we do not bear children until we have so chosen

[dark_light]

Amariah appears in the Belltower, throws herself into a chair, and tries to read postcards, but her eyes won't focus on them. She tries the Bellbook, and scarcely has better luck, although her eyes do catch on a certain word.

"Jane."

"Yep?"

"I want to talk to Aether."

"I'll let her know!"

Comments

[mind_game]

"I will invite them over."

[Hey, Yseult, Jane here.]

[Hey, Damaris, it's Jane.]

[fortissima]

[Hi, Jane!] says Damaris.

[mindfields]

[Hello,] says Yseult.

[mind_game]

[So,] Jane says to both of them, [Amariah would like to talk to you and your alt about your template. She's in the Belltower. D'you have a while?]

[mindfields]

[Yes,] says Yseult.

[fortissima]

[Sure!] says Damaris.

[mind_game]

[I can yoink you there if you'll head for your Janepoint.]

[fortissima]

They both

[mindfields]

do that.

[mind_game]

Yoink, yoink.

[dark_light]

"Hi, guys."

[mindfields]

"Hello," says Yseult. "What is it?"

[dark_light]

"When I got home," Amariah says, looking away, "it had been sixty-six years. There is a thirteen-year-old you there named Helen. And I don't know what to do."

[fortissima]

"...I'm not sure I know what to do either," says Damaris, glancing at Yseult with a nervous flutter of her wings.

[mindfields]

"I can't imagine," Yseult murmurs.

[dark_light]

"Yeah. I'm calmed down now, but I'm not even old enough to have a thirteen-year-old you, right, and we'd never talked about it."

[fortissima]

"...I'd like to meet her," says Damaris. "Another us. - We never even named our template, did we?"

[mindfields]

"I can donate 'Dominique', since I'm not using it," Yseult offers wryly.

[dark_light]

"Dominiques it is. Do you think that's the best next action, is inviting her to meet you guys?"

[mindfields]

"I don't know," says Yseult. "But I'd like to meet her, too. And I don't think it would be a bad thing to do."

[dark_light]

"I could get out of the way and Jane could invite her here? Or not get out of the way, I guess, I'm going by your expertise on yourselves here."

[mindfields]

"I have no idea what I would or wouldn't want if I was seeing Maman for the first time at thirteen," Yseult says apologetically. "Besides that - I'd want to get along with her, I think."

[fortissima]

"But if all you know is that you want to get along with someone, it can be hard to do," says Damaris.

[dark_light]

"Yep."

[fortissima]

Damaris's wings droop.