## Chapter 1 — The Smallest Spark Night City had finally decided to leave them alone. That was how Ace described it, anyway. Outside the Watson safehouse, rain whispered against the windows, turning the distant neon into long, trembling ribbons of color. Somewhere far below, traffic continued its endless argument with itself, but up here the noise was little more than a familiar murmur. Inside, the evening had settled into something wonderfully ordinary. Brenda was standing in the kitchen, finishing the last of her tea while Iris leaned against the counter beside her. "You know," Brenda remarked, "I think we've managed an entire day without somebody trying to kill us." Iris looked at her. "Please don't say things like that." "What? It's true." "That's precisely why you shouldn't say it." From the sofa, Ace raised her coffee mug. "I'm with Iris on this one. You're practically issuing an invitation." Brenda rolled her eyes. "Honestly. The lot of you are superstitious." Yukari, curled comfortably into an armchair with a book, looked up. "I've been alive long enough to develop a healthy respect for tempting fate, darling." "See?" Iris said. Brenda pointed accusingly at her. "You're enjoying this." "Immensely." A few minutes later, Brenda announced that she was going to bed. Iris followed. There was a brief exchange at their bedroom door, too quiet for anyone else to make out, followed by Brenda's unmistakable laughter. Ace glanced toward the hallway. "Well. Someone's having a good evening." Mai didn't even look up from her datapad. "Leave them alone." "I didn't say anything." "You were about to." "Am I really that predictable?" "Darling, sometimes you're practically a written invitation." Yukari chuckled. "Goodnight, my loves." "Night, Yukari," Mai replied. Shammy leaned over to kiss the kitsune's cheek. "Sleep well." "You too, sweetheart." Yukari watched Shammy for a moment longer than usual. There was something about the elemental's expression tonight. A particular thoughtful softness, mixed with what looked suspiciously like nervous anticipation. Yukari knew that look. She smiled, but said nothing. Some discoveries were best left to the people making them. Twenty minutes later, Ace was stretched across the enormous bed in the Triad's shared bedroom, one ankle resting over the other. Mai sat comfortably against the pillows, reading. And Shammy was being unusually quiet. That, in itself, was enough to attract attention. Not that Shammy was generally noisy. She could spend hours in perfect contentment simply enjoying the company of her loved ones. But this was different. She had been looking at Mai. Then looking away. Then looking at her own hands. Then looking at Mai again. Ace noticed first. Naturally. "Sweetheart?" Shammy looked up. "Hmm?" "Are you planning something?" Shammy blinked. "Why would you think that?" "Because you've been staring at your fingers for the last ten minutes as though they're going to reveal the meaning of existence." Mai lowered her datapad. Ace continued. "And every time you look at Mai, you get that expression." "What expression?" Shammy asked. "The one that says you've had an interesting idea and you're trying to decide whether the rest of us are ready for it." Mai smiled. "She does have a point." Shammy looked between them. Then laughed softly. "Am I really that obvious?" "Only to people who love you," Mai answered. Something in Shammy's expression softened immediately. She moved closer, settling beside Mai. "Well... there is something I've been thinking about." Ace sat up. "I knew it." Mai nudged her affectionately. "Let her speak, darling." Ace made an elaborate gesture of surrender. "Proceed." Shammy took a breath. Then another. "Actually, I'm not entirely certain how to explain it." Mai put her datapad aside completely. "Then start wherever you like." Shammy looked down at her hands. "You both know how much control I have over electricity." Ace nodded. "We've seen you do things that would make a power station develop an inferiority complex." "ACE!" "What? That's a compliment!" Shammy laughed, and some of her nervousness evaporated. "Yes, well... I've been thinking about the smaller things I can do." Mai tilted her head. "Smaller?" "Much smaller." Shammy held out her hand. A tiny blue-white spark appeared between her fingertips. It danced there, delicate and almost impossibly fine. Mai watched with interest. Shammy closed her fingers, and the spark disappeared. "I can make lightning," she said quietly. "Real lightning. Enough to tear things apart." "We know," Ace replied. "But I can also make something so gentle that it barely feels like electricity at all." Mai leaned forward. "Like what?" "Warmth. A little tingling sensation. Something that feels almost like a caress." She hesitated. "Something pleasant." Mai's curiosity was thoroughly engaged now. "Have you tried that before?" "Of course. On myself. And I've used little variations of it for all sorts of things." "But?" Shammy smiled shyly. "But I've never really explored what it might feel like to someone else. Someone I love." Ace slowly turned toward Mai. Mai was already looking at Shammy. "Darling," Mai said, "are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Shammy blushed. "Possibly." Ace's grin appeared instantly. "Oh, this is getting interesting." "ACE." "Sorry. Quiet. Listening." Shammy giggled. Then she looked directly into Mai's eyes. "I was wondering whether I could use my electricity as another way of being affectionate with you." Mai's expression softened. "With me?" "With you. And Ace, of course." "Naturally," Ace murmured. "But especially you, Mai. You always notice the smallest things. And you're so curious about everything." Mai smiled. "That sounds suspiciously like flattery." "It isn't." Shammy took her hand. "I thought... perhaps we could discover something new together." For a moment, Mai simply looked at her. Then she lifted Shammy's hand and kissed her knuckles. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy's blush deepened. "Is that a yes?" Mai laughed. "That is a very enthusiastic yes." Ace raised one hand. "I'd also like my enthusiasm formally recorded." Mai glanced sideways. "You're impossible." "And yet you love me." "Against all available evidence." Shammy burst out laughing. Once the laughter subsided, Mai turned her attention back to Shammy. "Tell me something." "Anything." "How precisely can you control the sensation?" Shammy considered the question. "Precisely enough that I don't have to think about the electricity itself. That's simply part of me." "So you can concentrate on how it feels?" "Exactly." "And change it while you're doing it?" "As easily as breathing." Mai nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting." Ace groaned. "There it is." "What?" "That word." Mai looked at her innocently. "What word?" "Interesting. Whenever you say that, I know we're about to spend the next several hours discovering something." Mai gave her a delighted smile. "And you object?" "Not in the slightest." Shammy looked from one woman to the other. "There's one thing I want you both to understand." Her tone had become a little more serious. "I don't want to make anything uncomfortable. Or overwhelming. I want it to feel wonderful. And if it doesn't, you tell me." Mai squeezed her hand. "Of course." "And you can ask me to stop whenever you like." Ace nodded. "Agreed." Shammy hesitated again. Then, very quietly, she added: "And... I'd really like to try this." Mai noticed the change in her voice. Not uncertainty. Something more personal. She placed a gentle hand against Shammy's cheek. "Darling, you don't have to explain why you want to give us something lovely." Shammy leaned into the touch. "I know." "But?" Shammy smiled. "But I think there's something about it that makes me happy, too." Mai's expression grew even warmer. "Then that makes me want to try it even more." Ace leaned over and kissed Shammy's other cheek. "Well, our beautiful lightning goddess appears to have discovered a new hobby." Shammy laughed. "Oh, I hope it's a little more than a hobby." Ace considered that. "Fair point." Mai reached for Shammy's hand again. "So. Where do we begin?" Shammy looked at their joined hands. "Something simple." She turned Mai's palm upward. "Right here?" Mai nodded. "Right here." "Ready?" "Absolutely." For a moment, nothing happened. Then a tiny shimmer of blue-white light appeared between their hands. Mai felt a delicate warmth. A faint, almost musical tingling moved across her palm, so subtle that she might have imagined it if she hadn't been watching Shammy's fingers. Her eyes widened. "Oh." Shammy immediately looked up. "Good?" Mai stared at her hand. Then at Shammy. "Do that again." Shammy smiled. "Gladly." The sensation returned. A little different this time. Softer. Warmer. Mai closed her eyes for a moment. Then she laughed quietly. "Oh, that's lovely." Shammy's face lit up. "Really?" "Really." Ace leaned forward. "All right. Now I'm curious." Mai opened her eyes and gave her a thoroughly amused look. "Welcome to the club, darling." Shammy was still watching Mai. There was something unexpectedly wonderful about that expression on her beloved's face. She had known electricity for longer than she could remember. She had called storms, directed lightning, felt immense currents flowing through the world around her. But this... This was different. A tiny spark. A gentle touch. And Mai looking at her with such open delight that Shammy felt something warm and almost shy unfold inside her. "Shammy?" Mai asked. "Yes, darling?" "Could we try something else?" Shammy smiled. "Of course." Mai leaned closer. "Perhaps a kiss?" Ace slowly put her datapad onto the bedside table. "Oh, I'm definitely watching this." Mai laughed. Shammy laughed with her. And somewhere beyond the rain-streaked windows, Night City continued its endless nocturnal chaos, entirely unaware that an ancient elemental had just discovered a rather extraordinary new reason to smile. --- ## Chapter 2 — The Art of a Gentle Touch Mai was still holding Shammy's hand. "So," she said, her eyes bright with curiosity, "you can actually make a kiss feel different?" Shammy smiled. "I believe so." "You believe so?" "Well, darling, I've never tried quite this combination before." Ace, comfortably settled against the pillows, raised one eyebrow. "That's reassuring." Shammy laughed. "Oh, honestly! Both of you have seen me control lightning powerful enough to destroy an armored vehicle. Do you really think a tiny little spark is going to give me trouble?" "No," Mai answered immediately. "But I think you might discover something you weren't expecting." Shammy considered that. "Perhaps." "And that," Mai continued, leaning closer, "is exactly why I want to find out." Ace grinned. "There she goes again. Our fearless scientific explorer." Mai turned toward her. "Would you prefer I left all the experiments to you?" "Absolutely not." "Then behave." "I'll consider it." Shammy giggled. "My impossible women." "Your beloved impossible women," Ace corrected. "That too." Mai gently touched Shammy's cheek. "Ready, darling?" Shammy nodded. "Whenever you are." Their lips met. It was a familiar kiss, warm and unhurried, one of the countless small expressions of affection they shared every day. Then Shammy introduced the faintest whisper of her element. Mai felt an unexpected tingling sensation, delicate and fleeting, before it faded into the familiar warmth of their embrace. She drew back slightly. "Oh!" Shammy immediately stopped. "Was that all right?" Mai blinked. Then her face broke into an enormous smile. "Shammy!" "What?" "That was wonderful!" Across the bed, Ace sat up straighter. "Now that's an interesting reaction." Mai looked at her. "You have absolutely no idea." "Then enlighten me." Mai opened her mouth. Closed it. Considered. Then looked back at Shammy. "Actually, I'm not sure I can explain it properly." Ace stared. "Mai. Speechless." "Don't start." "This is historic." "ACE!" Shammy dissolved into delighted laughter. Once Mai had recovered her composure, she took Shammy's hands again. "All right. I have questions." Ace groaned theatrically. "Of course you do." Mai ignored her. "Did you make the sensation move, or was it simply a change in intensity?" "A little of both," Shammy explained. "I can shape the feeling itself. It isn't really a matter of increasing the electricity." Mai tilted her head. "Explain." Shammy thought for a moment. "Imagine playing a musical instrument." Ace looked suspicious. "You're going to give us a physics lecture, aren't you?" "No, darling." "Good." "A musical instrument has many notes," Shammy continued. "Some are soft, some are bright, some resonate beautifully together. But the loudest note isn't necessarily the loveliest." Mai smiled. "So you're looking for harmony." "Exactly." "And everyone's different." "Very different, I imagine." Mai's expression softened. "Then you're not simply testing how much of your element someone can feel." "No." Shammy looked into her eyes. "I'm trying to discover what feels beautiful to you." For a moment, Mai forgot about her questions. She leaned forward and kissed Shammy again, without asking for any special effects. When they separated, Shammy was smiling. "What was that for?" "Because I love you." Shammy's expression grew tender. "I love you too." Ace made a small sound from the pillows. Both women turned. "What?" Mai asked. "Nothing." "Ace." "I just think that was ridiculously sweet." Mai smiled. "You're allowed to come closer, you know." Ace immediately abandoned her position against the pillows. "Excellent. I was beginning to feel like a laboratory assistant who doesn't get access to the interesting equipment." Shammy wrapped an arm around her. "Darling, you're never just an assistant." "Good." "You're our most enthusiastic volunteer." Ace considered that. "I can live with that." The next part of their experiment became an unexpectedly entertaining exercise in communication. Shammy began with familiar gestures: holding Mai's hand, tracing a fingertip across her wrist, resting her palm against Mai's shoulder. Each time, she introduced a slightly different sensation. Sometimes Mai described it as warmth. Sometimes as a featherlight tingle. Once, she opened her eyes and announced: "That one feels like champagne bubbles." Ace stared at her. "Champagne bubbles?" "Yes." "On your shoulder?" "Yes." Ace looked at Shammy. "Can you make it feel like expensive champagne?" Shammy blinked. Then burst out laughing. "How would I even know the difference?" "Well, that's why we experiment!" Mai laughed so hard she nearly fell sideways against Shammy. Their laughter gradually subsided into comfortable silence. Then Shammy noticed something. Mai had stopped asking questions. Instead, she was watching her with an expression that Shammy couldn't immediately identify. "What is it, darling?" Mai smiled. "You're enjoying yourself." Shammy looked surprised. "Of course I am." "No, I mean..." Mai touched her cheek. "Look at you. Every time I smile, you smile even more." Shammy's cheeks warmed. "Well, I like making you happy." "I know." Mai brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "But you're not just showing me something interesting. You're discovering something about yourself, aren't you?" Shammy grew thoughtful. For several seconds she said nothing. Then she nodded. "I think I am." Ace settled beside them, listening. Shammy looked down at her hands. "I've spent so much of my existence thinking about what my element can do. Moving things. Protecting people. Fighting when I have to." She paused. "And of course I've always known I can make small, harmless sensations. But I never really considered how personal they could be." Mai squeezed her hand. "And now?" Shammy looked into her eyes. "Now I'm sitting here with the woman I love, and the tiniest little spark makes her smile at me like that." Mai's expression softened. Shammy laughed shyly. "And I discover that I love seeing that smile even more than I expected." Ace leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Sweetheart, that's because you're adorable." Shammy giggled. "That's not a scientific explanation." "No," Ace agreed. "But it's accurate." A little later, Ace finally received her own demonstration. She approached the experience with an almost comical degree of seriousness. "Right. Same starting conditions as Mai." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Starting conditions?" "Naturally. We need a proper comparison." Shammy shook her head, smiling. "Give me your hand, darling." Ace offered it. Shammy took it gently. "Ready?" "Ready." A tiny blue-white glimmer appeared between their fingers. Ace felt the first delicate sensation and blinked. "Oh." Mai smiled knowingly. "Good?" Ace considered. "Interesting." Mai burst out laughing. "Now who's the scientist?" Ace ignored her. "Again, please." Shammy obliged. Ace's expression changed from concentration to surprise, and finally to delighted amusement. "Oh, you clever girl." Shammy beamed. "You like it?" "Very much." Then Ace leaned forward. "Can I have the kiss version?" "Of course." Their lips met. Shammy added the same faint, carefully shaped sensation she had shared with Mai. Ace drew back with a surprised laugh. "Well!" Mai folded her arms. "Now you understand." Ace looked at Shammy. Then at Mai. Then back at Shammy. "I believe our darling elemental has been hiding an entire field of romantic possibilities from us." Shammy laughed. "I haven't been hiding anything!" "Then why didn't you think of this earlier?" "Because nobody asked!" Mai immediately pointed at Ace. "That is a perfectly reasonable answer." Ace gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. I'll accept it." Shammy kissed her forehead. "How generous." As the evening continued, their curiosity gradually gave way to something quieter. Ace eventually settled against Shammy's side, content to watch the other two women talking. Mai was still asking questions, but they had become less technical. "Does it feel different to you when you're creating those sensations for someone else?" Shammy nodded. "Yes." "How?" Shammy thought carefully. "It's difficult to explain. My element has always been part of me. I don't need to concentrate to control it." She looked at Mai. "But tonight I'm paying attention to something different." "Us?" "Yes." Mai smiled. Shammy continued. "Not just whether something works. Whether you like it. Whether you're comfortable. Whether you're smiling because you're happy or because I've surprised you." Ace chuckled. "Usually both." "Usually both," Shammy agreed. Mai studied her for a moment. Then she asked a question Shammy hadn't anticipated. "Darling... you've been so busy discovering what makes me happy. Have you thought about what you want?" Shammy blinked. Ace lifted her head. The room became quiet. Shammy looked at Mai, suddenly uncertain how to answer. "I want you to be happy." "I know, sweetheart." "And Ace." "Obviously," Ace contributed. Mai smiled but didn't look away from Shammy. "That's not quite what I asked." Shammy hesitated. Then she gave a small, almost embarrassed laugh. "I suppose I haven't really thought about it that way." Mai leaned closer. "Then perhaps that's something we should discover too." Shammy looked at her. "Together?" "Of course together." Ace reached across Shammy and took Mai's hand. "Three curious women, remember?" Shammy looked from one beloved face to the other. And something about the tenderness in their expressions made her feel suddenly, wonderfully loved. "I think," she said quietly, "I'd like that very much." Mai kissed her. "Good." Ace kissed her other cheek. "Then I declare tonight's experiment a success." Shammy laughed. "Already?" "Oh, sweetheart. We've discovered something wonderful, we've all enjoyed ourselves, and nobody has set fire to the furniture." Mai grinned. "That last part is particularly impressive by Night City standards." "Exactly." Shammy wrapped her arms around both women. "Well, I'm very glad you approve." Mai settled against her. "Darling, I approve of far more than your electricity." Shammy smiled. "I know." Eventually, the three women slipped beneath the covers. The rain had softened outside, leaving only the occasional distant rumble of thunder. Ace lay comfortably against Shammy, while Mai rested on her other side. For several minutes, nobody spoke. Then Ace murmured: "Shammy?" "Hmm?" "One final question." Mai groaned. "Ace, please." "It's important!" Shammy giggled. "Ask away, darling." Ace lifted her head. "If you can make a kiss feel like champagne bubbles..." "Yes?" "...could you make it feel like a perfectly chilled strawberry cocktail?" There was a long silence. Mai slowly covered her face with one hand. Shammy stared at Ace. Then she started laughing. And laughing. Until Mai was laughing too. Finally, Shammy managed to answer. "Darling, I have absolutely no idea." Ace grinned triumphantly. "Excellent. Something for tomorrow." Mai threw a pillow at her. "GO TO SLEEP!" Ace caught it. "Scientific progress never sleeps!" "ACE!" Shammy pulled both women closer, still giggling. "Goodnight, my impossible loves." Mai kissed her shoulder. "Goodnight, sweetheart." Ace snuggled against her. "Love you, Sparkles." Shammy's smile softened. "Love you too." And as her two beloved women gradually drifted toward sleep, Shammy remained awake just a little longer. Not because of the electricity. Not because of the possibilities it opened. But because Mai had asked her a question she hadn't expected. Have you thought about what you want? Shammy looked at the two women resting peacefully beside her. For the first time that evening, she began to think seriously about the answer. And she suspected that discovering it together might be the loveliest part of all. --- ## Chapter 3 — Beyond the First Spark The following evening, Mai found Shammy sitting cross-legged on their bed, looking at her own fingertips. A tiny blue spark danced between them. Then another. Then three, moving in a delicate pattern that looked almost like a miniature constellation. Mai leaned against the doorway. "Practicing, darling?" Shammy looked up and smiled. "Experimenting." "Without your chief researcher?" "I wouldn't dream of it." Mai crossed the room and sat beside her. "What have you discovered?" "Something interesting." Mai laughed. "Careful. Ace says that word is contagious." Shammy grinned. "Then I must have caught it from you." Mai leaned over and kissed her cheek. "An exceptionally good influence, if you ask me." Shammy let the sparks disappear. "I've been thinking about what you asked last night." Mai's expression softened. "What I want?" "Yes." "And?" Shammy looked at her hands for a moment. "I think I understand the answer a little better now." Mai waited. "I've always enjoyed making you happy. That's nothing new. But yesterday, when I was discovering all those little sensations with you..." She hesitated, searching for the words. "It felt as though I was sharing something very old and very personal in a completely new way." Mai took her hand. "Your element." "Part of me," Shammy corrected gently. Mai nodded. "Of course." "And when you smiled, or laughed, or looked at me with that wonderful expression..." Shammy blushed. "I liked it. Very much." Mai's smile became tender. "Darling, there's nothing wrong with enjoying your lover's happiness." "I know." "And you don't have to be embarrassed about wanting more of it." Shammy looked up. "Really?" Mai laughed softly. "Sweetheart, have you met us?" That earned a delighted giggle. Then Mai slipped her arms around Shammy. "Tell me what you'd like to explore next." Shammy considered her answer. "Something a little more intimate." Mai raised an eyebrow. "How much more intimate?" Shammy's shy smile returned. "Well... we did establish that a kiss could feel rather extraordinary." "We certainly did." "And I wondered whether other kinds of affection might feel different too." Mai tilted her head. "Darling, I believe you're proposing a considerably more interesting experiment than yesterday's." Shammy laughed. "I was hoping you'd think so." For a little while they simply talked. Mai asked what Shammy had been considering, and Shammy explained what she hoped they might discover together. They agreed that neither would treat the evening as a challenge. There would be no targets, no performances, no obligation to continue something merely because it was new. And Mai insisted on one additional condition. "You have to tell me what you're enjoying too." Shammy blinked. "Me?" "Yes, you." "But I'm the one creating the sensations." "Which doesn't make you any less important." Mai brushed her thumb across Shammy's cheek. "Darling, you're not here to conduct experiments on me. We're discovering something together." Shammy gazed at her for a long moment. Then she leaned forward and kissed her. "Thank you." "For what?" "For understanding." Mai smiled. "I love you. Understanding you is something I intend to keep working on for a very long time." Shammy laughed softly. "That may take centuries." "Good. I'm not in a hurry." A familiar voice arrived from the doorway. "Well, this looks suspiciously romantic." Ace stood there with a cup of coffee. Mai turned. "That's because it is." Ace studied both women. Then the faint blue glow around Shammy's fingertips. "Oh. Research." "Research," Shammy confirmed. Ace grinned. "Advanced research?" Mai's expression became magnificently innocent. "Possibly." Ace considered the situation for a moment. Then she smiled. "Would my two beautiful women like some privacy?" Shammy looked surprised. "You don't mind?" "Sweetheart, of course not." Ace approached and kissed them both. "Besides, after yesterday's demonstration, I suspect you two have a great deal to discuss." Mai laughed. "You have absolutely no idea." "That's what worries me." Ace headed toward the doorway. Then stopped. "One request." Mai narrowed her eyes. "What?" "If either of you makes a scientific breakthrough, I expect a report." "ACE!" "With diagrams!" Mai threw a pillow. Ace escaped laughing. When the door closed, Shammy turned back to Mai. "She's wonderful." "She's impossible." "Both." Mai nodded. "Definitely both." They settled comfortably together. Shammy reached for Mai's hand, but this time Mai gently guided it away. "Darling?" "Yes?" "Before we begin, there's something I want you to know." Shammy waited. "I trust you." "I know." "And I'm curious about what we might discover. But I don't want you watching me so carefully that you forget to enjoy being here." Shammy looked thoughtful. "That's going to be difficult." Mai laughed. "Why?" "Because watching you is rather wonderful." Mai's expression softened. "Oh, sweetheart." She kissed Shammy slowly. "Then perhaps we'll have to remind each other." Shammy nodded. "I'd like that." The first tiny shimmer appeared between them. Mai closed her eyes and smiled. "There it is." "Comfortable?" "Very." "Would you like something different?" Mai opened her eyes. "Surprise me, darling." Shammy considered that request carefully. Then smiled. "All right." They discovered quickly that *surprise me* could lead in several directions. Shammy let the sensation wander through familiar affection first: a kiss, a caress along Mai's wrist, the warmth of her palm resting at Mai's waist. Each change was minute, less a question of strength than of texture. Mai followed every variation with fascinated attention. Then she caught Shammy's hand. "A little lower, darling." Shammy went still. Their eyes met. "You mean...?" Mai's smile answered before her words did. "I mean I want to know what this feels like when we stop pretending the experiment is only romantic." A blush rose in Shammy's cheeks, but this time there was no uncertainty in it. "I'd like that." "So would I." Mai drew her closer. "Start where you said you would. The level that makes the nerve endings sing. Don't make it strong." Shammy's smile turned wonderfully intent. "Sweeter, not stronger." "Exactly." The first deliberately erotic whisper of Shammy's element was almost absurdly small. Mai's breath caught anyway. Her fingers tightened against Shammy's shoulders, and for one suspended heartbeat she simply stared at her. Shammy did not rush forward. "That?" Mai let out a shaky laugh. "That. And don't increase it." "I wasn't planning to." "Good." Shammy changed the sensation by a fraction. Not more power. A different note. Mai's eyes closed. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy saw the response, understood it, and adjusted again with the same exquisite precision she used when shaping lightning on an entirely different scale. The delicate charge moved lower, tracing the sensitive skin of Mai's inner thigh, then higher, settling exactly where Mai's body had already begun to respond. Mai's next sentence never arrived. The first orgasm caught her hard enough to steal it completely. She went still in Shammy's arms, breath broken, her body tightening in long, involuntary pulses as the tiny sensation drew the climax out of her. She clung closer as it finished moving through her. Shammy let her element fade to almost nothing and simply held her. No joke. No immediate escalation. Just warmth, kisses, and Mai gradually finding her breath again. When Mai finally opened her eyes, Shammy was watching her with delighted concern. "Too much?" Mai laughed softly. "No. Absolutely not." She kissed her. "Stay right there." Shammy's eyebrows rose. "Right there?" "Exactly there." Mai's smile became distinctly less scientific. "And if I want you to stop, darling, I will tell you." Shammy kissed her forehead. "Then I'll listen." The tiny elemental sensation returned, still impossibly gentle, still precisely placed. Mai discovered almost immediately that the first climax had not ended anything. The next rose out of the lingering aftershocks before she had entirely settled from the first, and Shammy caught every change in her expression before shaping what came next. Mai's hips shifted without thought, seeking more of the soft, electric caress, and Shammy followed the movement instead of directing it. She never chased intensity. She followed Mai. A breath. A tightening embrace. A half-finished word. A kiss that became an answer. Another orgasm followed, then another, the responses beginning to overlap until Mai finally gave up any attempt to count them. Her body kept answering the same low, perfect note, each peak rolling into the next until she was trembling and laughing against Shammy's shoulder. At one point she managed to laugh against Shammy's shoulder. "Darling..." Shammy paused instantly. Mai caught her before the sensation could vanish completely. "Don't you dare stop because I'm laughing." Shammy's eyes brightened. "Still good?" "Wonderful." That was all she needed. By the time the chain finally eased, Mai was boneless against her, smiling with the dazed satisfaction of someone whose curiosity had been rewarded far beyond reasonable expectations. Her skin was flushed, her breathing uneven, and she held Shammy as though the rest of the room had become optional. Shammy kept holding her until her breathing had settled. Only then did Mai lift her head. "I have a scientific conclusion." Shammy giggled. "Oh?" "Your original idea was spectacular." That made Shammy laugh, but Mai noticed something else too. Shammy was flushed. Happy. Not merely pleased with the result, but deeply involved in it. "You're enjoying this," Mai murmured. Shammy's gaze softened. "More than I expected." "The electricity?" Shammy shook her head. "You." Mai kissed her slowly. "Good." Then she turned them together with quiet confidence. "Because now it's my turn." Shammy blinked. "Your turn?" "Darling, you didn't think this evening was going to consist entirely of you giving and me receiving, did you?" Shammy's answering laugh disappeared into Mai's kiss. Mai made love to her in return without hurry and without asking Shammy to use her element at all. She kissed her way down Shammy's body, learned the places that made the elemental's breath catch, and stayed there with patient, focused attention until Shammy's first sharp break in composure made Mai smile against her skin. The next made her draw Shammy closer, fingers and mouth working together until Shammy finally climaxed, burying a breathless laugh against Mai's shoulder and holding on while Mai stayed with her through the last trembling aftershocks. Only after both women had recovered did the experiment become laughter again. Neither tried to count the discoveries. Neither particularly wanted to. Somewhere along the way, it had stopped feeling like an experiment at all. Much later, Mai lay comfortably against Shammy, her head resting on the elemental's shoulder. For a long time, neither spoke. Then Mai laughed quietly. Shammy glanced down. "What?" "I think we've just established that your original idea had considerable potential." Shammy giggled. "Considerable?" "Extraordinary." "That sounds more promising." Mai lifted her head. "Darling?" "Yes?" "Are you happy?" Shammy's answer came without hesitation. "Very." Mai studied her face. "Not just because I'm happy?" Shammy smiled. "No. Because I shared something wonderful with you. Because we discovered things neither of us expected." She paused. "And because you kept reminding me that my happiness mattered too." Mai kissed her forehead. "It always will." Shammy wrapped her arms around her. "Then I think I'm beginning to understand what I want." "Tell me." Shammy looked into her eyes. "I want us to keep discovering things together. Not just with my electricity. Everything. Little things. Wonderful things. Things we haven't even imagined yet." Mai smiled. "Darling, that sounds remarkably like a lifetime commitment." Shammy laughed. "Several lifetimes, perhaps." "Ambitious." "I've always been rather ambitious." Mai kissed her. "Then you've found the right woman." A little later, Ace returned. She knocked first. "Permission to enter the laboratory?" Mai covered her face. "Oh, for heaven's sake." Shammy started giggling. "Come in, darling!" Ace appeared carrying three mugs of tea. She looked at the two women, the rumpled pillows and Shammy's unmistakably radiant smile. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Well?" Mai accepted her tea. "Well what?" "Did you discover anything?" Mai considered the question with exaggerated seriousness. "Several things." Ace sat down beside them. "Excellent. Anything you care to share?" Shammy looked at Mai. Mai looked at Shammy. Then both women began laughing. Ace stared. "Oh, come on!" Mai leaned over and kissed her. "Some discoveries are difficult to put into words, darling." Ace looked at Shammy. "Is she teasing me?" "Possibly." "You're both terrible." Shammy kissed her cheek. "But you love us." "Against all reasonable judgment." Ace set her mug aside and pulled both women into her arms. For a while, the three simply enjoyed being together. Then Ace glanced at Shammy. "One thing, sweetheart." "Hmm?" "Whatever you've discovered tonight, you look very happy." Shammy smiled. "I am." Ace kissed her forehead. "Then that's the best discovery of all." Mai rested her head against Shammy's shoulder. And Shammy, surrounded by the two women she loved, realized that the tiny spark which had started all of this was becoming something far more beautiful than she could have anticipated. Not because of what her power could accomplish. But because of what they were learning to share. --- ## Chapter 4 — A Very Willing Volunteer The following morning began with coffee, toast, and a suspiciously cheerful Mai. Ace noticed immediately. She was sitting at the kitchen counter, nursing her first coffee of the day, when Mai appeared wearing an expression of such complete contentment that Ace nearly forgot to take her next sip. "Morning, darling." "Good morning!" Ace narrowed her eyes. "You're cheerful." "Am I?" "Extremely." "Is that a problem?" "Not at all. I'm simply observing." Mai poured herself some coffee. Ace watched her. Mai added milk. Ace continued watching. Mai finally turned. "Ace." "Yes?" "You're staring." "I'm conducting research." Mai laughed. "Oh, for heaven's sake." From the other side of the kitchen, Yukari glanced up from her tea. "Research into what, darling?" Ace considered her answer. "Unusual morning cheerfulness." Yukari looked at Mai. Then at Ace. Then smiled into her cup. "I see." Ace pointed at her. "No, you don't." "Of course not, sweetheart." "That was a very suspicious 'of course not.'" Yukari's golden eyes sparkled. "I've lived a very long time, Ace. I've learned that some questions are much more entertaining when left unanswered." Mai nearly choked on her coffee. Ace stared at both women. "I'm surrounded." "By people who love you," Yukari reminded her. "Yes, but you're all conspiring." "Naturally." Shammy appeared a few minutes later. She was still adjusting the sleeve of her shirt when Mai turned toward her. "Morning, darling." "Good morning, love." Mai reached up and kissed her. Nothing particularly unusual about that. Except that Shammy's face immediately lit up, and Mai responded with a smile that made Ace set down her coffee. "Oh, come on." Both women turned. "What?" Shammy asked. "You're doing it again." Mai blinked innocently. "Doing what?" "Looking at each other as though you've discovered the secret of the universe." Shammy giggled. "I don't think it's quite that important." Mai considered that. "I wouldn't be so sure." "MAI!" Yukari began laughing quietly. Shammy approached Ace and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, sweetheart." Ace immediately wrapped an arm around her waist. "Good morning, Sparkles." Shammy smiled. "Sparkles?" "It's growing on me." "Apparently." Ace pulled her closer. "Now, about last night..." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" "You two had a lovely evening." "We did," Shammy answered. "And I'm very happy for you." "Thank you, darling." Ace paused. "However." Mai slowly put down her coffee. "There it is." Ace looked offended. "What?" "The however." "I haven't even finished!" "You don't need to." Yukari was now openly smiling. Ace took a dramatic breath. "I would simply like to point out that your third beloved has been extremely patient." Shammy blinked. Then her smile broadened. "Oh." Mai covered her mouth. Ace continued, determined to preserve what remained of her dignity. "And I believe that patience should be rewarded." Yukari lifted her tea. "An admirable principle." "Thank you!" "Although I suspect your definition of patience is rather flexible." "YUKARI!" Shammy burst out laughing. --- Later that afternoon, Mai found Ace sitting beside Shammy on the sofa. They were talking quietly. And for once, Ace wasn't joking. "There's something I'm curious about," Ace said. Shammy nodded. "Go on." "Yesterday, when you were trying different sensations with Mai, did you discover that she responds differently depending on what you're doing?" "Very much so." Ace considered that. "And do you think I'd respond differently?" "Absolutely." "Why?" Shammy smiled. "Because you're Ace." Ace looked at her. "That's not much of an explanation." "It's the most important part." Shammy took her hand. "Mai is Mai. You're you. You're both wonderful, but you're not the same person. Why would I expect your experiences to be identical?" Ace thought about that. Then nodded. "Fair point." Mai leaned against the doorway. "An exceptionally fair point." Ace looked over her shoulder. "How long have you been standing there?" "Long enough." "Spying?" "Observing." "That's my line!" Mai laughed and crossed the room. "Darling, I think Shammy's trying to tell you something important." Ace raised an eyebrow. "Which is?" "That this isn't a competition." Ace looked scandalized. "Who said anything about competition?" Mai simply stared at her. Shammy started giggling. Ace sighed. "Fine. I may have considered a tiny competitive element." "Darling," Mai said, "you consider brushing your teeth competitively." "Only when you use the last of the toothpaste." Shammy laughed so hard she had to lean against Ace. Mai shook her head. "Our fearless warrior." Ace grinned. "And don't you forget it." That evening, the three women returned to their bedroom. Rain had begun falling again, softly this time, painting the windows with wavering reflections of Night City's lights. Ace sat on the bed, looking unusually thoughtful. Mai was beside her. Shammy settled in front of them. "All right," Shammy said. "Before we start, I have a question." Ace smiled. "Only one?" "For now." "Proceed." Shammy looked directly at her. "Are you hoping to discover something wonderful, or are you hoping to prove something?" Ace opened her mouth. Then closed it. Mai smiled. "That's a very good question." Ace considered the matter. Finally, she laughed. "All right. You caught me." Shammy smiled. "Did I?" "A little." Ace took her hand. "But mostly, sweetheart, I want to find out what this is like with you. Yesterday was fascinating. And seeing how happy you were with Mai..." Her expression softened. "Well, I want to share that happiness too." Shammy's smile became tender. "You already do, darling." "I know." Ace kissed her knuckles. "But I'd love to discover something new together." Shammy leaned forward and kissed her. "Then that's exactly what we'll do." Mai rested a hand against Ace's back. "And I'll be right here." Ace glanced over her shoulder. "Taking notes?" "Possibly." "Excellent. I expect a thorough report." "Ace!" Shammy began with Ace's hand. Not because she needed to repeat the previous evening's experiments, but because she wanted to understand the differences. A faint blue-white shimmer appeared between their fingers. Ace watched it with interest. "There it is." "Comfortable?" "Very." Shammy allowed the sensation to fade. Then she tried a slightly different variation. Ace tilted her head. "Oh. That's interesting." Mai grinned. "Careful. That's my word." "Then stop using all the good ones." Shammy smiled. "How did that feel?" Ace considered. "Softer than the first one. But it seemed to linger a little longer." "Would you prefer the first?" "Actually, no. I liked the second." Shammy nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting." Mai burst out laughing. Ace stared at her. "Now what?" "Nothing, darling. Absolutely nothing." Over the next little while, Shammy explored the differences between what Mai enjoyed and what appealed to Ace. Sometimes the same gentle sensation brought completely different reactions. Mai preferred certain delicate, fleeting variations. Ace seemed to particularly enjoy those that lingered just long enough to surprise her. And Shammy discovered something equally interesting. Ace, despite her competitive nature, was remarkably attentive whenever Shammy explained what she was doing. She asked questions. She listened. And occasionally, she surprised both women with the precision of her observations. At one point, Shammy paused. "What is it, darling?" Ace had been studying her face. "You're concentrating." "A little." "But not on the electricity." Shammy smiled. "No." "You're watching me." "Yes." Ace considered that. Then her expression softened. "Sweetheart, you don't have to worry about getting everything perfect." Shammy blinked. "I'm not worried." "Good." Ace brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. "Because I'm already having a wonderful time." Shammy's smile grew. "Really?" "Really." Mai leaned closer. "And there's our answer." Ace looked at her. "To what?" "What Shammy enjoys." Shammy turned. Mai smiled. "Look at her." Ace did. Shammy was positively glowing. Not electrically. Just happily. Ace laughed softly. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy looked suddenly shy. "What?" Ace pulled her into an embrace. "You're enjoying this every bit as much as we are." Shammy wrapped her arms around her. "Of course I am." Mai joined them. "And we love that about you." For several moments, the three simply held one another. A little later, Ace found herself studying the tiny sparks around Shammy's fingertips again. "Can I ask something?" "Always." "Yesterday, you said you could shape these sensations in ways that ordinary electricity couldn't." "That's right." "And you don't have to make them stronger to make them feel different." "Exactly." Ace smiled. "So there's no reason to assume we've discovered everything yet." Shammy laughed. "Not remotely." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Darling, I recognize that expression." Ace turned toward her. "What expression?" "The one that usually precedes a very ambitious suggestion." Ace grinned. "Well, I was thinking..." "Of course you were." "...that perhaps, someday, Shammy might discover something that surprises even me." There was a brief silence. Then Shammy tilted her head. "Even you?" Ace nodded solemnly. "Even me." Mai looked between them. "Oh, dear." Shammy's expression slowly changed. Her earlier shyness had disappeared, replaced by a warm, playful confidence. "Darling," she said gently, "I think I would enjoy discovering that with you." Ace blinked. Then smiled. "Would you?" "Very much." Mai laughed. "Well, Ace. I believe you've found yourself a research partner." Ace kissed Shammy. "The finest in Night City." Shammy laughed against her cheek. "And considerably more affectionate than most scientists." Mai sighed. "The standards in Night City are admittedly low." All three dissolved into laughter. The evening did become quieter eventually. It just took Ace a while to get there. She was still looking at Shammy's fingertips with unmistakable intent. "All right, Sparkles." Mai groaned. "Ace." "What?" "You have the face." "What face?" "The one that says you're about to turn curiosity into a competitive sport." Ace laughed. "Not a competition." She looked at Shammy. "A request." Shammy's smile turned playful. "Tell me." Ace leaned closer. "Find the level that makes me lose the grin." Mai made a helpless sound. "Oh, darling." Shammy, however, did not look challenged. She looked delighted. "I can try." "And if I want more, I'll tell you." "Good." They already knew what Shammy's element felt like in a hand, a kiss, a gentle caress. This time Ace asked her to carry the experiment into unmistakably erotic territory. Shammy started lower than she had with Mai. Ace noticed immediately. "You're being careful." "I'm learning." "Good answer." The first adjustment made Ace's joking expression vanish. Her breath caught. Shammy watched her closely. "That?" "Almost." Another fractional change. Ace's fingers closed around Shammy's hand. "There." Shammy held the sensation exactly where Ace had asked, a soft, precise electric caress against the most sensitive part of her. Ace's hips shifted once, seeking more of it, and Shammy followed without increasing the strength. The first orgasm surprised a curse out of her. Ace went rigid for a heartbeat, then folded into Shammy's embrace with a broken laugh, her body pulsing hard around the tiny charge. Shammy let the sensation disappear and held her until the response had completely finished. Mai was smiling. Ace opened one eye. "Don't." "I haven't said anything." "You're thinking loudly." Shammy kissed Ace's forehead. "How are you?" Ace drew a long breath. "Excellent." Then she looked at Shammy. "Again." Mai raised both eyebrows. "Ace." Ace grinned at her. "I've had chain orgasms before, sweetheart. Marcus made very sure I know what they feel like." Then she looked back at Shammy. "But this is different." Shammy's expression warmed. "Still want to continue?" "Very much." So Shammy continued. Not because there was a number to reach. Not because Ace had challenged her. Because Ace kept answering clearly, sometimes with a word, sometimes with a nod or a kiss, and Shammy kept reading her with the same patient precision she had learned with Mai. Each time the delicate charge returned, Ace's body answered faster, the aftershocks of one peak already building toward the next. Shammy stayed with her, adjusting only when Ace asked, never chasing more than the exact note Ace had chosen. The second orgasm left Ace laughing. The third stole the laugh. By the fifth, Mai had stopped making jokes and was simply watching in fascinated disbelief. Ace recovered enough to whisper, "Again." Shammy obliged. Each time, she let the response finish before deciding anything else. Each time, Ace chose the next step. Ace's voice grew thinner, her grip on Shammy's hand tighter, her body more honest with every peak. At some point Mai started counting silently. She did not mention this. Not yet. When the twelfth orgasm finally broke through Ace's remaining composure, Shammy let her element vanish completely. Ace sagged against her, eyes closed, breathing hard, a fine tremor still running through her thighs. Shammy wrapped both arms around her. Mai moved in close on the other side. Nobody said anything until Ace's breathing had steadied. Then Mai, because she was Mai, whispered: "Twelve." Ace opened one eye. "Not. One. Word." Mai's lips twitched. "I said one word." "Mai." "Technically, a number." Shammy lost the battle first and began giggling. Ace stared at her for two seconds before laughing too, helplessly this time. "Oh, you terrible women." Shammy kissed her cheek. "I wasn't trying to beat anything, darling." "I know." "I just wanted to find what felt best to you." Ace's expression warmed. "You found it." She pulled Shammy close and kissed her with slow, grateful affection. Then she reached for Mai too. "Come here, scientist." Mai laughed and joined them. Only after the three had spent a long while tangled together in satisfied stillness did the last little blue sparks disappear entirely. Shammy eventually rested between her two beloved women, her head against Mai's shoulder and one hand comfortably entwined with Ace's. For a while, nobody said anything. Then Mai looked down at her. "Happy, darling?" Shammy nodded. "Very." Ace kissed her forehead. "Good." Shammy lifted her head. "May I tell you something?" Mai smiled. "Anything." Shammy hesitated. Then she said quietly: "I think I was a little afraid you'd find all this strange." Ace stared at her. "Sweetheart." "I know. It sounds silly now." Mai touched her cheek. "No, darling. It doesn't." Shammy looked at her. Mai continued. "You're sharing something very personal with us. Of course that can feel a little vulnerable." Shammy nodded slowly. Ace drew closer. "And you know what?" "What?" "We love you whether you give us extraordinary experiences or simply spend the evening cuddling us." Shammy's expression softened. "I know." "But," Ace continued, smiling, "I happen to love that you're still curious enough to surprise yourself." Mai nodded. "So do I." Shammy looked from one to the other. Then she laughed quietly. "After all these years." Mai kissed her. "Especially after all these years." They were almost ready to sleep when Ace suddenly lifted her head. "Shammy?" "Hmm?" "One final question." Mai groaned. "Not again." "It's important!" Shammy giggled. "Go on, darling." Ace considered her words with exaggerated seriousness. "One final request." Mai was already smiling. "Oh?" Ace pointed at both women. "If Brenda ever asks what happened tonight, I would appreciate it if neither of you mentioned the number twelve." There was a long silence. Then Mai started laughing. Shammy followed immediately. Ace looked offended. "I'm serious!" Mai wiped at her eyes. "Darling, I don't think Brenda needs a numerical report on our sex life." "Exactly. Thank you." Shammy was still giggling. Ace narrowed her eyes. "And I'm not embarrassed. I simply refuse to hand Brenda that kind of ammunition." Mai leaned over and kissed her. "Sweetheart, I promise we'll do our best." "That is not reassuring." Shammy finally managed to speak. "I promise, darling." Ace considered that. Then smiled. "Thank you." She settled down between them. A moment later, Mai whispered: "Although I make no promises about Yukari." "MAI!" The resulting pillow fight lasted several minutes. And when the laughter finally subsided, Shammy found herself held between two women whose affection meant more to her than any storm she had ever commanded. She closed her eyes. For all the extraordinary things she could do, this was becoming her favorite discovery. That she could bring joy to the people she loved. And that they wanted, just as fiercely, to bring joy to her. --- ## Chapter 5 — A Little More Confidence Shammy had a problem. Not a particularly serious problem. Certainly nothing involving hostile corporations, eldritch entities, or heavily armed mercenaries. In fact, compared to most of the problems she had encountered during her extraordinarily long existence, this one was almost embarrassingly pleasant. She wanted something. And she wasn't entirely certain how to ask for it. Again. "You're doing that thing," Yukari observed. Shammy looked up from her tea. "What thing?" "The one where you stare into your cup as though the answer to an ancient mystery might be hiding beneath the leaves." Shammy laughed. "Is everyone in this house becoming an expert at reading my expressions?" Yukari smiled. "We've had excellent practice, darling." They were sitting together in the safehouse living room, enjoying an unusually peaceful afternoon. Ace had gone downstairs to check something in the garage. Mai was occupied with a few personal messages, and Iris and Brenda were somewhere in the building. Probably being productive. Possibly. Shammy had learned not to make assumptions. Yukari set her cup down. "Would you like to tell me what's troubling you?" "Nothing's troubling me." "Ah." Shammy narrowed her eyes. "That's a very suspicious 'ah.'" "I learned from the best." "Brenda?" "Unfortunately." Both women laughed. Then Shammy grew thoughtful. "I've been discovering something rather wonderful with Mai." Yukari's expression warmed. "I noticed." "Did you?" "Darling, you've been smiling almost continuously for three days." Shammy blushed. "Oh." Yukari reached over and took her hand. "Whatever you've discovered, I'm delighted for you." Shammy squeezed her fingers. "Thank you." "But?" Shammy sighed. "There's something else." "Tell me." "I've been so focused on asking Mai what she enjoys, and making certain Ace is happy too, that I haven't really... well..." She hesitated. Yukari waited. "I haven't been very good at telling them what I want." Yukari's expression softened. "That's rather different from not knowing what you want, isn't it?" Shammy looked at her. Then smiled. "Yes. I suppose it is." "Then perhaps the difficult part isn't discovering your wishes." "What is it?" "Allowing yourself to express them." Shammy considered that. Yukari leaned closer. "You know, my love, being ancient doesn't make us immune to feeling shy." Shammy laughed. "Apparently not." "And being powerful doesn't mean we always know how to ask for something tender." For a moment, the two ancient beings simply looked at one another. Then Shammy smiled. "You're rather good at this." Yukari's golden eyes sparkled. "I have had some practice." "Several centuries?" "A few." Shammy laughed. Yukari kissed her cheek. "Go and tell Mai what you want, sweetheart." Mai was sitting on their bed when Shammy returned. She had changed into comfortable evening clothes and was reading something on her datapad, her silver hair falling loosely around her shoulders. Shammy paused in the doorway. Mai looked up. "Hello, darling." "Hello." Mai smiled. "Come here." Shammy crossed the room and settled beside her. Mai immediately put the datapad aside. "Something on your mind?" Shammy laughed. "Am I really that transparent?" "Only when you're thinking very hard about something you haven't told me yet." Shammy considered that. Then she took Mai's hands. "Actually, yes." Mai's expression became attentive. "Tell me." Shammy drew a breath. "I want another evening with you." Mai blinked. Then smiled. "Darling, you have as many evenings with me as you like." "I know." Shammy squeezed her hands. "But I mean... another evening exploring my element. Together. Properly." Mai's smile broadened. "Oh." "And this time..." Shammy hesitated. Mai waited. "This time, I don't want to spend the whole evening worrying about whether I'm doing everything correctly." Mai looked at her for a moment. Then she laughed softly. "Shammy." "Yes?" "Have I ever made you feel as though you're being examined?" "No!" "Good." Mai cupped her cheek. "Because I would hate for you to think there was a test you had to pass." Shammy leaned into her hand. "I don't. Not really." "Then what do you want?" Shammy looked directly into her eyes. "I want to enjoy discovering things with you. Without treating every little sensation as an experiment." Mai's expression softened. "That sounds wonderful." "And..." Shammy's cheeks colored. "I'd like to be a little more romantic about it." Mai stared at her. Then she began laughing. Shammy looked horrified. "What?" "Darling!" "What?" Mai pulled her close. "You're asking whether I'd like you to be more intimate with me?" Shammy giggled helplessly. "Well, when you put it like that..." Mai kissed her. "Yes." Another kiss. "Enthusiastically yes." Shammy's laughter dissolved into a delighted smile. "Good." Mai rested her forehead against Shammy's. "And for the record, I rather love this new confidence of yours." Ace arrived approximately five minutes later. She took one look at the two women sitting close together and stopped. "Oh." Mai turned. "Hello, darling." Ace looked at Shammy. Then at Mai. Then at their joined hands. A slow smile appeared. "Am I interrupting something?" "Not yet," Mai answered. Shammy burst out laughing. Ace raised both eyebrows. "Not yet?" Mai grinned. Shammy covered her face. "Oh, Mai!" Ace folded her arms. "Well, that's remarkably informative." Mai laughed. "Shammy and I were planning a quiet evening together." Ace's expression immediately softened. "Just the two of you?" Shammy nodded. "If that's all right." Ace stared at her. "Sweetheart." Shammy blinked. "Yes?" "Why wouldn't it be?" "Well, we've been discovering all these things together, and..." Ace sat beside her. "And sometimes you want to discover something just with Mai." Shammy nodded. Ace kissed her cheek. "Then that's exactly what you should do." Mai smiled warmly. "Thank you, darling." "Besides," Ace continued, "I have an appointment with a certain ancient fox and a bottle of very expensive sake." Shammy laughed. "Does Yukari know about this appointment?" "Not yet." Mai raised an eyebrow. "That sounds suspiciously like an ambush." "An extremely affectionate ambush." Ace stood. Then paused. "One question." Mai sighed. "Of course." Ace looked at Shammy. "You're happy?" Shammy's smile became radiant. "Very." Ace nodded. "Then I'm happy." She kissed them both, collected her forgotten jacket from the chair, and headed for the door. Then she stopped. "Oh, and Mai?" "Yes?" "Try not to make too many scientific discoveries without me." Mai grinned. "Absolutely no promises." "Thought so." The door closed behind her. Shammy leaned against Mai. "She's wonderful." Mai wrapped an arm around her. "She really is." The bedroom lights were dimmed. Outside, the city had begun its nightly transformation into a glittering sea of neon and distant headlights. Mai had found a small lamp that cast a gentle amber glow across the bed. Shammy looked around appreciatively. "You've made everything rather lovely." Mai smiled. "I thought we were having a romantic evening." "We are." "Then we might as well do it properly." Shammy laughed. "You're impossible." "So I've been told." They settled together beneath a soft blanket. For a while, they simply kissed. There was no hurry. No discussion of techniques. No elaborate explanations. Just the familiar warmth of one another's company. Eventually, Shammy drew back slightly. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "May I try something?" Mai smiled. "Of course." Shammy rested her fingertips against Mai's cheek. A delicate blue-white shimmer appeared. Mai's eyes widened just a little. "Oh, that's lovely." Shammy smiled. "Would you like it again?" "Yes, please." This time the faint sensation accompanied a soft kiss. Mai smiled against her lips. When they separated, she looked at Shammy with unmistakable affection. "You're getting rather good at surprising me." Shammy giggled. "I've had an excellent teacher." "Have you?" "Someone who keeps reminding me that it's all right to enjoy myself." Mai touched her cheek. "She sounds terribly clever." "Terribly." "And beautiful?" "Extraordinarily." Mai laughed and kissed her again. At some point, Mai noticed that something had changed. Shammy was no longer watching her with the careful concentration of someone trying to make every gesture perfect. She was smiling. Laughing. Sometimes she introduced one of her delicate elemental sensations into an affectionate touch. Sometimes she didn't. And occasionally she forgot about the electricity altogether, simply drawing Mai close because she wanted to hold her. Mai found herself enjoying that difference enormously. "Shammy?" "Yes, love?" "Can I tell you something?" "Anything." "I think I like this even more than our first evening." Shammy looked surprised. "Really?" Mai nodded. "Not because anything is more extraordinary." "Then why?" "Because you're enjoying yourself without constantly checking whether you're doing something right." Shammy considered that. Then smiled. "I suppose I am." Mai brushed her thumb along Shammy's cheek. "Good." Shammy leaned forward and kissed her. "Do you know something?" "What?" "I think I've finally stopped thinking of my electricity as something I'm giving you." Mai tilted her head. "What do you think of it as now?" "Something we're sharing." Mai's expression softened completely. "Oh, darling." Shammy smiled. "Does that make sense?" "Perfectly." Mai drew her into another embrace. "And I think that's the most beautiful discovery you've made yet." The rest of the evening belonged entirely to them. They talked, laughed, shared affectionate touches and explored the quiet intimacy that had grown between them over so many adventures. At times, a faint silver-blue shimmer illuminated their faces. At others, there was nothing extraordinary about them at all. Just two women in love, enjoying the rare luxury of an evening with nowhere else to be. Eventually, the conversation faded into silence. And neither woman felt any need to fill it. Much later, Shammy lay with her head resting against Mai's shoulder. The little amber lamp was still glowing. Mai was gently stroking her hair. "Happy, sweetheart?" Shammy smiled. "Very." Mai kissed her forehead. "Good." For a while, they remained quiet. Then Shammy laughed softly. "What?" Mai asked. "I was thinking about something Yukari said earlier." "Oh?" "She told me that being ancient doesn't mean we always know how to ask for something tender." Mai smiled. "That sounds like Yukari." "She also said that perhaps the difficult part wasn't discovering what I wanted." "What was it?" "Allowing myself to say it." Mai considered that. Then nodded. "I think she was right." Shammy lifted her head. "Do you?" "Absolutely." "Then perhaps I should say something else." Mai smiled. "I'm listening." Shammy looked into her eyes. "I love you, Mai." Mai's expression softened. "I love you too, sweetheart." "And I love making you happy." "I know." "But I've realized something." "What?" Shammy smiled. "I don't have to be doing anything extraordinary for you to make me happy." Mai drew her closer. "No, darling. You don't." Shammy settled against her again. "And that feels rather wonderful." Mai kissed the top of her head. "Then I think we're both learning." --- Somewhere in the safehouse living room, Ace was attempting to explain to Yukari why a particular bottle of sake was worth considerably more than the average citizen of Night City earned in a month. Yukari examined the label. Then looked at Ace. "Darling, you've been cheated." Ace stared. "What?" Yukari smiled. "I know the distillery." "You do?" "Of course." Ace looked increasingly suspicious. "How?" Yukari sipped her sake. "I remember when the founder was a very young man." Ace stared at her. Then slowly lowered her glass. "Sometimes I forget how old you are." Yukari laughed. "And I intend to keep reminding you." Ace grinned. "Fair enough." She glanced toward the hallway. Yukari noticed. "Thinking about our two lovebirds?" Ace smiled. "Just hoping they're having a wonderful evening." Yukari's expression warmed. "I'm quite certain they are." Ace raised her glass. "To Shammy and Mai." Yukari touched her glass against Ace's. "To discovering new things." They drank. Then Ace glanced at her with a mischievous smile. "You know, I have a feeling Shammy's little discovery is going to make life around here considerably more interesting." Yukari considered that. Then laughed softly. "Darling, when has life around here ever been anything else?" --- Back in their bedroom, Mai was almost asleep when Shammy whispered her name. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "Thank you." Mai opened one eye. "For what, darling?" "For helping me discover that I can ask for something simply because I want it." Mai smiled sleepily. "You never needed my permission for that, sweetheart." "I know." Shammy paused. "But it's lovely knowing you'll listen." Mai drew her closer. "Always." Shammy closed her eyes. And for the first time since her unusual idea had occurred to her, she wasn't wondering what she might discover next. She was simply happy with what she had already found. --- ## Chapter 6 — The Curious Side of Love Mai had a plan. This was not unusual. Mai frequently had plans. Some involved complicated technology, others involved elaborate tactical arrangements, and a surprising number involved finding ways to make the people she loved smile. This particular plan belonged firmly in the third category. And it had occurred to her approximately six minutes after waking up. Shammy was still asleep beside her. Ace had already escaped the bedroom, presumably in search of coffee, breakfast, or some unfortunate individual willing to listen to her opinions on Night City's latest collection of corporate idiocy. Mai wasn't particularly concerned. She had more interesting things to think about. Her silver hair lay scattered across the pillow as she turned toward the sleeping elemental. Shammy looked wonderfully peaceful. Mai watched her for a moment, smiling. Then she leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Good morning, darling." Shammy stirred. "Mmm?" "Morning." One eye opened. Then the other. Shammy smiled. "Hello, beautiful." Mai laughed softly. "Flattery before breakfast?" "An accurate observation." "Very diplomatic." Shammy reached for her, drawing Mai into a warm embrace. For several minutes, neither felt any particular need to leave the bed. Eventually, Mai spoke. "Shammy?" "Hmm?" "I've been thinking." Shammy opened her eyes. "Oh?" "About your electricity." A slow smile spread across Shammy's face. "Have you?" "Quite extensively." "Somehow, darling, I'm not surprised." Mai grinned. "Good. Because I have a proposal." Shammy laughed. "Of course you do." --- Breakfast was already underway when they emerged. Brenda was arguing with the coffee machine. Iris was watching with the resigned expression of someone who had witnessed this particular conflict many times before. Ace sat at the counter, thoroughly enjoying the entertainment. Yukari was drinking tea. The coffee machine beeped. Brenda glared at it. "I pressed the correct button." Iris glanced over. "You pressed three buttons." "Because the first one didn't work!" "It was still heating." "Then it should have said so!" "It did." Brenda turned. "Whose side are you on?" "The coffee machine's, apparently." Ace nearly inhaled her coffee. Yukari hid a smile behind her cup. Mai and Shammy exchanged a glance. Another perfectly ordinary morning at the Watson safehouse. "Morning!" Mai announced. Ace looked up. "Well, well. The lovebirds have emerged." Shammy smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart." Ace held out an arm, and Shammy leaned over to kiss her. Mai followed with another kiss. Ace looked delighted. "Excellent. This morning is already improving." Brenda finally obtained her coffee. She regarded the cup suspiciously. Then looked toward the three women. "Why is everyone so cheerful?" Ace smiled sweetly. "Because we're happy, Brenda." Brenda narrowed her eyes. "That's not an answer." "It's a perfectly good answer," Yukari observed. Brenda looked at her. Yukari smiled serenely. Brenda sighed. "I hate it when you're reasonable." "Darling, you say that almost every morning." Later, Mai and Shammy found themselves alone in the living room. Mai had brought her datapad. Shammy regarded it with amusement. "Should I be worried?" "About what?" "The datapad." Mai glanced down. "Oh, this?" "Yes. Whenever you produce a datapad during one of our conversations, I begin to suspect we're about to encounter charts." Mai laughed. "No charts." "Diagrams?" "Not even diagrams." Shammy looked relieved. "Good." "Although I did consider making a spreadsheet." "MAI!" Mai burst out laughing. "I'm teasing!" Shammy caught her around the waist and pulled her onto the sofa. "My terrible, beautiful woman." Mai kissed her. "Your terrible, beautiful woman." "Absolutely." They settled comfortably together. Then Mai set the datapad aside. "I've been thinking about something you said yesterday." Shammy tilted her head. "Which part?" "That you stopped thinking of your electricity as something you were giving me." Shammy smiled. "Something we're sharing." "Exactly." Mai took her hand. "And that made me wonder whether we've been approaching this from the wrong direction." Shammy looked genuinely intrigued. "How so?" "Well, we've been concentrating on what you can make me feel." "Yes." "But what if we focused on what we can communicate?" Shammy blinked. "Communicate?" Mai nodded. "Think about it. You're incredibly precise. You can create sensations so subtle they're almost impossible to describe." "True." "And I can tell you what I enjoy." "Also true." "But what if we developed something that belonged just to us?" Shammy studied her. "A language?" Mai smiled. "Perhaps." Shammy considered that for a long moment. Then her expression brightened. "Oh, Mai." "What?" "That's a wonderful idea." They began with something ridiculously simple. Three tiny tingles against Mai's palm. A pause. Then two more. Mai laughed. "All right. What was that?" Shammy smiled. "I love you." Mai stared at her. "Five little tingles?" "Three for the words, two because I wanted to." Mai dissolved into laughter. "That's not a language! That's improvisation!" "All languages begin somewhere." "With grammar, preferably!" Shammy grinned. "Darling, I am an elemental, not a linguist." Mai leaned over and kissed her. "Well, your pronunciation is lovely." Shammy giggled. They tried again. This time Mai suggested that they avoid assigning complicated meanings to every sensation. "Something simple," she explained. "Something personal." "Such as?" "A little pattern that means you're thinking of me." Shammy looked at her. Then smiled. "I could do that." She rested her fingers against Mai's hand. A delicate sequence of warmth and tingling passed across her palm. Soft. Fleeting. And unmistakably intentional. Mai smiled. "Oh, that's lovely." Shammy watched her. "Shall we keep that one?" Mai nodded. "Definitely." "And what would you like it to mean?" Mai thought about it. Then she looked directly into Shammy's eyes. "I'm here, darling." Shammy's expression softened. "That's beautiful." Mai squeezed her hand. "Then that's what it means." The afternoon passed in a wonderfully unproductive fashion. They talked. They laughed. They abandoned several ideas almost immediately. Mai suggested a different sensation for every possible emotion. Shammy pointed out that this would require remembering an absurd number of patterns. Mai suggested a numbering system. Shammy suggested kissing her instead. Mai conceded that this was an excellent alternative. By the time Ace returned from the garage, the two women were curled up together on the sofa, laughing over something neither seemed inclined to explain. Ace stopped. Looked at them. Then looked at the datapad lying abandoned on the table. "Oh, dear." Mai smiled. "Hello, darling." Ace approached cautiously. "Have you invented something?" "Possibly." "Does it explode?" "No." "Does it require ammunition?" "No." "Does it involve a corporate security vulnerability?" "ACE!" "Just checking!" Shammy laughed. Ace sat beside them. "All right. Tell me." Mai explained their little discovery. Ace listened with growing interest. When she finished, Ace looked at Shammy. "So you two have invented a secret language?" "Only a very small one," Shammy admitted. "And it works?" Mai nodded. "Beautifully." Ace considered this. Then held out her hand. "I want a phrase." Mai raised an eyebrow. "A phrase?" "Yes." Shammy smiled. "What would you like it to mean?" Ace thought for several seconds. Then grinned. "You're both impossible, and I love you." Mai burst out laughing. "That's far too long!" "Then abbreviate!" Shammy took Ace's hand. A tiny blue spark glimmered. Ace felt a brief, cheerful little pattern against her palm. She blinked. Then laughed. "Oh, that's perfect." Mai looked suspicious. "What did you do?" Shammy smiled innocently. "Wouldn't you like to know?" "SHAMMY!" Ace leaned back, thoroughly delighted. "Excellent. Now we have secrets." Mai pointed at both of them. "You realize I can still ask what it means?" Ace grinned. "Where's the fun in that?" Shammy was laughing so hard she could barely speak. That evening, Mai returned to their bedroom and found Shammy standing by the window. Beyond the glass, Night City's lights spread across the skyline. The elemental stood quietly, watching the distant glow. Mai approached and slipped her arms around Shammy's waist. "Hello, darling." Shammy turned. "Hello, love." Mai kissed her cheek. "Thinking?" "A little." "About our discoveries?" Shammy nodded. Mai rested her chin against her shoulder. "Happy thoughts?" "Very." For a while, they watched the city together. Then Shammy spoke. "May I tell you something?" "Anything." "I've been thinking about how long I've had my element." Mai smiled. "A very long time." "Longer than I could properly explain." "I know." "And for most of that time, I've thought of it as something that simply belongs to me." Mai listened. "Not something separate. Not a tool. Just... part of who I am." She paused. "But now you've helped me find a way to make it part of something we share." Mai tightened her embrace. "Darling." Shammy turned toward her. "And I don't think I've ever felt quite so understood." For a moment, Mai could only look at her. Then she kissed her. Not hurriedly. Not playfully. Just with all the tenderness she could put into one simple gesture. When they separated, Shammy was smiling. Mai touched her cheek. "You know what I think?" "What?" "I think you were always capable of sharing this part of yourself." Shammy tilted her head. "Perhaps." "You just hadn't found a reason to explore it this way." Shammy considered that. Then smiled. "I think you're right." Mai kissed her forehead. "And I'm very glad you asked me." They settled onto the bed a little later. Mai rested against Shammy, their hands intertwined. For once, there were no questions. No experiments. No carefully considered suggestions. Just the quiet pleasure of being together. Then Mai felt something. A faint warmth. A tiny, familiar sequence against her palm. She looked down. Then up at Shammy. The elemental was smiling. Mai's heart softened. "I'm here, darling." Mai leaned forward and kissed her. "I know." Shammy wrapped an arm around her. "And I love you." Mai rested her forehead against hers. "I love you too." They remained together for a long time. Eventually, Mai laughed softly. Shammy looked curious. "What?" "Something rather amusing." "Oh?" "Yesterday, you were worried about asking for what you wanted." Shammy smiled. "I remember." "And today, you've been making suggestions almost constantly." Shammy laughed. "Have I?" "Absolutely." "Is that a problem?" Mai shook her head. "Not even slightly." She kissed Shammy again. "In fact, I find it rather wonderful." Shammy's expression softened. "Good." Mai leaned closer. "Because I have another suggestion." Shammy raised an eyebrow. "Another?" "Yes." "What is it?" Mai smiled with unmistakable affection. "How about we spend the rest of the evening simply enjoying each other?" Shammy's answer came immediately. "I'd love that." The lights dimmed. Night City continued its noisy existence beyond the windows. And inside the safehouse, two women who had already shared countless adventures found themselves enjoying a much quieter kind of exploration. There were affectionate whispers, laughter, long embraces, and a few delicate blue-white glimmers that seemed to appear whenever Shammy wanted to make Mai smile. Neither woman kept track of the time. Neither wanted to. The world outside could wait. Much later, Mai lay with her head against Shammy's shoulder. The room was quiet. Shammy gently stroked her silver hair. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "Thank you for today." Mai smiled sleepily. "For inventing a language with approximately two phrases?" Shammy giggled. "That too." "You're welcome." Shammy kissed her forehead. "But mostly for reminding me that there are still things about myself I haven't discovered." Mai opened her eyes. "Darling, I hope we never run out of those." Shammy looked at her. "Why?" Mai smiled. "Because then we'd have to stop being curious." Shammy laughed softly. "I don't think that's possible." "Neither do I." A moment later, Mai felt the familiar little pattern against her palm. She smiled without opening her eyes. "I'm here, darling." And Shammy, holding the woman she loved, realized that she had found something even more precious than a new use for her element. She had found another way to say something she never wanted Mai to forget. *You are loved.* --- ## Chapter 7 — A Spark Worth Sharing The first sign that something was different came during breakfast. Mai was reaching for the coffee pot when she felt a familiar little sensation against her wrist. Three delicate tingles. A moment of warmth. Then two softer ones. She stopped. Looked down at her hand. And smiled. Across the table, Shammy was looking at her with the most innocent expression imaginable. Mai raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she mouthed. Shammy's smile widened. Ace noticed immediately. "Oh, no." Mai turned. "What?" "You're doing it again." "Doing what, darling?" "That thing." "What thing?" Ace gestured between them with her spoon. "The thing where you exchange approximately half a conversation without saying a word." Shammy giggled. Mai took a perfectly ordinary sip of coffee. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "Of course you don't." From the other side of the table, Brenda looked up from her breakfast. "Are they still doing that?" Ace turned. "Still?" Brenda nodded. "Yesterday Mai suddenly started smiling at absolutely nothing while she was helping Iris in the kitchen." Iris looked mildly amused. "Not quite nothing, apparently." Mai smiled sweetly. "I was having a pleasant thought." Brenda narrowed her eyes. "About what?" "Something pleasant." "MAI!" Yukari laughed into her tea. "Brenda, darling, perhaps some mysteries are best left unsolved." "Not in this house!" Ace pointed at her. "See? This is why we don't tell Brenda anything." Brenda looked offended. "I am an exceptionally trustworthy person!" Iris gently touched her arm. "Sweetheart, you once interrogated the delivery driver because you wanted to know who ordered the extra dessert." "Because nobody admitted ordering it!" "That was me." The entire table went silent. Brenda turned slowly toward her wife. "...What?" Iris smiled. "I wanted cheesecake." Ace nearly dropped her spoon. Yukari dissolved into laughter. And Shammy, still sitting beside Mai, found herself laughing so hard that she completely forgot about the little spark she'd been planning to send next. Later that morning, Mai found Shammy on the safehouse sofa. She had a datapad on her lap, but wasn't reading it. Instead, she was looking toward the windows, watching the city. Mai recognized the expression. Not worry. Not sadness. Thoughtfulness. "Darling?" Shammy looked up. "Hello, beautiful." Mai sat beside her. "What's on your mind?" Shammy smiled. "You're getting very good at asking me that." "Practice." "Apparently." Mai tucked her legs beneath herself and leaned against Shammy. For a little while, they watched the distant traffic together. Then Shammy spoke. "I've been thinking about Nadia." Mai smiled. "And Panam?" "Her too." "Something nice, I hope." "Very." Shammy hesitated. "I've been wondering whether they'd enjoy discovering some of the things we've been exploring." Mai looked at her. "Your elemental sensations?" Shammy nodded. "Yes." Mai's smile broadened. "Oh, darling. I think they'd be fascinated." "You do?" "Of course." Shammy looked down at her hands. "I suppose I wanted to talk to you first." Mai tilted her head. "Why?" "Because we discovered this together." Mai considered that. Then she took Shammy's hand. "Sweetheart, are you worried that sharing it with someone else would make our discovery less special?" Shammy hesitated. "A little." Mai's expression softened. "Oh, Shammy." "I know it's silly." "No, darling. It isn't." Mai gently squeezed her hand. "Something wonderful happened between us. I understand why you might want to protect it." Shammy looked at her. "But?" Mai smiled. "But you have people who love you very much. And you love them. Why would I want you to keep a beautiful part of yourself hidden from them?" Shammy thought about that. "And our little language?" Mai's smile became playful. "Well, that is a different matter." "Is it?" "Absolutely." Mai held up her hand. "I happen to be rather fond of our little I'm here, darling." Shammy laughed softly. "So am I." "Then let's keep that one for ourselves." Shammy's eyes brightened. "I'd like that." Mai leaned forward and kissed her. "Good. But everything else?" She touched Shammy's cheek. "That's yours to share however you wish, with people who want to share it with you." Shammy looked at her for a long moment. Then she smiled. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Mai grinned. "Not in the last eleven minutes." "Terrible oversight." "Absolutely unacceptable." Shammy pulled her into an embrace. "I love you, Mai." Mai kissed her cheek. "And I love you, darling." A familiar little pattern danced across Mai's palm. She laughed. "Show-off." "Only for you." Ace discovered their plan over lunch. Naturally, she had opinions. "Panam?" "Yes," Shammy answered. "And Nadia?" "Yes." Ace considered this while cutting into her sandwich. Then she nodded. "Excellent." Mai smiled. "That's all?" Ace looked up. "What?" "No questions? No outrageous suggestions?" "I am perfectly capable of behaving like a reasonable adult." Mai stared at her. Shammy stared at her. Ace sighed. "Fine. I have one question." "There it is," Mai murmured. Ace looked at Shammy. "Have you actually asked them yet?" "Not yet." "Then ask." Shammy smiled. "That's what I was planning." "Good." Ace took another bite. Then stopped. "Although..." Mai covered her eyes. "Oh, here we go." Ace pointed her sandwich toward Shammy. "Be prepared for Panam to claim she's completely unimpressed by the first demonstration." Shammy giggled. "Why?" "Because she's Panam." Mai laughed. Ace continued. "She'll sit there looking magnificently confident, make some comment about having survived worse things in the Badlands, and then spend the next ten minutes asking you how it works." Shammy laughed. "That does sound rather like her." "And Nadia," Ace added, "will probably want to draw the whole thing." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Draw it?" "She's an artist." "Darling, you can't necessarily draw a sensation." Ace shrugged. "Tell that to Nadia." Shammy fell silent for a moment. Then she smiled thoughtfully. "Actually..." Mai turned. "Oh, dear." Ace grinned. "What?" "You've given her an idea." Ace looked delighted. "See? I'm helpful!" --- That afternoon, Shammy found Yukari sitting near the windows with a book. "May I join you?" Yukari smiled. "Always, my love." Shammy settled beside her. They sat together for a while, enjoying the quiet. Then Yukari closed her book. "Something you'd like to discuss?" Shammy laughed. "You're all becoming impossible." "Occupational hazard of living with people we love." Shammy smiled. "I've been thinking about sharing my little discovery with Nadia and Panam." Yukari's expression warmed. "How lovely." "And Mai thinks I should." "Do you want to?" "Very much." "Then I think you already have your answer." Shammy considered that. "I suppose I do." Yukari studied her for a moment. "May I tell you something?" "Of course." Yukari set her book aside. "When you first told me about your discovery, I thought you seemed almost surprised by your own happiness." Shammy smiled shyly. "Perhaps I was." "And now?" Shammy looked down at her hands. "Now I want to share it." Yukari nodded. "That's a beautiful change." She gently took Shammy's hand. "But remember, sweetheart, you don't have to bring everyone the same gift." Shammy tilted her head. "What do you mean?" "Mai loves you in her own way. Ace loves you differently. Nadia and Panam have their own ways of making you feel cherished." "Of course." "And you love each of them differently, too. Not more or less. Simply differently." Shammy smiled. "Yes." "Then perhaps each of them will discover something different with you." Shammy considered that for several seconds. Then her expression brightened. "Oh." Yukari laughed. "An interesting thought?" "A very interesting thought." Yukari leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Then go and enjoy discovering it." Shammy hugged her. "Thank you, darling." Yukari returned the embrace. "Always." --- Nadia's studio apartment was warm with afternoon sunlight when Shammy arrived two days later. Panam had already made herself comfortable on the sofa, her boots discarded near the door, while Nadia was working at an easel. The room smelled faintly of paint and fresh coffee. "Shammy!" Nadia put down her brush immediately. Shammy barely had time to smile before Nadia crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her. "Hello, darling." "Hello, beautiful." They kissed. From the sofa, Panam raised a hand. "Hey. Don't forget me." Shammy laughed. "As if I could." Panam stood and caught her in another embrace. "Good to see you, sweetheart." "You too." Panam kissed her forehead, then looked toward Nadia. "See? I told you she'd get here before you finished that painting." Nadia looked offended. "It's nearly finished!" Panam regarded the canvas. "That's what you said yesterday." "Because it was nearly finished yesterday!" "And?" "I changed my mind!" Shammy laughed. "About what?" "The background." Panam sighed. "Three times." "Twice!" "Four, if we count the one you painted over before breakfast." Nadia pointed at her. "You weren't supposed to notice that!" Shammy shook her head, smiling. Some things, apparently, were wonderfully consistent wherever she went. They settled on the sofa with coffee. For a while, the conversation wandered through familiar territory. Panam told them about a particularly irritating administrative problem at the Stable. Nadia talked about a painting she was working on. Shammy shared a little safehouse gossip, carefully omitting anything that might eventually result in Brenda demanding to know who had said what. Then Nadia looked at her. "Sweetheart?" "Yes?" "You've been smiling at us as though you have a secret." Panam raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this should be good." Shammy laughed. "Am I really that obvious?" "To us?" Nadia asked. "Sometimes." Panam folded her arms. "Out with it." Shammy took a breath. "Well... I've been discovering something rather wonderful with Mai." Nadia's expression immediately softened. "Oh?" Panam grinned. "Should we be concerned?" "No!" Shammy giggled. "Nothing like that." "Then tell us." Shammy held out her hand. A tiny blue-white spark appeared between her fingertips. Nadia leaned forward. "Beautiful." Panam smiled. "Sweetheart, we've seen you do that before." "Of course." Shammy let the spark dance across her fingers. "But I've been experimenting with much gentler expressions of my element." Nadia tilted her head. "Gentler?" "Little sensations. Warmth. Tingling. Things that can make an affectionate touch feel... different." Panam's eyebrows rose. "Oh." Nadia looked at Shammy. Then at the tiny spark. Then back at Shammy. "Oh!" Shammy blushed. "Yes. That sort of different." Panam slowly grinned. "Well, now." Nadia laughed softly. "Darling, that's fascinating." "I thought you might find it interesting." "Interesting?" Panam repeated. "That's a rather diplomatic description." Shammy giggled. "Mai used the same word." "Of course she did." Nadia reached for Shammy's hand. "May I?" Shammy nodded. "Of course." Nadia turned the elemental's hand over, studying her fingers. "Can you really control something that small?" "Smaller." "Without concentrating?" "Almost without thinking." Nadia looked impressed. "That's extraordinary." Shammy smiled. "Would you like to feel something simple?" Nadia glanced at Panam. Panam shrugged, smiling. "Go ahead, sweetheart. I'm curious too." Shammy looked back at Nadia. "Just your palm?" Nadia nodded. "Please." Shammy took her hand between both of hers. A tiny blue shimmer appeared. Nadia's eyes widened. "Oh!" Panam sat forward. "What?" Nadia laughed. "That feels wonderful!" Shammy smiled. "Comfortable?" "Completely." The sensation faded. Nadia looked at her palm. Then at Shammy. "Again?" Shammy giggled. "Gladly." A different little pattern passed across Nadia's hand. Her smile broadened. "Oh, Shammy." Panam shook her head. "All right. That's it." Both women turned. Panam held out her hand. "I'm not sitting here watching you two discover a new form of magic without me." Shammy laughed. "Come here, darling." Panam moved closer. Shammy took her offered hand. "Ready?" "Always." A delicate shimmer passed between their fingers. Panam blinked. Then looked at Shammy. "Huh." Nadia burst out laughing. "Huh?" Panam ignored her. "Do that again." Shammy smiled. "Of course." The second sensation made Panam look even more intrigued. "Okay." Nadia grinned. "Okay?" Panam looked at her. "What?" "That's your entire assessment?" "I'm thinking!" Shammy began laughing. Panam turned back toward her. "Sweetheart, how in the world did you think of this?" Shammy's smile softened. "Actually, that's rather a long story." Nadia leaned closer. "Then tell us." So Shammy did. She told them about that first quiet evening at the safehouse. About approaching Mai with an idea she wasn't entirely certain how to explain. About how enthusiastically Mai had responded. And about discovering that watching her beloved enjoy something new made Shammy herself extraordinarily happy. She told them about Ace's immediate curiosity. And about the difference between finding a sensation that worked and discovering something meaningful together. Nadia listened with warm attention. Panam occasionally interrupted with questions, most of which made Shammy laugh. Eventually, Shammy finished. "And I thought... perhaps the two of you might enjoy exploring it with me as well." Nadia smiled. "Sweetheart, I'd love to." Panam nodded. "Count me in." Shammy looked between them. "Really?" Panam raised an eyebrow. "Why are you surprised?" "I'm not exactly surprised." "Good." Panam reached for her hand. "Because I happen to be very fond of you, sweetheart. And if you've discovered something that makes you happy, I want to hear about it." Nadia nodded. "And perhaps discover something new with you." Shammy's expression softened. "Oh, my loves." She pulled both women into an embrace. For a while, the three simply held one another. --- Later, Nadia returned briefly to her easel. Shammy stood beside her, studying the unfinished painting. It was an abstract piece, filled with flowing shapes and delicate contrasts. Nadia noticed her interest. "What do you think?" Shammy smiled. "It's beautiful." "Not finished." "Still beautiful." Nadia laughed. "You're biased." "Terribly." Shammy studied the canvas for another moment. Then she looked down at her own hand. A tiny blue spark appeared. Nadia watched it. And something in her expression changed. "Shammy?" "Yes?" "Could you do that again?" Shammy obliged. The little spark moved across her fingertips. Nadia picked up a brush. Then another. Panam looked over from the sofa. "Oh, no." Nadia turned. "What?" "That expression." "What expression?" "The one where you've just decided to repaint half the canvas." Nadia stared at her. Then looked at Shammy. Then at the painting. "...Possibly." Panam groaned. Shammy burst out laughing. Nadia grinned. "Don't blame me! I've just had an idea!" Panam pointed at Shammy. "This is your fault." "My fault?" "You brought inspiration into an artist's apartment!" Nadia was already studying the canvas with renewed enthusiasm. Shammy laughed. "Well, I'm terribly sorry." Panam shook her head. "No, you're not." Shammy smiled. "Not even slightly." --- By the time evening settled over the city, Nadia had finally put her brushes down. Panam looked profoundly relieved. "Finished?" Nadia considered. "For tonight." "That's progress." Shammy laughed. They settled together on the sofa. Nadia leaned against Shammy's shoulder. Panam rested comfortably beside them. For a while, they talked about nothing particularly important. Then Nadia looked up. "Shammy?" "Yes, darling?" "Would you like to stay tonight?" Shammy smiled. "I'd love to." Panam reached across and took her hand. "And perhaps we could explore a little more of your discovery." Shammy's smile grew. "Only if you'd both like that." Nadia kissed her cheek. "We would." Panam nodded. "Definitely." Shammy looked from one beloved woman to the other. And once again, she felt that wonderful, unexpected happiness. Not because she had found someone willing to experience her extraordinary abilities. But because she was being welcomed into another quiet evening of love, trust and curiosity. She drew them both closer. "Then I think we're going to have a lovely night." Nadia smiled. "We already are." --- Much later, as the apartment grew quiet, Shammy glanced toward Nadia's unfinished painting. A thin curve of luminous blue now wound through its center. It was a small addition. Almost insignificant compared to the rest of the canvas. Yet somehow it changed the entire composition. Nadia followed her gaze. "Do you like it?" Shammy smiled. "Very much." Nadia rested her head against Shammy's shoulder. "I was trying to paint what your little spark felt like." Shammy looked at her. "Really?" Nadia nodded. "Not the electricity itself. The feeling." For a moment, Shammy couldn't find anything to say. Then Panam leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Looks like you're not the only one making discoveries, sweetheart." Shammy laughed softly. "No." She looked at the painting again. Then at the two women beside her. "No, I suppose I'm not." And in the warm quiet of Nadia's studio apartment, surrounded by people she loved, an ancient elemental discovered that even the smallest spark could become something beautiful in someone else's hands. --- ## Chapter 8 — The Warmth of Three Hearts The last brush had been washed. Nadia had finally declared her painting finished for the evening, although Panam regarded that announcement with the skepticism of someone who had heard it before. Twice. "You're not going to change the background again, are you?" Panam asked. Nadia glanced over her shoulder. "No." "Promise?" "Panam!" "I'm asking a reasonable question!" Shammy laughed from the sofa. "Darling, I think you should leave the artist alone." Panam turned toward her. "Sweetheart, I love that woman dearly, but she's been finishing that painting since Tuesday." Nadia folded her arms. "Great art takes time." "Apparently several geological eras." "PANAM!" Shammy dissolved into giggles. Nadia tried to maintain an offended expression for approximately three seconds before laughing herself. "Both of you are impossible." Panam grinned. "And yet you invited us to stay." "An obvious lapse in judgment." Shammy held out her arms. "Come here, darling." Nadia abandoned her theatrical indignation immediately. She crossed the room and settled beside Shammy, accepting a warm kiss. Panam joined them a moment later. For a while, all three sat comfortably together, watching the lights of Night City glitter beyond the studio windows. Then Nadia glanced at Shammy. "Sweetheart?" "Hmm?" "May I ask you something?" "Anything." "Does it feel different to you when you're using your electricity for something affectionate?" Shammy considered the question. "Different from what?" "From using it in a fight, or to protect someone." "Oh." Shammy looked down at her hands. "Very different." Panam tilted her head. "How?" Shammy smiled thoughtfully. "When I'm fighting, I'm concerned with what needs to happen. My element responds to my intentions, and I know exactly what I want it to accomplish." She paused. "But with Mai..." Nadia smiled. "Yes?" "I found myself paying attention to entirely different things." "Such as?" "The way she smiled. The little changes in her expression. Whether she wanted another kiss or simply wanted me to hold her." Panam chuckled. "Sounds like Mai." Shammy nodded. "And then I realized I wasn't thinking about what my electricity could accomplish at all." Nadia leaned closer. "What were you thinking about?" Shammy looked into her eyes. "How wonderful it felt to make someone I love happy." Nadia's expression softened. "Oh, sweetheart." Panam reached across and squeezed Shammy's hand. "That's a pretty damn good discovery." Shammy smiled. "I thought so." Nadia was the first to suggest continuing their little experiment. "Could we try something?" Shammy looked delighted. "Of course." Nadia offered her hand. "But this time, don't tell me what you're going to do." Panam raised an eyebrow. "Nadia." "What?" "You're asking an ancient elemental to surprise you with electricity." Shammy giggled. "My element, darling. Not anything from the wall sockets." "Still." Nadia smiled. "I trust her." Panam looked at Shammy. Shammy returned her gaze with a small, reassuring smile. "Only the same gentle sensations we tried earlier." Panam relaxed. "All right." Nadia leaned closer. "Ready?" Shammy laughed. "Darling, shouldn't I be asking you that?" "Probably." Nadia closed her eyes. "Ready." Shammy took her hand. A tiny silver-blue shimmer appeared between their fingers. Nadia felt a delicate sensation spread across her palm. She smiled. Then Shammy changed it. Not stronger. Just different. A little warmth, followed by an almost featherlight tingling that disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Nadia laughed softly. "Oh, that's beautiful." Panam watched them. "Beautiful?" Nadia opened her eyes. "Yes." "Not interesting? Not wonderful?" "All three." Shammy smiled. "Would you like another?" Nadia nodded enthusiastically. "Please." This time, the sensation was almost playful. Nadia's fingers curled around Shammy's. She gave a delighted little laugh. "Oh, you clever woman!" Shammy positively beamed. Panam shook her head. "I swear, you two are going to start discussing color theory in a minute." Nadia looked at her. "Actually..." "NO." Shammy burst out laughing. Eventually, Panam held out her hand. "All right, lightning girl. Let's see what you've got." Shammy raised an eyebrow. "Are you challenging me, darling?" Panam grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it." Nadia laughed. "That sounded remarkably like a challenge." "You're both imagining things." Shammy took Panam's hand. "Ready?" "Absolutely." The first sensation appeared. Panam blinked. Then looked down at their joined hands. "Huh." Nadia grinned. "There it is again." "What?" "Your highly technical assessment." Panam ignored her. "Can you make it feel a little different?" Shammy nodded. "Certainly." Another delicate shimmer. Panam's expression changed. "Oh." Nadia leaned forward. "Good oh?" Panam considered. "Very good oh." Shammy laughed. "Then perhaps we should keep that one." "Definitely." Shammy allowed the sensation to fade. Panam studied her hand for a moment. Then she looked at Shammy with an expression of genuine wonder. "Sweetheart, I've been around machinery and electricity most of my life." Shammy nodded. "I know." "And I've never felt anything remotely like that." "Because it isn't ordinary electricity." "No kidding." Panam shook her head. "You're full of surprises." Shammy smiled. "So I'm discovering." They continued for a while, with Nadia and Panam taking turns suggesting little variations. Shammy discovered that Nadia especially enjoyed delicate, fleeting sensations that seemed to vanish just as she became aware of them. Panam preferred something steadier, a gentle warmth that lingered. Neither preference particularly surprised her. What did surprise her was how differently the two women described their experiences. Nadia spoke in colors. "That one feels golden." Panam stared at her. "Golden?" "Yes." "What does gold feel like?" Nadia considered. "Warm. Soft. A little radiant." Panam looked at Shammy. "Does that make sense to you?" Shammy smiled. "Perfectly." Panam sighed. "Of course it does." A few minutes later, Panam described a different sensation as being like the comfortable vibration of an engine running perfectly. Nadia stared at her. "An engine?" "Yes." "Darling, we're having a romantic evening, and your mind goes straight to engines?" Panam looked offended. "It's a compliment!" Shammy was laughing so hard that her little sparks disappeared entirely. Finally, she managed to speak. "I think I've discovered something else." Nadia smiled. "What?" "Neither of you is ever going to describe the same thing in remotely similar terms." Panam grinned. "And yet you love us." Shammy pulled both women closer. "Very much." As the evening grew later, Nadia lowered the lights. The studio took on a softer appearance, illuminated by a small amber lamp and the distant neon outside. Panam had made herself comfortable against one end of the sofa. Shammy sat between them, with Nadia nestled against her shoulder. For a while, they simply enjoyed being together. Then Nadia reached up and touched Shammy's cheek. "May I tell you something?" "Anything, darling." "I think I understand why Mai was so excited." Shammy smiled. "Do you?" Nadia nodded. "But I also think I understand why you were." Shammy looked curious. "Tell me." Nadia took her hand. "You're sharing something that belongs to you in a way nobody else can." Shammy's expression softened. "And?" "And you're letting us discover it with you." Panam leaned closer. "She's right, sweetheart." Shammy looked between them. Panam continued. "You're not showing off. You're inviting us into something that matters to you." Shammy smiled shyly. "I suppose I am." Nadia kissed her cheek. "And that's what makes it special." After a while, Shammy looked at Nadia. "Darling?" "Hmm?" "Would you like to try something a little more romantic?" Nadia smiled immediately. "I'd love to." Shammy leaned closer. Their lips met in a soft kiss. A faint blue-white shimmer appeared between them, briefly illuminating their faces. Nadia drew back with a surprised laugh. "Oh, Shammy!" "Good?" Nadia answered by kissing her again. Panam watched them with a warm smile. When they finally separated, Nadia rested her forehead against Shammy's. "That," she whispered, "was lovely." Shammy's face lit up. "I'm glad." Panam cleared her throat. "Excuse me." Both women turned. Panam folded her arms. "I believe someone promised me an interesting evening too." Nadia burst out laughing. "Impatient?" "Extremely." Shammy opened her arms. "Come here, darling." Panam moved closer and kissed her. Shammy returned the kiss affectionately, adding the faintest expression of her element. Panam paused. Looked at her. Then smiled. "Okay." Nadia giggled. "Another technical assessment?" Panam ignored her. "Sweetheart." "Yes?" "You're an absolute marvel." Shammy laughed softly. "Thank you, darling." Panam kissed her forehead. "And I mean that." "I know." Eventually, the three women moved away from the sofa. Nadia caught Shammy's hand before they went any farther. "Sweetheart?" "Yes?" Nadia glanced briefly at Panam, then back at her. "Could we try what you were telling us about? Not just the kiss." Shammy understood immediately. "The more intimate version?" Nadia nodded. "I'd like to know." Panam's smile made her own answer obvious. "So would I." Shammy took a breath, not from fear of her element but from the intimacy of being trusted with it again. "Then I'll start very low." Nadia kissed her. "I trust you." The first deliberately erotic sensation Shammy shared with Nadia was barely more than a whisper. Nadia reacted as though Shammy had found a hidden switch. Her breath broke. Her eyes flew open. "Shammy..." The elemental froze the sensation at once. "Too much?" Nadia shook her head rapidly. "No. Just... don't add anything." Shammy smiled. "I won't." She did not need to. A tiny change in texture, still at that almost absurdly low level, was enough. The soft electric note settled exactly where Nadia's body had already begun to respond, and Nadia's hips shifted once, seeking more of it without words. The first orgasm Shammy drew from Nadia that night arrived with a startled gasp and enough force to leave her clutching Shammy close, face buried against her shoulder. Her body tightened in long, rolling pulses around the tiny charge. Shammy let the elemental sensation fade immediately and stayed with her, one hand stroking her back while Panam moved closer on the other side. Nobody hurried Nadia through the response. When she finally lifted her head, she was laughing in disbelief. "That was almost nothing." "For me," Shammy said gently. "Apparently not for you." Nadia kissed her with enormous affection. "No. Definitely not for me." Panam had watched the entire exchange with her usual confidence and considerably less certainty than she'd started with. Then she held out her hand. "My turn." Shammy laughed. "Still sure?" "Sweetheart, after watching that? Absolutely." Shammy began even lower. Panam noticed. "You're giving me special treatment." "I'm giving you what I think you need." Panam's eyebrows rose. "Confident now, are we?" Shammy smiled. "Learning." Panam kissed her. "Good." The first intimate shimmer made Panam go completely still. Shammy saw the change and held the level. Panam drew one sharp breath. "Don't move that." "I won't." A heartbeat later, her composure broke. The orgasm hit hard enough that Panam's arms locked around Shammy and a single astonished curse escaped her before language abandoned her altogether. Her body clenched hard, the low electric note drawing the climax out of her in a way that left her shaking. Shammy let the sensation vanish. She held Panam through the last aftershocks while Nadia stayed close, one hand resting warmly against Panam's shoulder. Only when Panam had recovered did Shammy ask: "Good?" Panam stared at her. Then she laughed once, breathlessly. "Sweetheart, that may have been the strongest orgasm of my life." Nadia's eyes widened. Shammy looked almost startled. "Really?" Panam kissed her. "Really." Shammy's delighted smile was so bright that Nadia immediately leaned in to kiss her other cheek. And that was when Shammy realized she had fallen into the old habit again. Giving. Watching. Making sure everyone else was happy. Nadia noticed too. "Darling." Shammy looked at her. "Yes?" "You are not spending the entire night being our personal lightning goddess." Panam nodded. "Absolutely not." Shammy laughed. "Oh?" Panam drew her closer. "You've made both of us very happy." Nadia kissed her. "Now let us return the favor." What followed belonged to all three of them. Some of it involved Shammy's element. Much of it did not. They made love without hurry, laughing when laughter came naturally and going quiet when words would only get in the way. Nadia and Panam were every bit as attentive to Shammy as she had been to them — mouths, hands, and focused affection that left Shammy trembling and laughing against them in turn — and by the time the three finally settled together, Shammy had been reminded very thoroughly that receiving love could be every bit as wonderful as giving it. The studio lights dimmed around three women who were warm, satisfied, and in no hurry to be anywhere else. Much later, Panam was the first to speak. "Well." Nadia laughed softly. "Well?" Panam considered her words. "I think we've established something." Shammy looked up. "What?" Panam smiled. "That your little discovery deserves considerable appreciation." Nadia giggled. "Considerable?" "Enormous." Shammy laughed. "Oh, my loves." Panam drew her closer. "I'm serious, sweetheart." "I know." "And not just about the electricity." Shammy looked at her. Panam's expression softened. "About you." For a moment, Shammy said nothing. Then Nadia gently touched her cheek. "You've made us both very happy tonight." Shammy smiled. "So have you." Nadia looked delighted. "Good." Panam kissed her forehead. "That's what I wanted to hear." They remained together in comfortable silence. Eventually, Nadia glanced toward her painting. Shammy followed her gaze. The delicate blue curve Nadia had added earlier was still visible in the dim light. "Something wrong, darling?" Shammy asked. Nadia shook her head. "No. I was just thinking." Panam groaned. "Oh, no." Nadia laughed. "What?" "Please tell me you're not going to start painting again." "Not tonight!" "Good." Nadia looked at Shammy. "I think I finally understand what was missing." Shammy tilted her head. "From the painting?" Nadia nodded. "I was trying to capture what your electricity felt like." "And?" Nadia smiled. "But I was thinking about the wrong thing." Panam raised an eyebrow. "Which was?" "The spark itself." Shammy looked intrigued. Nadia continued. "The important thing wasn't the electricity. It was the feeling of being loved." For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then Shammy's expression softened completely. "Oh, Nadia." Nadia smiled. "That's what I want to paint." Shammy pulled her into an embrace. "I think that's beautiful." Panam leaned closer. "Just promise you won't repaint the entire canvas." Nadia laughed. "I promise." A pause. "Probably." "NA-DI-A!" Shammy dissolved into giggles. --- Later still, Nadia fell asleep with her head resting comfortably against Shammy's shoulder. Panam remained awake a little longer. She studied Shammy's face in the dim light. "Sweetheart?" "Hmm?" "Can I ask you something?" "Of course." "Have you told Mai how much this means to you?" Shammy smiled. "Yes." "And Ace?" "Her too." Panam nodded. "Good." Shammy looked at her. "Why?" Panam considered the question. "Because I think they'd both be delighted to know just how happy you've become." Shammy's expression warmed. "They already know." Panam smiled. "Of course they do." She leaned forward and kissed Shammy gently. "Still. It's worth saying." Shammy returned the kiss. "I love you, Panam." Panam smiled. "Love you too, sweetheart." For a while, they remained quiet. Then Panam glanced toward the sleeping Nadia. "She's going to spend half of tomorrow working on that painting, isn't she?" Shammy giggled. "Probably." Panam sighed. "Thought so." "Does it bother you?" Panam looked at her. Then at Nadia. Her expression softened. "Not for a second." --- The following morning arrived quietly. Nadia was still asleep when Panam emerged from the small kitchen carrying three cups of coffee. Shammy was sitting near the window, looking at the unfinished painting. Panam set the cups down. "Morning, sweetheart." Shammy smiled. "Good morning." Panam leaned over and kissed her. "Sleep well?" "Wonderfully." "Good." They sat together for a while. Then Nadia appeared, her hair tousled and her expression still half asleep. "Coffee?" Panam handed her a cup. "Already prepared." Nadia smiled. "You're wonderful." "I know." Shammy laughed. Nadia settled beside them. For a few minutes, the three simply enjoyed the peaceful morning. Then Nadia looked at Shammy. "Darling?" "Yes?" "I've been thinking about what you said last night." Shammy smiled. "Which part?" "That you're still discovering things about yourself." Shammy nodded. "I am." Nadia took her hand. "Then I'd like to make you a promise." Shammy looked surprised. "A promise?" "Yes." Nadia smiled. "Whenever you discover something new about yourself, I want you to feel comfortable sharing it with us." Panam nodded. "Agreed." Shammy looked between them. Nadia continued. "Not because we expect anything extraordinary. Just because we love you." Shammy's expression softened. "Oh, my loves." Panam wrapped an arm around her. "And if you don't feel like sharing something, that's fine too." Nadia nodded. "Exactly." Shammy laughed quietly. "You're both wonderful." Panam grinned. "We've been told." Nadia rolled her eyes. "By you, mostly." "An exceptionally reliable source." Shammy burst out laughing. Before leaving later that morning, Shammy stopped beside Nadia's painting one last time. The luminous blue curve still crossed its center. But now she noticed something else. The colors surrounding it seemed warmer than before. More welcoming. Almost as though the little spark belonged there. "Nadia?" "Yes, darling?" "May I ask you something?" "Of course." "When you finish this, would you mind if Mai saw it?" Nadia smiled. "I'd love her to." Shammy looked at the painting again. "I think she'd understand." Panam approached from behind and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Understand what?" Shammy smiled. "That something wonderful can become even more beautiful when it's shared." Nadia leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Then I think she'd understand perfectly." When Shammy finally stepped out into the morning sunlight, she was smiling. She had spent centuries commanding lightning, shaping storms and directing forces that could change the course of battles. Yet the past few days had taught her something that all those centuries had not. The smallest expression of her element could become something deeply meaningful when offered with love. And just as importantly, she could receive that love in return. She glanced down at her hand. A tiny blue spark appeared between her fingertips. Then vanished. Shammy laughed softly. She couldn't wait to tell Mai about the painting. --- ## Chapter 9 — The Colors of a Spark Mai knew something wonderful had happened. She knew it approximately three seconds after Shammy walked into the safehouse living room. The ancient elemental was smiling. Not her ordinary, affectionate smile. Not even the delighted expression she wore whenever Ace managed to say something particularly outrageous. This was different. A quiet, almost luminous happiness that seemed to have settled somewhere deep inside her. Mai looked up from her datapad. "Hello, darling." Shammy's face brightened even further. "Mai!" She crossed the room and immediately wrapped her arms around her. Mai laughed. "Well! Someone's happy to see me." "Very." Shammy kissed her. Mai returned the kiss, then drew back just far enough to study her face. "Had a good evening?" Shammy nodded enthusiastically. "A wonderful one." "With Nadia and Panam?" "Yes." Mai smiled. "I'm glad." Shammy looked at her for a moment. Then kissed her again. Mai raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm complaining, sweetheart, but is there something particular I should know?" Shammy giggled. "Several things, actually." "Oh?" "And one of them is something I very much want to show you." Mai immediately looked interested. "Show me?" "Yes." "Something involving electricity?" "Indirectly." Mai considered that. Then smiled. "Darling, you do realize that telling me something is only indirectly related to electricity makes me considerably more curious?" Shammy laughed. "I thought it might." They settled together on the sofa. Shammy tucked herself comfortably against Mai, their fingers intertwined. For a while, she simply told her about the previous evening. About Nadia's delight at discovering new sensations. About Panam's determination to provide sensible, practical descriptions of something entirely outside her mechanical experience. Mai laughed when Shammy repeated Panam's comparison to a perfectly running engine. "Oh, that's wonderful." "That's what I thought!" "And Nadia described the same kind of sensation in colors?" "Naturally." Mai shook her head, smiling. "Those two really are perfect for each other." Shammy nodded. "They are." Mai squeezed her hand. "And you enjoyed yourself?" Shammy turned toward her. "Very much." "Good." Mai kissed her cheek. "That's the part I wanted to hear." Shammy smiled. "I thought you might." Then she hesitated. "Actually, there's something I want to thank you for." Mai blinked. "Me?" "Yes." "What have I done?" Shammy looked down at their joined hands. "You encouraged me to share this with them." "Of course." "And you reminded me that what we discovered together wouldn't become less special because I shared something of myself with someone else." Mai's expression softened. "I remember." Shammy looked up. "You were right." Mai smiled. "Darling, that's a dangerous thing to tell me." Shammy laughed. "Why?" "Because Ace already accuses me of being insufferably pleased whenever one of my ideas works." "She's occasionally right." "SHAMMY!" Both women burst into laughter. Then Shammy leaned closer. "But seriously, darling. You were right." Mai gently brushed her thumb against Shammy's cheek. "I'm glad." "And something else happened." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Now we're getting to the mysterious part." Shammy nodded. "Nadia made something." Shammy brought up a photograph on her datapad. Mai leaned closer. At first, she saw only an abstract canvas. Warm amber. Soft gold. A suggestion of deep violet around the edges. And across its center, a slender curve of luminous blue. Mai studied it. "That's gorgeous." Shammy smiled. "Isn't it?" "Is it one of Nadia's new paintings?" "Yes. She's still working on it." Mai tilted her head. "There's something unusual about the composition." Shammy looked interested. "What do you see?" Mai considered. "The blue line." "Yes?" "It's almost the smallest thing in the entire painting." Shammy nodded. "But?" Mai leaned closer. "Everything else seems to respond to it." Shammy went very still. Mai continued studying the photograph. "Look at the colors around it. They're not being pushed away. They're almost..." She hesitated. "Welcoming it." Shammy smiled slowly. "That's exactly what Nadia was trying to express." Mai turned toward her. "Really?" Shammy nodded. "She said she originally wanted to paint what my electricity felt like." "And then?" "She realized she was thinking about the wrong thing." Mai looked back at the canvas. Shammy continued quietly. "She wanted to paint what it felt like to be loved." Mai stopped moving. For a long moment, she simply looked at the photograph. Then she turned toward Shammy. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy smiled shyly. "She said the spark wasn't the important part." Mai looked down again. "No." She touched the edge of the datapad. "It isn't." For several minutes, neither woman spoke. Mai continued studying the painting. Shammy watched her. Eventually, Mai smiled. "You know something?" "What?" "I'd love to see the original." Shammy's face lit up. "Really?" "Of course!" She looked at Shammy. "Did Nadia say whether she'd mind?" "She'd love you to see it." "Then perhaps we should visit her." Shammy laughed. "Darling, you sound as though you've just been invited to see a great masterpiece." Mai smiled. "Maybe I have." She looked at the painting again. "Besides, sweetheart, I think Nadia has managed something extraordinary." "What?" "She's made something invisible visible." Shammy considered that. Then her expression softened. "Oh, Mai." Mai leaned over and kissed her. "And I think that's worth seeing properly." --- Nadia greeted them that afternoon with a delighted smile. "Mai!" "Hello, beautiful." They embraced warmly. Shammy followed them inside. Panam was occupied at the Stable, leaving Nadia to enjoy a quiet afternoon in her studio. The painting stood on its easel near the windows. Mai stopped almost immediately. "Oh." Nadia smiled. "That good?" Mai approached slowly. In person, the canvas was considerably more impressive. The photograph had captured the colors, but not their texture. Warm shades spread across the surface in overlapping layers, sometimes translucent, sometimes deep and rich. And the blue curve... Mai leaned closer. It was delicate. Almost impossibly fine in places. Yet the eye returned to it again and again. "May I look closely?" Nadia laughed. "Darling, that's what paintings are for." Mai smiled and stepped nearer. Shammy remained beside her. For a while, Mai studied the canvas without speaking. Then she looked at Nadia. "You haven't finished it." "No." "Do you know what you're going to change?" Nadia considered. "Not entirely." Mai nodded. "Good." Nadia blinked. "Good?" Mai smiled. "Because I'd hate for you to feel that you needed to add something simply to make it more elaborate." Nadia looked at the canvas. Then back at Mai. "Hmm." Shammy immediately started laughing. Nadia turned. "What?" "Nothing, darling." Mai grinned. "It's that expression." "What expression?" "The one that means an artist has just been given an idea." Nadia laughed. "Oh, you're both terrible!" --- They spent the next half hour talking about the painting. Nadia explained how she had begun with a feeling she couldn't quite describe. How the little elemental sensations had inspired her to rethink the piece. And how the evening with Shammy and Panam had changed what she wanted to express. Mai listened with genuine fascination. At one point, Nadia looked at Shammy. "May I ask you something?" "Of course." "Do you see the painting the same way Mai does?" Shammy considered. "Not exactly." Nadia smiled. "Tell me." Shammy looked at the blue curve. "Mai sees the colors welcoming the spark." "And you?" Shammy was quiet for a moment. Then she smiled. "I see something small being given a place to belong." Mai turned toward her. Nadia's expression softened. "Oh." Shammy laughed shyly. "Does that make sense?" Nadia nodded. "Perfectly." Mai slipped her hand into Shammy's. For a moment, she couldn't think of anything to say. Then she gently squeezed her fingers. Shammy smiled at her. And Nadia, watching them, suddenly understood something else about her painting. The little blue line was important. But it wasn't alone. It belonged to everything surrounding it. She picked up a pencil and made a small note. Mai noticed. "Another idea?" Nadia grinned. "Possibly." Shammy laughed. "Panam is going to be delighted." "Don't you dare tell her!" --- They left the studio a little later, after Nadia had made them promise to visit again when the painting was finished. As they walked together, Mai was unusually quiet. Shammy glanced at her. "Thinking, darling?" Mai smiled. "Quite a lot." "About the painting?" "Yes." Shammy waited. Mai looked at her. "Do you know what I find most wonderful about it?" "What?" "Nadia experienced something entirely different from what I experienced." Shammy nodded. "Of course." "And yet she understood something I recognized immediately." Shammy smiled. "The feeling?" "Yes." Mai reached for her hand. "The feeling of being loved." For a while, they continued in comfortable silence. Then Shammy spoke. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "There's something I want you to understand." Mai turned. "Tell me." Shammy hesitated. "When I was with Nadia and Panam, I discovered something wonderful with them." "I'm glad." "But..." Shammy looked at their joined hands. "It wasn't what I discovered with you." Mai smiled. "I know, darling." "Do you?" "Of course." Mai stopped and turned fully toward her. "Sweetheart, I never expected it to be." Shammy looked at her. Mai continued. "What you share with Nadia belongs to the two of you. What you share with Panam belongs to you and her. And what we share..." She lifted their joined hands. "...belongs to us." Shammy smiled. Mai kissed her. "Nobody else has to experience the same thing for it to be equally wonderful." Shammy's eyes softened. "Thank you." Mai grinned. "Besides, I happen to be rather possessive about one particular little discovery." Shammy laughed. "Our language?" "Our language." "Of course." --- That evening, the safehouse was peaceful. Iris and Brenda were occupied elsewhere in the building. Ace was talking with Yukari in the living room, apparently discussing something that required increasingly elaborate hand gestures. Mai suspected it was either a tactical problem or an argument about sake. Knowing Ace, possibly both. She and Shammy withdrew to their bedroom. Mai sat on the bed. Shammy joined her. For a while, they simply enjoyed one another's company. Then Mai held out her hand. Shammy smiled immediately. "Would you like our little message?" Mai shook her head. "Not quite." Shammy looked curious. "Oh?" Mai took her hand. Turned it palm upward. Then, very gently, she touched Shammy's skin with three fingertips. A pause. Her warm palm rested against Shammy's. Then two soft taps. Shammy stared at her. Mai smiled. "I'm here, darling." For several seconds, Shammy said nothing. Then her expression changed. "Oh." Mai looked suddenly uncertain. "Was that all right?" Shammy nodded. "Oh, Mai." She looked down at her hand. Then back at the woman sitting beside her. "You remembered." Mai smiled. "Of course I remembered." "But..." Shammy laughed softly. "You don't have my element." "No." "And you can't make those little sensations." "Not quite the same ones." Mai gently squeezed her hand. "But I can still tell you I'm here." Shammy's eyes shone. "Oh, darling." Mai leaned closer. "Did I get it right?" Shammy laughed. "Perfectly." Then she pulled Mai into her arms. For a long time, they simply held each other. Eventually, Shammy drew back. "May I tell you something?" Mai smiled. "Always." "When we invented our little language, I thought it was something I was giving you." Mai nodded. "I remember." "And then I thought it was something we were sharing." "Yes." Shammy looked down at her hand. "But I didn't really understand what that meant until you did that." Mai's expression softened. Shammy continued. "You took something that belongs to my element and made it your own." Mai smiled. "Only because you shared it with me." "And now..." Shammy hesitated. "Now it belongs to both of us in a way I hadn't imagined." Mai touched her cheek. "Darling, that's what I wanted." Shammy looked at her. Mai smiled. "I wanted you to feel what I've been feeling whenever you send me that little message." "And what is that?" Mai kissed her. "That the woman I love is thinking of me." Shammy closed her eyes. For a moment, she couldn't find words. Then she smiled. "That's exactly how it felt." --- The evening grew softer around them. The city outside continued its endless restless motion, but inside their bedroom the only sounds were quiet conversation and occasional laughter. Mai rested against Shammy, enjoying the familiar warmth of her embrace. A delicate blue shimmer appeared between their hands. Mai smiled. "Showing off again?" "Possibly." "Terrible woman." "You love me." "Desperately." Shammy laughed and kissed her. Mai returned the kiss, then rested her forehead against hers. "Darling?" "Yes?" "Can I tell you something?" "Anything." Mai smiled. "When you first suggested all this, I thought it would be fascinating to discover what your element could do." Shammy nodded. "And now?" Mai looked into her eyes. "Now I think the most fascinating thing is what it's helping us discover about each other." Shammy's expression softened. "I feel the same way." Mai kissed her cheek. "And there's something else." "Oh?" "I love how much more confident you've become." Shammy laughed shyly. "Have I?" "Absolutely." "Is that a good thing?" Mai raised an eyebrow. "Sweetheart, the woman I love is discovering that she can ask for what she wants without apologizing for wanting it." Shammy considered that. Then she smiled. "That does sound rather wonderful." "It is." Mai drew her closer. "And I hope you never stop." Later, as the evening settled into quiet intimacy, Shammy took Mai's hand. A faint blue-white glow illuminated their fingers. Mai smiled. "Something new?" Shammy shook her head. "Something familiar." The little pattern appeared. Three delicate sensations. A pause. Warmth. Two more. Mai laughed softly. "I'm here, darling." Shammy nodded. Mai looked at her for a moment. Then she gently turned their hands over. Three soft touches. A pause. Her palm against Shammy's. Two tiny taps. Shammy's smile became radiant. Neither woman needed to say anything. The message had been given. And returned. They kissed, then settled into each other's arms as the bedroom lights dimmed, content to leave the rest of the evening entirely their own. Much later, Mai was lying comfortably against Shammy when she suddenly began laughing. Shammy looked down. "What?" "I just realized something." "Oh?" "We've spent several days discovering new ways to communicate affection." "Yes." "And we've invented a secret language." "Yes." "And Nadia has started painting an entirely new work because of it." Shammy giggled. "Yes." Mai looked at her. "All because you were a little shy about asking me a question." Shammy stared at her. Then burst out laughing. "Oh, Mai!" Mai grinned. "Think about it!" Shammy shook her head, still laughing. "It's rather extraordinary when you put it that way." "Isn't it?" Mai kissed her. "And I'm so glad you asked." Shammy's expression softened. "So am I." For a while, they simply lay together. Then Shammy whispered: "Mai?" "Hmm?" "May I ask you another question?" Mai opened one eye. "Darling, after everything that's happened this week, I think I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Shammy laughed. "Good." "What is it?" Shammy looked thoughtful. "Do you think we'll ever run out of things to discover?" Mai considered that. Then she smiled. "No." "You're certain?" "Absolutely." Shammy tilted her head. "How can you be so sure?" Mai leaned up and kissed her. "Because you're you." Another kiss. "And I'm me." She settled against her again. "And neither of us has ever been particularly good at leaving interesting things unexplored." Shammy laughed softly. "No." Mai closed her eyes. "Besides, darling, we've barely begun." A little later, Shammy felt three gentle touches against her hand. A pause. Warmth. Then two more. She opened her eyes. Mai was already asleep. Shammy smiled. Apparently, her beloved had one final message for her before drifting off. She leaned over and kissed Mai's silver hair. "I know, darling," she whispered. Then she settled comfortably beside her. For someone who had commanded lightning for longer than she could remember, Shammy found it rather extraordinary that one of the loveliest sensations she had ever experienced required no electricity whatsoever. Just the gentle touch of a woman who loved her. And a message they had learned to share. --- ## Chapter 10 — The Things We Give Each Other Ace had a theory. It wasn't particularly complicated. In fact, she considered it one of her more straightforward observations. Something had happened to Shammy. Something wonderful. And while Ace was perfectly aware of what had started it, she suspected that neither Shammy nor Mai had entirely realized just how much their little discovery had changed things. She mentioned this to Yukari over breakfast. "I think our lightning goddess is falling in love again." Yukari looked up from her tea. "Again?" "Yes." "With whom, darling?" Ace grinned. "Mai." Yukari considered that for approximately two seconds. Then she smiled. "Ah." Ace pointed at her. "That's it?" "What were you expecting?" "I don't know. Some profound observation about eternal love from our resident ancient fox?" Yukari laughed. "Darling, if you require profound observations before I've finished my tea, I'm afraid you'll have to make an appointment." Ace looked offended. "An appointment?" "Preferably after eleven." "Outrageous." "Quite." Ace took another sip of coffee. Then her expression softened. "Seriously, though. Have you noticed?" Yukari nodded. "Of course." "Shammy's different." "A little." "More confident." "Yes." "And Mai..." Ace smiled. "Mai looks at her as though she's discovering something wonderful every five minutes." Yukari's golden eyes warmed. "Perhaps she is." Ace considered that. Then nodded. "Fair point." --- A little later, Shammy entered the kitchen. Mai followed close behind, her silver hair still slightly disheveled from sleep. "Morning!" Mai announced. Ace smiled. "Good morning, beautiful." Mai leaned over to kiss her. Shammy followed with another affectionate greeting. Yukari watched the exchange with a quiet smile. "Did you sleep well, my loves?" "Wonderfully," Shammy answered. Mai nodded. "Very." Ace looked between them. Then smiled. "Excellent." Mai narrowed her eyes. "What?" "Nothing." "Ace." "Absolutely nothing." Shammy giggled. Yukari took another sip of tea. Mai looked suspiciously at both women. "You're plotting something." Ace placed a hand against her chest. "Darling, I'm wounded." "You're smiling." "I'm allowed to smile!" "Not like that." Yukari laughed softly. "Mai, sweetheart, perhaps Ace is simply happy to see you both so happy." Mai looked at her. Then at Ace. Ace's expression softened. "That's actually exactly it." Mai blinked. "Oh." Ace reached across the counter and took her hand. "Sweetheart, you've both been glowing for days." Shammy looked down at herself. Ace burst out laughing. "Not literally!" Shammy giggled. "Sorry." Mai smiled. "Well, we have been having a lovely time." "I know," Ace replied. "And I love seeing it." Shammy leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We love you, darling." Ace smiled. "Love you both." Then she glanced at Yukari. "See? Perfectly ordinary breakfast conversation." Yukari nodded solemnly. "Exceptionally ordinary." Mai laughed. "You're both impossible." "Occupational hazard," Ace replied. --- Later that morning, Mai found Ace in the living room. She was sitting on the sofa, cleaning and inspecting one of her katana's fittings. Mai settled beside her. "Darling?" "Hmm?" "Can I ask you something?" Ace set the fitting aside. "Always." Mai hesitated. "Have you really been enjoying all this?" Ace looked at her. "All what?" "Shammy's discovery. The experiments. Everything." Ace blinked. Then smiled. "Of course." Mai considered that. "I know you have. But I mean..." She paused. "Shammy and I have been spending quite a lot of time together." Ace nodded. "Yes." "And you've been wonderfully supportive." "Thank you." Mai looked down at her hands. "I suppose I wanted to make certain you weren't feeling left out." Ace studied her for a moment. Then gently took her hand. "Mai." "Yes?" "Do you remember when Shammy first suggested all this?" "Of course." "And how nervous she was?" Mai smiled. "Very." Ace nodded. "Now look at her." Mai's expression softened. Ace continued. "She's asking for what she wants. She's laughing more. She's discovering new things about herself." "Yes." "And you..." Ace smiled. "You're happier than I've seen you in a while." Mai looked at her. "Really?" "Really." Ace kissed her forehead. "Darling, I don't need to be at the center of every wonderful thing that happens in this family." Mai's expression softened completely. "Oh, Ace." "Although," Ace added, "I reserve the right to be involved in a thoroughly unreasonable number of them." Mai burst out laughing. "There she is!" Ace grinned. "Naturally." They embraced. For a while, neither spoke. Then Ace murmured: "And besides, sweetheart, we both know Shammy's little discovery isn't going anywhere." Mai laughed against her shoulder. "No." "We have time." Mai drew back. Ace smiled. "Lots of time." --- That afternoon, Yukari found Shammy sitting near the safehouse windows. The elemental was watching the distant skyline. A tiny spark danced between her fingertips, disappearing and reappearing in an almost absent-minded rhythm. Yukari approached quietly. "May I join you, darling?" Shammy looked up. "Of course." Yukari settled beside her. For a while, they simply watched the city. Then Yukari smiled. "You seem very happy." Shammy laughed. "Everyone keeps telling me that." "Perhaps because it's true." "It is." Shammy looked down at her hands. "Very true." Yukari waited. Eventually, Shammy spoke again. "Mai did something wonderful yesterday." "Oh?" Shammy smiled. "She took our little language and gave it back to me." Yukari tilted her head. "Your language?" Shammy nodded. "We developed a tiny pattern using my electricity. Something that means 'I'm here, darling.'" "How lovely." "And yesterday, Mai used ordinary touch to give me the same message." Yukari's expression softened. "Did she?" Shammy nodded. "She remembered the pattern. Every little part." She laughed quietly. "And when she touched my hand, I suddenly understood something." Yukari smiled. "What was that?" Shammy considered her answer. "That the message wasn't really about electricity at all." Yukari nodded slowly. "No." "It was about being there." "Yes." Shammy looked at her. "And Mai found a way to tell me that without needing any of my abilities." Yukari reached over and took her hand. "Darling, may I tell you something?" "Always." Yukari looked out at the skyline. "I've lived through more changes than I could count. Kingdoms have risen and fallen. Entire languages have disappeared. People have invented extraordinary ways of communicating with one another." Shammy smiled. "I know." "And yet, through all those centuries, one thing has remained remarkably consistent." "What?" Yukari turned toward her. "People want to know that they are loved." Shammy grew quiet. Yukari continued. "Some express it with words. Some with gifts. Some through acts of devotion." She squeezed Shammy's hand. "And sometimes, apparently, with a tiny spark." Shammy laughed softly. "Apparently." Yukari smiled. "But what Mai gave you was something even more beautiful." Shammy tilted her head. "What?" "She showed you that she had listened." For a moment, Shammy said nothing. Then her expression softened. "Oh." Yukari nodded. "She remembered something that mattered to you. And she found her own way to return it." Shammy looked down at their joined hands. "Yes." "That's what love does, darling." Yukari smiled. "It learns." Shammy remained thoughtful long after Yukari had returned to her book. Not troubled. Not uncertain. Just quietly considering something she hadn't quite understood before. It learns. Such a small statement. And yet... She had spent centuries mastering her element. There were things she could do with electricity that no ordinary human could even begin to imagine. And then Mai had taken one tiny part of that extraordinary power and transformed it into something beautifully ordinary. A touch. A message. A promise of presence. Shammy smiled. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about love wasn't that it allowed people to do extraordinary things. Perhaps it was that it made ordinary things extraordinary. --- That evening, Mai found Shammy in their bedroom. She was sitting on the bed with a small object in her hands. Mai approached. "Darling?" Shammy looked up. "Hello, beautiful." Mai smiled. "What have you got there?" Shammy hesitated. "Something I've been working on." Mai sat beside her. "May I see?" "Of course." Shammy opened her hands. Resting in her palms was a small translucent crystal. It was smooth, almost perfectly oval, and no larger than a pendant. A faint blue light shimmered inside it. Mai leaned closer. "Oh, that's lovely." Shammy smiled. "I found it in one of my little collections." Mai looked amused. "One of your collections?" "Darling, I've been collecting interesting things for a very long time." "Apparently." Shammy giggled. Mai studied the crystal. "What's special about it?" "Nothing particularly magical. It's simply beautiful." She held it toward the lamp. The light passed through it, revealing delicate natural patterns inside. Mai smiled. "It is." Shammy looked at her. "I thought perhaps you'd like to have it." Mai blinked. "For me?" Shammy nodded. "But why?" Shammy smiled shyly. "Because it reminded me of something." Mai waited. "The little blue line in Nadia's painting." Mai looked at the crystal again. Shammy continued. "Something small. Something that becomes beautiful because of the light around it." Mai's expression softened. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy placed the crystal in her hand. "I thought perhaps you could keep it somewhere you like." Mai looked at the gift. Then at Shammy. "Darling, it's beautiful." Shammy smiled. "I'm glad." Mai leaned forward and kissed her. "Thank you." Shammy returned the kiss. Then Mai drew back slightly. "May I ask you something?" "Of course." "Why did you choose this particular crystal?" Shammy considered. Then smiled. "Because it's silver and blue." Mai looked down. The crystal had a faint silvery sheen beneath its blue reflections. She laughed softly. "Like my hair and your sparks?" Shammy nodded. "Exactly." Mai stared at her for a moment. Then she wrapped both arms around her. "Oh, Shammy." Shammy laughed. "Good?" Mai kissed her. "Wonderful." --- A little later, Mai placed the crystal on the bedside table. Not hidden away in a drawer. Not put somewhere safe and forgotten. Right beside the lamp, where the warm light would catch it every evening. Shammy watched her. "You don't have to leave it there." Mai turned. "I know." "You could put it somewhere more practical." Mai smiled. "Darling, I want to see it." Shammy's expression softened. "Really?" "Every evening." Mai approached and took her hands. "Because every time I look at it, I'll remember this week." Shammy smiled. "Our discoveries?" "Yes." Mai kissed her. "And the woman who made them with me." Shammy drew her close. For a while, they simply held one another. Ace arrived later carrying a tray with three cups of tea. She stopped when she noticed the crystal. "Oh." Mai turned. "Hello, darling." Ace approached the bedside table. "What's this?" "A gift from Shammy." Ace studied it. Then smiled. "Absolutely gorgeous." Shammy blushed. "Thank you." Ace leaned closer. "Silver and blue?" Mai nodded. Ace looked at Shammy. Then at Mai. Her expression softened. "Oh, you two." Mai smiled. "What?" "Nothing." Ace placed the tray down. Then kissed Shammy's cheek. "You're a wonderful woman, sweetheart." Shammy laughed shyly. "So I've been told." Ace turned toward Mai. "And you have excellent taste in gifts." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Darling, I didn't choose it." "No, but you chose where to put it." Mai looked at the crystal. Then smiled. "I suppose I did." Ace settled beside them. For a while, the three women enjoyed their tea in comfortable silence. Then Ace glanced at the crystal again. "One question." Mai groaned. "Oh, no." Ace looked offended. "What?" "You have that expression." "What expression?" "The one that means you're about to say something ridiculous." Ace considered that. Then grinned. "Fine. I was going to ask whether Shammy's next gift might be a miniature lightning-powered coffee machine." Shammy stared. Mai stared. Ace spread her hands. "What? Practical romance!" Mai burst out laughing. Shammy followed immediately. Ace grinned triumphantly. "See? Excellent idea." Mai shook her head. "Darling, you are absolutely impossible." "Yes, but I'm your impossible." Shammy leaned over and kissed her. "Very much so." --- Later, Ace collected the empty tea mugs and glanced toward the clock. "Well, my beautiful women, I think I'm going to leave you two the rest of the evening." Mai looked up. "Going somewhere, darling?" Ace smiled. "I have plans with a certain ancient fox." Shammy laughed. "That sounds lovely." "It will be." Ace leaned down and kissed Shammy, then Mai. "Enjoy your night, sweethearts." Mai caught her hand before she could straighten. "Ace?" "Hmm?" "Thank you." Ace's grin gentled. "You don't need to thank me for loving both of you enough to know when you want a little space." "I know." Mai squeezed her fingers. "But thank you anyway." Ace kissed her again. "You're welcome." Shammy reached for her too. "And have a wonderful night with Yukari." Ace's smile turned distinctly wicked. "That is very much the plan." Mai laughed. "Goodnight, darling." "Goodnight, my loves." --- Ace found Yukari waiting in one of the spare bedrooms in her familiar female human form, a small bottle of sake and two cups already on the table. Yukari looked up. "Hello, beautiful." Ace closed the door behind her. "Hello, my love." Their first kiss lasted long enough to make the sake temporarily irrelevant. When they finally separated, Yukari smiled. "Our two lovebirds?" "Very happy." "And you?" Ace slipped her arms around Yukari's waist. "About to be." Yukari laughed and kissed her again. The evening belonged to them after that. They talked, drank a little sake, laughed, and eventually made love with the easy confidence of two women who wanted the time together for its own sake. Nothing about the night felt like Ace giving something up so Mai and Shammy could be alone. Quite the opposite. She had Yukari to herself. That was a gift. Much later, when they were warm and pleasantly exhausted, Yukari kissed Ace's forehead. "I have one more idea." Ace smiled sleepily. "Should I be worried?" "Never." Yukari slipped out of the bed. Ace watched as her familiar human form flowed smoothly into her true kitsune shape: fully fox, magnificent and warm, nine great tails unfurling behind her. Ace's eyes lit up. "Oh, sweetheart." The fox hopped back onto the bed and settled beside her. Nine tails opened around Ace like an invitation. Ace needed none. She curled happily into the impossible softness, laughing when several tails wrapped around her at once. "This may be the greatest sleeping arrangement in Night City." Yukari answered with a pleased rumble and tucked her closer. Ace kissed the soft fur at the side of her head. "Thank you for tonight, beautiful." A warm tail brushed her cheek. Ace closed her eyes. Within minutes, she was asleep in the middle of nine fox tails, exactly where she wanted to be. --- Back in the Triad's bedroom, the little silver-blue crystal glowed faintly beside the lamp. Mai rested against Shammy, entirely comfortable with having the room to themselves. Shammy watched the light inside the crystal for a moment. Then she looked down at Mai. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "May I tell you something?" Mai opened her eyes. "Always." Shammy smiled. "Yukari said something today." "Oh?" "She said love learns." Mai considered that, then smiled. "That sounds like her." "And I think she's right." "Tell me." Shammy gently took her hand. "I thought I was discovering new things about my electricity." "And you were." "Yes. But I think I've discovered something else." "What?" Shammy looked into her eyes. "That every time I learn something new about making you happy, I learn something new about loving you." Mai's eyes warmed. "Oh, darling." "And every time you show me something about yourself, or about me..." Shammy laughed quietly. "I realize there's still so much I don't know." Mai touched her cheek. "That doesn't frighten you?" "No." "Why?" "Because I want to keep learning." Mai smiled. "So do I." Shammy kissed her. Then she gently touched Mai's palm. Three tiny sensations. A pause. Warmth. Two more. Mai smiled. *I'm here, darling.* She turned their hands over and returned the pattern through ordinary touch. Shammy's eyes softened. Neither woman needed to say anything else. Mai kissed her once more, tucked herself closer, and Shammy wrapped both arms around her. Outside, Night City continued its restless existence. Inside the Triad bedroom, the smallest light was a silver-blue crystal, and two women who loved one another fell asleep with the room entirely, happily theirs. --- ## Chapter 11 — The Trouble with Happy People Ace woke to the most luxurious sensation imaginable. Warmth. Softness. And the unmistakable feeling of being completely surrounded by someone she loved. She opened one eye. A magnificent fox tail lay across her shoulder. Another rested comfortably against her waist. Several more formed an impossibly soft nest around her legs. At the center of all that warmth lay Yukari herself, not in her familiar human appearance but in her true, fully fox-shaped nine-tailed kitsune form. Her golden eyes were still closed, her head resting near Ace's shoulder, nine great tails curled protectively around them both. Ace smiled. There were certain advantages to loving an ancient kitsune. Especially when she chose to sleep as a fox. "Good morning, beautiful," Ace murmured. One golden eye opened. Yukari answered with a sleepy nuzzle against Ace's cheek. Ace laughed and stroked the nearest tail appreciatively. "Sweetheart, I think I've discovered paradise. Nine tails. Nine. And every single one of them is warmer and softer than anything I've ever slept under." The fox gave a pleased little huff. "That's your entire response?" Another tail curled around Ace's waist. "Fair enough." Ace kissed the soft fur beside Yukari's ear. "And after last night, I have absolutely no complaints. Not one." Yukari stretched, disentangled herself just enough to stand, and shifted smoothly. Fox became woman. A moment later her familiar human female form was beside Ace beneath the blankets, golden eyes bright with amusement. "Mmm. Morning, darling." Ace kissed her. "Morning." Yukari smiled. "Did you sleep well?" Ace glanced meaningfully at the place where nine tails had surrounded her only moments earlier. "I may never respect an ordinary blanket again." Yukari laughed. "You're making my fox form sound like exceptionally expensive bedding." Ace looked theatrically offended. "Darling, please. You're an exceptionally beautiful woman who also happens to possess the finest natural sleeping arrangement in Night City." "An important distinction." "Vital." Yukari drew her closer. They had spent the previous evening enjoying the rare luxury of complete privacy, first in Yukari's human form, sharing affection, laughter and intimate time together, and only later with Yukari changing fully into a fox for sleep. Ace couldn't remember the last time she'd rested quite so comfortably. Yukari brushed a finger across her cheek. "Thank you for last night, my love." Ace's smile lost its teasing edge. "Thank you, sweetheart." She kissed her again. Then glanced toward the bedroom door. "You know, I hope Mai and Shammy had an evening as lovely as ours." "I'm sure they did." "Good." Yukari studied her for a moment. "You really are happy about giving them some time together." "Of course I am." Ace gently stroked her cheek. "Mai and Shammy have discovered something beautiful. I want them to enjoy it." "And meanwhile?" Ace grinned. "Meanwhile, I get an entire evening with a gorgeous kitsune and then sleep inside nine warm fox tails. I fail to see the sacrifice." Yukari laughed. "Darling, I'm beginning to think you have an ulterior motive." "Several." "Oh?" Ace kissed her. "Mostly involving spending more nights like this." Yukari's smile gentled. "That can certainly be arranged." "Excellent." A moment passed. Then Yukari glanced toward the clock. "We should probably get up." Ace considered that suggestion. "Counterproposal." Yukari raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" "Five more minutes." Yukari smiled. "Ten." Ace grinned. "Marry me." Yukari burst out laughing. "Darling!" "What? Excellent negotiating skills deserve recognition!" They stayed wrapped around each other for the negotiated ten minutes. Only then did they finally get dressed and head for breakfast, both of them looking entirely too pleased with the morning. --- Across the safehouse, Mai was having a considerably different morning. She was awake. Technically. But she was making a determined effort not to acknowledge that fact. Shammy lay beside her, gently stroking her silver hair. "Good morning, darling." Mai made a small, contented sound. Shammy smiled. "Are you awake?" "No." "Oh." A pause. "Then I suppose I shouldn't kiss you." Mai opened one eye. "Don't you dare." Shammy laughed. "Don't I dare what?" "Not kiss me." "Ah." Mai smiled sleepily. "Glad we cleared that up." Shammy leaned down and kissed her. Mai returned the kiss, then wrapped her arms around the elemental and pulled her closer. For several minutes, neither had any particular interest in beginning the day. Eventually, Shammy drew back. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "May I try something?" Mai smiled without opening her eyes. "Darling, that's becoming your favorite question." "Is that a problem?" "Not even slightly." Shammy took her hand. A familiar little pattern moved across Mai's palm. Three delicate sensations. A pause. Warmth. Two more. Mai smiled. "I'm here, darling." She turned their hands over and returned the message through ordinary touch. Shammy's expression softened. Then she hesitated. "Actually..." Mai opened her eyes. "Oh?" "I've been thinking about our little language." Mai immediately looked interested. "Have you?" "Yes." "And?" Shammy blushed. "I wondered whether we could add a few more expressions." Mai smiled. "Of course." "Perhaps some that are a little..." Shammy searched for the word. "Playful." Mai's eyebrows rose. "Playful?" Shammy nodded. "And perhaps a little naughty." There was a brief silence. Then Mai's smile slowly widened. "Oh, darling." Shammy giggled. "I thought you might like the idea." "Like it?" Mai sat up. "Sweetheart, I think that's a wonderful idea." Shammy laughed. "Really?" "Absolutely." Mai leaned closer. "Tell me what you had in mind." --- By the time they emerged from their bedroom, they had added several new expressions to their little language. Nothing complicated. A tiny pattern meaning *I'd like a kiss.* Another meaning *I'm thinking about you.* And one particularly playful sequence that translated, approximately, to: *I'd very much like some private time with you later.* Mai had insisted on practicing that last one. Twice. Shammy had discovered that Mai's reaction to it was absolutely delightful. And Mai, being Mai, had immediately begun considering the possibilities. "One condition," she'd announced. Shammy had looked curious. "What?" "We both have to be comfortable using these. No surprises if either of us isn't in the mood for teasing." "Of course." "And..." Mai had smiled. "We should probably avoid making each other laugh at inappropriate moments." Shammy had nodded solemnly. "Absolutely." Neither woman had been particularly convincing. Breakfast was already underway. Iris sat at the kitchen counter with her coffee and datapad. Brenda was preparing toast. Yukari had settled comfortably into her usual chair, while Ace stood beside the coffee machine looking remarkably pleased with life. "Morning!" Mai announced. Ace turned. "Good morning, my beautiful women." Shammy kissed her cheek. "Morning, sweetheart." Mai followed with another kiss. Ace looked between them. Then smiled. "Sleep well?" "Wonderfully," Shammy answered. Mai nodded. "Very." Ace grinned. "Excellent. So did we." From her chair, Yukari raised her teacup. "Exceptionally well." Brenda looked up. "Why is everybody emphasizing how well they slept?" Ace blinked. "Are we?" "YES!" Iris continued reading. "Sweetheart, perhaps everyone simply had a pleasant night." Brenda looked at her. Then at Ace. Then at Yukari. Then at Mai and Shammy. Her eyes narrowed. "You're all suspiciously cheerful." Yukari smiled serenely. "Would you prefer us miserable, darling?" "NO!" "Then perhaps we should enjoy the breakfast." Ace nearly spilled her coffee. Mai sat beside Shammy. Ace took the chair opposite them. Yukari continued enjoying her tea. For approximately seven minutes, breakfast proceeded normally. Brenda discussed something she'd read that morning. Iris offered a few observations. Ace made an outrageous comment about corporate management. Mai laughed. Shammy smiled. Everything was perfectly ordinary. Until Shammy reached for Mai's hand beneath the table. Mai glanced at her affectionately. A familiar little warmth moved across her palm. She smiled. Then came another sensation. A different rhythm. A tiny pause. And a playful, unmistakable little flourish at the end. The signal itself was no stronger than the others. It did not need to be. Mai's body recognized the promise behind it before her composure did, a sudden warm rush catching her completely off guard. Mai stopped moving. Her toast remained halfway to her mouth. Very slowly, she turned toward Shammy. The elemental was calmly drinking her tea. Mai stared at her. Shammy looked up. "Something wrong, darling?" Mai's cheeks began turning pink. "Shammy..." "Yes, love?" Mai gave her a look. A very particular look. One that contained affection, astonishment, amusement, and an entirely justified accusation of deliberate teasing. Shammy smiled sweetly. Across the table, Ace noticed. Immediately. She looked at Mai. Then at Shammy. Then back at Mai. Her smile widened. "Oh." Mai closed her eyes. "Ace. Don't." Ace took a thoughtful sip of coffee. "Well, well." Brenda looked up. "What?" "Nothing." "Why did you say 'well, well'?" Ace smiled. "Just appreciating the morning." Brenda stared. Yukari quietly lifted her teacup. Shammy, apparently delighted with her success, continued eating her breakfast. Mai was still trying to regain her composure. Ace watched them with enormous amusement. Then she leaned forward. "Shammy, darling?" "Yes?" Ace smiled. "You're becoming rather bold." Shammy blinked. Then giggled. "I don't know what you mean." Mai turned pinker. Ace grinned. "Oh, I think you do." Brenda slowly put down her toast. "All right." Nobody responded. She looked around the table. "ALL RIGHT." Iris glanced up. "Sweetheart?" "Something is happening." Ace nodded. "Breakfast, mostly." "ACE!" "What?" "You know what I mean!" Ace looked genuinely thoughtful. "Do I?" Brenda pointed at Mai. "She was perfectly normal a minute ago!" Mai stared at her. "Thank you, Brenda." "And now she's blushing!" Mai covered her face. Yukari's shoulders began trembling. Ace took another sip of coffee. "Perhaps she's warm." "WE HAVE CLIMATE CONTROL!" "Very efficient climate control, apparently." Shammy made a small, strangled sound. Mai looked at her. Shammy was desperately trying not to laugh. That was the end of Mai's self-control. She began giggling. Ace immediately joined her. Yukari lowered her tea before she could spill it. Brenda stared at the three women. "I KNEW IT!" Iris finally set her datapad aside. "Brenda." "What?" "Darling, I think they're teasing you." Brenda turned toward her wife. "Of course they're teasing me!" "Then perhaps you shouldn't make it quite so rewarding." Brenda opened her mouth. Closed it. Considered the suggestion. Then pointed at Ace. "She knows something." Ace looked offended. "I know lots of things." "And Shammy knows something." "Also true," Shammy agreed. "And Mai..." Brenda stared at Mai, whose cheeks were still pink. "...is apparently incapable of looking at either of them!" Mai dissolved into another fit of giggles. Iris sighed affectionately. "Sweetheart, please eat your toast." "BUT..." "Brenda." A pause. Then Iris gently took her hand. "Come here." Brenda blinked. "What?" Iris kissed her cheek. "Good morning." Brenda stared at her. Then her expression softened almost immediately. "Well... good morning." Iris smiled. "Better?" Brenda considered. "A little." "Good." Ace leaned toward Yukari. "Remarkable technique." Yukari nodded solemnly. "Years of practice." Brenda turned. "I HEARD THAT!" Eventually, the laughter subsided. Mostly. Mai finally recovered enough composure to resume eating. Shammy was looking extremely pleased with herself. Ace, meanwhile, had developed a new appreciation for the elemental's increasingly playful nature. She waited until Brenda was occupied with a conversation about something else. Then she caught Shammy's eye. A small wink. Nothing more. Shammy smiled. Mai noticed the exchange. "Oh, no." Ace looked innocent. "What?" "You're encouraging her." Ace placed a hand against her chest. "Darling, I'm simply expressing my appreciation for personal growth." Shammy burst out laughing. Mai stared at both women. "You two are impossible." Ace grinned. "And you adore us." Mai sighed. "Desperately." --- Later that morning, Mai found Shammy standing by the living room windows. The elemental was looking out across the city, smiling to herself. Mai approached quietly. Then slipped her arms around Shammy's waist. "Hello, troublemaker." Shammy laughed. "Hello, beautiful." Mai kissed her cheek. "Enjoyed breakfast?" "Very much." "I noticed." Shammy turned in her arms. "Was I terribly naughty?" Mai pretended to consider the question. "Absolutely outrageous." "Oh, dear." "Scandalous, even." Shammy giggled. "Should I apologize?" Mai smiled. "Not remotely." She leaned forward and kissed her. When they separated, Shammy looked delighted. "Good." Mai studied her for a moment. "Darling?" "Yes?" "I love seeing you like this." Shammy tilted her head. "Like what?" "Confident. Playful. Happy." Shammy smiled. "You've told me that before." "I know." Mai gently brushed her fingertips across Shammy's cheek. "But I think you're finally beginning to believe it." For a moment, Shammy grew quiet. Then she nodded. "I think I am." Mai kissed her forehead. "Good." They settled together on the sofa. Shammy rested comfortably against Mai, enjoying the gentle afternoon sunlight. For a while, neither spoke. Then Mai took Shammy's hand. "May I try something?" Shammy looked amused. "Darling, that's supposed to be my question." Mai grinned. "I'm borrowing it." "Very well." Mai turned Shammy's palm upward. Then she began tapping a tiny, deliberate pattern against her skin. Not their familiar message. Something different. A little pause. Then another sequence. Shammy looked curious. "What's that?" Mai smiled innocently. "One of our new expressions." Shammy blinked. Then recognition dawned. "Oh!" Mai's smile broadened. Shammy's cheeks turned pink. "Mai!" "Yes, darling?" "You're doing that deliberately!" Mai burst out laughing. "Of course I am!" Shammy stared at her. Then started laughing too. "Oh, you terrible woman!" Mai pulled her closer. "Your terrible woman." Shammy kissed her. "Very much so." Mai rested her forehead against Shammy's. "See, darling?" "What?" "You're not the only one who can surprise someone with our little language." Shammy smiled. "No." "And I think..." Mai kissed her again. "...we're going to have an enormous amount of fun with it." Shammy's answering smile was radiant. "I think so too." --- A little later, Ace wandered into the living room. She found Mai and Shammy curled together on the sofa, smiling at one another. Ace stopped. Looked at them. Then sighed theatrically. "Oh, wonderful." Mai turned. "What?" "Now you're both doing it." Shammy giggled. "Doing what?" Ace gestured toward their joined hands. "Having entire conversations that nobody else can hear." Mai smiled. "Jealous?" Ace considered. Then shook her head. "Not in the slightest." She approached the sofa and kissed them both. "I'm rather proud of you." Shammy looked surprised. "Really?" "Absolutely." Ace settled beside them. "Besides, I don't need your secret language." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Ace smiled. "Darling, I've known you long enough to recognize that expression from across a crowded room." Mai laughed. "Have you?" "Yes." "And what expression would that be?" Ace leaned closer and whispered something in her ear. Mai immediately blushed. Shammy stared. Then burst out laughing. "Oh, Ace!" Ace grinned triumphantly. "See?" Mai covered her face. "I am surrounded by terrible women." "Three of them, actually," came Yukari's voice from the doorway. Everyone turned. The kitsune stood there, smiling. Ace held out her hand. "Come here, beautiful." Yukari approached. Ace drew her into an affectionate embrace. "Make that four," she corrected. Yukari laughed and kissed her. For a while, the four women sat together in comfortable conversation. Ace and Yukari told them about their quiet evening in the spare bedroom. Shammy listened with obvious delight. "That sounds wonderful." "It was," Ace answered. Yukari smiled. "Very." Mai looked at Ace affectionately. "Thank you, darling." Ace blinked. "For what?" "For giving Shammy and me the time together." Ace studied her for a moment. Then smiled. "Sweetheart, you don't have to thank me." "I know." Mai reached over and took her hand. "But I want to." Ace squeezed her fingers. "Then you're welcome." Yukari gently rested her head against Ace's shoulder. "And I certainly enjoyed the arrangement." Ace laughed. "Nine tails, darling. I may never want to sleep under an ordinary blanket again." Yukari's eyes sparkled. "Then perhaps I should charge a nightly fee." Ace looked scandalized. "Charge me?" "Naturally." "Outrageous!" Yukari leaned closer. "Payable in kisses." Ace considered that. Then smiled. "Well, why didn't you say so?" She kissed her. Mai laughed. Shammy leaned against her shoulder. And for a few wonderful minutes, the four women simply enjoyed one another's happiness. From the kitchen came Brenda's voice. "IRIS!" A pause. "Yes, darling?" "THEY'RE DOING IT AGAIN!" Iris sighed. "Doing what?" "I DON'T KNOW!" Ace collapsed into laughter. Mai buried her face against Shammy's shoulder. Yukari closed her eyes, smiling. And Shammy, who only a few days earlier had been almost too shy to suggest a new kind of affectionate touch, laughed so freely that she could barely catch her breath. Later, when the house had grown quiet again, Mai and Shammy returned to their bedroom. The little silver-blue crystal still rested beside the lamp. Mai paused to admire it. Shammy approached from behind and wrapped her arms around her. "Thinking, darling?" Mai smiled. "A little." "About what?" Mai looked at the crystal. "How much has happened because of one small question." Shammy laughed softly. "Quite a lot." Mai turned in her arms. "And I think there's something you should know." Shammy tilted her head. "What?" Mai smiled. "You don't have to be shy about asking me things anymore." Shammy considered that. Then she laughed. "Darling, I suspect I may still be shy occasionally." Mai kissed her. "That's all right." Shammy smiled. "But I think I'm getting better at saying what I want." "You certainly are." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Especially at breakfast." Shammy burst out laughing. "Oh, Mai!" Mai kissed her again. Then gently took her hand. Three soft touches. A pause. Warmth. Two more. Shammy smiled. "I'm here, darling." She returned the familiar little pattern with her element. And for a moment, everything else seemed wonderfully unimportant. --- Across the safehouse, Ace and Yukari were preparing tea. Yukari glanced toward the hallway. "Happy thoughts, darling?" Ace smiled. "Very." "About Mai and Shammy?" "Partly." Yukari raised an eyebrow. "And the rest?" Ace looked at her. Then smiled more softly. "About us." Yukari's expression warmed. "Oh?" Ace reached for her hand. "I've enjoyed having a little more time alone with you." "So have I." Ace kissed her fingers. "Perhaps we should make a habit of it." Yukari laughed. "Darling, I'd like that." They stood together for a while, enjoying the quiet. Then Yukari looked into Ace's eyes. "You know, I've lived for such an extraordinarily long time." Ace smiled. "So I've been told." "And yet..." Yukari paused. "...I still find myself looking forward to tomorrow." Ace's expression softened. She leaned forward and kissed her. "So do I, sweetheart." Yukari drew her closer. And somewhere in that quiet embrace lay the beginning of another discovery. One that neither woman needed to hurry toward. For tonight, it was enough to be together. --- Back in the Triad's bedroom, Shammy was laughing again. Mai had just returned one of their new, playful messages. And apparently, the ancient elemental was discovering that being on the receiving end of a little affectionate teasing could be every bit as delightful as giving it. She pulled Mai close. "You're becoming terribly good at this." Mai grinned. "I've had an extraordinary teacher." Shammy kissed her. "Then I suppose we'll have to keep practicing." Mai smiled. "Oh, darling." She leaned closer. "I was counting on it." And outside, Night City continued its endless noise, completely unaware that the most entertaining conspiracy in the Watson safehouse involved no weapons, no corporate secrets, and absolutely no criminal activity. Just two women in love. A tiny language of their own. And one extremely confused Brenda. --- ## Chapter 12 — Just Because I Love You Mai had made a decision. And unlike most of her decisions, this one involved absolutely no complicated planning, tactical considerations, or technical equipment. In fact, she had deliberately forbidden herself from making a schedule. That part had been surprisingly difficult. She was sitting at the kitchen counter, looking at her datapad, when Ace walked in. "Morning, beautiful." Mai looked up. "Morning, darling." Ace kissed her, then glanced at the datapad. "Planning something?" "Possibly." Ace narrowed her eyes. "Should I be concerned?" "No." "Does it involve explosives?" "No." "Corporate espionage?" "Absolutely not." "Brenda?" "ACE!" Ace laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "All right, all right. What are you planning?" Mai hesitated. Then smiled. "I want to take Shammy somewhere." Ace's expression softened immediately. "Oh?" "Just the two of us." "Sounds lovely." Mai nodded. "But I don't want to plan everything." Ace stared. Then slowly raised both eyebrows. "Mai." "What?" "Are you feeling all right?" Mai burst out laughing. "Very funny." "Sweetheart, you've just announced that you're voluntarily abandoning a schedule. I believe I'm entitled to a little concern." Mai swatted her arm. Ace grinned. "Seriously. What's the idea?" Mai considered her answer. "Shammy's spent so much time discovering ways to make everyone else happy." Ace nodded. "And she's been enjoying herself enormously." "Yes. But I want to give her something different." "Such as?" Mai smiled. "A day where she doesn't have to think about making anybody happy. Not even me." Ace studied her for a moment. Then her expression warmed. "Oh, sweetheart." Mai looked slightly embarrassed. "Does that sound silly?" "Not remotely." Ace kissed her forehead. "I think it's wonderful." Mai smiled. "Good." "One question." "Of course." Ace grinned. "Have you actually told Shammy that you're kidnapping her for the afternoon?" Mai blinked. Then laughed. "Not yet." "Excellent. I approve of the element of surprise." --- Shammy was sitting beside Yukari when Mai found her. The two ancient beings were enjoying tea and discussing something that had apparently happened several centuries earlier. Mai caught only the end of the conversation. "...and then he insisted that the entire thing had been a misunderstanding," Yukari was saying. Shammy laughed. "Darling, he was standing in the fountain!" "Precisely." "Completely naked!" "A minor detail." Mai stopped. Looked at them. Then slowly raised an eyebrow. "Should I ask?" Both women turned. Yukari smiled serenely. "Probably not, sweetheart." Shammy dissolved into giggles. Mai shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder what you two have been doing for the last few thousand years." Yukari considered that. "Quite a lot, darling." "I gathered." Shammy held out her hand. "Come here, love." Mai approached and kissed her. Then she smiled. "Shammy?" "Yes?" "I have a proposition." Yukari immediately looked interested. "Oh?" Mai turned. "Not that kind!" Yukari's smile widened. "I didn't say anything." "You didn't need to!" Shammy laughed. Mai took her hand. "Would you like to spend the afternoon with me?" Shammy blinked. "Of course." "Just us." Shammy's expression softened. "I'd love that." "Good." Mai smiled. "And there's one condition." Shammy looked curious. "What?" "Today, you're not allowed to worry about making me happy." Shammy stared at her. Yukari quietly put down her teacup. Mai continued. "You can hold my hand, kiss me, tell me whatever you're thinking. But you're not responsible for entertaining me, surprising me, or discovering anything extraordinary." Shammy looked thoroughly confused. "Mai..." Mai squeezed her hand. "Today is about what you would like." There was a brief silence. Then Yukari began smiling. Shammy looked from one woman to the other. "And what if what I want is to make you happy?" Mai laughed. "Then we'll negotiate." Yukari burst out laughing. --- They left the safehouse shortly after lunch. Mai had chosen comfortable clothes rather than anything particularly elaborate. Her silver hair caught the afternoon sunlight as they stepped outside. Shammy walked beside her, looking around with evident curiosity. "So," she said, "where are we going?" Mai smiled. "Wherever you'd like." Shammy stopped. "Really?" "Really." "No destination?" "No." "No schedule?" "Absolutely none." Shammy stared at her. Then narrowed her eyes. "Are you certain you're Mai?" Mai burst out laughing. "Oh, not you too!" Shammy giggled. "Darling, you once planned a shopping trip with three alternative routes." "That was a particularly complicated shopping trip!" "We were buying tea." "Good tea!" Shammy laughed and slipped her arm through Mai's. "Very well." She looked along the street. Then smiled. "Let's see where we end up." Their first stop was a little market tucked between the towering buildings of Watson. It wasn't particularly famous. There were no exclusive boutiques, no extraordinary attractions, and absolutely nothing that would have impressed Night City's wealthier residents. Which was precisely why Shammy liked it. She stopped at a stall selling handmade ceramics. Mai watched as Shammy examined a small blue bowl. "Like it?" Shammy nodded. "Very much." "Then let's get it." Shammy looked up. "Darling, I don't need another bowl." "That's not what I asked." Shammy laughed. "You're being very determined about this." Mai smiled. "I've learned from Ace." "An alarming thought." "Quite." Shammy studied the bowl again. Then gently put it back. Mai tilted her head. "Changed your mind?" "Yes." "Why?" Shammy smiled. "Because I think I'd rather have something else." Mai looked delighted. "Excellent!" Shammy laughed. "You really do mean it." "Mean what?" "That I get to choose." Mai took her hand. "Of course you do, sweetheart." Shammy looked at her for a moment. Then leaned forward and kissed her. "Thank you." They found themselves at a small food stall a little later. Shammy stopped in front of it. Mai followed her gaze. A woman was preparing fresh pastries behind the counter, the air filled with the comforting scent of warm dough and spices. Shammy smiled. "Oh." Mai grinned. "Something interesting?" "Very." "Then let's try some." They bought two pastries and settled on a nearby bench. Mai took a bite. Then closed her eyes. "Oh, that's wonderful." Shammy laughed. "Good?" "Very." Shammy tasted her own. Her expression immediately changed. Mai noticed. "Oh?" Shammy took another bite. Then looked at the pastry with profound appreciation. "Darling, I believe we've discovered something extraordinary." Mai stared at her. Then began laughing. "Shammy!" "What?" "We were supposed to have an afternoon without discoveries!" Shammy looked scandalized. "That was your rule!" Mai laughed even harder. "You're impossible." Shammy grinned. "And you love me." "Desperately." They finished their pastries in comfortable silence. Then Shammy looked at Mai. "May I tell you something?" "Always." "I'm enjoying this." Mai smiled. "Good." "No questions about my electricity. No experiments." "Exactly." Shammy looked around the little market. "Just us." Mai leaned against her. "Just us." Their next discovery was entirely accidental. They were walking past a narrow arcade when Shammy suddenly stopped. A faint melody drifted from somewhere nearby. Not recorded music. A live instrument. Mai followed Shammy's gaze. An elderly street musician was sitting beneath a faded awning, playing a small stringed instrument. The melody was gentle and unfamiliar. Shammy stood perfectly still. Mai watched her. "Darling?" Shammy smiled faintly. "That's beautiful." "It is." They listened for a while. Then Shammy spoke. "It reminds me of something." Mai turned toward her. "What?" Shammy considered. "I'm not sure." She listened again. "Something very old." Mai slipped her hand into Shammy's. "Would you like to stay?" Shammy nodded. "Please." So they stayed. The musician played without paying them particular attention. People passed. Vehicles moved along the street. And amid the noise of Night City, the little melody continued. Eventually, Shammy turned toward Mai. "Darling?" "Yes?" "May I ask you something?" Mai smiled. "Anything." Shammy hesitated. Then her expression became unexpectedly playful. "Would you dance with me?" Mai blinked. "Here?" Shammy nodded. "Here." Mai looked around. There were pedestrians, merchants, and a few people enjoying their afternoon. Then she looked back at Shammy. The elemental was smiling. Not uncertain. Not shy. Simply hopeful. Mai felt something warm unfold inside her. "Of course I will." They moved a little away from the pedestrian traffic. Shammy took Mai's hands. Mai smiled. "You're leading?" Shammy laughed. "I thought I might." "How adventurous." "Terribly." Shammy drew her closer. They began moving gently to the melody. Nothing elaborate. No practiced choreography. Just two women swaying together beneath the afternoon sunlight. Mai rested one hand against Shammy's shoulder. Shammy slipped an arm around her waist. For a while, neither said anything. Then Mai laughed softly. "What?" Shammy asked. "I just realized something." "Oh?" "You're the one who suggested this." Shammy smiled. "Yes." "And you didn't ask whether I'd enjoy it first." Shammy considered that. Then her expression softened. "Because I knew you would." Mai looked at her. Shammy continued. "And because I wanted to dance with you." Mai smiled. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy laughed quietly. "Was that all right?" Mai leaned forward and kissed her. "More than all right." They continued dancing. The musician changed melodies. The afternoon light shifted. And for a few lovely minutes, two women who had survived extraordinary dangers were simply dancing together in a little market. No weapons. No missions. No urgency. Just music. And each other. When the melody ended, Mai applauded. Shammy joined her. The musician smiled and acknowledged them with a small bow. Mai left a generous tip. Then she turned back toward Shammy. "Well?" Shammy looked curious. "Well what?" "Did you enjoy yourself?" Shammy smiled. "Very much." Mai leaned closer. "Good." Shammy studied her for a moment. Then laughed. "What?" "Nothing." "Shammy." The elemental took her hand. "Darling, I think I've finally understood what you've been trying to tell me." Mai tilted her head. "Oh?" Shammy nodded. "I don't have to be doing something for you to make our time together worthwhile." Mai's expression softened. "No." "And I don't have to be giving you something extraordinary." "Not at all." Shammy looked back toward the little market. "Sometimes I can simply want to dance." Mai smiled. "Exactly." Shammy pulled her into an embrace. "Then I think I'd like to do that more often." Mai kissed her cheek. "So would I." They continued exploring the neighborhood. At one point, Mai found an old-fashioned photo booth tucked into a corner of the arcade. She stopped. Shammy looked at it. Then at Mai. "Oh, no." Mai grinned. "Oh, yes." "Darling..." "Come on!" Shammy laughed as Mai caught her hand and pulled her toward it. They squeezed into the little booth together. It was barely large enough for two people. Mai immediately started giggling. "All right." Shammy looked at the small screen. "What are we supposed to do?" "Smile." "That's it?" "That's it." The first photograph caught them both smiling normally. The second caught Shammy kissing Mai's cheek. The third captured Mai laughing so hard she had to lean against Shammy. And the fourth... Well. Mai had apparently decided that one final, properly romantic kiss was essential. The flash caught them just as their lips met. When the photographs emerged, Shammy stared at the little strip. Then she smiled. "Oh, Mai." Mai looked over her shoulder. "What?" Shammy touched the final photograph. "This is lovely." Mai wrapped an arm around her. "I thought you might like it." Shammy looked at her. Then smiled. "Could we make two copies?" Mai blinked. "Of course." "One for you." "And one for you?" Shammy nodded. "Yes." Mai kissed her. "Done." --- By the time they returned to the safehouse, the afternoon had begun turning into evening. Ace was sitting in the living room with Yukari. They looked up as the two women entered. "Well, well," Ace said. Mai smiled. "Hello, darling." Ace looked at Shammy. Then at Mai. Then at the unmistakable expression of happiness on both their faces. "Oh, you two have had a good day." Shammy nodded enthusiastically. "A wonderful one." Yukari smiled. "How lovely." Ace leaned forward. "What did you do?" Mai considered. "We walked." Ace nodded. "Right." "We ate pastries." "Excellent." "We listened to music." "Very cultured." "And we danced." Ace stopped. Looked at Shammy. Then at Mai. "You danced?" Shammy nodded. "In the street." Ace stared. Then a slow smile spread across her face. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy looked amused. "What?" Ace leaned over and kissed her cheek. "That sounds absolutely wonderful." Shammy smiled. "It was." Yukari's golden eyes warmed. "And whose idea was the dancing?" Mai grinned. "Shammy's." Yukari looked at the elemental. For a moment, she said nothing. Then her smile became particularly tender. "Was it, darling?" Shammy nodded. "Yes." Yukari reached for her hand. "I'm delighted." --- A little later, Mai showed Ace the photographs. Ace took one look at the strip. Then burst out laughing. "Oh, these are magnificent!" Mai grinned. "Especially the third one." Ace studied it. Mai was laughing helplessly while Shammy looked equally delighted. "Sweetheart, you look as though someone just told you the funniest joke in Night City." Mai laughed. "That was approximately how I felt." Ace looked at the final photograph. Her expression softened. "Oh." Mai smiled. "What?" Ace touched the edge of the photograph. "Nothing." "Ace." Ace looked at her. "Just two women I love, having a wonderful day together." Mai's smile softened. She leaned over and kissed Ace. "Love you." Ace kissed her back. "Love you too, darling." --- Later that evening, Mai and Shammy returned to main bedroom. The little silver-blue crystal still sat beside the lamp. Mai placed her photograph strip beside it. Shammy watched. "Darling?" "Hmm?" "May I ask you something?" Mai smiled. "Of course." "Why did you arrange today?" Mai turned toward her. Then laughed softly. "Sweetheart, I thought that was obvious." Shammy shook her head. "I know you wanted me to enjoy myself." "Yes." "And I did." "Good." Shammy took her hands. "But why?" Mai looked at her for a moment. Then her expression softened. "Because I love you." Shammy smiled. "I know." Mai shook her head gently. "No, darling. I mean that's the whole reason." She leaned closer. "You don't have to accomplish anything. You don't have to surprise me. You don't have to bring me extraordinary experiences." Shammy listened quietly. Mai continued. "I wanted to spend a day making you happy simply because I love you." For several seconds, Shammy said nothing. Then she looked toward the photographs. At their smiling faces. At the little moment of laughter. At the kiss. And she understood. "Oh, Mai." Mai smiled. "What?" Shammy wrapped her arms around her. "That's the most beautiful reason I can imagine." They settled together on the bed. Mai rested comfortably against Shammy, enjoying the quiet. For a while, neither spoke. Then Shammy gently took Mai's hand. A familiar little pattern moved across her palm. Mai smiled. "I'm here, darling." She returned it through ordinary touch. Shammy smiled. Then Mai hesitated. "Darling?" "Yes?" "I think our little language needs one more expression." Shammy looked interested. "Oh?" Mai nodded. "Something simple." "What would you like it to mean?" Mai thought about the afternoon. The pastries. The music. Shammy's delighted smile when she'd asked her to dance. And the photographs now resting beside their lamp. Then she looked into Shammy's eyes. "Just because I love you." Shammy's expression softened. "Oh." Mai smiled. "Do you like it?" Shammy nodded. "Very much." "Then perhaps we should invent a pattern for it." Shammy considered. Then she took Mai's hand. Two tiny sensations brushed across her palm. A pause. Then a gentle warmth that lingered for a moment before disappearing. Mai smiled. "Oh, that's lovely." Shammy kissed her. "Just because I love you." Mai returned the message with two soft touches and a gentle squeeze. Shammy laughed quietly. "Perfect." They settled against each other. Outside, the evening lights of Night City began illuminating the windows. Inside, the small silver-blue crystal caught the lamplight. And beside it lay four photographs of two women who had discovered something wonderfully ordinary. They didn't need an extraordinary reason to make each other happy. Love was reason enough. --- ## Chapter 13 — The Shape of Happiness The message arrived while Mai was trying to decide where to put the photographs. This was proving surprisingly difficult. The little strip from their afternoon together had spent the previous night beside Shammy's silver-blue crystal, but Mai had decided that four photographs of two women looking gloriously happy deserved somewhere a little more permanent. Unfortunately, the bedroom already contained rather a lot of things they considered worth keeping. There were books. There were small gifts. There were souvenirs from places most sensible people would never voluntarily visit. And there was Ace's continuing collection of objects that she insisted were historically significant despite Mai's repeated observations that several were clearly just things Ace had stolen from people who had tried to kill her. "Recovered," Ace always corrected. "Stolen," Mai always replied. It was one of their more enduring disagreements. Mai was still considering the photographs when her datapad chimed. A message from Nadia. **It's finished.** Mai blinked. A second message arrived. **And before you ask, yes, Panam has inspected it and confirmed that I'm finally allowed to stop painting.** Mai burst out laughing. Shammy looked up from the bed. "Darling?" "Nadia." "Oh?" "She's finished the painting." Shammy's expression brightened immediately. "Really?" Mai nodded. "And apparently Panam has approved its completion." Shammy giggled. "An important artistic milestone." "Apparently." Another message arrived. **Would you two be at the safehouse this evening? I'd love to bring it over.** Mai looked at Shammy. "Well?" Shammy was already smiling. "Tell her we'd love to see it." Mai began typing. Then paused. "Actually..." Shammy raised an eyebrow. "What?" Mai's smile became suspiciously bright. "Why don't we invite everyone?" Shammy considered that. Then nodded. "I'd like that." "Really?" "Of course. Nadia's made something beautiful. I'd love our family to see it." Mai leaned over and kissed her. "Then that's settled." Ace received the news with enthusiasm. Brenda received it with suspicion. Yukari received it with a knowing smile. Iris received it with considerably more practical interest. "How large is the painting?" she asked. Mai looked at her datapad. "She hasn't said." "Framed?" "Apparently." "Does she need help carrying it upstairs?" Mai began typing another message. Brenda folded her arms. "Hold on." Everyone turned. "Why is Nadia bringing a painting here?" Shammy smiled. "Because she wanted to show us something she's been working on." Brenda narrowed her eyes. "Does it have anything to do with whatever you've all been refusing to explain for the last several days?" Ace made a thoughtful sound. "Possibly." Brenda pointed at her. "I KNEW IT!" Iris sighed. "Ace." "What?" "Please." Ace smiled sweetly. "I'm being helpful." "You're being entertained." "That too." Yukari quietly lowered her teacup. "Brenda, darling, perhaps you could simply enjoy seeing Nadia's work." Brenda looked at her. Then at Shammy. Then at Mai. Then at Ace. Her shoulders dropped. "Fine." A pause. "But if that painting turns out to contain a coded message, I expect someone to tell me." Ace considered that. "Would an artistic interpretation count?" "ACE!" --- Nadia and Panam arrived shortly after dinner. Panam carried a large, carefully wrapped canvas. Nadia carried a small bag containing what she described as emergency artistic supplies. Panam looked at it. "She's bringing paint." Nadia turned. "Just in case!" "You said it was finished." "It is!" "Then why the paint?" "Because I'm an artist!" Ace opened her mouth. Mai immediately pointed at her. "Don't." Ace closed it. Then grinned. Shammy greeted Nadia with a delighted embrace. "Hello, beautiful." "Hello, sweetheart." They kissed warmly. Panam set the painting down with obvious relief before accepting her own kiss. "Good to see you, lightning girl." Shammy laughed. "You too, darling." Panam glanced toward Nadia. "And for the record, I personally witnessed her signing the canvas." Nadia looked offended. "You make it sound like you supervised a corporate contract." "Sweetheart, after four separate declarations that it was finished, I wanted documentation." Brenda immediately nodded. "That seems reasonable." Nadia stared at her. "Not you too!" Iris smiled. "Welcome to the family." They gathered in the living room. Nadia positioned the covered painting against an empty section of wall. Then she stood in front of it, looking suddenly uncertain. Shammy noticed. "Darling?" Nadia looked at her. "Yes?" "Everything all right?" Nadia laughed softly. "Of course. It's just..." She glanced toward the canvas. "It's rather personal." Mai approached and took her hand. "Then we're honored you wanted to share it with us." Nadia smiled. "Thank you." Panam moved beside her. "Sweetheart, you've spent days making this. Let them see it." Nadia drew a breath. Then nodded. "All right." She reached for the covering. And pulled it away. For a few seconds, nobody spoke. The painting was larger than Mai had expected. Its background flowed through overlapping layers of gold, amber, warm violet and soft silver. But the colors weren't arranged in any obvious pattern. They moved around one another, sometimes distinct, sometimes blending into delicate gradients that seemed almost luminous. And through their center ran the slender blue line Mai remembered. Only now, it was different. It curved gently through the composition, surrounded by colors that seemed to embrace it without swallowing it. Beside it, almost invisible at first glance, was a second line. Silver. Not perfectly parallel. Not exactly following the blue. Sometimes the two lines approached. Sometimes they moved apart. But they always returned toward one another. And at the center of the canvas, they crossed. Just once. At that intersection, Nadia had painted something extraordinary. Not a bright flash. Not an explosion of light. Just a small, warm glow. Almost golden. Almost white. The kind of light that seemed to come from somewhere inside the canvas. Mai stared. Shammy's fingers tightened around hers. "Oh," Shammy whispered. Nadia watched them anxiously. "Do you like it?" Mai didn't answer immediately. She stepped closer. Studied the delicate silver line. Then looked at Shammy. Then back at the painting. "Nadia..." The artist hesitated. "Yes?" Mai smiled. "Is that..." Nadia nodded. "The silver line is you." Mai went very still. Shammy looked at her. Then at the painting. "Oh, Nadia." Nadia smiled shyly. "The blue is Shammy, of course." Ace approached slowly. "And the light?" Nadia looked at the painting. Then at Mai and Shammy. "That's what happens when they meet." Yukari was the first to speak. "How beautiful." Iris nodded. "Very." Brenda, who had apparently forgotten all about interrogating anyone, stepped closer. She studied the painting with unexpected seriousness. Then she looked at Nadia. "That's remarkable." Nadia blinked. "Thank you." Brenda pointed toward the center. "You haven't made the lines disappear into each other." "No." "Why?" Nadia smiled. "Because they're still themselves." Brenda considered that. Then nodded slowly. "Good." Iris slipped an arm around her waist. Brenda looked at the canvas again. "Very good." Ace smiled. "Look at that. Brenda's become an art critic." Brenda turned. "I HAVE EYES, ACE!" "Excellent ones, apparently." "Don't start!" Nadia laughed. But Shammy wasn't listening. She was still looking at the painting. At the silver line. At the blue. And at the small glow where they crossed. Mai turned toward her. "Darling?" Shammy looked up. Her expression was difficult to describe. Happy. Touched. Almost overwhelmed. "Mai..." Mai smiled softly. "I know." Shammy looked back at the painting. "She's painted us." Mai nodded. "She has." Shammy laughed quietly. "Not what we look like." "No." "What we feel like." Mai slipped an arm around her. "Yes." For a long moment, Shammy simply stood there. Then she turned toward Nadia. "May I hug you?" Nadia's expression softened. "Of course, sweetheart." Shammy crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her. Nadia returned the embrace. "Thank you," Shammy whispered. Nadia kissed her cheek. "You're welcome." Shammy drew back. "It's beautiful." Nadia smiled. "I'm glad you think so." Shammy shook her head gently. "No, darling. I mean..." She looked toward the painting. "You've shown me something I don't think I could ever have explained." Nadia's eyes softened. "Then I think I've finally finished it." Panam grinned. "THANK YOU." The entire room erupted into laughter. --- A little later, Nadia announced that she wanted the painting to stay at the safehouse. Mai stared at her. "Darling, are you sure?" "Absolutely." "But you've worked on it for days." "I know." "And it's beautiful." "Thank you." Mai hesitated. "Nadia..." The artist laughed softly. "Mai, sweetheart, I didn't bring it here to ask whether you'd like to buy it." Ace raised an eyebrow. "Though I happen to know several people who'd pay a truly obscene amount for original Nadia artwork." Nadia pointed at her. "Don't you dare." Ace lifted her hands. "Just observing." Nadia turned back toward Mai. "I want you and Shammy to have it." Shammy blinked. "Both of us?" Nadia nodded. "Both of you." She looked toward the painting. "You started something beautiful together. I was lucky enough to be invited into a little part of it." Her expression warmed. "And this is something I can give back." Mai's eyes softened. "Oh, Nadia." Shammy reached for her hand. "Are you really certain?" Nadia smiled. "Completely." She paused. "Besides, I'd love to know that something I made is hanging somewhere my friends can enjoy it every day." Iris looked toward the wall. "We can certainly arrange that." Brenda nodded. "And I'll make sure it's hung properly." Ace grinned. "Now there's an undertaking." Brenda turned. "ACE!" "What?" "NOT ONE WORD ABOUT MY MEASURING!" Ace was already laughing. They spent the next hour together. There was tea. There was coffee. There was more laughter than any reasonable gathering strictly required. Panam told an appalling story about a corporate client who had attempted to explain vehicle maintenance to her. Ace responded with an even worse story about a security consultant who had insisted that a locked door was psychologically impenetrable. Mai asked whether the consultant had survived his encounter with reality. Ace smiled. "Physically? Yes." "And psychologically?" "Less certain." Brenda nearly spat coffee across the table. Even Iris laughed. Through it all, Shammy sat comfortably beside Mai, occasionally glancing toward the painting. Every time she did, she smiled. Eventually, Mai noticed. She leaned closer. "Happy thoughts?" Shammy nodded. "Very." "About the painting?" "Yes." Mai took her hand beneath the table. Then, without looking down, she gently tapped a familiar little sequence against Shammy's palm. Two soft touches. A pause. Then a gentle squeeze. Shammy's expression warmed immediately. *Just because I love you.* She turned toward Mai. And returned the message with the faintest whisper of her element. Mai smiled. Across the table, Ace caught the exchange. She looked at their joined hands. Then at Mai's face. Then smiled into her coffee. This time, she said nothing. There was no need. Eventually, Nadia and Panam prepared to leave. Shammy embraced them both. "Thank you for coming." Nadia smiled. "Thank you for having us." Panam glanced at the painting, now resting safely where Iris had suggested it could be displayed. "And if you ever need someone to tell Nadia when a painting is finished, you know where to find me." Nadia groaned. "Panam!" "What?" Shammy burst out laughing. Mai kissed Nadia's cheek. "We love it, darling." Nadia's expression softened. "I'm so glad." Panam pulled Shammy into one final hug. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart." "I will." "And keep enjoying your discoveries." Shammy smiled. "I intend to." Panam kissed her forehead. "Good." --- After the door closed, the safehouse gradually returned to its usual evening quiet. Brenda and Iris retired to their own room. Ace and Yukari settled together in the living room. And Mai and Shammy remained standing in front of the painting. For a long time, neither spoke. Then Mai gently touched Shammy's arm. "Darling?" "Hmm?" "There's something I've been wondering." Shammy turned. "Oh?" Mai smiled. "Do you remember the first evening?" Shammy laughed softly. "Of course." "You were sitting on our bed, looking at your hands, trying to find the courage to ask me a question." Shammy nodded. "I remember." Mai looked at the painting. "And now look." Shammy followed her gaze. The slender blue line curved through the warm colors. The silver line met it. And at their intersection, a tiny glow seemed to illuminate everything around it. Mai continued quietly. "All of this happened because you decided to ask." Shammy considered that. Then she smiled. "Not entirely." Mai tilted her head. "What do you mean?" Shammy took her hand. "Because you decided to listen." Mai's expression softened. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy smiled. "I could have asked anyone." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Anyone?" Shammy giggled. "Well, perhaps not Brenda." Mai burst out laughing. "No, darling. Definitely not Brenda." Shammy laughed with her. Then her expression grew tender. "But I asked you." Mai looked at her. "Yes." "Because I knew you'd be curious." Mai smiled. "Naturally." "And because I knew you'd want to understand." Shammy paused. "But mostly because I knew you would listen." For a moment, Mai couldn't find anything to say. Then she leaned forward and kissed her. They returned to their bedroom a little later. The little silver-blue crystal sat beside the lamp. The photographs from their afternoon together rested nearby. Mai glanced at them. Then smiled. "Darling?" "Yes?" "I think we have a rather lovely collection developing." Shammy laughed. "Do we?" Mai gestured toward the crystal. "A gift." Then toward the photographs. "A wonderful afternoon." She glanced toward the door. "And now a beautiful painting." Shammy smiled. "Quite a collection." Mai sat on the bed. Shammy joined her. For a while, they simply held one another. Then Shammy looked thoughtful. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "There's something I want." Mai immediately looked at her. Not because the statement surprised her. But because Shammy had said it so easily. So naturally. Without hesitation or apology. Mai smiled. "Tell me, darling." Shammy slipped her arms around her. "I want us to keep having days like yesterday." Mai's expression softened. "The market?" "Yes." "And the dancing?" "Especially the dancing." Mai laughed quietly. "Anything else?" Shammy considered. "I want to keep inventing silly little messages with you." Mai grinned. "Even the naughty ones?" Shammy giggled. "Especially those." Mai kissed her. "An excellent ambition." "And..." Shammy paused. Mai waited. "I want to keep finding things that make you smile." Mai touched her cheek. "Darling..." "But not because I think I have to." Shammy smiled. "Because it makes me happy too." Mai looked at her for a long moment. Then she pulled her into an embrace. "Oh, sweetheart." Shammy rested against her. "And what do you want, Mai?" Mai considered. Then smiled. "Do you want the complicated answer or the simple one?" Shammy laughed. "Both." "Naturally." Mai kissed her forehead. "The complicated answer is that I want us to keep learning about one another. I want to keep discovering the little things that surprise you, the things that make you laugh, the things you love and the things you haven't even imagined yet." Shammy listened with a radiant smile. "And the simple answer?" Mai drew her closer. "I want you." Shammy went very still. Mai smiled. "Not your electricity. Not your discoveries. Not the extraordinary things you can do." She kissed Shammy's cheek. "Just you, darling." Shammy looked into her eyes. Then she laughed softly. "Oh, Mai." Mai smiled. "Too simple?" Shammy shook her head. "No." She leaned forward and kissed her. "Perfect." They remained together as the evening grew quieter. Eventually, Mai rested her head against Shammy's shoulder. "Darling?" "Yes?" "Can I ask one last question?" Shammy laughed. "Of course." Mai looked at their joined hands. "Are you glad you asked me that first question?" Shammy smiled. "More than I can tell you." Mai lifted her head. "Even though you were nervous?" "Especially because I was nervous." Mai looked curious. "Why?" Shammy considered. "Because I learned something." Mai smiled. "Another discovery?" "Yes." "What?" Shammy gently touched her cheek. "That I don't have to be certain of everything before I share it with someone I love." Mai's expression softened. Shammy continued. "I can have an idea. I can be curious. I can even be a little shy." She laughed quietly. "And you can still love me while we discover what happens next." Mai kissed her. "Always." --- A little later, they were almost asleep when Mai felt the familiar touch against her palm. Three delicate sensations. A pause. Warmth. Two more. She smiled. *I'm here, darling.* Mai returned the message without opening her eyes. Three soft touches. A pause. Her warm palm. Two little taps. Shammy's fingers curled gently around hers. Then Mai added another pattern. Two touches. A pause. A gentle squeeze. Shammy laughed softly. *Just because I love you.* She kissed Mai's silver hair. "I love you too, sweetheart." Mai settled closer. And for a while, the two women simply enjoyed the quiet. Outside, Night City continued its restless existence. Inside, the little silver-blue crystal caught the lamplight. The photographs rested beside it. And in the living room, Nadia's finished painting waited to greet them in the morning. Three beautiful things. Three reminders. And one very simple truth. Sometimes the smallest beginning could lead somewhere neither person had ever expected. --- ## Chapter 14 — All the Ways We Love The painting had finally found its place. Getting it there had taken considerably longer than anyone expected. Not because mounting it was particularly difficult. But because Brenda had Opinions. Strong opinions. About measurements. "Two centimeters to the left." Ace stared at the painting. "Brenda, it's perfectly centered." "It is not." Iris stepped back, examined the wall, and sighed. "Sweetheart, it's centered." Brenda folded her arms. "According to what?" "The measuring tape." "Which measuring tape?" "The one you're holding." There was a brief silence. Ace slowly turned toward Mai. Mai was already struggling not to laugh. Yukari took a very deliberate sip of tea. Shammy covered her mouth. Brenda looked at the tape. Then at the painting. Then back at the tape. "...Oh." Ace made a tiny, delighted noise. Brenda pointed at her. "NOT. ONE. WORD." Ace held up both hands. "Wouldn't dream of it." Iris leaned over and kissed Brenda's cheek. "Beautiful work, darling." Brenda looked at her. Then smiled. "Thank you." Ace waited approximately three seconds. "See? All it needed was a little positive reinforcement." "ACE!" The living room erupted into laughter. When the excitement finally subsided, Mai stood beside Shammy in front of the painting. Nadia's work looked magnificent against the wall. The warm colors seemed to belong naturally among the familiar furnishings of the safehouse, and the delicate silver and blue lines drew the eye without demanding attention. Shammy tilted her head. "It looks different here." Mai nodded. "It does." "Not worse." "No." "Just..." Shammy considered. "At home." Mai smiled. "Exactly." Shammy slipped an arm around her waist. For a while, they simply admired it. Then Mai looked toward the sofa. Ace was sitting beside Yukari. The kitsune had tucked herself comfortably against Ace's shoulder, while Ace absentmindedly played with her fingers. Neither woman seemed particularly interested in the painting anymore. They were quietly talking about something that made Yukari smile. Ace leaned closer and kissed her. Yukari laughed softly. And Mai felt a wonderful warmth settle inside her. Shammy noticed her expression. "Darling?" Mai turned. "Hmm?" "Happy thoughts?" Mai smiled. "Very." She nodded toward Ace and Yukari. "Look at them." Shammy followed her gaze. Ace had apparently said something outrageous. Yukari was laughing. "Oh," Shammy whispered. Mai leaned against her. "Aren't they wonderful?" Shammy smiled. "They are." --- A little later, Ace noticed the two women watching them. She raised an eyebrow. "What?" Mai smiled innocently. "Nothing, darling." Ace narrowed her eyes. "That's suspicious." Yukari looked toward them. "Perhaps they're simply admiring us." Ace considered that. Then grinned. "Well, naturally." Mai burst out laughing. "Oh, Ace!" "What?" "Your modesty is breathtaking." "Thank you. I work very hard at it." Yukari laughed and kissed Ace's cheek. "She's quite hopeless, isn't she?" Shammy giggled. "Completely." Ace looked offended. "I'm sitting right here!" "We noticed, darling," Mai replied. Ace opened her arms. "Then come here and appreciate me properly." Mai laughed and crossed the room. Ace caught her around the waist and pulled her into a warm embrace. Mai kissed her. "Better?" "Considerably." Shammy followed, settling beside them. Ace kissed her too. "There. Now everyone's appreciating everyone." Yukari smiled. "An excellent arrangement." --- And a moment later, all four women were laughing together. The afternoon passed peacefully. Brenda and Iris eventually went out to take care of some errands. Yukari suggested tea. Ace suggested something considerably stronger. Mai suggested pastries. Shammy agreed with all three proposals. This resulted in a brief debate over whether tea, sake and pastries constituted a proper afternoon meal. Ace maintained that they did. Mai pointed out that sake was not ordinarily considered a nutritional food group. Yukari observed that several historical civilizations might disagree. Shammy laughed. And somehow, the conversation ended with tea, pastries and a small bottle of sake appearing on the table. Ace looked triumphant. "Compromise." Mai shook her head. "That's not what compromise means." "It is in Night City." Yukari raised her cup. "To compromise." Shammy giggled and joined the toast. --- Later, Mai found herself sitting beside Ace while Shammy and Yukari discussed something across the room. The two ancient beings were laughing over a story involving an unfortunate nobleman, a ceremonial banquet, and what sounded suspiciously like a fox in a wine cellar. Mai had decided she probably didn't need the details. Ace was watching them with obvious affection. Mai leaned against her shoulder. "Darling?" "Hmm?" "You've been spending quite a lot of time with Yukari lately." Ace turned toward her. "Yes." Mai smiled. "I'm glad." Ace studied her expression. "Really?" "Of course." Mai looked toward Yukari. The kitsune was laughing so hard that Shammy had begun laughing with her. Mai's smile softened. "Look at her." Ace followed her gaze. "Beautiful, isn't she?" "Very." Ace slipped an arm around Mai. "She's wonderful company." "I know." "And those tails..." Mai burst out laughing. "ACE!" "What?" "You've become positively obsessed!" Ace grinned. "Sweetheart, have you ever spent an entire night sleeping in the middle of nine magnificent fox tails?" Mai considered the question. "Not quite like that." "Then you have no idea what you're missing." Mai laughed. "Apparently." Ace kissed her forehead. Then her expression softened. "But seriously, darling, I've enjoyed having some time alone with her." Mai nodded. "I'm happy for you." Ace glanced at her. "And you and Shammy?" Mai smiled. "We've had the loveliest few days." "I know." Ace drew her closer. "And I love that." Mai rested her head against Ace's shoulder. For a while, they simply enjoyed the quiet. Then Mai looked up. "Ace?" "Yes?" "You know that none of this changes what we have." Ace smiled. "Of course I do." Mai gently touched her cheek. "I just wanted to say it." Ace leaned forward and kissed her. "Sweetheart, loving Yukari doesn't make me love you any less." "I know." "And seeing you happy with Shammy doesn't make me feel any less loved." Mai's expression softened. Ace smiled. "It just means there are more happy people around here." Mai laughed quietly. "An alarmingly cheerful household." "Terrible situation." "Absolutely dreadful." They kissed again. --- And across the room, Shammy glanced toward them and smiled. Yukari noticed. "Happy thoughts, my love?" Shammy looked at her. "Yes." Yukari followed her gaze toward Ace and Mai. Then smiled. "Ah." Shammy laughed. "You always seem to understand." "Not always, darling." "Often enough." Yukari considered that. Then nodded. "Perhaps." Shammy looked thoughtful. "You know, I've been thinking about something." "Tell me." Shammy looked down at her hands. "All these centuries, I've had my element. I've known what it can do. I've known how to control it." Yukari listened. "And then one evening, I asked Mai whether she'd like to discover something new with me." Yukari smiled. "And now?" Shammy looked around the room. At the painting. At the little collection of teacups. At Ace and Mai laughing together. At the warm, ordinary life they'd built inside the safehouse. "Now I feel as though I've discovered more than I expected." Yukari gently took her hand. "Such as?" Shammy thought for a moment. "That I can still surprise myself." Yukari's expression softened. "Oh, darling." "And that I can still find new ways to love people I've already loved for so long." Yukari smiled. "Yes." Shammy looked at her. "Does that ever surprise you?" Yukari considered the question. Then laughed softly. "Frequently." Shammy blinked. "Really?" "Of course." Yukari looked toward Ace. The woman she loved was currently trying to explain something to Mai using increasingly elaborate gestures. Mai was laughing too hard to follow. Yukari smiled. "I've lived an extraordinarily long time, Shammy." "I know." "And yet I still find myself looking at someone I love and wondering what wonderful thing we might discover together tomorrow." Shammy's expression softened. "Even now?" "Especially now." For a while, neither spoke. Then Yukari leaned closer and kissed Shammy's cheek. "That's one of the loveliest things about loving someone, darling." "What?" Yukari smiled. "You never finish getting to know them." --- That evening, Ace decided dinner should be a family affair. This was not a particularly revolutionary suggestion. Most evenings at the safehouse involved some variation of a family meal. But Ace had a specific intention. "No missions," she announced. Mai looked up. "Agreed." "No corporate nonsense." Shammy nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely." "No discussions about eldritch entities." Yukari raised an eyebrow. "An excellent restriction." "And absolutely no discussions about tomorrow's schedule." Mai stared at her. "ACE!" Ace grinned. "Especially from you, darling." Mai laughed. "Fine." "Excellent." Yukari smiled. "And what shall we discuss instead?" Ace considered. "Food." Shammy giggled. "An excellent subject." "Love." Mai smiled. "Even better." "And the possibility that someone in this household might eventually admit to stealing the last piece of cheesecake." From the kitchen came Brenda's voice. "THAT WAS IRIS!" Iris answered calmly. "Yes, darling. We've established that." Ace burst out laughing. Dinner turned out to be wonderfully ordinary. Which, given the people involved, was something of an achievement. Brenda told them about a particularly frustrating meeting. Iris contributed several dry observations that made everyone laugh. Yukari recounted a story from centuries ago, carefully omitting certain details that caused Shammy to look at her with delighted suspicion. Mai talked about the little market she and Shammy had visited. Ace immediately demanded to know where the pastries had come from. And Shammy spent most of the meal smiling. At one point, Brenda noticed. "Shammy." "Yes, darling?" "You're very cheerful." Shammy blinked. "I suppose I am." Brenda studied her. Then looked toward Mai. Then toward Ace. Her expression became suspicious. "You're not doing that secret conversation thing again, are you?" Mai began laughing. Ace immediately looked delighted. Yukari lowered her teacup. Shammy smiled innocently. "Not at the moment." Brenda stared. "NOT AT THE MOMENT?" Iris closed her eyes. "Oh, sweetheart." Brenda pointed at Shammy. "THAT IS NOT REASSURING!" Shammy dissolved into giggles. Ace leaned back in her chair. "Brenda, darling, perhaps you should consider that ignorance can occasionally be bliss." Brenda turned toward her. "NOT IN THIS HOUSE!" Iris raised an eyebrow. "Our house, sweetheart." Brenda opened her mouth. Paused. Then sighed. "Fine. Our house." Ace grinned. "Excellent progress." "ACE!" --- After dinner, the household gradually settled into its usual evening rhythm. Brenda and Iris withdrew to their bedroom. The sound of their conversation faded down the hallway. Ace watched them go. "Think they're actually going to sleep?" Mai looked at her. "Darling." "What?" "Leave them alone." Ace grinned. "I didn't say anything." "You were thinking it." "Apparently that's becoming a theme around here." Shammy giggled. Yukari smiled. Then she looked toward the living room. "Shall we?" They settled together on the sofa. All four of them. Not in two separate pairs. Not because anyone felt obliged to stay. Simply because they wanted to be together. Mai leaned comfortably against Shammy. Ace settled beside Yukari, one arm around the kitsune's shoulders. And for a while, they talked about absolutely nothing important. The conversation wandered from the little market to Nadia's painting, from an amusing story about Panam to a ridiculous observation Ace had made about a corporate advertisement. Eventually, the laughter faded into comfortable silence. Shammy looked around at the three women beside her. Then she smiled. "May I tell you something?" Mai turned. "Always, darling." Ace nodded. "Of course." Yukari smiled. "We're listening." Shammy hesitated. Not because she was afraid to speak. But because she wanted to find the right words. "I've had the most wonderful week." Mai smiled. "So have I." Shammy looked at her. "And I think I finally understand something." Ace raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Shammy took Mai's hand. "When I first thought of trying something new with my element, I wanted to make Mai happy." Mai squeezed her fingers. "You certainly did, sweetheart." Shammy laughed softly. "And then Ace wanted to join us." Ace grinned. "Naturally." "And I discovered how much I enjoyed sharing something unusual with both of you." Mai nodded. Shammy continued. "Then I visited Nadia and Panam. And they helped me discover something different." Yukari smiled. "Every love has its own language." Shammy looked at her. "Yes." She smiled. "Exactly." Then she looked around the room. "And somewhere along the way, I realized that I wasn't simply finding new ways to make people happy." Mai watched her with growing tenderness. Shammy continued quietly. "I was finding new ways to be happy with them." For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Ace leaned forward and kissed Shammy's cheek. "Sweetheart." Shammy looked at her. Ace smiled. "That's a beautiful discovery." Mai leaned closer. "And one I hope you never stop making." Yukari nodded. "Neither do I." Shammy looked at them. Then laughed softly. "Oh, my loves." --- A little later, Mai gently touched Shammy's hand. Their familiar pattern. Three soft taps. A pause. Warmth. Two more. Shammy smiled immediately. She returned the message with the faintest whisper of her element. Ace noticed. Of course she noticed. But this time, instead of teasing them, she simply smiled. Yukari leaned against her shoulder. "Thinking, darling?" Ace nodded. "Yes." "Happy thoughts?" "Very." Yukari followed her gaze. Mai and Shammy were smiling at one another. The little silver-blue glow had already disappeared. Yet somehow, both women looked as though the entire room had become warmer. Yukari smiled. "They really are lovely together." Ace kissed her forehead. "They are." Then Yukari turned toward her. "And so are we." Ace grinned. "Darling, I was hoping you'd notice." Yukari burst out laughing. Ace kissed her. And for a few moments, the four women were entirely content to enjoy one another's company. --- Eventually, the evening grew late. Mai stretched. Shammy smiled. "Tired, darling?" "A little." Ace looked toward the clock. "Well, I suppose we should consider sleeping at some point." Yukari raised an eyebrow. "An unexpectedly sensible suggestion." "I have those occasionally." "Very occasionally." Ace laughed. Then she glanced toward Mai and Shammy. "Would you two like another evening to yourselves?" Mai looked at her. Then at Shammy. Shammy smiled. "Actually..." Ace tilted her head. "Yes?" Shammy looked a little thoughtful. "I've loved having these quiet evenings with Mai." Mai squeezed her hand. "So have I." "But..." Shammy looked at Ace. "I've missed having you beside us too." Ace's expression softened. "Oh, sweetheart." Mai nodded. "So have I." Ace looked between them. Then smiled. "Well, darling, that's easily arranged." Yukari laughed softly. "Indeed." Shammy turned toward her. "And you?" Yukari looked amused. "Me?" "Yes." Shammy smiled. "You've been wonderfully generous with your time. And I know you've enjoyed being with Ace." Yukari nodded. "Very much." "But you know you're always welcome with us." Yukari's expression softened. "Oh, my love." She leaned over and kissed Shammy's cheek. "I know." Then she glanced toward Ace. "And I believe we have a rather lovely arrangement, don't we?" Ace grinned. "Several lovely arrangements." Mai laughed. "Darling!" "What? It's true!" In the end, nobody made a formal plan. There was no need. They spent a little longer together in the living room, sharing kisses, laughter and quiet conversation. Ace sat with Mai curled against one side of her and Yukari leaning comfortably against the other. Shammy rested nearby, her fingers intertwined with Mai's. At some point, Ace reached over and took Shammy's free hand. The elemental looked up. Ace smiled. "Happy, sweetheart?" Shammy nodded. "Very." "Good." Shammy looked around at her loved ones. "And you?" Ace smiled. "Absolutely." Mai nodded. "Completely." Yukari's golden eyes warmed. "More than I can say." For a while, nobody spoke. Then Shammy laughed softly. "What?" Mai asked. Shammy shook her head. "Nothing." "Darling." Shammy smiled. "I was just thinking how extraordinary it is." "What is?" Shammy looked at their joined hands. "That I can do so many incredible things with my element." Ace nodded. "Rather spectacular things, actually." Shammy giggled. "And yet..." She looked at Mai. "Sometimes the most wonderful thing I can do is simply hold someone's hand." Mai's expression softened. "Oh, sweetheart." Yukari smiled. "And sometimes, darling, the most wonderful thing is allowing someone to hold yours." Shammy looked at her. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she smiled. "Yes." She squeezed Mai's fingers. "Exactly." --- Much later, the safehouse was quiet. The painting hung in the living room, its silver and blue lines meeting in a gentle glow. The little crystal rested beside the lamp in the Triad's bedroom. And the photographs from Mai and Shammy's afternoon together remained nearby, capturing four small moments of happiness. Ace had joined Mai and Shammy in their shared bedroom that night, receiving such an enthusiastic welcome that she laughingly declared herself the most fortunate woman in Night City. Yukari had kissed all three of them goodnight before retiring to her own room. She knew she was loved. She knew she was welcome. And she was perfectly content to let her three beloved women enjoy the night together. There would be other evenings. Other embraces. Other discoveries. There always were. Ace lay comfortably between Mai and Shammy. Mai had her head resting against Ace's shoulder. Shammy was curled close on the other side. For a while, they simply enjoyed being together again. Then Ace looked at Mai. "Darling?" "Hmm?" "May I ask something?" Mai smiled sleepily. "Of course." Ace grinned. "Are you and Shammy ever going to teach me your secret language?" Mai opened one eye. Shammy began giggling. Ace looked between them. "Well?" Mai considered the question. Then smiled. "Perhaps." Ace raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps?" "Yes." "Under what conditions?" Mai grinned. "Good behavior." Ace stared. Shammy burst out laughing. "MAI!" Mai laughed. "What?" Ace shook her head. "Sweetheart, you've known me for years. You know perfectly well that's an impossible condition." Mai kissed her cheek. "Then I suppose we'll have to negotiate." Shammy was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Ace looked at her. "You're enjoying this." "Immensely." "Terrible woman." Shammy kissed her. "Your terrible woman." Ace smiled. "Very much so." Eventually, the laughter faded. Mai settled comfortably against Ace. Shammy reached across and took her hand. For a while, nobody spoke. Then Shammy whispered: "Mai?" "Hmm?" "Thank you." Mai opened her eyes. "For what, sweetheart?" Shammy smiled. "For saying yes." Mai looked at her. "To your first question?" Shammy nodded. Mai's expression softened. "Oh, darling." Shammy continued. "I was so nervous." "I know." "And you were so curious." Mai laughed softly. "Naturally." "And now..." Shammy looked at Ace. Then back at Mai. "Now I have so many wonderful memories from something that began with one tiny spark." Ace reached over and gently touched her cheek. "Sweetheart, I think that spark was always going to become something wonderful." Shammy looked at her. "Why?" Ace smiled. "Because you were sharing it with someone who loves you." Mai leaned closer and kissed Shammy. "Two people, actually." Ace grinned. "Excellent correction." Shammy laughed. Then she reached for both their hands. "Three curious women." Mai smiled. "Three very curious women." Ace nodded solemnly. "And absolutely no shortage of enthusiasm." They laughed together. As sleep began to claim them, Shammy gently touched Mai's palm. Three delicate sensations. A pause. Warmth. Two more. Mai smiled. *I'm here, darling.* She returned the message. Then Shammy touched her hand again. Two little sensations. A pause. A gentle warmth. *Just because I love you.* Mai's expression softened. She returned that one too. Ace watched them with a warm smile. "Still talking?" Mai nodded. "Just a little." Ace kissed her forehead. "Good." She drew both women closer. "Because I happen to love listening to the two of you." Shammy smiled. "Even when you can't hear what we're saying?" Ace grinned. "Especially then." Mai laughed softly. And the three women settled together, content and deeply loved. --- Elsewhere in the safehouse, Yukari stood for a moment beside her window. The distant city lights shimmered against the glass. She thought about Shammy. About Mai. About Ace. About the remarkable, complicated, beautiful family they had become. And she smiled. Even after all the centuries she'd lived, there were still evenings when she found herself astonished by how much happiness could fit into one ordinary day. She turned away from the window. Then, with the effortless grace of an ancient kitsune, she shifted from her human form into her magnificent nine-tailed fox form. Nine soft tails curled comfortably around her as she settled down to sleep. She closed her eyes. And somewhere in the quiet warmth of the safehouse, four women who loved one another drifted peacefully into dreams. Not because every discovery had been made. Not because every question had been answered. But because they knew there would always be another tomorrow. And they would be there to share it. --- ## Epilogue — The Smallest Things For once, Night City woke quietly. The rain had stopped sometime before dawn, leaving the streets of Watson glistening beneath the pale morning light. Traffic moved through the city as it always did. Somewhere, a corporation was undoubtedly plotting something unpleasant. Somewhere else, an unfortunate mercenary was probably discovering that a supposedly simple job had become anything but. None of that mattered inside the safehouse. Not this morning. Mai woke first. She lay comfortably between her two beloved women, enjoying the familiar warmth of their shared bed. Ace was still asleep, one arm resting loosely around Mai's waist. Shammy lay on her other side, her expression peaceful. Mai smiled. For a while, she simply watched them. There had been so many mornings like this. After dangerous missions. After wonderful evenings. After days when the world had seemed determined to make their lives as complicated as possible. And yet, somehow, this morning felt a little different. Not because anything extraordinary had happened overnight. Quite the opposite. They'd gone to bed happy. They'd fallen asleep holding one another. And now they were waking to another ordinary day together. Mai decided that was rather wonderful. She turned toward Shammy. Then, with the gentlest touch imaginable, she tapped three times against her hand. A pause. Her warm palm rested against Shammy's. Two more taps. Shammy stirred. Her eyes opened slowly. Then she smiled. "Good morning, darling." Mai laughed softly. "Morning, sweetheart." Shammy looked down at their joined hands. Then back at Mai. "You woke me with our little message." Mai nodded. "Yes." Shammy's smile grew. "I like that." "I thought you might." Mai leaned forward and kissed her. Shammy returned the kiss, then drew her closer. For a little while, neither had any particular interest in getting out of bed. Eventually, Shammy spoke. "Mai?" "Hmm?" "May I ask you something?" Mai smiled. "Always." Shammy glanced toward the clock. Then back at her. "Could we stay here a little longer?" Mai's expression softened. "Of course, darling." Shammy laughed quietly. "Good." She settled comfortably against Mai again. And Mai, remembering the woman who had once been almost too shy to ask for something she wanted, felt a little burst of happiness. Shammy hadn't hesitated. She'd simply asked. And that, Mai thought, was worth celebrating. Ace woke approximately fifteen minutes later. She opened one eye. Looked at the two women curled together beside her. Then smiled. "Well." Mai turned. "Good morning, darling." Ace stretched. "Morning, beautiful." Shammy leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Sleep well, sweetheart?" "Wonderfully." Ace looked at them both. "And judging by those expressions, I assume neither of you is in any particular hurry to get up." Mai smiled innocently. "Not especially." Ace considered that. Then nodded. "Excellent." She wrapped an arm around both of them. "I approve." Shammy giggled. Mai kissed Ace's cheek. "How generous." "Naturally." They remained together for several more minutes. Eventually, however, Ace's stomach made an unmistakable announcement. Mai stared at her. Shammy blinked. Ace sighed. "Apparently, someone has other priorities." Mai burst out laughing. "Our fearless warrior has been defeated by breakfast." "A temporary tactical withdrawal." Shammy was giggling helplessly. Ace kissed them both and climbed out of bed. "Stay here, my loves. I'll find us something edible." Mai smiled. "Love you, darling." Ace looked back from the doorway. "Love you both." Then she grinned. "And no inventing twelve new secret messages before I get back." "ACE!" Her laughter followed her into the hallway. --- Yukari was already in the kitchen. She had woken in her magnificent nine-tailed fox form, enjoyed a few luxurious moments curled among her own warm tails, and then shifted back into her familiar human appearance before getting dressed. Now she stood beside the counter preparing tea. Ace appeared in the doorway. "Morning, beautiful." Yukari turned and smiled. "Good morning, my love." Ace approached and kissed her. "Sleep well?" "Very." "Good." Yukari tilted her head. "And you?" "Wonderfully." Ace slipped an arm around her waist. "Although I must admit, I missed your nine-tail luxury accommodation." Yukari laughed. "Darling, you've become terribly fond of that." Ace grinned. "Can you blame me?" "Not particularly." They kissed again. Then Yukari looked at her more thoughtfully. "You seem very happy." Ace smiled. "I am." "About anything in particular?" Ace considered. Then glanced toward the hallway. "Everything, really." Yukari's expression warmed. "That's a lovely answer." Ace looked back at her. "And you?" Yukari smiled. "Much the same." For a moment, they stood together in comfortable silence. Then Ace leaned closer. "You know, sweetheart, I rather like these quiet mornings." "So do I." "Perhaps we should have more of them." Yukari's golden eyes sparkled. "An excellent ambition." Ace grinned. "I do occasionally have those." Yukari laughed and kissed her again. --- Breakfast gradually brought everyone together. Iris arrived looking thoroughly awake and perfectly composed. Brenda appeared three minutes later, carrying the expression of someone who considered mornings a personal inconvenience. Ace greeted her cheerfully. "Morning, Brenda!" Brenda looked at her. "You're far too happy." "Thank you!" "That wasn't a compliment." "I choose to interpret it as one." Iris sighed affectionately. "Good morning, Ace." "Morning, Iris." Yukari poured another cup of tea. "Sleep well, my dears?" Iris smiled. "Very." Brenda considered. Then nodded. "Actually, yes." Ace raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's reassuring." Brenda pointed at her. "Don't." Ace immediately began laughing. Mai and Shammy arrived together. Shammy was holding Mai's hand. Neither woman seemed particularly concerned about hiding how happy they were. "Morning, everyone!" Mai announced. Yukari smiled. "Good morning, sweethearts." Ace held out her arms. "Come here, my beautiful women." They approached, exchanging affectionate kisses before settling down for breakfast. For a little while, the conversation proceeded peacefully. Then Mai felt something against her palm. A tiny, familiar sensation. She smiled. Shammy continued eating her breakfast. Mai glanced at her. Another little pattern followed. Not their usual message. One of the playful new ones. Mai paused. Then slowly turned toward Shammy. The elemental looked up with an expression of exquisite innocence. "Yes, darling?" Mai narrowed her eyes. Shammy smiled. Mai's cheeks grew pink. Across the table, Ace caught the look. Immediately. She glanced at Shammy. Then at Mai. And smiled into her coffee. Brenda noticed. Of course Brenda noticed. She looked at Mai. Then Shammy. Then Ace. Her eyes narrowed. "You're doing it again." Mai looked up. "Doing what?" "That thing!" Ace calmly took another sip of coffee. "What thing, Brenda?" "The thing where everybody knows something except me!" Shammy began giggling. Mai covered her mouth. Yukari smiled behind her teacup. Brenda looked toward Iris. "See?" Iris studied the three women. Then she smiled. "Actually, sweetheart, I think I've worked out enough." Brenda stared at her. "YOU HAVE?" Iris nodded. "Yes." "Then tell me!" Iris leaned over and kissed her cheek. "They're happy, darling." Brenda blinked. Iris continued. "Very happy. And I think that's rather lovely." For a moment, Brenda said nothing. Then she looked at Mai and Shammy. At their joined hands. At the expressions on their faces. And finally, she sighed. "Fine." Ace slowly lowered her coffee. "Fine?" Brenda nodded. "Fine." Mai looked astonished. Shammy stopped giggling. Brenda pointed toward them. "But one day, I am absolutely finding out what those little secret conversations mean." Ace grinned. "Good luck." Brenda glared. "ACE!" And the entire table burst into laughter. --- Later that morning, Shammy found herself standing in front of Nadia's painting. The sunlight had reached the living room windows, illuminating the warm colors of the canvas. Gold. Amber. Silver. And that delicate blue line. Shammy looked at it for a long time. She thought about Nadia. About Panam. About Ace's delighted curiosity. About Yukari's quiet understanding. And, most of all, about Mai. A few days earlier, Shammy had approached her with a question. One she had been almost embarrassed to ask. She'd wondered whether her element might offer a new kind of affectionate touch. She had expected curiosity. Possibly surprise. Certainly a few questions. Mai had given her all of those. But she'd also given her something Shammy hadn't anticipated. The freedom to explore. The confidence to ask for what she wanted. And the wonderful discovery that sharing something extraordinary didn't mean she had to be extraordinary every moment of the day. Sometimes she could simply be Shammy. A woman in love. Curious. Playful. Occasionally shy. And very, very happy. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Shammy turned. Mai stood behind her, smiling. "Yes, darling." Mai approached and slipped her arms around her waist. They stood together in front of the painting. For a while, neither spoke. Then Mai rested her head against Shammy's shoulder. "Thinking about something?" Shammy nodded. "Our first evening." Mai smiled. "Oh?" Shammy laughed softly. "I remember sitting on the bed, wondering how to explain my idea." "And I remember wondering why you looked so nervous." Shammy giggled. "Was I really that obvious?" "Darling, you were practically glowing with anticipation." "Not literally, I hope." Mai laughed. "Not quite." Shammy turned in her arms. "May I tell you something?" Mai smiled. "Always." Shammy looked into her eyes. "I think I would have been happy even if we'd never tried anything beyond that first little spark." Mai tilted her head. "Really?" Shammy nodded. "Because you listened." Mai's expression softened. "And you trusted me enough to ask." Shammy smiled. "Yes." Mai kissed her. Then rested her forehead against hers. "I'm glad we discovered something wonderful." "So am I." "But you know what?" "What?" Mai smiled. "I don't think we needed electricity to do that." Shammy laughed softly. "No." She gently touched Mai's cheek. "I don't think we did." They remained together for a while. Then Shammy glanced toward the little market photographs, now displayed on a shelf near the painting. Mai followed her gaze. "Darling?" "Hmm?" "Would you like to go dancing again sometime?" Mai smiled immediately. "I'd love to." "Perhaps somewhere a little more elegant." Mai raised an eyebrow. "More elegant than a Watson street market?" Shammy giggled. "Possibly." "With music?" "Naturally." "And perhaps dinner afterward?" "That sounds lovely." Mai leaned closer. "And what if I wanted to dance with you somewhere completely ridiculous?" Shammy considered. Then smiled. "Then I suppose we'd have to find somewhere completely ridiculous." Mai laughed. "That's my girl." Shammy kissed her. From the sofa, Ace watched the two women together. Yukari sat beside her, reading. Ace smiled. "Look at them." Yukari glanced up. Then followed her gaze. Mai and Shammy were standing in front of Nadia's painting, laughing quietly. Yukari's expression warmed. "They're wonderful, aren't they?" Ace nodded. "Very." Yukari rested her head against Ace's shoulder. "And so are you, darling." Ace turned toward her. "Oh?" Yukari smiled. "Yes." Ace kissed her forehead. "Well, I happen to think you're rather extraordinary yourself." Yukari laughed softly. "Flatterer." "Entirely sincere." "I know." For a while, they simply watched Mai and Shammy. Then Ace looked at Yukari. "Sweetheart?" "Yes?" "Do you ever feel as though there's still an enormous amount we haven't discovered about one another?" Yukari considered the question. Then smiled. "Darling, I sincerely hope so." Ace laughed quietly. "Good." She drew the kitsune closer. "Because I'd rather like to keep finding out." Yukari kissed her. "So would I." --- A little later, the four women gathered together on the sofa. Mai settled beside Ace. Shammy curled against Mai. Yukari rested comfortably against Ace's other shoulder. There was no particular reason for them to be sitting there. No special occasion. No important conversation waiting to happen. They simply wanted to be together. Ace looked around. Then sighed contentedly. "Well." Mai raised an eyebrow. "Well what, darling?" Ace smiled. "I think we're doing rather well." Shammy giggled. "At what?" Ace considered. "Being happy." Yukari laughed softly. "An excellent occupation." Mai leaned over and kissed Ace. "One I hope we keep practicing." Ace grinned. "With considerable enthusiasm." Shammy laughed. "Naturally." They fell into comfortable silence. Outside, the city continued its endless motion. Inside, four women who had shared countless extraordinary adventures were enjoying something wonderfully ordinary. A quiet morning. A few kisses. And the pleasure of knowing they were loved. Eventually, Mai felt a familiar little sensation against her palm. Three delicate tingles. A pause. Warmth. Two more. She smiled. *I'm here, darling.* Mai turned her hand over and returned the message. Three soft touches. A pause. Her warm palm. Two little taps. Shammy smiled. Then Mai added another pattern. Two touches. A pause. A gentle squeeze. *Just because I love you.* Shammy looked at her. And for a moment, all the centuries she'd lived seemed wonderfully unimportant. She had commanded storms. She had shaped lightning. She had witnessed things most people would never believe. But here, beside a woman who loved her, she had discovered something she hadn't known she was missing. Not a new power. Not a new ability. Not even a new sensation. Something much simpler. The knowledge that there would always be more to discover about the people she loved. And that she didn't have to discover any of it alone. Shammy leaned forward and kissed Mai. Mai smiled against her lips. "Happy, sweetheart?" Shammy nodded. "More than I can tell you." Mai drew her closer. "Then let's keep discovering things together." Shammy smiled. "I'd love that, darling." She glanced around at Ace and Yukari, at the painting on the wall, at the warm little home they'd made together. And then she looked back at Mai. Her beloved. Her curious, wonderful, silver-haired Mai. Shammy smiled. After all those years, there were still new ways to love.