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]

"You're not contagious or anything?" Ice asks Spring.

[namesthesky]

"I don't think so. She didn't say."

[dark_light]

Ice sticks her head through the portal. "Hey, is she contagious or anything?"

[keep_busy]

"No. You have to actually touch the necklace."

[dark_light]

"Okay." Ice retreats back to the Belfry. "Let's go put you in your house and get you some paper, how about."

[namesthesky]

"Okay."

Spring lets Ice usher her away.

[darkest_evening]

"Revelation, I think they need microchips. Probably also explanations."

[ask_nicely]

"Yeah. Let's - do that."

[from_scratch]

"Coming right up. Is there an Adarin or just a Bell?"

[darkest_evening]

"She's engaged to an Adarin - he looks different, but I asked him about the relevant traits and he apparently fit them. But I didn't exactly have much time for conversation."

[from_scratch]

"Right. Here goes."

Through steps Revelation.

"Hello, I'm another Bell - most of us look like you, you've seen an unrepresentative sample," he tells Annie. "Please put the necklace away, it is making me extremely nervous."

[keep_busy]

"I wouldn't - okay," says Annie, and she unclasps it and puts it in its box. "There. I'm really sorry. I was super sick."

[from_scratch]

"We'll - figure something out. It's not the end of the world. At least it's Prime she's stuck on and not, like, one of the deities or Katydid's cat."

[touchedinthehead]

"One of the deities? Katydid's cat? That could. That could happen?"

[from_scratch]

"Well, I don't know how your scary necklace works, but there exist deities - Spring is an acolyte of one of them, is how she does the healing - and Katydid's cat is her familiar and a person and stuff."

[touchedinthehead]

"... Okay. That. Makes sense. Is there a brochure on all of the alts?"

[from_scratch]

"Yeah, we took care of that after last time. What format do you want it in?"

[keep_busy]

"A... book? What else?"

[from_scratch]

"If you were higher tech you might want a computer version. Here." Revelation hands over a glossy little hardcover.

[touchedinthehead]

"Ooo."

And then, reading.

[darkest_evening]

Meanwhile:

Prime doesn't follow Spring inside her house, but he does wait outside it. Silently. Thinking.

So, obviously, the multiverse is conspiring against them. That's - pretty clear, now. Coincidences, fine, but at this point, it's far more than coincidence. First, new universe gets a creepy love necklace and then the person who needs to wear it for genuinely logical reasons just so happens to fall sick just in time for he and Spring to show up to cure her. Ha. Ha ha ha. Yeah, no, that's not a coincidence, that is conspiracy.

Who has a vested interest in Bells and Adarins shacking up? He - doesn't have an answer to that question. His first answer is 'blame it on the Fae, they're huge assholes,' but on reflection, this doesn't seem their style. They like watching large-scale mayhem. Dramatic betrayals and large scale wars and dynasties falling. An - absurdly convoluted, multidimensional love story? With - lots of harrowing experiences and lots of magic? That's - no, why would they care? Who would even want that?

Is he some kind of chess piece in some insane cosmic love game? Is Spring? That's - completely terrible, actually. Because things were shaping up to be, 'pair up with your partner or the universe curb-stomps you into doing it.' And then possibly does horrible things to you anyway.

How great.

Well. There's no use taking it out on Spring. Or himself, even. He just - needs to figure out what to do. Because that is obviously a simple solution. Just. Figure out what to do when a necklace forces someone you're friends with to fall madly, irrevocably in love with you. Against her will. That's not a moral issue at all.

Why yes, Prime is just as sarcastic in his own head as he is out loud, thank you for noticing.

[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."