#everything about impulse's Thing with the emperor is so funny to me. and then deeply fucked up if you think about it long enough. and then
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no it's fine this mind flayer is totally my friend and 100% honest with me all the time it's ok it likes me everything's so normal
#bg3 spoilers#baldurs gate 3#baldur's gate 3#i love how raphael directly calls you out on this. 'if id have known you were so gullible i wouldve tricked you into selling your soul for#a bowl of beans when we first met'#and then just keeps insulting you more if you keep insisting emp's really your ally#oc: impulse#sure this'll go in their tag#everything about impulse's Thing with the emperor is so funny to me. and then deeply fucked up if you think about it long enough. and then#really funny again if you think about it even longer#one day i'll do their 2.0 playthrough so i can fully form all my thoughts. and get better screenshots and the ceremorphosis ending#i mean there's nothing stopping me from loading an impulse 1.0 save and going ceremorphosis from there but idk it'd feel wrong#impulse has more tadpoles in their brain than synapses by act 3 and it does really fundamentally change them as a person#tfw your chaotic neutral act-first-ask-questions-never no-impulse-control 17 CHA bestie becomes one of the most detached calculating people#you've ever met. all their old casual wit and humor is still there but they think before they speak now and that really shouldnt feel as#sinister as it does. they have this look in their eye and it feels like they view everyone around them as lesser beings#not because they view other people as subhuman or worse than they are but because they view themself as something *more*#if they have any raw unfiltered emotion left you haven't seen it in weeks. there's one person(?) who gets Unrestrained Feelings privileges#and it's the fucking illithid that lives in their mind and not any of their actual non-monster normal-ish-person friends. that human#connection is fading so fast now. when did they change so much? it happened so slowly in the moment but suddenly now they seem like they#were never the person you became friends with at all#and like impulse is a pretty selfish person from the start but they *did* genuinely like and care about the rest of the party. they were#friends. and by the end of act 3 that friendship should be the deepest and most meaningful it's ever been. but. it just isn't.#so on and so forth etc etc like that. All That Bullshit makes their relationship with lae'zel so interesting (and upsetting) too#they encourage her to side against vlaakith and then they never even try to free orpheus for her and her people's sake. they never even#think about it. they never consider it as an option. they just don't care. and then they EAT HIS BRAIN.#very possibly RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER.#and she's just left adrift. a rebel with no rebellion to lead and very little hope#i'm unwell.#ok i'm done this is a silly meme post. but god i have so many thoughts i have barely been keeping contained
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TRR 3.20 "A Warm Reception" what does that mean. does that mean FIRE i am on edge
I'm expecting it to go all nice and heartwarming, and then Anton shows up at the end. We shall see.
Officially longer than any other TRR book! We’re in uncharted territory now!
From what I saw from my roommate’s Liam playthrough, a lot of the carriage dialogue is mostly the same no matter who’s there, but, I do like this as a callback to awesome-storm Maxwell-Riley from the Homecoming ball, or Duke Whirlwind Dancemaster-Deluxe. With Maxwell, everyone keeps emphasizing how our lives together will be full of adventure and never be boring. ♥
You fools, take this chance to make out in the carriage! No! F O O L S
Oh. Hello Ana! She’s got a new dress for us, of course.
... Mehhhhh sorry not into that plasticy cutout look. Why do they keep doing that, it doesn't look like fabric. Sorry Ana, I’m gonna stick with what I've got.
Maxwell says it doesn’t matter what Riley’s wearing, he and everyone else won’t be able to keep his eyes off her. :’) ♥ bro
Ana, a true friend (despite how I keep tossing out all her hard work) leaves us alone in the boutique.
We are a storm... a hurricane… a mega punching robot... of love
sweet nervous boy. Riley literally said “I do” (well, ‘hell yeah’ in my case) and he’s still can’t help doubting a little.
now makeouts?? nope, Madeline. Girl you are about to get stabbed. ANA, WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HER, I’M SORRY, I’LL WEAR THE DAMN DRESS
(If we keep trying and then getting interrupted, only to finally succeed I will actually love that.)
Oooooo the reception hall is so pretty! Damn, they have really been outdoing themselves with the art lately. First the cathedral, now this. *__*
People coming up to tell us how we made them cry out our vows! Yessss tell us all about your tears! Our love is powerful, baby.
Took no screenshots of Hana’s parents so I can ignore that they came.
NEVILLE?! WHAT THE F. RASHAD, DID YOU BRING HIM. DUDE. YOUR FRIEND IS SHITTY AND NO ONE LIKES HIM, STOP BRINGING HIM PLACES.
You know, at the beginning of the tour we heard Neville wasn't even planning on coming to the wedding so I guess that's........ ssssomethingg..g..........…
like maybe he’ll get shot this time. aim better, assassins
Anyway, better people now! Hello friends!
Hana says we were like a fairytale! Even Drake is getting poetic. Liam sees how much we love each other. Maxwell has won the wife lottery. Excellent, so much love here.
LMAO....... SAVANNAH EYEING BERTRAND LIKE, HUH.... MARRIAGE..... HOW BOUT..... THAT...…. :|
Me and Maxwell, poster children for impulsivity: YEAH, JUST DO IT JUST JUMP INTO MARRIAGE IT'S GREAT
Bertrand : *SWEATS BUCKETS*
Hgnngggg I would stab a man for that wedding food right now. I picked Drake’s beef pork stew and oh my god...……. How do they always make it sound so good???
[pause to google feijoada recipe]
Time for toasts! Maxwell’s...….. awwww. ;___;
He starts it as a Once Upon A Time story of how Riley was whisked away to love a prince, but her happy ending was swapped when she fell for the court jester instead.
(Flashing back to the apple festival and Maxwell being excited to be jester. Good times.)
My heart is bursting. I love our story too T_T
Andddd he just blurts out about the hippo tattoo to everyone and covers it up with an awkward metaphor. That's a deeply Maxwell moment and I love it. ♥
Omg. Might regret it but I desperately want to hear Olivia's idea of a wedding toast.
EXCUSE YOU MADELINE, SCHEDULE SMEDULE. THE BRIDE DEMANDS TO HEAR EVERYONE RAPTURE ABOUT OUR LOVE
Olivia: So soon after I met Riley I was like "I hate that bitch"
Riley: a-awwww....thanks...……
I'M
DEAD
"LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT"
I WON OLIVIA’S RESPECT! :’D BEST DAY EVERRR
I mean we also got married but like. you get it.
“As we say in Lythikos, you’re still alive, so drink!” never change.
Liam: Aww...…. He tries but falls back on being super formal, referring to me as "Cordonia’s newest dutchess” and me “being a friend to Cordonia and [him]”
It's ok buddy, sneak out whenever you're ready. Hana and Drake can cover for you.
Hana: Hana wins the toast both for having the most insightful things to say, and also being LITERALLY THE ONLY ONE (besides Bertrand) TO TALK ABOUT MAXWELL. She also made me cry, so like, triple points. 😢 😭 I love her so muuuuch.
Drake: “I knew you were trouble when you walked innnn~”
Those were some real nice things you said about me but YOU ARE THE BEST MAN.
I know I'm great and we're all in love with me, but come on.
Alright here’s Bertrand, he’s gotta talk about Maxwell.
new big bro you will be NICE to your BROTHER or I STG
starting out rocky what with the “wow Maxwell made like so many mistakes” business. let him rest, it’s his day, good lord
*snaps fingers in front of his face* BABS, FOCUS
OH. OH OKAY. HE TURNED IT AROUND. HE SAID HE LOVES HIS BROTHER IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. THE DANCING COMMENT AND EVERYTHING AND HE ADMITTED MAXWELL DOESN'T NEED TO GROW UP. I'M. OVERWHELMED.
In which I will take any choice that turns Riley into a woo girl. And Kiara’s family continues to be my favorite. They’re coming over to Valtoria Revanasi all the time.
After all that, my toast was … whelming. I did get my vows already, so I guess it’s whatever.
First dance time! Aww this track is giving me HSS prom flashbacks. Michael I hope you're happy out there.
Apparently Maxwell picked the song, which can only mean he is a secret HSS fan.
“Partners” is such a lovely title for these two. I've always loved the term, you're partners in crime, partners for life, but they're also dance partners.
Number of times Maxwell has done the dip kiss: 4. This boy SMOOTH AS HECK.
Bertrand is scandalized by our nonsense but Drake understands they should take what they can get.
(where are my boy’s damn jello shots)
..... I think I just married Emperor Kuzco.
Maxwell challenges Drake to a dance off, and holy shit Drake can dance. Or at least spin kick. I'm still fairly certain he has no sense of rhythm.
....Drake did not dispute the best friend comment and I'm counting that as a win for Maxwell.
time. for. CAKE????!
Real life me is a little sad I don’t have cake. I do have fancy rice crispies from my friend’s coworker’s wedding. It’s no passionfruit cake tho :’(
(they successfully distracted me from wait where’s Olivia with cake. How dare you take advantage of my short attention span.)
Maxwell and Riley have matching swords. I might cry. That's the best.
..... Incredibly tempting to fuck up and cut the table. But OUR CAKE ok doing this right.
WHOA Bastien hello, where'd you come from.
Aww Madeline has pleased her goblin father.
Maxwell is so happy about the Cheetah cake SUCCESSSSSS [sneakily high fives Gladys]
[I hope Gladys gets cake. At least 3 slices for Gladys.]
Ooooh so Savannah and Drake's mom still came! She’s off taking care of Bertie. Bring forth the Walker matriarch, I wish to meet her. [ spoilers: we do not :( ]
Uh oh Savannah is pissed and I bet I know why~
Bertrand's only just noticed oh dear.
Savannahhhhhh pleeassssse. These two need to work on commutation so bad. I TOLD YOU TO BE DIRECT WITH THIS DUMBASS. YOU'RE STILL HINTING.
Bride awkwardly hovers outside her own reception trying to get her fool friends to communicate AGAIN.
Like I'm pretty patient and Bertrand is family but oh my god I can't be there for everything
Riley is tired too, bless her. We could totally have snuck off with Maxwell at this point but no, here we are.
Ok Riley's prize for taking the diamond option to help Bertrand one more time is that she gets to cause shenanigans. You know my girl loves a good shenanigan!
Oh my god are we getting the band back together YESSSSS
Stop one: Drake. He knows Riley by this point and senses shenanigans a mile away.
Drake: You don't need my permission, Savannah’s her own woman and all that.
Bertrand: But I'd like it.
Drake: ok then FUCK NO.
Bertrand: :’O
Bertrand making the shocked face is always funny. Same with his mad face. Really just Bertrand emoting = comedy gold.
Drake fully won Maxwell's respect with the breakdancing, and he's won Riley's by realizing he has the power to make Bertrand do whatever he wants right now.
Drake immediately regrets his abuse of power. Aaahaha ok, ease into it.
Somehow we talked Drake into singing. I'm just saying, this would have been so much easier with him last, when peer pressure was on the table.
Maxwell has been waiting for a moment like this moment his entire life, he'd pay to be part of this.
Liam would both do anything I asked and is always down for bromance time.
There is an option to panic and throw the bouquet at Neville. I have to try that at least once. But later.
Man Riley should have demanded the boys reunite their quartet anyway. BEST WEDDING PRESENT EVERRRRR (after all their other gifts because those were actually really sweet)
Savannah: holy crap you're smiling
Bertrand: Well you make me happy so fukkin get used to it
^Those are totally direct quotes.
While I’m making other people happy - TIME FOR GIFTS!
The book for Liam is a nice follow up to all his talk about how he wants to bring Cordonia peace. You’ve got faith that he can achieve his dreams! Aww.
Everyone else does surprised sprites but Drake is wary as ever. Smart dude.
Hana's gift............... Ok yeah let’s just...… move along. sigh.
At least Riley succeeded through the roof with Maxwell’s gift, he was about to pass out with all the layers this gift has. Aww, that was so worth it.
Honestly these were all kind of short. Meh. Maxwell’s was worth it, Liam’s was a nice second.
Finally can we sneak off--??
MADELINE.............. I WILL STAB YOU WITH MAXWELL’S FANCY ACTION FIGURE, DON'T THINK I WON'T
Time to see other friends! We go to Kiara first, which is good. I continue to be proud of her forever.
Penelope is me at every party. Where are the dogs. I can people watch just fine next to the dogs.
HOOOOLY SHIT
DANIEL
D A N I E L
DANIEL IS HERE, TAKING SHOTS WITH LEO
What do you know :D I have friends! Well. One friend. And no family. They’re really determined to leave that open, huh. You know, I’m okay with it.
Daniel, I admire your thrift, especially considering what it must have cost to come here on a waiter’s salary, but someone is definitely going to think you're here to serve food.
..... Whelp that came true immediately. Hey Regina.
Leo goes off with him. I guess they're bros now!
or .... well. I've seen the posts going around. Make this a trip to remember, Leo! ;)
Awwww nice moment with Regina. Look how far we’ve come! I've always liked her. She's a practical lady.
GLADYS
GLADYS IS HERE TO LET US GET ALONE TIME, FINALLY. BLESS YOU GLADYS, I COULD KISS YOU but that’s for Maxwell
Wait...... I'm getting suspicious. We're just. wandering away......… mmm :|
oh noOOOOOOOOOOooo--[all goes dark]
Aw mannnnnnnn Gladys D: Riley is never trusting anyone in this broke-ass country again. Remember how we kept talking about how in New York you can trust people to be upfront with their intentions????
[throws Daniel and Hana into a suitcase] COME ON MAXWELL, WE’RE MOVING BACK TO NEW YORK.
IS THAT SOMEONE ANTON, GLADYS
:’((((((((((((
I’m so sad, I liked her. I hope we can still win her back to our side. She seemed so surprised every time we treated her decently, I think there’s a chance. She probably got into this plot before she got to know us.
Things we know:
Liam is the only LI who doesn’t meet you in the hedge maze if you’re his LI. On the one hand, getting the king to sneak out is a whole nother level, but also he’s likely to have a big part in next week’s plot.
The poor guy is also still definitely in love with you, even if you softened the blow with the closure option. And he’s especially taking it hard if you’re with Drake. We’ll see how those things go together.
Olivia disappeared! Before cake. For their plot to work, they still need her around to make her queen. She’s loyal to Liam no matter what, but I’m still holding out hope that befriending her or not is going to play a part whether that loyalty extends completely to you.
She was also our strongest defense, what with all her knives and proclivity for stabbing. So Olivia is likely to be okay, but who knows if they will be.
Do they have our friends? We didn’t see them after gifts. concern.
what do you think? 2 more chapters? Wrap up evil plots and then have good things, hopefully? or just keep adding chapters and then it doesn’t have to end hahaaaa
#trr#the royal romance#maxwell beaumont#hana lee#bertrand beaumont#riley brooks#v plays choices#v plays trr#long post#I really hope the cut works#v recap
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Endless Summer Book 4: Daughter of Vaanu (Chapter 3)
Description: Alodia reconnects with the Catalysts and with Jake as she rediscovers her humanity.
CW: Some of it gets a little NSFW. There’s also discussion of physical assault and a scene with a medical examination and frank discussion of the body using clinical terms. Not sure if that actually needs a warning, but better safe than sorry.
Chapter Three : Retcon
Sean
I don't sleep very deeply, slumped against the wall with Michelle in my lap. But it still takes me a minute to come awake when the shouting starts. Then someone starts shaking me wildly, which doesn't really help.
“Sean!” Michelle cries. “Sean, wake up!”
I try to ask her what's wrong, but my tongue is heavy and it comes out in a mushy mumble that I'm not sure sounds like anything.
“Sean, Allie's back!” Diego cries. “She's okay! Get it together, will you?!”
I finally shake off the last cobwebs of sleep, scrambling to my feet. Alodia stands tucked under Jake's arm. She looks exhausted, but she's smiling, and Jake is grinning like an idiot which is encouraging.
“You...you're really okay?”
“As far as I can tell, yeah.” She untangles herself from Jake and holds her arms out for a hug. I eagerly comply.
“It's so good to see you again. ...What the hell happened? Do you know?”
“I think so. ...But maybe it can wait until we're all together? I don't want to have to retell the whole story five times.”
I laugh. “On it. I'll go wake everyone up.”
Naturally, as they come awake, everyone's first impulse is to tackle Alodia with a flurry of hugs and questions. She finally manages to settle us all down long enough to explain. About how her consciousness separated from Vaanu's and reached back towards Earth, and how some energy that was presumably the Prism Gate activating had pulled her back and allowed her to manifest on the beach. ...How she had memories now of an entire lifetime spent on Earth. And the fact that she did not think the presence of a surviving crystal from the island would prevent her from continuing that new life where it had left off.
“...So...it's not like Vaanu's been broken all over again?” Raj asks.
“No more than Grace is broken for having had Reggie,” Alodia replies. “It's like I told Jake. I had become too much of my own person for Vaanu to fully take me back. I had my own thoughts and feelings and hopes and dreams, and trying to take me back ultimately proved to be like pushing a baby back into the womb after they've been born.”
“...Ew...” Craig mutters. I see Grace shudder slightly.
“Yeah, I'm with Craig,” Zahra agrees. “Also, I don't understand why you aren't still a massive paradox...even if you were my roommate freshman year.”
“Wait, what? She was?”
Zahra shrugs. “On paper, anyway. And only for the first semester. She crashed in Diego's suite most nights. ...Funny, at the time, I figured they were hooking up.”
“You wouldn't have been the first person to think so,” Diego says ruefully. “Allie was a pretty convincing beard when she consented to be one.”
“Hey, I chose Hartfeld because it was where you wanted to go,” Alodia protests. “It sucks that we somehow ended up in completely different suites our first year! I'm just glad that one kid moved into the frat house second semester. Meant I got his room.”
The three of them chuckle, until the strangeness of what they're actually saying hits them. “Yo, that's super weird,” Zahra mutters. “How long is that going to keep happening?”
“I...don't really know. In a way, this is sort of what Rourke was trying to do with Project Janus. ...Except that in this case, La Huerta is still here, and Rourke isn't emperor of the world, and the Vaanti are here and not imprisoned in underground camps...”
“What?!” Diego yelps. Alodia grimaces.
“Sorry. ...Weird Vaanu side-effect, I think. I have a...not quite memory of what would have happened if I let Project Janus go ahead. It...wasn't nice.”
“But that's not what has happened, here?” Aleister asks anxiously.
“No. I...think I still have a little bit of Vaanu's soul inside me, but no more than any child inherits from their parents. I don't have nearly as much power as Vaanu, or even as the Endless had while Vaanu was still on Earth. But...basically, I've been...retconned into the world's past like living CGI. ...I admit that I am an anomaly. But I don't have the power to unmake existence or create volcanos or anything like what Vaanu's arrival on Earth did. Thanks to all of you, I'm too human to manage it.”
“...But...if there is another crystal out there...” Quinn says softly.
“We can deal with one crystal,” Estela answers firmly. “We'll figure out what needs to be done with it when we get back.”
“...The biggest thing I think I need to apologize for is the fact that I think this isn't going to be easy on any of you. It was all of your needs meeting with Vaanu that willed me into being. I don't think you can forget what I was now that you know. You'll remember me from before La Huerta now, but I think you'll also never forget that there was a timeline where I didn't exist until we entered the time bubble.”
“Who cares?” Diego scoffs. Alodia reaches out to cover his hand with hers.
“It will be harder on you than anyone else. You'll have about twenty years worth of new memories alongside the old ones. Everyone else will only have met me when I got to Hartfeld.”
Diego shakes his head. “It's worth it to get my best friend back. Nothing matters as much as that.”
“But...” Grace hesitates. “Are you really sure that this won't cause a butterfly effect or anything?”
Alodia's gaze softens, growing distant. “...I'm not the first anomaly to ever exist. La Huerta itself was born from a violent event, and Vaanu's own trauma and pain, which is why it had so much impact. But most of us manage to slip into the world and move around unnoticed. ...Time knows what its doing. I exist like a rock in a stream. The water bends and reforms around me and mostly remains undisturbed.” She blinks and looks up to meet our eyes again, smiling sheepishly. “...Was that weird? Sorry...it's gonna take me a little time to settle back into myself.”
“You take all the time you need, Princess.” Jake kisses the side of her head. “There's no need to rush.”
For a moment, everyone is quiet. Tension crackles like electricity in the air. Then, it slowly starts to bleed away as everything she's told us sinks in. She's back. Our Alodia is back with us for good. Giddy elation floods in behind the tension. Craig bounces behind Alodia, grasping her firmly by the shoulders.
“Well, you feel solid enough, so I don't think you're a hologram.”
“She might be a robot, though,” Zahra adds. “Jake, have you checked her for wires yet?”
“Oookay, I don't want to know any more about their sex life than absolutely necessary,” Diego groans.
“Relax,” Michelle sniffs. “She has a pulse. I checked. ...Though, if you want, I could give you a quick physical just to make sure everything checks out.”
Alodia frowns thoughtfully. “You know...actually, I think I would like that. Just to put my mind at ease. Though...I feel human enough to be hungry. And...I actually have to pee really bad right now.”
“We should probably let you do that,” Diego chuckles.
“Yeah. I'll get started on breakfast,” Raj declares, hopping to his feet and practically skipping out the door.
“Let me give you a hand,” Quinn calls, following him out.
“Well, I guess if you're feeling all right, we won't be late to meet the Vaanti,” I remark. Alodia, already on her way to the bathroom, pauses, looking back eagerly.
“The Vaanti?”
“Yeah. It's kinda become tradition to spend three days here, and then four with the Vaanti before we go back home.”
She smiles. “I would love to see them again...”
“Well, we were hardly thinking of leaving you behind!” I laugh. “Go on now, attend to your bodily needs.”
“If you come to my room afterward,” Michelle adds, “I can give you a quick exam before breakfast.”
“All right. But...I may need you to show me which room is yours.”
“...Right. Noted. Okay, I'll wait out here.”
Michelle
I gather my medkit while Alodia finishes in the bathroom, and lead her to my room. I give her a robe to change into, and direct her into the bathroom. When she emerges with the robe over her shoulders, I gesture to the bed. She takes a seat.
“So are you officially a real, licensed doctor now?”
“I have a medical degree, but I'm still an intern. But I'll be a resident soon enough.” I pull on a pair of gloves and pick up my penlight. “Look straight ahead for me.”
“I have no doubt.” She obediently looks ahead while I check her pupils. They shrink normally under the light, and I pick up a tongue depressor to check her mouth and throat. I tip her head back and make a quick examination of her nostrils. She endures all this calmly, but when I put the otoscope in her ear, she fliches, recoiling slightly. I pull back.
“Does that hurt?”
“Not really.” She smiles sheepishly. “...Sorry...I just hate the feeling of having things in my ears. Especially pokey things. I know it's dumb.”
“Not at all. It's just instinct, not wanting pokey things near something as sensitive as your eardrums. Do you know how long it took me to train myself not to flinch while putting in contacts or applying eyeliner? Just take a deep breath. I promise I'll be quick.” I bend again to look in her ears. I feel her stiffen, but she holds still. I move around to the other side. “Besides, I've been an intern for nearly a year. Someone who flinches at an otoscope is a picnic compared to some patients I've had to deal with. Getting puked on because I use a tongue depressor on someone with a strong gag reflex is shockingly common.”
She chuckles as I put down the otoscope and palpate her cervical lymph nodes. “Do they warn you about that kind of thing as a premed?”
“Yeah, but it's still kind of a shock the first time.” I check her pulse and blood pressure, listen to her heart and lungs, test her reflexes. “Do you trust me enough to let me do a quick breast check and manual pelvic?”
She laughs. “Do you really have to ask after everything?”
“I'll have to put my fingers in your vagina to palpate your cervix, and it's probably going to be a little uncomfortable. Are you okay with that?”
“Michelle Nguyen, I trust you with my life. I can handle a little probing.”
I smile, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Lie down then, and open your robe for me.”
She does as I tell her, and I palpate her breasts and her abdomen. Changing my gloves, I finish at her pelvis. When I carefully insert my fingers, she pulls in a sharp breath, her mouth twisting a little, but she doesn't flinch. I finish as quickly as I can and withdraw, pulling off my gloves.
“Everything looks and feels normal. You don't have a hymen, which I find noteworthy with your whole situation considered, but at your age, no other doctor is going to blink at that. In this timeline, I expect it went the way of most hymens.”
She chuckles at my choice of words. “I'm afraid I couldn't tell you if my other body had one. Never paid a whole lot of attention down there unless I was actually using it...”
“A mystery for the ages,” I tease. “In all seriousness, it’s only a curiosity to me because you’re a time anomaly and everything about you is kind of a curiosity. You can go ahead and get dressed, by the way.”
She slips behind the bathroom door to put her clothes back on. “...Do you happen to have any clothes I could borrow? What I've got on is fine for now, but if we're here for a whole week, I might want something to change into. ...I'm a little surprised I didn't turn up naked, honestly.”
“Oh, I'm sure we girls can all spare one outfit. You'll be set for the week.”
She reemerges, fully clothed. “So, can I pass for human, do you think?”
“If you're not human, it's a remarkable disguise from what I can see. Nothing out of place that I could find. Though...I think when we get back home, I'm going to find a way to get you into the hospital for a lab workup. Blood and urine samples and all that. At the very least, you should have a titer test.”
“A what test?”
“Titer. Check for the presence of antibodies. ...I have no idea how being a time anomaly is going to affect your immune system, whether this version of you has had childhood vaccines, when her last tentanus shot was...”
She laughs. “You would be the one to think of that,” she teases, but I can hear affection behind it. I grin.
“Well, you know, that's my job. And the last thing I want is for us to get you back only to have you die of measles or something.”
“...I can remember getting shots as a kid. And hating them, of course.”
“Of course.” I reach out to clasp her shoulder. “I hope you'll forgive me, but I think I'm going to be a little alarmist with your health for awhile. ...I think it's going to take everyone some time to stop being scared we're going to lose you again, and your physical health is the one thing I can take care of better than anyone else.”
“Of course, Michelle. ...Honestly, I think I may need some coddling for awhile. This whole thing has been pretty disorienting. I'm going to need to cling to the people who love me best.”
“Well, you remember you said that when I insist on dragging you to the hospital every time you so much as cough. Ask Quinn how annoying I can be about that sort of thing if you don't believe me.”
She looks at me sharply. “Quinn? Is she...?”
“She's fine. Still no traces left of the Rotterdam's. But until I was sure it wasn't coming back, I made myself a huge nuisance.”
“How did she explain her mysterious recovery to her parents?”
“...I don't think she'd ever told them it had come back in the first place. They still think that experimental treatment her dad put her on is what did it.”
She doesn't immediately reply, and a knock at the door distracts us. “Hello?” Jake calls. “Everyone decent in there?”
“We're both decent,” Alodia calls back. “We're also wearing clothes.”
Jake pokes his head in. “Got a clean bill of health for her, doc?”
“She says everything's fine from what she can see,” Alodia replies. “But she does want me to provide a few meals for the vampires at the hospital when we get home.”
“Just routine stuff,” I assure him.
“She wants to make sure I've had all my shots.”
Jake frowns thoughtfully. “There's probably a record of that somewhere, right? I mean if she existed in the real world now...”
“That's true. She probably has a birth certificate and everything.”
“I know she has a passport. I remember checking it in Costa Rica. We can worry about all that later, though. Breakfast is ready and Raj insists that we eat it while it's hot.”
“You won't get any argument from me,” Alodia declares eagerly. “Let's eat!”
Alodia
Gathered around the breakfast table with my friends, sopping up creamy egg yolk with a soft cornbread muffin and listening to their stories of the last five years, I can't help but wonder if it is possible that I will ever be as happy as I am in this moment. This is the sort of moment the Endless fought to give me, blissful moments surrounded by the people who had willed me into being, who love me more than anyone in the world. But the cost of such moments would have been too high to bear. Though her hair was gray and her skin had gone slack with age, the Endless was a younger incarnation of my soul, selfish like a child is selfish, and rebellious. She had fought against Vaanu's desire to take her back. By the time I met Vaanu myself, I was ready to do what had to be done. To sacrifice my own happiness for the sake of the people who meant more to me than anything. They were and are worth the world. But they also deserve the world.
But, I suppose some things never change, because fighting Vaanu is the whole reason I am back here now.
And now, I do have it all. The world is safe, and the island is safe, and my friends are safe, and they know each other and I know all of them. I have a past to go home to, a life waiting for me with my dear friends and my husband at my side. There is a whole world of possibility stretched out before me, and I mean to explore it all. Though for now, I am content to bask in the love of my true family and the triumphs my sacrifice brought them.
Grace and Aleister, now married with their beautiful son. Quinn, healthy and thriving and running her charity. Sean a starting quarterback for the Condors, with his beautiful fiance well on her way to becoming the doctor she was always meant to be. Craig designs video games, Zahra has a band as well as a job as Rourke International's chief of security. Estela is living with her Tio in San Trobida, and Raj is a world-renowned chef with his own television show. My precious Diego is a professor and best-selling author, and my beloved Jake is free while the man who caused him so much suffering is a prisoner.
I let them guide me through the day, taking me on a tour of the manorhouse, playing in the pool and on the beach like we did those first days on the island. Except now we also take turns watching Reggie in the shallow end, and build sandcastles for him on the beach.
As night falls, Raj grills burgers for us and fixes drinks while Quinn supplies cupcakes. After Grace and Aleister settle the baby, we bring lounge chairs down to the beach and gather around a fire to watch the stars come out. Then, one by one, the others start to drift back inside to sleep. Soon, it's just me, Jake, and Diego left.
“I think I'm gonna make sure our room is ready for us,” Jake eventually declares, leaning over to kiss me. “Don't stay up too late, Princess.”
“I'll be in soon.”
“Promise?”
“I swear it by Andromeda.” He gives me another kiss, his hand lingering on mine as he drifts back to the manorhouse. For a moment, the only sounds are the crackle of the dying fire, the whisper of the waves, and the faint hum of life in the rainforest behind us. I study the stars above me. “...The sky's back to normal, isn't it? It's not the Hadean sky anymore.”
“Nope,” Diego confirms. “It's back to the modern era.”
“...Good...” I lean back in my chair, letting the plastic cradle my head. I laugh a little. “...I'm so goddamned happy right now, I can't even believe it. I had hoped that everyone would be okay, but I think it's all turned out better than I ever imagined...”
I feel Diego's hand on mine. “We're doing pretty well, and it's all thanks to you. But don't forget that for the last five years, we've been coming back to La Huerta to honor your memory.” His fingers tighten on my hand. “...I've really missed you, Allie...”
“I've missed you too, Diego. It was harder for me to leave you than anyone else.”
“...Don't tell Jake that.”
“If you think he didn't know that from the first moment he understood what I was, you don't know him very well. You were the first spark to meet Vaanu's energy and bring me to life. The others help shape me, but you were the spark of my creation. You're the missing piece of my heart. You're my best friend and you always will be. ...It broke me to pieces to learn that all those years we thought we were together were illusions. ...All those times you needed me, I wasn't really there for you...” I feel myself choking on a sudden wave of heartache.
“...But now you were,” he says softly. “Now those memories are real.”
I grip his hand, letting memories of our childhood together rush to the surface. “...Remember how upset we got when we realized we wouldn't be starting school together?”
“We threatened to run away to Idaho, as I recall.”
“Yeah. ...Why Idaho?”
“I think it was just the first place name that came to mind that sounded sufficiently far away. ...Remember how you used to be scared of the Seasame Street aliens?”
“They were so damned creepy! They made me long for your abuelita's telenovelas!”
He laughs. “Abuelita had no idea what was appropriate to put in front of children, did she?”
“Not at all. But thankfully, we were too little to understand most of it.”
“Still, I remember we used a lot of plotlines in our games. Like remember the time My Little Pony captured GI Joe to build an evil weather machine?”
“Why did she need GI Joe again?”
“Well, obviously because she didn't have any thumbs. Just hooves.” He makes his hands into fists and bumps them together, mimicking hooves. “Very hard to hold a screwdriver.”
I take another sip of my cocktail. “...Speaking of screwdrivers...remember that summer when we were fifteen and we got into my uncle's liquor cabinet?”
“And got totally sloshed on Kahlua? Of course. That was the night I came out to you, wasn't it.”
“Yeah. I remember belting 'If You Were Gay,' at the top of my lungs, and you whacking me with a pillow and telling me I couldn't sing.”
“Well, you couldn't,” he snickers. “God, I remember the hangover lasted two days. How the hell did we not get caught?”
“I got caught,” I reply before I even realize what I've said. He looks sharply at me.
“What?”
“...My aunt and uncle were out of town that week. You didn't get caught because we just told your parents you were staying with me, and by the time you went home, the hangover had worn off enough to hide it. ...But a few days after they got home, Uncle Rob realized the Kahlua was gone...” My stomach is clenching with remembered fear. I clutch Diego's hand. He squeezes back, sucking in a sharp breath.
“Oh, god...that was the night he...”
“...The only time in my life he ever hit me. We never got along great, especially when I got to be a teenager, but he never raised a hand to me before that night, and he never did again...”
“You never told me that it was about the missing Kahlua. You said it was about swiping some cash from his wallet.”
“I didn't want you to feel guilty about having gotten away with it when I didn't.” I close my eyes. The pure bliss of the last few hours is fighting to stay afloat amidst the sudden flood of unhappy memories. “...I guess I'm going to have to deal with bad memories along with the good...”
“...Yeah...like that time when we got mugged in LA.”
I shiver. “...I walked away with only a few bruises. They almost killed you. They almost didn't let me see you in the hospital until your mom gave me permission...”
“Do you remember that we met Jake's sister that day?”
“What? We di...” I cut myself off with a gasp as the face of the officer who responded to my frantic, tearful pleas to help my friend forms in my mind. Auburn hair, the calm voice speaking in a Southern drawl, asking what his name was. Without flinching at the blood trickling from his mouth, or the way he was whimpering, she knelt at his side, putting a hand on his shoulder. Diego, I'm officer Rebecca McKenzie, and you're gonna be just fine...
A long silence hangs in the air between us. Not awkward, but heavy in its way. Diego is the one to break it.
“...It's been really hard on him, Allie. Losing you.”
“I knew it would be. I didn't want to leave him.”
“I know. I know. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty or anything. ...I just...think you ought to know. He hasn't coped very well. It's not your fault, and it's not his. But he hasn't really felt like he's had anywhere to turn. I was lucky. I had Varyyn. But Jake...”
“What about Mike?”
He sighs. “Mike has had his own trauma to cope with. I think he and Jake have just been kind of...out of sync since Lundgren's trial ended. It's hard for them to lean on each other when they're both trying to run in different directions. Besides, without you there to ground him, Jake's just been...kind of aimless since the trial. He doesn't want to go back to the Navy after everything. He still has his pilot's license, but I don't think flying means what it used to mean to him.” He tips the last dregs of his cocktail down his throat and sets his glass on the sand beside him. “I dunno. Maybe a few more years down the line, he would have snapped out of it, or gotten past you... Losing you hit him hard. That's all I'm saying. It hit all of us hard, but he made you the center of his world. Same way I did at the start, when you first came into being. If I'd lost you at that point in my life, before I had Varyyn or any other friends for that matter, I would have been just as aimless.”
I nod slowly. “...Thank you for telling me.” I glance back at the manorhouse and I immediately spot him on the balcony outside his room, silhouetted by the light from inside the room. He's watching me. Making sure I don't disappear again. “...I should go to him.”
“I think that would be wise. And I should come in and get some sleep. It's starting to hit me how little I slept last night.”
I grin as I get to my feet. “Need a hand up?”
“I will not say no.” I pull him to his feet, and we wrap our arms around each others' shoulders as we make our way back to the manorhouse. When we reach his room, we part. But not before he pulls me into a tight hug. “I love you, Allie. You'll always be my best friend.”
“I love you back, Diego. Forever.”
As I step into Jake's room, the fragant scent of jungle flowers wafts over me. I look down and see the carpet strewn with petals. Jake sits on the edge of the bed, bathed in the flickering light of a dozen candles. I smile at him.
“Mmm, romantic. But I am rather surprised that you're still fully clothed.”
“So are you,” he replies. “I wanted to be prepared, not presumptuous.”
“That's very considerate of you.” I let my hips sway as I approach him. “Let me be absolutely unambiguous.”
I straddle his lap, putting my hands on his shoulders, and bend to capture his mouth with mine. He kisses back, lifting my shirt and letting his hands roam underneath. Every place his fingers touch tingles with electric heat. I bury my fingers in his hair, kissing harder, nipping lightly at his tongue and lower lip. I rock my hips against his, teasing. We start to move faster. I lift my arms, breaking apart long enough to let him slip my shirt off. I grab the back of his, dragging it off over his head. We fumble to undo each others' pants.
“I want you,” I whisper huskily, bending to nibble at his earlobe. He cups my breast, making circles over the nipple with his thumb.
“I need you,” he whispers back.
I put my hand to his chest, pushing him down onto the bed. “I'm here.”
One arm wraps around my back, the other hand cups my bottom. His fingertips dig into my flesh. “I love you so much.”
I plant kisses on his chest and shoulders, biting at his collarbone. “I love you, Jake.”
In one swift motion, he flips me over, pinning me under the weight of his body and pressing his hips into mine. His pale blue eyes lock with mine, shimmering slightly in the candlelight. One hand comes up to cup my cheek, stroking it tenderly. “...Don't leave me, Alodia.”
His plea sounds so vulnerable, so fragile, that it briefly cools the heat flooding through me. I reach up to brush strands of shaggy brown hair from his face, tucking them behind his ears.
“Never. Never again.”
“Do you promise?”
“Do you remember what I said when you proposed?”
“...'To the stars and back'.”
“I've been to the stars. Now I'm back. I'm not leaving you until death drags me kicking and screaming from your side.”
There is still fear in his eyes, and I can't honestly blame him for it, but the smile playing around his mouth is genuine.
“You know you're really sexy when you talk fierce like that.”
“One of the many reasons why I do.” I grin drawing his hand down from my face to cover my breast again. “Now come on, Top Gun. Show me what you've wanted to do to me for the last five years.”
His fingertips trail down my torso, tracing the bony ridge of my pelvis toward my pubis. His thumb finds a sensitive spot and presses in just enough to make me gasp. He bends to nibble at my ear.
“I ain't planning on letting you keep quiet.”
“I don't plan on trying to keep quiet,” I reply. I can feel my blood rising again, boiling under my skin. “Don't be gentle with me, Top Gun. I've waited five years to feel like a human again, and I want to feel.”
“Princess, your wish is my command.”
I feel him sink into me, and I give into it, letting the motion of his body and the waves of pleasure rolling through my blood carry me. The lightning storm in Cetus' belly has got nothing on what's raging in my body and soul as I move with Jake, rediscovering sensations I have longed for since I touched the crystal pillar on the rooftop of The Celestial. Little bursts of pain wrapped in pleasure so powerful it almost hurts to bear it, an act sacred and holy and profound between two souls who make each other whole, messy and just a little rough between two humans driven by animal desire. When we're both spent, we lie in the afterglow with our hearts racing, heady with the high, peaceful and content, gasping for breath through burning throats, muscles aching and quivering, skin slick and stinking with sweat and fluid. We brush damp strings of hopelessly tangled hair off each other's foreheads and pant against each other's mouths, our lips groping wearily for their targets.
“...Sex is weird...” I mumble, barely realizing what I'm saying until I've said it. Jake snorts.
“Weird? That's your first thought after we make love for the first time in five years?”
“Give me a break, Top Gun. I haven't even had a body in all that time. I don't even know that it's actually been five years for me. To have a human body again after basically being stardust is...weird.”
“Okay, fair enough,” he laughs. He props himself up on his elbow to look down at me. His free hand cups my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. “Was it anything like you remembered?”
“Oh, better. It's just crazy how anything can feel that intense and not only not kill a person, but actually sometimes create a person. It's messy and it's really kinda violent, but it drives people so thoroughly. And even when you're so in love with the person you're having sex with that you would die for them, it doesn't actually make sex...pretty... There's still fluid and smells and weird noises and even weirder faces...”
“Well, this is certainly the weirdest pillowtalk I've ever engaged in,” he quips. He kissing me, smiling. “Tell me more about how sex is weird.”
I chuckle. “You know, in the broadest sense of the word, I was a virgin when we first made love, but I didn't actually know it. I had vague memories of falling in love with you a thousand times and making love to you a hundred thousand times, and I suppose I turned those times into false memories of other lovers, but it was always you. And if you had asked me to name the first person I'd ever had sex with, like really confronted me with the question, I'm not sure I could have given you a name.”
He frowns a little. “What about now? Think you could give a name now?”
“...If I could, would you want me to?”
“Only if you're comfortable telling me,” he replies, shrugging. “I'm a little curious if you can, but whether or not you can doesn't change anything. I'm not all that invested in whether or not I was your first or your only, so long as I'm the only one now. Besides, it's unlikely the name would mean anything to me.”
I smile. “You're the only one I want for the rest of my life, Jacob Lucas McKenzie. ...But my first was Erica Fishman. After the high school graduation dance.”
“Mmmm. Nope, don't know her. My first was Jennifer Lloyd.”
“Oh, really? She was my third!”
He laughs. “Nice try, Princess. She was a Louisiana girl who ain't ever left far as I know. In fact, she still lives in her old neighboorhood.”
“And I suppose it's impossible that she ever traveled to California or Massachusetts?”
“Just to tumble a beautiful valley girl? Guess I couldn't blame her.”
“I'm not a valley girl, Jake. I'm from Riverside, which is nowhere near the San Fernando Valley.”
“It's nearer the San Fernando Valley than Pearl Rive...” He trails off, frowning. “...What's wrong?”
Even though I've had ample time to catch my breath, I have suddenly found myself gasping, my heart hammering painfully against my ribs. I grit my teeth against an icy wave of fear that suddenly crashes over me.
“N-nothing...I just...” I find his hand and grip it. I find his worried gaze and hold it with mine. “I'm just a little panicky, I guess. ...The fact that I have a past now...and a future...I'm scared of it being snatched away...”
“Come here.” He lies down, drawing me into his arms and cradling me against his chest. His heartbeat thumps against my ear. “If you're not willing to leave, then I'm not letting anything take you, either. I got you, Alodia. You're safe with me. I love you.”
“I love you, Jake.”
In his arms, the dark thoughts at the edges of my mind retreat. I fall asleep holding him close as the candles flicker out one by one, smelling sweat and sex and jungle flowers.
#Endless Summer#playchoices#pixelberry choices#choices stories you play#Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto#Jake McKenzie#sean gayle#raj bhandarkar#Craig Hsiao#aleister rourke#michelle nguyen#grace hall#zahra namazi#estela montoya#quinn kelly
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Caefora Internal Dialogue #6
> Caefora: Accidentally talk about how much you don’t want to talk about your triggers with Dee, where Dee can see. Daydream about punching yourself in the face. Daydream about Nadaya punching you in the face. Somehow arrange visit with Nadaya instead. Profit???
sugary-empress
>Way to go, genius! It's definitely the Cae side that was posting that nonsense and not thinking it through, the Condy side is too smart and also not impulsive at all. What do you do now, about the vent thing?
caepaecaesurae
> It was definitely the Condy side doing that, they both had access to Cae's imaginary computer, and they were one person anyway there's no way to get rid of the guilt here!
sugary-empress
Sure, they're one person, but the dumb stuff Isn't Condy.
caepaecaesurae
> ... ... It wvould be awvkwvard to delete it all suddenly, or change the password, and this is probably a better way for Dee to find out than actually talking to him about it INTENTIONALLY? Like, it has the concerns about not murdering arlequin right there, and..
> Who cares who the dumb stuff is!
> The dumb stuff doesn't exist, that was two minutes ago.
sugary-empress
>Good point!
>Yeah, this is fine, actually. In fact, Condy totally meant for this to happen. It's a good thing she's here, pushing Cae into telling people about stuff so he can grow as a person.
caepaecaesurae
> ... You wonder if you should punch yourself in the face and take a picture, there'd be some marketshare for that, you're pretty sure.
sugary-empress
>That sounds painful, but also funny and potentially useful for friendship points.
caepaecaesurae
Who doesn't like a little pain as long as they are 100% completely in control?
caepaecaesurae
> ...you wish /Nadaya/ would punch you in the face.
sugary-empress
>Hot. You could probably make it happen.
caepaecaesurae
> So hot. Would it be weird? Would it be not okay?
sugary-empress
>It would be moderately weird but definitely okay.
caepaecaesurae
> Maybe you could broach the idea on the vent blog ?? But then, what if he shot the idea down
sugary-empress
>There is literally Nothing worse than rejection and being told no. You'll just need to be super attractive so he won't say no. Step one, complete!
caepaecaesurae
> Okay, but that doesn't alwvays wvork! There's so many other steps.
> You're Caefora right nowv, and as nice as he's being, he still sounded sort of iffy about that.
> Unlike Arlequin and Ringleader who are perfect and amazing.
sugary-empress
>Uggggh. But you hate him and want to be punched in the face and maybe make out a little! This is so unfair.
caepaecaesurae
"so i'm t)(inking of punching myself in the face, on a scale of 1 to 10 howv likely is it that you wvould wvant to supervwise or )(elp"
> and then don't be disappointed if the answer is between 0 and -10. That's just a no, that's not like, OFFENSIVELY no, that's just how nadaya is! -11 or worse is definitely personal though.
sugary-empress
>Add a winky face!
>... Actually, don't do that, that's dumb.
>You'll be Disappointed no matter what, if he says no! Nobody gets to say no to you.
caepaecaesurae
> Consent is Important.
sugary-empress
>Sure, sure.
caepaecaesurae
> Consent is Important, otherwise we're going to think about bad things for a minute.
> You can't fool yourself, you want to be 100% on this one.
sugary-empress
>FINE, ugh! It's not like Cae's the only one with horrible things that happened when you didn't want them to happen! It's just, you LIKE Nadaya. Not in that way. But kind of in that way. And you don't WANT him to say no.
>But you've got feelings now anyways, doing stuff people don't want you to just makes you feel bad. Like with Sal, and that whole kidnapping thing.
caepaecaesurae
> Those memories are just as valid for making the point as Cae's are. Part of being better is knowing how to lie to and manipulate your/self/, until you act and think the way you want to be.
sugary-empress
>But that sounds hard...
caepaecaesurae
> ..do you still actually want to post that thing to see if Nadaya will come over? Maybe he'd cuddle.
sugary-empress
>Yeah!!!
caepaecaesurae
> well... is it harder than having to struggle with the feelings that the self-lies solve?
sugary-empress
>... Maybe not.
caepaecaesurae
> oh no dee replied. http://pleasegoawway.tumblr.com/post/158153481845/decreasinglycreativwe-actualmolotovcocktail
> ..Removing the reply isn't important really, it's off the dashboard so it's totally dead to you now. You just can't... reply to it.
sugary-empress
>So tell them that!
caepaecaesurae
> ...You reflexively want to almost explain what happened, but it feels weird and you don't know how or want to think about it.
sugary-empress
>You should explain!
caepaecaesurae
> af,,,ter you're split?
sugary-empress
>Will you actually have the globes to say anything after?
caepaecaesurae
> .. Something, yes, everything in complete detail, No.
caepaecaesurae
> What if we explain to dee how great sugary is instead
caepaecaesurae
http://pleasegoawway.tumblr.com/post/158153876910/decreasinglycreativwe-its-off-the-dasboard-it
sugary-empress
>That's always something you should do. Sugary is great.
caepaecaesurae
> What dee said is a /little/ hurtful, but also they definitely know it's been a while and you might be able to get through to them!
sugary-empress
>Exactly! When they left you really were pretty bad. Maybe they'll understand?
caepaecaesurae
> You think you downplayed things Just enough for it to sound like a believable neutral analysis from Cae, instead of a self-analysis from Tyfora...
caepaecaesurae
> http://actualmolotovcocktail.tumblr.com/post/158154523697/decreasinglycreativwe-on-the-one-hand-yes-but
> !!!! He said sure?? To, holding the camera at least maybe you aren't sure
> Or talking you out of it
> But. Arguing?? Physical presence. That's nice!
caepaecaesurae
"Oh trust me, wve knowv. Don't wvorry about that part."
> ..what to say for the rest of it?? Help, rest of brain!
sugary-empress
>Uh, that Condy's as trustworthy as she is beautiful, so it's fine that she knows? Alternatively, that you've got mutually assured destruction when it comes to secrets now, so as long as she's helping, why not include her?
caepaecaesurae
> Condy knowing is definitely handled, but //Nadaya basically said yes to something and you aren't sure what//
sugary-empress
>Oh, that. It's fine, it'll be okay no matter what. Alternatively ASK FOR CLARIFICATION, YOU DUMB TOOL, THIS ISN'T HARD.
caepaecaesurae
> But you lose so many cool points and people think you're stupid fi you ask for clarification as often as Caesurae would need to!!
sugary-empress
"Sure you'll hold t)(e camera or sure you're talking us out of it or?"
>Cae, everyone knows you're not stupid.
caepaecaesurae
> Cae /acts/ not stupid...
> ..and he's brilliant in, some ways.
caepaecaesurae
> ..god, the entire cae side of this is a disaster and Condy is /carrying them/.
> ... Oh hey, if you combine their names into Caendy that's actually super appropo.
sugary-empress
>Caendy is so good... It even makes up for you not Winning as fare as number of letters.
>Anyways, Cae acts not stupid convincingly enough that asking for clarification ONE TIME isn't going to make NADAYA, the lowblood with an inferiority complex, think Cae is dumb!
caepaecaesurae
> I mean.. Okay.
> .. Also the C is shared, so it's more like 3 letters vs 4 letters, so she still wins!
sugary-empress
>Good point.
>Man, of all the people on Tumblr to be deeply, needlessly insecure, you wouldn't have pegged Cae. Everyone likes him and he's fun to talk to so???
caepaecaesurae
> The positive regard makes that half of Caefora feel better. He's //normally// fine, it's just right after being attacked that he gets insecure and unsafe.
sugary-empress
>Oh, well that's relatable. That's fine then, so long as he knows he's great!!!
caepaecaesurae
> .. He can be great. Caefora has this inner fire and drive to defend themselves that the Caesurae part is going to remember, and strive to match.
<Nad> #i dunno! guess ill find out
caepaecaesurae
> !!!
> /!!!/
sugary-empress
>Nice! 38D
caepaecaesurae
> He might not hate Caefora the wrong waaaaaayyyy
> This self confidence shit is amazing, he needs to get On This.
caepaecaesurae
> ..Maybe you shouldn't publicly admit where you are where sparks can see, so you'lll take this thing with nadaya into IM's...
sugary-empress
>Ooh, shit, good call.
caepaecaesurae
> ...alllso. ..Also. Maybe, not suggesting either Sugary's ship, or the Crimson Emperor's hive. Those are not places Nadaya would go.
> ..But that one Meenah's empty hive she offered?
sugary-empress
>Another good call! Damn, you're brilliant.
caepaecaesurae
> Practice makes perfect...
"I'd be game to meet anywvhere you thought wvas a good idea -- I'm currently staying in some of Tyfora's safe places, but someone in Cae's clade offered a safehivwe that's sort of sitting empty and being a backup rn in case w)(ere I am stops being okay for me" ?
caepaecaesurae
> ...doing it
caepaecaesurae
trolljacksparrow: can i showw up at tyfora's safe place? its vval, right
caepaecaesurae: yeah. Are you okay wvith him? I mean, crimson and evwerything, and I didn't wvant to
trolljacksparrow: yeah, he's chill
hey hey its fine
caepaecaesurae: You're amazing.
sugary-empress
>This is why you love him! Also, further proof Val is amazing, if even Nads likes him.
caepaecaesurae
> Everyone is so good...
caepaecaesurae
> ...The cae half is quickly getting overwhelmed, there's just nothing there but affection. Nadaya is the opposite of so many things Cae values, but /is a good man regardless/. Why does he make these choices. Why is he so good.
CC: You're amazing.
NAD: thats pretty gay
NAD: coords?
CC: > Coords!
sugary-empress
>Nadaya is the best terrible man.
#ooc eyes only#M!A: Caefora#Consent Is Important#Triggers Are Hard To Deal With#Cae Needs To Be More Direct#Nadaya (fangirl squeeing FROM CAE)#sugary-empress
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