[OP: "She's a Rebel"--Green Day. AMV by Conflict Revolution]

Rumi checked on Mira later.

"You sure you don't want any dinner?" she asked. "We ordered in...got your favorite."

"I'll come grab some later." Mira didn't want to do it while everyone else was eating.

Rumi wasn't sure what to say.

"You know...turning back human must work up an appetite," she said, trying to make a lighthearted comment. "Jinu and Abby both took these huge portions. I think they're even giving us competition... Just hope it's not too much, you know."

Mira didn't comment.

"Something bothering you?" Rumi tried.

"No," Mira said stiffly. "Why does everyone think there is?"

"You seem bothered," Rumi tried again. "Zoey thought so too."

"It's nothing," Mira said, with less annoyance and more resignation.

"You can tell me," Rumi said. "Really."

"Nothing, I'm just annoyed about the injury still." She wasn't entirely lying about that, but it was far from the full truth.

"It sucks and all, but they said you'll be okay in a week or so," Rumi said.

"We don't have a week." Mira fingered her cover. "He could strike again at any time."

"Maybe if we strengthen the Honmoon again, you would heal faster..." Rumi suggested. "Could work... We could... maybe try to do a surprise show, just a short thing...but it could help. Maybe like a sneak preview for when we come off hiatus?"

"I'm not sure being in the public eye is a good idea right now." Mira looked up. "If the Saja Boys are still following us around. Even if they're aren't trying to lure people in, they're like anchor points for Gwi-Ma... Don't want anyone to get eaten."

"That's a fair point," Rumi allowed. "I guess that could be a bad idea till we've gotten things under control. I don't know how else to boost the Honmoon a lot without that. Just the three of us...even if Morph and Raven could do it too, that's not a lot of people."

She thought. "Maybe you're worried about Bobby? I've been thinking about Raven's suggestion to fill him in... Do you think we should?"

"I don't want to do it," Mira stated. "But...yeah, we probably should... I mean, anything could happen at any time... He probably should know what he's risking...but he might quit."

"Still...from a practical standpoint, it's better if he quits now while we have time to find someone else..." Rumi said uneasily.

Mira didn't like how that made it sound inevitable that Bobby would quit.

"Sure," she said flatly.

Rumi didn't think she'd gotten to the bottom of the problem, but she didn't know what to do. Pressing Mira for details was never usually a good idea. Even if she'd tell you, it was bound to make her testy.

"Okay then," she said. "We'll sleep on it, I guess."

She left.

"So she's fine?" Raven startled her by being in the hallway this time.

"I don't think so." Rumi was honest. "But she wouldn't tell me what's bothering her. It's better to leave her alone, I guess, like Zoey said. Maybe she's just not in the mood to talk about it. You know how Mira is."

Raven tilted her head. "She's very direct with you about your problems...but she doesn't talk about her own?"

"No...I mean, she might, I guess...but it's hard to talk about our insecurities and faults and stuff." Rumi shrugged. "Maybe the problem was that... She did...she did seem bothered by that demon attack that happened here, and then the one that happened yesterday too...like she said to you, and us, about it being directed at both of you for a reason. But I just don't see any reason for it."

"I can easily imagine being a target for Gwi-Ma." Raven had not changed her mind about this. "I don't know Mira's problems that well. You would know better. Can he exploit them in this situation?"

"I don't think about it like that, Raven," Rumi said a bit heatedly. "I don't think of my friends as liabilities."

"That is not what I said."

"You think that she's weaker to Gwi-Ma for some reason? But that's not true," Rumi said. "We all have our weak points. No one is worse than anyone else."

"That's not true," Raven said. "Some people definitely are worse...but I don't know that Mira is... She brought up the idea, though. If she thinks so, isn't that telling?"

"I don't know if it is... It was just one time." Rumi gestured. "I don't think you should just accept the idea without knowing for sure...and if you're applying that to yourself too, you shouldn't. It might not be personal at all. Besides, both of you were saving other people. How could that be a weakness?"

"It might not be that," Raven said. "I can't rule it out though. If I knew how to make myself stronger against Gwi-Ma, I would."

"I think thinking about being weak to him isn't going to make that happen." Rumi was probably right about that. "It didn't help me. Listen, you all understanding helped me. And this crazy situation has helped too... I mean, it's been stressful, but...I feel like maybe,what I went through had a purpose now...instead of being a mistake... And maybe, everything you went through isn't a weakness, but it has a purpose of too... That would be better to think about, right?"

"You sound like Shine," Raven noted. "Well, she's always on about hope..."

"And you trust her, right?" Rumi said.

Raven looked down. "I wish she was here."

Rumi was surprised at this. It sounded a lot more vulnerable than anything Raven usually said.

But, at odd moments, Raven could be shockingly honest about things.

"Do you...wish that just because she could tell us what to do?" Rumi probed a little. "Or is it more than that?"

Raven sighed and leaned on the wall.

"Yes, her telling us what to do would be helpful...but...no. That's not the only reason. It's quite embarrassing to admit it, but...I've gotten more used to not being alone. I suppose I might miss it... There is...a lot of warmth in any place Shine and Wally are in. And even...some of the others... Maybe I just miss home. I never liked it that much to begin with, but, it's familiar."

"I guess being in another world must be hard." Rumi hadn't given it much thought, but...she could imagine how stressful it would be.

"It is," Raven agreed. "I was warned about the culture shock... Things happened so fast, I haven't had time to think about it, but...slowing down a little today...I realize how unfamiliar everything here still is... Shine and Wally always talk about their home a lot, and I think I see that they needed to remember it to feel grounded."

"I think that happens to everyone, actually," Rumi said. "When we travel the world, I feel the same way... Home is home. And...I'm sorry. It has to be crazy to be here and deal with such a big problem like this on you first mission."

"Well, don't pity me." Raven hated that emotion. "It's nothing that bad... I probably shouldn't indulge in fixating on it anyway."

"I...wasn't really pitying you," Rumi said. "I think...I don't know, I just was trying to understand. Is that okay?"

Raven rubbed her face. "Sorry...I suppose. I'm not used to this... I don't have a normal reaction anyway. Maybe you were..."

Rumi folded her hands thoughtfully. "We don't have a lot of friends either. It's still kinda weird, hanging around doing things with anyone other than Mira and Zoey. But...it might be nice. You could give it chance too... Like training today was kind of fun... I mean, you're kind of the worst teacher ever, but still..."

"Worst? You should be grateful for what I taught you."

"I'm still sore." Rumi rubbed her shoulder a bit irritably. "And Jinu doesn't want to go near that room again."

"He needs it though," Raven was quick to say.

"I'm worried about him too," Rumi said. "I feel like the past is still weighing on him... What do you say to that? I mean...'I forgive you' just doesn't cut it, does it?"

"That boy needs some purpose in his life," Raven prescribed. "Something to take his mind off his mistakes, probably. That was always my way...and, while I didn't make the best career choices, it was better than going mad. The only way to get past things is to keep moving forward, I think... I'm adaptable, if nothing else."

"And that almost sounds like good advice, if we knew how to implement it... I hope we'll figure it out eventually."

"So you've really forgiven him for all that?" Raven switched to a more interesting topic.

"Yeah..." Rumi nodded quietly. "I mean...does that sound crazy? I know...it was wrong. And I should be mad...but...even when he was doing it, I just...I felt like I couldn't really see it that way. I knew it was out of desperation...and despair. And I felt that too... Maybe I never really could judge as harsh as I wished I could. I mean...what else could he do to make up for it anyway? Doesn't he seem different to you?"

"Yes." Raven folded her arms but not in an angry way. Just contemplative. "He seems to have turned over a new leaf, as they say... And normally, I would doubt that would last, but...it's hard to imagine going back to that kind of bondage on purpose...so... If he can forgive himself, though...I don't know."

"His patterns are gone. Why isn't the shame gone also?" Rumi wondered.

"Shame is more than that," Raven said. "I don't think it would disappear just because he's not demonized anymore... And all of us have shame... The difference is Gwi-Ma controls them through their shame. Or he gets access through how they handle their shame..." She trailed off.

Perhaps that was what had happened to the Saja Boys.

"Making it your identity, you mean?" Rumi mused. "Yeah...I think so. I just want him to let it go... He's suffered long enough, right?"

"Four hundred years is long enough," Raven agreed, though wryly. "He should at least enjoy being out of it."

Rumi hugged her sides. "Can I ask a weird question?"

"More than you already did?"

"Yeah...uh...I mean...you have Morph, right?" Rumi fingered her braid. "And...that's...a unique relationship...so...it's...not that weird to...have feelings for someone who's...different."

"If you're dancing around your thing with Jinu, yon needn't bother, because I already know." Raven gave her a knowing look.

"I...know you said that before," Rumi said, reddening. "But...I get the idea... well, Mira does think it's a mistake, so...and it's a little soon maybe to think about it, but, I feel like there's this unspoken thing with us that I haven't... Anyway, it's awkward. I don't know how to fix that."

"You always want to fix everything," Raven noted. "Sounds exhausting... What would I tell you? I stumbled into every relationship I had that wasn't me just taking advantage of someone else to begin with."

"Well, why did you pick Morph then?" Rumi asked. "Was it just to break your streak? I mean, you said he wasn't your usual type..."

Raven thought. "It's...well, I probably would pick anyone... I was always desperate for some form of affection... But the reason I considered staying this time was... It would sound strange to you probably, but in the past I always took everything, I thought. Even if they liked me, it was just...I had a need, and I used them to fill it. When I bonded with Morph, it was a little different. I...still made some of those mistakes... It's mortifying to think of now...but, around it, it seemed like he needed...something, someone else to understand how it was to be turned into what you didn't plan to be...and someone who didn't think it made him the villain. I never did."

"Never?"

"No, I thought that doing things deliberately made you the villain... Being forced into it just made you either stupid or the victim. Sinister did things to Morph that were unspeakable, so I never judged... Anyway...I finally had something I could offer that wasn't just...physical."

Rumi blushed at that last comment.

Raven ignored it. "A person likes to feel needed, even if it means the other person is not perfect...but then, who would be with someone who was perfect? I never would."

"I wouldn't either," Rumi declared. "I mean...it doesn't even exist... I see what you mean... You guys are...good for each other, even if you didn't think you were good..."

Raven thought of her song she'd free-styled with Jinu.

Which Raven had liked...against her will.

"The one thing I can tell you is to decide for yourself," she sighed. "That type of relationship isn't going to work for everyone else. But I do know you can't tell people what they want...so if Mira has her opinion, it's just...her opinion. Do you think you'll get that many chances anyway? With your life, you can't meet a lot of people who could handle it."

"Hey!" Rumi cried, but then she laughed. "No...but that's true...you're right. What other options are there?"

"And if it's any consolation, I think it's better to at least pick the one who's already been freed from the demon overlord," Raven couldn't help but add. "Zoey could show some restraint in that area."

"Oh, Zoey...she's just the type of person who doesn't care about people's lines," Rumi said. "Which is what I like about her...but, yeah...it could be dangerous... I mean...he seems harmless enough on his own, but...with the attacks... Still, we get attacked just as often... Maybe it's dangerous both ways."

"That is the truth of it no matter what, Rumi," Raven saidaqaaaa emphatically.

[And it is.]

* * *

Mira finally snuck out of her room much later that night, long after she assumed everyone would be asleep.

She was hungry by now but didn't feel like talking to anyone or explaining herself.

Getting a midnight snack was harder with one arm barely working--it might not be broken, but the bite was sore and the bruises...and it had swelled up a little too. So moving anything heavier than paper with it hurt.

Still, Mira had a high pain tolerance and didn't plan on focusing on the difficulties of it. Hopefully the Honmoon effect would kick in and she'd be fine in a few days instead of the predicted few weeks for an ordinary person.

But that thought only made her circle back to her dark thoughts about if the problem was with her, instead.

She was so absorbed in thinking about it that she didn't notice footsteps on the tile (and the carpet in the living room would have muffled them anyway), and when she turned to put a container back in the fridge, she nearly jumped out of her skin to see Abby standing in the entrance.

Abby was surprised to see someone else in there--and had frozen. Mira had only a dim light on, so it hadn't been obvious someone was in the room at all.

Mira dropped the bottle she was holding also, nearly on her foot, but it just missed.

Silence for a second.

"What the heck are you doing in here?" Mira finally said tersely.

"I could ask you that same question..." Abby said, not tersely but still surprised.

"I was just hungry..." Mira couldn't think of a better excuse...and since she was in the kitchen, it wasn't like any other reason would have been believable.

"Same," Abby said.

Mira raised an eyebrow.

"It seems to be a side effect of turning human again," Abby explained, though really it was unnecessary, since she was there for the same reason. "Jinu said he has the same problem...but didn't want to sneak around at night because he thought someone would probably attack him."

"But you weren't smart enough to assume the same thing?"

"I figured that since you were supposed to be resting, the odds of anyone else attacking at this hour were slim."

Mira frowned. "Whatever."

She picked up the bottle and started to open the fridge again with one finger--which wasn't easy, but she'd managed it before.

Abby stepped forward and opened it instead.

"I don't need help," Mira said testily.

"I wanted to get in here anyway, so if you'd move..." Abby retorted.

She shoved the bottle inside the fridge and stepped back in an indignant manner, then turned to grab her food.

It was too late at night for this kind of thing...

"So why didn't you show up at dinner?" Abby caught her off guard by asking instead of just ignoring her.

"Why is that any of your business?" Mira was not pleased about being interrupted and was willing to take it out on him.

"Were you avoiding Romance and me?" Abby didn't even bother to acknowledge her remark.

Mira was surprised that he'd put together that it had to do with that exchange...since no one else seemed to have noticed.

(Or, really, Rumi and Zoey weren't sure whether to bring it up or not.)

"No," she said.

Which was true...it was not really about that.

"Still worried that Gwi-Ma is using the others to spy?" Abby remembered the conversation at least.

"I think we're all worried about that," Mira deflected. "But that's not why. I just didn't feel like eating with anyone else... Is that such a problem?"

"No."

Pause.

"And why are you asking anyway?" Mira couldn't think of anything else to say.

"No reason." Abby looked away carelessly. "The others were worried about it."

Mira knew that already.

That didn't make her feel less guilty.

She sighed and walked out of the kitchen and towards the dining room.

The couch would have been more comfortable but too visible... What if anyone else walked in?

She would have preferred her room but thought her odds of not dropping it were less going down that long hallway.

Abby left again without more words to her, and she ate in silence for a while...

It was kind of worse, actually... Things were too quiet at this time of night... She never ate alone, Zoey was always there, even if Rumi was off hiding her secrets, in the past...

But, Mira knew if they were around, they'd ask her what was wrong again.

She knew she should tell them, but...she was...embarrassed to bring it up after already suggesting it before and them saying it was nothing.

Of course they wouldn't want to tell her that she was the problem...but that didn't mean it might not be true.

But what to do about it?

She was just picking at her food now. She hadn't eaten that much of it.

She heard the elevator ping again, and she tensed.

But it was just Abby returning the food tray he'd taken before.

He didn't think she was still there, so when he passed the dining area, he jumped.

Mira felt like she'd gotten revenge at least for being scared before.

She just gave him a non-plussed look like she was daring him to say anything.

Abby didn't bother to say anything and just walked past.

That whole thing was weird, Mira thought. Going from a...demon...demoniac, whatever it was, to human in one day like that...

At least Jinu had had some warning, sort of...well, not for them, but the going into the sword thing... It was more of a transition than just BAM! suddenly human again.

And if it had been that easy...was it that easy all along?

She knew Rumi had to be thinking about her father after that...wondering if things could have been different for him if the right people had found him.

Perhaps if they were not Celine and the other Sunlight Sister.

What had really happened back then?

Abby passed by on his way out again, and Mira heard herself speak.

"Can I ask something?"

Then she was surprised at herself.

Abby shot her a strange look. "Uh...sure... What?"

Mira kicked herself mentally.

She was just bored...but still...

"It all happened so fast," she said aloud anyway. "Turning on Gwi-Ma...why did you?"

Did he even know? she thought to herself. The memory thing was still a problem.

Abby looked genuinely bemused though...

"I think it was when those demons tried to take Romance through the...tear," he finally said. "It just clicked then. Everything Gwi-Ma ever did was self serving. Believing for a second that he would be lenient...or that he'd ever help anyone for real, that's just crazy. It seems clear now, but it wasn't before... Everything was so muddled."

"If they tried to take Romance but not you, huh?" Mira noted, not sure where she was going with this. "Interesting."

"Why is that interesting?" Abby was confused.

"Just something Raven said." Mira picked at her food. "She thinks you have protective instincts... and that was your humanity. Like each of you has something, maybe, that Gwi-Ma can't take away fully. That idea would have sounded crazy three weeks ago...but Jinu managed to defy him, and now you. Looks like she was onto someone. She and Morph."

"They think that's what it was?" Abby hadn't been told this this by anyone--strangely enough. "I guess...it did make me mad. Maybe that was it."

"At least the amnesia thing will probably stop now," Mira noted. "It was pretty annoying."

"Probably more for us than for you," Abby pointed out.

"You never acted annoyed by it, just confused."

"You're right... I think terrified is a better word for it than annoyed." Abby looked to the side. "Not knowing anything about yourself...except that you're a demon...I'm realizing more how horrifying the idea is now... I don't think I could face it before... I don't think the other three can either. That has to be why Baby is acting the way he is..."

"How can you not hate him for that?" Mira suddenly couldn't help but ask, though it wasn't the nicest question. "I mean...what he did...what he's still doing?"

"I'm not happy with him, but it seems like he had his reasons..." Abby wasn't sure how to feel about it, from his tone. "Could be we agreed with him at one point."

"It didn't sound like it." Mira pursed her lips. "Whatever... The whole thing is too weird for me."

"You have made that pretty clear...so why the questions suddenly?"

"I don't know...I'm tired of not understanding anything about this," Mira finally admitted.

"Didn't think you wanted to before."

"I want to know what we're supposed to do," Mira corrected tightly. "I guess this is the only way. Everything is different than what we thought...that's all. Rumi's optimism paid off though..."

"I think there is supposed to be some unspoken apology in there somewhere..." Abby raised an eyebrow.

"Apology? For what?" Mira bristled.

"I don't know...all the not-so-nice things you said to and about us?" Abby suggested.

"I doubt you even remember that I said them." Mira probably shouldn't have doubled down there, but she never did like to be told she was wrong.

"Oh, I remember all that pretty clearly. You're very memorable."

"Lucky me." Mira closed her eyes.

This was what she was afraid of.

"But I understand it now," Abby then added, in a less cocky tone.

She opened her eyes again. "What?"

"Now that I'm little more distant from it," Abby elaborated. "It makes sense. We're all on opposite sides... Rumi already had a betrayal from one person pretending to be nice to her...though it wasn't as pretend as we thought...but, it was your way of trying to protect them."

"Or, I don't like demons." Mira frowned.

"That also...but you're not the only one... None of us like them."

"Really? That's new."

"No, it's not." Abby's expression darkened like he was thinking something unpleasant. "Ask Jinu... You don't like them, you just...I dunno, I think it's like you stop seeing it after a while. I can't remember that much about it still, but...I have this idea of things just...fading into meaninglessness... But that's not the same as liking. The Saja Boys is the only fun I think any of us had in decades... Nothing else really stands out."

"Fun...sure." Mira didn't like thinking about that still.

"You're not over it, huh?" Abby surmised from her tone.

"Suddenly you can tell?" Mira was a bit cutting. "Guess the humanity works fast..."

"You don't really try to hide that..."

Pause.

"It happened," Mira finally answered. "Can't change that... I don't know if I'll be angry about it forever, but...it was bad."

Abby looked uneasy.

"Probably doesn't make any difference now, but...Jinu and I did talk about it briefly...and, now that we're free, we can see it was wrong..."

"So you really couldn't see that before?" Mira couldn't tell if she was curious or angry about that. "I mean...even as a demon...or whatever, there's never a point when any of you just think 'maybe stealing souls is evil'?"

"I don't have a clear picture of it yet." Abby shook his head. "But I think it's too... You stop relating to humans after while, down there in that realm. You don't feel anything anymore... Maybe it feels less wrong because of that? I don't know. Jinu probably has a better sense of it... since he never forgot anything. Not sure who has it worse, really. He had a way out, at least...but being self aware in Gwi-Ma's realm also is a curse of its own, from what he's said."

"Didn't you notice he wasn't like you though?" Mira couldn't help but wonder. "That he remembered more?"

"I guess we could sense he was smarter, but that was as far as it went..." Abby shrugged. "Didn't have the brain power to question it. Still, it's strange that we agreed to the plan at all, since, if something went wrong, we'd all have been killed anyway. Makes me wonder what went through our heads, because I can't remember why we did it."

Mira wondered if the others were right then... Had a part of them wanted freedom all along?

"But why the sudden curiosity?" Abby asked the one thing she didn't want him to ask.

"No reason," Mira denied it quickly. "It's...just been something everyone keeps wondering about for the last week. I was hoping there were maybe answers finally, but...doesn't sound like it. Which is frustrating."

She stabbed her chopsticks into her bowl.

"Imagine how frustrating it is for us," Abby said.

"It's dangerous for us all." Mira was back to her morose thoughts.

"Well, since I answered your questions, I have one now," Abby changed the subject.

She shot him a warning look.

"Before, when those minions almost took us all through that tear and we were spacing out, you could have just left," Abby pointed out. "But you didn't. Why? You could have taken that as a sign that it was all fake."

Mira frowned but then looked down at the table. "I thought about it."

She had.

"But..." Abby prompted.

"I got attacked too fast to run immediately." Mira flicked her chopsticks around aimlessly. "By the time I could have, it was pretty clear you were fighting back. I don't want Gwi-Ma to win. Only thing I hate more than demons is him. So, I took the chance. Lucky it wasn't the wrong choice."

"I know they won't say it," Abby noted, "but Romance and Mystery at least both know that it's not an easy decision...to help. Baby is... I don't know what his problem is, but I can tell they at least do feel a little thankful for this, but they're not going to say it."

"Doesn't matter," Mira stated. "We're not doing this for them. This is for Rumi, really. And for the world, if it turns out that there is a way to stop this from happening in the future. That's the only reason I agreed to try. And I don't really care if they appreciate it or not...not sure why you're bringing it up, actually."

"You got injured because of it," Abby pointed out. "It would be nice if we were a little grateful."

"That could have happened anyway." Mira denied it mattering at all. "Besides...you nearly died... Did they thank you?"

"No, but I didn't really expect them to." Abby said that so casually that she was surprised, though she had just brushed it off also.

She had to wonder why he was okay with that...

Honestly, he didn't seem quite normal again yet... How long did it take that to wear off after the process? Not like they had any way to know...

"But why were you asking?" She decided to change the subject again. "I think I made myself clear about my reasons before."

"I know what you said, but I just don't buy it." Abby said a very maddening thing.

"Buy it?" Mira sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"

"I think it's an act," Abby said, very confidently. "You pretend, but I think you do feel just a little sorry for us and want to help."

"I don't," Mira denied it.

"Sure." Sarcastically.

"Do you want to get punched?" Mira clenched her fist.

"You only have one good arm right now. I think you should keep it that way," Abby said, with a mischievous grin.

"Is that a threat?" Mira growled.

"No, that was a warning. I think you'd break that hand if you hit me, so don't risk it."

"That's ridiculous. I punch demons all the time," Mira said.

"Well, I'm not a demon anymore, so who knows what would happen?" Abby said.

Mira realized that meant she'd be hitting a real person if she lost her cool.

She didn't think she'd care about it that much if they were asking for it...

Still...

And Rumi and Zoey wouldn't like it if she did that.

She looked away, still fuming.

"Hmm, turns out you're kinda fun to rile up." Abby didn't know when to quit. 

"Shut up!" she snapped. 

"Hello," a different voice said.

Mira turned sharply.

Raven was now in the dining room doorway, looking annoyed.

"You two are loud," she said. "I could hear you bickering from the hallway."

"Why were you in the hallway?" Abby said, like nothing was unusual about this situation.

"Checking to make sure nothing was going wrong," Raven said. "I don't trust the other Saja Boys... Every time we have any success, Gwi-Ma always attacks afterward...but so far, nothing. And I see I wasn't the only one restless...but this isn't what I expected to find."

Mira felt like she was turning red, though she didn't know why she should be embarrassed by this...though Raven might wonder why she was eating at this time of night.

Oh, and talking to a guy who was also supposed to be in bed right now.

"Well, I was hungry." Abby didn't seem too embarrassed to explain. "And Jinu was up, so we were having a late snack and exchanging notes about becoming human again. I think I actually like him now that we're not on opposing sides."

"Great for you," Raven said. "So you're arguing with Mira because you and Jinu had late night cravings?"

"No, that was one of those happy accidents," Abby said. "She was up already, and she started asking me all these personal questions. Pretty sure that she's into me."

Mira dropped her chopsticks. "What? That's insane."

"I agree," Raven said. "It's insane to accuse the person of that who's the most willing to beat you up for it." With a look at Abby. "But as for taking that remark seriously...really, Mira, I though you were the most savvy out of the three of you, but you're just as naive as the other two."

"I... What do you mean the most savvy?" Mira sputtered. "And I'm not naive. What are you on about anyway, Raven?"

"This is a problem." Raven gestured between them. "I'm not one to judge, but, considering that Mira is still injured, and things have been extremely unsettling in the past 48 hours, I don't like this. Go back to your level, now."

"Raven--" Abby sounded a little offended. "--even when I was still evil, I would never do what you're implying... We had some standards."

"I might believe that, but it's still on principle." Raven pointed. "My gosh, I sounded just like Shine when I said that." She slapped her forehead. "You really do become your teachers after a while... I see why she was worried now though."

"If it takes your mentor stepping in to stop you from doing anything like what you're saying, you're a moron." Mira was not happy with her. "Which wasn't happening, by the way. I just got up to get food. And I'm insulted by you even insinuating that."

"Mira, save it." Raven held up her hand. "Whatever you think your levels of self control are, I know how these things work. I'm too old not to."

"But it isn't working!" Mira was more angry. "I have no interest in things like that anyway."

"You talk big for someone who couldn't figure out Rumi liked Jinu even before she was exposed," Raven said. "I knew it as soon as she talked about him the first time."

"How is that fair? Like, how would I have been able to guess that?" Mira gestured angrily.

"Jinu never mentioned her to us, you know." Abby didn't seem to care about Raven's remarks other than to see it as fuel for teasing. "I guess he figured that was safer."

"Or he figured you wouldn't remember it if he said it,." Raven was brutally honest, as usual.

"Honestly, though, I think all that is getting clearer now," Abby said. "But only that...Nothing about the demon realm is any clearer than before... I hope it stays that way, actually."

"I don't blame you for that part," Raven said. "Now go."

"Yes, ma'am," Abby said, leaving the room.

Raven shot Mira a look.

"I can't believe that you're even acting like this," Mira said. "I expect this from Zoey maybe, but you're supposed to be grounded."

"I know you weren't doing anything and that you don't intend to...but think about if the others saw that... If you want to keep yourself from being mocked about it, don't do things like that. And why are you up at this time eating at all? You skipped dinner."

"I didn't feel like eating before. What's the big deal?" Mira was testy again.

"Fine..." Raven waved it off. "I'm going back to bed."

She left.