smirked, “I’m sorry. I had to.” then put her hand on Lilithana’s shoulder. “For what it is worth, I know Zaggy cares deeply about you. He didn’t seem mad. I would say he was more tired, and worried. And, as cheesy as it sounds, I think he just wants all of us to get along and be happy.”

“Happiness is a luxury I cannot afford. I am only allowed a few moments of occasional pleasure.”

“I still want to find a way to help you Lili. Maybe we can fix your mecromail so you can be alive all the time.”

“If you wish to spend your free time on that endeavor, I will not stop you. But I cannot spend my limited awake time hoping for something that is so unlikely.”

Jade straightened up and dropped her illusion. “Well I have orders to take care of. Try not to torture him for too long before you talk to him.”

“I will try.” Lilithana turned to leave.

Jade had a thought then reactivated her illusion. “Is there any way for me do the Love Eternal?”

The illusion flickered as jagged black arcane danced on Lilithana’s skin. “Do you plan to mark him as well?”

Jade gestured emphatically. “No, no, no. No plans. I was thinking about Rimmer.”

The Goddess of Death gained control of her arcane enough to stop the flickering but her presence was still overwhelming. “No plans? That leaves open the option that your plans might change.” Before Jade could think of a way to save herself Lilithana continued. “He spoke with you first, then Karimere, now he hunts me. Tell me his intentions. That is an order.”

Jade sighed and stated clearly. “I told you already. He wants us to get along and be happy. He told me he will give me a choice at the meeting. I think that he intends to do the same for all five of us.”

“Five…?” She shook her head then seemed lost in thought.

Jade said, “Can you tone down the rage? Your arcane is giving me a headache.”

Within a breath Lilithana was in dead mode and the Black Bloom of Oblivion was the picture of serenity. “I apologize. May I ask your intentions with him?”

Jade shrugged dismissively. “I am focused on Rimmer at the moment. I can’t even begin to think about Zaggy.”

“I see.” She nodded. “If you are interested in doing the Love Eternal ritual, then the simplest process is to use a specific pair of wards that will let you put your energy into your victim and cause the same effect.”

“Really? It’s that simple?”

“Yes. But I must warn you that the love mark is more than a ritual. It won’t prove that someone loves you. But if they truly want things to work then they will be aroused. If they are deceitful and manipulative then it will show by them suddenly finding you overwhelmingly revolting.”

“Oh… So it only works if the person you mark honestly wants to be with you.”

“Correct. There are also several devices that Rezu has developed to emulate the various effects that infernals can create with their bites.”

“There are other bites?”

“Yes. There is a breeding bite that will make your victim aroused. And there is a subjugation bite that will make your victim weak and disoriented.”

“Can you stop saying victim? It makes me feel like I am going to do something horrible to Rimmer.”

Lilithana grinned. “It is her terminology, and it is simpler than saying ‘person that you bite and injected with arcane’ repeatedly.

Jade chuckled. “Why did you put so much work into infernals mating habits?”

“Studying the delicate way they use arcane taught us much and working on the devices helped Rezu develop his skills as a craftsman. I am sure you have experienced the collar that has the breeder bite effect.”

Jade was quite familiar with Rimmer’s ‘bitch in heat’ collar. She wore it when her chocolate rations ran low. It wasn’t as effective, but it was still fun.

Lilithana looked her in the eyes. “If you want the full experience of the mating rituals there is an implant. It bonds to your body and would take major surgery to remove. But it will allow you to use any bite you want freely. Well, to the extent that your body will sustain the energy usage.”

“Oh. Wow. So I could do the breeding bite whenever I wanted?”

“Yes.”

Jade had been wondering if she was going to mark Karimere but now she was more concerned with how to do it. Did I make the decision to try without noticing?

Lilithana interrupted Jade’s daze. “Mr. Unspeakable seems to have noticed my outburst and is headed this way. I will send you all the data on the wards and devices. Rezu has an implant installed already. Speak with him if you have more questions, or want one.”

“Ok. I will.”

Lilithana bowed. “Thank you for listening to me. I had no one else to talk to right now.” She vanished in a flash before Jade could respond.

***

A few minutes later, Jade entered her old room. She hadn’t been in there in months. There was stuff scattered around from where she had come down looking for one thing or another, and not bothered to clean up. Clothes were everywhere. There was even a tipped over wooden box of toys and games.

Looking at them now, the stuff looked like it was from a dozen different cultures. She found a leather bag full of marbles, one of her favorite toys. For some reason she felt she needed to keep them close so she folded the bag into her mecromail.

There was a metal model of sapphire dragon sitting on a shelf. It had been a twelfth birthday present. All the limbs moved and the ‘skin’ of the wings was an illusion. It was from the same show as Boom Stick Bob. She found his model half buried under some other toys. She picked up the pale infernal and straightened his crimson hair. With a bit of searching she found his staff at the bottom of the toy box. No shop ever sold these models. No mortal even knew about the videos. These toys were new, hand crafted with weapons, cloths and everything. I’ll have to ask Rezu about them.

She collected all of her models, their pieces, along with some other things. She stored all of it in her mecromail. I shouldn’t leave important things lying around down here.

Cinder was sitting naked on the bed with her back pressed into the corner and her knees up to her bare chest. Her arms hugged her knees. She looked, and smelled, like hell. After what she had been through lately, it was no surprise.

Jade felt guilty about starting the whole punishment thing, but she knew something would have happened either way. But maybe Zaggy wouldn’t have been caught in it as bad. She didn’t know what to do or say. She kept going through her old things long after she was done searching. She was giving Cinder the chance to speak first.

“Why are you in here?” Cinder said with a scowl.

“This is my room.”

“You have a room near Karimere now.”

“I have orders to talk to you, or to listen and let you talk.”

“Only that pale bastard would have given you those orders.” She snapped.

“So what. I am still here.”

“Where is he?”

She shrugged and looked towards where she sensed him. “On the upper levels. He has been moving randomly, all over the lab. My guess is that he is looking for Lili and she is still avoiding him.”

“Good.”

“He wanted me to tell you that he meant what he said by the lake.”

“Had he just woke up when I saw him today? Has he been recovering this whole time?”

“Yes.”

“Then that pale bastard was wearing her damned mark when I saved him, when we were by the lake, when he told me he wanted to redo the ritual! I damn near killed myself trying to save him! I should have let him fall!”

“He wants to fix things with you.”

“After what he has done to me?!”

“I think he means to marry both of you.”

“Why would I do that?! I’m not going to share him with her!”

“How is that any different than what you were going to do with Lili?”

“She has a claim. Not Love Eternal!”

“The reason doesn’t matter. You are still sharing him. I knew that much when I went after him. I didn’t expect it to be exclusive.”

“But it’s just physical with Lilithana.”

“He has been dating Lili for years. I know they care for each other. I don’t think it is the same as how he feels for you. But I am sure Lili is feeling jealous. That is probably why she has been so harsh on you. When Rezu got me out of the healing tank, he warned me to tread lightly around Lili. She has been quite irritable since he got marked.”

“I bit him first. I should have got Love Eternal first. How could he put a mortal over me?”

“If you hadn’t threatened him with a power sword I might listen to that argument.”

“I’ve been under a lot of stress, ok!”

“You think he hasn’t? Between you, Gwenyr, Lili, Rimmer and me I don’t know how the man is sane. For all I know Rezu has taken a shot at him. They have been spending a lot of time together recently.”

“Rezu? Would Zagreus do that?”

“No idea. I’ve never seen him near another man.” She shrugged. “Hell, except for Rezu, and the five minutes I spent stealing cheese, I don’t remember ever seeing another man.”

“Are you still interested in Zagreus?”

Jade hesitated and dropped the shirt she was holding, then shrugged. “I don’t know. It feels… off. Like I somehow know it won’t work.”

“What do you think about Rezu? He is a kind one.” Cinder said. It seemed like Cinder was trying to talk, to think, about something other than Zaggy.

“Rezu is like the cool older sibling I can talk to about personal stuff. It’s been fun having him here. The rest of you are like a bunch of crazy aunts.”

“Even Karimere?”

“She was more like the creepy neighbor lady, but now she is like the girlfriend I don’t want to bring home to mom… And before you say it, I don’t want to know anything relating to my mom and Rimmer. Let me live the dream.”

Cinder sat in silence for a while. Then she gasped, “Wait a minute. Why were you in a healing tank?”

“Gessil hit me with a tornado of stones and gravel. Busted my hip, shoulder and two ribs. My right side was basically ground meat. But I got to her and melted her into a screaming pile of goo.”

“You. Fought. Gessil the Undying.” Every word took effort, like it was some horrible curse that would destroy reality if spoken aloud.

“She was going to kill you.”

“That. That. That does not matter child. You are the Second. You are wearing a training mecromail. You shouldn’t have been on the same half of the planet as that psycho. You promised.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t run. I chased you because I thought you were going to hurt Zaggy. Then I saw the scarlet energy and was worried about both of you. Hell, Rezu and Gwenyr were missing too. It felt like I had suddenly lost my whole family.”

“Going there was still foolish.”

“I didn’t know I would be fighting alone. The first thing I saw was her about to drop a boulder on you. I had to stop her.”

“Wait a minute. I impaled her! Into solid stone! How was she still alive?!”

“I don’t know. What I saw was less of a person and more of a sentient, angry mass of meat.”

She rubbed her temples. “But she was dead.”

“Stop stressing. You used enough arcane to light a small star. You hit a double stim. And you just got out of a tank. Have you even eaten anything yet?”

“Double stim?” She gasped. “What the hell was I thinking?”

Jade order some food while Cinder muttered random questions to herself.