Word Count: 522

Finally, Valhalla adopted her, and brought her home to a mansion situated on a sprawling lawn. He took her around the back of the house and led her to the old stables — well kept but unused. Here he piled blankets into a corner and apologized for the rough conditions and the warm rain.

“This'll probably be best until Paris comes around,” he said. “She just needs time.”

Time was not something Lucasta had in abundance. She hadn’t the patience to wait. While Ganymede took her time, the Negaverse grew all the more powerful, and this planet and all the other stars and moons of the universe were at further risk.

She didn’t argue, simply gave Valhalla a look to demonstrate how unimpressed she was with the entire affair. Valhalla had the grace to look sheepish as he laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. He brought her a plate of chicken, talked to her about her surroundings and what she would find if she explored them, before he drifted back to the main house. Lucasta hoped he meant to speak with Ganymede.

With nothing better to do until Ganymede accepted what could not be avoided, Lucasta took her time exploring the grounds, rummaging through the gardens and walking along the paths through the trees. It was clean there, and lovingly cared for — protected, it seemed, from outside influence. It was a sanctuary just outside a city that was anything but, a little slice of peace in a world that knew so little of it.

She slept in the stables, curled within the blankets in the warmest corner far from the door, by a window through which sunlight streamed in the mornings.

Days passed. Valhalla brought her food, though Lucasta could hunt well enough on her own. He spoke with her concerning what little progress he'd made with Ganymede, and apologized again for how things had turned out.

“I didn't know what to tell her when you said you were looking for her,” he said. “I knew what that meant, and I knew how she felt about Guardian Cats after she awakened. She's had a hard time, especially recently...”

Valhalla trailed off and looked sad. Lucasta didn’t ask him for an explanation. She knew what occurred over New Year's. She would hear it from Ganymede or she wouldn't hear it from anyone at all.

She met the dog, a revolting creature with a lolling tongue and few wits in its head. It froliced about the yard every morning, and again in the evenings, pissing on trees and making too much noise. She met another cat as well, a furry thing that hissed and growled and slinked back inside to wend about Ganymede's legs.

Ganymede petted it, and picked it up, and carried it about without a second thought.

Lucasta watched through the windows — not envious, but disapproving. She circled around the house to peek through all the many windows, peering into countless rooms, each as beautifully decorated as the last. It was a grand place, suitable for her Senshi and her Senshi's mate.

Most importantly, it was home.