update from sparkleup
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<p>They also supplied her with ready water, coffee, and a few comforting snacks on one of the bedside tables so that she wouldn’t have to get up just to go to the kitchen.</p>
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<p>Another beanbag was added for May, in case True Name requested that she stay in there for any length of time, and a more comfortable bench-swing was added to the balcony in case she needed to go outside but wasn’t feeling up to walking down to the prairie itself.</p>
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<p>It felt like rather a lot of preparations to make just for a merge, but then May had last merged down eighty-three years before ey had even uploaded, nearly sixty-four before ey’d even been born, and after seeing how intense End Waking’s merge had been, none of them felt up to cutting any corners and having to rush comfort after the fact.</p>
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<p>Finally, though, there was nothing left to do and May forked so that the new instance could pull Ioan down into the beanbag and just drape over em to hold em still so that ey’d quit pacing.</p>
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<p>Finally, though, there was nothing left to do, no further preparations to be made, so May took eir hand to hold em still so that ey’d quit pacing.</p>
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<p>“I don’t even know why I’m fretting so much, I’m not even the one merging.”</p>
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<p>True Name grinned and shrugged. “I am fretting too, my dear, do not worry.”</p>
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<p>“It is a big event,” the May currently occupying eir lap added. “It will be an even bigger merge and, while it may be more comfortable than End Waking merging down as she has said, it will be no less complex.”</p>
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<p>Ey sighed and nodded, petting through some of her fur. “Right, right. I’ll relax and leave you to the rest of it.”</p>
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<p>“It is a big event,” May added. “It will be an even bigger merge and, while it may be more comfortable than End Waking merging down as she has said, it will be no less complex.”</p>
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<p>Ey sighed and nodded, squeezing her paw before tugging eir hand free. “Right, right. I’ll relax and leave you to the rest of it.”</p>
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<p>“Please stay, Ioan,” True Name said quietly.</p>
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<p>“Stay?”</p>
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<p>“Yes. Please stay. I do not think it will be dramatic, but, well…” She frowned as though hunting for words. “You are a grounding person. Is that not what my counterpart on Castor said about Codrin? I do appreciate your presence.”</p>
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<p>Ey considered any number of responses ey could give before just nodding. If nothing else, ey didn’t want to hold either of the skunks up from what would most certainly affect both of them more than it would em.</p>
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<p>May forked once more, and climbed up onto the bed with True Name, the two skunks kneeling, facing each other, amid all the blankets and pillows.</p>
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<p>Both Ioan and True Name watched as the down-tree instance of May scrubbed her paws over her face vigorously for a moment, gave a shaky wave, and then quit. True Name winced and squinted her eyes shut for a moment, and the May who had knelt with her on the bed reached out and took the skunk’s paws in her own.</p>
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<p>May forked and the new instance climbed up onto the bed with True Name, the two skunks kneeling, facing each other, amid all the blankets and pillows.</p>
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<p>Both Ioan and True Name watched as the down-tree instance of May scrubbed her paws over her face vigorously for a moment, gave a shaky wave, and then quit. True Name winced and screwed her eyes shut, and the May who had knelt with her on the bed reached out and took the skunk’s paws in her own.</p>
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<p>“Go ahead.”</p>
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<p>It was still another ten seconds or so before True Name managed to relax enough to permit the merge to progress, and then the only visual indication was a slow slump of her shoulders and a relaxing of the muscles of her face.</p>
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<p>The May who had joined em on the beanbag squirmed up enough to nudge em over so that she could get her arms around em and rest her head on eir chest, watching carefully.</p>
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<p>They stayed like that for nearly five minutes — two skunks kneeling on the bed while ey and May watched from the beanbag beside it — before True Name moved again.</p>
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<p>It was still another ten seconds or so before True Name managed to relax enough to permit the merge to progress, and even then the only visual indication was a slow slump of her shoulders and a relaxing of the muscles of her face.</p>
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<p>Ioan stuffed eir hands in eir pockets and did eir best to feel rooted to where ey stood, hoping against hope that ey could keep from pacing. Both em and May watched True Name carefully, though she seemed almost frozen, breathing shallowly despite the relaxed set of her features.</p>
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<p>They stayed like that for nearly five minutes — two skunks kneeling on the bed while ey watched from beside it — before True Name moved again.</p>
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<p>“Oh, May,” she whispered, and started to sag over to one side.</p>
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<p>The other skunk shushed her quietly and helped her to lay out on her side before settlingdown with her. Laying on a beanbag beside the bed was not a fantastic angle, but from what ey could see, they’d simply curled together, still facing each other, nearly snout to snout and still holding paws.</p>
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<p>Eir May sniffled quietly and buried her face against eir chest. Ey wrapped eir arms around her shoulders and just held onto her as she cried as quietly as she could.</p>
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<hr />
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<p>An hour later, May and Ioan set up a cone of silence above them so that they could sneak silently out of the room to leave the other two skunks be. Neither had moved or made a sound other than May asking True Name if she was okay in a quiet murmur and the other skunk shaking her head.</p>
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<p>Once the door was shut behind them, May groaned and padded over to the kitchen. “That was very hard.”</p>
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<p>The other skunk shushed her quietly and helped her to lay out on her side before settling down with her. They curled together, still facing each other, nearly snout to snout and still holding paws.</p>
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<p>It was more than an hour later before May forked beside em, took eir hand, and led em from the room. Neither of the skunks on the bed had moved or made a sound other than May asking True Name if she was okay in a quiet murmur and the other skunk shaking her head.</p>
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<p>Once the door was shut behind them, May let out a shaky sigh and padded over to the kitchen. “That was very hard.”</p>
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<p>“Why, do you think?” ey asked.</p>
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<p>The skunk took a moment to pour herself a glass of water before replying. “I want to be here with you, and I also want to be in there with her, and I also want to go back in time and tell her I do not want to merge, and I also want to go back in time and merge instead of End Waking, and and and…”</p>
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<p>((More, but I am so, so tired.))</p>
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<p>…</p>
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</article>
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<footer>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-04-22</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-04-23</p>
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</footer>
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</main>
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