The ground stadium was packed, the Digimon loudly cheering as the acts below rotated between paltry attempts at talented performances or combat. The two of them sat high above the crowd, the Kaizer seeming to enjoy the events just fine. He had arrived to wild applause. Had introduced her and shown her off. The two of them had settled in to enjoy the celebratory event. He told her they were looking to show off for their new Empress, but it didn't take long for the false smile to fall off her lips. For his laughter to die down at seeing her blank expression.

"They're here to celebrate you, but you look bored." he noted, immediately waving off the mask slipping back into place.

"Don't bother. And don't tell me...you'd rather be down there performing?" for a brief moment she gave him the honesty she had worn when they first met,

"I would." the sentence was breathless, and left him taken aback.

"...That, wasn't that just a part of the control over you?"

"No." so she had meant it then. At least some part of it. The joy she described with performing. He supposed that followed, the digidestined had been clumsy out there. But she was truly well practiced enough for the passion to be obvious. She spoke the word with confidence, unwavering eye contact, and he liked it instantly better than the ways she obviously tried to tell him what she thought he might like to hear. Which, for most, would be accurate. The snivelling Digimon working hard to watch their movements and words was just how he wanted it. But they were nothing but code and simulation. Coming out of her it felt...hollow. It hadn't at first. Even with her calling it all a game, when he first pulled her out of that tent her posturing still felt genuine. Now it all felt forced. He shouldn't care, after all he had left the real world and the real world people behind. But then so had she.

"The entertainers don't meet your standards, do they?" he meant it in jest, chuckling, but she answered honestly again.

"No. They don't." which made him raise a brow. Spoken like someone more suited to the roll he'd assigned her than he expected. He leaned in to the arm of his chair between them.

"Indulge me. What are they doing wrong?" caught in her behavior, she glanced away and fidgeted with her hands, the confidence wavering away from her body language as quickly as it arrived.

"Well, I'm no ring leader," she quickly clarified, before pointing down at the white elf like digimon with a band and beak like mouth, "That one is too stiff, for one thing. And that one," she pointed to the red feathered bird Muchomon after the Bokomon, "It's very obvious this isn't the kind of movement it's used to. It should be in the air. The other flyer's too. What's the point in being able to fly if they're going to be stuck down in the sand? It's a waste of natural ability. In fact," she sat up and moved to the front edge of her seat, eyes assessing the scene below with a focus that made him think of the chess masters he had played against surveying the board.

"What would you do differently?" he propped up one elbow to rest his head on a balled fist, her focus shifting into a blush and willful drive not to turn and acknowledge his attention.

"What I wouldn't change is a shorter list." she admitted, making his eyebrows rise for a second time. Instead of anger he burst into laughter, which made her jump and look his way at last as one hand slapped the arm of the chair with his outburst. The Digimon below paused, looking up to the box as he stood to address them.

"It would appear this is not the sort of entertainment our new Empress is impressed with." he held out one hand, palm up, a summons she was used to from the circus so answered on impulse. She stood and placed her hand in the waiting one as expected, and was swept forward.

"So. Let us see what she prefers." uncertainty only clung to her for a moment, before she swept forward and put on a winning smile.

"Alright! Lets put on a real show!" she clapped her hands, and without hesitation hopped over the banister and gripped the hanging bannister fabric in a way that let her ascend to the ground level smoothly. He sat back to see her work.

"Master?" great. What does he want now? When he didn't tell Wormmon to shut up, the bug continued, "I thought you loved these tournaments?" he shrugged.

"I've seen them often enough. I want to see what she does."

She settled into the task ahead with a natural grace and ease. She had all of the combatants and performers come out, and very quickly sussed out the talents of each. What would shine through even in the face of his control. As it turned out, each of them did have unique talents, ones he had never thought of beyond their obvious physical attributes. Things they took to immediately with a zeal and proficiency he hadn't witnessed in his tournaments previously, when all had been assigned menial tasks.

"Hu. I never thought of that...the same breed of Digimon could have such different skill sets..."

"Of course, master, it's just like humans." he turned a glare to the bug and scoffed.

"It's nothing like humans." he dismissed easily, though the statement unsettled him. He sat back and sipped at his drink, as the scene below started to form. Fighters were reassigned to instruments, and he had to admit the sound was prettier for it. Groups were forming up, and the excitement on her face was contagious. A look he hadn't seen since he first met her. If then. She moved from Digimon to Digimon, effortlessly instructing and guiding. And she looked...happy. The Digimon under his control followed with easy smiles themselves, and he caught them watching her with an expression that took him a moment to place. Admiration. A smile here. A word of encouragement there. He watched her weave a control over the participants that was effortless and had nothing to do with force. He immediately chalked it up to psychology. She had taken those studies and applied them, if not in the ways he would have thought to do himself. It left him thinking. How much of the image of an obedient little doll that she had shown off was real? How much of her was real? The question melted away the moment she started to dance. She was meant to show them a sample, to instruct, but it was seconds before the music carried her away. Sinuous fluid muscle took flight on every pluck of string, instantly stealing full focus of the gathered Digimon. She couldn't mask here, the movements were an expression of spirit itself. Free, only in this moment, and yet tainted with a lingering sadness. As if already mourning the moment the music would still and the world would crash back down to reality. As if no matter how high she flew, it would never be high enough. He had thought her lacking in ambition, but it was just put in a different area than his own choices. A hush fell over the crowd, until she noticed she had gone overboard and stopped. Applause followed, at which point he stood to address again.

"It appears we will have many new ideas to explore. But for now, it's time to retire." it served as reminder enough as well, of exactly who was still in charge at the end of the day, "We'll have to give you more time to train our entertainers, you seem to have a knack for it." his smile still looked condescending, but it kept her face from falling completely, as Airdramon descended to grab her, and then him. They left to the cheers of the stadium, and it was less than a minute's flight up to the hovering base.

"You took to that more naturally than I anticipated." he assessed as they dropped to the ground from their mount. She shrugged.

"We all have our skills." she returned politely.

"You said you were studying psychology." her words from before played in his mind. You're insane. But he pushed them aside. She'd been upset. She hadn't meant that,

"It must make reading the average person easy. Showing them what they want to see, easy." this time it was her turn to look surprised, a personal victory he took even though the score wasn't even yet. She said nothing, so he continued,

"And the average person wouldn't notice. But I do. And you know, I don't think I like it." her face returned to a careful neutrality.

"See? That. If I wanted another mindless slave, I'd put a ring around your neck."

"Only your rings don't work on humans."

"You know what I mean. Playing dumb doesn't suit you." her eyes narrowed for only a brief betrayal of her thoughts.

"So...what? You want me to be genuine?"

"It's no fun if you're not." she tilted her head.

"I genuinely want, you to take that spiral off Lopmon." he hissed,

"This? Again? When are you going to understand-"

"You don't have a ring on Wormmon." the silence fell on the Digimon in question, who tried to scuttle further away as inconspicuous as possible. The light let her see his eyes turn to slits behind those glasses of his. She stood her ground. Unblinking.

"I don't need a ring on-"

"Either of them? No. You don't." she crossed her arms. He wondered briefly if he prefered this after all to the easy reverence and compliance. He had spoken true, however. That wasn't any fun. It didn't make his pulse race.

"I'll consider it." he provided, and watched her take a step back, surprised for a second time. Evening the score board.

"You'll consider it?"

"That's what I said. I'll see you at dinner." he swept past her, called back, "Wormmon will show you back to your room."

His eyes shifted through the documents on the screen. It was exactly as she has said. He found the real world article praising her early entry into university. Some interviews with local news stations and talk shows from her brief celebrity status. In every picture, in every interview, she looked as he had looked. Polite. Smiling. But unreal. The only thing that looked real about her was buried in her eyes.

"Will it be hard to leave behind your friends?"

"I'm sure I'll make new ones-" it was a lie she didn't even believe, but had been the answer the adults wanted. He paused the video when the door to his office opened, and swivelled in his chair to see Wormmon and the ring-controlled Lopmon scuttle in.

"There you are. Adjusting well?" he chuckled, not actually wanting an answer, "I have some questions about your mistress. I can see from these articles she went missing from the real world around six months ago. You're her partner, so obviously would have met her then. When did the two of you meet Jokermon and the circus?"

"Almost right away. Second day of exploring."

"Right. And I take it he did...something to the two of you to make you stay?"

"Yes." he knew it. His eyes narrowed on the worthless little rabbit that had failed to protect his "partner" as much as Wormmon's useless attempts always wound up being.

"Tell me exactly how that was managed..."

He'll think about it. Julie glared at her reflection. Her perfect ringlet curls and pale skin. She did look like a doll. A pretty porcelain doll. Pirouetting for everyone's amusement while her best friend was held who knows where enduring who knows what. It wasn't fair. And where was Piedmon? He had promised...just how good were those promises? So far it looked like he had kept none of them. She threw herself back on the bed, a comfortable prison but prison still, and muffled an outraged scream into the pillow. Genuine. Ha! She should make him eat those words! In fact, she would. She set up, wiped her eyes, and fixed a stare at the door. Dinner. She would grab a utensil, maybe there would even be a knife, but if not she'd make due. She could hold it to his throat and demand the release of Lopmon. Take matters into her own hands! She wasn't some damsel in a tower, waiting to be rescued! She would fight her way out herself and-

The thoughts were cut off by the opening door. She sprung to her feet, but all of the plotting was wind knocked out of her sails when a not so happy Kaiser entered, Wormmon trailing behind him along with-

"Lopmon!" oh no. What was he going to do now? What was he going to do to Lopmon? What was he going to make Lopmondo? Several unpleasant ideas sprung to mind, before he snapped the control spire off. He smirked up at her shocked expression before Lopmon swung a tiny fist at him.

"You giant jerk!" her partner yelled, tiny limbs flailing fruitlessly before she swept forward and scooped him up into her arms. Part in hoped to prevent his outburst from ruining this and part in relief just to know he was okay and have the chance to hold the warmth in her arms again. She savored that needed comfort for as long as she dared to. The scent of his fur, the way her partner squirmed to return the embrace with one large ear. As long as she dared, before glancing past Lopmon to him. She didn't recognize the expression on his face before he spoke again.

"I understand now what that Imp had over you." she blinked at him, "We're going to go get your Digivice back."