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spindle_ellaMostly been getting on with Etsy orders. I'm so behind on NaNo it's ridic. I'm jumping about my time-line again, so I'm doing the bit where one of the new genius loci has woken up, instead of filling in bits near the beginning. Also I'm bloody freezing but I'll have to get out from under this blanket to turn the heating on. Gnarg.
"I still don't remember being called Phoenix," Phoenix said, crinkling his brow, "but it hurts when I try..."
"I've told you to stop trying; we need to get your sense of selfhood stabilised before you can start rooting around in the past." Perdita tapped him lightly on the nose with the tip of one finger; with her other hand she wove a net of shimmering magic sigils and dropped it over his face, pulling at the threads like a spider checking her web. Whatever she read there triggered a disapproving 'tchah' sound, but her exasperation was gentle, almost fond, as she said, "You daft little bugger, I'm going to have to redo your stitches again."
"Sorry," he said, rubbing at the binding spells neatly printed into his fingers, "I guess I just don't feel very Phoenix-like right now. A dead bird the cat's dragged in, maybe, but not a Phoenix."
Karen knew an opportunity to build a rapport when she saw one: "You could always shorten it to Nick, at least until you start feeling it more."
The kid's dazzling beam almost made up for the stunned outrage on Perdita's face. Almost. Karen smiled at her as apologetically as she could, and said, "You did say he needs to start building his own identity as soon as possible."
"Fine," Perdita muttered, "but if you suggest that Cosmo should go by 'Moe' then we are going to have a falling out."
***
"I don't remember how many there were," Nick murmured, "but a lot, more than ten, maybe more than twenty; I couldn't, um, I didn't see... can't see... like touch but I wasn't close enough for... No..." He winced.
"Skip over it before it hurts, sunshine," Perdita said, flicking her fingers through the web of spellwork above his head. "It's hard to cross-contextualise senses between aspects at the best of times, let alone when your sensory organs were fucked up; the nice detectives will be happy with impressions." She raised an eyebrow meaningfully.
"It's not a problem, we don't need to know the specifics for it to be useful. Is there anything else you can tell us about where they kept you, anything you remember from when you escaped, landmarks maybe?"
Karen's heart sank as he abruptly licked his fingers and stared into middle-distance, his mouth dropping open as abject horror dawned across his face.
"I think I ate one of them..."
"Eh," Perdita said, breaking the following silence, "voluntary sacrifice: if they're going to dick about making gods they should know we normally come around from it with the munchies; nobody's going to miss a dipshit cultist who committed suicide-by-deity."
"They might," Karen said, sitting upright and staring at her.
Fox nudged her gently in the side, and murmured, "I'm pretty sure now's not the time for recriminations."
"No, I mean we've been looking for missing persons who match our victim profile, not for missing persons who could be our killers..."
"See, sunshine," Perdita said, booping Nick on the nose, "you did good; eating twice your own weight in Twiglets wouldn't have been nearly as helpful."
"I still don't remember being called Phoenix," Phoenix said, crinkling his brow, "but it hurts when I try..."
"I've told you to stop trying; we need to get your sense of selfhood stabilised before you can start rooting around in the past." Perdita tapped him lightly on the nose with the tip of one finger; with her other hand she wove a net of shimmering magic sigils and dropped it over his face, pulling at the threads like a spider checking her web. Whatever she read there triggered a disapproving 'tchah' sound, but her exasperation was gentle, almost fond, as she said, "You daft little bugger, I'm going to have to redo your stitches again."
"Sorry," he said, rubbing at the binding spells neatly printed into his fingers, "I guess I just don't feel very Phoenix-like right now. A dead bird the cat's dragged in, maybe, but not a Phoenix."
Karen knew an opportunity to build a rapport when she saw one: "You could always shorten it to Nick, at least until you start feeling it more."
The kid's dazzling beam almost made up for the stunned outrage on Perdita's face. Almost. Karen smiled at her as apologetically as she could, and said, "You did say he needs to start building his own identity as soon as possible."
"Fine," Perdita muttered, "but if you suggest that Cosmo should go by 'Moe' then we are going to have a falling out."
***
"I don't remember how many there were," Nick murmured, "but a lot, more than ten, maybe more than twenty; I couldn't, um, I didn't see... can't see... like touch but I wasn't close enough for... No..." He winced.
"Skip over it before it hurts, sunshine," Perdita said, flicking her fingers through the web of spellwork above his head. "It's hard to cross-contextualise senses between aspects at the best of times, let alone when your sensory organs were fucked up; the nice detectives will be happy with impressions." She raised an eyebrow meaningfully.
"It's not a problem, we don't need to know the specifics for it to be useful. Is there anything else you can tell us about where they kept you, anything you remember from when you escaped, landmarks maybe?"
Karen's heart sank as he abruptly licked his fingers and stared into middle-distance, his mouth dropping open as abject horror dawned across his face.
"I think I ate one of them..."
"Eh," Perdita said, breaking the following silence, "voluntary sacrifice: if they're going to dick about making gods they should know we normally come around from it with the munchies; nobody's going to miss a dipshit cultist who committed suicide-by-deity."
"They might," Karen said, sitting upright and staring at her.
Fox nudged her gently in the side, and murmured, "I'm pretty sure now's not the time for recriminations."
"No, I mean we've been looking for missing persons who match our victim profile, not for missing persons who could be our killers..."
"See, sunshine," Perdita said, booping Nick on the nose, "you did good; eating twice your own weight in Twiglets wouldn't have been nearly as helpful."
(no subject)
Date: 2018-11-21 07:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2018-11-22 01:25 pm (UTC)It can still be done! Lol
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Date: 2018-11-22 07:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-11-22 08:37 pm (UTC)That's my challenge too but caused by other reasons. :/ when I hit it, I do like 8k.
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Date: 2018-11-22 10:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2018-12-03 07:10 pm (UTC)