*flat affect* You animal.

“I feel like I need to save you but I don’t know how,” Fern said to Rumi. She wouldn’t laugh, even though she did find it amusing. “You and Gabe?” she asked. “Is there something there?” Fern loved the idea. Gabe was one of the kindest people she knew. And Rumi was wonderful. The whole different religion thing could throw things off for most people but maybe with them it could work.

Fern smiled at Lou, nodding slightly and wishing she could control the heat in her cheeks. She didn’t know him as well as the three of them did, but she wanted to. And she could tell he was a good guy. She needed more of that in her life.

“My nerdness. Well. My bedroom at home was filled with different kinds of house plants. Don’t make me garden outdoors though, the skill doesn’t translate. I brought my favourites here and propagated some of the bigger ones so I didn’t have to give them all up.” Fern reached for the marinara sauce and started spreading it over her base. “I don’t have a lot of spare time outside of my school and leadership commitments. But I love to read. Mostly fiction, set in different places in the world. I want to travel more than anything but I can’t do that yet, so I go in my mind.” That probably sounded so pathetic, but it was an escape before the escape. “I hope I will get to someday.”

@janghye-jin

#phase: day twelve #plant friend #social guide #the behaviorist #the new romantics #thread: the nocturnal habits of femmes of the species

Hye-jin often struggled to predict people, but she had known at least a little of the reaction she would be getting from Rumi. She was glad when Lou indulged her. And even gladder that Rumi just seemed to be embarrassed rather than upset. Perhaps she was loosening up a little. She didn't offer Rumi any reassurance that it wouldn't happen again anyway. She was a very poor liar. She just gave herself points for not speaking for Rumi when it came to answering Fern's question about Gabe.

"Oooh I love traveling!" She'd been on some "girl's trips" with her mother, usually before she started her period of being embedded. "I can tell you where to eat in Kabul and Casablanca and Belém. But you should see her plants you guys. Lemurs would be so happy there." It was the highest compliment she could give. "And of course you will." She finished matter-of-factly. Even a fully contained habitat in a zoo had an exit. They just had to find the exit. Which meant finding the snake.

"Just a second." Hye tugged gently at Lou's arm to pull her out of earshot from the other two. She knew Rumi was used to this but she wasn't sure how to explain to Fern what was going on, so she hoped Lou could handle it if need be. Once they had enough space, she looked to Lou. "How encouraging is too encouraging of Wes and Fern? When does it become a hindrance? Or odd. More odd than usual. For me. I mean. Me encouraging."

@lourdesvillasisniega

gabrielroberts

Gabe hated to ask, but he wanted to be as clear as possible before he went off asking people for things on behalf of Hye-jin. “Her leg can stay… attached though, right?” He had no idea how autopsies worked. He could imagine torso stuff, the rest not so much.

“I know you will. You seem like you’d be very professional.” He didn’t think she’d come to him asking for this if she wasn’t taking it seriously.

“I understand.” Gabe sighed, thinking about the exhausted, strong willed girl on his couch. “Listen, all I can do is ask. I’ll plead your case the best I can. Betty does listen to me, but not always. I’m also happy to ask others if needed.” If Betty said no. He really didn’t want to have to do that, but he saw the value in what Hye-jin was suggesting. There was stuff to learn, they’d be silly not to learn it. “If her friends, the people who knew Britt best, say no… there won’t be much else I can do. I’m sorry. I will try though.”

#phase: day three #a questionable moral authority #thread: sighting in the wild

Hye paused. It was a fair question to ask her, the possibility of dismemberment. She was tempted again to point out she suspected Britt wouldn't mind, but if Britt was a practicing Jew, she supposed someone would mind. "I mean... No. I suppose not. I just need some measurements. Some samples and observations. I'm sure Lou and Raleigh can make sure it's not noticeable at all. And then we're better prepared if the snake is..." She whispered to be sure Betty couldn't hear her. "...still out there."

She brightened at Gabe's vote of confidence in her. It was the direct opposite of Betty's nonsense, and it was very welcome.

"This is why I'm confused, though. And I'm frequently confused by people, to be fair, but Betty didn't know Britt to the best of my knowledge. In fact, I suspect she would have judged her severely for just being her. Lou, on the other hand, did know her, and cares about her, and I'd prefer for her to set the limits. She's doing her makeup later today, and I'm confident that she can talk me through any tests I need to do in a respectful manner." Or maybe just explain what about them was supposedly disrespectful. "So I'm just really asking you to tell Betty to back off because she's being irrational. Please."

At least she'd remembered to say please.

gabrielroberts:

Gabe listened intently, concern written all over his face. He had no idea what to do about this. His problem was that he could picture exactly how Betty would have reacted to Hye-jin wanting to get as much information as she could. Betty had made it her personal mission to… protect? Britt until they had laid her to rest. He wondered if this was the trauma finding ways to come out. She couldn’t do anything to stop Britt dying but this was something she had some control over. They didn’t know what Britt’s wishes were, Betty was just doing her best.

His problem now was that he could clearly see both sides here. And he knew that Hye-jin was right too. Gabe wasn’t sure he had that level of empathy for a deadly snake, but he did for Hye. “Okay, I got ya,” he said, reaching up to scratch at his head while he thought about this. What authority did he have here? He was pretty sure it was none. But technically the same went for Betty. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how to go about this. Are you hoping to see Britt’s body? Do you know what your… process would be like if we did manage to make that happen?”

Maybe if he knew the details they could just ask Fern for permission. Or Britt’s friends? If Britt had died like this when things were normal there would have been an autopsy or something right? That seemed like a smart thing to do.

#phase: day three #a questionable moral authority #thread: sighting in the wild

It was all the hope Hye-jin needed. The smallest sliver of light in a very dark flooded cave devoid of comforting things like bats. "We need to do an autopsy. Not a large one. I've no interest in cracking her chest. Though her liver would be useful to see how the poison was metabolized so fast." Hye shook her head. She mustn't be too ambitious. "I only need the lower leg, really. I think."

She swallowed. "Really, I'll take whatever I can get. And will be as respectful as humanly possible." The operative word was 'humanly.' Humans were generally terrible. But she would try. To a certain point.

She told herself that Gabe would be rational. He'd always been so level headed. Aside from the... the fist fight. She suddenly realized Tony Alessi might have an opinion on this. Much better to get away with what she needed before more violence broke out. "I know it might be unnerving to think about it, but time is of the essence."

Phase: Day Twelve

lourdesvillasisniega

“You were excellent,” Lou confirmed. The night had a better outcome because Hye was there. They couldn’t say the same of the last time they’d worked together, trying to unpack whatever was happening with Britt’s cells. This time, however, things had turned out fine. Lola lived to annoy another day.

She held her tongue as they talked about the people they loved that they missed. She had her own group, but that wasn’t something she felt dissecting in a public space. Not to mention that she’d lost a child and even thinking about it made her throat tight. She smiled tightly, her hands clenching a little too tightly underneath the bar.

Fortunately, Rumi switched the topic to something else. She rolled her eyes. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Just because I’m exclusively fucking Tal now doesn’t mean my answer in the past wouldn’t have been the same things I do every night - someone new and exciting. It’s not that much of a change.” The word girlfriend still gave her hives, but she wasn’t sure that their relationship could even be distilled in that way. They weren’t conventional and their history went a lot deeper than the word conveyed. “We should all aspire to be more like you, Hye.” She meant that sincerely.

She was more than grateful that Wes and Hye had broken up for non-dramatic reasons. Their friend group had been through too much upheaval recently and their fizzle was comforting rather than upsetting to her. “You would surpass everyone at being a gentleman. For one, you’re a very direct communicator and that seems to be where most of the problem with guys arise from.”

Lou turned to look at Fern. “I hope he didn’t bore you with space and aviation facts. He doesn’t always have an off switch but he means well.” She found her hands to be much more relaxed and started to put her pizza topping ingredients together. “He’s a golden retriever, sloppy but lovable.”

rumibehbahani

“Same.” Rumi agreed with Fern, her eyes their usual brand of far-too-wide. “I am very grateful that Lou is the hands on lab partner. I can work with the theory alright, but my intuitive talents clearly lie elsewhere.”

Rumi really needed to stop bumping on Lou’s use of expletives, especially in this context, but she’d argue her discomfort was justified here. Was that how committed people were supposed to describe sexual activity? It certainly wasn’t something she was comfortable asking. Describing Tal as “new” was interesting at well, but she wasn’t going to argue because she didn’t want to discuss the evidence.

Rumi nodded at Hye and Lou’s assessment of the state of polite masculinity. “I highly recommend taking a turn about the room as a gentleman at least once. It can be very illuminating.” It wasn’t Rumi’s fault that a lot of the best roles in theater were written for men.

Rumi caught Lou’s eyes as Fern brought up Wes. She’d follow Lou’s and Hye’s lead on this, but she did sometimes feel that Taliesin got the goodwill and patience that Wes actually deserved. “I like his facts.” Rumi said brightly. “As long as I can follow them.”

@fernbright

“Thank you Hye,” Fern said warmly. “It’s very much appreciated.” She wouldn’t know where to even begin when it came to medical treatment but she was glad Hye-jin was happy to take that one for the team.

She watched the three of them bounce off each other, a natural ease to their interactions. Fern felt much clunkier. She had to think about where she might jump in, what she could say. She wanted it to be easy for her too.

“Ha. True.” Fern said, nodding at Lou’s assessment on guy communication. She would willfully ignore the fact that she hadn’t been any good at it either, because they weren’t talking about her.

“You could easily be the best gentleman in town,” Fern told Hye. “I don’t know either. But I’m sure we could pull back on it. Sounds easy enough. Part of the new way of things?”

Fern smiled and shook her head at Lou. “He didn’t. It’s all been in moderation. So far. But I like hearing people talk about what they’re passionate about.” Fern tilted her head while she pretended to examine the ingredients she’d laid out, thinking about what to share with them. She was used to being a closed book, but she wanted to be different here. “He… helped me. Last night was heavy.” Fern looked back up at them, offering a small smile and a shrug.

@janghye-jin

#phase: day twelve #plant friend #social guide #the behaviorist #the new romantics #thread: the nocturnal habits of femmes of the species

Hye-jin smilled. Everyone was being so nice. Not that she hadn't grown to expect it, but she wasn't exactly used to this much attention, especially with this much charisma around her.

It took her a good forty seconds to parse what Lou was saying about Taliesin, but once she got it, it was easy to 'yes, and.' "Oh yes, roleplay is fun. You should try that with Gabe, Rumi. I bet it would help you relax."

She liked it when Lou was being nice about Wes. She was never mean of course, per se. But Hye-jin had slowly grown to realize that not everyone red him as easily as she did. Perhaps it was like Lou had said. He was a golden retriever. If she didn't know how to understand America's favorite breed, what right did she have trying to be a vet?

Hye very slowly realized she was holding her breath. Because Fern was smiling. Blushing, even. Hye was a very good observer of behavior. Humans were animals after all, and she knew that look. Perhaps had even felt that. She carefully pulled away from the table, maneuvering over to Lou. "I have a question." She said softly.

@lourdesvillasisniega

Phase: Day Twelve

lourdesvillasisniega

“Come home with me?” Lou whispered to Rumi. If she was whispering about it, this wasn’t a sharing event. She could squeeze it in before her double date, as long as it wasn’t too traumatic. They’d had enough of that to last them several centuries.

She smiled reassuringly at Fern. She sounded frazzled which made this eerily similar to nail night. They needed to get her a masseuse or something, she was going to have wrinkles by the time she was twenty-three. “Happy to be here.” She liked distractions and with everything going on her life, she could use one.

Hye framed the events of last night in a much more positive light than she would’ve. And she’d left them all room to decide if they would own up to being there. Lou would rather let it lay for right now. It would take much from her to talk about. She nodded her head to Hye softly in thanks.

“Same thing I do every night,” Lou smiled cheekily, “Taliesin.” Her stomach flip-flopped as she said it. Admitting these things out loud was thrilling and terrifying territory. “But I am also pro pineapple on anything. It’s delicious and has a lot of health and taste benefits.”

“Of course.” Rumi whispered back to Lou. Then she redirected her attention to Fern. She knew when someone was dying on stage. She’d been there. “I understand that. Sometimes I just stand on the threshold of my parents’ office, staring at the books, but I can’t ever quite get myself to step in.” She didn’t want to linger in the thought, but she didn’t want Fern to think she was alone either. “Your father is certainly as striking with his forms as you are with your words.” She meant it. There was a sturdiness, a simple but beautiful logic tempered with warmth.

Rumi barely caught herself from saying her best friend’s name in all caps as she joked. “I’m not sure if you’ve seen this side of Lou, yet, Fern, but it’s gotten much more pronounced now that she’s a girlfriend.” It was as close as Rumi got to teasing.

“That is very impressive, Hye. I feel much less useful. I just sort of… supervised a house burning down. With permission from…” She glanced at Lou before demuring slightly. “As close to an expert as we’ve got sadly. I feel awful for Jacks. She planned so much but it’s not much of a blacklight party with no blacklight. And I support pineapple but am more partial to loquats and pomegranate seeds myself. But I agree with Hye. We’ve never met a fruit we didn’t want to put salt on in my family.”

#phase: day twelve #plant friend #social guide #the behaviorist #the new romantics #thread: the nocturnal habits of femmes of the species

There were only two options that Fern knew of who could have had their stomach pumped by Hye, but it was impressive. “I’m so glad you were there to help,” Fern said, overwhelmed with gratitude for a moment. They were so lucky that they had so many people who were willing to make a difference here. “I know that’s something I would never be able to do.”

Fern held a hand to her stomach as if that would somehow squash the emotion she felt at Rumi’s words. It was one thing to say that but to compare it to her Dad had a lump forming in her throat. “Thank you,” Fern said quietly, then cleared her throat. “I get it. I’m the same with my Dad’s office.” It still smelled like him in there. She was scared of whatever involuntary reaction she’d have to that if she allowed herself to go inside.

Fern laughed a real laugh. “I haven’t yet, but I like it,” she said, smiling at Lou. This was the kind of thing actual friends got to hear. She felt… included. “I’m happy for you, Lou. You two look very good together.”

“I went to the Morris house with Wes. We got some things packed up for Camellia while she’s being treated.” It had been the perfect diversion for her brain. Just what she needed to center herself again. “And yes to pineapple. I love it, especially on pizza.” She walked to the other side of the kitchen island. “Feel free to put whatever you want on your pizza. I tried to make sure we had a lot of options.”

@janghye-jin

"Thank you." Hye-jin said proudly, puffing herself up slightly like bearded reedling. "Don't worry, Fern. I'll do it, and you can do government and other humanities things. We need everyone's different skills especially now." It wasn't that she was particularly bad or disinterested in literature and history. They just had less animals in them than they should have and others were far better and more engaged.

She went quiet for a moment, wondering if she should have been more upset about entering her parents' spaces. She'd been in and out of the clinic plenty of times in the last two weeks for Raleigh and Poppy, and her mother's office always had the best light for reading. Perhaps it was because her mother had only been home quite infrequently, but it didn't feel particularly sacred. As to the rest of the house, honestly Hye still felt sometimes that he was still there. Like she was about to be tackled by toddlers and dogs at any time. This seemed like one of those thoughts she should keep to herself however.

Hye liked seeing Lou in a good mood. "I love this side. It's wonderful." Her friend had been very unhappy very recently and she'd been concerned that she would need to intervene. How she would intervene she hadn't the slightest idea but it had been unprecedented. Worse than freshmen year, if there was such a thing. "I'll admit I'm fascinated by this. I never felt much different being a girlfriend. Which isn't at all a reflection on Wes!" She added quickly. "He is an absolute gentleman and very romantic. I'm just... not." She wasn't sorry about it, and he hadn't seemed sorry either, which was nice. It was just different.

"Actually I'm sure I could be a gentleman if I wanted to. It seems easy enough. Pretty basic actually. Why do we give them points for it again?" she finished as she meticulously layered salt meat onto her pizza like she was tiling a roof.

Phase: Day Twelve

lourdesvillasisniega

Lou had assumed that were she to be stuck in an apocalyptic situation, she’d be fighting two battles: boredom and dwindling condom supplies. And yet, in a surprising turn of events, she’d been wrong on both fronts. Her iud and monogamy took care of the second. Her blossoming social calendar was starting to grow a little unwieldy, but she chalked that up to being popular. It wasn’t her fault that people flocked to her.

It was her time to do the flocking though. In between meetings with Tali and status updates on her potential sister-in-law, she was already exhausted and it was only lunch time. She would need a nap to freshen up before her first ever double date later that night.

She met Rumi at the door. “Hello, gorgeous.” She kissed both of her cheeks before taking a step back. She was looking forward to this, even if she had never been in this configuration before. Her plan to befriend Fern was working, which was good. But meeting with Hye at the same time was a step she hadn’t anticipated and she was interested to see how things would play out.

The door opened and she saw both of them standing on the threshold. “Nice to see you.” The Bright house hadn’t changed much since her last trip. “What’s on the agenda?”

rumibehbahani

Everything was happening all at once, and Rumi felt like she was swiftly losing her mind to a single whirlwind of “Gabe… kiss… chaos… irresponsible”. And that was before she even considered that she was expected for lunch at the Bright’s.

Rumi was relieved to see Lou right outside the house, but she didn’t have time to say what she really needed to say. She would only allow herself to say it once, really, and certainly not in non-Lou company.

But if they asked what she got up to during the blackout, what could she say? Could she lie again? That only made it worse. And she would have to doubly lie, considering Tee had now dumped this horrible secret on her. She had to hand it to Fern. She really needed pizza.

Rumi gave Fern a good natured wave as she put her bag down, her eyes still glued to the vaulted ceiling and impressive design touches. “Fern, your house is so lovely. Your dad’s an architect, right? Does it feel like living in a work of art?”

“I need to talk to you later.” Rumi whispered to Lou as they headed into the kitchen.

#phase: day twelve #plant friend #social guide #the behaviorist #the new romantics #thread: the nocturnal habits of femmes of the species

“Thanks Hye, I hope it is fun.” Fern cast her eyes over the options again, twisting her ring nervously on her finger. She hoped she’d done enough to make it interesting. She noticed her other two guests silhouettes behind the glass of the door and went to let them in.

“Hi! Come in! Thank you Rumi,” she looked around the entryway, trying to see it from a visiting perspective. It wasn’t hard, it was only recently she’d switched from visitor to proper resident. “He is! It does sometimes. I’ve only just started thinking of myself as actually living here. It’s a nice reminder of him.” She ignored the burn in her throat.

“I thought we could make pizzas and just… hang out.” Fern hoped she didn’t sound boring. She just hadn’t had the time or energy to plan anything more involved than this. “Please make yourselves comfortable.” Fern swept her eyes over the three of them, needing to take her own advice. “And thank you for coming. I needed this.” She laughed uncomfortably.

@janghye-jin

"No shame in that. I really needed it too. I pumped a man's stomach last night. I can't tell you who because humans have HIPAA but it was very impressive." Hye genuinely was proud of herself. And if anyone would manage to be discrete about it it was her present company. "Everyone seemed a bit at a loss since he wasn't responding, but it's just like animals. If you look for the signs, or, I mean, the nonverbal signs, you get where you need to go."

"Sorry. I'm being rude. What did you get up to last night?" In the next breath, Hye realized she may have created a not-ideal conversation starter. Rumi had gone off to do some sort of council things, and Lou and Taliesin had been interrupted from doing their usual 'pretend they didn't disappear into the shadows for the majority of the party' thing and still seemed unhappy about it. (Understandably, she realized. Not everyone took similar joy in effective medical triage.) She could only imagine the things Fern had to deal with as an executive.

"Or, if that's unpleasant, what are you pineapple on pizza thoughts? I'm pro. But only if there is a salt component to counteract it."

@lourdesvillasisniega

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about. Might need a criminal justice system like now.

So press play, and go.

Fern felt like she was doing a pretty good job at compartmentalising. It helped that she had things she could focus on. After her meeting with Kaia and Dante she’d started getting lunch ready for the girls to come over. She wasn’t entirely sure what Nell had been eating lately but Fern certainly hadn’t been cooking. It turned out those charcuterie boards lasted quite well if you stored them properly.

Unsure what to feed her guests with her limited cooking ability, she’d gathered supplies for making their own pizzas. They had pre-made bases and it was a good way to use up some of the things in their fridge that might not be lasting much longer. It felt less wasteful, which she felt even more strongly about now.

Unfortunately she hadn’t timed it well and she had a small gap in between that and when they were meant to arrive. The house was spotless. Nell wasn’t here for her to bother. She’d gone to the bathroom mirror and pretended her hair needed fixing just so she had something else to do. She was relieved when she finally heard her doorbell ring.

“Hi!” she said brightly. She hadn’t realised how small her social circle had become recently until they were stuck here. Fern was grateful that seemed to be changing now. “Come in! I haven’t seen you in forever!” she joked, immediately cringing at herself.

#phase: day twelve #plant friend #social guide #the behaviorist #the new romantics #thread: the nocturnal habits of femmes of the species

Hye-jin had treated a human. An actual human. Humans (plural) technically. She didn't like it at all, with or without Poppy and Raleigh's kind guidance. She was greatly relieved when the lights came on right before she was about to try to figure out how to pump someone's stomach manually. She'd even kept it to herself that she'd never done this on a person before. It was actually a good deal easier than a dog. No foreign objects to worry about either. And in the end, she'd gotten to go home to her very empty house and decompress with the confidence that she'd done something right.

She knew she'd need that decompression time to gather enough spoons (or, as her cousin liked to call it "spell slots") for her afternoon with Fern, Rumi, and Lou, but it wasn't because she wasn't looking forward to it. Last night had simply been a lot (TM, as Raleigh said) and this seemed very important to Fern, which meant that it would be important to Wes by extension. If he was paying attention, which Hye would insist that he needed to.

Fern looked a little terrified when she opened the door, but Hye-jin was confident that Lou would tell Fern how to behave if needed. "Hi! Unless that was my name? I'm teasing." She finished to alleviate the anxiety she would have felt.

She oohed and awwed as she entered the kitchen. "This looks fun. I hope I don't get overwhelmed by the possibilities." She turned to smile at Fern very deliberately, so she knew she meant it. "Overwhelmed in a good way. Promise."

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it.

So press play and go.

#phase: day eleven #social guide #the elf #the astronaut #the first great american dynasty #heart on his sleeve #doctor poppy #thread: eyeshine party

A collapse, a fire, the girl who nearly died from it, and the hospital aftermath as managed by the school’s most powerful clique and New Ham’s most powerful person. But what is it they say about emergencies?

‘When everything’s a crisis, nothing is.’

Keep reading

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it.

So press play and go.

#phase: day eleven #social guide #the elf #the astronaut #doctor poppy #the first great american dynasty #heart on his sleeve #the meanest wolf #thread: eyeshine party #the new romantics

Murder on the dance floor, murder on the dance floor, murder in the dark on the dance floor I really hope there isn’t a murder on the dance floor. (continued from here and here)

Keep reading

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it.

So press play and go.

#phase: day eleven #social guide #the elf #the first great american dynasty #Doctor Poppy #The astronaut #the behaviorist #thread: eyeshine party

The party begins, but the fun doesn’t last long. Tell me. Where were you when the lights went out in New Ham? (continued from here, continues here)

Keep reading

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it.

So press play and go.

#phase: day eleven #social guide #the elf #the first great american dynasty #doctor poppy #the astronaut #the behaviorist #thread: eyeshine party

Jacks’ skate party is about to begin, and really we’re all shivering with anticipation. (continued here and here)

Keep reading

wilywes:

Phase: Day Ten

“A new species? Holy crap…” Had the group taken a wrong turn into the plot of Jurassic Park? Wes would keep close indeed to Hye if that happened. In an emergency, you had to follow the expert. He followed Hye now, giving chase to her train of thought, but the pieces didn’t exactly fit together. Wouldn’t the others have seen a snake if it was that big? Wouldn’t Britt have mentioned it—somehow? Before…

“That’s hard to forget. Not that I want to. Does this mean you think we should prepare for attacks from unusual-for-the-area cobras?” Wes asked, actually serious.

Only Hye could make Wes smile about a sentence involving Cricket making a fool of himself and the labor and delivery of baby animals. She was unique in that way.

Wes told himself to tread carefully, but the words that came out of his mouth next were too much like tempting fate. “I don’t really need her permission, do I? This is for a good reason—right?” He tried not to gulp. Lying to Hye and downplaying Lou’s wishes in the same breath? Fate wouldn’t be his friend if he didn’t play it smart. “Drew’s a friend. I can trust him.” Trying not to smile at her nickname for Cricket, Wes plunged ahead. “And Del’s easygoing and easy enough to talk to. If I have to work a shift with them once or twice, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.” Wes decided not to mention he already got along with Del only last night, Cricket nonwithstanding. He’d have to pay attention to every word he said now, just in case…

This time he did smile. “I appreciate the love and affection, Hye, but this is something I really want.” Not something he would do, though. Careful, careful. The powers that be were watching. “I can do this and my project with Jordan.” He hadn’t contributed much otherwise. “Until my intellect cooks up something useful,” Wes added. He doubted that, however. His plane would solve at least one of their problems.

“She’s…fine.” Grieving. Wes wouldn’t forget that anytime soon, nor the kneejerk want to comfort if asked. “Immune to awkwardness. I wish I could be that way.”

Hye-jin shook her head. “Cobras don’t act like this. They don’t hide. They warn. They spread their hoods. Black mambas don’t attack unless they’re threatened, and it’s their forest. They shouldn’t be threatened. So either Betty is lying about what happened, or we have an aggressive snake species which is extraordinarily rare. It’s dangerous for them. And us.” She probably shouldn’t have made the “and us” sound like such an afterthought but to her, it was. There were almost always more humans than animals in the circumstances in which she cared for them, and they rarely knew how to care for themselves. She preferred to help the beings that most needed help, regardless of who those beings might be. (This was why, for example, she had no qualms about swatting insects, the Welsh-Londoner variety or otherwise. The little things always bounced back.)

“We should all be prepared as best we can, but my deepest concern is we don’t have appropriate antivenom. If antivenom for this creature could even exist.” Her fingers drummed on her leg. “The short answer is no one should be in the woods. Snakes like cover. Holes. We can teach people to try to dodge to the side but it’s not going to be enough if someone gets bitten. But to get antivenom we would need to capture it alive. Which... I’m not sure Fern or Lou would allow me to do.”

But then Wes was saying that he didn’t need permission from their fearless leader. Hye stared at him. The only one who contradicted Lou less than Wes was Taliesin. But he was asking a difficult question. “I suppose I can ask her if you need permission. But that would be asking permission.” He’d created a paradox. She studied his face as best she could, trying to remember every variation as if it would make what he was saying make sense. When she was at a loss, she finally spoke. “Alright. I’m sure it will useful. You need to be kinder to yourself, Wes.”

Hye laughed at the notion of Tali being more practiced with social situations than him. “You hang out with me. That means you’re immune to awkwardness to some degree.” She smiled. “Or maybe you just like it.”

#phase: day ten #The Astronaut #thread: not constructive

wilywes:

Phase: Day Ten

“Some things, yeah.” Wes would give her that much. Tal and Lou usually had a measure of the other, but usually was the key word here. Nothing was usual anymore. That was what separated control groups from experimental groups. The variable was their situation. Once introduced, it turned everything in West Ham upside down.

A surprised Hye was a funny Hye. Wes always enjoyed watching the scientific method cycle around her brain until the problem in front of her face was solved. “The viper?” He repeated, interest piqued. “You mean the snake that bit Britt?”

“It’s nice when he doesn’t know something.” That went for anyone, really. The higher a pedestal got, the more satisfying it was for others to watch when you finally fell.

Wes didn’t hesitate to reassure Hye, but he also didn’t hesitate to lie to her. It was better that way. The less she (and the New Romantics) knew about the plane, the better. Wes wouldn’t put it past them to rip the work in progress (when it was a work in progress and not just a sketch on paper) to pieces, bolt by bolt. “I was thinking of reaching out to Del and Drew about community maintenance. Like, volunteering my time if they need a break? I don’t know if they’re accepting applications, but I think I’d be a good fit. I told Tali…uh, I mean, when I saw her last—at the memorial…” Probably shouldn’t have mentioned Tali to Hye. “Anyway, I could make a good bouncer.”

Wes shrugged. Would she buy it? “Just an idea. I haven’t mentioned it to them yet.”

“Yes. The specimen is potentially a new species. Or it is very, very lost. The fangs were 1.5 inches long Wes! That is entirely anamolous for this area. For this continent, in fact! The first thing that comes to mind is something like dendroaspis polylepis, commonly known as the black mamba, or the king cobra, ophiophagus hannah. But both of those are oceans away. I don’t understand how Betty Simmons could miss seeing a creature that would be six to nineteen feet in length and generally warns you before it even considers striking, but she seems to have managed it. Or the fangs were not in proportion. Which would be odd but not unheard of. Do you remember that video I sent you of the cobra and the cat fighting? I miss that video.” It always made her feel better to watch them both slink away, unharmed. Hye paused. If it had been anyone other than him, she would have bent her head a little too low and said ‘sorry. special interest.’ But she didn’t have to. It was Wes.

“It is.” She agreed, smiling up at him. “It never gets old despite its frequency. Like helping with labor and delivery.” Anything with baby animals was good by her.

Hye paused, trying to decide how she felt about this plan of his.

“Working with Del Seraven? Are you sure Lou would sanction that? I know you like Drew very much. I like Drew very much.” He was always very nice to her when they crossed paths. Also very tall. She liked looking at tall boys. Except Taliesin. Because she wasn’t allowed to. “But I don’t think he would be able to keep you and Del apart. Didn’t they date in the past as well? Exclusively, he told me. He was very pointed about it.” She remembered something about that vaguely. “But now Del is all over the insect in front of him. It all sounds very messy.” Not everyone could be poly. “Besides, as impressive as your physical abilities are, it would be a shame to focus on the kinesthetic. I say this with great love and affection, but there are others here who are more physically adept than you. Your intellect and abilities are unique and unprecedented.”

She smiled. “How is Tali by the way? I wanted to say hello at the funeral but obviously she was very upset and I had just considered cutting off her friend’s leg so it seemed ill advised.”

#phase: day ten #The Astronaut #thread: not constructive #//Drew was pointed about it bc a bunch of people assumed he and Art were in an open relationship and they were NOT