all's fair in love and war

[actualantichrist]

The four of them are sitting two-thirds of the way up an old live oak, passing around a canteen of tinny water and talking about magic.

Em wants it more than anyone. The rest of them all think she should be a psion, but she wants to be a mage, wants to paint the sky with fireworks and make clean energy and maybe become an astronaut and figure out a way to avoid the rocket equation.

Reuben, whose upcoming eclipse in March started the whole conversation, says he doesn't want powers at all and if he gets any he'll have them shut down. He wants to be a priest when he grows up, which the rest of them all agree is objectively way lamer than either mage or psion.

Faith, like any sane person, is hoping she'll eclipse, but she doesn't want it with Em's desperate hunger. If she doesn't get cool magic powers, she'll find something else awesome to do with her life. Right now she's thinking she wants to discover a new element (or maybe a new planet, she hasn't decided) and get it named after her. Fides, from the Latin for her name.

In the end, it's Jay who gets powers from his eclipse, and that doesn't work out so well for him.



The three of them are huddled together at Jay's funeral, Reuben in the stark cassock and surplice of an altar server, Em staring up at the sky like she's willing it to open up and rain fire and vengeance. Or at least rain.

The sky stays stubbornly blue. "My eclipse is in February," Faith says blankly, looking up at the moon and she sun in the sky together, so she doesn't look down at her friend's coffin instead. "Maybe I'll be the one who figures out how to bring back the dead. Maybe I can still fix everything."

"Faith, no," Reuben says, softly. "You can't think that way. You have to let him go. I hope -- I hope you don't eclipse, I couldn't bear if--"

"I don't have to do anything I don't want to," Faith retorts. "Just because you're scared--"

"Don't," Em says. "Not now. Just don't."

Faith eclipses anyway. She doesn't actually get a choice.



Virtuality is incredibly lame. She can't actually do anything, not for real. But she comes out of it with her new powers, and it's the most amazing thing that's ever happened to Faith. She can get people's attention, make them listen instead of laughing because she's young or female or a sub, and it's not easy but it's right, like catching a pitched ball perfectly and feeling it slam into your hand. People throw their attention all over the place, and she can fix that, help them pay attention to important things.

Like what she has to say.

School is boring, so Faith tells her parents she wants to be homeschooled, and what do you know, they listen. (She doesn't make them agree, of course. Even if she could, that would be horrible. She just helps them really sit down and listen to her, and understand how important this is and how carefully she's thought about it.) When she's ready she applies to the local college, and her resume is okay but the interviewer thinks she really stands out.

College is way better than high school. Class discussions are fun! Her favorite are classes with participation grades. She always gets A's in those.



They're standing by the grave when the two of them turn on her.

They tell her all the things she's been hearing her whole life, things she'd thought her friends would never say to her. They tell her that she shouts too loud, dreams too big, talks too much, that she acts before thinking, that she needs to stop. They want her to stop using her powers, to make herself less, to make herself normal.

Faith just stands there, too devastated to speak, and she cries, and when they're done she tells them that they're right, that she understands, that she's going to transfer colleges and stay with her mother's cousin and make a new start, meet new people whose minds she's never touched.

They let her go.

They were supposed to be her friends.



Faith doesn't know her aunt all that well, but of course Aunt Kelly is happy to have her niece stay with her for college. Faith's transfer application gets processed with perfect efficiency once she shows up to the office of the registrar and helpfully lets them know she really does need it dealt with soon. Kansas is no Texas, but it's okay, it'll do.

Her first class is apparently history of philosophy, which sounds unbearably boring, but it's a core requirement, so while Faith's advisor agrees that she should clearly be allowed to take something more interesting instead, no one actually seems to have the authority to make that happen. So: ancient philosophy it is.

Faith arrives early and sits in the front. After all, she'll surely have helpful insights to contribute!

Comments

[actualantichrist]

"Doesn't he mind the first name thing?" Faith asks, zipping up her backpack.

[warmfeelings]

"Oh, me and Joe go way back, most people call him Mr. Yost."

[actualantichrist]

"That makes more sense! I guess growing up here, it's not that surprising that you'd end up knowing some of the professors too."

[warmfeelings]

"He lived down the street from me when I was little. What have you got next?" Don kisses her and she waves goodbye as he departs.

[actualantichrist]

Faith checks the calendar on her phone. "Calculus, ugh. Hope I can find a study buddy for that one. And then a lunch break, and just Spanish 2 in the afternoon. How about you?"

[warmfeelings]

"I have sociology and human sexuality and art history," says Chelsea. "I usually get lunch at the diner down the street, the Nautilus, you could come with if you wanted, I'm meeting Michelle and Sam. Eleven thirty."

[actualantichrist]

"I'd love to! If I wouldn't be intruding? I don't want to barge in on your date."

[warmfeelings]

"No, it's okay! They're really friendly! Michelle might hit on you but I can tell her not to."

[actualantichrist]

"It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you! And if, you know, she'll back off if I tell her to, but you probably wouldn't be dating her if she were one of those doms."

[warmfeelings]

"She's a switch. Leans dommier than I do but still a switch. And of course she'll stop if you don't like her that way."

[actualantichrist]

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to assume, I should really know better. In any case! I would love to meet her and Sam. And hang out with you more! The Nautilus, right? Like the thing in that book?"

[warmfeelings]

"I'm not actually sure what a nautilus is but that's what the diner's called! It's just down the street from the main campus entrance, a block north."

[actualantichrist]

"Awesome! I'll see you there, then. ItwasnicetomeetyouIlikeyourhair!" Faith waves and dashes off towards the math building.

[warmfeelings]

Math is mathematical. The diner is easy to find and Chelsea waves at her when she comes in.

[actualantichrist]

Faith waves back and pulls up a chair. "Hello again!"

[warmfeelings]

"Hi! Michelle, Sam, this is Faith, I was just telling you about her! Faith, that's Michelle, this one's Sam."

"Welcome!" says Michelle, holding out a hand for shaking. She's got a collar a little like Chelsea's, with Chelsea and Sam the only names on it.

"Try the tuna melt," advises Sam, scanning his menu.

[actualantichrist]

Faith shakes Michelle's hand and offers her hand to Sam. "Hi, y'all! I will definitely try the tuna melt, that sounds fantastic."

[warmfeelings]

Handshakes all around. They get an appetizer platter to split. Sam orders for Chelsea (he gets her a club sandwich and himself a burger); Michelle orders for herself (waffles). All three of them are very affectionate with one another.

[actualantichrist]

That is cute and only a tiiiiny bit awkward. Faith is happy to chatter away about her opinions on anything from movies to classes to food. (Not politics, of course. Politics at the table is rude.)

The tuna melt is very tasty! This is an excellent recommendation of Sam's taste in food and Chelsea's taste in people.

[warmfeelings]

They're all good listeners, especially Chelsea! Chelsea seems to really want to hear everything Faith has to say. Michelle makes immature lewd jokes whenever presented an opportunity and Sam's pretty quiet but in a distracted way. Still, none of them go so far as to interrupt or talk over her!

[actualantichrist]

Chelsea is so nice. See, this is exactly what Faith needed. New city, new friends (real friends), new start.

She even snickers at Michelle's jokes, because really. Some of them are funny. And she grew up with Em, her scale for lewdity has been forcibly reset more than once.

"Y'all are disgustingly cute," Faith comments, with a grin that suggests she isn't taking herself too seriously.

[warmfeelings]

"You should see us when we all have a party at Chelsea's," says Michelle. "It's the most adorable orgy you ever saw."

"Don't let her put you off," says Chelsea. "That only ever starts after hours, my parties are very decorous for the first while."

[actualantichrist]

That makes Faith blush and choke on a laugh! "I don't think I've ever heard 'adorable' and 'orgy' used in conjunction before."

[warmfeelings]

"So you should come check it out," says Michelle, "and stay late, and come... around to the idea."

"Michelle," says Chelsea in mock reproach.

Michelle grins irrepressibly.

[actualantichrist]

"Okay, okay, have mercy," Faith laughs, holding up her hands. "I just got out of the small Texas town of conservative values, let me stick to dipping my toes in the water for a little while."