090814KateLibby

-- taxidermizingAmaranthine [TA] began pestering sanguineOracle [SO] at 03:57 --

 [03:57] TA: Kate lingers in front of Libby's door, sighing and closing her eyes.

 [03:58] TA: She knocks thrice.

 [03:58] SO: "Come in." Libby's voice calls from within the door.

 [03:59] TA: Kate opens the door and tentatively steps past it. "Hello, Libby."

 [04:00] SO: Libby is scratching marks on the pages of a blank book with silver ink. "Hello Kate. How are you?" She smiles, her cheeks swelling at the apples.

 [04:02] TA: "How are you?" She hesitantly smiles back.

 [04:07] SO: "Things are going well. Ryspor will hopefully be finished with my Primer soon."

 [04:08] TA: She smiles more prominently this time. "I am glad. I hope things work out for the two of you, truely. I think he will be able to handle his Denizen soon enough. He has been working hard."

 [04:10] SO: "I know. I wish I could supply more help... but he must prove himself." She sighs.

 [04:11] TA: "He has largely refused help from me, despite my initial offer. He is determined to forge this path on his own, which I believe to be admirable."

 [04:11] SO: "Well, the only part he has to do alone is fight the denizen."

 [04:12] TA: "The only thing he'll let me do is get him back into shipshape before going off and farming loads of grist and boonbucks."

 [04:13] TA: She chuckles a bit. "He has a great drive for you, that much is clear."

 [04:14] SO: She bats her eyelashes slowly over the gaping wounds in her face. "That's good. Though I don't know if I've forgiven him yet." She giggles.

 [04:16] TA: "Well, that can come in time, I'm sure. He'll wait as long as he lives, I think." She giggles too.

 [04:20] TA: She pauses, biting her lip, considering her next words carefully.

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:21] TA: "I wanted to bring something to your attention and get your opinion on it."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:22] SO: "Of course. I'm all ears." Libby sets the pen in the page, and tosses handful of fine silver sand over the ink.

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:23] TA: "Meouet and I have been developing feelings for eachother for a while now, but I know you and she are close, and I don't want there to be any bad blood between us."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:24] TA: "What are your thoughts on Meouet and I getting together in the future?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:24] SO: Libby's smile fades, a stoic expression covering her face like a curtain falling across a stage. "I don't know if I can trust you with her, Kate."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:25] TA: "I'm afraid I'm not following your meaning." She tilts her head.

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:29] SO: "Meouet is precious. You claim to be developing feelings for her, you know that."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:29] SO: She drums her fingers on the desk.

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:29] TA: "I mean that I do not know why it is that you cannot trust me with her."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:30] SO: "You're a time player."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:31] TA: Her head tilts the other way. "You are afraid I will leave her alone in this timeline should anything happen. Or perhaps I am not following."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:32] SO: "Can I ask you a question, Kate?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:32] TA: "Absolutely."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:33] SO: "How many times have we had this conversation?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:34] TA: "In this timeline, once. Otherwise..." Kate shrugs. "I can't attach a number to that."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:34] SO: "In this timeline. But how many offshoot timelines have you been in, trying to find a favorable result?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:35] TA: "Truthfully this is the first time I have attempted this conversation." She sighs. "But I suppose there is no way to prove that to you."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:37] SO: "And that's the point."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:39] TA: Kate nods. "Honestly I'm surprised I didn't think of that myself." She smiles sheepishly and sighs. "You think my peering into offshoot timelines will jeopardize the integrity of our relationship."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:40] SO: "You could hurt her, deeply, and then just go looking for the right answer to fix it. And I couldn't stop it."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:41] TA: "I've made my fair share of mistakes, but I have never cheated in this manner to find the correct way to fix it."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:41] SO: "Can you prove it?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:43] TA: She thinks for a moment, hard. Her movements become perceivably faster, eyes darting about the room unnaturally fast. Eventually she slows down. "I don't think so." She sighs. "Unless you can think of a way how, I don't think I know of a way." She thinks for a moment. "I suppose you could have Doir read my mind, but I'm not sure the headache is worth it." She jokes, but her tone doesn't sound very

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:43] TA: joking.

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:44] SO: "That's the rub. Time players can do a lot of things, imperceptibly. And I don't know if I can trust you with Meouet."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:46] TA: She sits down and rests her elbow on her knee and her temple in her hand. "Is there anything I can do to change that?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:46] SO: "No. Not yet."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:47] TA: "Not yet?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:47] SO: "I must observe you more closely."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:47] TA: "Then I must be patient."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:48] TA: "And I will assist you in any way I can, as I am serious about this."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:51] SO: "We'll see." She folds her hands together in front of her face, pressing her lips against her thumbs.

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:52] TA: "Thank you for giving me the chance to prove myself to you, Libby." She straightens up.

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:53] TA: "Shall I tell Meouet about this situation, or shall I leave that to you?"

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:54] SO: "That's your choice."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:55] TA: She nods. "Very well." She stands to leave. "I will not let you down, Libby."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:56] SO: "I hope not. Meouet deserves happiness."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:56] TA: Kate smiles. "Yes, she does."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:57] TA: "And so do you. I hope Ryspor's efforts come through."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:57] SO: "As do I. If not..." Libby frowns. "Well, Loneliness and I are intimate."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:57] TA: Kate frowns too. "I would hate for that to happen to you again."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:58] SO: She gives you a patronizing smile. "You'll see. Go talk to Meouet. I'll see you soon."

<p style=" margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; -qt-block-indent:0; text-indent:0px;"> [04:59] TA: She nods and exits.