"I accept my designation."

“Oh good.” Okay she can let go of his face to less twistily snuggle Cara.

Cara has been looking delightedly at Lucy without saying anything! (Gushing at someone is a spectator sport.)

She happily resumes snuggles.

"You're very good," she says, after a little bit.

“He really is.”

Lucyyyy

-She giggles, and pets her gently. "He definitely is! But I was talking to you, silly.'

“Ohhhhhhh. I haven’t done anything nearly that cool yet, though.”

D'awww.

"And yet I still think you are very good!" She shrugs. "We must conclude that Cara's brain works in mysterious ways, I suppose."

Snort. “You’re allowed to think I’m good, it’s just that Haru was the obvious person for the comment to be directed at.”

"Backla-ash," Haru sings.

ahahahaha

She makes a shushing gesture at Haru. "No, maybe she's onto something here. You really are pretty good."

"I'm great, but the obviousness is backlash."

“This week is being amazingly nonhellish but I will sure cop to some backlash!”

Awwww. "To me, the way you were talking about him just now is" adorable, extremely cute, delightful, attractive "very sparkly. Which you couldn't have known in advance, even unbacklashed." petpetpet

She leans into the pets. “Sparkly in what way?”

She grins. "I like hearing about how and why people" love "like the people and things they feel strongly about! It's like - a little window into what's going on in their brain. And you articulated the stuff you like about Haru really well! It was informative and fun and good and I'm glad I got to witness it" and gosh she is going to have fallen for both of them by the end of the week hhhfdkhhfh.

“If you like little windows into what’s going on in people’s brains, you should know that I’m missing a bit even when I’m not backlashed.”

Huh.

She tilts her head. "What do you mean?"

“Human beings, in general, have a little switch in our heads, where somebody gets labeled as ‘outgroup’ and the affective empathy turns off. I don’t.”

!! This gets her a delighted Carasqueeze. "This is a great fact about you! Thank you for sharing it." 

Giggle. “Thanks?”

Forehead kiss. "Any time! Thank you for sharing." 

“I do want to be clear—I’m not bragging. I happened to get lucky, as an accident of birth. Someone who has the normal instinct, and chooses to overcome it, that’s virtuous.”

She nods. "It's a delightful fact about you that does not imply any specific virtue! You Are Just Like This." petpetpet the Lucy!

“Okay good. So long as we’re clear.”

"Crystal!" Happy snuggles.