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

[salus_populi]

"Somewhere in the orbital rings. She knows we're here; she'll be along."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay. What do I call her?"

[salus_populi]

"You call her Kers."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay."

Mehitabel goes on staring out the window. "Is there a lot of stuff people know about how Gifts work?" she asks.

[salus_populi]

"There's some. I don't know what qualifies as 'a lot'."

[alicornucopia]

"I want to learn it. It seems like it will help, I think."

[salus_populi]

"You can learn whatever you want."

[alicornucopia]

"Yes," agrees Mehitabel. "Teachers and stuff are useful for finding the best things to read to learn whatever, though. Is Kers good at that?"

[salus_populi]

"She's pretty good at it, yeah."

[alicornucopia]

"That is good and important if I am going to fix the world any time soon," Mehitabel nods.

[salus_populi]

"I wouldn't get your hopes up about doing it in the next decade," says Aelise. "All things considered."

[alicornucopia]

"Well," says Mehitabel, "maybe not, but it would be good if I did, so I shouldn't waste any time just because maybe not."

[salus_populi]

"True. But on the other hand, it's not nice to be disappointed because you didn't solve a complicated problem unreasonably fast."

[alicornucopia]

"Being disappointed would waste time," Mehitabel says after a moment's thought. "So I won't do it, at least not very much."

[salus_populi]

"That's good."

[alicornucopia]

"Yes," agrees Mehitabel.

And finally she has seen all of the Earth she wishes to behold just now, and she sets about finishing her book while they wait for Kers.

[queensidecastle]

Kers shows up just before the end of the book.

[alicornucopia]

"Hello," says Mehitabel politely. "I'm a secret. Are you Kers?"

[queensidecastle]

"I am Kers," she says. "And you're Mehitabel."

[alicornucopia]

"Yes. I'm not a secret from you," says Mehitabel.

[queensidecastle]

"Correct."

[alicornucopia]

"I am supposed to live secretly up here and figure out how to fix the world," Mehitabel says.

[queensidecastle]

"Yes, you are," says Kers. "Want a tour?"

[alicornucopia]

"Yes please," says Mehitabel.

[queensidecastle]

"It's a deal. C'mon."

And with a perfunctory wave to Aelise, Kers leads Mehitabel out of the windowed room and into the rest of the orbital ring.