exeunt space plant

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth (and Jacob) return home to Aurum, and promptly from there to Isle Esme, after the party has concluded, and Elspeth starts looking for Felicity. (And incidentally assessing the house and island for damages.)

Comments

[inhispockets]

"Yeah? Like what else?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Templatehood is apparently contagious. She got some on her best friend and her cat, so we can expect to see more of those. I'm templatey, too, but I didn't exactly catch it, she says - also, she hasn't checked my father so it's an open question whether other Elspeths would have my parents."

[inhispockets]

"Yeah? Who else's parents would she have?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Possibly none! Brilliance is one of you and doesn't have any parents. And it also seems like which parents you guys have when you have them at all varies cluster to cluster."

[inhispockets]

"How do you end up with no parents?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Brilliance is a magically created device. He had terrible creators, but no parents."

[inhispockets]

"And we've always got terrible somebody," says Felicity. It's obvious to him; how wouldn't they?

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Yes, although Harley doesn't even remember his."

[inhispockets]

"'Cause of you," says Felicity.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Yes. He was about a year old, I teleported into his room and picked him up and explained myself to his mother and left. She wasn't pleased."

[inhispockets]

He snorts.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I told her she could send an email later and it didn't matter where, that Jane would collect it, but she never did."

[inhispockets]

Felicity shrugs. "Why would she?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I didn't particularly expect her to, but she's not the awful parent for that cluster, so it was possible."

[inhispockets]

"Is there anybody where it's their mom?" he wonders.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Not so far. Dads, stepdads, magical creators."

[inhispockets]

He thinks about that. He doesn't really conclude anything, but he thinks about it.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"And Ansharil didn't have any parental figures at all, but he's sufficiently attached to Aianon that Aianon's history approximately counts for them both. I suppose Aianon's mother was also fairly horrible," Elspeth reflects, "but not in a way that stood out from the general population of demons."

[inhispockets]

He laughs.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"They married Sarion," Elspeth adds. "Aianon and Ansharil did, at the party - technically she'd already had a ceremony with the latter, but wanted to do it over again with both of them, and didn't think an elven ceremony would readily accommodate a demon, even if it could be stretched to fit a dragon who'd turned himself into an elf."

[inhispockets]

...Felicity giggles.

"I can't even imagine one of me getting married," he says.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Oh, several of you are. Beast and Rose are married, so are Micaiah and Angela, and now Ansharil and Aianon with Sarion. And they all hug each other's children at the parties. At this one there were a few who hadn't been at the last."

[inhispockets]

"Yeah?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Mm-hm. Micaiah has four angel daughters. Damaris, Keziah, Ariel, and Peninnah. Beast has a set of three, with larger age gaps but the same templates as the first of those - Yseult, Céleste, and Hyacinthe. And Kas has one girl, Helen, who is the same template as Yseult and Damaris. They call themselves Dominiques because Yseult donated her first name after starting to go by her middle name. Keziah and Céleste call themselves Griffins. And then there's the Joker, who has a son and a daughter with a local vampire called Nathan. Kerron and Aedyt."

[inhispockets]

"So many kids," he says. "It's weird."