Author's note: Happy birthday to Winterbraid, who's been waiting a long time for this chapter. He did a nice piece of art for the story, which I swiped and cropped for a cover image. The full picture (NSFW) is linked from my profile.

Fair warning: things get a bit steamy in this one.

Act 5: Complications

It was a peculiar trio which climbed over the garden wall and left the scene without a second glance, the serious, athletic Karen on one side and the boisterous, exotic Nambu on the other. Hanako, the tallest and yet most feminine in figure, walked between them. Anyone hearing them speak would be further surprised by the mismatch of appearance and accent.

Nambu did most of the talking for the first stretch. She'd tried to live up to her name by starting her quest in the southern part of the city, moving north only when prodded by instinct. She also revealed that she liked camping and reading English literature, and was proudly bisexual. Not that her new ashikabi had anything to fear, the girl hastened to add: having received her wings, Hanako was the only partner she would accept.

When the chance came, Hanako brought Nambu up to speed on their situation. The slinger spent the rest of the journey trying to befriend her co-spouse, though Karen was unreceptive to these efforts. She didn't act rude or hostile, merely disinterested. Hanako supposed she was preoccupied with her defeat by Akitsu, or maybe wasn't sure how to respond to Nambu's energy. She hoped it didn't portend a problem later.

There weren't any problems getting to Izumo House, at least. "Welcome back," said Miya, opening the door at Hanako's knock. "Is this a friend of yours?"

"Ah, yeah." Behind her, Hanako spotted Minato and Musubi coming from the stairs. "This is – "

"Sekirei Number Eighty, Nambu." The dark-skinned girl bowed at the waist. "It's an honor to meet you at last, Asama Miya-dono."

"Oh my." Miya smiled even as Minato froze like the proverbial deer in the headlights. "I presume Hanlon-san is your ashikabi?"

"She is!" Nambu radiated pride. "Some mean people tried to kidnap me, but Hana-nee stopped them!"

"It was a team effort," said Hanako warily, her composure jarred both by Nambu's indiscreet introduction and Miya's knowledge of ashikabi. "I didn't realize you were involved in this, Asama-san."

"Oh, no. I'm merely a young widow who owns a boarding house." Miya glanced at her present tenants, hiding her lips behind her fingers. "But my husband worked at MBI, so I know about the Sekirei Plan." She headed back to the kitchen. "Do come in. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes."

Minato looked as if he suddenly realized a prank had been played upon him. "The landlady never said she knew about sekirei..."

"That's not stuff you can tell just anyone," Hanako pointed out. In hindsight, perhaps this revelation accounted for some of the circumstances which earlier aroused her suspicion. "I suppose it's one less person to tiptoe around."

"Yeah..."

Minato appeared unsure of what else to say. Might as well finish the pleasantries, Hanako decided. "Nambu, meet Sahashi Minato and Number Eighty-Eight, Musubi. Minato-kun has been a great help to us."

Nambu bowed again. "Pleased to meet you. As sekirei of the eightieth series, let's both do our best for our ashikabi."

Musubi was practically beaming. "Yes!"

The good mood didn't spread to Karen, who up to this point had been lurking at Hanako's elbow. "Nambu," she interjected sternly. "How did you know about Asama-san?"

The slinger seemed surprised by her question. "My tuner told me. Didn't yours?"

"...No."

"Mine neither," added Musubi.

"Really? Azuma-nee always said such nice things about Miya-dono and Takehito-dono..."

Hanako filed that away as she bent down to remove her shoes. "I'd like to check in with Matsu before we eat. We may have made some enemies."

Minato nodded. Once the rest had taken off their footwear, he led them upstairs to the brain sekirei's hidden room. Matsu was waiting. "Well done," she said, ushering the group in. "Hana-tan is now stronger than eighty-one percent of all participating ashikabi."

"Uh... Thanks, I guess." Hanako shut the door and closed the inner curtain behind her. "You weren't kidding when you said there would be competition."

"Of course." Matsu sat on a floor cushion. "It was lucky the masked sekirei happened to pass by."

"Masked?" Minato turned around. "Hanako-san, was it the same person as when you met Karen-san?"

"Ah," interjected Musubi. "The one who looks like Kagari-san, right? I've seen him near the gardens too."

It seemed Matsu didn't want to take credit for vectoring Homura to the scene. "Yeah," answered Hanako. "It was that guy again."

Her fellow ashikabi remained blissfully oblivious to the truth hiding in plain sight. "I wonder why he was there?"

"Wasn't very talkative." Hanako gave Nambu a warning glance. "I got the impression he had unfinished business with the other party."

"I see," said Minato thoughtfully. "Was it a hard fight?"

"Hard enough." Before she could explain, she heard Miya's voice calling from below. "Tell you the rest later."

"Okay. I'll go get Ku-chan and Uzume-san."

Musubi followed Minato out. "Go on ahead," Hanako told Nambu and Karen. "I'll be right there." The ashikabi waited a few seconds just to be safe, then locked onto Matsu. "Your net gun saved our butts," she informed the bespectacled sekirei. "Unfortunately a scary lady confiscated it."

Matsu definitely knew who that was. "Did the scary lady say anything about me?"

"Yeah, she said not to let you be a perv around Minato." Hanako cocked her head. "You do something to get on her bad side?"

"Matsu might have... borrowed something expensive when she left MBI."

"Uh-huh." The tall woman folded her arms. "Okay, look... I appreciate your help, but I don't like being kept in the dark. Why didn't you tell us about Karasuba?"

Matsu cringed. "Hana-tan shouldn't say her name so carelessly," she muttered. "The Black Sekirei is..!"

"...Is bad news," Hanako concluded. "I got that much from Homura. Why is she bad news?"

"She'll kill us. If we're not ready, she'll definitely kill us!" The ginger-haired girl shivered at the thought.

"Who's us? You and Minato? Everybody at Izumo House? Anybody who ever talked to you?"

"It could be much worse than that," replied Matsu gravely. "How much does Hana-tan know about the Disciplinary Squad?"

"Just that they enforce the rules."

One of the computers beeped. Its owner crawled over to it, still talking as she logged in. "MBI uses the Disciplinary Squad to control the game's players, especially to punish those who try to escape or refuse to fight. At the same time, the squad and their ashikabi are competing for the same prize as everyone else."

"Jesus." Hanako expected it to be bad, but not that bad. "That's textbook conflict of interest."

"Hana-tan isn't wrong." The sekirei's fingers beat a machine gun staccato on the keyboard. "By my analysis, less than twelve percent of current teams are strong enough to defeat a single member of the Disciplinary Squad. For one team to defeat all of them is impossible." She tweaked her glasses. "Mina-tan doesn't know any of this yet. Matsu has been waiting for the right moment."

"We're keeping a lot of secrets from him," Hanako noted unhappily. "I don't like to treat my friends that way."

"There is a reason for everything," Matsu assured. "But it's good that Hana-tan feels – "

She was cut off by a knock at her door. "Hana-nee, Matsu-nee, the food's going to get cold!"

"Whoops." Hanako raised her voice. "We're coming, Nambu."

She had just put a hand on the curtain when Matsu spoke again, using none of her cutesy mannerisms. "Perhaps you're wondering what role you might play in this."

The ashikabi halted. "I'm listening."

"The Sekirei Plan's final reward is something many would use to benefit themselves, and some would use only to hurt others. Sahashi Minato would use that reward for the good of all."

"You're saying it's in my interest to help him win."

"Precisely," said Matsu with considerable gravitas. "For an emperor to rule ably, he must have the best of strategists and generals."

Lunch was quite nice once they got down to it. Nambu hit it off with Uzume, generating a stream of banter which set a positive tone for the meal. When everyone had eaten, Hanako gave a slightly edited recap of the garden encounter. She tried to play up Karen's bravery in standing fast against a stronger opponent but it was a futile effort, as most of the reactions focused on her own part in the battle. Minato was taken aback by her recklessness, although his dismay melted into chagrin when Matsu reminded him that he'd done more foolish things himself. He was spared further embarrassment when the topic turned to the nature of the enemy, with Matsu pulling up information on a tablet computer she conjured from under the table.

Mikogami Hayato was fifteen years old, a prodigy born to a rich family. He was estranged from his parents, who pushed him into a prestigious Japanese school after he had already graduated from an American university. At present he lived with his sekirei and a butler, being registered ashikabi to eight of the superhuman combatants. Mikogami had suffered two losses thus far: Mitsuha to Nambu and Number 43, Yomi, to Musubi. His profile noted selfish, impulsive and borderline attention-deficit traits, as well as a passion for video games. The attached image showed a boy with a shock of light brown hair, wearing a gold-trimmed white suit and cravat.

Most of the data on Akitsu, ex-Number 07, had been deleted from whatever database Matsu was tapping into. Her picture, however, survived the purge. The ice maiden was photographed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants, giving a shy smile for the camera. She lacked the conspicuous forehead crest and it seemed to Hanako that she had a sparkle in her eyes which hadn't been there when they met face to face. The file held no clues to explain her scrapped status, nor her escape from MBI.

Hanako next requested Mitsuha's entry for the sake of thoroughness. She found little of interest in it, save that Number 38 scored below average on her intelligence test and that her sister Mitsuki was also part of Mikogami's flock. Nambu asked to see her own file, which was granted, and then suggested opening Karen's. The archer was visibly uncomfortable with that and Hanako vetoed it, taking this opportunity to steer the discussion elsewhere before anyone tried to ask for records on Minato, the masked sekirei, or herself.

The time of departure came sooner than all would have liked, but there was no helping it: the visiting ashikabi had duties to attend on the domestic front before her afternoon work began. First, get Nambu squared away with the landlady. Second, survey the fridge. Third, try once again to figure out what the hell was happening to her life. Hanako took a shot at the last of these on the way home.

She had neither refused nor accepted Matsu's proposal, not that she felt she would have much choice in the end. Today she witnessed how even privileged rivals in this game would stoop to assault and abduction for a quick advantage, and learned that powerful enforcers lay in wait for those who defied the master's mad scheme. If running and hiding from the Sekirei Plan seemed like remote options before, they were now further out than Neptune. MBI owned an army, owned the sekirei, owned Tokyo.

It would take a staggering amount of leverage to pull off such a coup and get away with it, assuming Minaka Hiroto wasn't simply too batshit insane to care about contingencies. At the very least he would need to be holding the Japanese government by the balls. What, Hanako wondered, would that involve? Nuclear power to back up economic clout? The idea of a biotech company going full Outer Heaven might be funny if it weren't disturbingly plausible.

A Chinook helicopter passed over the street, disturbing her concentration. On her right, Karen marched forward in grim silence. On her left, a full stomach had rendered Nambu quiescent as well. She hated to imagine what her parents would say if they saw her now, especially her mother. Uncle Gary, conversely, would probably slap her on the back and say "Attagirl, Harry!"

What she wasn't earning accolades for was progress on her own goals. Instead of escaping the game, she got pulled deeper into it. Her intelligence gathering was handicapped by the frustrating need for discretion around Minato, and each answer she did find merely unraveled into new questions. Why did Karasuba inspire such fear? Who were the other members of the Disciplinary Squad? How did Miya become owner of a boarding house for sekirei? What was the final prize and Matsu's method to attain it?

For an emperor to rule ably, he must have the best of strategists and generals.

She couldn't deny the genius sekirei's offer held a certain appeal. If there was no shelter to be had in the gathering storm, then facing it with good, reliable company was the way to go. The problem was that while Hanako genuinely liked Izumo House's residents, their reliability remained unproven. Minato was a doormat. Musubi had her head in the clouds. Kusano was a child. Matsu panicked at the mere mention of a name. Not exactly inspiring stuff.

Hanako's phone chirped in her pocket. It was a text message from one of her students, asking if she could give a double lesson tonight. Putting in extra hours would leave no time to swing by Ivan's and see Kei, something she needed now more than ever. Still, the requester was a good, hardworking kid. For his sake, self indulgence could wait until tomorrow. While the trio waited for the lights to change at a crosswalk, the ashikabi typed out a short reply.

She was about to put away the phone when her eye fell on the newest number in her contacts list.

Sahashi Takami was nursing a coffee mug in one hand and massaging her forehead with the other when the phone started ringing: not the office phone next to her workstation, but her personal smartphone. Setting down the mug, she picked up the device and unplugged its charging cable. "Homura? Is there a problem?"

"Hamada Hanako just texted me," the fire sekirei reported. "Wants to know if I could meet her to talk about the game. She says she'll pay for my time."

Takami actually felt a little relieved, now that she knew the call wasn't about Minaka doing something terrible behind her back. "What do you think she's after?"

"Wouldn't you know that better than me?"

"I wish I did." She also wished her own children would show as much initiative as this problem ashikabi. "If you're thinking of going, I won't stop you. Just be careful."

"Should I go?" Homura didn't sound very enthusiastic.

"I'm not saying you should or shouldn't," the scientist told him. "But if you do, it may shed some light on her intentions."

"I'll have to see how my schedule looks."

"Of course." Takami retrieved her mug and drained half of the lukewarm brew inside. "By the way, her legal name is Hanlon. Hamada is her mother's name."

"I'll remember that," replied the guardian. "I think I liked Hamada better."

"Me too... Anything else happening I should know about?"

"Not so far."

"Good." Both of them understood there would be little rest in the coming days. "How are things at the club?"

"Busy. I can manage as long as Minaka doesn't spring any more surprises."

"I'll try to give you advance warning." Emphasis on try because she seldom got advance warning herself. "Hang in there."

Dealing with Hanako's landlady took up most of her remaining free time. Nambu signed the paperwork using the surname Azuma and listed one Azuma Kaoru, ostensibly her stepmother, as a reference. A down payment made with MBI funds helped sweeten the alibi. Her ashikabi had just long enough afterwards to show Nambu around the apartment and set up her laptop before leaving again.

Now Karen was alone with the new sekirei, and she did not like it.

She was Hanako's first, and senior in number as well, but Nambu had reacted to Hanako and she had not. Moreover, her shameful performance at the botanical gardens surely undermined her standing in her junior's eyes. As Nambu unloaded her rucksack and distributed the contents to their proper places, the archer steeled herself for conflict without weapons. She had promised to abide by Hanako's decision to take in another girl and she would do so, but her tuner's teachings were quite clear on the need for an ashikabi's first sekirei to permit no insubordination from the others. Asaka-sama would expect her to maintain discipline.

"All done," said Nambu, stretching her arms cheerfully. "What should we do now, Karen-nee?"

Karen stuck to her plan, and therefore to her comforting routine. "Hanako-sama provided a means of entertainment," she said, indicating the laptop on the living room table. "Let us make use of it."

"Okay." The short girl went to the shelves, lately reorganized to tidy up the gaps left by missing volumes. "What do you want to watch?"

Karen had already seen most of the films that looked appealing. "The first selection is yours," she hedged.

"Really? Thanks!" Bending down, Nambu ran a finger along one of the lower rows. "Ooh, this one!"

The DVD case she pulled out was unfamiliar to Karen. It was subtitled, at least, and the packaging advertised it as a cult classic. "Very well."

Nambu gleefully transferred the disc to the laptop's drive tray, closed it, and joined the other sekirei on the couch as playback started. The movie opened with a zero gravity striptease and only got stranger from there: what followed was an hour and a half of the most grotesque and incomprehensible artistry Karen had ever seen.

The brown girl took it all in raptly, though she seemed disappointed as the closing credits began to roll. "That's not fair," Nambu complained. "Barbarella did it with all those guys, but not with the Great Tyrant?"

"The Great Tyrant was her enemy." Karen was fairly certain she grasped that much of the plot.

"But she was so cool! And she liked Barbarella!"

None of the characters in the story displayed anything resembling acceptable attitude or attire, and Karen felt no interest in debating their preferences. "That is unimportant," she retorted stiffly. "It is fiction."

The ponytailed sekirei got up to pick out another movie. Then Nambu hit her with a question she was utterly unprepared for. "What's Hana-nee like?"

"Like..?"

"You know, when you do it with her? Does she want to be on top or bottom?"

It took Karen a few moments to form a coherent reply. "We... do not have that kind of relationship."

"You're her sekirei," protested Nambu. "Doesn't she like you?"

"It does not matter."

"Of course it matters! An ashikabi's love is what sekirei need most!"

"That..." The archer stopped short. Hanako had not explained her circumstances during the earlier briefing, and it wasn't a subject Karen was eager to get into. She knew, however, that sooner or later the truth would have to be told. If she spoke now, she could at least tell it on her own terms. "Since I did not choose Hanako-sama, she has no such obligation towards me."

Nambu's expression changed from incredulity to concern. "Didn't choose?" she repeated. "Karen-nee, what are you saying?"

Finally it all came out: Karen's flight from Hikari and Hibiki, the desperate gambit, and the sudden impact which sealed her bond to Hanako. Nambu listened without interrupting and kept silent, staring at her knees in deep thought, for a minute more once it was over. At last she lifted her face. "...Do you like her?"

"It does not matter," the other sekirei recited woodenly. "As Hanako-sama's sekirei, is my duty to fight for her."

Nambu didn't challenge the mantra this time. "I like her," the slinger confided with modest pride. "I like her so much, I want her to have my babies."

The sheer absurdity of the notion pulled Karen out of her malaise. "You are speaking nonsense. Two females cannot conceive a child."

"Yes they can," said Nambu. "MBI has a patent on it."

Karen didn't anticipate such a swift rejoinder. "It... it is a sekirei's duty to bear her ashikabi's children," she fumbled. "In any case, you should not assume Hanako-sama has the same desire." She turned away, disengaging before Nambu could put her on the spot any more. "I will choose the next film now."

Should she tell Nambu their host already liked someone? It wasn't forbidden to speak of Kei, but that was Hanako's personal business... Better to wait, Karen decided. Hanako would share it when she was ready.

A new difficulty arose at the bookshelf: to find a movie that was dubbed or subtitled, had not already been watched, and was more wholesome than the last selection. As she scanned the rows, a title caught her eye and recalled something she'd heard at the gardens.

"You were really smooth back there, Neesan. Where did you learn to do that?"

"De Niro in Ronin."

There it was. Ronin, starring Robert De Niro and Jean Reno. Karen pulled out the case for a closer look. Rounin, masterless samurai, were common figures in Asaka-sama's TV dramas. This didn't look like that kind of story, judging by the flashy cars and men with guns on the cover. Still, if Hanako favored it then perhaps it was worth trying. "What do you think?" the archer queried.

"Looks fun," was Nambu's opinion. "Let's do it!"

"Honey, I'm home." Hanako shook off her shoes and pushed them out of the way. "Everything okay here?"

Karen closed the book she was reading. "Welcome home," she answered. "All is well."

Nambu got up from her seat at the dining table, setting a pair of headphones next to the laptop. "Welcome back, Hana-nee."

Passing the kitchenette, the ashikabi noted some dishes and utensils in the drying rack which hadn't been there before. Evidently her wards took her advice to finish off the leftovers. "Watch anything good?"

"We saw Barbarella first. Karen-nee didn't like it."

"It's an acquired taste," Hanako admitted. "What else?"

"I chose Ronin," replied Karen.

"Yeah? What did you think?"

"It was... fast." Karen frowned. "But I do not understand, what was in the case?"

"What's in the case isn't important." Hanako dropped her bag at the bedroom door and headed for the bathroom. "The story just needs something for the characters to pursue," she continued, grabbing a spool of dental floss. "Money, diamonds, whatever. We call that a MacGuffin." Wrapping the filament's loose end around her finger, she drew out a suitable length and broke it off. "Tell you about it some other time. Right now I need to sleep."

Hanako checked her email while Nambu and Karen brushed their teeth, the latter leading the way to the bedroom after they were done. The sleeping arrangements had not been clearly established beforehand, and she was unsure how they would divide up the two available futons. Karen assumed Nambu would not want to use the couch, which left a choice of both sekirei in her bed or one of them in Hanako's.

The archer followed her master's evening habit, switching on the desk lamp between the beds and turning off the ceiling light. "The futon on the right is mine," she informed her companion. "I believe it is large enough for both of us if Hanako-sama wishes to be alone."

"Sure," said Nambu. "What do you wear at night?"

"I do not wear anything."

"Okay." The slinger began to peel off her clothes without more ado, exposing a lean and toned body. Karen undressed as well, letting down her ponytail just as Hanako entered.

The woman took her nighttime t-shirt from the closet and stood facing her own futon as she emptied her pockets. "You two okay with bunking together?" she asked, slipping out of her jeans. "At least for tonight?"

Karen knelt and turned down the covers on her bed. "We are."

Hanako discarded her pullover and bra, quickly covering her bare back with the potato-men shirt. At that moment Nambu spoke up. "Are you cold, Hana-nee?"

"Cold? No..."

"Then, are you embarrassed?"

"Uh... Not really, I guess." Hanako gave the sekirei a puzzled look. "Why?"

"I was hoping we could see our ashikabi." Nambu sounded unsure of herself. "It's okay if you don't want to," she added.

The room got very quiet. Karen watched and waited, not daring to move before an answer was given. At first Hanako simply stared at Nambu, blinking slowly, but then her eyes turned towards the archer. Karen wanted to say it was not necessary, or chastise Nambu for being frivolous, yet her lips could not form the words.

"...What the hell." Hanako stripped off her panties and tossed them aside, followed by the shirt. "There," she said flatly, letting her arms drop. "Sorry if it's not what you hoped for."

Nambu shook her head. "You're beautiful," the brown girl declared. "Isn't she, Karen-nee?"

"I..."

It had not escaped Karen's notice that many would find her master desirable, that Hanako had both a pretty face, albeit one often sullied by scowls and frowns, and a good figure. Her bust was large but not excessive, her waist trim, hips broad and legs long. Now witnessing her ashikabi fully, willingly nude for the first time, the kneeling sekirei could not stop her eyes racing to gather the remaining details.

She saw how soft the breasts were, and how they settled under their own weight. The nipples were dark and prominent, turned upward slightly, each pierced and fitted with a silver bar. Drifting further, she lingered briefly on the subtle contours around the deep, unadorned navel. The womanhood below was shaved clean, except for a narrow stripe above its cleft. Such a thing was totally new to Karen, and only with some difficulty did she move on to the thighs.

When she had finished, she could name just two flaws in the image before her. One was the piercings, a practice of which Asaka-sama most definitely did not approve. The other was a dimpled scar or blemish, about the width of a pencil eraser, just above the right areola. In spite of these faults, Karen would not disagree with Nambu. "I do think you are beautiful, Hanako-sama."

Hanako didn't take the compliments well. "Yeah," she muttered, looking away. "I get that a lot."

"I mean it." Nambu stepped forward, gently pressing herself against the tall woman's right side. "I'm really happy I found you."

"Eh..?" Hanako shivered as an arm snaked around the back of her waist. Karen had never seen her so befuddled. "Ah..."

"Actually..." Nambu drew closer, sliding her other hand over her chosen one's belly. "This is probably what I was born for." She cupped Hanako's left breast from underneath, stroking the nipple with her thumb.

"Stop."

The slinger let go, alarm and confusion on her face. "Hana-nee, what's wrong? Does it hurt?"

"I..." Hanako swallowed. "I can't deal with this right now. Just go to sleep." Hurriedly she climbed into her own bed and pulled up the blanket. "Lights off in ten."

Nambu looked utterly crushed as she obeyed the command, not even protesting when Karen claimed the side of the futon which faced Hanako's. The lamp went out and all was silent, save for the whisper of three young women breathing.

Sleep was the last thing Karen could think of after that scene. It kept replaying in her mind again and again, threatening to overwhelm a consciousness already flooded with alien emotions. They vexed her equally, the positive feeling she got when she saw her ashikabi's body uncovered and the negative as she watched Nambu lay hands on it. Surely she had no right to feel jealous of a sekirei who had been properly winged? Hadn't she herself said her relationship with Hanako was not like that?

Then why was her heart beating so fast?

Hanako couldn't sleep either.

She'd made a big mistake. Possibly more than one mistake, but stripping in front of the girls was definitely the whopper. What possessed her to think that was a good idea? She was tired and stressed, and maybe she couldn't have predicted Nambu would get so touchy-feely, but that hardly excused her carelessness. It also did nothing to account for the bigger problem: she was very, very aroused.

There was no denying it, not when the heat in her sex and the hardness of her nipples were unlike anything she'd experienced in ages. Three years was a long time to be alone, sure, and it had been difficult to take care of her needs with Miki around, but there was more to it. Being naked in front of her sekirei felt good, felt right. Being touched felt even better, and that was what scared her most. How far would it have gone if she hadn't come to her senses at that moment?

More importantly, what the hell was she supposed to do now?

The sekirei were very attractive, and mostly likable despite their flaws. One thought of her ashikabi as a husband, the other was already batting for a home run. The temptation to cross the line wasn't going to go away, nor would their own wants and needs. Hanako wondered how Minato dealt with this, if he was dealing with it at all. Perhaps Musubi and Matsu weren't so... forward?

She rolled onto her back, stifling an urge to rub between her legs. Couldn't do that here without being noticed, and the others would know if she went to the bathroom to do it. Focus, she admonished herself. Think about tomorrow. Tomorrow she would have to lay down rules about acceptable conduct, work out better sleeping arrangements and –

A Prussian marching melody drowned out her thoughts. "I got it," she groaned, reaching blindly for her phone. "You forget the timezone again, Dad..?" Her voice trailed off when she saw the screen. It wasn't Doug Hanlon's name on the caller ID. "...Kei?"

"It's me." The bartender sounded fatigued. "I'm sorry to call so late, but I couldn't put it off any longer."

"What's going on? Are you all right?"

"Not really." There was a soft noise that might have been a self-deprecating laugh. "I've been feeling unwell since midday. Chest tightness, a sort of ache... You winged another one, didn't you?"