“It’s time,” I said softly, as I met their gazes.

Lou was uneasy. Liam looked serious. Slick was uncertain. Alice and Dorothy were here, too, which was nice.

“We’ve had an interesting few years,” I said.

“Some good times,” Slick said. “It ain’t all over, though.”

“Maybe,” I said, swallowing.

I wasn’t going to cry. Not this time. No matter how terrifying the idea of facing all this was.

“There’s some things that we need to address,” I said. “Slick - I want to ask you a favor.”

“Yeah?” he asked, surprised.

I pulled out a little book that I’d written while sitting in the garden, fashioned of Aquas magic from the wreckage of my art.

“Since you travel a lot now, as an actor, I thought you’d be the best person to give this to,” I said, holding the book out. “It’s… memories.”

“Of what?” he asked, taking it from me.

“Of my world, and of my time here,” I said. “In case… in case something happens to me. If my family ever manages to get here, they would be glad to have a record of what I chose to say about them, and about my time here. Precious memories. And they’d find you easily, having magic.”

“Oh,” he said, looking uncomfortable.

“Also,” I said. “Even if my family never sees it, the rest of your world might be interested, too, at some point, so I wrote it in English.”

He flipped through the pages briefly, curious about its length. It wasn’t much - just a few hours worth of writing, over the five days since the incident with the arm.

“I can do that,” he said quietly.

I nodded.

“Alice,” I said. “I know we’ve had disagreements, but I wanted to tell you that despite it, I’ve been thankful for the friendship we’ve had over the years.”

“Er… sure,” she said awkwardly.

“Liam,” I said, turning my attention to his gentle smile. “Our time together has been wonderful, and has now passed, as much as I might miss it. I will always care for you.”

“Same,” he said.

“Aera, you’re talking like you’re about to die,” Lou said.

“I might - isn’t that what you’ve all implied, from the start?” I asked, struggling to hold back another wave of tears. “I don’t have any idea what to expect.”

“I’ve implied that the government will rake you over the coals and wreck havoc on the world, sure,” Lou said. “Still worried about that. But it’s not like anyone’s going to try to kill you tomorrow. Even if someone did, he’d have a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding. You’ve got time, and you’ve got us. We’ll figure it out as we go.”

“You’re right,” I said, wiping at my eyes. “I’m sorry for crying again.”

The group laughed.

“Honey,” Dorothy said, with a kind smile, “we’ve known you for years now. Tears on your face isn’t a surprise to any of us.”

I flushed a little.

“I guess,” I said. “The last thing to address, then, is whether anyone has any ideas other than calling Pash and cautiously going along with him.”

“It’s the best way to get information,” Liam said. “None of us know enough to have another approach. Not a decent one, anyway.”

I nodded.

“I thought as much,” I said. “Is… is there anything else we should do, before I call him?”

“Maybe you ought to call him now,” Dorothy said. “I’ll make us up something tasty while you’re on the phone, and we’ll spend some quality time for a bit.”

“I like that idea,” I said. “Thank you. I… suppose I’ll go do that. Um - Lou? You know his number, right?”

“Yeah,” she said, getting up.

I went to the phone next to the kitchen, and Dorothy started pulling out some tea. Lou gave me the number, then stood back as I pulled at the rotary dial.

The phone rang several times. I began to hope, foolishly, that he wasn’t available, just to not have to deal with it yet.

But then…

“This is Lieutenant Pash,” he said.

“Hi,” I said. “This is Aera. Um, Aera Koryn.”

“Ms. Koryn, it is good to hear from you,” he said. “I take it you are ready to take action?”

“Y-yes,” I said. “Um, what is your plan?”

“I believe details would be best discussed in person,” he said. “We can meet at Professor Rhine’s office, and discuss collaboratively. Would you be available tomorrow morning?”

“With… Rhine?” I asked, startled. “But he’s an ass!”

His tone was laced with amusement as he answered, “I am aware that there are differences in opinion. However, as his ‘expertise’ will unquestionably be called on, I believe it would be wise for you to correct certain errors in said ‘expertise,’ prior to him providing reports.”

“That actually makes a great deal of sense,” I said, pursing my lips thoughtfully. “Tomorrow morning would be fine. What time?”

“Eight in the morning would likely best serve our interests,” he said.

“Very well,” I said. “I will be at Rhine’s office at eight.”

“I look forward to discussing with you then,” he said. “Farewell, Ms. Koryn.”

“Farewell,” I said, and hung up.

I looked over at Lou, and she had a vaguely displeased look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Lou said, shaking her head. “I’m just hoping you’ll get better at negotiation stuff with practice.”

Perhaps she had a point.

The rest of the evening was comfortable. Once things moved from awkward pseudo-farewells into the realm of socializing, Dorothy essentially took over and made everything feel right. Even Alice was having a nice time.

The night gradually wound down to an end. Dorothy and Liam went home, but Lou, Slick, and Alice decided to stay for the night.

The next morning, I was tempted to run away. But I gathered my resolve. The others wished me luck as I left.

I arrived at the university quite early. I wanted to look around and maybe get a little sense of what to expect. The anxiety bubbling in my gut certainly had absolutely nothing to do with the decision whatsoever.

Shifting my appearance so as to not get caught by surprise, I awkwardly made my way into the building. None of the students paid me any attention as I walked along towards Rhine’s office.

It appeared unused, at the moment. There were no students or staff near his door. I walked closer and pressed my magesense through the door. No one was inside. I wondered if it would be bad to just go inside anyway. Would Rhine really -

“Greetings, Ms. Koryn,” a voice said from behind me, making me squeak and spin around.

Pash was looking faintly amused as I tried to catch my breath from the surprise.

“But…” I spluttered. “How did you know it was me?”

“Of your many talents, Ms. Koryn, subterfuge is not among them,” he said, his tone wry.

“But I don’t look anything like myself!” I protested. “I didn’t speak, so my accent couldn’t give me away. Really, Pash, how could you tell?”

He chuckled.

“How many people carefully and nervously examine Professor Rhine’s door at seven in the morning, would you guess?” he asked.

The look on his face gave me the impression that this was only one of a large list of details that gave me away.

I frowned.

“Maybe this wasn’t the best avenue to take, but I could escape your notice,” I said, trying not to sound like I was sulking.

“Is that so?” he asked. “I’d be curious to see that.”

“Wait a second,” I said, blinking. “You… how did you know that I could shift my appearance?”

“I didn’t,” he said, and his smile broadened a tiny amount.

“Then… how?” I asked.

“For now, Ms. Koryn, simply understand that there are many skills, other than magic, that are useful in gaining knowledge,” he said.

“You guessed it,” I said, not wanting to drop the point. “You were prepared for that possibility?”

“There are also non magical ways to disguise one’s appearance,” he said. “Though none quite so perfect as yours.”

I sighed. I’d already known that, in part from Slick’s time as an actor, but I’d not put the pieces together.

“I just don’t know what to expect with you,” I said.

“A problem which our discussion is meant to solve,” he said. “Come, Ms. Koryn. Let us sit in Rhine’s office and discuss the future.”

He pulled out a key and unlocked the door before gesturing for me to go inside first. I stepped in uneasily and sat down in the chair, shifting my appearance back to normal. As soon as I did so, I abruptly remembered the etiquette lessons - I’d just insinuated that Pash had more power than I did. My jaw clenched at the mistake.

For all my lessons, I really had no idea what I was doing. The thought didn’t do much to ease my nerves. I swallowed anxiously.

“You needn’t be so uneasy, Ms. Koryn,” Pash said, with a kind smile that didn’t quite seem to fit on his face. “We will be joined by the professor shortly, but in the meantime, I believe it would be best to discuss how I see things best unfolding, and how you feel about the approach.”

“Um, okay,” I said.

“The first two questions to occur to any general are these,” he said. “‘What are you capable of, and are you a threat.’”

I nodded.

“I believe that things will go far smoother if these two questions are addressed prior to formally introducing you to military command,” he said. “To address them, I believe the best course of action is for you to cooperate with a series of tests, administered by the professor and myself.”

He must have noticed the concerned look on my face, and added reassuringly, “Any test that you object to can be waived - it is about providing a report, not harming you in any capacity.”

I nodded.

“Between my position and the professor’s, along with recorded evidence of the tests, the report will be taken seriously,” he said. “Further, by cooperating with us in a process that reveals strengths and weaknesses, you would provide a reason to believe that you can be trusted.”

“May I have a moment to think about this?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said, and sat back in Rhine’s chair.

Thoughts echoed in my mind, as I tried to find a problem with his plan.

Never reveal the truth, my mother’s voice whispered, dulled by the age of my memories of her. Make them over estimate you or under estimate you, but never reveal the true extent of your ability.

I nodded slowly. As long as I was careful to only reveal aspects of my abilities, to the extent that they could learn to deal with magic, I would be fine.

“That seems acceptable, though I do have a question,” I said.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Do I have to be nice to Rhine?” I asked.

Another smile tugged at his cheek, and his eyes were glinting with mirth.

“Do as you wish, Ms. Koryn,” he said, his tone dry. “I expect it will prove interesting.”

“That depends on him, I should think,” I muttered.

“With that addressed, am I to understand that you will cooperate with this plan?” he asked, and again had a cautious note to his voice.

“I believe so,” I said. “There might be issues with details, as they come up, but I see no reason to object to the idea.”

“Excellent,” he said.

“Can you give me more detail about what to expect, regarding the tests?” I asked.

“Certainly,” Pash said. “One of the rooms that Professor Rhine has access to, here in the university, is equipped with -”

“You started without me?” Rhine said, sounding affronted as he stepped through the door.

Anxious as I was, I found myself on my feet, turning around to see him.

“Ms. Koryn arrived early, so I took the opportunity to clarify some expectations,” Pash said smoothly. “Nothing of any significance was discussed in your absence.”

“Hmph,” Rhine said, and gave me a look. “Ms. Koryn, I am curious to see how you’ve somehow managed to persuade him so thoroughly.”

“You… you don’t believe that I have magic?” I asked, startled.

“‘Magic!’” he said. “Bah! It’s psychic ability, not magic.”

“Because, of course, you know more about it than I do, and arguing over semantics is the finest proof of that,” I said dryly.

“I am the foremost expert in the world on the subject,” he said, glaring at me.

“Wrong,” I said, matching his look of disdain. “I am the foremost expert in the world, with a wealth of knowledge far in excess of your cobbled together conclusions based on ancient myths.”

“How dare you,” he said. “You sit in my office -”

“At the behest of a military investigator,” I said, cutting him off, and letting a touch of magic infuse my voice, to silence him, “because I believe tolerating swine is acceptable, if it means saving the world from Hitler.”

“You arrogant woman,” he said, his eyes flashing with building rage, “To think that you sit here, believing yourself special, believing that gives you the right to disrespect your betters -”

I burst out laughing.

“My betters?” I said. “You? And him?”

I thumbed over at Pash, and giggled.

“I am not from your world, professor,” I said. “But in my world, academia is considered the highest of all statuses, the twin of magic, as magic without knowledge is useless. I don’t know what has gone wrong in your world for an idiot of such magnificent proportions to achieve such a status, but it pains me to even witness it.”

“I am not going to stand here and let a con artist insult me in my own office,” he said.

Pash coughed.

“Before you kick her out, Professor Rhine, might I suggest that we permit her a brief demonstration, and see if it is to your satisfaction,” Pash said.

“Very well,” Rhine said, visibly annoyed. “Let’s see her reveal herself for what she is.”

“Indeed,” I said, fire tickling at my heart. An idea had occurred to me that was simply too delicious to resist.

I glanced down at his desk and saw his full name - Joseph Rhine.

“Considering that you are the one I must persuade, Joseph,” I said, and he twitched with rage at the disrespect, “I have a little suggestion. With your permission, I will use a little magic on you, personally. It is permanent. May I?”

He rolled his eyes.

“Get on with it,” he said.

“I will take that as consent, then. You have no one to blame but yourself,” I said, grinning.

My smile felt oddly vicious on my face. Pash looked intrigued, and I was trying not to burst out laughing.

I reached out a touch of mind magic first, numbing his awareness, so he wouldn’t stop me before I was done. From his perspective, it would seem instantaneous. I then used Aquas magic in a remarkably similar way to how I’d practiced with O’Brien on a few occasions…

… and made him female.

Not just any female, either. He was adorable. Big breasts, tiny waist, exaggerated hips, an angelically soft face, with a very cute haircut. I even took a bit of his shirt and made a baby blue ribbon - the most stereotypically feminine color in the world - to put in his hair, to go with the brown curls.

Pash was trying not to laugh, and was doing a remarkable job at keeping his face straight. I released the numbing effect of mind magic.

“W-what…?” he said, looking down, stunned. “You… this… what did you do?”

“I’m sorry, Joseph, I’d thought it was obvious,” I said dryly.

“Change me back!” he said, sounding desperate and confused.

“Not yet,” I said, my voice turning cold. “Professor Rhine, you have insulted and demeaned me from the moment we first met, and I have had enough of your idiocy. This change is permanent, but as I did it once, so I can do it again. If you apologize to me, sincerely, for your disrespect, I will grant you another measure of my power to transform you again.”

“The only disrespect I showed you was because I believed you were a fake,” he said, his tone submissive, and very feminine. “I was wrong about that.”

“Wrong,” I said. “You have dismissed me from the start for being female, and then compounded it by insinuating I lack intelligence because of my accent.”

“You are female, and you do speak incorrectly,” he said. “Accent is a part of language. That was a reasonable conclusion.”

“Biological sex is meaningless!” I said. “Human minds vary to an extraordinary degree, and women are equally as capable as men of reaching any of the extremes of intellect.”

“That is simply false,” he said.

“Really?” I asked sweetly, and decided another demonstration was in order.

Courtesy my practice with Comet…

My skull split apart, revealing my brain to “open” air. It was actually shielded by a barrier, to keep it from being contaminated. I did also have to use the shapeshifting enchantment to help keep things working.

My face remained the same, but the entirety of my hairline was simply pulled back. I playfully made a theatric “bow” towards them, so they could see the inside.

Rhine looked green, and Pash’s jaw was hanging open.

“Would you care to point out the differences?” I asked, still saccharine sweet. “Maybe it’s in this section?”

I used the shapeshifting enchantment to take over the simplistic functions of my brain stem, and then delicately separated the higher functions of my brain, allowing me to split it in two. I lifted the top portion.

“What’s wrong, Professor?” I asked. “Can’t point out what part of my brain is different from yours? Should I pull yours out, too?”

“Enough,” he said, looking like he was about to throw up.

I immediately reversed the process, putting everything back the way it was supposed to be. That trick was difficult, but incredibly satisfying.

“I doubt the finest of your scientists hold a candle to the knowledge I have of the human brain,” I said coldly. “Do not disrespect me again.”

“Ah,” he said, looking like he was about to faint.

“Also,” I said. “About the accent - that, too, is not a sign of any failure of intelligence on my part. Do keep in mind that I still don’t know your language.”

They both looked surprised at that.

“But you’re speaking English,” Rhine said, dazed.

“I’m speaking the combined knowledge of the language from my companions, which I have stored in here,” I said, holding up the necklace. “This ‘accent’ is the result of trying to speak my own language and having the process circumvented and changed on the fly. It’s extraordinarily complex, and having an accent as a side effect is entirely reasonable.”

“How quickly can you gain new languages?” Pash asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.

“Depends,” I said, taken aback. “It takes a few seconds to pull the knowledge from someone’s mind, in which case I have to ‘hold’ it actively. I can slip up and drop the language, which can be awkward. Building an enchantment like this, though, took a few days.”

“Fascinating,” Pash said. “The demonstrations you have made are remarkable, though they are not precisely what I had in mind for testing.”

I frowned.

“In what way was this demonstration inadequate?” I asked.

“Primarily, that it wasn’t being recorded,” he said, with a rueful tone that made me smile, despite my pique. “Though it was quite compelling, the aim of the tests is to catalogue your abilities, rather than inspire awe.”

“And now you know I have power over biology,” I said, with another disdainful look at Rhine. “Which is my specialty, as it happens.”

Rhine didn’t respond, still dazed, and Pash smiled.

“Do you feel you still have enough strength, after that demonstration, for some testing?” he asked.

“That was nothing,” I said haughtily. “Complex though it was, the power involved was only a shade more than trivial.”

“Then I believe we should begin that process next,” he said, then looked at Rhine. “Under the circumstances, I believe Professor Rhine might need a few minutes to get his thoughts in order. Perhaps we might take a break, and meet you again in, say, half an hour?”

“Acceptable,” I said, and turned to leave.

As I stepped out the door, the high of the exchange started coming down. I was surprised at how good that felt.