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Giselle hated sleepovers.

It was all very well to be polite to someone and friendly, because one never knew if they might be useful later. She would agree that this was a good strategy and that maybe they had hidden depths, as unlikely as it may seem. However, inviting them over to her room, her sanctuary would always be too far.

Much too far.

However, she made exception for one person, and that person was (Who else?) Tatiana Konstantin. The General and Commander had been inseparable since their second ballet class together at a young age, and considering Tate's home life was hardly fitting for one of her vast intellectual capacities, she often stayed overnight at the Petrova household. Giselle's parents were quite used to it. They had practically taken her under their wing as one of their own, and the only thing that prevented them from outright adopting her was Mariska was a) still alive, and b) Mrs. Petrova's friend, which made things somewhat awkward when Giselle and Tate loudly abused her.

They had been sleeping over together since they were six, small enough to both fit in Giselle's bed, but nowadays they used sleeping bags. Giselle was getting them out of the closet now, hers red and black, and Tate's black and gold. It was going to be their first sleepover in a year (Firsts, firsts, everything firsts, recently.) Giselle was going to make sure it went well.

Giselle did a quick mental inventory.

"No," she said simply, and went back to her task of fishing down the sleeping bags without further explanation. Both Giselle and Tate were world class complainers when they were in each others' company, but Giselle could take a cue when Tate had something she wanted to talk about. "But tell me about it anyway."

Catching the sleeping bags with two resounding 'thump's as they fell to the floor, she spread them out. "Since when did you start thinking you should date Zachary?" she asked. Another thing Giselle didn't think about much was boys, unless they reminded her of a historical figure or knew what they were talking about when they spoke of the French Revolution. Tate had reminded her more than once that 'He looks like Henry V' was not actually the basis of a healthy relationship.

Giselle honestly didn't know if it should work or not. Her parents were, yes, in love with each other, but it wasn't the kind of love that would make a great romance novel. They had fallen in love with each other quietly, because them being in love would work. They showed it in ways that most people didn't associate with romance, either, watching documentaries on Saturday nights, cleaning the kitchen before the other got home, that kind of thing. It wasn't a conducive learning environment for Giselle. She could honestly say that what she knew about love could just barely fill a thimble.

"First things first. You're not going to college? And who's Ladon?"

A second later, alarm bells ringing in her head, she added. "What do you mean, a guy in bows hanging around your house?"

It could be a senshi, and if he was so close to Giselle's house every night, she could arrange a rendezvous. She needed more allies.

"As long as you're interning somewhere," Giselle admitted grudgingly. "But I swear to God, if you're lying to me, I will tell my father on you. You're too smart to waste yourself, General."

The worst education-related threat Giselle could make to Tate was that she would tell her father. The man practically saw Tate as a second daughter after all these years, and he felt no qualms in treating Tate like one as well, pressure to succeed included.

As for Ladon, the blonde retorted "Nobody's nobody, General." One of the first rules of diplomacy: At some point, everybody might be of some use, so it was better not to write them off. "Is he a decent ally?" If Tate sounded evasive, Giselle misinterpreted it as flippancy. If life was as much like a shoujo manga as Tate thought it was, Giselle wouldn't be able to get past the first chapter.

She made a mental note to stakeout the yard more often. Whoever this person was, she could at least find out why he was watching the General.

"Same thing we do every night, Pinky," Giselle replied coolly, stepping into her closet to briefly change into her nightdress, "Talk about things that bother us, play videogames, and snack until we fall asleep."

Their idea of "two-player games" was Giselle working on strategies while Tate beat the hell out of animated characters. Whatever worked.

"Nice. Cute." Giselle repeated, and looked at Tate suspiciously. "Is that all you have to say about him?" The evasive maneuvers didn't appear to be effective.

Putting down her controller, she replied "Either your recon is faulty, or someone's been conquering your empire while I've been gone. I've known you for thirteen years, General, and you've never not had something to warn me about someone, let alone nothing bad to say and two compliments." It didn't sound like she really knew Ladon, but Tate had never had to really know someone before to have something to criticize him on.

Seizing upon an explanation that was obvious even to her, she hesitated before asking "Do you like like him?" Giselle could be mature about many things, but matters of the heart wasn't one of them. She didn't have enough experience with such issues even to stop blushing when she brought them up.

Giselle went so far as to turn off the game. This had happened once before in the history of their friendship, when her mother had come into her room to inform her that her father had injured himself in his workshop and an ambulance was coming. This was just about of that magnitude. Giselle's best friend senses were tingling, and not in a good way.

"You didn't replace me while I was gone, did you," she asked flatly. Her blue eyes were suspicious- Giselle was just as capable of getting jealous as Tate. "You can tell me if you did, you know. I won't be angry."

Not out loud to Tate's face. But the tone suggested that, if necessary, there could be some serious passive-aggressiveness ready at a moment's notice.

Giselle looked over at Tate, still suspicious, but eventually relented. "Good." she muttered, and then, strongly desirous of changing the subject, added, "Well, it's obvious to me, anyway."

"If he hasn't replaced me, then it seems like you like him better than your boyfriend. You've said your boyfriend is nice, but you still have complaints to address about him. However, you have no complaints to tell me about Ladon, and you seem to be upset that he's ignoring you." A few seconds passed, and a grin crept over her face.

"You're the one who reads all those shoujo mangas, General. You tell me if I'm right or not."