[b]Mirror[/b]

Slate turns her head a hair, a sleepy quizzical expression. “Of course. I’m terrified, Mira. Terrified of winning, terrified of losing. We’re doing this instead of war.” She lets her gaze linger, looking up at your face, her neck craned backwards to make the angle.  

“[Sunlight withers grass, prey begins the pilgrimage] yes, exactly. But who’s the prey and where are they going? That’s what we don’t know. And that’s terrifying.” 

She smiles and breathes, long slow breaths that evince a serenity that doesn’t match her words. “But then, none of that will make us quit, will it? It doesn’t matter who we’re pawns for, won’t matter when it’s over. We get something unique, something you can’t buy, and you of all people are one to stretch the limits of what’s possible even among all the people of the vast stars. [The shadow of the smallest kitten can devour the stars.]

***

[b]Lozano siblings and Matty[/b]

The interior of Trosta’s isn’t empty. That would be too weird, and anyway Matty finds the sound of metal being worked comforting. It’s a place that’s easy to relax in, to get lost in the sound and forget that you’re there. To be confident that nobody else knows you’re there or can hear anything you’re saying. 

To the gathered siblings, she speaks. “You’re probably a little confused why I called you here. I um, didn’t thinkI was getting all three of you either, just one would be enough. But since you’re all here, your sister needs help. She needs help about your mother. And because we’re…um…well…we live in a strange time and everyone is together here where our peoples are not normally together. So…because of that, I am helping, and my…friend is helping, and all her crew are helping. We just need a little bit of help. Each of you has a piece, a little portion of the Lozano family, the stocks that you hold. I am not the expert in Terenian prayers or um…f-finance…and that’s not why they sent me to talk to you. I’m here because…w-well because we Hybrasilians have a plan, and we can help all of you live better lives. Lives with less fear and doubt and worry in them. We need a little bit of your help to do that, and we’re asking for your trust that we can make it work. And I want you to know that we mean it, that we’re really here to help. I hope that meeting me here, in this unusual way, s-somewhat off the path that you normally tread, will help you understand. I’ve felt so much of that fear in my own life, and the people who I’m with now, they help me feel better, feel safer. I really think we can do that for you too. So, we’re asking for you to trust us and believe in us. That we’ll take the little pieces of Terenian things you have, and put them together, and help bring all of you, and Isabelle especially, to a world where you can all feel less afraid.”

She stops and she waits. There is a moment of tension, of baited breath. Who knows what might have been running through the minds of the Lozano siblings in this moment. Plans and calculations, fear of tricks and traps, of informants and spies and all the myriad tactics of the Lozano family over the years, perhaps. 

But at last, Luca steps forward, cloak and dagger and all. But he does not hand Matty a ceremonial dagger, or make some grand gesture. Rather, he pulls out a pen. “You’re right. When I think to myself ‘why do I hesitate to do this’ it is all from fear. Fear that I do not know you, that my sister has asked me here to take a foolish risk. Fear that whatever plan you may have will fail. That each thing that happens is under the control of my mother. These are the reasons I can think of not to act. But I am already living this way. Isabelle is living this way, we are all living this way. What then, do I lose from acting? Nothing, I say to all of you. If our sister believes this was worth hearing out, then you will have my support.”

He allows Matty to show him what to do, where to sign, provides some of his own guidance on the particulars of such a document. And so too do Tadeo and Carmella, each in their turn. 

And when it is done, Matty holds a set of papers and a specially coded mesh with their intentions, easily copied but impossible to forge. A sign of power, but more importantly, of trust. 

***

[b]Solarel[/b]

As you sign, there is a screen for the Terenian that slowly brings the words on a screen. It’s something like a translation geist, but with Pia as intermediary: it’s reflecting her mind, her understanding, rather than a mechanical spirit doing so. In a sense this is much simpler: the geist, if you can even say there is one, is merely a scribe for her rather than engaging in a direct interpretive effort. But no words are spoken in any part, save by Anna as she peppers each question in turn. 

“Oh my gosh, you’re an arena pilot! And you came here because you’re hungry. And, Pia, you’re the student, is all that stuff about the ancestors and spirits and everything new? Did anyone have that on file?” Pia’s shaking her head, eyes sparkling. 

“This is incredible, what a system, my god. And you just stalked gods in your tribe? Like in anime?! I didn’t think anyone really did that!”

She looks incredibly smug at the other two. “See, and you said that all I’d ever get picking up subjects in the spaceport restaurants was a punch in the face. Like that would even hurt. Okay, wrap up this footage, let’s package it up, do a voiceover of some kind, but like, respectfully, Pia will look at it and we’ll make sure it’s respectful and doesn’t violate any customs. We can do commentary or something if we have to. Pietro, stop looking at me like that, you know perfectly well that if I wanted to cause a diplomatic incident I’d do it on purpose, nobody half-asses a diplomatic incident, that’s just incredibly boring.”

When all is done, the last thing they ask is this: “so…uh, when it’s done we’ll send you a free copy of course. Our expense paid, even if we have to get it shipped by courier across the galaxy. So…where should we send it?”

***

[b]Dolly[/b]

“You are a beautiful soul. Too beautiful for shooting people in the face, I might think.” Angela adds that almost sadly as you complete the shopping trip. “But then, no, perhaps there is nothing in the whole galaxy that would make you so happy as where you are now, hm?” She accentuates this by flexing the arm that’s holding you, pinching you tightly between the various parts of her arm wrapped around you. 

“Still, ask yourself if you wish to fight. There are many ways for you and your goddess to greet the world, are there not? If this is not the only way to achieve your wishes, I would be loathe to call it the best way.”

And with that, she hefts you and the order slip, passing it to the store to have all the parts delivered to the hangar faster than you can even get back. After all, it is the duty of the high priestess to deliver everything timely, is it not?