warmfeelings: (just behave)
Author: warmfeelings
"Aelise! Aelise!"
salus_populi: (⑭ less than pleased)
Author: salus_populi
"What is it?"
warmfeelings: (delicate work)
Author: warmfeelings
"I can barely feel Harley from where I was usually, but I noticed just now - it's like someone dropped him in a bucket of ice, not even like I doused him, there would be regrowth if I'd done it. There's nothing left for me, just a flicker for you - plenty for Corona, a little spark each for Tima and Sandre, nothing else, and everything I doused is back, not like I never touched it but like it's had a month to rekindle - what happened?"
salus_populi: (⑩ attentive)
Author: salus_populi
"I don't know," she says, "but I would dearly like to find out."
warmfeelings: (just behave)
Author: warmfeelings
"So would I," says Chelsa. "This changes things - I said I'd leave him be when he was still nice and warm - now he's not."
salus_populi: (⑨ casual)
Author: salus_populi
"I'll go talk to him," she promises.
warmfeelings: (why must you hurt me)
Author: warmfeelings
Chelsa nods, teeth clenched. She appears to intend to wait right where she is while this occurs.
salus_populi: (⑪ businesslike)
Author: salus_populi
Her room's not far.

She goes there.

Harley is curled up in his bed, shaking and crying.

She sits down next to him and waits.
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"If you're going to sit there, you might as well kill me some more," he says eventually.
salus_populi: (⑦ content)
Author: salus_populi
"I'd rather talk," she says evenly.
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"I don't give a shredded fuck what you'd rather," says Harley.
salus_populi: (⑤ benevolent dictator)
Author: salus_populi
"That's a shame."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"Eat me."
salus_populi: (⑨ casual)
Author: salus_populi
"I can see this isn't going to be a productive conversation," she sighs. "Chelsa is upset that you don't love her anymore."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"Chelsa should crawl into a hole and die," says Harley.
salus_populi: (⑥ suspicious of your motives)
Author: salus_populi
"That's not going to happen," says Aelise.
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"Too fucking bad."
salus_populi: (⑩ attentive)
Author: salus_populi
"Do you know anything about where all your kindled connections mysteriously went while you were asleep?"
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"Up my ass, wanna take a look?"
salus_populi: (⑬ serious)
Author: salus_populi
She sighs.

"Believe it or not, I'm trying to help you."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"You're doing a pure shit job."
salus_populi: (⑪ businesslike)
Author: salus_populi
"I stopped Chelsa from dousing you again," she points out. "Is there anything, anything at all, that I could offer you to get you to put up with Chelsa kindling you to her?"
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
Harley hisses.
salus_populi: (⑭ less than pleased)
Author: salus_populi
"I'll take that as a no."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"Can you not just get her to leave me the fuck alone?" he growls.
salus_populi: (⑩ attentive)
Author: salus_populi
"I'll try," she says. "I don't expect it to work. Feel free to run away again. It worked so well the last time."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
He pulls the blanket over his head and turns away from her.
salus_populi: (⑫ immortal)
Author: salus_populi
She sighs.

She goes back to Chelsa.
warmfeelings: (delicate work)
Author: warmfeelings
Chelsa is standing in her office still, frowning.
salus_populi: (⑪ businesslike)
Author: salus_populi
"Harley is not feeling cooperative today," she says.
warmfeelings: (just behave)
Author: warmfeelings
"You're not trying to add him to Kers's coverage. He doesn't need to cooperate for your power to work. Or mine."
salus_populi: (⑦ content)
Author: salus_populi
"Something tells me I would rather have him cooperating than otherwise," she says. "How far away do I have to keep him before you won't be annoyed by his existence?"
warmfeelings: (why must you hurt me)
Author: warmfeelings
"Before he was just fading out and now he's gone cold. Our deal was everyone. You provide the broadcast equipment and I include you in the kindling and I kindle everyone. He's someone."
salus_populi: (⑩ attentive)
Author: salus_populi
"You are very good at solving the problem that I made that deal to solve. Harley is a problem you are demonstrably very bad at solving," says Aelise. "I would like it if you would consider leaving him to me."
warmfeelings: (just behave)
Author: warmfeelings
"I was going to! And then - I don't even - how did he do it?"
salus_populi: (⑪ businesslike)
Author: salus_populi
"I don't know," says Aelise. "I hope to find out. It's not completely impossible to get information out of him; it just takes patience."
warmfeelings: (why must you hurt me)
Author: warmfeelings
"What if I wake up one morning and Corona's gone cold too?" whispers Chelsa.
salus_populi: (⑫ immortal)
Author: salus_populi
"I don't think he will," says Aelise. "There's a lot of things about Harley we don't fully understand yet. I want to understand them. But I only have the one source of information, so I need to handle him carefully. Okay?"
warmfeelings: (delicate work)
Author: warmfeelings
"How long?" Chelsa asks.
salus_populi: (⑬ serious)
Author: salus_populi
"I don't know. A while. Until I know what's going on, ideally."
warmfeelings: (procedural hiccup)
Author: warmfeelings
"How long will it take you to give up?"
salus_populi: (⑨ casual)
Author: salus_populi
"I won't give up."
warmfeelings: (just behave)
Author: warmfeelings
"So maybe forever, then, you might want me to wait hundreds of years, with a cold spot on the planet you said I could warm up entirely."
salus_populi: (⑩ attentive)
Author: salus_populi
"Do you want him off the planet? I can do that."
warmfeelings: (delicate work)
Author: warmfeelings
"Fine. Put him off the planet. And I'll wait. But you'll try, won't you?"
salus_populi: (⑫ immortal)
Author: salus_populi
"I will try."
warmfeelings: (delicate work)
Author: warmfeelings
"Thank you," sighs Chelsa. And she droops, but she goes back to her friends' quarters to warm up.
salus_populi: (④ genuine)
Author: salus_populi
Aelise goes back to Harley.

"Good news," she says, sitting down by the side of his bed. "I'm launching you into space."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
Harley pokes his head out of his blankets and grins at her.

"You get me the best presents."
salus_populi: (⑧ comfortable)
Author: salus_populi
"Well, I'm glad somebody around here is happy," she remarks. "C'mon, up you get, I want you off this planet in an hour."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"What's the rush?" he asks, crawling out of bed.
salus_populi: (⑥ suspicious of your motives)
Author: salus_populi
"I don't want to test Chelsa's patience."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
Harley shivers.

"Off the planet in an hour. Got it."
salus_populi: (⑨ casual)
Author: salus_populi
"Glad we're seeing eye to eye," she says wryly. "And I'm sorry we have to have her hanging over us like this."

She takes his hand and leads him to where she keeps her personal vehicles. There's one rated for spaceflight, because of course there is.

And up they go.