falling ill

[keep_busy]

A few months after the business with the chalice, Annie (with a gold engagement stud in one earlobe, now receiving mail at Aldaras's apartment, and thoroughly comfortable with Being Necklaced, to the point where she's helping mold the thing towards more exacting standards for real-world-practical as well as theoretical compatibility) is in bed with some unidentified sort of head cold or flu. Aldaras doesn't have it so far, so she is snuggled under the covers while he makes her spicy soup to help clear her sinuses and because she's having a little trouble with non-liquids. He's worried, she's mostly just groggy. Zzzz.

Comments

[dark_light]

Ice eventually emerges from Spring's house holding a drawing of a winged fish with elaborate fins in a dozen colors of ink.

"Countercurses didn't do anything. I'm going to borrow the necklace very carefully and take it home for the alethiometer to look at. Spring says you can have this if you want." She offers the drawing. "And that you can go in if you want, but she understands if you don't."

[darkest_evening]

"All right," says Prime, taking the drawing. "Thank you. Good luck."

He hesitates, a bit, on the threshold, but it's not like he hasn't been in awkward love-related situations before. He steps through and into Spring's house.

"The drawing is beautiful," he says, because he doesn't think it's a good idea to start with, 'So the universe is definitely conspiring against us.'

[namesthesky]

"Thank you."

[darkest_evening]

Well, that's enough small talk.

"I'm quite certain the multiverse is conspiring against us. Or at least trying very hard to pair up Bells and Adarins."

[namesthesky]

"It does - add up a bit. Doesn't it."

[darkest_evening]

"A bit. She happened to fall sick just before we happened to find them and she happened to be wearing the necklace, and her fiancé just so happened to be out of the room at the time so he couldn't warn us about the necklace. It's extremely questionable."

[namesthesky]

"Well. Ice is going to see if the alethiometer has anything - useful to say."

[darkest_evening]

"Yes." Pause. "... Are you all right?"

[namesthesky]

"I'm not sure what you mean."

[darkest_evening]

"In general. Considering you are the person who had your mind partially hijacked by a disturbing conspiracy necklace."

[namesthesky]

"I'm still not sure what you mean. You know what happened."

[darkest_evening]

"I do. I mean - if I were the one whose brain was hijacked by the conspiracy necklace, I would probably be locked in my house having a mental breakdown for a while. Are you having anything relating to that?"

[namesthesky]

"I am in my house. I don't think I'm having a full-fledged breakdown at this time."

[darkest_evening]

"Good. Also, I'm giving you permission to rant about whatever you like to me. I will not be offended."

[namesthesky]

"I -" She shakes her head. "The fish, is my ranting. I don't need to vent. You know what happened."

[darkest_evening]

"Well. Then what should we do about it?"

[namesthesky]

"You seem to want to let them work on undoing it. It could still be - fixable."

[darkest_evening]

"Of course I want to let them work on undoing it? Your head was hijacked and a necklace forced you to fall in love with me. That's not something that should happen."

[namesthesky]

"I know."

[darkest_evening]

Okay. That. Might have sounded a bit harsh, now that he looks at it from the vein of 'a person that is also in love with him.'

He sighs, and rubs his face. "Sorry. That - I should have actually thought before I said anything. Regardless. If they don't manage it - what shall we do?"

[namesthesky]

"I can't - just answer that - not first - do you understand? I can't."

[darkest_evening]

"Yes," he agrees.

After a silence, he mutters, "It had to be you of course. Why would it be anyone else."

[namesthesky]

[darkest_evening]

"In that," he continues, "you're not somewhere with barely any life experience, you're not someone who annoys me or has pressured me, you're not otherwise taken, or with complicated romantic history that I don't want any part in, and you're not someone I've never met before. I know you. I like you. I can't just - turn you away without a second thought like if you were anyone else."

[namesthesky]

"Do -"

She cuts herself off. And aborts a wistful plantlike lean in his direction that had been developing.