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Bash stares hard at her, but Crash decides to accept her declaration. "Mistress Cat..." he starts to say, then stammers to a halt and scratches his head.

Bash kicks him. "She's no cat..." he whispers frantically.

"You not black, Master Cat is black... but he not called black..." babbles Crash lamely. Bash rolls his eyes and reaching up takes her by the hand.

"She's just confused. She's Mistress Blue-green thing..." he says calmly leading her into the room and shutting the door in Amestru's face.

Bash nods in affirmation and guides her to a chair. "But of course, Mistress Blue-green thing. We know your name is Tes. You said so. Would you like some tea?"

Crash pushes a footstool to the chair and picks up her feet one at a time, taking off her shoes and putting them up on the stool.

Between the two of them they have her sitting comfortably before the fire, beneath a blanket, sipping tea, protesting repeatedly that her name is Tes and not Mistress Blue-green thing in a rather short time. Of course she soon learns that neither of them truly listen to what you say unless they want to.

"Master Cat is a dragon, too... sometimes... a little bitty dragon..." says Bash nodding his head furiously. Then he stops and scratches his ear. "You no look like a dragon though, Mistress Blue-green thing. You no got wings. The little one has wings."

"Ah... like M'lady Alysian? She be fox and person as well... or is it dragon and person... or is it dragon and fox..." Bash is confusing himself even further now.

Crash rolls his eyes. "The Lady is special... Champhy says so... we all know that... She more like Mistress Kai... half tree... half people..."

"Mistress Kai no tree! She only lives in a tree!" replies Bash angrily.

This argumentive bantering isn't doing any good for Tes and she quickly dismisses them, telling them she's truly tired, simply to get them out of her hair, wondering what it was that Kero saw in them.

"Well they are k ind of cute... and determined... and devoted... and single minded..." she says to herself, then laughs softly in a tired sad voice. There was someone else who fit that bill as well. "The old softie..." she mutters closing her eyes and trying to rest. Lyssan was right, she was drained, emoitonally and physically, and she could only pray that Kero had calmed down and was feeding well. She had always been highly independent, relying on no one but herself, but she truly needed him by her side, now perhaps more than ever before.

Curling up against him, she once again allows herself the luxury of tears, but this time they are more controlled and less demanding as they are a sharing of grief not a declaration.

The next morning, they find a covered tray sitting on the table in Kero's sitting room with a note. "Sleep, rest or join us in the garden... at your discretion. I'll keep Luna occupied. -L" it reads in an elagant script. Under the cloth is a small modest breakfast for two.

By dinnertime though, Luna decides to go looking for her daddy. She finds him sitting on the balcony with Tes, neither of them talking, just sitting there, looking weary and worn, holding hands watching the sunset.

She lands on the rail and gives herself a shake then stalks over to where he is sitting, looking at this new individual from the corner of her eye, not sure what to think of her. "Ye kay, Daddy? Ye sick? Mama say ye not fewl good."