good morning everyone

[warmfeelings]

Chelsa has just finished the morning announcements. She loves doing the morning announcements; it's like piping hot coffee, the rise in the world's warmth. Most of it is for Aelise, of course, but Chelsa gets her own share, and of course she's not selfish, everyone loves their neighbors too. Everyone gets along so well.

She is on her way from the broadcasting studio where she does her announcements to the living quarters where she keeps her dearest friends. She makes sure to pay them plenty of attention. They watch the announcements - everyone does, unless they are doing some sort of emergency work right at that moment, and then they're caught up as soon as possible with the next installment - but they're kept closer and need more fine detail work to stay happy with her. It is terribly important that they be happy with her.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"She's been around my entire life," says Tima. "I'm only fifty." (She doesn't look fifty.) "I've loved her from the day I was born and one day she found me, out walking around, and she thought I kindled pretty and now I get to live here with her and see her in person, every day, and she hugs me and tells me she loves me. I can't think of anything nicer. I don't know where you're from, but - this is where I'm from."

[pythbox]

"I'm from... somewhere else," says Harley. "I'm not just a clone of Corona. There's a bunch of us, twelve or something. We're called the Jokers. And we all have really shitty childhoods, except me, because the other ones found me when I was a baby and they gave me to somebody who wasn't shitty."

[alicornucopia]

"Twelve Coronas," whistles Tima. "Wow. I think it's probably best if nobody tells Chelsa that."

[pythbox]

"Yeah, because she'd want to track them down and mind-rape them," snorts Harley.

[alicornucopia]

"And she's not allowed to have all the live-in-friends she wants. I don't think kindling pretty will keep me a spot next to that many of you, and I like my spot."

[pythbox]

"...Think about why she's not allowed to have all the pets she wants, though," says Corona, glancing at Harley.

[alicornucopia]

"...Ooh."

[pythbox]

"Yeah," says Corona.

"You know what, fucking sure, use me as a battery," says Harley. "I'd rather be that than a pet. And the other twelve of me are already immortal, anyway, they don't need your life-sucking witch queen to keep them going."

[alicornucopia]

Tima makes a face at this description of Aelise.

[pythbox]

"What? She sucks the life out of people," says Harley. "That is the literal truth. Who's she usually kill, anyway? I bet she wouldn't have drained me to the ground if she wasn't trying to stop killing somebody."

[alicornucopia]

"Oh, they don't matter," shrugs Tima. "Sometimes she'd drain Luhan, he's renewable - just not as much as you are."

(Chelsa makes sure no one minds.)

[pythbox]

"I didn't ask if they mattered," says Harley, "I asked who."

[alicornucopia]

"Just," Tima shrugs, "babies, usually, not ones anyone will miss."

[pythbox]

Harley hisses.

[alicornucopia]

"But she didn't like to do it too often, so there was Luhan, and Chelsa has to send someone away if she wants to rotate someone in - or she did, anyway, I guess she can keep you and Jony now."

[pythbox]

"How do you not understand how fucked up that is?" says Harley. "You live in an empire built on dead babies and mind control!"

[alicornucopia]

"It's not very many dead babies," says Tima. "And before Aelise found Chelsa and took over there were a lot of wars, and now everyone gets along."

[pythbox]

"It's not very many dead babies," Harley repeats incredulously. "How about I just kill everybody on this mountain, then, there's not that many of you!"

[alicornucopia]

Tima shrinks away from the cuddling.

[pythbox]

Harley turns and buries his face against Corona's chest. Corona hugs him.

"You didn't mean that literally, right?" says Corona.

"No," says Harley, somewhat muffled. "I didn't mean it literally."

[alicornucopia]

Tima relaxes fractionally.

"I have a family," she says, reproachful.

[pythbox]

"So do I," Harley says into Corona's shirt. Corona cuddles him some more.

[alicornucopia]

"If they were here she'd let you visit them. We all leave sometimes except Amdon," says Tima. "Chelsa isn't setting out specifically to make you miserable."

[pythbox]

"No," says Harley, taking his face away from Corona's chest. "She's just making me miserable by accident because she wants to get high on my feelings and doesn't care how bad she fucks me up in the process."

[alicornucopia]

Tima doesn't really have anything to say to that.