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Helena waited until they were out of earshot of Morgan's rooms before drawing closer to Amba and asking in a soft voice with real concern, "How are you? Are you...in control?"

Amba scanned the area as they walked in silence for a long moment before finally looking askance at Helena, her dark blue eyes measuring her friend. "What do you think?" she asked. Then she closed her eyes for a brief moment, and as she opened them, they were a bit less intense than before. "Yes," she answered. "It was a bit...difficult...with what happened," she said, sighing. Then she added, "But it did have its uses, didn't it?"

Helena smirked, the resulting laughter both amused—and relieved.

As they approached their rooms, she became once again more alert, scanning the area as the door came into view. "Not so different from home after all," she observer almost to herself.

Helena glanced around as well.

A bit of shadow detached itself from the wall. The figure pulled a hooded mask over its head and a mass of golden curls spilled out over the shoulders of the form-fitting black catsuit. She was clad entirely in black except for her bare hands, which might have been what the other women had spotted in the gloom.

"Hi, Sis!" Clytemnestra said cheerily. "I was running a few errands, found myself in the neighborhood, and thought I'd stop by. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Helena eyed her sister's outfit. "You...changed. Those must have been some interesting errands."

Amba looked Helena's sister over warily, but said nothing, letting her friend take the lead.

"Pretty boring, really, except for the biting."

"The biting?" Helena asked.

Ness didn't explain, but continued on.

"And I had intended to change again before meeting you, but my route took me by here, and honestly, you weren't supposed to notice me before I could get to my rooms and back. But as long as we're here, and I left a bunch of my clothes in your rooms...." She shrugged. As an afterthought, she added, "Oh, hello Amba. Nice to see you again."

Amba merely smiled in response.

This entire day had been weird for Helena—assassination attempts, babies sacrificed to the Logrus, a possible vendetta between Houses, "Mandy," arcane backlashes during dinner—so why should she be surprised at Ness in a catsuit showing up at her door and asking to come inside and change clothes? "Sure...come on in, I guess, and pick something out..."

Bemused, she opened the door and gestured for her sister and Amba to precede her.

Ness smiled brilliantly and capered into her sister's room. She rifled through the pile of dresses that had been left earlier. "Too showy, too formal, too uncomfortable, ah, this one will do for now, I think."

As for Amba herself, she went to the clothes she had brought instead of the dresses, looking through her own things for something to wear.

As did Helena, who picked out trousers and tunic in neutral colors. She dressed in silence, keeping half an eye on Ness and the other half on Amba.

Ness turned, holding her selected gown draped before her as if trying it on. "What do you think?" She stopped, watching the other two through narrowed eyes. "Hold on, you two aren't dressing for bed. What are you up to?"

"You're right. We're not dressing for bed," Helena replied vaguely, hoping Ness would take the hint. She pulled the tunic over her head.

If Ness noticed a hint, she gave no sign. "Is this something you planned before you arrived in Amber, or did you get some sort of mission from the Ramblin' King? Either way, I'd be happy to assist. Unless it's treasonous or... well, no, that'd probably still be okay. Under the current government, I'm not even sure what treason is."

"Actually," Amba said as she finished fastening her top, "we're just going to practice more. With all of the commotion going on, we figured we wouldn't be missed." And for sure, what Amba had put on was a sword dancing outfit. But it was a more formal one, for ritualized Sword Dancing or impressing people, being made of whorled black and deep blue demon hide rather than the more usual fabrics, adorned with traceries of runes set in platinum striped down the side of the arms and legs. But unless Ness knew more than she seemed to about Sword Dancing, the difference would probably be lost on her.

"Lovely," Ness said. She hurled the dress back on the pile and stood with her hands on her hips, glowering. "You can teach me. I'm a quick study. Or I'll just watch. I don't care. But whatever it is you're doing, I'm coming. Give me one of those damn outfits."

"No, you are not coming," Helena replied firmly as she belted her tunic around the waist."There are reasons and I will explain them—tomorrow. Yell at me all you want—but do it tomorrow."

Amba continued dressing in silence, staying out of the way of the two sisters. She sighed, studiously ignoring the conversation as she finished lacing her boots and started to plait her rapidly lengthening hair.

Clytemnestra grabbed her sister's arm. "Nell, please! I just got you back. It's been so long, ye gods, it's been long, and there was this piece of me that was so far away and now you're here, and we've barely had time to talk and didn't even have dinner together. Please. Whatever you're doing, does it have to be right now? Can't it wait for tomorrow?"

Helena inhaled sharply and stared at her sister. "No, I'm sorry, but it can't. Oh, Ness..." She reached out and drew her sister into a tight hug, then rested her forehead against hers. It was a gesture of Helena's that Amba was very familiar with, having been on the receiving end too many times to count.

It was also a gesture Clytemnestra may have remembered back from when they were very young—long conversations whispered with foreheads together, in a language they made up to confound their caretakers.

"You need to trust me on this," Helena said softly. "Tomorrow, I am yours. I promise."

Ness returned the hug tightly. She quivered with pent-up emotion, then finally released it in a long sigh. "All right. I guess you've already seen my sword-dancing prowess out on the old tennis court. Never send a socialite to a sword fight, eh? But maybe I can help you before you leave. Get you information, or equipment, or a guide. Can I do that, to help make sure tomorrow comes?"

Helena glanced out of the corner of her eye at Amba. She thought they would be fine, but wanted Amba's opinion.

Even before the sisters hugged, it was obvious that tension had flowed out of Amba, but with Ness' back to her now, Amba finally looked up to Helena, nodding. She wasn't sure whose pocket Helena's sister was in, but she assumed that she wouldn't hurt her own twin. Right? And what could be more important than their relationship?

"Don't be silly—of course tomorrow is going to come," Helena replied, releasing her hold on Ness. She smiled. "We'll be fine."

Ness held Helena at arms length and stared into her eyes. A connection formed that was more than merely visual. "Promise," she said. "Telling me I'm being silly just makes me more sure that you're doing something dangerous. Promise me that you will come back by tomorrow, or you won't leave this room."

Helena met Ness's eyes. "I promise."

Ness didn't look pleased, but she did let her go. She turned to Amba. "You'll take care of her, right?" It wasn't a request.

"Always," Amba said, a bare hint of a challenge in her voice. "No matter..."

Then [Clytemnestra's] eyes narrowed. "Wasn't your hair shorter?"

"Ummm... yes," she answered, somewhat thrown off by the sudden subject change.

"How did...never mind." She gave Amba an unreadable glance, then turned back to Helena. She kissed her cheek, pausing to whisper in her ear, "If you need anything, call my name. I'll be listening."

Then she grabbed the top dress off the pile, threw it over herself to cover the catsuit, and went out the door without another glance back.

Helena watched her sister leave, her cheeks a little flushed. She turned and retrieved a knife from her belongings, secreted it in her boot, then straightened and looked at Amba out of the corner of her eye. "Ready?"

continued in Talking About the Ladies