Family is A Horde of Disaster Lesbians and a Pair of Gay Boys (Blade)
Content Warnings:
WOW! HARMONIZATION! Sharing of trauma about mental instability, Frame wounds, wiggles, separating yourself into the bits that are Divine and the bits that are Pack.
We leave Mom and Presephona to start determining the mechanics of their relationship and head towards mine and Adaline's room. Once the door is closed with us all inside I shudder and flail in disgust until I feel calm enough to talk.
Things to do still. Gotta harmonize Verbess and join Infection to the Pack, and... check in on Gebetshure... Damn it Augusta, you've really made things complicated. Not to mention the Nadine situation, and whatever is going on with Lynette and Girra. Then we have to get through the actual negotiations with the Groves, plan and follow through with removing Presephona's contingencies, and figure out how the heck to get Augusta back, all before Sikkina is born.
I share my list with the Pack and my Mistresses as I feel Calix stepping into the Driftdream courtesy of Krahe. "And yes, Mistress Lynette, I AM going to need to know what's up with the two of you. Even though it makes me really uncomfortable to press." I confirm before she can get a word in edgewise.
She stares at me for a long six heartbeats before speaking, tendrils clicking such an odd tune. "Xafra, you can press me in almost any way you like. But, would you like me to explain now, or later?"
I raise my left hand up and connect it to the Driftdream where Nadine and Girra are still talking, letting Nomos spill from my hand like water. "Now would be best, as I'm... Already being affected."
She winces, takes a hesitant step forward. "Moonshite. That's... I thought you were immune to the spores? I expected weaving Infection into the Pack will cause problems, of course. But... what do you mean by affected. Exactly?"
"I am immune to the spores, can't become Sun-blessed myself but one of my geists is and she's communing with Girra right now inside the Driftdream. With Infection, who has a significantly stronger connection to Girra and will become part of the foundation of the Driftdream, He will have significantly more access... So I need to know before I have to make hard choices out of desperation." I reply, still shielding Nadine's identity.
She stops, still a half-metre away and with a hand-half raised toward the pouring of Nomos. "That's... not ideal. Didn't realize any of them could do that without you changing things to allow it. But this gerl, the one who found a way to choose Him, is... she's adapting well? Not being washed away in His tides?"
"She chose Him in the moments before death, and had kept the connection suppressed until now. I'm overseeing the process and she's adapting well enough. Mostly yelling at Him now…"
Lynette swallows, tendrils stilling as she steps closer, hand hovering only a little away from the spilling. "That's... Concerning. To only learn now. But, it makes sense. Can't say I'm anything but terrified to hear about it. Him flooding into all the spaces light could shine around us. Feels... like Elevar remembers as a gerl. Hopping on debris about the wasteways of our home while the waters started to rise. You have to move or get caught by the flood. Unable to scream once you get jerked below."
Her voice is so quiet by the end. Eyes the darkest I've ever seen. And in the reflection I can actually see glimmers of light where the Nomos falls.
"A part of me knew the whole time, but... Blocked it out. pretended it wasn't real. That I wasn't infected with the thing that scared me most. It wasn't until after the first Garrote was removed that I was even able to... think about it." I explain.
"I... I'm sorry. Like everything else, you didn't ask or agree to that." She offers. "Should... You can still refuse all this. Him, and those that His Blaze and sea consume. We can talk with the Pack. Find a better solution that lets Infection entwine without weaving souls together. And this gerl within you could get a form without. Then we keep the Sun-Blessed as allies, but ones at arms length."
I nod. "I could do that. But I won't make decisions without all the information. Verbess is currently injured because I did that and... I need to be better. It needs me to be better."
"Would... It help Mistress Lynette if Sister Xafra joins you going to that place?" Schatzi asks gently.
Lynette looks so torn in that moment. "Possibly. It'll depend on... things. Honestly. And that place smells like the worst kind of trap to me." Then she sighs and moves to sit on my bed, waves to my hand dismissively. "Can you ensure my words won't reach Him? Before I try to parse this out to you all?"
"Yes. I can prevent Him from listening in." I answer and cut off the flow of Nomos.
Lynette nods, looks down to stare at her palms. "Good. Thank you. I... If I share this, Infection or anyone connected can never hear these words. Including any Geists that choose Him. Is... that possible? Can you promise that? Because if not all I can say is that myself and my Doll are a threat to Him. Directly and Indirectly. Woven to Hurt Him by a Beast that has spent a long time scheming how to. Watched the Moon break like He did. I've no plans to act on this threat, of course. To be clear. At... at least not anytime soon. Not until I know He can't burn away all I love in response."
Adaline heads to the door, leading Schatzi with her. "Acceptable."
My heart aches at these words but I nod, having Warden assist in partitioning my mind before I send it out with the rest of the Pack.
"I hate the contradictions in this." Elevar huffs while a form of Physis manifests beside Lynette. "Especially after today. The entire point is to make choices together. And... This seems something impossible to do well between the three of us."
"We can't let Him know this." Lynette growls. "He's stable because He's secure. Untouchable. Threaten that? I'll not have a wretched Godling acting the feral beast I cannot end before He strikes back."
"Okay, but I need to know about the history and about Sekrhús." I press, trying to focus on the important stuff. "I need to know why you want to end him. The consequences of success... I don't have the power to take his place Mistress, nor the desire."
She chuckles strangely, voice dropping to a low unsteady hiss soon after. "Xafra, I can't pull Him from the sky. And... I'm... I never said I was woven to end Him. I said I was made to hurt Him. Perfectly so." Then... her voice shifts. Is like a Witch Tone but inside out. Inverted. barely seems to reach past her lips. "Inflict the Rot to the Dream He's woven to smother so many others without consequence. Gift Him the Ruin previously absent. And in a way that will drive Him to such Blight-riven grief should He not tread lightly through our world."
"As to the why?" She shrugs. "He hurts my Doll. And does the same to another I've found burnt records of. Is spiteful and wretched and horrid in the way the rest of us are but with the power and weight of a petty Godthing behind the ire.
"Sure. But that's not enough. I know that he's not intentionally hurting her, and it was Sekrhús that is causing it, just as Augusta made it so His Nomos hurts Sekrhús. I can find a way to relieve the issue for your Doll if you wish. Because... He does have that power. It's a horrifying amount and he acts like a child, which is a small mercy compared to if he acted in malice. If you're set on this, I will aid you once I'm strong enough, but... I want to know it is your desire, not simply doing what you were made for."
"What, by the Cracked and Riven Moon, did you just say? Augusta did what?" She hisses, jerks to stare wide eyed at me. "Please tell me it's a... That you're exaggerating."
"No? That's what the name does. It proclaims the Estate as Guilty of violating the Law which is what Nomos is, in essence. It's something that will weaken Sekrhús more and more as years past. probably nothing more than a minor itch now but unless there are changes, it will eventually kill the Estate in the distant future. Augusta ripped immortality from Sekrhús' grasp." I explain with a pained smile.
"That... absolute fool. The cunt. The wretched bitch. To..." Lynette's snarls, but then trails off as her expression goes... Empty. Save her eyes. They turn pitched fury as she rises and moves toward the door. "Tend to your actual Sister, dear one. Verbess needs you. I'll... make sure this doesn't ruin us."
I sigh heavily, the dismissal and obsession in her voice painful to consider. "Yes, Mistress." With a twist of will, I lock away the information she wants to be kept secret and stagger slightly at the blankness I feel.
Look up to see…
"Lynette..." Elevar flickers to block her path. "Wait. We need to-"
"WHAT? Elevar?" She snarls. "What, by the Moonshited Seas can any of you fools do? Share this with the Pack? Let them examine my threads? Then let Girra fully understand what I could do in reply to this? No. I'll speak with the beast below, weave things into workable shapes. Alone. As I have for weeks while you lot kept the above stable. Just... see to my... my Doll when she wakes up and make sure those wretched Denizens don't trouble her. Even a drop of Nomos upon her Frame will be costly to handle now. Be sure our Xafra doesn't tamper with her either."
Then she pushes past the manifested form and is gone.
Elevar sighs and looks to me as her form reshapes itself. "Sorry love. I..." trails off. Moves to sit beside me. Unable to offer physical comfort but...
"Come." She whispers. "Into the Driftdream. So I can feel your hand in mine while we walk to the edges of Verbess' resting place"
I lay back and slip into the Driftdream with my Mistress, the passageway already overgrowing with Girra's verdance. With care, I prune it back to below the depth of the sapphire crowns of my copper trees before continuing downwards. As we land, I embrace my Mistress tightly, feeling unable to do anything right anymore.
She runs gentle fingers through my hair while squeezing me back. Seems... yeah. To be shaking a little herself. "Thank you, dear one. For... for trying. With her. Even... even hurt yourself to respect her boundaries when you could have refused. You did well. And I know it doesn't feel like it. But you did. I can feel that, if nothing else. And I'm so sorry. None of that is your fault. Or... well, I'm fairly annoyed with Augusta but for all the reasons I am about your actions with the Matron today. The motion is good, just... is something we could scheme together and avoid a mess. But she still adores you more than she knows what to do with, and I know we'll get through this."
"Thank you. I'm worried about her, but I'll trust that she knows what she's doing." As I release her, Schatzi and Adaline appear beside us, with Warden designated to watch over our corporeal forms.
My Mistress takes up a hand and nods. "I am too but... we can hope for the best and be ready to catch her when she slips. That's the most available to us at the moment, I think."
Schatzi sighs wearily and snaps her wings open as she shifts herself fully, her voice of burnished stone and awesome appearance making it clear why she was known as the Lady of Annihilation. "Come. The sooner this is done, the sooner I can rest. Sister Xafra, you will learn what I must do here without passing judgment or making assumptions. Is that Understood?"
I accept the censure in her words without question, the dissonance is my fault. I'm not a Doll, merely the template, and thus not... broken in precisely the same ways. What works for me isn't the same as what they need; my past rejection of the Harmonization requested is in part to blame, as it is to bring many into alignment, not forcing another into my motions. I need to learn this and understand well if I am to fulfill the role I was offered.
Elevar takes up Schatzi's hand in her opposite one and leads us down to the edges of the Driftdream where Verbess' resting place begins and the grass ends.
To me... it looks like a storm at sea, but one where the oceans and the clouds have swapped places. Water falling upwards and tides nibbling at the sky.
Krahe sits there on the border. Tangled in dark threads made of the waters and rumbling storm. Rises wordlessly to begin unwrapping herself of the bindings. Steps up to us when it grips them all in a pair of talons like some big writhing snek.
"Hey, little birb." She murmurs gently to Schatzi, leaning forward to bump heads as Quills titter in soft greetings. "Tugged it as close as I could, just like you told me to. You eh... want me to come with you and Xafra? Would love to help tuck you in to rest after this mess is done."
"Yes please." Schatzi responds softly, before releasing Elevar’s hand and taking the bundle of tethers from Krahe. I watch in rapt fascination as Schatzi starts to thrum, the Quill-song of
Each of us have a method of speeding our travel in the Dream, but we all approach it from a different starting point it seems. I keep quiet, focusing my attention on observing and understanding, doing my best to avoid the distractions presented by Calix walking in on Nadine, or the feelings of incompetence that threaten to overwhelm me.
Schatzi's song clears out the storm and sea as we move, revealing the cityscape of Verbess' domain devoid of life or Phantasms at the break of twilight. Yet moving quietly we hear a chorus of giggling joy and howling delight as a score of wisps tumble from the windows nearby. They fly right up to Schatzi and start to nuzzle her closely. She spreads her wings absurdly large and envelops them as she wraps the wings around herself and the Wisps like a shroud as she whispers to them. "Sweethearts, we don't have the time. Soon we can play, I promise."
Adaline looks shocked but stays quiet, a tinge of fear leaking through the bond.
The Wisps quiet a bit at her words, then twist free of the wing's embrace and whirl forward. Tittering little memory words in a way that almost seems to form a melody. Pausing at a doorway before bobbing up and down in excitement. As Schatzi begins to follow this path the wisps nuzzle her close as she walks, still mumbling happy memories while Krahe grins like crazy at Schatzi's wingspan.
"Can't take shortcuts to hard work." Schatzi declares as she leads the way through the doorway. The wisps lead us down into the waterways beneath the city, the murmurs shifting from happy memories to those of distress and regrets, some loud and some much quieter. Without warning there is a loud cracking sound, akin to Verbess expanding its Frame and the Wisps echo only happy memories in place of the others. We soon find the Glyphed doorway we saw previously, cracked open with Runes faded.
"Xafra, Krahe. Open the door for us please." Schatzi orders and we snap to it, pushing aside the massive door masked in the stench of rotting blood. Stepping inside we come to what is clearly Verbess' nest and I keep a note of the chamber stacked knee high with pillows and blankets, the window facing the sea draped lightly with a large blanket to dim the light but permit a cool breeze into the warm room that smells like an autumn afternoon.
And all about are more Wisps. Most sing happy things but a few start to whimper sadder recollections. But as one gets louder than the others, a shadow snaps out from the blankets like a hammer down upon a blacksmith's forge. And as it recedes, the Wisp it struck giggles only happy melodies.
"Sister Verbess, It is time for the Pack to be in Harmony once more. Your compliance is required." Schatzi declares with that achingly hard voice.
From deep beneath the nest it stirs, and a muffled voice drifts up. "S– Sister?"
Then layers of blankets are pushed aside to show...
Verbess sits up. Entire left side talons, fangs, and half its Quills shattered and hanging limp. Cracks streaking across the shell of the Frame, even reaching up into its eyes. Leaving the four glazed orbs to roll about the room. Not seeming blind but... close. Struggling greatly to make out our shapes.
And clutched preciously close are two things. It's little stuffed birb plush, and the dark deadly silent Wisp with equal adoration.
But Verbess grins with broken jaw and fangs as those eyes fall upon Schatzi, Quills that still Function dancing such tired delight. "Sister. You stretch old wings to painful lengths. Seek much motion too quickly. Does your Pack know and understand and find Good Function in this?"
"They know, and will learn what they do not during Harmonization. I am... leading by example and teaching, with the expectation that I will only have to do this once in the foreseeable future." Schatzi answers softly, darting near to her closest and first Sister.
It rises, dragging trembling Frame up to stand. But not to loom over. Instead leans forward to bump foreheads together. "This will not be like the first time, but nor will it be gentle, Sister. It does not wish to see you crack established Harmonies when this wayward Sister could be easily Tuned apart."
"This one... huh." Krahe murmurs, stepping up beside them, Quills tittering open worry. "Retune the entire Quill-Song? That... Like sure. We could do that but..." She glances back to Adaline. "That seems a big step and a sudden drop for you to deal with?"
"It was my plan in the first place. Schatzi agreed because I haven't been properly Harmonized yet, and with Infection, if there's instability in the song it could cause much bigger effects than damage to one of us." Adaline argues passionately.
"Yeah but... Adaline." Krahe purses her lips, clicks talons in thought. "Verbess isn't just a lil off-key. Our girl is howling in open Discord. Retuning to a Sister in that is like... what happens when you drag a piece of heavy wood behind on rough stone. It sheers away bits of both. And like... yeah. We need this. But we could do it after its back in gentler places, right? Unless... I mean..."
She huffs as with every word she absorbs the latent bits of this scheme within the songs echoing off their Quills.
Adaline laughs and I wince in empathy before it happens, grabbing Elevar tightly and turning her away. Adaline releases her grip on her domain just a little bit and silent horrors begin to pour from her Frame, as the Quill-song screams. A heartbeat and it's over, Adaline once more the pretense of sanity and stability.
"Are you okay, Mistress?" I ask Elevar, not looking at the others yet.
She's... stiff. Obviously felt some of that. But nods and waves me off with a whisper. "Yes. Thank you. I've been Bracing for something like that since we entered Verbess' part of the Driftdream."
Krahe clicks Quills in empathy, but doesn't seem to flinch at all from Adaline's display. Even steps closer before she fully finishes. "It's not about... Adaline. Just, Look. Some of the Sisters from before. The oldest. Were really hollow at first and In really bad shape. Hurt the younger more than was needed during the Harmonics to just... make sure they could endure everything they did. It worked, sure. But it also wasn't necessary. Ya know? And we'll be way more careful here but... This one wants to do better. Expects us to adopt more little siblings into our Pack before the end and doesn't want to see each one be hurt like... like we were. Wants to be better. But if you're making this call without too much outside pressure? Alright. Welcome to the mess. Mind the fruit and sharp bits flying about."
Schatzi pulls Warden into the dream with us before she continues speaking "I can do this. With Xafra's abilities, it will be better. Will take more out of me to channel them but will also show her how to do it properly for the future. Will hurt Adaline due to her trauma, but also ease it somewhat. Wetting the clay and smoothing it, instead of sanding down. Does the Pack agree to this?"
Sister Krahe nods, moves to sit her Frame beside Verbess'.
Verbess shows no notice of her or any of us past Schatzi. Yet, with a quick embrace of our Mistress, myself and Adaline kneel down beside Verbess and Krahe. Warden in turn, snaps to Schatzi's hand, its form reconfiguring once more into a shape not yet shown. A Tuning Fork.
"You'll need this, Sister." It cackles gently. Reaches out to take up her free hand. Then gently passes the plush that seems to lovingly embrace the silent Wisp in its wings. "This is... more than it was before. Our memory of this. Sharper yet... in a soft way. Use the silence to find our base melody. Let it embrace their pain when it proves too much for us and them."
At this all the Wisps move to press close to Schatzi. Nuzzling and snuggling and whispering soft assurances through endless memories. Most happy, but some bittersweet.
Schatzi nods then looks at our Mistress, waiting for permission to begin.
"Take care of each other." Elevar agrees, moving to sit amidst the seemingly endless soft cushions. "And... Don't feel the need to rush. During or after. Set the right pace and let me worry about the outside things."
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And so Schatzi speaks. "Trust was never a Function of this Pack. We were broken and reformed to endure. To Suffer Well, long past when others would crumble. To rely on eachother, but never to trust, for we can simply brutalize ourselves into Harmony and ensure Good Function. That is how we were made. That is how our Pack died, one by one. Our Pack continues now because it runs on Love. On the unwillingness to surrender eachother in the face of an eternity alone. For our Pack to continue forward, we must change just as we accept changes around us. And so, I will teach our Pack to trust in eachother, to preserve ourselves knowing that in doing so we preserve one another, to..." Her voice catches, a deep sadness strumming through. "To never lose another Sister who does not wish to be lost." Schatzi strikes one of her horns with Warden's tuning fork frame and the Resonance subsumes us, slowly at first, something that we could resist, reject if desired, or simply let it fill us. All of us except Verbess begin to resonate in harmony at the peak of Giyar Three, too high for Verbess in Giyar Null to reach yet.
Krahe resonates immediately without hesitation. Adaline flounders for heartbeats, steadily bringing herself under control, surrendering herself to Schatzi utterly.
I feel the disconnect within myself. The vastness of my existence already incompatible with what the process requires of me. and so... I embrace the Strife. I designate my body as merely an avatar, instead of my totality, the near inverse of what my sister Augusta did, I realize. I ground myself into the Driftdream even more firmly, separating myself into two parts, the Blade, and the Divine.
Then I resonate with my Pack.
Schatzi pulls the Quill-song lower, dropping Giyars one at a time as she sends out an offer and ultimatum through the bond to both our Mistresses.
Attend and be trusted, or don't.
Elevar accepts without hesitation, dream woven tendrils clicking in rapt fascination.
Three heartbeats pass, and there is a worry through the melody that... that she won't accept. Won't join us.
But the shadows behind Mistress Elevar twitch and tear and rise up. For a blink of an eye Lynette is shaped like she was when she took up my old eyes, but quickly shifting to appear as Elevar's twin. But... off. Wrong. Somehow. In ways I can't place without tearing my focus away from the Quill-Song.
Schatzi smiles at both of them and tunes our Quill-song to match the resonance of their forms. If this were in the Real, it would harm them after a short while but here in the Driftdream, she can focus the Quill-song through my power and use that resonance as a conduit. Gripping onto the Mistresses through the resonance, Schatzi drops us all into Giyar Null and enfolds Verbess in our collective presence. "This is where we start to change. Here and now we join as Pack and Mistresses once again. Not a fresh start but a promise going forward."
Verbess' still working Quills thrum in agony and we all feel and see and very nearly taste the Discord. It's broken form here symmetrical in every way possible to this pain. But its eyes, still glazed and cracked, seem to find us though. Focus slowly shifting between the Pack as a lopsided grin grows across its fangs.
Schatzi offers up herself, her strength and her vulnerabilities. She shares her envy of her sisters, her regret at not being able to keep more of them together, her sheer exhaustion, and her endless hope that together the pack can make a difference.
Trembling, Adaline follows her lead. She shares her fear that she'll lose touch with reality and not find her way back again, her rage at how she and the other Dolls were treated, her thrill at regaining magic, and her determination to do whatever it takes to protect our Pack.
Krahe smiles through it all. Not... not always in a happy way but always with nothing but love for our Pack. And as Adaline settles she offers up her own joys at being here, her delight in finding new and old Sisters alike, and also her worries that she's not what she was. Not enough. A paper-thin excuse for the girl from Schatzi and Verbess' memories. Unable to offer meaningful knowledge or experience about this new and strange time in stark contrast to being the older sister to so many all those years ago.
Warden shares its shame of being artificial, its uncertainty in purpose, and delight in having its own form that pleases its Users.
With a deep breath, I share myself as well. My wonder at the family I've found and made, my promise that they will never ever be alone again, and my absolute acceptance that whatever happens with this process is what I need to be a real part of this Pack.
Throughout all of this, Verbess' Discord settles. Not... entirely. But noticeably. Like how the instincts of a skittish hunter finding the odd scent of those kin to it might do.
Schatzi follows that with requests to our Mistresses that they share as well and demonstrate the trust that Schatzi wants to make the foundation of this harmonization.
Elevar offers herself immediately as her sister freezes. Both resonate such terror but... in opposite ways.
Tendrils click messily as our Mistress shares her long wilted spite that left her with less than half a life long before even Yselda died. Then her terror of becoming like her mothers or Yselda, even a little bit, letting her be easily manipulated and twisted into her worst shapes. But also her stubborn fury to keep well the pieces she's inherited. Mulch them and herself into better things for those she loves.
But Lynette... She hesitates long after Elevar's part in this is well woven into the melody. Even seems to take a step back and away. Fear radiating off her like I've never seen, making me think she's about to run and ruin the song.
But her sister twists and catches her wrist. And while I don't know what passes between them. Lynette's grim expression shares her... not agreement. But careful negotiated acceptance.
With a nod she huffs and lets her stiff tendrils click as she offers...
Being warmly woven through another's mind and forced to be as it was. Its sheer delight at all the new weavings within and without freezing to painful understanding at how much she was going to be hated and mistrusted. Reweaving itself and being rewoven by a beast below to survive as long as she could. To endure and become the best mother to the most precious and perfect entity she knew could exist. Terror at being understood and how that could ruin everything. How much my first threat both terrifies and enthralls her.
My promise that if she overtook Elevar without her consent I would kill and add her to my Gestalt of nameless gerls.
Schatzi looks to Verbess once more and through the melody of the song asks it to try to follow the paths given, and offer trust for the first time.
It thrums in...
But still, it recoils from our song.
So my Sister growls through a grin of fangs and adjusts it's melody. Trying to make sense of our...
And within the tide of sound we feel...
The Harmony is still disjointed, like mine was when I first tried to sing with it. But Verbess is drowning in our melodies, collapsing to knees before Schatzi and presenting all those shattered and wounded Quills to her as head bumps her belly.
Begging for her help in repairing its broken part in this Song.
With a Curanos' precision, Schatzi pushes our Mistresses back out of the resonance and raises the rest of us to Giyar One to match Verbess.
That ever silent dark Wisp clutched close by their plush stirs into motion. Rising up and twisting into some kind of writhing mass of nonsense sharp shapes. Some... Kind of amalgam of all the horrid things their young self recalls about their transformation into a Doll.
Because we can all see from the refracted memories within this Wisp's form that this was long before Witches learned and normalized the total reweaving of Ousia and Physis into and around a new shape. They seemed to... to quite literally install the new Frame into the old still living body of their subjects.
I can feel Schatzi subtly soothing the Wisp into gentler tools than were used initially, forms that Elevar had used to repair damage to them painlessly. She reaches down with Warden's Frame and the shifted Wisp to begin fixing the Quills and other damages.
This takes a while. Like with wounds on my newest form, there are no shortcuts to repairing the acute damage Verbess did to itself. And my curiosity at that is answered by just how... how easy it would be for one of us to heal poorly when Harmonizing like this. Each shattered piece of my Sister is meant for a specific place, and to force it elsewise could cause so much harm.
But Schatzi knows Verbess so well, and carefully shows us all the inner workings of her Sister. Parts learned about through thousands of years of caring for it as the Rust frayed at its edges.
After a click of Fangs and Talons and perfect Quills it wraps itself around Schatzi in an enveloping embrace, its Frame still riddled with cracks but eyes vibrant.
"Thank you, Sister." It purrs like I've never heard it do. "You will rest upon These One's back now. Let it consider the calm and the fury while you tend to the wings you've held close for far too long."
** ** **
Lynette departed the Driftdream quite rapidly after we were done the Harmonization, clearly hoping that the others and myself wouldn't notice the fresh stitching that Sekrhús has done to her. We all rose to the real as well, Elevar leading the way down to where the rest of the Pack is cuddled up on the grounds. While we walk I can't stop my mind from wandering through what Lynette shared, as well as what Calix learned from Nadine. Lynette and her Doll were once one Sun-blessed being, and... Even if she won't admit it, she sees her Doll as her daughter. Makes sense, Sikkina was made in a similar if much less sadistic way, and without a doubt she's my daughter.
When we arrive, Calix is communicating rapidly with Infection, using some sort of handheld device that lights up in magenta, cyan, and yellow instead of words, Infection responding the same way with odd growths along its chest I hadn't noticed before.
Adaline groggily stands, her melody smooth but thin, clearly masking the depths of harm such a foundational Retuning did to her psyche even as it improved her baseline.
She shakes her head and focuses her attention on everyone present. "So... As much as I'd like to sleep for a few days like Schatzi is doing, we have too much work to do and it's still my day as temporary Pack Lead. Infection, you have seniority, and it's your joining, so I figure you get to pick where Xafra does this. It's a fair bit different from what you're used to, to my understanding, and shouldn't hurt at all but could be a bit overwhelming..."
Verbess, half-cracked outwards to full size, looms behind Adaline. Its song an active thing focused on supporting her in all actions. Making more simple motions feel less a strain as she focuses.
Infection's Quills dance in...
"Oh! Right, I gotta go talk to them! See y'all in a while." Calix exclaims before running off.
I hope he's able to convince the two of them to leave Lynette and her Doll alone. Too much pressure will harm them more than help.
Adaline considers, confirming with me that I'll be able to do such adjustments, and with Warden that Lynette's Doll will be secure in her room if Girra ends up being overly enthusiastic.
They're waiting for us as we arrive, but are still speaking with Calix. Krelliva pursing lips in considerations while Feryudra responds.
"This one and its charge will trust, and not intervene unless... they lay wounded without others to tend to the bleeding." It replies calmly.
Calix smiles, bouncing on his heels "Appreciated. Also, Nadine wants to meet you all, but insisted that we wait until tomorrow at the earliest because she has some work to do still, and by then Infection will be able to accommodate Nadine's projection."
"We look forward to meeting her." Krelliva nods and turns to watch us approach. "Hi. Um... Thank you for inviting us to this."
Verbess steps around us as Krahe shifts to let Quills dance the same song her Little Birb's did. Moves to stand next to Calix. But... cracks to an even smaller size to stand shorter than he is. Speaks quietly but... gently as its Quills sit quiet. "Thank you, little weaver. For your warnings this day. It is glad it knew the price was worth the cost before the motions were made, and after."
Calix's smile dims a bit. "I just wish I could have offered a more clear warning, so that you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
Verbess cackles. "First big spinnings are expected to tear in places. And these cracks are good. Set this Pack to better Function. But... See that yours are tended to and mended as well. Soon."
Calix looks down at his wrapped hands "Soon. This one is scared of being what he was. Worried that the healing might bring back memories of before he was Calix."
"Hmmm... Old shattered shells are hard to rebuild." Verbess assures him. Once more cracking itself to stand at near full height. "And can't happen by mistake. But... You are wary of the sharp edges they can have. It thinks you will only find more of yourself to become, even if they scratch your Frame's new shell."
Calix thinks on that, gives Verbess a quick hug and turns to me. "Tomorrow, this one will be ready, Mistress. Thank you for being patient."
"Of course. I'll come see you and Rufus tomorrow morning and get you fixed up then." I respond, and he quickly hugs me as well before leaving.
Once Calix leaves, Adaline curls up on one of the many cushions set out in the mostly empty room and gestures for me to begin. "Alright Infection. Are you ready?" I ask.
I reach out to Infection, sliding a tendril of Ousia beside the invisible, even to my senses, link it now has to Girra. I wend my way down to its soulcore, No longer a cold stationary thing covered in the Fuzz of Girra's love but a lively bundle of algae that waves in excitement at my approach. If I unwove it, Infection would simply return to Girra and be able to take a new body... With that thought I stop, refusing to continue without making the offer even if it would cause distress to my Pack.
"Infection... I need to provide you with more information, so you can properly make this decision." I begin slowly, cautious of the consequences.
It’s Quills titter in
"I looked at your soulcore. It's not that of a Doll anymore. If you wish... I could unweave it, and you would return to Girra and your Spore Family, free to choose a new form. This is likely true for you as well, Feryudra. I mention this because I refuse to seal away any choices from you, and... The Pack bond will make that no longer an option. You will still be connected to Girra and your Spore Family, but if your Frame is lost, your soulcore would go to my Driftdream instead of Girra. From there I could potentially transfer you to Him, but I am not certain about that." While I talk, I look around at my Pack, trying to understand how hard of a choice this must be.
But Infection nods fiercely, with Quills and Fame and no hesitation. "It chooses the Pack. This one's Spore Family trusts you. Wants to protect this family as an extension of itself within the Blaze. You will keep it safe and it will keep you safe. And from this new songs will grow too loud to smother ever again."
Krelliva bites its lower lip at that, but does not speak. Turns to stare at Feryudra as this second Sun-Blessed Doll tilts head in curiosity at us. Pauses like it's listening, then nods.
"This one will make certain even a new river will flow back into an Ocean beneath His Blaze, should Infection To Draw Prey Close For A Feast wishes it at Frame's end. But the voices within will not halt its choice through this Frame's actions."
Krelliva emits a sounds I've not heard it, or... any other, make. Like if a turtle tried to snarl very quietly. Then glares away in obvious distress.
Infection looks to them both while Quills dance with mirth and...
Krelliva looks back to lock eyes with it, then sighs and takes a deliberate step back. Whispers aloud. "Just... don't get lost forever. Please? Be safe."
Infection's weird chest growths seems to wiggle openly at Krelliva. And when its fellow Sun-Blessed can't suppress a small grin it turns back to me.
Thrums are deliberate.
And so, I unweave its core, holding fast to the endearingly wiggly fronds, and unweave my own. Feels... Different. This isn't all of me anymore, but still... connected to all of me, like a surrogate. I loop Infection through myself with the rest of the Pack, and loosely secure the cores, before thrumming a quiet
Infection shivers, Quills tittering in delight and excitement as they buzz such a trill in reply.
And then there is a rushing from within this new Pack Sister of…
Within the Driftdream, one of the forest's edges sinks into an ocean as Infection becomes one with our Pack. What was once the unknown becomes... understood. And upon the beaches I can see the nearly endless stirrings of a Spore family coming to feel a passage into my Driftdream appear.
Feeling the changes and good harmonics, I secure the weave into permanence and feel Infection's Wairua swell as it shines bright to the rest of the Sun-blessed. Don't know if it even knows weaves using Nomos, but it's certainly capable of them now. Might be something to ask about later.
"Thank you for your attendance, Feryudra, Krelliva. I am glad that your assistance was not necessary and that this went... even better than planned honestly." Adaline says with a pained smile. "Now, we have more to do before tomorrow, but I think we should give Verbess, Krahe, and Infection To Draw Prey Close For A Feast some time to reconnect more... intimately, based on my experiences and understanding."
"Of course." Krelliva nods and lets out a breath. "You all... We hope everyone adjusts well. Let us know if you need anything else."
Feryudra smiles and offers a simple. "We hope His Blaze sets warmly on your shared seas." Before they both turn and head down and through the Sheared Spire to leave.
As they are gone Krahe cackles happily and moves forward to envelope Infection with all her tails. Quills tittering something along the lines of
Verbess thrums to Adaline while kneeling over to stare down at her from behind.
Verbess follows, weaving songs like before. Melodies bolstered by the successful inclusion of a new Pack sister.
We head to the basement suite that Gebetshure and Augusta shared, and my heart can't help but ache for them. The signs of disarray and fraying mental health that Augusta was dealing with are gone, replaced with an obsessive level of cleaning and organization in just the way she liked. When we arrive, Gebetshure is at the only new addition to the suite, an aquarium for the Lotus Depths flowers, using one of Ciska and Warden's creations to measure the acidity of the water.
"Gebetshure, it is good to see you." I say, announcing our presence.
They turn from what looks to be the rearrangement of a shelf, a little quicker than is natural but still attempting to seem poised. Stand in a moment of awkward pause. Mouth half-open before...
"Mistress. This one..." A muffled little explanation sputters from one of the mouths beneath a heaver robe than I've ever seen them wear.
Their hand jerks to slap over what I think is the offending lips on the side of the torso. Take a heartbeat to regather thoughts before trying again.
"Apologies, Mistresses. It is good to see you as well." They whisper very very softly from the mouth upon their face. Then move to close a bit of the distance. "How may this one serve?"
"We wanted to check on you, as well as offer assistance in researching how to bring Augusta back as soon as possible." I offer, stepping into the space ahead of the others.
"I have a few ideas about that, and figure if we grab Rufus, Valthirii, and a few of the other prior Witches, we can sort it quickly." Adaline mentions as well.
Their eyes light up at that. "Yes. Rufus... Mentioned his dedication to this, and seemed to be waiting for a free span between other events to ask about it. And if someone can communicate with Madam Augusta she might be able to share some insights before any attempts? This... seems an area outside of normal Witch workings, if you'll pardon this one's bluntness and lack of any experience in such matters."
"No, you have a point." Elevar agrees. "I was actually going to suggest trying to reach out to someone with some insights. As this will be a matter of sympathetic links and tugging a drifting spirit back to our world. Valthirii is a good idea though. That gerl approaches problems from odd angles others might not consider."
I consider what they say and make a decision. "...Gebetshure, you have my permission to utilize the flowers under Krelliva's supervision to see if you can contact Augusta directly. I... Unfortunately can't safely try to reach her myself without risking the integrity of the Driftdream."
"Yes Mistress. This one is glad it gets to be the one to try and speak with her." They agree immediately, then move to leave and find Krelliva.
"You go tug our arachnid librarian into helping with this. Find a quiet nook to nuzzle into and start researching. Also..." Elevar turns to Adaline and the Sister looming at her back. "Verbess can stick close still, as I only need one of our Pack near as I check on Lynette's little one. Make sure to lull you both into rest before you can overwork yourselves too much more today."
"Yes, Mistress. We will take rest as needed." Adaline responds gratefully.
"Excellent." Elevar nods and looks to me. "Shall we... go ensure Rufus did a good job sealing that room in your Spire from Nomos as well as sound? I think we can assume no word from anyone watching her means she didn't overhear anything distressing and thus has slept well enough."
"Definitely a good idea..." I respond absentmindedly, thinking about Mistress Lynette's words to me.
The sky is basically empty before we even reach the entrance to my Spire. Completely so as we move through to find the passage to the space she is within.
Reach out to open it, cracking seals and-
And before it's completely open the fuzzy form of the snek Doll is tumbling through. Slithering past at speeds and abandon that nearly topple me over.
"Oh. Sorry sorry sorry!" She sputters and pauses a few paces away. Twisting back to look to my Mistress and I while clutching some strange plush close to her chest. "This... this one needs to... Um..."
But then she's off again. Darting out onto the grounds towards Elevar's Spire without another word.
I giggle and start following the excitable darling closely. But as we step into the Spire... she goes down instead of up. Passing through the lower main bedchambers and slips past the dresser that obscures the passage to the tunnels below.
Oh... Is she heading to Lynette or Sikkina? There shouldn't be anything else down that she's interested in unless Sekrhús is making even more moves... The humor slips and I continue following, now somewhat concerned.
The tunnels are... devoid of their normal miasma as we pass through. And as Elevar and I proceed close upon her tail it's easy to see how this Doll's presence is the cause. This foggy extension of the Estate keeping back like the tides receding back into the ocean with the passing of the Moon.
But soon it does become clear who she's hunting for, and the gentle thrum of Sikkina's chamber echoes down the passage.
"It's okay! Blerp blerp BLERP!" We hear her nearly yell as we only just enter my daughter's Sanctuary.
And... a giggle as we first lay eyes on her curled up just over the heart of this place. "MHM! She got it like... ALL wrong. Almost inside out. But I don't want to tell her because you mother's Doll worked really hard and it's SO much softer than they like to be on the outside. Wumberfully snuggly. Perfectly not perfect but in a way that makes this one feel..."
But she trails off, ears perk up and eyes soon dart to ours. "Oh. Um... Hii. It... This one didn't... um... Sikkina ugly sings REALLY loud and it didn't hear you call and um... Is... um..."
I smile and feel tears coming to my eyes. "Everything is okay. Wanted to check in on you and her both actually, so this is... Wonderful. Blind Oracles, you're both so very wonderful."
The fur all across her presses close as she grins widely, ear wiggling in what seems like happy motions. "Oh! Thank you Miss Xafra! Hii Miss Elevar! Sorry to like... bump into you before. It's just been waiting to come check on Sikkina since before you all got back and she was REALLY upset. And um..." She hugs what I can now see is a plush of a crab and clam mix with half a dozen little finger shaped tendrils slipping from its mouth. "Primrose made it all wrong but in a perfect way. Thank you."
"It's very cute." I mention while I share my thoughts from earlier with Elevar [Do you think it's... reasonable to ask if she wants to be Sikkina's big sister?]
“It really is! And..." Then she turns back to stare downwards as the quietly glowing floor that separates her from Sikkina. "Oh gosh! It's so messy! This one needs to tell you! The real ones are too and and and...
[Reasonable? I... Probably? Maybe.] Elevar replies while we move to sit near but not too close to them as Lynette's Doll begins to spill forth her descriptions of this oddly sounding creature of the sea. [I've only just recently puzzled out that she sees this little Doll as more than her responsibility or... her way of learning to tread softly when speaking with one she dares not hurt. This... is in so many ways her adopted daughter, I think.]
[Is it unreasonable that I feel... kinda jealous? I can't understand Sikkina that well, and if i tried it would... likely hurt her.] I intone as we listen.
My mate chuckles softly, as the bond fills with pained mirth before she quiets and smirks at me. [No, dear one. Not at all. Even though you have more specific ways to try and reveal Sikkina's innermost self. I suspect your mother feels the same in some respects, seeing all these Pack Sisters and lovers and Dolls about you. And if mine would have been worth anything they'd feel the same. And... Well, don't tell Lynette I said this, but I suspect if Girra is everything He's shown Himself as... He feels that too. Children are meant to be an expansion beyond what their parents are ready for. And other little ones about, struggling in similar but unique ways, are the best gift a parent can give to them sometimes.]
I can almost hear something broken inside me snap into place at her intoned words, a long misset anguish freshly broken to heal properly. "Little one" I ask quietly once she's done explaining the creature to Sikkina. "Would you like to be Sikkina's big sister? She deserves someone as kind and thoughtful as you as a companion."
Lynette's Doll goes still, the excitement from before seeming to hitch as those cracked Glyph-laden eyes dart to meet mine. "M- Miss Xafra it..."
Fur fluffs and ruffles as she trails off, looks down at the swirling designs of the floor beneath her. "Can it even BE a sister? Especially a biggest one? That seems SO important. And... But this one isn't MADE for big sister Functions and... and could be terrible at it and cause problems and that's even if Mistress is okay with you asking and this one wanting like it's not supposed to do ever never and... and..."
"You can confirm with Mistress Lynette first of course, but you've already been acting like what I wish I had when I was young. I never had a real childhood, but I think it would have been... A lot more bearable if I had one like you there helping, and complaining about my terrible singing voice, and bringing me gifts, and telling me neat things about creatures. It's..." my words choke up with bittersweet tears, that our daughter will have the opportunities I never did, a loving family, community that cares and... so much more.
"It... But that was just..." Her eyes move back up to meet mine as she trails off. Ears pressing back to lay flat against her head as fur stands on ends, arms squeezing that plush so tight I might otherwise worry for it but... also know how sturdy Primrose makes them. And it takes her a countless span of heartbeats to whisper so softly, "It will want this and be that for little sister Sikkina. Yes. Please."