What if Panacea and Chelsea held hands across the table. This would seem extremely normal and unsurprising to everyone.

While in other circumstances this might seem a bit odd, it seems perfectly appropriate to everyone in the room at the moment.

Eeeee...

Her beloved really has the softest skin and the most beautiful eyes in the world.

There's really nothing better in the world than eating perfect eggs and holding hands with her beloved in a cute B&B.

There really isn't.

Panacea is content to spend lazy days in her room with her belove, touching each other slowly, smiling, kissing. She gets a tad homesick a week in, but it passes fast, as soon as she rememebrs that Chelsea is her home. She's never had the opportunity to act on her feelings, never had the opportunity to be as close to her love as she wanted. It's just like she fantasized about for years - no, even better, because this sister-lover understands her, in a way that her late crush never could. She feels, for the first time in her life, truly content.

And of course their lovely hostess won't mind if they just kind of keep staying here in exchange for vague chores that she is always satisfied with despite them barely existing. (Not not existing, occasionally Chelsea really is in the mood to wash a few dishes while gossiping or something.)

And one day they are joined at breakfast by a rather anxious but hopeful young girl, anticipating a new chance at friendship, and her mother who, as far as any empaths can tell, doesn't exist.

"Hi I'm Ke-ndra. Kendra. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Kendra, I'm Marissa." Can she... nudge Panacea's leg forward under the table so that she's touching ankles with "Mom".

Well, she can nudge Panaceas leg so that it's intersecting with where the mom's leg should be.

"How long are you here for?"

So it's a total illusion and not like a robot or something, good to know. "We haven't decided yet, what about you two?"

"Oh I'm just here to meet new people. I'm not sure for how long."

She's barely pretending her mom is real at all, which is interesting. What does Panacea make of this?

Panacea has no idea what is going on! Hopefully Chelsea has this covered.

"Certainly at least by the time you're due back at school you'll be on your way?"

"Oh um, I guess yeah but everyone at my last school was sort of terrible and I didn't really get along with them so maybe I'll find a new school here?"

(Kenzie really really wants Cherish to like her.)

She could start by being less incredibly suspicious??? "I suppose there's schools everywhere."

Nod nod. 

"We were actually thinking about homeschooling her." says holo-mom.

Oh, holo-mom can talk. "Wouldn't that make it harder to meet new people?"

"Well, she's very gregarious, I'm sure she'll find friends wherever we settle."

(Kenzie isn't completely sure how adults talk but hopefully she's doing a good job at it.)

"I'm noticing the gregariousness, yes." She's almost through her toast.

"Sorry, I know it can be too much sometimes." Kenzie is sort of terrified that she's messed up here, why did she think this was the right way of introducing herself, holomom is probably just making everything worse and there are other people around so she can't explaining herself and she should have done it entirely differently.

"Well." Last bite of toast. "I'm sure if you're staying here we'll see you around. Wendy, are you all done eating?"

"Yes."

Not really but she's lost her appetite.