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random_nanorimo_stuff2012-10-25 06:43 pm
random_xtras) wrote in random_nanorimo_stuff2012-10-25 06:43 pm
Sylvia Chapter 19
Kaneesha startled as the door opened, her entire body tense as she looked away from the screen she'd been playing a bizarre but strangely soothing sim game on. To her relief it was just the nice woman with the odd voice, Jabez.
Jabez smiled at Kaneesha, and even the fact that she had blue eyes didn't take away from the reassurance and kindness of the expression.
"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.
"Tired," said Kaneesha, putting down the computer pad she'd been using to control her avatar on the screen. "I filled two bins today."
"How does that make you feel?" asked Jabez, absently pushing pale blue curls away from her eyes.
"I feel like I did something important." Kaneesha looked down at her hands, which were bare of any ornaments or paint, and which had the memory of dust under their short nails. "I... I helped society, and I helped..." The alien thought still made her hesitate, but she hugged herself and quietly pushed out the words. "I helped other people, too. When they get that Corran cotton they'll be able to make things from it."
"Yes. They will. And then they'll be able to wear some of the things, and sell others." Jabez tilted her head slightly, studying the girl in the chair. "The people that the cotton is going to are Archaists."
Kaneesha cringed, her chin trembling as she looked away. But then she surprised herself by asking a question instead of changing the subject to a nicer one. "What... what kind of Archaists?"
"They're a hexipedal race who live in simple gathering communities," said Jabez. "The families are fairly large groups of a father, several mothers, and their children. They raise antelope for milk, and collect plant fiber and the under fur from the antelopes to spin and knit things that people all over the galaxy love to own and use."
"What does 'hexipedal' mean?" Kaneesha looked up, her brow furrowing in a way that she would never have let it do before. But Jabez had lines on her forehead, and it looked fine to Kaneesha.
Jabez smiled approval of the question, and Kaneesha was surprised to realize that she actually wanted to know something like that. But it seemed like something that she should know for her new life, for the job that she did when she wasn't here in her new home playing this strange game that had her do totally bizarre things like find six blue mushrooms and fourteen green ones so that an old woman could make soup that would cure a little green baby that was sick.
"'Hexipedal' is another way of saying that they have six limbs," explained the blue-haired woman. "They have four legs and two arms."
Kaneesha started, and then grabbed her computer pad to make the game go to the encyclopedia, where she selected a certain icon. "Like this? Like centaurs?"
"Similar to that." Jabez nodded. "But these people have cloven hooves, and their bodies are shaped more for running and bounding in a forest environment. They've got short tails that are furry like the rest of their bodies, and three fingers and a thumb on each hand. Most of them have brown or brindle fur and hair, with grey or golden eyes, but many babies are born a dark tan colour."
Kaneesha stared at the picture on her game, absorbing this. It made her feel strange to think that there were people who looked different from humans, and that it was okay for them to look different; to have their own societies and customs. It almost made her wonder if maybe it was alright for humans to look different from what her old rearing committee had always taught her was the best way for a human to look. But then that thought made her think of a girl with pale hair and blue eyes.
She gasped and pulled her knees up to her chest, shaking with the horror of the last time she'd seen that girl, horror which hadn't lessened despite the year that had passed since the incident. "I... I don't want to talk anymore. Can I play now?"
"Go ahead," said Jabez softly as she turned back to the door. "I'll see you again tomorrow, Kaneesha."
"Okay," came the quiet, tired answer from behind her as she slipped out of the room.
* * *
"How is she doing?" Oma stopped beside Jabez's main body as the younger woman's avatar paused by their feet and then rezzed out.
Jabez started slightly and looked down at her, then gave a slight smile. "She just asked about the people who would be getting the cotton bundles that she was loading into shipping containers today. It's the first time she's shown any interest in anything." The smile faded. "But then she folded up again, as she hasn't done in a couple months. Though she followed the behavior with a request for permission to resume playing the teaching sim."
"It's a start," said Oma quietly. "Considering that when we adopted her she was catatonic, I'd say she's made good progress. Though it still bothers me to leave her shut away alone like that."
"She prefers it," said Jabez. "Right now it makes her feel safe. But don't worry. She'll start reaching out again before very many more years have passed. When a human is raised without even the normal stresses of life it doesn't give them much in the way of coping ability."
"Speaking of coping ability, how is her mother doing?"
Jabez sighed. "Latifa is still isolating herself from current situations, and from all reality. She spends her days living in a simulation that includes representations of the members of her peer group who have either also withdrawn, or left the planet. Eun Mi Leibovitz says that she spends several hours of every day trying to figure out how to torture and murder the non peer group characters in the sim."
"And this from someone who was considered a prime member of their culture." Oma felt sick. "If she hadn't had her mother murdered at the life management center after she inherited, Latoya could have taken the reins back on her companies and assets, but it looks like everything will be defaulting to the state now except the assets that she needs to live."
"Huong is still sending Latifa and Kaneesha money from his new job on Yancy's world?" asked Jabez quietly.
Oma's face softened. "Yes. He hasn't broken under the changes, and his sense of commitment to his peer group is still very strong. He sends money to the others who're trying to block everything out, too. The other members who've left contribute as well, but not as strongly as he does. It looks like loyalty and care for others will never truly die out, no matter what badly guided leaders may try to teach a society."
"Truth has a habit of breaking out." Jabez smiled slightly, her naturally pale eyes twinkling.
"Yes. Yes, it does. So when are you going to admit to the truth and let poor Starforge know that you return his affections?" Oma grinned as she turned toward the teleportal.
Jabez blushed. "Oma!"
"That's my name now. Wife to the Grandfather." The ghost laughed softly. "And it's also what I am. I'm allowed to give you personal advice. And my advice is this: stop worrying about the make of your body or who your father was. Give love a chance. And have some of that new sweet oil that they've started importing for your supper. I can't believe how strange and good that smells."
"I... what? What does oil have to do with my looks and my love life?" Jabez gave a trill of startled laughter.
"Well," said Oma, as they passed through the portal. "You could ask Starforge over to share the bottle..."
Jabez smiled at Kaneesha, and even the fact that she had blue eyes didn't take away from the reassurance and kindness of the expression.
"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.
"Tired," said Kaneesha, putting down the computer pad she'd been using to control her avatar on the screen. "I filled two bins today."
"How does that make you feel?" asked Jabez, absently pushing pale blue curls away from her eyes.
"I feel like I did something important." Kaneesha looked down at her hands, which were bare of any ornaments or paint, and which had the memory of dust under their short nails. "I... I helped society, and I helped..." The alien thought still made her hesitate, but she hugged herself and quietly pushed out the words. "I helped other people, too. When they get that Corran cotton they'll be able to make things from it."
"Yes. They will. And then they'll be able to wear some of the things, and sell others." Jabez tilted her head slightly, studying the girl in the chair. "The people that the cotton is going to are Archaists."
Kaneesha cringed, her chin trembling as she looked away. But then she surprised herself by asking a question instead of changing the subject to a nicer one. "What... what kind of Archaists?"
"They're a hexipedal race who live in simple gathering communities," said Jabez. "The families are fairly large groups of a father, several mothers, and their children. They raise antelope for milk, and collect plant fiber and the under fur from the antelopes to spin and knit things that people all over the galaxy love to own and use."
"What does 'hexipedal' mean?" Kaneesha looked up, her brow furrowing in a way that she would never have let it do before. But Jabez had lines on her forehead, and it looked fine to Kaneesha.
Jabez smiled approval of the question, and Kaneesha was surprised to realize that she actually wanted to know something like that. But it seemed like something that she should know for her new life, for the job that she did when she wasn't here in her new home playing this strange game that had her do totally bizarre things like find six blue mushrooms and fourteen green ones so that an old woman could make soup that would cure a little green baby that was sick.
"'Hexipedal' is another way of saying that they have six limbs," explained the blue-haired woman. "They have four legs and two arms."
Kaneesha started, and then grabbed her computer pad to make the game go to the encyclopedia, where she selected a certain icon. "Like this? Like centaurs?"
"Similar to that." Jabez nodded. "But these people have cloven hooves, and their bodies are shaped more for running and bounding in a forest environment. They've got short tails that are furry like the rest of their bodies, and three fingers and a thumb on each hand. Most of them have brown or brindle fur and hair, with grey or golden eyes, but many babies are born a dark tan colour."
Kaneesha stared at the picture on her game, absorbing this. It made her feel strange to think that there were people who looked different from humans, and that it was okay for them to look different; to have their own societies and customs. It almost made her wonder if maybe it was alright for humans to look different from what her old rearing committee had always taught her was the best way for a human to look. But then that thought made her think of a girl with pale hair and blue eyes.
She gasped and pulled her knees up to her chest, shaking with the horror of the last time she'd seen that girl, horror which hadn't lessened despite the year that had passed since the incident. "I... I don't want to talk anymore. Can I play now?"
"Go ahead," said Jabez softly as she turned back to the door. "I'll see you again tomorrow, Kaneesha."
"Okay," came the quiet, tired answer from behind her as she slipped out of the room.
"How is she doing?" Oma stopped beside Jabez's main body as the younger woman's avatar paused by their feet and then rezzed out.
Jabez started slightly and looked down at her, then gave a slight smile. "She just asked about the people who would be getting the cotton bundles that she was loading into shipping containers today. It's the first time she's shown any interest in anything." The smile faded. "But then she folded up again, as she hasn't done in a couple months. Though she followed the behavior with a request for permission to resume playing the teaching sim."
"It's a start," said Oma quietly. "Considering that when we adopted her she was catatonic, I'd say she's made good progress. Though it still bothers me to leave her shut away alone like that."
"She prefers it," said Jabez. "Right now it makes her feel safe. But don't worry. She'll start reaching out again before very many more years have passed. When a human is raised without even the normal stresses of life it doesn't give them much in the way of coping ability."
"Speaking of coping ability, how is her mother doing?"
Jabez sighed. "Latifa is still isolating herself from current situations, and from all reality. She spends her days living in a simulation that includes representations of the members of her peer group who have either also withdrawn, or left the planet. Eun Mi Leibovitz says that she spends several hours of every day trying to figure out how to torture and murder the non peer group characters in the sim."
"And this from someone who was considered a prime member of their culture." Oma felt sick. "If she hadn't had her mother murdered at the life management center after she inherited, Latoya could have taken the reins back on her companies and assets, but it looks like everything will be defaulting to the state now except the assets that she needs to live."
"Huong is still sending Latifa and Kaneesha money from his new job on Yancy's world?" asked Jabez quietly.
Oma's face softened. "Yes. He hasn't broken under the changes, and his sense of commitment to his peer group is still very strong. He sends money to the others who're trying to block everything out, too. The other members who've left contribute as well, but not as strongly as he does. It looks like loyalty and care for others will never truly die out, no matter what badly guided leaders may try to teach a society."
"Truth has a habit of breaking out." Jabez smiled slightly, her naturally pale eyes twinkling.
"Yes. Yes, it does. So when are you going to admit to the truth and let poor Starforge know that you return his affections?" Oma grinned as she turned toward the teleportal.
Jabez blushed. "Oma!"
"That's my name now. Wife to the Grandfather." The ghost laughed softly. "And it's also what I am. I'm allowed to give you personal advice. And my advice is this: stop worrying about the make of your body or who your father was. Give love a chance. And have some of that new sweet oil that they've started importing for your supper. I can't believe how strange and good that smells."
"I... what? What does oil have to do with my looks and my love life?" Jabez gave a trill of startled laughter.
"Well," said Oma, as they passed through the portal. "You could ask Starforge over to share the bottle..."