Annie LXVI: Instruments of Change

(Chronological index: New World Order #12)

Samantha moved her feet, crossing her ankles. Amelia and Denise both turned to watch the movement.

When it was clear it was just restlessness, they relaxed once more. Denise glanced around Amelia's travel carrier. She was used to cozy. Amelia's was a gift from a head of state.

There was an actual foyer, a bath, a flushing toilet, a bedroom with a door and a lounge.

It was still cozy but Denise counted at least six places another sylph could stand and not be visible from where she sat by the bay window.

Ray's feet were just visible through a window on the far wall. They were in the exact same spot they'd been in when he put the carrier beneath the seats. "Have to admit," she said idly, "Annie's got him well trained."

"Ray?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah. I've seen cigar store Indians that fidget more. And I don't think I've ever heard him fart."

Amelia laughed. "I can really imagine Annie raking him across the coals for that."

They both laughed because they could easily visualize the wrath of the formidable sylph.

The noise trailed off and they sat in companionable silence. Denise enjoyed the older sylph's company. Her adjustments to shrinking were an inspiration and her shoulders were wide enough for tears, sobs, total nervous breakdowns and crying jags.

Denise wondered what Amelia got from her company, though. She hoped there was some trade, even if it wasn't fully equitable.

Across the bay, Amelia regarded her friend. Denise was one of the few sylphs she'd known as a full, giant human before they shrank. And the woman treated her exactly the same now as she had before.

It probably came from growing up with Pet and Buttercup, she knew, but it was still a rare treat. She knew exactly what Denise thought of her. The young woman treated her with respect and candor because she thought Amelia deserved it, not because she wanted anything from the co-director of the Sylph Center.

She knew she could relax around Denise. She could also relax around Annie and Pet, she knew. But knowing Denise was still very close to a unique relationship. The trust Amelia felt was almost a physical sensation. And speaking of that...

"Do you ever think of Doctor Kevorkian?" Amelia asked.

Denise had started to doze, her head nodding. Now it came back up, eyes wide. "Nooooo..." she said slowly.

Amelia was staring at her. Denise felt like the woman was waiting for her somehow. "Um...do you?"

"Today, I do." Her hands moved vaguely like she was trying to get comfortable.

Denise leaned forward and took her hand. "Talk to me, Amelia. What's going on?"

"It's these gnome-made sylphs," Amelia finally admitted. "A lot of them are...were, I guess, people in positions of power."

"Ah. And it's sad," Denise nodded. "That people of power are drawn to things like the blood sports."

Amelia waved that away. "That's human history, human nature. We're all scum. I accept that. No, it's that their sylphing has everyone else running scared. They're actually debating changes to or removal of the Sylph Act.

"They're suggesting that maybe the definition of humanity shouldn't exclude people less than 26 inches tall."

Denise stared. "These are human scum," she said slowly, "...doing exactly what you wanted them to do for the last thirty years?"

Amelia laughed. "I know, I know. That's why I'm thinking of Kevorkian."

Denise started to pat at her body. "If I had pockets, I'd be wondering which one I left my flag in."

"Flag?"

"Lost at sea flag. Amelia, I love you almost as much as my sister wives, but I have no idea where you're going with this."

"I always thought a rational mind should be able to choose suicide," Amelia said with a laugh.

"Ha ha ha," Denise pretended to laugh. "That's hilarious."

"Hang on. I mean, facing some debilitating disease or other horrible fate, I think one should have a right to make a choice there.

"And at first I thought it was brave of Kevorkian to take a stand. But then I found out some of his other stands. He wants to harvest organs from condemned prisoners. Knock them out and perform medical experiments on their brain dead forms." She sighed.

"So, I agree with him on one point, and he totally squicks me out on every other." She was silent for a moment, allowing Denise space to laugh. Instead she reached out to take Amelia's hand in a tight grip.

Then she scooted closer on the bench. Amelia smiled and leaned on her shoulder.

"These guys... These new sylphs with blood on their hands. Literally. Sylph blood. They're pulling strings. And they're scaring legislators. Guys are afraid that it could happen to them.

"Sure, they're doing the right thing....but for all the wrong reasons." She blew air out of her mouth. "Like Kevorkian. I like what they're doing, but it's too bad they're the champions of change."

"And it's going to suck," Denise said, "going into court to ask that the Center gets custody of this rat bastard tattooist. Because you can help him grow as a person."

The Center," Amelia replied simply. "We save all sylphs or we're saving no one." Denise nodded and put an arm around her shoulders.

After a few moments of silence, Denise murmured, "Scaring the legislators? I remember someone starting a rumor that fighting against sylph rights might be interpreted as sylph oppression. And the magic might have begun to notice how people vote..."

"Guilty," Amelia snorted. "But it was Annie's idea."

"I know. I was given a list of blogs to help spread the word. To spread the fear and fan the flames of terror. So we're all moral-free champions of change."

"I believe Annie would say, As It Should Be," Amelia said.

They laughed, then sat in another comfortable silence. Amelia squeezed Denise's hand. Denise stroked her back.

"I really do understand Ray's sphincter control, now," Amelia finally said.

"You have no idea," Denise told her. "No idea."

----------

Ray gallantly handled the bags and left the sylphs for Samantha. Between legal issues and another set of GPS coordinates, they'd found it convenient to travel together.

And Sam was dating someone from Justice, so the Foster women didn't mind rooms at the same hotel.

"Of course," Annie mentioned to Butters, Sam and Amelia's travel aide, "it couldn't hurt if they're on different floors." He'd said nothing but he had winked.

The cab right was companionable. Ray spoke to the sylphs while Sam spent the ride on the phone. Lawyers involved in the case met the Anthonys in the hotel lobby. Ray turned over that luggage to bellboys as the others were led off to a meeting.

The post-travel massage had become something of a ritual for Ray and Denise. He enjoyed stripping her clothes off, laying her across a wash cloth soaked in hot water and kneading gently at her muscles.

She wasn't as cramped or stiff as usual. Amelia's carrier was very, very well appointed. But she wasn't about to disappoint her private masseur.

It's all about his needs, she thought to herself as he pressed on her thighs. I carry him on my shoulders.

She sighed at the horrible responsibility she bore. He took it as a compliment and moved to her shoulders. She purred. For his benefit, obviously.

---------

The next day, Ray made a beeline for the waterfront. He vaguely remembered a restaurant he'd been to as a child and wanted to try to find it. There were many hours before their appointed rendezvous on the other side of town, so he dawdled along the street seeking the first place he'd ever had French Onion soup.

"It was really neat," he said.

"What was it called?" Denise asked from a pocket.

"I dunno. Something Cove, I think."

"That helps," she said with a smile.

"It was a really big place."

"If it's a former warehouse, it'll be by the water."

"No, no, no." He walked down the street slowly. Even without a firm destination in mind, the waterfront shops were intriguing. "It was a bunch of those tiny little houses they bought up and smashed through. There's like twenty different dining rooms."

"Try the phone book?" she suggested. He paused by a shop with blown glass sculptures. She yanked on his shirt to keep him there for a bit. He obeyed.

"Don't know the name," he pointed out.

"That tic-tac-toe set of blue and red marbles is nice," she said. He nodded. It was his polite nod, she knew. Eh, she had been aware of his basic Philistine tendencies for years.

"Beyond something Cove or Cove something," she said. He moved on down the street. "What else do you remember about it?"

"I know they were real proud of a playmate mentioning them in her pictorial. They had a tastefully bowdlerized copy framed in the lobby."

"You would remember that," she laughed. "Internet?"

"If I type: twenty rooms dining I get a convention center. No, we're doomed to walk the streets of an Old South city, breathing the charm and gazing at windows."

"You're doomed," she pointed out. "I'm comfy."

Just then a camerawoman and a woman with a microphone stepped in front of Ray. The reporter leaned in for a 'man in the street' shotgun question.

"Sir? What do you think of Judge Fedder's comment?"

Ray shrugged. "I think the judge published a sixty page decision on the Sylph Act. I haven't finished reading his 'comment.' So..."

The reporter rolled her eyes. "I mean the comment that's all over the internet, the TV, the papers....?"

Denise felt Ray shake his head. She couldn't see from his pocket but she knew, absolutely knew that he had his 'innocent ignorance' look on.

The reporter leaned forward. "You know! He said it was significant that sylph porn in a well-appointed dollhouse was indistinguishable from human porn on a studio set."

"Well," Ray said after a moment. "Not completely indistinguishable. There's still the difference of dressing rooms or dressing cages, isn't there?" There was no response from the reporter. "Also, I don't think professional porn stars are paid in kibble."

Denise laughed at the reporter's expression. When the woman saw the sylph in Ray's pocket she made a cutting motion and stormed off. Her cameraman followed.

"She's going to think you don't take Sylph Act Reform seriously," Denise warned her husband.

He shrugged, dragging the pocket slightly upwards. "I have nothing but contempt for the Sylph Act," he said. "But I don't sit on a district court." He turned and went on looking through the shops. "And I don't know anyone in Savannah," he replied.

"Sam might catch the evening news. Or Amelia. Or one of their associates. Hell," she laughed, "your comment might get picked up by the network. You could be on the TV in the lounge at the Center any day now.

"Annie will say she taught you teasing very well." She gave him a moment to form an evil grin on his face. "But you let a chance to positively affect public opinion slide through your fingers. Pet will just shake her head and say she's disappointed in you."

She pumped a fist as she felt him miss a step. Pet would never say that, and both of them knew it. But he would know he could have done better for all his wives.

The next shop that drew their attention sold puppets. Hand puppets and marionettes, mechanical and finger, all sorts of personalities, animals and talking objects were stuffed into the store window.

"Wow," Ray said.

"OH!" Denise pointed. "Look!"

On a shelf near the door, a little accordion danced. "Do I hear...?" Ray asked. He opened the door and stepped inside. Music was coming from the plush musical instrument.

It was playing a catchy tune that sped up when Ray leaned down towards it. It seemed to enjoy the attention.

The only man in the shop leaned on the counter. Ray gave him a nod then turned back to the little device.

"There's got to be a sylph in there," he said.

"She doesn't like to spoil the illusion," the owner said.

"And a wonderful illusion it is!" Denise said quickly. She wanted to offer the compliment before her science-officer of a husband pointed out that few accordions were self playing, or made of felt, or sounded like a tiny harmonica.

"Thank you!" the device shouted. The dancing stopped. "Ooooops."

"It's okay, Mai," the man said. "The customer has a sylph of his own. You want to come out and say hi?"

"Yes, please!"

He reached down to unzip the back.

Devon introduced himself and his pet, Mai Crowe. She waved but wouldn't shake hands with Denise while she was 'all nasty sweaty.' Devon wiped her down with a handkerchief.

Then she giggled and shook hands with the new sylph and shook finger with the new sylph's owner.

"I'm Mai! Who are you? Are you two from around here? Do you like puppets? Do you want a music puppet? Or something else? We have lots and lots of puppets."

She rushed over to grab her owner's wrist. "Devon makes them. He's my master. What does your master do?"

"You remind me of someone I know," Denise said. Mai paused.

"Is that a good thing?" she asked slowly.

"I think so," Denise said. "If you are like my friend, you like attention?" Mai nodded. "You like your owner?" Mai nodded furiously. Devon eased a finger behind her head to still the bobbing skull.

"Do you," Ray asked, "like hugs?"

"Oh, YES!" She ran over to tackle Denise. Experienced as she was with Pet's enthusiasm, she was already braced for it. Two fingers at her shoulders didn't hurt, though.

"Mai!" Devon said sternly. "That was still a question, not an invitation." He looked up at Ray. "Sorry about that." He and Mai both apologized to Denise.

"It's okay," Denise assured them both. "Pet's done the same to me. No harm, no foul."

"Pet?" Mai asked.

There was a felt dollhouse in the corner, one apparently made for sylph-sized dolls. Devon lowered a few drawbridges between the counters so the sylphs could walk to it.

Mai took Denise's hand and ran over. "It's my home away from home as long as we're here. I can use it until someone buys it. But Master Devon keeps forgetting to put a price tag on it so no one knows they can buy it. So all this work he put into it, only I can ever see it!"

She paused at the door. "Denise can I show you the home the big silly made? You can buy it if you want."

"I'd like to see that, Mai."

It was the softest home Denise had ever been in. The floors were solid but covered with several soft layers of felt. And the walls had struts holding up a solid roof. The ceiling was varnished wood.

There were definitely signs of occupancy. Mai proudly showed the hammock that she'd made and a teddy bear she'd helped make and furniture she'd picked the felts for and decorations she'd picked up here and there.

For all that Devon made Mai call him Master, and his stern voice for orders, the man was utterly under her tiny thumb.

"And this is a tickle trap!" Mai showed her. It looked like an Iron Maiden made from hunting socks.

"How does that work?"

"Oh, when Master has been really busy or gets really sad." Mai glanced at the windows and whispered. "Or pays taxes."

"I understand," Denise said just as quietly.

"Anyway, SOMEbody crawls inside this and rolls across the counter. It's designed so that no one can pick it up without tickling whoever's in it."

"That's clever," Denise agreed.

"And then, they giggle and kick and laugh and laugh. And Master has to get them out of the trap before they're tickled to death. And then he has to calm them down."

"And I suppose he's happy once he's saved you from the tickle trap?"

"He's all smiling and happy, yeah."

"Hmmm. My friend might like one of these. Do you know if Devon makes any for sale?"

All Mai's energy rushed out. She became subdued. "You can buy this one," she said softly. "If you want."

"Oh, no, I can't take your last one," Denise said. Mai brightened, but not by much. "And I won't ask Master if this one's for sale, either." The smile came back to full wattage.

Ray bought a hand puppet set that allowed a human and a sylph to play Punch and Judy. The club in the sylph's costume was hard plastic while the one sewn to the hand puppet could hardly bruise a gnat.

"Annie's going to kick your ass," Denise prophesized.

"I'll have Pet write the script," he replied. "Annie will have to stick to it or disappoint Pet." He wrote the check as Devon wrapped up the purchase.

Mai gave a goodbye hug, and a goodbye wave, suffered Devon forcing her to rehydrate, and donned the accordion again.

"The Pirate's House!" he said as he stepped onto the sidewalk. "I remember now!"

"The walls are felt filled with cotton," Denise replied. "Not soundproof. I heard Devon tell you where we're going."

"You're no fun anymore," he said with a big smile.

---------

The nothing-Cove restaurant was as quaint and as intriguing as he recalled. He sang its praises all the way back to the hotel.

"I know," Denise growled. "I was there." The cheese baked onto the crock had almost defeated her but she'd chiseled away with the spoon until she was victorious. Now she was full. Full beyond full.

"We have got to come back here later, with the whole family, just for the Pirate's House." He stopped walking suddenly.

Curled up in the bottom of his pocket, an oversated sylph wondered if she should climb all the way up to the top of the pocket to see what was going on.

She burped instead.

"We... We should take the Anthony's to the Pirate's House!"

"If we're eating there again today," Denise said, "we need to take a nap."

"Okay," he said cheerfully. There was a certain tone to his voice...

"And I mean NAP!" she said. "I’m too bloated for anything silly involving nakedidity!"

"Sure, he said as if he agreed," Ray told her. She smiled and squirmed to get more comfortable.

------

Sam handed Amelia over as they met in the lobby for dinner. Ray slipped her into his pocket with Denise.

He looked curiously at the small cage Sam carried.

"May we introduce Bubba Oversteed," Sam said, dangling the cage before Ray and Denise. "Former tattoo artist, former sylph enhancing metalsmith, former bolter of wings onto people's shoulder blades."

"Hi," Bubba said quietly.

"No one in town wanted him," Amelia said, "except an ex-wife who refers to him as shithead."

"And we," Sam said cheerfully, "are becoming rather like the ACLU. I absolutely hate the man and his history, but it's our life's work to save sylphs. Even shithead, here."

"I do appreciate the position I've put you in," he said.

"Shut up," Sam said. The forced cheer made Ray take a step backwards. "Don't worry," she told him. "Bubba's in a cage to protect him from me."

"And me," Amelia growled.

"I've met Cruiser," Denise pointed out.

"Maybe I should carry the cage," Ray volunteered.

"Ever the gentleman," Amelia said. Ray gently offered the unconfined sylphs and took possession of the cage.

"Thanks, man," Bubba said. "Those women are scary."

"A little advice, Bubba? My cousin owns two gnomes. In my family, that makes them my cousins, too. I'm far more sympathetic to whoever sylphed you than I am to you.

"So don't think you're on my side of the cab because we're the only men in the group. I just don't want people I love to accidentally beat you to a pulp or claw your eyes out. Some day, they'd regret it."

"Yes, sir," Bubba said with a gulp.

---------

Denise and Amelia set up camp between the bread basket and their wine glass. Bubba was on the far side of the centerpiece, shielded from everyone's view but Ray's.

Sam's Secret Service detail waited outside. She ordered for them and tipped heavily for the delivery to a car parked outside.

If anything, dinner was better than lunch. Sam swore that Ray had not overstated the delight of the Pirate's House. Amelia announced her desire to be buried in the pecan encrusted salmon.

The Fosters described the puppet store and Amelia wanted to see it.

"They're certainly closed," Sam protested.

"Just to look in the windows," Amelia begged. "It sounds fascinating!" Sam looked over at Ray. He looked at his watch.

"Our mysterious engagement is still two hours away," he said. "And the directions are in the car. We can walk as far as the windows. If that's what you want?"

Amelia bit her lip as she looked up at her partner.

"I know I can never turn down a beautiful sylph," Ray said. Sam laughed.

They were two shops from Devon's place when Ray paused. He handed Bubba's cage to Sam without a word and stalked forward. The sylphs craned their necks to see what was up.

"The door's open," Sam whispered. "And I think I see broken glass."

Ray stepped into the store's doorway. Brakes squealed on the curb as the detail shot up. One man stepped out to stand by Samantha. The other preceeded Ray into the store.

They came back out almost instantly. "There's no one there, but 'signs of a struggle' as the TV cops say. I think someone might want to look in the dollhouse?"

Mai had stuffed herself in a corner of the house. Her sniffles were subdued, even to sylph hearing. She stared up in shock when Amelia found her. She looked terrified. "Denise?" Amelia called softly.

"Denise?" Mai repeated. When that sylph arrived, the young one burst out of her hiding place and threw herself around the redhead's legs.

She babbled something about Devon and fear and blood and bad people and fear and worry and God only knew what else.

Denise dropped to her knees to comfort the terrified woman. Amelia poked her head through a window to reassure the humans. Ray stepped out to talk to the detail on the sidewalk.

By the time the cops were on the way, Mai was about to form sentences. She'd been introduced to Amelia and Sam and calmed a tiny bit.

"She says," Amelia relayed to the hovering giants, "just about closing, some 'gnarly bad evil guys' came in. They said 'bad nasty' things to Master. Then they started a fight.

"Mai was terrified, and ran and hid. There was a lot of crashing and then silence. She was afraid to come out because she thought Devon was dead."

"And she didn't want to know," Sam said. She looked up at Ray. "When is your-"

"Forget that," he said. "I can't walk out on Mai or Devon right now. If Fate has something for me, they can-"

"Maybe," Amelia said, "Mister Foster should look at his pocket."

Everyone stared at Amelia where she sat on the sill of a crocheted window. She sat very still and stared off into the distance.

Ray stared, then leaned over to the counter and briefly turned off the shop's lights.

Mai gasped to see that the sylph glowed with a pearly light. Ray turned the lights back on and reached into his pocket.

"The GPS coordinates?" he asked. Amelia nodded with a strange gravity.

"Okay, but they're clear..." His brow furrowed. "Hang on." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his GPS locator. He looked from that to the piece of paper, then turned and walked out.

"What's going on?" Bubba asked. Sam kicked the counter under where his cage rested. He shut up and sat down.

"Is she glowing?" Mai asked. "Is that normal?"

"Is what normal?" Amelia asked. She looked around curiously. Sam picked her up and looked her over. "What? What happened?"

"You, uh, you glowed and you told Ray to check his GPS note."

"Really?" Amelia asked. "What did he find?" Sam just shook her head.

"Now she's normal," Denise told Mai.

"Okay," Mai trusted. "Where's Ray?"

"I think he went to find Devon," Sam said.

"Oh, I hope he's okay!" Mai said.

A few minutes later Ray came back up the street. Devon hung off one shoulder. Blood covered the side of his head, both crusted and fresh amounts.

"Oh, what a pretty store!" Devon exclaimed happily as Ray lowered him to a bench. He pat at his pockets. "Do you do credit? I can't seem to find my wallet."

He picked up a set of fingerpuppets in sailor costumes and started to sing a sea chanty.

Sam had found a bathroom and some towels. She gently cleaned the head wound, checking for broken glass.

"Oh, how that hurts," Devon winced. "Must you do that?"

"Yes," she said. Sirens sounded in the distance. "Some paramedics are going to take care of you in a second."

"That sounds good," he said. "Are they doctors?" He poked gently at his forehead. "I think I could use a doctor."

Mai had worked up the courage to step out of the dollhouse and see her Master. Amelia and Denise held each of her hands. "Master?" she called.

"Tiny women!" Devon said heartily. He squinted. "Tiny beautiful women! Wow. You're tiny!"

"Master?" Mai squeezed until both sylphs gasped in pain. "Master, don't you remember me? Mai? Mai Crowe?"

"Micro?" he asked. "That's a pun! But no, young lady, we haven't been introduced. I don't think."

"No," Mai murmured. "No, Master, you know me! I'm your little MAI!?"

"He's got a head wound," Denise said, peeling her hand out of the other woman's talon. "He'll probably remember you-"

"Probably?" Mai asked in terror. "That's not good enough!" She let go of her escorts and ran across the counter. Devon barely caught her as she leapt over to his lap. "Master! You can't forget me! I can't sleep without a goodnight kiss! YOU can't sleep without one of my great big two-lip cheek kisses! You promised!"

"It would be very forward of me to take advantage of you, young Miss Crowe." He cupped her in his hands and offered her to Sam. "You go with this lady-"

"NO!" The scream drowned out the sirens. And the sylph in Devon's hand started to glow.

Ray put a hand on Sam's shoulder and tugged her gently back.

Mai went off like a grenade. Pulses of blue light fired from her to Devon's head. Ray later swore they came out of Mai's little heart. Sam was watching Devon and said the pulses were aimed at his injury.

Amelia and Denise only reported that great big stupid giants were in the way so all they saw at the time were asses.

An agent entered with his gun drawn. Sam waved him back just as the light faded.

Mai dropped to her knees and hugged Devon's thumb. "You found me in a pet store and you said I was the tiniest thing you'd ever seen that was so cute and you named me your little micro girl. Remember? Remember? And you fed me ice cream and made me clothes and you got me the strongest cage to keep me safe forever and we went to your mother's house once and you threw me a birthday party with a cake I could use as a HOUSE! Remember?"

Devon shook his head to clear his daze. His eyes focused on Mai then reacted with surprise to find so many people in his store.

Then he looked back at Mai. "Oh, God, Mai, of course I remember. I could never forget you."

"Really?" she squealed.

"NEVER! Even with brain damage I could never forget you." He noticed a bit of blood on his finger and raised it up. "What happened to...?" He looked closely at Mai. "This isn't your blood, is it?"

"How's your head?" Ray asked.

"On my neck, just like it says in the manual," Devon replied.

Mai hugged his thumb then covered it with little kisses. "You're back!" she said happily.

"I...left?" he asked.

------

The paramedics clearly didn't believe that there had been any trauma. They only found a guy with blood in his hair and a sylph holding his thumb with a death grip.

They didn't insist that he go to the hospital with them, but did recommend that he see a medical professional at the earliest opportunity.

Their tone made it clear that they thought the witnesses to the 'trauma' could use professional care as well.

There was a security camera in the store. The cops recognized one of the 'gnarly bad evil guys and went to have a talk with him.

The Service stood by as Sam made sure that someone was coming to fix the broken door and window, then made sure the cops had all the contact information if they needed the witnesses for anything.

She found Ray standing against the rail above the river when she was done. He was looking at his séance notes when she walked up.

Amelia and Denise smiled up from his pocket. "So?" Sam asked. "What did you find?"

"That the coordinates changed," he said softly. "It's still my handwriting." He touched the paper with a fingertip. "I even remember smearing the ink on that two. Except it was a four when I did.

"But instead of some place near a municipal golf course, it's to an alley two blocks from where Devon was attacked."

"You don't mind that it changed, do you?"

"Of course not," he said. "I just..." He folded the paper and put it away. "I made a decision. A friend, however new, over what might be my wives' fate. And when I made that decision, things changed.

"Did the coordinates change so that I could help Devon? Or were the original coordinates a test? To see if I would choose to help Devon?"

Sam nodded, leaning on the rail beside him. "Ray? Would you have done anything differently? With all the time in the world to think of the pros and cons, a chance to ask Denise, Annie and Pet for their input... Could you have made a different decision?"

"No," the sylphs chorused.

"Damn straight," Sam agreed. "So shuddup about it. You helped someone, two someones who love each other, and you get to escort three beautiful women back to their hotel. And, if you're lucky, kiss one of them."

"I need to brush my teeth first," Amelia said. Denise snarled and raised her hands to choke Amelia.

The fighters sank down out of sight in his pocket. "Better get to escorting," he said. He offered an elbow and started towards the car.

They passed the window of the shop. A cop stood by Devon as they waited for someone to put the door back together. The policewoman was looking at the puppets with curiosity.

Devon was staring at his sylph as she talked about the terrors of her evening.

"You know, he has to go to the hospital at some point," Sam said. "I hope nothing happens to Mai there."

"God help the next person to come between the two of them," Ray said. "They'll be fine."





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