Truth and Justice

All gifs used come from stefansalvatored

[shannonquilter]

Shannon had been avoiding Nell’s gaze, she didn’t want to see the disappointment or frustration on her face.

I know how hard it is to fight that impulse. God she wanted to jump on her, tell her she loved her and kiss her until they were both breathless. Shannon should have known Nell would get it. She always did. Between the handful of people who knew her best, Nell was the only one who knew everything and didn’t get frustrated by her less palatable character traits. “Thank you for saying that.”

“Yeah,” Shannon sighed. “I… He told me he’s dating her to protect me. But he actually likes her, it’s obvious.” She hated it with everything in her but she knew he meant what he said about helping her. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, even though they fought like feral cats. Shannon was lucky he was her brother.

“I gave him a copy of the information you found at the Mayor’s office,” she told Nell. “I’m not sure if you would have done the same, but he’s got a better chance of getting real answers from her. He promised me that any information he got was mine.”

Shannon searched Nell’s eyes, looking for any hint that she didn’t 100% mean it. But she was sure, and Shannon was relieved. “Together,” Shannon promised. She’d been feeling like the only thing she was getting right was her romantic life, and even that had been chaotic. “I believe in it too.” She wanted so badly to do it well. “Do we know anything more about the fire yet?”

[nellburnsbright]

"I'd be the world's worst hypocrite if I didn't feel that way," Nell shrugged, "And I hate hypocrisy." It was one of the driving reasons for starting the paper in the first place. She had the space to tell the truth and point out the inconsistencies in town.

Nell hadn't expected Dylan and Tali to date, she wasn't sure Dylan was capable of dating until Shannon said it, but she could understand what they had in common. "Sometimes two things are true at the same time. I don't think he's an altruistic guy, but there is a certain logic to his reasoning. If hurting you hurts Dylan, Tali's going to think twice before doing it."

If they weren't dating, Nell might've brought up that there might be more here to Shannon's annoyance. From the outside, it appeared that Shannon and Tali had been closer than close. Having Dylan date her was probably upsetting on a few different levels. But she didn't want to think about Shannon ever liking anyone that wasn't her, so she wasn't going to bring it up.

"I've hit a wall with that camp, so that was smart thinking on your part. He can probably get them to admit to something." Would it hold up in court? Not likely, but that was Dante's department not hers. He'd made it more than clear to her that he was now the morality police, so he could handle these things.

She smiled. The fact that Shannon still believed in the paper meant everything to her. Nell squeezed her hand softly. "Fern has been in a million and one meetings, so I think we're getting closer. Tony has something to do with it, but there's not enough clear information yet. I think they're hoping that Morris girl will be an eye witness but even eye witness testimony isn't statistically reliable."

[shannonquilter]

Shannon took a steadying breath and let it out through her nose. “Both,” she told her. “But there’s something I need to tell you before we get into that.” Shannon quite literally had a list in her notes app of things she had to tell Nell. It was getting out of hand. “Dylan and Tali know that I was in her house last night.” She gave her girlfriend the most apologetic look she could. She regretted how impulsive she had been, especially recently. “I left a message for them after you got outside. It was stupid and I shouldn’t have done it and I’m sorry that I did.”

“I was just so mad that he was there with her. I couldn’t think around it. We had this talk the other night and I thought we were on the same page, but now he’s…” Shannon shook her head. “They don’t know you were with me. And he’s going to appeal to their soulful connection to get her to not retaliate.” She couldn’t be sure how much faith she should put in her brother, but Christian at least had given her a sure way out. “I’m going to be more careful, Nell. I know how dangerous this is.” Dylan had painted an incredibly vivid picture for her this morning. It hadn’t left her mind since.

“I’m sorry things are non stop,” she said, feeling guilty that she was only adding weight to Nell’s mental load right now. She wasn’t being fair to her. Shannon should be helping her carry it not making it worse. “And I’m sorry I haven’t done enough to get the paper going yet. I feel like I’m letting you down.”

[nellburnsbright]

Both. Nell wanted to ask more, but she didn't like the way that Shannon was bracing herself. She worked hard to make her voice softer, hoping it would make things easier for Shannon. "You can tell me anything."

She blinked slowly as the truth spilled out. Tali knew that Shannon was spying. That wasn't great given what happened last time. The fact that Shannon left a message was... almost badass if it didn't result in getting her killed. "Okay."

Nell tried to tamp down her own anxiety as she listened to Shannon's explanation. It all made sense in a very Shannon way. And she didn't blame her for being pissed about the whole situation. It's not like Nell hadn't done similar things with the paper before she realized the consequences.

"What's important is that Dylan is in a place to handle it." She hated having to trust him on this, but she knew that he wouldn't get his sister killed. "He can fix it. I'm sure we both don't want to know the details of how."

"And I'm not worried about me. This is the nice part of having my sister be the President. I can turn these things around with her, but thank you for being more careful in the future." She kissed her on the cheek. "I know how hard it is to fight that impulse."

Nell turned to face Shannon more fully. "You haven't let me down. And the paper will get done. We're not backing down from this fight, we've just been observing what the actual fight will be. That's what makes us good journalists. I believe in our paper and it's going to happen. We'll make it together."

[shannonquilter]

Nell using the word “damn” when talking about Shannon’s appearance made all the blood in her body rush straight to her head. She felt dizzy over it. “Wait,” she said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back in for another kiss. “One wasn’t enough,” Shannon said against her lips, kissing her once more for good measure. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get enough of Nell Bright.

“God no. He’s being a fucking nightmare today. I would never subject you to that.” Dylan probably would not give a fuck and wouldn’t actually interact with them if he was here, but he had better places to be now apparently.

She lead Nell to her room, sitting down on her plush rug on the floor. There was her bed but that felt… too tempting when they had so much to talk about. Her laptop was nearby, she’d been attempting to do some work on the paper while she waited for Nell, but inspiration wasn’t flowing. Shannon knew she needed to clear her conscience before she could be creative.

“How’s your day been?”

[nellburnsbright]

"I could get used to this." Nell smiled against her girlfriend's lips as she brought them back together again. She hoped this giddiness never wore off.

"I can only imagine." She was very grateful that she had an easy to live with sibling. Dylan must be a constant menace. You'd never have an peace. "Anything I should know about or just his usual dick self?" As much as she'd like this to be normal, Dylan was aligned with a more dangerous group of people. She tried not to judge given Fern's own revelation, but she wouldn't turn down any information Shannon could give her.

She seated herself next to Shannon, their legs pressed against each other. This was how she'd daydreamed about working alongside her. It was much more comfortable. "Long. Never ending. Between Dante's attempts at undermining Fern, Tony's general issues with authority, and now this damn fire, I feel like it never ends. And the paper still isn't ready." It genuinely broke her heart that they had been too busy for it. She missed having those news sheets.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

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.

[shannonquilter]

There were only five things in this life that truly scared Shannon. The first was Tony Alessi (and Tali, by extension), for obvious reasons. The second was losing her brother in any kind of permanent way, but also to Tali fucking Montes of all bitches. The third was Ingrid finding out how many things Shannon had kept from her, regardless of her reasoning for doing so. Fourth was disappointing Christian, his opinion meant a lot to her and she hated feeling like a failure. And fifth, arguably her biggest fear in this present moment, was losing her girlfriend because she had to tell her that she had fucked up. Again.

Shannon was all about facing her fears at the moment. Not that she’d really had another choice. If she’d kept on as she had been, things would undoubtedly have gotten significantly worse, bad decisions snowballing into more until eventually she ended up dead. Or worse: single and cast out of their new society.

She had asked Nell if she could come over, but apparently Fern was hosting a little get-together and the last thing Shannon needed were witnesses to this conversation. So Nell was coming to her house instead. Dylan wasn’t here, thank god. The next time she saw him he better have info to give her on Tali’s family.

Shannon saw Nell approaching her house, and she ran to open the door for her. “Hi girlfriend,” she greeted her. “You look…” she let herself slowly take her in, a luxury she was still trying to get used to. Shannon didn’t have to hide how absolutely gone she was for Nell anymore. It was extremely freeing. “Incredible, as always. I missed you.”

@nellburnsbright

[nellburnsbright]

What Nell wanted was the chance to relax in peace with her new girlfriend for a couple of hours. The problem was the society they were trying to build was already crumbling around them. The Tony of it all was ruining things. Nell was trying to have sympathy for her sister and the complicated feelings that might bring it up, but he was destroying things as fast as they were building them.

And the newspaper hadn't even found its footing yet. They needed a place for people to understand what was really going on so the public could make the right choices. It was vital. But they'd dragged their feet too much and he could make a play for the narrative. His group was better at public speaking than they had any right to be.

But she tried to shove all of that to the side and spent an hour and a half on primping. She fixed her hair, perfected her makeup, and agonized over her outfit choice. When she was fully satisfied with her look, she made her way over to the Quilter house.

"Hey," She leaned in and kissed Shannon. "I missed you, too. And you look so good. Damn." She peered around the door. "Dylan's not home, is he? I don't have the energy for more surprises from Team Alessi today."

nellburnsbright

Nell rolled her eyes. “I see that your opinion of me hasn’t changed. No, I didn’t expect one of the valedictorian candidates to have a disciplinary record.” It might have been one of the stupidest things Dante had ever assumed. “A better question you might want to ask if how many holes are in Anu’s boat.” 

Laila was the queen of evading sides but she would have to choose eventually. Nell was prepared for any eventuality. She knew that if Laila decided to keep to Anu’s side, other people would be willing to spill something. Not everyone wanted to see her win. 

“You’re welcome to read it for yourself.” Why he thought she would do his work for him was beyond her. She wasn’t his assistant. She was her own boss. “It’s much more interesting to compare the information I have to what’s in their file, who has and hasn’t been buddying up to old systems of power.” 

[danteeckman]

“You’re right, Nell. My opinion of you hasn’t changed. That’s why I’m pissed. Mostly at myself. I want to expect less of you. I want to accept that you’re not going to choose the greater good. I don’t expect that of most people. Only the smart ones. The kind ones.” Dante needed to talk to Kaia, because he was moving beyond frustration and into all out anger, and not in a constructive way. Suffice it to say, this stunt was going to be brought up in the hypothetical weekly elections he was pushing so hard for. He’d also have to talk to Viv about hypothetical counters and how to counter them. “I don’t expect you to be kind, Nell. I know you’re smart. So I need to adjust my expectations. Fine. I’m learning.”

He drummed his fingers against the binder. “Fair. What do I owe you if I ask for a hint on that? Your information that enhances these records, I mean.”

[nellburnsbright]

Nell chewed her lip while taking several deep breaths. He sounded like her dad. Her dad who was always pushing her to think about others and how her decisions might affect them. Her mom on the other hand, understood her better. She knew that if you wanted to be truly excellent, you couldn't always let your feelings blind you. She'd heard this speech before, but hearing it from Dante reminded her that her dad wasn't here. She didn't know where he was or what he was doing or if he was even still alive.

"Sorry to disappoint," her voice was tight. They had never been best friends, but they hadn't been completely enemies. The sands were shifting under her.

And then he was somewhat nicer to her and she could only blink in disorientation. "Fewer lectures and third choice for grocery items." When they food sources started to be divied up, she wanted the option to pull some good things for her and her sister.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

Fern laughed. “You wouldn’t be the one cleaning it even if they didn’t agree.” Fern would never put that on her sister. “It’s decided. I’m going to talk to them about it.”

“It’s a good game plan, Nell. I think it will work.” She hoped it would. This was her sister’s baby, and this was important. Fern would put her faith in it and the town. And she’d do everything she could to keep Nell safe while she did it.

“Yes, Nelly.” Fern stood up, leaning over to place a kiss on top of Nell’s head. “Who’s the older sister here? Go have fun on your date. My eyes and I will be fine. I’ll sort the dishes.” She gathered up her plate and set it next to the sink. “Tell Shannon I say hi.”

[nellburnsbright]

"I don't want you cleaning it up either." But the bro-y contingent of Fern's voting block was welcome to perform whatever tasks Fern didn't want to do herself. "I think that's a good idea. We can get a glimpse into their heads." They were a bit of a wildcard and she wanted a better understanding of them now that Tony was drawing battle lines.

She hoped it did, but the paper had made her cynical. It wasn't easy to get eyes on words these days, even though everyone was on a text-based machine most of the time. "It gives us a chance to do some real good."

Nell chuckled at Fern's rhetorical question. Work life balance was going to be difficult for all of them. There were no guardrails here, you had to make them yourself. "Okay, but don't be afraid to take breaks for tv and dancing. Do something fun at least once an hour." She put her plate in the sink and gave her sister a squeeze before heading towards her room to get ready. "I will." She shouted from the stairs.

(the end)

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

“I don’t know,” Fern shook her head. Nell was probably right, but she’d been happy for a second to have an answer that wasn’t scary or depressing. “Maybe I should ask them the next time they’re around. Just to make sure. I think it’d be nice if it was them, they’d probably agree to take it off for me.”

“I agree. Everything directly impacts everybody now, in much more obvious ways than it used to. There’s not much we can ignore for our own selfishness. There will be people who will try anyway, for sure. But you’ll definitely see an increase.” The difference was drastic, she was sure that it would reflect in numbers rising for the paper.

“Aw you are? That’ll be fun.” Fern was glad, it meant she didn’t have to worry about accidentally neglecting her. “I think I’m just going to stay in and keep going through the council binder,” she said. “It’s been a long day.” Thinking back to early this morning when Wes told her about the stars being wrong, the note on the board, finding Hye in the woods, this monster of a binder. She was tired. But she’d probably stay up reading and making notes until she physically couldn’t anymore. “I might have an early-ish night.”

[nellburnsbright]

"Normally I'd caution against you exploiting your power, but I'm all for it here. I don't want to be the one scrubbing your car clean and they have enough muscles to do it." She laughed quietly. "Tell them it's feminism." They would probably believe it.

The world was filled with a depressing amount of ignorance, but that would never stop her from shining a light on the truth. She had done her part. She couldn't force people to read, but the lack of alternatives did give her a leg up now. "I'm not holding my breath that Tony's gang would read it, but some of the smarter people will want to know what's happening. It's good if we can control the flow of information a little. Make sure people remain focused on the right issues."

If there wasn't enough evidence that the world was changing, this was it. Nell was usually knee deep in her own binder of documents, trying to sort out what was worth focusing on. But she and Shannon deserved a little time to have fun. So did Fern. "Don't study too hard, okay? We don't have any optometrists to fix your eyes."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

Fern groaned and covered her face with her hands. “Not dicks for Fern. Oh my god. Wait, what if they were the ones who graffitied my car?” She sat up straighter. “Maybe they thought it was a political support statement?” She wasn’t sure if that was better than it being negatively motivated, but it was maybe easier to stomach.

“That’s awesome. Very encouraging.” That was what she wanted. People didn’t have to support her, but she did want them to be aware of what they were supporting. Was it a little optimistic to believe people would want to be informed? Probably, but that was kind of her thing, wasn’t it?

Fern nodded, looking at her sister hopefully. “I believe it,” she said quietly, like admitting it might ruin it. She would nurture that fragile hope until nobody could destroy it. That was her superpower.

“What’re you doing tonight?” she asked.

[nellburnsbright]

Nell paused to consider this horrifying possibility. "That seems too literal for them. I'm also not convinced they understand what a political statement in when it comes to art, but he's an actor right? One of them is, at least. Wouldn't they want to monologue?" She did not know enough about theater kids to fully unpack this and she was in no hurry to learn either.

"I know that readership was low on my last paper, but this is a bit different. There's no internet. They have to read if they want to know what's happening." She doubted their literacy rates would sky rocket, but she would at least have more than 10-15 readers. She could almost guarantee that, especially if that used that corkboard to get people's attention.

She smiled. Confidence looked good on her sister, even if it was a quiet confidence. "That's what I like to hear. We have a much better chance of keeping support than he does gaining it. We can keep his influence limited." And everyone would be safer for it.

Nell moved her food around on her plate trying to hide her blush, "Nothing too fancy. Shannon and I are having a date." She'd dreamed of being with her for so long, but talking about it was difficult. It felt... vulnerable. "What about you?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

Fern squealed, throwing her hand over her mouth to stop any food from coming back out. “Nell!” she exclaimed in between laughter. “It wasn’t– that wasn’t what– oh my god.” She reached for her glass of water, taking a long drink before she let herself make eye contact with her sister. “I can’t believe you just said that.” Fern knew if she looked that her cheeks would be bright red. Going from nobody knowing to her little sister calling her out at dinner was a wild shift. She kind of loved it though. “Do you know anyone who can teach me the saxophone?” She joked.

Fern nodded, trying to picture what that might look like, noting what Nell wasn’t saying. “I don’t want you to hold back because of me,” she told her. “My biggest concern is safety, but I don’t want you to do anything on my account. If you need to cover it in its inflammatory fullness, that’s what you do.” She offered Nell a smile. “I can’t wait to read it Nell.” She wanted to tell her how proud their dad and Nell’s mom would be too. But she didn’t want to bring up the reminder of their absence. Fern thought about it all the time, which meant Nell probably did too. She’d just make sure to put it somewhere safe so they could read it themselves someday when they saw them again.

For the first time in days Fern believed that to be true. “I have you. Of course we’re in a good spot.”

[nellburnsbright]

Nell grinned. "It's not at all what you intended, but it was the effect. I think it helped raise your social capital with some people. I imagine the #dicksforferns group was pleased to hear it." That had been a wild turn of events, the kind of thing that almost made her wish they'd had real polling so they could have measured the effect. "I don't have any saxophone leads yet, but how hard could it be?"

Her sister was full of surprises tonight. Not only was Nell not getting a reminder to be careful, but Fern wanted to read it. Things were turning out better than she'd planned. "They've made a lot of enemies in town, but the slate is slowly being wiped clean by the situation. I want people to be able to choose camps with their eyes wide open and I think Eli's reporting helps with that."

She took another bite of her food, but her appetite was waning. She hungered for work. It took too much active work to turn it off, unless she was with Shannon. Shannon made everything go quiet. "We can keep the public on our side and he will be outnumbered on this front. You only need a portion of a population to stay consistent in standing up to him in order for his power to erode. We can do it."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

“Are you saying I should be more like Bill Clinton?” she laughed, shaking her head at her sister. “I don’t think I should drink. Not in public. Dancing though, yes. That sounds fun.” There was too much she needed to stay sharp for and people could get pretty judgy about that kind of thing. It was better to avoid it.

“That’s great Nell. I can’t wait to read it. Are we talking crime that’s begun in general? Or more specific somethings?” She wanted to offer her help, but she knew that wasn’t a viable option. Despite her own workload it would be a conflict of interest, and Nell had already given up her position as editor because of Fern. “I’m really proud of you.”

Fern shrugged at the mention of Dante. “Yeah, I mean, it’s what he does. I think I have to get used to proving myself.” If it wasn’t Dante it would probably be someone else. It was just how things went. She was trying not to take it personally, even if it sometimes felt that way. Fern took a bite of chicken, humming in appreciation. “Definitely. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that meeting. But I’m hopeful. Either way, very interesting times ahead.”

[nellburnsbright]

"Opening with a sex scandal wasn't great but I don't think it would hurt if you texted everyone a video of you playing the saxophone." They weren't going to land a pithy catch phrase but they could count on Fern's natural charm. Even if she failed, people would find it endearing. That was just her sister's effect. "Don't get plastered but one drink is probably fine. If you want it."

Here's where things got complicated. Fern was supportive of her dreams but this was poking her ex-boyfriend with a rake. "It's about the nature of crime and also somewhat about the Alessis. Nothing too inflammatory." She'd see how Fern took it. "Kid had an interesting angle and I didn't want to say no."

Nell took a minute to actually eat. She was guilty of getting too distracted and not touching her food until it was cold. That was never a pleasant experience. Her former mentor was going to make things difficult for Fern but something was changing for her sister. She was starting to rise to each challenge rather than worrying about them. Nell was proud of her. "Very interesting times but nothing we can't handle. We have a strong base and there's no other viable contender yet. We're sitting in a good spot."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

“Yeah.” Fern agreed. She had only stopped by for 5 minutes and ended up witnessing Tony get in a fight and then proceed to have a painfully frustrating and confusing conversation with him. It was her fault for seeking him out in the first place, but she hadn’t stayed after that. It had ruined any chance of redeeming the night. “Trying to silence the voice in my head that tells me there are more important things I should be doing than going to a party.”

“Am I allowed a spoiler?” she asked. Fern always asked Nell to let her see things before she published them. She was never guaranteed one way or another. Nell seemed to be really excited about this change, even if she was having to do it in response to everything happening to them right now. She admired her resilience.

“Right?” Fern had been too when Dante had dropped it off for her.

Fern busied herself while Nell read, hoping her highlighting and notes would help make the task easier. They’d been eating most meals at the breakfast bar lately, but she decided they could eat at the table tonight. Like a family. She set the table and somehow managed to not tear up at only having to set two places instead of four. She dished the food onto their plates, putting a little more on Nell’s because she needed to grow some more, the tiny thing. Her stomach was rioting at this point, but she took the time to get out any seasoning or sauce they might want, and then get each of them a glass of water with ice.

“Dinner is served,” Fern said with a flourish. She’d left room for their new friend the binder to join them if Nell wanted. “Thanks for cooking. I know we’re making it work but if you ever want to get a roster going let me know. I don’t want to accidentally overload you with house things.”

[nellburnsbright]

"You can't fill from an empty cup." Parties were a useful tool for surveillance and taking the scope of public opinion, but Fern didn't need to think about that. Fern's job was to balance being a leader with the fact that she was still young and deserved to have fun. "It's your right to get drunk and dance every once in awhile. Bill Clinton partially won his presidency by being a fun guy on late night."

Putting the pieces together had been more complicated than Nell had wanted. Apparently without a rigid set of deadlines, some people liked to dawdle. She hadn't known that before. She did now. "The first issue has some genuine crime reporting and a great political cartoon care of Amir. We're still working on the overall tone but I'm excited to actually report on the news that matters."

Nell closed the binder, but brought it with her to the table. She was not good at distracted eating, usually forgetting to eat altogether, but she did want to talk about the issues with Fern. "Thanks for setting the table. You're much better at it than I am."

She took a bite of food, humming to herself as the flavors melded together. "I don't like that Dante is challenging you again. But I think we'll get some interesting information about where people's loyalties lie once we see what goes through and what doesn't." And she would be taking notes.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

“I’m assuming you’re talking about the party at the rink?” she asked. “I’m going to tag along with Rumi and Lou and their group.” It felt odd but good to say. She had friends. It meant more to her to have them than any of them knew. She wasn’t a part of that group by any means, but she knew enough of them to be comfortable-ish being an eighth wheel. Fern would try not to be obvious about trying to steal a glimpse of Nell happy with her new girlfriend.

That demon. Nell wasn’t holding back. Fern nodded. “I doubt that demon is going to know what to do with 90% of it. He has tunnel vision. But I am excited to see where you both take it now.” Anything Nell had any involvement in was bound to be an impressive success. Fern was so proud of her.

Well. That wasn’t entirely true. But whatever Tee had done at the meeting had worked, so Fern had vowed to move on. She’d keep it in the back of her mind, but the immediate problem facing her was gone. “Long may it continue,” she said.

“Exactly. I’m not sure, but the council won’t be the only people who’ll be able to create loopholes. Trying to encompass too much at once can make it unintentionally complicated.” She smiled at her sister. “Thank you. I’ll go grab it.” She moved through the archway into the living room, she’d been working in there before she’d gone out. She’d wanted a slight change of scenery to her undecorated bedroom. Fern needed to fix that, bring more of her plants over from her mom’s before they all shriveled up and died.

She slid it in front of her sister. “I’ll dish this up if you want to read?”

[nellburnsbright]

"Of course, I need a redo from the last party open to everyone." Nell shivered thinking about Gabe. It had been such a fun night and then things had gone off the rails. She should have expected that when Tony was involved, but he caught her off guard. If you couldn't let loose on the precipice of an apocalypse, you couldn't let loose ever. She'd learned that now. Tony didn't do fun without a reason behind it. "Proud of you for doing something silly for once. You need a real break from all of this bureaucracy."

She agreed that Tony was myopic but she didn't want to be on the defensive with him all the time. They needed an offensive strategy too. "I think we can come up with something that fits our new situation better. There's a few pieces I'm really excited to release."

The binder was bigger than she was picturing. It was nice to see that they were actually taking governance seriously. The idea of being trapped with people who treated it like a joke was repugnant to her. "Damn." She took a glance at the top. "I am a little bit impressed."

This wasn't the kind of document she could skim through. Well, luckily she was a fast reader. "Yeah, you set up and I'll start trying to parse through this."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

Fern nodded. It was one of the things Fern felt badly about. Nell having to keep her relationship secret because Fern was her sister. The ethics of that were too complicated when it came to the paper. It was one thing to choose secrecy because you wanted that, and another because you had to. “I hope you have so much fun,” she said. “If you ever want the house for the night just let me know. I can stay at my mom’s so I’m not in your way. I’m sure I can get someone to stay with me if we’re worried about safety there. But you deserve to have quality time together.”

Hearing about other peoples siblings relationships was always strange. It highlighted how peaceful their own generally was. “From what I’ve seen she’s almost as passionate about the paper as you are.” She did have to wonder how much of it had to do with the beautiful editor in front of her, but did it really matter? “I’m sure she’s raring to go.”

It seemed like the August of it all was a bit of a dead end, so Fern let it drop. Hopefully Noah would emerge on his own soon enough. “You’re doing everything you can.”

Fern gaped at her sister for a moment. “You see far too much,” she said, reaching to grab a clementine from the bowl anyway. She thought about her answer while she peeled the fruit. “They seem to be committed to restorative justice, which I think is great.” It would be hard, but she knew it would be worth it for the results it could bring. They were teenagers all learning how to exist in this new, different place. Accountability was needed but so was the chance for change. “Things like that actually make me kind of excited about getting to create our own society from the ground up,” Fern said, reminding herself not to get too speech-y with her sister. But it was an exciting opportunity to create a better world, underneath all the fear it came with. Most annoying? “Some of this language is quite vague, but I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not,” she said. “It’ll be good to talk to them so I can find out. Would definitely like to hear your thoughts too.”

[nellburnsbright]

"I know we will." Jacks' parties were notorious. Nell loved a good event to blow off steam and there was something almost charming about this group sliding around in their socks. 1950s by way of 2000s nihilism.

Nell didn't know how to tell her sister that their house was big enough that privacy wasn't really an issue. She knew that Fern and her mom were practically living on top of each other, but Harry was an architect. He'd made the space perfect. Sound didn't carry. Everything felt secluded. But she didn't want to alienate her. "Alright, I'll let you know."

"There were a lot of restrictions in place with the old paper that really limited us." She pulled the vegetables out of the oven. "Even with that demon monitoring us, we'll still be able to do more without operating in the confines we were in before. It's an opportunity to really push the boundaries of journalism."

She tilted her head in interest. Restorative justice. That was sweet. Really sweet. Give the threatening beast a chance to recant. He was definitely capable of it. He'd shown so much maturity and growth. But, she understood why Fern liked the idea of it. She wanted to see the best in people. "I hope we don't need to use it, but it's good to see that Dante is trying to build something rather than wreck your ideas."

Vague language was advantageous to her. The bigger the gaps in understanding, the more you could finesse the truth into what you needed it to be. "That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on how it's going to be used. I'm glad they're including you as part of the discussion. I'm happy to offer any feedback on parts you're most interested in."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

Fern laughed at that, breaking a little of the tension she felt inside herself. “That’s true. You very much are.”

There were a lot of things that Fern could praise or criticise about the way her parents raised her. But one thing she would never stop being grateful for was her Dad’s insistence that she have a close relationship with him and Nell. Fern being a result of the first failed relationship it could have so easily gone the other way when he met Nell’s mom and they had her. A shiny new family. But Harry never let Octavia keep him away. Fern didn’t know who she’d be or what she would do here without the bond she had with her sister. It meant everything to her and that feeling was only growing. Fern resisted the urge to smother Nell in a hug. She gave her cuteness aggression.

“What about seeing Shannon?” Fern asked, hoping it wasn’t prying to ask. She hoped that her move against Tony during her speech had freed her somewhat from under his thumb, but she wasn’t sure. She didn’t know the rules to this game. “Is she doing okay?”

“Hopefully he won’t delete any more if Noah calls again. It’d be good to talk to him face to face.”

“I’m impressed, honestly,” she said, leaning forward against the counter. She was starting to get a little shaky from waiting too long in between meals. She needed to make sure she snacked more. Maybe it would be better to discuss policy after dinner. “There are a few things I’d like a bit more background on how they reached them. Some I’m not sure if the people will agree on or not. But a lot is really encouraging.”

[nellburnsbright]

Nell shrugged her shoulders delicately, affecting a calm she wasn't capable of feeling. "We have our first outing as not-out girlfriends tomorrow." The hardest part of this entire thing was not being able to show Shannon off. She wanted to do all the cute and romantic things they'd always dreamed of, but it wasn't safe in the current climate. "I'm trying to put something together for the two of us, but there's always another fire to put out. I'm working on it though, I promise."

As to how Shannon was doing, that felt like a more complicated question to answer. "We're getting close on some answers, I can feel it. But it's bringing up feelings and with Dylan being Dylan all the time, she's got a lot on her plate. The paper is taking up so much time, as well, but I'm energized to get that going so I hope she is too."

She shook her head slowly. August was just too unpredictable. She'd love to have some kind of guarantee, but he could never think outside of himself. He wouldn't let them have access to Noah because he was mad at Noah. It was silly, but it couldn't be changed. "I tried to talk to him about it, but who knows if it actually sunk in."

Nell pushed their fruit bowl towards Fern, eyeing her closely. She knew that Fern gave herself to projects one hundred percent, but she needed to take care of herself too. "I'm glad that there's something usable, at least." In a lot of ways, it couldn't have been worse than the law they'd already been living under pre-bus. "What are you most pleased by? And what's the most annoying?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

Why did that make Fern want to cry? This was happening to her so often lately. Nell had never made her cry so much in her life than she had recently. She just knew what to say. “Okay,” she said softly. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you can’t or don’t want to or change your mind.” She didn’t want to hold her sister to things indefinitely. “And thank you. It means a lot to have this time with you. I really love living here.” There was one thing that would make it better. But. This was good.

“Oh, I wish he had.” That was a little inconvenient, but it was a relief to know Noah had at least reached out. Even if nobody knew what he’d said or where he was. He was somewhere he could operate a phone. Fern wondered for a moment if Noah could have been calling August for help but… that wouldn’t make sense. He’d try other people too if that were the case. Right?

“Thank you for that,” she said, choosing to let go of that weight. “The council met today. They gave me a copy of the laws they want to put forward for ratification. Want to see?”

[nellburnsbright]

"I'm very good at speaking up when I need to." Fern would never have to worry about that. At school, Nell had to walk a fine line with being assertive lest people get the wrong idea. Outside of it, she played by her own rules.

She smiled softly at her sister. "I feel the same. The house is better with you in it. And I could probably stand to leave the house a little more. I've been so busy with the news that I've barely done anything non-politics related since this whole thing started." Nell had always been a workaholic but she had even less reasons to turn it off now. She needed to for Shannon's sake but it felt like the world was ending every day and she needed to record it.

"You and me both. I could've killed him for deleting it, but he was in one of his moods." She rolled her eyes. He never respected her need for evidence. She would figure out how to spin all of this, but she liked having access to all the information and not having to guess.

Nell set a timer for their food. She could feel her stomach grumbling. "Yes...well, give me your thoughts first." She could guess what systems Dante wanted to use, but the rest of the council was more of a mystery. Tee seemed reluctant to rewrite things on their own. "How good of a job have they done?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

“I know. I’m sorry.” Fern just… wasn’t used to having to lean on people like this. She had always done things for herself. It was a huge adjustment and she felt guilty for needing it for things so small. Things she should be able to do herself. “You just already do so much for me. You’re sacrificing a lot right now and I don’t want to take more from you.”

Fern felt a flash of relief. She had been starting to worry. About what it might mean if he didn’t show up. She was terrified of losing another person in the community. This was a good sign. “I’m sorry for August but I’m glad he’s communicating with someone.” Fern tucked a curl behind her ear. “He didn’t tell August where he was?” she asked. It would probably be beneficial to speak to him in person. Make sure he really was okay. “Does August want us to do anything?”

[nellburnsbright]

"Spending time with you isn't taking anything from me." Nell popped the vegetables into the oven. "We're family and we have the time to spend together." Time that they didn't always get in the real world. "It's not an inconvenience. At all." She adored her sister, but it was hard sometimes when she wanted to isolate herself. "You don't have to do anything alone."

Nell nodded her head but it was a mixed bag. She didn't know if she could trust that Noah wouldn't make their lives worse in some other way. She could only speak to him breaking his promise to leave Noah alone. "We don't know. I should have been clearer. He didn't listen to it either before deleting it. He's alive, but he could be living in the woods for all they knew." If anyone deserved an animal attack, it was him. "I'm helping him through it. No further needs from Madame President."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

[fernbright]

They had. Fern didn’t have a good reason for skipping it this time. Other than she still couldn’t help but feel it was slightly too much and she didn’t know who to ask. “It was only a short trip,” she said. “I just dropped my car back at my mom’s.”

“Sure,” Fern said, moving into the kitchen. She began the process of rinsing the rice and putting it into the cooker with the right amount of water. She loved doing things like this with her sister. It soothed her. “You do?” she asked, perking up in interest. “Which problem exactly?” There were many.

[nellburnsbright]

"That doesn't make me feel better." She knew she should leave it alone, but Fern wasn't just any body anymore. She was the president. They didn't have enough people for someone to act as her bodyguard all the time. "Walking out in the open was also something we talked about. Just text me next time. I always have room for you in my life."

Nell seasoned the chicken. She washed her hands thoroughly. "Noah." Grabbing a knife, she did quick trims of the vegetables. "He's alive. He's bothering August again. I didn't get to hear the message he left him, but he did leave him one. August deleted it." She was still frustrated by that. How could she help him formulate how to push back when she didn't have all the information? "Noah is making some desperate bid for attention. I worry that he's planning some kind of grand romantic gesture or something."