The skunk wilted, a look somewhere between relieved and resigned coming over his face. “Yes. Soon. Thank you, my dear.”
“Of course. Love you, E.W.”
“Love you too.”
-There was nothing else for it, then. With one last wave to the skunk (already heading off into the woods, of course), he stepped back to the Hadjes’ field.
+There was nothing else for it, then. With one last wave to the skunk (already heading off into the woods), he stepped back to the Hadjes’ field.
Ioan and Douglas were still standing where he’d left them, so he waved again. “Sorry, back for a little bit.”
“On your own again?” Ioan asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s been building up for a long time. We agreed I’d head off when the tent was done, and we just got the nets all hung yesterday. Hey, can we go inside, though? He was right, it’s pretty fucking hot out here with fur.”
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@They laughed.
“But I’d been thinking much the same, I guess. If she does disappear, I’d probably feel at least a little bit of vindication for the way she jerked us all around without us realizing it and all that shit she did with the Council. I’d also feel like there was a fraction less of my friend around, though, too. I love E.W., I’m happy he’s in my life, we get along well for the most part, but there’s also this layer of, like…well, he was part of Sasha and Michelle, and they and I went through a lot together.”
“You talk about those two facets like different people,” Ioan said. “Sorry, not to derail. Just that I noticed that. None of the Odists do.”
-“Most, maybe. I picked it up from Hammered Silver, who spent probably more time with them than anyone. All her instances feel singular, I imagine, but they were two instances in one. Sasha was this really emotional, really caring person. It wasn’t that Michelle wasn’t, just that when she was at the fore, she was much more…I don’t know. Logical? Rational?”
+“Most, maybe. I picked it up from Hammered Silver, who spent probably more time with them than anyone. All their instances feel singular, I imagine, but they were two instances in one. Sasha was this really emotional, really caring person. It wasn’t that Michelle wasn’t, just that when she was at the fore, she was much more…I don’t know. Logical? Rational?”
“And when it was both? When she was in flux, or whatever?”
“Then she was just tired,” he said, smiling at memories. “But right, before I totally lose track, you asked how I feel. Uh, I guess I feel scared.”
Ioan furrowed eir brow. “Really?
@@ -63,12 +63,12 @@“That bad?”
“Did she not talk about her to you?”
Ey shrugged. “Every now and then, and sometimes she’d get pretty pissed, but it was only once a year or so.”
-“Mm, about the same amount, but maybe she kept it a bit…I don’t know, gentler for you, since she has to live with you. She’d come over once a year or so and just go off for a while. It kind of became routine. She’d vent, then we’d have a good day.”
+“Mm, about the same amount, but maybe she kept it a bit…I dunno, gentler for you, since she has to live with you. She’d come over once a year or so and just go off for a while. It kinda became routine. She’d vent, then we’d have a good day.”
Ioan switched to rubbing eir hands over her face. “I don’t even know what to do about her.”
“Nothing,” Douglas said. “Nothing but love her and keep talking, I mean. She’s a grown woman, she can work out her feelings well enough. Hell, she’s already seeing a therapist.”
Ey slumped back dramatically against the couch cushions. “Why does everyone tell me to stop fixing others’ problems for them? Even the intellectual side of me is in on the game.”
They laughed.
-“It’s so hard to actually internalize. I’ll catch myself trying to mend May and True Name’s relationship or make May feel better or whatever, and I’ll have to force myself to relax.”
+“It’s so hard to actually internalize. I’ll catch myself trying to mend her and True Name’s relationship or make May feel better or whatever, and I’ll have to force myself to relax.”
“It’s not a bad thing,” Debarre said. “I mean, you still shouldn’t do that all the time, but it’s at least a sign that you’re just a good person who wants to do right by eir friends.”
Ey smiled gratefully. “I’m at least trying. May’s done her own fair share of trying to help, but that at least fits her M.O. One more question, then I think I need to table the topic for a bit.”
“Sure.”