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Aurin holds his mother's hand as she leads him from the street to his aunt and uncle's house. He's been here only a couple of times, and can't remember most of them distinctly; they're sort of awkwardly related, his dead father's half-brother and the wife thereof. But now they have a baby parunia, and that means there is a dragon related to Aurin who is not too far from his age, only thirty-one years younger. This is apparently the sort of relation that it will be particularly enriching for Aurin to meet. They can do this now instead of waiting a month, because parunias don't die when they're babies; this one is safe, unlike the miscellaneous cousins on his mother's side he's never met because they are all in too much danger to get attached to (and have all succumbed to that danger). So here they are. Even though it was a very long flight and he couldn't ride his mother for takeoff and landing when she had to be a heron, only for the middle part.
Alys knocks on the door.
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"But if he was smart he might not need any more! Or he might find some other animals to be nice to on the way."
"But there can't be more hurt or sick animals because all is well."
"Does 'all is well' really mean nothing bad is happening anywhere ever ever ever, though? Or does it just mean nothing bad is happening around there with those people right then?"
"It says all."
"We ate all the teacakes, but there are still more teacakes in the world. There might even be more in the cupboard."
"There aren't more in the cupboard, and there aren't any more of Mommy's teacakes anywhere."
"But," says Mial triumphantly, "she's gonna make more."
"Harrumph," says Finnah.
Mial giggles a little.
When Finnah is seven, her mother starts looking into painkillers. Most painkillers don't work on esu at all. The ones that help have various side effects; Finnah spends three days asleep on one and wakes up ravenous, has vivid and frightening hallucinations on another, pukes uncontrollably on a third, winds up amnesiac about an entire weekend on a fourth, and finally gets good results, only slightly loopy and significantly analgesiated, on a new, experimental potion. (Colla keeps the first one around as an emergency backup; the wakeup period was awkward, but if the esu gets bad enough that even this new potion won't help, 'knocked out' is more manageable.)
greatcomposure
Mial's parents have discussions about painkillers around the same time.
They tell Mial all about what happens to Finnah on each of her trial runs. He says he doesn't want anything that might make him hallucinate or puke a lot or lose his memories, but sleeping for days doesn't sound so bad. And he is very insistent that he doesn't need anything yet. Playing games and winning arguments still work for him, although it's getting harder and harder. He spends more of his time crying than otherwise, these days.
Koridaar and Avar agree to respect his decisions. They keep an eye on that painkiller that worked so well for Finnah, looking up its known side effects as they are discovered; apparently the loopiness is it, to varying degrees, and as of yet no one who's been on and off the stuff has had the loopiness persist. Or any other significant problems. It's not even ferociously addictive like some of these things, although it has to be tapered off carefully; withdrawal symptoms include insomnia and intense nightmares, when the tapering is insufficiently careful.
They tell Mial all about what happens to Finnah on each of her trial runs. He says he doesn't want anything that might make him hallucinate or puke a lot or lose his memories, but sleeping for days doesn't sound so bad. And he is very insistent that he doesn't need anything yet. Playing games and winning arguments still work for him, although it's getting harder and harder. He spends more of his time crying than otherwise, these days.
Koridaar and Avar agree to respect his decisions. They keep an eye on that painkiller that worked so well for Finnah, looking up its known side effects as they are discovered; apparently the loopiness is it, to varying degrees, and as of yet no one who's been on and off the stuff has had the loopiness persist. Or any other significant problems. It's not even ferociously addictive like some of these things, although it has to be tapered off carefully; withdrawal symptoms include insomnia and intense nightmares, when the tapering is insufficiently careful.
Finnah is downright cheerful and cuddly (and drunkenly giggly, on and off) while medicated.
Colla hasn't been this well-rested in years.
Colla hasn't been this well-rested in years.
greatcomposure
Koridaar and Avar still visit regularly, but it's less urgent these days.
Mial, when he visits, snuggles Finnah a lot. And cries on her, but only sometimes.
Mial, when he visits, snuggles Finnah a lot. And cries on her, but only sometimes.
"The potion tastes bad, is that why you don't take it?" she wonders dreamily one day.
"No-o," says Mial. "I don't want to yet, and Mom and Dad say I can wait as long as I want. And sometimes potions do weird things to people and if I'm not on it as long then it won't do as many weird things to me. So I'm waiting until I really need to."
"Mommy likes me more when I'm flopsy." Flop.
Snuggle. "You're nice when you're flopsy. And I'm glad you don't hurt as much."
"Yeah." Pause. "It does taste really bad though."
"Maybe they'll make one that tastes better," he says optimistically.
"Maybe. I get a teacake after I take it in the morning."
"That's good!"
"I love Mommy's teacakes. They have tea in them."
"Is that why they are called teacakes?" he inquires.
"No!" giggles Finnah. "It isn't! You are supposed to eat them with tea. But also, Mommy puts tea in hers."
Mial giggles too. "Extra tea!"