"It's just a celebration," she chided.

My grimace was so deep I could almost taste it. "Yes, I know, a celebration 'of love in magic and dance.'" I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to spit. "Spare me!"

They way she looked at me made me feel naked . . . emotionally, I mean. "Only someone who once knew the joy of such things could be so deeply bitter about them," she replied.

"That's beside the point!" I snarled. "The fact remains these idiots have taken something sacred and turned it into a cheap excuse to get stoned and get their rocks off!"

"What a decidedly . . . elemental interpretation," she said with a chuckle.

For a change, the fury rising inside me had nothing to do with the monster; it was all me. With deliberation I stood from the chair and stalked over to her until I towered over the girl's smaller form. "You do not know me well enough to talk to me like that!" I hissed.

She pursed her lips, but otherwise appeared unruffled by my posturing. "You're right," she conceded. "I don't even know your name . . . so let's change what we can, shall we?" She stuck out her hand in greeting. "My name's Luna."

I couldn't fully keep myself from chuckling, but otherwise I maintained my mask of disdain. "No it's not." Then my mask cracked and I laughed just a little.

She joined me in that laughter. "Well . . . around here it is," she amended. "But you can call me Diana."

"Fair enough, Diana," I said.

She looked at me expectantly.

"I'm under no obligation to give you my name in return just because you gave me yours, you know," I told her.

She just continued to look at me.

"Fine," I chuckled. "My name's Gordon."

Her scrutiny became more intense for a moment. "No . . . it's not."

"Around here it is," I said a touch sharper than I'd intended.

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