After a moment’s tussle, Answers Will Not Help sprawled flat the ground, limp and laughing, retching, crying. “For the Stupendous Vision of eir diameters—” she said, and then quit, leaving True Name to fall to the ground, weeping.
There was a shocked silence around the table, and when no one moved, Codrin slid out of eir chair to kneel by True Name’s side. Her form had begun to waver once more, and, remembering the aversion to touch that came with that, ey simply sat beside her, waiting until she calmed down.
It was Sarah who broke the silence. “What just happened?”
-“As mentioned, True Name and, uh…Why Ask Questions — that is, Michelle Hadje — was one of the lost, and I guess time skew is similar enough to—“
-“No,” the Odist said between heaving breaths. “She was right. That was Answers Will Not Help.”
+Codrin spoke carefully. “As mentioned, True Name and, uh…Why Ask Questions — that is, Michelle Hadje — were among the lost, and I guess time skew is similar enough to—“
+“No,” the Odist said between heaving breaths, clutching at her arm where it had been struck. “She was right. That was Answers Will Not Help.”
Tycho frowned, nodded. “We had guessed.”
“She should not have been able to do that,” Iska said, nearly growling. “She should not have been able to do any of that. No skew, no exit. What was she? Who are you?”
“Leader True Name,” Turun Ko said. “Please explain ‘lost’ in this context.”
@@ -63,17 +63,17 @@She nodded. “Yes, that would be fine. It is uncomfortable, but I can sleep through the discomfort.”
“Aët,” it said. “We shall return here in half an hour. The other participants shall meet in the central courtyard.”
“I will join shortly,” Iska said. “I must contact a technician, first.”
-They did not wait, but seemed to disappear as they shifted up to a fast enough time to travel faster than ey could perceive.
+They did not wait, but seemed to disappear as they shifted up to a high enough skew to travel faster than ey could perceive.
Codrin nodded to the other emissaries. “Go ahead. I’ll help True Name to her room, then join up with you in a bit.”
“I am sorry,” True Name mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard.
“Leader True name, please understand that you are in no way responsible. Even your deception was, as you say, wargamed. We will discuss shortly.”
“Rest,” Artante added. “Become whole.”
-As the others departed Codrin held out eir arm, letting the skunk grip it tightly as ey helped her to stand. They swayed together at the brief sensorium twinge as the unison room was skewed up by a factor of two.
+As the others departed Codrin held out eir arm, letting the skunk clutch it tightly as ey helped her to stand. They swayed together at the brief sensorium twinge as the unison room was skewed up by a factor of two.
The walk down the hall was a slow and unsteady affair, and Codrin couldn’t help but see every one of True Name’s two and a half centuries in the way she moved. She looked as she always had, was as strong as she’d ever been, and yet each one of those long years seemed to be a weight she had to draw along behind her. She kept her grip on eir forearm throughout, however, as though the contact kept her pinned to one reality.
Ey guided her into her room and helped her to sit down on the edge of her bed, and even then, it took her a few long seconds to loosen her grip.
“You heard nothing today, Mx. Bălan,” she mumbled, quiet enough that ey had to lean closer to hear. “I know what you thought you heard, but you heard nothing. Do not tell anyone. Do not tell Ioan, and certainly do not tell any others within the Ode clade.”
Ey took a half step back from the skunk. So hoarse and clouded was her voice that ey couldn’t piece together her mood. “I…is that a suggestion or a demand? I’m sorry, True Name. I know how much it means, I just–“
-She smiled weakly and shook her head before laying out on her side, facing em. “It is a request from me to you, Codrin, from my clade to yours. Across our two entangled clades.” The smile faded as she added, “Not…a request. A plea.”
+She smiled weakly and shook her head before laying out on her side, rubbing her arm and wincing. “It is a request from me to you, Codrin, from my clade to yours. Across our two entangled clades.” The smile faded as she added, “Not…a request. A plea.”
Ey nodded, struck silent by the sincerity in her voice. Real, actual sincerity. It made em feel bashful. Ey bowed and started to turn back toward the door.
“Codrin?”
“Yes?”