{Nexus} GLoG LXXX: The Continuation of a New Era!

[FireFox]

Med Lab

Toby slowly puts the crystal down. You kissed him? And you're going to apologize for... what? Teasing him if you don't feel the same way? He sounds more curious than anything.

[The Bushranger]

[Picnic]

"Thank you, Mr. Marty." Jamie smiles, then looks at Vidalia before she leaves, surpried "You don't like Oddball? He's my friend."

...it's possible Caroline and Vincent could find her, of course.


[Infirmary]

Quinn, sitting in a chair and looking slightly tired, smiles as Marty arrives. "Yes?"

[Hattish Thing]

Infirmary

Marty asks nervously, Er...I w-was wondering if y-you could t-tell me more about the s-s-surgery?

[Halae]

[Rowan Cabin]

"Life can be good sometimes. Life usually is, when you can manage it. Speaking of good, come with me," Eric will attempt to guide her to be sitting on a pillor on the floor in front of the couch, where he'll sit on the couch behind her and beging massaging her shoulders. tension or not, massages always feel nice.

[Lost_Deep]

Rowan Cabin

Kate steps out of the crib room, into the main room.

Doop.

Well, it's a mother nursing a baby. Kate just doesn't look at them, because that would be awkward.

[Slii Arhem]

Rowan Cabin

Julie is sitting on a pillow, leaning into a shoulder rub with her back to the door Kate just stepped out of. Nothing awkward about that, right?

"Hey there Kate. Everything alright?" Julie doesn't exactly have to look back to notice another presence in the room.

If you have any questions, go ahead and ask. I wasn't sure if you wanted anyone else to know about the copy, so I haven't said anything to Eric yet. Not to mention the fact that catching him up on all he's missed so far is going to take the bulk of her time in between caring for the kids.

[The Bushranger]

Infirmary

Marty asks nervously, Er...I w-was wondering if y-you could t-tell me more about the s-s-surgery?

"Well, it's simple really," Quinn says with an encouraging smile. "Once the injured leg is...removed...the prothesis is attached, and will automatically attach to the nerves that control it. You'll honestly not even know it's not the leg you were born with."

[Hattish Thing]

Infirmary

Ah...s-so. The leg w-won't hurt anymore? What about the amputation...Will that h-hurt a lot?

[Lost_Deep]

Rowan Cabin

"Hmm... I don't know. I just feel kind of off today. Can't really put my finger on it. I don't really know what to make of what you told me, besides that I... part of me wants to meet her, but I'm not sure what she wants. Feel free to tell Eric, but don't spread it around, you know?" She shakes her head. "I can't put my finger on it. Today just feels odd for me. Like out of the blue my life torques itself. I got a new job, I'm told you have children, and I have a clone... I'm not sure what's going on, emotionally."

[Slii Arhem]

Rowan Cabin

Julie attempts a shrug, although how visible it is as Eric is kneading her shoulders is debatable.

"I know how you feel. Just a few months ago I'd never even thought I'd ever be a mother, and here I am. For what it's worth, she seems fairly well adjusted for being completely insane. Your copy, I mean. I'm not exactly sure what Libra did to her, but it can't have been pleasant. She seems to be surviving alright though."

[The Bushranger]

Infirmary

"Not a bit," Quinn tells Marty, shaking her head. "In fact, you shouldn't feel a thing."

[Hattish Thing]

Infirmary

Alright. When's the surgery?

[Lost_Deep]

Rowan Cabin

"What?"

Kate suddenly looks much less confused and much more serious.

"Okay, how about you go over this in it's entirety, and tell me everything you know about her."

[Slii Arhem]

Rowan Cabin

Julie's eyes narrow, and Prism stops nursing to stare up at her in confusion. It takes only a moment for Julie to notice and begin to sooth her child with hushed words and a calm smile.

And why don't you just ask your powerful friends for a nice thick file on her then, since you seem to be so interested in knowing everything, whether others want it kept secret or not. Better yet, give me one good reason you're demanding things of me in that tone, and maybe I'll reconsider asking you to leave my family in peace. A building anger that has boiled deep within Julie's thoughts has finally come to the fore, triggered by this similar event. Kate didn't trust her at her word, that much was clear. What isn't clear is how far she's willing to go before she's satisfied with the truth.

[Lost_Deep]

Rowan Cabin

On the outside, Kate is quiet.

On the inside, there is SHEER PANIC.

It turns out that on the level that a trained telepath has conversation on, Kate has all the information that gets filtered through to result in what is spoken. That is, it's a lot of information that is not in a nice, linear package.

She is HURT. Julie's reprisal meets cuts deep, and she never expected that and has no idea where it came from. She wants to apologize in the politest way possible, but doesn't know what to say to make it better. She feels she is on a knife's edge, and might be overestimating the fragility of the situation.

And Kate's logical mind is picking Julie's statement apart bit by bit...

"...And why don't you just ask your powerful friends for a nice thick file on her then, since you seem to be so interested in knowing everything, whether others want it kept secret or not."

INFINITE SHAME. That reminds her: she needs to BURN that file. She didn't want it in the first place, and would much rather it never happened... there is a tangential link to cyphers. She knows that no one else should ever be able to read it... but it exists.

"...Better yet, give me one good reason you're demanding things of me in that tone..."

GUILT. She doesn't know if she deserves that level of reprisal, mental illness is a big deal! If this other Kate cries herself to sleep at night, or is a paranoid schizophrenic, she wants to know! That was a bit harsh of her, in retrospect! She wants to apologize, yes, but hasn't the foggiest idea how to actually say she's sorry in the proper way.

"Better yet, give me one good reason you're demanding things of me in that tone, and maybe I'll reconsider asking you to leave my family in peace."

SHEER UNADULTERATED PANIC.

Julie is her friend, one of her best friends! The only person that might be closer is Sophie the spider. She wants to get to know Eric better! And the kids! WHERE DID THAT LEVEL OF ANGER EVEN COME FROM!?!

On the outside, Kate is quiet.

[Slii Arhem]

Rowan Cabin

That is a lot of information. It occurs to Julie in the moments between parsing through the waves of emotions and thoughts that Kate has no ability to control her thoughts, instead letting absolutely everything float to the surface. She was a completely open book.

She only takes a moment to consider taking advantage of this before deciding against it. Hypocrisy was never Julie's style, when she could help it.

Kate, "Kate! Calm down. Just... calm down, alright? I... it bothers me you had that file, even now, but I shouldn't have brought it up like that. I don't know much more about your copy than I've told you, and what I do know is very unpleasant. I didn't want you to worry any more over it than you already were. Some secrets are just better off kept." Julie is notably not taking back what she said, at least not verbally. It seems the rush of emotions she felt from Kate wasn't quite enough to knock all the lingering resentment out of her.

[Lost_Deep]

Rowan Cabin

Yeah, mild ADD has an odd tendancy to make you think about a lot of things.

"I need to burn that thing."

The damage is done, but that thing still exists, even if the only other person that can make sense of it is a god. If Julie is still in Kate's head, it might be notable that the word "thing" is tangentially related to the notion of "abomination;" as in something that should not exist.

"I was a bit strong, yes, and I'm sorry. I'm just worried about her... unless she doesn't want me to know something, I would prefer knowing over not knowing. Ignorance is bliss, but it also kills. Not that I suspect that this situation is truly lethal, but the idea is there."

She doesn't know what to do next. She hopes that the threat of leaving the family alone is gone (and if Julie insisted, Kate would do it!) but doesn't know what the next "step" is.

[Slii Arhem]

Rowan Cabin

"I don't even know what she does and doesn't want me to say. She wanted to meet with me privately, that's how I knew what your birthday was, I arranged a meeting in a few days in exchange for the information. If you think you can at least wait until then, I can ask her properly, and then I'll tell you as much as I can." Julie collects herself, and lets out a deep sigh, shoulders slumping.

"Just forget what I said earlier Kate, about you leaving. I was just lashing out." Julie can't bring herself to say what she's really feeling, that she isn't sure how to deal with Kate's presence some times. She knows now how hard Kate would take that, after all the other abuse Julie has heaped onto her.

[happyturtle]

Wherever

Pansy is looking for Reelshka, to talk to her about setting up a nursery.

[Morty]

[Mushroom Cellar]

Reelshka can be found in front of it, sitting under a large garden umbrella and drawing. The sun's a bit too bright today for any goblin's liking.

[Maple Cabin]

Vincent and Caroline will be able to find Sophie there.

[happyturtle]

Mushroom Cellar

"Hello, Reelshka. Did you know Julie has had her babies?" Pansy asks.

Main Kitchen

"Hold on," Tito says. He hops off the stool and goes to rummage around in the pantry to find a lemon. "Let me try this for you." He takes some of the fish that hasn't been cooked yet and puts it under the grill (broiler in USian) with no extra spices. It'll be a few minutes before it's done.

[Morty]

[Mushroom Cellar]

Reelshka looks surpsied and shakes her head. No. I mean, I knew she was due soon, but I didn't know she'd given birth. How are they?

[happyturtle]

Mushroom Cellar

"They're healthy enough, but they look... strange. They have tentacles instead of legs, and they're more advanced than newborns usually are, but they're still quite adorable. At least the one I saw was, and I'm sure the other wee one is too." Pansy only saw Scylla, and has no reason to suspect that Prism has a different body shape. "The father, Eric is here now, and he and Julie seem very happy to be parents."

[Morty]

[Mushroom Cellar]

Reelshka smiles. She doesn't really know why Eric was absent before, but if he's here now, that's the most important thing.
That's wonderful. I'm very happy for them. And now, Quinn and Renetta will have their babies soon enough too.

[Lost_Deep]

Rowan Cabin

Kate nods. "Okay. I guess that's good to know. I guess I'll just have to wait and see, then."

Wait a second... All the most important bits there were purely telepathic.

"Oh, sorry Eric, I bet that was really confusing for you."

[happyturtle]

Mushroom Cellar

"Mhm. I was thinking about that. I think we should turn one of the empty cabins into a nursery. The parents will need some time off occasionally, and of course babies need to be around other babies. Do you think you could help out?" Pansy asks.

[Morty]

[Mushroom Cellar]

Reelshka's ears twitch. A human baby, an elf baby - she doesn't know Renetta has turned into a Wolfen yet - and two far-babies. That'll be some daycare center.
That's a good idea. It shouldn't be too difficult to turn a cabin into a daycare center. I think. I've never designed one before.

[happyturtle]

Mushroom Cellar

"Well need to make it all one big room with a barrier on the outer door to keep them from crawling outside on their own, changing tables, a kitchen countertop and sink with a My Quave for heating bottles..." Pansy will go over her suggestions for the daycare cabin.

Probably a planning montage here.

[Morty]

[Mushroom Cellar]

Indeed. Reelshka will invite Pansy into the cellar, where she'll spread some paper on the table so they can plan with more precision. She won't have many suggestions regarding the care of babies, but she does know how to build things. She'll also put down the things they'll have to order for the cabin.

[Halae]

[Rowan Cabin]

When Julie got angry, Eric started to knead a bit more, to try and work out the tension in Julie's shoulders, "Nah, I caught the gist of it, I suppose. You've got someone important meeting you and something with information you shouldn't really have, am I right?"