update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/mitzvot/037.md

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 -----
 
-May's stint of overflowing only lasted two nights. Something about the change in context, about staying with Sasha instead of Douglas, made everything feel tenuous, though. Ioan found it difficult to sleep on the padded cot that she'd added to the tent, and eventually, she must have grown tired of hearing em toss and turn, for she sleepily climbed out of her own bed and into eirs, curling up with em after confirming that it was alright.
+May's stint of overflowing only lasted two nights. Something about the change in context, about staying with Sasha instead of Douglas, made everything feel tenuous, though. Ioan found it difficult to sleep on the padded cot that she'd added to the tent, and eventually, she must have grown tired of hearing em toss and turn and perhaps mumble to emself, for she sleepily climbed out of her own bed and into eirs, curling up with em after confirming that it was alright.
 
-Awkward, perhaps, but by then ey was too frustrated and exhausted to think of anything else, and the added warmth certainly worked in getting em to sleep, to the point where ey slept in until a ray of sun, creeping slowly, fell across eir face and warmed em awake.
+Awkward, perhaps, but by then ey was too frustrated and exhausted to think of anything else, and the added comfort certainly worked in getting em to sleep, to the point where ey slept in until a ray of sun, creeping slowly, fell across eir face and warmed em awake.
 
 Sasha had apparently woken up earlier in the morning and snuck away, as there was a lukewarm cup of coffee sitting by the edge of eir bed and no skunk to be found.
 
-Ah well, at least the coffee was good and ey felt better rested than ey had before.
+Ah well, at least the coffee was good (if gritty) and ey felt better rested than ey had before.
 
 Ey met up with her at the shore of the lake where they talked for a bit, though it was clear that she was antsy to head out into the woods on her own, so ey eventually shooed her off, to which she bowed gratefully and said, "My notes are on my desk. If you get bored, I would appreciate your feedback."
 
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Ey shook eir head. "No, just a ping. No real urgency, though. Surprised I didn't
 
 "*Better, yes,*" came the reply. "*I am feeling quite bad about sending you off like that. Not about waking you up, though. You sound cute when you are groggy.*"
 
-Ey snorted, shook eir head. "Yeah, she's fine," ey said to Sasha.
+Ey snorted, shook eir head. "Yeah, she's fine," ey said.
 
 Sasha surprised em by joining em on the trek back to the house, saying only, "I have been worried, as well."
 
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ Ioan shrugged. "Well enough, sure. It's nice to have another option that isn't j
 
 "It was fine, dear," Sasha added. "If ever either of you need some space, feel free to kick the other down to the tent and I will make it work."
 
-"I am glad," May said. "Earnestly. Ioan is such a solitary person that I did not ever picture having neighbors when I moved in all those years ago. It is nice to have a friend close by."
+"I am glad," May said. "Earnestly. Ioan was such a solitary person that I did not ever picture having neighbors when I moved in all those years ago. It is nice to have a friend close by."
 
 "Aren't all of your friends equally close now that--"
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ Ey nodded.
 
 Sasha nodded, hesitated, then said, "On that note, are you okay?"
 
-"I...well," she began, sighed, and shook her head. "I am upset, and I am disappointed that I am upset. I was so ready to be done with hatred, but I am stuck with yet more of it. More than the experience with Zacharias itself, that is what led to the past few days of tears, even if it was In Dreams that kicked it off. I thought that I was done."
+"I...well," she began, sighed, and shook her head. "I am upset, and I am disappointed that I am upset. I was so ready to be done with hatred, but I am stuck with yet more of it. More than the experience with Zacharias itself, that feeling is what led to the past few days of tears, even if it was In Dreams that kicked it off. I thought that I was done."
 
 "I understand. I would like to talk with you about him at some point --- nothing serious, just strategizing future meltdowns of his. Ioan said he kept trying to force merges on you just to get your attention."
 
@@ -108,19 +108,19 @@ Still conscious of her saying that she felt gross, ey patted one of her paws and
 
 Ey pulled together a breakfast of rolls to go along with a thermos of coffee, got one more nose-press of a kiss with May, and stepped back outside with an instance of Sasha.
 
-The house had been set up on a portion of the slope that was turned a little toward the east, meaning that they the sun was not yet hitting the balcony. Autumn had gotten chilly enough at night, though, that they decided instead to walk down to the rock lakeside, which would almost certainly be in full sun, even if it was less comfortable that the deck chairs.
+The house had been set up on a portion of the slope that was turned a little toward the east, meaning that the sun was not yet hitting the balcony. Autumn had gotten chilly enough at night, though, that they decided instead to walk down to the rock lakeside, which would almost certainly be in full sun, even if it was less comfortable than the deck chairs.
 
 They sat in silence, drinking their coffee and eating rolls with butter and honey.
 
 "Do you think you'll stay?" Ioan said, once the rhythm of the silence made room for conversation.
 
-"I am too much myself to say that I will stay 'forever', but as long as my room is there, as long as you and May are comfortable with me being a part of your lives, I will be happy to call it home. Or at least *a* home."
+"I am too much myself to say that I will stay forever, but as long as my room is there, as long as you and May are comfortable with me being a part of your lives, I will be happy to call it home. Or at least *a* home."
 
 "Really? No bigger and brighter things?"
 
 She laughed and leaned over to touch her nose to eir cheek. "This *is* bigger and brighter things, dear."
 
-"Well, I'm sure we'll talk about it plenty, but I see no reason not to keep your room about. I don't know what you overflowing will look like, but if it involves one third solitude and one third getting lost walking sims, I don't imagine you'll be around all the time."
+"Well, I'm sure we'll talk about it plenty, but I see no reason not to keep your room about. I don't know what you overflowing will look like, but if it involves two thirds solitude and one third getting lost walking sims, I don't imagine you'll be around all the time."
 
 "Not at all, no. I will spend my share of time at the tent to be alone or out walking the world. Perhaps I will even ask you to double the rest of the house so that I can be alone somewhere domestic, not just the wild."
 
@@ -134,7 +134,11 @@ She laughed and leaned over to touch her nose to eir cheek. "This *is* bigger an
 
 Ey smiled, handing over the pebble. "I don't think so. So long as we can still have time to ourselves when we need, I'll be happy."
 
-She tossed the pebble out into the water. "Of course, dear."
+She tossed the pebble out into the water. "Of course, dear." After a pause, she grinned and added, "She is gushing about you now. She loves you very much, you know.
+
+"I love her too. I worry, but all I can do is trust her."
+
+"Yes. She will not betray that trust. I know to an extent just how much she means to you and to a much greater extent how much you mean to her."
 
 They sat in quiet for a while, tossing pebbles into the water until ey ran out.