"Yeah. Someone that powerful - especially as the kid of the next New York Domina - could be of interest to Shanghai."

"Doesn't explain why now and not earlier."

"Well, recent events might have reminded her about weirdly powerful kids our age... Multiple students in our year are oddly exceptional."

"The graduating class the year before we were born were all killed. It's balance, maybe."

"More of us will survive."

"Though the seniors seem worried about graduation - more than normal. I've been hearing some grumbling."

"Working out that they don't have the same net?"

"I think they've been concerned that the graduation mals are starving, and will be deadlier to them - without the benefit of our strength. The mawmouth now has them convinced of that."

"Some of them are probably starting to panic..."

"And Jiana's been trying to set herself up as a leader of - basically everyone. Queen of the school."

"I'm not sure what she's planning to do about it."

"Probably something big and dramatic."

"And then my concern is how it'll impact us."

"Might not have enough information to guess yet."

"Yeah."

"So: following her. And asking questions later, but... I wanted to get a somewhat less filtered idea first."

"Let me know if I can help."

Soft smile. "I will."

Meanwhile... The El-Lu-Shinta alliance has some things to discuss privately. And Jialin.

El's new minion should probably be one of those things to discuss privately.

Yeah. Gotta figure out what exactly that arrangement will look like.

She doesn't really have strong opinions...

Didn't think that far ahead?

...Not really. Unless unrealistic fantasies that have more to do with being a horny teenager count.

"We could make time for those..."

"If that's a service you'll ask of me..."

"With that face you're making, it will be."

Squirm!