Chương 948: Day Nine Hundred And Forty-Six

Dear Diary, I'd like to say it felt good to do the right thing. Okay, the mature thing, which in this case was also the right thing. I know I talked about that before, that what with there being multiple ways to fuck something up, there's got to be more than one way to unfuck things, or, and I know even just pondering this topic is Anathema unto Me, not fucking things up in the first place. The existence of multiple wrong things implies the existence of multiple right things.

But just like some wrong things lead to uncomfortable or unpleasant consequences, while others lead to disaster, some right things can lead to uncomfortable places, while others lead to success. Seriously, some of my parenting decisions may not have been the rightest. They may even have been, if one were to make a full spectrum analysis, slightly to the 'wrong' side of the scale.

But I think in all the cases I can remember those are 'spoiled them a little too much, so now that there are a whole assed squad of them I can't quite keep that up, which will lead to uncomfortable conversations down the road' wrongs, not 'I hit my kids so they hid a correctible degenerative condition until it wasn't correctible any more' wrongs. Lots of right things I could have done after losing my temper with Marie, but even though it was hard to do I took the mature path and apologized.

Not just that, but did my best to explain what specifically i was apologizing for, so she didn't think it was for disagreeing with her. Which I still do, by the way, but I'm also fully prepared to accept that I'm wrong in this case. Weird thing, knowing that I'm wrong, but also not being able to change my mind as easily as I want. I'd figure 'Changing my Mind' is, like, square in the middle of my wheelhouse as the Elder Primordial of Change. Now that I'm thinking about it, that makes me a little nervous.

It's possible that I've hit the age where my brain starts losing neuroplasticity, but then it's a big question whether I even have a proper 'brain', or just something Mimicked to fill that function. More importantly, last time I couldn't for the life of me figure something out, it was why I couldn't lift myself. Which makes perfect sense now that I know that in a very real sense the me I think of when I say 'me' or 'my body' is just the tip of a tentacle shapeshifted to look like a girl. A woman.

Mostly a woman, sometimes a man, sometimes a big sea beastie. Kraken, since 'big sea beastie' could both mean a lot of things and be considered offensive. At any rate, I'd like to say it felt good to do the right, mature thing, but to be honest doing that felt nothing but uncomfortable. Not really painful, not in any kind of way I could or would honestly acknowledge it as pain, but definitely ripping a band aid off.

An old band aid, where most of the adhesive has worn off and at worst you lose a couple hairs that weren't really devoted to their role anyhow. Or no, not a band aid. A scab, specifically that's dried out and almost falling off on its own, because much like that can be a little painful and uncomfortable, especially if it's in a sensitive spot, you need to get rid of that shit so the wound can finish healing. That's a lot better metaphor, because while doing it was uncomfortable, it led to healing.

That healing, unlike pulling off the scab, felt good. Okay, a lot of the things that Marie and I did to celebrate getting past that felt good, and I'm gonna count that as part of the healing, and also as a win. The talk about Sparta... I got more Mittens Lore. On the one hand, I am not thrilled that she was traumatized so much that it drove her to become a Maenad. On the other hand, I kind of knew that already, and knowing that she trusts me enough to share that with me means more than I can properly express.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Near the end of the day, we hopped down to the kitchen and whipped up a quick dinner for everybody. Deep fried schnitzel and mashed starchy vegetables, with some flash fried veggies as a side. I read once where deep frying ruins the nutrition from vegetables, but not deep frying them ruins the joy from eating deep fried veggies.

I dunno if its within my Domain to Change things so deep fried veggies are more nutritious than their sad, boiled counterparts, but I am absolutely willing to bet that Persephone or Demeter could do something along those lines. Persephone owes me a favor, maybe, and when last I checked Demeter is single. Anyone saying that Demeter, a Greek Goddess, is straight, will be laughed out of the room. Seriously, 'Greek' was a synonym for 'Gay' back in the hood, and that went for men and women.

Okay, some people used it to describe folks who were into pegging or other forms of anal sex, but most of the folks I knew just used it for 'likes people with familiar equipment'. In the bath, my skin against Marie's flattened, freaky looking fuzz, I glanced over at where Saffron floated with one hand on Siobhan's belly, perpetually surprised by the little one's kicks.

"Why do you keep looking so shocked?" She didn't even turn to me, focused on Siobhan's baby belly.

"This little one seems determined to avoid anything like a predictable pattern of behavior." She slipped me some side eye.

"Are you certain that at some point that evening you didn't poke a hole in me, then use me as a patently insufficient tentacle condom there at the end?" My mouth dropped open.

"Why? I... What?" I spluttered for a bit as her grin grew. Finally I said, "look, I'm a little envious that you got to impregnate Darling, and her lack of desire for another is really kinda a bummer, but jealousy is stupid, and I wouldn't trick someone into getting pregnant. That's just awful." Without fully turning to me, she reached one hand out and gripped my fingers.

"I meant no harm, love. Just a joke about how our impending daughter seems to have a chaotic nature evinced by neither of her biological parents." I smiled over at her.

"I dunno. Maybe she's just as smart as you'd expect from the kid of two Archmages, and she's doing some kind of pattern too complex for you to follow." Siobhan, as she was wont to do, blushed at my reminder of her Archmage status. Totally why I'd made a point of mentioning it. Of course, that's when Hailee giggled. Saffron caught it, turned to her, and asked, "yes?" Hailee flinched a little, and I quietly said, "it's okay, Hailee. Mom's just grumpy because your sister-to-be has stumped her."

"I am not grumpy."

"Yes, you are." Marie pre-empted Saffron's next denial by saying, "You Are." That got a chuckle out of her.

"Okay, maybe a little." She smiled at Hailee, "I really would like to know what you find so funny, though."

"She kicks when you... Relax?" That took a bit for even Saffron to parse, and I realized when she finally got it that she had a hard time believing it.

"She's perceiving me?" Hailee nodded.

"She's responding to... My tension levels?" Another nod.

"Which would vary naturally according to whether I'm anticipating a kick or not." Saffron shook her head.

"The fact that my child can already read my moods is disturbing. Not a bad thing, but..."

"Hey, kid of two Archmagi. That's gotta mean something, right?" In response, Saffron nodded, let go of my hand, put her arms around Siobhan, and laid her cheek on Darling's belly. Coolest thing about that had to be the ripples extending outward from Marie and I intersecting with those from Hailee and Saffron. Purring in still water does that, apparently.