7. Abi

IN WHICH MOVEMENT IS OBSERVED AND EVERYONE IS QUITE HAPPY WITH THE RESULT

Dozens of meals and blissful weeks later, Senka and Abi had settled into a routine. Abi had a drawer at their apartment and spent little time back at her own cottage. They'd ventured out into Sanctuary a few times for picnics, but Abi disliked seeing how uncomfortable they were in their glamour, so they'd decided not to make it a common occurrence. Their mornings after work were filled with cooking and cuddles, excursions into town or lazy mornings spent gloriously silent but alone, together. After a month, Abi spent most days sleeping at Senka"s and woke up to see what ridiculously complicated concoction her partner had prepared. They"d not actually discussed labels, or plans for the future, but Abi had the distinct impression that things could be quite happily permanent.

On the day they'd invited Abi's parents to breakfast, Abi was rounding the lake when suddenly a bright flash blinded her, followed swiftly by a second.

"Abi!" Senka's voice called across the lake, "She moved!" Abi stopped to take in the words.

Moved?

She moved?

Shemoved!

Rushing over to the area where Sirin had set up the machine, Abi arrived shortly after Senka. They were staring down at the box in wonder.

"What now?" Abi asked. "Do we open it?" Energy coursed through her like lightning.

"I don"t think so, could you go get Sirin? She should be awake soon, right?" Senka"s tendrils were vibrating wildly, and Abi couldn"t resist leaning over to kiss them on the cheek before shifting into her owl form and flapping away.

Soaring up through the tunnels and across the valley, Abi left the cavern just as the sun began to peek into the valley. At Sirin"s home in short order, rapping on the door with her beak, Abi was glad to hear the creak of the floorboards as someone shuffled to the door. Shifting her head with a shake, she settled it into something more humanoid so she could speak. She"d never gotten the hang of flying with it that way, it was too heavy, but it was useful when she needed to communicate.

The door creaked open, and a bleary-eyed Berne peeked out. "Abi, are you all right?"

"Yes! Our trap went off, I think Sirin"s contraption might have caught movement from the Lady!"

From inside the house, Sirin shrieked, and Abi heard what sounded like her friend hitting the ground and then a groan. Berne turned around, only to shove the door closed to a crack. "Woman, put on some clothes. You"ll not go out a"sciencing in naught but your skin."

"Yes, yes, thank you, love," Sirin said. "Abi, you didn"t open it, did you?"

"No, we left it." Abi called through the crack.

"Good, good! Can you go rouse Sigfinn? I will meet you there!"

"Of course!" Abi shifted back and alerted Sigfinn before banking back toward the mountains. Swooping through the tunnel, Abi flew straight into Senka"s outstretched arms. Senka nuzzled into the fluffy feathers of her neck, humming their happiness.

By the time Sirin and Sig arrived, Abi was fully dressed, both she and Senka were ready to vibrate out of their skin. They"d taken turns calming one another, but their mutual excitement counteracted whatever peace they"d imparted.

Sirin was quickly followed by Gunna, Sanctuary"s Head Councilor and several members of the Council of Shades. Abi had rarely seen Gunna particularly happy, but if anything, she looked particularly sour today. Trailing behind them was Hanne Ege, the Head Ranger as well as Guard-Captain Aaberg. "It seems you stir up trouble everywhere you go, Sirin," Gunna said.

Next to her, Abi could feel Senka's tendrils reaching for her. She grasped the ones near her hand in a tight grip, wiggling slightly to encourage the others to sink in.

"It's a talent." Sirin flashed their Head Councilor a smile, before turning to direct her speech to Head Ranger Ege. "As I'm sure you've heard, several weeks ago, Abi and Senka observed the Lady move. As a result, we set up a noninvasive monitoring system. Today, we believe we have captured evidence of that movement. Sigfinn, if you would?" At Sirin's gesture, Abi and Senka moved to the side, allowing Sigfinn to access the box. His hands moved under a thick velvet curtain, during which time a weedy silence hung in the air. After several minutes of his fiddling, the silence escalated to involve awkward shuffles and coughs. Eventually, he pulled something from the box with his eyes held shut tight.

"I can't look." Sigfinn shoved it at Senka, who was closest to him. They looked surprised to find themselves holding it. Their tendrils froze, and then subsequently relaxed, accompanied by a manic giggle. Abi leaned over, and there, on the copper plate, was the vague outline of a person. More importantly, from her right hand extended concentric circles of waves. What was more, was that the Lady's hand was in a different position than normal — clenched, rather than relaxed and open. She only had it for a second, before Sirin claimed it, waiving it before the councilors and Gunna. Abi could scarcely believe it. It might have taken weeks, but now they knew for certain. Something was going on with their Lady, and if they were lucky, they"d be able to launch a proper investigation to ensure she was well. Abi turned to Senka, wanting to know how they felt, and glowing teal tears tracked down their face. They opened and closed their mouth several times, but finally settled on shaking their head. Abi launched herself at them, wrapping them tightly in her arms, pressing against them so that Senka knew she welcomed their meld. "I… I had almost convinced myself it wasn't real. Every day, I started to think that maybe I had seen something, but that I had seen something that didn't exist."

Abi grasped the tendrils on their head firmly in her hands and tilted their head down to look at her. "I never doubted you for a second, and I promise I never will. So next time you doubt yourself, just come to me."

Senka nodded, silently, bringing their lips down to Abi. Abi couldn't care that they were not only in public, but they were in front of all of their superiors, because in that moment, she knew, with every fiber of her being, that she was exactly what Senka wanted. What Senka needed. And she had never been prouder to be anything else. While around them, the leaders of their settlement gradually came around to the ready-made plan for observation that Sirin had prepared, Abi and Senka simply stood. They held each other on the banks of the Lady's lake, the light of the lunula shining off of them. Abi toyed with Senka's tendrils, petting and twining her fingers through them, while just holding them. When things around them calmed, Senka pulled back to wipe tears off of their face, and then Abi's as well. They kissed Abi's forehead before spinning her around to face the group. Their strong arms wound around Abi's stomach, though Abi wasn't certain who was supporting who.

The group had spread around the chamber, with the counselors following an excited Sirin, as she pointed out different locations in the cavern. Only the Head Ranger had stayed behind, and it was all Abi could do not to shrink back into Senka in the face of her. "It's no excuse, but for what it's worth, I hadn't been informed of your discovery. In the future, I've been informed that it won't happen again. In case you, by chance, missed any of that, the council and I have formally authorized a plan to monitor the movement and well-being of the Lady. As such an investigation would require working closely with the Lady's guards, I have appointed you both their official detail. Sirin has shared that you objected to elements of her plan that would have required physically touching the Lady. I thank you and will expect you to continue providing such feedback. As it is such an intense assignment, I would remove you from your regular rotation, and ask that you instead coordinate your schedules with Sirin for when she is on site. She is quite… eager. And I think it's important that she have access to your assistance and guidance."

Head Ranger Ege raised her eyebrows and continued. "Should you choose to accept, I would recommend that you both relocate inside the mountain, as close to the entrance to the Sepulcher as possible. I believe we have some unused storerooms that could be fitted into living quarters. They have windows and are close to the surface for Abi, but don"t worry Senka, they can also be covered or coated for your comfort."

Did that really just happen? Have I actually understood? A special detail? It was beyond anything Abi had ever dreamed of. An assignment that would keep her close to the Lady, to Senka, doing what could be the most important work in centuries? Even if Senka didn"t accept, at least Abi would be closer, and live somewhere that Senka could stay over. Frenetic energy bubbled through her as she considered the possibilities. How could she possibly say no? "I think, at least, for me, that seems amenable." Abi's voice shook a bit, but otherwise, she felt she'd comported herself well. Now, she only needed to wait to see what Senka wanted to do. This opportunity was more than Abi could have ever dreamed of, but what if Senka didn"t want to take it? They"d be split up, potentially keeping different schedules, and might lose precious time together. "I'd be honored." Senka said, giving Abi's arms a squeeze. Thank the Lady, they"d be together.

"Well, then, I suppose the only question is, should we convert the rooms into one apartment or two?" Head Ranger Ege raised her eyebrows and shifted her gaze to where Senka was wrapped around Abi.

Abi whipped her head around to look at Senka. The ridges above her partner's eyes were raised and they had a lopsided grin on their face. They lowered their voice so that only Abi could hear them. "What do you say darling? Do you want to move in together?"

"I'd like nothing more."