Chương 1087: Day One Thousand And Eighty-Five

Dear Diary, I don't always feel like I can share the details of what I talk about with my parents during our therapy sessions. It's not because I'm ashamed of it or any of that shit, either. Not any more, anyhow. Not for a while. No, it's because... Honestly, I think a lot of it is repetitive and boring.

I say the same things over and over in different ways, and they gently course correct me until I'm saying something that maybe expresses the same emotions, or describes the same facts, but reframes them in ways that aren't self-abusive. So while sometimes I'll describe that here, I don't always. Also, there's only so many times I can describe myself breaking down in the middle of those sessions without feeling like I'm a complete basket case.

On the other hand, the times I've sat down and thought about what I want to say to them before hand, talking to my Diary about it, have been pretty productive. Oddly enough not always in the ways or on the topics I thought they would be, but for whatever reason having ideas of what I want to talk about leads to less going in circles.

Once in a while it leads to progress in completely different directions, but that usually means it's because we come across something of equal or greater importance or urgency and we talk about that instead, but productively. With that in mind, I definitely want to ask the 'rents for advice about Aisling.

Like, I am completely willing to take her in if that's what's best for her, but right now it seems almost like she wants to dissolve into me like some kind of male angler fish, only without the testicles, and with less weird sexual dynamics. Just clinging to me until she disappears, which is definitely something I could have seen myself doing if mom had died when I was three instead of thirteen, and I subsequently found someone with a reputation for taking in strays and protecting kids.

Also on the kid front, I want to discuss names with them. Specifically names for Boy and Girl. Yeah, they asked me to name them, and I'm gonna, but I think I might have wound up coming up with a maybe more appropriate name for Hailee if I hadn't been put on the spot like that. Okay, I love my littlest kit and her name, and I think her name does kinda fit her, but that might just be me thinking of her when I think the name Hailee now. I dunno. But I'm looking for input before I pull that trigger.

Last thing I wanna do is pick a name that's some kinda subtle insult or some shit like that. In that same kind of 'double checking the cultural norms with folks who've been around a couple hundred or thousand years', I'm definitely gonna ask them about the whole plan with the English Pirates. Not like that one is a big old secret like Operation: Maenad Rescue. Also, I kinda want to talk with them about growing up. Like, am I doing it right and shit like that.

Because I want a good grade in Adulting, because that is totally a thing it is possible to get. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. So when we finished the school day, I scooped up Aisling and thought, any news regarding Doc G? while simultaneously saying, "would you like to come visit my parents with me, Aisling?" I was kinda glad Karen's reply wound up a tiny bit delayed, so I could focus on hearing Aisling say, "... tay."

A moment later, as I gathered the rest of our brood up to hop back to the Homestead, Karen thought, Doctors Glass and Zeccardi took a vacation to Muscogee over the past month. I hated asking, but the weight of Aisling on my hip goaded me. We can't hop down and ask them to cut it short? Unfortunately, no, but fortunately that is because they're currently returning; with favorable wind and weather, they should return by Tyrsday.

Back to unfortunate, they are not aboard one of the Tentacles, so barring redirecting one of the Scrying Portals...? I sighed. Asking a friend to cut a vacation short was one thing, redirecting still sorta secret national military assets was something else entirely. No. Just let me know when they arrive somewhere I can talk to them? I will, Goddess. With that I scooped up the dinner of bite sized fried yam and chicken puree bites. As in pureed chicken bites and pureed yam bites, not yam mixed with chicken.

I didn't want her to get malnourished with no protein, but if she couldn't tolerate the chicken I didn't want her going entirely hungry. When all the kids had their overnight gear and dinner, not to mention Marie having her cart loaded with dinner for everyone including Mom and Dad, we stepped to Dad's cave. Aisling got a little wide-eyed when she saw Dad, burrowed into me a little, but oddly enough didn't look away.

Of course, when Mom saw the little one she almost hovered over to us, and if she kept her excitement low key enough to avoid scaring our newest foundling, she clearly wanted to talk to her.

"Hello, little one. What's your name?"

"My... Aisling."

"That's a lovely name, Aisling." She held out her hands, and Aisling looked up to me. I nodded, and Aisling held out one arm to let Sigyn scoop her up. Sadly, no joy on complete transfer. One of her hands wound up deliberately tangled in my blouse. So we sat there and talked to her about foods, because that seemed safe. She ate the whole plate of fried bits plus some bread, although she didn't try the pie Marie brought out. Okay, she kind of touched it with her tongue, then winced and shook her head.

Sad, because Marie had managed an incredible chocolate silk pie. Really wished I could catch those Spartans and do unto them again if they ruined a poor kid's taste for chocolate silk pie. At any rate, Aisling wound up cuddled in between Mom and I. Dreamt of my ladies all curled up in the middle of my Maw sleeping. In the morning, as the kids and Sigyn got ready to head back, I sent one of me with them, Aisling clinging to that me. At that point I kinda slumped over to Dad's table.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna need to be Co-Located for this one." Dad nodded, although he looked at Saffron, Siobhan, and Marie, who'd all stayed, although Marie Co-Located back with the kids just like I had. Siobhan, nursing Aoibh, which was kinda her life now, nodded as well, and Saffron said, "needs must, love." At that point Dad said, "is there a reason in particular?"

"Yeah, the first things I need to talk to you guys about, really. Kids."