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

[darkest_evening]

"Do you want me to?"

[namesthesky]

"Yes."

[darkest_evening]

He nods, and then without another word scoops her up into a gentle, snuggly hug.

[namesthesky]

Into which she utterly melts.

[darkest_evening]

"I'm going to try to find a way for us to win," he promises.

[namesthesky]

"I," she starts, and then she stops and burrows her face against his shoulder rather than finish the sentence.

[darkest_evening]

Prime doesn't ask, but he does keep holding her.

[namesthesky]

Most of the tension flows out of her and her breathing evens out and she snuggles happily.

[darkest_evening]

He relaxes, too. Just a little. He's still thinking.

"I should eventually talk to your alts. And the new set, too."

[namesthesky]

"You want to talk to them about how to - handle me. Because I'm untrustworthy on the subject now."

[darkest_evening]

"... Basically. But through no fault of your own."

[namesthesky]

"I didn't say you were blaming me." She sighs.

[darkest_evening]

Snuggle?

[namesthesky]

Snuggle.

[darkest_evening]

He snuggles her for a surprisingly long amount of time, then kisses her hair and says, "I'm going to go talk to your alts."

[namesthesky]

Aya restrains her sighing and lets him go.

[darkest_evening]

"Sorry," he says apologetically. Then he turns and departs, and goes looking for her alts.

[come_midnight]

Revelation is still in the new world, Ice is home studying the necklace, Phix and Flicker are both off elsewhere, but Iobel is sketching the skeleton of a spellchart on giant paper on the floor of the Belfry.

"Hi."

[darkest_evening]

"Hello. I'm looking for some sort of advice on Spring. From a Bell."

[shesepankh]

"Kiss her on the back of the neck," calls Phix from an adjoining room, one with computers in it.

[darkest_evening]

"Thank you," says Prime, "but that was not the kind of advice I was looking for."

(But he is filing it away. Just in case.)

[come_midnight]

"What are you looking for?"

[darkest_evening]

"What she would want me to do if she knew in advance she was going to fall in love with me thanks to a disturbing conspiracy love necklace."

[come_midnight]

"And didn't know if it'd be permanent?"

[darkest_evening]

"Yes. Please."