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There are things to do, of course, besides being Aya's cuddle buddy. Prime is usually quite busy, and now is no exception. Just because he's personally out of mana, doesn't mean he's utterly useless. His plane's got mages in it, after all - and many of them owe him favors or are amenable to being paid. And they need mirrors, for communication. After longer than was strictly prudent spent comforting Aya, he bids her goodbye and goes to handle the less glamorous moments of being him. That is, talking to people, asking for favors, paying favors, persuading them to say yes, they'll use some of their precious magic stores to make mirrors.
Ironically enough, the one thing missing when he's finished is the mirrors themselves. Easy enough to fix, with Revelation. But he'll take care of it tomorrow - he's tired, and it's been a long and complicated and emotionally exhausting 'day,' even if he doesn't properly have them anymore. Sleep, and then he'll get back to dealing with it all. The mirrors, first, they're easiest, then continuing to figure out what to do about Aya.
When he wakes, he goes to talk to a demon about that. Knock, knock, calling Inferno, is Revelation in?
darkest_evening
dark_light
"I am officially out of ideas of things to ask the alethiometer about the necklace that might yield helpful results, even the second wave of oddball wacky questions after last night," apologizes Ice. "I can't guarantee that the spellbinders can't produce anything - but I think Chamomile has no help for you."
dark_light
"I could do nothing less. Katydid says a couple weeks on the inside for a complete spell that even might work, though."
darkest_evening
More silence from Prime back there.
Well. That. Is definitely cutting down on his possible future choices, isn't it.
Well. That. Is definitely cutting down on his possible future choices, isn't it.
dark_light
"Annie says a few days not molding the necklace barely makes a difference, so I'm keeping it for now in case I have any sit-bolt-upright-at-three-a.m. ideas for things to ask the alethiometer, but you're in for a while. I'm sorry. I'll get out of your hair."
namesthesky
"How rude of it," Aya murmurs.
She flumps back into a separate chair and curls up in a ball.
She flumps back into a separate chair and curls up in a ball.
darkest_evening
"Yes," he agrees. Pause. "... What would you like me to do? I can - leave you alone to your thoughts, or hold you, or say something distracting and flippant and snarky, or distract you with a project, or - something?"
namesthesky
"But it's not fair to require you. You have things to do, lots of them, it is not okay if I need you around most of my waking hours just to emotionally function, I have to figure out something else."
darkest_evening
"I agree. But I do still care about you, and I trust you to know when to ask for me to show up and be sarcastic and old and occasionally snuggly."
namesthesky
"Well. Thank you. I still need to - be able to self-regulate. Like I'm supposed to be able to do. Not even my - necklace programming wants to require you as much as it made me do, not when it's nonreciprocal and you have other priorities. It is not a very consistent necklace."
darkest_evening
"How annoying," states Prime. "We should throw it out, find a consistent evil conspiracy love necklace."
Is it morally questionable that he is extremely attracted to her right now? Mentally, anyway. He likes people that are self reliant and intelligent and self aware. It's probably morally questionable. Let's not bring it up.
Is it morally questionable that he is extremely attracted to her right now? Mentally, anyway. He likes people that are self reliant and intelligent and self aware. It's probably morally questionable. Let's not bring it up.
namesthesky
"I don't know. I don't want you to leave, but if you have other things to do don't let me keep you."
darkest_evening
Some things. But they can wait a little while longer.
"I don't have anything pressing that needs to be done immediately," he clarifies. "But it is a tremendously high priority to me that you have - everything in your power to help arrange your head in whatever manner you prefer. Because you prefer very nice things, and also 'because morality.' As my sister would put it. I suspect the necklace has rearranged your head to put my desires in a priority?"
"I don't have anything pressing that needs to be done immediately," he clarifies. "But it is a tremendously high priority to me that you have - everything in your power to help arrange your head in whatever manner you prefer. Because you prefer very nice things, and also 'because morality.' As my sister would put it. I suspect the necklace has rearranged your head to put my desires in a priority?"
namesthesky
"Yes. But I have decades of experience managing my head under very different conditions and I'm not sure what circumstances I need for it now, or how much it even admits of management any longer."