Once the last echoes of the guns of the Remembrance Day celebration faded away, the resurrected choir started to talk among themselves, wondering at the fact they could stand out in public while looking like catgirls.
The one bunnygirl approached Donna. “So... how is it that we can walk outside like this? What happened to magic censorship?”
“The Worldstone got nuked, getting rid of a lot of magic’s rules. We rebuilt it, but... tweaked a few.”
“Cool. So what are the new rules?” asked Beth.
“Uh... Gwen? Little help here?”
Gwen prowled up to the two of them in her remote-controlled body. “Not a lot of changes. Mostly dialing back the censorship so you can’t do magic in public. Evidence of magic is fine, as is talking about it.”
“So we can openly advertise that we’re transforming people at the club?” asked Ray. “Nice.”
“You might end up with too much attention,” chuckled Gwen.
“There are worse problems,” replied Ray. “Colin, how will you handle it at the hospital?”
Colin shrugged. “It’s pretty much an open secret already. We might get a lot of medical tourism going forward. We’ll manage. And I don’t think Donna will argue with getting to heal more people.”
Donna shook their head vigorously. “More healing would be good. We don’t remember it well, but I can feel the need for it even so.”
“Hm. Do you think you’ll remember the skills you developed? You were getting very good at healing people just enough that they’d finish recovering on their own. I suppose that doesn’t matter as much now. It’d be a crying shame to have to rebuild that skill again.”
Donna shrugged all their arms. “We don’t know. It feels like it will come back once we’re doing it.”
“That’s a good sign,” mused Colin. “You seem pretty coherent other than the memory loss. We have a lot of assistive techniques that can help while it persists.”
“While?” asked Duncan, all but leaping on the word.
“Many cases of amnesia resolve over time as the damage heals. We don’t really understand it as well as we’d like. Can you heal the damage that has happened?”
Duncan shrugged helplessly. “We don’t know. We’re not even entirely sure what happened. We were... shattered. Many parts are just... gone. The Moon can heal, replace the missing parts... but are they still the same?”
“As long as your soul remains, you can heal,” reassured Gwen. “You brought me back from worse.”
Donna sighed and accepted the hug from Gwen. “Thank you. Intellectually, that helps.”
“But emotionally?” asked Gwen.
Donna shrugged. “I don’t feel much of anything. Rage, pain, or nothing at all.”
“Shit.” Gwen shot a worried look at Ray, who immediately got out his phone.
“Arwen will be here shortly,” he said after a brief conversation.
“As will Peter,” added Colin.
Gwen pulled Donna back into the club. They found a cozy table to sit at, with a view of the bar and the stage. “How much of this do you remember?”
“Flashes and fragments. Dancing with you.” Donna flashed Gwen a smile. “I remember that was my favourite part.”
“See? You can put it together. That even sounded like an emotional response.”
Donna nodded slowly. “I guess. And I cried when Kelly read the poem.”
“Sorry,” said Kelly softly from a nearby table.
“No, no. It was good. Beautiful. I suspect a good cry would really help. I just...” Donna shrugged helplessly.
“It’s okay,” reassured Gwen, snuggling up against Donna. “You’re safe among friends. You don’t have to do or be anything special. Rest.”
That was how Peter found Donna, dozing against Gwen with several other catgirls clustered around them. “Should we even wake her?” asked the grey-bearded priest.
“We’re awake,” said Donna softly. “I don’t think we’re able to sleep.” They slithered out of the pile, and bowed their head in greeting. “Thank you for coming.”
“I could hardly deny my old friend when he said his angel needed help.” Peter studied Donna’s snaky form with a wry smile. “Though you don’t quite fit that description today.”
Donna shrugged. “We don’t much feel like an angel after last night.”
“What, saving the world doesn’t qualify?” asked Colin.
“There was a cost,” replied Donna. “You know that better than most.”
“Aye. Paid in blood. But you haven’t any, have you?”
Donna snorted. “Not for some time, no. Doesn’t mean there weren’t other wounds.”
“Of the body, or of the soul?”
“Our soul is quite safe. Gwen has it in her keeping.”
Peter took a step back, brows raised in surprise. “That is a... disturbing idea. What did you do to your soul?”
“Demon magic destroys souls, so ours was a liability in the fight. I tore it out and gave it to Gwen.”
That got Peter to cross himself, and murmur a brief prayer.
“I am no serpent!” cried Donna. She followed Peter’s gaze to her lower body. “Okay, fine. This is a shell, one we felt comfortable in.”
“You are not making your case very well.”
“Peter,” cautioned Colin. “I did not call you for an exorcism. Whatever she has become, she was a creature of good.”
“Was,” sighed Donna. “What are we now?”
“Lost,” said Colin firmly. “But inclined toward the path of good even so. Yes?”
Donna nodded sharply. “Yes. As long as I can keep my anger in check.”
“I would strongly recommend a course of meditation, then. Work to stay calm.”
“Hard to do when my family is still stuck in California.”
Peter winced. “Are they safe?”
“Safe enough, but I need to get them home to stay sane.”
“Then we should focus on that,” said Ray. “Were you figuring on flying a giant crystal down to California?”
Duncan nodded, then noticed Ray’s dour expression. “You don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What tail number will you use? Do you know how to talk to air traffic control at all? You don’t want to screw up air traffic in California even worse than it already is by just barging in like an elephant in a china shop.”
Gwen and Duncan both snickered at the comparison, followed by a sigh from Duncan. “We grow impatient. At Moonrise...”
“If we have a plan in place at Moonrise, will you follow it?” asked Ray.
“Of course.”
“Good. Your favourite client flies in private jets regularly, he’ll know how to set this up. I believe he owes you a favour...”
“Does he? Cool.”
Ray sighed. “You don’t remember the picnic date where you turned his sweetie into a modular girl, with human legs, a centaur body, and a naga body she can swap between?”
Donna tilted their head as fragments sifted. “Oh! Yes. I can see his smile, as she... Damn. Lost it again.”
“You’ll sort it out in time,” reassured Gwen.
“Suffice to say he’ll eagerly help out. I’ll set it up. You could modify an existing plane to do a VTOL landing at Disney, right?”
“Easily,” they replied in Duncan’s voice.
Ray nodded to a new arrival. “I’ll leave you in Arwen’s capable hands.”
Donna turned and smiled as best they recalled how. “Arwen! You didn’t have to...”
Arwen pulled Donna into a hug. “Are you kidding? You saved the world, we all owe you a debt greater than we can ever repay. I have all day for you if you need me. What do you need?”
Donna chuckled weakly. “To be told we’re a good person. And cuddles. Wait, why are you asking me? You’re the psychiatrist.”
“Because sometimes patients know exactly what they need.” Arwen spotted the cuddle pile and drew Donna toward it. “Snuggle up, and let’s talk.”