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There's a total lunar eclipse two weeks later, the first one since January 2001. That semiquarter and most of the next pass without much more noise. Jackson is occasionally sad because of his dom's electric toy, and he's occasionally more stripey than he wishes to be, but there's not a whole lot Sadde can do about that. Against his hopes, Mason doesn't dump Jackson, and nothing gives.
Sadde continues socializing with people, but no one new. And as the semiquarter approaches its end and summer break gets closer, Sadde receives an email from Tobias, saying that he fully expects his daughter to come home and tell everyone all about her first half year at magic school.
The email tells Sadde to behave.
Sadde is not in a good place.
Sadde and Isabella in Eclipse
switch_between
switch_between
"Good, I don't know if I'll be able to bring someone back from death by asphyxiation anytime in the next fifteen years."
eclipsi
"Probably a joint discipline problem. Get the dead person a body, put their mind in it. Bet it branches off from invasive mindreading and postcog."
switch_between
"Hmm... you could perhaps figure out a way to, like, automate it? And make it so your brain doesn't necessarily inform you of what it's actually doing and what information it's transferring."
eclipsi
"I mean, trying to actually process all the information in a person's entire mind would be work for a hell of an optimized psion in the first place, but maybe."
switch_between
"Well, if resurrection were easy someone'd've done it by now. Besides, we're both awesome and gonna live forever and have all the time in the world for that little joint project."
switch_between
He kisses her back, smiling. "Hmm, yeah, you're definitely the best person ever. Thank you."
eclipsi
The bus gets them there a few minutes before the train leaves.
Isabella goes and sits on a bench and motions for Sadde to kneel by her; concrete floor or no it sets the tone for what she has to tell him to do.
Isabella goes and sits on a bench and motions for Sadde to kneel by her; concrete floor or no it sets the tone for what she has to tell him to do.
eclipsi
She holds his face in her hands.
"My lovely. I know this is going to be horrible and difficult and I wish I didn't have to tell you this. But you're my most precious possession and my best, my only, tool for keeping you safe and bringing you back to me. I need you to do that. Pretend, for two weeks pretend, for me, that you're who he thinks you are, because - because he deserves so much less than the real you and he'll prove it if he gets anything outside of his expectations, and because you are mine and I want you returned in excellent condition, on time. Do what you have to do to come back to me, pet."
She kisses his forehead, and then his lips.
"Understood?"
"My lovely. I know this is going to be horrible and difficult and I wish I didn't have to tell you this. But you're my most precious possession and my best, my only, tool for keeping you safe and bringing you back to me. I need you to do that. Pretend, for two weeks pretend, for me, that you're who he thinks you are, because - because he deserves so much less than the real you and he'll prove it if he gets anything outside of his expectations, and because you are mine and I want you returned in excellent condition, on time. Do what you have to do to come back to me, pet."
She kisses his forehead, and then his lips.
"Understood?"
switch_between
—nods. She will change on the train, to more appropriate clothing according to Tobias, but now she's—she's this. It's not so hard to be this right now, with Isabella. "Yes, ma'am," she says softly. "I love you."