Shmd Heya, new chapter !

Obviously, someone has still some misgivings about that whole situation ! :'o

Happy reading !

With love, Sh'.

Chapter 26 : The longest day of my life (The mom talk)

The Thompson’s home kitchen, The Thompson’s home, Forest Hills, Queens, 25th of January, 18:52

After giving an even shorter abridged version of my day to an increasingly bewildered Harrison, I chose to hide myself in the kitchen under the pretext to help Rosie finish preparing dinner to take a breather.

It actually serves a double purpose, because while Harrison seems to be relatively hands off about all the weirdness that had occured around me since this morning, Rosie’s mind has been getting increasingly agitated the further along my tale went, and she definitely wants to talk to me.

So it isn’t really a surprise when she joins me shortly after while I’m busying myself stirring the tomato sauce she prepared.

The calm was just starting to get to my increasingly dozing off blood-sister, who perks up as Rosie nears us by.

The poor thing is ready to crash down, she seems to be even more tired than I.

“Rosie.” I acknowledge her presence with a little nod of my head, my white curls gently swirling along the motion, as my eyes look into hers with a bit of expectation.

“Aria.” She simply answers, stepping next to me after a second of hesitation, eyes shifting for beat between Iris and I.

She starts busying herself to ready the meal, hands going to gather one of the cooking pots atop the shelf, but stops mid-motion, her face sporting a complicated expression.

“It’s ok, Rosie.” I start gently, looking at her while I continue to stir the sauce, “If you want to talk, we can.”

Her eyes snap towards mine, expression alternating between incredulity and anger.

I stay silent as she struggles with herself, waiting for her to come to her own conclusions.

She finally sighs heavily, closing her eyes and pinching her nose.

“Telepathy, uh ?” She asks rhetorically, “I totally forgot about that amid all of this craziness.”

“Understandable,” I remark quietly, “You also had quite a day. The difference between you and I being that I was at least a little bit ready for it.”

Rosie stays mute for a moment, nodding to herself a few times.

“You brought me back my son,” She starts uneasily, “And I can’t thank you enough for that. But if your continued presence in this house is going to put us in danger, then I…”

She stops, not really knowing herself what she’s all about.

I put the wooden spoon I was using to look at her frankly, mulling over my thoughts for a moment.

It’s my turn to sigh, but mine is lighter as Iris’s grip tightens around me just a tiny bit to comfort me.

“If you can trust me on one thing, Rosie,” I softly start, “Then it’s the fact that I would never bring dangers under this roof deliberately.”

She opens her mouth, trying to pursue the issue, but I raise my hand to stop her.

“Please, let me finish.” I chid her gently and she clamps her mouth, a put upon expression on her face, “But even if I chose to go away right this instant, your son being who he is and his capabilities will eventually get exposed at some point and people are going to come looking.”

Rosie freezes, horror growing on her face.

“If I could have done it another way, I would have,” I continue firmly, a touch of sadness showing on my face, “But all the other ways I could think about would have robbed you of so much time together that it all came back to the solution I chose.”

Iris nuzzles me in the neck as I pause in consideration.

“I’m sorry for putting all of your family into this mess, but I didn’t really have a choice, and the few options I had to calmly walk away were swept under the rug by Flashy himself.” I finish with a tiny smile.

Rosie’s eyes narrow a bit.

“Do you mean it was his decision to ask his father for you to stay ?” She asks, a little bit of incredulity showing in her voice.

“Indeed,” I nod, “He told me nothing, pretending he wanted to introduce me to the family proper without thinking too much about it, which means it didn’t show in his surface thoughts. Flashy blind-sided me totally.”

I hmm to myself, before shrugging.

“A welcome one, mind you. I like Jessie a lot and it would have pained me to just walk away and leave the little munchkin behind.” I add with a genuine and soft smile.

“The two of you are close, indeed.” She mumbles under her breath, “She wasn’t even really surprised by your change of looks.”

“Children can be surprisingly perceptive about some things.” I tell her calmly, “Jessie must have surmised unconsciously that I acted more like a big sister than a big brother.”

She slowly nods, acknowledging my point.

“What was all about Oscorp anyway ?” She suddenly asks, an undercurrent of fear flashing through her mind.

I look at her, thinking.

“Do you really want to know ?” I finally ask her, eyes narrowed.

When she shakily nods, I sigh softly under my breath.

I step closer to her, one hand raised.

“I’m going to share some of my memories with you.” I tell her and she hesitantly takes a step back, which makes me pause, “Only if you want. I would never use my capabilities on someone in this house without their express say so. The sole exception being the global suggestion I put you all under to avoid potential mishaps because if it can happen, it will. Murphy’s law and all of that.”

Rosie pauses, considering, before steeling herself and straightening.

“You could be lying.” She points out the obvious.

“I could, but it would be way easier to choose not to have that conversation in the first place, considering the fact that I can side-step it easily.” I admit without blinking.

That makes her halt, and she slowly nods again.

“Fine, show me.” Rosie finally says.

I take another step closer, my hand reaching her temple, and promptly download in her mind all I know about the Green Goblin.

She stumbles a bit, eyes widening at the foreign sensation of suddenly knowing something you previously had no knowledge of and lays a hand on the counter to rest on.

I say nothing as I come back to my stirring, giving her the time she needs to assimilate my knowledge from outside Creation.

Iris starts humming with her star-filled voices after a beat because she’s uncomfortable with the silence, and my hands come on her scalp in a loving manner as a soft smile grace my lips.

“What the hell ?” Softly mutters Rosie after a while, eyes as wide as two UFOs.

Iris goes quiet as my mouth opens to answer Rosie’s outburst.

“Norman Osborn isn’t half the affable socialite and successful businessman he fancies himself as.” I resume harshly, “All he did and still does was motivated by his will to survive, even if he had to kill in order to do so. Except that now, he won’t.”

I turn myself on the side, looking in Rosie’s eyes.

“I made him forget about his disease, and his research for a super serum is now gone.” I calmly admit.

“So he won’t become like that.” She concludes, her teeth a little more gritted than they should.

I wordlessly nod.

“At least it is very unlikely.” I explain further, “He’ll probably notice that he’s going senile too late for it to matter and he has a much bigger problem right now to tackle.”

I shrug lightly, mulling over my next words.

“A shame about his employee, really, but I couldn’t think of a better way and I may have been a little pissed off about his attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl.” I admit shamelessly.

She slowly exhales, eyes closed.

“Fine, I admit you made a very convincing point here.” She says.

Crossing her arms over her torso, one finger pointed in my direction and her eyes narrowed, she carries on.

“So, we are three years apart, hm ?” Her tone could chill a lake in summer.

“Mentally yes, physically it is up for debate, after all, this body is technically less than a day’s old.” I cheekily answer with a grin.

She scowls at my non sequitur and I sigh, raising my hands in the universal ‘I give up’ gesture.

“Why the hell are you hanging around teenagers ?” She snaps.

Iris’ grip tightens around my upper torso and she directs a scowl in her direction.

Feeling her mood getting a turn for the worse, I intensify my ministrations on her scalp until she relaxes while mulling over my thoughts.

Guess I don’t really have a choice, do I ?

“Do you know why Flashy defended me this stubbornly this morning ?” I start with a question.

“Not really.” She answers, a little lost.

I lift my hand wordlessly, an eyebrow raised.

She gratifies me with a splendid eye roll, giving me a ‘come hither’ gesture as a sign of agreement.

I step next to her again to touch her temple, and she stumbles again.

Iris’ grip relaxes as a little mean smile grace her face for just a fraction of a second, which forces me to chide her mentally.

“Be nice, sister.” I sternly tell her on our mind-link, “No one deserves to share that kind of pain, even if it’s momentary.”

“[Shame, agreement] : I’m sorry, sister.” She lamely answers, feeling contrite.

When Rosie comes back among the living, she takes a shuddering breath, uncrossing her arms and looking down on her torso with wide eyes to verify that ‘yes, everything is still as they should be, ohmygodthankyou’.

As she straightens herself with the help of the countertop once more, I answer her previously asked question.

“As you can imagine, my previous adolescence wasn’t really a normal experience.” I tell her evenly, “I’m a little reluctant to squander my newfound opportunity to enjoy it again, as boring as it is, without all the complications I previously endured.”

I can see in the corner of my eyes that she is still shaken, but I pretend that I do not notice.

“Plus, there’s now four super powered teenagers in Midtown High. As a formerly responsible adult, how can I leave them to deal with that on their own when I can help ?” I carry on with a touch of sadness.

Tippy-tapping the countertop with my fingers, I mull over what to say next.

I’m pulled out my thoughts by a hand softly landing on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I…” Rosie hesitantly starts, “I didn’t knew…”

I take her hand slowly in mine and properly look at her once more.

“It’s ok, I don’t blame you for not knowing.” I answer simply, “But do not pity me for it. I’d rather you just acknowledge me for finding enough courage to deal with it and become what I am today.”

She nods, her expression still conflicted.

After a beat, eyes still locked into mine, she asks the question.

“How ?” Rosie blurts out.

I tilt my head, releasing her hand.

“‘How’ what exactly ?” I answer with a one-sided smile, “Because there’s a lot to unpack there.”

“How did you find the courage ?” She elaborates a bit more surely.

My motions stop while I was turning myself toward the pot once again, my thoughts halting.

“Hello !” Marie says with a sunny smile while perilously juggling with her tray and her purse, trying her hardest not to let any of it fall, “Do you mind if I take a seat ?”

A sad smile slowly starts to blossom on my lips as Iris pecks my cheek and softly massage the spot above my heart on my chest while my emotions go haywire on our mind-link.

“Because I met her…” I answer softly.

I turn myself toward Rosie once more, still smiling but not feeling like it.

“Because I met my wife.”

***

The Thompson’s home bathroom, The Thompson’s home, Forest Hills, Queens, the same day, 21:49

Dinner had been… Something.

After our shared moment, Rosie and I had finally found some common ground. She apparently knew where I was coming from when I told her that I was reluctant to let those empowered teenagers without supervision, and, after assuring her that I would not force them to do anything against their will, she let go of the subject.

Harrison was delighted to have his son back, even if he was still in the doghouse in his complicated relationship with Flashy.

Flashy himself had been afable, testily acknowledging his father’s attempts at smoothing the edges between them, and globally putting up a good conversation even if he still took me apart a few times on a slew of marvel-esque subjects.

I told him about my idea for a telepathy dampener and he got pensive about it, his natural instincts, miles ahead of mine for now, probably puzzling the problem instantly.

Jessie had been the ball of cheerfulness she was usually around me, and she insisted that I sit for a movie with the family after dinner, ‘now that everyone was here’.

I complied, but I started to feel myself and Iris slowly drifting to dreamland so I excused myself recently, not really fancying finding myself suddenly naked because Iris’ focus dropped in front of them.

I had gone to the bathroom to brush my teeth, but the full-length mirror had sung its siren call to me once I crossed the threshold.

So, here I am, the door decisively locked behind me, once again admiring my naked majesty with an attentive Iris for sole company joined at my right hips since she had perked up when I asked her to unclothe me.

And I’m scowling while my eyebrow is twitching repeatedly, the major part of my attention locked onto a certain mark.

“It’s not that bad.” My blood-sister assures me, her head laying on my shoulder, her left arm snaked across my shoulders on the high of my back and her right hand inching slowly downward on my belly toward the offending object in what could pass as a very intimate gesture of possessiveness.

Except it isn’t.

It’s just our way of being.

“No, it is not.” I answer, eyes still locked onto the three animated golden feathers burning merily artfully drawn atop and along my pussy.

Her head turns slowly around, still tilted.

She knows the answer before she asks it but says it anyway.

My blood-sister knows that I need to admit it.

“Then, why are you so upset ?” She ponders aloud for my benefit.

I sigh, closing my eyes for a beat as I pinch my nose.

I mumble my answer under my breath.

Chuckling lightly, Iris shakes her head slowly.

“I’m sorry, Aria, I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch that.” She says, her tone dripping with mirth.

“Because I like it !” I whine aloud, nearly screaming, arms spread apart, “There ! I said it ! It’s just the little touch that was missing to make me sexy as all hell, and it’s even moving for fuck sake !”

My cheeks are burning rose gold at my admission, eyes darting around in shame.

“I couldn’t get over the fact of how fucking gorgeous I was before, and I feel like it’s even worse now !” I rant as my hands come to hide my face, the tip of my ears joining my cheeks in their colouration, “I have that growing urge to show myself to everyone, and if I could, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“The Ancient One was right, I’m turning into a goddam exhibisionist.” I admit under my breath as Iris’ chuckles, her hand on my lower belly making little circling motions.

She mock-steps on her toes to plant a kiss on the still uncovered part of my cheek, her left hand slowly caressing my neck.

“Is it really a bad thing ?” She asks aloud in her void-filled voice, her side of our mind-link dripping with [Love, care, understanding].

“For my sanity ? It definitely is.” I lamely answer back, melting a little under her ministrations and love.

This world is going to drive me crazy.

Shmd Aria's vanity issues aren't going away for a long time, sadly for her, and to our delight.

Shmd Heya, new chapter ! Obviously, someone has still some misgivings about that whole situation ! :'o Happy reading ! With love, Sh'. Chapter 26 : The longest day of my life The mom talk The Thompson's home kitchen, The Thompson's home, Forest Hills, Queens, 25th of January, 18:52 After giving an even shorter abridged version of my day to an increasingly bewildered Harrison, I chose to hide myself in the kitchen under the pretext to help Rosie finish preparing dinner to take a breather. It actually serves a double purpose, because while Harrison seems to be relatively hands off about all the weirdness that had occured around me since this morning, Rosie's mind has been getting increasingly agitated the further along my tale went, and she definitely wants to talk to me. So it isn't really a surprise when she joins me shortly after while I'm busying myself stirring the tomato sauce she prepared. The calm was just starting to get to my increasingly dozing off blood-sister, who perks up as Rosie nears us by. The poor thing is ready to crash down, she seems to be even more tired than I. Rosie. I acknowledge her presence with a little nod of my head, my white curls gently swirling along the motion, as my eyes look into hers with a bit of expectation. Aria. She simply answers, stepping next to me after a second of hesitation, eyes shifting for beat between Iris and I. She starts busying herself to ready the meal, hands going to gather one of the cooking pots atop the shelf, but stops mid-motion, her face sporting a complicated expression. It's ok, Rosie. I start gently, looking at her while I continue to stir the sauce, If you want to talk, we can. Her eyes snap towards mine, expression alternating between incredulity and anger. I stay silent as she struggles with herself, waiting for her to come to her own conclusions. She finally sighs heavily, closing her eyes and pinching her nose. Telepathy, uh ? She asks rhetorically, I totally forgot about that amid all of this craziness. Understandable, I remark quietly, You also had quite a day. The difference between you and I being that I was at least a little bit ready for it. Rosie stays mute for a moment, nodding to herself a few times. You brought me back my son, She starts uneasily, And I can't thank you enough for that. But if your continued presence in this house is going to put us in danger, then I She stops, not really knowing herself what she's all about. I put the wooden spoon I was using to look at her frankly, mulling over my thoughts for a moment. It's my turn to sigh, but mine is lighter as Iris's grip tightens around me just a tiny bit to comfort me. If you can trust me on one thing, Rosie, I softly start, Then it's the fact that I would never bring dangers under this roof deliberately. She opens her mouth, trying to pursue the issue, but I raise my hand to stop her. Please, let me finish. I chid her gently and she clamps her mouth, a put upon expression on her face, But even if I chose to go away right this instant, your son being who he is and his capabilities will eventually get exposed at some point and people are going to come looking. Rosie freezes, horror growing on her face. If I could have done it another way, I would have, I continue firmly, a touch of sadness showing on my face, But all the other ways I could think about would have robbed you of so much time together that it all came back to the solution I chose. Iris nuzzles me in the neck as I pause in consideration. I'm sorry for putting all of your family into this mess, but I didn't really have a choice, and the few options I had to calmly walk away were swept under the rug by Flashy himself. I finish with a tiny smile. Rosie's eyes narrow a bit. Do you mean it was his decision to ask his father for you to stay ? She asks, a little bit of incredulity showing in her voice. Indeed, I nod, He told me nothing, pretending he wanted to introduce me to the family proper without thinking too much about it, which means it didn't show in his surface thoughts. Flashy blind-sided me totally. I hmm to myself, before shrugging. A welcome one, mind you. I like Jessie a lot and it would have pained me to just walk away and leave the little munchkin behind. I add with a genuine and soft smile. The two of you are close, indeed. She mumbles under her breath, She wasn't even really surprised by your change of looks. Children can be surprisingly perceptive about some things. I tell her calmly, Jessie must have surmised unconsciously that I acted more like a big sister than a big brother. She slowly nods, acknowledging my point. What was all about Oscorp anyway ? She suddenly asks, an undercurrent of fear flashing through her mind. I look at her, thinking. Do you really want to know ? I finally ask her, eyes narrowed. When she shakily nods, I sigh softly under my breath. I step closer to her, one hand raised. I'm going to share some of my memories with you. I tell her and she hesitantly takes a step back, which makes me pause, Only if you want. I would never use my capabilities on someone in this house without their express say so. The sole exception being the global suggestion I put you all under to avoid potential mishaps because if it can happen, it will. Murphy's law and all of that. Rosie pauses, considering, before steeling herself and straightening. You could be lying. She points out the obvious. I could, but it would be way easier to choose not to have that conversation in the first place, considering the fact that I can side-step it easily. I admit without blinking. That makes her halt, and she slowly nods again. Fine, show me. Rosie finally says. I take another step closer, my hand reaching her temple, and promptly download in her mind all I know about the Green Goblin. She stumbles a bit, eyes widening at the foreign sensation of suddenly knowing something you previously had no knowledge of and lays a hand on the counter to rest on. I say nothing as I come back to my stirring, giving her the time she needs to assimilate my knowledge from outside Creation. Iris starts humming with her star-filled voices after a beat because she's uncomfortable with the silence, and my hands come on her scalp in a loving manner as a soft smile grace my lips. What the hell ? Softly mutters Rosie after a while, eyes as wide as two UFOs. Iris goes quiet as my mouth opens to answer Rosie's outburst. Norman Osborn isn't half the affable socialite and successful businessman he fancies himself as. I resume harshly, All he did and still does was motivated by his will to survive, even if he had to kill in order to do so. Except that now, he won't. I turn myself on the side, looking in Rosie's eyes. I made him forget about his disease, and his research for a super serum is now gone. I calmly admit. So he won't become like that. She concludes, her teeth a little more gritted than they should. I wordlessly nod. At least it is very unlikely. I explain further, He'll probably notice that he's going senile too late for it to matter and he has a much bigger problem right now to tackle. I shrug lightly, mulling over my next words. A shame about his employee, really, but I couldn't think of a better way and I may have been a little pissed off about his attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl. I admit shamelessly. She slowly exhales, eyes closed. Fine, I admit you made a very convincing point here. She says. Crossing her arms over her torso, one finger pointed in my direction and her eyes narrowed, she carries on. So, we are three years apart, hm ? Her tone could chill a lake in summer. Mentally yes, physically it is up for debate, after all, this body is technically less than a day's old. I cheekily answer with a grin. She scowls at my non sequitur and I sigh, raising my hands in the universal I give up' gesture. Why the hell are you hanging around teenagers ? She snaps. Iris' grip tightens around my upper torso and she directs a scowl in her direction. Feeling her mood getting a turn for the worse, I intensify my ministrations on her scalp until she relaxes while mulling over my thoughts. Guess I don't really have a choice, do I ? Do you know why Flashy defended me this stubbornly this morning ? I start with a question. Not really. She answers, a little lost. I lift my hand wordlessly, an eyebrow raised. She gratifies me with a splendid eye roll, giving me a come hither' gesture as a sign of agreement. I step next to her again to touch her temple, and she stumbles again. Iris' grip relaxes as a little mean smile grace her face for just a fraction of a second, which forces me to chide her mentally. Be nice, sister. I sternly tell her on our mind-link, No one deserves to share that kind of pain, even if it's momentary. Shame, agreement : I'm sorry, sister. She lamely answers, feeling contrite. When Rosie comes back among the living, she takes a shuddering breath, uncrossing her arms and looking down on her torso with wide eyes to verify that yes, everything is still as they should be, ohmygodthankyou'. As she straightens herself with the help of the countertop once more, I answer her previously asked question. As you can imagine, my previous adolescence wasn't really a normal experience. I tell her evenly, I'm a little reluctant to squander my newfound opportunity to enjoy it again, as boring as it is, without all the complications I previously endured. I can see in the corner of my eyes that she is still shaken, but I pretend that I do not notice. Plus, there's now four super powered teenagers in Midtown High. As a formerly responsible adult, how can I leave them to deal with that on their own when I can help ? I carry on with a touch of sadness. Tippy-tapping the countertop with my fingers, I mull over what to say next. I'm pulled out my thoughts by a hand softly landing on my shoulder. I'm sorry, I Rosie hesitantly starts, I didn't knew I take her hand slowly in mine and properly look at her once more. It's ok, I don't blame you for not knowing. I answer simply, But do not pity me for it. I'd rather you just acknowledge me for finding enough courage to deal with it and become what I am today. She nods, her expression still conflicted. After a beat, eyes still locked into mine, she asks the question. How ? Rosie blurts out. I tilt my head, releasing her hand. How' what exactly ? I answer with a one-sided smile, Because there's a lot to unpack there. How did you find the courage ? She elaborates a bit more surely. My motions stop while I was turning myself toward the pot once again, my thoughts halting. Hello ! Marie says with a sunny smile while perilously juggling with her tray and her purse, trying her hardest not to let any of it fall, Do you mind if I take a seat ? A sad smile slowly starts to blossom on my lips as Iris pecks my cheek and softly massage the spot above my heart on my chest while my emotions go haywire on our mind-link. Because I met her I answer softly. I turn myself toward Rosie once more, still smiling but not feeling like it. Because I met my wife. *** The Thompson's home bathroom, The Thompson's home, Forest Hills, Queens, the same day, 21:49 Dinner had been Something. After our shared moment, Rosie and I had finally found some common ground. She apparently knew where I was coming from when I told her that I was reluctant to let those empowered teenagers without supervision, and, after assuring her that I would not force them to do anything against their will, she let go of the subject. Harrison was delighted to have his son back, even if he was still in the doghouse in his complicated relationship with Flashy. Flashy himself had been afable, testily acknowledging his father's attempts at smoothing the edges between them, and globally putting up a good conversation even if he still took me apart a few times on a slew of marvel-esque subjects. I told him about my idea for a telepathy dampener and he got pensive about it, his natural instincts, miles ahead of mine for now, probably puzzling the problem instantly. Jessie had been the ball of cheerfulness she was usually around me, and she insisted that I sit for a movie with the family after dinner, now that everyone was here'. I complied, but I started to feel myself and Iris slowly drifting to dreamland so I excused myself recently, not really fancying finding myself suddenly naked because Iris' focus dropped in front of them. I had gone to the bathroom to brush my teeth, but the full-length mirror had sung its siren call to me once I crossed the threshold. So, here I am, the door decisively locked behind me, once again admiring my naked majesty with an attentive Iris for sole company joined at my right hips since she had perked up when I asked her to unclothe me. And I'm scowling while my eyebrow is twitching repeatedly, the major part of my attention locked onto a certain mark. It's not that bad. My blood-sister assures me, her head laying on my shoulder, her left arm snaked across my shoulders on the high of my back and her right hand inching slowly downward on my belly toward the offending object in what could pass as a very intimate gesture of possessiveness. Except it isn't. It's just our way of being. No, it is not. I answer, eyes still locked onto the three animated golden feathers burning merily artfully drawn atop and along my pussy. Her head turns slowly around, still tilted. She knows the answer before she asks it but says it anyway. My blood-sister knows that I need to admit it. Then, why are you so upset ? She ponders aloud for my benefit. I sigh, closing my eyes for a beat as I pinch my nose. I mumble my answer under my breath. Chuckling lightly, Iris shakes her head slowly. I'm sorry, Aria, I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that. She says, her tone dripping with mirth. Because I like it ! I whine aloud, nearly screaming, arms spread apart, There ! I said it ! It's just the little touch that was missing to make me sexy as all hell, and it's even moving for fuck sake ! My cheeks are burning rose gold at my admission, eyes darting around in shame. I couldn't get over the fact of how fucking gorgeous I was before, and I feel like it's even worse now ! I rant as my hands come to hide my face, the tip of my ears joining my cheeks in their colouration, I have that growing urge to show myself to everyone, and if I could, I would do it in a heartbeat. The Ancient One was right, I'm turning into a goddam exhibisionist. I admit under my breath as Iris' chuckles, her hand on my lower belly making little circling motions. She mock-steps on her toes to plant a kiss on the still uncovered part of my cheek, her left hand slowly caressing my neck. Is it really a bad thing ? She asks aloud in her void-filled voice, her side of our mind-link dripping with Love, care, understanding. For my sanity ? It definitely is. I lamely answer back, melting a little under her ministrations and love. This world is going to drive me crazy. Shmd Aria's vanity issues aren't going away for a long time, sadly for her, and to our delight.