## Chapter 1 — The Problem With Doors By Monday evening, Ace had decided that Saturday had been excessive. This was not regret. That distinction mattered. She was lying sideways across the Safehouse couch with one leg over the backrest, a mug balanced against her stomach, and the expression of someone privately auditing a very successful bad decision. Mai noticed because Mai noticed everything. Shammy noticed because the room had been carrying Ace's thought for almost twenty minutes. Neither said anything. At first. The Safehouse had returned to normal after the weekend. Not perfectly. There were still three glasses in the drying rack that did not belong together. Ace's jacket had somehow acquired a strip of cream fabric from Elisa's residence. Mai had found one of Dalia's menthol lollipops in a pocket she was certain she had emptied before leaving. And Ace had spent most of Sunday evening claiming she was not tired while falling asleep against Shammy before nine. Nobody had respected the claim. Now it was Monday. No neon-orange hair. No neon-pink dreadlocks. No luxury-joytoy wardrobe. No crowd. No score. No twenty-person guest list. Just Ace. Mai. Shammy. Home. Ace stared at the ceiling. "Too much." Mai looked up from the table. "What was?" "Saturday." Shammy, sitting on the floor with her back against the couch, turned her head slightly. "The party?" "Yes." Mai waited. Ace frowned. "Not bad." "Important distinction." "It was great." "Also important." Ace took a drink. Then: "Still too much." Mai closed the file she had been reading. That made it official. "What part?" Ace considered. "Everything around it." Mai's eyebrow rose. "The twenty people?" "Partly." "The biosculpts?" "No." Shammy smiled faintly. Ace noticed. "Don't." "I didn't say anything." "Atmospheric sarcasm counts." Shammy looked genuinely thoughtful. "I don't think it does." "It does when you do it." Mai leaned back. "Continue." Ace rolled the mug slowly between both hands. She had been thinking about this since Sunday morning. Not the sex itself. That had been easy. Fun. Occasionally ridiculous. Sometimes spectacularly good. The problem was everything required to make the sex feel like an event. Private rooms. Changing partners. Finding someone. Leaving someone else. Returning. Drinks. Introductions. Crowds. Doors. Ace frowned at that last one again. Mai saw it. "What?" "Doors." Mai stared. Shammy looked upward toward the nearest doorway. "The doors are fine." "Not those doors." "Good." Ace sat up. Her feet hit the floor. "Saturday kept changing modes." Mai understood enough to become interested. Ace saw that too. "Party. Talking. Sex. Back to party. Find someone. Go somewhere private. Come back. Find you two. Talk. Someone else. Another room." Mai nodded slowly. "Because there were twenty people." "I know." "And many of them were not already intimate with each other." "I know." "And privacy was part of the house rules." "I know." Mai smiled slightly. "So you are not criticizing the structure." "No." Ace leaned forward. "I'm saying I want to try the opposite." Shammy looked back at her. "Opposite of sex?" Ace stared. "No." "Good." Mai laughed. Ace pointed at Shammy. "You knew what I meant." "Mostly." Ace rubbed both hands over her face. Then looked at Mai. "Mandi taught me something." Mai's expression changed immediately. There were phrases that should trigger evacuation alarms. That was one of them. Shammy turned fully around. Ace noticed both reactions. "Oh, fuck you." Mai folded her arms. "You said the sentence." "Mandi is me." "That does not improve it." "It should." "It really doesn't." Shammy nodded. "She has different permissions." Ace looked at her. Exactly. That was why Shammy sometimes annoyed her by being right before Ace had finished constructing the thought. "Yes." Mai's posture shifted. Less defensive now. Listening. Ace put the mug down. "Mandi doesn't treat wanting sex like a scheduling decision." Mai gave her a look. "Neither do you." "Not the same." "No?" "No." Ace searched for the words. Mandi had become useful precisely because she exposed things Ace already knew how to do but did not always let herself do casually. Mandi could want without turning wanting into a referendum. Could say yes immediately. Could say no immediately. Could touch someone because she wanted to touch them and then keep talking about dinner. Could have sex without first making the entire evening about having sex. Ace looked toward Mai. "I still separate things." Mai went quiet. Ace continued. "Not always. But more than Mandi does." Shammy listened. No weather lesson. No atmospheric performance. Just Shammy. Ace tapped two fingers against her knee. "If we're watching a movie and I want you, I might touch you." Mai nodded. "If I want to fuck you, usually something changes." Mai's eyebrow rose slightly. Ace shrugged. "We move. Bedroom. Shower. Somewhere. The room becomes a sex room." Shammy said: "Sometimes the kitchen." Ace looked at her. "That was twice." "Three times." Mai covered her mouth. Ace stared. "Traitor." Shammy smiled. "Accurate weather records." Ace muttered something impolite. Then returned to the point. "Mandi doesn't care." Mai's expression softened into understanding. "No transition." "Exactly." Ace pointed at her. "That's it." Mai thought. Ace watched her do it. Not emotionally. Structurally. Mai was already removing pieces. No crowd. No event. No need to move. No need to turn ordinary life off before sex could turn on. Shammy shifted, resting one arm across Ace's knees. Ace's hand dropped automatically into her silver-white hair. Still talking. Still thinking. Exactly the point. Mai saw the gesture. Then looked at Ace. "You want a weekend where intimacy doesn't require a scene transition." Ace smiled. "Yes." Shammy's eyes brightened. "That sounds comfortable." Ace looked down at her. "It should be." Mai tilted her head. "And who is the experiment?" Ace's expression changed. "No experiment." Mai caught the correction. Good. Ace continued. "No lesson. Nobody learning anything. Nobody proving anything." "Then why a whole weekend?" "Because I want one." Mai almost smiled. There. Better answer. Ace leaned back. "I want Elisa here." No hesitation. No cover name. No pretending the obvious part had not already been obvious. Shammy smiled first. Mai followed half a second later. Ace narrowed her eyes. "What?" "Nothing." "Both of you are terrible at nothing." Mai picked up her coffee. "Why Elisa?" Ace stared at her. Mai kept a straight face for almost four seconds. Ace threw a cushion. Mai caught it. Shammy laughed. "Fuck you." Mai put the cushion beside her. "Answer anyway." Ace did. "Because I want her." Simple. Then: "Because we want her." Mai didn't correct the plural. Neither did Shammy. Ace continued. "And because last weekend she fit." That one mattered more. Mai's expression lost the joke. Shammy's hand became still across Ace's knees. Ace looked between them. "Not into Triad." "Obviously," Mai said. "Not what I mean." "We know." Ace nodded. "She fit into the room." Shammy's eyes sharpened. That language belonged partly to her. Ace went on. "She didn't need us to babysit her. She didn't need permission every thirty seconds. She found people she wanted, fucked them, came back, kissed us, laughed about it, went again." Mai's mouth twitched. "Four times." Ace pointed immediately. "We are not keeping the scoreboard." "You won." "That is unrelated." Shammy said: "Six." Ace glared down. Shammy smiled up at her. Mai laughed. Ace sighed. "Fine. I won. History has recorded my triumph." "Very modest." "Always." Then Ace became serious again. "Elisa didn't become weird afterward." Mai knew what she meant. No sudden moral accounting. No insecurity performance. No demand that the previous night's sex be translated into a relationship category before breakfast. Elisa had simply been Elisa. Tired. Happy. Hungry. Affectionate. Still entirely herself. Mai nodded. "No." Ace smiled. "I liked that." "So did I." Shammy looked between them. "So did she." Ace glanced down. "You know?" "She said your names differently Sunday morning." Ace paused. Mai did too. Shammy shrugged. "Pressure." Ace ran her fingers once through Shammy's hair. "No elaboration?" "No." "Growth." Shammy bit Ace lightly on the knee through her pants. Ace jerked. "Ow." Mai laughed. Ace stared down at Shammy. "Violence." "Feedback." "Atmospheric terrorism." "That isn't what terrorism means." "I know." Mai let them finish. Then: "What is the rule?" Ace went still. Mai saw it immediately. "There is one." Ace tried innocence. It fit her badly. Shammy looked up. "There is absolutely one." Ace folded her arms. "One small rule." Mai sighed. "Of course." "It's elegant." "Worse." "Minimal." "Much worse." Ace smiled. "Less is more." Mai stared at her. Shammy waited. Ace enjoyed the silence. Mai finally said: "That is not a rule." "It is the philosophy." "What is the rule?" Ace's smile widened. "No clothes." Shammy blinked. Mai did not. Ace waited. Mai looked at her. "All weekend." "Not exactly." "Explain." Ace stood. The thought had become sufficiently complete that movement was now required. "Inside Safehouse: oversized T-shirts." Mai stared. Ace held up one finger. "Only." Shammy's eyebrows rose. Ace continued. "No underwear. No pants. No shorts. No socks." Mai's mouth twitched. "Why socks?" "Commitment." Shammy laughed. Ace paced once. "If somebody wants to go outside, they get dressed like a normal person. We're not prisoners and this isn't a challenge." "Good." "When they come back, shirts again." Mai understood immediately now. Not nudity. Accessibility. Less ritual. Less removal. Less separating ordinary physical affection from explicitly sexual contact. An oversized shirt could be comfortable on the couch, functional in the kitchen, decent enough for an entirely private home— and practically no barrier at all when someone wanted what was underneath. Mai looked at Ace. "Fast access." Ace pointed. "Exactly." Shammy looked down at herself. "Am I included?" Ace hesitated. Then: "No rule for you." Shammy's eyes narrowed. "Why?" "Because you live here and I don't get to establish a weekend dress code for you." Shammy considered that. Then nodded. "Good answer." Ace smiled. "You can join if you want." "I might." Mai looked between them. "Elisa has not agreed to any of this." "Obviously." "So we call her." Ace smiled. Mai noticed something else. "We." "Yes." "Not Mandi." Ace's smile faded slightly. That question had layers. Ace thought. Then shook her head. "No." Mai understood. PRIVATE TASTING belonged to Mandi and Dalia in a way that mattered. Those covers were not lies. But this idea had come from what Ace carried home from Mandi. If Elisa came to Safehouse, she would not be coming to spend another weekend with two professional joytoys. She would be coming to Ace and Mai. And Shammy. Still lovers. Different layer. Mai nodded. "Then I call as myself." Ace opened her mouth. Stopped. Thought. "No." Mai raised an eyebrow. Ace's grin returned. "Dalia." Mai stared at her. "You just said—" "I know." "Explain." "Dalia calls." Ace moved closer. "Elisa already has private contact with Dalia. And this idea exists because of Mandi. Let the bridge come from there." Mai considered. "But when she arrives—" "Us." "Ace and Mai." "Yes." "No Mandi and Dalia weekend." "No." Shammy smiled. "That is actually clean." Mai looked toward her. "Stop encouraging her." "No." Ace was already reaching for the dedicated Dalia phone. Mai caught her wrist. "No." "I wasn't—" "You absolutely were." "I was handing it to you." "It is already beside me." Ace looked. The Dalia phone was indeed beside Mai. Ace withdrew her hand. "Fine." Mai picked it up. She did not call immediately. First she looked at Ace. "If Elisa says no, nothing changes." Ace rolled her eyes. "Obviously." "If she wants the weekend but not the shirt rule—" "Then no shirt rule." "If she wants to leave Saturday—" "She leaves Saturday." "If she wants Reyes present the entire time—" Ace paused. Then sighed. "Reyes will make fun of me." "That was not the question." "Yes. Fine." Shammy said quietly: "She won't need all of those said aloud like terms and conditions." Ace looked down. "Thank you." Mai looked at Shammy. Shammy continued. "Elisa knows us." Exactly. Established adults. Established lovers. Consent lived in context as well as words. No one needed to turn a weekend invitation into contract theater. Mai nodded. Then activated Dalia's voice. The shift remained uncanny even when Ace expected it. Lower. Smokier. A little rough around the edges. Not theatrical. Just Mai with another part of herself allowed closer to the surface. Ace smiled instantly. Shammy's hair lifted slightly from the static change in the room. Mai saw both. "Behave." Ace sat down. "No." Mai called. Elisa answered on the second ring. "Dalia." No hello first. Just the name, warm enough that Ace could hear the smile through the speaker even without speaker mode. Mai's own expression softened. "Hi." Ace leaned closer. Mai pushed her away with one hand. Elisa laughed. "Is Mandi there?" Ace looked offended. Mai said: "Ace is." A beat. Then: "Oh." Different response. Still warm. More curious. Ace heard it. So did Shammy. Mai glanced at Ace. Ace mouthed: _What?_ Mai ignored her. Elisa asked: "What's happened?" "Nothing." "That sounds suspicious." "It should." Ace grinned. Mai continued. "Are you free this weekend?" Elisa did not answer instantly. Good. She was checking. Mai heard movement on the other end. Probably a calendar. Maybe a terminal. Then: "Friday evening onward." "Through Sunday." "Yes." Mai relaxed slightly. "We want you at Safehouse." That produced a shorter silence. Not uncertainty. Pleasure landing. "All three of you?" Mai looked toward Shammy. Shammy smiled. "Yes." Elisa answered immediately. "Then I'm interested." Ace covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Mai's eyebrow rose. "Interested?" "You haven't told me what Ace invented yet." Ace froze. Shammy slowly turned toward her. Mai looked delighted. "Why Ace?" "Because you're calling as Dalia on a Monday evening to invite me to Safehouse for an entire weekend." Elisa paused. "And I know Mandi." Ace looked deeply betrayed. Mai said: "Apparently she learned something from Mandi." Elisa laughed. Not nervous. Not embarrassed. Just delighted. "Oh, fuck." Ace whispered: "Rude." Elisa heard her. "Hi, Ace." Ace leaned toward the phone. "Hi." "What did you learn?" Ace opened her mouth. Mai covered it with her free hand. Shammy laughed. Elisa heard that too. "Shammy?" "Hi, Elisa." "Hi." There was something uncomplicated about it. No formal invitation architecture. No tension about being wanted by three people. Elisa already knew she was. Mai removed her hand from Ace's mouth. Ace licked her palm. Mai recoiled. "You animal." Ace grinned. Elisa started laughing. "What happened?" "Nothing," Mai said. "Dalia." "Ace happened." "Okay. That's credible." Ace looked wounded. Mai continued. "Before we explain the idea, this is not another Private Tasting." "I assumed not." "No guests." "Good." "No event." "Also good." "No schedule." Elisa paused. "From you?" Mai smiled despite herself. "Yes." "Are you ill?" Ace folded in half laughing. Shammy joined her. Mai stared into the middle distance. "Do you want the invitation withdrawn?" "No." Elisa was still laughing. "Absolutely not." Mai waited until the room recovered. Then: "Just Safehouse. Food. Movies. Whatever we feel like doing." Elisa's tone changed slightly. Less joke. More direct. "Sex included." Not a question disguised as innocence. Mai answered in the same register. "Almost certainly." Ace pointed triumphantly at the phone. Shammy's smile widened. Elisa said: "Good." Mai continued. "Not required." "I know." No ceremony. No reassurance loop. Just recognition. Mai looked at Ace. That alone proved part of Ace's point. Elisa knew the difference between desire and obligation. Mai said: "Ace has one rule she wants to propose." Elisa groaned. "I knew it." Ace leaned closer. "It's a good rule." "That makes me less confident." "Less is more." Silence. Elisa said: "That means nothing." Mai smiled. "I told her." Ace ignored both of them. "Inside Safehouse, you, Mai and me wear oversized T-shirts." Elisa waited. Ace let the rest arrive. "Nothing else." Another silence. Shorter than Ace expected. Then Elisa laughed once. "Oh." Ace smiled. There. Elisa understood immediately. Mai watched Ace's face. Shammy watched the room. Elisa asked: "Shammy?" "Exempt." "Why?" Shammy answered for herself. "I live here. Ace doesn't get to make clothing laws." Elisa laughed again. "Fair." Ace protested: "I offered voluntary participation." "You did." Shammy sounded amused. Elisa was quiet for a moment. Then: "So the point is..." Ace waited. Elisa finished: "No getting dressed and undressed every time somebody gets horny." Ace's smile became enormous. "Exactly." Mai closed her eyes. Not disapproval. Acceptance. Elisa continued, thinking aloud. "No moving to a bedroom just because someone wants sex." "Not unless we want the bedroom." "No stopping whatever we're doing first." "No." A pause. Then Elisa: "That sounds incredibly practical." Ace pointed at the phone. "Thank you." Mai murmured: "God help us." Shammy said: "Weather permitting." Elisa laughed. Then her voice changed again. Not coy. Not performing. "Yes." Ace stopped. Mai did too. Elisa continued. "Yes to the weekend. Yes to the shirts. And before any of you ask, if I change my mind about either, I'll tell you." Mai smiled. "Good." "Also..." A tiny pause. Ace recognized the tone now. Danger. "What?" Elisa said: "I get to pick one of the shirts." Ace frowned. "I was going to buy them." "I know." "How?" "Because you're Ace." Mai covered her mouth. Shammy looked down. Both losing the fight. Ace stared at the phone. Elisa continued: "You can pick the others. I pick one." Ace thought. "Fine." "Good." Then: "And Dalia?" "Yes?" "Please tell Mandi her educational influence is becoming concerning." Ace leaned toward the phone. "She says you're welcome." Elisa laughed. "I knew you were listening." "Obviously." "I'll talk to Reyes tomorrow about transport." Mai straightened slightly. "We'll coordinate with her." "Fine." "Friday evening." "Yes." "Bring anything you actually want." Elisa smiled audibly. "Apparently not clothes." Ace collapsed against Shammy. Mai sighed. Shammy laughed hard enough that the pressure in the room shifted warm. Ace called toward the phone: "One shirt!" Elisa replied: "Less is more." Then ended the call. Silence. Ace stared at Mai. Mai stared back. Shammy sat between them on the floor, smiling. Finally Mai said: "Well." Ace's grin returned. "She gets it." Mai put the phone down. "Far too quickly." Shammy leaned her head against Ace's knee. "She already knew the language." Ace looked down at her. That was the part they had nearly missed. Elisa was not coming to Safehouse to discover whether she could be sexual around them. That question was long dead. She was coming because sex with them was already safe enough, ordinary enough, wanted enough, that Ace could remove some unnecessary doors and see what happened to the rest of the weekend. Mai looked at Ace. "No competition." Ace nodded. "No score." "Do not turn it into a challenge." "I won't." "No one has to maximize anything." "I know." Shammy added: "No teaching Elisa." Ace looked at her. "Definitely not." That failure would be worse than all the others. Elisa had already learned plenty. She had also taught them things. Ace reached down and pulled Shammy upward until the much taller woman reluctantly unfolded from the floor and joined them on the couch. Mai moved over. Shammy settled between them. Ace immediately used her as a pillow. Mai rested a hand on Shammy's thigh. Nothing announced itself. Nothing changed category. Ace looked toward Mai from across Shammy. "Friday." Mai smiled. "Friday." Shammy looked down at Ace. "What movies?" Ace went very still. Mai saw it. "No." Ace smiled. Shammy laughed. Mai pointed at her. "No." "I haven't said anything." "You have another plan." "It's cultural." "No." "Historically important." "Ace." "Educational." Shammy's eyes brightened. Mai stared at both of them. Then at the room. Then toward the ceiling as if seeking assistance from a universe that had repeatedly demonstrated poor judgment. Ace's smile became dangerous. Somewhere between Mandi's unapologetic appetite, Elisa's immediate yes, and a weekend with almost every unnecessary barrier removed, the idea finished taking shape. Not a sex party. Not an experiment. Not an escalation. Just four adults who already knew exactly what they wanted from each other— with fewer doors in the way. --- ## Chapter 2 — Preparation Is Not a Plan Tuesday began with Reyes saying no. Not to the weekend. To Ace. Specifically. "No." Ace stared across the table. "I haven't asked yet." Reyes took another drink of coffee. "You have the face." "What face?" "The one where you're about to explain why something is technically simple." Mai looked down at her own cup. Shammy smiled. Ace folded her arms. "This is technically simple." Reyes pointed at her. "See?" They were at Safehouse. Morning. Brenda and Iris were elsewhere, which simplified both logistics and ambient commentary considerably. Marco had already been warned that Elisa might be staying for the weekend. Marco's response had been: HOW MANY MEALS? Mai had replied: ALL OF THEM. Marco had sent back: UNDERSTOOD. Nothing else. Which was somehow more threatening than if he had asked questions. Now Reyes sat at the kitchen table looking at Ace, Mai, and Shammy with the patient suspicion of someone who had survived too many apparently simple ideas. Ace leaned forward. "We want Elisa here Friday through Sunday." "I know." Ace blinked. "How?" "Elisa messaged me." Mai smiled. Ace looked betrayed. "She bypassed us." "She needs transport." "Still." Reyes continued. "She said Safehouse. Same basic security arrangement. Friday evening arrival, Sunday pickup." "Yes." "Saturday I have work." "We know." "I am not staying here all weekend to herd three hypersexually tuned women." Ace immediately pointed toward Shammy. "Four." Reyes looked at her. Ace paused. Then: "Potentially four." Shammy laughed. The room warmed slightly. Reyes' eyes moved to her. Shammy had dressed for the morning in loose black shorts and an equally loose dark top. Comfortable. Soft. Nothing structured. Nothing that suggested participation had been planned. Also nothing that would particularly inconvenience anyone whose hands became curious. Reyes noticed. Looked back at Ace. "Four." Ace smiled. Mai sighed. "Thank you." Reyes took another drink. "I'll bring Elisa Friday. I leave when I'm satisfied nobody followed us. Saturday I have other work. Sunday I'll come back." Ace nodded. "Perfect." "Her emergency contact remains active." "Obviously." "If anything feels wrong—" "Reyes." Mai's voice stopped the procedural spiral before it became one. Reyes looked at her. Mai smiled faintly. "We know." Reyes held her gaze for a moment. Then nodded. "Good." Ace leaned back. "See? Simple." Reyes looked at her. "No." "Why no?" "Because you still haven't told me what you invented." Ace's smile arrived. Reyes closed her eyes. "Fuck." Shammy laughed. Mai said: "Less is more." Reyes opened her eyes. "That sounds like Ace." "It is." Ace looked pleased. Mai continued. "Inside Safehouse, Ace, Elisa, and I wear oversized T-shirts." Reyes waited. Mai added: "Only." Reyes stared. Then looked toward Shammy. Shammy spread her hands. "I have shorts." Reyes looked down at them. Then at the loose top. "Those are optimistic shorts." Shammy considered. "Comfortable." Ace said: "Accessible." Shammy looked at her. Ace smiled innocently. Shammy's expression changed just enough to become dangerous. Reyes caught it. "So that's the weekend." Ace shook her head. "No." "No?" "That's the point." Reyes looked at Mai. Mai translated. "The clothing rule removes friction. It is not the activity." Reyes was quiet. Then: "Okay." Ace blinked. "That's it?" "Yes." "You don't think it's insane?" "No." Ace looked deeply disappointed. Reyes continued. "You are all adults. Elisa knows exactly who she's spending the weekend with. She said yes." Mai nodded. "Correct." Reyes shrugged. "The stupid version would be turning it into a contest." Ace immediately said: "We're not." "The stupid version would also be inventing a schedule." Mai said: "We aren't." Reyes looked at her. Mai held up both hands. "I know." "The stupid version would be treating Elisa like she needs sexual orientation training." All three went still. That one landed harder. Ace answered first. "No." Reyes watched her. Ace's expression had lost the joke completely. "Absolutely not." "Good." Shammy leaned against the counter. "She already knows what she wants." Reyes nodded. "Exactly." The tension dissolved. Ace looked at her. "Are you done being sensible?" "For now." "Good." Reyes finished her coffee. "Then I have one question." Ace waited. "What movies?" Mai made a sound of defeat. Ace brightened instantly. "Historically significant sword-and-sorcery." Reyes stared. Shammy smiled. Mai covered her face. Reyes said: "Nudity." Ace looked offended. "Genre history." "Nudity." "Period costume design." "Nudity." "Practical armor philosophy." Reyes leaned back. "Questionable armor." Ace froze. Shammy laughed. Mai lowered her hands. Reyes looked between them. "What?" Ace narrowed her eyes. "You don't get to name the category." "I just did." Mai smiled. "Questionable Armor." Ace pointed at her. "No." Shammy said: "Good category." Ace looked around the room. "Hostile environment." Reyes stood. "Friday." Ace sighed. "Friday." Reyes moved toward the door. Then stopped. Looked back. "And Ace?" Ace narrowed her eyes. "What?" "If I come back Sunday and find a spreadsheet with names and numbers on it, I'm deleting it." Mai laughed. Ace looked scandalized. "We are not scoring anything." "Good." Reyes opened the door. "Then have fun." Ace blinked. That was almost suspiciously sincere. Reyes smiled. "And try not to destroy the couch." The door closed. Silence. Ace stared after her. Then: "She planned that." Mai said: "Yes." Shammy nodded. "Definitely." Ace sighed. "Asshole." The room settled. Then Shammy looked down at herself. Ace noticed. "What?" Shammy pulled lightly at the side of her loose top. "Do you think this counts?" Ace stared. Mai looked over. Shammy turned once in place. Loose top. Loose shorts. Bare legs. Nothing dramatic. Nothing costume-like. Exactly the kind of clothes someone wore because she lived there and wanted to be comfortable. Ace's eyes travelled once. Shammy noticed. Mai noticed Ace noticing. Nobody said anything for three seconds. Then Shammy smiled. "That answers it." Ace looked away. "Fuck you." Mai laughed. Shammy walked past Ace. Her hand slid briefly across Ace's shoulder. Then lower. Ace looked at her. Shammy kept walking. No explanation. No pause. Ace stared after her. Mai said: "Accessible." Ace turned. "Don't." Mai smiled. The weekend had not started yet. The rule was already working. --- Wednesday belonged to Marco. This became obvious when the first delivery arrived before noon. Ace opened the Safehouse door. A courier stood there with three insulated containers. "Delivery for Ace." Ace frowned. "From who?" The courier checked. "Marco." Mai appeared behind her. "What did he send?" Ace opened the first container. Breakfast. The second. Lunch components. The third. Something labelled: FRIDAY / DO NOT EAT EARLY. Ace stared. Mai leaned closer. "He's preparing two days in advance." Shammy walked past in the same loose-top-and-shorts logic as the day before, though this time the top was pale grey. She looked into the container. "Smells good." Ace read the label again. "Do not eat early." Shammy reached toward it. Mai slapped her hand away. Shammy looked offended. Ace laughed. "See? Rules matter." Shammy looked toward Ace. Then slowly reached under the hem of Ace's shirt and rested one hand against her waist. Ace stopped. Mai looked at them. Shammy said: "Rules." Ace stared. Shammy's hand remained exactly where it was. Ace's mouth twitched. "Different category." "Convenient." Mai started laughing. Ace leaned into the touch. No event. No transition. They were still standing in the kitchen looking at food containers. Shammy's thumb moved once. Ace exhaled. Then reached past her and picked up another label. "Saturday dinner." Mai looked at the contents. "Marco is stocking the entire weekend." "Apparently." Shammy's hand remained under Ace's shirt. Ace continued reading. "Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks." Mai looked toward the refrigerator. "We will need space." Ace sighed. "Fine." They reorganized the refrigerator. Shammy eventually removed her hand because she needed both hands to move containers. Nothing else happened. That was exactly the point. --- Thursday night, the Dalia phone rang. Elisa. The contact layer was exactly where it belonged. Mai answered from the couch, letting Dalia's lower smoke-and-whiskey voice carry the first word. Ace sat beside her. Shammy occupied the floor with one knee up, loose shorts riding comfortably high on her thighs, top hanging off one shoulder because she had stopped caring about symmetry an hour earlier. "Hi," Mai said. Elisa's voice came warm through the call. "Hi." "Everything okay?" "Yes." A pause. Then: "I have a shirt." Ace immediately leaned closer. Mai pushed her away. Elisa laughed. "She's there." "Yes." Ace said: "What shirt?" Mai covered the microphone. "Ace." "What?" "You were specifically not invited into the first three seconds." "That's arbitrary." Elisa was laughing again. "It's fine." Mai uncovered the microphone. Ace leaned in. "What shirt?" Elisa said: "You'll see tomorrow." Ace looked deeply offended. "You can't do that." "I just did." Shammy smiled. Mai relaxed into the couch. "You still good for tomorrow?" "Very." No hesitation. No coyness. Elisa continued: "Actually better than good." Ace looked toward Mai. Mai heard it too. Excitement. Not nerves. Elisa said: "I keep thinking about the rule." Ace smiled. "Good rule." "Very good rule." Mai said: "Don't encourage her." Elisa ignored that. "I realized something." Ace waited. "If the whole point is that sex doesn't require changing the evening..." "Yes." "Then I'm not bringing anything fancy." Mai smiled. "Good." "One overnight bag. Normal clothes for transport. A few shirts." Ace said: "One of which you picked." "Yes." "Still unfair." "Still happening." Shammy spoke from the floor. "Bring something comfortable for Sunday." Elisa answered immediately. "Hi, Shammy." "Hi." "I will." Then Elisa paused. "Wait." Shammy looked up. "Mm?" "What are you wearing?" Ace covered her mouth. Mai looked toward Shammy. Shammy looked down at herself. "Loose top. Loose shorts." Elisa was silent for half a second. Then: "Oh." Ace lost the fight and laughed. Shammy's smile widened. Elisa continued: "That seems strategically inconsistent with being exempt." Shammy looked toward Ace. Then Mai. Then back at the call as if Elisa could see her. "I didn't say I wanted protection." The room went quiet. Ace stared. Mai slowly smiled. Elisa laughed once. Low. "Fair." Shammy's expression warmed. Ace looked between the phone and Shammy. Then: "This weekend is going to be a disaster." Mai said: "No." Ace looked at her. Mai's smile remained. "It's going to be very comfortable." Shammy leaned back on both hands. Her top shifted lower at one shoulder. "Weather permitting." Elisa said: "I've missed that." Shammy's smile softened. "So have I." That one landed differently. No joke. No performance. Elisa's voice softened too. "Tomorrow." "Tomorrow." Mai ended the call a minute later. Ace immediately looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. "What?" Ace pointed at her clothes. "Strategically inconsistent." Shammy smiled. "They're comfortable." Ace narrowed her eyes. Shammy added: "And easy." Mai laughed. Ace stared. Shammy stood. Walked past them. Ace's hand moved before she thought about it. Straight beneath the loose hem of Shammy's top. Shammy stopped. Looked down at Ace. Ace froze. Then slowly smiled. "Testing." Shammy's eyebrows rose. "Of course." Ace's hand remained where it was. Mai watched. Shammy leaned down. Kissed Ace once. Then straightened. "Result?" Ace looked very thoughtful. "Excellent design." Mai laughed. Shammy continued toward the kitchen. Ace watched her go. Then looked at Mai. Mai was already smiling. Ace pointed. "No commentary." Mai raised both hands. "None." Ace leaned back. The refrigerator was full. Security was arranged. Elisa was coming. Nobody had scheduled sex. Nobody had assigned pairings. Nobody had invented goals. Nobody had built an escalation ladder. Friday would begin with four adults in one home. Three oversized T-shirts. One very deliberately comfortable Shammy. Several catastrophically bad movies. And no particular reason for desire to wait politely outside the room until somebody invited it in. --- ## Chapter 3 — Friday By six o'clock Friday evening, Ace had checked the door display nine times. Mai had counted. Shammy had not needed to. The room had been carrying Ace's impatience for most of the afternoon. Not anxiety. Not nerves. Expectation. The kind Ace tried to disguise by doing small unnecessary things with unusual concentration. At 18:07 she reorganized the movie queue. At 18:09 she checked the refrigerator. At 18:10 she accused Marco of arranging containers in a way that was hostile to short people. At 18:11 Mai said: "Sit down." Ace looked at her. "I'm sitting internally." "That is not a thing." Shammy, already comfortable at one end of the couch in loose black shorts and a loose dark top, said: "It might be for Ace." Ace pointed. "Thank you." Mai looked toward Shammy. "Don't encourage her." Shammy smiled. The door display chimed at 18:12. Ace was halfway across the room before the second tone. Mai looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at Mai. Neither said anything. Ace turned from the door. "I can see you." Mai smiled. "Good." The outer security feed showed Reyes first. Elisa stood beside her. Normal clothes. Dark trousers. Light jacket. One compact overnight bag. Nothing about her appearance suggested that the plan for the next two days involved almost no clothing at all. Ace smiled before she could stop herself. Shammy felt that. The room eased by a fraction. Mai noticed both. "Open it," Ace said. "Security first." "I know." "Then stop vibrating." "I'm not vibrating." Shammy looked at her. Ace sighed. "Fine. Slightly." Mai completed the outer check. Reyes waited with the patience of someone who knew exactly how long the process took and had no interest in helping Ace shorten it by staring harder. Then the first door opened. Reyes entered. Elisa followed. The inner door closed behind them. For one second nobody moved. Then Elisa saw Ace. Her face changed immediately. Not surprise. Not relief. Recognition turning warm. Ace crossed the remaining space. Elisa dropped the overnight bag beside her foot. They kissed. Familiar lips. No formal greeting. No cover performance. No question about whether the affection still belonged here. Ace put both hands at Elisa's waist. Elisa's went around her shoulders. When they separated, Ace looked up. "Hi." Elisa smiled. "Hi." Mai was next. Elisa stepped toward her. Mai touched her face once before kissing her. Slower than Ace. No less certain. Elisa leaned into it. When they separated, she stayed close for another breath. Then looked toward Shammy. Shammy had stood. Elisa smiled differently. Softer. "Hi." Shammy opened her arms. Elisa went into them. The height difference remained absurd. Shammy bent. Elisa lifted her chin. The kiss was gentle. Not chaste. Reyes watched all three greetings. Then looked at the ceiling. "Recalculating how long I'm staying." Ace turned. "You said security sweep." "I did." Elisa was still close to Shammy. "I missed you." Shammy's expression softened. "So did I." The room changed. Barely. Pressure loosening. A trace of warmth where there had been none a second before. Elisa felt something. Not enough yet to name. She looked around once. Reyes saw that. Then looked at Shammy. "Weather already?" Shammy's eyebrows rose. "Apparently." Elisa looked between them. "What?" Ace smiled. "Nothing." Elisa immediately narrowed her eyes. "That sounded suspicious." "Good instincts," Reyes said. Ace looked wounded. "Whose side are you on?" "Mine." Mai laughed. Reyes started the sweep. Elisa knew the Safehouse now, but security had its own rhythm. Doors. Cameras. External feeds. The route Reyes had brought her through. Anything unusual outside. Nothing was. While Reyes worked, Ace picked up Elisa's bag. Elisa took it back. "I can carry that." Ace stared at her. "I know." "Then why—" "Host." Elisa looked at Mai. Mai said: "Don't encourage her." Ace looked betrayed. Elisa smiled and handed the bag back. "Host." Ace brightened. Reyes called from the security station: "Bad precedent." Ace carried the bag toward the guest room anyway. Elisa followed. Mai stayed with Reyes for the final sweep. Shammy returned to the couch. Nothing ceremonial happened at the guest-room door. Ace put the bag down. Elisa opened it. A few shirts. Toiletries. Transport clothes for Sunday. Not much else. Ace looked. "You really committed." Elisa glanced at her. "Less is more." Ace's smile became unbearable. Elisa pointed at her. "Don't." "Didn't say anything." "Your face did." Ace laughed. Elisa pulled out the first oversized shirt. Pale. Soft. Long enough to cover what it needed to cover while standing. Ace looked at it. "Not the one." "No." "You brought the one." "Maybe." Ace stared. Elisa smiled. "Later." Then she started changing. No performance. Normal trousers first. Top. Underwear. Socks. Everything came off because that was the weekend rule she had chosen. The oversized shirt went on. Bare legs. Bare feet. Nothing else. Elisa looked down at herself. Then at Ace. "Well?" Ace's eyes travelled once. Not pretending they didn't. "Excellent." Elisa smiled. "Your turn." Ace blinked. "What?" "You're still wearing shorts." Ace looked down. She was. The afternoon had not yet become weekend mode for her or Mai. Ace stared at the shorts as if they had betrayed her personally. Elisa laughed. "You invented the rule." "I know." "Lead by example." "Bossy." "Yes." Ace smiled. "Good." They returned to the common room together. Reyes was finishing the final external check. Mai stood beside her. Elisa stopped. Looked at Mai's trousers. Then Ace's shorts. Then at both women. Mai understood first. "Right." Ace pointed at Elisa. "She started enforcing it." Reyes turned. Saw Elisa. Looked at Ace. Then Mai. "She's been here six minutes." Elisa smiled. "Seven." Shammy, from the couch: "Closer to eight." Ace stared at all three. "Hostile household forming early." Mai disappeared toward their room. Ace followed a moment later. No need for privacy beyond ordinary changing. No event. Two minutes later they came back. Ace in an oversized black T-shirt. Bare legs. Bare feet. Nothing else. Mai in an oversized dark grey T-shirt. Bare legs. Bare feet. Nothing else. The rule was now visible instead of theoretical. Three women dressed in almost the least complicated way possible. Shammy beside them in loose top, loose shorts, bare feet. Reyes looked at the four of them. Her eyes stopped on Shammy. "That choice looks very cooperative." Shammy looked down at herself. "Comfortable." Elisa said: "Strategically inconsistent." Shammy looked at her. "I never said I wanted protection." Elisa smiled. "Still fair." Ace looked between them. "This is already getting out of control." Mai said: "Nothing has happened." "Exactly." Reyes finished the sweep. No tails. No suspicious network traffic. No reason for her to remain. She checked Elisa's emergency contact once. Elisa showed active. Reyes nodded. "Sunday. Around four unless something changes." Mai answered: "Good." Ace added: "We won't destroy the couch." Reyes looked at her. "I didn't ask." "You thought it." "I absolutely did." Elisa laughed. Reyes picked up her jacket. Then looked at Elisa. "All good?" Elisa nodded. "Very." No more required. Reyes looked at all three residents. "No scoreboard." Ace groaned. "We know." "No schedule." Mai said: "We know." "No teaching." Shammy's expression became serious for half a second. "We know." Reyes nodded. Then looked at Ace again. "And no historically significant emergencies." Ace stared. Elisa looked immediately interested. "What does that mean?" Reyes opened the inner door. "Ask her about the movies." Ace looked horrified. "Traitor." Reyes smiled. "Sunday." Then she was gone. The outer door closed. Security re-armed. Silence lasted perhaps two seconds. Elisa looked around. Ace. Mai. Shammy. Safehouse. No event staff. No guests. No waiting room full of strangers. No role she had to perform. Just three people she already wanted. And a ridiculous amount of food. Ace looked at her. "Hungry?" Elisa smiled. "Actually yes." Mai walked toward the kitchen. "Good. Marco planned for that." Ace followed. "Marco planned for everything." Shammy stood. Elisa fell into step beside her. The first casual contact happened before they reached the kitchen. Shammy's hand at Elisa's back. Nothing more. Elisa leaned slightly into it. Nothing less. Dinner was deliberately ordinary. Marco had left enough that nobody needed to turn cooking into an activity. Mai heated food. Ace interfered. Shammy stole something from Ace's plate before anyone sat down. Elisa learned that this was apparently legal only when Shammy did it. Ace disputed the law. Nobody cared. By the end of dinner Elisa was sitting sideways on the couch with one bare leg across Ace's lap. Ace's hand had found its way beneath the hem of her shirt and rested warm against her thigh. Neither had announced it. Neither had stopped the conversation. Mai sat close enough that Elisa could touch her without leaning. Shammy had returned to the floor, back against the couch between them. There. The rule working exactly as promised. Not because anyone was having sex. Because no one needed to create a new moment before ordinary affection could become more intimate. Or remain exactly what it was. Ace looked at the blank screen. Then at Elisa. Elisa saw the expression. "No." Ace blinked. "You don't even know what I'm doing." "Movie." Mai laughed. Shammy looked up. "She's learning." Ace pointed at all three. "Hostile household." Elisa squeezed Ace's knee with her free foot. "Show me the historically significant disaster." Ace's face lit up. Mai closed her eyes. "You encouraged her." "I know." Ace opened the queue. SWORDS. SORCERY. QUESTIONABLE ARMOR. Elisa stared. Then looked at Ace. "Reyes named that, didn't she?" Ace muttered: "Unfortunately." Shammy smiled. Mai sat back. "Pick one." Ace chose immediately. Elisa laughed. "You already had one selected." "Historically significant." "Questionable armor?" "Very." The movie began. Music. Steel. A mountain that looked suspiciously like three other mountains from the opening montage. Within two minutes, Elisa looked at Ace. "This is terrible." Ace nodded solemnly. "Yes." Elisa laughed. Mai leaned closer. Shammy settled more comfortably against the couch. Ace's hand remained warm beneath Elisa's shirt. Nobody moved to another room. Nobody needed to. Friday had started. And for once, starting was the least important part. --- ## Chapter 4 — No Scene Change The hero had lost his sword. Nobody knew why. Ace suspected betrayal. Mai suspected bad editing. Elisa thought he had simply put it down somewhere and forgotten it. Shammy was the only one still making a serious attempt to follow the plot. "Temple," she said. Ace looked at the screen. "What?" "He left it at the temple." Elisa turned her head from Mai. "There was a temple?" Shammy looked up at her. "Twenty minutes ago." Mai smiled. "I believe we were distracted." Ace looked down toward Shammy. "Speak for yourself." Shammy's eyes dropped deliberately to Ace's hand. Still beneath her loose top. Ace followed the look. "That's unrelated." "Of course." Ace moved her fingers. Shammy's breath caught. Barely. Her eyes returned to Ace. Ace smiled. "Completely unrelated." Elisa laughed. Then Mai kissed her again. The movie kept going. That was the rhythm now. Conversation narrowing into touch. Touch becoming kisses. A line from the movie dragging someone back into an argument. A hand never bothering to leave when the conversation resumed. Nothing reset. Nothing needed to. Elisa had gradually shifted until she was facing Mai more than the television. Mai sat comfortably against the back of the couch, one leg folded beneath her. Elisa's knee rested between Mai's. Their oversized shirts had long since stopped behaving like meaningful boundaries. Ace sat near Elisa's other side. Shammy remained on the floor between Ace's legs, back resting against the couch. Four bodies occupying one untidy piece of furniture and the floor around it. On screen, someone found the sword. Shammy pointed. "See?" Ace frowned. "That's a different sword." "It's the same sword." "The handle changed." Mai glanced at the screen. "Continuity error." Ace pointed triumphantly. "Thank you." Elisa looked at Mai. "You saw the handle?" "No." Ace stared. Mai smiled. "I know Ace." Elisa laughed. "That's cheating." "Years of training." Ace muttered: "Hostile." Then Mai's hand moved beneath Elisa's shirt. The sentence Elisa had been about to say disappeared. Not because the touch itself was novel. Because Mai knew exactly what she was doing. Elisa looked at her. Mai held the look. There was no uncertainty in either expression. Elisa shifted closer. Ace noticed. Shammy felt the room change before Ace did. A little more pressure. A little less interest in swords. Shammy tilted her head back against Ace's leg. Ace looked down. Shammy's expression said enough. Ace's mouth curved. "Oh." Elisa heard her. "Don't." Ace looked innocent. "I didn't say anything." "You said oh." "Very neutral word." Mai's thumb moved. Elisa's eyes closed for half a second. Ace grinned. Elisa opened them again. "Not. One. Word." Ace mimed locking her mouth. Shammy looked up at her. "That'll last." Ace tugged gently at a strand of silver-white hair. "You're supposed to support me." "I do." Shammy leaned her head into Ace's thigh. "Frequently." Ace's expression softened. Her hand beneath Shammy's top moved again. Shammy smiled. Then returned her attention to the movie. Or pretended to. Mai looked at Elisa. "Still interested in the helmet?" Elisa laughed. "Not remotely." "Good." Mai kissed her. This time neither returned immediately to the argument. Elisa moved with her. Closer. Mai gave her room. No rush. No awkward negotiation of limbs. They already knew each other's bodies well enough that positioning was communication rather than discovery. Mai shifted. Elisa followed. A hand. A knee. A quiet laugh when the couch proved less cooperative than either woman. Ace watched them solve it. Then looked at the couch. "Reyes cursed it." Elisa laughed against Mai. "Shut up." "I said nothing about you." "You blamed the couch." "The couch is involved." Mai looked toward Ace. "Movie." Ace turned obediently toward the screen. For perhaps five seconds. Behind the humor, the room had changed. Not dramatically. That was the point. Mai and Elisa had simply stopped returning from each kiss quite as far as before. Their conversation shortened. Touches stopped being incidental and became intentional. Neither announced the transition. Neither needed to. Elisa drew back once. Looked at Mai. The question between them was adult, familiar, and unmistakable. Mai answered with a small smile and pulled her close again. Shammy felt the pressure rise. She did not suppress it. There was nothing wrong with it. Nothing crowding. Nothing asking her to intervene. She let the room carry what belonged there. Ace's fingers moved slowly against Shammy. Shammy caught her wrist. Again, not stopping her. Ace looked down. Shammy shifted backward until her shoulders rested more firmly against Ace's legs. Invitation completed. Ace understood. Her other hand joined the first beneath the loose fabric. Shammy exhaled. "Comfortable?" Ace whispered. Shammy smiled without looking up. "Very." Across from them, Elisa laughed softly at something Mai said too quietly for Ace to catch. Then the laughter disappeared into another kiss. Ace watched for a moment. Not voyeuristically detached. Not excluded. Simply there. Shammy was warm beneath her hands. Mai and Elisa were close enough that Ace could reach either without standing. The movie still threw flickering swordlight across all four of them. Nobody had left. Nobody had been left behind. Ace looked down at Shammy. Shammy looked up. "Good idea," she said. Ace's eyebrows rose. "The movie?" "No." Ace smiled. "Shirts?" Shammy considered. "Also yes." Ace laughed. The sound made Elisa glance toward them. Her face was warm. Happy. Entirely comfortable. She saw Ace's hands beneath Shammy's top. Shammy resting between Ace's legs. Ace looking thoroughly pleased with herself. Elisa smiled. Then looked back at Mai. No comparison. No scoreboard. No question of whose turn anything was. Just choice. Mai touched Elisa's face. Elisa leaned into her palm. Then closer. The focus narrowed again. Ace turned back toward the screen. A sorcerer was now shouting at a stone door. Ace frowned. "What did I miss?" Shammy answered: "He lost the sword again." Ace stared. "How?" "No idea." "This movie is terrible." "You picked it." "Mai picked it." Mai answered without looking away from Elisa. "You're welcome." Ace laughed. Then the room became quieter. Not silent. Quieter. The bad movie continued underneath everything. Steel. Music. Terrible dialogue. Mai and Elisa stayed together on the couch, increasingly absorbed in each other without needing the rest of the room to disappear. Ace and Shammy maintained their own low current beside them. A kiss from Ace into Shammy's hair. Shammy turning her head enough to catch Ace's mouth instead. Ace laughing against her. Shammy's hand finding Ace's leg. Nothing competing. Nothing staged. The evening simply had more than one layer. Eventually Mai and Elisa settled back into the cushions, still close, breathing slower, neither making any move to create distance merely because the intensity had eased. Elisa rested against Mai. Mai's arm remained around her. The movie continued. Ace looked over. Elisa caught her eye. For a moment they simply smiled at each other. Then Ace nodded toward the screen. "You missed the sword." Elisa looked. The hero was holding it again. She frowned. "When did he get it back?" Shammy said: "Nobody knows." Mai laughed. Elisa looked at Ace. "This is your historically significant cinema?" Ace nodded solemnly. "Essential viewing." Elisa settled more comfortably against Mai. "Good." Ace blinked. "You like it?" "No." Elisa smiled. "I like this." That quieted Ace for a moment. Mai kissed Elisa's temple. Shammy reached up and squeezed Ace's hand. Ace looked around the common room. The terrible movie. The abandoned plates. Mai and Elisa tangled comfortably together. Shammy between her legs. Her own hands still resting beneath Shammy's deliberately unhelpful top. No doors. No scene change. No one waiting for the evening to become something else. Ace smiled. "Yeah." Then the sorcerer on screen exploded. All four jumped. Elisa stared at the television. "What the fuck?" Shammy started laughing. Mai joined her. Ace looked horrified. "I looked away for two seconds." Elisa pointed at the screen. "He exploded." "I can see that." "Historically significant?" Ace considered the burning remains of the sorcerer. Then nodded. "Extremely." Elisa threw a cushion at her. --- ## Chapter 5 — Historically Significant The woman on screen had acquired a cape. Ace considered this a major improvement. Mai considered it evidence that the costume department had surrendered. Elisa considered it proof that somebody, somewhere, had decided fabric placement was a moral question. Shammy was still trying to follow the plot. "She's going to the tower," she said. Ace looked at the screen. "What tower?" "The black one." "There are three black towers." "The one with fire." "Two have fire." Shammy tilted her head. "Left." Ace stared. "That is not enough information." Elisa laughed against Mai's shoulder. "You picked this." "I picked historically important cinema." Mai said: "You picked breasts and swords." Ace looked offended. "That is grotesquely reductive." Elisa turned toward her. "Is it inaccurate?" Ace thought about it. "No." Shammy laughed. The room had settled into its Friday-night shape without anyone formally choosing one. Mai sat deep in the couch with Elisa close against her. Ace occupied the other side. Shammy rested on the floor between Ace's legs, back against the couch, loose top soft against Ace's hands whenever they wandered beneath it. No one had separated into audience and participants. No one had stopped being part of the room. The movie was still loud enough to insult them. Elisa had stopped pretending to care about it. Her attention had drifted back to Mai in stages. A hand under Mai's oversized shirt. A kiss. Another. A quiet laugh when Mai caught her watching the screen over her shoulder. "Still following the story?" Mai asked. "No." "Good." Elisa kissed her again. Ace looked down toward Shammy. Shammy looked up. Ace's fingers moved slowly beneath the loose fabric at her side. Shammy smiled. "Historically significant?" Ace whispered: "Very." Shammy caught her wrist and guided the hand slightly. Ace's eyes changed. "Ah." "Better." Ace leaned down and kissed her hair. Across the couch, Mai and Elisa shifted closer. No sudden switch. No announced escalation. Just the gradual point where talking became less important than touch. Elisa turned fully toward Mai. Mai's hands settled at her hips. Elisa straddled her lap with the easy familiarity of someone who did not need instructions about where she wanted to be. Mai looked up at her. Elisa smiled. There was no nerves in it. Want. Recognition. Expectation. Mai touched her face. Elisa leaned into the palm. "You good?" Mai asked. "Very." "Anything you want different?" Elisa's smile widened. "I'll tell you." Mai nodded once. Enough. They kissed. The movie continued behind them. Ace heard someone on screen announce the awakening of an ancient king. She looked. Then back. Elisa's hands had disappeared beneath Mai's shirt. Mai's had done the same beneath Elisa's. The oversized shirts shifted around them with every movement, useful mostly because nobody had needed to stop and undress completely first. Ace murmured: "Okay, this rule is excellent." Shammy looked up. "You invented it." "I know." "Then why do you sound surprised?" "I can appreciate my own genius." Shammy laughed. Mai heard that. Without breaking the kiss, she lifted one hand and gave Ace a very clear gesture. Ace gasped. "Hostile." Elisa laughed into Mai's mouth. Mai smiled against her. The laughter stayed between them for a few breaths. Then disappeared. The room tightened slightly. Not because anyone demanded silence. Because the focus between Mai and Elisa deepened on its own. Shammy felt it first. Ace felt Shammy feel it. A subtle change beneath her hands. A tiny stilling. A slight shift in the air that made the room feel larger around the pair on the couch. Elisa noticed none of that yet. She was looking at Mai. Mai was looking back. No one else mattered enough to pull their attention away. Elisa shifted. Mai helped her. They adjusted together until the position worked for both of them. A knee. A hand at the waist. A small laugh when the couch pushed one of them half an inch the wrong way. Then settled. Elisa kissed Mai again. Slowly. Mai answered. Their breathing changed before anything else did. Ace stopped talking. Shammy relaxed more fully against her. Ace wrapped one arm loosely across Shammy while the other remained beneath the loose top. Shammy covered Ace's hand with hers. Across from them, Mai and Elisa made the final choice together without ceremony. Intercourse began there on the couch. No bedroom. No cutaway. No change in the evening's category. Elisa's eyes closed. Mai held her securely. For several breaths they simply stayed close, finding each other. Then movement began. Slow. Mutual. Responsive. Nothing performed for the rest of the room. Nothing hidden from it either. Ace watched for a moment. Not because she had become an audience. Because she loved Mai. Because she loved seeing her wanted. Because Elisa belonged in the moment without threatening anything around it. Then Shammy shifted under Ace's hands. Ace looked down. Shammy turned. Their mouths met. Ace kissed her slowly. Shammy leaned back into her. Two layers in the same room. Mai and Elisa held the stronger current. Ace and Shammy remained quieter beside them. No competition. No turn-taking. On screen, somebody screamed: "THE GATE WILL OPEN!" Ace broke the kiss. Shammy looked at her. Ace whispered: "Subtle." Shammy bit back a laugh. Elisa heard it. Her mouth twitched. Mai felt that and smiled. "Don't." Elisa's eyes opened. "What?" "Laugh." "You heard them." "I always hear them." Ace said: "That's because we're delightful." Mai looked toward her. "Ace." Ace zipped her mouth. Shammy's shoulders shook silently. Elisa laughed anyway. Then Mai moved differently. The laugh broke apart. Elisa's attention snapped back to her completely. Ace saw the change and stopped smiling. Not solemn. Just aware. Mai knew Elisa too well now to miss the response. She adjusted again. Elisa followed. Their rhythm changed. More intent. More urgency. Still controlled. Still mutual. Elisa's hands tightened around Mai. Mai's breathing lost some of its steadiness. That mattered. Ace noticed it. So did Shammy. Mai was not merely carrying Elisa through the encounter. She was fully inside it. Fully affected. Elisa saw it too. Her expression changed when she realized. Something bright. Possessive in the best way. Pleased. "Yeah," Elisa whispered. Mai's eyes sharpened. Elisa kissed her. Then kept moving with her. The room softened around them. Elisa felt that this time. A pressure shift. Slight warmth. The television suddenly seeming farther away despite not changing volume. She glanced toward Shammy. Only briefly. Shammy was leaning against Ace, eyes half-lidded, Ace's hands still beneath the loose top. Shammy met Elisa's look. No explanation. Elisa looked back to Mai. The thought could wait. Mai could not. Their pace built without becoming frantic. Elisa's composure went first in small pieces. Breathing. The way she held Mai. A sound she didn't bother suppressing. Mai answered with her own. That pulled Elisa closer. Ace felt Shammy's fingers tighten around hers. Shammy felt the room becoming dense enough to need space. Not less heat. Less pressure. The air changed. Elisa noticed again. This time from inside the moment. The others were still there. She could hear Ace breathe. Could hear Shammy's occasional quiet laugh. Could see movie light moving across the room. Yet somehow the space around Mai felt private without becoming isolated. Elisa looked at her. Mai was already watching. That was enough to erase everything else. The first climax came through Elisa hard enough to interrupt the rhythm they had been holding. She folded closer. Mai caught her. Held her. Stayed with her through the release instead of treating it as an ending. Elisa breathed against her shoulder. Once. Again. Her hands loosened gradually. Mai kissed her temple. Then her cheek. Then her mouth when Elisa turned. Elisa smiled weakly against the kiss. "Hi." Mai laughed softly. "Hi." Ace heard it. Smiled. Said nothing. Shammy looked up at her. Ace whispered: "Learning." Shammy smiled. "Miraculous." Ace pinched her side. Shammy laughed. Across the couch, Elisa was still close to Mai. Still connected. Still not finished with her. She opened her eyes. Looked at Mai. Mai's face was warm. Breathing heavier than before. Composure less perfect. Elisa saw all of it. Then smiled. "Your turn." Mai's expression changed. Not surprised. Not embarrassed. Interested. Very. "You sure?" Elisa kissed her. "Very." Mai's hand tightened at Elisa's waist. That was answer enough. They resumed without resetting. No new scene. No fresh negotiation from zero. Just the same encounter continuing with attention shifting inside the pair. Elisa stayed active. Stayed responsive. Stayed interested in Mai's pleasure now with the same intensity Mai had given hers. Mai stopped trying to look composed. That was the first visible surrender. Her head tipped back against the couch. Elisa watched. Smiled. Then kissed her neck. Ace looked away toward the movie for a few seconds. Not because she needed distance. Because Mai and Elisa had narrowed around each other again. Shammy leaned into her. Ace kissed Shammy's shoulder. Her hand slid lower beneath the loose top. Shammy exhaled. On screen, the ancient king finally woke up. Ace murmured: "About time." Shammy looked at her. "You missed why." "I never knew why." "Fair." Mai made a sound that pulled both their attention back. Not loud. Different. Elisa heard it too and responded immediately. Mai's hands tightened. Her breathing shortened. The precision that normally lived in her body started coming apart. Elisa looked delighted by that. Not smug. Connected. She stayed with Mai through every change. Closer when Mai needed closer. Slower when the rhythm faltered. Then building again when Mai pulled her back into it. Mai's eyes opened. Found Elisa's. Elisa smiled. That broke the last of Mai's control. Her climax came with a sharp breath and then a long release through the whole body. Elisa held her. Mai held Elisa just as tightly. Neither moved away. Neither had anywhere else to go. The room went quiet around them. Not silent. Quiet. Movie dialogue. Refrigerator hum. Night beyond the windows. Ace breathing against Shammy's hair. Shammy's hand resting over Ace's. Mai and Elisa stayed together through the shared stillness. Foreheads touching. Breathing gradually settling. Elisa kissed Mai once. Soft. Mai answered. Then again. No hurry. No need to prove anything after. Elisa eventually rested her head against Mai's shoulder. Mai wrapped both arms around her. Still close. Still physically connected to the encounter that had just finished instead of snapping back into social posture. Ace watched them. Then looked down toward Shammy. Shammy was smiling. Ace whispered: "Good?" Shammy answered: "Very." Ace kissed her. Short. Warm. Then the woman in questionable armor screamed from the television: "YOU HAVE AWAKENED HIM!" Everyone looked at the screen. The ancient king was approximately eight feet tall and wearing even less armor than she was. Elisa stared. Then: "Oh, come on." Mai started laughing. Ace pointed triumphantly. "Historically significant." Elisa looked at her. "His entire military strategy is abdominal." Shammy said: "Strong core." Mai laughed harder. Ace looked offended. "You people have no respect for the genre." Elisa shifted more comfortably against Mai. Mai kept one arm around her. No rush to separate. No embarrassment. No sudden need to act as if the last half hour had not happened in the middle of movie night. Elisa looked toward Shammy. The room had changed again. The pressure easing. Warmth dispersing. Sound returning to normal proportions. This time she watched Shammy while it happened. Shammy noticed. Elisa narrowed her eyes. Shammy's smile became very slight. Elisa said: "That was you." Ace immediately looked interested. Mai did too. Shammy tilted her head. "What was?" Elisa stared. "The room." Shammy said nothing. Elisa looked around. Then back at her. "It changed." Ace smiled. Mai watched Elisa carefully. Shammy asked: "Did it?" Elisa pointed. "Don't do that." Shammy laughed. The room warmed. Elisa's eyes widened. "There." Ace lost it. Mai covered her mouth. Shammy laughed harder. Elisa stared at all three. "You knew." Ace managed: "Yes." Mai said: "Obviously." Elisa looked at Shammy again. "You do that?" Shammy's laughter softened. "Sometimes the room needs help." Elisa blinked. That answer only created more questions. Ace said: "Weather Girl." Elisa looked at her. Then back at Shammy. Then slowly smiled. "Oh." Shammy's eyes brightened. Elisa leaned back against Mai. Still watching her. "You're terrifying." Ace said: "You get used to it." Mai answered immediately: "No, you don't." Shammy looked deeply pleased. Elisa laughed. Then the ancient king punched through a stone wall. All four turned toward the screen. Ace pointed. "See?" Elisa stared. "See what?" "Historical importance." Mai said: "Questionable masonry." Shammy nodded. "New category." Elisa reached for the remote. Ace lunged. "No." Too late. A new folder appeared beneath the others. QUESTIONABLE MASONRY. Ace stared at it. Then at Elisa. "You've been here three hours." Elisa settled back against Mai with a satisfied smile. "I'm learning fast." Shammy looked up at her from between Ace's legs. "Too fast." Ace pointed at both of them. "No teaming up." Elisa and Shammy looked at each other. Same smile. Mai laughed. Ace groaned. Friday night continued. --- ## Chapter 6 — Second Movie The first movie ended at 21:46. Ace knew because she checked. Not because she cared about the time. Because she wanted to know how long a film could possibly spend pretending its ending had already happened. Twenty-three minutes, apparently. The villain died twice. The hero lost the sword again. The woman with questionable armor became queen for reasons nobody could explain. And the ancient king turned out not to be ancient. Or a king. Elisa stared at the credits. "What the fuck was that?" Ace stretched one arm along the back of the couch. "Cinema." Mai said: "No." Shammy: "Experience." Elisa looked at her. "Trauma." Shammy considered. "Also valid." Mai still had Elisa tucked comfortably against her side. The two had not bothered to disentangle completely after their earlier encounter. Why would they? Elisa's bare legs remained across Mai's lap. Mai's hand rested underneath the oversized shirt against her thigh. Ace had one hand in Shammy's hair. Shammy remained between Ace's legs. Four people. One couch. Zero urgency. Elisa pointed at the screen. "We're not watching another one like that." Ace's eyes widened. "Absolutely we are." "No." "You agreed to the weekend." "I did not agree to cinematic abuse." Mai reached for the remote. Ace immediately leaned across Shammy. "Don't you dare." Mai held the remote away. Ace stretched farther. Shammy looked up. "Ace." "Busy." "You're using me as furniture." "Yes." "Consent?" Ace stopped. Looked down. Shammy's mouth twitched. Ace narrowed her eyes. "Can I use you as furniture?" Shammy smiled. "Yes." Ace immediately resumed climbing over her. Elisa started laughing. Mai held the remote higher. Ace was 145 centimeters of absolute refusal to accept geometry. "Give me that." "No." "You don't even know what I'm selecting." "I know you." "Defamation." Elisa reached over. Took the remote from Mai. Ace froze. Elisa looked at the screen. Then at Ace. Ace slowly smiled. "My favorite lover." Mai looked offended. Elisa said: "Temporary title." "Accepted." She opened the queue. SWORDS. SORCERY. QUESTIONABLE ARMOR. QUESTIONABLE NARRATIVE ARMOR. QUESTIONABLE MASONRY. Ace pointed. "Last two aren't official." Elisa ignored her. Scrolled. Stopped. One thumbnail showed a woman holding a sword almost as tall as she was while wearing enough leather to qualify as three unrelated belts. Elisa looked at Ace. "This." Ace went quiet. Mai saw that. "No." Elisa smiled. "Oh, definitely this." Shammy looked up at Ace. "You picked it." Ace was suddenly defensive. "I picked all of them." "Why don't you want this one?" "It's complicated." Mai leaned closer. "What happens?" Ace looked betrayed. "Nothing." Elisa hit play. Ace stared at her. "You bitch." Elisa smiled. "I've been learning." Shammy laughed. The movie opened with drums. Fire. A mountain. A woman standing on top of something dramatically unsuitable for standing on. Mai watched for thirty seconds. Then: "Her sword is backwards." Ace said: "It's fantasy." "The edge is facing her." "Fantasy." Elisa looked at Ace. "She's going to cut her own leg off." "Historically significant." Shammy leaned back. Ace's hand immediately disappeared beneath her top again. Shammy smiled. "You're nervous." Ace looked down. "No." "You're touching more." Ace stopped. Then deliberately continued. "Correlation." Elisa turned toward her. "What happens in this movie?" Ace stared at the screen. "Nothing." Mai smiled. "Something happens." Ace sighed. "It's just stupid." Elisa waited. Ace lasted six seconds. "The heroine sleeps with the sorceress." Mai looked at the screen. Then at Ace. Elisa slowly smiled. "Oh." Ace folded her arms. "It was 1987. Very progressive." Shammy said: "Nudity." Ace pointed at her. "Historically significant." Elisa laughed. "Now I understand the curation." "You understand nothing." Mai looked amused. "Actually, I think she understands perfectly." Ace leaned back. "Hostile room." Shammy's hand touched Ace's knee. The air shifted almost imperceptibly. Ace looked down. Shammy smiled. "Better?" Ace's expression softened. "Yes." Elisa saw that. This time she knew what she was seeing. Not just touch. Not just Shammy's expression. The room itself responding around her. A tiny easing. Pressure redistributing. She smiled. Mai caught the smile. "What?" Elisa shook her head. "Nothing." Shammy looked toward her. Elisa met her eyes. No words. Shammy smiled. Ace noticed. "No." Elisa looked innocent. "What?" "You two." Shammy said: "We're sitting." "Suspiciously." Mai laughed. The movie continued. For fifteen minutes, everyone actually watched. Then the heroine reached the sorceress. Ace went very still. Elisa noticed. Mai noticed Elisa noticing. Shammy noticed all three of them noticing. On screen, the sorceress stepped close to the heroine. Ace muttered: "Subtle." Elisa looked at her. "You're one to talk." The movie attempted sensuality with smoke, wind machines, and approximately four hundred candles. Mai stared. "Fire code." Shammy laughed. Elisa leaned toward Ace. "Is this the historically significant part?" Ace kept watching. "Maybe." "You're blushing." "I'm not." "You are." "Lighting." Elisa smiled. Then shifted. Not toward Mai. Toward Ace. Ace noticed only when Elisa's knee touched hers. She looked over. Elisa kissed her. Quickly. Ace blinked. Elisa kissed her again. Longer. Ace answered immediately. Mai watched for a moment. Then leaned back. No surprise. No tension. No sense of handoff. Just another natural shift in the room. Shammy remained between Ace's legs. Elisa's hand slid beneath Ace's oversized shirt. Ace's breath changed. Elisa smiled against her mouth. Ace broke the kiss. "Don't." Elisa laughed softly. "Again?" "Yes." "You make funny noises." Mai said: "True." Ace looked at her. "Betrayal." Shammy tilted her head back. "Also true." Ace stared down. "Everyone dies tonight." Elisa kissed her before she could continue. That solved it. For a while. The movie became background again. Elisa stayed close. Ace shifted to face her more fully. Their bare legs tangled awkwardly for a second. Ace muttered something unkind about the couch. Elisa laughed. Then pulled Ace closer. No uncertainty. No rediscovery. Just two lovers choosing each other because they wanted to. Mai watched them settle. Then looked down at Shammy. Shammy looked back. Mai extended one hand. Shammy took it. Mai pulled gently. Shammy rose from the floor. Ace noticed. "Hey." Shammy looked at her. "You have company." Ace considered that. "Fair." Shammy sat beside Mai. Mai immediately put an arm around her. Shammy leaned into the contact. Their mouths met. Slow. Easy. Elisa glanced over while kissing Ace. Saw Mai and Shammy. Smiled. Ace followed her gaze. The geometry had changed. Ace and Elisa close on one side. Mai and Shammy close on the other. Still one room. Still one movie. Still nobody performing for anybody else. Ace looked at Elisa. "Comfortable?" "Very." "Good." Elisa kissed her again. Her hand moved beneath the shirt. Ace's attention narrowed. The movie reached the sorceress scene. Nobody cared anymore. Mai's hand rested against Shammy's side beneath the loose top. Shammy's fingers traced slowly along Mai's thigh. Lower intensity. Not another encounter demanding equal weight. Just close. Connected. Present. Ace and Elisa, meanwhile, had stopped returning to conversation. Their kisses deepened. Their positions adjusted. Elisa moved closer until Ace was almost underneath her. Ace laughed once. "Size abuse." Elisa looked down. "You chose me." "Poor judgment." "Want me to move?" Ace's hands tightened at her waist. "No." Elisa smiled. "Thought so." Ace kissed her. The room pressure changed again. Elisa felt it almost immediately now. Not the same as before. Different shape. Different need. Mai and Shammy remained inches away. The movie continued. Yet the space around Ace and Elisa seemed to widen. Elisa glanced toward Shammy. Shammy was kissing Mai. Eyes closed. Still doing it. Or maybe not doing. Maybe simply being. Elisa looked back at Ace. Ace saw the question. "Later." Elisa nodded. Later. They crossed the line together without leaving the couch. Intercourse began with Elisa still above Ace, both adjusting until the position stopped being funny and became right. Ace's face changed first. Elisa saw it. Smiled. Ace caught the smile. "Don't you start." "I didn't say anything." "You thought it." "Probably." Ace pulled her down and kissed her. That ended the argument. Their rhythm built gradually. Ace's hands stayed active. Elisa's did too. Neither became passive. Neither became a prop in the other's pleasure. Mai watched for a moment. Then Shammy kissed her again. Mai returned her attention to that quieter current. The room held both. Ace and Elisa moved together. Not hurried. Not careful in the timid sense. Experienced enough to adjust without commentary. Interested enough to stay attentive. Elisa learned Ace's response in the moment. Ace read hers in return. Breath. Pressure. Pace. Expression. Every change answered by another. At one point Ace laughed. Elisa stared down. "What?" "Movie." Elisa looked toward the screen. The heroine and sorceress were now standing in a waterfall. Elisa blinked. "Why?" Ace started laughing harder. "I don't know." Elisa leaned down. "Historically significant." Ace lost it. Mai laughed too. Shammy buried her face against Mai's shoulder. The moment broke into laughter. Not intimacy. Only seriousness. Then Elisa kissed Ace again. The laughter faded. Their rhythm returned naturally. A little more urgent now. Ace's composure began to loosen. Elisa noticed. Stayed with her. Ace's breathing shortened. Her fingers tightened against Elisa. The room grew still around them. Shammy felt it. Mai felt Shammy respond. Elisa felt the pressure change. And this time she didn't look away. She knew. Shammy's own breathing was deeper now from Mai's touch. Her pleasure did not disappear into some neutral atmospheric function. She was affected. And the room was affected because she was. Elisa saw the connection. Shammy opened her eyes. Caught Elisa looking. Elisa's expression said: Oh. Shammy smiled. Then Mai kissed her. Elisa turned back to Ace. Ace's eyes were already closed. Elisa moved with her. Ace's climax came first. No warning announcement. Just the gradual collapse of control into something sharper. Ace held Elisa closer. Her breath broke. Her whole body tightened. Then released. Elisa stayed with her. Kept her close. Kissed her when Ace opened her eyes again. Ace laughed softly against her mouth. "Hi." Elisa smiled. "Apparently that's a thing now." "Mai started it." "Of course." Ace kissed her again. Still close. Still connected. Then Ace looked at Elisa. Saw that she was nowhere near finished. Smiled. "Oh." Elisa narrowed her eyes. "Neutral word?" "Extremely." Elisa kissed her harder. Ace laughed. Then shifted beneath her. Attention changed without the encounter resetting. Ace was still affected. Still recovering. Still entirely interested. Elisa wanted more. Ace gave it willingly. The rhythm resumed. Different now. Elisa's pleasure moving forward while Ace stayed involved rather than withdrawing into aftermath. Ace watched her. Read her. Adjusted. Elisa's breathing changed. Mai noticed. Shammy did too. No comments. The jokes stopped because there wasn't room for them anymore. Elisa's composure broke piece by piece. Her movements lost precision. Her hands tightened. Ace held her gaze. That became the last thing Elisa managed to focus on. Her climax took her hard enough that she folded down against Ace. Ace caught her. Held her. Elisa's face disappeared against Ace's neck. Ace kissed her hair. Stayed still. Let her breathe. Across the couch, Mai and Shammy had also gone quiet. Mai's arm remained around Shammy. Shammy rested against her. All four stayed where they were. No sudden redistribution. No jokes. Not yet. Elisa slowly relaxed. Ace's hands moved along her back beneath the shirt. Elisa lifted her head. Looked at Ace. Then kissed her. Slow. Unhurried. Ace returned it. Shared stillness. Nothing to prove. Nothing waiting. Eventually Elisa shifted enough to lie partly against Ace instead of fully over her. Ace made a small sound of relief. Elisa looked offended. "Am I heavy?" "You're gigantic." "I'm normal-sized." "Exactly." Mai laughed. Elisa looked toward her. Mai had Shammy half in her lap now. Shammy's loose top had migrated even farther off one shoulder. Elisa smiled. "Comfortable?" Shammy answered immediately. "Very." Ace looked at her. "Traitor." Shammy smiled. "You abandoned me." "I was busy." "Exactly." Elisa laughed. Then looked toward the television. The heroine and sorceress were fighting now. Elisa frowned. "Wait." Ace looked. "What?" "They were fucking ten minutes ago." Mai said: "Conflict resolution failed." Shammy nodded. "Communication issue." Ace stared at the screen. "This is historically accurate." Three women looked at her. Ace paused. "For cinema." Mai laughed. Elisa reached for a cushion. Ace raised one hand. "No violence." Elisa threw it anyway. Ace caught it this time. Triumph. Then Shammy said: "Your shirt." Ace looked down. The oversized shirt had twisted almost sideways during the encounter. Ace pulled it straight. Elisa stared. Then at Mai. Then at Shammy. Then back at Ace. "This is ridiculous." Ace frowned. "What?" "We're fixing the shirts after sex." Ace looked down again. Mai started laughing. Shammy did too. Ace pointed at Elisa. "Rule compliance." Elisa laughed harder. "Very important." "Extremely." Ace settled back into the couch. Elisa curled against her. Mai remained close with Shammy. The second movie continued. Nobody knew what was happening. Nobody cared. And somewhere during the next ten minutes, Elisa realized something that made her smile quietly to herself. The room was not giving them permission. Shammy was not making anyone want anything. She was not deciding who touched whom. She was simply there. Feeling everything. Responding to everything. Letting pressure move instead of collect. Elisa looked at her. Shammy looked back. Elisa said: "Weather Girl." Shammy smiled. "Mm." Elisa considered her. Then: "I get it now." Ace immediately said: "No, you don't." Mai nodded. "You really don't." Elisa looked at both of them. Shammy laughed. The room warmed. Elisa smiled. "Maybe not." Then she kissed Ace again. Friday still wasn't finished. --- ## Chapter 7 — Third Movie Was a Mistake The third movie was Ace's fault. This was established unanimously within seven minutes. "I didn't pick it," Ace protested. "You put it in the queue," Mai said. "Different crime." Elisa pointed at the screen. "There is a man wearing antlers." "Fantasy." "He is indoors." "Still fantasy." Shammy was laughing before Ace even finished. Elisa had migrated during the opening credits. Not deliberately. At least that was what she claimed. She had started curled against Ace. Then stretched. Then somehow ended with her head in Shammy's lap and her bare legs across Mai. Ace had watched the entire migration. "How did you do that?" Elisa looked up from Shammy's lap. "Do what?" "Take over the couch." "I'm barely using any." Mai lifted one of Elisa's legs. "You are using me." Elisa smiled. "Comfortable?" Mai considered. "Yes." "Then stop complaining." Shammy's fingers moved slowly through Elisa's hair. Ace stared. Elisa noticed. "What?" "Nothing." "You look jealous." Ace looked scandalized. "Of you?" "Mm." "In my own Safehouse?" Shammy said: "That wasn't a no." Ace looked at her. Shammy smiled. Elisa laughed. Then Shammy's fingers traced lightly behind Elisa's ear. Elisa's eyes closed. Ace pointed. "See?" Mai looked over. "See what?" "She's stealing Shammy." Shammy said: "I'm not property." Ace immediately softened. "I know." Shammy's hand left Elisa's hair long enough to reach for Ace. Ace took it. Shammy pulled. Ace moved closer. Shammy kissed her. Slow. Familiar. Ace smiled when they separated. "Better." Shammy returned her hand to Elisa's hair. Ace stared. Elisa opened one eye. "Still jealous?" Ace thought. "A little." Elisa laughed. Mai squeezed her ankle. Ace looked toward her. Mai's expression was amused. Warm. Something else beneath it. Ace recognized that something immediately. Her smile changed. Mai saw that. No words. They had never needed many. Elisa noticed the exchange. Looked from one to the other. Then toward Shammy. Shammy was already watching. Elisa whispered: "What?" Shammy smiled. "Nothing." "That's bullshit." "Probably." On screen, Antler Man was arguing with a glowing rock. Nobody helped him. Ace's attention remained on Mai. Mai's hand still rested against Elisa's leg. Then Elisa lifted both feet from her lap. Mai looked down. Elisa sat up. "Go." Mai looked at her. Ace did too. Elisa smiled. "What?" Mai's eyebrow rose. Elisa gestured between them. "You're doing the thing." Ace said: "What thing?" "The thing where you two have an entire conversation without moving your mouths." Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked at Ace. Elisa pointed. "That." Shammy laughed. Mai said: "We weren't—" "You were." Ace smiled. Elisa shifted closer to Shammy. "Go." Ace looked at her. "No one has to go anywhere." Elisa stared. Then slowly smiled. "Right." Ace's smile widened. "Doors." Elisa laughed. "Okay." Shammy moved first. She slid farther into the corner of the couch. Elisa followed naturally. Shammy opened one arm. Elisa settled against her. Not merely beside. Into. Back against Shammy's chest. Shammy's long legs framing hers loosely. Elisa looked down. Then back over her shoulder. "Oh." Shammy smiled. "Comfortable?" Elisa leaned back. "Very." Shammy's arm settled around her waist. The other hand returned to her hair. Elisa relaxed almost instantly. Ace saw it. Mai saw Ace see it. The geometry changed. Ace and Mai. Elisa and Shammy close beside them. All four still together. Ace moved toward Mai. Mai met her halfway. Their kiss was immediate. Familiar enough to contain no question about whether either wanted it. Elisa watched for a few seconds. Then felt Shammy's lips against her hair. She looked up. Shammy wasn't watching Ace and Mai. She was looking at Elisa. That surprised her more than it should have. Elisa smiled. Shammy kissed her forehead. Then her mouth when Elisa turned. Gentle. Warm. No attempt to make their quieter intimacy compete with what was happening beside them. Elisa's hand rested against Shammy's thigh. Shammy's loose shorts made the contact almost absurdly easy. Elisa noticed that. Shammy noticed her noticing. "You were warned." Elisa laughed softly. "Strategically inconsistent." "Very." Elisa let her hand wander. Shammy's eyes changed. The room warmed. Elisa stopped. Not because she thought she had crossed a boundary. Because she felt it. Her eyes widened. Shammy smiled. "There." Elisa looked around. Then at Shammy. "That was you." "Partly." "Partly?" Shammy's fingers moved along Elisa's side. Elisa inhaled. The air seemed to answer. Shammy whispered: "I'm here too." Elisa looked at her. Understood. Not a machine. Not a function. Not a woman operating controls nobody else could see. Shammy wanted. Shammy responded. Shammy's body was part of the same equation as everyone else's. Elisa kissed her. Shammy answered. Beside them, Ace laughed quietly against Mai's mouth. Elisa heard it. Then Mai said something too low to catch. Ace's laughter stopped. Elisa glanced over. Ace had moved into Mai's lap. The size difference made it look almost unfair. Mai's arms surrounded her easily. Ace's oversized shirt had ridden high. Mai's hands were beneath it. Ace's were under Mai's. Elisa smiled. Shammy followed her gaze. "Beautiful, aren't they?" Elisa looked at her. There was no jealousy in Shammy's voice. No distance either. Love. Simple. Certain. Elisa looked back at Ace and Mai. "Yeah." Shammy's arm tightened around her. Ace and Mai had stopped paying attention to the movie. Mai kissed Ace slowly. Ace melted into it in a way Elisa had seen before but never quite from here. No performance. No polish for anyone else's benefit. Just Ace with the woman she loved. Mai pulled back. Ace followed her mouth immediately. Mai smiled. "Impatient." "Yes." "Good." Ace kissed her again. Their hands moved with the familiarity of years. Not predictable. Simply practiced enough to make tenderness look effortless. They knew where laughter lived. Where tenderness lived. Where urgency could appear without frightening either of them. Elisa watched. Then Shammy kissed the side of her neck. Elisa's eyes closed. Her hand tightened against Shammy's thigh. Shammy made a quiet sound. Elisa smiled. "You make noises too." Shammy laughed softly. "Everyone does." "Ace makes funny ones." From beside them: "I can hear you." Elisa opened her eyes. Ace was glaring. Mai was trying not to laugh. Shammy said: "She's right." Ace stared at her. "Betrayal." Elisa leaned back against Shammy. "Apparently historically significant betrayal." Mai lost it. Ace looked at the ceiling. "I created monsters." Shammy kissed Elisa's temple. "One, maybe." Elisa turned. "Excuse me?" Shammy's expression was pure affection. "Nothing." Elisa narrowed her eyes. Something in Shammy's smile suggested that particular thought had not finished developing. Ace noticed. "What?" Shammy shook her head. "Later." Elisa pointed at her. "I'm remembering that." "Good." Then Mai drew Ace back. The room shifted. Elisa felt it before she consciously saw why. Ace and Mai had moved beyond joking. Ace's body had settled closer against Mai. Mai's expression had changed. The intimacy between them narrowed. Deepened. Shammy felt it too. Her arms relaxed around Elisa. Not releasing her. Making space without creating distance. Elisa leaned back against her. Watched. Felt. The pressure in the room moved. This time she recognized it immediately. Not privacy. Not exactly. Something closer to the absence of intrusion. Ace and Mai were two feet away. Elisa could see them. Could hear them. Could reach out and touch Ace if she wanted. Yet their focus belonged completely to each other. Elisa whispered: "Fuck." Shammy's lips brushed her ear. "What?" "I get another piece." Shammy smiled. "Good." Ace shifted in Mai's lap. Mai helped her. No clumsy pause. No retreat. They positioned themselves together with practiced ease. Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked back. Whatever passed between them was enough. Intercourse began without either woman leaving the couch. Elisa felt Shammy's breath change behind her. Not because Shammy had caused anything. Because she loved them. Because seeing them together affected her. The room answered that too. Elisa turned her head slightly. Shammy looked at her. Elisa whispered: "You really can't hide anything." Shammy smiled. "Neither can the room." That landed. Elisa looked back toward Ace and Mai. Their rhythm was already forming. Different from Mai and Elisa earlier. Different from Ace and Elisa. Not better. Older. Deeply familiar. Ace's hands rested against Mai. Mai held Ace close. They adjusted almost before either needed to ask. Mai said something. Ace answered with a laugh. Then a kiss. Then no words. Elisa rested more fully into Shammy. Shammy's hand moved beneath Elisa's oversized shirt. Not demanding anything. Warm against her stomach. Elisa covered it with her own. Then guided it slightly. Shammy understood. The air warmed again. Elisa smiled. "Partly?" Shammy laughed quietly. "Partly." Elisa turned enough to kiss her. They stayed close while Ace and Mai continued. Ace and Mai's pace changed. Mai's composure began to fracture first this time. Ace saw it. Elisa saw Ace see it. Ace smiled against Mai's mouth. Mai gave her a look. Ace's smile widened. Elisa whispered: "She's going to say something." Shammy answered: "Probably." Ace opened her mouth. Mai kissed her. Elisa laughed. "Effective." Shammy nodded. "Years of experience." Ace managed to pull away. "Hostile commentary." Elisa said: "You started it." Ace looked at her. "You are learning entirely too fast." Then Mai moved and Ace's response erased whatever she had planned to say next. Elisa's eyebrows rose. Shammy whispered: "Accurate." Elisa bit her lip to keep from laughing. Ace pointed blindly toward them. "I hate both of you." Mai laughed. Then Ace pulled her into another kiss. The humor faded again. Their rhythm deepened. Ace's breathing changed. Mai's followed. Both active. Both giving. Both receiving. Neither disappearing into the other's pleasure. Elisa watched until Shammy's hand moved again and reminded her that she was not merely sitting in a chair. She turned. Kissed Shammy. Longer this time. Shammy answered. Elisa's fingers moved beneath the loose top. Shammy inhaled. The room tightened. Then expanded. Elisa felt the physical connection between Shammy's own response and the space around them. Her eyes opened during the kiss. Shammy's did too. Elisa stared. Shammy smiled against her mouth. Elisa whispered: "That's fucking unfair." "What?" "You." Shammy kissed her again. "Weather." Elisa laughed. Ace's climax interrupted them. Not with spectacle. With a sharp change in breath that Shammy recognized before Elisa did. Mai caught Ace closer. Stayed with her. Ace's body tightened. Then released. Her forehead dropped against Mai's shoulder. Mai held her. Ace breathed. Slowly. Shammy's arm tightened around Elisa. Elisa stayed quiet. Ace lifted her head. Mai kissed her. Ace returned it. Then smiled. Mai's expression was still far from finished. Ace noticed. Of course she did. Her smile changed. Mai saw it. "Don't." Ace whispered: "Didn't say anything." Elisa almost laughed. Shammy covered her mouth with one hand. Elisa stared at her. Shammy's eyes were laughing. Ace remained with Mai. Still close. Still participating. Their encounter continued. Attention shifted. Mai's pleasure moved forward. Ace knew her. Every response. Every tiny loss of control. Every moment where Mai needed something different. No guesswork. No performance. Just knowledge accumulated over years and still alive enough to remain responsive. Mai's breathing grew less controlled. Ace stayed with her. Mai pulled her closer. Their eyes met. Ace's expression softened completely. No joke now. No smugness. Just love. Mai's climax arrived through that. Her control broke. Ace held her through it. Mai held Ace. For several breaths they remained almost motionless. Foreheads together. Breathing against each other. Nothing else in the room demanded attention. Shammy rested her chin lightly against Elisa's hair. Elisa's hand remained over Shammy's. Nobody spoke. The movie did. Unfortunately. A man's voice declared: "ONLY BLOOD CAN CLOSE THE GATE!" Ace, still breathing hard, muttered: "Fucking finally." Mai started laughing. That destroyed the stillness. Not badly. Perfectly. Ace laughed too. Elisa folded against Shammy. Shammy's shoulders shook behind her. Mai kissed Ace through the laughter. Ace rested against her. Nobody separated. Eventually Elisa managed: "Did anyone see what gate?" Shammy said: "No." Mai shook her head. Ace looked at the screen. Antler Man was gone. The glowing rock was now blue. Ace frowned. "I think we missed something." Elisa looked up at Shammy. "Historically significant?" Shammy smiled. "Very." Ace pointed. "Don't encourage her." Elisa settled back into Shammy's lap. Shammy's arms returned around her naturally. Elisa looked down at the loose shorts. Then at the loose top. Then back over her shoulder. Shammy caught the inspection. "What?" Elisa smiled. "Nothing." Shammy narrowed her eyes. Elisa kissed her. Quick. Affectionate. Then turned back toward the screen. Ace saw the entire thing. "So now you're stealing Shammy." Elisa looked at her. "Again?" "Yes." Shammy said: "Still not property." Ace sighed. "I know." Elisa reached across the small gap and took Ace's hand. Ace looked down. Elisa squeezed. Then pulled Ace's hand toward her and kissed her knuckles. Ace's expression softened. Elisa smiled. "Better?" Ace considered. "A little." Mai said: "Hopeless." Shammy laughed. The room warmed. Elisa felt it. Recognized it. Then smiled to herself. Friday had taught her something important. Not about sex. She knew sex. Not about permission. She knew how to say yes. How to say no. How to ask for what she wanted. What she had not known was this. How four people could remain together while two disappeared into each other. How intimacy could narrow without excluding. How Shammy could hold her while loving Ace and Mai with every shift in the air around them. How Ace could watch Mai love someone else and smile. How Mai could do the same. How nobody had to leave the room to make space. Elisa looked around at them. Then at the terrible movie. Then at Shammy's arms around her. "Okay." Ace looked over. "What?" Elisa smiled. "Less is more." Ace became unbearably smug. Mai groaned. Shammy laughed. Elisa immediately regretted everything. "Oh, fuck." Ace pointed at her. "You said it." "I take it back." "Too late." Mai reached for the remote. "Fourth movie." Three voices answered: "No." Mai blinked. Ace stared at her. Shammy stared. Elisa stared. Mai slowly put the remote down. "Fine." Ace smiled. "Bed?" Elisa looked at her. Then Mai. Then Shammy. Then at the couch they had spent the entire evening proving did not require replacement by a bed. She started laughing. Ace realized it. "Oh, fuck you." Elisa laughed harder. Shammy kissed the top of her head. Mai leaned back into the couch. "No doors." Ace pointed at her. "Sleep is different." "Why?" Ace opened her mouth. Stopped. Elisa waited. Shammy waited. Mai smiled. Ace looked around at all three. Then at the couch. Then at the hallway. "Because I am not sleeping on this fucking couch." That settled it. Even Elisa agreed. --- ## Chapter 8 — Coffee First Elisa woke to someone swearing at a toaster. She opened her eyes. Waited. The toaster clicked. Ace said: "Fuck you too." Elisa smiled into the pillow. Saturday. For several seconds she had no idea what time it was. Then she remembered where she was. Safehouse. Friday. Three terrible movies. Shammy's lap. Weather. Ace and Mai. Less is more. She stretched. Her oversized shirt had migrated during the night and required minor negotiation before she could stand with any dignity. Not that dignity seemed particularly relevant here. She found the floor with bare feet. The hallway was quiet. Mostly. "That is not how bread works." Mai. Ace answered: "It knows what it did." Elisa followed the voices. She had slept well. Really well. Eventually, sometime after the third movie had finally surrendered, everyone had reached the point where horizontal unconsciousness sounded better than anything else. No discussion. No plan. No implication that somebody should end up somewhere specific. Ace and Mai had gone to their room. Shammy had kissed Elisa goodnight. Elisa had taken the guest room. Simple. The weekend had gone to sleep. Now it was waking up again. The kitchen smelled like coffee. And abused bread. Ace stood at the counter in an oversized black T-shirt. Bare legs. Bare feet. Her short hair looked like she'd been electrocuted sometime during the night. Mai was beside the refrigerator in a dark grey oversized shirt, drinking coffee with the expression of a woman who had already accepted that Ace was going to remain Ace for the foreseeable future. Shammy was nowhere in sight. Elisa leaned against the doorway. "Morning." Mai looked over first. Her face softened. "Morning." Ace turned. "You're alive." "Apparently." "Coffee?" "Immediately." Mai lifted her cup. "Good answer." Elisa walked into the kitchen. Ace looked down at her shirt. Then back up. "That's not the one." Elisa looked down too. Plain white. "No." "You promised." "I promised you could see it." "Today?" "Maybe." Ace narrowed her eyes. Elisa smiled. "Coffee first." Mai said: "She's learning." "From whom?" Mai looked at Ace. Ace looked offended. Elisa reached the coffee machine. Marco had stocked the kitchen with enough food to survive a minor siege. There were containers in the refrigerator with labels. BREAKFAST. LUNCH. DINNER. One simply said: ACE — NO. Elisa stared at it. "What is that?" Ace immediately said: "Nothing." Mai took another drink. "Marco made something for Sunday." "And?" "Ace found it." Elisa looked at the label again. "Before Sunday." "Thursday." Ace pointed at Mai. "Allegedly." Mai looked at Elisa. "She had the lid off." "I was inspecting." "With a fork." "Inspection equipment." Elisa laughed. She reached for a mug. Behind her, someone entered the kitchen. Elisa knew who before she turned. Footsteps. Shammy had very distinctive footsteps when she wasn't trying to hide them. Elisa looked over her shoulder. Loose dark top. Loose shorts. Silver-white hair still slightly disordered from sleep. Bare feet. Shammy looked warm. Soft. Dangerously comfortable. "Morning." Elisa smiled. "Morning." Shammy came closer. Elisa expected a kiss. She got one. Soft against her mouth. Easy. Morning affection without ceremony. Then Shammy moved past her toward the coffee. Elisa turned back to her own mug. Ace was watching. Elisa pointed at her. "Don't." "I didn't say anything." "You were going to." "I was thinking." "That's worse." Mai nodded. "Usually." Ace stared at her. "Whose side are you on?" "Mine." Shammy laughed into her coffee. Ace pointed at both of them. "Hostile household." "Yet you remain," Mai said. "I have nowhere else to go." "You own the building." Ace paused. "Details." Elisa laughed. Saturday was awake. She poured coffee. Added a little milk. Lifted the mug. Warmth settled against her back. Shammy. Elisa smiled without turning. "Hello again." "Hi." Shammy's arms came around her. Loose. Affectionate. Elisa leaned back naturally. The height difference remained ridiculous. Shammy could nearly rest her chin on top of Elisa's head without trying. Elisa took her first sip. Perfect. "Oh, thank fuck." Ace looked over. "Good?" "Very." Shammy's lips touched Elisa's hair. Then her temple. Elisa rested one hand over Shammy's arm. Nothing unusual. Nothing requiring announcement. Mai opened the refrigerator. Ace started arguing about eggs. Shammy's hand slipped beneath Elisa's shirt. Elisa kept drinking her coffee. The hand rested warm against her stomach. Elisa covered it briefly with her own. Shammy kissed the side of her neck. Elisa smiled. Ace was explaining an omelette that apparently contained enough ingredients to qualify as architecture. Mai was rejecting the proposal on structural grounds. Elisa stopped listening. Shammy's other hand had found the hem of her shirt. Elisa lowered the mug slightly. There was a moment. Not hesitation. Recognition. She turned her head enough to catch Shammy's eyes. Shammy looked back. Warm. Intent. Leaving the choice exactly where it belonged. Elisa leaned more firmly against her. Shammy kissed her neck again. One arm remained around Elisa's middle. The other hand wandered lower. Elisa took another drink. Or tried to. Shammy's big fingers found their way. Elisa exhaled. Softly. Pleasure threaded unmistakably through the sound. Her mug stopped halfway back toward the counter. "Oh." Behind her, Shammy smiled against her skin. Elisa closed her eyes. Ace stopped talking. For approximately one second. Then: "Do we have mushrooms?" Mai looked at her. Ace looked toward the refrigerator with almost painful concentration. "Mushrooms." "Top shelf." "Right." Elisa opened her eyes. She could see Ace reflected faintly in the dark surface of the coffee machine. Ace was very carefully not turning around. Elisa smiled. Shammy kissed beneath her ear. The smile disappeared into another breath. There was no rush in Shammy. That was what Elisa noticed next. No game of advancing and retreating. No attempt to make the moment bigger than it was. Shammy had simply chosen to give Elisa her attention. All of it. Elisa put the mug down. Carefully. Very carefully. Shammy's arm tightened around her. "Coffee getting cold." Elisa stared at the mug. "Fuck you." Shammy laughed softly against her neck. Ace made a strangled noise somewhere near the refrigerator. Mai said: "Mushrooms." "Looking." "You've been holding them for ten seconds." Silence. Then: "Found them." Elisa laughed. Shammy reclaimed her attention. Completely. Elisa reached behind herself and found Shammy's thigh. Her fingers tightened there. Shammy kissed her again. The room changed. Elisa felt it. A little more stillness. A subtle easing somewhere around the edges. The almost physical sense of pressure finding somewhere else to go. Friday had taught her to recognize it. Saturday let her feel it from the center. Elisa breathed out. "The room." Shammy's voice was beside her ear. "Mm." "You." "Some of it." Elisa turned her head. "Some?" Shammy smiled. "You're in the room too." That shut Elisa up. For a moment. Then she laughed softly. "Fair." Shammy kissed her. Elisa answered immediately. When they separated, Elisa remained against her. Shammy's attention never wandered. Elisa's breathing had changed enough that pretending otherwise would have been ridiculous. So she didn't. There was nothing here to conceal. Nothing to perform. She wanted Shammy to continue. She moved closer. Shammy understood. Elisa's hand tightened around her thigh. A quiet sound escaped her. Shammy kissed her shoulder through the shirt. Mai started cooking. Actually cooking. Ace had apparently been demoted to bread. The normality of it should have made the moment absurd. Instead it made everything simpler. Elisa was in the kitchen. Breakfast was being made. Coffee sat beside her. Shammy was holding her. Pleasuring her. Nobody needed to announce that the morning had changed categories. It hadn't. That was the point. Elisa's head tipped back against Shammy. Shammy gave her somewhere to rest it. "Good?" Elisa opened her eyes enough to look up at her. "Do I look unhappy?" "No." "Then don't get smug." Shammy smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it." "Liar." "Probably." Elisa felt the smile against her temple. Her breathing shortened. Her body became increasingly uninterested in supporting itself without assistance. Shammy's arm around her middle grew firmer. Holding. Supporting. Elisa covered that arm with her hand. Her other hand found the edge of the counter. Shammy noticed. Of course she noticed. The room seemed to notice with her. Ace put bread on a plate. Then made the mistake of glancing over. Elisa caught her. Ace froze. "Really?" Ace immediately looked back at the toast. "I saw nothing." "You looked directly at me." "I saw nothing respectfully." Mai said: "She's improving." "Thank you." "That wasn't praise." Shammy laughed. Elisa did too. Briefly. Then Shammy's attention pulled her back under. Elisa's laugh dissolved into a breath. Her eyes closed. Coffee. Breakfast. Ace muttering. Mai moving around the stove. Shammy behind her. Warmth. Pressure. Touch. The room making space without asking anyone to leave it. Elisa stopped trying to hold anything back. Shammy felt that too. Her climax came with Shammy holding her firmly against her body. Elisa's breath broke. Her fingers closed around Shammy's arm. For several seconds she could do nothing except remain there while the pleasure moved through her. Shammy stayed with her. No immediate separation. No joke. No hurry. Just warmth. Her lips touched Elisa's temple. Then her cheek. Elisa slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was her coffee. She stared at it. Breathed once. Twice. "My coffee." Shammy kissed her cheek. "Told you." Elisa started laughing. She turned inside Shammy's arms. Shammy let her. Elisa looked up. Whatever complaint she had been preparing vanished when she saw Shammy's face. Open affection. Warmth. And a small amount of entirely justified satisfaction. Elisa kissed her. Shammy returned it. Long. Soft. Elisa's arms went around her. When they separated, Shammy brushed Elisa's hair away from her face. Elisa smiled. "Morning." Shammy smiled back. "Morning." From behind them: "Toast." Elisa turned. Ace held out a plate. Mai was bringing breakfast to the table. Both looked suspiciously innocent. Elisa took the plate. "Thank you." Ace smiled. Elisa narrowed her eyes. "What?" "Nothing." "You're going to say something." "No." Mai walked past. "She is." Ace looked wounded. Elisa took a bite of toast. Waited. Ace lasted four seconds. "So—" Elisa pointed the toast at her. "No." Ace closed her mouth. Shammy moved beside Elisa. Her hand settled at Elisa's lower back. Elisa leaned against her. Mai put breakfast down. "Sit." They did. Elisa retrieved her coffee. Took one sip. Made a face. "Cold." Shammy looked at her. Elisa looked back. Warm. Fond. Entirely too perceptive. Shammy smiled. "You horny rabbit." Silence. Ace folded over the table. Mai covered her mouth. Elisa stared at Shammy. "Excuse me?" Shammy's smile only softened. "You heard me." There wasn't a trace of mockery in it. That made it worse. Elisa tried to look offended. Failed. Then laughed. "Okay. Maybe I deserve that." Ace managed: "Maybe?" Elisa threw a napkin at her. Ace caught it. "Violence!" Shammy reached for Elisa's hand. Elisa gave it to her. Shammy brought her knuckles to her lips. Kissed them. Still smiling. "Horny rabbit." Elisa looked at her. At their joined hands. Her own smile became helplessly affectionate. "Bitch." Shammy laughed. The room warmed. Elisa felt it. Immediately. She pointed at Shammy with her free hand. "That." Shammy looked innocent. "What?" "That." Ace sat upright again. "You're going to have to be more specific around her." Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy's smile widened. The warmth lingered. Elisa shook her head. "Terrifying." Mai started serving breakfast. Elisa looked around the table. Ace. Mai. Shammy. Her. Four women. Three oversized shirts. One deliberately convenient combination of loose top and shorts. Bare feet. Cold coffee. Ruined toast. Marco's food. No schedule. No doors. Saturday morning. She smiled. Then made another mistake. "So what horrible movie are you inflicting on us today?" Ace brightened. Mai closed her eyes. Shammy sighed. Elisa realized what she'd done. "Oh, fuck." Ace was already reaching for the remote. --- ## Chapter 9 — Questionable Everything The shirt appeared after breakfast. Elisa disappeared into the guest room wearing plain white. She came back wearing barbarian propaganda. Ace saw her. Stopped. Slowly lowered the remote. "Oh my God." Elisa spread her arms. The oversized shirt was faded black. Across the front, a magnificently overpainted barbarian woman stood on a mountain beneath two moons, holding a sword almost as tall as she was. Her armor appeared to have been designed by someone who understood neither armor nor weather. Behind her, a castle burned. Possibly a city. Perspective had surrendered. "This one?" Elisa asked. Ace stared. "You brought it." "You bought it." "For you." "I know." Mai walked into the room carrying coffee. Stopped. Looked at Elisa. Looked at Ace. "No." Ace pointed. "Look at it." "I am." "Historical significance." Mai studied the barbarian. "Her armor is six square centimeters of optimism." Shammy appeared behind her. Looked at the shirt. Then Elisa. Then the shirt again. "Seven." Elisa laughed. Ace looked betrayed. "Et tu?" Shammy shrugged. "I'm being generous." Elisa turned around. The back was worse. A dragon occupied most of it. Underneath, in distressed red lettering: STEEL OF VENGEANCE. Shammy read it aloud. Mai closed her eyes. Ace whispered: "Perfect." Elisa turned back. "You are never choosing clothes for me again." "You're wearing it." "Because it's funny." "Still counts." Elisa walked past her. Ace's eyes followed the barbarian shirt down over Elisa's bare legs. Elisa caught her. "Eyes up." Ace immediately looked at her face. "Beautiful shirt." "Bitch." "Historically significant bitch." Mai handed Elisa coffee. "Drink." Elisa took it. Shammy smiled. Elisa saw the smile. "No." "I didn't say anything." "You don't need to anymore." Shammy looked pleased by that. Ace dropped onto the couch. "Movie." Mai sighed. "Of course." The movie began. Within four minutes, a village was burning. Within six, somebody had invoked an ancient curse. Within eight, the heroine appeared. Elisa looked down at her shirt. Then at the screen. Then back down. "No." Ace was vibrating with happiness. Mai stared at her. "You bought her merchandise from the movie." Ace said nothing. "Ace." "Vintage reproduction." Elisa looked at her. "You planned this." "No." "Ace." "I hoped." Shammy leaned forward. "Armor is smaller in motion." Elisa stared at the screen. "That shouldn't be possible." Mai said: "Questionable armor." Ace sighed. "Fine." The heroine killed three men. Lost half a shoulder guard. Acquired a horse. Nobody explained the horse. Elisa pointed. "Questionable horse." Ace turned. "No." "We need the category." "We absolutely do not." Shammy said: "Questionable livestock." Mai nodded. "Broader." Ace looked around the couch. "This was my weekend." Elisa leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Was." Ace tried to remain offended. Failed. For a while, they actually watched the movie. Or something approximating watching. Elisa stretched across one end of the couch. Ace sat on the floor for reasons nobody understood. Mai had claimed the center. Shammy occupied the other end with the effortless physical dominance of a woman who was simply too tall for furniture designed by reasonable people. The heroine entered a temple. There were twelve candles. No windows. Elisa said: "Questionable ventilation." Mai: "Questionable masonry." Shammy: "Questionable fire safety." Ace looked back at them. "Can we please watch the movie?" Three voices answered: "No." Ace turned back toward the screen. The priestess appeared. Mai went still. Not dramatically. Just enough. Ace felt it before anyone else. She looked up. Mai looked down. A conversation happened. Silent. Immediate. Elisa saw it. This time she didn't need Shammy to tell her. "Oh." Ace glanced toward her. Elisa smiled. Ace's expression became suspicious. "What?" "Nothing." "You said oh." "I did." "Why?" Elisa looked at Mai. Mai's mouth had curved slightly. Elisa looked back at Ace. "No reason." Ace narrowed her eyes. Behind Elisa, Shammy shifted. Elisa felt the movement. Then an arm came around her waist. She looked back. Shammy had opened the space against her body without saying a word. Elisa smiled. Moved. Settled between Shammy's long legs with her back against Shammy's chest. Easy now. Familiar. Shammy's arms came around her. Ace pointed immediately. "Again." Elisa looked at her. "What?" "You're stealing Shammy." Shammy said: "Still not property." "I know." Mai looked at Ace. Ace looked back. Whatever had been waiting between them returned. Elisa felt Shammy's chin touch lightly against her hair. She whispered: "They're doing it again." Shammy's answer came beside her ear. "Mm." "The silent thing." "Mm." "I saw it first." Shammy smiled. "Maybe." Elisa turned her head. "Maybe?" "You saw enough." Elisa considered that. Accepted it. Then Ace moved. She climbed onto the couch beside Mai. Their first kiss was brief. The second wasn't. Elisa relaxed more fully against Shammy. There it was again. The narrowing. Ace and Mai were still in the same room. Still close enough for Elisa to hear them breathe. But their attention had tilted inward. Toward each other. Shammy's hand rested beneath Elisa's barbarian shirt. Warm against her stomach. Elisa covered it with her own. Mai touched Ace's face. Ace kissed her again. Elisa watched. Not because she had been assigned to. Because she wanted to. Shammy kissed her temple. Elisa smiled. "They're beautiful." "Yes." No hesitation in Shammy's answer. No jealousy. Just love. Ace moved closer to Mai. Mai's hand disappeared beneath Ace's shirt. Ace's expression changed. Elisa caught it. "So that's one." Shammy whispered: "One what?" "Funny noise." Ace broke the kiss. "I can hear you." Elisa grinned. "I know." Mai kissed Ace again. Ace stopped complaining. Shammy laughed softly. The room warmed. Elisa felt it against her skin. And then Shammy's hand moved. Elisa's smile changed. She glanced back. Shammy met her eyes. Warm. Intent. That same quiet question. Elisa looked toward Ace and Mai. Then back at Shammy. Her answer was to settle deeper into her lap. Shammy kissed beneath her ear. Her hand wandered lower. Elisa inhaled. "Oh." Ace's eyes flicked toward them. Mai caught her attention immediately. "Here." Ace looked back at Mai. A smile. "Bossy." "Yes." Ace kissed her. Elisa laughed softly. Shammy's big fingers found their way. The laugh disappeared. Elisa's head rested back against Shammy. "Fuck." Shammy kissed her neck. Elisa kept watching Ace and Mai. Or tried to. That was suddenly much harder. Ace had shifted lower. Mai looked down at her. The humor between them softened. Mai touched Ace's face. Ace kissed her palm. Then Mai gave the smallest nod. Ace smiled. What followed was unmistakable. Ace's attention turned wholly toward Mai. Her mouth replaced conversation. Mai's first response was a slow breath. Then another. Her hand found Ace's hair. Elisa watched. Shammy's arm tightened around her middle. Her other hand remained busy beneath Elisa's shirt. Elisa breathed out. "Okay." Shammy smiled against her skin. "Okay?" Elisa's eyes stayed on Mai. "This is..." She lost the sentence. Shammy waited. Elisa found it again. "Very distracting." "Which part?" Elisa turned her head enough to glare. Shammy looked innocent. Elisa laughed. A mistake. Shammy knew exactly how to turn the laugh into something else. Elisa's breath caught. "Fuck you." Shammy kissed her. "Maybe later." Elisa stared at her. Shammy smiled. Elisa whispered: "That was terrible." "Mm." "And effective." "Mm." Elisa looked back toward Ace and Mai. Mai's composure was beginning to fail. Slowly. Beautifully. Ace remained focused on her. Responsive. Unhurried. Elisa could see the progression without needing to see details. Mai's breathing. The tightening of her fingers in Ace's hair. The way her posture changed. The way Ace adjusted when Mai did. Shammy's own breathing had deepened behind Elisa. The room responded. A little more pressure. Then release. Elisa felt that too. She smiled. "You love watching them." Shammy's answer was immediate. "I love them." Elisa's expression softened. "Yeah." Shammy kissed her cheek. Then her attention returned to Elisa with devastating precision. Elisa's eyes closed. Opened again. She wanted to watch. That made Shammy's touch feel different. Not stronger. Not more urgent. Simply woven into everything else. Mai. Ace. Shammy around her. The room breathing with all of them. Elisa's own pleasure rising beneath it. She reached back and held Shammy's thigh. Shammy's lips touched her neck. Mai made a quiet sound. Elisa's fingers tightened. Shammy noticed. Of course she did. "That did something." Elisa breathed: "Shut up." Shammy laughed softly. Elisa could feel the laugh through her back. Mai's pleasure continued building. Ace stayed with her. Nothing rushed. Nothing cut away. When Mai finally climaxed, Ace remained close. Mai's hand tightened in her hair. Her head tipped back. Her breath broke. Then she slowly folded forward. Ace rose enough to meet her. Mai kissed her. Held her. Stayed there. Shared stillness. Elisa watched them. And Shammy watched Elisa. Elisa realized that approximately one second too late. "Oh, you bitch." Shammy smiled. "What?" "You were waiting." "No." "Liar." "Probably." Shammy's attention narrowed completely onto her. Elisa's eyes closed. The room became smaller without becoming closed. Ace and Mai were still beside them. Mai recovering. Ace tucked against her. Their quiet laughter beginning to return. Elisa remained in Shammy's lap. Held. Touched. Wanted. Her breathing shortened. Shammy supported her more firmly as her body began to lose interest in posture. Elisa let her. No need to hide. No need to move somewhere else. No need to stop watching the people she cared about simply because she was being pleasured herself. Ace looked over. Their eyes met. Ace smiled. Not teasing. Warm. Elisa smiled back. Then Shammy stole the smile from her. Elisa's eyes closed. Her climax came with her head against Shammy's shoulder and Shammy's arms secure around her. She exhaled sharply. Then simply stayed there. Shammy's hand stilled. Her lips touched Elisa's temple. Elisa breathed. Once. Twice. Again. When she opened her eyes, Mai was looking at her. Mai smiled. "Hi." Elisa laughed weakly. "Apparently that's contagious." Ace looked up from Mai. "It is." Shammy kissed Elisa's cheek. Elisa turned her head. Their mouths met. Slow. Affectionate. The urgency was gone. The closeness wasn't. When they separated, Elisa remained against her. Ace looked between them. Then at Mai. Then back. "Okay." Elisa narrowed her eyes. "What?" "Nothing." "That's my line." "You stole Shammy. I steal your lines." Shammy sighed. "Again. Not property." Elisa reached up and touched Shammy's cheek. "Definitely not." Shammy kissed her fingers. Mai smiled. Ace looked at all three of them. Then at the screen. The heroine was now riding the white horse through a burning forest. Ace blinked. "When did the horse change color?" Elisa stared. Mai stared. Shammy stared. Then Elisa slowly pointed at Ace. "Questionable continuity." Mai nodded. "Absolutely." Shammy added: "Questionable horse." Ace threw a cushion at them. Elisa and Shammy ducked together. The cushion hit Mai. Silence. Ace froze. Mai looked down at it. Then at Ace. Ace stood. "I should go." Mai stood too. Ace ran. Elisa started laughing. Shammy's arms tightened around her. Mai went after Ace. The movie continued without any of them. Elisa watched Ace disappear around the corner with Mai three steps behind her. Then looked back at Shammy. Shammy was smiling. Elisa settled comfortably into her again. "Good movie." "Historically significant." Elisa groaned. Shammy laughed. And somewhere deeper in the Safehouse, Ace screamed: "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" --- ## Chapter 10 — Two Against Two Ace returned seven minutes later. Alone. Elisa looked up from Shammy's lap. "Where's Mai?" Ace walked past them toward the kitchen. "Busy." Shammy looked toward the hallway. "Doing what?" "Nothing." Elisa smiled. "Did she kill you?" "No." "Did you apologize?" Ace opened the refrigerator. Silence. Elisa lifted her head. "Ace." "I apologized." Shammy's fingers continued moving lazily through Elisa's hair. "For hitting her with a cushion?" "It wasn't intentional." Elisa waited. Ace sighed. "And for running." "Good." "I panicked." Shammy said: "Clearly." Ace looked over. "You weren't there." "I was." "Emotionally." Elisa started laughing. Ace removed a container from the refrigerator. Looked at the label. Put it back. Elisa narrowed her eyes. "Was that Sunday?" "No." "Ace." "No." Shammy said: "It was." Ace pointed at her. "Weather Girl is not food surveillance." "No." Mai entered behind Ace. "But I am." Ace jumped. "Jesus fuck." Mai took the container from her hands. Ace looked down. Somehow she was holding it again. Elisa folded against Shammy laughing. "I didn't even see you take it." Ace looked genuinely confused. Mai returned the container to the refrigerator. Closed the door. "Sunday." Ace sighed. "Fine." Mai kissed the top of Ace's head as she passed. Ace immediately stopped looking offended. Elisa noticed. So did Shammy. Elisa looked up. Shammy looked down. A tiny exchange. Ace saw it. "No." Elisa blinked. "What?" "Whatever that was." "There was nothing." "There was absolutely something." Shammy said: "Paranoia." Ace pointed at Elisa. "She's learning from you." Elisa settled more comfortably against Shammy. "Maybe you're just predictable." Ace looked horrified. Mai sat on the couch. "She is." "Hostile household." Again. Elisa smiled. She was beginning to like that phrase. Not because the household was hostile. Because Ace used it whenever everyone agreed about her. Which happened surprisingly often. Mai reached for the abandoned remote. The movie was still playing. The heroine had lost the white horse. Found a black horse. Acquired a second sword. Nobody knew why. Mai stared at the screen. "How long were we gone?" Elisa checked the time. "Seven minutes." Mai looked at Ace. Ace shrugged. "Efficient storytelling." Shammy said: "Questionable livestock." Elisa added: "Questionable chronology." Mai: "Questionable everything." Ace sat down. "Finally. A useful category." Elisa looked at Shammy. "She surrendered." "Mark the date." "I hate both of you." "No, you don't," Mai said. Ace leaned against her. "No." The movie continued. Nobody respected it. By the time it ended, Elisa had migrated out of Shammy's lap and onto the floor with a cushion beneath her head. Shammy's legs stretched beside her. Ace was lying across Mai. Mai was using Ace's back as somewhere to rest one hand while reading something on her agent with the other. It was nearly noon. Nobody had done anything productive. Elisa considered that an achievement. "What now?" Ace lifted her head. "Second movie." Three voices answered: "No." Ace lowered her head. "Hostile household." Mai scratched lightly through her hair. Ace made a pleased sound. Elisa pointed. "See?" Ace looked at her. "What?" "You complain, she does that, and suddenly you're happy." Ace thought about it. "Yes." Shammy said: "At least she's self-aware." "Sometimes." Ace threw a cushion at Elisa. Elisa caught it. Mai said: "Ace." "I didn't hit you." "Growth." Elisa laughed. They ate lunch at the table. Marco had provided something involving noodles, vegetables, chicken and enough spice to make Ace insist he had attempted murder. Elisa tried hers. Looked at Ace. "This isn't spicy." Ace drank water. "You're broken." Mai tasted Ace's portion. "It's exactly the same." "Both broken." Shammy stole a piece of chicken from Ace's bowl. Ace stared. Shammy ate it. "Hostile household." Elisa nearly choked. After lunch, nobody suggested another movie. Instead they drifted. Mai disappeared for a shower. Ace found a datapad and spent approximately nine minutes pretending to read before falling asleep on the couch. Shammy went somewhere upstairs. Elisa remained at the table. For the first time since waking, she was alone. She noticed because it didn't feel like anything was missing. That surprised her. She looked around. Four cups. Plates waiting to be cleared. Ace asleep in the next room. The faint sound of water somewhere deeper in the Safehouse. Ordinary evidence of people. Elisa smiled. Then carried the plates to the kitchen. She was halfway through stacking them when Mai appeared. Hair damp. Fresh oversized shirt. Bare feet. Elisa looked at her. Mai looked at the dishes. "Leave them." "I can help." "I know." Elisa put another plate down. Mai came closer. "That's why I'm telling you to leave them." Elisa smiled. "Bossy." "Sometimes." Mai kissed her forehead. Nothing more. Then she went to find coffee. Elisa watched her. That was another thing. Every touch didn't become an invitation. Every kiss didn't have to continue. Less is more worked both directions. She left the dishes. When Shammy came back, she found Elisa stretched across the couch beside sleeping Ace. Shammy stopped. Looked at them. Ace had somehow curled herself against Elisa's side without waking. Elisa had one hand resting lightly on Ace's shoulder. "Don't." Shammy smiled. "I didn't say anything." "Your face did." Shammy sat carefully at the other end. Ace didn't wake. Elisa whispered: "She's tiny." Shammy looked down at Ace. "Yes." "She's also terrifying." "Yes." "Those things shouldn't work together." "And yet." Elisa smiled. Mai returned with coffee. Stopped. Her expression softened immediately. Elisa saw it. So did Shammy. Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at Elisa. Mai noticed both. "Oh no." Elisa smiled innocently. "What?" "You two." Shammy asked: "What about us?" "Whatever is happening there." Elisa whispered: "Paranoia." Mai stared at her. Elisa's smile widened. Mai looked at Shammy. "You did this." Shammy shook her head. "She was talented already." Elisa covered her mouth before her laugh woke Ace. Mai pointed at both of them. "This is going to become unbearable." Ace, eyes still closed, murmured: "Already is." Everyone froze. Ace opened one violet eye. "Some of us are trying to sleep." Elisa looked down at her. "You've been awake?" "Since 'she's tiny.'" "Oh." Ace closed her eye. "Also fuck you." Elisa stroked her shoulder. "You are tiny." "I have swords." "Not currently." Ace opened both eyes. That was apparently a compelling argument. She looked toward the weapon storage. Then back at Elisa. "Temporary advantage." Elisa kissed her forehead. Ace stared at her. Elisa waited. Ace closed her eyes again. "Fine." Shammy laughed quietly. Mai sat on the floor beside the couch. The afternoon slowed. Conversation came and went. So did silence. At some point Ace woke properly. At some point Elisa ended up sitting sideways in Shammy's lap again. Nobody could later have identified exactly when. She simply was. One of Shammy's arms rested around her waist. Elisa leaned into her. Mai sat opposite them with Ace between her legs on the floor. Ace's back rested against Mai. Mai's hands moved absently over Ace's shoulders. Elisa watched. Then looked up at Shammy. Shammy was already looking at her. Elisa whispered: "Five minutes." Shammy's eyebrow moved. "For what?" "Before one of them starts something." Ace looked over. "I heard that." Elisa smiled. "Four minutes fifty-seven." Mai kissed Ace's temple. Ace turned her head. Their mouths met. Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at Elisa. "Four minutes fifty-two," Elisa whispered. Shammy's shoulders moved with silent laughter. Ace broke the kiss. "You two are assholes." Elisa nodded. "Probably." Mai touched Ace's chin. Ace immediately forgot Elisa existed. Elisa looked triumphant. "See?" Shammy whispered: "Predictable." Ace lifted one finger without looking at them. Elisa covered her mouth. Shammy kissed the side of her head. Mai and Ace kissed again. Slower now. Elisa watched. Shammy's hand rested beneath the hem of Elisa's shirt. Nothing more. Not yet. Elisa placed her hand over it. Shammy's fingers shifted against her skin. Elisa smiled. Across from them, Ace had turned within Mai's arms. Mai's hands settled around her waist. Their attention narrowed. Elisa felt it happen. She also felt Shammy notice. The room softened. Not silence. Space. Elisa whispered: "You're doing it." Shammy answered just as quietly. "So are they." "That's not what I meant." "I know." Elisa turned enough to kiss her. Brief. Warm. When she settled back, Shammy's hand wandered. Elisa's breath changed. She looked up. Shammy's expression was entirely innocent. Elisa whispered: "Again?" "Problem?" Elisa looked toward Ace and Mai. Ace had climbed into Mai's lap. Mai was laughing softly against her mouth. Elisa settled deeper against Shammy. "No." Shammy kissed her temple. Elisa smiled. "Definitely not." Across the room, Ace looked over. Saw Elisa's expression. Saw Shammy's hand beneath the oversized barbarian shirt. Ace smiled. Elisa pointed at her. "Don't." Ace turned back to Mai. "I didn't say anything." Shammy murmured beside Elisa's ear: "She's learning." Elisa laughed. Her laugh caught halfway through. Shammy smiled against her hair. Elisa stared at her. "You did that on purpose." "Maybe." "Bitch." "Mm." Mai heard that. Looked over. Her eyes moved from Elisa to Shammy. Then back. Elisa saw the exact instant Mai understood. Mai smiled. Not teasing. Just warm. Then Ace pulled her attention back. Elisa whispered: "She's good at that." Shammy asked: "Mai?" "Ace." "Very." Ace, without turning: "Still hearing you." Elisa grinned. "Good." Mai kissed Ace. Elisa waited. Ace made a small sound. Elisa looked up at Shammy. "One." Ace stopped. "Oh, fuck off." Shammy laughed. Mai was laughing too. Ace looked around. "I hate this arrangement." Elisa said: "No, you don't." Ace looked at Mai. At Shammy. At Elisa. "No." Then Mai kissed her again. The argument ended. For a while there was nothing to comment on. Not because nothing happened. Because the room stopped needing words. Ace and Mai stayed wrapped around each other. Elisa stayed wrapped in Shammy. Shammy's touch remained deliberately distracting. Elisa's breathing gradually stopped cooperating with conversation. She kept watching the other two anyway. That seemed to amuse Shammy. "You like watching them." Elisa leaned her head against Shammy's shoulder. "Yes." Shammy kissed her temple. "So do I." Elisa smiled. The answer carried no edge. No competition. Just affection. Love, in Shammy's case. Something increasingly warm and complicated in Elisa's. She watched Mai's hand move slowly along Ace's back. Ace's expression soften. Their foreheads touch. Shammy's fingers found purpose. Elisa inhaled sharply. She turned her face toward Shammy. "That's cheating." "At what?" Elisa tried to answer. Failed. Shammy smiled. Across from them, Ace noticed. Her own smile appeared. Elisa pointed weakly. "No commentary." Ace looked delighted. "I didn't say anything." Mai whispered something against Ace's ear. Ace's smile disappeared into surprise. Elisa looked at Shammy. "What did she say?" "No idea." "Weather Girl failure." "I read pressure, not lips." "Convenient." Shammy kissed Elisa. That ended the interrogation. When they separated, Elisa's breathing was less useful than before. She remained in Shammy's lap. Watched Ace and Mai. Felt Shammy around her. The afternoon had not become a sex scene. Nothing had changed category. Four women were still sitting together. Talking when they wanted. Touching when they wanted. Kissing when they wanted. And sometimes one of Shammy's hands made coherent speech temporarily impossible. Elisa was beginning to consider that a feature. Ace eventually looked over again. Elisa met her eyes. Ace smiled. Then looked at Shammy. Then at Elisa. "Having fun?" Elisa opened her mouth. Shammy's timing was vicious. Elisa closed it. Ace's smile widened. Elisa glared at Shammy. Shammy kissed her cheek. "Very," Elisa finally managed. Mai laughed. Ace leaned back against her. "Good." Simple. No joke after it. Just good. Elisa felt something in her chest loosen. Shammy's arms held her. Mai held Ace. The room breathed. And nobody needed anything more from the afternoon than exactly what it was. --- ## Chapter 11 — Dangerous Company The afternoon eventually demanded food. Not urgently. Just enough that Mai looked at the time and said: "We should eat." Ace, still comfortably folded against her, answered: "Eventually." "It's three thirty." "That's eventually." Elisa looked up from Shammy's lap. "When was lunch?" Mai looked at her. "One." "Oh." Shammy said: "You ate." "I know I ate. I don't remember when." Ace pointed lazily toward her. "Safehouse time." Mai looked down. "That's not a thing." "It is now." Elisa nodded. "She's right." Mai stared at her. Elisa smiled. "Sorry." "No, you're not." "No." Shammy's arms tightened comfortably around Elisa. Mai sighed. "Fine. Food in half an hour." Ace closed her eyes. "Perfect." "You have to move." Ace opened them. "Why?" "Because you're on me." "Sounds like your problem." Mai simply stood. Ace made a surprised noise as she was forced upright. Elisa laughed so hard she nearly slid sideways out of Shammy's lap. Shammy caught her. Ace pointed. "Traitor." "Which one?" "Everyone." Shammy kissed Elisa's temple. "Hostile household." Ace stared at her. Then at Elisa. Elisa tried. Really tried. She lasted perhaps two seconds. "Hostile household." Ace stood. "I'm leaving." Mai was already walking toward the kitchen. "No, you're not." Ace followed her. "I could." "No." "I have options." "Name one." Ace disappeared around the corner. Silence. Then: "Fuck." Elisa folded against Shammy laughing. Shammy's chest moved beneath her. "You're enjoying this." "Very much." "Good." Elisa looked up. Shammy's expression was soft. Still amused. Still warm. Elisa kissed her. Briefly. Just because she wanted to. When she settled back, Shammy's hand returned to her waist. Nothing more. Elisa noticed that too. The hands that had thoroughly destroyed her ability to concentrate twice that day were now simply holding her. No expectation. No inevitable progression. Elisa rested her head against Shammy. "You're comfortable." "So I've been told." "Ridiculously." "Occupational hazard." Elisa smiled. "What occupation?" Shammy considered. "Furniture." Elisa laughed. "Premium furniture." "Expensive." "I can afford it." Shammy's eyebrow lifted. Elisa realized what she'd said. Then decided she didn't care. "That sounded worse out loud." "A little." "I wasn't buying you." "I know." Elisa touched Shammy's arm. Shammy kissed her hair. Nothing complicated remained. From the kitchen: "ELISA!" She lifted her head. "What?" Ace shouted: "DO YOU LIKE OLIVES?" "YES!" A pause. "TRAITOR!" Elisa stared toward the kitchen. "What?" Shammy said: "Mai likes olives." "Oh." Another pause. Elisa shouted: "HOSTILE HOUSEHOLD!" Something hit a wall in the kitchen. Shammy closed her eyes. Elisa laughed helplessly. They eventually ate. Marco had supplied enough food that preparation consisted mostly of heating things and preventing Ace from improvising. They managed both. Barely. Afterward, Elisa finally changed shirts. Not because she needed to. Because she discovered a smear of sauce directly across the barbarian woman's face. Ace regarded this as sacrilege. Elisa regarded it as laundry. She returned wearing another oversized shirt, this one dark green and almost offensively plain. Ace stared. "Downgrade." "Clothing." "No historical significance." "That's the point." Shammy looked at Elisa. "Questionable shirt." Elisa stopped. Slowly turned. Shammy smiled. "Oh, you're getting dangerous." "I've had good company." Ace walked past. "Do not encourage her." Elisa and Shammy looked at each other. Ace stopped. Looked back. "No." Neither spoke. "That." Elisa blinked. "What?" "You're doing it again." Shammy asked: "Doing what?" "The look." Elisa turned to Shammy. "What look?" "I don't know." Ace pointed between them. "THAT LOOK." Mai came in carrying drinks. "What happened?" "They've formed an alliance." Mai looked at Elisa. Then Shammy. Then Ace. "You're doomed." "THANK YOU." Mai handed her a drink. Ace accepted it. Paused. "Wait." Mai was already walking away. "Hostile household." Elisa whispered: "Predictable." Shammy covered her mouth. Ace spun. "I heard that." The second movie started shortly after five. Not because anyone had agreed to it. Ace simply put one on. Elisa discovered this when dramatic orchestral music suddenly filled the room. She looked at the screen. A mountain. Lightning. A castle. A sword. She looked at Ace. "No." Ace was already sitting. "Give it a chance." The title appeared. THE SERPENT QUEEN. Shammy sat down. Mai read the title. "How much nudity?" Ace looked offended. "I don't know." Three women stared at her. Ace lasted two seconds. "Some." Elisa sat beside Shammy. "Historically significant?" "Extremely." "Questionable armor?" "Probably." Mai took the other side of the couch. "Questionable plot?" "Guaranteed." Elisa nodded. "Fine." They watched. For eleven minutes. Then the Serpent Queen appeared. Elisa stared. "She's wearing jewelry." Ace said: "Armor." "Jewelry." "Defensive jewelry." Mai leaned closer to the screen. "Against what?" Shammy answered: "Modesty." Elisa made a choking sound. Ace pointed at Shammy. "That was good." "Thank you." Elisa looked at her. Shammy looked back. Elisa whispered: "We're getting better." "Mm." Ace heard them. "No." Elisa smiled. The movie continued. The plot did not. At some point the Serpent Queen seduced a prince. At some point the prince turned into a snake. At some point the snake disappeared and nobody mentioned him again. Elisa was becoming genuinely fascinated. "This is incredible." Mai looked at her. "Bad." "Incredibly bad." "Fair." Ace looked triumphant anyway. Then Elisa noticed Mai's hand. Resting on Ace's thigh. Nothing remarkable. Except Ace had noticed too. Her eyes were still on the screen. Her attention wasn't. Elisa felt herself smile. Shammy noticed. "Something funny?" Elisa leaned closer. "Wait." Shammy looked toward Ace and Mai. Saw it. "Ah." Elisa whispered: "How long?" Shammy considered. "Three minutes." "Two." "Optimist." Ace looked over. "What are you whispering about?" Elisa answered immediately: "Snakes." Ace stared. "Really?" "No." Mai laughed. Ace turned toward her. Mistake. Mai kissed her. Elisa looked at Shammy. "Twenty seconds." Shammy nodded solemnly. "I underestimated you." Ace broke the kiss. "I hate both of you." Elisa grinned. Mai touched Ace's face. Ace looked back at her. Whatever complaint remained disappeared. Elisa felt Shammy move beside her. An arm opened. Elisa laughed. "Again?" Shammy said: "You don't have to." Elisa looked at the offered space. Then at Shammy. Then deliberately climbed into her lap. "Didn't say I didn't want to." Shammy wrapped her arms around her. "Fair." Elisa settled back. Comfortable immediately. Ace saw. "Oh, come on." Elisa looked innocent. "What?" "You have your own seat." "This one's better." Shammy kissed Elisa's hair. Ace pointed. "Enabling." "Yes," Shammy said. Mai caught Ace's hand. Ace looked at her. Elisa whispered: "Ten seconds." Shammy whispered: "Five." Mai kissed Ace. Elisa nodded. "You win." "Thank you." Ace lifted one finger toward them without breaking the kiss. Elisa laughed. Shammy's hand slipped beneath Elisa's shirt. Warm against her stomach. Elisa covered it. "Behave." "Am." "For now." Shammy kissed her temple. Across from them, Ace and Mai shifted closer. The movie became background. Not gone. Just increasingly irrelevant. Elisa watched the two women find each other again. There was something different this time. Not urgency. Intent. Mai kissed Ace once more. Then along her jaw. Lower. Ace's expression changed. Elisa's eyebrows rose. "Oh." Shammy murmured: "Mm." Elisa looked back. "You knew." "I suspected." "Weather?" Shammy smiled. "Ace." Elisa looked across the room again. Fair. Ace was not subtle when Mai had all of her attention. Mai shifted lower. Ace leaned back into the couch. One hand found Mai's hair. Not directing. Holding. The question between them was already answered by the way Ace opened herself to the attention. No ceremony. No pause to make the room acknowledge a new category. Mai's mouth replaced conversation. Ace's first response was a breath. Then another that broke halfway through. Elisa smiled. "Two seconds." Shammy kissed her temple. "Generous." Ace opened one eye. "Still hearing you." Elisa grinned. "Good." Mai did something that made Ace stop listening to everyone else. Elisa laughed softly. Then Shammy's hand began to wander. Elisa caught her wrist. Not stopping. Just acknowledging. Shammy looked down. Elisa whispered: "You really have developed a habit." Shammy smiled. "You keep sitting here." "Victim blaming." "Are you a victim?" Elisa considered. "No." "Thought so." Elisa released her wrist. Shammy kissed her cheek. Her fingers found their way. Elisa inhaled. Her eyes immediately returned to Ace and Mai. "Fuck." Shammy's voice came warm beside her ear. "Movie good?" "Shut up." The Serpent Queen screamed something about eternal blood. Nobody cared. Mai's attention remained entirely on Ace. Ace's composure was already beginning to fail. Elisa watched the changes arrive in pieces. The tightening of Ace's hand in Mai's hair. The way her shoulders settled and then tensed again. The sounds she had spent half the weekend threatening to catalogue. The way Mai responded to every shift without needing to ask what it meant. Elisa felt Shammy smile against her temple. "What?" "You're staring." Elisa kept staring. "Yes." "Enjoying yourself?" Shammy's fingers made the question unfair. Elisa's breath caught. "You know I am." "Mm." "Bitch." "Apparently." Elisa laughed. Lost the laugh. Shammy held her more firmly. Across from them, Ace's head tipped back. Mai stayed with her. Patient. Attentive. Ace looked down again. Their eyes met. Something passed between them. Elisa couldn't hear it. Didn't need to. She felt Shammy's breathing change behind her. The room softened around them. Elisa whispered: "Weather." "Yes." "You." "And you." Elisa smiled. "And them." "Yes." All four. Different currents. Same room. Elisa stopped trying to separate them. Mai giving. Ace receiving. Shammy wrapped around Elisa. Elisa receiving while she watched. Shammy feeling the whole room while remaining very much a woman inside it. The pleasure written across Ace's face. The pleasure building in Elisa. The quiet affection beneath all of it. Ace's climax came first. Her breath broke. Her fingers tightened in Mai's hair. Mai stayed with her until the tension began to leave. Then she rose. Ace caught her face in both hands. Kissed her. Long. No joke immediately survived the aftermath. Ace stayed close, forehead against Mai's, breathing slowly returning. Elisa watched them settle together. Shammy whispered: "Beautiful." Elisa nodded. "Yeah." Then Shammy reminded her that her own encounter wasn't finished. Elisa's answer disappeared into a sharp breath. Her head fell back against Shammy's shoulder. "Oh, you absolute—" Shammy kissed her. Elisa returned it. The kiss broke when Elisa needed air. Ace and Mai were still close across from them. Ace saw Elisa. Smiled. Elisa tried to smile back. Shammy made that difficult. Ace's smile widened. Elisa managed: "Don't." Ace lifted both hands. "I didn't say anything." Mai looked at Ace. Then Elisa. Then Shammy. Understanding arrived. "Oh." Elisa closed her eyes. "Not one word." Mai nodded. "Absolutely." Silence. Three seconds. Then Ace said: "Historically significant." Elisa made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a curse. Shammy laughed against her neck. Mai buried her face against Ace's shoulder. "You promised." "I didn't." Elisa opened her eyes. Pointed at Ace. "I will kill you." Ace smiled. "Later." Shammy's attention tightened. Elisa's threat dissolved. Her fingers closed around Shammy's arm. The room narrowed again. Not excluding anyone. Holding everyone. Elisa let herself fall into it. When her climax came, Shammy caught her through it. Secure. Warm. No rush afterward. Elisa remained against her. Breathing. Shammy's hand stilled. Her lips touched Elisa's temple. Across from them, Mai had settled beside Ace. Ace's arm was around her. Nobody moved for several seconds. The Serpent Queen shouted: "THE SERPENT NEVER DIES!" Ace looked at the screen. The prince-snake had returned. Elisa slowly opened her eyes. "No." Mai stared. "You were right." Elisa looked at her. "About what?" "The horse." Elisa blinked. "Wrong movie." Mai frowned. "Oh." Shammy started laughing. Ace followed. Elisa felt Shammy's chest moving behind her. She looked at the screen. At the inexplicably resurrected snake. At Ace and Mai tangled together. At Shammy's arms around her. Then she laughed too. The movie had completely lost control of its own story. Saturday hadn't. Not even slightly. --- ## Chapter 12 — The Commentary Problem The Serpent Queen ended at six fourteen. Nobody understood how. The prince was human again. The queen was dead. Then alive. Then possibly immortal. The castle exploded. The snake survived. Ace watched the credits with the grave expression of someone who had just experienced important art. Elisa remained in Shammy's lap. "No." Ace looked over. "What?" "Whatever you're about to say." "I wasn't going to say anything." Mai, still comfortably wrapped around Ace, said: "Historical significance." Ace pointed at her. "Exactly." Elisa groaned. Shammy's arms tightened around her. "Questionable significance." Elisa looked up. Their eyes met. That was enough. Both started laughing. Ace stared at them. "See?" Mai kissed Ace's hair. "I see." "They're getting worse." "Yes." "Do something." Mai considered. "No." Ace looked wounded. Elisa smiled. "Hostile household." Ace stood. "Right. That's it." Shammy looked interested. "What?" "New rule." Mai immediately said: "No." "I haven't said it yet." "No." "You can't veto rules before hearing them." "I just did." Ace stared at her. Elisa whispered: "She's good." Shammy nodded. "Very." Ace spun toward them. "Stop doing commentary!" Elisa blinked. "That's the rule?" "Yes." Shammy asked: "For how long?" Ace hadn't considered this. "Until..." She paused. Elisa waited. Ace tried again. "Until you're less annoying." Mai sighed. "So indefinitely." Elisa collapsed against Shammy. Ace looked at Mai. "Whose side are you on?" "Mine." "Fuck." Shammy kissed Elisa's hair. Elisa managed: "I love this house." Ace pointed at her. "You're encouraging them." "I think they were like this already." "That is not comforting." Mai stood and stretched. Her oversized shirt shifted around her thighs. "Shower." Ace looked at her. "Together?" Mai looked back. "Are you asking?" Ace considered. "Yes." Mai smiled. "Then yes." Ace brightened instantly. Elisa looked up at Shammy. Shammy was already looking down. Elisa whispered: "Predictable." Ace stopped halfway toward the hallway. "I heard that." Shammy said: "Good acoustics." Ace stared at them. Then followed Mai. "Seven minutes," Elisa called. Ace's head reappeared around the corner. "For what?" Elisa smiled. "Nothing." Ace narrowed her eyes. Then disappeared. Elisa waited. The bathroom door closed somewhere deeper in the Safehouse. She looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at her. "Seven minutes for what?" Shammy asked. "No idea." "You just invented a number." "Yes." Shammy smiled. Elisa settled more comfortably against her. "She'll spend the whole shower wondering." "That's cruel." "Yes." Shammy kissed her forehead. "I'm proud of you." Elisa laughed. For several minutes they stayed exactly where they were. No restless hands. No escalation. Just Shammy's arms around her and Elisa's weight comfortably settled against her. The distinction mattered. Elisa had begun noticing it. Shammy could touch her without every touch becoming sexual. Could hold her after making her lose the ability to speak and then, twenty minutes later, simply hold her. Nothing had to lead anywhere. Which made it remarkably easy to want the moments that did. Elisa turned slightly. "Can I ask you something?" "Always." "The room." Shammy waited. "Do you notice it before you notice yourself?" Shammy became thoughtful. "Sometimes." Elisa looked at her. "Really?" "Sometimes the pressure changes before I've decided what I'm feeling." "That sounds inconvenient." "It can be." Elisa smiled. "So the room tattles on you." Shammy's mouth twitched. "Occasionally." "Oh." Shammy looked suspicious. Elisa's smile widened. "Oh, that's useful." "Elisa." "You can't hide anything." "I can hide plenty." "The room can't." Shammy narrowed her eyes. Elisa kissed her cheek. "Weather Girl." "Careful." There was no threat in it. Which made it much more entertaining. Elisa settled back. "I think I'm starting to understand." "No." Elisa laughed. "Fuck you." "Maybe." Elisa turned her head slowly. Shammy was smiling. "You're terrible." "Apparently." The bathroom door opened somewhere down the hallway. Elisa looked toward it. "How long?" Shammy glanced at the clock. "Nine minutes." Elisa sat upright. "Ha!" "You guessed seven." "Close enough." "No." "Hostile furniture." Shammy laughed. Mai returned first. Hair wet. New oversized shirt. She carried Ace's discarded black shirt in one hand. Elisa looked behind her. "Where's Ace?" Mai held up the shirt. "Finding another one." "What happened?" Mai looked at the shirt. Then at Elisa. "Shampoo." Elisa stared. "How?" Mai sat down. "You don't want to know." "I absolutely want to know." Ace appeared. Fresh oversized shirt. Damp short hair. Deeply offended expression. "It attacked me." Elisa looked at Mai. Mai shook her head. Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy said: "Questionable shampoo." Ace stopped. "No." Elisa lost it. Ace pointed at Shammy. "No more categories." Mai said: "Questionable rules." Elisa folded forward laughing. Ace looked at her. Then at Mai. Then at Shammy. "You've all become unbearable." Elisa wiped her eyes. "You started it." "I started movies." "Exactly." Ace sat on the floor. "I want dinner." Mai looked at the clock. "We ate less than three hours ago." "I've had a difficult day." Elisa stared. "You spent most of it being kissed." Ace nodded. "Exhausting." Shammy said: "Questionable hardship." Ace threw the remote. Shammy caught it one-handed. Silence. Ace looked at her empty hand. Shammy looked at the remote. Elisa whispered: "That was hot." Mai closed her eyes. Ace stared at Elisa. Shammy slowly turned her head. Elisa realized three separate mistakes simultaneously. "Oh." Ace smiled. Mai opened her eyes. Shammy's eyebrow rose. Elisa pointed at all of them. "No." Ace's smile became dangerous. "You said it." "I was making an observation." Shammy held up the remote. "This?" "Yes." Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked at Ace. Elisa saw it. The silent conversation. Again. She pointed immediately. "Don't you fucking dare." Ace looked innocent. "Do what?" "Whatever that was." Mai said: "There was nothing." "Bullshit." Shammy was laughing behind her. Elisa turned. "You're supposed to be on my side." Shammy considered. "I don't remember agreeing to sides." Elisa stared at her. "Betrayal." Ace climbed onto the couch. Not toward Elisa. Toward Shammy. Elisa looked between them. "What are you doing?" Ace settled beside Shammy. "Nothing." Mai sat on Elisa's other side. Elisa froze. "Oh, fuck you." Mai smiled. "Nobody has done anything." "You're surrounding me." Shammy said: "Technically you were already here." Elisa looked at her. "You are not helping." "I know." Ace leaned forward. "Still think the remote catch was hot?" Elisa narrowed her eyes. "Yes." Ace nodded. "Good." Then she kissed Shammy. Elisa stopped. Not because Ace kissing Shammy was unusual. It wasn't. Because she understood approximately one second later. Mai's arm slipped around her waist. Elisa looked at her. Mai kissed her cheek. "Comfortable?" Elisa's suspicion remained. "Yes." "Good." Ace kissed Shammy again. Longer. Shammy's hand settled against Ace's side. Elisa watched. Mai remained warm beside her. Not doing anything more than holding her. Yet. Elisa looked at Mai. Mai looked back. Elisa whispered: "This is revenge." "No." "Liar." Mai smiled. "Maybe." Across from them, Ace had moved into Shammy's lap. Elisa stared. "Oh, that's unfair." Shammy looked over Ace's shoulder. "What is?" Elisa pointed. "You." Ace turned her head. "She is comfortable." "I know." "Premium furniture." Shammy stared at Elisa. Elisa stared back. Then both started laughing. Ace looked between them. "Am I missing something?" "Private joke," Elisa said. Ace looked offended. Shammy kissed her. Ace forgot the question. Elisa looked at Mai. Mai's smile was becoming suspiciously amused. "What?" "Nothing." "Don't." "I haven't done anything." "That's what everyone says here immediately before doing something." Mai laughed softly. Then kissed her. Elisa answered. Easy. Warm. No urgency. When they separated, Ace and Shammy were still kissing. Elisa looked over. Ace's hand had disappeared beneath Shammy's loose top. Shammy's eyes were half closed. The room felt warmer. Elisa noticed. Smiled. "Got you." Shammy opened one eye. "What?" "Weather." Shammy looked at her. Elisa's smile widened. "You're enjoying yourself." Ace lifted her head. "I would fucking hope so." Shammy laughed. The air shifted again. Elisa pointed. "Again." Shammy stared. Ace looked delighted. "Oh, this is fantastic." Mai murmured: "You created a monster." Shammy looked at Elisa. "No." Elisa smiled sweetly. "Horny rabbit." Silence. Ace made a noise of pure joy. Mai buried her face against Elisa's shoulder. Shammy stared at Elisa. Elisa held the stare. For approximately three seconds. Then Shammy laughed. Deep. Warm. Helpless. The room seemed to laugh with her. Elisa felt ridiculously triumphant. "Got you." Shammy pulled Ace closer. "You are dangerous." Elisa leaned into Mai. "I've had good company." Mai kissed her temple. "That part is true." Ace looked at Elisa over Shammy's shoulder. "Welcome to the problem." "What problem?" Ace smiled. "Us." Elisa looked around. Ace in Shammy's lap. Mai beside her. Shammy still laughing. Four women in a room where nobody seemed capable of leaving affection alone for more than ten minutes. Elisa considered. "Doesn't look like a problem." Ace's expression softened. "No." Mai's arm tightened around Elisa. Shammy's smile softened too. For a moment the jokes disappeared. Not awkwardly. They simply weren't needed. Then the movie menu timed out. The screen went black. Ace looked at it. "No." Elisa immediately said: "Yes." "We need another movie." Mai: "No." Shammy: "No." Elisa: "Absolutely not." Ace looked around. "Hostile household." Elisa leaned against Mai. Shammy held Ace. Mai kissed Elisa's hair. Elisa smiled. "Three against one." Ace looked at Shammy. "Help." Shammy considered. "No." Ace sighed. "Fine." Elisa looked at the clock. "What do normal people do on Saturday evening?" Mai answered: "I don't know." Shammy: "Wrong household." Ace brightened. "We could drink." Elisa looked at her. "Now that is historically significant." Ace pointed. "See? She gets me." Shammy whispered: "Dangerous." Elisa looked at her. "Very." And that was how the second movie died. --- ## Chapter 13 — Historically Significant Drinks Ace's definition of drinking turned out to be surprisingly responsible. Elisa discovered this when Ace returned from the kitchen carrying four glasses and a bottle. She looked at the bottle. Then at Ace. "That's wine." Ace stopped. "Yes." "You said drink." "Wine is a drink." "I expected something irresponsible." Mai looked over. "Give her time." Ace stared. "Why does nobody trust me?" Shammy, still holding Ace loosely in her lap, answered: "Evidence." Elisa nodded. "Strong evidence." Ace looked up at Shammy. "You too?" "Especially me." Ace sighed. "Hostile household." Elisa held out her glass. "Pour." Ace did. Shammy accepted hers. Mai accepted hers. Ace poured her own. Then lifted it. Everyone looked at her. Ace looked around. "What?" Mai asked: "Are you making a toast?" "I hadn't planned to." Elisa smiled. "Now you have to." Ace looked annoyed by this development. She thought. Then raised her glass slightly. "To less." Elisa raised hers. "Being more." Shammy joined them. Mai smiled. "That was almost coherent." Ace looked offended. They touched glasses. Drank. Elisa leaned back against Mai. Across from her, Ace remained sideways in Shammy's lap. The arrangement had survived the death of the movie. Apparently nobody saw a reason to change it. Elisa certainly didn't. Mai's arm rested around her middle. Warm. Easy. The room had settled again. No movie. No music yet. Just conversation. Ace looked at Elisa. "So." Elisa pointed immediately. "No." Ace blinked. "I haven't said anything." "You said so." "That's a word." "An extremely dangerous word when you say it." Shammy nodded. "Fair." Ace looked up at her. "You are supposed to support me." "Why?" Ace opened her mouth. Closed it. Elisa took a drink. "She's got you there." Ace glared. Then: "Fine. Elisa." "Yes?" "Best movie so far." Elisa stared. "That's what you wanted?" "Yes." "Oh." Ace waited. Elisa considered. "The first." Mai looked surprised. "Really?" "It had the horse." "The wrong-colored horse," Shammy said. "Exactly." Ace nodded solemnly. "Strong argument." Mai took a drink. "The second had the snake." "The snake disappeared for half the movie." "And came back." "Without explanation." Ace pointed. "Historical significance." Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. Elisa whispered: "Questionable snake." Shammy whispered: "Questionable resurrection." Ace closed her eyes. "I can hear you." Elisa smiled. "Good." Mai's arm tightened around her. "You really have become dangerous." Elisa leaned her head against Mai's shoulder. "I've been here twenty-four hours." "Exactly." Ace opened her eyes. "Corruption speedrun." Elisa laughed. "No. I think you just gave me an audience." Shammy's eyebrow rose. Elisa caught it. "Company." "Better." Ace looked between them. "That was suspicious." Mai said: "Everything looks suspicious to you now." "Because they're plotting." Elisa lifted her glass. "I'm drinking wine." Shammy lifted hers. "Same." "Menacingly." "Very." Ace stared. Mai kissed Elisa's temple. Ace pointed. "See? Mai gets one too." Elisa turned enough to look at her. "One what?" "Kiss." Mai stared at Ace. Ace realized the problem. "No." Elisa's smile grew. Shammy murmured: "Oh dear." Ace looked up. "Don't." Shammy smiled. "Didn't say anything." Elisa turned in Mai's arm. "Apparently we have a distribution problem." Mai's mouth twitched. "We do?" "According to Ace." Ace sat upright. "I withdraw the complaint." "Too late." Elisa kissed Mai. Slow. Easy. Mai returned it. When Elisa leaned back again, Ace looked deeply dissatisfied. "That did not solve the distribution problem." Shammy laughed. Elisa pointed. "You created this." "I know." "Do you regret it?" Ace looked around. At Mai. At Elisa. Up at Shammy. "No." Shammy kissed her. Ace returned it immediately. Elisa watched. Then looked at Mai. Mai was already watching her. Elisa whispered: "Predictable." Mai laughed. Ace broke the kiss. "Still hearing you." "Still predictable." Ace gave her a finger. Shammy caught Ace's hand. Ace looked up. Shammy kissed her knuckles. Ace's expression changed instantly. Elisa pointed. "See?" Ace looked at her hand. Then at Shammy. Then back at Elisa. "Shut up." Elisa laughed. They finished the first glasses slowly. Mai found music. Nothing dramatic. Low enough for conversation. Ace eventually abandoned Shammy's lap to retrieve food. Shammy watched her leave. Elisa noticed. The room changed by almost nothing. Almost. She smiled. Shammy looked at her. "No." Elisa lifted both hands. "I didn't say anything." "You were going to." "I was thinking." "That's worse." Mai made a delighted sound. Elisa looked at her. "What?" Mai shook her head. "Nothing." "You started that this morning." "I know." Ace returned with a bowl. "Found chips." Mai looked at it. "Those were behind three other things." Ace stopped. "How do you know?" "Because I put them there." "Why?" "So you wouldn't eat them before dinner." Ace looked at the bowl. Then at Mai. Then slowly hugged it to her chest. "Mine." Elisa said: "She's feral." Shammy nodded. "Food aggression." Ace sat on the floor. "You get nothing." Elisa leaned forward and took one. Ace gasped. "Betrayal!" "You invited me." "Not to my chips." Shammy reached down. Ace moved the bowl. "No." Shammy's arm was longer. She took one anyway. Ace stared. Shammy ate it. Elisa looked at Shammy. "Hot." Ace immediately pointed at her. "We established this." Elisa smiled. "I remain consistent." Shammy's expression changed. Just slightly. Elisa saw it. Then felt the room answer. She leaned toward Mai. "Got her." Shammy said: "You did not." Mai looked at Shammy. Then smiled. "Oh, she did." Ace looked delighted. "Weather tattled?" Elisa nodded. "Weather tattled." Shammy sighed. "This was a mistake." Elisa looked at her. "What was?" "Teaching you." Elisa froze. Then slowly smiled. "You didn't teach me." Shammy considered that. Her expression softened. "No." "I watched." "Yes." "I paid attention." "Yes." Elisa leaned back against Mai. "So this is your fault for being interesting." Ace nearly dropped the chips. Mai covered her mouth. Shammy stared at Elisa. Elisa held the stare. Then Shammy smiled. The air warmed. Elisa immediately pointed. "Again." Shammy laughed. "Fuck." Ace stared. "Did Shammy just lose?" Elisa looked delighted. "I think so." "I did not lose." Mai said: "You said fuck." "That is not losing." Ace nodded gravely. "It can be." Shammy looked at her. Ace reconsidered. "Or not." Elisa laughed. "Brave." "I have survival instincts." "Occasionally," Mai said. Ace looked betrayed. The second glasses arrived with dinner. Marco had left something that required almost no work. Mai still supervised. Ace still attempted to interfere. Elisa helped. Shammy leaned against the counter and watched all three. At one point Elisa looked over. Caught her. "What?" Shammy shook her head. "Nothing." Elisa waited. Shammy smiled. "I like this." The kitchen quieted. Not completely. Just enough. Elisa looked around. Ace stealing something from the cutting board. Mai immediately slapping her hand away. Warm food. Four glasses. Shammy against the counter. Her. "This?" Shammy nodded. "This." Ace stopped stealing food. Mai looked over. Something passed through the room. Not sexual. Not even particularly dramatic. Warmth. Belonging. Elisa felt it. And this time she didn't point. She just smiled. "Yeah." Ace's expression softened. Mai touched Elisa's back as she passed. Shammy's eyes remained on all of them. Then Ace stole another piece of food. Mai slapped her hand. "Ow." The moment shattered. Elisa laughed. Shammy closed her eyes. "Perfect." Dinner lasted longer than necessary. Nobody minded. Afterward they returned to the common room. Ace looked toward the screen. Three women looked at Ace. Ace looked away from the screen. "Fine." Elisa smiled. "Growth." "I hate you." "No, you don't." "No." Shammy sat on the floor this time, back against the couch. Elisa sat beside her. Mai stretched along the couch. Ace dropped down beside Mai. Music remained low. Conversation became slower. Wine helped. Not enough to blur anyone. Enough to make silence easier. Elisa rested her head against Shammy's shoulder. Shammy rested hers lightly against Elisa's. Ace was talking about something that had happened years ago involving a stolen motorcycle. Mai interrupted. "It wasn't stolen." Ace looked at her. "We didn't pay for it." "We returned it." "Eventually." "That isn't stealing." Elisa asked: "How eventually?" Mai said: "Two days." Ace said: "Three." Mai looked at her. "Two." "Three nights." "Two days." Elisa looked at Shammy. "Questionable ownership." Shammy nodded. "Questionable arithmetic." Ace threw a cushion. Elisa ducked. Shammy caught it. Again. One hand. Elisa looked at the cushion. Then slowly at Shammy. Shammy looked back. Elisa smiled. Shammy said: "Don't." "Hot." Ace collapsed against Mai. "Oh my God." Elisa started laughing. Shammy pushed the cushion into her face. Elisa laughed harder behind it. "Still hot!" Mai was shaking. Ace pointed weakly. "She's broken." Shammy pulled the cushion away. Elisa looked up at her. Shammy was trying not to smile. Failing. Elisa leaned closer. "Weather." "Bitch." Elisa froze. Ace froze. Mai froze. Shammy froze. Then Elisa's face lit up. "Oh, I win." Shammy closed her eyes. Ace sat upright. "She absolutely wins." Mai nodded. "Clear victory." Shammy opened her eyes. "Nobody is keeping score." Elisa stared. Ace stared. Mai stared. Shammy realized what she'd said. Ace whispered: "Oh no." Elisa pointed. "You walked into that." Shammy sighed. "Yes." Elisa leaned against her. "Horny Weather Girl." Ace fell sideways. Mai made a sound that might have been a laugh or respiratory failure. Shammy slowly turned her head. Elisa was already laughing too hard to defend herself. Shammy caught her around the waist. Elisa squealed. "No!" "Too late." Shammy pulled her fully against her. Not sexual. Just overwhelming height and leverage and merciless affection. Elisa struggled uselessly while laughing. "ACE!" Ace wiped her eyes. "You're on your own." "MAI!" Mai shook her head. "Survival instincts." "TRAITORS!" Shammy kissed Elisa's cheek. Then the other. Then her forehead. Elisa tried to escape. Failed. Shammy finally released her. Elisa collapsed against the couch, breathless. "You giant bitch." Shammy smiled. "Horny rabbit." Elisa pointed at her. "Horny Weather Girl." Shammy's eyebrow rose. Elisa stopped. Considered. Then deliberately moved back against her. Shammy's arm came around her automatically. Elisa smiled. "Still worth it." Shammy kissed her temple. "Good." Across from them, Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked at Ace. Elisa saw it. So did Shammy. They looked at each other. Elisa whispered: "Again." Shammy whispered back: "Mm." Ace turned. "Stop." Elisa smiled. "We didn't say anything." "You said again." "Could mean anything." Mai's mouth twitched. Ace pointed. "You're encouraging them." Mai looked at her. Then kissed her. Ace's accusation ended abruptly. Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at Elisa. Neither spoke. They didn't need to. Elisa settled comfortably against her. Across the room, Ace and Mai's kiss deepened. Shammy's hand rested beneath Elisa's shirt. Warm against her stomach. Elisa covered it. For several seconds it remained there. Then Elisa felt the fingers shift. She looked up. Shammy looked down. Elisa smiled. "Oh." Shammy's expression was perfectly innocent. Elisa looked toward Ace and Mai. Then back. "Again?" Shammy kissed her temple. "You keep coming back." Elisa settled deeper into her arms. "Maybe I've identified a good seat." "Premium furniture." "Very expensive." Shammy's hand wandered. Elisa inhaled. Her smile remained. Across from them, Ace had moved closer to Mai. Mai's hands were beneath Ace's shirt. Elisa watched. Then felt Shammy's attention sharpen. Her breath caught. She whispered: "You're going to ruin my commentary." "Maybe." "That's sabotage." "Mm." Elisa leaned her head back against Shammy. Still watching Ace and Mai. Still smiling. "Fine." Shammy kissed beneath her ear. Elisa's eyes half closed. "Do your worst." The room warmed. And Ace, without looking away from Mai, said: "That sounded historically significant." Elisa threw the nearest cushion. She missed by a meter. Nobody cared. --- ## Chapter 14 — Famous Last Words Elisa realized the problem with saying _do your worst_ approximately twelve seconds later. Not because Shammy did. That would have been too easy. Shammy did almost nothing. Her hand remained warm beneath Elisa's shirt. Her fingers moved once. Then stopped. Elisa waited. Across the room, Ace and Mai were still kissing. Mai had one hand beneath Ace's shirt. Ace had both arms around Mai. Elisa remained comfortably against Shammy. She waited another five seconds. Nothing. She looked up. Shammy was watching Ace and Mai. Perfectly relaxed. Elisa narrowed her eyes. "Really?" Shammy looked down. "What?" "You know what." "No." "Liar." "Probably." Elisa stared. Shammy kissed her forehead. Then looked back toward Ace and Mai. Elisa waited. Nothing. "Oh, fuck you." Ace broke her kiss long enough to look over. "Problem?" "No." Shammy said: "Apparently." Elisa looked at her. "Traitor." Ace smiled. "Historically significant betrayal." Elisa pointed at her. "Go back to Mai." Ace considered. "Good idea." Mai caught her face and pulled her back. Elisa looked at Shammy. "See?" "Predictable." "You said it." "I did." Elisa smiled. Then Shammy's fingers moved. Elisa's smile disappeared. She inhaled. Shammy stopped again. Elisa slowly turned her head. Shammy's expression remained infuriatingly peaceful. "You're doing this on purpose." "Doing what?" Elisa stared. Then laughed. "You absolute bitch." Shammy kissed her cheek. "Famous last words." "What?" "'Do your worst.'" Elisa closed her eyes. "Fine." "Fine?" "I retract the challenge." "Good." Elisa opened one eye. "That's it?" "That's it." Elisa waited. Shammy simply held her. The anticipation slowly dissolved. Not into disappointment. Into comfort. Elisa relaxed again. Shammy's hand remained where it was. Warm. Still. Elisa covered it with her own. "You're evil." "Mm." "But comfortable." "Premium." Elisa smiled. "Furniture." "Exactly." Across the room, Mai laughed softly into Ace's mouth. Elisa watched them. Ace had somehow turned sideways and was half lying across Mai. Mai looked completely content with this. Elisa whispered: "They really do fit." Shammy's answer was quiet. "Yes." There was so much in that one word. Elisa felt it. The room did too. She didn't point this time. Instead she turned her hand over and threaded her fingers through Shammy's. Shammy squeezed them. Elisa looked toward Ace and Mai. "How long?" "For what?" Elisa smiled. "Before Ace says something stupid." Shammy considered. "Thirty seconds." "Fifteen." Ace lifted her head. "I can still hear you." Elisa immediately said: "Nine." Mai laughed. Shammy whispered: "You win." Ace stared. "You two need separate corners." Elisa looked around. "No." Shammy said: "No." Ace looked at Mai. "Help." Mai thought about it. Then: "No." Ace dropped her head against Mai's shoulder. "Hostile household." Elisa and Shammy said together: "Predictable." Silence. Elisa froze. Shammy froze. Then they slowly looked at each other. Ace lifted her head. Mai's eyes widened. Elisa whispered: "Oh no." Ace pointed. "YOU DID IT TOGETHER." Shammy started laughing. Elisa followed immediately. Mai covered her face. Ace stood. "No. Absolutely not. This has gone too far." Elisa was laughing too hard to answer. Shammy managed: "Where are you going?" "Somewhere sane." Mai looked up. "You're still in the Safehouse." Ace stopped. "Fuck." Elisa fell sideways into Shammy. Shammy caught her. Ace turned toward the hallway. "Kitchen." Mai asked: "Why?" "Alcohol." "You have a glass." Ace looked down. She did. "Oh." Elisa made the mistake of looking at Shammy. They both lost it again. Ace stared at them. "I regret introducing you." Elisa wiped her eyes. "You didn't." Ace stopped. Elisa smiled. "I found her myself." Shammy's laughter softened. The room warmed. Elisa immediately noticed. This time she didn't point. She just looked up at Shammy. Shammy looked down. Elisa's expression softened too. "Yeah." Shammy kissed her forehead. Ace watched them. Her own irritation disappeared. Mostly. "Fine." Elisa looked over. "What?" Ace sat back down beside Mai. "Nothing." Mai's arm came around her. Ace leaned into it. The room settled. For a while, they talked. Actually talked. No movie. No categories. No sexual commentary. Stories instead. Ace told Elisa about a fixer who had once tried to pay them partly in antique ammunition. Mai corrected six details. Ace disputed four. Shammy remembered three differently from both of them. Elisa eventually gave up trying to establish objective truth. "So what actually happened?" Ace said: "My version." Mai said: "Not her version." Shammy said: "There was a goat." Elisa stared. Ace looked at Shammy. Mai looked at Shammy. "There was not a goat," Mai said. Shammy smiled. Elisa pointed. "See? Now I don't trust any of you." "Good," Ace said. "You're learning." Elisa took another drink. "What happened to the ammunition?" Ace and Mai answered simultaneously: "Brenda." Elisa waited. Neither elaborated. "Do I want to know?" Three voices: "No." "Fair." The evening darkened outside. Safehouse lighting adjusted gradually. Elisa noticed the change only because the windows became reflective. Four women appeared faintly in the glass. Ace against Mai. Elisa against Shammy. Nobody dressed for an occasion. Nobody performing one. Just them. Elisa looked at the reflection for longer than she intended. Shammy noticed. "What?" Elisa shook her head. "Nothing." Shammy waited. Elisa smiled. "I like this too." Shammy understood. Her arm tightened around Elisa. "Good." Elisa looked toward Ace. Ace had heard. Of course she had. Her expression was quiet. Mai's too. Elisa suddenly felt exposed in a way that had nothing to do with clothing. She frowned. "Don't make it weird." Ace's mouth twitched. "I wasn't." "Good." Mai said: "Neither was I." "Good." Shammy kissed Elisa's hair. Elisa pointed upward without looking. "You definitely were." Shammy laughed. "Maybe." The moment survived. That mattered. Elisa relaxed. Eventually Ace stood. This time she actually remembered why. "Drinks." Mai looked at the bottle. "Last round." Ace saluted. "Yes, Mom." Mai stared. Ace froze. Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at Elisa. Ace pointed at them without turning. "Don't." Elisa bit her lip. Shammy's shoulders shook. Mai said: "Smart." Ace went to the kitchen. Elisa waited until she disappeared. Then whispered: "Three seconds." Shammy lost it. Mai did too. Ace shouted from the kitchen: "I CAN HEAR YOU!" Elisa called back: "GOOD!" The final glasses came with water. Mai insisted. Nobody argued. Much. They moved to the floor after that. Not for any particular reason. Cushions accumulated. Ace brought a blanket. Elisa accused her of admitting defeat against the T-shirt rule. Ace explained that blankets were not clothing. Mai reluctantly agreed. Shammy wrapped part of it around her legs. Elisa stole the other half. Ace stared. "That was mine." Elisa tucked it around herself. "Less is more." "That doesn't even apply." "Does now." Ace looked at Shammy. Shammy shrugged. "Strong argument." "You're all terrible." Mai sat behind Ace and pulled her backward between her legs. Ace immediately became quiet. Elisa pointed. Then remembered herself. Lowered the finger. Shammy saw. "Growth." Elisa whispered: "I'm learning." Ace opened one eye. "I heard that." "Good." The conversation became slower. The wine was mostly gone. Nobody was drunk. Just loose around the edges. Ace rested against Mai. Elisa sat shoulder to shoulder with Shammy. For perhaps ten whole minutes, nothing happened. Then Ace turned her head. Kissed Mai. Mai returned it. Elisa saw. Looked at Shammy. Shammy saw her looking. "No commentary." Elisa whispered: "I didn't say anything." "Your face did." Elisa smiled. Then Mai's hand disappeared beneath Ace's shirt. Elisa's eyebrows rose. Shammy whispered: "Still nothing?" "Nothing." Ace, eyes closed, said: "Good." Elisa stared. "How the fuck—" Ace smiled against Mai's mouth. "Predictable." Shammy made a delighted sound. Elisa pointed. "She used it." "She did." Ace opened her eyes. "Now who's learning?" Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at Elisa. Then both nodded solemnly. Ace's expression changed. "No." Mai laughed. "What?" "They've accepted me." Elisa said: "Provisionally." Shammy added: "Probation." Ace looked deeply offended. Mai kissed her. Ace forgot about probation. Elisa leaned against Shammy. "Easy." "Very." The room shifted gently around them. Elisa felt it. No longer surprising. Still fascinating. She looked at Shammy. Shammy's expression was soft. Ace and Mai continued kissing. Elisa watched for a moment. Then: "Can I?" Shammy looked down. "Can you what?" Elisa didn't answer with words. She shifted. Turned. Kissed Shammy. Shammy understood. Her arms came around Elisa. The kiss deepened. No rush. No competition with Ace and Mai. Just a second current finding its own direction. Elisa's hand touched Shammy's face. Shammy leaned into it. When they separated, Elisa stayed close. "Hi." Shammy smiled. "Hi." Elisa kissed her again. Across from them, Ace said: "I saw nothing respectfully." Elisa broke the kiss. Mai immediately covered Ace's mouth. Shammy started laughing. Elisa looked at Mai. "Thank you." Mai nodded. Ace protested behind her hand. Nobody helped her. Elisa turned back to Shammy. The kiss resumed. For once, Elisa had no commentary at all. That lasted almost a minute. Then Shammy's hand slipped beneath her shirt. Elisa smiled against her mouth. "Restless." Shammy kissed her again. "Apparently." Elisa moved closer. "Good." The room warmed. Four women. Two currents for the moment. No fixed pairs. No competition. No assignment. No schedule. Just affection finding whichever direction made sense. Elisa thought that perhaps she finally understood Ace's stupid idea. Not completely. She would never give Ace that satisfaction. But enough. Less was more because less stood in the way. And right now, very little did. --- ## Chapter 15 — No Good Ideas After Nine It was nine seventeen when Ace had another idea. Mai noticed first. She looked down at Ace, who was still comfortably settled between her legs beneath the blanket. "No." Ace looked up. "I haven't said anything." Elisa, still close against Shammy, said: "That's never stopped anyone." Shammy nodded. "Especially not Mai." Ace looked betrayed. Mai kissed the top of her head. "Still no." Ace frowned. "You don't even know what it is." "I know your face." Elisa looked at Shammy. "What face?" Shammy considered. "The one where she thinks consequences are someone else's problem." Ace sat upright. "I do not have that face." Three women looked at her. Ace paused. "Okay, maybe." Elisa smiled. "What was the idea?" Mai sighed. "Don't encourage her." "I want to know." Ace brightened. "We should make dessert." Silence. Elisa blinked. "That's it?" "Yes." Mai narrowed her eyes. "What kind?" Ace hesitated. Shammy said: "There it is." Elisa laughed. Ace looked defensive. "I found something." Mai closed her eyes. "Where?" "The freezer." Mai opened them again. "What did you find?" Ace stood. "Come on." Nobody moved. Ace looked around. "Seriously?" Elisa said: "You just asked four adults to follow you into the kitchen because you found something in a freezer." "Three adults." Elisa stared. Ace realized. "Four. Sorry." Mai got up. "Show me before you hurt yourself." "I know how freezers work." Shammy stood. Elisa followed. Ace looked pleased. "See? Team activity." Mai muttered: "Risk management." The freezer contained ice cream. Several containers. All clearly labeled. Ace pointed proudly. Elisa read the labels. Then looked at Mai. "What's dangerous about this?" Mai reached past Ace. Moved one container. Behind it sat a smaller box. Unlabeled. Ace smiled. Mai stared. "Ace." "What?" "What is that?" "I don't know." Shammy leaned closer. "Then why were you going to eat it?" Ace looked genuinely confused by the question. "Because it's in the freezer." Elisa covered her face. Mai picked up the box. Opened it. Inside were six small frozen pastries. Elisa looked at them. "They look normal." Mai looked suspicious. Ace said: "Exactly." Shammy asked: "Do we know who put them there?" Mai checked the box. Nothing. Ace reached for one. Mai slapped her hand away. "Ow." "No." "They're food." "We don't know that." Ace stared. Elisa started laughing. "Questionable dessert." Shammy immediately: "Questionable freezer." Ace turned. "No categories." Mai looked at the pastries. Then at Ace. Then back. "Marco." Ace frowned. "What?" "He'll know." "You are not calling Marco at nine twenty about six pastries." Mai was already using her agent. Ace looked horrified. "That's abuse of authority." Elisa whispered to Shammy: "Questionable authority." Shammy's mouth twitched. Ace spun. "I heard that." Mai waited. Then smiled. "Marco says they're Lena's." Ace looked triumphant. "See?" Mai kept reading. Her smile disappeared. "What?" Mai looked at Ace. "They're experimental." Ace's triumph weakened. "Experimental how?" Mai read. "High-protein." Ace relaxed. "Oh." Mai continued. "Low sugar." Ace looked betrayed. Elisa laughed. Shammy leaned against the counter. "Tragic." Ace picked one up. "Still eating it." Mai sighed. Everyone eventually took one. They were, in fact, good. Ace hated this because it meant Lena had successfully made something healthy. Elisa watched Ace chew. "You're angry at dessert." "It's smug." "The pastry?" "Yes." Shammy said: "Questionable pastry." Ace threw a napkin at her. Shammy caught it. Elisa stared. Then slowly smiled. Shammy saw. "No." "Hot." Ace folded against the counter. "Again?" Elisa shrugged. "Consistency matters." Mai looked at Shammy. Shammy's expression remained neutral. The room did not. Elisa pointed immediately. "Got you." Shammy closed her eyes. Mai laughed. Ace looked delighted. "Weather tattled." "Weather absolutely tattled." Shammy opened her eyes. "You're enjoying this too much." Elisa smiled. "Very." "Good." The answer landed differently. Elisa's smile softened. Shammy noticed. So did Mai. Ace was still arguing with the pastry. The moment passed without needing help. Back in the common room, nobody restarted the music immediately. They settled differently this time. Mai took one corner of the couch. Ace stretched across most of it, head in Mai's lap. Shammy sat on the floor with her back against the couch. Elisa sat beside her. For several minutes they simply talked. Nothing sexual. Nothing heavy. Elisa asked about Night City neighborhoods. Ace gave terrible recommendations. Mai corrected them. Shammy added practical warnings. Elisa eventually realized Ace's recommendations were based almost entirely on food. "That's your map?" Ace looked up. "Food is geography." Mai said: "No." "It is." Elisa looked at Shammy. "Is it?" "Sometimes." Ace pointed triumphantly. "See?" Shammy added: "Not the way you do it." Ace dropped her head back into Mai's lap. "Betrayal." Mai stroked her hair. Ace stopped complaining. Elisa watched. Shammy noticed. Elisa whispered: "Predictable." Ace, eyes closed: "Still hearing you." Elisa smiled. "Good." A little later, Shammy shifted. Not much. Just enough that her shoulder touched Elisa's. Elisa leaned into it. Shammy's hand came to rest on her thigh. No progression. No expectation. Elisa placed her own hand over it. They stayed like that. Across from them, Mai was absently tracing one finger along Ace's jaw. Ace had gone almost completely still. Elisa watched for a while. Then looked at Shammy. Shammy was already watching her. Elisa smiled. "Don't." Shammy's eyebrow rose. "I didn't say anything." "Your face did." Shammy laughed softly. Elisa rested her head against Shammy's shoulder. "I learned that from Ace." "Terrible influence." "Absolutely." Ace opened one eye. "I am right here." Elisa lifted her free hand. "Yes." Ace stared. Then closed her eye again. "Rude." Mai kissed her forehead. Elisa whispered: "And fixed." Shammy covered her mouth. Ace sat up. "No." Elisa was already laughing. "You really are predictable." Ace turned toward Mai. "Do something." Mai looked at Elisa. Then kissed Ace. Ace immediately melted back against her. Elisa pointed. Shammy grabbed Elisa's hand before she could. "No." Elisa stared. Shammy smiled. "Too easy." Elisa looked offended. "You're protecting her?" "Protecting you." "From what?" "Becoming unbearable." Elisa considered. "Too late." Shammy nodded. "Fair." Ace broke the kiss long enough to say: "Thank you." Shammy replied: "Wasn't for you." Ace sighed. "Hostile household." Elisa leaned closer to Shammy. "You know what?" "What?" "I think I like her best when she's complaining." Ace looked over. "Fuck you." Elisa smiled. "See?" Mai laughed into Ace's shoulder. Ace threw a cushion. Elisa ducked. It hit Shammy. Silence. Ace froze. Shammy slowly looked at the cushion. Then at Ace. Ace whispered: "Accident." Elisa covered her mouth. Mai looked away. Shammy picked up the cushion. Ace stood. "No." Shammy stood. Ace backed away. "Shammy." Shammy smiled. Ace ran. Elisa immediately stood. "Oh, this I want to see." Mai caught her wrist. "No." Elisa looked at her. "Why?" Mai was smiling. "Wait." From the hallway came Ace: "WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS!" Then Shammy: "Keep running." Elisa stared. Mai remained calm. Three seconds later Ace sprinted back through the room. Shammy followed at a walk. Not hurried. Not needing to be. Ace disappeared through the other door. Elisa whispered: "Terrifying." Mai nodded. "Yes." Shammy reappeared from the opposite side. Elisa blinked. "How—" Ace shouted somewhere: "THAT'S CHEATING!" Shammy smiled. Elisa looked at Mai. Mai looked at Elisa. Both started laughing. Ace eventually returned. Captured. Shammy had one arm around her middle and carried her without visible effort. Ace's feet were off the floor. Elisa stared. Ace pointed at her. "Don't." Elisa smiled. "Hot." Ace closed her eyes. "Of course." Shammy carried Ace to the couch. Set her down. Then sat beside her. Ace looked up. "Done?" Shammy considered. "Maybe." Ace looked suspicious. Shammy kissed her forehead. Ace relaxed. Elisa watched. Then looked at Mai. "Also predictable." Mai smiled. "Very." Ace opened her eyes. "You know what?" Elisa waited. Ace pointed. "You haven't suffered enough today." Elisa laughed. "What are you going to do?" Ace stood. Mai caught her shirt. Ace stopped. Looked back. Mai shook her head. Ace looked at Elisa. Then at Shammy. Then sat down again. "Nothing." Elisa stared. "That's it?" Ace shrugged. "Apparently I'm supervised." Shammy said: "Good system." Mai nodded. "Effective." Elisa smiled. "Hostile household." Ace looked at her. Then slowly smiled too. "Yeah." Nobody moved for a while. The clock crossed ten. The Safehouse became quieter. Elisa felt the day beginning to settle into something softer. Not ending. Just changing shape. She leaned against Shammy again. Shammy's arm came around her. Across from them, Ace had returned to Mai's lap. Shammy's foot rested against Mai's calf, and Elisa still had one hand loosely linked with Ace's where she'd reached across the gap a moment earlier. Four women. One loose room. No plan. Elisa looked at the clock. Then at the room. Then at Shammy. "Can I ask something stupid?" "Always." "What happens if nobody starts anything?" Shammy looked at her. "Then nobody starts anything." Elisa smiled. "That's it?" "That's it." Elisa looked toward Ace and Mai. Ace had heard. Of course. She said: "Less is more." Elisa groaned. "Don't ruin it." Ace smiled. "Too late." Mai kissed the side of Ace's head. Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy was smiling too. Elisa sighed. "Fine." She settled deeper into Shammy's side. For almost fifteen minutes, nobody started anything. It might have been the longest stretch of the entire day. Then Elisa turned. Looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. Elisa kissed her. No preamble. No joke. Shammy returned it. Warm. Slow. Elisa moved closer. Across the room, Ace made a tiny sound. Mai covered her mouth before the commentary began. Elisa broke the kiss just enough to look over. Mai held up one hand. "I've got her." Elisa nodded. "Thank you." Ace protested behind Mai's palm. Shammy laughed softly. Elisa turned back. Kissed her again. This time Shammy's hand slipped beneath Elisa's shirt. Elisa smiled against her mouth. No surprise. No challenge. Just recognition. Her own hand moved beneath Shammy's loose top. Shammy's breath changed. Elisa felt it. The room answered. She smiled. "Got you." Shammy kissed her harder. Elisa laughed into the kiss. Then stopped laughing. Not because anything had become serious. Because she wanted to pay attention. Shammy's hand moved along her side. Elisa's fingers rested against warm skin beneath Shammy's top. She felt Shammy lean into her touch. That mattered. The room wasn't doing this. Shammy was. Elisa kissed her again. Slowly. Then lower along her jaw. Shammy's eyes closed. Elisa paused. Watched her. "Still good?" Shammy opened her eyes. "Very." Elisa smiled. "Good." Then continued. No teaching. No experiment. No one proving anything. Just Elisa choosing a direction and Shammy welcoming it. Across the room, Mai finally released Ace. Ace inhaled dramatically. "I almost died." Mai said: "No." Ace looked toward Elisa and Shammy. Saw them. Her expression softened. She didn't joke. Elisa noticed that too. Shammy's hand moved under Elisa's shirt. Elisa kissed her. Then shifted closer still. The evening narrowed around them. Not excluding Ace and Mai. Just giving Elisa and Shammy the center for a while. Mai pulled Ace against her. Ace settled. Quiet. Watching only when it felt natural. Talking stopped. Elisa let her attention remain on Shammy. On breath. On expression. On the way Shammy's body answered instead of merely holding. Elisa had spent much of the weekend being held by her. Now she wanted something else. To give. The realization was simple. So was the choice. She kissed Shammy again. Then shifted lower. Shammy looked at her. Elisa held the look. No ceremony. Just a question answered immediately by Shammy's hand in her hair and the way she relaxed into the invitation. Elisa's mouth replaced conversation. Shammy's breath caught. The room changed. Elisa smiled against her. Now she understood something new. Weather Girl could regulate a room. She could steady everyone inside it. She could hold pressure without letting it become damage. But Shammy could also lose composure. Could be given pleasure. Could stop being the one who knew what everyone else needed. Elisa liked that. A lot. Shammy's fingers tightened gently in her hair. Elisa stayed attentive. Responsive. Every change in Shammy's breathing told her something. Every shift of posture answered her. No performance. No audience. Just Shammy receiving and Elisa learning her in the only way that mattered. By paying attention. Mai touched Ace's shoulder. Ace leaned into her. Neither interrupted. Shammy's composure gradually frayed. Elisa felt it. The air felt different too. Warmer. Closer. Not because Shammy was controlling it. Because Shammy was inside the moment as completely as anyone else. Her climax came with a broken breath and her hand tightening in Elisa's hair. Elisa stayed with her. Long enough for the tension to leave. Long enough for Shammy's body to settle. Then Elisa rose. Shammy caught her immediately. Pulled her close. Kissed her. Slow. Deep. Grateful. Elisa wrapped both arms around her. They stayed forehead to forehead afterward. Breathing. Shammy's eyes still closed. Elisa smiled. "Hi." Shammy opened them. "Hi." Elisa kissed her once more. Soft. Then whispered: "Weather." Shammy laughed quietly. "Don't." Elisa smiled. "Got you." Shammy pulled her closer. "Bitch." Elisa's smile became enormous. Across the room, Ace made a strangled sound. Mai immediately covered her face. Elisa looked over. Ace pointed at Shammy. "You said it." Shammy closed her eyes. Elisa laughed. "I win." Shammy opened one eye. "Nobody is keeping score." Silence. Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked at Elisa. Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy realized it. Again. Ace fell sideways. Elisa collapsed against Shammy laughing. Mai covered her mouth. Shammy sighed. "Fuck all of you." Elisa kissed her cheek. "Horny Weather Girl." Shammy turned. Elisa immediately tried to escape. Too late. Shammy caught her. The room dissolved into laughter. And Saturday night continued exactly the way it had begun. With no good ideas after nine. --- ## Chapter 16 — Soft Landing Shammy did not let Elisa escape. Not immediately. Elisa had tried. Mostly for comedic reasons. Shammy had caught her. Mostly because she could. Now Elisa remained tucked against her side, half laughing, half recovering, one arm still around Shammy's waist. Ace was lying sideways across Mai again. Mai had one hand over her face. Not restraining her anymore. Just apparently reconsidering every life choice that had led to this room. Ace looked at Elisa. Then at Shammy. Then at Mai. "This is nice." Mai moved her hand enough to look at her. "That sounded suspicious." "It wasn't." Elisa smiled. "Growth." Ace pointed at her. "Don't start." Shammy kissed Elisa's hair. Elisa immediately looked up. "See?" Ace sighed. "I walked into that." "Yes." "Fine." She settled back against Mai. For once, nobody piled on. The room softened. Shammy's breathing had returned to normal. Elisa could feel it beneath her cheek. That was oddly satisfying. Not triumph. Not really. Just confirmation that Shammy had been there with her. Entirely. Elisa traced one finger absently along Shammy's forearm. Shammy looked down. Elisa smiled. "No agenda." "I know." "Good." Shammy's arm tightened around her. They stayed like that. Across from them, Ace had gone quiet. Mai stroked her short hair. Elisa watched for a moment. Then whispered: "She's going to fall asleep." Ace, eyes closed: "No." Elisa smiled. Shammy whispered: "Two minutes." Ace opened one eye. "You two are evil." Mai said: "Sleep." "I'm not tired." "Of course." Ace closed her eye again. Elisa leaned toward Shammy. "One minute." Shammy nodded. Ace muttered: "Still awake." Elisa waited. Thirty seconds. Ace's breathing changed. Elisa looked up. Shammy was already smiling. Mai noticed too. Nobody said anything. Ace slept. Just like that. Elisa stared. "Wow." Mai's expression softened. "She's had a long week." Shammy nodded. Elisa looked at Ace. So small against Mai. So completely unguarded. Mai's hand continued moving gently through her hair. Elisa suddenly felt very quiet. Not sad. Not heavy. Just aware. "She really trusts you." Mai looked at her. "Yes." Elisa nodded. "I know that's obvious." "It's still true." Shammy's hand rested on Elisa's side. Elisa looked toward her. "And you." Shammy smiled. "Yes." Elisa looked between them. Then back at Ace. "She trusts hard." Mai's eyes softened. "She does everything hard." Elisa smiled. "Fair." Shammy said: "Except waking up." Mai laughed quietly. Ace shifted but didn't wake. Elisa whispered: "That was dangerous." "Worth it," Shammy said. Mai nodded. "Definitely." Elisa settled more comfortably. The silence that followed was different from earlier. No anticipation. No pressure. Nobody waiting for someone else to start something. Just late-night quiet. The music had ended at some point. The screen was black. The wine glasses sat empty on the table. The blanket had become a shared mess around legs and cushions. Elisa realized she hadn't checked her agent in hours. That might have been a personal record. She looked down. "Shammy." "Mm?" "Do you ever get tired of noticing everyone?" Shammy thought about it. "Sometimes." Elisa waited. "Not them." Her eyes moved toward Ace and Mai. Elisa understood. "But people generally?" "Yes." "Because they're loud?" "Not always in sound." Elisa smiled. "Pressure." "Pressure." Elisa considered that. Then: "What happens when you don't want to regulate it?" Shammy was quiet for a moment. "Sometimes I don't." Elisa looked up. "What happens?" "The room gets honest." That answer stayed with her. Elisa looked around. Nothing dramatic. Nothing visible. Just four people. One asleep. Three awake. Warm air. Soft light. Quiet. "Is it honest now?" Shammy looked at her. "Yes." Elisa smiled. "Good." Mai watched them. Not intruding. Just there. Elisa noticed. "You're listening." Mai nodded. "Yes." Elisa laughed quietly. "Of course you are." Mai smiled. Elisa looked at both of them. "Can I say something without all of you becoming weird?" Mai answered: "No guarantees." Shammy added: "Try." Elisa looked at Ace. Then at them. "I think I understand why this works." Mai's expression changed only slightly. Shammy waited. Elisa continued. "Not the sex." Mai smiled. "Good." "Not the shirts either." Shammy's mouth twitched. "Also good." Elisa looked down at the oversized dark green shirt covering most of her thighs. "Though they're practical." Mai nodded solemnly. "Important distinction." Elisa smiled. Then became serious again. "It's that nobody has to become less for somebody else to fit." Shammy went very still. Mai's eyes softened. Elisa immediately pointed. "No." Mai blinked. "What?" "Don't make that face." "What face?" "The emotional one." Shammy laughed quietly. Elisa looked at her. "You too." "I'm not doing anything." "The room is." Shammy smiled. Elisa sighed. "Fine." Mai asked: "What did you mean?" Elisa looked at her. "Exactly that." She gestured vaguely toward the room. "Ace doesn't become less Ace because you're here." Mai's hand rested on Ace's shoulder. "No." "You don't become less you because Shammy is here." "No." Elisa looked at Shammy. "And Shammy doesn't become..." She paused. "Background." Shammy's expression changed. Elisa saw it. "Never," Mai said. Elisa nodded. "I know." Then she hesitated. Not from uncertainty about permission. From wanting the words right. "And I don't feel like I'm taking something." Nobody answered immediately. Elisa looked at Ace. Sleeping against Mai. Then at Shammy's arm around her. "I thought maybe I would." Shammy asked softly: "Before you came?" "A little." Mai said: "You didn't say." "I didn't need to." Mai accepted that. Elisa continued. "It wasn't fear. More like..." She searched. "Math." Shammy's eyebrow rose. "Math?" "Three people. Very established. Very..." She looked at them. "Very you." Mai smiled. Elisa shrugged. "Adding one sounded like subtraction had to happen somewhere." The room became still. Elisa felt Shammy's hand shift gently against her side. "But it doesn't," Elisa said. Mai's voice was quiet. "No." Elisa smiled. "That's what I mean." Shammy kissed the top of her head. Elisa let her. No joke. Not immediately. Then Ace, still apparently asleep, mumbled: "Math is stupid." Silence. Elisa stared. Mai closed her eyes. Shammy's shoulders began shaking. Elisa whispered: "She's awake." Ace did not move. "Wasn't." Mai looked down. "You answered." "Dreaming." Elisa covered her mouth. Shammy was losing the fight completely. Ace continued, eyes closed: "Also addition doesn't require subtraction." Elisa stared. Mai looked upward as if asking the ceiling for patience. "You have been awake the entire time." "No." "Ace." "Recent development." Elisa started laughing. "You little shit." Ace opened one eye. "Your speech was good." Elisa pointed. "Fuck you." Ace smiled. "See? Emotional moment ruined. You're welcome." Shammy finally laughed out loud. Mai shook her head. Elisa looked at Ace. Then laughed too. "You're unbelievable." Ace closed her eye. "I know." Mai kissed her forehead. Ace murmured: "Predictable." Elisa froze. Shammy froze. Mai froze. Ace's smile appeared without her opening her eyes. Elisa slowly looked at Shammy. Shammy slowly looked at Elisa. Both whispered: "No." Ace opened both eyes. Victory. "Oh, now you understand." Elisa grabbed a cushion. Mai immediately said: "Don't." Elisa stopped. Looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at the cushion. Then at Ace. Elisa put it down. "Fine." Ace smiled smugly. Shammy said: "Good choice." Elisa leaned back against her. "Survival instincts." Mai nodded. "You're learning." Ace closed her eyes again. This time she actually seemed to fall asleep. Nobody trusted it for several minutes. Eventually Elisa whispered: "Is she really asleep now?" Mai checked. "Yes." Shammy said: "Probably." Elisa narrowed her eyes. "Probably?" Shammy smiled. "With Ace, always probably." Elisa accepted that. The clock moved past eleven. Mai eventually shifted. "We should get her to bed." Elisa looked at Ace. "Can you?" Mai smiled. "Yes." Shammy started to stand. Mai shook her head. "I've got her." Ace made a protesting noise when Mai moved. Didn't wake. Mai gathered her carefully. Ace curled automatically closer. Elisa watched. There was something so ordinary about it that it hurt slightly. In a good way. Mai looked at Elisa and Shammy. "Coming?" Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. Elisa suddenly understood that the question wasn't sexual. Not necessarily. Just whether they were done being together for the night. She stood. "Yeah." Shammy followed. The Safehouse corridor felt cooler than the common room. Elisa noticed. Looked at Shammy. Shammy noticed her noticing. "Not me." Elisa smiled. "Building?" "Building." "Good." They reached Ace and Mai's room. Mai carried Ace inside. Elisa stopped at the doorway. So did Shammy. Mai looked back. Ace stirred. Opened one eye. Saw Elisa. Then Shammy. "Night?" Elisa smiled. "Night." Ace's eye closed. "Good weekend." "It's Saturday." "Still." Elisa's smile softened. "Yeah." Shammy said: "Sleep." Ace murmured: "Bossy." Mai looked down at her. Ace added: "Not you." Mai smiled. Elisa laughed quietly. They left them. The hallway became still again. Elisa and Shammy stood there. Neither moved immediately. Elisa looked toward the guest room. Then at Shammy. Shammy waited. No assumption. Elisa appreciated that. "Come with me?" Shammy smiled. "Yes." Simple. They went to Elisa's room. Not because the common room had stopped being enough. Not because intimacy required a scene change. Because sleep did. Elisa climbed into bed. Shammy joined her. No urgency. No sex. Just warmth. Elisa curled against her. Shammy's arm settled around her. Elisa whispered: "Premium furniture." Shammy laughed softly. "Expensive." "I can afford it." Shammy kissed her forehead. Elisa smiled. Then: "Still not buying you." "I know." "Good." Silence. Elisa closed her eyes. Shammy's breathing slowed beside her. The room felt quiet. Not regulated. Not managed. Just honest. Elisa smiled into the dark. Saturday ended without anyone needing more from it. Which, she thought sleepily, might have been the most convincing proof of Less is More yet. --- ## Chapter 17 — Sunday Is Still Sunday Elisa woke because Shammy moved. Not away. Just enough to reach for her agent. Elisa opened one eye. Morning light had found the edges of the blinds. "What time?" Shammy checked. "Eight sixteen." Elisa closed her eye. "No." "Go back to sleep." "Can't." "Coffee?" Elisa opened both eyes. "Maybe." Neither moved. Ten seconds passed. Elisa smiled. "You offered coffee." "I did." "That usually implies getting up." "Eventually." "Safehouse time." "Apparently." Elisa kissed her. Morning-soft. Brief. Shammy returned it. Then Elisa rolled away, sat up and fought her oversized shirt back into something resembling clothing. Shammy watched. Elisa pointed. "Respectfully." "I saw nothing." Elisa laughed. "Oh, you're all contaminated." They found the kitchen empty. Saturday still covered the common room behind them. Cushions everywhere. Blanket half on the floor. Empty glasses. Three surviving chips. Elisa looked around. "Do we clean?" "Eventually." "Safehouse time." "You're learning." Coffee first. Elisa made certain of it. She poured a cup. Took one proper sip. Then looked triumphantly at Shammy. "See?" "Safe." "For now." "Morning." Elisa jumped. Coffee nearly escaped. Mai stood in the doorway. Oversized dark shirt. Bare feet. Silver hair still carrying sleep. Elisa stared. "How are you all so fucking quiet?" Mai walked past her toward the coffee. "We aren't." "You are." "Compared to you?" Elisa looked offended. Shammy laughed. Mai poured herself a cup. Elisa leaned against the counter beside her. "Where's Ace?" "Asleep." "Actually?" Mai considered. "Probably." "Good answer." Elisa stole Mai's cup. Took a sip. Mai stared. Elisa handed it back. "Same coffee." "Yes." "I had to check." "Obviously." Shammy came up behind Mai and rested her chin briefly on top of Mai's head. Mai leaned back into her without looking. Elisa smiled. There. Tiny. Ordinary. Shammy kissed Mai's hair and moved away again. Mai drank. Elisa looked toward the hallway. "I think I like mornings here." Mai glanced at her. "Even with Ace?" "Especially with Ace." From the hallway: "Fuck you." Three heads turned. Ace stood there. Oversized black shirt. Bare feet. Hair pointing in several incompatible directions. Eyes barely open. Elisa started laughing. "How long were you there?" Ace walked into the kitchen. "Enough." She passed Mai. Passed Elisa. Stopped in front of Shammy. Raised both arms. Shammy looked down. Ace waited. Shammy smiled and picked her up. Elisa stared. Ace immediately wrapped herself around Shammy and put her face against her shoulder. "Coffee," Ace mumbled. Shammy carried her toward it. Mai took a drink. Elisa pointed. "Nobody warned me she does that." Mai looked over. "She does lots of things." Shammy put Ace down beside the counter. Ace remained leaning against her. Shammy poured coffee. Handed it down. Ace took one sip. Then leaned back against Shammy. Elisa looked at Mai. Mai was smiling. Elisa whispered: "Predictable?" Mai considered. "No." Elisa looked again. Ace half asleep against Shammy. Shammy's arm loose around her. "No," Elisa agreed. Ace opened one eye. "Stop analyzing me." Elisa smiled. "Morning." "Mm." Breakfast took shape slowly. Mai started food. Elisa joined her. Ace remained attached to Shammy for another several minutes before coffee restored enough independent motor function for her to wander over and steal a mushroom from Mai's pan. Mai slapped her hand. "Ow." "You know better." Ace stole one from Elisa's cutting board instead. Elisa stared. "Really?" Ace ate it. Elisa took Ace's coffee. Ace froze. Elisa drank. Ace looked horrified. "That's mine." Elisa took another sip. "Consequences." Shammy leaned against the counter. "Good system." Ace looked at her. "You were holding me five minutes ago." "Yes." "Where's the loyalty?" Shammy smiled. "Not the same thing." Elisa handed Ace's coffee back. Ace checked the level. "You drank too much." "You stole my mushroom." "That was one mushroom." "Expensive mushroom." Mai looked over. "It's from Marco." Elisa nodded. "Very expensive mushroom." Ace stared at both of them. "Corruption." Elisa bumped her hip lightly against Mai's. "She's impossible." Mai bumped back. "Yes." Ace pointed. "Don't team up." Elisa looked innocent. "Who?" "You two." Mai handed Elisa a plate. "Ignore her." Elisa accepted it. "Gladly." Ace looked toward Shammy. "Help." Shammy walked over. Ace brightened. Shammy stole a piece of toast from Ace's plate. Ace stared. Elisa folded over the counter laughing. "Hostile household." Ace closed her eyes. "I created a monster." Elisa straightened. "Several." Shammy ate the toast. "Accurate." They ate wherever they happened to land. Not at the table. Ace sat on the floor against the couch. Shammy stretched along one end above her. Mai took the other end. Elisa started on the floor beside Ace, then decided the angle was terrible and climbed onto the couch beside Mai instead. Mai moved one leg without being asked. Elisa tucked herself against her side. Ace looked up. "Comfortable?" Elisa settled her head against Mai's shoulder. "Very." Mai rested an arm around her. Ace nodded. "Good." Then reached up blindly until she found Shammy's hand. Shammy threaded their fingers together. Elisa saw. Smiled. No one commented. Breakfast drifted into coffee. Coffee drifted into music. Music drifted into nobody being entirely sure what they were doing. At some point Ace climbed onto the couch. At some point Shammy moved to the floor. At some point Mai disappeared to get more coffee and returned to find Ace occupying her previous place with Elisa's bare legs across Ace's lap. Mai stopped. Looked at them. Elisa looked up. "Problem?" Mai smiled. "No." She sat on the floor behind Shammy instead. Shammy leaned back against her. Mai's hands settled on Shammy's shoulders. Elisa watched Mai's thumbs begin working slowly into the muscles there. Shammy closed her eyes. "Oh." Ace looked over. "Good?" Shammy nodded. "Very." Elisa smiled. "Hot." Shammy opened one eye. The room warmed by a fraction. Elisa pointed. "Still works." Mai laughed quietly behind her. Shammy reached back and caught one of Mai's wrists. Not stopping her. Just holding it for a second. Mai leaned down. Kissed Shammy's temple. Elisa watched. Then looked at Ace. Ace was watching too. Her expression was soft. Elisa nudged her with one foot. Ace looked over. Elisa didn't say anything. Ace understood anyway. Her hand settled on Elisa's ankle. Warm. Easy. The morning kept moving. No fixed pairs. No one claimed a place and kept it. Bodies simply found whatever geometry felt good for the next few minutes. Elisa ended up half lying across Ace while arguing about music. Ace ended up sitting between Shammy's legs while Elisa helped Mai find something in the refrigerator. Mai returned from the kitchen and kissed Shammy on the way past, then sat beside Elisa and stole half her coffee. Elisa stared at the cup. "Excuse me." Mai drank again. "Same coffee." Elisa's mouth fell open. Ace made a delighted noise. "YES." Elisa pointed at Mai. "You remembered." Mai handed the cup back. "Obviously." Elisa looked at Shammy. Shammy smiled. "Got you." Elisa laughed. "Okay. Fair." By ten, the blanket had migrated back onto the couch. Ace had most of it. Elisa stole part. Ace complained. Shammy stole more. Mai ended up with none. She looked at all three. "This seems equitable." Ace nodded. "Very." Mai simply climbed under Ace's section. Ace immediately made room. Elisa looked at Shammy. "Effective." "Very." Mai's head appeared beside Ace. "Stop narrating." Elisa smiled. "No." Ace leaned sideways and kissed Mai. Shammy reached over Elisa and stole another section of blanket. Elisa looked down. "You have enough." "Do I?" "No." Shammy pulled. Elisa resisted. The blanket stretched between them. Ace looked over. "Fight." Mai said: "No." Ace whispered: "Fight." Elisa pulled harder. Shammy barely moved. Elisa stared. "That's bullshit." Shammy smiled. "Physics." "You're enormous." "Also physics." Elisa let go suddenly. Shammy rocked backward. Not much. Enough. Elisa pointed. "Ha." Shammy stared. Ace looked delighted. Mai covered her mouth. Elisa realized she might have made a tactical error. Shammy moved. Elisa immediately scrambled across the couch. "No." Shammy followed. "Come back." "No." Ace lifted her legs to let Elisa pass. Mai did not. Elisa ran directly into her. Mai caught her around the waist. Elisa stared. "Betrayal." Mai smiled. "Physics." Shammy reached them. Elisa looked from one to the other. "This household is deeply corrupt." Ace was laughing too hard to help. Mai released Elisa. Shammy didn't catch her. Elisa blinked. "That's it?" Shammy sat down. "That's it." Elisa looked suspicious. Then slowly sat beside her. Shammy put an arm around her. Elisa relaxed. Ace immediately said: "Predictable." Elisa threw the blanket at her. Ace disappeared beneath it. Mai laughed. Shammy kissed Elisa's hair. Elisa looked toward Ace's blanket-covered shape. "She's right." "Yes." "Annoying." "Very." Ace emerged. "I heard that." "Good." The clock passed ten thirty. Elisa checked it. Then remembered Reyes. Four. Still hours away. She put the agent down. Ace noticed. "Don't." Elisa looked at her. "Don't what?" "Start leaving." "I'm sitting here." "Mentally." Elisa opened her mouth. Then closed it. Mai had moved behind Ace now, one hand resting loosely against her waist. Shammy's arm remained around Elisa. For one second it looked like the old geometry again. Then Ace reached across and caught Elisa's foot. Elisa looked at her. Ace squeezed once. "You're here." Elisa smiled. "Yeah." Mai leaned forward and kissed Ace's shoulder. Then reached past her and touched Elisa's knee. Shammy stretched one long leg until her foot nudged Mai's. The shape broke apart before it ever became two pairs. Elisa looked at all three points of contact. Then laughed softly. "What?" Ace asked. "Nothing." Shammy waited. Elisa shook her head. "No. Really." She leaned back. Let herself be held. Let her foot remain in Ace's hand. Let Mai's fingers rest against her knee. Let Shammy's leg stay casually tangled with Mai's. No arithmetic. That had been the point. She finally understood that part without needing to say it. Ace looked toward the screen. Elisa saw the thought form. "No movie." Ace looked offended. "I wasn't—" "Yes, you were." Mai said: "She was." Shammy nodded. "Definitely." Ace looked around. "Hostile household." Elisa smiled. This time she reached over and pulled Ace closer by one arm. Ace came willingly. Elisa kissed her. Brief. Warm. Then let her go. Ace blinked. Elisa settled back against Shammy. "Still hostile?" Ace considered. "A little." Mai caught Ace's chin. Kissed her too. Ace reconsidered. "Less." Shammy leaned across Elisa and kissed Ace's forehead. Ace smiled. "Acceptable." Elisa looked at her. "Distribution problem solved?" "For now." Elisa laughed. There. That was Sunday. Not Ace-and-Mai as an automatic corner. Not Shammy-and-Elisa as another. Not any configuration long enough to become a rule. Just four women with too many comfortable places to put their hands, their heads, their legs and their affection. Sunday was still Sunday. And nobody had to belong to only one corner of the room. --- ## Chapter 18 — No Corners Lunch happened late. Not dramatically late. Just late enough that Mai finally looked at the clock and said: "Food." Ace, lying sideways across the couch with her head in Elisa's lap, answered: "Yes." Elisa looked down. "You planning to move?" Ace closed her eyes. "No." Shammy was on the floor with one shoulder against Mai's knee. Mai looked at Elisa. Elisa looked at Ace. Then at Mai. "Can we feed her here?" Ace opened one eye. "Yes." Mai said: "No." Ace sighed. "Hostile household." Elisa stroked Ace's short hair. "You're very brave." Ace smiled. "Thank you." "That wasn't praise." Mai laughed. Ace opened both eyes. "You've all become Mai." Shammy looked up. "Could be worse." Mai rested a hand briefly on Shammy's shoulder. "Much." Ace stared. Elisa whispered: "Predictable." Ace immediately pointed upward. "Don't." Elisa smiled. "Didn't say who." "You didn't have to." Mai stood. Shammy caught her hand as she moved past. Mai stopped. Looked down. Shammy pulled gently. Mai bent enough for Shammy to kiss her. Short. Warm. Then released her. Mai continued toward the kitchen. Elisa watched. Ace looked up from her lap. "See something?" Elisa smiled. "Yes." "What?" Elisa leaned down and kissed her. Ace blinked. Then returned it. Shammy looked over. Elisa lifted one finger without breaking the kiss. Shammy laughed. Ace felt it. Pulled back. "What?" Elisa looked at Shammy. "Nothing." Ace stared at both of them. Then at the kitchen. "MAI." Mai called back: "No." Ace looked offended. "I didn't ask anything." "No." Elisa folded over laughing. Ace nearly slid out of her lap. Shammy caught Ace by the ankle before she reached the floor. Ace stared at the hand around her ankle. Then slowly looked toward Shammy. Shammy smiled. Elisa covered her mouth. Ace said: "Put me down." Shammy released her. Ace dropped approximately six centimeters onto the cushion. Silence. Elisa laughed so hard she made no sound. Ace sat up. "Nobody respects me." Shammy said: "Incorrect." Ace looked hopeful. "We respect you." Ace narrowed her eyes. Elisa managed: "Just not enough." Ace threw a cushion. Elisa caught it. Shammy applauded once. Ace looked between them. "This was a mistake." "What was?" Elisa asked. "All of you." Mai returned. "Food." Ace immediately stood. "Finally." Elisa watched her go. Then looked at Shammy. "Food is geography." Shammy nodded solemnly. "Apparently." Lunch happened at the table this time. Mostly because Mai insisted. Ace stole from Elisa's plate. Elisa stole from Mai's. Mai stole nothing. Until Elisa looked away. Then Mai stole from hers. Elisa caught her. "Excuse me." Mai ate it. Ace pointed. "YES." Elisa stared. "You're all feral." Shammy reached across. Took something from Ace. Ace stared. Elisa smiled. "Balance." Shammy ate it. Ace looked at Mai. "Do something." Mai took another piece from Elisa's plate. Elisa gasped. Ace looked delighted. "This is the best Sunday ever." Elisa stole from Mai. Mai laughed. Shammy stole from Elisa. Elisa looked at her. "Betrayal." Shammy smiled. "Balance." Ace nodded. "Strong system." Nobody left the table immediately afterward. Elisa stretched her legs beneath it. Her foot found Ace's. Ace pushed back lightly. Elisa pushed again. Ace looked at her. Elisa looked innocent. Ace nudged harder. Elisa laughed. Mai looked between them. "What are you doing?" "Nothing," Elisa said. Ace said: "War." Shammy looked under the table. Then placed one foot between them. Ace stared. Elisa stared. Shammy looked at both. "Ceasefire." Ace leaned back. "Authoritarian." Elisa looked at Mai. Mai smiled. "Effective." Ace pointed at her. "Stop supporting oppression." Mai reached across and kissed Ace's forehead. Ace immediately stopped complaining. Elisa stared. Then looked at Shammy. Shammy was already smiling. Elisa whispered: "Too easy." Ace heard. "Fuck you." Elisa stood. Walked around the table. Stopped beside Ace. Ace looked up suspiciously. "What?" Elisa leaned down. Kissed her. Not teasing. Not quick either. Ace's expression changed. Her hand came up to Elisa's waist. Elisa stayed there. Close. Ace kissed her again. Mai watched. Warm. Shammy did too. No one made it strange. When Elisa finally straightened, Ace looked slightly dazed. Elisa smiled. "Better?" Ace considered. "Much." Mai said: "Distribution problem." Elisa laughed. Ace pointed. "Exactly." Shammy stood. Walked behind Mai. Bent down. Kissed her. Mai's hand came up automatically to Shammy's cheek. Elisa looked at Ace. Ace looked at Elisa. Both smiled. Ace whispered: "Balance." Elisa nodded. "Strong system." Mai broke the kiss. Looked at them. "I heard that." Ace and Elisa said together: "Good." They froze. Shammy laughed. Mai covered her mouth. Ace looked horrified. "No." Elisa pointed at her. "You did it too." "Accident." "Predictable." Ace looked wounded. "That word is ruined." Shammy sat back down. "Completely." They drifted out of the kitchen together. Not in pairs. Ace reached the couch first. Elisa followed. Shammy took the floor. Mai sat beside Elisa. Then Ace changed her mind and dropped onto the floor beside Shammy. Elisa watched her go. Ace looked up. "What?" "Nothing." "Your face did something." Elisa smiled. "Apparently that's contagious." Shammy pulled Ace lightly against her side. Ace went without resistance. Mai leaned back. Elisa looked at her. Mai looked back. Elisa shifted closer. Mai's arm came around her. For approximately three minutes, the room looked dangerously symmetrical. Then Ace stretched one leg across Elisa's feet. Elisa looked down. Ace smiled. Elisa reached over and caught Ace's ankle. Ace tried to pull away. Elisa held on. "Got you." Shammy said: "Careful." Elisa looked at her. "Why?" Shammy caught Ace around the waist before she could lunge. Ace protested. Elisa laughed. Mai leaned forward and caught Elisa around the middle before she could retreat. Elisa stared. "Again?" Mai smiled. "Physics." Shammy looked delighted. Ace twisted in Shammy's arms. "This is discrimination." Elisa tried to turn. Mai held her. "Against what?" "Small people." Elisa laughed. "You're the only small person here." "Exactly." Shammy kissed Ace's hair. Ace immediately became less committed to escape. Elisa stared. "Predictable." Ace lifted one hand. "Don't." Mai loosened her hold on Elisa. Elisa turned. Still within Mai's arm. Kissed her. Mai returned it. Easy. No ceremony. Across from them, Ace had turned inside Shammy's arms and was kissing her too. Elisa noticed. Stopped. Looked at Mai. Mai followed her gaze. The scene almost became two pairs again. Almost. Then Ace reached one hand out without looking. Elisa caught it. Their fingers linked across the space. Shammy smiled against Ace's mouth. Mai saw. Her free hand touched Shammy's knee. The shape changed. Again. Four points. One room. Elisa smiled. Mai kissed her once more. Then leaned over and kissed Ace's knuckles where Elisa still held them. Ace opened one eye. "That's new." Elisa looked at their joined hands. "Problem?" Ace smiled. "No." Shammy's hand rested on Ace's thigh. Mai's fingers remained against Shammy's knee. Elisa's shoulder stayed against Mai. Nobody rearranged. Nobody needed to. For a while the conversation disappeared. Not because anything dramatic happened. Because touch was enough. Elisa felt the lesson settling into her body now. No corners. Not really. Even when two people kissed. Even when one person ended up in somebody else's lap. Even when attention narrowed for a minute. The room didn't split unless someone made it split. And nobody here seemed interested in doing that. Ace eventually broke the quiet. "I'm hungry." Mai stared. "We just ate." Ace looked at her. "Emotionally." Elisa laughed. Shammy said: "That's not hunger." Ace looked up. "Could be." Mai asked: "What do you want?" Ace considered. "Kiss." Mai leaned forward. Ace smiled. Then Elisa leaned down first and kissed her. Ace blinked. Shammy laughed. Mai smiled. Ace looked up at Elisa. "Acceptable." Shammy tilted Ace's chin toward herself. Kissed her too. Ace looked even more satisfied. Then Mai bent down. Ace looked at her. "Really?" Mai kissed her. Elisa stared. Ace sat there afterward looking unbearably pleased. "Distribution problem solved." Elisa laughed. "You are ridiculous." "Yes." Shammy looked at Elisa. "Your turn." Elisa froze. "What?" Shammy reached up. Pulled Elisa down gently. Kissed her. Elisa laughed into it. When she straightened, Mai caught her next. Another kiss. Then Ace tugged on Elisa's hand. Elisa leaned down. Ace kissed her too. Elisa stood there afterward. Looked at all three. "This is stupid." Ace smiled. "Very." Elisa sat down on the floor between them. Mai shifted down from the couch. Shammy moved enough to make room. The four of them ended up in a loose, impossible knot of legs and shoulders. Nobody could have drawn the pairing diagram. Elisa suspected that was the point. The music changed. Ace complained. Mai ignored her. Shammy rested her head briefly on Mai's shoulder. Elisa leaned against Ace. Ace's hand found Elisa's thigh. Mai's foot tangled with Elisa's. Shammy's fingers rested loosely over Ace's wrist. Elisa looked down. Then around. She smiled. Ace noticed. "What?" Elisa shook her head. "No corners." Ace blinked. Then understood. Her expression softened. Mai did too. Shammy smiled. Nobody made the emotional face badly enough for Elisa to complain. Mostly. She leaned her head against Ace. Ace rested hers against Elisa's. Mai's hand settled on Elisa's shoulder. Shammy's arm stretched across behind both of them. The afternoon kept moving. No pairs long enough to become rules. No affection reserved for one direction. No subtraction anywhere. --- ## Chapter 19 — Still Here The afternoon almost became organized. That was clearly unacceptable. Mai had made the mistake of asking whether anyone wanted to shower before Reyes arrived. Ace looked at the clock. Then at Mai. Then at the clock again. "Why are you bringing up Reyes?" Mai stared. "Because she's coming." "Later." "Yes." "So why are we discussing it now?" Elisa, still sitting on the floor with one shoulder against Ace, nodded. "She's right." Mai looked at her. Elisa smiled. "I hate that too." Shammy stretched one long leg across the rug. "Sunday thing." Ace pointed. "Exactly." Mai sighed. "I asked about showers." "You invoked departure." "I did not." Elisa leaned back against Mai's knee. "You kind of did." Mai looked down at her. Elisa smiled sweetly. Mai touched two fingers to Elisa's forehead. "Traitor." Elisa caught her wrist. Kissed her fingers. "Probably." Ace looked over. "That was smooth." Elisa glanced at her. "I know." Mai's eyebrow rose. Elisa laughed. "Okay, that sounded worse out loud." Shammy said: "Much." Ace nodded. "Historically significant confidence." Three women looked at her. Ace immediately raised both hands. "Sorry." Elisa stared. "You voluntarily stopped." Ace looked disturbed. "I know." Mai touched her forehead. "Fever?" Ace slapped her hand away. "Fuck you." Shammy smiled. "She's fine." The music continued. Nobody showered. Five minutes later, Mai was sitting on the floor. Elisa had somehow ended up beside her. Ace had taken the couch. Shammy had taken most of Ace. Not literally. Just enough that Ace was half reclined against her, one bare leg stretched along the cushions while Shammy's arm rested loosely around her middle. Elisa looked up. "Comfortable?" Ace nodded. "Extremely." Shammy looked down. "Heavy." Ace stared. "You can lift me with one arm." "Still heavy." Elisa laughed. Ace turned toward her. "Don't encourage her." Mai leaned closer to Elisa. "Impossible." Elisa looked at her. Mai was smiling. Elisa smiled back. The kiss happened without announcement. Just a small closing of distance. Mai touched Elisa's jaw. Elisa leaned into it. Their lips met. Separated. Met again. Ace watched for approximately two seconds. Then looked away and resumed arguing with Shammy about whether being able to lift someone invalidated complaints about weight. Elisa heard them. Smiled against Mai's mouth. Mai felt it. "What?" Elisa whispered: "Nothing." Mai kissed her again. Her hand moved from Elisa's jaw to her waist. Under the oversized shirt. Warm skin. Familiar. Elisa shifted closer. No significance attached to the hand itself. The significance was in Mai. Here. Now. The way she was looking at Elisa. The way Elisa wanted her. Elisa placed one hand beneath Mai's shirt. Mai's breath changed. Elisa smiled. "Got you." Mai's eyes narrowed. "Don't start." "Didn't say weather." "Still." Elisa kissed her. Mai pulled her closer. Across the room, Ace had stopped arguing. Shammy touched her cheek. Ace looked up. Shammy kissed her. Slowly. Ace immediately forgot whatever point she'd been making. Elisa saw it. Mai saw Elisa see it. "Don't." Elisa looked innocent. "I didn't say anything." "Your face did." Elisa laughed. "Contagious." Mai kissed her again before she could continue. The room tilted. Not dramatically. Just enough. Mai's hand moved beneath Elisa's shirt. Elisa's fingers slipped higher along Mai's side. They shifted on the floor until facing each other properly. Mai's knees touched Elisa's. Elisa moved between them. Ace made a tiny sound. Shammy covered her mouth. Elisa glanced over. Ace glared around Shammy's hand. Shammy whispered: "Respectfully." Elisa laughed. Mai closed her eyes. "You're both terrible." Shammy released Ace. Ace inhaled. "I said nothing." Mai looked at her. "Miracle." Ace leaned back into Shammy. "Continue." Elisa pointed. "No directing." Ace mimed locking her lips. Shammy kissed her temple. Ace remained quiet. Mostly. Mai returned her attention to Elisa. That changed everything. Elisa felt it. The narrowing. Not exclusion. Focus. Mai touched her face again. Elisa kissed her palm. Then Mai. Longer this time. Elisa's body moved closer without thought. Mai followed. Their shirts shifted. Bare legs tangled. Nothing required leaving. Nothing required naming a new scene. Elisa whispered: "Hi." Mai smiled. "Hi." "You good?" "Very." Mai's hand rested against Elisa's hip. "You?" Elisa kissed her. "Very." Mai held her there. Then slowly changed the angle between them. Elisa understood. Allowed it. Helped. There was nothing hesitant about either woman. Only attention. Mai kissed along Elisa's jaw. Her throat. Lower. Elisa's breathing deepened. Across the room, Ace had gone quiet for real. Shammy's hand rested beneath Ace's shirt at her stomach. Ace held it there. Not asking for more. Not stopping it. Just keeping contact. Mai looked up at Elisa. Elisa met her eyes. "Yes." Simple. Mai shifted lower. Her mouth replaced conversation. Elisa's head tipped back. The first sound escaped before she could decide whether to make it. Ace whispered: "Nice." Shammy immediately pinched her side. Ace jerked. "Ow." Elisa laughed. Mai stopped just long enough to look up. Elisa covered her face. "Don't stop because of her." Ace whispered: "Good policy." Shammy pinched her again. Ace went silent. Mai smiled. Then returned her full attention to Elisa. The humor drained naturally into sensation. Elisa's fingers found Mai's hair. Not pulling. Holding. Following. Mai stayed responsive to every change in her. When Elisa shifted, Mai adjusted. When her breathing caught, Mai slowed. When Elisa's hand tightened, Mai understood. No technique displayed. No performance. Just sustained attention. Elisa looked toward the couch once. Ace was curled into Shammy's side. Shammy's hand still beneath Ace's shirt. Ace's eyes half closed. Neither watching continuously. Neither gone. Still part of the room. Elisa looked back down. Mai looked up. That was enough. Elisa smiled. Mai continued. Pleasure built slowly. Not because anyone was stretching it deliberately. Because Sunday had nowhere urgent to go. Elisa relaxed into it. Let herself make noise. Let Mai hear what worked. Let her body answer without embarrassment. Shammy's presence changed the air by fractions. Not smoothing Elisa out. Not pushing anything. Just there. Elisa recognized it. Then stopped analyzing. Mai's hand caught hers. Their fingers linked. Elisa squeezed. Mai squeezed back. The next wave broke through Elisa before she expected it. Her breath caught hard. Her body tightened. Her hand closed around Mai's. Mai stayed with her. Unhurried. Present. Elisa's climax moved through her in visible waves until the tension finally began to leave. Mai remained close. Elisa breathed. Once. Twice. Then laughed quietly. Mai rose back toward her. Elisa caught her immediately. Kissed her. Deep. Affectionate. Still breathing too hard. Mai smiled against her mouth. Elisa whispered: "Fuck." Mai kissed her again. "Good?" Elisa opened her eyes. "Don't be annoying." Mai smiled. "That's a yes." Elisa pulled her closer. They stayed there. Foreheads touching. Hands still linked. No immediate redistribution. No joke required. Just the stillness after. Ace eventually whispered: "Can I speak now?" Elisa, eyes still closed: "No." Ace waited. Five seconds. "Now?" Elisa laughed. Mai's shoulders shook. Shammy covered Ace's mouth again. Elisa opened her eyes. Looked toward them. Ace was smiling behind Shammy's hand. Shammy looked peaceful. Elisa pointed weakly. "Keep that there." Shammy nodded. Ace looked betrayed. Mai sat back beside Elisa. Elisa remained against her. Not because they had become a pair. Because moving immediately would have been stupid. Shammy eventually released Ace. Ace took a huge theatrical breath. "Freedom." Elisa rested her head on Mai's shoulder. "What were you going to say?" Ace looked suddenly cautious. Shammy's eyebrow rose. Ace considered. "Nothing." Elisa stared. Mai stared. Shammy stared. Ace folded her arms. "I can learn." Elisa smiled. "That's terrifying." Ace looked proud. Mai kissed Elisa's forehead. Ace pointed immediately. "See, that's what I was going to say." "What?" "Predictable." Mai closed her eyes. Elisa started laughing. Shammy sighed. Ace looked pleased. "There she is." Elisa straightened. Reached for Ace. Ace leaned forward automatically. Elisa kissed her. Ace blinked. Elisa let her go. "Shut up." Ace smiled. "Okay." Shammy looked at Elisa. Elisa looked back. Shammy opened one arm. Elisa shook her head. Not rejecting her. Just smiling. Then she reached instead for Shammy's hand. Pulled. Shammy came forward. Elisa kissed her too. Briefly. Then Mai. Then sat back. Ace stared. "What was that?" Elisa shrugged. "Distribution." Ace nodded solemnly. "Strong system." Mai laughed. Shammy sat on the floor beside them. Ace climbed down from the couch and landed between Shammy and Elisa. No one asked why. Mai reached across Ace to touch Shammy's shoulder. Shammy leaned into it. Elisa rested one hand on Ace's back. Ace leaned against her knee. The geometry dissolved again. Perfect. The clock read two twenty-one. Elisa noticed. Didn't pick up her agent. Didn't calculate what remained. She looked at Mai instead. "Shower?" Mai smiled. "Now?" Elisa shrugged. "Eventually." Ace immediately said: "Safehouse time." Shammy nodded. "She's learning." Elisa looked around at all three. "Too late." Ace smiled. "Good." Elisa leaned back onto her hands. Still warm. Still relaxed. Still here. And Sunday, despite everything, had not started ending yet. --- ## Chapter 20 — Eventually The shower happened at two forty-eight. Not because anyone had planned it. Because Elisa eventually stood, looked down at herself and said: "I should probably become presentable at some point." Ace looked up from the floor. "Why?" Elisa stared at her. "Reyes." "Later." "Yes." "So later." Mai smiled. "That's what you said about the shower." Elisa pointed. "And look how well that worked." Shammy was stretched along the couch. "Twenty-seven minutes." Elisa looked at her. "You timed me?" "No." Ace said: "She absolutely timed you." Shammy looked down at her. Ace smiled. Elisa folded her arms. "You're both terrible." Mai stood. "Shower?" Elisa looked at her. Then at Ace. Then Shammy. Ace immediately raised both hands. "I have no opinion." Elisa narrowed her eyes. "That might be the least believable thing you've said all weekend." "Still true." Elisa looked back at Mai. "Fine." Mai nodded toward the hallway. Elisa followed. Then stopped. Turned. Ace was already climbing onto the couch beside Shammy. Elisa pointed at both of them. "No trouble." Ace looked offended. "Us?" Shammy looked equally innocent. Elisa stared. Mai touched her back. "Come on." Elisa let herself be guided away. Behind them, Ace said: "She worries too much." Shammy answered: "Definitely." Elisa called back: "I HEARD THAT." Ace shouted: "GOOD." Mai laughed. The shower was just a shower. Mostly. They shared the space because there was room. Elisa washed her hair. Mai stole the water. Elisa complained. Mai moved. Elisa accused her of excessive compliance. Mai asked what she wanted. Elisa had no answer. There were kisses. A few. Warm skin. Hands. Nothing that needed to become more. At one point Elisa found herself with her forehead against Mai's shoulder while warm water ran down both of them. Mai's hand rested on her back. Elisa closed her eyes. "This is nice." "Yes." "Don't make it emotional." "I didn't." "You were thinking about it." Mai laughed. "You're getting worse." "Better." "Debatable." Elisa kissed her shoulder. Then moved back under the water. That was all. No escalation. No disappointment. Just a shower that happened to contain two lovers. When they returned, wrapped in towels because their weekend shirts were in the laundry, Ace was asleep. Again. This time on Shammy. Completely. Her head rested high against Shammy's chest. One arm lay across Shammy's stomach. Shammy had a hand in Ace's hair. Elisa stopped. Mai nearly walked into her. Elisa pointed. Very quietly: "Look." Mai looked. Her expression softened. Elisa immediately turned. "No face." Mai whispered: "Fuck you." Elisa smiled. Shammy looked over. "She's out." Mai nodded. Elisa walked closer. Ace didn't move. Elisa crouched beside the couch. Looked at her. Then at Shammy. "How long?" "Maybe ten minutes." "She really is tired." "Yes." Elisa touched one finger gently to Ace's hand. Ace's fingers closed around it. Still asleep. Elisa froze. Shammy smiled. Mai saw. Elisa looked at her. "Don't." Mai raised both hands. Elisa remained crouched. Ace still held her finger. Shammy's hand continued slowly through Ace's hair. For several seconds nobody spoke. Then Elisa whispered: "Okay, that's unfairly cute." Mai nodded. "Yes." Shammy looked down at Ace. "Very." Elisa smiled. "She'd hate this conversation." Ace murmured: "Do." Elisa jumped. Mai covered her mouth. Shammy looked down. Ace's eyes remained closed. Elisa stared. "You're awake?" "No." Elisa laughed silently. "Again?" Ace tightened her fingers around Elisa's. "Dream." Mai shook her head. Elisa leaned closer. "What are you dreaming about?" Ace answered immediately: "Violence." Shammy laughed. Ace smiled without opening her eyes. Elisa stood. "Hopeless." Ace released her finger. "Coffee." Mai said: "You've had enough." Ace opened one eye. "Oppression." Then closed it again. Elisa looked at Shammy. "How do you live with this?" Shammy smiled. "Comfortably." Elisa looked at Mai. Mai nodded. "Very." Ace made a pleased sound. Elisa sighed. "Fine." She disappeared into the guest room and came back in the barbarian shirt. Ace's eye opened. Then the other. She stared. Elisa looked down at herself. "What?" Ace sat up. Shammy lost her pillow. "You wore it again." Elisa smiled. "I said maybe later." Ace looked absurdly pleased. Mai leaned against the wall. "She's going home in propaganda." Elisa looked at her. "Absolutely not." Ace's joy died. "What?" "I'm wearing normal clothes when Reyes gets here." "Why?" Elisa stared. "Because I'm not walking out of here in one oversized T-shirt and nothing else." Ace considered. "Fair." Shammy nodded. "Strong argument." Elisa looked at Ace. "But until then." Ace smiled again. "Historically significant." Elisa closed her eyes. "I regret everything." "No, you don't." Elisa looked at her. Ace smiled. Elisa couldn't argue. So she didn't. She crossed the room instead and dropped onto the couch beside Shammy. Ace had moved to the floor. Elisa leaned into Shammy for approximately five seconds. Then Ace reached up. "Come here." Elisa looked down. "Why?" Ace shrugged. Elisa took her hand anyway. Ace pulled. Elisa slid off the couch and landed beside her. "Graceful." "Fuck you." Ace leaned against her. Elisa automatically put an arm around her. Shammy stretched one leg until her foot rested against Elisa's thigh. Mai came back from the kitchen carrying four drinks. She handed one to Shammy. One to Elisa. One to Ace. Kept one. Then sat behind Ace. Ace leaned backward until her shoulders rested against Mai's legs. Elisa looked at the arrangement. Ace against her side. Ace against Mai. Shammy touching Elisa. Mai's hand reaching down into Ace's hair. She smiled. No corners. Ace looked over. "What?" "Nothing." "You're doing the face." "What face?" "The one where you've understood something and you're about to become unbearable." Elisa stared. Shammy laughed. Mai said: "Accurate." Elisa looked betrayed. "You've all become Ace." Ace lifted her drink. "Could be worse." Shammy said: "Much." Mai nodded. "Definitely." Elisa laughed. "Okay." She took a drink. The room settled again. Not into pairs. Into contact. Ace eventually moved away from both Mai and Elisa because she wanted something from the kitchen. Mai took the space she left and ended up shoulder-to-shoulder with Elisa. Shammy came down from the couch because apparently the floor had become more interesting. Ace returned and sat beside Shammy. Then stole Elisa's drink. Elisa caught her. "That is not the same coffee." Ace tasted it. "Correct." "Give it back." Ace did. Elisa stared. "No argument?" Ace shrugged. "Didn't like it." Elisa looked at the cup. Then at Ace. "You drank enough to determine that." "Scientific method." Mai said: "Questionable science." Ace froze. Elisa slowly looked at Mai. Shammy slowly looked at Mai. Mai realized. "No." Ace pointed. "You did it." Mai closed her eyes. Elisa smiled. "Historically significant." Shammy added: "Questionable restraint." Mai looked at all three. "I hate this household." Ace immediately leaned over and kissed her. Mai returned it. Ace sat back. "Better?" Mai sighed. "Marginally." Elisa caught Mai's hand. Pulled her closer. Kissed her too. Mai smiled afterward. "Improving." Shammy leaned across Ace. Mai looked at her. Shammy kissed her. When she moved back, Mai stared at the three of them. Ace looked hopeful. "Now?" Mai tried not to smile. Failed. "Fine." Ace threw both hands up. "Fixed." Elisa laughed. "Distribution." "Strong system." Mai pointed at Ace. "Don't." Ace lowered her hands. "Sorry." Shammy looked at the clock. Three twenty-two. Nobody missed it. This time the number landed. Elisa looked toward the guest room. Then away. Ace didn't say anything. Neither did Mai. Shammy's hand rested briefly against Elisa's knee. Not holding her there. Just there. Elisa breathed out. "Okay." Ace looked at her. "What?" "I should pack." Ace opened her mouth. Stopped. Elisa noticed. Smiled. "You can say it." Ace shook her head. "No." "Why?" "Because this time you're actually leaving soon." There it was. No joke. Elisa's smile softened. "Yeah." Mai touched Ace's shoulder. Shammy touched Elisa's. The room changed. Barely. Elisa felt it. She looked at Shammy. Shammy shook her head. "Not fixing it." Elisa understood. The room gets honest. "Good." She stood. Nobody followed immediately. Elisa reached the hallway. Then turned. All three were looking at her. She laughed. "I'm packing a bag, not boarding a fucking orbital." Ace smiled. "Good." "Stay there." Mai raised an eyebrow. Elisa pointed. "All of you." Shammy smiled. "Bossy." "Apparently." Elisa went to the guest room. The bag took less than five minutes. There wasn't much. Toiletries. Normal clothes. A few shirts. She folded the barbarian shirt last. Stopped. Looked at it. Then unfolded it again. "No." She put it back on. The normal clothes could wait. When Elisa returned, Ace looked at the shirt. Smiled. Said nothing. Elisa noticed that too. She sat down. Not where she'd been before. Between Mai and Shammy this time. Ace was on the floor in front of them. Elisa put one hand on Mai's thigh. The other reached down into Ace's hair. Shammy's arm came behind her. Ace leaned back until her head rested against Elisa's knee. Nobody said anything. The clock continued. Three thirty-one. Three thirty-seven. Three forty-four. The weekend had finally begun to end. They didn't help it. They didn't fight it either. Elisa bent down and kissed Ace's forehead. Ace caught her hand. Mai kissed Elisa's temple. Shammy's fingers rested warm against the back of Elisa's neck. Elisa closed her eyes. No extraction. No frantic last act. No attempt to make the final minutes heavier than all the ones before them. Just what they had already been doing. Touching. Talking. Existing together. At three forty-eight, Ace said: "I have one complaint." Elisa opened her eyes. "Of course you do." "The shirt." Elisa looked down. "What about it?" "You can't keep it." Elisa stared. Mai stared. Shammy stared. Ace held the expression for two seconds. Then smiled. Elisa hit her with the nearest cushion. Ace caught it. Barely. "Joke!" "You bitch." Ace laughed. "It's yours." "It better be." "Bought it for you." Elisa looked down again. The ridiculous sword. The impossible armor. The burning city. She smiled. "Thank you." Ace shrugged. Then ruined it. "Historically significant." Elisa threw the cushion again. This time Ace didn't catch it. Shammy did. Elisa pointed. "Don't." Shammy slowly lowered the cushion. Mai started laughing. Ace looked at the clock. Three fifty-one. Then at Elisa. "Normal clothes." Elisa sighed. "Yeah." She stood. This time Ace stood too. Not to follow. Just because the ending had become real. Elisa looked at all three. "Ten minutes." Mai nodded. "Approximately." Elisa smiled. "Still Sunday." Shammy smiled back. "Still Sunday." Elisa went to change. Behind her, nobody tried to stop the clock. --- ## Chapter 21 — The Door Again Elisa took seven minutes. Not ten. Ace noticed. Of course she did. When Elisa returned to the common room, she was wearing normal clothes again. Proper trousers. Soft fitted top. Socks. Shoes in one hand. The overnight bag over one shoulder. The barbarian shirt was folded across the top of it. Ace looked at her. Then at the trousers. Then at the shoes. Elisa stopped. "What?" Ace frowned. "You look weird." Mai laughed. Elisa stared. "I look dressed." "Exactly." Shammy nodded solemnly. "Strange." Elisa looked between them. "You've all lost perspective." Ace looked down at her own oversized shirt. Bare legs. Bare feet. "No." Elisa set the bag down. Put on her shoes. That felt stranger than anything else had. More final. Shammy noticed. The room changed. Not much. Elisa looked at her. Shammy shook her head. "Still not fixing it." Elisa smiled. "Good." Mai stood. Walked over. Straightened the edge of Elisa's top where it had caught beneath the bag strap. Elisa looked at her. Mai kissed her. Slow. Simple. When they separated, Elisa smiled. "No emotional face." Mai's mouth twitched. "No promises." Ace came next. No announcement. Elisa turned. Ace put both hands on her waist and kissed her. Familiar. Warm. Then rested her forehead briefly against Elisa's chest because that was approximately where it landed naturally. Elisa put one hand in Ace's hair. "Hi." Ace looked up. "Hi." Elisa smiled. "This is goodbye." "No." Elisa blinked. Ace stepped back. "This is see you later." Elisa stared for half a second. Then groaned. "Oh, that's awful." Ace looked offended. "It's true." "It's still awful." Shammy laughed. Mai covered her mouth. Ace pointed. "Fine. Leave." Elisa laughed and pulled her back. Kissed her forehead. "You little shit." Ace wrapped both arms around her. Elisa held her. No joke for several seconds. Then Ace muttered against her: "You smell dressed." Elisa pushed her away. Mai folded over laughing. Shammy closed her eyes. Elisa stared at Ace. "What does that even mean?" Ace shrugged. "Different." "You're unbelievable." "Yes." Shammy stood. Elisa looked at her. For a moment neither moved. Then Elisa stepped forward. Shammy opened her arms. Elisa went into them. Completely. No hesitation. Shammy held her. Elisa rested her face against her shoulder. The room remained honest. Warm. A little heavy. Elisa didn't mind. She pulled back enough to look up. "Don't become impossible while I'm gone." Shammy smiled. "No guarantees." Elisa kissed her. Not goodbye-special. Not ceremonial. Just theirs. When it ended, Elisa touched Shammy's cheek. "Weather Girl." Shammy sighed. "You had to." "Yes." "Fine." Elisa smiled. Then lowered her voice. "Room's tattling." Shammy looked at her. Elisa's smile softened. "Got you." Shammy kissed her forehead. "Bitch." Elisa brightened immediately. "Still got it." Ace made a delighted sound. Mai shook her head. Shammy closed her eyes. "That was a mistake." Elisa stepped away. "No, it wasn't." Shammy looked at her. Elisa smiled. Neither argued. The door display chimed at four oh three. Nobody spoke. Ace looked toward it. Mai checked the feed. "Reyes." Elisa breathed out. "Okay." Shammy touched her back. Ace picked up Elisa's bag. Elisa looked down. "I can carry that." Ace looked at her. "I know." Elisa let her. Mai opened the inner security door. Reyes stood beyond the second one. Normal work clothes. Armed. Alert. Expression already suspicious. The outer door opened. Reyes stepped inside. Looked at Elisa. Looked at Ace carrying the bag. Looked at Mai. Looked at Shammy. Then back at Elisa. "Everybody alive?" Elisa smiled. "Yes." Reyes looked at Ace. "No fires?" Ace looked offended. "One toaster incident." Mai said: "Minor." Reyes nodded. "Property damage?" "No." "Police?" "No." "Medical?" "No." Reyes looked at Elisa. "Regrets?" Elisa smiled. "None." Reyes stared at her for a second longer. Then nodded. "Good weekend." Elisa glanced back at the room. At the abandoned blanket. The cushions. The glasses still waiting to be cleared. The couch. The kitchen beyond. Three women standing behind her in various states of Sunday dishevelment. "Very." Reyes looked at the barbarian shirt folded across the bag. Her eyebrow rose. Elisa immediately said: "Don't." Reyes looked at Ace. Ace said: "Historically significant." Elisa closed her eyes. Reyes stared. Mai looked away. Shammy's shoulders moved. Elisa opened her eyes. "Not one word." Reyes nodded. "Wasn't planning one." Ace handed Elisa the bag. Reyes looked at the shirt again. "Questionable armor." Silence. Ace made a sound like she'd been struck by divine revelation. Elisa stared. Mai covered her face. Shammy laughed. Reyes looked confused. "What?" Ace pointed at her. "You're one of us now." Reyes immediately: "No." Elisa started laughing. "Too late." Reyes looked at Mai. Mai shook her head. "Don't ask." "I wasn't going to." Ace said: "Strong survival instinct." Reyes looked toward the door. "We leaving?" Elisa looked back. There it was. The moment. No dramatic music. No speech. No extraction. Just a door. The same door she'd entered through Friday. Ace stood closest. Shammy just behind her. Mai beside them. Elisa stepped back toward them. "One more." Ace smiled. "Distribution?" Elisa pointed. "Don't ruin it." Ace closed her mouth. Elisa kissed Ace first. Then Mai. Then Shammy. Different kisses. None measured. None compared. When she finished, Shammy caught Elisa's hand before she could turn away. Held it. Elisa looked back. Shammy squeezed once. Released. Mai smiled. Ace said nothing. That worried Elisa more than anything. She looked down. "Ace?" Ace looked up. "What?" "You're quiet." Ace shrugged. Elisa narrowed her eyes. Ace sighed. "Come back." Simple. Elisa smiled. "I will." "Good." Mai said: "Message when you're home." Elisa nodded. "Through Dalia." Mai smiled. "Yes." There. The bridge still where it belonged. No new shortcut invented because the weekend had been intimate. Elisa looked at all three. Then at Reyes. "Okay." Reyes opened the outer door. Elisa stepped through. Turned once. Ace waved. Mai smiled. Shammy stood very still. Elisa smiled at them. "Less is more." Ace's face lit up. Elisa immediately pointed. "Don't." Ace closed her mouth. Too late. Mai laughed. Shammy smiled. Reyes looked between all of them. "I have questions." Elisa turned toward the hall. "No, you don't." The door closed behind them. Not hard. Not final. Just closed. For several seconds, nobody inside the Safehouse moved. Then Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked at Shammy. Shammy looked at Ace. The room was quieter. Not empty. Different. Ace breathed out. "That went well." Mai smiled. "Yes." Shammy nodded. "Very." Ace looked toward the closed door. Then toward the couch. "Clean?" Mai said: "Eventually." Shammy smiled. Ace looked at both of them. "Safehouse time." Mai laughed. Shammy reached down. Caught Ace's hand. Mai took the other. Ace looked between them. Then smiled. The three of them walked back toward the common room. Not diminished. Not restored. Not returned to some previous shape. Just themselves. With one more person now belonging somewhere in the pattern. And one ridiculous barbarian shirt missing from the laundry. ---