Chương 1107: Day One Thousand One Hundred And Five

Dear Diary, I know I say I hate waiting a lot, and I've talked about it before how different kinds of waiting are different, some better, some worse. Some of them, where I know when something is supposed to happen and I'm the one to say when it's go time, the anticipation can even make things overall positive. Other shit, where I know something is coming, but I don't know when, especially when it's something nominally bad, that shit is... Shit. Just feces in incarnate form.

Thing is, for all that I complain about it, I've done a shit ton of waiting since I got to the here and now. I mean, my first week here was mostly waiting for classes to start. Also, along with the two things above, I've discovered entirely new forms of waiting, neither of which are tortures from the pits of hell. First there's standing watch. Like, not waiting for some specific thing to show up, but just sort of being on alert and scanning the whatever.

I mean, it's kind of like the waiting for something bad, but not. I can't even think how to describe it except for 'this is kinda what my particular ADHD brain works best at, waiting wise'. Then there's the kind of waiting I'm doing now, which might be real similar to the others, except I'm doing it in M-Space. I've done that more often than I care to think about, and while it shouldn't be any better or worse than any other kind of waiting, the timeless nature of M-Space makes it so.

Not better or worse specifically, but the good or even tolerable waiting gets better. I'm pretty sure the bad waiting would get worse. That last kind is definitely the kind of waiting I've spent the last, I dunno, really long time doing. My sense of the sun tells me it's a day and a half or so, but my internal clock, which I'll point out makes my Moral Compass look like some kind of high tech GPS at the best of times, tells me it's been literally forever.

Yes, I know the definition of literal, and how it differs from figurative, and I will note that I have been standing in M-Space since some time Thursday at the latest. Y'know, M-Space, where the metaphors live. Where literal and figurative merge like my ladies were doing all night last night. At least I'm assuming they were. I haven't seen the replay yet, but I know I had some high power Worship coming in to keep me more or less awake and aware. Yesterday was...

Boring, but still nice, what with Dad holding me like I held Aisling. Still waiting? Saffron's question took me by surprise. Yeah. Just me, Dad, and Aisling, watching Verthandi commune with Yggdrasil. You say that like there are more than three other entities which have ever been honored to see her do that. That was some odd information, but given the Norns are, I think, Deities, and my Kitten is a religious scholar by vocation and avocation, I asked, who else? Urd, Skuld, and Odin.

That made an odd amount of sense, what with Dad's connection to Odin being why the Norns would do this shit for me in the first place. Wish I knew why I had to stay here. Other than it being some kind of weird deal Odin made with the Norn sisters.

That's probably because if you had some kind of second sight, or paid very close attention to Verthandi, you might be able to get information from Yggdrasil itself, and while the Norns will answer questions, I don't think they'd want someone using their powers to, as you might say, 'get over' without their knowledge. Dafuq? You stand in front of Yggdrasil, yes? Yeah? It is the World Tree. It represents the entire world. All that is. By examining it, you examine the world itself as it is.

It is one of the most potent forms of active divination known. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I wound up maybe a little shook by that. Think she could find me if I Blended all the way? She chuckled, rubbing the inside of my skull with velvet. You would wonder that. My only answer is 'perhaps'. While you might get more information by Inspecting her while she does her divining, I suspect she would react poorly.

Yeah, and they're doing me a favor. Don't want to piss them off now. Especially now that I've sunk days into this. Any sign of how soon you'll be done? Not a damn one. She sighed. I miss you. We all do, really. But unlike our newest daughter, we will persevere. After all, unlike your jaunt to Jackville or when you hid at the bottom of the ocean, we at least know where you are and what you're doing. Yeah. I miss you too, Kitten. Love to everybody for me, I'll be home as soon as I can. Love you too.

Midway through the day, Orla and Siobhan chorused into my brain, Champion? Ah, shit, I'mma be pissed if somebody's attacking us. Orla chuckled, and Siobhan said, not precisely. You two safe? Yes. Kids safe? Of course, Goof. Would I be this calm otherwise? I chuckled at how I heard Orla's choked off laughter at Siobhan calling me 'Goof'. Okay then. What did you need? Nothing; Saffron thought you might be bored, and we had news for you. News...

Was rarely good, but I figured if Siobhan had the news and she wasn't upset, it couldn't be that bad. Okay, hit me. Orla, if you would? Orla cleared her mental throat; probably her physical one too. I got the impression she'd just dropped into parade rest. Thirty hours ago, the Sneaking Tentacle, camouflaged as a merchantman, escorted by the Penetrating Tentacle, which had taken on ballast and lowered most sails in order to alter her appearance from a distance, were spotted by a small fleet of English Pirates.

How small? Eight ships. I had to breathe slow and careful, because even with two of our newest, biggest, best ships, eight English Pirates did not sound like anything like an even fight. I take it that you had a plan? We did indeed. We ran, albeit we had to abandon some of our pretense for the Penetrating to keep from being overtaken. So you ran away? I could almost see Orla's grin. Not away. To. Yeah, I could definitely put two and two together here. Ambush? Indeed. Did any of them get away?

If her grin were any wider, I could have seen it from M-Space. Not after the Black Dragon dropped in behind them. Admiral Swanson dropped a single round each into the water off her bow and stern, then one not too far from what we'd guessed was their flagship. Not her longest range by a long shot, but far enough the Pirates saw sense when he used her loudspeakers to call for a parley. So... You captured eight English ships? The parley is ongoing. We want them on our side, after all.

But given that perhaps half of the Legion all told is aboard the ships surrounding them, not to mention the Black Dragon being able to send them all to their Gods without any of us being in danger, we've a strong bargaining position. Cool. You guys want me to swing by when I'm done here? Siobhan interrupted Orla's answer with a heartfelt, more than I can say, love. Okay then. I'll give you guys a heads up when we're done here. Let me know if you guys finish up first. As you wish, the two of them chorused.

Some time after that, with the sun hidden behind the upper branches of Yggdrasil, Verthandi turned.

"Mimic?" I dropped out of Dad's embrace, keeping my arms around Aisling.

"I prefer Tabitha," I answered.

"Fair. Well then, Tabitha. I have looked for any signs of anyone putting any kind of hex or curse upon you or those near you. While there are many who bear you ill will, none seem to have any plans like what you've described." She paused.

"Well, the Spartans and Ares alike are swearing vengeance, declaring their intent to destroy you and end your line, but I can't say that's unusual for them."

"Neither of them are the kind of indirect, fancy, hitting different targets near me but not me types, either."

"True. There is... Something odd. Something about you and Fate, but I cannot parse what it is. It... Does not seem to be what you describe. Of course, your position as a Deity of Children might be what I'm seeing. Or something else. You do tend to draw Children in danger to you." She nodded at Aisling.

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Fuck, now I'm wondering if that's all it is. Kids in danger drifting toward me, hoping I'll save them. Except some of them I stumbled across them, and others somebody came and got me." She nodded.

"I will continue looking until my sisters complete their divinations."

"Thanks." She turned around and went back to staring at bark. I hate waiting.