Day One Thousand One Hundred Forty-Seven

Dear Diary,

Y'know, I'm definitely realizing that the more experience I get, the more I process that experience and learn from it, the more I realize that nuance is fuckin' important. Not just that, but extremism and absolutes are usually not the right response to things.

Yeah, there's a moral event horizon. When somebody goes past that, it's time to take their Agency away. Maybe until they learn better. Maybe permanently, although as I've made clear that means killing them, not putting them in a box. But as I've maybe pointed out with The Morrigan, I'm not above putting somebody in time out until they learn better. Shit, I pretty much did the same thing with Franklin, what with giving him to Conrad to use as a filtration system for his pet Hole Spawn.

I'll have to have a chat with Saffron about that.

At any rate, just because I know what I did after Yule was stupid doesn't mean I don't get the temptation to do it again. Every hundred days, kids near me are endangered, which means I'm tempted to be far, far away from my own kids on those days. Thing is, that might put other kids in danger. If I go hide at the bottom of the ocean, that's no real protection either, as Lyssa showed. Shit, Loviatar threatened my kids when I was in Boltophsberg fighting her, so that's no good either.

Shit, if I think about it from the most ruthless, pragmatic angle possible, my kids are some of the most dangerous kids on Earth. I'm not sure if anything could actually threaten Menace, not if she knew it was coming. So the best I can do is let my ladies know, hell even maybe let my kids know, and have them batten down the hatches and be ready to roll with or roll up whatever comes at us.

Thing is, now I might have a new wrinkle, the whole 'Tuesday Afternoon' thing. Which is a lot less convenient than every hundred days, especially when I teach Math on Tuesdays. Then again, it hasn't exactly been 'kids in danger' on Tuesdays, even if that was the case with Domnu. But the new batch of Pirates showing up on Tuesday didn't endanger any kids. Just my peace of mind. Shit, I don't even know if it's a real thing or just my pattern recognition freaking out about a coincidence.

Thing is, it's happened twice in the past two weeks, but I can't help but think that it's happened before. Which... My Memory is way better than it used to be. But I haven't been able to ferret out if anything in particular happened to me on a Tuesday before this. Because once is chance, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action.

I was a ROTC kid, of course I heard that shit. Also, the DIs taught us to start taking precautions after once, because they're not idiots.

So once Aisling fell asleep, I settled back, just kinda chilling half in, half out of the water nearest Yggdrasil. Unlike the Bath, this shit was cold, but somehow here in M-Space that wasn't a problem. I never really fell asleep, but I definitely dreamt. Dreamt of the goings on atop my Altars. Not exactly like I could engage in single player mode with Aisling still snoozing on my hip, but I enjoyed the show anyhow.

By noon I'd been kind of expecting some results, but other than shifting to a new section of bark, Verthandi hadn't so much as spoken. So I kinda cleared my throat just a little to get her attention.

She turned, raising an eyebrow, so I said, "midday?"

She nodded. "Yes, midday tomorrow."

Yeah. Not exactly thrilling, but I wasn't gonna bitch when they were doing me a solid. "Oh. Shit. Sorry, my bad."

I almost asked if they had anything to eat. Not for me, but Aisling was still riding on my hip, and she'd woken up not long after dawn. I still didn't want to interrupt, though, so instead, since we were already in M-Space, I did a little discreet Scrying and summoned up some junk food. Okay, not really 'junk food' so much as spendy fast food. Fried chicken and burgers, French fries and milkshakes. Verthandi shot me a look, but when I held out a shake for her I think she forgave me.

She took it and nursed it while she kept doing her divination thing, anyhow.

Late in the day, when Saffron was winding the Grand Council down for the day, I poked her. Kitten?

Yes, Goof?

You still pissed at Franklin?

She pondered that a little. I suppose, in an abstract sort of way, yes. But as I said before, I've done what he could not. I've superseded him. I've... Outgrown him.

I found myself nodding even though she wasn't in sight of me. Okay. So what should his release conditions be?

From?

I mean, he's currently the Hole Spawn tank filter. I figure we ought to let him graduate to something other than that at some point, right?

Oh. No. That's so terrible. I swear, her deadpan is incredible. Still, I suppose leaving him there forever would upset you, would it not?

Yeah, kinda.

She sighed. Perhaps some length of time for every Soul he stole for his self-aggrandizement?

I mean, he didn't exactly steal them. Wasted them, sure, but he did pay for them, right.

Yeah, Saffron did not like that. Still, after a burst of annoyance, she thought back, perhaps when he's processed as much waste as he wasted?

I thought about that while watching Verthandi do her thing. Boring as fuck, but not hard on the eyes at all. Eventually I replied, yeah, okay, that sounds fair. You wanna tell Conrad, or should I?

If I tell him, I may ask to see Franklin's Soul. If I see his Soul, I may kick it.

I snickered. Give a Saffron a cookie.

Yes. Yes, you should give me cookies.

When I get home.

With that I turned back to watching the Divination. Which went on through the night.

In the morning I pinged Marie, any chance you could bring me something for Aisling's breakfast?

Not long thereafter I realized I was holding a bowl of perfect Academy oatmeal, the kind with butter and syrup. Before I could thank her, Marie snickered into my brain. Sneaky.

Thanks, Mittens.

Mid-morning, after Aisling had settled down for a nap, because this shit was boring and I suspected the oatmeal might have had some Fae Grain in it, I pinged my ladies. Hey, Mom Collective?

When they'd all responded, I thought, got a situation. Nothing urgent, but something I want to talk over with you.

Go on, love. So... Not exactly weird, but different hearing Siobhan say that. Especially with Saffron clearly echoing the sentiment if not the words.

Yeah, so you guys have heard about the whole hundred day thing, right?

I got a sense of confusion from them, sort of dispersed among them. Why don't you explain it, just to be sure, Goof?

Okay, so according to the Norns, some shit is gonna go down in the future, and cause some weird shit to happen where every hundred days kids near me wind up in danger. Or, not really; I become aware of kids in danger? Something like that. Every hundred days there's a juxtaposition of kids, danger, and me.

Do you know when it happens? Trust Tallulah to get to the heart of it.

Other than 'every hundred days', not really. Although if you're asking when the shit goes down in the future, I'd guess one of those hundred day cycles will be the last one? First one? Something like that. On top of that, it's possible there are side effects as well. I've got the Norns looking into one for me, since the past two Tuesdays running weird shit has gone down.

They mulled over that for a moment until Mittens asked, So?

I'm not sure whether I should be near the kids then, or staying away from them, bunkering up, or staying on the move.

Saffron sighed into all our brains. Attempting to evade fate like that rarely works, love.

Yeah, well. Our kids are involved. I can't do nothing.

At which point Marie cut in with, Oedipus.

I snorted, trying not to wake Aisling. Okay, yeah, but I don't want to sleep with Dad.

Funny, you sleep so well on Sunday nights.

Yeah, Saffron's got a sense of humor. Also, she seems to want to juxtapose me with telephone poles. Ha. Ha. I'm worried, Kitten.

Her reply didn't fill me with confidence, but... Maybe it helped a little. What our lovely Marie is attempting to say is that those who struggle too hard against fate often wind up making it worse. That said, I see no reason for us to be complacent.

Okay, so...?

I suggest we all spend our time thinking on this, and discuss it with your father on Sunday, but in the meanwhile, in general, I suggest we simply be aware of the pattern and ready to react on those days.

I sighed, because I couldn't think of anything better, mostly. Thanks, Kitten. So we brainstorm and plan on Sunday?

Just so.

Talk to you guys tonight then.

Saffron signed off with, or sooner, if the Norns finish early.

The Norns returned right when they said they would, just before midday. After a brief, quiet conference, which lasted far longer than it ought have because M-Space, the three turned to me.

"I have seen the pattern of which you speak," announced Urd.

Verthandi shook her head, "I can see no active animus against you creating this pattern, but something does not feel right. As if something or someone were taking advantage."

Then Skuld finished their report, because I realized that's kinda what it was, by saying, "but to clarify our earlier answer, this is indeed one of the many side effects of that great rift centered on you." Then she sighed. "Would that I could confirm or deny that this one in particular continues, but that is harder than it seems."

I remembered right then that she'd been the one to push the other two to help me. So I nodded, said, "thanks, ladies. I'll get out of your hair, then."

They nodded farewell, and I left.

Not before handing each of them a milkshake, though.