[ Now that Palamedes has been properly greeted, Gideon joins him on the couch, throwing her shoes-wearing feet on God's own coffee table. In general, Gideon has very little regard to God's things -- even less so than she ever did in Canaan House. That's nothing to worry about. ]
I am. Paul's learned about eating snacks in bed; Kaworu's learning how to tell jokes. Plus we have a lizard, you'll meet him eventually. [ lots happening! Gideon knows that's baby steps, though, so she adds: ] I'm thinking of breaking and entering, next.
[ Palamedes' gentler tone tempers Gideon's enthusiasm a little, and her smile softens. But only barely, because Gideon isn't a sap. She's very cool, duh. ]
It's okay. I knew you'd come back. You still haven't finished eating all of God's weird crunchy brown candies. [ She means the off-brand Trench Werther's Originals. ]
[Are these also things Harrow is learning, because it sounds like the kind of thing she needs to explore - or: a lizard, really? He would like to meet the lizard, for sure.]
Are we talking brick-and-window breaking and entering, or 'call me if you need help picking a lock' breaking and entering? Or both.
[And he knows Gideon, and the way she bends just so to avoid a fracture, and so he doesn't press further to apologize. Like Paul, the degrees to which Gideon is Okay show themselves in stages, combining to make a complete picture in due time. She is not, notably, thousand-yard-staring into a teacup and mumbling about guilt, so he considers this all a very good sign.
So he snaps his fingers, a little drat!]
Knew I'd forgotten something. At this rate I should take the lot of them with me, to make up for lost time. Has he moved the bowl?
[ Don't worry, Palamedes: you will meet the lizard. Gideon will see to that. ]
Both, probably. Different break-ins for different situations. I can be subtle, [ no ] when I want to. But sometimes the sound of glass breaking is real satisfying.
[ Gideon is okay now. And before - well. She wasn't lying. Gideon never accepted the world in which Palamedes didn't come back, and if that sounds like another teenager from the Ninth House, no it doesn't. ]
He hasn't. Come on, Sextus, he's not that bright. There is the possibility he's using them as bait, though. He's that kind of asshole.
[ None of this is news, of course. What's different, though, is that there's a little less force behind Gideon's words than usual, a little less bite. She shuts up for once in her life, thinking, and then finishes with: ]
...There is, uh. An update, actually. About him. But it's kind of weird, and you were, like, just a squid, so we can totally do this later.
[ or never!! maybe!!!! truth over solace in lies is kind of overrated. ]
[Palamedes gives her a Look, one that both signifies she has never been subtle in all the time he has known her, but also that he's not going to stop her from breaking a few windows if she really wants to. Hell yeah, do petty crime. Don't ask permission or seek forgiveness, fuck yeah, and so on.
It feels good to be- well, alive, but more than that it feels good to be sitting here and having this absurd chat about breaking and entering and stealing all the old man candies. He wouldn't call this normalcy, no, not for scions of the Nine Houses in any respect, but he would call it welcome. So, with a scoff:]
Bait for who? Not me; I can't be bought that easily.
[Maybe if those Werther's contained the secrets of the universe!! But they do not, alas, and so: what old man is the old man trying to catch.
But. That said, Palamedes acquiesces from the Jokes, holding his hands up as if to say no, he's fine, do not hold back on his account.]
Frankly, I want to talk about anything but being a squid. [And since he may have, in a roundabout way, told God to go fuck himself immediately after de-squidding, perhaps Gideon has, hmm. A more, ah. Fun? Update? An update that is not telling God to go fuck himself, but politely.] Please; go for it.
[ Based on the way Gideon is currently hesitating, instead of saying whatever comes to mind at any given time, this will not be a fun update. She curls her knees up and tilts her head back so that she is staring at the ceiling, something vastly easier to look at than Palamedes' gaze. ]
Okay. Go time.
[ Gideon had meant to do this sooner, she really did, and the pit forming in her stomach reminds her exactly why she didn't. ]
Remember when I told you that, since I was just chilling out in the back of Harrow's head for a while, I was able to learn a lot of facts about God? Well, most of them are weird and stupid, but one is, unfortunately, about - uh - me.
[ Gideon makes a face. Really, it's horrible to have facts about yourself. It's so much better to be an unknown entity. ]
Some of God's saints really fucking hate him, which, I mean, that's understandable. He is kind of a prick. So they came up with this plan to get him to father a baby without him knowing - don't think about it too hard, or you'll want to walk back into the sea - and use that baby to bust open the blood ward on the Tomb.
[ Palamedes can probably see where she's going with this, but Gideon Nav is, at the very least, a person who will finish the job. ]
I'm baby. [ Gideon lifts her head up, and makes little jazz hands. ] Hi.
Edited (needed to be dumber ) 2022-04-22 18:52 (UTC)
[Well. It's not a fun update, no. Palamedes does not think too hard about God's unknown baby-making endeavor, nope, he isn't about that life, besides to put a pin in it with a little flag on the end that says gross. He thinks slightly longer about the Tomb, but he can muster only so much academic curiosity about what's in there, having lived a quiet Sixth life so far removed from it.
He blinks. He feels, somewhat, like he has been dropped back into the sea? It's all he can do to look at Gideon, then away towards the door to God's Own Ugly Study With Bad Decor, then back to Gideon again.
He opens his mouth; he shuts it again. He blinks a second time. He says, finally,]
Do you want my dad, instead? There are a lot of dads.
[And, bonus: Sixth parenting is delightfully hands-off, after the most essential years of childhood.
It's odd, though; he would have expected this news to make the mind reel, and yet - why not, right. This might as well happen. He thinks about it in the most direct terms that he can: Gideon is God's own chlid. Hmm.
Well,] It's funny, [and he waves a hand a little, like, not that kind of funny,] by my estimation, you're the only good thing he's ever had a hand in, and he didn't even know it. Figures.
[He wonders briefly if saying this within earshot of God would piss him off more than refusing to be a Lyctor, even in name— but then he puts that thought away in a little box, because fuck that, what's important right now is Gideon.
So. He fiddles with the edge of the goth blanket until he finds the corner and then lifts it, holding his arm out to her. You know, if she wants to get in on this goth blanket side hug and talk smack about her dad, he's offering.]
[ Palamedes offering up his dad like that must be a joke. Dads, whatever they're like, aren't that simple, or that secure. Still, the idea of meeting mister Sextus, senior, is a strangely comforting one, and half of Gideon's mouth quirks upward in a small smile.
The blasphemy is even more of a relief, which really speaks to how fucked-up Gideon's life has gotten. The Emperor sunk his dirty hands into Harrow, and now he's got Paul and Kaworu, but Gideon doesn't think he'll ever get Palamedes. Sextus has a resolve that Gideon admires, and more importantly, he's got a wicked sharp bullshit detector.
Gideon laughs a little, not out of humor, because of course they're not making jokes, why would they. More out of relief, maybe. Palamedes is here, alive, on her side, and he's not terrified of her. Gideon wouldn't say anything sappy about the power of friendship, but that's what this is, isn't it? It's nice.
She accepts the offer of the goth blanket gladly, scooting next to Palamedes until she's nestled in close. ]
I mean, there was recreating the world, I guess. But I do like to think I'm cooler than all the Nine Houses put together. [ gideon a rock has better self-esteem than you do.
softer, and serious for once: ] Thanks.
[ WOAH that was some serious emotional honesty there. that's enough of that. it's gossip time. ]
Fortunately, he stays out of our business, most of the time. Like, Paul's learning how to cook, and I don't think he's given any tips, which is probably for the best.
[Yeah, get in on this cool friendship side hug, that's the stuff. Palamedes obligingly wraps the blanket-and-his-arm around her, giving her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze for just a moment. Dads, huh. For a small parenting fee, his own dad could probably provide moral support as needed for some to-be-specified length of time. Across time and space, for sure.
If she'll allow him to blaspheme a little more, first,] Well, the Empire is middling. Generously, it's slightly above bad. You could wipe the floor with the Nine Houses in a contest of 'being worth the effort'.
[He's learned enough about worlds that aren't obsessed with their dead, or their weird god who has bad taste in decor, or in squatting in cake tin housing and never going outside because the sun will kill them instantly— it's illuminating. The Empire is Not So Great, Actually. God did an adequate job.
But that's just his opinion. He hums, shrugging the shoulder that isn't currently occupied by Gideon, and pointedly seals up his opinions about God minding people's business in a tidy little box, and puts that box away where no one has to look at it.
...Well.]
I hope he's minding his own business as much as he can, [he says, mildly, in the distinct tones of someone who doesn't believe for a heartbeat that God can Mind His Business, particularly with youths in need of a father figure (eugh), but with the equally distinct air of someone who isn't getting into that shit right now. Next time, in someone else's house.]
If you ever want to mind your business with extra resolve, just let me know. I'll make the time.
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I am. Paul's learned about eating snacks in bed; Kaworu's learning how to tell jokes. Plus we have a lizard, you'll meet him eventually. [ lots happening! Gideon knows that's baby steps, though, so she adds: ] I'm thinking of breaking and entering, next.
[ Palamedes' gentler tone tempers Gideon's enthusiasm a little, and her smile softens. But only barely, because Gideon isn't a sap. She's very cool, duh. ]
It's okay. I knew you'd come back. You still haven't finished eating all of God's weird crunchy brown candies. [ She means the off-brand Trench Werther's Originals. ]
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Are we talking brick-and-window breaking and entering, or 'call me if you need help picking a lock' breaking and entering? Or both.
[And he knows Gideon, and the way she bends just so to avoid a fracture, and so he doesn't press further to apologize. Like Paul, the degrees to which Gideon is Okay show themselves in stages, combining to make a complete picture in due time. She is not, notably, thousand-yard-staring into a teacup and mumbling about guilt, so he considers this all a very good sign.
So he snaps his fingers, a little drat!]
Knew I'd forgotten something. At this rate I should take the lot of them with me, to make up for lost time. Has he moved the bowl?
no subject
Both, probably. Different break-ins for different situations. I can be subtle, [ no ] when I want to. But sometimes the sound of glass breaking is real satisfying.
[ Gideon is okay now. And before - well. She wasn't lying. Gideon never accepted the world in which Palamedes didn't come back, and if that sounds like another teenager from the Ninth House, no it doesn't. ]
He hasn't. Come on, Sextus, he's not that bright. There is the possibility he's using them as bait, though. He's that kind of asshole.
[ None of this is news, of course. What's different, though, is that there's a little less force behind Gideon's words than usual, a little less bite. She shuts up for once in her life, thinking, and then finishes with: ]
...There is, uh. An update, actually. About him. But it's kind of weird, and you were, like, just a squid, so we can totally do this later.
[ or never!! maybe!!!! truth over solace in lies is kind of overrated. ]
no subject
It feels good to be- well, alive, but more than that it feels good to be sitting here and having this absurd chat about breaking and entering and stealing all the old man candies. He wouldn't call this normalcy, no, not for scions of the Nine Houses in any respect, but he would call it welcome. So, with a scoff:]
Bait for who? Not me; I can't be bought that easily.
[Maybe if those Werther's contained the secrets of the universe!! But they do not, alas, and so: what old man is the old man trying to catch.
But. That said, Palamedes acquiesces from the Jokes, holding his hands up as if to say no, he's fine, do not hold back on his account.]
Frankly, I want to talk about anything but being a squid. [And since he may have, in a roundabout way, told God to go fuck himself immediately after de-squidding, perhaps Gideon has, hmm. A more, ah. Fun? Update? An update that is not telling God to go fuck himself, but politely.] Please; go for it.
no subject
Okay. Go time.
[ Gideon had meant to do this sooner, she really did, and the pit forming in her stomach reminds her exactly why she didn't. ]
Remember when I told you that, since I was just chilling out in the back of Harrow's head for a while, I was able to learn a lot of facts about God? Well, most of them are weird and stupid, but one is, unfortunately, about - uh - me.
[ Gideon makes a face. Really, it's horrible to have facts about yourself. It's so much better to be an unknown entity. ]
Some of God's saints really fucking hate him, which, I mean, that's understandable. He is kind of a prick. So they came up with this plan to get him to father a baby without him knowing - don't think about it too hard, or you'll want to walk back into the sea - and use that baby to bust open the blood ward on the Tomb.
[ Palamedes can probably see where she's going with this, but Gideon Nav is, at the very least, a person who will finish the job. ]
I'm baby. [ Gideon lifts her head up, and makes little jazz hands. ] Hi.
no subject
He blinks. He feels, somewhat, like he has been dropped back into the sea? It's all he can do to look at Gideon, then away towards the door to God's Own Ugly Study With Bad Decor, then back to Gideon again.
He opens his mouth; he shuts it again. He blinks a second time. He says, finally,]
Do you want my dad, instead? There are a lot of dads.
[And, bonus: Sixth parenting is delightfully hands-off, after the most essential years of childhood.
It's odd, though; he would have expected this news to make the mind reel, and yet - why not, right. This might as well happen. He thinks about it in the most direct terms that he can: Gideon is God's own chlid. Hmm.
Well,] It's funny, [and he waves a hand a little, like, not that kind of funny,] by my estimation, you're the only good thing he's ever had a hand in, and he didn't even know it. Figures.
[He wonders briefly if saying this within earshot of God would piss him off more than refusing to be a Lyctor, even in name— but then he puts that thought away in a little box, because fuck that, what's important right now is Gideon.
So. He fiddles with the edge of the goth blanket until he finds the corner and then lifts it, holding his arm out to her. You know, if she wants to get in on this goth blanket side hug and talk smack about her dad, he's offering.]
no subject
The blasphemy is even more of a relief, which really speaks to how fucked-up Gideon's life has gotten. The Emperor sunk his dirty hands into Harrow, and now he's got Paul and Kaworu, but Gideon doesn't think he'll ever get Palamedes. Sextus has a resolve that Gideon admires, and more importantly, he's got a wicked sharp bullshit detector.
Gideon laughs a little, not out of humor, because of course they're not making jokes, why would they. More out of relief, maybe. Palamedes is here, alive, on her side, and he's not terrified of her. Gideon wouldn't say anything sappy about the power of friendship, but that's what this is, isn't it? It's nice.
She accepts the offer of the goth blanket gladly, scooting next to Palamedes until she's nestled in close. ]
I mean, there was recreating the world, I guess. But I do like to think I'm cooler than all the Nine Houses put together. [ gideon a rock has better self-esteem than you do.
softer, and serious for once: ] Thanks.
[ WOAH that was some serious emotional honesty there. that's enough of that. it's gossip time. ]
Fortunately, he stays out of our business, most of the time. Like, Paul's learning how to cook, and I don't think he's given any tips, which is probably for the best.
no subject
If she'll allow him to blaspheme a little more, first,] Well, the Empire is middling. Generously, it's slightly above bad. You could wipe the floor with the Nine Houses in a contest of 'being worth the effort'.
[He's learned enough about worlds that aren't obsessed with their dead, or their weird god who has bad taste in decor, or in squatting in cake tin housing and never going outside because the sun will kill them instantly— it's illuminating. The Empire is Not So Great, Actually. God did an adequate job.
But that's just his opinion. He hums, shrugging the shoulder that isn't currently occupied by Gideon, and pointedly seals up his opinions about God minding people's business in a tidy little box, and puts that box away where no one has to look at it.
...Well.]
I hope he's minding his own business as much as he can, [he says, mildly, in the distinct tones of someone who doesn't believe for a heartbeat that God can Mind His Business, particularly with youths in need of a father figure (eugh), but with the equally distinct air of someone who isn't getting into that shit right now. Next time, in someone else's house.]
If you ever want to mind your business with extra resolve, just let me know. I'll make the time.