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Chelsa buries herself in her friends, and the warmth of the world that Harley isn't on anymore. She doesn't understand him. She never will. But there's Corona, sun-scorching and intense; there's Amdon, her oldest and closest; there's Anneia, sweet and smiling; there's Sandre, cuddly and fun; there's Tima, pretty-kindling and empathetic; there's Pacco, bright and deferent; there's Jony, hot as a kiln; Lionara hot as molten glass. And Aelise herself, who makes so many compromises but who does love Chelsa after all.
Harley wasn't like that one cold, cold girl, who - she wasn't even technically a sociopath. Sociopaths kindle like everyone else. She was just - cold. Like an airless environment in which no fire can burn.
But Aelise had her killed, and Chelsa made sure no one would miss her, and if anything like that ever happened again, Chelsa has every confidence that Aelise would make it right. Harley's one thing. He can just be - out of sight, out of mind. Aelise would never expect Chelsa to compromise on the existence of such a terrible cold.
warmfeelings
salus-populi
"I haven't had time to think about it properly. Not much more than ten years from now, I don't think."
"Okay," says Mehitabel.
She opens up a little file on her tablet, and writes this down, in plaintext.
She opens up a little file on her tablet, and writes this down, in plaintext.
salus-populi
The elevator stops. Aelise gets out and leads Mehitabel down a short hallway to a large, ring-shaped room that goes all the way around the crown of the orbital tower.
It has windows. Big ones, angled down so you can stand at the edge and lean over the railing and watch the world stay in exactly the same position relative to your feet.
It has windows. Big ones, angled down so you can stand at the edge and lean over the railing and watch the world stay in exactly the same position relative to your feet.
Mehitabel peers down at the planet with fascination.
"I'm gonna fix it," she announces, after she has had a good long look. "So Chelsa doesn't have to hurt it any more to keep it alive. She's the worst medicine."
"I'm gonna fix it," she announces, after she has had a good long look. "So Chelsa doesn't have to hurt it any more to keep it alive. She's the worst medicine."
"Okay."
Mehitabel goes on staring out the window. "Is there a lot of stuff people know about how Gifts work?" she asks.
Mehitabel goes on staring out the window. "Is there a lot of stuff people know about how Gifts work?" she asks.
"Yes," agrees Mehitabel. "Teachers and stuff are useful for finding the best things to read to learn whatever, though. Is Kers good at that?"
salus-populi
"I wouldn't get your hopes up about doing it in the next decade," says Aelise. "All things considered."
"Well," says Mehitabel, "maybe not, but it would be good if I did, so I shouldn't waste any time just because maybe not."
salus-populi
"True. But on the other hand, it's not nice to be disappointed because you didn't solve a complicated problem unreasonably fast."
"Being disappointed would waste time," Mehitabel says after a moment's thought. "So I won't do it, at least not very much."