#geisterdamen

[leletha-jann]

GODDAMMIT FOGLIOS, or I See What You Did There...

The twelve most common letters in the English language are

ETAOIN SHRDLU

...otherwise known to Girl Genius readers as

EOTAIN and SHURDLU

These two:

The original Geisterdamen (we know, because they recognize Agatha later in Sturmhalten, and they're still mad about it in Paris):

These guys:

The characters who speak an untranslated language are named after a cryptography reference.

...

...

...that's funny.

Kudos, Professors, you're very clever.

Goddammit.

[calmingpi]

I think ive drawn futuregil more than actual geisters what the fuck

[leletha-jann]

This seems extremely likely. My guess is that the Geisterdamen were responsible for most of her care; they probably referred to her as "the Holy Child" amongst themselves and addressed her as "Child". The Geisterdamen are not very good at pronouncing th sounds, either. (Here's Eotain trying her best with "Ag-atta!")

My best bet is that Barry named her, and probably did most of teaching her to speak, too.

Supporting evidence: Lucrezia doesn't refer to her as "Agatha" very often. She says "my daughter" or "the girl", addresses her as "daughter", calls her "the Agatha girl" when she's really slipping, but rarely actually uses her name.

I just realized that - seeing as the Geisterdamen only ever refer to Agatha as the "Holy Child", plus the timeline of her arrivel in the Citadel of Silver Lights, Lucrezia's absence, etc - it's entirely possible that Agatha either a) had a different name for a while or b) didn't have a name at all until Barry found her.

And honestly? I think that last one is the more likely option.

[trinity-blaze]

Well, congrats to all of you who predicted this…may the couch protect us from the oncoming storm.

And I just remembered that Othar was still on the airship the last time we saw him, meaning we are about to get Klaus and Othar in the same place for this first time since the beginning of the comic.

Actually, the couch may not be enough to protect us from the oncoming chaos

[minister-of-silly-walks]

OGGIE BEFRIENDED SOME GEISTERS????? When did this happen? How did this happen? Good lord I’m overdue for a reread

[bigasswritingmagnet]

Blood Will Out - Ch 8: Forewarned is Forearmed

Summary: When Agatha Sannikova learns she is, in fact, Agatha Heterodyne, she inadvertently kicks off a series of events that reopens old wounds, drags secrets into the light, and brings war to the doorstep of the all but defenseless Mechanicsburg. Saturnus struggles to crush his enemies with a town almost as broken as his body; Agatha, determined to undo the chaos she's unleashed, plunges into the depths of Castle Heterodyne.

Raised by a literal saint and the devil incarnate, Agatha - with an unleashed mind, a burning spark, and a band of very unexpected allies - will fight to do the unthinkable: be a good Heterodyne and a good person.

< Prev chapter | A03 link

Like a small animal squeezing through an apparently much-too-small gap, Tarvek squirmed his way past Teodora. He darted across the room and grabbed Agatha’s arms. Disheveled, wild-eyed, and breathless, he was wearing what had once been very elegant travelling clothes, now covered in a layer of dust and damp with stale sweat Agatha could smell. He was wearing a different pair of glasses with much larger lenses, which only emphasized the frantic terror.  

"Young man, what do you think you are doing?" Teodora demanded. 

“You need to run,” Tarvek said. “My father, the Geisterdamen, they’re on their way here right now.”

“What?” Saturnus exclaimed. He grabbed Tarvek and dragged him away from Agatha, glaring at him. “Who the hell are you? What are you talking about?”

Agatha realized that, in the drama of the night before, she had not gotten around to telling her grandparents where she had been or what had happened. She opened her mouth to explain, but Tarvek barreled on ahead.

“My father thinks Agatha is Lucrezia Mongfish’s daughter,” Tarvek said.

“Agatha is no Heterodyne,” Saturnus said instantly, sharply.

“He doesn't care if she's a Heterodyne,” Tarvek said. “It’s Lucrezia’s daughter he’s after. The Geisterdamen think Lucrezia is their goddess.”

It was Teodora who scoffed.

“Oh, she must have loved that.” She shut the door and folded her arms across her chest. Agatha saw Tarvek tense, saw his eyes flicking to windows, and realized he was looking for exits. “And does your father think that woman is a goddess, too?”

“He’s... He used to work with her. For her.” Tarvek turned to Agatha, looking sick. “I managed to get him to explain some of it, and some of it I put together, and some...” He swallowed hard. "The girls they've been killing, they weren't trying to kill them. They were running an experiment, but it would only work on you." 

The dead girls the Geisterdamen left in the tunnels. Tarvek had said they were about his age.

About her age.

“Your father, whoever he is,” Teodora said. “He has the Geisterdamen, but what kind of a threat is he?”

“My father is Prince Aaronev Wilhelm Sturmvoraus,” Tarvek said stiffly, “and he brings an army with him, backed by the Knights of Jove.”

Saturnus’ hand shot out and grabbed onto Tarvek’s collar. He surged forward, the metal legs thundering on the floor as he dragged Tarvek towards the door, nearly pulling Tarvek off his feet.

“Get out.”

“Hey! Stop, you need to listen—!”

“Oh, I’m listening! Do you think I’m an idiot? You expect me to believe you’re not up to your neck in this? Barging in here, trying to get her to leave the town so your father’s men can grab her the second she sets foot outside—!”

“No!” Tarvek twisted, breaking free of Saturnus’ hold with a move that looked almost like a dance. “I had nothing to do with any of it! I’m trying to help!” He looked at Agatha with desperation. “I don’t want him to hurt you!”

Agatha marched across the room and grabbed his hand as tightly as she could.

“Stop it,” she snapped at her grandfather. “Tarvek put himself in a lot of danger getting me out of Sturmhalten last time, and even more danger getting here to warn us. I trust him. You don’t have to trust him,” she said, interrupting Saturnus before he could speak. “If he says a thousand soldiers are coming, prepare for two thousand, if it makes you feel better. Keep him under guard. But I am not sending him away.”

“You are not the mistress of this household, young lady,” Saturnus said sternly. Agatha knew he meant you are not the ruler of this town yet. “You don’t get to give me orders.”

“I’m not telling you what to do. I’m telling you what I’m going to do, which is keep him right here with me, where it’s safe.” 

She glanced at Tarvek, and was alarmed to see that his eyes were suddenly overbright. He was very good at keeping his expression impassive, but she could see his mouth trembling. 

"Did you get out okay?" she asked. He nodded. 

"The Jägers you sent helped me ge—" 

"Jägers?" Teodora and Saturnus exclaimed. 

"We – I ran into them on my way back. They helped me get away from some guards who were chasing me. I asked them to go back and get Tarvek and any evidence to prove what the Prince of Sturmhalten was doing. Did they get it?" 

"Yes, but we got separated. They said to run for Mechanicsburg, and they'd catch up, but they never did." 

"Oh, how convenient," Saturnus said. To Agatha, he said "I cannot believe you had Jägers and you sent them away! What were you thinking?" 

"I had…Hetty," she finished. Everyone looked at her blankly. "She, um…drove the cart that took me back to Mechanicsburg. She has a crossbow." 

They continued to stare. 

"It's…it's a really fancy crossbow," Agatha said helplessly. 

To Agatha's relief, there was another hurried knock on the door, but this time the knocker did not wait to be let in. Carson stepped inside, breathless, his hat in his hand. He looked more frazzled than Agatha had ever seen him.

“Lord Saturnus, Lady Teodora,” he said. His eyes landed on Tarvek and he let out a cry of frustration. “There you are! Get back down to the guard house, young man, we need everything you can tell us about this army!” 

“I won’t believe a word he says,” Saturnus said. “Didn’t he tell you who he was?”

“He didn’t have to,” Carson said. “I know the Sturmvoraus blood when I see it.”

Tarvek bristled, but before he could argue, Carson’s brow furrowed and he frowned, looking at Saturnus.

“What are you…?”

Saturnus, immediately distracted, grinned and patted the arm of the chair, proudly. “You like it? Based on Agatha’s designs. Still needs a little work, but—”

“Saturnus,” Teodora said. “The impending invasion?”

“I know, I know!”

“We need the castle.”

“There’s no time!” Saturnus said. “The intelligence splintered when the Castle was damaged. I figured out how to connect the pieces, but the personalities won’t mesh. Didn’t have time to figure out why or how to fix it before…” He gestured to his chest.

“Personalities?” Tarvek repeated, eyes wide with interest.

“Right,” Teodora said, stepping in. “Young man, a bath and something to eat.”

“I have important strategic information!” Tarvek protested.

“And it will be just as important after we make sure you don’t pass out from hunger – and you are in no fit state to sit at my table at the moment. You said you were two days ahead of them. We can wait a few hours more. Upstairs, right now.”

She shooed him up the stairs, Tarvek protesting the whole way. Only when they were out of earshot did Agatha repeat his question. 

“Personalities?”

“You remember the stories I told you about the castle, all the things it can do?”

“It’s run by a thinking engine, a copy of Faustus Heterodyne’s mind.”

“It isn’t run by a thinking engine, it is a thinking engine. To do what the castle does, you’d need a thinking engine the size of the castle, so Faustus put the two together. Its consciousness is spread out across the entire structure. When it was damaged, it broke into pieces, and the pieces can’t talk to each other. Like if you cut up someone’s brain and put each piece in a different body – not only does each one now have its own memories completely independent of the whole, none of them have enough of a brain to function properly.”

“And you can put the pieces back in the skull, but it just puts all those people in one body,” Agatha said, eyes wide with fascination.

“Two days is not enough time to figure out how to fix that,” Saturnus said. “And that’d be on top of all the other repairs it needs. No, I’m going to get to work on the independent defense systems – anything that doesn’t need the castle to run.” To Carson, he said, “You should speak with Vole. Coordinate the defenses. I doubt he’ll want to hear it from me.”

Agatha bit her tongue.

“I don’t know if that is a good idea,” Carson said, quietly. “I suspect Vole is involved with this, somehow, though I don’t know how, or in what capacity.”

“What?” Saturnus’ hands tightened on the arms of the chair.

“He left town very suddenly a few days ago, and didn’t come back until last night – very shortly after Miss Sannikova returned,” he added, with a glance towards Agatha. “And when Master Sturmvoraus arrived, he was asking for Vole by name.”

Slowly, Saturnus turned to look at Agatha, who squirmed.

"He's the one that got you out of Sturmhalten, isn't he? That's why you sent the Jägers away." 

"The what?" Carson said, but was ignored. Agatha stared at her feet.  

“Agatha,” Saturnus said. “What, exactly, happened in Sturmhalten?”

Agatha took a deep breath and let most of the story fall out in a rush, an endless babbling stream of words that left no room for comment or question.

“I tried to switch airships and I was going to buy a ticket on board but that was illegal there apparently and one of the guards tried to arrest me and I yelled at him to let me go and he did and then the prince asked where I was going and when I said Beetleburg he said he was going there too so I could go with him the next day and I had a bad feeling about it but couldn’t think of what to say so I said yes and I was supposed to be having tea with his daughter but she was awful so I left and I found Tarvek in the library and he asked who I was and I told him and he said they weren’t going to Beetleburg but he’d help me get a horse to leave town and but when I tried to leave the Geisterdamen stopped me and he helped me escape out of the castle through the tunnels and the sewers and then I met Hetty and she was giving the Jägers a ride and we got attacked by guards but she shot them all and I asked the Jägers to go back to Sturmhalten—”

She sucked in a huge breath.

“And then I came back here.”

Carson blinked several times, trying to parse the information out of the babbling rush of words. Saturnus was not deterred or distracted in the slightest. 

“And where was Vole in all this?” he asked. 

“He...wasn’t.”

“Agatha.” Saturnus grabbed her wrist. “Whatever he said to you, whatever he once was to me, if he is a threat to you, I must know.”

“He came to get me,” Agatha admitted reluctantly. “When he tried to leave with me, the Geisterdamen tried to stop him, and he fought them off. And Tarvek helped us get through the castle and the tunnels, and he’s got nothing to do with it either!” 

“Who asked him to get you?” Carson asked, ignoring this last part. “The Baron?”

“No one.” She glanced at Saturnus, who was so awfully quiet. “He said he didn’t need anyone to ask him.”

Saturnus flinched, letting go of her hand abruptly. “And he didn’t want you to tell me,” he said, dully.

“He said he’s worried that if anyone found out, the Baron would think he’s secretly working for you.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Well, the statement was true, anyway – that was what Vole had said to her, even if Agatha knew it was a lie.

Saturnus let out a humorless bark of a laugh, and then went quiet for a moment. At last, he shook himself.

“Carson, I want a list of everything that still works, and everything that would work if the Empire hadn’t broken it, and I want everyone who can hold a wrench ready to get to work.”

“Yes, sir. When I left, Vole was sending scouts to the Sturmhalten side of the valley. They’ll tell us when the troops are in sight, and give us a better idea of what we’re working with. Perhaps I should inform General Gkika,” Carson added, carefully. “Some of the Jägers are able to fight. Even if they can’t come into the town, they could—”

“Get themselves slaughtered slowing the army down for five minutes?” Saturnus finished irritably. “I’ll be shocked if there’s more than fifteen fully able soldiers down there. They’re good, but they’re not that good, especially without a general to keep them focused – and I won’t risk Gkika. She’ll be the only thing keeping the ones who can’t fight from trying to crawl out the tunnels to do it anyway.”

He glared down at his hands, flexing his fingers. The fingers on the right hand were slow to respond, and the ones on the left had trouble uncurling all the way.

“I don't have the time to grow new limbs for them, and some of their injuries need nimbler hands than mine. We focus on what I can fix. Let’s get going.”

“What if you killed the brain and brought it back?”

Saturnus and Carson turned to Agatha in surprise. Her mind had wandered back to the castle, and now her expression was thoughtful.

“When you were talking about the castle as a brain with different parts that couldn’t fit together. What if you killed the brain, reattached all the pieces, and brought it back again? Then it would restart as one piece.”

Saturnus continued to stare at her. His face began to turn red, a flush that began at his neck and slowly rose up to his hairline. When he spoke, it was in a voice that was audibly struggling to remain calm and not doing a very good job, vibrating with the harmonics of a Spark teetering on the edge of the madness place. 

“I will not. Kill. The castle.”

Very slowly, Carson began to edge backwards, away from Saturnus.

“You wouldn’t actually kill it!” Agatha insisted. “That was just the metaphor! The castle is a thinking engine; it would just be turning it off and on again.”

Saturnus did not seem to hear her.

“That you would even suggest—”

“I was just—”

“Don’t!”

Agatha flinched, and Saturnus subsided immediately. He turned away from her, but reached out and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before guiding the chair towards the door. 

“Let’s go.”

“I just want to help,” Agatha said quietly. Carson’s expression turned slightly alarmed, but he hid it away again quickly.

“I’m sure we could find something for you to do,” he said carefully. Probably trying to think of what he could give her to do that would cause any material damage if – when – she made it worse, Agatha thought miserably.

“No,” Saturnus said. “Agatha, you stay here with Teodora. Keep your head down. We don’t want you drawing any more attention to yourself.”

Agatha wrapped her arms around herself as Saturnus and Carson left, and didn’t move until Teodora came down the stairs.

“Agatha?”

“I want to help,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. “I have to help, I have to do something. This is all my fault!”

“It’s not—”

“It is! If I hadn’t run away—”

“You are not responsible for the actions of other people,” Teodora said sharply. “Not like this. You did not force the prince to do this.”

Agatha hugged herself even tighter. It did not make her feel much better. This was all still happening. She was still helpless. 

“I still need to do something. This is my town. It’s my home. But if I do, I’ll, I’ll give it away. People will be able to tell I’m a Spark, and then all of this will have been for nothing.”

“Not for nothing,” Teodora said. “You have a much better chance of defending yourself now than you did when you were five.”

Teodora reached for her, and Agatha twitched away.  From the corner of her eye Agatha saw her hand curl, withdrawing. For a moment, Teodora said nothing.

“I cared that it hurt you,” Teodora said. Agatha looked up, startled to see tears in Teodora’s eyes. “It has killed me to have to watch you suffer and know I could stop it. Every day you have been here, I have had to fight myself not to take a hammer to that awful, awful thing.”

“Your reasoning was logically sound,” Agatha muttered. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Teodora said. “That it was logical, that it was the only thing we could think to do, that your uncle and I tore ourselves to pieces trying to think of an alternative – none of that will undo the damage we did to you. God knows I’ve found no comfort in it. I am not telling you this to convince you to forgive me. You have every right to be angry, and I will never tell you otherwise.”

Teodora hesitated and forced a very weak smile. “I suppose I’m just trying to make sure you hate me for the right reasons.”

“I don’t hate you,” Agatha said. She flung her arms around Teodora and clung to her, her throat growing tight and her eyes stinging. “I’m sorry I said I did, I’m sorry.”

“Do not apologize,” Teodora said, a firm order despite the gentle hand stroking Agatha’s hair. “Do not apologize to me. Not for this, not ever.”

"Okay," Agatha said, softly. "I'm still angry, but I don't hate you." 

Teodora kissed her forehead.

“I’m grateful for that,” she said, still stroking Agatha's hair. In a very soft voice, she said, “You are a Heterodyne. You are the Lady of Mechanicsburg. Everything you are drives you to protect this town. I have every faith you will find a way to do it without giving yourself away.”

“But if anyone sees m—” Agatha stopped.

Teodora and Saturnus had already answered the question, she realized. The one place in town where the defenses needed fixing, where the townspeople would not go, and where anyone who saw her would be unable to tell anyone outside. She stepped back and looked up at Teodora, ideas already gathering in her mind. 

“I need to go to the library.”

Teodora smiled proudly and cupped Agatha's chin.

“There. See?” She dropped her hand. “I want you to take someone with you,” she said. “Your grandfather will have another stroke if I let you out of the house without supervision.”

“I can look after myself! They’re not even here yet!”

“The army is not here yet. If this boy Tarvek can make it here ahead of the army, so can any number of his father’s spies. Especially if they have Smoke Knights.”

“What if I take Tarvek with me?”

Teodora’s eyebrows rose.

“That would be worse than letting you out alone.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “I never thought I’d see the day I wished the Jägers were around.”

For the third time this morning, a heavy knock came at the door. Agatha and Teodora froze. Teodora pushed Agatha behind her, further down the hall and out of line of sight of the door. Cautiously, she approached the window beside the door. Pulling back the curtain a crack, she peered out.

“Who is it?” Agatha whispered.

To her surprise, Teodora’s shoulders relaxed – although her smile was even more sardonic.

“The next best thing,” she said dryly, and pulled open the door. “Good morning, Guildmaster.”

Agatha came out of the hall and saw three pairs of knees bending to reveal the massive form of Jorbelox, master of the Monsters’ Guild. The monster politely removed his hat.

“Good morning, Lady Teodora,” he said, his basso profundo voice making the window panes shiver. “I just bumped into Lord Saturnus. He asked me to send a few of our members to keep an eye on the house until a proper guard could be arranged. They are loitering, to appear inconspicuous, and I am simply here to give my well-wishes to Miss Sannikova after her little turn.”

“Good morning, Guildmaster,” she said. “I’m doing much better, thank you.”

Teodora glanced back at Agatha, then up at Jorbelox. The guildmaster’s face shifted into the very polite mask he always wore in conversations with Teodora. Agatha could never tell if it hid annoyance or hurt feelings.

“I will take no more of your time,” he said.

“Actually,” Teodora said. “Agatha would like to go to the library. In the current circumstances, Saturnus and I do not want her walking around by herself, even within the safety of the walls. Perhaps you could find someone to escort her? Someone you trust.”

Jorbelox stared at her.

Agatha stared at her.

Teodora did not hate all monsters. She was perfectly aware that some of them were innocents who had fled cruelty and prejudice. However, she knew exactly which citizens of Mechanicsburg, human or non-human, were metaphorically monsters, and she had certainly made no secret of the fact she did not like Agatha spending time with those. Agatha couldn’t blame her, not anymore. 

Not after Saturnus had told her what Jorbelox had done to end up in Mechanicsburg.

Although it hadn’t stopped Agatha from liking Jorbelox, even if she did see him differently – and now she supposed she knew why. She was a born and bred Mechanicsburger – the Mechanicsburger, in fact. It looked like she had not inherited all of her father’s aversion to evil.

She should...probably be careful about that.

“Saturnus trusts you,” Teodora said. “And in the case of Agatha’s safety, I trust his judgment of you.”

“I...will send someone here shortly,” Jorbelox said, at last. Teodora gave him what appeared to be a genuine smile.

“Thank you, Guildmaster. Agatha, go get dressed. Our guest should be finished soon.”

Agatha did not need to be told twice; she raced up the stairs as fast as she could go. Once she was in the library, Agatha could get the books she needed. She’d read them as fast as she could, and when Tarvek finished telling Carson and Vole all that he knew, she could get his help.

Agatha had had a lot of plans in her life, but now she was a Spark, and that meant this plan could work.

[han100894]

Or you know we could have a bunch of Geisterdamen defecting, which we do!

Okay, so I’m on a bit of a girl genius hype at the moment.  but I was looking through for stuff for my video when I remembered this scene.  (Bang needs a video at some point, btw.)

We have Moloch‘s friend (or is that Moloch, himself? I’m not sure, it doesn’t look like him, and he says “they are” not “we are”, so …).  We have a Gil, in a  Geisterdame outfit, who, considering how he is acting with Agatha, probably has his papa out of his head, hopefully at least.  An Agatha with a winged trilobite, which I am taking to mean she now has an air force so (maybe they have unfrozen Mechanicsburg), and being called “Mistress” by a Geisterdame.

The main thing that is drawing my attention here is the Geisterdame.  I mean they, the Geisterdamen, are considering Agatha a “false child”, and I mean Lucrezia could be in control, but that seems unlikely for a variety of reasons.  But we have one referring to Agatha as “Mistress”, this could either mean a lot or nothing, probably.

Did the Geisterdame deflect to Agatha?  Maybe she is one of the ones who doubts Lucrezia, in that case.

 Maybe it’s the other way around, that Agatha is the original “Goddess” of the  Geisterdamen, I mean we have a time machine here.

I mean there is not enough to draw any real conclusions here, and we probably won’t have any real idea for ages, but still.  

[variablejabberwocky]

oh of COURSE! a jaeger is ALREADY older than most people realize! so if the time fuckery ages them it won't affect them as much

AND THEY'RE SUPER DURABLE ANYWAY!

and basically no one likes vole so if he DOES croak from this its unlikely to cause as many problems as if it was someone else

i'm still a bit creeped out by the way the newer clanks gil's got look more like tarvek's work when he's supposed to be in the gay baby jail time bubble

mostly because if its NOT tarvek's work then he either had one of those knights of jove to dismantle and base them off of OR (the scarier option) lucrezia's little clank body is running around fucking shit up

like i KNOW she's off doing sneaky shit but we haven't SEEN it in a hot sec so im worried

the only one of her running around we've seen is in agatha and seems to be mostly resting. but zola is still out there (never turn your back on the body), last seen at the mechanicsberg hospital, and robo-princess is ALSO out there, and ALSO last seen at the hospital before the baron left it to get back on his ship and then set off the time bubble

AND those geisterdamen might have even MORE running around by now

[planeoftheeclectic]

oooooh the new page!!! I was also not expecting that Oggie, but I am so here for more Geisterdamen

[stories-me]

Potential Character for Mrs. Kelsey and Tumblr 1/25/2023: 

 Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius: 

 Appearance: (See above). 

What she’s from: Girl Genius. 

What she might be in: Some form of LXG fan fiction, maybe. 

Background: 

Although she didn’t know it at first, Agatha may very well be one of the most important people in the world. 

The daughter of two powerful Sparks (read: “Mad Scientists”), Agatha’s powerful mind and Spark of Invention were tamped down by a special locket she always wore, which kept her safe from those who might use her for wrong. 

Then, when she was 18, said locket was stolen. 

After that point, things became… “interesting” for her. And that’s “interesting” in both the regular sense AND the ancient Chinese curse sense of the word. 

As it turned out, she was the daughter of one of the heroic Heterodyne Boys (yay!) and the sinister Other (boo!). 

Now, a copy of her mother’s mind is currently lodged in her brain, but the aforementioned locket (which she has recovered) now keeps that creature locked away (without dampening her mind and Spark). She is the ruler of Mechanicsburg… which is, unfortunately, locked in a bubble of stopped time. And is being gradually menaced by strange beings from beyond time and space. The “sleeper agents” and “shamblers” (though not the Geisterdamen) that serve her mother will unhesitatingly follow her orders if she uses “the Voice”. Her allies include the self-styled “Emperor of All Cats”, three monsters who are of a group of creatures that swore allegiance to (and were created by) her family long ago, and a warrior princess far from home. She is engaged in a rather complicated relationship with the heir to a Europe-spanning empire (that is currently crumbling to pieces), and the two main heirs to the crown of the Storm King. 

To say that she’s leading an interesting life may very well now be an understatement. 

Personality: 

Agatha Heterodyne, having assumed the role of Lady Heterodyne of Mechanicsburg, has come into her own. She’s bold and confident, although a bit naïve when it comes to interpersonal relationships. While she doesn’t think she knows more ABOUT things than everyone else, she has no doubt that she knows what’s RIGHT. She’s a brilliant polymath. Also, unlike the “old” Heterodynes (the ones before Barry and Bill, that is), she’s a genuinely caring and compassionate person. 

How she is like me: 

For starters, she is smart, funny, and compassionate. In addition, she has a support network (such as it is), and, in a way I find similar to me requiring certain medications to function properly in society, her body chemistry (altered by one of the claimants to the throne of the Storm King) requires that she have regular contact with a particular person (or, as she recently altered herself, a particular creature) or she will literally die. We both are very focused on our interests, as well. Our support networks help us to succeed and catch us when we fall. 

How she is NOT like me: 

She often becomes interested in others’ interests and seeks them out. 

 Kelsey’s Notes: 

Agatha does not have help from her mom, her mom wants to use her as a “puppet to do her will” 

Michael’s family is very different from her situation 

Her uncle is the one that made the locket to keep her safe from those trying to harm her.  He unfortunately just left one day and never came back 

Not having close ties to her family doesn’t affect her ability to be compassionate 

Lillith and Adam raised her like she was their child, so this helps her to develop that side of her personality 

Michael’s network continues to grow and mature with him as he continues to learn in adulthood 

She is currently trying to free Mechanic’sburg from a “bubble of stopped time” 

This bubble of stopped time means people are frozen and Agatha is trying to figure out how to make the bubble dissipate before the bad guys  that are interested in it get there 

She’s ultimately headed into a big battle with her mom 

Can Agatha change her mom to be good or will she ultimately have to destroy her for good? 

Can you make people be interested in your fan fictions? 

           No they have to have a level of interest on their own 

[leletha-jann]

Hey, this is a cool question, and it turns out I was not going to get any sleep until I'd finished thinking about it, so here's what I've got.

I've always assumed a couple of things related to this. Thanks for letting me think about them in more detail!

First, that even Sparks who haven't broken through yet are immune to slaver wasps. The brain chemistry or structure of a latent Spark is still different enough that whatever method the slaver wasps use does not work. You can't wasp a Spark - at least, not with Lucrezia's wasps. This doesn't cover the one that got Klaus, because that one was unique.

Secondly, that slaver wasp infection comes with a period of short-term memory loss. Otherwise, people who had been infected - and so much of Europa has been - would know. They'd remember. Lacking orders to the contrary - and the wasps seem to only command obedience to Lucrezia, her voice, or authorized representatives of Lucrezia like the Geisterdamen - anyone who'd been infected would be terrified. Remember, they've just been attacked by giant throat-invading bugs. Even without the cultural knowledge of "slaver wasps are a thing", I personally would notice. I personally would also have a literal screaming case of the heebie-jeebies that everyone within fifteen miles would hear about.

But no one ever voluntarily reported a slaver wasp infection. Moreover, people who are infected don't seem to know.

There has to be some sort of forgetting that goes with it. Probably it's the first thing the wasp controls. I mean, basic anesthesia (also important if a bug has been digging through the back of your throat recently) has memory loss effects. I've been put under for surgery. I remember nothing. So that could be done with a simple chemical release.

On to Sturmhalten and its wasped population specifically.

I would wager that there was some minor official/surplus noble (and the Valois dynasty is full of surplus nobles who can't be trusted with a Smoke Knight's knives) whose job was "census taker with bonus evil". I can imagine a big list of Sturmhalten citizens. Innocent enough, probably most city-states have one, if only for tax purposes. But with a little extra check mark on it that meant "wasped".

And every so often, maybe at tax time, people would be diverted down the second corridor. Into the second room. And they'd walk out wasped, and remember nothing. (How clearly do you remember your last time in a waiting room?) And a little extra check mark would be added to their record.

Or, perhaps, they'd remember what they were told to remember. Perhaps the wasp-secreted anesthesia comes with suggestibility. Not instant obedience, but...they can be led, until the chemicals wear off and they're released into the population. This seems like a very Lucrezia idea, actually.

(And yeah, they probably got tourists this way too! They've got guards at the gates, they were keeping records, there was a system. They could route visitors through a processing area. Easy. No problem.)

So a potential Spark, taken through the second room, wouldn't fall for it. They'd remember. They'd be terrified. They've just been attacked by wasps! Everyone was! Probably everyone around them is standing there blankly, vacantly.

And they'd be dead.

The boys and men would be shot and their bodies lost in those sewers that go so deep beneath Sturmhalten. Sewer monsters need feeding too. The girls and women? Well, they would go to Wilhelm. And they'd never come back. (Nonbinary folx would also have an immediate grim fate here, since the machine seemed to be specifically set for "as close to Lucrezia as possible".)

And their families, still so suggestible, would be told some story about the horrible accident that had happened to their child or sibling or parent. And they'd believe it. Maybe they'd even be given some money "as a kindness".

Noblesse oblige, even...

Blood money, a wergeld, the price of their family member's life, but they wouldn't know that, because the story would be all they'd remember. And the census taker would cross out that person's name.

Lies all the way down.

That's how I think the mass wasping of Sturmhalten was done. Latent Sparks and all.

So as a general question to the Girl Genius fandom: has there ever been any confirmation on what happens if a slaver wasp infests a child Spark before their breakthrough?

(Most) wasps don't affect Sparks, but at the same time you are not really a Spark at birth. Although the kids do seem to be unusually brilliant, so clearly there is some indication from early on. Maybe you are immune from birth.

For that matter, do we know how old you have to be to get wasped? Could an infant be caught when they were born, or would we say they need to have an understanding of language? An infant won't be able to understand any orders, but if they're already inclined to obey it might be easier than doing it on their fifth birthday or something.

(Mostly I'm wondering how Sturmhalten handled new Sparks. They're rare enough there might not have been any born into the town at large... but it's equally possible there was a teenage boy working in a tavern who one day built a robot to collect and clean dirty plates. What happened to him? Did he throw up the remains of a wasp embedded in him for over a decade and assume that's a usual part of breakthrough? Did that wasp never manage to enter at all? Did the town perhaps notice when a small child was immune to the wasping, or were his parents - ordered to present him for it but no one thought to be more specific - just not questioning it, because they were too glad their son would be free.)

[calmingpi]

I keep forgetting i have that pic of eotain and shurdlu in my purse. Emotional support geisterdamen

[phoenixyfriend]

Me: I’m going to give Anevka the stolen Geister army she deserves.

Me, at me: Anevka probably deserves jail time, actually.

Me: And some cute clank girl lab assistants.

[minister-of-silly-walks]

Sometimes I wonder if the Geisterdamen were an attempt at semi accurate cave biology drow with the pale skin, pupilless but possibly not quite vestigial eyes, entirely female matriarchal society entirely devoted to one goddess who has many attributes and then I remember that earth on in his career Phil Foglio had a comic in Dragon Magazine that was satire about ttrpg tropes.

Which I guess means the odds are good? One day I’ll actually meet him and remember to ask.

[leletha-jann]

Geisterdamen city (Citadel of Silver Light) could be on the moon. Would explain the spiders. Low-gravity spiders? Yeah, they'd get huge and have those long spindly legs. And also why no one's found the place yet - only accessible by Queen's Mirror? See also: is on the moon.

(I'm assuming either a native moon atmosphere or pressurized caverns, I guess.)

so what do we think their chances of going to America by way of the moon are?

[bigasswritingmagnet]

Blood Will Out - Ch 5/39: An Unexpected Meeting

Summary: When Agatha Sannikova learns she is, in fact, Agatha Heterodyne, she inadvertently kicks off a series of events that reopens old wounds, drags secrets into the light, and brings war to the doorstep of the all but defenseless Mechanicsburg. Saturnus struggles to crush his enemies with a town almost as broken as his body; Agatha, determined to undo the chaos she's unleashed, plunges into the depths of Castle Heterodyne.

Raised by a literal saint and the devil incarnate, Agatha - with an unleashed mind, a burning spark, and a band of very unexpected allies - will fight to do the unthinkable: be a good Heterodyne and a good person.

< Prev chapter | A03 link

The lights on the road turned out to be attached to a solid-sided cart drawn by two horses. On the side, in big red letters, it said Hetty the Eggler. Below that, in neat black font: chicken, duck, quail – and that’s a guarantee! Hetty herself – a zaftig woman with tightly coiled black hair – eyed them suspiciously, but drew the horses to a halt.

“Can I help you?” Her eyes flicked to Vole’s hat, and she added with only the faintest touch of contempt, “Sir?”

“On behalf of de Empire I iz commandeering hyu cart. Hyu vill turn around und return to Mechanicsburg.”

“Please,” Agatha added. Hetty, eyes narrowed and clearly ready to tell Vole where he could stick his empire, paused and closed her mouth. She looked the two of them over.  

“The hell happened to you two?” she demanded.

“None of hyu business,” Vole said, at the same time Agatha said, “The Prince of Sturmhalten—”

Agatha cut off when Vole growled at her, but Hetty’s eyes grew hard, and then softened. She sighed.  

“Fine.” She turned in her seat and, to Agatha’s confusion, thumped her fist on the side of the cart. “Up and at ‘em, boys, I’ve been commandeered. I’m headed back to Mechanicsburg.”  

“Hyu’z been vut?”said a voice, and a head popped up into view, shedding pieces of dried straw.  

A head with green skin. 

A head with eyes that reflected the light like a cat’s.

A head with green skin and tapeta lucida and big, sharp teeth.

“Uh oh,” Agatha whispered as Vole tensed beside her.

Another head popped out, this one almost human-looking, save the fangs that poked out from behind closed lips and the single curling horn on the side of his head.

“Vut’z goink on?” 

A third head poked out, purple the way the Geisterdamen were white, right down to his eyes. When this one saw them, his mouth split into a massive, fangy smile of pure delight.

“Vole!” he cried.

Vole hissed a word that had nearly gotten Saturnus sent to his room the one time he’d said it around Agatha.

“Hyu old veasel-eater, vut iz hyu doink here? Hey, dot’s a nize hat!”

For the merest flash of a second, there was a smile on Vole's face. It vanished as quickly as it came. 

“I’z on Empire business,” Vole said. “Ve needs to get to Mechanicsburg right avay.”

“What you need is a change of clothes,” Hetty said. “You two smell like a sewer.”

“Clothes!” Agatha yelped. “Oh no, I left my bag back in—oh, I didn’t even think about it!” She looked back, as if there was any possible way she could somehow return to Sturmhalten to get it. Vole grabbed her shoulders and dragged her around to face him, his grip too tight and his eyes furious.

“Vut else vuz in dere?” he asked sharply.

“What?” she said, startled by the burning anger in his eyes. 

“Vuz dere anyting vit hyu name on it? A book, hyu papers, anyting.”

“I…I don’t know, why—?”

“If dey haff hyu name, dey could use to find out who hyu iz.” He lowered his voice and growled, “Dey know who I iz takink hyu to.”  

Agatha’s heart turned to ice and slammed into the pit of her stomach. Vole had said he was taking her to her grandfather.

And Agatha Sannikova lived with Saturnus Heterodyne.

She thought hard, trying to keep straight what was actual memory and what was horrified imagining. She’d brought a couple of books. Did they have her name in them? Did she ever put her name in her books? She owned a few books that had been gifts, those had notes written inside the cover…but she hadn’t brought them. The guilt had stung too hard when she’d looked at them.

“No,” she said. Then, more confidently, “No, nothing.” She hesitated. “I…I don’t think.”

Vole scowled, but let her go. He pointed at Hetty.

“Turn dis around, right now.”

“Vole, vut’s goink on?” The purple Jäger was looking really worried now, and so did the horned Jäger. The green Jäger was less worried, and more very, very suspicious.   

“The Prince of Sturmhalten tried to kill me,” Agatha said, bluntly.

“Vould hyu—!” Vole began, but Agatha glared at him, her hands balling into fists. 

“Why shouldn’t they know? I want people to know! I want everyone to know! The Prince of Sturmhalten has been kidnapping girls and killing them, and he got away with it because it was a secret!”

“Dis iz vut Hy vuz talking about!” the horned Jäger said to Hetty, gesturing to Agatha. “At least vit de old masters, hyu knew!”

The other two Jägers nodded, expressions solemn. Hetty sighed.

“Alright, hun, let’s get you home. First thing, though…” Hetty stood. She lifted up the driver’s seat she’d been on and dug around in the storage compartment below it, finally drawing out a pale yellow dress and a small sack. Hetty shook the contents of the sack – crumpled-up clothing, presumably laundry – into the compartment, and shut the lid.

In a businesslike manner that reminded Agatha a little of Teodora, Hetty issued orders.

“This is clean. You go into the bushes over there, get changed, and put your clothes in here. Cut the sewer smell at least in half. I am going to turn the cart around. You four, stand on the other side of the road and look the other way. I can see you boys eyeballing each other – if you’re going to fight, get it out of the way now, off of the cart that I rely on for transporting my livelihood.”

“Heh,” said Maxim, giving Agatha a saucy grin. “Hyu sure hyu don’t vant some—”

“Fifteen,” Vole said flatly.

“—ting a leedle varmer den dot?” Maxim finished, smoothly shifting his expression to one of polite interest. “Is a chilly night for der short sleeves.”

“I run warm,” Hetty said apologetically to Agatha, who realized the woman wasn’t even wearing a coat.

Maxim swung himself over the side of the cart. Agatha was somehow not surprised to see the rest of his clothes were purple, including his cloak. She wondered if it was because he liked the color or because he liked to match. The others – quickly introduced as Dimo and Ognian – were wearing outfits chosen for durability, with little to no care for appearance. Maxim, on the other hand, was dressed like the dashing cavalier in a stage play. 

Maxim undid the clasp of his cloak and passed it to Agatha. She took it, politely thanked him, and hurried off into the bushes as Hetty took the cart further down the road to find a place wide enough for her to turn.  

It was a chilly night, and it raised goosebumps on her bare skin as she undressed. Shivering, she tried to move quickly without losing her footing on the leaf-strewn ground.    

Though she was on the other side of the road, it was a still and quiet night, and Agatha could easily hear the Jägers' conversation. She told herself it was rude to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it. It was her first look at real Jägers, and she wanted to see if they were the boisterous, good-humored neighbors Mechanicsburg knew them as, or the nightmares Europa still feared and hated. 

"Vere did hyu go?" Maxim asked Vole. 

"Vut hyu mean, vere?" 

Agatha desperately wanted to be dressed, but she couldn't stop herself from leaning over to peer through the bush next to hers, where the branches were spaced more widely apart. 

"Hyu vuz chust gone vun day! De generals could only say it vuz a matter for de masters und Master Saturnus vouldn't say!" 

Agatha would bet anything none of them had been brave enough to ask Bill or Barry. Hard to have a pleasant conversation with someone who wished you didn't exist, let alone an unpleasant one.   

"Dere vuz plenty ov rumors," Dimo said. Agatha wished she could see their expressions in the gloom, but all she had was moonlight, and could barely even make out their body language: tense. 

"Lots of dem," Maxim agreed. "Dot hyu vuz dead, dot hyu vuz on a secret mission, dot hyu ran avay, dot hyu—" 

"Dot hyu broke de Jägertroth." Agatha could practically hear the icicles hanging off Dimo's words. 

"Hy neffer—!" Vole snarled, and caught himself. "Iz…complicated." 

"Complicated how." 

Agatha, recognizing the dark clouds of a fight beginning to form on the horizon, ducked back and pulled the dress over her head. She immediately got stuck with only her head and one arm free.   

"Dimo," Maxim said, putting a hand on the green Jäger's shoulder. Dimo shoved his hand away and stepped forward. He was a head shorter than Vole, but did not seem in any way intimidated by the height difference. 

"Dere iz nottink complicated about beink a Jäger. Hyu iz or hyu izn't." 

"Oh, like how hyu tree iz still Jägers?" 

In the stunned silence, Agatha struggled until she heard a seam pop, and was able to get the dress all the way down. 

"Vot's dot supposed to mean?" Maxim asked, sounding worried and hurt. 

"Hyu left because der Baron told hyu to. De troth says—" 

"Hy know vut it says!" It came out less like words and more like an animal snarl in the back of Dimo's throat. The next came out in the tight tones of someone barely maintaining their temper. "De pack iz vorking for der Baron becawz dey have to, und ve iz looking for a Heterodyne." 

Agatha hurried to brush the dirt off her feet and jam them back into her boots.

"Hyu already have vun," Vole growled, "und hyu left him behind. If de Jägertroth izn't broken, it sure got a big demn hole in it!" 

It was Ognian who let out the roar and threw himself at Vole. The captain grabbed him by the front of the coat and used Ognian's own momentum against him, hurling him into Maxim and sending them both tumbling into the ditch on the side of the road. 

"Heh," Vole said, but whatever clever remark he was going to make was lost when Dimo tackled him to the ground. 

Agatha wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and came charging out of the bushes. 

"Stop! Stop it!" 

Vole punched Dimo in the face, knocking him back. Dimo caught Vole's arm before it could be withdrawn and twisted it until Vole let out a snarl of pain. Vole's free hand went to Dimo's face, claws seeking his eyes. Ognian began to scramble out of the ditch, one foot on the road.  

"I. Said. STOP." 

The word seemed to echo, the reverberation hitting the Jägers like a freeze ray and catching them in an almost comical tableau. Very slowly, Maxim's head rose into view, just high enough to see. 

Agatha drew herself up, trying to imitate Teodora - and realized they would probably respond better to Saturnus. She turned on a furious glare and spoke in a voice as much warning as an order. 

"I need his help to get back to Mechanicsburg. If you four want to tear each other to pieces, do it on your own time!" 

Jäger and ex-Jäger alike got up off the ground or out of the ditch. For a moment, they were all huddled together like school children waiting for the teacher's scolding. Vole realized what he was doing and took a step away, folding his arms over his chest. The others didn’t notice. 

“I am called Agatha Sannikova. Vole is taking me back to my grandfather.” She took a deep breath. There was no undoing what she was about to do, but it needed to be done. “And the answer to your question is yes.” 

They all looked at Vole, who hunched his shoulders. 

“I said it vuz complicated,” he groused. 

“De generals said—” Ognian started. 

"Like de generals iz gonna tell hyu und hyu big mouth anyting," Vole said with a sneer. 

Did the generals know? Or did Vole not know they didn't know? Agatha realized she had no idea how big a secret she was. She couldn't be the only one who didn't know, surely. And yet, it was hard to believe the people of Mechanicsburg would be able to treat their Heterodyne like that, even in the name of protecting her. 

Or maybe that was why they treated her that way – angry and frustrated with the disappointing failure of a Heterodyne they were stuck with. 

The muffled crack of a short, sharp explosion rang through the air. 

"Gunshot," Vole said immediately. "Ve go, now." 

"What about Hetty?" Agatha said. Vole grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the road. 

"Dot probably vuz her. Vill take dem a long time to search all der tunnels. Der Prince vould vant to send soldiers in case ve already got out. Und dey dun need to vander through der sewers." 

Another shot, and another, getting closer, and Agatha's heart leapt at the thundering of hooves. Hetty came whipping around the turn in the road, half-standing, fumbling with something in her arms. Moments later, a group of mounted guards in the Sturmhalten uniform came thundering into view. 

Hetty stood up, braced something that appeared to be a small siege weapon against her shoulder, and fired. One of the guards fell and, tangled in his reins, pulled the horse with him. The guard behind him could not turn in time, and with a scream from horse and rider, crashed to the ground. 

The sound twisted Agatha's guts and she looked away quickly, squeezing her eyes shut against the sight. 

Someone grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ground. She yelped and opened her eyes. Hetty, weapon on her lap, leaned over, arm outstretched as she approached. Agatha was half-tossed, half-dragged onto the seat behind Hetty. 

"Keep your head down," the woman ordered. Agatha realized the back of the seat had grown a meter and a half higher. Gunshots rang out, and she shrieked and ducked as the salvo hit. She heard the impact of the bullets behind her – but instead of tearing through the wood, she heard the sound of metal striking metal. 

"Bulletproof," Hetty called over the pounding hooves and rattling cart. 

"What?" 

"My family were all smugglers before the Baron moved in!" She gave Agatha a wild grin. "I've been running from the law since before I could walk! Hold these." 

She shoved the reins into Agatha's hands and pulled a lever on what appeared to be the missing evolutionary step between crossbow and gun.  There was a clunk, and a ring of sharp bolts jutted out from within the muzzle. Hetty caught Agatha looking and her grin grew wider. 

"Isn't she a beaut? My girlfriend built it for me!" Putting fingers to lips, Hetty whistled sharply and bellowed, "Scatter shot!" 

"Scatter what? Wait, wait, I can't drive a carriage, I don't know how!" 

"You're not driving, just hold the reins for me! The girls know what they're doing!"

Hetty once more swung up and over the backboard. She pulled the trigger. The chunk of the firing mechanism loosed, the whistle of the bolts in the air, a chorus of screams of pain and fear. 

Agatha shuddered as Hetty dropped back down. 

"If you're going to heave, aim between the horses," Hetty instructed. "Don't stick your head out where they can see you. Hey. Look at me." 

She put a hand on Agatha's shoulder. Her eyes were solemn, but understanding. 

"It's them or you, and they started it. That matters." 

Agatha nodded, but all the same was grateful when the sounds of pursuit faded into the distance. They drove hard until they broke free of the forest and onto a road that curled around the steep edges of the mountain. Hetty pulled the reins and the horses slowed to a trot, then a walk. 

"Keep an eye behind us, shout if you see them come out. I have to watch the road." 

Agatha nodded and turned in her seat, staring back at the mouth of the forest. In her mind, she could still hear the screaming of the horses. She tried to drown it out. 

Them or me and they started it. Them or me and they started it. Them or me and they started it. 

How dare they. 

How dare they how dare they how dare they how dare they how dare they howdaretheyhowdaretheyHOWDARETHEYHOWDARETHEYHOWDA

Four figures came racing out of the woods – familiar ones. Agatha sagged in relief. 

"The Jägers are back. And Vole," she added, judiciously. Hetty let out a sigh of relief and pulled the horses to a stop. 

"Is he not a Jäger?" she asked in a whisper. 

"It's complicated," Agatha replied. "And he really doesn't like to talk about it." 

"Duly noted." 

The Jagers were fast, and caught up quickly. They did not seem to have taken any damage from the fight. 

"Dot's dem taken care of," Dimo said, and Agatha could tell he was trying to sound cheerful and carefree. She wondered if it was for her, or for Hetty. "Ve dragged der bodies off der road, but if dey is lookink hard it von't hide dem long." 

"Dere vill be more," Vole said grimly. 

"Den iz a good ting ve found hyu ven ve did," Ognian said. "Ve ken go vit hyu–" 

"No," Vole growled. "Go avay. I dun need hyu help." 

"It would be suspicious," Agatha said regretfully. The Jägers looked at her like she'd kicked them. "I'm Lady Teodora's ward," Agatha said. "I spend half my life telling people I'm not a Heterodyne. If I have a guard of three Jägers following me around, no one will…believe…me…" 

Agatha trailed off. Her eyes flicked back and forth, unseeing, as she thought. Part of her was startled at how quickly those thoughts were, and how easy it was to keep up with them. Connections and ideas and flaws in plans and suitable solutions raced by – and she saw and understood every single one of them. 

She felt…strange. Good strange. But strange.

Agatha looked back at the Jägers, and was not aware of how easily she caught them with her eyes, moths to a shining green flame. 

"I'll be safe once I get to Mechanicsburg, but I'm not the only person in danger. Prince Sturmvoraus has been killing girls like me for at least two years, and he's gotten away with it because Tarvek doesn't have any proof. I need proof. I have to find a way to make sure he can't do this again." 

Agatha tried not to glance at Hetty. That would make it look like she was hiding something. Which she was. 

"Can I ask you to go to Sturmhalten, and make sure Tarvek is okay, and find something that proves all of this?" 

It was a genuine question. She wasn't the Heterodyne, technically. Certainly she couldn't order them, but maybe, if she asked politely…?

The Jägers looked at each other…and grinned. To her surprise, they were real, genuine grins of excitement and pleasure. 

"Ya, ve can do dot, no problem!" Dimo said. 

"Dis Tarvek, vut's he look like?" Ognian asked. 

"He's the prince's son. My height, glasses, bright red hair—"

"He is a Shtorm Lord spawn," Vole said. "Hyu vill know him ven hyu see him." 

The Jägers dug around in the straw and retrieved a three-bladed halberd, a very fine saber in a fancy scabbard, and a bandolier of throwing knives.

"Hyu keep dot," Maxim said, nodding at his cape. "Hy vill come get it later ven Hy get back, ya? Und hey." He punched Vole on the arm in a friendly way. "Vuz good to see hyu."  

With that, the Jägers took off back the way they came. Vole didn't move right away. He stood very still, staring after them with an odd, unsettled expression. 

"Idiot," he muttered under his breath. Then, loudly, "Let's go." 

Agatha, at Hetty's insistence, crawled into the back of the wagon with Vole. She curled up in the hay and wrapped herself in Maxim's cloak. Her last thought, as she drifted off, was that she hoped the Jägers could tell she liked them. 

The Jägers had not stayed on the road, choosing instead the cover of the forest. They stayed close enough to see the road, but deep enough to not be easily spotted themselves. They flitted through the trees like shadows, quick darting movements that rustled no leaf or snapped even a single twig. In fact, they made no sound at all. 

Except for the arguing. 

"How iz hyu friends vit dot guy?" Dimo demanded.  

"Hyu just got to get to know him!" Maxim insisted. "He'z a liddle prickly on de outside, but on de inside he's not so bad." 

"Not so bad, boy, hyu iz really sellink it, Maxim. All Hy haff to do is spend lots ov time vit a guy Hy dun like, und eventually, Hy vill not like him a liddle bit less." 

"Who cares about Vole?" Ognian said. "Ve got's a real Heterodyne again! Und she likes us!" 

"She sent us avay," Dimo said. She hadn't even hesitated, either. They'd barely gotten the words out before she told them no. 

"Ya, to go on a big important mission! She trusts us!" Ognian insisted. 

It was true. She hadn't hesitated about that, either. Not can I trust you to. Not will you. Not even can you. 

Can I ask you to. Because while she hadn't been sure she counted yet, with the bell yet unrung, she knew they could and would do anything for their Heterodyne.  

He grinned.  

And she wanted them to.