for the world slows and the stars falter

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella sings harmonics - including with Micaiah, once he's learned the mass to performance quality; there's a forty-five minute section in the middle that's perfect for extracting and presenting to the wee hours of the morning at the Eyrie.

She flies on intercessions, and generally brings him along, for rain, to halt a blizzard, to calm a storm, and once she finds a plague flag and puts Micaiah down far away from the settlement while she quizzes the healthier community members about their symptoms. Angels rarely catch the plague; she feels safe enough picking Micaiah up again so he can listen to her sing through the verse designated for each complaint (this for fever, that for cough, the other for the rash) and watch the pills fall to earth. The flag comes down and they continue home.

She keeps half an eye on Nathaniel, and quietly informs Baruch of the situation as well so he'll be mindful of the boy's potential sensitivities.

She falls into an assistant role with Delilah - nothing so formal as the situation she had with Linus, because Isabella would be living at the Eyrie either way, but Delilah sends her to greet visitors and has her take notes at meetings and occasionally even asks her opinion on questions about this or that.

And one morning, Isabella opens her door to leave her quarters and sing a pre-dawn duet with Serah - and the hallway is not there.

"Micaiah," she murmurs.

Comments

[eversomuchfun]

Amariah was also right about it taking more effort than he's used to.

But the reward is more than worth it.

[truthwright]

And the faces Kas makes when Sherlock finally gets his teeth in are even more interesting.

[dark_light]

Nnnnnf.

(Amariah makes sure she remembers the words to a first-aid spell particularly aimed at blood loss. She doesn't expect him to go dangerously overboard, but Kas and Petaal having energy could be important later.)

[truthwright]

"That's enough, honey," Kas murmurs.

[eversomuchfun]

He defangs and licks at the shallow bite mark on Kas's neck, humming contentedly.

[dark_light]

"First aid magic, yes or no?"

[truthwright]

"Yeah, sure," he says lazily.

[dark_light]

The spell's not in English. Isabella tosses it off like a nursery rhyme.

Except for a sudden tone shift at the last syllable when her expression goes darker, Path's feathers fluff out, and she reaches out to take Path back from Petaal.

"Sorry," she mutters. "Sorry."

[truthwright]

"Aw, sweetie," says Kas.

Petaal scoots closer and hugs Isabella with arms and wings.

[eversomuchfun]

"...What is it?"

[dark_light]

"Last time I had to use that spell..." Isabella takes a deep breath, inhaling through Path's feathers. "Was on Path. Less friendly circumstances."

[eversomuchfun]

"Sorry to hear it," Sherlock says sincerely.

[dark_light]

"I'll be fine in a minute. Just - still recovering. It was..." She trails off and just cradles her daemon, huddled under Petaal's wing. "Kas can tell the story. It's not a secret. The bastard's dead."

[truthwright]

"Most people's daemons can barely go across the room from them, but witches are different," says Kas. "She sent Path on an errand once and some complete sack of shit caught him on the way. It's already the worst thing in the world when somebody touches your daemon that you don't want to, but the asshole tortured him too."

[eversomuchfun]

"I see," he murmurs.

[dark_light]

"Witches aren't fundamentally different. We just make separation conventional instead of exceptional, and have access to the Waste," murmurs Isabella. "It isn't easier for us as a group. Some people have to try several times to get across the Waste. Kas was able to send Petaal after Path even though they weren't separated before. But Path was hours away."

[truthwright]

"I had to," says Petaal, hugging Isabella some more and leaning down to give Path a kiss. "I just had to, that's all."

[dark_light]

"Thanks," says Isabella, looking up at Petaal gratefully. She seems mostly recovered from her flashback. "If you hadn't we'd be dead."

[truthwright]

Petaal kisses Isabella, too, for good measure.

[dark_light]

Mmm kisses.

"I'm okay again," Isabella announces. "They're getting fewer and farther between and briefer every time, I just haven't dug out all the landmines in my head yet."

[eversomuchfun]

"Well, I am glad you're all right," says Sherlock.

[truthwright]

Impulsively, Kas hugs him.

[dark_light]

"I'm glad I'm all right too." She kisses Path's head and hands him back to Petaal.

[truthwright]

Petaal snuggles him lovingly.

[eversomuchfun]

Sherlock grins and hugs Kas back, then kisses him again. Why are they still wearing all these clothes? Amariah had the right idea about those.