update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/neviim/ioan/009.html

@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
 <p>The conversation was veering further off-script. The skunk herself was veering far afield from the one ey&rsquo;d pictured in eir head. &ldquo;Your counterpart on Castor sounds much the same as I remember. The True Name on Pollux has, from what I hear, wound up in a relationship and started to guide more openly over the last few years.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>Looking down to where she held her mug against her front, True Name blinked rapidly, nodding.</p>
 <p><em>Tears? Really?</em> Ey frowned, searching her face and posture for any hint that this was some calculated display of emotion. </p>
-<p>&ldquo;Is it something about the Lagrange System?&rdquo; ey asked, hunting for something to fix, helpless to stop emself from doing so. &ldquo;Is the culture that different here? Maybe something about the System itself? I&rsquo;m trying to think of what might be different.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Is it something about the Lagrange System?&rdquo; ey asked, hunting for something to fix, helpless to stop emself from doing so. Some anxiety over that lack of control drove em to try and smooth out the situation <em>somehow</em>. &ldquo;Is the culture that different here? Maybe something about the System itself? I&rsquo;m trying to think of what might be different.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>&ldquo;I do not know, Ioan.&rdquo; She sniffed, sat up straighter, and smiled tiredly at em. &ldquo;Again, if I did, perhaps there might be something that I could do to address it. I know what I am &mdash; what I have become &mdash; in comparison to my peers. While I am trying not to view that as a failing, it is&hellip;difficult.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>&ldquo;Something with Jonas, perhaps?&rdquo;</p>
 <p>She winced and looked away, ears pinned flat.</p>
@@ -82,14 +82,14 @@
 <p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry, True Name.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>She shook her head, took a moment to regain her composure, and said, &ldquo;No, I suppose I do, at that. It is difficult to remember even from the inside, my dear. Thank you for reminding me, and thank you for listening.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>The skunk reached out a paw toward em and, after a moment&rsquo;s hesitation, ey took it and gave it what ey hoped was a comforting squeeze. Ey was once more startled by the similarity of her to May: the softness of her fur, the satiny feel of her pads, those well-kept claws.</p>
-<p>She laughed and shook her head, pulling her paw back. &ldquo;How silly. I believe I stand by my assessment that comfort through physicality is not for me, but thank you all the same. That you have the capacity to comfort, well, even me does mean a lot, Mx. Bălan. I appreciate your empathy.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>She laughed and shook her head, pulling her paw back. &ldquo;How silly. I believe I stand by my assessment that comfort through physicality is not for me, but thank you all the same. That you have the capacity to comfort&hellip;well, even me does mean a lot, Mx. Bălan. I appreciate your empathy.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>Ey smiled cautiously. &ldquo;Worth a try, I suppose.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>&ldquo;Yes. Worth a try.&rdquo; She stood slowly and gave a hint of a bow. &ldquo;I have much to think about, Mx. Bălan, and a message to send to Ms. Genet. Please spend some quality time with your partner tonight, and I hope to see you in the future.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>&ldquo;Of course. Until next time.&rdquo;</p>
 <p>She bowed again and stepped from the sim, leaving em to sit on the couch and finish eir tea, mulling over the differences between changing and forgetting. Without forgetting, all True Name had, all they <em>all</em> had, was the ability to change, and all they could do was hope that this would be enough to keep them all sane.</p>
             </article>
             <footer>
-                <p>Page generated on 2022-02-19</p>
+                <p>Page generated on 2022-03-16</p>
             </footer>
         </main>
         <script type="text/javascript">