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Isabella consults the alethiometer.
"Well," she sighs, "the ambiguously good news is, I think these variously phrased responses add up to: teleporting to separate works fine and won't kill her, but it condenses all the unpleasantness into the single moment. But at least it'll be over with quickly."
dark_light
prodigal_miser
Adarin winces at this pronouncement. "Yeah, that... Would be painful. I think my sister would prefer it over as quickly as possible, though. Can't say I blame her.
dark_light
"I would have still done it the long way, I think, if presented with the options - but I was a special case, I promised Path that if he really couldn't stand it I would come back. He held out okay."
prodigal_miser
"Aww. That's very sweet of you," he pronounces. "I probably should have talked it over with Vern more, but we'd been avoiding the subject because it bothered both of us."
dark_light
Isabella nods. "We had lots of time to anticipate it. We were a slightly late settle - not enormously late, just closer to my fifteenth birthday than my fourteenth."
prodigal_miser
"Makes sense. Part of me wants to have seen what growing up with a daemon would be like, but I realize for that to be true I wouldn't have any magic at all. And that would be terrible."
dark_light
"Well, I liked it, but I can't imagine any other way to grow up in enough detail to compare."
"It was fun when I could change," says Path wistfully.
"It was fun when I could change," says Path wistfully.
prodigal_miser
"Eh, I could explain what I had if you like, but my childhood was a little different from the standard, I believe."
"Awww," pronounces Vern. Path gets snuggles for his trouble. "I like you as you are. Soft and cuddly!"
"Awww," pronounces Vern. Path gets snuggles for his trouble. "I like you as you are. Soft and cuddly!"
dark_light
"I'm curious anyway," says Isabella.
Snuggles. "I like being an owl, but it was nice to be able to have hands, or get things that fell under the couch, or try out different limbs. I liked having fur. I liked glowing."
Snuggles. "I like being an owl, but it was nice to be able to have hands, or get things that fell under the couch, or try out different limbs. I liked having fur. I liked glowing."
prodigal_miser
"Hmm. Well, with daemons in particular - we just didn't have them and there was only us. I think childhood might have been less whimsical because of it, possibly. In a more general sense - my biological father died before I was born, and my mother wasn't... Healthy, mentally. So that probably colors the rest of it - Veron helped a lot with that part. He was a good man," says Adarin, softly.
"It does sound like a lot of fun," says Vern. "I think I like as I am, but I would have liked to try flying properly. Or seeing what fur was like, or any number of things. What was it like to glow?"
"It does sound like a lot of fun," says Vern. "I think I like as I am, but I would have liked to try flying properly. Or seeing what fur was like, or any number of things. What was it like to glow?"
dark_light
"How did you wind up so close to him if you weren't biologically related?" Isabella asks.
"It's hard to describe," says Path. "It's a little like moonlight, backwards, but you can't feel moonlight either."
"It's hard to describe," says Path. "It's a little like moonlight, backwards, but you can't feel moonlight either."
prodigal_miser
"Oh, well. That's sort of a complicated situation. I think my caretakers would have kicked him out entirely if they could have, but he helped keep my mother calm, so there he stayed. They kept us by her for the same reason, though she wasn't actually any good at motherhood. He noticed us and decides that we needed more than just - lessons and rules and things to do and things people wanted us to be. So, honorary fatherhood."
Vern giggles a little. "No, but it's nice to hear you describe it. Maybe there's a spell so that you can be a glowing owl and feel it again?"
Vern giggles a little. "No, but it's nice to hear you describe it. Maybe there's a spell so that you can be a glowing owl and feel it again?"
dark_light
"That does sound really complicated," says Isabella.
"If somebody cast a spell on me to make me glow I wouldn't be doing the glowing," sighs Path.
"If somebody cast a spell on me to make me glow I wouldn't be doing the glowing," sighs Path.
prodigal_miser
"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't seem like it when you know the entire situation, but trying to explain it all is interesting. I can try, if you like?"
"Adarin's good at spells. He might be able to find a way," suggests Vern. "But I'll understand if you don't want to try it."
"Adarin's good at spells. He might be able to find a way," suggests Vern. "But I'll understand if you don't want to try it."
dark_light
"I want to know all about it," says Isabella. "Whatever pace of explanation is comfy for you works for me."
"It was only partly about actually glowing, anyway. I liked being a-thing-that-could-glow," says Path.
"It was only partly about actually glowing, anyway. I liked being a-thing-that-could-glow," says Path.
prodigal_miser
He smiles, and kisses her cheek. "Thanks. Well, um... Obvious start is what happened with my mother, since it colored my and my sister's situation. Good place to start?"
"Ahh, I see." Nuzzle, nuzzle. "I'm sorry. You must have been beautiful."
"Ahh, I see." Nuzzle, nuzzle. "I'm sorry. You must have been beautiful."
dark_light
"Sure."
"Isabella didn't find it as interesting when I was a firefly. Bug daemons aren't very useful, and daemons who settle that way can get hurt easily," says Path. "But it was nice that I got to try."
"Isabella didn't find it as interesting when I was a firefly. Bug daemons aren't very useful, and daemons who settle that way can get hurt easily," says Path. "But it was nice that I got to try."
prodigal_miser
"Right, well. Usually when people like her are born, they get a normal childhood and they go conquering because no one can really stop them. But, some of the mages in power were paranoid of getting conquered, so they were on the lookout for another one. Thus, they found my mother. She got - I was never clear on how they actually got her, but got her they did. Raised her from birth, all is well. Except half-bloods - that's what we call them, we think they're half-fae - are pretty much walking time bombs, because they're essentially doomed to invariably lose their minds."
He sounds rather sad, explaining this. But cuddles help, with the telling.
"Oh," replies Vern, wistfully. "Makes sense. I wish I could have tried it."
He sounds rather sad, explaining this. But cuddles help, with the telling.
"Oh," replies Vern, wistfully. "Makes sense. I wish I could have tried it."
dark_light
Cuddles. Attentive listening.
"You are lovely as you are," murmurs Path, snuggling her.
"You are lovely as you are," murmurs Path, snuggling her.
prodigal_miser
"So, political drama, some people didn't like that others had an incredibly powerful walking timebomb on their hands. She ended up getting - Veron worded it as 'creatively inspired rescue' but it was essentially kidnapping. Nice and well-motivated kidnapping, but perhaps the story's biased," explains Adarin. "Since Veron was the kidnapper and or rescuer."
"Aww, thank you," she replies, snuggling back. "As are you. It would have been hard to cuddle you if you were a firefly."
"Aww, thank you," she replies, snuggling back. "As are you. It would have been hard to cuddle you if you were a firefly."
dark_light
"He was with some - other faction?" asks Isabella.
"Yes, that's another problem. At least I was never tempted to be a flea for longer than it took to test the claim in that one book about how high they can jump," says Path.
"Yes, that's another problem. At least I was never tempted to be a flea for longer than it took to test the claim in that one book about how high they can jump," says Path.
prodigal_miser
"Yup! I think of them as the, 'Let's not all be jerks to each other' faction, but again, biased. I might be wrong. They're not exactly around to ask, anymore. So, she goes with them, falls in love, and uh -" he coughs. "Things progress from there and that was how I and my sister were made. I am a possible Stockholm Syndrome baby, admittedly."
"That would be terrible! You're not even remotely flea-ish, though I guess I don't know daemons well enough to judge properly."
"That would be terrible! You're not even remotely flea-ish, though I guess I don't know daemons well enough to judge properly."
dark_light
"I am very impressed that your translation spell can do 'Stockholm syndrome'." (Snuggles.)
"I am not flea-ish," agrees Path. "You'll pick it up, and nobody's perfect at predicting anyway."
"I am not flea-ish," agrees Path. "You'll pick it up, and nobody's perfect at predicting anyway."
prodigal_miser
He snickers. "That one was Wikipedia, actually. I spent an absurd amount of time looking at things there. Not all of it was completely useful."
"I have so much to learn about being a daemon! But I like it, it's nice. It's the kind of thing to look forward to."
"I have so much to learn about being a daemon! But I like it, it's nice. It's the kind of thing to look forward to."
dark_light
"You still have to look up 'feminism'. But finish your story first."
"Good," says Path, nuzzling Vernaia.
"Good," says Path, nuzzling Vernaia.
prodigal_miser
"I never said it was a perfect method to learn all about a culture. Regardless! So the people that had my mother took offense to losing her and wanted her back. They went to go make that happen, my mother's erstwhile lover was killed, and she sort of - snapped. Lots of people died. Veron was the one who managed to calm her down, because of course he treated her like a person during the kidnapping and or rescue and became friends."
"Also, the cuddles are pretty awesome."
"Also, the cuddles are pretty awesome."