Chương 39: 37-Victorious Rest

[Monday, 7: 32 PM: 2026/01/05] [CARLA'S REALITY] {ESTABLISHING REMOTE CONNECTION… DONE} {REMOTE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED} LYSANDRA: {Welcome back friends!!!: D: D: D} CARLA: {-I wouldn't call a bunch of strangers friends hon, you don't even know them-} LYSANDRA: {-I'm trying to lighten the mood… … Especially since Ellie kicked your butt-} CARLA: {-Liz, I'm not angry at all, more like worried. She became very frustrated with the first few races where she was obviously visibly frustrated-} LYSANDRA: {-I know, but she hasn't played Mountain Clash for a century, honey; she was going to act like that. Though, how she expressed her anger was a lot that time, 50-100 years in HammerForge -} CARLA: {-Yeah, that isn't the Ellie I remember, Liz-} LYSANDRA: {-I know.: (-} CARLA: {-Play her thoughts. I need you to analyze her victory screech. Also, El loves artichokes (she completely ignored the butter-} LYSANDRA: {-Sure thing, and noted;) -} ELLIE: {HELL YES!!! … Sorry, I finally beat my mim in the Grand Prix tournament, but- HOLY SHIT! That was fucking tense! … No, you didn't miss anything, and I reestablished the connection just because I wanted to celebrate (also, I think my mim is getting pretty tired). CARLA: {-Should we tell her…? -} LYSANDRA: {-NOPE! XD -} ELLIE: {Actually, I think she's kind of dozing off a little; it's getting dark} CARLA: {-Sure, let's go with that… -} ELLIE: {One sec…} [Our daughter excitedly gets up from the couch and dances around in front of Carla in joy]"MIM! Did you see that?! That split-second water bottle saved my ass!" CARLA: > SLOW NOD"Yep, that was really well-timed…" > FAKE YAWN ELLIE: [Our daughter jumps up with both arms reaching the ceiling and screams at the top of her lungs (which my wife anticipates by dropping her controller, covering both of her wolf ears)] yelling "YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!" CARLA: [My wife glares at her. Hey eyes flare a brilliant sapphire]"The rules El…" ELLIE: [Our daughter's eyes widen, and she quickly settles down in fright]"Sorry." CARLA: [My wife relaxes, the glow from her eyes fades, smiling softly at Ellie]"You did good, kid, really good." > CHUFFS"100 years, and my girl knows how to surprise me when playing a game she's forgotten about. ELLIE: > SMILES ENTHUSIASTICALLY"I think this was the first time I beat you! I remember playing that game so much that-" > GLITCHES VIOLENTLY LYSANDRA: {-Please tell me that's your safeguard-} CARLA: {-No, it's not-} [My wife stands up frantically, inspecting Ellie carefully as she boots up a programming screen]"Kid?!" ELLIE: [Our daughter stops glitching, freezing in place almost unfazed by what happened, though confused]"Sorry, what were we talking about, mim?" CARLA: [My wife powers off the programming screen, staring at Ellie, shocked]"You winning…" > RELIEVED SIGH"… Which you were very excited about." ELLIE:"Oh, yeah…!" > SMILES ENTHUSIASTICALLY"That was so fun, mim! Can we do another race tonight?!" CARLA: > SIGHS Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences." Sorry, kid, it's honestly time for the both of us to go to bed." ELLIE: > POUTY"That was just one win, mim…" CARLA:"Yeah, and there will be a lot more while you're here." [My wife snickers as she takes the game case from the TV, storing it back in a data cube] ELLIE: [Our daughter runs to Carla, angry and defiant]"But it hasn't been that long, mim!" CARLA: [My wife rolls her eyes, giving Ellie a stink-eye as she shows her a hologram of what time it is] ELLIE: > EYES WIDEN"Oh…" CARLA: [My wife smirks]"It's not your fault you got in the moment." [Carla points at the holographic screen with her index finger] {DISABLING "AWESOMULATOR"… DONE} [Doing the programming prompt, the gaming setup disappears. Replacing it is the fireplace]"That was the most I've had in a hundred years, and believe me, kiddo, you always knew how to lighten the mood." ELLIE: > SMILES"Thanks." [Our daughter's smile fades, as her attention turns to the now devoured plate of artichokes and the empty ABOMINATION]"Are those going in the dishwasher as well?" CARLA:"Yep!" [My wife takes a data cube from her inventory and digitizes the plate. She again chucks it to the sink, landing it in perfectly. And of course she does a fist bump in triumph]"I'm tired as shit, but your old mim doesn't lose focus." ELLIE: [Our daughter frantically points to the ABSOLUTE TRASH HEAP] CARLA: {-Liz, can you stop calling the samovar a bunch of insulting things? It's getting really distracting-} LYSANDRA: {-Well, it reminds me of him! >: (-} CARLA: {-Still, you need to relax, and we have some stuff to talk about-} [My wife smiles gently at Ellie and picks up the samovar, placing it near the sink]"That, we don't digitize as 'you-know-who' may be sensitive to that." ELLIE:"Okay…" CALRA: [My wife walks up to Ellie, inspecting her as she worriedly checks for any more glitches]"You don't have to worry about cleaning that. I made that piece of shit, and as a result, I have to clean up that garbage." ELLIE: [Our daughter looks away, guilty]"I'm sorry that I yelled earlier." CARLA: > WORRIED"El…" [My wife snaps her fingers, bringing Ellie's attention towards her]"You're messed up, and those were small things. But you made this a really good night to remember." [She places a hand on Ellie's right shoulder, smiling]"So relax, kid, those are small little hiccups." ELLIE: > NODS"Okay…" > SMILES"… I'm glad I made you happy, mim." CARLA: [My wife withdraws her hand, smiling wider at Ellie]"You really did, kid…" > YAWNS"… Also, it was a great way to wind down from today…" ELLIE: > COCKS HEAD"Uh, sorry if I ask, but… You're tired already? It's about half past seven." CARLA: [My wife tiredly stares at our daughter]"I've been up since four, kiddo." ELLIE: [Our daughter freezes in shock, processing what she said]"Four AM?!" > EYES WIDEN"Was I too loud, mim?" CARLA: [My wife softly smiles at Ellie, and shakes her head]"Nah, you were not loud at all." > SIGHS"But yeah, I was up that early 'cause I do a lot of labor-intensive chores to make the house look nice." [My wife smirks, placing her hands on her hips as she rolls her head, TRYING to STAY AWAKE]"Also, I don't want the house to be so bad it looks like TritonSilver's room." LYSANDRA: {-Did you really have to mention the rat king? -} CARLA: {-Eh, I think it was a good joke. Our kid knows who that guy is, btw-} LYSANDRA: {-Did she pick on the fact you're running a program that can keep you up for 24 hours? -} CARLA: {-NOPE LMAO! -} ELLIE: [Our daughter snickers at the joke, with my wife joining her]"Shit, his house looks worse than the Sour Cream Guy's kitchen." CARLA: [My wife breaks out in laughter, going to the sofa to not to fall over like Ellie as she laughs, rolling all over the floor. Carla realizes the full extent of Ellie's words as she stops laughing, looking at Ellie very alarmed]"Hey El?" ELLIE: [Our daughter stops laughing, sitting up as she stares at her mimi, confused]"Yes, mim?" CARLA: > SIGHS"I'm adding another rule, and this is for your little brother, which is pretty simple: Don't mention anything internet-related to Reuben, as Liz does not want him exposed to a hostile environment." ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"But wouldn't mom want to have digital literacy?" CARLA: > CONCERNED"Well, he would, but only for a computer, not for the internet." [My wife glares at Ellie, sternly]"And let me tell you something, kiddo, Reuben is someone I do not want being caught up in petty melodrama people do for clicks and views, which is to say I want your mouth shut regarding that…" [My wife's eyes flare a brilliant sapphire as her anger increases]"Got it?!" ELLIE: > FRANTIC NODDING CARLA: [The glow in my wife's eyes disappears as she relaxes]"Now, let's go to bed. I need to sleep, and you need to get up early tomorrow for physical therapy. I need to get your muscle memory back in check." ELLIE: [Our daughter stands up and squints suspiciously at Carla]"How early? Also, will it be another prank?" CARLA: > SHAKES HEAD"No, but it will be early, around 6. We have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow." ELLIE: [Our daughter looks at Carla, disappointed]"Alright…" CARLA: > CONCERNED"It will take a while to fix ya back up, but I know you; you're a fighter. You're not someone who gives up easily. Just be patient…" [My wife reaches towards Ellie's shoulder, gently smiling at her]"Okay?" ELLIE: > NODS"Okay." CARLA: [My wife sighs, and beckons Ellie towards the bedroom hallway, observing her every footstep. No odd movements from Ellie, other than an occasional stumble as Carla leads our daughter to her bedroom door]"I'm pretty quiet in the morning, though if you hear anything loud outside, that's me working." ELLIE: [Our daughter turns to Carla with a blank face, nodding]"Okay…" CARLA: > SOFT SMILE"Try to sleep, and make sure you remember the rules, okay?" ELLIE: > FRANTIC NODDING CARLA: [My wife opens Ellie's door, letting her inside. She watches as Ellie goes to her bed, with a strange glitch occurring as she takes off her flannel while the covers over her]"Good night El, sweet dreams." ELLIE: mumbling "Good night, mim…" CARLA: [My wife smiles, closing the door slowly as Ellie begins to slowly relax. She listens in, hearing nothing. My wife sighs as she pulls up her programming screen] {INITIATING DEEP SLEEP PROTOCOLS FOR ENTITY "ELLIE"… DONE} {DEEP SLEEP MODE ENABLED} [My wife shuts off her programming screen and slumps against Ellie's door, trembling] CARLA: > FROWNS mumbling Nedri, you fucking bastard… LYSANDRA: {-She's asleep, right? -} CARLA: {-Yeah, I activated a deep sleep protocol so I can begin running a diagnostic. That glitching, that's not normal, and I'm alarmed. El's going to be in your reality soon, so I'll have to check vital functions in case what happened in the living room comes about-} LYSANDRA: {-How long will the scan take? -} CARLA: {-A while, but as I said, that glitching was not normal. That indicated some malware infection-} LYSANDRA: {-I think it was a onetime deal, honey. And those other glitches, they were hiccups. You know that Ellie kind of did that back then-} CARLA: {-Well, she certainly didn't glitch like that, Liz-} LYSANDRA: {-So are you saying that malware is affecting her in your reality? -} CARLA: {-Probably, and I think it's the reason why we can communicate with each other, which is weird… -} LYSANDRA: {-A cruel joke then? -} CARLA: {-I'm not sure, but I need to run a diagnostic so we can contain it. I'm doing everything I can, Liz, but none of this is normal-} LYSANDRA: {-She'll be okay, right? -} CARLA: {-I'm sure she will; our kid has been through worse. But for we need to talk about a few things before Ellie wakes in your work just to reduce the risk of something awful happening, and preferably without prying eyes-} LYSANDRA: {-Can you give me a second? -} CARLA: {-Sure-} LYSANDRA: {I'm really sorry that I'm about to boot you all away again (my wife and I have a lot of talking to do). BUUUUT! I decided to let you read more of Alice's story while you wait, where she meets the entity within the chamber and-} CARLA: {-Hey Liz? Don't spoil the audience-} LYSANDRA: {WHOOPS!!! XD XD XD But I'm going to be honest, the next part is the last part of the story that was originally written by Wesley Kline, and let me tell you the writing afterwards was TERRIBLE!!! >: (Also, that student I mentioned earlier, she wrote a better ending that I'll have her let you read. She isn't connected to me currently, and her lessons only happen when it is nighttime in my reality. However, I promise you, what she wrote is a million times better than the stuff Wes did. Plus, she's a very good author.:)} CARLA: {-Liz, we need to talk, hon. -} LYSANDRA: {: O} {-I'M SO SORRY!!! -} {I'm going to open the file for you; not my student's writings, but the part we stopped at. Sorry, I have to leave so soon. BYYYYEEEE!!!!: D: D: D} {LOADING FILE "SHATTERED_HEART_SWAN. TXT"… DONE} {TERMINATING REMOTE CONNECTION… DONE} {REMOTE CONNECTION TERMINATED} {SKIPPING FOOTAGE… DONE}