The two girls left the house as Zeke watched. He turned to Orpheus and asked, "How do you manage so well? Aneara isn't always telling you to go away."

"Well, I'm not in human form most of the time, for one, and I don't flirt with my charge. When I am around, you can hardly tell."

"That's an idea..." And Zeke lost his human form, trading it for that of a zebra. "How's this?"

"Ummm... in the jungle perhaps. Lose the stripes, and you'll fit better in London."

Zeke's stripes all blended until he was a brilliant shade of white. "A white stallion!" He proclaimed proudly. "But I'm still pretty conspicuous. Maybe..." He shrank his form until he was about three inches tall. "Well, in that case, I like the stripes better!"

Zeke now looked like a small stuffed animal that would fit nicely into pockets and such. "You think I won't be such a bother now?" Zeke was new to the whole Guardian bit, and it showed.

Orpheus sighed. "Your purpose isn't to make sure you're not a nuiscance, but to protect your Otaku-"

"I know, I know. But if I can't stay with her, how can I protect her?"

------------------------

Kristsi had found just the shoes Meredith was looking for, but as usual, they had Kristsi's size and not hers. So the two were still shopping as dusk came. It was completely dark when they finally found the shoes and began to head home. As they got on the tube, Meredith heard a muffled scream from the other side of the station. She ran over to see and discovered a mugging in progress.

"Holy Crap!" Meredith was frozen with fear as the mugger noticed her presence and turned toward her. Then something deep inside burst out. Her Aura glowed bright pink and her clothes turned into a yellow fuku-style get up. "Just what do you think you're doing, young man?"

The mugger stood frozen. A blonde in a yellow fuku would be scary enough, but that pink aura... and then she drew a sword. "I think maybe you better get out of here. Or I'll be back, and may have to use this thing!" Her sword felt like a natural extension of her hand, and she wielded it quite menacingly.

The mugger took off, and as quickly as it came, the aura died down and left Meredith dizzy and confused. The sword in her hand became a tennis racket, and she asked Kristsi "What just happened?"

"Well, you stopped a mugging, and it looks like you've had more training than you think. But you might want to put that away." Kristsi pointed to the tennis racket in her hand, and Meredith looked at it strangely for a moment, then tossed it in her Hammerspace.

---------------

Zeke had felt her Aura flare, and quietly swore to himself. "I knew I shouldn't have let her go!!!" But there was no pain, no fighting, no struggle, so Zeke stayed put. "She better be home soon. Staying out until all hours of the night... in a city like London! And without any training, either!"

Meredith and Kristsi walked in a little later laughing and giggling as usual. Zeke stood in front of Meredith and demanded to know what happened.

"Nothing. I haven't a clue what you're talking about. We went shopping, just like we said." She hadn't been in danger, she reasoned, and whatever it was that had happened, it certainly couldn't be called danger.

"Your Aura. I felt it flare. Something happened, and whatever or wherever it was, you can bet Celly and Nyx felt it too. And your Aura's unmistakably....."

"Pink." Kristsi finished for her. "But Zeke, you won't get anything out of her. She doesn't remember what happened. And all I can tell you is that the mugger ran off, and she ended up with a tennis racket in her hand."

"No training." Zeke muttered to himself. "Can't control it, and thinks it's all just a game of tennis." Then, louder, he scolded Meredith. "You're supposed to be fighting for your Bishounen, not waging a street war against muggers! And I let you go out alone. You remember what happened to Mercy when her guardian wasn't there? Well, you'll never go alone ever again." With that, he morphed into his small zebra form and jumped into Meredith's backpack. "Wherever you go, I go."

"Even to the bathroom?" Meredith and Kristsi giggled as Zeke sweatdropped.

"No... but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I guess so. I wish the guys at home were as persistent as you." Zeke made no response as he looked at Orpheus and nodded. Meredith noticed the absence of the back and forth that was usual between the two, but decided that Zeke was upset at her adventure. "Anyway, I'm going to go eat. Who's hungry?"