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

[alicornucopia]

"I would try very hard," says Mehitabel. "I would need to know a lot of things and think a lot, though."

[salus_populi]

"You have time," says Aelise. "Your generation is expected to live to about a hundred and sixty. Do you want to try?"

[alicornucopia]

"If I think of something will you do it?"

[salus_populi]

"If you think of something that I think will work, I'll do it," she says. "If you think of something that I think will lead to everyone dying, I'll tell you why."

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel considers this.

"What if you're wrong?" she asks. "Then Chelsa keeps Chelsa-ing everybody and that's also really really bad."

[salus_populi]

"Have you ever heard someone say, 'err on the side of caution'?"

[alicornucopia]

"Yes," says Mehitabel. "Mommy says it when she's deciding to overcook fish. But I think that's when being very cautious doesn't mean something really really bad happens. Like if overcooked fish would make you like people you don't want to like."

[salus_populi]

"I think that everyone dying is much, much worse than Chelsa making everyone like each other. So when it comes to everyone dying, I'll err on the side of caution. I have all the time in the world to think of a way to get rid of her, but I'm only going to get one chance to try it, and if I do it wrong, everyone might die."

[alicornucopia]

"Do you like her?" Mehitabel inquires.

[salus_populi]

"Why do you ask?"

[alicornucopia]

"Sometimes at school people who are especially friends let each other do bad things," Mehitabel says.

[salus_populi]

"I'm the empress," says Aelise. "That means that I can't let people do bad things just because I like them. I have to have a very good reason."

[alicornucopia]

"But do you like her?"

[salus_populi]

"Yes. But since I also know why I like her, I'm not going to let it get in my way."

[alicornucopia]

"Hmmm," says Mehitabel.

[salus_populi]

"Yes?" says Aelise.

[alicornucopia]

"I dunno. I need paper," says Mehitabel. "Or my computer."

[salus_populi]

"You can borrow a computer, if you want."

[alicornucopia]

"Then someone might read what I put on it," says Mehitabel.

[salus_populi]

"I could make whatever you put on it a state secret," says Aelise. "Or I could find you some paper, or I could take you back home and get your own computer to bring with us. The first one is fastest, and makes it hardest for anyone to read what you write down. Which one do you want?"

[alicornucopia]

"If it's a state secret doesn't that mean you get to read it because you are the state?" asks Mehitabel.

[salus_populi]

"Yes, but I'm not going to."

[alicornucopia]

"I don't know you, not really," Mehitabel points out.

[salus_populi]

"There is nothing you could possibly write down that I couldn't read if I really, really wanted to," she says. "I haven't so far, and I don't plan to start."

[alicornucopia]

Mehitabel thinks about this.

Then she says, "I can just borrow a computer, then."