Thank you for waiting.

Chapter Nineteen

Ten or so seconds passed by with nothing being said. Flor was still looking downward, but her head was now quivering as well. She closed her eyes, took in a breath, and let it out slowly. "I know that you are kind people." She lifted her head, making sure her eyes contacted everyone at the table. "I... was informed that I am special. An anomaly that comes into being only once every hundred years or so."

"Uh-huh?" asked Ali.

Kiki hit him on the back of the head and made a shushing motion with her hand.

Flor took a deep breath. "You know me. My name is Florence Orleanaise. I am a joshu that was created by Toa. My client is Ryo Sato. My best friend is Yenri Pinku."

At the mention of 'Pinku', Mr. Nicholson's eyes lit up.

"I was the pop singer who was on stage for a short period of time. We have one hit. After our initial tour was over, we went to a bar. My being was stolen, and I was given the being of the girl who did it to me. I was saved by you." She smiled. "This girl... I assume she pretended to be me. My creator discovered that I was broken in some strange way, and so all the Orleanaise were sent back to be fixed." She stopped a moment to think. "I may be wrong on the details. As she was a ryoshi, not a joshu, the girl pretending to be me... she... she went away. I do not know where she went, but she is no more. Because of my being, I was safe, and am now an anomaly. Those strong in magic will pursue me."

Mr. Nicholson was massaging his smiling face. "I'm not happy," he interrupted, "I'm just... I'm fascinated. This is fascinating. Keep talking. I'm sorry."

"Trotsky-schi, my superior, he called me into his office. He made me take medicine and lie down on a couch. He put nodes on my head and made me go to sleep. And he was there... in my dream, that is. I... I mean, he wasn't there, he was... I couldn't see him, but... no, I couldn't hear him, but it was... it was as if he was writing thoughts directly into my mind. He kept arguing and making people do things, I... I woke up, and my face was stiff, and my whole body hurt, and... I vomited, and he told me that he owned me, that... I was so very precious to him, and that he was the one who killed gods, and that..." She shuddered, slowly turning her eyes to Mrs. Nicholson. "Your food is very delicious. I have never tasted anything like this before, and I would like to continue, but I cannot continue talking about this subject and continue to eat." And with that, she began to nibble on the corner of a roll.

Mr. Nicholson leaned back in his chair with a satisfying WHUMP. He began to stroke his beardless chin, eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"What is this?" asked Flor, blowing off a spoonful of her soup.

"Jambalaya," replied Mrs. Nicholson. "Recommending that tape reminded me that we haven't had any for a long time. It's got sausage, shrimp, tomatoes, all sorts of good stuff."

"Tape?" asked Will.

"Yeah," she replied, "I got Flor into Cajun music."

"I mean," chuckled Ali lightly, "That makes sense, accordion and all. It's a little weird though."

"Flor," said Kiki, leaning in front of her brother, "You can play whatever you want to, okay? And... You're invited to karaoke with me and my friends tonight. I told them that I knew Florence from Ryo, and they got excited, but I understand if you don't want to go. You do whatever you feel comfortable with."

Flor nodded and bowed as much as she could. "I appreciate your graciousness, Kiki-chyeo."

She giggled. "Kiki-chyeo. I love it."

Mr. Nicholson leaned forward. "My god, I think I've got it."

All eyes were on him.

"Look, she's getting chased by this wizard who thinks he's big stuff, right? He might have taken her card info if he was smart, though he might not if he had a big head, so he could probably do whatever he wants outside this house, but she's safe in here. I'm a security expert. I made sure this is a safe spot. So, we've got some options. Either we send out a proxy for her, have her translate over the phone or something, or we get her a new ID. That way, that pack doesn't even have a lick of a chance of finding her, and there's only a tiny chance that hacker guy will ever find her."