The current term has ended, giving the students a ten-day break until the next one begins. Students in uniforms spill out, some wearing the colors of their study tracks and pips to show their year. A tall, handsome young Karnor leans casually against a support column, waiting for his friends (practically family) to emerge. He whistles a tune in the meantime, which isn't something most Karnors can manage, but Galahad Vesuvius has always had a certain musical interest.
The first friend to emerge is another Karnor like him, which is to say not at all like a modern Karnor. Rebby heads over and playfully punches Lad in the stomach. "You didn't even try to block that," the girl chides. "I just got the word that mom is making her list," she then tells him in almost a whisper.
"About time," Lad grunts, rubbing his stomach. "We need more researchers on the team. What's keeping the others? Shona already came and went. Sophia's probably at the Library, but I'd think Hot, Cold and Wet would be eager to get back home for Gwen's big day."
"I'm going to tell them you call them that," Rebby threatens with a grin. "Do you know if the buns and Desdi will be there?"
Lad shrugs. "Who knows? It's hard to schedule things like that from the Primus system." He pats Rebby on the head and teases, "So you'll just have me and Shona to fool around with."
"Ack, my hair!" Rebby yelps and bats at Lad with her hands.
Two winged Karnors exit next, side by side, and maintaining a neat, quick, and matched step. The first is ashen colored, black, gray, with a sparse amount of white, while the second has a considerable amount of a dark, ruddy red color similiar to the other in reduced amount. They're both women, and large ones at that, each standing slightly over six feet tall at 6'2", dressed in the same uniforms as the rest of the students, with pips to indicate their later-year status and exploratory track. They two walk with heads close clearly discussing something fervently, hand gesture accentuating whatever points they're making to the other in precise, clipped, and forceful gestures.
"This is a mistake," the ruddy red one tells the other, Tasha's second eldest daughters behind Pheeny, of equal age to her twin sister, Ashera. "I know. I know," she then replies without waiting for the other to speak, seeming to know without words what the other was trying to say. "We'll work on that. We can do this. We should let the ot-" The woman pauses when she seems Rebby and Galahad together, and for a moment her eyes speak of challenge and danger -- her mother's daughter in truth -- before softening. She nods, a bit formally, then hurries along. "We'll talk about this elsewhere."
And as they pass Ashera raises a hand, if lazily, in hello, offering a thin and worried smile. "Sorry, business," she offers, if not unkindly, and then they're gone.
Not long after is a striking Karnor in blue, gray, apparently hairless, but no, it's all reduced to a spiky mess that may or not be hair at all. She's wearing school bottoms only, her bathing suit serving as her top, and her clothes and bag slung under her left arm. Tasha's middle daughter along side Sophia and, arguably, Gweneth. Unlike the twins, she takes a moment to approach the two and over a lazy wave and a lazier grin. "Heyyy you two," she then thumbs after the Fiera and Ashera, "Twins war path run you over? You know how they've been. It's hard for them, and they're hard on themsleves."
"More control-freak issues?" Rebby asks Tala. She can never pronounce her full name without getting tongue-tied. "Sasha gonna let you fly the transport back to the base this time, Second-Greatest Pilot in the Universe?" she then teases.
"You too?" Kalalani, also known as Kala, visibly slumps, a bit of a show of it in fact. "It's bad enough I hear it from my father, "You have to live up t-t-to my legacy!" her Phin accent is impeccable for a hominid, the natural consequence of being perhaps the only hominid daughter of the delphinic Phin, "Space is boring. Uuuuuugh!" She throws her head back, runs her fingers through her pseudo-hair, and shakes her head out. "ANYWAY. Yes. Pilot. Sasha. At least it's not mother, so I don't feel like I'm being triple-tested."
"I imagine Tasha is busy fretting over Gwen," Lad says. He then tries to whistle and click in Phin, "What do you want to be best at?"
"She's going to be starting here next term," Rebby says. "It'll be up to us to make sure she remembers to wear clothes. And not stare at people." She actually sounds a bit concerned, and probably not about Gwen's ability to wear clothes.
"Why do I have to be the best at anything? Can't I just be?" Kala replies, head shaking. "Ash and Fiera wouldn't be losing their mind if they weren't trying to be the best. To be... To be someone they're not." Kala looks around, as if suddenly concerned about being overheard, then she looks back, "I'm just saying maybe we all need to relax and be what we want to be, you know? We..." As the topic switches to Gweneth, her expression falls and for a a pained look crosses her face, gone but slowly. She fidgets. "Gwen is... She's trying, all right? You know how she is, she's... She's nice, nicer than most people know. She's just trying to..." She exhales, apparently unable to continue the thought without being overwhelmed by it.
"Yeah, she's precocious," Lad says. "And I think too sheltered to be putting herself forward right away. She kinda feels unfinished to me? I don't mean that in a bad way! She's interested in everything, kinda like Sophia, but more... hands on about it. Where'd the twins head off to, do you know? We should probably swing by the Library and pick up Sophia."
"They're probably in their makeout corner," Kala says, rolling her eyes, "they're not fooling anyone. Could be out to eat, but thinking how upset they looked? The corner, or the gym if it's empty. Fighting." Another shake of the head, showing what Kala thinks of fighting. "Safe bet on Sophia, though. I once told her it seemed a bit cliche, her in the Library, and you know what she said, "Accurate," and then she went right on reading! Accurate. At least she had my notes summarized."
Another hesitation, then, "Gwen's just... Gwen, you know? Can you really expect her to be..." She gestures at herself vaguely, "..., right? I hope she's okay. I'd feel bad if..." A pause from Kala. "Well, no use worrying, right? Right?"
"It's all up to the dragon in the end," Rebby says. "So yeah, no use worrying! And are they really fighting? Now? Then they'll need to take a shower afterwards," she complains, throwing her hands in the air.
"I'll come back and dry them off," Lad volunteers, even as they all start heading to the Library station in the business area.
Kala snorts. "Hot and steamy, but don't worry, I think they're too upset to get distracted, and it's not like they're usually late to anything. I think they have the second or third best attendance record. Guess who doesn't? Me." She grins widely. But she doesn't seem inclined to stop the direction people are going, making no protest despite her notice, and follows along.
"And I have the best!" Rebby claims. "Much to my mother's chagrin, and she's an instructor!"
Their uniforms stand out a bit in the more public areas, but the Library sees all sorts of visitors. And Sophia is easy to spot, since she always requests the same terminal booth.
As the group approaches, the girl says, without looking up, or even glancing back, "And here you are," in a precise, pleasant, and nonjudgmental tone, quite as if she'd set the clock by their planned arrival. "No twins. Yes, of course. Gwen?" It might be an alarming or off putting greeting, if Sophia wasn't always like this. rarely if ever angry, emotionally stable, learned and hyperintelligent, she takes after her father, Melchior, in many ways, not the least of which is her appearance. Black and gold, she can resemble more of a piece of art than a person, the tones seeming artificial, yet quite natural. The voice of reason among the sisters, she can always be counted for sage advice. As she says, "Sophia means 'wisdom' in ancient Terran Greek, and I intended to live up to the name." It certainly doens't help she acts like she's at least ten years older and twenty years wiser and more situated than everyone around her.
Kala finds it rather obnoxious, really, but she forgives Sophia because it's just how she is, much like how she's such a swimmer, such a pilot, for who she is. They all, each of Tasha's daughters, have something they align with, and Sophia wears her alignment with acceptance, grace, and diligence.
"In the middle of something?" Rebby asks Sophia, which is usually a safe bet. "You're coming back with us right? This might be the week they finally crack that old Library unit, after all."
"You know full well what I'm doing, roughly why I am doing it, and can likely guess correctly on what I'm researching," she says in that same practiced, pleasant, nonjudgmental voice. 'The Voice' as Kala sometimes refers to it helps to blunt the impact of Sophia's immense self-assurance and competency, at least, and the blue Karnor must grudgingly admit Sophia probably thought of that too, and knows she knows she knows she did. Sometimes she thinks she could rub Sophia's head like a magic ball and see the future. "Yes. Back, of course, it's an important day in multiple respects, as you say and worry about." She always knows; Kala sticks her tongue out at Sophia's back. "I have what I need. We can go any time." Past her, the group can see long and exceedingly dry text about Galactic policy of some sort, much of it Celestial, Khattan, or Standard. She extracts a memory unit and the screen returns to default. It's only then she turns back and watches the group expectantly.
"You should be a psychologist," Lad says. Not for the first time either. He then rubs Sophia's head to mess up her hair. Also not for the first time. It's practically a habit. "I can never tell if you're relaxed or stressed out. Are you worried at all about Gwen?"
Sophia doesn't fix her hair; there's a sense she may be humoring him, and if Kala is right, amusing herself by doing it. Sophia's sense of humor exists, she's seen it, but it's so subtle and often complicated, nuanced, that it's easy to miss it, easier still to assume she doesn't have a sense of humor at all. "I am as I say, as I have said before," Sophia says with a slight shift in tone that might sound a little condescending if you're paying attention, if in a ribbing way. "As for Gweneth, worrying is nonproductive. I am pro-actively concerned, hence my time in the Library. I also took the liberty to arrange her quarters and speak with the professors. As there is no more time, and as I've done what I may, I consider the matter up to fate and will observe with interest and caution." She rises in a smooth motion, picking up her book bag -- a real leather book bag with real books, one of her indulgences -- and puts the data unit in her pocket. "We should get going."
"Yeah, off to the Designated Meeting Place," Rebby declares, referring to the donut shop. "You go first, Sophia, so the vendors will leave us alone!"
"I'll be happy to shield you from 'priceless antiques, one time deals' and targeted advertising." Again, a bit condescending. Kala notices because she's lived with it all her life.
As for Kala, she follows along, free arm swinging. "I heard momma might let her bring Goldie." She only uses momma away from school, in private discourse. Aside from how embarrassing it is to use at school, especially when your mother sits on the Board, let alone that she's a famous public speaker, politician, and living symbol of all-that-is-unity-and-cooperation. At least without wings she gets associated with her mother a lot less than the others, escapism much of the media attention and questions the others can get.
"No way!" Rebby claims. "She uses that to spy on us, doesn't she?"
"A baby dragon is a terrible spy," Lad claims. "Is she's going to spy on us, she'll use Kai."
Sophia tilts her head ever so slightly, an occasional tell, for those that know it, that she's facing a question she hasn't considered or has been caught off guard. After a moment, she decides, "Unlikely. Goldie seems to be what Goldie is, a baby dragon. Besides, it'd be far more likely Galatea is spying on us, or any other the other agents, bodyguards, school security equipment, AIs, and so on. Mother hardly needs Goldie. I think she'd find it beneath her." Sophia always uses mother. "Hopefully Goldie's presence will provide a balm to sooth Gwen's transition, and extra pay for the cleaning staff."
"Having a 'pet dragon' will make her stand out more," Lad says. "Hopefully it will actually take some attention off of her then." They're soon past the bazaar, near the docking zones. And the donut shop, where Shona waits for them next to a stack of donut boxes. The Vartan waves, and when the others are close enough says, "Haven't seen or heard from Sasha yet, but I got the bribes." He pats the pile of boxes.
"Haha, bribes." Kala gravitates to the boxes as if she were pulled by an invisible force, trying to reach in to one. "Where's my Phinkles?" Phinkles, as it happens, are pink donuts, a combination of crunchy pink frosting and fish flakes. Kala loves them; most everyone else won't touch them.
Sophia then remarks, "A distraction would be good, well considered. It will likely be impossible to hide her completely, nor to avoid problems entirely, as I expect she will still considerable attention and cause some manner of mischief of her own. But, at least we can be assured she will be as safe as we can be."
Shona slaps Kala's hand away. "These are for Gwen!" he claims. "You can go get your own donuts inside."
"Oh, right, donuts and pizza," Rebby remembers. "Are we gonna have to make a pizza then?"
Kala shakes her hand out. "I was saving her from the danger of carbs! And besides, they might be poisoned. What if she doesn't know she can stop eating them? I am doing her a favor. I am not making excuses!" But Kala spins away and joins her group again. "Shona's such a Shona sometimes. I want pizza," she pouts. Sophia just shakes her head.
"I'm getting coffee then," Lad says, and pinches Sophia's butt on the way into the shop. Kala's butt is too firm to get away with that, so he can only pat her's. "I'll get you a donut, Kala," he promises.
Sophia makes a yip, which immediately consternates her, as she rubs her ass and shoots Lad a 'really' look that's out of character. The calm descends rapidly, like flipping on a switch.
"Sounds like I'm getting bribed now," Kala says, wagging her enormous dophinic tail and her brows. It's so large and powerful she will regularly sit on it, or lean on it, and her style of walking incorporates the tail like a third leg, which naturally lends itself to lewd and inappropriate jokes about size she throws at Lad.
"How do you put up with him flirting all the time?" Shona asks the girls. "Where are the twins this time?"
"I'm half-quarter-who-the-hell-knows-Phin," Kalalani points out, stretching her arms above her head, finger interlaced, then back. She still hasn't put her shirt on. "I hear way worse, like, everywhere I go with otehr Phins. This is pretty tame, you know?"
As for Sophia, she pushes an awkward smile to her face, still a little off kilter from the pinch. "With understanding and compassion," she says, slightly off her speaking routine.
"As for the twins, make out corner or gym," Kala says, dropping from her stretch. "Probably sparring. Or kissing. Ugh." But she grins, pushing her balled hand to her mouth and making comically exaggerated make out kissing motions with it. "Oh Ash, you're everything I want in a woman: myself."
"The other twins aren't like that," Shona says, referring to Zach and Zelda, the only ones older than them. "Thank goodness!"
"Aww it's not so bad," Kala says, switching sides in an instant, "I mean, they love each other, right? The rest of us have to find someone. Sometimes? I'm a little jealous. And besides, they're reliable, right? It's not like it causing us any harm other than death by embarrassment." And she grins all over again. "Besides bunny twins being in to each other is, like, a gray goo scenario."
"So you and Zach haven't..." Shona starts to ask, eyebrows raised. "Or are you into Lad after all?"
"Me? There's no one I haven't slept with. I'm a Phin, You know how we are." The grin just keeps getting wider. "Just have to ask someone to go swimming!"
"She's exaggerated for comic effect, of course," Sophia says in her usual tone, "Statistically, it's impossible for to have slept with everyone." Face completely straight.
Lad returns, a drink carrier with four coffees in one hand and a box of donuts in the other. "I assumed we've all slept with one of the Lightfoot twins," says, laying his bounty on the table. "Even Sophia," he adds.
"No comment," Rebby says, checking to see which coffee is hers.
"Rebby, I thought I was your only conquest!" Shona says, putting his hand over his heart dramatically.
"Research purposes," Sophia says with nary a switch of her whiskers.
"Finally research I can get in to," Kala declares. She eyes the cups and mysteriously picks exactly the right one without asking. Despite her underachiever, lackadaisical attitude, aside from being an excellent pilot Kala has certain powers, and coffeeomancy appears to be one of them.
"I think Sophia is waiting for someone at least as impressive as her dad," Rebby notes. Again, Shona acts as if he's been shot through the heart, despite being Sophia's cousin.
"At least I can claim one out of the five so far," Lad says with a laugh. "And Rebby," he adds.
"You'll never get the twins, Galahad," Shona claims. "And if you did it would probably cripple you."
"Clearly I'll alone forevermore at this rate," Sophia says before taking a long, slow sip of her own coffee, brows arching.
Kala bark-rattles off a laugh, which makes her sound like a squeaky hyena. "Mom, Mel, Gabriel, not to mention the others, it's a lot to live up to, isn't it? Uh..." Realizing she just put her fin in her mouth, she waggles a hand rapidly in an almost flapping gesture. "What I mean is, I'm sure she'll do fine! We'll do fine. Everything is fine! Where my coffee-Oh I'm holding it." She takes a long chug.
"Well, we might have some new blood too, soon," Rebby lets slip. Then their comms beep, and Sasha's voice comes over them to say he's landing at the usual dock.
"Probably quadruplets, our family had a bit too much dignity, so that'll help," Kala says after a refreshing and mouth closing gulp of coffee. She eyes her wrist computer, then thumbs back to the dock. "It's Gwen time. Everyone look like we're not wasting tuition money, momma might be on board."
"Not new kids, new recruits..." Rebby starts to say, then sits up straight and turns off the gossip faucet.
A few minutes later Sasha appears out of the nearby tunnel, which always looks weird due to how gravity works with those.
Kala quickly puts her coffee down and slides in to her jacket, while Sophia leans over to help her button up and adjust until she looks picture perfect. The two then line up, Sophia calm and attentive, Kala fidgeting behind her back with the rim of her coffee's lid.
"What, no salutes?" Sasha jokes. "Kala, that posture makes you look guilty of something." After taking a head count, he asks, "So did you finally kill your older sisters, or do they have some reason to be late? Aren't I their favorite uncle?"
"You're their only uncle," Lad points out.
"Shojo and Aaron are also technically uncles, I think," Sasha corrects.
"They're taking a recess to debate recent events," Sophia answers matter-of-factly. "I expect they'll be along soon now that the announcement has gone out."
And sure enough, far down the tunnel the twins round the corner and are approaching at pace. They exchange glances, nod, and then they're moving even faster.
"You're my favorite uncle, Sasha," Kalalani says in response to the suggestion she looks guilty of something. "Lad brought you some coffee, he's been holding it for you."
Caught out, Lad offers up his cup of coffee to Shojo. "Nice and hot, sir," he says, tail wagging. He wants to learn how to fly the dropship someday too.
"Ah, speak of the devils and they shall appear," Sasha says, waving to Ash and Fiera as they make there way over.
"Some day you might get to be my understudy," Kala asides of Lad in a surprise show of insight. Sophia even lights up a little, the faintest edge of a smile of her face. She then glances behind her, taking the measure of the twins as they approach.
Ashera and Fiera look, in a word, determined. In two: serious and determined. Their uniforms are perfect and they show no sign of exertion, making their way to the line and expecting, and receiving, a place squarely in the middle as sisters scoot out of the way. "We're here," Fiera says; it's declaration, not a stated fact. Ashera nods. "Apologies for the delay. Is mother here?" It's mother when they're at school or speaking to their mother formally as the head of the family and head of many other things besides. Aldara Tasha Argentine, symbol, legend, not workaholic mother carrying the world on her shoulders.
"If I'm here, she's technically here too, you know," Sasha reminds. Although they've become quite different people over time, in truth. "Did you have something you wanted to talk to her about?"
"We'd rather discuss it with mother directly," Fiera barks. She always sounds a little growly when she's speaking formally; they both have more than a little Gabriel in them, yet unlike the calmly capable man that is their father, Fiera is intense and Ashera only less so by virtue of alway being beside her sister for comparison. Nora once commented it was like staring in to a mirror, the kind where your demons manifest as versions of you. It was meant as a joke, but there's a truth to it, too. Ashera nods to her twin's words.
"Well, you can use the comms in the ship to talk to her in private if you want," Sasha says. "Since I don't think you can keep up this weird tension for the entire flight back."
"I'm sure we'll manage," Fiera says with a slight edge. Kala's brows go up and she looks over, and even Sophia raises a brow and turns. The big wolfess meets their gaze and Kala looks away, while Sophia's lingers, some unspoken dialogue exchanging between the two of them. It's there that Fiera looks of for a moment, then corrects with, "Some things are better discussed in person." "Our apologies if we're being over insistent," Ashera adds, as if Fiera's behavior were her own fault.
"Well, I guess that means we'd better get going," Sasha says, then puts his hands on his lower back and leans back to crack it. "Mind taking us out, Kala? I may have overdone the acceleration on the way here."
"You got it old man," Kala says, walking past him and handing her empty coffee cup to Lad as she does. "Get in boys and girls! Captain Kala's going to tear up space!" Her squeaky hyena laugher can be heard all the way to the cockpit.
The twins look to each other, then they head in next, follow by Sophia who goes to sit with them. Once they're inside, Sophia leans over while doing her best to appear to be leaning against her chest's arm rest for comfort. "Are you sure about this, have you really considered the ramifications of success, or are chasing after duty? A trophy? Not that I disagree with your concerns, but ... "
Fiera presses her lips together, ears canting ever so slightly as she stares forward. Ashera, closer, whispers, "We'll work it out. We were unprepared, We'll figure it out together. We've worked hard for this."
"It's the 'together' part that concerns me," Sophia counters.
Once everything is stowed and secured, and everyone strapped in, Sasha gives the go-ahead to Kala. "Just try not to melt the engines," is his only advice.
"Keep it to 1 gravity please," Lad requests. "1.5 at most."
Rebby watches the sisters from where she's strapped in across from them, sensing drama brewing. So she waits for Sophia to tell her to not stick her nose in or something, because of course Sophia would know she wanted to.
"Glass the school only, got it," Kala says as she finishes up preflight checks. Goofball and truant or not, Kala takes piloting seriously, it's like watching two different people pilot the same body. One to handle the spacecraft, one to irreverently mock everyone and everything.
The dropship rumbles as it detaches, then it's a slow burn at speeds that are only slightly punishing.
"I know a demured, but I'm not uninformed, nor am I unaware of the details of the process. It's likely redundant to state that I did my research, asked the questions, and put in considerable self reflection, but if it needs to be stated aloud for you to hear me, then so be it. You are both taking a considerable risk with this, and I'm not sure you've fully considered this plan of action. We are, all of us, all of us, uncertain what split or two inheritors would create, we're not even sure of one," Sophia continues with unusual verbosity, something she reserves for debates -- and serious matters. Willing to put aside her calm neutrality for safety and sanity, even the gesture is a well considered tool in her approach.
Fiera snorts. Ashera puts a hand on her sister's arm, then says, "Adventure and danger require risk. We are willing to take the risk. That's what it means to be a leader, and to be as mother is. Risk, and danger, and injury. We will survive. No one else needs to do this. It's our responsibility and we won't run from it."
Rebby's ears perk, and she looks forward to see if Lad and Shona are listening, but they're actually manning their stations instead. What's wrong with boys, anyway? And didn't the twins already turn down the opportunity.. well, that was years ago, and teenagers can change a lot in two years. Still, she wonders what brought this on. She clears her throat and pretends to not be listening. She definitely doesn't want to get on the bad side of those three.
"Be that as it may, I am aware of the last attempt," Sophia admits, causing both of the twins to look at her; Fiera from the corner of her eye, and Ashera directly. "I'm sorry I kept that from you; I was specifically told -- ordered, if you will -- to keep the matter to myself and not discuss it outside of certain circles. Aside from my own approach to the test, I was also consulted before, and after, I demured. It was believed I might have some insight, which I did in fact have." Sophia pauses to take a breath, a practiced and careful motion to display consideration and centering. In truth, she doesn't need the gesture. She knows what she's doing. "As you are aware the sum content of the link is considerable. There is no guarantee of retaining some or all of your personalities. You are, and I will say it straight, extraordinarily codependent, romantically intertwined, and in love. Whatever your reasoning -- and it's admirable that you take duty so to heart, something even I cannot replicate -- the chance of success is doubtful. No one wants to lose you both; and you don't wish to lose each other. There are other ways to serve." It's here Sophia feels a twist in her stomach, a catch in her throat. In saying it, she has heard, a thing becomes true. Her sisters. Her dear sisters. And they could be gone. Gone to each other, and gone to her. It hurts. She must keep it together, for their sake.
"Our lane is clear," Shona reports. "No traffic in or out."
"Bor-ing," goes Kala, who steers the ship on to its course to the asteroid. "Why is there never space invaders, or pirates? A dimensional rift or ancient space whales. You know momma talked about all her adventures but sometimes I think she made most of it up. Or I would if Kai wasn't all bwa-ha-ha poof sinister and we weren't rainbow kibble freaks. Me especially. What even is my hair? Where's my coffee," rambles Kala as she pilots. Meanwhile Fiera and Ashera have grown silent. Fiera staring at the cockpit glass like she might bore a hole through it, Ashera the floor, hands folded, pensive. Sopha lays a hand on her shoulder, a moment of support and then scoots away and turns to give Rebby an appreciative nod.
Of course she knows.
"I've got it here," Lad says, and makes his way to the pilot station to and it over. "This should keep you from shaking us around too much," he suggests.
Suddenly stressed, Rebby smiles to Sophia and turns and reclines her seat. Maybe she can nap her way through this rest of the flight.
"It's called ship wide massage," Kala insists, taking the coffee and securing it in a holder before resuming her piloting. It's said Kala can pilot even in her sleep, which may well be true given she's some percentage Phin. She certainly does okay despite sleeping through classes. "Okay! On the the left if you look out your view port you'll notice: the featureless and boring empty void of space. On your right you'll notice Caltrop, the home of the featureless empty void of school. I'm going to listen to some music! In the event of a water landing, I've fucked up! Annnnd on." Kala puts her headset on, and replacing rambling noise with the deafening sound of silence.
Mother. The test. Little Gwen, who said yes, when they all thought she wouldn't even remember it existed, let alone agree. The sisters, determined, anxious. Kala, at the heart of it all, having opened her big mouth and admitted all her fears to Gwen one day -- only for her to step up hours later. Unable to swallow down the shame, and too afraid and cowardly so speak up, she hopes for the best, reassuring herself she'll step in if things get out of hand. And Sophia, aware of much, if not all, the details in play, trying to move the pieces on the board, success, without losing a single priceless piece. Able to watch, steer, advise, the dread of uncertainty always at the back of her mind.
And Gweneth -- Gwenetherian -- waiting, there with Aldara Tasha Argentine, mother, and all her beautiful, terrible legacy.