It would be terribly boring if a pet could only entertain their owner. Grace had many fond memories of playing with her cousin’s pets, it was always a joy to see how different they all could be. What ultimately determined a pet’s personality was their training, or lack thereof. 

Before Satsuki came to visit her one day, she made sure to set forth her expectations to Eren. She had spent quite a long time training him and today was the perfect opportunity to show off how much he had learned under her care. For him to embarrass himself would also mean he was guilty of a far more serious transgression, which of course would be embarrassing herself. 

‘Try to be more like Maeve! She’s what you should aspire to be!’ Grace would often tell him whenever he disappointed her. She had not expected the one-legged brunette to be as obedient as she was since she was a stray little thing, but Maeve had demonstrated perfect behavior without exception. 

The only annoying thing was her inability to speak Mandarin Chinese. For the first month or so, Grace would occasionally demand Maeve do something absentmindedly not realizing she had to switch into English just for her. And according to Maeve’s tutor, she was a very slow learner. It would take years before she could hold a conversation. 

Meanwhile Eren reached near perfect fluency in just a few weeks. Remarkable. Grace thought as she watched her two pets strut forward meekly across the table towards the other behemoth. Maeve had the assistance of a toothpick she used as a cane. Once they reached a practiced spot close to the edge, the specks dropped to their knees in reverence of the goddess that looked above them. 

Satsuki appeared unimpressed as she always did, but since she made no verbal expression of disapproval Grace considered it a good sign. “So, this is what Eren has been up to for the last three months.” She mused and extended her hand towards the table expectantly. “I had almost entirely forgotten about him. Hmph. But I suppose you could call this an improvement over the old one.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Grace said with a smirk as Eren silently rose to his feet and numbly walked towards Satsuki’s hand. He carefully stepped onto her platform-like palm and once again dropped to his knees, as a human should whenever approached by a goddess in a formal interaction. 

Slowly, Satsuki rotated her hand from side to side as if trying to appraise Eren. He was considerably thinner than the last time Satsuki had seen him, which had been several months prior. Back then before Grace reduced his caloric intake to a crumb or two every so often when she remembered, he had been quite lean and muscular. 

Now he was a shadow of that, even thinner than when Jisoo had first met him. Unfortunately, that also meant his admittedly beautiful long brown hair was now brittle and dull. Maeve had helped him tie it into a bun even without access to pins. Grace might have chopped it all off if not for the knowledge that Jisoo loved Eren’s long hair. It would be a shame for her to return and his hair to be unacceptably short.

Perhaps the greatest change was Eren’s eyes. Once vibrant bluish green pools that radiated with innocence and empathy. Now sullen and deliciously empty. Ripe to be reshaped. 

It took three months for this to happen… Eren lasted longer than any person I’ve ever broken before. He is definitely worthy to be Jisoo’s husband, that’s for sure. 

“So, I take it you had that conversation with Eren after all? About his true thoughts?” Satsuki inquired and returned him to the table. “I am glad you came to understand my point of view.”

“You were correct only to an extent. Eren’s mind was filled with nonsensical foolish thoughts, but I still disagree that Jisoo has disregarded her oaths.”

“And yet it has been months, and nobody has seen her.” Satsuki replied pointedly. “Unlike the last time she ran away, she covered her tracks this time and vanished. For all we know she could be face down floating in a pool somewhere. Or worse, working with her mother and sister.”

“I don’t suppose Eren has any insight on this? He is one of the last people she spoke with in person.” Satsuki pressed to which Grace shook her head. 

That’s unfortunately one area I’m still working on. Eren genuinely believes his delusional lie that Jisoo was engulfed in golden light after she touched the Buddha statue in the estate. Grace thought but made no outward reaction to the touchy subject. “I’ve interrogated him thoroughly and he knows nothing. He also understands the severity of his past actions.”

“I rejected Jisoo’s love and scorned her desire to make me hers. It’s entirely my fault she has vanished, and I will do whatever I must to bring her back so she can be with her family again.” Eren suddenly said in a soft, heartfelt voice. The voice of a man who missed his would-be wife dearly and wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her affections once again. “Please find her as quickly as you can… She’s not safe as long as her devil of a mother draws breath.” 

“None of us are safe until Keqing and her other child are brought to us.” Satsuki replied in agreement. “But I digress. Sooner or later one of them will make a move, but we cannot afford to let that interrupt our future plans. Fixing Eren only solves one side of the equation. Jisoo is still a rogue variable.”

“For now. As you pointed out, Eren was the catalyst for her doubts and now he has seen the world for what it is and desperately wants to make amends for that. When she returns everything can go back to normal.”

“Assuming she returns, that is. The world is about to change forever with or without Jisoo. Whether or not she will play a role in what is to come has not been determined yet.” Satsuki responded and turned on her heel towards the exit.

Grace blinked in surprise. “Where are you going?” She called out and rose from her seat in confusion. They were supposed to all get lunch together to celebrate. “Our reservation isn’t for another hour and a half~?”

“My work in Beijing is finished. There’s no point being here any longer when Operation Deliverance is less than a year away.” Satsuki replied very matter-of-factly before she shut the office door behind her.

I really hate that woman sometimes. But that’s one more thorn in my side I don’t need to worry about, if she’s finally returning to Tokyo. Grace thought. But… What did she mean by her work is finished? What exactly has Satsuki been up to this entire time? No way she would have remained in China for as long as she did without some ulterior motive.

With her guest gone, Grace breathed a sigh of relief and stretched behind her desk. She placed her feet up on the table and smiled when her two pets immediately tended to them. Such loyal things they had become. 

After a few minutes passed her stomach grumbled. Grace no longer felt in the mood for the high-class restaurant she had made a reservation for; a simple salad or soup from a cafe would be sufficient. She collected Eren and Maeve and strolled into her bedroom and placed them in their terrarium. Over the past few months, they had earned some bits of furniture and equipment. The bed was certainly an improvement compared to the old sock she had provided earlier. 

Maeve had to be placed down more carefully. Since she only had one leg it was hard for her to move around by herself. “Did we do poorly?” She asked in concern once both she and Eren had been returned to their proper enclosure. “Miss Satsuki did not seem impressed… is she leaving because of us?”

“No. I don’t think it’s anything like that.” Grace replied kindly and tousled Maeve’s hair affectionately, which made Maeve smile earnestly. She was definitely the best pet she had ever had, language barrier aside. “You two did very well! I’m really proud. And yes, that includes you Eren, you weren’t such a debbie-downer.”

“I tried my best… But I think what Satsuki said was completely inappropriate about Jisoo.” He replied thoughtfully, his voice nowhere as monotone as it had been when around Satsuki. “It’s not her fault I led her astray. I should be the one to face the consequences of that, her reputation shouldn’t be diminished in anybody's eyes.”

“They’ll learn that eventually, I’m sure. Satsuki has always had it out for Jisoo after all so it’s not surprising, she’s acting like this.” Grace replied with a shrug.

Eren opened his mouth to speak again but was silenced by a slight nudge from Maeve, who gave him a stern glare. He appeared confused for a moment before it dawned on him that he was about to contradict something that his mistress had said. He meant well, but he had already been informed repeatedly not to worry about things out of his control. 

He bowed his head apologetically as Grace resisted the urge to smile proudly at her creation. Slowly but surely, he was learning. “Forgive me for my outburst.” Eren said softly. “My thoughts are still with Jisoo… I wish only for her safe return to the fold.”

“You will be a good husband, Eren. I’m sure of that. She will return to take you in soon, just give it a little more time.” Grace said and poked him playfully like she always did. 

The two specks watched the giantess exit the room and listened to Grace’s booming footsteps gradually become increasingly distant. Eventually even the vibrations beneath their feet disappeared as well. 

Maeve used her toothpick to hobble towards her side of the terrarium and sighed, rubbing her temple while Eren remained still where he had been dropped off. “We’ve spoken about this before y’know.” She said conversationally and set the toothpick down beside her bed. “Our mistress is never wrong. What she says is right is right. If she says that Miss Satsuki will come around to Miss Jisoo then that is exactly what will happen.” 

“I know. I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to give up these irrational thoughts… It’s very fortunate that our mistress is as patient with me as she is.” Eren replied and carefully turned his body towards Maeve while keeping his voice even. 

Even as he spoke, his true attention was fixated on Maeve’s hands as they weaved together carefully articulated a second silent conversation in sign-language. “Did I hear that right?” She inquired. “Satsuki is leaving Beijing?”

“Yeah. She said her ‘work is finished’. Which means that we were right to believe this was her influence all along.” Eren responded also in sign-language, which almost every speck learned as a communication method to remain hidden while brobs were around. For him in Maeve, it allowed them to converse freely while they maintained appearances. 

Their terrarium was bugged. Eren had discovered the listening device, it was the same kind of listening device he had discovered in the lining of one of Grace’s shoes. “I appreciate you reminding me not to doubt our mistress. She has been so stressed lately and should not have to waste any more of her time disciplining me, especially when the salvation of humanity is so close.” He said aloud, in the carefully practiced tone of a formerly broken man who now believed every word of insane bullshit that came out of his mouth. “We can only hope Jisoo returns soon. As a xian this is her destiny.”

“And we can also only hope that when she does return, she still considers you a suitable lover.” Maeve replied in a slightly hostile tone. “What will you do if she determines you are more trouble than you are worth?”

“We’ve discussed this before. But if she deems me unworthy, I will ask that our mistress take my life… I would have no further use for the Amrita Corporation after all. Although I suppose that is rather selfish, to ask for such an honor to be killed by a xian.” Eren proclaimed. 

This was how they convinced Grace that they were broken. It would be far too easy for them to merely keep up appearances around her or others then in private moments share their true thoughts. There was no camera on the listening device so the only information Grace received was audio feedback. 

For three months they had gradually made their conversations increasingly fanatic and devoted. It would be way too suspicious if they immediately pretended to be true believers. So, the progression was from mere quiet acceptance and fake escape plans that always ended in tears, to doubt over the validity of their own concerns and occasional arguments with the best acting they could muster. 

Maeve assumed the role of an angry speck who felt it was Eren’s fault this had all happened to her, initially she would lash out at him and demand he give Grace what she wanted. Maeve had a hard time bringing herself to do it, but on one occasion she feigned outrage that he had spoken out against Grace while they were alone, and he let her beat him senseless. It was to really sell the idea they went through a ‘breaking’ process together and allowed her to become Grace’s favorite almost overnight.

On top of that, Maeve acted as if she was madly in love with her mistress from time to time. She would occasionally boast that she was ‘blessed’ to be able to please Grace in bed. All the while Grace was completely oblivious to the fact that Maeve knew far more Mandarin Chinese than she let on.

“Satsuki and Yuxi are definitely collaborators. Something was a little different about Yuxi last night when Grace mentioned this meeting would happen.” Maeve explained in sign as they continued their other conversation out loud. “It was very brief, but I saw the recognition in her eyes when Grace told her about it.”

“And Grace didn’t notice?”

“No. I think she just has a massive blind spot whenever pretty girls are involved, especially if I noticed something she didn’t.” Maeve responded. “Yuxi might not even be her real name. She’s probably the one who has been planting the listening devices everywhere, spying on us on Grace’s behalf and on Grace on Satsuki’s.”

“…She must have been the one to manipulate Grace into first doing this to me, under Satsuki’s orders. The devil on her shoulder so to speak.” Eren mused and paused to collect his thoughts. “But I don’t get what Satsuki’s motivation was to do this? She already got rid of Jisoo, so why did she need Grace to torture me into submission? Just to spite Jisoo?”

“I don’t know. She is the one person in all of this I can’t understand. But for now, she’s going back to Japan so we can finally breathe easy.”

“Not yet. I have no idea where Jade has been this entire time, she left not too long after Suyin died. We don’t know how she fits into our situation yet either.”

“I’ve overheard Grace say she’s been on a mission given to her by Min.” Maeve responded as they continued to bicker back and forth a bit out loud. It had taken some time to get used to it, but by now they could carry on with two entirely separate conversations easily. “It has to do with the Chinese Military. Jade has… a unique ability, of some sort.”

“What kind of ability?”

“It involves something with skin-to-skin contact. It doesn’t affect her family members but to everybody else, I think it does something. Apparently, she’s been going to lots of meetings attended by top generals and stuff.” Maeve explained.

Great. So not even the most powerful military in the world is safe from the Amrita Corporation. Eren thought despairingly. 

Sometimes it was easy to fall into those thoughts of defeat. This is what Grace wanted, for them to give into hopelessness and crumble at her feet. It was important to remain hopeful no matter how terrible things seemed. And ironically even though Grace had brought Maeve here to serve as a tool to threaten him with, she had since then become a point of strength.

For her sake he would remain strong. “I feel footsteps. We’ll chat more another time.” Eren said and lowered his hands. “So far this is working pretty well…”

“Jisoo will come back for you. Until then we just need to stay strong.”

Jisoo could hardly remember the name of the night club her family had taken her to for her birthday. It was an exclusive, extremely expensive type of dance hall where the price of entry usually kept all but the most affluent partygoers away. Unless you were a high-profile celebrity or could drop a few thousand dollars to the bouncer it would be a waste of time to stand in line. 

Of course, neither herself nor Grace had to wait. They simply approached the door and were immediately welcomed inside. Jisoo watched her past self stroll inside, clearly taken aback by how loud everything was. 

Suji raised her brow as they also walked into the club. “I’ve never understood the appeal behind these places.” She said over the loud music as they followed the pair throughout the crowded dance hall. “I can barely hear myself think.”

“The booze is usually pretty expensive but with friends it’s a lot of fun to dance. But I suppose only if you have the money to get in.” Jisoo replied. They pursued the pair of women up a flight of stairs to the second floor of the club, where the music was considerably quieter. “Me and Grace used to go to places like this all the time whenever we travelled. I went through a bit of a wild phase.”

“That’s hard to believe… you looked really uncomfortable in this memory.” Suji said pointedly and crossed her arms. 

Indeed, the old version of Jisoo looked anything but enthusiastic about the entire affair. She wore an atypically modest dress which drastically contradicted what most of the other women in the exclusive room wore and clutched her purse against her torso tightly. Evidently this was her first time in a night club. 

By contrast Grace was already a little tipsy when she greeted a few of the other girls present. Some of them were cousins, others were Grace’s lovers. Regardless, they all wished Jisoo a happy birthday and poured her a drink. 

Oh yeah… I used to hate alcohol. Jisoo recalled as she watched her past self struggle to take more than a few sips of the straight liquor before she shamefully put it down. Eventually someone gave her a different sugar with lots of sugar and mixers which masked the sour taste. This time with a different drink and a bit of peer pressure, Jisoo managed to drink the entire thing. 

For the next few minutes Jisoo chatted with her relatives and some of the other girls in the private suite, and gradually became increasingly drunk. This was her first time ever trying alcohol and her tolerance was essentially non-existent. The private bartender they had was giving her very heavy pours. 

Eventually as she fully embraced the party, Suji and herself observed Grace whisper something into a servant’s ear. The man went away and returned shortly afterward with a brightly wrapped birthday present. 

Jisoo shifted uncomfortably. “Do we have to watch this?” She asked her younger sister, who stared intently at the gift box. “This is a memory I would really rather forget.”

“Is that a touch of regret I hear in your voice?” Suji inquired. “That’s good. It means you know what you did was wrong.”

“I do. So, can we please just~?” Before she could complete her sentence there was a frightened squeal from her past self. They looked back towards the couch where the individuals in the memory echoes had congregated around Jisoo, who had opened up her gift to reveal the box contained a tiny, shrunken person. 

The speck that had been trapped inside the box was a young woman with very long black hair and terrified dark eyes. She had a beauty mark on her cheek which Jisoo recognized immediately. “Ki-jung?” Her past self muttered in disbelief as she now held the girl in her enormous hand. 

Her voice was familiar to Ki-jung, but magnified hundreds of times what it had always been. It took the girl a few moments to make the connection, as her eyes widened in horror. “J-Ji-soo?” She whispered, staring up into the equally shocked eyes of the giantess. “…You’re… You’re huge…” 

“No. You’re just tiny.” Grace chimed in, also in Korean, and playfully poked the speck with her pillar-like finger which knocked Ki-jung onto her butt. “Happy Birthday Jisoo! I hope you like her.” She remarked and watched the interaction intently with a predatory hunger in her eyes.

She looks so scared. Jisoo thought as she stared at Ki-jung, who appeared as a dainty shadow of her former self. “You don’t speak Korean by chance?” She asked Suji who shook her head from side to side. “I guess it doesn’t matter whether you can understand the conversation… It should be easy enough to figure out.” Jisoo muttered as they watched on.

Grace noted the hesitation in Jisoo’s expression and took the initiative. “This little runt is one of the girls who bullied you, right?” She asked and plucked Ki-jung out of Jisoo’s hands. “Or maybe ‘bullied’ is too light a word to describe all that abuse you suffered.”

“…She nearly killed me. On more than one occasion.” Jisoo replied under her breath, her voice barely above a whisper. Even though the situation was reversed, and she was now much bigger than Ki-jung, the lingering fear she had still remained, and she struggled to maintain eye contact with her old tormentor. “She and a few of her friends. Hye-jin, Gyeong-suk and Seo-jun.”

“And now you can pay her back for all of that.” Grace said with a wicked smile as she dropped Ki-jung into another glass, this time a strawberry margarita which she passed to Jisoo. 

Ki-jung splashed around a bit in the sugary sweet booze which stung her eyes. She squealed and tried to adjust to the cold liquid and looked desperately through the glass at her former victim’s distorted silhouette. “I-I’m sorry! We all felt terrible after we thought~!”

“After you thought you murdered me.” Jisoo finished her sentence, her voice louder and firmer than before. Now there was a malice in her tone that sent chills down Ki-jung’s spine. “You say you felt terrible?! Every single one of you just left me on that fucking sidewalk knowing I was really hurt!”

“…So did everybody else in school.” Ki-jung replied after a pause which immediately silenced Jisoo. “W-We thought someone would find you and help, and we really didn’t know how badly injured you were. I swear that we weren’t trying to kill you!”

“Yeah. That makes it completely justifiable.” Jisoo said sarcastically and grabbed the glass. Angrily she swirled it around and caused Ki-jung to spin around in a whirlpool of alcohol and sugary mixes, occasionally her fragile body would bounce off the glass rim. “Who gives a shit whether or not you were trying to kill me or not? You left one of your speck classmates on a sidewalk with a broken spine and fractured skull. The doctors said I would never walk again.”

“P-Please I~!”

“I never did anything to you or anybody else. I was just a speck nobody that not even other specks cared about. So, you could do anything you wanted to me without consequences.” Jisoo seethed and stared down at Ki-jung menacingly, who had started to cry. “Until now that is. You’re finally getting what you fucking deserve.”

Before Ki-jung could beg anymore, the margarita around her swished forward and she lurched across the glass towards Jisoo’s plush pink lips that parted slightly. The speck was thrust through the narrow opening and into Jisoo’s mouth. She had seen this happen a few times before, and it had always made her uncomfortable.

But now she was furious and had several drinks in her system. One of her many tormentors was here now, cast down into nothingness before her and for once Jisoo had all the power in the world. It was an indescribable sensation to someone who up until rather recently had always been powerless. 

She batted around Ki-jung with her tongue as Grace cooed in approval from nearby, satisfied that she had taken to punishing Ki-jung for her past sins. This was what she deserved to do after all. It was retribution for a lifetime of pain and suffering. 

So why was it that I couldn’t bring myself to kill her? Jisoo wondered as she watched her past self tilt her chin up slightly and prepare to swallow. There was a slight bulge in her cheeks from the liquid along with the speck gathered up somewhere, but it never went down her throat. Why was it that even against one of the only people back then who I truly hated, I couldn’t hurt her after everything she did to me?

Rather than swallow Ki-jung and doom her to a watery grave inside her stomach, Jisoo opened her eyes as if suddenly made aware of what she was doing. She was killing a person. Even if that person was someone she despised, it was still killing. And she wasn’t a murderer. Not yet at least.

Instead Jisoo grabbed the nearest half-full glass of water and drooled Ki-jung out into it, along with whatever bit of margarita she still had in her mouth. Ki-jung burst from below the waterline and gasped for air, coughing up some of Jisoo’s saliva and a bit of strawberry mixer than had clogged her nose and mouth. Grace looked on in disappointment, as Jisoo wiped her mouth clean with a napkin.

From the memory echo, Suji frowned as she watched the past version of Jisoo suddenly stand up and excuse herself to the bathroom. “...You didn’t kill her?” She asked, clearly confused and surprised. “I thought you said this was the first night you ever killed someone?”

“It is. There’s still more to this memory.” Jisoo remarked as the club began to fade around them. They could only see snippets of things she personally remembered, and whatever had happened outside the bathroom was not something they could see. 

Before they could pursue her old self into the bathroom, both sisters became aware of a slight warmth. Suji blinked and spaced out for a few moments as she temporarily became lucid in the real world. “It’s almost daybreak. The sun will be up soon.” She revealed. “Let’s finish this some other time.”

Moments later Jisoo was ‘awake’ as their mutually shared dream concluded, and she found herself once again huddled for warmth on the second floor of a drafty barn located in the rural countryside. The bright multi-colored lights and loud music had been replaced by the sound of beasts of burden and the smell of fertilizer. 

Her muscles felt stiff, and she winced in pain as she gradually rose to her feet. The sky outside was no longer pitch-black, and there were faint traces of light from the ever-approaching sun. At a guess they had been in meditation for at least six or seven hours.

I guess it’s just something you get used to. Jisoo thought as she watched her sister effortlessly spring up off the ground. If anything, Suji actually appeared well-rested. Although they technically had not been asleep, it was still an extended period of tranquility which made her feel refreshed.

At Jisoo’s insistence they walked the remaining distance between the farm and the safe haven where Suji had left a car for them to use. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, and as the sun rose completely to illuminate the vibrant grassy meadows, they crossed Jisoo could hear Suji beginning to hum along to some kind of song. 

“...Do you have anybody special to you?” Jisoo asked after a few minutes of mostly serene silence. Her sister glanced over her shoulder with a quizzical look. “A boyfriend or girlfriend or something like that.”

“With my lifestyle it’s sort of impossible to ever have time for relationships. Plus, there aren’t that many hunky bachelors that make their way up to the Himalayas.” Suji remarked with a shrug. 

Jisoo considered the statement for a few moments. “You don’t seem to make much time for yourself.” She eventually concluded. It was less of a criticism and more of an observation. “Time for friends, hobbies, or fun for that matter.”

“When I undo the grave mistake you and I unleashed upon the world a century ago, I’ll figure out a hobby.” Suji replied. “The Amrita Corporation is mere months away from Operation Deliverance. There isn’t any time for dicking around.”

“...So why are you bothering helping me then?”

“What?” Suji asked and spun around. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re way stronger than me and I honestly seem like a liability to you. I’ve already stated that I don’t know what I’ll do after this is over and our mother fixes me. So why waste time on me? Why not just recommend I hire a shrink or something then focus on stopping the Amrita Corporation?” Jisoo pressed. 

Suji stared intently at her, and briefly Jisoo wondered if her younger sister would simply roll her eyes and walk away. Instead, her characteristically icy glare softened as she realized the nature of Jisoo’s inquiry came from a sense of self-loathing rather than a personal attack against her. “Our mother believes that anybody can be redeemed, and you’ve had a shitty life. It doesn’t excuse your actions, but I think you’ve realized that much. You’re my sister and I feel obligated to give you the help so many people have denied you. We do share a very special connection after all.” Suji mused. “And I guess if you want to break it down into purely pragmatic terms… It would be nice to have you at my side helping me. Not only do you know way more about the Amrita Corporation than me, but you have access to a lot of very valuable intel. As for your personal strength, I get that you’re a lot weaker than you were in the past, but I can train you.”

“You want to take on the Amrita Corporation? Together?” Jisoo repeated. “If you and our mother can’t stop them then I don’t think anybody can. Like you said it would take me years to reach where you are now, and Operation Deliverance is less than a year away at most.”

“I never said it would be easy. Nor am I trying to convince you to throw away the life you’ve tried to make for yourself. I wouldn’t blame you if after we are done with this immediate journey you went back to your ex and tried to rekindle your relationship.” Suji recommended. “Maybe that life is still a possibility. A quiet happy life away from all the problems of the world…”

“...Eren is probably a lot happier right now than we would be if I was there. That’s the truth I need to accept. He’s moved on from me by now.” Jisoo said dismissively. 

Still, I sometimes wonder what he’s been up to for the past few months. Is he still with Grace or have they figured something else out? Jisoo thought. Whatever it is, I’m sure he’s doing well. Grace and Eren are great friends. I’m sure she’s doing her best to help him move on from me.