"You must be related to my mother," Charisma mumbled. Matilda snorted.
"You really want to try arguing about it?" she offered, setting a glass down in front of each of them. They shook their heads and muttered "No, ma'am," then dug into their cake, moaning aloud when the taste of chocolate fudge hit their tongues. Then she laughed when they all grabbed for their milk, draining half the glass.
"I'm really glad I didn't argue," Charisma commented to Brianna in an aside loud enough she knew the rest would hear.
"Yeah, we might not get a refill, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need one." Then they focused their attention on eating and Matilda moved over to check on Esmeralda and Saphira.
"How ya doing, Essie?"
"Better," she replied instantly. "Where's Joe?"
"Saphira told us your Senator friends were coming, and he skedaddled to the kitchen. I think he's feeling a little outnumbered."
Esmeralda snorted. "He's always outnumbered when I'm here. There are three of us and one of him."
"Yes, but now there are six of us and two of them are lawmakers. It's a little daunting for him."
"He should give them a chance, Matilda. They've never once made me feel like they look down on me, and I don't have any more education than he does. And he had a distinguished career in the military. That counts for a lot too."
"You try telling him, Es. Maybe he'll take it better from you."
Saphira rolled her eyes. "Or I could just drag him out here by his ear."
"Saphira!!" Esmeralda's exclamation drew the attention of the others. Saphira raised her hands as if she didn't know why Esmeralda was calling her down and Esmeralda nudged her. Saphira nudged back and Brianna, surprisingly was the one to raise her fork at them and point.
"Don't make me come over there and separate the two of you." She turned to Charisma with horror in her eyes. "Oh my God - I've become your mother!!"
Charisma howled in laughter at the pronouncement, and the rest weren't that far behind her. Finally, when she could speak again, she motioned to the empty milk glasses. "Garcon? another round, please. I need milk to wash this down and it's too good to leave on the plate. Besides, aren't you ready for us to leave so you can go home as well?"
"Well," Matilda acknowledged as she drew three more glasses of milk, "I will be very happy to crawl into bed tonight as I am every night. But if I was to be completely honest, I haven't had this much free entertainment in a while."
Brianna exchanged a wry look with Charisma. "Great - at least we know if this whole political thing doesn't work out, we can take our act on the road."
"Yeah," Turq agreed as she scooped up her last bite of cake. "But would people pay to see you? That's the big question." Brianna stuck out her tongue. Matilda and Charisma laughed. Esmeralda and Saphira just watched bemusedly.
************
"Okay, so what voodoo did you do on those two?" Saphira asked an hour or so later when they were comfortably ensconced in their bed. "They're like totally different people."
Esmeralda shook her head. "It's not me. It's all them."
"Amazing. They're actually acting like? I dunno - friends? Certainly more than colleagues."
"I think they are friends. They're having to relearn how to be best friends." She sighed and clicked off the lamp, then snuggled deeper into Saphira's arms. "I think Sunday will be very telling."
"Because of the album?"
"Yeah. That's a huge risk? for both of them. For Charisma because she doesn't want to see what's there, and I'm pretty sure given what Amber has said that there are some very personal pictures in there. And for Brianna because she does know what's there and she can't do anything about it until Charisma acknowledges it to herself first."
"Oh what a tangled web we weave?."
"Especially when we're practicing to deceive ourselves. However," she added, then paused to yawn. "If we're really lucky, Sunday will have to be the last time we'll need to chaperone. Hopefully they will be comfortable enough together that they will be able to be alone without us between them."
Saphira frowned. "You all right, Es?"
"Yeah," Esmeralda said sleepily. "Why'd you ask?"
Saphira shrugged, but before Esmeralda could push her on it, she drew a deep breath to speak. "I dunno. I didn't realize you were as anxious to be done with this assignment as I am - as I have been since we started, truth be told," she added with a mutter. Esmeralda chuckled silently.
"I know, Phira. This kind of work is totally unsuited to your personality. You've done very well? better than I would if our positions were reversed, I think." She reached up and put a finger to Saphira's lips, smiling when she felt a kiss being brushed against them. "Trust me, Phira. *This* I'm sure about. I could never do what you do - I don't have that kind of strength or courage."
Saphira removed Esmeralda's hand from her mouth, though she still held onto it when she spoke. "You don't have that kind of anger, and that's a good thing, Sweetheart. The world will never be ready for more than one of me. However, that still doesn't answer my question about why you're so anxious to be done with this mission."
Even though it was dark in the room, Saphira could hear the smile in Esmeralda's voice. "Phira, I'm always ready to have an assignment over with when I can start to see the finish line. Doesn't mean I'm gonna change the way things are being handled or I'm gonna knock heads together - just means I am starting to see the end."
"And it makes you antsy?"
"Yeah. Sometimes Amber has to remind me it's not my timing? it's His, and I just have to be patient and let things happen in His time. Even when I can tell there's a ways to go before things reach whatever conclusion they're going to, once I have an ending in sight, I kinda tend to want to rush right to it."
"Hallelujah!" Saphira muttered, causing Esmeralda to lean up and look down at her, knowing Saphira could see her expression even in the darkened room. Saphira kept her eyes conveniently closed, however, and Esmeralda had to resort to poking her. Saphira scowled and growled, finally opening an eyeball to glare at Esmeralda. "Whaaaaaat?"
"Would you like to explain why I just heard something that sounded suspiciously like praise come out of your mouth? Phira, you haven't praised anything since we were thrown out."
"My praise, as you call it, was directly in reference to you, Es, and nothing else."
"Oooookay," Esmeralda drawled. "Would you like to finish that thought for me?" after an extended period of silence. Saphira sighed, knowing Esmeralda wouldn't let it go until she 'fessed up.
"Fine," she sighed aggrievedly. "I was happy to find you're as human - so to speak - as the rest of us. I mean, it's good to know you get impatient too."
Esmeralda rolled her eyes and snorted. "Saphira? how long have we been together? You KNOW I'm not all that patient."
"Maybe not in some things, Es, but when it comes to this.. when it comes to doing your job and getting a good result for your charges, I haven't seen you be anything *but* patient. Amber may have to remind you from time to time, but you're all about giving them the time and space to work things out for themselves while I would just as soon beat it into them."
Esmeralda chuckled. "But you also hear me bitching and griping."
"Es, we all bitch and gripe. But you never force it along to make it go faster. Besides, I'm also glad you didn't want it to be over because you needed the time off."
Esmeralda cupped Saphira's face gently in her hands. "Phira, I am getting better. I'll be the first to admit that I'm glad for this break. But I'm getting better."
Saphira took Esmeralda's hands in hers and tugged until they were laying curled up together again. "Keep reminding me, Es."
"For all the rest of our lives together," Esmeralda promised with a smile and a kiss. In moments they were both asleep.