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She flies home. He has to return the boat that he... borrowed... (Isabella is not clear if this was authorized of him, but as long as he's going to return it she doesn't care that much) and then he's going to return to Rockland from there.
Isabella continues her work on motion magic. Metis has been paying less attention to her even when she's around; Isabella's learned enough that the marginal value of working with a teacher is diminishing and the apprenticeship will probably be brought to a formal end soon enough. Then she'll have to find somewhere else to go, probably her dad's house or the clan enclave. The former will be easier to secretly practice her new branch of magic in. The latter will be easier to have sex with Kas in without unwanted interference. Maybe she should just find her own place, somehow. She's not sure how to find opportunities for it. Metis stumbled across her house by sheer accident. But she's got a few months to think it over. (And an alethiometer, for that matter. It can probably find a house that she can just move into, with Kas reading it.)
dark_light
truthwright
Kas and Petaal ring the doorbell, Petaal actually in witch-silks for once, Kas with his arm around her waist nuzzling her shoulder.
dark_light
Isabella gets the door. "Hallo," she grins. "Boat back where it goes?"
truthwright
"Boat back where it goes!" confirms Kas, and he steps forward to give her a hug and a kiss. "You'll never guess who I ran into on the way back!"
dark_light
"Well, then I guess there's no point in trying," she says, raising an eyebrow.
truthwright
"I went to Milliways and saw my alt again and let's go inside so I can show you what he did," he laughs.
dark_light
"Same alt?" Isabella says, stepping out of the doorway. "Show me what he did...?"
truthwright
He pulls up his shirt and pushes down his jeans far enough to show her his right hipbone.
There's a scar there, barely healed, the exact mirror of the bayleaf tattoo on his other hip.
There's a scar there, barely healed, the exact mirror of the bayleaf tattoo on his other hip.
truthwright
"Symmetry," he says. "It was fun."
"He really likes you," Petaal adds. "I mean, from what we've said about you. He thinks you're pretty great."
"He really likes you," Petaal adds. "I mean, from what we've said about you. He thinks you're pretty great."
dark_light
"So, so far, of the alts of me he's met that we know about, Shell Bell shot him, no-nickname-yet who's also dating one of you put him on an asteroid, and I sound pretty great. I'm not sure how to feel about that," remarks Isabella.
truthwright
"Oh, he thinks all of you are pretty great," Kas assures her. "Mm, more or less."
dark_light
"Understandable. But I know me and I've met Shell Bell now too, so I think no-nickname probably had a good reason," shrugs Isabella.
truthwright
"...It's complicated," he says. "I don't know the whole story."
"You could talk to him about it," Petaal adds. "I bet he'd tell you."
"You could talk to him about it," Petaal adds. "I bet he'd tell you."
dark_light
"Maybe. I haven't found any doors, so far you've been the one to find it both times. I'll come along next time if we're in the same town at the time."
truthwright
"'Kay," he says. "We can try to explain it if you want, but like I said, I don't know everything."
dark_light
"I am curious. Both as a personality trait and about this," she says, closing the door behind him and flopping onto a chair. Metis is in the backyard, drawing a truly enormous sugar circle.
truthwright
He sits on the floor and leans against her knee; Petaal does the same thing on the other side.
"I think it's a few things," he says. "One of them's about the other me she's fucking, and I don't know much about that. But the asteroid—I really like people," he explains. "All of me do. I don't need to be close to them personally—I like it, I don't need it—but I love cities, I hate being out on my own in the middle of nowhere for too long. He's the same way. It would've killed him to be out there with nobody else around, if it weren't for Milliways. And he gets why she did it, and he's not mad, but it breaks his heart a little that she'd do that to him."
"I think it's a few things," he says. "One of them's about the other me she's fucking, and I don't know much about that. But the asteroid—I really like people," he explains. "All of me do. I don't need to be close to them personally—I like it, I don't need it—but I love cities, I hate being out on my own in the middle of nowhere for too long. He's the same way. It would've killed him to be out there with nobody else around, if it weren't for Milliways. And he gets why she did it, and he's not mad, but it breaks his heart a little that she'd do that to him."
dark_light
"Do you know why she picked an asteroid and didn't just... squirrel him away somewhere on his Earth?"
dark_light
"Huh. Maybe she will, when she finds the Belltower. Man, I am really excited to see what happens with the Belltower, I wonder how many of us there are."
truthwright
"I hope there's lots!" says Kas.
"You're my favourite," says Petaal, cuddling her knee.
"You're my favourite," says Petaal, cuddling her knee.