horrible cold

[warmfeelings]

Chelsa buries herself in her friends, and the warmth of the world that Harley isn't on anymore. She doesn't understand him. She never will. But there's Corona, sun-scorching and intense; there's Amdon, her oldest and closest; there's Anneia, sweet and smiling; there's Sandre, cuddly and fun; there's Tima, pretty-kindling and empathetic; there's Pacco, bright and deferent; there's Jony, hot as a kiln; Lionara hot as molten glass. And Aelise herself, who makes so many compromises but who does love Chelsa after all.

Harley wasn't like that one cold, cold girl, who - she wasn't even technically a sociopath. Sociopaths kindle like everyone else. She was just - cold. Like an airless environment in which no fire can burn.

But Aelise had her killed, and Chelsa made sure no one would miss her, and if anything like that ever happened again, Chelsa has every confidence that Aelise would make it right. Harley's one thing. He can just be - out of sight, out of mind. Aelise would never expect Chelsa to compromise on the existence of such a terrible cold.

Comments

[queensidecastle]

Kers smiles.

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel continues inspecting rooms, and she chooses one, and puts her sole souvenir from home on the bookshelf.

[queensidecastle]

"Check out the computer," Kers advises.

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel follows this suggestion.

[queensidecastle]

It is a pretty excellent computer!

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel sets about fixing all the preferences how she likes them. "Aelise said you might be good at helping me pick out books to read so I can learn all the things I have to know to figure out how to fix the world," she says.

[queensidecastle]

"I might!" she agrees.

[alicornucopia]

"I need to know how Gifts work and why people have wars and stuff," Mehitabel says.

[queensidecastle]

"Right to the hard stuff, huh," laughs Kers. "I'll queue up some history."

[alicornucopia]

"Thank you!"

[queensidecastle]

"History and science."

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel nods. "How come you live up here?" she asks.

[queensidecastle]

"Because nobody thinks there is anyone living up here, which makes it a good place to hide. And the reason why I'm hiding is because I have a Gift," she says. "I'm a shield. A very, very powerful shield. So I keep my Gift covering all the people Aelise most wants protected, and I hide, because I can't cover myself."

[alicornucopia]

"I cover myself," says Mehitabel. "How do you do other people?"

[queensidecastle]

"How do you cover yourself?"

[alicornucopia]

"I didn't even know I was doing it until today."

[queensidecastle]

Kers shrugs.

"The point is, 'how' is not really a meaningful question between Gifts. No two Gifts work exactly the same way. I cover other people because that's how my Gift works, and I do it by using my Gift, and that's about as much useful detail as anybody's ever been able to get across without involving a telepath."

[alicornucopia]

"I wonder if I could do other people, though."

[queensidecastle]

"How would you test that?"

[alicornucopia]

"It would have to be somebody Chelsa wouldn't notice. Because I'm a secret," Mehitabel says, after thinking this over. "And then I would try stuff."

[queensidecastle]

"But right now, the only thing you're sure you shield against is Chelsa," Kers observes.

[alicornucopia]

"Ye-e-es. But she didn't notice me not paying attention to the morning announcements, right?"

[queensidecastle]

"Right. But how are you going to experiment on people down there, without anybody noticing, when you're up here?"

[alicornucopia]

"Would she notice if you didn't like the morning announcements anymore?" inquires Mehitabel.

[queensidecastle]

"As a matter of fact, she didn't."