“Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business.”

—Sir Winston Churchill

Loona walked through the door, leaned up against the wall, and sighed.

Thirteen years, it had been, since she helped Niall Freeman win his job at Tannhauser. Thirteen years since she helped save Darren. And in many ways, those thirteen years had been good to her. She was not getting rich as a writer-slash-pundit-slash-activist, but she felt like she was accomplishing something, at least most days.

Most days. But bills still had to be paid, and that meant that she still had to go cover straight news at piece rate. And that was the part of the job she hated.

“Rough day, Looney?”

She looked over at the human, who was sitting on a scale desk in the window. It was open, and sunlight streamed in; a light breeze carried spring air into the living room.

“You know, I should’ve taken up fiction,” Loona sighed. “Sit in the sunlight, watch the world go by, make up pretend conversations between people who never existed. Easy stuff. Instead, I’ve gotta be a journalist, and spend twenty-seven hours covering a planning commission meeting that gives me nothing to write about, and yet I need to write about it, because I already agreed to write about it, because I’m an idiot.”

Nonah laughed. “You know, you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.”

“Right. We’ve been over this,” Loona said, kicking her shoes off and walking into the room. “I’m not going to become your full-time editor. That job takes maybe sixty hours a week.”

“Yes, but it would pay better than what you’re doing now.”

Loona was rummaging in the refrigerator, but turned over her shoulder to look at her friend – or whatever it was Nonah was to her. Probably closer to sister than anything else.

Nonah wasn’t lying; she had made enough off of Song of Ilios alone that there was no danger of them not making the mortgage. Well…in the first few months of its release, Song of Ilios had borne Loona’s name. But that was an intentional bait-and-switch, one which had always counted on the Big Reveal of Nonah’s authorship.

Nonah had written nine more books, from The Journey to Ninety-Nine Fables of Earth, and each had been both critical and commercial successes. Not only was there was no danger of them not making the mortgage this month, there was no danger of them not making the mortgage ever. Though the payments came to Loona because the law was an ass, it was Nonah’s money, and it was easily sixty times what Loona had carved out in her name.

Add to that what Dhan had made from his inventions – a sum which now approached and in some months eclipsed what Loona brought in – and the human Armac family was doing quite a bit better financially than their namesake. Especially since they ate roughly nothing compared to her.

“Where’s Dhan?”

“Took the kids over to visit Sorcha. More accurately, Naskia took Dhan and the kids over to visit Sorcha.”

“She took Lessy over to see Sorcha, Hector and Dhan over to visit Niall, and Ulee over to sit in a corner and read, you mean.”

“Yes, that’s what I said,” Nonah said with a grin. “But I appreciate it. It was getting hard to write, even with the kids an entire house away. Besides, Lessy adores Sorcha. Though something scares me a bit.”

“What’s that?” said Loona, grabbing some bread out of the pantry.

“Well, for one thing, the fact that you appear to be thinking about cooking. The other is that I did the math today, and realized at the rate Lessy is aging, and the rate Sorcha is aging, they’ll hit their teens at almost exactly the same time.”

Loona paused. “Dear Emperor, that is terrifying. Especially given that my goddaughter is basically a teen already.”

“Which one?”

“Both,” Loona said, looking at a bit of spakkal, and debating whether she dared to try to fry it.

“Why don’t you just order take-out? You know you don’t want to cook.”

“Can’t afford take-out every day.”

“We can too.”

“I can’t.”

Nonah sighed, and shut off her pad. “You’re being an idiot.”

“I am not.”

“Why won’t you use some of the money we’re making on you, Loona? For Earth’s sake, I can’t so much as buy a pay-per-view Tol-Bot match without you sulking.”

“I just….”

“Loona, come here,” Nonah said.

Loonah sighed, and exited the kitchen, walking through to the living room where Nonah sat.

“If I were to ask you to pick me up and carry me to the kitchen, what would you do?”

“Pick you up, carry you to the kitchen,” Loona said.

“Right. If I asked you to hold onto my money for me, since your people are stupid and won’t let me do it, what would you do?”

“Well…what I’m doing. Hold onto it.”

“When I was your pet – and afterward, when I was your friend – what did you make me do to earn my food? What tricks did I have to do?”

“None, once Niall woke me up, but….”

“But nothing! Loona, when will you get it through your head that we’re equals?”

“Huh?”

Nonah stood up. “Loona…I know you keep thinking about it that you’re a Titan, we’re humans, you’re supposed to provide for us, not the other way around, right?”

“I….”

Loona sighed. “Yeah, that’s a big part of it.”

“Well, quit it. You told me, a long time ago, when you were still a bit drunk and annoyed with me, that it’s only fair I do my fair share, since I’m your equal. It is. So let me. For a long time, you made more money than I did, or Dhan and I did. You paid for us, and didn’t ask anything in return. Well, right now the situation’s reversed. So let us pay for you – and no, you don’t owe us anything in return, because this could turn around again, and I know you won’t hesitate to help us if it does.”

Loona smiled down at Nonah. She remembered her when she was bubbly, barely an adult, foolish and naïve. well, she was still bubbly. But naïve? foolish? Never.

How far her friend had come, so very fast.

“The other part of it, Nonah, is that I don’t want to take advantage of you. You know I could take everything if I, I don’t know, had an aneurism and became evil.”

“No, you couldn’t, because you made Naskia a co-signer, but go on.”

Loona laughed. “Still…you have things set up to work against you.”

“Loona, you aren’t going to blow the wad on nothing but Rozlan-Debborruh originals! Besides, Dhan and I know how much money we have. We have access to view the accounts, remember? If I ever think you’re taking too much, I’ll tell you, just like I told Dhan we couldn’t afford a particle accelerator. Of course, that was more because I’m not sure I trust my husband with a particle accelerator – next thing you know he’s trying to create a stable time loop or something.”

Loona laughed at that. “He could, if he put his mind to it.”

“Damn right he could. And then he goes back in time and prevents us from meeting…it’s too much to worry about.”

“Well, I must admit, I’d like to stop freelancing. I’d keep the long-form stuff, but spot coverage work sucks. And it would give me more time with the kids. But that can’t be it. I mean…maybe the money isn’t an issue, but I don’t want to become just a doting aunt, and occasional writer. I need to find something more to do. Whether it pays much or not, I need to contribute something to the universe.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Nonah said. “Pryvani called.”

* * *

“This has been a lovely dinner, Pryvani,” Loona said, about eighteen hours later. “And it’s very nice to see you. So before we order dessert, can you please tell me what you’re up to?”

Pryvani smiled inscrutably. That is to say, she smiled. “Now, Loona, that hurts,” she said, though her smile did not waver. She tucked a green-and-black lock of hair behind her ear, and leaned in, slightly. “I just happened to be visiting the Senate, and I thought, you know, I haven’t seen Loona Armac for a good long time, I wonder how she’s doing?”

Loona leaned back, and folded her arms.

“Plus, I heard some delightful gossip while I was in Tuaut. Truly marvelous. Not that it’s important or anything. It’s just that it seems a representative is switching to the Majority. A Hy…something.”

Loona uncrossed her arms, and leaned forward. “Hyteregon Zapat is switching to the Majority?”

“Yes, that’s it. Rodric Zeramblin tapped Smemu Pyme to be the new Education commissioner, and I guess Zapat got the chair of the Higher Ed committee.”

Loona blinked. “Oh, gorram,” she said. “That is…Zapat hasn’t forgotten that he’s the Tannhauser West rep, has he?”

“He seems to think he can win even if he’s a moderate conservative.”

“I doubt it,” Loona said. “When’s the announcement?”

“Not until after the break. If a challenger laid the groundwork in the next few weeks, before he switched, they’d be in a very good position.”

“Yeah, they would. Any ideas who might stand?”

“Well, I’m not sure,” Pryvani said. “It seems to me the ideal candidate would be an outsider. Someone who knows politics, of course, but isn’t in elective office. Someone with experience in the media – especially someone who’s been able to go on talk shows and hold their own in the past. They’d have to have ties to one of the universities – either on staff, or knowing staff at Tannhauser Gate or Stoboda Provincial. Students and professors make up a big bloc in Tannhauser West, they’d need to get in good with them. Preferably someone young, and while it probably doesn’t mean victory, I certainly would like to see someone who supported human rights. They could win in this district, if any.”

“Yeah,” Loona said. “True. That would set up a contrast with the six-term incumbent, but who….”

She looked up at Pryvani. “No.”

“’No’ what?”

“No, Pryvani. Absolutely not. Get Naskia to run.”

“Naskia? Well, she’s interesting, but I’m not sure she’d manage to stay on message throughout a campaign.”

“Gae Neutha, maybe.”

Pryvani shook her head. “She lives in Tuaut, you know. Plus, she’s a lobbyist…it would be difficult to make the jump.”

Loona shrugged. “You…I….”

“I thought you’d see it my way. You’d be an ideal candidate, I think, and that’s why I’ve taken the liberty of setting up a meeting between you and Godo Hopha. He’s quite a well-respected campaign operative. Now, don’t tell him about Zapat, please. It’s our little secret.”

Loona covered her face. “Oh, gods, Pryvani! When did you schedule this meeting?”

“Godo!” Pryvani said. “How good of you to join us. Have you met Loona Armac?”

“Saw her on Crosstalk last month. Good to see you branching out from the human thing – access to higher education is an important issue, especially in this district. So Senator Tarsuss told me that you’ve been kicking around the idea of running for the House, eh?”

Loona looked at Pryvani, and shook her head. “It’s been suggested to me by some people. I’m not so sure,” she said.

“Well, I’ll tell you what I told the Senator. If Zapat runs, he probably wins. Only thing he could do to sabotage his chances would be, I don’t know, flip to the majority or something. But in this district, he’s always vulnerable to a challenge from the liberals. Not to mention that maybe he’ll pack it in – he’s over 70 at this point, he can’t go on forever.”

“What if he did flip to the majority?” Loona asked.

“Don’t make me salivate. At least not before we order dessert,” Godo said. “If he switches, or quits? Well, this district would be ripe for the picking. But – sorry,” he said, grabbing his pad. “Gotta take this.” He got up, and left the table. “Representative! Yeah, I’m just on my way home….”

“He’s a sleazebag.”

“Yes, dear, he is, but he’s not an idiot. He ran seven campaigns last year, won all seven.”

“I’m not gonna run for office with a sleazebag running the campaign.”

“But you would run for office with someone better?”

Loona sighed. “This is insane.”

“Yes, Loona, it is. It’s politics. But believe me, the moment I heard that rumor, I thought of you. I know, I’m a hereditary senator who rarely shows up for meetings…but I’ve picked up a thing or two in the capital. Do you trust me?”

“Pryvani, that’s a stupid question. I trust you to not destroy my life unless it suits some higher purpose. If it does serve a higher purpose, well….”

“Well there you are,” Pryvani said. “I can assure you, Loona, your destruction would be tremendously wasteful.”

Loona nodded. “I’ll think about it. If you know of less sleazy campaign managers, send me their info. I will talk to them. But I promise nothing.”

“Lovely. Now, Mr. Godo is on his way back; please don’t stab him in the eye with your fork.”

“I’ve worked with Lyroo Prenn, Senator,” Loona said with a half-smile. “I can deal with anyone.”