As Percy texts Connie, Femtite says to him, “You’re right that it won’t do any good to rush Connie and I back into friendship. To be completely honest, I’m in no rush.
“I mean… I want to be grateful for her help. But she isn’t helping me. She is shoving me aside and secretly contacting Raquel, secretly contacting a psychic, keeping me out of the loop and acting as if she cares about my girlfriend more than I do—even though she doesn’t even want to know her. She only wants to teach her to be better at being gay… like a pixite’s girlfriend needs help with that! And I certainly don’t want my ex so involved! That can’t be healthy for any of us!
“For Chastity’s sake, I’m minding my words. But… is it even humanly possible to convince Connie to be sensitive to my situation? I don’t know how to effectively communicate with her, and I’m afraid any random syllable from me will make her mad. I don’t want that.”
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Indy looks up from his phone after finishing his texts.
"Connie is complicated, like all people. Even I haven't fully figured her out yet, but she does mean well. Just like you. She doesn't respond like some people to trying to get her to see your way, and because of your current and former relationship with her it's going to be a raw, hurt, feeling for a while. She needs time to breath but also you can't force her to accept that what you, your moms, and the fey are doing is good or right. But if you show her with actions and results that it's all worth it in the end. I think it'll go a long way to mend your friendship."
He takes a moment and starts to unweave his various spell circles, "Basically you can't force her to see you as the good guy, cause she's still trying to process what happened to her on the meteor, which to any human is pretty messed up. It'll take a long time regardless but if you're honest and try to make amends and maybe even see things from her point of view she'll probably come around?"
As the obfuscation and anti-fey wards fall he wonders, "Did you ever say sorry to her? Not in like a royalty, doing it and make excuses and try to explain yourself way for the politics. But like.. genuinely sit down and try to ask if she wanted to talk about it and empathize with how she felt and asking how you could be better in the future?"
Femtīte remembers apologizing but wonders if other parts of the conversation made the apology messy.
“I think I did.” She grows the Bug back, offering Percy a ride. “But if she’s treating me like this, maybe it’s because my previous apologies were messy.”
Femtite ponders, “Should I go to her after I drop you off?”
|
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"Uhh.. probably not tonight, unlike me she needs a normal amount of sleep still. I think I've been largely supplementing my own sleep with aether subconsciously. It's... rejuvenating."
Once he's sure that all traces have been scrubbed away he hops in the bug, and his flame armor extinguishes. "By the way first time I've ever done that so that was a successful experimental spell."
On the ride back to the base Indy pulls out a book and starts scribbling some notes on the spell he used to wreath himself in flames for protection and the incantations as well as results and mental ques to produce such spellwork.
Femtite nods. While the Bug is flying on autopilot, Fem creates a group text.
☀️: Goal: determine whether there are two competing forces in Chas’ mind.
Hypothesis 1: Chas is deluded because she received too many truths in a single ‘dream.’
Hypothesis 2: there are still what Chas calls Ugly Thoughts in her mind, and the Seer’s Truth is lingering.
Hypothesis 3: Chas is still trying to determine the truth. (Seer’s Truth lingers because of the specific fallacy: Femtite ≠ Maeve.)
Evidence supporting H1: Copperflagert’s explanation of the effect of Seer’s Truth on mortal minds.
Evidence supporting H2 & H3: Femtite’s observation: Chastity’s eyes glint at the mention of Maeve; dilate at the mention of Femtite.
Highly recommended for this team:
• Do not contradict the fallacy: Femtite = Maeve.
• No member of First Class should contact her.
• None on the team should do anything covert.
Proposed solution (first step):
• Invite a psychic superhero to the school.
• The Psychic should not mention her reason for being there, but come with a simple/untold cover story (visiting a class, seeing a teacher, asking for two volunteers, or any reason the psychic chooses)
• The Psychic, ideally, can get a read on both Chastity and myself.
>> Chas’ mind to determine the problem
>> My mind to know the full story without bias (mine or others’)
• After school, we meet the Psychic and hear her out before proceeding further.
Until then, keep life as stable as possible for Chastity.
☀️: Thank you.
☀️: ♥️, Femtite
She displays the message on the passenger side of the magenta dome and asks Indy, “Can you give this a read? And maybe a reply?
“Then you can be the one to meet Connie first, if you prefer. I’ll go to Raquel. If they approve—and why would they not?—we have a plan!”
Raquel: did you include me by mistake?
|
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Indarius reads the whole message and looks over to Femtite, "Why would you.. uuuugh Femtite come on we talk with the team first before letting others in on the plan."
He buries his head in his device to try and sort out how to best word this all without giving himself away.
Indarius: That's the jest of it so far, but we still need to figure out who will do the mind reading, when they'll be free to do it, and in the meantime no one can alert Chastity. Given the information i've gleaned from Femtite that would only endanger the girl and those around her at this time.
Indarius: So we all need to make sure to not jump any step in this plan, and take it as slow as possible. We are all severely lacking prudent information on exactly what is wrong with Chastity and how at risk her mind could be at this point in time.
With that sent to the group text she'd created he leans back in the seat and looks over with piercing blue eyes. "Remember we take this slow, don't overwhelm Raquel, we don't need to involve her more than keeping Chastity from poking out of her comfort zone right now. We need to regroup and get all the major players, Conflux, the psychic, myself, and you all on the same page before assuming everyone will just agree to the plan."
Femtite looks relieved by Percy’s advice. “I agree. Please tell Connie what you just told me about Raquel.”
After talking to Raquel and while waiting for Chastity to arrive at school, Maeve sends a text on the group chat.
☀️: Does our Psychic have a name?
☀️: I would like us to meet her first, and until then, treat life as normal.
☀️: I’m not an alien, Raquel’s not a proxy, and no offense meant to my teammates: at school, you don’t know us.
☀️: (And please respect my secret identity. Should un-whammied Chas and I find ourselves in a long-term relationship, I intend to be human for a *very* long time.)
A knock at Caio's door preceded Connie's entrance by fractions of a second. "Cover it if it's out, we've obviously gotta talk." She starts pouring and scribbling on his floor in various substances as she continues, "I'll make us private against physical, psychic and most magical channels, then I'll- Can you actually just convince me real quick that you aren't whammied? My bet was no, but it would be a real time saver."
"It is a cold night, Connie... even if it was out it would have shrunk down to a mere foot long. You'd have barely noticed." He jokes as he closes the door. He is barefoot, because he hates socks, a pair o sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt with the image of an avocado running and the words Avo Cardio.
He nods. "I'm positive I am, at least to some extent... I know what it goes instead of the automatic replacement words, but I can't share them. Tried to record myself saying them, but then I deleted it immediately." He says scared. "Say what you want, but the work was thorough."
"Ah shit, it's not funny mind control? I'm sorry man, but don't worry, I'm on it." She gives Caio a quick squeeze. "No worries. Did it hurt or cause you mental distress when you attempted to circumvent things?"
"Yes, I got really worried about Skyler's safety. Also, have you tried to say what Skyler did? Do you even know?" He asks, curious. "Oh, and she wasn't the one who did it, ok? Better get this out of the way."
"Huh. Do you have a sense of what your reaction would be if I told you I did?"
"Not entirely... don't think I'll try to kill you to keep it a secret. I believe that as long as you don't try to get the word out or try to put her in danger, I might be fine." He says, but is not really sure of anything.
"Cool, that's not what I'm here for. Let's see if we can't ratchet you down a bit." She takes his hands in hers. "Caio, I'm not here because I want to bust Skyler. And as far as you know, I know it all, and I'm just checking to make sure you're okay. Does that make sense? Let's face it, it's probably true, right? Can you try believing both those things for me?"
"Yes." He says, honestly. "Even if you did forget about everything, I was already planning on reaching out to you and retell everything... well, as much as I'd be allowed to."
"I was only waiting for the whole mess with Femtite to get resolved."
"Aww, thanks. I'm a good multi-tasker though. Besides, the Femtite situation might be a bit of a 'hurry up and wait."
Connie takes her hands back, pops her knuckles and settles in, putting her hands back on Caio's, but flat, and only lightly in contact this time. "Okay, so, if getting anxious about Skyler's safety were a scale from 1-10, and the part where you deleted your recording was an 8, where are you at now?"
As she speaks, she folds two of her fingers up to her palm.
"And when you told me Skyler wasn't the one who did this?"
"I'm not really worried now, even if this is a touchy subject... perhaps a 1 or 2 tops. As far as I know, saying Skyler wasn't the one who did this only makes her safer, so an 1 again."
"And if I asked you if Skyler wanted this to be done?"
The last question is little bit more complicated. "Still an 1 or a low 2 on the last question. Since I know I can trust you and you already know a lot, none of this make me jump in worry."
"Look, how about I tell you what happened in general terms, and then we discuss if it is that important that our memories were meddled with?"
Connie's fingers shift to the different numbers as he says them. She nods, "Okay, go ahead," but leaves her hands in place.
"Right, a bit of context first... Skyler was born into the CHC, but at first it wasn't like now. I'm very sceptic about these organizations and while she said it was nice and consisted manly of meditations and mindfulness exercises, to me it seemed like one of those cults that only exist to take advantage of people in a fragile moment, you know?"
He shrugs. "I believe her saying it was nice because most people do believe that and feel happy on those places, at least until the leader flees in an yacht with all their savings." He smirks. "Nevertheless, her dad was a high-ranking member and her mother was also somewhat in the middle. At some point, her father discovered of her powers and then sent her to regular schools so she could invite others into the church."
"She said she was allowed to invite both people with powers or not... and in my opinion this is already very suss on her father... this idea of gathering people with powers leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."
"Then it changed when the Church of Psyche took over. The focus was turned completely towards recruiting people with power and sending them to their facilities. Skyler said her father almost sent her, but she managed to convince him that she was more useful here helping recruiting others."
"To make this a bit more complicated, even if Skyler could do something, there was still her mother, who appears to have used all sort of drugs when she was younger to the point of burning out her mind and her empathic powers... I understood that Skyler kept helping the Church because it was the only way for her to keep seeing and helping her."
He sighs again and yaws. "I know it is messed up and that if it was you or me in her place we'd have done something against them, but you know not everyone is able to raise their fists when cornered. Some people break."
"Now, plot twist... her real father isn't the cult member, but an uber level telepath, and he isn't nice. However, he does care a lot about her." He explains, giving as much detail as he could without bringing too much danger to Skyler. "When I've met him, the principal, the councilor and even Horizon were all staring into nothing. I was alone and even when I tried to ask for help, the message did not went through because he was already in my head."
"He wanted to erase Skyler's involvement in all the mess with the Church. He wanted to protect her and as you can imagine, she wasn't against it... she was forced into taking her part and I don't blame her for wanting that."
Somewhat guilty, he continues. "I did not fight him, because I thought it would make everything worse. I know it feels like cheating that Skyler won't have to answer for her part in the Church, but I'm working with her for a way to make compensations... something like community services." He looks into Connie's eyes. "I don't believe she deserves to be locked in a cell as much as I don't believe she can laugh about it someday. I'm make sure she'll answer for what she did, but in a way that will actually help others, instead of simply punishing her."
"Redemption is always better than punishment."
Connie's fingers continue to make numbers, skimming along his hands as they go. The numbers stay low, but peak up a little when he gets to more stressful or guilty places. At one point she shifts to a 'seven,' watching to see if he corrects the discrepancy.
"Sure. She's at least half a victim. Where's her mom at though? 'Cause step one - get her recruits out of danger: check
step two - assess why she' s doing this in the first place. If it's because she feels like she has to because of her mom, we've gotta cut that off. Now, us cutting communication between parent and child would be some villain shit without real extenuating circumstances, so instead it's gotta be 'get her mom out of danger,' and I haven't followed up on that.
step three - I think I've gotta lean away from generalized community service. We personally know a couple of the people who she tapped for this, so figuring out restitution there seems like where she should be focusing her efforts."
She pauses.
"How anxious do you feel about the idea of telling me his name? About hearing confirmation that I know his name? About hearing that I do intend to take him down."
"Her mom is at home with her father, but that could change at any moment if the Alliance starts to go after the other church members." He explains. "Or we actually... He might be her 'father' but Todd is certainly one of the higher ups in the church that knew and coordinated everything. I believe he needs to answer for his crimes. "
"The problem with step three is that those we know who have suffered through her recruiting don't know she had any part on that... and if we clue people that something weird is going on, they'll dig for more and this will alert her father who will see this as us putting her in danger." He says, now more anxious. "If she works on reparations but without telling them she was responsible, it still counts, no?"
After her pause and question. Caio thinks about it for a moment. "I fear he could do something to her to keep me in check... I don't think he'd harm her, but for such a powerful telepath, he could simply wipe from her memory any memory of us..."
"I honestly think we are not ready to face him. He is far above our power level and that without considering he isn't alone... but that doesn't stop us from preparing ourselves. I do intend to look for a way to make sure he can't ever get inside my head again. Perhaps Gothic can train us, or the Corps have some tricks." He sighs. "Am I being too scared or paranoid?"
Connie puts her hands on Caio's temples. "Hey. I get it. He got you, and that f!&~ing sucks. But he's not out of our reach. The problem is that he got the drop on you, not that there was nothing that could have been done. See, I haven't gone through Everyone's files, but he and his team came up in class, and despite the harm to my bad girl reputation, I do that homework. He's smart, and he's mean, and he's careful, but he's a B, B+ talent. Like, Eternia was probably slinging around more power. I can block him if I'm smart."
Her hands twitch and she puts them back atop his.
"Buuuut I agree that Dad-Who-Stepped-Up is probably our #1 priority, cause we should really try to get her Mom back in pocket. If she's a lever that's been used to get Skyler to do not great things, then let's face it, her being out there is, honestly, an issue for leaving Skyler on the float.
"And yes, especially in the intervening time, I get that her evil dad is active and willing to hurt people, and that that trumps open acceptance of responsibility. Still, she knows them, they're nominally her friends, she can do a fair bit without playing her hand."
"It is different... I can go face to face against most bruisers, but against someone who can just f%*# up with your mind... it is pretty scary. Thinking about it, I should probably try to cover this weakness." He doesn't comment or correct her about her assumption of who is Skyler's father. "There should be a way to build walls against mind intrusions."
"There is a good chance her stepfather is thinking that Skyler just got involved in a misunderstanding and is laughing about it, you know? Don't really think she is under their palm, with or without her mom, but that doesn't change the fact that he was part of the Church and that he must answer for his crimes."
He sighs, tired. "What a mess..."
Connie gives Caio a dry glare, and a light flick. "You are covering that. You are covering it with teamwork, and by recognizing that there are skills and resources that your team possesses that you do not. Do you see me capturing angelic beings to shove into a sword in case I need to lift heavy objects in the rain? No you do not. And it's not just me, Shin's tech worked until your disc got fried.
[b]"I'm not speaking to the inner corners of her beliefs here, I'm just saying that her mom objectively was enough leverage before. Maybe if she really believes we're on her side she'd take another path, but I'll sleep easier if- Well, honestly, I sleep behind like, a lot of wards, so I'm in pretty good shape, but... I'll still sleep easier knowing that you and the rest of the team won't get got..."
She clears her throat. "Okay, so, I'm cheered by the fact that you're this able to talk. Though let me ask, contextually I feel like I've made it clear that I know specifically who Skyler's bio-dad is. Does that make you able to comfortably tell me? There are a lot of ways to bind people to keep secrets, and it's really good that he didn't meaningfully include 'the fact that there's a secret' on the hit list because that makes it a lot harder to even start having a conversation like this. Hmm... You'd probably have to leave clues that you didn't actually think people would get, and just hope that eventually you'd be wrong and they could start digging? Probably the best way. But yeah, still would like to pencil in some more of the boundaries of your thing, so... with it a given that I already know, can you tell me his name?"
"I know teamwork helps most of the time, when those in the team at least try to work together, something we still need to address eventually, but many times we were jumped while we were alone." He says, recalling when Percy and Max got captured by Connie's father, or when he was jumped by Lua.
"My point is, as you've said a couple times to Percy, we've got to be better prepared. We don't need to enter paranoia mode, but having a Plan B under our sleeves can only help, no?"
"I've already talked with her about her mom. I believe there is a good chance she might move to Halcyon when Todd gets arrested so Skyler, and I, are able to help and keep an eye on her." He gives her a light smile.
Caio ponders on the last questions for a moment before taking a deep breath and answering.
"His name is Cortex. As far as I know the only think he meddled with in my head is amping my wish to protect Skyler. He said he likes me because I said no when she said yes and stopped when she said no. Maybe this is why he did not meddled too much..." He says, pretty uncertain of his words. "... or because he couldn't do more, or did not want to risk turning me into a cauliflower and preferred someone constantly by his daughter's side to keep her safe."
Connie raises her eyebrows a skosh. "If you said no to my yes that would lead to a Discussion. Not if it was your no, of course. Still, given that Skyler turned out to have an overprotective Bad Dad, might've worked out in your favor..."
A slight frown crosses her face. "Hey, with the understanding that this doesn't change my plans regarding Skyler at all, so she's just as safe: Do you still want to be with her? I mean after finding out about her f*$&ed up family tree and evil memory manipulating Dad," her face twists more, she holds her eyes shut for a moment, but she keeps talking, "and that while she might not have been, like, on Team Evil, she definitely provided information and pointed out the target, but didn't even do anything to help or... I know you've gotta protect her anyways for now, but is that still what you want?"
She presses her hands closer onto his, trying to pick up anything that might stay unsaid.
Caio laughs for a moment. "To give you some perspective, it was on the ball night, where her aura interacted with my curse and turned her into a she-wolf in heat... If I had said 'yes', it would have been worse than if she was drunk. I was for sure not a lack of wanting." He shrugs. "It was the right thing to do..."
Caio doesn't need any time to answer her second question, though. "Yes. Funny how both of you questioned the same thing."
"I really don't know why for sure, but what is important to me is companionship, affection, loyalty... her family and her mistake are complications for sure, but not enough for me to give up. I feel I can't completely judge her through them." He looks at Connie, who has her eyes shut. "I think we all make mistakes we deeply regret, but what is important is how we deal with and try to fix them."
"I did not tell her this, but I can't be with her if she doesn't find a way to... well, atone for her mistakes."
Connie gives a quiet grunt in the back of her throat. "Lucky gal. And yeah, uhh... animalistic she-wolf-in-heat sex is definitely a plan this out in advance kind of thing...
Opening her eyes, she stands to immediately break eye contact. [b]"Okay, I think that covers it for now. Rest up, big guy. Do tell me about any developing symptoms/distress. I will be checking in on Skyler later, so if you can tell her that I'm not gonna just blow everything up, that will probably be helpful. But I gotta go. For now."
Before she can leave, Caio pulls Connie closer and hugs her. "Thank you."
Connie leans her head back from the hug so aggressively that it ends up pushing the rest of her body fully into it. "Ack. Giant angelic conduit in my face," she mutters without conviction as she squeezes him back.
She pulls away. "Okay but I gotta go, like, now. Rest up; we won't fix this tomorrow, but it'll get fixed."
Connie clenches every muscle in her body, screwed-shut eyes tilted up to the sky. Then gradually she relaxes them, one by one until she's calm enough to reply
Okay. Okay. I should at least run this by Raquel before I tell her to stick that phone sideways up her ass
Connie: that one can be figurative, or like, dinner, or if there's a magic thing you want (without causing massive problems) then just let me know
Connie:...but no need to pick
Connie: I contacted Gothic
Connie: do you knwo her?
Connie: she's one of the Heralds
Connie: she wants a meet to she can do a diagnostic scan/take her best crack at this
Connie: she's very confident
Connie: Is this something good enough to take to Chastity?
Connie: I can't see a way of asking her about this that doesn't at least clue her in to Something being wrong
Connie: Do you think it's worth it?
You get a series of replies late at night
Raquel: U really think I would know her?Raquel: I heard *of* her. How should I know if it's worth it?
Raquel: Chas seems fine. Hung out w her earlier tonight.
Raquel: U can ask her yourself
Before school, Maeve knocks on Raquel’s door. Seeing that she didn’t want to be part of the group chat makes Fem/Mae wonder, does she not want to be Connie’s tool?
She decides to ask her, though first, make sure to treat her like a friend. A friend who is Chastity’s friend first.
Raquel has a toothbrush in her mouth and has yet to put on pants when she opens the door. "Hggh," she mumbles through the minty foam.
Maeve notices and eyes rise to meet Raquel’s. “Haha… good morning, Raquel! I forget that I am an early bug.
“Sorry for that… among other things. Chastity. You.” And realizing now is not the time to monologue, she asks awkwardly, “Um… shall I wait here until you’re ready?”
Whether ‘here’ is the hall or Raquel’s sofa depends on whether Raquel blocks the door.
"Wggh hggh." She retreats further into her room and spits into a cup. Then she puts her toothbrush in it and wipes her mouth with the towel that's draped around her shoulders. "Hi Maeve. What's so important that it can't wait for class?" Raquel doesn't appear to be a morning person.
“Well… when you asked if you were included in the group chat by accident, Indarius was in my car. Ship. Sorry. And it made us wonder…
“Raquel? Would you prefer to be uninvolved in all of the heroics?“
Raquel's eyes go wide. "He-- heroics? Is that what you call this? Is everything you do considered heroics? 'My clothes are dirty, so I need to do some laundry heroics!'"
She turns and digs through a laundry basket, finally producing a pair of thick tights. She sits on her bed and starts working them up her legs. "Fem, Maeve, I don't have super powers. I'm not trained in ju-jitsu or whatever. I'm only involved because my friend got hit on by an alien, and then had her mind whammied!"
Maeve notices her body reacts to these words. It’s true… humans can’t handle the truth! But because the truth hurts, she accepts Raquel’s humbling perspective.
“No… I’m a hero in training and I messed up. And Chastity will get a proper apology once we un-whammie her.
“My question to you is… do you want to be a part of the un-whammying… or just have your normal life back, and you can ask me to update you anytime?
“Or if you’d rather, you can ask Connie to update you.” Maeve gently adds, “since you two are friends.”
Raquel throws her hands up. "How are we friends?!? We've only talked because of Chastity, and I'm not really a fan of the idea of un-whammying her. She seems fine. Better than fine, even."
Raquel measures her breathing for a moment, then realizes she's still not as far along in her preparations for the day. She starts throwing things in her backpack. "I don't want to be a proxy for Chastity because no one seems to be including her in the conversation. Who's asking her what she wants? Huh?"
Proxy. She actually gave her tool a title.
Maeve keeps her own tone calm, and shows empathy by considering what Raquel wants for her best friend: ask her.
“Raquel. It seems Connie didn’t ask you either. I’m sorry… and you’re right. When I see Chas today, I will ask.
“But for now, do you want me to take you off the group chat, talk to Connie about this proxy stuff or… well, open question. What do you want, Raquel?”
"No, Connie did. And I agreed, kind of. But only because I don't think you're going to include Chas in whatever psychic surgery you're all planning and I'd hate myself if you messed her up and I didn't try to stop it. Okay?"
She stops as she runs through a mental checklist of things she needs for class, grabs her ID lanyard, and starts putting on her shoes.
"What do I want? I want this to be over. It's making me feel anxious and stressed and I really don't need that going into midterms. Okay?"
“Me too,” Maeve agrees. “How about I walk with you to school? I’m not an alien, you’re not a proxy… just two friends trying to have a relatively low-stress day.”
Raquel goes over her things one more time to make sure she's got everything. "Fine. Let's go."
Halcyon City has undergone a dramatic transformation now that December is fully in swing. A steady snowfall for the last two days has blanketed the city in white. Streets are plowed and sidewalks scraped to keep the steady flow of traffic moving.
More than nature's contribution, the residents of Halcyon City have strung colored lights, hung wreaths, and set up Christmas and other holiday decorations all across town. Garlands, tinsel and lights adorn the city's greenery, while storefronts feature displays of Santa and his elves, the Nativity, and the menorah.
Halcyon Prep has undergone a similar transformation, with its halls bedecked with non-denominational decorations and teachers adding holiday cheer to their classrooms as midterms wind down. Literature classes inevitably turn to Charles Dickens, and biology classes debate whether Rudolph's nose was the result of genetic experimentation or if he was cybernetically enhanced.
A devastating typhoon in Rangipoor called away the Alliance and Heralds for relief efforts, leaving First Class and a skeleton crew of heroes to patrol the city. Thankfully, either the weather or good fortune saw no major instances of supervillainy.
That meant, unfortunately, that a telepath was unavailable to give Chastity a full psionic scan during that time. However, she exhibited no signs of a mental breakdown either.
The Taylor International crisis and the Church of Higher Consciousness investigations had been ongoing as well with no major developments good or bad.
Maeve meets Chastity at their usual spot that morning just before classes begin. "I've got it!" she whispers excitedly as she pulls her girlfriend into the bathroom. Once inside, she opens her bag and pulls out a mass of bright green hair. "Tadaa, the compromise! And just in time for tonight!" She immediately turns to the mirror and starts stuffing her hair under the wig and fluffing it out.
"Well? What do you think?" she asks Maeve as she turns her head back and forth to look at herself from different angles. "I'm so excited for the Nutcracker tonight!"
* * *
Caio is walking down the hall toward his first class when suddenly he is attacked from behind! A 43-kg weight glomps on him, squeezing him tight and kissing the back of his neck. "Bom dia, Meu Amor!" Skyler says. She slides off his back and slips around to his front, looking up at him and smiling hopefully. "How was that? Did I say it right?"
* * *
Last night, you received an email.
Imagerie: back in town. had a chance to discuss the fairy kid with G while we were gone. If you give us her name we can take a peek at school tomorrow. Gothics a pro.
She's so old. This is the only non-spam e-mails I've gotten in months.
Peek only, no tampering, no breaking through mental walls, no fixing. If there's something there you think you can fix, we'll talk to her, and lay out what's safe to lay out.
Same page?[b][i]
[b][i]Chastity Robertson. And yes, obviously there will be unrelated trauma in there, but let's stay focused.
Maeve’s (ethnically-engineered to simulate) Irish eyes are smiling at the emerald green wig. “Chas! You are so full of surprises, haha! What I think—if dying your hair is a future plan, this is a good way to test the look.
“But I hope you know I adore your natural color, and also, that I’ll dye mine red if you end up going green.” She confesses, “But I didn’t actually think to get a wig… my outfit’s plenty red though! I can’t wait to show you!” Another confession: “I kinda had to talk myself outta wearing it to school.”
She blushes at how she’s obviously been counting down the days for this night!
Connie gets an affirmative from Imagerie.
Thanks for the heads up.
Chastity gestures to the extra bag she has with her. "Mine's here with me. I know what you mean. Raq's agreed to let me change in her dorm. We'll have plenty of time, maybe to walk around the theater district before the ballet starts."
She takes Maeve's hand and heads to class, still wearing her wig.
Maeve grins brightly as Chas takes her hand and she still has the wig on!
“That’s a good plan. Get there early, find a good place to park, and just have a nice walk together. And then I get to watch a ballet in the best seat in the theater!” She gives Chastity’s hand a gentle squeeze. “The one next to yours!”
Maeve doesn’t care how many kids in the hall cringe at her line. She’s in love, and the feeling is mutual!
Caio smiles in return, pretty happy with the surprise. "Hey, yeah, it was pretty good! The meaning as well..." he says, trying to check for her reaction. "So you do love me, uh?"
"So, you thinking about learning Portuguese? If so, don't let others trick you into saying 'I like bread'." He warns her, playfully.
Skyler's cheeks burn bright red. "I mean, I wasn't trying to... or, that wasn't how I planned... >cough< oh, this is awkward. I guess, yeah? In a way that doesn't put any pressure on you to, you know, say it back or anything."
She blinks a few few times, flustered. "I'm mean, yes. I was thinking of studying Portuguese. What about bread?"
* * *
The day seems to drag on. Classes are winding down because of the impending holiday break, but it seems that the teachers are all determined to go through the motions.
For Maeve and Chastity the excitement is sweet torture as they go from class to class, marking the passage of time in periods and the space in between them.
Fifth period, Chastity is called to the principal's office.
She returns to class about fifteen minutes later. She leans over and whispers to Maeve, "The principal just asked me to give the Christmas prayer on the last day before break! School-wide!" She looks both excited and daunted by the honor.
Between fifth and sixth periods, Connie gets an email from Imagerie. "It's done. We should talk with your team after class.
Maeve whispers back, “You deserve that honor more than anyone, Chastity! I’m so happy for you!” Oh! Could this day get any better?
Smiling even more because of her blushing and awkwardness, he lifts her slightly by her waist and gives her a kiss. "But I do love you... And I keep finding it amazing how you in the USA are so worried about saying the word! It is a wonderful feeling, Sky."
As God intended. He thinks, involuntarily.
He then changes subject to let her recover. "So, bread is 'pão', but the word uses a sound you don't have in English. The closest you can get without a lot of practice is 'pau'... And that is another word for dick."
As Skyler and Caio are conversing in the hallway, Shin turns the corner and spots them. He fusses with his glasses for a moment as he checks his pockets for something, before turning to walk away from them.
Out of sight of them he pulls out his phone and taps away at the keypad.
Shin: Up to ditch classes today?
Shin: I'm not feeling up to school right now.
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Convening with Connie the next day Indarius imparts the knowledge he learned from Femtite's explaination to her. He knows there's still probably a lot of tender feelings between them but he doesn't want to push those buttons right now. Especially since last time he tried to talk to her about it she sort of blew up at him.
After relaying the info he would return to his studies mostly reformulating his spell book, and adding the new spell to it properly on a fresh page with far fewer notes and a far more refined thought set. He then took the next few hours 'feeling' the ley-lines to see if any were being plucked in any meaningful way.
Afterwards a quick power nap, followed up by a large meal, and lounging around the base to relax a little. He felt like he was missing something but couldn't place the feeling to anything in particular. Definitely not the now starving base pantry.
Either way he only needed another short nap before he was reenergized for the school days ahead. It takes a bit more effort to cover up his newest growths and he can't seem to get his eyes to stay glamoured for long without concentrating on them. Which proves a tenuous and exhaustive task throughout the day.
He avoids eye contact with anyone, keeps his eyes pinched closed during class, and even excuses himself to take some eye drops during 5th period Calculus just to avoid any directed attention.
He'll be ready for the meeting after school though.
Skyler grins, understanding how that would sound to a native speaker. Her eyes twinkle. "Well, if anyone asks I'll just say I like your bread."
She stands on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips, then heads off to class.
After school finally ends for the day, Chastity hurries off with Raquel to get changed in her Christmas dress. It's a thick velvet red with silver trim that makes her green wig stand out even more. Though, she covers it up with a long coat to keep the chill and wind at bay as they walk around the shops near the theater.
It doesn't take too long before the chill starts sneaking through their coats. "Let's go ahead and go in to find our seats. I always like listening to the orchestra warm up anyway."
Meanwhile, the rest of First Class assemble after school at their base. Imagerie is a familiar sight, exuding a generally positive vibe.
Completely the opposite is Gothic, lurking like a patch of shadow and just as cheerful. Her oversized long coat is well-worn, and her floor-length skirt seems to absorb the light. Her jet-black hair is harshly contrasted with her pale skin. Her eyes and lips are black stains upon that white skin.
"Hey, everyone," Imagerie says once everyone has arrived. "So, I love your place. I never got a chance to see it before now. It's cool. Got a lot of character."
She claps her hands together. "Now. I know you've got a lot of questions about Miss Robertson. But before you start throwing a lot of questions at us, just know that there's ethical considerations with what we've done. We have to respect her--"
::She's fine:: everyone hears in their heads.
Gothic turns to leave.
Horizon keeps his distance from Rain during the meeting. He's trying to wrap his head around the events leading up to this involvement of the Heralds and the Alliance for what was probably a gross overuse of powers. But Femtite always seemed less inclined to do as the Romans did and instead pull people into Egypt with her.
If you have a few moments to spare, there's something that I'd like to discuss with you, He projects to Gothic. Though, Chastity's fine meaning that no one has actually tampered with her mind?
Connie isn't at the meeting, but is listening in intently through the comms. "I'm sorry did she stop projecting halfway through her explanation? Or switch to hand signals? Damnit 'Cause that's obviously not a full answer, right?!"
Maeve lights up at the sight of Chastity’s red-green motif. “Contrasting colors—it’s so cute! I uh… saw these earrings in the clip-on section and… haha?”
Maeve opens her long coat to show off the full look.
Maeve’s outfit includes peppermint swirl earrings (clip-ons), candy-cane tights, long red boots, and a red bandeau minidress worn under a fuzzy white long-sleeved cut-off sweater.
Even her outdoor clothing was for this night. Mae’s gloves are red. Her long coat, white. Her scarf is candy-striped.
Maeve wants nothing more than to cuddle for warmth… but it’s a public setting. “Yes, I think sitting early will be lovely. And we’ll be all warmed up in time for the show!”
She has trouble keeping her eyes on the sidewalk. Chastity is cuter than ever, and the show will be so much more elegant than that crazy concert Mae enjoyed with Chas’ friends. My friends too, she reminds herself.
“This will actually be my first ballet. How about yourself?” Her eyes linger on Chastity’s lips. Then back to her eyes. “First time?” If not, she’ll ask what other ballet performances Chas has been to.
Chastity gives Maeve a playfully affronted look. "Of course not, silly! It was what we first bonded over when we met. I've seen several. The Nutcracker, Peter Pan, Swan Lake..."
She takes Maeve's hands and looks deep into her eyes. "When I think back on those days when we met, it's like remembering a dream. I was hiding and you were... were running from something?"
Chastity looks confused for a moment, but shakes her head like she was clearing away a bad dream. "I don't care about then. We're here together now." She leans her head against Maeve's shoulder.
Gothic pauses as she's leaving and gives the communicator that's the source of Conflux's voice a withering glare.
Imagerie can't help bit take a step back from the venomous look. "Uh, yeah. Conflux, based on the look that Gothic is giving you, or the speaker to be precise, she doesn't care for the fact that you called this meeting and decided not to show up. I can't say I'm a fan of your absence, either."
Gothic turns back around and continues her exit.
Imagerie stares after her a moment more. "Gothic is of the opinion that Chastity is fine."
If you have a few moments to spare, there's something that I'd like to discuss with you, He projects to Gothic. Though, Chastity's fine meaning that no one has actually tampered with her mind?
::I didn't say that,:: Horizon hears in his head.
Caio sits in silence during the whole thing. He figures this was connected to Femtite's newest drama and the fact that apparently Chastity was "fine" probably meant he'd not have to get more involved than this.
As Gothic turns to leave, Caio thinks back to her, not even sure if this was the proper way to answer a telepath. "::Gothic, can you hear me? If yes, I'd like to ask if it is possible for a non-telepath like me to train in order to keep telepaths and other mind-meddlers outside of my head.::"
"Call it a mental health day. Or hey, I hurt my ankle this morning, and I didn't feel like hobbling into our secret base on crutches. Besides, the meeting I called was a week ago. You called the meeting today, just if we're being specific.
"Oh hey, more relevantly than paging through Robert's Rules of Order, care to expound on that in-depth diagnosis of 'fine'? 'Cause other assessments I got include the term 'psychotic break,' so I just want to make sure that- Look if she's fine, she's fine, but you're not trying to tell me nothing happened, right? 'Cause something very much happened."
In the way that he was used to with Psyche, he peels back thoughts and memories for Gothic to look at in order to fully understand his questions.
Gratitude for saving him from Dusk and Eclipse mingle with old shame from not properly thanking her in the first place.
The Archdeacon and the reveal of this dimension they came from.
His fragmented memories of the break-up of the Sentinels.
Siphon, Psyche, and the general anxiety that's been lingering at the bottom of his consciousness about their disappearance.
His lost hope of discovering answers raiding the CHC.
The suppressed desire to find her buried under the responsibility of leading a new team.
This was all in tandem with the conversation at large - he was perhaps a little too used to how Psyche partitioned herself constantly to multitask and assumes Gothic's mind works in a similar way.
:If you know of any leads, would you let me know? Please.:
Horizon nods his head. "Okay. She's not in need of heroic intervention is what you're saying?" He clarifies for the group.
Maeve smiles warmly, “Yes! Peter Pan, that’s right. And I said I saw the cartoon!” She dares not make a big deal out of Chas’ apparent confusion. “I guess both our memories are failing us. But you’re right—we’re better off living in the moment. Being here with you, right now… this is like a dream.”
Mae leans into Chas, warming her sweet, innocent girlfriend in a warm embrace. I can feel her heartbeat through all 7-9 layers of clothing!
Chastity just keeps her head on Maeve's shoulder as the theater fills up.
The lights finally go down and Chastity's head lifts to get a better view, though she intertwines her arm with Maeve's and squeezes her hand tight. The orchestra strikes up the famous music of Tchaikovsky and the curtains draw back.
The production is magnificent. The costumes colorful and the set dressings magical. The dancers float across the stage with peak human ability, almost ethereal in the precision of their craft. The ladies seem to barely touch the floor while the men leap high and powerfully.
Gothic storms out without responding to the mental inquiries. Imagerie stares after her, astonished.
"Typical. This is why she's not on the Alliance yet." Imagerie rubs her face and sits down. "Not that she seems to care.
"All right. Considering that Gothic just left, am I wrong that she just got hit with a bunch of mental requests for help on one thing or another? Let's make sure you understand a few things about Miss Dark and Brooding. One, she doesn't talk. Out loud. If that's by choice or some trade-off because of her power, I don't know. So Conflux, you not being here was strike number one."
She drums her fingers on the chair's armrest. "Strike two, she won't help you in any problem you can handle yourself. Her telepathic abilities are wholly unprecedented. She's too good. It's not even about relative power levels. She's just on an entirely different wavelength than every psychic in human history. I don't think her reluctance to help comes from selfishness; I think she can't allow herself to start.
"Which brings us to strike three. The ethics we hold ourselves to. Like I started to say at the beginning, what we saw in Chastity's mind is not for us to share. It took some convincing to keep Gothic from just texting you all that she's fine. Because for the most part, she is."
"Except for one thing."
The Connie speaker emits a sound remarkably similar to a small piece of durable plastic bouncing off a wall. There's a moment of rustling before Connie's voice comes through. "Gee Imagerie, what's the one thing?"
"I was hoping to figure that out with your team's help. It would help if you could tell us everything you know about what was done to Chastity. And that requires us to coax Gothic back here."
Imagerie's voice turns droll as she speaks to the Connie speaker. "I don't suppose can make a physical appearance? Or at the very least keep the side comments to yourself?"
These thoughts combined with the frail beauty of Waltz of the Snowflakes move Maeve to tears, but she doesn’t sniffle or dab her eyes or dare change her position at all. Chastity is getting exactly what she wants. Maeve won’t deviate.
During the intermission, she says to Chastity, “This is beautiful. You’re beautiful. I feel like for sixteen years, I’ve used that word quite regularly. But I’m learning its true meaning for the first time.”
Act II is infinitely more magical, and Maeve realizes that this is a story about an ordinary girl who shrinks in size, and ends up in a completely different world—a utopia whose most beloved princess is clad in pinkish-purplish and gold.
The Sugarplum Fairy!
Fem/Mae is immediately a fan. The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is musical perfection. And the many Earth cultures—oh, but no Irish Step—represented in the costuming and the various dances are a feast for the eyes and ears.
Although Maeve does not want to move or let go of Chastity’s hand, the performers must be honored. She practically springs from her seat, ear-to-ear smile, clapping so hard it hurts, but the sting is nothing! The dancers must hear the applause even from the nosebleed seats. They will know: the adolescents of seats X124 and X125 were more than sufficiently entertained.
“Oh! Chas! Is ballet always so… so…? Haha—I really don’t have words to do it justice!”
"Do I seem disengaged? Have I been going off on tangents, or have I just been answering questions when asked and trying to actually get answers about the Matter At Hand? Happy to text replies to Gothic though if that's her preference. I mean, what kind of person would I be if I wasn't willing to make a simple accommodation? I could try to scare up some crutches and hobble on down if it's really necessary, but I'm not sure that'd really be a timesaver."
"I'll try to get her back." Rain says, leaving the meeting. "If I don't return in a couple minutes, please do check if I'm not drooling by the door."
===
Rain rushes after Gothic, at least until he can see her again, then slows down somewhat just not to startle her. "Hey, Gothic, wait please... I'm not asking about that again. I got it, I'll deal with it on my own."
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Caio catches up to her easily because Gothic isn't walking particularly fast. She turns and gives him a flat look. ::I didn't have to remove the suggestions that Cortex put in you. The spirit already did that::
"You don't get to be the smartest one in the room when you're not actually in the room," Imagerie snipes.
"But, considering how brilliant you are," she continues, reigning in her emotions, "I can assume you are aware of Miss Robertson's religious upbringing and how that would be in conflict with her awakening identity? "
Still looking uncomfortable at skirting around the edges of a breach of confidentiality, the Alliance hero takes a breath. "The 'cognitive break' you are concerned about is honestly fascinating from a psychological perspective. It should have taken years of therapy to achieve her level of self-awareness. She managed to come to terms with the religious doctrines she'd been taught throughout her life that had fostered a dangerous level of repression and denial. I'd like to study her more, to see if there is a way to duplicate the effects of the faerie magic through conventional therapeutic methods."
Imagerie pauses and taps a few texts on her phone.
Chastity's cheeks turn a shade of red that rivals Maeve's dress at the compliment during the intermission. "I think I'm feeling the same. I can't imagine a more perfect night."
When the familiar chimes begin playing the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Chastity's hand tightens its grip on Maeve's. Her breath quickens when the ballerina appears, flitting about across the stage. She moves less gracefully than the other dancers, jerking with exaggerated moves like she was controlled like a puppet.
Chastity's short, rapid breaths suddenly catch, and she whispers a terrified, "No..."
"Well," Imagerie continues, looking up from her phone, "you probably wouldn't have contacted us with such alarmist language if that had been it. There's obviously more to it.
"Chastity's mind essentially reordered itself. All her pain, fear, and self-hatred had to go somewhere. Initially, I thought she just built up an irrational fear of Femtite. But... there's an, oh, how to put it? An authenticity to the fear. I wouldn't characterize it as irrational. I've worked with witnesses of super-powered events who have this same level of intense fear."
The Sugar Plum dancer continues to spasm through her routine, on her face a look of terror. Suddenly, she collapses, and the crowd reacts with shocked gasps.
"No no no no..." Chastity continues to mutter as her grip on Maeve's hand becomes painfully tight.
From the dancer's body rises a sickly purple-blue figure, no more than a couple feet high. It moves in a horrifyingly jerky motion through the air and over the crowd that is now beginning to panic.
Maeve recognizes the shape of the small figure, though its color is all wrong. It's clearly a Pixite, but the color of old bruises and funerals. "She's here! Oh, God, help us!" Chastity shrieks as she breaks her terrified paralysis and tries to pull Maeve to come with her.
The Sugar Plum Fairy jaggedly twitches as it surveys the panicking crowd with crazed eyes full of malevolence. Drawn by Chastity's movement, it fixes its stare on the two of them! Maeve hears a raspy voice, "Sister?"
Imagerie conjures up an image of a crazed-looking blue-and-purple Pixite. Save for the expression and coloration, she looks like their teammate. "Has Femtite ever spoken of having an evil twin?"
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While Imagerie is talking, Horizon is pacing a little and glancing off where Caio had followed Gothic. He's considering following before Imagerie gets to her point.
"Femtite has mentioned her mother might have another daughter, but it's honestly a little confusing. Something about alternative timelines?" He says. "Pixtite technology is as baffling to me as magic and I don't quite understand a lot of what goes on in her head. But are you saying there's some version of her here that's like I am to Dusk? That this Antifemtite is terrorizing Chastity?"
“That’s not Femtite, Chas…” She reaches into her purse. Phone on. “I’m so so sorry—I wanted to clear things up. I will—”
Her coat falls from her lap to the floor as she rises.
“—but now I need to keep you safe.”
If Chas isn’t wearing hers, Maeve grabs either coat and drapes it on her girlfriend, if she can do so quickly. Else, she can do no more than be a human shield. Human bring the operative word!
As boldly as she can muster, she calls out, “Sister! It’s ME you want!” Is it though? “Why?”
Can I pray on Chastity’s behalf that my ‘sister’ will monologue while my phone hurries up and turns on?
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Oh no
"Alright wait.. on this subject I was informed that even talking about it or thinking about it too much could... summon the problem. If that makes sense so let's at least try to use vagueries. I feel like conjurong images of a alternate reality Femtite is going to do just as bad at somehow bringing her into well here."
Indarius didn't know how cross dimensional travel worked, but for her sake he didn't want to test those waters. "If 'that' is what she's deathly afraid of then we shouldn't have any issues going forward. So long as we don't talk about it too loud... I guess."
"F~**. Yeah, Puff's right, but probably out of date. Let's face it, if Wednesday Addams jr. lifted that out then either she went snooping in some extra memories for context, or Chastity, who wouldn't know better, has been marinating in an entirely different flavor of Ugly Thoughts on top of everything else. Probably because her mental version of Femtite that has had all positive traits shuffled off to Kildare is real similar to Wafemtite... Shit. And Femtite won't be prepped because preparing would involve thinking about this, and for all her experience with cognitive dissonance and observer effects, I don't think she knows how to weaponize them to walk backwards right into the real goal that of course she's not actively thinking about.
"We've gotta tell her Wafemtite has a door."
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Thinking on that it would make sense, Femtite said that Chastity has been showing a still very extreme thought pattern for Femtite versus Maeve. If she didn't know any better a twin of Femtite that was evil could be misunderstood as being Femtite herself, by both her, the seers, and Femtite herself even. If that was the case then Chastity assuming the evil entity in her dreams was just Femtite and that she should be rationally fearful of some malignant entity would make complete sense and then.
Indarius's eyes slowly filled with dread as he went over several logical loops in his mind. He fumbled for his phone.
"I don't want to jump to conclusions but she's got a point... and if that's the case then it's quite possible that she's wlaking right next to the homing beacon for this... anti-femtite.. sorry Conflux, Wafemtite sounds kinda dumb like what does the prefix Wa even mean? We need to get warn her that Chas might be a walking target. Horizon can you pinpoint her comm unit? Wait no I can just..."
Indarius zonks out for a few moments as his eyes close causing the glamoured hood to become a hole of pitch for several moments as he casts his astral self to Femtite's bright spark.
Imagerie shrugs her shoulders. "I was asking you. Alternative timelines?" She sighs and focuses on her phone. "I can't keep all that stuff straight. Talk amongst yourselves, I'm going to call someone who's been studying that stuff." She hits a button and puts the phone to her ear.
Much of the crowd is headed to the exits as Chastity and Maeve abandon their coats as they follow suit. The lights are still dim as the alter ego of Femtite looks around to make her plan. Given her current humanity, the exits are really her only way out of the theater. Getting to her car means exiting the building and racing to the parking garage a block and a half away.
Ending this quickly might involve hiding amongst the surge of humanity pushing its way to the exits. But of course calling out the Sugar Plum Fairy removes that option.
"What are you doing?!?" Chastity shrieks as she keeps pulling Maeve towards the exits.
Caio hears Gothic's voice in his head as he tries to form a connection with her. ::Stop asking. Me being there talking about it is only going to give her more power. You'll never understand me so quit trying. Do whatever you want.::
Gothic's phone buzzes. Caio catches a glimpse of her screen that says, I'm telling them when she checks it. He hears a disgusted groan in his head as Gothic rolls her eyes.
The Sugar Plum Fairy hovers directly in front of Maeve, looking her over with a crazed expression. "Why would I want you?" She reaches out and pinches Maeve's shoulder. Her touch is agonizingly cold. "What is this? Another of Mother's gifts?" She turns her dark eyes towards Chastity who is stricken in horror. "So much love, it's not fair!"
Percy sends the text but gets no immediate answer, much less any sign that it's been read. The discussion continues about the anti-Femtite for a few minutes before Indarius starts using his magic to find Femtite.
Unfortunately, he can't seem to find the bright spark of the Pixite anywhere!
Meanwhile, Imagerie connects to whoever she was calling. "Hi, Julia. Yeah, can't chit-chat, sorry. Need to talk with you about alternate timelines. Gonna put you on speaker."
She holds out her phone in her palm. "First Class, this is Silver Shield. Retired. We've got some theoretical questions about alternate timelines. Haven't you been studying them lately?"
The voice on the other side speaks with authority. "I have, yes. What's the situation?"
"I think we might have an alternate version of a hero from another timeline trying to punch through to our dimension. A bad one."
"Has there already been contact?" Silver Shield asks. "It takes a lot of power to breach barriers of reality. The Apotheosis Tear has been quiet."
"I... think this is different," Imagerie says, looking to the others for clarification.
“Unnghh.. it’s not too late for love,” she grunts through the pain. “Especially the sisterly kind—you’re cold—take my scarf!”
Maeve whips off her scarf and wraps it around her little Sister! She hopes the fabric will stick to the frigid pixite—at least long enough for Chas to get out!
“Run, Chas! That won’t hold her long!”