i might as well be the man on the moon

[truthwright]

Their Isabella having just gone to welcome a new Bell into the peal, Kas and Petaal snuggle up together and take a nap. They'll want to be well rested for the party.

When they wake up, she still isn't back.

[Jane?]

No response.

Kas teleports down to the Janepoint, Petaal wrapped snake-shaped around his shoulders.

The display reads: error 7788: lycanthropy

"...So that's new," he says.

"No shit," says Petaal. "Now what?"

He shrugs. She coils tighter.

"Hang around and wait, I guess."

Comments

[pythbox]

Helen is a very loud baby, but well-behaved other than that. Well, it might just be that her parent has a broad definition of good behaviour.



When she is four months old, being carried along the side of a country road late at night, the moonlight falls on her and she reaches her little hands up and coos intensely. Her daemon - Petaal named her Kalavar - takes the form of a duckling and flaps her small fuzzy wings as though trying to fly.

[truthwright]

Kas stops walking.

"What is it, sweetie?" murmurs Petaal.

"Maybe nothing," he says.

But now that he's thought of it...

When he wished himself a child, he never specified a father. Or would that be mother? Whichever way around, he left it to chance. He definitely didn't specify that the kid should be a witch.

He spends a square to conjure an illusion of Helen's other parent.

Helen's other parent has a very familiar face.

"Well, fuck," mutters Kas.

[pythbox]

Helen makes noises and waves her hands in the moonlight some more.

[truthwright]

Kas sighs. He cuddles his baby.

He brainphones Ranata Ekamma.

[Hey, you busy?]

[alicornucopia]

[Not at the moment. What's up?]

[truthwright]

[...I think I accidentally gave you a granddaughter,] he says. [It's - kind of complicated.]

[alicornucopia]

[...It sounds that way.]

[truthwright]

[Do you wanna meet somewhere and talk about it?]

[alicornucopia]

[I can do that. Where?]

[truthwright]

[I'm just outside of New York City right now.]

[alicornucopia]

[I can be there tomorrow afternoon.]

[truthwright]

[All right.]

[alicornucopia]

[Where should I find you?]

[truthwright]

He names a hotel.

[alicornucopia]

[All right.]

[truthwright]

[See you then.]

[alicornucopia]

Ranata cruises into the city and finds the hotel the next afternoon, as promised.

[truthwright]

And there he is, sitting in the lobby with a cute little baby in his arms.

[alicornucopia]

Ranata lands, strides into the lobby, looks at Kas, looks at the baby, and says, "I don't understand."

[truthwright]

"Me neither," says Kas, getting up. "You wanna come upstairs? I've got something to show you that... will probably just confuse you more."

[alicornucopia]

Ranata doesn't look happy about being as confused as she is, but she shrugs and nods.

[truthwright]

Kas brings Ranata and the baby up to his hotel room.

He closes the door.

He switches sex.

"I've got a lot more weird magic stuff going on than just immortality," he says, cuddling the baby.

[alicornucopia]

Ranata turns her head, looks at him out of the corner of her eye.

"What did she do with you before she left?" she murmurs.

[truthwright]

"Magic," says Kas.

[alicornucopia]

"Yes - but - I knew she was working on some astonishing spells, but -"