The hum of the generators was the only sound in the deserted dining hall, but Billy didn't even notice when the quiet was broken by footsteps. The electronic readout on the table in front of him held his whole attention, displaying numbers that he didn't want to see. They were true numbers, of that he had no doubt, but if they were hard for him to swallow then it would be impossible to convince Aquitar.

"You stare at that datapad as though you are deciding whether to enshrine it or destroy it," Tideus' voice offered. "Are you certain it merits such concentrated indecision?"

Billy put a hand to his neck, hoping he hadn't started too violently at the unexpected intrusion. Rolling his shoulders, he tilted his head to either side with a sigh. "The Hydro Contaminators' demands," he explained, shoving the readout aside with his free hand.

Tideus took that as the invitation it was and sat down beside him, giving the datapad a token glance. "They are in no position to be making demands," he said neutrally. "Surely you know this."

Billy winced. The Aquitian Rangers didn't think much of this idea, he knew, but given his recent contributions to their defense, they were willing to let him try. "Bad choice of words."

"Indeed." Tideus studied him for a moment, then apparently decided against saying more. "There is someone asking for you in the Control Room."

Billy looked at him in surprise. "Who?"

"Someone who knows you, it would seem." Tideus' tone was perfectly calm, but there was mischief in those words and Billy could almost see the smile his friend repressed.

Billy shrugged and stood, not wanting to give the other any more satisfaction. Picking up the datapad he'd been poring over, he headed for the door. Who on Aquitar knew him well enough to come to the Ranger Dome and ask for him in person?

There was only one answer to that question, and he should have figured it out before he even left the dining hall. The Keeper of the Eternal Falls stood in the center of the Control Room, looking around with interest as Cestro explained various aspects of the dome to her. Her gaze caught his briefly as he entered, but she merely nodded in welcome and continued her survey of the room.

"Billy!" Cestro's greeting was more enthusiastic. "My niece informs me that I have you to thank for the end of her moratorium on interaction with the Rangers."

"The Rangers have always been welcome at the Eternal Falls," Cestria answered calmly. "We have never shunned you or your teammates."

"You've never sought us out, either," Cestro said, giving Billy a pointed glance. "Until today."

Cestria followed his gaze. "I heard of what Billy was trying to do," she said, by way of explanation. "I wished to express my congratulations in person."

Billy tossed the datapad onto one of the consoles with a sigh, torn between surprise at her presence and dismay at her expectations. "Well, it hasn't worked yet, so I think congratulations are a little premature."

"Do you not believe your attempts at a treaty will be successful?" Her question was all innocence. Cestro turned away, as though politely hiding an expression he couldn't smooth over.

For his part, Billy could only stare at her. She had yet to ask him something without significance, and he couldn't help thinking that she wasn't just making conversation. "I don't know," he said at last, deciding the truth was the only answer he had. "I don't know what to expect."

Cestria stared back at him, open curiosity in her gaze. "If you do not know what you want, how will you know when you get it?"

"I know what I want," he said, somewhat testily. "I'm just not sure how to make it happen."

"Is there a difference? Even as you must choose a course of action before you can follow it, you cannot ask the universe for something unless you understand what it is."

"I'm not asking the universe for anything," he informed her. "I'm trying to negotiate with the Hydro Contaminators, not deities."

"You would separate the universe from those who live in it?" she inquired, unperturbed. "The universe responds to our expectations, Billy Cranston. Why do you think the laws of physics work the way they do?"

"Because they're true." He tried not to bristle at her attempts to mix science and faith. "That's the definition of a law: something that can't be disproven."

"Exactly so." Her intent gaze had yet to waver from his. "Things of which we are unsure are much less predictable."

He sighed, looking away just in time to catch Cestro's apologetic gaze. "I think you're confusing cause and effect, Cestria."

"Perhaps," she said. When he glanced back at her in surprise, he realized she was smiling. She had seen the look he gave Cestro, and it didn't bother her in the slightest. "It would seem that one of us is, at any rate."

Billy studied her, wondering not for the first time whether her reasoning was as simplistic as it sounded. It had occurred to him once or twice that insight deep enough might sound like hers. Could she really know something he didn't?

He supposed there was only one way to find out.

"Cestro said you've never been here before," he said at last. "Would you care for a tour? Maybe you can help me figure out what I'm looking for in all this," he added, gesturing toward the datapad.

She gave the Control Room another measured glance, as though considering the offer, and he felt Cestro's startled gaze on him. The Blue Ranger had apparently not expected that, and to tell the truth, Billy wasn't sure how he felt about it either. But she would either drive him crazy or teach him something, and it was worth risking the former for the latter.

"I will not turn down a tour of the Ranger dome," she said at last. "I would enjoy discussing this with you further, I think."

Judging by Cestro's reaction, the only thing that surprised him more than Billy's offer was Cestria's acceptance. Billy couldn't help reflecting that it was nice to finally be someplace where the status quo wasn't quite so predictable.