After putting on the cross, Theresa finally became whole.
At least, that was how Amiya saw it.
It was an ineffable feeling. Theresa plus Judah—the two together had an effect greater than the sum of their parts. After obtaining Judah, Theresa returned to the Broken Cage and sat quietly until the last ray of sunlight vanished over the horizon. Only then did she slowly emerge.
"Thank you."
As a symbolic gesture of gratitude, Theresa hugged Amiya and kissed her forehead.
"Uh..."
Amiya felt the warm dampness on her forehead and didn't know what expression to make. Given her position, she had inherited the Sarkaz King of Fiends and shouldn't be accepting a kiss with such strong religious overtones.
Fortunately, the kiss was over in an instant, and there was no one around to witness it. Amiya didn't feel embarrassed.
"Thank you."
Theresa said solemnly, "You have my friendship now."
(⊙﹏⊙)
Well, thanks for that.
"I may have to borrow Yae Sakura for a while. Those children miss her terribly. In fact, that's the excuse I used to get out this time—to bring Big Sister Yae Sakura back so she can play with them."
"That's up to her. If Yae Sakura agrees, no one will object."
Amiya nodded.
It was a trivial matter.
Rhodes Island's day-to-day operations didn't require Yae Sakura. Besides, Doctor Kal'tsit hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages. Giving Yae Sakura a long leave would help ease the situation.
"I'll go write up the leave request now."
"Thank you."
Theresa politely thanked Amiya for her kindness, then offered a few words of praise, mostly about Rhodes Island as an organization. Little Amiya wasn't embarrassed in the slightest; she accepted it all with pride.
"It's a shame. I'll have to go back and run that rotten family organization.