moved on from the death of the girl he was in love with. Second, the fact he can't recall having had a single other dream since arriving here, well, that kind of tips me off someone has been playing around in his dreamy head."
Angie said nothing, her head low so her eyes didn't connect with Fuyuko's.
"I don't know why, but you've been keeping him from dreaming, haven't you?" Fuyuko asked. Still, Angie wouldn't respond. "But for some reason, the other night, you stepped a little bit out of your limits and decided to have a little dream date."
Angie turned her head away, reaching across her body to hold herself. "It's not like that."
"It's not? I wonder how Woten would respond if he knew the line you'd crossed?"
Angie was on her feet so quickly, Fuyuko had to lunge across the table to grab hold of her arm. There would be no contest between them. Angie had access to the Veil, and even without it, she'd been training with Ansuz. She was in better physical shape than Fuyuko. But she didn't immediately pull away.
"Angie, please, don't go."
"Why?" Tears welled in her eyes. "So I can sit here and have you threaten me?"
"No." Fuyuko tried to soften her voice. Remember when you had to talk down Gwynn? This is probably just as dangerous. "Stay so I can explain. And so I can apologize."
Have I ruined this? Fuyuko wondered.
Angie lowered herself slowly back to the chair. Fuyuko released her arm.
Fuyuko drew in a slow breath. She needed to choose her next words carefully.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you that way. It's just…something has happened and I feel desperate. I want…no, I need your help, and I was afraid you wouldn't do it unless I bullied you into it. I was wrong."
"You're damn right you were wrong." She sounded hurt, but not entirely angry. "I know you haven't been able to work with us for a while, but we're still close as sisters. What we do, the things we see, it means a hell of a lot more than threats. You just need to ask me, we all owe each other that."
Fuyuko nodded slowly. "I know. But this is big. We could get into serious trouble."
Angie raised an eyebrow. "More trouble than the time we filled the boys' uniforms with itching powder?"
"Oh my god, I'd forgotten." Fuyuko laughed. "How old we were we?"
"Eleven. Paltar was scary angry, but Katsuro…"
Fuyuko's laughter fell silent.
"The way Katsuro just stared at us, looking so disappointed, was way worse." Angie smiled sadly. "Do you ever think about him? No, that's a silly question, of course you do." She added quietly. "We all do."
"That's why I need your help," Fuyuko said. "It's about Katsuro. About what happened to him."
Angie looked puzzled. "What do you mean? He died closing a tear. He saved all of us."
"I know, Jason told me. But the more I thought about it, something just didn't fit. So I went to the archives."
Angie grabbed her wrist in a painful, vice-like, grasp. "You watched the video of him dying?"
The cafeteria was mostly empty, but a few heads turned in their direction. Fuyuko's eyes widened, trying to tell Angie to quiet herself.
Instead, Angie stood, came around the table, hauled Fuyuko to her feet, and stormed out of the cafeteria, dragging Fuyuko behind her.
I was right. Fuyuko thought. She's far stronger than I am.
Angie pressed her palm against the reader next to her bedroom door. It barely slid open enough for a person to pass through when Angie shoved Fuyuko inside.
Angie waited until the door clicked shut.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? What kind of sick notion would make you do something like that?"
Fuyuko held up her hands, almost afraid Angie would charge at her. "It started with my counselling session with Eir. We started talking about Katsuro and how much he meant to me, and how I always pushed myself to be better because of him. And later, I was talking to Jason, and he said how Katsuro was so strong and how everyone looked up to him, and I said, 'then why did he die?' Jason couldn't tell
Angie said nothing, her head low so her eyes didn't connect with Fuyuko's.
"I don't know why, but you've been keeping him from dreaming, haven't you?" Fuyuko asked. Still, Angie wouldn't respond. "But for some reason, the other night, you stepped a little bit out of your limits and decided to have a little dream date."
Angie turned her head away, reaching across her body to hold herself. "It's not like that."
"It's not? I wonder how Woten would respond if he knew the line you'd crossed?"
Angie was on her feet so quickly, Fuyuko had to lunge across the table to grab hold of her arm. There would be no contest between them. Angie had access to the Veil, and even without it, she'd been training with Ansuz. She was in better physical shape than Fuyuko. But she didn't immediately pull away.
"Angie, please, don't go."
"Why?" Tears welled in her eyes. "So I can sit here and have you threaten me?"
"No." Fuyuko tried to soften her voice. Remember when you had to talk down Gwynn? This is probably just as dangerous. "Stay so I can explain. And so I can apologize."
Have I ruined this? Fuyuko wondered.
Angie lowered herself slowly back to the chair. Fuyuko released her arm.
Fuyuko drew in a slow breath. She needed to choose her next words carefully.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you that way. It's just…something has happened and I feel desperate. I want…no, I need your help, and I was afraid you wouldn't do it unless I bullied you into it. I was wrong."
"You're damn right you were wrong." She sounded hurt, but not entirely angry. "I know you haven't been able to work with us for a while, but we're still close as sisters. What we do, the things we see, it means a hell of a lot more than threats. You just need to ask me, we all owe each other that."
Fuyuko nodded slowly. "I know. But this is big. We could get into serious trouble."
Angie raised an eyebrow. "More trouble than the time we filled the boys' uniforms with itching powder?"
"Oh my god, I'd forgotten." Fuyuko laughed. "How old we were we?"
"Eleven. Paltar was scary angry, but Katsuro…"
Fuyuko's laughter fell silent.
"The way Katsuro just stared at us, looking so disappointed, was way worse." Angie smiled sadly. "Do you ever think about him? No, that's a silly question, of course you do." She added quietly. "We all do."
"That's why I need your help," Fuyuko said. "It's about Katsuro. About what happened to him."
Angie looked puzzled. "What do you mean? He died closing a tear. He saved all of us."
"I know, Jason told me. But the more I thought about it, something just didn't fit. So I went to the archives."
Angie grabbed her wrist in a painful, vice-like, grasp. "You watched the video of him dying?"
The cafeteria was mostly empty, but a few heads turned in their direction. Fuyuko's eyes widened, trying to tell Angie to quiet herself.
Instead, Angie stood, came around the table, hauled Fuyuko to her feet, and stormed out of the cafeteria, dragging Fuyuko behind her.
I was right. Fuyuko thought. She's far stronger than I am.
Angie pressed her palm against the reader next to her bedroom door. It barely slid open enough for a person to pass through when Angie shoved Fuyuko inside.
Angie waited until the door clicked shut.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? What kind of sick notion would make you do something like that?"
Fuyuko held up her hands, almost afraid Angie would charge at her. "It started with my counselling session with Eir. We started talking about Katsuro and how much he meant to me, and how I always pushed myself to be better because of him. And later, I was talking to Jason, and he said how Katsuro was so strong and how everyone looked up to him, and I said, 'then why did he die?' Jason couldn't tell
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