"Yeah, but back in the Middle Ages, they used to keep us as pets," Mei countered.
"And they used to hunt witches," Dahlia reminded her. "They didn't realize that they were making witches instead of removing them. They burned innocent little girls!"
"Women," Mei corrected. "And not all of them were innocent. I also can't explain why Thane would fuel you intentionally if he was the one who called the inquisitors down on you."
"Because they have his brother," Dahlia said. "That would be like if they had you. I would kill Thane in an instant to keep you safe."
"So you do like him," Mei mumbled. "You just don't want to admit it."
"Ok, I do!" Dahlia groaned. "I also can't trust him, so that little tingling between my legs doesn't mean shit. He's hot. He's arrogant. He's powerful. He hits all my checkboxes, but he's also the reason we're being hunted, and I can't forgive him for that."
"So do we kill him or let him go?" Mei asked.
Dahlia turned back to the mirror, looking at the hole in her shoulder that was already closing. "We play it by ear," she decided. "I will always choose you first, Mei. Always."
"And he's still our best chance to bring down the Church," Mei pointed out. "So, the next time you see that boy, you tell him that we'll get his brother safe, and then he has to help us."
"Or we kill him," Dahlia said. "His brother's a priest, remember? He's never said his brother was anything but loyal. He just said the man is in the middle of the Church, and I got the impression that the Inquisition is using that family tie as a leash to keep Thane in line." She paused to poke at her shoulder. "I think he's powerful. I think they know he is. I think that's why he fills me up, but I can't explain why he doesn't use the Words."
"Maybe because he doesn't want to hurt you," Mei said. "He hasn't put a stake in you either."
"He tossed them in the sink, actually." She met Mei's eyes in the reflection. "The one that wasn't beside me. The one that was out of his reach. He put them far enough away that I wouldn't have to worry."
"While he fucked you," Mei realized. "So, I think you have your answer. That man likes you. You like him. He doesn't want to hurt you. You don't want to hurt him. So, we let him live... for now."
"Go pack our stuff," Dahlia grumbled. "Stop giving me shit about my man."
"Your man!" Mei giggled as she walked out of the bathroom. But she kept talking from the other room. "You ever going to let me have a taste of that hot piece of ass?"
"If you can stand the burn of his ward," Dahlia said. "Sure. I mean, everything I have is yours, right? Including my pet inquisitor?"
"Oh, I like that," Mei said. "He'll make a good little pet. I mean, you'll probably never see him again, and I have a hundred and fifty bucks in my pocket, so we only need about fifty more to blow this town."
"Next date is mine," Dahlia said.
"Next date is whichever one of us gets a hit," Mei told her. "Rich old men like little Asian girls."
"And tall blondes," Dahlia countered as she pulled on a clean shirt. "But I can agree with that. The most important thing right now is getting out of Texas. We're also going to need another hotel, and this one can't be under my name."
"I'll play the foreigner card," Mei assured her. "A little ancient Mandarin and they'll take my money. If not, I'll add in a few tears. We'll get a room, get a couple of dates, and then we'll head to Utah."
"I want to go skiing," Dahlia decided. "It's been centuries since I've had the chance."
"I want to ride a horse," Mei called back. "I wasn't allowed to do that after I was sent to the Emperor."
Dahlia tossed her ruined clothes in the tiny trash can beside the toilet, then headed into the other room to find pants. "We're going to need documents. Birth certificates, social security numbers, and those sorts of things. That's more money, but we can worry about it when we're out of Texas."
"Running shoes," Mei said, tossing a pair toward her. "And if we're here much longer, we're going to need some more clothes."
"And another backpack," Dahlia admitted. "I just ruined a dress. Why is money so damned hard to come by?"
"Because we're trying to fly under the radar," Mei reminded her. "If we wanted to go work as strippers, we'd be loaded, but without new names, new IDs, and so on, we can't legally get hired."
"Logic," Dahlia scoffed as she pulled on her clothes. "Don't bring that into it. I wanted to just whine for a minute."
"Right," Mei teased. "Fucking unfair! We work so hard, and we deserve a chance. Digital age tracking everything, making it harder to falsify documents and shit. Think we could just blow one of the men doing the hiring?"
"Probably," Dahlia laughed, loving how quickly Mei changed to being on her side. "And I'm dressed. Where are we going?"