I was still sitting outside the room when Ximh came out to meet me a few minutes later. "Here," he said, tossing a small black ball into my hands. "We're in charge of setting the bombs."
I was silent for a moment. "What's this, then?" I turned the ball around in my hands.
"It's a cloaking device," he answered. "Tamex designed it. Something about how it moves the liquid away from--"
"I don't need this," I said, tossing the ball back at him and standing up.
He caught it, and then look at me, bewildered. "But...if they see you..."
"They won't," I said snappily. "You forget. I'm the Tigress. Tigers are masters of stealth. If I couldn't camouflage myself properly, what kind of tigress would I be?"
Ximh looked hurt for a moment. "Oh. Okay." He glanced around for a moment. "Then, uh, I guess we should--"
"Look, I'm sorry," I said, apologizing. "I didn't mean to get snippy with you. I've just been...a bit unsettled lately. I think it's because I haven't been hunting as often as I'm used to." A tiny voice in my head whispered, Actually, ever since you met the Dragon, you've been more than a little fidgety,
I promptly strangled that voice with mental chains.
He nodded, seeming relieved. "I understand. Sometimes I get antsy for a fight, too. So, who else should we bring with us?"
We walked down the hallway together. "Well," I started, "I'd prefer if it was just us two--I...I think I trust you, you know."
He blushed a little. "Thanks," he said. "I'm sure that's a hard thing for you to do."
I nodded. "But there's no way we can plant every bomb as close to simultaneously as possible with just the two of us, so...I think Amaterasux and Xait would be best for this job. They're quiet enough."
Ximh agreed. "Yeah, that sounds good to me. Kyxsha sent Ama and two others to round up everyone into the dining hall. I guess we should head there."
I nodded, and he continued. "So could we come up with a plan on our way to the hall, you think? Like, how we're going to split up and everything?"
"Yeah," I said. "Start telling me ideas and I'll tell you where you're wrong." I flashed him a joking smile.
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Continue, Ximh?
