Aradia wakes sometime after midnight to find that sleep has up and flown away, leaving her restless. She lies in bed, letting her senses flare and roam. It's quiet here - Thierry's mansion is offset enough from the city that she can barely make out any traffic noise. She can hear bats, crickets and frogs moaning into the night. A distant squeal speaks of an owl making a kill somewhere at the far edge of the grounds.

She can also hear the soft murmur of voices somewhere in the mansion. Aradia pulls her senses back into herself and slips out of bed.

Her nightgown brushes against her knees as she stands, pulling on the dressing gown she knows she placed on the back of the door when she went to bed.

She follows the sound of voices, one hand trailing against the wall. The carpet is soft and plush under her toes. Thierry spares no expense, and it makes a little wrinkle of discontent unfurl in her. She still doesn't quite trust vampires.

Aradia is in Thierry's house, with the Wild Powers and some of the other Circle Daybreak inner circle, because "you need a vacation".

She has never had a vacation. There was never any regular schooling for her, not with her destiny shining for anybody to see.

Aradia reaches the living room and pauses at the entrance. She can make out Galen and Keller, although Galen seems to be sleeping. Delos is awake, as is Maggie.

She deliberately makes noise as she enters the room. Delos undoubtedly knows of her presence, but she doesn't wish to startle Maggie.

"You're up late," says Maggie.

"I slept for a while. Something woke me." She shakes her head. "Or perhaps I just woke. I do not deal well with idleness."

Keller snorts quietly. "Tell me about it."

"I've heard that soldiers often can't, once they get back," says Maggie.

"But I am no soldier," says Aradia.

"You may not be a grunt like me," says Keller, "but you're what amounts to a general in this place. You can't stand not having anybody to order around."

Aradia considers being offended, but she suspects Keller's intention is not to insult her. "You mean that I am frustrated that we have had control over our campaign taken from us?"

"'Vacation'," says Keller, the quotes heavy in her speech. "What a concept. As if the fate of the world were anything like school."

"Tired people make bad decisions," Maggie points out. "Besides, until we identify the last Wild Power, there's nothing we can do. There's no better time for a vacation."

Aradia suspects there is more to it than that. The witches do not trust Delos. They think the bonds forged in the hidden kingdom need to be strengthened, so they can be certain he will stand at their side when the time comes.

She makes her way to the couch and curls up in the corner, drawing her knees up to her chest.

Now that she is in the room, she can make out soft, tinny voices and buzzing background noise. The television is on. "What are you watching?" she asks. There isn't much of a chance she'll be familiar with it in more than name, but Delos seems to have taken to television better than anything else since being introduced to the modern world.

"We're marathoning Star Wars," says Maggie. "We were just going to watch the first one, but then he wanted to watch Empire Strikes Back, and of course you can't watch Empire without watching Return of the Jedi. We're up to the Ewok village now."

"I like it," says Delos, a little defensive. "It's hopeful."

"If only we had an ancient forgotten power to help us," says Keller. "Oh wait."

Aradia smiles. "And I think it will be as helpful to us as it is to them."

"Is that a premonition?" asks Delos.

"Just a hope," she replies, shaking her head. "But a strong one."