It had been somewhat difficult to arrange. Analyzer was proud of having done it, however. That Miss Matsumoto kept her, and Sword, and increasingly even kitten quite busy was a phenomenon of not insignificant quantities of euphoria. And it came therefore as no significant surprise that the other whom Miss Matsumoto identified as her property was possessed of similarly intense utilization.

Discovering the habits of Miss Deas and her habitual routes through the campus upon her patrols as Prefect was not a task of significant hardship. It could have been. The walls have eyes, ears, and often mouths, hands, tendrils, grasping claws and any number of other manipulators of flesh, but such systems were not accessible to her to derive data from.

However, she did have read-only access to the student timetabling database, which did allow her to become aware of all Miss Deas's officially tracked activities, and a bit of judicious observation and simply asking questions of those who were available filled in the rest. Then came the more difficult task of altering her own in complimentary fashion. As a postgraduate research student, she did not any longer have fixed classes beyond that she could only use the computer labs during their allowed non-class-occupied hours, which would ordinarily introduce a significant amount of flexibility, save for the fact that Miss Matsumoto was well aware of this, and as a result, so was the student council whom she was tasked with assisting logistically. And there are few things that devour time like being at the beck and call of a committee. Especially a committee that has badgered one into giving in and getting a phone from the minimall to be more reachable. Still, it had its benefits. Kitten was not the only one happy when it was not a member of the student council who had caused it to ring.

But it had been arranged, a few evening hours where Kite herself had no responsibility save to gainfully occupy her time, and when Miss Deas would be patrolling for delinquent students.

Admittedly, she herself would look somewhat like one of these, lounging upon one of the benches along Miss Deas's predicted route. She was in uniform, to be sure, but a countenance like hers was not one which often inspired confidence in the good intentions of its bearer, particularly if Miss Deas's eyes were sharp enough to note the small telltale bulges of the occupied concealed pockets in her vest and blouse. Certainly she would doubtless notice the slim black choker around her throat with the way the blue gem at the front caught the evening light.

Then again, few delinquents rose at a Prefect's approach to wave in greeting. "Good evening, Miss Deas. Would you mind if i walk with you? i believe our coming to know each other to be overdue."

Anne's soft footfall didn't herald her approach like some students. Her habitual walk had always been quiet but of late it had taken a graceful glide that made little sound. Since she had found that walking quietly yielded much better results than a heavy footfall, she found a certain delight in the look on students faces while, when in the midst of doing something they knew was wrong they rather abruptly looked around to see her (and more importantly her blue sash). She also loved what she overheard from time to time, which she most certainly wouldn’t have heard if she announced her presence everywhere. It appeased her ever hungering curiosity to hear what people thought of others, how they were doing, and even who was sleeping with who. What people said when they thought no-one was listening was truly remarkable. And truly interesting at times!

In some ways she thought it made her a bit of a bad person. Eavesdropping wasn't the most attractive of traits after all but it was not only did she enjoy it, but it was part of her job (as Vera had taught her, very simply to listen. Then you won't need to ask questions you should already know the answer too.)

It was because of her boundless curiosity that she had learned that her Vera had taken another pet. One like her in that she served but also different as she wasn't a prefect. She didn't know what those differences were, or much else about her apart from students name, simply “Kite”.

She /could/ have looked further into it. She had access to full room occupancy, timetables and the like as part of her position. She could have quite simply gone straight to Vera and asked. She wanted to know more, up to and including everything but at the same time she didn't want to even acknowledge the existence of another contender to Vera's affections. The thought that there was another was a little hard to stomach. She knew that there were others that Vera slept with on occasion. She knew that she used sex as a (very effective!) weapon but there was something different in simply having sex with another and this... Someone that bound her fate to Her Veras... Someone else actually possibly sharing her bed...? She didn't like that thought... And if all her worst fears were confirmed? She wouldn’t be able to do anything about it at all…

As a result she hadn't done any further research and had bottled up her feelings very firmly on the matter, unwilling to look into it, scared of what she would find, and how she would feel. But also scared of losing the woman she loved, as if thinking about it made it more real somehow and increased the likelyhood of it happening.

None of this was on her mind as she walked softly down the corridor. Her thoughts were just mulling over normal day to day matters, school and class. She saw the slightly unkempt student sat at the side of the corridor as she rounded the corner and quirked an eyebrow much to herself. Baggy clothes, hair slightly unkempt and pretty damned far out of school uniform. But, on a cursory look nothing breaking the rules.

As she approached she decided to have a quick word, just to see why someone was dressed that scruffily, thinking that there might be something else up that she could perhaps help with. Anne’s own green eyes widened fractionally in surprise as the student stood, and waved, greeting her by name. It made her take a closer look at the student as she approached. Brown eyes, and similar coloured hair tied back. She seemed to be roughly the same height as Anne herself, but built on a heavier frame than her own.

Closer now, she noted the little bumps that spoke of loaded pockets but what really caught her eye was the thin choker with the blue stone, identical in colour to the sash that hung around Anne's own waist. It suited her in a most peculiar manner and it took a moment to bring her gaze up to meet the students own.

"Certainly Miss...?" She replied, letting the student identify herself. Overdue she had said? There were a few options why someone would want to speak to her, and felt that it was overdue... And they were all to do with her position... or to do with Vera herself. And the colour of that gem in the choker...

No. She decided to wait to hear exactly what this student needed her for before she started jumping to silly conclusions.

"What can I do for you?"

"Just Kite, Miss Deas. i have neither right nor desire for an honourific between us. It is my hope that we will get along. Put bluntly, we share a leash. i have no intention to take the love which is yours, nor to replace you in our Owner's heart." Despite the sterility of her words and tone, there was passion in Kite's voice.

"i am not unfamiliar with strife between sisters-by-collar. It is a most unpleasant phenomenon, and one which i sincerely hope you are also inclined to avoid." Analyzer smiled. The appraising, incisive way Miss Deas appeared to be appraising her. Yes, she was noticing the details. Kite was capable of presenting herself smartly, given cause. There was a guile to her messiness. An open invitation to judge her book by its cover, rather than look inside. Rather than notice the tools in her pockets and the collar around her throat were meticulously, even obsessively clean, while the backs of her hands were stained with detritus of working with electronics. An invitation to dismiss the asyncronous data...or ask why. And Analyzer was eagerly happy to see that Anne seemed inclined to at least look.

Annes heart dropped through the floor as the student named herself. Kite. The woman who was vying for Her Vera’s attention… For a brief, shining moment she wanted to jump on this upstart, driven by nothing more than jealousy and a backward sense of protection – but, Vera had trained her pet well and she listened, even while the self-destructive spiral of thoughts raged inside her head. Her face remained ice-still as Kite spoke her piece.

The words were completely unexpected and each one seemed to bleed of the useless emotions that ran through her, replacing them with a sense of thanks… and that of confusion. She couldn’t understand why someone would tie herself to her Mistress but had no emotional connection with her… What was her motivation to be Vera’s pet if not a deep love like her own? She had struggled intensely with being a slave to her mistress’ will – and she loved Vera with every bit of her soul. Why would someone want to be owned without such a love?

It was an intensly strange feeling on top of her feelings and emotions - one that Anne had never felt and didn’t know how to process. Not just the oddity of someone else talking about her being collared (something she still felt a little strange about when she thought about it – she had no idea how many hours she had spent quietly in her dorm running the deep blue sash through her fingers her mind going over just what it represented), but also that she had a sister… one that had deliberately sought her out to make sure, apparently, that there would be no problems between themselves… One that wore an actual collar herself… Was that dictated by Vera or something she did of her own accord? It was perfectly clean despite the dirt that seemed to marr the young woman – what did that mean? It felt very much like Vera’s touch but why was she so dirty? There were so many questions!

On top of that, she had absolutely no idea how to relate to Kite. No ideas what to tell her. What did one do with a sister? Hell, she barely knew what one did with a friend! What did someone say in this position? Was she supposed to hug her? To hit her? To salute? What was she supposed to do? She had spent the last few weeks trying her best to ignore the very existence of this woman and now she was here, in front of her.

“…Kite” She rolled the word out slowly, her own accent colouring each shade of the word in a deeply British guise. It hung in the air, a simple word that had the power to destroy all Anne had gained, or perhaps heal wounds that she didn’t know she had. As the word misted and dissolved into the air she refocused her eyes on Kite’s own.

“I thank you for coming to find me but I have to ask… If your attentions aren’t for Vera’s heart… What are they?”

It was blunt – blunter than she had intended but with nothing to fall back on she fell back on her position as a prefect and Vera's training. The same training that had allowed her to feel confident in herself again – the very confidence that Kite threatened, despite her protestations.

All three of Kite watched the tumult of emotion going through Anne as Analyzer spoke. She did not know Anne well enough to read these tells in any detail, but chaos itself is easy to behold.

"When did i say that i have no desire to love our Owner, or be loved by her? Only that i do not want to take the love that is yours." Kite attempts a smile. Analyzer isn't good at them. "But you asked of my intentions, and i should answer."

"Purpose." There was a simple finality to it. Would Anne understand its meaning? That Kite could not have purpose without the guidance of another?

"There exist in this world people who cannot truly function without someone to obey, and obey absolutely. And i am one such." Kite's tone is neutral, there is neither joy nor despair taken in that she is destined to be property, one way or another. Only acceptance of fact, of truth. "To our Owner, i am her tool, her weapon, and her plaything. Perhaps in time more than that if i am lucky, but if not, then to simply be useful would be enough."

"It is my hope that there is room for us both at her feet, Miss Deas. To serve our Owner together in love, and exult in that she loves us. And in time, that we may love each other, as sisters should."

"To that end, please ask me whatever you will to satisfy yourself of me. While there are things which i have been forbidden to speak of, i will be truthful about this should your questions touch upon them. There is nothing to be gained from lies."

She felt like she needed to sit down. Her emotions threatened to overspill and turn into a firestorm. Kites smile didn’t reassure her either… It was like she wasn’t used to proper, natural smiles somehow. All of it led to further questions that she didn’t know how to ask.

As she thought that, memories and images of her being treated as a possession by her parents flickered across her memory – that and how much she had hated it – fought against it and ultimately been sent here. For someone to not only want something like that, but to actively need such a thing was completely beyond her.

However, didn’t she kneel for Vera herself? She had wanted to learn how to master herself under Vera’s guidance. She learnt more each day and she regretted nothing. Not only her heart was Vera’s, but her body and her mind aswell. Didn’t this make her the same as Kite – perhaps not in how they came here, but in what they were? As she had just said, “A plaything, a toy and a weapon?” She knelt before her Mistress. And helped Vera in the basement before – and brought students there when such things was necessary, knowing full well what would happen there. She had even helped, and would again.

As Kite finished the first question that leapt to mind was a stupid one. She of course wanted to ask what these forbidden things were! However, She heard Vera’s voice in the back of her mind admonishing her for asking stupid questions and she let her mind walk over the query. She remained silent for a moment longer, taking the second to steady her mental feet further. As the second clicked she realized that she only knew two ways of moving forward… One was to run and hide – which would lead her back to where she had started (and, most likely a very disapproving Mistress!) - And the other was to attempt to take charge of it, just as Vera taught her.

“Please, follow me Kite. We can talk as we walk.”

With that she started walking, not long stride but the same one she habitually used. Walking was good, it gave her body action and let her mind work freely. It also got around the desperate want to sit down and cry, or shake Kite into some sort of coma. Anne didn’t check to see if Kite was following – given she had been approached she was pretty damned certain that Kite would follow and if not… then that said a lot about her right there and then. They hadn’t gone far before she asked her first question. She kept her eyes front and her voice low, obeying her duty even as she Vera’s other pet.

“Do you have a problem with sharing Vera with me? And if what I suspect is true, then why don’t you?”

The answer to the first was of course obvious, but she needed to hear it. She wasn’t sure she could cope sharing Vera… Exulting in her love, just as Kite wanted… And needed to hear that she was alone – a small comfort perhaps, but a comfort none the less.

Kite follows, her ordinary gait is a bit clumpy, deliberately announcing her presence to anyone nearby, but she CAN walk quietly, and does, in deference to the nature of Anne's patrol.

"i have no problem whatsoever sharing Miss Matsumoto with you, and in fact eagerly welcome it. As to why... i apologize, but i will require some time to form my answer, the whole form of the answer contains things which i am not permitted to discuss."

Kite walks in silence for some moments longer, deliberately stretching her arms, rocking her shoulders in order to anchor herself in the physicalities of the now. "i do not have a problem, because as i said, i am familiar with strife between sisters-by-collar. Some years ago, i, and three others, were the shared property of two members of the faculty of this school." Kite's hands clench into fists remembering them, knuckles whitening, twitching slightly in remembered fury.

"They," the word comes out almost as a snarl, "were not the same kind of owner as we now share. Miss Matsumoto wishes, so far as i am aware, for us to grow in her service. She has, in fact, explicitly stated that she has no use for vacant-eyed mindless dolls. My previous owners did not feel this way, and their goal was to reduce my sisters and i to such. To break our minds and spirits in every way of which they could conceive. They succeeded." Kite's voice has become dull, hollow, echoing and empty, no expression whatsoever on her face as she follows Anne, should Anne turn to look, though in contrast to that sterility, silent tears cross her cheeks. The memories are almost overwhelming. Being set against each other in rigged competitions, given mutually contradictory orders that became simply a choice of which beloved sister would be punished. Of being burned and bled to the edge of death to power rituals to strip away more and more of mind and identity.

Of course, no one had been precisely prepared for what happens when you take four badly damaged semipsychotic young women and strip away everything that makes them human. Particularly when three have spent their whole lives fighting, three could easily be called mad scientists, and two have some facility with magic.

"As a result, my sisters are no longer present upon this campus, and those two....men... are dead. By my and my sisters' hands." That vengeance had been a good day, despite what it cost.

"And i, no, i should be truthful, we remain. i am not whole, Miss Deas. i said that to our owner, i am 'tool, weapon, and plaything.' That is not precisely true. My name is Analyzer. i am the tool. The weapon's name is Sword. The plaything is Kitten, and we three are what remains of Kite. And this, also, is why we have no qualms with the idea of sharing Miss Matsumoto's love and attention, as even were the only mark of ownership she placed the one around our neck, it would be shared among the three of us."

"We are 'damaged goods' Miss Deas. And yet Miss Matsumoto sees value in us, worth, usefulness. And for that, we give her our loyalty, our worship, and our love." A momentary smirk creases Kite's lips. "The secondary trinarism was unintentional, and i assure you that 'loyalty, worship, and love' are not divided between the three of us in what we give, we each offer her all three, in our own way."

Again the curiosity of what she wasn't allowed to discuss ran through her. Perhaps she should bring that up with her Mistress... Although that would probably be a mistake. Such things never seemed to end well for her! The thought took a moment to cross her mind and as she waited she noted peculiar rocking motion that Kite had. It was as if she wasn't quite "here" although Anne didn't have the faintest idea what that could mean.

She got an answer soon enough, from the story that Kite told. Once again she felt like she needed to sit down. There was so much sadness there, so much she desperately wanted to fix, or at the very least give her a huge hug. How could anyone do that? Vera had, as Kite said, had no use for mindless dolls and had attempted (and succeeded as far as Anne herself was concerned) to bring her up, improve her and generally make her a better person in all regards. For someone to be the complete opposite of that – actively attempting to destroy someones very personality and self...

She felt sick. She had seen the tears - proving without words that there was an intense amount of pain there in at least one of the three that stood before her. Yet she also stood by someone that had killed (albeit with reason?) Was that when she was still whole or when fragmented into the three of Analyzer, Sword and Kitten... She didn't know and in truth, wasn't certain that she wanted too. From her studies she had actually heard of personality disorders like this but never thought she would come across one... Much less so one that seemed so tightly in control of herself. What would cause a switch? And what were the others like? Was Sword a frothing frenzied berserker that would just as happily rip her to pieces or was there control there?

That was something she felt she really should know, at least to have an inkling of how to avoid her! Heavens knew that she doubted she could defend herself effectively against a berserker madwoman! Perhaps she should take up some sort of self defence regime!

But such things were secondary at best. Anne had watched Kite as she spoke and she couldn't see any lies. The story, despite how terrible it was, struck her hard and she felt a thin sliver of Kites own pain. How could she begrudge the comfort that Vera could give to her? Despite Anne’s own intense jealousy her heart wouldn't allow her to attempt to stop Kite - in fact she knew, deep inside herself that she was more likely to actually step aside and walk away from Vera in favour of someone like this - someone that needed her. Vera had helped her feel worthwhile and had given her strength, helping her overcome her own perceived lack of worth... How could she honestly begrudge the same sense of self worth to another - especially one that needed it as much as Kite did?

Of course, in many ways it was entirely irrelevant as she would no more go directly against Vera than she would cut out her own heart. But Kite wanted HER reassurance that she was ok with this. With surprise, given that the threat that Kite held to her the answer was actually easy.

“If my… our Mistress…” Calling Vera “Our” Mistress was a odd feeling.. and one that would certainly take getting used to. “If she accepts you then you will find no strife from me.”

She wanted to say all about how new this was to her and ask for reassurance but while she might accept Kites presence there was a LONG way to go before Anne really thought of her as a sister. It made Anne wonder what Vera thought of such a thing but from what she knew, she doubted that Vera would care – as long as she wasn’t brought into any conflict. Annes lips quirked as she thought of just how irritated such a thing would likely make her Vera. NOT something she wanted to happen!

In the meantime though, she felt that showing her own uncertainties in front of her new sister would be a mistake. Still… she couldn’t just leave it at that. If she was reading Kite correctly it wasn’t just acceptance that she was after, but something else aswell. Perhaps some sort of acceptance? Or maybe that sisterhood that she mentioned before? Anne wasn’t certain what to make of that… and tact really wasn’t her strong suit. In fact she had found that directness yielded better rewards than beating about the bush (of course, Vera hating it when Anne prevaricated had more than a little to do with that aswell).

“As for us, what do you want from me? You know who I am and what I do for M... Our Mistress and you know that I would die to protect her. What do you expect from me as your sister?”

Again the semisterile half-smile. Though it was a curiosity whether Miss Deas would be aware of its nature now, that it is not false, but simply that attempting such things as expressions was not normally a thing which Analyzer paid attention to. Twinges of fear in others, of course, she did. Such twinges were often the only warning of an imminent attack, the animal instinct that lurked in the hindbrain of all that said 'i am being watched' when there was no watcher to be seen. That called upon legs to run from the unknown lurking out of sight betrayed by neither smell nor sound but merely a vibration of the soul that said 'i am being considered as prey.'

So Kite reached out her hand to awkwardly touch Anne's shoulder, as nearly-always wearing the leather fingerless gloves that were almost-but-not-quite a uniform violation. "We are glad, that you do not wish strife. We will not take what is yours." A brief squeeze, then letting her hand fall again to her own side.

"What we would ask of you is that you do not fear us, that you are willing to come to know us. A weapon does not wield itself. Sword is no longer a threat to you, or for that matter, to anyone, save in self-defense or by our Mistress's orders." The not-quite-smile acquired a brief flash of genuineness. "And in truth, you will probably like Kitten. She is very emphatic in her emotions." Kite pauses, briefly distracted in contemplation. "Well, unless you do not like being affectionately nuzzled. That could pose a problem." Analyzer apparently does not see anything incongruous about suggesting nuzzling originating from a body which is generally carried in a manner suggesting perpetual preparation for war.

"What we hope is that you can accept us, rather than only obeying our Mistress's acceptance. What we expect of you as our sister is only that we both shall serve our Owner to our fullest, and that as sisters, we will not lie to each other." There is a pregnant pause, Kite herself more than a little nervous, a thousand thousand scenarios having run through her head of just how this meeting could go badly, if there was a reason rather than simply curiosity of how long it would take her pets to take the initiative themselves that had been why Miss Matsumoto had not introduced Kite and Anne to each other. "Is there anything that you would have of me, sister? Anything you want of me? Need of me? Expect of me?"

Anne paused in her walk for a moment and cocked her head to one side, just a small motion as she appraised kite. Sister… That word again that meant so much to Kite. It had notes in it that Anne never thought she would ever hear, those of need, of longing and even of begging. She could almost feel it radiating from her through the sterilliy of her words. It was certainly there in her touch, an awkward movement that was calculated and certainly not a natural motion. It reminded Anne of her own fumblings in the world of relationships and she found herself further warming to Kite.

"Its not my place to expect anything from you sister” Anne said with a smile, although one not entirely felt. The word felt entirely alien to her and she was sure that it sounded just that bad, but goddamnit, she was going to try.

“I expect… and I need the two things you have already offered me. Your promise that you will not lie to me, and our Mistress’s love.”

As Anne spoke she found she was surprised at herself… the words flowed from her with a lot more confidence than she actually felt.

“Beyond that, I don’t think we will have any problem. I don’t doubt your love for Vera, just as I know you don’t doubt my own and I won’t ask you to step away from her. She’s an incredible woman and who am I to refuse you the same peace that she has given me?”

A smile crossed Annes face at that.

“She's as necessary for you as she is for me, although for different reasons. But… That’s not what you want… You came and found me to make sure I wouldn’t have any problem with you. That speaks far more for your character than it does of mine, as you somewhat beat me to the punch.”

Anne paused a moment, her mind doing an odd sort of calculation, trying to tally up all the information she had accumulated so far. She was conscious that her patrol had effectively ended for the night as her focus was now entirely on Kite, although that didn't mean she could clock off as it were. Besides, her presence was often all it took.

“What I would really like of you is to get to know you better. All three of you that is. After all, I can call you sister but shouldn’t sisters understand each other? I should be able to help you serve our Mistress better, and help you in yourself if you should ever falter, or simply need it.“

Anne saw the oddity in her mind, that she was herself new to this and if anything, needed more help than Kite did! After all, Kite had been in a sisterhood before whereas Anne not only hadn’t ever had a sister in any sense, but she was new to being in a relationship. Let alone the sheer amount of improvement that she needed to do to bring herself up to Vera's standards.

"So… With that in mind, can you tell me more about yourself, in that what each of you likes doing. How to tell you apart, what you all hate and how to make you smile? And can you introduce me to your own sisters? I'm sure I can cope with being affectionately nuzzled after all."

And I hope that Analyzer was right about sword being no danger to me, Anne thought silently.

Apparently, Analyzer does have experience with smiles of sardonic self-deprecation, as this one looks entirely natural. "It speaks less of character and more of experience, sister. There are few ways to learn these things but to be thrust into them unawares, and survive." Kite tilted her head slightly, the sardonic smile spreading into a grin, "Benefitting from the experience of another who has done so helps, but, sadly, is no substitute. No advice can allow one to make the alterations within oneself that are required in order to live as we both now live, until one must actually do so."

"Do not impugn yourself. Many are they who, when i offered to turn aside in your favour should you require it of me, to explicitize us as subordinate to you within our Mistress's ownership, would have taken it gladly, rather than the path you have taken, understanding that such decisions should be our Mistress's alone." Analyzer steps forward to briefly embrace Anne in a somewhat stiff hug before stepping back. "It is not an easy path what we walk, sister. Many are they who have fallen from it. But do not fear, either. Our Mistress's leash will keep us from falling, so long as we follow."

"My nature is... somewhat mechanical. i adore technical challenges, conundrae, the acquisition and management of information and data. The invention and construction of devices, creations in silicon and steel, though, these days, mostly silicon, copper, and what the hardware store in the minimall -assures- me is lead-free solder. i have little doubt that you will be entirely capable of telling us apart quite easily. You are observant, after all, and, well, some things are easier to show than tell."

Kite's stance changes, smoothly, gradually, someone who didn't know what it was might just think she was relaxing as her body unclenched from its poise of being a perpetual coilspring, shoulders dropping slightly, hips loosening in her step as she continued to walk with Anne. Where Analyzer's smile had looked incongruous, it was nothing compared to a an almost beatific smile and wide-eyed innocence on so scarred a face. And when she spoke it came out in a giddy squeal. "Yaaaay!! New sister!!!"

Kite, or more truly, Kitten leaped forward, embracing Anne tightly, rubbing her cheek against Anne's shoulder, fingers eagerly kneading at Anne's back. "i didn't get to spend a lot of time with our old sisters, can we spend lots of time together? Can we? Can we? Do you like cookies? Cookies are awesome! i wanna make cookies for Mistress, but i gotta stop burning 'em first. It's gotta be Just Perfectly Absolutely Rightness before i make the cookies for Mistress, but getting them at juuuuust the right moment when the edges have gone all crisp and caramelly from the sugar melting but the insides are gooey and chewy and the chocolate's all melty just keeps going wrong... Oh hey! Sis, you did ask Analyzer if we needed help with anything. Do you know how to keep the cookies from burning?"

Anne was going to ask more about what she made as it sounded fascinating. Far outside her own normal skillset and something that she would certainly like learning more about. She held her tongue though and instead watched the transformation. There was really no other word for it as the change was complete. It was still Kite but her poise, her mannerisms, even the lines on her face changed as her expression changed radically.

The squeal that came out, which was hotly followed the rest of her assaulted Anne and she found herself on the back foot both figuratively and literally. It was one thing about being warned about being nuzzled to death, but quite another to actually experience it.

"I.. Kitten?" Anne hesitated a moment, bringing her mental wheels up to speed with the change and the rapid barrage of chatter. Kites(Kittens?) hands enfolded her and she could smell a odd mixture of scents in her hair. There was something incredibly endearing at the sheer amount of passion in her voice. Everything rang full of honest love and excitement and while the subject matter may have only been cookies Anne felt certain that it encompassed everything that Kitten did. She also noted with surprise that Kitten was completely aware of what they had been talking about.

"Well... you could put tin foil over it, or put it on a lower shelf in the oven" Anne answered, a smile crossing her face. She couldn't help it - there was something so irrepressible about kitten she had to smile. She didn't even feel threatened despite the unexpected physical contact which was a most pleasant feeling. She did wonder if the all were the same though and had the same perspectives...

"Kite... should I call you Kitten or Kite? I certainly have no objection to spending some time with you. What would you like to do? And can you tell me about yourself and your sisters?"

Kitten listens with almost frightening intensity, murmuring confusedly, "Tin foil? Like the hats?" Before busting back into a wide grin, "i get it! The hats keep the madness beams out, and people who're mad sometimes say they're burning up, but cookies can't have a drink to calm down, so to keep them from burning i need to keep the madness out! But then i can't see when they're done... Ah! Analyzer can probably build me some kind of light up cookiescope!" A momentary flicker of chagrin crosses Kite's features, doubtless Analyzer's, but nothing will shake Kitten's giddiness just at the moment.

"You can call me whatever you want, sis! But, uhm, Mistress only calls us Kite when she's talkin to all of us, or talkin to other people and doesn't want them to know we're a we not an i." Kitten's brows furrow in concentration, "i dunno a lot of stuff to do, a lotta places if i ask about them Analyzer and Sword say i shouldn't go there. So uhm, i know there's lots of good yummies in the minimall? That's where i've been learning to cook! And startin to learn to sew. Sword won't let me thread the needles, tho, an if i say i need to learn she just puts on her big scary voice and says 'You'll just hurt yourself and we've bled enoguh already.' Stuffystuffystuffy...i gotta learn, don't i? To be a good pet for Mistress? Gettin good at cuttin and gluing stuff, though! And Mistress is teaching me cleaning! And says i'm really really good at the...mat-sage? Mass-age? Rubbin' stuff. Rubbing hard bits that aren't supposed to be hard until they're soft again. Really really good at that!"

Anne blinked. Madness? In cookies? Cookiescope? The words were a ceaseless barrage and it was hard filtering out the babble to what she was actually saying. Endearing Kitten-Kite might be, but that didn’t mean she was easy to keep up with.

The slight flicker of chargrin fascinated the Prefect thought. It was like three people in a car – all aware of what was going on but only one had control at any time. She guessed based on the comments that they all spoke to each other inside her at the same time. This was only reinforced as she chattered on about sword using her scary voice, and both forbidding her to go places. That, coupled with the comment of “they have bled enough” really made Anne wonder what was hidden from her eyes. She remembered her hunt for something similar so long ago, the same quest that had led her to Vera in the first place and there was something about her words that reminded her of those times, where she was sure that her dreams had a lot more meaning to them...

But, that was long ago and now she had a much better overview of that situation, and had seen nothing untoward. Although….

She shook off that nagging feeling and concentrated on the highly energetic woman to the side of her, who looked like she was ready to explode with the giddy.

“Come on then Kitten. Lets go to my room. When I got this sash they gave me my own room complete with a small kitchen, so we can go there and I’ll show you what I mean about using tin foil. That is if Sword and Analyser agree?” She felt a little odd talking to three-in-one but it seemed simply polite to ask. It was also time that they moved off the halls. While she had nothing against talking with students, building up a rapport with them, she felt that Kittens exuberance as well as the sight of two of Miss Matsumoto’s helpers being together would attract more attention than it was worth dealing with.

"EEE! Goin to sis's room! Yes please!" Luckily, no doubt Anne's own personal standards of hygenic perfection ensured that she possessed no real risk of an uncofmortable melting of earwax from the intensity of Kitten's explosion of glee.

If Analyzer or Sword objected, they showed no sign, no hesitation. And they didn't object. Anne would not yet know, of course, that revealing Kitten, and her nature, to someone was far more a showing of intimacy and trust than merely going to their room, or truly, any of the myriad things that could happen there.

As Kite followed Anne, Kitten continued to natter on about her learnings, mostly in the field of sweets. It got steadily more difficult to follow, and whatever a 'cookiecake explodorama' was, the only things that could be certain were that it would give dieticians and dentists both stress disorders, and thankfully, did not yet exist.