A battered photo album lay opened on the foot of the bed. Without being aware of what she was doing, Alodie had been gently stroking an old picture of her parents’ wedding day. Everyone had looked so happy…

You are going to ruin your memento if you keep touching it like that. Even Strytha can see it is old and time has not been kind to it. There are many images in this book, why pause for so long over one?

Sighing, Alodie shook herself out of her reverie and gave her chest a gentle slap. There were times that she wished that Strytha couldn’t be heard when she was powered down. But the little youma was always in the back of her head. Always, without fail and happy to make it clear that Alodie couldn’t escape from it’s advice. Though in this case, Alodie had to guiltily agree that she was probably damaging the picture by touching it. What was it about older pictures that they yellowed and aged so rapidly? And what had her mother used to affix the picture to the page? Horse glue? Scrapbookers today had much better equipment.

Feeling Strytha’s amusement, the girl sighed again and flipped the pages slowly, mostly for herself, but also because she knew the youma was mildly fascinated by the activity. She’d just gotten through the wedding day and her own baby pictures, which Strytha very kindly didn’t laugh at and had paused at a page devoted to the first day of school.

The child standing with you looks much unhappier than you. Why?

“Huh?” Alodie replied intelligently, shaking herself a little. Then, she really looked at the picture and laughed. “Oh, that’s just Melian. My mother had just taken away the pen she was using to jab me in the back. I’m afraid my cousin has never been the nicest or smile-iest of people. Though, she’s gotten a lot better as she’s gotten older. I haven’t talked to her in ages, though she lives here in town. Hell, I haven’t even seen her since… “

Since you refused Strytha’s command to take her starseed and bring it to General Schorl.

The very neutrality in the youma’s voice as it pulled up the memory was enough to make Alodie shiver. She didn’t ever want to be put into that position again. Murdering family was just… wrong.

Family is a matter of perspective, little one. Our comrades within the Dark Kingdom are also considered family, are they not?

Well, okay, that was true. The Negaverse was her family as well, but less through blood ties and more through shared purpose. And she’d no more try to murder them than she would Melian. Family was important.

Hrmmm. You feel so strongly about this? You would keep your cousin safe? Protect your family?

“Of course I would, you awful, little monster,” she murmured, sitting up and brushing her hair from her eyes. “Why are you asking? If it’s to try and talk me into murdering her again, forget it,” she said, voice going flat and cold. She could feel the youma thinking and thinking hard at that. “Why are you asking?”

Calm yourself, little Alodie. Strytha is not asking you to kill family. Not when you feel so very strongly. However, Strytha has a proposition. You wish to keep your cousin safe in this war, yes? At Alodie’s silent nod, the youma continued in a soft, thoughtful voice. What if… Alodie and Strytha were to bring your cousin to a General? Not for starseed plucking, oh no! A General could remake your cousin. She would be family in all the ways that truly matter. She would be one of us.

The idea of recruiting Melian had never crossed her mind before and for a moment, the thought quite dazzled Alodie. Melian would be safe from the Negaverse if she were to become one of them. And even better, being recruited would provide her with the means to remain safe from the ones who followed the White Moon.

The idea was just… dazzling.

“How?” she muttered. “When? What General?” then, a different idea flickered by. “Is this something we would need advanced clearance to try?”

There is time to consider all factors, the youma replied soothingly. And no, we would simply have to catch your cousin and bring her to an agreeable General. If you are not willing to give them her starseed, giving them her service is an acceptable substitute. Calm yourself, little one. Look at your pictures and dream. We have time enough to plan how best to do this.

Since Alodie had never known the youma to give poor advice in such matters, she readily complied and went back to looking through the album. But under the veneer of calm, she was a seething mess of hastily constructed and rejected plans. And like a worm through an apple, Strytha was there, helping to guide her to a plan that would work, encouraging her to sacrifice her family to the Dark Kingdom.