The platform-heel ex-stripper stalked down into the dimly lit room pissed off at Leslie. She was going to find him and pull his skin inside out with her bare teeth; she was going to nail him in the eye with a stiletto heel, she was going to--

♥≾If I ever saw an angel before this day, it was a lie,≿ a voice whispered, low, loving.

"Is someone talking to me? It'd better not be that ******** coming back to start more s**t with me-- Bimbo, my a**," Aquamarine ranted.

♥≾An angel with a backbone? Love, we were meant for each other,≿ the voice said again.

Aquamarine stepped closer to the tablets, bent down, ran her fingers across them until she found one that sounded just like the voice she'd heard.

♥≾You and me, my love. I am yours, I always have been. You are mine, just choose me,≿ the voice practically purred.

"You're not going to question my life choices, or call me a bimbo?"

The voice laughed.

♥≾Not at all, my angel. If you hold me, I will be with you for life, and our first action will be to find the jackdamned losers who ever said anything unkind about you,≿ it answered.

♥≾I am Lilu, I am your soul.≿

Aquamarine leaned in to inspect the tile. It depicted something that looked like a crossbow. She had heard a lot of confessions of love, a lot of people had tried to rescue her, and she'd been both rejected and desired aplenty; it was a rush to reject her, and a dream for some to be with her. Calista sat down on the floor, took her heels off, and sat on the floor for a second. She was glad no one was there, she was glad no one could see her.

"I wasn't always who I am now," she said, burying her head in her hands.

♥≾Me neither, angel of mine,≿ the voice said. Aquamarine, Calista: she got to her feet, barefoot, and gripped the tile with her fingers.

The tablet materialized into its desummoned form. "I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into, this time," Calista said, quietly.

♥≾Heaven, my love. We will make heaven, even if we must burn the bodies of our enemies to get what we want.≿ Lilu answered, from inside her head.

She sounded like she meant it.

Aquamarine put her platform heels back on, and stood up. "So, what can you do?"

♥≾Get some rest, and I will show you at dawn,≿ Lilu said.

"I've been asleep long enough. Let's go find out, now."

In fact, Aquamarine wondered how far away Leslie had gotten.

♥≾My love, my angel, we are a team now. As your experienced half, we must wait until we are ready to strike. We will practice, you will learn about me, and then we will find the ones who hurt you and we will rip them to the smallest pieces possible and we will sew the pieces back together and tear them apart again to scatter them to the corners of your world,≿ Lilu told her, loving, soothing.

"For the first time in my life, I feel like someone's going to protect me," Aquamarine said, laughing, as she headed out of the cove.