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
"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."
dark_light
"I am glad you don't think I'm annoying."
"Yes. I mean, I suppose people who settle as bugs aren't necessarily very cuddly people to begin with."
"Yes. I mean, I suppose people who settle as bugs aren't necessarily very cuddly people to begin with."
prodigal_miser
"You aren't! You're delightful, brilliant, funny, creative... and lots of other things that would take a while to say. Their method was mostly just - 'Behold, I am female and pretty, therefore we should make babies' and I just found that bewildering."
"True. Maybe there's a really cuddly dragonfly somewhere that we just don't know, though?"
"True. Maybe there's a really cuddly dragonfly somewhere that we just don't know, though?"
dark_light
"Whereas I was all 'I'm female, pretty, and want to send Yambe Akka into retirement'..."
"Maybe," says Path. "I don't think we've ever met someone with a dragonfly personally."
"Maybe," says Path. "I don't think we've ever met someone with a dragonfly personally."
prodigal_miser
He giggles. "Yeah. That's pretty amazing, all in all."
"Ah, well. Maybe I will! Then I can tell you if they're cuddly or not," says Vern brightly.
"Ah, well. Maybe I will! Then I can tell you if they're cuddly or not," says Vern brightly.
prodigal_miser
Snuggle! "They only started trying drugs when I proved to not want to screw everything female that moved."
"Good! It will be an interesting report."
"Good! It will be an interesting report."
prodigal_miser
"No. I mean, a few times I spent a day or two in my room with the door locked trying to get over whatever the thing they gave me was, but they never actually managed to - uh. Take advantage. The first time it happened it was close, but Ana was there and stopped that one pretty handily."
Vern snuggles Path. This is helping quite a bit with keeping Adarin and Isabella's conversation less sad, at least on Adarin's end.
Vern snuggles Path. This is helping quite a bit with keeping Adarin and Isabella's conversation less sad, at least on Adarin's end.
prodigal_miser
Hugs! "It's alright. That's what twins are for. There was a lot of looking out for each other."
"Now that we're going to officially live here - is there any problem with us just staying with you? We don't mind moving out if it makes you uncomfortable."
"Now that we're going to officially live here - is there any problem with us just staying with you? We don't mind moving out if it makes you uncomfortable."
dark_light
"Makes sense," says Isabella.
"Nooooo stay," laughs Path. "We like you to be here with us."
"Nooooo stay," laughs Path. "We like you to be here with us."
prodigal_miser
"Yeah. She's still not very cuddly, though," Adarin says.
Vern giggles, and nuzzles Path. "That's what we wanted, but we didn't want to push."
Vern giggles, and nuzzles Path. "That's what we wanted, but we didn't want to push."
dark_light
"I noticed she didn't hug me. False advertising."
"Where would you even go?" wonders Path.
"Where would you even go?" wonders Path.
prodigal_miser
Adarin laughs. "Well, maybe she will eventually. I think she was preoccupied with being angry with me, then being angry at other things."
"We don't know. We'd probably solicit alethiometer answers, or something. It doesn't matter now, though, we get to stay with you!"
"We don't know. We'd probably solicit alethiometer answers, or something. It doesn't matter now, though, we get to stay with you!"