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((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 2 of 2))
The capital of Atreya was already coming into view. This was one of the reasons Pauline loved flying so much, the sights from the air. Humans could build such remarkable things with their fidgety little fingers, couldn't they? She might've been jealous if not for her ability to make up the difference with her mind.

They were fun to observe, humans. In her youth, she'd often played with them without her father's knowledge. It was so tempting to toy with their minds a bit. Many times as a chick, she hadn't been able to resist that temptation, but she knew better now that she was older. Humans often appeared helpless against the power she could wield.

But that wasn't so. Not entirely.

Humans were dangerous, if you weren't careful. And maybe even if you were.

It was easy to look down on them. To think that her intelligence made her superior. But intelligence was a fickle thing. In some ways, she felt that the humans were much smarter than her kind. They cooperated better, for one thing. And they seemed to understand the necessity of risk in pursuit of greatness.

Her kind could definitely learn a thing or two from them.

She spotted Bosliat Palace and reached out with her mind, searching for the Queen.

Ah, yes, there she was in her office. Perfect.

This was not Pauline's first visit. She'd made this trip several times before, though not as often as she might've liked.

She knew that it was rude to eavesdrop, of course--and that in this case, it might even be illegal--but her intentions were pure, and that was what really mattered, wasn't it? She only wanted to help, and besides, no one would ever know she was here. Her ability to conceal her presence even from reapers meant that she probably wouldn't even have to bother wiping anyone's memories.