From 4384399e4c060bb04869fd51fc5d7fd33eb7bff9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Madison Scott-Clary Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2021 18:55:19 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] update from sparkleup --- writing/post-self/neviim/interlude/001.html | 10 +++++----- 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/writing/post-self/neviim/interlude/001.html b/writing/post-self/neviim/interlude/001.html index e3087f011..9ad6e144e 100644 --- a/writing/post-self/neviim/interlude/001.html +++ b/writing/post-self/neviim/interlude/001.html @@ -71,7 +71,7 @@

“I…what? True Name?”

She bowed quickly before holding her paws up in a disarming gesture. “Ioan, May Then My Name. I apologize for the brusque entry, but I believe we need to talk.”

“I will leave you to it,” May growled, pushing herself to her feet. Ey had only ever seen eir partner furious on a scant handful of occasions, but now ey could add one more to the list. Her teeth were bared, tail bristled out, and paws bunched up into fists. In the two decades since the research and publication of On the Origin of Our World, May’s view of her down-tree instances had dropped precipitously, and all but one of those moments of fury had been triggered by her clade.

-

“May Then My Name, please,” True Name said, crossing her paws before her and bowing once again. She sounded contrite, small. “I know that you do not hold me in high regard, but all the same, I would prefer if you stayed, as I am assuming that you have both received the news.”

+

“May Then My Name, please,” True Name said, clasping her paws before her and bowing once again. She sounded contrite, small. “I know that you do not hold me in high regard, but all the same, I would prefer if you stayed, as I am assuming that you have both received the news.”

May frowned, crossed her arms, but did not move to leave.

“Thank you,” the other skunk said, straightening up and brushing her paws down her blouse, a nervous gesture ey had never seen on one who always looked so in control. “I will not take up too much of your time, as there is much to be done and even though there are several of me already at work and this is my only task, my mind is still torn in many directions. May we please step inside where there is more light?”

Ioan looked up to May, who shrugged. She still looked as though she would like to either quit or bounce True Name from the sim entirely.

@@ -96,11 +96,11 @@

True Name giggled. It was a startling sound coming from her. Ioan had seen her laugh, grin, and smile, but they were all tightly controlled. They were all laser-focused cues to guide her interlocutor. The giggle held amusement, yes, but also nervousness. It seemed to be covering a much larger, less grounded emotional outburst. Ey had been considering just how much of this interaction up until this point was a carefully constructed act, how much of her visit could be dismissed with a wink and a grin, but there was something far to real about that giggle.

Ioan and May looked to each other and laughed as well.

“I’m sorry, True Name,” ey said. “I mean this in all compassion, but you sound like you’re about to lose it.”

-

The skunk giggled again, then rested her elbows on the table and buried her face in her paws, grinding the heels of her pads against her eyes before straightening the longer fur atop her head. “I am, yes, at least in a way. There are many threads happening at once and, as May Then My Name put it, I have painted myself into a corner.”

+

The skunk giggled again, sounding even less grounded, then rested her elbows on the table and buried her face in her paws, grinding the heels of her pads against her eyes before straightening the longer fur atop her head. “I am, yes, at least in a way. There are many threads happening at once and, as May Then My Name put it, I have painted myself into a corner with this one.”

“Make your pitch, then,” May said, voice softer still.

“It is a small ask, I hope,” The skunk said, folding her hands on the tabletop once more. “Do not publish any of this information in the feeds or in some new book, and do not put it anywhere in the perisystem architecture. Not yet. I ask that you keep it between yourselves, Jonas, me, and other Odists. You may, of course, keep communicating with Castor, but I would ask that you not pass this on to Pollux yet. Codrin and True Name are working together, per the message I received, so I imagine our messages will contain similar content, but should anything interesting come up, I would be much obliged if you shared with me. Are you open to that?”

“Sure,” Ioan said.

-

May shrugged. “Sure. I may talk to A Finger Pointing and End Waking about it, but I think you will have the rest of the clade under control before I wind up speaking to them again. The only other that I would like to share this with, however, is Douglas.”

+

May shrugged. “Sure. I may talk to A Finger Pointing and End Waking about it, but I think you will have the rest of the clade under control before I wind up speaking to them again. The only other that I would like to share this with is Douglas.”

The skunk stiffened in her seat and sat silent for a moment. “May I be there when you do? I would like to impress upon him the gravity of the situation.”

“Absolutely not.”

True Name winced, wilted, nodded. “I see. Well, if you would pass on my request for information security, I would be very thankful.”

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The skunk canted her ears back and nodded.

May let go of her paws and then hugged her arms up around her cocladist’s shoulders. “I still believe that.”

True Name leaned into the hug. Ey couldn’t see her face from where ey sat, but ey could still hear the sharp intake of breath and see the shaking of her shoulders.

-

After a moment, May leaned back, rested her paws on True Name’s shoulders, and said, “But do not ever, ever, come to my fucking house again.”

+

After a moment, May leaned back, rested her paws on True Name’s shoulders, and said, “But do not ever, ever, come to my house again.”