Not Making The Obvious Your Mom Joke

<epiele|offline> [You have a sylladex more than half full of supplies now. You're /still/ surprised, even after all these years, that the Sylladex never makes you stoop under the load, never poses a penalty when you fight, never complains when you load it full to bursting except for the time it accidentally ejected at a funeral once.]
<epiele|offline> [Uh.]
<epiele|offline> [That's when you switched to something more secure than Queue.]
<epiele|offline> [But this is a digression.]
<epiele|offline> [And so long as you don't try to captchalogue the programs in the hands of the people next to you, you should be fine.]
<epiele|offline> [You knock, then open Skye's door. 'Cho's out, probably trying to do paperwork or something. Good. You didn't want to deal with her.]
<spenih|online> [You're dozing slightly when he knocks.]
<spenih|online> [You blink awake, decades of playing having honed your already light sleeping habits.]
<spenih|online> [At some point, you had dragged your blanket up over your head; you look a little like a babushka with the fuzzy blue swaddling you.  You braille about for your pad of paper and pencil, and scrawl out a "hello"]
<epiele|offline> [That's adorab - you're the fucking God-King of Corpse Fiesta why are you using the word adorable?]
<epiele|offline> [...eh, whatever.]
<epiele|offline> [That's adorable.]
<epiele|offline> [You're just going to sit down in the chair next to the bed and hand her another muffin, like you did yesterday. And also the day before that.]
<spenih|online> [You brighten and all but make grabby hands at it.  You write out a "thank you" before taking a big bite out of it.]
<spenih|online> [You hold the muffin in one hand and write out a "how are you?" with the other.]
<epiele|offline> ["You're welcome." You look down, at the question.]
<epiele|offline> ["Nothing much of note is happening, which means that something should come fuck us over right... about... now."]
<epiele|offline> [You look out the window.]
<epiele|offline> [Nothing is happening.]
<epiele|offline> ["Okay, how about now?"]
<epiele|offline> [...Still nothing.]
<epiele|offline> ["...or now?"]
<spenih|online> [You smile at him.  "or nothing?"]
<spenih|online> [You break off part of the muffin you haven't eaten and offer it to him.]
<spenih|online> ["how are you?"]
<epiele|offline> [You take the chunk of muffin and nibble at it. "Yeah, nothing, I guess. Wondering what I'm supposed to say to Echo, mainly, and what I'm not supposed to be saying to Dawn. But I don't think that's your business."]
<spenih|online> ["are you sure?"]
<spenih|online> ["maybe she can help"]
<spenih|online> ["if you're willing to let her"]
<spenih|online> ["if it's not intrusive of her"]
<spenih|online> [You make a slightly horrified face.]
<spenih|online> ["she's sorry she didn't mean to pry when it's not her business"]
<epiele|offline> ["Ask 'Choface, not me. It /is/ kind of her business, after all."]
<spenih|online> [You nod slightly.]
<spenih|online> ["did you get all your supplies?"]
<epiele|offline> ["Enough, at least. There are still a few I want, but I'm waiting for the mail orders to come in."]
<spenih|online> ["are you having trouble getting things mailed here instead?"]
<spenih|online> ["or just normal delays?"]
<epiele|offline> ["Just the normal kind."]
<epiele|offline> [You look at her.]
<epiele|offline> ["How are you, anyway?"]
<spenih|online> [You tap the pencil on the paper.]
<spenih|online> ["she's feeling better than she was"]
<spenih|online> ["had a chance to talk with harris earlier"]
<spenih|online> [That gets a smile from you, a fond one.]
<spenih|online> ["but she got reminded that she's going to have a long time before she's welcome in rep ayer communities again"]
<epiele|offline> [You look serious, for a moment. Very serious. Then you offer your arms for a hug.]
<epiele|offline> [Yes, you're still holding a chunk of blueberry muffin.]
<epiele|offline> [No, you don't care.]
<spenih|online> [Your smile had turn bittersweet, but it brightens when he offers a hug.  You hug him back with your good arm.]
<spenih|online> [You give good hugs.]
<epiele|offline> [You're very careful around her ribs. But it's still a hug.]
<spenih|online> [You give him a gentle squeeze.]
<spenih|online> [You're glad you can get hugs.]
<epiele|offline> [You reach up and pet her hair, even.]
<epiele|offline> [That makes it a hug+.]
<epiele|offline> [Right?]
<epiele|offline> [...unfortunately, crickets can't survive in hospitals.]
<epiele|offline> [But you /swear/ you can hear one.]
<spenih|online> [You sigh happily when he pets your hair.  You /like/ it when people play with it, or anything, really.]
<spenih|online> [You rub his back slightly.  (You really wish you could get your other arm out of the cast.)]
<epiele|offline> [...you realize both of you are basically going to be doing this for a whi - oh dear you're getting crumbs on her blanket.]
<epiele|offline> [You pull away and try to brush them off, cramming the chunk of muffin into your mouth.]
<spenih|online> [You giggle silently and hitch it up a little more.  "you give good hugs"]
<spenih|online> ["thank you"]
<spenih|online> [You smile at him, your eyes crinkling shut with it.]
<spenih|online> ["are you getting enough sleep?"]
<epiele|offline> ["You keep asking that question."]
<spenih|online> [You turn bright pink and scribble it out.  You are... sheepish, for lack of a better word.]
<spenih|online> ["just concerned"]
<spenih|online> ["sorry"]
<epiele|offline> ["I sleep about as well as a Replayer would in presession." This is a non-answer.]
<spenih|online> [You frown slightly.  "is there anything she can do to help?"  You recognize the non-answer, but you've gotten enough of them throughout the years to know it's not worth pressing right now.]
<epiele|offline> ["You know, Spenih, at least the demon that pursues you has a name and a - a face, as much as HTs can be said to have faces. Mine doesn't even have that much. Unless you call it by the person it looks like, in which case.."]
<epiele|offline> [You look away.]
<epiele|offline> ["I'm not sure I want to say this right now."]
<spenih|online> [You nod.]
<spenih|online> ["take your time"]
<spenih|online> ["only share if you feel comfortable"]
<spenih|online> ["she won't press"]
<spenih|online> [You pause, before changing topics with all the grace of a sledgehammer.  "can she have another muffin?"]
<epiele|offline> [Oh. Uh.]
<epiele|offline> [Yeah, you'll give her another muffin.]
<epiele|offline> [You're just kind of lost in thought right now.]
<epiele|offline> [Picture the Mac OS X beachball cursor for Epi's head and you'll be in the right order of magnitude.]
<spenih|online> [You nibble on the muffin in companionable silence.  Heaven forbid if the Void player, of all people, felt the need to constantly chatter.]
<epiele|offline> ["I'm not sure how it looked from the outside when I stopped being Myra's student. But we both hurt each other in the process."]
<epiele|offline> ["I didn't have enough of a spine for her standards and it took her too many years to figure that out."]
<epiele|offline> [A die, turning in your hands.]
<spenih|online> [You look up and put the muffin down in your lap.]
<spenih|online> [You tilt your head, obviously and actively listening.]
<epiele|offline> ["There's not much more to say about it. I ended up with the scars from the very same woman that told me I deserved her Mask, she ended up with nothing to show for six years of me except a solemn vow not to do that ever again, and we're both Mind players who can see right through anyone trying to pep-talk us."]
<spenih|online> [You meet his gaze for a moment - or it seems like you do, it's hard to tell with your eyes - before you look down at the pencil in your hand and the pad of paper in your lap.]
<spenih|online> ["myra was"]
<spenih|online> [You tap the eraser on the paper, worrying a scab on your lip with your teeth.]
<spenih|online> ["not always a good person"]
<spenih|online> ["she's sorry she did that to you"]
<epiele|offline> [You hoist your feet up onto the chair and hug your knees. "I know."]
<spenih|online> [You look at him, and then carefully swing your legs so they dangle out of the hospital bed.  "do you want a hug?"]
<epiele|offline> ["I already got one."]
<spenih|online> ["you can get more than one if you want"]
<spenih|online> ["and she wants to help make you feel better"]
<spenih|online> ["however she can"]
<epiele|offline> ["I thought it was the other way around." But you unfold and sit next to her.]
<spenih|online> [You pull him in for another hug.  Maybe it was supposed to be the other way around, but he hurts just as much - probably more - than you do.]
<epiele|offline> [You breathe, a little raggedly. You let your fingers play up and down her back. You don't say anything.]
<spenih|online> [You gently rub his back.  You /wish/ you could say something to make him feel better, or even just hum to him reassuringly.  But he doesn't want a pep talk and you worry that you are-- you /were/ too close to Myra for him to see around that.]
<spenih|online> [So instead you rub little circles and give him a little squeeze.  Your ribs only protest a little bit.]
<epiele|offline> [You feel tears.]
<epiele|offline> [Something in you makes a snarky remark to the effect of "Now you get to tell Zei that you cried on her mom." You tell the snarky remark to shut up.]
<epiele|offline> [Do 'your mom' jokes work in pale?]
<epiele|offline> [This is obviously the best question to ask right now.]
<spenih|online> [You rock gently and stroke his back.  Sometimes what you need and want most is someone to hold you when you're upset.  You hope that this much, at least, helps.]
<epiele|offline> [...okay, fine, you're going to sob loudly into her blankets. But only because she's okay to cry around! Wait, what?]
<epiele|offline> [Did you really think that?]
<epiele|offline> [Let's just... ignore that remark. Yeah.]
<spenih|online> [You tug one of the blankets around his shoulders and pet his hair.  You look around, trying to figure out where the tissues are in advance... ah!  There they are.  You then go back to silently shushing and murmuring to him.]
<epiele|offline> [Nope, still crying. Maybe you should be mounted to a water fountain with concrete wings strapped to your back or something.]
<epiele|offline> [Wait no that's Angelic you're going to think about something else now.]
<epiele|offline> [Then again, the corruption types /do/ cancel o - no no no no no no no]
<epiele|offline> [Not going there.]
<spenih|online> [It's probably best you don't know about the Angelic line of thought.  You're technically clean right now, though you're scared you'll slide right back into corruption when you're shoved into the Medium again.  (You don't know who's on the moon with you, but you hope they're good at chasing dreamselves.)]
<spenih|online> [You will, however, lean back and grab a tissue to offer to him after a moment.]
<epiele|offline> [You fold it carefully into fourths and press it to your face.]
<spenih|online> [You get your pad of paper back.  "blow your nose"]
<spenih|online> ["don't just keep snuffling"]
<epiele|offline> [You glare at her but do so.]
<spenih|online> [You are unfazed by the glare.  "thank you"]
<epiele|offline> [Then reach over for another tissue and do so again, folding the tissue before using it.]
<spenih|online> [You wrap your blanket more tightly around yourself.  You're still... kind of off-balance after being shoved off the memo.  You're not going to cry yourself; he needs comfort more than you do, right now.  He's got a lot bugging him.  "is there anything else that she can do?"]
<epiele|offline> ["I... if I think of anything, I'll let you know."]
<epiele|offline> [You're not going to think about this, so there's nothing you'll need to let her know, right?]
<epiele|offline> [Yeah, like /that's/ going to last more than a few days.]
<spenih|online> [You nod.  Somehow you don't think he'll be quick to say anything, but... you've come to expect that.  Then again, most people are slow to talk. "okay"]
<spenih|online> ["have you had a chance to talk about your plan to get her out of the hospital yet?"]
<epiele|offline> ["Either I haven't been able to catch Echo much or she's deliberately avoiding me."]
<epiele|offline> ["I'm not sure which."]
<spenih|online> [You frown sadly.  You're worried about those two.  "she's sorry"]
<spenih|online> ["should she try saying something?"]
<epiele|offline> ["If you think it'll work."]
<spenih|online> ["it's better than not trying at all"]
<epiele|offline> [You nod, and then wipe at your face with another tissue.]
<epiele|offline> ["Sorry, did I make this about me again?"]
<spenih|online> [You shake your head.]
<spenih|online> [Then stop.]
<spenih|online> ["she asked"]
<spenih|online> ["so she made it about you"]
<spenih|online> [You smile.]
<epiele|offline> [You sit for a while, silently. Finally: "Are /you/ all right?"]
<spenih|online> [You consider that.]
<spenih|online> ["she's not sure"]
<spenih|online> ["she doesn't have to worry about [c rr pt  n] until she gets in the [s s ion]"]
<spenih|online> ["but"]
<spenih|online> ["harris helps but it hurts sometimes"]
<spenih|online> ["but she knows it's going to hurt no matter what"]
<spenih|online> ["she's not sure where she's going with this actually"]
<epiele|offline> [Okay that calls for at /least/ an arm around the shoulders.]
<spenih|online> ["she's making do for now and she guesses that's all she can ask for"]
<spenih|online> [You try to smile and give up after a moment, leaning against him.]
<spenih|online> ["she's probably just gloomy because she's stuck inside"]
<epiele|offline> [You think about what you've seen on the discussion boards.]
<epiele|offline> ["The Internet will be the Internet, regardless of where it happens to be."]
<spenih|online> [You look up at him.]
<spenih|online> ["the difference is"]
<spenih|online> ["that we live in the internet now"]
<spenih|online> ["at least essentially if you look at how people treat each other"]
<epiele|offline> ["I don't know about you, but that's not even a change from prenative for me."]
<spenih|online> ["the difference"]
<epiele|offline> ["People have /always/ been like that."]
<spenih|online> [And you stop and think.]
<spenih|online> ["the difference is that she's now an acceptable target for so many people"]
<spenih|online> ["she's lucky she rolled with you three"]
<spenih|online> ["because she's reasonably certain you're not going to try to kill her"]
<epiele|offline> [You laugh/choke.]
<spenih|online> ["but to other people she's just going to be a name on a watchlist"]
<epiele|offline> ["Mindblogger didn't get treated that way until... until recently. She's having trouble adapting. A /lot/ of trouble. If it's any consolation, it's better for you and yours than it used to be."]
<epiele|offline> ["/Because/ of you, and yours."]
<spenih|online> [You smile at that.  It's a genuine one.]
<spenih|online> ["if she did nothing else with her time here"]
<spenih|online> ["then she's glad she's made it safer for others like her"]
<epiele|offline> [Like Myra, you think, and then cringe.]
<epiele|offline> [But then you smooth your face over, an instant later, like it never happened.]
<spenih|online> [Either you don't see it or you don't react.]
<spenih|online> ["she just"]
<spenih|online> ["it doesn't matter how much good she's done to some people"]
<spenih|online> ["and she knows that there's a very good chance that someone will want to kill her for what she's done"]
<spenih|online> ["she's just lucky she got people who are safe this time around"]
<epiele|offline> ["I'm... sorry you don't feel safe, elsewhere."]
<spenih|online> [You look thoughtful for a moment.]
<spenih|online> ["is it bad if she's used to that?"]
<epiele|offline> [...]
<epiele|offline> ["I don't know."]
<epiele|offline> [And then you break down, again. "I don't know. I'm sorry."]
<spenih|online> [You shake your head.  Your hair is loose, and getting tangled; it bounces when you do.]
<spenih|online> ["it was mostly a rhetorical question"]
<spenih|online> ["sorry"]
<epiele|offline> [yeah no you're just going to cry into a handful of tissues this time]
<spenih|online> [Oh noooo you made him cry.]
<spenih|online> [ :< ]
<spenih|online> [You go back to hugging him.]
<epiele|offline> [This time around maybe just skip all the snark and say he cried for a while.]
<spenih|online> [And, like expected, she hugged him and offered him tissues.  This time, without telling him to blow his nose.]
<epiele|offline> [How about let's leave them there for a while?]
<epiele|offline> [end]