we have a complex relationship with our sisters and our cousins

[dark_light]

Amariah is starting a circle in her yard - minting and enchanting can pull heavier duty than witchcraft, and faster, too, but they won't scale unless she wants to hand out copies of her trump cards; novel spells will, since there are many witches across the globe.

And then Jane asks if she wants to be visited, by Juliet's Sherlock - Minus - and Amariah's reply is "Sure, I could take a break." Because she's been at this for a while now and was just about to wish a crick out of her back for the second time this afternoon.

She puts down her pitcher of oil and waits for him to appear.

Comments

[dark_light]

"There's kind of a sense for these things. I bet you could be really good at reading daemons if you practiced."

[eversomuchfun]

"Probably," says Steph, but she doesn't seem excited about it.

[dark_light]

Path nuzzles her again.

[eversomuchfun]

She nuzzles him back, again.

[dark_light]

"I'm sorry you're stuck here," Path murmurs.

[eversomuchfun]

"I'm sorry I exist," says Steph.

[dark_light]

"I know you didn't mean to," says Path. "But as long as you're here, I like you."

[eversomuchfun]

She sighs. "I don't know why."

[dark_light]

Path thinks about this. And then he says, "People without daemons have it all mixed up into a single thing that's hard to keep track of. People with daemons do a lot of the emotional rapport and chemistry between the daemons and the people do more of the words. My Isabella likes Sherlock so I like you."

[eversomuchfun]

"That's kind of fucked," says Steph.

[dark_light]

"Well, if you're mean to me, I might stop liking you, but then there would be spillover to my Isabella," says Path, "because we're the same person."

[eversomuchfun]

"That's definitely fucked," says Steph, "because as demonstrated I am much more of an asshole than my Sherlock, and I also come with my very own psychological issues."

[dark_light]

"But I like you anyway," says Path irrepressibly. And he snuggles his wing around her.

[eversomuchfun]

She makes a sound that is some combination of giggle and sob, and snuggles up.

[dark_light]

Daemon snuggles! Daemon snuggles are soothing to the daemons and to their people.

[eversomuchfun]

Steph and Sherlock are inexplicably soothed.

[dark_light]

Path is pleased to be helpful.

Amariah finishes whatever she was off doing and wanders back up. "Aww," she says.

[eversomuchfun]

"Yes indeed," says Sherlock.

[dark_light]

Sherlock gets an Isabella sitting next to him on his bed. "Anything interesting in the conversation that I missed?"

[eversomuchfun]

"My daemon has the standard Sherlock array of self-esteem problems, and neither one of us really knows how daemons are supposed to work. Path has been helping."

"And I'm Steph now," says Steph. "But I'll probably pick something else later."

[dark_light]

"I'm helpful," asserts Path.

"Of course you are," laughs Isabella.

There is a subtle but definitely Sherlock-noticeable increased comfort in her behavior now that he is bedaemoned.

[eversomuchfun]

Steph jumps off the headboard and bolts for the door.

[dark_light]

Path flutters to regain his balance, and Amariah jumps, startled. Path flies to her arm and she holds him close to her chest. "What's - what's happened?"

[eversomuchfun]

Steph falls short of the door. She strains for a moment, then disappears in a puff of golden light.

Sherlock rubs his face with both hands and says, "I have a fucking suicidal daemon. She finds it intolerable that you are more comfortable around me now that she exists."

[dark_light]

"I - why? I'm just - used to people having daemons, I always will be, however much time I spend around people who haven't."