update from sparkleup
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Madison Scott-Clary
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<p>“Oh, it is,” the woman said. “Come on, Dr Hadje. Do keep up.”</p>
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<p>All of his blood was completely replaced with ice water. His voice failed him. A hatch in the field opened beneath him and he began to fall. Or, at least that’s what his mind told him was happening. When the world finally stopped spinning and he finally reconnected with his body, he found that he was sitting on the grass.</p>
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<p>“You’re…”</p>
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<p>The woman — Michelle? — came and sat on the grass next to him to hug an arm around his shoulders, her expression softening. “I am May Then My Name Die With Me of the Ode clade, Douglas. Michelle’s clade. It has been a long time since I was actually Michelle, but I once was, yes. I am <em>of</em> Michelle.”</p>
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<p>The woman—Michelle?—came and sat on the grass next to him to hug an arm around his shoulders, her expression softening. “I am May Then My Name Die With Me of the Ode clade, Douglas. <em>Michelle’s</em> clade.”</p>
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<p>“So…”</p>
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<p>“I was forked from her two centuries ago, and I remember being her.” She rubbed her hand against his back. “Douglas, please keep breathing. You are going to pass out if you keep that up.”</p>
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<p>“I was forked from her two centuries ago, and while it would be more accurate to say that I am <em>of</em> her than Michelle herself, I remember being her.” She rubbed her hand against his back. “Douglas, please keep breathing. You are going to pass out if you keep that up.”</p>
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<p>He gulped for air, shaking. “You lied to me, then? You…”</p>
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<p>“A small untruth,” she said, voice calm and soothing. “Michelle herself did quit some time ago, but I am of her clade.”</p>
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<p>“Why didn’t you tell me?”</p>
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<p>May Then My Name’s countenance fell, easier to read on a human’s face than a skunk’s. “I did not want to because I was going to have fun with the reveal, but I see now that I hurt you instead, for which I am eternally sorry.” She sounded on the edge of crying again, and took a moment to calm herself before continuing. “You will learn about individuation before long. That I look like her and originated from her, I am no more closely related to her than you are. We are both distant cousins of Michelle Hadje, but all the same, I will tell you all about her, about us. I am very sorry, my dear.”</p>
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<p>He nodded. All that she was saying was swirling around in his mind, wrapped up in the strange, fluent-yet-stilted language that he’d gotten used to over text but now had to get used to in person. He couldn’t tell if he was mad at her or happy that he knew or just confused, but so earnest was May then My Name’s expression that the heat of anger quickly cooled.</p>
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<p>“Uh, I’m not feeling…can we talk about something else?” he asked. “And can you go back to looking like someone else? I’m sorry…”</p>
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<p>May Then My Name — the one that looked like Michelle — nodded meekly and quit, leaving the still sniffling skunk to help Douglas up, pulling him over to the picnic blanket with her so that she could sit next to him. She tasked the still-grinning historian with setting up the food while they talked.</p>
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<p>“Douglas, my dear, what are you most excited about, now that you have uploaded?” she asked earnestly, paw resting on his knee.</p>
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<p>She winked. “A story such as ours deserves a grand conclusion, does it not?”</p>
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<p>He laughed. It sounded manic even to his own ears, crazed. “Tell me everything! I need to know about you, about her, about–“</p>
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<p>“Patience, patience!” May Then My Name ducked one of his waving hands, laughing as well. “We have all the time in the world, my dear, and today is a day for many celebrations. You will learn all about us, cousin. You will learn about me and her, about individuation and cladal dynamics. I am as much a relation to her than you are.”</p>
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<p>He nodded. All that she was saying was swirling around in his mind, wrapped up in the strange, fluent-yet-stilted language that he’d gotten used to over text but now had to get used to in person. He couldn’t tell if he was ecstatic at the news, mad at her, or simply overwhelmed, but so earnest was May then My Name’s expression that the heat of anger quickly cooled.</p>
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<p>“Everything feels like it needs to be done in such a rush, though,” he admitted. “Like if I don’t do it right now I’m going to explode. You really look like her? Exactly? And you as a skunk?”</p>
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<p>May Then My Name—the one that looked like Michelle—smirked and disappeared, having apparently quit, leaving the still giggling skunk to help Douglas up.</p>
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<p>“Later, I promise.” She pulled him over to the picnic blanket with her so that she could sit next to him. She tasked Ioan with setting up the food while they talked. “Douglas, my dear, what are you most excited about, now that you have uploaded?” she asked earnestly, paw resting on his knee.</p>
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<p>“Well, I was going to say meeting you two, but now that that’s over, I guess getting to know you. Like, actually know you, instead of just chatting over text. Getting to know the System, too. I spent years imagining how it worked in here, and now that I’m here, I’m a little overwhelmed with how little of that feels accurate.”</p>
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<p>“It is difficult to explain in words how it all works, so many phys-side do not know.”</p>
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<p>“I guess I want to try some real food, too. We get chicken once a month on the station. Or got, I guess. Otherwise it was all vegetarian. No complaints, really, but it gets a bit samey after twenty years. There’s a lot of catching up to do. Chicken and bread and fried things.”</p>
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@ -129,7 +131,7 @@
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<p>The rest of the day from there on was, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the happiest that Douglas had ever had. He learned of the Ode and of the Name. He learned of Codrin and Dear. He learned of all of the vast vagaries of the System, of the new arts and the subtle sciences that could exist only outside of the physical world. He learned, watching the way Ioan and May Then My Name looked at each other, spoke to each other, touched each other, what happiness even was, and that he was a part of it lent more of a sense of completion than any celebration could.</p>
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</article>
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<footer>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-11-12</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-11-14</p>
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</footer>
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</main>
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