Isabella consults the alethiometer.
"Well," she sighs, "the ambiguously good news is, I think these variously phrased responses add up to: teleporting to separate works fine and won't kill her, but it condenses all the unpleasantness into the single moment. But at least it'll be over with quickly."
dark_light
prodigal_miser
"Eh, I could explain what I had if you like, but my childhood was a little different from the standard, I believe."
"Awww," pronounces Vern. Path gets snuggles for his trouble. "I like you as you are. Soft and cuddly!"
"Awww," pronounces Vern. Path gets snuggles for his trouble. "I like you as you are. Soft and cuddly!"
dark_light
"I'm curious anyway," says Isabella.
Snuggles. "I like being an owl, but it was nice to be able to have hands, or get things that fell under the couch, or try out different limbs. I liked having fur. I liked glowing."
Snuggles. "I like being an owl, but it was nice to be able to have hands, or get things that fell under the couch, or try out different limbs. I liked having fur. I liked glowing."
prodigal_miser
"Hmm. Well, with daemons in particular - we just didn't have them and there was only us. I think childhood might have been less whimsical because of it, possibly. In a more general sense - my biological father died before I was born, and my mother wasn't... Healthy, mentally. So that probably colors the rest of it - Veron helped a lot with that part. He was a good man," says Adarin, softly.
"It does sound like a lot of fun," says Vern. "I think I like as I am, but I would have liked to try flying properly. Or seeing what fur was like, or any number of things. What was it like to glow?"
"It does sound like a lot of fun," says Vern. "I think I like as I am, but I would have liked to try flying properly. Or seeing what fur was like, or any number of things. What was it like to glow?"
dark_light
"How did you wind up so close to him if you weren't biologically related?" Isabella asks.
"It's hard to describe," says Path. "It's a little like moonlight, backwards, but you can't feel moonlight either."
"It's hard to describe," says Path. "It's a little like moonlight, backwards, but you can't feel moonlight either."
prodigal_miser
"Oh, well. That's sort of a complicated situation. I think my caretakers would have kicked him out entirely if they could have, but he helped keep my mother calm, so there he stayed. They kept us by her for the same reason, though she wasn't actually any good at motherhood. He noticed us and decides that we needed more than just - lessons and rules and things to do and things people wanted us to be. So, honorary fatherhood."
Vern giggles a little. "No, but it's nice to hear you describe it. Maybe there's a spell so that you can be a glowing owl and feel it again?"
Vern giggles a little. "No, but it's nice to hear you describe it. Maybe there's a spell so that you can be a glowing owl and feel it again?"
dark_light
"That does sound really complicated," says Isabella.
"If somebody cast a spell on me to make me glow I wouldn't be doing the glowing," sighs Path.
"If somebody cast a spell on me to make me glow I wouldn't be doing the glowing," sighs Path.
prodigal_miser
"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't seem like it when you know the entire situation, but trying to explain it all is interesting. I can try, if you like?"
"Adarin's good at spells. He might be able to find a way," suggests Vern. "But I'll understand if you don't want to try it."
"Adarin's good at spells. He might be able to find a way," suggests Vern. "But I'll understand if you don't want to try it."
dark_light
"I want to know all about it," says Isabella. "Whatever pace of explanation is comfy for you works for me."
"It was only partly about actually glowing, anyway. I liked being a-thing-that-could-glow," says Path.
"It was only partly about actually glowing, anyway. I liked being a-thing-that-could-glow," says Path.
prodigal_miser
He smiles, and kisses her cheek. "Thanks. Well, um... Obvious start is what happened with my mother, since it colored my and my sister's situation. Good place to start?"
"Ahh, I see." Nuzzle, nuzzle. "I'm sorry. You must have been beautiful."
"Ahh, I see." Nuzzle, nuzzle. "I'm sorry. You must have been beautiful."
dark_light
"Sure."
"Isabella didn't find it as interesting when I was a firefly. Bug daemons aren't very useful, and daemons who settle that way can get hurt easily," says Path. "But it was nice that I got to try."
"Isabella didn't find it as interesting when I was a firefly. Bug daemons aren't very useful, and daemons who settle that way can get hurt easily," says Path. "But it was nice that I got to try."
prodigal_miser
"Right, well. Usually when people like her are born, they get a normal childhood and they go conquering because no one can really stop them. But, some of the mages in power were paranoid of getting conquered, so they were on the lookout for another one. Thus, they found my mother. She got - I was never clear on how they actually got her, but got her they did. Raised her from birth, all is well. Except half-bloods - that's what we call them, we think they're half-fae - are pretty much walking time bombs, because they're essentially doomed to invariably lose their minds."
He sounds rather sad, explaining this. But cuddles help, with the telling.
"Oh," replies Vern, wistfully. "Makes sense. I wish I could have tried it."
He sounds rather sad, explaining this. But cuddles help, with the telling.
"Oh," replies Vern, wistfully. "Makes sense. I wish I could have tried it."
prodigal_miser
"So, political drama, some people didn't like that others had an incredibly powerful walking timebomb on their hands. She ended up getting - Veron worded it as 'creatively inspired rescue' but it was essentially kidnapping. Nice and well-motivated kidnapping, but perhaps the story's biased," explains Adarin. "Since Veron was the kidnapper and or rescuer."
"Aww, thank you," she replies, snuggling back. "As are you. It would have been hard to cuddle you if you were a firefly."
"Aww, thank you," she replies, snuggling back. "As are you. It would have been hard to cuddle you if you were a firefly."
dark_light
"He was with some - other faction?" asks Isabella.
"Yes, that's another problem. At least I was never tempted to be a flea for longer than it took to test the claim in that one book about how high they can jump," says Path.
"Yes, that's another problem. At least I was never tempted to be a flea for longer than it took to test the claim in that one book about how high they can jump," says Path.
prodigal_miser
"Yup! I think of them as the, 'Let's not all be jerks to each other' faction, but again, biased. I might be wrong. They're not exactly around to ask, anymore. So, she goes with them, falls in love, and uh -" he coughs. "Things progress from there and that was how I and my sister were made. I am a possible Stockholm Syndrome baby, admittedly."
"That would be terrible! You're not even remotely flea-ish, though I guess I don't know daemons well enough to judge properly."
"That would be terrible! You're not even remotely flea-ish, though I guess I don't know daemons well enough to judge properly."
dark_light
"I am very impressed that your translation spell can do 'Stockholm syndrome'." (Snuggles.)
"I am not flea-ish," agrees Path. "You'll pick it up, and nobody's perfect at predicting anyway."
"I am not flea-ish," agrees Path. "You'll pick it up, and nobody's perfect at predicting anyway."
prodigal_miser
He snickers. "That one was Wikipedia, actually. I spent an absurd amount of time looking at things there. Not all of it was completely useful."
"I have so much to learn about being a daemon! But I like it, it's nice. It's the kind of thing to look forward to."
"I have so much to learn about being a daemon! But I like it, it's nice. It's the kind of thing to look forward to."
dark_light
"You still have to look up 'feminism'. But finish your story first."
"Good," says Path, nuzzling Vernaia.
"Good," says Path, nuzzling Vernaia.
prodigal_miser
"I never said it was a perfect method to learn all about a culture. Regardless! So the people that had my mother took offense to losing her and wanted her back. They went to go make that happen, my mother's erstwhile lover was killed, and she sort of - snapped. Lots of people died. Veron was the one who managed to calm her down, because of course he treated her like a person during the kidnapping and or rescue and became friends."
"Also, the cuddles are pretty awesome."
"Also, the cuddles are pretty awesome."
dark_light
"I guess that's... not as bad as it could have been."
"They aaaaare," sighs Path, adjusting his wing around her.
"They aaaaare," sighs Path, adjusting his wing around her.
prodigal_miser
"Yeah. So they had a bit of a standoff with the remaining members of the people who had raised her - Veron might have been able to get my mother to kill them, but that risked several things, like not being able to calm her down after she started and the death tolls reaching ridiculous amounts. So, he agreed to go with them if he could keep her calm and they could not murder him."
Vern trills happily, snuggling Path. "So are you, too. But you knew that already."
Vern trills happily, snuggling Path. "So are you, too. But you knew that already."
prodigal_miser
"Pretty much. So - our mother had us, and they decided that they weren't going to touch her for fear of her freaking out again and causing mass murders. But us, they could use. Ironically enough, neither of us fit the role they wanted us for at all. Zeviana didn't want to get married off and bear lots of children, and I didn't - er. Sleep around."
"Good! If you didn't, I would have to remind you."
"Good! If you didn't, I would have to remind you."
dark_light
"...I am now imagining you interacting with a bunch of people who want you to be promiscuous for the sake of the magical gene pool and I am generating kind of hilarious mental images. Correct me if it was more depressing than 'adorable with lots of blushing'."
"I am sure you would," says Path.
"I am sure you would," says Path.
prodigal_miser
He snickers, a little, blushing. "I mean, I guess it was kind of adorable? Most of it was just annoying, though. I didn't like any of my options as potential partners, so I just... Didn't do that. Then more people would bother me to sleep with them and I'd just want them to go away because they were annoying and I had a cool spell to work on."
Nuzzle, nuzzle. "I'm also glad that I can cuddle. If I were a bug that would be terrible."
Nuzzle, nuzzle. "I'm also glad that I can cuddle. If I were a bug that would be terrible."