Hiiri (to Zoe): Number 4? You have missed your deadline... Number 4? Oooooo. So that's how they want to play this game...
A short time later:
Hiiri (to Delphine): There you are, Delphine! I need you to scrounge up four skippers from Maladori... Wait, we need fresh ones.
Delphine (to Hiiri): Magnifique! Le tarif habituel, bien sûr? Excuse me, I was chatting with a friend in Paris.
Hiiri (to Delphine): Yes, yes, the usual fee applies. Just get them here.
Delphine (to Hiiri): Tres bien! I'll be back as quickly as I can with your skippers.
Meanwhile, at the Old Piedmont Inn, West Piedmont:
Ariadne (to Zoe): Zoe? We got the device out. How you feeling?
Zoe (to Ariadne): Let's just say, I'm really glad you drugged me.
Ariadne (to Zoe): Don't scratch! I had to give you stitches. Keep the bandage on for a day or so. If you have any problems with it, let me know. Just try to take it easy.
Zoe (to Ariadne): Sorry, it itches. Shit! Is that the time!?! I should really get to school! Thank you, Hari! Tell my mom, I'll see her at home.
A short time later:
Poppy: Fiona? Are you hiding around here somewhere or should I knock on Fox's door?
Fiona (to Poppy): Heh heh. Hello, missus. To what do I owe the honor?
Poppy (to Fiona): I was wondering, honey, if you'd be up for a potentially dangerous mission?
Fiona (to Poppy): Awww, you remembered my birthday! You know you don't have to ask a silly thing like that. What do you need me to do, and to whom am I doing it. Oh, and most importantly, do I get to blow something up?
Poppy (to Fiona): Heehee. Quite possibly. I need you to crossover & see if you can find out what Hiiri & CLANNG are currently up to... And, if you have an opening, honey, I want you to take out Hiiri. I'm through being nice about it. She has been a thorn in our sides for too long. I'd do it myself but I'm not allowed to crossover. Doctor's orders.
Fiona (to Poppy): It would be my distinct pleasure, missus. I'll be ready to leave in two hours, and report back to you in the standard time.
Poppy (to Fiona): Wonderful, honey. Oh, if you can find out if our banishment has ended that would be an added bonus. If you need to take a team feel free to do so.
Fiona (to Poppy): Aye, aye. Team's are too bloody noisy for where I'm going to have to go. Best not. If you don't hear from me, you know what to assume. It has been an honor, Ms Meriwether. Keep an eye on Wilkes for us, won't you? Do try to keep our Little Lord out of prison. He'll be ever so annoyed if he has to go inside again. :-P
Poppy (to Fiona): Heehee, it'll be like the Irish mob fiasco all over again. :-P Good luck, Fiona! It has been an absolute pleasure.
Fiona (to Poppy): Thanks, missus. I do hope we get to blow something up together again soon. Have your fluffy lad here to transport me in two.
Poppy (to Fiona): Actually, Hari's going to do it. She has some business to attend to on the other side. Victor & Yoyo have some business to take care of here & in Britannia.
Ariadne (to Fiona): Heh. You didn't think you'd be rid of me so easily, did you?
Fiona (to Ariadne): Heh. Of course not. Who else is going to carry you home after a night at the pub? I'll be ready in two, Miss Wisp. I need to go accessorize.
Ariadne (to Fiona): Ooooh, me too.
Poppy (to Fiona & Ariadne): Heh. I hope to see the two of you soon. Don't forget to say your goodbyes to Fox, Fiona.
A few minutes later:
Fiona (to Winchester): Oh, Chess... That IS a lovely little tripwire you set up there. I would love to disarm it, lovely, but I haven't the time.
Winchester (to Fiona): Blast! I spent a good hour setting this up for you. Now, what am I going to do for fun?
Fiona (to Winchester): Heh. I'm sure you'll find someway to occupy yourself. This is where we say our goodbyes, Fox. The Magpie has a job for me.
Winchester (to Fiona): Oh? Sounds intriguing, firebug. Are you not planning on coming back?
Fiona (to Winchester): Awww, would you miss me? It's the kind of mission you plan on coming back from, and plan on NOT coming back from.
Winchester (to Fiona): Of course, I would miss you. Who else around here shares my love of weaponry, drinking & sex?
Fiona (to Winchester): I'd say just about every one of this miserable lot, though probably not all at once. It's been grand, Chess. It really has.
Winchester (to Fiona): Heh. Well, I hope to see you again, firebug... If not, here's something to remember me by.
Ariadne (to Winchester & Fiona): DUDE! Seriously? Don't you two ever stop?
Winchester (to Ariadne & Fiona): Heh. Fair doctor, if you both come back in one piece, maybe we can find out? ;-)
Fiona (to Ariadne): Heh. Not if we can help it. ;-) (to Winchester) See you in the highlands, Chess!
Ariadne (to Winchester): ... Bye, Chess. (to Fiona) I swear I don't know what you see in that guy. You ready to skip?
Fiona (to Ariadne): Really? You've examined him and you still don't know? Heh... Fox acts like he's all pomp, but at heart he's really a bawdy Tombs boy. Wouldn't bother with me if he weren't. Can't trust us spies not to be damned liars, can you? Ready when you are, doc.
Ariadne (to Fiona): Heh... Let's jet!
Across from the Lovelace School of the Arts, East Piedmont:
Yukiko (to Victor; phone): Why does your mother have me on Zoe babysitting duty? Isn't there a better use of my skills?
Victor (to Yukiko): Because she's worried she's going to try to run off to meet Hiiri rather than put Nate or anyone else at risk. And, you're the only one who can spy on her, you know. So, I'd say you got stuck on babysitting duty BECAUSE of your skills.
Yukiko (to Victor): Oh... Go me! So far, it's been pretty routine & boring. I'll call you if anything comes up. Be safe!
Victor (to Yukiko): I will. You too. I love you.
Yukiko (to Victor): I love you, too.
Meanwhile, at the Lovelace School of the Arts, East Piedmont:
Ophelia (to Zoe): ... Are you okay? That's a pretty big bandage on your neck. Oh my god! Did you get bit by a vampire?
Zoe (to Ophelia): What!?! No. I just had to have something removed. Stop trying to look at it! I'm supposed to keep it covered.
Ophelia (to Zoe): Was it a tattoo?
Zoe (to Ophelia): Ophelia... Have you been hanging around Jess too much?
Ophelia (to Zoe): God. I'm sorry. I guess she's rubbing off on me.
Zoe (to Ophelia): Well, just cut it out. Ok?
Ophelia (to Zoe): Of course. I'll see you later.
A few hours later:
Yukiko: Where on earth is Zoe going now? She is not staying on school grounds... Damn. Does she know I'm tailing her?
Colin (to Zoe): Hey! There you are. Where the heck are you headed?
Zoe (to Colin): Huh? ... Oh. Hey, Colin... I was just going for a walk.
Colin (to Zoe): Are you OK? You look kinda rough. Oh my god! What happened to your neck? I didn't do THAT! I mean... I didn't did I?
Zoe (to Colin): No, you didn't do it. It was Hiiri. She apparently embedded a communication device in me... She's been talking to me... I was just wondering what other horrible things she's done to me that I'm not going to find out about until she decides to torment me with it...
Colin (to Zoe): Oh god. I wish I knew what to say... Wanna blow off our last two classes and get ice cream?
Zoe (to Colin): ... Actually, that sounds great.
Colin (to Zoe): It's what my Dad always does whenever I'm depressed. Come on.
Zoe (to Colin): Heh... What did your dads tell you about Hiiri? Cuz, I know I certainly didn't. And, you seem to be taking this information a lot better than I was expecting. And this was not the way I wanted to tell you about her. Actually, I didn't want to tell you about her at all.
Colin (to Zoe): Um, yeah. Da told me a little bit when we first started dating. Um, I figured you'd tell me about it if you wanted to. You've got some of her memories too, huh?
Zoe (to Colin): Yeah... They're the really bad ones.
Colin (to Zoe): Yeah, I kind of guessed that based on some of the stuff you said. All the more reason for ice cream!
A short time later, at U Scream Ice Cream, East Piedmont:
Zoe (to Colin): Thank you. You're a good boyfriend.
Colin (to Zoe): I'll bet you say that to all the super attractive guys bringing you chocolate ice cream. :-P
Zoe (to Colin): Yep... I say it to all of them.
Colin (to Zoe): As long as I'm your favorite.
Zoe (to Colin): Heehee, you are.
Yukiko: Great! Now, I feel like a Peeping Tom.
Several hours later, at Nathaniel & Aiden's apartment, West Piedmont:
Nathaniel: Alright... Today, can fucking blow me. (to Aiden) Hey. Sorry I'm so late. You hungry? I can throw something together.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Only if you want to. I think there's still leftovers from yesterday... How are you doing?
Nathaniel (to Aiden): I'm not starving, but I don't mind cooking if you want something else. I'm alright. I, um... I saw a psychiatrist today.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Oh? Are you okay? ... I'm sorry. I don't know what to say.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): Heh. Yeah. I'm alright. River mentioned that it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get a psychiatrist on my side, you know? We are both pretending that we're WAY more fucking OK than we are, aren't we?
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Heh. I believe you're right... Is it wrong that I just want to grab a bottle of wine, you & climb under the covers?
Nathaniel (to Aiden): Heh. No. That sounds like a good fucking idea to me. I'm trying to keep it all together, but you know what? Shit is fucked up, and I'm scared as hell.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): I hate to admit it but I am, too... Do you think I should go back to Britannia? I don't want to leave you alone but it may be enough to get your parents off your back.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): ... God. Honestly? I don't think so. They think I'm crazy and that they're fucking saving me. My aunt mentioned they're "coming to get me" which only has ever meant one fucking thing. ...But, it might not be a bad idea.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): We could go together. It wouldn't have to be forever, just long enough for your aunt & uncle to figure out how to fix this.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): Yeah. That'd probably be the best idea. I just hate the idea of running away from them. Again. But that's probably not a bad idea... Can you go back to Britannia? I mean, without getting arrested or shot or some shit?
Aiden (to Nathaniel): More than likely I'd be alright. I hate to say it but being an aristocrat has some advantages & this would be one of them.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): Heh. Fucking snob. :-P We can start making the arrangements tomorrow if you want. Goddamn... Emma is gonna fucking fire me.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Well, the choice is to let you run away with me or let you get locked up in an asylum... Which one do you think she'd rather let happen?
Nathaniel (to Aiden): Heh. Yeah... I know which one I'd prefer at any rate. Heh. Shit. You look like you just relaxed a whole fucking lot.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): I was worried you wouldn't want to leave your life here.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): ... Honestly, I don't. I liked having my own fucking life, and finally feeling like I kinda had my shit together, you know? But, the most important part of all that shit is you, and you need to be scarce for a while. Cause my family are fucking morons. Heh. Shit happens, sometimes. You fucking cope and move on.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Heh. I just want you to be okay.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): Yeah. Ditto.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Come on, let's build a blanket fort & hide away in it for a bit... What? Don't look at me like that. I was a child once.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): No you weren't. You were sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus like a suit-wearing Athena... What? I fucking read. :-P
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Perhaps we should bring a book into our blanket fort.
Nathaniel (to Aiden): You planning on doing a lot of reading in bed? Heh. I'm just giving you a hard fucking time. I am on board for staying under the covers with you for as long as fucking possible.
Aiden (to Nathaniel): Good. I can think of nothing else I'd rather do.
